Senior Reflection #3: Summer!!!!!

There are only six more school days until FREEDOM! It hasn't even really hit me yet that we're graduating. Maybe it's the fact that I still have tons of work left this week, so there isn't that feeling of winding down. But I'm excited nonetheless!

I don't really have any major summer plans. Next weekend I'm going to see Foster the People, the Kooks, and Kimbra, and hopefully I can go to more concerts this summer! I was thinking about getting a job about two months ago, but now that I don't have as much to do, all I want to do is not do anything. So another job probably isn't going to happen. In July my family will be going to Montreal, which will be fun (I'll probably end up regretting not going to McGill). Last year we took a big Europe trip, so no big trip this year. Sad :( But later this year we're going to China for my grandmother's 79th birthday (in the Chinese culture, 79 is a bigger deal than 80), which also explains why we're taking a smaller trip now. Other than that, I have absolutely no plans! Which is awesome. I will catch up on TV shows that I promised Fahduma I would watch (Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Spartacus), go to the movie theater all the time to see all the awesome movies coming out, and relax.

Yay summer!

Senior Reflection #2: Don't listen to what seniors tell you (unless it's me)

Not that I ever really believed the seniors anyway, but senior year has probably been the most difficult out of all four years of high school. There is no such thing as teachers cutting you slack. There is no such thing as second semester being easy. SENIOR YEAR IS NOT A JOKE.

If I were to rank in order the amount of stress different classes have caused me this year, one being Chilean coal mining and seven as being a baby:

1. Anatomy (this class is suppose to be a joke, but it is actually super difficult because I'm terrible at science, the teacher is insane, and you don't have the relief of having an extra GPA boost)
2. GOVERNMENT AHHH
3. Second semester BC Calculus 
4. Political Science (only the second semester, when I had to sprint around Capitol Hill, fend off scary drivers, and spend hours inhaling copier fumes)
5. English (because Ms. Jewell is the bomb)
6. French (one, because I am decent at French and two, because I stopped caring) 
7. Orchestra (although it was super stressful for the first three months)

Second semester was actually more difficult than first semester. Teachers actually started assigning homework, I was exhausted all the time from interning, and March was basically filled with 362476298764 field trips and I never got the opportunity to go to a full week of school. I have never been sick all year and yet I've missed more days this year than I have in all twelve years of schooling. Making up work and tests and projects when you can't even stay after school half the time is THE struggle. I'm not even taking that many AP classes! And I wasn't able to sleep in until last weekend. You can't even enjoy the breaks you're given. Winter break is spent doing college applications, spring break is spent doing scholarships and make up work from all the dumb March field trips. 

So, moral of the story: either stop caring and try to underachieve as much as possible, create a time machine and fast forward through senior year, or... there's no third option. Senior year is draining. 

Senior Reflection #1: Decisions.

If I were to imagine where I'd be and what my future plans would be at the beginning of the year, it certainly wouldn't be where I am now. Change is different, but it's also good.

Mainly, I never thought I'd be going to the University of Virginia. I applied simply because I thought it would be a good back up to William and Mary. Although UVA is ranked higher, William and Mary has historically been difficult to get in to-- especially for white NOVA girls. Hello.

I don't really know why I wanted to go to William and Mary. Since I was in sixth grade or so, I thought that I'd be going to UVA. However two years ago, I visited the William and Mary campus. Even though it was gloomy and cold that day, for some reason I really liked it. It was old and historic and looked like a college. Again, for no reason, it was set in my head that William and Mary was the school I wanted to go to.

So I applied to six schools: James Madison, Virginia Tech, and Mary Washington (backups in case something went horribly amiss), UVA, William and Mary, and McGill Univeristy. My parents generously pre-payed in-state tuition (because I am the spoiled semi-only child), which meant that it'd be most advantageous if I went to an in-state school. After going to French Governor's School last year, I was pretty obsessed with French, and after a rocky start to senior year, I decided that I wanted to get away from everyone as far as possible. So McGill seemed like a good bet. It's not too expensive for going out of state and out of country, it's in a nice city, and it looks kind of like Hogwarts. See image below.

