Commentary: Denied

In my English class, we are writing commentaries.

We spent several days brainstorming ideas on topics that we, individually, could write about. We needed to pick something we were passionate about so that we would have a strong voice when we were writing, and it wouldn't be as if we were writing something to be published in a text book. When we were picking out topics, the situation in Darfur, Sudan immediately came to mind. Last year I learned about the genocide that goes on there and the brutal ways of their government (www.savedarfur.com). This is something I have a strong opinion about, and since it's an opinion paper, I thought I'd have no problem getting my topic approved.

I was denied. My teacher said it was too "broad" and I needed to be more specific. So I was. I said I wanted to write my paper about how the US government should step in to stop the genocide. She asked me what they were being killed for, and I told her as much as I remembered without having to do research. She then told me that I couldn't write a paper about Darfur because it's something I already know a lot about and she wants us to expand our knowledge.

My question is.... How can you write a good opinion paper in the few days she is giving us, without knowing anything about what you're writing? Shouldn't you have enough background knowledge to have formed an opinion BEFORE you write the paper, so that you don't appear uneducated to your "readers?"

I then went on to try my luck at a different topic. The fact that Tom Sawyer is still banned in some schools. Why? I do not agree with banning books for any reason, especially a kiddie story about a reckless boy that has a theme park in designed Disney after it. If Disney can make a movie out of it and rate it G, why can't a middle school (better yet, a high school) put it on the shelf?

I was denied. I felt like she was arguing with my opinion with hers. The point of telling her our topics was so she knew what we were writing about, not so she could fight back before we even wrote our paper. In these two topics, I was trying to bring some individuality back into the classroom, which we are strongly lacking now-a-days. Everything is based on a group now. If you're with this group you get this grade, etc. That is not grading you based on your individual talents and intelligence.

So here I am, trying to do a topic I doubt anyone has done before. Instead of over half my class, doing cliche topics like abortion, adoption, and teen pregnancy. You read stories about those in the news every day. Yes, they're important. But I bet if you took a poll, society would say they're tired of reading about them. Why not do something out of the norm?

Make your own rosin

The resin is extracted from the living tree, a process that does the tree no harm. Resin is not the tree´s "life-sap" - it serves only to seal off wounds. The wood also suffers no technical damage, as the "resined" area behind the area where the bark has been peeled off is restricted to a few millimetres. When the trunks are cut in order to tap the resin, these "rosined" pieces fall into the cut edges of the bark.

1) The first step in obtaining the resin is to remove the rough outer bark of trees which are to be tapped for the first time at a height of approximately 50 cm, at the beginning of the warmer season.

2) Use a special stirrup-shaped tool for scraping off the bark and making the drip channel

3) In the second step of the process, V-shaped grooves about 1 cm wide are cut into the thin inner layer of bark remaining after the first stage, using a plane. As a result of "wounding" the tree in this way, the resin begins to flow into the container hung under the cuts. The tree must be cut into again every 4-5 days.

4) Use a special tool for making the grooves cut in the surface of the trunk (plane, right side of tool) and for cleaning out the drip channel (left side)

Finishing:

When you have composed your ideal formula, mix it up and put it in a large vat, over the fire. After the resins are completely melted, pour the hot, liquid rosin into moulds placed on marmore. After 30 minutes, your rosins are ready for finishing - but here is a problem you didn't expect. The top surface has now got a hollow that will prevent the bow hair from collecting rosin properly during the first two months of use. To correct this, reverse the rosin after it is cool and completely hardened. Then you will have the ideal, flat surface. Now, polish this surface and put your stamp on it, confirming that it has been made personally by your self. Now afix the rosin to a soft cloth to protect your fingers.

ISSMA Contest

Soloists (Pamela Studebaker and ME!)

Texting in Class

The other day I was walking through the hallway and I heard a girl tell her friend that she wishes we were allowed to text in class. This got me thinking.

Half, if not more, of Goshen is failing. We had the worst ISTEP scores in our area last spring. This is because too many people just don't care. They don't care about their education or if they do well. So why should we get to take our phones in class?

The learning that some people DO pick up on would be lost, too. You'd constantly have phones beeping, and people would become so obsessed with texting their boyfriends and girlfriends that they'd pay no attention at all. It would be a distraction for anyone who WANTED to learn, like me. 

It would also take away from what human interaction my generation has left. Now, you can basically talk to whoever you want to on facebook, email, or texting. You don't need to talk to your "friends" face to face. It's easier to speak your mind and say whatever you want about them so you don't have to speak it to their face. 

I do not support this idea. 

Aren't these the turtles from The Last Song...?

Endangered listing eyed for US loggerhead turtles

BOSTON – The federal government on Wednesday recommended an endangered-species listing for the loggerhead turtles in U.S. waters, a decision that could lead to tighter restrictions on fishing and other maritime trades.

The massive, nomadic sea turtles have been listed since 1978 as threatened, a step below endangered, but federal scientists proposed ratcheting up the designation after reviewing the state of the species.

Researchers said primary threats to the loggerheads include injury and death from fishing gear and damage to their nesting areas.

