Author: raining17

Grade Gratuity

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Are grades worthy of cash rewards?

Growing up, there were always those kids who were bribed by their parents to get good grades. Depending on their situation – financially and academically – different arrangements were made.

I think the luckiest I ran into was my friend who got $50 for every A, $20 for every B, and $10 for every C. Maybe it’s just jealousy, but I think that’s ridiculous.

First of all, if a kid with this guarantee takes the minimum of five classes and barely scrapes passing grades, they still make $50. I don’t think these grades are worthy of that kind of reward!

A more reasonable gratuity I’ve observed is payment for every A on a report card. Whether it’s $50 or $5, this method at least makes the child work hard for their reward.

As a self-motivated person, I’ve always taken academics into my own hands and have never been rewarded for good grades. Of course my parents are proud, but they’ve had no need to bribe me. I doubt the concept of paying me for grades has ever even passed through their minds. Honestly, maintaining good grades is expected of me, and if I fail to do so, it’s entirely my problem.

For the people who receive this reward, that’s awesome for them. Of course it would’ve been great to have received this while growing up, but honestly, I don’t see the point.

Photo Credit: 2.bp.blogspot.com

 

Cop or Not

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A man from Texas, really in need of his fast-food, posed as a police officer in order to skip to the front of the line in the drive-thru.

Almost taking after the imitation police in the movie “Let’s Be Cops,” this man cleverly beat the law, and managed to do so while pretending to be the law.

The convicted man’s car was decked out with illegal lights and sirens but looked like a normal car. However, bystanders thought it to just be an undercover cop car.

Photo Credit: i.ytimg.com

After the release of “Let’s Be Cops,” one can only wonder how many similar incidents have occurred – either because of the movie, or simply coincidentally.

Directly relating to this event, one can still wonder whether this man decided he wanted to try to pull off the feats in the movie, or if the circumstances just happen to relate.

Either way, the man wanted his food, and he wanted it fast.

Ready, Set, Action!

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Most people go through life at a normal rate, but some people are simply born ready to go.

Annabelle Ridgeway, a Philadelphian who, at age four is already a master in determination, fits this category.

With nothing on her mind but her strong desire for a slushie, Annabelle slipped out her back door at three in the morning and boarded the bus to the nearest 7-Eleven. The girl wanted something, and she took action.

Photo Credit: somicom.com

Although the girl’s actions could have been dangerous, she truly exemplifies the motivation that even some adults lack. At such a young age she already knows how to take initiative, plan and take action. And she stopped at nothing to reach her goal.

The determination that Annabelle possesses is admirable, especially for a four-year old. Many adults would do well to take after this little girl – not necessarily in a slushie escapade, but in the values she encompasses.

 

Brain or Body?

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When we think of ourselves, we take in our bodies as a whole – physical limbs as well as thoughts. However in reality, we are just a brain.

Every thought and emotion comes from, or simply is our brain. And it is our brain that controls every action and movement we do. Essentially, we are just a small hunk of cells controlling a jumble of skin and bones.

Photo Credit: /www.jdandersonlaw.com

Even more so, humans are just a bunch of atoms. Atoms are studied in school and professionally, meaning that the study of atoms is really just a bunch of atoms learning about themselves.

It’s weird to think of the human body in its individual parts, for it all works as a whole, controlled by the brain. When thought of on its own, the brain is such an odd concept, and the way it works to control the body is a crazy concept.

Pink Poultry

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A recent mystery has materialized in Portland, Oregon – pink chickens have been spotted wandering around the city.

Photo Credit: media.katu.com

Many Portlanders have stopped to take pictures with the birds, or at least paused to puzzle the abnormal sights, but until recently, nothing was done to understand these freaks of nature.

To get to the bottom of this, Multnomah County Animal Services sought out the owner, Bruce Whitman. He described the colored chickens to be a prank – he dyed them with food coloring, beet juice and Kool-Aid in hopes of making lucky onlookers smile.

Whitman put the birds out Thursday morning and picked them up that same evening. They gained publicity from their perch in a tree on the waterfront, and in no time caught the eye of countless people.

