Hope

Last night I signed to walk for Relay for Life from 9pm through 11pm. As I was there, I thought it was more of small festivity or fundraiser for the cause, and that it was more for fun and less for the seriousness and heartbreak cancer has thrust upon everyone's life in one way or another. My perception of Relay for Life drastically changes when the sun set and everyone was asked to sit in silence for a tribute to those who have lost the fight to cancer. On the opposing side of the bleachers, lighted bags spelled out hope as we all listened to a woman list off the names which were asked to be remembered in our community tonight. After the woman listed off an overwhelming amount of names who died or are still fighting cancer, she next spoke of how limited cancer is to spread in our lives. She spoke that cancer cannot destroy our love, it cannot destroy our hope, and it most certainly cannot disintegrate our family bonds and relationships. There were many more examples and reasoning of how limited caner is when against us, but those I listed about impacted me the most at the ceremony while watching the empty chair shown in front of the stadium; the chair illustrated where those who have fallen from cancer would have sat which made it all more real to me how many have fought it. It was hard to realize that I was thinking of this event in the wrong light. Before, I believed that no one cared anymore, unless it was directly affecting them, the problems of the world seemed too far away to reach a hand out. But this event made me realize that all these people here, all those who fought and are still fighting for a cure chose to reach out and help others. Now, I wish people reached out more than once a year to help save a life, but I come back to my thinking habits of some selfish individuals in the world. I promise (I made this after walking at Relay for Life and helping build houses at Habitat for Humanity earlier that day) that I will periodically help out people in need throughout the world no matter what kind of salary I make or how hectic my life is because there is always someone who needs a hand of any shape or size. I hope whoever reading this will later search for a non-profit organization online which really helps out people in need.

Chikyu (Earth)

 1.    It’s Earth week and to pay homage to this lovely planet, I thought it would interesting to post the seven things you should know about the planet according to Cleveland’s own, The Plain Dealer.

                      Seagrass loss threatens dependent creatures

Vast undersea meadows of seagrasses are dying off, shrinking their rich habitat on which other species depend.the first global survey of seagrass revealed that about fourteen percent of the species are at risk of extinction. The University of New Hampshire professor Fredrick Short, director of SeagrassNet, told the BBC that the plants have vanished from the most developed coastlines due to pollution. We need to take responsibitity for our wrong doing in the oceans and other parts of the environment that was affected by pollution. Many know that it is impacting the survival rate of species throughout the world greatly, yet the majority of humans are just sitting back and pretending that they didn’t cause this because it’s happening farther away from them. This is not the case, and thus, small changes like the decline of seagrass, have large effects. Runnoff: studies at the 114 sites around the world found that seagrasses are also in decline throughout many coastal waters due to silt runoff from deforested areas and filled-in wetlands. They are also being overwhelmed by powerful nutrients flowing into the ocean in sewage and agricultural runoff. Again, I believe that the effects of runoff are not just naturally caused the environment, but that humans have a huge role the causes of sewage runoff, deforestation and other things most do not take responsibility for. Haven: creatures such as fish, sea turtles, sea horses, and manatees depend on the fields of flowering marine plants for food, and sometimes to provide a safe haven for their young. By the decrease in the seagrasses, the protection and food sources are extreme limited between animals. I think biologists should start to replant seagrasses along the coastlines as they have started with rebuilding coral reef gardens. To help bring back the marine populations destroyed by boaters and fishermen.

Mother Earth

1.       Asian stink bug wreaking havoc on mid-Atlantic crops

A foul-smelling invader is marching across the U.S., already posing as a major threat to agriculture. The brown marmorated stink bug is believed to have “hitchhiked” with a shipment of goods from Asia and was first spotted in Pennsylvania in 2001. It has since rapidly spread to infest thirty-three states from coast to coast. When threatened, it releases a pungent odor; it is its voracious appetite for almost any edible substance which makes it a major threat to farmers. Last season, mid-Atlantic apple farms lost about eighteen percent if their crops from that bug! Solution: the USDA is pinning its hopes in a wasp that has proven to be an effective predator against the stink bug in China, Japan, and Korea. Since predators that feed on native U.S. stink bugs are going after the new Asian cousin, it may become necessary to breed and release sterilized swarms if the Asian wasps to control crop damage. I don’t know about the Asian wasps, but hope that by incorporating this species into the western’s biosphere populations, the other species within it won’t become greatly affected by it. I say this because sometimes in order to cure something, or to make it better, negative side effects become unintentionally evident and mostly unavoidable along with the cure. Hopefully this theory doesn’t pertain to the initiation of the Asian wasp into the western hemisphere.

