Government (ID)

In government we are watching a movie called Wag the Dog. In the movie Wag the Dog, the media plays a very important role in what the people’s opinions are. In the film the president was caught in a scandal that involved a little girl, and in order to get people’s mind off of that they made up war. The president had a person, known as a spin doctor, working behind the scenes to divert attention from the president’s scandal. The spin doctor did this by making up a war; they filmed a scene where it looked like an explosion happened, that was broadcasted all over the news. Even though the war was fake people still believed it because they saw it on television. Not only did they constantly broadcast the war but they completely stopped reporting about the president’s scandal. The president was being accused of something very serious but because it wasn't reported enough people just forgot about it. The media played a huge role in helping the president gain the votes he needed to win the election.

The media has the same effect on us today. Anything that is displayed in the media is portrayed to be true. As a nation we have not been taught to question the government; we've been taught to trust the government because they are only doing what’s best for the nation. We need to learn to question these things we hear in the media because most of it is just what the government wants us to hear. I think that what the government is doing is a subtle form of propaganda. The media isn't there to inform us, it is there to tell us what we should believe. We need to always keep in mind that not everything we see is true.

I just want sleep! (FC)

Last year began the downward spiral that is my life. Since last year the most sleep I've gotten so far is about 6 hours. Last year was so intense mostly because of AP chemistry and US history, those two classes killed me. I would come to school on barely any sleep, and even on absolutely no sleep which is just complete misery. This year I get a little more sleep but not enough, and I have noticed how it has negatively affected me in school. I find myself forgetting a lot of things that I wouldn't have forgotten two years ago. This especially worries me in math because that's what I want to do with my life, and it requires memorization. Not only is it affecting my memory but it's affecting my ability to pay attention. I might think I'm paying attention, but when it comes down to the work I realize that I actually have no idea what the teacher said. I think that maybe I should work on better time management skills, so that I can get the right amount of sleep.

What it's like to be the problem (ID)

In my leadership class we read about W.E.B. Du Bois and when he realized he was different; when he realized the true difference between his skin color and "their" skin color. Being an educated black man Du Bois had to deal with a lot of criticism from the "other world" as he liked to put it, and it really opened his eyes to the harsh reality of what being a person of color really means. Along with this realization came a very important question every minority has to face, what is it like to be the problem? Du Bois had no response because he did not know how to answer this question. How exactly is someone suppose answer this question, how is one suppose to feel knowing they are a problem? In my opinion it depends what kind of problem you are. Being the minority we are automatically viewed as a problem, but you can choose whether you want  to be a good problem or a bad problem. Someone who chooses to go down the wrong path and just waste their life on the streets will become a bad type of problem. Someone who chooses to do something with their life and takes advantage of opportunities to become the best at what they do will become type of problem. I consider this a good type of problem because you are being viewed as competition which means you are standing at the same level or maybe even at a higher lever than your white competitor. At the end of they day you are a problem, but it's up to you to decide which type of problem you are going to be.

Freebie

This is my freebie week for marking period 2

BRAG (FC)

Towards the end of last year I applied for the Brag Scholarship. I had to write an essay on marketing which wasn't that bad, but then we had to do an interview which I absolutely hated. I generally hate interviews because I think they're awkward and they make me nervous, but I knew that i had to suck it up and pull myself together if I wanted this money for college. Even though I was still nervous the interview wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Honestly, I had my doubts about getting this scholarship I just didn't think I would get it, and so you would imagine my surprise when I got the email that I got the scholarship. Applying for the scholarship was one thing, but the actual event was a completely different story.

Two Brag representatives came to our school to tell us about the event, and the one thing that really stood out to me was the fact that it was a black tie event which meant that I had to wear a dress, and if there's one thing people know about me it's that I don't like to wear dresses. Not only did I have to wear a dress but my father had to wear a suit, and when it comes dressing up my father and I are exactly the same we hate it. As soon as we stepped outside we wanted to go back home because we felt uncomfortable and absolutely ridiculous, but when we got to the event we began to feel more comfortable.

