My Big Project

Finally! done my big project, no more pressure. I'm done. Alot of work went into this one, dare I say the most in the whole class? not that it matters, I knew that when I started it would take alot of effort. I had alot of fun doing my project, mainly because it's something that I enjoy doing. I think that this class is a blessing because it allows people to get marks for something they actually like to do, instead of something they 'should' enjoy doing *cough* english *cough*. In all seriousness, if I didn't do this as a school project, it probobly still wouldn't have gotten started, just because my parents are both big procrastenators and it takes a firm kick in butt to get them going. that's what this class was, a firm kick in the butt for my parents. It was also a lot of fun and I'm so glad I took it. So, getting down to business, I think i deserve somewhere in the 90's for a mark, because I did try really hard for a long time, and put 110% of my effort into this project. I think that it helped alot of people to realise that doing a rennovation is actually a big job, especially a bathroom, which incorporates contruction, drywall, painting, plumbing, and electrical. Almost all of the major areas of skilled trades are involved. A bathroom is no small job, and although I had fun I'm glad it's done. Summer here I come.

Angels and Demons...

*sigh* here's a prime example of why I don't like reading books before movies: THEY GET RUINED!! Don't get me wrong, I loved the movie, and I think it's a great movie if you haven't read the book, but if you have, prepare to be disappointed. here's a lil list I threw together of the major problems:

- The Legs!!
- The brand. (crossed keys? common now)
- The fact that the fourth cardinal survived!?!?! that's just too major of a difference to allow for
- Missing legs
- The hassassian guy looked like a guy who spends more time in a library than killing people.
- The hassassian doesn't fight with Langdon. actually, I kinda liked the way they dealt with that, the whole "I didn't fight you because you were unarmed and have stayed out of my way" I like when movies do that.
- Um, no vittoria vetra legs
- The missing camera crew? disappointed.
- the whole, your father was killed, langdon goes to switzerland thingy. (but hey, 100 pages can't be THAT important can they?)
- And finally, Vittoria's legs were nowhere to be seen (or, atleast, they weren't as apparent as they should have been.

Anywho.. I think that Dan Brown over compensated for the criticism he got from Da Vinci Code making it too much like the book, so here's what he did: he took the book, got the generaly plot idea, a couple characters, then ripped the book in half and threw it in the garbage and wrote a whole new story. Good movie overall, but not if you've read the book.

Pope 2.0?

So the pope has finally gone digital. Finally I can see what he's up to whenever I want to enlighten myself. I think that this whole idea is just to try and get young people to follow religion and once again have faith in the catholic churches of today. I applaud his efforts, just like the pastor guy who dressed up like movie characters, I think that this is the first step in a much needed church overhaul. Let's face it: 95% of the people who regularly attend church have grey hair, and once they're gone, they're gone. The churches of today need to drastically change in order to accommodate and attract young people, or they will die out. In these times, not many people want to spend their Sunday morning getting up early and getting dressed really nice to listen to someone talk for a couple hours. that's what school's for. people want to be entertained and have their religion apply to today's standards. The church claims that it can't change to keep up with the times because then that would involve changing their entire mentality of what they believe in. But if they don't start thinking of change now, it may be too late. So good job pope Benedict, it's a step in the right direction.

Da Vinci Code

I think the whole problem with this movie is the fact that it seems to attack the catholic religion. I know that if I was a more devout catholic I would probably be hugely offended by this movie. It shows how the Catholics are willing to hire a hit man, an albino one at that, in order to keep control over the faith. Not only is the movie depicting extreme cases of hardcore belief, whipping yourself anyone, but it also shows how the whole religion is based on what is claimed to be a lie. I think that this movie was made to cause controversy and make people angry, and it did a great job. The movie also follows the book WAY too closely, there's even a few parts that are word for word. This is a problem, but it's also a tricky thing to solve, because way too many movies get criticised for changing from the book too much. Poor Dan Brown, first he makes it too much like the book, and then Angels and Demons is completely different from the book. He just can't seem to get it right.

