Blog5 What it means to be a soldier
To be a soldier today I believe teens should try to look at the whole picture.We are not at war with China.We are at war in Irag because of one name :Bush. If there wasn’t any oil there we probably wouldn’t be there just as we wouldn’t have been in Kuwait when H.W was president. Oil.Is it worth it?Kuwaitis are one of the richest countries in the world and it’s all because of oil.George H.W Bush was an oil man as was his son. Oil.
I think it must be hard for teenagers today deciding on the military. It is not my intention to bash the armed forces of this country. Great men fought in WW2 which was a united effort against defined enemies. A country had no choice. Vietnam veterans were treated like garbage when the returned home. Clinton and W. both dodged fighting and lives were and have been lost under their presidencies. I like Clinton, don’t get me wrong but it is fact that W. and Clinton avoided service when it came time to bite the bullet. Is this who teenager’s would like to fight under? Is a mealy tuition payment worth the risk of coming back as a basket case if they come back at all?
I was lucky to have no recruiters approach me in high school to serve in the military.If this was WW2 I’d go. However when we see the atrocities of Vietnam and Iraq is it really worth it? Look at Pat Tillman an X professional football player who gave up millions to serve only to be shot down by his own men. Do military recruiters give the recruit the whole story behind it, that which they covered up. With the war in Iraq every so unpopular, who wants to fight not for this country but for the Bushes?
Do recruiters tell recruits how many millions this country gave Osama Bin Laden
Or how many Bushes are fighting in the Iraq theater?
Dr. Feinman, my Ms.G, used to tell his students how proud he was to wear the uniform during the days of the great JFK.He was speaking of a different time.I think recruits should visit the military hospitals and see the care soldiers receive before making a decision.A decision that should be made consulting with level headed parents and resources.
I was recruited by the Marines and declined their offer.One of the recruiters looked trigger happy and like a real sheep. Jay Toye, God rest his soul, served in Vietnam and was awarded the Purple Heart.He came home intact luckily and built two homes for his family.He never said I owed him anything for his service nor tried to get me to go into the service because he knew he experienced something that never should have happened and for which these veterans were never compensated.
There are many good military stories but I do not think the honor or the glory which was present in WW2 unless one is actually fighting the war on terror and not the war for oil.I believe that it takes parents, school administrators, clergy and coaches to provide the developmental assets when a teenagers is making this decision.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Parents are Human
Blog4. Parents Are Human
Yes it’s hard to believe but parents do make mistakes.Growing up I did not think that was possible.I saw my parents as immortal beings of sorts and then they got divorced after a happy childhood which stretched into my teens.In Runaways we see teenagers who depend on parents for developmental assets of love and support which is also the case in Good Girls.
The teenagers depend on their parents for structure, love and support.In Runaways they must turn to each other for these developmental assets when their parents become frustrated with society and turn into killers. Audrey has a vast net to derive love and support from. When her mother made the appointment with the gynecologist she was doing the best she could to show love. John Porter initially wants to find out who took the picture of her giving the blowjob and circulates it with a vengeance. He cannot accept the fact that it was his daughter, initially, as he was in denial.
I knew a basketball player who was recruited by a Division 1 high school basketball team but attended school elsewhere. When the coach refused to play him the father talked of planting cocaine in the coaches car.
The Runaways were happy to have each other for support. What would they have done if they didn’t have each other? Audrey Porter had Joelle and Ashley along with her parents. When she got into a tiff with Ash over having sex with Luke, not out of love, she had Cindy and Pam. She had a solid network. In a way I’d rather read about a poor girl who has to find love and support as Audrey was showered with plenty of it.
Friendships are very important to these teens. A valuable resource I wish I had was networking with other teens who were going through the same situations. At Andover there was no support whatsoever. Audrey had all the fixings of a good solid home so where’s the challenge to this story. Tupac couldn’t run home to his parents.