Although Whitman pulled this prank to catch the eye of the public, he did not expect the chickens to get nearly as much attention as they did.

While only a one time event, Whitman was happy with his success in making people smile, and was glad that pink chickens could cause this unanimous reaction.

3/4

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The week leading up to the end of the quarter is stress-inducing for all Ojai Valley School students. In order to accurately evaluate each student, teachers are assigning copious amounts of homework, including big projects with a high point value to assemble a final (quarter) grade.

Every class seems to have at least one test this week, often worth even more points than usual. This week feels like a year, going on and on, but soon to be over!

Photo Credit: broadwayeducators.com

Students seem to be dragging around campus as a result of late night studying and cramming to finish projects. Getting a good third quarter grade is often important, since slacking can sometimes happen at the end of the year. Therefore, this final push is what brings everybody to the last quarter, and then the end of the school year.

With that in mind, the quarter end is highly anticipated – everyone just has to make it through this week first!

 

Relativity

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Compared to the entire universe, all life on earth is miniscule.

There are countless studies explaining this relativity, and they really put everybody’s individual problems into perspective.

Yeah, if your significant other breaks up with you or you fail a test that really sucks, but you are one of seven billion people in the world. Each and every person has problems of their own, all to varying degrees.

There are eight other planets in the solar system, and billions of solar systems in the galaxy, each with many planets. There are then over 100 billion galaxies in the universe. So really, earth, and people in particular, are quite insignificant.

Photo Credit: upload.wikimedia.org

Take a step back, and look at things from a different point of view. Immediate life is hectic and each problem seems magnified. Compared to the rest of the universe, however, what seems like the end of the world is actually an insanely small aspect of life. The universe is endless, and everybody and everything are small pieces that together, make it up.

Paper Towns

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Photo Credit: pbs.twimg.com

The highly anticipated movie poster for author John Green’s Paper Towns was just released, sparking interest and excitement in all fans.

Journalists are scrounging for material to write about – putting out article after article on the movie, and the poster in particular. Some articles are reaching as far as to write about how actors Cara Delevingne and Nat Wolff look like siblings, simply from the similar appearance of their eyebrows.

However, since Cara’s popularity did stem from her brows, this could be relevant for her.

Other writers are confused about the message the poster is depicting – unlike most movie posters, this one does not give much of the plot away. Many fans are complaining about this, but some are appreciative of the mystery.

This poster has brought mixed feelings from fans of the book and fans of the actors alike. An opinion that has been agreed upon, however, is how much excitement the release of the poster has brought, and how highly anticipated this movie is.

Hot or Cold?

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The weather in Ojai compared to Portland is insanely different, and is treated in contrasting ways as well. It is so cold in Portland and so hot in Ojai, that whenever the weather crosses over into unknown territory, people react in extreme ways.

In Portland, as soon as the weather reaches 55-60˚, people are digging out their shorts and tank-tops, all the while raving about the wonderful weather. In these newfound outfits, they will venture out on hikes, set out to take pictures, or really do anything to be outside.

Californians, on the other hand, throw on their down jackets as soon as the sun ducks behind the clouds. If it’s below 75˚, sweatshirts and boots can be found as far as the eye can see.

What Portlanders consider to be the nicest possible weather, Californians refer to as freezing. After spending time in both locations, I can grow to appreciate both temperatures. However, I have to agree with the Portland mindset.

Photo Credit: photoblog/dynamic_media/photoblog/portland-sign-broadway-street.jpg

 

Generation Gap

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Most children rebel against their parents as they’re growing up, which is truthfully just a part of life. These children often swear to parent their kids completely differently than the way they were parented. Whether they follow through with that is a different matter entirely.

Parents constantly argue that they are helping their children, and that their actions are actually for the child’s benefit. However true this is, their actions are actually not always the best option.

If kids are unhappy with the way they were raised, they can always go on and raise their future kids in an entirely different manner. However, because of family norms, these children do often adopt characteristics of their parents’ ways, and follow them in that aspect.

Types of parenting vary from family to family, and the way one takes after their elders is entirely subjective. Depending on family history and personal experiences/beliefs, each generation is raised with individual values.

Photo Credit: http://www.singleforareason.com