POSTERS WITH DUCKS!!

So every year that we take those surveys about drugs/alcohol I look forward to finding out exactly what statistics they pulled out of them to put on those awesome posters. I especially like the one with the ducks this year. BUT seriously... those are completely fabricated I feel like. Maybe not by the creators of the poster themselves, but by the students who take the survey. I know for a fact that out of all the people I hang out with on a frequent basis, all of them, with the exception of maybe one person, drink. As far as smoking goes, I don't smoke but I know a lot of people who do and I feel like that statistic is false as well. I don't know why people smoke. Personally I think it's disgusting and that scent is seriously with you everywhere you go. My sister smokes and her clothes smell SO HARD CORE like cigarettes when she comes home and then I can't borrow them and that makes me sad haha. And besides the obvious odor... we all know all the terrible things cigarettes do to you, so I'm not really sure why people start. I understand why people can't stop, but what makes them pick up the habit to begin with? It honestly baffles me.
I don't even know where to begin with the rape conversation. I have to think more and get back to ya'll on that one. Have a good Fridayyy!!!

Rape

This story was shocking. I don't know how I hadn't heard about this until now. I didn't go to school with the kid but the fact that many of my friends had is crazy. Why are people stupid enough to sexually assault someone while they are passed out. Sexually assaulting anyone at anytime is ridiculous but while they are not even conscious is way way way over the top. Like Jim said the punishment that was given was not as extreme as I would have thought. Maybe more is to come I have no idea. Rape is scary, I wonder what happened when the girl that was involved woke up. I don't even want to imagine how she must have felt.

About the posters in the hallways, I think it's sad to think about the amount of people who do stupid things in this school. 40% (and as everyone is saying, probably more than that) of students drinking here is not something to be proud of. And then there's 18% of students that smoke. Why people do this stupid, unhealty stuff is beyond me. All I know is that I'm a badass for not drinking or smoking or doing other stupid crap.

RAPE
yeah man that shits crazy... i could see it going both ways.. like all it takes is for her to say no.. but on the other hand all it takes for her to get out of trouble with ppl is like just saying "Yo it was against my will.. i didnt even want to..." which does happen.. so i've heard.. but it should be a fair trial.. and the trial could last for years.. honestly. i had a friend who was raped and that trial lasted for 2 years.. and just to think that they both might have to deal with it in court for so long.. then live with the final result forever.. it blows my mind that someones life could change so fast.. i hope the best for them both..

As I've said, the posters in my opinion aren't necessary, and I sometimes catch myself laughing and saying Oh yeah okay, three out of five don't drink/smoke/etc. But I then remember we need to think of EVERYONE who took the survey. Yes the kids some of us hang out with or see more often around school seem to be making those decisions, but there are a ton of kids who don't party at all. We may just not see them or notice them as much because maybe they aren't in the well known spotlight of fhs. I know a lot of the counselors and I strongly doubt that they would tamper with survey results just to look good... if they had bad results, maybe they wouldn't use them for a poster, but I cannot see them making something up just for Fremd's reputation.

About the recent Meadows arrest... I am in shock. I don't know how I didn't hear about this earlier... like I was telling Aubrey, I was about to hang out with that boy and group of friends last weekend. For the past couple months I've been trying to make my way over to one of their parties because I haven't seen them in so long. And the idea that that could have happened... and that it possibly did happen... I think I am being too naiive and attempting to refuse to believe that he really just straight up sexually abused her. I am almost wishing she was drunk and at the time wanted to, too, or made up some story like the rumors going around....because I just really don't want to believe that someone we went to school with, who I loved seeing and hugging at those awkward jr. high dances and having in class.... could do something like that. Does anyone know when we'll know the truth/when his trial is?

All i can say is wow. This whole rape thing is a complete shocker, considering it is a kid that i used to go to school with. Rumors were going around and things were being said, so i decided to look into this and find out if what i was hearing was exactly true. He did in fact, sexually assault her when she was passed out, but what gets to me is his punishment. He has to random drug test, a curfew each night, and not see the victim anymore. Are you kidding me!? So this is what our society has come to now. For sexually assaulting a girl nowadays when shes passed out and you're drunk (which is illegal under 21 i have to remind you), all you get is you're home early to prly sneak out again that night, and not see the girl when you probably wont want to anyways. Some kind of lesson this kid has learned huh.

writers week

I agree with Soobin. Although it was not same writer, I went 7th period and writer/singer was "Daphne Willis & Co." .
For sure it was my best time in 4 years of writers week. Like Soobin said, other writers presentations, ever they are awesome or fun to listen, are somewhat boring. But when writing meets with music, it is exceptional. It was so novelty and grab my attention right away and didn't let it go. Of course music was great and lyric was also impressive.
Above all, all the vibration from speaker and sound of guitar kept me enthusiastic. We should put more performances like them.

Rape

As we all know, drinking is the cause of a lot of problems in one's life. Not to long ago, a boy from Rolling Meadows High School was arrested and as of right now convicted for a class 1 felony. Aparently, at a party with under-age drinking, there was a girl who had passed out(name unknown). While the girl was out cold, a kid who im sure most people know because they went to junior high with him, decided to "rape" the girl. He is a 17 year old whos future, as i learned from Mr. Spoor, seems only behind bars.

Posters

I agree with those who say that we do not need posters. Nobody reads them because people just do not care. And I am one of them. Everytime they give us surveys to fill in, i always pick random answers. Because nobody cares if i smoke or not. I wonder why school cares how many students smoke(like it is going to change anything). They do not even know who smokes. It is just a waste of paper and time. Posters will not change anything.

I need some help

Hey does anyone know where to find the list of extra credit items to bring for the soldiers? i couldnt find it on Spoors page.

Posters

I agree with everyone that these posters around school are not needed. Half the time I will just walk right by the poster not reading them, or I will read it and think that they are completely untrue. Last year when we were taking this survey in English class the guys in the class decided to have a contest to see who would finish first. There was money involved too. I think the winner finished in 30 seconds. This goes to show just how much people actually care about those surveys. No one takes them seriously. I believe that the posters are not for the students at all, but for people who are looking at our school. Those posters make our school look good even if they are secretly not true.

writers week

today during 4th period my class went to auditorium. and this girl was talkin bout her friends death.. it was pretty sad. and my best part is these guys playing piano and guitare and singing. omg it was so GOOD. i really liked it. for me, writers week doens't really appeal to me becuase i think its boring but with mix of musics, it really entertained me. usually i sleep during writers week but today it kept me awake. the performers were so freaking good. anyways i hope we have more performers.

posters

3 out of 5 fremd students don't drink or smoke. thats funny. thats so not true. i don't know who made that poster but its hilarious. one day i was walkin in the hallway and i saw that poster.. i was like.. what the heck lol thats funny. my friends and i were laughing about it. but yea i think its so stupid.. seems like fremd is all about their reputation.

Lawrence King...

This breaks my heart!! AI just cant believe this. A 15 year old. I'm sadden and outraged. Just because a boy was openly gay and proud he was shot. That is so wrong in so many ways. What kind of world is this. I mean now we cant even be our selves without getting looked at or hurt or killed. 15-FIFTEEN. I'm like speechless right now. How can some one just do this. I mean what has to be running through someones mind in order to take a young life? This kid Brandon is a sick ass. I cant believe this. I mean what were they teaching him at home. Was his family homophobic too? This is just a huge heart break. I read this story and i wanted to cry. Ya sure there are a lot of things that are bad out there and other people that have been shot and killed, but this hits home for me. Just because he was gay...can u imagine if u were killed because u were straight? Whats next, we're gonna get killed just because you have brown hair or blonde or red or black or because your short or tall. I mean...god....im super pissed right now. I just cant believe that someone could do this. This is exactly why i want to be an activist. I wanna speak for people who cant because they were killed. I'm so mad and angry and sad and pissed and heartbroken over this. You know i have a gay brother and if anyone was do do this to him, lets just say I'd probably be locked up. I'm mortified. IDK what else to say except my heart goes out to his family.

here are some links you can go and look at for more info:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_%22Larry%22_King
• http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1582039/20080221/index.jhtml?rsspartner=rssColdFusion

Posters...

OK....so i think that these posters are bull. Either people weren't honest or they were and the school didn't like the results. OK ya there are goody good kids that have never done anything, but ALOT of us have. I think that the posters are a way to try to control us. I mean, i think they think that if we read the posters we would be like" Wow 3 out of 5 students don't drink, so I'm not going to no more or i wont start" blah blah blah. We are older now and we make our own decisions and if wanna smoke cigs, drink, or smoke some weed then we gonna do it. No one is going to stop us, we have minds of our own. These signs are bull crap and i don't believe them. I think they should come off. So why even bother having the signs up, if not to try to control us then to show off?

WW

I know this won't count as one of my weekly posts but... Sam...

I am sooo excited to see Daphne! I love love love her CD and it's on often in my car... it's like a Jack Johnson but a girl kind of sound and it's so chill and fun to sing along to.

So go see her if you can, everyone!!

Posters around Fremd

I think that putting those posters up isn't such a good idea. There is one that says 3 out of 5 students don't drink. If you think about 3 out of 5 is 60%. That's not that good of a percentage of students that don't drink. It's probably even less than that too. A lot of people probably lie on that test because they are afraid if they know who it is or something. But even for them to put up posters saying 3 out of 5 and saying they are proud of that, it's not even a good percentage. I think they should take them down because half of them aren't even true.

Social Norms posters

So when it comes to the social norms posters, I completely understand why student services hands out those surveys and why they believe it is important to post results around the school. I honestly don't think students believe/pay attention to the posters or the information on them, but it is nice to know that the school is trying to do something to prevent smoking.

Okay and for real, why do teenagers start smoking? I know I have a lot of friends who smoke, I personally don't, but really... why do they start? I get that it is hard to quit once you are already used to smoking on a regular basis, but what is the push to start? Is it peer pressure or curiosity? I'm not sure. We all know how bad it is for us and that it causes serious types of cancer, not only lung... so why is it still so popular? If anyone smokes in the class and would be comfortable sharing.. why did you start? Is it really as hard to stop as people say it is? Don't feel obligated to answer or anything, I'm just kind of curious and since we're 18 and it's not illegal, I figured it's a safe question to post.

Also, regarding the other story about the school shooting that Mr. Spoor posted for us to comment on.... well I actually can't even comment on it yet because i need to read the story first and the mere thought of that is disgusting and horrible to think about.

writers week

I dont know about you guys but I think writers week is a really good time. Not only is it amazing because you get out of class, but it also gives many young writers a much needed stage to express themselves through their writing. I also like some of the speakers they bring in. I mean some of them bore me like none other, but every year I seem to get lucky with getting a couple that I really enjoy. Like today I saw Lee Allen Jones and he was really good. He talk about his childhood growing up in the "ghetto" and how he prevailed to become this successful writer/banker. He was really inspiring and a great speaker. I am also seeing Daph Willis who is a singer/songwriter. She has an excellent voice and its funny because she use to play in my basement all the time with my brother and now she is on itunes and has cds. It's awesome. Overall, writers week is one week out of the year that writers can get their stuff out there. It's a great idea and a fun time. Also, it is one week in the year that, thank god, is at least different from all the others.

Poster

I really dont think the posters mean much to me and it doesn't seem accurate to me. But some of them are right because not many people smoke or drink. But shows we are in a good enviroment like in the city I went to a school with a lot of smokers. Students would get out of school and smoke int he front which made the school look real bad. It sucks for smokers I bet because the prices are so expensive and people who are addictied it hard for them to quit and its a easy way to get lung cancer. Thats just taking many year of your life by smoking.

The posters around the school are total b.s. We had this guy come and talk to our gym class (which has 50 kids in it) and we split up into groups to talk about the posters. In my group, we asked each other who drank, and out of the 10 kids in my group, everybody did. The other groups asked each other the same question, and my whole gym class, except for like 3 kids, drank. So much for that statistic. With my group of friends from elementary school, some split up and went their own direction. I find it amusing to hear stories about people over the weekend who I used to be friends with, and find out that they too drink. Whether you're the 'cool kid' or the 'loser', everybody gets curious. I would say that 80% of our senior class drinks, and if they dont now, we have college next year ;) And i am baffled why people smoke, STUPID!!!!

Poster

I think that the poster is a reflection on what kind of school we are in. I believe that those percentages are quite close from the true number of smokers in Fremd. Sure it might not be entirely accurate, but it is close to the total of it. But then students may not have been telling the truth when they had the survey. It's your own perspective to smoke. I never started smoking and I'm not sure if I really want to break that habit. Smoking is a fast way of getting lung cancer and that would suck if I had it. People probably smoke because it's thier way to calm down and shed off thier stress forgetting how bad it would be for the body. Maybe this website would help http://www.onlinestopsmokingtips.com/. I just googled it.

Posters

To be honest I don't think I even believe those signs. The school asks the kids to take the survey and I know that a lot of the kids joke around about them and don't answer them truthfully. Personally I do but half of the time the posters are really cheesy. If you figure out the percentages right and you will see that a lot of people actually do smoke and what not but again no real way to tell if they are true or not. I have no idea why people smoke today. I can see how bad it is from how my grandmother turned out, having to quit smoking in order to live. One reason maybe why some kids do it today is to release some stress. It might give them the high to forget about reality for a little while and just be able to relax for awhile. I have never been high or smoked before so im really sorry if everything I am saying is wrong. But I rather not take the risk of getting some sort of cancer from smoking and I want to live out my life as healthy as I can.

whenever i see those signs i just kind of laugh because i mean why are they even up there? like what is the school trying to prove? also almost everyone i've ever talked to about them seems to think of them as a huge joke and no one takes them seriously. I remember when we took those stupid surveys and every kid around me was done in like 30 seconds because they just marked in random answers. I also agree with julianne on the fact that i dont think it is something to be really proud of that about 20% of your students do smoke. i dont really know how many students there are at fremd but 20% person has got to be a good amount of, mostly underage, kids smoking. Frankly, I just dont get them. they say that they are up there to encourage students not to do those things because they can see that a lot of other people aren't doing them, but everyone knows that those statistics are not legit. 

Social Norms

I don't think the posters are helping anyone. The statistics just tell me that a lot of people drink and smoke and a lot don't. 18% of kids smoking is kind of a lot, considering that less than 1/4 of the school is even old enough to legally buy cigarettes. I understand the reasons that people start smoking. The threat of cancer and all of the other negative effects are so far off that it doesn't really effect us now. I mean, people should realize that it can cause problems. But maybe they don't care. Our culture is all about instant gratification.
There are definitely steps that could be taken to convince people that smoking is really bad.
If smoking was portrayed more negatively, I think people would be discouraged from doing it. It would also help to focus on the negative effects that smoking can cause so that people think about cancer and stuff more while they are actually smoking, instead of just feeling that it is a cool thing to do.

Correction

I'm sorry. I gave credit to Janet for saying that water bottles break down when being reused, but it was actually Aubrey who said it. So, I'm correcting what I said eariler.

Cancer

I definitely don't believe that reusing a water bottle can cause cancer. Some of this is abosolutly rediculous. I do believe that reusing a water bottle can break down chemicals in it, like what Janet said, but those are what make the plastic and it would have to take alot of reusing that water bottle to break it down, even then i dont think that any of the chemicals are harmful enough to cause cancer. To go to what Dan said about things being "Known to the State of California to cause cancer." I read that new car smell is "Known to the State of California to cause cancer." Really? New car smell? You got to be serious!

i find it astonishing that something like this could actually occur. I mean, i like a lot of others reuse water bottles and keep them in my car to use again and never thought of the consequences that could occur from this. On to other other topic involving cancer. The signs say that 82% of Fremd students do not smoke cigarettes, which still leaves 18%. More and more kids these days start smoking cigarettes than in the past years. this statistic leads me to my next thought. 3 out of 5 fremd kids dont drink alcohol. ok this means that 2 out of 5 do. 40%, why are these signs posted up in our school. It is illegal for anyone under 21 to drink, yet we show that 40% of our school drinks. And the funny thing is, alot of the kids who do drink lied and said they didnt, so the statistic is actually higher.

Cancer

So i dont believe all the things that are supposed to give you cancer. i can understand that smoking gives you cancer, that makes sense, but water bottles? Give me a break. I will never believe that. A friend of mine told me that eating ice cubes can give you cancer, and i laughed in her face. I have seen tons of warning labels that say "May cause cancer in the state of california" so that made me thing WOW thats insane. I am so not moving to calfornia. As far as cancer goes, i dont think it is more common now, but easier to diagnose. I think we just know about it more now. And i think California needs to chill out.

Urban Legends

I think this is a good opportunity to make sure that you guys become familiar with really double checking the facts you get in email forwards. As our society changes and more and more communication happens via cyberspace it becomes much easier to believe what we read in an email. Banking scams or the Nigerian immigrant scam are great examples of this. However, this is also now the primary source of the modern urban legend.

Please reference the following link http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/petbottles.asp for a deeper discussion of why reuse of a plastic water bottle will NOT cause breast or any other type of cancer.

Urban legends gain strength because they prey on our fears, and breast cancer is a very real fear for women drinking from your water bottle should not contribute to it.


Having said that... I was thinking that maybe some of you are forgetting that credit for posts on the blog only comes with a response that is thoughtful, honest, and more than 3-4 sentences.

Some topics I think you could talk about longer...

A. The social norms posters... so 82% of students don't smoke what about the remaining 18%? Why do people start smoking nowadays when we know how bad it is for you? Is there anything else we can do to help convince people how bad it is?

B. Lawrence King was a 15 year old boy who was a victim of a school shooting on Feburary 12th. This shooting wasn't really covered on the news. Another 8th grader brought a gun to school and shot Larry King, his classmate, in the head. The shooter did it because King was openly gay and occasionally wore women's clothing to school. Here is a link for more information... http://www.rememberinglawrence.org/

Okay! See you tomorrow!

Cancer...

That's some scary stuff. I cant believe you can get cancer from a water bottle. And what Aubrey said. That's scary, even though this is only what u heard, its still scary. I cant believe that almost anything can cause cancer. It so scary. Cancer is common now can you imagine like 20-30 years from now, how many people are going to have it. Its so crazy. Whats next? Getting cancer from chewing a piece of gum? I mean how many more things out there can cause crazy and scary illnesses. I just cant believe it, a water bottle. Wow. That's creepy. My dad has cancer and i already have a good chance of having cancer but now there is something this simple that can move it along. Come on. Give us a break. I swear, its like someone or something has a grudge on planet earth and it wants to see us suffer. Argh!

Relating to what Stacey said, I heard that reusing waterbottles over and over again, rather than just opening up a new one, can also cause cancer. When you keep refilling a waterbottle, it breaks down the chemicals in it and then you ingest those chemicals. This is all just what I heard, but it's still pretty scary.

And North Korea allowing the American Orchestra to play in their country scares me. We all know they hate America, so it seems like they may have had an alterior motive for letting us play there. I dont think that allowing us to play there would be used as propoganda, because it's showing them that Americans aren't as bad as they were told to believe. Why would they televize it if Americans are such bad people?? I think there's something else going on here.

North Korea

Sorry to detract from the current topic but I just wanted to quickly talk about how we had an American Orchestra preform in North Korea this week. They were saying how this was the first time since the Cold War that there have been that many Americans in North Korea. Not only that, but Kim Jong Ill allowed the American flag to be posted on stage with the Orchestra. It's strange that this is happening, could it possibly be more propaganda? I think in a way, it is. To show the people of North Korea that he (Kim Jong Ill) isn't trying to shadow North Koreans from the outside world. The performance of the orchestra was even put over live telecast in North Korean homes. I thought it was ironic that since we just learned about it that it's popping up in the news again...What do you think was the purpose of allowing the American Orchestra into North Korea?

Stacy's post about how women drinking water from plastic waterbottles can give them cancer interested me. It is definately scary how common breast cancer has become and I think the studies that connect plastic to the issue are really interesting. Plastic has a ton of carcinogens in it and drinking out of waterbottles from the car aren't the only way that we ingest them. The thing about plastic is that it never biogdegrades. It breaks down into tiny particles but it remains extremely toxic and it is really easy for these tiny particles to enter the food chain. With all the plastic I see littered around everyday it doesn't seem so strange that these issues could be connected.

Breast Cancer

It's really scary how common breast cancer has become. My mom sent me this e-mail that she got saying that if women are not supposed to drink water bottles left in the car. It said that something in the plastic dissolves in the water or something and could be a cause for breast cancer. It's scary that something like that could cause it. It's becoming such a common thing these days, and that could be bad for people our age. It might become even more common as we get older. Hopefully if people do have it, they find it early enough so that it doesn't end up bad. Cancer is really hard to go through, for everyone that is close to or knows the family.

Camera

I think that the cameras are a good idea. It is good when it comes to safety on roads. People will not run on red lights anymore. There might be less accidents. I am sure that drivers will not like it but it is for their own safety. There are also other benefits. Since people will be scared to run on red lights, there will be less tickets. And people will save money. Cameras are a good idea and people should not complain about it.

Cameras...

I think that cameras are a good thing. I mean you have how many car accidents a day. If people are stupid enough and they think they can get away with running red lights then they need to be caught doing it. Think about the amounts of people who get hit from people that run red lights and die. And if a camera can capture a person swerving and theres no reason to swerv (when its not winter and the roads arent bad) then they need to get caught. Alot of poeple a year, alot of kids a year are dieing because of drunk drivers. Things need to change. One of the leading causes of teen deaths is drinking and driving. And if cameras can prevent even at least one person, it worked. Ya sure it sucks getting caught and stuff and paying a fine but maybe next time you'll think about running red lights, drinking and driving, etc.

As most of you i also don't really have an opinion on the cameras. i do think that if they get cameras there, then there just going to keep getting then else places. soon everywhere public wont be a place to act in private anymore. I'm not saying its good to run red lights. but this could be a gateway into more and more cameras. soon we will just be being watched all the time. anyway on writers week, i saw a guy named Reggie Gibson who i really enjoyed, he had a very funny poem that was mocking the inauguration speech. i also saw some women yesterday who i didn't really enjoy too much. she just sort of complained about having 6 kids, and i live in a house with 6 kids.. and its really not as bad as she claimed it was. i look forward to seeing more people however, its kind of a downer that my senior year i only get to go one period a day, i remember being a freshman and going in there almost every period. live it up kids cuz this is our last one. :)

Cameras/Writers Week

I don't really have an opinion on the camera issue. I have never gotten caught, knock on wood, but I mean maybe if I did then maybe I would have an issue with them. Sometimes I don't think they are good, but then others I think they could be to help with running lights and stuff. But when the light turns yellow you are technically suppose to stop but when it turns red in teh middle of you crossing the intersection then that isn't fair because you probably couldn't stop in time when it turned yellow or something, I don't know.
Writers Week I don't think is as good as it was last year, at least the 3 people i saw already except Mary Fons. I thought she was amazing, I loved how she started typing on that keyboard with the music playing. Her poems are so good, I want to read more of them. I have never even heard of her until writers week.

I don't like the idea of having camaras at stop lights either...It is understandable for them to be there as a safety measure because people are more inclined to stop if they could be fined for not doing it but I feel like we are beginning to put camaras everywhere and it is sort of weird. I suppose if the money goes towards something necessary then they could prove to have a positive effect, but at the same time it worries me to feel like you could be watched everywhere you go. If technology has reached the point where we can afford to put camaras at all major intersections in the city then it is scary to think of what could come next.

Cameras

As much as id like to be anti redlight camera, i have to admit they probably work. I have seen some of the pictures they have captured and they seem to do their jobs. My cousin lives in chicago and he said there is no chance you can beat them. People are being caught and it is impossible to blow a red now. My issue is that eventually it will be impossible to do anything illegal in a car. I suppose that is a safety thing, but it seems to take away rights.

so I guess I don't have much of an opinion about the camera issue... like previous posts have said, people tend to behave better when they know there is a risk of gettin caught, and if the cameras will keep our roads safe I suppose I don't have a problem with them. Like Elaina, I have a car that is horrible to drive in icy wet weather, and same thing, if a light turns yellow, even if it's been yellow for a while, I usually have to keep going to avoid my tires catching on ice and going out of control. But from my understanding lots of police officers understand this problem and say that if it is unsafe to stop when a light turns yellow, you should keep going. So maybe it would depend on the situation?

so I'm trying to avoid writing my Hamlet research paper... so I'll try to think of another topic to start a discussion. Ooo how about Writer's Week? Who have you guys seen that you loved? or really didn't like? Anyone you're excited to see? I love Writer's Week and will probably be one of those Fremd grads who comes back from school next year just to see some of my favorites, one of which is Mary Fons! love her and her poetry. So yes,....Writer's Week... let's discuss it!

cameras

Cameras at traffic lights are pointless as everyone said. I seen so many in the city my older brother would get so many tickets in the mail with a picture of his car on them. You cant set up a court date also if you get caught by the camera. He said he didnt do it on purpose he would say the light would be yellow and going 40 and trying to stop, he would fly threw so he would just go threw as it was yellow but it would flash and send a ticket in the mail. Yes the gov. should use this money to fix all the pot holes and make all the roads smooth. I recently got brand new tires on my car, one day i was driving I hit a pot hole it was filled with water. It was real deep it got me a flat tire and also cracked my rim.

Ralph Nader

So apparently Nader is running for the Presidency. I thought it was a bit strange for him to be jumping in this late. I do like the idea of third party candidates bringing new views in instead of keeping the moderate-ness of the Democrat/Republican deal. I don't know that he is exactly the right person to be doing this, but at least someone is. It kind of sucks though, because he is basically just the candidate that is different than the others. And I think he is trying to use that to his advantage. I was on his website, and it says: Which side are you on?- with all of these negative things: Corporate greed, power, control, criminals/Polluters/etc. or Nader's side. And so far, all he is doing is attacking Clinton and Obama. Which is pretty annoying, I wish more politicians could be positive. So... what do you guys think of him/the fact that he is running?

