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Wrichtmyer
Mrs. McGuire's English Class
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In a time of perilous panic and haphazard tactics...
In a time of perilous panic and haphazard tactics being used, Coca-Cola reins king of the commercials. I certainly think that they did a wonderful job of bringing into account current events while also adding humor. The immigration and border debate is certainly a hot press issue in today’s society.... Continue reading
Posted Apr 27, 2011 at Wrichtmyer's blog
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Barry Schwartz is very radical in his own ideas....
Barry Schwartz is very radical in his own ideas. It the college process is hard for all involved. Barry Schwartz has some interesting and radical ideas on college applications. I do agree with his diagnosis of problems with the system. All involved in the college admission process have to deal... Continue reading
Posted Apr 17, 2011 at Wrichtmyer's blog
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Melissa, I could not agree with you more. You are extremely right in saying we are all heroes in our own special way. Whether it is the great story of Roy Foster (as I mentioned in my Type Pad) or the heroine of Melissa G., we all have our special powers and talents. We all have our own little heroes in our life. For example, I could say that my parents are my heroes. They help us in every way possible. Parents allow us to become independent people and intelligent people. From the moment of conception, to the day of college graduation, parents are the most prevalent and biggest heroes in our own lives. By supporting these heroes in our lives, we are able to make a positive difference ourselves. Whether coming to a friend’s sporting event, or raising a child, we serve as our “every day heroes.” Some may be more illustrious than others, performing such feats as helping millions of people. This is a truly remarkable thing. If one does not have a lot of funds or aid available to others, the old cliché goes, “it’s the thought that counts.” By helping others in the most possible way, we are able to make humanity and mankind happier. Time honors these everyday heroes because they use what is available at the time. The most resourceful people are the ones that use what is available to make a situation better. Much like Roy Foster, we should help those that need the most help. Roy helped the armed forces in our society who are homeless, and that is a truly remarkable thing. I do applaud your ideas Melissa, I do believe that we all can make a difference in the world. By working together and doing what little may help, we can all become heroes.
CNN's Hero of the Year
In my personal opinion, I believe that every single person in one way or any there is a hero to someone else. Every single mom is a hero to their children, and every father is a hero to his children. Every single soldier fighting for both their life and the lives of all those back home are h...
In my humble opinion, the winner of the CNN hero...
In my humble opinion, the winner of the CNN hero award should go to Roy Foster, a “community crusader.” Roy has hit a soft spot for me, aiding those who have served in the military. I read an amazing statistic, that 1 in 3 homeless males were at one time... Continue reading
Posted Apr 10, 2011 at Wrichtmyer's blog
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Mr. Salva, I wholeheartedly agree with your statement. I completely neglected the fact that college debt is piling up by the hour. There is a problem in today’s society that these people do not in fact know how to deal with their massive student loans, along with managing their personal finances. In the age where you can just get a loan for anything, one would expect to be making the money back after college. Unfortunately, this has not been the case as unemployment has been as high as 15% in some places, something that is unacceptable. As Americans, we need to return to the unemployment levels in WWII of 2%, this would most certainly help out the American people. By stimulating the economy and increasing the flow of money, the country would most certainly improve. Without a doubt the fatal mistake we have made under the Obama Administration is that we have taken out loans to pay the national debt; something unacceptable. I don’t see why we should be taking this haphazard course that we are currently taking. If we were to manage our money appropriately and not spoil ourselves in a time of economic recession, the country would be in a lot better shape. I wouldn’t go as radical as saying we should become Communist like Russia or China, but we should definitely manage our money a lot better. It is certainly a sad issue that we should not be worrying about these things as a teenager, someone who is 17 or 18 years old, but it is the case.
I believe that all students should take a personal...
I believe that all students should take a personal finance course at some point in their high school career because the information that would be learned from it would be more vital in the student’s future than that of some other elective classes. The children all would learn more about how to pr...
In today’s recent economic recession, all people...
