Blog On Blogs

i really like the way that this class was constructed. the blogging was much more intiresting than just doing random homework assignments. blogs and journals are very similar in may ways, however blogging is much more "fun". It is also a good way to connect with your classmates. blogging in life is also very intiresting. i think it is very sad that children have to be afraid of going on the internet because of online predators. there are many ways to prevent predators from getting in, but no matter what you do, people can always put up random, inappropriate things on anyones blogs. My favotire thing about having blogs as classwork is the different connections you can make with other students that you might not otherwise have talked to that much. Blogging is a great way to write about issues and things in class that you are worried about. Or things you care about alot. overall, i think blogging should be incorperated in more classes in all of school. I think it is very important that it gets more widely used.

Historic Election

This was the most historic election ever. No matter what happened, there was going to be a first in the white house. The winner became the first african american president in history. and for that, i am proud of the people who voted. i did not have the chance to vote, i only nearly missed it, however i wish i would have been able to for a number of reasons. one being how historic this election was and another because i really believe that Obama was the best candidate. i followed the election closer this year then ever before and i think that the election came down to more than who the best president would be, but who the best pair would be. Obama and Biden are clearly a better fit. I think the main fault in McCain's campaign was his running partner. in no way do i mean that because she is a woman, but she was just not the proper person for the job. Also, their apperences on Saturday Night Live really hurt their campaign in my opinion. they seemed much less serious because of that, and that is no way i want to think about the person running this country. McCain is very old, and if he were to pass while in office, Palin as president would be a disaster. I do not think that she could handle that kind of responsibilty.

Obama Vs. McCain

The Obama vs. McCain election was one of the biggest elections to ever take place in the United States of America. Many people went out to vote and stood in lines that took three to four hours to get through. Thousands of new voters came through this election and really made a difference. As I was talking to my parents a few nights before November 4th they said "new and young voters are all talk, they don't actually go out there and vote". I could see where they were coming from but this election felt different and I could feel that their statement was wrong. Many people are concerned with how much change Obama says that he is going to make, but i personally think that he isn't going to make as many changes that he says he is going to. I am glad that Obama was elected president because it shows that our Nation is changing and we now support a man of color. If this election took place thirty or forty years ago, Obama wouldn't have a chance. It makes me feel proud that we have come this far and we becoming more accepting, and we don't have another white male in office.

In Obamas acceptance speech he talked about how McCain had called him earlier in the night, and Obama said that he was looking forward to working with McCain and Palin. It shows that both of the candidates weren't bitter towards each other, and I think that is very important. This election is certainly one to remember, and an election that has made history.

Media Violence

The effects of violent images in television, movies and video games varies from person to person because some people are more impressionable than others. I disagree with John Davidson's claim that after the age of 8 children are not as affected by extreme violent viewing, such as movies like Saw or Hostel. I think the violent video games like Halo and aggressive movies middle school and high school age kids are exposed to still have an affect on their personality. Video games, especially, desensitize the kids to horrible and inhumane behavior like people getting shot or blown up. The point of these games is often to kill the most "bad guys" or people getting the way of you reaching your goal which can translate into real life, that killing people is not that big of a deal. I watched a Law and Order episode the other day and there were two teenage boys who killed two girls the same way they killed woman on their violent computer game. The detectives just had to keep playing the video game to know how and who they would kill next. Obviously, this was not a real life story but it is possible that could happen because violent video games are extremely popular with teenage boys. Parents should pay attention to what games their kids are playing and try to limit the amount of aggressive and violent behavior kids view.

Luke vs. McMurphy

After watching the movies Cool Hand Luke and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, it is clear that Luke and McMurphy, the respective main characters, are very similiar. They are both martyrs who die to encourage and inspire men who are imprisoned or degraded in some way. Luke runs away countless times and as punishment, gets beaten and locked away in "the box". He also eats 50 eggs just for the fun of it and as entertainment for the rest of the men in the prison camp. The rest of the men in the camp love Luke because he is unafraid of the men in charge of the camp, the men with the guns and the power, he lives his life to the fullest even if his rights have been severely restricted by the camp. He dies fighting the injustice going on in the camp, and never lets the "bad guy" win, and the men start to idolize his example. In contrast, McMurphy comes to the mental ward and throws off all sense of order Nurse Ratched has created and controlled. McMurphy is also unafraid of authority and he finds ways to challenge the nurse and have fun. The men of the ward gain confidence and inspiration from McMurphy, and start to realize they do not have to live their life according to Nurse Ratched's rules.

Election of 2008

Recently our country has been hearing, seeing, and learning new ideas and thoughts on the 2008 election. It was an election that could go down in history, and from it's results, it did. Barack Obama won the election being the very first African-American President in the United States. He made history on November 4th not only from his background but from his estatic speeches and his need for change. He amazed millions of Americans with his drive to change lives and bring America back to a United Nation. With all of the issues in our country today, I feel that Obama is a man who can help direct our country in the right way. Along with Obama being elected President, this overall election has attracted a great amount of young voters. He has influenced many to fight for a better America. As many support him, he had a great lead the whole night of the election. Did it have to take an extra few years for Americans to realize that Bush was breaking down America, or was Obama just striking people as an outstanding representative for our country? Obama has brought on so much that has made November 4th, 2008 to go down in history, and that is the change America needed.