DID YOU KNOW?

WHAT IS YOUR FIRST REACTION TO THIS VIDEO?

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR FUTURE?

COMMENT !!!!

Although I joined Ms. V's class late I feel I have learned alot. The class is somewhat fast paced but I pick up on things easily so its a fun challenge. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who isn't a fast learner but if you are then you will have a great time in this class. I also think its really fun using the Macs.....THERE HUGE. This class is also fun because it teaches you how to edit a video that can either come from youtube or even a video made by yourself. Its a good class and if your a fast learner I say you try to get into the class next semester.

My Reflection

In Media class, I've learned a few things. One, the wrong way to turn off a computer. Two, don't ask too many questions about something seemingly obvious (lest people become annoyed). Three, how to blog without making a complete fool of myself, a partial fool will do just fine. And four, try to say on topic, which is difficult for me especially.

Besides that, Media is a very fun class that incourages me and others to connect more via internet. Connecting to the internet can always be fun and you can discover many things that you'd never find in a library book.One example that I like is the inspirational things that are shared, such as this little bunny from the picture above, which would never had come into existence without the connections of the internet and the classes that teach people how to use the internet.

Reflection of The Year So Far

So far in Intro to Media, I've learned many new fascinating things. Some of these chosen things were learning different types of education people have all across the world, the world we live in today and how Obama is influencing it, how to blog, new news going around the world(new york times) and recently we've been learning how to make and edit videos. Of course it's only been a couple weeks but I've defiantly have learned and worked a lot. 

Some activities and lessons I'd like to learn is how to edit and add effects to videos since we've recently been working in that area of technology. This class is defiantly improving my tech savvy talent and opened my eyes to the world we're living in. Since every one in this generation is using computers this is defiantly a good class to know whats going on.

A school in Queens New york called Francis Lewis high school has over 4,000 students. Teachers have been forced to look for any space to cram more bodies. Yet Francis Lewis high school is one of the most popular schools in new york city with 13,000 students applying last year alone. When it rains or snows physical education classes are held inside were they run in the halls. Science classes are held in one tiny room with no ventilation. Despite the harsh condition Francis Lewis has the highest graduation rate in the city with 81% of the students finishing high school. The school so far is doing pretty well with the overwhelming amount of students and sometimes a crowded school has an upside and allows you to meet many people and experience different cultures. 

Here is a link to the article.

Reflections so far.

I have mixed feelings from the first few weeks of class. While it is just my opinion, I feel like this class is off to a slow start. Don't get me wrong, I think it is a good class and I understand that not everyone is at the same level of computer efficiency. It is just my 2 cents on the matter. Right about now is when I fear that I am coming off as an elitist snob but I am merely giving my opinion on the matter.

I enjoy learning about educations around the world and while learning Final Cut for a second time is tedious, I do need a refresher in that area. I feel far more comfortable with Sony Vegas and I would prefer to edit my movie in the Vegas program (I have included an embedded video of Sony Vegas at the end of this post). If I could experience something more I would have to say that there isn't anything I'd change at the moment. We haven't even completed our first project in this class yet so it is hard to make any judgement calls as far as that goes. Perhaps we spent a little to much time watching the education video but I feel that I learned a fair amount from that video. 

As I stated earlier, I feel like this class is off to a slow start but I believe it will pick up steam shortly and I have high hopes. As for the video, it is quite old and quite long (I believe it's about 44 minutes long). It is also the video I first used to learn how to edit and I feel that while we're not using Vegas, many of the concepts are the same. 

Cutting Classes... And supplies... And teachers

As Principals face less money for their schools, supplies, teachers, and classes are being cut. Extra curricular classes such as sports, arts, and tutoring are disappearing fast, along with the teachers that run them. And it's not just the teachers that are saddened, it's the students as well.

As shown in the New York Times online article, A New Meaning For Cutting Classes, 36% of the cuts principals made where towards supplies for the school. That means that pencils, paper, and equipment was cut back, which can eventually cripple the school that needs it.

