Google

A few weeks ago Time magazine featured a story about the creators of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. I found the article to be fascinating so I decided to read a book that has been published about them. This book is tilted Google, it by David A. Vise and Mark Malseed. The first few chapters talk about the childhood’s of both Larry and Sergey and how they met at Stanford University. Were they later dropped out of graduate school to in their words, " change the word". These two men wanted to create a search engine that would organize information down to the smallest detail and put it on the internet. I was surprised to learn about the way they conduct business and the way they organize their offices. These two men rarely where suits, but can be found wearing black shirts paired with jeans and a lava lamp sitting a their desk daily. I like the way they approached their business, ideas, dreams and goals. I have yet to finish this book, but I have found every chapter to be extremely intriguing.

Varsity Softball

Today’s softball game was definitely the most exciting one we've played so far this season. In the first inning, we scored first and started strong with two runs in the first inning. After that, however, the other team started hitting and we made some crucial mental errors. Before we knew it, the score was 7-3 and we were down. However, despite the score and the early mistakes that were made, we still held our heads high for a great comeback. We ended up winning 9-8 and I am very proud of our team for never giving up. When we have gotten in situations like this in past years, we'd get behind and then give up. From the second that the other team's score exceeded ours, the game was over. However, this year we have a different team with a different outlook. We got into many sticky situations and there were multiple times when Snohomish had the bases loaded when the score was 9-8. We got through it though, everyone came together in the clutch moments and we did what needed to be done. I think every one of us who played tonight was reminded of the lesson that even when times are difficult, you should never give up. We didn't give up and it certainly paid off. Now, we have to get ready to face Monroe on Monday. With them, there will be no time for the early mental errors that we had tonight. After tonight's comeback though, I know that we can do just about anything.

Our coach recently found out that she has breast cancer, and she has had to miss a few days already. She had to miss today as well, for a funeral, but we said before the game that this game, this season was for her. I can't wait to see her tomorrow because I know she will be so proud of our efforts tonight. And for her sake, I hope we can keep winning, and finally make it to districts.

Gender Selection

"The good doctor was promising that with just a little sperm trafficking, he could conjure up an “easy” and “afford­able” future baseball player or blushing bride."

Every time I come in contact with expecting parents, I notice that they almost always say something like "Well, all I want is for the baby to be healthy, but I'd love to have a boy/girl." Of course there will be love for the child, no matter what its gender, but I can't deny the fact that I’ve seen a flash of disappointment cross the faces of new parents when they realize that the baby isn't the gender that they were "hoping" for. The question is, are parents willing to take the destiny of their child's gender out of Mother Nature's hands and into their own? Is it even ethical to scientifically change the sex of your baby?

"Through my ethical vertigo, I discovered what was bothering me: the doctor was using his medical degree to perpetuate the myth that happy families have an equal number of boys and girls."

The mother that wrote this lost her son when he was a baby, and she knows that it is indeed nice to have balance in the household between the genders, however, she didn't feel that it was up to her to make that ultimate decision.

This article really got me thinking, and I have decided that I would never scientifically change my baby’s gender, I think that we have to be happy with the person that our child becomes, because although we may be able to control this, we can't control everything. We simply have to let them become their own person.

What do you guys think? Should parents be able to choose the gender of their baby? Would you do it?

Child Bride

"Married at the age of four, an Afghan girl was subjected to years of beatings and torture, finally escaping to discover that within all the world's cruelty, there is also some kindness. "

This was a headline of a news story covered by Yahoo yesterday, March 22, 2006.
As I read these lines my heart sank. This was a story of a small girl subjected to horrible suffering and pain. Day after day she was treated like a servant, tending to an entire house hold of 12 children and a few adults. As I continued reading this story I was shocked time and again by tales of how this small child was treated. These are just a few lines form her story.

"They beat me with electric wires," she says, "mostly on the legs. My father-in-law told his other children to do it that way so the injuries would be hidden. He said to them, 'break her bones, but don't hit her on the face.'"

"When he came to the shed he kept asking me, 'Why don't you die? I imprisoned you, I give you less food, but still you don't die.'"
But it wasn't for lack of trying. Gulsoma said when her father-in-law finally let her out of the shed, he bound her hands behind her back and beat her unconscious. She says he revived her by pouring a tea thermos filling with scalding water over her head and her back.

