Mobbed

I have just witnessed my second ever episode of mobbed and I must say it is the most awkward television show I have ever seen. I cannot believe what is going on. The featured person of this episode is a guy that met a girl on the internet and has never actually met in person before. From what I can tell, he is asking to move in with her. (My television is cutting in and out). Awkward right? You can obviously tell that the girl is completely and totally uncomfortable with the situation, as I believe anyone would be.

I believe that this is wrong, I don't think she should be put on the spot in front of a large dancing crowd, and even then a televised audience. If I was in her position (with the corresponding adjustments), as embarrassing as it would be, I think I would say no. Although I do admire the guys courage, and that I would never be able to do something like this.

Think about it people. If you were in her position, and you were "mobbed" what would you think? A guy that you met on the internet, comes across the country asking to move in with you. I'm not discrediting online relationships, but there is definitely a degree of awkwardness that goes along with it.

Things throughout the episode that contributed to the overall awkwardness:

1) They had never met in person
2) The first time he asked her the question, she was silent and didn't say anything. This was huge hint that she didn't really want to
3) When her favorite band or something like that showed up to play, she didn't recognize them
4) When they first saw each other she kept saying "You're real" in a not excited, monotone voice.
5) She failed to recognize that they were now dating

I almost feel it is unfair to the girl to essentially be forced into saying yes. The episode just ended and she did indeed say yes. Howie Mendel is the host of the show and to be completely honest, he does absolutely nothing. He is solely there. I believe the show just wanted to be paired with a celebrity to boost its overall appearance.

Word Count: 375

Things That Grind My Gears

1) Hypocrites
2) When I over think something
3) Teachers assigning an overwhelming amount of homework
4) When people won't be quiet
5) When people are patronizing
6) When Iowa beats Iowa State in football
7) When people talk in learned diction in normal conversation
8) When people try to take control
9) When people act as though they are "better" than others
10) When people constantly show off
11) When teachers are unfair
12) When I mess up in show choir
13) When I mess up in tennis
14) When I make dumb mistakes on tests and quizzes
15) When people make a big deal out of something that is not
16) When I have to write a paper
17) When I don't have the will power to blog
18) That "crunch time" right before a big assignment is due
19) When you go in to turn in a paper or project and finding out you did yours completely different than everyone else
20) When one of my electronics runs out of battery
21) When my broadcast signal on my TV goes in and out
22) When TV programs don't follow the schedule
23) Waiting to get out of the South lot
24) When I can't think of the word I'm looking for
25) When people mess with my stuff

Word Count: 221

Thomas Kaiser

Tommy Kaiser is a great kid. He plays football and is in Show Choir. He is nice and friendly to everyone. He is currently the Vice President for the Class of 2013. He runs track as well as hurdles. He is an all around good person.

One of the key characteristics that makes Tommy such a good person is his universal acceptance of all types of people. This is one of the major factors contributing to his friendliness. In my years of knowing him, I have never met someone that did not like Tommy, and I have met a lot of people. His also controls his friendliness and stands his ground very well in a way that contributes his character.  His lighthearted and easygoing personality makes him a very like-able by his peers.

Tommy is not a person to sit around and do nothing. He is very involved in his school, further raising his profile. He has played football for the past three years, starting on varsity this year. He has also been the vice president of the class of 2013 for three years running. His newest development in his involvement at Kennedy High School began this year. Last spring Tommy decided to step out of his comfort zone. He decided to do something that most football players would never do, go out for show choir. These two activities don’t usually mix together as they are on opposite sides of the spectrum of activities here at Kennedy. I believe that he has definitely been a pleasant addition to the show choir family.

It is obvious that Tommy is a positive role model at Kennedy. He exhibits Leadership skills in his day to day activities but also is able to settle down and have a good time. Not many people are able to do what he does, and for that I respect him.

Word Count: 312

Steve Jobs

Isaacson, Walter. Steve Jobs: a Biography. Simon & Schuster, 2011. Print. (598)

Reading the biography of Steve Jobs has totally changed my perspective on him. Before reading this book, all I knew was (as it is referred to in the book) Act 3, when Jobs returns to Apple. I have only been alive for this time period, so it was all I knew. How was I supposed to know the whirlwind life he went through?

I decided to read this book for two reasons, one because I was growing fond of Apple products, and two because of Job’s recent death. It was definitely not one of those books that you can’t put down. It does not keep the reader eager for more, but this is partially expected of biographies. It took a lot of will power to finally just sit down and read it. Being a hefty book, the longest I have ever read, I found it tiring to hold the book up over long periods of time.

As far as the actually content, I enjoyed the later part of the book because it was the part that I was alive for. I could remember back to when a certain events occurred, something I couldn’t do with the beginning parts of the book. For some of the earlier parts, there were YouTube videos of some of the events described. I used YouTube to watch the 1984 (success), and 1985 (flop), Apple Super Bowl commercials. The book also described the Job’s unveiling of the Macintosh in great detail, so I decided to just go watch the actual video of it instead.

Obviously the book taught me a lot about Jobs that I had never known before. I had grown up during the time of his life where he was much more mature, and had a much more controlled personality. I could hardly believe that the same person that had created Apple and seems so nice now, was also the cold and rude person that co-founded Apple. The book followed a rough chronological format, occasionally jumping around a bit, but was still easy to follow. Some things also were repeated, something that would probably have been fixed had Walter Isaccson not pushed the release date. I have also heard that Isaccson is considering an add-on or some other additional book to supplement this book because he did not get all the details he wanted into this one.

Despite this I am very pleased with my selection to read this book. It has offered me much insight to how technology has come to where it is today. It has told me the great journey of the world’s most incredible visionary of our time.

Word Count: 450

Gay Rights Cont.

There are many stereotypes being held against homosexuals. One of largest is that if they become parents, they will affect the psychosocial development of the child. This in fact is not true based on studies that have taken place. One study from the American Physiological Association conducted by Dr. Charlotte Paterson said that, “The results of existing research comparing lesbian and gay parents to heterosexual parents and children of lesbian and gay parents to children of heterosexual parents are quite clear: Common stereotypes are not supported by the data…. In summary there is no evidence to suggest that lesbian women or gay men are unfit to be parents or psychosocial development among children of lesbian women or gay men is compromised relative to that among offspring of heterosexual parents. Not a single study has found children of lesbian or gay parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents.” This proves that children raised in homosexual households are not affected solely because they are being raised by same-sex parents. Judith Stacy of New York University states that, “The family type that is best for children is one that has responsibly, committed, stable parenting.” People do not want to believe this, but in fact it is the truth. Homosexuals should not be judged or denied the right to parent, because of their sexuality.

            In many situations, gays have been discriminated against when it comes to parenting. Many have been denied the right to adopt based solely on the fact that they are gay. This is completely unfair because a good parent is one that will stick by a child and help that child no matter what. Who are we to judge their parenting abilities; just because they are gay? There are many heterosexual parents who do not care for their child and take advantage of the privilege of having a child. “At the moment, three states- Florida, Mississippi and Utah-explicitly prohibit gay couples from adopting, and a similar law is being challenged in the Arkansas courts. Twenty-nine states, plus the District of Columbia, on the other hand, explicitly permit such adoptions, and the remainders have imprecise language in their adoption statues. The reason most often given by opponents of single-sex adoption is that children do best with a mother and a father,” (New York Times). Many people will argue that “stable family” is one that includes a mother and a father raising a child. This is a stereotype that has brainwashed the country for centuries. What is the definition of a stable family? Every family is different just like every person is different. Everyone deserves the chance to have equal opportunities to raise a family, no matter your sexuality.

