COLLEGE!

Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows where I'm going to college... VT!

College applications were pretty stressful for me this year... My parents really pushed for UVA but I never really liked it as much as VT. Although UVA has amazing academics, I just couldn't really see myself fitting in there, and when it comes down to it, even if I had gotten in I don't think I would've picked a school I didn't feel comfortable at.

The main reason I love Virginia Tech is the sense of pride and family that the students and faculty have. I've always had a lot of school/team pride and I can't wait to be around people who love their school as much as I do. Plus the food and the football team are great........ :D

Anyway, next year I'm going to be majoring in Philosophy and minoring in Environmental Sciences. People usually laugh when I tell them what I want to do with my life, and adults always tell me that I'm going to end up changing my mind. The truth is though, I don't think I will. I've always known that I want a law degree, and I don't think that's going to change!

What I would really love to do is combine my love for law and animals... hopefully I'll be able to practice environmental (specifically wildlife) law. My parents weren't too thrilled on the idea of animal/wildlife law... they don't really understand why I would fight for animals when there are so many humans suffering in this world. Honestly, I want to spend my life doing something I'm passionate about, and animal advocacy and animal rights really do mean a lot to me. If I decide to not practice law, I want to do something in Congress... hopefully I'll be able to start out as a legislative assistant... you never know where I might end up!

I can't believe we're only 7 days away from graduation. Its UNREAL! I really had fun in Comparative and it was definitely one of my favorite classes this year. I'm going to miss it so much!! Thanks for being such a great teacher, Mr. Stroud :)

Senior Year

This year was crazy to say the least. If I could go back, I don't think I would change a thing [well maybe there is one thing I might have opted out on... ;)].

I definitely would tell all the rising seniors NOT to pile up on AP classes. Taking 6 AP's was hell, especially when I had to balance classes with interning, work, Keyettes, ROTC, coaching/playing soccer, chores/family, and some semblance of a social life.

Interning was a little rough... especially with the whole AOD thing. Although I kind of wish I hadn't made a stupid mistake, I definitely learned a lot and grew from the experience so I can't say it was a completely bad thing.

In retrospect I also would've like to worked harder at maintaining my GPA and my grades. They absolutely tanked this year and I feel really bad about it now... but its all in the past so I can't really change anything.

The thing I loved the most about senior year is the fact that I made some really awesome new friends... I also feel like our class grew a little closer. I can't wait to graduate but I can honestly say that I'm really, really going to miss high school.

Oh well... on to bigger and better things I guess. VT <3

Summer Plans

I'm going to have a realllyy busy summer! On the 14th we graduate, then the 15th is all night grad. The 16th I'm heading out THE OUTER BANKS with 7 of my closest friends - Taylor, Denise, Lea, Kayla, Hannah, Adele, and Olivia (CAN'T WAIT!). Once I get back (23rd) I'm going to be working two jobs all summer so I can make bank for Tech in the fall.

I've been working at Safeway for almost a year now, and I'm going to keep that Friday-Sunday. I just started my new job at The Breeze in downtown Herndon and I already love it. Waiting is kind of a pain in the butt but at the same time its also fun and its something new and different.... which is probably why I like it. So anyway I'm going to do The Breeze Monday-Thursday and Safeway Friday-Sunday. And of course I'm going to relax and squish in another vacation somewhere :)

4th Quarter CE #4

Women Assaulted in Egypt


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=154471078


Concern grows for the safety of women in Egypt's Tahrir Square after numerous women have been assaulted during protests. An attack late yesterday seemed to be the last straw for many protesters who are calling for a campaign to prevent sexual harassment in the square. Although calls for this campaign seem to stem from the recent protests, many Egyptians insist that it is "part of a bigger social problem that has largely gone unpunished."


Because women rarely report attacks, the actual amount of incidents is unknown. Many suspect that these attacks on women are driven by opponents of the protesters in an effort to weaken spirits.


Women are also seemingly targeted by military and security troops, a strategy favored by Mubarak. "Troops were captured on video stomping with their boots on the bare chest of a woman, with only her blue bra showing, as other troops pulled her by the arms across the ground."

