Connections & Questions- "My Finger! My Finger!" as I discovered that I had gashed my finger on the zipper and was dripping blood in a lively manner." (Bryson 249)
I too, had something very similar happen to me just as it did to Bill. I was packing my bags to get ready for my trip and when I was done I tried to close one of the pockets by zipping up the zipper. When I tried it refused to move and wouldn't give at all. I pulled as hard as I could until I was able to get it to jiggle a little. To help pull I put my finger on the zipper to get a better grip. Once I pulled I felt a tight pinch and then my finger start to throb. At first I was in shock that I had no clue what happened and continued to try and close my bag until I saw blood getting all over my bag. Apparently I caught the tip of my finger in the zipper part and yanked and had a good size gash in my finger. I had to go to the hospital and got a couple stitches, leaving with everything being alright.
This quote was perfect because it was something that I could relate to personally. My experience was very similar helped show a connection to the book. There were other quotes that could have been used but this one stood out to me more. Many people go through the same thing as me and Bill did and I felt this captured all of what happens when something like this does occur.
Now that Bill is back living in America does he intend to explore more? travel again?
Will he continue to write stories like this or does he have any others that are fiction and somewhat based off his life or in any type of genre?
Showing posts with label Blogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogs. Show all posts
Sunday, March 27, 2011
IR Blog Post 2
Events & Places- Airport- Bill flies so much that he joined a frequent flyers club and wanted to try and use his miles. When he went to get his card at first he couldn't find it. He looked every where, in every pocket, and in all his bags until he found it in a pair of pants at the bottom of his luggage. When he hands the man behind the counter his card and I.D., the man looks at it for a minute then calls for Bill's attention. Apparently his card was under the B. Bryson and his I.D. said W. Bryson. Even though it was the same name and Bill tried to explain it he would not let him fly. After arguing with many managers, Bill and his family are able to get a couple free flights.
Memory Loss- When it comes to remembering things Bill said his wife can remember everything up to the last detail. He talks about how his memory is so bad that if he was ever arrested and asked where he was at a certain date and time he would have no way of ever remembering and would have a better shot at just sticking his hands out and accepting his arresting. When talking to his wife about people he met at a place called Big Bear Lake, he can't remember a single one. After spending an entire week with them his memory is shot about ever meeting them.
Symbols- Stupidity- Bill and his family bought a flat in London using a leasehold, which gives them up until the year 2061. For the entire time Bill must maintain it by keeping it clean and making sure everything works. The thing about it is that by the time the lease is up Bill expects to be gone leaving the bank and realtor in a bit of a dilema for what will happen is he passes before 2061. This just shows how easy it is to lease a house and find a way to never have to worry about it again.
Rules for Living- Bill comes up with sort of a list of rules that if followed would make the world a much better place. He talks about certain things that are needed to be done and certain things that should be avoided. He also talks about different things that will help make your life easier and things that will make things crappier. The last rules are to help whoever is reading understand how things work and how you should use them.
The Town- Bill talks about how his town that he moved to follows how most little small towns run. They have a library, school, and little stores in the town. Bill talks about how the library does its annual town report to check up on how things are going. He also says about how it can be up to 132 pages and is just filled with whatever is happening in the town. It talks about all the incidents that the police were involved in and all the calls the fire company had to take. This is a very big thing for the town and plays a big role in how Bill looks at the town and community.
IR Blog Post 1
People- In this last section of the book Bill does not bring in any main characters, but does touch base on a few mentioned and past instances with people.
Rental Car Man- Bill talks about how he has been back in the United States for around 2 years and still can not get used to life here. He brings up about one time when he tried to rent a car while at an airport and all the trouble he had to go through to get it. When talking to the car person they ask him if he would like certain kinds of coverages for things he has never heard of in his life. Then when he tries to get the man to explain, Bill doesn not know a thing and just agrees to get everything the man tells him to end the conversation. At the end he tells him where the car will be, while Bill has to search and hopefully pray that he can find the car in time.
Flight Attendant- Bill talks about how airlines still use 1955 ways to fly. He talks about how flight attendants will continually do the demonstration of how the life vest work even though a 5 year old would be able to do it without being explained to. One flight Bill saw that the plane had a life boat for a plane of 150 people. When Bill ask the attendant about them she angrily explains they are there for safety reasons and she has no control over it. This causes her to be angry and not help him out ignoring his complaints.
Coffee Man- He goes to a coffee shop to order a regular cup of coffee but ends up having a wonderful trip. After waiting behind 20 people, when it was Bill's turn he ordered a regular coffee which caused the man behind the counter to look in awe. After fighting for 10 minutes the man hands him a coffee to which he took the coffee and left due to other customers complaining about him taking too long.
Themes & Ideas- Bad Luck- One time Bill dropped his 14-ounce can of tobacco while trying to organize things. At the same time he cut his finger on his zipper and it started to gush blood. This came after he was on a plane and went to tie his shoe. As his body was down the person in front of him put his seat back and trapped Bill in a tight spot causing him to hurt his head and body. Later while on the plane he ordered a drink, but quickly it spilled onto the lady next to him. The flight attendant cleaned it up and then brought Bill another drink. As soon as the drink was put down it some how spilled again onto the same lady causing her to start a scene with Bill and the flight attendant. This leads to Bill getting switched to another seat and having to sit around 4 littles babies all crying.
Play on Words- He talks about how so many words used in the English language are used as they sound. When certain words are said you can picture what is being described. Haggis is a food but any person who does not know what it is would think it is some type of disease. This is just like the words globule and scrapie.
Rental Car Man- Bill talks about how he has been back in the United States for around 2 years and still can not get used to life here. He brings up about one time when he tried to rent a car while at an airport and all the trouble he had to go through to get it. When talking to the car person they ask him if he would like certain kinds of coverages for things he has never heard of in his life. Then when he tries to get the man to explain, Bill doesn not know a thing and just agrees to get everything the man tells him to end the conversation. At the end he tells him where the car will be, while Bill has to search and hopefully pray that he can find the car in time.
Flight Attendant- Bill talks about how airlines still use 1955 ways to fly. He talks about how flight attendants will continually do the demonstration of how the life vest work even though a 5 year old would be able to do it without being explained to. One flight Bill saw that the plane had a life boat for a plane of 150 people. When Bill ask the attendant about them she angrily explains they are there for safety reasons and she has no control over it. This causes her to be angry and not help him out ignoring his complaints.Coffee Man- He goes to a coffee shop to order a regular cup of coffee but ends up having a wonderful trip. After waiting behind 20 people, when it was Bill's turn he ordered a regular coffee which caused the man behind the counter to look in awe. After fighting for 10 minutes the man hands him a coffee to which he took the coffee and left due to other customers complaining about him taking too long.
Themes & Ideas- Bad Luck- One time Bill dropped his 14-ounce can of tobacco while trying to organize things. At the same time he cut his finger on his zipper and it started to gush blood. This came after he was on a plane and went to tie his shoe. As his body was down the person in front of him put his seat back and trapped Bill in a tight spot causing him to hurt his head and body. Later while on the plane he ordered a drink, but quickly it spilled onto the lady next to him. The flight attendant cleaned it up and then brought Bill another drink. As soon as the drink was put down it some how spilled again onto the same lady causing her to start a scene with Bill and the flight attendant. This leads to Bill getting switched to another seat and having to sit around 4 littles babies all crying.
Play on Words- He talks about how so many words used in the English language are used as they sound. When certain words are said you can picture what is being described. Haggis is a food but any person who does not know what it is would think it is some type of disease. This is just like the words globule and scrapie.
Friday, February 25, 2011
IR Blog Post 3
Connections & Questions- In the book on page 113 Bill talks about how "Americans will spend around 2 billion dollars on movie tickets and food in the theater from a period between Memorial Day and Labor Day."
I am one of those people who spend a good amount of money on movie tickets because there will be a span of weeks where more and more movies will come out all rated very well. No matter what people say that they won't go to the movies something new comes out and they break their promise. Bill talks about how they would go to the movies 3 or 4 times a week with his family to see new movies that came out. This is similar to when I was down the shore with my family over the summer. Right behind our house was a movie theater and it seemed like every week a new movie would come out. Our family would walk over atleast 3 days of the week to see something.
