The World According to Victoria

My opinion of America

2009-06-01T10:58:00.003-05:00

In my opinion, America is replaying events in a historical cycle. The picture that I took is that of a vacant house with an overgrown lawn and a for sale sign in the yard. In class we discussed how America today is similar to America in the 1920’s. There is mass consumption and materialism and hustling and bustling just like there was in the 1920’s; this is followed by a huge economic decline. Also, both times were post-war eras; in the 1920’s it was right after WWI and now we are almost in a post-war era following the Iraq/Afghanistan war that is going on right now. I did not have the ability to put in the see, think, wonder activity to my final on voicethread so I felt that I should now. In the picture I see lawn bags on a black driveway; I see a sad looking for sale sign in the corner of the lot. I see an overgrown lawn. I think the house has been vacant for a long time. I think that the house is in foreclosure. I think that there are lawn clippings in the bags that rest at the end of the driveway. I wonder how long this house will sit vacant. I wonder if this house was built for a family and now they are unable to afford the house. I wonder what will happen to this house.

Obama Appoints Supreme Court Justice

2009-05-27T11:14:00.003-05:00

At the end of next month, Justice David Souter is set to retire; this gives President Obama a huge opportunity to appoint another supreme court justice. Yesterday, President Obama announced that he would like to appoint Judge Sonia Sotomayor to this position. Sotomayor is a Puerto Rican immigrant and would be the first hispanic judge appointed to the Supreme Court. With this nomination comes a lot of controversy about whether or not the U.S.A is ready for her and whether or not she is the right person to put on the Supreme Court. We were talking today about Sotomayor's life story and how it follows the very popular pattern of rising from the darkness into light. She was born in the housing projects in the Bronx, NY and neither her father or mother had a high level of education. She got a scholarship to Princeton and graduated top in her class; after which she continued on to Yale Law School and also graduated first in her class there. This is the classic redemptive arc that everyone loves to see in people who are public figures. The rest of the process looks like this: the U.S. House and Senate must approve her nomination prior to her being the confirmed replacement for Justice David Souter. My one question is about President Obama: Is this presidency going to be one of firsts only? President Obama is the first ever African-American president so was that just the beginning? What is your opinion?

The Flag: Reconsidered

2009-05-10T19:16:00.003-05:00

So, as we all know our assignment for this week was to get a picture of an American flag and then analyze the choices that we made. So, I looked all around for flags and what not and I discovered that it was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. Flags are not all around the country like they used to be; on my block there is a total of ONE and it is at my house. I pulled in the driveway this afternoon to discover my dad putting up a brand new American flag and removing our old tattered one. He also happened to be wearing a sweater with an American flag on it. These sweaters were made by my Aunt while she was undergoing chemotherapy. Every person in my family had one, that is, when I was 7 and we wore them on Memorial Day to the town parade (all 12 minutes of it) and on Fourth of July if it wasn't very warm. We quickly out grew those sweaters and gave them away to charity. I chose to take a picture of my dad in his sweater next to our American flag because it symbolizes family, pride for our country and it reminds me of when I was younger. Looking for the perfect picture for this assignment was very difficult. I found myself driving around and every time I saw an American flag I would pull over and take tons of pictures of it. Over the course of about an hours drive I found a total of 6 flags. I find that to be pathetic. Our country is at war and we have the audacity to not put flags up. Our country is in distress with all the violence, the economy, the war that we have been fighting since 9/11. The troops are fighting to protect our country, I do not believe that this is a just war, but I do believe that we need to at least show them, even if we do not believe we should be at war, that we support what they are doing. The flag that I chose and the way I wanted to display the picture is for them. My family may not support this war and may not believe that what George Bush did was the right thing to do, but we do support the troops. My great uncle fought in Vietnam and has told us that he is embarrassed at how little support we now give to our troops. I do believe that they should come home, but while they are away we owe them that much. We owe them our lives and to show them that we are grateful we should fly our flags. If American's believe so much in their flag or have that much pride in our country then why are they not flying their American flags? I wanted to show that we have support for our troops and I wanted to point out that even if we do not truly believe in what we are doing, it is good to show support for the country, by flying the flag or wearing a shirt with a flag on it.

SWEET RELIEF!!

2009-05-04T19:26:00.002-05:00

Today, at 5:58 to be exact, I completed my entire junior theme. All of the packets have been put together, everything has been printed, and it is sitting in my back pack. I am feeling very relieved after that. It was very stressful for a week or so when I needed to get everything done because I knew I'd be busy for the days leading up to the day our rough draft was due and the weekend before our final draft was due. I feel so great following this! I am sure that I will feel even better tomorrow after I turn in the paper, but all I can say is THANK GOD IT IS FINISHED!! I enjoyed my topic and researching it, which made, it a lot easier to write. I am just glad that it is finished.

Most of Paper

2009-04-29T19:22:00.003-05:00

Hey guys! So I have almost completed the draft of my paper and thought that maybe it'd be a good idea to post what I have done so far and have anyone read it. Any constructive criticism is appreciated!

