Category: general news

Stuff having to do with the news in general.

New Year New Me

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I have never been a fan of the whole “New Years resolutions” thing. Everyone always talks about losing weight or eating more vegetables. I find it kind of silly that when the New Year comes around, everyone is frantic to head to the gym and start a new lifestyle.

Until this year, I never understood why anyone would make an effort to do something they should have been doing in the first place.

In late December, I had dinner with a friend who has always been very environmentally friendly and aware. We were talking about what her New Years resolution was. She had decided to use re-usable water bottles everyday and NEVER buy water in plastic containers.

A similar thought crossed my mind as she said that, and I brought up the idea to not use plastic bags anymore. I tried to not use them in the first place, but I was guilty of carrying around a few Target bags full of miscellaneous items once in a while.

This year would be different.

I was only going to use paper bags or bring re-usable bags whenever I went shopping. So far this year, I have saved approximately fifteen plastic bags, and we’re only 26 days into the new year.

Photo Credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45176802483723630/

Plastic bags are one of the many causes for the enormous build up of trash in the oceans. This build up destroys habitats for the wildlife, and the wildlife itself. I do not want to encourage this anymore than I already have. This year, I will try my best not to aid in the harming of our environment.

 

“Textneck”

indigoshell

The “epidemic” of our generation. Researchers or something have come up with the term “text neck,” which is a sort of condition you can get from texting. Symptoms include bad posture, neck and/or back pains, and can lead to spine degeneration and surgery.

Ooh technology, you’ve got us now!

Or do you?

See, I get “reader’s neck.” And “writer’s neck.” And “artist’s neck.” Oh, and “carving into tracing paper with a small, sharp knife neck.”

Photo credit to http://benjaminharrismusings.blogspot.com

Oh look, no modern tech in this picture. That looks sooo comfortable, doesn’t it? I bet nobody lectures him about “scribe’s neck.”

I’m not saying that text neck doesn’t exist. I’m saying that maybe some things matter more than text neck.

How about the constantly hurting spine of the tall senior in a minuscule desk? Seriously, he looks like a titan in the desk.

Or perhaps the fact that there is almost literally no way to read a book comfortably on your bed. When I get into the story, I stop moving for hours. And then I “wake up” feeling like a ton of bricks had been stacked onto my neck.

How about I broaden this topic and say that probably everything we do is harming our body in some odd way? Yeah, let’s do that.

Time to Change

kennyroo

Feminist: A person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.

The basic idea of Feminism revolves around the sole principle that because our human bodies are designed to perform differently in order to procreate – our intelligence, social functions, capabilities, and rights should be considered equal.

The word “feminist” has picked up a negative connotation in recent years. Why is that? How did independence turn into “man-hating”?

Men and women pay the same for college tuition. So, how does it make sense that we could leave college, get the same job, but as woman I make 75-cents for every mans dollar?

Women were, and in certain ways still are, treated as inferior to men.
Sexism began as early as Aristotle, who claimed that women were ‘imperfect’ men since they did not contain a male reproductive system.

Children are taught in princess movies that a prince has to come and save the day for everything to be okay. How about we teach our daughters that they can save themselves instead?

https://i0.wp.com/snd1.splashpress1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Emma-Watson.jpg
Emma Watson speaking about feminism and her campaign, “He for She” at the U.N. Photo Credit: socialnewsdaily.com

Actress, model, and spokeswoman, Emma Watson, was named U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador. She gave a life altering speech recently on this very subject, feminism. The speech left the entire room in tears and on their feet clapping – both women, and men.

We expect society to change – when as a society, we do not do enough to change it.

Underwear For Sale

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Nowadays, Americans are so materialistic that they’ll go to great measures to own anything once belonging to someone famous.

For example, many girls between ages 10-16 would go crazy over Harry Styles’ used tissue. To be in possession of an item that he once touched, no matter what it is, would be honorable to them.

Currently, Queen Victoria‘s bloomers are being sold for nearly $10,000. Although appealing to a different audience, it is ridiculous nonetheless. Granted, they did belong to a past queen, but to pay thousands to own a pair of underwear seems absurd.

Photo Credit: http://www.express.co.uk

These bloomers are not the only item of Queen Victoria’s from the 1890’s that were sold – her stockings went for about $2,000.

Besides the fact that she was the queen, a selling point for these articles is their size – she wore them at an older age, after having eaten lots.

Society is so focused on materials, and “brand names”. This scores someone a pair of ancient royal panties, so really, there’s no problem.

Officer-Involved Shootings in 2014

Lula Rod

The Los Angeles Times is a source to the public that provides news stories, media stories, and something called the Homicide Report. The Homicide Report is a blog/database that can help people find entries on certain homicide reports by category. The category options are: “race/ethnicity,” “gender,” “cause,” “officer-involved/not officer-involved,” and “year.”

In the year of 2014, there have been several controversial officer-involved shootings. Many of these have been directed towards black or hispanic victims. Officer-involved shootings have occurred in places like Bellflower, CA., Florence, SC., Inglewood, CA., Compton, CA. and, as many have heard recently, Ferguson, MO.

