Collage of 2010!

As 2010 comes to an end, I figured I would pay a little respect to my dear old friend, U.S.A! Feel free to comment on any image that stands out to you...

Dedicated to My Bro

Hello world! Just wanted to share with you a great piece of writing that my brother wrote.

What I do is stand up for what I believe in. If someone stands up, so will a friend. If a friend stands up, so will a school. If a school stands up for what they believe in so will a town, a city, a state. And if a state stands up a country will stand up. And if that country stands up, the world will stand up together, united. And the world will be a better place. Stand tall, stand proud. Stand together.


Well its true, my 15 year old brother has inspired me. Regardless of the fact that he is a major LOSER and super ANNOYING, gotta love a kid who can think like this.


Props to him - He created his own blog. Check it out at:


www.wordlines.blogspot.com




Following in his big sisters footsteps... ;)

Either the North Pole or the South Pole. No In-between

This past week, our class has been extremely focused on civil liberties and the rights of an American individual. We talked about perilous times and how liberties were violated in some cases, and not others. Yet looking into more current civil liberties issues, racial profiling comes to mind. By just googling "Racial Profiling" it led me to this cool cite, click HERE for access. It is the cite of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and it consists of current updates on the racial profiling topic. As wikipedia states, "The ACLU's stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." I wondered, how powerful and how legit is the ACLU? I've never heard of it before, so it sparked my interest. 


ACLU is made up of 500,000 members and supporters, and 200 attorneys. It also has staffed offices in all fifty states, including Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. Just by the numbers, I can tell that it must have a magnitude of impact in Americans lives today! Yet, as in most political issues, there is strongly opposing opinions of the ACLU. I despise this idea of "polarization in politics." There seems to be no common ground anymore. 

Thanksgiving Nightmare

What's the first thing you do after you gobble up that turkey dinner? At least in my house, we prepare for the day after thanksgiving, which is possibly one of the most important days of the whole year - shopping wise. Black Friday, as its called, is the day following thanksgiving. Black Friday is traditionally the beginning of the christmas shopping season. It is known to be the busiest shopping day of the whole year, because such great sales and promotional deals are offered. Stores open at 3 or 4 am, as lines of hundreds of people build throughout the night. The sales are unbeatable and a once a year deal, thus making this day very special. 

Yet what do you get when hundreds of people stand in lines, outside in the bitter cold, in the wee hours of the morning? Chaos is for sure. In past cases, violence has ensued. People become so eager to complete their shopping goals, that they take extreme action. For example, in 2006 a man from Virginia was cited for assault. In 2008 in New York, a man was trampled to death! This year, a man was arrested because he threatened to use his handgun, that he casually brought to the store with him. People can get crazy when it comes to saving their buck. 

I do understand why people will go to such lengths, I too find it significant to save some money and get some great deals. Yet, I draw a line. I have never/will never wait in lines at 4 am, rather I will pursue Black Friday in more "normal" hours. For those people who get a little crazy when it comes to sales all I have to say is - chill out, its Thanksgiving. Health, happiness, and family are way more important than ten dollars off of a cashmere sweater.

The Meaning of Time

This week, we learned about the Quasi War. I found it fascinating to learn about Federalists and Republicans. Federalists believed in a strong central government, more laws, harsher taxes, etc. Republicans believed in "power to the people," free speech, free press etc. In modern day, (generally) a Republican believes in limited central government, strong national defense, and is a fiscal conservative.

It is interesting how this political term evolved and changed over time. And to very different beliefs I might add! When thinking deeper about the idea of meanings changing over time, I came across the words pejoration and amelioration. I wondered about other words either degrading or enhancing in meaning over time...can you think of any?

Define: Smart

What does "smart" mean? Are you smart if you get A's on tests or are you smart if you stay away from drugs? I believe the both answers fit perfect examples of "smart".


There are two types of smart. One being street-smart, the other being book-smart. When I thesaurused (is that a word? Hah) street smart, words like "common sense," "wisdom," "know-how," and "acumen" came up. Thus, street smart means a person who has an all around knack or intellect of knowledge. Not necessarily textbook knowledge, more like random daily life information. As Urban Dictionary says, a street smart person is one who knows "what every type of person has to deal with daily and understands all groups of people and how to act around them and different situations."


