Blog Reflection

Yes! The blog is finally over! As much as I didn't like the blog this year I do have to say that it was beneficial. The blog really opened my eyes to what was actually going on in the world today. I learned some important things. Also, it helped me form an opinion on things that I usually would even think or care about. And it let me see other people's opinions as well. I think the hardest part about the blog for me was remembering to do twice a week so I am so glad that we are finally done and not doing it fourth quarter!

The bloooggg

yES YES YES I ALSO hated the blog. It was hard for me to sit down and reflect on topics I was not interested in and also when 30 other students share their opinion it feels like Im repeating their words. I don't even know if I missed or not but I tried harder this quarter since I didn't want to take finals. It would be a bummer to have to take finals for missing just one entry that takes 5 minutes. The blog is not a hard thing since it takes 5 min to do but for some reason it was such a pain in the a** to actually sit down and write a response. Also there have been topics repeated or just boring overall. I'm so glad we are done with this thing. This is finally my last ENTRY!!!!

blogging

so let me just say that i hated the blog. i know that its supposed to be a good tool or something to help get us thinking but why couldnt we just do that kind of stuff in class, like have discussions or something. i was always forgetting and sometimes our blog topics were repetative and some of them i just didnt think were worth discussing at all. i understand that we dont always have the time to talk about current events in class everyday but i just think that lively discussions would have been more helpful to many of us. and mr spoor you have no idea how grateful i am that we are finially done with this!

blog reflection

i agree with rita. i am so excited for the blog being over. no offense mr spoor, but this blog is killing me. i think i missed the blog once and it`s gonna totally suck to have to take finals because of it. especially because i was without a computer over spring break to make up for it. we have some pretty interesting topics like the birds and the bees for example. i cant believe this school year is already almost over and this is the last night of the blog. goodbye forever spoor`s blog peroid four!

Reflection of "The Blog"

Being as it is my last blog... I've decided that I shall reflect upon the efficiency of it.

There were parts of the blog that I really did like, and I was able to hear other people's opinions about issues I normally would have never discussed. However, sometimes the blog was tedious work that I would rather not do. Sometimes, the topics weren't extrememly debatable, and people, including myself, would discuss the same specifics of every issue.

I think many of the dicussions, however, were rather insightful and shed a light on opinions of teenagers in our society. I think, now that the blog is ending, we should discuss issues in curret events in class. It's really important to still talk and learn about the world around us, and I always find discussions like that very enthralling.

I'm glad the blog is ending, but we had a fun run.

driving

i wouldn't exactly call what mr spoor did a normal citizen thing to do. i think the normal citizen would have made sure the woman that got hit was okay, not chase the hit and literally run drivers in their own car. haha i wish there were more people out in this world that would make sure the bad guys got caught and didn`t get away. i do not think i would have ever thought of chasing them and as soon as they started banging on my car i definitely think i would have booked it. other drivers are most hazardous than you yourself. it`s a scary thought putting your life in other people`s hands like that. that`s why they teach us to be defensive drivers. not offensive.

crazy drivers...

There are way to many distracted drivers on the road now-a-days. I would like to react or teach a reckless driver a lesson, but it will never end. Mr. Spoor was was great when in his story he contacted the police and followed the reckless drivers. I would never do something so spontaneous, but it is nice to hear of normal citizens helping the authorities keep the roads safer.

Driving

I argee with esther as well on the fact that I didn't quite think about the fact that other people's driving is hazard. But when I do think about it I realize that not only can driving too fast be a hazard on the road but also too slow, for instance the elderly. Also the fact that people on their cell phones while driving is a tremedously large hazard for themselves as well as those around them. Like when I'm driving and I notice a stupid driver its usually because they are too busy on their cell phones, like they do not use their turn signals drive too slow or too fast and are just really annoying. Like if I could crash into these people to teach them a lesson, without getting in trouble, I would gladly do it without any hesitation. All in all, driving is something that should be taken seriously because accidents can cause extremely harmful results.

while i was reading back on some of the responses i thought lindsay made a good point in that while on the road we don't realize that others driving right next to us can be hazardous too. i'm not saying that everyone i bad driver, but there are those who are reckless drivers, for instance driving 80 mph down a 40 mph zone. i remember one time when i was driving down a road and the car next to me almost ran into my car because the person inside was talking on the phone, eating AND trying to change radio stations. we have to realize that although we, individually, think that we're safe drivers, those around us can be reckless and put our lives in danger, so be on the lookout.

Spoor's Story

Well I found it very hallarious, but unbelievable that the woman from the police station did not know what parallel meant. Although the story was extremely funny, it was very serious and tradgic for the woman in the car. I reallly hope that she is alright and didn't suffer any serious injuries. But when it comes to the question of what would i do in that situation I would immediatly freak out and be shocked because my car was almost hit, and I saw someone else spinning into the intersection. After the shock wore off I would try to evaluate the situation, and check and see if the woman in the car was ok and call the police. If I saw the men in the car leaving my insticts would lead me to follow them especially if the police weren't getting there fast and didn't know how to find the place. At the point when the two men were banging on my back windows i would probably have left because I would have been extremely scared that they might try to hurt me. I really wish the police knew their way around better, and when you called the police they knew the location of certain streets becuase their response times seem extremely slow.

The policia

I was reading Esthers, and she has a good point about the police.

I have heard HORROR stories about how slow the 9-11 response time can be because the operator isn't understanding what intersection you are on or whats going on, and because the person making the call has probably witnessed something awful, is trying to save someone's life, or is being a victim of a number of awful crimes, you can't help but blame the woman or man that is sitting opposite them on the phone, asking them 100 times if for example, Roselle intersects Algonquin.

I've watched so many specials on Dateline and Nightline and other "lines," where mistakes are made or the response time is just too slow and not accurate enough or good enough to when the call was first made. What if those men in Spoor's story had weapons in their car? But without thinking, left them and started running... that means they probably wouldn't have been scared to beat Mr. Spoor up, or what if they did have weapons. Sure, they probably would have been shooting at Spoor eariler in the story, but that's really scary stuff.

And really now where was the police?

mr spoors story

So I agree that these guys were ridiculous and hopefully will be punished. It also reminded me of an Allstate comercial...haha. It talks about how we need to view people on the road not as other cars...but as people. I think we forget when we're driving that the other people on the road are humans. I know I catch myself doing that sometimes. It's almost like when we're driving the other drivers aren't even people, their just annoyances. But anyways, I loved that story, it made my day. I wish my life were that exciting haha!!!

Spoor's Story

let me start off by saying i love to listen to one of mr. spoor's stories because they're always interesting and he gives you a good amount of details so that you could actually picture the scene in your minds, but anyway back to the story he told us today. i thought that that accident and the whole heroic-chase-the-bad-guys story/scene was horrible but funny. i definitely think that it's ridiculous for anyone to drive 80 mph on like a 40 mph zone. seriously who would be in their right mind to do something like that? and even though the person was going fast, he could've at least slowed down when he saw the red light, but he didn't and yea. What if it was a pedestrian crossing the street right then and there, they could've actually run that person down, killing them instantly. I will admit, i do like speeding up once in awhile, but why do it in like a congested street? oh and on top of that, why would you run?? that'll just put you in a much worse situation than you're already in. Another part of the story that i was like, 'what?!' were the cops and how they were kind of slow to respond and react, like the telephone lady on the other line when spoor called 911. but other than that, i did think that mr. spoor was indeed heroic by chasing after those guys. If i were him, i'd probably just watch them run across. but for him to chase those guys down and call the cops to let them know where he was, ALL while he was tired from his day, was definitely brave.

Spoors story.

