"If you could make a magic brew, what would you make and why?"
I would make a magic brew that grants the power to control time, because then I could always find the best path in life. With time on my side, I could even go back in time to make a different magic brew until I have too much magic everywhere. Also, I would never get anything wrong because I could just go back in time and redo everything. It would be like going on the internet, except even better because I could make money off of it. Also, I have always wanted to see how time itself works...
Friday, October 28, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
TU TUESDAY BLOG
http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Outdoors-Paddle-and-Hike-2181623.php
set in motion a swirl of color
swirl: twisting or spiraling
black-and-white checkered bird
checkered: pattern of alternating squares; varying
we again spied the summit
spied: to have observed, furtively
my disappointment dissipated
dissipated: dispersed
vacant campsite for a swim
vacant: empty
This article is about a trip to the Adirondacks, and uses many words to describe the natural condition of the parks and the observation one uses to enjoy the scenery. The "checkered bird" and "swirl of color" are both phrases used by the author to describe smooth motions and textures found in nature, showing differentiation and transience. Even the quote "my disappointment dissipated" makes me feel like I am reading about nature. The author uses many other terms to describe the vast expanse of the parks, such as "spied" as opposed to "saw", and shows its area by using "vacant", which gives it a sense of being more spacious.
set in motion a swirl of color
swirl: twisting or spiraling
black-and-white checkered bird
checkered: pattern of alternating squares; varying
we again spied the summit
spied: to have observed, furtively
my disappointment dissipated
dissipated: dispersed
vacant campsite for a swim
vacant: empty
This article is about a trip to the Adirondacks, and uses many words to describe the natural condition of the parks and the observation one uses to enjoy the scenery. The "checkered bird" and "swirl of color" are both phrases used by the author to describe smooth motions and textures found in nature, showing differentiation and transience. Even the quote "my disappointment dissipated" makes me feel like I am reading about nature. The author uses many other terms to describe the vast expanse of the parks, such as "spied" as opposed to "saw", and shows its area by using "vacant", which gives it a sense of being more spacious.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
I really liked this book when I was little, and I'm sure that that led to a long chain of other readings that I really liked later on in life. This book sparked ideas and reinforced my imagination, and to this day I still like books like that. Others that are similar that I have read in the past are "The Phantom Tollbooth", and "Alice in Wonderland". I like books that are creative, but even greater am I drawn to books that create new landscapes altogether, and I have tried experimenting with that in my writings as well. When I was little, I had always thought that the world was too small, so I have grown to always like other worlds better.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
P = University of Phoenix
Information taken from http://www.phoenix.edu/
I'm not particularly interested in this college because:
1. Online: A large part of the course is online, which creates more room for error and technical difficulties which can interfere with the class and they are expensive as well. http://www.phoenix.edu/students/how-it-works/how-learning-formats.html
2. Computer Programming: They don't have a very prominent computer programming course, or at least do not have many visible options on their website. They do have one course which only provides the "basic understanding of programming".
3. Reputation: They have only been around since the 1970s, which makes them much newer than a lot of known universities with good reputations.
4. Location: There aren't any colleges near where I live, Slingerlands, which makes it inconvenient to get to the university unless I attend online.
5. Location: While there are many universities spread across the U.S., the chances that they are all too shallow in their curriculum is also high. Personally, I believe that their dedication to students is questionable if they cannot focus their efforts.
Reasons why it would be a good choice:
1. Symbol: They have a really cool symbol, and I like phoenixes.
2. Teachers: Their teachers are all supposedly extremely qualified and are "encouraged" to put what they teach into practice outside of teaching.
3. Online: If I were to take an online course, it would be easier to multitask while learning.
I'm not particularly interested in this college because:
1. Online: A large part of the course is online, which creates more room for error and technical difficulties which can interfere with the class and they are expensive as well. http://www.phoenix.edu/students/how-it-works/how-learning-formats.html
2. Computer Programming: They don't have a very prominent computer programming course, or at least do not have many visible options on their website. They do have one course which only provides the "basic understanding of programming".
