Connecticut School Shooting

This past Friday there was a shooting massacre in an elementary school. This tragic event led to the deaths of 26 people. This is an incredibly sad, unfathomable event. I believe it is extremely important for everyone to take a moment to think about the lives lost, so we can remember the victims. To receive more information on this very sad day, click here for the Chicago Tribune's coverage.



An event such as this was because of the insanity of one individual and guns. Although I believe people should think about the victims and their families in a time such as this, I also think it is important to think about the laws we have in place regarding the second amendment. This amendment, giving citizens the right to bear arms, was passed over 200 years ago. In this day and age, certain types of guns are available that could have never been imagined back in the 1790's. Yes, guns provide protection to some people, but guns also provide a means for tragedies, such as the Connecticut shooting. Guns need to be restricted on a national level, and the second amendment needs to be reconsidered. What do you think? How should the debate over guns be handled? For more information on this debate and the shooting, click here.

Football Icons

There is an ongoing conversation in Mr. Bolos' post "Sunday Suckers" that I would like to add onto. It seems obvious that Football is a fairly violent sport, that has led to many injuries at the professional level. Whether you believe the NFL should create more strict rules to reduce these injuries or not, is completely your opinion. But what about the children? Many kids, even up to the high school level, have icons in the NFL that they look up to. These icons can provide motivation for a kid who wants to be great in football. But is that bad? According to a 2001 study, kids playing football have many more injuries compared to all other sports...

According to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Program:

• In 2001, the number of sport-related injuries for each sport are as follows:
  • Gymnastics — 99,722
  • Baseball — 170,902
  • Softball — 118,354
  • Football — 413,620
  • Soccer — 163,003
  • Volleyball — 55,860
  • Track & Field — 15,113
  • Hockey — 63,945

Do professional football players play a role in this statistic by influencing the minds of young children to get involved in football? I would argue yes. When someone sees a role model do something, they want to do that. For that reason, many more children get involved in this brutal sport, and injuries rise. It is possible that if NFL football became safer, then children's football would also become safer because the influence these athletes have on America's youth. Therefore, there could be several benefits to making football safer.  What influence do you think NFL players have on children? 

Entertainment or Propaganda?

This past weekend I watched a movie released a while ago called "Act of Valor". It was a very inspirational movie about Navy SEALs and their heroic deeds.



Despite being amazed by some of the things these men did, this movie also got me thinking about the American movie industry. Is there ever a time where a movie depicts the wrongdoings of Americans? Although there is a bias because most producers are from America, it seems like most movies are selected specifically to make our country out to be "the good guys". Do you believe there is a secret motivation for movie producers to make our country seem great? And if so, why do you think that is?

Black Friday

Over this past weekend, many people looked forward to enjoying a large Thanksgiving dinner with their families. Additionally, many of those same people look forward to waking up bright and early to go shopping for black Friday. In fact, the turn out for this annual day of shopping was insanely high, once again. Stores prepare for a rush, and madness that isn't seen on any other day. Profit for stores generally raise. In fact, the mass amounts of people trying to get a good deal can lead to extreme situations, such as one employee getting trampled.

But has this day gone too far? When someone's life is lost because of something like shopping, should there be changes? In my opinion, there should be a better, and more organized way to handle the mass amounts of crowds, even if that means limiting the amount of shoppers per store. We shouldn't let good deals turn us into uncivilized human beings. What do you think?

A New Type of Patriotism?

There is an ongoing conversation in Mr. Bolos' blog "Born in The USA on Veterans Day". I wanted to continue this conversation through one of my own posts.

There are a considerable amount of songs that are criticisms of our government, or some aspect of our country, that have not limited by the government. But, there have also been some songs that were limited, such as many of Seeger's songs. I would argue that the government chooses to not limit some songs based on if they are still somewhat patriotic. Even though a song may be criticizing our country in some way, it can still be patriotic if evokes emotions of change for the better. For example, in "Born in the USA", Springsteen criticizes the Vietnam war for the purpose of saving American lives, and saving hardship for families. Therefore, there is a notion for change that would, in Springsteen's opinion, better our country. For that reason, this song can be considered patriotic, and was allowed to be publicized.



What is your opinion on this? What makes the government limit certain songs while allowing others to become widespread? Also, can a song criticizing our nation also be patriotic?

Wasteful Thinking?

During class this week, Doc Oc proposed a question about if there are jobs that are a waste of education. I kept this in mind when I went to visit colleges this weekend, and something interesting occurred to me throughout my conversations with other students. Several times, I was told something was a "bad major" because you couldn't get a "good job" from it. Or I was told not go over to certain buildings because there were classes for "dumb subjects" taking place in it. As a part of my research I looked up what majors were the "best". The results were all of the classes that led to high paying jobs.




This didn't shock me but it made me think. Is it a waste of an education if your major leads you to a "bad job"? I think not. If one wants to pursue something that is interesting to them, but differs from the usual path of a college student, they should be encouraged to. After all, all different sorts of jobs are required for society to function, and for that reason I believe there is no such thing as a waste of an education. What do you think?

Election Lies?

We are two days before the presidential Election Day, and the news stations are doing everything they can to create a good story for us Americans. Last Friday, in class, we held a minor discussion about the accuracy of major news networks polls’ on the race. As a result I looked up several different articles about who has the lead in the presidential race. Every network differed but it seemed as if they all held one thing in common. Every source tried to make the race sound like it was extremely close and exciting, and it was going to come down to the last vote. In reality, this race is no more exciting than any other presidential election. CNN's article is a good example of this type of news.









So why do this? Why should a news station try to make the election more exciting than it is, instead of just giving the entire truth? One reason could be to boost their stations ratings. The more exciting a race is, the more viewers it is going to get, and in turn, the better ratings that station is going to get. Why do you believe most sources of news make the election sound so close and exciting when in reality, it isn't. Also, how can we trust the information that we are getting now? If news stations aren't being entirely truthful, then where can we receive information that is reliable?