The Circuit

BY DALTON JACOBS

After undergoing a nine-hour flight from New York to Poland, my first stop while participating in March of the Living – a two week trip (April 3-17) for Jewish teenagers to Poland and Israel in memory of the Holocaust – was at Treblinka, a death camp that I had never heard of. Though the camp only ran for one year during World War II, it resulted in the death of 800,000 Jews.

The Nazis destroyed the camp because they tried to cover up the evidence of their crimes. Because of this, the camp serves now as a memorial, with over 17,000 stones representing different communities throughout Poland.

While we were in Treblinka, the weather was brutal with the extremely low temperatures and heavy snow. This showed all 73 of us from Broward County how harsh the conditions for the victims were. I couldn’t help but think about how the victims had only a light layer of clothing to keep themselves warm while we were freezing fully clothed and wearing heavy jackets.

On Day Two, we went to the Warsaw Ghetto Cemetery, which takes up over 69 acres. What really touched me the most was the memorial for the 1 million children who died in the Holocaust. This consists of an actual wall from the Warsaw Ghetto and it has a poem on it that reads: “Through a hole, through a crack or a cranny, starving yet stubborn and canny, sneaky and speedy like a cat, I daily risk my youthful neck. And if fate will turn against me, in that game of life and bread, do not weep for me mother; do not cry, Are we not all marked to die? Only one worry besets me, lying in agony; so nearly dead, Who’ll care for you tomorrow, who’ll bring you, dear Mom, a slice of bread?”

After the cemetery we went to a Warsaw Ghetto Uprising sculpture that symbolized the strength of the men, the fear of the women and the hope of the children. Then we walked through where the Warsaw Ghetto used to be and went to the headquarters of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: Mila 18. This was a great feeling to see how the Jews in the uprising were able to hold off the Nazis for over a month, even though the entire Polish army didn’t last two weeks against the Nazis.

The following day was Shabbat. I went to an Orthodox service that took place in the only synagogue to survive the Holocaust. With all that happened to the Jews in Poland, it’s a humbling feeling to be able to unite with around 10,000 other Jewish people from across the world and pray in a place that was meant to exterminate Jews forever.

That night, the Canadian delegation invited us to a special ceremony. This ceremony honored survivors and people who helped out the Jews. The ceremony ended with all the survivors dancing together happily. Then once we left, my group broke out into song as we walked back to our bus. We were all very proud to be celebrating in the streets of a place that tried to suppress the Jewish people.

The next day we went to Ludz, which has a memorial that showed us a duplicate crematorium, actual railroad tracks that were used to deport Jews, and a real boxcar, which deported Jews. Inside the boxcar we had an emotional moment as Irene, a survivor of Auchwitz, told us that in a box-car she was holding her little brother and told him everything was going to be all right. She had to lie to him because she knew that they were going to a concentration camp, where everything wouldn’t work out for the little boy.

After that, we went to the home of our other survivor Adele, who is probably the nicest person I have ever met. She was taken away from her home when she was little and saw it for the first time in over 70 years on last year’s trip. After being away from her home for a year, Adele was just as excited. Once she got off the bus, she started running to where her home was and didn’t slow down for anyone. Right when she saw her old apartment room she screamed, “I’m home!” It was pure joy. Right there she forgot everything terrible that had happened to her and her family and all she could feel was genuine happiness.

The next day was the actual March of the Living as we began the 1.5 mile march in silence from Auchwitz to Auchwitz-Birkenau: better known as the death march. There were approximately 10,000 Jews from all over the world who participated in the march. I could not imagine having to do that walk knowing that at the end I would probably die at Birkenau. After the walking there was a ceremony to commemorate everyone who was affected by the Holocaust. After the ceremony Irene showed us the spot where she last talked to her mom and got separated from her sister. She lit a candle in memory as all of us cried together.

At that moment it really hit me that I was at a concentration camp and not a re-created one. The feelings of people losing their families and all their belongings at this place had surfaced.

The following day, we took a tour through Auschwitz. We saw all of the belongings all of the people had before their deaths: the shoes, hairbrushes, shaving cream, pots, etc. We saw the beds, the bathrooms and the public hanging spots. Most importantly, we saw the actual gas chamber. Right away I could see the scratches on the wall of people trying to resist their death, and I could see how the walls were discolored from the chemicals that were dropped in. I rested my head against one of the scratched walls and cried. I cried for my people, and what they had been through for it all to end in that room. I cried for the families who were torn apart because of that room. Then I prayed so that something like this never would happen to anyone ever again. Directly to the left of the gas chamber, were the ovens where bodies would be discarded with efficiency. It’s unfathomable to think of how many life stories and people were burned away in those ovens.