I remember thinking around November that I'd rather go to VT than UVA if I got into both. I know it sounds crazy, but there's a certain type of person at different schools. I didn't think I was a UVA kid. (I'm still not the stereotypical UVA kid.)

So April came, and I got into all the schools I applied for. Meaning that now I had to decide where I wanted to go.

This sucked.

I quickly narrowed it down to UVA and W&M. McGill was now too far to consider. Plus I liked the idea of not having to pay for college. Too many people I dislike are going to VT. Mary Washington and JMU were out of the question. So I visited both schools, UVA first, then W&M. In the end, William and Mary just wasn't as impressive to me anymore. I liked that UVA was more of a college campus and that there were more things to do, but I also liked the traditions at William and Mary. Size didn't really matter for me, but W&M was more close-knit. UVA HAS SO MANY PEOPLE. It really didn't help that every single person I talked to was like, "Oh, you're such a W&M kid!"

So obviously, in the end, I chose UVA. The decision was never super clear, but I had to take some sort of leap in a direction. And now I'm glad I did! Huzzah.

Technology is good for religion

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/the-religious-authorities-and-pundits-are-wrong-technology-is-good-for-religion/2012/05/31/gJQAsDHi6U_story.html?hpid=z4


Religious leaders have some sort of aversion to technology. You don't see the Pope on his iphone, Iran's Guardian Council and Supreme Leader don't really skype to get messages across. However, the Sikh community recently released a "FlyRight App" which allows Sikhs to alert one another of bigoted airport security staff who might harass them.

This sudden warming up to technology is kind of unexpected. Perhaps this aversion to high-tech utilities in religion is because it allows access to differing ideas-- science, evolution, corruption in the clergy. The Sikh community's embrace of technology should be welcomed; it has helped the community come together, not destroy it. The groups that try to ban technology are probably giving themselves a bad rep; when a member does have access, I feel as if the member would feel betrayed. Isn't it better to support a religion than substituting it? Technology would be able to bring groups together, enhance a sense of community. There are apps for the Bible and the Qur'an-- technology doesn't discriminate.

I found this article interesting, particularly the creation of the App. I agree with the writer of this piece that technology enhances religion. I wish the article gave more examples-- even though it's an Op-Ed, it would've been nice to hear about the opposing point of view. Overall, it was pretty interesting.

Campus debit cards can carry downsides

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/campus-debit-cards-can-carry-downsides/2012/06/01/gJQAhleo9U_story.html

As high school graduates begin preparing for college, many families are faced with the task of funding their college-age kid. While credit cards are pretty useful, they can also easily be abused. So many turn to debit cards-- it's less risky, a better tool for money management. It's also easy to sign up for debit cards through the university.

However, many of these schools are going into business with major financial companies, meaning that kids wanting to get debit/credit cards have to pay numerous fees to maintain the use of the card. The fees can be so much that it eats into financial aid packages. There's been a trend of state schools acting more in the interest of the school than in its students. Schools across the nation are experiencing huge cuts in state funding, meaning that they have to resort to finding revenue elsewhere, such as these partnerships.

These school banks charge huge overdraft fees, charge when money is deposited or withdrawn at ATMs. Students who own credit cards are charged less than those with debit cards. Checking balances can also cost money.

Some insist that fees are the result of using online banking, but the fact is that students can find non-school-affiliated banking elsewhere that is virtually free of charges.


Since we're all going to school in the fall, I thought this was interesting. I'm currently a member of a local credit union, so it'll be interesting to see what type of banking situation I'll have down in Charlottesville. It's useful to know that hidden fees exist so now I'll be more wary. The article was useful and informative.

DC's growth is fueled by 20-somethings. Will the city grow up with them?

Although twenty years ago DC seemed like exile into Siberia for many young people who had to relocate there for work, now, it's considered a relatively hip place to be.

The gentrification of Washington has occurred in an effort to attract more young people, and the young people coming in flocks to the city has also spurred more gentrification. But what happens when all these young people start families and require more than a one-bedroom luxury condo?

For many families with kids, it's a struggle. Many would cite education as the biggest obstacle, but for others it's a simple as finding somewhere safe for kids to play. DC has improved a lot-- but not that much. If DC could improve its school system and safety, the city could increase revenue by more than $300 million.

