Mark McGwire and Steroid Use

Title of Article: Mark McGwire comes clean, admits to using steroids in 1998

Web Address: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Mark-McGwire-comes-clean-admits-to-using-steroi?urn=mlb,212896

This article talks about how on Monday, former baseball player and Mark McGwire admitted to using steroids on and off for almost a decade and was a PED user during the year when he hit 70 home runs (1998). Mark also was said to have taken HGH but Mark himself didn't admit to that in his most recent statements. The most important excerpts from his statement made on Monday are as follows:

"I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era."

"I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come. It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected."

"I'm sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids," McGwire said. "I had good years when I didn't take any, and I had bad years when I didn't take any. I had good years when I took steroids, and I had bad years when I took steroids. But no matter what, I shouldn't have done it and for that I'm truly sorry."

This is very big news because Mark McGwire is a very famous baseball player who is up for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and now that it is clear that he used steroids it may effect whether or not he gets in the Hall of Fame. Mark was an amazing baseball player and had many fans so I'm sure this has affected many people's opinions about him. These statements made by him could make others come clean about their wrongdoings, but it is very unlikely that will happen in this day and age.

In my opinion, steroids are ruining the game and even making past records easily attainable with the help of steroids. Sure, you have to have lots of skill as well, but it is still a form of cheating. No one involved with steroids should be allowed into the Baseball Hall of Fame because of how they dishonor the game and its past by taking them. I'm glad Mark finally came out about his steroid use because 1). He would have eventually been questioned even more in spring training, and 2). It shows that he was sorry for his actions and that steroids are not right for players to be taking.

Avatar Tops 1 Billion Dollars

Title: `Avatar' rules with $68.3M, tops $1B worldwide (AP)
Website: http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.ap.org/avatar-rules-with-683m-tops-1b-worldwide-ap

This article is about how director James Cameron now has two movies of which he has directed that have topped 1 billion dollars worldwide in sales. His first one was Titanic back in 1997 and is the current leader with 1.8 billion dollars. Avatar shot past the 1 billion dollar mark and past other movies such as The Dark Knight and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Avatar is now ranked number 3 right behind Titanic and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. James Cameron hopes that his current film Avatar will pass the currently ranked #2 film so he will have directed the two top grossing films of all time.

This movie has affected and will continue to affect millions of people worldwide. Avatar is said to be the movie that will change film making history because of its use of new special effects and the whole 3D option. This article shows just how big of an impact this movie has already had on the film making industry and the lives of people everywhere. Avatar may turn out to be a turning point in film history.

In my opinion, Avatar very well could be the movie to change how future movies are made. I went to see the movie and the special effects were unlike anything I've ever seen before. It was like seeing Star Wars for the first time back in the day. This movie has it all, but the use of special effects and 3D really could change the way how sci-fi thrillers or action movies are made in the future.

Diversity Scholarly Article

Title: "The black-white test score gap: why it persists and what can be done"
Authors: Christopher Jencks , Meredith Phillips
Web Address: http://www.questia.com/googleSchlar.qst;jsessionid=LvCwWY8
6Lhn6LXrl2dWkNjQ1CpH20L3PSQT8hDpsdhyryh6YWLJ!
-1711127296!1699119870?docId=5001330463

The article that I have chosen is about the "race gap" in test scores in schools across the country and how much diversity among test scores there is between white children and other races. The article goes into some in-depth research to find out what may be the cause of such diversity in the test scores and in the end the researchers blame some combination of black poverty, racial segregation, and inadequate funding of black schools from the past as the key reasons for the lower African-American test scores. The other races were more difficult to research so the researches mainly stuck with explaining the diversity of test scores among white and black children. One thing they found was that the typical American black still scores below 75 percent of American whites on almost every standardized test, but this "race gap" is starting to narrow.

