American Studies Controls the World

So we all know by now that our American Studies class changes the world. During our perilous times unit, the stock market went into a rapid decline that later became know to the United States as an economic recession. May 20th marks another one of these so called coincidences. On May 20th, 2009 Iran launched a surface-to-surface missile that has a range of 1200 miles. This is huge news because that is within range of Israel. This is a "coincidence" because just a couple weeks ago, we held our war simmulation in which Iran announced that they would begin testing nuclear weaponry. In our simmulation, World War III broke out and Israel got wiped off the face of the planet. Hopefully the real life crisis will be handled differently.

According to a news article in the New York Times, Iran has been making significant progress in the three steps to obtaining nuclear weapons: "enriching uranium to weapons grade; developing a missile capable of reaching Israel and parts of Western Europe; and designing a warhead that will fit on the missile." This is not good news. The missile that was launched yesterday not only was within range of Israel, but also United States bases in the Persian Gulf. Hopefully World War III will be avoided or in other words, hopefully our class no longer controls the fate of the universe.

Pat Tillman: Hall of Fame?

The other day, I saw an interesting piece on Pardon the Interruption (PTI), a program on ESPN. Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser debated whether Pat Tillman should be admitted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Although I could not find the segment online, I still wanted to open up a discussion on whether or not Pat Tillman should be admitted into the NFL Hall of Fame.

Reasons For: I found an interesting article on nflfanhouse.com arguing that Tillman should be elected to the NFL Hall of Fame. The facts are that Tillman turned down a 3-year, $36 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals to serve his country. Cris Collinsworth commented in an interview prior to the Arizona vs. Atlanta playoff game that Tillman was eligible this year for the Hall of Fame. He argues that: "This guy [Tillman] is the very essence of what we all hope the NFL and its players will ultimately be." It seems that inducting Tillman is the way to go and that the NFL should honor him for his bravery and decision to fight for what he felt was right.

Reasons Against: Quite frankly, Tillman did not put up the numbers or help his team win the Superbowl. He walked away from football to pursue other means, which is very honorable, but does not relate to the Hall of Fame. Tillman hurt his team by leaving, and if he is inducted into the Hall of Fame, could potentially take the spot of another football player that could be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.

In conclusion, I think the right thing to do is induct Tillman. It is easy to argue that his bravery alone deserves to be honored. That is why I feel he should be inducted, but I'm curious how other people feel. Is inducting him a no-brainer?

Jerry and Peter at New Trier

Today in class, the conversation stuck with me. I wondered if there really were and if so who were the Jerry's and who were the Peter's in this world and more specifically of the North Shore and New Trier. It seems that there often is a dominant narrative (or in this case a dominant character) in our daily lives. It is easy to see Americans as the Peter's of the World, while other countries such as 3rd world countries are seen as the Jerry's. We often say: "Why can't they better themselves?" Yet it is not always up to them. It seems to me that on the North Shore, white, upper class citizens tend to make up the majority of the population, where as some parts of Chicago are seen as poor and black. These examples are rather obvious, yet I found New Trier a bit more intriguing.

Who is the typical student at New Trier? Looking back, I remember an exercise we did where we designed the average student, Taylor's life. Using the example Taylor, I believe that the average New Trier student is either white or of Asian ethnicity. According to Jonathan Kozol's The Shame of a Nation, 98% of New Trier students are either white or Asian. So what else makes up Taylor? Or in this case: The Peter's of New Trier. Well, I've observed that many kids are wealthy or have lots of material possessions. Most New Trier kids can be found with an Ipod or cell phone on them at any given time. I think that Taylor often would wear a T-shirt and Jeans because some kids (like those with purple hair and all black apparel are seen as the Jerry's or the zoos).

So why does this happen? What calls for this social hierarchy in each and every environment? I'd argue that it is human nature, but why? Why do people have to judge someone, like Peter judged Jerry, solely based on appearance and/or lifestyle and/or differences from "the norm"? And why do those like Peter sit back and say to themselves things like: "Why... why do you live there?" (Albee 22). It's not always a persons choice where or how they live, so why do they have to be scrutinized for it?

