Assignment 2

I think that technology will evolve rapidly over the next decade. I believe that the fastest technological growth will occur with personal technological devices, like phones, tablets, and laptops. Already, we see a constant sequence of new devices being advertised, each with its own new feature that makes it an improvement on those that already exist. This constant competition between competitors who make these products will result in much evolution in technology purchased by consumers. As for other technology, the kind that is not for sale to consumers but developed by scientists and engineers for other purposes, I think that much growth will occur here too. I think our constant curiosity will drive us to create new instruments of exploration and usefulness. Overall, technology will continue to develop and improve in the next decade.

Boo!! -Rena Childers

STEP ONE:

Drive to grocery store and buy ever non-perishable item. Next, drive to gas station and fill 12 containers with gasoline (I would have a smart car/prius so this should get me very far).

STEP TWO:

Put together a bag with 3 pairs of clothing and bring along comfortable shoes and socks; don’t forget a winter jacket. Go to your local Japanese store, say the magic word and get granted entry into the back room. Pick out your favorite/the most intimidating samurai sword. Pay the man who works behind the desk to teach you fighting strategies.

STEP THREE:

Go to your favorite restaurant and eat your favorite food; you will most likely never have it again. Next, drive to the most rural part of either Kentucky or a surrounding state and find an abandoned home. Make sure the population (before the Zombie apocalypse) is under 5,000 people.

STEP FOUR:

Begin to rebuild your life there. Create a small garden in the back of the house but make sure to cover it with leaves and dirt so it looks old. This part is gross so prepare: find a nearby dead person and cover yourself in their blood so that the zombies won’t be able to easily smell you.

STEP FIVE:

If an intelligent person comes along whom you know can fight the zombies if necessary, ask them to live with you so that you don’t go completely crazy…

Assignment 3

I do not believe in absolute good and evil. I feel that the distinction is not clear cut, but morality is mostly a gray area with some spots that most people agree are darker or lighter than others. This subjectivity of morality is what makes the idea of absolute good and evil hard for me to believe. Good and evil have to exist, however, because these ideals, as two extremes on the spectrum of morality, will always be discussed, if only in theory or accusation. What evil and good actually are is impossible to say, as everyone has their own opinion on the topic.

Do you know your neighbor? - Assignment 11 James Apo

I have known Cory Baker since elementary school, and it is ironic, but he even used to live in my neighborhood. Now, he is my 'neighbor' in 3rd hour English class, how ironic. Cory is a very laid back person. Although he is pretty low profile, he never fails to make the class laugh when he talks. He is an extremely good artist, though when I compliment his doodles he typically replies with a 'nah man this sucks', further exemplifying his humility. If I had to characterize Cory as a color, I would give him Indigo, because although it is not the most well known color, it is still interestingly unique and even part of the rainbow. I could see Cory pursuing an artistic career past high school, but his abilities are not limited to that. He has an interesting taste in music, so maybe he could go into something related to that. If Cory was a an animal, he would be a wolf, because they can be alone or in a pack, go with the flow, and overall are just a majestic creature.

BOO - Assignment 10 James Apo

As a fan of the Walking Dead, the thought of a zombie apocalypse has wandered my mind once or twice. Although extremely unlikely, it is good to be prepared for such a chaotic event. This would be my plan:
For starters, I would assemble a team. Immediate family like my parents would be first priority. After they were on board, I would account for a few close friends and also acquire my ex marine cousin. The last member of my group would have to be an outspoken and cocky person, because that person would cause conflicts and I could easily read people by how they react and deal with he/she. Once this team has been assembled, I would find a big house boat or preferably even a yacht (I do not own one of these, but when the world has gone to shit I think I would manage). Since I am from Hawaii, that is where I would go, but really any island surrounded by water and far away from a big land mass like the continental United States would be ideal. Since zombies cannot cross water, or at least I do not think they can, I feel like that would be a safe place. When conflicts arise, whoever is at the root of the problem would be dealt with accordingly. As time went on the group would hopefully try to restore humanity, but at worst we would eat each other.

