Senior Proj. Update

Wow, there are so many things to think about this time of the year with the college applications, essays, sports, work, and every other activity we participate in that senior project just seems like another unwelcome burden. It seems hard to get going, but luckily I was able to move ahead with my project today. I met with Shirley Clauss, the ROP coordinator at the Napa Valley Office of Education today to talk about meshing our two projects--hers being the promotion of the ROP classes to students, and mine putting on a career fair--to mutually benefit each other and to help one another out. We agreed on a few ideas and hashed out a general plan of what we could do, which, as of right now, includes having the ROP classes team up with correlating professionals (Fire Science with Firefighters, Medical Science with Nurses) and present the classes and the career to students to get out information and let students get a feel on how the professions they are thinking about really are. After this, she agreed to becoming my mentor, and I unexpectedly proceeded to conduct the mentor interview right then, which was great because that deadline had been looming and drifting closer for some time. So I seem to be right on track with my progress, and although it is still somewhat of a burden, it is also fun and will force me to interact with professionals and get me out of my comfort zone. Now my next step besides typing up the spontaneous interview will be to go around and start talking to the different ROP class teachers, collaborating on ideas, and then also extend myself to the professionals who will be at the career fair in order to give them an ample amount of time before the planned feburary date.

Wanted: True Selflessness

Between Thomas Sowell's "Needs" and Peter Singer's "The Singer Solution to World Poverty", in taking their arguments to heart and following them closely, everyone in the USA would be just surviving, and all of our wealth would be sent overseas. Sowell rightly defines 'needs' as anything we can't get along with by not having them, and 'not getting along with' means surviving. So, if we only spend our money on what is needed to keep us alive and healthy, then we could be sending upwards of 50 and 75 percent of our earnings to charities! Great for the overseas recipients, but sort of a standard-of-living drop for us here. And also a sort of switch in perspective and roles. Both authors present extreme ideas in order to make us stop and think about what we are doing or not doing. The idea is to see these far-off arguments and make us wake up, so that we can realize what we actually truly need, what we are fooling ourselves in to thinking that we need, or how little we are actually doing to help alleviate fixable world health problems while we lavishly overspend on our own aesthetic tendencies.   

       Vidal has made some excellence arguments for the legalization of all drugs, and the lowering of their prices dramatically. It is somewhat of an anarchist or republican point of view to argue that we as mankind should be able to do as we please without infringing on other's liberties, without law to tell us otherwise, but I do agree with the premise. We should all be capable of making our life's decisions by ourselves. We know that drug-related crime is all based solely on the acquisition of the drugs the vast majority of the time, in order to steal them, steal money to buy them, or take them forcefully from others. With Vidal's arrangements, there would be no need to hurt and steal, as the drugs would be legal and very cheap, foregoing the need to get large sums of money to feed the addiction.
        The implicit assumption isn't very easy to believe, because of statistics that say "26%  of Federal prisoners said they had committed their current offense while under the influence of drugs", and the occasional horror stories of atrocities committed while under the influence. I think that they are threats to their neighbors just because the drugs can affect their judgement, and something like a governmental tracking system to keep track of users and more readily available protective services would be required in order to keep everyone safe. The system overall wouldn't be effective because the few who would go ahead and use the drugs would be hazards to all of us choosing not to participate in the usage. Drug-abusers are always threats to themselves and others, and therefore have no place in a society.

Banneker Analysis->      here

On George Orwell

George Orwell states in his essay "Politics and the English Language" that the English language has become decrepit. It is full of cliches, overly pretentious and unnecessary words, and purposefully complex arrangements of words that confuse and distort meaning. He urges us to follows some basic rules of writing to the tune of simplifying word choice and cutting common and foreign phrases out. For the most part, I wholeheartedly agree with his argument. Based on the five examples of how convoluted the use of the English language has become, anyone could agree that we are complicating a simple process. It certainly is good sense to remove the overused metaphors in order to inspire the creation of new ones, and he makes many good points in his different classifications of bad writing, especially his section on deceptive language, where I can see many parallels to current usages. His examples in this section are particularly apt. But I also disagree to a certain extent with what he is saying, as the English language has hundreds of thousands of words so that we can express ourselves as specifically as possible. Otherwise, following his logic, we would reduce the number of frequently used words tremendously. I'm sure that my writing in this response is clashing with a couple of Orwell's tenants already. For example, some of his examples of "Pretentious Diction" are definitely not common definitions of pretentious language, such as "effective, basic, objective, promote". I use these words frequently, as do many of the people around me. Orwell does make great points, and although some of them are dated, his main ideas come through, and we can agree that writing should never be made complex and difficult to understand just for the sake of being complex and difficult to understand. One thing that was particularly helpful was his line about how we should choose words for their meaning, and not just substitute phrases in haphazardly to fill the space. I think George Orwell is telling me to stop writing now, for I have written too many words.  

My topic is about genetically modified foods, and if they are safe alternatives to natural foods. The controversy regarding GM foods is whether or not they are safe for consumption, because scientists have gone in and altered the genes of some crops and we do not know if they create adverse reactions. We haven't had GM foods around for long enough to fully understand them. To fully research my topic, I will be using the Napa Main Library, online databases, and the larger web to find appropriate sources. My "emotional investment" comes from my parents, as they are very against GMOs and usually buy only organic foods. I would like to solidify my understanding of the topic and help inform them more as well. I am wondering if there are enough studies and informative papers out there for me to research.

