Mookie Riffic

I just watched a portion of Penn & Teller's show: Bullshit! (I say portion because the last 5-10 minutes were cut off by the PVR *grumbles*) in which they discussed Drugs.

They made a lot of good points. Hell, they made a lot of great points, and I was already convinced the Marijuana should be legalized, and now I'm even more convinced.

Now I'm not going to be one of those people that go on a crusade and storm the White House every couple weeks shouting "We Want Pot-We Want Pot", but I'm not going to stop the aforementioned people. People should have the right to do anything they want to their body’s- providing that they don't harm others.

Marijuana is a drug, just like nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, sleeping pills, narcotics, etc. Pot is only dangerous in the hands of stupid people. Granted the world is full of stupid people... But that’s not the point! The point is marijuana is not anymore dangerous then alcohol.

Alcohol is not dangerous in itself. It’s only dangerous when people become stupid while drinking alcohol. A beer sitting on the counter is not going to suddenly leap up and kill someone. Well neither is a joint.

I said I wasn't one of those people that would go on a crusade, and I'm not. I won’t even go near the stuff. I have a very simple policy when if comes to drugs and my friends... and it is as stated:

I don't care that you do it, I just don't want to know about it, I don't want to see it, I don't want to be told about it, I don't want to be involved in it. If you offer me some, your getting smacked or punched. I don't care about Pot, but if you do needle drugs- Get Away From Me.

Very few people have ever had a problem with that personal policy. And the few that did just went away. As it should be.

There was only one thing on the Penn & Teller show I could find fault with. And that was this "No one has ever died from marijuana". I think that’s false. People have died of EVERYTHING. I'm sure people have even died from those annoying little plastic rings around the milk cap. For heavens sake! Tennessee Williams suffocated to death on a BOTTLE CAP! Now the death may not have been because of the pot directly, but it could have had an indirect effect. Also, pot is like cigarettes, you put a bunch of plant stuff in paper, you light it, and you inhale the smoke. Inhaling smoke isn't natural. Tobacco is a carcinogen, and Marijuana probably is too.

So I guess the point I'm trying to make is actually two... Go watch the Penn & Teller show Bulshit!, and I think pot is like alcohol. Its only dangerous in a stupid persons hands. If pot is illegal, then alcohol should be too. If alcohol is legal, then pot should be too.

I'm done. 'Nuff said.

Posted by at 07:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Found Via Dad

10) Google
9) Cooking Scrambled Eggs
8) Lighting
7) Rockets/Aerodynamics
6) Classic Rock
5) Madeline L'Engle Books
4) Stage Managing
3) Ancient Egypt
2) My Best Friend, Paul
1) Technical Theater

Posted by at 07:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Where are we?

I know that I am in Dale City. And Dale City is in Prince William County. And Prince William County is in Virginia. Which is in the USA. Which is on the North American Continent. Which is in the Northern Hemisphere. And the western depending on how you draw it. And the hemispheres are on Earth which is in the Solar System, 3rd planet from the Sun. Which is part of the Milky Way Galaxy. Which is part of the Universe.

But where is the universe? The universe is by definition everything. But science says the universe is expanding. Where too? If the universe is expanding, that means it must expand into something. Its impossible to expand into nothingness. What is the universe a part of?

If the universe is nothing but another organelle of a yet larger, and unidentified system, how important is one girl in Dale City, Virginia to the future of everything.

Ah yes, but the future. What is that? Is that now? Or how about now? That was the near future. But actually it was the Present. And now the near past. Soon it will pass into the distant past. When did time begin? I know when we started recording it. I know that we’re two thousand and four years into the current era. But when did time begin? Is time actually a cycle. The universe condenses into a ball of matter the size of a pin head, explodes and expands, and then it condenses again. Where is the center of the universe, where is there such a place where the pull of gravity is so intense, that all matter is pulled into a small ball. Once again, where does the universe expand to? Why is it drifting?

