Cochlear Implants

As I type what I hope is the last blog post of the quarter, I find myself scrapping for ideas. Then it occurred to me, the Sound of Fury video kinda made me think!

First of all, times are changing exponentially. If you can't keep up, then you're gonna find yourself in a very difficult situation. The video was a prime example of what I just said. The world seems as if though the world is moving so fast that no one has time to pick up on sign language which seems like a dead language. As history has shown, Latin was once a very common language, now it is not mentioned anywhere outside of the Catholic Church and science class. Likewise, sign language is becoming more and more secluded.

Just the fact that the father would not let her daughter get a cochlear implant seemed ignorant. On top of that he always seemed to explode with rage when someone would bring it up. It seemed like he couldn't even think straight, which hurt his credibility. The video gave us a unique look into his perspective though. Even though he is deaf, he still holds what seems like a successful job. However, because he is deaf, he is extremely limited in his potential. Everyday he needs someone to hold his hand and explain step by step how to do it.

At this point in time that may work out fine for him. In reality that will not be the case with his daughter. The rate at which we are able to do things will continue to increase at a ridiculous rate. Social Darwinism will set in and take its place by weeding out the people who are too slow to comprehend everything. I am not saying that the daughter lacks intelligence, I am saying that because sign language is becoming less understood and the deaf community cannot learn as fast as the hearing, the daughter will suffer a more difficult path than her father.

On top of everything, I didn't understand what the big deal was with being able to hear with a cochlear implant and use sign language as well. She will always be deaf no matter what. Therefore, she will never lose her identity as a deaf person. It is time for the deaf community, or at least the ones who made an appearance on the video, to quit being so proud and to accept the fact that times are changing faster than they would like.

American Obesity

Just before our short week came to a close, Taylor brought in an insightful article about obesity. This is a topic that I never really put much thought into. I always just accepted it as part of our society.

As we go from day to day in our lives, we are likely to see at least one obese person. Our reactions greatly vary depending on who we are. Some may be irritated, humored, or even hurt.

If we take the time to stop and look around at the causes, we would be surprised at how much we support obesity. When someone has a birthday, for example, everyone gets jacked up for some sweets. That's just the way that we are wired. When Karin said that she was bringing in treats for her birthday I felt two emotions: excited and impatient. I felt excited because the vast majority of food tastes good to me so I knew that I was in for a good time, and at the same time I felt impatient because the food wasn't in front of me. If anyone else felt the same way or differently, then please comment.

Another contributor to obesity is the restaurant industry. After working at a restaurant for a year and a half I have noticed that we go for flavor, not health. I overheard my boss saying to one of the cooks regarding a buffet item, that he should leave all the grease in there because it adds flavor. McDonald's seems to be working with the casket industry because everything there is unhealthy, including the salads! Subway seems to be the only restaurant who advertises good health. However, a foot long will have as many, or even more calories than a delicious Big Mac.

Obesity is all around us. I am not saying that it is a problem, but it is a contributor an ill-informed public. Many of us don't even consider what we eat, just so long as it is good. The short and sweet message is that we should just read the damn label.

First Quarter

What can I say? The first term of AP Comp. was not nearly as intimidating as I originally thought. If anything, I enjoyed it. From the essays, to the class discussions, to the movies, and to the random tangents that we fall into, I'd have to say that this was a pretty good class.

During the summer I almost dropped. The course work seemed outrageous and unmanageable. The biggest thing that kept me going was that I could find any other English classes that I would be willing to take! From my previous blogs I have made it apparent that I have the reading ability of a fourth grader, so that kicks out a lot of the other English electives. On top of that, I already took Comm. Arts, which by the way is in my top three classes ever taken, and regular Comp. so I felt stuck. However, sometimes it's best that we don't get what we ask for. This class definitely proved worth the struggle.

A major facet of this class that I enjoyed were the class discussions. It was interesting to see the true colors of my classmates when they expressed their reactions to some pressing topics. For example, the "N" Word article. I have never heard that word spoken so much in a class room. Looking back at it now I laugh a little bit. It was just one of many discussions that we had that made this class unique and enjoyable.