When Adrian Fenty was mayor in 2007, he made efforts to increase the number of bike lanes, bike shares, and streetcar tracks, but there's still a growing wealth disparity between the new white residents and minorities. Several neighborhoods still struggle with unemployment and crime. Surprisingly, DC maintained one of the lowest unemployment rates during the Recession.

The city isn't a place for poor young people, though. Many old residents have been displaced by the growing costs in housing and amenities. The draw of the city is that there's so much to do-- ethnic restaurants are everywhere; there are movie theaters, stage theatres, museums; both the art and music scenes are thriving.

So what will happen to these people when they have families if the DC system doesn't make efforts to improve? Many love the city too much to leave, meaning that they'll have to spend the extra money to send kids to private school or drive them to public schools in the suburbs where they qualify as "out of bounds students". Other families simply succumb to the pressure and move out to spacious Ashburn or Loudon county, where the housing is cheap and spacious, and the schools are good. DC needs to respond fast so they don't alienate these young families.


This article was intriguing to me because I love DC. While many of my classmates find that there's absolutely nothing to do in this area and want to get as far away as they can from here, I'd love to live in the city after college. There's a wealth of opportunities that I'd love to take advantage of, and it's just... fun. Although I don't know what my plans are after that, I'd hope that in fifteen years, the city has improved enough to start a family. It'd be expensive, but I don't think that it's that bad of an environment to raise a family in. The article was interesting, but not much that I didn't already know.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dcs-growth-is-fueled-by-20-somethings-can-the-city-grow-up-with-them/2012/05/25/gJQAYBS3pU_story_1.html

Warning: this is a rather sily article, but I found it interesting. Sorry that it has absolutely no educational value.

So every hobby or extra activity will always need some equipment, right? If you're a professional ballerina, you could end up having to replace pointe shoes every single day. With ballet, the shoe is what makes the difference. Classical ballet isn't ballet if there are no shoes, just as baseball wouldn't be baseball without a bat. For professionals, the shoes have to be custom-made and tailored to the individual foot, and even after that, must be broken in. The replacement time is really due to the incredibly long workdays that each ballerina goes through (eight hours of straight dancing at minumum). At some companies, there are even special people hired just to act as a ballet shoe consultant to each dancer, and most companies spend at minumum $500,000 on shoes a year, with $67.50/shoe.

I honestly think that this is ridiculous and super wasteful, but I suppose the worth of the shoe is demonstrated in the dancer's skill.

Current World Event #6: Nigerian Villages sue Dutch Oil Company over Oil Spill

Today 35 Nigerian Villages banded together and sued the Royal Dutch Shell PLC (Shell Oil Company in the U.S.) in a British Court, claiming that the company's poor and slow response after two oil spills in 2008 destroyed the environment and their livelihoods. Shell is the biggest oil company in Nigeria- a nation that is completely dependent on oil revenue to sustain even the most meager of lifestyles.

The company denied the lawsuit, claiming that the damage to the environment and economy is a result of thieves who routinely tap the pipelines.

The lawsuit seeks for Shell to clean the delta, both the river and the marshland, of the 35 villages in the town of Bodo. The suit claims that the company allowed 23.5 million gallons (560,000 barrels of oil) to spill for weeks before finally responding to the crisis. Shell claims that only 4,000 barrels of oil were leaked.

It wouldn't be completely surprising if it turned out that Shell in fact did leak that much oil- many foreign companies are taking advantage of the poor, underdeveloped countries in Africa. However, it could be possible that both sides are exaggerating; Nigeria is rampant with corruption. While it's true that thieves drill into pipelines and sell the crude oil on the black market, the villagers could be looking for money out of this situation. There's probably error on both parts- Shell should have definitely helped out the villages much sooner and responded to the spill much more efficiently. Some environmentalists say that as much as 550 million gallons of oil have been spilled during more than 50 years of production (one Exxon Valdez disaster per year). It's unfortunate that Nigerians rely solely on oil for means, but without adequate resources and organized government, it's near impossible for the people to do anything else. 

