As many of you are most likely aware there is a blog post that has gone viral. This is from a mother of two young children and it is entitled "Why my kids are not the center of my world."
Here is a link if you have not read it: http://www.viralnova.com/this-young-mother-is-sick-of-how-kids-are-being-raised-heres-her-controversial-blog-post/
I am sure that people who read my reaction will say, "What does he know? He doesn't have kids." You are correct. I do not. However, I have been teaching for 6 years and have been working with children my whole life.
So here ya go:
In this post, she states that "there was a time – not too long ago – when bullying was defined as slamming someone up against a locker and stealing their lunch money. There was a time when kids got called names and got picked on, and they brushed it off and worked through it."
The idea of bullying did use to be a lot more black and white. If you didn't have some sort of physical damage, then you weren't bullied. However, that thought process is wrong. I can't believe that it has taken us until now to begin to correctly define "bullying". "Picking on somebody" and "calling somebody names" has always been and is still bullying. That was, easily, the most asinine paragraph in the post. You may say that I'm a bleeding-heart liberal or trying to sissify our children (the latter which is the most annoying phrase in the world). I don't care. With social media the way it is, we need to crack down on this. I am thrilled with the way we in, 2013, are FINALLY cracking down on bullying.
She also states that "modern parenting is creating a generation that’s not going to be able to function in society. Your child, who you cater to every need, who you shelter from all things “evil.” How will this child react when he or she grows into adulthood? “Debbie” graduates from high school and goes to college. She writes her first paper and meets with her professor about that paper and the professor tells her that it’s junk and it will get a failing grade. How will Debbie cope with that if she’s always been made to feel that no one should ever make her feel sad, or criticize anything she does?"
I fully disagree with this assertion about "modern parenting". "Modern parenting" is not catering to every need. I think it makes no sense for her to paint "modern parenting" with such a broad brush. To me, "modern parenting" is walking a fine line between "catering to children's every need" and letting them figure things out for themselves. My question is this: why is she wanting her children to be in the "real world" so soon. Let them be children. Her part about Debbie is insane, as well. First of all, I've never heard of a professor referring to a paper as "junk". Second of all, if Debbie wrote a bad paper in college, I'm sure that she had written some bad papers in high school and it got "criticized". As an elementary school teacher, you don't get a child's best by calling his/her work junk. You don't get a child's best effort by demeaning his/her work. You get his/her best effort by mentioning what you like about the paper and then telling the child where he/she could improve it, what changes they need to make. If you disagree with this sentiment then "Congratulations", you know nothing about children. (Did you see how I just used a generalization just like she did throughout her whole post? See, anybody can do it :-)).
She also mentions about her boy wanting to bring something to show-and-tell. His action figure has a "drill" with it. He decides not to bring it because he doesn't want to get in trouble for bringing a "gun" to school.
I completely understand his thought process. Schools don't want children bringing anything resembling a gun to school. However, I can easily tell that his mom watches too much TV or reads stories on the internet a little too often. People act like that craziness that they see in the news is the staple in all schools. They act like every school suspends a kid for a pop tart that was eaten to look like a gun. I'm sorry. But for every one of those stories, there are hundreds of stories of children bringing a toy gun or something of that nature to school and it being collected by the teacher and/or principal. Then it is returned to the parent. However, you know what? THOSE STORIES AREN'T IN THE NEWS!!! For some reason, they don't report those. Elementary-aged kids are not gonna get suspended for acting like they have guns at recess. They might be asked to stop but that's it. As a parent, she can let them do whatever she wants at home. At least, she realizes that.
She also mentioned her boys having manners, speaking to people when spoken to, etc. "Modern parents" also do that. That is not just old-fashioned parenting.
I know that a lot of people liked her post. I know that not everybody is going to agree with me. By the amount of people that re-posted that blog, I can tell that a lot of people will disagree with me. However, from the moment I read it, I knew I had to respond to it.
Thanks for taking time to read!!
Philip
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
Independence Day ramblings
I will say that I understand Independence Day. I understand it's significance. I believe it is a wonderful holiday where we get to celebrate our country and the freedom that we have. It is also a time where we get to thank the military for all they do for us.
