Final Issues Blog

I figured that this would be a good time to wrap up the year. First and foremost, I want to thank you, Mr. Kramer, for a great year. This was easily one of the most interesting classes I've ever had. And, because of the variety of topics we covered, I feel as though I learned a lot. My favorite topic was Abortion. Not because I had a strong view, in fact I really didn't have an opinion. It was because I was able to hear so many people give their thoughts and opinions, it allowed me to form my own conclusion. I also thought the work load was very fair. Giving us an assignment to read that outlined the topic was very fair. In addition to not overflowing us with work, we were able to learn and think about our discussion input for the next day. I think you did a great job of helping the class get into discussion, and you also played a huge part in asking deeper questions. I loved the way you and the class interacted all year. By the way, our first playoff baseball game is home on Thursday against Lake Forest. I believe I'm pitching that game so if you want to stop by and watch for a little that would be great. There's absolutely no pressure though...Anyways, have a great summer!

The Hatchet #5

The beginning of Brian's troubles started with him catching his mom cheating on another man. Our society today tends to sell "sex" as something that tends to just go around. TV shows and movies always have something sexual in the plot. With the internet people also have sex at their fingertips. Along with pornagraphy, newspapers and magazine have amazing looking people on their covers. It seems as though every magazine has a cover story about how to get sexier. My point is that society today tends to throw sex around like it doens't matter. People get the perception that everywhere you go, there is someone waiting for you to get laid (sorry if this isn't appropriate). Beer and car commercials always have good looking people. TV shows always have their "model." A movie isn't good unless there's a good looking model in it. Everything today seems to revolve around sex. What happened to the family values? In Brian's case, our lax society cost him his family, and we quickly saw the negative impact it had on him. Like I said multiple blog posts ago, we aren't going to get rid of divorce and bad decision making. But, I think society as a whole should do a better job of controlling what the general public can see.

The Hatchet #4

Materialism. It's a disease that effects 95% of Deerfieldians. I happen to be one of them. Who doesn't want the nicest car, nicest house, and largest bank accounts? Materialism is a natural, competitive game among the majority of humans. Do we really need all of it? Do we need the big houses for a family of 4 or even 5? Do we need 3 cars for a few people? Brian realized very quickly that he doesn't need the material things. For months, Brian survived with literally nothing. For the first few weeks, he explained how much he missed his car, his house, his money, etc...but by the end he didn't even think about it. In fact, when he got home for the first time in several months, he realized how unimportant everything was. The cars, the big houses, even the grocery stores, made him realize how dependant and sad our society is. Everything is handed to you if you have money. If you have money, you compete with other people who have money. The world is in a competition, but not for the important things like survival. Rather for the very unimportant material things. People will continue to try and get the latest and greatest, but my plea to you is to not give in. Don't spend money on things you don't need and don't spend money if you don't have it.

The Hatchet #3

"Treasure. Unbelievable riches. He could not believe the contents of the survival pack" (Paulson 171).

Every year the United States spends millions of dollars on aid for other countries in need. But does it have the same impact it did on Brian? Throughout the book, Brian did everything from scratch. He made fire from rocks. He made bows and arrows from trees and stones. He made shelter from the nature around him. Everything he did was natural and was completely his own. When the survival pack came, Brian almost didn't like. At first, he couldn't believe how much there was and how easy it would've been to survive. But then he started wondering if the survival pack took anything away from him. He began feeling detached from nature and from everything he accomplished. Is it the same way with the rest of world? The United States seems to just dump aid on all these different, seemingly aid hungry places. Do the people and villages that had survived on their own with no outside help feel as though the aid is helping them, or taking things away? I'm sure in some aspects, aid is helping people survive, but in other ways it may be taking away from the traditions of villages. The United States needs to pay more attention to the distribution of aid and make sure that our aid is going where it's needed and not necessarily where it's accepted.

