Sophia's Blog

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Controversial hot topics: Topic 4 - Homeschool

For my final blog post, I will share my thoughts on homeschooling. Generally, I am against it. I think regular school is so important for children for many reasons. First of all, when a child is young and going through elementary school, it is so important for them to learn manners. To not speak while an adult is speaking, to sit quietly in a classroom, to be nice to other children, and so many more key things young children need to learn that they just can't learn at home. Another reason is that as kids get older and reach middle school, it is so important for them to be around other kids their age so that they are developing socially at the same rate as everyone else. If not, this can really affect you in the long run.

Homeschool can be good education-wise if you have a teacher who comes in to do the homeschool, or if the parent is very, very qualified. But I think what we are seeing more of is parents pulling their kids out of school to homeschool them, and then not much homeschooling is actually going on. This will only hurt the child as they get older and either go to college or just start work, but either way, if they are homeschooled, they will have a lot harder time socially with people their own age and older people as well.

Kids learning to obey people other than their parents and learning how to act and be respectful is so important. I think the worst part of homeschool is the social part because that is such an important part of growing up. All I can say is my kids will be home-schooled.

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Controversial hot topics: Topic 3 - Death Penalty

This week, I would like to discuss the death penalty. We have seen in recent years the death penalty being taken away in more and more states across the US. Arguably, in recent years, we have seen a rise in violent crimes among our citizens. This is a tough topic for some, just because when you strip it down, the criminals have families too, and people think they deserve a second chance at life.

If someone is found guilty of murder or any crime that would get you the death penalty, I think it is completely appropriate to end someone's life if they ended someone else's life. Not only is this the "fair" thing to do, but it would also, in the long run, save our government so much money.

The number of people probably serving life sentences right now is insane, and just think about how expensive it is for the prison to house inmates for life. Keep in mind, those inmates don't pay rent. They live there for free, don't work (in most cases), eat for free, and basically just live for free within the prison walls.

Some may say that serving a life sentence is worse than getting the death penalty, but if you ended someone else's life, I personally don't think you deserve to keep on living your life.

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Controversial hot topics: Topic 1 - political party

For my next "hot topic," I want to talk about political parties, but not in the way you think. Our country had forgotten what ot was founded on, and right now, our political system is broken, and I don't even think it's fair to compare them by party names. Things have become so extreme and far from what the parties were founded on that it's almost as if they are completely different parties.

The way I see it is that everyone is human. We were all put on this earth (some in luckier situations than others) to live one life. We only have one life, and I can't begin to wrap my head around the fact that some people choose to spend their own one life making other people's lives worse for them. In the "politics " side of things, people call me a raging Liberal - to which I don't take offense because I simply see myself as just an empathetic person.

If you were to ask me my beliefs, I would tell you that again, we all have one life, so who cares what another person decides to do with their one life if it's not affecting you. If someone is gay, transgender, bi, or anything of the sort, why should that matter to anyone but that person? Why are people so concerned about what other people are doing? So, for that, I say let people do whatever they want as long as they aren't hurting you.

Another topic that sets me off is immigration, because how are you gonna call people "illegal" and "aliens" when it's literally land that was here before us. Technically speaking, we stole this land, so we really have no right to remove people. Also, America is supposed to be the land of the free and welcoming to everybody, and it is not the furthest thing from that, which just makes me embarrassed to be from here.

I'll only add one more point, so this blog isn't too long. But another thing I strongly believe in is that the richer you are, the more taxes you should pay. With the state our country is in financially, it is beyond me why they would have the people with less income pay more taxes, that just makes absolutely no sense from an economic standpoint. But from a moral standpoint, it does make sense that the people who are more wealthy and fortunate should pay more taxes.

For these three beliefs of mine and many, many others, people love to call me a raging liberal and find me greatly annoying. I am pre-law and plan to go to law school in hopes of someday being involved in politics myself. I will always stand on business for what I think is right, and if having a moral backbone and caring about others makes me a "raging liberal," then I guess I am one.

