Junior Theme, Over and Over again

It's another day in the library and again working on the big JT. My junior theme is starting to get its wheels turning. I have around 7 sources so far and I am starting think about my body paragraphs. I still have some reading to do in my book Forty Million Dollars Slaves. I first read the chapter that directly correlates to MLB. Now I am reading about black players in the NFL and NBA. this book is very interesting; it discusses the early creation and integration of black athletes in these other sports. I have to continue to read my book and other articles about my topic. I will continue to update the status of my Junior Theme.

Stay class North Shore.

What 09' Brings Us: April Edition

Another month, another preview. I only have two more months until school is over. This month should be a great month for many reasons besides temperatures rising. I know I am a little late on this edition but a few days never hurt anyone. I am going to focus on the GM issue, MLB starts up, and of course Junior Theme. The current debacle with GM is very interesting to me. With Obama firing the president of GM and hiring another man is kind of crazy. Even though I am an Obama fan, I wasn't sure about this decision because it made him seem like he had too much power. I want to see how this new guy does in his first month as a Pres. of GM. My next topic is the MLB. The time for too high of expectations, rain-outs, and hopes for greatness. Just two games in to the regular season and we've already seen uncharacteristic offense and pitching from certain teams. As for the Cubs, we have seen solid pitching but no the dominant line-up we North Siders were hoping for. Kosuke Fukudome is terrible. I wasn't expecting anything else. Last year he had a solid start offensively and now he just can't hit. Like i said before, we can't form too many opinions because we are only two games into the year. Last but definitely not least, the JUNIOR THEME. On April 2nd I was handed a sheet of paper that explained my Junior Theme. Former students of New Trier have all gone through this rigorous process. If you read my previous post then you know all about my topic. I am excited for this because I get to write about baseball, which I am passionate about. It is only a month long so It is not like my whole year is down the tubes. I have to buckle down and get work done. I have to leave you all now and start working on that. Hope you all have a good April and a great 09'.
Stay classy North Shore.

Where'd You Go?

As a sports enthusiast, I wanted to do my Junior Theme on a sports relevant topic. That was the easy part. The harder part was figuring out which sport I wanted to write about. The first topic I wanted to investigate the 1980 Winter Olympics, specifically the hockey team. Miracle is my favorite movie and I wanted to learn more about that improbable gold medal for the hockey team. Once Doc OC denied me from that topic I moved to Baseball. I immediately switched to the serious decline in black American ball players. I am currently studying this topic and I have read numerous articles, Forty Million Dollar Slaves, and have listened to a NPR podcast. In all of these forms of media, they have all said that the decline of these black baseball players is from economic standpoint. It has been noticed that less and less black athletes are playing baseball past the age of 12. These athletes are ending their baseball careers because many of these boys are from lower class areas and money is an issue. With money being an issue, college is always a tough monetary hit. Scholarships are always wanted by these athletes, but baseball is very strict on giving out scholarships. Unlike football and basketball which dish out scholarships to kids like Bill Gates does to charities. Inner city kids have noticed that and masses of them have dropped baseball and focused on basketball or football. Another reason for this decline is the availability of fields in comparison to basketball. for basketball all you need is a hoop and a ball, unlike baseball where you need a bat, multiple balls, at least 9 guys and the hardest to get, a field. These two reason have been very influencial in the decline of black Americans in the MLB.
More information on the way...

Is Technology Fooling Us?