"In New England, a friend here recently explained to me, the year divides into three parts. Either winter has just been, or winter is coming, or it's winter."
This reminded me of a time when I went on a cruise and a kid I met from Austrailia asked what our "seasons" were. Since it was just after winter had came, I told him our years are like this winter is either on its way, it just passed, or it is winter. Spring and summer and autumn all transition into each other very well with nothing as bad as snow happening. Most people in the northeast know the year to be in three different parts instead of 4 seasons.
I am one of those people who spend a good amount of money on movie tickets because there will be a span of weeks where more and more movies will come out all rated very well. No matter what people say that they won't go to the movies something new comes out and they break their promise. Bill talks about how they would go to the movies 3 or 4 times a week with his family to see new movies that came out. This is similar to when I was down the shore with my family over the summer. Right behind our house was a movie theater and it seemed like every week a new movie would come out. Our family would walk over atleast 3 days of the week to see something.
"In New England, a friend here recently explained to me, the year divides into three parts. Either winter has just been, or winter is coming, or it's winter."
This reminded me of a time when I went on a cruise and a kid I met from Austrailia asked what our "seasons" were. Since it was just after winter had came, I told him our years are like this winter is either on its way, it just passed, or it is winter. Spring and summer and autumn all transition into each other very well with nothing as bad as snow happening. Most people in the northeast know the year to be in three different parts instead of 4 seasons.
IR Blog Post 2
Symbols- Cupholders- Bill talks about how Americans are obsessed with having cupholders in their cars. People will get many cupholders, even more than are needed for how many people the car seats. He talks about a car that he saw that seated 7 people but had 14 cupholders. That means that each person gets 2 cupholders for themselves when people do not need to have 2 to themselves. CD Tray- Cupholders were first thought of when a man called a computer place saying that his "cupholder" broke off of his computer. When they asked how he got a cupholder on his computer he replied "when i push the button, the cupholder comes out and I can put my coffee cup in it.
Customer Appreciation Day- He talks about how in America and especially where he lives the post office every once in a while will have a customer appreciation day, where they will give out doughnuts and other treats to customers. In Britian, things are very busy and they do not show any appreciation to customers taking care of too many things at once.
Themes & Ideas-
Laziness- A researcher at the University of California at Berkeley found that Americans are becoming lazier and lazier every year. People no longer walk the average of 75 miles a year like times before only walking about 1 mile a week. Bill admits that he has noticed that he became lazier once he moved back to the US. He said he chose to live in the town they do because everything is within walking distance of all the places he needs to go to.
Health- Bill and his wife go to the grocery store to go food shopping. While there Bill's wife stays only in the healthy foods section and complains when Bill tries to get "bad" food. She tells him everything he gets he must eat all of it or else he can never get it again. By the time he is about half way done all his "junk" food he tries to find anything healthy to eat.
Intrusion- Clothing stores have every legal right to spy on you while you are trying on their clothes. This is to ensure that no one sneaks anything into a purse or under clothes to steal thier items. One time when Bill's wife was shopping she had put something into her purse by accident when changing mixing up her's and the store's clothes. When she left the changing rooms a man in a nice suit came up and asked to see what was in her purse. After emptying and finding the items the man let her go saying to not do it again.
IR Blog Post 1
People- Bill and his wife- In the book Bill talks about a time him and his wife went to the grocery store because when she went alone she would get only healthy foods. He talks about how when they were there his wife made him stay in the healthy foods section and how American supermarkets are 3% healthy foods and 97% junk food.
Walt- He is Bill's carpentry man who works on their house. Bill describes him as a man who looks 112 years old. He lives near Bill so he does a lot of work for the Bryson's. Bill describes a time when Walt was late coming to Bill's house and when he got there he said he was late due to traffic in Norwich was too fierce. The way he says Norwich confuses Bill because the accent he says it with does not match where he said he was from.
Bill's Friend- Bill talks about how drugs in America are looked at with much paranoia. He tells about his friend who work for a large manufacturing company that handled different drugs. One night his friend went to the tavern right across from the building, when he was approached by a woman he didn't know. She asked if he could get her marijuana, with her knowing that he was apart of the company. Saying nothing to her but "Here take this" and handing her a card, he was fired for abetting and encouraging the use of an illegal substance. He didn't give her any, or encourage it, and he never said he did it himself, but because he gave the woman, who was the companies spy, their business card he was fired.
Bill's Father- Bill mentions his father for the first time in the book. He talks about memories he has with him when he was younger. Bill admits to feeling like he grew into him from the way he looks to the way he acts. He talks about how he enjoys making slogans and license plates and how his father would always like everything he came up with.
Events & Places- Vermont- This is where Walt lives the carpenter for the Bryson's. Since they live in New Hampshire it is very easy for Walt to get there to help out a lot more.
Connecticut River- This seperates Walt and the Bryson's. It is the river Walt crosses in order to get to the town that they live in.
New Hampshire- He talks about how New Hampshire is about 85% woods and how when he goes on walks he can get lost very easily because of how dense the forest are. He talks about two stories that are talked about but never solved in his area. A plane crashed in the woods and the plane, people, and any luggage were never found. Also there was a story about a couple that went for a walk and went a little bit off the trail and ended up never being seen again.
Walt- He is Bill's carpentry man who works on their house. Bill describes him as a man who looks 112 years old. He lives near Bill so he does a lot of work for the Bryson's. Bill describes a time when Walt was late coming to Bill's house and when he got there he said he was late due to traffic in Norwich was too fierce. The way he says Norwich confuses Bill because the accent he says it with does not match where he said he was from.
Bill's Friend- Bill talks about how drugs in America are looked at with much paranoia. He tells about his friend who work for a large manufacturing company that handled different drugs. One night his friend went to the tavern right across from the building, when he was approached by a woman he didn't know. She asked if he could get her marijuana, with her knowing that he was apart of the company. Saying nothing to her but "Here take this" and handing her a card, he was fired for abetting and encouraging the use of an illegal substance. He didn't give her any, or encourage it, and he never said he did it himself, but because he gave the woman, who was the companies spy, their business card he was fired.
Bill's Father- Bill mentions his father for the first time in the book. He talks about memories he has with him when he was younger. Bill admits to feeling like he grew into him from the way he looks to the way he acts. He talks about how he enjoys making slogans and license plates and how his father would always like everything he came up with.
Events & Places- Vermont- This is where Walt lives the carpenter for the Bryson's. Since they live in New Hampshire it is very easy for Walt to get there to help out a lot more.
Connecticut River- This seperates Walt and the Bryson's. It is the river Walt crosses in order to get to the town that they live in.New Hampshire- He talks about how New Hampshire is about 85% woods and how when he goes on walks he can get lost very easily because of how dense the forest are. He talks about two stories that are talked about but never solved in his area. A plane crashed in the woods and the plane, people, and any luggage were never found. Also there was a story about a couple that went for a walk and went a little bit off the trail and ended up never being seen again.
IR Blog Post 2
Connection: In the story Bill goes to the barbershop to get a haircut and this is what was said. "So what would you like me to do with this?" "Just a simple tidy-up," I say looking up at him. "See any styles up there you like?" says the barber.
This part of the story I thought I had a close connection to because just like Bill everytime I go to the barbershop for a haircut it suddenly becomes the hardest thing in the world to do. It seems like barbershop people only know how to do the styles they have pictures of and anything outside of it is too advanced. Also like Bill when I ask for a certain style it breaks down into how about this way or what about this way, and what I thought was only going to be a few minutes now turns into a 20 minute fiasco.
Another connection to the story can be found when Bill tries to set up his computer and has trouble finding things. He calls the helpline and finds out they really are no help at all. "Sir, can you tell me the serial number?" ask the man on the helpline. "Where would I find that?" I respond. "It's on the bottom of the CPU functional dysequilibrium unit." After an akward silence the man ask "Is your model the Z-40LX Mulitmedia HPii or the ZX46/2Y Chromium B-BOP?"
