Educational Reform in America

It is unquestionable and undeniable that a country with a leading educational system will wind up leading economically in the future. In today’s competitive market, every nation is competing for their chance on the leader board of wealth. Although the United States has been seeded number one in the economic field for the past few years, many countries in Europe and Asia are challenging that spot for the number one position, especially China. Many articles from news sources read, “Can China Compete?” and “Can the New Chinese Economy Compete with the US?” but not anymore. Now the articles read, “Can the US Compete with China’s New Economy” and “Can the US Keep Up?”

Of course economic stability has everything to do with how well the country will run and function, but if the educational systems lack the ability to support such a superpower of an economy like the United States, can it really compete with other nations in Asia and Europe? Those countries for the majority, all have superior educational systems when compared to the educational systems that are in the United States. So, can the infamous country with the world’s leading colleges also lead in the educational standards of the foreign competitors?

Majority of the candidates who run for presidency promise for educational reform, this promise, however, is not a promise that can be kept. Many presidents that came before President Obama has preached about educational reform in America and how many of the schools in the U.S. lack the ability to compete with schools in foreign nations. Much like the past presidents, President Obama has promised us an educational reform that would make the American schooling systems be able to compete competitively with the other nations. However, do not get your hopes up just yet. The economic problem and national security always come before any educational reform.

President Obama’s slogan is “Hope” and many people in America are still hoping for a miracle to occur. Unemployment is a disaster that strikes countless American families nowadays. Major companies such as Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual are either bankrupt or merging with other large companies to prevent an entire collapse in the job market. Other major companies such as AIG, General Motors, and JPMorgan were provided bailout money by the government in order to stay afloat in the markets. The government told the American people that these companies were “too big to fail” and that the bailout was necessary in order to keep the United States economy healthy. Despite the bailout, the companies that were bailed out are still in turmoil and the majority of those companies did not recover well enough to hire more employees.

The availability of jobs is getting fewer every month. The more qualified a person is, the safer he or she is from losing his or her job. On the National Center for Education Statistics website (nces.ed.gov) it states “Workers who have a record of high academic achievements are unemployed less and earn more than workers with lower [academic achievements].” This is an obvious trend, but how does education directly affect how the economy will be? An example of a country with a high educational standard is South Korea. From the time South Korea was a country to the present day, Korea has made education an importance in every child’s youth. There are no laws that require students to attend high school or college in Korea, but if a student decides not to attend college or even high school, the chances of that student acquiring a job is very slim. Almost all of the unskilled jobs are taken by immigrants. For a Korean to earn enough to support his or her family, he or she must attend and graduate college. In Korea, the unskilled jobs are considered shameful, such as factory work. My grandfather used to own a factory where he would hire Pakistani immigrants instead of Koreans due to their cheaper pay. When my father and mother were planning to build a new house, they used Chinese laborers due to their cheap cost of labor. The United States is somewhat like Korea, where the majority of the unskilled labor has been taken my immigrants. This, however, does not give an excuse to accuse the immigrants of stealing a country’s jobs.

I have given a survey to my teachers and students of Wakefield High School in Massachusetts and asked them about the educational systems in the United States and what President Obama can do to fix it.
The first survey question asked “how important do you think higher education is now for students of this age?”

Majority of the student body and teachers answered that higher education has never been more important than it is now. Considering the fact that Americans without higher education are losing jobs left and right, it has become more important than ever to receive some degree of higher education. President Obama has stated on his webpage (barakobama.com) that “preparing our children to compete in the global economy is one of the most urgent challenges we face. We need to stop paying lip service to public education and start holding communities, administrators, teachers, parents and students accountable…” Even President Obama believes it’s a necessity to stop paying lip service to public education and start to compete competitively with the global economic powers.

Brian, a student in Wakefield High School, stated, “…even though having a degree doesn't necessarily mean that a person is intelligent, [a degree] is still needed” explaining how even students recognize the importance of a college degree. Even if it does not signify that one is intelligent, it has now become almost a necessity to earn a degree in order to live in what is considered the middle class.
I questioned another student, David, asking, “How important is higher education for students like us?” He replied quickly, “I don’t see why this is even a question… As is obviously known, students who have a college education are more successful at life and contribute to society and to the economy.” David is telling the truth. Although college does not guarantee a successful life, it does, however, increase the chance of being successful at life.



The second question I asked brought up the issue that President Obama addressed on his website. The issue stated, “After graduating high school, all Americans should be prepared to attend at least one year of job training or higher education to better equip our workforce for the 21st century economy.”