After walking out of the crematoria, all of us joined together for the Mourner’s Kaddish to pray for the dead. After the prayer the names were said of the people who had died at Auschwitz, which included Irene’s entire family. As they said the names of her family, I looked over to Irene and she was hysterically crying and that was the most pain and suffering I had ever seen in someone. I will always remember how extremely sad and distraught Irene was at that very moment. And how strong she was to keep revisiting the place where her entire family had been killed.

The next day we went to Majdanek, which is another concentration camp. There, we went into another gas chamber where the walls were even more chemically discolored with green and blue than Auchwitz. But the disturbing part was that there was a window in a separate room. This window was so that the Nazis could watch the people being killed by the gas. They actually took pleasure in watching people die. That shows how cruel and inhuman these people truly were.

After walking through rooms with artifacts of the camp and the possessions of the victims, we came across a room filled with shoes. They were all the same type of shoes because they were the ones issued by the Nazis. And these hundreds of thousands of shoes signified how many deaths took place at the camp. That was a very emotional room for me because the quantity of people killed was

absurd. At the end of the camp, there was a dome with sand piled up extremely high. I learned that this sand was made out of human ashes and it was shocking to see how high the pile was. Right after Majdanek we went to the airport to leave for Israel.

Overall, Poland seemed like a gray and gloomy place where no one smiled. Many Jews used to live there but they were forced out of their homes. Poland is still anti-semitic as evidenced by graffiti that was scattered across the country. For example, we learned that “Juden raus” means take the Jews out.

Once we arrived in Israel we could feel that we were welcomed. We rejoiced that we were in the land of our people. Israel proved to the Nazis that it is impossible to wipe the Jews out because we are resilient and don’t go away easily. Israel is where every Jew is home and belongs.

We walked around the Israeli markets, walked through water tunnels, floated in the Dead Sea and climbed Mount Masada. We were saddened on Memorial Day when the whole country stopped to remember the fallen, and we were elated when the country celebrated its Independence on the very next day.

But most importantly, all 10,000 Jews from all over the world came together and marched from Safra Square to the Western Wall. No matter how spread out everyone is across the globe, all Jews were able to become one during that March. Everyone who participated will remember it for the rest of their lives and be able to call Israel home. The friends that I made will last a lifetime because the range of emotions that we experienced together are one of a kind. The opposing emotions of joy and sadness are what made the March of the Living a memorable experience and have changed who I am as a person.

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BY NICOLE MOSHE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Hair? Check. Outfit? Check. Shoes? Check. You’re all ready for your final school dance… oh, wait. You’re not graduating this year.

Prom is one of the last nights when high school seniors get to spend time with their fellow classmates and friends before graduating and embarking on the next phase of their lives. However, prom has shifted from the long-awaited final high school dance for seniors to just another school-sanctioned event as more and more underclassmen have been attending in past years. Although I have no vendetta against underclassmen, as some are good friends of mine, those who are not seniors should not be attending senior prom, because it is just that, a senior prom.

From a better parking spot, to GradBash, and finally all leading up to prom, we high school students await reaping the perks and privileges of being a senior. If underclassmen attend prom, the event loses its sentimental value. Prom is a night to celebrate the end of high school with those who have gone through the past four years with you. High School Musical 3 had a point when emphasizing that prom is supposed to be “a night to remember” with all your senior friends (mock me if you want, but you know you were thinking the same thing).

It’s understandable that a senior might want to bring an underclassman as a date because he or she may be a significant other, or even just a friend, but this has become the norm. And, if you’re asking an underclassman to prom that you barely know just as a way to get a date, it is essential to recognize that you’ll probably enjoy yourself more if you go with friends that you actually know and have fun being around. I know that seniors generally do the asking, so they are partially at fault, but the school needs to maintain prom as being a “senior event” by not making underclassmen attending a common occurrence.

Because of the underclassmen’s presence, prom will seem like just the fancier version of homecoming. This is why I do not see prom as much of a significant event anymore – even as my years of high school are coming to a close and it is one of the few nights I have left to be with friends who are also graduating. Half of the events that are supposed to be strictly for seniors including prom and the senior barbecue Powder Puff game are being taken over by underclassmen.

