Plan B

After reading this article, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/weekinreview/16steinberg.html?pagewanted=2&sq=Plan%20B:%20Skip%20college&st=cse&scp=1
my opinion has changed about college a little. From the moment we were able to comprehend words, it has always been pounded into our minds that in order to succeed in this world, you need to go to college and get a degree. As proven by this article, this is very untrue. Of course, a degree is usually a good idea and will usually make one more eligible for a specific job. But there are jobs where degrees are unnecessary. The article gave the example of mail carriers and how some of them have degrees. Instead of getting that degree, they could have the same job with a lot more money in their pockets by not going to college. Depending on what you want to do in life, a college degree is not completely necessary to be successful.

Formspring

Formspring.me is the new "fad" on the internet. It is a place for teenagers and pre-teens to go on and trash-talk anyone they want and say anything anonymously to anyone. It's dangerous. It's entertaining. It's stupid.

I had a formspring about 2 months ago. I thought it was really interesting what people had to say, but for the most part, I really didn't get too many negative comments. It was actually quite boring. I wanted some negative comments because I thought it would be interesting. But before I deleted it on my own, my mom found out that I had one and asked me to delete it. No problem, I thought, because I wanted to delete it anyway.

As stupid as some kids are for writing nasty stuff on others profiles, it is even stupider to continue using the website after hearing and reading certain things about it. The ridicule has caused at least one person to kill themselves and everyone else has to be idiotic to continue using this pointless website. Facebook and myspace's all have uses and advantages. Formspring will keep you entertained for maybe a week and then it truly gets old. There are no advantages to it; you cannot connect with others the way you can on Facebook. If teenagers want to expose themselves to this ridicule, let them. It's their own faults. As much as I don't want anyone to commit suicide or become upset over this, it's good to realize with personal experience how dumb the website is.

Kyleigh's Law

There's not much to say about this law. I think it's quite obvious that almost every teen in New Jersey is against this law, myself included. As much as I disagree and don't want this law to be enforced, I completely understand the reasoning behind it. What the lawmakers forgot to think about was the side-effects; the main one being that it profiles younger children to not only police, but to predators too. At this point, the argument is not whether it is fair or not (which clearly, it is unfair) but it is whether the law is safe enough. And I argue that it is not. Yes, it is 100% discriminatory towards teenagers. It takes away a lot of the freedoms that we have earned for ourselves in our prior 16 years of existance. But the main reason why I am against it is because it is unsafe and it leaves us marked as younger teenagers for the pedophiles that are out there. Along with this, it also truly will not reduce the number of accidents. The teenagers will still be on the road, which means there will be accidents. There really is no way around it. Everyone gets into accidents, not just teenagers. This law should not discriminate against us because it is unfair, unsafe, and simply not thought out well at all.

Tim Tebow

Everyone's hating on Tim Tebow. Drafted in the first round by the Denver Broncos, analysts and fans alike are criticizing the Broncos decision to take Tebow over other quarterbacks like Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy. They say he can't throw accurately and he is better off playing another position such as fullback or tight end. This, excuse my french, is bullshit. Tebow has obviously proved himself by winning 2 National Championships. Which of the other 3 quarterbacks in the draft can say that? Tebow plays in the SEC which is potentially the toughest conference in all of college football. If he can be successful in this conference, he can easily work hard enough to be good enough for the NFL. Tebow is also a great guy with a lot of soul and character. Tebow has proven to be passionate and dedicated and I can promise you that he will work as hard as he possibly can to be the best that he can be. He has already tweaked his delivery in the off season so that it can be quicker and more accurate; one of the main concerns that NFL teams had about him. All in all, Tebow is an amazing addition to any team, whether it's because of his football skills or because of his dedicated leadership.

Politics

Some people are completely and ridiculously insane. People will call politicians and leave death threats on the answering machine. Not only is this morally and legally wrong, it is downright stupid. First of all, the phone call will, more often than not, do nothing in persuading the politician one way or another. Politicians are stubborn and will stand by their ideas until death. Second of all, the person calling is pretty much sentencing themselves to jail time. The message would stay on the answering machine and can be used as easy evidence against the person. As in the case which I read about, the FBI can get involved and use their super-secret FBI ways to track the phone call and find out who exactly it was that called. It's very easy for the FBI to do, which means that its very easy for someone to get arrested and throw their lives away for a meaningless threat. As much as some of us disagree with politics and the way that our country is headed, a phone call from some Joe-Schmo out in Seattle isn't going to change the course of America.

