In particular, Secretary of Honors candidate, Christina Choi’s (11) campaign involving “troll faces” and “memes” unleashed many mixed opinions. In fact, one passionate individual felt that Choi’s use of the “troll face” was disgraceful as he or she decided to vandalize her campaign posters, leaving a typed note behind that condemned Choi’s campaign tactics saying, “We are not entirely sure that you know what trolling is. What you are doing is ridiculous, stupid and offensive.” For those who are not acclimated to the online term “trolling,” Wikipedia defines it as “someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion” — a definition which the vandal felt had nothing to do with Choi’s ASB posters.

Not only did this anonymous individual seemingly troll the troll faces off Choi’s posters, but many others took to Facebook to voice their concerns. In fact, one user’s post condemning Choi’s tactics recovers 139 comments ranging from a similar negative view of the campaign, to those harshly criticizing the user.

Soon after, the post and the user’s entire Facebook account was deactivated, but it begs the question, how much is too much when it comes to voicing one’s opinion over the Internet? After all, it is easier to speak up when sitting in front of a computer monitor than when face to face with someone who disagrees with you.

Regardless, the Internet is not the place to distribute largely negative views towards any individual or group. Teenagers are often guided by their emotions in the heat of the moment, failing to think about the consequences of their actions, but they must always remember that whatever posted on the Internet can and likely will be there forever. Despite deleting a post, any controversial status can be screenshot, never truly disappearing.

The stupidity of online “trolling” not only damages the reputation of a poster, but it is also detrimental to a victim’s self-confidence. Despite many instances of discrimination during the past week, Choi happily states, “Although I was shocked to see my posters vandalized and to see hurtful comments on Facebook, I did not take anything personally.” To any other victims of cyber bullying, Choi’s actions are worth echoing. Rather than succumb to the pressure of the so-called trolls, others should take what is said online with a grain of salt because, as Choi put it, “haters gonna hate.”

In high crime cities, parents that are pro-uniform say that their neighborhood was safe; however students today are being mugged for their expensive designer brand clothing and this is putting them more at risk for crime in school. With a uniform, this threat is lowered significantly since their cost differs greatly from expensive clothing. A second benefit of uniforms is that students are prohibited from wearing symbols or colors that signify violence. If an outsider enters the school, it becomes easier for security guards to spot the outsider since all of the students are dressed in a uniform manner.

Uniforms are not only a benefit to students in high crime areas, but also in middle class cities. Students feel pressured to buy the latest fashions and the most expensive outfits in order to fit in and be envied. Cliques are formed simply because kids cannot afford the same lavish accessories. According to an article on education.com, Rachel Berman attended a private high school that required uniforms. When she reflects on how it influenced her school years she says, “The uniforms contributed to a more sedate, professional feel that I think made it easier to focus in school.” Without all of the worry about what people are thinking about your outfit it is easier to concentrate on what the teacher is saying and teaching.

Mornings become routine without the rush of picking to what to wear and having to rearrange and mix match until you find the outfit that is just right. Also mentioned in an article on education.com, Daisy Kong, also went to a high school that required uniforms says, “There were days in college where I actually found myself missing my uniform because I didn’t know what to wear and would spend 30-40 minutes shuffling through my closet.” The hassle is not worth it, when you can have something already picked out and ready to go without having to put in any thought.

Kong also added, “You’ll have the popular kids with or without the uniforms.” It is better to have the cliques that are inevitable in any situation because of personalities and who the kids get along with, rather than who can afford the same level of clothing as they can.

A four-day school week is something that would greatly benefit students. With shorter weeks class days would have to be longer in order to keep up with the required learning hours per week given by the state. However, this would keep teachers from having to rush through their assignments and lessons because class periods would be longer. More students would be able to ask questions and the teachers could give more detailed explanations.

As well as the benefit of longer class periods, a school practicing this four-day week have found that drop out rates have decreased and so has the number of absent students. By having a third day added to the weekend, students feel more refreshed to come back to school and feel the school to weekend ratio much more balanced. With all of the positivity, students pay more attention in class. Many thought that with fewer days at school test scores would drop, however it was shown that student’s grades did not drop, and some even rose.

With that third day, students can also manage their extracurricular activities better. More students felt inclined to join more organizations because they feel like the will not be overwhelmed. By joining more activities, the students are able to broaden their horizons and become more well-rounded.

Some of the schools who have implemented this schedule use the fifth day to have teacher meetings and training days. These help keep the staff on the same page and the teachers are able to educate more efficiently during the week.

Not only are there an abundance of benefits for students, but the districts also save money. Even though students are going to school for the same amount of time as a five-day school week, the four-day school week allows the school to close an extra day, which saves transportation, heating, and power fees. With the saved money, the school can provide better accommodations and teaching equipment, or hire better teachers who require more pay. Also, schools could save money on hiring substitute teachers, because full-time teachers would no longer have to take days off from work for doctor appointments, vacations and other out-of-school issues.