This article is covering the topic of diversity in test scores mainly between white and black children. The authors are also trying to make their point in the article that we all need to do something to narrow the "race gap" even further. The authors are, in fact, targeting all of us because of how many people this affects and if test scores start improving our country will be a better place. This article is very important because it brings up something that has gone fairly unnoticed in our country.

In my opinion, I don't notice this "race gap" as much at our school, but it might be still there. I have no room to argue though because I can't look at everyone's grades. However, we should still do something in our country about this. If the test scores for everyone just happen to get better it might make for a more successful country in the future. Schools need to start narrowing this gap however they can, but more importantly, they need to start as early as they can in people's lives to stop the problem before it happens.

Song Analysis - Crazy Train

Song: Crazy Train
Artist: Ozzy Osbourne
Genre: Heavy Metal
Time period/year of release: 1980

Song Lyrics
All aboard
Crazy, but that's how it goes
Millions of people living as foes
Maybe it's not too late
To learn how to love
And forget how to hate
Mental wounds not healing
Driving me insane
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train

I've listened to preachers
I've listened to fools
I've watched all the dropouts
Who make their own rules
One person conditioned to rule and control
The media sells it and you live the role

Mental wounds still screaming
Who's the one to blame
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train

I know that things are going wrong for me
You gotta listen to my words
Yeah

Heirs of a cold war
That's what we've become
Inheriting troubles I'm mentally numb
Crazy, I just cannot bear
I'm living with something that just isn't fair

Mental wounds not healing
Who and what's to blame
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train


What is the issue being addressed by the song?
The growing presence of hate in the world among people at the time of the Cold War.

What is the song artist’s point of view or opinion?
He believes that everyone needs to learn how to love in a world gone mad.



What are contextual factors surrounding the writing of this song? (Were there any major social events taking place around the time of the song’s writing? Examples: war, oppression, economic crisis, social liberty success or struggle.)
The Cold War was taking place during this time period which had a large influence on every part of this song. The war was not just a threat to peoples' safety but it was affecting other aspects of their life as well. Many were fighting against each other in their own nation because of their views on the war and many people were being driven mad. The economy was not doing as well either and all of the other problems were just adding to peoples' stress levels. Ozzy wrote this song to convince others that we could get through these tough times if we just learned to love eachother.

What is the issue?
This whole song is about the Cold War and how it is messing up many peoples' lives. When Ozzy says "millions of people living as foes," he is talking about the millions of people who are being affect in Russia, the United States, and other countries. There was always the scare of a nuclear attack on both sides of the war which really messed with peoples' heads as well.


Who is affected?
Millions of people were affected by the Cold War in Russia and the United States alone. Also, if things kept escalating between Russia and the United States, the world would have likely "gone off the rails on a crazy train" like Ozzy says in the song. If nuclear weapons were used, the whole world would have been brought into this war.

Identify the varying perspectives of the public towards the issue. (Who is supportive, opposing, what are their views and arguments)
The majority of people during this time period were against the war and what it was doing to their nation. They argued that the war would just lead to more and more deaths. Those who were against this war believed that "Crazy Train" was a great song that really spoke to them. They believed that everyone just needed to "learn how to love and forget how to hate" like Ozzy says. Those who were in favor of the war were usually those who had a strong disliking for Russia (The Soviet Union back then). They wanted to put an end to their ways (communism).

What is the severity of the issue? (How many people affected, how much damage, etc.)
Not much damage was done, thankfully, and pretty much everyone remained unharmed throughout the war. It could have been much more severe if nuclear weapons were used by both sides of the war.

What is the significance of the issue? (What’s the big deal?)
It affected many people because of the threat of nuclear attacks. The war took an emotional toll on many people back then.

Is this a moral, political, economic, ethical issue?
It was pretty much all of these, but mainly it had to do with ethics and politics because the government was is control, and thankfully they made the ethical decision to not begin a nuclear war with the Soviet Union.

Is there any one in control of the issue, or who has strong influence over the issue?
The government had most of the control over this issue, but many artists like Ozzy influenced the way people across the nation viewed the issue.

