The countries that I selected were Costa Rica and Luxembourg. Both are countries that I believe will not collapse. I didn't know they both had two extremes though. Costa Rica is the most green planet on the planet, and Luxembourg has the largest carbon footprint. It was a nice realization and made the process of comparing them a little easier too.

The five point framework was fine. Climate and environment were a little difficult to distinguish between. Also, this system gives equal weight to each section, when in reality, I think that some might be more important than others and should hold more weight.

I like my final product, but I think if I could go to these countries and visit them (or visit them again) and take my own pictures with this project in mind, I could come up with a lot more useful graphic images.

I heard her cough from upstairs.

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

Can I live in your pocket? I want you to tote me around, unseen. You can pull me out whenever you need me. I'll be there to help you if you get into trouble or comfort you when you're sad. You can tell me all of your secrets because you know I won't judge you. When you're out with your friends I can just curl up in a ball and fall asleep safely at your side. You don't need to give me attention all day every day, I just need you to make me feel special every once in a while. Just feed me and take good care of me and I'll always be your best friend.  

Breakfast:

• English muffin
• Egg whites
• Pork roll
• Grapefruit juice

Lunch:

• Sandwich
• Salad
• Tea
• Chips

Dinner:

• Steak with onions
• Baked potato
• Stuffed artichoke
• Sprite

Breakfast: 

• Cereal

Lunch:

• Soup

Dinner:

• Soup

I wasn't given a grade, I just had to hold a conversation and make sure he was comfortable. Being nice about it made me feel good inside. I liked being able to comfort an old man in his last days. 

On the day of my graduation, I attended his funeral.

Today, as we were finishing dinner, the phone rang and my mom went to answer it. Randomly, my dad turns to me and with anger in his voice says, "I really hate those pants. I just want to cut them up and shred them and burn them." It took me a second to realize what he was talking about, so I just asked, "Why?" He said, "They make her look like an old woman!" I laughed because I realized that he was talking about my mom's pants. My mom overheard me laughing and immediately said, "Are you making fun of me!?" My dad assured her we weren't. Whoever was on the phone was still on hold and she kept accusing us saying, "You were making fun of me!" And my dad kept repeating, "No, we were not making fun of you." I walked away from the table while they were still arguing.

The bureaucratic task we selected was to have a block party on a street and how to obtain a permit to block the street for a party. The process wasn't quite as complicated as some of the others that were selected by classmates of mine. However, there were a number of steps that were not so straightforward. My partner, Evan Cohen, and I filled out the paperwork. It was significantly shorter than the paperwork for most other processes, but one part of it requires many many signatures from neighbors. It was straightforward, but quite a pain to actually complete it. If I had to change one thing it would definitely be something with the signatures, but I mean I understand why that part is necessary. I think this system is so complicated because it affects so many people. To have a party outside on a residential street affects a lot of people. So it's not too surprising as to why it is complicated.

We are writing to discuss the current voting system on both a National and State level.  As young adults, we are new to the voting process, and concerned with voter turnout.  We believe that voter turnout is significantly tied to voting accessibility.  Analyzing the PA voting system, as well as contrasting it with that of others, we have developed a few suggestions for improvement.  Respectfully, we hope you will take them into due consideration.  

State Elections are held on the same day as National election, the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November.  Most people are not aware why voting is held on this day, but we are.  Tuesday was nationally standardized as (Vice-) Presidential election day in 1845 by law, and smaller elections followed suit.  It was designated as such for reasons that are not applicable today.  That Tuesday was meant to be convenient for citizens of the time, and chosen because it would not interfere with any religious observances and was the day before market day.  Due to the fact that it took so long to travel, most people were already in town.  

However, this method is completely outdated and no longer serves the practical function that it did in 1845.  Voter turnout is suffering.  When a system allows for more lenience, people will respond.  In the 2002 general election, Pennsylvania was ranked 40th in voter turnout, whereas Oregon ranked 6th.  Oregon utilizes mail-in voting, a much more flexible system.  

Recently, several states have either adopted or introduced voting reform.  One example in particular stood out to us.  San Francisco just passed a piece of legislation, “Proposition 1,” which would enable polls to open on the Saturday preceding. Those who found it inconvenient to vote during the day Tuesday, could instead vote on the weekend. New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg responded enthusiastically with his own support and own proposal. He wants to include early voting to make the system more flexible.  Pennsylvania could work in a likewise manner.  If Pennsylvania adopted a similar policy, voter turnout would improve greatly.

It would behove our State to have a voter system like this, and it would make voting for both us and the general public a much easier process.  Consider suggesting this plan, and PA will be grateful.  

Sincerely,

Sophia Moreno

&
Robert Glynn

Robbie and I are humorously wondering if we will receive an email back from a real person, or a generic “thank you concerned citizen.”  We’ll see.  Best of luck.

Until i can figure out  how to make my blog not post in this tiny box. Click Here.

How have some animals evolved wings?

When learning about evolution, someone might wonder about how irreducibly complex parts of animals, such as wings, have evolved.  A wing only works when there is an entire functioning wing. So this brings up the question, how does an animal without wings evolve into an animal with wings? The most reasonable explanation would be that wings began evolving with a slightly different purpose. 

Theropods that lived in the trees would get around by jumping from branch to branch. If they missed the jump, they could fall out of the tree and die. These theropods evolved into birds. According to discovermagazine.com, birds and theropods both "Have three bones that appear to have evolved from the digits on a common five-fingered ancestor." A theropod with a small flap of skin between its fingers would have a slightly larger surface area when jumping between branches and that would decrease the chance of it falling. Through generations, that skin flap became larger and eventually evolved into a functioning wing where the animal could flap it's wings and fly away.

If I were to do further research, I would want to look into birds that don't fly, like penguins or emus. If they can't fly, what is the purpose of having wings?

Sources:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/06/18/how-dinosaur-feet-evolved-into-bird-wings-new-fossil-provides-clues/

The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins