Three Research Topics

1. What does literature "say" about how medium's are able to talk to people that have died?


2. What does literature "say" about how horoscopes are determined based on when your birthday is and how does it effect one's personality?


3. What does literature "say" about how cell phones are ruining communication between people?

Editorial Bias

               In the article, Why Should Animal Testing be Banned, by Shashank Nakate, the author seems very bias towards people who are in agreement for animal testing.  Nakate is a feels strongly against animal testing and believes it should be stopped immediately.   She shows many different types of bias throughout her editorial some I picked up on include: essentialism, availability cascade and the ostrich effect. 

                Initially, essentialism is demonstrated throughout the editorial.  Shashank Nakate categorizes people according to their essential nature.  If you think animal testing is good because otherwise humans would get hurt, she would say you are wrong:   “The results obtained from animal testing are used to check whether a particular medicine or cosmetic product would have any side-effects on human beings.”  For example, if someone was to use a medicine or cosmetic product that was tested on an animal you would be categorized as a bad person.  Though this may not be true, or you may not even had known you are using a product that has been tested on an animal, you will be placed in a group of oblivious selfish people.  The author shows essentialism in this point about products being animal tested.

                Subsequently, availability cascade pops up in this article a couple of times. Availability cascade is a self-reinforcing process in which a collective belief gains more and more plausibility through its increasing repetition in public discourse.  Over the course of the editorial Shashank repetitively says how awful animal testing is and gives reasons to back up her beliefs:  “The practice of animal testing should be banned, considering that it is harmful from the ethical, environmental as well as the economical point of view.”  After saying that animal testing should be banned many times the reader starts to believe the authors opinion.  The author not only says that animal testing should be banned directly but also in virtually every sentence there is a point against this horrible act.  Availability cascade really helped the author to get her point across to the reader.

                Additionally, the ostrich effect was seen throughout the editorial.  The ostrich effect means that you ignore an obvious (negative) situation.  Nakate is very bias and eliminated the fact that people have other opinions on the subject.  She does not consider other’s point of view.  Other people may believe that animal testing is a good thing, for it decreases the number of humans that are hurt from unsafe products.  Shashank may use the ostrich effect and not even know it.

                By and large, in the article, Why Animal Testing Should be Banned, by Shashank Nakate, the author shows bias to people in agreement with animal testing.  Nakate is totally against animal testing and wants it to disappear.  Some major forms of bias that I found in this editorial: essentialism, availability cascade and the ostrich effect. 

Bucketlist: Detention✔️

         On September 30, 2014 I crossed off detention from my bucketlist.  I sat in the cafeteria from 2:10-3:40.  It was not at all what I was expecting.  I was hoping it would be like in the movies when the rebels sit in desks in front of a green chalk board and a teacher is at the front of the room sitting behind her desk slapping a ruler in her hand.  Instead, we just sat there doing homework in silence for a whole hour and a half while the teacher corrected tests.  Overall, I am glad I got to check off detention from my bucketlist but I am not looking to get another detention anytime soon!

Interview

                  I did my interview with John Munger and learned a lot about him.  The first question I asked was: "If you had one wish what would you use it on?" After he thought long and hard on this tough question he came to a conclusion, "My dad" he exclaimed "for him to live back at home instead of living in Virginia for work and only coming home on the weekends."  When I asked John what he likes to do in his spare time he replies with:  "I like to watch TV or hang out with friends." His favorite TV show at the moment is How I Met Your Mother but his all time favorite show would have to be The Office.  I then asked John what his full name was, "My full name is John Kenneth Munger."  His first name came from his uncle and his middle name is from his father.  If you ask John what the best day of his life was he would tell you: "The day I hit my first homerun."  This amazing day was when he was twelve years old.  John has only broken one bone in his lifetime, "Broke my pinkie last year" he said "I was sliding down an enormous hill in my neighborhood with my brother going head first and things just went downhill from there."  His favorite type of movie:  "Either action or comedy."  His favorite movie ever is Borat.  John has lived in Norton his whole life just not the same house, "I have always lived in Norton but I used to live over by the yellow Dunkin Donuts when I was younger."  His thoughts on sports are all positive, "I love them" John tells me "My favorite sport to watch is either hockey or football and my favorite sport to play is tennis."  Next, I asked him what the weirdest thing he has seen is.  I was not prepared for this answer: "In New York City a hobo was pooping in a box on the subway."  If John could have dinner with any celebrity dead or alive "I have two people in mind" he says "either Hugh Jackman or Will Ferrell."  John also has no pets, "allergic to dogs and cats" he exclaimed "and do not want to have to deal with caring for them anyways."  Overall, I know a lot more about John after having this interview.