The biggest thing that I will take away from first term is how it was taught. Most other classes ram information down our throat and hope that we retained some of it. With this class the information just seemed to settle in. It was a relaxing, low-pressure method that actually helped me greatly. My reading ability went from fourth grade all the way up to the sixth grade level! Also my first essay was a 5.5; my most recent essay was a 7 that is a jump of 16 percent in about 7 weeks.

All that is left for me to say is that I am looking forward to the third term. I know that I will become a better reader and a better writer. Hopefully I will be reading at the seventh grade level when all is said and done.

Goin' Back A Few Weeks...

The readings that had the biggest impression on me were the "What is Poverty?" essays. It was interesting to see a side by side listing of two contrasting ideas on the same topic. Dalyrimple was the cold, rational author and Parker was the biased, experienced author.

Dalyrimple seemed to have a factual set of ideas towards poverty. His ideas were basically against the poor. He was saying that they put themselves there through a lack of work ethic and pure laziness. The justifications for his attacks were that there are government programs and charity organizations out there dedicated to help those in need.

Parker seemed to have a much more aggressive tone in her essay. She used blunt, first-hand experiences that no other author can provide. The fact that she is in a state of poverty gives her essay a much greater sense of credibility. Parker can give something that no other critic of poverty can give--in depth insight.

If it were a contest of who had the better essay, the impoverished Parker would get the gold. Dalyrimple simply didn't get his point through. Parker, on the other hand, made us feel as she feels. There is no doubt that Parker's ability to appeal to the audience is better than that of the wealthier, more educated Dalyrimple.

The Draft

No I am not talking about final and rough drafts...which reminds me, shoot! I have to get on that for the op-ed piece. Anyway, The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, is an outstanding book so far and it does a good job of getting us in the heads of the people who were there. My favorite part so far has been the "Rainy River." In the chapter the narrator discusses a wide arrange of emotions that he has about being drafted.

I don't feel the need to repeat the same information that most of us read. However, I would just like to express my ideas on the draft.

First off, I hate the idea of having a draft. Through personal experience I have come to the understanding that most people simply do not belong in the military, let alone being thrown into a war. The people who do belong in the military, however, are the ones who list or pursue a commission. Granted that it is not always that simple, but it works most of the time.

After speaking with people in the military about joining, they all tell me the same thing--you have to want to be in the armed forces. I have experienced first hand the dedication that one needs to have in order to keep their sanity. The people who just aren't cut out for the job would suffer horribly. The mental torment from the drill sergeants, home sickness, and war, would all combine to form a giant pill that would be difficult to swallow.

On the other hand, if the draft were reinstated today, and you see Uncle Sam's name come up on your caller I.D., you should better pick up the phone. If you take the time to appreciate the gifts that the soldiers of past wars have helped secure for you, you would break down and cry. Our society is infinitely better than those of the countries that we occupy. The fact that we can live without the fear of death, danger, and famine, is a rare blessing.

The military has a quota of people that it needs to fill. For example if there was a draft for 5,000, then that means 5,000. Lets say that 1,000 people decide to bail on their country, join a drum circle, and smoke a bunch of cannabis. Due to their very selfish actions, 1,000 new families are going to have to feel the pain of their loved ones leaving home and going off to a far away land. If it were me personally, I don't think that I could live with myself thinking that someone died in a war that I wasn't brave enough to fight.

The big idea that I am trying to get at is that if soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we don't have to worry about making it through the day alive, then we should honor them and also fight for the blessings of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, for the rest of the people back home.

I know that my ideas conflict to some degree and form a paradox. Basically I am against the draft, but I am all for answering the draft's call. My ideas on the draft aren't always consistent, but the principle remains--if Uncle Sam knocks on your door, answer it, even if you are scared.

WRITER'S BLOCK!!

The night before the definition essay was due, I was all jacked up to start writing. I thought my first sentence was killer, but after that, I hit a block. At that point I realized that I just hit any writer's worst fear and enemy--writer's block.

I didn't get it. My ideas were so sharp and motivated that writer's block was expected to be nonexistent. It was almost like I was running, I started out great and then I trip over my shoelaces and biff it. What can be more frustrating in the writing world other than writer's block?!

