Phones

What would the world be like without cell phones? Would we be cave men again? Would the dinosaurs still exist? Would we have ever landed on the moon? All of these are irrelevant questions but the answer is that life would be much more simple. Relationships would be much better. In most movies portrayed in the past, we see actual conversations take place between friends and family members. People hang out in the barbershop and talk about life and how much it sucks and things they want to do some day. We're not talking about technology or what happened on Pretty Little Liars last night. Why? Because that stuff is not important; family and friends are important and most of the people in today's world often forget that. It's within these conversations that we learn information about people and what they think everyday and what they think of those around you. If we never talked to people (which most people do today as they're on their cell phones) then we would never learn anything knew or we wouldn't know if something is wrong.

However, phones are great too. They give us info that people can't, mostly statistical information and facts that people can't know themselves like how long cows live for. They keep us up to date on the news of the world like what happens in other countries and the catastrophes that occur without us knowing. But maybe it would be better if we didn't know about the terrible things that happen because then we would have piece of mind. But then again if we never experience anything bad then we won't be prepared for when we grow up, which isn't good. There are things that people don't need on phones like facebook and snapchat but we use them anyways because "they're fun" and they're what everyone else uses. People just like to go with the flow because they're afraid of being judged. They need to buy the new iphone and get 100 likes on instagram. The new generations of this world have forgotten what it means to be human and that saddens me greatly.

Batman

I think that Batman is underrated and under-appreciated. We're talking about a man, Bruce Wayne, who is a billionaire that has all the money anybody could ever want but still goes out and protects the people from criminals. He goes out and beats up the scum of the city with his bare hands, risking his life every time. He doesn't have to, but he wants to. Scratch that, he needs to; because nobody else will. People would rather stand by and let someone else take the risk because they're cowards or they're too scared. However, people still do not appreciate fully what he does for him. This is mainly because people die in the process that they love. Usually cops or people who stand w=for what is right in Gotham.

Batman is not the hero Gotham deserves, but the one it needs. Gotham needs someone who can protect them, even if they don't want that person. This kind of shows human nature in the way they people don't know how good they have it. Also kind of like the boy who cried wolf in the way that every time something bad happens and Batman helps them they complain but the one time Batman doesn't help they crucify him for not doing his job. If I was Batman I would just say screw it and leave if these people won't appreciate me as much as I deserve. But I'm not Batman, so that thought is irrelevant. However, it would definitely be pretty awesome to be Batman. You get to travel in the dead of the night among the shadows and move along the rooftops protecting innocent civilians stuck in harms way. Also you drive really cool cars and have really cool gadgets. Figure with superman you have super strength and all that good stuff but besides that you're pretty bland. It would be pretty cool to be spider man too' swinging on webs across Manhattan would be epic. Although, I always thought that the string would break and he would fall to the ground. A great would you rather: Would you rather be a superhero for a year or be a normal person for the rest of your life?

Amusement Park Debate

There has always been a life-long debate about which amusement park is the best. Usually around here in New England it boils down to Canobie Lake Park or Six Flags. To put it short, Six Flags blows Canobie right out of the conversation by a long shot. When you look at the two of these places, they are both great for many things. Both of them are great for the family, but for Canobie, to me, that's all they're good for. If you are a thrill seeker, then you are definitely going to want to go with Six Flags. Six Flags has all the best rides in this area of the country. It's true that Canobie has been trying to make more and more rides that appeal to thrill seekers but they just can't quite make it over the hump, in my opinion.

I've been to Six Flags so many times in my life; mostly because I buy season passes every year. They have every ride that you could possibly want. If you don't like rollercoasters, they have rides like "the scream" where it takes you up and then drops you really fast like a zero-gravity free fall. But, there are so many great rollercoasters. The main attraction is Bizarro, of course. The best steel roller coaster in the park, in my opinion. It goes fast, goes over hills, has a very high drop at the beginning, everything you want in a ride. If you're not comfortable with the lap bar, then Batman will excite you. They have over the shoulder bars along with a seatbelt to make you feel more secure. If you're not huge on the big rides, they have smaller ones like Pandamonium, Flashback, or even the Tea Cups. Six Flags has much more variation than Canobie. Every time I've gone to Canobie (only a few times) I've just always found myself searching for a ride that I can have fun on but I can't find one; and that's the problem. True, Six Flags is more expensive and is a longer drive, but it is 100% worth the trip.

Fantasy Sports

Fantasy sports is one of the greatest things ever invented. Whether if it's football, basketball, baseball, hockey, it doesn't matter. The concept of it is the main reason people play it. You get to have a team of players who you pick yourself and build yourself. If you don't know how fantasy sports work, I'll explain it. Basically, imagine you have all 30 NBA teams. Now, take every player in the league and take them off of their teams so that you have one big pool of players ranked from best to worst. Each league usually has around 8, 10, or 12 teams. So, a draft begins. The teams go in order, picking one player that they want. The first round will go 1-12 then the second round will start with the last team and go 12-1. You select one person in each round until your team is full. There is definitely a strategy to drafting when it comes to what position you're taking. If you want to take 5 point guards in a row, be my guest; but that's probably not the smartest move. Some people believe that you need to live with the team you've drafted. However, people like me believe that trading players is necessary to getting better. You can trade the #1 overall player in the league if it means you get 2 if not 3 top-10 players in return. It's all about building your team and trying to win the championship.

People like the fact that while you're watching the game on TV, you have another thing that you can be doing that applied directly to how your player does in the game in real life. Also, most leagues are for money so the idea of winning draws in a lot more people. You bond with your team and the players on it. Plus, you learn so much more about the sport than you knew before. Everybody knows lebron James and steph curry but do you know about the smaller players in the league who still produce statistics like Harrison Barnes or danny green? You learn about the rosters for every team and that way when you watch the game in real life you have different people you can root for and it's so much more fun that way. People can become addicted and have like 15 leagues, but I usually stick with 1 or two so I can focus on those ones better. And it can help you make friends too if you're making a league at school or at work.

Homework

I believe that we should get rid of homework entirely. Or, at least make it completely optional and not have it graded by the teacher. School, in my mind, is meant to stay in school and not follow you home. True, it may help you retain information you learned the day before, but if students can remember it on their own without any homework then you should let them. If they feel like they need extra practice or help outside of school then you should leave it up to them, not force them to complete an assignment that ends up being harder than what you went over in class. If the student fails because they didn't study or do the homework, then that was their choice. However, to have a required assignment that may not even help the student is ridiculous. You can assign projects for outside of school sure, but why would you give a student of like 50 definitions to memorize for just the next day? And if every single teacher gives this amount of homework then the kid is going to be stressed out of tree. And for kids like me who have work almost everyday of the week homework is a real challenge. I only have an hour or two each day max to get everything done, and sometimes things do not get done. And that is okay, and teachers need to realize this. They have to realize that we do not have unlimited time to get everything they assign to us completed and that sometimes wen we say "I didn't have time", we really did not have time. True, some kids do lie about why they wouldn't get their work done so it is hard to tell who is lying. However, most kids tell the truth I've found. Also if kids play sports then they will be extremely tired after practice or a game and won't be able to focus on a worksheet for calculus or reading 5 chapters of a book for English with annotations to be due the next day. I'm fine with doing work for school, but keep it in the school. I know homework will never change, but it's nice to dream I suppose
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NFL

The panthers did not go undefeated this year. However, Cam Newton will most likely win the MVP award unless they decide to go with Tom Brady or Carson Palmer, who both had excellent seasons for their teams. But to be MVP, to me, you have to have a certain effect. Basically, if you were taken off of your team, how would they do without you? If you took Carson Palmer off of the Arizona Cardinals, I still believe they would maybe do alright without him. If you took Tom Brady off of the New England Patriots, some believe that Jimmy Goropolo would take hold of the team and get them wins. But, if you take Cam Newton off the Carolina Panthers, I do not think they would've gone 15-1 this year, no where even close. He has given them a running attack like none other and is creating incredible offense for his team. They face the cardinals this week and I believe they can win. However, I do not count the Cardinals out by any means. They play excellent defense and their offense with Larry Fitzgerald and David Johnson has been very good and has been working for them towards the end of the regular season ans so far in the playoffs, too. However, I believe that this is Cam Newton's year, he is taking this league by storm. Then in the AFC I am really hoping that the Denver Broncos are able to defeat the New England Patriots but that is very tough to do as they are a very good team with much playoff experience in Bill Belicheck and Tom Brady. The Broncos are at home and that is a great advantage as it is very hard to play in Denver when it's cold. I do believe that the Patriots will find a way out of Denver tho and go on to the super bowl, to lose to the Carolina Panthers.

NBA

The warriors, in my mind, have the best chance to win the NBA championship this year; with the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder closely behind them. The reason for the warriors success has mainly been Steph Curry. Steph Curry is going to win the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award this year, no question in my mind.The only thing that would stop him from winning the award for the second year in a row would be him getting injured. Steph curry is going to set another record for more three pointers made in a season this year. He has already been in the top 5 three times since coming into the league and he seems to always hit more and more the next year. Last year, he made 286 three point shots; an average of about 3.5 per game. That's insane. Right now he is at 193 on the season. They've only played 40 games. He has the possibility of hitting 400 three pointers in one season with an average of almost 5 per game! Nobody in the history of the NBA has ever shot like this before. It is impossible to guard this man and if you try you're going to get your ankles broken. Even if you can keep up with him, you probably can't dribble as good as him (Unless you're Kyrie Irving). If you're tall he's gonna go around you. He can make any pass he needs to and he has weapons on his team. The warriors are one of the best passing teams in the NBA as well. Draymond
Green is a rising star and is averaging almost 8 assists a game, along with Curry. And if you somehow guard both of these guys they still have Klay Thompson who can shoot from anywhere. The only way I see them not making a returning trip to the NBA finals is if the Spurs beat them. The Spurs are a championship franchise who know how to win in the playoffs time and time again. They are probably the best passing team in the NBA and are strong at home and on defense with Kawhi Leonard. The fact that the warriors just last night beat the Cavs by over 30 points shows how good they are and can be at any given moment. We are seeing things from Steph Curry that we have never seen in anybody ever before and that's why I believe he is the best shooter in the history of the game, just ahead of names like Larry Bird, Steve Nash, Reggie Miller, and Ray Allen.