Did What?(315)

A man named Felix Baumgartner set the world record of the highest free fall of 24 miles, more than 120,000 feet above the Earth. The previous world record was 102,800 feet, or 19 miles that was set 52 years ago by an Air Force test pilot named Joe Kittinger. The technology nowadays is more advanced which allowed Baumgartner to test the new limits and capabilities of bailing from aircraft at high altitudes.

More than eight million people watched the free fall that was broadcasted live on YouTube. The free fall itself lasted more than four minutes, at a speed of 830 miles per hour that was a VERY long fall. Baumgartner rode up to that altitude in what looks sort of like the capsule that astronauts fall back to the Earth in when they come back from space. The capsule was attached to a special balloon that carried him up 24 miles into space. When he reached 24 miles, he simply stepped out of the capsule and off of the platform and began his free fall. In order to withstand the extreme temperatures, he wore a special suit that provided him thermo protection and oxygen in order to breathe.

I can’t fathom how much courage and practice it would take to be ready for a fall like that. I can barely think about normal skydiving much less THAT type of skydiving, or more rather space-diving. Felix Baumgartner is fifty two years old right now. To be fifty two and do that would take a lot of courage. I might expect a twenty year old or someone like that who is young and stupid to attempt it but I guess his age just means that he probably put a lot of thought, planning, and practice into his stunt. The free fall just goes to show how many new things we can still do even though there have been so many monumental things already done.

High School (460)

Since I am absolutely fresh out of ideas for a blog post, I thought id write about my high school experience. As you might expect, I have some common themes of important people, activities, hobbies, etc. first of all, my friends. Ive had about 3 main friends through my high school experience and if that whole laughing adds years to your life thing is true, then they’ve added plenty of years to my life alone. They’ve been there for company, birthdays, boy troubles, school rants, driving vents, and so many more things. Its been great.

These three friends also participated in color guard as I did. if you wernt aware, im continuing color guard when I go to college because I love it so much. Color guard has been my main social …well, place? Whatever. There have been sleepovers, long days, cold nights, bruises, blisters, cuts, sore muscles, bashed fingers and noses and through it all we have tried our hardest to stick with it. for me, I feel like my color guard carreer came naturally. I started my first year out being in a trio, my second year spinning rifle and dancing, third year adding sabre with more duets and trios and my senior year was a combination. Ive enjoied helping newbies and joking with my friends about how I will smack the next band member who gets in my way.

Next, my teachers that ive learned from over the years have mostly been life long influences. Others… well, not so much. I would like to believe that eventually people grow up or grow out of their stubbornness or pissy ways but they don’t. And some people I swear have gained a life time of wisdom and knowledge again each time I see them.

Then theres the boyfriends. Yeah, the few ive dated have made a lasting impression on my life whether its being so happy I cant stop smiling or so heartbroken I beg my parents to let me skip school and sleep the rest of my life cuz that’s my only form of happiness. ..maybe a bit dramatic but hey, im a teenaged girl. I can say that and know the world will end in the same moment if I don’t get my way. (well at least I admit to it).

And then theres my family whos always there. They take me out to dinner every birthday where ever I want to go, wouldn’t miss a football game I perform at for the world, help me through my surprisingly lacking life of drama, and every situation possible whether I ask for help or would rather them leave me alone until graduation.

Wow I can write a lot about something when its off topic from my actual homework.

TMI (305)

A while ago, an article was published on CNN about the discovery of horse meat, or rather DNA, in hamburgers that were on sale in supermarkets in Britain and Ireland. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland published their findings on Tuesday morning. They showed that ten out of the twenty seven hamburger products that they tested contained horse DNA, i.e. they contained horse meat. Twenty three hamburger products out of the twenty seven contained pig DNA, or pig meat. To put this in perspective, thirty seven percent of the tested hamburger products contained horse meat and eighty five percent of the tested hamburger products contained pig meat.

 For those of you that are unaware, hamburgers come from cows. I will be the first one to admit that there is a lot of meat and ingredients in store bought hamburgers that may not be the plain ground beef that I really want. According to another article I found, most hamburgers probably have E. coli and the cows that the hamburgers come from are fed chicken feces. I really don’t need to go into the unappetizing meat industry so I’ll just go back to my specifically titled article.

One of the most shocking things I found out from the article was that in nine out of ten of the burger samples, there were relatively low levels of horse DNA but it one of those ten burgers, twenty nine percent of the burger was horse meat. As an AP Statistics student, I know that if that was the outcome of the sample, there is probably a higher chance of getting more horse meat in the burgers. That is absolutely disgusting. I would be curious to find the results of similar studies in other countries. Recently being in Ireland, I wonder exactly what was the meat I was eating?

Pan's Labrynth (329)

In world humanities we recently watched a movie called Pan’s Labrynth. The movie combined history and fantacy into  one. It was kind of creepy at some points but ill get to that later. Basically the movie starts with a girl and her pregnant mother moving somewhere for an important reason concidering they don’t want to be late and upset whoever is waiting and the fact that the mother is obviously having troubles riding such a great distance in her circumstance and needing a break every so often. When they arrive, a captain is waiting. He has recently married the mother who is pregnant with his son which is an important fact concidering he will pass on his last name. The Spanish war has just ended or almost ended. The mother falls ill and is to be taken great care of so the baby will survive. Meanwhile, the girl has made friends with a fairy who leads her to a fawn. She is the princess of some kingdom with no pain or sun and is to complete a few tasks before the full moon. Her tasks start out with fetching a key from a toad’s stomach and enabling the fig tree to flourish again. The second she is to walk past a feast and retrieve a dagger. After taking a bite of the feast, a very creepy white man with no eyes until he puts them in his hands with long nails like tallons or daggers, wakes up and comes after her. She learns from the pictures on the wall that he eats children.

Anyway, in the end it doesn’t end so well for her or her mother or the captain. But.. the captain was bad anyway so I think that’s a good thing.

I didn’t really like the movie though it was sort of interesting with the guard/army guys and the rebel civilian kind of guys and how they go back and forth probably just as the history goes.

Dont Let Them Take Over (347)

I watched a video that talked about how scientists have made discoveries pertaining to computers and linking them with thoughts. It started with a guy that was paralyzed that was able to communicate through a computer. There was a cap with neuron sensors that was placed on his head and a screen in front of him flashed a bunch of letters. When the guy saw the letter he wanted, he would think “that’s it” and it would record the letter. In this way, he could spell out words and make sentences that the computer would read. There were other discoveries that the video mentioned as well.  They followed the study of a neurosurgeon that implanted a neuron sensor into a monkey’s brain and recorded the neuron impulses in the brain. By determining what this meant, he was able to program a robotic arm to the monkey’s thoughts and the monkey was able to move the arm with only his mind. The study has progressed into human’s brains as well. They were testing the technology in a woman that was paralyzed and she was able to move the cursor on a computer screen and steer a wheelchair.

 I understand the benefits of this technology but to be honest it kind of scares me. I mean, if someone can operate a computer with their mind what can’t they do? What can’t computers do anymore? Hasn’t society learned anything from the science fiction movies? Robots take over, computers get so powerful that they control every aspect of human life, and then they take over. To be fair, the humans always win in the end, but they were made in Hollywood. With all of the new technologies emerging, what would keep people from turning into potatoes that live in a computer programmed world? The fact that these new things can help paralyzed and body-dead not brain-dead people renew their ability to move and communicate is a fantastic thing but what will stop people from abusing that technology and turning it into something you would see in a futuristic science fiction movie?