I picked myself up from my nasty fall and I grudgingly started to limp toward the finish. Normally I can start running again, but this time I must have pulled something because the rest of my essay was weak. There was almost no direction to where my paragraphs were going. I repeated the same word multiple times where I could have easily used a synonym. My lead sentences set up the rest of the paragraph for solid gold, but instead I wrote a bunch of bull in order to finish.

Luckily I didn't run into writer's block when I was doing my final draft. It was a little difficult picking up the slack of my last draft, but I think that it turned out to be infinitely better.

Further down the road we'll run into writer's block again and again. When we fall, we have to get back up. Ultimately it comes down to how many pieces of the puzzle we can pick up and persevere through a writer's worst enemy--writer's block.

Response to Times Have Changed for Student Protestors

I found myself laughing at the fourth paragraph. It said that students who wanted to protest the War in Iraq had issues with the meetings because they conflicted with their favorite Thursday night show.

After reading this article and thinking about Two Days in October, I started to realize how technology truely holds our interests. Protesting was huge and relatively popular compared to today. Now we are distracted with sweet technology. Who would want to go out and weather the weather and the ongoers when you can play Xbox? Even now as I type, I am listening to my iPod.

The police brutality has even changed. The article explained that there was a constant fear of being clubbed and beaten by the police during the 60's civil rights movement. Now the police are calm, curious, onlookers who are more likely to defend the safety of the protestors.

The end of the article mentioned that one of the protestors sought a plastic bag to clean up the mess that they caused. Times have clearly changed, and in relation to history, they have changed rapidly.

The Three Bombs

When we were looking for op-ed pieces to get an understanding of what they actually were, I found myself clicking on everything. Most notable among the list, I found an article called "Our Three Bombs." It brought up some interesting points that would be insightful to share.

In the 1950s there was only one bomb, or threat to the world, and that was a nuclear war. We had a general fear of the Soviets and their nuclear capabilities and vice versa. Everyone was constantly biting their nails due to the anxiety of the Red Scare. According to the author, they had it easy.

Today we face three bombs, or in other words, three threats to the functioning of the world. Once upon a time we could be relatively calm due to the insurance program called M.A.D. or Mutually Assured Destruction. Basically if the Soviets, the known assailant, attacked, we would know about it prior to the impacts and fire back. Today we don't have the M.A.D. luxury. Terrorist organizations and small hostile nations are acquiring nuclear weapons at a relatively rapid rate. No longer can we rely on M.A.D. to give us some kind of iota of security.

The second bomb that is ever present is the debt bomb. The dollar has been depreciating in value over the past few years at an unacceptable rate. As the value of the dollar decreases our deficit increases. This contributes to a cycle. People lose confidence in the dollar which leads to an increase in interest rates, our deficit recovers slower, adds to the deficit projections, and further undermines the dollar. I would almost take a miracle to disarm this deadly bomb.

Ever since the burning of oil became useful, we have been polluting the atmosphere. Over a period of one-hundred years, automobiles have made a serious dent in the atmosphere. If you haven't guessed already, the third and final bomb is the atmoshperic bomb.

The pollution has been eating away at our o-zone layer, which provides a barrier that defends us against solar radiation. As we have noticed within our lifetimes, our pollution has been catching up with us. The North Pole ice caps have been melting at a never before seen rate. The water run off have been mixing with the salt water of the Atlantic Ocean which throws off the balance of the ecosystem. The author noted that as one ecosystem fails, an unpredictable changes start to occur in the others.

Without a doubt we are being pressed with the most difficult task in the history of the world - save the planet. The three bombs are all looming above our heads, and if one falls, all hell breaks loose. It is up to us to make sure that these bombs do not hit the ground when it is our turn to have worldly influences.

Class Discussion

Everyone is unique. We all have our own convictions which lead us to who we are. That became evident when we had our class discussion about "Teaching the "N" Word." Third block got in a very tense discussion about the word nigger than the actual reading. We could have very easily ranted for an entire school day, but we got cut relatively short. I would just like to take a moment to say a couple things that I didn't exactly get a chance to say. DISCLAIMER: I do not mean to offend anyone. I will try to speak objectively and if some terms come out biased, that is not my intention.