The joint proposal by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's fisheries division and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is not a final decision. If approved, it puts loggerheads on track for an endangered listing by the summer of 2011. The proposal now enters a public comment period.

Environmental groups who'd been pushing an endangered listing said the proposal was a "turning point" they hope will lead to greater turtle protections.

"I think it's huge day for loggerhead sea turtles," said Elizabeth Griffin, a marine wildlife scientist at Oceana. "I think it really draws attention to the fact these turtles are not doing well and more needs to be done to protect them."

No one really knows how many loggerheads there are, or how many are being killed by fishing gear or other activities. A species doesn't need falling numbers to be endangered, it can get the listing if it's shown to be threatened by one of five factors, such as disease or "manmade factors affecting its continued existence."

Griffin cites a 40 percent drop in the number of nesting females in Florida over the last decade as evidence of trouble. But the Fisheries Survival Fund, an East Coast scallopers group, said in a letter early this month that nesting beach surveys can't provide good evidence of decline because they measure only mature females, who take at least 30 years to reach breeding age.

Shaun Gehan, an attorney for the Fisheries Survival Fund, said an endangered listing is unneeded for a species there's no evidence is in danger of extinction. If new protections are mandated for the turtle, it could affect not only fishermen, but maritime traffic, coastal development and waterfront use, Gehan said.

"We are extremely disappointed that they've taken this approach," he said.

Loggerheads are named for their large heads, which contain potent jaws that can crush the hard shells of prey such as conch. The turtles are about the size of a fist when they hatch and make a frenzied dash to the surf. But they typically grow to more than three feet in length and 250 pounds. The animal can log thousands of miles as it travels across oceans.

Barbara Schroeder, national sea turtle coordinator for NOAA's fisheries division, said the biggest threats to the North Pacific loggerhead include damage to primary nesting sites, which are mainly in Japan, as well as accidental snaring of the turtles in fishing gear.

Andrea Treece of San Francisco-based Center for Biological Diversity said the turtles get hooked by Hawaiian longline fishermen targeting swordfish and tuna and can be injured or drowned.

On the East Coast, the main threat to turtles is gear from the region's various fisheries, Schroeder said.

Gehan said that scallopers have developed dredges to keep the turtles out with a chain mat that covers the opening. Critics say the dredges keep turtles out, but also crush them, though survival fund officials say there's no evidence of that.

A primary benefit of the endangered status would be increased public pressure on protecting the species, Griffin said. But the government would also have to determine "critical habitats," such as where the turtles reproduce or forage. Such places could be subject to additional protections for the turtles, including restrictions on maritime development or fishing.

A balance needs to be found to help a species Griffin called "the ambassadors of our oceans" because they travel great distances and can be seen up close when they venture on land.

"I think that really gives people an appreciation for our turtles and marine life," she said.

- AP

Design your own snowboard

This winter I decided to take up snowboarding. I already knew how to ski and I taught that as a Jr. Ski Instructor a couple times. I have noticed that people tend to shy away from skiing because they only hear about the accidents... same with snowboarding. It's not quite as bad as you think and if you're worried, there are many safety precautions you can take to make sure you don't get hurt. 

If I had to compare snowboarding to skiing... Snowboarding is a lot harder. With skis, you basically have to know how to roller skate. If you can stand up and bend your knees, this is pretty easy for you. But with snowboarding, it's a lot easier to mess around and try out tricks. I'll admit, I got extremely frustrated when Tami had me out there at first. I kept falling and I felt like a newborn baby learning to walk... with my feet tied together. But after I picked it up, I loved it.

So that made me wonder.... I mean, I love my board with all my heart... But it was kind of plain. It's basically just blue with a flower type patter on the end. So I started looking up designing a board.... and then I came across this site, and I jumped right in. Depending on the length of the board will determine your cost. Mine will be about 439$ plus the time in the shop. 

My vision for my snowboard goes something like this:

I want this to be in the middle of the board, spread out where my bindings and feet go. Then I want the rest of the board to be covered in Zebra print... and I want it to say "I Smell Snow! - Gilmore Girls" on the tail. Then on the flip side, I'd like it to say "MERDE" in bright green against a white background. 

Pictures coming later. 

The Constitution

In history, we are learning about the US Constitution.  We were talking about the fact that it says there is to be freedom of religion and speech. Then one of my classmates raised their hand and asked something about President Obama and whether he was Muslim. 

My teacher sighed and then looked at the kid and said that Obama has said he is of Christian faith, and that anybody who believes he could be Muslim because his name is Barack is very ignorant. 

But isn't that contradicting, in a way? 

If we live in America, a place where we are supposed to be able to think, say, and practice what we choose, why should it be ignorant if that is what we choose to believe? If you say you are a christian, why should you call other people who do not believe the same as you ignorant? 

I think this is a fine example why teachers shouldn't share their opinion if they are going to tack unnecessary names onto the end of it. It's the same as saying someone who likes the color purple is stupid. Isn't is nicer, especially being an adult that other kids may look up to, that you don't offend anyone? I think it would have been proper for him just to say he didn't believe it was right. Not to say that you were ignorant if that is what you believe.

