Sunday, October 26, 2008

Safe Rides a Safe Bet?

Safe Rides is soon going to be up an running. This very popular school program is also a controversial one. Many parents, faculty, and students believe that Safe Rides shouldn't be around. Then on the other side there is also parents, faculty, and students that believe this is an essential program because it keeps kids out of danger. People believe Safe Rides is a bad thing because it gives kids who have been drinking alcohol a free ride home so they don't have to worry about driving drunk. This is a valid point because if there is a party where drinking is occurring then these kids just need a ride to the party, get drunk and then call Safe Rides to pick them up with no consequences. This is a high school kids dream. The make things fair, this program is very important to the safety of the students and other drivers in the area. If Safe Rides wasn't around then it might force kids to drive home drunk and put their lives and everyone else on the road at stake. Safe Rides is also a very strict on who they give rides to. Safe Rides doesn't start until 10:00 in the evening which means kids can't call safe rides just because they don't have a ride or need some place to go. I believe this student run program is a helpful resource for our high school and will save lives by getting drunk drivers off our roads. Last year there was no Safe Rides due to change in the law about driving age, curfew, and number of passengers allowed a car at once. This year it is back into the swing of things and will be making an impact of NT students like prior years.
If you would like to read the bill Senator Shoenberg passed to reinstate Safe Rides here is the link.
Schoenberg “Safe-Rides” Bill Passes Senate

If you are ever drunk and aren't able to drive or just need a ride home always call Safe Rides

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Head of State

This past Sunday night I was in a hotel room because I was on my way home from Hartford, CT after visiting my sister at Trinity College. Sunday night I turned on the TV and the movie Head of State was airing on TBS. I haven't seen that movie in a long time but i forgot how funny it was. That humor wasn't really what got me. I was really surprised that they would air a movie like this during election season. Mays Gilliam played by Chris Rock is a black man who came from a tough neighborhood and doesn't have any political experience. This character is very easily associated with Barack Obama especially when the man Mays Gilliam is running against is an older white man who has been apart of the government for many years. This man resembles John McCain. Showing this movie, I think really showed that TBS or the Turner Family is for Obama. In the movie Mays Gilliam comes out of nowhere and ends up winning this election. There is a scene where Gilliam and the other candidate, Brian Lewis are in a political debate. Gilliam totally obliterated Lewis in the debate. I think by showing this movie was shown to help advocate Barack Obama. I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing but I was just surprised that politics were now taking place in movies. Here is the political debate that Gilliam and Lewis had.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Tonight's Debate Not so Political

John McCain (left) stands with Barack Obama after their first debate on 26 September Tonight is the second time Obama and McCain with face head to head in a presidential debate. I personally haven't follow this election season as closely as possible, but I do know some stuff. I didn't watch the first presidential debate or the vice-presidential debate. In this debate I was shocked at how much each candidate "subtly" bashes the other. It is coming from both sides. If I wasn't trying to listen to the political issues I would be hearing two men just insulting each other. I guess I'm just naive and didn't know how many insults were used to bash the other opponent. Getting back to the political standpoint of the debate...While I am listening I have heard the word "Healthcare" a ton. Even though these candidates are talking about healthcare most of the talk is just about what the other candidate is or isn't doing. Obama and McCain haven't really been specific in what they want to change but just that they are going to make change. I will continue to watch the debate but so far I am unsatisfied because of the lack of specifics. I am also following the debate by live updates from another blog. This blog is simply stating the facts of what the candidates said for each question. I am surprised how unbiased this blog is but it still effectively states the facts. I will keep going back to the blog during the night. You can follow this blog by this link Think Progress: Presidential Debate.
Oct 21/08- It has almost been a week since the third debate and looking back on the third one now I noticed that the second and third debates were very similar in their "insultiness" if you know what I mean. The only thing I observed is that the third debate, the insults were much less subtle than the last debate. I could tell McCain was very frustrated in how the debate was going so he started to lash out on Obama. McCain wasn't the only one using insults though. Unlike the second debate though, I did hear more specifics in each of their plans to help revive our nation from these "perilous times". Just as an added note, while watching the debate i personally thought McCain did better overall but once it ended and I heard analists' points of view, my view on the debate was the exact opposite from the analists. They all said Obama won the debate and I didn't agree with them. Reporting on this now I don't remember really why I thought McCain won but I felt like he did. Overall i was very surprised on how many public bashes each candidate used on eachoter and I guess I never really understood the "dog eat dogginess" election season was until these past few weeks.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Another 100 Years?

Currently I am not watching the abismal CUBS get dusted by Manny Ramirez and his dredlocks. I am huge Cubs fan but right now i am beyond disgusted. Where is a Lou Pinella flip out? That could be the only way the Cubs stop thinking about 1908 and actually get a hit. Chad Billingsly? Who is this guy? He's making my home team look like Mr. O'Connor after he slid into second...Broken. I'm not really sure why the Cubs, who scored 56 more runs than any team in the N.L. can't scrap more than 2 runs in a game. If you fans can remember all the way back to last year's NLDS agianst the D'Backs and you are watching this series there should be one thing in our minds.. Déjà vu. This team was predicted to win the World Series is now trailing 2-0 in a best of 5 series. By watching this mockery of what we call Baseball I have learned one thing, never bet on the Cubs. The only bet I would think about making with the Cubs would be that I'd bet my life that the Cubs will win a World Series before I die. I will end it like this...200 years?