Terre

1.       Weather extremes may be the new normal

Dramatic swings between very wet, dry, and catastrophically stormy weather are likely to be the norm from now on, according to scientists who point to an overall warmer global climate as the source of the new meteorological reality. Manmade change: while it’s impossible to point to climate change as the cause of any single event, such as the devastating tornados in Mo., scientist K. Hayhoe says that the pervasive background of a warmer global change now has an impact on every storm heat wave and windy chill. She and other scientists joined with business leaders in a teleconference to highlight the toll from manmade climate change. Overall, don’t keep freaking out that the weather patterns are so irreagular; get udes to it cause it’s the worlds new norm. it is interesting and a little hesitant to see whether or not the natural  events will become more drastic with the more extreme weather, and if there will be more common natural disasters because of the increased effects of drastic changes in climate.

Erde

1.       One of the longest La Ninas declared to be at an end

Australian meteorologist declared the La Nina ocean cooling of the past year finally over, and that the U.N. says it is not likely to come back later this year. Climate Changes: weather shifts triggered by the huge pool of cool water in the equatorial Pacific brought by vast flooding in eastern Australia, severe droughts in Texas and Southeast Asia and a winter rainy season that  has seemed to never end in the western U.S. and Canada. This is a great explanation for the never ending rain we seem to have here in good ol’ northeast Ohio. Since La Nina is not likely to come back again, I predict that we are going to have a very hot, clear of storm clouds summer this year. It’s an interesting fact that while we are getting huge amounts of rain, Texas and Southeast Asia are experiencing threatening periods of droughts from these weather shifts. It puts the idea of real power in perspective when we are at the mercy of a weather patterns.

Gaia

1.       Strong storm steers clear of landfall

Typhoon Songda formed from an area of distributed weather swirling around the Micronesian island of Yap. It steadily gained strength while taking aim on the central Philippines; despite eventually attaining Category 4 force, Songa veered to the north, remaining well off the coast of that country’s central and northern islands. It was expected to eventually affect Japan’s southernmost islands as a much weaker storm. A scary threat to hear about, again depicting the mercy humans are under when describing the weather. It is a blessing to the people of the Philippines that the typhoon missed them, but Japan still worries about the weaker storm to come; there is already so much devastation in Japan, it would be hard to fathom what another storm could lead to in these next months. So, just because Japan is no longer on the front page of the newspaper, doesn’t mean that all their problems are solved over there, they still need support and help to rebuild from all parts of the world- make it evident that you care, don’t just pretend when everyone else is talking about it.

Tierra

1.       Icelandic volcano ash disrupts European air traffic

Iceland’s Grimsvotn volcano erupted with a massive plume of ash that soared high above the North Atlantic a year after ash from nearby Eyjafjallajokull caused major disruptions to global air travel. Aviation officials briefly closed airports across Scotland, Norway, and other northern European countries after volcanic debris was detected blowing into their air routes. Heavy Ash: while the Grimsvotn eruption was for larger than that of its notorious and nearly unpronounceable neighbor in the spring of 2010, its ash was heavier and fell into the ocean at a faster rate. Just like in its eruptions of 1998 and 2004, Grimsvotn ceased spewing within a few days. I tried researching what the effects of the ash falling into the ocean were, but there was no credible information to derive an answer. So, I am still wondering if the amount of ash with a heavier mass compared to most volcanic explosions has any negative effects toward the oceanic ecosystem as pollution does.

Earth

1.       Earthquakes felt around the world

Just over 2,000 homes were rendered uninhabitable in parts of western Turkey by a 5.9 magnitude temblor that killed three people late on May 19^th. Two of the fatalities and many of the nearly 200 injuries around Kutahya province were blamed on shoddy construction. It would be frustrating and very nerve racking to realize that the area where you live is overall not safe due to the construction of the town which is out of your hands. Hopefully, with the new technology in architecture throughout the world, the reconstruction in Turkey will be more positive for the safety of the people. Elsewhere: Earth movements were also felt in New Zealand’s Christchurch aftershock zone, southern Sumatra, the northern Philippines, northeastern Japan, Rwanda and the San Francisco Area. Hopefully, people are aware of the natural disasters throughout the world and thus come together to help people in need. Be aware of the amount of earthquakes and also from this information be prepared for anything.

My Fans

Sorry for the hold up, my email has been down for quite a long time, and gmail would not allow me to login into my blogger account without resending a confirmed email. Sorry, my whopping two followers, I just wanted you to know that I did not forget about you. Blog on.

Fools

           Don't let people bring you down. I constantly have to remind myself that whenever certain people come back into my life. My feelings may be more exaggerated than the others around me, but I can't help the fact that I closely relate my emotions to others. I'm saying that positive and negative people both affect my emotions equally when said persons are around; I have always been able to feel the energy someone gives off when they are around me. Now I'm not trying by any means to sound like some pathological weirdo... I'm just saying that I know instinctively who is genuinely positive or negative as most people can. Anyways, the emotions they give off affect me immediately at the time and I really take it personally. It's kind of like the minor character in the novel Thousand Cranes by Kawabata. The protagonist, Kikuji, refers to the antagonist as a poison, setting off her venom every time she interferes in his life. Now this character is not as one would think - she is an average woman who was with his father and also who stays around to keep tradition in Kikuji's life. Despite this, she negatively affects his life which ultimately destroys his relationships suggesting that negativity comes in all forms. So, just because someone, anyone is a negative in your life don't let said person be the poison in your life. Put yourself in a position to only be surrounded by positive people because I know that overall your life will be positively affected just by seeing them. Don't let outside people hinder your happiness when you can do something about it. In the end, just make sure your a positive person without letting someone hinder your life.

