Justin Bieber

Recently a short clip of Justin Bieber has leaked on the Internet that has heightened the media's attention. This media frenzy is based on Bieber sleeping in a hotel room while a woman supposedly known as a stripper or a model or who really knows.... captured the video tape of him sleeping. People have jumped to the conclusion that he has had sex with this woman and got caught after the act in the morning before he woke up. JUSTIN BIEBER IS OUT OF CONTROL! At least thats what some fans and media believe. After trying to shed his image as a child star and appeal to an older age group Beiber has decided to get tattoos and dress differently. His fans still love him but don't know if they agree with his new image. Due to his recent acts of misconduct some believe beiber may really need help and that soon he'll end up like other stars in court and trying to hire lawyers. Maybe even rehab.
I believe Justin Bieber is trying to grow up too fast for his fans and for himself. I understand that he is trying to show who he really is but having bad press isnt a step in the right direction. It kind of relates to Miley Cyrus because she is also trying to shed the image of Hannah Montana. The role she played on Disney Channel, by dressing differently and acting how she really is.

These stars are just trying to find themselves and want to be seen as adults. But are they only hurting themselves and their fans or spiraling out of control?

Asians and other minorities not getting leading hollywood roles

                Although greatly improved from the past, the United States still has the problem of not having leading roles for Asians in movies and T.V. shows.  Many times the Asians are put in very minor roles and no opportunity to even be written in.  Even the movies such as The last Airbender, the horrible adaptation of the cartoon series, was expected to have an entire Asian cast due to the Asian themes in the show, only to have a mostly white cast that had their eyes adjusted to make them look Asian.  White-washing has been an issue so common in Hollywood, on Youtube Wong-fu productions even makes fun of it by making a parody using an Asain cast to portray a remake of “Saved by the bell”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if3Qsb2g8yo

                Other races do appear in film but it’s usually an all-white cast with one funny black guy.  The majority of the time Hollywood doesn’t give Asians any leading roles unless it’s in a martial arts film.  It’s sad that very talented minority actors rarely make in though and can’t find a leading role that fits their image.  Although entertainment isn’t as disrespectful to their minorities as it has in the past, *blackface*, there is a subtle idea that perhaps minorities aren’t as interesting to watch to watch or complete ignorance of how to write minority characters.  No matter what this is an issue I find very serious.

Mary Jane

Should Medical Marijuana be made legal or illegal? I think legal. I say this because I think if it will help improves someone in bad health then why not use it? I know that it can help with Glaucoma which is a very serious eye condition in which the person could eventually go blind. If it could help slow that down and I had it then I would want that weed. I couldn’t imagine losing my sense of sight; not being able to see shapes, colors, or even people. That would be a terrible thing. Some people think that others just want the weed legalized so that it could be used in a recreational way.  And if that is the case, then so what? If people want to smoke weed let them. It’s is not harming anyone and other people should not have a say in a complete strangers life. It just doesn't make sense to me. Therefore if marijuana can help health problems then just legalize the damn thing and stop making a fuss about it. It could help save someone’s life.  

- Nisha Brijmohan

Hot or not?

Miley Cyrus. Everyone is talking about her. Is what she’s doing actually so bad? I do admit she is somewhat of a hot mess. However from an objective point of view is there anything actually wrong with what she is doing? She was a child star on Disney channel but she is all grown up now. She has a new image and wants to be seen in a completely different light. People have to realize that she has grown up and that we can’t keep thinking of her as the little Hannah Montana that she used to be. She is a bit excessive in what she is doing but I just think she is trying very hard to get people to see that she isn’t a little girl anymore. She wants to be noticed and become a bigger star than what she already is. At the VMA’S her performance was a strange and people talked about her for weeks and weeks on end. However, I think that is exactly what she wanted people to do. What I am unclear on if she does drugs or not. I also think that because she is famous people are too concerned with what she is doing. I think people should have free will and be able to do what they want as long as they don’t harm anyone. She doesn’t seem to be putting anyone in any type of immediate danger. Therefore I say, twerk it Miley. Do what you want. 

- Nisha Brijmohan 

Texting and Driving- Is it worth your life?

Are you ready to be the victim of an accident? 

Do you want to be the friend of a loved one who passed because of texting and driving? Are you willing to show the world the text that cost your best friend’s life?

Across the world, texting and driving has become one of the main reasons for car accidents besides the busy holiday season, being under the influence, and a reckless driver. Every day, there are an infinite amount of people who die because they were texting and driving.

I think there need to be action toward drivers who text and drive such as the Florida Text and Drive Ban that was taken into effect on October 1^st. However, I believe awareness need to be made as well about the situation. People don’t know how crucial it is to not text and drive until they are put in the situation. They don’t realize the reality of it because they never thought “it could happen to be me.”

