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She just yelled, "I don't need HAir!"

Patricia has allot of issues she needs to settle. I think that allot of the problems stem from home. She is extremely hostile and for a reason that is beyond my knowledge she LOVES to pic out imperfections from everyone around her; I think it's a counter jealousy affect.  

at the moment she is writing something called, "please don't be mad if you don't see Katherine at graduation"
Truth is she is just mad that although things stand in my way from not always being in school everyday all my work is done and I can always pull my grade off.

She is currently wearing beige knee high boots; a lime green pair of sweat pants and a purple adida's zip up jacket/ sweater thing that is zipped all the way to her neck... what lies underneath is UNKNOWN. She is sporting pined up "curls" and a $22 dark tan bag she bought from the thrift store. Most likely along with the rest of her outfit. OBViOuSLY something is wrong.
Sad.

Sooo I just wanted to dedicate this blog post as a congratulatory note to my awesome English teacher; Zacharcy Chase. You have made me proud. Well in a student-teacher kind of way. I was happy when I heard the news. :] Still am!

I heard her cough from upstairs.

The only thing that went through my mind was, "Die already, die."

A vulnerable species is an organism that is on the brink of being extinct. When they go extinct, they stay that way. However, we humans ignore this fact. We focus on the temporary positive effects of killing animals for their desirables. Yet, we are blind to the long-term consequences of this practice. The time has come to dig deeper into this major issue.

            This tradition began in the early days of human occupancy on Earth. Animals were required for food and clothing. Yet, the difference is that at that time we only took what we needed. We killed living creatures only when it was required. This was because we lacked the technology to simply pull a trigger to kill a specimen. Each slaughter at that time meant sharpening spears, gaining momentum, grouping together, and a higher risk of failing. This very fail could in fact be fatal. Thus, we avoided these risks as often as possible.

            Today, humans take the necessary amount and more. Many would think that there isn’t really a problem because the main source is from an abundant species. One of the most widely used animal products is leather. It is believed by some that leather comes exclusively from cows: an animal that is thought of as being less by a large population. But, this is misleading. Some leather is also made from the threatened zebra, among others. It is clear that the zebra is what one would call a “favorite animal”. Yet, the companies that produce them don’t express this. Their one priority is to make more money.

            As horrid as that may seem to the already threatened animal species, it get’s much worse. There are consequences to those that manufacture the goods. Although leather makers often claim that their products are “eco-friendly”, the process of tanning it stabilizes the protein fibers. This results in the biodegrading process actually stopping. Along with this, today animal skin is turned into leather with a combination of dangerous substances. This included formaldehyde, coal-tar derivatives, and different types of oils. To make the bad even worse, the resulting waste usually contains chromium. The Environmental Protection Agency claims that all wastes containing this substance are hazardous.

            But, it doesn’t end here. There is more harm done to the environment. In order to make the pastures that contain the animals being bred for their skins, trees must be cut down. That means less oxygen for we humans. In fact, the dairy itself is harmful to the environment. A recent study found that a single cow released nineteen pounds of volatile organic compounds a year, surpassing the amount of smog made by cars and trucks.

            At this point, one must realize that a change is required. We humans must sacrifice a temporary pleasure for a lasting one. One possible solution to this conflict is using an alternative. Instead of leather, one can use cotton, linen, or rubber. Although these efforts do indeed increase the chance of a species survival, only time will tell if even this option is too little, too late.

What do you see?

​Sometimes I feel like people don't understand why I love the show "Spongebob Squarepants". Most people this the show is dumb. Others say it is "gay". Me I say this show is one of a kind. I can watch this show all day and never get tired of it. Yes some of the story lines are corny and don't make sense, but it is a fun show. It's fun to watch and fun to talk about.
Like the one character on the show named Squidward Tentacles. I can always talk about him because I think he is the funniest character. He is just always mad at the world and gets annoyed do easily. He as the craziest laugh, I love to imitate it.
Then you have Patrick Star. He is the second funniest character on the show. He is Spongebob's best friend. He plays the role of the stupid character. He says the craziest things and his laugh is also funny as well. I just love him. I'm sure I'll be watching this show at the age of 30. I can't get enough of it. 

