Category: journalism

Stuff having to do with the world of journalism.

A Man Who Never Let His Disabilities Define Himself

Paloma SpencerLeave a comment

For people with disabilities, life is anything but easy. However, seeing people with such hardships pursuing the things they love, despite this fact, is truly inspirational.

This Saturday night fans will be crowding the Los Angeles stadium for the Dodgers home game. Though in addition to the exciting strikes and home runs, fans will witness a “ceremonial” first pitch.

Tom Willis, a man who was born without arms, will be conducting this first pitch. However, with a lack of arms, Willis will be using his more than capable feet.
And this man is not simply pitching for fun but rather using it as part of his “Pitch for Awareness” national campaign in which Willis will travel to all 30 major league stadiums in order to promote a better understanding that people with disabilities are still capable of numerous things.

“I want to raise people’s awareness of the abilities of a person with a disability, not to focus o what they can’t do but on what they can do,” said Willis.

Willis was diagnosed at birth with a congenital bilateral upper limb deficiency in which both of his arms did not develop properly. However, Willis has found that his condition does not have to limit him. He drives his own car with the simple aid of a foot-steering system, can do his own laundry, pump his own gas, and is currently working as an independent TV producer and motivational speaker.

His campaign started in 2008 when he threw the first pitch at his hometown stadium of the San Diego Padres. Willis is now continuing his dream of traveling to Fenway Park on July 7 as well as numerous other stadiums throughout his tour.

Willis did not allow his disabilities to define who he was, but rather used what he could do to define himself.

One Man v. A Row of Tanks

yrreskrapLeave a comment

As I was working on my second Decades Paper for my history class, the dusty shelves in the memory department of my brain were revisited. My eyes fell upon a small paragraph, containing information that I would have probably just skimmed over had it not sparked something in the murky abyss of my memories. Two words reminded me of the struggles of countless students and even more so of one brave civilian who decided he had enough.

Tiananmen Square, 1989.

Students, mothers, fathers. Civilians alike banded together in the name of political reform. They had just lost a leader and strong liberalization advocate, Hu Yaobang, and felt it was in their hands to fight for the changes they wanted to see. And fight they did.

Through mainly non-violent protests, more and more people joined the cause for a more liberal government. However, the communist government fought back, mercilessly.

Buildings were on fire. Rubble and debris littered the floor. Many civilian lives were lost. However, throughout this fear for the government and citizen lives, one man refused to back down. One ordinary man who did an extraordinary act.

This is a video of the man who courageously stopped a row of tanks.

It’s quite breathtaking. To have the strength to go alone in front of tanks that can crush the human body in a matter of seconds.

Silently, I scolded myself for having let the dust collect over such a power event in those shelves of mine. So I decided to blog about this single event. This event happened 21 years ago, way before I was even born. I had almost forgotten this important moment as I am sure many other who will read this blog have as well. I am writing this blog to remind people that such bravery exists in today’s society and to inspire those who have never heard of this man-whose name I don’t even know-that stood against the row of tanks.

To learn more about this event watch the following video:

Music Map

yourgingerkidLeave a comment

Here I go again. Posting yet another music related post.

Do you guys ever get sick of listening to the same music?

Is the school’s internet too slow to host pandora or fm radio? Well I’ve got a good website for you!

This wonderful website allows you to type in the name of an artist and gives you names to plenty of others just like it.

You don’t have to go to Pandora and sit through all the songs until you find a few that you like. You don’t have to listen to the radio and figure out which songs you like. Now you can just type in the name of an artist and find plenty of others just like it.

I honestly sound like an internet advertisement, but that’s okay. I’m fine with that as long as I get the message across. You all should definitely check it out.

The Ivies

Paloma Spencer1 Comment

We have all heard the classical tales of the 8 Ivy League Institutions.

Located on the north-eastern United States, these universities are known for their gorgeous campuses, amazing academics, social elitism, and, unfortunately for most students, the lowest percentages in acceptance rates.

In case you do not know, these are the 8 wonders of the college world:

Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, and the University of Pennsylvania.

All these schools are of course, no doubt, amazing, but I find that many of my friends refused to apply to these universities because they “simply wouldn’t get in,” or because “there is no point to just get rejected.”

That is why I will tell you this:

Myself, as a senior applying to college had always known where I wanted to go, but afraid that I would never get in, I always created alternate top choices of schools that I would be more likely to attend.

My top was Yale University.

