tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43635711354630505742024-02-20T22:13:46.556-06:00American StudiesJust rambling about stuff. Come join the conversation!Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-65492544337540507362014-06-01T17:28:00.000-05:002014-06-06T17:29:13.373-05:00Congrats, You're A Grad! (Of 8th Grade...)As many people know, this time of the year is graduation season. Whether it be college or high school, there is always another graduation party happening. However, in the North Shore, I realized that people take graduation way more serious than in other places. The first time I noticed this was when I was driving through Kenilworth and saw huge, 8-10 feet banners in the yards of people, saying "Congratulations graduate!" I thought to myself '<i>okay, that is a really big banner, but I guess high school graduation is a big day</i>'. However, after looking closer at the fine print at the bottom of the sign, I realized it was for their 8th graders, and they were congratulating them on graduating junior high. I don't think many people would even consider celebrating junior high graduation, but on the North Shore it is a big deal.<br />
<br />
As we have been talking about in class throughout these past few weeks, there are many different factors and indicators of class. I think that these graduation signs are a clear indicator of the class of people living in the North Shore. I was talking to a friend, and she had said that her mom grew up in a small town in Michigan, and when she graduated 8th grade there was no party, no ceremony, basically they just expected you to go to high school. No questions asked, no congrats given. It wasn't a big deal. When comparing the North Shore to small towns around the country, like the Michigan example given, there is clearly a big difference between the two places and their cultures. <br />
<br />
These graduation posters and parades are just one class marker, and there are tons of others littered all around the North Shore, things we do that don't seem to be a trend in other towns. But, after all the discussions we have had in class about social class, when I saw this trend I immediately made the connection. It connected our discussions perfectly to the reality of our surroundings, and I couldn't help but blog about it. Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-85550845099857621622014-05-27T17:33:00.000-05:002014-06-06T17:34:07.637-05:00Coping With Death<b>Note: This is in some ways a follow-up to my previous blog post, <a href="http://americanstudiessarah.blogspot.com/2014/05/false-portrayals.html" target="_blank">False Portrayals</a>, and it might be helpful to read it, although it is not necessary.</b><br />
<br />
This week on The Bachelorette the producers were faced with a really tough decision. One of the contestants, Eric Hill, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/24/showbiz/bachelorette-contestant-killed/" target="_blank">died</a> earlier this year in a freak para-gliding accident. He had already been kicked off the show, but he did go far into the show, thus they have a lot of footage of him on the dates. According to him his occupation was an explorer, and his goal was to go to every single country in 1200 days. <br />
<br />
Although this is such a sad story and the way he died was very tragic, the producers have to deal with this in a different way. Do they show the footage of him, even though everyone knows that the person they are watching on TV is actually dead, or do they completely cut him from the show? I don't know what I would do in this situation. On the one hand, they can't completely cut him from the show because that could be viewed as rude, since he was a part of the show and it would feel incomplete without him. However, on the other hand, if they show his scenes in their entirety it could be viewed as insensitive, because all his friends and family have to cope with his death again and it would almost feel like his is living.<br />
<br />
<br />
When he died, many people expressed their sadness, but there was an overwhelming amount of people who first thought, <i>What are they going to do on the show?</i> I think that this whole story is a good example of how jobs or other things, including media, can consume people's lives. There were so many people that didn't even think about how sad the situation once, but rather they thought about how it would affect their viewing experience. People in America go-go-go, and often their lives revolve around their work, while they don't stop and take moments to appreciate life and grieve when sad things happen. They have too much on their mind and are often concerned about the wrong things. <br />
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<br />Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-55366512988418402842014-05-22T20:41:00.000-05:002014-05-26T20:42:29.007-05:00False PortrayalsLast Monday, I, along with many other excited viewers tuned into the season premiere of the Bachelorette. I am a sucker for reality television, so obviously I watch the Bachelor/Bachelorette. I don't believe it really works, and don't take it seriously whatsoever, but I still love to watch it. All the made-up drama can be really amusing. And clearly a lot of other people find it amusing as well. <span style="color: red;">7.17 million</span> people watched the <a href="http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/05/20/monday-final-tv-ratings-the-voice-dancing-with-the-stars-the-maya-rudolph-show-adjusted-down/265911/" target="_blank">premiere</a> this week.<br />
<br />
Many people are completely against all reality television, saying it is trash and not at all real. I definitely agree that it isn't real and can see where they are coming from. It is not normal at all for people to fall in love in two months, while there are cameras filming their every move and every word. In no way is that like real life. Reality TV has become more and more prominent in our society in recent years, with shows ranging from The Kardashians to The Real Housewives, to name a few.<br />
<br />
I think with these shows becoming more and more popular it shows a common theme. In all these shows the producers are using the people/families for entertainment. It is so often that these producers create fake drama within the show to generate viewers and to make their show interesting, which also gives people a wrong idea of what the person is like in real life. America often portrays these celebrities (if we can call them that, considering they often have no talent) as completely different people on reality shows, giving a false impression of them to the fans. This then makes the viewers believe that life is completely different than it actually is. It is next to impossible to fall in love in two months, ON TV. People shouldn't believe that it is. Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-7303260698744703932014-05-13T17:49:00.001-05:002014-06-06T17:32:43.376-05:00Finishing What You Start<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VvyQQ9_Urn6vmciR8sy5oFCQp6bfTtKFW7lrE5VEEjG3hjJea1LZI9SUjrehtHkMo__pUQW8c8H4HnH-K9fNCVwLt_8mT0HmhBpJbO3xxQtG70UYMjOq2Clm_JtBir6xWqooILSfAbU/s1600/700.hq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VvyQQ9_Urn6vmciR8sy5oFCQp6bfTtKFW7lrE5VEEjG3hjJea1LZI9SUjrehtHkMo__pUQW8c8H4HnH-K9fNCVwLt_8mT0HmhBpJbO3xxQtG70UYMjOq2Clm_JtBir6xWqooILSfAbU/s1600/700.hq.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a>Last week the annual NFL Draft occurred. Every year football players
enter the draft, hoping a professional team will decide to draft them.
It is the way into the National Football League for all these athletes.