A great blog I found on TIME's "The Best Blogs of 2011" was The Big Picture, which also was on Mrs. G's list. The Big Picture's style is to report on a subject through high-resolution photographs, with captions and small articles/paragraphs attached. The pictures are 990 pixels, and they usually depict some stunning visual, with the subject varying to fit the news story. This is put up by the Boston Globe, and their professionalism shows through. The stories are informative with some commentary, and the pictures all have some personal aspect to them; the person's name is included, their story is told, or the picture itself is intimate and revealing. It is set up so that you see an image of one subjet, and attached to that one picture are 20-70 other related pictures, so that you can look more in-depth into the subject. The audience is the general public, as the issues are of all-encompassing subject matters. It's effective because it's short and to-the-point, which is good for news because you can find what interests you faster and bypass the negative shit. The pictures are clear and are usually stunning, and I like them so much that I've followed them. So take a look at this blog, it's really worth your time!

Baja compare and contrast with Hood River  

        

            Baja, Mexico and Hood River Oregon are two places that my family has vacationed multiple times. They do however, have vast differences as they are in different countries, but they are similar in some regards as well.              

          We drive in our large white Eurovan (VW) whenever we go on vacation, because there are five members of our family and we need a lot of space, and so we start off both of these respective vacations the same, just in opposite directions. From there on, we have a lot of different experiences. In Baja, Mexico, it is sandy and borderline desert along the Sea of Cortez, and we camp in tents and a RV alongside the coast.

The atmosphere is relaxed and carefree, and we engage in sports all day and go spearfishing every so often. In Hood River, we stay with friends whom we had met when passing through town a few years back, and so we get the comforts of their house when there. It is green and luscious there, and we regularly go berry-picking as a fun and delicious way to bond. We have a great bond with the daughters of our friends, and we spend time with each other and use their trampoline a lot. It is also a relaxed and fun atmosphere there, although it is closer to the rules of our civilization, and so not quite as carefree.

         In Baja, the rules are relaxed and it really feels like a true vacation. We are mostly unplugged, we walk around barefoot or in sandals, and we do whatever we feel like. Years before I ever had my license I was able to practice driving our car in Baja, and so it really feels like a second home there. But there are some stark similarities between the places and our experiences there. For instance, my dad and I both kiteboard in both areas, and we are with close friends in both locations. Many people from the Bay Area vacation down in Baja with us yearly, and so it is a welcome get-together every year. 

         Because Baja is in Mexico and Hood River is in the US, they are fundamentally different. Obviously in Baja the signs are in Spanish and there are many Mexican restaurants, but besides that there are other

features that stand out, including: dirt roads at some points, military checkpoints and an altogether larger military presence, and a more relaxed atmosphere. Hood River is a hub for kiteboarders, and so the town is polished and is friendly towards visitors, and it also is more developed. It is a nice small town and we have had some great times there.
      Our diets are different as well. In Mexico, breakfast is usually some papaya and yogurt, which is followed by quesadillas, fish (bought or caught), and then some dinner at a local restaurant which usually includes a chicken or beef dish. In Oregon we usually have cereal and berries or cherries, and then lunch can

be sandwhiches or someting else. So we definitely adopt a different diet while in Baja.             

        



On being a senior citizen.

I Want A Husband: Style Imitation of Judy Brady's "I Want a Wife"

            I want a husband. Life would be much easier and less stressful if I were to acquire a husband. There are a great many number of reasons to have one, here are a few. 

            I want a husband who will bring home the money. I want a husband who has a very high-paying job, but can have flexible hours to spend time at home as well. I don't want to have to be forced into needing a job. But I want a husband that can provide extravagantly for us, and can buy me whatever I desire. I want a husband who buys me flowers, and surprises me with vacations to beaches far away. I want a husband who gets me jewelry on our anniversaries, and who takes me for shopping trips. 

            I want all the Barbecuing done by the husband. I also want a husband who can cook dinner regularly for us, so that the responsibility of dinner can be shared. He must be a good and willing cook, and he must always clean up after himself in the kitchen. When we are having a party, I want a husband that will entertain and feed the guests with his grilling, as well as interact well with the kids. In order for us to function regularly, my husband must be well practiced in house and yard work. The lawn mowing, pool maintenance, and occasional digging must be done. I want a husband who will clean the gutters, change the light bulbs, fix the electrical problem, and trim and cut back the trees and bushes. He must be able to paint the walls, hang the shelves, and assemble the furniture we bought unassembled. I want my husband to be handy in all situations, and to be good in all situations. 

            Our cars must be maintained. I want a husband who will want to clean, detail, wax and dry our cars. My husband should also know how fix some problems with our cars, and if he doesn't, my husband should take the car to the shop to have it fixed. I want my husband to be sensitive to what I want to do, and attentive towards my needs and wants. I want him to listen to what I have to say, and to care about it. I want a husband that protects me from any physical danger, and that stands up for me in all situations. My husband should make me feel safe, and should be able to make me laugh. With all this taken care of, now all I have to do is relax.