Though some are more skeptical about the idea it is clear that the number of pros is incredibly high and would be an incredible improvement to our schools today.

CON

It is no hidden fact that school brings stress. Many would jump at the opportunity to have a condensed school week if possible. Talk of switching from a traditional five-day school week to a four-day school week has been circulating around the country, much to the pleasure of weary students. An abbreviated week sounds great, but is it really going to help us or hurt us?

Supporters of a shorter week state that the benefits include saving district money from operating costs and ameliorating the problems of teacher layoffs, but they fail to acknowledge the cons, which outnumber the pros. One problem that stems from brief school weeks is the decreased teaching and learning time in the classroom. Teachers will inevitably be forced to pack tons of learning material into a four-day week, and as a result, students will have to learn at a much faster pace. Also, the longer weekend may result in students completely forgetting the topics they have learned. Ultimately, this will result in lowered testing scores and will negatively affect student’s grades. Additionally, in order to make up for a missed day of school, the day is expected to be prolonged. Will students be able to sit attentively for a longer duration of time? Again, this ties in the concern that due to a shorter week, a student’s ability to perform well in school will begin to deteriorate. One other crucial downfall that is derived from a shorter week is that there will be less time for extracurricular activities due to a longer school day. The time one would normally devote to sports and clubs would be limited — cutting off integral parts of a student’s free time.

Along with diminishing school performance, another fault that stems from a condensed school week is limited child care. With parents working a five-day week might be necessary for both parent and child.

  How did he do this? On New Year’s Eve, 2011, Obama surreptitiously signed H.R. 1540, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 or NDAA, into law.  What exactly is the NDAA? This 565-page, $662 billion law allows the government to detain, torture, and imprison you indefinitely without trial, should you pose as a threat to the government in any way whatsoever, or give off the impression that you are involved with al-Qaeda, the Taliban or “related forces.” So you may want to think twice about what you post to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr because whatever you post on the Internet can and will be monitored, and if the government deems your posts as overly-rebellious or threatening to theU.S., they will take immediate action. 

  But wait a minute.  Does the Bill of Rights not protect freedom of speech, press, religion, and assembly? Does it not prohibit unreasonable searches and seizures? Does it not guarantee due process in a court of law, a quick hearing, and trial by jury?  Does it not prohibit excessive bail, fines and punishment? And were the Constitution and the Bill of Rights not established in order to limit the power of government, not the freedom of the people?  Unfortunately for us, all of these supposedly irrevocable rights once promised by these historic legal documents are essentially rendered obsolete and useless by H.R. 1540.

  Exacerbating the current outrage with the content of this law is the fact that Obama had previously expressed intention to veto the legislation altogether.  Then, in an act of utter hypocrisy, he passed it!  The Huffington Post reported that in his signing statement, Obama declared that he “signed [the] bill despite having serious reservations with certain provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation, and prosecution of suspected terrorists.” So once again, Obama has failed to remain steadfast in his word; only this time, the results of his capriciousness will be undoubtedly catastrophic.

   The NDAA has now made it legal to torture and imprisonU.S.citizens without fair trial.  The Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution are no longer sacred.  And if you are still considering casting your vote for Barack Obama this November, you seriously need to reevaluate your choice, unless you want to continue to be governed by a leader who is steering our country towards a military-dominated, totalitarian government.

One well known demonstration location that made headlines in the past week is the encampment in New York City’s Zuccotti Park. Both the Huffington Post and The Daily Show exposed the irony within the borders of the protest. While the “99%” is fighting against classism and elitism, these very qualities are gradually seeping into its protests. The east-end of the park is filled with, as one “occupier” put it, “college hipsters from Brooklyn that try to rule the park” and the west side is given the title of “the poor peoples’ encampment”.

Each side has distinct qualities: drum circles on the west and a sophisticated library on the east. Some “East End”-ers spend all day surfing the internet on their Apple computers while the “West End”-ers spend time in “spirit circles” and  “private” tents.

Two months into the series of Occupy protests, their message seems to have become convoluted. Rather than select protesters fighting for what they believe in, many join the movement because it is the “in” thing to do.

One occupier interviewed by The Daily Show is a prime example of the uneducated protester.  With a brand new iPad 2 in tow, he states “I am here fighting for a society where everyone has access to the goods of life.” But, when questioned whether he would share his iPad with the west end “bums,” he responds, “No, but I do think we should live in a society where everyone has access to technology and goods that everyone can use.” It makes absolutely no sense that he believes everyone should have equal access, yet he refuses to provide equal access to his precious Apple product.

Furthering the hypocrisy within this Occupy movement, select few protesters meet at 60 Wall Street – the Deutsche Bank building – to make decisions regarding the event’s activities. While these organizers are making “important” decisions about the protests’ future, they fail to realize that they are meeting in a building representing what they are fighting against. In addition, these protests aim to remove the 1% who make decisions for the rest of the country, yet they are allowing a select few individuals to make important choices for their demonstrations.