Final Four Good for Detroit

In these difficult economic times, it is great to see that Detroit will finally catch a break. Yesterday the Final Four began in Detroit; the finals will be [in Detroit] on Monday. As we all have learned in class, Detroit is a big city for the automobile industry and the home to Ford. In these economic times, people have been hesitant to buy new cars rather using their existing autos as long as possible. Such anecdotes have been discussed in newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune. Detroit has really been hit hard. Real estate is now dirt cheap there and the once thriving city is suffering exponentially from lack of revenue. Also unemployment rates have skyrocketed in Detroit.

This is why I have decided to dedicate this blog post to Detroit and the Final Four. Yesterday at the Final Four over 70,000 spectators traveled near and far to watch their favorite teams battle for a National Championship. This is great for Detroit. Hotels are filling up, as well as restaurants. People are shopping for apparel also, which is great. Another huge factor to this years Final Four is that Michigan State is still in the tournament. And although I dislike Michigan State [being a huge Michigan Fan] I am ecstatic that Detroit has a hometown team playing for glory. Michigan State, to the delight of Detroit business owners, has even made the finals. This means that more apparel will be bought and more fans will try to get last minute tickets because a hometown team will be playing for the NCAA championship. The NCAA tournament has provided a great amount of revenue for the city of Detroit, a city suffering immensely from this recession.

Funny Advertisement

After our discussion last week about advertisements in our society, I saw a commercial that cracked me up. I had seen the commercial for the first time in last year's superbowl, but had never really thought about its message. The commercial I am refering to of course is the one for Planters peanuts that stars an unatractive woman who uses Planters peanuts to become attractive. If you haven't seen this commercial, it is definately worth seeing on Youtube. The commercial preaches that even over-weight women with unibrows can pick up men if they use this product. The first time I saw this commercial, I remember that I couldn't stop laughing. The marketing department at Planters is either amazing or crazy.

I admit that after watching this commercial I definately did not want to eat peanuts. So what's the point? I believe that many companies use humor so that viewers will remember their product. Although I do not know if this commercial helped sell the product, I am certain it got people talking. After the Superbowl, I remember watching this commercial, among others, in business class because it used the marketing technique of "secret ingredient." After just seeing it again today, I laughed for a different reason: will this commercial help sell peanuts?? This proves another example of how advertisement is used in our country. And although I don't feel like eating peanuts after watching it, I am very intrigued by the goals of many modern day commercials.

What Went Into Making My Watch?

Wow! When I bought my watch last summer for $7.oo at Walmart, I thought: What a steal! I never considered what had to happen in order for me to obtain the watch, how much work went into assembling it and obtaining the parts. For homework last weekend, we had to find out information about the thing that we said in class that we always have with us. Obviously I said my watch, and I was so shocked to find out what Walmart actually does that I felt the need to blog about it. I was aware that walmart had sweatshops and that they didn't pay their employees very well, but I was shocked to find out how bad it is.

I found an article on UFCW's website, which is a website promoting unionization that was quite shocking. Some walmart employees in foreign nations such as Bangladesh make as little as 9 cents an hour! Many of the issues that we saw in the video about the Triangle Factory are still apparent in Walmarts accross the world. In foreign factories: bathrooms are locked, employees are foced to work overtime, there are starvation wages, no health care and workers are fired if they try to defend their rights. Walmart has also been implemented in child labor violations, which is another serious problem!

So next time you go to a Walmart, remember this asterisk: What had to happen in order for me to buy this? And although I love my watch, I feel guilty that someone may have received little money and had to work overtime without being able to go to the bathroom in order for me to have it. That's not right. Walmart needs to stop this and manufacture its goods the right way.

Should We All Be Veggies?

As far as I can remember, I have always loved eating meat products. Chicken, steak, bacon, sausage, seafood, etc. I loved protein! It was not until we watched the video about industrialization and pork that I even began to think about what has to happen in order for me to enjoy a cheeseburger. Hearing those pigs scream was torture in itself. One of my tablemates couldn't even bear the film and refused to watch! And although I have never considered giving up meat, this is the first time that the idea has even crossed my mind!

