The Case Against Algebra 2

I completely agree with Mr. Baker! Algebra 2 should not be a REQUIRED course! It is stressful and extremely difficult for some students. While other students grasp the concept quickly, this is not the case for all students. I took algebra 2 as a freshman in high school. I took "honors" because I know that I am a level 1 student. I worked my butt off in that class to receive an 81 for the year. I understand that a B is not the worst grade in the world, but after never receiving anything less than an A, I was terribly disappointed in myself. People tell me "You should have just taken Level 2" But a level 2 class would bring down my GPA and my weighted class rank. If only they had a math class without all those levels and for students who know that they do not want to be in the math field. I have always known that I wanted to do fashion journalism and no math is required to enter that field yet there I was sitting in an honors algebra 2 class struggling. Mr. Baker's idea would eliminate the amount of stress students go through and eliminate the lack of esteem felt by students when they can't do the material.  

A Tale of Two Cities

I found some sarcasm!!!! I was very excited when I stumbled upon this passage and actually laughed aloud which is always good with a book. It took place when Miss Manette goes into shock about the news she is receiving from Mr. Lorry and when "a wild-looking woman, whom even in his agitation, Mr.Lorry observed to be all of a red colour, and to have red hair, and to be dressed in some extraordinary tight-fitting fashion, and to have on her head a most wonderful bonnet like a Grenadier wooden measure, and good measure too, or a great Stilton cheese, came running into the room inadvance of the inn servants, and soon settled the question of his detachment from the poor young lady, by laying a brawny hand upon his chest, and sending him flying back against the nearest wall. ("I really think this must be a man!" was Mr.Lorry's breathless reflection, simultaneously with his coming against the wall.)" Hahahahahahaha!! Even typing the passage again made me laugh. Dicken's description of the woman is already funny and I could tell that she was already crazy looking but then to go on and say he was unsure if the person was a man or a woman made me actually laugh aloud. This was an awesome passage.

A Tale of Two Cities

So far I would not say that I have a favorite character, but I do like Mr.Lorry. He seems like the type of guy to be all tough and scary on the outside but in reality he is a big and soft teddy bear. It's quite clear that he cares about Miss Manette even though he never admitted it (or at least not so far). I think that after I read about him some more I might like him but then again, if he really is a business business man and always puts that first then he could lose some points with me.

A Tale of Two Cities

I am so confused!!!! After reading the opening lines of this book, I knew I was in some trouble. It took me a good fifteen minutes to look up the meaning behind it and after I understood (or at least I think I do) I moved on to only become more and more perplexed. I am not even understaning the plot. The one thing I do understand is that Dicken's is supposed to be extremely sarcastic in this novel yet I am missing it completey. To be honest though, I am only on page 38 and should probably continue reading so that I can understand what is going on. 

Doll House

I really liked this book! The main character, Nora, really irritated me in the beginning of the novel because I thought she was weak and dumb but as the author Henrik Ibsen developed her character, I found her to be fascinating. She was actually strong and independent and although I didn't like the fact that she left her children at the end of the play, she did it for her. She needed to better herself and find out who she really was which was completely understandable.  

The Sun Also Rises

I did not like this book while I was reading it for the simple fact that I did not give myself enough time to read it and had to cram it in in one night for AP Lit BUT after discussing the novel in class, I've come to actually like The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. The symbolism in the book is so subtle yet so powerful and I loved that about it. Also, Hemingway's style of writing allowed the reader to come to conclusions on their own and figure things out for themselves like figuring out that Jake's wound from the war is the reason him and Brett are not together. I'm not sure if I liked the characters in the book due to the fact that they were so loose and wild but then again that was the point of the Lost Generation so I could appreciate the character development. Overall, it was a good book that I did enjoy reading.

Are Kids Too Coddled?

Yes, yes, yes! Kids are way too coddled now and are unable to see the world for what it really is.  In a couple of years when these kids head off to college and eventually into the real world, their moms are not going to be able to "file a formal complaint of bullying against a coach" or exempt their child from a certain test that they have deemed "too difficult". These kids need to suck it up and rise to the occasion not run to mommy and complain. I wish I could run home to my mother and complain about a test being too hard or something ridiculous like that. Her only response would be to work harder and do better which is the type of parenting needed.

