David’s English Blog

Question: How does the political environment in the U.K. affect relationships? How does this compare to other parts of the World?

Thesis: Political polarization in the U.K. is not as heavy as in other places in the world, but it does have some negative effects on people’s relationships and interactions.

I. People in the U.K. are generally happier than people from America and have become increasingly happier in recent years.

  a. the average citizen in the UK has become increasingly happy in recent years, despite divisive political issues.

     b. Studies show this relates to people’s strong relationships

  C. the average citizen in the US has become significantly less happy since 2012, and this decline has continued until now.

II. Nationalism and Brexit has to lead to Britain becoming more partisan and divided

  a. People in favor of Brexit were linked to a greater sense of nationalism and denial of globalization.

  b. There was a lot of controversy in Britain after and during Brexit. Graphs and polls show partisanship rising in recent years, as well as disdain for the other side. (Schumacher)

     c. The people who voted to leave the EU and the people who voted to stay are very different not only in their views on Brexit, but on their majority race, income, and education levels. (Schumacher)

 III. “Bullying, insults, and threats have become commonplace in British political life.” (Ford)

  a. Members of parliament are receiving, “threats, aggressive emails, being shouted at in the street, sworn at on social media…” (Ford)

   b.” So toxic has the political atmosphere grown – fouled largely by angry disagreement over Brexit, which has split the country in two” (Ford)

        c. On every major issue, such as the economy, immigration, and their views of the EU, the opinions of the people are Divided among partisan lines.

Conclusion: Although overall happiness and life satisfaction in Great Britain is not as bad as in other countries, Politics have become a nasty topic. The political atmosphere is causing people to be more divided, and more hateful.

c.

Episcopal’s baseball team is doing well right now. In Fact, we are on a 4 game win streak, with our record reaching 9-5. This week we have 3 big games. On Tuesday, we take a road trip across the river to face off against the Port Allen Pelicans. They have a pretty good squad this year, and it should be a competitive game. Then on Wednesday, we face off against Dunham at home. This is the biggest game of the season up to this point. Then on Thursday, we go on another road trip to Beau Chenne.

The team has been trending upward for some time now. we started out 3-3, and have won 6 out of our last 8. The two losses coming from a very talented U-High squad, and an even more talented Doyle squad. We lost those games by scores of 4-3, and 7-5, respectively. So even in those loses, it was still very close. In fact vs. Uhigh, we were winning until the very last inning where the cubs scored two runs to go ahead. Now both of these teams are 4a, so they are  respectable losses. Now in our division, 2a, I don’t think there are many teams on par with Uhigh or Doyle. Ascension Episcopal and St. Thomas Aquinas are the two top 2a teams, but I think we can compete with both of those schools.

This week marked the start of March Madness, the NCAA men’s basketball championship tournament. Everyone has made their brackets and was ready for the games to start. The first games were on Friday. I had only made one bracket, so I was betting on this one. The first game I watched was Virginia Tech vs. Florida. I watched it in the baseball locker room with the team before we left to go to our own game. We all went crazy when Florida, who was up by 3, missed 2 free throws to seal the game, and then Virginia Tech had a game-tying three-pointer to send the game to overtime

However, this wasn’t even the most interesting game of the day. That title easily goes to 15 seed Oral Roberts taking down 2 seed Ohio State in the first round. Ohio State was thought to be one of the best teams in the country, so the world was shocked when the Buckeyes were taken down. This was not the only upset of the weekend though. 14 seed Abilene Christian took down 3 seed Texas, and 13 seed North Texas beat 5 seed, Villanova. Perhaps the best part about the weekend is that LSU won in the first round after they defeated St. Bonaventure by a score of 76-61. The Tigers play the first seeded Michigan Wolverines on Monday at 6:10pm.

Deep Fakes are videos or images that look or sound exactly like a real person. These can be used for a multitude of things, good and bad. One example of a benefit is that it can make people more connected in learning through holograms. However, there are many more negative aspects of these videos than positive. The most obvious is the spread of misinformation. If a deep fake video is posted of someone who seems reliable, this can be very dangerous for our country and our world.

This is especially dangerous now. If someone were to do a deep fake of Dr. Fauci spreading false information about Covid, real people could be harmed. This is just one of the real-world consequences of these videos. However, there are new technologies that are combatting this. Companies are using AI software, as well as Human moderators, to detect and delete these harmful videos from the internet. If everyone is mindful of these videos and is constantly alert that something they are watching could be a deep fake, then the problem will be greatly diminished.

Last week, the Episcopal basketball team beat Pope John Paul to advance to the quarter-finals in the Division IV playoffs. This coming week, we play the winner of Church Point and Holy Savior Menard in the quarter-finals. Menard is the clear favorite, as they are seeded much higher than Church point. That means most likely, we will be driving to Alexandria this coming Friday. I think it will be a great game, and hopefully, one that we will win. Menard does have one 6’8 player who carries their team, but if we stop him we will most likely advance to the Semis.