A point that I made in class is that nigger is put on the taboo list because of the constant reassurance that it is a bad word. However, when you look at other condescending terms like Pollock or patty for example, they are often overlooked. Nobody considers them horrible because those words are not as well remembered.

There is no doubt that there is a lot of hate behind the word nigger, but why? People remember that it was a word used when slavery was prominent, but still the question remains. Why do people get so upset over the word? I understand that negro was the formal term for Africans and nigger was slang, but they were just words at the time.

One can argue that everything that African Americans have adopted from "white" society can be racist. Generally speaking, white people gave them the word nigger, first and last names, society ideas and principles, and many more things that did not originate in Africa. I don't exactly understand why nigger is so offensive seeing as how it started as just a blanket term for African Americans.

Something that I want to rant about is racism in McFarland. Within our class discussions we consider this town sterile. In most respects that is true, but from what I have observed, racism is the stain on our "clean" society.

I like to think that I have mingled with a relatively large amount of McFarland citizens. It seems that they are all good people for the most part; however, when someone says "black person" for example, racial slurs and jokes normally follow. When I am driving down a street with people, it strangely seems like someone feels the need to scream out "White Power" to people on the side walks. To the best of my knowledge racism in McFarland is mild. Students for the most part use it as a joke, and when it comes to a confrontation with someone of a different skin color, they seem to treat them like people.

To a limited extent, the white people of this community have an excuse for their mild racism. White people typically have a better education than blacks due to bigger bigotry, but that's a different discussion. The people who inhabit McFarland are disproportionately wealthy compared to neighboring school districts. We have had minimal contact with other races because not many minorities feel comfortable in rich, snobby McFarland.

It is my understanding that most of our black students have been expelled from "ghetto" schools like Lafollette and East. I could be wrong, but that is the common belief of the students who I talk to. What I am really getting at is that I think that it is very unfortunate that we only come in contact with the less than reputable students of other schools who just so happen to be black. We generally don't see African American students in AP, advanced, or accelerated courses at McFarland. This only adds to our accumulative racism because we see all of the bad and stereotypical things that are associated with African Americans.

The issue of racism has many people all over the board of where they stand. There are many things associated with racism and the roots of it that I hope to understand within the near future. Our class discussion opened up a lot of points of view that enlightened me. I hope that we see more controversial readings in the future in hopes that we learn from each other.

What Scares Me

Whether or not it is clear as day or if it's as subtle as a blink, fear has a hold on everyone. I like to think that I'm not afraid of anything. However, as much as I would like to believe that I can't. The idea of failing makes me feel very unsettled.

When I say failing, I don't mean an "F" exactly. I have set a lot of high standard goals that I plan to meet within the near future. They mainly revolve around becoming an officer. Since it such a high goal and status, there are many ways that I can fail in meeting that goal. It seems like I am on such a tight rope that I can't hold on to any of the "baggage" that I used to carry around. The things that I used to consider fun are largely diminished. I am so afraid of doing something stupid that would make all of my hard work for practically nothing. Even something as minute as a curfew ticket or a detention scares me. Right now I am balancing on such a narrow strip that it feels like a windy day could ruin a lot of things.

I will never say that I regret beginning this process, this "adventure." I will say that this time in particular is the most frightening part of my life--so far. I have five schools that I NEED to apply for in order to stay qualified for the NROTC Scholarship that I am shooting for, the Naval Academy, which is a boat-load of fun to apply for, and I have to maintain a constant state of motivation to prepare myself for whatever happens.

Also I am in the limbo period of the process where I don't know anything right now. I sent in my application and I have to wait another seven months until I hear back from NROTC. I guess that I am more stressed if anything at this period, but it is the thought of failing, not getting what I worked so hard for, really scares me to death.

After reading this whole thing, it seems like I did more "venting" if anything. Bottom-line: not meeting my goals scares me. Thank you for reading my frustrations.

Power of Music

Kolin's discussion got me thinking. How much does music play into my life? Even as I write this blog I am listening to music. The role of music in my life is a necessary support that I need to get through my week.

