Summer Plans

I can't wait!! Summer is my favorite time of the year. Not only is it hot, but I don't have to worry about doing homework, which is such a relief. I also love the fact that I have time in the morning to make good breakfasts. Every day at school, I feel like I’m starving during 6th period. In the summer, I’ll have time to make myself omelets, pancakes, and other breakfasts I particularly enjoy. Another part of summer that I will really enjoy is getting up late. I won’t ever feel like I didn’t have enough time.
However, there is another thing that I am going to do over the summer that I am really excited for. I have three vacations planned. The first is to Hilton Head. My family goes to Hilton Head every year and it is a nice and relaxing break right after school. I’m even leaving two days early from school. My entire days there will be spend between the pool, the ocean, and biking.
After I get back I’ll be doing a babysitting job, and then, in the middle of July, I will be off to Europe. This year I am going to school in Spain for two weeks. The school is in the city of Cadiz, which is on the Mediterranean coast. The residence are located on the beach and there will be Spanish everyday for four hours. There will be organized tour trips and I am looking forward to learning more about the Spanish culture. I have taken the language for four years and this will be an occasion to practice it in real life.
Thankfully, I convinced my dad to take me to Poland as well. Every year we go to Poland as a family, but this year was different because of my trip to Spain and my brother’s football. My mom said that maybe I shouldn’t go to Poland because it would be too much. I, however, insisted that I loved going to Poland and that I wanted to. While my mom will stay with my brother, my dad, sister, and me will be vacationing in Poland. After I come home I will end up doing all the AP work I didn’t do throughout the summer and a new school year will begin. I am happy that I’ll get to go on so many vacations, but I hope that I won’t feel like I have to much to do. Sometimes, it’s good to just sit at home and do nothing.

Family

    What is it? How is it defined? Who is included in this special group of people? There are many different ways of going about answering and defining what family is, but for now I'll just talk about one: what family means to me. In my immediate family there is my brother, sister, mother and father. Unfortunately, all of my grandparents have passed away, my mom’s sister lives in Wisconsin, and the rest are in Poland. Therefore, when it comes to family I think in terms of the people I live with everyday.
So, what are these people like? Well, I would say that they are loving, caring, sometimes funny (other times not so much), and annoying. They give me emotional support and have my back, but also sometimes force me to do things I hate. My family always has the best intentions for me in mind, yet I feel like my punishments are often harsher than my brother’s. What I am trying to say here is that the family is a unique group of people that will be annoying and bothersome at times, but, in the end, they will always love each other and will be there for each other.
Each family has its own aspects that make it different from any other. I would say that my family has many aspects that qualify it as special. First, we are living a dual-culture life style. Both my parents, as I have mentioned in previous posts, come from Poland, and I would say that this Polish background is definitely what ties us as a close family. Another aspect is that everyone has a job to do. In other families, the rules might be less strict and the kids might not help around the house, but that is their problem. In the future, we (me, my brother and my sister) will be the ones that know how to cook, clean, and take care of a house. So, it is through work for the common good of the family that binds us closer as well.
However, there will be days where my brother and I will get into a big fight. The bond between us might seem like galaxies apart, yet all will return to its original form in the end, some day…I hope. But in all seriousness, what defines a family is the recurring cycle of bondage. Therefore, remember to always love your family.

I also have mentioned previously that I am an artist and because of someone’s request, I would like to use this post to showcase some of my work.

Big Data

     Humanity has been on a long journey and has progressed exponentially from the times of B.C. So many inventions have influenced the way humans function as a society. One of the most important features of a global society is the incredible speed of the flow of information. The computers, telephones, and the internet all contribute to binding society closer than ever. Globalization began in the nineteenth century, yet it is definitely not over. Developing countries are yet to fully immerse themselves in stronger global connections.