            The opinions surrounding gay rights are very dynamic. Many people argue against granting homosexuals equal rights, but in reality why should they be treated any differently than heterosexuals? You can’t help who you love and no one should constitute your feelings. Homosexuals in America should not be denied their civil rights based upon their sexuality. 

Word Count: 508

Gay Rights

Gay Rights

Throughout history, many minorities have been discriminated against. The minority in this day and age being discriminated against are homosexuals. Like African-Americans and women in the past, homosexuals are being denied their civil rights. Homosexual citizens should have the same rights as heterosexual citizens.

Marriage is arguably the most controversial civil right when talking about homosexual couples. Out of fifty states, gay marriage is only legal in six. The reason for the controversy is the religious beliefs that politicians bring into it. What ever happened to the separation of Church and State?  In the United States of America, we have the separation of Church and State. By Congress taking it upon their “duty” to decide whether or not gays can marry, they are bringing into the government, the issue of religion. Religious beliefs should not be affecting what we are deciding in Washington D.C. The government shouldn’t be allowed to make decisions about how people feel and the feelings they have inside themselves. They should be focusing on issues that really affect the country, such as war and international relations. One prime example of how politicians bring their religious beliefs into homosexual civil rights is Republican Presidential hopeful, Rick Perry. In one of his campaign commercials he states, “I am not afraid to admit I am a Christian, but you don’t have to be in the pew every Sunday to know there is something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military… Faith made America strong; we can make it strong again.” This is a prime example because it openly states that he wants to bring religion into Congress. We feel strongly that Congress should not be allowed to make decisions on how people feel. That is when the issue of gay marriage and rights comes into play. You can’t make a law restricting someone’s feelings.


Word Count: 312

Gay Marriage

If there are un adopted children  without parents in foster homes, why should we exclude a certain percentage of adopters (gays) from the adoption system. ---MIZZAY

http://www.lifelongadoptions.com/about    LifeLong Adoptions
http://www.lifelongadoptions.com/gay-lesbian-adoption

They are an adoption service that facilitates adoptions. They "work with prospective gay and lesbian parents throughout the United States; however, the adoption process varies from state to state."

"Indeed, LifeLong Adoptions is a place where each client’s individuality, beliefs, religion, ethnicity, nationality, marital status, and sexual orientation are embraced and respected."

They believe:
- every child deserves a LifeLong family.
- each Adoptive Parent should receive the highest quality of service
MAINLY - believe that couples, singles and non-traditional families all have the right to adopt.

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http://library.adoption.com/articles/gay-adoption.html

"New Jersey was the first state to specify that sexual orientation and marital status cannot be used to discriminate against couples who are seeking to adopt."

"According to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, on September 30, 1999, 127,000 children in the public child welfare system were waiting to be adopted. The median age of children in this group was 7.7 years, and many had spent more than 36 continuous months in foster care. That same year, 46,000 children were adopted from public child welfare agencies. Some were infants. Some were teenagers. Many were Latino. Many more were white or black. Adoptive parents were equally diverse-31% were single women, 2% were single men, and 1% were unmarried couples. Among these adoptive parents were gay and lesbian individuals and partners."

"A limited number of states, however, absolutely preclude gays and lesbians from adopting. Most notable among them is Florida, where a federal judge in August upheld the state's 1977 law banning gay adoption."

____________________________________________________________________________

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/an-end-to-gay-adoption-bans/

"At the moment, three states — Florida, Mississippi and Utah — explicitly prohibit gay couples from adopting, and a similar law is being challenged in the Arkansas courts. Twenty-nine states, plus the District of Columbia, on the other hand, explicitly permit such adoptions, and the remainder have imprecise language in their adoption statutes. The reason most often given by opponents of single-sex adoption is that children do best with a mother and a father."

 "The University of Virginia and George Washington researchers studied preschoolers who were adopted at birth by 27 lesbian couples, 29 gay male couples and 50 heterosexual couples."
          "What did they find? That it’s the quality of the parenting that creates a psychologically healthy child, not the sexual orientation of the parents."