Current Connection 1.1

News One article titled "Report: 1 in 4 Americans Competing High School Late, Students Lag Behind other Countries" reports the consequences and details for such shocking numbers. 

Something we don't want to hear is "America's economy will suffer if schools don't step up their game".  The schools aren't teaching kids the right ways to study and learn, making them drop out of college easier, not get a job, and fewer workers means fewer jobs.  The fact that less people are getting jobs and more people aren't getting an education, will cause a downfall in out country's economy.  

One thing President Obama had to say about the whole ordeal was "what was at stake is nothing less than the American dream".  Everyone wants a nice big house with a happy family, if you don't get a job to pay for the house and provide for the family, the American dream is unachievable.  Even if you want a smaller house with your husband or wife and one child, it still takes a pretty penny.  If you don't finish school and get a job, money will be hard to come by.  

A suggestion made by commissioners was "extending the school year from 180 days to up to 220 days."  People are beginning to think of drastic measures to fix this problem in education.  Can teachers and administration not come up with a better plan than to extend the school year?  That is just buying more time.  Educators need to solve the problems in the time they have been given.  

We are no longer at the top of the world in education.  unless we want to stay that way and keep heading south, we need to have a chat with other countries on their education systems. 

With all of these consequences being said, I would say our country's education system needs some work.  

Current Connection 1.1

News One article titled "Report: 1 in 4 Americans Competing High School Late, Students Lag Behind other Countries" reports the consequences and details for such shocking numbers. 

Something we don't want to hear is "America's economy will suffer if schools don't step up their game".  The schools aren't teaching kids the right ways to study and learn, making them drop out of college easier, not get a job, and fewer workers means fewer jobs.  The fact that less people are getting jobs and more people aren't getting an education, will cause a downfall in out country's economy.  

One thing President Obama had to say about the whole ordeal was "what was at stake is nothing less than the American dream".  Everyone wants a nice big house with a happy family, if you don't get a job to pay for the house and provide for the family, the American dream is unachievable.  Even if you want a smaller house with your husband or wife and one child, it still takes a pretty penny.  If you don't finish school and get a job, money will be hard to come by.  

A suggestion made by commissioners was "extending the school year from 180 days to up to 220 days."  People are beginning to think of drastic measures to fix this problem in education.  Can teachers and administration not come up with a better plan than to extend the school year?  That is just buying more time.  Educators need to solve the problems in the time they have been given.  

We are no longer at the top of the world in education.  unless we want to stay that way and keep heading south, we need to have a chat with other countries on their education systems. 

With all of these consequences being said, I would say our country's education system needs some work.  

Last Current Connection May 6- Soccer Ref Dead From Punch

     The player who punched the referee should not be treated like a murderer.  A news article on a dead soccer referee who died from a punch to the face from an angry player says (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/06/family-utah-soccer-referee-who-died-after-punch-from-player-holds-vigil/) "But if he was old enough to do what he did then he's responsible to pay for it."  The player did not mean to kill somebody, he was acting on impulse and hit him in the correct spot for it to do terminal damage.  The family of the referee is very upset seeing as this death could have been prevented, but they have to know the player did not think punching someone in the face would ultimately lead to their death.  The article also says "Don't take justice into your own hands." The police and agents working on this case know what they're doing, the family and friends need to respect that and no treat the player like he is a cold blooded killer.  People who were close to the ref do not need to solely blame the player for the death.  Justice will be served and they need to trust that.
     The player who punched the ref is not all to blame.  The same article states "Ricardo Portillo's daughters had begged him to stop refereeing in a soccer league because of the growing risk of violence from angry players." Ricardo (the ref) knew what he was getting himself into, he knew the risks involved.  Although the player was the one to cause the fatal injury, Ricardo knew that could happen at some point in his career.  Also in the article it says "her father had been attacked twice before in his eight years refereeing soccer matches." People don't realize it, maybe they will now, that being a ref is a very dangerous job.  Ricardo did choose to make this his job despite the risks it brought along.  The soccer player did ultimately end Ricardo's life, but he should not be treated like a murderer because of it and the player is not 100 percent to blame for Ricardo's death.