Brag holds an event for all the scholarship recipients and their sponsors, where the recipients have the chance to meet their sponsors as well as other important people. My sponsor was the New York Times and I was a bit nervous to meet them, but the man and the woman who came to represent the New York Times were actually really nice people. I actually wasn't very excited about going to the event because I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but as soon as I met up with Georgie, Andromeda, Sucorah, and Kidist all those negative thoughts just seem to go away. I ended up having a great time, the food was amazing, the people were nice, and I got to meet Nick Cannon which was very exciting. I'm just glad that I got to share that experience with my friends.

Research Class (ID)

In my research class I am working along side Andromeda and Sucorah on a project, and the topic of our research is drugs and genetics. We really wanted to do a project that involved drugs, and so when we came across this project on http://www.sciencebuddies.org/ we knew we had to do it. We are going to test what in someone's DNA causes them to have a bad reaction to a specific drug. For this project we are using my cousins DNA, because she has a bad reaction to the drug ibuprofen, as well as my DNA because I have a good reaction to ibuprofen. We are going to send the DNA to the lab and they are going to compare our DNA and see if there is a mutation in her DNA that is causing her to have a negative reaction to ibuprofen. So far we've done a lot of background research and I'm actually really excited for this project. Even though I'm not looking to major in any of  the sciences I am still glad that we chose this topic. I can't wait to see where this project takes us.

Government shutdown (CRR)

In class we read about the government shutdown, and then had a debate on whether or not the government was being responsible. The Republicans and the Democrats are not in agreement over the Obama Care plan because the Republicans feel that people shouldn't be forced to pay for health care if they don't want it. Neither side is coming to an agreement; they are both standing their grounds on this.

My group and I debated that the government was being irresponsible. We brought up the fact that this shutdown is affecting the millions of people who now don't have a job until this issue is resolved, and not to mention the fact that they are not even getting paid for the time they are not working. The government shutdown may also add to the ongoing economic issue that this country is facing. Some of the other groups brought up a good point, that the shutdown shows that everyone has their own opinion and that this shows that you should always stand by what you believe. Even though this is a good point someone else brought up the fact that these are adults and as adults and leaders of this country they should be able to listen to each other and come to an agreement. Even though the other groups made really interesting and compelling arguments I think I'm going to stick to original opinion about the government being irresponsible.

Phillis Wheatley (CRR)

       In class we are reading "On Being Brought from America" by Phillis Wheatley. In this poem Wheatley expresses how being brought to America has changed her and her view of life. Being brought to America and into a life of slavery has exposed her to Christianity. Christianity has opened her eyes to the positive side of life. Now that she has found God she is in a better place. Phillis Wheatley believes that no matter your skin color, if you convert to Christianity then you will go to heaven. Unlike other writers of this time, Wheatley looks at slavery in a positive way. In Wheatley's eyes if it wasn't for slavery she would have never found Christianity, and she would have continued to stray on the wrong path.
       Honestly, I can't seem to understand how being enslaved and finding Christianity is better than not finding Christianity at all and being free. In my opinion I just don't think that religion is worth the years of verbal and physical abuse that slaves went through. I just find it hard to believe that she is just content being a slave as long as there's a place for her in heaven. Although there is a lot I don't understand, Phillis Wheatley does seem to be in a better place and she seems happy.

Growing up(FC)

I am officially a senior, I guess I should be excited but I'm just not. I don't really like the idea of becoming an adult, I just want to go back in time to when I was a kid because that's when I truly had fun. In a way I sort of feel like Holden from The Catcher In the Rye because he absolutely hated the idea of becoming an adult, and I sort of understand where he is coming from. My teen years are going by super fast, I feel like I haven't even had the chance to have fun as teen. Most teens go out with their friends and have fun, but I haven't done much of that; I feel like I can barely catch my breath because of how fast everything is happening. I'm about to be 18 in a couple months and I think my cousins are probably more excited about that than I am; I just can't seem to understand everyone's excitement. Hopefully I'll be able to enjoy my adult years more than my teen years.