Ring Ceremony!!!

I just got back from the ring ceremony. I have to say it went extremely well. I am very happy with my ring and it couldnt possibly fit any better. I will enjoy wearing my ring for the next two years of high school, then it will make a great keep sake for the rest of my life!Fortunately i didnt have any impressing moments, like falling while going down the stairs. Although, i did almost loose my flipflop going up the stairs but i doubt anyone saw it. The speaches were very inspiration and I did look into my future when the speaker asked us to close our eyes and picture where we will be in 10 years. The ring ceremony reminded me that i really only have two years of high school left. Before I know it I will be out in the real world, working my tail off, and trying to make it in college. It's a scary world out there, I just hope im ready when the two years are up.

No more "O" in the "H20"

Wesley here again, with more of only the lightest and most heartwarming news!

Ho-ho. That was funny

So today, children, we're talking about oxygen: an element necessary for all things living (with animal cells, that is), and makes up 88.8% of the ocean's mass. But in some areas, that percentages is lower.

Drastically lower.

Low enough so that the area can no longer support life. These places are known as "Dead Zones".

As you can see above, there are many of these places throughout the world. Over four hundred, actually. The first largest is the Black Sea, which is now dead up to 150 meters. The second is in the Baltic.

But the third largest dead zone in the world is located right at the mouth of the Mississippi, off the coast of Louisiana.

And it's getting bigger.

According to CNN.com, (www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/08/18/dead.zone/index.html) the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico has grown from 4,564 square miles in 2004, to 6,662 in 2006, to over 8,000 square miles, just recorded last month.

This means that there is a dead zone about the size of New Jersey smack dab in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico.

The best thing about this whole disaster is that, you guessed it, we are at the cause of it.

During the spring, after the winter runoff has swelled the banks of the Mississippi, the water dumping out of the mouth of the river contains phosphorus and nitrogen, used en masse in huge corn farms throughout the Midwest, where farmers tried to take advantage of the increase of corn prices following the hullabaloo about ethanol fuels.

The only things that remain are the rotting corpses of the oxygen starved fish and shrimp floating at the surface. And, because of the horrible flooding this year, the dead zone has become even worse than usual.

This expansion of death means little to the farmers reaping the benefits of mass corn harvesting, but it means the world to the local fishermen who often must, "[spend] $450 a day in diesel fuel," (CNN.com) to just maintain a living.

Scientists predict that corn demand is only going to increase, which means the same for the Gulf Dead Zone.

...

I wonder when we are going to stop being so damn selfish...

Lexie

You guys know her (if you took the class 2 years ago), and she is currently living at me, her boyfriend and my mom. She's signed up for courses at Sac State, and is working at the Olive Garden over by the mall.

But, in early July, her and Michael (her boyfriend) came home a little late from dinner on their two-year anniversery. When they came home, Lexie had a ring on her finger. She got engaged! I feel so happy for the both of them, I really like her fiancee (I don't know the command for the accent).

No date is set yet... They both agreed that her finishing school is most important. Its good they aren't reckless or anything like that. I'm just really happy for the both of them.

My Summer....

So... I was running a mental list through my mind this morning. I'm thinking.. I know I forgot something to do over summer... My chemistry homework is done.. What else is there?

I check my email (which I haven't been checking a lot recently), and see that I haven't been keeping up with the blog. Just perfect. :)

Well, my summer has been quite interesting. I mainly played World of Warcraft (I'm a nerd and I don't care :D) and hung out with some friends. My guild in the game (if you don't know, its a group of people who try to do 'missions' with 25 people and attempt to clear dungeons and such) died down, because the leader decided to quit playing. The people who were second-in-command at the time decided to promote me and make me one of them, to help get the guild back and running and show that it won't fail.

It was interesting. I got a lot done with my promotion, but I just feel dumb forgetting my Journalism homework. See you guys tomorrow!!

Sweet Truth

Yumm...This may be one of the rare cases where something outside the food pyramid is loaded with health benefits. While still high in calories, chocolate, in appropriate servings, is nutrtionally wise.
"Dark chocolate, not milk chocolate or chocolate eaten with milk, is a potent antioxidant," said Mauro Serafini, PhD of Italy's National Institute for Food and Nutrition Research in Rome. Chocolate is composed of flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. In fact, chocolate has been claimed to have eight times the amount of polyphenol antioxidants as strawberries. Flavonoids also relax the blood pressure and lower cholesterol, as well as keep blood vessels elastic. In one study, reserachers noticed a ten percent decrease in LDL (bad) cholesterol when consumed in tiny portions. Don't forget about the HDL (good) cholesterol, raised by an oleic acid. But that's not it- the food also stimulates endorphin production, which creates positive feelings. Serotonin, one of the 300 chemicals found in chocolate, is an antidepressant.
The cacao in chocolate includes antibacterias that protect teeth from decay. Just the smell of chocolate potentially activates the theta brain waves, thus creating relaxtion . Phenyl ethylamine is also midly subdues moods.
Perhaps the saying "You are what you eat" does not always hold true for some sweets. Like anything in moderation, there's usually a positive perspective.

So Many Tragedies...

People die everyday and you see it everywhere.... but this time its different. Too many good people have been dying lately. All to common celebrities we know about and here about every time they are on a new show, make a new album, or star in a new movie. Our hearts go out to the recently deceased..... 

Robert Craig "Evel Knievel" (1938-2007) 

Ike Turner (1931-2007) 

Heath Ledger (1979-2008) 

Bo Diddley (1928-2008) 

Tim Russert (1950-2008) 

George Carlin (1937-2008) 

Evelyn Keyes (1916-2008) 

Estelle Getty (1923-2008) 

Bernie Mac (1957-2008) 

Issac Hayes (1942-2008)

sldkfjsdlfjsdlkfjsldkfjskldjf. Each component formulates the perfect Olympian, which obviously include the hard work, intense sets, dedication, not to mention, physical features. SWIMMINGLY

Height is a huge advantadge, particularly during sprints, where the race is short. No wonder six foot four Michael Phelps propells through the water with ease. Accompanied by his height is a large hand to hand range of six feet six inches, exceeding his height, unlike the average human's who's height and range are identical. The large range of arms and large hands translates to a magnificent pull, especially in butterfly.

Phelps has a way of gliding smoothly through the water- literally. The fastest freestylers are never completley swimming on their stomach. Instead, they rotate their body, swimming on their side. Backstrokers rotate on their sides, too. Turns and underwater dolphin kicks are kicks always on the swimmer's side, not on their back. The long body allows for a greater water coverage, thus greater distance of movement during rotation. In Phelp's case, his 3.67 foot torso helped him swim his way to gold in the 200 freestyle. Now don't underestimate the short legs (2.65 feet) for his height. Attached are size 14 feet, which gernate faster kicking, almost like fins.

To swim at world record pace requires extreme good condition of the heart and lungs. Phelp's heart pumps 8 gallons a minute to the major muscle groups, about double the rate of the average person. In cooperation, the lungs

Why the Little Ones Cannot Ace a Spelling Test...

Sure you have seen it, it lurks everywhere. A word that is misspelled by a child in elementary school. Now, we have not only seen it, but we have most-likely witnessed it first hand. Why is this, you ask? Not enough reading? Perhaps. Genetics? Maybe. Commonly and intentionally misspelled words used by brand names? Now we are talkin'. A flunked spelling test can mean no t.v. for a night, restriction, or even being grounded ('gulp'). Now it is our right to let these brands and big-time corporations have it for leading our younger siblings and children down the wrong educational path!

If you happen to not believe what I am saying, or find it not reasonable, let me list some of these frauds for you: 

* Toys r' Us (That R their is cute, but not cute enough to risk a misspelled word.) 

* Playskool (Imagine going somewhere everyday and not even knowing how to spell where you are going.) 

*Pick Up Stix (Classically played game, classically misspelled.) 

*Bratz (Some joke being played on ebonics? not funny.) 

*7-eleven (A little on the grown-up side, but kids go with them to buy gas, don't they?) 

*Krispy Kream (Donuts are everywhere, so are kids, and they love them.) 

*Wild Thingz (Good thing they went bankrupt, they were all over the place- a Chuck-e Cheese clone) 

*Kool-Aid (Another classic.) 

* Gripz (A new one, just to show you they keep on coming...) 

* Rice Krispies (The most important meal also causes illiteracy!) 

Their are much more of these... we need to bring these to an end before they bring all the little children down! Spread the word of these horrible incidents....

Yahoo Answers

The past few months I've been intrigued by Yahoo Answers- a feature of the yahoo website that allows people all over the world to ask and answer questions all within the conveience of the internet. A spectrum of categories are offered, covering nearly every topic. Also, a point and level system is used to encourage and motivate participation.

Asking questions is great! Within the click of a button, anyone can respond with an answer. Depending on the question, the number of questions can differ. Usually, answers are received minutes within the posting of the question and can continue to come days later. Best answers chosen by the asker award the most helpful user with additional points.

Answering questions is the second half. Sometimes it's something simple, having to do with a goldfish, resturant, or sport. Other times the questions aren't so simple. The anonymous identity allows people to seek advice on more serious and serious topics, some of which deal with friends, family, and even suicide. All it takes is a quick five or two minutes to answer and ta-da! A difference, big or small, is made somewhere to someone across the world.

Women's Gymnastics

Hello again!! You all already know that I love reading the Yahoo News, because I whined about it a few days ago. But this time, there is no whining involved. This is the kind of news that I love. I was watching the olympics last night with my friend, her family, and her boyfriend. We were watching women's gymnastics and we were all very into it, (including her boyfriend, Brendan Lane...hahah). But we all kept mentioning the fact that He Kexin did NOT look 16-years-old. More like ten, maybe. THEN I just found an article on Yahoo all about the scandal of her age. I was so excited. :] haha. So the verdict is not too pleasing. The whole situation is very shady: her passport states that she is 16-years-old (barely), the IOC refuses to investigate, and news reports stated as recently as December 2007 that she was a 13-year-old prodigy. I smell something fishy...and I can't believe I just said that!



So, I think this is ridiculous and somebody better figure out her real age. If I were Shawn or Nastia, I'd be pissed. The younger a gymnast is, the easier it is for him or her because bones are still more limber. That is why the 16-year-old age rule is in effect, so that nobody has an advantage too much past that of the others. So if I had the opportunity to travel to China and be an olympic gymnast, I would most certainly not want any accusations of someone 'cheating', especially when that someone has taken the gold. (Not last night, but in other events)



That's all. I love Yahoo News. And I was able to use this as one of my current events for AP Environmental Science. :]



You tell me....16, 14, 10.....haha. ;]

Hi! I'm Cheryl. And I am excited to see/meet everyone on Tuesday! Basically this year is going to be bomb because we are having mucho parties. No worries Mal, I'll plan them. Ha.
And of course, we will be writing wonderful stories connected to Rocklin High School. C'mon, you know you love it.
This summer has been awesome, I've been working at an orthodontist office. Woot. The nice thing is I only work about 30 hours, so not too bad. Other than that I've just been trying to go on as many roadtrips as possible and revelling in the fact that I have minimal amount of responsibility:)
I went camping for a week...I went to UCSB for a church camp...I went to tons of concerts, my favorite being Augustana !... I went to Lake Tulloch...I went to Tahoe...I went sailing in San Fran...its been fun. School is not sounding too hot right now. Ugh.
But, lets look at the bright side. Seniors... its our last year! Yayy! In just 3 short months we will be turning in applications and deciding where we want to spend our first stretch of independence! Yayyy!
So, this has been fun. Enjoy your last few days of summer:)

back to school

Hi everyone. With school coming up on Tuesday, it makes me wonder how summer went by so fast! I was kind of in denial about school coming up, but with LINK training, it has been a wake up call that I still have homework to do. Having finished half of my homework with difficulty of staying focused, I wonder if the length of the vacation has affected my memory and working skills. Kids in cities like London have approximately a month long summer and longer breaks throughout the year and I've been thinking that is probably a better idea for students to be more productive at the start of a new school year. Of course that schedule has pros and cons, but 3 months is a very long time, of which I can't remember anything I learned last year in math, which has become a problem. I think that the school board should take into consideration the length of time, and if they do choose to shorten it, they must increase all of our other vacations such as Winter Break, Thanksgiving Break, and defnitely Spring Break. I'm not saying I don't LOVE three months of doing nothing, but if there is going to be AP summer homework, I need more refreshers. So with that, I'm dreading this upcoming very difficult year, and the only excitement I can find is probably this class and getting my license!

Environment

Hey again, I'm Kate Rose! I forgot to mention last time that next year I will be a senior and in Journalism 2- it'll be my first year in Journalism-which is disapointing because I've always been interested. So please excuse my newbie-ness.
Some of us on here are also going to be taking AP Environmental Science next year. I just wanted to check up on your progress (I've only read "Silent Spring"). In this book Rachel Carson makes some key points. One that is the most interesting to me is that since the begining of human kind, we have always strove to dominate our surroundings. From animals to natural resources. In her book Carson illustrates the unspeakable harm that we have inflicted on nature. I myself have always considered nature our victim, a defenseless force. But this is simply not true: Carson's examples prove that when we push nature pushes back harder. She describes a kind of arms race against nature. For example, we spray pestisides on a certain insect and although they die down for a few years- they mostly always come back twice in numbers. We have all witnessed the way that nature adapts to threats. But we dont always consider ourselves the threat. In truth, mother nature has suffered and she will also make us suffer. We are not fighting against another nation. We will not be able to draw up a treaty. We will have to stop the harmful chemicals if we want nature to stop defending itself with things like the West Nile Virus.
Her book was interesting and I agreed with many of her pionts. I believe that we cannot continue on the course that we are on, selfishly pushing nature around, without consequences. I am also of the belief that we as the human race are destroying the environment.
I, personally, feel guilty everytime I get in a car. Im not sure why the size of my ecological foot print is justifyable to myself and to others. I have a theory that those of us who are well off enough should conserve as much as possible. People with enough money should recycle, these people should also be wealthy enought to eat Vegiterrian or Vegan. We should have composte gardens, we should plant trees. Those of us who have the available resources need to use them- It is our responcibility. I realize that many do not think this way. And I am extremely interested in both viewpoints. I know for example that some think that the recent trend in global warming is merely a pattern that the earth has always followed. I'd like to hear more of not only my viewpoints but of yours. Tell me some Pros and Cons!

Hello Journalists! My name is Kate-
I decided to post something about the arts. This summer as everyone knows "The Dark Knight" came out. Newspapers hailed it as the late Heath Ledger's last film role. It is customary to take well researched journalist's words on most matters for the truth. However, as some of you may know, "The Dark Knight" will not be his last film role.
My brother Cameron, who is really into film, is the one who introduced me to Terry Gilliam. Some of you may recognize the name from Monty Python. but I recognize it from a few fantastical 80's movie called "Time Bandits," and "The Adventures of Barron Munchausen." But his most well known is probably "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." (He writes screenplays and he directs).
And in the next year theaters like the Tower and the Crest (usually home to more of the "artsy" or foriegn films) will bear his newest creation, "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus." In which an acting troupe interact with the devil and a magical mirror and in which Heath Ledger had filmed a few scences as a main character Tony. After his death it seemed like the movie would not go on. However, incredibly enough big name actors Jude Law, Colin Ferrell, and Johnny Depp have stepped forward to add their performances to Heath Leadger's. This seems like a true honor. With it's new creative direction and an artisticly recasted Tony this film will be no less than fantastic. Hope I see you guys at the Tower opening night!!!

Olympics

I'm not usually a big sports fan, but recently, I can't seem to stop watching the Olympic games. Michael Phelps, an Olympian swimmer, has been giving an amazing performance. Now, normally, swimming bores me. It usually just ends up being a bunch of athletes going back and forth in a pool for an hour. But this guy has been demolishing the competition. He has managed to win 5 gold medals and set 5 world records in just 4 days! It's absolutely incredible. He aims to earn 3 more gold medals before the Olympics are over, that would get him the world record for most gold performances in a single year. I don't know about you, but I find this guy to be amazing, he is doing things that I've never even imagined, and showing just how much the human body is capable of when you put your mind to it. So, even if you're not that into the Olympics, I'd suggest keeping up with swimming. He wasn't called the "greatest Olympian ever" for nothing.

Thanks for the Insult

They came to "smash" the Americans in the men's 400 freestyle relay, an insulting attitude to the

The Movies

Like most, I joined the brigade of high-schoolers who got a summer job. It seemed like before I got the job, all I heard from people was that, "AHHH work sucks..." Well, not if you work where I do. I don't save lives, I don't do anything exotic, and I sure as hell don't make a whole lot of money. I work at a movie theatre. United Artists, part of the Regal Entertainment Group.
Most people know it as 'the sh*tty theatre', or 'the one with rats'. But oh no, it is the best place to work as a teen, however, i can't really deny the rats.
I have more fun at work, with managers who are all vulgar, lazy and crude college students than anyone else that I know. My co-workers are all my age give or take a few years, and they are all bums, in one way or another. I fit right it.

What about everyone else's summer job? Who has a really fun one? Or a boring one for that matter?

Russian Bear Lashes Out At A Former Cub

If you haven't been watching the news, Russia attacked it's southern neighbor Georgia last week. Tensions mounted when the Georgian government attempted to regain control of the seperatist South Ossetia region, which wants to rejoin North Ossetia (within Russia). Indeed, the Russian government has gone so far as to declare Southern Ossetians Russsian citizens, granting many people Russian passports.

Russia insists that it is only pursuing military action to protect the citizens of South Ossetia from Georgian oppression. However, thousands of civilians throughout the region have already been killed by Russian airstrikes. The current president, Mikhail Saakashvili, believes that the Russian government is planning to launch a full scale invasion of Georgia, with intent to overthrow the pro-west democracy and suppress the bid for NATO induction, which Georgia has been striving towards. Both sides claim that the other is responsible for war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and illegal military action.

A ceasfire has been drawn up and sent to Moscow, but no word yet of it being signed. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin did not accept calls for ceasefire from her industrial allies, and criticized the U.S. for seeing Georgia as the victim, not the aggressor: "...the incumbent Georgian leaders who razed 10 Ossetian villages at once, who ran elderly people and children with tanks, who burned civilian alive in their sheds -- these leaders must be taken under [custody]," (The Huffington Post).

I know that this is a slight deviation from the current theme of summer vacations and funny pictures, but sometimes things have to be shown that disrupts the status quo and shows the truth. It seems that we as human beings have a very small attention span, and seem to forget easily; something new and dramatic is always at the center of attention, till we have had our fill and we move on. You know Darfur? Hurricane Katrina? The tsunami in 2004? All of these things are still claiming lives, yet we turn a blind eye because it does not pertain to our lives on a personal level. I mean, looking at our lives, it doesn't even cross our minds that we are at war, beside yellow ribbons and the nightly news, and the rising tide of American bodies that come flying back home to loved ones.

So technically this whole Russo-Georgian conflict just really doesn't matter. My family doesn't live there; I have no friends studying in the region. Why the hell should I care? Or why should you care for that matter?

It's simple: because people are dying for foolishly arbitrary reasons, and we are doing nothing to make it stop.

Ranting

For some reason, I've taken a liking to reading Yahoo News. Maybe it's cause reading the newspaper makes my head hurt. Weird, considering I love being a journalist, huh? Whatever. I love reading the featured stories on Yahoo. News, entertainment, sports...all wrapped up for me. :] It's quite convenient. Here's what sparked me to post this blog today...on the list of featured news stories from today and yesterday, over half have something to do with celebrity life. It both amazes me and makes me sick that celebrities who screw up their lives have become the center of ours. I am more interested in learning how to save the environment than what mess Mary-Kate Olsen is in this time.

Does anyone feel the same way? Maybe I'm crazy...who knows.

Cost of Competition

In the enviornment of competitive sports, there is certainly

At The Farm

Because my grandparents live in the Bay area, my family doesn't really get to see them all of the time. Whenever we see them, it's usually in the summer because my mom and I have close birthdays. Anyway, we decided to meet in Lodi so that it wouldn't be a long drive. Lodi is known for its excellent wineries and large vineyards; we looked into a place called Michael and David, which was on a small farm. We started the day by having lunch, (which was excellent!) in their cafe and tasted a slice of their delicious apricot pie. Then we went on the farm, with its amazing French garden gazebos and beautiful flowers. When my mom pointed out that their were farm animals, my sister and I were really anxious to see them. I hadn't been to a farm or a zoo in a while, so it was so cool. First we noticed baby rabbits, which were extremely cute, a pony, roosters and chickens, turkeys, goats, and a large ram ( it was so huge with big horns!). It was just so much fun and a different experience for me, because it's so much different from Rocklin. Shortly, I had an adventurous day and was happy to see a farm and my grandparents.

Pennsylvania

About four days after I got back from Oregon I left on yet another adventure. This time I went to Pennsylvania to visit family. Overall I really enjoyed my time there, visiting family that I rarely get to see. However, I have realized that being busy all the time gets old relatively quickly. Don't get me wrong I'd much rather be busy than bored out of my mind, but never being home had really started to take a toll on me. My body got extremely worn out and I got sick. I also have had no time to do my summer homework, which I am going to cram in and do before school starts which adds a lot of additional stress to my life. Not to mention I haven't had time to spend with my friends, most of which I haven't seen since school got out. My summer has gone by so incredibly fast! I want to encourage you to take advantage of the summer activities that come your way but don't let yourself get too busy. You need time at home to balance it out. So if you've found yourself at home this summer don't feel too bad, you may just be lucky.