On one Friday night in July, I sat down to eat dinner in front of the TV. While looking for a baseball game, I stumbled upon ABC. The show playing was Shark Tank. Intrigued, I started watching. A man was pitching an invention of his, a washing machine that was extremely efficient. He was pitching the product to 5 investors, known as "sharks". I fell in love with the show, and recorded the entire series. It has become an integral part of my week, and I eagerly look forward to it.
The show just finished its 3rd season, and its fourth season will premiere in September. The show received its first award nomination this year when it was nominated for the Emmy award for Outstanding Reality Program, (the Emmy awards take place on September 23rd). The show has also increased in popularity since its premiere.
The premise of the show is simple: entrepreneurs and inventors pitch their products/businesses to the Sharks, hoping for investments. The Sharks then ask intelligent questions, such as the amount of sales, how much the company has expanded, etc. Sometimes, the Sharks will agree to invest, but more often than not, the entrepreneurs walk away empty-handed. Occasionally, the Sharks will fight among themselves to make an investment.
So who are the Sharks? They are all self-made millionaires or billionaires that are now looking to invest in new businesses. There are six Sharks: Barbara Corcoran, Daymond John, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, Mark Cuban, and Robert Herjavec. Corcoran started making the big bucks when she borrowed $1,000 to start a real estate company. That same company is now worth $5 billion. The Godfather of Urban Fashion, John, is the CEO of FUBU, a company that brought in $350 million in revenue last year. O'Leary started the company SoftKey Software Products, a company which he sold in 1999 to Mattel for $3.7 billion. He is also the founder of O'Leary Funds, a mutual fund company. Greiner, who holds over 110 patents worldwide, hosts her own TV show. Cuban, who is mostly known for being the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is the owner of HDNet. He also founded MicroSolutions. Herjavec is the personification of the "rags-to-riches" stories. While working as a waiter, he founded BRAK systems, which he sold to AT&T in 2000. He also owns a private island near Miami.
If you're even the slightest bit intrigued, I suggest you tune in to ABC every Friday at 8 PM PT to watch a show you will truly enjoy!
Friday, August 24, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Curiosity on Mars
On November 26th, 2011, NASA launched the Curiosity rover. It landed on the red planet on August 6th after a 350 million mile journey. According to NASA, the rover landed only 1.5 miles from its target. The $2.6 billion rover will spend years on the planet taking pictures and gathering research. As of now, it is heading to Mount Sharp. Its main goal: to provide evidence of life on Mars.
Long before ice was found on Mars, the world has been captivated with the idea that life may exist on other places than Earth. This notion has been prominently showcased in Hollywood. Films featuring aliens include I Am Number Four, Independence Day, Meet Dave, Men in Black, Planet 51, Prometheus, Super 8, and Transformers. These films have portrayed aliens from everything as giant robots to friendly creatures.
But why is it that we are so captivated with the idea of aliens? Is it because we believe that these aliens are just like us? Or do we believe that they will help better us? Aliens are typically portrayed as having superior technology. So will working with them advance our society? And if so, in what way? The possibilities are endless.
But our ability to find these aliens may be dwindling. There are already budget constraints on what the rover can do. NASA has already been facing tremendous cuts. The White House has called for cuts in NASA's budget. Because of these cuts, NASA is shifting from ambitious planetary explorations to educational programs. In the president's scheduled budget for 2013, NASA has been allotted $17.7 billion. This is less than the usual amount, and it could have a drastic effect on the amount of space explorations that it will be able to do in the future.
This raises the question, in bad economic times like these, how much emphasis should be placed on scientific endeavors? The government is trying their best to prioritize everything, but as always, things like defense will win out. Nonetheless, we must always remember how important scientific exploration is. After all, space is the final frontier.
Long before ice was found on Mars, the world has been captivated with the idea that life may exist on other places than Earth. This notion has been prominently showcased in Hollywood. Films featuring aliens include I Am Number Four, Independence Day, Meet Dave, Men in Black, Planet 51, Prometheus, Super 8, and Transformers. These films have portrayed aliens from everything as giant robots to friendly creatures.