We will most likely play Newman in the Semifinals. Newman has a very strong team this year, with the number 1 sophomore in the state as their point guard. He is ranked number 13 in the country for kids in 10th grade. He already has offers from LSU, Baylor, Georgetown, and many other top programs. However, I still think if we play a good, physical game that we have a chance of beating them. If we get to the finals, we will inevitably play Dunham. Dunham is our biggest rival, and we’ve already played them once this year. It will be a hard game, but I really think we can pull it off.

 

This year in English I have not necessarily learned anything new, but rather I have become a lot better at skills I already possessed. I am able to differentiate between “deeper meanings,” and analytical thoughts or questions. I can now have these analytical thoughts and record what I think about them or how they are relevant to the story. I think my comprehension of old-sounding English has also improved during our poetry unit.

Another thing i have noticed is that recently I have been much more analytical of things in the real world. The most common example is music. I am able to examine songs and ask myself questions about the meaning, and the artists’ intention. I really enjoy talking about this type of thing with my friends as well. I have noticed how many poetic techniques are used in rap music. For example, Kendrick Lamar uses Irony and metaphors in almost all of his albums. With help from this class, I have been able to understand what his intention was, and how he wanted the listener to feel while listening to it.

LSU basketball has been playing well over the last couple of years. In 2017, they even made it to the sweet sixteen of march madness. However, this year’s team isn’t living up to the hype they were getting before the year started. They have lost 3 of their last 4, and they are now 11-6. The tigers have so many problems from top to bottom. The number one problem is the defense. LSU allowed 60 points in the first half alone vs. Alabama. They ended up losing by over 30. It was an embarrassing loss that started the current skid they are in.

Another one of the horrible problems that this team has is selfish play. The players are always looking for their own shot and almost never make a move for the sake of getting their teamate open. They will often let the opposing team make a three, try to retaliate with a three of their own, miss it, and give up a transition layup. That alone is a 5 point difference that loses games on every level of basketball. Also, the players just don’t play tough. You rarely see an LSU player rip the ball from another player, or grab a rebound they have no business getting. They need to find some motivation and play as a team, and most of all play with some fire and toughness.

The most important aspect of the Slade House is the structure of the story. There are five stories, each of them 9 years apart. The stories are all intertwined, with common characters and reasonings for the characters being there. Each one of them was (directly or indirectly) because of the previous one. Because of the stories being so separated in time, this makes the book more intriguing because it leaves the reader wondering what happened in between. Each story also ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, which makes the reader want to go on to the next.

Another reason this book is so intriguing is because of the other unknown aspects. How did the Greyers get there? Whatever happened to the people trapped there? Who were the people in the house before Nathan was captured? How will anyone defeat the Greyers? The structure of the book leads you to wonder about all of these things. The author does this on purpose, to make the book feel like the Slade house itself. It pulls you in, and you can’t stop reading once you’ve started.

 

The Saints played the Buccaneers earlier this Sunday and lost 30-20, eliminating them from the playoffs. Drew Brees did not play well, throwing three interceptions and throwing for under 200 yards. Sadly, this will be his last game. He has announced intentions to retire after this season, so he will never strap up his helmet for the Saints ever again. It is going to be eerie for Drew to not be the Quarterback for the Saints next year. I’ve been watching him lead the team since I can remember.  I have countless memories of me and my family huddling around the TV room on a Sunday night to watch the Black and Gold. And they were always led by number 9.

Yes, it is a bittersweet moment. Drew has done so much for the city of New Orleans, on and off the field. He gave the city so much hope after Katrina and gave the people something to rally behind. He has donated millions of dollars to charities that benefit underprivileged kids in New Orleans. On the field, Drew led the Saints to their first Superbowl in Franchise history. He has broken too many passing records to count, a few of them being all-time passing yards leader, all-time passing Touchdowns leader, and Career completion percentage leader. Drew has been such a huge part of my childhood and it will be devastating to see him go, but I know he will continue to do good for the community of New Orleans.

 

The Troubles seem to be a very dark time in Irish History. The two sides were divided. Whether Ireland should stay in connection with the UK or be independent was a polarizing issue that caused violence and outrage. I find it interesting to think about how both sides had to compromise with the peace agreement, and they were able to make a somewhat fair deal. However, it is sad how much trouble the people had to go through to get there. It’s shocking that such an issue could lead to so much anger and separation when they were all fighting for the same goal: a better life for the citizens of Ireland. I can’t help but think about how this is similar to our current situation in America, with people as divided as ever.

Nobody can agree on anything these days. People are so focused on being liberal or conservative that they forget were all Americans, most of whom are fighting for the common good. The Troubles are also closely connected with the novel Say Nothing. In the beginning, we see marches of people protesting for equal civil rights. Also, it follows a murder case of a victim who actually existed back in the ’60s. This book brings attention to the violent history of Ireland while also telling a compelling story about a kidnapping and a murder.