When I asked the question “Do you think one year of job training/higher education is enough for a person to compete in the job market?” to the students and teachers of Wakefield High School, I received mixed opinions. Over 60% of the survey takers replied that one year of job training or higher education is not sufficient enough for a person in modern day America to compete nationally; given that the persons who have taken one year of the said educations do not compete globally. However, the issue of competing globally is not an idea that can be disregarded lightly. The remaining 40% of the survey takers replied that not all people are suited for college education. Such people include: people who cannot afford to attend college, people who do not want to work professionally, and people who just simply do not want to attend college or any level of education. Both answers are correct. However, the increasingly competitive global market has led to the idea that “no college degree = no work.” Many people just cannot live life working minimum wage in a factory job. The price of necessities for life has risen and the price of education has risen as well. Especially with the economy at a slump, the persons without a degree are suffering even more so than the people with degrees who have lost their jobs.

Inequality has been a major issue in education since the American educational system was built. I asked, “No Child Left Behind Act is providing almost $54.4 billion in 2001 in federal funding to schools in need of money. Do you think programs like these have done enough to prevent some schools from being “inferior” to others?”

Almost all of the faculty and students that I have surveyed concluded that there will always be inferior schools in America. One of the teachers commented, “…The demographics of Lexington are not the demographics of Harlem, for instance. That’s an uncomfortable reality we don’t always want to acknowledge. But we’re naïve if we don’t recognize the inherent inequities in our society or believe that they don’t somehow impact education.” Lexington is a town that is above average in their income. Even if we compare Lexington High School to Wakefield High School there is a noticeable difference. Many programs in Lexington, such as the core curriculums, athletics, and music, are better funded than in Wakefield. Inferiority is explained by Victoria, a student and a friend of mine, who now lives in Mount Prospect, Illinois. She mentions that, “In my high school, every teacher is provided with a Macbook (A laptop from the company Apple). Every classroom has their own computer projector.” She also mentioned that “they charge for everything here. This is the only public school I've been in that had a registration fee for attending.” Mount Prospect’s students pay to be superior while Lexington’s students have well providing funders. Two schools are equally superior, but one achieves its superiority through a different method than the next. I believe that the only way inferior schools will get equally superior is if that school somehow finds a way to charge students or take larger taxes from the residents in the town. One has to keep in mind that those inferior schools are usually in towns and cities with lower income rates, which means charging anything more than what they are charging now is not an option. Christopher, a student who also attends Wakefield High School, pointed out that, “Well… that’s just life” as I asked him about how he feels about the inferior schools in America.

Although Wakefield is a town of above average income rates, our school still struggles to find money for basic necessities, such as paper. Many teachers from last year have been cut due to shortage in the budget. Also, the school day has been changed in order to properly fit the current financial budget. I noticed that sometimes certain departments lack copy paper. I remember last year, our math department ran out of dry-erase Expo markers and some of the teachers from the math department had to buy their own. Another sad fact is that some bathrooms and classrooms are missing huge chunks of their ceiling. Some classrooms as well as the hallways leak when it rains and snows. I find it amusing to see the students avoiding the trashcans in the middle of the hallways that are put up to collect the dripping water. When I watch the students dodging the trashcans and buckets, it somewhat looks like watching a game of Frogger.

Moving away from the topic of inferior schooling, we get to the topic of “did the government do enough to change the educational system.” I asked multiple students and teachers the question, “Do you think President Obama’s administration has done enough over the few hundred days to revise the educational systems in America to become more feasible with the current economic troubles?” I also provided them with the statement from President Obama’s webpage stating, “We will recruit an army of new teachers and develop innovative ways to reward teachers who are doing a great job, and we will reform No Child Left Behind so that we are supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them.” All survey takers responded, “A few hundred days are too short of a time period for any president to make a large enough impact on the nation.” This is true that it is too early to figure out what President Obama will do, but we are all hoping for a change and revamping of the educational system in America.

The controversial issue of high school students dropping out has become one of the leading topics of the current educational discussions. I asked this contentious matter to my fellow students and teachers of Wakefield High School. I stated and asked, “It says on the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education that ‘Statewide, 79.9 percent of the 74,380 students who entered high school as ninth graders in 2002 or transferred into the class graduated within four years. Of the remaining students, 6.4 percent are still in school, 1 percent completed high school without earning their competency determination, .8 percent earned a GED (General Educational Development), 11.7 percent dropped out and .2 percent were expelled.’ Do you think the high school drop rate is high?”



99% of the people I surveyed agreed that the dropout rate is extremely high. A teacher commented that “Any dropout rate is unacceptable.” The remaining 1% of the surveyed answered that “the dropout rate should be higher to encourage unskilled labor.” The last 1% commented that the unskilled labors would help the economy by funneling money from the bottom up. This idea, although clever, is still somewhat flawed. Another teacher commented, “The dropout rate is high but in other countries, they weed out students who are not so interested in school with tests at the end of junior high school. These countries usually direct these students into skilled trades. In Germany, companies actually work with high school students and train them to be skilled in particular jobs.” Maybe America can learn a few things from Germany. I believe that the ideas that are based around what the German companies think and use are logical. However, it does not guarantee that all those students who dropout will work in the said factories. The same teacher also commented, “To prevent dropout rates, there needs to be more after school programs to help [kids] with homework and to keep [them] busy and out of trouble.”