“Poor Little Rich Kids”

In 1983, American’s were stunned to learn that Karen Carpenter had been pronounced dead at a California hospital. While being only 32 years old, she weighed only 108 pounds and her death was caused by cardiac arrest due to a strain placed upon her heart by anorexia (Young). Karen Carpenter had suffered from anorexia for most of her life; her father, Richard Carpenter recalls that she was a “chubby teenager” (Young). Not until she collapsed performing in Las Vegas and was told she was “35 pounds underweight” did she realize that she needed help (Young). Even now in 2009, this is not an unusual scenario in the US; many celebrities have been treated for or watched for eating disorders. While the media flashes the images of emaciated Mary Kate Olson or Lindsey Lohan young teenagers sit at home wishing they could look just like them. The number of eating disorders diagnosed in the US has been consistently going up over the past few decades-particularly in affluent areas. Why are eating disorders more prevalent in affluent areas in teenagers? I believe that eating disorders are more prevalent in affluent area teenagers because of new diagnostic testing, pressure by the media to look like celebrities, pressure by men to be model skinny, and pressure by high-income parents to succeed.

Over the past 50 years, the ability to diagnose eating disorders and other psychological disorders has increased which has lead to an apparent increase in the eating disorders being diagnosed. In the 1970s people finally began to publicly discuss a mental disorder that had been around since the 1870s (Kahrs). Over the past 40 years, the disease has been studied extensively in both the United States and Britain (Kahrs). Now in the 21^st century, the ability to diagnose various mental disorders is so much greater. In a phone interview with an eating disorder specialist, Dr. Jamie Gayle said that there is usually an underlying psychological disorder such as “bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders or other addictive behaviors” (Gayle). Since technology has advanced over the past few decades, the ability to diagnose these disorders has improved, therefore the perceived number of cases has gone up. Because of increased ability to diagnose psychological disorders, the number of people with eating disorders has increased.

In this new age of technology, the media constantly alters women’s ideas about

how their bodies should look based on how celebrities bodies look. Teenagers in affluent areas “ [know] a thing or two about dieting, fitness, and cosmetic surgery” and they learn these things from various media sources (Martin 95). But what they do not know is that every photo is retouched: a process by which editors remove excess body fat they do not like, put in ripped abs and cover up any blemishes. Vanity Fair, US Weekly, and People Magazine, regularly have articles about the latest celebrity diet fads and exactly how to get that look the celebrities have. After watching the covers change week by week, it seems that these magazines virtually never place pictures of an average sized woman on the cover. As L.A. Times reporter Emili Veslind points out in her article, “Fashion’s Invisible Woman”, “The average American Woman is size 14.” Instead what these magazines offer are images of “miraculously disappearing Nicole Richie” or the “once full-cheeked Lindsey Lohan” (Martin 144). The media is manipulating the minds of young girls into believing that skinny is the way to be and that they should do whatever it takes to be that way. A study done by Anne E. Becker M.D. in 1995 on people in Fiji, saw an increase in dieting between 1995 and 1998. She interviewed some young teenagers in affluent areas of Fiji, and they cited “the appearance of the attractive actors on shows like ‘Beverley Hills 90210’ and ‘Melrose Place’ as the inspiration for the weight loss,” (Derenne & Beresin). The pressure that the media places on young girls to be skinny and look like the celebrities causes young girls to develop eating disorders to fit the mold.

Boys and men place pressure on women to be the “ideal standard of beauty” (Worsnop). Finding a true love or soul mate is always on the minds of young women from the time puberty hits. One of the main things that most women worry about is that “they will never be able to attract the hypercritical male sex” (Martin 184). This idea of attracting the hypercritical male makes most women worry about their body so they begin to diet excessively to keep their idea of what size a man wants. Courtney Martin interviewed many men, in her book Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters. She found that none of the men lust for “women who spend the bulk of their free time obsessing over the size of their thighs” (Martin 187). Why do women still believe that men want a skinny mate? It is believed this stems from the 1950s when women were expected to be skinny and the perfect housewife. Even though most men will not admit that they want this “ideal” woman as a mate they do still hold that idea on a pedestal. The pressures placed on women by men to have the perfect figure causes young women and women to stress more about their weight.

Junior Theme Intro

2009-04-24T09:46:00.002-05:00

So, it just occurred to me that maybe I should post my introduction online so that other people can read it and give me constructive feedback. Please read and give me feedback! I'd love to hear anything that you have to say! Body paragraphs will be posted soon! So here it is:

“Poor Little Rich Kids”
In 1983, American’s were stunned to learn that Karen Carpenter was pronounced dead at a California hospital. At only 32 years old, Carpenter was 5 foot 4 inches and a shocking 108 pounds; her death was caused by cardiac arrest due to a strain placed on her heart by anorexia (Young). Karen Carpenter had suffered from anorexia for most of her life; she was the daughter of a celebrity and she was a “chubby teenager” who was always being watched (Young). Not until she collapsed performing in Las Vegas and was told she was “35 pounds underweight” did she realize she needed help (Young). Something that used to be so uncommon is now a usual scenario in the US; many celebrities have been treated for or watched for eating disorders. While the media flashes the images of emaciated Mary Kate Olson or Lindsey Lohan young teenagers sit at home wishing they could look just like the celebrities. The number of eating disorders diagnosed in the US has been consistently going up over the past few decades-particularly in affluent areas. Why are eating disorders more prevalent in affluent areas in teenagers? I believe that eating disorders are more prevalent among affluent area teenagers because of low self-esteem, pressure by the media to look like the celebrities, increase in diagnosis of psychological disorders, and pressure by high-income parents to be perfect.

