Progress in America

This image is a clear representation of Progress in America. I see a sunflower covered gas nozzle and blurred cars in the background. I think this signifies the need for fuel efficiency and how auto technology has progressed. When the Great Gatsby was written, the auto industry was in its infancy and only the wealthy, such as Gatsby, could afford cars, especially like the Rolls-Royce Gatsby has. Manufacturing improvements and mass production has lead to the production of more cars for less money. Rather than a luxury in the past, a car is now often a necessity. Most people today, rely on cars for transportation. If someone oes not have a car, they are most likely considered Lower Class. It is more affordable for consumers to purchase cars nowdays because of the varying models and prices of cars. I wonder what is next for the future of cars. The creation of hybrid and the future of cars is Progress in America.

Social Class and ACT/SAT Scores...do they correlate?

Over the past few weeks we've been talking about social class in class and its really caught my interest. And then my friend recently brought up how she had watched a show on social class and how it can effect scores on the ACT and SAT. I looked further into this because at first I thought she was being a little dramatic about the situation. How could your social class effect how you do on a test that everyone has been taking for years? Then i found out the truth. The ACT and SAT is written by humans therefore there are mistakes in the test and the test may be geared toward one social class or group. For example the test is written in English,
what if English is a second language for one student. This could effect there score by the way they read the question and not accurately determine how smart they are. Also the ACT and SAT are geared more toward how you read the question and doesn't take into account what kind of person you are. It doesn't take into account weather you play a sport, or have 2 jobs, or do community service. Therefore when colleges get your scores all they see is a number and not how well rounded you are as a person. Because the ACT and SAT are geared more toward how you read the question there are prep classes that teach you how to decipher these questions. Now these classes cost a lot of money therefore the kids growing up in higher social classes have the money to pay for ACT and SAT prep classes. Some classes even guaranteeing a higher score than your previous or your money back. So parents with money are almost guaranteed that there child will get a better score on the ACT or SAT because of money. While the kids that are in lower social classes are left to take the test cold and hope that they get a better score the next time they take it just by chance. I find theses types of tests subjective and i don't think they should be a main focus when admitting kids into schools. I do understand that there has to be some sort of knowledge test and it will never be 100%, but what I do hope is that ACT and SAT scores start to take a back seat to you as a person and how well rounded you are.

Stars and Stripes

Over the past week in American Studies class, we have had many discussions about the American Flag and what it means to us. To me, the flag means a lot. It is a representation of freedom and symbolizes who we are. This weekends assignment was to take a picture of a flag and analyze the photo. As I was driving around this weekend, I began to look for American Flags. It really amazed me how few houses had hanging American Flags. I was near the beach and thought I would take a picture of the Gilson Beach Flag pole. This Flag Pole also had the Illinois, State Flag flying underneath the American Flag. This is not the first time I have seen the Illinois, State flag flying with the American Flag in Wilmette. It also is on the flag pole at Centennial Ice rink and pool, and also at the Wilmette Rec Center. However, that is besides the point. The representation of the American Flag I took a picture of really stood out to me. As I took this picture, the wind was pretty strong which made this flag fly and look very proud. I believe that we as Americans should hang flags throughout the entire year and not just on Holidays to represent our country and our troops.

Junior Theme Part 2

So far, everything is going well with my Junior Theme. My research is great. I am finding so many things on Title IX and the sexism of women in sports. I emailed a few people who are very involved with Title IX and have an interview set up via email with Bernice Sandler who is a woman who was very involved with Title IX. She developed and organized a successful national campaign to press for the development and passage of Title IX and other laws to end sex discrimination in education and has worked with title IX longer than any other person. I am very fortunate to get this opportunity to ask her questions on this very interesting topic.

Junior Theme

As I was sitting in the library on Monday, I was brainstorming topics for my Junior Theme. After just a couple minutes, I knew exactly what topic I wanted my Junior Theme to be about and that is the Sexism of Women in Sports. Being an athlete, it is very clear to me that women are treated much differently than men when it comes to sports. As most know, just a few weeks ago, both the New Trier Green and Girls Hockey Teams won the State Championship at the United Center. This was all over the news papers but of course, the boys got more press than the girls. To me, this does not seem fair at all. Another example is that since I have been looking at division I schools all over the nation for hockey, I have noticed that at most schools, the men have much nicer ice rinks than the women. That is not fair either. Those are just a few examples of how women are treated much differently than women when it comes to sports. This topic is something that I have thought about a lot in the past few years because as I get older, I begin to notice it more and more and it is a topic that I am very interested in doing my Junior Theme on.