Cameras

I think that the cameras would help but not totally. The cars that are beating the red light cannot all be captured in the camera. Well, maybe because we have advance cameras and it can take the cars information acurately. Not like those black and white cameras which u cant really see the vehichle. Also, the car might be to fast it cant be captured on tape. I hope everyone had a nice weekend.

Cameras

I feel that almost every busy light should have a couple of cameras posted at it, mainly because i saw an accident happen right in front of me. Some ladie was taking a left while this guy blew a red light and t-boned her. If it were for a camera, they could of have had more proof than just words. Yea, it's a cop's job to catch people in situations like this, but as most of us know, there aren't to many cops out at a time. If it were up to the cops, there would have to be thousands for each state working at a time watching every steet light ever hour of the day, which im sure after a while becomes real boring. So as michelle said, maybe since we are starting to get cameras at lights, people who have already recieved one ticket for blowing a red light might think twice about doing it again.

I think that cameras at stop lights are actually a good idea. People do bad things when they think they are not going to get caught. So if there are no cameras and no cops around, people would run red lights all the time and there would be so many accidents. When the camera catches someone running a red light they will get a ticket and will probably learn their lesson and think twice about running another red light. The cameras are just another way to control what is happening on the streets without there being a cop around 24-7. I think the cameras are a really good idea to keep safety and to protect everyone on the streets today.

I think that the cameras at the stoplights are unnecessary. It just seems pointless and such a waste of money. If people running red lights is such a problem, then the police should catch them theirselves and not have to have cameras to help them out. One night when it was really bad out, my mom and I were driving and we weren't able to stop when the light was yellow so basically we ran a red light instead of stopping and swirving all over the place. It would be really stupid if my mom got a ticket from this in the mail or something. I have seen the cameras in Chicago before and in some places, they are all over the place. It just seems like a real dumb idea to me but maybe in reality they will help everyone out.

in response to breast cancer, it's increasing for women. i don't know how and where its from but i know that two of my aunts got breast cancer. one of my aunt had to cut one of her breast, and the other one got rid of it easily. so my mom always tell me to be careful. i don't know how to get breast cancer but i guess i have to stay healthy.

breast cancer/cameras

In response to the breast cancer discussion, I think that breast cancer is becoming an increasingly more threatening issue and it sucks. My godmother has breast cancer and is getting treatment for it, and it scares me a lot considering how many women I know who have died from breast cancer versus the amount of women I personally know who've beaten it. My godmother isn't super young but she definitely isn't old enough for her life to be over and for a stupid disease to cut it short isn't fair at all. How is it that with all these technological breakthroughs and advancements and whatnot we still haven't found a cure for cancer? This may sound ignorant but it's sort of irritating!

As for the cameras at stoplights... stupid! I agree with Stacey! I absolutely HATE driving in snowy and icy weather, it scares the crap out of me, and stopping is the worst part. If it's snowing or raining outside and the light starts turning yellow there's no way in hell I'm braking because my car will most DEFINITELY slip and I will end up running that red light anyway. Cameras, while I can see the reason they're up there in the first place, are stupid because it's money that doesn't need to be spent. Not many people really run red lights and for those who do it's the police's job to stop that, not a camera. And what difference will putting a camera on one stoplight make? If you're going to put cameras up, put them on all the stoplights because then maybe they'll actually be effective in catching people who run red lights, but putting them up on like 1 out of 1,000 lights is just plain stupid.

I agree that the cameras at stoplights are unnecessary. Like Yoshi said, the money used to buy the cameras should be used to aid people in different ways. Lights shouldn't be monitored, because there are many different reasons that people might speed through a yellow light and possibly pass through a red. As long as it doesn't cause an accident, it shouldn't matter that much if someone goes through a red light.

i also think caremas in traffic light is pointless.
just like stacy said there some times you can't stop because of weather. if they did they might get bigger chance of being into accident. and just like yoshi said the gov is wasting money. i dont know why police would do sucha kind of things like that. i mean people are not stupid enough to stop at red light. as far as i know people go for most safest thing. i don't doubt that they gonna go even though its red.

Traffic Cameras

I agree that the cameras a traffic lights are pointless. First of all I didn't know that running red lights was such a problem for the state, police or whoever puts these cameras up. I agree with Yoshi, in that if they have this extra money to put up cameras, why then don't they use it to make the roads better. The roads around here are horrible as everyone probably knows by driving on them. I think that the money spent on the cameras should be put on making the roads better.

Cameras

I also think cameras are unnecessarily. First of all, like Stacy said, their are situation were you can't stop instantly. If person saw that camera sign and tried to stop hard, bigger issues can be happen. Plus, I think it is wast of money. If government had enough money to put cameras to each stop light, they should be more concerned in another problems in traffic. (taking out the ice, repairing road, ext...)
There for, I think cameras are unnecessarily for stop lights.

Yeah i think its crazy that we have to worry about that. I agree with stacy its like there are some situations that you cant help but to run a yellow light! They have had these cameras in Arizona and California for a few years now. I knew that they were planning on getting them here to

I think it's really dumb to have the cameras. The cops are supposed to be catching the people who run it. So in a sense, they're getting their job done for them. I know sometimes cops have other things to worry about, but I don't think the cameras are necessary. There was one night last weekend I was driving home and it was one of the nights that it was raining and really slippery. The light turned yellow but I didn't want to stop because I had already slid and I was almost through the intersection. The light turned red so technically I ran the light, and of course it's at the light that has a camera. There are certain situations where you may not be able to stop, like if it's icy or wet out. A lot of times it's harder and we are more likely to get hurt that way. Basically, I don't see a need for them.

New Topic: Cameras At Stop Lights

Today after work i went and got some coffee with my aunt and on the way home I saw a sign that said that there were cameras at the stop lights now. I have heard of this in Chicago and I guess I can kind of understand them because the city is so busy. The boxes in the city are on the light posts and they have a blue light coming from the top of them just like a cop car does. But I know they have one on Kirchoff right by the bank and another one on Golf and Plum Grove or Meacham or whatever it is. The one on Kirchoff is on a big gray pole and has a big gray box on top of it. I don't really know if they are exactly necessary. I heard they are being used to ticket people who run red lights but I never really thought that running red lights was that big of an issue. I haven't heard of any real serious accident from someone running a red light but I know there are probably some. To me i don't think we need to have them unless its a lot bigger problem than I know. What do you guys think... do we need to have cameras at stop lights?

Death

Young people dieing seems to be becoming more common which is a sad thing to admit. I always have believed that children should out live their parents. But with diseases like cancer it is becoming harder and harder for this belief to stay true. There is the problem with murders and suicides. I can't understand how someone could be so depressed to where they kill themselves.
I am scared of death. I want to just live forever. The thought of me just not being here not being able to think or breathe or even know that I am dead creeps me out. I want to know what is going to happen in the future. No one lives forever though. I just wish that there would be less young deaths. In a perfect world everyone would live a long life with no cancer no murders and no suicides. But this isn't a perfect world.

Death

It's so sad when somebody young dies. Especially if they were great kids and had a good future ahead of them. For example, Jaymes Huddleston. I guess he was at a friends house sleeping over or something before some swim meet and died in his sleep from some condition that was not known. I heard he was planning on going to MIT for college, which is an amazing school for smart people and that he had a good future ahead and he was such a good kid. I don't understand why young kids die, and I always think that there is a reason for everything, but sometimes I can't think of a reason to why someone's life would be taken away like that when they were a good kid. This whole breast cancer thing they really do need to find a cure, like kim said it's way easier said then done, but so many people have passed away from breast cancer that I know in like the past 2 years. I really just hope there is a cure someday.

Death

It's definately a sad thing when somebody dies, especially if they are close to you. Everybody has to die eventually, but it's sad none the less. And as everyone is saying, it is really said when a young person's life is cut short, knowing that they could have had a bright future. I guess the best thing you can do when a person dies is to remember all the good things they have done, and try to use those qualities to make yourself a better person.

To comment on the young people dieing issue, i think its so sad. Its like they have not even had an opportunity to experience life to its fullest yet. I was just thinking about this the other day actually... i was thinking about all the kids that have died from this school my entire 4 years of being here. We are all going to die one day but we should have a chance to go to college and have a family. Its sad that teens that die so young will never know what its like to experience that.

Obama takes the lead

Barack Obama has won the party's poll for voters living outside the country, giving him an 11th straight victory over Hillary Clinton.

