Decade of Oops

As 2009 ends, so does the decade. I have contemplated long and hard about the past decade and how it will be remembered. Only time will tell. But there did seems to be a very common motif throughout the decade..

2000: Election ballots miscounted in Florida, costing Gore the presidential election. OOPS

2003: Invasion of Iraq because of supposed "weapons of mass destruction." OOPS

2004: Janet Jackson reveals bare breast to millions during Superbowl. OOPS

2008: Banks irresponsibly hand out mortgages, people irresponsibly buy houses. Recession ensues. OOPS

So there was a whole lot of bad and whole lot off good. But most of all, there seemed to be a whole lot off oops.

2011.

As the new year rolls around, so do the infamous new year's resolutions made every year. Now I, personally, have always been a strong advocate of new year's resolutions. I was always the one at parties to make everyone go around in a circle and say theirs aloud.

But while skimming the internet I saw something that made me rethink my original thoughts. New research shows that by the six month of the year, only 46% of people will have maintained them. And looking back, I did not keep up with my resolutions of last year. And thinking about how I failed myself, I feel a huge knot of guilt building in my stomach. So if most people don't follow through with these resolutions, are they even worth making them?

Yes, I think. The same research shows that people who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don't explicitly make resolutions. There is something so exhilirating about the hope of a better you. So, I will continue with my traditions and god knows I will make all my friends cite theirs aloud as well. Here are some of my main ones.

1. Work out more

2. Keep in touch with camp friends

So, what are yours?

Goodbye Summer, Hello School

Race To The Top. This competitive, focused initiative to improve America's education is surrounded by controversy. And Obama isn't stopping yet. He has proposed to extend school days and school years. This means more hours in a classroom everyday and less outside by the pool in the summer. MSNBC News reports that the Obama Administration believes this extension, although pricey, would improve test scores. Research shows that adding math instruction minutes to the day significantly rose scores. And, a shorter summer means less time for kids to forget everything they learned over the school year, a common problem. The KIPP charter schools go to 7:30pm to 5:00 p.m; and all the schools exceed their school district averages on state tests.

However, this "progress" is subjective. Improving test scores is no indication of improving a child's education, it is yet another form of competition that fuels the idea of the "race to the top." I don't believe this initiative is a good idea, and not just because I'm a student. If we have a poor education system in the first place, extending the time that children can receive this education will not accomplish anything. We need to completely rewrite the system as we know it. We can't view education as a means to improve test scores. We want our children to learn to think, analyze, and question everything they come across.

These are all political advisors and administrators making these decisions. But it is us, the students, who is affected by all this. We are the one's living and breathing the American education system.

So, what do think? Do you think extending school days and the school year will improve education in America? Would your views change if you lived in a different part of the country? How can America improve education?

That's my name, don't wear it out!

Throughout the year in AiS class, we have been discussing the differences between denotation and connotation. We have come to a conclusion: every word has, to some extent, a variation of both. So, if all words have connotation- does this apply to names as well?

I believe it does. Take the Madoff family for example. It has recently been reported (see link) that Madoff's daughter-in-law legally changed the name of herself and her two children to her maiden name, Morgan. It was, understandably, done for protection. And yet it must also have something to do with the reputation. Her father-in-law was responsible for the largest ever,50 billion dollar Ponzi scheme that robbed countless poeple of their life-savings. He could quite possibly be one of the most hated men in America.

This is the connotation of Madoff.
Family names do have connotations. Names reveal reputations, scandals, history, even ethnicity and religious background. They have style and culture. changing your name is changing part of yourr identity.

So, for better or for worse, your last name and whatever connotations that ensue will follow you for the rest of your life.

Yet Another Teachable Moment

And this teachable moment is not from a national disaster or declared by a president. This is a truly inspiring story taught by no other than a humpback whale. The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported a story about a female humpback whale entangled in a web of crab traps and lines off the Farallon Islands. The whale was, due to our negligence, dying. And, due to our determination, could be saved.

So, four divers plunged into the water, tediously cutting the individual lines cutting the whales skin and weighing her down. When they were done, the whale thanked them, literally. The whale reported swam around them in joyous circles and went to each individual diver and nudged them.

This stroy epitomizes the holiday spirit: love, family, friends. It inspires you to surround yourself with people who will untngle you; and thank them unconditionally. Like giving and receiving presents, give and receive gratitude during the holiday season.
And now this is a real teachable moment.

Analyze This!