Movies, Money, and God

Finally! a church pastor who embraces change and doesn't label it as unholy evil. I think that the churches of today NEED to start changing and become more modern. I personally don't go to church very often, even though I am a catholic, because it seems incredibly out of date compared to today's standards. The catholic churches claim that they can't change their ways, but I believe that if they don't they will be almost obsolete within 50 years. almost all of the people who attend church regularly are seniors, and if the churches don't start attracting more people to go, then once they're gone, there will be a major lack of attendants. This pastor has the right idea, if you want to keep things going, you NEED to appeal to younger people, especially teenagers. If this church gets even 10 teenagers to attend regularly because of his efforts, then he should be very proud. It's very difficult to have faith these days, especially with all the terrible things going on in today's world, and having church seem outdated and old doesn't help. I applaud his efforts.

Al Gore

Al Gore... what a character. Don't get me wrong, what he is trying to do is very noble, and I fully back him up with all that he does, but he just strikes me as a really weird guy. I'm not entirely sure why, possible because whenever I see his name I can't help but think of him in Southpark fighting off the man-bear-pig. He is trying to do a huge job and he is just the guy to do it, because he was already widely known before, and this will help him spread his message (Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor is a prime example), but I still think that he is just a doomsday nutjob that is causing mass panic (trying to, anyways) and spreading his message across the globe. Now, I'm not one of those people who thinks that global warming doesn't exist, and that we don't need to change, because I know that we do. If we keep living the same way as we did for years the earth will cease to exist and Al Gore will be right. We can't have that can we?

Angels and Demons and Hollywood

I think that it's very hard to make a movie that contains a lot of religious references and practices without offending somebody in today's politically correct world. Religion has always been a taboo subject when it comes to mass marketed entertainment. That is the one thing that will very rarely be made fun of by a comedian, unless he/she is of that religion and is poking fun at themselves. The same is true with movies, because a movie will generally show how the director feels towards religion, no matter how neutral they try to remain, there will always be a bit of personal opinion evident in their work. I know that after watching Da Vinci Code, I felt that it was very aggressive towards the catholic religion, and although I wasn't personally offended, I could see how someone else could be quite easily. I just think that with any media today it is impossible to please everyone, so filmmakers have to make their movies for the intended audience and shrug off any criticism that comes their way from someone else. However, I know that this would be very difficult to do.

Pressing Issues that Earth Faces

There are many issues that are causing the world's problems of today, and although individually the problems are not huge, when combined they become hugely important. I think the the main issue today is greed. This has caused many problems, from outsourcing jobs causing lots of people to be laid off, to the current economic crisis, to the war for oil, I mean the 'war on terrorism'. I have never been one to point fingers, but alot of the problem comes from wealthy American capitalists looking to make the most money in the easiest way possible, not worrying about who it affects. This leads into my second biggest issue, selfishness. This is directly related to greed, but this applies more to the human aspect instead of money. Selfishness has lead in everyone thinking only of themselves, and not caring about their fellow human beings. This can lead to war, ignorance, and indifference. The third most important issue is overpopulation. There are way too many people on the earth, and they all can't be supported by our natural resources. This can lead to shortages of vital resources such as water and food. The fourth biggest issue is pollution. As I said before, there aren't enough resources to go around as it is, so it only makes things worse if things are wasted and our renewable sources of energy aren't beaing taken advantage of. The fifth biggest issue affecting the world today is disrespect. It seems to me that every year, people become more disrepectful of other people, other people's possesions, and even themselves. I may sound like an old man sitting in Timmies, but the kids of today have no respect. I can see myself now: sitting on my porch, chasing a kid with my cane yelling "You damn kids get off my lawn!". So there you have it, the problems of today summed up in one nice, conveniant paragraph: Greed, Selfishness, Overpopulation, Pollution, and Disrespect.