JR. Theme Update

2009-04-24T08:58:00.002-05:00

I am sitting in class just thinking about everything that I still have to do on my junior theme but instead of stressing out and having a panic attack I am calm. I feel really good about the whole paper. I have completed my interview, read many of my sources, worked on my bibliography, and gotten my introduction almost finalized. I am feeling really great! After some technical difficulties, my interview went great! I was soo relieved to have completed it! I interviewed Dr. Jamie Gayle, who works at Insight which is an eating disorder clinic that operates on the North Shore. She was very helpful and gave me a ton of answers to many of the questions. She also gave me very helpful information and statistics. Infact, she also asked me to e-mail her my paper when I have a final draft! I was ecstatic that she wants to read the paper. I feel good about my paper. Not very stressed out, however, I am planning on working on my junior theme for most of this upcoming weekend. I just have a request, could we PLEASE be in the library some more! I'd love it if that was possible!

JR. THEME RELEAF

2009-04-16T08:55:00.002-05:00

After the initial panic of junior theme and working on it and getting everything finished I seem to have a handle on everything that needs to get done. I am still feeling very rushed and pressured to move faster and get everything done but I have calmed down a bit. I have begun reading my book and many other sources and I also have an interview set up for Monday. I am still concerned however that it is going to be a race to the finish and that we are just going to be running, running, running until this paper is due. I don't have that much of a problem with it, it is more that I have other things that must be done and I am sort of seeing the whole, junior year kills you thing. I knew it was coming but I am having trouble adjusting the it all. I love high school and everything, but I CAN NOT WAIT for it to be the end of the school year and summer. Even though I am aware that summer, may not bring the same relief that it has brought in the past, I am totally ready for it to be the end of the school year to have all of this stress GONE!

HELP!! Junior Theme!!

2009-04-08T09:14:00.003-05:00

After having our Junior Theme for about a week or so, we are supposed to have an idea for our book. I am not there yet. Every time that I here from someone saying that they are doing really well with their junior theme I feel ridiculous because I do not seem to be on the same page. IS anyone else feeling this way? I am also having trouble believing that our introduction is due next Monday! I am not feeling prepared at all!! HELP! Any Suggestions??

Junior Theme

2009-03-31T09:51:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we got our junior theme assignment and it instantly overwhelmed me. I had no ideas as to what I was going to write about and I was completely speechless at the thought of writing this paper. After talking to a few people I came up with some ideas but I thought it'd be a good idea to post these ideas on the blog and see if you guys have any ideas. My first thought was something about eating disorders, perfection, and birth control, and mental illness. I really like the idea of doing something about eating disorders. Like, Why is American Society fixated with being skinny? Anyone have any thoughts?? Any help is appreciated!

Little Does Not Mean Less Than

2009-03-23T14:56:00.003-05:00

I recently heard a very inspiring story of an athlete. This is a girl who never thought she would ever be able to play basketball. Her own sister was cut from many teams because she was too short, even though she was about 5'9" tall. This girl, whose name I am choosing not to mention, was about 5'4" tall, half blind, partially deaf, and with one leg shorter than another, never believed that she would be able to play basketball competitively. So, when a New York college called her and offered her a full-scholarship to play basketball, she was shocked and believed it was too good to be true. She was wrong. And now, almost a year later she is one of the best players that the team has and is loving every minute of it. This story was meant to inspire everyone, and it did that to me. I have to think that if I was put in this position, I would have quit or given up all hope. But this girl, did not do that, she pushed through it all and is enjoying playing basketball with those girls who are almost a foot taller than she is. I can not help to think that we are teaching kids to give up in a way. If every sport, at some point is cut by height, no matter what the skill level of the players is, it is showing kids that height matters. And in the world today, size does matter. If you are too skinny, or too fat, too tall or too short people are always judging you and sometimes decide things based off the fact that you are built differently than the AVERAGE person who does that sport is. I was just so inspired by this story that I thought of the way that our athletics are fielded and can not help but think that maybe, we need to give some of the irregularly sized for their sport athletes, a chance. What do you think?

TIGHTER GUN CONTROL LAWS MUST COME!!