Through our Perilous Times projects, we have all come to the conclusion that civil liberties are indeed inhibited and infringed upon during wartime. The ‘how’ in this statement is a little trickier. It appears that the leaders create an intense fear of the opposition in the people, thus justifying the fact that they are taking away these people’s civil liberties. From here, they find clauses in the Constitution and manipulate them to further justify their actions. McCarthy created an intense fear in the people with false claims and allegations that created a paranoia-like state. Abraham Lincoln displays utilizing the constitution by his suspending habeas corpus.

Yet this alone is oftentimes not enough to succeed in the infringement of civil liberties. There is another very powerful tool used: propaganda. It is seen throughout all wars and has been used as a manipulating tool for many different reasons in time of war. It could be used in attempts to unify the people, vilify the opposition, or create a sense of panic and need. Below is propaganda used throughout the centuries in varying times of war. Analyze each picture carefully and think about its historical context. Why was each picture was used? Is there any symbolism involved? Does it make a convincing argument? Do you think it made the public more susceptible in letting the government infringe their civil liberties? Why or why not?

The Ugly Truth

While reading The Crucible, I was horrified by the blatant unfairness and bias that went along in the court room. And although disheartening, it was comforting to know we have come a long way since those Salem Witch Trials back in 1692. But have we really?

CBS news reported in a a Cornell University study reported that "unattractive defendants are 22 percent more likely to be convicted than good-looking ones" while the "unattractive also get slapped with harsher sentences - an average of 22 months longer in prison."

Well, that's unfair. Justice should be blind, right? Yet physical appearance is a barrier in achieving fair justice and the attractiveness of a defendant is now a factor in deeming their innocence.

But these are sub-conscious biases that have been psychologically imbedded in our brains from a combination of human nature and nuture. They cant really be stopped or even prevented. Perhaps, it is something the justice system will just have to live with it.

"If you touch my junk..."

As I walked through the airport on Thanksgiving Day, my mind was set on maneuvering my way through the bustling airport and coming out alive. It wasn’t until I sat down on the plane, exhausted, that an absolutely terrifying thought entered my mind-Were my civil liberties just blatantly violated? There has been a lot of controversey about airport security issuing full-body scans and intrusive pat-downs. John Tyner became an internet sensation when he famously declared, during a full body pat down, "If you touch my junk, I'll have you arrested." Personally, I in no way feel comfortable with either option. Yet, if you refuse both, you don't get on your flight. It is most certainly an issue of civil liberties, but is it a violation?
Well, Benjamin franklin would most certainly believe so. He has declared:

"They who would give up essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security. "

This is a man that is the essence of Americanism.

So what does the Constitution say about it?

Well, nothing directly, our founding fathers could not predict the future. But, similiarly, it claims habeus corpus can be suspended in "cases of rebellion and when the public safety requires it" So does this mean civil liberties can be suspended when public safety require it? Does public safety require it?

Who knows. It is up to every American to make their decision on the constitutionality of the government's actions, and from there make decisions that support their beliefs. But in order to make educated decisions, they must first examine the past. They must do what we have been doing in AiS, learning how the government treated civil liberties in the the perilous times of the past.

Power Pointless

One of the most important things I learned this whole school year was how to give an effective presentation. It is one of the few things I've been taught that is directly used in the "real world." It is vital to pretty much any profession, and all forms of higher education. So then why are the majority of presentations poorly created and designed, presentations used by such prestigious organizations as NASA and the U.S military?

There are many pros and cons to powerpoint presentations. Although powerpoint can often contribute to lazy speaking styles, an overload of information, and general clutter; it does provide easy and efficent visual aid. Before powerpoint was created, presentations generally included speaker talking with more audience interaction while scribbling on a whiteboard for their much-needed visuals. So which one's better? Is the world better off without powerpoint?

No, the world is not. Powerpoint can be an effective and engaging form of presentation when used correctly. What we learned in class is essential in creating a society that can make effective presenations, and thus avoid often times dangerous consequences. Learning how to do effective powerpoint presenations should become a standard part of a high school education course, for the sake of the droop-eyed audience of the future.

B & W, Part 2

The more I read The Crucible, the more I realize it is not about the Salem Witch Trials whatsoever, or about anticommunism. It is about the human nature and the roles of perpetrator and victim. It is about the unity that comes about from false accusations. Most recently, it mirrors something very close to the hearts of Americans: The War on Terror. Through some research, I discovered something shockingly eerie.

In act III of the Crucible, Danforth states, “But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there is no road between." Forty-eight years after the play was written and three hundred and nine years after the play took place, our dear President said shockingly similar words. September 20th, 2001 in a press conference George Bush exclaimed, “ Either you are with us or your are with the terrorists.” These mumblings of “you are either with us, or against us" can be seen throughout history and literature, in times of peril.