Incentives

                     A.  In my opinion, I do agree with using the method of incentives. Incentives work to motivating people so they can gain a reward.  We watched many documentaries on how incentives work and how they make people work harder so they can retrieve that reward.  After all the good arguments the clips made, I have the same opinion that incentives are a great way to make someone do something.  Incentives govern human behaviors in many different ways.  They motivate people to work harder if there is a reward they will receive for their efforts.  People are also more likely to get something done if they are given an incentive.  The best incentive to motivate people is money.  The reason for this being that money is a huge part of our lives.  You need money to buy food, shelter, clothes, and other necessities.  Everyone needs money, and it seems to be the best way to make a person do something for you and motivate them.
                      B.  Additionally, an aesthetic experience I have had would be the time I went to a So You Think You Can Dance show.  Back when I danced, it consumed most of my time and sometimes I wanted to quit for it was taking over my social life.  Watching these stars on stage made me keep competing and going to practice every night because I wanted to be just like them someday, fulfilling my dreams.  While in the audience it I was "fully alive" as Robinson states.  I was using all my senses and very engaged in the show.  That night affected me because it made me realize that dance was my passion and I needed to stick with it and keep going.
                      

My Bucketlist

SHORT TERM BUCKETLIST:
　

1. Detention- This may sound weird to some people, but I really want detention just once. I fell like it is part of the high school experience to just sit in a room silent with the teacher at the front of the room watching your every move. This happens in like every movie and I will not feel accomplished if I do not get a detention in my lifetime.





2. Goliath- I have been to Six Flags many times and love rollercoasters. I have also been on many rollercoasters, but I have not been on Goliath! Every time I go it either gets shut down due to rain or we run out of time.




3. Travel Abroad-  I would like to travel abroad to Ireland. I'm Irish and I would love to learn about their culture and visit one of the prettiest places on earth.  I feel as though it would be a great experience and I would learn a lot.





4. Black Diamond-  I have only been skiing for about two winters now and I am really scared to try a black diamond but this upcoming winter I want to be able to say I completed a black diamond trail.




5. Belly Button Pierced or Tattoo-  On my 18th birthday I want to get my belly button pierced. I may want this or to get a symbolic SMALL tattoo on my foot or somewhere not visible.  I'm not sure which one I want yet but I feel that when I turn 18 I should do something big.
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LONG TERM BUCKETLIST:

1. Robert Gordon Orr #4- I do not know why but Bobby Orr a former bruins has been an on going joke between my friends and I. I have a slight obsession with him and would love to meet him someday.





2. Skydiving- I would love to skydive someday. I imagine the feeling as if you are flying feels like nothing else and it sounds very thrilling.





3. Travel to Bora Bora- Bora Bora is probably the prettiest place on the earth. If you have ever seen a picture of it you understand why I want to go there. If I go there, I would want to stay in one of those huts that is built over the crystal clear water.





4. Meet a Kardashian Family Member- I love the show Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Out of all of the Kardashians I would want to meet either Kendall or Khloe.




5. Baseball Game- I have been to many PawSox games but never to an actual Red Sox game. I like baseball and watching it so I would really like to go to a major league baseball game.

High Schools Sports

               High school sports are necessary to getting the full high school experience.  Do you think your child would get more out of school if sports did not exist?  In my opinion, I think high school sports are a great way for teenagers to stay in school, learn to be supportive and respectful of peers, and to stay active so they live a healthier lifestyle.  In the article, The Case Against High-School Sports, the author Amanda Ripley, disagrees with my point of view and thinks teens everywhere would do better in school if sports did not exist.  Being a student myself, I know of a lot of students who come to school each day just to pass their classes so they can play a sport.  The article TrueSport also sees the benefits of sports: "Data show that high school students who play sports  are less likely to drop out.⁴⁸ Participation in sports also has been associated with completing more years of education⁴⁹ and consistently higher grades in school.⁵⁰ " This is a proven fact that more teenagers not only stay in school but also get higher grades.