The Democrats Abroad organization said that Obama won about 65 per cent of the vote in countries and territories around the world, with Clinton winning 32.7 per cent.The global primary results were cast between February 5 and February 12 and announced on Thursday.
The result means that Clinton has not won a nominating contest since "Super Tuesday" more than two weeks ago. Looks like Obama is gaining power all over the world, how do you guys think about victories of Obama.

Death

As everyone said it so sad when teenagers die from a accident or cancer. I just hope they find a cure for cancer real soon many people die from cancer everyday. We all have to be careful and dont hurt anyone around us that will end up killing there self. In the summer many children got killed by dumb drivers speeding which just made me so mad. My family friends son died by getting hit by a city bus. It was so sad going to the funeral it just made me tear. Just how could you not see a kid in the street. It truely does suck I just hope everyone is safe now a days.

young people

yeah i always think how horrible it is when young people die just because they have their whole lives in fornt of them. I just saw this article in the paper about a school bus getting hit by a van on the highway and four kids between the ages of 1st and 8th grade died. It is so bad because these kids dont deserve it at all. They haven't done anything in their lives big enough yet to deserve to die. not that anyone deserves to die but its just they are so innocent ya no? Also, who is to say that one of kids might have done something phenomonal with their lives. Maybe one of those four kids that parished would have revolutionized the way that we live today. you never know. i feel that reading an article about innnocent kids dying is one of the saddest articles a person can read.

Dan's post.... It always sucks when people die young. I've had one close friend die, and the worst part was thinking about how much everyone, and even the world, lost because she is now gone. It's so ridiculous. She died of cancer, and like Krysti/Kim were saying cancer is everywhere these days. People are always telling me not to do things because they cause cancer. And I have a theory. Everything causes cancer.
But I heard something a while ago about a cancer cure being developed in like Canada or somewhere. So I think we're getting closer every day, but in the meanwhile the situation just... sucks.

Also, does anyone know who died, because the flag is at half staff?

in response to part of Krysti's post...

So Krysti said that her mom was talking about the amount of people with/passin away from breast cancer and how it seems like it's everywhere. I couldn't agree more. This weekend I was on a retreat and I was leading a small group of 11 juniors and seniors. When the topic of praying for certain people or hard times in their lives came up, not even kidding, Every Single One had a connection to breast cancer. A few of my group members had moms who had/have it, aunts who have had it, relatives who have passed away from it.... at one point out loud I was like, "Okay seriously? this is ridiculous." My friend Kelly spoke about her aunt who many of you probably know of from the Pink Out football game this October, And while on the retreat, we received news that one of our friends had a breast cancer related family situation while we were gone. Why is breast cancer getting to be so wide spread and affecting so many people. It makes me so angry... I always say Why cant they just find a cure! I know it's obviously easier said than done, and who knows what challenges a cure could bring with it, but still, it is so frustrating and disheartening to hear lately how many women are being diagnosed. Maybe one of us going into the medical field will be the one to find the cure. Let's hope it happens soon.

Fidel

I wonder if it is make any difference for the Cubans who their leader is. I think that the fidel brothers share same views and it will not make any difference. Cuba will still be a communist country. But the question is if the new leader will change anything to improve the life of cubans. I saw it on the news, the cubans were happy that Fidel Castro resigned. And gave the power to rule Cuba to his brother. I think that it will not make any difference.

Fidel....

is his brother going to take over? And if he does isnt that bad? Idk?

We need to think of a new topic...ok...

wat about wat kim and spoor were talkin about? if someone came up to you and tryed to fight you, what would you do? how would you react?

Well i know for me i would let it roll of my back. If the person just kept saying crap over and over again the id tell the person to shut the hell up.

To me if someone puts their hands on you thats just a invintation to fight back. I know if someone punched me (not joking around type of punch) id fight back. I understand that some dont like confrontation and stuff but i think that you should defend yourself. idk. maybe its just me. And i would also fight if someone says and thing bad about my family.

Death, Fidel and Harper

There are been a lot of deaths lately that I have been hearing of. Today I actually went to a funeral of a lady that I have known since I was little. But maybe just haven't seen death as other people have and we are finally getting hit hard with that fact. I was talking to my mom about someone that just died of breast cancer and she says that she has been hearing a lot more than ever about people dying of cancer and more specifically breast cancer. She said that when she was younger she never heard/barley heard of breast cancer. For my VIKES I am working at Supersibs! which is a place that sends care packages and special little letters to the siblings of cancer patients and you come to realize how much cancer is offecting out society because of how many packages we send out. Its really sad to think about but thats how life goes I guess... not to be negative. Oh this is kinda off topic but this is about a freak accident and I kinda got freaked out. There is this kid that goes to our school, he's a junior and his name is Matt Schulky. He was in Wisconsin skiing and he went off a jump and somehow slipped and he hit his head on a rock. He shattered his skull. He might of had some short of brain damage if he was not wearing a helmet or goggles because the rock hit right between the two. They put a metal plate in his head and he is recovering well. Sorry that was really random but I thought interesting to share.

About Fidel Castro.... I think that is really weird that he just all of a sudden retired but now I bet our government and many other countries are hoping that his brother will be changing the country. To me I don't think he will because usually family follows what has been set up already. I guess all we can do for right now is hope....

Harper. I heard if one girl who went to NIU who is in her senior year of college and does not want to go back and finish her last year because she is so freaked out. And now I have a feeling like anyone else that many people are going to try and stay home. I was originally planning on going to Harper or ISU. I think I'm going to end up going to Harper just because of money but the whole shooting crises wouldn't affect me. Like someone else said earlier.... it could happen anywhere.

Another Death

So i got home today and my mom told me about another death of someone i know. One of my cousin's best friends died in a snowmobile accident. My cousin and i are practically brothers so i have grown up along side of him and his friends. Joe was his neighbor and one of his best friends. He was only 16 and he is now gone. The young are not supposed to die. I feel so bad for my cousin ans Joe's family. I dont understand why these things happen. I guess its just a freak thing, but it really hits home when its someone you know. I hope my cousin can handle it ok. This is his second friend to die in less than a year. The other was a suicide. I just hope my cousin is strong and can handle all this pain. The young should never die.

NIU/Castro

The whole NIU thing is really scary and I never thought it would happen around here until it did. Especially since I know a couple people at NIU. My brother said that his student teacher in math was shot during the shootings and is critically injured, and she was the girlfriend of that Dan guy who got killed and she since she is unconcious she doesn't even know that he is dead. That is just so sad.
I was really suprised that Fidel Castro stepped down and gave the throne to his brother. Is there a reason why he stepped down, or did he randomly do it? or did I miss something? I don't think anything is going to change the relationship between the US and Cuba until Fidel is dead because I still think Fidel is going to be telling his brother what to do or something sketchy like that.

NIU/Cuba

I agree with everyone that what happened at NIU is horrible. Guns have caused so much pain in the United States. Like others have said most of us are going off to college next year. We have to think about the fact that this could possibly actually happen where we go. My mom asked me while we were watching the coverage on Northern, "What would you do." It is an interesting question I think. I said I would get on the ground on crawl to the exit. It seems knowledgeable enough. This guy came to my gym class the day after the shooting. He had been in the classroom and he told us how you don't think about anything. Your mind goes blank and you just know that you have to get out. I have also heard a lot of people think that it wasn't really happening. It is freaky to think about but with what happened at NIU and at VT it is better to be safe than sorry.

Answering Charles question, I was also surprised that Fidel Castro stepped down. You don't see many dictators stepping down from that kind of post. I don't see peace coming between the US and Cuba. It would be nice if it would but it doesn't seem like a plausible option with what has happened in the past. I am interested to see what is going to happen in the future.

NIU/Chuckles' Topic

Yeah, I agree with everyone that what happened at NIU last thursday was horrible. I think that because if it there are going to be alot of people who are going to reconsider going to Northern for college next year. I think that it is horrible that something like this could happen but it goed to show that it could happen anywhere. Anyway since we have all beaten this topic to death, I am going to move on to Chuckles' topic. I think that Fidel Castro steping down from the lead of Cuba could be a good thing for the US, at least for now, but I'm going to have tosee how everything goes for a little while before I can be sure.

College....Shootings....

For me this whole NIU and VTECH shooting has been scary. I mean we go off to college next year and this is what could happen. Its extremely scary to think that this could happen and that some crazy ass person will just decide to shoot up our future schools. It seems like when ever we turn around we hear something about school violence. If not in college in high school. Its just crazy to me how we cant even br safe in our own schools. Idk wat else to say. I have a friend that goes to NIU and thank god shes ok but its scary to think that someones life can be taken so quickly in a place where we're suppose to be safe. Its just scary now-a-days. There is no where in this world that is safe anymore. Look how it is for our generation. It makes me scared how it'll be for the next generation, our kids. Its just too scary to think about.

niu/ harper

its kinda crazy with this whole NIU thing, i think the crazyest thing that ever happened at harper was like last year when a deer broke into it and was running around. i think that up until the shootings at NIU we thought that somthing like columbine couldnt happen anywhere near us. this whole thing has really brought everyone up to scale. i think alot of people are changing their minds on going away to college, but people need to realize that this stuff could happen anywhere, and thats been proved by it happening so close to home.

Charles' Topic

Although Fidel has stepped down and offcially retired, who's to say that he doesn't still have the reigns of Cuba in his hands? Yes yes he no longer holds a political position in the government, but seriously! His *brother* is the heir to the throne. Yea yea Raul keeps claiming that he will make Cuba more democratic, but I really doubt it. Only when his brother has left the country or is dead will he have full political control. Until then, I fully believe that Fidel is still going to be whispering commands in his brother's ear and still ruling the country but this time, from his lavishly decorated mansion.

NIU

What happened to NIU was a wake-up call for the school to add some protection to thier students ans teachers. It was unexpected in NIU that sa student would just randomly kill people. The person who did the killing is probably so depressed and took drugs to hide his depression. Now, the school has to realize that it could probably happen again and we need to be more aware of this incident. Schools should add more security and hopefully no more killings would happen.

NIU

Its crazy how people just go around and kill innocent people. How are you going to kill someone for know reason at school and shoot a teacher also. I heard about NIU and I was in shock. I know many people at NIU I was thinking of going there also because its close to home but I rather go to Harper. It also scaries me because this can happen anywhere they need to have more police officers on duty or security which will help us out and make us feel safe. But we never know when someones looking for us or a random shooting will break out. I no couple died from the shooting and some injured which is sad but hope everyone is safe after all.

I can't believe what happened at NIU a few days ago. I feel like shootings just keep happening and nothing is stopping them. It's kinda scary because NIU is so close to us and probably some Fremd kids will be going there next year. It was one of my options to go there but I decided not to go there a few weeks ago. I know a few people that go to school there and all I wanted to know was if they were okay. Fortunally they were but unfortunatly the ones that were killed or hurt were not. I always feel bad for the families who lost someone in a situation like this because none of those people deserved to die. One of the girls I know that went there, was supposed to be where it happend but left five minutes earlier to go to work. I can't even imagine how she feels about this and she's lucky that she left. It's just scary because things like this can happen anywhere and we just have to be prepared.

NEW TOPIC!!!

I would first like to say that shooting at NIU is horrible and that gun violence nees to end in this nation. Now that I have gotten that out of the way, a huge event had accorded in Cuba. Fidel Castro has stepped down as dictator of Cuba. His brother will step-in and take over control. This is good for the world. This means that theirs one less communist dictator in the world today. How you step down from a dictator position is kind of odd. I had heard something that the brother wants to open talks with the United States about taking off the embargo act and talks about travel restrictions. He is trying to improve relations between the U.S. and Cuba. What do you think about this whole situation? Can Castro just step down from his dictatorship role in Cuba? Will there be talks and peace between the U.S. and Cuba?

I think this really made me realize that it's important to really be nice to everyone. You never know what someone else is going through or what kind of problems they have. It's sad that so many people are scared to go places. It makes you more conscious of your surroundings when your places. It could happen anywhere, and that's scary to know. We can't run away from things because we're scared something might happen. I know people that are going to NIU next year and now they don't know if they want to anymore. NIU handled it really well, and that's good know so if anything happens again (hopefully it doesn't) they know what to do. But you can't run away from things in life and miss out on oppurtunities because you're scared of what could happen.

NIU Shooting

It is scary that another shotting happened. But this time it happened in Illinois not in other states. It means we are not safe even at our school. Who knows maybe our school will be a next target. I wonder why people do things like that, they do not even know most people they shoot. I also wonder what they think when they kill them. Does shooting make them feel better or gives them some kind of pleasure?

NIU

I hate talking about shootings because everyone always says the same things... like, I don't understand why anyone would ever do this, I'm shocked, never thought it could happen this close, etc. People need to realize that this can happen anywhere at any time. Schools are not safe, no where is "safe." Crazy people can be anywhere. Hope that isn't too shocking for you guys. And I don't really think that the masculinity thing is much of a factor. The majority of shootings are done by people who have been made fun of or rejected by others. So instead of living in fear of being shot or thinking that shootings are just done by masculinity crazed men, maybe we should try to get along and accept each other. We could make sure that people are accepted and don't feel like they are hated and discriminated against. I'm not saying this would solve anything, but I know it would help. Just a thought.

NIU shooting

I actually do think that the media has something to do with people wanting to commit murder. Most of these people have boring lives and will never be famous or anything and they see their one shot of everyone knowing who they are by commiting these horrible crimes. People want to be known for something and i guess in their minds killing people for attention seems like a good idea. I think that video games also play a part in giving these people ideas for how to kill a person or even just the idea to do it. They see these characters in the video games be so "cool" and everyone wants to be like them. The thing that these murders dont understand is that it is just a video game! it isnt real life and those actions that are made in the game are definitely not acceptable actions out in the real world.

NIU

i agree with Nick. I think viloent crimes have nothing to do with media or anything like that. People have been killing eachother long before tv or video games were even invented. Shootings like the one at NIU are just random crimes done by crazy people. I think murder is an illness and some people have the murder gene in their blood. People are crazy and they do crazy things. I could watch a million horrer movies and play a million violent videogames and never have the urge to kill anyone.

NIU

Honestly, I dont see why people would do such a crime as this. The shooting at NIU is a terrible experience and i feel bad for all of the kids involved in shootings at a school or threats. Just last year, Shaumburg high was evacuated early because there was supposidly a bomb threat. I always think, i could be in that situation. It makes me sort of afraid to go away next year to think that some wack-o kid would get pissed off enough to shoot me.

I was thinking about what Spoor was saying in class yesterday, about the role that masculinity plays in the shootings. I don't really think media plays all that big a role in turning a person into a killer. I've seen a lot of violent movies and played a lot of violent videogames, but that doesn't give me any desire to go out and kill people. But then again I know the difference between real life violence and movie violence and am appalled at violence that actually happens in real life. I think that the reason some people turn to violence is because they have serious psychologic and social issues. I think that people who have problems like this need to get help. But people also need to treat each other better. Like we talked about in class, being called hurtful names can really effect someone badly.

I, like most other people, am really disturbed by the NIU shootings. I thought about what mr. spoor said though, and it really got me thinking. The news covers the shootings of a man as a regular thing, as they think it is very typical. The media would portray a woman shooting attack completely different, as society would think it would be too dramatic. My friends have had a kid from a class that witnessed the shooting first hand in one of their classes and they said it was very sad. The emotional state of mind of the students was very tramatizing, as he stated and the support of others was evident from the start. In conclusion, the NIU shooting has gotten to the hearts of people all around the world.

NIU

Yeah Michelle I totally agree! I am freaking out about going to a big school now. I love big schools and I've always wanted to go to one but now I feel like the small schools are so much more like... intimate and close that it would be a lot safer to attend one. I'm at ISU right now visiting some friends and my parents were so reluctant to let me go because they were afraid after what happened at NIU, and since it was actually close to home I think that now they're realizing that this is a real issue, and I feel like if they're scared to let me go visit some friends for a weekend they're going to have a really hard time letting me go away to college. It freaks me out because I know a lot of people that go to NIU and my cousin just got accepted there and now no one wants him to go there!
This whole situation reminds me of that one worksheet we did where we had to read an issue and decide if we agreed or not, and it makes me really think about the whole gun control issue and about how easy it is for anyone to get ahold of a gun. It freaks me out to think that my little brother could probably easily get a gun somehow, or that someone could just walk into a school with one because the security isn't up to par!

NIU shooting

I'm really disturbed by the shootings at NIU this week. It's such a tragedy, and it's especially scary because it happened so close to home, and I even considered going to NIU next year. It doesn't make me more scared about going to college, but it does bother me that stuff like this keeps happening. I wish that these psychotic people could just get help for their problems instead of killing innocent people. It's really tragic that this happened and I wish these shootings would just stop and people could feel safe.

NIU

I definitely agree with soobin, with all these shootings going on im scared to go to college next year. I mean all of these shottings makes me wonder if i should go to a small school or a big school. All of these shottings have been happening at big schools so it just scares me to think i could be a part of something like this next year. Out of that many people going to school a person would never know who was crazy and going to shoot up a school. I just feel really bad for anyone who had to experience something like the shooting becuase that definitely changes someones life. A lot of people are traumatized by seeing this horrible thing happen and are never the same after that. I just wish all of these people stop taking their anger out on college students and get some therapy.

niu

i don't know what happend to all those college shooting but its getting worse everyday.
and this time its in illinois that lots of fremd ppl go to. it sacres me to go to college next year..
i dont know where did all the shooting started. its so stupid. i feel bad for the people killed and injured. they didnt do anything and just got shot. i dont know why theres so many psychos.. it just makes me scared. also yesterday, there were polices all around fremd. i was like.. whats happening? anyways i just hope theres no more college shooting!