It is a very polarizing, one-sided view of a situation. It was used by Lenin in communist Russia and Mussolini in fascist Italy. It seems to work magic. People hear these words, and with a strong desire to both belong and not be accused themselves, support the speaker of these words. This two-sided view brings us back to an earlier blog post, B & W. Just as Americans view race in America as black or white, Americans viewed the War on Terrorism. It seems as though in “Perilous Times”, the people’s perspective and open-mindedness is replaced with a black-and-white view of the situation. And this, in itself, is often quite perilous.

"Art Blows"

While discussing the first amendment in ‘Perilous Times”, we came across a very interesting obstacle in interpreting the Constitution. When does a form of media, say a movie, cross the line from a form of art to a form of porn? When does a speech intended for the high school students turn into a public display of sexual rant? How can you define art, in order to help maintain the validity and intention of the Constitution? Namely, what is art?
Well, in my opinion, art is beauty and beauty is in the eye of beholder. It is undefinable. Thus, deeming the constitutionality of a subject by its artistic qualities is unfair and un-American. So what happens when a t.v show has a detailed sex scene? When does it turn into full-blown pornography, and how can we limit it? Maybe, don’t. It sounds crazy, especially considering a porn-like show could be aired on public television. But you know what? That’s what HBO is for. Everything, in a way, is art. And it is unconstitutional to limit the way people express themselves, maybe we can just limit the audience who can view it.

Meta-Post

While rereading my blog post, I was able to view them much more subjectively. There was a definite progression in not only the writing of my posts, but the content and creativity. Just the titles of my first three posts demonstrate the unoriginality and lack of creativeness on my part. They were all posed as questions: “Do Bad People Deserve Good Obituaries?”,“Living a Lie?” and “United We Stand?” Their formats were all the same. First, summarize a topic we had discussed in class. Secondly, pose about this discussion. Third, answer the question. It was boring, uninteresting, and redundant.

But I’m not beating myself up. There were a lot of things I did right I certainly showed more progression. The format has changed in my last couple of posts. Instead of posing a question and answering it, I investigate an issue and leave an opened ended explanation, (not answer!), up to interpretation(check out B&W!) I also began using firsthand experiences and relating to the material.

Simply reading through my comments was eye opening in itself. I noticed that a lot of the commenter’s had picked out certain words or phrases that I had used and criticized them. I was, understandably, berated for my controversial comments such as “race is nothing” and that “everyone can acquire knowledge equally.” Theses weren’t the statements I necessarily believed, but I worded them very poorly and they simply came out wrong. I meant “Biologically speaking, race is nothing” and “everyone is born with the ability to acquire knowledge equally.” These simple changes could have avoided a lot of confusion and controversy.

For the future, there is a lot I need to work on. I really need to focus on variation of content and style of blog posts. I need to be careful with my wording and strong opinions, and try to bring in more sources and multimedia than just my opinion and class discussion.

From College Fun To Unemployed Bum

As we discussed college acceptance in class and the competitive nature of education, I noticed myself subconsciously droning out the murmur of college talk. Frankly, I’m sick of it. It is the expectations of our society: college, job, and family (and in that order!) But it’s not that easy. As the recession puts up an impressive battle,more and more recent college graduates find themselves unemployed and thousands in debt. I have a pretty typical high school job: cashier at a pizza joint. And most of my colleagues are, you guessed it, college graduates. Many are from the area, recently graduated, and have resorted to moving back home and working minimum wage.
Similarly, my sister graduated college last year with a degree in social work, while many of her friends graduated with degrees in considerably notable majors. She is a nanny. Majority of her friends are unemployed or work in retail. These are intelligent and motivated former New Trier students! They could be unemployed or working these jobs without college degrees, and have saved themselves the $80,000 or so debt they’re in. ABC News reports that 80.3% of the kids that graduate college this year will graduate without a job. Yet the unemployment rate is twice as high for people with no college diploma than for college graduates. So, economically speaking, is college really worth it?

B & W

As we discussed the topic of race in class this week, we learned that race is truly nothing. It is a man-made invention to help attain and maintain power and there is no actual biological differences between different “races.” However, I was misinformed, and I always considered there to be two main races in America : black and white (although this is an extremely naïve conclusion). My mother would always tell me to use the term African-American instead of black to be more politically correct. But after our many heated discussions, I have realized that African-American is not an accurate term. These people were born and raised in America, and are culturally completely American. My family came from Russia not too long ago, and you don’t see people referring to me as Russian-American. Sure, some may have come over from Africa but some have families that have been here for hundreds of years. And in the long run, aren’t we all from Africa and thus all “African-Americans?”