3. Reputation: They have only been around since the 1970s, which makes them much newer than a lot of known universities with good reputations.
4. Location: There aren't any colleges near where I live, Slingerlands, which makes it inconvenient to get to the university unless I attend online.
5. Location: While there are many universities spread across the U.S., the chances that they are all too shallow in their curriculum is also high. Personally, I believe that their dedication to students is questionable if they cannot focus their efforts.
Reasons why it would be a good choice:
1. Symbol: They have a really cool symbol, and I like phoenixes.
2. Teachers: Their teachers are all supposedly extremely qualified and are "encouraged" to put what they teach into practice outside of teaching.
3. Online: If I were to take an online course, it would be easier to multitask while learning.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Vintage Photo
http://www.old-picture.com/american-legacy/000/Parakeet-and-Cat.htmThis is an image of a parakeet and a cat. It is quite accurately named Cat and Parakeet. The photo was taken by Harris & Ewing, whom obviously harbored at least two great pets throughout their lives. This picture illustrates the fluffiness of a cat's fur that cannot be described by words, much like how the feeling of not being able to take off one's new fur coat even when one is dying of heat because it is so fluffy and comfortable like a warm shower on a cold winter morning is cannot be described by words. The simple parakeet resting on the dark furry coat of an indifferent, indulgent cat outlined by negative white space over a soft flowery blanket like thing resembles a full 9 course dinner after a long day of cold back breaking work. That's why I think this picture is worth a thousand words.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
"It was inevitable."
I knew that I would get the answer wrong. That's how life is sometimes; it's the antithesis of one's very existence. I knew how everything would turn out, from years of experience and of being wrong. Life is like mind-games, but not really because the one who plays is always wrong, so perhaps one could think of life as being like a deity, or maybe more of a puppeteer. Life is like that. Whenever my heart tells me to dream big, I know that I will surely fail, because that is possibly the greatest setup for failure. There is no higher drop than having one's dreams crushed, so I have learned not to dream and, likewise, life has learned to dismantle me in other ways. So this morning, I had to take the PSATs. Firstly, I believe that life is becoming a little bit dull on the creative side, as it has started to become systematic and predictable. This morning, it started with the usual back stab by sending a tempest of headaches my way as soon as the test started; this was to ensure the maximum duration of the headache's effect on my not being able to concentrate during the test. That was the inception of my huge blunder on question thirty or so of the writing section (except that it wasn't question thirty or so on the writing section because I'm not allowed to say that it was question thirty or so, or at least I think I may not, so I shall refer to it as not question thirty or so). I was doing perfectly terrible until I didn't get to question thirty or so. It was not a question regarding grammar, which wasn't particularly difficult. I debated for maybe a few minutes on what the correct answer was, taking into account what the answers for the other questions were as well (which was generally discouraged). I narrowed down the choices to said question that was not number thirty or so to two choices, and, naturally, I picked the correct answer. Then, life grew discontent. It was inevitable that I would have to second guess myself. So I did. And life won. Suddenly, I thought that maybe the answer was (not) E, as there hadn't been enough Es on my answer sheet. But then what if A was right after all? Well C was in the middle, so it could have been a good compromise, but there was only one correct answer so a compromise wouldn't do. Could there be three As in a row? What if there were three As in a row just to throw us off? Had I ever seen three of a kind in a row before on the answer sheet to my practice book? What if the other two As are wrong as well? Down the spiral of doom I went.
So that's why I got that question wrong today. It was inevitable, obviously.