     In fact, the rate of data exchange has become so large that a term has developed for it: “Big Data”. It is a broad term for data sets so large or complex that traditional data processing applications are inadequate. The different aspects of “Big Data” include analysis, capture, data curation, search, sharing, storage, transfer, and visualization. The most simple description for “Big Data” is that it is a predictive analysis. In 2012, it was estimated that 2.5 quintillion bytes of data were created everyday. Quintillion is the number 1 followed by 18 zeros after it. However, this was only for 2012. The numbers for 2015 are immensely larger and are simply becoming incomprehensible for the ordinary person.

     The social media outlets are the primary contributor to this ever-growing number of data flow. For 2012 the facts are as follow per day:

• 144.8 billion emails
• 340 million tweets
• 684,000 bits of content on Facebook
• 72 hours of uploaded Youtube videos

     The list goes on and on. Predictions for 2017 exist that there will be over 600 big-data companies working on analyzing and storing all this information.

     However, the limits are endless. Every time a movie is produced about the future, society realizes how much more advanced people could become. The future is evolving to be a one in which most things will be flowing through the air in streams of data. Technically, it is already happening right now: we see many schools and places of work turning into paper-less environments. This can be looked upon as very environmentally friendly action; less trees will die. But how many more satellites will have to go up into space? How much more energy will have to be used to run all this flow of information? Humanity will not only have to make progress, but also adjust to an entire world based on technology in the future.

Challenging Teachers

As childhood roles around, comes and goes, all children have different experiences in school. There comes a time when everyone will be faced with a challenging teacher. These situations can help students develop, or do the exact opposite. What I mean is that the word challenging can be interpreted in different ways. Following are some of my own experience as a student and some of the teachers I encountered who represented the different interpretations of the word challenging.
There are many different problems in education. So much focus and effort is put into solving issues on structure of the classes, and especially on standardized tests, but the problems can lie in the methods of a teacher. In the seventh grade at my middle school, one of the teachers stood out as a challenging teacher. In this example, I mean challenging in a bad way. Mr. Preston was a science teacher, and from the very first day at school I could tell that things would be going downhill. It was the moment when he tried to pronounce my last name, Piatkowski, in front of the class as he was reading down the list. Most teachers think it is a challenge, but an interesting one. However, Mr. Preston perceived it differently and seemed to be annoyed by my name. I never really had a teacher that disliked me before, and this wasn't even my fault so I wasn't accustomed to this kind of situation. The entire year it seemed as if he ignored me, and even rolled his eyes at me at one point. Not surprisingly, when my younger brother had him, the same thing happened. That is why Mr. Preston was a challenge. When a teacher has a negative attitude toward a student from the very beginning, it is harder for the student to succeed in that class in an enjoyable manner.
A different example of challenging teachers dates back to my times in elementary school. In reality, it can be said that this teacher wasn't challenging enough and that was challenge itself. However, I think this attitude can be applied to most of these kinds of teachers in elementary school. You must be wondering what kind of a teacher this is and when I tell you, well, there is simply no disagreeing. The teachers in elementary school that aren't challenging enough are the art teachers. Mrs. Masa was my art teacher in my later years of elementary school and she was very kind and loved kids. Most art teachers who teach children love to be around them. Perhaps, too much kindness can be their problem. This is not to say that they should be the opposite, but by being so nice they usually end up helping out kids too much. Mrs. Masa was just like this. Kids would say that they couldn't do something in those cute little voices and Mrs. Masa would end up “helping” them out on a large part of the artwork. This is a challenge for kids because it is so easy to just let others do your work. However, the real goal should be how to learn to create art on one’s own self. Perhaps, this is the reason so many kids these days always say how they have no artistic abilities. Their elementary school art teachers did their projects for them.
And finally, a different meaning of the word challenging can have a positive effect on a student’s education. This last teacher is on my list of one of the most favorite teacher’s I have ever had. Not only was Mrs. Lauver, an eighth grade social studies teacher, enthusiastic about her teaching, but she also taught in a way that was very enjoyable. Essentially, she was the best kind of teacher because she made learning fun. However, Mrs. Lauver was challenging in a way that not many teachers are. Whenever she knew if a student could solve a problem but asked for help, Mrs. Lauver would encourage that student to figure out the problem by himself. I had many situations like these, especially with the iPads. Mrs. Lauver was the only teacher in the building that had her own set of iPads and she always made me solve any technical issues I had with them by myself. I think that this method of teaching is very effective because it really prepares the student for the future, a future in which independence is very important. Students need to learn how to solve problems on their own and not have to constantly ask for help.
Challenging teachers can be a good thing or a bad thing. It all depends on the situation and the way in which the word is used. I firmly believe that the education system in America needs more ‘good’ challenging teachers who are willing to make children more independent. After all, it is an important part of development and growing up.