In all the millions of years since the current expansion of the universe started stars have shone, planets formed, satellites formed around the planets, life has formed, life has died, planets have died, stars have died. Is earth the only planet that can support life? No. Pure statistics does not support it. Its incredibly arrogant to refuse to believe in other life forms. There is no way that there is only one small planet in the entire universe. What if on some other planet nature has adopted another path of evolution. What if nature has formed species with a diamond shape for the legs of the being, instead of the rectangle that Earth has adopted. What if there are intelligent trees. A species that is strikingly similar to humans, just different. What if?

Where does the universe expand into? When did time start? What effect does one girl Dale City, VA have to do with the future of the everything? What if?

Posted by at 09:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

Its exactly what it says. A 600 word BS reflective piece on my project on Arsenic. Almost got in trouble for it. Heh

Continue reading "600 word reflective BS piece" »

Posted by at 06:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (1)

But this pisses me off. (Thanks to Jen for the link)

So lets start at the beginning (I'm going to tear this article apart).

If your teen isn't text messaging -- chances are they are blogging. That is journaling their innermost thoughts for all to read on-line. Today blogs are giving teens the creative outlook they need to express what they feel, think and do on a daily basis.

*Blinks* First off, I can, and often do IM and Blog at the same time. Second, I don't put my "inner most thoughts" here. I'd be insane, because first off, my parents DO read my Blog. And second a blog isn't just talking about personal life.

he clicks on his Web log, or blog — an on line diary he keeps on a Web site called LiveJournal — and checks for responses from his readers.

*Aggravated Sigh* I've said it before, and I'll say it again. A LiveJournal is NOT a Blog. A journal is a place to whine. A blog is a place to whine and have good times.

Lets skip forward a couple of paragraphs to the next passage I've decided needed my personal opinion.

The teenagers who post journals have (depending on your perspective) a degraded or a relaxed sense of privacy; their experiences may be personal, but there’s no shame in sharing.

Do I do this? I don't think so. And to some degree I believe there is a shame in sharing. I'm sorry but you don't go onto a blog/journal and just post every single intimate detail of your life. Well some do, but I don't believe in it. Posting your entire life will take up your ENTIRE LIFE. You wont do anything else. A teenager doesn't post about the first time they have sex, or if they smoke weed. You just don't do that. You don't post that you watched a scary movie and peed in your bed. You don't post your deepest secrets. But thats my opinion. And if you just have too, get a journal, not a blog.

a new kind of intimacy, a sense that they are known and listened to. This is their life, for anyone to read. As long as their parents don’t find out.

Wow. I guess I just defy all of the laws of nature. First I'm not supposed to exist. And now I'm not supposed to blog because-Heaven Forbid- my father reads!

And thats another difference between a Journal and a Blog. A Blog wont get you grounded (mostly) if your parents don't like what you write. Why? Because you don't post stuff that you know will get you in trouble! In a blog you use common sense. Generally its known that you don't do certain things, for example, you don't post about a particularly smelly fart, or like I said before, the first time you had sex-the day after! Now the whole sex thing, some people do post it, but generally its not until YEARS later. Not the next day. Granted there are exceptions

On one final note:

To read more of this story, click here.

Story provided courtesy of the New York Times. Copyright © 2004 by New York Times.

The New Your Times sucks. They shouldn't make you pay for a news article. Not when they already posted a good chunk of it!

So anyway. That article has me kinda mad, but its Okay. I just hope, the author of that article learns that there IS a difference between a blog and a journal. Either that or I'm overacting. < mocking > But thats Okay. I'm a teenager! < /mocking of psychiatrists>

Posted by at 06:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (1)

This was a school paper, I got A's all across the rubric. If you haven't read either/both works you might want to skip this essay. I'm putting it in the extended. And you aren't getting the original. I'm correcting what the teacher said needed correcting. For example I didn't know that Holocaust needed to be capitalized. He he.