A 2008 report says that two-thirds of women in Egypt experience sexual harassment of some form on a daily basis. TWO THIRDS! Although police forces have increased their number of patrols, no legislation/punishment was ever passed. 

Since Mubarak was ousted, women's political rights have deteriorated - they have won fewer seats in parliament than ever before. Women's rights groups also fear the 

growing power of Islamist groups will lead to new restrictions.

4th Quarter CE #3

Teen kills 1, injures another, in deadly texting and driving accident


http://www.necn.com/06/06/12/Teen-found-guilty-for-deadly-crash-while/landing_newengland.html?blockID=720670&feedID=4206


February 2011 - 18 year old Aaron Deveau's life changed in an instant when his car crashed into 55-year old Donald Bowley's car, killing him and injuring his girlfriend, Luz Roman.


Jurors only took a few hours to find Deveau GUILTY and hand down the maximum sentence (1 year) for negligent motor vehicle homicide and causing injury in a crash while texting and driving. Because the teen had his phone in his hand at the time when the crash occurred, there was reason to believe he was texting, which constitutes criminal negligence.


Deveau's case will go to the Supreme Judicial Court on appeal. It will be interesting to see how this case affects other teenagers' decisions on phone usage while operating a motor vehicle.

4th Quarter CE #2

Redskins Move Training Camp Location


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/football-insider/post/redskins-moving-training-camp-to-richmond-in-2013/2012/06/06/gJQAxCrgIV_blog.html?hpid=z6


Unfortunately for Redskins fans in Fairfax and Loudoun counties, the Washington Redskins have announced a change in location for their August training camp. Beginning in 2013, the camp will move from Ashburn to Richmond, the state capital.


However, the Redskins corporate headquarters will remain at the Loudoun county facility as a part of a $30 million expansion deal. 


Governor Rob McDonnell said that the state has been negotiating the deal for over a year now. Maryland and the District of Columbia offered the team more money to choose a camp within their boundaries, but club officials decided to remain in Virginia. "We are the most business friendly state in America and that's why even though other jurisdictions offered significant revenue...the management and ownership of the Redskins understood there's no better place to call home... that the commonwealth of Virginia," said Governor McDonnell. 


VA will spend $4 million in 2 years, while Loudoun County alone will provide $2 million in four years to upgrade the outdated facilities. Richmond, however, has only agreed to pay $400,000.


The Redskins are undoubtedly an integral part of Virginia's economy and we cannot be happier to have them call us home.

4th Quarter CE #1

More Trouble For Kwame Brown 


http://www.washingtonpost.com/regional


DC Council Chairman Kwame Brown really cannot catch a break. The nation's capital was rocked by another scandal today when news broke that Brown is being charged with bank fraud. Brown is notorious for being in trouble with the law and has been the subject of a long-running corruption investigation. 


As of now, Brown has signed a "criminal information" document and his plea hearing is set for Friday morning in the US District Court. 


According to Brown's press statement, he "provided Industrial Bank of Washington “falsified documents” that overstated his income by “tens of thousands of dollars” to allow him to obtain a home equity loan and to purchase a boat."


As a result of this crime, Brown can see up to 30 years in prison, but speculation points to him getting off with a more lenient punishment. It is inevitable that Brown will resign in the coming days, although he has made no official statement saying as much. 

Pope Visits Mexico

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hFzBFEbX-Qzv6_dB2Q8CtdIUAQ5g?docId=5f06d574846d4a10b59aa272db06d38f 


Pope Benedict XVI recently visited Mexico to urge citizens to use their faith as a way to stray away from drug use and poverty. 


Mexicans feel that the Pope was reminding them to stay strong midst daily struggles against criminality, corruption, and economic hardship. In the past, Mexican citizens have not connected with Pope Benedict as well as they did with the Pope before him, Pope John Paul. 


