New Jersey High Schools

Your tests sound really hard. Thats a lot of questions. Last year, we had a test a chapter that had vocab in it with all of these objective questions. it was hard because they'd ask about random people who never had an impact on American history, they just happened to live during the time. and we also got pop quizes, no anounced ones. but my teacher this year seems more layed back, so i'm happy about that. i got an A on my quiz, so now i'm really happy. you go to Delsea, right? Our cross country team has a meet there tomorrow, and they're complaining about a big sand hill they have to run up? do you guys have a sand hill? just glad its not me out there running, its a tad warm out.

 

Yeah we have a big series of hills in back of our school. I have some really bad memories of those hills from the past 5 years.

Today in history we had a big debate about the validity of religion (specifically Christianity). You had your atheists on one side and fundamentalists on the other, and moderates like me in between. Boy were they going at it The language was getting bad too so the teacher had to stop it. I love history class debates, especially when they divert the teacher from her lesson plans. Can't wait for round 2 tomorrrow.

 

I love debates! We would get into debates all the time, and my teacher would play devil's advocate just to get us mad. It ussually had to do with things like reperations, George Bush, and stuff like that. I always found myself on the liberal end of things and I always was dragged into debates. I guess i'm and aurgumentative person . its great, cause the teacher gets into it and before you know it class is over and no home work . we haven't had a debate yet this year, but we are planning a really big one on capitalism soon. i'm going to be on the negative side. should be interesting.

 

Yeah I love debates too. I'm usually on the moderate to conservative side, depending on the issue. Although my teacher is cool, she says some pretty controversial things sometimes. I don't mind, but many kids think she tries to force her political beliefs on us.

TGIF

 

My teachers never tried to push their views on us, but they always did state their opinions. I was usually cool with it cause they usually agreed with me.. I was just watching the news, and it really sucks about these hurricanes. They just said that New Orleans is flooded again. I wish i could go down and help out, ya know? Well, i have to say i truly agree with your TGIF cause it seemed as if this week would never end

 

Well at least the city was pretty much deserted. Our township "adopted" a town from Alabama and everyone has been contributing supplies and money. I had been saving up for a Xbox 360 but when I saw all the destruction I really felt guilty so I gave almost all my money to this fund our schools were running. So no Xbox 360 for me but at least I feel like I helped as much as I possibly could. I was surprised how many of my friends did the same. I guess tragedy brings out the best in us.

 

Thats an awesome thing that you did! To pass up some thing like that is very admirable. I was suprised that my school hasn't started a drive yet, but i did donate money. It's great how much people have jumped to the occassion to help. I still can't get over the fact that people actually were starving down there, but the fact that people are opening their homes to people is great. We actually have someone from Baton Rouge, LA at our school that move up here. I just hope that something like that will be handled better in the future.

 

Yeah I was listening to the radio a few days after the storm hit and they had on a guy who was in the superdome saying how woman were getting gang raped and families were getting robbed of there few belongings at gun point. More than 500 cops abandoned there posts. I even heard FEMA was refusing to let truck drivers bring water and food to those in the superdome. The mayor said he needed buses, but he had 2,000 school buses that could have been utilized. I think local, state, and federal government completely failed.

 

I heard stories like that also. Not only women being raped, but even children. The chief of police was on the news crying because he saw all of these things happening, but couldn't stop it because he didn't have enough men or amunition. Its not right that something like that happened in the wealthiest country in the world. There are those to blame in every facet of governent, fromt the mayor all the way to the president. It looks as if things may have been better handled with Hurricane Rita, but I guess we'll have to wait and hope that it was. We were talking about what Kanye West said about the reason it took so long for help to come to those people in school. Do you agree with what he said?

 

Kanye West and his ilk are wrong for playing the race card. The mayor is black for crying out loud. Race in no way played any part in the aid given. Constitutionally and legally, Bush did the right thing. Morally, he should have gotten aid down there 2 days earlier when he realized how inept the governor and mayor were. If he came in before the state asked him to, he would have been stepping on states rights. He couldn't deploy the national guard before the governor asked him to.

Another interesting facet of this that isn't getting much attention is the fact that Army Engineers wanted to upgrade the levee system a while back (in the late 80's or early 90's I believe). Enviromentalists sued them because the new system would require part of the wetlands to be built over. The Army lost, and New Orleans was stuck with a levee system that couldn't handle anything past a cat 3 hurricane.

 

Really? Bill O'Riley was saying that to fix the levees would have cost billions of dollars, and no politician is going to spend that much tax money on a "what if" situation. Its sad but its true, and you know the government has to make decisions like that everyday. About Kanye West, being African American I have to kinda, sorta agree with him a little. I think that the major reason it took so long was that people weren't prepared. They obviously didn't think the levees would break, and once they did, they weren't prepared to handle it. Do I think if the area was wealthier or maybe even a little more diverse, would it have taken as long, no, something would have been done sooner. He shouldn't have said it during a telethon, however. I have a feeling that the affect of this will be felt for a long time, and it's sad. It does seem as if things are going better with Rita, though(i'm watching to news now), and thats awesome!