Continue reading "Animalistic Diction in the novels NIGHT and All quiet on the western front" »

Posted by at 08:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Politicians are constantly going on and on about how they will improve education. Get us more teachers. Better supplies. Better surroundings. Less kids per class. They have yet to deliver.
In my P.E. class there are 45 kids. There are 9 P.E. classes in my block. That's 405 kids and 9 teachers. Now some people would say "yeah, but that's not an important class.." Sorry to burst your bubble, but if a class gives me a grade, and that grade can affect my GPA, it's important. And in PE we also have health every three weeks. So lets look at it this way. Theres one teacher. 45 kids. And we're supposed to A) Learn to drive, and B) Get Certified for CPR. You can figure it out.
My friend Emma is in Algebra II/Trig, and is struggling. She can't drop down to a lower math class (IB-Algebra II in this case) because there is no room. She has math the same block as me, but I'm in the Algebra II class. Once again, theres one teacher. But instead of 45 kids, theres 34. And the teacher is, in my opinion, an idiot. We'll refer to the teacher as Mr. J.
Outside of Mr. J's are of expertise, math, he is an idiot. Sorry to be harsh but its true. He assigned a project. How many turned it in? 12. How many actually put effort into it? 4. And then, instead of making the 3 grade project into an example, and force the other 22 kids to take the course seriously, he accepted late work.
I found out something today that really angers me. (Can't find a link) A man applied to a school to become a teacher. They denied his application because "He was too smart, and might intimidate the students". No teacher is ever overqualified. Under qualified? Hell yeah. But over? Thats an oxymoron.
Maybe if the teachers were actually decent we wouldn't have lower scores then South Africa in our math programs. Maybe we wouldn't have kids on the street joining gangs and spending the rest of their lives working in McDonald's. Maybe if our teachers were decent and didn't teach everything directly from the text books kids would be interested. Maybe we would absorb the info and not mind the homework because its interesting. Maybe we would learn more from our teachers then just the basic level info. We might learn to appreciate life better. We just might decrees the poverty levels in this country.
But how do we get decent teachers. People who actually care and will help a student to understand. Well first off lets raise the salary. The average teacher's pay is pathetic. In Hawaii for the 2003-2004 year, a teacher with a Bachelors and 6 years of teaching experience is paid $35,373. Now I may still be a bit naive when it comes to this type of stuff, but I know enough to know that that is not a good wage. No wonder no ones to teach if thats nation wide. Theres no incentive.
As an IB student, I generally get good teachers. Partly from luck, partly because all the crap teachers don't like to put forth the effort necessary to teach IB. IB teachers have a lot to account for, they have to accomplish both the county curriculum, AND the international curriculum. And it's not easy. But one of the benefits is they don't have to deal with the "Gangsta" kids who think they are bad asses and too good for school.
One of my favorite teachers taught us about the first World War in a very interesting, and to my mind fun way. She wanted us to know what it was like to be a solider in a war, so she did her best to recreate it. She split the class into two groups, Americans vs. Germans. And everyone had to take off their shoes and stand in a pan water for a minute to get our socks wet. Then when everyones feet were soaked we had to build "Trenches" out of our desks and draw cards. Depending on the card you could get a limb tied up so it was useless, you could get killed in which you laid in the middle of the floor for the rest of class, or you could get lucky and get to shoot the other side with these cheap plastic dart guns. It was fun, and you can bet everyone got an A on the test for that section.
With out decent teachers none of the modern day-to-day problems in society are ever going to change. We will forever be stuck in a state of limbo where the elite rich get all the best teachers while anyone that has the bad luck to be born in the city or rural areas is just plain screwed. We need teachers; not more regulations and standardized test.

Posted by at 07:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Mookie asked me to blog, so here I am! I've spent the last few days wondering what to write here. My brain flitted from politics to religion to drugs to death, but none of them seemed quite right. I dumped them all out, and I'm here to blog about love. "What do YOU know about love??" you say. I'm a human being - we are machines built to give love, and therefore are natural experts from birth (some people just get out of practice).

Love is the sun on your back and the stars in the sky; a laugh in the dark or tears in the cinema. Love is a hug from your best friend, a puppy's tongue on your nose, and frost on your eyelashes in winter. Love is seeing your favorite band live or your favorite painting in the museum. Love is a fire in the hearth and a mug of cocoa in your hands; the spray of the sea and the sand under your toes. Love is seeing your family when the war has ended; a newborn child in your arms. Love is a hot sigh in your ear from behind; someone's fingers intertwined in yours. Love is a gun to the temple; a white wedding dress stained wine-red; the silence of your own room. Love is what being human is all about.

