A Refreshing Documentary from a few years past

As a high school student in my last year, I recall watching a documentary called Off to War- From Rural Arkansas to Iraq. It was a modern war documentary, part of which examined the situation of young soldier Matt Hertlein. I was surprised that my own negative opinion of the American soldiers in Iraq turned into one of sympathy, and I recognized that he helped me see a very different side of ex-pats who go to “fight for freedom.” My mind was opened even further by this documentary; it reminded my peers as well as myself that any major movement in governments throughout history must undergo accusations, criticism, and quarrels with various other countries before showing real signs of improvement and rehabilitation. Although I disagree with the soldiers’ initial mission and what they have been aiming for in the War on Terror, I somewhat enjoyed viewing a fresh standpoint from the mind of a young American soldier. Seeing Hertlein’s attitude towards war reminded me that not all American soldiers feel the same collectively; he stayed grounded just like anyone and eventually stood up for his idea to retire from Iraq and go home to the United States. I’m glad he was filmed in the documentary as it truly made an impact. I hope that more American soldiers in the Middle East are able to think about their situation for themselves at least, and plan their next step in life based on that.

The Importance of Unpaid Internships Today

Recent ponderings of what state the American economy is in may finally be greeted with a hopeful answer. The latest studies confirm that the United States is slowly beginning to climb out of financial despair. “Recent data, including the July 31 report on second-quarter real gross domestic product, make a strong case that the economy hit bottom last quarter and an upturn is already under way” (Cooper). Ears perk up around the country, like those of cats hunting in the jungle of opportunity that is the job market. But before the unemployed can get back on the prowl, the ever-present reluctance to hire must be taken into account. Now more than ever, the unpaid internship is key for long-term career planning.

The prime reason that unpaid internships successfully work is that they mutually benefit both the institution and the intern. Any rational-thinking company would muse, ‘We can get free labour for a good amount of time from someone who’s eager to prove their worth in the workforce, a practically guaranteed asset. Why wouldn’t we take it?’

The question seems simple enough. As a stubborn hopeful for an upcoming summer internship, applying to oodles of locations and not hearing any responses, I was starting to get frustrated. My thoughts drifted, slightly aggravated, to a recent conversation with a knowledgeable companion. He declared that many corporations who advertise positions needed only do so to meet federal hiring regulations and have no intention of accepting anyone new, employee or intern. I pondered how this could be, and the only logical explanation that came to me was that some interns take more time and effort to train than the eventual worth of their contributions. But could the training of a few interns really be significantly detrimental to a company’s weekly routine? And what about the interns who would need little to no training, who already have an impressive amount of quality careers on their resume? In any case, even unpaid interns were not heeded much attention to be hired. Until recently that is.

Thankfully for those of us who are on the internship prowl, they are the one type of employment that’s starting to rise again. “[…] with the economy still in the doldrums, companies again are opting for unpaid or low-paid internships to get the extra work done” (Chura). Because there is almost always some extra work to be done in the office, interns not only fix this problem but, for the desire to gain as much experience as possible, are more than willing to help out wherever needed. Some employers do thankfully see the benefits interns bring in without taking cash out. “’It is a brilliant, recession-proof way to double your work force,’ said Drew McLellan, whose McLellan Marketing Group in Des Moines has long hired unpaid interns. ‘It’s more money to the bottom line for you.’” (Chura). The win-win situation that is offered for the unpaid intern includes invaluable learning experience in multiple areas that will inevitably result from all the different tasks presented to him.

Yet another benefit to interns’ employers is one that is often overlooked. By taking the time to hire an intern, and train them if need be, employers may be increasing their chances of securing a well-rounded future employee. Many interns become very satisfied and comfortable with their company of work and decide to stay with that company to pursue their careers. Idan Koren, a recent Duke graduate, interned with Goldman Sachs two summers ago and is extremely grateful for the experience. He is now an entrepreneur working in stocks and bonds with the skills he learned from Goldman’s, while his twin sister found her desired career in her first internship. “My sister majored in graphic design and got an internship with MTV. Now she works there as a graphic designer and found just what she wanted career-wise” (Koren). Internships may arguably be the best way for employers to witness hard work, smarts, dedication, and talent in a potential employee firsthand to decide if hiring them later would be a smart move.

Because the unpaid internship relies a variety of benefits to employer and intern, it’s pertinent that it continues to guide the economy back on its feet. Thankfully the workforce jungle can at least be navigated more easily for these employees. Internships are a guaranteed way to aid establishments in building a livelier and ultimately more productive atmosphere.

Word Count: 733

Works Cited:

Cooper, James C. “The Beginning of the End of the Recession?”

Bloomberg Business Week. 31 Jul. 2009. Bloomberg.com

Chura, Hillary. “Hiring Is Rising in One Area: Low-Paid Interns.” The New York Times.

27 Nov. 2009. NYTimes.com

< http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/28/your-money/28interns.html?r=2&pagewanted=1>

Koren, Idan. Aug. 2008.

