Reflection+1


 * Reflection 1 **

Example: B. Forsyth Something I found interesting from the Fifth Estate episode, "Over the Edge," is the way the media tends to portray the narcotics distribution industry. Many of the images and descriptions throughout the episode tend to lead the viewer to believe that this form of criminal activity... blah, blah, blah... [200 - 400 words].
 * Date: February 4, 2011**
 * Assignment**: Write a brief reflection (200 - 400 words) about the video you saw in class yesterday and post it on this page below.
 * Tips**:
 * Be sure to include your name
 * In order to ensure you don't lose any work, use a word processor to type your work, then copy and paste it below
 * Do not summarize, explain or re-tell the story... a good reflection explains something that struck you as interesting
 * Over the Edge Reflection**

=**__Over the Edge Reflection__ - Alex (Blake) Wu**=


 * I really enjoyed “Over the Edge” due to the transpiring events and the emphasis on character development and the drastic changes one can go through. It is sometimes horrifying to even think about how one day you can be laughing with your friends and the next you’re contemplating whether or not to take your own life. **


 * During the video I really felt like I could connect to Sam Brown, there are many times I find myself doing something inadvisable and well just plain stupid. Although like everyone else I know when to stop. Everybody has a different limit, but for most it’s around the same range. That’s the thing that really got to me in the video. What if, one day you just forgot about the boundaries? Whether it would be because of peer pressure, motivation, or just in a confident mood, just for that one day you didn’t put limits on yourself. What would happen then? It seems so easily that you could go too far and the consequence could even be losing your life. **


 * I don’t believe that Sam was a bad person. He seemed like just like any other guy, he would be someone I would like to hang out with during lunch or play basketball with. He didn’t seem like someone with bad intentions, he just liked adventure. **


 * In the end, the journey of seeing an outgoing teenage boy, turn into a suicidal drug transporter was a good one. They kept the suspense building, interviews with interesting people, and a well planned out storyboard made this documentary one worth while. **

//Over the Edge// Film Reflection - (Alan Li)

There isn't much to say here. I felt like the film itself was nothing out of the ordinary; a run-of-the-mill documentary serving nothing more than to popularize a routine occurrence.

I mean, predominantly, it's rather condescending that the producers assumed that such a commonplace event could actually capture the attention of the public when really, most of us (at least I hope), are not so sheltered and naive as to possibly be ignorant of consequences amongst the drug smuggling business. I mean, there's a difference between sheltered and ignorant. With the level of education we have, I feel that videos on this type of topic should have put more of an emphasis on how imminent these activities are, rather than simply the activity itself. Moreover, I disapprove of the choice of narration throughout the entire film; the third person POV made it ** even more ** difficult to relate to an ** already distant ** topic. After sitting through the entire film, I wasn't able to find much overlap between Sam Brown and I.

It's nothing personal, I find most documentaries shown in school display similar patterns. They map out the events in a vague manner, not giving enough emphasis on what the protagonist is experiencing. This actually serves to downplay on the impact of the film. So- Altogether, the film did not provide the insight or depth I was looking for. It did not pick a topic of notable intrigue, it failed to recreate the story in a fashion that would give a vicarious sense of self-identification. It was just your average news story.


 * On a side note, I'd like to point out how interesting it was to hear certain individuals express outrage on the "irresponsibility" of the judicial system and the prison. In my eyes, this is nothing short of a double standard. When victims outside of prison choose to suicide, who is to blame? Could Wall Street really be labeled as irresponsible simply because it did not take the necessary measures to prevent the suicides of millions of masses after the great depression?

