what is fear?

Everyone has their own personal fears. What's the cause of them? Can someone be born with a fear, or does it develop through personal experiences. I'm TERRIFIED of heights, and I really don't want to be. I've been wondering for a while now, the reason for my fear. Some people have bazaar fears, like being afraid of apples, flowers, and even a certain color. according to www.howstuffworks.com "Fear is a chain reaction in the brain that starts with a stressful stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that cause a racing heart, fast breathing and energized muscles, among other things, also known as the fight-or-flight response. " After reading articles about how fear works, I have found that scientists have MANY different theories, none of them were 100% proven.

Schooling.

Has school become less important to people? I find that the majority of teens are comfortable with not finishing school, and starting off with a part time job. Why is this? I feel as though students get the feeling that a college education doesn't matter. This attitude can come from some parents who say "I didnt attend college, look how successful I am". The truth behind that is times have changed, and now in 2009 a High School Diploma doesn't even mean anything. There is an increasing demand for well educated skilled workers. SCHOOL IS STILL IMPORTANT. Especially in the economy now, you can't expect to live content, when you only have a job. a career is needed.

mixing pot.

America is truly a mixing pot of people religions and cultures. While walking through Manhattan one can see many cultural neighborhoods. From China Town to Little Italy, the fusion of culture is never ending. It's not hard to learn about any culture, because there is access to everything. America is open to things such as cultural foods, clothing, language, museums, architecture and neighborhoods. One important aspect of American Culture is that it openly allows a diffusion of others. Before going to another country one can already be exposed to their language, culture, religion, traditions or any other thing that they would need to know. I'm very proud to live in a country where every culture is allowed to express their beliefs.

adopt from...?

Over the past years adoption has become very popular, especially with celebrities. They have adopted children from other countries, brought them to America, and now these lucky children will grow up in stable and wealthy families. Although adopting a child from a third world country deserves a great amount of recognition, America's children also need homes. America has full orphanages of children waiting to be put into stable homes with families who love them. Before looking into children from other countries, I believe one looking to adopt should look into their own. A changed life is a change life no matter where its taken from.

mixing colors?

Why is it that I find that people are still in awe when they see two different races dating? Today as i was walking home I saw a couple where the man was African American, and the woman was Caucasian. The older man in front of me looked at them with disgust. I was very surprised because in living in such a diverse place like Brooklyn, I wouldn't have thought this would be a problem. It pains me, being bi-racial myself that even now people seem to have a problem with it. It shows that some races still feel superiority over other ones. I wonder when the eyes of society is going to open and see that the infamous word "race" is only another way to divide people. Along with social class, and sex, race has determined a persons worth over the years. It's alarming how ignorance of race still exists.

advanced or lazy?

In 2009 where technology is very advanced. Society hasn't realized how lucky they are to have access to such technology that has developed. From cell phones to iPods, television and even medical technology America is flourishing with technological advances. Technology has become a daily essential, when truly its not needed. These little things that were made too make our lives easier, are taken advantage of. I would like to see a teen today pull out a quarter and use a pay phone. I cannot remember the last time I saw that. Also we are so dependent on television as entertainment. What happened to the old family game night? GONE! Even children lack physical activity because technology has taken over. Lazyness has become the number one issue since these advancements. The old family of values have disappeared since technology has given us the opportunity to have fun all alone.

what is a wish?

Why do we as humans leave things up to chances, wishes, and hopes? Why do we seem to take these things so seriously? Wishing on a star, at 11:11, even blowing our own eyelashes away. We believe that these little superstitions can change our fate. We're all guilty of it. Guilty of wishing for the impossible, leaving something in the hands of this "higher power" who may not, or doesn't even exist. One should stop dwelling and wishing on something to happen. Just take action, do something that takes you a couple of steps closer to what you want. A flaw of humans is that many sit back and wait for their desires to be handed to them, instead of taking control.

who says?

This past weekend I was watching television where one of the t.v shows sparked something in my brain. The story took place in a high school. One senior, while applying to colleges was told that they were surprised that with a "backround like hers", her grades were so high. Who say's that a child growing up with a backround with there were many struggles can't achieve? It is expected, as i've seen that even some teachers believe, if you grow up in a certain area, with a certain income, you can't amount to anything. I would really like to know. Who says? What makes someone intelligent and hard working? Is it the street the grew up on? The type of building they live in? How much salary their parents make? None of this really matters. The drive and the determination someones has is based solely on themselves, and what they want in life. It doesnt depend on whats given to them, such as wealth. It depends on what they take for themselves, like the value of a great education. It worries me that even some adults can believe that someones backround is what effects them in sucess

Frida

I loved the movie “Frida”. Going into it I thought that this movie was going to be a boring biography, but it was the complete opposite. Her life was so interesting, and full with obstacles. This movie proved how strong of a woman Frida was. At such a young age she was so determined to be an artist, and she didn’t allow anything to get in her way. One thing that stood out to me about this movie was the way they portrayed her paintings, I absolutely LOVED it. They didn’t only show them, but they put them at the part of the movie where they were inspired by. Not only that, they animated them and that was able to give me more of a feeling about the painting. I find Frida very empowering to women. She wasn’t the typical woman, especially during her time, but she didn’t care. She found it very important to be strong and independent. After watching this, I’ve come to love Frida more of an artist because of how her paintings are like her diary; all of her feelings were poured out into them. The makers of this movie did such a wonderful job portraying her. Instead of this being a biography of her life, it seems as if it was an autobiography because it allows the audience to feel like they are in her diary.