NIU

The NIU shooting is so scary and it makes me aware of what can really happen on school campus's. I realized that college campu's aren't like high schools at all. At high school's you have to check in when you walk into the door then they right away know something is up. At college campus's anyone can just walk onto campus and just do something dangerous. It scares me to think that it can happen anywhere. I never thought something like this would happen in Illinois so close to home. I know so many people at NIU too, that's what makes it a lot more scarier. My brother was telling me that his student math teachers sister was critically injured in the shooting. That's scary. I pray for all the families and students at NIU <3 RIP to all those who's life was cut short*

NIU

I thought that these latest attacks have really made me aware of the problem with securities in colleges and universities all over the country today. I mean what is suppose to stop a person from entering any building and just firing upon students. The thing that creeped me out the most with these shootings is the fact that the shooter didnt even say a word. He just walked in and started shooting. I mean what is someone suppose to do to prevent that? and even more ss, how is a student suppose to protect himself/herself in a situation like that? I think that security on college campuses is a major problem. I believe that when students are attending a class they should have to swipe an id card to get in and then at a certain time the building's doors are locked up for safety. Yeah it seems a little extreme, but better safe than sorry. I feel really bad for the victims families and friends and for all the students that were probably scarred for life from this tragedy. If the person is going to be a coward and end his own life, why must he take innocent lives with him? I mean seriously how low can you go. Thats how i feel about the NIU shooting.

NIU =(

So today in gym class, a Fremd graduate who attends NIU now came in to visit and was talking to us about what happened. He was actually in the classroom that the shooter came into, sitting front row when he busted through the door. When he was telling us about what went down, I was getting goosebumps. He told us that the guy just walked right in, didn't say a word, and started shooting his shotgun. He shot two rounds off before he had to change guns, and at that point, everyone was crawling for the door. Peter told us that he didn't get out of the room until right before the shooter shot himself. Normally people always say, "ahh so much more could have been done!" but Peter told us that even the police that showed up 5 minutes after they were called said that nothing more could have been done and that they handled the situation perfectly. They practiced and planned out how to deal with such a situation after Virginia Tech, and they said that everything went accordingly. I'm impressed with how they dealt with the situation, but it seriously depresses me that in the course of my life SO many school shootings have occurred. I feel sad that these people who have to resort to shooting up a school have even gotten to that point, and it pains me to realize how much angst and pain these people are feeling, and the fact that they feel they have no where to turn or no one to talk to is just so sad. It makes me really think twice about how I act towards people and the things I say to people, even complete strangers. It sort of brings an awareness of how much of an influence my words and actions have on other peoples, and heightens my sixth sense of noticing when other people are distraught or struggling.
*My thoughts are with those affected by this tragedy*

NIU shooting

I think that the amount of shootings that have gone on lately is scary, but the way NIU handled it was very good and efficient. The students felt more secure because of how they did handle it. It's scary because I heard of someone I kind of knew that got shot. I hate knowing there are people out there that do this to other people and then kill themselves. If you're going to do something like that atleast stay alive to get punished for it. That's the easy way out and none of those kids deserved to die at such young ages. It kind of scares me because next year I will be off at college, and there is a chance that something like that could happen. I'm the type of person that gets scared and freaked out really easy, so this doesn't help when I think about going away next year. It is a very sad thing that happened, and it's sad that someone did this. NIU handled it really well, and it's nice to know that they could be so efficient and fast with how they did everything.

NIU

So out of all the school shootings this is the first one to hit home for me. I have heard of a bunch of shottings but it never effected me because no one i knew was near the site of the shooting. This year i have friends who go to Northern so when i heard about the shooting i must admit i was a little nervous. I called my friends and they said everything was ok so i felt much better. We have talked a lot about the shooting in school today and i have really said all my opinions, but it will be interesting to see how this effects our lives.

Vday

I think valentines day is a dumb holiday. It is just an excuse so people can go to hallmark and buy cards and get candy and all taht stuff. It really has no meaning behind it. If you had someone maybe then it'd be somewhat fun but for hte people who don't have anyone then its just another day and you are reminded that you don't have anyone. It kind of sucks for the single people in the world. I sometimes like it because I get chocolate and stuff and other things from friends and such. When we were little it was fun we would have valentines parties and all that stuff. Now its just kind of pointless

NIU....

This is so sad. What has this crazy ass world come to. It seems like evrytime you turn around theres another school shooting. Its crazy....

"He had stopped taking medication and become somewhat erratic in the last couple of weeks," Police Chief Don Grady said, declining to name the drug or provide other details.

^^^^thats what was in the report...Link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,330792,00.html

Schools suppose to be a safe place for kids...if home is crappy this is where we come to feel safe. The world is such a violent place and school was suppose to protect us from the outside world. What the hell happened? Did someone just wake up one day and say "oh i think ill go and shoot up a school!"! what the hell.

This is really making me think. We may think that this could never happen to us because this is such a good school, but NIU and VTech is a good school and it still happened. Just think it could happen at Fremd. What would we do if it did? Fremd may be a great school but its not as safe as we thought. I cant even begin to imagine how i would feel or what we would do if this did happen at our school. We all know that being in the confort of our own home isnt safe and we for sure know the reall world isnt safe....And now school isnt safe...

If no where we go is safe...then what is? Does safe even exist?

NIU shooting

NIU president John Peters said today that a man killed five students before turning the gun on himself. At 3:40pm, at lecture classroom, man arrived with a shotgun and two handguns and starts shooting random people.More then 17 people were wounded and killed 5 students and himself.
Last spring, 32 people were killed in the rampage at Virginia Tech. What is going on with all of gun problems in United State? It is one of America's problem since long time ago, but it seem nothing are changing. I think at the election, both parties should be more concerned about gun problem and schools safeties.

To me, valentines day is a very unecessary holiday that is kind of stupid. Sure it gives those love birds a chance to be all romantic and go all out on gifts and lovey dovey stuff, but i just see it as any other day. I dont know why people need a day to be romantic to their loved one, as they should appreciate them the same every single day. All the pink and hearts and everything kind of annoys me. And coming from the guys point of view, we are not too fond of the holiday either. Sure there are a lot of romantic guys out there who will do everything to show their love, but most men just treat it like any other day. Because that is all Valentines day is.

Valentines Day

So this holiday... I like it but it seems like everyone obsesses over it. Like I like cute and romantic stuff but I wish guys could be cute and romantic every random time besides Valentines Day and your Birthday. And its kinda the same gifts every time... chocolate and flowers... which are bad and I love flowers so I can't complain. But I don't really think it is exactly a girly holiday... for the most part yes.. but not all the time. Some guys can get really into it. Valentines Day is a romantic holiday... its about romance and there would be no other end of holiday if the guys weren't involved there would be no valentines day then the guys would be jerks like they say they are. lol Sorry guys not trying to rip on you. But anyways I like the candy and my dad makes this huge dinner for us which is soooooooo good but over all I like it.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!! =)

Hallmark

Hey so i noticed that valentines day is a so called "hallmark holiday" and i was wondering how people feel about this "holiday". It seems to only really count for people who have boyfriends or girlfriends. Im not a huge fan of it because it is a girly holiday but i dont mind it. Some people hate the whole idea of it but i dont really feel srongly either way. I always enjoy free candy, regardless of what day it is. But it seems dumb that this is a made up holiday that really means nothing. I suppose its just a fun day in february. What do you guys think.

Partiew

I never knew that there were many small political parties. I do not like politics so that was a surprise to me. I cannot even name political parties in Poland:). This website with lights that Mr.Spoor showed was weird. Those lights with the music were weird, I felt like somebody was brainwashing me. Those parties have little support and not a big inflience in the government. It would be funny if one the those party members would became the next U.S president.

parties

That light show was crazy it was weird how they had that video and crazy music. I also have to agree with everyone I didnt know at all that there were small parties like this on the website. That is funny Vj it just for people tripping on acid or the producers are heavy drug adicts. The Pansexual party is crazy talks about how sex is good and pot party wow. Just crazy things going on in this world. I dont think these parties should be allowed at all. The parties are crazy like how they talk about the pot party and many more to go with it. But the gov. doesnt mind about these parties but if I was the president. I would not let people have these parties.

responding to Krysti's party post...