Individualizing Education

The debate on the education system in America is a never ending one. From problems with having single valedictorians, to the issues of standardized testing, it seems that the people of this country will never come to a consensus on the proper way to educate future generations. My concern for today’s blog is about how the schooling should be effective for all. In many scenarios, children are not being challenged enough or are being severely stressed with classes they should not be in. However, the problem might not be with the class and the material. The problem might be enveloped in the methods of teaching.
In my opinion “effective school for all” means more individualized plans for education set up for each student. I understand that schools are already trying to achieve this through counselors and conferences, but I think it is not working to the fullest potential. Besides each student having a physical plan/record, I think that schools need to re-evaluate the fact that education is not the same for all students. Different people learn differently and for effective schooling to occur, this specific education needs to be targeted individually. Once again, schools are already trying to solve this problem by placing student into different level classes (CP, Honors, AP), yet each student will still approach education and learning in a different way in each class.
Therefore, the solution I propose is for the students to gain more say and action in how they want to be taught. Obviously, everyone can't just say, “I don’t want homework.” The students’ increased control of their own education needs to come with a firm and logical structure. School is ‘good’ for most people because it teaches very important skills for the future. Among these are English and how to write properly. However, schools also teach how to multitask and use time effectively.
Developing a sense of how to manage time primary evolves from too much homework. This, in turn, leads me to the conclusion that school is not good for other people because they are constantly sleep deprived. School is negatively affecting their health in a serious manner. On the other hand, it is a strong motivator to do well, get scholarships, a good education, and a well-paying job. Without a school system in place I would most definitely lack the motivation to keep on learning. Yet again, there is a counter to this with the fact that school is becoming monotone with constant test training.
There is an enormous amount of pros and cons out there about the current education system. That is why, perhaps, there can’t be an easy answer as to what to change in the system. However, making the curriculums more individualized would surely benefit everyone. Reform must come from the students, not from boards of education as is commonly perceived.

Two Dollars

The United State is categorized as a first world country, meaning it is a developed, capitalist, and industrial country. People that live In the US are lucky because there is lots of opportunity and many resources available on a day-to-day basis. Take, for example, a person living in an average sized house. First, there is a house, with windows, insulated walls, multiple rooms, and all that come with a house, here in America. The house provides a clean source of water, electricity, and security from the outside world. All this can be paid for by the job the person has. The grocery store nearby has a plentitude of fresh food and the mall has everything, ranging from clothes to toys. The person has a car to get to all these places and spend his money.
Now, what would happen if, suddenly, the person’s pension got severely cut to 2 dollars a day, or 60 dollars a month, which is only 720 dollars a year. The person would find himself in serious trouble, losing many things that that aren’t fully his yet. This is of course a worst case scenario because the person probably has savings and can find a better job. If he becomes homeless, organizations will help him find a home and take care of him. Most important of all, there is free drinking water everywhere.
The story is much more different in Liberia. People have to actually survive on 2 dollars a day. This includes food, water, clothing, and education for the children. Most people have to travel miles each day just to bring water back to their house, which is most of the times one room with no electivity.
Poverty is an enormous problem all across Africa. People still manage to live on those 2 dollars, so think how big of a difference you can make in someone’s life by donating a small fraction what you have. Unlike people here, in America, the people of Liberia can’t just go and get a better job. The opportunity for them simply doesn't exist. Make a difference. Donate today!

