Teamwork

Teamwork is working together as a group to accomplish a common interest, using your various strengths to create an ideal individual of sorts who is capable of conducting many tasks at once and who excels at all of the required areas of work. We sophomores enrolled in journalistic writing will be using teamwork to create a one time issue of a student newspaper, the "Sophisticate". If each student receives a position that suites his/her talents, then the results should be respectable. If the positions aren't chosen wisely, however, then we will probably be ashamed of our product.

Hindsight- blogging

What will blogging do for the quality of human society? Not a great deal of good, in my opinion. For the average blog, the content is based solely on the opinion of the writer and little fact is usually presented. There is also little way provided of cross checking the statements made to see if they are accurate. Basically, most peoples blogs morph into rumor mills, churning them out by the dozen. If it is used as a log to record the events of your life, then it is usually harmless to others but can be harmful to yourself, as any controversial information added drastically decrease the esteem that your regular readers hold you in, that is, if your blog can reach that level of popularity. Most blogs will remain mediocre, and will not make any kind of impact whatsoever. If you want to inform your friends on the happenings in your life, then why not meet them for a meal or coffee? In-person meetings usually build social skills.

Nuclear disaster in japan

The nuclear disaster in japan may seem terrible outright, but be assured that the worst of this tradegy is yet to come. Since nuclear reactions produce heat, radiation and radioactive waste, when the reactor experienced a meltdown, this radioactive waste was spread into the atmosphere, the surroundig countryside, and the ocean of the coast of japan. This radiation consists of either electromagnetic waves or high energy subatomic particles, which, when they collide with the nucleus of a living cell, permanently alter the DNA that is present, which, depending on the stage of development the organism is in, can cause mutations and/or life altering disabilities. This mutated genetic information is then passed on to the organism's progenitors, leading to a plethora of mutated or disabled organisms. The most serious implication of this scientific fact is that this obviously applies to humans, and so any japanese citizens exposed to sufficient levels of radiation are liable to develop disabilities and/or have children who are likewise disabled. There is also the very pleasant possibilty of death by radiation sickness. It is my opinion that the reactor and waste need to be dealt with as quickly and as safely as possible, in order to prevent more serious human effects. However, since not all radiation can cleaned up or isolated, the aforementioned effects are still probable to occur. 

Reputation

Reputation is one of the most important factors in your relative success in life, because it can make or break you and mediates success/failure. A tarnished reputation could prevent you from getting the job that you desire, even though the negligent action that you had taken to damage your reputation happened years ago and you have since corrected your path to higher ground. It will always be your skeleton in the closet, something that is extremely difficult or impossible to get rid of or erase completely. The more well known you become, the greater the potential downfall if your reputation is irrevocably damaged. You will never again be able to achieve the success you once had, unless by some miracle you are forgiven by the entire population. On the other hand, a sterling reputation can carry you to great heights, perhaps higher than any amount of talent or hard work would do alone. Reputation will lift you up or tear you down.

The situation in libya

Today I watched a short segment on CNN about the rising conflict going on in the Northern African country of Libya. Due to the protest and subsequent resignation of the president in Egypt, uprisings have occurred and are spreading through Arab countries under an oppressive regime or into countries where the people are seeking civil rights and social justice. A prime example of this is Libya. The autocrat currently in power, Muammar Gaddafi, has been in ruling since 1969 and has committed numerous atrocities. Currently, there is an uprising in which civilians turned rebels are fighting government forces, hoping to overthrow Gaddafi and build a new government, one with the concerns of the people in mind. Gaddafi has now start a campaign of airstrikes on these people, effectively dropping munitions on his own people. A coalition of allied forces, consisting of France, the UK, the United States, Italy, and others, has committed fighters, bombers, strike aircraft, and submarine-launched cruise missiles to strike Libyan targets and prevent the massacre of Libyan civillians. The campaign has already been very effective, with many Libyan units taken out of the fight. The rebels are extremely thankful for the efforts of these nations. To wrap it up, I believe it is the duty of any free nation to fight for the rights of the oppressed, even though they may be 2000 miles away.

Springtime

Springtime has great significance to almost culture that experiences the four seasons that are so familiar to us. It symbolizes the ideals of rebirth, youth, and optimism. It was a time of celebration, for the perils of the blistering cold and dwindling food supplies of winter had passed. The snow would thaw, leaving a barren landscape that would eventually erupt with new life. The ground would thaw, and new crops would be sown into the earth. While most of these things probably don't concern your average american citizen, given that we have insulated homes to shield us from the cold and a stable, year-round food supply thanks to food preservation technology, a multi-climate nation, and international trade, the season of spring us still very important to most of us. It has been scientifically shown that to much time indoors, away from the life-giving star we call Sol, can actually decrease the mood and general feeling of happiness of a person. I believe that this go to show that no matter where you live or what qualitiy of life that you may enjoy, the spring season is still very much a part of the human psyche.