However, it has also become a time to show off about how patriotic you may be. All day long, people are posting pictures up on facebook just so people know they are more patriotic than anybody else. You won't see this much one-upmanship until Christmas time when people will post non-stop about their love for Jesus. I am always picturing people getting in a room and yelling, "I LOVE JESUS MORE", "NO, I LOVE HIM MORE". "WELL, I POSTED THAT MANIPULATIVE STATUS ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE JESUS. YOU KNOW, THE ONE THAT SAYS IF I DON'T RE-POST IT, THEN THAT SHOWS THAT I DON'T LOVE HIM." "We're done 'cause you're just a moron". (The argument has to end sometime)
After all, most people are competitive by nature. You have to be better than other people somehow, don't you? Oh, you don't? Dang, now I know!!
Every year, I hope that we are a little more free than the year before. More free? How can people be "more free"? Lucky for me, I'm as free as I can be. I can't be any more free. You want to know why? That is because I'm a white, straight, Christian, male. We can basically do whatever we want, as long as it's legal.
However, all people who aren't white? They're still discriminated against. Believe it or not, the KKK is still around. Racism isn't has prevalent as it used to be. However, it still exists.
My gay brothers and sisters? People still use the Bible to justify their hatred. When somebody uses the Bible to spew their diatribe, that just proves to me that he/she has never read the Bible. I believe that someday, all of my gay friends will be able to marry the person that they love. Isn't that what we all want? The "gay agenda" is the same as the "straight agenda": to marry whomever we love. The world is getting more accepting. I feel that each year, they will be more and more free.
My non-Christian friends? The "religious right" constantly preaches against any other religion. If you don't believe as they do, then you are going to Hell. They want you to know that. You want to know something? They are full of crap. As my second paragraph stated, that is their way of being a better person than you. Luckily, they do NOT speak for all Christians.
Women? People are trying to make it to where the gov't has control over a woman's body. I'm sorry. You don't get a choice. We will make it for you. Oh my friends, that's not all. We are also going to shut down women's clinics all over the world. Ummm...what? Maybe someday, women won't be treated as the weaker sex. Hmmm...just maybe.
Yes, I look forward to a day when we, ALL AMERICANS, are more free.
-Philip
However, it has also become a time to show off about how patriotic you may be. All day long, people are posting pictures up on facebook just so people know they are more patriotic than anybody else. You won't see this much one-upmanship until Christmas time when people will post non-stop about their love for Jesus. I am always picturing people getting in a room and yelling, "I LOVE JESUS MORE", "NO, I LOVE HIM MORE". "WELL, I POSTED THAT MANIPULATIVE STATUS ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE JESUS. YOU KNOW, THE ONE THAT SAYS IF I DON'T RE-POST IT, THEN THAT SHOWS THAT I DON'T LOVE HIM." "We're done 'cause you're just a moron". (The argument has to end sometime)
After all, most people are competitive by nature. You have to be better than other people somehow, don't you? Oh, you don't? Dang, now I know!!
Every year, I hope that we are a little more free than the year before. More free? How can people be "more free"? Lucky for me, I'm as free as I can be. I can't be any more free. You want to know why? That is because I'm a white, straight, Christian, male. We can basically do whatever we want, as long as it's legal.
However, all people who aren't white? They're still discriminated against. Believe it or not, the KKK is still around. Racism isn't has prevalent as it used to be. However, it still exists.
My gay brothers and sisters? People still use the Bible to justify their hatred. When somebody uses the Bible to spew their diatribe, that just proves to me that he/she has never read the Bible. I believe that someday, all of my gay friends will be able to marry the person that they love. Isn't that what we all want? The "gay agenda" is the same as the "straight agenda": to marry whomever we love. The world is getting more accepting. I feel that each year, they will be more and more free.
My non-Christian friends? The "religious right" constantly preaches against any other religion. If you don't believe as they do, then you are going to Hell. They want you to know that. You want to know something? They are full of crap. As my second paragraph stated, that is their way of being a better person than you. Luckily, they do NOT speak for all Christians.
Women? People are trying to make it to where the gov't has control over a woman's body. I'm sorry. You don't get a choice. We will make it for you. Oh my friends, that's not all. We are also going to shut down women's clinics all over the world. Ummm...what? Maybe someday, women won't be treated as the weaker sex. Hmmm...just maybe.
Yes, I look forward to a day when we, ALL AMERICANS, are more free.