The hypocrisy displayed by the Occupy movement is laughable. How can a protest be effective when many protesters are unaware, or not fully supportive, of the cause they are supporting? In the words of Gandhi, in order for the Occupy movement to inspire change, they must first “be the change” they want to see in the world.

   With a netbook, students are presented with portability and great convenience of being able to use the device anywhere they would like. Its small and sleek design typically allows users to carry it with minimum difficulty. However, Jason Zheng (11) described its downfalls with, “Netbooks are slow and terrible for anything but light internet browsing.” But if you’re a light-browsing student, netbooks are perfect for your needs especially if you are looking for a cheaper device.

   Although laptops are more expensive than the general netbook, there are several benefits, which cause some students to prefer laptops. Whereas, netbooks lack power and performance, the laptop does not shy from it. Zheng stated, “I prefer a laptop because I’m used to Windows and prefer the power of a laptop.” Additionally, laptops have great gaming features. According to Larry Lin (11), “netbooks are terrible for playing games and Macs are incompatible with many games.” Financially, laptops are often pricier than netbooks.

    While netbooks are ideal for casual enjoyment and laptops are better suited for heavier gaming experiences, Macs take into account a much wider variety of the dimension of multimedia and customization to the user’s convenience. According to David Wayman (12), a Mac is more compatible with games than Lin earlier stated, “my Mac gets all my gaming needs in, as Portal and World of Warcraft work on my Mac.” Additionally, Wayman stated that the Mac has Windows offers on most laptops as “Whenever I need Windows, I have it partitioned on my hard drive, so I could just boot up into Windows to use a program or something that is Windows exclusive.”

   Yet what makes the Mac really special is not its advantage to work with several operating systems such as Windows 7, OSX, and Linux, but its distinguished nature from the netbook and laptop are the multimedia features of the Mac. Wayman commented that Macs are great for individuals who work with “artistic” dimensions. For example, Wayman constantly works with filming and editing clips that he uses his Mac’s Final Cut program extensively, which is only operative on the OSX system of Macs. However, a major concern for Macs is that they are expensive with prices that range into the thousands.

   With all their advantages and disadvantages, netbooks, laptops, and Macs are all different in their own way. For netbook users, convenience and light usage are preferred. Laptop users tend to lean towards the delivery and power. Mac users have a wide variety of multimedia as well as efficient power and extensive features as it can use Windows 7 features as well. The decision comes down to the type of student you are.

   Many scholarships offered are released by private groups such as the Hispanic College Fund and the United Negro College Fund. These organizations offer aid to minorities who hope to attend college, but often exclude Caucasians from applying.

   Awards such as the “Whites-Only Scholarship” offered by a Roger Williams University student and scholarships offered by the Former Major Association for Equality (FMAE) have come under fire for exclusively allowing white males to apply. FMAE’s president, Colby Bohannan said to Yahoo! News, “I’m not claiming that it’s a disadvantage to be a white male; I’m just recognizing that there is a subset of white and male that cannot afford the money for school. We’re trying to help those people better their own lives. We’re not making any political claims. We’re just trying to help people.”

   With many families, regardless of race, being affected with lost jobs and a bad economy, it is harder for everyone to afford college. While many scholarships are available to African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asians and other nationalities, there is a lack of opportunity for Caucasians.

   While some may find a “Whites-Only” scholarship unfair, it is just as biased as a “Latino-Only” or “Asian-Only” award. Compared to the small amount of scholarships available solely for whites, other races have a larger advantage in raising funds for college.

   Rather than bringing up racism and prejudice in organizations that support impoverished white males, one should see the big picture and realize that race-based scholarships are not a new idea.

   Everyone deserves to go to college, regardless of race, and any opportunity to support another’s endeavors should be welcomed.

   According to theweek.com, former president George W. Bush deserves a great deal of credit for what he has done because he “authorized the interrogations that reportedly proved crucial to tracking down the al Qaeda leader.” In addition, Adam Yoshida of the American Thinker stated “it was Bush’s interrogations that first unmasked the courier who eventually led us to Bin Laden.” Though many still despise Bush for his policies as a president, they are still able to put aside their differences and give the praise he has not received.

     On the other hand, Tucker Reals of cbsnews.com believes Obama should be praised for this killing. The website added after a recent poll, “57 percent of Americans generally approve of Mr. Obama in the wake of the raid in Pakistan.” In addition, “[a] whopping 85 percent of those polled gave Mr. Obama high marks for his handling of the operation to find bin Laden.” With his first presidential term concluding in 2012, Obama’s role in this matter has given the American people a respect which may reward him with a second term for his job.

   In spite of the recent accomplishment, President Obama and others remain apprehensive about whether Al Qaeda, the organization of which Osama was a leader, will retaliate after losing their much-loved leader. Time will tell if Al Qaeda chooses to make a stand, and America must be ready.