The Importance of College

While doing a Google image search for a diploma (that's the one I found above) I came across this great article that articulates what I always try to do, explain the importance of college.

Now I’m the FIRST to admit that college is not for everyone and without the proper commitment can lead to a whole lot of wasted time and money.

The below is excerpted from a website development resource to assistant golf professionals, but the ideas expressed are pretty universal.

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Do you wonder the importance of having a college degree and what a college education has to offer? Well, according to a survey by the US Census Bureau, those with a bachelor’s degree earned an average of $51,554 in 2004, while those with just a high school diploma earned $28,645. Those without a high school diploma earned an average of $19,169. In today’s economy, those numbers could be down. Funny, I still see entry level assistant professional positions that pay $20,000 a year. I know of entry level assistant professionals with college degrees that make that little, and I know of experienced assistant professionals with college degrees that make far less than $51,554. With all this said, for those of us that are passionate about our career [in the golf business], we can't ignore what is becoming a smoldering hot topic as the business evolves.

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You might be asking, “What does a college degree prove in this business?” “I work hard and that’s all that matters”. You’re half way correct, hard work does matter very much. But what a college degree can verify to Head Professionals and hiring committees is that you have the proven ability to manage your time over a lengthy period. From a social standpoint, you will likely be more refined in how you interact with people of all authorities. A college degree can confirm that you are organized in accomplishing tasks within time constraints. Because of your patience and discipline, the degree you achieved can verify that you were able to lay out a path, reach milestones, and arrive at an ultimate goal.

“Ability” “Manage” “Time” “Organized” “Accomplishing” “Tasks” “Constraints” “Patience” “Discipline” “Goal”. Take note of all those words in the previous paragraph. If you did not or do not go to college or you left college, this may raise a red flag to employers. You may have all the above characteristics, but they are not proven under strict conditions. In an industry that seems to be becoming less about golf and more about business, a college degree will aid you greatly in maximizing your potential and earning the best that your hard work deserves.

Before we continue further within the golf business, what are the intangible benefits of having a college education? One benefit of a college education is that it develops a person’s ability to think abstractly and critically as well as improves their ability to express their thoughts clearly both orally and in writing. It is also widely believed that a college education helps people become a responsible citizen by giving them a greater understanding of their community, country and global issues. If not achieving anything quite as grand as this a college education certainly helps people become more self-sufficient.

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Take Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania as another example. SVCC has hosted more than one USGA Championship, carries a rich history of tradition within its gates, and caters to Eastern Pennsylvania’s upper class population. The clubs General Manager, Gene Mattare says “I would not hire an assistant or head professional who does not have a college degree. I think it is extremely important. You are dealing with a highly educated clientele and you have to be able to converse and communicate with them on a higher level.”

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General Manager Mike Leemhuis paints a vivid picture in his preferences for golf professionals with college degrees. “I look at a college degree as one of your "arrows", if you have it, great. If you don't, it’s an "arrow" you need to get. The same with a master’s degree, CCM, MCM and PGA certification. We would hire those without degrees and do hire the best assistant professionals that we can find but be sure that I will check to see what "arrows" are in their career quiver.”

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The moral of the story is this: You need to sit down and ask yourself, “What do I want out of this career path?” If you want to be the very best and work your way to the top or somewhere close, then the higher you get, the more significant a college degree becomes. As an [assistant golf] professional, you will have more opportunities if you have a college degree and you will put your resume higher in the pile when gunning for positions. If you don't have a college degree, does that mean you will never be able to accomplish what you want to accomplish? Absolutely not. But the odds might be stacked against you.

Bottom Line: Your opportunities as an [assistant golf] professional and beyond are greatly increased if you have a college degree in your credentials. Consider adding that arrow to your quiver.

Read the full article 100 Degrees & Climbing: Significance of a College Education in Todays Golf Business by Brian M. Dobak here

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Again I wasn’t even looking for that article, but I couldn’t stop from reading it and agreeing with everything he said. I was talking with a co-worker about how much of a struggle it was to get through college and she said the following.

Wise, wise words and very true. Even the president had to struggle.