 

My teacher showed us an article from CNN. I wish I could find it. It talked about how the Army Engineers were going to build floodgates to supplement the levees. Its interesting to say the least. Usually I am liberal when it comes to issues like the enviroment and animals' rights but saving human lives comes first.

On the race issue, I believe poverty was the culprit in New Orleans, not rascism. It doesn't matter if they had been black, white, chinese, or alien, the poor were naturally going to suffer more in an event like this. Its an unfortunate reality. Thats why Bush should have subverted the normal procedures and gotten aid down there much earlier. He was dealing with a inept mayor and governor. Did you know the mayor and governor were major political rivals even though they were both Democrats? Thats why they didn't communicate well in the days before the storm. They put petty partisan politics ahead of people's lives. All while Bush is saying the situation is under control and the homeland security chief is denying people are starving in the superdome. It pisses me off so much.

You watch O'reilly too? Wow, I don't know anyone my age who watches him. He's an equal opportunity basher, just like me

 

Of course human lives are the most important. i was kinda upset with the looting situation, cause i felt that if they had cops to stop the "looters", why didn't they have cops to rescue the starving. yes, stealing is wrong, but that stuff can be replaced, people can't. i feel so bad about those people's pets! i would die if i had waited for days and couldn't take my dogs with me! you watch O'Riley too?!! i like him, cause he gets down to business. he was speaking about the poverty issue too, that if you're poor, than you don't have a voice in the world, and its so true that it really is sad. he was saying how its the bureaucracy(had to look up that word!) is just weighing everything down. you know there was a navy hospital ship right off the coast that couldn't help cause they were waiting for orders! the whole situation with the governement and politicians gets me so angry! "She's a politician and she not to be trusted"- Obi-Wan Sometimes star wars quotes apply so well to life.

 

All the red tape bull**** gets on my nerves. By the time the right orders are given, its too late. But the way many people acted in the city really made me realize how uncivilized America could be in a crisis. People shooting at rescue helicopters, raping, murdering, looting plasma tv's. Can you imagine if terrorists detonated a nuke in one of our cities? We can't even handle natural disasters. Not one faction acted responisibly. Not the government, the police, or the citizens. You also have to take into consideration the corruption that has always plagued New Orleans politicians and police officers.

The reason why I like O'reilly is because he isn't in bed with any political entities. When the left acts up, he critisizes them. (Michael Moore, ACLU) Same thing with the right. (Pat Robertson, Swift Boat Vets) Neither side is completely right or completely wrong. I am conservative on economic issues and moderate on social issues. On issues like the enviroment, animal rights, and the interpretation of the constitution I am liberal. Too many people are blindly devoted to one side or the other. (politcal rant off )

 

Political rant alert being a liberal is fun! i'm surronded by conservatives in school. well, i guess tragedy can bring out the best and worse of people. there were some who just took advantage of the situation by trying to cause chaos, then there were people who were just desperate and wanted to feed their families. i'm just realizing that you can't expect the government to come runing to you if you're in trouble. can you imagine what would happen if there was a terrorist attack, like a bomb going off. at least 9/11 was confined to only a couple of blocks, if a city were to be destroyed, it would be anarchy. i was watching 20/20, and they were going over someother things that could happen and just cause more problems than the hurricane. they said the biggest thing on the governments list, right up there with terrorism, is the avian flu. have you heard of it? its a pretty nasty disease, and the government has only gotton 2 million doses of the only medicine available. George Bush gave a speech at the U.N. about it. if this thing breaks out, who do you think will get the medicine? dateline said if it breaks out, it'll be worse than the Spanish Flu in the early 1900s.

 

For me its the opposite. I am surrounded by liberals at home and in school. I've been into politics for a long time, and the one belief i've held steadfastly throughtout is you can't rely on the government if you ever went to be truly successful. Poor people will always remain poor if they rely on welfare. I believe people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are the worst representation the black community can have. They essentially say to poor blacks, "you will never be a success without the government holding your hand" What I would say to poor blacks is, "hey man, you have the opportunity to do anything you want. Race does not matter. We can all live the American dream, no matter what race we are." My dad was a poor kid and he never finished college. Through sheer willpower, he started a small business and is now very successful. He was no different from the millions of people in poverty today. He became successful without welfare handouts. You have to have initiative to be successful. Thats why I am a fiscally conservative.

I never heard about that flu before. It seems like whenever we have our thoughts focused on one threat, another one comes up and bites us in the ass.