In today’s recent economic recession, all people should be instructed on how to manage their personal finances. From the teenagers in Louisiana, to the adults in Montana, people are always needing to manage things better. I recall a moment in my life where my mother, being as smart and encouraging... Continue reading
Posted Mar 31, 2011 at Wrichtmyer's blog
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Melissababesxox, you are completely right. As I previously stated in my Typepad (posted early yesterday) America has this unlogical need to help other countries in peril. It reminds me of a sinking ship, in the middle of the Pacific, and the crew is worried about all of their valuables and other ships that could possibly run aground. Instead of worrying about this, one crewmember worries about the sharks that are below him. A short (and probably horribly constructed analogy) such as this would show that America needs to watch out for the sharks in the water, rather than worry about other ships (countries) in the area. It is truly an unfortunate thing that America has resorted to helping other countries and spending 60% of its money in the national defense budget and social security, two systems that are completely flawed. America needs to divert the 40 billion dollars into protecting itself, instead of pursuing interests of imperialism and helping out other countries. This misunderstanding of the American people, beginning with Operation Iraqi Freedom (even dating before that with Operation Desert Storm from the previous Bush Sr. administration) is what America needs to forget about.
If America does wish to pursue these imperialist ideas, at least capitalize on them. One great man by the name of Donald Trump, an American entrepreneur, stated in an interview with Fox News that in fact, there is 15 trillion dollars worth of oil in Iraq’s oil fields. It has the largest amount of oil underground in the world, second to only Saudi Arabia. This oil alone could be used to pay off the War in Iraq and Afghanistan (totaling 1 billion dollars) and our national debt (somewhere around 14 trillion dollars). As Americans, we have pursued the wrong interests. Sometimes we need to be selfish to achieve and prosper.
Funding America or Funding the World
America has always become involved with other countries from the start of time. During the early days America was even envolved with their mother country, Great Britain. Whether America was just trying to get their freedom, or they were trying to help the Great Britain to become a stronger natio...
America has long sought to intervene when other...
America has long sought to intervene when other countries need help. Whether it was Europe in the Great War and World War II, the Vietnam War, the Korean Conflict, or even the recent war in the Mideast, America continually wants to help other countries in need. In the beginning, it... Continue reading
Posted Mar 19, 2011 at Wrichtmyer's blog
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Dear Kayla, though you are very intelligent I disagree with some of your generalizations. Firstly, I do not know what public middle school you went to, but at Portsmouth Middle we did not have any homework at all. The homework which was prescribed was a maximum of 20 minutes; I literally did all of it on the bus. It was quite simple and easy, since it was public school. In middle school, I was able to relax and find my true hobbies because of the fact that I could have so much free time. I do agree with you, children need more free time. With technology and the hefty amount of homework given (especially in English class), we children do not have time to pursue our hobbies. With sports afterschool until 5, I barely have enough time to eat dinner and finish homework before 10 (if I am lucky). Because of all of this homework, I am unable to enjoy myself and find my true passions. I am unable to read the books I wish to (though “1984” is an enjoyable novel, I would rather pursue my own interests). It is truly sad, because I cannot pursue these interests, but at the same time I am happy I am given an intellectually challenging and rigorous curriculum.
I do agree that we do a lot of things that occur are out of obligation. Whether it is looking cool or acting cool, our society has brought upon us stringent guides in which we need to succeed in society. It truly is a shame that humans are forced to waste their time being focused on being popular instead of being themselves, but it is something society wants us to do. It is truly unfortunate, but I hope that eventually we will be able to break the cycle.
Growing Up Scripted
I strongly agree with Christopher Boyle. He makes many statements about the lack of freedom in today’s society. Boyle calls today’s children “overprescribed” because of their lack of free time to play and the increase in standardized tests and homework. I attended a public school up until the en...
I believe that we as Americans do not control our...