This little girl now 12 is now living in an orphanage, where she is recovering from a life time of trauma and pain. I can’t believe that anyone would treat another person that way. I am so thankful that I have never been subjected to anything close to what this small child has been through in the first 12 years of her life.

If you would like to read the entire story for your self; go to Yahoo, news and type in Child bride.

Time Magazine

I work in an office, where we receive magazines on a daily basis. These magazines come free every month; it’s a way of advertisement for companies. They want patients who are waiting to see a doctor to pick them up and get hooked. Generally I just put the new magazines out, without much care to what they are. But recently I can’t wait until Wednesday when Time Magazine comes out. Although I do not personally agree with everything they talk about, I enjoy the magazine. Time covers a variety of different topics ranging from politics, what’s going on in the world, opinions, technology and what new, to health and science and the new coach bag coming out this fall. Each issue is full with information and news about the world we live in.

Sorry my post is late.

Monotony is BORING!!! We need something new on here.

After writing many scholarship essays, the Childhood and Media essays, and the blog week after week, I am sick of open ended writing. This bog especially drives me crazy because everyone writes about the same thing, even when we are supposed to choose something of our own. One person will post, then every post after the first is about the same topic. Nobody is original anymore. I try my best to come up with something original, but even then someone will come after me and write about the exact same thing. I don't know how you can stand to read these, Mr. McNamar, they are all the same. I get bored just looking at the titles, people can't even come up with their own title anymore. I am running out of things to write about because frankly, my life just isn't that interesting. I don't know if an assigned topic would help, because then everyone will still be writing about the same thing, and that is boring, but we definitely need something to liven up this blog. Thanks.

During the game!

When I arrived on campus it was empty. Just a few students filled the halls and class rooms. In second period, four class rooms were combined making about twenty students in the room. I expected lots of students to go, but I was amazed that so many students went out to support the team; it was truly amazing. I would have loved to go, but I had no idea when the buses would return and I work everyday at 1:30. But for everyone who did go thank you for supporting our team.

Its really happening...High School is almost over.

Recently, in the past few weeks reality has really began to set in with me that High School is almost over. I have frantically been filling out applications for scholarship after scholarship. Softball just started and it feels so strange to be the senior captain, to no longer have anyone in a higher grade. Younger girls keep asking, "Sara, what should we do now?" Sometimes, I still have to take a moment before I realize that they are talking to me. I am the captain now, the role model. Last week, when I was at UW for World Language Day, as I explored the campus it really hit me that that is where I will be going to school in just a few short MONTHS. Today I had a meeting with the freshman advisors for the UW School of Business and we were already discussing registration and classes that I will want to take. All year long, I have known that we are seniors, and that we are graduating this year, but now it just seems more real for some reason. I am very excited, and can't wait to take the next step into college life, but at the same time, it all still feels a little strange. Anyone else feeling the same way?

media

This paper about media has been more difficult for me. Media is such an open ended topic. The media encompasses a wide variety of elements, using TV, newspaper, internet, magazines and radio. I had a hard time narrowing it down to find a real story. What is really happening behind the scenes, and how media affects the opinions of viewers and readers.

Money, fame, and beauty, what more could a person ask for?

People idolize celebrities because we feel that they have everything that the world has to offer. Every movie that they are cast a major role in earns them a multi-million dollar deal. They earn enough money to live in luxury for the rest of their lives. They are beautiful and can date nearly anyone that they want to. Their lives are so interesting that normal people can't help but be drawn to the magazine stand where they can read every detail, no matter how personal, of their life. While it would be fun to live the life of a celebrity for a while, I can't help but think that in the end it really wouldn't be all that great. The media tears the celebrity's lives to pieces. Can you imagine having cameras in your face every single time you go outside? Imagine trying to have a nice evening with a significant other and seeing pictures of it in the tabloids the next day. Imagine being pregnant, and having the whole country know before your close friends. Imagine going through a rough stage in life and having the world know about all of your problems. Imagine how the stories would effect your family and close friends, they don't ask for the attention. And finally, imagine have lies written about you day in and day out. Not only does the media ruin the lives of "normal" people; it can also ruin the lives of celebrities. Sure, they should know what they are getting into when they go into the business, but does anyone really deserve to be scrutinized so closely by the public eye? The media is having a negative effect on everyone, just in different ways. Therefore, I think that we need to do something about it. The country as a whole needs to focus on their own lives and stop dreaming of the life of someone else. We need to realize that there is more to life than money, fame, and beauty. If we could do that, the world would be a much better place.