The House of Representatives Expands College Aid

This past week the House of Representatives passed a bill in a 253 to 171 vote to expand federal aid to college students while ending federal subsidies to private lenders. Obama says that by changing to direct federal lending this program will eventually save the country money which could go towards grants for low-income students, new investments in community colleges, early-childhood programs, and other educational efforts. This bill is known as the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act and is now heading to the Senate. Though it is expected to be passed by the senate many republicans are against this new bill. They liken it to the highly controversial new health care plans and call it an "intrusive government takeover that will erode consumer choice." They say it is all about expanding the federal government, will lose jobs, and that it has many hidden costs. Democrats on the other hand are thrilled by the bill which they say will save money while helping our country to become better educated so that we can compete in today's world.

To read the article on which this blog was based click here 

Cutting Classes

Since the economy is so low, schools in New York City are cutting their classes. In one school there aren't any art based classes anymore. Extra credited classes after school has also been cut. With money being so low, the principals have to make some tough decisions to keep in the school; class sizes or tutors in English and math? After-school remediation or extra lunchroom monitors? Chess club or drumming class?

Melessa Avery, principal of P.S. 273 said to the teachers that there would be 29 students in each class instead of 21, and that the teachers are going to have to do multiple jobs, and that this will be probably the toughest school year for the school. 

Instead of some teachers being laid off from teaching, they are being replaced as substitutes.  A lot of schools are also cutting down art classes.

My opinion of all of this is that I understand that we're in a recession and all, but to cut down some classes that students have interest in such as art classes is complete nonsense. Is art not so important? It just makes me wonder what will happen to the kids that are gifted in the arts be able to do once they're in college.

Article from NY Times.

Can you learn self-control from a certain kind of play?

In the article "Can the Right Kinds of Play Teach Self-Control?" by Paul Tough, it explains how most children in preschool or kindergarten have a hard time controlling themselves. The nation took many surveys to see how big this issue is and one of them was that  46% of kindergarten teachers have said that half if not more kids in their classes have a hard time following directions. In the article Pul Tough states, "In another study, Head Start teachers reported that more than a quarter of their students exhibited serious self-control-related negative behaviors, like kicking or threatening other students, at least once a week." Also, a professor who works at Yale's child-study center, Walter Gillian estimates that each year about 5,000 kids get expelled from pre-K programs or classes. I know that there are kids who misbehave but thats just ridiculous! I understand that one or two kids might have problems at home that effects them and they don't know how to act in school in a mannerly way but not only is 5,000 students a lot of kids to get expelled, but these are pre-school students who aren't older than 5 or 6 years old! Its not like they can do much illegal stuff!

   But there are people out there trying to fix this! A psychologist, Angela Duckworth has been spending the last seven years at the University of Pennsylvania trying to improve children's self-control! So thats good! Even though their tests have been failing, its good to see that people are taking action to try to solve this problem!

Heres the Article from the New York Times  

From Birth, Engage Your Child With Talk.

More and more people are talking to their children in order to get the engaged at an early age. It has now been proven to help children develop their language skills. “Parents need to be reminded of the significance of their communicative model," says one prominent researcher.

Communication Starts Early.

“Talk to your baby whenever you have the chance,” the American Medical Association advises parents. “Even though he doesn’t understand what you’re saying, your calm, reassuring voice is what he needs to feel safe. Always respond to your newborn’s cries — he cannot be spoiled with too much attention.” This makes scene and should not be new information. The important thing to remember is that paying a lot of attention to one's children must have limits. For instance, not giving a child every toy that they want, while still always listening to them while they read. It is also important to reduce the amount of "baby-talk" and encourage the introduction of books as early as possible. Avoid verbal frustration. When your children try to talk to you, give them your full attention whenever possible. And before you speak to them, make sure you have their attention. Remember, being a good parent requires time, money, and a lot of effort from the parent(s). 