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Controversial hot topics: Topic 1 - religion.

For this week, I wanted to do something different. Instead of my normal watch and review blogs, I have been doing, I wanted to switch it up for the rest of this class and do a "hot take" series. My goal is really to just be able to express myself on here since most of the topics I will cover are topics I wouldn't normally discuss in public, just because some are so controversial. Keep in mind, I have a big imagination, and nothing is too deep. I am not trying to discredit or bash anyone; I am just simply stating how I feel.

So for my first topic, I'm going to talk about religion. Religion is such a huge part of our world, and it's something that affects most of the people on this planet. Whether you were raised in a religion or you discovered one you follow yourself, I think everyone should be able to form their own opinions on it.

Personally, growing up, I was never religious. We never prayed before meals, and we didn't go to church on Sundays. I will say I was bapsise3d when I was a baby, but I have no recollection from that obviously. And it wasn't until I moved from Michigan to South Carolina and was enrolled in an Episcopal school that I was really exposed to religion for the first time.

Throughout my 11 years at this religious school, I learned a lot about religion. From chapel every week to a religion class each year, I was definitely meant to be a super religious little girl. But as I got older and reached middle school, the chapel got boring. I didn't get why we had to sit in the auditorium and pray for 45 minutes a week. As we read through the bible and different religious books and theories and all of the things, I was able to really form my own view and opinion on religion based on what I was learning.

And what was that "conclusion" that I came to - it's all made up. I know this sounds harsh, but when I look back and look at it, all it really is is a bunch of heroic stories all but together. I definitely respect people who believe in religion, whatever type of religion it may be. But for myself, I just don't see how scientifically, realistically, there can be a god and a Jesus, etc.

And maybe I just haven't "found Jesus" myself, but that is he opinion I've formed based on all of my exposure to religion. I think it's an amazing concept, and it gives people an incentive to do good and to have a purpose in life. If it is real, I hope I discover it someday, but for now, I am happy just living my life with myself.

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My take on Shane Dawsons': "The Human Experiment Conspiracy Theory"

This is one of the more interesting videos of Shane's that I have watched. Like my last post, this isn't an investigative type of video; it is a podcast situation where Shane and his friends are all gathered, talking about these theories.

One of Shane's friends explained a time when he went to the DMV and was asked the question of whether he wanted to be an organ donor. When he said no, the employee at the DMV told him that the little heart symbol wouldn't be on his ID, but that he would get added to a registry list of people, and he would have to do it himself.

Throughout the podcast, we are given many examples of this going horribly wrong, like a time when a brain-dead man was having his organs harvested because he was an organ donor, and he woke up during the surgery. Or when a man's son was on life support and the doctors wanted to begin removing his organs, but the dad held them at gunpoint to not do that, and then the son woke up a few hours later and is still alive today.

They then found that this has been happening a lot more frequently around the country, using the New York Times as their source.

So essentially, the truth is that Organ procurement companies (the middleman between the organ donor and the person receiving the organ) were getting pressured by the government in 2020 for not facilitating enough organ transplants, so they were given an ultimatum to make more transplants happen.

From 2020 to the present day, the amount of donations they have facilitated has tripled, which is causing people to be wary about whether to become an organ donor or not.

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My take on Shane Dawsons: "Chilli's Conspiracy Theories

Back this week with more Shane videos!! This one was a podcast type of video rather than an investigative video so basically its just Shane and his friends talking about the theories and trying to debunk them.

At Chilli's they have a chocolate lava cake that is on the desert menu. The theory is that it has been shrinking over the years so that the restaurant can save money.

Shane first shows us a picture of the cake from a year ago and it looks decently sized. He than compared it to a picture from 6 years ago and it was probably tribble the size.

The second theory was that the large and small queso are actually the exact same size, and one is just double the price and they are in different bowls to make one look bigger.