 

Sorry, but i gotta disagree with you. i'm not saying that al sharpton is the best my race has to offer i used to live in the inner city, and i know whats it like to be there and to be poor. the schools are horrible, there aren't enough books, enough teachers. my cousin is a junior this year too at Chester High, and he didn't have a geometry teacher for about two months, so they watched tv. you would never see that in a prodominantly white community. what job can you get with that kind of education? kids see that they aren't going to get any real job like that, and then they see these guys hustling on the streets, making thousands of dollars, and its easy to see where they turn to. theres always that stigma of being an inner city black kid, and its so hard to get rid of that stereotype. i'm just so thankful my parents worked has hard as they did so we could move here and i have the chance to go to the school i do and to get the oppurtunities i will. i'm not saying i like welfare either, i hate it cause it makes people dependent on the government, no matter what race the person is. i hate that i have to pay for some person who just sits around all day with no job. but i also hate when people just assume that all people on welfare are black, cause thats not right. about 50% are white, but it doesn't make the situation any better. there are still differences betweent the races in this country, although the gap has been closing, its still there. wow, this was a long post. now you've got me ranting! we really should take a public speaking and debate class.

 

You know, I think the two of you should meet...like say, oh I don't know...our next meeting???

~DG~

 

Hey I don't doubt schools in the inner city are terrible, but they receive federal funding like any other school. Its up to the commmunity to demand the school lives up to certain standards. Pouring money into these schools won't help them if the school board doesn't spend responsibly. And trust me, I've seen many bad public schools that are in predominantly white areas.

As for welfare, I liken it to a person with terminal cancer that is on a drug that just prolongs there life but will never cure them. LBJ's Great Society programs started in the 60's have barely put a dent on poverty. Then theres the many people who just abuse it, like my Aunt and Uncle . Guess what the first place is they go to when they recieve there welfare checks? The liquor store! Some things, like food stamps, are necessary for those truly in need. Temporary welfare should be there to give people a jump start. But our country, under a "conservative" President and Republican congress, is spending more on entitlement programs then Johnson, Carter, and Clinton combined! I thought the governments job was to govern, not play Mommy. I haven't even gotten into the billions spent on corporate welfare! Laisezz-faire capitalism Corporatism Socialism . The best way to decrease the gap between the poor and the middle class is to teach young kids about responsibility and hard qork. Bill Cosby is a great example of someone who is doing this, but he is being demonized for it. I Know that I would never want to be a slave to government programs and that motivates me to do my best in school and make something of myself. Anyway its great to know theres other people my age who think and care about these issues.

Darth Gyos: I'd love to come, but I just got my license and I kinda need to learn how to get around South Jersey before I do anything else!

Crap that was long!

 

Congrats on getting your liscense! i just turned 16, on the 4th, so i'm working on getting my permit. wish i could come to the next meeting, but i've got no transportation at the moment i wish i could drive!

i understand the whole welfare thing, its great for those who really need it, but i can't stand those who just sit around and do nothing. i totally agree with you about school, seeing how hard my parents worked without a college education and seeing other examples in the family, really made my want to put my all in my school work. its really cool to have someone my age to talk to you who knows the issues and has opinions on them. too many kids take their education for granted. anyway, enough on politics (at least for the moment!) how's your football team doing so far? how's school going for you? i can't believe i have this much work already. i gotta go finish writing my English essay, actually right now. once again, congrats on being able to drive!!!

 

Yeah being able to drive is awesome. No more begging for rides and no more buses! Schools been pretty easy so far, except for AP Bio. Whatever you do, never take AP Bio. We're assigned daily reading for homework thats 30 pages long. Then we'll talk about it for a few days then have a quiz on it. You have to know every little detail of information in the chapter to even get a decent grade. Other than that, schools been great. Physics is really fun, Pre-Calc is a breeze, and AP History is easier this year than last. (Probably because its easier to relate to more recent history). How have your classes been so far?

Oh and our football team is really nice this year. We're undefeated so far!

 

congrats on your football team, but still gotta support my dragons! we aren' undefeated, at all. i'm guessing a.p. history is easier this year, its still hard to tell because the teachers are so different. pre-calc is easy for you! wanna help he? please help me! i have a test tomorrow and i'm scared to death. is a.p. bio that hard? i was going to take that with anatomy and physiology next year. i've got honors chemistry this year. its not hard at all right now. so, about that pre-calc...

 

What are you doing in Pre-Calc? We just had a test on the basics of angles, like converting decimals to degrees/minutes/seconds and finding coterminals. It seems really basic so far, like an extension of what we learned in Algebra 2 and Geometry.

 

we are doing thins with asymptotes and where graphs are bounded and rang and domain and these different kinds of functions, and it is all just so confusing. it would be easier if i could get comfortable with my calculator, but i'm still learning how to use it. we didn't go over angles and stuff like that. that's no fair!

 

Man, I have 4 tests tomorrow and have been studying all night. I hate it when all my tests fall on Fridays!
In Pre-Calc we started Trig functions and it seems pretty easy.