4th Quarter article #4

For my last article, I chose an piece on the cannibal in Maryland who supposively attacked another victim before consuming his family's friend. Joshua Ceasar was attacked by Kinyua with a baseball bat covered in chains and barbed wire. Kinyua was found by other residents of the apartment complex about to kill Ceasar in the woods and we was turned over to campus police. He was charged with assault and reckless endangerment. He posted the $220,000 bail and a few days later he killed and ate his family's friend who was staying with him.
Just a side note, I take offense to the officer's description of the cannibal as "a Virginia Tech waiting to happen." Ouch. Anyways, I chose this article because I was curious as to this guy's motives (just so disgusting) and being a local issue I was curious how the situation was playing out. The article was well written and gave all the facts that I needed. I didn't particularly enjoy the article since it's a gruesome topic, but I did get a better understanding of the whole situation.
http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2012/06/05/report-accused-md-cannibal-va-tech-in-waiting
(The url would say "cannibal-va-tech-in-wainting) ugh.

4th Quarter article #3

To shake things up, I chose an editorial piece from the Washington Post about the Queen's jubilee. It's a satiric article about the Queen of England's jubilee and Americans' fascination with the royals. With much sarcasm, the author abhors the queen's jubilee as just a sideshow, because in a America, rich people parading around are looked down upon; "there's no room for royalty with the Kardashians in town."

I chose this article because I wasn't quite sure what a jubilee was and I was interested in reading a
different kind of article. The piece was fairly decent, it could have used work in the flow of the article and there was a spelling error/typo. (I'm the Features editor for the school paper so I tend to notice these things lol). I thought the article was entertaining and made a few good points- people care more about a bald man marrying his college girlfriend (William and Kate) than venus crossing in front of the sun.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/post/jubilee-envy--time-for-an-american-monarchy/2012/06/05/gJQAc8IWGV_blog.html

4th Quarter Article #2

I read an article in Glamour magazine about peoples' perceptions of others based on their physical physique (weight). Overweight people are stereotyped as "sloppy, lazy, and slow" while skinny people are typed as "uptight, controlling, unwomanly, and bitchy." Survey results showed women were 6-8 times for like to stereotype an overweight woman in that matter and 4 times as likely to stereotype a skinny woman. Even people who had the same body type applied the stereotype to peers with a similar physique.  These stereotypes of women have gone back centuries which can be seen in old fables where skinny women are depicted as witches and overweight women are depicted as warm and ineffective workers.

I chose this article because it had an interesting psychological observation of peoples' perceptions. I've always been fascinated as to what people think and why they think about it. The article was fairly well written; he used quotes to support his assertions but there was still evident bias throughout the piece. I enjoyed this article and it made me think about my stereotypes of other people and made me think about refraining judgmental thoughts of others based on appearance.
http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/2012/05/weight-stereotyping-the-secret-way-people-are-judging-you-based-on-your-body-glamour-june-2012

4th Quarter Article #1

I read an article about the transit of Venus in National Geographic. Transits happen when a planet crosses in between the sun and the earth and only mercury and venus can partake in this unusual alignment. The next transit won't be seen until 2117. Venus approximately transited for 6 hours and appeared as a small black dot in front of the sun (like a pea in front of a watermelon). The transit occurred on Tuesday June 5th at 6:05 pm.
I chose this article because I always found the national geographic articles to be very informing and I was curious what the big deal was about this "transit thingy." I thought the article was very well written and informative; I gained a greater understanding on how the alignment works and the history of sightings of the alignment of Venus. I did enjoy the article; it was refreshing to read something different and more science based then the usual articles I read in magazines.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/06/120604-transit-of-venus-2012-sun-planet-hubble-space-science-how-when/

Senior Reflection #3

For my final senior reflection I'm going to focus on what I plan on doing for the rest of my life. So the big plan is that one day I have my own practice as a psychologist and possibly be involved in starting up a charity in which counselors are sent to poor countries where wars, natural disasters, or other traumatic experiences are occurring to help people around the world. Maybe it will specialize in women's safety? Another idea is providing clinics in poor/male-dominated countries where women can get medical help, therapy, and supplies to help deal with a variety of issues such as rape or spousal abuse. To reach this goal, I am majoring in psychology at Virginia Tech and plan on either pursuing a masters or PhD program. I'm not quite sure what school yet for that, just depends where life takes me. One thing I've decided though, as ambitious as my goals are, I choose that now matter what happens, I'll stay focused on my relationship and building a family (long time from now). Even if I have to move around all the time, he's worth it. I know I can make it work. I don't want to see my life go by while I focus on my career. 

Senior Reflection #2

Okay so for my second senior year reflection I'll talk about what I'm doing this summer... so surprise surprise I'm once again going to be continuously busy. Hopefully this hasn't become a habit that I'll take to college because I sadly have the bad habit of taking on too much. Anyways, after I come back from beach week I'll be resuming my two jobs: working at the library and as an Avon Representative. Also, I'm starting an internship at Main Street in Fairfax in which I help the school's psychologist with specialized programs such as self-esteem building. On top of that, I may also do babysitting gigs or go back to working at this tutoring place called Kumon a couple times a week. Plus I have a couple vacations already  planned out: beach week (Myrtle Beach), Florida with my mom, and NC with my boyfriend's family. It's going to be one crazy busy summer before college but I cannot wait for it too start (only a couple more days!) :)

Senior Reflection #1

For my first reflection, I'm going to focus on how splendid this year has been. Senior is the best year of high school and I'm so glad I'm graduating and blah blah. But no, in actuality... it sort of sucked. Whoever said senior year was chill and that second semester was a joke was lying. I literally have been non-stop with school, work, (and until now) interning. Seriously, it's the last week and I still have all these projects and finals due. I'm up this late in the first place because of my video metaphor project for english. Ugh.

Anyways, despite the tiresome busy work, school wasn't too bad and I learned a ton. The combination of Political Science, your class, and Human Geography has allowed me to truly understand politics and allows me to hold intellectual conversations with people. I was lucky and all of my teachers were amazing!

Some of the negatives of senior year were that I was constantly stressed trying to do this and that (scholarships, applications, work, sports, school, interact club, etc.). Also, I sort of lost touch with a really close friend and learned that she honestly didn't care about me. I guess everyone's true colors are eventually revealed. Overall, senior year was alright. I'm just glad I am almost out of here. It's weird sometimes being one of the oldest kids in the grade. I feel like I should have left here a long time ago. 

Current Event #6 United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has been in a similar financial pinch to the U.S. Due to risky borrowing and increase in the elderly population, the U.K. struggles to find solutions to help pay for the social programs for its citizens. Also, struggling with debt, the U.K. is also trying to balance and makes cuts in the budget. In response to these financial pressures, the government has made plans in the Budget to change tax allowances for pensioners, amid claims they amount to a "raid" on their incomes. Labour said the hidden tax rise would affect millions. The allowances will not increase with inflation and will be frozen at the 2012-2013 levels. In addition, anyone turning 65 after April 5th 2013 will no longer qualify for the tax allowances.
MP Matthew Hancock said the government is committed to supporting people in old age and has pledged to raise the state pension in line with either earnings, inflation of 2.5%, whichever is higher. He claims that the new tax measure "the granny tax" is to help simplify the allowance process. In the upcoming years, ministers want to move towards a single tax allowance for those of working age and retired. The Labour Party laments this tax policy claiming they should have reduced employers' national insurance and VAT instead. Interest groups representing pensioners said the measure was not fair and claim this will "come back to haunt" the government. This could prove to be a divisive issue in the next election.
"Budget 2012: Ministers under fire over tax allowances for pensioners"

Current Event #5

Putin's re-election has caused quite the uproar in Russia. When it was announced in December that he had won the presidential election, many claimed voter fraud and protests ensued. The way Putin has choreographed his way back into presidency has angered many elites and many citizens. His party did poorly in the December parliamentary election. Also as corruption and widespread charges of election fraud spread, the government's legitimacy is slowly eroding. At the same time, Russia's middle class has grown in size and is yearning for government accountability and less corruption. The growing access to the internet has also played a role in Russia's feeling of discontent. Social networking has been a key element in organizing the protests. Despite growing unrest, the economy continues to grow at a rate of 4%. However, only 50% of the population approves of Putin. This could weaken the bureaucracy as officials fear to enact controversial legislation, thus making it more difficult to govern their people. The flicker of doubt whether Putin will complete his new term shows how much Russia has changed.
Putin's shakiness to hold on to power shows Russia's instability as it tries to gain experience and legitimacy as a democracy. Putin had made the government more central and with his restriction of the media, he was returning the government to a more authoritarian form. Russian's response towards Putin's attempts to consolidate power highlights the ills of this democracy and further raises questions of its legitimacy. The expanding middle class and greater access to the internet has allowed more democratic movements occur and as the people of Russia become to model more of a democratic society, the government will soon succumb to their demands for reforms. "Putin's New Constraints"