Having younger students attending prom does not only weaken the appeal of the night for seniors, but also for the very underclassmen who will have attended prom for the second or third time by the time they are in their final year of high school. If you have already experienced prom as a freshman, sophomore or junior, then you do not have as much to look forward to once you become a senior. You have already gone through dress shopping, tuxedo fittings, corsage ordering and the all-essential last minute hair emergencies. Thus, prom becomes just another school dance for future seniors as well.

Underclassmen need to stop jumping ahead to senior prom the same way they do lunch lines. Prom is a time for seniors to celebrate with their fellow graduating classmates, not the entire school, as it ruins the significance of the night. As much as I love my underclass friends, those in charge of running prom must uphold the status of senior prom.

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BY ZACK LENDER

COPY EDITOR

Recently it was brought to my attention that the cafeteria workers have no say in what food is made each day or what choices are available to students. A peer of mine asked what the cafeteria worker’s opinion was about the school lunches, and she replied that she thinks that there should be more options so that the same foods not offered five days a week.

The school board recently started a wellness policy, which states that the lunches served will promote healthy eating and reduce childhood obesity in the youth. In the 2011 Wellness Policy Evaluation on the Broward County website, it states that progress has been made to make foods healthier than they were when the plan was enacted in 2004. With the most popular options at the Bay being pizza and fries, it is no secret that the school’s foods are not going to win any healthy eating awards, and eating two slices of pizza and fries doesn’t support this claim of reducing obesity. In the Coordinated Review Effort, which took place in April 2011, the school district complied with the federal regulations put in place regarding food nutrition. But it is clear that stricter standards need to be put in place

This led me to the conclusion that healthier alternatives need to be offered along with affordable prices. There have been many occasions when I have gone to purchase a salad but the item has completely sold out. This shows that there are students interested in consuming a healthier lunch, but some are not able to due to the lack of availability. However, when looking over at the pizza line, practically every student is buying two slices, yet that item never sells out.

This is on par with the society that we live in today. Anyone can purchase 10 hamburgers from a fast-food chain for $10. But, when going to buy fruits and vegetables from the local supermarket, consumers see prices are outrageously high. Lack of effort by the schools to make healthy meals affordable is fueling the United States’ childhood obesity crisis. The Broward County School Board needs to consider overhauling its lunch meal plans offered in order to benefit the students’ current and future health.

The lunch menu for Broward County is the same throughout every school. It is understandable that it may be tougher to increase the price of the meals in lower socioeconomic areas, but it is a step that must be taken as the quality of food must be improved. This needs to occur even if the school board has to to pay extra to finance the new, healthier school lunch options. Most students at the Bay would pay an extra dollar or two to be able to enjoy their food as well as feel good about what they are eating.

An unhealthy eating habit is a tough addiction to break, but eating two slices of pizza or a hamburger and fries every day of the week is not a good place to start. Unhealthy lunch foods with high levels of fat can impede a student’s ability to learn, as it can reduce one’s energy levels throughout the rest of the day. The Broward County School Board needs to step up and take the lead to try to change what the students are offered to eat.

An outside food establishment should be allowed to provide more substantial food to students. This may not be an option at some schools because of the price, but I know that all of my friends at the Bay would be on board with paying $8 for a Jimmy Johns sandwich. It would give the students an option to eat something on the healthier side instead of the grease filled lunches that are offered now.

The type of food that is currently served to students cannot continue to be offered. The lack of healthy lunch options in school can affect students beginning from elementary school and continues until the end of high school. By the time a student graduates, the person will have already developed unhealthy eating habits that will persist for the rest of that person’s life. The student body needs to demand healthier options sold in the Bay’s Cafe. Students must express their disappointment in school lunches and acknowledge that a change in the Broward County School Board’s lunch needs to occur.

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BY NICOLE MOSHE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Just as first period began on Feb. 20, my classmates and I pulled out our copies of Macbeth when an announcement was read over the PA system: all students on the list to take the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) must go down to the media center and partake in this standardized test.

As my teacher was searching the list for any names of students in my first period, it felt like I was sitting at a reaping for the Hunger Games hoping that I have not been randomly selected to take a standardized test I knew nothing about at 7:30 a.m.

