Last Chance ~ April 26,2010

Going to college has never really been a choice for me to make. When I was younger, my mom always told me that I have to go to college and that I had no choice in the matter, just like going to high school or middle school, it was required. I was also forewarned that my parents would not be paying for my college so I had to find a way to finance my own education. My parents came to this conclusion because with all of their friends’ parents paying for their education, they did not take it seriously. If it was someone else’s money, they didn’t care what they were doing. However my grandparents made my dad pay for his own college and he took it a lot more seriously because of that. My mom did not pay for her college but then again, she only went to college for 2 years. My first real job was when I turned 14. I worked at a hair salon, sweeping up hair, shampooing hair, and even sometimes even coloring and perming it. I worked there for a year until my boss retired. After that, when I was 15, I was hired to work at Chick-Fil-A, where my sister’s also worked. That job was fun, however, the manager and owner were really greedy and after working there for a year and a half at minimum wage, I quit. Then I got the best job in the world, I worked at Bead Bungalow. This place was awesome because I learned how to make jewelry and I got to use my creativity. I worked there for 2 years but after then, I had to get a teaching internship in order to get college credit towards my major. From then on, I worked at Royal learners as a teacher. All of this work experience gave me the skills to succeed on not only on a monitorial basis but also on an academic one because it taught me how to balance both at the same time.

Thats All!
~Ali

Living in Greece ~ April 14,2010

If I could live anywhere on this earth it would have to be the shoreline in the country of Greece. In Greece there are many beautiful buildings anywhere you look and the people are so accommodating. The beautiful buildings would be any of the wide variety of museums that many different cities in Greece have. Also in 2008, the Olympics were hosted in Greece so there are many newer attractions to see that were built just for the people who attended the Olympics could enjoy as they stayed in Greece. However the buildings are not the only beautiful thing in the cities scattered throughout Greece. If you even start walking through the city towards the coastline, you can see the gorgeous clear blue water and the white sandy beach area. The water looks even more beautiful in contrast to the white adobe houses that tend to always line the shore. Also the people that live there are so welcoming and inviting that you will want to live there too. Many people who live in Greece have had family there for many centuries. This is different for Americans to experience because of the many immigrants that come to live in America. The people of Greece give visitors a sense of welcoming by treating them as if they were their own family. Through this feeling, the natives of Greece make the tourist want to come back and experience more of their country. Walking down the narrow cobble stone of the streets, the visitor will tend to receive at least 10 smiles and maybe even a hug or two. Also the food is very fattening but very good! Incorporating olive oil into most everything that they make, Greek food is very rich in taste. It is for these reasons and more that I would want to live in Greece.

Outside for 15 ~ April 12, 2010

In my time out side, I got to really sit and think about where my life was headed and how I am able to get there. I sat at Centennial Olympic Park and watched little children run in and out of the fountains in little ruffles of bathing suits. Shrieking and running away from the unexpected spouts of water, the children always find refuge in their parents. The children are never too far from their parent’s watchful eye because if the terrible event in which their little one should fall, their protective guardian will be just seconds away to come and scoop them up into loving arms. Also near- by is the big grassy area in which fake bleach blonde girls sit and fry their skin till they are as dark as a burnt marshmallow over a blazing fire. These kinds of girls will never be satisfied with the way that they look until they give the false image that they are actually sporty girls who happen to get tan from all of the out door activities that they participate in. They think that if they look as though they do sports that it will attract the right type of boy. Of course, I can not forget to mention the super gorgeous boys running around with out shirts and in long board shorts. Throwing the football around as though it takes no effort, they only drop the ball twice. As the sun sets the constant buzz of people goes to a minimum and the beauty of the stars seem to outshine any human or even a beauty queen. The lights in the park switch on and then all of the sudden the busy park that was filled with families seem to trade places with sweet romantic couples.