Movies to Watch

Tami gave me this list of movies to watch in May of 09. I'm finally getting around to it. Here is what I have so far....

1 - Fried Green Tomatoes (12/18/09)
2 - Forrest Gump (12/21/09)
3 - The Devil Wears Prada
4 - Steel Magnolias (12/20/09)
5 - Dirty Dancing (12/19/09)
6 - Flight of the Navigator (12/23/09)
7 - Harry and the Hendersons (2/4/10)
8 - Willow
9 - Bad Boys 1 

10 - Bad Boys 2

11 - Karate Kid 1 (1/16/10)

12 - Karate Kid 2  (2/14/10)

13 - Labyrinth

The Last Song - Nicholas Sparks

Recently, I finished reading The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. I fell in love with this book. After I got into it, I was taking it everywhere with me and reading it whenever I had a second. I put off homework just to read this book. It is also soon to be a movie. Here is what the cover says:

Seventeen year-old Veronica “Ronnie” Miller’s life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father… until her mother decides it would be in everyone’s best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie’s father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church. The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story about love in its myriad forms – first love, the love between parents and children – that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that deeply felt relationships can break our hearts… and heal them.

My (small) review of this book goes like this; 17-year-old Ronnie Miller is shipped to North Carolina after not speaking to her father for three years following their parents divorce. Ronnie arrives, stubborn, leaving you curious as to what the rest of the summer will be like for her. She meets a few people at the fair that is just the wrong crowd. But then she meets soda-spilling Will. Ronnie makes it very clear that Will does not seem like her type and she refuses to get to know him at first. But soon she just lets her guard down just enough to let him in and she finds it's one of the best things she's ever done. Just as the summer is nearing to a close, disaster strikes and leaves Ronnie to make a decision that will change things for her father - and herself... After she learns the truth as to why she's really there. 

For the last one-hundred pages of this book, I was sobbing. I don't remember crying harder for any other book I've ever read.  I wanted to keep reading at the same time I wanted to throw the book down and just forget it. This will be a book I'm not going to be forgetting anytime soon.

When I look at you - Lyrics

Everybody needs inspiration 
Everybody needs a song 
A beautiful melody 
When the night's are long 
Cause there is no guarantee 
That this life is easy 

Yeah, when my world is falling apart 
When there's no light to break up the dark 
That's when I, I, I look at you 
When the waves are flooding the shore and I 
Can't find my way home anymore 
That's when I, I, I look at you 

When I look at you 
I see forgiveness 
I see the truth 
You love me for who I am 
Like the stars hold the moon 
Right there where they belong and I know 
I'm not alone 

Yeah, when my world is falling apart 
When there's no light to break up the dark 
That's when I, I, I look at you 
When the waves are flooding the shore and I 
Can't find my way home anymore 
That's when I, I, I look at you 

You appear just like a dream to me 
Just like kaleidoscope colors that 
Cover me 
All I need 
Every breath, that I breathe 
Dontcha know? 
You're beautiful 

Yeah yeah.. 

When the waves are flooding the shore 
And I cant find my way home anymore 
Thats when I, 
I I look at you 
I look at you 

Yeah yeah.. 
Oh oh.. 
You appear just like a dream to me

WARNING! Low intelligence

This is another example of a weird label... I can understand getting mad if a machine rips you off and shaking it a little bit. But to the point of it "falling over and causing serious injury or death?" These are the types of warnings that make me believe that in the world, there are less and less smart people. It's turning into an endangered species! 

Just.... please be very careful when inserting your money, pushing a button, and bending over. It may just cause you your life. 

Concerning my solo....

I think that we are constantly trying to compare our teachers to Mr. Yoder. And we just really can't do that anymore because nobody is going to measure up. He was really just something special... And I'm afraid that the only way we'll get a teacher like him is if we get another gay teacher. I doubt they will be hiring another any time soon, and if they do, we'll be able to tell just like we could for him. It took me awhile and a lot of thought to realize this... I knew that I needed to accept Mr. Powell for who he was and not for who I thought he should be. Yes... Orchestra is different. But people are going to walk in and out of our lives though out our 100 years, whether we want them to go or not. It's sad... but after awhile you have to decide when you're going to go on. I let him go a really long time ago.

I don't believe Mr. P dislikes you for any of those reasons... I don't think that it matters whether you take lessons with the school or the college or who you take them with... when, or for how long. He just said that I was going to be the guinea pig and that he may end up adding people so that it's more than just me playing. Honestly, I really hope he does because I'm not sure I can do this alone AND three times. I just think he might know me a little bit better than you right now, and seeing that ISSMA is what, two weeks away, he needed someone who he knew he could depend on and fast.

Don't give up, girly.

Brilliant Signs....

.... that you should always watch out for; falling ice. Yup, you heard me. Apparently, it has become a huge problem around Goshen, because I have seen several of these. Especially at the college. It is sort of insecure to know, that at any given time when you are walking around you have a rather large risk involved - you could get knocked out by ice. I mean seriously, after looking at this sign, how much do you want to go outside and walk around? If it's bad enough where they have to put up CAUTION signs, there is definite problem there.