The NAEP is just another one of the many miscellaneous tests students are required to take, such as the EOC and FCAT. According to NCES.ed.gov, the NAEP is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America’s students know and can do in various subject areas.

One of the unjust factors in this process of testing is the random selection of students – based on factors including race and sex – who had no choice but to leave class for almost two periods to complete this exam. If the NAEP is going to be administered, it is only fair to have every student take it instead of selecting a random group of students. Teachers were not going to stop teaching for the period because a few of their students were taking the NAEP.

Those who were selected had to make up the work they missed on their own time. And, with students at the Bay known for taking multiple honors and AP classes, along with being actively involved in numerous extracurricular activities, this make-up work caused by the NAEP just puts more stress on students.

Luckily, I was not chosen to take the NAEP. But, if my name were on the list, I would definitely not want to miss class to partake in testing. When missing one AP class for the day feels like missing a week, there is no way I would succumb to leaving class in order to take a test that was sprung on me at a moment’s notice, just because my name was chosen at random.

Unless every student was required to take this assessment, I do not see any justification in the school inflicting any consequences on anyone who would refuse to participate (no matter how many how many phone calls the first-period teacher would get from the front office asking for the student to go take the test).

Schools must also give students information about the test and when the exam is going to be held instead of the morning of testing day. It’s one thing to make only certain people take the test, but to also give no prior notice is ridiculous. Most students had little to no information on what the NAEP was when they heard it over the PA system, and then in the same moment some had to go participate in this assessment.

The NAEP is not similar to tests such as the FCAT, EOC, SAT, ACT or PERT as these tests measure your skills at certain benchmarks in your education and your readiness to continue advancing into a higher level of education.

The NAEP pulls people out of all grades just to estimate where the school’s students are performing nationally. There is no reason why a select group of students have to sacrifice their class time to take a test for the sake of understanding “how much they know” on a national scale if they do not want to take it.

Either all should have to take it and be informed in advance, or students should be given the option to volunteer to participate. So, the next time an acronym unknown is read over the PA system, may the odds be ever in your favor.

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BY NICOLE MOSHE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The make-or-break statement in relationships has shifted from “I love you” to the essential question in any newly-sparked romance: “Is it Facebook official?” These four words can create either a happy excitement from friends if the answer is yes, or a concerned, “are you making this relationship up?” face if the answer is no.

Today, it seems like our lives – including our relationships – don’t exist unless there is some sort of digital stamp of approval on display for the world to see. Students have replaced old-fashioned romance of love notes and drive-in movie dates with modernized relationships consisting of love tweets and Skype dates.

Because of these new technologically advanced relationships, the term “romance” has taken on new meaning. It is now defined by which couple has the most likes on their pictures or who uses the best photo effect that really accents the couple’s Chipotle date. There is too much of an emphasis placed on things like posting the cutest Twitter or Instagram picture, as if just the right filter defines the relationship. Couples need to turn off their technology while spending time together, or at least stay off the social networks.

The digital romance cycle all starts from the moment a relationship status changes on Facebook and the likes begin accumulating. This is the gateway drug. From there it moves to Twitter updates about dates, until finally, the couple reaches the Instagram stratosphere with a dozen pictures of them a day.

It is always nice to show your affection for your special someone, but students need to take more of an initiative to show their love through traditional romantic gestures like candle-lit dinners, instead of through social media posts. And, instead of taking an “artsy” picture of the candles melting, actually talk to the person.

Students are not the only perpetrators of this new style of dating. Older generations, those our parents’ age, are also succumbing to having their relationships validated on social networks. Even though they grew up with much less technology at their disposal, parents who are now learning how to navigate on Facebook and other social media sites are including everyone in their love lives as well.

Parents should be the ones setting an example for their children on how to maintain the basic romantic elements in their relationships, but in 2013 it is the other way around. Students are teaching their parents how to behave on the Internet, from taking a “selfie” before a date or retweeting their special someone while sitting across from them at the table. Parents need to stop following in their children’s footsteps and take action in teaching their children about how to date without technology.

And, as Valentine’s Day approaches, I’m sure that before I even make it to lunch, the competition to see who could post the picture with the biggest teddy bear will be in full swing. This day of affection has been turning into an Instagramers paradise, which added to my thinking that instead of social media connecting us more to the people we love, it is really disconnecting us from the relationships we have outside of the digital world.