Respect

Respect is the foundation of organized society. It is what allows us to coexist with one another, even though we may not hold the same ideas or morals. If have the principle of respect, however, we will acknowledge another human's rights, no matter how much we may disagree. Religion, race, and creed all become secondary, and humanity takes priority. If we had no respect, then the concept of organized government would be futile, for without respect for authority, one cannot have a working, healthy government. Without respect, there wouldn't be a public education system, because no teacher would be able to maintain authority in the classroom (this already happens in some cases). Even the fact that im taking the time to write a blog entry has to to with respect. If I didn't respect my teacher, I wouldn't spend my time completing the assignments that I'm given. Granted, I do know that how hard I work in school will affect where I go in life, but respect is a definite factor at play here. Respect is what supports our everyday existence.

High School State Swimming Meet

On saturday I drove up to the twin cities with my dad to attend the Minnesota high school state swimming meet. The meet was an awesome experience, with the fastest, most amazing swimmers from all over the state going "for the gold." I wasn't very proud of my swimming season this year, so I came to the meet looking for some inspiration and pointers that would help me perfect my technique. I was especially amazed the freestyle sprinters. The state champion in the 50 freestyle swam a 20.61, and the champion in the 100 freestyle swam a 45.34. (All times are in seconds). For comparison, our high school records for the events, respectively, are 21.28 and 47.47. This may not seem much slower, however, in the sport of swimming, a half a second is an eternity. Many olympic races are won by a tenth or even a hundredth of a second. It has been an aspiration of mine to break the school record in the 100 freestyle, and now after seeing these great swimmers, I have more resolve than ever to become one of those larger than life swimmers standing on the podium, humbly receiving a medal around their neck.

Dogs

As I sit here on my couch, I ponder what the world must be like through the eyes of what we would consider a lesser species, such as a dog. The things that we consider ordinary and essential to our existence, such as driving a car or wearing clothes, must be mysterious to them. However, in all likelihood their mental capacity isn't even enough to grasp even the most fundamental aspects of civilized life, and all of their actions, now matter how human and sentient they may a
ppear to be, are all instinctive and are geared toward the survival and propagation of their species. This notion can be somewhat distressing to devoted animal lovers; those who believe that their pets "love" them. I have come to be comfortable with knowing that all of the decisions that my pets make are for simple survival and are fittingly selfish in their own way. Even still, I appreciate the compansionship that dogs have to offer, even though most if the time it is something less than companionship.

- Andrew
Don't judge me for writing a post about dogs; I was sitting on my couch pretty much out of ideas for a topic and then I saw my dogs lying on their bed so I thought what the hell, I'll write about them. :p

Blogging

Today I acquired a new cellular device: the Motorola Droid X. The phone is virtually overflowing with features, from the usual camera, texting, and calling capabilities to the more sophisticated web browser, fm radio, youtube browser, facebook, and twitter functions. In addition, there are thousands of applications available on the android market, including games, barcode scanners, and nearly anything you can imagine, including a blogger application. In fact, this entire post and several others were type entirely from my cell phone. It is hard to imagine that only ten to fifteen years ago, something as simple as sending a short message via a computer was considered revolutionary and nearly incomprehensible. Not long after this groundbreaking act took place and the world wide web was open to the general population, people started to connect with each other and post their thoughts on their own web pages. Thus the very first blogs were born. It is my belief that these very first and somewhat archaic blogs were the forerunners of the modern social media phenomenon. In other words, the first blogs gave rise to present day amenities such as facebook and twitter. These spearheads of the social media movement are now manifesting themselves in a more portable and often more user friendly format: that of an application on a mobile device. One must wonder, since technology grows at an exponential rate (that is, the higher the level of technology you have, the more quickly you can have an even higher technological level. The growth of technology is more parabolic than linear), and such large changes have taken place over the course of as little as 10 years, then how will we be interacting with our fellow man 20 or even 30 years from now? The notions of what could come to be are almost too much for us to comprehend.

Love

     Well, I'll think I'll have to write another cliche for this bland and extremely vague idea, both qualities which have come to define the assigned blog topic. These assignments tend to be so vague that one can write their  entry about virtually anything, which makes the practice of assigning a topic superfluous. . For example, I could write how the feeling of love is nothing more than a set of chemical reaction occurring in the brain coupled with the release of hormones that produce the effect (some would beg to differ, claiming "spiritual" factors at play). Anyways, on to the "topic".

