Mary Francis- Political Article
Ryan Field- GOP Healthcare
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Sunday, March 26, 2017
Political Post
I'm responding to "The Real Lessons of Middlebury College," written by Thomas Sowell, an African American conservative columnist. In his article, he writes of the riots at Middlebury College, where the student body protested a speech that was to be given by Charles Murray, a libertarian conservative political scientist. These violent protests injured a woman that was a part of the faculty. One of Sowell's main points is that none of the slogans or signs that the students were carrying represented a single candid word out of any of Murray's books.
Honestly, this rioting and prevention of speeches by liberal students is out of hand. One can simply look on Youtube and find a video where a so-called "Social Justice Warrior" is repressing someone's freedom of speech by shouting over them, physically preventing them from speaking, or otherwise distracting the attention of the desired audience. This is similar to the protests at UC Berkeley when the student body forcefully protested and rioted against the speaking of Milo Yiannopoulos due to the fact that he supported Donald Trump in the recent election.
This source is from "Town Hall" I used this source because it is reliable, and it has many conservative columnists. I chose this article because it was on a particularly controversial article.
Honestly, this rioting and prevention of speeches by liberal students is out of hand. One can simply look on Youtube and find a video where a so-called "Social Justice Warrior" is repressing someone's freedom of speech by shouting over them, physically preventing them from speaking, or otherwise distracting the attention of the desired audience. This is similar to the protests at UC Berkeley when the student body forcefully protested and rioted against the speaking of Milo Yiannopoulos due to the fact that he supported Donald Trump in the recent election.
This source is from "Town Hall" I used this source because it is reliable, and it has many conservative columnists. I chose this article because it was on a particularly controversial article.
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Monday, March 20, 2017
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Learning Strategies
I really can't believe that it's the fourth quarter of my freshman year at Episcopal. I never really saw myself anywhere other than False River Academy, and I'm constantly glad I made the switch. One of the things that I've discovered most about myself and about my studying patterns is that they need work. A lot of work. I honestly have improved, however, which can be seen in my afternoon habits. Rather than play video games, watch TV, or eat for however many hours, you can find me doing my homework as early as I can to avoid the later grief and guilt.
Another very useful aspect of my day is my study hall. It gives me time to dedicate my attention to schoolwork. I will admit, though, that I am not the best at using that time wisely. One thing that I need to work on the most is getting with adults and talking to them about what needs to be done. I think I will dedicate next week to that, and hopefully answer several of my questions.
Another very useful aspect of my day is my study hall. It gives me time to dedicate my attention to schoolwork. I will admit, though, that I am not the best at using that time wisely. One thing that I need to work on the most is getting with adults and talking to them about what needs to be done. I think I will dedicate next week to that, and hopefully answer several of my questions.
Friday, March 17, 2017
Free Post
Recently, I have been reading a book written by Neil Gaiman that highlights the main parts of Norse mythology. It features the creation story, various stories in between, and the inevitable apocalypse. The interesting thing about this apocalypse is that, rather than being vague, or in the case of Greek mythology, nonexistent, it is very detailed and laid out. This includes small battles, thought processes, and conversations.
One of the more interesting things about Norse mythology is it lists the gods as less than godly. The reason for the god's immortality are apples that can easily be stolen. It also talks about most of the events that shaped the world as accidental. This is very interesting because there is no sense of reverence, and unlike Greek mythology, it does not mention the worshippers of the gods. I think that this is important because it places the gods on a human level, and makes them more relatable.
One of the more interesting things about Norse mythology is it lists the gods as less than godly. The reason for the god's immortality are apples that can easily be stolen. It also talks about most of the events that shaped the world as accidental. This is very interesting because there is no sense of reverence, and unlike Greek mythology, it does not mention the worshippers of the gods. I think that this is important because it places the gods on a human level, and makes them more relatable.
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Sunday, March 5, 2017
Affirmative Action
I believe that affirmative action, defined as "an action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination, especially in relation to employment or education." is detrimental to those it is in place to help. By lowering the admission standards for minorities, it is potentially immersing a student in an environment they cannot handle, causing them to have higher levels of stress, or drop out altogether which, as we all know, leads to a higher poverty percentage. This is because without a high school degree it is much harder to find a job that will allow you to fully sustain yourself, let alone a family.
While I do understand the desire to level the playing field by educating minorities in the hope that they will pass along the standard of living that comes from being an educated member of society to their children, you also have to take into account the fact that if we continue to make it easier for minorities to enter better schools merely based on the color of their skin, they will have an increasingly harder time valuing their achievements, because if they're self-aware of their situation and the privilege being given, they will know that, at least in some cases, they did not go as far as some did to earn that same merit.
Think of this: I have been a Boy Scout since I was small, and ever since I have tried extremely hard to earn the highest achievement, Eagle Scout. As a fourteen-year-old, I am one rank away from achieving that goal. Now, if I sit here and think about how I would feel if someone gave me special privilege in the earning of Eagle due to my ethnicity, and I can tell you that it wouldn't be the same. If it was well known that administrations cater to persons of my own race, those who look at this achievement on my college applications, such as the one I intend to submit to West Point, will know that I did not work as hard to achieve it as others have, and that accomplishment begins to mean little to nothing.
While I do understand the desire to level the playing field by educating minorities in the hope that they will pass along the standard of living that comes from being an educated member of society to their children, you also have to take into account the fact that if we continue to make it easier for minorities to enter better schools merely based on the color of their skin, they will have an increasingly harder time valuing their achievements, because if they're self-aware of their situation and the privilege being given, they will know that, at least in some cases, they did not go as far as some did to earn that same merit.
Think of this: I have been a Boy Scout since I was small, and ever since I have tried extremely hard to earn the highest achievement, Eagle Scout. As a fourteen-year-old, I am one rank away from achieving that goal. Now, if I sit here and think about how I would feel if someone gave me special privilege in the earning of Eagle due to my ethnicity, and I can tell you that it wouldn't be the same. If it was well known that administrations cater to persons of my own race, those who look at this achievement on my college applications, such as the one I intend to submit to West Point, will know that I did not work as hard to achieve it as others have, and that accomplishment begins to mean little to nothing.
Song Analysis
The prompt for this blog was to analyze a song, so I'm going to dedicate this post to some of my favorite parts about one of my favorite songs. This song is "Flagpole Sitta" by Harvey Danger. One of my favorite things about this song is that it uses contradictions to further specify the mental state that he is singing about. This can be seen in the chorus where he sings "I'm not sick, but I'm not well" to say that he isn't conventionally sick, but his mind isn't well. This highlights the difference between being physically and mentally ill, and I believe that it's saying we shouldn't treat both the same way.
He also uses an over-arching contradiction. Throughout the song, he says things like "I had visions" and "I hear the voices in my head", but he also says things like "You told them all I was crazy" inferring that he believes that he's sane. He also references Hell several times, leading you to believe he sees his life as hell, and saying that he can physically feel it's heat.
He also uses an over-arching contradiction. Throughout the song, he says things like "I had visions" and "I hear the voices in my head", but he also says things like "You told them all I was crazy" inferring that he believes that he's sane. He also references Hell several times, leading you to believe he sees his life as hell, and saying that he can physically feel it's heat.
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