English Exam…last blog

              English is my third language. When I heard that the class is about “Web Logs” I was troubled and doubtful if that is the best class for me. Writing, and debating on English in front of other English-speaking students was the last thing I wanted, especially after I was told that other students are going to read, and comment on my “blog”! I have to acknowledge that I had some really awful, and some acceptable blogs over the course of the semester, but I feel that the experience I gained is enormous. Before this class I did not know whom Senator Obama is, or how much is Internet affecting people! We had numerous different themes and ideas in the class that helped me understand so many diverse things. The “Web Log” class was a huge achievement and an excellent decision.

       Mr. McEnroe over the course changed the blog a lot. We mainly focused on politics and life at Tabor at the beginning, and later we expended the class to many other interesting themes. The only rule was that our blog should have three different steps. Those three steps are, that we should focus our blogs on our personal opinion, on how is our blog connected to Tabor Community, and last, but not least, how is our blog connected to the world. I tried to fallow that rule, but I also had a lot of problems along the way. The blog “Thank you” is the best example of the rule that Mr. McEnroe gave us. At the beginning of the blog I primarily concentrated on my personal experience at Tabor. I had two great years here and I think Tabor Academy deserves to be recognized as one of the best prep schools in this part of America. It is an important theme for me because Tabor changed me in so many different ways. From being more mature, independent, and educated. Tabor has some awful sides too, but lets not talk about them!! In the second part of the blog I wrote about how the Tabor Community affected me, and how I tried to change Tabor. I also noted down that Croatia and Europe could only dream about the school like this…

       Every senior that is willing to put some work and determination in his senior spring should take this class, because “Web log” class will expanded your views and outlooks on the world and the Tabor Community. I know Mr. McEnroe remembers when we talked about the hockey team at Tabor before Mike walked in. Those kinds of themes, whit mix of politics, sports, world miracles and entertainment were part of our class. It has been a great semester and I hope the class gets even more improved next year.

« China

China

Millions are left homeless after an earthquake in China. 22000 people died, and another 14000 people are still buried. China is facing another crisis. Many are going to say that they deserve the punishment for Tibet, but most of this numbers are representing kids that were trapped in schools and working class. Schools were made of terrible materials. Many families gathered collectively and blamed Chinese government for awful constructions. Ironic thing is that a government building, under a mile away, is undamaged and without victims. Parents are full of anger, rage, and sadness. Many kids died and the school is just a big pile of stones now.   A parent named Bi said: “The children were in piles, they were all bodies.”Bi and his wife are among a group of parents who believe their children were killed by a building made of cheap, shoddy materials that rendered the school a virtual death trap.”If this was a decent building, my daughter wouldn’t have died,” said Li Yan, holding a handful of dusty rubble. China reacted much faster than America when “Katrina” happened, but that does not excuse them from this awful mistake. It is also true that earthquakes could not be stopped and in some cases you could not even predict if they are going to shake the earth, but if the government building was untouched that means those kids should have been saved. It is a sad moment for the Chinese people, because they are the once that are suffering.  Everything happened just less than two months before Olympics!! Can we trust Chinese government when they say that the facilities are safe and in great shape for the games. No, we cannot trust them. If they are ready to scarify their own people to save some money, we could only imagine what are they ready to do to the people that are from other countries. Even though there is no time to change the country that will host the Olympic Games I think other countries should boycott. Is it too late? Does China have time to recover from this unbelievable disaster? Maybe the earthquake was just a warning?Unfortunately, I think that the Olympics are going to be held in China and that we could only pray that this does not happened when there are millions of people supporting their athletics. 