I believe that we as Americans do not control our lives to a certain extent. Up until the age of 18, the American youth is legally obligated to follow their parents and follow in the path in which they have been given. The parents have their children (who have no... Continue reading
Posted Mar 13, 2011 at Wrichtmyer's blog
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Casey, your technology is quite remarkable. As a nerd myself, I would have picked the iPad more than a webcam in a person’s eye, but that is only my opinion. The iPad started a revolutionary craze of a tablet PC that is smaller and more compact; inbetween a eeePC and a laptop. I remember back in the day of 2009 (seems like years ago) when Steve Jobs was atop the podium delivering his fascist speech about the iPad. It was so convincing that the world needed another trendy technological device, as if smartphones (such as the iPhone), apple laptops (such as the overpriced Apple MacBook), and desktops (that are unnecessarily expensive) are not enough, this new device in which one is able to touch will suddenly satisfy everyone’s binge on technological devices. It certainly started a new market with all of the over-hype and craze it created, and that is why I would cite it as the best invention of 2009. The eye invention is another invention that is very interesting. I had always thought of using a webcam as an eye, and scientists have now made this dream a reality through this revolutionary microprocessor. It is simply amazing how they are meshing humans with technology, and that, along with other devices, is what makes me look forward towards the future. Brilliant people in our society are certainly not on a shortage, and that is why I look forward to the future. We will certainly be amazed when we are in college, blogging in our college English class about the top inventions of 2011.
Inventions
Although the Ipad and Iphones are coming out with new updates and such every year the new inventions that attract my attention on the ones that can better lives like the eLEGS exoskeleton and the lectric eye for example. The iphone and ipad is more of a materialistic invention. The electric eye ...
In my opinion of Time’s top 250 inventions of...
In my opinion of Time’s top 250 inventions of 2009, the Energy Hub is without a doubt the best invention. I myself live in a very old household, it was built around 1850. At that time, house builders were not looking towards “green energy”, efficiency, or even warm. They simply... Continue reading
Posted Mar 6, 2011 at Wrichtmyer's blog
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Without a doubt, my favorite childhood toy would...
Without a doubt, my favorite childhood toy would have to be my Legos. Inspiring countless children at my age, Legos were the “building blocks” (pun intended) that inspired my creative mind. Starting off small, I remember learning how to follow the directions of the structures, and building them without my... Continue reading
Posted Feb 19, 2011 at Wrichtmyer's blog
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Amanda, you bring up some very intelligent points. I do agree education is very important, and in a perfect society I would agree. You are strictly speaking about a liberal arts education, where students are first and athletes are second. What you fail to realize is that these athletes are not accepted into school for their academic performance, but their athletic performance. Most of these athletes have no intention of receiving degrees or actually graduating college with a successful Bachelor’s degree. If college athletes had this motivation (as they do in very intelligent institutions such as Duke or Georgetown) then I would completely agree with your post. However, you fail to recognize that most students just want to participate at a higher level in their sports in college. Students such as those at Auburn, Mississippi State and other academically challenged institutions do not aim to receive a 3.0 GPA and become successful in life, but only to continue their pursuit in their sport of expertize. If you were to uphold or even make the current NCAA laws stricter, you would see a lot of athletes dropping out of college with only one year to go before they receive a degree. I do agree, the students must pass their classes in order to participate in their sports, but to receive a 3.0 GPA is a tad bit unnecessary. If you make it harder for athletes to participate in college, then there will be less talent on the professional and college teams. Less people will even attempt to “work hard” and will simply not graduate. I know your intentions are that these people will suddenly become as hard working as an intelligent person like yourself Amanda, but this is simply not the case. Few people have that motivation that you have, so you must realize that most people do not want to “work hard”, but merely “pass by.” I thoroughly enjoyed your post.
Athletes. I do not believe it is time for the NCAA...
Athletes. I do not believe it is time for the NCAA to allow ‘outstanding’ athletes to continue to play sports if they are unable to maintain their grades or balance their classes. Education is the most important part of one’s time in school. Besides creating friendships, involving oneself in ext...
In today’s sports society, entertainment and...
In today’s sports society, entertainment and fans rule the environment. Sports teams are constantly looking to improve the creditability and prowess of their own teams. Much like the Miami Heat, (which did not turn out well as expected, unfortunately) colleges are looking to gain successful students, as well as athletes,... Continue reading
Posted Feb 11, 2011 at Wrichtmyer's blog
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Without a doubt, I have experienced a plethora of...