NFL

I've never really been a fan of football and with players like this running around? Maybe I never will be. Football is already an extremely rough, aggressive, violent sport with men running DIRECTLY at one another and physically TACKLING each other to the ground. One would imagine that with all that violence occurring on the field, that off the field, teammates would stick together. In Richard Cognito's eyes, this clearly isn't the case. It is absolutely ridiculous that he bullied his teammate Martin to the point that he had to quit the team for fear of his own safety. On one hand, I thought "Man up! You wanna hang around the big boys? You've gotta toughen up!" but then I sat back and thought that he must have really been pushed over the edge to leave the team; which is also leaving a fat paycheck. The part that bothered me the most was that no one spoke out against it or tried to stop it. There is no possible way the other teammates, coaches and everyone else had no idea what was going on in that locker room. And it's an absolute shame that no one has done anything about it until now. I hope that Incognito and whoever else was involved is prosecuted to the fullest extent because they deserve it.    

Tweets

This article actually provided me with information I didn't know. I thought that all colleges looked at applicants' social media pages and made assumptions based off of them but apparently that is not the case! It seems crazy that an admissions team would go searching the social networks of EVERY applicant because that would be the most tedious process added on to what they already have to go through. The kids out there tweeting dumb things about schools while they are still on campus blows my mind. I will never understand how some teenagers are so clueless but I hope they get it together. I know for a fact that my Instagram and Facebook pages are clean as a whistle and would never hurt my chances of getting into a school.

Cyberbullying

I do not agree with Mark O'Mara at all. It does not make sense for parents of cyber bullies to be punished for the actions of their children on the internet. I understand that parents can be charged if their child were to shoot and kill someone with their handgun but this is different. A phone and computer cannot be compared to a handgun no matter how one distorts the picture. A child taking a gun and physically shooting someone is completely different than a child harassing another child to the point of suicide. Yes, I understand that both incidents are extremely tragic BUT a child cyber bullying another is not the same as that child physically holding the gun (their parent's gun) to another child'd head and therefore the parents cannot be charged. Mark O'Mara's analogy of "If a child kills someone while using their parent's gun, the parent can be held responsible. If a child breaks the law using a computer or cellphone, provided by the parent, how is that 

different?" is invalid. I don't believe this will pass and I really hope it doesn't. When a parent is actually 

behind the screen cyber bullying then they can be charged. 

Making the Grade: Inside the College Admissions Process

Being a college admissions staffer sounds like a tough job. You are determining a teenager's future and possibly "ruining" their life. I have to admit that Lehigh, and other schools I'm sure, look into a number of factors and truly try to make the best possible decision. Having to sit down and read all of those applications sounds stressful and tiring but they manage to do it while remaining fairly objective. Going through the college application process right now makes me really connect with the student's whose applications are being read  knowing that in a couple of months an admissions team will be reading over my own application. Knowing that the SAT score isn't the main factor provides me with some comfort because I know that that hasn't been my strong point. All I can do is apply and do my best for the rest of the year.

From Beirut to Jerusalem

Chapter two in the book was actually pretty good! I enjoy learning about other lifestyles and cultures so that may be the reason why I was so interested in the book but I didn't expect to actually like it. Once again, I don't usually enjoy the books assigned in school but reading about a person's first hand experience in Beirut during their struggle had me hooked. The title of the chapter itself, "Would you like to eat now or wait until the ceasefire?" already caught my attention so reading about how the people in Beirut cope with the constant fighting around them and living with the fear of an explosion going off at any minute was fascinating.

Oedipus the King

After finishing the play, I had a new appreciation for Greek tragedies. I knew how the play would end because we have been over the story in previous English classes but actually reading it, made the story better. I did not really like any of the characters in the play because they all had a flaws that led to their demise. Oedipus was selfish and rude. He treated the blind prophet so poorly even though he was telling the truth. Jocasta was so caught up in thinking she escaped the prophecy that she refused to acknowledge the fact that the prophecy had actually come true. Creon wasn't too bad but not enough information was given about him. I think that Sophocles made the characters that way so that one could predict how their ends would come.  