What has been done or is being done to address the issue?
Many songs were written about the Cold War, such as this one, and many people spoke out against the government. Many tried to convince others that the war was wrong and had been going on for too long. The Cold War lasted much too long for many people.

Is the issue being resolved or becoming more controversial?
It has been resolved, but many questions are still left unanswered about the war and the government's role in it.

Hate-Crimes / Diversity Post

Website: http://www.examiner.com/x-7520-Chicago-Crime-Examiner~y2009m11d29-FBI-stats-show-race-the-top-motivator-for-hate-crime-in-the-USgt
Title: "FBI stats show race the top motivator for hate crimes in the U.S"
Date Published: Novermber 29, 2009

This article is basically a summary of all of the hate-crimes that occurred in the United States in the year 2008. It gives many statistics and even a graph that shows who the main targets for hate-crimes really were. According to this article there were 9,691 reported hate-crimes in 2008. Out of those, 4,943 were because of race, 1,732 were because of religion, 1,706 were because of sexual orientation, 1,226 were because of ethnicity, and 85 were because of disability. This article did not only show that the top motivator for hate crimes in the U.S was race, but it also talked about how most hate-crimes go unreported or unnoticed which is leading to many other problems with our society. The article even breaks down the statistics further, into such categories as which race was being targeted or what their specific religion was.

The results from this collection of data is very astonishing and is big news because it affects people all over our nation. Many people are subject to hate-crimes that even go unreported which is very scary and is creating many unsafe environments for people of all ages. Hate-crimes affect many people everyday and they should not go unreported or unnoticed or else many may think it's okay to commit a hate-crime because it will go unnoticed or unreported. This article certainly shows how big of an impact hate-crimes have on the lives of many.

In my opinion, something needs to be done so that all hate-crimes are reported and treated differently than regular crimes. If the criminal is committing crimes just because of someone's race, ethnicity, etc, then they must be punished appropriately. Hate-crimes are very serious and it is scary to know that most hate-crimes go unnoticed. More action needs to be taken by the government and citizens alike to make our country a safe place for all. Something needs to be done to lower these already outrageous statistics.

Fort Hood Shootings

1. What are your thoughts, feelings, etc, as you read these articles?
This was certainly a tragic event that has probably flipped many families' lives upside-down. Sadly, this probably happens all too often in the military, but this just happened to be on a larger scale. About 43 people were injured or killed during this incident which is just awful to think about. I really feel for the families of the fallen soldiers because recently have experience a loved one passing away. This event was certainly horrible, but once again it probably happens more often than we really know.

2. What role do you think terrorism played in this massacre, if any? Why? Do you think that there was an terrorist organization behind the shooting?
I don't believe terrorism played a role in the massacre at all. Major Hasan, the killer, was dealing with a lot of things at once such as being shipped off overseas, listening to stories of was because he was a psychologist who helped other soldiers, and even dealing with some racism and negative comments about his religion. After not being able to handle of this anymore he probably just snapped.

3. What role did racism or religious persecution play in this incident? Why?
It played a huge role because many people were discriminating against Major Hasan because of his race and religion which in turn caused him to just lose control and snap. He didn't have a right to do that, but still the persecution and discrimination shouldn't have happened in the first place. As for religion playing a role in the killer's own desire to kill people, I'm not sure if it was a main cause or any cause at all.

4. Do you think a lot of Muslim Americans have the same feelings as this man? Why or why not?
Possibly so, but I don't know too much about the way they feel. I'm sure that many are tired of the racial discrimination and negative comments about their race or religion, but not many are crazy enough to kill people because of it. Many just take the jokes or negative comments and move on, not caring about what others have to say. They just do their job. This was a fairly rare incident, but I'm still sure that soldiers killing other soldiers from their own side happens more often than we think.