A teacher dies "randomly?!?!"

An article in the NY Times says that a teacher in Tyler, Texas was stabbed by a 16-year old student, and later died. Todd Henry, who worked with students with disabilities in Texas, was 52 years old.

While it is certainly sad that a teacher is dying, I am very surprised to find that the act was described as "a random act by an individual student." Seriously? Murder is not random! A teenager wouldn't just stab a teacher without reason, it just doesn't make sense. There has to be a reason for this, and the sooner it is acknowledged, the sooner this kid can be reprimanded for his horrible actions.

Click here to see the link.

In this class i have learned many new things in how people around the world communicate through videos and other different kinds of media productions.I have learned several different ways in how to edit and cut videos. I cant wait to learn about the music industry and how it works im a big fan of music of allmost any genre so im looking foward to that.The videos that impacted me the most were the wide angle video on education with kids across the world and a recent one called kids see kids do.I hope to learn fun things in the classes to come.

Reflections on Mass Communications

This class helps me interpret my feelings and thoughts in a more sophisticated way and to a broader audience. If I write an essay, not as many people are going to read it, whereas a video is much more interactive, therefore more successful in delivering the message. Technology is becoming a huge part of life, and it will definitely help in the future to know the programs such as Final Cut and Garage Band. Also, this class is different from others because you have more freedom to do what you like, instead of doing the same things as everyone else.

Reflection...

I have learned so many things in this Mass Communications class. I have already taken a class on this but it was last year so I don't remember how to do everything and Ms. V has done a good job at helping it all come back to me. I now remember how to edit audio and video, and make an awesome video. This wonderful trait will help me in life and I look forward to learning more about final cut pro.

Always and Forever,

Ben Sampson

here is a link to a video

Class Reflections Homework

As I sit here and reflect on this class thus far, I realize how much I have learned. I am now capable of producing blogs that express my views and beliefs on the world, I can edit and produce my own videos that others can view for their amusement. So far I would have to say that the video making process is the best part of this class because I can make original videos and post them on youtube for the world to see. I would like to experience more of this because it is enjoyable and I would like to sharpen my skills at this trait.

Yours Truly, Eric Dupuis

My Reflection Towards Media Class

Media class is very fun. We get to learn about a lot of different types of education. I'm glad we get to film and edit videos, because I really like doing that. I hope as the weeks/months pass by, I'll learn how to better at it. I really can't wait until we learn about how the music industry is practically dieing. I don't if it's because I already know some things that Ms. Ventura is teaching, but the class seems to slow. I understand that everyone in the class is new to this, but it makes me wonder how it's going to be for me taking the Video class next semester because I don't want to ahead of other people learning something I already learned.
My favorite thing that we watched so far was the Japanese music video that had a lot of people interacting and making one the the coolest music videos I've ever seen. (I secretly have the song stuck in my head until this day)

This video is has really cool footage. It's a music video of a band called A Cursive Memory and it's full of paparazzi videos and they green-screened themselves  into it.

My Reflection on Intro to Media Class

I really enjoy this class. I like that I get to share my views in a fun and creative way. I like that we get to listen to music (when Ms. Ventura isn't talking). This is probably my favorite class this year so far because I get to be myself through my work and I think that this is a really fun aspect of the class and should be used in more classes. 

I like that I actually understand this stuff, whereas in Dressler's class I was kind of in a fog (which actually kinda stinks because I'm thinking of majoring in graphic design). This makes me want to create a music video really badly.

My Reflections Blog

I've really been enjoying Intro to Media so far. I've learned a lot about blogging and the importance of education as well as begun to refresh my memory about the intricacies of Final Cut. I love learning about making and editing videos and I also like how we always seem to do something different each class. One of the best parts about the class are the really interesting videos that Ms. Ventura has been showing us about mass communication. I'm really looking forward to when we start learning more about podcasts because I listen to about 8 different podcasts pretty regularly and have always been thinking about making one myself. Finally, I just wanted to say that I agree with Olivia, that it'd be fun to see more videos that past classes have made.

