Category: general news

Stuff having to do with the news in general.

My Reaction to the Election

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(Written the morning after the election, 6:40 am, November 9th, 2016)

Confused. Worried. Scared.

Those were the emotions I felt when I woke up this morning, and the first thing I did was google which candidate won the election.

I went to bed early last night and did not keep up with the polls out of fear and worry. When I first woke up, I was hopeful, I did not see any messages screaming in all caps that Donald Trump won. I thought, maybe Hillary pulled through. When the google results came up, it felt as though everything shifted. I started crying, yes, heavy, non-stop tears. My view of this whole country came tumbling down.

I never thought it would come to this, I never thought Trump would actually win. I had some faith in the people of America. Well, most of that faith is gone now.

Protests Against Trump Winning — Photo Credit: LA Times

I’m scared. For my rights, for my body’s rights, for the rights of women everywhere.

I’m scared. For the racial minorities that Trump targets, for their freedom and rights in this country.

I’m scared. For the future immigrants coming into this country, seeking solace from their own, to be denied and rejected, because of our new, intolerant president.

I’m scared. For all the people Donald Trump has promised to deport and keep out.

I’m scared. For the LGBT community. Mike Pence is now Vice President, he supports gay conversion therapy, and it has been announced that Trump will be an anti-LGBT president.

I’m scared. For anyone who is considered a minority, for anyone who is considered less than a person to Trump, for anyone who is judged or generalized by the color of their skin, their religion, where they come from, their gender, their sexuality, or anything else Donald Trump may view as “wrong” or “bad”.

With Donald Trump as President, this is not the “Land of the Free”, but the land of the oppressed.

A Penny for Your Consent

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BuzzFeed is known for its clickbait and quirky news updates. But, occasionally they use their large following for good use. A video titled “Would You Steal $5?” is a perfect example of that good-doing. A simple message is put across as it begins: “What is considered stealing?” The narrator lists different scenarios in which someone has $5, and each scenario shows another situation classified as stealing. But at the end, it’s revealed that the $5 is a symbol for consent. In simpler terms, without consent you are stealing from someone.

What is consent? Most claim to know the answer, but in reality, not many do. Consent is defined as permission for something to happen or agreement to do something. Mostly, consent refers to situations involving any romantic or sexual interactions. It seems simple enough, if one or both members aren’t up to doing something, then both have to accept that they shouldn’t be doing whatever that is. Yet somehow, rape and sexual violence is still all too common.

No one knows the severity of rape culture. On average, 288,820 people are raped annually in the U.S. alone. That is one person every 2 minutes. That number surely disgusts many, yet rape is still a taboo subject. Why is it that consent isn’t taught at all schools? Sex Ed is only mandatory in 24 states, and not all of those have to teach consent. No wonder the headlines are filled with reports of rape and violence against women and men.

Consent is honestly so simple. If you or your partner is uncomfortable, drunk, unready, or unwilling, don’t have sex! If someone says no to any activity, don’t do it! It’s simple, really.

Watch the BuzzFeed video below:

Sunday Nights

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What’s worse than Sunday?

The impending doom of Monday morning lurking around the corner, homework piling up by the minute.

How about waking up on Sunday and thinking it’s Saturday? The stomach drop when your phone blinks with “Sunday” is the equivalent of reading the saddest book ever, twice.

And, even though Sunday mornings are bad, nothing is worse than Sunday night.

Sweet Dreams Please!
Photo Credit: EduinReview.com

And don’t even get me started on Monday mornings.

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

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Have you heard of hand, foot, and mouth disease? I’m from Japan, and there it’s called 手足口病, meaning exactly “hand, foot, and mouth disease.”  手=hand, 足=foot, 口=mouth, and 病=disease.

This disease was very famous in Japan, because we learned in history class that it was a dangerous disease that killed a lot of people in the past. My Chinese friend told me that it was famous in China too, and that it killed a lot of people there.

This virus is currently going around Ojai, but it’s mild and no one has died from it. In our school, since it’s a boarding school, it has spread very quickly. I googled this disease and found out that it’s more common among young children, not teenagers. It’s very odd that it is going around OVS and Ojai.

When it was spreading around the most, we had parents here for family weekend, meaning that parents came to our campus. Our school has students from all over the world, so parents from China, Japan, Germany, and many more places came. In the near future, if we hear that these countries are getting the disease, sadly it might have come from Ojai.

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

East Coast Weather vs. West Coast Weather

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Winter in Los Angeles — Photo Credit: ImMovingtoLA
Winter in Washington D.C. — Photo Credit: HostelsClub

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is almost Halloween, Thanksgiving is only a month away, and fall has technically been in full swing since September 22. Yet, last week it was almost 90 degrees Fahrenheit in some parts of Southern California. Spud Fest happened last week at OVS and it was hot enough for people to be wishing they were in the dunk tank or the pool. At the end of Spud Fest, some students were so tired of the heat they had the remaining water and ice from the ice chests dumped onto them.

For some, 2/3 of the year being summer, and the rest being an awkward mix of cold and warm is heaven. But for those who live for the cold, the Southern California fall and winter seasons are not ideal. Currently, the weather in New York City and Washington D.C. is ranging from 50-60 degrees, with rain. Hopefully, Southern California will catch up soon.

Further Proof That Beyoncé is a Higher Being

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Photo Credit: Pitchfork

On Saturday, October 15, Beyoncé was performing at her Tidal concert, when her braid got caught on her one of her earrings, and the earring RIPPED OUT OF HER EARLOBE.

Photo Credit: US Weekly

Queen Bey didn’t miss a beat in her dance routine however, and kept performing. Later in the performance, Beyoncé touched her earlobe, saw blood on her fingers, and kept singing in a way so holy you might think you just saw God. Now that’s a real performer.

Either Beyoncé is some sort of higher being, or she has superhuman pain tolerance… Or else everyone’s right and she really is a part of the Illuminati (jokes).

After the concert, fans started the hashtags #CutforBeyoncé and #BleedforBeyonce, which are pretty much just a bunch images featuring cuts and injuries. Do not look it up, I made that mistake.

This concert pretty much just proved, once again, the immense power that is Beyoncé.

Fall in Southern California 

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Sweaters are sweaty. Pumpkin spice burns your chapped, sunburnt lips. The adorable pinterest-esque fall leaves are more often represented by crunchy, dehydrated grass. Football games are too often stadiums crowded with sweaty bodies. The weather is less “let’s wear infinity scarves and drink hot cocoa” and more “let’s crank up the A/C and never leave the […]

The Polls are Rigged. No, Really. 

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“Donald Trump will never really get elected.” 

Looking around, I admit, it’s hard to imagine.

“77% of americans are women, are people of color, are gay, or are other minorities. He can’t win. He won’t.”(Read more here.)

And he wouldn’t, if they were all voting. But in communities of poverty, in communities where transportation is hard to obtain, in communities where lines are longer, in communities where instructions don’t make sense, voting is literally harder, and it’s not a coincidence.

Things like the new Photo ID requirements favor those who are wealthy- with passports and drivers licenses, and the money and time to find the proper paperwork, and the money for fees to get an ID. Although the requirement that citizens have a government issued idea isn’t new, the sudden backing of it is. Why limit how many eligible americans are able to participate in the elections? Because when 11% of the population does not have access to an ID, the overall voter turnout suffers.

Another example of the efforts to create an election where minorities voices are not behaved is the push to shut down early morning Sunday voting in some states where there is a prominent Black community, effectively targeting their religion and how they vote. (read more here)

Or, now that early voting has become popular in low-income and Black communities, it has become a target. Opportunities to register for early voting in communities of poverty are dwindling, at the push of scared politicians.
Maybe you’ve heard, in Texas, concealed carry permits are accepted, but state-issued student ID’s are not.

How about Voter Registration Laws, which both restrict and actively make registering to vote more difficult? 1 in 4 eligible americans are not registered to vote, and laws that make it hard not only to register but to stay registered are not helping.

unnamed-1
Photo Credit: i.huffpost.com

Americans, as a whole, have constructed a false sense of security for themselves, reassured by the idea of just how many people are against the election of Donald Trump, choosing to ignore the ways voting is becoming increasingly biased towards a certain “type” of voter. Do you know who voting is not difficult for? White people. Rich people. Republican people. In fact, voting is designed for the Trump supporters. For dedicated, passionate, privileged people.

It is not designed for Black people, or Hispanic people, or poor people. It is not designed for Hillary supporters.

The reality of President Trump has begun to sound far more possible.  

unnamed
Photo Credit: c0.nrostatic.com

September 11th

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September 11th, a grave day in history that will never be forgotten, forever looming over our history like the dust and debris that was left after the world trade center was hit. To some this day is almost insignificant, and to some this day means more than anything else.

Most people remember it as the day that the United States was attacked. Before the attack, September eleventh was simply just another day of the year. But after that attack, just mentioning the day “September 11th” brought a hush to a crowd, or caused someone to look down in sorrowful remembrance. For some people it made them feel uncomfortable, for some people sad, and some people resentful. I’ve seen all of these reactions. But what I saw the most was acceptance, not because people didn’t care, but because to a certain extent nothing could be done; the plane crash couldn’t be taken back, the lives lost couldn’t be brought back and the birthdays, as insignificant as it might seem, would never be the same.

My older sister had her 7th birthday on September 11th. Now, being that I was three years old when the attack took place, I don’t remember what I was doing, or what we were doing that day for my sister’s birthday, but I can almost promise you that with a catastrophe like that, her birthday was altered in some way.

I remember that I didn’t really understand what was happening when my parents tried to explain to me that the plane had crashed into the world trade center. For a three-year-old, death is an unfathomable idea, let alone combined with the catastrophe of 9/11 accompanying it.

As the years have rolled by, September 11th has become less of a painful reminder of what was lost that day. However, the pain that was caused will never fully disappear. The disheartened look that people get in their eyes when my sister says that her birthday is on September 11th will never go away, the damage that was done to hundreds of other families, to the world trade center and to our nation will never go away. But like human nature, we learn how to deal with it and accept it. 

Photo Credit: http://www.911memorial.org

Bad Singers

paris22Leave a comment

I have spent the majority of this year singing at random times, even though I know I’m musically impaired.

But why are some people ear-splittingly bad, à la moi?  Yahoo explains.

Some people’s brain simply can not perceive notes correctly, which produces the sound of a dying cow when singing (or, at least, for me).

But the shape of your vocal tracks are also a factor that can determine whether you’re a Sugar Motta (Glee, look it up) or you’re a Streisand.

20% of people can’t control their vocal muscles, they’re too powerful (the latter is not a scientific fact).

But there is hope! For those who simply have trouble matching the pitch of a song, vocal training can improve this.

Or, you can accept your tone-deafness and own it. You may not be cast as Glinda in Wicked on Broadway, but that’s true even for people that can sing, so don’t take it too hard.