Scottie Pippen best defender

Scottie Pippen was often considered to be Michael Jordan's sidekick, but a good argument could be made that Pippen was actually more valuable on defense. Pippen often had to draw the other team’s best forward and scoring leader on any given night. He managed to lead the NBA in steals once and get selected to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team 8 times. He finished his career with 2,307 steals and 947 blocked shots while also averaging 6.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. Pippen was equally effective at guarding the post or challenging a player driving to the basket. He was strong enough to keep players from backing him down and quick enough to knock the ball away or slide over to cut off drives through the lane. Pippen was a great athlete and his ability to play on ball defense as a forward was second to none. Players would routinely get frustrated and settle for undesirable outside shots. Scottie Pippen should go down as the best defender to ever play in the NBA.

Magic Johnson, Best PG

Whoever thinks Magic Johnson isn't the greatest point guard is out of their minds. The Lakers landed Kareem after the Big O, Oscar Robertson retired, but they didn't really win until they drafted the kid out of Michigan State with the big smile. Magic truly loved the game. He made everyone around him better and won a title in his rookie year, including the Finals MVP. In those 1980 Finals, Kareem was Magic's go to man and when Kareem went down with a badly sprained ankle the 6'9" Johnson was asked to step in at center in Game 6 with LA up three games to two. Magic responded with 42 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists. Johnson dazzled fans with his passes, steals, clutch shots, and, of course, that smile, as some would say. His accomplishments are: He was on the 1980 All-Rookie Team, 12x All-Star, 3x MVP, 10x All-NBA, 5x Champion, 3x Finals MVP, 4x Assists Leader, 2x Steals Leader, and he is a Member of the Hall of Fame.

Why Michael Jordan is the greatest ever

Well for starters, he has five Most Valuable Player awards. Six NBA Championships. Six Finals MVP awards. 14-time All Star. 10 Scoring Titles. Career averages of 30.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 5.3 APG. Just based on these statistics and accomplishments, most people would be convinced that if Michael Jordan wasn't the greatest basketball player of all time, at least he'd be a close second. But it's not just numbers that make Jordan so special. Number 23 has been immortalized in sports circles everywhere because of his incredible love and passion for the game of basketball. In his seventh season in the NBA, Jordan finally won his first championship, averaging over 30 points per game during the playoffs. The Bulls repeated as champions the following season, and the season after that with Jordan leading the team in almost every statistical category, and leading the league in points scored each year. After taking a season off to try his hand at professional baseball, Jordan came back to the game more intelligent and mature. He didn't miss a beat, leading the Bulls to back-to-back-to-back titles in '96, '97, and '98 while providing incredible displays of athleticism, and talent along the way. Because Jordan did all of that is why he is considered the best player of all time, at least in my opinion.

Class Blogs

I loved to see other blogs in the class that felt like a small community for young writers, collaborating and pushing off each other’s ideas. To write their own stories or feelings of a topic, seeing points of views crash, and then sync for other events. I enjoyed seeing other people’s perspectives on criteria we explored this trimester. It is pleasing to see how one idea, one topic can bring up so many different reactions and feelings, some hitting people personally, revealing disgust or frustration while in someone else’s eyes it may stand for something positive. Different points of view are key to keeping an audience, for everyone has different opinions and if you represent a wide variety of them, you will retain a large audience. I only was able to clearly read a few other posts while also skimming some blogs, and for the few I read, I saw that I was not the only one here who enjoys writing. Just through word choice and the thought put into post tells you a lot about the writer, and it was refreshing to read other well written posts. Though in this mix you see the people who put little to no effort in their writing and in the first line or so you are already lost. These are not a show for lack of ability nor do they represent a person with no opinion or feelings on a subject, it is simply a lack of effort. Sad to see, but an un avoidable and in a way I understand. When you’re trapped here for eight hours a day its starts to get to you and you hit a point in which effort is something you rarely feel the need to give. I’m starting to see I’m getting off topic, so I will just sum it up here. Overall the other blogs look very nice and show a living group of writers interacting and building off each other. For most part, well thought out posts and a refreshing breath of fresh air to dive into other heads and see their point of view on topics. Topics that I may have felt strongly in one direction on, only to see someone write just the opposite, or to see someone’s points of view to fall parallel with mine.