I would like to start of by saying that i ran over a 13 year old boy's skateboard about an hour ago. It was really funny. It didn't break though. Because of stories like Mr. Spoors is why i don't like to drive in the city. I think it is way to congested and just a pain in the ass. I will give credit were credit is deserved. Mr. Spoor is one brave guy to drive in and out of the city EVERY DAY! I couldn't do it. Luckily I haven't got in any accidents (knock on wood) but when i see them on my way to drill, they are bad. On Interstate 57 people travel over that 80mph. I have driven way over that mark. Even a little puddle of water could send you into a spin. So buckle up !

Spoor's story

Since I was outside the classroom taking the test, I didn't get to hear Mr. Spoor's story. But reading what Jory wrote, I think I get the gist of what happened. I've actually witnessed a few car accidents before and I've been in a few too. It's definitely not a fun sight or experience. This winter when we had those crazy snow storms, I was in the car with my dad. We were on the highway and the road was awfully frozen. There was a car behind us who seemed to be in a hurry and wanted to pass us. It sped right by us and my dad kept his distance away from the car. I'm sure glad he did because believe it or not, the car that sped in front of us crashed. This crash was an unforgettable sight because it did like three 360 degree turns, rammed into a wall under bridge like a few times and then crashed. I'm so glad my dad didn't drive too close to the car because our car barely missed getting hit.

Spoor's story

For some reason I feel like I'm always the one who changes the subject. Anyway I think that enough of us have commented on the Wii topic that I brought up and now I think that I would like to talk about Mr. Spoor's crazy but funny car accident story he told today in class. I have never witnessed a car accident with my very own eyes before. I have heard one from around the corner and saw the damage. I have even drove passed a car that was flipped over but I have never seen one in real life. And I'm sure if I ever do see one it won't be anything like the one Mr. Spoor told us about. Why would those crazy kids be driving 80 mph up to a stop light on a 35 mph zone? They had to be on something or doing something illegal in the car when it happened. They must be one of the stupidest kids I have ever heard of. And I'm sure that the car was probably stolen too. But what really made me want to comment on this is to ask what would you do in a situation like that? Would you be braze as Mr. Spoor to chase them down or would you just get their license plate number and stay with the lady. I would have never thought to chase those kids down because if they are crazy enough to pull a hit and run who knows what they would have done to someone who chased them. All in all Mr. Spoor obviously did the right thing and caught the kids who were doing a crime. Now I know what I would do if something crazy like that happened right in front of my eyes.

Video Games

I completely agree with Laurene about how video games are leading to more violence. I think that the graphic content of video games along with the increase in violence in movies and tv shows has a lot to do with it. When i was a kid I remember spending my free time playing games running around outside, like capture the flag. Now i see people who have younger siblings, and the kids stay inside playing video games for hours on end. From my personal experience I have noticed that younger boys get very into the violent video games where they have to kill others with guns. The worst part about it is that in the games the more people you kill, you get points or may win. It gets them excited and gets thier adrenaline rushing every time they anticipate killing someone. With the advancements in technology the games can appear very realistic. I just worry that the increase in school shootings and things such as that might be caused by kids who grew up playing games that encourage and praised violence.

ViDeOgAmEs

Video games are taking over the younger generations. I completely agree with Rooney with the whole situation. It is sad to see the streets empty and not as many kids as active as they used to be.  I also blam video games for some of the obesity issues we have in America. I have always been a fan of old school video games, and now i feel like you can't even appreciate sitting down to play one becuase they are abused by kids. I think it is terrible that there is so much hate in a lot of video games these days. People can argue that they have nothig to do with crime rate and whatnot, but I'm big on censorship and media issues and I think it absolultly has something to do with the way kids are brought up. We are ruining our own society. I actually fear for the day I have kids and they have to grow up in this nonsense. I look back at how much fun I had as a child and how nieve and innocent my upbringing was, now I look at the jr high students I intern for and I am scared for them. Its a shame the media and video games have created some negaive impact on our society.

maybe!