what's it good for? - Assignment 9 James Apo

I firmly believe that there is a time for war. War is an awful thing, and historically some incredibly inhumane things have been done in war, for example the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War 2. Although it is awful, that does not mean that it is unnecessary. World peace is something many of us have always wanted to attain, however, I just do not think that is possible. There will always be conflicting beliefs, and there are several countries against us, due to our diversified nation and overall military prowess. It is too much to say other countries are jealous of us, but it is evident that we have been a target of terrorism. Culture is great. In  our country, the difference in culture is what makes us the U.S. This is an exceptional fact, but other nations are not as complex. We can accept differences, but differences in religious belief often cause uproar. In the middle east, Islam is the primary accepted faith, and although most Muslims do not believe in killing people to get closer to their deity, a select few do, and this fact shows that we will often have problems with them. When it comes to our people against another group(s), violence is the answer. Many people are pacifists, and I can respect that. Many will disagree with what I have said, but that is a part of life. Debates are also necessary, and they, on the flip side, do not have to lead to war.

Assignment 1: Sam Clay

Hi, my name is Sam. My main personal and academic goal this year is to balance having fun with getting good grades. I would like to work to raise my GPA throughout this school year and, later on, to get at least a 4 on my AP tests. A's and B's are the grades I am trying to keep in my classes this year. Over summer vacation, I had the chance to go to Costa Rica for a couple of weeks. Seeing such a different culture and environment was fascinating, and the trip was definitely the most meaningful part of summer break for me. If I could have any super power, I would probably choose the power to fly, because I could go wherever I wanted, and quickly, too. What geeks me out most is playing guitar. I spend a lot of time learning to play new songs.

Assignment 4: Sam Clay

This picture, taken in 1910, shows the breaker boys, the children whose job it was to separate coal from slate. It illustrates the tough working conditions that such young boys were subjected to. The image contributed to the growing debate about child labor that ultimately led to its illegalization.

Assignment 10: BOO - Updated

ZOMBIES HAVE ATTACKED. Detail your survival plan.

OR

Explain what scares you the most and why.

OR

Describe a moment in which you were fraught with peril. Tell it as a ghost story.

OR

In the vein of David Sedaris write an observational humorist piece related to your daily life: school, home, social, etc.  (don't be mean)

Happy Halloween!

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, November2nd at 11:59 pm

What's it Good For?- Jamie Smith

I believe that war is to be avoided as much as possible. It is always possible to find another way, and I believe that finding that way is necessary. People consistently turn to war in order to stop other injustices of the world, but war itself is an injustice. The United States often sees it as our duty to go to war in order to protect other people, and I believe in this good intention. I do not, however, believe that war is the best and most effective way to act on that intention.

I know of times when war is the lesser of two evils, but even then, alternatives are always available and should be seriously considered. Wars are often fought to save civilians from death. Killing people in an attempt to stop innocent people from dying seems like a somewhat paradoxical solution to me.

Saying all this, I still acknowledge that sometimes war is inevitable, even if just because of the human nature. War has brought about many positive and essential changes to the world, and it is impossible to expect that humans will never go to war. We are, after all, human.

What is it Good For? -Mark O'Brien

What would the world be today if Hitler had been allowed to take over?  What would have happened if no one fought back against the Roman Empire, or Alexander the Great?  That is frightening to think about.  Millions more would have been imprisoned and killed.  The only people left would be Aryan. He could have killed Billions of men, women, and children.  Someone had to stop him and the Nazi Party.  Yes I completely agree that war is horrifying, but in most cases it is just and right.  If you don't think it is right I have a question.  Is it right to stand back and not do anything when ISIS is cutting the heads of children off?  It seems the US has acquired the responsibility of the global police force.  We were the leading force in WW2, Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, and now with ISIS.  Should we be rewarded for taking down regimes of oppressors... I think so.  The more effective they get the easier it is for the world to end.  I don't know if I want war to become more effective because now with nuclear weapons the would could be gone within a matter of hours.  Einstein said, "I know not what weapons WW3 will be fought with, but WW4 will be with sticks and stones."

What's it Good For? -Weiran Liu

War - we oftentimes associate this with physical combat between 2 opposing sides and we are right to do so. There have been times when no actual fighting occurred, i.e. the Cold War. Can we just avoid it all together?

We cant. I think that there are times for war, like when the power of written word (law, treaties) isn't enforced. War isn't right, but not necessarily bad either. Whether it is morally right or not brings us back to the question of what is good and what is evil. There are the obvious negatives such as the casualties, separation of families when members are on duty, environmental damage (Hiroshima). However, it has been known to bring industrialization within societies.Not only that, it also boosts the economy, has the power to bring people together and end oppression or terrorism.

Times are different now though. Despite war being known for settling disorder, it is now driven more by economic benefits (excluding the wars combating terrorism and promoting peace). Who to invade to get access to oil, who to conquer to receive precious resources, who to challenge to assert global dominance seems to be the more central questions.

What is it good for? - Charlie Blondell

War has got to be one of the most controversial topics in our world. Does killing people justify anything? Is it moral to take a life? How can one be so sure?

The real answer is one can't. We as humans cannot determine what is morally right or wrong because we simply do not have anything to refer to that deciphers our questions (this could be the Bible to most Americans). We are taught that killing is wrong. However, the death penalty is pretty widely used, am I correct? America has been participants in a dozen wars, killing millions of foreign people (ourselves included).

Because we do not have the answers to what is morally correct, we attempt to justify our actions with the best reasons for them. "War to prevent war" or "killing others so they cannot kill us" have both been used as reasons for going into battle. And honestly, they seem like pretty good ones to me.

As I have said, we don't have all the answers. So we as Americans and people of the world, do what we think is right. I believe that war is necessary if the pursuers honestly believe it will result in the protection of a people or a decrease in violence for the majority of the world. It is not easy, it is not simple, and we do not know if it is morally correct. In my opinion, though, it can be justified as smart.

Assignment 9- Sam Vandiver

     No war only harms the people who agree to take part in it. The morality of war has to be determined by weighing its cost against what would happen without it. Generally this boils down to comparing one amount of human lives to another amount of human lives. Morally, I don't think that one can just choose the option that results in the least amount of deaths. 

     War is never a morally justified solution, but it is sometimes the easiest or most effective one. As a person that tries to see the good in humanity, I like to believe that there is a nonviolent way to solve international disputes. That being said, I am not informed enough to suggest a detailed alternative. I suppose that a global replica of the UN would be the ideal scenario, with each participant being kept in line by their neighboring and international equals.

Assignment 9: What is it good for?-Ji-Hae Kim

When you come down to it, there is no morally right or logical way to solve problems on the global scale. It would be great if we could solve all of our problems peacefully and avoid war altogether. However, it's idealistic to say that there is never a time for war. It's just unrealistic to expect every leader and person with influence to go along with what's best for the "common good". There are injustices (from our point of view) that occur, and, sometimes, there is no other way than war. Now I'm not saying that everyone in the world should go to war over every little thing, but sometimes there are moments when you have to weigh the costs of leaving something alone over the costs of war.
War happens when there's no other way around it. When there is a "great evil" happening (from our point of view), we try to negotiate our way around it. If that doesn't work, we fight. It's not morally right, so to speak, to go to war. But sometimes it's an unavoidable evil that would be "slightly less evil" than leaving the issue alone. War cannot be morally justifiable, but it still happens. There is a certain flow in the world that can't be stopped. Once people get fired up for a cause, there's no way a country can completely stay out of a conflict without causing some internal problems. Once it sparks, it burns.
Are there alternatives? If it were possible to make every influential person in the world be on the same page and compromise. Or if we ignore each other completely and avoid coming into conflict with one another. War is simply unavoidable because we can't all think the same. And some people's moral views won't let them just sit still and watch something happen.

Assignment 3 - Beck Michul

Pure evil does not exist, yet neither does pure good. Everyone has qualities of both. Everyone has something in their life that they are willing to die for, but also something that they are willing to kill for. If someone was to kill for something, does that necessarily make them evil? 

No, not in every situation. Some would kill for world domination, and others for world peace. The same person that killed for world domination might die for a kitten to live. The same person that killed for world peace, might die for a person that they hate, to also die. Every person shares and exhibits these qualities of good and evil, but no matter what they do, it doesn't define them as 100% and 100% evil. This is because nothing is 100% evil or 100% good. 

There are extensive amounts of gray area and every human can be an example of this. "Bad" people can do good deeds and "good" people can do bad things. 