Group Blog Analysis

I believe blogging is a great resource for students looking to improve their writing. Blogging can improve a student's writing skills and build their confidence as writers. By blogging, students can take ownership of their writing, become better observers of others’ writing, and develop a more immediate and powerful understanding of audience. Blogs encourage experimenting and requires you to think more than usual. Blogging lets you put both, the free aspect of short pieces, and the long thought out aspect of long pieces. With clear expectations of what is required in the class blog, students can see their writing develop over the course of the trimester. My favorite aspect of the blogging in our Senior Writing class, was being able to write about whatever topic you decided. In my opinion that made the writing/blogging experience more comfortable for people who maybe weren't the best writers when forced to write about one topic. As I looked at the other blogs, it made me wish I could have used more hyperlinks and videos but in conclusion, I enjoyed the blogging experience in our Senior Writing class.

Shelby's Comments on Other Blogs

     I thought the use of pictures and videos always enhances a discussion.  We think in terms of visuals as well as words, so incorporating both into a discussion makes it more concrete and memorable.  I liked that most groups were able to have disagreements that were civil and didn't resort to personal attacks. 
     For Group 2 in particular, the members seemed really involved and I saw lots of comments and responses to their group members posts.  This is great because the discussion element is the most important and educational part of the blogs.  It was evident how vastly different backgrounds and upbringings created some clashes in perspectives, and this made the discussions very interesting. 
     I liked Senior Writing 101's template and I could see that the members really cared about many of the things they wrote about, because the posts tended to be on the lengthier side.
     Group 3's blog also had a nice layout and I liked how they expanded their discussions beyond the topics from class (for example, they posted about current events in the Middle East).
     I thought "ssdch"  had a very creative title.  Like Group 3, they expanded their discussion beyond the course's topics into subjects like college, video games, parents, sports, and Taco Bell.  They also incorporated some secondary research into their arguments. 

Overall Thoughts on Senior Writing Blogs

I thought the Senior Writing 101 blog was very interesting to read. They took the topics that were given and did their own spin on it. When it came to writing about Cool Hand Luke, they made the post humerus and interesting to read. The field day post I thought was very blunt, and tried being an advocate of both sides; the seniors losing was bad, yet good. The advertisement post I believed was pretty truthful. When we see advertisements everyday some people say we unconsciously want the product, yet I think most people are immune to these ads. Group 2's blog I believed had many discussions. Their comments were interesting and very honest. I thought the Religious Symbols of Cool Hand Luke, was an interesting post. I didn't realize how many symbols there were throughout the movie. Group 3's blog didn't have that many posts, however I liked the topics they discussed. I thought the Mistreating Mental Illnesses post was intriguing. It raises a lot of questions that maybe the past is what has people afraid of mental illnesses today. The body image post I also thought was interesting because whether or not these children toys are one of the causes for reputations of body images. SSDCH's blog had different topics than other blogs. The Do Video Games Cause Violence? I thought was an interesting post and had quotations to support their claim. Lastly, our blog, I believe was well written. There was some confusion because we started on a different blog sight, so I was still posting on the old one. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this assignment throughout the trimester. I think it was a different assignment, and interesting to see everyone's opinion on certain topics.

Does Lebron Deserve More Comparsion to MJ?

My apologies for repetitive blog posts about basketball, but I love it too much for it not to be discussed. Many people believe that Michael Jordan is the best player of all time. But many people do not know that Lebron James is a better player at age 29 than Michael Jordan was. Lebron has, at age 29, had 2 championships, 2 Finals MVP trophies for being the most outstanding player during the Finals, and he also had 4 regular season MVP trophies. Michael Jordan only had 2 MVPs and 1 title, with 1 Finals MVP trophy. Lebron has more career points, rebounds, assists, and blocks than Michael Jordan did by the age of 29. Why is it that if Lebron stats are better than Michael Jordan's by age 29, he doesn't get as much comparison as Kobe Bryant. Just something to put on the minds of all the basketball fans and players.

Who is better?

Being an avid basketball fan, and as well as being a player, I tend to have lots of knowledge about the game. One topic that has been brought up multiple times, is whether Russell Westbrook is a better point guard than Derrick Rose. Overall in my opinion, Russell Westbrook is the better point guard because of his play style. Russell Westbrook is a better defender, a better team player, and is a more clutch player. They have even athleticism and Rose had a better start to his career but with all the season ending injuries, you just cant convince me that he is a better player. Not to mention Rose has never been to the NBA Finals. Also Westbrook only has one all-star teammate when Rose has had multiple. In conclusion, Russell Westbrook is a better point guard than Derrick Rose.