For example, when I am doing homework I am listening to music. Term papers are simply boring. They are not fun and I believe that few people enjoy them. However, if I am listening to music, my ideas come out much faster. Mainly due to the fact that I am not bored and not thinking about sleep. If anything I look forward to papers and homework because it is a good excuse to listen to music for a couple hours.

Music is especially prominent when I am doing something physical. Running or working out is not the same once you have been motivated by fast pace songs. Music helps me get in the mood to do things that require a sense of urgency. It seems difficult to do push-ups, bends and thrusts, mountain climbers, pull-ups, bear crawls, leg lifts, flutter kicks, firemen carries, firemen squats, planks, inch-worms, bicycles, negatives, diamonds, seals, building a house, wall sits, buddy wall sits, and etc... without someone/something to get you going. Music, more often than not can fill that void.

I also like to rely on music to help me chill. Craig Morgan tends to sound especially good on lazy Sunday mornings.

We can all agree that music is a form of expression. It can also be concluded that in today's society it is a necessary facet of everyday life. Whether or not you find yourself in the elevator, gas station, or the car, you can be sure that music will satisfy your mood.

How I Write

We all have qualities and features that make us unique. A definite feature that sets one apart is writing. Writing styles may be similar, but in all reality, identical writing styles are as common as matching finger prints from two people. There are small subtleties that make us different. Whether or not the differences come in the introduction, or in the conclusion, something can be found that is one of a kind.

My writing is unique in the sense that I make it entirely different from the way that I speak. I have more time to formulate what I am going to say, which normally comes out to sound a little more intelligent versus free speaking.

I also like to put an emphasis on getting one's attention. I believe that my introduction paragraphs do a fairly good job of making the reader read more. I try to open the introductions with an indirect sentence that leads up to what I am going to write about.

Within my body paragraphs, I like to keep a solid structure. I'll admit that I have a little OCD when it comes to that. I have been known to move paragraphs from the last thing you read to the first. The form and order is very important to me when I am writing, because I try to paint a picture. Everything has to be in place for one to see what is on the canvas.

For this particular era in time, individuality is a high commodoty. Writing is definitly a way to express that. There are no right or wrong answers. Therefore one is free to grow in any direction that one desires.

For me specifically I like to find things that are particularly unique so that I also may grow. The way that I write is mine. It may be similar to others, but in the end it is unique.

Found Essay: Teaching Creationism in Schools

Response Choice: Respond on an emotional level

Something that I should have included in my introduction is that I have a firm belief in God. I also have some conflicting ideas due to what I have learned in school. However, at the end of the day, I am still a believer.

I'll be the first to admit that I get frustrated when I hear somebody say that they don't believe, or that they are not sure about religion. Just to clarify, I don't get mad at that person, I just have trouble understanding why they feel that way. For me it is so clear and sound, that I often overlook the imperfections that people dwell on.

The essay at first was frustrating. It was saying that creationism does not belong in science class. It is better suited for mythology. This got me thinking a little more aggressively. I see the Bible, or Genesis to be more specific, to be open to interpretation. If one looks at the words of the Bible with strict adherence, he/she will be lost. I believe that it is necessary to have an open mind to understand religion. Therefore, creationism belongs in philosophy, not the clearly false pagan realm of mythology.

I have to level with the author when he/she writes that it flat out can't be taught in school. Creationism is a quick way of saying the Adam and Eve story. That would be sufficient for Judaism and Christianity. However, Islam, Buddhism, and many other religions would be left out. Public schools would be violating the first amendment, because it is showing favoritism and not equality to other religions. Keep in mind that there are many other creation stories. The Adam and Eve story is just the most common in America.

At the end of the article I was relieved to read that there was a neutral conclusion. I am so used to hearing that religion is false and that it doesn't belong in society that I am always tense about it. The conclusion stated that creationism does not belong in school; however, it does belong at home. It should be up to the parents to what extent their child knows about the origins of life.