If I was in Charge of Education...

If I was in charge of the education system I would make a few changes. The very first thing I would do would be to change the school schedule to something similar to the British schedule. This is where the school year goes almost all year long, with 6 weeks for summer, 2 weeks for spring, and 2 weeks for christmas. I would start school an hour later, because I HATE getting up in the morning, and it also has been shown to be a poor learning time for teenage students. I would also completely update the teaching method. This would involve: getting rid of textbooks for digital learning media, replacing chalk boards with smart boards, and training teachers to be more technologically aware and know what they're talking about. This would allow for a much higher education system.

American Teen Continued

I ABSOLUTELY agree!! Attending IDCI provides a huge pressure cooker, since everyone knows everyone and this helps to eliminate your personal life. However, coming from Thamesford, IDCI seems alot larger than what I used to deal with. In TPS (Thamesford Public School), we had about 300 students, with about 40 kids in each grade. This meant that I was with the same kids every single year, for the most part. In fact, except for some people who moved, my grade 1 class was almost identical to my grade 8 class. this allowed for a situation where it was impossible for someone to not notice you. Even just living in town meant that everyone knew you, or atleast your parents. This got me in trouble multiple times, if I was doing something or going somewhere my parents didn't want me to, since alot of people in town knew me, they would tell my parents and I would get in trouble. Living in a small town means it is almost impossible to have a private life. I hear almost daily something like "Hey I saw you the other day driving through town" or "Hey I saw you going to the store yesterday". This creates a pressure cooker situation, since it gives you the feeling that you are constantly being watched.

American Teen

I really liked this movie, it showed how stressful a teenager's life can be at times, although it did seem over dramatic. to quote Mr. McG it seems very "The Hills-ish". Take the preppy girl for example, i can't remember her name at the moment, but she is your definitive preppy, stuck up, american, b****. She likes to think that she is the centre of the universe, and that no one else is important. She ended up TP-ing someones house just becaue she didn't get the prom theme she wanted, then she ended up not even getting in trouble. The whole movie seemed rather over-dramatic, although it very well could have been edited to appear that way. One thing that this movie made me realise more than anything else, was just how different Americans are versus Canadians. Take sports for example, I was on the football team this year and the only time we had a big audience was during the buyouts, and once school was over, almost two thirds of the audience left. In the movie, the basketball games are considered THE most important thing to go watch, and they get tons of people to turn out. I really was sympathetic to the nerdy guy, however alot of his problems seemed to be self inflicted. To put it simply, he was just, weird. I thought that his story was sad, and felt bad for him since most people didn't want anything to do with him. However, he seemed to find his niche in college. Overall impression: I really really liked this movie. like, really.

Growing up Online

After watching the show, it really made me think. I was thinking about how technology has changed the world, and especially the education system. Technology in schools has changed so much in the last two decades, and will bring even more drastic change in the years to come. Because of computers, the education system has been exposed to all sorts of advancements in the school system, however, it also has created problems. problems of plagarism are now much more prominent, as is the amount of cheating. I think that the school system, and especially teachers, should try to embrace change and this won't be as much of an issue. I think that our education system needs a serious technological overhaul, do away with outdated books and other teaching strategies, and bring in more smartboards, videos, and other diverse ways of teaching. If this was done efficiently, it would not only solve the problems mentioned above, but it would also help to improve student's averages and the attendence rate. because, if school is fun, then why would you not show up?

Angels and Demons

I LOVE this book! I had already read Da Vinci Code and enjoyed it thoroughly, but the plot to angels and demons is so much more exciting and the plot is more rivetting, which kept me turning the pages until I was done. Angels and Demons is a great book, and I'm glad we picked it.