The video we watched in class sparked my interest, so I decided to find out more about animal cruelty. I found an article in the Chicago Tribune about the ways in which animals are being slaughtered for fast food industries. Some industries shock the animals and then slit their throats, yet PETA is pushing for industries to gas the animals. Is this more humane? Maybe. But it is all pretty cruel. Now, I no longer blame my frienda Jesse and Gen for being vegetarians, rather I applaud them. Why do these animals deserve to die, especially in ways such as gassing and decapitation for us? Quite frankly, it's a little appauling. Although I don't think I'm capable of giving up meat, I strongly stress that people should be aware of what is going on.

Is Black History Month Racist?

Last week, my dad and I had a discussion about Black History Month. Since it is Black History Month and we have been discussing it in class, I was interested in what he had to say. Also, as a boy my dad grew up in Mississippi, meaning his response could be intriguing. Although he is not racist, racism is still prevelent in the south. I was curious if the way he was nurtured and the fact that he was surrounded by racism as a boy would impacted how he felt about Black History Month. I was somewhat suprised to hear his response when I asked him what he thought about the Month. He thought it was racist. Not because blacks got their own month, but because only the blacks got their own month. My dad responded that if whites designated a month as White History Month, it would be racist and raise a lot of protest. So why isn't black history month racist?

In my opinion, this is a very good point. Why do we only have Black History Month? Why isn't there an Asian History Month or a Jewish History Month or even a White History Month? Many people would argue that those months (especially a White History Month) would be racist; so then why isn't Black History Month racist? In my opinion I think Black History Month IS racist. I think it is very important to study the history and treatment of African Americans, but why should Febuary be designated as Black History Month?

So what should we do? Do you think we should remove the title of Black History Month from Febuary or should we keep it? I think that removing Black History Month would be seen as an act of racism against African Americans. This is why instead of calling to remove the title of Black History Month from the month of Febuary, I am merely trying to raise awareness. What do you think we should do?

Facebook Romanticized

It seems that facebook has swept the nation. Almost everyone I know has a facebook and it's a great way to keep in touch. I can contact friends in different continents with just a click of a button. Personally, I am part of the wave that has swept our nation. Even my sister wants to get one, but luckily for me she isn't in high school yet.

Facebook is another way for me to be myself, express my opinions and keep in touch with others. I think facebook's great and also very romanticized. People talk non-stop about facebook. People love sharing pictures and writing on people's walls. And recently, it seems many of my friends have gotten into writing notes on facebook. So is facebook really that great? Yes it is cool, but for 60 million people to have one, wow!

Also, facebook can be dangerous. Kids have to be careful when accepting friends. There are numerous articles, such as this one from the New York Times that talk about sexual pretadors seeking to get in touch with kids. Kids have to be careful when accepting friend requests. So if you decide to join the wave, make sure to be cautious.

Blago: Oppression and Agency

As we all know, Governor Rod Blagojevich has recently been impeached and effectively removed from office. His impeachment process was both very bothersome and seen as unfair by many Americans. There was definitely a lot of agency and oppression that occurred during his impeachment in my opinion.

OPPRESSION
1. The people were oppressed. Blago was found guilty of trying to sell the senate seat or at least discussing this. This is oppressing the people of Illinois because it is unfair. The people deserve a fair governor and a good senator.
2. In my opinion, Blago was oppressed. The hearing was unjust because the jury was biased. I don't believe anyone truly knew if he was actually going to sell the seat or if he was just talking about it. This is a crime, but in my opinion he doesn’t deserve to lose his job as governor necessarily or possibly lose his pension and go to prison. Also, the government recorded his phone conversations, which in my opinion violates our first amendment.

AGENCY
1. In some people’s opinion, Blago has oppressed the people of Illinois by even discussing the sale of the vacant senate seat. He is taking away the people’s right to a just senator. This power has been given to him through his previous job, as the governor.

2. Personally, I believe that Blago was oppressed by our judiciary system, who obviously obtains power from our government. How can we leave the future of a man in the hands of biased, everyday people? Also, it wasn’t right record his phone calls and listening to his conversations.