High School’s College Preparation Efforts

Every teacher in middle school tells the students about how high school will be different. It will be more difficult: the concepts will require more time to understand and the homework load will increase severely. However, the teachers explain that this is because high school is getting the student ready for college. The increased workload and different grading scales are suppose to mimic what college is going to be like. Many of the new elements seen in the high school do, in fact, get students more prepared for what is to come in the future, but certain aspects severely fail at this. The following examples will come from my own high school.
The first point is that the homework load is overwhelming indeed. This is similar to what is going to happen in college, yet small difference always exist. In college, students will have many more papers to write, longer assignments from math and science classes, and bigger projects. Yet most students only take four to five classes a semester in college and most of the classes are not everyday classes. This gives the students much more time to complete the homework and, more importantly, read ahead. High school is definitely much more condensed. The minimum amount of classes required per semester is six, and many student take seven as well. Every class meets everyday, which means that homework is very likely to be due that next day. Therefore, the workload seems to be overwhelming. Many high schools pride themselves with offering many AP courses, which I think is a great thing to have. AP classes are called “advanced placement” for a reason. They are college courses taking place in the high school. This is an excellent way to prepare for college because the material being covered is the same and the student can get a feel for how the material being learned changes in level of difficulty. However, once again there is that small difference that makes a big difference. The teachers in high school tend to be much more involved with the student when teaching the course; none of the classes are simply just lectures. The homework tends to be easier and so is the grading. In essence AP classes in high school only give an experience of how the course materials might be different in college.
The more concerning issue is that high schools are not preparing students for college early enough. What I mean by this is that I officially started worrying about college in the middle of Junior year, and now I have too many things to do and too many things to remember. Some people might argue against this with things like that the ACT and SAT tests are available to take in the eighth grade already. Sure, that is a big part of getting ready, but it surely isn't the only thing. Counselors should be more involved with student planning starting Freshman year. Everyone should start making lists of all the clubs, sports, volunteer work, hours, dates, and whatever else can be crammed into those college resumes because, after all, that is the goal of high school: to get that perfect looking transcript and resume to get accepted into the college of one’s choosing with scholarship money. Now, it is very hard to remember what I did my Freshman year. If I had received and official chart to keep track from the beginning, maybe I could feel a little more relaxed. Instead, I have to try and do as many things as possible during my Junior and Senior year. Maybe the problem is that high schools don't hire enough counselors. Each counselor at my school has about 400 students and that is too much to individually help everyone in their future plans. More counselors could mean better quality of help from them. I encountered numerous occasions in which my counselor simply directed me to another source of information where I could do my own research. Or, in another instance, I was simply given a packet for a credit flex, instead of help where to find a suitable instructor to test me out of a different language I speak fluently.
In short, high school is trying to prepare the student for college, but not to the fullest potential. Obviously I wouldn't want for high school to be exactly like college, but I definitely would greatly appreciate more help in planning out my future in a college. Mass assemblies and power points simply aren't good enough. My suggestions would be to start early, get more counselors, and make planning more individualized.