Good Girls reminds me of Marie the “Sap S-----“ at Andover. She developed an early reputation for blowing members of the tennis and hockey teams in the library stacks. She also held several gang bangs as a sophomore and left school very early. Her exploits were well know on campus. Everyone on campus seemed to know Marie.
When I see how parents act in Good Girls and Runaways it makes me conclude that parents are far from perfect and sometimes their actions need to be questioned. When the love and support stops at home we must find other positive sources and this can be hard when perfect images of parents are shattered. When parents communicate poorly or turn to devious acts it greatly affects the love and support teens need. I enjoyed Runaways, my first graphic novel. If Audrey was poor, from a broken home and black what would the school have done?
Yes it’s hard to believe but parents do make mistakes.Growing up I did not think that was possible.I saw my parents as immortal beings of sorts and then they got divorced after a happy childhood which stretched into my teens.In Runaways we see teenagers who depend on parents for developmental assets of love and support which is also the case in Good Girls.
The teenagers depend on their parents for structure, love and support.In Runaways they must turn to each other for these developmental assets when their parents become frustrated with society and turn into killers. Audrey has a vast net to derive love and support from. When her mother made the appointment with the gynecologist she was doing the best she could to show love. John Porter initially wants to find out who took the picture of her giving the blowjob and circulates it with a vengeance. He cannot accept the fact that it was his daughter, initially, as he was in denial.
I knew a basketball player who was recruited by a Division 1 high school basketball team but attended school elsewhere. When the coach refused to play him the father talked of planting cocaine in the coaches car.
The Runaways were happy to have each other for support. What would they have done if they didn’t have each other? Audrey Porter had Joelle and Ashley along with her parents. When she got into a tiff with Ash over having sex with Luke, not out of love, she had Cindy and Pam. She had a solid network. In a way I’d rather read about a poor girl who has to find love and support as Audrey was showered with plenty of it.
Friendships are very important to these teens. A valuable resource I wish I had was networking with other teens who were going through the same situations. At Andover there was no support whatsoever. Audrey had all the fixings of a good solid home so where’s the challenge to this story. Tupac couldn’t run home to his parents.
Good Girls reminds me of Marie the “Sap S-----“ at Andover. She developed an early reputation for blowing members of the tennis and hockey teams in the library stacks. She also held several gang bangs as a sophomore and left school very early. Her exploits were well know on campus. Everyone on campus seemed to know Marie.
When I see how parents act in Good Girls and Runaways it makes me conclude that parents are far from perfect and sometimes their actions need to be questioned. When the love and support stops at home we must find other positive sources and this can be hard when perfect images of parents are shattered. When parents communicate poorly or turn to devious acts it greatly affects the love and support teens need. I enjoyed Runaways, my first graphic novel. If Audrey was poor, from a broken home and black what would the school have done?
Tupac
Blog 3 Tupac
It is admirable that Tupac found his way towards creative expression away from gangs though he died so tragically. Death effects teens greatly as I have seen in the mortuary field. I am not a big fan of spelling reform aka Dewey though I enjoyed his poetry and how he spoke of love and broken relationships. He took many difficult issues and expressed them with a simple style. His poem on his demise is so very powerful and resonates truths today. He did not die in vain and his words will undoubtedly live on for such a long time.
His poetry and passing makes me take stock of my own life. There was a time I thought I was going to die for a cause at an early age. However, the issues past and though they made me weaker, in the end they made me much stronger. Tupac’s words help me to be a stronger person and to face adversity in a better manner. For we all die some day. If he didn’t write he would probably be another statistic and make music. It goes to show that what we leave behind really matters. If I am fortunate to have a teenager someday I will introduce him to Tupac’s writings and his words of love, heartache, chaos and survival. Tupac showed that we are not only on this earth to survive but to touch the lives of others in some way ,for example, his written word poetry and music.
His poetry makes me look at past relationships I have had and how I have reacted. Some are painful and I just keep burying the memories.I cannot take a difficult relationship and spin the heartache into words as Tupac did. My friend tells me old girldfriends are someone else’s problems and that is how I try to look at things sometimes when I cannot put down the words as Tupac so eloquently did.