I had something very similar to this happen to me one day. My parents had gone away for the weekend and we had gotten a new computer. Me thinking I was the smartest guy tried to set it up but quickly found out I was no brainiac. When I tried pluging in something it wouldn't work and since my parents were away the only thing I could do was try to call the helpline number that came with the computer. When I called I thought things were going to be easy they would tell me what to do and then I would be on my way, boy was I wrong. The guy on the other line asked me a bunch of questions using terms I never even knew existed, telling me plug the hydruxulator into the hoplator, which can be found next to the titainium carborator. For almost an hour I had the guy try to explain what he said over and over again until I eventually realized nothing was being gained from this and just hung up. I decided that from then on I would never call one of those helplines ever again.
This part of the story I thought I had a close connection to because just like Bill everytime I go to the barbershop for a haircut it suddenly becomes the hardest thing in the world to do. It seems like barbershop people only know how to do the styles they have pictures of and anything outside of it is too advanced. Also like Bill when I ask for a certain style it breaks down into how about this way or what about this way, and what I thought was only going to be a few minutes now turns into a 20 minute fiasco.
Another connection to the story can be found when Bill tries to set up his computer and has trouble finding things. He calls the helpline and finds out they really are no help at all. "Sir, can you tell me the serial number?" ask the man on the helpline. "Where would I find that?" I respond. "It's on the bottom of the CPU functional dysequilibrium unit." After an akward silence the man ask "Is your model the Z-40LX Mulitmedia HPii or the ZX46/2Y Chromium B-BOP?"
I had something very similar to this happen to me one day. My parents had gone away for the weekend and we had gotten a new computer. Me thinking I was the smartest guy tried to set it up but quickly found out I was no brainiac. When I tried pluging in something it wouldn't work and since my parents were away the only thing I could do was try to call the helpline number that came with the computer. When I called I thought things were going to be easy they would tell me what to do and then I would be on my way, boy was I wrong. The guy on the other line asked me a bunch of questions using terms I never even knew existed, telling me plug the hydruxulator into the hoplator, which can be found next to the titainium carborator. For almost an hour I had the guy try to explain what he said over and over again until I eventually realized nothing was being gained from this and just hung up. I decided that from then on I would never call one of those helplines ever again.
IR Blog Post 3
Symbols: Technology- While the author was in Britain for 20 years the technology in America got way more advanced. He mentions that in Britain they have very few television shows and one that really stuck out to him because it was the only one on at the time he was able to watch TV was Open University. This was a show were a professor would give a lecture and students would watch and then later would be tested on what was told. He noticed when he came back to America there were many shows just like this that he had never known about.
His Past- He says that the thing he missed most was baseball, the sport of America's pastime. Bill talks about how it is a key thing in his life and that no matter where he lives that it will never leave his life.
He talks about lessons that he learned when he was younger that have helped him develop into who he was today.
Drugs- Drugs are brought up a good amount of times especially on how addicted Americans are to drugs and how they will spend so much money not only fighting against them but at the same time buying them. He says how British people don't look to over-the-counter drugs to help change their lives and when something is wrong they help themselves differently instead of wasting their money. Drugs are seen in magazines, commercials, and newspaper ads everywhere you look in America, but in Britian only a very few ads are seen.
Themes & Ideas: Enjoyment of the little things- In the book he mentions a lot of different little things that help make his life a lot better. He talks about how people get so stressed out about things and can't take enjoyment of the little things life has to offer. If you enjoy as many little things as you can eventually something big will come along.
Intelligence- People are not very intelligent. Companies have to put directions on products because people can not use their brains long enough to understand how to do things. He does not call out any specific group of people but as a whole America tends to not grasp things as quickly as other countries.
Food- No matter where you go there are always restaurants that try to make a name of a food sound fancier than it is so that you will want to buy. Even though this only causes confusion and Bill talks about a time he and his wife went out to eat and he asked for a steak but the waiter said they only have a fancy type of steak and that calling it steak is an insult.
His Past- He says that the thing he missed most was baseball, the sport of America's pastime. Bill talks about how it is a key thing in his life and that no matter where he lives that it will never leave his life.
He talks about lessons that he learned when he was younger that have helped him develop into who he was today.
Drugs- Drugs are brought up a good amount of times especially on how addicted Americans are to drugs and how they will spend so much money not only fighting against them but at the same time buying them. He says how British people don't look to over-the-counter drugs to help change their lives and when something is wrong they help themselves differently instead of wasting their money. Drugs are seen in magazines, commercials, and newspaper ads everywhere you look in America, but in Britian only a very few ads are seen.
Themes & Ideas: Enjoyment of the little things- In the book he mentions a lot of different little things that help make his life a lot better. He talks about how people get so stressed out about things and can't take enjoyment of the little things life has to offer. If you enjoy as many little things as you can eventually something big will come along.
Intelligence- People are not very intelligent. Companies have to put directions on products because people can not use their brains long enough to understand how to do things. He does not call out any specific group of people but as a whole America tends to not grasp things as quickly as other countries.
Food- No matter where you go there are always restaurants that try to make a name of a food sound fancier than it is so that you will want to buy. Even though this only causes confusion and Bill talks about a time he and his wife went out to eat and he asked for a steak but the waiter said they only have a fancy type of steak and that calling it steak is an insult.
IR Blog Post 1
Simon Kelner- Friend of Bill, journalist, asked Bill to write for his magazine which lead to the book being written.
The only other people mentioned so far are the town people and his family. He doesn't talk much about his family so far so we are not sure much about them at this point.
Places: London- Bill moved to England and lived there for 20 years until he decided to move back to the US. It was there he met his wife and got married. They had 4 kids the grew up in Europe for about 8 years until they moved to the United States.
Hanover, New Hampshire- Place he moves back to after living in London for 20 years. He had lived there before he moved and felt that it was the best place for him and his family to come back to to settle down.
Post Office- He mentions post offices multiple times throughout the story and the differences between American and English post offices. The post office he visits in America is very friendly, helpful people, and the workers have only one mindset, whatever postal matters need to be dealt with are handled nothing else. He compares it to an English post office where it is pretty chaotic and the workers take interest in matters outside of postal concerns.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
IR Blog Post 4- careersandcollege.com
http://www.careersandcolleges.com/tp2/cnc/articles/view.do?cat=training-articles-and-advice&article=how-balance-academics-and-athletics
How To Balance Academics and Athletics
1) Many athletes get out of school with only one thing in mind, getting ready for practice while knowing they have a big essay due the next day. Lots of these stars end up messing up or screwing around during practice because they have other things stuck on their mind. What ends up happening is that by the time the practice is over the kids are so tired they just want to go home and sleep but are forced to stay up to finish any work that is due the next night. Kids will stay up as late as they need to finish the work and end up only getting a few hours of sleep.
2) Studies have shown that performance decreases due to lack of sleep. Many student athletes get caught up in this lack of sleep because after being exhausted from a practice or game have to go home and finish a 4 page paper due the next day. They should do the work before but a lot have important things to focus on aside from school work that could help set up their future, knocking sleeping out of the list of important things. Those kids have shown lower grades, test scores, and showing up to class late. They are either sleeping during class or have their minds wandering, either way it is not healthy physically and mentally.
3) In some cases playing a sport has helped an athlete do better in school, while they are able to gain more energy to stay up later. This energy allows the student to be able to do their work and not stay up rediculous hours of the night. Also being an athlete helps kids have an incentive to want to do better in school knowing that what dictates them from playing is not only how they do on the field but also off. Many times there will be around 20-30 minutes until you have a practice or game and most of the time people don't know what to do. The best thing is to either do some work to knock time off later or even take a power nap which has helped shown better results in the past.
1) Can playing sports actually help you do better in school?
2) Should athletes be given a little help with teachers knowing they have a long practice or game?
http://studentactivism.net/2010/09/29/cutting-sports-to-balance-the-books/
This article is about how a school is dropping 4 athletic programs in order to help reduce the amount of time being spent on a field or in a gym rather then in a library. It will be able to get more money to help students have better programs and study areas to allow those late night assignments to be done with ease. Even though it is not fair to those students who's sport is being dropped, the record has shown they are the sports in the school with the lowest gpa's. By cutting programs or even players it allows them to focus on academics over athletics helping set their future up to look better.
