Analysis -Thomas L. Friedman, NY Times

Thomas L. Friedman can be classified as more of a liberal voice, but unlike some blind-liberals, Friedman has logical arguments that make sense when he's talking about the importance of the future of democracy and how much the Arab World may or may not be a part of that.
"Help Wanted"
1) Friedman's position is simply that the leaders of a democratic future are going to have to be bottom-up governors to get the best from the people early. After the Arab Spring, if all those little nations are going to become unified, stable, democratic countries, they need a "very courageous and special leader" (Help Wanted)
2) He communicates with his audience by using little metaphors. The title itself, "Help Wanted" demonstrates that someone is going to have to take on this task of "getting all those fish back and swimming together in one aquarium", and they'll need that special leader as soon as possible.
"Watching Elephants Fly"
1) In this post, Friedman hates to see leaders around the world not taking away as much as they possibly can from what has happened in Egypt and other Arab countries this past year. Since no one saw it coming, "what makes [them] think [they] know where it's going?" (Watching Elephants Fly)
2) In this post, Friedman uses simpler, but stronger language to emphasize the value of events such as the Arab Spring, something as common as watching elephants fly. "And whenever you see elephants flying, shut up and take notes". This makes it easier for the audience to understand what Friedman wants to see from the global sphere.

Synthesis -Thomas L. Friedman, NY Times

After reading a few of columnist Thomas L. Friedman's posts, it's pretty easy to tell what he believes is important  (and not so important) in today's society, nationally and internationally: brushing up on what it means to be a democracy and what a democratic government should be doing. Friedman takes the Arab Spring very seriously and knows that the world, especially big countries like the United States would be foolish to not learn anything from this kind of event. He understands how much this could change the Arab World, and if other countries want to help create a stable democracy in those Arab countries, they also need to start answering the most crucial questions of their own nation. What most nations need right now, is a bottom-up government that can find answers for the future of democracy as soon as possible, and the way to do that is to "Shut up and take notes". America has made a lot of mistakes, but what to do with democracy in the Arab World cannot be one of them post-2011.

Help Wanted

This week, columnist Thomas L. Friedman writes about the importance in this day and age to, as a leader, get the best out of the bottom-up, rather than the individual's ideas-down. The people in Russia after the fall of the USSR to the Middle East to Egypt to present-Russia won't stand for a change in leadership without their voices being heard. The people have more "freedom from" things. The democracy movement that has been happening in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries should be a wake up call to Russia's Vladimir Putin who just recently reappointed himself president.

Newt, Mitt, Bibi and Vladimir

This article shows that there is a wide range of attitudes towards the Israeli-Palestine conflict as 2011 comes to an end. Columnist Friedman criticizes Newt Gingrich, a member of the House of Representatives, for being too extreme on the Israeli side by saying the Palestine people are "invented". All his claims don't even end up very "pro-Israel" if you dissect the options Newt says Israel has. On the other hand, presidential candidate Mitt Romney just puts up the front that it doesn't matter what Israel does, America just has to applaud it. As for Israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu "Bibi", isn't helping the thousands of confused Jews out there that at this point, don't know who they are. Israel seems to be facing a more cultural war than a political one.

The Arab Awakening and Israel

In this column, Friedman continues his investigation of the issues in the Middle East, this time focusing on Israel. He notes that Israel is in a really bad situation, considering it lost an ally, may be being targeted by Iran, and surrounded by unstable countries. Also, many people in Israel fear that it will be taken over by Islamists, especially because it has an Arab awakening practically in its own backyard. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu feels that the Arab world is actually moving backwards, and not forwards, meaning there is a valid possibility that Israel will be hurt, and the way Israel will come out of this well is not by doing nothing as it is now.

Introducing Op-Ed Columnist: Thomas L. Friedman

In the Arab World, It’s the Past vs. the Future

In this column, Thomas Friedman expounds on his concerns about the Arab world today. With the Arab Spring this past year and more countries such as Syria now with its own revolts, Friedman doesn't see a bright future for any of the Middle Eastern nations unless somehow, they get a peaceful transition to democracy. He is in awe of the determination of the Arab youth, but also sees reason to be cautious because of those countries' histories. Also, he questions if Egypt, Syria, Tunisia and others will be able to make this transition without any guide from the outside world.

Athletic Concussions (Synthesis)

I originally chose this topic because of the "Concussion Awareness" sheet I got earlier this fall that had to be signed and returned to the Athletic Office in order for me to play field hockey this season. At that time, I thought it was kind of silly that it was mandatory for every athlete at our school to have to do this if they wanted to be on a team. However, after looking more into why concussions are such a big deal in high school and even junior high level sports, I realized that there really was an increasing number of reported concussions and that parents, doctors, and coaches are all divided on how to fix this important health issue. I could understand why so many parents wanted some rules in sports such as hockey and football to change to help reduce the risk of concussions; however, as an athlete myself I feel like I wouldn't want any of the rules bent just to avoid risks. I agreed more with the coach's point of view that it is the responsibility of the coach to teach their athletes the right way to hit/tackle/block/etc. so that they are safe. I know my field hockey coach yelled at us if we ever raised our stick too high or lifted the ball into a group of people. Athletes won't put themselves in dangerous situations if they know and practice how to strategically work around them. One factor that I hadn't thought of was the issue with equipment. A lot of the columnists I read said that the changes and technology of sports equipment such as helmets and pads are the biggest reason why the number of concussions are increasing. I believe that in some cases this is very true, the helmets that NFL football players get are probably very different from those of youth football leagues, but they should have just the same amount of protection. Also, using a mouth guard myself, I wonder if it will ever be proven that mouth guards can help reduce concussions.