Tuesday, September 25, 2007

3:10 To Yuma and John Wayne

This blog is about an article I read from the 2¢ Worth. Two Great Movies. It told about how Mr. Dave and Mrs. Brenda saw two extraordinary movies over the weekend. The first movie was 3:10 to Yuma. This caught my attention because I have really wanted and urged my dad to take me and my brother to go see this movie. I will probably wait until it comes out to rent, but I really want to see it. First off, it has a fairly decent cast with Russel Crowe and Christian Bale. I had recently seen the Prestige and thought Christian Bale was amazing in that. Another reason for me wanting to see this movie was because it was a western, cowboy shoot'em up movie. The preview (like they all do) made the movie look extremely action-packed and had potential. I grew up watching John Wayne with my family and I loved those. You don't get many cowboy movies being produced these days and not too many good ones if that. But this one looks like a winner.

The other movie was A Face in the Crowd. The only reason I'm writing about this movie is because it was in the article. I have never seen this movie and have no intent of doing so in the near future, but what caught my attention was the starring actor. Andy Griffith. I also, a few years back, borrowed the Andy Griffith show from some friends and watched right through it in one weekend. It was very entertaining; funny, somewhat adventurous and just good old-fashion acting. It was fun. You might have heard of the recent movie Waitress? Andy Griffith stars in that one (random piece of information).

Well, as I was scrolling down the page of 2¢ Worth on my Google Reader and the lists of article all I saw was Learning 2.0 and other articles that didn't interest me at all. When I saw this movie article I chose it on the second. Who knew, there is an article out there for everyone!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Oh yeah...it's finally here!!!

Wow! It’s coming out tomorrow? Yes it is. I just read the article “Gamers gear up for Halo 3 launch” from the BBC World News. For those of you who don’t know Halo 3 is the third exclusively X-box game in a trilogy. Halo 1 and 2 have sold more than 15 million copies, but Microsoft hopes that the third game will sell the most. They have already spent 10 million dollars on advertising the release of Halo 3. When I read this I thought, wow, that is a LOT of money. They are spending so much money on advertising it, I hope it sells. "If we can't make a profit in the year Halo 3 comes out, then when will we?" said Mr. Kim. But it will. He continues to say that “Halo 3 has the chance of becoming one of the most special entertainment launches of the year.”

Releasing at midnight, thousands of people are lining up at the stores just to purchase their precious copy of that 60$ of lasting entertainment. I wouldn’t be surprised if kids skipped school the next day to stay home and play Halo 3. I enjoy playing video games but I am not obsessed over them. I, personally, have played Halo 2 and it is one of the most incredible fiction combat games out there. But, I think games and media and technology are becoming a huge part of our culture. They basically worship new games like Halo 3 on the front page (when Britney or Hilton aren’t being publicized) while on a little 8 font sidebar read the words “120 dead in Iraq,” or “Starvation and Plague in Nigeria.” But you see, no one cares about that, because it is far away happening somewhere in over in China or Asia, doesn’t matter. But, here you better believe it- the Halo 3 is coming out! People focus way on their own comfort and not on others. To them, Halo 3 is like number one in their life; go camp out for the weekend, then boom after 48 hours, I get to be the twentieth person to buy a Halo 3 from the store. Wow, big accomplishment! You need to look at the bigger picture in life. But then again, it is the 21st century…you never know what will happen next. Technology is taking over our world, and we are encouraging it.

The question is where you stand. Do you consider yourself helping technology take over your life or worrying about more important things?

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Females in Suadi Arabia can not drive...

As I was scrolling down the page of the BBC World News list of recent blogs, one article grabbed my attention. "Saudi women challenge driving ban." At first I was like, what ban are these women challenging, and to my surprise, the ban actually bans women from driving. Women in Saudi Arabia, no matter what nationality, what job or how wealthy they are, absolutely ALL women are banned from driving. I was dismayed. Even the third-world country that I lived in for 14 years, Bulgaria, women are permitted to drive. I will admit, they are a bit crazier and stupider drivers than men are, but that's just Bulgaria.

Next, I though about how my dad is at work (well, Denver Seminary) all day, and my mom is the one that drives me and my five siblings everywhere. She takes my brothers and sister to practice, my older brother to cross-country competitions, and me to tennis practices and matches. If she weren't allowed to drive, it would make me and my family's life extremely more complicated. I still don’t understand how and why they would ban women from driving. This topic would have to be researched more to find out. It might be due to ethnic laws or customs, or just the government. Who knows? (If you do post your answer…haha). I guess kids must ride their bikes or walk everywhere in Saudi Arabia.

Post a few answer to some of the following questions concerning the blog. Why do you think they would not permit and ban women residing in Saudi Arabia from driving? Do you think that is alright, or unfair? Do you think it might go back all the way back to when women were considered lesser than men and therefore got lesser privileges?

Monday, September 17, 2007

Why can't you trust Google? Because...

I just read an article entitled “Shhh! I’m Googling My Facts…” from the blog site 2 cents worth by Dave. The article is about a large issue that goes on today with teenagers all over the world, including me. Internet resources found through the “trustworthy” search engine Google. The writer said that teachers used to teach from text books, encyclopedias and other sources printed on books. Wake up people! It is the 21st century, and the online resources are so multiple and easily available, that people are using them much more than books. From a kid’s point of view, it is easy and extremely simple to do. A kid can get his research done in a few minutes online. But teachers look at it with not so positive a view. They prefer their textbooks and maps.

When I read this article, I decided to blog about it because it intrigued me and I could relate to it. I use Google all the time for researching papers and tons of other things. It is my home page on my computer. From Google I can go to any website. But, I should apply some techniques that I have learned in my English 9 class (woo-hoo Mrs. Comp!): questioning what I find. When I click on a website with information concerning the topic I typed in up top in the search bar, I automatically assume it’s true. It’s taken for granted that the information searched and the websites that appear on Google are, well, valid. But I need to learn to question what I read, and research it and back it up more thoroughly. When you search something, and the list of websites that come up, they are not arranged from true to incorrect, they are arranged randomly. Anybody can write anything on any website and have it appear on Google. A student researching his paper, or an inquirer just searching for the answer to a question, should either check more than just the first website on the list, to back up the information, or should go to a trusted website. Another website that is largely popular is Wikipedia. Everyone trusts Wikipedia, but it is not always true. The articles can be edited and therefore anything can be changed or put into that article.

The validity of resourceful websites, such as Google and Wikipedia, should be challenged and questioned. Don’t always trust the first thing you read on the World Wide Web (www). Always be inquiring and questioning and validating everything you read and see…