How To Balance Academics and Athletics
1) Many athletes get out of school with only one thing in mind, getting ready for practice while knowing they have a big essay due the next day. Lots of these stars end up messing up or screwing around during practice because they have other things stuck on their mind. What ends up happening is that by the time the practice is over the kids are so tired they just want to go home and sleep but are forced to stay up to finish any work that is due the next night. Kids will stay up as late as they need to finish the work and end up only getting a few hours of sleep.
2) Studies have shown that performance decreases due to lack of sleep. Many student athletes get caught up in this lack of sleep because after being exhausted from a practice or game have to go home and finish a 4 page paper due the next day. They should do the work before but a lot have important things to focus on aside from school work that could help set up their future, knocking sleeping out of the list of important things. Those kids have shown lower grades, test scores, and showing up to class late. They are either sleeping during class or have their minds wandering, either way it is not healthy physically and mentally.
3) In some cases playing a sport has helped an athlete do better in school, while they are able to gain more energy to stay up later. This energy allows the student to be able to do their work and not stay up rediculous hours of the night. Also being an athlete helps kids have an incentive to want to do better in school knowing that what dictates them from playing is not only how they do on the field but also off. Many times there will be around 20-30 minutes until you have a practice or game and most of the time people don't know what to do. The best thing is to either do some work to knock time off later or even take a power nap which has helped shown better results in the past.
1) Can playing sports actually help you do better in school?
2) Should athletes be given a little help with teachers knowing they have a long practice or game?
http://studentactivism.net/2010/09/29/cutting-sports-to-balance-the-books/
This article is about how a school is dropping 4 athletic programs in order to help reduce the amount of time being spent on a field or in a gym rather then in a library. It will be able to get more money to help students have better programs and study areas to allow those late night assignments to be done with ease. Even though it is not fair to those students who's sport is being dropped, the record has shown they are the sports in the school with the lowest gpa's. By cutting programs or even players it allows them to focus on academics over athletics helping set their future up to look better.
Friday, January 7, 2011
IR Blog Post 4- news.yahoo.com
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110107/ap_on_sc/us_sci_dead_wildlife_fact_check
Mass Birds/Fish deaths occur Regularly
1) This year's New Years Eve was unlike any other that we have experienced. A large amount of animals all mysteriously died on the exact day in different locations. Over 2 million fish were found dead in the Chesapeake Bay, 150 tons of red tilapia in Vietnam, and over 40,000 crabs were dead in Britian. Many people believe this "aflockalypse" is either environmental or biblical. Biologists that were asked about the topic stated that mass deaths of animals occur a lot and are typically just brushed over when brought up. No one knows exactly what caused the deaths but people all over are desperately trying to find the facts.
2) Since 1970, things like this have been seen from disease, poison, or unknown causes, cases have always been around. In the last eight months, there has been a recorded 95 mass animal deaths that have occured in America. These include 900 turkey vultures that died in the Florida Keys, 4,300 ducks that were killed by parasites in Minnesota, 1,500 salamanders that died from a virus in Idaho, and 2,000 bats that died from rabies in Texas. Depending on how severe and even what kind of animal, many cases are not reported as many show no concern for the matter.
3) Many blame the weather, others blame the sky for becoming deadly and unleashing something that cause the sudden death of over 1,000 birds. No one is sure but more and more test in the area are being taken to find out what happened and also prevent something else like this from occuring again. As many scientists have seen, many of the deaths are from animals that have a large population, but lots bring up the point that there is an even bigger mass death going on and its all the humans fault.
1) Will the scientists and people ever know what really caused the deaths?
2) Is there some possible connection to what occured on New Year's Eve?
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/7783602-government-is-seeking-for-the-truth-behind-the-mysterios-mass-bird-death-in-arkansas
The article is about how the government is trying hard to figure out what caused the sudden death of thousands of animals around the world. A lot of local citizens feel that it might be due to weapons testing from the military and that they may be in harm's way. The problem with what happened is that they happened around the world not only in the United States, so the government can't spend as much time trying to solve the mystery, especially with the House being changed and both parties are taking different views on the situation. All that can be done now is to wait for the truth and hopefully nothing of this scale happens any time soon.
Mass Birds/Fish deaths occur Regularly
1) This year's New Years Eve was unlike any other that we have experienced. A large amount of animals all mysteriously died on the exact day in different locations. Over 2 million fish were found dead in the Chesapeake Bay, 150 tons of red tilapia in Vietnam, and over 40,000 crabs were dead in Britian. Many people believe this "aflockalypse" is either environmental or biblical. Biologists that were asked about the topic stated that mass deaths of animals occur a lot and are typically just brushed over when brought up. No one knows exactly what caused the deaths but people all over are desperately trying to find the facts.
2) Since 1970, things like this have been seen from disease, poison, or unknown causes, cases have always been around. In the last eight months, there has been a recorded 95 mass animal deaths that have occured in America. These include 900 turkey vultures that died in the Florida Keys, 4,300 ducks that were killed by parasites in Minnesota, 1,500 salamanders that died from a virus in Idaho, and 2,000 bats that died from rabies in Texas. Depending on how severe and even what kind of animal, many cases are not reported as many show no concern for the matter.
3) Many blame the weather, others blame the sky for becoming deadly and unleashing something that cause the sudden death of over 1,000 birds. No one is sure but more and more test in the area are being taken to find out what happened and also prevent something else like this from occuring again. As many scientists have seen, many of the deaths are from animals that have a large population, but lots bring up the point that there is an even bigger mass death going on and its all the humans fault.
1) Will the scientists and people ever know what really caused the deaths?
2) Is there some possible connection to what occured on New Year's Eve?
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/7783602-government-is-seeking-for-the-truth-behind-the-mysterios-mass-bird-death-in-arkansas
The article is about how the government is trying hard to figure out what caused the sudden death of thousands of animals around the world. A lot of local citizens feel that it might be due to weapons testing from the military and that they may be in harm's way. The problem with what happened is that they happened around the world not only in the United States, so the government can't spend as much time trying to solve the mystery, especially with the House being changed and both parties are taking different views on the situation. All that can be done now is to wait for the truth and hopefully nothing of this scale happens any time soon.
IR Blog Post 4- rivals.yahoo.com
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Stanford-rejoice-Andrew-Luck-turns-down-more-mo?urn=ncaaf-304360
Andrew Luck turns down more money than you'll ever see to stay in school
1) Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck turned down a large amount of money to attend school for his senior year. Luck was predicted to be the first pick of the 2011NFL draft, with a contract of $60 million dollars waiting for him just to say yes. Even though he is predicted to be the top pick of the 2012 draft, when he will eligible, the amount of money is will be losing is greatly. By next year about $40 million of the $60 million offered will disappear. NFL quarterbacks are some of the highest paid players in the league and even though next year he probably will not go low in the draft, the chances of him getting injured during his senior year are higher.
2) In the past, many players have done really well their junior year and are eligible for the draft and large sums of money. Many turn these offers down to return for one more year to finish up schooling at Stanford. The team last year did not do as well as expected and him taking the NFL deal would be best for him. This would not only give him a better chance to do better in the NFL, but will help him make more money in the future. Now with the NFL putting in a rookie salary cap, he will not make anywhere near what he could be making had he chose the NFL over Senior Year. Luck could come his way and Stanford might be able to win a national championship, but those chances are far from happening with the team only able to make it to the Orange Bowl.
3) Choices like this have very big impact on players that many fans do not see. Now not only are the expectations for him to be dominate high, but the performance of the team and the pressure the next year senior quarterback will face may get to him. Last year, Sam Bradford played his senior year after getting offered to play in the NFL in 2010. At the beginning of the season he injured his shoulder and his team got knocked out of the chance to win the national championship. He was lucky to be able to recover and ended up being the number one pick for the St.Louis Rams in the 2010 draft. Hopefully Luck is lucky and does very well his senior year.
1) Do you think that Luck turning down the chance to play in the NFL will hurt him for next year?