In my high school, we had a day where the dangers of texting and driving were made known and the impact that an accident like that leaves on family, friends, classmates, and society as a whole. Many decided to take the “no texting and driving pledge” of which I took a part and am glad to say that I have upheld my part of the pledge. I believe if more action was taken to stop texting and driving a real difference could be made by saving a number of lives who didn't have to die because they took two seconds off the road to read a “K” text. 

College Education-Free write

    When I first came to FIU I had myriad issues with the Financial Aid office. It stressed me out because I was in dispute with them for about a month over my scholarships and grants. Everything was finally sorted out and I practically attend FIU for free, Thank goodness.The only problem I have with not only FIU but with the college education system is the difficulty of receiving Financial Aid. America wants everyone to receive a college education or to go back to college, So why do they make it so difficult to do so? No one has $15,000 just laying around in a bank account somewhere waiting to be used for an education. Then when we finally do get here we do not take classes that are fit for our majors until Junior year. Then what is the point of college for the first two years? A warm up? Sounds like a waste of time to me. I don't like to waste time, I see time as a precious item in my life that cannot be bought. I feel that the first two years are  only a way to weed the weaker college students out of the system. To make us feel like we are entering the real deal and if we aren't serious enough we can't make it. And do they care? No. Because the next batch of students are coming in waiting to take the reins that we once held. College separates the weak from the strong. Being at FIU for barely only one semester has helped me to realize this.

    I see new friends struggling with science, economics, and math classes. Some of the hardest subjects taught at any university. While living on campus I have witnessed individuals putting off homework and instead going to parties and just wanting to enjoy life now that they are free from the 18 years of "oppression" they experienced while under their parents roof. No one is perfect. However, College has become more of a getaway for some than a gateway into education. Don't get me wrong not all students here at FIU are not like what I am describing. But what I am saying is undoubtedly true. I am in college not necessarily because I want to be but because I feel it is my only opportunity to receive a welcoming invitation into the real world. Once people see that you have credentials your life can drastically change from working at Mcdonalds to working for Mcdonalds on the corporate side of things. I want to be independent and able to support myself. Many of us aim to make a six figure salary or at least enough to maintain a family and give back to the family that has helped us get this far. College is the obstacle many of us face in order to have bright futures. Yes, I do consider college an obstacle. Its a training field. Each step is either a pass or fail. Only once we get through it will we be granted the reward of satisfaction, our diplomas.

    Life is hitting us hard as we are faced with tough decisions and rough patches along the way. We are sometimes called "The Lost Generation" but we aren't lost we just haven't found ourselves yet. Our purpose remains blurred and so we are easily mislead. We can go to college and we can succeed. I just don't understand why it has to be so hard sometimes. I guess you just have to be strong enough to have the willpower and the mindset to keep going.

The main quote that keeps me going daily is "My main focus is to REMAIN focused"

THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE KIDS THESE DAYS

 

             There is something wrong with the kids these days. When I say this I don’t mean it in the way that you hear your grandmother say it, when she sees a teenage girl walking down the road with barley anything  but underwear on.I mean it in a more concerned way. When I say there is something wrong with the kids these days, I’m not talking about their; clothes, language, hair styles, video games or anything like that. I’m talking about their weight. To many kids in America these days are overweight, and I’m not talking about that cute “chubby” kid that everyone pinches and thinks is so cute, I’m talking about kids who can’t even go outside and play a game of tag because their afraid that if they run they will hyperventilate and collapsing on the ground. My younger days were filled with any type of activity that took us outside and offered us an escape from the view of our parents, whether we were climbing trees, going swimming, playing football, or playing keep away. I honestly couldn’t imagine who I would be today if I was unable to build all those memories back then because I was to overweight and unable to keep up with the rest of my friends. 

Now don’t hear me wrong. I’m not saying that if a kid is overweight he is never going to have any type of fun or never have friends, but I do believe that they are missing out on key parts of their childhood lives that could affect their development in the future. Things like; coordination, agility, competiveness, confidence and team work. I think it’s time that we focused in on the health of our young boys and girls and teach them how important it is to eat healthy and control what you put in your body. We need to teach our kids that it’s important to get up and be active in a day and age where everything and anything can be done electronically while sitting on your couch munching on a bag of chips. Child obesity is nothing new, it has been a problem for years now and will continue to be a problem until the adults and young adults of America become better role models for the kids and show them what it is like to live a healthy active lifestyle. If you want the kids to change, change the people they watch.

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm

-ADAM BOYETTE