This blog in response to: http://www.newsweek.com/id/236196

Tiger Woods

Pre-controversial Tiger was my favorite. Possibly even one of my idols. He always played hard with dedication and emotion. After this whole scandal broke out, I have lost a lot of respect for him as a person. As a golfer though, I still root for him because he is the only golfer who is fun to watch. It's a weird situation.

Nike has also lost my support after their most recent commercial. It features a somber looking Tiger while they have the voice of his late father basically scolding him for his misdeeds. It is completely distasteful to watch because it takes a huge controversial topic (Tiger's women problem), the voice of a dead father scolding a son, and markets it by making it into a commercial to sell their product. It is morally, ethically, and socially wrong. I cannot see how this will help them sell more Nike gear at all. I know for me personally it would actually turn me away from their products. And the worst part is, Tiger got paid for staring at the camera with his potentially fake pout on his face. It's not right at all.

This in response to: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/90552169.html

Pepsi Refresh

I voted for the $250,000 option of converting an abandoned building to a community performing arts center. I chose this for a number of reasons. The main reason is because I do the shows at my high school and the experience truly has changed my life. It has taught me to be dedicated, disciplined, patient, and outgoing. It has also introduced me to many people that I never would have met. Along with this, the audiences will come together to see the show every couple of times a year. This will create a sense of unity in the community because everyone will have something in common. Also, like my high school, they can try and get big name comedians or singers to perform there as fundraisers. Our theater has had people such as Bill Cosby, Frankie Valli, Linda Eder, Joe Conklin and many, many more. It has greatly benefitted me and my community as a whole.

Used Cars

Being a teenager is tough. There's a lot of things going on in our lives. But the most important one right now is my search for a high quality used car. I keep looking on craigslist.com and nothing of quality shows up. The only decent cars are way too much money or have too many miles on them. Yet another stress put on the life of an average teenager.

Sexting

This blog is in response to http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/us/21sexting.html?pagewanted=1.

"Sexting" has recently become a very controversial topic. Sexting is sending pornographic materials via text message. In many places, it is even considered child pornography and the sender and/or the recipient can be charged as an adult. These people can possibly be registered as sex offenders for the rest of their life. The sexters will be on a list with people who have molested children and much worse offenses than sexting. I feel that the penalty is too strong. Although sexting is completely wrong, I feel like there should be little to no penalty because the penalty of embarassment is enough. People should understand the risks involved when sexting. As the article said, a man sent a nude picture of his girlfriend to many people, including her parents. I feel like that is punishment enough. As wrong and as stupid as sexting is, they should not be outcast for the rest of their lives because of it.

Super-Super Bowl

GO SAINTS! The commercials sucked. Who dat?

Haddonfield

Haddonfield has a 24/7 policy where the school punishes students for off-campus crimes. I don't think this is a good idea. In my opinion, once a student gets home from school after the school hours, you are no longer a responsibility of the school anymore. The school district is trying to butt in and take the responsibility that they don't have. If a student does something to break the law in their own time, it has nothing to do with school. They will get their punishment from the law and that's how it was made to happen; they are not supposed to get punished by the school too. A criminal record could keep you from getting a good job but punishment from the school can keep you from getting into college which in turn, means keeping you from getting a good job. The school does not have the right to punish students for things that do not involve school whatsoever. The students are not a property of the school (especially not after school hours) and the school has no right to act as if they owned the students.

Why is it a sin to read for fun?

In this article, http://www.newsweek.com/id/193475, the author asks the question if Jodi Picoult hurts literature. I think the answer to this is that she does not hurt literature. I think that she has her own style of writing that appeals to young girls but it still doesn't hurt literature. I think that anything that gets people (especially kids) excited to read is not a negative thing. I still don't see how the argument of Picoult hurting literature makes any sense. Picoult is not a "sell-out" writer. She does her research and writes about controversial arguments making her readers think about their personal opinions on widely-debated issues. So not only is Picoult making people want to read, but she also writes quality work that should be acclaimed instead of questioned.

2010

Today is January 4th, 2010. It feels odd typing 2010 after such a long 2009. 2009 was probably the worst year in the history of my life. A lot of negative things happened over the past year. Between bad personal things and also all the deaths that occurred among celebrities, 2009 was not such a good year. I look at 2010 and feel much better about everything. 2010 represents a fresh start for everyone. This year could potentially be the best year ever or the worst, and we won't know until 2011. This is what is so exciting about the new year, the idea that you can make with it what you want.