Film Review for Film - Frank Liu After watching the film, I felt at the same time saddened and hopeful. Sam Brown chose what he did and nobody forced him into smuggling drugs. This “career” ended in tragedy but at the same time is a lesson for others. When asked, most people would be adamantly against the very thought of smuggling drugs. However, one can understand that there are those that are perfectly fine with this lifestyle. Personally, I’ve always imagined drug smugglers or dealers as those that are outcasts or they do not believe they have a meaning in life so they turn to drugs. This film really surprised me by the fact that Sam was is many ways a normal person or even someone who had expertise in many fields. However, the high reward of money slowly began to consume him and he just couldn’t stop. At first, Sam may have smuggled due to the adrenaline, but the film later said that his entire personality was changed because of the rewards and benefits of money. To be frank (LOLpun), the end of the film was rather shocking and completely unexpected. The simply unexpected way that the film ended would deter many people away about the illusion of the adrenaline, money and reward associated with drug smuggling. Human life is a precious thing but just too many people believe that they can do whatever they want with it. During those last few hours, was Sam simply scared of facing consequences for his past actions or was he remorseful for what he did? These questions will probably always be unanswered but that last impression and the mystery behind his choice left a deep imprint in my mind that all the tragedy was just because of drugs and money. Often, one sees films about the lives of drug addicts and I feel no remorse for them. With this, I feel an amalgam of conflicting feeling of remorse but also a sense of justice being served. I guess I am not sure whether I pity Sam or believe that the ending was very suitable for a drug smuggler. Only time will tell.

Over the Edge Reflection Katherine Ma Some may say that this news story was 'average', but I thought that it was interesting and sort of shocking. I've never really knew the other side to the marijuana trade, I've only thought that it was just people doing something illegal and sometimes suffering the consequences. When I saw Sam, I could easily picture him as one of us, a student of DMCI. I know a lot of classmates who frequently participate in dangerous activities* so it's easier to relate to, even though I'm sure my classmates wouldn't do something as reckless as smuggling illegal substances. What really struck me, though, was how Sam died. The whole time while watching the film, I thought, 'oh, I guess he's going to either crash in the helicopter or get shot by police/gang members'. When I found out that he actually took his own life, it made me think about how I would feel in his shoes. To be faced with years, or months, even weeks in prison really seems terrifying now. I don't think Sam deserved what he got (at the time, he was very stressed and nervous, so actually being able to easily strangle himself using the light fixture seems awfully unresponsible of the prison). I mean, sure, he smuggled drugs, but he was also very young and very scared - and he wasn't doing it for the money (at that time), he was doing it for a friend of his. It's really unfortunate that just when he was about to settle down, he had the misfortune to be caught. Many people who are criminals or addicts aren't horrible people, though it's true that they have to suffer consequences for their actions. Sam's story is a very tragic one, and probably not unique. *(coughcoughparkourcoughcough)

Over the Edge Reflection-Kevin Lee I feel that this documentary brings up a lifestyle that is hard to believe exists, and that this is a good thing to bring up because if it shows people they may be more aware of the consequences and be less likely to commit these crimes. But I feel that it is sad that people can go from having a great life where they are happy, to going into a state in which people are willing to take their own lives because they feel that they have lost all of their freedom and their life. I also feel that this also shows how the people in the drug organizations basically bet his life or put it on the line and that they shouldn’t have done this, because it ended up costing Sam Brown his life. Where as if he had known that no one had heard from the person he was supposed to be delivering the marijuana to for two days. This resulted in Sam Brown getting caught by the Americans and sent for a sentence of a minimum of 5 years, whereas if he had been arrested in Canada he may have had a shorter sentence and he may not have felt that he lost enough of his freedom that he would have committed suicide. Unfortunately Sam Brown's Story isn't as unique and different as we think, and there are many people who have been in the same positions as he was.

Over The Edge - Reflection by Michael Zhang (309) :D I found this very similar to the regular types of stories you would hear on the news or read in newspapers except lengthened into a long video case to give more detail. Although what really struck me was the end when they explained what finally happened to him after Sam Brown lived a life of extreme stunts and crimes. Some of us were exclaiming death and some of us said prison, but who would’ve thought that both arguments were correct? The fact that someone who lived his life hanging off the edge and walking along a thin line between life and death would give in to just a few days in prison really shocked me. I guess he was just too used to a life of freedom and thrill that the boredom and confinement of a jail cell was too much for him to bear. Seeing this, it continues to show that everyone has their limits, their fears, and knowing when enough is enough. That probably wasn’t the case for Sam because he never backed down from a challenge and that in turn led to his downfall. Something that really stirred me up was the fact that he couldn’t last long enough for his friends to try to negotiate and work out a solution with the government. Given the time, things might have become better for Sam and his sentence would be shorter. All in all, if he just toned down once in a while and stuck to his common sense, this probably never would have happened.

** Over the Edge – Reflection ** Vivian Liu My first impression of this video was a serious, almost dark, documentation of a teenager’s life. It really put into perspective how easily someone’s life could go from paradise, to disaster, almost immediately. Because of that, it really made an impact, and made me realize how one wrong decision could change my life. Honestly, that was what scared me. However, there were some small aspects of the video where I couldn’t totally relate. For example, I am almost completely opposite of Sam Brown. I don’t really strive for adventure and take almost life-threatening risks. In that way, it was difficult at times to fully understand how this could easily happen to me. What I found interesting, was that this video portrayed the drug dealing business in a pretty bad light, and although I agree that drug-smuggling and any forms of “crime” dealing with drugs is a very serious matter and must be dealt with properly, there are many kids just like Sam who really don’t deserve a tragic fate like his. I think that Sam had a very tough decision to make, and it was very unfortunate that he took his own life at such a young age. Overall, the video had a very strong impression on me, as well as (I’m sure) many of my fellow classmates.

Over the Edge - Reflection

Adam Winick

The film had a fairly stereotypical attempt at displaying the emotions relevant in situations of death. In a sense, the actual experience of death by means of suicide is indescribable. No word in the English language, or any mean of sensual communication simulates the feelings or thoughts.

In many ways one can observe that Sam Brown was the only one to blame for his death. It was a mere cause of recklessness and almost deserving or exemplifying the results of such behavior. He had no mental illness or disorder which put him in his situation, and thus he should have been more careful. It is unfortunate that he died at such a young age, but really age is irrelevant when life is lost. It is an unavoidable phenomena which regardless of age, all humans shall experience at one time or another; which means that one's life should be measured apropos to the advancement of the human race.

His story seems very conventional as the probability of dying at a young age dramatically increases when one becomes related with drugs, and illegal activities. I have understanding of this from quite a few experiences. His acts were unexpected as five years is a short time in perspective to far greater lengths of prison sentences. His action of taking his life was completely unnecessary and showed the lack of his comprehension considering the logical decisions.

**Over the Edge ** - Reflection  -SingYu Lam Over the Edge provided an interesting insight on how things can go horribly wrong when nobody expects it. Sam Brown lived dangerous life, and had no fear of adventure. But everyone needs to know their limits at some point. I'm pretty sure of the fact, I can relate from personal experience. And choosing to smuggle drugs over the border was definitely past and limits he should have had set for himself. Perhaps Sam was getting there, or perhaps it wasn’t, but it no longer matters now that he’s dead.Whether or not the blame should be put on anybody or at all, as in situations like these, people always need to pin the blame on something. In this case, they blamed it on the government. There was no way the government could have known all about Sam Brown and his life and everything that the program showed us. It’s the information that makes us feel sorry for him. Simply seeing the headline //“Young Man Commits Suicide After Smuggling Drugs Across the U.S.-Canada Border//” probably will not provoke a large reaction to the majority of the people who read it. To the government officials that handled the case though, drug dealers crossing the border are just that, drug dealers. And the government handled it quite well. They followed protocol. Protocol that has probably worked time and time again with no problems. And there were no problems. The problem lay with the individual who lies at the heart of this case.You have to remember that smuggling drugs, regardless of the person doing it, is illegal. And those drugs he smuggled probably indirectly caused dozens of indirect deaths of the consumers at the other end of the chain. He also smuggled them across the border, breaking even more laws. We'll never know how many criminals have had backstories like Sam's, ones that are relatable. Maybe sometimes they've lost their family at a young age. Or they've been abused as a child. But we can never keep track of those countless cases. Somebody of Sam’s age should have known that a jail sentence of 5 years is comparatively short in the long run. But probably panicking, he made a choice, the wrong choice, of suicide. I know I'm not one to judge the choice that was made by Sam to commit suicide, but any choice would have been better than suicide. Perhaps his love for the big wide open spaces and freedom of his childhood were too much to bear the loss of for him. Perhaps he thought the jail sentence would ruin the rest of his life. But we'll never know.The case was very enlightening, but in the end, it's founded on the wrong decisions made by, perhaps, everyone involved. I found the story very relatable, and somewhat controversial, which always spices things up. I can relate especially in the aspect that he loved adventure and taking risks, but he's magnitudes above what I would do. There really is no blame to pin on any single person here, and I think that's what makes the story interesting to me. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the program, though I can't say the same for the events that took place within it.

