Our high school has had accelerated block schedule for almost a decade now with 18-week courses, 90-minute classes. What do you think about block scheduling? Do you love it/hate it? What are the advantages and disadvantages in your opinion?

(Answer in complete sentences, please. Proofread carefully for proper spelling and grammar!!)

What copyright case or lawsuit did you learn about in your research on the Web? Post a comment to this blog summarizing the case you read about, giving your reaction and also a link to the article. (Remember to carefully proofread and spellcheck your comments before you save!)

Read this blog and check back frequently to track the progress on the construction of our new high school building.

February 13, 2009
Moving day has finally arrived! The school is finished, except for the gym, and so we are moving in and classes will begin in the new facility Mon., Feb. 16. The side practice goals need to be relocated in the gym and the floor needs to be laid. Work is continuing on the track as well.

December 5, 2008
The school is really taking shape now. We'll be moving in as soon as everything is finished! The classrooms are getting finishing touches. The doors are being put in, and floor coverings are being laid. It's getting exciting!

September 26, 2008
Progress is continuing on the new school. In fact, about the only delay is waiting on bricklayers. The pics below show the inside of the cafetorium, which is adjacent to the gym, one of the classrooms, and some of the network cables being pulled for all the computers in the school. The parking lot has been poured behind the football stadium and work continues on the track.

August 11, 2008
The new school is really taking shape now. All of the foundation has been poured and all areas have been framed. Sheetrock will be applied soon to the interior walls, and the brick has finally arrived for the exterior. The courtyard was initially off by 14" but it has now been ripped out and repoured. Everything is still on schedule.

July 1, 2008
Progress is continuing throughout the hot summer months--right on schedule. Almost all of the school and gym is framed and the track has been dug.

May 30 - June 6, 2008
By the end of May we finally have the gym almost completely framed and the concrete slab for the north wing poured. A week later the north wing is being framed.

May 2, 2008
The beginning of May finally brought some visible construction of our new facility! Three beams for the gymnasium went up in the air on May 1 followed by the pouring of some of the foundation on May 2. Dirt work on the track should begin next week.

April 11, 2008
All 263 piers are finally in the ground, and now grade beams are being dug and poured. Plumbing should start next week (weather cooperating!). A bid for the track was accepted this week as well and construction of the track should begin soon.

March 17, 2008
After quite a bit of rain and snow in recent weeks, construction workers were finally able to start drilling piers today. In all they will place 263 piers five to 22 feet under the slab. Also, workers started cutting the parking lot to hook up water and sewer for the new building.

Feb. 18, 2008
Construction began around mid-January 2008. A month later we're still in the preliminary stages (dirt work) to prepare the foundation.

How great is it to be going to the playoffs again it feel great. It is my last year and I just want to get my name on one more banner..Wish us luck because we are going for it all.....

The article reports that New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine signed a bill recently that will make it illegal for motorists to send text messages via a handheld cell phone while driving. New Jersey joins three other states and the District of Columbia in enacting such legislation. The move will give police officers the authority to ticket any motorists they observe chatting or texting on a handheld device. The fine for texting while driving is $100.

Well, I agree with this article a little bit. There are some advantages and disadvantages when texting and driving or talking on the cell phone and driving. For example: What if you had to take an important phone call that has to do with something serious like a death in your family or something like that. Would they still fine you for that?
On the other hand, I can understand where they are coming from because you can get distracted easy from texting and talking. You might get so caught in the conversation or typing the text message. But I think sooner or later all states will have this bill passed.

Do you think it is fair?

The article I picked for this project has to do with internet on global affairs. Attention is given to the relationship between the U.S. and China.

China has the most important technology and without them we'd be in trouble cause the U.S. learns more from them than anybody that we're friends with.

According to the Times (the United Kingdom) illegal music downloading is not a problem in just the United States; it has become a world wide problem with the music industry losing billions. People have easy access to music, movies, and other forms of entertainment without ever leaving their house. The internet has linked millions to websites that allow the user to download music and movies illegally.

I think that if websites required you to join and pay so much to be a member and use their website, we would have less of a problem. Instead, most websites are free use. You don't need to join or pay anything to use their resources. Illegal downloaders know what they are doing and they know it is wrong, but without the fear of getting caught and the easy access to the music and movies, illegal downloaders will keep doing what they do!!

Article: "Something to think about before you click on a post about puke" by Simon Dumenco; EBSCO 1/14/2008

According to an article by Simon Dumenco, he first compared blogging with a magazine from 1973. On the front page of the magazine it said: "If you don't buy this, we will kill this dog." This is an example which some people also use for blogging nowadays. For blogging, some people say, "If you don't click on this Post, we will kill this blogger." That doesn't mean they will kill the blogger, but the blogger might kill himself because his "pay rises and falls in direct proportion to the number of people who click on his blog posts." What Dumenco actually wants to say with this is when other people will go and blog, the actual writer gets more money. Also, you have to know that most of the people are more likely to read about "crazy" or "different" things than about something normal.

In my opinion I would say that it is really exaggerated what they are saying. I think you shouldn't make money with saying "If you don't buy this, we will kill somebody." I guess most people don't even think about that there is somebody who earns money if you do a blog, because most of the people just write for fun, especially younger people. I believe especially with "crazy" things the writers make the people to read about and to earn money. So the next time you blog, think about before you click!