In these last ten years, advances in technology have been through the roof. Every month some new gadget comes out that is better than the prior one. No gadget has improved more than the cell phone. I remember when I was 10 and my mom had a Nokia 3315 cell phone. It was a brick. It didn't have a color screen, couldn't text message, and the only game she had was snake (which was actually pretty fun). I'm guessing the price of it was around $50. Looking in today's world the cheapest phones are selling for $150. It is insane how these cell phone companies can sell these products for over $300 and have people buy them. The iphone has created a new level of cell phones. AT&T has put themselves as the leader and making other companies create similar products to the iphone so they can keep their business. The main change in cell phones as of late has been the switch from flip, key pad phones to touch screens. Everybody wants a touch screen phone. The new blackberry is even a touch screen. Hell, my phone is a touch screen. But, I think Americans have been brainwashed into buying the phones with the extra gadgets. For example, the iphone can obviously play music, real web browsing, but the phenom is games for the iphone. Everyone is buying these games off the internet for $3 a month. Some people have over 10 games on their phones. At New Trier, if you have an iphone or itouch and don't have these games you are considered less than or not as cool. Everyone who doesn't have an iphone wants to play these dumb games too. The thing is...So do I. These games are intriguing and make you want to play again. Why can't we go back to the normal phones where they were used for calling people not MP3 players, video games, or a source for the internet? 

Its Madness

It's March Madness, the time where every sportsfan, including myself, put money into pools and never see that money again. It is also the time for ultimate surprise, enjoyment, fury, and astonishment. These next two weeks are a true testament of who has good luck in their blood. That is what wins the money, complete luck. I have thought myself to be a lucky guy, but not when it comes to March Madness pools. Last year i sadly finished 3rd to last out of 29 people. That is all going to change this year. Many of the experts keep saying this is the year where any team can win for a 1 seed to a 7 seed. I respectivly disagree, I think this is a year when the top seeds do shine. Just because the top seed can lose at anytime doesn't mean the lower seeds can lose as well. My final four is a compilation of 1 seeds with one 2 seed sneaking in. This is what is looks like:
Louisville (1) Pittsburgh (1)
vs. vs.
Memphis (2) North Carolina (1)
My championship consists of
Louisville (1) vs. North Carolina (1)
AND MY WINNER IS...
North Carolina.
Ty Lawson battled a toe injury during the ACC tournament which was a momumental reason why they didn't survive against Florida State. Dick Vital called a North Carolina minus Ty Lawson a Beautiful Rolls Royce without an engine. Lawson will be back for the tournament and i think he will be the player that holds their team together and leads them to their 5th NCAA Championship. I maybe alone on my choice of having three number 1 seeds in my final four but that is what opinions are all about. I will track my success as the tournament goes on. Hopefully win a few hundred dollars.

What 09' Brings Us: March Edition

This is the month of spring sports but it doesn't feel so much like spring. With the majority of spring sports having their try outs this week it creates tired, stressed, and anxious students. The last three days i have had baseball tryouts at 5:45 every morning. this sets up a long and tiring day. But it all pays off if you hear the 1 word everybody wants to hear, "Congratulations." Sports isn't only exciting at the high school level but also college. March Madness begins which means people lose their money, try to pick the 5 vs. 12 upset and one man goes home happy with some major dough. This has been a crazy year for college basketball because we have yet to see a true standout team. When the tournament rolls around I'm going to put my fake money on North Carolina, as will Doc Oc i imagine. Also March will hopefully have some mercy on the economy. Its not looking good so far but even if the market stagnates then I think that would be a success. Those are my three things to watch in March and good luck to everyone in their respected sports.

What's so Secret About it?

In class last week we were given the opportunity to look at arguably the most confidential document in New Trier. This article was the letter of concerned parents and their attempt to ban The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. For some odd reason this document is not allowed to be distributed or copied under any circumstances. All I want to know is why? We are allowed to look at it, we are allowed to copy it down if we wanted, and we are allowed to write back to the NT board about this insane banishment of Huck Finn. I think it is just stupid that a letter to the Principal of New Trier wrote 30 some odd years ago is still prohibited from student eyes. Luckily my sly and deceitful teachers have gotten around the rules and let us look at the document. That's not the point. My point is that 31 or so year old document is still not visible to students and even teachers. I think it would be a very interesting paper on why NT has hid this document and why they still hide it. After reading it I have come to a conclusion that by no means is it an offensive letter but also it is not a informal, friendly letter. It makes a strong point why HF should be banned. I don't totally agree with it but I see where they come from. I think it is time for the school to let go and not keep it so ostracized from the rest of the faculty and student body.