Heat Wave- The Watts Riots

The film, Heat Wave, depicts the story of the becoming of a family in Los Angeles during the time right before the Watts Riots, circa 1964. A colored family from Alabama moves to Los Angeles in hope for a brighter future, more opportunities, and less racial segregation. The move west does not solve any of these issues for most of the family, and instead causes more problems and raises more questions about the true meaning of free will and opportunity. This film does an excellent job portraying the issues that many families dealt with, and it does not sugar coat any of the dilemmas for the sake of the story. The characters are lovable and relatable for many during the time leading up to the riots, and it definitely adds to the plot and development of the movie. The Watts Riots definitely created a lot of controversy, but they were fundamental towards the development of the fight for fair rights of people of all races, backgrounds, and social classes. This fight continues to this day, and it takes entire generations to implement these fair and justified morals into the minds of our society. Progress is a process, and the cooperation of the majority is necessary for true change.

Ebola Coverage and the Different Facets of Journalism

Huge news stories spread rapidly, and the internet only helps fuel the rate at which stories are discovered and read. This can be of great benefit for interesting stories that impact most of our lives, such as health issues and arising diseases. The Ebola story has been around for a while, and with that, so have many other types of stories relating to the subject.

Professional and informative articles are found on trusted and credible websites such as CNN.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/11/health/ebola-fast-facts/

Some stories can have false information and be dangerous by scaring the people.
http://dailybuzzlive.com/iphone-6-phones-contaminated-ebola-virus-21200-confirmed-cases-since-friday-release/

And other stories can be weird and cause confusion amongst the general public.
http://dailycurrant.com/2014/10/15/jenny-mccarthy-lemon-juice-cures-ebola/

Why the Opinion Staff is the Best

Our opinion staff is the best because we are composed of dedicated young females who will work hard to get the job done. While our staff does have the same opinion on many topics, every one of us has our own strong opinion and individuality, which will provide a wide array of variety in our page. The opinion staff this year will definitely show many different perspectives and this will help build the strength of our column. I hope to accomplish many goals with this staff, and I know that we will do what we set out to. I hope that we will efficaciously display our opinions to the school and help change the mindset of many students, allowing for them to discover their voice and power within the school. It is important that we allow the student body to know their true power and to take advantage of their rights, and I hope to give the students their voice back. I know that our opinion staff is strong and that we will accomplish many things by the end of this school year while having fun and learning about our student body and community.

Health In Our Hectic Media-Ridden World

With a hectic, media-ridden world, it is easy to forget about our own personal health. Teens and young adults are always on their phones and under the stress of demanding jobs and school, all the while being constantly connected to their cyber lives. We use our phones as we go to sleep and wake up and we do not consider that the fake light that is emitted interrupts our sleeping cycle and affects our health in the way it does. I would love to help summarize medical and health articles so that our student body is enlightened on these issues and awareness is spread. We sacrifice a lot because of our hectic ways of life and it is important to remember to wind down and go back to your roots and nature to simply stay sane. I hope to help others realize these health issues that are new to our generation and I would love to post or summarize these articles.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/19/health/five-medical-studies/index.html?hpt=he_c2

Search for Missing Pilot in Pacific

Two United States navy fighter jets collided in the Pacific on Thursday and the search for the missing pilots continues. While one pilot was found and is in fair condition, there is growing anticipation and anxiety for the missing pilot.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/12/us/navy-jet-pacific-crash/index.html?iref=allsearch

We hope and pray that the missing pilot is found soon.

All the President's Men: Review

The true world of journalism is often not revealed to the public eye. There are many aspects of this field that are not discussed and one does not believe how many implications arise when one is writing a story. The journalist's personal opinion is not to be displayed in the story and they must be able to rid of any biased commentary. The film, All the President's Men, is an excellent example that accurately represents the hardships a journalist must endure while on the job. It is a job that never sleeps, and stories are always itching to be written and investigated upon. Facts, a written piece must only be based on facts, and true facts only. Any inaccurate information will hinder credibility and will cause problems for the paper one works on and will hurt the reputation of the writer. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were the talented journalists that helped crack the infamous Watergate Scandal and this film depicts the struggles they went through to get all of the information necessary to write their story. Motivated and completely persistent, these young journalists continued to search for facts for weeks and  the story continued to carry into their personal lives; always looking and inquiring, even loosing sleep for the story. These qualities are important and every good journalist must continue to carry these traits with them for as long as they may write. Superb journalism can only exist when the journalist puts a piece of who they are into each and every article, when facts are cold and true, and when they continue to strive to get the voice of the people heard, no matter how tough it may be.

About the Blogger

As a current senior at Bell High School, life can be quite hectic and busy. I have been a part of the Short Flags squad since freshman year and quite frankly, it has been a major part of my high school experience. My studies have always been my main priority and I am proud to say that I enjoy learning about everything the world has to offer. I have engaged in many self-taught activities thanks to the power of YouTube and my patience. As an avid crafter, I have managed to create many weird concoctions throughout the years. I learned how to knit at the age of eleven by watching Youtube videos, and I later learned how to crochet and sew. My Saturday mornings have always consisted of watching cooking shows and I love to recreate recipes and learn about new cultures. Baking and desert catering has turned into quite an addictive hobby of mine. I have learned about these recipes through the power of Pinterest and I only wish time allowed me to create and recreate more crafts and baked goods.