My family was watching it on ESPN and I was struck by the age of some of
the people drafted. Many of them had opted out of finishing their
college careers. This is not just for the NFL though. Many baseball
players as well as basketball players leave college early or skip
college altogether in order to enter the pros. For example, basketball
star Lebron James skipped college and was drafted right out of high
school.<br />
<br />
I find this very interesting. I mean, these
kids are getting a college education (a lot of time for free), and will
get a diploma which can help them out a lot later on in life. However,
by leaving college you won't get a diploma. According to an <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/307746-college-vs-pros-should-athletes-be-allowed-to-leave-school-early" target="_blank">article</a>,
there are many reasons for leaving early. Some of those include
entering the pros before you get injured, almost as a security blanket.
That way you will know you made it and won't have to worry about getting
hurt. <br />
<br />
However, this article also says that one of the reasons student-athletes should stay in college is because it <span style="color: red;">"teaches maturity"</span>.
I could not believe this to be more true. I think oftentimes in many
realms, not just sports, Americans look ahead to the next thing and the
greater thing, often without finishing what they started. This is just
one example of that. These student-athletes are looking to the future
(and there is nothing wrong with that), but oftentimes they jump ahead
without finishing what they started, meaning school. People need to
learn to reach the end or reach their primary goals, but often this does not happen. Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-33256724121285204722014-05-07T21:27:00.000-05:002014-05-20T21:30:11.354-05:00Sleepless NightsJunior theme: check. I have turned in my essay and I can already feel a huge weight lifted off me. My stress level has seriously declined, considering I lived and breathed that essay for the past couple of weeks. However, I know soon my stress will increase as I will have more projects or tests in other classes. This whole ordeal has got me thinking about stress levels, especially in teenagers, and the effects of stress.<br />
<br />
I did some research, and according to a <a href="http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20140211/teens-stress-levels-rival-those-of-adults-survey-finds" target="_blank">survey</a> done, teenagers have stress levels during the school year that compare of equal that of adults. Adults have responsibilities such as providing for their families, working, and other things, while teenagers have school. If you think about it, teenagers are put under so much stress by the amount of homework they have, all the tests and essays, while at the same time being encouraged to join clubs or sports. It is almost too much for a 16 year old to handle. According to WebMD, <span style="color: red;">"[teenagers] don't sleep as well, which feeds back into increasing their stress". <span style="color: black;">Speaking from experience, as I am a teenager, I can verify this information. Personally I get probably an average of 6-7 hours of sleep a night, and am up very late doing work because I had obligations after school, such as sports. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">I think sleep is a big contributor to stress. I would be much more attentive and alert throughout the day, and I would be able to pay attention to what I was learning, instead of feeling like I am sleep-walking through the day. I think this whole idea of working as many hours a day as you can is a common American theme. It is a common belief that in order to get ahead you have to put in more work. This is true, but oftentimes people seem to take that idea to an extreme and work late into the night while thinking sleep is unnecessary. This then stresses them out more and tires them, which could ultimately lead to a weaker performance. I think the idea of constantly working and constantly moving is extremely prevalent in society today, but it definitely has its consequences, including a huge rise in stress levels. </span></span>Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-3386061027233321932014-04-27T14:22:00.000-05:002014-04-29T14:22:31.556-05:00Women In The Work ForceWhile doing my junior theme research, I came across a statistic that really shocked me. Part of my research is the number of women working in the athletic departments of schools versus the number of men doing the same thing. I came across an article from the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administration (NACWAA). In this article they say that <b style="color: red;">"women occupy five of 120 athletic-director positions in Division I-A".</b><br />
<br />
This seems absurd to me. From what I calculated based on the above statistic, 4% of the athletic directors in Division I-A are women, while the remaining 96% are men. That is so uneven. It is not even close. This proves that athletics are a department almost completely dominated by men. Men clearly run the show when it comes to collegiate athletics, which is possibly one of the reasons that colleges fund men's sports much more than they fund women's sports. The money goes man to man, and women are put at a disadvantage.<br />
<br />
This is something that is prevalent in all aspects of society today, not just sports. There are much fewer women CEO's in the work force than their are men. Men still statistically make more money than women, with women making 77 cents to every dollar a man makes (<a href="http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1983185,00.html" target="_blank">Time</a>). It seems to be a common theme, which leads me to believe that although the feminist movement has come very far in the past decades, there is still much more work to be done to gain equality between the genders in the work force.Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-45562317101530823492014-04-15T20:39:00.000-05:002014-04-22T20:40:08.282-05:00The Research Process: A WarningAs I continue my junior theme, I have come to the realization that many aspects of the research process are very challenging. Also, I have come to find that although the internet is a huge blessing, as it gives us immediate access to endless amounts of information, it can also be a curse. Teachers have always told me that the internet can be a big black hole, and can suck you into it to the point where you are no longer looking at valid information, however I never really realized how accurate they were until this point in my research process.<br />
<br />
When researching my why question, <i>Why do men's sports get significantly more funding than women's sports?</i>, I came across many different articles and statistics, many of which directly contradicted each other. I really had to pay attention to what sites I was getting my information for, as I realized it was often hard to judge whether or not information I found was valid.<br />
<br />
One tip I found for research through this process: always go through a database or somewhere you know will link you to valid articles, do NOT just type in a few words into google. Google does not sort it's results by validity, so the first hit could be a totally random website. <b>Always, always, always</b> start from a place that you know will give you valid results. Oftentimes schools have links to valid starting points, just like the <a href="http://www.newtrier.k12.il.us/page.aspx?id=7108" target="_blank">New Trier Library</a> does. <br />
<br />