When since I was little, I would wake up as early as 5:30 am to begin my day, which mainly consisted of watching television or playing video games. I would go to sleep at around 11:30 pm and repeated the same process. I rarely slept and I was never a heavy sleeper. My uncles whom were 16 and 17 when I was 10 years old would sleep until 10 or 11 o' clock am and I would always wonder why they would do so. I would always wake them up around 8 am just because and ended up getting slapped, pushed, or punched by one of them. I never understood why they would do that, back then. Now, I understand 110% why they would hit me if I would have awaken them. Since I'm older, I look forward to sleeping each and everyday, sleeping has become my favorite activity. When ever one of my siblings, or anyone in that matter would wake me up, I could feel the anger and my blood pressure rise because they actually would stop me from sleeping. I just think that's the most annoying thing they could do. I don't know why I'm so obsessed with sleeping, but words can't explain how much I love it.

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Reflection

So after school today I went to my mother's job to volunteer for Isaiah Thomas' campaign. After about 2 hours of making facebook post, calling companies for donations, and writing my opinion about the campaign my mother and I went finally went home. While driving down my block me and my mom were talking everything and I completely forgot about the mailbox. When we pulled up to the house my mom and I stopped and looked the mailbox and then looked at each other, we both knew. We continued talking until she finished parking, and then I got out of the car and headed straight for the mailbox. For some reason I had a feeling, like today was the day. The mailbox was completely closed so I was expecting the worse. When I opened it, there it was. A big white envelope that said "Hobart and Williams Smith Colleges", I damn near ripped that thing open with my teeth. I pulled out a blue and green folder that said "Classes of 2015". I went streaming down the steps to my mom, "I got in! I got in!" I love that mailbox :)

          I started the first session of mentoring for my capstone today. I have been setting dates, schedules and plans for weeks. I had to wait about an hour after my arrival at the school to meet the five girls that I am mentoring. One of the after school teachers—or whatever title fits their role—warned me, “They are a handful.” I listened to her advice, but I figured they would not expose that mischievous side in my presence. We entered the “mentoring room” and the girls immediately asked, “What school [do] you go to?” and ”What grade [are] you in?” along with ninety-nine other questions. I decided to make the first meeting an introductory session i.e. explanation of my plan and what they should expect. The girls wrote down questions, comments, and concerns they have and want to discuss. When I asked questions one of them was sure to ask me another. Surprisingly I was not frustrated. When I left I did not expect them to have written questions and concerns that would help me assist them, but they did. There are some grammatical errors and some questions that I can’t answer, but the content is helpful. I look forward to meeting with the girls again and successfully mentoring them.

Sophia Henninger

Op Ed

Big Business and Inventions

When you were growing up, didn’t you think by 2011 we’d live like the Jetsons? Didn’t you think we’d be beyond worrying about trivial things like what fuels our cars and homes? Of course not! But in 2011, we still worry deeply about what fuels our cars. Why? Even though we don’t have basic things like flying cars; we have things like microscopic computer processors. We have the technology to solve this problem, so where are the 1000mpg cars? Oh, they’re here but they’re not welcome. 

Though we have the technology for 1000+ mpg cars, they have yet to be seen on the public market. Maybe it’s just because no major car companies have produced them. That makes sense, I guess. But now Ford Motors has created a 300mpg electric/hydrogen hybrid and I don’t know about you but I haven’t seen any on the roads. The car is standard size and can go up to 85mph. It runs on a lithium battery until it depletes to 40%, once it hits this point it switches to a hydrogen powered fuel cell and with this change goes from 25mpg to 280mpg. Pretty neat, huh? But I still don’t see any. That’s probably because oil companies have made it just about impossible for any car that runs over 60mpg to be commercially produced. 

In the past, people have claimed to have invented cars that run 1000mpg, cars that run on water, and just about everything else. Most of these claims can obviously be seen as propaganda but a few claims do seem plausible. There is one claim of a water-powered car(it’s more like a dune-buggy but for the sake of the argument) by Stan Meyer. It achieved an amazing 100mpg but never became popular due to Meyer’s somewhat suspicious brain aneurysm at 57 years old. There are many theories that say oil companies ordered him assassinated, though that is unlikely, the fact is he created a water-powered vehicle that worked. That means we have the technology and it isn’t being used. 