Yep, just the name makes me so happy!

The beautiful brick buildings, the intriguing classroom environments, and yes whoever watched Gilmore Girls would understand that Rory had a large impact on me.

Since I was young I had constantly heard the gasp of astonishment when people acclaimed they would attend Yale, and thus decided that this institution would be the place for me.

So I applied.

However, once I received my tiny little rejection letter in the mail, I felt crushed.

So I can be a bit of a drama queen, but honestly it did kind of hurt.

But the thing I realized is that although I was upset, I would have been more upset if I never even tried.

Even if you think you may not have the grades, or the extracurricular activities, you honestly don’t know what each college is looking for and there is always a chance to be pleasantly surprised.

Today, I am so happy with my college decision, even though it might not be Yale, and I do wish that all prospective college students apply to at least one of these eight institutions.

“If you never try, you’ll never know.”

: )

“SHORT SLEEPERS” DO EXIST!

Paloma SpencerLeave a comment

I have to admit that as a person with strange sleeping hours, I am extremely jealous of those who can get so little sleep but yet still function so well.

Turns out there are actually people that acquire this condition as a young age; they are called “short sleepers.” They are naturally early risers and late sleepers.

In contrast to people who simply sleep less than the recommended 7 hours, this rare species can actually continue their day without endless cups of coffee or countless 5-minute naps. Instead, they feel perfectly normal and healthy, and continue their day with optimism, an outgoing personality, and tons and tons of energy.

But how could this be possible? I mean, they have to be tired, right?

Scientists have determined that this type of sleeping pattern usually develops during childhood and simply continues into adulthood. I assume it is comparable to nail biting, not only can it be a natural habit but it is also an easily developed and continuous tendency.

But at least this habit has it’s perks. While some people may believe that sleep is the best part of their days, these people believe quite the opposite.

“Sleep is a waste of time.”

Yep, that’s right. The main personal reason they do not sleep is usually because they find better things to do, and thus began multitasking away.

As much as I would like to say that I acquired these “short sleeper” genes, I know I have not.

But at least its an excuse to sleep more!

Prom

yourgingerkidLeave a comment

Tomorrow night I will be somewhere in Ventura living out the last hurrah of my senior year.

I honestly cannot wait. We’ve waited four years to finally have a dance dedicated to us and not have to ride on the bus to the site and back.

The juniors have spent weeks planning this event for us and have really tried to make us happy. I can’t see a reason why it wouldn’t be enjoyable.

It has all built up till the final moment. As seniors, it is out opportunity to enjoy what has been planned for us and to share the experience with others. We should honestly just have a good time and forget that some of us don’t get along.

I propose that tomorrow, we leave all of our preconceived assumption about prom and all our negativity behind. Let’s enjoy our last prom with class, please. It’d be lovely to thoroughly enjoy this moment.

I went on an adventure which took me from Ojai to Topanga and everywhere between. One of my best friends prom dress never came in the mail, so with my aunts help, we spent seven and a half hours in search of the perfect dress. It’s people like us that actually care about prom, where as most don’t. It’s supposed to be a memorable experience that is shared between classmates, and our adventure today really reminded me of that.

We are one class, sharing one experience that will forever be remembered. Let’s make it the best we can.

Glenn Beck, the Anti-Elitist.

smackyjackjack1 Comment

America, we will remember this day. Write it down, Wednesday, April 6th, 2011. This is the day that America’s greatest idiot finally got his  show taken off the air. Glenn Beck has finally been removed from television.

Let’s look back at one of Beck’s blunders.

Glenn Beck is the moronic dunce that cries at the drop of a hat. Beck once cried when he was grossly misinformed about the happenings at the Boston harbor on December 16th, 1773. Beck was under the impression that the “patriotic” American colonists were symbolically  protesting the “elitist” British Government’s rise on taxes. Beck also believed that the British were comparable to the modern day Liberals.

Ok, where to begin? First of all, Mr. Beck, the colonists were not protesting the British taxes as much as they were protesting the monopoly the British had given to the East India Trading Company. Secondly, the Liberals of today are raising taxes to lift the USofA out of it’s trillions of dollars of debt (thank you Reagan). The British were heavily taxing paper, and other miniscule things. For you, Mr. Beck, to even attempt to compare the poor governing of the British in the 18th century to Obama and those Liberal elitists, is so ridiculous, that it baffles me to think that you have your own show. Oh, I’m sorry, HAD your own show. Even the corporate giant FOX News has realized how stupid you are.

Finally, I would just like to point out the irony that you are being fired for not knowing how to perform your job well enough, when you constantly call out elitists.  An elitist is not a bad thing, Mr. Beck. Hell, you don’t even have to be an elitist to have your own show. Just show some intelligence.  However, if you were an elitist, then you would still have a job. Isn’t life funny?

One year older, four teeth less wise.

dmilesburton1 Comment
Weisheitszahn5
Image via Wikipedia

It’s Sunday night. School begins again tomorrow, and the weekend is done.

This statement both reassures me and makes me a little upset. To tell the truth, it’s not schoolwork or the fact that I have to wake up early, it’s that my wisdom teeth really hurt.

Let me correct myself: the empty spaces in my mouth where my wisdom teeth were really hurt. All four of them.

This past Friday began quite pleasantly for me. I woke up, showered and brushed my teeth, and then got in the car to go to the oral surgeon. I was called back pretty quickly, put in a chair and set up with heart rate monitors and oxygen, and then I felt a needle in my arm.

I was a little nervous, seeing as I don’t really like needles, but I stayed calm, knowing that in a few seconds I would be knocked out. I was sitting there wondering how much longer the sedative would take when I woke up in a different room, lying on a bed.

Apparently I was strapped down, but I don’t really remember much. Just asking my mom if I was still in the surgery room. Turns out I wasn’t.

I stumbled to the car, and then I fell back asleep.

We drove up to an intersection, and I opened my door and leaned my head out of the doorway as I threw up.

Apparently this was normal, seeing as my mom didn’t even flinch, just said that if I kept swallowing blood, it would happen again, and that we’d get some gauze when we got to my aunt’s house.

We did get gauze, and it did help… for a bit. That is until I puked again. And again. And two or three more times after that, I don’t really remember.

Anyway, I spent most of my weekend in bed, throwing up any food I ate and slowly stopping the consistent bleeding in my mouth.

So, to wrap up my story, I’m upset about the week because I can’t just lie down and rest, but I’m excited for the week because it means I made it through the worst.

Also my cheeks are really swollen.

 

Ignorance Isn’t Bliss

yourgingerkidLeave a comment

I’ve been at OVS for five years now. It’s safe to say that I can call it home away from home and a place that has played a major role in shaping the person that I am today. From age 12 to 17, a person in most easily molded due to being in the formal operations stage of cognitive developement. A normal teenager wouldn’t dream about spending this much time at ‘home,’ but here you don’t really have a choice.

In a normal household, in a normal life, you are exposed to the outside world. You see tragedies happen first hand and just simple little realities of life. Up on a desolate hill with less the 125 people it’s like living in a zoo. We have absolutely no clue as to what’s actually going on in the real world.

Can’t we watch the news during breakfast?

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Every morning a constant flow of students make their way in and out of the cafeteria, some staying for a meal and others rushing through. Would it be so much to ask to turn on the news to see what’s going on outside our little world?

Just last year when the oil spill off the coast of the Mexican Gulf, most of the students weren’t aware of it until a while after. I found out because I was in Advanced Placement Environment Science, but I’m pretty sure that most of the foreign population had absolutely no clue about it.

It’s so silly! Why can’t the news be turned on in the mornings? I can say that if the news were to be played I would actually eat breakfast and not rush through. I’m sure that a lot of people would. Hell, it’d educate us, not distract us. There really isn’t a reason not to turn it on in the mornings!

We’ve Heard Enough About Rebecca Black!

sennymcflyLeave a comment

Good lord! Most of us know who she is. The girl who made a hit song that blasted through the charts and made iTunes enough money to take over the world and give out free iPads to everyone in Africa. She became famous within the time it takes for your heart to beat twice. But, what she really did was she turned the best day of the week into a NIGHTMARE!

I promised myself that I would refrain from posting my feelings on the internet so I will try to keep my comments at a calm and reasonable level.

Since the thirteen year old “superstar” hit the web her fame has grown to a completely unnecessary and undeserved spot at the top. Seriously man, if girls like this can hit number 2 on MTV‘s charts with a song like that then I want nothing to do with the music business and every real artist that has ever made music should just quit now.

*Now, just a side note: I just want to point out that it doesn’t really surprise me that much that she reached number two because MTV sold out a long time ago so… Going on.

You were so cool MTV. What happened?

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