MY VERDICT
I believe in order to limit oppression we should both watch our state and national representatives closely and improve our judiciary system. Corruption would be limited if we simply observed representatives a bit closer. Does this mean we should tap phones? Not necessarily because that could be seen as oppression. Also, I believe that a new system might be necessary. Countless innocents have been jailed or sent to their deaths and countless criminals have gotten off. We need technology such as lie detection software to make better decisions. But that’s just my opinion; what do you think? Do you think there could have been a better way to deal with the Blago situation?

My Civil Disobedience

As a 16 year old, there are many driving laws to follow. There is the law that I can only have one person (not directly related to me) in the car. There is also a driving curfew of 10pm on weekdays and 11pm on weekends. Last weekend, I went to an event with my Youth Group, where we went down town for a scavenger hunt in limos. The problem was that were not supposed to get back to the temple until 11:30 and my parents couldn't pick me up. What should I do? Should I try to hurry up the event so we could get back before curfew? Thoreau states: "But if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law," (Thoreau 274). In Civil Disobedience Thoreau says that it is worse to do injustice upon someone else than to break the law. To me, this translates to: Don't hurry up the event, because it is unfair to your friends. So, in the end, I decided to break curfew. Was this the right decision? Well, since I didn't get caught, I guess it worked out. What would you have done?

I know that the rule about only driving one person at a time is rediculous. Why does it matter how many people are in the car or if they are related to you? I know many 16 year olds have broken this law, so why even have it? Should laws like this be followed? Why is J-Walking illegal? I'm not saying to break seemingly rediculous laws, rather I am questioning them. Is it "OK" to break curfew or drive with multiple people if the reason you are doing it is just. Do the ends justice the means? I believe in some cases they do. I am curious how many people follow these laws, even if they see them as rediculous. Do you follow the law or do you find yourself leaning towards civil disobedience?

Simplicity in Education

After talking about simplicity this week in class, it seems that our society does not embrace anything remotely close to simplicity in our education system. As a junior, I am very interested in "the college search" and finding a school that suits me. I have found that there are so many schools! And getting into certain schools is increadibly difficult. So many schools nowadays require more than hard work and good grades, but good ACT or SAT scores, SAT II scores, teacher recommendations, unique essays and much more. This process is overwhelming.

When creating the typical day at New Trier in class last week, we defined that our person's (Talyor's) goal was to get into a "good college." This goal is much easier said than done. There are so many colleges! And sometimes it's not always fair. Maybe you didn't get in to Stanford because they needed a trombone player. This process, to me, goes against HDT's philosophy and desire for simplicity. Our educations system is so complicated! Is there really even a difference in going to Harvard or going to Illinois? Well, in our society a degree from Harvard will help you get a "good job," but isn't the education at Illinois still the same? Don't they have the same classes and books? So then why is our society divided into "good schools" and "bad schools" and why is it so hard to get into the "perfect school?" I guess it comes down to ambition and determination. If Taylor is determined enough to go to a certain school, (s)he will probably get in. So why not a simpler system? Would it be better if all students received the same education? What if all students went to the same school? Some people might see this as equality, others as communism, but in my opinion it would make the process of getting into college a lot simpler. The reason I would not be in favor of it is because finding your "perfect" college is fun. What do you think?

Progress on Modern Day Issues

With the inaguration of the 44th president of the United States, change is immenent. President Elect Barack Obama has put forth plans to deal with many of today's national problems. Obama recognizes many of the modern day issues that we discussed in class on Friday. After Friday's discussion I felt compelled to not only better understand, but to inform about what our next president plans to do about these issues. Some of the major issues we came up with in class were education, health care and the environment. I found all of his plans on the official Obama website. His plans go as such:

Education:

He wants to heavily reform No Child Left Behind. Also, Obama plans to invest in childhood education, adequately fund all schools and get high-quality teachers at those schools. If done like promised, this could be major progress in the department of education. Hopefully, Obama's goals are not too idealistic, because education is important.

Health Care:

Obama is a big fan of universal health care. This means he wants equal and affordable health care for all. Hopefully we can call this progress. Although our nation preaches equality for all, universal health care is a big question mark. It does not seem to work in Canada, because there is a big need for doctors. This causes a lack of quality doctors, which makes their doctors "worse." Is Obama's plan progress? In my opinion: yes and no. According to Emerson, "society never advances. It recedes as fast on one side as it gains on the other," (Emerson 36). I feel this is very true with Obama's health care plan. It is progress to give everyone health care, but we regress when we add less capable doctors. Again, hopefully we are making "progress" or that our progress is more positive than negative.