Over the Edge Reflection Kevin Cai Whilst watching this video, one would suppose that one needed to have some sort of change happening to them. To me, this was just one of the many films which try to attract attention to itself by explaining something very abnormal and uncommon. I for one, saw that this film needed much more consideration into the process. It felt as if Sam Brown and I had next to nothing in common, with the exception of being Canadians. This made me, and I’m sure many other people, felt like there was no need to watch a film which felt uninteresting and difficult to grasp. While looking back at the video, I see many places where it could’ve been changed. Sam Brown’s forte seems to rest in doing stupid things that nobody in their right mind would do. He is obviously missing something in his life, for him to risk it as such. I strongly believe he does it not for the thrill of the danger, but to prove his masculinity. People like him are just wanting attention. The way that the video is shown to the audience is also very strange. They give lots of background information, opinions about him from other people around him, and also ways to repeat the exact same meaning over about 6-8 times. The idea of him liking danger, and then turning into more dangerous things is repeated over 5 times, each varying by a few words. There is not much actual point of this video. A supposed lesson teaching session just turned into a messed up and twisted biography. I would just like to say that the video was and is one that I would definitely not want to even look at again.

Over the Edge Reflection -Julie Liang

Despite the fact that I cannot at all relate to Sam Brown and his love of danger, I thought his story was pretty incredible, albeit a little predictable. He did not get addicted to the drugs as I assumed, but to the money that came with smuggling them. He had two sides of him, both loving the rush of adrenaline. One side was very normal, although a bit wild, and Sam seemed like any other teenager. However, that was not the case. His career of smuggling drugs led to suicide in a jail cell. That is a very tragic ending for any human being; especially one as young as Sam. The saddest part for me was that he was very close to escaping the darker side of his life as he was thinking of quitting the smuggling business. Even though it wouldn’t have been fair for Sam Brown to have gotten away scot free, I think the police were very selfish and single minded in their way of trying to capture Sam.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 20pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">Over the Edge film Review

This film was about the story of a teenager who enjoyed living life with risks. There could be many reasons for why this could have happened. Some people like Sam Brown may enjoy the adrenaline that the risks bring to them. Generally, I really enjoyed the film as it was about a true story about a real person and not someone fictional or made up. It really showed what his life was about and the fact that no matter how careful you are, one wrong step can turn out to be your downfall. It also takes us into the life of someone involved in drugs (maybe not taking them, but still contributing).

In the beginning, this seemed like an ordinary boy, with a happy, playful life. As he got older, I could see from the film what kind of person he would or might become. This still seemed ordinary. However, as the film progressed, I may have felt that Sam may have been caught up in a complicated web of money or morals. This could have happened to anyone, and so I felt a bit sad for him. At the end, when he took his own life, I was thinking about what I might have done in that same situation, and I might have done the same thing as him. It really makes you think how things can happen in what appears to be in such a short time.

Overall, this was a great film and I would like to see more films like this. It really didn’t seem like he deserved it, even if he was involved in something illegal. It also seemed that the police will go to very far lengths in order to catch someone.