So, I guess this blog is less of an informational piece of writing, and serves more as a warning. From my experiences in the past few weeks, what I cover in this blog is probably the best piece of advice I can offer anybody doing research on something. Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-52105771330962588352014-03-27T15:01:00.002-05:002014-03-27T15:01:26.468-05:00Athletic Equality or Lack Thereof?Just like all of my classmates, I have embarked on the major project that is "Junior Theme". While investigating every possible topic I was interested in, I came across the topic of women in sports (which ended up being my topic). I was reading further on the topic, when I came across an astonishing statistic about the coverage of women's sports on sports news. According to a <a href="http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/home/research/articles-and-reports/media-issues/women-play-sports-but-not-on-tv" target="_blank">study </a>done by USC and Purdue University in 2009, <span style="color: red;">men took 96% of sports news</span>. And as an extension of that, according to this study, on ESPN (the biggest sports network that exists in America today), of the flashing news alerts constantly displayed on the bottom of the screen, <span style="color: red;">96.4% of the information is devoted to men's sports</span>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://a.espncdn.com/media/motion/2012/0622/com_120622_espnw_title_ix_mia_hamm_sc_interview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://a.espncdn.com/media/motion/2012/0622/com_120622_espnw_title_ix_mia_hamm_sc_interview.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>I found this statistic, for lack of a better word, crazy. Considering this study was done in 2009, only 4 years ago, it seems like the television and media end of athletic equality is really lagging behind. Title IX, a law passed to create equality between men's and women's sports, was passed in <b>1972</b>. That is 35 years before this study was done. That is a very long time, and there has been so much progress made. There are so many more opportunities for women at the college level (although not equal with men in some instances), the growth of opportunities is clearly evident. Because of Title IX, many schools and universities added many women's teams to their varsity rosters.<br />
<br />
<br />
Considering the history and the progress women's sports have made since the 20th century, I am utterly confused as to why that statistic exists. It seems to me that women's sports are only displayed on TV in rare instances, and more frequently if it is a women's sport that has a larger following than the men's version (perhaps gymnastics, or figure skating). Now, I know there are many sides to this argument. Some say that it is completely unfair, while others say that men's sports are simply more exciting to watch on television, so the networks should air men more often. I side with the group that argues that it is not fair. I believe that women should get much more air time on television, considering they are also athletes at the professional level (or at least at the collegiate level). They are competitive people, who deserve recognition for their talent. I understand that there is no way for the above statistic to dramatically increase to 40% or more anytime soon, because that is not the way society functions. However, I do hope that in the near future that percent is raised by any amount, even a small amount, because that would be a step in the right direction.<br />
<br />
<b>Do you think women's sports should get more air-time on national television? </b>Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-53234423522285516752014-03-26T14:32:00.001-05:002014-03-26T14:32:31.664-05:00Wake Up & Pay Attention<br />
Right before I left for school this morning, I glanced at the Chicago Tribune. I saw an article that talked about a recent incident at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. At around 2:40 am on Monday morning, a blue line train derailed in the underground station at the airport and drove up one of the escalators, before it came to a halt. There were more than 30 people injured, but none of the injuries were considered life threatening. According to officials, had the accident occurred at any other time of day aside from just past midnight, that would have been a different story.<br />
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The headline I read was talking about the possible causes of the accident. One of the reasons they were investigating was whether or not the driver of the train fell asleep while it was running. This happened very early in the morning, so it is definitely a possibility - I mean, who isn't tired at 2 am? But, this got me thinking about the amount of sleep people get, especially teenagers. Even though a teenager was not driving the train, I saw a clear connection between this incident and the amount of sleep recommended for certain ages.<br />
<br />
According to sleepfoundation.org, "Teens need about 9 1/4 hours of sleep each night to function best", but the article also says that "only 15% [of students] reported sleeping 8 1/2 hours on school nights". Now, speaking from experience, I can safely say that I do not get 9 hours of sleep - no where close to it. Usually I get around 7, because I have activities and sports after school, but I also have hours of homework to do. In fact, almost every high school student I know will not get the necessary 9 hours. Teachers try to engrain this idea in your head that sleep is most important, especially in grade school. But once you grow up, at least for me, I quickly realized that the likelihood of me getting enough sleep was slim.<br />
<br />
So, without any research to back it up, I am going to guess that this lack of sleep transfers into adulthood as well, and adults need more sleep than they get. Because of this, things like the derail of this train will happen, which is very dangerous. And not only for trains, but things like this could happen while people are behind the wheel of a car as well. I have no proposed solution to this problem of lack of sleep, but do any of you? Also, I know there are many factors contributing to this problem, but what do you think is the biggest or most important?Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-64536145078522136632014-03-17T12:00:00.000-05:002014-03-17T12:01:36.824-05:00Erased Completely<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">If you have been watching the news
at all lately, you have most likely heard about
the missing Malaysian plane. It has been on every channel, in every newspaper, online,
pretty much everywhere. In case you have no idea what I am talking about, over a week ago, an
international flight on its way to Malaysia went missing. It
lost connection with all control centers and disappeared from the radar. Since
it lost connection, no one knows where it is or how it lost connection. There
are many different theories floating around – some believe that it was taken
over by passengers and the connection was lost deliberately, and others believe
that the plane plummeted to the bottom of the Indian Ocean, and that is where
it lies now. But, no one knows for sure. All we know is it is out there
somewhere, and no one has any idea of where to look. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://guardianlv.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Malaysian-Airlines-Missing-Plane-May-Have-Been-Hijacked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://guardianlv.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Malaysian-Airlines-Missing-Plane-May-Have-Been-Hijacked.jpg" height="221" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">I think it is such an awful event. I
mean, it is so sad for the families’ of the passengers on the flight, because
they do not know if their relative is dead or alive. And until they find the
aircraft, there is always a tiny bit of hope. Living with no clue as to where
your friend or family member is must be an awful way to live. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">However, I also find it very odd. I found
a CNN <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/17/world/asia/malaysia-plane-up-to-speed/" target="_blank">article </a>summarizing pretty much everything we have found out about the
plane, and in this article they say that there are “<b><span style="color: #c00000;">26
nations</span></b> help[ing] try to find the missing plane” and that “the
search has expanded to cover large swaths of land and sea, including <b><span style="color: #c00000;">11 countries and deep oceans</span></b>”. Although that
is such a large mass of land/sea to cover, considering all the modern day
technology, and with the help of 26 countries, how has someone not found the
plane yet? Modern day technology is so advanced that it makes me wonder how it
is possible for a plane to just disappear, and remain invisible or hidden for
this long. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also think that this could have
the same effect on modern day airplanes that 9-11 had. After 9-11 security for