   An excerpt from Irish Times interviewed this young man's sister stating:"The cart had been his livelihood for years, as he could not find a job after finishing his education, his 19-year-old sister, Samia, explains. 'The whole family is unemployed . . . Mohamed’s dream was to buy a car – not for pleasure, but a van to help the family,' she says as we chat near the white stuccoed family home just outside town. 'He was always laughing. He liked his work a lot, despite his difficulties.'”


            It is evident that they are poor and depended on this young man to provide for them. When the police came to the street where his cart was set up, they took away his cart. Frustrated, the young man pleaded for them give back his cart if stopped selling his products on the street until he got a permit. The men ignored him and took the young man's only lively hood away from him. In desperation, the young man went to the governor's office to protest and plead for his cart. No one would listen let alone acknowledge him yelling in front of the building. In complete desperation, the young man took the gallon canister of gasoline he brought with him, poured it over his body, and set himself on fire to burn in front of the office. This was the last straw for the people; the start of a revolution - even though this was not the first violent protest which was evident against the government. The young man did not die there, he was hospitalized suffering  third degree burns all over his body. He died three weeks after the incidence.


                It is a strong message portrayed by the 'burning man', one which should be told at least once to everyone so they can understand why there are new protests and revolutions in Africa. It is not because they decided they do not like their governments anymore, randomly one day, but because they have been suffering for decades with no hope for a future. The burning man is a shocking reminder of how desperate these people have become in order to get their governments to listen to them and also change their governments objectives to benefit the people. Enough is enough, and I hope that with all this effort, the people of these deprived nations will gain a government and lifestyle they deserve to live peacefully once again. The burning man will not have suffered and died for nothing.
                I hope you gain a better understanding of what the people throughout Africa are going through today.

Technical Difficulties

I don't know what went wrong with my last blog post but the words on the last half did not show up so here is the last part of my last blog... sorry my two followers

   An excerpt from Irish Times interviewed this young man's sister stating:"The cart had been his livelihood for years, as he could not find a job after finishing his education, his 19-year-old sister, Samia, explains. 'The whole family is unemployed . . . Mohamed’s dream was to buy a car – not for pleasure, but a van to help the family,' she says as we chat near the white stuccoed family home just outside town. 'He was always laughing. He liked his work a lot, despite his difficulties.'”


            It is evident that they are poor and depended on this young man to provide for them. When the police came to the street where his cart was set up, they took away his cart. Frustrated, the young man pleaded for them give back his cart if stopped selling his products on the street until he got a permit. The men ignored him and took the young man's only lively hood away from him. In desperation, the young man went to the governor's office to protest and plead for his cart. No one would listen let alone acknowledge him yelling in front of the building. In complete desperation, the young man took the gallon canister of gasoline he brought with him, poured it over his body, and set himself on fire to burn in front of the office. This was the last straw for the people; the start of a revolution - even though this was not the first violent protest which was evident against the government. The young man did not die there, he was hospitalized suffering  third degree burns all over his body. He died three weeks after the incidence.


                It is a strong message portrayed by the 'burning man', one which should be told at least once to everyone so they can understand why there are new protests and revolutions in Africa. It is not because they decided they do not like their governments anymore, randomly one day, but because they have been suffering for decades with no hope for a future. The burning man is a shocking reminder of how desperate these people have become in order to get their governments to listen to them and also change their governments objectives to benefit the people. Enough is enough, and I hope that with all this effort, the people of these deprived nations will gain a government and lifestyle they deserve to live peacefully once again. The burning man will not have suffered and died for nothing.
                I hope you gain a better understanding of what the people throughout Africa are going through today.

The Burning Man Revolution

            I myself, along with many other people who follow the news, wondered what started the radical rebellion in a majority of African countries. Well, I asked my parents, and after that I looked online to find any online articles for information to support the facts; what I found was shocking. Here's where the story begins... A young man who was born and raised in a small town near central Tunisia was working on the street selling food like he had for years. This was a common occupation for many men and their families in Tunisia, not by choice though. In Tunisia, and many other countries in Africa, dictatorships governing the nations have been depriving their people of almost all necessities to survive. Majority (and even more) of the population in Tunisia are simply dirt poor; they have nothing but their families; they work for hours upon hours just to have food at the end of the day. It's a lot different than how people in the U.S. live. The young man was no different than the majority of his people. Because all these people are so poor due to the corruption within their government, almost all food carts are set up without a permit; permits are expensive, and people have to move on from this law to make money. The dictator, Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali, had been in control of the country for over twenty-three years and sent many of his police officers to go into the streets to find any illegal events so more money can be collected for the government.