Mass Communications Reflection

So far in our Media class I have learned many useful techniques for creating movies. I learned how to blog about my thoughts and ideas and how to edit video clips together. The one thing I like most about this learning process is working hands on and really getting a feel of what its like to work with media. I like being able to be as unique as possible and using technology as apart of our learning really makes it more interesting. One thing that I would like to experience more in this class is editing techniques. I enjoy this part of class because it teaches you things you wouldn't be able to figure out on your own. Editing is interesting, fun, and a cool way to express you style. I'm looking forward to the rest of our projects coming up and cant wait to learn new things in Media!

-Julia M. Patsios

My Personal Blog!

I've learned a lot so far in this Intro to Media class taught by Ms.Ventura! We not only learn about how to use computers to create and edit videos as well as also learning about how important education is and about different cultures. I've enjoyed that we are learning different topics while we are working on videos like how we learned so much about the importance of education because we are doing a project on Obama's speech. This way we are learning how to make videos and about what we want to put in our videos.I would like to see more of the videos that past classes have created, to see the different techniques that they used in their videos. Other than that though I think that this class has a good majority of activities to do so that we aren't always doing the same thing all day everyday. It's been fun learning about how to do different things using computers!

Mass Reflections

Intro to Mass Communcations has definitely taught me things I don't think I'd ever learn. What I've enjoyed the most is being able to learn all of the techniques on Final Cut and how to edit videos. I would also like to experience this more and more, because the more you have at your fingertips, the more you can truly make a video your own. It's a lot of stuff being thrown at me, but as long as I stay patient I know I'll be a good video maker by January.

Inspiration for Education Video?

Both from MA....Now in NYC making unique sounds... JAVELIN

Reflections Homework

In a personal blog reflect on what you have learned so far in this class.
What have you enjoyed about the learning process? What would you like to experience more/less of?

This "homework blog" is part of your participation grade. Please make sure grammar and spelling is fixed before posting. Also, feel free to incorporate videos and/or pictures as this is your personal blog and must reflect your personality.

Have a great weekend and I look forward to seeing the post!

Children See; Children Do.

What is your first reaction to this video?
In what circumstances in your life has this been true?

Compare schooling

Compare 2 children you have learned about so far and discuss some of the differences in educational practices of their country.

New "Armenian Media" class in the news!

The new "Armenian" class was covered by Watertown Tab!
What do you think about this new class?
How can combining media be helpful when trying to learn a new language?
Do you think this is something that all languages classes should have in the future?
Why or why not?

CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE

Tips To A Good Shot

I found a video on BBC on basketball. Luol Deng is in the video giving tips on how to make all sorts of different shots including the lay up, the jump shot, the fade away, the set shot, the floater, and all of the rules to make the shot in.

Luol Dengs Tips To Shooting 

How is this music video a form of mass communication?

Schools Cutting Back on Foreign Languages

Due to the floundering economy many schools around the country have been having to make tough decisions about where to make cuts. One popular and unfortunate choice is that to limit, cut back on, or simply cut out foreign languages. Many superintendents feel that the large amounts of money spent on foreign language classes could be better spent going towards the core subjects and so many teachers are being laid off. Some schools are cutting back on the number of languages they offer while others are not providing the classes to younger students anymore.
Some schools have found new and cheaper ways to teach foreign languages rather than completely cutting them out. For instance, some fired their teachers and replaced them with the with Rosetta Stone, an interactive computer program, that while expensive costs a lot less than multiple teacher salaries. The problem here is that many people believe that no matter how good a computer program is, it will never replace having a real teacher. Personally, I'm taking Italian as and independent study this year and am one of the first students at Watertown High School to use the newly bought Rosetta Stone software to learn Italian. I've only just started the class but I have found the software to be a great way to learn the language. It makes learning fun but at the same time it really is necessary to have someone to ask questions and get help from.