Work on tiny little scuplture starts

Assignment 7

October 4th, 1927 Gutzom Borglum begins sculpting Mount Rushmore.  Is this a massive event with implications across the world?  No, not really.  But was it an event that has affected many peoples lives and is an interesting story?  Yes, I think so.  An extremely patriotic Danish man, Gutzom Borglum was setting out to carve the entire busts of four American presidents into the side of a mountain using dynamite.  Borglum was one for the marvelous and monumental, so of course his project, which was never finished, was just that.  It was so grandiose that work on it continued until 1941, and since before that, it has served as a national symbol that inspires many Americans year after year.  It has personal significance to me because I have visited it and witnessed it's impressive scale the same way that many people before me have.  This date is important because of the way it started something that brings people together, giving us a common respect and reverence for some of our country's greatest leaders.

What is it Good For? - Charlie Grimes

History has been defined by conflict. The uprising and declines of societies have been brought about almost entirely by war. While one may believe that this has only brought about pointless chaos and destruction, I believe it has done quite the opposite. More organized, advanced, and safer societies have been brought about by war throughout history. Studies have suggested that we are nearly 20 times less likely to die by the hands of another human being in today's society than in prehistoric times. The Roman Empire would not have arisen. The US would not have arisen. Whether you like it or not, war has been the engine of human progression for thousands of years.

I also believe war is quite often the only option to solving serious threats and conflicts in the world. It is completely irrational to believe that world leaders could just "sit down and talk through things," and all would be well. Humans are extremely unlikely to give up their freedoms unless forced to do so. Where would the US be if we had not waged war on the oppressive Great Britain? The colonists tried to resolve the conflict through peaceful talks (List of Grievances, etc.) and absolutely nothing came of it. Now, because of the Revolutionary War, the US has created an exemplary democracy that has progressed humanity.

The projected world population in 2100 is over 11 billion people, and expected to continue rising. As the world continues to swell up with more people, and resources become scarcer, is it really feasible to believe that humans will just peacefully accept major lacks of resources and die without a fight? War is inevitable, and we must accept this. With the development of technology that can wipe out millions in an instant, it seems necessary to find an alternative to it; however, there may not be one. Humanity may just be on a one-way trip to destruction of ourselves...

Assignment 7: On this Date. Samantha McGehee

On October 7, 1971, a magical thing happened. Disney World opened in Orlando, Florida! This may be a particularly happy event in history, but unquestionably a significant one. Disney played a major part in my childhood and those of earlier generations. And the empire that is Disney all began with this opening. In my opinion, I would see this as a good thing. Disney generally promotes happiness, dreams and magic. And what world needs less of that? Disney has had a powerful impact on the world. The Disney empire is one that exceeds the borders of the United States and draws in millions of tourist every year. Disney can now be seen everywhere, on T.V. ( Personally, old Disney Channel is superior to new Disney Channel), in stores, in movies. Disney is definitely a cornerstone in American culture, from merchandise to the life-altering vacation to Disney World or Disney Land that seems to be a right of passage for American children.

Assignment 9 - Aislinn Langley

It's easy to be idealistic and say that all war is horrible and unnecessary and ends more lives than it saves. It's easy to rant about how American new media has desensitized us to violence and war and that we don't understand the cruelties of war. It's easy to criticize governments and individuals when we aren't the ones calling the shots and making the tough decisions. But flat-out opposing all war and conflict is hardly the way to go about anything.

It's true that some wars have gone badly for all parties involved, and that some of the most damaging wars have arisen from matters which now hardly seem worthy of war (I'm looking at you, World War One). But in many other cases, war has been the only option when diplomacy has failed. When a people's rights have been abridged to the point of intolerance, there seem to exist only two methods of resolving the problem: talking it out and fighting it out. And in so many cases, we've seen that talking it out doesn't always work.

Formally requesting that Hitler should maybe stop annexing neighboring countries proved ineffectual, petitioning the British Government for representation didn't do much for Colonial America. There comes a point when war is the only solution.

It's easy to condemn war and those who make it. It's easy to be unaffected and judge those who are. What's difficult is living in a situation in which tremendous and sustained violence is the only hope for eventual peace. People forget that sometimes.

Lucas Soard- Assignment 9: What is it good for?