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BY SAMANTHA WINDER
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

While watching the glitz and glamour of models strutting down the runway in lingerie and angel wings in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show that aired on Dec. 4, I couldn’t help but notice my twitter timeline blow up with negative tweets about the annual event. I counted at least 10 tweets within an hour after it began, saying something along the lines of “get this model a hamburger” or “dieting and gym starts tomorrow after watching this.”

This show is not meant to make females feel self-conscious about their body, but instead show off great fashion. Maybe it is just me, but I feel motivated to be the best I can be after watching my favorite fashion show. Society needs to keep in mind that since modeling is the model’s job, they have to maintain a certain figure. Every workplace requires specific attire. We don’t look at teachers and feel self-conscious or judge them for what they wear. It is the models’ job to look appealing, just as it’s a teacher’s job to know the material and educate students.

We live in a world where double standards exist about being skinny. We completely look past males who work for Hollister, Abercrombie or Gilly Hicks (all clothing stores owned by the same company) who stand shirtless for six hour shifts on Black Friday in front of the store to attract shoppers, yet Victoria Secret models get critiqued. Both genders work hard for their bodies to look good; however, people see it as more acceptable for males than females to have jobs based on their body image.

I hope for the next holiday season when the “sexiest night on television” returns to bring us the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, males and females alike will stop hating on the models and will enjoy the show for the creativity that goes into making the outfits and the wonderful performances put on by top recording artists.

We could all choose to have those bodies and to work hard for them just as they do. For instance, Adriana Lima had a baby three months before the show and she was able to get back to having her model figure. During the show, a segment aired with models talking about how working for the lingerie and clothing store is about being “beautiful, confident women.”  Women, instead of feeling self conscious about themselves, should understand that beauty is derived from confidence, and confidence comes from hard work.

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BY NICOLE MOSHE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

It’s a daily dilemma: I walk into the girls bathroom, wanting to be in and out of there as quickly as possible, but I’m held up by having to search for the one, or if lucky, two stalls that are the least repulsive. Not only are the stalls an issue, but you know there is a major problem when a question I seem to be asking myself frequently is: “I wonder what I’ll find in the sink today?”

Even though I have never been in the boys bathroom, I hear the same problems arise for the male students. Although the custodians work hard to keep the bathrooms as clean as possible with a student body of around 4,500, students do not do their part in maintaining bathroom cleanliness.

I’m sure that almost everyone who has used the bathrooms at school has seen the diary entries, inspirational quotes or pictures taking over the surfaces of the stall doors. As much as I enjoy the confidence boost after reading the reminder: “you are beautiful,” there are definitely other circumstances in which I would l like to see this, instead of in the bathroom.

This is one of the factors contributing to the line of students that leads into the hallway. If you want to express yourself, take up art or creative writing instead of vandalizing the bathrooms. As nice as it is for students to want to keep their peers entertained while using the bathroom, it is not fair to be wasting the time of those who need to use the restroom but also have to go from the last portable to the 200s building in seven minutes.

Not only is finding a clean stall lucky, but finding one stocked with toilet paper means that you have hit the bathroom jackpot. More than once I’ve texted a friend, or received a text, because the stall did not have toilet paper. Students should take the amount of toilet paper they need instead of being wasteful and inconsiderate as piles of paper take up half the stall’s floor or clog the toilet altogether.

Not only are mounds of paper clogging the toilets, but I have even seen articles of clothing lodged in there. If you really hate your wardrobe that much, donate your clothes instead of trying to flush them down in the school’s plumbing.

The most ironic part of the bathrooms being ill maintained is the fact that I actually feel dirtier after using the sinks. Every day I feel like I can’t possibly see anything weirder in the sink, but I am continuously surprised at what I find. From the paint to the pasta that occupies the sinks, there is barely any room for you to wash your hands. Students should not be using the sinks for their trash, especially since they can easily use one of the garbage bins placed outside of each bathroom.

If we are old enough to be in high school, drive a car or soon go to college, there is no reason why using the bathroom should be such as issue while at school. Students need to be courteous to the other couple thousand students that attend the Bay on a daily basis by practicing cleaner habits in the bathroom.

No more writing on the stalls, no more clogging the toilets with paper or other objects and no more trash-filled sinks. Maybe one day we can use the bathrooms at school with toilet paper available in the stall, that is not on the floor, and the only walls you see inspirational quotes on are on Facebook.