On the other side of the spectrum is book-smart, which as Urban Dictionary defines it as, "someone who is intelligent and very well educated academically." Pretty self explanatory. An example of a book smart person is an A student, in all AP classes, who is very good at memorization, test taking, note taking etc. 


Its interesting to compare and contrast both aspects of smart, and maybe which category you, yourself, fit in. Do you agree with these definitions? Is there a third definition of smart?

Bored? I think not...

Random but entertaining. Just browsing through some websites, found some interesting stories. Have fun!

• http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/16/business/media/16apple.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

• http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/16/science/16conversation.html?src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB

• http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/mobile/11/15/smartphone.viral.video.mashable/index.html?hpt=C2

• http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20442139,00.html

FOUND: Right or Wrong?

This week was Litfest, and I was lucky enough to go see 4 wonderful writers preform Thursday Night, at the Northfield Campus. The last speaker, Davy Rothbart, is the head of an organization called "Found Magazine." Basically they tell people to send in letters they find in unique places. One story he shared with us was about a letter found in a cemetery, hanging from a balloon that got caught in at tree. A lady climbed the tree, retrieved the letter, and sent it to Found. The letter was written by a recently suicidal boy to his dead mother. He wrote about this girl he thought he loved, and how he missed his mom so much. It was truly a touching and heartwarming story.

Yet, after I hearing this story, I was a little irritated. That letter wasn't for my eyes to read. Nor to be posted online for millions of viewers to see. Although it is extremely touching, and it did have a huge affect on me, I still believe that some things should remain confidential. Especially something as personal as that.

Although one may get a few laughs or tears from the letters sent it, I still am against the organization. Not in a strongly-rooted anti-Found way. Rather, I believe that they should censor the letters they receive. I felt weird and wrong hearing this letter....because it wasn't  written to me. Maybe that balloon was meant for heaven...? Not for "Found."

How Ridiculous

"How Ridiculous" Members

Those unique stories you hear are always the best, and I couldn't help but think that when I saw this video on CNN the other day. Click HERE for the link. Four 23-year-old Australian men, Derek Heron, Brett Stanford, Scott Gaunson, Kyle Nebel, having been shooting some rather interesting shots over the past two years.

The four call themselves "How Ridiculous" and have been shooting incredible, and almost UNBELIEVABLE basketball shots in their backyards. They would do things like bounce the ball off the ground, then off the garage wall and into the basket. Or stand on a roof top and throw a basketball into the hoop - with a baseball style throw. Check out their first video by clicking HERE.

As their fan base increased, via there youtube channel called "whoisjimmy," they then progressed into taking on greater challenges, such as shooting blindfolded shots and standing many rows up in a football stadium and shooting balls into a basket placed on the field below.

It is truly unreal, how these four can make these seemingly impossible shots at such a high percentage, but what is truly unreal is how they urge people to donate to charity. To me, that only makes "How Ridiculous" even more worthwhile. They suggest giving to charities that benefit children in third world countries. Now that is one thing, that is NOT ridiculous!

This got me thinking about charity in general. What are its benefits? Pros and Cons? Is charity technically a sacrifice? Just a little fun story for the day. Happy Halloween!

A Blog Blog Blog Shouldn't be Blah Blah Blah

As the title says, A Blog Blog Blog Shouldn't be Blah Blah Blah! When first entering this frenzied online world, I have to admit, I thought of blogging as more of a personal journal. I thought I would blog whenever I wanted, when I was happy, sad, angry, appalled. Yet I have learned that blogging is much more than personal feelings. A successful blogger will gather accurate information, back up his/her arguments, hyperlink to helpful websites, and most importantly, tell a story. The overall goal is to provide a complete satisfying experience for the reader, as well as give them the opportunity to learn! Good blogging is easier said than done. Trust me, I know from experience.

As I look back over the nine blog posts I have made in the past ten weeks, I notice major improvement. In my first few posts, I seemed to "scratch the surface" rather than delve deep into controversial issues. For example, my first blog post called "Love The Way You Lie" is very creative and fun to read, yet it isn't a deep thinking topic nor does it go into specific detail. Comparing that to my most recent post called "The Mysterious 'Jim Crow'", I see that I included plentiful facts and detail. It is clearly written and displays interesting information. Over these nine weeks I have grown as a writer, now knowing the balance of information and creativity is key. My one struggle, I believe, is writing too creatively. Sometimes, I just get so entranced within my writing, that the post will end up lacking intellectual quality. For example, my post called "Break Me; A Song By HotPause" was quite a disappointment. I had loads of fun writing it but as I re-read it now I cringe. What was I thinking?!