Current Event #4: Nigeria

The Boko Haram, an Islamic militant group, claimed responsibility for the killings of hundreds of people against the Nigerian government. Since 2009, they've killed more than 900 people, specifically targeting those in uniform. The Boko Haram is the representation of the Nigerians' anger at the Nigerian state, seen by the poor as the "purveyor of inequality." The Nigerian state is seen typically as the enemy because of the enduring poverty putting pressures on the high population. Poverty has increased since 2004 (75% of the population is considered poor). 

Ever since it's independence from the UK after WWII, Nigeria has faced great instability. From the beginning of independence and the creation of a nation, Nigerians perceived corruption of the electoral and political process, which led to the back-to-back military coups begun in 1966. Nigeria only returned to democracy in 1999 with the 1999 election, although the 1999 and 2003 elections were deemed unfree and unfair. Ethnic violence over the oil producing Niger Delta region and inadequate infrastructures further add tension in Nigeria. Boko Haram came about because of Nigerians' dissatisfaction with the way the country was running. It seeks to abolish the secular system of government and establish Sharia law. 

"In Nigeria, a Deadly Group's Rage Has Local Roots"

Current Event #3: UK

British Prime Minister David Cameron traveled on Thursday to Edinburgh to meet with the First Minister Alex Solmond. The two discussed Scotland's desire to separate from the United Kingdom. This was the first meeting to discuss the controversial issue. Mr. Cameron pleaded with the Scottish people in a speech to remain in the union for economic and military support. Alex Solmond, leader of the Scottish National Party, hopes to secure a mandate to withdraw from the UK sometime in the next five years.

The United Kingdom acquired Scotland in the 16/17th century through intermarriage of the two royal families. When King James VI of Scotland inherited Ireland and England, he became the king of England. It wasn't until the Treaty of Union in 1706 that the UK was officially formed. 

Scotland has always been a distinctive ethnicity in the UK with it's Gaelic heritage and manufacturing based economy. Over the years, executive and legislative powers have been devolved to Scotland's parliament (unicameral legislature). The legislative body has legislative authority over everything concerning Scotland and has a limited power over taxation. The increased devolution (power given from central government to more regional lower level governments) has given Scotland more autonomy. With it's lack of representation in the Westminster Parliament, many Scottish people feel unrepresented and disconnected from the British majority. Talks may continue between the two party leaders to come to an agreement, but until Cameron breaks to Scotland's wish for more autonomy, Scotland soon may be a new state. 

"Cameron Details Argument Against Scottish Indpendence"

Current Event 2: Iran

Iran will host parliamentary elections on March 2nd. Tensions have been high as the Iran regime has suppressed and ended the Green Movement protests on Tuesday. The Green Movement is a group of protestors demanding the removal of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from office. Many saw the last election as fraudulent because Ahmadinejad claimed victory before the vote count was done, causing many to believe the elections were rigged by the government. After the election, there was massive protests which were put down by the government militia forces, leaving several killed. The Iran government also began to censor media and slow down internet access. 
Tuesday's protests were a sign of the Green Movement's strength and perseverance. Despite the obstacles the government has put into place, they managed to hold protests in numerous cities. It is expected that the election on March 2nd will have a huge turnout and more than likely will result in further protests, which the government claims it will be ready for.
Iran's transition into a parliamentary system when there was little to no democracy before, will be an awkward and difficult transition. The questionable election of Ahmadinejad is a clear example of the struggles many countries face when transitioning into a more democratic government. Furthermore, the Prime Minister's role and the Shah's role in government make the transition into a full fledged democracy all the more difficult as the government is strictly ruled by the more religious conservatives. The Green Movement appear to be very united, organized, and dedicated to their cause and if the government continues to poorly represent the people, a civil war may be on their hands and the protestors will forcibly remove Ahmadinejad out of power. 