2009-03-16T20:18:00.002-05:00

Over the weekend, another CPS student was innocently killed while riding home from a high school basketball game. Gregory Robinson was on his way home with another relative and small children when he was shot and killed. He is the 28th Chicago Public School student killed by gunfire this year alone! This may be by cross-fire, they may not be the intended targets or they may be; it could be related to gangs or drugs or they could just be innocent children who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whatever the case may be, they were killed by GUNS! Many times the guns are not legally obtained and they are not registered! After having so many students lives claimed by gun fire I think that it is time for there to be tighter gun control laws. While I also believe that criminals will be criminals and may always find a way to obtain a gun or kill someone, I still believe that the best way to reduce the number of casualties from gunfire is to have tighter gun control laws! To have mandatory background checks on all people buying guns, make it impossible for them to obtain more than one gun at a time, and that if there is any criminal report of violence or any criminal past that they are unable to obtain the gun. What do you think? Should their be tighter gun control laws?

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE WORLD?!?!

2009-03-11T17:56:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, a man in Alabama shot and killed 10 people before killing himself; in Germany, a gunman shot and killed 15 people, teachers and students from a college, before killing himself. What do these two cases have in common? Both involve a white male and the killing of what appears to be unrelated victims; the gunman, supposedly, had no specific people that they wanted to kill. I have to wonder if this increase in violence and shooing deaths has anything to do with the horrible economic conditions? My mom suggested that many of the acts of violence that are occurring has something to do with how horribly the economy is going. More people, it seems to me, have been killed by gunfire and more robberies have occurred. People would rather kill their families or other people and then themselves than ask for help? or possibly even go to jail. This is ridiculous! Many people believe that the actions being seen now are just like some of the actions seen during the Great Depression. The Depression was more limited to the men committing suicide and leaving behind their families but at the same time it is not quite as bad. However, if the economy continues this way, I believe that possibly we could see even more crime occurring and even more murder-suicides or just murders. What do you think?

What does it mean to be "un-American"?

2009-02-27T15:46:00.003-06:00

Last night I was watching an episode of the ABC hit show Boston Legal, when a character named Denny Crane, said, "You're either for the war or you are unamerican." or something to that effect. This reminded me of the Crucible and our discussion of the War in Iraq. In the Crucible, there is a quote that says, "you are either with this court or against this court." I have to say that I disagree with this thought because I do not believe that you are either for the war (in Iraq) or you are "unamerican". What exactly does it mean to be "un-American"? I absolutely support our troops, but I don't know that I support the war that is going on currently. I want our troops to keep our country safe and I want them to protect us, but I do not believe that we should call people "un-Americna" for saying that our troops should come home or that we are not for the war that is going on. Today, President Obama announced his time table for withdrawing troops from Iraq; this time table would be removing troops with all of them being out of Iraq by August 2010. I think that it is interesting that President Obama has made a decision for how to handle the war in Iraq while only having been in office for a little over a month. I would like to return to my original question however, What exactly does it mean to be "un-American"?

RUN AWAY!! RUN AWAY FROM THE...illness?

2009-02-13T16:30:00.003-06:00

I am pretty sure that everyone has been affected by the illness being passed around NT in some way or another. And it sucks! Over the past few weeks, NT has been experiencing an extreme case of a cold/flu bug that has been traveling from person to person and causing mass absences. This illness is pretty much a cold with extreme symptoms such as a very sore throat, slight fever, and of course the stuffy/runny nose. It seems as though throughout the 3 years I have been at NT, there has been some sort of epidemic every year. Freshman year there was the whooping cough outbreak, sophomore year there was the norovirus and now this year the extreme cold. I know that I have been affected by the illness, not once, not twice, but now almost 3 times! This is ridiculous. I know when I went to the nurse they told me that it was an "upper respiratory viral infection" (in regular terms: a bad cold). I also found out recently that between 100 and 200 people were sent home a few days last week to add to the already 300 people sick at home!! Ridiculous?? I think that it may be just slightly ridiculous that so many people are sick or have been sick over the past month or so. What should be done about this? I think that we should close the school for a day and have the school completely disinfected. I think that it would be very beneficial to combat this illness. There was a Chicago school that closed its doors this week for a day in order to disinfect the school because they had a flu virus going around. Why don't we follow in their footsteps? I think that if this cold or whatever it is doesn't go away soon, we may need to. What should we do? Should we disinfect the entire school? Or is this just an exaggeration?

Blagojevich removed!! Blagojevich removed!!

2009-01-29T17:18:00.002-06:00

Today, Thursday, January 29, 2009, Governor Rod. R. Blagojevich was removed from office around 4:45. This should not come as a surprise to anyone considering if the Illinois HOR wasn't going to remove him from office they would not have passed the vote. Another thing to add, he is unable to run for any other public office in the state of Illinois. The vote was 59-0 for both of these things; I find it to be rather sad that no one believed in the governor or voted for him to remain in office. That shows the intent of the senate to convict the, now former, governor. This was a very historic conviction due to the fact that no other Illinois governor has been impeached and removed from office. He was the "FIRST EVER" to quote Mr. O'Connor to be removed from the office of Governor. Blagojevich never attended the trial nor did he put up a defense against the charges. He merely showed up today to give a "pity speech" as I put it to, in a way, plead his case. I think that this is a great day and the turn of a new era in the Illinois government. The one thing, I believe, is crucial to turn this government around is that we need to believe that the new governor, Pat Quinn, can change the government and earn our trust. We also need to give him time; do not expect for him to be able to change the government in a day. The same trust that we are putting in President Obama, we must give to the new governor. The phrase, "Rome wasn't built in a day" certainly applies here. Any opinions?