Bolos and OC- I would like you to grade "On, In or Near?" It discusses the possible Mosque to be built by ground zero. We talked a lot about this topic in class, and I feel I wrote a fairly interesting post. Enjoy!

By the way, just wanted to say how much I LOVE BLOGGING. (If the caps wasn't enough I put it in bold and underlined it too!) It is so fun. I feel like I always learn something, whether its about my personal writing or current events or history...anything! Its a great idea, and it truly has benefitted me so much, as a writer and a person.

The Mysterious 'Jim Crow'

Today, we briefly talked about the Jim Crow Laws. I had heard the phrase before, and automatically knew that they had something to do with segregating blacks and whites in America. Yet I couldn't help but think...Who was Jim Crow?

After some research, I found that Jim Crow isn't really a person! The term "Jim Crow" refers to a black character in an old song. The song went like this: "Come listen all you galls and boys, I'm going to sing a little song, My name is Jim Crow. Weel about and turn about and do jis so, Eb'ry time I weel about I jump Jim Crow." It was written by a man named Thomas Dartmouth Rice. Rice would act out his song along with some singing and dancing. He played the part of Jim Crow, a black slave or stable boy. Rice was a white man, and was one of the first performers to use blackface makeup. His routine became very popular as he traveled through multiple states in the U.S. With such great success, he even traveled to London and Dublin and put on a few shows! A false connotation of black people to be foolish and carefree suddenly arose throughout America and Europe. "Jim Crow" had then become an offensive name and eventually a racial slur.

The Jim Crow Laws were oppressive laws in the U.S. They stressed inferiority of black people, and segregated them from white people. This resulted in economic, educational and social disadvantages for the blacks. How do these laws relate to Fredrick Douglass?

Break Me; A Song By HotPause

I am sitting here pondering possible blog ideas when, suddenly, I hear a sound coming from my brothers speaker system upstairs. The whole house pulsates as the beautiful and distinct sound of an organ resinates from wall to wall. I know right away what I am listening too...it's "Fix You" by Coldplay.

This song is classic. Period. I would be shocked if you haven't heard it. (Click HERE to listen if needed...) Anyway, Coldplay is a English alternative rock band made up of four members. They have sold 50 million records world wide...basically they are amazing.

But this specific song, Fix You, always seems to touch me. The song opens with this verse:

When you try your best but you don't succeed

When you get what you want but not what you need

When you feel so tired that you can't sleep

Stuck in reverse

I feel like the key word in this verse is "reverse." Think about it, if you reverse each sentence, it would look more like this:

When you try your best and you succeed

When you get what you want and what you need

When you feel tired and you sleep

Moving forward

OR if you think about it from a different angle, the "reverse" could be more like this:

When you don't succeed but you try your best

When you don't get what you need but you get what you want

When you can't sleep but you feel so tired

Reversed due to stuckness

This last example leaves you with more of a positive feeling rather than the sad and negative vibe you get from the actual lyrics. In my mind, lyrics truly make or break a song. Can you imagine hearing "reversed due to stuckness" in that song!?!? Oy.

I had fun toying around with this song! What songs are you inspired by? 

Facebook: A World Phenomenon

This weekend I saw The Social Network, a film by David Fincher. It was thrilling, fast paced, definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat. Yet on the other hand, it also made me kind of sad. Mark Zuckerberg, the young Facebook inventor, was sued for $600 million. If that isn't bad enough just wait! He was sued by his best friend, his partner in crime, the CFO of Facebook, Eduardo Saverin. It's horrible to think that a silly little website could ruin a friendship.

Yet this website has become much more than silly. It's legit. It has become the center of peoples lives, days, hours. People need to check it before they go to bed, and just as they wake up in the morning. And why? To see what their friends have been doing. Why don't you just give them a call or shoot 'em a text? I am extremely against Facebook. I had one freshman year. I didn't really know what it was all about. Since then I deleted my account. I just feel it is so unnecessary! I can see why one might want one for college, to keep in touch with high school friends, family members, and new friends they meet. But for high school, I feel like Facebook is a waste of time. Not only is it tremendously distracting, but it has no true benefit to a person. Some people say, "Facebook is great for establishing connections, meeting people" blah blah blah. If you want to be friends with someone, why not get to know them in person? I dislike how the world has become so technological these days.