 

               Initially, Ripley does make a good point that: "There's been a definite decline in misbehavior." (Pg. 76)  I believe that this may have just been a coincidence because she fails to remember that sports teach a lot of lessons.  Coaches train athletes to behave, respect one another, and work together.  Jason Gilmer mentions in his article: “Participating in sports helps with discipline and self-control and to keep them out of trouble. We’re not out here just teaching these kids some silly game.”  I play sports, so I have the "inside scoop" on this subject.  Playing sports teaches you so many things, from learning the rules of the game to learning to support your teammates.  Whether on the court (field, mat, etc.) or off, you use those skills.  Coaches help you gain much self-discipline and and control and you learn  how to behave appropriately. 

 

               Subsequently, Ripley doesn't seem to consider how much time school takes up.  After school, sports are a great way to relieve stress and get active.  Kids who do not do a high school sport may find it hard to fit in an activity that works into their tight schedule.  TrueSport tell us about the things that could happen if you do not participate in a sport: “Playing sports also conveys other beneficial outcomes: Girls and young women engaged in sport are less likely to be overweight or obese, depressed, smoke, use illicit drugs, or have unwanted teen pregnancies. This may possibly be related to the goal of maximizing athletic performance or the goal of protecting sport eligibility or scholarships.¹⁶ Suicide and sexual victimization  is also lower in girls and young women engaged in sport.”  It would be very possible to become obese if you are getting zero exercise, and your health will slowly decrease.  Overall, high school sports bring happiness to teenagers all over the world and also have many other benefits.  I think Amanda Ripley was wrong for saying that high school sports should be banned because as we can see now, they are much more than just games we play for fun.




Resources:

"Good Grades to Play?" Gilmers Gospel RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.

~The quote I used from this site, the author Jason Gilmer was quoting  a football coach in Guilford County, Tommy Pursley.

"Psychological and Social Benefits of Playing True Sport." TrueSport. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2014

Ripley, Amanda. "The Case Against High-School Sports." Oct. 2013: 72-78. Print.

              

Should Cell Phones Be Banned in Schools?

Pathos: "Today, almost any parent can use a cell phone to ask their children about their whereabouts, occupation, or health."

- The unknown author of this article really connected the reader with their feelings by making them think of their own lives and how they use cell phones to communicate with their children.

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Ethos: "I believe that cell phones today pose a great distraction for students—especially higher-end smartphones that provide numerous opportunities for entertainment—and thus should be prohibited from use in schools; but, at the same time, I stand for not prohibiting cell phones from students’ possession entirely, since they allow parents to monitor their children for safety."

- The author shows their integrity by being a strong believer in their thoughts and sound like they know the subject they are talking about. He/She shows us this by saying statements with "I believe..." and "I stand..." in them.

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Logos: "The first and foremost reason why cell phones should be prohibited from use at schools is that they pose a significant disruption in the educational process (School Security)."

"Another reason for prohibiting cell phones in classes is an increased temptation for students to communicate with friends instead of focusing on study material."

"One of the strange phenomenons of using cell phones at schools is so-called cyberbullying."

-The author explains the three main reasons to why cell phones should be banned in school.  These points are well thought out.



My Pet Peeves

Empty Boxes- One morning you wake up and you're craving your favorite cereal.  You open the door to the pantry and grab the box, but to your disappointment the box is empty! If you have finished something please throw the box out, it is not that hard!


Feet- I absolutely can not stand feet! Please do not put your crusty, dirty, trash-smelling feet anywhere near me, and definitely do not touch me with them!  If you happen to touch me with them I might have to punt you all the way Africa.

Parents and Instagram- When you are trying to show your parents a picture on instagram and they try to zoom in on it. No, you will never be able to zoom in on a picture! To make the matter worse, they end up liking a picture you did not want to like.


Board Erasing- I find it so aggravating when teachers do not erase the board completely.  They just leave like one or two letters on the board and then continue teaching the lesson and writing over the marks.  Please erase all of the white board before you begin teaching again.


Snapchat MyStory-  If your snapchat mystory is longer than ten seconds you need to reevaluate yourself.  I am sorry but no one really cares about what your doing or who you are with.  The only reason people view your story is to make your little notification go away.


Food- I hate when people talk about their food.  I do not want to hear about how great your food is every bit that you take. I especially hate when they use the adjective "delicious". I do not know why, but that word just makes me cringe, just eat your food and be quiet.