Interrupted Flight (299)

Ever wish you could fly? Me too. Ive kinda always wanted to see how those birds live. Don’t get me wrong, I like being a human. A species that is very dominant on our planet is perfect for me… im not so sure how id survive as an animal fending for myself. But anyway, i have always loved planes. I love that moment when you realize that you arnt attatched to the ground any more in any way and gravity no longer holds you to the Earth. Its one of my favorite experiances so im glad im so fortunate to have been on a plane once or twice every year of my life. But… what if I didn’t have to pay money to fly? What if I was a bird? Thatd be kinda cool. Maybe for a day or two. Im not sure how my fear of heights would be though.

Anyway, I began thinking of those things after seeing an article about two bald eagles on the internet. The thing is, these are still animals with no laws who settle disputes by themselves. A pair of eagles got into a fight in the air, locking their sharp tallons and started falling to the ground. Ironically, this happened over an airport and they were unable too unlock their tallons before hitting the ground. They lied there on the strip, tangled, as people viewed them and took pictures until a man showed up to take them for medical care. Once he arrived, he loaded them in his truck bed (because he didn’t have containers big enough) and trew mesh and coats over them and tied them down. During the ride, there was a rustle and then one of the eagles flew away. The other stuck around for medical attention though.

Sole Survivor (302)

On yahoo, I looked at an article about a girl who has a rare past. The odds of being in an airplane crash are so little but sadly, it happens. Crocker was only four years old when the crash changed her life-when she lost her family and obtained physical scars as long as her later mental scars. She claims she has no memory of the crash being so young but she thinks of it every single day. She is reminded of it by the scars on her body and the tattoo she decided she wanted to have as a reminder- a part of her so present past. After the crash, Crocker went to live in Alabama with her aunt and uncle who she was raised by. She remembers that she realized that she was the sole survivor of the crash in middle school or maybe high school and kept thinking, “why me?” “why didn’t my brother survive?”. Out of the 154 people on the plane, she survived.

 The plane left a trail of debris as it crashed. Anything from seats to food to carts and parts. But not only that, there was also a trail of bodies. They lined a street showing the horror in the situation.

I think it would be hard to live through your life probably feeling somewhat normal until you grow old enough to be curious and realize that something didn’t add up. I bet its hard to think that you were the only one to live and ask yourself why you? Why didn’t someone else survive? Anyone. Im not sure if I could feel innocent.

Crocker, despite her past, still flies today with no worries believing that the odds are most likely in her favor. If its happened to her before, whats the chance itll happen again?

Not Many Left(343)

I’m sure almost everyone in the world knows that panda bears are an endangered species. But I did not realize how many we actually can account for. In fact, ive found that there are very few. In a recent news article by CNN, they reported that a panda cub in Washington D.C., just barely a week old, died of unknown causes Sunday morning. In that same article, they stated that there are about 1,900 pandas left in the world.

In another article by Yahoo about this same cub, they said that the first panda couple was given to the United States after Nixon’s trip to China in 1972. China has been sending their “National Treasure” to other countries as a symbol of gratitude since the Tang dynasty.

Pandas are one of my favorite animals. Of course I love all baby animals, but bear cubs are some of my favorite. Both of the articles caught my attention and I really wish I had more time to research pandas and China’s history of how they care for pandas and how they decide to breed and relocate pandas as they have only given a few to select zoos in America and to other countries in the world. I also want to know why there are so few pandas in the first place.

I think it is probably a good thing that we are making great efforts to breed pandas and bring their population up. I’m not sure, though again, how many pandas they have in the wild, in zoos, breeding places, etc. so I’m not sure if I can give my input on how I wouldn’t like if all the pandas were in enclosures.

I wish that we would treat more endangered species like pandas and put more effort into bringing their populations up. I feel that it is really important that we do our best to keep species alive not only to show how amazing they are to generations after us but so that we don’t lose them as an important part of our ecosystem.

Crime(392)

After reading the book The Girl that Played with Fire, a lot of sex crimes and underground crimes in foreign countries are catching my attention. This was obviously because a lot of the book was centered on the sex trade in Sweden. I found an article on NBC News that about how kitchen knives and chili powder were distributed to women all over India to try and help them protect against possible rape that would come from a radical Hindu nationalist party. This act of the knife and chili powder distribution has been named the knife campaign. It was sparked in response to the well known gang rape that lead to a national debate on how to deal with sex crimes. The Shiv Sena party said that they handed out 21,000 three inch blade knives to women in the city and areas nearby. Their plan was to hand out in total 100,000 knives.

The knife campaign taught many things to women to help them protect themselves. One of them said by the campaign runner Ajay Chaudhari was not to be afraid and fearful to use a knife on an attacker. He also said that a team of nine advocates were prepared to protect the victims in court cases.

So what was this gang rape event that caused so much awareness and thoughtfulness? It took place on December 16th when a 23 year old female physiotherapy student was beaten and raped on a moving public bus and then was thrown on a busy road harshly. The beating was so severe that it resulted in the student’s death two weeks later. This caused public outrage at the failure of the government in protecting women all over India where rape rates are extremely high in number. In India, one rape report is averagely reported every 20 minutes.

Women receiving self-defense tools and self-defense training have been a huge response to the terrible happening to the college student. I hope all is well with her family and that they are able to cope. I also hope the rapists are found and taken to court so they won’t do further harm to other women. It scares me how often it happens and makes me realize how badly women have it when having to travel in public in India. Hopefully work is done effectively to reduce the injustice.

Kind-Hearted(361)

I found an article on Yahoo that explained the job of a man who lives in San Francisco. His job is to do highway parole which covers the Golden Gate Bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge is very popular for a vacationing site to see and it is so well known as a major man made structure. Kevin has had this patrol job for many years and he is particularly fit for the job because of how he does with it. That might be a bit confusing. Kevin has talked to many people who he found there, on the Bridge, and has helped almost every single one who was looking at the water, debating the jump. Kevin talks to the troubled people to talk them out of committing suicide. He says that in order to get them to start talking he asks their name, if they have family, their families names.. then he goes into what has troubled this person so much that they think they want to jump. He says the thing that gets them to come back to him is usually their children. He asks about their kids and they usually decide their kids are too important to abandon.

Kevin stayed on the bridge for hours with one person and the reason they decided not to jump was because Kevin was there, being so caring and wouldn’t give up. Kevin only ever lost one guy who shaked Kevin’s hand and said it was time for him to leave

I know that this event wasn’t something that happened in the rest of the world but when I think about it, things like this probably happen all the time all over the world. The Golden Gate Bridge hasn’t been the only place someone has jumped in order to commit suicide. Its sad but true. And im not sure what the numbers are for suicides in other countries but even if its lower than the U.S., caring people like Kevin help Troubled people like the ones he has helped on the famous bridge. I think hes sort of a hero and there should be more stories like this one instead of shootings, etc.

Vegitarian Menu(361)

Lately, even though im a senior and wont be eating at school much longer, it seems the menu at lunch is getting a little out of hand.. well, for my preferences. They’ve cut desserts most days and if we do get dessert its gotta still be healthy. Before the dessert went, a limit was put on dessert; you can only take one. I understand this though, some people don’t need that extra dessert. But this year the main dish has changed too. The proportions are smaller, we’ve got to have whole grain pasta and bread, etc. but honestly, is cutting proportions the best option? I know im always left feeling hungry, even with my fruits and veggies that I take for the side. And what’s with this new bread stick meal??? I mean, I love love love those bread sticks, they’re really good. And the sauce isn’t too bad when you dip them in it. but really? Is that a meal? I don’t think so. I take two. And now were also required to take a fruit or veggie or we will be charged more than if we didn’t. I mean, okay. Whatever. I know this doesn’t concern me, really, because I have less than a month left of high school but I still feel bad for the kids who get to eat their soy butter and whole wheat noodles.

An article I read that mentioned a school menu informed me that a school in NYC went to a completely vegetarian menu. It started off only 3 days a week, testing recipes with small groups of kids. It progressed to 4 days a week, and then all five. Granted this is an elementary school with kids who arnt high school football players eating pizzas whole but they still need their protine. The menus are planned with cheese and beans, etc. to ensure the kids still get the things they need but I know that there are kids in this country whom arnt fed at home for one reason or another. This could be their only meal they get and they arnt even allowed meat in it because it’s the healthier choice.

A distant Planet (327)

There was a link on the internet I found about a planet. The planet has two suns apparently just like something from star wars. I’m not really sure what the star wars version is but that’s how the article compared it. This planet is the first known of its kind and is a bit larger than Neptune in size. They call it PH1. PH1 was discovered by a couple of amateur astronomers.

The alien planet spends about 138 days orbiting once around its suns. The suns or stars themselves orbit around each other once every 20 days. PH1 is really hot and reaches temperatures over 600 degrees. It also has two other stars near it that aren’t even its main suns. Astronomers have been studying this planet and gaining so much information just “by studying light from one of its parent stars.”

I have always been interested in astronomy and think it’s really cool that amateur astronomers were the ones to discover this. I wish I could spend more time looking at stars and planets especially with a telescope that is really powerful. The planet and its suns are really cool too. I want to learn more about why this is the only one known of its kind. Why doesn’t this happen more often that we can tell? It is hard to believe that we can even see stuff like this thousands of light years away. That’s so hard for me to comprehend how far away that is. I really wish we knew more about what is out there. I bet there are tons of planets like PH1 that we don’t know about and many others that are even more surprising than having 4 stars near it. I am really glad that we have the technology we do to know about what is out there even as far as the moon. I don’t even know what I would think if we didn’t scientifically know all this stuff.

Ladybugs in the Mall of America(313)

As you may or may not know, I find spiders creepy and would rather not spend my time around them or share my house with them. This is the reason that I immediately kill them after finding one… but only if its in my house… or crawling on me outside. But the thing is, they eat annoying little flies and other little insects. Soooo I mean, I should probably not kill them. But that doesn’t change anything.

Ladybugs are kind of cute though and they’re not scary. They’re actually not too annoying either. And guess what, they eat harmful little bugs too. The Mall of America has many many many live plants all over the mall that act as natural air purifiers to conserve energy. But lately, little insects called aphids have been harming or overtaking the plants which in one way or another isn’t good. So, as we have the knowledge that ladybugs eat these creatures, managers of Mall of America are planning on releasing 72,000ladybugs into the main entertainment area in the mall.

Some people are worried that the little ladybugs will fly into their food or whatever else but ladybugs actually spend most of their time on plants, not in food.

I think that this is kind of cool. It’s a very green way to get rid of the aphids. And yeah, I can see the point that you don’t really want ladybugs around you when you’re eating inside and don’t want to be bothered but really, I bet if that happens, it will be rare. The Mall of America has tried to save energy and be greener in other ways too. In the winter, to heat the mall, it uses its solar panels that line part of the mall. The panels just soak up the sun and convert it to heat for the whole mall throughout the winter.

Debt Free In One Year (331)

With college coming up, ive started trying to figure out how to live off of less money and start saving. Ive been trying to get more hours at work too. Im not one to buy everything I see that I like or don’t necessarily need. Although, I used to be that way. Ive started thinking if I really will use the item, if I really think the price is worth it, if I need it, etc. I splurge sometimes, ill admit. Even for prom, one of the most memorable nights of my high school career, ive been thinking of how I can save.

I found an article on Yahoo about a newly wed couple who paid off their debt in one year. They had student loans of 15,000 each and a car loan of 20,000 dollars. The couple wanted luxuries like a new house or certain food from the store, to go out for dinner, etc. but instead, they moved in with their parents, set a budget of 100 dollars a week for gas, food, and other things, and they stuck to a grocery list of 40 dollars. The couple put their tax returns toward part of their debt along with the money from selling one of their cars and the man’s watch. It worked that they only used one car because she would go to work during the day and when she came home, shed hand the keys off to her husband who worked the night shift at his work. Being that the couple didn’t really have time together to go out, they didn’t feel the need to splurge on dinner and a movie.

I think this is a really good way to pay off debt. It would be very difficult and a year is a long time. In the long run though, I think the interest was probably so much lower than it would have been and now they are living debt free and know how to save.

Hold Up, Now. (408)

With prom coming up I found an article on the internet about how a school is banning strapless dresses at their 8^th grade dance. First of all, I got the feeling that this dance is supposed to be like prom for little kids. I know in 8^th grade we had a dance but it was just this stupid little thing with girls wearing some pretty little dress that probably cost next to nothing and we went out to eat and had fun and pretended it was some big deal. Well, maybe im just a senior whos forgotten what its like to be in 8^th grade or something but do 8^th graders really need a dance? Maybe a father daughter thing but we don’t need 8^th graders grinding on each other while us high schoolers will get kicked out of the most important dance of our lives if we were to do what we did in 8^th grade.

I also cant remember how mature 8^th graders tend to be but isn’t it a little ridiculous that a strapless dress isn’t allowed? I mean first of all, I don’t think these girls can really show off that much if that’s what the school’s problem is. And second of all, where do you go these days to find a dress with straps? Come on people, you try to go out and find a pretty dress in the right price range and the right size while actually feeling confidant in the dress. Its not as easy as you think, it takes some time and a big selection to pull off getting that perfect dress. Even if it isn’t perfect, girls wanna be close to that otherwise they’ll never feel confident enough to go out and wear it. do you want a bunch of insecure girls standing around the dance because they arnt confidant enough? No. and ik this is a rant that really needs a point so here it is; you go out and look at every dress made for girls and youll find that over 70 percent have sewn in straps. Maybe 60 have clip in or slide in straps so you can choose. And the rest are strapless, that’s the way it is right now. Deal with it. either let the girls in with strapless dresses, or don’t have a dance for them to get excited about. I mean, maybe that can be the privilege in high school-you get dances.

Bombers (301)

As there was a tragedy about a week ago in Boston and it was obviously a huge deal. Three people were killed by deadly bombs that were placed on the race path. The bombs were supposedly made from slow cookers and stuffed with things like nails and bee bees and other metal to inflict maximum damage. The men who placed the bombs there were from Russia originally so it was considered a terrorist attack. They walked to the race area with a backpack on each of their shoulders. Each backpack contained a bomb. They slung it over one shoulder and when it came time; they placed the pack on the ground, and simply left it there to explode. This is why it took so long to find suspects. They had to sift through surveillance videos to find anybody who looked suspicious or out of place.

We all know these things happen sometimes and for reasons most of us cant even fathom. They’re horrible tragedies and we don’t know when they’re coming. Of the three that were killed, one was only eight years old, another 26 and I don’t even know who the other one was because the media didn’t really cover any ones death except the 8 year old’s.

I really don’t know the reason that these people decide to do things like that. I suppose they want to show loyalty to their country but I don’t know why they need to cause harm to anyone in doing so.

The 26 year old terrorist died while running from the police while his 19 year old brother was injured and hid for a while before the cops found him. He was treated at a Boston hospital after being found and now is recovering. Police and others are hoping he survives for questioning.

Reasons I Neeed my Sleep! (330)

 

I just thought that since im a senior and seniors should know alllll about sleep or lack there of it, that I should definitely write an amazing post about it. Also, I found an article to back up some of the reasonsus kids need our sleep.

 

I know im not in many activities, really, but color guard seems to consume my whole entire fall trimester during school, after school, and on weekends. Plus winter guard takes up my Saturday morning sleep in time. And not to mention those early mornings to travel to different cities for competitions and late nights getting back. And theres school there too. I mean, AP Econ isn’t my strongest point and the homework isn’t terrible… until 3rd tri when you have 50 tests to do corrections on and notes on top. Then theres prom. Oh my, what dress am I going to wear? And do I have everything planned? Have I turned in all those forms? And don’t forget planning that grad party. On top of that theres replacing the carpet in my house with hardwood, tearing up the kitchen and putting it back together-no hired help, just my family doing this. Lets no forget my job that’s starting up again because its time for senior pictures and then I need to hang out with friends too, right? Its my senior year! Well, now that im done boring you with my life, here are the facts that im gonna need to remember for college:

 

Women are more at risk for heart problems if they don’t get enough sleep. Lack of sleep is lack of knowlage. You need that sleep to help your brain keep all that info in. and sleep helps your health. Also, make sure you get enough sleep before your flu vaccine or youll have a difficult time fighting it off.

Not that there arnt more reasons, but these are an important few I thought the article had a good point about.

 

Suspended for a Hair Cut?(452)

So I know our school is super lax about dress codes and all.. and im really glad about that. I recently visited a school in Ireland and we met some students who had to wear uniforms every day. And im sure they couldn’t wear hats, sport a cool backpack, or color their hair un-naturally-though, I didn’t ask. But from the responses my friends and I got from our answers about or school compared to theirs, I would assume that in so many ways, dress code is very different.

So, as we all know, there are a variety of public schools like Kennedy and private schools like Xavier throughout the U.S. who have different dress codes and different definitions of those rules. At Kennedy, we couldn’t wear hats for the longest time until this year when it became a decision for the teacher of the class room youre in to make. What I don’t understand about hats is.. how is it disrespectful to wear a hat while in school or church or while saying the pledge of allegiance? Why does the top of your head being exposed or not have anything to do with any of these things? I get why a hat would be bad at times in school. if its covering the student’s eyes or super tall so the student behind them cant see.. something along those lines-I get it. otherwise, whats the big deal?

A 5 year old in Ohio had been begging his mom forever to let him get a Mohawk haircut. So over spring break, she finally let him. His Mohawk was about an inch or two tall and fairly wide, not much gel-if any- and no color. His head wasn’t even totally shaved around the Mohawk. But when he came to school with it, it caused a little bit of a distraction in class and wait, the dress code doesn’t allow it anyway. But the code stated that hair must be cleanly cut and trimmed. His hair was fine and as the article states, so many people are sporting this doo in their everyday lives too.

I feel like the school was being ridiculous about this. Im not fond of mohawks or anything but his looks pretty good and so what his class mates thought it was cool and they wanted to touch it? kay, let them talk about it for a few seconds and they’ll be over it. yeah, they’ll still think its cool but while theyre sitting at their desks learning all day, are they going to be thinking about that kids Mohawk? No, they’ll be learning and onto new ideas and distractions. Its ridiculous that this child was suspended for a hairstyle he liked.

Parenting (484)

A woman named Lenore is participating in a new movement where parents let their kids play by themselves or with others free of parent or even adult supervision. She has set play dates where parents pay $350 to let their children play together free of supervision. These play dates take place in New York City’s Central Park where she argues is “the safest precinct in New York.” Another supporter of this movement expands and explains that unlike the suburbs, New York City is always busy and there are always people around- referring to the fact that in case there were to be a dangerous or harmful situation, witnesses would be everywhere.
Parents who are interviewed in this video give their opinions on the subject; most saying they would never let their child roam unsupervised, let alone pay someone for an experience like that.

My view is that children need freedom. They need to experience the world on their own and learn on their own terms but not all the time and not without an adult close by. Lenore mentions that she let her child play in the park while she sat in a coffee shop nearby. I would be all for letting my child roam around and playing with others without much supervision but I would be worried about sudden emergencies. What if my child somehow broke their leg and obviously couldn’t come find me for help? I would much rather be on a bench nearby than in a coffee shop out of sight. Sure, at a certain age like 12 the child might be independent enough to handle me being at a coffee shop nearby but younger than that would very much depend on the child’s maturity level and if they have a sibling or friend who would know where to find me in case they need assistance.

In the movie Babies, one of the children, Bayar, who lives in from Mongolia, is seldom watched over by his parents or any other adult. Granted the child lives in the middle of nowhere and is unable to walk or crawl part of the film, how much trouble can he get into? His brother, not much older than him, is a toddler and manages to stroll him outside and then walks back into their house. When Bayar learns to walk, he almost gets trampled by a cow. Things like this worry people but it’s a way of life in that area. The parents just cannot be there to supervise their children all the time. Most families in America have access to child care whether its school, daycare, a family member, or friend.

Part of the free roaming movement makes sense to me in the way that a kid has to grow up and learn some things on their own, but the way I interpret this mother’s style, it’s only the complete opposite of a parent who hovers. There needs to be some kind of balance.

Religious topics#5 (481)

Does religion make you a good person? And does that make you a bad person if you don’t believe in a religion? My opinion is partially formed by knowledge of others’ stories.  I think that most religions set a very good example for their followers. They teach them more than stories and Gods. They teach good morals and other things like its bad to swear. They teach that you should give and help others, do the right thing. These are all things that are incredibly good traits to obtain and habits to make. But if you don’t believe in a religion or follow their examples, does that make you bad? Does it make me a bad person? Well, not that its my point but, people who follow religions or believe in God have murdered, stolen, coveted, etc. they’ve committed “sins”. They’ve also broken laws. Ive never murdered anyone or  stolen. I rarely talk back to my parents, I follow rules, I do my best, I try to help others, I try to be polite. That’s not to say that I always do those things but I do try to most of the time. Does it make me bad that sometimes I get mad and talk back to my parents? That I might tell a lie once in a while? Well, doesn’t everyone no matter if they affiliate with a religion or not? Itd be crazy if they didn’t. this world would be filled with peace. I don’t think im a bad person because I don’t go to church and I don’t think everyone who believes in God is good either.

These thoughts are random, so I apologize if they seem out of order. The last thing I want to bring up is I am still growing up, meeting new people, learning new things, trying to keep an open mind, etc. and im not sure of my future. Heck, I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up, I change my mind every other week. I don’t know where ill be a year after college or 10 years after that. Im not sure if ill have a job or a house in this economy. Im not sure if ill be planning a wedding or just getting to know a guy I just met. But where ever I land, im sure ill have heard more than I please about politics and religion. I may meet someone who persuades me into believing in a religion. That might not be a bad thing, im open to it, but I don’t want the bible telling me what to believe and what not to believe. I still want to think for myself, form my own opinions and thoughts, theories, etc. I might just base my beliefs on something, who knows? Isn’t it great, that no one does know? Well, I find that exciting. (:

Religious topics#4 (348)

We watched a video of a discussion between two men in world humanities. One was defending religion and the other claimed to be antiatiest (I think). Well, at least, he said atheists don’t believe in a god but they wish there was one. They just have no proof. But he is different because he doesn’t believe there is a god and he finds it to be good that there isn’t. I took notes on both sides and I don’t want to make this guy’s more important or dominant but I think he brought up some really interesting topics and points. First, he believes that as humans, our brains seek answers. They crave knowledge and reason. Our brains would rather take in a conspiracy theory rather than no theory. Perhaps that’s because we are scared of not having answers. So, it would make sense that as the first humans had no science or technology, they needed answers for why it rained, why people got sick, why they died, etc. and so maybe we made answers for ourselves. Maybe the smartest of us came up with ideas. He mentions that some people were greedy and sought power. Maybe they claimed to by holy or have a connection to this/these God(s) and therefor gained a high status and pampering. (that’s a theory). A very interesting question he posed was kind of like which came first, the chicken or the egg? His question was, “did God create man, or did man create God?” well he then continued to tell the viewer his opinion. He thought if man created God there wasn’t too much to discuss. We all have our different theories of religions. But what if God created man? Then why does he let everyone believe in a different God and why does he let us fight and shed blood over him? I just thought that his points were pretty valid and very philosophical. The other man mainly went over a different topic and it didn’t have as many points I found interesting to write about otherwise I would include them too.

Religious topics#3 (349)

I was at a youth group once and the topic was Darwinism. Everyone politely shared their thoughts and debated some things back and forth except for one girl in particular. I believe that she had the floor for a few minutes as she vented about people who believe in Darwinism. It was years ago so I don’t remember her words exactly but I think she said something like, “I feel so so sorry for those pathetic people who believe in Darwinism. It is obviously ridiculous, it could never be true. I honestly feel sorry for them. Are they stupid?...” she went on but most of the major words there were things she actually said. In her defence, she probably thought she was talking to a group of people who believed the same as her and she had no idea that I felt that way. But I feel like she was a bit harsh and to be honest, rude. Sure, she can believe that, I have no problem with it. but how does she know that she has all the facts and im the idiot? If you were me wouldn’t you be hurt too? She called me stupid and said she felt sorry for me because I wasn’t educated enough to “know” that there is “obviously” a God. I was courteous enough to listen to their beliefs and be open to what they said but she shut down my belief and called me stupid. Well, whatever. It happens, right? I cant expect everyone in this world to be open minded. And to be honest, if I grew up learning that there was a God and all those stories, id probably stick to it too. Not to be rude and generalize or use strong words but the closest words I can put with people who grew up with a religion is: they’re almost brain-washed. Maybe that’s not a bad thing, I don’t want to offend anyone, but that’s the closest I can come to a similar conception. Im sorry, that’s just a rant because I think its unfair.

Religious topics#2 (330)

Heres a point though to contradict/ support my other opinions and accusations: who knows what cave people looked like? Were they really that hairy? Im not sure. And if they were I would say its part of the process of evolving from ape to human. Who knows, though? And quickly, something im a bit bothered by is when people seem to go along with whatever their religion says. But I feel like an opinion or a belief should be formed by you. You have your own brain, it can make its own choices, feelings, thoughts… I don’t want to offend anyone, im just thinking out loud. Anyhoo, I could go on but I want to get to other points.

Moving on..

As a side note, I want to make everyone aware of something that really bothers me. I mentioned that im open to hearing about other people’s opinions. In fact, ive attended my grandparents’ church several times, and ive been to a few different church’s youth groups. Some things ive heard, no matter where I am, make me think a little bit. Theses things that a preacher says or the opinions people give almost shock me sometimes and other times I just think it’s a little over board. These don’t pop up incredibly often, really, they barely ever appear. One thing that I cant help thinking sometimes is, “do YOU believe that, or do you go along with it because it is part of your religion?” No offence, really. But it goes back to thinking for yourself, you have your own separate brain. Think about it. the thing is, I said I believe in Darwinism more than anything else but no one but my Dad has ever asked my my opinion. Ive had heart to hearts with my best friends and we share our opinions too I suppose but im not sure if others realize how much they hurt me when they say things that offend what I believe in.

Religios topics#1 (439)

In the spirit of our religion unit I decided to just brainstorm some views I have and points or information ive found interesting throughout the unit. This may turn out to be a bunch of blogs so im sorry if it cuts off at some points. My background info: I don’t affiliate myself with any religions. I think that if I do believe in anything it would strongly be based on the Darwinism theory. Science seems to have facts that we can prove rather than stories that... well, have no proof. Not to say that anyone is lying or are wrong, I just need to see to believe. I’m not at all against any religions, in fact, im very open to hearing others opinions and thoughts. I have to say that im not super informed about every religion and I know that I don’t have all the facts. I feel though, that I mostly know the basic stuff about some main and popular religions.

What I believe? I don’t think there is one God, one special being, that put us all here. I don’t believe that “God had it in his plan” or “it happened because he wanted it to”. That’s not to say that I don’t believe things happen for a reason. I sometimes have to kind of think, “Its for the best”. But I don’t believe that God is the one who was controlling it. I feel like the big bang theory seems pretty legitimate but im not a full believer in that either. Even if scientists say its so, I need my proof. It makes sense though about the apes and other animals evolving. We have proof of birds’ beaks changing to fit their feeding needs. Theres my proof. So why couldn’t humans have come from apes? I think its legit. Do something right now. Picture a caveman or woman in your head. …Well? What do they look like? A word I would used to describe my image is Un kept. And what about them is unkept? I think of their skin being rough, awful looking nails, horrible teeth… but mainly, I think of the immense amounts of hair we always see on their bodies in cartoons and in movies. They look a lot shaggier than humans today. But we have hair cuts and razors to shave our faces, arm pits and legs. Right? As a girl, I have to say, even if I don’t shave my legs for a while, they don’t look nearly as bad as what a cavewoman looks like in the movies. And I don’t have awful, dark, long arm hair. Ew.

This is TED (364)

I decided to take up my teacher’s offer for us to write blogs about TED talks. Before I start my blog conquest however, I decided to inform everyone of what TED is. According to the website, “TED is a nonprofit devoted to ideas Worth Spreading.” The acronym TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since the organization was started, its scope and view of the program has gotten a lot broader. The organization holds two annual conferences and has created the TED Open Translation Project and the TED prize, along of course with the TED Talks and TED fellows.

First I will introduce the TED talks I guess; TED talks are videos that are put up on line with the intention of spreading the ideas that are worth spreading. Now the company has transformed the videos to “give everyone on-demand access to the world’s most inspiring voices.” The videos are inspirational and fun and can be about a variety of topics such as technology, entertainment, design, business, science, and global issues.

TED hosts a variety of events, the two main ones being the TED Conference and TEDGlobal. The TED Conference is held every year in Palm Springs and lasts for four days. During those four days, there are fifty different speakers with eighteen minutes to broadcast their ideas to everyone else. The topics of their presentations can be about anything they want really business, arts, or even global issues. Even though the topics seem to have no connection to each other what so ever, they are held together by the realization that we are in “an intricately interconnected world.” The second main event that TED hosts is TEDGlobal. This is a conference that is held in the summer and has a more international theme. It is four days also but is held all around the world. This year it is being held in Edinburgh, Scotland on June 10^th. Speakers will discuss global change, political and environmental problems and social and cultural changes. While these might sound absolutely fantastic to go to, I think the minimum ticket price is two thousand five hundred dollars. That fact alone will probably keep me from ever attending a conference but don’t be discouraged because you are able to view all of the videos online! I definitely recommend it.

Taken the "Fever" A Bit Too Far? (438)

I was trying to think of an idea to blog about. I asked a friend and they brought up the cut for Justin Beiber thing. I told them it needed to be worldly but honestly, it probably is. Everybody knows about him unless they live under a pile of rocks. Notice, that’s not just one but multiple. Like boulders. Anyhoo, either you love or hate Justin. Mr. Beiber Fever? Yeah. Well, I think there’s almost always a happy medium. I mean, come on. Not everything is yes or no. people like myself probably exist. My opinion? Yeah, hes cute. As in: he has a nice complection, childlike features, flippy hair… he’s not a total bum or physically much different than most guys. Right? And some of his songs arnt totally bad. He does have an okay voice. I bet half of those who criticize him cant sing at all. Hah. So I like some of his songs, but im not in love. Some girls may tell me ive gone crazy for not being head over heels for the kid. Whatever, my loss. And other people might tell me im crazy for thinking his songs are okay cuz he obviously sings like a little girl. Okay, who cares.

The issue isn’t my opinion or anyone else’s. it’s the fact that girls are so obsessed with Beiber that they’re protesting his recent drug abuse or whatever he was doing by cutting themselves. That’s not okay. Girls, you go ahead and tell Justin you love him and support him but don’t want him to use drugs. Do it. Good for you. But lets not lose our brains. Sure, some of these girls might already cut. I know people who cut. There are people in my classes, there are people like everywhere that cut. But why??? What good does it do?

An old friend told me they cut so they can focus on the pain in their wrist or on their arm instead of the pain in their heart. Mkay. I get your reasoning, but doesn’t it only create more pain? Maybe another reason is just to black out in order to get away if you’re not good with blood. …you know what? Do what you think is right, but I think that’s crazy. There’s no need for that. There’s no need for scars all up and down your arms. That’s not pretty. Its not "cool". It looks like a tiger or something if people do it super often. And know what’s worst of all? Cutting for Beiber whom many have never even personally met. They just have fantacies for him. Ew. Sorry, rant done.

Recovering (348)

I found an article on CNN and found it interesting. Its about the fifteen year old Pakistani woman activist that was attacked for going to school. Malala spoke and blogged in favor of education for Pakistani girls and against the Taliban rule. She then became the target of an assassination attempt by Pakistan militants. She amazingly survived the attack but was left with life-threatening head and neck wounds.

                It has been three months since the attack and she has drastically recovered but still far from a full recovery.  She was just discharged from a hospital in Britain where she had been recovering for the past three months. She is scheduled for a cranial reconstructive surgery in the next month that will replace a shattered portion of her skull with titanium or perhaps her own bone if possible.

                The article on CNN described Malala’s shooting and her recovery. It is possible that Malala got her defiance and strong will from her father who runs a school in Pakistan that is open to girls. This school is in direct defiance of the Taliban rule. The scary thing though mentioned in the article was the Taliban statement issued after Malala was shot that said that if Malala lived, they would come after her. It makes me wonder whether Malala will live after her recover and how she would be able to survive. I don’t know if she would be allowed asylum in a different country or if she would be offered protection of some kind. Her father however told reporters that he has every intention of returning to his “native country” after she recovers.

                I think that it is really inspirational that Malala is recovering so well. I don’t know what I would do if I was fifteen and became a target of the Taliban. The wide support of this girl is also admirable and it shows how one person can really make a difference and shine light on a bad situation. It is sad however that someone has to get severely injured to actually make an impact on people’s minds.

Just 5 More Minutes??? (389)

Falling asleep in lectures, hitting the snooze button multiple times in the mornings, the tell-all dark circles around your eyes…sound familiar? According to a Maas, Power Sleep Quiz, these are all symptoms of sleep deprivation. In AP Psych, we learned ALL about sleep and how much everyone should have. I personally think it's funny that people don't expect teenagers to be sleep deprived. I mean, think about it, everything we do is just meant to keep us awake.

I don’t know how kids with multiple activities do it. sleeping is my favorite and I get sleep as often as possible. Without my weekend sleep in mornings, I bet id be among the many sleepy students in Kennedy.

                If we want to improve ourselves for college and juice up our college resumes, we take more AP classes and work hard to get good grades, especially if you are in your junior or beginning of senior year of high school. Teachers assign a whole lot of homework in AP classes and if you are taking more than one…good luck living life. Don't get me wrong, it does depend on the classes and if you choose to brush it off but it all eventually accumulates, creating a very long night of studying.

                Social network sites, television, and even music are all distracting to us. I will definitely admit that I spend way too much time on the computer when I have homework. I think the problem is that they are just so addicting to be on and so much more fun than doing the assigned homework. Even hormones in teenage bodies keep us awake longer.

                College kids are even worse. I bet that most college students get around four hours of sleep or less on a normal day. It's simply unhealthy, and then people wonder why college kids resort to drugs, a lot of them having an intended purpose to keep the student awake longer. Who knew that  trying to promote schoolwork also promoted drug use?

                I think that the simple fix to all of this is to tell teachers to limit the amount of homework they give out. If they don't assign as much, then students will get more sleep and actually pay attention in class. I'm sure the teachers would appreciate also the lack of dozing heads lying on desks.

Skittish Kitties (352)

Did you realize that cheetahs are becoming endangered? Well I had no idea. I don’t hear about them often but its not like ive totally forgotten that they exist. What do I know about cheetahs? Well, lets see… I know that they can run like super fast. That’s how they catch their delicate and speedy pray. And.. what else? Theyre cats? They eat meat, they live in…. the savanna? Im not sure where that is. Behavioral? Um. Funny, I have no clue.

Luckily, I have an article that I found on Yahoo about some special cheetahs. This article wont answer all the questions you may have but it answers some that you maybe hadn’t thought of.

In a zoo in Los Angeles, there live 19 cheetahs. Four of which have dogs. ….whoa. dogs? Yeah. Dogs. Did you know cheetahs are just big skittish, scaredy-cats? Well, they are. And these dogs help the kitties become more confident. The cats are in danger of becoming extinct because they aren’t breeding as most animals do and they don’t socialize very much. Big breeds of dogs are setting an example for the cats. Most, if not all, dog breeds are very territorial. They stand up for what they want-hold their ground. By introducing these animals, for years, some cheetah enclosures and zoos have therapeutically coaxed cheetahs out of their shells. Cool, huh? I think so. The dogs protect and reassure their cats.

The dogs don’t live with the cheetahs but they spend a lot of time with them. The sleep separately at night and feeding is always separate. Not for the reason you may think though. You may be formulating speculations that the cats might just be taken over by instinct and attack the dog but really, the result isn’t like that. The result you would find is fat dogs and starving cats. Yeah, right. Right? Well the cats are scared. And the dogs keep their ground so the cats’ steak dinner would just be stolen by the dogs. And the dogs regular puppy chow-just left sitting there. I mean, if the dog had his way.

Diamond Snatchers (347)

I read an article on CNN that covers a diamond heist that occurred Monday night; February 18, 2013. There were fifty million dollars in diamonds that were reported stolen and the possibility of gold and platinum that was just unreported or allegedly or was confidential or something to report of.  Everyone was very surprised by the security breach and based on the facts of the heist they could conclude that these were either ex-military or professionals and that this was an organized crime effort. Fortunately, no one was killed or injured during the heist, only the precious gems were stolen.

                The heist occurred at the Brussels airport at around eight o clock at night. There were twenty passengers on the aircraft that was scheduled to go from Brussels, Belgium, to Zurich, Switzerland. All of the passengers were unaware of the diamonds in the cargo hold and officials are not certain as to how the thieves knew about the gems. The authorities have determined however that it was not a chance occurrence because the thieves were clearly professionals.

                Eight men in two black vehicles burst through the airport gates and drove up to the aircraft after all of the passengers had boarded the plane. The men were dressed in clothing that resembled police uniforms and held the pilot and copilot at gunpoint while the others unloaded and reloaded the cargo. The whole task was completed in less than three minutes when the men successfully escaped.

                I think that it is crazy to read about these kinds of heists after seeing all of the action movies and everything out there. Those movies are pretty awesome if you ask me.  It must take a ton of planning and these people have to be pretty smart to escape. I cant even imagine it. I think that a lot of the professional robberies on such a large scale are kept confidential so I don’t really hear about these kinds of heists that often.  I hope the authorities catch these robbers and hope to see another article about the progression of this case.

Astroid and Earth (325)

I watched a video on the asteroid that was fairly close to the Earth while passing by on Friday. The asteroid was only a couple hundred miles away. It came in between our furthest satellites from earth and our planet's surface. The video I watched featured Bill Nye answering questions about the asteroid and asteroids in general. I was kind of saddened by the fact that the video did not feature the Bill Nye theme song that I have come to know so well through his amazing educational videos. I think it makes my educational experience more memorable.

According to Bill Nye, one asteroid could obliterate an entire city. I assume that it looks like the after effects of a nuclear missile or something like that, I also kind of wonder if it would contain any radiation or some odd space oddity. If it didn’t contain any radiation, I think that I would prefer to get killed by an asteroid compared to an actual nuclear missile, that way if I was hit by it I would just die instantly and not have to live through painful radiation and all of the ugly and horrible side effects of nuclear bombs.

Bill Nye also stated that the asteroid was discovered by a group of young scientists or some space organization or group that isn’t really well known and it sounded like it was discovered as a project or something. Apparently, ninety nine percent of all of the asteroids out there are unknown. These are the ones that we should be afraid of. But if we discover the asteroids soon enough, all of the space organizations have technology that would somehow make it possible to deter the asteroid enough to force it far enough away to miss the earth and then leave us all safe. The technology would have to be crazy accurate. Maybe they’ll shoot a laser or some sort of rocket to break it into bits.

Agent Orange (349)

I found an article on CNN about the effects of Agent Orange on children. Agent Orange was a chemical substance used during the Vietnam War to clear vegetation but it was a ridiculously strong chemical that never should have been released into the environment. Agent Orange still affects war veterans who have developed skin conditions and other problems because of the wide spread usage of it. A small statement before a long series of pictures of children deformed by the chemical reads: “The following photos depict the devastating effects on humans believed to be caused by Agent Orange. Please be aware that the story of these innocent children contains images that some may find unsettling.”

If you click on this link, you can see the 10 pictures they have posted in a slide show. They wouldn’t allow me to copy and paste the pictures.

The very first photo is of a happy looking child who is standing up in its crib, holding their self up with their deformed hands. Their hands are more like fists with no distinct fingers but have nails growing out of the stubs. It’s really sad to see. This picture definitely has the impact they wanted for the first photo shown.

In the third picture, they show a child with flaky skin. It almost looks like they were burned somehow. There aren’t any deformities that you can see, just the horribly dry, brown skin.

In the fifth picture, a boy is walking in the hall. He doesn’t really have feet. In fact, it looks like someone amputated his legs just below where his knees bend. He appears to be walking on his knees.

In the ninth picture, you just see jars on shelves… until you look closer. You realize that these jars contain stillborn infants. Its really too hard to even look at.

There are other pictures in between those of course but these are the few I could distinctly tell what was going on. A lot of these children were abandoned at birth and they live in the hospital they are cared for at.

Name Debate(315)

In countries across the world, there are different rules, laws. Etc. Im not sure how I could have been so clueless growing up but my classes, awareness, and understanding of the world is now coming more clear than it has ever been. Im not sure why exactly, maybe I just have more classes relating to other countries than ours, maybe Im more actively following the news, or maybe I just flat out didn’t care until now. Im really not sure. But the thing that always seems to shock me when learning about laws in other countries is… how completely stupid their laws can be. I mean, we have some odd laws too I suppose, but theirs just seem to have been made up by someone just trying to create total authority over citizens because they simply feel like it.

An article on Yahoo explains how a mother named her daughter something that wasn’t legal or approved so she wasn’t legally able to use her name. Now, at the age of 15, she has been given permission to use the name of “Blaer” which translates to “light breeze”. The government thought the name was “improper”.

I think names should be totally free to decide upon. I mean, if you were going to name your child something outlandish like… I have no idea. .. Anna says Swagga Baby. If you really truly wanted to name your child “Swagga Baby”, you might want to rethink your existence and hobbies and whatnot but really, it’s your choice. And hopefully, someday, your child will develop a more.. Normal or suitable nickname to go by. But for real, it’s the parents’ choice and who wants to have a bazillion babies in the world with the same generic name. like.. Bob. if you only had 10 names to choose from and Bob is the best.. idk what this world has come to.

Neglected Child (317)

I know that we are supposed to find events that happen in the rest of the world but I feel like I could relate an event to things that happen in other areas of the world and that probably still works. So, I found a story on CNN about a boy who was being held in his family’s basement. People say that they saw that he would sometimes be sleeping on the front step because he wasn’t supposed to be in the house or he wasn’t allowed. And it was believed that he was out of town but it was leaked by a family member that he actually might be in the basement, tied up. Not much information seems to have been released. A woman was interviewed and seems to be the only source of the little details. The brother of the boy didn’t respond to any questions.

As sad as it is, im sure this sort of thing happens all over the world. Of course in America, there are officials who can be notified if someone witnesses any kind of abuse or if they believe a child isn’t being properly cared for. Also, officials will be right on the case. No one wants to see abuse. In other countries and especially third world countries I bet they don’t have the ability to have safe places for children to go, hotlines to call, investigators, etc. im sure that children aren’t the only victems either. Women are often abused by men weather its their significant other or family members, it happens.

This situation in the U.S. is really just a sad occurrence of something that happens all over the world, all the time. Its terrible that anyone would be so cruel to kick their child out of their home where they sleep or keep them prisoner in their own basement. I don’t understand why things like abuse happen.