The follow up question to the dropout problem was “why do you think the students are dropping out at such high rates and what do you think the government can do to reduce the drop rate? What do you think the school systems can do to reduce the rates?”

Answering the question, “Why do you think the students are dropping out at such high rates?” A teacher provided me with an answer, “As long as there is poverty and there are ‘broken’ families, children will continue to drop out of school.” Adding to this answer, I think there are kids who just are not mature enough for education and feel as if learning is not needed in order to live in the current world.

The second part of the question asked, “What do you think the government can do to reduce the drop rate?” Some students and teachers answered that “the way of fixing this issue was to first fix the homes of the kids that are dropping out. Since the work ethic is reflected upon how the kids have been raised, the government should target homes of those dropouts in order to fix this reoccurring issue.” A student answered, “The thought of going somewhere to ‘learn’ for a quarter of the day seems stupid and unneeded for many students. Schools can do a better job to prevent this by offering ‘cooler’ programs and courses. This would provide more choices for the students and provoke more interest helping them stay in school.” The schools must spend money to provide the said “cool” programs. I believe what the student meant to say was that some students are not focused academically. This is cleared up by a teacher, who stated that “…students that are not academically gifted have been turned off to the idea of high school. These students are forced to sit in academic classes as opposed to learning job skills that students in the past have had the opportunity to.” These students may be more content if they were to attend a vocational school rather than an academically focused high school.
The next question that I asked was, “It says on President Obama’s website “We will continue to make higher education more affordable by expanding Pell Grants and initiating new tax credits to make sure any young person who works hard and desires a college education can access it” When the message reads ‘any young person who works hard and desires a college education can access the grants’, do you think initiating this new tax credit to help pay for college would motivate some high school students into further expanding their careers in the high education field?”

99% of the survey takers agreed that loans, grants, and scholarships may help to increase the number of students that attend college. However, they also agreed that students who are not already motivated enough for academic studies will wind up not attending college at all.

Do I think the overall educational system in America needs fixing? Of course I do. Do I think the past few presidents have done enough to reform the educational system? I have seen them try desperately to create legislation to help the system, but I did not see the action to an extent that the reforms dramatically impacted the system. I continuously notice that the competing countries rise in economic and educational power as the United States waits at the top without improving either attributes. I strongly believe that the government of the country as well as the people of the country must step up in order to reformat and transform both the fiscal and the learning systems of America so that the United States could once again be the forerunner of the economic and educational marathon. As I usually end my articles, all that we can do for now is to raise our voices to the cause and speak out for the changes that we desire. It is, however, up to President Obama and his administration to decide if it is time for America to step up and become the leader in education once again.

Thank you to everyone that participated in my survey. Even if you were not quoted in the article, your information did not go to waste.
I will further update this educational topic as the Obama Administration goes on.

Newspaper Articles

I'm currently writing some newspaper articles every week. I will try to upload them to the Etudiant; if I remember to. I'll upload my next one tomorrow since the actual newspaper is not getting published until tomorrow morning.

Will History Repeat Itself?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

1. World War II.

2. Needs to fix the disasters that had been left behind by World War I.

3. Attempts to fix the economy by applying the “New Deal”.

4. Stock market crashes before FDR comes into office.

5. Millions lose jobs before FDR comes into office.

6. Millions of homes foreclosed before FDR comes into office.

7. Attempts to fix the banks that are about to go out of business, creates the FDIC.

8. Created new jobs.

9. FDR applied the “New Deal” in his “First 100 Days”. This helped to ease the pains of the Great Depression and gave millions of people work.

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Barack Hussein Obama

1. War on terror and the War in Iraq.

2. Needs to fix the disasters of War in Iraq.

3. Attempts to fix the economy by applying the stimulus package.

4. Stock market crumbles in 2008 before Obama comes into office.

5. Millions lose jobs before Obama comes into office.

6. Millions of homes foreclosed before Obama comes into office.

7. Attempt to fix the banks that are about to go out of business.

8. Will he create new jobs?

9. Attempting as of now to apply the stimulus package in order to help ease the pains of this economic crisis. Will he give millions of American jobs?
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The American people elected Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 because he promised the country that his candidacy would bring change and a promise of hope. When FDR made his inaugural address, he announced that, “[it is] my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance,” this was addressing the issue of the politicians and the economists that were too afraid or too careful to actually make any radical changes to the government. FDR also addresses that the American nation as of then was in a crisis. He addressed to the nation that we were not in a minor from of a crisis, but we were in a serious economic catastrophe.
The American people elected Barack Obama because he promised the country that he would bring change and a promise of a better future. Barack Obama, when he was addressing the nation, said, “we are in the midst of [a] crisis… Our nation is at war... Our economy is badly weakened… Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.” Obama also addresses the nation that the economic crisis we are in now is not such a light deal, and that we have to take it very seriously. Both of these Presidents are/were Democrats and have/had very similar situations tied to their belts. With these similarities, will Obama bring change? Or will history repeat itself and bring about another war? No one will know for sure, but until that time comes, all that we can do is compare and contrast both President Barack Obama and President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

War, economic turmoil, and the millions of people without jobs are few of the situations that Barack Obama, our new president, has to deal with. According to the Employment Situation Summary from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percentage of unemployed Americans as of this year has been 10.3%, or approximately 15.7 million people. This, however, is not the first time America has gone through these times of serious economic turmoil.
Some 76 years ago, Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the new President of the United States when President Hoover ended his term with the Great Depression. Hoover, much like George W. Bush, had a very low approval rating when he left his seat at the Whitehouse. The times were tough and the Great Depression was taking a huge toll on the American economy. We can surely relate that both the presidents, Roosevelt and Obama, had a tight situation when they began their term(s) in office. President Obama has to deal with both the war in Iraq and the economic troubles in America, while President Roosevelt had to deal with the financial crisis after World War I, the rise of Nazi Germany, World War II, and the ever-endeavoring Great Depression.
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A line for the unemployed. Where the unemployed went daily to get a cup of coffee and some bread.

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Shows a mother and her children suffering through the Great Depression.

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Roosevelt dealt with the Great Depression with his series of plans called the “New Deal”. Some of the programs created, such as the Agricultural Adjustment Act, National Recovery Administration, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, helped to settle the uneasiness in the American homes. President Obama has the same situation and plan when he is dealing with the economy of today. President Obama has promised the country a national stimulus package, in which the government would do whatever it could to revitalize the economy.
World War II had saved the American economy from crashing completely, and maybe the war in Iraq may do the same, but currently all it has been doing is creating a huge gaping hole in the American markets. Both back then and now, the stock markets have been fluctuating and people have lost their homes due to banks foreclosing on their property. When Obama was getting ready to come into office, the American stock market was plummeting, millions of homes were foreclosing, and millions jobs were being lost. As of today, according to USAToday, about 79% of homes in America are being foreclosed.

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Home foreclosure is one of the most devastating things that can happen to a homeowner.

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When Roosevelt was in office, banks were shutdown because thousands of people took out money in a brief period of time, the stock market was failing completely because of large number of margin buying, jobs were being lost because of overproduction of goods, and millions of homes were foreclosing due to unemployment in addition to no money being in the homeowners’ savings accounts. Getting back into the reasons for the stock market crashing, the markets crashed because of margin buying that most of the investors have done. The Republican controlled government that Hoover ran was a laissez-faire style government, which left the businesses to roam free without government restrictions and interventions. Hoover’s Republican ideas also consisted of low interest rates in banks; to one withdrawing money, it almost seemed like getting the money free of charge. This low interest plan is all well and good if the market stayed at the bull market, which is a stock market where the prices were expected to rise steadily. If the market stayed that way, no one would have lost any money, but because the people sold too low and lost money from margin buying, they lost their fortunes and the market fell to a bear market, which is the opposite of a bull market in which the prices are expected to fall. All of these economic problems that Roosevelt had are very distinctly similar to both then and now.

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People gathering in the streets when the stock markets crashed in 1929.

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The New York Stock exchange today.

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Roosevelt’s Emergency Banking Relief Act created a four-day banking holiday, which stopped all activities of the Federal Reserve System and other banks, credit unions, and loan associations. Over 5,000 banks reopened within three days. This banking holiday helped to give FDR a huge boost of support from the American people. When the bailout started with the Bush administration, many Americans disagreed, questioning whether it was really necessary. The Bush administration claimed that the companies were too large to fail and this caused billions of U.S. dollars to go into the already huge multi-million dollar corporations. As of today, the credit crisis is not getting much better. The bailout plan was supposed to help the American corporations to recuperate, but it looks like all it has done was temporarily create a safety net for the large companies. Loans and interest keeps going up due to the credit crisis that had started in 2007.

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Graph of Wall Street and credit markets drying up due to the shortage of money and the financial crisis.