"Spammers Have Your Number" By Roger O. Crockett

Everyone gets spam on their computer, but what most people don't know is that spam is making its way over to your CELL PHONES!!!Wireless users in the U.S. will receive about 1.1 million spam text messages this year! The chances of you getting it on your cell phone is slim up to the 250 million Americans who use wireless services. Not only will it annoy you but it will also cost you sometimes as much as 20 cents each message. Spammers use automatic dialers that can shoot millions of texts to random cell phone numbers. Phone companies intercept many of them but not all of them. I don't know about you but I sure don't want spam coming to my cell phone. So is there a way to stop it? Well phone companies are trying but I dont think theres a way to stop all of it.

When I first heard about this new kind of spam I was shocked I mean you don't expect to get spam and viruses on a phone much less our cellphones. I mean what are they going to think of next. Spams taking over everything before you know it television and cars are going to have viruses. Is there anything safe in this world?

Article:"DID THEY SWINDLE THEIR NEIGHBORS TO SEE THE WORLD?" by Alex Tresniowski,Sean Scully,Ellen Shapiro,Tiffany McGee; People; 12/24/2007,Vol.68 Issue 26, p139-140,2p

Tresniowski's article tells about a couple by the names of Anderson and Kirsch that live the high life on others' money and identities. The couple was still in college and they spent more time traveling than they did at school. According to some of the couple's friends they stayed at not so cheap 5 star hotels. The press dubbed them the nick names of Bonnie and Clyde.

After reading this article I have put my personal paper work in a safe that only I have access to, no one else. This article also gave me an idea of how my identity can be stolen. I've also informed my family how this can happen to them. For example my Uncle Shawn has had this happen to him. He had a guy in Cali. have the same name as him and the same s.s. number as him--now that's scary. He did get it straighted up soon after finding out.

Article: "Game On" by Anthony Bruno; Billboard; 1/26/2008, Vol. 120 Issue 4, p8-8, 2/5P, 2C

♫ Music sales win the "Rock Band", "Guitar Hero" ♫

In two months "Rock Band", sold over two million songs and Guitar Hero 3 sold over five million songs. It took Spring, a wireless operator, four months to sell just one million songs via over-the-air full-song download service. In the mean time, new digital music services competing with Itunes have struggled to convince fans to pay $1 for a single, downloadable tracks for games like "Rock Band" or "Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock".

I think this is amazing that over 7 million songs have been downloaded for these music games. It also surprise me that Sprint has only sold one million songs compared to "Rock Band" or "Guitar Hero 3". I think most people enjoy these music games because they are really fun and easier to play than a real guitar. I think these downloads will go on for a very long time to come because you can always download new songs to play. I am thinking about getting Guitar Hero 3. ♫♫

Article: EFFORTS TO CURB ILLEGAL DOWNLOADING COPYRIGHTED MUSIC
Statement of Mr. Mitch Bainwol, Chairman and CEO Recording Industry Association of America, Committee on Senate Judiciary

Mr. Mitch Bainwol discusses how downloading music illegally can hurt the company and the economy. It explains how it effects the music industry and its clients when we download illegally. We all love music. We listen to it at home. But lately there's been lots of noise about music, how we get it and what we do with it.

As you know, the music industry has been devastated by worldwide piracy.
Record labels are particularly vulnerable because they are dependent upon a single source of revenue - sales of recorded music.

In theory, if a person is able to download his or her favorite music off the Internet, that person would not need to purchase the CD at a local music store. The most common average of numbers seems to sit around a loss of 20 percent globally in sales since 1999.
The music industry and even some musicians who feel they are taking a loss due to the sharing of their copy-protected works online have started fighting back, so to speak. In recent months there have been more cases of music piracy heading to the courts.
What I want to know is why there are so many lawful issues surrounding the downloading of music? You might wonder why we have such an influx of MP3 players, CD burners, and even software that allows users to easily rip music from a CD to their computer. They should have done some thinking in how they would be used and how it would effect before they created systems that are used to do stuff that is illegal.

My article, by Sandra Block, discusses how identity thieves hack into your account information by lots of different ways through the internet. Such as phishing, hacking, and any other way they can get their sneaky little paws on your account information and begin stealing anything they can take from you, including your money. This article doesn't just talk about the thieves, but it also gives you ways to stop those identity thefts.

Personally, to me, I wouldn't want anyone to take my identity in any way possible because if they did, then I would be extremely mad and also, I would lose a lot of things. My credit score could go down drastically putting me in debt. If I were to lose my information and some lucky person found it, they have an all access pass to buy anything they want. Ways to stop this are DO NOT give out your account information to any body, keep you info. stored away at home or somewhere very secure so that it won't be stolen, and when you buy stuff off the internet, always log onto its direct website so that there's no way that the thieves could get to your info.

Article:"What's Hackable Today? Almost Everything!" by McCracken, Harry; PC World Oct.2007, Vol.25 Issue 10, p13-13, 5/6p

According to McCracken's article, hacking is not always something bad, or illegal. He says that at first it was "positively complimentary." To begin with a hacker was a person who could come up with creative solutions to computer problems. Then, hacking went the other direction, and hackers were practicing ways to get into other people's private business. He also says that lately, hacking has gotten closer back to its original meaning.

Personally, I do not like the fact that hackers have the power and knowledge to do such things. It's a little scary that at any given time someone could get into ANYTHING! What if a hacker hacked into my bank account and took everything? Or, what if the government's computers were hacked into, and they tried to take over? I've never had any serious hacking problems happen to me, but people I don't know have cracked my passwords to some of my accounts. Those are my private accounts. If I wanted someone else to be able to get into them, I would give them the password. It just irritates me that hackers have this kind of power to do illegal things.

There are hackers all over the world. They get in to people's accounts and get things from people such as money. A lot of hackers are in foreign countries. The article that I found described how the hackers in foreign countries got away with it. Remember the Love Bug? "ILOVEYOU" was the subject line of an email that filled 45 million in 2000, as the computer virus it carries manically mailed itself around the planet. The Love Bug deleted pictures and music and slowed computers to a crawl as it sent copies of itself to everyone in the victim's contacts file. The hacker got away with his dirty crime, because he was from the Philippines. They have no laws against computer misuse. While the same security problems afflict both developed and developing nations--spam, viruses and botnets-- poorer countries are far more vulnerable because they tend to lack the funds for countermeasures and the technical training to protect themselves effectively. One reason is the connection of internet costs so much more than it does in industrialized nations, leaving little cash for security measures.

A way to cut down on hackers is 1 computer per household. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which aims to reduce the costs of computers and internet access by providing laptops that run on the free, open source Linux operating; this way they can cut down on hackers and traack them down.

"Yahoo! Purchase of Overture Will Help Both Companies, Analysts Say" Author: Jamie McClintock

What Jamie McClintock is saying is that Yahoo's purchase of Overture Services, Inc., is the last step in making Yahoo a giant in the search industry. He also thinks that this will seal the deal in that the Microsoft Corp. will buy Yahoo and its stocks, making Yahoo's stocks very lucrative right now.

He also thinks that Yahoo will benefit from some very bright people that work for Overture and its 88,000 advertisers. Another reason why Microsoft Corp. wants to buy Yahoo is because 55 percent of Microsoft's third quarter revenue is from paid search services. Google will not respond to the relationship of Overture and Yahoo, nor will Microsoft talk. This could be the end of Google in the making in my opinion.

Article:"Cybercrooks get even more crafty and sophisticated" by Byron Acohido;USA Today 01/28/2008

Acohido's article explains the different and easier ways that hackers are getting information from computers. Some are taking over home network routers instead of PC hard drives. This is a sneakier way to hijack online accounts. Phishing specialists are putting better touches on scams to trick people into putting sensitive personal data on fake Web pages. One gang has begun sending out tainted e-mail greeting cards that, when opened, give the intruders control of the recipient's router. Someone has tainted tens of thousands of mom-and-pop e-commerce sites. Clicking to one of these sites can trigger ads selling fake anti-spyware or turn the visitor's PC into a hub for clicking on Web ads, while routing the ad payment to the intruder.

Before I read this article I didn't know there were so many ways to steal information off the Internet. As technology advances for the better, it also gets worse because the intruders get to use the new technology also. I don't use my e-mail, but I do use the computer a lot. My advice is to keep anti-virus and anti-spyware up to date. Also be careful what you open in your e-mail and when visiting websites.

Article:"E-mail Scams Target Deep-Pocketed Victims" by Erik Larkin; PC World 9-07,p.42

E-mail scams are becoming more and more common as the Internet progresses. The way they scam you is that they set up a bill and they send it to you through your e-mail. Now how retarded is that? What kind of company sends a bill through the e-mail and then you just give them your credit card numbers and all of that good information? First of all, experts say that you should get the name of the company and collect all of their information and go and find out if this is real or not from the company that supposedly sent it to you. My opinion on E-mail scams is that it's retarded if you fall for that stuff and give all of your personal information over the internet without knowing who you're sending it to or where it's going. So just be CAREFUL!

Article: "Are You Wasting Your Money Buying Antispyware?" by Larkin, Erik; PC World Jan. 2008 Vol. 26

There is no point using antispyware because they can only block about 38% of all the unwanted "pop-ups". The best choice would be to use antiviruses because they can detect up to 95% of all the unwanted programs and viruses. Antispyware products are only good to remove spyware from an infected system. The best choice would be to have only antiviruses to avoid any viruses and unwanted programs.

I personally think that there need to be more antivirus componets added to the antispyware in order to make it safer to use and to allow it to block more viruses and the unwanted "pop-ups".

Article: "Don't Let Identity-swiping Grinches Steal Your Christmas" by Sandra Block; USA Today 12/4/07

Block's article describes what you can do to prevent identity theft, especially during the holidays. Block's article says "about 8.3 million adults were victims of identity theft in 2005", which is down from 2003. Block then lists a few ways to prevent identity theft. First of all, people should secure their personal information. When you go to a public place where there are a lot of people,don't carry credit cards and debit cards that you don't need. Next, monitor your bank accounts. The sooner you catch that your information was stolen, the less you'll lose. If you do a lot of your shopping online, be sure the website you're on is secure. Block's article says to "make sure the site's Web address begins with "https", which indicates your credit card information will be encrypted." One of the last things you can do is put a security freeze on your credit reports. The downside is that only about 16 states will let you put a freeze on your credit. Plus, if "you freeze your credit reports, you won't be able to get instant credit."

Personally, I think these are great ways to prevent identity theft. Some people aren't careful enough, and give out personal information to just about anybody. People don't realize how easily someone can hack into your bank account, take all your money, and leave you in debt. I think everyone should be more aware of who they give information to. Go with your gut feeling. If you think something fishy is going on, don't give that person any of your information. Just remember to be careful and keep an eye out.

Article: "Cell phone virus threats: Why they shouldn't be dismissed"

Many people worry about their computers getting viruses. Well, now people can get viruses on their cell phones. There is a virus called Cabir that messes with people's phones when the bluetooth is on. Mosquito is another virus that started becoming popular in 2004. It compels cell phones to send text messages to premium-rate numbers without the owner knowing, well, until you get your bill. Brador can delete files, reset your phone, and send contacts to address books, e-mails or photos. The last most common virus right now is Skulls. It deactivates links to applications on the phone, which includes e-mail, instant messaging, and calendars. Whatever you do, you might just watch out for what you're doing on your phone. Also, keeping your bluetooth off when you're not using it would be a good idea.

The article is talking about the ways that you can protect your personal ID and credit, and the "best" protection would be by putting a security freeze to your credit. "You'll typically pay $30, if you've been a victim of ID theft to freeze your report at major credit bureaus-Exquifax, Experian and TransUnion. You would spend $120 a year for less effective credit monitoring services."

I think that the best way you can protect yourself from ID theft is by freezing your credit, and I think that there are many other ways to do that too. Another way would be by not giving your social security # to anyone, not even relatives, and according to the article, always ask why the number is needed and if another ID "will do the trick."

Article: "Latest cellphones are a danger in hospitals" by Staff; Issue 2621 9/15/07, Vol.195

The Staff's article discusses the dangers of cellphones in hospitals around medical equipment. Many hospitals already restrict cellphones to prevent signals interfering with sensitive medical equipment. Studies now suggest that modern cellphones are a bigger threat now. These cellphones are threatening because they contain a GPRS signal (General Packet Radio Service). This device can interfere with equipment for up to three meters away. UMTS signal are less threatened (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) because they're in old models. Today authorities offer guidelines to hospital but they are being ignored especially by doctors.

I personally didn't know about the dangers of cellphones in hospitals until I read this article. I think about the interference they're causing and how a person's life could be depending on a certain type of medical equipment that is being interfered with by a cellphone. It really ticks me off though that the many doctors that know about cellphone interferences ignore guidelines. As far as I know doctors are suppose to take an oath and follow it. And the overall idea of the oath is to protect humans and do the best for them. I worry now that a family member of mine would have to depend on medical equipment and still live with the torment of interference with a cellphone. I'll do my best to think about cellphone dangers when I'm in a hospital again.

Title: Spammers have your number.
Author: Crockett, Roger O.
Source: Business Week; 11/26/2007 Issue 4060, p042-042,1p,1c

This year mobile spam messages are predicted to rise to about 1.5 million, which seems like a large number, but in reality it's small compared to the 250 million Americans who use cell phones. Security experts fear that phone spam will grow in the future. Unfortunately, this problem will impact consumers' pocketbooks. The more text and voice spam are invading handsets. Wireless users in the U.S. will receive about 1.1 million spam text messages this year, up 38% from 2006, estimates messaging specialist Ferris research.

Well, all this spam stuff is pretty interesting, but I probably text more than any person alive. I guess I'm one of the 248.5 million people who didnt get one. I think all these technology problems are overated. I hear more people say that when all the computers fail it's gonna be the end of the world... yeah right, maybe for nerds, but not for the common people. I'm really tired of people making a big deal over cellphones and computers. They are just accessories.......

Article: "Is Your Phone Catching A Virus?" by YahooTech; YahooTech
10/31/07

"Just when you were getting the hang of protecting your computer from viruses, they must have sneezed and found your cell phone. One in every 10 phones is now a smart phone—capable of handling data and messaging. That means it's become easy and lucrative for hackers to attack your cell phone. And the dangers are just as real. From 2004 to 2006, the number of phone viruses doubled every month....

"What do these viruses do? Reports are trickling in: A Seattle family was watched, monitored, and threatened because of spyware on their cell phone. A man's cell phone content was wiped clean after he downloaded a virus-infested ringtone. Crashes, unstable or slower-than-usual performance, quick battery consumption, incorrect or skyrocketing mobile phone bills, a dramatic increase in messaging charges—any of these could be a virus.

"One of the original cell phone viruses (2004) was transmitted through a Bluetooth connection. Like your PC, some phone viruses are just annoying—a pop-up or a silly joke. Others are a bit more insidious, like the one that resets your phone monthly.

"But the latest and most sophisticated crop are what's called 'pranking for profit.' This can involve things like redirecting your calls to a different carrier in a different country, racking up a hefty phone bill. Or sending an MMS message to everyone in your contact directory, leaving you with enormous extra charges. Or 'vishing,' when you'll get a voice call that asks for information, faking it by posing as a legitimate business. A downloaded application may send information about your phone account to hackers. Snoopware (which is spyware on steroids) might capture your keypad clicks.

"How do you know you've been infected? Pay attention when your phone starts behaving badly. Are your contacts disappearing? Are your calendar entries gone? Does your phone bill have strange charges?

"If so, suspect a virus before you suspect user error...."

I personally haven't had to deal with viruses on my cell phone, but I have heard a lot about it on the news. I knew that computers have always had problems with spam, viruses, and many other things, but I didn't know until recently that this could effect your phone too. This is very scary. Just thinking about the possibility that my phone could begin to have problems because of a text I got, really worries me.

"Just when you were getting the hang of protecting your computer from viruses"
your phone starts to get a virus. One in every 10 phones is now a smart phone capable of handling data and messaging. "That means it's become easy and lucrative for hackers to attack your cell phone. And the dangers are just as real. From 2004-2006, the number of phone viruses doubled every month."

And it spreads on cell phones because of the Internet downloaded, MMS (Multimedia messaging service) attachments of the Bluetooth transfers to name a few. "They'll often show up as game downloads, updates to your phone's system, ring tones, or alerts." There are "450 different variants of mobile threats, and that's not including phishing attacks and spam...83 percent of worldwide carriers have had security incidents in 2007."

Article: "In CBS Test, Mobile Ads Find Users" by Laura M. Holson; 02/06/08.

"So far, privacy and technology concerns have held back the prospect of personalized mobile ads from the likes of Starbucks or Barnes and Noble." That's really the only reason that mobile ads didn't come along sooner. There really isn't anything that can stop them once they've started. It's like a telemarketing company having your phone number. They always seem to call.

