Mrs. Ho's AP Lang - 11

       I love watching TV. I think we can all agree that TV shows are good. And if you disagree, you're weird, respectfully. But movies are good too. Both movies and TV shows are good sources of entertainment. But which is better? My answer: TV shows. They just are, but if you're not convinced then you're wrong. And let me tell you why.      I don't like sitting through a whole movie. Every time I get excited to watch a movie I immediately realize that I can't get up for the next hour and a half, at least if I'm at a movie theater. Even if I'm at home, I have to either watch the whole two-hour movie or pause it and remember where I left off. But that would never be a problem with TV shows. A TV show is just a long movie series split up into 20 or 40-minute increments. Each season is just a really long movie, that's part of a series of other movies if there is more than one season. Which is perfect for watching one episode a day, or watching a few and c...

The first week of the 2023 NBA season has officially been completed.  With high expectations after last season's performance, the Miami Heat's performance so far this year has been disappointing.  At the moment the Heat hold a record of 1-3, which is a rough record to have considering that the Heat were playing in the Finals 5 months ago.  The Heat began the season on a win and have dropped the last 3 games.  Many believe that the Heat did not belong to go as far as they did last season, but in my opinion that is not the case.  The Heat have built a culture and family over the past decade and even though on paper, the Heat are not filled with big names and star player's in the league, they find a way to work harder than everyone else and gut out key wins in big time games.  Some also believe that the reason for the underperformance of the Heat this year, was due to the shaky offseason as the Heat were expected to make a move for star point guard Damian Lill...

Soccer is a fun, competitive, team sport that has many benefits. Soccer is an exciting sport; it’s a great way to make new friends and a productive hobby that can expose new skills. It’s competitive; however, the adrenaline and determination you get during a soccer game builds endurance. Competition is a great motivation to improve yourself. I always try my best in soccer; however, I also take notes on what I can work on to improve my performance. Soccer also builds teamwork skills. You have to have precise communication with your teammates to formulate your next move. These are some of the qualities that I love about the game. Recently, I tried out for the school’s soccer team, and fortunately, I made it. I was very excited to be on the team but also quite nervous because I’d never played soccer on an actual team before. I tried my best and practiced, so when I heard the coach and my other teammates were impressed, I was thrilled. Trying new things and stepping outside of your comfo...

      The childhood days. What was so good about them? One of the best things about my childhood days was the video games. I used to play Mariokart, pokemon, prime Fortnite, and many others. Back then, the video games were so fun. There were many different types of fun Mario games. There was Fortnite with the best maps. What happened? Now they come out with video games like Fall Guys and MultiVersus (Off Brand Super Smash Brawl). I think they came out with off-brand games because the games back then were so good that they thought they could make something based on the same ideas, but it didn't work as effectively as they thought. I don't know if it is the new technology or just running out of ideas to make better games than during my childhood days because I know back then I always played video games. Now, I don't play them that often because they turn out to be so boring. I appreciate my childhood days so much now because of the many memories I made out of them. Even the...

     Everyone has their immediate reactions to albums, but after a month, once you have listened to it repeatedly, their opinions change and how they truly feel about it will be expressed about a month in. When people first listen to an album, especially one from Drake, their expectations are high and they are hype which can sway their original reactions, but a month later, once everything has sunk in, their true opinions come out.  It has been a month since Drake released his album "For All the Dogs" and it's officially time to review it.     When the album was originally released, I was hyped up. First of all, it was Drake, and second, there had not been good music released in a while. Music in 2023 has been generally slow, with limited hit releases, other than big names like Travis Scott and now Drake. My first reaction to the album was that it was amazing. There were about 7 songs out of the 19 released that I thought were amazing. It was interesting to...

