The Power of Color

Recently we watched a Charlie Chaplin silent movie, The Kid, in black and white in class. Then today I saw another movie, Invictus. I was amazed at how much emotion they were able to capture in the film. I do not think this would have been possible without color, sound, or the high quality of picture. This can be considered a good or bad thing. It can be a good thing because movies these days can be very entertaining. On the other hand, it is easy to draw emotions from viewers, and sometimes the quality of the movie is not so good. In the Charlie Chaplin movie, strong and deliberate images had to be shown in order for the viewer to understand the movie. In this way, the viewer has to pay close attention, and really think about what is going on. So then, what do you like: color or silent black in white?

Computers: Good or Bad?

Today i am writing about something that has a big impact on all of our lives: the computer. Computers have changed many things in the past decade. Even since I was a little kid, computers have changed the world. Now almost anything can be done over the internet, and one has a great power just sitting in a chair with a computer in hand. Instant knowledge can be accessed by just typing something in on Google. I would not even be writing this if it was not for the computer.

But, the computer has its downsides. My computer breaks on me all the time, without it i cant do my homework or blog. It can be so frustrating sometimes that i wish computers never existed. In addition computers allow people communicate without ever seeing or actually talking to each other. Although convenient, it can make people lose their social skills.

So, what do you think? Are computers helping or hurting our society?

The BCS Bowls

The BCS, or Bowl Championship Series, of College Football is often a controversial topic. Year after year, undefeated teams do not have a chance to win the National Championship. This year is a perfect example of why it is a flawed system. There are 5 undefeated team, but only Texas and Alabama get to play for the championship. These two teams made it in because they have the most respected names, not necessarily because they were the best. TCU, Boise State, and Cincinnati all did everything they could, beating every team they played. Still, they do not have a chance to win it all. In College basketball 64 different teams have a shot at winning the championship. This makes it more exciting and unexpected things happen. Therefore, College Football should switch to a playoff system and give more teams a chance at winning.

The ACT

As I was taking the ACT last Saturday I wondered about the nature of the test. Is the ACT a fair test?

I am not talking about cheating, but preparation. As a New Trier student, one might find it ridiculous that someone else did not study or practice for the ACT. The reality is that many people have no preparation. Without tutors and study guides, some students walk in the testing room not knowing what to expect. So then the question is, does preparing for the ACT give students an unfair advantage?

Since the test can determine what colleges one gets into, it can have a big impact on their life. Some say studying helps, others say it does not. What do you think?

The Approval of our President Obama

For a while I have wanted to post about our Nation's president, Barrack Obama. During his campaign he was made out to be the hero and it seemed he would turn our country in the right direction. Now less than a year from when he took office, I read the approval rating polls of Barrack Obama, and I noticed a decline in our President's approval.

Was this decline because he has made mistakes in office, or simply because he just isnt the savior everyone had hoped he would be?

Although I do not know every detail of his presidency so far, I think it is because of the latter option. The Nation is still close to where it was when George Bush was president and the same problems still persist. The economy is still in a recession, and unemployment rates are high. Obama recently sent more troops to Afghanistan, and his great plans inside our country are not working. Although not much time has passed, it is becoming clear our president is not the hero we thought him to be.

How Shallow Our Society Has Become

I was struck by how shallow American teenagers have become the other day after reading about popular books for girls. Now this is not the first time I realized that teenagers, both boys and girls, are concerned about unimportant things, but this led to deeper thinking. This article I read talked about how the most popular girls books these days are books like Gossip Girl, The It Girl, The A-List Series, etc. The "good characters" or heroines in these books are rich, popular, and materialistic girls. They can be considered bratty and mean, and are concerned with how they dress and sex. These are the kinds of girls that the books suggest are cool and the targeted audience, teenage girls, want to be them. The thing is, many girls fall for this and live their lives with goals of fame, money, and glamorous clothes. And this is just an example of girls, guys have their own concerns.