Image

there are many positive things, that separate us humans from animals. Music, art, literature, dance, etc. can be some of them. ONE thing that also separates us is that image has become so important. I'm pretty sure you've all heard of the term "dont't judge a book by it's cover". That would make most of us hipocrates, because daily, we judge people by the way they look. Waking up in the morning, and preparing for our day we worry about what were going to look like. Should it really matter? I feel like if you're comfortable with the people that you are around, it shouldn't matter if you show up in pajamas, or in a ball gown. We can't really help it though, it's what the media feeds us. Think about the last time you picked up a tabloid and it didn't say 'IS SHE TOO THIN?" or "IS SHE TOO FAT?". They act as if it changes the person. I'm guilty of it also, i'm guilty of caring what I look like. The difference is, I do it because I feel like dressing up, not to impress anyone. I also believe that if people took as much time, looking within themselves, as they did to pick out clothes, everyone would get along and live together much nicer. Also they'll appreciate people for who they are, instead of judging them by the way that they appear.

The Metamorphosis by Kafka had to be one of the most awakening pieces of literature I have ever read. I really enjoyed it, because unlike modern stories, it was not at all predictable. I couldn't figure out what would happen next. Sometimes it really made me think whether Gregor actually appeared as an insect or not I began to think that it was only in his imagination, and he used it to get out of all his responsibilities for a while. Its really out of the ordinary, which is why I felt that reading it was worth while. My favorite part was Gregor's reaction to becoming a bug, as if it wasn't a major change for him at all. I know my reaction would have been totally different, because my life is totally different and I think I would have a lot more to lose than he did. Another thing that surprised me about it was the reaction if his family. Instead of trying to help him, all they really did was figure out how they were going to deal with it. That adds to how they only thought of him as a bank account and not as the son that he was. Kafka is an amazing writer, and after reading this, it made me want to read more of his work. I think the story of Gregor is similar to the life of the "average Joe". His life was so overwhelming and everyone depended on him, so even though being transformed into an insect didn't benefit his life much, it was sort of a relief to Gregor because he didn't have to support his family anymore. This story shows that they wouldn't have been able to do it themselves. Its amazing that in the 19 Th century one man could have been so far ahead of his time. Before reading, I never expected it to be so interesting, and well, crazy. There's a mix of ideas in this story that I would never imagine possible. Metamorphosis is definitely something I will remember. I would recommend it to anyone

music.

When you hear the word "music", what do u really think about? Is it the rhythm, the beat, the lyrics(if there are any). Ive been wondering what really makes music special to people. As for me music is a way of expression. It's like poetry mixed with rhythms and sounds. Music can change a persons mood. To me lyrics are what makes it special. Anyone can take a bunch of words and rhyme them, put them together and call it a "Song". To me that means nothing. What makes someone a musician is the ability to put words together in a certain way, where it makes whoever who is listening to it feel it, and feel the mood the artist is trying to get across. All the words and rhymes put together should make someone think, and tell a story. Its an amazing way of expression, and it can be used to build upon. Dancers choose certain music because it lays down the foundation for they story they're expressing through dance. Take your favorite song, and actually read through the lyrics, after that you'll figure out why you actually like it. Try it

a pictures worth a thousand words.

Ever since i was a child, i've heard the term "a picture's worth a thousand words". Is it true? I believe so. The art of Photography is amazing, especially the fact that its freezing a moment in time so even in 25 years you can re-live that moment. One picture can tell so many different stories, its all up to the imagination. I love photography because it's not only taking a picture. It captures mood,feeling,emotion,action,etc. There are many forms of art but photography is my favorite. It doesn't only involve what the photographer is trying to portray, but it also involves the feeling of the subject, whether its a person, a thing,or scenery every photo can give a different feeling. Me, being into fashion would have to say Nigel Barker has grown to be my favorite fashion photographer. I think its incredible how he takes fashion and gives it a whole new meaning in his photos. He takes the clothes, along w. the setting and shows a feeling of confidence the clothes are suppose to give the consumer. That answered my question, a picture IS most definitly worth a thousand words.

An important issue that has come up this weekend is "babies having babies". I think that if two people are not married, or aren't stable financially, they should not bring children into that situation. Expecially if they're not able to even take care of themselves. I think that teenagers, are too quick to think and too quick to make decisions. How are you meant to take care of a child, when u still need your parents to wake you up for school in the morning? It avsolutly amazes me how 13 and 15 year olds are having babies and clain that they are responsible enough. When the reason why they are having the child is because they werent responsible in the first place. A child needs a stable life, having a baby is not a joke. It changes everything, and it shouldnt be a game of "lets see how long it lives". This weekend there was a story about a 13 year old boy and a 15 year old girl that were having a baby. When the boy(Alfie Patten) was asked how he was going to support the baby financially he answered "whats financially". That reponse just proved me right. Babies should not be having Babies.