The Hatchet #2

"The thinking started. Always it started with a single word. Divorce. It was an ugly word, he thought. A tearing, ugly word that meant fights and yelling, lawyers-God, he thought, how he hated lawyers who sat with their comfortable smiles and tried to explain to him in legal terms how all that he lived in was coming apart-and the breaking and shattering of all the solid things. His home, his life-all the solid things. Divorce. A breaking word, an ugly breaking word" (Paulson 2-3).

It's a known fact that about 50% of all marriages end in a divorce. What people tend not to do, is look beyond the numbers and see the total impact. It doesn't only effect the spouses who break up. It effects everyone around them. In Brian's case, his parents had gotten a divorce, and the whole process stuck with him. In fact, if it hadn't been for the divorce, Brian would never have been on the plane that crashed. In addition to being put in that situation, the word haunted Brian. As shown in the quote above, the only thing Brian could think about is the divorce and how hopeless he feels in the whole thing. People make mistakes, so I'm not saying by any means that we should eliminate divorces all together. What I am saying is that people need to do a better job of realizing the impact of their decisions for not only them but the people around them.

The Hatchet #1

The first time I read The Hatchet by Gary Paulson, I was 13 years old. The same age as the main character, Brian Robeson. Well, since it had been 5 years since I last read, I decided to read it again, this time blogging about multiple issued that arise from the book. The first and most frequent issue in the novel, is Brian's fight with hunger. Although this seems to be at a very individualized level, Brian's fight signifies the millions and millions of other people who are hungry. For many people, the sight of available bread is the highlight of their day. In Brian's case, he didn't even have bread. For over two months, he survived on fruit and meat. Nothing was handed to him, and everyday was a fight for survival. This is how most of the world lives. People fight everyday for survival. Here in Deerfield, it seems like the end of the world is when we do poorly on a test grade. People have earned the right to live here through hard work, but the majority of the world's population doesn't have the same rights and opportunities we do. I'm not sure it's possible to ever completely eliminate hunger, but the only thing we can do is raise awareness. In Brian's case, he was entangled in a fight with hunger each and everyday with no one to lean on. People who starve often feel this way, but it should be our job to make them feel secure and hopeful.

The Future of Fuel

It's predicted that in 40 years, the world's supply of oil will run out. My hypothesis is that we need to spend more energy on creating renewable energy sources. If our reliance on oil continues to increase, than it may be too late. I'm trying to get everyone to agree to a personal contract. The contract states that everyone will do their part to become more eco-friendly. I'm sure you've heard that before, but if we keep pushing it off like it's no big deal, it will be too late. I belive that the future of energy will be created from solar, hydro, wind, and nuclear power. Solar power has the greatest potential, and that may very well be the future of energy. Within the next 50 years, renewable energy will be the source of our energy. If it isn't, mankind will change forever due to wars and greed.

Final Baseball Update

There is one week left of the season. We are 11-18 or 12-17 or something like that. Yeah it's a little disappointing but look on the bright side. The weather's been nicer this year.A few of us have been having good years. Aidan and I are leading the pitching. Ben and Ethan are leading the hitting. In the fielding category, Ethan is definitely not leading (sorry). Everyone's been fielding okay. Truth is, our record is pretty crappy, but we've lost a lot of close games. With a few runs here and there our record could be flip flopped. But it's not, so I'm still disappointed. The season isn't over! We still have playoffs next week and who knows how far we can go. If we have success in the playoffs then I'll be sure to blog about it, but don't count on it. I still have about 7 blogs to complete before the end of the week, so get ready for a blog explosion!

