Fat food ~ March 29, 2010

I believe that this article can be true. Given the right amount of proof through medical testing and a publicized journal on how effective this research is, I think that this could have some truth to it. Americans really do not fully understand how much fat they in take on a daily basis. Americans are all about how fast they can get something and this has even overlapped into our food choices. Growing up in America often teaches people that they should get anything they want or need fast, and if they do not get it fast enough, they either complain or find another way to get it faster. In order to make food fast and to make it last longer, scientist made up a chemical in which mostly all fast food restaurants use called preservatives. This chemical harms our bodies and makes the food dangerous as we digest it. The effect of eating this food that contains this special chemical is not immediate, however over time it slowly makes the metabolism slow down and makes our bodies addicted to the food in which we consume. Other countries have caught on to America’s recklessness and have out -lawed the use of preservatives. With just this, America should have the brains and guts to make the same lawful decision to help out our over- weight country and hopefully extend the life span of those who accept the help. I loved the tips on why you should not watch your frozen dinner slowly rotate in the microwave in hopes of getting the entire meal heat to the correct temperature. People have actually adapted to getting their food in a quick way that is still satisfying to them so they do not need to go out and shop for more healthy snacks and other food items.

Thats all for now!
~Ali

School Standards ~ March 26, 2010

I chose to write on the opinion editorial entitled “Enforcing School Standards, at Last”. This article was published in the New York Times on March 2010. In this article, the reporter states that the age of schools actually reforming their education for their students in exchange for money. This idea came from and was enforced by Obama’s administration who just granted Delaware and Tennessee financial aid. In this government aid, Obama promises to distribute 4.3 million dollars across the entire nation. The amount of money each state receives is based upon how well the state is educating the children living in their state. To get as much money as they need, each state can maximize the number of points their state earns to get more funding. Ways to build these points include: building a clear understanding between teacher unions and school districts for programs that would build the training of teachers, turn around failing schools, encourage the creation of high-performing charter schools, creating data- driven instructional systems, and finally promoting quality science instruction. The plan also states that it will favor states that made the proposition that they should be taking student achievement into account when evaluating the overall success in teaching evaluations. Delaware, the first state to receive funding, promised to enforce a way for teachers and principals to show the growth of student’s achievements to prevent the state from receiving an unfavorable rating. Also they promised to use this information to remove these ineffective teachers from classrooms in their state. Tennessee already passed a strong law mandating that at least 50 percent of teachers or principal’s evaluations should be based on the achievement of the students in their classrooms. In implementing these new laws, these state proved to the leaders of this country that they intend to improve the education system as a whole in the United States.

That's all for now!
~Ali

The Best book ever~ March 24, 2010

The best book that I have read would have to be “A Prayer for Owen Meany” by the incredible John Irving. This book was the best book that I have read yet because not only does it keep the audience interested by suspense, but it also keeps the readers guessing what could possibly happen next. Also this book was interesting to me because it held a lot of religious symbols hidden in the story that if you picked up on them, then it would make the book that much more interesting. An example of this interesting hidden symbolism is when the main character, Owen Meany, and his best friend, John Wheelwright, are on the quest to find out who John’s true father is. It was rumored that John’s mother was a virgin when she had him so that was one symbolism referencing Jesus having a virgin for a mother. Another symbolic thing that happened in the complex story is that when the boys were very young, Owen predicted his death, when and how he was going to die. This was also referenced back to Jesus because on his last supper with his disciples, he told them that he was going to die. Owen also was compared to Jesus because he died saving other people. Owen died saving a bunch of men from exploding and dying from a bomb planted in a restroom. Jesus was said to have saved many people because he died and saved them from an eternity in hell by dying for their sins. Owen also saved John several times. One time that really stuck out in the story is when Owen wanted to save John from the war drafts. In order to do that something has to be physically wrong with you so Owen, being the best friend, cut off a third of Johns trigger finger on his right hand because he was right handed. This did save John from having to get drafted but he said that he will forever question if that is the reason why he is still alone and not married today.
books.google.com


Thats all for now~
~Ali

Phoenix ENT LLC. ~March 22,2010

I work for a company named Phoenix ENT LLC. In this company, I got to concerts and site out the good bands. If they are really good and I feel as if they could represent our company well, I approach the band afterwards and ask them if they are already signed with a group. After I made the initial remarks with the band and I still feel as if the band joining our company would further our progress, I get my boss to go to another concert in which that particular ban is playing. In that concert, I take notes of all that the band need to fix including stage presence, communication between band members, the image the band has together, or the musicians in the band. After the show, we approach them together. Usually I do all the talking, in which I find out if they are still interested in signing with us. If they are still interested, I present them with the things that they would have to change in order to be a part of the company and then we proceed to go over the contract and see if they have any questions. Usually, we let them go home and think about it for a week and get the contract looked at by a lawyer so they know what exactly they are getting into. If they still agree, we sign them and get a photo shoot lined up immediately for them. With the pictures we take at the photo shoot, we can get flyers and a logo up and going in order to get their name out and schedule gigs for them. Then if a concert hall or another band needs either an opening act or a main band, they contact me. In contacting me, I get the information to the members of the band and see if one, they want to do the gig, and two, if they are available to do the gig. At the concert, I make sure they have exactly what they need and make sure they are where they need to be when they need to be.

That's all for now!
~Ali

Proud Confederates ~ March 19,2010

I chose to write on a piece in Vanity Fairs magazine. The title of this article is “Yes, Southerners are Still Proud of the Confederacy” and it is by Vanity Fair. This particular article was written and published on the internet on April 7, 2010. In this article, the author was pointing out that people in the south are still looking for ways to celebrate the south and what it did not accomplish. It still never ceases to amaze me what people do to relive the olden days. Whether it be through their children or through the actions that they themselves make on a daily basis seem to only be in the interest of themselves. In one instance, a Virginia governor wants to remember what the confederates did by making a month to take time and learn about it. He proposed that they preserve the month of April to be the official Confederate History month in the state of Virginia. This month would make time to remember all of the good things the confederacy did in the past. When asked about slavery, the governor responded that slavery was not a significant issue for the people of Virginia back then. Also when a NY Times correspondent wrote in an article about a women’s basketball game that it might not be a women’s sport after the way the women played in the first half really blew the readers away. When the University of Connecticut’ women’s basketball team won the NCAA tournament, this sent this particular reporter into a tizzy saying that the opponents were not playing their best. After reporting that he thought that it was so badly played, he wrote that because of their bad mistakes in the game, it might have set back the ability for women to also play in a national basketball team for a few decades.

Invisible Homeless~ March 15, 2010

I personally do not believe that the homeless are invisible. I see them every day on the way to school and they make themselves known to be by constantly asking for money every time they see me. I chose to write on a man named Michael because he is a musician and I can relate to his story because my father is a musician as well. At the beginning the man asked Michael why he was homeless. He responded that he was once a personal nurse for a lady for 2 years then out of the blue she kicked him out. Also he mentioned that he had lived on the streets for 20 years before that time also. First of all it was very apparent to me that he did not like living on the streets because after 20 years of living on the streets, he went out and made something of himself. Also, in his wishes at the end of his interview, he sang to us that he would like a place to call his own. I think that people like to go back to their old habits if one thing goes wrong in their life instead of fighting the current and trying to make their lives better. Sure, I understand that it is very hard to find a job now- a- days in this economy. However what happened to him being a personal nurse? He never said that after he got kicked out for no reason that he went to look for another job. I tend to ignore the homeless when I pass them because some of them are really dangerous and they carry weapons and if you are not careful, you could end up dead for just the $2 in your pocket.

Michael from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.

That's all for now!

~Ali

The Census~ March 5, 2010

The article I chose to write on today comes from the web site/ news paper called Slate. This particular article that sounded interesting enough to write on is entitled “Count Me Out” by Ted Rose. In this particular article, the author writes on if you can really get in trouble for not filling out the Census. On the form it clearly states that if you do not fill it out and return it, then you can face charges and maybe even jail time. However, there is no law that clearly states that if you do not fill out the census then you will be punished. The Census Bureau does not prosecute those who do not participate or those who fill it out with false statements. However there is a benefit to filling out the census and to do it correctly. When the government gets the numbers of people living in a particular area, they can grant that area more money to create more streets if it is necessary for the town to function. The author then supports this with evidence from a case in 1960 where a man refused to answer the extended questionnaire about the economic standing of his house hold. He argued that the government does not need to know this information and it is an invasion of his privacy. However at the end of the trial, the judge found him guilty and charged $100 and a 60 day prison sentence. Though everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I do not understand why any one would not fill out the Census. At tops the questionnaire would take one family member fifteen minutes to complete, it does not cost them anything, not even postage, and it has the potential to better the communities in which they live in.

That's all for now!
~Ali