Being a Part of History

2009-01-19T07:44:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow, January 20th, 2009, President-elect Barack Obama will be sworn into office as the 44th president of the United States of America and the first African-American president. I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to be a part of history, by be able to attend a reception held at a law firm in along the Parade route. I am extremely excited to be a part of history and I know that there are many people who are extremely jealous of my opportunity. I am going to be a part of history. That absolutely astounds me!! Everyone that I have talked to has told me to take lots of pictures but I recently read about all the security restrictions and I am shocked by it all. The restrictions include no bag larger than 8"x6", only certain size camera's are allowed, and the list goes on and on. I am thinking that the history in the making will not only include swearing in the first African-American president, but probably the most people attending the inauguration, and possibly the most security restrictions too. I will write more about history later, after it happens.

"I'm at the starting line of the rest of my life, as ready as I've ever been."

2009-01-11T16:39:00.002-06:00

So seeing as how we are about to enter our second semester of junior year, I felt it was necessary to talk about how close we are to being on our own. On Friday I got my PSAT results, along with a letter about how the post high school counseling office is going to function. I read the letter and I was shocked to learn that we are honestly so close to going to college. I mean, I know that we are juniors and what not and that it is just around the corner, but hearing about talking to your Post High School Counselor is going to start really soon, scared me! I couldn't help but ask myself, where did the good old days of nap time and book reports go? When did I trade those late night talking session for late night cramming sessions? We are going into our second semester of junior year in a little bit more than a week and that means that we are closer than ever to being seniors and having to make those huge decisions about college. At least for me, I feel extremely anxious and nervous about the entire process. I don't know if it is just me feeling that way or if others are too but I feel like it sort of snuck up on us. To think about the fact that in a little over a year, we will be about a semester away from GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL is very intimidating. So I found myself listening to this song called, "Ready, Set, Don't go" by Billy Ray Cyrus. A lyric caught my eye, "I'm at the starting line of the rest of my life, as ready as I've ever been." To me, that line sums up completely where we are in our lives. We must now begin making all these decisions and thinking about the rest of our lives. And I do feel that I am as ready as I have ever been to make those decisions, just because of the amazing progress in school that I have made and with everything. I am nervous but I am excited too! Because I believe, that even though it is very close to happening, we are ready to begin the rest of our lives. And I know that if I fall and need help, my parents will be there for me. Anyone else feeling the anxiety of graduation and what not?

Mr. Burris goes to Washington

2009-01-06T20:02:00.003-06:00

After talking about "Tokenism" on dramas on TV during class, I became more critical of tokenism in real life. My parents brought up tokenism in the Senate, mostly surrounding the appointment of Roland Burris to fill Barack Obama's senate seat. Today was the day that all the newly elected officials in the Senate were set to be sworn in. Roland Burris was expected to be one of them; he was not sworn in because Jesse White, the secretary of state in Illinois, has not signed off on his appointment. At least that is the reason that the Senate is claiming for not swearing him in. But my dad asked if the Senate should swear him in just because he is african american? I do not believe that they should make their decision based off his race and whether or not he is a minority. Blagojevich, however, did make Burris a token in the Senate. He replaced an african american with another african american just because of the race. He made the decision based off the fact that Burris was african american and no based off the fact that he may have been qualified. That is my honest opinion of what he did and why he did it. I do not disagree that he should appoint someone, but the fact that one of the reasons he chose Burris is because he is african american just disgusts me. I would have thought that in the government, there was not tokenism, or at least hoped but I am wrong. And I can't believe that it is not only in TV show, but it is also in the US government. What do you think? Do you think that Blagojevich did this to make Burris a token? Do you think that he did it because Burris is African American?

NEW SENATOR APPOINTED!!

2009-01-01T16:53:00.003-06:00

On December 30, 2008, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich nominated Roland Burris to replace President Elect Barack Obama in the US senate. This came after many pleas from the Illinois senate for the governor to not appoint a replacement right now due to all the scandal surrounding him. The governor did not listen, which I believe is a complete mistake. I think that he is not in any position to appoint someone to a seat that he has been accused of trying to sell. I do not disagree with his choice, I merely think that it wasn't the best time for him to appoint someone. On the other hand, I believe that he wanted for someone to fill the seat and to prove that he is capable of doing something right. I am still not in agreement with his appointing someone to the seat at this point in time. The senate is attempting to find some way for Burris to not be appointed to the seat that has been vacated by the president elect, however it appears that those ideas are slim. There is one thing that may help to prevent his appointment, the fact that the Secretary of State must sign off on the appointment and currently Jesse White, the Illinois Secretary of State, has not done that. That doesn't really mean anything right now, but it could some day. What do you think of the appointment?

