Salvation Army

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The organization that I have decided to talk about for this blog post is the Salvation Army. The salvation army is currently second on Forbes list of top charities in America. One of the reasons I have chosen this organization is because I have previously worked and donated to the salvation army. Although I believe in the idea of the salvation army i have a couple problems with how they go about asking for money. When you first go to their site, right off the bat the first question you see is “how much would you like to donate?” with the following buttons according to the amount of money you would like to actually donate. Problem I have with this is that I think it is a little “cocky” if that’s the right word, to have the donate section as the first thing. I’m assuming that due to their huge name they assume that when people go to their site they know why they went there. If it was up to me I would at least 9 times out of 10 have the “about us” page be the first thing I see. As a donor, I personally would like to know what I am donating to before I just give out my money. But I will admit that their “about us” page is incredible. They hit all the right points. They target the ethos pathos and logos. They give us cold hard facts, which goes to show how big and great of an organization they really are. Their motto, although religiously based, is perfect. ““Doing The Most Good.” In these four words, our mission – to feed, to clothe, to comfort, to care.”

Overall, I think that this is a great organization, and if you are looking to donate somewhere I highly recommend this site.

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/about

 

Persuasive Essay Sources

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Source one: What would stop a star player from agreeing to shake hands at a local car dealership for $50,000?” The answer is, nothing. If a car dealer wants to strike that deal then good for the player in question. If a music student goes out in the summer and earns 50 grand, who objects? Who even knows?

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6778847/college-athletes-deserve-paid

Source two: “Manziel also brought his school a wave of media exposure that was worth an estimated $37 million from last November through early January”

http://theweek.com/article/index/247910/how-much-money-has-texas-aampm-made-off-johnny-manziel

Source three: “In 2012, the school’s athletic revenue topped out at $124.5 million.  The football program alone was responsible for $82 million.”

http://www.sportsnetworker.com/2013/10/03/college-athletes-should-get-paid-heres-why/

Source four: “Fine, let’s not be greedy and look at how much a scholarship is actually worth. On average, a full Division 1 scholarship is $25,000 per year.”

Source five: “But the players themselves don’t see any of that money, even as they risk career-ending injuries every time that they step onto the court, field or rink.”

http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-ncaa-athletes-be-paid

Diversity

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I’m sure we all know of the process of applying and getting into college. But I would like to take a look at what it might look like from a college’s perspective. There is so much that comes into play. Academics, extra-cirriculars, teacher recommendations, etc. But a key factor today in many schools is ethnicity. Many schools want to seem as a diverse school and attract scholars from all races due to that reason. But sometimes they let this idea get carried away. Now what do I mean by that is unfortunately sometimes colleges lower their “standards” for kids of a different race. There have been many cases where a student that clearly should’ve been accepted, didn’t because she was beat out by another of a different race who didn’t have the same credentials as her. I also think that it is wrong that colleges and universities are accepting students due to their race just to diversify their student body. I am a firm believer in accepting the better of the two. I don’t care whether he or she is white, black, or purple, credentials (especially at college) should mean the most. Yeah, people might disagree with me, but put yourself in the shoes of the girl who got denied acceptance, how would you feel? You would be outraged. This girl actually ended up attempting to sue the school for unjustified denial, and used the “diversification of the school” as a strong support topic.

Purpose Statement

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The purpose statement for my persuasive essay is “Should College athletes get payed for playing?” In my opinion I  believe that although today college athletes do not get any pay for playing, they deserve too. These D1 schools take advantage of these kids and use them for their own personal gain. At the end of the day, all universities are businessesI just attempting to make more and more money. And having a good sports team reels in a lot of money. Whether or not they end up getting any pay, I think that this argument should at least be talked about. The reason I am intrigued by it is because most of what I watch on TV is sports. And now that I’m in college, the college sports world is a lot more relevant to me than it was before. Many people believe that since some of these players get scholarships to come to the school in question is enough but I say it isn’t.

My three research questions for this essay are: 1) What are the proven benefits from having a good sports team at a college? 2) What percent of college funds are used towards the school athletic department? 3) Are college athletes being payed enough with their scholarships?

Sack, Allen L., Ellen J. Staurowsky, and Inc NetLibrary. College Athletes for Hire: The Evolution and Legacy of the NCAA’s Amateur Myth. Westport, Conn: Praeger, 1998. Print.

Whose really more important?

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When asked the question of who is a more important hire for Penn State, the new president, or the new head coach for our football team, the answer may seem pretty clear. But it isn’t. I am actually going to side with the not as popular choice and go with the new head football coach. The reason being is solely due to money. At the end of the day, colleges and universities are all businesses just trying to make as much money as they can. Now with the hiring of a new football coach, several things occur. Instantly there is publicity that will be directed at the school. Whether it’s good or bad, Penn State will be in the spotlight for the new hiring. It could also potentially bring in new recruits which would make our football team better, leading to countless amounts of ways the money could be piled in. The reason I am focusing so much around money is because, yes the college makes a profit, but that money also is recycled and is used to improve the college, and is used on the students to have a better experience. I am also hesitant with the hiring of a new president because  it is a much bigger role to step into. There are a lot more responsibilities that come with being the president, and although I’m sure the new hire is qualified for the job, our previous president did his job correctly and I really do hope our new president can do the same.

Water?

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Water. It covers most of our planet, yet how is it that  there are still places in the world today that don’t get clean water, or at least not enough of it. This issue is a topic close to home for me. Literally, the country I was born has this exact problem. Israel is experiencing preparation for a drought. Constantly struggling to get a continuous source of clean water.  Personally it baffles me at even the thought of a nation such as Israel could experience a drought its people wouldn’t have enough water to drink. Imagine going home on a hot summer’s day and not having any water to drink. When you actually think about it closely it’s pretty scary. It could potentially kill thousands of people. While at the same time you have nations who are spending money left ands right on pointless things. I just don’t even want to think about the future at this point knowing that this is a possibility. Something needs to be done, and quickly. It’s only safe to assume that our population will also be growing , just like it is now. Meaning the demand will also be rising as well. From that point, it is just simple economics, supply stays the same or goes down while demand goes up leads to a shortage. Because of this, Israel, just as one example, is in a movement to save as much water as possible. If you were to ever meet a person in Israel you could ask them what is one of the biggest priorities as a citizen of Israel is, I guarantee a good portions of those you ask will say to save water, and use as least as possible.  You ask me if water is an equal concern around the world? No, no it is not. Clearly the are places around the world where clean water, and getting enough of it is clearly more of a problem, and a higher concern than other topics in comparison to other nations.

Podcast

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The man I am today is due to the kid I was back in the seventh grade. I hit a low point; it couldn’t get any worse than what it was. I believe that fear is the element that holds people back from who they really are. Due to my dad’s job, I was constantly moving my entire childhood. I lived a total of ten years in America, two in California, and the rest in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and I lived an approximate 8 years in Israel. And at the end of my 6th grade year, finally when I started settling in for the first time, again my parents decided to move back to Israel. At the time I was approximately 4’9 and weighing no less than the average toothpick. Clearly I was (for many years, including this one, the shortest and smallest kid in the grade.). You would’ve figured, just like any other kid, that “yeah, it does suck, but how bad could it really be to start fresh… again?” Well this is a story of a thirteen-year-old kid who let his life run by fear. I was terrified of going to school. Each and everyday, I was miserable. Imagine yourself, being easily the smallest kid in the school, and knowing that there are plenty of guys out there waiting for you, to make your life worse than what it already was. Yes, I am talking about being bullied. I don’t think people realize the severity of how bad bullying actually is. It got so bad to the point where I now have scars on my back from what happened to me. It got so bad to the point where I started thinking that I was the problem. It reached a point where I started question my own judgment. I couldn’t think straight. After a long and dreadful school year, I managed to convince my parents to move back to America. I returned to the same township that I lived in 6th grade, but the scared little kid didn’t come back with me. I swore to myself, that what happened in 7th grade should never happen again to me, or anyone else. A couple years later, I had a 7-inch growth spurt, I got my braces taken off, had a new haircut, and basically re-invented myself. Me, the kid who let his life run by fear, became a man who gets pushed forward by confidence.

 

RCL 1

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Due to the recent hot streak Kevin Durant has been on, it is clear that he is an MVP candidate for this year’s NBA Season. But is he good enough to trump the king himself Lebron James? I clearly think so. I have been a fan of Durant ever since he got drafted into the league. I can also admit to being one of the “haters” the Lebron has, since I just don’t really like him. But I don’t think it would be fair to judge both of these players, while knowing the biases that I have towards both of them. So in an article I found on ESPN. There is a debate going about who the better of the two is currently, and who in their mind deserves to be the MVP of the season. Now with the recent game that both of these players have played against each other, Kevin Durant came out on top by scorching Lebron’s Heat. Leading the analyst to say that as of now Durant has the edge over Lebron. This spurred a fan-based commenting battle, where each commenter posted his or her opinion. The opinions seemed to be cut right down the middle being split between the two all-stars. There is an ongoing debate discussing various different topics, ranging from different statistic to amount rings each has. I think the greatest part about the commentary is the respect that each one has for another. Aside from the respect, the knowledge is also another key that should be brought up. I learned a surprising amount just by reading the comments and seeing what other people have to say about the topic.

C1 #1

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Personally, my background consist of almost one hundred percent military veterans, well at least from what I was told. My great grandfather was actually the one that inspired, and started all of this. He was a holocaust survivor and managed to escape to Israel, while there his newborn son, (my grandfather) was asked to join an elite core in the Israeli army, I would say the IDF, but at the time there was no such thing. My grandmother was helping out in the military as a secretary in this core and that is how they met, I know… what a romantic love story. Next comes, my dad. Who was in the IDF for approximately seven years in total. Again he met my aunt through the army, and was introduced to my mother, who just happened to serve in the military for 3 years like my grandmother, and my grandfather. So the question is, why is it that there isn’t the same equality in the military for women. I can’t figure out a good enough reason for why men and women should be given the same opportunities in different combat options/scenarios. Clearly, from my perspective, women have only been a great addition to any type of  military. True they might be considered weaker, or frail, or can’t handle what might happen, but my mother and my two grandmothers, are possibly the strongest women I’ve ever met. Both mentally and physically. And realistically, I think the best way to change these beliefs is, first to add more women to the military force. Second, give higher ranking positions to more women. And lastly, put a little more women soldiers in positions you normally wouldn’t have before. While doing some research on this topic I found an interesting statistic that boggles my mind.

http://www.statisticbrain.com/women-in-the-military-statistics/

It states that there are approximately 214,000 women in the military currently. That adds up to be about 14.6%. Now as you can tell, that number is way too low. I think it is ridiculous how low this number is, of course, the ideal number should fifty percent, but it is sad to say that I honestly believe it will take many many years until that goal is reached. We live in a society where women are discriminated both in the military and in the work force. And it is up to our up and coming generation to change that. We have, as of lately, witnessed a huge rise in women’s figures, which poster childs such as Michelle Obama proving that a women really can do anything a man can. To end what I am trying to say is, for anyone, especially a man, who doesn’t think that women desereve equality in the military and given the same chance to defend our beloved country, is 1. crazy, and 2. should talk to the women in my family tree.

Donating Plasma

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Such a little thing, but what a great need. Although, donating plasma is not nearly is common or as popular as donating blood, it is still of the same need. Many people today don’t even know what donating plasma is, or that it is even possible. Donating plasma is when the doctors draw blood out of your system, then put the blood in a machine where it takes all the plasma out of the blood. Once that is done, they put the plasma-less blood, back into your system. This process has many pros, and little cons. The cons being that you feel a little light headed right after the procedure. You must drink a lot of water and eat a lot of food immediately after donating plasma, and don’t do any physical activity or operate heavy machinery until at least 5 hours after the procedure. Donating blood can be viewed as a civic duty. Being for the same reason why donating blood is considered as one. Essentially giving blood and giving plasma are the same other than there is one extra step in donating plasma. Although it is not necessarily doing hard labor to help out your community, you are still, indirectly, giving back to people in need in your community. Unlike donating blood, donating plasma has a huge incentive, in which the facilities at which you can donate blood will pay the donator, as incentive to donate, because of the lack of donating, and the high demand.