airplanes and in airports increased dramatically, and although not with
security, I think this could have the same impact. I wonder if they will change
the science on the aircrafts to make sure that this never happens again – try to
find a way to make it impossible for a plane to lose contact completely. I do
not know if that is possible, but I think this event could seriously influence
the making of future aircrafts. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-40987738637343719792014-03-09T20:45:00.002-05:002014-03-10T17:32:26.876-05:00"Based" On A True StoryAs many people know, The Academy Awards were last weekend. Usually I try to watch all the movies that are in the running before the show, but this year the only one I got around to watching was <i>Captain Phillips</i>, a movie about a Somali pirate attack on a cargo ship a few years ago. This movie was "based on a true story". Whenever I see those words at the beginning/end of a film, it makes me wonder. <i>How real is this? Is this an accurate depiction of what really happens?</i> And the biggest question of all, <i>how much did they 'Hollywood-ify" it?</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Hanks (left) and Phillips (right), who Hanks plays in the film</td></tr>
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Ok, I made up the world "hollywood-ify", but I think it is a very common thing. Movies often times exaggerate the plot to draw people in so they can sell tickets. In the film, the crew was depicted as a unit that felt of Phillips as a leader, and a hero. I found an <a href="http://nypost.com/2013/10/13/crew-members-deny-captain-phillips-heroism/" target="_blank">article</a> that says pretty much the exact opposite. In this article, members of the crew are quoted saying that the movie was a lie, and they were the farthest thing from supportive of Captain Phillips. They say that Phillips was <span style="color: red;">"known as a sullen and self-righteous captain"</span>. Apparently Phillips was warned multiple times that there were pirates in the water where there ship was sailing, and he was told to go farther off the coast to avoid potential attacks, but he refused to oblige. He ignored all the warnings, against the opinions of the crew. There is much more in the article in which the crew depicts Phillips as the farthest thing from a leader.<br />
change or exaggerate the plot of movies that are based on real events to make the film more dramatic and exciting. So, I decided to look up the story of Captain Phillips and see how accurate the movie really is. I came across something that I found really odd. I found an <br />
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But, not going that much more into it, I find it very interesting how the directors and everyone who made the movie kind of molded the story to dramatize it and change the story they were trying to tell. And for people that don't know the story, if they just see the movie, that is what they will believe. They will believe that he was a hero, even though people who were there argue that he was not. I think this is a common theme in Hollywood - when movies are made, they always exaggerate events and/or change the story a tiny bit to make it more appealing to their projected audience, so they can sell more tickets. I see it so often in American-made films, which is very interesting. After reading this article, I can't help but wonder, how many other films have they exaggerated? <b>Are there any films that stay true to the story completely?</b>Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-42603979906815450802014-02-25T15:58:00.003-06:002014-02-25T15:59:16.116-06:00The Refreshing Part of HonestyNote: You might consider glancing at my previous blog post, <a href="http://americanstudiessarah.blogspot.com/2014/02/out-of-spotlight.html">Put Into The Spotlight</a>, because this is an extension of that blog post.<br />
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I was scrolling through my twitter feed once again earlier today, and I saw another tweet about the "relationship" between the paparazzi and the children of celebrities. In a previous blog post (link above), I had said that a law that celebrities had wanted to pass preventing the paparazzi from taking pictures of their children was a completely fair law for the government to pass. Well, it seems like recently this topic is getting a lot more attention. <br />
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People Magazine, a magazine that reports on stories about celebrities, published an open letter to the public on their <a href="http://www.people.com/people/">website</a>. In this <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20790683,00.html">open letter</a>, the editorial director of the magazine directly addresses the this issue. She says that People Magazine does not in any way support the paparazzi taking pictures of celebrities' children, and they will not publish any pictures of children without their parents consent. Most of the article I think is perfect. It is great for them, one of the biggest tabloids there is, is supportive and understanding of this subject.<br />
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The only part that stuck out at me is when she says, <span style="color: red;">"Of course, there may be rare exceptions based on the newsworthiness of photos."</span> Although I do not think that these photos should be published at all, regardless of the "newsworthiness" of them, I think it is a very honest thing to say. Honesty in the tabloid business seems to be a very hard thing to come by - you never know what stories to believe. However, props to them for being honest. Hopefully they will never post pictures without consent because it is a breaking news story, but we will never know until that moment comes. But for now, I think it is very refreshing to see a magazine so popular stand up for beliefs and be honest about their intentions. It sure is catching the <a href="https://twitter.com/jennaldewan/status/438400610925178880">attention</a> of the celebrities. Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-2044626225627518662014-02-19T16:23:00.000-06:002014-02-25T16:23:23.471-06:00The Opportunity of a LifetimeWith the Olympics coming to a close soon, it only felt right to blog about them. I am a huge fan of the Olympics, and every time they come around find myself watching them nonstop - even if I don't like the event I am watching. For some reason I just can't help myself. Something about the Olympics is so great - perhaps it is how there is healthy competition between countries, but they still appreciate every athlete they compete against and the great sportsmanship involved.<br />
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Now, as much as I love the Olympics, I have somewhat of a grudge against them. I play softball, and in the Summer Olympics I always loved watching baseball and softball. However, after the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, the Olympic Committee decided to take out both baseball and softball from the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave a few <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/news/story?id=2103234">reasons</a> for taking the sports out, one of them being that since Major League Baseball wouldn't let their players play, and the IOC was unhappy with that. But, another reason that has kind of been floating around, and I've heard people say but have never read an article that explicity says it is that, mostly for softball, the US was having too much success. There was not a lot of competition between the other countries, the US just blew them out of the water. I don't know if that is an official reason, but that is what I have heard.<br />
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This prompted me look more into the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_at_the_Olympics">success</a> of USA in the past Olympics. The USA has won more gold and overall medals in the Summer Olympics than any other countries, winning a total of about <span style="color: red;"><b>2,400 medals</b></span>. They also have won the second most gold and overall medals in the Winter Games. I think these statistics show the competitive spirit in the athletes from the US. These athletes have a drive and a desire for success more than anyone else. They will do whatever it takes to achieve their dream - represent their country in the Olympics. I think this is amazing, and such a great experience for whoever gets the chance. So, why would they take out sports that give that opportunity to people? Two sports that are loved worldwide. Regardless of who goes home with the gold, I think that the athletes from baseball and softball should get that opportunity. Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-23054558890455016002014-02-11T08:33:00.001-06:002014-02-11T10:19:58.046-06:00Put Into The Spotlight <br />