I deleted my Facebook account. It was truly liberating. It feels good to say that I spend my free time shooting hoops in the alley or riding bikes to Panera, rather than sitting in front of a computer screen -  stalking the people that I spend every day with. Let this blog inspire you to delete yours too!

Is There a Way to Measure Race?

The map above shows the races of the world classified by color and location.

White, black, red, yellow, brown. To me they are just colors, to others they mean much more. Mr. Bolos told us that they were the "color terminology to label a persons race." White defines Caucasian, black is African American, red is Native American, yellow is Asian, and brown is Indian or South American. To be honest, I had never heard of this color coding system before. When I thought deeper about it, it didn't seem right! There is too much variety in our world to have an individual fit under one of five categories. The Map pictured above was created in 1920. And Mr. Bolos said this color system is what he was taught in 1985. Maybe this isn't a modern day method then? 

What is the "correct" way to address race? We held an in-class discussion last week about how we, as a class, define race. The list was: facial features, language, family origins, skin color, current culture, religion, "area they're from" and physical attributes. When I compare this to the 1985 five category color system, I think, how on earth could one color represent all of these classifications!? The truth is it can't. Then what can? Is there one word to define a whole race? I don't think so...

On, In or Near?

I just watched the season premier of 60 minutes on CBS. There were three very interesting stories, first about the war in Afghanistan, second the building of a Mosque on ground zero, and third about the saints quarterback Drew Brees. The story about the Mosque on ground zero, can be found by clicking HERE.

In all the media buzz I have heard about relating to building of the mosque, I have always remembered it as a Mosque might be built literally ON ground zero, meaning exactly where the World Trade Towers were before 9/11. This 60 minutes story stresses that the Mosque, in fact, may be built 2 blocks away from ground zero. Does it even make a difference, on or near ground zero? Shouldn't Muslims have the right to practice their religion freely, just as you and I do?

Leader of the controversy, is a far right activist named Pamela Geller. She is the co founder of the organization, "Stop Islamization of America." You can click HERE to view her blog, which consists of her political ideals and her anti Islam beliefs. As I did some background research on her, and I found it very interesting that she is Jewish. Given this, you would think she would be more sympathetic to the minority religions. Yet she continues to attack Islam, and ban the building of the Mosque NEAR ground zero.

I found the 60 minutes story very informative and interesting. After reading about Geller, and her reasons for not allowing the building of the Mosque, it made me realize how strongly I feel that the Mosque should be built. Although I do understand why it may upset people that a Mosque is built on ground zero, given 9/11, we must remember not to discriminate against the Islamic religion. It was not the whole Islam religion that ran airplanes through the towers, rather it was selective radicals who had specific beliefs about the United States. It is not fair to say that all Muslims as supportive of 9/11, because that statement is simply false. We have no right to prohibit the building of this sacred Mosque, and I am fully supportive of it being built.

Into the Wild: The Movie

Just last night, Jackie, Hayley and I watched Into the Wild, the movie.

The movie truly pulled me off the couch and threw me into the Alaskan wilderness. For once, I connected to Chris and felt like I could relate to him. Before watching the movie, it was always hard for me to understand Chris and what motivated him to go "into the wild." I would wonder, why did Chris hate society so much? And how could Chris be alone with himself, with no other human interactions for three months straight? But watching the movie answered these questions.

CHRIS

First of all, the movie displayed Chris's magnetic personality like no other. Watching him form relationships with Rainy, Jan, Wayne, etc was very entertaining. As well, the movie was somewhat surreal to me because Emilie Hirsch (who played Chris) was so convincing and looked so similar to the real Chris McCandless (See pictures to the right). I often found myself assuming this movie was a documentary, and that Emilie was truly the real Chris! Another reason why the movie was so captivating, is because it was filmed in the exact locations of Chris's true whereabouts. Whether it was Arizona, Alaska, or Carthage South Dakota, Sean Penn (director) had his film crew there. To me, this made the movie much more tangible and intriguing.

EMILIE

Finally, while I was watching the Special Features, I watched a short ten minute video called "The experience". It was the experience Emilie went through to become Chris McCandless. There were many amazing parts to this short video, but there is one thing I would like to share with you. To become Chris, Emilie lost 41 pounds, over the course of eight months. Its not camera magic or a different actor. Emilie, starting off at 156 lbs, ended the movie process at 115. That shows true dedication, and it makes me appreciate the movie even more. I recommend reading the book first, but most definitely do not miss out on this amazing film.

