Ms. Barley's English 10I Class (b)

Monday, June 1, 2009

I LIKE BOYUS POST!

I LOVE BOYUS POST.
OH MY GOD
SUSAN BOYLEEEEE
.. she is AMAZINGGG
wowwwwww

Sunday, May 31, 2009

On May 31st, Dr. George Tiller of Wichita, Kansas, was shot to death during morning church services at the Reformation Lutheran Church for his work as a "late-term" abortion doctor. The doctor, reviled by anti-abortion groups, was assaulted and died from a single gunshot. This tragic event only adds to the never ending conflicts that are linked to the violence in society. Abortion has been an ongoing issue, and people have profound differences over their thoughts on this topic. However, it is often said that violence breeds violence, and the doctor's death certainly doesn't bring any more peace into the world. Dr. George Tiller's Wichita clinic was the site of several mass protests and a bombing in 1985. He was also previously shot in both arms and brought to trial for performing illegal abortions at his clinic. Nevertheless, it is outrageous that he was killed at a house of worship. This incident shows that the violence in the world around us is even invading places of peace. It can even be considered an attack on religion, for a church is clearly regarded as a sanctuary. Ironically, anti-abortion groups are protecting a child's right to life, however, they must kill others in order to achieve this. If holding true to one's beliefs can result in such grave consequences, people might become more submissive with their thoughts. It will also become harder for people to decide what is right or wrong, and if it is safe to believe in one's own opinions. Through this unfortunate tragedy, it is evident that when people fight for a cause, there will be a conflict. Amidst our chaotic society, such conflicts often happen side by side with inevitable death and ever increasing violence.

Sources:
http://www.theprovince.com/news/Kansas+abortion+doctor+shot+death+church/1649031/story.html

American Idol: Fair or Fixed?

On Tuesday, May 19, college boy Kris Allen and musical theatre star Adam Lambert battled it out for the final time this season, hoping to win the hearts of America and be named "American Idol of 2009." The following night, Ryan Secrest proclaimed Kris Allen the winner. Allen fans were ecstatic - Lambert fans were enfuriated - and based on friends and other people I know who watch American Idol (including myself), most of them were part of the furious crowd.

According to a few online polls I came across, around 63-73% of American Idol viewers were Lambert fans. Yes, Kris is a cute guy with a warm, soulful voice, but it doesn't compare to the powerful vocals that present Adam's high potential. If so many people were in favour of Adam, then how in the world did Kris Allen get the title? Some say AT&T gave Kris an unfair advantage by providing free phones and "power texting" to fans in Arkansas, Allen's birthplace. Some even say the voting was fixed. Others think the votes came from his secret fan base of "gum-snapping girls." Then there's the people who oppose Adam's homosexuality. Did it play a role in Allen's victory? Maybe, maybe not.

These kind of peculiar situations make me wonder about other voting competitions: how fair are they REALLY? Let's use student council as an example. Be honest now - what do you base your choices on? Do you base them on their speeches, how good of a friend they are to you, or how well they can bribe you to vote for them? I bet most students don't even pay attention to the candidates when they speak, leaving it to be a popularity contest. During the semi-finals for AI, one of Kris's song choices was "Heartless" by Kanye West, no doubt a hit-song. Think about it though - unless you are changing the arrangements so it's completely distinct from a rap song, would you really choose a rap song to sing in a COMPETITION? Yes he made some adjustments, but anyone can tell that the difference isn't overly large. I thought it was an unwise choice; the judges thought it was brilliantly creative. So what, he became extremely popular just because he picked a popular song? While Adam's selections weren't as well-known, his performances always made up for that; Kris chose from the hit list, performed them mediocrely, and he winned it all. What's the point in wasting effort if this is what will happen?

The reason for television competitions like American Idol, and elections like Student Council, is to choose the best of the competitors based on the standards of a winner, and the majority vote. However, various votes are placed for the wrong reasons, making it unfair for those who are truly worthy of representing one's grade, or one's country as "American Idol."