Found Essay: Cruelty of Animal Testing

Choice: Agree or Disagree with the author's major arguments

I am the kind of person who is always itching to get out of my comfort zone and try something new. Likewise with this essay I also wanted to try something new. Animal rights are not included in my everyday thoughts. I thought that the essay, "Cruelty of Animal Testing," would be appropriate to become a little bit more knowledgeable.

First off, this is without a doubt a persuasion essay. It starts off by showing the ugly side of animal testing. I do not consider it necessary to touch base on the specifics, but there are lethal dose tests, skin irritancy tests, and eye irritancy tests to name a few.

The first point that the author makes is that tests performed on animals are not consistent with human results. How many lawsuit commercials have we seen on TV asking about deaths or illnesses? A lot. With that given, who can't agree that animal testing is counter productive?

I would like to make an informative addition to this blog. Dogs, rats, and pigeons all have much greater tolerances to nicotine than humans. Since it really is not humane to do lethal dose testing on humans, tobacco companies use animal results to support there products.

There are alternative testing methods to animal testing. The EYTEX SYSTEM, for example, uses prediction methods that are ten times cheaper and 88% more effective than current animal torture methods. Also the attrition route is very common. Animal activists refuse to buy certain products that have been tested on animals. I agree with that fact that it is very feasible to find an alternative to a product that kills.

No one can get away from the fact that animal cruelty will exist forever. However, I completely agree with the arguments brought up in this essay. I think that the current "torture" method is inefficient and is replaceable. This particular generation has earned the title, Generation Kill (no I am not talking about the series on HBO), due to our everyday numbness to violence. Just as easily as we created the title, we can pick up the bottle of shampoo that does not kill innocent animals.

Book Blog "A World Lit Only By Fire"

After reading, "Is Google Making Us Stupid," and coming to terms with my own second grade reading level, I decided to challenge myself by reading an actual book. "A World Lit Only By Fire" surprisingly pulled me in within the first few pages.

Just so everyone knows what I am talking about, "A World Lit Only By Fire," by William Manchester, is basically a history text-book, but without the thrill. It is broken down into three main sections: The Medieval Mind, The Shattering, and One Man Alone. The copy that I picked up is 292 pages. It covers the Medieval Period as well as the Renaissance with good detail.

The first section, The Medieval Mind, gives a solid base and understanding of medieval life. The times were greatly chaotic. People had no sense of direction, time, or self-identity. Death was as common as a student falling asleep during first block. Manchester wrote that for every 100 murders only one was brought to justice.

Something that I didn't expect out of this book was attention to the everyday medieval man. This surprised me because there really isn't much to say about him. The average man stood a little of over five feet tall at about 135 lbs. He lived in a tiny hut with his family where they all shared the same bedroom. Rarely would he travel more than a half-mile from his home/birthplace. According to Manchester, this led to inbreeding.

Within the pages of The Shattering, I gained a better understanding of what The Church WAS like as well as some famous figures of the age.

There is no doubt about it that the The Church was a major light in the Renaissance. However, as bright as it was, its leadership "flickered" quite a bit. There were popes with children and scandalous love affairs, and children as young as eight were appointed to the College of Cardinals. For those of you who are not up on the structure of the Catholic Church, the Pope and the Cardinals are supposed to be roll-models for good Catholic morals and leadership. That was not the case. Manchester put an emphasis on the former corruption of the Church. I could go on for quite a bit on the points that Manchester made, but I believe that would take up way too much time.

One Man Alone was a section that was largely devoted to Ferdinand Magellan. Manchester was especially descriptive in these 70 pages. For some reason this section was a little difficult to grasp. Maybe it was due to the late night or the fact that I was really excited to get done. Manchester basically writes on how much of an immortal hero Magellan is.

A comment that I have to make is about the writer. I will congratulate him on writing a book that I actually enjoyed, but I have to denounce him for being so negative. He made the times seem like hell. Most people were apparently stupid, greedy, a murderer or unlawful. This book seemed to be 90% of what was wrong with society, and 10% of what they stumbled upon to be correct.

In the end I was just happy that I read a challenging book. I would also like to say, step-off Google, I can read long pieces of literature.

Reply to: The Prevailing Opinion of a Sexual Character Discussed

Today, it goes without saying that men and women should be treated as equals. That isn't always the case, but that's the common belief. However, in the 18th century, that statement couldn't be farther from the truth. Mary Wollstonecraft, one of the first active voices of feminism, was a very well educated woman who made some very excellent points about the development and treatment of women.

When I first printed this assignment off, I had the worst attitude thinking that this excerpt was going to be on how women are superior to men. I was impressed when I read the first five pages, because it was about how women are being held back by society. I actually agree with the majority of she wrote.

The biggest thing that stood out for me personally was that society paints this picture on how a woman should be. The image that I picked up from her writing was that society says that a woman should be uneducated and dependent on men. It in no way encourages equal behavior either.

I believe that women are just as capable in everyday life as men. The societies of yesterday, as well as today (not so much today) fail to see that. I am in favor of being polite and voluntarily holding a door open once in a while, but when it is expected of me because that's what society says, I get a little mad. If one wants equality, then one should accept the fact that he/she will have to pull on a door handle.

Personally, I greatly respect Wollstonecraft. At the time that this was written, there must have been an outrageous amount of controversy. In the 18th century, there was little room for female opinion and insight, and just the fact that she wrote whole books astounds me. She was a very educated woman for her time, as well as ours. The points that she brought up put my thoughts into words.

Is Google Making Us Stupid?

There is no doubt about it that we are in the age of knowledge. Carr goes in depth and he illustrates the differences between now, and yesterday due to the Net. It seems that 200 page books are always increasing in length; even if the page number stays the same.

I was able to have a couple laughs throughout the article about how much my mind wonders during long, focused readings. Once upon a time, I really enjoyed reading, but now I am staring at a tall mountain for the book review. The article helped understand what happened, and that I am not alone in my deficiency in reading. Carr makes reference to Scott Karp, a lit. major in college, who gave up reading books altogether due to the convenience of the Internet.

This one article alone took me about four days to read. Maybe it was the amount of time that we had to read it, or that the article was a constant reminder that I am a mindless drone. I read it in one or two page increments per day; however, I would have been able to do it all in one sitting at the height of my "reading days."

I can see how the Net has undermined my reading ability, but I could not help but feel a little frustrated with the article. At first it was humorous how I was able to connect so well with the first three pages. But the article only seemed to bring up on point: the Net is evil. I thought that it was very one-sided. The author found a way to comment on how every milestone in human inventing history, somehow made us more mindless and less independent. He even found a way to make clocks seem evil. Carr made it seem like the results of the Net's influence on the world is negative. I see the results of the Net as the solution for the quest of knowledge.

It seems to me that life in this era goes by so much faster than it did in previous years. What I mean by that is that students, for example, are expected to know an incredible amount more than previous generations. It seems that the only way accomodate this demand is to skim through pages and find relevant information. The bottom of page two says that the British Laboratory and a U.K. education consortium conducted studies on how people read written information. The use of skimming was evident. I believe that skimming was found, because that is how one has to read in order to keep up. To illustrate my point, did anybody read the every word for the reading portion of the ACT? I didn't and I got a decent score.

All of the special interest groups in the world can protest on how the Internet is making us "stupider," but I will always say that the Internet is aiding us into the future. What we do today will affect tomorrow, and if I have to skip a couple pages to get through the night, I think I will sleep very well.

Skunk Dreams

As I grow a little older and a little wiser, I start to appreciate the small details in life. It seems to me that I stand alone on some simple issues of appreciation. We often say that we have to do things such as: going to church, work, practices, and the list goes on. I like to say that I get to go to church on Sundays, go to work on the weekends, and go to practices on days that are less than desirable. When it comes down to it, I enjoy doing things that I trick myself into liking.

Louise Erdrich, the author of "Skunk Dreams," seems to be a couple steps ahead of me as far as appreciating the small things. She used a very descriptive choice of words to describe very simple, basic scenes of everyday life. Erdrich did not fail in painting a mental picture of what she was trying to portray. I was especially impressed with the descriptive language of the park scene (p. 343). It seemed like I was there which was pretty good, but I really appreciated the way that she tied it in with her dream that she wrote earlier. The way that she set the scene and captured my minimal attention span for reading, was a unique twist.

On a heavier note, I do not know if my attention span for reading is so minimal that I could not fully comprehend the material, or if her style of writing is so caught up in the fine details that it leaves the main point vague and unclear (COMMENT OPPORTUNITY). I understand that people do things for the most obscene reasons at times, but there are normally motives behind some decisions that can explain things. While reading the essay I drew a blank to why she was in a football field camping. At the age of 17 I like to say that I have done most of the childish things that I will do. Somehow camping on a field that is 120 yards long by 53 yards wide did not make my "to do list." I believe that more emphasis could have been brought upon the main idea, versus the little details (I did enjoy the details though).

I was not blown away by Louise Erdrich's "Skunk Dreams" piece. I often search for the deeper meaning in things; I could not find it within the descriptive words of this essay. For the most part, I do believe that Erdrich is a very skilled writer. If I saw another one of her works, I would probably sit down and give it a fair chance. Even though I did not understand this particular essay, I am still left saying that I got to read this piece of work.

The Talk of the Town

It seems today that special interest groups and public outcries against violence are exponentially increasing. In contrast to these pleas for help, little to nothing is being done. When I was reading the article, "The Talk of the Town," I gained a further understanding of the destruction that firearms and firearm laws (or lack there of) can do.

To the best of my knowledge, the only law of purchasing a firearm is a five day waiting period. The idea behind this is to let some one's rage subside of over the waiting period. To some degree that is effective. However, there is nothing stopping a person from using that firearm for further violence. Since the nineteen sixties, the United States has claimed half of the top 14 worst mass shootings of the Western democracies. The government response to this: nothing.

In 1996 a gunman claimed the lives of 17 people at a school in Dunblane, Scotland. The government response: increase firearm control and ban the firearms that resembled the ones chosen for the murders. The point that I am trying to make with these two contrasting examples is that our elected officials are doing almost nothing in comparison to our easterly neighbors.

A point that I would like to make that was not mentioned in the article, but would be beneficial for others to understand is the concept of greedy politicians. The reason why very little firearm progress gets made is because firearm companies and retailers make a considerable amount of money from their death dealing businesses. These companies feel the need to bribe politicians into voting against firearm control laws so they can still have the same profits (relatively). Something that I believe in is that just because we are the home of the free, the brave should not be afraid of the coward behind a firearm.

The last bit that the reading included was something of what I strongly thought was referring to the 9/11 attacks. It talked more about how our elected officials assure us that everything is O.K. and that things are being taken care of. Both of the articles had different subjects, but depending how one looks at it, they have very similar points. The common point that I found was that America is a great nation that has a lot to offer; however, we are not living up to our potential, we still have much to work on to become who we think we are.

Main Points of Me

To kick our AP Comp. Blogs off, I'll introduce a little bit about myself to those who don't know me as well as others. In order for others to understand me and my writing I will just start with the basics. There really is not much to go over; however, the things that I do go over have a greater depth and story to them.

A big facet in my life is music. I'm not one of those people who can't live without it, but I really appreciate music as a whole. I mostly listen to all kinds of rock and country. This includes everything from Slipknot's "Psycosocial", to Kenny Chesney's "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy." On top of that, I am also a fan of virtually everything else. I enjoy listening to classical, some rap, and almost everything else that one can think of.

Another base that I would like to touch on is what I like to do in my spare time (if any). Like the typical teenager, I like to chill with my buddies and do the next stupid thing that sounds like fun. We have been known to go ding-dong ditching, golfing--around town, and throwing pickles in McDonald's (sorry McDonald's employees). I also enjoy working out. Whether or not it is for football, or the information provided below.

My future ambitions include the United States Marine Corps. If everything stays on the gravy-train with biscuit wheels, I will earn what is called a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) scholarship. This will allow me to go to one of 60 colleges around the nation and receive military training, all for FREE! So in a nut shell, when I graduate college, I will receive two titles--college graduate and United States Marine.

Naturally there is more to me than the information that I have disclosed. However, the information that I have included can explain, "Zach Jones." If you want to learn more, just drop me a line, or even better, COMMENT!