I knew that I would get the answer wrong. That's how life is sometimes; it's the antithesis of one's very existence. I knew how everything would turn out, from years of experience and of being wrong. Life is like mind-games, but not really because the one who plays is always wrong, so perhaps one could think of life as being like a deity, or maybe more of a puppeteer. Life is like that. Whenever my heart tells me to dream big, I know that I will surely fail, because that is possibly the greatest setup for failure. There is no higher drop than having one's dreams crushed, so I have learned not to dream and, likewise, life has learned to dismantle me in other ways. So this morning, I had to take the PSATs. Firstly, I believe that life is becoming a little bit dull on the creative side, as it has started to become systematic and predictable. This morning, it started with the usual back stab by sending a tempest of headaches my way as soon as the test started; this was to ensure the maximum duration of the headache's effect on my not being able to concentrate during the test. That was the inception of my huge blunder on question thirty or so of the writing section (except that it wasn't question thirty or so on the writing section because I'm not allowed to say that it was question thirty or so, or at least I think I may not, so I shall refer to it as not question thirty or so). I was doing perfectly terrible until I didn't get to question thirty or so. It was not a question regarding grammar, which wasn't particularly difficult. I debated for maybe a few minutes on what the correct answer was, taking into account what the answers for the other questions were as well (which was generally discouraged). I narrowed down the choices to said question that was not number thirty or so to two choices, and, naturally, I picked the correct answer. Then, life grew discontent. It was inevitable that I would have to second guess myself. So I did. And life won. Suddenly, I thought that maybe the answer was (not) E, as there hadn't been enough Es on my answer sheet. But then what if A was right after all? Well C was in the middle, so it could have been a good compromise, but there was only one correct answer so a compromise wouldn't do. Could there be three As in a row? What if there were three As in a row just to throw us off? Had I ever seen three of a kind in a row before on the answer sheet to my practice book? What if the other two As are wrong as well? Down the spiral of doom I went.
So that's why I got that question wrong today. It was inevitable, obviously.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
TU TUESDAY BLOG
http://blog.timesunion.com/gamers/the-battlefield-3-beta-is-here-and-almost-done/1259/
This article blogs about the anticipation of one gamer for the upcoming release of the popular video-game Battlefield 3. He has already played the open beta on "two systems the Xbox and PC", and has a very good understanding of how the game differs on consoles and PCs. Butler, the blogger, admits to not having much PC experience, but will buy the game for PC when it is released. Much of the article is, quite obviously, made of opinions, but the author definitely has a lot of experience with the game. One thing I find questionable was the fact that he claimed a certain glitch, "the one in the video above", to be the most annoying of glitches and then later on states that it actually "never happened to [Butler himself]". I find it really tough to believe secondhand information, especially on the internet and about video-games. People quite often tend to exaggerate and make up excuses as to why they lost. He also talked about hacks being found "already", but in a day and age like this one, that's unsurprising. He does give many bits of useful knowledge, and I don't think anything else could be too inconsistent.
This article blogs about the anticipation of one gamer for the upcoming release of the popular video-game Battlefield 3. He has already played the open beta on "two systems the Xbox and PC", and has a very good understanding of how the game differs on consoles and PCs. Butler, the blogger, admits to not having much PC experience, but will buy the game for PC when it is released. Much of the article is, quite obviously, made of opinions, but the author definitely has a lot of experience with the game. One thing I find questionable was the fact that he claimed a certain glitch, "the one in the video above", to be the most annoying of glitches and then later on states that it actually "never happened to [Butler himself]". I find it really tough to believe secondhand information, especially on the internet and about video-games. People quite often tend to exaggerate and make up excuses as to why they lost. He also talked about hacks being found "already", but in a day and age like this one, that's unsurprising. He does give many bits of useful knowledge, and I don't think anything else could be too inconsistent.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
TU TUESDAY, China against anti-artificially undervalued money bill proposed in U.S.
http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/China-US-currency-bill-would-have-repercussions-2201484.php
This article is based around the issue of the Chinese currency, known as the yuan, which has been artificially devalued for a very long time now. The reason for this is that devaluing the Chinese currency gives them an edge in the competition of exports by having the ability to sell their products at a significantly lower price. The new bill proposed in the U.S. aims to, from what I understand based on a similar conversation with my AP Euro teacher this morning, discourage trade with countries whose currency is artificially undervalued. This would probably include high tariffs, or otherwise. According to the article, "the Foreign Ministry, the Commerce Ministry, and central bank all issued statements denouncing [the proposed bill]", saying that it "'seriously violated WTO rules'" as well. Not only would China hurt from the bill, but the U.S. as well would see significant inflation and a rise in almost all imported goods because everybody knows that China makes everything we own. The reason the U.S. wants to protect itself from artificially devalued currency is because they see it as hurting their own job market as well as damaging the economy, but the Chinese stated that "it cannot resolve insufficient saving, the high trade deficit, and high unemployment rate". There is also the worry that, if the bill passes, it could lead to a "trade war" which will surely damage both sides.