-Michael Zhang (310)

** Over the Edge Reflection ** ** T. Cheung **

In the Fifth Estate video Over the Edge, something I found interesting was the way that the drug smuggler evolved from a risk-taking boy into a pawn in the underground drug-dealing trade. I found that the narration in this video seem to portray that there is a fairly easy way to get drugs across the border, seeing that it Sam managed to do the runs many times without much difficulty. I also found it strange how the American police were so desperate to arrest the smuggler, putting his life at risk, because it’s not like he is some sort of Russian spy or a serial killer that is worth the risk. Simply put, I don’t think that he is a big enough threat that it was worth the police risking Sam’s life. I was also rather intrigued about how Sam Brown turned from a fun-loving teenager into a drug smuggler. It surprised me how this guy’s life was somewhat similar to the average teenager’s. It really taught me that anyone can go bad from a seemingly innocent lifestyle. It also showed me that being addicted to money can lead to a person’s demise, like it did with Sam Brown. Overall though, I find the fact that he killed himself strange. I personally think that he should have known the possible consequences of his actions. Overall, the whole US vs. Canada argument wouldn’t have happened if he had just made smart decisions in his life. So in the end, the decision to kill himself was irrational, but I think that he brought the whole thing on himself.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Over the Edge Reflection- Birunthaa Jeyanandan

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">For me, while watching the video, I was unable to relate myself to Sam seeing as I don’t like taking life-threatening risks or putting myself into danger, but I do like the aspect of challenges, just as long they don’t involve mountain biking the way he did or anything else life threatening. Besides the fact of relating myself to him, I really enjoyed the video because it showed me that there are some people in the world who are born to do anything at any time, even though it can bring a danger to their life. While watching the video, I had no assumptions except one major one; he would die in the helicopter crash. Unfortunately, my assumption was partially true and partially not. He did die, specifically suicide in a jail cell not dying from a helicopter crash. It was pretty sad realizing that what caused his death was drug-smuggling, especially because he was very young. One part of the video which I did not seem to like was the way that the police were trying to capture Sam. The methods that they used almost put his life in danger. Their main goal was to capture Sam and have him in jail, but while I was watching the video, it almost seemed as if Sam’s life was in danger and that he would leave the world before entering jail. Thankfully though, he managed to live. Unfortunately, he was caught by the police and put in a jail cell.

<span style="color: #11ff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 20pt;">Over the Edge Reflection – Allan

This felt just a little more than an average newscast about a dead young man, because it was more than just a murder, suicide, or death. This report had more than others that I watched (Over the Edge was like a documentary). This video went deeper into the victim’s past and I felt wasn’t as biased towards either side. At the beginning of the film, I just thought that it was sad that Sam Brown got too deep into the marijuana trafficking world and died (as so I thought before they mentioned he was in jail) in a helicopter crash. However, it felt like that some of the things that Sam was doing probably led him up to his jailing, and his eventual suicide. Sam becoming a drug trafficker was just for the rush, the adrenaline, and the action. But later, he got too deep into the world, and started getting addicted to the money. This seems pretty bad, but at the same time you might feel sorry for Sam because he was a different type of guy, one with a very obvious and noticeable good side yet still has this secret marijuana trafficking life. You may also feel angry towards the American government for being a little cruel, but I felt that it is the U.S. and things are different there. Sam should have thought about that more carefully. This show showed just what Sam thought about life, and how different it was from many people (Most people wouldn’t commit suicide after about two weeks in jail). This shows another side of life and what sometimes happens right under our noses; the underworld as some people may call it.