"I’m the President of the United States, and it was only about 8 years ago that I finished paying off my student loans.”—President Obama

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 7, 2012

Finally, this is what I posted on Facebook June 13, 2010. With the below picture.

"Another alum of Towson University posted on FB that he just got his degree after 10 years (the actual paper degree) and while it hasn't been ten I realized I don't even have a digital pic of mine.

Yes it is in that envelope/folder since 2002. Never felt the need to put it on the wall...yet. I deserved it, I got it and it helped me get my job that I have now. One of the proudest moments of my life. Somehow that's enough for now :-D"

Drive - Review

DRIVE

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

Produced by Michel Litvak, John Palermo, Marc Platt, Gigi Pritzker & Adam Siegel

Screenplay by Hossein Amini
(Based on the novel Drive by James Sallis)

Cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel

Starring
Ryan Gosling
Carey Mulligan
Bryan Cranston
Christina Hendricks
Ron Perlman
Oscar Isaac
Albert Brooks

REVIEW
The film while it had its moments of brilliant scenes and an electrifying soundtrack was not good. It had good direction and cinematography, but so what. It was dull bordering on quietus.

Ryan Gosling gave a good performance, but in a movie that wasn’t what’s the point? The story was pretty much stuff we’ve seen before and none of it innovative. The movie went from moments of boredom to wild acts of violence, then boredom again.

Even though is had a great supporting cast, none of them were interesting either. I got this off of Facebook after a spirited online discussion about this film and I think it says it perfectly.

Raymond M.
Drive is a divisive movie. I know people who loved it and I know people who hated it. I know one guy who demanded his money back after seeing it.... I agree that Albert Brooks was mediocre to terrible and that some of the dialog was horrible, The movie excels in the style and world that it creates. Its a cool throwback to 70's and 80' action flicks with the silent anti-hero righting wrongs and protecting the innocent. Its also VERY well directed and slick and takes a basic story and makes it special. People who can appreciate that tend to love it. People who want more narrative meat on their movie's bones tend to not get what the fuss is about.

I have no more to add. Terrible movie.

COMMENTARY: I NEVER write reviews for films I don’t like. I’m a filmmaker not a critic. I don’t spend time writing a review for a film I didn’t like because no matter what I thought of the film, they at least got it done and they deserve a modicum of respect for that.

I’m writing THIS review because SO MANY people have remarked what a great film this was and how it was snubbed across the awards circuit and I’m like in order to be snubbed you have to be at first good. The TV spots and trailer looked boring to me and I had NO interest in seeing this, but after everyone kept talking about how great it was I had to check it out. My bad.

As you know I did not enjoy it, but after I got in a debate with my filmmaker friends online AND in person I said I’ll watch this again. I may be wrong, but I doubt it.

Before I wrap, a funny tweet about Drive

Lastly, I LIVE TWEETED the re-watch I dubbed #DriveOver and below are screencaps of my rewatch of Drive. Warning, I DID get raw with the explicit language so parental discretion advised.

You can also see the album directly right HERE

Harvard Study Says Obama Lost Votes Due To Racism

Harvard Study Links Google Searches to Racist Voting
by Todd Gilchrist | The Hollywood Reporter
June 12, 2012

The study contends that "prejudice cost Obama between 3.1 and 5 percentage points of the national popular vote" in the 2008 election.

A study published by a Harvard PhD student on June 9 reveals new information about the effect of racism in voting trends. In his paper, The Effects of Racial Animus on a Black Presidential Candidate: Using Google Search Data to Find What Surveys Miss, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz concludes that “prejudice cost [president Barack] Obama between 3.1 percentage points and 5 percentage points of the national popular vote” in the 2008 election.

Looking at Google searches of racially charged terms in an effort to examine the racial attitudes of people in a given area, Stephens-Davidowitz ranks all 50 states in order of their frequency of searches. Search terms included permutations of the n-word and accompanying language such as “jokes” or “I hate.” West Virginia and Louisiana returned the highest numbers of searches using the epithet, and Hawaii and Utah ranked last. Noting that the most common searches including the epithet “return websites with derogatory material about African-Americans,” Stephens-Davidowitz observes that the content on these sites is the sort that would not be spoken or written in proximity with minorities.

“The top hits for the top racially charged searches are nearly all textbook examples of antilocution, a majority group’s sharing stereotype-based jokes using coarse language outside a minority group’s presence.”

Beyond providing a more accurate gauge of racist attitudes in different states, the study highlights a potential problem which Obama may face in the upcoming presidential election: faced with animosity from a constituency that may be dissatisfied with his achievements in office, that 5 point percentage may mark the difference between victory and defeat. In comparison to the 2008 election, where Obama won 52.9 percent of the popular vote, the president faces an uphill battle in trying to convince the American public he is capable of solving polarizing economic and social issues. The percentage of voters whose decisions were influenced by racism only exacerbates Obama’s fight to stay in office for a second term.

Stephens-Davidowitz wrote a piece for the New York Times June 9 touting the study and highlighting some of its conclusions. The most up-to-date version of his paper is available here

A Good Example of How Big Time Money Hollywood can Get Screwed Up

Brad Pitt's Zombie Nightmare: Inside the Troubled 'World War Z' Production

4:02 PM PDT 6/12/2012 by Kim Masters | The Hollywood Reporter

Extensive re-shoots, a last-minute script rewrite and creative issues force Paramount's $170 million-plus zombie war movie to June 2013 from a planned December release.

Read the article here

Is It Too Early To Talk Oscar For Fassbender?

I never even heard of Michael Fassbender before he was in X-Men: First Class (2011)

Michael Fassbender in X-Men First Class

Fassbender was really great and his performance as Erik Lensherr / Magneto was the best in the picture and made the picture for me. Every film needs a great antagonist and he was it for me. Technically Kevin Bacon was the film’s chief antagonist, but we all know the real story was between Xavier and Magneto.

Michael Fassbender in Shame

When I read that Fassbender’s next role was going to be in a disputed piece about sex addiction called Shame (2011), that was NC-17, I was very intrigued. I thought this really great actor is going to have a chance to shine in a dramatic piece that would take no a no holds barred approach into a risqué subject matter.  I even wrote about the film on the ‘Nother Brother Entertainment blog before I even saw it.

Well maybe my anticipation was too great because I didn’t like his performance in Shame. I liked the film as a whole and thought he did a good job, but it was not the performance I thought he would give.

Fassbender and Mulligan in Shame

Concurrently Carey Mulligan who I thought was good in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010) was outstanding in Shame. When there were talks among my online friends @NotherBrother that Fassbender was snubbed across the awards circuit I thought nah b. He wasn’t that great. Also for the record I re-watched Shame last week and my feelings haven't changed.

I said all the above to say that the actor I knew he was is BACK!

Michael Fassbender in Prometheus 

His performance in Prometheus was truly outstanding! It’s the best performance I've seen in film in 2012 thus far. Period. His performance as David was so nuanced and meticulous it made David THE standout character in an otherwise excellent film.

Now how is this great performance in a summer sci-fi/action/horror flick like Prometheus gonna get recognized?
     1. The director Ridley Scott is well respected among the industry.
     2. It has a major budget and studio behind it—20th Century Fox
     3. The technical achievement is undeniable. Whatever you think about Prometheus, one cannot deny its brilliant technical achievements.

A film that was truly forgettable won a slew of awards earlier this year. At the 84th Academy Awards, Hugo received five Oscars—for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing—and its 11 total nominations (including Best Picture) was the most for the evening.

I thought a great Oscar nomination performance was given by Adepero Oduye in Pariah (2011), but that film had none of the details I numerated above. Oscars ARE a personality/status contest as much as it is about the achievement in film. You must be firing on all cylinders in order to get major awards recognition. Most times it’s not enough to be great, unfortunate, but true.

I think in the evitable Oscar push 20th Century Fox will do for its films at the end of the year I don’t see them NOT including Prometheus in the bunch. If you recognize Prometheus you must recognize Michael Fassbender. I said. I wrote. I stand by it.

