2nd Video/Image Post (Michael Phelps)

When you think of sports, its easy to pick out those common sports and the athletes that were made legends by the sport. Babe Ruth in baseball, Brett Farve in football, Tiger Woods in golf, Michael Jordan in basketball, and the list continues for each sport. However, there is one athlete that just set the standards for legendary athlete. His name is Michael Phelps.
In the image, we see Phelps walking under water carrying an object. His activity shows his strength and drive. To walk underwater is not as easy task as I recount from experience. But nothing can stop Phelps. The advertisement is for Speedo swimwear which is Phelps official sponsor and apparel during the Olympic Games. In the corner we see the words, "8-time Olympic Medalist." Phelps set the bar for excellence high not only in the most Olympic medals ever, but also in swimming. He broke several records and proved to be just of an athlete to swimming as Michael Jordan is to basketball. There were several races where it looked impossible that Phelps would win, but somehow he always won in the end. He didn’t just win all 8 races by himself. He had help from other teammates in relays which meant winning 8 wasn’t entirely in his control. However, Phelps did what no one else has been able to do, and he won 8 Olympic gold medals.
The image does an amazing job of selling Speedo. Not only is there the endorsement of Phelps, there's the image that the suit is light weight, and worn by the best. If it's good enough to be worn by the greatest Olympic swimmer of all-time, it must be good apparel. What else is striking in the image is the water. It is clear and flowing, it looks easy to move through, and Phelps makes walking underwater look easy. Of course, if you were Michael Phelps, you could make it look easy too.

Video Blog (Cancer Awareness)

A soldier is the perfect word to describe those that undergo cancer. I chose this video because I have seen the effects of cancer on people, some being my own family. This video clearly has a message, and that is to show how strong cancer patients truly are. They are soldiers. At the beginning of the video, it states that 12,400 children will be diagnosed with cancer each year. This number is large, but what is worse, is the 2,300 children that will die. The facts are alarming, and way too high. If you click here, you will come upon a website that shows the survival rate of cancer patients. If you follow this link, you will find answers of how to get involved and how to cope with cancer.
What strikes me in this video is the use of images and the music. The music is a piano arrangement, and in the lyrics they talk about Jesus going to rest in his manger, relating to Jesus as a child. It’s a sad song to add to the effect that what the video is displaying is traumatic. The images of the video are what really hit you. The various pictures of little kids, IV lines branching out from their bodies, scarves around their heads to hide the hair that can’t grow; but what is unique is that in most of these pictures, the children are smiling. They are going through an illness that very well may kill them and yet they seem to have the best attitudes on life. That is why I believe these children are soldiers. They endure hours of treatments, and some never get to see the day that they are cured.
The end of the video has a poem, and in that poem is my favorite quote of all time. “If love alone could have saved you, you never would have died.” The poem and quote show that life is not in our hands, and sometimes treatment and love can’t save us. Sometimes, it’s just God’s plan.