-Philip
Friday, December 14, 2012
Guns don't kill people. People AND guns kill people!!!
As many of my friends know, I don't tend to stay away from controversial topics. I am always ready to share my opinion on certain subjects. Lucky for all of you, I am now joining the "gun" conversation.
To begin, I want you to understand that I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate guns. I truly believe that without guns, we wouldn't have as much violence as we do have. I have heard all of the quips from the conservative side and they have not changed my mind.
I have often heard "guns don't kill people, people do". That, in and of itself, is true. Guns need somebody to pull the trigger. However, I think the gun certainly helps. If the person didn't have a gun, he/she would not have the same opportunity to do this damage.
I, also, hear people say that if the person didnt have a gun, he/she would find another weapon and still kill. There is a problem with that. Any other weapon that somebody could use (knife, baseball bat, etc) has another purpose. Guns only have one purpose: TO KILL!!! You might be able to put a wire through it and make a lovely lamp. However, I don't think that too many people do that. For those who think that a gun can compare with other weapons, I want you to try this. Tell a hunter that instead of using a gun, he/she should use a knife or a baseball bat. Afterwards, ask them how much game they got. I would be willing to bet that they would have gotten quite a bit less. With other perceived weapons, the victims would have a fighting chance. However, with a gun, you have a much worse chance of surviving.
For me, a perfect world would be a world without guns. However, I know that'll never happen. Therefore, we need better gun control. It must be harder to get a gun. I know that some criminals will still get guns. However, if you have to jump through more hoops to get a gun, less will be able to get one. We need LESS guns in the world!!!
Hopefully, this will happen soon!!!
To begin, I want you to understand that I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate guns. I truly believe that without guns, we wouldn't have as much violence as we do have. I have heard all of the quips from the conservative side and they have not changed my mind.
I have often heard "guns don't kill people, people do". That, in and of itself, is true. Guns need somebody to pull the trigger. However, I think the gun certainly helps. If the person didn't have a gun, he/she would not have the same opportunity to do this damage.
I, also, hear people say that if the person didnt have a gun, he/she would find another weapon and still kill. There is a problem with that. Any other weapon that somebody could use (knife, baseball bat, etc) has another purpose. Guns only have one purpose: TO KILL!!! You might be able to put a wire through it and make a lovely lamp. However, I don't think that too many people do that. For those who think that a gun can compare with other weapons, I want you to try this. Tell a hunter that instead of using a gun, he/she should use a knife or a baseball bat. Afterwards, ask them how much game they got. I would be willing to bet that they would have gotten quite a bit less. With other perceived weapons, the victims would have a fighting chance. However, with a gun, you have a much worse chance of surviving.
For me, a perfect world would be a world without guns. However, I know that'll never happen. Therefore, we need better gun control. It must be harder to get a gun. I know that some criminals will still get guns. However, if you have to jump through more hoops to get a gun, less will be able to get one. We need LESS guns in the world!!!
Hopefully, this will happen soon!!!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Some of my ramblings about Christmas and religion
Let me preface this post with this: I am a Christian. I believe in God and I believe that Jesus was the Messiah. However, please let me continue. I believe that our God is a loving and merciful God.. God doesn’t hate anything that God has made. God sometimes doesn’t like what we might do. However, God never punishes us by sending us to a place called “Hell”. I don’t believe that this place even exists! Maybe your God is different than mine. Maybe your God does do those things. All I know is that my God equals love!! (Also, my God is not a male or female, which is why I refuse to use pronouns when discussing God)
Now, I will begin:
This is a wonderful time of the year. People are caroling, decorating trees, eating lot of sweets. There are parties galore (where did the fascination with “Ugly Christmas Sweater Parties” even come from?”). Everybody seems to be in a better mood than the rest of the year (that is, until they look at their checking accounts after Christmas shopping). It is easily my favorite time of the year: Christmas!! Now here are a few thoughts about this holiday.
My 1st thought:
A lot of people think that Christmas has become too commercial, too secularized. They think that we forget why we even celebrate Christmas. I disagree. I believe that the combination of the religious aspect and the secular aspect is what makes Christmas such a great holiday. Of course, I don’t think they should be combined too much. Santa in a Nativity is a little too much. But, I digress. I love the commercial aspect of this holiday, starting with Santa and going right down to the tiniest gingerbread man. I absolutely love it. I also love the religious aspect of Christmas, starting with the birth of Christ right down to discussing how many wise men were actually there. (I think that 4 were actually there. One brought frankincense, one brought myrrh, and two went halvsies on the gold). The fact that the wise men weren’t there at the birth of Jesus is completely lost on the nativity scenes, anyways.
