Monday Matters: Monday 13

http://www.suntimes.com/news/cepeda/9345404-452/help-womens-soccer-make-a-well-deserved-comeback.html
Columnist: Esther Cepeda

1. lack of fans and sponsors interest in Women's Professional Soccer, they may not be able to play next year
2. women all across the country are doing all that they can too keep the Professional League up
3. apparently "more than 47,000 people have signed an online petition asking U.S. Soccer to allow WPS to remain a sanctioned league."

Monday Matters: Monday 12

http://www.suntimes.com/news/cepeda/9201100-452/being-a-charter-doesnt-make-school-good-or-bad.html
Columnist: Esther Cepeda

1.Charter Schools are not doing much better than Chicago Public Schools
2.Comparing Charter schools and public schools because factors are different and they affect the numbers that are provided for scoring
3.Esther knows that they are going to around for a long time, so they have to deal with them
4.A charter school cannot be determined as good, mediocre, or bad.

Monday Matters: Monday 11

http://www.suntimes.com/news/cepeda/9012011-452/my-five-holiday-wishes-and-ok-world-peace.html
Columnist: Esther Cepeda

1.She is making her holiday wish list like Steve Martin did on SNL and her first holiday wish is to "never again have to listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving Day",and see Halloween Candy on the shelves after school starts
2.her second wish is that no one hurts themseleves trying to make their own turkey for Thanksgiving
3.her one is that Cook County Commissioner William learns what it means to "have a job that demands actual work clothes and a salary that prohibits pricey sartorial choices".
4.her wish is that Teachers Union President, Karen Lewis get her act together. and her fifth wish is that "prosperity, happiness and joy be showered generously on all the good people of the Chicago metropolitan area this holiday season"

Monday Matters: Monday 10

http://www.suntimes.com/news/cepeda/8922887-452/public-schools-are-failing-the-most-gifted-students.html
Columnist: Esther Cepeda

-Public schools are not able to provide gifted students with the challenges they need to learn and be interested in learning
-Because students are not challenged enough and factors such as inadequate teacher preparation and professional development, little public accountability and inconsistent access to services as well as budget constraints leads gifted students to being bored in class leading to not being able to recieve average grades and being held back
-The South Loop Elementary School had to get rid of the gifted program because there was over crowding un the school
-Illinois is a state that doesn't reconizge gifted children. There are no guidelines for identifying gifted students, and teachers are not required to have any training on how to instruct gifted students too, and many schools don't let gifted students have programs that are adjusted for them like enrolling in higher classes that are appropriate for them.

Monday Matters: Monday 9

According to many columnists, the government is not sufficent. In an article by William J. Bennett, the governmental debate is beneficial but it is only going to get worse. However, without it, we wouldn't be be talking about how to manage ballooning entitlements for long term periods. We wouldn't know the state of our excess federal deficit, and we wouldn't recognize the need for fiscal restraint and responsibility of our financial problems. Colomnist Paul Sracic also believes that the government is not doing a sufficent job and his article in response to 'Occupy Wall Street' is "that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power", and President Obama, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, and Majority Leader Harry Reid waste too much time trying to reach a consensus, however, they should spend more time they need to realize that they cannot always reach a consensus. Donna Brazile's article on protecting Dorothy Cooper's right to vote also conceres with this idea. Ms. Cooper was very upset because she couldnt vote because she didnt have a photo ID. This new law of having a photo ID to vote affects minorities, young voters, poor voters, and disabled voters, and often elderly. Hilary Rosen believes that nothing will be accomplished at the Las Vegas debate because it will revolve around the same matters. In an article by Nicholas Merrill, he talks about the rights of free speech being bound by gag orders. Several articles speak about current events and equally show that the government is not sufficent in their own ways.

Monday Matters: Monday 8

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2011/10/the_patriot_acts_war_on_free_s.html
-Right of free speech is bound by gag orders
-against anonymous op-eds
-members of the FBI have to be against the Patriot Act

Monday Matters: Monday 7

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/18/opinion/rosen-gop-debate/index.html?hpt=op_bn6
- Herman Cain's and Mitt Romney's debate consisted mostly around race, gays, religion or immigration even though they were going to talk about the economy
-the debate in Las Vegas was predicted to revolve around the same matters
-Nevada is not the best place to debate about immigration because of the large Latino population and the states dependency on immigrant labor
-Romney and Cain's ideas strong views are not beneficial to them

Monday Matters: Monday 6

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/15/opinion/brazile-voter-id/index.html?hpt=op_t1
- 96 year old African America, Dorothy Cooper was denied her right to vote because of new republican law of having a photo ID to vote and Dorothy has always voted.
-Republicans say that everyone does but this case disproves it
-this law affects minorities, young voters, poor voters, and disabled voters, and often elderly (18% lack photo IDs and people have spent many hours trying to get IDs in order to vote)
-Republicans believe IDs are essential to prevent election fraud however the state and federal laws already do that. Many people's abilities to vote are hindered by this.