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When Roosevelt promised change in his presidency, he created administrations to help the development of jobs in the American society. The Works Progress Administration, or the WPA, helped to give out jobs to unemployed Americans. By the spring of 1936, about 3.5 million Americans were on the WPA. Some of the workers were laborers, writers, musicians, actors, and clerks, whom were all given jobs according to their own work fields. Much like times today, many critics reviewed these actions as pointless and that much of the employment was useless work. However, the WPA built roads and public buildings, which helped to create jobs and renew the American society. The WPA employed about 8.5 million people at the cost of about $11 billion after its initial creation. Will this happen with the Obama administration? We can only find out after the President makes his decisions about the economy and the millions upon millions of jobs and homes lost. Will history repeat itself once again? Or will the new frontier of American economy bring about change without drastic warfare? President Obama announced on Monday, February 09, 2009 that the plan that he came into office with is not set in stone. He mentions that he did not plan on spending billions of dollars to start off his administration, but due to the circumstances, the ideas and the plans that he administrated, he had to change by the ebb and flow in order to fit the situation. We can only hope and demand for change, but in reality it is all up to the President to decide what the needs and desires of the American people are.

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Note: I will update this post as the Obama administration goes on.

A Visit from the Co-Founder

Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the site
Étudiants' laziness
Had reached its height.
Two news posts, then YouTube?
A mention of me?
Nothing on President
Bob Mugabe?

It's called newsmap, buddy.
I sent you the link.
Refer to it
So your website won't stink.
But slow days on this blog
Aren't anything new.
Tonight everybody
Has something to do.

But since I'm a nice guy
I came back tonight
To bring back some quality
To my old site.
No one in my basement
But me and some mouses
So I'll kill some time
By going to some houses.

Already had dinner,
Can't unwrap 'til twelve
So into your psyches
This poem will delve.
Acting like Santa,
Put in Chris's sock
The mic that Bill Hicks used
To suck Satan's cock.

As for my friend Fallon,
I went to his place
And dropped off a fancy new
Electric bass.
To reach Hurton's place
I traveled through fog
To drop off some leashes
That fit on a dog.

He's a dog sitter
So give him your cash.
I can't do it.
Dogs give me a rash.
I gave Ryan Suh
A new tennis racket
That surely would get him
Into the top bracket.

Did you know Liz
Has a dog named Bichon?
I gave her a scooper
For poop on the lawn,
The living room, bed,
Kitchen, yard, and basement...
Liz just wonders
Where her bass guitar went.

And as we all know,
Glen cannot get laid
So I gave my friend
An inflatable maid.
I went down his chimney
And sneezed from the dust.
Too bad for me
That this trip was a bust!

Glen had been sleeping,
But woke up, said, "Hey!
Completely forgot
A new song of the day!"

So he went to the hallway,
Noticed something queer.
Saw me, asked
"What the hell you doing here?"

"Just dropping a gift off,"
I said with a smile.
Then he says,
"You haven't posted for a while.
You need to come back, Ben!
The site has sucked wind
Ever since you went
And left it behind!"

"I can't come back, Glen.
That would be so lame.
I'm in college, 'Wakefield'
Is in the site's name!
I live there no longer.
The city's my home.
I can't keep on writing
For a high school tome."

Glen replied to me,
"Yet you have the gall
To come to my house
With a big blow-up doll."
And I said, "Come on man,
You guys don't need me."
"That's not what you said
Back in stanza three!"

"Okay, so I lie,
But it's friendly advice!
All so you won't make the
Same mistake twice.
I know you have ideas to
Make this site great!"
Then remembered 2.0
And said "Oh, wait."

Then I told Glen,
"Look on the bright side for once.
Your numbers are decent,
God knows you're no dunce.
You and the others
Can get what you want
And make '09 the year
Of the Étudiant!

There's plenty of talent.
It hasn't been harnessed.
Guns haven't been slung yet.
Swords haven't been varnished."
Maganzini told me
"You suck at rhyming!"
"Hey, give me credit for
Rhythmic timing!"

As I headed home, heard,
"Will you post again?"
And then replied, "Only
Every now and then.
Étudiant's yours now.
Update it with care."
And then I left his house
And messed up my hair.

So let us look forward
To 2009
And end this poem,
Which has been so asinine.
Hope you all have
A fun-filled Christmas night.
Happy holidays, y'all,
And visit my new site!