Answering what Krysti asked about so many interesting, random arties being allowed, etc...

I think that although some of the parties are based on some pretty...umm different? ideas... for example that light party we watched and listened to today in class... they need to be allowed because they are another example of the freedom we have as Americans. No matter how wacky or random a party may be, people have the freedom to express themselves, even if it's through watching crazy seizure causing light shows or wanting a hydrogen/hemp based economy. haha

So I have another question that could be interesting/funny..... If you could create a random party, like some of the ones on that website.... What would it be/what would you call it? What would be your main platforms? etc.

Different Parties

I also never knew there were so many different parties. I always thought there was Republican and Democrat with independents in the middle. That light show we saw in class was very entertaining. I started getting dizzy towards the end. The music was fun too with it not matching the light show. What they needed was some good techno music.

And answering Krysi's question, yes, if I ruled the world I would let these parties go on. Only because I know they will never win in any important election. They have rights just like the rest of us. If they want to have a seizure inducing light show then go ahead. As long as they stay non-violent I see no problem to these different, very different, parties. The only thing would be that they need to know when enough is enough.

parties

I can't understand why people are making so much types of parties. Be honest I only think they are making all of this parties for fun or just to show off. Ok, who's gona be interested in that "Light Party" REALLY seriously that we saw in the class. Not many right? may be some people will be interested just because there website is so silly.
Then there are people who made some thing call "Pansexual Peace Party".Where it talks about sex a lot and the "Pot Party". So what are these parties for? People who love sex and for pot heads? I don;t know way government allowed this kind of parties.

Parties... Religion

Like most people, i had no idea that there could possibly be that many parties in the world that are considered "legal". Like adriene, i though there was the democrats, republicans. and maybe a couple more parties, but from listening in class there is a lot more to this world than i thought.

Parties

I have to agree with Janet and VJ. There are so many different parties I didn't even know existed. Honestly I thought there was only, Democratic, Republican kinda thing. Here's the web site if anyone wants to check it out and observe the light show again if they really wanted too....

http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm

But there are some wacky ones on there like Pansexual Peace Party where it talks about sex a lot and the Pot Party. I never knew that they would allow this stuff to exist. I wish I knew what was going on inside some peoples minds... then again maybe I don't. Anyways, do you guys think that these types of parties should be allowed. I know Spoor was talking about how they were allowed because they weren't doing anything wrong because they were gathering together and...talking I guess. But if this was your world and you made the rules... would you allow these types of parties to form?

I have to agree with Janet on this one. I had no idea that there were so many smaller political parties. The only on that I had heard of up to this point today was the green party and that was it. that light party or what ever it was called was really wierd. That light show thing with the music, I wasn't sure what to think about that except maybe to get people who are tripin out on acid to join them or something. And the one thing that Spoor showed us about them about the energy was really strange as well. But overall I had no idea how many small parties there were.

Anyways...New Topic....

How bout that light show in calss today. Crazy huh? I dont know about the rest of you but i now have a crazy headache. And what about that music, didnt go with the lights. I think a song with more beats. Idk? What did you think?

Ya so anyways, i never new there were so many parties. They have a party for everything. Its crazy. Ya...thats it.

Ummmm...ya...

this is why your not suppose to talk about religion. Its making all of us get defensive and what not.

WOAH!! I didn't say that all churches were cults!!! What I DID say was that when a church has so much influence over a person that it overrules their own beliefs, I think that's too much power, especially when that power is being put towards bad things. And I also said that I dont pray in church because it creeps me out. I personally dont like saying prayers in church because I think they become meaningless, like the pledge. Im not saying anything agianst the people who do participate in prayer. But I do say prayers on my own time that actually mean something to me. This really isn't any of the classes business how I pray or how anyone else prays, I just wanted to clear that up. We all have different views and opinions and should be able to express them without criticism, whether we think they're right or wrong.

And question...Isn't Christianity the big category, and then it subdivides into Protestant, Lutheran, Catholic, etc. From what I was taught, Christianity is believing in God and Jesus and whatnot, and then the other subcategories have their own beliefs within that denomination. And churches like Willow Creek are so big because it's a non-denominational church, but still a Christian church, so no matter if you come from a Catholic, protestant, lutheran, baptist, or whatever family, you can go there. I dont know...this just confused me....

First, let me just say that I'm not right wing, I'm left wing, that was a error on my part.

So I've been reading all these posts and I think the whole idea of 'church cult' depends on how you were raised. I view religon as a whole a cult. I was born and raised Muslim, went to Immanuel Lutheran and basically learned the religion inside and out. After having religion shoved down my throat for about 16 years I began to reject it. Even though I don't have a specific religion, I still go to Willow with one of my best friends and honestly, people believe that it's a cult and I couldn't disagree more. Just because it's big and has it's own basketball court (haha)doesn't mean it's a cult, it just has a big following. I don't know, if someone wants to call church a cult it's their own opinion, and if someone wants to say it's not a cult, again it's their own opinion.

hmm

well in reading about all these churchs i guess i should put in my input too. i think that people should belive what ever they want to.. however when churchs ask people in poverty to give large sums of money to stay apart of the church.. i think this is wrong. im not going to name any church names cuz i know ill offend people, but i could name several churches in this area that i know for a fact ask there church goers for large amounts of money. i think all of my bitterness for church really comes from the fact that the leader of my ccd classes asked me not to come back to our church. i really felt i had done nothing wrong, but apparently going to a christian camp as a catholic is extreamly wrong in the eyes of some catholics. i think that where i go to summer camp should not have been any of her buissness and should have nothing to do with going to church every week. after she yelled at me about that, she proceeced to tell me that i was no true catholic unless i went to church every week, went to confession, and prayed on a regular basis. now i definatly dissagree with all of this, i think people can belive what they want and not have to go to church every sunday or confesssion for that matter. now dont get me wrong, more power to you if you like to attened regular masses, i guess its just not for me. idk i hope i didnt offened any one cuz thats not the point of all of this. im just getting my input in.

Just to clarify in case it wasn't clear or it came out wrong...
I do not want to offend anyone by saying what I did. I am not trying to push any of my beliefs on anyone whatsoever. We can all believe, not believe, whatever...

I just wanted to remind everyone that we need to remember that what we may say could be offensive to others so we should remember that when we post and be respectful of each other.
Thanks!

wow so this topic is very interesting and I could not stop myself from posting right this minute...some stuff being said actually is really bothering me. It really bothers me when people are ignorant and say that all churches are cults, or all people who pray the same words outloud with each other contribute to that cult stereotype. A church is a place where someone can go to feel at home and like they belong, somewhere a person can go to talk and worship God, and hear stories about living in a Christ like manner (whether through Bible stories or someone personally speaking). Yes, what many of you have said is true, no one is perfect. Everyone, even people who preach and stand in front of congregations sharing God's word, makes mistakes, breaks rules, and sins. But the whole thing about preachers telling you Jesus died for your sins... that is to remind you that it is natural to sin...everyone is a sinner. It is how you reflect and grow and ask to be forgiven for that sin that is what's important. And I'm not saying everyone should believe in God or Jesus or that to be a "good Christian" you need to attend church or anything like that...I respect that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs. But I just really felt the need to speak up for people who do go to church and who do love being there and have close relationships with God, because some previous posts have been sort of the opposite in one way or another.
I'm Catholic, and very active in my parish. I serve communion, lead a high school small group, attend church weekly, and have a Catholic retreat coming up this weekend, actually, so this is interesting timing on this topic. Just because I do all these things and also make mistakes and sin does not mean I am a hypocrite. Yes I have broken rules and needed forgiveness and made tonnns of huge mistakes... but that doesn't mean I am a hypocrite. The retreat I have this weekend really explains what I mean... It's a retreat about learning who you are as a person, who Jesus is, how to incorperate Him in your daily life, and how to live it out every day. Living His word out every day doesn't mean standing in the hallways on a box screaming out the gospel... it's the little things. Remembering to be kind/respectful to others, even when they may not be your favorite person... doing the right thing even when people around you may be making bad choices on weekends or with friends... I truly believe that God is love... so whether you are Lutheran Protestant Jewish Catholic... you believe in Jesus or Allah or Mary...whether you attend church every week or haven't been since you were Confirmed... I think the main message of most churches is that God is Love and if we all treat each other with more kindness and patience, that'd be enough.
I don't really know how to end this post...I still feel like there are so many things I haven't said.

So I guess I just mainly wanted to say... whether someone wants to worship in church praying the Hail Mary with hundreds of people, or to worship by dancing and jumping in the aisles with their hands raised in the air, or silently at home in their head and not attend church.... I think we should all respect everyone's beliefs and remember that what may seem dumb and flamboyant to some really means a lot to others and we should all respect that.