Next Reptile Wrangler (407)

Everyone has heard of Steve Erwin. Or at least I really hope they have. I have a younger brother who was fascinated with reptiles and animals as most other boys are. I grew up with Christmases filled with Steve Erwin DVDs, episodes of all kinds, every single one there was. And Steve wasn’t the only reptile wrangler, there were plenty others, trust me. We all know that Steve and the media clashed sometimes on their point of view after his daughter was born. He would hold her dangerously close to the reptiles while he fed them or held them and her at the same time. Well whats a parent to do when your profession takes them all over the world and keeps them busy all the time but yet they need family time too. And especially with their first and only child. Steve tried to balance his job and family and to be honest, I think he did pretty well. Yeah, its dangerous to have your newborn who cant hold her head up yet in the same pin, five feet away from an alligator and his dinner but would a father so experienced do anything to risk the life of his kid? If he thought it was fine, its fine, right? Well he died messing around with animals so who knows.

An article I read mentions Australias next reptile wrangler who is 3. His parents own a reptile captivity of some sort and he is growing up with all sorts of animals. His pet is a python that weighs more than him and could kill him in an instant.

People find this controversial. I mean, who would let a 3 year old have a python for a pet? But with supervision.. is it so bad? He has pictures face to face with his buddy (his python, Pablo) and wrestling a small gator. There’s also a frog involved but im sure its harmless compared to the others. I think the gator wrestling might be pushing it but who is to deny a 3 year old boy of playing with reptiles??? Especially being around them so often with his parents owning a bunch. He has been taught safty and dangers and continues to learn. Im sure he is always supervised weather its by his dad, mom, or big brother. So I think its okay to let the kid experience something most kids will never get the chance to experience.

Grandma is Smuggling Drugs? (338)

When I think of people trading or selling drugs I think of men. I think of gangs, tattooed bodies, criminal records, and maybe even murders. I think of countries like Mexico. But it’s not like these things are required to handle illegal drugs. These are just stereotypes. But what other kinds of people handle illegal drugs? Maybe high school teens, college students… but most don’t smuggle them into other countries, they just get them off the street and do them at parties, right? What about grandmas? I’ve never thought of a grandmother smuggling drugs into other countries. An article confirmed that grandmas do illegal things too.

A lady from the UK was caught smuggling cocaine into a resort in India. She apparently hid a substantial amount of cocaine in the lining of her suitcase and they found it at the airport. There are countries in this world that have strict drug rules and some just minor punishments. India happens to have strict rules if you offend their rules? Capital punishment. After being tried in India, she was sentenced to death row.

The lady claims that a gang was threatening to hurt her kids and that is the reason she was smuggling drugs.

I’m not sure if this lady’s story is true or if there will be any investigation on it. The UK currently has someone on the case trying to work with Indian representatives to lessen her punishment but it looks like they’re not going to budge. They take this crime seriously. If this grandmothers story is true (which I don’t know why it wouldn’t be, what would her motive be?) I feel really bad for her. Im not sure how I would handle the situation but im pretty sure that id bring it to the police no matter if they told me theyd hurt my family if I did or not. It be the smartest decision because they could hurt my family no matter what and id get caught smuggling anyway. I cant lie or look non-suspicious.

Hindu Tradition (415)

There are many religions around the world, some more similar than others. Each has its own beliefs or versions of those beliefs. Hinduism is a religion I was just assigned to do a project in class about but even before I was assigned it, I found this article about a tradition that takes place every 12 years in Allahabad, India. Where the Ganges and Yamuna rivers meet along with one other river that is mythical millions and millions of people gather to celebrate Maha Kumbh Mela which translates to Great Pitcher Festival.  The article states, “Officials believe that over the next two months as many as 100 million people will pass through…” That’s a ton of people. This article talks about the things the people gathered there do. Im not even sure if I could repeat it all in my own words because I have no idea what exactly the article is telling the reader what the people are doing.

Something the article describes, im afraid, I would re-phrase wrong so ill copy it into this: “Two dreadlocked men riding horses emerged from thick camp smoke before dawn, followed by a crowd of ash-smeared and naked holy men, or sadhus, one incongruously wearing a suit jacket. At exactly five minutes past six (0035 GMT), they yelled and dashed dancing into the river.” A man is talked about who became a holy man and traveled for decades eating only nuts and fruit. Oh yeah, and he traveled by foot. Another thing the article reads: “At the riverbank, men with dreadlocked beards to their feet vied for media attention with yogis supporting heavy weights with their genitals, while others holding golden umbrellas, flags and swords rubbed sand on their bodies after the dip.” A man named Digambar Navraman Giri was interviewed and mentioned that he had not sat down in a year and slept standing up straight.

I thought that this tradition sounded really interesting. It would take so so much dedication to ones religion to do some of the things they mentioned. Maybe its just a different culture, but im pretty sure I wouldn’t ever smear ash on my body and jump naked into a river with thousands of people. And im pretty sure that most men that live in America or other places with cultures like America, wouldn’t hang weights on their genitals for the public to see even though that’s probably supposed to be impressive. It was really cool learning about the tradition though.

Religion (301)

In class right now we are watching a documentary about religion. The documentary isn’t all that great, I mean, it gets the main points across. Religion and politics are some of the most touchy subjects between us humans. We all want to be right. Our opinions obviously are the correct ones. Maybe some people even “know” exactly what is right. You know what? Who knows? Really, there are so so so many different religions and so many stories about how they came to be, its sort of impossible for them all to be true. Maybe one is true. But I think that they’re kind of just stories people have passed along to their kids. My dad said once that maybe they’re comparable to Indian legends. Im not saying that im right, those are just ideas. How would I know?

I the video people from different cultures and religions tell us when they look to their religion to overcome obstacles in their life. Some of those obstacles are disasters like Katrina, sickness, and loss. Someone says that maybe God is a scapegoat for things that go wrong. That maybe God willed it to happen. I think that God might be a comfort to them in their times of need. Religion also might be something that makes people want to be better or good and do good.

I don’t think it matters if any one religion is right or if science is right, I think people need something to believe in no matter if their belief is comfort or a scapegoat. I think religions are theories to explain things that happen or what will happen or what has happened. No one should be upset with anyone else for what they believe in because its not like anyone else knows whats right or wrong.

Where is the line? (394)

Okay so I found an article on yahoo that really has nothing to do with anything around the world, it was just an incident in a random mall in the United States. Brest feeding is legal to do in public but some people still don’t agree with that. A couple brest feeding mothers wanted to protest something that had happened in a Hollister store in a different mall where a lady was asked to leave for brest feeding in the store by brest feeding and they made signs saying “hey Hollister, my baby has the right to eat. It’s the law.” But then a mall officer asked these ladies to leave because they were believed to be exposing themselves.
The reason I thought I could do this article is because brest feeding happens all the time all around the world. Its one of the two ways babies are fed. Obviously we are decided on a law in the US where women can feed their child in public but is that really a good thing? Especially if the woman is not careful to cover herself? Where do you draw the line? Yes, its legal to feed your baby but no, its not legal to be publicly nude. In cultures around the world this really is a silly thing. I know in some cultures they really don’t wear much clothing so its not even an issue to be brought up. And in other cultures women don’t even show their legs or hair in public so im assuming that theres no question that brest feeding would be considered.

I think that its obviously important to feed your child and if they’re hungry and youre not at home, they need to eat! Which should give women the right to brest feed other places than their home but really, im willing to bet that some women take advantage of the law and are lazy, they expose themselves, probably make others around them uncomfortable. Just where is that line drawn that an officer can force the woman to stop because of a disruption?

Also, those ladies protesting look like theyre rubbing it in someones face. They don’t need to brest feed too and make a juge deal like “Hey, look at me. Im feeding my baby in your store and you cant do a thing about it!” Signs will do.