     Food is a big part of our lives; we are constantly consuming it and sometimes even consumed by it. Families bond over dinner, people celebrate special occasions by going out to eat, and children are rewarded with dessert. From very early in our lives, we are taught that food is much more than the nutrients and sustenance it provides us with. It is an experience and pleasure event. Food is something to be cherished, rightfully so, but this also leads to many problems. When you turn food into a reward system, it causes unhealthy eating habits for children. Instead of a child getting the proper nutrients from healthier alternatives, they are conditioned to want junk food that is much worse for their health long-term.      Some examples of this are holidays. When people think of holidays, they think of the food that entails. On Halloween, you get candy. Thanksgiving is gravy and stuffing. Easter is chocolate. Chanukah is Hamantashen. Christmas is eggnog an...

  Rylan Frydman - Week Six : Basketball SZN     As of tonight, Basketball season is  officially  on its way. The first game is between the Los A ngelus  Lakers and the former NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets. It has been a long awaited  time since last tipoff, when the Miami Heat lost to the Nuggets on June 12. There have been many new trades and exciting new players to look forward to watching this year.      Some of the most notable  trades this year have been Damian  Lillard, Chris Paul, and Bradley Beal. Lillard was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks after spending his whole career in Portland. The Miami Heat were runner ups to acquiring him, specifically after Lillard requested to be traded to Miami. However, after many discussions, he was traded to  Milwaukee where he looks to win his first championship with former MVP, Giannis Antehekumpo.  Speaking of  championships, Chris Paul was traded to the Gol...

It is almost one of my favorite times of the year, college basketball season.  I can not wait to cheer on my Miami Hurricanes as they are coming off an historic season.  Unfortunately the canes did not bring home the trophy, but managed to prove every one wrong and reach the final four for the first time in program history.  Surprisingly they were not the only team out of South Florida to reach the final four, as the FAU owls shocked the whole world in their miraculous tournament run.  As for the Hurricanes, and the upcoming season, the future is still bright.  Although the canes suffered the loss of star point guard Isaiah Wong and starting forward Jordan Miller, they are still absolutely loaded with talent and potential.  The canes are led by Coach Jim Laranaga and star players Nijel Pack and Norchad Omier.  The rest of the roster is just about the same as last year, which means if the Canes can fill the large shoes of Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller t...

We all know that Halloween is the best holiday to ever exist, it's a fact. But when you think of Halloween, what comes to your mind first? Terrifying blood-gushing and gross monsters? Fall decorations and cozy spooky movies? Or somewhere in between? More importantly, are you thinking of trick-or-treating, going to a party, staying in? Is Halloween always scary, or is it also an excuse for kids to dress up and eat candy? It depends, right?  I started thinking about this when I was making plans for Halloween. The weekend before Halloween a few friends and I are having a sleepover, watching a movie, and eating junk food. It's way more cozy than scary, I doubt we'll even watch a scary movie. I'm also going to take a second to talk about how excited I am. We're all bringing a different "board." like a charcuterie board but different types of food. One person brings entrees, someone else brings sides, then desserts, and drinks. I chose drinks, just as an excuse ...

This past week, I went to Universal with my school and had a great time. We got to Orlando on Friday, chilled out for 2 days, and went to Universal. Most people on the trip had a great time in Universal and rode at least some of the rides but one of my best friends didn’t want to go on a single ride. Why would you even come to Universal if you didn’t want to go on any rides? He claims that he just doesn’t like them but I knew he was lying. I managed to take him on one ride and he was terrified of a tame ride. People who have genuine claims that they just don’t like the rides are fine by me yet people with claims that they are too scared to go on roller coasters are just ill-informed. There are just 4 roller coaster deaths recorded this year in the US. Comparatively, Americans are 5000 times more likely to be killed by their own government. You are 23 times more likely to be killed by lightning and a million times more likely to get killed by a car while driving or walking to the park. ...

     After seeing the hypnosis show on last years shabbaton, I was captivated. I was very intrigued about how hypnosis worked, and frankly, I wasn't even sure if it was real. When I heard that the very same hypnotist would be coming back for this years shabbaton, I knew I had to participate and see once and for all what it was like, or if it was even real. Initially, when the hypnotist chose the participants and I was not one of them, I was fairly disappointed given I personally asked the hypnotist to chose me. However, a friend of mine pointed out to me that one of the seniors on stage had participated the previous year. I swooped in and claimed my rightful spot in the show, and it did not disappoint.     Being Hypnotized is a very difficult experience to accurately describe, but I will try my very best. The biggest misconception that many people have is that when someone is hypnotized they are unconscious and will do things that they would typically find ...