Iran's Green Movement

Current Event I: China

The judiciary branch is one of the three branches of government in the People's Republic of China. In accordance with its constitution, it is intended to exercise judicial power independently from administrative organs, public organizations, and individuals. However, it's power to operate independently doesn't mean it's free from the Communist party influence. China has a hierarchical court system with the Supreme People's Court overseeing the lower courts and the implementation of the law. Higher People's Court exist at the provincial level. Intermediate and basic People's Courts serve the municipal and prefecture level. There are also several special People's courts which include military and maritime courts.
"Who goes to the gallows? Concern over a high-profile death penalty" is about the controversy over Wu Ying's sentence to death. Citizens see her sentence as a way to keep her quiet from revealing more information that led to other arrests of officials and bankers. This case highlights the change in China's death penalty policy, which requires the sentence to be reviewed by the supreme court since it's 2007 decision. The number of executions in China has fell from around to 8,000 (in 2007) to 4,000 last year. However, despite implications of reform, Wang Shenjun, a man with no legal training was made president of the supreme court in 2008. Furthermore, he is a strong supporter of President Hu Jintao's "three supremes" in judicial affairs: the supremacy of the Communist Party's interests, the public's interests, and thirdly the law.
The drop in executions suggest that China is beginning to fall to pressures from foreign influence to move towards improving legal rights in China. However, the president of the supreme court shows the truth- that the government is but a puppet to the Communist Party and no change will be made that threatens its security.

Cartoon #6

1. Tom Toles
2. The key objects of the cartoon are the eggs from which Mitt Romney and Barack Obama hatch from. This represents that both of their ideas of medical care programs were born from the same idea.
3. The cartoonist uses caricature and irony to emphasize the similarities between the two health care programs started by the two politicians.
4. The cartoon highlights the irony of Mitt Romney's attacks on Obama Care as he runs for the Republican nomination for president when his own health care program is quite similar to Obama's plan.
5. The cartoon is saying that Romney has no place to criticize Obama Care when he created a similar program.
6. The cartoonist has a negative view of Mitt Romney and his criticism of Obama Care to prove his place in the Republican party.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/toles-looks-to-election-2012/2011/04/04/AFIGBGdC_gallery.html#photo=5

Question of the Week #6

As the first semester comes to a close, it's unbelievable I was able to juggle all the things going on in my life. With 4 AP classes, sports, work, SAT's, ACT's, clubs, and everything else it's amazing that I could manage my time to handle all of that. I've gotten into 3 colleges so far- Penn State, University Colorado Boulder, and University Wisconsin Madison. However, unlike everyone else, this brings little relief since I still have to apply for scholarships, hear back from other colleges, and choose between all of these great schools.
Next semester I hope everything slows down, but I have a tendency to over-do things. On top of my internship, I may start 2 more jobs in addition to my current position at a tutoring center. I am already counting down the days until graduation. I cannot wait until all my work has paid off and I finally get my diploma and prepare for my new life at college. 

Cartoon #5

1. Tom Toles
2. The key objects of the cartoon are the pile of money, the shovel, and Uncle Sam. The pile of money represents the ills with the U.S. government as politicians get elected on money, which are highly attributed to Super PACs and their unlimited budget to advertise for a politician. The shovel emphasizes how deep America is influenced by Super PACs. Uncle Sam is typically seen as the pure representative of America who represents the American ideal of democracy. His placement in the cartoon accentuates just how big this problem is if he is desperately digging to find democracy.
3. The cartoonist uses exaggeration and symbolism (uncles sam) to address the issue of Super PACs control over democracy through its unlimited budget.
4. The cartoon is emphasizing the ills of Super PACs and how they have put a wall between America and it's progress to achieve democracy.
5. The cartoon is saying that Super PACs are bad and are ruining America.
6. The cartoonist has a negative view of Super PACs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/tom-toles-cartoons-for-january-2012/2011/12/30/gIQAjtfARP_gallery.html#photo=1

Question of the Week #5

I believe Ron Paul will end up winning the Republican nomination. Currently Rick Santorum seems the most promising with his success in the Iowa Caucus. However, it won't be long before the Republican Party and most of America tires of Rick Santorum like all the other favored nominees. His strong conservative leanings will scare off most of the run of the middle Republican voters. His radical ideas such as getting rid of birth control and his comment about black people in welfare is going to impede his success to a nomination. The Republican Party will continue to not like Mitt Romney.... he'll only get the nomination if absolutely no one left is acceptable to be nominated. Which leaves us with Ron Paul. He has been gaining momentum along with Santorum and has appealed to a strong youth force. The Republican Party would nominate him because of his likelihood to be voted in office. He'll have the connection with the elderly population who counts for most of the voters. Furthermore his more radical and logical solutions to issues, based on his strict interpretation of the constitution, will pull in youth votes and their activism away from Obama who were key to his 2008 win.