What are your thoughts on Sexism of Women in Sports?

#13

A few blogs ago I talked about the number 13 and the superstitions that go along with it. I recently came across another article that caught my eye. Again it was about the number 13 but this time it had to do with the present and how the number 13 could effect us in this "unlucky year" Last week's Friday the 13th was one of 3 this year, something so rare that it only occurs every 11 years. The root of the fear of the number 13 goes as far back to biblical times when the 13th member of the last supper betrayed Jesus. People are so afraid of the number 13 that they often omit it from there everyday life. Next time your at a hotel check the floors as you go up the elevator, you will realize that there is no 13th floor in certain hotels.  Or next time your at an airport, check to see if there is a gate 13. There are many places that do not use the number 13.

So next time your out, take a look around and see if you see the number 13.

Janitor Jobs

So recently as I was browsing through my emails I came across a specific article that caught my eye. Now usually i would consider these to be junk mail but something about this specific article  pulled me in. The other day we were talking about openings of janitor jobs and New Trier. Now if you watch tv, listen to the radio or even just go online you know that we are in a serious economic crisis. The article I came across talked about a Middle School in Ohio that received an overwhelming response to a $15 per hour janitor job over the summer. This school got over 700 applications for the one job. I found this quite interesting because we just talked about this exact job in class. So many people are applying for this job because of the economic crisis and the because of the benefits they will get from this job. They know where they will be each and every day and the pay is great. Now i can only imagine what it would be like to try and find a job in such poor economic times, what do you all think about the recent fall of our economy. do you think more jobs like this will create more competition?

ZZZZZzzzzz

So lately I've been seeing a lot of tired kids at school, and its always a subject of talk within my friend group about how tired we are most of the time. This got me thinking...how much sleep do I really get vs. the amount of sleep I need. Or any teenage kid for that matter. So I did some research and found that teens on average need more sleep than a 9 or 10 year old kid to stay alert and function correctly throughout the day. Now according to Providence St. Mary Medical Center this means that teenagers need 10+ hours of sleep a night to maintain a high level of performance during the day. I can tell you for a fact that a rarely get 10+ hours of sleep a night due to school work and extra-curricular activities. And I know some people would say well why don't you cut down on your extra-curriculars, but the fact is, that college is coming and schools are looking for that "perfect student" so i know most of us cant afford to cut down on our outside of school activities just for a few more hours of sleep at night. Not only are colleges looking for that great all around kid but most parents are also looking for there child to be all they can be. Every parent wants their child to succeed, and success in these days means getting a great education and being able to have all the opportunities that are available in the real world. This often leads parents to push there child to be all they can be even if that means signing them up for another sport or club outside of school. In an article I came across on sleep deprivation the Dr. said one thing that really stuck with me. He said "Distractions may shift, but sleep needs don't." Regarding that when your little your parents have a set bedtime for you and make sure that you get enough sleep but as you get older they stop paying attention to their child's sleep needs. Another very interesting thing i found out was that teenagers are sleepiest members of society (accoriding to researchers at Stanford University when researching sleep in teens) and this can lead to poor school performance, increase in drug and alcohol use and an increase in automobile accidents. While these facts dont suprise me all that much i wonder what all of you think. In a school known for being academically competitive and having great extra-curricular oppritunities do you get enough sleep at night?

Holocaust Memorial Museum

Last weekend, I was in Washington, D.C. for a hockey tournament over Presidents Day weekend. In the little free time I had, me and my parents visited many of the historic sites of Washington D.C. I want to focus on one the museums that we visited. My dad and I were very interested in seeing  the Holocaust museum so we stopped in just before it closed and only had time for two exhibits. We first saw the Propaganda exhibit which talked a lot about how the Nazi Party used modern techniques as well as technologies and carefully crafted messages to sway millions with its vision for a new Germany. This was very interesting to me and I enjoyed looking at the different propaganda posters that were displayed in the exhibit. We then went on and went into the Remember the Children: Daniel's Story exhibit which was a very emotion exhibit. It was the story about a boy named Daniel and his family during the Holocaust. Since Daniel's family were Jewish, the Nazi's hated them and drove his family out of the Germany in 1938 when he was 11. Jewish kids were not allowed to go to public schools anymore, they wouldn't let anyone shop and his families store, the synagog was burnt down and the Nazi's made all jews wear yellow stars on their shirts that had the word "Jew" printed on them in big, black letters. The Nazi's took them far away to a ghetto which was very crowded and dirty and there was no way to escape. His family went from living in a nice house to living in a tiny room for all of them. The Nazi's then send them to a concentration camp where Daniel and his father were separated from his mother and sister who were taken away and murdered. Daniel did everything to survive and he did. He was one of very few. Over one million children under the age of 16 died during the Holocaust and Daniel survived. This was a very emotion exhibit for me and it is something I will never forget. 

