Natasha Khoury's blog

Superbowl Commercials

I have watched a good portion of the listed Superbowl commercials, and frankly, I was disappointed in the variety and quality. Most were car commercials, Pepsi Max or Doritos commercials, and they were distastefully done. Some were not really funny at all, or they were just boring. The three that caught my attention, though, was the Chevy Glee promo, The Carma Bridgestone commercial, and the American Families commercial. The only reason I liked the Glee promo is because I love the show, but I really didn’t think the commercial was funny. The American Families commercial was highly entertaining, though, because it was a glimpse of shows that everybody loves or used to love. It was cute, appropriate and entertaining. The Carma Bridgestone commercial was my absolute favorite for many reasons. It was something as mundane as a tire company advertisement, yet highly entertaining. It was kind of adorable and hilarious, and the man’s reaction was just the best thing. They beaver was obviously very cool. Both Doritos commercials were sort of adorable and comical, like they usually are. Out of all the commercials, though, I think the Stella Artois commercial, Crying Jean, was the worst. There was really no point in the whole gist of it, I think it was just kind of stupid.

college admissions

The article stands on a great point, that the pressure to get into good schools is making it harder for kids to want to excel in terms of their own personal benefit. The stress that comes with making the right choice for yourself and your parents is only one factor.     Then it comes down to money, is the program right for me, will I want to change my program, will I do well? There are so many factors in choosing a school, and then there’s the biggest question…will I get in? I know from personal experience how stressful the applications and decisions are. I applied to thirteen schools, and I applied early. The one very good choice I made was the amount of schools, the variation of schools, and applying early to these schools. I was notified of my status early enough to know what the breakdown of the thirteen was. Next is the financial aid aspect. Because I got scholarships and a decent package to the schools I was considering, I got off easy. Now, I just cannot choose a school. I am between two schools that are on a totally different spectrum, but preference wise, they are completely equal. If I had gotten into my top choice school, though, which I just missed; I would definitely have no worries at all at this point. I would hands down attend Penn State University Park, but I just missed the qualifications by the smallest amount. A few points more on the SAT or on a math grade I believe would have put me through. That is why I like the approach the article wants to take. It would relieve a great amount of stress because people have better chances of getting into schools, and they will go where their heart is. The first few months of school, after applications had been sent, was stressful because I did not know if I would get in. when I heard I didn’t, the stress was on where I would go of my other choices. Neither would be a problem and I definitely would have had a better year otherwise. I would have chosen my classes differently, and I think I would have been more focused. The only thing about the article that I disagree with though, is the approach of beginning this process. I think a half and half approach is definitely unfair and lets half of the people off easy, and the other half to stress. If it will be done unfairly it should not be done at all. If  a more balanced approach is proposed, I would totally agree.

Susan Burton for CNN's top hero

I believe that Susan Burton is the best pick for CNN’s hero. Her reform program for those just coming out of incarceration is an excellent form of progress for the entire country’s reformation. Susan Burton was raised in the project in L.A., and after her 5-year old son was accidentally killed by getting a hit by a car in 1981. A pattern of crack cocaine addiction and incarceration began and ended in 1997, when she joined a strong rehab facility. Once she was released, she realized exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to help other women that were incarcerated find a better life after jail. Nearly 60 percent of people return to prison within three years after being released, according to California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Succumbing to the streets is very common when life after prison is bleak and lacking opportunities. Susan Burton wants to break that cycle. Post rehabilitation, she worked as a live-in caregiver and saved up enough money to buy a house in Watts. She put bunk beds in the bedrooms, converted the breakfast nook into a bedroom/office for herself, and at the end of 1998, she opened her doors. A new door is what Burton's program -- A New Way of Life Reentry Project -- gives to just-released female offenders. This program is just what the country needs. With funding low and higher temptations, people need a place to turn to, as well as a little boost to get them back on their feet. In August 2009, federal judges ruled that California's prisons were overcrowded and ordered a release of 40,000 inmates over the next two years. The state is appealing, but it seems likely that more prisoners will be released, at a time when state-funded rehabilitation programs for inmates are being cut. Burton worries about how inmates will deal with these new challenges and said she is constantly looking for new ways to help ex-offenders succeed.