Within the Homicide Report database, there are twenty-two deaths in 2014 that fit the guidelines of a black or latino male killed in an officer-involved shooting. Switch those categories to a white male killed in an officer-involved shooting? Three deaths. Coincidence? I think not. Many of the officers reported in these shootings have been white as well. With facts like these, it’s difficult not to think of these deaths as acts of bias reasoning or racism.

After the death of Michael Brown on a Sunday at 2:15, unarmed and shot multiple times, news announcer Lawrence O’Donnell conducted an interview with eyewitness Tiffany Mitchell on what she saw that day.

During this interview Mitchell brings up the point that cop cars should, and most do, have operating dashboard cameras that could have, in this situation, captured some footage that could confirm what happened. When Mitchell points this out, O’Donnell seems to change and disregard the subject. A little suspicious maybe?

Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man

O Swell

frog3Leave a comment

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O gee willikers mister. Today on the magic yellow dragon with wheels I had the privilege of traveling to lower. It was so nar. As I jumped in the clean pool the water greeted me with a warm embrace. It was swell. After mingling and speaking to my fellow OVS students I went on the greatest walk I’ve ever been on. A magic bear appeared before me, it said “ if you could have one wish would it be.” I simply replied “ I wish I wish I was a fish.” After that I wish came to true I turned into a great black fish whom was able to swim the seven seas.

Rockets to the Rescue

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m,m

The future is here. Space X, headed by Elon Musk, has invented the first soft landing rocket in human history. Just what is a soft landing rocket you ask?

Traditionally space rockets have one use, all fuel is used up and the rockets attached to the spacecraft burn up in atmosphere or crash in the ocean. With a soft landing rocket the rocket will enter in a controlled descent through atmosphere and then safely land at its launch point intact. This will cut the cost of space travel by seventy percent. Instead if costing fifty million dollars to launch a rocket, that same rocket would only cost seven million dollars

This is one of the most significant inventions the world has seen it will revolutionize space travel and human history.

My Senior Project

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An odyssey took place on a cold Thursday night. It was the journey of my senior project. It began as all difficult journeys do: suddenly.

In my quest for greatness I seemed to have let the senior project due date slip up behind me.  So I, along with my friend Bruce, embarked on a journey to finish both of our projects.

I typed a crude script of sorts during a town trip. Upon the return from said trip I found Bruce, before long we found ourselves in the senior chapel recording the first scene from our hit film “The Environment”. After our live actions scenes we then walked to the computer lab.
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Once in the computer lab Bruce and I began selecting pictures to put inside our film. With these pictures as a backdrop we would narrate over the images to provide viewers with a clear outline of the relationship between humans and the environment.

With the pictures selected we recorded audio and edited audio and pictures together. Our task was over and our senior project completed. Perhaps?

HAHahA

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dede

Do you like the outdoors and having fun on the weekend? Well that is just to %$^#& bad. Carl Cooper, Headmaster of Ojai Valley School Upper Campus, recently turned what had been a swell hike with myself and several friends into an irrational annoying ordeal. The story is simple as all tragic tales are.

Saturday, mid afternoon, we hiked technically off” campus by following the riverbed that begins at the Barn. The hike was fun a simple excursion filled with such wonders as cool soothing water and delicious mini waterfalls. Alas upon our return whom was waiting there? Mr. Cooper.

So he appeared quite angry, with me in particular, he had “caught” me returning from a hike before, this “crime” was the second such indiscretion. Mr. Cooper for the second time told me no one was allowed to hike upon that river bottom without express permission from the property owner. Now looking back that is simply not true.

Mr. Cooper’s anger with me (and the people I was with) stemmed from the fact that we did not ask him if we could go on the hike. He had once even said that I could take people on hikes as long as I asked him. The reason of not having permission from said property owners makes no sense to my feeble, young, mind. I ask simply for what I consider a rational explanation.

Russia $#%^# Up

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Russia has violated the territorial integrity of Ukraine by using force and overt threats. Russian troops now occupy Crimea, a southern region of the Ukraine, home to a large population of ethic Russians. The western world, which includes NATO (North American Treaty Organization) and the EU ( European Union) have denounced this territorial violation as unacceptable and a detriment to world peace.

The official Russian explanation is that Crimea is home to a population of mostly ethnic Russians (which is true) whom wish to join Russia and that Russian troops are only there to protect millions of ethnic Russians. Meanwhile the Russian military remains in control of civilian and government building in Crimea.

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, says that Russian troops will only
remain in Crimea until the political stability of the Ukraine is stable. I believe that to be a lie.

The background of this conflict is obviously closely connected to the Ukraine Revolution which occurred when Viktor Yanukovych, refused to sign an agreement which would allow the Ukraine to join the EU. Now with the Revolution over and Yanukovych,
out of office the provisional Ukrainian Government wishes to join the EU.

I believe that Putin will attempt to absorb the rest of the Ukraine into Russia in order to prevent the Ukraine drifting from a Russian influenced nation into a EU influenced nation. Putin’s excursion in the name of protecting ethic Russians is nothing but a sham.