Halloween

I do not see Halloween as a holiday but more as a time to have fun with your friends. It's fun to dress up but I really see no significance. I know it comes from the All Saints Day in the catholic church where we recognize those who have gone before us, but I really don't think anyone makes those connections when dressing up and running around for candy and understandably so. I spent Halloween with my friends as usual and we all dressed up but it really was not much different from when we normally hang out. Halloween has been completely commercialized and really does not hold much significance other than a fun night to dress up and hang out with friends.

Current Controversy of Organ Trafficking

Organ trafficking in third world countries is a prevalent issue in today's economy. The sale of organs is illegal and yet is a major source of income for not only individuals but governments as well. These operations feed off of the naive, illiterate and impoverished people of third world countries.

One of the major issues is the sale of organs in India's black market. A law was put into effect in 1994 banning the sale of organs in India however this really did not accomplish much. Several underground operations have recently been uncovered. Those running these operations prey on the illiterate and impoverished people of India. Under false pretenses, people come from all over in hopes of gaining a small fortune for their kidney. Sadly once the operation is complete out of the $37,000 promised, the patient sees about $7000 which is then mostly used for medical purposes due to infection from the operation.

A large source of income for the Chinese government comes from abuse of the death penalty. With one of the largest death penalty rates in the world, China harvests organs from executed prisoners and over 4,500 are executed in China each year. There have been several recorded instances where the executions were set up to remove organs in the most efficient way possible. People are taken off the streets daily for the smallest crimes such as theft or even as simple as a traffic misdemeanor and then sentenced to the death penalty. The Chinese government has gained control over the people's lives whether by taking life from one or by giving life to another through a healthy organ.

In our discussion of Christ and Culture I found it interesting how many contrasting views there are even though all acknowledge the one God. This to me is yet another sign of our broken world. In a perfect world we would all have one faith; however, we do not live in a perfect world and therefore must learn to live with those around us. I personally struggle with this. It is hard for me to hear other people's beliefs without becoming defensive of my own. As Christians I think we should be accepting towards others and yet strong in our own faith. However when does the acceptance go to far? When is it causing more harm than good?

The Play

I did like the play, but I found it pretty confusing at first. In my opinion, too many characters were introduced right off the bat which made it difficult to follow the story as well as keep up with who the characters were. It was easier to keep up with the second act as I became more familiar with the characters and their relationships to each other. I didn't really follow the plot very well and I understand he was trying to fix his father's mess, however I really don't think much was resolved in the end. It was left very open ended and open to interpretation but I think it should have been a more definite ending. I did start to feel bad for the main character, he tried very hard to fix everything and it seemed like everyone around him was putting him down. I did enjoy the acting however. I thought they were all very talented and I learned a lot from observing their take on their characters.
The tour was pretty fun. I really liked how he went through the costumes, sets and props pretty quickly. The past few times I've gone with acting class we spent all our time there and have never gone into the theaters. I really enjoyed going on the opera house stage. The view of the audience was amazing! That's the view I want to have every night someday. Seeing the Wicked set was awesome too. I absolutely love that show and saw it several years ago so to see the set being built was pretty cool. Overall I really enjoyed the trip to the Denver Center and think it was very worth while.

Homecoming Week

I love homecoming week. I think it's a great way for classes to bond. I personally enjoy the lip sink as well as the dress up days. It builds a great sense of community while at the same time a little healthy competition between classes. It gets people excited, well hopefully some atleast, about school and class spirit. It's a nice break from normal weekly schedule. It's a worth while tradition and should be continued.

Movie Review

Fame
This film portrays the worldview of every man for himself. People must work hard in order to obtain what they want. It shows the hard work people endure in order to follow those impossible dreams. Sure I agree with the general idea; however I don't think it’s possible to do it alone. Family is there for a reason. People tend to try and do it all by themselves but it’s very overwhelming. It also has to do with having the ability to admit a need of assistance. This can be embarrassing and many struggle with admitting their weaknesses. I do see where this view comes from, however I do think a support system is a necessary component to success.

Selling organs is not uncommon in countries outside the United States. Its incredibly popular in third world countries which is understandable because the they are promised a big sum of money. Sadly the treatment of these people is very poor. They are given about half the money promised and many die of infections shortly after the operation. This seems very deceitful and immoral to me. What are your thoughts on this?

Beginnings of organ donation

One aspect of the history I found interesting was people's willingness to be a part of such risky procedures. The patient involved in the first successful liver transplant lived 18 days and this was considered a major success whereas today it would be considered a failure. I think it goes to show people will do anything to prolong life and avoid death.

Song Analysis

I can’t begin to choose a favorite song, but I think Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson has a lot of significance to it. Plus I’ve been on a bit of a MJ kick recently. As strange as he was he had some amazing music.

The lyrics in this song are both sad and encouraging. The encouraging part far outweighs the sad and truly can motivate someone to make that change in the world. So many people are in need of help even in our own community. Sure it’s great to go to Africa and the third world countries but there are people in our own city and country who need just as much help.

This song follows the being uncommon theme Mr. Swalley has for us this year. As high school students it can be so easy to sit back and do just enough to get by, but will that help us once we’re in the real world? Relying on others can only get you so far. This song challenges people to look at their lives and see what they can change for the better. I find it very motivating.

Here’s the lyrics to the chorus:

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtW1O12hIBE (here's the full song)