Personal Finances

Considering there is such a vast selection of courses, required and not, a personal finance course would be a great addition a long as it is not required. Because many students in their junior and senior year choose courses based on their interests and what they want to specialize in, schedules are already pretty full, and sometimes students do not have room for all of the classes they want. A personal finance course is extremely important, but I do not think that it should be required because of that. Students should choose whether or not they want to take that course. Again, students do not even have enough room for a class or two they may have also wanted to take, so to remove another spot is hard enough.

‘"I never want to go through what they go through,"”. That is reason enough to take the class, so that one’s own personal finance is kept safe. I know that my grandparents now are struggling with their own finances because they were not informed on how to properly manage them, and they too may be losing their business. The job shortage and rising gas prices are making it harder for people to manage their own finance which is why it is such an important class to have available. The thing is, though, that managing finances becoming slightly easier to manage finances, and you can hire personal advisors, use online programs, and so on. So as great an idea as a personal finance course is, it should not be required. It should be a recommended option.

Aid to self

Haiti is one of many countries that are struggling with extreme poverty. Yes, Haiti suffered from a severe earthquake that worsened their situation, but Haiti is not the only poverty stricken country. Civil wars, AIDS, trafficking, and loss are all factors that poverty stricken countries deal with daily. In Africa, at least half the country is struggling because of the less than fair civil wars going on, and children are being kidnapped and trained to kill. Invisible Children, a movement that is working to help children in Uganda, has provided awareness to the US about the horrors of what is going on in Uganda. These children are being trained to kill their own families, don’t they need help also? In Libya, the people’s leader is killing protesters for speaking up and voicing their beliefs. Not only that, but he broke promises with other countries that are now deciding to take military action against him. I mean yeas, I do think that the US should give aid to Haiti, including long term aid, but why just focus on Haiti? Not only that, but the US itself is struggling. The economy, to be blunt, is in the dumps. Before the US can begin long term aid for other countries, the US needs to aid itself. It needs to be a progressive form of aid, and since the US has been helping aid Haiti already, it needs to progress as such. People in the US, like those involved in Invisible Children, are aiding other countries. The US’s involvement with aiding other countries should stay where it is strong enough to provide long term aid. The US is always helping other countries, but for now it needs to help itself.

Adolescence

There's much about the article that I completely agree with. Countless times I have heard from so many adults, including my parents, that growing up now is so much harder than it was. It used to be easier to get into college, less schooling was required for specific vocations, and qualifications are far more extensive. The one objection I have to Christopher Doyle's article is the definition of freedom. There are so many variations to one word, freedom in particular. Ask a teenager if he or she thinks they will grow up to lead a free life...there are at least a few interpretations of that. Is freedom defined as being able to go to the bathroom when you please, being allowed to run naked outside in the public, or not having to pay taxes? If the latter is chosen, then no, a free life will not be all that possible. America is a democracy, society is a democracy, and so is family. Everybody needs to contribute, and there is no way around that. People need to pay taxes, they need to understand their obligations to society. Granted, it has become much harder because of the higher qualifications necessary, and that is what puts the adolescent under stress.  I am stressed between college applications, maintaining grades, working part time, family obligations while also trying to live my life. It unfortunately is a balance that needs to be practiced, because there is no way to get around it. Things used to be much easier but the advantages and resources available to us now may be worth it in the long run, if it isn't already. A large factor that is over looked is the personal relations of the teenager. There is more pressure to fit in, do certain things, be with certain people, and that also adds stress, as hesitant as people are to admit it. Nowadays, kids are raised with subconscious standards. These have adapted society, and is what society has become. It may change in the  future, but there is currently nothing that can be done about it.

Tweeting by Thinking

Out of the 50 inventions on Time Magazine's list of 50 best inventions for 2009, the Tweeting by Thinking article, in my opinion, is the best and most beneficial. A cap fitted over the head uses electrodes that monitor changes in brain activity so that someone was able to post on Twitter by only thinking. He focused his attention on specific letters on a computer screen, and the cap worked its magic so that the words could be formed. As explained in the article, this EEG provides a step forward in establishing communication for people with "locked in" syndrome. So, people who are paralyzed everywhere except the eyes can convey what they want to say and what they are thinking. They used their own mind alert. Though it is still a work in progress, it can drastically change the way brain activity is calculated. If people can convey what they are thinking without having to speak, so many developments can be made as well as using the program to help those who are paralyzed. This could also help to form something for those that are brain dead, or appear to brain dead.