Schools Stepping On Creativity

         There is a famous quote by Pablo Picasso that goes “Everyone is born an artist, the problem is staying an artist as you grow up”. This is true more than ever now, from age 5-18 sitting in classes for 8 hours a day. Told to sit still and listen, to fill out worksheets and retain information the same as every other student in the school. We are bread to be the same as the next person, bread as a clone. The world has changed and it needs creative minds more than ever, with companies like Google and Apple leading the way. If our current day industry is being run by creativity, why do our schools teach the same information to every student, and teach them the same way. For someone who is creative or in pursuit of an artistic career, weather it be Graphic Design, Painting or Dance; It is extremely difficult to sit still and receive this cookie cutter information that does not pertain to our interests. We then get diagnosed with having ADHD, we say that its a disorder to not be able to sit still for 8 hours a day. I feel that it should be a disorder to be able to sit blindly retaining information day in and day out without having any creative freedom. The story of Gillian Lynne is one of my favorites, for it clearly points out the fault in our current education system. When she was in school she was not able to sit still and concentrate on the school assignments, and so the teacher contacted her parents and told her that she may have  a learning disability. She was taken to a doctor to be examined, and so she sat there while her mom told the doctor all the problems she was having in school. Once she finished the doctor stood up and went over to Gillian, and exclaimed he needed to talk to her mom in private. So the doctor and her mom walked out of the room, but before leaving the doctor turned on the radio. Outside the room the doctor told Gillian’s mom to watch her daughter through the window, and the second they had left the room, Gillian was up on her feet and dancing around the room. She was not sick, she did not have a disability, she was a dancer. She then was moved to a dance school and became one of the greatest dancers in history. Another doctor might have said she had ADHD and put her on medication, all that talent wasted. Our current education system is to breed a narrow view of careers, in which most student wont even enter, so if we want to stop wasting so much talent and creativity we need to re think the way we teach our children. We need to realize there is more to life than being a doctor or a lawyer.

If you want to hear more on this topic, click here.

Shelby's Missing Posts from the Wix Blog

I just copied and pasted the comments I made on the Wix blog that were missing in the gradebook.  Sorry for not posting the entire discussion threads, but I think it would've gotten too confusing that way.  Here's a link to the old blog if you need it!


Comment on Nelson's post "Detroit's Image"
Well said, and I completely agree.  Fortunately, there are some efforts going on to look at the positives of the city, like the "Breaking the Cycle" campaign.  But for all Detroit's culture and potential, it will be very difficult to ever bring the city back to its former glory because it is essentially like building from scratch on a very large scale.  Despite all the criticisms of the city, many people are optimistic about the future.  There is also a small number of young people who are dedicated to studying and fixing it.  Progress won't happen all at once, but steps are being taken in the right direction!
-Shelby K.


Comment on Devin's post "Feminism: My Opinon"

I've noticed the same about women and men dressing in ways that defy societal expectations.  It's a shame that we judge and control the way people dress, and I hope our generation breaks this societal habit. It is true that men get more criticism for cross-dressing and wearing feminine clothes than women get for wearing "manly" clothes.  It's possible that this is because mansculine is viewed as a foundation or default in our society, whereas feminine traits have negative associations.  Famous quotes speak of "he who does x..." and "man must do y..."   Professional clothing tends to be masculine.  "Man" is the default suffix for careers: businessman, fireman, policeman.  Mankind.  Things that are "girly" - pink, sparkles, dresses - are viewed as infantile, while things that are "manly" are viewed as powerful.  This stems, I think, from the time in our past when men possessed, protected, and provided for women & children (who, consequentially, belonged to the same category - possessions to be protected & cared for).  But as a society, we are long past that, so it is time we call attention to the fact that these societal expectations around clothing & behavior no longer align with reality.

You raise a great point when you say "Just because the baby does not come out of a man's stomach doesn’t mean he is any less fit to raise and care for a child."  I hope that soon it will become widely accepted that feminism should fight to correct this problem, instead of this problem being used to fight feminism.  If feminism achieves its goal - "equality of the sexes" (despite what the prefix "fem" implies) - the problem of unfair custody battles will benefit.

Also, I agree that Emma Watson is a stellar example of rational, relevant feminism.  To answer your question, the movement is called feminism because when it was started its only purpose was to fight for women.  Now, this word is somewhat outdated.  However, it is absurd for people reject the movement entirely because of the title (not that you are doing that!).

-Shelby K.

Response to a post about diversity at Groves

One of the wonderful aspects of Groves is that we have diversity in almost every sense: racial, economic, geographic, sexual orientation, political ideology, and more.  But it is a valid point that just because the school contains such a range of people doesn't mean these people all interact in equal proportions.  Integrations of that kind takes effort and a willingness to step out of our comfort zones, and I think students should be encouraged more by staff to do this, but unfortunaley that is a bit of a taboo topic, as the faculty wouldn't want to admit to this part of our "diversity".

-Shelby K.