It’s hard to justify war. Sending young men and women to kill each other due to diplomatic disputes seems, when viewed on that level, absurd. That is probably an overly simplistic, and maybe even unfair description. But anytime there is a loss of life, especially on a large scale, we need to really examine why something like that happens. But when there are a group of people, whether it be a nation or a terrorist group, that can’t be reasoned with, certain measures need to be taken. The German War Machine in the 1940’s was on a path to conquer all of Europe, and committed horrible atrocities along the way. There was no diplomatic miracle that could have stopped Hitler. There was no reasoning with ISIS/ISIL.

                I don’t know if there are many times where a country has a responsibility to go to war, especially when the conflict doesn’t directly involve them. But it seems that more often there are certain things we can do that can help us weaken an enemy without the loss of too many lives. Air strikes on key economic targets have been seen as a way to avoid loss of life, and while this probably isn’t a permanent solution, it does look to be a way to lessen the death toll while hurting an evil enemy. 

What is it good for? - Rena Childers

     In a perfect world, I believe that war should not exist. Typically, wars are fought either to satisfy a country’s greed or to try and stop a force that is persecuting other people. So basically, we are killing to show that killing is a bad thing…

     This being said, I think sometimes war is viewed as the only option. In today’s world, leaders see war as the only way to get what they want. In reality, if the two opposing forces would sit down and compromise (much like Congress should be doing), many pointless wars could be avoided. If every world leader would agree to do so peacefully, millions lives could be saved.

     I personally don’t like guns unless they are being used solely for hunting. This accompanies my hatred for the killing of all human beings, including because of the death penalty. I believe that no matter how terrible someone may seem, murder is not the answer.

Assignment 3 - Jack Phillips

Sorry! I just realized that I hadn’t done this assignment yet. Ok so first of all, I would like to say that, no I do not believe that there is something clear cut between good and evil. I believe that there is a moral grey area much larger than most people believe there is. Take Star Wars for instance. Even the Jedi and the Sith aren’t clear cut good and evil. When the Jedi’s blew up the death star under construction, there were probably thousands of contractors and civilians just trying to make a living when all of the sudden, the Jedis just blew it all up, killing everyone. My favorite example comes from Harry Potter. Severus Snape is portrayed as an evil man for the first several books, and Harry’s father James is portrayed as a perfect child that was athletic, made good grades, and got the girl. But later we learn that James was a bully, and a cruel one. And Severus, despite every reason to hate Harry, made the ultimate sacrifice for him and gave him what was needed for Harry to win his battle. George R. R. Martin said it best with, “There is no right or wrong. There is good and evil on both sides.” Take for example  the Khaleesi. (if you have not read the fourth book or watched the fourth season, stop reading this blog right now) She is a good person, or so most would argue. She is focused on justice and freedom for slaves, but when she takes a city, she decides that all the masters must be crucified and left on their crosses for all to see despite being warned that it is better to treat injustice with mercy. Later she realizes her mistake when she finds that some of these masters were against the idea of slavery and actively fought for their freedom. And some of the slaves held high positions as tutors and led luxurious lives that were taken from them, and they were cast out on the streets with no food or shelter.

Assignment 9 - Jack Phillips

War is all around us in today's society, especially with the recent troubles in the middle east. But I do not believe all war is bad, I believe that war is necessary in certain situations. For instance, had the allies not declared war on Germany, Hitler may have killed millions more Jews, gays, and gypsies. Had the founding fathers not declared war on England, our country would not be the thriving economic center in the global economy that it is today. Had the northern states not retaliated against the south, millions of blacks would still be living in bondage. I believe that not all war is necessary, but war is inevitable. It is a part of human nature to attempt to assert dominance and try to gain power. So if war is inevitable, then we can only try to minimize its effects through diplomacy and politics. On the point of diplomacy, I used to play a game called Rome total war. I got really good at it, and I was almost unbeatable in battle, but I quickly found out that diplomacy was so much harder than battle, and this was mostly because I had attacked almost every surrounding faction, and then they were unwilling to deal with me diplomatically, go figure. Many of these middle eastern factions in the real world have deeply rooted hatred for one another and have been warring for centuries, so if a video game can recognize the fact that we can't use diplomacy after attacking one another, then why are western politicians convinced that we can deal diplomatically with cultures and ethnic groups that have been warring for generations?