A New Point of View

When I started to write in my English and History classes, I recognized that I was writing a mediocre and very confusing paper. Mr. Metropolis encouraged me to write very straight forward and simple essay. I will try to do that from now on.
The reason why I am writing this post is to make everyone alert about the fact that even if your essays and papers look very sophisticated, it does not mean it is "A" quality. The main "theme" of a "A" quality paper is wealth of knowledge and the understanding of the materials learned in class. That does not mean you have to include words that require a dictionary to understand.
What I have learned from my high school learning is that the more straight forward and cleaner it is, the better the essay. This is not always the case, but generally, it is the best way to write one.
Although I do have a handicap of some sort (because English is not my first language), I still try to get rid of that handicap to be treated like everyone else in the school, grade-wise.
You can probably consider this a informative rant. I am trying to let everyone in the Etudiant as well as the people who read the Etudiant to understand the true meaning of a well thought out essay.
A paper may contain 40 pages worth of information, but if they are out of order and very hard to read. Such as Walden... (no offense to anyone who enjoyed and understood the book) No one will understand, fully, of the meanings.
Now, if a paper had 20 pages worth of information, and it was well thought out and planned accordingly. The paper will probably be easier to read and much more straight forward. This does not mean it has to so straight forward that it punches you in the face. It means that it has to be clear enough for the reader to get a glimpse of what you are saying without thinking twice.

By the way, if I make any grammatical errors, punctuation errors, or any kind of a English error in any of my writing. Please notify me in the Comments. I will be glad to know what errors I have made and will take no offense to any helpful comments. It is because I am still learning about the English writing style and want to improve. If anyone reading my posts sees any error, please feel free to comment. Thank you :).

Should I or should I not?

Yes, I have decided to come back and type some rants on the Etudiant. If you do not like my style of writing and/or it offends you, please speak under the comments. From the feedback I get, which is probably going to be Glen and a few anonymous people, I will decide either to return to the Etudiant as a weekly writer, daily writer, monthly writer, or even decide not to write at all.

If you do not know of my writings, I have written the "What is this world turning into?" sections. I think they're still on this site, but who knows.

I welcome all feedback, positive or negative.

Unless it's really racist, then I must say something :).

Marriage with Robots???

Apparently by the year 2050, people will be able to have relationships with smart robots... Weird.
If you want to know more about it visit this.

I really don't feel right posting the facts in here... So look for yourself.
:)

What Is This World Turning Into?!??!

Welcome to a another episode of *Echo* "What is this World Turning Into!"
This event took place a few months ago. It was a normal day, living in a normal life. We took the same procedures to accomplish the mediocre day of the average human's life. The Suh family was sitting in the living room enjoying the company of the NBC Nightly News. Suddenly, there was a knock and the door, not excited nor distraught, my parents opened the door to see a familiar face. Our neighbor. He was holding an envelope and told us that the electricity bill was in his bill envelope.

Wait a second... they put someone else's bill in other person's envelope? W.T.F?

Come on Department of Light Services, Snap out of it!
WTH would of happened if our neighbor wasn't very friendly with us and decided not to give us the bill at all? What the hell would of happened if the Department sent us a late fee?
I mean if we didn't even receive the envelope how the hell should we know that the department sent us a letter? Could we deny that they sent it? Even if we did, they had proof of sending it out.

This is just outrageous in my opinion. Post a comment if there is any opposition to this message or just an occurance that happened to you by the government that is also outrageous.

P.S. If you were offended by my language, I apologize. I'm just P.O.'d

Jail Stories II: Return of the Cannibal

As you all know (I hope), I posted a "newsletter" a while ago about a cannibal in Mexico. Well what do you know, he went to jail! And it said on http://www.chosun.com/international/ that the cannibal from Mexico was found "dead" inside his jail cell. It is believed that he killed himself while in the jail cell. There might be even theories that the cell mate killed him. But no one is sure for now. I believe they might do a DNA test on the knife. But in my opinion, that wont happen.

What is This World Turning Into??

Yes, it is another post of *Echoing Yell* "What is This World Turning Into!"
A few weeks ago, I posted about a issue with the bank and how they ripped me off. Today, I am writing about a incident that happen only a few days ago. This probably happened to most of you who can drive, or has been in a car. Few days ago, I was in my mom's car driving home. We were at the road where Salem St. intersects with the new Irving Gas Station. We were about to take the right lane to take a right turn, where a car, without looking, jumps in front of our car. My mom stopped the car immediately in shock.
Guess who was driving in the other car?
Two middle aged women.
And I always thought women were more careful drivers :/. After the shock, we started up again to take that right turn, when another car behind us started honking at us, while the light was red AND there were cars going right past our nose.
And now guess who was in that car behind us?
An Old Man.
He was in a Toyota Accord, about 1999 version, old but not too rusty, it was a "teal-ish" color. He looked very grumpy, although I mean no threat to any old men reading this blog, PLEASE TRY NOT TO HONK WHEN A LARGER VEHICLE IS IN FRONT OF YOU BECAUSE YOU PROBABLY CAN'T SEE WHATS HAPPENING IN FRONT OF YOU!, especially when your riding in a tiny Toyota. (When a larger vehicle suddenly stops, it means that something probably went wrong... if you honk at a situation like mine, someone from the front might come out to beat you up, since you are already pissed off from a incident before hand).
Sooner or later that old man is going to honk at a larger truck and a pissed off truck driver will get out and start bashing your car with a baseball bat. Seriously, learn to respect others.
This is a shout out to that old man. Society is made up of more than "self-centered" old men like you. There are other people who actually care about the safety of others. (Really, learn to drive. Not only that but learn to respect). I will leave you readers with this comment: PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE WHEN DRIVING ON THE ROAD, THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO DRIVE ON THE SAME ROAD AS YOU TOO!