But on the other hand, black doesn’t seem right either. Skin comes in many different shades, you can’t just put people into one of two categories : black and white. So, are they black or African-American? Neither. I think the first step in breaking down and diminishing the distinguishes between race is not labeling people. Race is really nothing. And once we stop using words that separate us and imply “otherness, we can finally begin our descent into a truly raceless society,

Signs...

This week in AiS we discussed why large-scale companies that have extremely identifiable logos on their signs are subdued on the North Shore. It’s something so few people notice and is so seemingly miniscule, but reveals so much about the culture of the North Shore. It’s not that the North Shore simply consists of small, local businesses. Think about the Dairy Queen in Wilmette or the McDonalds in Winnetka. No sign and small sign. So why is it that these signs are subdued on the suburbs of the North Shore, yet extremely obtuse and visible in most other suburbs, say Wheeling?

It is a direct result of the culture and attitude of the north shore. First off, there is a large amount of pride that goes into living on the North Shore. It is a famous, upscale, beautiful community and its residents want to maintain its allure. Having these large, obtuse signs does not mesh well with the whole “local” and “community” feel. It would seem to urbanize the North Shore. In addition, there is a very typical attitude of entitlement and egotism found on the North Shore. Its residents don’t want to scoop down to the level of a typically small, rural American town and have the same large, obnoxious signs. I understand this is a complete generalization and stereotype and not everyone on the North Shore acts like this. However, the ones that do are often the more domineering and get what they want. For better or for worse, these signs do not exist in our community and separate the North Shore from mainstream America.

United We Stand?

As yet another anniversary of 9/11 passed, America paused their lives for a moment to reflect. The day will remain embedded in the minds of all Americans, and with it they remember a day of chillingly cruel terror. It was horrific, in the least. Yet, as we discussed in class, it was a day of unity. Every single American was in the same state of fear, and they came together to grieve. Borders were broken down, and labels disappeared.

Yet, exactly nine years later, this unity has been long lost. It has been replaced by division and hate. It isn’t America anymore, but Americans that want the mosque or Americans that don’t. Americans that blame Al Qaeda and Americans that blame our very own government. Yes, in tragedy does come unity, but it was very short lived. So I ask, how can America achieve lasting unity? How can we break down the invisible borders so obviously impeding our growth?

Living A Lie?

During AiS class, Mr. Bolos asked a very simple question: Why did we go to war in Iraq? There were various answers- Saddam Hussein, 9/11, Al Qaeda. Perhaps it’s due to our youth at the time, but it took quite awhile for someone to come up with the real answer: weapons of mass destruction. That’s what the government claimed, and although evidence existed that disproved this statement, the media and government did not present it.

It brings up a good point. Everyone is born with different levels of intelligence, but, for the most part, everyone can acquire knowledge equally. With the overwhelming presence of the media and the government, the knowledge we acquire is “chosen”. It seems like a form of brain washing, in a way. So, what is real? There could be truths that we will never know.

It sounds like an end-of-the-world, paranoid type of movie. But it’s true. WMD was a lie that could be proven wrong. But there could be plenty of widely known, accepted facts that could be lies as well. We could all be living a lie.

Do "Bad" People Deserve "Good" Obituaries?

While composing the biography of Mr. Bolos, it appeared to me as more of an obituary. As strange as it seems, obituaries have always fascinated me, and I’m sure others can relate. As I browsed http://www.obituaries.com/Obits.asp, I felt oddly happy. It was heartwarming to read about the accomplishments and how meaningful these everyday people were in the lives of others. ‘There really are good people out there’ I thought to myself. And then it hit me. Yes, It’s nice to think that all these people really were great, but that’s just not realistic. I’m sure many had flaws, mean streaks, hidden secrets and crimes. But these people are deceased and it’s morally wrong to acknowledge their wrongdoings, right?

Right. Everyone has flaws. But what about people that surpass flawed, what about people that have committed atrocities, that are inherently evil? For instance, should the obituaries of serial killers focus on their crimes or their life? I googled “Serial killers obituaries” and I clicked on the first entry I found-http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/nyregion/12shawcross.html. While other obituaries detail the life of the deceased, this was almost entirely on the murders and its details. I was split. On one hand, this is a man that coldheartedly killed 11 women. On the other hand, he lived a troubled life and there was more to him than these murders. I concluded that the morally right thing to do is to mention the killings in minor detail but everything included in a “normal” obituary should be included as well. Serial killers are not animals, they are people. And, while acknowledging their wrongdoings, these people deserve obituaries celebrating their lives as well.