Governor Resigns? Think Again

2008-12-29T10:43:00.003-06:00

On December 9th, 2008 at approximately 6:30 in the morning, our governor, Rod Blagojevich was arrested at his home. What were the charges or allegations? He has been accused of trying to sell President Elect Barack Obama's senate seat. It is unclear, as of now, as to if this is true or not, but the governor maintains that he has done nothing wrong. But does that mean that we still should not impeach him? Or accuse him of doing something wrong as a governor? Well, almost immediately following his arrest, the House of Representatives in the Illinois Government began the work to impeach the governor. Should he be impeached? In my opinion, yes he should be impeached. He has just added to the long history of Illinois governor's who have broken the law. I would prefer for Blagojevich to resign before the HOR gets to the point of impeachment but he maintains his innocence and in this country, he does have that right. But what does this mean for Illinois? It means that we are unlikely to get the Olympics to Chicago in 2016 because of the scandals and the fact that if we can not even manage to have a decent governor how can they expect us to manage the Olympics? Well, it is just the way the cookie crumbles. What do you think? Have we lost our shot at having the Olympics? Should Blagojevich resign?

EXTREME Weather

2008-12-29T10:28:00.002-06:00

I know that we live in Chicago and that where we live is a very extreme climate, but seriously what is with the weather?!?!? Talk about extreme changes and climates over the past month the weather has gone from freezing cold to unseasonably warm, from snow and ice to rain and sun. Look at just this past week alone, we had below zero temperatures on Monday and a snowstorm on Tuesday. Then Wednesday and Thursday we had normal December temperatures and weather which was refreshing. Then Friday we had ICE and FOG and then Saturday rain and tying of a record high. What is happening to this world?!?! I can not remember another month in which the weather went from one extreme to the other in no time whatsoever. Is it global warming or is it just Chicago? Well it is not just Chicago because the rest of the country has been pounded with wacky weather too! Seattle almost never gets snow and this month they have gotten snow! And on the East Coast, they normally have snow but not the two and a half feet that they have gotten over the month. It may just be me, but I am thinking that this is not just a myth, this is something in the world changing and maybe, just maybe, it's Global Warming.

We Give Thanks

2008-11-26T19:49:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Every year in America, families across the USA celebrate this very important day in history by giving thanks. As it has fallen into being a tradition, families eat Turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, and various other things that have come into being parts of a "TRADITIONAL" dinner. The day is meant to be a day spent with family and friends remarking on what has happened over the past year, eating good food, and telling what you are grateful for. Every year I find it to be harder and harder to say what I am thankful for. That is not because I am becoming less grateful for some of the small things that I have, but because when I explain what I am thankful for this year I want it to be meaningful and have an impact on the people at my table. In my family, when we sit down for dinner we go around the table and tell what we are grateful for. It is our family tradition to do that but not everyone's tradition. I have learned some traditions that other families have, and some of them strike me as being slightly odd. But overall in the world, things are not going very well so I ask what are you grateful for this year? Is it something that you thought you would be thankful for?

WE CAN CHANGE!!

2008-11-07T07:30:00.003-06:00

It is official! After a nearly 22 month campaign, it is official that Barack Obama is the 44th president of the United States of America. He is the first african-american president of the USA! This election was a historic one no matter who won the election. And as the election got closer and closer, the polls showed that the race was tighter than ever. However, with almost all the states reporting, Barack Obama won the presidents race by a landslide. With Obama having 349 electoral votes and John McCain having only 163 electoral votes, it was by any standards a landslide victory. My dad was talking to me about how when I grow up I will be able to tell my kids and grandkids about this election and how it was so historic and that I was at an age that I not only knew what was going on, but could form my own opinion. And I realized something, that this was a very historic election and that I will be able to tell my kids and grandkids about this but that to them, it probably won't seem like it is that big of a deal. Why? Because hopefully by that time this country will have had many other African-American presidents, and female presidents, and other types of presidents. The idea of them not truly understanding what a big deal this was shocks me. But also reminds me of how our grandparents must feel when they tell us about big things that occurred during their lifetimes that we can not relate to at all. History has been made and it will be able to be discussed later but people truly will not understand it in the future. CONGRATS OBAMA!!

Hard Partying

2008-11-07T07:17:00.003-06:00

Everyone knows that teens party, and drink, and try various other things that are not good for them but they do them. But it has been getting increasingly worse over the years. More and more teens are getting totally wasted on weekends and on week nights too! It is becoming an epidemic and it is not going to go away by lowering the drinking age!! I understand the idea of lowering the drinking age to give kids a chance to drink before going to college so that then they do not abuse it and then fewer college kids end up with alcohol poisoning but i don't believe that it is going to help at all. I think that the only thing it is going to do is allow more kids to party and get wasted and drink heavily. And it isn't as if teens do not have access to alcohol now or can get it. Parents, older siblings, even the teens themselves can go and buy liquor and then drink it and party so what is the point in lowering the drinking age? All it is going to do is get more and more teens to go out and get totally wasted! And it will most likely increase the number of cases of alcohol poisoning. I totally get the idea of exposing kids to the drinking thing to try and prevent alcohol poisoning but I do not believe that it is going to help anything. What do you think? Should the drinking age be lowered? Why or why not?

