Senior Reflection #3

So, high school. When you're in middle school it's glorious; it's freedom, shiny and new. A liberation from the fascist rule of the middle school administration. Then you get here. Yeah, you can drive and park (it'll cost you $200). You still have no rights, nothing's changed there. Sports are still political, duh. And your classes are hard as three day old dog crap. Yet, there is something sweet about saying "I'm in high school," when you're 14. Now that I'm 18, and I've spent four years here, I'm ready for college. Even though I'm not that excited for college, anything beats this crazy place I've been.

Senior Reflection #2

This summer I'm traveling to France. I'm going with my parents, and we'll be there for two weeks. We stay in Paris for a week, in an apartment in the first. We'll be steps away from the Louvre. The apartment is on a pedestrians-only plaza, filled with cafes and little shops. We're going to visit museums and eat food and drink wine. It's going to be a lovely week. The second week is split between Tours and Bordeaux. In Tours, we'll be visiting chateaux and gardens. We're planning on taking a hot-air balloon ride over the chateaux one morning. In Bordeaux, we're staying in an apartment above a wine shop. Here we are eating and drinking; that's it. I'm super happy I got my camera, a Canon Rebel T3i before we left. I'll be taking many, many photos.

Senior Reflection #1

I'm really pissed about college. In my opinion, I got totally screwed by admissions offices. For three years I was told if I worked hard, I would be rewarded. Know what? I kind of wasn't. Yeah, yeah people can say JMU is a great school all they want, but we know better. I'm thankful to be able to afford college, but I know I'm better than JMU. It almost kills me that no one else thinks I'm not. This whole experience has made me really unenthusiastic for college, but just happy that I'm getting out of high school.

Current Event #4

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/a-local-life-dick-wolf-79-fought-for-preservation-on-capitol-hill/2012/06/02/gJQAaWXm9U_story.html I don't know if anyone has ever done an obituary before, but here it goes. Dick Wolf was a community and historic activist on Capitol Hill. Mr. Wolf protested and lobbied for the collective interests of neighborhoods, developed neighborhoods, and got to know the people in his community. Wolf attended the University of Michigan, and then went to Yale Law School. He worked for NASA in the litigation department, until his retirement in 1998. After he retired, Wolf devoted his life to preserving historic homes and buildings. He was never mentioned on TV or in the papers, but did all the dirty work behind the scenes. He did the real work; the phone calls, the testifying, the research, the policy work, the arguing. He did real work and got real results. A new community built in South East had been issued a single-set of community boxes, Mr. Wolf was outraged. He made an appointment with the Postmaster General; the decision was reversed within the week. Among individual post boxes, Wolf argued for the preservation of homes, community outreach. He served as president on the Capitol Hill Restoration Society and won the Community Achievement Award of the Capitol Hill Community Foundation. Wolf had a tremendous impact on the neighborhood of Capitol Hill and fought for what he believed in. I was attracted to this article mainly because Mr. Wolf preserved historic buildings and homes. Living in a historic home, I realize and appreciate the value and hardship of his efforts.

How to Spot a Meth Lab and What To Do When You Find One

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-buzz/post/how-to-spot-a-meth-lab--and-what-to-do-if-you-find-one/2012/06/05/gJQAKiCqFV_blog.html Written by Maggie Fazeli Fard, this article discusses meth labs; how to find them and what to do when you realize your neighbors are cooking up a concoction of cold medicine, drain cleaner, acetone, chloroform, and battery acid. Meth comes in a white and powdery form, or a clear crystal form. Meth labs are oftentimes discovered when there is an explosion or fire during the production process; 15% of labs are discovered this way. Labs will often emit strange odors like nail polish remover or rotten eggs. There are a lot of miscellaneous glass bottles laying around, or they're labeled with acid names or have rubber tubing. If there is an unusually large amount of kerosene, paint thinner, starter fluid, or lithium batteries around, you might have a meth lab on your hands. If that's the case, do NOT touch a thing. Don't turn on any electrical switches or light any matches. Don't open anything up or smell anything. Immediately call the authorities; they'll handle it. It's also safe to have your kids running around because cops never shoot into meth labs; they might blow them up. Just kidding. This article was extremely informative. I'm thrilled to know I'm equipped with the knowledge to properly handle a meth lab emergency.

