Change? (Final Exam(

See: Obama holding an American flag with help from hands of different races/nationalities. Obama’s face is turned to the side with a sad/struggling expression. 

Think: The flag is thrown over his shoulder, like he is trying to pick up and fix the mistakes of previous people. It’s an important step in American history to elect an African-American President. It proves that America’s a country that is accepting of all, and shows progression. I think this relates to the “Negro in America vs. Negro in his Native Land”, because this shows that an African-American living in America can achieve anything a white American can. I think his face looks the way it does because he knows, along with the rest of America, that he has a long, hard job ahead of him.

Wonder:  If the future of America will really ‘Change’, and if Obama will accept help from other “hands”.  

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=the+red+pony+pledge+of+allegiance&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f#

The Pledge of the '40's

This clip (that wouldn't upload!!) is from a movie called "The Red Pony". The reason I was watching this movie was because the kids that I babysit love watching old movies from the '40's and '50's. I noticed this particular clip only because, earlier that week in class,we had been discussing how back in the '40's, the pledge was said with your arm reaching out towards the flat, similar to the German solute to Hitler. Another interesting thing about the clip is that, during this time, the phrase "Under God" was not yet added. If you want to see the clip, just go to YouTube (or Google Video) and type in "The Red Pony Pledge of Allegiance" and click the first link! It's a really interesting clip!

These American Flags

Trying to notice something that, normally I would have passed by, was interesting. When driving down Wilmette Ave., I just happened to look to my right and notice this picture: around 6 American Flags jammed into the smallest corner in the smallest window of the hardware store. Not in the picture, but above these flags, were more flags, folded up and on a shelf. How would I analyze this? No clue. Seeing as every time I have driven by, since last week, the flags have remained in the same position. Have they gone unnoticed? Maybe it was just too much of a hassle to present the flags in a respectful way. In the largest window of the store (there were 2 large windows, and this small window next to the door), were vacuums and tools. Are these supplies more important than the American Flag? The display of these flags may be a sign of the lack of patriotism of the guy who shoved the flags in the corner. You would think that the American Flag, a symbol of freedom and America, would be more proudly displayed, even in this small of a window.

My Big Problem

Up 'till now, researching has been fine, finding (2!) people to interview was OK, and having the interview was easier than I thought. It had to be too good to be true. Last Tuesday, I came home from dance at around 8, checked my email, and found out that the person I wanted to interview wanted to do the interview that night at 9. I had the questions all ready (thank god), but I didn't have time to e-mail Mr.Bolos to tell him that I was having the interview. So, I had the interview anyways, because Mr. Falzone (my interviewee) didn't have many other opportunities to do this interview with me. The interview went perfectly. I started recording, and for the next 45 minutes, Mr. Falzone and I talked about everything you can talk about with film censorship (my J.T. topic). I thought I was golden, that nothing could go wrong now. I had my (perfect) interview, all my research, and now all I had to do was get this paper over with, no offense. Again, it was too good to be true. Since I didn't schedule my interview with Bolos, it may be lost forever. Awesome.
(Here's a piece of advice: SCHEDULE YOUR INTERVIEW WITH BOLOS!!)

The Interview

Only a few weeks ago, I was lost. I did not know exactly what I wanted to write about, and I was having trouble finding people to interview. Now, I have already had one (really good!) interview, and have another one lined up! The interview I had on Wednesday was with Ron Falzone, a Film Studies professor at Columbia University. Seeing as my topic is about film censorship, he was the perfect person to interview. He always gave a long and informative answer to all of my questions, and he said a lot of things that would fit right in with my paper. Mr. Falzone also gave me a series to watch, and movies to see that would help me understand the time when movie ratings were becoming a hot-button issue. Although I was really nervous at the beginning of the phone interview, it was really easy once we started talking. So, the first interview was a success!

How to Find Somebody You Don't Know

For Junior Theme, it's hard enough to think of the perfect question. Then, once you have that (which is taking me forever!), you have to find a book on your topic. When you and a librarian spend a period searching for a book but can't find one, then you know you're in trouble. This has been my road to Junior Theme so far. Sounds awesome, right? Now, I have to write an intro paragraph for my paper, but where do I start? I have 3 textbooks on movie's, ratings, and the Hay's Code, but without a book, how do I write a paper? Also, I haven't had my interview yet. So do I put it in my intro later? How do you find a movie critic? I'm sure Ebert would love to take time out of his day and talk with a highschool student on the latest movies. Where do I begin looking for people who know things about the movie rating system?

Global Warming??

The past few weeks, weather has been crazy. One week ago, the temperatures were in single digits, but this weekend I saw people wearing shorts. Is this really a sign of global warning, or is it just a coincidence? It's just odd to see snow on the grown for almost 3 months straight, and then wake up this morning and see grass on everybody's lawns. Last week I was beginning to think that global warming was just a theory, but this weekend has changed my opinions. I guess we will just have to wait and see what Mother Nature has in store for us this week, whatever it may be. 

And the Oscar goes to...

With the Oscar's only a few months away, there has been lots of questioning on whether or not actor Heath Ledger should be nominated for his role as The Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight. Personally, I thought that we was absolutely amazing. After his sudden and tragic death in 2008, I wasn't sure if I wanted to see him in his last movie. I have been a fan of his ever since 10 Things I Hate About You, the romantic comedy. But, after I heard the excellent reviews, I knew that this was one movie that I couldn't miss, and I was right. Every time he came on the big theater screen, he wasn't Heath Ledger anymore. He truly was The Joker in every way. He was creepy, sarcastic, and evil. Even though he has died, there is no reason why his talent in this film should go unnoticed.

Waste of Money??

In class today, the main focus was the Army. We talked about how an arcade was opened to promote the National Guard and other branches, how there are recruitment stations, and benefits for families after a soldier had died. Some students argued that some of these things were a waste of money. Others said that that way of promoting was efficient. Here's what I think is a total waste of money. My twin is on the Crew team at New Trier, and one weekend he had an important race in Boston. When he got home, he told us that he had seen the Army, Navy, National Guard, etc. racing. When talking about a waste of money in class, this automatically came to mind. The job of the Army is to protect our nation. What good are they doing on a river in Boston? How could they have spent their money in a way that would be beneficial to the US?

TV Tokenism

In AS the past couple of days, the discussion has been primarily about TV Tokenism (mostly in Dramas on TV). We talked about how the main character of a series is usually a white person, while the supporting "buddy" character is usually played by an African-American. During the discussion, a student brought up a good point: What's worse? Having a "token" black person or no black characters at all? I knew that this would be a good blog post because since there is not one good answer, it would make a good discussion. In my opinion, I think that both options are both racist. Having an all white cast would discriminate against all other ethnicity, but having the "token" black character isn't much better. Having a token on a drama means it relates to more audiences, which means higher ratings, which leads to more money for the company airing the show. I really can't decide which is worse, but what do others think? In class we also talked about how shows advertise. Mostly, the white main character is front and center, most visible, and most important. The "token" is usually standing behind another character or is next to, but not as large, as the main character. I have included a picture of the TV show Scrubs, which shows Turk, the black surgeon, and his Latino wife, Carla, standing way off to the side of the mostly white cast. Also, look at what they are all wearing. White. Does that mean something? Why didn't they wear black? Networks use tactics like these everyday, but usually we, the audience, don't notice them. Does that make them OK?? Well, that's for you to decide.

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

Over Winter Break, my family and I went to Florida. Every year for the past 4 years we have gone with all 17 of my cousins, 14 of my aunts and uncles, and my Nana and Papa. My grandparents fly us down every year, but this year flying was a bit different. Lets start off with checking in. They weighed our bags, as usual, and then told us that if any of our bags weighed over a certain weight (somewhere around 50 lbs), we would have to pay a fee. None of our bags were over the limit, but what if they were? Theoretically, if we had coughed up the extra $50, our bags would still make it on our flight, so why do we pay? Does that $50 magically make more room on the plane? No. The airline makes you pay for luggage that they know they have space for, but just want a little extra cash. That's the first thing that made me question the airlines. Next, the woman checking my family in asked us how many carry-on bags we had. We told her five. Can you guess what happened next? We had to pay for our carry-on luggage. Even though the plane has more than enough overhead compartments for bags, we still have to pay. Why? I'd like to know that. So, we're finally on the plane now. About one hour into the trip, the flight attendant makes an announcement that they will begin selling food and refreshments. Then she adds that the prices were in the back of the SkyMall magazine. I have flown many times, but never have I had to pay for a soda on an airplane. So, I flip open to look at the prices. A soda was $3. Can you believe it!? I was astonished. Also, they only accept credit cards. My brother got a can of Coke and handed the flight attendant his credit card. Right after she swiped his card, I told her that I wanted a small can of Pringles. She gave me the can of Pringles and walked away. My brother noticed that she handn't charged him for it, so when he asked her what had happened, she looked at him and told him that it would be too difficult to add it onto his bill, so she gave it to me for free. Even after this airline and made us pay for pratically everything that your ticket alone should include, I couldn't believe how refreshing it was to have a complementary can of Pringles.