SOURCES:

http://realitytvmagazine.sheknows.com/blog/2009/05/28/american-idol-did-att-help-kris-win/

http://weblogs.redeyechicago.com/showpatrol/2009/05/american-idol-poll-adam-vs-kris-may-12.html

http://www.quizilla.com/polls/result/9579379

http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2009/05/american-idol-adam-lambert-kris-allen-73915284-news.html

The TWILIGHT Craze

On November 21, 2008, the film adaption of the widely popular book Twilight finally came out. It was much awaited by the fans of this romantic-fantasy novel by Stephanie Meyer. The movie grossed 35.7 million dollars on its opening day and as of May 30, 2009 has grossed 382,133,300 million dollars in worldwide box-offices. The story of the first movie centers on the beautiful mortal teenager Isabelle Swan, who falls in love with her handsome classmate, Edward Cullen. It is considered to be the modern Romeo and Juliet. The problems begin when Edward, who although looks 17 is actually a 108-year-old vampire, reciprocates the feelings and when a series of older, more experienced vampires threaten to kill his beloved Bella. The “Twilight” movie catches the eye of fan girls, mostly, as it features the necessary dark, twisted, handsome vampire with a heart of gold to make the movie successful. Fans, mostly girls are anxious to get their hands on anything that has something to do with "Twilight". The movie definitely has made a strong base with teenage girls worldwide. The TWILIGHT craze has swept the world of teenage girls!

My eyes opened up to the "Twilight" series not long ago. I first read the book around September 2008 because I saw many of my friends reading the series. It got my attention and I immediately started reading Twilight when I got my hand on it. I remembered I finished reading "Twilight" in just three days! I got extremely addicted to the first book and got the next book to read. I became one the many fans of the mysterious Edward Cullen. Edward Cullen was the perfect prince charming that many girls hope to be with forever. He made almost every teenage girl on the planet fall in love with him including me. It affected my life because during those months I was only focused on reading the "Twilight" series. Nothing mattered to me except I had to finished the books. The TWILIGHT craze has swept me off my feet! I cannot wait for "New Moon" to come out in theaters on November 20, 2009.

Economic Recession

We are currently going through an economic recession. The economic recession often refers to the two quarters of negative economic growth. A recession is a general slowdown in economic activity over a sustained period of time. Unemployment has been climbing and the stock market has been plummeting. Although teenagers may think the economic recession has little impact on them, they are wrong. We many not own homes, and falling home values don't matter to us. We may not own stock, and the plummeting stock market doesn't matter to us. We do, however, have jobs, or will have jobs in the next few years. Employers are cutting more and more jobs because of the economic depression. It affects the people who are losing their jobs and the people who are still looking for a job. For example, I already have a job, but I am looking for a better job in retail. Now that the economic recession has hit Canada retail has taken a dive. Not as many Canadians are shopping and buying as many clothes because of the economic recession. The economic recession has affected me because I haven't been able to find a good job in retail. Without realizing it, this recession has affected everyone in ways we never knew. Whether it's how much we make or how much we spend, the recession has influenced everyone.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recession
http://www.content4reprint.com/business/corporate/on-the-dole-the-effects-of-economic-recession-on-employment.htm
http://recession.org/

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Fashorexia-

The Debate of having to be a size zero just to be a supermodel in the fashion world has exploded in current magazines. The constant image of super slim models walking down the catwalk seems to have become the role girls wish to fill; to be tall, thin which ultimately makes young teens believe that that will make them feel beautiful. The elimination of a girl attempting to win the competition of America’s Next Top Model was truly astounding, due to the ultimate reason she was eliminated for; obesity. Although the reason given for her defeat was because she could not capture her beauty on film, her fellow competitor did not gain fifteen pounds within two weeks like she did, therefore she advanced to the next round. This superficial world of modeling affects girls and heavily impacts many who literally killing themselves to be the women they see in the media. Many young girls constantly compare themselves to their role models, whom are secretly suffering from this illness of anorexia. The end of this certain girl’s journey in the shallow contest showcased the pressure models are in, to reach the standard to fit into a size of 00 jeans. In August of 2006 a Uraguayan model, Luisel Ramos, suffered heart failure and died after starving herself. The following November, a Brazilian model, Ana Carolina Reston, died from the same sickness: anoxeria.The close ties of the fashion industry with this illness is outrageous. I have altered my opinion of the disease that affects 10% of the entire population. Instead of blaming the girls for being foolish and crazy, who believe they can never be too skinny, I blame the fashion world for promoting this skinniness in young women and encouraging it with the many ad campaigns that are published around the world with models that have waists of eight year olds. Until the ban on size zero models is permenantly established never will I put those girls guilty of becoming what this disgusting industry wants them to be; clones who die in the name of fashion.

Sources: