JRHS Writing BLOG

Monday, December 10, 2007

Fertilizing the Sea

An Australian-based company, the Ocean Nourishment Corporation has seemingly come up with the answer to the decreasing fish population. They have plans to “fertilize” the sea, hoping to bring 5,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide down to the ocean floor every year. The OCN states that if this endeavor is successful, the increased population will turn into 50 grams of protein for a certain number of people every day.

A few other companies are planning to do some ocean fertilizing as well. The idea, ocean fertilization, starts with phytoplankton absorbing the carbon from the ocean. This will also absorb the gas from the atmosphere. Since phytoplankton are the bottom of the food-chain, if they are well-fed, other fish will be well-fed, thus increasing the population.

While this is a noble thing to try to do, I’m not sure if it will be successful, and its obviously a very difficult thing to do. Logically, it makes sense, since the phytoplankton plants feed on CO2. But we’ll see what goes down.

World Magazine, December 1

http://www.worldmag.com

Thursday, December 06, 2007

The Price is Right: No Longer The Same

As you may or may not know, Bob Barker retired from hosting the Price is Right on June 15th, 2007. He announced his retirement on October 31st, 2006. Barker’s last episode was recorded on June 6th, 2007 and aired on the 15th and October 12th. That was the last of Bob. On July 23th, 2007, Drew Carey, the well known comedian, took over hosting.The first day of Carey’s new career marked the death of the real Price is Right.

October 15th the beloved show was offically gone.  It no longer is in any way the same show.  Yes, the games are still the same, the models are the same, and even the annoncer is the same; the set is very similar but just “modernized”, with terrible camera angles! At some points you can see the other camera and often the cords as well! Also, the stage is no longer there…the audience, the contestants and the host are all on the same level.

Drew tries to host the show like Bob did and how he himself has hosted other shows. Clearly, that will not work out for him in the Price is Right. It is not a comedy show: it has crude humor, and unintelligent lines. Many people who are enjoying Carey say that he isn’t doing well, because he is nervous, and intimidated by having to fill Bob Barker’s shoes. Well, he has had substantial television experience, and should be able to host a show without being uptight. If Carey didn’t think he could do it he should have let one of the many other people being chosen take the job instead.

One thing that annoys me very much is that he doesn’t really know the games. He will ask a contestant if they know the game, if they say “yes” he says “well good go ahead”. Just thing of all the people watching that might not know the games very well, or the people that have bad memory and don’t know! When a contestant says they don’t know the game, he gives flimsy directions, so it’s a miracle if they actually win the game.  He is honestly butchering the show to pieces. Many people who have been loyal fans no longer want to watch because it is falling apart. My grandmother, who has watched this show for as long as I can remember and more, no longer pays the show much attention.

I believe they wanted to begin to address a younger audience by using Drew Carey as the host, to gain higher ratings. More likely than not, the ratings are very low. It appears that any plans made to make the show more watched and loved are competely back-firing!

I realize that Bob had to retire, and live out the rest of his life, but he didn’t have to be replaced. I believe that they should have just ended the show and saved all the loyal, loving, adoring fans from having to see the show tortured, butchered and destroyed slowly. Just think, it still could be played on the air, considering that there are 35 years worth of episodes recorded and available to air again. Drew Carey ruining the show eternally, was highly unnecessary! I strongly advise getting rid of Carey. I am not against a new host if that person could present the show in a worthy manner. If someone suitable could be found I would not mind watching again.

http://wdef.com/how_did_drew_carey_do_as_host_of_the_price_is_right
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Barker

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Drugs can be bad for your child

You hear commercials on the radio about how if you don’t watch your kids closely and talk to your kids and encourage them then you won’t notice what your child is doing behind your back. The adolescent’s stage is a hard stage to understand. By being an adolescent myself I understand how hard it is for my parents to understand me. We have our stages in life and we go through these stages every day. One day we might be very happy and outgoing, then the next day we could be gloomy and not want to talk to anybody at all. Not even your friends.

But what I am trying to get to, is that in our teens we will want to try new stuff and we also will do stupid stuff that we will regret when we get older. Like, smoking, drugs, and alcohol. A lot of kids will try these things, because they will want the feeling that it gives them. Many kids will be faced with a huge decision when one of their friends comes up and ask if they want to do drugs, or smoke a cigarette, etc. They either have the choice to try it or to not try it.

There is a lady, Ruth Wooden, president of the National Parenting Association in New York, who says that you can help your child through these hard times by asking your children hard life choices like, “My boss wants me to work this weekend and I really would rather not. How do I tell him no without getting in trouble?” Or “Grandma is going to be mad at me if I tell her I don’t like the gift she gave me for Christmas. Any ideas on how to handle this?” Things like these might just help your child, and show your child that he/she is not alone in making choices.

I think that Ruth is right. I believe that if you ask your child questions more and more that they will start to think about how it can sometimes be easy to make a choice. But you should not be nagging all the time. Only ask the question when you feel the time is right, because it can be very annoying when your parents ask you questions all the time about their life and you just want to tell them to leave you alone.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Man Explodes Randomly in the Streets

The above title, Man Explodes Randomly in the Streets, probably instantly caught your attention and is likely the leading reason you are reading this article right now. This article, however, is not about a man spontaneously exploding in public, but rather about the importance and power of headlines. Just how much does the first impression matter?

Journalists own quite an extensive toy box when it comes to tricks that help sell their articles. Pictures, links to other articles, key words, dramatic wording, paraphrasing, and commenting on the work of others are only some of the tactics that lay at their fingertips - tactics that help journalists greatly when it comes to making their article the one that stands out. But perhaps the most powerful among all of their tools is the overlooked, but deadly, secret weapon: the headline.

What exactly does the headline do? Well, it instantly captures the reader’s attention and summarizes the article in a few words. If it is interesting enough, just a glimpse may be enough to inspire the customer to read the entire article. It creates a first impression - and if you don’t create a positive one, then it is unlikely you will ever succeed, no matter how excellent your article may be. The power of the headline is immense - even if your reader has begun to read your article, they may lose interest if they weren’t brought in with a big enough hook.

The headline of this article, a shocking and completely untrue statement, while ridiculous, caught your attention. Would you be reading this if it was titled “Headlines”? Perhaps, but it’s less likely than you’d like to think. The headline is truly of the most vital importance.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Illegal Immigration: Is There a Solution?

Illegal immigration has caused some problems in the States. Many people oppose these “uninvited guests” while others welcome them and accept that America was founded by immigrants. I do believe everyone should be able to become a citizen of the United States but not just by walking in. If anyone were allowed to come in at anytime without becoming a U.S. civilian, it could cause many large problems. The country could become over-loaded, jobless, and exposed to new diseases.

These problems could all be avoided by gaining a citizenship. Another reason to obtain it is to limit the amount of fear that can build up in an illegal immigrant. So instead of wondering when you’re going to get caught, thrown back to your country, and possibly killed for leaving, you know you’re safe and no one can change your status. I have no problems with new people from different countries entering the States, but in all fairness you should gain a citizenship instead of sneaking in, which could result in punishment. Although my views are my own, I also believe we should give illegal immigrants a second chance at becoming a citizen. This could limit the amount of people coming in illegally once they see their fellow countrymen gaining their citizenship. So instead of throwing them back, offer them the chance of a life-time, something they’re willing to give their lives for.

-Lax90 Posted by Admin

Crisis in Pakistan

Crisis in Pakistan!

Protestors entered a war in Pakistan. Instead of receiving open ears from the Pakistani parliament, they were beaten and driven back by police officers. From tear gas to swingin batons, the supporters of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had little defense against a brutal brigrade of riot cops. In response to this, General Musharraf declared a state of emergency, which sent several protestors to jail or were put under house arrest. The protest was in response to elections, in which Bhutto stood up against the dictator Musharraf. The press and media were cut off from this event as ordered by Musharraf.

Unfortunately for Pakistan, they don’t have rights like us. If we Americans find something unjust or silly, we may protest (as long as it’s peacefully) and reveal our own opinions; however, if someone in Pakistan protests against a powerful leader or force, it can lead to jail, chaos, or even death. The leaders in these countries are not fans of being protested against so they take retribution into their own hands. I do believe they should be able to protest in a way to make Pakistan into a country that will benefit and be fair to all. If this was achieved the people of the country wouldn’t have to be brutally beaten when stating their opinions and could finally feel like they’re being heard.

By: Lax90 Posted by Admin

Graham, Stephen. Pakistani police beat protesters. © 2007 The Associated Press. Nov. 11, 2007. Last modified: Nov 7, 2007. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PAKISTAN?SITE=NCAGW&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Conflict Between Turks and Kurds

A number of countries are currently at war in today’s World. After many hardships in Iraq and Afghanistan , the problems are only escalating now that Turkey is fighting with the Kurds. This feud between the two groups is only expected to surge, causing more problems with today’s world. “ Turkey is ‘moving toward a dangerous war in our region which will seriously damage historical relations between Turks and Kurds,” said Nurettin Demirtas in a recent World magazine article. A “peaceful resolution” is being sought to repair the relationship with these two groups, but it will be a long, difficult task with the wars already going on, specifically the war in Iraq . The crisis in Turkey has taken the lives of many, from ambushes and attacks by the PKK, these assaults are the worst for Turkey in years.

The fight that is going on between these two groups seems to be worsening in my eyes. This war is just adding on unneeded stress to the Turkish people. The feud that is going on seems to be overlooked by Americans because the war with Iraq. The war in Iraq, however, isn’t only an American problem it’s also a problem with Turkey. So instead of just fighting in Iraq, I believe we should begin to aid countries with problems such as this. This is my opinion, but I also think we shouldn’t step into other’s business unless asked or welcomed too. Acting as if we have ultimate authority over everyone will just cause more problems and possibly added enemies.

Posted by Admin for Lax 90.

Mission Impossible For Peace

There is one most important mission to do in the world today:
the mission is to make peace in the Middle East. which makes people argue
with each other for oil, for control, for the future.

If you look to the past: Israel was founded in 1948 and the big argument started,
which for Jewish people today’s Israel/Palestine region is their
land which God gave them; but on the other hand there are other people
there which they were living together with each other for hundreds of years.
Now they are fighting for a piece of land which is very stragtegically important.

If you live in an area which hasn’t got any peace your world view becomes
more conservative than normal. And also if any of your family members
died during this war era you bear a grudge towards people who killed your family
member so it is hard to make a peace at this area.

But now they are trying to do a peace which they do not believe. The history of wars
and violence in this area over the last 60 years shows that peace is not possible.
If they really believe and want it they can manage it in 60 years. There
are some people which are trying to manage it but if people who live
there don’t want it they can’t manage it.

Disaster

Floods, storms, tornadoes, swirling all around
Oops, there goes your house, I think it just blew down
Cars, furniture, animals, blowing right by me
I look to the left , take a breath, woah, was that a tree?

People running here and there, together or alone
I thought I saw my grandma, she was talking on the phone
Bridges, buildings, being destroyed, one after another
A swirl to the left, a heave of the chest, and I saw your mother

If there ever was a storm in history, as bad as this
Surely I would have heard of it from my teacher Mr. Friss
As the howling, raging, angry storm carries things away
I turn and turn to look around, hey, was that Santa’s sleigh?

As things calm down, I look around, and wonder where I am
I look at my feet, then out at the street, and see a can of ham
I smile as I see a dog, taking refuge under a car
I look again, he’s miles away, could I have walked that far?

I realize something isnt right; the storm can’t be over yet
I look up to see I’m on a stage, expected to sing a duet
Wait, I think, this cant be, are things really as they seem?
I wake with a start, a jolt of my heart, realize this was just a dream. 

Disney Patrons Scatter Ashes

There has been a report in the Los Angeles Times about Disney backers using the park to scatter the remains of their loved ones. On November 9th, anonymous employees who work at Disneyland, reported that they saw a woman toss a deceased one’s ashes from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, causing the park to shut it down temporarily. There have been no confirmed stories of this happening, but it was reported to the paper that this has become a recurring problem.

What I want to know is why don’t Disney personnel notice a person carrying a container of ashes into their park? Perhaps patrons should not be their patrons if it entails scattering the deceased regularly. And maybe these patrons should think of more conventional methods to put their loved ones to rest. Why can’t they just use one of the trash cans readily available for their use?

While I find this to be a very cool idea and would probably like my own ashes scattered from Space Mountain, it’s kind of disgusting to have dead people dust fall on your head unexpectedly. And it’s weird. If I saw some lady walking up to the top of the Pirates of the Carribean ride and dumping her husband out of an urn, I would say, “That there lady is a weirdo.” But, when I die, I would appreciate it if someone did something cool like that with my ashes. I apologize to all passersby in advance.


World Magazine, December 1
http://www.worldmag.com

Big Catfish in Cambodia

It was 2.4 meters long and 204 kilograms. The catfish was caught in Tonle Sap River on November thirteenth evening. This fish is the only smooth-skin fish caught in this year. After collecting enough information, biologist Zed Hogan and his partners realeased the fish to the river without injury. A long time ago, the Mekong river was known as the home of a lot of giant fish. Since the year 2000, the fishermen caught only 5-10 giant fish per year. In my opinion, this fish is the biggest catfish which was caught in the Mekong river. There are alot of big fish in the Mekong river but because of the pollution, the amount of the fish is decreased. I think we have to do something to protect our environment from pollution so we can see some good things - not only the giant fish but also the animals. This giant Catfish is so interesting because I’ve never seen a big fish like this. At the beginning of this year, biologist Zeb Hogan from the university of Reno in Nevada started the project “MegaFishes Project” in order to acknowledge the circumstances of the biggest fish in the world.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/emerging/zebHogan.html

Friday, November 23, 2007

Animal Propaganda

In the book – or beast epic – Animal Farm by George Orwell, the pig named Squealer represents the voice of propaganda. He is said to be persuasive, and a master with words – able to trick simple minds with ease. His role in the book is supportive of the leader Napoleon, and it’s quite obvious that he cares very little for the truth.

When Squealer is first introduced, his character is immediately defined. “…He was a brilliant talker, and when he was arguing some difficult point he had a way of skipping from side to side and whisking his tail which was somehow very persuasive. The others said of Squealer that he could turn black into white.” (13) He represents the voice of propaganda – which is anything created and marketed to change the minds of the public towards its cause, usually a war or a leader. The CPI – Committee of Public Information – was one such groups involved in the creation of propaganda.

Squealer spends most of his time in Animal Farm deceiving others. He is a shifty character who cannot be trusted, but somehow captures the attention and belief of animals everywhere. Whenever Napoleon clearly breaks a rule or compromise the original vision of the Rebellion, Squealer is always hot on his tracks, covering his every move with his lies. “Once again some of the animals heard this with a certain bewilderment, but Squealer was soon able to convince them that their memories had been at fault.” (70.)

Muriel is another character who deceives the public. Her and the pigs are among the few characters that can read, and they use this to their advantage, misreading the Seven Commandments to the other animals. She states that animals can sleep in beds, but cannot use sheets. They can kill each other, but not without reason. They can drink alcohol, but not in excess. Squealer’s role is to confuse and bewilder his audience into a state of agreement, whereas Muriel takes advantage of the animals’ poor reading abilities and slipshod memories. “Curiously enough, Clover had not remembered that the Fourth Commandment mentioned sheets, but as it was on the wall, it must have been so. And Squealer, who happened to be passing at this moment, attended by two or three dogs, was able to put the whole matter into perspective.” (49.)

Monday, November 19, 2007

Most Dangerous Cities

This week, it was announced that the most dangerous city in the USA is in fact Detroit, Michigan. To find out how dangerous a city is, officials take into account the crime rate, including how much homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and auto theft there is in that city over the year. Cities like Detroit, MI; St. Louis, MO; Flint, MI; Oakland, CA; Camden, NJ; Birmingham, AL; North Charleston, NC; Memphis, TN; Richmond, CA; and Cleveland OH were voted the most dangerous cities, because their crime rates were highest. Cities like Mission Viejo, CA; Clarkstown, NY; Brick Township, NJ; Amherst, NY; and Sugar Land, TX were voted safest.

Personally, I think people shouldn’t be wasting their time taking and putting out surveys for civilians to know what city is most dangerous, and which isn’t. As long as they do choose to though, I think that, instead, we should be working to improve the cities whose ranking on the danger scale was highest. Programs and committees could be set up for people to educate themselves on how to stay out of trouble, or how to defend themselves in an emergency. People need to know certain things that might seem to be common sense to some, but clearly isn’t to others.

Also, the survey only looks at 378 cities out of the whole USA, not every single one. A requirement of the cities is that they have to have at least 75, 000 living there. So you never know, there could be a more dangerous small city that is unrecognized because there aren’t enough people. This is, in a way, a prejudiced judging. Also, there are small towns that are way safer than whatever the number one safest is right now, because in very small towns, everybody knows each other, and they’re like a big family.

In general, safety is valued by the American household. It’s nice to know that you have neighbors watching out for you, your house won’t get broken into or your car stolen, your kids aren’t in any danger, or that you can go to the store or walk down the block without being kidnapped and raped. Everyone wants to feel safe. Why then, aren’t we doing anything to improve our safety?

Source:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071119/ap_on_re_us/dangerous_cities

Revolutions for Rights

Posted for Janissary by Admin

Revolutions For Rights

Every revolution has a beginning for the rights which people think they have. Actually in history some countries got their revolution from other revolutions. Now I am going to show the reasons how and results of three different revolutions. These are American Revolution, on the other hand the French and Russian Revolution. How and why do they change their administration system?

In the 1770s the British government passed many unfair laws. That caused people who live in America, to be upset against Britain. The people who live in America started to think that “Why do we not do our laws as we live in America? British government makes laws but they do not live in America!” As you understand the American Revolution was for freedom. People who made the revolution were all the Americans who had no loyality to the king of Britain. So the people took the power and fought for liberty. American patriots were simply preserving the freedoms and rights of their self government; so the British government was replaced with American government. At this time they did not do as much violence as French and Russian revolutions. They did not destroy British government buildings or close their churches. Revolutionary leaders of America fought with Britain and they ended the violence at the end of war.

The American Revolution continues over 200 years but on the other hand other revolutions continued less than 100 years. Especially the French Revolution went through three constitutions from 1789 through 1794 but the Russian Revolution went through one constitution like America but from 1917 to 1989.

At the French revolution, because of the famine people want better administration. The French revolution is really similar to the Russian revolution. Like the French Revolution people wanted to change their administration because of government officials near the Czar were putting the peoples money in their pockets. 

As a result, the French and Russian revolutions are for power and at the end a narrow, ruthless minority; Jacobins in French and Bolsheviks in Russia seized the reins of power in the name of the people. Their cause is licentiousness, so God and government were replaced with atheistic dictatorships. Their revolutions were more violent than the American Revolution because the people damaged government buildings and their revolutionary leaders killed lots of people for their revolution.

Some revolutions were made by the people for their own benefits, but for some, they were their freedom. For some people it is the thing to die for, but for some it is not the thing to die for.

Titanic Survivor Died

Barbara West Dainton , one of two last passengers in the Titanic died on October 16th.

She was born May 24th ,1911 in Bournemouth, England. On the morning of April 10th, the Wests bought the tickets to board the Titanic. But at 11:40pm on Sunday, April 14th, the Titanic crashed into a giant ice mountain in the Alantic Ocean and sank. That was the big disaster at that time: many people died in that disaster, and the survivors had a big crisis.

I think she was very lucky in that disaster, because she survived. She didn’t talk to anybody about it. I think that’s good for her because she doesn’t want to remember that day which was a day of crisis for the people who were on the Titanic. With the death of Barbara, the only one who survived of the Titanic’s disaster still living is Elizabeth Gladys Dean in Southampton, England. At two months old, she was the youngest passenger on the ship. In my opinion, the Titanic disaster was very terrible, a lot of people died: wives lost their husbands, childen lost fathers, mothers lost their sons, and the survivors still had crises and I think they will never forget that day.