Has anyone ever been to this museum? 

Superstitions

Last week, we talked about superstitions in class. Superstition is an irrational belief that an object, action or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome. Many people are superstitious. Some more than others. I believe that being superstitious is a natural thing because if you do something once and you do it right, why shouldn't you do it again? I am an athlete and I am very superstitious. For example, I play hockey and before every single game, I tape my stick no matter if it needs to be taped or not. I am afraid that if I do not tape my stick we are going to lose. It is something I do and something I will not change. Praying every night before bed could be another superstition for others. Many people are very superstitious about the number 13. It just so happenes that number 13 is is my favorite and lucky number to me. Throughout history the number 13 has been looked down upon and known as an unlucky number. There are many ways that people can be superstitious. I remember talking about the difference between superstitions and myths and discovered that they originated and different times and places. What are some other ways that someone could be superstitious? What is your opinion on superstitions.? Do you believe in them? 

Biking 3,900 Miles

I came across a very interesting article earlier today and it was about a 22 year-old guy who biked 3,900 miles from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. to see Obama's inauguration. This guys loved to ride his bike all over and loves Obama just as much so he decided to make this long journey. He called his bike trip, "Biking for Obama." Ryan Bowen started his journey from L.A. the night of December 2, 2008. This seems like something that someone would only do if they truly loved to ride their bike and if they loved Obama that much. This goes to show that people do whatever it takes so see history. It is simply amazing. Not only did he bike across the country, but he encouraged others to ride their bikes to Obama's inauguration as well. 

What do you think? Is this man crazy? 

Birds and Planes

The other day I was watching the news and the news reporters were reporting about a Plane that made a crash landing into the Hudson river near Manhattan. Directly after take off, a U.S. Airways plane flew right through a flock of birds and took out both engines of the plane. Just 90 seconds after take off the plane was going down. The captain of the flight acted quickly and landed the plane in the Hudson river. No one on the flight was seriously injured and it is a miracle that that river was there because many people could have been seriously injured or killed. In just a matter of minutes, everyone evacuated from the plan and was rush to shore. A few days later, the plane was taken out of the river. This is really a miracle and it is amazing that birds are able to cause such great damage to a plane. 

 

2009 Winter Classic

A few days ago, my family and I went to the 2009 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on New Years Day. For those that don't know what the Winter Classic is, it is an NHL hockey game that was outdoors at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Both the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Redwing, the team the Blackhawks were hosting, were wearing classic Jerseys that the teams wore many many years ago. Last year, I remember watching the 2008 Winter Classic on television that took place in Buffalo, New York. I kept saying how cool this would be to have in Chicago and sure enough, it was. I was so thrilled when my dad told me that I was going to the Winter Classic. So many people were trying so hard to get tickets but the tickets were very expensive and extremely hard to get since the event took place in Wrigley Field. The winter classic that was in New York, took place in the NFL Stadium which holds much more people. People were so desperate to go to this game that they were even buying tickets on apartment roof tops just to say that they were at this game. The game was a blast and it is something that I will never forget as long as I live, even thought the Blackhawks lost. 

Now, the question is, where will this event be held next year? It will have to be in a cold climate or else it wouldn't be considered a Winter Classic. Will it be in a bigger stadium than Wrigley Field? Why wasn't this event held at Soldier Field where the Bears play? 

50 Degree Weather in December?

Just last week, it was below zero degree temperature in Chicago. Now it is in the 50s. This is absolutely crazy. It it pretty hard to believe that it is currently 54 degrees outside in Wilmette according to weather.com, in late December. I love winter and snow but if it is 50 degrees outside there will be no snow and instead, there will be rain. Winter is suppose to be cold and snowy. Although we have had a ton of snow lately, I love it when the ground is white because that is what winter is all about in my mind. 

Many people have a different opinion on winter. Some people absolutely hate the snow, but I couldn't imagine Christmas with no snow. 

First Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, my cousins fiancé from Italy's mother, aunt, and twin brother came into town from Italy to meet a new part of their family and to have Thanksgiving in the States for the first time. As I walked into the door of my aunts house, all i could remember was how excited they were to meet me and how thrilled they were to be with our Italian side of the family for Thanksgiving. They spoke very little English so it was extremely hard to understand what they were saying. They continuously said "Happy Thanksgiving" because they were so overjoyed with excitement. They could not believe all the food that we eat for Thanksgiving. They ate a ton of it anyways! It was by far on of their most exciting experiences because they were so thankful that they could be there and they cannot wait to come back to the States for the wedding in March!