We look at a video where the costumers pour the large queso into the cup of queso and they are literally the same size!!

All and all this video is a great watch, Shane and his friends are hilarious and so entertaining to listen too and I don't know about you guys but those Chilli's theory seemed pretty debunked to me and debunked to be true.....

[sophiabaranowski]

My take on, TrainWreck: Poop Cruise

I watched another mini documentary that is also apart of the "Trainwreck" series. This one focused specifically on the iconic "poop cruise" that turned what was supposed to be a luxurious cruise into a nightmare.

In 2013 when the Carnival Triumph set sale, they were only supposed to be on board for a four day trip. When disaster struck and a fire broke out in the engine room, the boat didn't sink, however it created a multitude of issues.

Because the first was in the engine room, the boat would no longer be steered so they were basically just floating in the middle of the ocean.

Eventually, the ship lost all power leaving passengers without working toilets or running water. You can probably already guess that it did not take long for this is unfold horribly.

The passengers were told to poop in plastic bags and most passengers had to set up camp on the main decks because it was too hot in the cabins.

Throughout this mini documentary, you hear the real stories from passengers who were aboard this cruise and you get to hear what it was really like from their perspective.

This was super popular when it was released and for good reason. They did a great job editing it in such a way that it almost feels like you were there. I also feel like after watching I know know a basic overview of what happened and why.

Watch Trainwreck: Poop Cruise | Netflix Official Site

An engine fire leaves 4,000 passengers stranded at sea without power and plumbing in this wild documentary about the infamous "poop cruise"

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My take on "Watch Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel"

The Train Wreck series are short documentaries that cover iconic and famous scandals and tragedies. Their documentaries are edited in such a way that they draw you into whatever topic it is that they are discussing.

This specific documentary was focused on the brand American Apparel and its rise and decline. It was so interesting because they had all of these ex-employees telling such different but similar stories. They all told the same story about how they were lured into the flashy company, but the work environment quickly turned unbearable.

All employees were forced to sign an NDA type contract saying that they would never talk about what goes on in the company or ever try to go after anyone in the company.

The employees' accounts provide gruesome details about their time working for American Apparel, and the documentary is filled with real videos taken from the employees' phones at times of distress.

When one ex-employee finally spoke out and filed against "Dov," the CEO, a spiral for the company began. More and more employees began coming out about their stories and experiences with "Dov" to the point where it was such a legal risk that the company had to let him go.

I love the Train Wreck series, and I think this documentary was done very well. I was also to stay engaged and entertained, and I would definitely recommend the watch!

Watch Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel | Netflix Official Site

Featuring tell-all interviews with insiders and former staff, this exposé traces American Apparel's journey from fashion phenomenon to finan

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My take on Shane Dawson's: Chipotle Conspiracy Investigation

Another one of Shanes conspiracy videos that caught my attention was of course the one about food. In this video Shane explains and explores a conspiracy about Chipotle, which is a very popular fast food chain here in the USA.

The theory he tries testing was the theory that when you order chipotle online they give you significantly less food than when you order in person in the store. At the time when Shane did this investigation this was a theory that was circulating on the internet and a lot of people were talking about it.

Of course Shane tested the theory for all of us and using his team they very discreetly ordered Chipotle bowls and burritos both online and in store in person. When they did this they found that the sizes were drastically different.

I find it so interesting the types of things Shane investigates because I myself would never think of the online vs in person orders being different. Also after Shanes video, we saw that this was one of the rare cases where the theory ended up actually being true!! Not only is this just interesting but it also brings awareness to the public so everyones not getting scammed out of less food.

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My review of Netflix: Unknown Number: The High School Catfish

Before watching this documentary, I kept seeing it on my TikTok for you page. The concept of it really intrigued me so I was quick to get onto Netflix to watch Unknown Number: The High School Catfish.