             An excerpt from Irish Times interviewed this young man's sister stating:
"The cart had been his livelihood for years, as he could not find a job after finishing his education, his 19-year-old sister, Samia, explains. 'The whole family is unemployed . . . Mohamed’s dream was to buy a car – not for pleasure, but a van to help the family,' she says as we chat near the white stuccoed family home just outside town. 'He was always laughing. He liked his work a lot, despite his difficulties.'”


            It is evident that they are poor and depended on this young man to provide for them. When the police came to the street where his cart was set up, they took away his cart. Frustrated, the young man pleaded for them give back his cart if stopped selling his products on the street until he got a permit. The men ignored him and took the young man's only lively hood away from him. In desperation, the young man went to the governor's office to protest and plead for his cart. No one would listen let alone acknowledge him yelling in front of the building. In complete desperation, the young man took the gallon canister of gasoline he brought with him, poured it over his body, and set himself on fire to burn in front of the office. This was the last straw for the people; the start of a revolution - even though this was not the first violent protest which was evident against the government. The young man did not die there, he was hospitalized suffering  third degree burns all over his body. He died three weeks after the incidence.


                It is a strong message portrayed by the 'burning man', one which should be told at least once to everyone so they can understand why there are new protests and revolutions in Africa. It is not because they decided they do not like their governments anymore, randomly one day, but because they have been suffering for decades with no hope for a future. The burning man is a shocking reminder of how desperate these people have become in order to get their governments to listen to them and also change their governments objectives to benefit the people. Enough is enough, and I hope that with all this effort, the people of these deprived nations will gain a government and lifestyle they deserve to live peacefully once again. The burning man will not have suffered and died for nothing.
                I hope you gain a better understanding of what the people throughout Africa are going through today.

ACT and SAT

            I just wanted to say that I am almost 100% against the ACT and SAT for many reasons. First I want anyone reading this post to know that I am NOT going on a rant because I did bad on the tests... I have not taken either one of them yet. I have opposed these two tests for quite some time now, actually. Here's why: one, the tests are made to trick you. Two, they do an extremely poor job in measuring who is intelligent and who is not as intelligent. Three, the restricted time and length is a little too unnecessary, and four, colleges rely to heavily upon these tests.

Explanations
One: It is a fact that the tests are made to trick you because it is stated at the beginning of all the ACT/SAT practice tests. In my opinion, why would it ever be a good idea to intentionally try and trick a student on a test? One that the student has never seen before, too?! I also don't understand why there are multiple right answers, but the student taking it is marked WRONG if they do not put the one the test makers put as the ultimate correct answer. So what the ACT/SAT is saying, is that a student will be punished for thinking on their own terms even if their reasoning is correct? Doesn't the IB Programme contradict this method of testing and oppose it?

Two: From point one, the scores on the tests do an extremely poor job of measuring who is intelligent and not intelligent. I personally know kids who do terrible in school, but get relatively high scores on their ACT, and vise versa. Even in booklets, the authors write that the test is faulty because you may be very intelligent, but a bad test taker, sick the day you take it, nervous, and therefore do bad, or run out of time which harms your score. It's a fluke to me.

Three: I'm all for having a time limit and broad number of questions to support that the student does or does not know what they are doing, but the really short time limit compared to the number of questions is a little ridiculous. I don't see why making kids rush as fast as they can to finish a test without reading it thoroughly is a good indication of their intelligence. Why not cut down the test so kids can decipher the questions and do better on the tests? Maybe that's too much to ask for...

Four: With all this frustration to how unreasonable these tests are, it is even more frustrating to know that colleges heavily rely on a students ACT/SAT scores to choose the right students to be accepted into their college. I would support these two tests much more if colleges looked at a students rating, class schedule, and overall academic performance before they looked at the ACT scores. It doesn't make sense, yet again, that one test is a better indication of a students intelligence and academic performance than their high school transcript.

As you can tell, I am against these tests (which are different than the OGTs - OGT is more reasonable and wants you to pass; although easy) and hope that someone will change it to better indicate someone's intelligence. In the mean time, I have to suck it up, study, and hope I don't get sick on test day.

