"Letters to God"

ORLANDO, Fla. ― Not many Hollywood directors experiment with themes as profound as Christianity and cancer in one film simultaneously, unless you’re David Nixon.

“Cancer unfortunately is something that touches everyone in some way,” said Nixon when he visited Valencia Community College West Campus on Dec. 3, “this film will be a ray of hope for people that are going through that.”

Nixon’s new film, Letters to God, tells the true story of a 9- year- old boy, Tyler, who is diagnosed with brain cancer. Tyler then begins writing letters to God as a way of coping with the situation and ends up changing the lives of those around him.

Nixon first began working with Christian-based films when Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA asked for his help with an idea for a movie about football. They offered their hospitality and food in exchange for his aid and although they believed that the film, called Facing the Giants, would not reach an audience outside their church, it made $35 million when it hit the theaters, from an original budget of only $80,000.

This film, however, was made more Hollywood-like, with a significantly higher budget, but still maintaining a Christian message.

“More people go to the movies on Sunday than to they go church,” said Nixon, “so that’s where we need to go.” They plan to promote the film by doing special screenings in churches and through word-of-mouth.

The script for the film was based on the story written by Tyler’s real father.
“It was very difficult for him at times. I wanted him there for authenticity” said Nixon, “the boy looked a lot like the real Tyler and it became too much like reality. He had to leave the set at times.”

Making the movie was not overwhelming for Nixon, however, but rather it was heartwarming to be working with a spiritual message that can help people.

Letters to God will be released on April 9, 2010.

"Life in the Treetops"

ORLANDO, Fla. ― “I just saw a tiger kill its breakfast in a reserve in India,” said Margaret D. Lowman, who has a doctorate in botany, when she spoke at the East Campus Performing Arts Center on Nov. 10.

Lowman failed to recall how she became interested in the field of science but remembers with precision how, as a child, she used to pick up earth worms that had been cut up by lawn mower blades and tried to bandage them back together.

Most of her life thereafter has been dedicated to science and canopy.

“Over half of life on earth lives on tops of trees,” said Lowman, “and my favorite invention to discover this life is the hot-air balloon.”

She described what it is like to be surfing over trees on the canopy raft. “You’re in the hands of the driver,” said Lowman, “you’d better be nice to him so he doesn’t crash you into anything.”

Lowman urges women to join her, as very few are involved in the field. She is, in fact, the first woman to write a book about rainforests.

One woman plans to follow her advice. “As a bio student, this was very helpful and educational,” said Amanda Morgan, an audience member, “I want to ask her how I can get more involved in these types of projects.”

Although her group consists mainly of grown men, her two boys are also very involved.

Taking her children on her excursions can be both gratifying and challenging at the same time. “Should I leave them at them bottom with the poisonous snakes or let them climb trees with mom,” said Lowman, “they both seem equally dangerous.”

Another significant part of her work involves working with the locals. As most of her job includes going to the native villages, studying their forests and going home to reap the benefits, she believes it is their duty to help them and share their knowledge.

“We showed them Google Earth” said Lowman about a new project in Ethiopia, “it was probably like a second coming.” The new project involves saving forests that surround many churches in Ethiopia.

Although not everyone is cut out to climb trees and save our biodiversity, most can appreciate the importance of such work. “I hate bugs, but this presentation definitely inspired me to conserve rainforests,” said Amanda Ramirez, a Valencia Community College student.

"The Magician's Elephant"

ORLANDO, Fla.― Peter Augustus Duchene went to the market to buy fish and bread, where he encountered the tent of a fortuneteller. He asked her if his sister was alive and if so how would he find her. “The elephant” said the woman, “she will lead you there.”

Young Peter is one of Kate Dicamillo’s various characters in her children’s books and is the main subject in her new book “The Magician’s Elephant” which she discussed on Sunday. A live webcast of the presentation was made available and shown at the Orlando Public Library.

“We’re all standing on the shoulders of giants” said Dicamillo about herself and her colleagues, “and we all inspire each other.”

The Newbery Award winning author opened the floor to a group discussion after the presentation in which she talked about everything from her childhood in Central Florida to how she got many ideas for her stories by eavesdropping.

“I haven’t read any of her books but I definitely want to now” said Marilyn Houston, an audience member “I like how mystical all her books seem.”

A young girl in the audience wondered how Dicamillo got along with the illustrator of the book, Yoko Tanaka, and the author stated that she had not personally met or spoken to her illustrator. “Writers are so neurotic” responded Dicamillo “they don’t think anyone should be talking to a neurotic writer.”

When she realized she wanted to be a writer, Dicamillo decided not to go to graduate school and instead bought various black turtlenecks so she could look like a writer.

She laughed as she remembered how quickly the realization that she would not get published unless she actually wrote something dawned on her.

“I felt a certain amount of pride just now,” she said after announcing how many books she had written “short lived pride, but it did go through me.” Dicamillo is the author of 16 books and three more are on the way.

"A Sense of Belonging"

By: Estefania Ospina

ORLANDO, Fla.―As the meeting room of the Orange County Public Library in downtown Orlando began to reach its capacity, Senator Mel Martinez made his appearance onstage Saturday morning after a warm introduction from a former co-worker, a library staff member.

He was welcomed by loud applause and stated he recognized some faces in the crowd.

Martinez talked about his early life and his recent autobiography, “A Sense of Belonging”, followed by a book sale and signing.

He informed the crowd that his first job had been in that particular library and went on to reminisce his early life in Cuba, during its revolution and the turbulent events that led to his escape along with his brother and 1,400 Cuban boys who fled to America.

“The government was still in process of controlling society,” said Martinez to explain how this operation was able to succeed without Castro’s interference.

He remembered when a free-election was promised by Castro, a privilege that had been denied for over half a century.

Instead, many religious figures were run out of the country and his Catholic school was forced to close, dramatically changing his life.

“He was sincere and honest. The way he supports Sotomayor shows he is a good person. Although I wanted to know more about his political life and why he left Washington, I am very interested in his personal life and will buy the book,” commented Marianne Price after the speech.

Martinez laughed as he described his first encounter with his present mother-in-law.

“She was expecting a short Cuban with a moustache who talked like Ricky Ricardo,” an expectation he proudly exceeded.

“It is vital that immigrant children learn English, which is the very key to success, although they must also maintain their culture and heritage” said Martinez about non-English speaking students.

An audience member, Jorge Padillo, said, “what attracted me to this presentation was to hear his story and how he overcame the obstacles that many of us face as immigrants, I wanted to know how he gained success and still maintained his roots as a Hispanic.”