The ads will be sent to you according to your location. If you're close to a store that is having some kind of sale, then BAM! you now have knowledge of it, right on your cell phone. "Location-based ads are of great interest to advertisers who have seen shoppers eschew traditional forms of mass-market advertising on television and in newspapers and magazines."

I can't wait to see how many of these "mobile ads" I get a day just sitting in my own home. I believe that they will eventually be just another form of spam. It will be something that becomes over-used and will become just one more thing to annoy us.

Article: "Anonymous hackers take on the Church of Scientology" by Robert Vamosi; News.com

A war has begun on a new front; The Internet. The group "Anonymous" has recently announced the beginning of a war on Scientology. Anonymous is "a group of hackers on steroids" says 'Faux Nooz' in a study about Internet bullies. "A copyright violation claim by the Church of Scientology against the posting of one of its videos to YouTube has prompted a full-on assault by a group calling itself Anonymous," says Vamosi. A video was posted on youtube that featured Tom Cruise, and his thought on Scientology. Within hours of the videos appearance it was taken off of YouTube by The Church of Scientology. Anonymous was outraged by this, and declared war on Scientology for this.

Anonymous states that this war is to take down Scientology for its injustices. More on these injustices can be found here.

Do you have a distaste for Scientology, as many others do? Spread the word. This war can only remain on the internet for so long.

Title: Spammers have your number.
Author: Crockett, Roger O.
Source: Business Week; 11/26/2007 Issue 4060, p042-042,1p,1c

More text and voice spam are invading handsets. Wireless users in the U.S. will receive about 1.1 million spam text messages this year, up 38% from 2006, estimates messaging specialist Ferris research. Unwanted text messages isn't the only problem phone users face. "The more provocative problem with mobile phones is the stuff beyond text messages and e-mail," says Paul Catalano, a partner at Tech Consultancy Relevant Business Group. It will make our life more convenient if people will stop sending spam.

I don't have a cell phone, but my mom get lots of spam. She doesn't even like texting. A lot of my friends get spam and they text 24/7. They don't stop texting to save their lives.

Alright, so I don't really know what I want to say, so I guess I will just ramble a bit.
I think it is bogus if you can't graduate a DAP student because you work almost 24 hours a day and aren't able to take college courses during your senior year. Come on, we don't work hard for nothing!
I believe that HGHS should have open campus for junior class since seniors already get out at lunch. I think we ARE old enough and responsible enough to be trusted with that.
I think that since I really only have one class I should only be forced to come to that one class to get the credit and be able to leave directly after it. I don't think I should have to put up with all the people that don't want to put up with me. No offense.
I really wish that people in the town of Honey Grove would learn what's their business and what isn't their business. Come on people, it's called PRIVACY!
I guess that since I really don't want to complain about anything else, and I'm sure that people are taking offense to something that I've said, I should probably bring this bad boy to an end. So. . .

The End.

Article: "Spammers Have Your Number" by Roger O. Crockett; Business Week 11/26/07, p.42

Crockett's article discusses how spam is appearing more and more on the cell phone now. This year mobile spam messages are predicted to rise to about 1.5 million, which seems like a large number, but in reality it's small compared to the 250 million Americans who use cell phones. Security experts fear that phone spam will grow in the future. Unfortunately, this problem will impact consumers' pocketbooks. Cell phone users are charged for text messages--sometimes up to 20 cents per message. Phone companies try to block as much of the "SPIT" (spam over Internet telephony) as they can coming from overseas operators usually, but they simply can't block them all.

I personally have received a couple of these spam text messages, and it truly is frustrating. My family and I don't text much; therefore, we don't have any type of plan and we have to pay for each individual text message. This is scary. I hate all the spam I get each and every day in my email accounts. I certainly don't want that to start happening with my cell phone, too--well, I wouldn't be able to afford it. I hope the phone companies find a way to stop this, and I hope these telemarketing companies will get a conscience and start living by a code of ethics.

Man, I'm ready to graduate. It's Monday again, and like every week I'm just waiting for the weekend. This weekend we had a cookout, I enjoyed having a good time with my brother-in-law's family. They cooked chicken and beef, and they had different kinds of drink, but I preferred to drink water. For the next weekend a friend invited me to a Hispanic club in Dallas, and I might go and have some fun.

Why I hate Mondays is it feels like you are moving around slow, and you really don't like being around a lot of people or talking and doing work at all.

Okay, so Myrtle Beach, South Carolina sounds great to most people. Travel by airplane, four days in a hotel, away from it all. Our Beta's were happy to hear of the trip we're taking this year... until we had a meeting with Mrs. Jones. Now we are happy that by attending state we accomplished to receive a first place on scrapbook, and banner. A second place in talent, which we deserved a first place by the way... unbelievable. And last but not least, Eric Foster won state secretary. But the reality is we have to pay our own trip by collecting money from fund raisers. Now I've been known as the one person who has sold a chili supper ticket to every person in Honey Grove, TX. But I know for a fact this is not true. I've left a few people for my other Beta members to catch. My point is we are in sort of a competition because either you earn the money or you pay out of your pocket. Which do you think anyone would rather do these days with such high prices? Anyway all Beta member's ask for your support, including me. We hope we can win something at Nationals and represent Honey Grove High School in return.

What senior can't wait for graduation?? I know I'm counting down the days, hours, and minutes until I get to walk across the stage. Although I'm ready to graduate, I am a little scared. Am I really ready to be on my own? Even with the fears of graduation I am still excited for the day to come!!! From picking out senior shirts and ordering invitations, being a senior has its perks!!