Farrah needs to focus on her parenting - current connection april 8th

     Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham is trying too hard to be famous and not hard enough to be a good mom.  A TMZ article (http://www.tmz.com/2013/04/08/farrah-abraham-teen-mom-sex-tape-shopped/) says "Teen Mom Farrah Abraham got down and dirty while camera's rolled and now a sex tape is being shopped to various porn companies." Somebody like Farrah, who has a young daughter and the father of the daughter has passed away, should not be focusing on making a sex tape but on taking care of her daughter.  Farrah is only searching for attention, why else would anybody make a sex tape?  The article also says "Farrah and a male partner go at it for about 30 minutes" When you go inside a building knowing you're about to have a sex tape filmed when you're already a teen mom, that is asking for controversy.  You would think the only attention Farrah would need is her daughters, but apparently she needs creepy old men's attention, too.  The most important thing in Farrah's life should be her daughter, Sophia.  On the website 'TMZ' if you search Farrah Abraham the only things that come up are negative and have nothing to do with her daughter.  If Farrah was mostly concerned about her daughter you would see that in her search results, not how she has a new sex tape and how she was busted with a DUI.  If Farrah were a good mom, she wouldn't even put herself in the situation to have a DUI or film a sex tape, she would be home with her daughter.  My friend, who is a teen mom, cares so much about her son.  He is her number one priority, that's what makes her a good mom.  If Farrah wants to be a good mom she's going to have put her daughter first, not the alcohol.  The alcohol and fame aren't going to be here and matter forever, but her daughter is.  Farrah Abraham only cares about being famous and will go to extreme lengths to get that fame, when all she really needs to care about is her daughter.

Taylor Swift needs to start acting her age March 11 Current Connection

Taylor Swift is very immature. In a news article (http://www.eonline.com/news/394445/taylor-swift-on-tina-fey-and-amy-poehler-there-s-a-special-place-in-hell-wait-what) it says "there's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women". Tina Fey, while hosting the Golden Globes said that Taylor Swift needed to stay away from Michael J. Fox's son. Tina was joking and Taylor needs to plan to take a joke. I'm sure Taylor has talked bad about another women before. She doesn't need to go around saying other women will burn in hell for doing the same thing.  In the same E! article it says "Taylor Swift and her seemingly endless rotation of boyfriends has been the butt of many a joke." You have to be pretty mature to have a long term relationship with somebody.  Taylor is constantly going through boys, and that is further proving her immaturity.
     Taylor Swift is 23, but she acts younger.  Another E! article says (http://www.eonline.com/news/395244/taylor-swift-covers-instyle-uk-i-don-t-want-to-be-awful-and-intolerable) "The problem with having guy friends is, like, I always get linked to them." Taylor has been in this business since she was about 15, she should know how the reporters act.  A normal person who has been in this business for that long, expect that to happen and they deal with it. The article also says "that's why I live my life the way I live my life because I'd so much rather feel everything than end up like that".  She is almost saying that she won't so she won't be alone, she has to always have a boyfriend. A normal 15 year old might think like that, but a normal 23 year old would say you have to be patient with love and life. Taylor swift is very immature by saying things that she shouldn't and by not acting her age.