But why is it that we are so captivated with the idea of aliens? Is it because we believe that these aliens are just like us? Or do we believe that they will help better us? Aliens are typically portrayed as having superior technology. So will working with them advance our society? And if so, in what way? The possibilities are endless.
But our ability to find these aliens may be dwindling. There are already budget constraints on what the rover can do. NASA has already been facing tremendous cuts. The White House has called for cuts in NASA's budget. Because of these cuts, NASA is shifting from ambitious planetary explorations to educational programs. In the president's scheduled budget for 2013, NASA has been allotted $17.7 billion. This is less than the usual amount, and it could have a drastic effect on the amount of space explorations that it will be able to do in the future.
This raises the question, in bad economic times like these, how much emphasis should be placed on scientific endeavors? The government is trying their best to prioritize everything, but as always, things like defense will win out. Nonetheless, we must always remember how important scientific exploration is. After all, space is the final frontier.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Romney Ryan 2012
On August 11th, GOP candidate Mitt Romney announced his running mate for the 2012 presidential election: Paul Ryan, the House Budget Chairman. Like John McCain in 2008, Romney wanted a running mate that would be a game changer. McCain chose Sarah Palin, Romney went with Ryan. Others considered for Romney's running mate were Tim Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor, and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.
As reported by CNN's Paul Steinhauser, 39% of the American public sees Ryan as an excellent or very good choice. In comparison, 46% of the public said that Palin was an excellent or good choice, and 47% of the public said that Joe Biden was an excellent or good choice. Fortunately for Ryan, his approval ratings jumped by 15 points to 38%. In relation to Mitt Romney however, the results are mixed. 17% of voters said that they would be more likely to vote for Romney now that Ryan is his running mate, but 12% said that they were now less likely to vote for the former Massachusetts governor.
One interesting stat, also reported by Steinhauser, is that knowledge of the Congressman has increased. Prior to Romney's announcement, 45% of Americans expressed no opinion of Ryan. That number has since dropped to 30%.
For many Americans, the addition of Paul Ryan to the GOP ticket has made the race more intriguing. His budget plan earned him the fourth-ranked spot as Time magazine's Person of the Year. However, that same budget plan is what is making many Americans hesitant about voting for Romney. As reported by Matthew O' Brien of The Atlantic, Romney would pay 0.82% taxes under Ryan's plan. This has been called by many as Romney's path to prosperity. Ryan's tax plan features eliminating the taxes on capital gains, interests, and dividends, raising taxes on the bottom 30% of earners, and eliminating most of the government, save Social Security and defense.
It is clear that the wealthy would benefit from Ryan's budget plan, and if Romney does get elected, that plan could very well be implemented. Derek Thomson, also from The Atlantic, wrote that Ryan's plan would hurt the average American even more. So now the question arises: was adding Ryan to the ticket the death knell for Romney's presidential run?
Please comment on whether or not you think adding Ryan to the GOP ticket was a good idea.
As reported by CNN's Paul Steinhauser, 39% of the American public sees Ryan as an excellent or very good choice. In comparison, 46% of the public said that Palin was an excellent or good choice, and 47% of the public said that Joe Biden was an excellent or good choice. Fortunately for Ryan, his approval ratings jumped by 15 points to 38%. In relation to Mitt Romney however, the results are mixed. 17% of voters said that they would be more likely to vote for Romney now that Ryan is his running mate, but 12% said that they were now less likely to vote for the former Massachusetts governor.
One interesting stat, also reported by Steinhauser, is that knowledge of the Congressman has increased. Prior to Romney's announcement, 45% of Americans expressed no opinion of Ryan. That number has since dropped to 30%.
For many Americans, the addition of Paul Ryan to the GOP ticket has made the race more intriguing. His budget plan earned him the fourth-ranked spot as Time magazine's Person of the Year. However, that same budget plan is what is making many Americans hesitant about voting for Romney. As reported by Matthew O' Brien of The Atlantic, Romney would pay 0.82% taxes under Ryan's plan. This has been called by many as Romney's path to prosperity. Ryan's tax plan features eliminating the taxes on capital gains, interests, and dividends, raising taxes on the bottom 30% of earners, and eliminating most of the government, save Social Security and defense.