To see the story upon which this post was based click here

Over crowded classrooms ; Teachers go on strike !

Teachers and students at Mill Creek Middle School are striking against the district. They are claiming that classes that over crowd messes with the education & causes education to be unstable. They believe that the district should spend there $21 million they have in reserve to stop overcrowding. Students are also agreeing with the teachers and they are on strike to(I think the students just don't wanna be in school.) .But the strikes are illegal in Washington State. If they do not attend school they will have to pay a 200 dollar fine. With that being said i think they are going to stop the strike and just have to deal with the over crowding for a while until the district decides to help them

Passing a test with a 44%

A New York Times article explains that a New York State Math Test passed students achieving scores as low as 44%. The standard have been raised, and the scores reflect them; "the percentage of points required to pass the math tests — or “meet learning standards” — has declined over the past three years." New York has annually been trying to modify these tests, but it is clear that they have more work to do if students are being allowed to pass STATE test scores with a 44%. That's like getting a "Needs Improvement" on the MCAS but still being given credit for passing, or a 350 on the Math Section of the SAT! No student should be proud to pass with a 44 on a test.

Why College Costs Rise, Even in a Recession: Where does your money go?

Paying for college is a challenge for many families around the world. There are not enough scholarships for everyone to pay for college easily. The mystery of the cost of college is that even in a recession, the costs continues to rise. Many people are wondering the same thing: Why is my money really going?

The President of Lafayette College, Daniel H. Weiss, who is an expert in medieval art, and also worked as a management consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton knows a air amount of where the money people pay for college actually goes. He says the time we have reached a roof for a 'higher' education. As tuition goes up every year, colleges and universities will need to start scaling back as there is simply nothing more they can offer.

Mr.Weiss offered several good reasons why it is hard for colleges to cut costs. It is hard to cut things such as chemistry classes and agriculture class; all of the equipment would go to waste. It is also hard to cut the teaching staff because of this. It is very hard to ask teachers to stop their research and teach an extra class, it is their life after all. It is very hard for colleges to cut costs but it is simply a necessity at this point. 

a Colorado middle school sent an email to all the parents of the students saying that colored rubber bracelets will be baned from the school due to the meaning of the bracelets such as different colors hold sexual connotations for students. The bracelets are also used for the game "snap" were if a boy snaps off a specific bracelet depending on the color and what it means the sexual activity is supposed to take place. It has become enough of a distraction for the trend to be baned 

Unesco stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. they were established in Organization November of 1945. UNESCO promotes international co-operation among its 193 Member States and six Associate Members in the fields of education, science, culture and communication.  Unesco also Contributes to peace in the world. Unesco also prevents terrorism

http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=3328&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

UNESCO

UNESCO (United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization)

UNESCO is an organization that helps promote the ideas of equality and peace in the world thorough educating countries that don't have a standard school system or in some cases no schools at all. The goal of this organization is to prevent terrorism and world discrimination through educating third world countries that have these problems so they can realize how destructing it is to have prejudice against others. The U.S. works with UNESCO in the field of ocean science and are working on a global warning system incase of any hazards such as natural disasters. Americas first member to UNESCO was Archibal MacLeish, a poet and statesman who helped draft the organizations 1945 constitution. I think this is a good oganization because it helps third world countries end the cycle of poverty by educating the kids so they can do something better with their lives.

By: Eric Dupuis

UNESCO!

UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UNESCO is an agency of the United Nations that contributes to peace and security by advocating collaboration through education, science, and culture throughout the world. Projects that they work on are literacy, technical, and teacher training programs, just to name a few.

Here is a link to an article!

Fast Food

This article was written by one Sally Sampson. The article is about how when people say that they eat fast food because its cheaper they are wrong. She bought food from a bunch of different fast food restaurants and weighed all of the ingredients individually then reproduced it and found out that it is all cheaper. After recreating the food her "panel of experts", Ryan McDermott, Eric Dupuis, Ben Sampson, and Tim Geagan, all tried the food and decided that all the foods she recreated were better, healthier and cheaper.