P.S. Sorry about all those caps. I was really getting into the writing.

Nano Technology, the Key to the Future

By mimicking structures found in seashells, scientists have created a transparent plastic that is as strong as steel.

For years scientists have tried to build sturdy materials for larger products from ultrastrong nano-size building blocks, such as nanotubes, nanosheets and nanorods, only to have the larger structures turn out comparatively weak.

"When you tried to build something you can hold in your arms, scientists had difficulties transferring the strength of individual nanosheets or nanotubes to the entire material," said study leader Nicholas Kotov of the the University of Michigan.

There is also a experiment going on in M.I.T. to create a "elevator" that reaches to other plants. This "elevator's" support is going to be nano tubes, which are stronger than any material on Earth alone.

What is the World Turning Into?!?!

This is outrageous. Today, I went to the Bank of America downtown in Wakefield and asked them if I could change my $20 dollars for sets of quarters. You usually expect QUARTERS from a QUARTER PACKAGE. But no... I got pennies, dimes, and even Canadian quarters in between the American quarters. At that moment I thought to myself, "this is B.S! the bank actually ripped me off!". Instead of going back into the bank and asking for my money back (since they wont believe me and say, "You probably swapped the coins just to get more money, kid"), I came here and now I am writing about the incident like a REAL, PROPER, CIVILIZED citizen of the town should.
This is just wrong, I mean really. I'm not talking about a random store I went in to get change, I actually went in a BANK that was in my town. This is preposterous, no excuses. If anyone doesn't think its abnormal, feel free to comment.

Are Bush and Cheney doing a good job?

As the title asks, are George W. Bush and Dick Cheney doing a good job in Iraq? In my honest opinion they had no real good reason to go into Iraq. I haven't supported the Iraq war from the beginning. It was just a terrible idea.
Many people say Bush went in just to get his share of the oil in Iraq.
Some say he actually thought there were "weapons of mass destruction".

In my honest opinion, Bush went in to get his share of oil and also went in to finish what is father, George Bush Sr., started.
The war in Iraq caused the economy in the USA to decline very rapidly. Gas prices sky rocket, small businesses go out of business, and many workers are put out of work.
Bush also owns some major gas companies, this war helps him very much because of the gas prices, this makes his family filthy rich.

Is it a myth or a real fact? Is Dick Cheney really pulling the strings around the White House?
We will never know for sure, but we can get some ideas of what is happening around the White House. Like how Bush has the time to throw a surprise birthday party for Rice. If the White House has the time to do that, I think they should have the time to discuss the matters on the Iraq war and also the Hurricane Katrina incident.

Don't you think so too?

iRegret buying the iPhone

At least that's what most people are saying after buying the iPhone, the new product from Apple Software. It is a phone, MP3 player, Internet surfer and etc... all in one!.
At first glance the iPhone looks awesome and you say to yourself, "I so want that!".
That's what most people said when the iPhone first came out. Now they are regretting they ever bought it. Main problems for the iPhone are, the buttons for typing and other icons on the phone are too small for the average person to press (typing the words "Hi" to your friends will come out as "HJYU" or any of the combinations of letters near the letter "H" on the iPhone's keyboard screen). Another reason is, the iPhone's Internet access is very slow and does not move very smoothly without lag. One more reason is, the phone bill, MP3 usage bill, and Internet usage bill totals up to more than $120 per month! Wow, that's just not right, you pay $100 to actually get the iPhone, then pay about the same price per month just to have all the services? I think I'll just stick with my good pay phone on the street.

A Cannibal Found in Mexico

A man has been arrested in Mexico on suspicion of murdering and dismembering his girlfriend and eating parts of her. Police sent to the home of Jose Luis Calva say they discovered a woman's torso in a cupboard, leg in the fridge and bones in a cereal carton. They are also reported to have discovered the draft of an unfinished novel, titled "Cannibal Instincts".

Calva is now also being investigated in connection with the disappearances of an ex-girlfriend and a prostitute.

Police were called to Calva's apartment in central Mexico City on Monday after neighbors reported a bad smell. There they discovered the remains of his girlfriend, Alejandro Galeano, a 30-year-old pharmacy worker and mother of two. She had been reported missing by her family on Friday.

Police are said to be investigating whether chunks of meat found in a frying pan in the apartment are human.