Kiki

          When I was much younger, I was quite attached to what I guess could be considered my blankey. It was small, and could only cover a little more than the width and length of my face. It was white thin cotton, and it always smelled like my linen closet, which is still one of my favorite smells. Little did I know, my mom had about four or five kikis (I called it Kiki). So, whenever I lost my Kiki, my mom would always have “found” it.

          I’m not sure how old I was, but one day, I lost my last liki. My mom would have no way of really finding it this time, and there were no more for her to use. I was on my way home from gymnastics, and was sitting in the back seat of my dad’s car. My mom was in the passenger seat, and my brother and friend Caitlin sitting next to me. It was during mid-spring and the windows were down. As we were going over the Braga Bridge, I had my Kiki held out the window a little bit, so I could watch it be pushed and pulled by the wind. I held on to it tight and let my arm fall back, being pushed by the direction of the wind. Suddenly, it was pulled from my hand. The Kiki certainly did not easily fall from my hands because I had been trying to hold in to it so tightly. As soon as it flew away, I bawled my eyes out. I screamed for my parents to stop the car so we could retrieve it, and when they exclaimed that they couldn’t, I watched from the window as it flew from the wind, and got pushed around by cars. I was heart broken and wanted nothing more than my Kiki back. On the way back my mom told me there was nothing we could do. So, as soon as we got home, I was the first out of the car and into the house. I jumped to each the cordless phone that was docked on the wall in the kitchen, and I called the police. My mom came in and asked who I was on the phone with, then at once took the phone to placate the police that there was no immediate danger. That was the end of my Kiki.

Athletes

Athletes that are accepted into particular colleges based on their athletic ability need to be academically capable. Teachers need to do their job and grade each student equally, not compared to another. Students need to be graded based on their work in class, their scores and their participation. Granting students an advantage because they are the football team’s best quarterback or the basketball team’s best point guard is completely unnecessary. If a student cannot maintain a certain grade in their class, they should not be granted an unfair advantage. There are other students that have to balance other extracurriculars such as theater, music, math team, etc. Many students also have part-time jobs and obligations to their family. If athletes are granted that unfair advantage, then all students should be. Isn’t that just passing all students because they are busy? That just sounds ridiculous and illogical. So, giving athletes an undeserved grade in class is also ridiculous. In the real world, adults are balancing between working full time and raising a family. They are extremely busy, but their work is not paying them for doing nothing. Giving athletes an undeserved grade is like paying an employee that is not working because they have too much on their plate with their family. If a college athlete finds that he or she cannot handle their course load, they can always take a less advanced class or fewer classes. If a “marvelous” athlete is being recruited for their “outstanding” skill, than these students should be expected to handle their school work as well as their athletic work.

teachers

I believe that the most positive aspect a teacher can provide for their students is helping them establish a learning method. Also, once the students are more advanced, the teachers should just guide students, so that students can learn on their own. Thinking back to all the teachers I have had, there are two who have imparted their methods and have had great success. Teachers especially need to use their own methods based in what they are comfortable with and that they believe is best, because otherwise, their approach will not come off beneficially. I have seen different examples of this. This one teacher used his own method that he felt was best, and I believe that I learned most from that class. He believed in his method and he knew how to approach every student with it. For teachers that are trying out different methods or using methods based on what they have seen, it is substantially less effective. The teacher needs to be confident in what they are teaching and how. Another aspect is reactions to students. Every student has a unique personality and teachers need to adapt to that. Having negative reactions or positive reactions to students reflect how they feel about the teacher. If a student does not like a teacher, than that is it. Their minds will not be changed, usually. Stability needs to be established from the beginning. A large factor, also, is willingness and availability. If a student is taking the extra step for extra help, it means the student is really trying. If a teacher is not willing to help outside of class, then they are extremely unsuccessful. For teachers that go out of their way, students will take that opportunity, and it is appreciated and shows positive results. The last and important factor is a teacher’s fervor for what they are teaching, and for their students. The teacher needs to care about their students so some extent and teachers should want to see their students excel. Whether or not the students excel after all the teacher has given, then the rest is up to the student.