 One Decision      What can one decision do for someone? The decision to switch your answer on a test may benefit you or hurt you. The decision to go on the Hulk one more time can make you pass out or have a great time. The decision to order large fries even though you are only hungry for small fries can have an impact on you. But then again, overthinking a decision can affect the timing of the decision that you made.      I just had a flag football playoff game, and just came back from the shabbaton. The Shabbaton was so fun and felt pretty good for the game. I listened to music and locked in on the game until everything started to unravel in the first half. I was in my head once again and that is what made me make poor decisions. Luckily the game was not out of hand and once I finally realized that everything was fine, I started to play better. The game went on to be back and forth and we were trailing 18-13 and were about to score and we didn't. We ...

    Writer's block is awful. It is one of the worst things one can experience. You just can't think, brainstorm, express your thoughts, etc. When you finally think you found something to write, two sentences in there's nothing else to say.     Many writers experience writer's block. Even I am experiencing writer's block writing this blog post. I feel like I am just throwing down thoughts onto this "piece of paper", getting in my own head. I can hear my own thoughts, their frustrated tone, yelling at me to write, but nothing to write about. I am stuck. Nowhere to go, no goal to reach, no point to express. Nothing. Pure blackness. Blank sheet of paper. But yet I am writing, just writing nothing. I can't gather my thoughts - I am all thought-out. It's annoying because I want to write and I don't mind going on tangents, but when I can't think of anything to write, I want to write more but it frustrates me because I can't.     Yet here I am,...

       Starting at a new school this year, life has been very different. After many of years I finally have the chance to go on a school trip that is worth going on. In my previous school, all of our school trips were to boring places like a museum or to see a movie. But this trip was different, I was able to go to universal studios in Orlando.     Although I had been to Universal Studios in California, I have been told by my friends that this park was so much better, and I wanted to see if that was true. But before any of the fun can happen there were 2 days of just chilling out at the hotel that were a whole experience on its own. Throughout the 2 days we did many of activities like swim, play corn hole and other things that are basic like watching Ohio State beat Penn State in college football this weekend. I was also so happy that for the first time in my life was able to be hypnotized. It was a great experience for me even though I don't really re...

 This past weekend was the weekend of the coolest field trip I have ever been on! If you go to Donna Klein the Shabbaton is nothing new or special; however, as a new student, this was mind-blowing. I had never been on a school trip that stayed somewhere overnight, let alone three days. Plus, going to a major theme park like Universal, would never even be possible in my past schools. When the shabbaton was first introduced to me I was hesitant; Like I said, I had never been on a trip like this before and I didn’t know what to expect. I asked around, getting a feel of what others thought of the weekend away in Orlando. The results were quite mixed. Some students adored the Shabbaton and always remember it as a good time. Others find it a drag (and complain about the food). Without a straight answer, I was left confused. I wasn’t sure if it was worth it to go or not, especially since I’ve never been a big fan of roller coasters anyway and I’m not super close with my classmates yet. N...

     For those of you who don’t know, I have two older sisters who live in Miami. They both go to the University of Miami and share an apartment together. I am very close with my sisters and love to go down to Miami to visit them whenever I can. However, that usually means going with the rest of my family, but tonight will be different. I am driving down to Miami alone to have dinner with them. I have driven down alone to see them before, but today, I am doing it on a school night and very spontaneously. I am very excited because they are cooking for me and making me hamburgers (which I specifically requested). Luckily, they both paid attention to my mom and, as a result, are very good cooks. Besides getting a delicious meal, I love how close they live to me and how easy it is to see them.      Many siblings attend college in faraway states and rarely see their families. As a very family-oriented person, I couldn’t imagine such a situation. My family is a v...

Eli Manning, former Giants quarterback of 15 years, might be the most underrated player in NFL history. I understand if you look at Eli’s stats you may not think he is an incredible player as he has multiple 20 pick seasons and seasons with under 20 TDs. He also only has a 50% career win percentage despite playing with good defensive players and offensive weapons.  So why is Eli so good? He is the most clutch player in NFL history. Eli, all of his playoff runs, never had a top 5 offense, by pff grade, or a top 5 defense. 9 of the last 10 Super Bowl winning teams had either one or both. Eli managed to bring the 14th best offense and 17th best defense in 2007 to a Super Bowl and the 9th best offense and the 25th best defense to a Super Bowl. Eli in those two super bowl runs went for 2,073 yards, 15 TDs, and only 2 picks. The most impressive Eli stat for me is that throughout the whole 2011 playoffs, the Giants had the 2nd worst o-line in the entire league that year, he took 0 sacks (...

 SAT on Paper vs Digital      Why is the SAT turning digital? Do the people who run the SAT really think it benefits us students to take the test digitally instead of on paper? Is this another turning point for all tests being online? What if tests are online rather than on paper? Would it not allow students to cheat more easily? What if wifi runs out while the test is going on, do you just remake it? All I know is that on paper no one would have to remake it unless they are not there. What is the future of test-taking going to be like?      Tomorrow marks the day of the 10th and 11th grades PSAT on a digital format rather than on paper. Personally, I have been practicing and taking tests in the paper format because I feel like the digital one won't be such an easy test or benefit me. When I take it tomorrow, maybe I will be wrong and the test might even be easier. All I know is that I prefer my tests to be on paper rather than digital because that is ...

Rylan Frydman - Week Five : Life’s a Simulation?      The theory of living in a simulation is a talked about hypothesis that many express, sarcastically, yet also through a sense of a possibility. The simulation theory says that we are all living in an advanced, hyper realistic computer, sort of like a videogame or the matrix. There have been multiple studies and claims through scientists and theorists questioning the reality we live in. While many argue through analytics and facts, others relate to the expression of coincidences.      Many have made claims based on the Simulation theory, including Elon Musk. Musk has stated that "it's more likely than not that you live in a simulation and not a physical universe." As well as Famous Philosopher, Nick Bostrom, who stated that chances are about 50-50 that we live in a simulation. Through technology advancing at a rapid pace, the chances continue to increase more and more.      Others use the ex...

      Every year at a certain point, I always begin to feel a little burnt out. This feeling comes and goes and will be stronger at certain times than others. Lately I've been getting it more and more, and coupled with the intense workload that naturally comes with junior year of high school, it's been anything but pleasant. It's like running a marathon with fatigue setting in. Junior year is a relentless grind of juggling intense coursework, standardized tests, and college prep, and it has left me physically and emotionally drained. I'm  aware that this is not a phenomenon exclusive to me, and although it is difficult, there are still many ways I can manage it.       One Important thing to do when you feel burnout is to take a step back and reconsider your priorities. Although academic progress is very important, that doesn't mean it's okay to disregard your well being in that vain. I always make sure to do these things when I'm burnt o...

It is finally that time of year, basketball season.  Each year I look forward most to basketball season.  As I have prepared for this season each and everyday for the past 6 months, I cannot wait to get to work and begin the season.  Last season we fell short of our goal of bringing a banner to Donna Klein, but this year is going to be different.  I have worked so hard and I am hoping to improve my performance from last year, as in my opinion was disappointing.  This year I am a junior, which means it is a big year for me and for our team, I only have two years left, and I am going to make sure I try my best to not graduate without getting a banner.  The reason I want a banner so badly is because Donna Klein never gets Boys Varsity Basketball banners, as it is very hard to get to the championship game in a district tournament.  Last season, we had a record of 12-5, which is a very solid record, but at the same time we did not play the best competition....