Once Upon a School

I really like the idea of the once upon a school, but I also know that it could never work in an area such as Ingersoll. We are just too narrow minded in Ingersoll. Take Fusion for example, even though it sounds like a great place to go, and helps alot of people out, it carries with it this terrible stereotype that only drugies, weird kids, and 'dirties' go there. I hate to admit it, but I used to believe this stereotype too, but I know it's not true now. This goes to show that hardly anyone would go to once upon a school in Ingersoll, because they would be afraid of being labelled. However, I think that this is a great idea for places that are a little more open minded about things that are different.

Seeing and believing

I have always thought that everything needs proof, and I like to livwe my life not assuming anything unless I am very sure. Therfore, I have always thought that seeing is believing. However, there are some things that I believe in without actually seeing them, God for example.

The epidemic that is Twitter

Blink and you'll miss it. We just started talking about Twitter a month ago, and it's already totally mainstream. I'll give you an example: last sunday I went to a London Knights game (great game by the way, go London!) and on the way in I was listening to FM96. Not only did the current DJ mention that you could follow her on twitter, but she also had a conversation about how many famous people also have twitter. Then, during the second intermission of the game, their was this big announcement on the jumbo-tron that you could now also follow the London Knights and everything that they did on twitter, some players even had their own site so that you could follow your favourite player. I personally do not have Twitter, and do not plan on getting it either. Twitter reminds me too much of Facebook, a huge fad where everyone has it, then all of a sudden, no one uses it anymore. I despise Facebook because I realised how useless it was. I would find myself commenting on someone's vacation pictures that I only knew through a friend who knew someone who was dating someone else. I also spent way too much time on people's sites that I barely knew, finding out private little facts that I wouldn't have known if I wasn't creeping their page. This lead to the realisation that people could, and were, doing the same thing to me. I also hate all the stupid groups and applications you get requests for (so-and-so wants you to be a pirate with them- come join the fun!). So, about two or three months ago, i deleted all my groups, all my apps, and all my personal info. I know that Twitter is just going to be the same thing, so I'm not even giving it a shot.

Science is my Job - Faith is my Rock

After reading the article about Scientists that are also religious, I have come to the conclusion that it actually IS possible to do both simultaneously. However, in order to be a scientist, one has to accept that many of the traditional religious beliefs are debateable. Angels and Demons is based around the ancient debate about religion and science, and the character Leonardo Vetra is both a physicist and a very religious man, but in the end he is murdered for the unity of his two passions.

Earth Hour

I think that the upcoming Earth Hour is a great idea to try and conserve power, but I also believe that not many people will observe this and actually turn off their power. I personally will not be doing anything for earth hour, and I didn't even know it was coming up. I think that there should be better incentives for earth hour, such as increasing power bills druing that hour, or offering tax exemptions or something. Earth hour is a good idea, but I don't think it is being exectued well.

Pope and Condom Use

First of all, I am catholic, so I technically should have a respect for the pope, but after hearing his comments I am completely outraged. Well talking to reporters, the pope calimed that "The problem cannot be overcome by distributing condoms. It only increases the problem" (referring to the AIDS epidemic effecting millions in Africa). And yes, condoms are not 100% safe, and the only real 100% anti-infection method is abstinence, but: THIS IS JUST WRONG!. The U.N. has shown that when condoms are used properly they reduce the risk of infection by 90%, and yet Pope Benedict XVI tried to tell Africa, and the world really, that condom use INCREASES the likelihood of HIV/AIDS infection. I'm sorry, but I have officially lost all respect for the current leader of the catholic church.

A+ for Everyone!

I really like this professor for deciding that everyone in his class should get an A+ just for showing up. I think that this allows people to be alot more unique and more like themselves. However, I also realise that this mentality would ONLY work in a University setting, because doing this in high school would result in too many kids skipping class and not even trying. But, since you pay for University, you obviously have the desire to attend school and learn. I think that this professor is a very smart man, and also is very bold. If you think about it, our class is kinda similar, since we don't really get marks, and we focus more on individualism and creativity.