Sloan Warner- Assignment 9- What is it good for

War is a terrible, yet fairly effective. The middle east currently is a mess and someone needs to keep it controlled. The United States has an interesting position in the world with the strongest military in the world. It is sort of our duty to protect not only those in our country, but all innocent people throughout the world. In the middle east, these radical Muslims are killing innocent civilians and the United States is one of the few countries that can make an impact in stopping them. War should not be a common occurrence, but it is the most effective. Some UN law isn’t going to do much to stop these terrorist cells. Killing the terrorist cells off with an army is going to stop them. With these middle eastern countries being able to build nuclear weapons, it is incredibly important we keep a close eye on them. The United States is the greatest country in the world, and holds that standard by being unselfish to protect all others throughout the world. 

Assignment 9: What's it good for? david chen

Is there a time for war? Yes, there is because if someone attacks a country they probably won't just sit still and allow themselves to be taken over. War is just a way to settle disputes in the same way that playground fights settle issues. Countries and groups are put against one another much like the way young children fight. There is always an issue and if it can't be solved by verbal reasoning then the only other solution is by physical reasoning. Is it morally right to go to war? I'm pretty sure it depends on who you are but for me it doesn't really bother me if countries go to war. So how is it morally wrong if people fight to protect what they believe in? Although, the most preferable solution is to reach a diplomatic agreement to sort out the differences much like teachers sorting out disputes among pupils. There are times when a country is responsible to go to war. When agreements are not made and when the problem persists to the point where it bothers its citizens, then the country has to act in their people's interest. Alternatives would be diplomacy or tell on the enemy to the United Nations, like a 5 year old tells another's mother.

Assignment 5: Sam Clay

I believe that, overall, TV is a good form of entertainment. Readily available to the masses at any time, TV provides a means for shows to make there way to millions of viewers.
TV, as with  almost anything that many people see or are exposed to, is used by advertisers as a means of communicating their message, but this does not take away from the fact that it is a convenient and widely-available form of entertainment.
Watching TV for too long or too often can be an inane use of time, but, if enjoyed in moderation, it can provide an entertaining and leisurely activity.

Assignment 6: Sam Clay

Prompt 1: If you could go back to the past for a week, what time and place would you travel to and why?

Prompt 2: What is your dream job? Why does this occupation interest you?

Prompt 3: What is your favorite book and why?


Prompt 3: My favorite book is A Fan's Notes by Frederick Exley. This book is a semi-fictional memoir that follows Exley through much of his life. The way he describes the events paints a very dark picture of a man who realizes that he will never succeed above being a "fan" in life. He slowly loses his hopes of being famous or leading the life he often dreams of. While not an uplifting book, A Fan's Notes is an interesting read because of the way Exley explores those events in his life that most shaped him and informed his worldview. 

assignment 8: Vincent Pisacano

fears: stranded at sea, failure
annoyances: not having common sense, standing in the middle of the hallway
accomplishments: lacrosse, my music playlists
confusions: pretty much anything to do with physics
sorrows: the history of religious/racial persecution
dreams: successful enough to where I don't have to stress over money
Idiosyncrasies: I must have the AUX cord when driving with my friends
risks: partying and teenager things that I will not specifically mention
beloved possessions: my xbox for sure
problems: I have a desire to succeed, therefore I make pretty decent grades, but I have no desire to actually learn the material.


Idiosyncrasies: one thing that is peculiar to me is that whenever I'm driving with my friends, I have to be the one controlling the music. I trust very few people to play music in the car. Quick shout out to Charlie Grimes, one of the few who has this trust. But know one thing, if you play a crappy song YOU WILL BE UNPLUGGED. Nothing personal, your song just sucks. A little tip for people with iPhones looking for a music app: download soundcloud (search user768902676 and look at my likes for some good underground hip hop). because streaming crappy quality songs from youtube or using Pandora just won't cut it. I also love people with a wide range of musical taste. If someone were to play a song from the Carter III (greatest hip hop album of all time), then afterwards play the Red Hot Chili Peppers or the Beatles, they would gain some serious respect from me. Another thing: if the song your about to play is popular on the radio, I will probably hate it.