As I was scrolling through my twitter feed the other day, I saw a <a href="https://twitter.com/IMKristenBell/status/431646330172080128">tweet </a>from a celebrity that I was following that really jumped out at me. She had tweeted about how awful it was for the paparazzi to take pictures of the children of celebrities. She had said that a site called RadarOnline had taken pictures of the kids of Phillip Seymour Hoffman (who recently died) on their way to his funeral. Many other celebrities then proceeded to respond to the tweet. I personally thought that this was just crazy. So, I dug a little deeper.<br />
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I was doing some research about it when I came across a <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/09/25/calif-gov-signs-bill-increasing-paparazzi-protection-for-celebrity-children">bill</a> that had been recently passed in the State of California that put much stricter consequences for paparazzi harassing and taking multiple pictures of children, mostly the children of celebrities. There were many celebrities that were a part of the Bill, including Jennifer Garner and Halle Berry (both movie stars). Halle Berry was quoted in saying that the paparazzi are "overly aggressive" and "cause so much trauma and emotional distress". Some of the stricter consequences violators could face because of this bill is up to a year in county jail and/or a fine of up to $10,000.<br />
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To me this is a completely fair law. I think it is totally wrong for photographers to go up to take pictures of children, children that wouldn't know who they were. Especially because of how aggressive photographers can be. America has always paid too much attention to celebrities - there are tons of magazines devoted to celebrities lives, and so many people decide to weigh in on every moment in their life. Myself included, almost everyone looks at photos of celebrities online, and I think we don't realize that these people have to deal with paparazzi harassing them to get the pictures we are looking at. I don't necessarily know the solution to this problem, but I do think that passing this bill could be a wake up call to the paparazzi that are harassing celebrities just for a picture.Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-52582535399263405182014-02-04T10:51:00.000-06:002014-02-04T10:53:23.847-06:00Do People Still Watch TV on their TV? As I'm sure many people know, the Superbowl was last Sunday, February 2nd. I come from a big sports family, so I always watch the Superbowl with friends and family. This year was no different. I was talking to my dad before the game started, and he was talking to me about the advertisements and companies' thinking behind buying ads. He works for Pepsi, so he knows all about the ads they bought for Doritos and other stuff. He was telling me that companies pay up to $4 million just for a 30 second ad slot during the Superbowl. I thought that that was insane, I had no idea that it was that much money for only 30 seconds. So, I decided to do some digging.<br />
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Superbowl has always been one of the most watched programs in television. In 2012, it raked in 111 million viewers. So, advertisers and companies clearly see this as one of the best opportunities to promote their products. According to this <a href="http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/super-bowl-ads-fox-seeks-4m-for-30-second-slot-in-big-game-1200586371/">article</a>, FOX was asking for the $3-4 million range for 30 second slots. To me, this is crazy. Just the fact that people are willing to spend this much money for a time period of 30 seconds is insane. Does it really do that much to boost a companies sales by a lot? How affective are Superbowl ads?<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Well, the article says that the cost is so high because the amount of people that watch live TV has been decreasing in the past years. Ever since Netflix came out, as well as people have gained the ability to watch almost all TV online, people do not watch live TV as often. Therefore, people don't see the ads that companies are airing on TV. I think this is completely true. It is interesting to hear about the evolution of technology, especially TV. TV became super popular over the years, but I kind of feel like it hit its prime. Now, at least for me, a lot of times I wait for a show to be online the next day and watch it online because I don't have time to watch it when it airs, or for whatever other reason. I find myself watching less and less TV when it first airs, and always watch stuff online. Also it has become so much easier for people to upload or find TV illegally on the internet to watch, that you don't even need to own a TV.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Do you agree that people do not watch TV as much anymore, and if so do you think that it will stay this way?<br />
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Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-74984884725914785912014-01-12T14:11:00.002-06:002014-01-12T14:11:32.921-06:00American Awards - Voted by ForeignersUsually movie and television awards (Emmys, Oscars, etc.) are talked about crazily in the days leading up to the day of. Who will win, what dress each actress will be wearing, things like that seem to consume people's minds. I want to focus on the first part of that, the winners/nominations, in this blog. As a lot of people know, the Golden Globes air tonight. The Golden Globes is an event where both television and film are honored together. I had always wondered how and who chooses the actors to nominate, and who decides the winners of award ceremonies such as the Golden Globes.<br />
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The Golden Globes are produced by the <a href="http://www.hfpa.org/members/">Hollywood Foreign Press Association</a> (HFPA), which is a nonprofit organization with "about 90 members". On the website, it tells you each of the members names and which country they are from. None of them are from the United States. I know it is the "Foreign Press", so that makes sense. But, the job of people in the association is to spread information about movies and television to the world through various mediums of publication. I thought it was interesting that a "foreign press" are the judges, for lack of a better word, for a United States event. All of the films being honored were made with American actors, and most likely American producers/directors. The Golden Globes is also being <i>hosted</i> by Americans. If there are people that are supposed to decide nominees and winners, why aren't there foreign films featured? Occasionally there might be, but for the most part it is a completely American show.<br />
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I think this alone shows how America is often seen as the "center" of the world. As a country, we often times think we are better than others. People often times think of themselves as "always right', and that they know the answer or solution to everything. Although this is not always the case, I think the fact that foreigners are the ones voting on who wins awards for American film and television, shows that America is often the country that everybody looks at as the best. The best movies, the best TV, etc. Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-78994083729363791722013-12-17T12:43:00.001-06:002013-12-17T12:45:28.122-06:00Guaranteed To Make Your Day<br />
The holiday season is always said to be the most wonderful time of the year. For me, that means Christmas time. Starting December, the holiday spirit takes over. I am super into it; decorating the tree, gingerbread houses, holiday movies (mostly Elf, probably the best Christmas movie of all time) and so much more.<br />