Environment:

Personally, I feel that the issue of global warming is our most important issue and needs a lot more focus than it is being given. Obama wants to invest in alternate fuel sources and create 5 million more "green" jobs, but I don't think this is enough. If our environment goes, we all go.

Overall, I do think that progress is being made because these issues are being addressed. Previously, the issue of global warming has not received enough attention. I am optimistic that our changes for the future will help solve these problems.

Technology Kills!

To many, technology may seem great. Most people simply embrace new technology, rather than question it. There are so many consequences, both positive and negative, that go along with new technology. After we talked about new technology in class yesterday, I could help but wonder if we will ever find out that these new technological devices are harmful. In our grandparents generation, smoking was considered the cool thing to do, just like having a cell phone, ipod or car is today. Now we know that cigarettes kill; will our grandchildren look back on us and say how could we use cell phones? Personally, I subconsciencely believe that we will look back and find that cell phones do cause tumors. Doctors at the Brain Tumor Center at Duke University think that my uncle's fatal brain tumor was formed from the overuse of his cell phone (along with the overuse of artificial sugars). After loosing an uncle, my family has become more hesitant to use cellular devices. My mom does not like when I carry my cell phone in my pocket either, because she thinks it will cause some sort of funky thigh tumors. She also prefers it when I use speaker phone becuase may reduce my risk of getting a brain tumor. Is she right? I don't know; I'm not a doctor. But I hope that she, along with numerous doctors who have these type of theories, is wrong so that my generation won't suffer.

Another technological issue that drives me crazy is new cars. Cars are flat out scary. The fact that pretty much any 16 year old kid can drive a car is even scarier. One of my (unamed) friends has hit 4 cars backing out of his drive way. Another one of my (unamed) friends has hit a fire-hydren, turned into the woods and hit a car on his way to school. Maybe my friends aren't the best drivers, but how can these kids be permitted to control automobiles that could kill someone. i have also heard that there are students at NTHS that drag race, which is extremely dangerous. I'm not saying that 16 year olds should not be given license; I am saying that modern day technology can have terrible consequences and should be taken used with care. Hopefully, I am worrying over nothing, but technology should not be taken lightly.

The 26th Amendment: The Right To Vote

The 26th amendment states: "The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age of older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age." Bottom line, anyone who is eighteen or older can vote. That means that some high school seniors can vote. Wow! Think about it; if we were all a year or two older we would be able to vote. How are we possibly old enough to know who is the best fit leader of our great nation? How are high school seniors old enough to know this? In the last couple of years, it seems a popular motto has been embraced by many celebrities and political activists: "Vote or Die!" (as seen on the left). I have some serious issues with this slogan and even this amendment.

To me, the motto encourages even those who have not done appropriate research or know anything about either canadite to vote. Is that what voting is about? To me, a presidential candidate should win because people truly support his/her views over those of his/her opponents. After asking many of my voting-eligable friends about their political preferences, it seemed that these kids knew very little, yet still had strong feelings. When asked why one (anonymous) student openly supported Barack Obama, he replied that he simply didn't want Governor Palin to be in the White House. When pressured further about his response, I found he had no information to back up his claim. Another student, who openly supported one (unamed) candidate told me that they supported him because their parents do. Another student told me that they supported a certain candidate because they agreed with his view. I was excited to finally hear a knowledgable response, but when I asked which views they supported, they told me "all of them; i don't know; i guess because my parents support them."

Although there were some students who were educated upon the viewpoints of the candidates, I was shocked at the overwhelming number of potential voters that knew practically nothing about either candidate. Honestly, I began to question whether we should raise the voting age, but why does it matter if the person is 18 or 21? If they don't take time to investigate at the age of 18, who's to say that they will when they are 21? For this reason, I strongly urge a new motto for voting: "Vote AND RESEARCH or Die." Hopefully more people will start to research both of the candidates in future elections, in order to elect the best and truly most supported candidate. I am optimistic that the choice of Barack Obama for president will be a good one, and hopefully the people who voted for him actually supported the views that he holds.