Hudson Tragedy

2008-10-27T20:29:00.003-05:00

On Friday, October 24, 2008, Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother were murdered in their South Side home and then this morning the body of her nephew was discovered. This is a horrible thing that occurred and I hope that the person who did this will be caught and prosecuted. However, I have to look at how hard this tragedy has hit so many not because they are related to Jennifer Hudson, but because they themselves have experienced a tragedy like this. How many of these stories have we heard on the news every night? How many times do you tune yourself out to hearing: "Another CPS Student Shot" or "Woman Murdered"? Every one feels bad for the victim's families but they do not receive the same mass attention that the Hudson family is receiving. Why is that? Because the people who have also experienced murders and child abductions are just normal every day people and Jennifer Hudson is a celebrity. I just can not help but think of what a horrible thing occurred to this family but how much attention this event is drawing, mostly due to Hudson's star power. I think that maybe this mass murder will cause people to look at the world differently and realize that it can happen to anyone.

But, I have to wonder also how the families of other tragedies like this are feeling hearing how much attention this story is getting and how little, or maybe not little, attention their own story got. This truly reveals the biases of the media and the public to concern themselves with events that happened to celebrities. And to also mass publicize the details and what not for everyone to read. I truly feel for the family of Jennifer Hudson and that of the other families who have experienced such a tragedy.

Maybe this will show what situation the country truly is in and how people are willing to do anything they can for their own possible gain. What is your take on the media coverage of this murder?

I'm wearing a pin! And you can't stop me!!

2008-10-21T19:05:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, Mr. Bolos told us about something that happened to his daughter. She wore a button in support of a candidate, to school. He informed us of how excited she was but that she was asked to remove the pin. I originally thought it was strange but then I noticed something in my family. My brother has been wearing a pin in support of Obama for a week. I asked him if it was cool for him to wear the pin and he said it was fine. Both of these stories absolutely shocked me! Both of these stories take place in a public middle school and involve a child wearing a pin in support of a political candidate but each was treated differently.

I believe that every person has a right to wear whatever pin they want whether it be for a political candidate or for something like a movie or sport. But the argument is that these kids are not even of voting age and are supporting a candidate, and also that due to their young age, they are changing the minds of others just by wearing the pin. I don't believe that someone, even as young as middle schoolers, should be asked to remove a pin that is in support of something they believe in! And if it isn't a distraction in the classroom then the teachers should not bring it up because that is just creating a distraction! Both of these issues are that of freedom of expression and in school involving students, things get o be a bit tricky! But I believe that if a student, any student, wants to wear a pin, whether political or not, to school then unless it is disruptive to the learning environment, that they should be allowed to!! (except in private school settings) What do you believe? If you wore a pin to school, supporting a political candidate, would you be offended if you were asked to remove it? I know i would be!

Size 4 the new Size 14?

2008-10-13T19:48:00.003-05:00

Society has always been fixated with the appearance of others. The first impression people get of others is always based off their outer appearance; whether the person is dressed in the style, or stuck in another decade, or if the person is heavy vs. being skinny, whatever they look like on the outside is the first thing that people think about each other. But recently, I have noticed that people are calling others "fat" if they are not a size 0 or 2. I noticed it in regards to Cheryl Burke, a dancer on the TV show Dancing With the Stars. Over the summer, she gained a few pounds and it was only slightly noticeable to the people who have seen her in previous seasons. But how is going from 120 pounds to 125 or 130 pounds considered fat?

I don't understand that whole thing of being fat if you are not a size 00,0,1, or 2. Or if now being a size 4 is like adding and entire 10 to it and making it a 14. It has been proven that people who are larger are generally picked on and given jobs fewer times than people who are smaller and more attractive. But why is society so fixated on the outer appearance and being skinny when the country is heading towards an obesity epidemic? And why is there a different standard for men than for women? What do you think?

Society's Expectations of Women VS. Men

2008-10-05T15:01:00.005-05:00

In our society, men and women have different expectations as to what they are going to act like, dress like, and speak. If people do not fall into these categories, or step out of their determined "role" then they are considered outcasts. Women are expected to be: nice, not too aggressive, attractive, smart, gentle, emotional, mature, and caring. However, men are expected to be: more aggressive, charming, intelligent, athletic, powerful, attractive, immature, lazy, and outdoors-y. But, if a man is less athletic and more caring or emotional then they are called harsh names such as "gay", "homo", and "womanly". And if a woman steps out of her expected "role" and is more athletic and outdoors-y then they are called: "lesbians", "manly", "transgendered". I noticed that in the VP debate, Biden was not taking shots at Sarah Palin because he knew if he did, he would be criticized. But he was still respectful of her and looked at her when she was speaking, but she never looked at Biden. Sarah Palin was always looking at the camera, smiling, and winking. And that was so that she appeared to be falling in line with what society feels are the characteristics that a woman should have and show to the world. It is not right to expect these sorts of things from men or from women and it is becoming ridiculously annoying. JUST STOP IT!! Men can be gentle, caring, and athletic or any of the traits that people expect women to posses. And women can have the same traits men have so society needs to just get over what they think is right and let people act the way they want.