My 2nd thought:
There is one thing that I can always rely on at Christmas time. That is this: “THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS”. I would be willing to say that you didn’t read that as I read it when I typed it. First, you need to work on your Boris Karloff impression. Once you attained this ability, repeat the first two sentences of this paragraph. Did you do it? It sounds scarier that way.
“The war on Christmas” is a mythical war that occurs every year. It is led by Fox News where they are trying their best to “keep the ‘Christ’ in Christmas. It must be hard with all of us liberal heathens running around. If I have the ability to take “Christ” out of Christmas, then I am more powerful than I ever knew. Next, I will use my powers to take “Fat” out of Father’s Day. Please, wish me luck in this venture. Seriously, though, what is people’s problem? Why do people have such a prolem with people wishing them a “Happy Holidays”. This is the holiday season: Christmas, New Years, Chanukah, etc. The word “holiday” is derived from the notion “holy day” and evolved into its current form. This is the definition of making a big deal out of nothing.
This leads me to a discussion that doesn’t involve Christmas.
Nobody has taken God out of any of these places. Let’s take the schools for instance. For some reason, so many people are up in arms about schools not allowing the students to pray. That is absolute hogwash (yes, I said hogwash). Students are allowed to pray. Silent prayers work as well as prayers that are said aloud. For those, who love to spout Bible verses out, please read Matthew 6:5-6. It says, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” As far as I know, schools aren’t stopping people from praying silently. A lot of schools have a moment of silence every day. That is a perfect praying time.
Even if any of this could be remotely true, my God is a god of love, kindness, and compassion. I wish that some of you Christians could get to know my God. You would love it!!!
Fellow Christians, please don’t act like a victim because you aren’t one!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
My review on The Beatles "Please Please Me"
I have now decided to begin a series of posts about my favorite band: "The Beatles". I will give my review and thoughts on each of their albums. I begin with their first album.
Please Please Me
This album, like a few of their early ones, contains quite a few covers. On this album, there are 6 covers and 8 original songs. One interesting note is that on this album, the original songs were credited to McCartney/Lennon as opposed to Lennon/McCartney which is what they did for the rest of their careers together.
They recorded this album in one day (9 hours and 45 minutes) They were in a rush to do an album to capitalize on the success of their singles, "Please Please Me" and "Love Me Do".
I Saw Her Standing There- The album starts strong with this gem written primarily by McCartney. He conceived this idea while driving home from a Beatles concert in Lancashire. McCartney had, originally, written "She was just seventeen/ Never been a beauty queen". Lennon asked him if he was joking about that last line. He then gave him the idea for "you know what I mean." This song gave them a good chance to open with a little rocker.
Misery- They go for a bluesier feel for their next song on the album. "Misery" is a song both Lennon and McCartney say was 50/50. This was one of their true collaborations. In 1963, The Beatles were on the bill for Helen Shapiro's nationwide tour of the United Kingdom. Her manager needed a new song for her. Therefore, they wrote "Misery" for her to sing. Her manager didn't think it would fit her so she never recorded it. The Beatles, in return, recorded it for this album. It's not a bad song. However, it's one of my least favorites of their originals on this album.
Anna (Go To Him)- This is the first cover on this album and was written by Arthur Alexander. This was an early favorite of John Lennon. They included this in their live stage show repertoire. I'm, personally, not a fan of this song and haven't heard any other renditions of it. Lennon was battling a cold the day they recorded this album and you get the feeling that something's not quite right with his lead vocal.
Chains- This cover was written by the songwriting team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King. This song gives George Harrison his first crack at lead vocal on the album. He does a very good job vocally on this song. It isn't their best cover song but is well done.
Boys- This is Ringo's song on the album. They tried to give him one song on each album and this was the winner. This is probably his song because it's the weakest song! It was written by Luther Dixon and Wes Farrell and was, originally, recorded by The Shirelles. This was a song that they did in their old Cavern days and was always a fan favorite. They recorded this song in one take.