**__ My Swim Meet Reflection – Austin O’Boyle __** <span style="display: block; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">I know that you said not to re-tell or summarize the story but I thought I would do that in addition to my reflection so everyone knew what I was talking about. <span style="display: block; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">On Monday, Feb 7th, 2011 the Don Mills swim team competed in the regional meet at the Etobicoke Olympium. The Etobicoke Olympium is the biggest and most recognized swimming facility in the GTA and when we arrived there I could immediately see why. There were at least three swimming pools including one that was the Olympic size 50m and had a very extensive set of stands/bleachers. When we got to the pool there were hundreds of students getting warmed up for the biggest meet of the year by far. Everyone was there with the same fire in their eyes. They were all determined competitors that wouldn’t think twice about ripping the competition right from your hands. I am used to pressure situations in sports because I play so much baseball as well as other school sports. A swim meet is one thing I have never watched or competed in my life. I have to say that it was pretty intimidating to see all of these kids preparing to race because they all looked so good from the determined look on their faces. <span style="display: block; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">I have to say that even after all of the sporting events I’ve been to, I wasn’t expecting to be so nervous about this one. However, for me because I am so used to team sports and not individual sports it was pretty nerve-racking to watch my opposition. After warm-ups finished it was about half an hour of nervousness and anxiety before I finally got called to be marshalled for my first event of the day; the 50m backstroke. When I hopped in the water to get ready to start all my attention shifted from what was going on around me to the sound of the buzzer telling you when to start. “BEEP” and off we went and I was thinking “Oh $#@! There are already 4 people in front of me!” I go into my flip turn in 5th place and then motor my way back to the other side to finish in 3rd in my heat. Over the course of what seemed like a very long day, I competed in three more events including the 100m IM, the 100m freestyle, and the 4x50m freestyle relay team. Overall the Don Mills team did amazingly well at the meet. I placed 4th overall in 2 events, 3rd in one, and 2nd in the relay. The whole Don Mills team did amazingly well at the meet. <span style="display: block; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">The whole experience of being on the swim team was great. It was nice to learn the aspect of participating in an individual sport where you are the only person that dictates how well you will do. You don’t have teammates that will make you go faster or slower, it is the amount of work that you put in that determines how well you will do. It felt really good to do well in the meet because it proved that my work all over the course of the season had paid off. The early mornings 3 times a week were a pain but ended up being for the better. Now that I have this meet is under my belt, I have to prepare for my 50m back in the cities next Tuesday.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">

Reflection 1

After watching the movie I was so pleased with how Sam Browne was still alive. After all that he’s done; smuggling the drugs, running away, he still managed to stay alive. We didn’t reach the end of the movie, but I was glad that after he was caught, he now had a second chance. Everyone deserves a second chance. Even after all those mischievous things, he is able to redeem himself and just knowing that made me glad that we didn’t just finish the movie. Another thing that stood out for me was his father’s love for his son. Sam’s father was so loving of his son, he was able to risk his life in jail for it. That really shows his care for his son. When he got interviewed and was asked why he fixed the copter, he said he’d rather spend jail time then watch his son die in a accident knowing he could’ve saved him. That moved me so much. The father-son relationship was very real here. I was really wondering if Sam felt the same. All in all, I think watching this has taught me many important lessons in life. The risks of committing crimes and the impact on others. -Johnson Qian

=Over the Edge reflection= When the movie was playing, I felt like Sam was literally responsible for his own actions, but I still feel pity for his family, since they lost a brother and a son. I had also thought his family could be blamed for Sam’s misfortune, because his siblings had noticed some symptoms of his activities, and could have stopped Sam before it was too late. I would put most of the blame on Sam because it was his own misdoings and he also succumbed to his greed for the money in the end (which caused his downfall). I could not relate to his “love” for adventure since I don’t participate in dangerous stunts, but I feel like Sam is foolish to attempt the last trip in the helicopter. First: his co-smuggler was caught, and that person blackberry hasn’t sent any message for days; second: the weather was too risky to be driving a small helicopter, and last: his greed for money overwhelmed him, and made him come to a decision to smuggle drugs into the U.S.A. Having him get caught by police was not a surprise, because one day, even the best of illegal activities would get caught; it just depends how. I think the suicide was necessary, in my opinion, since Sam had been smuggling in the United States (and they are harsh on drug smugglers) and even if he haven’t killed himself, he have nowhere to go, since the law forbids anyone with a criminal record to leave the country (and that would be the US). If Sam had not joined smuggling for the excitement, he would be safely at home, instead of being dead in a jailhouse. -Edward-