That is just not right, eating humans? He murdered his girlfriend and ate her and he was writing a book about it... Although this is very disturbing, it sets a good example, you have to find the right boyfriend or girlfriend. You never know what kind of a maniac they are.

I know this article shouldn't be taken lightly, but still, he must of had some bad food in the past if he turned to humans =/.

Gore and His Nobel Peace Prize

Al Gore says his Nobel Peace Prize is an "honor" and a chance to "elevate global consciousness" about the threat posed by climate change. (Global Warming).

The former US vice-president was awarded the prestigious prize jointly with the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The committee cited "their efforts to build up and disseminate knowledge about man-made climate change".

Gore won an Oscar for his climate change film "An Inconvenient Truth".

He said he accepted the award on behalf of scientists - like those in the IPCC - who had worked tirelessly for years to get the message about global warming out.

"This is the most dangerous challenge we've ever faced," he said, speaking in Palo Alto, California, few hours after the award was announced.

"I will be doing everything I can to try to understand how to best use the honor and recognition of this award as a way of speeding up the change in awareness, and the change in urgency.

"I'm going back to work right now. This is just the beginning," he said, walking out of the room after less than five minutes, and without taking questions.

Wow, talk about a good deal. Even though Gore lost his run for president, he won a Nobel Peace prize! I guess now he can say, "In your face Bush!"

Dark Chocolate Is Healthier for You

Dark Chocolate maybe healthier for you than milk chocolate, according to a team of scientists.

Researchers in Scotland and Italy say dark chocolate has much better anti-oxidant properties.

This means that it can protect the heart and arteries from oxidative damage, similar to the rust that develops on metal over time.

This however, does not mean you can start eating 10 bars of dark chocolate each day. It just means that the right kind of serving can benefit your everyday life style. Scientists also suggested that chocolate may help to protect against heart disease and even cancer. That also does not mean chocolate is the cure for cancer. One or two servings per day might decrease your chance of gaining cancer in the future.

Remember, the researchers said dark chocolate "might be" healthier for you, they aren't really 100% sure.

Writer Spotlight: Ryan Suh

Name: Ryan Suh
Grade: Junior (Class of 2010)
Age: 16
Writing Style: Undefinable
Writing Topics: Random topics that interest most people (I think/hope)
Political Leaning: Currently leaning towards the Democrats (It's Bush's fault!)
Fun Fact #1: A serious Gosu (pro) at Starcraft (not anymore, since my CD broke inside my CD-ROM because of playing it too much. This just proves how much I played the game.).
Fun Fact #2: A video game addict.
Fun Fact #3: Was born in South Korea. Yes, I speak Korean.
Fun Fact #4: Has quit the very addicting and time consuming World of Warcraft a few months ago.
Fun Fact #5: Loves to play RPG (MMORPG) and RTS games.
Fun Fact #6: Uses the Internet for mostly online games (such as Starcraft, Warcraft, and etc...)
Fun Fact #7: Was one of the top posters on www.portforward.com.
Fun Fact #8: Many call me Tsunami and Suh, even though my last name isn't even pronounced
"Sue". It is pronounced "S-uh" like the "S" in the word Starcraft and "UH" in the word UHHH! So it sounds like S-uh, but together. Like in my Korean name "서동민" or Chinese translated "徐東珉"
Fun Fact #9: Lived in Canada for about 4 years until 5th grade in which I moved to the US.
Fun Fact #10: Believe it or not, I'm a Buddhist =).
See Ryan's posts!

Is Video Game Addiction a Mental Disorder?

CHICAGO - The telltale signs are ominous: teens holing up in their rooms, ignoring friends, family, even food and a shower, while grades plummet and belligerence soars.
The culprit isn’t alcohol or drugs. It’s video games, which for certain kids can be as powerfully addictive as heroin, some doctors contend.

A leading council of the nation’s largest doctors’ group wants to have this behavior officially classified as a psychiatric disorder, to raise awareness and enable sufferers to get insurance coverage for treatment.

Are these doctors seriously running out of disorders to debate about?

I mean, yeah the games are sometimes very addicting, but it doesn't mean it should be considered a disorder. I seem to laugh at it right now, but some parents are really concerned about their children. Those parents take drastic actions, such as, taking their child to a psychiatrist, to see if they have a social life problem and all kinds of things. No offense to any parents reading this (if there are any) just leave your child be, unless the kid plays more than 3 hours each day on the computer or on the TV, after that just talk to them, no need for paid pep talks with a person the child doesn't even know.

Saying that it's just like heroin and cocaine? Seriously, playing video games is like going outside to "hangout" with your friends, except just by yourself. I was addicted to World of Warcraft, but I soon grew out of it and now I stopped playing Warcraft for about 4 months now. From what I believe, just leave the child be, until he or she gets bored of it. That's how I got out of my addiction.