The list goes on and on about other people who have invented things like 2000mpg cars and simple, emission-less, energy that have supposedly been killed by big time energy companies. These claims are probably propaganda but that doesn’t change the fact that even if the inventors death wasn’t the fault of the companies, they certainly benefitted from it. If these people hadn’t died or been put into jail, the companies would be in jeopardy of losing billions upon billions of dollars and in the past, companies like this have shown that they will do anything for another dollar and will go very far to do it. 

So whether these inventions are publicly available is due the the inventors misfortunes or companies preventing them from getting there or not, the truth is the technology to make them exists. This technology is available and we’re going to need it if we actually want to affect global warming and keep this planet able to sustain life.

Shouldn't be harder than college acceptances... 

​America is FAT. 

That’s not shocking at all. We have McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King’s, and other fast food chains everywhere we look in this country. Why is that? Because the healthy food industry doesn’t have as many advertisements as the fast food chains. But now, fast food chains are becoming “healthy.” Truthfully, adding a slab of lettuce, a tomato slice, or two pickles isn’t healthy.

Those unhealthy drinks that now say fat free, sugar free, diet, no added sugar, etc. seem healthier now, correct? According to a source, they all translate into something much worse: Fat free, but full of sugar and chemicals. Sugar free, but they have increased carbohydrates. “Diet” but it’s going to give you health problems if you digest enough of it. Sugar free, because the original has more than enough sugar as it is.  

False advertisement? Let’s look at it like they’re enhancing the part that will attract your attention and leave out the part that makes it a lot worse than it actually is. 

Another factor in the unhealthy eating habits is the lack of access to healthy foods. Here, there are fast food chains within walking distance from home, but the next Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods is 30 blocks or further from home.

Naturally, we all make up excuses and compromise. “I’m going to get a Big Mac meal and a diet Coke,” “I’m walking 3 blocks to get food so I should reward myself with a Whopper.” You should reward yourself with something healthy. You’re getting a soda that is TWICE as sweet as the original Coke with the use of artificial sugar and a heart attack in a box. Not only is it bad for your weight, but it’s going to give you a lot of health issues in the future - if you even have one. 

It’s normal, right? 

Personally, I’ve done small tasks and have felt obligated to reward myself with chips. But the one thing my family is against are those diet products and the products that say sugar free on the label. Yes, we do our research and it’d be beneficial for everyone to do that. Of course we’re lazy and aren’t in the mood to exercise to stay healthy. So the lazy way of improving your health would be to eat healthier. 

How do we change ourselves? 

First thing’s first, don’t be mislead by those “healthy” labels in your favorite food. They are much worse than the original package. Now the message isn’t to stop eating your unhealthy foods, just eat a lot less of it. 

The government’s position in this crisis should be to make healthy food more accessible and raise the prices in junky foods. People get soda and other unhealthy snacks under food stamps. They should be aiding the people to be healthier. Raise taxes for junk food, make it less available, do something to save everyone from their lack of self control. Promote the healthy lifestyle to everyone and make it more affordable. 

Honestly, who is to blame here; You, your parent’s for raising you to be this way, the government, or society?

We are fools to fall for these foods and developing the habits or was it our parents? They are the ones who raised you right from wrong. If they allowed you to develop such bad eating habits, maybe they’re at fault. 

In recent health statistics, the weighted average of obesity in 28 different countries was 14.1% with the U.S. ranking #1 at 30.6%. That’s not something to be proud of. 

Six word story

Social life sucks....not worth it...


Extra:

Today, was a crappy day. Today was a painful day. This morning it took me 2 hours to pull myself out of bed because I was so weak and tired, I could barely sit up. I managed to get up, get dressed and started off to school. On the way, mom and I hit every red light, ran into 2 road blocks, and I ended up using all of my stamina to stay awake. I knew it wasn't going to be a good day. I got to school at 11. I went up to A band. Didn't see my group, so I ran around like crazy looking for them. I found them in a different room, I was not happy. I sat in the class, quietly (still trying to keep my eyes open). I went to B band, and had to hear about how the fight that ensued yesterday, got worse. I started feeling sick again, so I asked to go to the office. I spent that whole time crying! Crying! Without so much as a "What's up?" or "Kimmi, are you ok?" from anyone. Zoe was the one who talked to me (my friends would too, but they were in class). I finally go downstairs to meet everyone...I got to Zack, who hugged me...and I broke down in his arms.  I was a wreck. I hated today, because I realized how big a mess I really was.