Yours truly,

-Ben Sampson 

click here for link to article

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization -UNESCO

UNESCO is an organization for the preservation of culture and heritage. It was established in 1945. UNESCO is based in Paris and has 193 state members.
Here is what UNESCO says about future goals:




UNESCO's World Heritage mission is to:

Encourage countries to sign the World Heritage Convention and to ensure the protection of their natural and cultural heritage;
encourage States Parties to the Convention to nominate sites within their national territory for inclusion on the World Heritage List;
encourage States Parties to establish management plans and set up reporting systems on the state of conservation of their World Heritage sites;
help States Parties safeguard World Heritage properties by providing technical assistance and professional training;
provide emergency assistance for World Heritage sites in immediate danger;
support States Parties' public awareness-building activities for World Heritage conservation;
encourage participation of the local population in the preservation of their cultural and natural heritage;
encourage international cooperation in the conservation of our world's cultural and natural heritage

http://whc.unesco.org/en/about/

One thing that I like about the site is that it has a World Heritage List and by clicking on a certain place you can get information on a specific place. The other thing is that I don't really think this website is successful, because even though it is a very good idea, it does not correspond to all audiences. Here is a link to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites videos on Youtube

Smoking in public parks & beaches? a big no, no.

As of September 13, New York City, as everyone knows is a well populated place. Many People walk the streets just hanging out, smoking a couple cigarettes, no big deal. Well yes, it is a big deal according to the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Thomas A. Farley. Dr.Farley proposed his intelligent idea to have smokers be banned from smoking at city parks or beaches. These are just some of the places where kids,teens and adults visit, either going to school,going for a walk or hanging out with friends. This is a huge change in smokers lives so it might be a difficult thing to overcome. This proposal however did catch the Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg off guard.  The mayor did not disavow it , but did look into it. 

He added, “It may not be logistically possible to enforce a ban across thousands of acres, but there may be areas within parks where restricting smoking can protect health.”

More on the story is found here

End of movies?

Everyone knows that technology is huge now-a-days. Technology is now taking over old rituals. Even going to the movies. Yes, you read right. Less people are going to the movies. Instead they're watching movies from Video On Demand (VOD) from their TV's DVR. So now we don't even have to get out of our houses to watch movies. Movies are just a few clicks away instead of a few miles away. Pretty sweet, don't you think? But not for the movie makers. Everyone already knows that summer is the worst time for movies. They're rarely ever good or even make it to the Oscar nominations. Soon after summer, comes Fall. That's where the best Oscar winning movies come out. But since movies theaters are attracting less people, and the economy keeps on falling down, what will be of the movie makers and movies? Will they still make as a good of movies, even though we're watching it from our living room? Or will they just "slack-off"? Are we ending an era of movie theaters? Only time will tell.

Click HERE to see the article.

Monday Night Drama

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/sports/football/15patriots.html?_r=1&ref=sports

Last night, on the first Monday Night Football game of the 50th anniversary of the NFL, the New England Patriots completed an improbable comeback against the Buffalo Bills to win 25-24. The Pats had looked horrible all game, and at times when Buffalo drove down the field, I suspected the Patriots to have 7 or 8 players on defense, instead of the usual 11. Buffalo went up by eleven points with 6 minutes to go in the game, and Tom Brady and the Patriot offense marched down to score with just over 2 minutes in the game. Down by 5, they needed to recover the onside kick and score another touchdown. Kicker Steven Gostowski kicked the ball deep, and the Buffalo returner fumbled in Bills' territory. Brady and the Pats scored another touchdown with 50 seconds, putting the boys in the blood-red throwback uniforms up for good.

This game will go down as an instant classic, and probably the game of the year for the Patriots. Waking up this morning feelings pretty good about themselves, the Pats are out 1-0, in hopes to return to the playoffs after missing out last year.