English Exam…last blog »« Thank you

Thank you

Every time a random student has a speech in Chapel about Tabor they always say something like: I did not want to come to Tabor, but once I came I feel in love. I am an opposite story. I could not wait to come to Tabor. Pictures on the internet were beautiful and I could not believe that I got accepted to this heaven on earth. Fe weeks after my arrival to Tabor I wanted to get out!! I hated it!! Unnecessary rules, so much homework, no free time, and no freedom. I had a hard time communicating with other American students because my English was bad. I missed my family and my friends.  My first year was mostly like that. I felt trapped. Do not get me wrong I had some great moments last year, but there was a big decision for me at the end of the school year. Should I, or should I not come next year for my senior year. I spend my summer thinking about it and I decided to give Tabor and me another chance. I am not a coward and I had a lot to prove.  This year has been great for me. In school, court, field, dorm, everywhere. Tabor made me appreciate the opportunity that most kinds never get. I have become more established and mature person. Because of Tabor I tried 4 different sports, ceramics, “global partner”, “big brother”, community service, spring concert, many trips to Boston, New York City and other unbelievable places that I would never visited if there was not for Tabor. I speak English and Spanish thanks to Tabor and I can share my knowledge with other Croatian students that did not have the same opportunity as I did. I would be wrong not to remember this year’s basketball season. 9-1 at home and every time the gym packed with people from Tabor community. Games against Wilbraham and last game of the season against St. Andrews will stay in my memory for ever. I am probably forgetting something but my point is that Tabor is an amazing place with amazing people. I am graduating in less than 20 days!! I have mix of emotions. At one hand I am ready to go to college but at same time I have just started to enjoy this place. I am going to U Mass next year so I will still be close but it is not the same. Two years, totally opposite, that will stay in my head and heart for ever.

China »« Boston Celtics in two years

Boston Celtics in two years

                                            Boston Celtics had an amazing regular season with 66-16 record, the best record in this franchise history. Lead by Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen Boston has a big chance of going all the way but my blog is not about that. I could write about their history and rivalry with Los Angeles Lakers but instead I will write about Celtics future witch is in my opinion very grim. They have seven players that have been in the league for more than ten years, some of them are playing their last year. Only four players have been in the league for less than five years. Was it worth it to trade seven, young, good players for Kevin Garnett? I think it was but in a long run it was not. What if they do not win the championship this or next year? Boston before this season had one of the worst season in their history and the trade with Minnesota, where Boston got Kevin Garnett, made people come to the games again and brought new hope. That hope is going to disappear in two years when all those players retire or are not good anymore. I hate that about mangers. They are greedy and selfish. If they see an opportunity they will grab, which is ok, but they do not look ahead.

                      Look what happened to Miami Heath! They were the World Champions two years ago and now they have the worst record in the NBA! They made the same mistake Boston is heading to. They signed bunch of veterans for one year in order to get a championship ring and now when they are all gone they do not even have enough players to compete. I am a big Boston fan. Before Tabor my favorite teams were Knicks and Bulls, but they disappointed me so many times in the past few years that I lost my patience. I feel like the same thing is going to happen with the Celtics. Salary Cap is way over the limit. Actually is 46 million dollar over the limit!! They cannot get new players this summer or even in next few years. I wish them luck this and next year. But after that luck is not going to save them.

Thank you »« Austrian woman says father kept her in cellar for 24 years

Austrian woman says father kept her in cellar for 24 years

In Austria, police found a woman who went missing in 1984, over the weekend. She was missing for 24 years and nobody knew where she is, except her father. The victim said that her father had held her in a basement, where she was repeatedly raped and gave birth to six children!! The father lied to the realities, and family friends saying that she left her family and joined the cult. Big dilemma for the police is to determine who else was involved.

It is impossible to keep a person in a cellar for 24 years without others not knowing about it, especially his wife. In my opinion the proof for that is when the police said that the father, Josef, and his wife had been raising three of their daughter’s children, but the problem is that the victim said that the mother was not involved! Her father “took care” of her by giving her clothes and food. The other three kids grew up in the cellar. My question is, how can you not hear a babies cry when they get born or when they are hungry?? If the mother was not involved, and apparently she was not, she is either unintelligent or cannot hear.  The case unfolded after a seriously ill teenager, named Kristen, was taken around April 19 to a hospital in the town of Amstetten, where she was found unconscious in the building where her grandparents live, police said. After few days in a hospital she said to the police that she was a hostage for over a two decades with her mother and two brothers. Kristen’s mother was held by her father in a basement. Her father had sedated her, handcuffed her and locked her in a room in the cellar of the family’s house. The room and the door were hidden and very hard to find, said the police. Only person that knew the way and the code was Josef, the owner and the father of the poor women. The room is very small and narrow, without any windows. 

“Everything is very, very narrow and the victim herself … told us that this was being continually enlarged over the years,” the police said.  

Three kids that were raised by the victim’s parents were present like their own and had a proper education and life, but the other three were locked up in the cellar. Elizabeth, the victim, taught them how to speak.  After everything came out Josef told his wife the truth, and then apparently removed the corpse from the cellar and burned it. Wait, what? Elizabeth had twins, back in 1996, but one of them died. It was not immediately clear if the twins are included in the police total of six children. The police is still waiting for the DNA tests.  

“The entire nation must ask itself just what is fundamentally going wrong,” the newspaper Der Standard said Monday in a soul-searching commentary.

Boston Celtics in two years »« Maryland expands definition of rape

Maryland expands definition of rape

“The explanation of rape just expanded in Maryland, where the highest state court ruled yesterday that a man could be charged with raping a woman who withdraws consent after they started having sex. He was convicted of first-degree rape in December 2004 after jurors heard testimony that the 16-year-old continued having sex with an 18-year-old woman for “about five or so seconds” after she told him to stop. “Rape is a terrible, coward, and weak thing to do. It is, in my opinion, the worst crime (next to the murder). Sometimes there are no doubts or questions, but what should the court do in this case. This kid was sentenced to 15 years in prison!! I think that is little to harsh. He made a terrible mistake, but I do not think that he should spend 15 years in prison because he was “late” 5 seconds. I cannot judge that girl, because I do not know her, but if he was already in her bed and she said yes, how is that a rape. 7 other states have adopted the same law. Courts are concern that many false accusations are going to be made. The other problem is how can you determine if he stopped on time or if he was late. Are 2 minutes same as 5 seconds? This is what same court ruled back in 1980:“Given the fact that consent must precede penetration, it follows in our view that although a woman may have consented to a sexual encounter, even to intercourse, if that consent is withdrawn prior to the act of penetration, then it cannot be said that she has consented to sexual intercourse. On the other hand, ordinarily if she consents prior to penetration and withdraws the consent following penetration, there is no rape.”Definition of rape: Rape is a form of assault where one individual forces another to have sexual intercourse against that person’s will. It may be defined as forcing a person to submit to any sex act, and is generally considered one of the most serious sex crimes, as well as sometimes very difficult to prosecute.Rape can be very traumatic and upsetting for a victim. It takes years to recover. Sometimes victims do not recover. They are scared that is going to happen again. Are 5 seconds going to be traumatic for a victim? We do not know that, but this decision potentially means that all sex is rape. This case is not going to be a last one, because it happened before. Even though I feel sorry for that girl, I think that 15 years is too much!  Video: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/04/22/mg.morrow.eiglarsh.int.cnn Trial: http://www.courts.state.md.us/opinions/cosa/2006/225s05.pdf 

Austrian woman says father kept her in cellar for 24 years »« You Tube

You Tube

You Tube is a video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips. You Tube has become part of our society. Every big story, event or just a stupid prank is on youtube and they are all available to us, “average and common” people. Official statistic says that more than 100 million videos were being watched every day, and 2.5 billion videos were watched in June 2006. 50,000 videos were being added per day in May 2006, and this increased to 65,000 by July. In January 2008 alone, nearly 79 million users watched over 3 billion videos on You Tube. I believe that is completely insane. I am a user too. I check NBA Highlights and several other events or sports games every day, occasionally more than once a day. Are we too much depended on Internet and You Tube as a product of the Internet? How is You Tube affecting people? I love to read comments after every video I watched. I read some of the most evil and malicious comments. There are racists, gay-hatred, and other comments everywhere by common people all around the world. The other day I was stunned by the comment that a KID from FINLAND made: “I hate all black people and they should all go back to Africa!!!” Not to mention that comment is absolutely repulsive, but also, he is from Finland!!! How is he connected to slavery and issues that are troubling America. Moving on… Politicians have their own pages on You Tube. You could check Obama’s speech or you could also check the video Obama sucks. I counted seven different videos but same titles. Well, we do live in democracy, so it is OK to express yourself. What about videos that are inviting to aggression and destruction? What about the video that was released on You Tube just the other day about 6 girls and 2 boys beating up a girl in Florida. They were furious at her because she was “talking trash” on Myspace (which could be another topic for a blog), and they decided to revenge. It was not enough that the girl was brutally injured but they had to put the video on You Tube for everyone to see it. They are now in prison, but the girl will have that day in her memory for the rest of her life.  Do not get me wrong. You Tube has some good parts too. Like when a video “Leave Britney Alone” came out. That video right now has 17 million views!! It is about a guy who is crying for like 3 minutes about Britney Spears and how media should let her alone, as the title says! That video is entertaining the world for the last few months. It is funny, but come on people. Is that how our future is going to look like. We are going to have all these “celebrities” from You Tube that are not making any money. The reason for that is that You Tube does not give you any money for the video!! So now we have Chris Crocker, a guy who sings “Numa Numa”, Dax Flame and many others.  The reason I decided to write this blog is because I know I cannot change You Tube or their viewers but I will feel better because I tried to make a change. You Tube is destroying our society and something should change, and fast!

Maryland expands definition of rape »« JV Lacrosse

JV Lacrosse

Definition of lacrosse:played using a stick with a net on the end, called a crosse, which consists of usually a separate metal or wooden shaft, connected to the “head” of the crosse. The object of the game is to toss a rubber ball into the goal.  Before the Spring break started I had a big dilemma. Should I do Track, like I did the year before, or should I try lacrosse, something totally fresh and terrifying to me. The decision would not be that complicated if I was bad at track, but I was good. I was ranked number 7 in New England last year for shoot-put! My only problem was that I hated it and I wanted to change…and I did! I switched to lacrosse. I did not tryout for varsity because I knew I had no ability to make it. JV Lacrosse was my next stop. I had to get all the pads and a long stick to play defense. I spent couple of hours one weekend watching videos of lacrosse on YouTube, and learning the rules. First week was tough. I could not pass the ball or even catch it. Fist game was just under a week. After a short conversation Mr. DaSilva informed me that I am not playing the first game of the season. I was disappointed because I though I deserved the place on the team. The same day I went to the athletic department to switch back to track. Even though I wanted to change, Mr. Muther did not let me! I had no choice but to give lacrosse another shoot. Before the second game, three players dropped out because they had other things to do so I was in. I was energized and afraid but at the same time confident. We won 10 to 1. The team did great. Mr. DaSilva, Mr. Howland and Mr. Waters helped me a lot. They are great coaches. The team is full of new players so I do not know how the rest of the season is going to look like but the team has a lot of potential and great leaders, our coachesLacrosse is a sport that does not exist in Europe. There are many other sports that are not popular in Europe like baseball, football, or squash. At the other side water polo, handball, and soccer are not popular in America. It is up to us to introduce those sports to other countries. If I had a chance to practice lacrosse few years back, maybe I would now be a lacrosse player and not a basketball player. To be honest I am enjoying lacrosse much more than basketball right now.  Well, it is too late now but I know I will remember this spring for the rest of my life, because I tried something new and exciting.

You Tube »« “A More Perfect Union”

“A More Perfect Union”

On March 18^th early in the morning, in Philadelphia, Senator Barack Obama gave one of the most inspirational and sincere speeches ever, in which he tried to defend his good friend, and pastor, Jeremiah Wright. He was accused for saying that white people are controlling the country and that people have too much power over black people. Senator Barack Obama did not agreed with the pastor, but he did defend pastor as a good men and his second father.