I have really enjoyed reading about the media and the roles of media in your lives. Media is around us all day long, every where we go. People are trying to reach us with any method they can, newspaper, TV , internet, magazines etc. There is really no way of escaping the media and the news. The media plays an important role in our society. The news influences the way we view situations and the world. Although the news is not always enjoyable I believe people need to know what’s going on around them.

The media's effect on a teen's body image

When we were asked to vote on the topic we wanted to write about this essay, I was immediately interested in the topic of media. There are so many types of media around us, especially as the technology around us continues to boom. I feel that there are many approaches that I can take on this essay, but one subject that has particularly caught my attention, through a little research, is the effect that the media has on a teenager's body image. The media is constantly displaying beautiful and thin models, actors and actresses Even the news anchors are generally good looking people. The female models that we see in magazines today generally weigh 23% less than the average woman. The average height and weight for a model is 5'10" and 110 lbs, and the height and weight for the average woman is 5'4" and 145 lbs. These images portray to young girls, and boys as well, that being thin is being beautiful. Because of the skewed images that teens are viewing, in the media all around them, they seem to think that unless they look like these models do, they won't be good enough. Not only are the models thinner than is healthy to begin with, their photos are also airbrushed to make them appear perfect. I feel that the media is having a very negative impact on the body image of teen-agers and is driving teens to take very extreme actions in order to achieve the "perfect" body. Every day, more and more people develop eating disorders. In order to prevent these actions and negative body images amongst teens, I think that the media needs to portray more realistic pictures, rather than favor the impossible. The images that teens see every day are having an effect on both genders. Although females more commonly develop eating disorders, males develop them as well when they think that in order to be attractive they must me lean and muscular. Nobody is perfect, but sometimes it is hard to remember this when all you see are thin, beautiful people in front of you.

Final review

The childhood essay was a great opportunity. I enjoyed having the freedom to edit and make changes to my paper. Having the chance to make revisions helped me understand the simple mistakes I was making. Removing prepositional phrases and be verbs helped be realize and understand how much I truly rely on them. Having to replace these words made the content and the overall paper better. In the future I will keep a close account of the words I am using.

Spring Sports

Spring sports start in eleven days and I am so excited. The softball team has been having the batting cages open for a couple of weeks now and I am happy to see that a lot of people are showing up. In the past years, to my disappointment, only a few girls have dedicated the time to practicing before the season started. This year, however, I am seeing new faces every day. Although we are going to have a young team this year with 6 spots open on varsity, I think the girls are really showing potential. The incoming freshmen, as well as the returning sophomores have already made a strong impression with me, as well as the coaches. I am hoping that if they are this dedicated before the season even starts, then the energy and good work habits will last until the end of the season.
In the past years, there have always been people that play more for the social side of softball than for the sport its self. This has always bothered me because even though some of us really want to do well, we can't without the total efforts of the entire team. This year, I have a feeling that everybody is going to be more dedicated, and not only play for fun, but also to win. I want to do well this year. Rather than only have a strong first half of the season, I want our team to keep fighting until the end. We can do it; we just have to work hard.
Finally, I hope this year that along with spring sports comes Spring. For once, it would be awesome to go a whole season without snow and hail. It would be nice to play games on the day they are scheduled for, rather than two weeks later due to rain. Actually, it would just be nice to be warm again.

The Power of Your Voice

I recently checked up on the site statistics. I found that we have returning readers from all over the country. I also discovered that we have been refrenced on more than one occasion.
California teacher Dan McDowell taught on the use of blogging in education. In his powerpoint, he refrences our site.
With this tool, you have the power to reach a wide audience. Continue to value this opportunity to express something of who you are. I am proud of what you all have done so far. The fact that someone else recognizes what you have done here, should make you proud as well.
Take the time to check out his site.

Cast Your Vote

Your final drafts for the Childhood essay are due on Thursday. Use this week to perfect your drafts.
Here is your chance to vote on our next topic. Please leave a comment with your choice.