Ask Me Why- This is, principally, a John Lennon composition. He was influenced by Smokey Robinson. This is a wonderfully written and performed song. It was tge B-side of the "Please Please Me" single. This is one of their lesser known songs that really shines.
Please Please Me- "Please Please Me" was the second single that The Beatles released. This was written, primarily, by John Lennon as an attempt at a bluesy, slow tempo song. It didn't have any of the harmonies or the harmonica bit. Their producer, George Martin, heard it and thought that it could really use some pepping up and asked them to make some changes to it. It was, then, sped up, with harmonies, and the harmonica bit, and became what it is. George Martin, correctly, predicted it to be their first major hit.
Love Me Do- This was the first single that they released. This was, principally, written by Paul McCartney when he was 16 years old. John Lennon wrote the middle eight part. Lennon and McCartney sang joint lead vocals on this song (a-la the Everly Brothers). This version of the song does not feature Ringo on drums. Andy White was asked to come in because George Martin wasn't happy with how Ringo was doing on it. Ringo was, then, relegated to playing the tambourines. Like "Please Please Me", this was one of their first major hits.
PS, I Love You- "PS, I Love You" was, principally, written by Paul McCartney. George Martin asked Andy White to do drums on this song, not knowing that their drummer, Pete Best, had already been replaced by Ringo Starr. Therefore, Andy White played the drums while Ringo rocked with the maracas. McCartney didn't write this about anybody in particular. He found that writing in a love letter format came easily to him, so he wrote this great song.
Baby It's You- This cover was written by Burt Bacharach and Luther Dixon. This song is an R&B song that was, also, recorded by The Shirelles. I find this particular song to be a bit boring and find it to be one of their worst covers on this album.
Do You Want to Know a Secret- This is a real gem of a song written, primarily, by John Lennon. This song was inspired by Disney's classic, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". The song "I'm Wishing" opens with the line, "Want to know a secret? Promise not to tell?" George Harrison does a wonderful lead vocal job on this song. In 1980, Lennon said that they gave it to George Harrison because "it only had 3 notes and he wasn't the best singer in the world." He, then, added "he has improved a lot since then". This is a wonderful song that is worth quite a few listens.
A Taste of Honey- This standard was written by Bobby Scott and Ric Marlow. They perfomed this song in the 1962 live show repertoire. This is a song that is well done by The Beatles. It is done well instrumentally and vocally.
There's a Place- This song was written by Lennon and McCartney. It was influenced by the song "Somewhere" from West Side Story. The song includes the line, "there's a place for us" which is the first line of this Beatles song. Recorded at McCartney's home, it was a part of their 1963 repertoire.
Twist and Shout- This is, in my opinion, their best cover. It was the last song that they recorded on that long day. Since Lennon had a cold, they saved this for last, knowing that it would finish his voice off for the day. They used this as their rousing song to end numerous concerts. This version really became a standard in Rock.
This album is a great first album for The Beatles. Their original songs easily surpass the majority of their covers. That just goes to show how talented these 4 Liverpudlians really were. This album is a great springboard for the rest of the decade.
Please Please Me
This album, like a few of their early ones, contains quite a few covers. On this album, there are 6 covers and 8 original songs. One interesting note is that on this album, the original songs were credited to McCartney/Lennon as opposed to Lennon/McCartney which is what they did for the rest of their careers together.
They recorded this album in one day (9 hours and 45 minutes) They were in a rush to do an album to capitalize on the success of their singles, "Please Please Me" and "Love Me Do".
I Saw Her Standing There- The album starts strong with this gem written primarily by McCartney. He conceived this idea while driving home from a Beatles concert in Lancashire. McCartney had, originally, written "She was just seventeen/ Never been a beauty queen". Lennon asked him if he was joking about that last line. He then gave him the idea for "you know what I mean." This song gave them a good chance to open with a little rocker.
Misery- They go for a bluesier feel for their next song on the album. "Misery" is a song both Lennon and McCartney say was 50/50. This was one of their true collaborations. In 1963, The Beatles were on the bill for Helen Shapiro's nationwide tour of the United Kingdom. Her manager needed a new song for her. Therefore, they wrote "Misery" for her to sing. Her manager didn't think it would fit her so she never recorded it. The Beatles, in return, recorded it for this album. It's not a bad song. However, it's one of my least favorites of their originals on this album.