5. What do you think the military could have done to prevent this from happening? Why do you believe this? Were there signs that this man had the potential to do something like this? What were they?
The military should have had him psychologically examined in order to prevent such behavior. Also, racial and religious persecution should be frowned upon and punishments may need to be required so it doesn't happen in the military. Without punishments, people will still go on with their old ways. This man clearly had something wrong with him in the head because of how some of his blogs had evidence that he thought badly about the way the US was doing things and how outrageous some of his comments were. People should have taken notice of his bizarre behavior sooner.

6. Talk about the leadership of Kimberly Munley (the woman who stopped the shooter). What did she do? How would you have reacted in the same situation?
Munley was the one who took the gunman down. I'm not sure many people have the bravery and courage to put themselves on the line at a time like this and save countless other lives, but thankfully she was there during this time and took charge by engaging in a short-range firefight that ended with her and the gunman being injured. She probably saved many other lives that day which is something we can all be thankful for. It's good to know that there are leaders like this in our military.

7. What does this incident say about race relations in America? Specifically with Arab-Americans and Muslims? Is there a reason that Muslims and people from the Arab world feel a certain way about America?
The articles say that there are still major disagreements and conflicts between the Arab/Muslim world and America. The Arabs and Muslims in America also get several negative comments about the war just because their religion or race. This incident certainly didn't help these relations. It may have invoked more conflict among the two constantly fighting sides which is very sad. Muslims and Arab people have negative views about America just because of the war and everything, but also because they have several negative comments directed at them that create hostility.

Leadership Qualities

The first part is one paragraph summary of the article. Make sure that you read the article, then write your summary in your own words. Do Not copy word for word. Copying word for word from the source means an instant “F”. This is called plagiarism and is illegal. Read it and summarize it in your own words. Keep the summary simple and as possible, but include all the important information like: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Write it in essay form in a paragraph. (5 points)
The second part will cover the impact of the article
1. What aspect of leadership does it cover?
1. What does the author say about leadership? What kind of audience is the author trying to reach.
2. Who is it going to affect? How is it going to affect a large population of the world and possibly you?
4. What is it that makes this an important article about leadership? (5 points)
II. The 3rd part of the project is your opinion of what was told in the article or new broadcast. Take a stand and say what you really think about the event and its implications. You may say whatever you believe here, but make sure that you support your opinion with a good supporting argument with facts, quotes, and research from the article. Make sure that you spend some time on this section as it a major portion of the assignments grade. (10 points)
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Title of Article: "Leadership Skills? Follow the Leaders"
Web Address: http://www.leadershiparticles.net/Article/Leadership-Skills--Follow-the-Leaders/14177

This is an article written by Max Vogt and is about how leaders of large businesses and companies often times abuse their powers which has a negative impact on their workers' output and productivity. He writes about how leaders need to have integrity in the workplace so that workers will feel more comfortable and get more work done. This article was written this year and explains how many companies and businesses today have leaders that abuse their power which in turn creates an uncomfortable workplace for the workers down low in the ranks of the company. Leaders of big companies often times don't set great working conditions for the workers and often times don't play by the rules. The sad truth is that many companies do this.

This article is mainly about integrity and how successful companies or businesses need to have leaders with good character and integrity. The author is trying to reach workers from all size companies and the leaders of them as well. He mainly speaks about how much more successful companies would be if the leaders didn't abuse their powers. If companies were more productive they would make more money, and in turn the leaders of the companies would also be benefited as well. This article could affect many big businesses and change the way we look at how a good business starts with a leader that has good character and integrity. The writer certainly wrote a very important article on leadership because of how many people this could affect in the working world.

I wholeheartedly agree with the author on this topic. A good leader creates a good supporting team, or in this case a good supporting company. From my experience on various sports teams, the leader also helps the team and keeps it together just like the leader of a company would. A better leader would create a better workplace and better conditions, and in turn this would create better productivity which would lead to more money being made. Leaders need to quit abusing their power because they will not only benefit their workers, but themselves as well if they start having better character and integrity.