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I think sometimes the holiday season can bring out the selfish sides in people. It is kind of inevitable, because you always wonder, What am I going to get this year? Am I going to get what I asked for? Everyone has those thoughts. But, the holiday season is also about giving. That can be the best part of Christmas. Giving someone a gift they really wanted, and seeing the look on their face. Especially little kids.<br />
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I saw a <a href="http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zIEIvi2MuEk">commercial</a> in one of my classes last week, and it made my day. It is probably the cutest story I have ever seen. It is not so much a commercial, but a great story that West Jet Airlines pulled off. In the video, they focus on one flight and all the passengers on it. When they check in their boarding passes in the machine, there is a video of Santa that asks every passenger what they want for Christmas. They answer with one thing they want, and get on their plane - not thinking much of it. However, while they are in the sky, the airline has people in the city they are flying into go and get every single thing that the passengers wanted. They get them before they land in that city, and wrap them all. Then, once the plane lands and the passengers go to baggage claim to get their luggage, they get the greatest surprise ever. Instead of their luggage coming out of the baggage claim, they each have the one thing they wanted for Christmas wrapped and sent out. The shocks on everyones faces made my day.<br />
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I think oftentimes people can get lost in the holiday season, in terms of what to buy, what they are going to get, and other things. It seems like everyone moves a hundred miles per hour during the month of December. But it can be very refreshing and fulfilling to take a minute and enjoy the holidays, and not get caught up in the stress of things. You can witness things like these, and it can lift the stress and help you remember what the holidays are really about.<br />
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Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-77558224390296411582013-12-09T20:43:00.003-06:002013-12-09T20:43:54.702-06:00Honoring Events The Right Way<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ue4ioWRIzwLdtUmkF6MfHVwUEgKdeoyJLfgRyuesAtTn7UlXchyphenhyphen9vpt1gW4dHUKl6QDItzVq0H-B-GbQGucufgZRYP-AneaqEd1YQZHDabu7V3eypX6lk6fBCFB0vYSe1srnztJ77Aw/s1600/SpaghettiOs-pearl-harbor-tweet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ue4ioWRIzwLdtUmkF6MfHVwUEgKdeoyJLfgRyuesAtTn7UlXchyphenhyphen9vpt1gW4dHUKl6QDItzVq0H-B-GbQGucufgZRYP-AneaqEd1YQZHDabu7V3eypX6lk6fBCFB0vYSe1srnztJ77Aw/s320/SpaghettiOs-pearl-harbor-tweet.jpg" width="320" /></a>This year, December 7th was the 72nd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. With it being such a big part of the history of the US, many people were mentioning it on social media. Many companies sent out tweets about the day as well. One of the companies that tweeted about Pearl Harbor was Campbell Soup's SpaghettiOs. The tweet they sent out ended up getting them into some trouble, and social media exploded. The tweet is to the right. <br />
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Many, many people expressed their anger on twitter, saying how offensive the tweet was. They thought it was absurd to use a mascot for the brand to represent an important moment in our nation's history, that is not to be joked about. The tweet was only live for about 10 hours, because the company took it down soon after they put it up. They then <a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/spaghettios-pearl-harbor-tweet-sparks-backlash-company-apologizes/">released</a> an apology, saying, "<b><span style="font-size: small;"><em>We apologize for our recent tweet in remembrance of Pearl Harbor Day. We meant to pay respect, not to offend</em>.</span></b>"<br />
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This is not the first time that a company has tweeted out something that has not been taken well by social media users. I did some more <a href="http://mashable.com/2013/09/11/att-911-tweet/">research</a>, and found out that AT&T has also recently gotten into trouble for tweeting something about 9-11 that didn't seem respectful. They tweeted out a picture of one of their phones showing a picture of the lights shining where the World Trade Center would be. This tweet is to the left.<br />
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A lot of the reason tweets like these have gotten companies into trouble is the hidden promotions they have in them. It almost seems like, to me at least, that the goal of the images is to notice the logo of the company, or the product, and not actually remember our history. I think this shows that advertisements and promotions in America today have become overwhelming. Companies will go to any extreme to advertise their product. It seems like all they really care about is the money. It is like what we talked about in class today, about how TV shows are only made based whether or not advertisers think that people will watch, thus watching the commercials. I think that it was wrong for these companies to use these important dates in history as a scheme to promote their products, but I think it is what America has become - a money making machine, and it is inevitable. <br />
Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-10293056482214838952013-12-02T20:39:00.002-06:002013-12-02T20:39:56.751-06:00Portrayals of Prejudice In MediaI spent my long weekend catching up on some TV shows I hadn't been able to watch during the week. One of those was New Girl on Fox. I personally love New Girl; I think it is really funny. But, I was watching one episode from a couple of weeks ago, when the cast, at some point ends up at a police station. One of the characters, Coach wants to go in to confront a police officer about something. But one of the other main characters, Winston, who is African American, doesn't want to. He says to Coach, <b>"Hey, did you hear the joke about the two white guys and two black guys walking into a police station? The white guys walked out."</b><br />
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We had been talking about prejudice against prisoners in class last week, and this just happened to catch my attention because of its relevance to the issue. In class, one of the questions we had asked was, <i>Who do police profile?</i> According to the <a href="http://www.naacp.org/pages/criminal-justice-fact-sheet">NAACP</a>, of the 2.3 million prisoners, nearly 1 million are African American. They also say that there are 5 times as many whites using drugs as African Americans, but African Americans are put in jail for drug offenses at 10 times the rate of whites. Why is this?<br />
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I did some research on this subject, and came across an <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/politicsnation/criminal-injustice-the-percentage-african">article</a> in which they talk about criminal injustice. They quote Michelle Alexander, from her book <u>The New Jim Crow: the Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness</u>. She says, <b>"The drug war has been waged almost exclusively in poor communities of color, even though...people of color are <span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">no more likely</span></i></span> to use or sell illegal drugs than whites".</b> According to studies done, white students use cocaine or heroine at 7 times the rate of black students, and use crack 8 times the rate of black students. I personally believe a big part of the reason African Americans are targeted so much more than whites is the media. So many TV shows portray their criminals/villains/bad guys as African Americans or Hispanics. There are many shows on primetime this year in which the villain is acted by a Hispanic or African American. What the media does is put a face to the bad guy/villain, and if that face is so often one of color, that is what we will start to believe is true in real life. Because these portrayals have been around for such a long time, it has become almost engrained in your mind. Therefore, maybe not purposefully, we start to imagine most criminals as African Americans. This has kind of sent our prison system into a downward spiral, because they are faced with the major issue of racial prejudice. Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-87053630002162817222013-11-24T20:40:00.002-06:002013-11-24T20:40:31.991-06:00Do Wishes Really Come True?I wrote my blog last week about Batkid, the kid diagnosed with leukemia that had his one wish granted. After writing it, I was still very interested in the topic of Make-A-Wish foundation. In past years, my gymnastics team would always go to a gymnastics meet in Gurnee that was called the "Make-A-Wish Meet". Every year, there was a representative from the Foundation that spoke to the crowd and the teams right before competition. They would tell stories of kids, and the teams competing would always raise money to give to the Foundation at that meet. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBy9xJIctv2tiYQxcdZ9y4uDT3ucaMYUml8y8tv-5fbhS9dw9X4v1PsbyzRRfTIJJ8CwU2w1qtNY-ToVyCXy87edJ8nx1xE6P7LA-kxnuIiR2sioocnfFOYF1jcW5uxgQIU_d42jpbUPU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-11-24+at+8.39.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBy9xJIctv2tiYQxcdZ9y4uDT3ucaMYUml8y8tv-5fbhS9dw9X4v1PsbyzRRfTIJJ8CwU2w1qtNY-ToVyCXy87edJ8nx1xE6P7LA-kxnuIiR2sioocnfFOYF1jcW5uxgQIU_d42jpbUPU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-11-24+at+8.39.17+PM.png" /></a>I decided to do a little bit more research after my last blog. Especially after reading the Batkid story, which is a great story, I started to wonder, <i>What about all the other kids?</i> What about the kids that are sick that don't get a wish granted? What about the kids that don't know about Make-A-Wish <a href="http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/11/21/this-is-how-much-san-francisco-spent-giving-batkid-his-wish/">article </a>that San Francisco spent <b>$105,000</b> to grant his wish. While this is great for this one child, I think they could have maybe picked something a little bit smaller, and used split up that amount of money to affect more than one kid. It seemed unnecessary to me, to spend all that money on one kid and one wish.<br />
foundation? I'm sure there are hundreds, if not thousands of kids who don't get their wish granted. I read in an <br />
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I then went onto the Make-A-Wish website, and discovered how they determine which kids get wishes. First, they have to get a referral from a doctor for a kid who is between 2.5-18 years old. The child also has to have a <b>life-threatening</b> disease, in order to get a wish. The child then gets to pick a wish, and hopefully the grants that Make-A-Wish have make it happen. <br />
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It is crazy how specific the process is. It's almost like there is a checklist, and each kid has to go through and check off each requirement in order to be able to apply. I had no idea that the process was like this. I never thought about the process, and basically thought that this stuff just happened, out of nowhere. But, now knowing what I do, I wonder about all the other sick kids that don't get wishes granted or don't know about the wish system. Do they get their hopes up for something, and it doesn't happen? If so, do they see these other stories in the news and get jealous or sad that they don't get to experience that? As great as Make-A-Wish is, I think you can still find faults with it. Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-88605567245204483932013-11-17T20:24:00.002-06:002013-11-17T20:24:30.425-06:00Batkid Saves The DayWhen I got home from school on Friday, all my mom kept talking about was "Batkid". It was blowing up on social media. Basically, a kid named Miles Scott, who had leukemia, had wished to be Batman for a day. So, Make-A-Wish made that happen. They, with the help of pretty much the whole city of San Fransisco set up a series of events and obstacles for Miles, who was dressed as Batman. He went around town in his Batmobile (Lamborghini), saving different people and doing different challenges. He saved a woman who was trapped on the train tracks, stopped Riddler from robbing a bank, stopped a kidnapping at the zoo, and much more.<br />
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He even got Barack Obama to reach out to him from the white house. He sent a video message saying, <span style="color: #444444;"><b>"Way to go, Miles! Way to save Gotham!"</b></span> Thousands of people came out to watch it all happen. Traffic was stopped, people flooded the streets. It's safe to say was a huge day in San<br />
Fransisco.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-BpPp73xELCyrdzsLkUrR5-qcCMAezhnBswSMJcygkMSsJ6iTl-SbBoeIEfeTQlRz1lvjFQnFnvkkWqPJkIc2qVNVsDtrGLFRKO8ObwJnDlPL6qCuh_tVtlKGnS96IV3Otf-uVyjVdNI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-11-17+at+8.07.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-BpPp73xELCyrdzsLkUrR5-qcCMAezhnBswSMJcygkMSsJ6iTl-SbBoeIEfeTQlRz1lvjFQnFnvkkWqPJkIc2qVNVsDtrGLFRKO8ObwJnDlPL6qCuh_tVtlKGnS96IV3Otf-uVyjVdNI/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-11-17+at+8.07.06+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the people that came to City Hall to see Batkid. </td></tr>
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First of all, I think this is the cutest thing ever. This kid had battled cancer for almost all his life, and had finally beaten it. It is totally fair for him to be a child again for this one day, since his childhood probably was not any fun at all. This was this kid's one wish, and people made it happen. I think this shows America does have compassion and does some really great things. When people put their minds to it, they can make anything happen. I think that if America puts their mind to more topics/issues, maybe not in the same realm as this, they could really make a difference. Americans have this drive inside of them - when they want to do something, they do it. I think this day in San Fransisco is a testament to that. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaa8tz9o9jbG7DBFm1QYvk-4OjEk2u8BvkQPVdLGcf74JwX9x-JX5WL7RNwjoU_FWkXrEHMo3Hbgur_UOFyZshwHPueuwbCCEbA0MHCK3L4kloKst4XQIpCP5941AYw1yZ0GrNuApLy-I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-11-17+at+8.21.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaa8tz9o9jbG7DBFm1QYvk-4OjEk2u8BvkQPVdLGcf74JwX9x-JX5WL7RNwjoU_FWkXrEHMo3Hbgur_UOFyZshwHPueuwbCCEbA0MHCK3L4kloKst4XQIpCP5941AYw1yZ0GrNuApLy-I/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-11-17+at+8.21.50+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left: The special "Gotham City Chronicle" edition the San Fransisco Chronicle printed for the day with the story on the front page. Right: Miles Scott, Batkid. </td></tr>
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<br />Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-14159073187071988542013-11-10T19:40:00.001-06:002013-11-10T19:41:03.359-06:00Equality For All - Or Only Some?Illinois has recently made it law for same sex couples to be allowed to get married. They became the 15th state to do so. This alone surprises me, because that is not even one third of the country that believes in equality for all. I believe that everyone is the same, it doesn't matter who they like or who they want to marry. This caused me do some research and digging, and I was surprised with some of the things I found.<br />
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I found an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/11/us/texas-and-5-other-states-resist-processing-benefits-for-gay-couples.html?hpw&rref=us&_r=0">article </a>that talks about how Texas, among a few other states is refusing to comply with an order from the Defense Secretary of the US that same sex military couples should be given the same federal marriage benefits as heterosexual military spouses. I found this to be astonishing. I believe this to be wrong on so many levels.<br />
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First of all, these people are supporting our country and fighting for our country. There is not really a stronger way to promote your patriotism and love for our country than to put your life on the line for it. But, why would they want to be in the military if by doing so it can negatively affect their family? If they have a family in need of marriage benefits, but they aren't getting them because their state isn't willing to provide them just based on the fact they are a same sex couple, why would they want to go support our country? Americans take a lot of pride in our country, and always have. But, if things like this are happening, I wonder if that sense of pride would start to fade for more and more people as time goes on.<br />
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The Defense Secretary has been quoted to say that the states not obeying this law are just "further[ing] prejudice". I couldn't agree more. By not encouraging equality, whether it be through marriage, marriage benefits or other means, it just causes a greater riff between groups of people. It would seem to be doing the opposite of what is being promoted in Washington, which is equality for everyone and legalizing gay marriage. I wonder if these few states will stay this way, or give in to legalizing gay marriage and allowing marriage benefits for military couples to <i>all</i> couples, and if so, how it will affect the residents of those states. Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-36949906808574375822013-11-03T19:37:00.002-06:002013-11-03T19:37:59.116-06:00Effectiveness of AdvertisementsIt is pretty safe to say that Instagram is the latest social media app on the rise. It has tens of millions of users, and is still rapidly gaining popularity. I myself have an account, as well as all of my friends. I know very few people that don't have one, and that is usually because they don't have a phone that the app would work on. Instagram is the new "thing".<br />
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I recently read an <a href="http://theweek.com/article/index/251730/instagram-ads-are-almost-here-and-they-dont-look-that-bad">article</a> that says that Instagram is about to start adding advertisements to the app. They said it was "only a matter of time" for ads to start appearing. Personally, I always loved the fact that Instagram didn't have any advertisements. Nowadays, everywhere you look there are ads. There is always someone trying to get your attention so you will go buy their product. Billboards, TV/radio commercials, Facebook/Twitter/Youtube, etc. The list goes on. They are everywhere.<br />
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Moneymaking has become such a big part of America today. It seems like people decide everything based on money. They decide which job to take because of which one pays better, not necessarily which one they would enjoy more. Money is an important aspect to society, and I think that is inevitable. But, the constant advertisements and ploys to attract consumers are crazy and overwhelming. It makes me wonder if putting an advertisement out actually works and gets people's attention, or if it just something that businesses feel the need to do to keep up with every other business. Personally, I don't remember most ads that are on TV. And if I do, it is because they are funny or clever, but they don't necessarily make me want to go out and buy that product. Now that many not be true for other people, but I wonder if it is.<br />
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Do you think advertisements are truly affective? Or is it an unspoken necessity for a business? Comment below. Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-71849795596235286602013-10-27T18:08:00.001-05:002013-10-27T18:08:34.619-05:00Addictiveness of Sugar - More Serious Than We Thought?This weekend, I was talking to the little kids I teach gymnastics to about Halloween, and all they kept saying was how excited they were to dress up and get tons of their favorite candy. I think the candy is what every kid loves about Halloween. It is one of the few days in the year where they can really stuff their faces with sugary sweets. It got me thinking, because I am older and don't really obsess over Halloween anymore, what the health effects of that much sugar are.<br />
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I did a little research, and I came across this <a href="http://theweek.com/article/index/251288/oreos-may-be-as-addictive-as-cocaine-and-heroin">article</a> that talks about how addictive Oreo cookies can be. Although it is not exactly Halloween candy, it is still a very sugary snack. In the article, they talk about a study that was done that proved how addictive Oreos were. They say that Oreos "may be as addictive as cocaine". Research that has been done shows that the addictiveness of sugary snacks like Oreos can have affects on the brain, which, they claim, is part of the reason that fattening foods are so addictive and obesity is a problem.<br />
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I think that unhealthy snacks like Oreos are very addictive, and are a big factor of obesity in America. America has been known to have an obesity problem, and I think food is a big contributor to that, but lack of exercise, among other things are also factors. However, I don't know if it is right to compare Oreos to dangerous drugs like cocaine and morphine. They have serious mental affects, and I don't think cookies could cause the same kind of mental damage. I am not saying that the addictiveness level of both is high, but I don't think it is fair to compare drugs and cookies as a whole.<br />
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Do you think this is a fair comparison to make? Do you think this is the main cause for obesity in America today? Comment below. Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4363571135463050574.post-29164112370787692942013-10-20T17:55:00.003-05:002013-10-20T17:55:40.208-05:00League of DenialI happened to catch a couple minutes of this movie over the weekend, called <i>League of Denial</i>. The movie was about the links between football and brain trauma/concussions. It was very eye-opening, to say the least. I have always known that football can be a very dangerous sport, and concussions were very common, but this movie definitely caught my attention. It focuses on a degenerative neurological disorder called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, otherwise known as CTE. It is a brain disorder that causes severe mental problems and often times leads to early death.<br />
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During the movie they talked about how the NFL tried to cover up all of the research being done by doctors about CTE. They didn't want people to freak out and have their kids stop playing; they wanted to keep the sport popular. However, the movie is told from the doctor's point of view. One of the doctors featured said that of the 46 brains of former football players she had studied, she diagnosed 45 of them with CTE. That is astonishing.<br />
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I think that the NFL had no right to try and cover up the head-injury problems. It should have been made public a lot sooner. They should have tried to find a way to alter the game, by adding more rules or changing rules, but they should not have just tried to ignore it. They should have taken responsibility. Since CTE was found in almost every football player examined, it makes me wonder if almost every football player that has ever played might have it too. This disorder causes mental problems, and often death. If the possibility that many NFL players have this, why should the NFL cover it up? Football is a big part of American culture, with kids all over the nation playing. America loves football. But, if football is causing such bad things to happen to players' brains, why should we keep playing the game the same way? They should at least alter the rules to help prevent bad tackles/hits.<br />
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Do you think the NFL should alter the rules? Do you think it is possible CTE has affected almost every player's brain? Or should we just continue the game the way it is and just expect the players to know the consequences of playing?<br />
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Article about movie: http://theweek.com/article/index/250743/frontline-how-the-nfl-covered-it-up-its-devastating-head-injury-problem Sara H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657358536897041231noreply@blogger.com2