It’s the 21st Century, not the 20th

The clock strikes 8 o'clock and the test begins. This time, they have mixed it up and the writing section is first, followed by the multiple choice. It is either a surprise or the proctor does not know how to read directions. I open up the booklet and, just like my teacher warned me, there is a question about women. It reads, “Assess the ways in which women participated in and influenced TWO of the following: the Renaissance; the Reformation; the French Revolution.” However, another likely question could have been to assess gender equality and how were women treated during the 18th century, or any other century.
The matter of fact is that gender equality has been a major aspect of world history. The question above was taken from an AP European History test. Although gender equality, and mostly female inequality, has been an issue since the beginning of time, it is important to acknowledge that the times are changing, the 21st century is upon us. Therefore, with this change in time comes a change in importance of the issue.
Today’s society is geared towards equality in every aspect: religion, race, and gender of course. There might be some exceptions to this, like gender inequality in Saudi Arabia, but, for the most part, people are trying to improve equality. The entertainment business has long ago championed gender equality, but the workplace is making progress as well. More women are finally getting CEO positions, or even simply promotions. Since, progress is happening, it would be wise to let it grow on its own and focus on more concerning situations.
Saying this, I believe that society needs to partially avert its attention to issues of hunger, unemployment, and especially debt, here in the United States. The government needs to be concerned with the economy because the progression for gender equality has already been set in motion and will keep on moving on its own. This is not to say, however, that ignorance is to resume. Once people open their minds to the idea that women are as productive as men in the workplace, these people need to keep those minds open. In essence, one can’t merely block out one issue to solve another, but rather multitask with many problems at once.
Supporting evidence of the ‘moving on’ suggestion has been clearly made in a book by Claire Shipman and Katty Kay. The two women are, surprisingly, not attacking and blaming men for women’s inequality. They say that the laws have been laid down, and that there are no legal limitations for women like there were in the 20th century. Now, it is up to the women to succeed. One of the problems that causes this notion of gender inequality to still exist is the characteristic of confidence and the gap between men and women in this area. Men have always had the upper hand, dominating the work place and building strong self-confidence along with it. Women, on the other hand, seem to lack the great male confidence, and are, therefore, treated as inferior. The quality of a woman’s work might be equal, or even superior to the man’s, but low self-confidence is what is holding her back. Sometimes, appearance takes the dominating role over the work put into a project.
As I conclude, I feel that the past generations have been successful in bringing about an environment where women can succeed. It is the women’s turn now to take advantage of this new opportunity. Maybe in a couple decades, the work force will be more or less split evenly among the male and female gender, but why wait so long to start solving another issue. It is time to be less concerned with gender equality, and more with other persisting issues at hand.

Saudi Inequality

Aidah al-Nassar is a 37 year-old woman living in Medina, Saudi Arabia. She is married and has two children. Her husband is a businessman and works in the city, while Aidah has to stay at home and take care of the children. The family’s life is governed by Sunni Islam.
In the 2013 Global Gender Gap Report, the World Economic Forum released a ranking for gender parity from 136 countries. Saudi Arabia placed in the 127th place. Certain steps have been taken to fix gender inequality, yet many laws and traditions, including religious interpretation, still prohibit women from the rights they would have in other countries. Following is a section of a response from Aidah to what she has to say about the issue.
First, I would like to address the causes for the gender inequality in my country. Many people would believe that the Islamic religion is the sole factor for the many prohibitions placed on women. However, I tell you that is not the only factor. Even here, in Saudi Arabia, there exists a saying: “It’s the culture, not the religion.” Therefore, many of the laws come from the government and the traditional customs of the Arabian Peninsula. What outrages me the most is the fact that most of the gender laws that are in place are merely interpretations of the Sharia, or Islamic law. In my country, the Shaira is interpreted according to a Sunni form called Wahhabism, or the way of the righteous predecessor. Judges, or shall I say men, are left with discretionary power to exercise in favor of tribal traditions
On the upside, there have been some improvements in recent years. For example, in 2011 King Abdullah announced that women could finally take part in voting and running for office in the 2015 elections. More women are receiving a proper education. In fact, more of the university graduates in Saudi Arabia are woman than men. Having excellent qualifications, they are still not treated fairly in the workplace and gender separation is a prevailing problem.
This leads to the fact that nothing can mask the traditional and culture disadvantages we, as women, experience everyday. I have two children and a household to take care of, and yet I am not allowed to drive a car. Think of the many errands a mother in the Americas performs and how important it is to drive oneself to the store. But even if I were to walk to the market, I still need a male chaperone called a mahram, or a male relative. Our freedom of movement is severely restricted because of traditional beliefs in a patriarchal system of the past that should have long ago been abandoned.