On that special day when I graduate, it will be the best day of my life. Not having to get up early. After I graduate, I plan to attend PJC. Every Senior can not wait until that day comes. Life out of school for awhile will be great. On That Special Day When I Graduate!!!!!!!!!

I have never really hated school, but I DO HATE Mondays. When the weekend comes, I get so excited. I spend the weekend having fun and enjoying life. But just when you start to get used to having some time off, you wake up on Monday morning with that horrible feeling again. I've never really been the person to complain, but this time I just can't help myself. The only thing I've come to like about Mondays, is knowing that at 6:30 p.m., I get to go to One Act Play practice. Even acting, one of the things I cherish most in life, cannot keep me from having that horrible feeling for at least a little bit on Monday morning. The weekends, so few and far between, have become like dreams to me. On Monday morning, I try to remember the fun weekend I have had, but Mondays just blur every weekend. So, today is just another Monday in this week. I will go to sleep tonight and wake up with a great feeling tomorrow morning; It's not a Monday!

Honey Grove is the best town ever, just not the best people around, so when you come, watch your back cause there will always be people talking to you and if not to you, they're talking about you, so watch your friends, but most important, watch your back cause no telling what's going to happen to you. If you ever move here, always be alert. Yes, the town says "sweetest town in Texas," yea, don't let it fool you.

So, you're running a marathon. I know it's a stretch, but just imagine. You've made a mental to do list: 1)take deep breaths, in the nose out the mouth; 2) Keep a steady pace; 3)Stay SUPER hydrated.
Sounds like a good safe way to make your first marathon a safe, healthy, and fun experience, right? Well, that's what many runners think. The first two ideas are good and safe tips for maximum performance in any running event, but in the past decade doctors and runners have been faced with the ironic problem of runners drinking too much water. Mark Robinson suffered from Hyponatremia (too much water) in 2004 while running his first Boston marathon. He had drunk a gallon before the race, and stopped at every station for a couple of cups of water. By mile 23 he could no longer run and had to walk the rest of the race. Thinking water would help his nausea and leg cramps, he continued to drink more water after the race. Eventually, he was hospitalized and had a near death experience. Hyponatremia usually occurs when runners, such as Mark Robinson, are over zealous to "avoid becoming dehydrated, so they may end up drinking so much that they dilute their blood. Water rushes into cells, including cells of the brain. The swollen brain cells press against the skull, and the result can be fatal."
According to Dr. Arthur Siegel, the chief of internal medicine at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass.,"perhaps a dozen hyponatremia deaths had been recognized, according to informal communications among doctors at recent marathons." This is a serious issue for uninformed marathon runners. New York City Marathon directors, as a preventative action, have added to their marathon handbook the amount of water suggested for the marathon--eight ounces for every 20 minutes. As race directors, running magazines, and internet articles address this issue more and familiarize the average runner to the dangers of hyponatremia, hopefully deaths from hyponatremia will cease. So when you run your next marathon, drink water, but keep a handle on yourself, and save some for the fish.

My name is Franzi; I'm 16 and an exchange student. I had the chance to stay with a new family for one year, here in the United States. I'm a junior and go to Honey Grove High School in Texas. Being an exchange student has a lot of good things but you have to realize that not everybody wants to deal maybe with homesickness or something like that.

So why should you be an exchange student?

You will learn a lot over your new country you will go to. You learn to know new people and their culture. I always liked to meet new people, so it was a great chance for me. I can say that everybody was really nice to me and I found a lot of new friends. Also, when you come back to your home country, you will know the language perfect. Those were all reasons why I really wanted to do an exchange year. I know it is hard to leave your family in your home country and go and live with all those new people you don't know. Of course, I can say from my own experience that there will be some times you're homesick and you think why am I doing this? I would say that it is normal and if you think about all those good things you have and all the experience you'll make, you probably will have a great time you won't regret.
Maybe I could encourage you to do something like that and you will have an amazing year like me which you'll never forget.

OMG! Does anyone else hate how much the gas prices have increased? I mean it is ridiculous having to pay three dollars for a gallon of gas that will only take you about 15 miles. Is it not? It's bad when you are parked at home because you don't have a job, and you have to beg your parents for gas money all the time, and a majority of the time they will pen you down with saying, "Well, what have you done this week to get money?" Then probably nine times out of ten you haven't done a thing at home all week so, therefore, "you ain't getting any money to go anywhere!" So what I am getting to is that gas prices are terrible and I hate them!!

I love my school to death but there are somethings I disagree about!...I think we should not have 5 periods because we sit in a class for an hour or an hour and a half...but after awhile when the teachers are talking, we start to get bored listening to somebody talk for an hour or so...I think we should get excused for being sick...now, I know some people will take advantage but you would know if somebody is sick or not...I wish we could have open campus because I would want to eat more food than the same food every week! Our food for the week is always the same...I can tell you what we're having everyday!...Well, I just thought I should say some of my dislikes!

Who wants an open campus? We do, we do. We need a breather from school and the only one we get is for what? 45 mins, lunch? I believe we should be able to have a break. But I also think it should only be sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Cuz freshmen tend to ruin everything. That's all we really want bad enough to write about.

As a dragon rider there are a lot of things to know and learn about dragons. The first important thing is to give your dragon a name when it first hatches so that when he/she gets older he/she knows that he/she is important. When it comes to taking care of your dragon, you need to know what to feed him/her so that he/she can grow up healthy and strong, you need to train him/her so that he/she can defend him/herself in dangerous situations. If your dragon gets sick, you need to know what to give him/her to make him/her better, or if your dragon hurts his/her wing or leg, you need to know how to treat its wounds. So as a dragon rider there are a lot of responsibilities on having a dragon, but it is a lot of fun of having a dragon.