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/villages-in-oil-stained-nigeria-delta-sue-royal-dutch-shell-plc-in-britain-over-2-spills/2012/03/23/gIQA0MJuVS_story.html

Current World Event #5: Putin to run in 2018?

Despite recent nation-wide protests of the current Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, he is expected to win the Russian presidential elections taking place this weekend. 


Putin announced in a press conference today that "if the people want it", he will be running for reelection in 2018. This would lengthen his total time in political prominence to twenty-four years, despite the consecutive two-term (six years each) presidential limit. 

However, in this interview, he also stated, "If people don’t want it and things aren’t going well, and a person clings to his chair and doesn’t want to give it away, and if, on top of that, he violates the law — that would not be normal." He then stated that he wasn't sure whether he wanted to stay on for more than twenty years. 

Putin changed the Duma representation to 7% in his last presidential term, which allowed his backing political party, United Russia, to gain more seats without dissent. After some sketchy parliamentary elections in December, he gained even more support (though polarized many of his citizens). The protests that resulted probably won't affect the elections too much. There is a very slim possibility that there wouldn't be a distinct majority winner, in which case the two parties that gained the most votes would run off. However, with the rigged elections, even if Putin didn't win a distinct majority, chances are he would rig it to his favor. 

The idea that if he won, he would continue on for a second term is a little scary. Russia is supposedly moving from an illiberal democracy to a true democracy, but with presidents essentially staying in office for twenty-four years, it seems more authoritarian. Putin does have good control and so-called legitimacy, so if a different party was to be elected, the country could take a worse turn due to transitionary period. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/03/world/europe/putin-could-seek-russian-presidency-in-2018.html?_r=1&ref=world

Current World Event #4: Thousands march against Putin in St. Petersburg

Today around 3500 people marched against the current prime minister, Vladimir Putin, in St. Petersburg. It's about a week before the election that will probably put Putin back in the Kremlin. 

Even though the rally had official sanction, there were police forces present, though no one was arrested, despite slogans like "Putin is a thief" being yelled. However, this rally has been one of the smallest since those before the (most likely rigged) Parliamentary elections. It's looking incredibly probable that Putin will win the March 4th election and become president again, despite the two term limit that he served before the current president, Dimitri Medvedev. 

Even though Putin has been extremely successful in bringing Russia back to the global power it once was, Russia's population has been increasingly disillusioned to the corrupt government. The change in Duma representation has worked to Putin's advantage, though if he was forced into a second round of voting, it would severely weaken his momentum. 

Some opposing political party leaders are calling for protest if a second round of voting does not begin. 

I think with the increased dissatisfaction in the government, it wouldn't be surprising if a second round of voting did take place. However, if there isn't, there's also a high chance that the elections were rigged by Putin. I doubt that there's going to be any Arab Spring type of movement since the power that the government wields over its people is too great, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are more protests. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/thousnads-march-against-putin-in-st-petersburg-a-week-before-presidential-election/2012/02/25/gIQAx1sZZR_story.html

Current World Event #3: Rupert Murdoch Facing Scrutiny

Rupert Murdoch, the founder, chairman, and CEO of News Corporation (second largest media conglomerate in the world), is talking to his British staff today after staff revolts, U.K. police investigations, and misconduct by his journalists. In Britain, he owns the Times, the Sun, and the Sunday Times. Last week, five of his senior staff members were arrested for bribing police officials and defense workers for information. Ten have been arrested in total, but none of them have been charged as of yet.
     In addition to the bribes, Murdoch's companies are admist a phone-hacking scandal from July by his News of the World staff. They routinely eavesdropped on private conversations of celebrities, sports figures, politicians and other well-known people. News of the World was immediately closed down, and sixty victims of the phone-tapping have sued. Many citizens and staff members of The Sun are concerned that Murdoch will close down the tabloid (the most popular paper in the U.K.), which would cost many jobs and remove a popular source of news.
     The police investigation has continued since July, and will continue. Many are criticizing the police for unfairly targeting the media. Because of the scandal, famous executives, journalists, and police officers have been arrested.
      Hopefully the scandal will wrap up soon, because I think that too much time is being spent dwelling on the subject, even though it is a serious offense. Murdoch certainly shouldn't close down the Sun, because I feel as if many would become uninformed quite easily. The scandal helps bring up the question of whether the press is overextending its freedoms and where the line is drawn on personal freedoms.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/rupert-murdoch-arrives-in-uk-to-address-staff-amid-ongoing-police-investigation-into-tabloids/2012/02/16/gIQAdmzOIR_story.html

Current World Event #2: Travel Warnings Updated in Mexico due to Drug Raid

Fourteen of Mexico's thirty-one states were just deemed by the U.S. State Department so dangerous that tourists should avoid them at all costs. Four others were said to be visited with extreme caution, the reason being that the Mexican government just announced that 15 tons of pure meth were seized in a town just outside Guadalajara, Mexico's second most populous municipality.

Most of the states that were deemed ill-advised to travel in are along the U.S./Mexico border (which means that a U.S. citizen has no safe driving route from the border to Mexico City). The recent escalated violence is attributed to the rise of powerful drug cartels within Mexico. Not only are the drug cartels dangerous, but even more so are the Mexican government's efforts to eradicate these TCO's (transnational criminal organizations). The lack of response is also overwhelming; Mexico is run by many wealthy families who don't want the drug trade to end.

With the state department's warning, this means that Mexico will face significant losses in revenue from tourism, which usually peaks around this time of year for spring break travel.

It'll be interesting to see whether this event will cause damage in the world economy. Because many maquiladoras are stationed along the U.S./Mexico border, I'm curious as to whether transnational corporations will approach factory business with increased caution or not.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/us-updates-travel-warning-for-mexico/2012/02/09/gIQAwdGR2Q_story.html

Current World Event #1: Russia and China veto U.N. resolution on Syria

Today Russia and China vetoed a Western and Arab sponsored UN resolution that condemned Syria's use of violence against anti-government protestors.

Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, has been using violence to counter a ten-month uprising against government protestors. Many say that Syria is the latest country in the Arab Spring movement, and the European Union, United States, and the Arab League are all trying to get al-Assad to step down from power so that a path for free elections and a democracy can be paved.

Russia is the only country left on the UN Security council that stands behind Syria. The remaining members want Syria to open itself to foreign investigation, so that UN human rights investigators and foreign journalists may gain access to the country.

Russia's representative on the Security Council claimed that the West is promoting revolution and an armed and violent regime change. Russia claimed that passing the resolution would sponsor more extremist groups to take control of the government if a coup were to take place, and also that passing the resolution wouldn't make Syrian troops withdraw from cities any faster.

The U.S. countered by saying that by vetoing the resolution, Russia is claiming moral responsibility for the violence and bloodshed that has, and will continue, to take place. France and Germany agreed with this statement.

I think that Russia should have gone along and passed the resolution. Although the Russian representative on the Security Council did have a point, I feel as if it doesn't hurt to pass the resolution. Although it might not save every persecuted Syrian's life, I feel as if it could save at the very least one. It's true that a resolution can't force al-Assad to step down, and that democratization isn't a fast process (just look at Egypt), but the people of Syria need a government that won't deliberately harm its people.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/russia-china-veto-un-resolution-on-syria/2012/02/04/gIQAxvVhpQ_story.html

Question of the Week #6: Senior Year Evaluation!

Not that I was really expecting it, but senior year is nothing at all like what everyone tells you. I'm not even taking as many AP classes as my peers and the majority of the time I'm drowning in homework. Pretty much all of my teachers seem to band up against me each week and schedule their tests on the same day or all huge projects due on the same day.

I'm not a total slacker, but I have found that the senioritis I thought I experienced my junior year was absolutely nothing compared to actual senioritis this year. Now, I'm not touting that my work is sloppy and done at the last minute, but it seriously takes so much effort to do one simple worksheet of math problems or write these blog posts or even practice violin. I'm not even into my first choice school yet, so there really is no excuse to be slacking off, but inevitably that lack of attention to my school work has somehow completely infiltrated into every part of my life. It really sucks.