Bob Costas on Redskins name: ‘It’s an insult, a slur'

Go Bob! He makes a very valid point that the "Redskins" should consider changing their name ESPECIALLY being that this team represents the Nation's capital. It is a racist slur that is actually offensive and should not be used. If a team ran around calling themselves: "Blackskins" or "Yellowskins" or "Brownskins" representing African-Americans, Hispanics, or Indians would not be tolerated. So the fix to this problem? Just change it!

Oedipus the King

This was not a terrible book! I usually dread the books assigned in class but I enjoyed the story of Oedipus. I enjoyed the symbolism in the book, especially involving sight. The prophet is blind because he can clearly see the truth, as stated in How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster, and in the end of the novel Oedipus ends up blinding himself because he now knows the truth. Throughout the entire play, references to sight were made which I found fascinating because the whole play led up to Oedipus' blindness.

The Kite Runner

The book is just getting better and better each time. Khaled Hosseini is a phenomenal author who has the talent to make you, the reader feel each and every emotion the character feels. By the end of the book I have changed my mind about Amir. He is not a bad person at all! In fact I respect him for finally gathering the courage to go and retrieve Hassan's son even if it was mostly to clear his own conscience. He endured the beatings, and faced his fears to do the only thing he could do for Hasaan which I respect completely. 

Charles Krauthammer: Blame for shutdown rests squarely with Obama, Dems

I am not  sure how I feel after reading this article due to the fact that I am quite ignorant to the details of the current situation in Washington. All I know is that the government is shut down, people are not getting paid and the Republican party has been acting nutty. I don't think the government shut down is the fault of the Democratic party but then again I could be a bit biased because I do support Obama. The author, Charles Krauthammer does make some valid points about Obama's administration modifying Obamacare when only Congress can do that but at the same time, Obamacare is not the sole reason for the government's shut down.

Welcome to Ted Cruz’s Thunderdome

This article was creepy yet seemed so real. I could picture the scenario and I feel that every person in DC  needs to read it and get their act together because apes might not be sitting in Abe's chair, but the capital really could collapse. The author of this piece, Maureen Dowd, really created a place that no one would want to live in and I think she got her point across. Especially coming after Ted Cruz and talking about his role in the grand scheme of things. This article scared me a bit and I truly hope the Republican party can get it together and that the parties can get along because if not, all the good guys may be gone soon.

Girls/Boys

If a boy wants to play field hockey let him! There is nothing wrong with allowing a male to play on a female team and vice versa. If they are able to compete and present no threat to their team then I see no problem with it. If it is truly an issue for the school then they should create a team that is only for boys and only for girls but until then it would be discriminatory to not let that individual play. To be completely honest there is no such thing as a "girl" sport or a "boy" sport. It is just because of society that we categorize sports by gender. A boy should be allowed to play whatever sports he wants to play and the same goes for a girl.

Obamacare

I am not sure exactly how I feel about the article considering that I don't know all that much about Obamacare but I think the ads are not the right way to influence young people. Instead of scaring them out of signing up for Obamacare, they should explain the pros and cons to them. From what I do know, it is important to have health care. When something goes wrong, one should be able to go to the doctor's and not be worried about not being attended to or paying some ridiculous fee. I think that Generation Opportunity is going about spreading their message in the wrong way.

Trash Talk Banned at NJ Schools

This is a fantastic idea and I agree that it should have been in effect for a long time. The fact that the state of New Jersey is taking a stand against athletes being subject to racial, religious, ethnic and sexual slurs is a great thing and will hopefully prevent any future incidents. The only thing that bothers me about the new rules is the bias towards football players. It clearly states in the article that the new rules were put in place after an incident at a football game yet, if a football player is caught violating any rules, he is only suspended from one game yet in every other sport, the athlete is banned from two events. I think this is bias and unfair and needs to be looked at and re evaluated.

Is Facebook a Hotbed of Narcissism?