Praise for Al Gore's Environmental Activism

In his Oscar-nominated documentary An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore applies his fascination for our planet with his knowledge of unnerving global changes to create a passion for informing as many people as possible about the grave condition of the earth. He educates in a clear and effective manner, not forgetting to be opinionated to an extent that would leave citizens rightfully concerned. The fact that he lost the first election to George Bush didn’t keep Gore down or prevent him from making sure his voice didn’t drown in the ocean that is the U.S. government. Stamina and even stubbornness are valuable in this situation; both qualities that Gore possessed well enough to bounce back entirely from his presidential loss and make a public comeback more powerful than ever. It seems as if what didn’t kill Gore made him stronger; various Oscar nominations and undying praise for his documentation masterpiece prove that I’m at least not the only one who thinks so.

Gore, whose determination not to take this subject lightly cannot be masked, hides not information nor sugarcoats any of the bitter facts facing every human alive right now. But he absolutely doesn’t forget to persuade, encourage, or even fire up his audiences to start taking immediate action to help restore the earth in possible ways. Having seen his documentary on 2 occasions I recognized Gore as a man on a mission to reach his entire audience regardless of their political party. He presented himself with maturity, not as a tree-hugging democrat but as a humble person seeking to spread positive change in his wake. I must say that as an opinionated liberal myself, that is something difficult to do without pointing fingers.

Why the Drinking Age should be changed back to 18

Censorship, some may say, is necessary. The FCC needs it to ensure nothing offensive or uncouth resides in broadcast media such as television and radio. Nationmaster defines it as “the removal or withholding of information from the public by a controlling group or body.” In this manner it is necessary to help patrol the media airways, but there are many instances where censorship is completely unethical and should not be allowed. U.S. citizens often don’t even realize that they are being wrongfully controlled and actually accept it as “the law.” The most open form of censorship is right under our noses; by considering someone an adult yet not allowing them a fundamental freedom, society is accepting wrongful censorship in the form of the drinking age.

Put in the simplest rational terms, it isn’t fair to give a significant age group the title of “adult” with “adult responsibility” in every sense except to drink alcohol. This illogical withholding of alcohol until the age of 21 says openly that the U.S. government does not trust its own young adults nor take them seriously with a basic responsibility. The effects of alcohol should be taken seriously, but the government fails to provide successful education to young adults on this subject and goes about it the wrong way.

John McCardell is the former president of Middlebury College in Vermont and an activist leading the fight to get the drinking age lowered once more. ABC news reports the following: “McCardell now heads a nonprofit organization started in January [2008] called Choose Responsibility. The group is calling for lowering the national legal drinking age to 18 combined with education about the effects and risks of alcohol. ‘The current drinking age has just driven the drinking out of public view,’ McCardell told ABC News. ‘It has meant that instead of drinking in bars or restaurants where there is supervision, it's happening in dorms and dark corners.’ He argues that young people should be given alcohol education, much like driver's education, and then rewarded with a drinking license, for which they become eligible at 18.” McCardell also expressed these ideas when he debated the drinking age with MADD at UVM, explaining how further alcohol education is key in making a change, and hoping the government will change its destructive approach.

It is apparent that stronger education on the effects of alcohol in middle school throughout high school would be more likely to decrease alcohol abuse than would a drinking age of 21. “The U.S. has the highest drinking age in the world (a title it shares with Indonesia, Mongolia, Palau). The vast majority of the rest of the world sets the minimum age at 17 or 16 or has no minimum age at all” (Radley Balko). Many students have expressed a sincere interest in wanting to learn to take responsibility rather than be forcibly sheltered- expressing such views across many media including ample YouTube videos questioning why the U.S. drinking age is the highest in the world even though it’s one of the most developed countries.

Pure logic says that if you can marry, vote, smoke, buy pornography, drive cars and die for your country, you should be able to responsibly drink at leisure. Certainly the vast majority of the rest of the world can’t be wrong in this sense. Censorship, to a certain degree, will always be necessary to keep obscenity out of programming and the public- as long as this censorship is not abused or taken to an extreme, it may continue to be valued. But it isn’t right when young adults set to be legally responsible for their actions are censored. Hopefully, modern society in a country as advanced as the U.S. is civilized enough to realize that maturity cannot strive when young adults face a powerful and unjust restraint.

Word Count: 635

Works Cited:

“Internet Censorship in Pakistan.” Nationmaster. 2005. Nationmaster.com. 31 Mar. 2008

.

Parker, Jen. “Group Stirs Debate on Legal Drinking Age.” 2007. 2008. Abcnews.com.

31 Mar. 2008 .

McCardell, John. McCardell and MADD Debate the Drinking Age at UVM.

UVM Campus. 22 Oct. 2007.

Seven Days. The Drinking Age. UVM Campus, Burlington Vermont. 26 Aug. 2007.

Hanson, David J. “Legal Drinking Age.” 1997. Potsdam.edu. 10 Apr. 2008

Balko, Radley. “Back to 18?” Reason Magazine. 12 Apr. 2007.