Without a doubt, I have experienced a plethora of teachers. From a Montessori elementary school, to a public middle school, extending to a Catholic high school, I have certainly experienced all sorts of teachers. Certainly the teachers that have had a profound impact upon me are the teachers that are... Continue reading
Posted Feb 6, 2011 at Wrichtmyer's blog
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I vividly remember the headbutt. I completely agree with your argument Mr. Barbosa, without a doubt the media attacked his decisions. I remember for many weeks the media would speculate over why this occurred. I do not believe what Zidane did was wrong at all. In ice hockey nowadays the players make the same mistake; they fight and let their anger get the best of them. Since soccer is more of a worldwide sport, (you do not see big ice hockey teams from England or Portugal) without a doubt it received more press coverage. The actions of one man shaped the sport and people's tempers. Though it may have been silly, he was merely defending his opinion. I am not sure whether he would support his actions (hindsight is 20/20), however I am sure I may have done the same actions if I were in his position. Though I may not have been weird enough to give a headbutt, I most certainly would have given him a few ELBOWS. I love your post, but you sum up the story well, as well as what you learned from his lesson. I completely agree: words can have huge power in an argument; sometimes more powerful than a headbutt. In this case, the media's words simply overpowered Mr. Zidane's. Though you do let your mouth run Mr. Barbosa, (I let mine as well) I find it of humor, not of rude remarks or cussing of the family. While I would most certainly say NOT to act like Mr. Zidane, you should certainly not be afraid to speak your mind. As I am typing my reply, I see Mr. Woods playing golf. He certainly spoke very loudly about his apologies and I think Mr. Zidane should do the same. I commend you for your great work on the typepad post, and I look forward to seeing more posts from you, Mr. Barbosa.
Celebrity
In 2006, Zinedine Zidane ended his career in a rather disruptive and disrespectful behavior. In the World Cup Final, the last game of his life, Zidance was ejected from the game for "headbutting" an oppossing player in the chest. Due to this event, the media immediately attacked his action. Fo...
If there were to be one person that I would look...
If there were to be one person that I would look up to, an inspiration, it would most certainly be Owen Wilson. As a sophomore in high school, he was expelled from school at St. Mark’s Academy in Dallas, Texas. Wilson continued through high school, though called a trouble-maker by... Continue reading
Posted Jan 29, 2011 at Wrichtmyer's blog
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Corey, I completely agree with your response. You took the question and answered it quite well. Facebook has become a nesting ground for embarrassing photos and facts, certainly something we all would not like. All of our actions catch up to us in life, and Facebook helps expedite this. When I was talking with admissions people from different colleges, they certainly warned me of the dangers of Facebook. Nowadays, they check people’s Facebook before admitting the students. This can complicate things in the college application process. When colleges look up one’s Facebook and see pictures of “FourLoko”, embarrassing Formspring questions asked, and posts of “hating your life and the institution of high school”, they certainly do not see that “bright, young, self-motivated” person that they saw on your excellent college essay. In fact, it ruins all chances of one being accepted into college. Facebook etiquette certainly creates a “rules system” of itself. With the attention that Facebook has been drawing lately, people have to watch what they say. Overprotective laws such as “anti-bully” laws, as well as “hate crimes” make telling the truth very impossible. Instead of being truthful with one another “I dislike you, please stop posting narcissistic statuses about yourself.” Facebook seems to create a world where “everyone magically loves one another”, while in fact, they do not. Because there is this lack of genuine communication between people, complications occur. Hopefully everyone in Facebook can just be themselves (while also not becoming self-incriminating) so that it may become an even more effective tool of communication
To all of the students who are posting the wrong...
To all of the students who are posting the wrong things on Facebook – be careful. Yes, you can have fun, party, do bad things; it's part of growing up. But to show the world? That's just unnecessary, and it could affect your future life. There's a time and place for everything, but do you want th...
