Post #2 - Robert Kennedy: His Life

Bobby Kennedy switched schools many times as a kid, further adding to to his troubles. He had trouble making friends and fitting in. Instead of learning people's names, he just called the boys "fella", and soon, it became his nickname. Bobby didn't care very much however. He played football and made one friend whose name was David Hackett. The book reads, "Hackett was impressed with Kennedy's unwillingness to compromise to gain acceptance. Kennedy would not join in dirty jokes. He disliked bullying and would step in when an upperslassman tried to push around a younger boy" (39). Even as a high schooler, Bobby Kennedy had a true sense of right and wrong, moral and immoral. I believe that this shows it was a part of his true character and always was. It wasn't simply aqquired when he became a public servant.
Also, when an African-American was invited to speak at his college, Harvard, the man refused to come speak since the audience was going to be segregated. However, "Kennedy was determined he should come and that the university should open its doors. When other student leaders balked, Kennedy stood up and shouted, "You're all gutless!" He became so enraged addressing the university's governing board that he was vitually incoherent. But Kennedy's insistence worked: Bunche spoke to an integrated audience, open to the public" (55). Bobby Kennedy was a determined person and would go to any measure to make sure what was morally right happened. I think it takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there, especially for an unpopular stance. That takes courage. I think it must have run in the Kennedy family, considering his brother JFK wrote "Profiles In Courage", which describes many courageous men in history who put their popularity aside during their service to their country.

Post #1 - Robert Kennedy: His Life

Robert Kennedy had an interesting childhood. He was one of eight children and was the last boy born. He was small and had a dark personality. Maybe dark isn't the best word but he was certainly pessimistic. Everyone made fun of him, including his family. That is everyone except his mother. Then, people called him his mother's "pet". This really shaped his childhood. Being constantly put down caused him to be self-concious and unsure about himself. He even described himself as awkward. He was never considered smart and his father thought that he had no potential. His family described him as "...hopeless and (he) would never amount to anything" (31). I can't imagine how hard it would have been to grow up in this enviroment. I am truly lucky to have supporting parents. I believe that this poor living enviroment as a child caused him to want to make something of his life to prove everyone wrong.
Everyone in his life was always telling him what he couldn't do. One time, when he and his family were sailing on the ocean, his father made fun of him for not being able to swim. So, Bobby jumped off the boat into the ocean to prove him wrong. His oldest brother ended up jumping in and bringing him back to the boat. His brother, Jack, said about the ordeal, "It showed wither a lot of guts, or no sense at all, depending how you looked at it" (35). I think this showed how desperate he was for some attention of any kind. He was daring and willing to do anything to get his, especially from his father. Again, I believe that this strained relationship and constant want to please his father caused him to make something of his life. I can't wait to see how their relationship changed when Bobby became a politician. I guess i'll have to just keep reading to find out.
This realates to the struggles in a teenagers everyday life. One has to decide whether or not they are going to listen to what other people tell them or if they are going to shape their own future and ignore the negative things in their life. I believe that one should always think about the positives of themself as a person instead of the negatives. Sometimes it can be hard, especially when people are making fun of you, but everyone has their flaws. Why dwell on them? I think that if Bobby Kennedy had ignored what others were saying about him, he wouldn't have acted so desperate and awkward as a child.

Tina Fey: SNL Fans to 30 Rock Fans?

Tina Fey is one of my favorite comedians of all time, a close second to Amy Pohler. Every Saturday, I stay up to watch "SNL". I read an article questioning whether or not Fey will be able to convert her "SNL" fans to "30 Rock" fans. While "30 Rock", written by Tina, is a relativly new show, according to the article, it has already recieved "a total of 27 (emmy) nominations in two years". Linda Holmes, the writer of the article, does not ever say whether or not she believes that "SNL" fans will watch "30 Rock" when the new season begins. I believe that they will. However, I do not think they will stick around to watch it towards the end of the season. Having watched the show, I think it is funny, but not the funniest thing around. It's not "The Office" funny, but more of a clever funny. I think it is aimed at 30 year old people and above because the jokes are about political things. I am planning on watching the premier, but that's pretty much about it. I would recommend this article only if you like Tina Fey. It contains a lot of facts about her show and it becomes boring and monotonous.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27407385/

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Eco-Horror: The New Horror Film

I hate horror films (even though I have never actually watched one). That is unless you count movies from the newest film genre: Eco-Horror. I watched the Inconvinient Truth and while it isn't the scariest movie in the world, it makes you want to take action against global warming and it's impending doom. This article names several global warming documentaries that make the audience feel scared and uncertain about our future as humans and the world. While this genre is pretty new, the main principles its based on isn't, according to the article. Being worried about the enviroment has always been a classic movie theme. The article names movies such as
"Ferngully", "Erin Brockovich", "Silkwood" and "Gorillas in the Mist" as evidence of this. I think it is really interesting that even though being concerened about our enviroment in movies is nothing new, people are really starting to connect with it in our generation. This is a huge problem that will not just affect us and our families. It will affect every single human being on this planet and even the earth itself. If movies are the way to bring this issue to the front of people's minds, I am all for it. Hopefully, eco-horror films will become as well known as the regular horror films.

It was a good article but it was fact based and hard to read. I would only recommend it if you found this topic really interesting. It's not really something to read for fun.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/22/eco.films/

Obama Planning 30 Minute Television Ad

six days before the election, barack obama will be running a 30 minute ad on NBC and CBS. During this time, he will make his "closing argument" to the country. Because his campaign has a lot of money to spend, he is able to splurge on this ad during primetime tv. His ads are being played all across the country, in key states and in undecided voters homes. Meanwhile John mccain is unable to run tons of ads due to his lack of extra money. This article also comments on the tone of each campaign's ads. While John McCain's ads tend to focus on Obama's "negative" traits, Obama's ads focus on the positive things he will do for the country. Studys conducted by the University of Madison, WI say that, "only 34 percent of (Obama's) ads attacked McCain directly while virtually all of McCain's ads attacked Obama". I believe that Americans do not want to listen to the canidates blaming each other and accusing each other. What they want to hear is what each can do for the country and for them. That is why i believe that the American people will elect Barack Obama president of the United State on november 4th.

The article was good, but it was kinda boring. It would be worth reading if you had nothing else to do, but if you've got time, i would read it. Its got a lot of facts in it that are interesting to think about.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27107689/

Need vs. Want

I told my mom tonight that i need a new phone. I've dropped mine so many times that there are scratches and dents everywhere and now it can't even stay on without freezing up. She told me to read an article in the SunCurrent about cell phones. Peggy Bakken, the writer, took her son to get a new cell phone because he said he needed a new one really bad. She bought him one but over the next few days it bothered her. She writes about how the poor economic state has forced many families to rely on others just to survive and are really "in need". Children need coats. People need food. She urges people to donate to Coats for Kids this winter. This got me thinking.......while i really want a new phone, do i really need it? It still works (most of the time) and if i didn't get a new one, it's not like i'm gonna be hungary and cold all winter. So for now, I'll hold off my "campaign" for a new phone and instead i'm going to go through our coat closet, grab all of my old coats, and donate them to people who really need them.

I would recommend reading this article because it gives you another perspective on our lives compared to others in our community.
http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2008/10/02/opinion/fw02peggycolumncoats.txt