…

It is time now, that all the women in Saudi Arabia stand up and speak out against the problems gender inequality. We have suffered too long, and such an issue should most definitely not exist in the modern world we live in. The time has come to make a change, not to the religion, but to interpretation and custom. Equality for all!

Roger Federer

      Everyone has an idol he or she looks up to it. Whether it is sports, Hollywood, or other professional careers, the story of aspiring to be like these stars is a common one. The young generation tends to get obsessive about following exactly in their footsteps. This includes dressing, acting, and dieting in similar ways. Others search YouTube tutorials on how to exercise like their athlete idols. Some stars overuse this popular influence, but others remain like they were in their junior years: normal athletes who simply love their sport.
      As a tennis player myself, I have an athlete that I look up to: Roger Federer. Federer is Swiss professional tennis player and is currently ranked as second best in the world, after Novak Djokovic. Throughout his career he has been the number one player in the world for 302 weeks as recorded by the Association of Tennis Professionals. This is a world record. However, Federer doesn’t act like he is the best at all. His style of play is considered one of the best in the world and because it is so interesting to watch, Federer doesn’t need to promote himself in other ways.
     

This is why I look up to Federer. He does more than just playing a sport. He plays it with charisma and etiquette and really shows how complex and detailed the game of tennis can be. He doesn’t have the “show-off” attitude that some players have. I know that I am not going to be a professional player but I enjoy looking up to Federer as a role model. However, I don’t imitate his daily routines. I’ll leave that to the professionals.

Social Sports

Sports today are deemed to be a physical activity, yet it is largely overlooked that sports are also very much a social event as well. By this, one would naturally assume that the social gathering is preformed by the audiences and fans, but the athletes are also part of the social activity. Moreover, it is more involving to them than it is to the audience.
The normal situation, in which a group of people enjoy each other’s company, involves the members in communication. They talk, laugh, and probably eat, shop, or watch a movie. However, sports take it to the next level. It is specifically teamwork that engages the players more closely than in other situation. Not only do the athletes have to talk to each other, but they are also working together. The sports require collective action, strategy, and playing as one. In the professional world, each player has to be in the other’s mind as well. They know each other well through the many years of practice together, so they can predict each other’s actions. Signals sometime may be used interchangeably with speech in the case of the players being far from each other. Therefore, being an athlete on a team sport is extremely social. There is a unity that consists of mind, talk, action, and signals that come together to achieve the final goal: victory.
Examples of this exist everywhere. In soccer and basketball, the players shout to each other, notifying of their open position. When it comes time for a break or a time-out, the players huddle and discuss strategy or further action. They are working to achieve success, and they need to work as one team, not as individual players. In football, it’s the same thing. The athlete will call out a play in code before snapping the football and the players run their routes in order to coordinate their offensive play. Another example exists in volleyball. Teamwork and communication become very important when setting up a spike to score the point. First, the team needs to know in which order they will receive the ball and get it close to the net for the spike. Thus, the players call the volleyball if they know they can hit it, so that collisions don’t happen. Beforehand, the tallest players are placed near the net and they are the ones that will execute the spike, so that there is a minimal chance of a return. The action takes place in a matter of seconds, and each player needs to anticipate where the ball is going to be hit.
Because most sports are team sports, they are social and, therefore, more enjoyable to play. However, there are sports that involve a single player, like golf or swimming. I play tennis, and I have a choice. Tennis can be a single player sport, or it can involve a two-person team. It is because of the teamwork and social aspect of doubles play that I choose to play with a partner. The game becomes more complex and involves more creativity. I have to have a set number of plays that I can execute with my partner, and strategies that will change depending on the opponents. On breaks between the games, we have to be quick to come of with new plans in order to stay ahead. Therefore, by only adding one partner to the game, it become a physical activity involving speaking and signaling. The signals, like in other sports, are communicated with one hand behind the back of the player at the net.
Sports are as equally physical as they are social. They are a great benefit to one’s health, and social life. The best part of a team sport is the celebration afterwards from a victory. Therefore, those of you that don’t play, take a look at sports again. Not all sports have to be competitive and playing recreationally is as much fun. So get out there, enjoy the fresh air, and play!