The problem? When kids are spending their time focusing on these things, they are not focusing on more important things. This causes a decline in moral and intellectual thinking. Older books and stories have the opposite plot, the smart "not fabulous" girl defeats the popular girl and shows her weaknesses. Will this popular media and literature cause our generation to be dumber?

The Miscommunication of Story Headlines

As I was reading news headlines one in particular caught my eye: "Bishop bars Patrick Kennedy from Communion over abortion." Being a Catholic, I was surprised to hear that someone was banned from taking Communion. When I read further in the article though, I realized that the story did not really fit the headline. In fact Kennedy was not banned from taking Communion, but the bishop "respectfully asked" him to stop because of his strong support for abortion rights, something the Catholic church is against. In addition this advice was "pastoral and confidential" and the bishop did not expect Kennedy to bring this confidential conversation to the public.

This is only one example of the way the media can twist stories. The media twists these stories to try to make them more interesting so that people will read them. In this case the headline sounds controversial, and it is then more likely that people will read the story. The word abortion is also worked into the title, a big debate topic that many Americans have strong opinions about. These headlines also tell a lot about the majority of the population of America. People are most interested in controversies and scandals, and this is what the media tries to bring to them.

Lit Fest

After attending the Literary Fest on Thursday evening, I was quite impressed. At first I wasn't sure what the event would be like, but, along with many others, I was pleased. A variety of different acts were present, from humorous to melancholy and serious. Overall though, I have to say that my favorite presentation was Davy Rothbart, who created FOUND Magazine.

I was not the only one who thought that this was fascinating. FOUND Magazine was unlike anything I had heard of before. It consists of letters, to-do lists, notes, or any kind of writing that is written by other people and found somewhere. Davy Rothbart read love letters, receipts from stores, conversations on paper, and even a letter from a boy to his mom that passed away. Most of these were extremely funny, and the last one touching.

I think that people find this stuff interesting because it is real, and has to do with real life. Nothing is made up, and no one edited these things before they were put into the magazine. This writing also relates to our lives, and we make connections and laugh about them. These pieces of writing make one wonder: Why did a person write this? What is going on in their lives? These stories are powerful because they are real and open peoples minds with curiosity.

Apologizing for Slavery

Recently I read an article that talks about how the US Government apologized for slavery. The author thinks that this was not enough. She writes from her personal opinion, that slavery was horrible and we need to do something to fix its effects. She even says that she feels bad being born as a white female, whose ancestors were slave traders, because she lives off of slavery's benefits.

First off, was it necessary for the government to apologize for slavery? Sure, it was a nice gesture, but does that help anyone feel better. Personally, I think slavery does need more than an apology, but is there anything we can really do? The more trying to fix it might just make it worse.

So then, what, if anything, should be done to fix the effects of something that ended years ago?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/19/browne.slavery/index.html

Ballon Hoax

Recently two parents used their son in an attempt at stardom, as described in this Article. They released a floating balloon device into the atmosphere and then called the Police saying their son was attached to it. It turned out that the aspiring reality Tv-star parents staged this whole event. They hid their 6 year old son in the attic for 5 hours while the public was in panic. Although there is nothing wrong with wanting to be famous, this couple went about it all wrong. They risked their son's safety to try to fulfill their own goals. Their entire plot for fame is just morally wrong.

The sad thing is, they probably got the attention they had hoped for. During the stunt, the story was all over the news. Now news stories about it are all over the internet. In a way this story is like the boy who cried wolf. The parents cried for public help, but did not really need it. They are now facing up to 6 years in prison and fines of $500,000. Personally I think these parents deserve the punishment for creating a public misunderstanding and putting their children in danger. But, what do you think? Do they deserve jail time and fines for trying to become famous?

What do Grades Really Mean?

A long class discussion today left me wondering about the grading system in school. For years I have been both frustrated and saved by grades and points. I have received some grades i think should be higher, and ones that honestly should have been lower. The problem is that a percentage grade does not always tell how much someone learned. When grades that are determined by points, students often lose focus on the actual material. They worry about the number of points they receive on an assignment instead of actually learning, what school is really all about.