"I never had to choose my subject- my subject rather chose me" - Assignment 8 James Apo

Fears: Being a victim, clowns
Annoyances: Snobby people, hypocrites
Accomplishments: Won a chess tournament, various bowling accomplishments, decent grades
Confusions: The end of Dexter, how some people are such awful drivers, why people lose their temper
Sorrows: My parents being divorced, the Rams losing the Superbowl to the Patriots
Dreams: Settling down in Hawaii, getting on Big Brother, becoming a professional athlete
Idiosyncrasies: Overly hygienic, sing while doing homework
Risks: Surfing and body surfing on gigantic days, occasionally making bets on various things
Beloved Possessions: Hyena stuffed animal (then), iPhone (now)
Problem: Swearing habitually, being too consumed with technology

Warning, this reflection will offer a SPOILER ALERT for the 8 season series Dexter, a  show that ended last year. Not only am I confused on how it ended, but also on why the director(s) chose to give such a middle finger to the audience with such a bizarre ending. In my opinion, the show was on a decline after the 1st season, as none of the further seasons surpassed its greatness. Even more than that, the final season just had so many questionable choices. For starters, an antagonist that did not show up until about halfway through it was no where near the level of evil shown in the previous 7. Also, Dexter ends up falling madly in love with someone that can accept him for who he is, but doesn't that contradict his sociopathic tendencies? I guess it can be argued, considering she is somewhat similar to him, but it is hard to believe how many times he lets his guard down with her, especially trusting her with his child. When it comes to the final episode, we have the random and illogical twist of Deborah going from what seemed to be a minor injury to one that would make her vegetable, a very anticlimactic end to a character that had withstood as much as she had. After a very morbid scene involving Dexter dumping his sister into the ocean, similarly to how he dumped so many of his victims, Dexter comes to what we at first think is a terminal decision. He hurts everyone around him, and he decides suicide is the answer, which by itself was depressing and showed his selfishness, leaving his child and soon to be wife on route to a foreign country. Scene fades to black, Dexter gets obliterated by a hurricane. Right? WRONG! Not only did this vigilante miraculously survive which was unrealistic to begin with, the closing scene of an 8 year series shows him in a solitude in Oregon, as a lumberjack. The camera zooms in on his grizzly bearded face, stalls for about 5 seconds, and then fades to black, a very unfitting end to say the least. I know this far exceeds the word count, but I guess I needed to rant about a disappointment of mine.

On This Date - Assignment 7 James Apo

It was over 53 years ago, on October 1, 1961. HERE'S JOHNNY! Who is Johnny you ask? Well my friends, he was just a newbie on that date, as the first time that two word slogan resonated in people's minds was on the debut of his late night talk show "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson." Let us get a historical perspective to give us context of the time. For starters, the popularity of late night TV did not come into existence until this show began. The popularity of late night television BEGAN with Johnny Carson. Another thing to note is how long he remained on air, remaining the host for close to 30 years until 1992. Others tried to compete with his show, but there was no competition to Johnny. A final thing to recognize was that there were only 3 networks at the time, but only one Johnny Carson. With all this being said, it is clear that it had a resounding impact on the cultural norm of the United States, from changing bedtimes to changing lifestyles. Personally, I am indifferent to this show, as I was not around to witness its significance. However, from what I understand from my mom and various other sources that lived during that time, his success speaks for itself.

Assignment 8 - Charlie Grimes

Fears - large insects

Annoyances - when people are incapable of having a genuine conversation, people who are overly sensitive, people who are overly competitive

Accomplishments - Good grades; Being able to make people laugh

Confusions - Why does our popular culture emphasize the lowest quality and least meaningful music, while the vast world of good music remains ignored by the majority of people?

Sorrows - None come to mind. I am a pretty happy person.

Dreams - to become a voice actor / get a good job in the film/TV industry, such as a producer, director, or writer

Idiosyncrasies - Before watching any movie/TV show, everything must be perfect (the lighting, the TV position, availability of food/drink, etc.)

Risks - starting a business or pursuing a risky career that may end in failure

Beloved Possessions, Now and Then - childhood stuffed animals and books; my music library

Problems - despising the lacrosse team, yet continuing to do it for resumé purposes

Expanding on "dreams": At some point in my 16 years of life, I discovered that I was able to morph my voice in fairly distinct ways, and it has become a form a self-entertainment for me. At this point, I have developed a somewhat wide range of characters (some innocent, some politically incorrect), from Tyrone, an impossibly deep-voiced man, to Giovanni the Italian Mobster, to Jeremy the Angry Brit. I have been told by several people that I could turn this (talent?) into a career with voice acting, and I have always smiled at the thought of that being my profession. Ideally, I would combine my desire to become a producer/director/writer with voice acting by creating my own cartoon comedy, and doing several of the voices for the characters in the show in a Seth Macfarlane-esque manner. Will any of this ever happen? I don't know, but it sure would be cool.

Assignment 9: What is it good for?

Genocide in Sudan

North Korea testing nuclear weapons

Iran creating nuclear weapons
Egypt
Syria

Terrorism

Injustices and threats surround so many lives in this world. When injustices or threats progress to dangerous and harmful levels though, it seems logical for war to come into play as a way to combat the situation. . .or is it?  The conservative Christian group known as the Mennonites believes that war (violence) is never appropriate.

Is there a time for war?

If there is a time, is it morally right and just or is is it the lesser of two evils?

If there isn't a time, why not?

Are there certain times when countries have a responsibility to go to war?

Are there any alternatives? Could they be more effective or less effective?

Due Sunday, October 26th at 11:59 pm

assignment 8 Jack Phillips

Fears: dying alone, the unknown
Annoyances: gossip, untrue rumours
Accomplishment: I once played FIFA for 16 hours straight (if that counts)
Confusions: Why we allow pieces of paper to control our entire lives
Sorrows: too personal for a blog
Dreams: get a job I can be proud of, have a family
Idiosyncrasies: I am literally just an amalgamation of annoying idiosyncrasies
Risks: jump out of an airplane (want)
Beloved possessions (then and now): Ohio State stuff (then and now), books (now)
Problems: laziness, procrastination, not finishing anyth

I have always been and will always be why we let our lives be controlled by various pieces of paper. Once you get into high school this trend starts, and our lives are centered around getting a diploma from high school. Then, once you have that, college degrees control your life for four years. Unfortunately, it doesn't end there. because even after that our lives revolve around making money. The average person will work 40 hours a week, five days a week, for over 40 years just for this paper money. Fortunately, there are only a few people who work this hard just to have the money, and most people are motivated by external means, like providing for a family or saving for retirement. But that doesn't change the fact that our lives revolve around money. There is a religion that pushes against this societal norm, Buddhists, but even the way they are set up is flawed. For god's sake, the first Buddha was a prince, and that makes sense why he was able to reject this norm and not worry about material goods, because he already had them. He had enough money where he never had to worry about material goods, so it is a little misleading when he basically said, "I reject material wealth, and look at how happy I am. If you reject material goods then you will too."

I never had to choose my subject- my subject rather chose me: Jamie Smith

fears: drowning, fish (alive and dead), wasting life and not taking and risks

annoyances: selfish people, people who are so smart but act dumb/ don’t try at all, having things stuck in my eye

accomplishments: doing well in school, trying to meet new people/ make friends

confusions: whether I want to be introverted or extraverted, people in general

sorrows: wasting two years of high school, not being able to help everyone who needs it (especially suicidal people)

dreams: travel as many places as I can go, go to a good college and have fun while I’m there

idiosyncrasies: hate it when my eyebrows are wet, unreasonably afraid of ovens

risks: giving up on swimming, talking to new people

beloved possessions: ring with same engraving as my best friends from Israel, book Looking for Alaska

problems: self-confidence, shyness, being harsh on myself

I chose to expand on my fear of drowning. It is by far my biggest fear, which seems ridiculous because I swim competitively. Fortunately, I usually don’t get terrified every day. However, when it is dark and there are shadows in the pool at early morning practices or I am in an ocean or lake, I am always terrified out of my mind. There have been a couple of times when I’ve been trapped in a wave at the beach even only for a couple seconds, but after that I can’t force myself in the water for the rest of the vacation. The thing is, I know I’m a strong swimmer and that I shouldn’t be so scared of drowning- there is only a tiny chance I will drown- but I can’t help it; it just overpowers my mind sometimes. In movies, when people are forced underwater, I can’t watch. If I do, I have nightmares for weeks afterward. Yet I force myself in the water every day anyway, and I can’t tell if its making my fear better or worse.