Word Power

The power of word and language has been with humans for about 100,000 years, and it has facilitated some remarkable achievements for mankind. Before this period, the hominid’s vocal tract wasn’t developed enough to produce the range of speech sounds that people can today. This is not to say that language did not appear at all before 100,000 years ago. In reality, the combination of physical changes and an increased complexity of communication from the early humans created language in a series of stages.
The more fascinating aspect is how language has progressed over the thousands of years and how it has come to control and dominate society. However, it controls society in both positive and negative ways. For example, speeches are the best example for how word has true power over people. Two names clearly explain the matter: Martin Luther King Jr. and Adolf Hitler.
     King was famous for his civil rights movement, and the single most important element in his movement was peace. He did not believe in violence, and instead of promoting violence, he advocated for peaceful protest in his speeches, the most famous being I Have a Dream. His words called people to action, they called for a realization that something needed to be done about equality in America.
King would represent the bright side of the word’s impact on society. Sadly, there is a dark side, Hitler being the example. Known for his emotional, powerful, and nationalistic speeches, he used the power of his language to influence the masses of Germany into a fever that led to World War II. One terrifying account by Alfons Heck explains how Hitler took control of people while giving his speech: “We erupted into a frenzy of nationalistic pride that bordered on hysteria. For minutes on end, we shouted at the top of our lungs, with tears streaming down our faces: Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil! From that moment on, I belonged to Adolf Hitler body and soul.”
The power of word and language is many-sided. It can be used with the purpose of evil, but also with the purpose of love and kindness. Speech can rally people up in a wild frenzy, or it can assemble them peacefully to a state of realization.  Having power isn’t all about strength. Having power means having the ability to control language and influence the surrounding people.

Pet Peeves

Everyday, I go to school and talk with my friends in English. The previous sentence may sound unusual, because in a way it is. Nobody specifies that they speak English at school in America, but this is an important part of my daily life. Why? Well, English wasn't my first language and, therefore, I have an accent. My parents grew up in Poland, and moved to America about one year before I was born. Since, this blog is to be all about pet peeves, here is my first.
It bothers me when people don't understand. I get the question a lot about how could I have an accent when I was born here. Even though I tell people that Polish was my first language, they still continue to believe that it isn't possible. When you grow up in a country like this, English surrounds you everywhere. It isn't like I live in Chicago or New York either, where there might be ethnic neighborhoods. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio and ethnic communities do not really exist here. Possibly, this is why people do not understand how it is that I could have an accent. The answer: 24/7 Polish at home. Even today, we never use English at home.
Since I have an accent, it affects my pronunciation of words as well. In the Polish language, all the letters in a word are pronounced. However, this is tremendously different when it comes to English. I am ok when people correct me on long and complex words, but when it comes to the word “the” I tend to get mad sometimes. First of all, the letter “h” is placed with the letter “t”, which changes the sound. The sound change is perfectly exemplified in the difference between “though” and “tough”. The change is significant because one word evokes a strong and harsh pronunciation of “t”, while the other softens the letter and makes it sound smoother. This first part of the word “the” is easy. The problem I have is with the second part and my biggest pet peeve is when people try to correct me on my pronunciation of it. I say the “e” with the soft sound, like in the word “phenomenal”. Most people say it with the strong “e” sound, like in the word “seek”. Some people say that my pronunciation is wrong, yet I have no idea how.
In afterthought, my pet peeve with the English language is not grammar mistakes or spelling mistakes. The problem resides in pronunciation. This is why it is probably a hard language to learn. Similarly to French, many letters become silent. Others change sounds when they are in different combinations. I have my own English, and when others are correcting me, maybe they should realize that I am bilingual and learning two other languages, instead of laughing at the matter.