Has anyone ever been to a different country, celebrating a holiday that we don't celebrate here? 

Moms on Facebook

The other day I was on my Facebook looking at one of my friend pictures. I noticed that her mom was "tagged" in one of the pictures from Thanksgiving, meaning that I was able to click on a link to her moms Facebook. I think that it is kind of weird that moms have facebooks because is it mainly a High School, College, and of course a mid-20s type thing. But for a mom in their 40s or 50s? I think it is a bit weird. I have nothing to hide of facebook but I would never want my mom looking at my facebook. 

What do you think about moms having facebooks?

Living with no heart

The other day as I went on my email to check my mail, the homepage had some recent news stories and a specific one caught my eye. The heading said "Teen girl lives 4 months with no heart, leaves hospital." As soon and I read that, I knew I would be interested in this article. I clicked on the link and read the article. I was so interested in this topic i decided to search for another article and found one from ABC. This article is about a 14 year old who was living with no heart for 118 days. She had 2 heart transplants and the doctors decided to do something vary unusual and that was to insert artificial heart pumps which made blood flow through her body. This is absolutely amazing to me. What do you think? Is this a Miracle? 

Culver Academy Uniforms

This past weekend, I was in Culver, Indiana for more hockey games. We played two games at Culver Academy. For those that do not know, Culver Academy is a Military Academy for high school aged students from all over the world. Many of them from Spain. Students who attend this academy, must wear their uniforms at all times except for when they are in their dorm rooms. Girls are allowed to change into jeans on Friday and Saturday nights but not until 7pm. The girls wear navy blue and green plaid skirts with black tights on the bottom and on top they wear white button up collard shirts with navy sweaters on top. Since it was pretty cold last night, most of them we wearing black pea coats as well. The guys we wearing blue military pants that had a navy blue stripe down each leg and on the top, they wore blue button up shirts with maroon sweaters over the shirts and had navy jackets on top. A two digit number of the year the boy was going to graduate was sewn on the left shoulder of the jacket. Every time they guys would walk into the ice rink, they would remove their hats as a sign of respect and they would put them back on as the left the building. It is amazing to me that these students wear these uniforms every single day. Has anyone ever seen these Culver students before?

Pre-game Preparation

After trying many things to get our hockey team prepared for a game, this past weekend in Madison a girl on my team stepped up and had a GREAT idea. The previous weekend my coach had confronted my team about our playing habits, and wanted us to come up with a reason why we had been so inconsistent. In this search for an answer, my team and I had decided that we were going to put a new twist in our pre-game preparation. After our warm up and stretch outside in the parking lot, we decided to try something new. Whitney, the girl who came up with this outstanding idea, told everyone to lay down and close there eyes and asked everyone to turn off there iPods. Since I have played with Whitney before in the past, I had already done this pre-game preparation meditation. As we were laying down with our eyes closed, the first thing she told us to do was think of a color and to think only about that particular color. After about a minute, she told us to stop thinking about that color and told us to think of a sound and only that sound. After about another minute, she told us to think about the color and the sound and only those two things. She then told us to think only of the color and to totally forget about the sound. After that, she told us to stop thinking of the color. As I was laying there with my eyes closed, I was thinking about absolutely nothing. You may not think it but you really can thing about nothing at times and this is exactly was this activity was meant to do. Make you clear your mind and think of nothing. In order for it to work, you have to concentrate really hard and think about only the things the leader tells you to think about. For most people, this worked. Our minds were clear. We went out and played an outstanding game and that is exactly what we wanted. We finally found a Pre-game meditation activity that we will continue to do before we play games.

Has anyone else who plays sports done anything like this to get mentally prepared for a game?

East Coast vs North Shore

This past weekend, I was in Boston for an elite hockey tournament. When we were not playing games, my mom and I tried to visit as many places as we could around the Boston area. We visited Boston College, Harvard University and Boston University. Each school was very different. Boston University was more city like, Harvard was very old and historical looking which i liked very much and Boston College was more of a gated college but very pretty. We also drove around and looked at some of the very historical looking houses. The houses out east are not your typical North Shore houses. The houses out east were much older but very nice looking. The houses out there fit the environment very well. Some of the house even had dates on the side of them that dated way back. Although I love the North Shore very much, the East Coast is very very pretty. Has anyone else ever visited any of theses places? What do you think of the East Coast compared to the North Shore?