Additional Link:
Read my review of Prometheus here
Read my review of Pariah here

Read my picks for the 84th Academy Awards here

UPDATES:
LOL. I just found this 6/12/2012 12:59 PM *dankshrug* 12 of Oscar 2012's Biggest Snubs

6/12/2012 3:11 PM Just found this in a Hollywood Reporter interview with co-writer of Prometheus Damon Lindelof

THR: Was there a part of the script that you’re particularly proud of?

Lindelof: I was really interested in and catalyzed by the robot, David [played by Michael Fassbender] -- I felt like he was going to become the central figure of the movie. Because in the genealogical chain of things, there are these beings that may or may mot have created us, then there's us, and then there's the being that we created in our own image. So we're on a mission to ask our creators why they made us, and he's there amongst hiscreators, and he's not impressed. Oddly enough, the one nonhuman human on this ship -- that's sort of a prison -- exists to question why it is we're doing this in the first place. And then Michael made me look like I really know what I'm doing, so I'm particularly proud of all the David stuff.

All About The Netflix Series Being Shot in Maryland

Netflix to film political thriller 'House of Cards' in Baltimore
Kevin Spacey, David Fincher to produce 13 hours for first TV season

By David Zurawik, The Baltimore Sun
January 5, 2012

"House of Cards," a political thriller starring Kevin Spacey and directed by David Fincher, will be filmed in Baltimore starting this spring, it was confirmed Thursday by Gov. Martin O'Malley.

The production, which involves 13 one-hour episodes for television, comes from Media Rights Capital and  Netflix and is expected to launch the company known primarily for DVD distribution as a major creator of original dramatic programming. Netflix, which has more than 20 million subscribers, outbid such traditional producers of quality TV drama as HBO and AMC for the rights.

The series, which has been described as a $100 million project in Hollywood trade publications, will be a remake of an acclaimed 1990 BBC mini-series starring Ian Richardson. The Spacey-Fincher production will be an American version of the story of political scheming and media manipulation.

Fincher, who directed the feature films "The Social Network" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," will direct the pilot. "The Social Network" was also partially filmed in Baltimore.

"House of Cards"  will be the third big-name, big-budget politics-themed production to arrive in Maryland during the last year, joining HBO's "VEEP" series, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and the film "Game Change" starring Ed Harris and Julianne Moore.

The two HBO productions are expected to premiere this spring on the premium cable channel. Incentives from the state played an important role in bringing all three productions to Maryland.

TV and film production in Maryland disappeared with the end of HBO's "The Wire," and many of the skilled production workers in the area had to go on location to other states to find work in recent years -- until the arrival of "VEEP" and "Game Change," which not only put local actors and production workers back on the job, but provided contracts for small area businesses that provided everything from scenery to set decorations and food to the visiting filmmakers.

“We are extremely pleased that filmmakers of this caliber have chosen Maryland as the location for this series,” said O’Malley.  “The production is estimated to have a $75 million economic impact and is projected to create over 2,000 jobs for local crew, actors and extras and support hundreds of Maryland businesses.”

"Our office has been in discussions with the studio about "House of Cards" for over a year, and this announcement is a result of the efforts and our partnership with the Baltimore City Film Office, the Maryland Film Industry Coalition, local film industry unions and county officials in the Baltimore region," said Jack Gerbes, director of the Maryland Film Office.

News of the production was hailed at City Hall Thursday.

“We are thrilled to welcome another quality television series to Baltimore.  When a project like this comes to the city, jobs are created, small businesses are supported and the economic impact is enormous," Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said.

“The film industry is returning to Baltimore thanks to the Maryland Film Production Employment  Act," said Debbie Donaldson Dorsey, director of the Baltimore Film Office and secretary of the Maryland Film Industry Coalition. "The new incentive program went to work immediately, bringing two impressive television series to Maryland - creating thousands of jobs and massive economic impact.

UPDATE OCTOBER 2012

Netflix sets Feb. 1 release for Baltimore-made 'House of Cards'

All 13 episodes of first season will be available on Feb. 1 to subscribers

By David Zurawik

The Baltimore Sun

October 4, 2012

On Thursday, Netflix announced a Feb. 1 release date for "House of Cards," the Baltimore-made political drama starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright.

All 13 episodes of the first season will be available to subscribers on that date. The whole project is a huge risk with a new business model, and it will be fascinating to see how it works out for Netflix with this distribution formula.

Here's the release:

The Netflix original series, from Media Rights Capital, “House of Cards,” starring Academy Award^® winner Kevin Spacey (“Horrible Bosses,” “American Beauty”), Golden Globe^® nominee Robin Wright (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “Forrest Gump”) and Kate Mara (“American Horror Story”) will be available for members to watch instantly beginning February 1, 2013.

All 13-episodes of the drama series’s first season will be available to Netflix members in territories where Netflix is available - North America, the UK, Ireland, Latin America and Scandinavia.

“‘House of Cards’ combines the best of filmmaking with the best of television. Beau Willimon’s compelling narrative, David Fincher’s unparalleled craftsmanship, indelible performances by Kevin Spacey and the rest of the cast unite to create a gripping story and new kind of viewing experience for Netflix members,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer, Netflix. “In offering the entire season at once, Netflix is giving viewers complete control over how and when they watch the show.”

From director David Fincher (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “The Social Network”), award-winning playwrighet and Academy Award^® nominated screenwriter Beau Willimon (“Farragut North,” “The Ides of March”) and Academy Award^® winner Eric Roth (“Forrest Gump,” “Munich”), “House of Cards” is based on the BBC miniseries of the same name. This wicked political drama slithers beneath the curtain and through the back halls of greed, sex, love and corruption in modern Washington D.C.

 An uncompromising exploration of power, ambition and the American way, the series orbits Francis Underwood (Spacey), the House Majority Whip. Underwood is the politician’s politician – masterful, beguiling, charismatic and ruthless. He and his equally ambitious wife Claire (Wright) stop at nothing to ensure their ascendancy. In addition to Spacey, Wright and Mara, the series also stars Corey Stoll (“Midnight in Paris”), Kristen Connolly (“The Cabin in the Woods”), Michael Kelly (“The Adjustment Bureau”) and Sakina Jaffrey (“Definitely Maybe”).

Fincher directed the first two episodes of the series, which were written by Willimon. James Foley (“Glengarry Glen Ross”), Joel Schumacher (“Falling Down”), Charles McDougall (“The Good Wife”), Carl Franklin (“Devil in a Blue Dress”) and Alan Coulter (“The Sopranos”) also serve as directors on “House of Cards.”

The drama’s second season is due to begin production in spring 2013.

House of Cards is executive produced by Fincher, Willimon, Joshua Donen, Eric Roth, Kevin Spacey, Dana Brunetti, Andrew Davies, Michael Dobbs and John Melfi. The one-hour drama is produced by Donen/Fincher/Roth and Trigger Street Productions, Inc. in association with Media Rights Capital for Netflix.

Related
Click the photo from the set below to see all of the House of Cards coverage in The Baltimore Sun.

Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright in House of Cards

I Think This Summarizes Me To A Tee [quote]

Aaron Sorkin above right

"By and large, I write about people who are considerably smarter than I am. I was raised that way. My family members and friends growing up were all smarter than I. I really fell in love with the phonetic sound of intelligence and the sound of a really good argument." Aaron Sorkin, Fortune magazine


I think "I really fell in love with the phonetic sound of intelligence and the sound of a really good argument." summarizes me to a TEE! Since birth! I've always loved hanging around older people to hear them talk. Not that WTF they were saying was "intelligent", but it was a lot more intriguing than the bubblegum bullshit I heard from my peers. LOL.

I will argue shit I don't even believe in if I think it's a good argument. Those who follow me on Twitter will notice that I might retweet shit I don't even believe in if it stirs conversation. Something I posted on Instagram about a week ago

Basically a retweet is not an endorsement.

I said all that to say that I love a good argument. Not a mean spirited type with personal attacks, but  "A course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating a truth or falsehood; the methodical process of logical reasoning." I always joke that if I give up this film thing I might become a lawyer. LOL

LINKS
Check out the Fortune video interview here

Read more about Aaron Sorkin @ Wikipedia