This part of the speech impressed me the most. His past is unbelievable and astonishing. He demonstrated how we are all equal and there is no space for hatred. Race is a big issue in America and he is the right person to deal with this problem.

“I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I’ve gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world’s poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slave-owners – an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.”

“A More Perfect Union” overwhelmed me so much that I completely forgot about his politics and other candidates.  I really felt like I was part of the union where we are all equal. This is the first time that I watch and pay attention to presidential elections in the U.S.A. At the beginning I was frustrated in how candidates are playing dirty and unjust. From the start I believed in Obama, even though I am an international student and I do not have the right to vote, but I will go to college here for the next 4 years so it is important for me that the right person is in charge. Senator Obama impressed me with his attitude and eager to change America to better. I have to admit that I was mad at the fact that America made a big deal at off the pastor Wright speech, because a lot of other white, public people talk bad about black people and nobody really cares or talks about that.

Tabor is, in my opinion, still divided between Senator Clinton and Senator Obama, not to mention that Tabor is full of Republicans. I think that republicans would rather be opposite of Senator Clinton because she is an easy target and she does not have the same charisma as Senator Obama. We all agree in one thing. “A More Perfect Union” inspired everybody and nobody can stay cold after that speech. That speech also pushes Obama in a slight advantage. 

It is interesting how my parents called me the other night asking about Obama. The interesting part is that they live in Croatia!! American presidential elections are the most significant and viewed presidential elections in the World. They affect a lot of people and other countries as well. I just hope that America is going open their eyes and vote for the Senator Obama.

JV Lacrosse »« Senate apologizes to Native Americans

Senate apologizes to Native Americans

               The Senate finally passed the “Native American Apology Amendment”. The Amendment was a part of the “Indian Health Care Improvement Act” and it offered and official apology to the Native Americans from the Federal Government. A lot of Native Americans came out yesterday, to the streets to celebrate, but also to protest against Federal Government because it took them so long and because they do not believe their promises. The similar situation happened in Australia. The Australian government issued a formal apology to Aborigines for decades of racist policies and abuse against that country’s original inhabitants, but Aborigines do not believe the government and they want more than just an apology. 

“But its one thing to just apologize and another thing to do something while you’re apologizing,” said Garcia, who is governor of the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo in northern New Mexico. “You have to put words into action and the action is to improve the problems created by those ill-conceived policies.”(Daily Kos) Native Americans suffered a lot in history and their anger and disappointment is logical. The apology seems late, however, better late than never.  Still, apologies are seen by many as just words and words are not often synonymous with actions. American Government now has a lot to prove and it is up to the government of the U.S.A. to help Native Americans and to give them new hope. 

Senator Sam Brownback said: ”With this apology, the federal government can repair and improve our relationship with Native Americans,” said Brownback. “While we cannot erase the past, this amendment hopefully helps heal the wounds that have divided America for too long. He continued: “What this apology does do is recognize and honor the importance of Native Americans to this land and to our nation – in the past and today – and offers this apology to Native peoples for the poor and painful choices our government sometimes made to disregard its solemn word. Hopefully, this apology will help restore the relationship between the United States and Native Americans.”

I do not think so. Too many people died and too many mothers cried for only an apology. Of course we should not judge the government that is trying to make a change but in my eyes it looks like another political move and not as an honest apology. It is also hypocrite how he said that this is the thing that divided America for so long. What about slavery or race segregations?? Race is a big issue in America and the government should apologize for everything that happened during slavery and help African-Americans. Nobody wants to talk about. Comedian Dave Chapelle once compared that problem to an elephant in a living room that no body wants to talk about. 

This is the link from cnn.com talking about the apology to the Native Americans http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/03/02/bolduan.native.apology.cnn

“A More Perfect Union” »« The game against Wilbraham