     Love is a universal idea, present in every culture spanning back through the vast history of the human race. Social gestures such as hug or a smile are understood all over the world as a display of affection. The omnipresence of this idea in human history & culture makes one wonder why it is as such. Humans are very social creatures, and being away from one's fellow man can be very detrimental to the human psyche. Thus, I believe that love and similar social displays and interactions are a component of the very essence of the human being, and their removal would make us, dare I say, something less than human. This begs the question, then are those with mental disabilities that would make it difficult for them to understand and utilize these concepts somehow inhuman beings? Certainly not, I say, for their inability to show love should make our compassion and understanding for them that much deeper and more profound. Ultimately, love is what ties us, binds us, and in the end defines us as a social collective. 

           

                                                       -Andrew

     

The Future of Humanity

Wherein lies the future of the Human Race? Many of history's most intelligent minds have contemplated this very philosophical question, however, in most cases their predictions and the reality of the future were polar opposites. Some men have said that in the future man would develop into a better creature, morally, physically, and mentally, but taking into consideration the current social situation of planet Earth, I'd say that they missed by more than a mile on that one. However, one can never be completely certain whether or not people will take a turn for the better in the near or distant future, but this seems highly unlikely. All of these predictions showcase the fact that man is often surprising and that the future can never (and probably should never) be accurately predicted, for the sake of our sanity and the outcome of things. If you could accurately predict the future, then this would probably not be the real future as you would make decisions knowing what you thought was the future, then the outcome of the future would be changed meaning that in reality, you wouldn't have effectively predicted the future at all. That probably sounded like something you would hear in back to the future, but I think that is what would happen if someone had the ability (or lack of in light of my argument) to "predict" the future. As always, the quality of life here on earth for our descendants will probably be far from what we imagine it to be.
          
                                                  -Andrew

Loneliness

Loneliness is essentially the antithesis of everything that friendship can give you. The epitome of friendship is to have a feeling of belonging in this world and to be loved and supported, while on the contrary loneliness is the often times unwarranted feeling of having no one who cares about you and having no place or purpose in the world. Loneliness is most often times a purely psychological issue, because most often times the people who feel the most lonely and unloved are in reality the people who are perceived by others to be the people who are enviable and seem to have everything going for them, and inversely the people who are thought of as the losers and rejects of society are sometimes the happiest inside and have the best outlook on life. This seems strange and counterintuitive at first, but when this sometimes strange fact is examined you'll find that since these people are generally very un-selfconsciencious and are thus very comfortable with how they are perceived and treated by others. These people then have the truest of friends due to the fact that those who treat them with respect love them for who they are accept them and will always be there for them. So often times, when it comes to loneliness, in my opinion, you are often your own worst enemy and sometimes you need someone else to come along and drag you out of the self constructed hell that you wither away in within your mind.
                                                        -Andrew

Friendship

Friendship is one of the most important things you can have or give to someone in life. It will help get you through tough times, and in return your friendship to others will help get them through turbulent times in their own lives. Friendship is showing someone that you understand them and will always be there for them, come whatever may. When you are good friends with someone, you know that you will be able to tell them all of the trials and tribulations you face in your life, and they will meet you with understanding and compassion. Likewise, you'll be able to help and understand your friends when they themselves face tough times. Everyone needs some kind of friendship, otherwise your life can be painfully lonely and may seem utterly pointless. I've faced trying times in my life, and the friendship of those around me was critical to my making it through these times a better person, and not someone emotionally damaged. I just hope that when the occasion presents itself, I will be a supportive friend to those who have been so supportive to me.
                                                           -Andrew

Importance of Intelligence

Out of all the attributes that you might possess, intelligence, in my opinion, is the most valuable. Intelligence isn't just school smarts, it is the ability soundly reason and to understand complex concepts. If you have this, you will have a world of possibilities opened to you. Completing school and doing well should be relatively easy for you, and this will open you up to a range of scholarships. You can then go to college, and study anything you want and then get a good job and earn a comfortable living. Being athletic can get you some good sports scholarships, but being athletic won't get you much closer to getting the college degree that will help you get a good job and earn a comfortable living. So, even though you may not admire that somewhat nerdy kid in your biology class, think twice about who will be going farther in life when you look up to the jock in your class. That is why intelligence is the most important gift you can have.

Work Ethic

      Work ethic is one of the most important attributes that you can have. Out of all the things that help you to be the most successful, work ethic will get you the farthest in life. Work ethic is the drive to keep going even when you may be the only one still working. If you have good work ethic, you'll always be where you need to be on time, showing people you respect them and find their time valuable. Work ethic will make you never give up, no matter how bad the situation may be. All of the most successful olympic athletes have amazing work ethic, and that is what i am trying to go for in swimming. I only have two years left after this year of high school, so if i want to swim in college, the time is now or never.