Each year, the country looks forward to the millions of dollars spent towards creating the most memorable, comical, informational Super Bowl commercials. Some watch the sports game simply to see the seven minutes of commercial in between. In today’s fast-paced, technological society, we are able to fast forward through everyday commercials that one may find boring, dreary, and a waste of time. Instead on this day, people tune into the Super Bowl to watch the new, innovative commercials. In my opinion, one of my favorite commercials is the Chevy Camaro entitled ‘Miss Evelyn’. It is narrated by two young men fantasizing about this new car, its attractive drivers, and its ‘outrageous’ abilities. The narration is comical and relatable to many, if not all, young men. What I found most appealing was after I took away the actual marketable/selling aspect of the commercial. I found most interest in the actual filming/action of the commercial. There are car chases, helicopters, flying cars, high speed chases, etc. which create for a high quality, quite expensive creation. Though the tone of the commercial is comical, the actual cinematography of the commercial is impressive.
The commercial I found to be one of the worst of the hundreds played on Super Bowl Sunday was for Telefora, a florist company. It starred an everyday man who struggled to find the words to express his love for his significant other. Alongside him was country star, Faith Hill, who attempted to help him come up with a message. They realize only Telefora can help them come up with the right words. Overall, I thought the commercial was boring and lifeless. It lacked comedy and though it had a story line, it was extremely lacking.
Why the best schools can’t pick the best kids and vise versa.
The LA Times article regarding the college admissions process was written by a professor of psychology who believes the stress of getting into the ‘big name’ university is too overwhelming. I definitely agree with his claims and his thesis overall. Schwartz notes that many of those that apply to the school are indeed good enough to succeed in the school but only one in ten will actually get the chance. A school is unable to tell just how intelligent or talented a student is by the transcripts they receive until the student is accepted and enrolled in their school. It is only then where they tend to realize the intense competition to create the nicest resume or transcript took place. Students tend to chose classes where they know they will succeed, rather than those they may be interested in or could learn something new. In this instance, they sacrifice taking a risk and learning/expanding their intellect for a simple way to pass, or to look best on paper.
Such competition undermines a student for who they are. They get caught up in the competition and placing their best foot forward that they no longer seek to learn or understand. Schwartz backs up this claim with the findings from Harvard, UCLA, or Stanford that shows those accepted proving to be less inspired after enrolling. I both agree and disagree with Schwartz when he notes that the competition to get accepted into a ‘big name’ school is “completely pointless”. In one instance, I agree with him that the process is extremely and unnecessarily stressful for a student, as well as their parents. But on the other hand, I believe ‘big name’ schools need to maintain their reputation by accepting those who excel. Then again, Schwartz makes the point that those accepted are those that beef up their resumes and almost slide through simpler classes to reveal flawless transcripts. He proposes an experiment to put half of the applicants that are considered “good enough” into a ‘hat’ and draw from there at random, instead of thoroughly leafing through them to pick ‘the best’. This would relieve stress from students, parents, and allow students to be able to go back to being interested in school and not fighting their way to reach the top spot. In this way, they would be trying their best and being noted for it in a fair drawing.
Overall, I believe the university and its name isn’t what defines a student. The student can succeed and reach their potential in any school, no matter the name, if they set their mind to it. A ‘big name’ won’t necessarily change their attitude or feelings towards school.
One of the people I believe proved deserving of CNN’s Hero of the Year award is a twenty five year old native from Japan. For many reasons, I believe those most deserving of such an award are those younger. Those who are younger tend to be more self-absorbed, busy, and selfish. It is refreshing to see someone who puts themselves aside for the common good of others as Shin Fuijyama has.
After news that he may not have longer to live after finding a hole in his heart, Shin received a second chance; learning that he will survive, and made a promise to give such redemption to others. During his sophomore year of college, Shin traveled to Honduras and was taken back by the poverty that engulfed the town. Thus, he created an organization, Students Helping Honduras, which allowed fundraisers and students to bring education and projects to those in need. Such an experience was “eye opening” and proved successful after much fighting. Over the past five years, Shin has raised $750,000 for funding, construction, and education.