I don't know what to write about, so I'm going to right about something I like to do. I love to listen to music because it takes me out of reality. If I am mad, I listen to some music that is funny. If I am in a good mood, I listen to any music I feel like, mainly any kind of rock. If I can't sleep, then I listen to music until I fall asleep. Some music I like is Shadows Fall, Nickleback, Dragonforce, and some other bands/singers.

Some songs I like:
1. "Redemption" by Shadows Fall
2. "Savin' Me" by Nickleback
3. "Final Call" by Dragonforce
4. "Sad Statue" by System of a Down

Okay, so whoever's reading this has, more than likely, been talked about, or you have talked about somebody else. So when you talk about people, basically all you're thinking is how funny your jokes are or how paranoid it's making the person feel that you're talking about...so yeah, it's fun. But, the tables turn when somebody starts talking about you. You begin to feel sorry for yourself and feel like everybody's laughing at you. Not much fun, huh? No. I didn't think so. So why is it so easy to put other people down and make fun of them, but when it's done to you, you can't take it? Here recently one of my friends experienced this. She talked about this one girl FOREVER, like every 5 minutes she would crack a joke. Were the jokes funny?? OH YEAH! Was it right...well, no. But today the girl that my friend was talking about gave my friend a taste of her own medicine. This girl started talking about my friend. So, of course, it hurt my friend's feelings. All day she's been feeling sorry for herself and talking about how this girl was being rude. But what my friend doesn't realize, is that what this girl is doing to her, she used to do the same thing. She just doesn't like that everything she did to this girl is being done to her now. I honestly don't blame this girl for talking about my friend for the simple fact that I probably would have done the same thing. What are you supposed to do?? Turn the other cheek?? UHHH, no! This is high school...Girls are always catty and defensive. That's just the way we are. We're like cats, we react when somebody steps on our tail...(that was a metaphor just in case you didn't already know that). Sitting back and smiling and pretending it doesn't bother us is above us. People don't expect that. They expect us to act out in catty, jealous, mouthy ways. So while typing this, I thought of a name for us high school "drama queens"..."Gossip Goddesses." If you disagree with this, then you do nothing but prove my point. =)

Today is Feb. 1st, which is the first day of Black History Month. Americans have celebrated Black History Month since 1926. But it was first called "Negro History Week." This month is pretty special to me because I'm an African American. This month celebrates our culture and religion. Around the world lots of churches will celebrate this month by having programs to celebrate and make people aware. Dr. Carter G. Woodson is the founder of Black History Month; he chose this month because Abraham Lincoln's and Frederick Douglass's birthdays are in this month. These two men really influenced the African American culture. Also, today marks the day of a sit-in by the black students at a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C., around 1960. I celebrate my birthday in this month too! Let me leave you with a quote:

"Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today." - Malcolm X

Meet the Spartans is a funny comedy movie that just came out this past Friday (1-25-08). It is PG-13 and is directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Sheltzer. It is approximately 1 hour and 24 minutes long. If you like funny movies, I advise you to go out and watch it.

We all know that basketball here in high school comes before baseball, right?
Well, if you're in a tight situation, and you've been waiting to play baseball all year long, then why won't the administration let you drop out of basketball and go straight to off-season to begin baseball? I mean, if you're not enjoying what you are doing in the sport, or the sport at all, then why continue with it? I think they should make it to where if you want to do that, then you can and not wait another two weeks at the end of the season to go to off-season. Let's say that in basketball, you're on JV and you don't get much playing time, but in baseball, you're on varsity and start every game. Wouldn't you say that going straight to baseball would be more of a benefit so you could go ahead and start the season, getting ready for district? I do.

Now, there are a bunch of rules that apply to you and your school for you to be exempt. If you get one single I.S.S., then you will not be exempt no matter what you are making for your final grade. And the other thing is that if you get more than 3 tardies, then you will get a detention. There are a whole lot of other rules, but it is hard to name them all. All I am saying is that they need to lighten up on the absences, and the detentions, because there might be a logical explanation to the problem, and if you are not there, then they just go ahead and mark you up for no reason.

So when you drive a big truck like me it's hard to survive the high gas prices. Especially when it is up to like three dollars a gallon. I only get 11 miles to the gallon so it feels like every time I get in my truck the gas hand moves. I can hardly make it through a weekend without running out of gas. Some times I feel like every one should just start riding bikes. I just wish that either I was rich or they would make a vehicle that ran on water.

While strolling down the sweets aisle at the grocery store, my attention was drawn to a new product I had never seen before: Yogos Rollers, fruit flavored rolls, and Yogos Bits, tiny yogurt covered fruit flavored bits. These Kellogg's snacks were colorfully packaged and looked fun. It's a combination I always look for when I am purchasing sweets. At first I thought the taste was interesting, I couldn't relate it to anything else I'd ever tasted before. There was a sweet taste, but not so sweet. I expected it to taste like candy, but it didn't. It was yogurty with a sweet like coating. Yogos are not as healthy as I thought they were, I didn't look at the ingredients list when I bought them but later I did, and I saw that the first ingredient was sugar, the next ingredient is Partially Hydrogenated Palm Kernal and Palm Oil. That is not so good, but the list only gets scarier from there. So I guess I will call this a neutral snack, they are not healthy for you but I would not say they are bad for you. Bottom line, they are OK to get once in a while.