13 Year Old Child Left in Nebraska

Last month, a mother from Michigan, drove her 13 year old son to Nebraska and left him there. As we discussed in class, Nebraska is the only state that has a safe-haven law that allows parents (or anyone else) to leave children at hospitals within the state until they are 18 years old. Government officials in Nebraska, according to an article in Tacoma Washington's News Tribune, say this law "should be used only for children in immediate danger." What does this mean? Why not put simply put your child or children up for adoption, instead of abandoning them? According to the article, an out of work, widower named Gary Slaton has abandoned 9 out of his 10 children at hospitals in Nebraska because he felt overwhelmed. Is this right? Since the law took effect in July, 18 children from states outside of Nebraska have been taken to and abandoned in Nebraska. Personally, I think that this is awful. How can a parent do this to their child? How can our government allow this to happen? There is a reason that the other 49 states do not implement this law, so then why doesn't the government interfere and strike it down in Nebraska?

Upon reading about Nebraska's safe-haven law, I wondered if it violated the Constitution or if taking this law away would be a violation of the Constitution. After looking over our Bill of Rights sheet from class, I felt that this issue related to two different amendments. First, I thought that the 8th amendment had a lot to do with Nebraska's safe-haven law. According to the article, many of the children or teenagers who are abandoned in Nebraska had uncontrollable behavioral problems. Abandonment is thus the parent's form of punishment. Does this violate the 8th amendment then? Can this be considered cruel and unusual punishment? I believe it is a very unusual punishment and that it is also cruel to leave a child in a different state due to behavioral problems. So yes, in my opinion it does violate the 8th amendment. Or is it a parents right to leave their child in Nebraska? Could this be considered part of the ninth amendment as a given right? Personally, I think that leaving your child in a different state is a cruel and unusual punishment. What do you think?

Idealism in October

Last friday, the Chicago Bull's 2008 preseason ended with an overtime win over their division rivals, the Milwaukee Bucks. According to ESPN power rankings, the Bulls were ranked 8th going into last years season. They were the third highest ranked team in the Eastern Conference behind the Detriot Pistons and the Boston Celtics. ESPN predicted the Bulls to have a record of 49-33, while they ended up with a depressing 33-49 record and the inability to make the playoffs. As a big Bulls fan and Bulls idealist, this offseason was a success. Since they failed to make the playoffs, the Bulls were eligable for the NBA Draft lottery. This means that they had a shot at snagging the number one overall pick. Although the chance of doing this was only 1.7%, somehow the Bulls found a way and drafted future superstar Derrick Rose.

This year the Bulls are predicted by ESPN power rankings to be the ninth best team in the East, which would mean just missing a playoff berth. They have dropped in just one year from the eigth ranked team in the NBA to the 17th. Does this have an effect on the average Bulls' fan's idealistic views for an NBA finals victory? Maybe, but it definately does not effect my idealistic views for my team. All we have done this offseason is improve. We are a better and more experienced team than last year. Last year we got rid of Big Ben Wallace, who was way past his prime and moved on. With the NBA's youngest team, the Bulls have a promising future. Many experts have what they think is a more pragmatic view of the Bulls, but who's to say they're right? The Bulls now have something to prove; they are in the top 8 teams in the NBA and can contend with the big guys. I know I'm looking forward to Tuesday night when the Bulls open their season at home against the Milwaukee Bucks. This should be a promising start to a new era of Bulls basketball.

Idealism in Michigan football

As a huge supporter of the University of Michigan and their football team, I had high hopes as always for this season. Even though it was a "rebuilding" year, my idealistic views stayed strong. I truly believed that Michigan's current streaks of 31 straight bowl game appearances, 40 straight non-losing seasons and 287 straight games without being shutout or held to zero points. All of these streaks are the longest current streak in Division I-A football. Are these streaks at risk? As an idealist, I said no at the beginning of the season. Now my views are starting to turn more pragmatic. Can we truly beat four out of the five remaining opponents to reach a bowl game? These opponents include the 12th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, the 20th ranked Michigan State Spartans and the 6-1 Northwestern Wildcats. After witnessing Michigan lose on a blocked field goal to Toledo on October 11th, my hopes for a good season were shut out. At the beginning of the year, I truly believed that we could have a good season, but since have enduring many discouraging remarks from friends and even teachers such as my long time Ohio State supporting, biology teacher. After getting blown out by Notre Dame, my friend sent me this painfully discouraging video picking fun at Michigan's six turnovers in the game.

