Amanda, good points here, but there are a few issues as well. First off, Haiti isn't a country in America. America is a country, and Haiti is an entirely separate country. Other than that, the only other outstanding issue is that America’s economy can’t afford to go further into debt than it already is. The nation is in a difficult enough of a position as it is, and sending millions of dollar to another nation that wouldn’t be able to pay it back is simply not the best solution. You did mention finding help from other countries, which is a great idea that I even mentioned in my post, and I believe that would be successful. Also, your point about moral obligation is a great one. This is another reason why other countries should help. Just because America is a large power in the world doesn’t mean it should always contribute to the less fortunate. All nations in the world should help, even if it’s just a bit, as this would allow for a higher sum of assistance for the nation in need, and a more successful aid effort to the people who need it most.

I agree with you Zac, many kids these days deal with a lot of challenges in their everyday life, and these things are not easy to deal with. This author is speaking in reference to when he was a child, which was many years back. Society changes drastically almost every ten to twenty years, and to speak about a time that was almost seventy years ago is a big difference. Society is changing rapidly, and people need to change with it. For example, once Facebook became a worldwide phenomenon, people had to adapt in how they interact socially. With everyone using the internet to communicate, simple phone calls lost their effect, and became unusual. Everyone must adapt to their society as it changes, and he makes a proposal to change society. This simply cannot happen, as everyone must be in agreement to change a society, simply because if they aren’t, some people won’t change and this would bring the society down as a whole. Each generation’s view on the world is different, so for someone of a much older generation to decide what is best for a younger generation doesn’t seem to be the best of options. The teenagers should be able to choose themselves, as they understand their society better than anyone else.

Zac, you certainly make a strong case for the iPad. I was at the same college presentation as you were, and I noticed that Curry’s representative used the product as well. Through using it, he seemed to appeal to the students in the room, as the simplicity of the technology caught our attention. Surely this is a technique used by many colleges to grab the attention of young minds. Simple things such as this can bring the students to like their college more, even if it’s at a subconscious level. Many people base their opinions on things on their first impression. As we well know, Curry is not a top notch school, yet there are students that we know personally who believed it was. Though we can’t prove for a fact that this is related to the iPad, the first impression certainly could have influenced these students. The iPad is certainly a nice invention for the average student or business person. As you stated, it is great for presenting information to others, whether it be for promotional purposes or business purposes. The iPad 2 was just recently announced, and Apple has managed to make their product even thinner and lighter, while being faster at the same time, and also adding two cameras to the device. This device will only get better and better, along with becoming more efficient in the future with each model that is released, and will certainly make some tasks easier for students, teachers, and business men.

Aaron, I really like your approach to fix this issue. There has to be a middle ground, as you stated. Compromise is almost always necessary to solve such large issues, and this would prove a very simple solution to the whole problem. At the same time, these issues don’t occur at every school. These hidden incentives of which you refer to almost always seem to surface, so justice seems to prevail. However, many schools only allow athletes into their programs if they can maintain specific academic outputs. Such programs include Duke University Basketball, and the football program at Stanford University. These athletes all maintain very respectable grades, so while they’re obtaining the fun and potential careers from the sport programs, they are also receiving a great education. To the coaches, grades come first, and the students recognize this. By getting the coach involved, the students seem to respond better to maintaining their grades. It doesn’t seem like a big deal to have every coach do this. Most sport teams share the same idea that both the players and the coach need to maintain a relationship that is like a family, and as the “father” of this family, shouldn’t the coach only want the best for his “kids”? This is something to really think about, and I believe that more coaches should consider this approach. No one wants to see these student athletes fail in their lives, so why should they be given an opportunity to?

I completely agree with you that teenagers need to be very careful about what they're posting on Facebook, as I talk about in my post. I think you raise an interesting idea about people thinking about what they post before they do so their "audience" will enjoy/approve of it.This tendency could be changing people as a whole. They may change socially, in how they act around others and how they speak if they want to impress their friends and “fit in”. It's a very interesting point, and could demonstrate how many people believe that Facebook is “taking over the world.” Like I said, I agree with you that people need to be careful about what they post online. Teenagers don't really understand what they're doing by posting pictures from parties and other events that may not demonstrate their best values. Especially at such a critical time in our lives as seniors in high school, since we're applying to colleges, this can really hurt us. Seniors want to have fun, and that's perfectly normal, but the issue lies in how they have fun, and who finds out what they did. They need to think about their future before their present. Yes, sharing these memories with friends could bring some laughs, but it could just as easily bring about a rejection letter from a top college. Colleges don't want troublemakers entering their campus, as they want to maintain a good reputation, and admissions directors have little to no tolerance for such behavior. They know kids are going to party, but they don't want to be able to find out. They aren't going to tell you how to live your life, but they have standards to maintain when making a decision on an applicant regarding their admission, and they will certainly have no issue passing up someone with an iffy past.

Aubrey, I agree with you entirely. I think you make a good point with the mechanical baby. That is a great way to prepare young adults for their future, so they can get a real taste of what will be going on in their future. Many young adults do not fully understand the decisions they are going to make about their futures, and examples such as a mechanical baby can provide a replica of the consequences that would come from big decisions in life. This is a great way to show the young adults the mistakes they could make with their decisions, and maybe even make them think twice before making a big decision. I think what you mention about learning from parents is a good point. The class would still be necessary however, mainly due to the fact that not all students have parents, or at least good parents. Some students may have parents that set a bad example, and this class could make them realize that they need to learn life lessons from another source. This point actually makes me reconsider when the class should begin in a student's academic career. The child would need to have this class be taught from a young age, potentially having them become more mature in the process, easing the burden they bring to their parents. At the same time, though this class could be providing the right information, it is up to the student to take it in the right way. Oftentimes, the child will rebel against what he or she is told to do, which could provide a big obstacle of this course. Sometimes, dealing with the consequences of a bad decision is the best way to learn life lessons, so learning outside of the classroom would still need to take place. This is a tough issue, but I think your post tackled it well.

Rachel, you have an interesting point of view on this epidemic. The argument that children are being effected in their spelling, reading, and writing abilities has a blatant hole however, for look at how we as students are posting on typepad? We all are using proper grammar and spelling, presenting our ideas in a logical way. Even your personal post uses proper grammar, and I would never be able to guess that you text and/or instant message as much as you say that you do. In my opinion, I think this has no negative effect on us, but it simply enhances our ability to read and type faster and more efficiently. I find it quite compelling on how you see that society is changing because of this new form of communication. The fact that you can admit to this, apparently as an avid text-aholic, is a very good sign. People need to realize that society is changing, and that texting and instant messaging is simply a part of the process. People are still communicating just fine, having happy relationships, and couples are still getting married. The “effect” that many people speak of on our social lives is nothing major. Look at it this way, it is not as if only half of the people in America are changing. Almost everyone is partaking in this new form of communication, so it is just like any other social revolution. If two people change in the same way, it will not negatively effect them, as they are both still the same, though collectively different. I really like your idea of bringing instant messaging into academics. Having the students share their ideas through instant messaging seems flawless, as they would be seeing the material in new ways, allowing them to understand it better. Only a great intellectual would figure that this is a good plan, and I'm glad you came up with this on your own. Great minds think alike, I suppose.

Aaron, I'm glad that you have your head on your shoulders! With such great goals, I'm sure there's nothing that you can't accomplish. Good luck with the B in Calculus, I'm sure that will be quite the task. I hope you follow up on saying you'll go to all the Tennis home games! We could really use you in the Tennis Den! Maybe we'll both go to Temple together! That'd be so cool, we could room together and make pies, cakes, and those chourico patties from when we..... were YOUNGGGGGGG. Good luck in your classes! Talk to you soon!

Wow, David, your aspirations are sure all there! Congratulations on taking the most difficult class in Connolly! I wish you luck on your academic journey. :)