Such an act is beyond admirable and something everyone should follow and mimic. Today, we are caught up in such a selfish, self-seeking world and many of us do not look to those who are truly hurting. As Americans, who are blessed with much more than the average person though it may not seem so at times, I believe it is our duty to take care of those around us by using our abilities and resources to make a difference. Sometimes it takes experiences such as Shin’s to realize the poverty in the world. I believe we should not have to let it get that far. We should learn from people like Shin in order to create our own movement because every little bit truly can help.
I one hundred percent believe a finance course is necessary to students in high school. For one, the high school years are those in which teens become independent by beginning to pay for personal activities or obtaining a job. If one is unaware or irresponsible with such independence, it can greatly affect them in the future. A finance course would allow a teen to learn how to balance, purchase, and gain control over their lives and their finances. Without such control, one can fall under the strains of their finances; something one should never have to succumb to. With the recession that we’re in, I believe it is even more necessary to learn about personal finance and spending. Experts say the “recession's length and severity means it could affect the students' lifelong financial behavior” (USA Today). The recession and meltdown of the economy is the result of complicated personal finances, increased credit card debt, and risky mortgages by buying things and homes they cannot afford (USA Today). As teens, we see what is going on in our own homes and many of us strive to change our future financial paths rather than live like our parents may be living. We pick up our parents’ spending patterns but need to learn how to manage such spending in a more sufficient, beneficial way for ourselves. I believe it is necessary to learn how to avoid falling into such financial tribulations and as the article states, I agree that it is a good idea to start teaching such lessons at a young age, such as kindergarten, by teaching age appropriate courses which would give them the idea of money and spending which would definitely be beneficial for the future. Adding a finance course does not necessarily have to be an entirely separate course if it did not fit into the schedule for some reason but I don’t believe it to be a bad idea. In doing so, students will graduate from high school with a better understanding of basic economics, basic finance and the benefits and risks associated with debt
I think America should help those who have fallen victim to the disaster in Haiti, along with the country itself, because the poor country does not have the ability to rebuild itself alone. Haiti is the poorest country in America. As a nation, we have already given millions of dollars to the country in the form of aid. Many argue that we do not have the budget to do so and that we should fix our money problems before we send money elsewhere, but this is not the case. Sending aid to Haiti did not diminish or hurt our American budget. The United States has always been a country of aid. Somehow we find ourselves involved with issues all over the world because we are one of the wealthiest countries. So why not? If we were in such a situation as those are in Haiti, we would seek help from neighboring countries too. Those in Haiti are human beings, just like anyone else. They are worthy of respect and help since they cannot help themselves. Though we as individuals may have financial problems of our own, we are very lucky to live in a promising country where opportunity is always available. I think we take advantage of the resources we have here. I do not believe there is any reason not to give some to those less fortunate than ourselves. Though we are not physically obligated to help the hurting country, I believe we are morally obligated to help anyone who is in a worse situation than ourselves.
In order to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again, we need to enter into Haiti or guide them in ways that modernize their undeveloped country. Modernization is the only way progress will occur. Nations with industry and technology can better survive natural disasters. We need to preach the methods of ‘going green’ in order to avoid the expansion of global warming which will eventually lead to another natural disaster.
Growing Up Stricted:
Teenagers today are quick to say ‘life is so hard’ or ‘I can’t do it anymore, I want to kill myself’. More than likely, the person does not mean those words for I believe such words have lost their full meaning. On the other hand, as the article discusses, life is hard. I believe things have got significantly harder in the past decades, especially for teens. There are many pressures that surround us regarding school, a proper/fulfilling social life, college, a job, family, and a regular sleep schedule- something many can say they do not know the meaning of.
The article discusses the author’s childhood, where he spent much of his time playing outdoors, reading for pleasure, and easily balancing sports on top of everyday life. He also notes how the world in general has changed; how he could stay out from morning till dusk without a care in the world whereas today, we must be very careful and hesitant towards situations where we could be placed in danger (i.e. anywhere nowadays). Today, also, teens are more easily prescribed with ADD or ADHD if, God forbid, someone’s thought process switches. Nowadays, people prescribe someone with any type of mental disorder with the first sign of any sort of ‘uniqueness’. People are too uptight, too quick to judge, and simply too afraid of living.