The documentary is about a high school in Michigan that was terrorized with texts from unknown numbers. These texts were sent to a select group of students with a wide range of topics. Some of the texts were insults, others were ploys to get a couple to break up, and some of the worse texts were telling the students to end their own life's.

Everyone in the community was shocked to find out that the texts were coming from one of the students mothers. Not only did her own daughter not know that her mom was sending the texts, but the women's husband had no idea either.

This documentary takes viewers through the 15 months that this went on while they interview students who received the texts and also the woman who sent the texts herself. I think they did a really good job with this documentary not only because it was easy to stay locked into it but I think something really cool about it was the fact that they had the woman who was guilty of the crime and who did over a year in prison for her crime basically explaining her side of the story and why she did it.

If you are into true crime type documentaries then this would defiantly be a good watch for you.

Watch Unknown Number: The High School Catfish | Netflix Official Site

Vulgar, taunting texts blow up the phones of a teen and her boyfriend. Who's sending them — and why? This twisty documentary reveals the sho

Written by: Sophia Baranowski

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My review of Shane Dawsons: HomeGoods Conspiracy Investigation

Another one of Shane's conspiracy videos never disappoints. Today I watched the hour-and-a-half episode where Shane Dawson investigated conspiracies about everyone's favorite store, HomeGoods.

For the main theory of the video, the question being asked is a little confusing. Basically, if you go into a HomeGoods and walk around, you will see thousands and thousands of items for sale. Something about all these items is that they are all so random and unique. The theory is that people are going into HomeGoods, purchasing products, and taking them home. After taking them home, they find random items in their house, put the HomeGoods sticker from the item they purchased onto the item they found in their house, and then return the item to make money.

Shane tested this theory by going around his house and finding items that looked like they could be found in a HomeGoods. He first gathered items from his home and then went into HomeGoods and bought items that he would return as the items from his house.

After the items were bought and the togs were switched, a member of Shane's team attempted to return the items. When she tried to return the,, the store offered her in-store credit for the items.

The way these videos are filmed and edited is in such a way that it draws you in. It was not only humorous, but also had me on the edge of my seat! Definitely worth the watch if you have the time.

Written by: Sophia Baranowski

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My Review of: Shane Dawsons Six Flags Conspiracy Investigation video on YouTube.

If you've ever watched a "Shane Dawson Conspiracy video", then you are already aware of how entertaining, yet informative, and also very funny his content is. Aside from YouTube, he also hosts his own podcast, in which he discusses and explains his various theories, among other topics.

I love Shane's conspiracy videos because he not only explains his theories, but he also debunks them, or in some cases proves them right. There are also always cases in which, even after his investigation, there is still no answer, which is always interesting and will leave you with many questions.

For this specific video, Shane and his team wanted to explore some secrets of Six Flags amusement park. The first "conspiracy" of the video was the question of why you are not allowed to film on roller coasters. And to test this theory, Shane equipped the team with strap-on GoPros so that they could secretly film the rides. What was an entertaining and somewhat anticlimactic finding was that once they had the GoPros on the rides and could film the actual rides, that was kind of it. It was literally just them riding the roller coasters, screaming, and filming the experience. I think this confirmed the idea that the reason they have no filming rules in place is probably more for safety rather than a secret ulterior motive.

The second "conspiracy" they tried to explore was Dole Whip. Which is a custard ice cream type of treat. The theory was that Disney's tasted way better than Six Flags, but the Dole Whip was coming from the same company. So they came up with the idea that Dole Whip was amplifying and making Disney's better. When they initially tried to test this theory, they were going to have Shane's brother get a Dole Whip from Disney, and they were going to get some from Six Flags and taste them together. Well, Shane's brother got in a car crash on the way to Disney, and the Dole Whip machine was down at Six Flags, so they got Dippin' Dots instead.

Although every conspiracy theory tested can't lead to a great discovery, I think this video is definitely worth watching. It is very entertaining and funny to watch Shane and his team take on these theories.

Written by: Sophia Baranowski