there are a lot of other things the media makes that is taking affect on to the kids! and corrupting there minds to the point of now return! half of it is the parents fault dont just blame an awesome game just because stupid ignorant people are raising kids! I i agree 100% that to day kids are playing way! to much video games! the whole point of video-games is to have fun while passing some free time! i dont play that often but when i do its when i'm with friends and so on! i'm not going to say any more because i know that a soon as some one sees a huge paragraph they wont read it! And i'm trying to make a point!

video games

That is kind of messed up that an elementary school child would be using the same instrument as military personnel for the same reason (depending on the game). It all started with Duck Hunt back in the day. Thats the first memory i have of video games with guns. Then came James Bond; but I don't think anyone saw gaming getting to the point of Halo or some other games where the point is for a adolescent child to virtually kill another living thing. But, no matter how bad the message, that is the natural evolution. In the end though, I feel like video games in general is taking away from a child upbringing. I feel like when I was a kid, kids my age were always outside, playing sports, pretending, etc. Where as know I walk down the street now and maybe see one lonely kid outside, because all the others are busy killing zombees or or trying to score that winning touchdown in Madden instead of actually getting out there and doing it themselves.

military/Wii?

i think its think its pretty ironic that kids that are playing video games are using the same tools that grown adults are using to disable bombs. but like justyna said, considering all the violent video games, it seems like someone would have thought of that a long time ago. but as far as whether i think its a good or bad thing.. well its good that it is helping the troops and making a part of their job a little safer, but i think it could possibly be sending mixed messages. i mean it is a kids toy that they are using to kill real people. i dont know how i feel about it really, because at the same time it may not have any sort of effect on kids at all

Wii weapons

Justyna brings up a good point that video game controllers are used to kill in video games as well....so i don't think think it's all that ironic that these controllers are being used to kill on the battlefield as well. I guess these gaming controllers truely symbolize violence. Like everybody else said, if these controllers are beneficial to the military, why not continue using them? I know the Nintendo corporation is struggling with business, i guess this helps them.

Wii

I guess it sounds like a joke that the military is using a video game controller to diffuse weapons that kill...but then again don't we use the controllers in the game to kill as well? Someone just thought of remote that already is being used for the same purpose only on tv not in reality. It seems like the military got lazy to come up with a more complex controller but then again why should we spend money to make a remote that is probably going to be blown up in battle. So in my opinion I agree to some extent that it is a pretty good idea. In addition these controllers for xboz playstation and wii all are very easy to learn how to use. You can learn how to use one within the first 5 minutes of any game. This is beneficial in the military because the remote is not complicated and less mistakes will occur from pressing wrong buttons and causing accidents. Having a simple device like the Wii remote is less time consuming with training and simple to use.

Wii and the military

Well it was really unexpected for me to hear about something like that because I always assume that the military would be using high tech things to work with bombs ad weapons. I never would have though that they are using something as everyday and ordinary as a wii remote to do an extremely dangerous job. It really makes me wonder what the future will bring in terms of technology advancements. Sometimes a product is designed for a specific purpose, but can also do a variety of other things that are unexpected. I guess the negetive way of looking at this situation is realizing that some new products that we are inventing might be harmful or dangerous and have negetive consequencs on our health or our society. It is amazing to me how far we have come over the past years, and if we can use a remote for video games for the military then maybe we another product might be invented in the near future that can help the environment or cure disease.

I think its interesting that they are using game controllers to defuse bombs! i mean who could have thought of that? i think its funny at the same time. I don't know why something like that would be disturbing but that's just me. that can be used to our advantage so it want be that bad of a thing.

Wii

I agree with lauren. It is sort of contradicting the way they are using child's play to do something such as military action. I would never even think that this would even be possible, what are the connections between the controller and the bomb, and who thinks of these kinds of things? I cant really tell if it's a good thing or a bad thing. I think its both good and bad for different situations, but if it is benefiting, obviously it is something that needs to be continued.

Wii

I think it is a little bit frightening that the military is using a video game controller to defuse a bomb. It just seems like two complete opposite ends of seriousness. A child's game system, to military action and dealing with bombs. I did not know about this before, and i find it really interesting. I would like to know more about how the process works and how they figured out that a game system controller would work that way. Although scary to think about, if a game controller is heping the military and supplying as a technology aid, i guess i would agree that it is a good thing and that they should continue to search out how they can use it to benefit them more.