Bee's are more Important than You Think

            Bee's, those pesky little flying insects that sting you if you get too close. Many people are scared of bee's and wish that they disappeared from their summer fun. Well, be careful what you wish for because that is starting to become true! For the past couple of years, bee's have dying in unusually large numbers; about 30% have died in the past four years! What importance does the bee population have to us? Well, it's a lot more important than not having honey. Actually, we one of every three bites of  food we eat has been pollinated by an insect, most commonly bees. Bees play such an important role in pollinating plants every year. It will become a dramatic and negative chain of events if this little insect dies out. If there are no bees, then there is nothing to pollinate the plants, efficiently. No pollination means no plants; no plants means no animals which originally ate the plants, thus, no animals or plants leads to no humans because we will have no source of food, eventually dying out. It might sound a little far fetched to you, but don't be fooled that human's are independent from all of natures cycles. In fact, Einstein's theory states that "within about four years, there would be no more food to sustain life anywhere on the planet, to pollinate orchards, pollinate everything out there...Without the bees, there is no life, there is no food to eat," so I guess we're going to get real hungry really soon without bees. It's a scary thought to believe that theoretically, bees can wipe out the whole human population within four years. Now, why are all these bees dying? Many scientists don't want to put the blame on one specific reason because there are other small factors which impact the bees, but the main reason they  have found is the pesticides farmers around the world have been putting on crops; these toxic pesticides to bees have been killing them when they go near fields of crops. It's a sad realization to understand that essentially, humans could be or are the downfall to our own population and the population of many other species. In East Asia, scientist's have been trying to find methods of pollinating plants by human means instead of relying on the bees. They have found that it is a physically tedious process which is very inefficient and if it was practiced to replace the bees, it would not be fast enough to keep up with the demand of food to sustain the human population. In the end, it is impressive to think that a little insect could impact our lives so much! Think twice about the bees and protect them to protect yourself!

Current Events Class Continued...

            Sorry, school ended, so I had to log off... but as I was saying, it is more likely that citizens who are able to participate in government issues are more likely to be active participants because they understand what is going on in the world and how it is impacting today/their future. Another good reason to have a current events class is so the people taking it understand why history is so important; the current issues that would be discussed about today have a history which explains why it's happening. For example, today there are huge issues in Egypt, Libya, and many other countries in Africa and the Middle East because of the rebellions over the ruling dictatorships. It is sad that a lot of students are not aware of what is going on around the world, and that some students did not hear about the U.S. sending missiles to Libya. We need to educate the generations who are going to run our country, and we should start by teaching them about important events today. Now, after students realize what is going on in these various countries, they usually do not understand why the U.S. should be worried or even be participating. Well, important events in history would specifically explain the U.S.'s ties with Egypt and how a rebellion might put the U.S. in danger of  losing an Allie (who also had good relations with Israel). Also, the class would inform kids of the various forms of government being practiced around the world, along with seeing first hand accounts of how it impacts its people. The ruthless dictatorships in the countries stated above show how dreadful the lives of these people are to be so desperate to rebel against the government. Sounds like a history class? Well, it's not because the class would focus on certain small or big events in history which only pertain to the subject being discussed about today's events.

            It would be almost impossible for this class to have text books, but an equally credible and effective source would be the newspaper and other informational texts including Times magazine and maybe some smaller more specific history books to support information. I cannot stress enough on how beneficial I think this class would be to future generations! I mean it's not only teaching kids about what's impacting their lives today, but it's making well rounded students because they are learning about history, math (example: national debt; why and how), science and technology, and other important subjects to understand. Science and technology would be another huge teaching point in the class because it is one, important and two, interesting to see all of the new advancements of the world. Today, while reading the newspaper, I read that in China scientists have started to genetically modify cows to produce milk more similar to humans; this creates milk more nutrient rich for us and improve our health. Learning about this gets me, and probably other students, thinking about others ways to invent things which can improve the society of tomorrow. That might never happen if I never learned that piece of information.

            Overall, I can go on and on about how beneficial and interesting a current events class would be to take in school, but I have go and do other homework, so if this class does not take off anytime soon, read the newspaper and be an active thinker in the world today because you don't know how it might impact you tomorrow.

Current Events Class

            English, math, science, and history are all core classes which is a requirement to in order to graduate. I agree that all of these classes are very important for young adults to learn and grow from, but I believe that an additional requirement class should be added to the list. A current events class would benefit students for many reasons. First and foremost, it would teach the upcoming generations about what is actually going on in the world around us; students who are more educated about political, social, and economical affairs are most likely to be active members in their government. I feel that many new members of society

Unplanned Vacations

           I have become a random person in my thoughts and actions to a certain extent for two reasons. One, I'm a little bit of an odd person and never know what is going to happen in the future, so why make plans? Two, my parents indirectly raised me to be this type of person. I say indirectly because I have observed this characteristic mostly when we are on vacation. Most families plan their vacations in a least a month in advance; they know what they're doing, what/where their hotel is, and many other "little" details which are present when planning a vacation. My family is not ordinary, and I know that many people say this, but in my case it's true. When we take a vacation, we usually don't know if or where we're going until about a week in advance. One vacation specifically, I thought we were going to a beach in South Carolina, but we ended up taking a road trip to the  Grand Canon. The plan was to go to as many destinations as we could across five states - Utah, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado. We found hotels as we traveled. We went into towns to eat at local restaurants. We traveled before the sun rose and got back long after it set. Basically we went where the wind took us.

             I know it sounds crazy to most people, but I wouldn't trade these experiences for anything. I love traveling like this because it's an adventure everyday, the opposite of my routine life. I like the idea of really experiencing what the culture or area is like, completely, all long as you can everyday. Why go on a vacation to sit in the hotel or at a pool? I don't understand why people spend all that time and money traveling when can they can do that at home.

            Great experiences have come from randomness, including one night traveling within Utah's National Park in Bryce. One night after going into the park and other attractions, we heard that a group of astronomers were having an event for the public. Curious, we went and found that a whole area filled with telescopes and wires which were being viewed by the community. It was great; I saw and learned so much, including the experience of seeing a star dying and learning about how it dies from a professional astronomer, while looking in a 10,000 dollar telescope (which I almost broke when tripping over the cord as I left). This, like many other examples make my vacations so memorable and I it makes me more appreciative of how spontaneous life can be. If you still don't understand what I'm trying to say, here it is: be open to adventure. Go out of your comfort zone because you never know where it can take you.; remember that the experiences of life are in your hands.  

             It has become a habit for me to log on to our class blog page then stop, think, and wonder what I will write about this time. Whether I know a topic to write about or not I always tend to look at all the other blogs people have posted. A half and hour later, I realize that I could have written a couple blogs myself and checked it off my list for a little bit. (Even though blogging is suppose to be a lifestyle.) Then, I say, "oh man... I guess I have to blog the next chance I get," and go on to do other homework. Today I unknowingly did the same routine, but while contemplating my topic I realized that I learn as much or more from reading others blogs than I do writing them. Yes, writing your thoughts and opinions is very important for helping you grow, plus it's therapeutic, but I feel that reading different opinions and insights help you grow by teaching you be open minded. Also, it expands your knowledge of a certain topic and reminds you to be more optimistic in life. I just read a blog about how our society tends to only focus on getting from point A to point B, not the journey in between. The message was to remind you that we are here on this earth to enjoy life and not rush through it; cherish every moment you have and live life not only for yourself, but for the genuine good of the world. This blog is an example of why I love to read them for so long. It inspires me to write so I can help someone else grow as well as myself. Ultimately, I learn how to be a better person by accepting others opinions, learning something here and there, and reflecting on personal experiences which connect to the bloggers message. Even if I might fall a little behind on my blogging, I'm okay with it because I'm learning from others along the way.

Today is not Far from the Past

          While watching Jeopardy with the guest opponent Watson and recently talking in Biology about how our technology in medicines is still behind, I came to thinking about how our present day, our modern day, will the be the past of tomorrow. All of our technology will look barbaric and our lifestyles will be a thing of the past when we are older! It was only in 1928 when the first television came onto the market and  then the computer was placed on the market in 1982. Personally, I know people in say that when they were in college, they were researching, learning, and programming how to make a button or tab work as a link on computers. To me that seems so long ago, but it was really during my parents youth, so what will my kids say about the new technology I have today? What will be the new way to hold music? Can laptops be get any thinner? Will touch screens be an irrational idea?
         I hope technology is more focused and involved in medical research rather than entertainment; one because kids need to stop staring at monitors all day making their brains turn to mush, and two, we should be capable to cure many conditions which we are dealing with irrationally, including radiation therapy for cancer patients. It is sad that with all of our entertainment technology increasing constantly, our medical technology is lacking. I hope when I'm old, I can tell my grandchildren about how hard I had it with the limited amount of technology I lived with as a kid. I mean honestly, my grandparents lived without electricity (and shoes) when they grew up!

Hoy, soldados tienen que llevar cargas como grande tan ochenta y cinco libras mientras luchando enemigos.  También hoy, una mujer paralizada tiene treinta y dos años no ha caminado nunca en su vida.  Qué tienen una mujer paralizada y un soldado en común?  Ambos personas usan un exosqueleto.  En Los Estados Unidos, hay seis millón americanos paralizados.  El exosqueleto pesa cincuenta libras, pero distribuye el peso igualmente,  así el soldado no siente el peso. Era inventado para los soldados de militares, pero  se descubrieron que puede ayudarlo personas paralizadas. La urgencia de acción es inmediatamente porque la invención es necesaria para serles eficiente en combate a los soldados. También, las personas paralizadas lo necesitan inmediatamente para vivir una vida normal. Una acción necesaria es apoyar la construcción de esta invención por donando dinero a Berkeley Bionics. Los inventores de exosqueleto son Berkeley Bionics. Una ventaja de esta invención es el exosqueleto ayudará la gente paralizada y los soldados. Otro ventaja es el exosqueleto ayudará llevar cosas pesados para los soldados.  İPuede llevar como máximo 200 libras! Aunque muy útil, una desventaja es el exosqueleto es carísimo y voluminoso.  En nuestra opinión, el exosqueleto es una invención que puede cambiar las vidas de muchas personas.  A personas paralizadas, la invención logrará sus sueños de andar.  Y a los soldados es una invención puede salvar sus vidas un día. Donando dinero a Berkeley Bionics para investigar materiales baratos es una solución rebajar el precio y la  investigación lo hará pese menos. En muchos años, el exosqueleto será popular y más barato.  También, dentro de diez años todos personas palizadas habrán comprado un exosqueleto o los médicos se lo habrán dado a pacientes.  Hasta, muchas personas usarán el exosqueleto.

No habla español? Es un problema para mi blog. 

Learning Along the Way

               I feel like a normal kid for once. I don't care when I do my homework and I don't mind if I bomb a test... this craziness has been going on for over a month! I think there are a lot problems with this mind set in the middle of my junior year, but I can't help it; I really enjoy feeling a balance within my life due to this change.
        Don't get me wrong, I still care about my grades, I'm just not grade crazy anymore. (I mean come on, I'm not that stupid to start failing all my classes.) If anyone is trying to unlock this secret, I have some ideas that might help.

   1. Know the consequences for you're actions. If you feel like you didn't prepare for a test then don't be crushed with your grade. Accept your actions, learn from them, and move on.
   2. All you can do is 'show them what you know'. There's only so much you can do, so don't be too hard on yourself for only being human; just try your best!
   3. Realize that in 20 years you're not going to remember what you got on that test in biology, math, or English, but the experiences you had with your classmates and friends. Make some time to enjoy being young.

I hope my realization of school and grades has helped someone out because it really isn't as stressful as it seems to be.

Art

             If art is defined by a form of self expression, then why do students or starving artists care so much about impressing others? Students conform to their teachers likes and dislikes in order to impress them and get good grades. (of course not everyone does this!) I always think that art should not be a graded class based on skill level because it is subjective whether a piece of art is good or not. Art should be graded only on work ethic through out the course and improvement. I take art because it is my form of self expression, and I want to grow as an artist. I feel everyone needs art in their life even if their not good at it because it can really clear your mind of stress or a clouded thought that you need to get out of you head. Even though grades are important to me, I tell everyone to take art past Art 1, even if they are not good, because it teaches you about yourself. It teaches you how express yourself through the medium, the style, the composition, and the story of your art work which is a nice outlet to the stressful world. In the end, take art for yourself, and not others.

Is it Normal To...

              Is it normal to go to the grocery store, buy a full cart of food, and then while at the register, start bagging the groceries yourself to make it go faster? I honestly want to know if others do this or not because I always did when I got around the age of twelve, and still do it today as my sister did as well. I am curious to see because the other day I was with my mother at Marc's, and we had a full shopping cart with other people waiting in line behind us. As the pile grew bigger on the other side of the cast register, I decided to start bagging them to speed up the process. The cashier was in her middle ages, so she had clearly been working for many years, seeing various types of people. After I was bagging them, she thanked me many times and said that was very nice of me to help her out. I didn't think it was that uncommon to help some one so I didn't think much of it.

             Yesterday, my mother was complaining about how she waited in line at the grocery store for over a half hour because this couple at the cash register had two shopping carts of food, and did not even think of bagging their own groceries. I felt like it was rude of those people to make others wait out of their own laziness. Was it below then to help others out? Then, I wondered if anyone else does it; I remembered that most people try to help when they are at Sam's Club, but I don't recall anyone doing at local grocery stores. I'm not saying that you should do it every time you by some milk, or a few bags worth of food, but why don't people help out one another to make things easier?

2 Hour Delays

               My nightmare became reality today at 8:16 AM. The sun was shining through my window as I was peacefully asleep in my room. I woke up from the light as I always do because I use the sun as my alarm clock on days off of school. I said to myself, "Oh wait, I have finals today," and looked at my clock to see how early it was. My clock read 8:09 AM. My heart skipped a beat; I then checked my phone clock and my iPod clock to see if it was a mistake... it was not. I walked down into the kitchen and told my mom that I had midterms today and that I am missing one right now. You could say I was acting a little upset. She then told me with no emotion that there was a two hour delay.

                            UGH.

               Okay. I guess it is better to have a two hour delay, which backs up my studying for tomorrow's tests, than to miss one of my midterms on the first day. I do not like two hour delays. Two hour delays DELAY the stress and cause me blog at 8:00 in the morning, which will probably be the best part of my day! Now I can say I have lived one of the nightmares of an IB student. (well, for about ten minutes at least)

Memory Loss is Cured?

                I recently read an article about this new "miracle supplement" called IQ-150 Memory Support. It claims to enhance concentration and reaction time, improve blood flow to the brain, boost mental energy and cognitive clarity, and it is rich in antioxidants to promote brain health. A high bar to set for this new pill in my opinion; obviously, I am skeptical and doubtful of this pill, as I am with almost all supplements. The news channel reporter, who wrote this article, was also skeptical, yet tested the supplement to see if it really worked or if it was all hype. After one week the reporter was amazed about how mentally interactive she was throughout the day. She also stated that it was not troublesome throughout the night because she was continually sleeping better. After four weeks of taking IQ-150 Memory Support, she absolutely had no doubts about how great this supplement was with no consequences. In her article she states, "I was in the best mental state of my life... I will continue to use the product indefinitely!" Under the article she recommends viewers to order it through the Channel 23 News website, and to leave comments.