Seth MacFarlane, too raunchy for the Oscars

     Seth MacFarlane was way too raunchy for the Oscars.  On a website,(http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2013/02/24/bianco-oscar-review/1943985/) it says, "he started with a number about seeing stars' breasts in the movies that was meant to represent the kind of "wild, crazy and tasteless" stunt folks were supposedly afraid the man behind Family Guy might do". The Oscars are meant to be a prestigious and classy event, therefor they are not a place to perform a song about seeing women's breasts.  'Family Guy' is a much different element and fan base than The Oscars. On 'Family Guy', it's fine to tell inappropriate jokes and crude humor, the 85th Annual Academy Awards, not so much.  A different website (http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/25/showbiz/tv/seth-macfarlane-oscar-hosting/index.html) says "what he did at The Oscars was offensive and not remotely funny". There was a special appearance made by 'Ted' the teddy bear, voiced by Seth MacFarlane. He made a comment asking if he "could be apart of the post-ceremony celebrity orgies" that he had heard so much about. This was while presenting an award that is very hard to achieve. I'm sure if you are nominated for an Oscar, you're probably nervous and honored as it is such a distinguished award. Chances are, you probably don't want people making offensive jokes on your big night.
     The Oscars shouldn't be about the host, but the winners of the awards.  A website (http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2013/02/24/bianco-oscar-review/1943985/) said "what MacFarlane seemed to forget was that the job at hand involved more than just his performance". While hosting the Academy Awards show is a big deal, they are really about the wonderful films, actors, actresses, directors, producers, and other aspects that go into making an award winning movie.  Seth MacFarlane seemed to think he was the center of attention at The Oscars, he was more concerned on what joke he was going to tell next than the amazing nominees.  The website also says "MacFarlane's act was often flat and self-conscious". He was often making inappropriate jokes probably because they were in his element, and stepping out of it made him extremely nervous and uncomfortable.  MacFarlane was too caught up in being a hilarious host that he didn't focus on how he was coming off to the viewers.  The Oscars should not be about the host of the show. While the host should be enjoyable to watch and not as raunchy as Seth MacFarlane. The Oscar award show is a classy event and should be treated with dignity.

Phillip Phillips loves his family - Current Connection Feb 11

     In this article, the author states that Phillip Phillips has cut off his family. I completely disagree. In the article it says, "We're told Phillip Phillips' family has reached out multiple times to the singer for financial help since he hit it big, but Phil has blown them off" (http://www.tmz.com/2013/01/04/justin-bieber-marijuana-pot-blunt-smoking-picture-photo/). I am a huge Phillip Phillips fan, I follow him on all the major social networking websites and he still keeps in contact with his family. Phillip has such a big heart and he would never cut off his family, especially from the people that are such a big part of his life. The article also says, "the family's especially hurt by the singers radio silence -- since they spent a ton of money on travel expenses so they could see Phillip compete on 'Idol'". On Twitter, Phillip always tweets family members about how much he loves them and misses them when he's away. I have come in personal contact with Phillip myself more than once and he is a nice person.  I could never imagine him disconnecting from his family. Phillip's actions do not match the author's statements. I find this information hard to believe.

     The author of this article clearly has no idea what he is talking about.  In the article, it says "Phil has blown them off". On almost all of his big shows, Phillip brings his family and girlfriend to watch him and support him.  In most of his interviews he talks about his family support and how much he appreciates them.  Another statement in the article says, "We made multiple calls to Phillip Phillips over several days -- but our calls were not returned".  On 'American Idol' the producers took several of the finalists to TMZ to show them how their words could be twisted and changed.  That could be why Phillip didn't return TMZ's calls.  There are two sides to every story and Phillip's story could be completely different.  His family's side of the story could also be very different, considering TMZ is known for switching people's words around.  I am a huge fan of Phillip Phillips and I know for a fact he did not cut his family off from himself or financial support.  I completely disagree with the author. 

Justin Bieber Smokes a blunt, so what?

Justin Bieber has so much to deal with, and it's understandable that he would slip up at one time or another. The article (http://www.tmz.com/2013/01/04/justin-bieber-marijuana-pot-blunt-smoking-picture-photo/) states, "The pics were snapped on January 2nd -- the day after a paparazzo was killed while trying to take photos of Bieber's Ferrari" If someone was trying to take a picture of my car and died in the process, I would feel really guilty. I am sure that Justin feels just as guilty and he thought smoking weed would be a good way to suppress those feelings.  It wasn't a great way to deal with stress, but cut the kid some slack. The article article also says, "sources tell us Bieber was chatting it up about about how tired he was because he'd been staying up late recently." Of course he had been staying up late, he is on tour, going to at least 5 different cities every week. When Justin is on tour, his shows don't end until 10:30 or 11:00 pm. After the show they have to get on the bus and travel overnight to the next city, or go to a hotel and get up super early to start traveling again. With all the stress and lack of sleep, it should not be a big deal that he smoked a blunt. Of course, it's not a smart decision but with everything going on in his life nobody can blame him.