It is admirable that Tupac found his way towards creative expression away from gangs though he died so tragically. Death effects teens greatly as I have seen in the mortuary field. I am not a big fan of spelling reform aka Dewey though I enjoyed his poetry and how he spoke of love and broken relationships. He took many difficult issues and expressed them with a simple style. His poem on his demise is so very powerful and resonates truths today. He did not die in vain and his words will undoubtedly live on for such a long time.
His poetry and passing makes me take stock of my own life. There was a time I thought I was going to die for a cause at an early age. However, the issues past and though they made me weaker, in the end they made me much stronger. Tupac’s words help me to be a stronger person and to face adversity in a better manner. For we all die some day. If he didn’t write he would probably be another statistic and make music. It goes to show that what we leave behind really matters. If I am fortunate to have a teenager someday I will introduce him to Tupac’s writings and his words of love, heartache, chaos and survival. Tupac showed that we are not only on this earth to survive but to touch the lives of others in some way ,for example, his written word poetry and music.
His poetry makes me look at past relationships I have had and how I have reacted. Some are painful and I just keep burying the memories.I cannot take a difficult relationship and spin the heartache into words as Tupac did. My friend tells me old girldfriends are someone else’s problems and that is how I try to look at things sometimes when I cannot put down the words as Tupac so eloquently did.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
My "Ms.G"
My “Ms.G”
So my adolescents was not completely happy.I didn’t know I could choose happy/turbulent.My senior year in high school my parents began a lengthy divorce as my grandparents started to die. After my graduation from Andover one teacher approached me and told me that teachers knew I was having problems but they didn’t think it was their place to offer assistance. This has made me look with disdain on my alma mater where it was like going to school amongst the tombstones. Not one teacher at this “prestigious” school would help.I went to UNH part time and did horribly.
After working full time for several years I decided to go back to school and chose Lynn University in Florida.There I was fortunate to have a caring teacher named Dr. Sam Feinman who instructed me in Anatomy and Physiology and Microbiology/Pathology. “A good teacher inspires and a good student continues to study “ he used to like to say in the classroom as he talked about his wife and Beagles.
So there I was stuck in a classroom in south Florida with five other students and Dr.Feinman, a retired physician who stood by his students in the classroom and on his free time. He made me believe I could be a better student and advised me to become a doctor-I don’t like the smell of decay or the sight of guts. He was able to reach inside of me and pull out my confidence to resurrect my career as a student and here I am halfway to my master’s. Doc walked with me. He had me over for dinner with his wife. When I needed help he was there ready to go the extra yard. But more so he believed in me when all those Andover faculty members took care of themselves and their own worlds.
I never thought I’d meet such a treasure at a school not many have heard of when I packed my 77 Riviera and drove to Fla.
We are not all fortunate to have a Ms.G come along and I never thought I would, especially so far away. I believe every high school in America should teach a Freedom Writer’s course. I know it would have helped greatly at Andover where everything is supposed to be so perfect. The problems they went through helped me forget about my own. Their writing inspired heroes to travel to see them. In these heroes they saw the plights of their own lives. I think this will be a keeper on many shelves for a long time. I enjoyed the book more as the movie seemed brief and cut out a lot of the stories. Ms.G offered the students a positive release to express what they were going through and for that they are better people and better equipped to face the world.
I have faced homelessness twice in my life and I know what it’s like for no one to care. That’s when I invoke the words of Dr. Feinman , God rest his soul, to help me carry through.
I did enjoy the humor when the student said, for example, “Juliet’s parents found her dead next to her boyfriend. Unfortunately, my parents found me alive next to my boyfriend.”
Students surely need more Ms.G’s in life who are willing to stand up for the students and help them believe that they can overcome and succeed. This book and movie will have a place in classrooms and libraries, hopefully, for a long time.
So my adolescents was not completely happy.I didn’t know I could choose happy/turbulent.My senior year in high school my parents began a lengthy divorce as my grandparents started to die. After my graduation from Andover one teacher approached me and told me that teachers knew I was having problems but they didn’t think it was their place to offer assistance. This has made me look with disdain on my alma mater where it was like going to school amongst the tombstones. Not one teacher at this “prestigious” school would help.I went to UNH part time and did horribly.
After working full time for several years I decided to go back to school and chose Lynn University in Florida.There I was fortunate to have a caring teacher named Dr. Sam Feinman who instructed me in Anatomy and Physiology and Microbiology/Pathology. “A good teacher inspires and a good student continues to study “ he used to like to say in the classroom as he talked about his wife and Beagles.
So there I was stuck in a classroom in south Florida with five other students and Dr.Feinman, a retired physician who stood by his students in the classroom and on his free time. He made me believe I could be a better student and advised me to become a doctor-I don’t like the smell of decay or the sight of guts. He was able to reach inside of me and pull out my confidence to resurrect my career as a student and here I am halfway to my master’s. Doc walked with me. He had me over for dinner with his wife. When I needed help he was there ready to go the extra yard. But more so he believed in me when all those Andover faculty members took care of themselves and their own worlds.
I never thought I’d meet such a treasure at a school not many have heard of when I packed my 77 Riviera and drove to Fla.
We are not all fortunate to have a Ms.G come along and I never thought I would, especially so far away. I believe every high school in America should teach a Freedom Writer’s course. I know it would have helped greatly at Andover where everything is supposed to be so perfect. The problems they went through helped me forget about my own. Their writing inspired heroes to travel to see them. In these heroes they saw the plights of their own lives. I think this will be a keeper on many shelves for a long time. I enjoyed the book more as the movie seemed brief and cut out a lot of the stories. Ms.G offered the students a positive release to express what they were going through and for that they are better people and better equipped to face the world.
I have faced homelessness twice in my life and I know what it’s like for no one to care. That’s when I invoke the words of Dr. Feinman , God rest his soul, to help me carry through.
I did enjoy the humor when the student said, for example, “Juliet’s parents found her dead next to her boyfriend. Unfortunately, my parents found me alive next to my boyfriend.”
Students surely need more Ms.G’s in life who are willing to stand up for the students and help them believe that they can overcome and succeed. This book and movie will have a place in classrooms and libraries, hopefully, for a long time.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Changing Times
Blog #1 Changing Times
I hadn’t even looked at the publication date when I realized that the 17th Summer took place in the 40’s or 50’s. The Morrow family sweated it out during the summer as there wasn’t any air conditioning.Mrs. Morrow plays the traditional role as housewife and mother which was a reflection of the times. The only black person in the book is the stereotypical entertainer. The Morrow’s marriage seems stable.The man goes out to earn a living as a salesman while the mother tends to the home. Though Angie has her first beer with Jack Duluth there aren’t any drugs or late nights out for Angie who is respectful of her parents wishes though she shows signs of wanting to explore her surroundings with boys. The story focuses on kissing and good values though that might not be the case with Lorraine and her sometime boyfriend Martin.
Jack Duluth displays good family values driving the bakery truck for his family.When his family decides to move he doesn’t rebel but agrees to go with them.I don’t understand why Tony Becker disappears so suddenly and without a fight in the story.She seemed to like Tony more until he just vanishes from the picture.I too was waiting for something to happen in the story as it seemed to drag on and on. I do like that the college she was attending was just “college” and not a brand school to captivate the audience as is the case with Norah who is attending an Ivy league school.So often branding creeps it’s way into pages as if an Ivy League degree is not only a selling point or enticement but a salvation as if one has reached the promised land.I enjoyed the fact that the language was clean as opposed to Nick and Norah.
Angie comes from a stable home whereas there isn’t much mention of Norah’s mother. Norah keeps in touch with her affluent father even during the late night hours.This is reflective broken homes of today at an alarming rate.Ity is reflective of leniency of the times between parent and offspring. Though Nick and Jack play games of sorts throughout the story-Jack dancing with his former girlfriend and Nick trying to attract Tris- they are both good hearted characters.