On the way home, I found out that only...2 people knew that I was actually in "the fight". The person who was on the same side as me, and the person who we were "fighting" with. At that moment, I felt like I was back in middle school, where no one listened to me, or cared if I was there, unless...I screwed up greatly.

Now, I didn't use names, nor did I write this to call anyone out. I just needed some sort of outlet in hopes that maybe someone would listen...

So If you read this, and you know about "the fight", calm down, it wasn't a hit on you, it was my way of blowing off steam...
​

Instead of worrying about issues that don’t necessarily concern us, America should look towards changing the bigger things that do and will impact us for the generations to come. A problem lies closer to home - in our schools.

According to Death & Taxes: 2011, which happens to be the most accurate collage of government spending we will ever get our hands on, the spending towards education has gone up six percent from last year. That’s swell, but there is also a section that tells us the percentage from ten years ago to now. So, that means that the difference between 2001 and 2011 is one percent. This only lead to a total spending of almost 50 billion.

Shocking, I know. The only possible explanation would mean that our funding for the knowledge we teach has dipped down in the past decade and is now finally starting to come back up, to the highest point it’s been at in ten years. Our values our put in other departments, which may only help us on the short term.

That’s sad.

The standards for education seemed to have lowered over the years. Between wars and recessions, our children have not be given the best that this country has to offer. This lacking has resulted in schools being a place of dread, in opposed to expectation.

In Philadelphia, a ten-year-old boy punched his teacher, leaving her with a black eye and him with a minor arrest. And, just last week, that same child was found carrying a BB gun on school property. Him, among countless others, have threatened and assaulted teachers and this is pattern is one that can be spotted throughout our states.

Across the country, in Chicago, many students find that they cannot attend the schools that they were aiming for. Despite the fact that have been going to school for the fifteen years of their life, what their records show isn’t good enough. That the education they have received isn’t what colleges are looking for.

We are limited, us students. Sure, we are given an education, but the way things are going, it’s doubtful that it will get us anywhere in life. Living in a country where degrees mean everything and fewer jobs exist than the day before, it’s all about intelligence. It’s a dog eat dog out there. And, if the country that you live in fails, no one succeeds. Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education, answered to the problem of our education by stating that now is the time to change the face of American schooling. That with the million or so teachers retiring, we need fresh, becoming educators to take their place.

And yet here we are, with no sense of reassurance, with no means of support, this country now decides that it is the best interest to improve the American meaning of education. The ten years that have passed can never be taken back - and the students who were denied the wisdom they tried to obtain can never relive their chances at success, it’s too late for them. Maybe the future holds more opportunity for change in our system, and in turn more opportunity for the youth of our nation. But for now, in this moment in time, we must focus our attention on the hole that have dug ourselves, one that will take years dig ourselves out. Look towards the future. Change the world to come if we ever want our country and our meaning of education.

We fall down; but we get up. 

Getting off train, guy pees himself

My benchmark is going okay. It more or less just finishing up my story that will determine the next step. Otherwise I know where I want it to got and what I want to do. 

SO far, my benchmark has been going well. i have created a twitter and a facebook page for my character I have also researched other blog sites to make my character.  I am close to completely most of my story and i plan to be done by the time the deadline arrives.

​Solomon Islands and Haiti

The countries that I choose where the Solomon Islands and Haiti. They are kind of the same when it comes to the problem that they have. But the only difference is that Haiti may have a little bit more to lose. The reason being you'll find out if you look at the link. The process was not all to difficult thanks to my teacher telling to try out CIA fact book. it worked well till i had to get to the hostile neighbors and the society reaction to environmental problems. For some reason they were just the hardest to find. But I did realize that when I did research that i found our book the "collapse". The frame work for it was super super straight forward. I it was easy to do so I had fun with. But it was a bit difficult so it made me think of how to work. I enjoyed the project. I would say if I could change one thing about it, it would be to have some sort of link that would help fine the last 2 questions so a person would spend their time wasted.