Monday Matters: Monday 5

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/08/opinion/scracic-occupy-wall-street/index.html?hpt=op_t1

-to influence the nation's politics money must be made
-want change with in the government, you should run for office yourself
-"that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power"
-President Obama, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, and Majority Leader Harry Reid waste too much time trying to reach a consensus, however, they should spend more time they need to realize that they cannot always reach a consensus.

Monday Matters: Monday 4

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/27/opinion/bennett-government-stalled/index.html?hpt=op_bn6
- we are now conflicted with having a a small, limited government system or a big government entitlement state.
-both the parties can do something to create a better status quo in Washington
- the governmental debate is beneficial but it is only going to get worse. However, without it, we wouldn't be be talking about how to manage ballooning entitlements for long term periods. We wouldn't the state of our excess federal deficit, and we wouldn't recognize the need for fiscal restraint and responsibility of our financial problems.

Monday Matters: Monday 3

http://www.pbase.com/chris67/image/45895826
in this photo a man is holding up a sparkler, sparklers usually indicate celebration, and sparklers are generally used in the night. So this could be a New Year's celebration. The man in the photo does not have a big smile on his face, but rather has a pleasant look on his face and is intently looking at the sparkler. The black and white picture makes the sparkler look like it is the only light in the room and it is giving off a warm serene glow to it and lighting the man's face up as well. The main focus is on the man and his fascination with the sparkler. It may be that he has not seen a sparkler in a long time so and now he finally remembers the pleasures sparklers bring during a celebration or when lighting them. The main focus is on the man and his sparkler because of the blurriness in the background and the dark show behind him. this brings a glow and an emphasis to the photo. the blurriness also represents a soft haze usually thought of as a warm comfortable feeling. The picture being black and white, helps emphasis the man and especially the sparkler in the photo because if there had been color somewhere else in the photo, the sparkler would not have been that prominent. The many blurs around him look like the hazy silhouettes of people, thus also a reason why this could have been a celebration. the light that is coming from one small object is interesting to him and even though more people are around him he is focused on one thing and that is the sparkler, and the photo is emphasising that with its camera angle when he creates a soft and melted background and a bright front and focus in majority of the photo.

Monday Matters: Monday 2

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/16/opinion/humane-housing-for-the-mentally-ill.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Human housing for the Mentally Ill:
-in the 1990s NY put people (who had left pyschiatric hospitals) into prison-style nursing homes.
-NY is now trying to give them housing together as a community and live independently as well
-People with mental illnesses advocates charged the state saying that the state violated federal law and did not give the people the treatment and skills they needed to live independently
-NY will have the people who cannot be taken care of in the community be sent to nursing homes. The state is also giving the people 200 units of housing for living.

Monday Matters: Monday 1

http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/10/remembering-911-an-unexpected-gift-to-america/?hpt=hp_t1

this article is about a boy named Kimeli who lived in a small Masai tribe in Kenya.
his dream was to be a doctor, however he could not do that due to the fact that he lived in a place without a school. He decided to run away and he went to a church school under a tree, when he went to highschool he had told the principal about how he had no family or uniform or shoes but really wanted to attend so they let him attend the school. He soon realized that if he wanted to become a doctor he could not stay in Kenya and applied to schools in the United States. The elders in his tribe that he had left, were impressed with what he had done and raised 5 000 dollars for him to go to school. A reporter from the Washington Post found out about this boy and his dreams and soon he was on the front page of newspapers, he recieved a plane ticket to the united states because of this and a scholarship to Oregon because of this. On September 11 2001 he was scheduled to meet with the President of Kenya in the US in New York City. When he saw what happend, it touched him emotionally and he wanted to give a gift to America to help. He went back to Kenya he and his tribe decided to give America a cow because cows were suppose to bring comfort to owners. His whole tribe contributed and they were able to buy 14 cows for America. On the day William Brencick reached Kenya he did not know that he would be greeted by more than a thousand people who came to give their support and sympathy to America. he was very touched by this. However, the transportation of the cows was something that couldn't be done at that time because of the cost and the chance that they might not survive. After the 5th anniversary of 9/11 The US Ambassador, Michael Ranneberger came back to Kenya and created a deal with Kimeli that the tribe would take care of the cows for America and that 14 boys and girls would go to local schools on scholarships as well. Those scholarships continue today and there are 35 cattle that are being looked after currently. Kimeli also decided that he wants to become a diplomat and he hopes to be apart of Rotary International World Peace at Duke University soon.