That's all for now

~Ali

The end of the moonshine ~ April 7, 2010

In the article “Legendary Tennessee Moonshiner Plied His Trade to the End” by Stephen Miller, the author writes about a man who, according to tradition, has been making moonshine for generations now. This was his way of life and he was proud of what he did. With Cocke Country Tennessee being in the top four moonshine capitals of the world, Mr. Sutton had great business and was able to keep a family tradition alive through yet another era. During his life, Mr. Popcorn was able to take part in a documentary and was able to write an auto biography entitled “Me and My Likker”. This made him quite popular though out the rural towns from Tennessee to North Carolina. Not only did people start to recognize his name, but they also sold memorabilia to those who wanted Mr. Sutton to be a part of their fine dining experience with plates adorning his slim bearded face. The making of this special kid of hard liquor goes back to when the Scottish- Irish came over to the New World in order to make a better lives for themselves. Although it was not illegal until after the Civil war, today it is still very much illegal to sell and make moonshine. This will continue to be the case until the federal government can somehow regulate the selling of moonshine and also get a cut in the profits. Trying to regulate each urn in which the moonshiners make their liquid gold can be a hard task to do also. Each farmer has a different machine in which they make different kinds of liquor so there is not just one specific way to completely regulate the machines. After having several close calls with the law, Mr. Popcorn finally got busted. The police caught him with over 186 gallons of moonshine stashed away in an abandoned school bus on his property. The day before he was to report to jail, his wife found him dead in his truck.
That's all for now!

~Ali

Summer Job ~ April 5, 2010

With this summer approaching so much faster, it forces me to think about what I will be doing this summer. I have decided to work at a preparatory school called Royal Learners where I will be teaching students who have been held back because if grades. My job description for this particular place is to ensure the safety for all the students I am in charge of, helping students understand crucial concepts for certain areas of study, and making sure that each student excels not only academically but also socially. I have worked at Royal Learners for about 2 years now, starting when I was a senior in High school. As a senior, I was in a program that allowed me to go to school part time and have a part time internship. I learned a lot my first year of working there because I got to shadow a great teacher and mentor to me Mrs. Karen. She not only knew how to make sure that all the kids were taken care of but she made all the kids feel like someone loves them and really cares about what they do. Karen also helped me with my personal life sometimes too. For instance, when my grandmother got diagnosed with breast cancer Karen, herself being a breast cancer patient, told me what to expect and how to help my grandmother. She was a great influence in my decision to pursue a teacher career in the special education area of education. Karen recently passed away just a week before my spring break. She battled breast cancer long and hard and she finally defeated it when she passed away. I will never forget the great lessons that I have learned from her in the past and I will continue to live with her passion towards other children I work with.

That's all for now!

~Ali

the shortage in fruit flies ~ April 2, 2010

The article that I chose to write on this week is one in The New York Times. Olivia Judson wrote an article in the opinion section entitled “Laboratory Life” in which she describes how evolution never stops. She starts off by giving the scenario of a fruit fly being swept up by a scientist and put into a bottle. Then she goes on to describe how the life of this fly is significantly changed. The first way that their life is change is the life expectancy of the fruit fly. In the wild, a fly’s average life consists of around 80 days; however after being swept up into a bottle for research, the fly is only expected to live five or six days. Also they are expected to mate with a particular female or male fly instead of choosing their own partner. With those factors and the fact that the food is different, the species will most likely be traumatizing to the animal. The difference of a true wild fly and ones that have grown up in a lab are that they can only live up to a couple days after being released back into the wild after testing. This particular strand of fruit flies will eventually not be able to survive on its own if the scientists keep taking the flies at a rate that they are right now. However, I think this world can live with a few less flies bugging us all.
If it weren’t flies however, more people would get involved in trying to save these animals from the horrid scientists. In reality though, these scientists could be saving us and we don’t even know it. I think that if a scientist has probable cause to test on animals that it should be ok to do so.


Thats all for now
~Ali

Bail Bonding ~ March 31,2010

I think that Bail Bonding is necessary. Having large amounts of money on the line if you don’t show up for a court date sometimes is the only incentive to getting people to return. When a judge sets bail, he or she takes into consideration how much an individual makes and what they can use as bail. People use their house titles and car titles even to make that kind of insurment to return. What other actions can our country take to ensure that these criminals come to their court date? A man who steals a blanket from a store because he is cold is just as much a criminal as someone who has committed murder. Each citizen knew that what they were doing was wrong and they still chose to do it; thus they are in the wrong. One is much more preventable than the other however. With him being cold, there are several homeless shelters that give out blankets to those who do not have any. The man could have simply gone to the shelter and requested a blanket. The other option that this man had instead of stealing, which is clearly wrong according to the law, is to start his car. During the interview, he says that he relies on his car on a daily basis so there must be gas in it so he can get places; therefore he should have just started the car, gotten warmed up while he was on his way to the homeless shelter to get a blanket.

Thats all for now!
~Ali