Gun Control

I have one question for people who think owning a gun should be legal, actually maybe a few questions. What is a gun meant to be used for? Shooting someone in the foot for being naughty?!? No, it's meant to kill. Guns were made for war. People may come back and say, "guns are also used for self defense." Self defense from what? If there are no guns, then what are you afraid of? Your neighbors knife? Lemme tell you something, everyone has a knife. Knifes are actually used for something useful. Please let me know if you have a gun that can cut food, because if you do, I'm never going to your house to eat. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say, it isn't even natural for humans to own a gun. There's a reason humans are failing at life! We are irrational, emotional, and we tend to not think through things even though we are "the center of the universe." Yeah, people are the hierarchy of everything. Not really, actually humans are just clumps of space dust running around on a little blue rock we call earth. If an alien species were to observe man kind for as much as a week, and we asked them if we were mature enough to own weapons that can easily kill other beings. The answer would be no. Caveman fought each other with sticks. We are fighting each other with frickin atomic bombs. In the grand scheme of geologic time, we are cavemen, you realize that right? We are the same thing as cavemen except with less hair. My point? Humans should not be allowed to own guns. Humans would be such much more better off if guns hadn't even been invented.

Baseball Results So Far

You know how when there's a shutout in baseball, it means either the pitcher was really good or the team was just really bad at hitting. So basically if someone shuts out a team that's a very good accomplishment. Yeah, we've been shut out 6 times this year out of 12 games. 4 of those 6 have been decided by 1 run, the other two were not so close. But, because we've lost three 1-0 games, and one 3-2 in extra innings game, I don't think we're actually doing that badly. We're are at a dismal 4-8 so far. But if we had just scored 2 more runs a game, we'd be 8-4...That's the story of the season so far. I've pitched in 4 games. I have a 1-3 record, but all three of my losses were 1-0, 1-0, and 3-2 in extras. Max M is also 1-3 with a 1-0 loss. Paul D is 1-1, but his games have been a little different. He's lost 10-0 and he's won 19-0! Why couldn't the team have saved some of those runs for me and max?!? Sorry if I'm rambling on a little bit here but it truly is frustrating. Our team is so close to being what we could be. The schedule is really starting to pick up so I'll update the blog world (which really seems like just Mr. Kramer) soon.

Baseball

Today, our team's playing Libertyville. I'm pitching and I'm probably going to get rocked, but I'm still excited because it's my first ever varsity start. Last year I came in relief for a game and let up a home run. This year I'm hoping for more success, and it starts today. This is a pretty bad blog so I'm sorry for anyone reading this. Basically I'm excited for the game today, and I'll be sure to blog about the outcome, but I can't promise a specific date because senioritis is definitely kicking in. In fact I might not even blog about it at all because of how lazy I'm getting. Just kidding Mr. Kramer, I'm still working hard in your class.

David Jones Case

I will be a bit biased when describing the David Jones case because I was part of it. There's a saying that says if you work to get something , you more likely to exaggerate or even lie to get it. I worked on this case for a while, and it's natural for me to still believe my side, so I do. David Jones is guilty because No does mean No. The definition of no is: A negative used to express dissent, denial, or refusal, as in response to a question or request (Dictionary.com). Where does it say yes? Oh it doesn't? What about any other definition? Nope, didn't think so. Susan said no, I don't care how she said it, it was still N-O put together. And because there was really no hare evidence, it was David's word against hers. Even if she said no in a kind of weak way, she still said it and meant it enough to charge him with rape. Susan saying no was the only thing. You might have no idea what I'm talking about right now so here's a quick run through: David Jones raped Susan Williams. That's not biased, is it? If you agree that no means no, then I already proved my point. If I haven't then the next time you say no, and the person doesn't stop, then you know what it feels like.

Terrill Swift and Ferdinand the Bull

Yesterday, I had the priviledge of listening to Terrill Swift, who was exonerated from prison after about 17 years. He was originally convicted of murder and rape. Many things surprised me. The first thing I noticed was his poise, calmness, and lack of hatred. He'd been exonerated for only about a month, yet he communicated his story as if he'd been out of jail years ago.  I'll be honest with you, if I'd been in jail for 17 years, fighting everyday for my freedom, I would be a little ticked off when I get out. I kind of connected Terrill to Ferdinand the bull.  He was innocent, but in the wrong place at the wrong time. Terrill and Ferdinand were both set up. Terrill was wrongfully accused by another criminal, and Ferdinand sat on a bee, Without much of a fight, they were both taken to their own worst nightmares (a bull fighting arena for a bull and a jail for a human). They both fought for their freedom by sticking to who they are. Ferdinand just sat down next to the only flower in the whole arena, and Terrill wrote his way to freedom by pleading his case. They were both released back into the real world. Check out Ferdinand the bull's story here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGTVRbpAuRo.

