OK. First the basics. My name is Jacob, and I live just outside Washington, D.C. Although my parents are from New York City and Miami, Florida, I have lived my entire life in the DC area. Some of the basic facts. I am 14 years old, and in my first year in High School. High School is not that much different from middle school - the classes may be a little more difficult, and the students a little taller, but that is just about it. The High School I go to is very competitive acadamically. In fact, a few years ago, a graduate of my High School wrote a book called "The Overacheivers," which talks about the pressures of high school in general, and my high school in particular. Of course, nobody in school thinks this way. We just think of it as High School, and we really dont have anything else to compare it with. My High School graduated two United States Senators, and a lot of the kids here have parents who are high-powered people -- lawyers, lobbyists, doctors at the National Institutes of Health, embassy people, and government officials. But to everyone here, we are just plain old high school students -- at a public high school at that.
There are a lot of things to keep me busy aside from school. My passion though is baseball. I like to watch football (American football, not futbal), basketball, and just about anything that might be on ESPN at any given time of day (except maybe cricket.) But ever since I was a little kid, I remember watching, playing and reading about baseball. At that time, Washington, D.C. didnt have its own professional baseball team. I used to drive with my parents to Baltimore to watch the Baltimore Orioles baseball team. When I was 10, professional baseball came to Washington. Although the team is not very good, it has a new stadium, and it is still fun to watch. I went to summer camp in Aberdeen, Maryland which was sponsored by Cal Ripken, Jr., one of the best players ever. I remember kids from all over the world -- even places where they dont have baseball -- coming to play and learn. It was fun playing baseball with kids from England and India, most of whom did not get a chance to play organized little league like I did. They took their experiences with them, and many of them said they planned to start baseball leagues when they got home.
I am left handed and a pitcher, which is one of the most competitive positions in baseball. I rely on finesse rather than sheer power to make me a good player. I hope to play on the High School team, but we will see what happens. I am pretty social, and while there may be "cliques" in my school like any other, I try not to be a part of them, and just try to get along with everyone. In fact, I am the 9th grade class President at my school, which is sometimes fun, and sometimes a pain!
But there is more to life than just school and baseball. Kids (including me) are voratious consumers and creators or media. I watch TV (of course) and my favorite shows are "The Daily Show" "The Colbert Report" and "South Park" all of which are on a cable TV station called Comedy Central. (For you international people, you can find Daily Show and Colbert Report on CNN International or on comedycentral.com.) I like these shows because they are not only funny, but have biting satire and are very smart, as well as entertaining. South Park LOOKS like a simple kids comic about 4th grade student. It is actually a crude satire on important issues. I like the way the writers, Matt Stone and Trey Parker use the characters to discuss and comment on issues like the recent US Presidential election, the role of religion in society, stem cell research, and other political issues in a funny but biting way.
There are lots of other media sources that I rely on every day. These include the Web, listenting to music and news on the radio (and on my phone), downloads, books, newspapers, and video games on the Wii. The more the merrier.
Like everyone else in the DOTCOM program, I am committed to trying to help the community. Right now, I am volunteering at a homeless shelter in my neighborhood. I work with a family which has a 10 year old kid named Prince. I sort of act like a big brother to Prince - more like a mentor. In fact, I think that homelessness is an issue which deserves much more attention. One of the things I learned is that anyone can become homeless. Prince's family has two working parents who work full time to try to support five kids, but they still cant find a place to live. With the recession and people losing their jobs, the problem of homelessness is only going to get worse -- just at a time when governments are feeling stressed and unable to help. Right now, I think I might do my media project on this important problem, but I havent quite decided yet.
The importance of the face to face workshops is, of course the fact that they are face to face. It is one thing to blog, chat, or IM someone, but this is impersonal at best. When you meet someone face to face, you establish a TRUE social network. As a social person who considers himself a "connector" I will be able to bridge the gaps created by nationality, religion, cultural diversity, or even just personality. Meet me and you will see.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
My Inaguration Experience
Janary 20, 2009 12:00 PM Eastern Time
The peaceful transition of power took place here in Washington DC. I went down to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. -- not today, but on Sunday for the Inaugural concert. Woke up at 6 AM and drove downtown, parked and made my way through the crowds to set up a tarp and blanket by the reflecting pool near the Lincoln Memorial. I got there at 830 AM for a 230 PM performance, and sat there in the cold with about 400,000 other people. Was it worth it?
Yes. Not just for the performances. I can now say I was a part of history. I witnessed democracy in action, as a man from one political party gave way to a man from the opposing one. The election of America's first African-American president made me realize that we are coming closer and closer to a time of racial tolerance and equality. Now, as Martin Luther King envisioned, people can be judged by "the content of their character."
People all around the world felt the history that was being made around us. Over 400,000 people braved the cold just to get a chance to be a small part of this historic weekend. During the concert, what really struck me was the diversity. Sure the artists were young and old, black and white, rich and.... well.. richer. But it was the crowd that really got to me. When Barack Obama took the stage, there were people in the audience who were actually crying. There were old people who felt they would never live to see this day, and young children filled with hope, who never knew a day when there was segregation. Just within a few feet of the blanket where I was seated was a law professor from Syracuse, a personal trainer, and an African-American family from Chicago. The crowd itself was black. It was brown. It was white. It was yellow. It reflected the melting pot that is America. And it was THAT more than the word spoken that gave everyone hope, and truly made this an historic day.
The peaceful transition of power took place here in Washington DC. I went down to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. -- not today, but on Sunday for the Inaugural concert. Woke up at 6 AM and drove downtown, parked and made my way through the crowds to set up a tarp and blanket by the reflecting pool near the Lincoln Memorial. I got there at 830 AM for a 230 PM performance, and sat there in the cold with about 400,000 other people. Was it worth it?
Yes. Not just for the performances. I can now say I was a part of history. I witnessed democracy in action, as a man from one political party gave way to a man from the opposing one. The election of America's first African-American president made me realize that we are coming closer and closer to a time of racial tolerance and equality. Now, as Martin Luther King envisioned, people can be judged by "the content of their character."
People all around the world felt the history that was being made around us. Over 400,000 people braved the cold just to get a chance to be a small part of this historic weekend. During the concert, what really struck me was the diversity. Sure the artists were young and old, black and white, rich and.... well.. richer. But it was the crowd that really got to me. When Barack Obama took the stage, there were people in the audience who were actually crying. There were old people who felt they would never live to see this day, and young children filled with hope, who never knew a day when there was segregation. Just within a few feet of the blanket where I was seated was a law professor from Syracuse, a personal trainer, and an African-American family from Chicago. The crowd itself was black. It was brown. It was white. It was yellow. It reflected the melting pot that is America. And it was THAT more than the word spoken that gave everyone hope, and truly made this an historic day.
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