"You're juniors now, I.E you're adults"

2008-09-24T09:17:00.004-05:00

At the beginning of this year, I knew that this upcoming school year would be different; now we begin visiting colleges, worrying about our grades, and taking on more responsibility. But what I did not expect was for many of the teachers to use the phrase, "You're juniors now, so you need to figure out what you need and how to manage you're own time." This phrase boggles my mind because I know that I am a junior and that college is honnestly right around the corner but how does this make me an adult. The only thing that I think is different this year than last year is that now, I can drive. This does give me more responsibilty but how does this make me an adult? I can not vote, drink, get married, or enlist in the army but I am considered to be an adult? I understand the thought of preparing us for college and what not but "holding our hands"freshman and sophomore years but then come junior year we are on our almost, kicked out of the nest and told to figure it out on our own. I wish that it had been a slower process over sophomore year and then junior year so that by the end you really feel like an adult more. Senior year is more on the "fend for your self"because it is the last year prior to college but up until then it should be more of a slow process of taking on more responsibility, not just a kick out of the nest. How, at the ripe age of 16, are we considered to be adults in school?

Unrealistic Expectations

2008-09-21T20:35:00.003-05:00

The pressure on adolescents and teenagers to succeed in life, be skinny, be rich, be number one in their sport, and be academically talented is absurd! There is no reason that kids as young as 10 should be worried about their weight or how smart they are and whether or not they are going to get into college. The pressure is starting earlier and earlier and increasing as time goes on. Isn't there a chance to just be a kid? Make mistakes and screw up? With all of the pressure on kids they are growing up too fast and not getting a chance to experience what being a kid is all about! A 14 year old is going to learn more lessons acting like a 14 year old than acting like an 18 year old. So, are the parents to blame for this incredible pressure or the society in general? Why do kids feel the need to grow up so fast and act older but they get older and they want to be younger?

No one kid is perfect; no matter what any parent believes no child is 100% what the parent wanted. Being a talented athlete, a talented scholar, rich, and skinny is not everything that life has to offer and it is unrealistic to expect the most from every child. So, a message to parents: let kids be kids, keep them focused on school work but still allow them to experience things that kids should experience. And a message to kids: don't try to grow up too fast, savor every experience because before you know it you're looking at colleges and leaving home.

9/11 Revisited

2008-09-09T08:10:00.002-05:00

It is approaching the time of year again when people start to remember what happened on that horrible day in 2001. It has almost been 7 years since that dreadful day but questions about how much our country has changed and if it is safer now still arise. Is terrorism gone? Are we truly safer now that we have invaded Iraq and Afghanistan?
I remember that day clearly and the terrified feeling that I had. My dad being one of the many people who was supposed to be in the World Trade Center that day. I did not have any concept of what terrorism was or who would want to do anything to the country but I knew that the country I had thought was so safe and that nothing would ever happen to was no longer safe. I look back on that day now wondering if I was right in my thinking that I would never truly feel safe in this country again. And I know that I have a feeling of being safe but I also know that things can happen at any time. Many died in that horrible attack and many have also died fighting for the safety of our country. They have done an amazing job but they should come home because it has been so much time we should think that the world knows that we are serious and don't want to be messed with.
On the anniversary of the attacks I remember those who died in the attacks and think about the safety of our country and I feel good. Think about if we are safer and wonder, what would have happened if we had not invaded Iraq and Afghanistan.

Leave Palin's Family Alone!

2008-09-03T09:18:00.001-05:00

Ok, John McCain has chosen a running mate and not everyone may like her but that is who he chose. Sarah Palin, the current governor of Alaska, is going to be John McCain's running mate and quite possibly the next Vice President of America. I don't think it was the wisest choice for him but that is his decision and it is Palin's decision to accept the nomination. Yes, she is a mother of five and yes, her daughter is pregnant but that shouldn't have anything to do with how she would be in the White House. No one should care if her daughter is pregnant and if they do it shouldn't be to criticize her but to support her and see that even though her daughter is pregnant she still believes she can do a great job in the White House. I am not a fan of John McCain or Sarah Palin but I think that her family should be left out of the media and that it shouldn't be a deciding issue in the race for the White House. Also, I think that this is going to be a historic race for the White House because no matter what there will be a first. Either the first African-American president or the first woman vice president but it will be a first and a different race. John McCain kind of is thinking that the people who voted for Hilary Clinton would change and vote for him because of his Vice President post but it is highly unlikely and he is just going to have to try another way to get those people to vote for him!