President Barack Obama: Speeches that Resonate

Photo: WhiteHouse.gov

By Tatiana Golden                                                                 

Our first black and 44th president, Barack Obama, has broken barriers and become one of the most successful presidents in American history. The one thing that many people love most about Obama and the primary reason he became president is his beautiful public speaking. Many feel he is the best speaker in the world. His speeches captivate audiences in ways that still resonate with us till this day. To most people and politicians the speech he gave at the Democratic National Convention on July, 2004 in Boston, Massachusetts was the best speech in politics.

He starts off his speech talking about where he came from. His father, who was born in a small village in Kenya, moved to America to have an education and the American dream. His mother, who was born in Kansas, set an example of work hard and working for your dream. Obama talks not about our economy, or our military, but how we are all equal. That our founding fathers who wrote the Declaration of Independence said, all men are created equal.

It’s almost like Obama pointing out don’t forget what America is all about and what it stands for, by showing and expressing it. Obama said something that speaks to politicians, government, and the country of the United States, “There is more work to be done.” Americans live and breathe hard work, to have a stable job, a good education and a home. But Obama added that we need somebody that will help change our priorities.

He then talks about John Kerry, who was the Democratic presidential candidate of the 2004 election, but later lost to George Bush. He talks about John Kerry as a president who will represent that change. The one thing that Obama said that caught my attention was “He will never sacrifice our basic liberties or use faith as a wedge to divide us. And he will not put war first. He would work to make sure that the troops come back home safety, to win the war, and to end with peace and respect throughout the world.”

There was one thing he always talked about during the convention and throughout his presidential career, that we are all connected as one people. If a child is poor, a black man is prosecuting wrongly, or a military man is homeless, it will affect me too, because "I am my brother’s or sister’s keeper.” He points out that this is the United States of America. We have to be united as black, white, Latinos, and Asians, because we all have the same dream and the same purpose.

Obama also talks about something he said throughout his presidential career, hope. Hoping that we will find freedom for all people and hope for the middle class, where they could find a stable job. American’s greatest gift and anchor is belief. Obama said “a belief that is unseen.” We could make the right choices as Americans. Barack Obama ends his speech, “Out of this political darkness, a brighter day will come.”


Tatiana Golden is a sophomore from The Bronx, New York at St. Thomas Aquinas College. She is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Journalism..

Descending into the Dark with King Diamond

King Diamond in concert  (photo:brooklynvegan.com)

By Christopher Silva


Upon parking and walking to the PlayStation Theater, a lit up sign acknowledging the show and a line to get in wrapped around the block greeted us. The line we stood in was uniformed in black and leather, as were we. As the line began to move, a man walked up holding a sign and a bible, yelling at us that we must repent and turn away from the darkness.

Repent, All Ye Who Enter Here

This was obviously someone who either did not grasp the fact that this was a show and not meant to be taken seriously or was paid to draw attention to the venue. When we got inside and went down the escalators, we were immediately greeted by a packed house and the sound of music booming through the walls.

It was a little past 8 when we finally got inside, so we witnessed Exodus transition from one song into the next. Along with playing a bunch of classic tracks, they also performed a few new tracks from their new release, “Blood In, Blood Out.” Regardless of the fact that they had not performed with Steve on vocals since 2004, he clearly remembered all the lyrics and timing wise was on point with the band. The band seemed full of energy and genuinely excited to be there, as well as being able to hype up the audience for the main event, King Diamond.

They played for a total of 50 minutes, which for those unfamiliar is almost double the usual amount of time an opening act will get. All in all they sounded great, played well, and the general vibe from their performance was intense and energetic.

Haunting Presence Looms Out of Smoke

After 30 minutes of set up in between the bands, King Diamond and his band emerged from red lights and smoke to the crowd’s applause and cheers. King Diamond, being very much into stage shows, had staircases and a walkway erected on stage as well as lit up inverted crosses and a lit up pentagram.

His set list, along with his promised entire sophomore album, “Abigail” includes a few classic songs. One thing I was certain of by the end of the show was that everything I had heard about him was true. His stage sets were elaborate, his stage presence was haunting and creepy, and his vocal range is unreal. His music touched on themes of evil, possession, and witches, all which worked well with his presence and set design.

Although he has often been labeled as evil or a Satanist, he at least to me is very clearly a stage performer and based on how he talked to us and what he said I would say that this belief is invalid. Even after 30 years, he can still hit all the high and low notes and very clearly has put effort and care towards protecting his vocals. After this show, I can also say it is clear why this event sold out and his legacy is as big as it is. When the band performed, everything sounded clear and crisp even more so than on the studio recordings. Speaking as someone who has seen a number of bands whose albums were great but could not pull it off live, this is a huge achievement and should be acknowledged. Also even after touring for so long, he still seemed excited and happy to be there, with the band not stopping till 11.

