Hello readers! I am currently in Sydney, Australia (so if you're in the San Jose, California - area, I'm about 17 hours ahead of you time-wise). After an agonizing 14-hour plane ride, I'm finally here!
Of course, being myself, I can't help but listen to the local news here. As I was listening to the television news this morning, I heard that a 14-year old teenage girl's rape admittance was aired on the radio show, Kyle and Jackie O show. There is a "Lie-Detector" segment of the show and a young girl's mother volunteered her daughter and herself, in order to find out whether the daughter was sexually active, along with attempting to discover whether the 14-year-old was involved with drugs (etc.). The mother was previously aware of the girl's rape story from a couple months ago, but she wanted to know if her daughter was in any other way involved in sexual relationships. Instead, the girl was forced to re-admit to being raped when she was twelve on a public radio station. The pour girl must feel so embarrassed knowing that her own mother would publicly humiliate her in such a way. Even though the mother may argue that it was for her daughter's own good, did it really need to go so public as to be put on a radio show? What do you think?
E-mail me at wwatcher21@yahoo.com and give me your opinion!
For more information, click here.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Charity: Water
I would just like to call your attention to this organization called Charity: Water. Go to their Homepage for all the details, fun facts, and ways you can donate! The founder of this organization, Scott Harrison, visited my high school near the end of the school year and I never got a chance to make a blog about it. Charity: Water is an organization that I find very interesting. The creatives ways in which it has been able to raise such large amounts of money from an idea that began as such a small and simple concept, is amazing in my opinion. I bought my own wristband to contribute, but there are many other ways to get involved!
As requested by a friend on the Harker newspaper staff, if you have a Facebook account, please go here and vote for charity: water in order for it to win a $10,000 donation!
How Stupid.
Did that title catch your attention? I'm sure it did. If I were a reader, it would catch my attention, too - simple, but comical and intriguing. But how offensive is that word, "stupid"? I'm sure you might use it with your friends casually, but for a global leader (i.e. President Obama) to say that the police acted "stupidly" in the incident of Harvard Professor Gates is unnecessary. I'm quite certain there are a thousand other ways of saying it. For example: "That was unnecessary," or "It was just an unfortunate misunderstanding." Apparently, these words weren't as appealing as "stupid" to our president.
For more information on the incident and the outrage, here are some links:
Police Union Condemn...
Obama and Racism...
CNN
I, on the other hand, want to discuss a different topic. Racism. Why does race always have to be a factor in people's judgements? I don't know the answer, but I do know that no matter how hard we try, racism will never be extinguished from human society. Racism is wrong and unjustified, because it is based off of physical and superficial human qualities such as skin color or eye shape. However, it's high time that people try to move on and not place the "race card" constantly. Yes, we know that millions of African-Americans have suffered throughout the centuries from the earliest signs of servitude and slavery, to the 20th century Civil Rights movement. But, why linger on the past, when one can move forward and try to make a better future? Thousands of Asians have also suffered from racism and mistreatment throughout the years. For example, in the 80's in the midwest, I can assure you that not all Asians were treated with equal respect that they deserved. Many people are racist, and those who are mistreated might even be racist themselves. However, I don't believe racism should be used an excuse for why some people haven't been able to "move up" in the world or for anything else that they might be unhappy with. People can overcome those kinds of obstacles such as racism and achieve many extraordinary things.
So, my question to you is this...Do you think people will ever let go of the past? E-mail me your ideas!
For more information on the incident and the outrage, here are some links:
Police Union Condemn...
Obama and Racism...
CNN
I, on the other hand, want to discuss a different topic. Racism. Why does race always have to be a factor in people's judgements? I don't know the answer, but I do know that no matter how hard we try, racism will never be extinguished from human society. Racism is wrong and unjustified, because it is based off of physical and superficial human qualities such as skin color or eye shape. However, it's high time that people try to move on and not place the "race card" constantly. Yes, we know that millions of African-Americans have suffered throughout the centuries from the earliest signs of servitude and slavery, to the 20th century Civil Rights movement. But, why linger on the past, when one can move forward and try to make a better future? Thousands of Asians have also suffered from racism and mistreatment throughout the years. For example, in the 80's in the midwest, I can assure you that not all Asians were treated with equal respect that they deserved. Many people are racist, and those who are mistreated might even be racist themselves. However, I don't believe racism should be used an excuse for why some people haven't been able to "move up" in the world or for anything else that they might be unhappy with. People can overcome those kinds of obstacles such as racism and achieve many extraordinary things.
So, my question to you is this...Do you think people will ever let go of the past? E-mail me your ideas!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Tweet Tweet Tweet
Twitter has become a global phenomenon among celebrities (actors, singers, athletes, etc.) and everyday people like you and me. Being easily accessible via computer, laptop, and cellphones, Twitter is becoming ever more popular. As opposed to online social networks such as Facebook and Myspace, Twitter allows friends and fans to "follow" one another (sounds stalker-esque, no?) by posting a maximum-140 lettered status. There is no option to post thousands of pictures or put much personal information (unless you want to put it in your "About Me"). In many ways, Twitter is much "safer" than Facebook and Myspace, which is why my own father allowde me to get an account when it first was released to the public.
When I had Twitter...None of my friends had Twitter. I would tweet every once in a while, with my dad being the only one to follow my status-changes. Now? More and more of my peers are signing up and following each other. It's highly amusing to see my friends telling me what movie they want to see, or where in the world they are. But how much can one person tweet about? Celebrities, especially Youtube celebrities such as Kevjumba and Nigahiga seem to be tweeting constantly. One such Youtube celebrity that my friend has brought to my attention is TimothyDeLaGhetto2. Personally, I don't really watch Youtube videos, but some celebrities are hard not to know. It's great that people want to be connected with their fans, personally, and want to let everyone know what they're doing; however, I don't really need to know when someone's using the bathroom or when someone's going to eat dinner. Really. I don't.
However, some people really use Twitter to their advantage. For example, Alexa Chung uses Twitter to interact with her fans and viewers during her show, live, on It's On with Alexa Chung. Her Twitter viewers post comments in responses to what they're watching on the show at that moment, and some of those witty comments are shown on the screen during the actual show. It's an intelligent way to attract viewers!
So, do you have a Twitter yet? Are you tweeting with your friends? If you are, you can even follow me! The link's on the left hand side. In case you can't find it, or scrolling is just annoying, here's a link: Click Here.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Maturity Comes With Age...Right?
Most people assume that maturity usually develops as one gets older - whether that's really true or not, I can't call myself an expert on that aspect of psychological analysis. But, what I do know is that young adults and young people in general tend to follow by example. At this point in their lives, most teenagers will probably deny that they learn ANYTHING from their parents, but it's true. Our actions are heavily influenced by those of others.
So...with this, I wonder why people would openly use the word retard as an insult on a public website, if at all. In an earlier post, I already discussed the misuse of the word "retard", as it is not only politically incorrect, but also very insulting to those who are physically or mentally challenged. It's bad enough that everyday people use "retard" as an insult, but for a group of professionals such as The Huffington Post to use that word greatly disappoints me. Since the Huffington Post has already been heavily criticized for its use of the word in its own criticism of Sarah Palin, and therefore, taken down the rude post, there's not much more to elaborate on the incident. BUT...no matter how strongly you feel about someone/something, it's really unnecessary to say something as rude as that. If you're a professional, you should act like one - don't you think?
For some more interesting information:
Click Here
So...with this, I wonder why people would openly use the word retard as an insult on a public website, if at all. In an earlier post, I already discussed the misuse of the word "retard", as it is not only politically incorrect, but also very insulting to those who are physically or mentally challenged. It's bad enough that everyday people use "retard" as an insult, but for a group of professionals such as The Huffington Post to use that word greatly disappoints me. Since the Huffington Post has already been heavily criticized for its use of the word in its own criticism of Sarah Palin, and therefore, taken down the rude post, there's not much more to elaborate on the incident. BUT...no matter how strongly you feel about someone/something, it's really unnecessary to say something as rude as that. If you're a professional, you should act like one - don't you think?
For some more interesting information:
Click Here
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
How Far?
Being an avid blog-reader and website-searcher, I have come across a variety of blogs that discuss anything from sports to love lives to artistic pictures. With the internet, people have the power to write just about anything on their blogs. One very famous (some may say infamous) blogger is Perez Hilton. Personally, I haven't visited his site until now - celebrity gossip isn't exactly my forté. However, there are hundreds and thousands of people who do follow Hilton's site on a regular basis. Several of my own friends constantly check the website for the latest updates on celebrities and T.V. shows. Hilton's approach to blogging involves much humorous criticism of well-known actors, actresses, and other starlets. From his home page, I did find myself laughing at some of the comments Perez made about certain celebrities. But how far can you take sarcasm and jokes?