     If you've ever been on the virtual reality "ride" starring Jimmy Fallon in Universal Studios, you know what I'm talking about. That race around New York is really realistic. They didn't even have to do Halloween Horror Nights, just put me in front of a screen with Jimmy Fallon fake laughing at his own jokes.       Okay, maybe the Jimmy Fallon ride isn't intended to be scary, but you know what is? Rollercoasters. And with the Shabbaton right around the corner, I want to get ahead of the game and defend myself for when I am inevitably seen hyperventilating on the Dr. Suess Ride. Maybe some roller coasters are socially acceptable for someone to be scared of, like VelociCoaster or The Incredible Hulk Coaster, but some are more strange. Although, I personally can't judge anyone after the Jimmy Fallon incident.       The point is that people may not enjoy roller coasters because it feels scary, but that doesn't mean they're scared of...

     As I am sure you all know by now, Israel is at war. This war started on Saturday, October 7, 2023. I could tell you about the atrocities, war crimes, hatred, abuse, or horrific behaviors, but instead, I want to focus on what is happening worldwide. Many Jewish people around the world are coming together in these difficult times like never before. Brothers and sisters who are only connected by a shared faith are doing everything possible to help Israelis in need. People are donating their time, money, and prayers to the land of Israel.      The Jewish community is coming together to help each other and send relief and support to the soldiers fighting. Even young people are doing whatever they can. Around school, students have written letters to give soldiers a morale boost. Children post on their social media to spread awareness and educate others about the awful events. Peaceful Jewish protests took place, which contrasted with the ignorant and disgust...

  I don’t know about you guys, but I love to swim! Ever since I was little, swimming has been my favorite summer activity. Growing up in the north made this a difficult interest to have, but I still swam. I did swim lessons and went to the indoor pool whenever I could, even in the dead of winter. The promise that summer brought, of being able to immerse myself into a big body of water and swim as much as my heart's content, held me through the cold months. I became so infatuated with swimming that I learned just about every stroke, method, and water game possible. I was the fastest swimmer, best at pool volleyball, favored the breaststroke, and was always last to pop my head out of the water during a breath-holding contest. It’s easy to say that swimming is my Roman empire. Knowing how I show my love for swimming is simple to see, but knowing why I love it so is not. When thinking about swimming, I only have good memories. My brother almost single-handedly taught me how to swim. ...

      Where many teachers go wrong when it comes to teaching is that they do not make it fun for the students and lose the students' interest and focus in an instant. They do not think about the student, but rather about a set-and-stone curriculum. By simply giving lectures and boring assignments constantly, the students will get lost and not understand the material.  From my own experience, I feel that when I am actually interested in something, it is easier to understand and retain it, but when I am bored, I zone out and do not actually learn anything.     This week, my AP Language and Composition teacher assigned my class an assignment about watching an entire sports game and writing summaries on it. This assignment was relevant to what we had been learning that week (writing concise summaries on long pieces of literature) and fun. On weekends, I normally have sooo much work to do, that I never actually get time to spend on myself. For this assignment, I...

 The Importance of a Kippah       What's going on in Israel is a tragedy. It is terrible to hear the news that about 1,000 innocent Israelis were killed by Hamas. Hamas is a terrible terrorist organization that thinks they can kill innocent people and get away with their actions. What I know is that the Jewish people are strong and will remain strong. We have fought many times, and now we have to fight again against the hatred of others. I love our country and hope that the many innocent lives left stay alive.       Today, I had a football game against Sheridan Hills and decided to wear a kippah in honor of the innocent lives that were sadly taken away. I also wore my kippah for those who are fighting in the army for Israel, and hope they remain protected. Football is a sport that I love to play. The terrorists took away innocent lives, and now they can't perform the things they loved to do. So now, I wear a kippah in honor of them, but to also pl...

      Over the weekend, Gaza invaded Israel on a holiday knowing that their guard would be down as many of the guards would not be on duty. They were right. The IDF guards on the Israel-Gaza border were either sleeping or nonexistent which allowed for a successful breach by the terrorist group Hamas.      The H amas party was voted into the Gazan government in 2007 and has maintained power since. While Hamas has numerous social services to offer to the Gaza citizens, they are mostly known for their hatred towards Israel and their desire to use military action and violence to achieve their goal - reclaim "Palestine". While this hatred has been brewing for years and attacks have occurred in the past, this one is way larger and way more serious than any Gen Z has seen.      Since the invasion, Hamas has launched nearly 5,000 rockets. Israel declared this an act of war and officially declared war on Hamas. Hamas has murdered almost 1,000 Israeli ...

The past two days have been some of the hardest Jews have faced since the Holocaust.  Israel was attacked by Hamas and the results were truly heartbreaking.  As of now the death toll of Israeli's is at 800 at least, and Israel is still at jeopardy.  At least 150 Israelis were also kidnapped and taken to Gaza.  Netanyahu declared war and all us as Jews can do now is pray.  Personally it has been a crazy 2 days as some of the places I visited this past summer have now been taken under control of Hamas.  I went on teen tour to Israel and we visited many places.  One day we visited Sderot, which was a city on the border, where the attacks are now taking place.  One of my counselors had served in the army and we visited her army base in Sderot.  We got to see how the soldiers there worked and even talked to them and asked them questions.  We watched the soldiers do their jobs and it is hard to believe that just 2 months later, that base would...

      As science advances and newer technology develops, many ethical questions can be raised regarding how we implement new technologies into our society. One of the more prevalent issues of our modern day is regarding the ethics of artificial intelligence. Although AI has been implemented into society in many beneficial ways such as autonomous vehicles or personalized healthcare, there are still many ethical gray areas regarding its use in day to day life. For example, many of these algorithms have been trained on vast databases that may reflect historical prejudices and inequalities. Because of this, systems can amplify biases in areas like hiring, lending, and criminal justice.      Some people however are more concerned about privacy when it comes to AI. Because of the sheer amount of data collected by these systems, many eyebrows have been raised about the potential for intrusive surveillance and breaches of personal privacy. Of course there is a...

     Society puts smart people on a pedestal. If you’re smart, you’re instantly granted more respect, and people see you as a better person. Unintelligent people are looked down upon and often treated as the butt of a joke (a joke they won’t understand). When it comes to book smarts, it’s often something people are born with, and, for the most part, they can’t change how easily they learn materials or their IQ. However, society acts as though that is justification for treating them as lesser and allowing smart people more leeway to do things normal people wouldn’t be allowed to do. Historically, scientists and artists have had unpleasant personalities which are often seen as creative geniuses. Many of these so-called genius people throughout history have been known to be very harsh and rude to the people around them, but because of who they are and their achievements, they were excused by society and allowed to act however they please.      On the other han...

  Did you know that in a person's life, we will buy approximately 3 houses? I am no stranger to this; Recently, I marked the fifth house that I will be living in. My first house was over 1000 miles away in Livingston, New Jersey. For around half the time I lived there and the first two houses of my life, I was living with my grandparents. That experience was great, but as my family desired our own home, we decided to buy our own house. The next house I lived in would serve as my residence from the first grade until the seventh grade. When I think of my childhood, that is the house I think of. Its colonial architecture is something I miss dearly living in Florida. I don’t think basements exist here, but in New Jersey, they are abundant. When COVID hit, my parents saw an opportunity. Working from home meant we could work from anywhere, and that included Florida. I was NOT happy with this. When my parents announced to me and my siblings that we were going to move, I believe I locked m...

      All over TikTok lately, men have been talking about their habit of thinking about the Roman Empire, I personally don't really resonate with that because I, like a few others that I've seen on the platform, think about the zombie apocalypse much more often. This is because I firmly believe that the zombie apocalypse is a far more beneficial thing for people to contemplate than the Roman Empire. I understand that there is much to be learned from the Roman Empire. However, it is a relic of the past, and Marc Antony cannot help you in the face of imminent danger.     As an avid Zombie Apocalypse thinker, I am prepared for any brain eating challenges that I may encounter. Since the Zombie Apocalypse takes place in the future, there is a much higher likelihood that my thinking about it would pay off, and I would need to use the strategy's that I have devised because you never know when some zombies could show up, but I'm pretty dang sure that I'm not going ...