But, is it fair for a teacher to give grades based on how they feel a student is doing? One could argue that teachers might be bias and give students higher or lower grades for unjust reasons. The point system can be fair because it is the same for everyone.

If there are no grades, as new classes at our high school are attempting, then there is no real measure of a students progress that others can see. But then another point comes up, who are grades really for? Most kids would say that they are for the colleges that want to get into. So then, how should grades be given out? What do you think is the right way to do it?

Race

After a class discussion about race last week, I noticed something about many kids in our class and people in general. Including myself, why are people so hesitant to associate race with the color of skin someone has?

During the discussion, I realized myself along with many others really determine what race someone is by the color of their skin. People tried to say that race was was determined by something else, but after talking about it we found out that it was not really true.

I also find it interesting when people are afraid to call someone black. It is not a bad thing so why are they afraid to say it? I have heard kids trying to be official call black people in Africa African Americans when really they are not American at all and the kid was just trying to say black. We have to realize that being one race or another is not any better than the other and say how we really think races are determined.

Public Figures Misbehaving

Many of the people in this country we know to be famous figures have not been behaving themselves. Disrepectful acts of anger and incivility have left Americans schocked.

A recent article I read mentioned three particular instances of poor behavior. First South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson yelled "You lie!" at Barrack Obama during his speech on Health Care. Then star tennis player Serena Williams threatened a line judge.
Lastly, Kanye West took the microphone from 19 year old Taylor Swift after receiving an award and told the audience she did not deserve to win.

The author points out that these rude events are the stars lacking etiquette and people skills. I was relieved to know that someone out there felt the same way i did. If these stars are acting so unmannerly why do we like and idolize them?

Besides these three instances, many famous people are all around acting up. They are often caught doing crime and wrong behavior, yet they still get attention for it.

Are these the people we want to be well known in America? Are these the people that are going to be talked about in the future that represent our generation?

I for sure dont think so, and if we dont want the youth of America growing to be like them we should think about who we idolize.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/09/18/disappearing.civility/index.html#cnnSTCText

Marijuana Laws

I recently saw an article that deals with the puzzling subject of Marijuana. While many have been recently pushing for legalization, Mark Kirk proposed a new stricter law on Marijuana. He wants tougher punishment for those selling or found with Marijuana that has 20 percent THC or higher, also known as "Kush." This could mean up to 25 years in jail for just having a more potent form of marijuana.

After reading this article I disagreed with Mark Kirk's position. Why make make punishments tougher for slight variations of the same drug? After all, it has the same affects on the body, just less of it is needed. If anything it will decrease the volume of marijuana being sold.

On the other hand, I also saw an article that described various marijuana busts. The facts in this article pushed me more towards the idea of legalization. A recent farm was found with 1.6 billion dollars worth of marijuana, along with many other busts worth millions of dollars. If the government took over these productions, or at least heavily taxed them, combined with saving the money spent on drug enforcement, the economy could heavily benefit.

But does the profit outweigh the negatives? And what are the negatives?

Mark Kirk mentions that "Kush" "increases the harm to the system" but he has no evidence to back this up. No legitimate experiment has shown marijuana to have serious harm on health, but it can help medically.

So, should marijuana be legalized?


http://www.mpp.org/states/illinois/news/us-rep-mark-kirk-to-push.html

Test Scores

I recently found an article about how U.S. students are scoring lower on tests than students in other countries such as Finland, China, and Estonia. "American children aren't necessarily getting smarter or dumber, but that might not be good enough to compete globally." This sentence struck me in particular and I thought:

Why do Americans feel they always have to be better than everyone else?

Since when do children have to "compete globally" with other children academically?

So what if American students are not number one in every subject. It doesnt mean that the children in the other countries are going to make more money when they grow up, as people seem to think school and future salaries are so connected. Sure, good students might be more likely to do well, but a few points on a test doesnt determine their future.

The writer mentions that our economy is in a poor state, and better educating our children might fix it. Improvement never hurts, but our country has a fine education system and higher scores on math and science tests for fourth graders isnt going to fix our economy.


http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/08/25/students.science.math/index.html

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