Benedict won over people with this prayer at the end of Mass, "At this time when so many families are separated or forced to emigrate, when so many are suffering due to poverty, corruption, domestic violence, drug trafficking, the crisis of values and increased crime, we come to Mary in search of consolation, strength and hope." The reference to Mary is particularly important for Mexicans, who revere the Virgin of Guadalupe as their patron saint. 


The Pope was told to give the crowd a message of hope because their lives have been consumed by "fear, helplessness, and grief" over the immense violence stemming from Mexico's drug trade.


Benedict chose to visit Guanajuato because John Paul II had never visited that area and he needed to bless the Christ the King statue which "expresses an identity of the Mexican people that contains a whole history in relation to the testimony of faith and those who fought for religious freedom at the time," said Monsignor Victor Rene Rodriguez, secretary general of the Mexican bishops conference. Also, this region is Mexico's most conservatively Catholic.

Current Event #4 - Putin's Opposition Seeks New Tack

Ever since Putin and his cronies announced his presidency, Putin's opposition has taken some time off to think. Since trying to beat him in an election didn't work, they are considering "more pragmatic methods." 


Saturday, 20,000 peaceful protesters held a rally, chanting "RUSSIA WITHOUT PUTIN!" Although they were angry, the mood was somber and the protesters left with no clear plan of action.


Unlike the success of the Arab Spring, the movement to overthrow Putin in Russia has not been able to spread anywhere outside of Moscow, establish a strong leader, or crack the unjust system. 


Regardless of the outrage, Russian stocks and the ruble rose in trading today, due to what analysts are calling a lower perceived risk of political uncertainty and instability. 


However, it is clear that middle-class citizens are angry and are demanding greater political openness in larger numbers than ever before. Many people believe that even if there was no cheating or fraud involved in the elections, Putin would have won anyway, saying that most Russian citizens do not have the right mentality right now. 


State-controlled radio and television stations are also showing evidence of a gradual change, reporting on rallies and political events very straightforwardly. 


"I felt a new attitude, new energy," crime novelist and protest leader Grigory Chkhartishvili wrote in his blog. "There were a lot of new people on the stage who spoke without tedious bravado, without demands for an immediate victory of the forces of good over the forces of evil."




http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303717304577275373135551522.html

Current Event #3 - Suicide Bomber in Nigeria

As worshipers prayed today in a Catholic church in Jos, Nigeria, a suicide car bomber detonated his device, killing at least 10 people.


Jos has been a place of intense violence and conflict in the past decade that has been centered around religious and ethnic tensions.


The bomber was allegedly stopped at a security checkpoint where he decided to detonate, causing riots and chaos to break out later that day. Angry young protesters burned homes and set fires in neighborhoods across the city, causing more deaths. 


Although nobody has claimed responsibility for this horrendous attack, officials believe it could have been the doing of a radical Islamic sect known as Boko Haram. 


Boko Haram has been responsible for bombings in Jos on Christmas Eve and Feb 26, killing a total of 118 people. 


Christian and Islamic groups have been in constant conflict for a long time in Nigeria. At least 1,000 people died as a result in Jos in 2010. Though the groups squaring off are religious, the things they are fighting over are not: both groups have been competing for local politics, economics, and the rights to grazing lands. The Muslims are angry because the Christian-led government does not recognize them as citizens. 


This newest attack brings attention to the fact that Nigeria is having trouble dealing with terrorism, especially in the Muslim north. 


President Goodluck Johnathon has condemned the attack and assured citizens that the government is "winning the war against the terrorists." Johnathon has also warned citizens to not engage in reprisal attacks against Muslims. 




http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/explosion-hits-catholic-church-in-central-nigeria-town-where-thousands-killed-in-past-violence/2012/03/11/gIQAr8Xs4R_story.html


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17331707

Current Event #2 - British restructures border agency after furor over relaxation of controls

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/british-restructures-border-agency-after-furor-over-relaxation-of-controls/2012/02/20/gIQAOzHTPR_story.html


British officials have announced plans to restructure their border agencies recently after controversy has risen over the fact that they may have not been following through on security checks at ports and airports. 