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BY NICOLE MOSHE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Once every four years, entertainers including Stephen Colbert from The Colbert Report, Jon Stewart from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the writers of Saturday Night Live are able to dish out parodies and mock debates about events circulating around the presidential election in a comedic manner. These shows fulfill one of their main purposes, which is to entertain, while also informing their audience –including me and about 77 percent of young adults. While being a senior in high school has its privileges, including prom and using “senioritis” as an excuse to sleep in now and then, one of the most important privileges – for those who will be 18 years old by Nov. 6 – is the ability to vote in this year’s presidential election.

Even with shows that appeal to a younger audience, young adults and new voters at the age of 18 are still dangerously misinformed or not informed at all about the politics surrounding the presidential campaign, which has an effect on our nation’s future come Nov. 6.

However, being eligible to vote comes with the responsibility of being informed from all angles of the political spectrum, which I do not think a lot of my peers are. We, as young adults, need to more actively participate in politics. This can be achieved by simply watching informative comedic shows, staying on top of political current events and paying attention in government class less for the extrinsic value of earning an ‘A,’ but more to fulfill the obligation students have to their country to actually grasp the concepts of government.

Being in an atmosphere where social networks and face-to-face conversations revolve around differing political views – consisting of ignorant comments that are constantly being made – makes me feel like instead of fighting wars against other countries, we are fighting an internal war among ourselves. Although there are older adults who do not completely comprehend all of the aspects surrounding the campaign, the outcome of the election has an especially great affect on young adults currently and in the future. This should make us even more motivated to be involved in the political world.

It’s especially vital to pay attention to the policies presented by the opposing political parties. If you do not, then you have no right to defend one party over another. The presidential campaign has become more of a social media battle than that of an informed conversation between individuals with opposing views. Students have taken to social networks including Twitter and Facebook to express their opinions on what they think about the presidential nominees. I have been an avid follower in this campaign and whether rooting for President Obama or Gov. Romney, I have read statements that make the people writing the posts sound…well, stupid. The issue stems from misinformed people spreading their invalid ideas, creating a world wide web of misconceptions. We need to stop taking these posts or tweets at face value and instead, research and question what they are claiming in order to fully understand the accuracy behind them.

Whether you identify with the Democratic, Republican, Independent or even The Rent Is Too Damn High party, young adults, especially those who have the privilege of voting in the 2012 election need to get informed, whether it is by joining the political awareness club or even taking a few minutes a day to catch up on recent news surrounding the campaign. With what feels like an infinite amount of information provided by the Internet and television programs, being politically aware should be a simple task for my generation. This will enhance America’s strength by allowing the presidential nominee, who best appeals to the needs of the nation, to lead our country into the future.

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BY SAMANTHA WINDER

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

As I walked into the Apple store the other day, I realized how much I wanted the new iPhone 5 even though I have the 4S – only 1 year old. This epiphany allowed me to come to the conclusion that our society always wants the latest technological advances because we perceive it as better.

According to Apple, preorders for the iPhone 5 topped 2 million within the first 24 hours. Now this could only mean one of a few things for society. Either 2 million people’s contract ended on their old cell phones and they are available for the upgrade, or, while some of those people are experiencing the former, the rest want the newest and hottest item on the market because it’s taller and has room for an extra row of Apps on the screen.

It’s not only Apple customers in the need for new technology. When the iPhone 5 was about to be released, Samsung came out with a commercial denouncing the new product and saying: “The next best thing is already here,” in reference to the Galaxy S III. Maybe it’s not only our fault that we are stuck in this spiraling vortex but rather the producers’ of these products as well. Companies are constantly making products and advertising them in a way that makes us feel that if we do not buy their product now then the technology we currently own is either not cool or will break down in a second.

We as a society have to get ourselves out of this trend before it is too late. Soon enough, no technological advancement will be good enough for us anymore because we will always want the better thing. We are also constantly purchasing new and expensive items unnecessarily and that money could be going toward more useful things like paying for a house or for college.

While I understand that by always buying new things it makes money for companies and that in turn helps the economy, we need to draw the line on what helps society and what does not. We should not buy items that help society yet cause us to have regret later.

So as I left the crowded Apple store a few days after the iPhone 5 release, I realized that I can wait another year until my contract is up to get the “new and best” thing. I hope everyone else can have some self control and do the same to avoid the future consequences.  Yearning for the newest piece of technology is what we get when we live in progressing times. There are always going to be new products. We just need enough self-control to realize they are not all necessary.

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