Metting Terrill was my first time talking with an exonerated prisoner. I found his demeanor very interesting considering his past life. Terrill's experience has enlightened me to try and stop wrongful convictions, even if it's one step at a time.

Affirmative Action

Affirmative action was first created to create a more diverse environment. Although this still holds true, I believe that it has been taken way too far. I don't think affirmative action should be followed. Colleges and Universities should accept kids based on their academic, athletic, and leadership backgrounds, and not their ethnic backgrounds. If a school chooses it students that way, then it will be very tough for kids to call them racist, sexist, etc... Instead of having to meet quotas in terms of having a specific number of minorities, the school would be able to choose kids that would best fit their school. If this means less diversity, then so what? I don't disagree with schools trying to create a more diverse learning environment, but if it means taking spots away from more deserving kids, then it isn't right. It's different if 2 kids have the same grades, one's white and one's a minority, and a school wants to take the minority for more diversity. That's OK. But let's say there's an Asian kid and a Hispanic kid. The Asian kid has much better grades, but the school wants more Hispanic kids for diversity. So, the school takes the Hispanic kid...that's what creates problems. The best way to avoid those problems is to avoid the 'affirmative action' policies and choose kids based on what's important.
People may argue that having diversity creates a better learning environment. I'm a strong believer that everybody comes from different backgrounds and everybody has their own stories. Just because someone is from a different country or has a different skin color, doesn't mean they bring something extraordinarily different. I'm all for having diversity, but I don't think there's any need to force it.

If I Were A Poor Black Kid

If I were a poor black kid, I would...have no idea how to approach life because I've never been there.

I agree with both sides of the argument. I agree with Marks on the basis of there being opportunities to excel, however I disagree with how easy he seemed to make it. It is impossible for him to explain life of a poor black kid when he has never had the experience. Unfortunately, being a poor African American in America is a disadvantage. Being a kid from an almost all white middle to upper class suburban community, it's impossible for me to think of life as a poor African American. Many of the kids in my town have a warped view on pain, suffering, and racial inequality. Us white suburban kids live in a bubble that shields us from reality. It is this lack of knowledge of reality that deprives us from being able to connect with many circumstances that harm the outside world.

The Big Short #5

People in the North Shore, particularly Deerfield families, find it very important to make the most money and by the nicest things. People brag about extravagant vacations, new cars, million dollar houses, and even their kids' school and athletic records. Very rarely do I see the intangibles come into play when people boast about themselves. Instead of families coming closer together during hard times, it almost becomes a free for all between who can survive and still buy things, and the people who are forced to downgrade. On my street in the past 3 years, there has been one family that downgraded by moving to Michigan. There have been about 5 new houses. On the outside looking in, one may think of that as a good thing, when in reality it brings even more competitiveness. One of the great things about America is that we have a very large middle class. This is one of the key points that The Big Short touched on. The author said multiple times that the key to America's past success was its ability to maintain a stable middle class. The way in which wall street has been working is very inefficient. Very few people get rich, and most people lose a lot. The recession brought small businesses (which is one of if not the biggest provider of jobs), which forced a lot of people out of work. Overtime, there became a larger gap between he upper and lower classes. There was very good recent news saying that the unemployment rate was at a 2 year low. As long as people are occupied and in a stable job, America will continue to rise up to the country it should be. The book's message was clear: Stop living in the wealth of the past, and move on creating wealth for the future.