RockBand 2
RockBand 2, a video game by Harmonix is possibly the greatest party game ever created. It lets four people co-op as a complete RockBand, one as lead guitar, one as bassist, one as lead vocals, and the last as the drummer. With over 80 songs on the disc alone, and over 400 more downloadable songs, the game is endless. Some of my favorite songs are "Any Way You Want It" - Journey, "Livin' On a Prayer" - Bon Jovi, and "Man in the Box - Alice in Chains". It's a great game, and I encourage everyone to play it...a lot.
Harry Potter
J. K. Rowlings' Harry Potter series is by far one of the greatest, if not the greatest series of stories ever created. The world of Harry Potter is portrayed through his 7 years at Hogwarts, as he learns more about the wizard world he was put in, and continues to save the world from his nemesis, Lord Voldemort. Actually, the stories were so good, that a series of best-selling movies has been, and is still in the process of being created.
Today, J. K. Rowling is in the process of publishing her spinoff, "The Tale of Beedle the Bard", which is a series of 5 stories. I expect, and hope Rowling to continue to expand the world of Harry Potter for many years to come. It definately is one of my most fantastic stories ever created.
Today, J. K. Rowling is in the process of publishing her spinoff, "The Tale of Beedle the Bard", which is a series of 5 stories. I expect, and hope Rowling to continue to expand the world of Harry Potter for many years to come. It definately is one of my most fantastic stories ever created.
School of Rock
Jack Black stars in The School of Rock, which in my opinion, is one of the best movies ever created. It combines comedy, music, and reality in a way that no other music has. It has everything a good movie has, which is why it's at the top of my list. This movie was the one that got me to like Jack Black. Before, I didn't care too much about him, but now with this movie, and the Pick of Destiny, he is one of my favorite actors.
Violence in Video Games
In the last century or so, I'm sure you have heard that violence in video games raises agression and violence in the kids that play them. I say, that all of this is a mere lie, it's just a scapegoat that the media uses to blame some illnesses and violent behaviors on the video game industry.
Actually, it is a proven study that video games make you more intelligent and apt in your doings. According to research, surgeons who play video games at least 3 hours a week make fewer mistakes and in a quicker time than the surgeons who play no video games. You can read more about the study here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4685909/
So, what is all this controversy over video games? Shouldn't we be praising thier indirect teachers of hand-eye coordination and intelligence? I definately think we should be, instead of listening to the media falsely accuse them of committing all of these health crimes.
All hail video games!
Actually, it is a proven study that video games make you more intelligent and apt in your doings. According to research, surgeons who play video games at least 3 hours a week make fewer mistakes and in a quicker time than the surgeons who play no video games. You can read more about the study here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4685909/
So, what is all this controversy over video games? Shouldn't we be praising thier indirect teachers of hand-eye coordination and intelligence? I definately think we should be, instead of listening to the media falsely accuse them of committing all of these health crimes.
All hail video games!
History of Halloween
At the end of every October, we celebrate a holiday known as Halloween. But, what is behind all of the trick or treating, the candy, and the spooky theme that comes with the holiday? Is there a history?
Actually, Halloween can be traced back to the Ancient Celtics. They celebrated Halloween as the end of a harvest season, and sometimes is regarded as the "Celtic New Year". It was a time for the Pageans to gather stock, and slaughter their livestock for the winter months. They celebrated by throwing bones of slaughtered animals into bonfires. In a different perspective, the Ancient Geals thought that October 31 was the boundary between the alive, and deceased dissolved. They beleived that this caused sickness and disease of the crops. It was the combination of the Ancient Celtics and Geals beliefs of October 31 that our holiday is founded on.
The name "Halloween" is simply a shortened word for "All Hallow's Even", since it is the eve of "All Hallows Day". Also known as "All Saints Day", it was celebrated as a religious holiday until popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved All Saints Day from May 13 to November 1.
Now, some people say that Halloween was simply created by candy companies in attempts to sell more of their products, but I'm here to tell you that theory is absolutely wrong. Actually, according to these links, all of the information here is based on fact:
http://www.history.com/minisites/halloween/viewPage?pageId=713
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween
http://www.new-life.net/halowen1.htm
So, how did Halloween tranform from throwing bones into a bonfire, into wearing costumes of ghosts and vampires while knocking on random people's doors and yelling in their annoyed face "Trick-or-Treat!" Well, I don't know. But, I can assume that our traditions will continue on for years to come, and 500 years from now, you will still see kids frollicing in the unflowery streets with bags of rotten candy with smiles on their faces during October 31, our Halloween.
Actually, Halloween can be traced back to the Ancient Celtics. They celebrated Halloween as the end of a harvest season, and sometimes is regarded as the "Celtic New Year". It was a time for the Pageans to gather stock, and slaughter their livestock for the winter months. They celebrated by throwing bones of slaughtered animals into bonfires. In a different perspective, the Ancient Geals thought that October 31 was the boundary between the alive, and deceased dissolved. They beleived that this caused sickness and disease of the crops. It was the combination of the Ancient Celtics and Geals beliefs of October 31 that our holiday is founded on.
The name "Halloween" is simply a shortened word for "All Hallow's Even", since it is the eve of "All Hallows Day". Also known as "All Saints Day", it was celebrated as a religious holiday until popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved All Saints Day from May 13 to November 1.
Now, some people say that Halloween was simply created by candy companies in attempts to sell more of their products, but I'm here to tell you that theory is absolutely wrong. Actually, according to these links, all of the information here is based on fact:
http://www.history.com/minisites/halloween/viewPage?pageId=713
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween
http://www.new-life.net/halowen1.htm
So, how did Halloween tranform from throwing bones into a bonfire, into wearing costumes of ghosts and vampires while knocking on random people's doors and yelling in their annoyed face "Trick-or-Treat!" Well, I don't know. But, I can assume that our traditions will continue on for years to come, and 500 years from now, you will still see kids frollicing in the unflowery streets with bags of rotten candy with smiles on their faces during October 31, our Halloween.
Standardized Testing
Every year students across our American nation are forced to take these tests. And, every year, students across our American nation decide that these tests are unimportant, bland, and in some respects, pointless. Let me explain why they are not.
The ACT, SAT, and ITBS are all tests that measure your intelligence and knowledge. They, however pointless they may sound, are actually one of the most important things in one's life. With the results from these tests, colleges and work-places can truly have an understanding of the intelligence/knowledge that a person actually has. This is opposed to a student's grades. Grades seem to consist of a student's work-ethic and caring rather than their true intelligence, and abilities.
Some may say that they would rather be measured on their grades rather than their standardized testing. These are the people that can read and write, and not actually have any sense of intelligence or general knowledge. These are the people that assume that they can not do well on these standardized tests, but however smart their grades might tell them they are, they are absolutely wrong. There are many, many ways to increase your scores on these tests. Many, many study guides and example tests have been published for the knowledge of our youth, yet so very few of these have actually been put to the use that the creators of these expected when they wrote them. There are even some online:
http://www.actstudent.org/sampletest/index.html
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/prep_one/test.html
Now, with that covered, there should really be no reason for students to believe that Standardized Testing is a waste of time, or an impossible feat that the government puts on them. Actually, they should think of it as a way to overcome the impossibilites they have created in their mind, overcome the other students who have the same thoughts, and eventually obtain a life filled with scholarships and good work. It is time to take these tests seriously.
The ACT, SAT, and ITBS are all tests that measure your intelligence and knowledge. They, however pointless they may sound, are actually one of the most important things in one's life. With the results from these tests, colleges and work-places can truly have an understanding of the intelligence/knowledge that a person actually has. This is opposed to a student's grades. Grades seem to consist of a student's work-ethic and caring rather than their true intelligence, and abilities.
Some may say that they would rather be measured on their grades rather than their standardized testing. These are the people that can read and write, and not actually have any sense of intelligence or general knowledge. These are the people that assume that they can not do well on these standardized tests, but however smart their grades might tell them they are, they are absolutely wrong. There are many, many ways to increase your scores on these tests. Many, many study guides and example tests have been published for the knowledge of our youth, yet so very few of these have actually been put to the use that the creators of these expected when they wrote them. There are even some online:
http://www.actstudent.org/sampletest/index.html
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/prep_one/test.html
Now, with that covered, there should really be no reason for students to believe that Standardized Testing is a waste of time, or an impossible feat that the government puts on them. Actually, they should think of it as a way to overcome the impossibilites they have created in their mind, overcome the other students who have the same thoughts, and eventually obtain a life filled with scholarships and good work. It is time to take these tests seriously.