It is clear that the wealthy would benefit from Ryan's budget plan, and if Romney does get elected, that plan could very well be implemented. Derek Thomson, also from The Atlantic, wrote that Ryan's plan would hurt the average American even more. So now the question arises: was adding Ryan to the ticket the death knell for Romney's presidential run?
Please comment on whether or not you think adding Ryan to the GOP ticket was a good idea.
The 2012 Summer Olympics
As it must every four years, the Summer Olympics have dwindled down to an end, leaving us with nothing but DVR recordings and strong memories. Those glorious 16 days seem only like mere minutes now. However, I believe it is safe to say that there is truly no event like the Olympics. It may seem strange at first glance; athletes competing for a bunch of flowers and a "gold" medal (it is 92.5% silver). But the Olympics are more than that. It is about seeing who is the best in the world. Also, nothing generates more patriotism than seeing one's fellow countrymen atop the podium. As Americans, we love to hear stories about athletes that fought hard to get to the top (examples would be Oscar Pistorius and Lolo Jones).
Speaking of Americans, 104 medals isn't too shabby, is it? Yet again, the U.S. has proved itself to be the premier athletic country of the world. Diana Taurasi and the rest of the woman's basketball team continued their unbeaten streak from the 90's as they blazed through the competition. The men's basketball team, nicknamed the Daydream Team by Dan Patrick, soared to victory, as was expected. Michael Phelps won more medals to bring his overall count to 22, cementing his name in the record books. Rebecca Soni set a world record in the 200m breaststroke, only to break it the next day. McKayla Maroney, besides providing us with some very entertaining memes, won an individual medal and helped garner a gold medal for the Fierce Five. David Boudia knocked off some stiff competition, including the hometown favorite, Tom Daley, to win the 10 meter platform diving. Ashton Eaton became the top athlete in the world after winning the decathalon, with his teammate Trey Hardee finishing second. Alex Morgan and the rest of the women's soccer team secured the gold medal with a 2-1 win over Japan in the final match. Other gold medalists include Sanya Richards-Ross, Nathan Adrian, Ryan Lochte, Dana Vollmer, Dee Dee Trotter, and Missy Franklin.
Unfortunately, for many sports, this is the only time when they receive any attention whatsoever. Let's be honest here, how many people follow archery and diving the rest of the time? Soccer will be forgotten until the next World Cup. There is a silver lining though. Popularity for these sports has increased tenfold due to these Olympics. I know that I will definitely keep up with some of these sports, especially gymnastics and swimming. After all, these are American athletes, and it is our duty as Americans to support them.
Please comment and tell me what your favorite Olympic moment was.
Speaking of Americans, 104 medals isn't too shabby, is it? Yet again, the U.S. has proved itself to be the premier athletic country of the world. Diana Taurasi and the rest of the woman's basketball team continued their unbeaten streak from the 90's as they blazed through the competition. The men's basketball team, nicknamed the Daydream Team by Dan Patrick, soared to victory, as was expected. Michael Phelps won more medals to bring his overall count to 22, cementing his name in the record books. Rebecca Soni set a world record in the 200m breaststroke, only to break it the next day. McKayla Maroney, besides providing us with some very entertaining memes, won an individual medal and helped garner a gold medal for the Fierce Five. David Boudia knocked off some stiff competition, including the hometown favorite, Tom Daley, to win the 10 meter platform diving. Ashton Eaton became the top athlete in the world after winning the decathalon, with his teammate Trey Hardee finishing second. Alex Morgan and the rest of the women's soccer team secured the gold medal with a 2-1 win over Japan in the final match. Other gold medalists include Sanya Richards-Ross, Nathan Adrian, Ryan Lochte, Dana Vollmer, Dee Dee Trotter, and Missy Franklin.
Unfortunately, for many sports, this is the only time when they receive any attention whatsoever. Let's be honest here, how many people follow archery and diving the rest of the time? Soccer will be forgotten until the next World Cup. There is a silver lining though. Popularity for these sports has increased tenfold due to these Olympics. I know that I will definitely keep up with some of these sports, especially gymnastics and swimming. After all, these are American athletes, and it is our duty as Americans to support them.
Please comment and tell me what your favorite Olympic moment was.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)