After defeating 9th ranked Wisconsin on September 27th, I became hopeful. I continued to leech onto this hope when we were leading in the second quarter against a very good Illinois team two weeks ago. In the end, Juice Williams and Illinois went crazy and beat us 45-20. Yesterday, I found myself feeling more pragmatic, even when Michigan was leading 17-14 in the third quarter against 3rd ranked Penn State. It seems only right that Michigan went on to lose the game 46-17. Now, sitting with a depressing 2-5 record, it seems my hope has run out. My idealistic views have left me feeling depressed, so now maybe I will try being more pragmatic. We probably won't make the National Championship game, let alone a bowl game, but it would be nice if we did.

A Depression In Chicago

Chicago is in a state of peril. Later this month, the Chicago Cubs will have successfully gone 100 years without a World Series win. Is this a problem? YES! Cubs fans are getting restless, annoyed and very emotional. As a Cubs fan myself, I can honestly say I am tired of waiting until next year. I have heard so many negative comments about my Cubbies in the past week that I think I am going into a Depression. I think that the Cubs season can accurately be summed up in this Youtube Video. In the video, Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano pitches to Dodgers centerfielder Juan Pierre. Pierre lays down a bunt and Zambrano overthrows Derreck Lee, the first baseman. In the end, Pierre makes it safely to third on a play in which he should have been thrown out at first. In game 2 of the National League Divisional Series, all four of the Cubs infielders made errors, which led to a loss of the game and the inevitable loss of the series.

Cubs fans were hopeful after the Cubs finished with the best regular season record in the National League, which makes their quick exit from the playoffs even more difficult to bear. So what will it take? From our perilous times unit, we have seen an extension of leadership in perilous times. This corresponds to an extension in payroll for the Cubs. We need clutch players who can come through in the playoffs and give us our long-waited championship. This offseason, the Cubs need to be aggressive. There are many good free agents this offseason including Manny Ramirez (who destroyed the Cubs in this postseason), CC Sabathia, Ben Sheets, Fransisco Rodriguez and many others.

In contrast to the Great Depression, the Cubs drought may seem short. The economic decline of the Great Depression lasted a year and a half, while the Cubs drought has lasted 100 years!!! If I had the choice between a year and a half of economic decline, a dramatic decrease in employment, and all the other factors causing the Great Depression or waiting another 100 years for the Cubs to win the World Series, I honestly do not know what I would choose. Hopefully next year will be the year the Cubs win, because I am tired of waiting and need to get out of this Depression.

Everyone does Rewrites

Last Friday, a bill passed in the House of Representatives that is designed to stimulate the credit markets. The importance of the bill is that the government is going to buy bad bonds from many banks, which will hopefully end our crisis. This is by no means a quick fix, because it will take possibly a month to get the money buying going and the cash flowing and our government is not fully confident that the banks will continue loaning out their money. According to the Chicago Tribune, over $700 billion will be given to numerous banks and an additional $110 billion elsewhere through the bill. The article also discusses the small risk in the bill for the Treasury. If the bill doesn't work, or in other words if the banks stop giving out a set amount of loans, then our economy will severely hurt and all this bill and all the money given to banks will have been wasted.

I started thinking about this bill and why the first bill didn't pass. It seems Hank Paulson's first bill, which was only 3 pages, didn't pass because the republicans thought it was flawed and voted it down. They thought they could get a better bill. The bill that just passed is much more detailed; infact, it is now 450 pages! These events reminded me of our Reservation Blues essays. The first drafts were done hastily and now we are getting the chance to add more details and improve our essays. I guess even our government is still rewriting essays. Thankfully Mr. Lawler and Mrs. Logan don't make us add 447 pages to each rewrite!