Remember When?

On September 11th, 2001, 420 emergency rescue personnel were killed in the line of duty. On September 11th, 2001, 125 Pentagon employees were killed in the line of duty. On September 11th, 2001, 87 passengers and crew on American Airlines Flight 11 were killed. On September 11th, 2001, 60 passengers and crew on United Airlines Flight 175 were killed. On September 11th, 2001, 59 passengers and crew on American Airlines Flight 77 were killed. On September 11th, 2001, 40 passengers and crew on United Airlines Flight 93 were killed. On September 11th, 2001, 2268 World Trade Center occupants were killed.

Rather than write a melancholy memorial about the horrific day of September 11th, I would like to talk about the movie Remember Me. Believe it or not, they are very much related. Remember Me was released this past March, click HERE to watch the trailer if you wish. If you haven't seen the movie, and do not want me to spoil the ending...STOP READING NOW.

The ending to this romantic drama was a rather controversial topic. Last chance to stop reading! I warned you. Alright, well it turns out that 22 year-old Tyler, played by the famous Robert Pattinson, dies on the date September 11th, 2001 standing in his dads office on the 92nd floor of the World Trade Center.

After the movie was released, the question arose: was it "too soon" to make a movie incorporating September 11th? Many were offended and felt that this movie used September 11th for a climactic ending, rather than paying it the respect it deserves. Personally, I feel that it was unnecessary and insensitive. The writers could have easily made Tyler die in another way, while still giving the audience a long lasting touch of despair. Why did the writers use September 11th when they knew it was still a tender topic?

Remember Me is rated PG13. Meaning people 13 and over are recommended to see this movie. Notice, that people 13 years or older lived through September 11th. Thus, they have a more personal experience and connection to the event. Given that, I feel that it was not YET appropriate to make a movie encompassing September 11th. I believe that until my generation has died, there is always going to be some sort of "elephant in the room" about September 11th, due to the abundance of people deeply affected by it. I'm not saying we shouldn't talk about it for the next sixty years, rather I mean that we should be very timid about how we bring up the event, given the huge amount of people personally impacted by it. I believe that it was not the right timing to make this movie. Once all of us have died, and the story of September 11th is written about in textbooks, I feel that then would be a more suitable release date for a movie like Remember Me.

It is now 2010, nine years after September 11th occurred. Is nine years "too soon" or not? What is the appropriate amount of time to wait until an event like September 11th is fully acceptable to talk about? I want to know what you think. Please comment! And feel free to disagree.

Love The Way You Lie

Although this may not be the smartest thing to type on a public website that my fellow classmates and teachers have access to, I am a liar. And I bet you are too. Why do we do this? We lie to avoid the truth, because the truth hurts. 

Personally, one of the main reasons I lie is to avoid punishment.

"Sarah you better have cleaned your room like I told you to!" My mom says firmly.

"Uhhh yeah mom its done." I respond.

In this common example, I took the easy way out. I avoided punishment by simply lying. No one got hurt, everyone is satisfied. Lying may provide short term success, yet the long term repercussions can come back to haunt you.  

The next day, my mom confronts me in my messy room, and I get in MORE trouble than I would have been in had I just told her the truth upfront.

Another reason why people lie is to keep a good reputation. Joe, the top golfer at his high school, is playing golf with a group of friends. On the last hole, he skulls his drive into the woods. As he approaches the ball, which is embedded in the tree roots below, the stench of loosing the match pierces his nostrils. Slyly, while his friends aren't watching, Joe kicks the ball into the fairway. At the end of the day, Joe won the match, and his excellent reputation remained untouched.

In both everyday examples, a lie was told either to avoid punishment or keep a good reputation. I couldn't help but think of the Watergate Scandal. This displayed both of "lyings" core ideals. Nixon denied involvement in the Watergate Scandal to avoid being impeached and presumably, thrown out of office. In addition, to keep his acquired status of an honest and just politician, he deceived the American people by claiming innocence.

To wrap it up, I can't officially justify if lying is right or wrong. I can tell you, with loads of practice ;), that it is quite easy. Lying, whether we like it or not, is a significant part of society today. There is no way around it. In the job office, sports field, on the politicians desk, and even right in your own very home, it happens. 

FIRST BLOG POST YAY!