What does Christmas mean anymore?

Christmas is a time of the year that has greatly changed and continues to every single year. When someone says "I can't wait for Christmas!" it usually means that they can't wait to recieve gifts from friends and loved ones when really it should be about the cheerful atmosphere and the decorating and the ice skating with loved ones. This holiday was made to be thought of as the holiday that is full of joy and happiness because you can put up a tree and decorate it with your family or you can sing Christmas carols and songs while they play on the radio and just get in the "Christmas spirit". Nowadays we just look at it as the number one holiday to go out shopping and buy many unnecessisary items for yourself and anyone you care about. I get that everyone thinks that it's the right thing to do by spending enormous emounts of money on others and expect it all back in return but some families and kinds can't afford to do these things. In reality, I think that these families that can't afford to purchase many gifts for this holiday are the more fortunate because they really know what Christmas is all about. It's a religious time for most people and families that work together get to stay close and for instance bake decorated cookies just for the fun of it to spread the Christmas spirit. These families know how to make the best out of what they have and still have a great time. That's what I think this holiday should consist of. 

Beyoncé Album 4 Review

Beyoncé 4

1. Love On Top - love song she puts someones love before hers - 5 out of 5 stars
2. Party (feat. André 3000) - a feel good, late 80’s type - 2 out of 5 stars
3. Countdown - counts down the things she likes about him - 4 out of 5 stars
4. I Miss You - Beyonce says I miss you, but would I miss you if I was with you? -  3 out of 5 stars
5. I Care - Beyonce says I know you don’t care too much but I care - 2 out of 5 stars
6. Rather Die Young - “I’d rather die young than live my life without you” -3 out of 5 stars
7. 1+1 - The passion of her lyrics are almost as intense as the electric guitar - 5 out of 5 stars
8. End Of Time - Strong written song, the drums take it away - 4 out of 5 stars
9. Run The World (Girls) - The girls anthem, background music sets mood for song - 4 out of 5 stars
10. Best Thing I Never Had - Beyonce says that she’s finally moving on - 5 out of 5 stars
11. Start Over - She wants to love him in another life, her voice in it is perfect for the songs fight - 4 out of 5 stars
12. I Was Here - She wants the world to see where she was to make a difference, her voice goes  to show her determination that she was there - 4 out of 5 stars

Summer Vacation?

In my opinion, I don’t think we need a summer vacation. I think that we should have every fourth month of the year off, with a week of school off in February, June, and October. Additional days off for government holidays would be in January, July and November. As the article “The Case Against Summer Vacation” states, some kids are underprivileged than others and their families have lower incomes which means that they will be forced to stay in most of the time because they wouldn’t have the money to go out with their friends all summer long. This would bore the kids because if you have months at a time off of school, kids aren’t just going to want to sit at home and do nothing but they’re going to be forced to if they don’t have the money to do extra activities with their friends. If they can’t go out like the rest of their buddies do, then they’ll become sad and depressed and feel bad about themselves for not being able to afford the things that their friends can. If they’re feeling this way, then what is the point of three months off in a row? You’re not going to want kids to fall into depression for a whole summer just because they’re more underprivileged then their friends.

6 music reviews

1.) Entertainment Weekly

Oct 1, 2013

It's utterly fresh, a pop blitz from a hip-hop blueprint, and proof that Miley won't settle for just shocking us.

2.) Expert Witness (MSN Music)

Nov 13, 2012

I like the feisty ones, as I generally do. But "Begin Again" and especially "Stay Stay Stay" stay happy and hit just as hard.

3.) By Jody Rosen

June 28, 2011

Girls run the world. But who runs the girls? For most of the past 10 years, the answer has been Beyoncé Knowles. In the Estrogen Era - a period in which women seized pop music's center stage - Beyoncé has been the prima donna, the diva of divas: the girl with the funkiest songs, the flashiest Bob Fosse-meets-hip-hop dance moves and, as Kanye West memorably declared, the Greatest Video of All Time.

4.) Expert Witness (MSN Music)

Jan 7, 2011

No matter how cleverly he's rhyming, which varies, he could use subject matter beyond married-to-the-game and his traditional obsessions. But with Shady in the shadows, rarely are these themes lifted by Em's long-recessive sense of play.

5.) Lee Brice’s album ‘Hard to Love’ feels like a half thank you note, half apology to his soon-to-be wife and their son. Not all of the 13 cuts were written by the ‘A Women Like You’ singer, but put into the context of what is going on in his life, many come across as extremely personal love letters.

6.) Hayes shows he’s a more than capable vocalist on this sincere and emotional cut from the ‘Hunter Hayes’ album. He is perhaps the most well-rounded country newcomer since the Band Perry, who posted multiple chart topping hits from their debut album. 

Is playing the lottery an addiction?

Ethos: Imagining winning the lottery activates the 'motivation' part of the brain. This motivation causes a person to buy more lottery tickets. 

Pathos: This causes people to become more superstitious and believe that they can win. The lottery can cause your mind to get hooked on playing because brains can't cope with how little the chances are of winning it.  

Logos: The odds of winning the lottery are so complex that it confused people's brains. If you keep spending money of tickets that have the slimmest change of ever getting picked, you will slowly become more addicted and keep losing money which could potentially put you in debt which would then make you very upset. 

High Interest Question

Would you rather be wealthy and sad, or poor and happy?

Limit Technology?

I disagree on the article “Docs to parents: Limit kids’ texts, tweets, online”. In my opinion, I believe that kids should not be limited and should be able to use their cell phones, electronics, and watch television. In some cases, students might have to use the internet or computer to submit their assignments, or they might need to research information for more than just the two hours that they’re given to finish a digital project and pass it in. This is because in today’s society most of the teachers are relying on the fact that we students can use electronics to an advantage so we don’t waste paper and so the teachers don’t have to carry piles of papers home to grade. For example, in my Journalism class, the way we pass in our work is we post it to our blog that way my teacher can go home with a lighter load of work to correct. Another reason as to why I don’t think electronics should be banned is for communication purposes. If a kid doesn’t have their phone on them and doesn’t come home right after school, their guardian or parent wouldn’t be able to contact them to see if they stayed after to make up a test, or stopped at the store on the way home. This factor also falls under the category of what is something bad happened to the kid and they can’t get in contact with anyone. Some kids I would imagine don’t even use the internet and electronic devices for the mischievous things most parents think they do. They might just need twitter to ask a fellow classmate or student what their homework was that night or maybe they need help on a problem in math. These are all reasons that support my opinion in stating that kids shouldn't be limited to electronic usage.