Options:
1. Femininity and Masculinity: We find ourselves confronting a fork in the road.
2. Communities: We find ourselves in a place we call home.
3. Insiders and Outsiders: We find ourselves dislodged and excluded.
4. Nature and Civilization: We find ourselves among the beasts.
5. Progress and its Price: We find ourselves in our work and works.
6. Media: We find ourselves in a hall of mirrors.
7. Understanding: We find ourselves in our findings.

Just a Friendly Reminder

When you post, or when you comment, please keep personally identifying information out of your work. This also goes for when you refrence other individuals in the class. Thank you.
I look forward to your latest drafts on Monday!

How does our childhood impact the rest of our lives?

Growing up, I was the only girl in a neighborhood of older boys. Although I adored my baby dolls, I never passed up the opportunity to join in a game of kickball, explore in the nearby forest, or climb trees along with the rest of the kids. Not wanting to be left behind, I always raced to keep up with everyone else. When the older kids started to ride bikes, so did I. Because I didn't want to be the baby of the group, my training wheels were removed at the young age of two and a half years old. Whatever my big brother, and the rest of the boys, was up to, I could be found right alongside them, not missing a minute of the action. These experiences led to my love of sports and have indeed had a great impact on my life. As much as I enjoy getting all dressed up for special occasions, such as formals, I have never been know as a girly-girl. When I get out on the softball field, you will constantly see me on the ground, for I go all out and dive when necessary. Mud and bloody knees will never bother me, when I am in the middle of a game all I care about is putting out the most effort possible. To this day, I cannot stand stupid girls who have nothing better to say than "omigod" and "like, totally!" Given the option of playing sports or cheerleading, I would rather play sports in a heartbeat. The person that I have become has been very much affected by my childhood. If I had grown up playing Barbies and sipping tea at my imaginary tea parties, I probably would have turned out very differently. However, I chose to spend my childhood covered in mud and playing football, which explains my personality today. Anyone who doesn't believe that their childhood has an impact on their life needs to step back for a moment and reanalyze that thought, for I am proof that it does.

young girls

I believe the world and the media have a lot to do with the way young girls dress. These girls are looking to celebrities and adults for what to wear and how to act. The problem with this is that these people are much older then them in most cases! So if a ten-year-old puts on a low cut shirt she may be perceived as a "slut," Where on the model, etc., it was appropriate and complemented that person. The problem is when young girls try to grow up to fast, by looking to older women. They are wishing their lives away without even knowing it. I believe young girls need to dress in a way that is respectable to themselves, and the people around them. When they can accomplish this they will have more confidence in themselves.


Sorry its late!

DON'T Give Children the Vote

Although Vita Wallace brings up some good points in her essay, she is far from convincing me that children should have the right to vote. Children have not had enough education or life experience to be capable of casting a knowledgeable vote. Just as there are reasons that children aren't allowed to smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol, there are also reasons for them not to vote. Wallace says that children need the right to vote in order to protect their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, I disagree. The children of today are already being pushed to grow up prematurely, simply because of the expectations held by society. If we give children the right to vote, we will be causing them to grow up and make important decisions even sooner than they do now. Childhood is an important phase of life, and there is no reason to rush into adulthood. It is the duty of a parent to make sure that their children aren't robbed of their rights. As soon as a person turns eighteen, they can take these matters into their own hands; until then, parents can handle it for them.
If children receive the right to vote, many other things would also have to change in our society. For example: if a child who holds the right to vote commits a crime, they should be charged in court as an adult, not as a minor. They should have to pay taxes, and they shouldn't be dependant upon their parents. None of these are logical advancements for our society. However, Wallace feels that she should have been voting since she was eight or nine years old. Eight year-old are simply incapable of making a vote that would benefit our society, even if they were "naturally curious and mostly interested in the electoral process."
As far as I am concerned, Vita Wallace is attempting to change the world, yet she isn't ready to do so. She is a standard sixteen year-old who wishes to be treated as an adult. Although I don't think she is yet ready to change the world, perhaps in two years, when she can legally vote, she will be. Her idea of allowing children to “grow into their right to vote at whatever rate suits them individually” sounds good in theory, but it would never work out in the real world.