Therefore, the idea of living a ‘free life’ in the future seems extremely out of reach. Like the article reads, “It is hard to convince young people who have little firsthand experience with freedom, who read it as austere, uncomfortable, and implausible, that it is a legitimate aspiration.” I don’t agree with Doyle that standardized testing should be taken away completely, but I do think it should be weighed less. He also proposes creating equal opportunity of education for all children. I believe that this would take away the sense of competition within people, which, I believe, is healthy. Like the article says, the cultural rhetoric of today’s society is the reason behind teens becoming more cynical. Therefore, teens cannot take all of the blame for acting or believing the things they due. We can thank society for that.
After looking through the article regarding 2010’s best inventions, I initially thought of choosing the Ipad for the title of “Best Invention”. After further reading, I realized though the Ipad is a fantastic invention that contains almost everything a person could think of, I personally just don’t like its size. I predict it will get smaller and more compact as the years progress. Therefore, I believe one of the best inventions of 2010 was the Antro Electric Car. Coming from Hungary, the car tests the American Western manufacturers’ futuristic cars. It is superefficient and also super, super cheap. The Antro Solo holds three people and can be combined with another Solo to create a bigger, family-friendly car. The car is powered by solar panels and has a completely electric motor. I believe this car is a good step towards the future. With the increased gas prices, everyday car troubles, and the pollution issues that car fumes dispense, an electric powered car would be a great solution. Solar panels would also decrease electrical and technical issues that occur with cars. Such cars would be environment friendly in a society focused on “going green”. With further increase of such an invention, the world will slowly shape into a more progressive, modernized world.
Favorite Childhood Toy
Like many girls, my favorite child toys were my Barbies or my American Girl dolls. I got my first American Girl Bitty Baby at the age of three, when my first sister was born. I named her Kimberly after one of my mom’s friends. Weird, I know. I took her everywhere with me, had daily outfits for her, and even made her a place of her own in my room. Around the age of six, I began getting into Barbies. I clearly remember walking through the aisles of Toys R Us amazed by the selection of beautiful, untouched dolls. I’d get a new Barbie every so often to add to my collection and with them, I’d play house, daycare, school, you name it. I could have sworn my life was complete when I received my Barbie Dream House; the multi-floored, pink mansion with an actual elevator. Then, Barbie came out with Pregnant Barbie and I had a field day creating hospitals, daycares, babysitters, etc. Around the age of seven was the year I began competing in pageants, as did my Barbies. I would spend hours on end creating lists of names for the ‘contestants’ and have them sit before the ‘judges’ and perform a talent, answer a question, etc. When I look back and find old notebooks, hundreds of names are scrawled in my seven year old handwriting with scores in all different categories scattered about. My Barbies have been put away in a crawl space within my room and I recently rediscovered Kimberly in my youngest sister’s room. Such toys truly do bring back fond memories.
Teachers
Over the past thirteen years, I have had my fair share of teachers of all types. I’ve had teachers who have inspired me, pushed me, taught me, and even those who neglected me and my classmates. Those who have left a lasting impression possess two qualities that I find admirable: supportive and challenging. Teachers are not given to students to act as friends or even parents. Teachers are those who provide knowledge and schooling for both those willing and unwilling to accept it. A helpful, effective teacher is one who is knowledgeable and ready to share their expertise with their students. Effective teachers are not condescending, nor do they belittle their students. Effective teachers are helpful, patient, and push their students to their utmost potential. Teachers that are both supportive and challenging through their education are the most beneficial and worthy of respect in my opinion.
I have had teachers of all backgrounds, techniques, and personalities. Those who remain in my mind for their intelligence and diligence are those who pushed me. They may not have always been the nicest or given the least amount of work but through their teaching, I learned more than I have from most other teachers. I can easily say I have gained most of my education in particular subjects through a handful of high quality teachers. Through their challenging curriculum, their perseverance to never let me give up, and their support throughout the entire way, I have acquired lifelong knowledge and have formed a well developed education background.
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