Home Secretary Theresa May wants to completely recreate a system that has been known to, in the past, "suspend important checks without permission," waste money on unused technology, and send inaccurate and incorrect information to the government. 


May will also split the border force from the U.K. Border Agency to "give it a whole new management culture." Brodie Clark, head of the former agency, was fired earlier this year and is now filing a lawsuit for wrongful dismissal. 

Current Event #1 - Iran halts oil shipments to Britain, France

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iran-halts-oil-shipments-to-britain-france/2012/02/19/gIQAnLtUNR_story.html


Iran has decided to cut off oil shipments to Britain and France as a retaliation for them supporting "economic sanctions against the Islamic republic."


This is a huge loss for Iran, as 18% of their petroleum exports go to European customers. 


This move is largely symbolic, and its effect will be minimal on France and Britain. Britain no longer imports oil from Iran, and France is in the process of phasing out Iranian crude, which currently makes up less than 4% of the country's oil imports. 


However, this hasn't stopped global oil prices from shooting up to an eight-month high as investors weigh the chances of shortages occurring. 


In the meantime, Western powers continue to encourage Iranian officials to halt nuclear programs. If Iran makes it clear that they do not want to do so, European Union nations will exclude Iranian banks from the international financial messaging system (Swift), making it harder for Iran to collect money from its foreign oil sales. 


Despite these threats, Iran has staunchly refused to halt any programs they may be conducting. The White House and Obama administration are trying to undermine any idea that they may be  using military force against Iranian nuclear facilities. 

Question of the Week #6 - Senior Year!

So far, senior year has been going pretty well for me. Except for the fact that because of "senioritis" my grades our worse than ever, I'm doing just fine. I'm surprisingly stress free at this point now that I've finished and turned in all my applications. All I get to do now is wait :O

The schools I applied to, in order of preference:

University of Virginia

Virginia Tech

James Madison University

George Mason

"Unless you have been shot at by the Taliban, shut your mouth, war is hell."

1. Who drew the cartoon?
Jimmy Margulies, The Record of Hackensack, NJ

2. List and describe the key objects in the cartoon and describe what each represents:Boy = Marines
Words = pee
Droplets at end = Taliban


3. What techniques or devices does the cartoonist use?
Symbolism
Caricature
Analogy

4. What issue or event does the cartoon deal with?
US Marines urinating on bodies of Taliban members

5. What is the cartoon's message?
The fact that the Marines urinated on those bodies is in return for "years of United States sacrifice in Afghanistan"

6. What is the cartoonist's point-of-view?
The soldiers were just doing this as a way of "blowing off some steam," per se. They have suffered in Afghanistan for so long and have seen horrendous things and they have all this built up hatred towards the Taliban that they thought this would be ok. 

Question of the Week #5 - Predictions

I think Romney will win the GOP race for the nomination because so far he has proven himself able to win both the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire Primary (which are both good predictors of who will win). Also, he is a strong candidate who can withstand any criticism that is thrown at him by his fellow competitors, unlike Gingrich who faltered under the pressure. However, even if Romney is able to win the nomination, I do not think he will win against President Obama. Romney, when compared to Obama, is not nearly as consistent in his ideas and has not really presented a valid solution to all our problems.

Iowa - Week of January 8

1. Who drew the cartoon?
Bob Englehart, The Hartford Courant

2. List and describe the key objects in the cartoon and describe what each represents:Racing field/horse race - Iowa Caucus
Winner - Mitt Romney
Runner up - Rick Santorum
2nd Runner up - Newt Gingrich

3. What techniques or devices does the cartoonist use?
Symbolism - horse race symbolizes race for presidency
Caricature - Romney's features are really exaggerated
Juxtaposition - the men on horses are in the same order as the Iowa caucus results showed


4. What issue or event does the cartoon deal with?
Iowa caucus

5. What is the cartoon's message?
Romney came in first, with Santorum and Gingrich in a close second and third

6. What is the cartoonist's point-of-view?
Its not even about the politics anymore... people only care who wins or loses