The tender moments are creative.Jack asks Angie to marry him after they pick grapes in darkness while looking for wood for the campfire. Both Angie and Norah are somewhat morally sound as they are monogamous in their relations.I agree with the student who said that Angie was unhappy being an outsider and it was through Jack that she became an insider and a little more sure of herself.We can see through Angie how important teen acceptance really is.Norah believed in Nick’s work and was terribly attracted to him.In the end both Angie and Norah chose college over their lusts and loves.
Nick and Norah is far more advanced for the times.Norah lost her virginity to Taj and is in pursuit of Nick. I did find the language offensive in the Infinite Playlist though it can be expected with the punk rock crowd. Tris and Norah have known each other since elementary school when she “fucked up her dolls in 5th grade.”The language is understandable though heavy.I once dated a woman who constantly referred to herself as a “Connecticut Bitch.”I have also witnessed some heated catfights with similar if not worse dialogue than Nick and Norah.
While we find the 17th Summer boring it may have been an exciting and instrumental tool for youth to learn from during the 40’s.
I hadn’t even looked at the publication date when I realized that the 17th Summer took place in the 40’s or 50’s. The Morrow family sweated it out during the summer as there wasn’t any air conditioning.Mrs. Morrow plays the traditional role as housewife and mother which was a reflection of the times. The only black person in the book is the stereotypical entertainer. The Morrow’s marriage seems stable.The man goes out to earn a living as a salesman while the mother tends to the home. Though Angie has her first beer with Jack Duluth there aren’t any drugs or late nights out for Angie who is respectful of her parents wishes though she shows signs of wanting to explore her surroundings with boys. The story focuses on kissing and good values though that might not be the case with Lorraine and her sometime boyfriend Martin.
Jack Duluth displays good family values driving the bakery truck for his family.When his family decides to move he doesn’t rebel but agrees to go with them.I don’t understand why Tony Becker disappears so suddenly and without a fight in the story.She seemed to like Tony more until he just vanishes from the picture.I too was waiting for something to happen in the story as it seemed to drag on and on. I do like that the college she was attending was just “college” and not a brand school to captivate the audience as is the case with Norah who is attending an Ivy league school.So often branding creeps it’s way into pages as if an Ivy League degree is not only a selling point or enticement but a salvation as if one has reached the promised land.I enjoyed the fact that the language was clean as opposed to Nick and Norah.
Angie comes from a stable home whereas there isn’t much mention of Norah’s mother. Norah keeps in touch with her affluent father even during the late night hours.This is reflective broken homes of today at an alarming rate.Ity is reflective of leniency of the times between parent and offspring. Though Nick and Jack play games of sorts throughout the story-Jack dancing with his former girlfriend and Nick trying to attract Tris- they are both good hearted characters.
The tender moments are creative.Jack asks Angie to marry him after they pick grapes in darkness while looking for wood for the campfire. Both Angie and Norah are somewhat morally sound as they are monogamous in their relations.I agree with the student who said that Angie was unhappy being an outsider and it was through Jack that she became an insider and a little more sure of herself.We can see through Angie how important teen acceptance really is.Norah believed in Nick’s work and was terribly attracted to him.In the end both Angie and Norah chose college over their lusts and loves.
Nick and Norah is far more advanced for the times.Norah lost her virginity to Taj and is in pursuit of Nick. I did find the language offensive in the Infinite Playlist though it can be expected with the punk rock crowd. Tris and Norah have known each other since elementary school when she “fucked up her dolls in 5th grade.”The language is understandable though heavy.I once dated a woman who constantly referred to herself as a “Connecticut Bitch.”I have also witnessed some heated catfights with similar if not worse dialogue than Nick and Norah.
While we find the 17th Summer boring it may have been an exciting and instrumental tool for youth to learn from during the 40’s.
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