Anyone want an open campus? Heck, yeah, dude! We're locked in this place till 12:20, our first breath of freedom for barely an hour, lunch. WOW, woopedy doo. But I also believe that it should only be sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Cuz freshmen tend to ruin everything. That's all we really want bad enough to write about.

Being a student at Honey Grove High School is very fun and exciting. There are a lot of teachers that all know what they're doing and they are very good at teaching you. There are also plenty of students to be friends with and most of them will welcome you with a big smile and a hello. Now let's talk about the classes, shall we?...You have 5 classes a day, such as Art, English, World History, Multimedia, and P.E. But there's a catch; you take your 1st and 5th period classes all year long. But you only take your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th periods half a year, then you will switch them with 3 other classes. You will have all your credits for those classes and will be done with them. Despite the fact that it sounds completely confusing and odd, it's actually very easy and a fast way to finish all your classes. You actually learn a lot more this way. Ive learned more the last two years than I have the last past 9 years of my life. So these are just some of the reasons I like our school...I just wish we had open campus again!

Using the internet to find information is great when it comes to research projects. The internet also has its flaws like some sites are unsecured meaning that people that didn't create it can still edit the information. So when you're doing your project, find reliable sources. You may ask how do you know when they're reliable? One way is to see if the source has a sponsor. If it has a sponsor, it is most likely a reliable source. That's one way and there are many more but I can't think of them right now. Well, what are you waiting on? Get to researching!

Sadly a few days ago Heath ledger was found dead in his Soho apartment after an apparent overdose on sleeping pills. The young star was only a mere 28 with a daughter and great acting career. The question is, Was it suicide or just a freak accident? Still awaiting an autopsy his father declares it was "accidental". If it was suicide, what would have caused this great young actor to want to end his life? At this point we may never know.

To all of those starving students out there I can hear your cry. The food we eat should be our choice, not just between two things from the cafeteria, but from wherever it is available. We should have the choice to eat at Fast Lane or Hello Burger. It should be our choice whether we want chicken or beef. Also with the exemption policy, there wouldn't be a threat of students skipping school. Open the doors of oppression and let us step out into a new world of liberty, freedom, and french fries.

Why is it that we play high school softball in the winter? Wouldn't it make more sense to play an outdoors sport in better weather? We softball players are practicing and playing in freezing cold weather, which only causes more problems and distractions. Some of us take high school softball very seriously. If we have the potential to get better, but can't due to distractions, then there's no point in even having the sport. I know that our school is not a softball oriented school, but we are hard workers and we should have better working conditions. Who ever decided to make softball a winter sport didn't think it through.

I don't really like our new district, but that's the way it has to be for the next two years. Our new district is District 11, which includes Bells, Gunter, Honey Grove, Howe, Leonard, Melissa, Tom Bean, and Whitewright. We don't even have our rival in our district, so I guess now we have to make a new rival. At least some of the places are closer than some of the other places in our old district. I think these schools will have some great football, basketball, and possibly baseball/softball teams. Since I don't know a great deal about these schools, I'll find out how good they are next year. Let's go, HG!

Many young people drink and drive, which is not a very good thing to do. When you drink, you have impaired vision, and you react to things at a much slower rate; unlike you would if you were sober. Many people die everyday from drunk drivers. When a drunk driver is involved in a alcohol related accident, the drunk driver is usually alright. Most times the person they are in the accident with are usually killed. If you decide to drink, make someone your designated driver so that you and everyone around you is safe. Never drink and drive.

I don't sleep in class because it's disrespectful to the teachers. They're taking time out of their day to come to school and teach us, and students just go to sleep. I know if I was a teacher, then I definitely wouldn't allow kids to sleep in my class. What's the point of teaching when they don't want to learn? So all you kids who sleep in class...WAKE UP!!!

Wow! I am so close to graduating that I am so scared that at the end I will not even get to walk through the stage and get my diploma. I want to have all my old friends in my graduation. I wish I could have graduated at my other school with my old teachers there and all my friends that I have known for more than seven years. I wish I could move back to Trenton and finish my last four months of school there. I miss my old life and my old friends. I wish they were here with me.

About the new district, there are a few things I don't like about it and then there are things that I do like. One thing that I don't like about it is that we have a lot of better teams than what we usually have. Also we don't have Cooper anymore as our rivals. How are we not going to have them anymore? Some things that I do like about it is that we have better competition than what we normally have. But those are my thoughts on the new district.

There are internet chat rooms all over the web. There are some on Yahoo!, AOL, MSN, and other places too. No matter where you get on to a chat room, there are still some bad things about them. There are good things too, but mostly bad. Many older men get on to chat rooms that try to mess with younger girls. They will say that they are younger, but they really are not. The men that do this are called online predators. Many men, also women, are getting caught everyday when trying to talk to younger people.

The benefits of chat rooms could be meeting new people and talking about some similar things. Usually this may lead to meeting that person in real life though. Anybody can lie about who they are though. People need to watch out when they are in chat rooms.

My fellow classmates and I were skeptical about the amount of food we were served, so we organized a strike against the cafeteria. The strike did not work as planned so we took it to the next level and confronted the lunch room ladies. They quickly explained that the amount of food we receive is not up to them but the school's budget. So we are very sorry and would like to apologize to the ladies. Sorry, lunch ladies.

http://www.news.com/2100-1025_3-5121479.html

So, Canada has a download only piracy policy - which is better than what we have right now. Why can't we have a policy like this? We're one of the few countries that really tries to stop piracy... and we don't even really do a good job. The RIAA is a joke that can't even secure their own website. (the RIAA website was hacked a week or so ago)

So, why can't we have a more lax piracy policy?