Posted by at 03:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Another question that haunts me during the day light answers, with no real answer. But once again, I shall give it my best shot.

What Is The Difference Between A Blog And A Journal??

The feel of it. The flexibility of it. The mood of it. The sense of personality. The difference is often hard to put into words, but its something that you can immediately tell.

A journal is a place where a person can rant, whine, talk about their weekend, complain about a teacher, gossip about a friend. A journal can be on paper or the net. It can be in a variety of colors, on various servers. Anything from Dead-Journal to Blurty to Live-Journal. There is always a Journal site out there, one that seems made just for you.

A blog is all that a journal is; and so much more. Yes you can rant, whine, complain, gossip, talk, and any other numerous things on a blog, but a blog is just more. A blog can have different moods, different personas. A blog is more of a community thing, everyone forms their own communities on the blogs, whether by accident, or on purpose-as with the Munuvians.

Blogs have a flexibly that you just can't get with a journal. You can find everything from News Sites, to Slice-Of-Life. You find your whiners, and you find the guy that is naturally popular. You have the aspiring writers, and the aspiring web designers. You have real writers and real web designers! You can have ordinary people, and extraordinary people. And all these people can be wrapped up in the same person. All expressed on a blog.

A blog is competitive. Your constantly checking your email, just waiting for that special email from a reader. Your constantly checking your Tracker, to find out if you beat your record of 30 readers a day. You sometimes work hours upon hours on writing the Perfect Post, just to toss it into the Bonfire.

A blog, once again is about the people. A blog is updated constantly, for the positive, and the negative. A journal, for the most part, only highlights the negative. Where a journal is a place to whine and be miserable, a blog is a place to be comforted and supported. A journal is a place for sympathy. A blog is a place for encouragement. A journal is a place to think back in retrospect. A blog is a place for growth and to think forward.

Theres no solid line differentiating between a blog and a journal. But when you go to site, you just Know.

Posted by at 08:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (2)

I have been asked this questions many times in class, and most times I don't know what to say. So here goes the best answer I can come up with.

I Blog Because I Can.

No, not really. Actually I have found blogging to be a very useful place where I can rant. I know I don't really rant that often, that’s because I delete the posts because they are too horrid to post and dad would kill me, lol.

I also blog because I can express my thoughts and ideas with helpful criticism from a variety of people. Just look at the MuNuvians for instance, there’s Jen-she’s a history major. And there’s Pixy, who is just wow! A major Computer Geek, meant in the nicest way possible, and one of the kindest people I've ever had the privilege of associating with. There’s Daniel, and Tim, two students in college. Half the time I don't understand Daniel, but I try. And I actually went back and reread his post on Quarks in order to study for a test.

Then there is the lovable Susie, who is just a very sweet person. And Victor, whose girlfriend Nic deserves an Honorable mention. They were so awesome when my mom was in the hospital. And Victor taught me the value of springs. *Grins* Then you have LeeAnn, she always brings a smile to my face and is hilarious.

And there’s a spark of internationalism that I wouldn't get in normal life. From Simon, Helen, and once again-Tim.

And outside of the Munu Crew, you get great people like Tim (Backstage), SilverBlue, Starhawk and Kin.

When it comes to people like this, how can you NOT blog and hope to join the group. All these people are the kindest, and most thoughtful people I know. Now as with any group of humans, there will always be a couple bad apples (Notice my tack in not linking the "Bad Apples" =D), but for the most part, these people are awesome.

Another reason why I love these people, and I blog and read their blogs, is because they accepted me. When you think about it, not many people in the world would let a 15-year-old get away with some of the stuff I say, like my ADHD post, I was sure someone would try to censor me... Oh wait they did, and they looked like a nit wit. These people, accepted me, despite my age. And that means a lot.

When a person finds acceptance like I have, weather on line, or in person, they would be a fool not to rejoice and join in. Hopefully I haven't been too foolish.

So in short. I blog for the people.

Posted by at 05:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

ADHD.

I think it is the biggest-pardon my language- bullshit ever. Known officially as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, this 'thing' is technically(straight from ADHD.com- and no these asshats aren’t getting a link, they don’t deserve it) “characterized by the inability to sustain focused attention, impulsivity and hyperactivity”.
Get Real!!

What they are basically saying (in my mind) is this (said with false cheer) "Oh my! Your child actually is active and doesn’t want to watch TV?!?!? Oh my, well lets just dope him up on drugs! And then he’ll calm down and become another bum that will live off of you until your old and then he’ll put you in a Wonderfully Crappy Old-Folks Home! Yes that’s precisely the solution!" I am sure there are some actually ADHD kids, my brother was one of them, but come on!

Lets look at some statistics:

ADHD.com states that "one to three children in any classroom of thirty students [has ADHD]".

Is a child who is not interested in TV and Video games that unusual now? Is it that scary of a concept? Is it a shame for a kid to want to (dare I say it? *Mocks serious thinking* Yes I'll say it) WANT SOME FRESH AIR??!!??

"Two to three times more boys than girls are affected" Cry me a river. Boys are more hyper then girls, well.. DUH! What do you expect? It’s a fact of life! Dogs are also more hyper than girls, but we don't put them on drugs because of it. But it gets better! From the same site I bring you this 'heart-wrenching' *gag* passage:

ADHD often continues into adolescence and adulthood, and can cause a lifetime of frustrated dreams and emotional pain.

But there is help...and hope. In the last decade, scientists have learned much about the course of the disorder and are now able to identify and treat children, adolescents, and adults who have it. A variety of medications, behavior-changing therapies, and educational options are already available to help people with ADHD focus their attention, build self-esteem, and function in new ways.

Okay and people say I over dramatize things.

Heres another bunch of idiotcy:

ADHD is 5 to 7 times more common in boys.

ADHD occurs in people of every level of intelligence.

ADHD tends to run in families, and there is an association with a family history of alcoholism and / or depression.

There is some suggestion clinically that asthma may be more prevalent in ADHD children.

ADHD children often show considerable ability with artistic endeavors, but may have difficulty forming symbols (writing) unless "drawing", going very slowly and precisely.

ADHD is much more commonly diagnosed in the United States than in Europe, and the stimulant medications are used vastly more in the United States as an intervention strategy.

Shall we tear this little passage apart? Yes, yes lets.
ADHD is 5 to 7 times more common in boys I’m not going to repeated myself on this one, I want to, but I wont. I'll spare you.
ADHD occurs in people of every level of intelligence. Yeah, uh-uh. Like I believe that. You know who is most likely to get stuck with the title of ADHD? Smart kids that are bored out of their skulls! I can't even count the number of times I’ve seen a really smart kid stuck in lower course because "They can't handle the higher levels". How do they know this? They don't, a higher course could be just the solution. The kids are BORED! Not dumb.
ADHD tends to run in families, and there is an association with a family history of alcoholism and / or depression. So basically, if you live in a crap family/world, and you don't like to be at home where you have to listen to the drunks and the moaning of the depressed, you get put on drugs? Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose? The kids are hyper because they want OUT! It’s like a little dog, if you don't let the dog out to pee, it will pee on the floor, and it’s not their fault, because it wasn't let out! Geeze.
There is some suggestion clinically that asthma may be more prevalent in ADHD children. Well if I ran around I’d be short of breath too. 'Nuff said.
ADHD children often show considerable ability with artistic endeavors, but may have difficulty forming symbols (writing) unless "drawing", going very slowly and precisely. Maybe, probably not. It’s just that in their intense boredom they teach themselves to draw.
ADHD is much more commonly diagnosed in the United States than in Europe, and the stimulant medications are used vastly more in the United States as an intervention strategy. I’m not even going to comment on this one.

Well that’s enough rant on this subject for today. I mainly decided to rant on it because I’m bored. (Quick dad! Haul me off to a doctor so I can get put on speed! I'm overly hyper!)

Posted by at 05:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (1)