Anna (Go To Him)- This is the first cover on this album and was written by Arthur Alexander. This was an early favorite of John Lennon. They included this in their live stage show repertoire. I'm, personally, not a fan of this song and haven't heard any other renditions of it. Lennon was battling a cold the day they recorded this album and you get the feeling that something's not quite right with his lead vocal.
Chains- This cover was written by the songwriting team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King. This song gives George Harrison his first crack at lead vocal on the album. He does a very good job vocally on this song. It isn't their best cover song but is well done.
Boys- This is Ringo's song on the album. They tried to give him one song on each album and this was the winner. This is probably his song because it's the weakest song! It was written by Luther Dixon and Wes Farrell and was, originally, recorded by The Shirelles. This was a song that they did in their old Cavern days and was always a fan favorite. They recorded this song in one take.
Ask Me Why- This is, principally, a John Lennon composition. He was influenced by Smokey Robinson. This is a wonderfully written and performed song. It was tge B-side of the "Please Please Me" single. This is one of their lesser known songs that really shines.
Please Please Me- "Please Please Me" was the second single that The Beatles released. This was written, primarily, by John Lennon as an attempt at a bluesy, slow tempo song. It didn't have any of the harmonies or the harmonica bit. Their producer, George Martin, heard it and thought that it could really use some pepping up and asked them to make some changes to it. It was, then, sped up, with harmonies, and the harmonica bit, and became what it is. George Martin, correctly, predicted it to be their first major hit.
Love Me Do- This was the first single that they released. This was, principally, written by Paul McCartney when he was 16 years old. John Lennon wrote the middle eight part. Lennon and McCartney sang joint lead vocals on this song (a-la the Everly Brothers). This version of the song does not feature Ringo on drums. Andy White was asked to come in because George Martin wasn't happy with how Ringo was doing on it. Ringo was, then, relegated to playing the tambourines. Like "Please Please Me", this was one of their first major hits.
PS, I Love You- "PS, I Love You" was, principally, written by Paul McCartney. George Martin asked Andy White to do drums on this song, not knowing that their drummer, Pete Best, had already been replaced by Ringo Starr. Therefore, Andy White played the drums while Ringo rocked with the maracas. McCartney didn't write this about anybody in particular. He found that writing in a love letter format came easily to him, so he wrote this great song.
Baby It's You- This cover was written by Burt Bacharach and Luther Dixon. This song is an R&B song that was, also, recorded by The Shirelles. I find this particular song to be a bit boring and find it to be one of their worst covers on this album.
Do You Want to Know a Secret- This is a real gem of a song written, primarily, by John Lennon. This song was inspired by Disney's classic, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". The song "I'm Wishing" opens with the line, "Want to know a secret? Promise not to tell?" George Harrison does a wonderful lead vocal job on this song. In 1980, Lennon said that they gave it to George Harrison because "it only had 3 notes and he wasn't the best singer in the world." He, then, added "he has improved a lot since then". This is a wonderful song that is worth quite a few listens.
A Taste of Honey- This standard was written by Bobby Scott and Ric Marlow. They perfomed this song in the 1962 live show repertoire. This is a song that is well done by The Beatles. It is done well instrumentally and vocally.
There's a Place- This song was written by Lennon and McCartney. It was influenced by the song "Somewhere" from West Side Story. The song includes the line, "there's a place for us" which is the first line of this Beatles song. Recorded at McCartney's home, it was a part of their 1963 repertoire.
Twist and Shout- This is, in my opinion, their best cover. It was the last song that they recorded on that long day. Since Lennon had a cold, they saved this for last, knowing that it would finish his voice off for the day. They used this as their rousing song to end numerous concerts. This version really became a standard in Rock.
This album is a great first album for The Beatles. Their original songs easily surpass the majority of their covers. That just goes to show how talented these 4 Liverpudlians really were. This album is a great springboard for the rest of the decade.
Friday, September 7, 2012
One reason why college athletics is so important (that no one ever talks about)
College and athletics go hand in hand. There are people that like sports and how collegiate sports has evolved. On the other hand, there are people who think that too much emphasis is put on collegiate athletics.
As a teacher, I want my kids to realize that they have the ability to go to college. They need to know that every one of them can get a higher education. When you work in a school that's in a low-income area, a lot of those students don't realize or don't even think that they could go on to college after high school. I think that college athletics is extremely important because that's one of the best ways to hook kids into thinking and dreaming about going to college.
When I was in 5th grade, I became hooked on OSU basketball. I watched every single game, knew all the players, knew all their stats. That was in 1995 when OSU lost to UCLA in the Final Four. One day after a game, I went up to my mom and told her, "I am going to go to OSU for college."
That was the first time that I had really thought about going to college. College athletics planted a seed in me that I want to do that. It was more than the team doing well. It was watching the crowd during the game; seeing the student section supporting their school of choice. I wanted to be a part of that type of atmosphere.
From that moment on, I thought about OSU as my college. I knew that there would be education beyond high school because I was going to reach for it.
That is one thing that I love about college athletics. Young children fall in love with a team and then dream about going there for college. Without it (or even if college athletics was at a smaller scale), not as many children would think about possibly going to college.
It made college a goal of mine at an early age and it continues to do so for each generation!!
As a teacher, I want my kids to realize that they have the ability to go to college. They need to know that every one of them can get a higher education. When you work in a school that's in a low-income area, a lot of those students don't realize or don't even think that they could go on to college after high school. I think that college athletics is extremely important because that's one of the best ways to hook kids into thinking and dreaming about going to college.
When I was in 5th grade, I became hooked on OSU basketball. I watched every single game, knew all the players, knew all their stats. That was in 1995 when OSU lost to UCLA in the Final Four. One day after a game, I went up to my mom and told her, "I am going to go to OSU for college."
That was the first time that I had really thought about going to college. College athletics planted a seed in me that I want to do that. It was more than the team doing well. It was watching the crowd during the game; seeing the student section supporting their school of choice. I wanted to be a part of that type of atmosphere.
From that moment on, I thought about OSU as my college. I knew that there would be education beyond high school because I was going to reach for it.
That is one thing that I love about college athletics. Young children fall in love with a team and then dream about going there for college. Without it (or even if college athletics was at a smaller scale), not as many children would think about possibly going to college.
It made college a goal of mine at an early age and it continues to do so for each generation!!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Presidency: Why does religion matter?
It is that time again. The time that comes every four years. Republicans are insulting all Democrats and vice versa. One of the many aspects, of the two people that are vying for presidency, that people want to discuss is their religion.
Why is that?
Why is that so important to us?
Many people point to them having the same values.
What are those values that people talk about? Loving one another? Caring for the poor? Renunciation of violence?
I have news for you. Those aren't "Christian" values. Those are "human" values. Many people have those values regardless of their religion.
Four years ago, when President Obama was elected, numerous right-wingers believed and still do believe that he is Muslim. I, for one, believe that he is Christian. However, does it matter? Why would people be so afraid of having a muslim individual as president. Is it because they only know what they watch on Fox News? Have they been reading too much of the hate monger (Ann Coulter)? Do they equate terrorism with the nation of Islam? For those who do any of this, I beg of you to actually learn about Islam. Don't only listen to what people say. Study it; learn about it. Become educated before you decide to dislike a whole religion. Islam does not equal terrorism. (Sorry for this little soap box. It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine)
What it comes down to is this: Why does religion matter when choosing a president?
IT SHOULDN'T!!!!!
Why is that?
Why is that so important to us?
Many people point to them having the same values.
What are those values that people talk about? Loving one another? Caring for the poor? Renunciation of violence?
I have news for you. Those aren't "Christian" values. Those are "human" values. Many people have those values regardless of their religion.
Four years ago, when President Obama was elected, numerous right-wingers believed and still do believe that he is Muslim. I, for one, believe that he is Christian. However, does it matter? Why would people be so afraid of having a muslim individual as president. Is it because they only know what they watch on Fox News? Have they been reading too much of the hate monger (Ann Coulter)? Do they equate terrorism with the nation of Islam? For those who do any of this, I beg of you to actually learn about Islam. Don't only listen to what people say. Study it; learn about it. Become educated before you decide to dislike a whole religion. Islam does not equal terrorism. (Sorry for this little soap box. It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine)
What it comes down to is this: Why does religion matter when choosing a president?
IT SHOULDN'T!!!!!
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