5 Questions I have after reading this.
-Why would the U.S. want to pass this bill, knowing it could hurt themselves just as much and cause inflation and hurt those who are already suffering from bad economic times?
-Which side, (i.e. democrat or republican) would most favor this bill, seeing as how it only benefits U.S. businesses?
-How has China managed to keep the value of the yuan so low?
-Should politicians sacrifice the welfare of the majority of citizens living in the U.S. for their own personal gains and, if so, how many people will notice that they are sacrificing the welfare of the people for their own personal gain?
-When China's economy slows down, who will be the next big nation?
This article is based around the issue of the Chinese currency, known as the yuan, which has been artificially devalued for a very long time now. The reason for this is that devaluing the Chinese currency gives them an edge in the competition of exports by having the ability to sell their products at a significantly lower price. The new bill proposed in the U.S. aims to, from what I understand based on a similar conversation with my AP Euro teacher this morning, discourage trade with countries whose currency is artificially undervalued. This would probably include high tariffs, or otherwise. According to the article, "the Foreign Ministry, the Commerce Ministry, and central bank all issued statements denouncing [the proposed bill]", saying that it "'seriously violated WTO rules'" as well. Not only would China hurt from the bill, but the U.S. as well would see significant inflation and a rise in almost all imported goods because everybody knows that China makes everything we own. The reason the U.S. wants to protect itself from artificially devalued currency is because they see it as hurting their own job market as well as damaging the economy, but the Chinese stated that "it cannot resolve insufficient saving, the high trade deficit, and high unemployment rate". There is also the worry that, if the bill passes, it could lead to a "trade war" which will surely damage both sides.
5 Questions I have after reading this.
-Why would the U.S. want to pass this bill, knowing it could hurt themselves just as much and cause inflation and hurt those who are already suffering from bad economic times?
-Which side, (i.e. democrat or republican) would most favor this bill, seeing as how it only benefits U.S. businesses?
-How has China managed to keep the value of the yuan so low?
-Should politicians sacrifice the welfare of the majority of citizens living in the U.S. for their own personal gains and, if so, how many people will notice that they are sacrificing the welfare of the people for their own personal gain?
-When China's economy slows down, who will be the next big nation?
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Raising the pay of chief executive officers in bad economic times should be forbidden.
I believe that the investors should get more money instead. They are way cooler than CEOs and way richer to begin with, which must mean that they can handle money really well, otherwise they wouldn't still be so rich. Plus, there's always the saying that you need money to make money, and I think that, taking that to heart, encouraging investors to invest during tough times would be the perfect fix to all this debt. Therefore, the government should pour all of its resources into encouraging investors to spend by giving them more money and resources so that they can fund businesses. Also, if normal workers didn't get complimentary insurance, businesses would save a lot more money that they could use to invest elsewhere and become much larger, resulting in successful and happy investors. I think the government should give more decision making power to investors and let them decide what to do with all of the money so that they can become rich and help the world. CEOs on the other hand should have a large pay to begin with, especially with budget cutting of various unnecessary appendages of the company. In the long run, the super rich investors will drive the economy back into action in no time, while CEOs don't make enough money to sponsor other businesses privately to begin with. The other option would be to raise the pay of middle class workers, but then they would gain more power until equilibrium is reached, and that would lead to communism, "and we all know communism leads to killer aliens and the end of humanity and fox news." [edited by Andrew Fedorov].
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)