2) How do you think Luck is going to respond to the pressure from the fan's expectations for him?
http://usc.ocregister.com/2011/01/06/stanford-qb-andrew-luck-will-return-for-junior-season/58350/
The article is about how Luck feels getting his degree is more important than the big bucks. He is finishing up studying architectural design and is hoping that after the NFL he can use his degree to find a good job. Many players don't think about that when given the choice and immediately think about the huge amount of money that is being offered. Since I have never been in a position where I had to decide between getting $60 million a year to play a sport I love or finish getting my degree. Luck made his decision and now all people can do is wait and see what happens at the start of the college football season.
Andrew Luck turns down more money than you'll ever see to stay in school
1) Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck turned down a large amount of money to attend school for his senior year. Luck was predicted to be the first pick of the 2011NFL draft, with a contract of $60 million dollars waiting for him just to say yes. Even though he is predicted to be the top pick of the 2012 draft, when he will eligible, the amount of money is will be losing is greatly. By next year about $40 million of the $60 million offered will disappear. NFL quarterbacks are some of the highest paid players in the league and even though next year he probably will not go low in the draft, the chances of him getting injured during his senior year are higher.
2) In the past, many players have done really well their junior year and are eligible for the draft and large sums of money. Many turn these offers down to return for one more year to finish up schooling at Stanford. The team last year did not do as well as expected and him taking the NFL deal would be best for him. This would not only give him a better chance to do better in the NFL, but will help him make more money in the future. Now with the NFL putting in a rookie salary cap, he will not make anywhere near what he could be making had he chose the NFL over Senior Year. Luck could come his way and Stanford might be able to win a national championship, but those chances are far from happening with the team only able to make it to the Orange Bowl.
3) Choices like this have very big impact on players that many fans do not see. Now not only are the expectations for him to be dominate high, but the performance of the team and the pressure the next year senior quarterback will face may get to him. Last year, Sam Bradford played his senior year after getting offered to play in the NFL in 2010. At the beginning of the season he injured his shoulder and his team got knocked out of the chance to win the national championship. He was lucky to be able to recover and ended up being the number one pick for the St.Louis Rams in the 2010 draft. Hopefully Luck is lucky and does very well his senior year.
1) Do you think that Luck turning down the chance to play in the NFL will hurt him for next year?
2) How do you think Luck is going to respond to the pressure from the fan's expectations for him?
http://usc.ocregister.com/2011/01/06/stanford-qb-andrew-luck-will-return-for-junior-season/58350/
The article is about how Luck feels getting his degree is more important than the big bucks. He is finishing up studying architectural design and is hoping that after the NFL he can use his degree to find a good job. Many players don't think about that when given the choice and immediately think about the huge amount of money that is being offered. Since I have never been in a position where I had to decide between getting $60 million a year to play a sport I love or finish getting my degree. Luck made his decision and now all people can do is wait and see what happens at the start of the college football season.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
IR Blog Post 3- www.nytimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/weekinreview/19steinberg.html?ref=education
Is Going to an Elite College Worth the Cost?
1) Many kids are soon going to be going through the process of applying to college and setting the scene for the next 4 years of their lives. Tons try to get into the top named colleges knowing that the end result may be better knowing the school they went to has a well known name. With the ecomony today being the way it is, is it really worth going to that elite college that cost much more than a smaller school. Plus not only does it cost more you can get the same degree from a smaller not as well known school and pay a lot less.
2) A major things that kids don't realize when trying to get into big name colleges is that many can not afford to pay for their entire education and need to get loans. What happens is that the student needs to get more and more loans in order to pay for a well known school. These added loans acrud tons and tons of debt that leave the kids in a bit of a pickle by the time they graduate. Most end up finding a job because of the school they went to but end up having to pay tons of debt in a situation where they could have avoided it all by going to another school.
3) Recent studies showed that there were more people recieving better paying jobs after graduating from school that was not as known than those that spent 4 years at a well known college. Graduates have great chances of getting jobs just because of the fact of graduating than because of the name of the place they spent their 4 years. With grades recently declining many kids choose not to apply to bigger schools knowing that they would have a better chance both financially and academically at a small school.
1) Does the top name college really make that much more of an impact than a smaller school?
2) What do schools offer that can help out kids to be able to afford going to a top named school?
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/11/29/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college?ref=weekinreview
The article is about how recent numbers have shown better success from attending a prestigious school. Also not only more graduates got jobs but very well paying jobs soon after graduating. The income of some graduates are a lot higher coming fomr a better school than those from small schools. The scores of the kids in better schools have been higher and more people have higher job postions showing that prestigous schools really do pay off.
Is Going to an Elite College Worth the Cost?
1) Many kids are soon going to be going through the process of applying to college and setting the scene for the next 4 years of their lives. Tons try to get into the top named colleges knowing that the end result may be better knowing the school they went to has a well known name. With the ecomony today being the way it is, is it really worth going to that elite college that cost much more than a smaller school. Plus not only does it cost more you can get the same degree from a smaller not as well known school and pay a lot less.
2) A major things that kids don't realize when trying to get into big name colleges is that many can not afford to pay for their entire education and need to get loans. What happens is that the student needs to get more and more loans in order to pay for a well known school. These added loans acrud tons and tons of debt that leave the kids in a bit of a pickle by the time they graduate. Most end up finding a job because of the school they went to but end up having to pay tons of debt in a situation where they could have avoided it all by going to another school.
3) Recent studies showed that there were more people recieving better paying jobs after graduating from school that was not as known than those that spent 4 years at a well known college. Graduates have great chances of getting jobs just because of the fact of graduating than because of the name of the place they spent their 4 years. With grades recently declining many kids choose not to apply to bigger schools knowing that they would have a better chance both financially and academically at a small school.
1) Does the top name college really make that much more of an impact than a smaller school?
2) What do schools offer that can help out kids to be able to afford going to a top named school?
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/11/29/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college?ref=weekinreview
The article is about how recent numbers have shown better success from attending a prestigious school. Also not only more graduates got jobs but very well paying jobs soon after graduating. The income of some graduates are a lot higher coming fomr a better school than those from small schools. The scores of the kids in better schools have been higher and more people have higher job postions showing that prestigous schools really do pay off.
IR Blog Post 3- www.cnn.com
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/12/21/washington.911.bill.rally/index.html?hpt=T2
9/11 First Responders Urge Passage of Health Benefits Bill
1) A group of firefighters, cops, and paramedics that responded first to the 9/11 terrorist attack want congress to pass a health care bill that would provide free medical treatment to those who currently have health problems from working in and around Ground Zero. Many developed types of cancers and other diseases from responding and staying around the site of the towers. Many were lost on that day and as more continue to lose the battle from declining health from 9/11. These people risked their lives to save others that were in shock and terror knowing what could happen at any moment and decided to stay and do their jobs. People read about heroes such as Spider-Man, Superman, and Batman but the real heroes are the ones who while everyone was trying to run out of the buildings they were heading in the other direction.
2) Many of the people that were involved not only on the day of the attacks but the cleaning up afterward saw many things that any other person would never want to see. Many suffered not only physical damage but mental damage from all the bodies that had to be picked out of the rubble. The heroes that are pushing for the bill don't want it for no particular reason, they mainly don't want to keep losing many of their brothers and sisters that have health concerns from trying to help save people in a situation that people needed others. The New York fire, police, and medical units all did their job and now have problems that cost too much and just want a little help.
3) The James Zadroga Bill, the bill currently trying to be passed, was named after a police detective who died of complications from working in the toxic Ground Zero. The senate will be voting on the bill on wednesday and if passed it will have to go through the House and then finally to President Obama to pass it into a law. These people risked their lives in order to help people in a time of need and now they are asking the Senate for something in return. They aren't asking to be praised or anything they just want some help paying for complications due to working in an area that was not safe. These are the heroes of today and they need to have something good happen in their lives.
1) Why are people who just sit in a chair and do nothing but make decisions trying to take away something that could help save many lives?
2) Do you think if any of the Senate members were either involved in or had someone involved in 9/11 the debate would be different?
http://gangstergovernment.squarespace.com/blog/2010/12/21/coburn-to-block-911-responders-bill.html
In the article Oklahoma Republican Senator Tom Coburn expresses why he feels that the bill should not be passed saying points such as many could have developed problems from reasons other then from Ground Zero. Many other senators feel that the spending on the package would be too much and hurt our economy. The cost that would arise from passing the bill scare many Republicans from wanting to pass the bill and now more and more heroes from that sad, fateful day, pass away from complications from helping others.