Apparently, too far, according to Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am. The well-known rapper took Hilton's comments very personally and when several Black Eyed Peas members, including Fergie, asked Hilton to stop, Hilton did not seem to heed the warnings. The result? Violence, according to Hilton. However, we won't go into details of that matter. The topic at hand is the extent to which people criticize celebrities and the resulting reactions of these celebrities.
Tabloids, television shows, websites, and other types of media coverage incorporate a lot of celebrity gossip - which includes both criticism and positive feedback. You can constantly find pages in magazines like People or US Weekly that focus on what outfits were fashionable, or horrendous, on the red carpet at the latest awards show, or who's cheating on who. As celebrities, they are prepared for the ultimate "bashing" and harsh criticism that the public may have in store. But where does the criticism start and end? There's a fine line between objective, constructive criticms and blunt rudeness - not that there's anyone to stop the rudeness. So, how should celebrities react to negative comments and rumors? These rumors are usually ignored, but will.i.am. is one of the few celebrities to take physical action.
Do you agree with the alleged violence that will.i.am. might have taken against Hilton? Perhaps there are several other celebrities who would like to do the exact same thing to any other critics? One will never know...but until then, tell me your thoughts!
To look at Hilton's comments pertaining to the Black Eyed Peas, click here.
For more information, click here.
Apparently, too far, according to Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am. The well-known rapper took Hilton's comments very personally and when several Black Eyed Peas members, including Fergie, asked Hilton to stop, Hilton did not seem to heed the warnings. The result? Violence, according to Hilton. However, we won't go into details of that matter. The topic at hand is the extent to which people criticize celebrities and the resulting reactions of these celebrities.
Tabloids, television shows, websites, and other types of media coverage incorporate a lot of celebrity gossip - which includes both criticism and positive feedback. You can constantly find pages in magazines like People or US Weekly that focus on what outfits were fashionable, or horrendous, on the red carpet at the latest awards show, or who's cheating on who. As celebrities, they are prepared for the ultimate "bashing" and harsh criticism that the public may have in store. But where does the criticism start and end? There's a fine line between objective, constructive criticms and blunt rudeness - not that there's anyone to stop the rudeness. So, how should celebrities react to negative comments and rumors? These rumors are usually ignored, but will.i.am. is one of the few celebrities to take physical action.
Do you agree with the alleged violence that will.i.am. might have taken against Hilton? Perhaps there are several other celebrities who would like to do the exact same thing to any other critics? One will never know...but until then, tell me your thoughts!
To look at Hilton's comments pertaining to the Black Eyed Peas, click here.
For more information, click here.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Summertime is...Funtime?
Finally, with semester final exams over with, I can get some rest. It's time to tan, swim, eat, sleep, eat some more, and relax! Summer time is a chance for teenagers to recharge after the labor-intense academic year. We can all hit the mall, eat ice-cream (or is frozen yogurt the latest trendy froen snack), and go to the beach - there are no worries...Right?Unfortunately, for many, this fantasy will remain just that - a fantasy this summer. A large percentage of teenagers will be job-hunting. Many of my own friends have been anxiously looking for openings at the nearest Yogurtland, Jamba Juice, and Oakley store. However, their earnest searches have produced
nothing but rejections. So...I asked myself...Why?
Why are all these energized, intelligent young individuals being denied the opportunity to work?
Teenage unemployment this year has increased over the past years. Last year, as of July 2008, the teenage unemployment rate had been had its highest in 15 years (Read More Here). This year, as of February 2009, the unemployment rate for teens hit 20%. Though it may be more devastating to families for the adults to not be able to get a job, I, being a teenager, think it's also important to note that teenage unemployment might be something to pay attention to. Since jobs are becoming harder and harder to find, many adults will likely try to take the easy, non-experience required jobs. Hence, when the employer comes to the decision to choose between an inexperienced teenager and a more mature, possibly more experienced adult, it's obvious that the adult is a more favorable candidate for the job. However, depriving eager young adults of the capability to work might be denying them opportunities to gain not only job experience, but real world experience that might be useful in the future.
So...my fellow teens, what will you do this summer? If you find yourself having nothing to do but watch T.V., check Facebook, or sleep, you might try volunteering (if you're not already). The nearest community center, YMCA, assisted living center, hospital, or park could probably use your help! You can even drag your friends along - you'd be surprised at how fun volunteering can actually be. If not...I'm sure you can make a lemonade stand on the corner of your street.
25 cents anybody?
To read more about Teen Unemployment:
Click Here
or
Click Here
Photo Credit: KEWL Magazine