In the world of social networking, Facebook...
In the world of social networking, Facebook remains as dangerous to children as it does adults. As we are all aware, the teenage years are very dark and we all go through a phase of puberty and social existentialism. These years serve as a dark time in our lives. When... Continue reading
Posted Jan 7, 2011 at Wrichtmyer's blog
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Melissa, you had a very insightful article. What I am surprised by is that amount of women that actually take the "Ken" doll seriously. In fact, I had forgotten about the long lost "stud" of Barbie. Your solution of addressing the problem of materialism and that image of perfection is a tad bit simplistic though. By "taking away the Barbie", if anything, you would call the attention of the child to the doll by taking it away, and they would end up wanting the possession even more. Furthermore, taking away one (out of countless other 'Barbie Dolls', such as Snooki, Paris Hilton, etc. wouldn't address the problem directly). I find that there are many "Barbies" nowadays who are just too fake to be attractive, but women think otherwise. For example, Snooki has become today's "Barbie", complete with a skirt too short, resulting in an awkward "Situation" (pun intended) in any household with dignity. Examples of being "cool" in modern society (Jersey Shore, etc.) are only messing with the minds of children even more than the Barbie doll. In order to fully prevent one from the flow of "plastic culture" nowadays (using your method of solving the problem), we would have to shut off the TV and internet altogether. I would suggest addressing these issues such as the Barbie directly, so that the child may understand WHY that Barbie Doll is being taken away. You give a great example of showing the audience of your blog the mindset of the Barbie and Ken dolls and their influence upon the children.
The Perfect Image
Barbie dolls are exactly that, they are dolls. They are not really people or something real that really should be considered. However, that is not the case. Many people look at Barbie dolls and believe that they hold that perfect image, that image that everyone should look at. No one should ...
Barbie has certainly been a negative role model; one in which we all need to look at from a corporate scale. Barbie has been made by a business, one that not only seeks to sell a product, but also leave an impact upon its consumers. In my experience as a child (and as a teenager) corporations have thrived off of iconic symbols, or fads of that time. Barbie is a symbol of plastic surgery, of perfection. It certainly is a negative image from what I have gathered. Through the children's use of the toy, they have developed a seed that was planted by the corporation; becoming influenced. Without a doubt, children look to the barbie doll for a state of perfection in a woman. Unfortunately, too many children nowadays look for the perfect female to be that tall, slender, tan Barbie doll they once looked upon decades ago. As children, we aspire to become the icons that our parents once introduced us to. Whether it is Snooki (from MTV's Jersey Shore), or Bill Gates (a self-made billionaire), we all seek to be the roles we have seen on TV, in an attempt to become popular.
It is truly amazing to see people nowadays dye their hair, go to tanning salons, or have plastic surgery just to make themselves "more presentable." The Barbie doll has certainly had its fair share of credit of contribution to this; something that is truly sad. What the dolls and icons of our age should be teaching upon the children is creativity and individualism: something our nations has lacked for years. The Barbie doll is not doing this at all; showing paper-thin plastic material to be "the perfect woman."
Barbie has certainly been
Barbie has certainly been
Barbie has certainly been
Barbie has certainly been Continue reading
Posted Jan 2, 2011 at Wrichtmyer's blog
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To our American heroes, Thank you for your...
To our American heroes, Thank you for your dedication and service in protecting our home: the United States of America. You truly are a hero for putting your life on the line every day. It is truly a selfless action, I appreciate the bravery and courage that you have. I... Continue reading
Posted Dec 9, 2010 at Wrichtmyer's blog
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Thanks Aaron, I do enjoy your insight that people can suddenly "switch on and off" the differences between what I call "IM Slang" and normal English. Perhaps it may or may not be possible for some. It would be interesting to see statistics on that. You gave a great response and I appreciate it.
In the world of texting and technology, it is a...
In the world of texting and technology, it is a wonder that children’s literacy and reading rates are increasing. A surprising result from Newsweek magazine revealed that children who texted more, and had a large amount of abbreviations, actually scored better than other students who did not text...
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