Current Event #2

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/nest-smart-thermostat-to-be-sold-in-apple-retail-stores/2012/05/30/gJQAL0ex1U_story.html This article, featured on the Washington Post website via VentureBeat.com, features a new thermostat system, Nest smart thermostat, produced by former Apple employees. The thermostat is very easy to use; it's layout and mechanics are similar to that of other Apple products. The Nest also learns the daily patterns of your household and adapts the system to them. When you leave in the morning, Nest turns off, and when you come home, your house is already heated. Of course, Nest can be operated remotely with an app installable on your iPhone or iPad. It also suggests improvements to save you money, like lowering your thermostat one degree will save you $20 a month. Nest is part of a connected-home-system, but other companies such as Honeywell have sued on patent infringement. Nest will be sold in the US and Canada for $249, online and in Lowes stores. I like this article because the Nest thermostat is energy efficient. I hope systems like this start to sell well in America because they would save a lot of money and energy for everyone.

Current Event #1

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/post/jubilee-envy--time-for-an-american-monarchy/2012/06/05/gJQAc8IWGV_blog.html This article, by Alexandra Petri, discusses the possibility of an American monarch. Mainly, this article focuses on the recent Diamond Jubilee of the Queen and the empty feelings American's get when they look across the pond at all the fun the Brits are having with their Monarchs. Would a royal family "work" in America? It would certainly criticize the apparent nonchalantness a political candidate is supposed to have. Why order a fine French wine when you'd "prefer" a Bud? Unfortunately, a royal family would never fit in with American society. Who would we chose anyway? Certainly not the Kardashians nor the Palins; we need role models here, not train wrecks. The royal family would be closely observed, perhaps too closely, criticized just like any other celebrities, and on the whole disliked by America because of our values. We uphold the Constitution and parade around in our costumes of equal rights. A royal family could never fit in, but we like it that way. Sometimes, it's nice to only have a taste. There can be too much of a good thing. I liked this article a lot. The sarcastic tone and subject matter really appealed to me. The idea of a monarchy with all the pomp and celebration and frivolity is a nice change from the hum-drum American life we all lead. Everyone likes a little party every once and a while, but frankly, a monarchy would almost be anarchy.

Current Event #5

http://www.economist.com/node/21547282

This article discusses the upcoming elections in Mexico. A woman, Josefina Vázquez, has been nominated for the first time as a candidate for a major political party, PAN. This is a big step towards women's rights in general in Mexico. Most women don't vote on a regular basis, if at all, and hopefully this upcoming election will spur them to take action and vote. The other two major political parties, PRI and PRD both nominated a male candidate. These two candidates are very unpopular because of their lack of knowledge about regular life in Mexico. For Ms. Vázquez to win, she needs female voters to practice their right to vote. They have over a quarter of seats in the state's congress. Brazil elected a female president with less women in their legislative body. Can Mexico do it too?

Current Event #whatever.. I forgot

http://www.economist.com/node/21548949

This article discusses the growing dissent in Russia concerning President Putin and his continuing autocratic rule. He was president before, then having served his previous two consecutive terms, he transfered power to Demitri Medvedev, and now Putin is taking the presidency back. There have been grumblings in Russia and open protests against Putin's methods of keeping power (fixed elections, packing crowds for events, and restricting press).
Russians feel discouraged about their current political process and current political state. Few feel up to the challenge of opposing Putin. Finding candidates to run against him is incredibly difficult, and few Russians take them seriously. The present and growing discontent could possibly lead to an ousting from power, but it's not likely.
The rise of the new middle class in Russia leads the feelings of discontent behind Putin. Additionally, Russians on the whole feel disillusioned and unhappy with corruption of the bureaucracy and the oligarchy of business moguls. Some think Putin has not lived up to his promises, and are tiring with his antics and relentless quest for absolute control. Putin ignores requests for free elections and continues doing things his way, and only his way.
Protesters are reorganizing after an unpromising reelection of Putin, but no concrete outcome is certain.