9/11 First Responders Urge Passage of Health Benefits Bill
1) A group of firefighters, cops, and paramedics that responded first to the 9/11 terrorist attack want congress to pass a health care bill that would provide free medical treatment to those who currently have health problems from working in and around Ground Zero. Many developed types of cancers and other diseases from responding and staying around the site of the towers. Many were lost on that day and as more continue to lose the battle from declining health from 9/11. These people risked their lives to save others that were in shock and terror knowing what could happen at any moment and decided to stay and do their jobs. People read about heroes such as Spider-Man, Superman, and Batman but the real heroes are the ones who while everyone was trying to run out of the buildings they were heading in the other direction.
2) Many of the people that were involved not only on the day of the attacks but the cleaning up afterward saw many things that any other person would never want to see. Many suffered not only physical damage but mental damage from all the bodies that had to be picked out of the rubble. The heroes that are pushing for the bill don't want it for no particular reason, they mainly don't want to keep losing many of their brothers and sisters that have health concerns from trying to help save people in a situation that people needed others. The New York fire, police, and medical units all did their job and now have problems that cost too much and just want a little help.
3) The James Zadroga Bill, the bill currently trying to be passed, was named after a police detective who died of complications from working in the toxic Ground Zero. The senate will be voting on the bill on wednesday and if passed it will have to go through the House and then finally to President Obama to pass it into a law. These people risked their lives in order to help people in a time of need and now they are asking the Senate for something in return. They aren't asking to be praised or anything they just want some help paying for complications due to working in an area that was not safe. These are the heroes of today and they need to have something good happen in their lives.
1) Why are people who just sit in a chair and do nothing but make decisions trying to take away something that could help save many lives?
2) Do you think if any of the Senate members were either involved in or had someone involved in 9/11 the debate would be different?
http://gangstergovernment.squarespace.com/blog/2010/12/21/coburn-to-block-911-responders-bill.html
In the article Oklahoma Republican Senator Tom Coburn expresses why he feels that the bill should not be passed saying points such as many could have developed problems from reasons other then from Ground Zero. Many other senators feel that the spending on the package would be too much and hurt our economy. The cost that would arise from passing the bill scare many Republicans from wanting to pass the bill and now more and more heroes from that sad, fateful day, pass away from complications from helping others.
Friday, December 17, 2010
IR Blog Post 3- sports.espn.go.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5922161
Michael Vick Wants to Own a Dog
1) Michael Vick, quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, who was recently just released from a prison sentence for dog fighting, wants to be a dog owner. He says that he misses owning a dog and feel that he is currently ready to take on the responsibility again. In an interview he told viewers that him and his family want a dog sometime in the future as it can be a big step in his rehabilitation process. Vick who was a convicted dog fighter, came out of prison to sign with the Eagles. After the birds released quarterback Donovan McNabb the responsibility fell into Mikes hand. Currently Mike and the Eagles are doing very well while Vick has shown a big difference in his attitude and leadership role. He has proven that he is responsible enough to own a dog.
2) Due to Michael Vick being on probation and the terms of his probation, he was recently denied, by the same judge who sentenced him before, to own a dog. Vick to help not only his image but to help with probation has spoke at many schools about dog fighting and how bad it is. For the first time in a while he was put into a commercial being that many people thought his career was over when he went to jail. During many of his speakings multiple members of the audience asked if he would want to return to the Eagles next year regardless of what happens this year. He answered saying he would love to and that coming to Philadelphia really changed his life. He feels had he not gotten picked up by the Eagles that he may not have had the change that has happened this year.
3) Vick says that he wants to show people that everything that he just went through is in the past and that he will never get into that again. He wants to show everyone that he truly cares about animals and the by getting a dog it will show a big maturity step that could be good. In a recent interview he stated that if ever given the opportunity to own an animal, he would not take it for granted. He said the hardest thing is having to tell his kids why they can't own a pet and he really wants to make it up to them.
1) Do you think that the judge was correct by denying Vick the chance to own a dog?
2) If the Vick family gets a dog, do you think there is a possibility that his old ways might come back to haunt him? If he does, and gets caught, how much worse will things be?
http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2010/december/184218/PETA-upset-over-Michael-Vicks-comments-on-wanting-a-dog
The article is about how PETA members are very upset over Mike Vick wanting to get a dog. Members feel that he should be banned for life, never giving him a chance to make things right. They say that by letting Vick around dogs is like letting a pedophile around little children. According to Mike's probation terms by 2012 he will legally be allowed to purchase a dog. PETA wants that changed and want it him to never be allowed to own a dog.
Michael Vick Wants to Own a Dog
1) Michael Vick, quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, who was recently just released from a prison sentence for dog fighting, wants to be a dog owner. He says that he misses owning a dog and feel that he is currently ready to take on the responsibility again. In an interview he told viewers that him and his family want a dog sometime in the future as it can be a big step in his rehabilitation process. Vick who was a convicted dog fighter, came out of prison to sign with the Eagles. After the birds released quarterback Donovan McNabb the responsibility fell into Mikes hand. Currently Mike and the Eagles are doing very well while Vick has shown a big difference in his attitude and leadership role. He has proven that he is responsible enough to own a dog.
2) Due to Michael Vick being on probation and the terms of his probation, he was recently denied, by the same judge who sentenced him before, to own a dog. Vick to help not only his image but to help with probation has spoke at many schools about dog fighting and how bad it is. For the first time in a while he was put into a commercial being that many people thought his career was over when he went to jail. During many of his speakings multiple members of the audience asked if he would want to return to the Eagles next year regardless of what happens this year. He answered saying he would love to and that coming to Philadelphia really changed his life. He feels had he not gotten picked up by the Eagles that he may not have had the change that has happened this year.
3) Vick says that he wants to show people that everything that he just went through is in the past and that he will never get into that again. He wants to show everyone that he truly cares about animals and the by getting a dog it will show a big maturity step that could be good. In a recent interview he stated that if ever given the opportunity to own an animal, he would not take it for granted. He said the hardest thing is having to tell his kids why they can't own a pet and he really wants to make it up to them.
1) Do you think that the judge was correct by denying Vick the chance to own a dog?
2) If the Vick family gets a dog, do you think there is a possibility that his old ways might come back to haunt him? If he does, and gets caught, how much worse will things be?
http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2010/december/184218/PETA-upset-over-Michael-Vicks-comments-on-wanting-a-dog
The article is about how PETA members are very upset over Mike Vick wanting to get a dog. Members feel that he should be banned for life, never giving him a chance to make things right. They say that by letting Vick around dogs is like letting a pedophile around little children. According to Mike's probation terms by 2012 he will legally be allowed to purchase a dog. PETA wants that changed and want it him to never be allowed to own a dog.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
IR Blog Post 2- businessweek.com/news
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-11-29/lee-vows-north-korea-will-pay-as-china-calls-for-talks.html
Lee Vows North Korea Will Pay as China Calls for Talks
1) The President of South Korea says he will make sure Kim Jong Il regime will pay for their military attack on the city of Yeonpyeong. The attacks occured on November 23 when the city began getting bombarded with bombs and other explosives. He felt that the South Korean's government's slow/weak response to the attack showed weakness in their government. "Emergency" discussions involving North and South Koreas, China, the U.S, Russia, and Japan will be held next month in an attempt to settle disputes before the become bigger this meeting is being hoped to gain some peace settlements between the Koreas. They hope that North Korea will change their behavior before tensions get worse.
2) The attack has not had a big impact on South Koreas economy with most of the shock being absorbed with more hope of peaces than retaliation. South Korea is taking China's proposal for "talks" very cautiously for fear that something else could happen while the meeting was occuring while their government is at a weak spot being occupied. Many South Koreans do not want their leaders to go to the meeting hoping that they can connect better and be more involved with decisions.
3) Over 80 percent of South Koreans said that they felt their government should have shown a stronger military response to the attacks. They felt that the response was slow and a very weak attempt. With this being said about 65% say they are opposed to war and will do what they can to avoid taking that step. There are however about 33% that say they would easily risk everything to go to war to show how strong they actually are.
A) Do you think the "talks" that China is trying to have will help the situation or in fact make things worse between the two nations?
B) If South Korea refuses to join in the discussions what do you think will happen?
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AM1XU20101123
The article is North Koreas response to their attack on the South Korean city of Yeonpyeong. North Korean officals said that there firing came after many repeated warnings. The claim is that South Korea fired artillery shells from 1 p.m until North Korea took military action. They are trying to do whatever they can to take responsiblilty for what happened and will continue to deny the fact that they were the ones who initiated the attack.
Lee Vows North Korea Will Pay as China Calls for Talks
1) The President of South Korea says he will make sure Kim Jong Il regime will pay for their military attack on the city of Yeonpyeong. The attacks occured on November 23 when the city began getting bombarded with bombs and other explosives. He felt that the South Korean's government's slow/weak response to the attack showed weakness in their government. "Emergency" discussions involving North and South Koreas, China, the U.S, Russia, and Japan will be held next month in an attempt to settle disputes before the become bigger this meeting is being hoped to gain some peace settlements between the Koreas. They hope that North Korea will change their behavior before tensions get worse.
2) The attack has not had a big impact on South Koreas economy with most of the shock being absorbed with more hope of peaces than retaliation. South Korea is taking China's proposal for "talks" very cautiously for fear that something else could happen while the meeting was occuring while their government is at a weak spot being occupied. Many South Koreans do not want their leaders to go to the meeting hoping that they can connect better and be more involved with decisions.
3) Over 80 percent of South Koreans said that they felt their government should have shown a stronger military response to the attacks. They felt that the response was slow and a very weak attempt. With this being said about 65% say they are opposed to war and will do what they can to avoid taking that step. There are however about 33% that say they would easily risk everything to go to war to show how strong they actually are.
A) Do you think the "talks" that China is trying to have will help the situation or in fact make things worse between the two nations?
B) If South Korea refuses to join in the discussions what do you think will happen?
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AM1XU20101123
The article is North Koreas response to their attack on the South Korean city of Yeonpyeong. North Korean officals said that there firing came after many repeated warnings. The claim is that South Korea fired artillery shells from 1 p.m until North Korea took military action. They are trying to do whatever they can to take responsiblilty for what happened and will continue to deny the fact that they were the ones who initiated the attack.
IR Blog Post 2- Sports.yahoo.com
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Video-Could-this-be-Brett-Favre-s-final-play-in?urn=nfl-292018
Could this be Brett Favre's final play in the NFL?
1) The Minnesota Vikings and all of their fans saw something that no one would believe would happen. After many claims of going into "retirement" and all the Brett Favre interviews that left people wondering 2 months into the start of preseason will he be playing or not? On Sunday verse the Buffalo Bills Brett was hit from behind on a hit that knocked him out of the game. He was replaced by backup quaterback Tavaris Jackson who was able to finish up the game in which the Vikings won.
2) Recently Favre and the Vikings have been having problems with whether or not they need to bench him due to lack of production. After dropping Randy Moss and the firing of former head coach Brad Childress the last thing they need to add is if it is Brett Favre's last game in the NFL. Hits like the one he took have been known to knock many quarterbacks out of the league and at the age he is it could take a big toll on his future.
3) With Favre's age, his 2010 performance, and the Vikings terrible season, unless a miracle happens this may be the last football fans will see of the wrangler star in an NFL jersey. Throughout the entire 2010 season the Vikings have been dealing with multiple problems some of which conserned Brett. Not bringing it in as a major part but with him dealing with the whole "sexting" scandal may have hurt his chance and the whole organizations options of even dealing with Brett for next season.
A) Brett Favre has had many, many injuries do you think that this one may actually be the "final" game of his NFL career?
B) If he does recover and is healthy enough to finish out the rest of his year will he want to even play next season and if he did would he still want to play for Minnesota?
http://www.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2010/04/brett-favre-considering-ankle-surgery-uncommitted-on-whether-to-play-again/1
The article is about how Brett Favre has had multiple injuries that many thought would be the end of the great #4. He all the times has made some sort of miraculous recovery and was able to play by the time the next game came. He has broken his ankle and fingers, hurt other body parts but never once missed a snap by letting something like this affect him. Many Viking fans and Brett Favre followers believe that this will not be the end of the Legend but that he will come back and possible send their Vikings to the playoffs pulling some sort of miracle comeback.
Could this be Brett Favre's final play in the NFL?
1) The Minnesota Vikings and all of their fans saw something that no one would believe would happen. After many claims of going into "retirement" and all the Brett Favre interviews that left people wondering 2 months into the start of preseason will he be playing or not? On Sunday verse the Buffalo Bills Brett was hit from behind on a hit that knocked him out of the game. He was replaced by backup quaterback Tavaris Jackson who was able to finish up the game in which the Vikings won.
2) Recently Favre and the Vikings have been having problems with whether or not they need to bench him due to lack of production. After dropping Randy Moss and the firing of former head coach Brad Childress the last thing they need to add is if it is Brett Favre's last game in the NFL. Hits like the one he took have been known to knock many quarterbacks out of the league and at the age he is it could take a big toll on his future.
3) With Favre's age, his 2010 performance, and the Vikings terrible season, unless a miracle happens this may be the last football fans will see of the wrangler star in an NFL jersey. Throughout the entire 2010 season the Vikings have been dealing with multiple problems some of which conserned Brett. Not bringing it in as a major part but with him dealing with the whole "sexting" scandal may have hurt his chance and the whole organizations options of even dealing with Brett for next season.
A) Brett Favre has had many, many injuries do you think that this one may actually be the "final" game of his NFL career?
B) If he does recover and is healthy enough to finish out the rest of his year will he want to even play next season and if he did would he still want to play for Minnesota?
http://www.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2010/04/brett-favre-considering-ankle-surgery-uncommitted-on-whether-to-play-again/1
The article is about how Brett Favre has had multiple injuries that many thought would be the end of the great #4. He all the times has made some sort of miraculous recovery and was able to play by the time the next game came. He has broken his ankle and fingers, hurt other body parts but never once missed a snap by letting something like this affect him. Many Viking fans and Brett Favre followers believe that this will not be the end of the Legend but that he will come back and possible send their Vikings to the playoffs pulling some sort of miracle comeback.
IR Blog Post 2- Finance.yahoo.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/college-education/article/111460/is-the-college-debt-bubble-ready-to-explode
Is the College Debt Bubble Ready to Explode?
1) There is a girl named Kelli Space who after graduating from Northeastern University racked up a total of $200,000 dollars in student loan debt. Due to this debt she currently must live with her parents and work a full-time job in order to help pay back the massive amount that she owes. To help her out she tried creating a website in order to help take any donations people will be willing to give. Since her website began she had recieved over $6,000 in donations only help take a tiny bite at her mountain of debt.
2) The major cause of stories just like Kelli's are due in part to easy credit, declining grants, and tuition prices risings. More than 2/3 of students graduating from college graduate in debt. This rose from the 45% that were graduating in debt with an average amount being $24,000. Space says the best advice for a student looking for colleges is to look at which one will not hurt you the most financially. She said listening to "student loans are considered "good" debt, just go to the best school you can" led her to the position she is currently in.
3) Spokesmembers for Sallie Mae, a private loan lender, refused to talk about Space's situation but did say that occations such as Space's are very "rare" and that they do not let anyone borrow more then they need to. They say they contact the financial aid members and find out how much you need and will give no more than that. There was another case that was able to prove this wrong when a student his first year in college got a $50,000 dollar loan which is pretty excessive for a first year student. To add icing on the cake he went back the next year and got another $50,000 just adding on too his debt. By the time he graduated he owed so much that he now works 3 jobs while in the process of finding a fourth.
A) Why would kids allow themselves to accrud massive amounts of debt instead of changing to a college that is cheaper to afford will almost the same education?
B) What are colleges doing to help students avoid staggering debt totals? What offers do colleges give to help students not have to resort to loans ?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/04/AR2010090400077.html
The article talks about how there are ways to avoid having to go to student loans. They include saving up from an early time until it is time to send the kids away, pick you colleges stratigically by telling your kids about what schools they can afford. Try and think outside the box if it means attending a community college for a short term and then transferring to a four-year college. This allows you to save a lot of money by not going straight to a four-year school but earning credits at a cheaper cost. The author says the best option is to pick a major that has very good paying jobs, this will help you in the future for when it comes time to pay back some college debts.