To Call Celebrity: Dial 007

In the beginning, the elite consisted of military and political leaders, statesmen, and religious authority. Poets, pianists, composers, and painters were considered celebrities. The differentiation between the two was that one side held a ruling power over the people, while the other side wowed the crowds with its production of masterpieces and talent. As history started unraveling itself, the transformation began: a new group of people were going to emerge wielding power in one hand and talent in the other. This talented elite came to settle one area of the country, Hollywood, and revolutionized pop culture.
These people are known as celebrities. Although the most prominent and most famous are actors, actresses, and singers, others have become celebrities through other careers in the entertainment industry, like show-hosts. Society has demanded and still is demanding a lot from these stars. They must look beautiful, be fit, have the proper clothes, always do the right thing, set an example for others, and so on, and so on. It is no surprise that if the celebrities have to do so much for society and deal with personal problems, mistakes will happen. Sadly, people do not understand that nobody can be perfect. Therefore, they will always find some way to reveal a scandal, or terrorize a celebrity for a bad decision.
Yet, some celebrities are able to keep up with societal demands and morally right decisions. They can also go above and beyond. One of these celebrities is one of my favorite actors: Pierce Brosnan. Many know him as the all-time best spy, James Bond, and his acting career has made him into a very well-known personality. He gives the public what they want, a handsome face, thrilling action movies, and a sort of obsession to be like him. However, he goes above and beyond this as a generous and kind person.
Born in Ireland, Pierce Brosnan has come to fulfill the position of the Ambassador for UNICEF Ireland. Along with Liam Neeson, he founded the “Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS” campaign. Brosnan is known for being an environmentalists and financially supporting environmental groups like Greenpeace. Being an artists as well, he makes and sells paintings as part of fundraisers for other organizations.
Brosnan can be considered the stereotypical celebrity society has demanded: a talented beautiful person that holds power as well as kindness and a sense of public service. This stereotype isn’t a bad thing at all, but sometimes the pressure builds up from so many demands, and certain celebrities cannot handle it. Others are so fed up with their popularity that they become terrible role models, like Justin Bieber. But not Pierce Brosnan! He is an excellent celebrity example.

Anonymous: the New Barrier of the Century

Since the invention of social media and advancements in technology, people have found themselves forming new barriers and barricades. These social camouflages arise from the decline of face-to face-conversation. Once people sit behind a computer or a smartphone, they feel safer and forget to use mental brakes, meaning they could say something even if they wouldn’t in a normal conversation. Therefore, social media has created a dangerous place in our world where people open up more freely about their personal thoughts, even if they can hurt others.
Although the computer might act like a shield, it most certainly acts as a key to personal locks as well. When a closer examination is preformed of an individual’s public profile, it can be determined what kind of person he or she is. Furthermore, analyzing what this person has said and the way in which he or she communicates in online situations can reveal character and traits. Is this person kind, insulting, lacking intelligence, or just plain-old goofy?
What social media does is it tears down human firewalls. It gives the false sensation of becoming another and worst of all, in most situations, it never goes away. Once the “send,” the “post,” the “tweet,” or the “comment” button has been pressed, there is no turning back. Information will spread like a wildfire and even though one might delete the post afterwards, there is no guarantee that someone hasn't taken a screenshot and re-posted.
That is why today’s social media is a dangerous trap. Certain people can get pulled in so addictively, that they begin to check there multiple sites every few minutes. They lose track of time and waste hours of their weeks. However, the more important problem is that social media has found a way to create an even greater barrier: the anonymous user. Popular, new apps, like Yik Yak, are based on anonymous platforms and postings remain without a name attached.
To sum it all in one definition, social media is a complex system of exposing people, hiding people, hurting some, and empowering others. It is also a teenage vacuum, in which youth gets sucked into and forgets that what really matters is life beyond the digital screen.