Comment on the "Society Influences" discussion

Good points, Devin.  The inspiration and motivation the media can provide for us is very important.  I do wish that this power were more often used positively, because most of the time it seems to motivate people to go to unhealthy lengths to acheive a "perfect body", to neglect their health, close relationships, and leisure time for the sake of making money, and spending that money on expensive and basically useless products.   Unfortunaly, I don't think this will change until the general population pushes for a more realistic, wholesome, and humane set of ideals.  The good news is that I think this is starting to happen.  Many individuals (especially celebrities) and larger corporations are campaigning - for example, Dove's Real Beauty Campaign.

- Shelby K.

Comment on Chandler's "Gender Issues" post

I agree with your point about gender difference being more due to society than genetics.  However, I think that often differences among people based on family genes are sometimes equated with differences between men and women that are directly caused by gender.  My life is, in a way, a great social experiment related to this issue because I have a twin brother.  I've always found it interesting how people react to our personalities.  Both of us are not highly attached to our phones and like having our alone time.  We are both busy people who like to be present and focused.  Because of this, we both get irritated when our inconsistency in responding to texts and phone calls is misinterpreted as animosity, indifference, and annoyance.  My brother and his girlfriend have had several arguments because he isn't "good with his phone", which makes her feel like he's not interested in her anymore.  My parents laugh about this with friends, calling it such a "typical relationship" and Ben such a "typical guy" and his girlfriend such a "typical girl".  On the flip side, I've had this same issue with nearly every guy I've dated, and then my family has no comment, but rather worried glances and warnings that this guy might be crazy.  Why is it that the same behavior - actually less extreme in my situation - is "typical" for a girl but worrisome for a boy?

-  Shelby K.

Cuckoo's Nest Movie

At first, the movie for One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest did not hold my attention. But after taking a different approach to it when we watched it a second time, it is starting to be of much interest to me. It gives me a visual view of the book, which is really good for me since I am a visual person. I really want to talk about the scene where the two guys are boxing and the bigger guy is obviously winning and the other one is losing badly, but refuses to give up. All I could think about was why would someone who is enduring so much pain, would not stay down so the pain can stop, but instead get back up to endure more pain. The determination of that guy amuses me because he refuses to quit and therefore be labeled as a quitter. Although I don't believe anyone would have done that because he was losing bad but the setting of the movie is from a different time and it really became a case of man vs. self at that point. In conclusion I like the different approach I decided to take towards this book and movie, which makes it a better experience for me.

Cool Hand Luke & Cuckoo's Nest

Cuckoo's Nest is a well-written book with some important themes:  individuality, anti-conformity, finding your voice, fighting oppression... As much as those themes are worth contemplating, I can't help but think there must be well-written books out there that deal with the same themes that aren't based on sexist and racist principles.  I'm all about the free-spirit mentality of the 60's and 70's, but not as big a fan of the Freudian and misogynistic approach that Kesey takes.  One major point that I think Kesey is trying to make is that repressed sexuality is the root of all mental and even societal problems.  McMurphy seems sure that if only the men were free from the ward - the matriarchy, the ball-cutting Nurse - that they would be healthy.  The subliminal message here is that without the freedom to express their sexuality whenever, however, and with whomever a man pleases, he is destined to become ill, broken, and miserable.  The implication of rape as control and the equating anything other than male domination with castration is problematic.  I think it's only acceptable to present this information to young students if you're going to have critical discussions and point out the danger of Kesey's beliefs.  As a young woman, I'm having a hard time relating to this book.

Spirit Week

Since Spirit Week has shredded any ounce of motivation I have and brought a full-fledged case of Senioritis, I'll just write about that.  Spirit Week as a senior is definitely the most fun.  We won the hallway decorating, did a pretty well earning points for dressing up, won a second year of Powder Puff, and I'm pretty confident about field day since it's basically rigged in our favor.  It's fun to see everyone so full of school spirit during field day, although I'm not sure if that's out of earnest Falcon Pride or some sort of tribal instinct... Either way it'll be fun to be the ones in black this year!

Advertising

I love advertising, and I love the fight to get your product seen. I am currently a Graphic/ Motion Designer so I work with advertising on a daily bases. I think it's exhilarating and the perfect way to express creativity, but on the other hand I see the never ending cycle of noise. So many people advertising their products that it's hard to be seen, none the less I feel that this is one of the best parts of advertising. It's a fight for survival, a fight to keep afloat, to keep your dreams alive. I think there is something beautiful about it, and looking at companies like Apple and Coca Cola who's advertising is unparalleled, you can see how much of an art it is. Seeing these companies rise out of the noise, blasting out from the oceans surface, breaking through the ice and into the spotlight. To see the impact companies and advertising have on us, whether it affects in good or bad ways, it's still a beautiful sight to see. - Devin Jackson.

New Blog!

This is the new blog for Nelly Nells