           It was funny to read some of the comments because people were posting things like, "I'm 73 years old and living like I'm 20! I wish IQ-150 was around when I was younger! " Even though a news channel supports it and many people commented on its positive effects towards their memory, I would not take this supplement. I would not take it because it was recently released to the public, and I do not believe in taking medicative supplements unless absolutely necessary. I think that most medicative supplements do more harm than help to the body, and it does not seem natural or safe to take memory supplements. I personally would not take them, but I think it's interesting to see how medicine is evolving to enhance our minds and bodies.

Memories

           Have you ever walked into a room and suddenly remembered something from a long time ago? Have you ever smelled something that made you think of someone you have not met in years?

           The mind fascinates me to a point of obsession and frustration. It is so fascinating how the mind is capable of retaining and recalling knowledge and memory while controlling the body constantly. Studies have proved that we only use about ten percent of our brains ability. TEN PERCENT. Could you even imagine how human life would be if we were able to use one hundred percent of our brains? The impossibles of the world would become possible; anything could happen because the mind is such a powerful and complex organ. Now, to get back to the original questions above... I am amazed how a scent in the air, an old tune, or an action or object can stimulate the mind to remember something. For example, the other day a student teacher walked into the office and sat next to me. I could smell her perfume faintly, and literally three seconds later I imagined I was in my second grade classroom with my old teacher Mrs. H. I was never close to my teachers when I was younger, especially Mrs. H, so it was extremely odd how I could clearly remember who she was at that moment. I realized that the student teacher's perfume smelled exactly like the perfume my second grade teacher wore to school everyday; just from that hint of perfume I recalled a forgotten memory in my life. This is only one of the many stories I have heard and even experienced where an ordinary variable in life can trigger a memory from deep inside the mind. I am excited to see what kind of developments researchers will find to unlock even more of the minds amazing abilities!

                

Oh to be Young Again...

              I am awlays hearing adults saying, 'if only I was twenty-three, again' or 'if I was your age' or 'when I was eighteen I was doing this, this, and this'. I sigh everytime someone starts off a lecture or conversation like that, but it's not because they are rambling on. I sigh because most adults (ones without children, mostly) do not realize how different expectations and society are towards teens and young adults. Now, if you really want to be successful in life, it's not just about going to college anymore. You are expected to be at the top of your class, while donating all of your time to help others, and become well rounded before you graduate high school. While talking to my fellow friend, Sam, I realized that it has been non-stop work since August. We still have one and a half more years of this, then we get rewarded with at least four years of college. Further, we go to our jobs which will probably be rewarding, yet stressful for most of our lives. We both realized that our time off will be when we are sixty years old and retired, if we save our money correctly. Woo! I cannot wait until I am sixty years old and free!

              My reasoning for looking at the glass as half empty is that I would not particularly want to go back and stay in this constant work era of my life. I would rather go back to where I was successful and most happy. I guess that's why adults say they wished they were young again, but my arguement is that their memories of being young are much more different than what teenagers will have today. With four teenagers, my mother says that she would not want to be a kid or young adult at this time. She really understands how driven a sixteen and seventeen year old must be to keep up with the standards in the competitive world. Would I change my mind and take the easy route if I could? No, I strive for challenge, but I am also a sixteen year old who misses the free time I once enjoyed. All I am asking is for adults to think twice about how times have changed for teenagers, and to stop rambling on about how great things were years ago when now things have 'changed'. (meaning times are worse now than before)  

Doors.

             Every day, all of us walk in and out of doors to go through buildings and houses. One day, I was going into the building where I play soccer, and a father with two children were walking out; they were already outside before I got to the door. Next, I expected the father to walk out to his car with his kids and that would be the normal interaction between two strangers. Instead, the father took a little extra time to hold the door open for me to walk through. I was suprised, smiled, and said thank you very much. He nodded and walked into the parking lot with his children. I then stopped and realized how nice it was for someone to do that! Then I also considered why it was so suprising for someone to do that? I mean was it not always taught to be courteous and hold the door for others? Why don't people do such a simple act of kindness everyday?

           The next day, I took that man's act of kindness and started holding doors for people. I noticed that many people seemed suprised, yet thanked me as I had done to that man. It's sad really, how suprising it for the public to witness someone using good manners toward others. I hope that at least one person who I was kind to, returned the favor to another stanger somewhere else. I hope that a chain reaction of kindness has been started and will never end within society because of that father's kindness towards me. Society has been so closed off, rude, and ignorant for far too long. I challenge you change this opinion by changing yourself, and the way you present yourself towards others because in the end, that is what makes a happy life. I feel good about myself for the way I treat others, even if it is as simple as holding the door open or asking how someone has been. No, I am not gaining anything in the short run by doing this, but later I can look back and not think of myself as a rude, self-absorbed person. So, my final thought about a simple act of kindness is much more than simple; to change the negatives in the world, one must start by changing the negatives of themselves through little acts of kindness.