Is the College Debt Bubble Ready to Explode?
1) There is a girl named Kelli Space who after graduating from Northeastern University racked up a total of $200,000 dollars in student loan debt. Due to this debt she currently must live with her parents and work a full-time job in order to help pay back the massive amount that she owes. To help her out she tried creating a website in order to help take any donations people will be willing to give. Since her website began she had recieved over $6,000 in donations only help take a tiny bite at her mountain of debt.
2) The major cause of stories just like Kelli's are due in part to easy credit, declining grants, and tuition prices risings. More than 2/3 of students graduating from college graduate in debt. This rose from the 45% that were graduating in debt with an average amount being $24,000. Space says the best advice for a student looking for colleges is to look at which one will not hurt you the most financially. She said listening to "student loans are considered "good" debt, just go to the best school you can" led her to the position she is currently in.
3) Spokesmembers for Sallie Mae, a private loan lender, refused to talk about Space's situation but did say that occations such as Space's are very "rare" and that they do not let anyone borrow more then they need to. They say they contact the financial aid members and find out how much you need and will give no more than that. There was another case that was able to prove this wrong when a student his first year in college got a $50,000 dollar loan which is pretty excessive for a first year student. To add icing on the cake he went back the next year and got another $50,000 just adding on too his debt. By the time he graduated he owed so much that he now works 3 jobs while in the process of finding a fourth.
A) Why would kids allow themselves to accrud massive amounts of debt instead of changing to a college that is cheaper to afford will almost the same education?
B) What are colleges doing to help students avoid staggering debt totals? What offers do colleges give to help students not have to resort to loans ?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/04/AR2010090400077.html
The article talks about how there are ways to avoid having to go to student loans. They include saving up from an early time until it is time to send the kids away, pick you colleges stratigically by telling your kids about what schools they can afford. Try and think outside the box if it means attending a community college for a short term and then transferring to a four-year college. This allows you to save a lot of money by not going straight to a four-year school but earning credits at a cheaper cost. The author says the best option is to pick a major that has very good paying jobs, this will help you in the future for when it comes time to pay back some college debts.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
IR Blog Post1- NewYorkTimes.com
http://www.wtvy.com/weather/headlines/36970994.html
1) The article shows that the average scores for 12th graders in Reading and Math have improved since reaching a historic record low in 2005. Federal test were given to students around the nation to see how they would score in reading and math. The test was given the past couple of years and results show that scores were getting better and better over the years.
2) For the reading assessment the score was based out of 500 points with the average score of 12th graders being 288 jumping up 2 points from 2005. This led to around 38 percent of the kids taking the test to score in or above the proficiency level. The results of this test show that 20 years ago scores were a lot higher but since reaching record lows have shown better results.
3) Many believe that geographic background effect the results. Since 2005 Asians have gotten their scores from 287 up to 298. While whites boosted theirs up from 293 to 296 in the past couple years. Hispanics have raised scores up to 274 around 2 points better then before, and blacks were able to move from 267 to 269 showing things are getting better.
A) What is being done to help the students improve their scores?
B) Do these results have any impact on how business leaders look toward future employees?
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/11/states-12th-graders.html
The article shows that even though test scores are still low, they are better than before. Many states are showing that things are getting better but yet scores remain low. Even with things getting better why are they so low. Many schools try to include things in the cirliculum that will help bring scores up even higher but none have shown any drastic improvements. As long as scores remain low nothing so far can help bring 12th graders to have better results which may affect futures. As the business world is seeking better educated employees, Americans need to improve or else things can become a lot more stressful for finding jobs unless drastic improvement occurs.
1) The article shows that the average scores for 12th graders in Reading and Math have improved since reaching a historic record low in 2005. Federal test were given to students around the nation to see how they would score in reading and math. The test was given the past couple of years and results show that scores were getting better and better over the years.
2) For the reading assessment the score was based out of 500 points with the average score of 12th graders being 288 jumping up 2 points from 2005. This led to around 38 percent of the kids taking the test to score in or above the proficiency level. The results of this test show that 20 years ago scores were a lot higher but since reaching record lows have shown better results.
3) Many believe that geographic background effect the results. Since 2005 Asians have gotten their scores from 287 up to 298. While whites boosted theirs up from 293 to 296 in the past couple years. Hispanics have raised scores up to 274 around 2 points better then before, and blacks were able to move from 267 to 269 showing things are getting better.
A) What is being done to help the students improve their scores?
B) Do these results have any impact on how business leaders look toward future employees?
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/11/states-12th-graders.html
The article shows that even though test scores are still low, they are better than before. Many states are showing that things are getting better but yet scores remain low. Even with things getting better why are they so low. Many schools try to include things in the cirliculum that will help bring scores up even higher but none have shown any drastic improvements. As long as scores remain low nothing so far can help bring 12th graders to have better results which may affect futures. As the business world is seeking better educated employees, Americans need to improve or else things can become a lot more stressful for finding jobs unless drastic improvement occurs.
IR Blog Post1- News.yahoo.com
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20101117/sc_yblog_thelookout/poll-most-republicans-dont-believe-in-climate-change
1) Recent polls have shown that Republicans have been recently changing their view on global warming as results show from 2006, 62 percent of the House believe that global warming exist and is the major cause of what is happening to the Earth. Now that number has been reduced down to 53 percent as the Democrats still have around 80 percent of their members still belive in global warming.
2) Scientist say that global warming is very harmful and that it is being caused by human made creations. These include the car, factories, and other carbon-dioxide releasing inventions. The carbon dioxide is causing a rise in the temperature due to a thining of the ozone layer and other reasons.
3) Many people are split on the idea of global warming with many saying that it is just something that the Earth has naturally been doing for billions of years and that climate change is natural. Many groups have been created to help fight global warming with not many of them knowing exactly what is causing "global warming".
A) If global warming really exist then why have countries continued to allow production of cars, factories, and other carbon releasing items to continue to be made?
B) Other then temperature change what exactly is the result of "global warming" and how does it have a negative effect on humans and the environment?
http://www.wtvy.com/weather/headlines/36970994.html
As many people believe that global warming is being cause due to humans many skeptics think that what is occuring is normal for the Earth. Chris Booker says that results show the Earth was hotter 1,000 years ago than it is now. He also mentions that temperatures are in fact dropping more than they are rising and that nothing has showed record levels of change. I think that global warming is just a myth and that people are trying to find an excuse for certain things. There is no real proof other then so called temperature changes that show any significant results that can prove global warming exist and for that I think that there is no such thing and it is just natural what is happening.
1) Recent polls have shown that Republicans have been recently changing their view on global warming as results show from 2006, 62 percent of the House believe that global warming exist and is the major cause of what is happening to the Earth. Now that number has been reduced down to 53 percent as the Democrats still have around 80 percent of their members still belive in global warming.
2) Scientist say that global warming is very harmful and that it is being caused by human made creations. These include the car, factories, and other carbon-dioxide releasing inventions. The carbon dioxide is causing a rise in the temperature due to a thining of the ozone layer and other reasons.
3) Many people are split on the idea of global warming with many saying that it is just something that the Earth has naturally been doing for billions of years and that climate change is natural. Many groups have been created to help fight global warming with not many of them knowing exactly what is causing "global warming".
A) If global warming really exist then why have countries continued to allow production of cars, factories, and other carbon releasing items to continue to be made?
B) Other then temperature change what exactly is the result of "global warming" and how does it have a negative effect on humans and the environment?
http://www.wtvy.com/weather/headlines/36970994.html
As many people believe that global warming is being cause due to humans many skeptics think that what is occuring is normal for the Earth. Chris Booker says that results show the Earth was hotter 1,000 years ago than it is now. He also mentions that temperatures are in fact dropping more than they are rising and that nothing has showed record levels of change. I think that global warming is just a myth and that people are trying to find an excuse for certain things. There is no real proof other then so called temperature changes that show any significant results that can prove global warming exist and for that I think that there is no such thing and it is just natural what is happening.
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