Thursday, October 25, 2007

The Enviroment

I read an article from the New York Times called " U.N. Warns of Rapid Decay of Environment" by James Kanter. It is about how the environment is changing due to the increasing rate of the human population growth. The world resources are depleting and how the human population is increasing. The fish in the ocean are being captured at two times the rate of their production. The executive director of the U.N. Environmental Program, Achim Steiner, said “The human population is now so large that the amount of resources needed to sustain it exceeds what is available at current consumption patterns.” They are trying to find a way to prevent things and fix things like the hole in the ozone layer.

I believe we need to change the way we use our environment. We take advantage of the environment to much to befit our needs. We are so greedy we are making other species that share the same earth extinct just because we need to use them for food or use their habitat to build our own. The ozone layer is ripping open and when this happens the protection from the sun will be gone. This will put all species on the Earth in to a very dangerous environment that we can not change back. I don't know if this is do to global warming but I know that these are caused by us and us alone. We are so selfish that we are destroying the environment to a place of no return to normalcy. We are going to run out of our resources that gasoline and coal eventually. What are we going to do when we run out of these resources and have no other alternative to keep ourselves running? What are we going to do when the ozone is completely destroyed and the Earth and all the species it holds are doomed to end?

Obesity and Health

I read a blog by Karl Fisch called " Did You Know PE" in the Fischbowl. It is about an assignment that Mr. Fisch gave to his class. One student made a presentation on physical education in schools. She said how these classes were helping the U.S. from becoming to obese. Obesity today has tripled. Obesity causes health problems with heart attacks.

Many people today are becoming more obese. I believe we need to be more healthy by not being obese. Obesity causes heart problems like cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. By taking away physical education in schools we are hurting people by taking the health classes that give many people there little exercise of the week that may keep them from coming harm. PE an help prevent type 2 diabetes. Why do we all take advantage of our technology advances and not keep ourselves healthy by doing the hard work the rest of the world goes through?

Thursday, October 11, 2007

What leads to School Shootings?

I read an article called "Boy,14, Seized in Plot to Open Fire at School" in the New York Times by Jon Hurdle. It was about a fourteen year old boy plotting to start a "Columbine style" shooting at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. He was going to start it supposedly because he was bullied around at the school. In his room the police found a rifle, imitation guns, homemade grenades that were operational, and a DVD on the Columbine Shooting. The boy was arrested by a tip from a boy who the other was trying to make join him in the shooting.

What leads to a school shooting? I think it is partially because of the way the person is treated during their time in school. Also I believe that a lot of it has to do with the stress of the average day on top of pier pressure. Why do these people kill the innocent bystanders at the schools? I do not have any clue to why they would take out their anger on them. I can't understand why this happens but these shootings usually lead to the shooters suicide. This makes me wonder do these people kill others to get back at the world before they kill themselves and try to ease their pain.

Personal Technology Entering the School

I read "Two Steps Forward..." by Karl Fisch on the Fischbowl. It is about the high school allowing students to use their laptops or other personal technology. It tells that last year the school tried but their filter did not extend to the students technology. The school recently added the 8e6 filter. This filter extends to anyone in the school. The filter also took out YouTube and Google Video. Many teachers are outraged with this because they used these sites to teach their students with certain videos that they chose. Now they can only be used by the teachers. The upcoming Pangea Day video was part of the reason for the teacheeres anger for the block of YouTube.

I related to this blog because I own a laptop. It will be great to use it at school so I can do any projects that I have saved on my computer already. It will also allow me to work on homework whenever, even if the lab is full of other students in the library. Will allowing students to bring their own personal learning technology to school help the school in an all or hurt the school in an all? I believe it will help because it will allow students to work where ever and when ever they want. They don't have to wait for people to leave the schools computers. Is it worth taking away YouTube and Google Video to give students the ability to bring hteir own personal technology? I believe it is a good trade even though the Pangea Day sounds like a cool video; bringing my laptop to work on projects at school during an off hour is better.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

The Fear of Public Speaking

I read the blog " Speaking From The Soul" by Karl Fisch on The Fischbowl. It is about how Mrs. Gerlich's fear of writing her blogs. She fears speaking about her feeling towards an article. Mr. Fisch said that she was an example ofsharing one's self to many others and building relationships with her students. Mr. Fisch said "It’s nothing less than inspiring."

I read this article because I can relate to Mrs. Gerlich. I have feared public speaking for a long time. I have always shaked and stumbled on my sentences and sayings. I am much better at writing what I feel than saying it unlike Mrs. Gerlich. I hope to break this fear in high school. I t is always when I am in front of a class that I get scared of talking. I can always talk with my friends like it is no big deal. Why do we have such a fear of speaking up in front of others? I believe we fear speaking in front of many because we fear making mistakes in front of them. Also having every one stare at me is a lit uncomfortable. I believe that speaking in front of a group should be like talking to friends: let back and easy but it is hard to do that if someone doesn't know the other that well. Public speaking the fear that goes around the world.

Iphones Disabled

I read an article in BBC News called " Iphone Warning Proves True." It is about some Iphone users have unlocked their Iphone for any network. Apple is sending an update that will disable their phone. Apple said that many of these hacked phones soft wear were irreparable. This update has already taken effect and many have lost their phone. the update is also ruining software on the phones that were not unlock

I read this because it is intersting because I love technology and treating it how it is suppose to be used. i don't try hacking into it or changing it in any way than what the object can do. Does Apple have the right to disable many peoples phones because a few hacked in and unlocked damagimg information? Can anyone take away something just because it is not being used properly? I don't think they can be able to do this. They should try and find another way to confront the people that use the Iphone wrong than disabling their five hundred dollar phones. I believe no one can just take away something if it is being used incorrectly.