Military Wii

I guess Nintendo figured if they could make tennis and bowling simulations feel real, why not dropping bombs? This is a pretty amusing story because it just proves how far technology has come so that now we use a kid's video game system to simulate military action. I think that this can be a very good idea because it sounds like they have made it very easy to diffuse a bomb and that is good for the military because it will be very simple. Just the fact that they chose to use a video game motion for something so potentially dangerous makes me wonder why they did this. It sounds like they have used video game technology before with the XBOX and PS3 controllers. This seemed to have worked and now they are just making the motion easier so I'd say this is a good thing for the military.

Wii bomb

I'm sorry to change the subject but as I was looking at yahoo home page during my lunch I saw a very crazy army remote. On one of those four main topics when you go to yahoo the headline read: "Wii used by U.S. military to difuse bombs." When I saw that I was shocked and laughing a little bit to think about defusing a bomb with a wii remote. The magazine said that engineers at the U.S. department of Energy have made it possible to diffuse a bomb with the exact same remote used to play Wii. Our world is crazy. I think it is funny that our country is so hooked on videogames that even our military are using them to do very dangerous and risky jobs. This is not new though, they said the previous joypad for this job was very simlar to an Xbox or PS3 controller. Even still it wasn't identical to a nintendo game made for little kids. I don't know if this is better or worse for our military but what do you think?

unintentional murder...

I agree with Mary when she said that sometimes praying isn't enough and that we have medicine for a reason. I believe that people should always turn to prayer in all situations, but if we are given a resource such as medicine that can save our lives, why not take the medicine and pray that it helps you recover. I wouldn’t use the term manslaughter to describe the acts of these parents, but unintentional murder would cover it. I mean, they still knowingly put their child at a greater risk for dieing. And the result was an obvious death.

Parents

This story is very surprising. I never have heard of a religion that refuses to use medicine before. I believe that the parents should definitely be punished for this because they were responsible for their child's death but I don't know if I would go as far as calling it manslaughter. The parents clearly made a bad decision that they will have to live with for the rest of their lives, but they did not intentionally kill their child. The part that I don't understand however is that more than 20 other people from the same church have lost their child because they refuse to treat them with medicine. Didn't these parents realize from the other deaths that somedtimes praying isn't enough and that we have medicine for a reason? Either way I feel sorry for these parents that they lost their child and hope that others will learn from their mistake.

illness

Yeah, this story really upset me, but what elliot said about losing a loved one being punishment is definetly true. I think that losing someone who you have been close to can change you forever and cause great sadness. The first time you lose someone close to you it really opens your eyes to the concept of death because it is so hard to grasp the idea that someone is never coming back until it happens to you. I believe that the parents of this child probably loved her more than anything and are not only going to experience grief because they lost their daughter, but also grief because they might question themselves or blame themselves. Being in prison would only add to thier problems. If they are commited to their religion enough to refuse medical treatment because they believed god to heal thier daughter I really hope that their faith in God can help them through the hard times they are going to go through. Maybe God couldn't save their daughter, but hopefully God can help them with the emotional pain they are experiencing.

manslaughter

wow, what an unfortunate story, i have heard of extreme cases where people will not allow the use of medication due to relgioius views and so called faith. I have mixed issues on this, in a respectable adult view, they are in fact responsible for the death of their child, even though they had her best intrested in mind. Responsbility comes with the care of a child, but since now religion is mixed in with this it can turn controversial, i believe however that according to our laws, they are to be punished. But in my own opinoin i believe the loss of a loved one is punishment enough. I wish they looked at this sitation differently, and embraced the fact that we do have medicine and technoligy to cure many deseases i mean, couldn't they look at it from the point of view, that if god created everything, he created medicine through man, in order to help out in these situations? tragic story.