I don't think that social media websites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram has made people narcissistic, it has just encouraged it a bit, but then again it depends on the person. As a teenager, I have to admit that when I put up a picture of something on Instagram and receive 100 likes, I am a happy teenager but not a narcissistic one. I find it a little sad how our culture has been consumed by narcissistic actions like reality shows but I think that it is the younger generation that has the problem. As Keith Hampton stated in his article, "Most evidence of narcissistic tendencies among today’s youth fails to recognize that narcissism declines with age. Generational differences in narcissism are small when compared to change due to experience. As Brent Roberts, Grant Edmonds and Emily Grijalva argued in their 2010 analysis of generational differences in narcissism, “every generation is Generation Me, as every generation of younger people are more narcissistic than their elders.”.   

College Essay

I awaited anxiously as the votes were tallied. When my name was called for the National Honor Society Executive Board I was filled with pride knowing my years of hard work had paid off. The society had always appealed to me due to the respect associated with it. I learned everything to become inducted and completed the community service before junior year while maintaining my GPA. As soon as I was able to, I applied and became a member of the society. The experience has been rewarding through collection of food for local families in need and Jeopardy fundraisers for autistic children, and I knew that I didn’t only want to be among leaders, I wanted to lead them. At the end of senior year I will graduate with the NHS chapter of Cherokee High School, knowing I left my mark within the society.  

There They Tweet, un-Americans

Oh America. When will we ever break this color barrier? We take a step forward just to take a couple back. I will never understand why and how people are so hateful and ignorant to be frank. The fact that people actually went online to tweet about how "un-American" Nina Davuluri is is just so sad.  She is as American as they come. But then again, what does it even mean to be "American"? Doesn't it mean to be an American citizen? Ms. Davuluri was born and raised in Syracuse, New York which means that she is in fact American. People just want their voices to be heard when they don't even hear themselves. My favorite tweet out of them all was:
"You have got to be kidding me... We have a black president, now Miss America is an ARAB. Maybe this world is really coming to an end." Oh you poor ignorant person. You can't even differentiate between two completely different ethnic groups. All I have to say is do your thing Nina a.k.a Miss America 2014 because you won it fair and square as an American.

The Banality of Systematic Evil

Prior to reading this article I thought that Snowden was just a traitor to his country. No ifs, ands, or buts. Just a traitor. But I have to admit that after reading this article, my opinion on the whole situation and other ones like his, has changed a bit. I can't say that I completely agree with the fact that Edward Snowden, Jeremy Hammond, Aaron Swartz, Chelsea Manning leaked highly confidential information but I understand that they were doing it because they felt like they would be doing something wrong if they didn't share the information but it was still wrong due to the fact they were going against their jobs ethic codes.

The Kite Runner

I am loving this book! Khaled Hosseini is a very talented writer who is able to put you into the story as though you are right there experiencing everything with the characters. To be completely honest, the main character Amir seems to be a terrible person. He is selfish and mean to his only friend, Hassan. He only looks out for himself which is so sad considering all that Hassan does for him. The fact that Amir witnessed the rape of his only friend and did not say anything or save him goes to show how weak he is and also how selfish he is. He was only concerned about how his father would be proud of him for winning the kite competition. I hope he grows as a character and rights his wrongs throughout the novel because he will have a guilty conscience forever.

Colleges Move to Curb Student Drinking

Go Colleges! I think that it is a brilliant idea to cancel events that seem to be encouraging students to drink even more. Obviously these college officials are aware of the fact that underage drinking is still going to be happening but at least they are making some type of effort to reduce it. While it may seem unfair to the students that these major events are getting canceled, in the long run it will help them and prevent anything too bad from happening. I support these school's decisions all the way and think they are taking a positive step in the right direction.

"Think again, and again, about sending that text"

Texting and driving is definitely a problem in this country, especially among the youth. We know that we shouldn't do it yet sometimes the urge is there to just peek at that cellphone while driving. If that person texting and driving gets into an accident then yes, it is their fault and they should take full responsibility for their reckless driving and endangerment but the person who sent the text should not be held liable. How do they know that the person they just sent a message to is operating a vehicle? They don't unless the driver directly tells them, "HEY I AM DRIVING RIGHT NOW SO I'LL TEXT YOU LATER" which of course is the right thing to do as the driver but doesn't always happen. An individual should not be held accountable for sending a text message to another individual while they are driving. And that is the final ruling.