HOWEVER, despite tests/schoolwork/college apps/scholarships/life/work, senior year has been pretty darn good. Maybe the only reason for this is because I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It still seems a pretty long way away, but at least I'm working towards something. I'd have to say that I totally lucked out with all of my teachers this year, and that they're all stellar. School work hasn't been completely pointless (even though I think I still use that excuse the majority of the time). For once I actually understand calculus and actually seem to be good at it. There were tons of good movies this year (sorry Stroud, watching the Golden Globes, but you know it's true). There were tons of good TV shows (Sherlock! Walking Dead! Mad Men is coming back in March!) And now you know why I'm so distracted by things other than homework.

But I'm sure your life is more stressful than mine, so I shouldn't be talking. :)

LONG WAIT TILL APRIL 1ST.

Political Cartoon #6:

1. Adam Zygliss drew this for the Buffalo News. 

2. Key objects:

• Mitt Romney: After winning both the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary, Mitt Romney is currently the front-running candidate in the Republican primary race (#1 foam hand). He'll most likely become the GOP candidate to run against Obama if he wins in South Carolina. However, he's recently been scrutinized for being part of the upper "1%" (thus the % poster), and therefore is unable to truly connect with voters. 

3. The cartoon uses caricature and ridicule to mock Romney's current lead and potential facade of being "one of the people" when he clearly is not. The cartoonist does this with the added 1% poster and the foam finger. 

4. The cartoon addresses the recent attacks against Romney of him being unable to relate to the general public, and most notably the middle class. 

5. The cartoon's message shows that Romney is not one of the "average" Americans. 

6. The cartoonist doesn't directly show any bias, but clearly thinks that Romney is not who most think he is. 

So I May Have Jumped the Gun

After last night's debate, people in New Hampshire might be rethinking their choice of Romney as the GOP nomination, since everyone was out attacking him on inconsistency. Which probably should've been brought to light some time.

But I did my blog post on Friday, so you really can't blame me for seeming semi-uniformed. :)

Political Cartoon #5:

1. Adam Zygliss drew this for the Buffalo News. 

2. Key objects:

• Mitt Romney: The current leading GOP candidate. He probably has the most financial support out of any of the candidates (thus the "Unlimited Cash: $$$$"), and his experience with campaigning and organizational skills far surpass any of the other candidates. He recently unleashed a huge dirty ad campaign against Newt Gingrich in preparation for the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary. 
• Newt Gingrich: Another GOP candidate. He was expected to have good support in Iowa, but after Romney's ad campaign that targeted him, his values, and his policy, Gingrich dropped significantly in the polls. Many people find that he is being targeted specifically by Mitt Romney (therefore he is pac-man food in the game played by Romney). 
• Pacman game: The Pac-man arcade game is a play on the acronym PAC (Political Action Committee). Romney, unlike Gingrich, is gaining most of his financial support via PACs, and is consequently using that money to target Gingrich in a series of (costly) ad campaigns. 

3.  The cartoon uses a little bit of ridicule to make fun of the fact that Romney is out to get Gingrich. By making Romney the player of the game, Gingrich appears incredibly insignificant, weak, and inadequate. 

4. The cartoon addresses Romney's recent ad campaign against Gingrich. 

5. The cartoon demonstrates Romney's financial power to destroy the other candidates. 

6. The cartoonist doesn't directly show any bias, but clearly thinks that Gingrich doesn't stand much of a chance against Romney. 

Question of the Week #5: Potential GOP candidate?

   I think that at this point in the race, it's looking pretty good that Mitt Romney will win the nomination for the GOP candidate for the 2012 presidential election. Although there has been some recent speculation that Rick Santorum might have possibly won the Iowa caucus due to miscounting, I feel like Romney's lead (and win) is justified, even if only by eight votes. Santorum might have more political experience (serving in both the House and Senate), but Romney certainly has more experience with presidential campaigning tactics. In addition, he has WAY more resources that Santorum, meaning that he's able to set up strong campaigns in each major state (New Hampshire and South Carolina), and Romney's organizational skills coupled with his money beat Santorum's pennies and grassroots tactics any day. Santorum is also way too conservative to appeal to a wide array of voters, whereas Romney, although wishy-washy on policy, can gain support from a much larger group of people.

   And then Paul is really the only other potential threat, but that's never going to happen.