The only negatives that I have for this show is being two stories underground there was absolutely no cell phone service. It took longer to get in than I feel it should have, taking around twenty minutes, even though we all had our tickets. Also a number of people were dropped attempting to crowd surf, and even seeing this more people kept attempting it. It got somewhat dangerous for individuals. My uncle and myself ended up getting kicked in the head by someone falling.

However, the positive way outweighs the negatives. After this event I would highly recommend seeing either band to anyone, even if they do not regularly listen to metal. They both put on spectacular performances as well as being true accurate examples of the bond and brotherhood that an interest like music can cause in people. As I always say, never say no to a show, you never know what and whom you will miss out on.


Chistopher Silva is a junior studying Graphic Design at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

Matisse Chocolatier Joins Global #GivingTuesday Movement

By Stephen Saulpaugh

[December 2015 - Orangeburg, New York] – People of Rockland County should prepare themselves for a sweet celebration. Matisse Chocolatier has joined #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide. 

 On Tuesday December 1st, people who attend “Matisse Chocolatier’s Winter Wonderland” at Orangetown Center will enjoy free homemade fresh chocolate, a meet and greet with Elsa from the hit movie ‘Frozen’, coloring contests, and fun raffles with grand prizes that include chocolate for a year and decadent holiday platters. Owner Lucille Skroce will give all proceeds raised from her event to Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital. #GivingTuesday aims to inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support.

Lucille Skroce, owner of Matisse Chocolatier, said, “This is my first year participating in #GivingTuesday, but my store and I have always tried to go above and beyond for causes that mean a lot to me, like Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital. During this event, I hope that the chocolate we give and the memories we help others make will encourage everyone to lend a helping hand.”

CA 213 students at St. Thomas Aquinas College have been working with Matisse Chocolatier all semester, developing an extensive Public Relations plan and bridging the gap between the classroom and the real world. The #GivingTuesday event represents the culmination of their efforts. “This project has been challenging, but the reward will be to see this event come together,” said CA major Nicholas DeGiorgio. “Lucille Embodies giving. She's allowing us to practice PR and event planning, providing invaluable experiences, and in turn we want to help make her #GivingTuesday event a huge success.”

Students are sending news releases and pitch letters to various media outlets and bloggers to promote the event. “I pitched the blogger “Rockland 411” and they ran the story!” says CA major Timothy Herasimtschuk. “It’s rewarding to use the skills from class and apply them to a real client!” Students have also garnered PR from Nyack Hospital, The Rockland County Times, and Patch.com.Media outlets such as News 12, LoHud, Rockland 411 will all cover the event being run by Matisse and the student of STAC.

By joining the #GivingTuesday movement, Skroce hopes to raise funds and awareness for Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital in an effort to aid in research for cancer cures. Matisse Chocolatier is using their homemade fresh chocolate to give sweet treats to everyone attending their winter event, in hope to encourage others to take a more active role in helping others in society. In addition to hosting a variety of fun activities, the event will focus on helping others around the Holiday season.

Those who are interested in joining Matisse Chocolate's #GivingTuesday initiative can visit 32 Orangetown Center, Orangeburg, New York 10962. For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website (www.givingtuesday.org), Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday) or follow @GivingTues and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on Twitter.


Stephen Saulpaugh is studying Communication Arts at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

Bleacher Report: A Sports Fan’s Best App

By Clint Walker                                      


My favorite media is sports journalism, which focuses on reporting both amateur and professional sporting news and events. Sports journalism works in all types of media including print, television broadcasting, and the internet. 

Sports journalism in the print medium provides a much detailed preview of various upcoming events and post-game analysis (as well as extensive box scores, team standings and player statistics). There are broadcast journalists that give real-time reporting and commentary of sporting events for the television and the radio. Sideline reporters get chances to interview players before, during, and after games. Sports media contains production teams to direct, edit, and produce sports telecasts. There are also sports photojournalists who take pictures of sporting events to capture the game experience.

My favorite sports media is the Bleacher Report, an American digital media company based in San Francisco and covering hundreds of teams and sports around the world. It is owned by Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting Systems. The company, also known as B/R, specializes in creating and curating content about trending news topics, with an emphasis on delivering opinion-oriented analysis and multimedia programming via varied content formats and mobile technologies.

Bleacher Report was founded in 2007 by David Finocchio, Alexander Freund, Bryan Goldberg, and David Nemetz, four friends and sports fans who had been high school classmates at Menlo School in Atherton, California. Finocchio remains at B/R as the unit's General Manager. Goldberg and Nemetz transitioned out of their respective VP roles during the integration process. Freund left the company in 2009. 

I have the Bleacher Report app on both my smartphone and my iPod to really stay up to date on what’s happening sports wise. ESPN is currently the largest sports broadcasting in the country, but I feel soon Bleacher Report can give them some good competition. Everything Bleacher Report does is web based because they do not have a television channel. I feel like they will soon. 

When you first download the Bleacher Report app, you can either sign in through your Facebook account or create a profile. From there, you can not only pick your favorite teams but also your favorite players to follow, which I think is pretty cool. Whenever there is breaking news, the Bleacher Report app will send you a notification on what the latest story is from trades to injuries. Now that we live in a society where everything is high tech, Bleacher Report and sports fans should have a beautiful relationship. Sure, ESPN is also fun and exciting but Bleacher Report is on the uprise and ready to take over.


Clint Walker is a junior majoring in Graphic Design at St. Thomas Aquinas College.


 Sources:
"Bleacher Report." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2015.
"What Is Sports Journalism?" What Is Sports Journalism? N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2015

 

Why I Love Instagram

 By Daniel Wilson


My entire life I have always been in love with photography. To be able to capture a moment, a memory forever is incredible. When I found out about Instagram, I knew that I was going to be using that social media a lot.

Instagram is a social networking app made for sharing photos and videos from a smartphone. Similar to Facebook or Twitter, everyone who creates an account has a profile and news feed. When you post a photo or video on Instagram, it will be shown on your profile. Just like twitter you have a certain amount of followers and any one of your followers can see and like your photos. 

The reason I love Instagram so much is because you can tell so much about a person by the types of photos they post. You can tell someone’s style, hobbies, and lifestyle by the pictures they post. Another thing I love about Instagram is that you can post just about anything you want. There are people that just post objects and nature and there are people that just post pictures of themselves or other people. 

The first time I started using Instagram was the middle of my freshman year in high school. At first I didn't know what my first picture was going to be of. I didn't know if was going to be of myself or of something else. I finally decided to post a picture of myself because I want people to know that it was my Instagram. 

As years passed I started posting more and more photo on my page. I posted pictures from events, going out, etc. It almost seemed like every weekend I was posting a picture. In a way I was becoming addicted to Instagram. I was following more and more people everyday. As of today I have 1,500 followers and I’m still gaining every day. In the beginning I only followed people that I know or that I know of but eventually I started follow anybody. It’s always interesting to see pictures of different people all over the country and even world. I love to look at different lifestyles and fashions. I love to express my self through photos because some things can’t be explained, they have to be shown. 

Looking at Instagram as a whole it’s crazy to see how much of a impact it has on the world. Pretty much everybody I know has an Instagram and we all communicate to each other through it. Whenever they post a pic I like it and whenever I post one they like it, too. The most amount of likes I ever got on a photo is 224 and that's an accumulation of my friends, non-close friends, and complete strangers. Recently I think I have been using Instagram the most in my life. Whenever I go out or dress up I’m always excited to post a picture. 

I don't think I’ll ever outgrow Instagram because I love posting pictures and I don't think I’ll stop anytime. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat are all cool but Instagram will forever be my favorite media.


Daniel Wilson is a freshman studying Communications Arts at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

 

Snapchat: Unique, Creative, My Favorite Media

By Stephen Saulpaugh


There are countless forms of media through various platforms that are ever present in our world. My generation in a particular has found a way to make these media forms into a way of life. While these media forms can be involved in a person’s professional life, a lot of the time they are used as forms of entertainment and as means for interaction with one another. Most recently Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have been the “Holy Trinity” in the social media world. However, a new media has come to the forefront and has many users all around the globe engaged with their unique and creative app. I am of course referring to my favorite form of media: Snapchat. 

The best way to describe Snapchat is as a video messaging app in which users can take photos, record video, add text and drawings, and send them selected people off their friend list. The sent messages are known as “Snaps” and users are able to set a time limit of 1-10 seconds after which the photo/video will be deleted for good. According to Snapchat, in “November 2015 the app's users were sending 6 billion photos and videos per day, while Snapchat Stories content was being viewed 500 million times per day. The company has a valuation of $10-$20 billion, depending on the source.

Bobby Murphy and Evan Spiegel, the creators of Snapchat, developed the app as part of a college project at Stanford University. According to the two men, “Snapchat isn’t about capturing the traditional Kodak moment. It’s about communicating with the full range of human emotion—not just what appears to be pretty or perfect.” I believe this to be the most charming part of this app. The ability to share a candid portrait of your daily life, on the other side of the spectrum, be able to witness a friend or loved ones’ experiences through this app is a great tool. It puts the creativity into the users’ hands and I am such a proponent of that as a fan of media.

Building Consumer Relations

Recently, companies have been using the Snapchat app as a way to showcase company culture to consumers. It is a fun way to connect businesses and consumers and build relationships. The consumer feels more like a friend because of the personal connection, and not just a target. 

Perhaps my favorite part of the app are some of the new features added in 2015, such as the ‘Discover’ and ‘Live’ sections. The ‘Discover’ section belong to many entertainment, news, and media outlets that are able to publish daily content for Snapchat users. The content is highly informative, concise, and interactive. The fact that is fresh every day makes users anxious to see what new content will pop up on their phone everyday. 


The 'Live' section often highlights countries and cities around the world and also major events such as sporting events, music shows, political outings, etc. They are real time videos being uploaded by different users all around the world. When users take a photo/video they are able to add it to these sections, and stand a chance of having their content shared with the rest of the Snapchat community, which I think is awesome.

Snapchat’s ability to embrace new trends, implement new strategies, and innovate ways to engage with its users is remarkable. It formed a bond with users through their candid practices of sharing experiences with one another, and it is for that reason that I think this app will continue to innovate for years to come.

 Stephen Saulpaugh is a junior studying Communications Arts at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snapchat
https://www.snapchat.com/

Video Games' Impact on Society

By William Decker


Video games bring great joy to people young and old alike. One of the companies that make video games is Nintendo. Some of the genres are shooters, racing games, platform, adventure, puzzle solving and fighting games. One of the most played genres is platforming adventure games like Super Mario Brothers. Video Games made by Nintendo have a rich history and have made an immense impact on society that affects children of all ages.

The company has an interesting history: “Nintendo started in September 1889 as a card making company” (Nintendo History). Then in 1980 the first hand held game system Game and Watch was first sold in Japan (“8 Bit Blog” 2012). Then in 1986 came the first console, the Nintendo entertainment system, and three years later in 1989 came the Game Boy (“8 Bit Blog” 2012; Steenbergen, 2011). Then in 1992 came the Super Nintendo Entertainment system, and four years later in 1996 the Game Boy Pocket was being sold (“8 Bit Blog” 2012; Steenbergen, 2011). 

In 1997 came the N64 and in 1998 the Game Boy Color came out, then in 2001 the Game Boy Advanced was introduced (“8 Bit Blog” 2012; Steenbergen, 2011). In 2002 both the Game Cube and Game Advanced SP were both being sold (“8 Bit Blog” 2012; Steenbergen, 2011). In 2004 the DS was invented then in 2005 the Game Boy Micro came to life (“8 Bit Blog” 2012). In 2006 the DS Lite and Wii were both introduced to the public (“8 Bit Blog” 2012; Steenbergen, 2011). 2009 the DSI was introduced then a year later a much larger DSI XL came out, and in 2011 the 3ds came out (“8 Bit Blog” 2012).

Then in 2012 the most current platform console, the Wii U, came out, and later that year the 3DS XL (“8 Bit Blog” 2012; Steenbergen, 2011). This is just a small part of Nintendo’s vast gaming history that has made a major impact on the gaming industry.

Impact on Society

The impact Nintendo video games have had on society is that they help relieve stress for some people. They also give people young and old hours and hours of fun and entertainment. Another thing about video games that impacts society is they can influence a child’s behavior, like some games could teach inappropriate or bad behavior, but most games teach good wholesome values that support good behavior. Some bad behavior that stems from video games are violence, crime, and theft. Some good things that come from video games are they can teach you how to do math. They can also teach you how to be social and make friends by playing with other people. They can also help you learn how to solve puzzles, accomplish goals, and complete challenges.

This impacts my life because it gives me hours of fun and entertainment. Another thing that video games have brought to my life was introducing me to one of the most iconic gaming mascots of all time - Mario. The first system I ever played on was an N64; that was one of the most exciting thing that videogames ever brought into my life. They can help me relax and destress for hours and hours at a time. Videogames are my happy and fun place that can help me blow off steam, have fun and give me hours of entertainment and excitement. Videogames also help me calm down after a long and hard day. Videogames also bring hours and hours of replay ability for most games.

The invention of video games has made a huge impact on society. Because they are a huge part of my life, they helped me through some tough times. They are important because they have impacted society by changing the way people play games and they continue to change each and every day.

William Michael Decker Jr. is a Graphic Design major and junior at St Thomas Aquinas College. "After I get out of college I want to find a job in the field of Graphic Design. Someday I would like to advance far enough in my field to work for Nintendo."


Works Cited:
8 Bit Blog. N.p., 19 Oct. 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.            .
Steenbergen, Max. Nintendo Timeline. Dribble, 8 June 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
            Nov. 2015. https://dribbble.com/shots/188073-Nintendo-Timeline.
"Nintendo History." Nintendo.co.uk. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
            https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Corporate/Nintendo-History/Nintendo-History-625945.html