What I find more amazing than this victory is how many people felt the need to express their joy on Facebook. Myself included, there were statuses all about Brady and the Pats for about 20 minutes after the game. Much like the tens of thousands in attendance for Game 1, we will be cheering on the Patriots all year, hoping every game is as successful as the first.

Patrick Swazye Dies

The actor and dancer had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year. He died yesterday, September 14th, 2009. He was 57. Patrick Swayze was a big star in the dancing and hollywood world. He starred in movies such as "Ghost" and "Dirty Dancing." He also Hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live ( shown below)

He was an excellent actor and will be missed greatly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgEVUWIwNLw

Tire Tariff

President Obama proposed a new tariff on all tires imported from China which raised disputes from Chinese automotive companies. It is common knowledge that he vast majority of cars in the United States are imported from China, making the tariff on tires imported an extremely large expense in the oversea trade. Which brings me to m next point. You know what really grinds my gears? How the U.S. is beginning to be over dependent on foreign countries, mainly China, in the larger portion of our imports, (cars) if anything were to happen to these countries, less say a war or natural disaster, we wouldn't have the neccessary sources to supply the United State's excessive need. Gasoline for example, like cars, is imported mainly from countries in the middle east, and when we invaded Iraq it was evident that we depended on those countries far too much. I strongly believe that we should tap into Americas resources, and search for alternate fuels so we can reduce our world dependency.

By: Eric Dupuis

MTV Awards Interruption

On Sunday night the MTV Music Awards took place in New York, NY Hosted by Russell Brand.  Among all the winners that night Taylor Swift's win went on to be the most memorable.  She took home a trophy for the category "Best Female Video"(The nominees in that category included Beyoncé, for  “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” and Taylor Swift, for “You Belong With Me.”).  When Taylor Swift got up on stage to receive her award for best female video Kanye West took her microphone and said “I’m really happy for you, and I’m going to let you finish. But Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time.” I think that this interruption was set up because I don't think someone would have the guts to go on stage in front of thousands of people and tell a 19-year-old that she shouldn't have won.

There is the Video:

V V V Tell me what you think by leaving a comment below V V V

9/11/01 was a tragic day in U.S. History.

heres a link i found of people remembering those of 9/11

Remembrance Video 

as you can see there faces are filled with sadness

9/11

9/11/2001: A tragic day in the lives of Americans. On this sad, sad day two planes crashed into the world trade center and killed thousands of innocent people inside the plane and inside the world trade center. I found a link to a video about what happened on that sad day in America. While this was all happening i was sitting in my second grade class and at the time had no idea what was happening. When I got home my mom told me what happened then I saw more about it on the news.

click here for link

Sept. 11th blog

Today is the 8th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. On this day 8 years ago I was sitting in my fourth grade classroom staring wide-eyed at a television and having no idea what was going on. Today as I look back, I realize how big it really was. It was something that was way bigger than myself, and still is. 

After this occurred many Americans became very patriotic and had a sure sense of unity. Despite this widespread feeling of love and pride, many became hateful. They became hateful and skeptical of Muslims, and this led to much more ignorance. They were prejudiced to anyone who wore a turban, they would call Indians Muslim. That makes no sense. Indians are primarily Hindu. You would think since the United States is "The Melting Pot" we would be accepting of all cultures and consider everyone an American, despite their racial or ethnic background. 

Here's a video:

Erics 911 post

Campaigns stop to honor 911

All campaign ads on t.v. and fund raising for the candidates in the race for mayor of New York city will be paused for the day in order to remember and honor all those who lost their lives in the tragidy.

click here for link

September 11th, 2001

THE TRAGEDY OF SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2001
Today, it has been eight years sine the attack on the Twin Towers. Up till now, there are still controversies over the issue and many people have suffered from injustice because of their religion and political beliefs. But one thing is certain, this day will always be remembered for the people who suffered.


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OBAMA'S SPEECH TO STUDENTS