Current Event #3

http://www.economist.com/node/21543532

This article from the Economist discusses the reversing trends of London's demographics. In many places like America, Australia, Italy, and Spain people are getting older; the countries are "graying". This has put a heavy burden on industries that cater to elderly folk like nursing homes, health care, and pension systems.

Lately, in London, there has been a resurgence of births. These births don't greatly outnumber the deaths, but the concentration of births is making London bigger, disproportionately so with the rest of Britain. This shift in demographics has put strain on the education system, the National Health System, both which are struggling to begin with. The money that is going to these two systems now, has been taken from other vital projects, mainly infrastructure.

Current Event #2

http://www.economist.com/node/21547243
In this article, Syria and its continuing protests, unrest, and violence is in the spotlight. Syria's president, Bashar Assad, has many advantages. His military forces will readily kill their own people, they're more loyal and organized, and unified. The only way to defeat Assad is to unify the rebel forces, get the West involved, and create a safe haven for refugees. Also, the West would not dare interfere before Assad's forces are weakened and for that to happen, Russia and China have to back down.
Personally, the fact that the violence in Syria has gone on for this long is ridiculous. The West needs to step in and intervene as soon as possible and workable because the longer we wait, the more people die.

Current Event #1

http://www.economist.com/node/21543199
Nigeria sits on one of the biggest oil reserves in the world, which is basically the only thing that keeps them on the map. In the past, the Nigerian government has funded a fuel subsidy to keep prices low. But this subsidy has put the brakes on new infrastructure projects and a fueled a fuel mafia. While most Nigerians do not own cars or generators, the subsidy cut has raised prices on everything: bus fares, food, and almost everything else.
Since the announcement that the government was going to cancel the subsidy, protests have swept the nation. Nigerians are protesting the rise in fuel prices that will help them in the long run, make things extremely difficult in the present. In response to the protests, President Jonathan has revoked his former statement and has promised instead a partial subsidy to cover a little more than half. While this has quelled protests for now, Nigeria still has a long way to go to balance their mafia problems and citizens requests.
Perhaps if Nigeria could find a way to compensate for the subsidy price in a new corporate oil tax, they could abolish the subsidy and have money leftover to improve their countries infrastructure and well-being.

Question of the Week #6

It's still pretty hard to believe that this time next year I'll be in college (you know, hopefully, if all goes well). Even though senior year has been long, and I'm not even done, it's been good. I've worked really freaking hard, probably harder than I ever have before, and I hope it shows. I'm so grateful to be done soon, because honestly, I just want to go to college and get on with my life.

Current Event #6

http://www.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.3445575.1326321533!/httpImage/image.jpg
This cartoon by Walt Handelsman is a depiction of a news reporter who is absolutely shocked that the economy is indeed improving. He's reporting that the unemployment rate is falling (currently 8.5% of the labor force) and that consumer confidence is on the rise. He's so shocked he has to read the report twice. I think this cartoon is meant to really enforce the fact that our economy is indeed improving despite doubt and shy stepping. Handelsman is displaying his shock through his work with this cartoon.

Question of the Week #5

I think the GOP candidate will be Mitt Romney. It's not that other candidates don't have support, but that Romney has an organized campaign set up where as others do not. He can successfully manage a strong national campaign, a strong point where his fellow nominees have been lacking. Also, some Republican voters think he is the only candidate that has a serious chance of beating President Obama. I think that if Mitt Romney wins New Hampshire, the GOP will have it's nominee.

Current Event #5

http://www.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.3433656.1325880963!/httpImage/image.jpg
In this cartoon Walt Handelsman portrays two New Hampshirites warming their hands with a space heater/ Newt Gingrich. Handelsman is suggesting that Newt is so angry about New Hampshire, that he is boiling and potentially heat up his surroundings. Gingrich is reading a paper that says "Mitt UP, Newt DOWN". This cartoon features the recent trends in GOP voting of certain candidates surging, then losing support. Since Newt Gingrich was endorsed by the Union Leader, a conservative New Hampshire newspaper, and Mitt Romney's poll numbers are predicting a decisive victory, this is especially embarrassing for him.