“Where Are We Headed?” Project

In Brave New World, Huxley creates a world where the people are controlled by the World State government, and the people are emotionless and everyone is the same. This can be a positive thing, because the people don’t have to worry about all of the problems and negativity that our world has to deal with, such as violence and cruelty, but I personally would not want to live in a world where I was controlled what to think and how to be.
The politics in the World State is much different than ours. Their government controls everything, because they are the ones that created their world and the people that live in it. I think that in our future, our government will be a lot more controlling. I think that everything will be so chaotic that we will probably have more than one President and our government will be more like a dictatorship to try to make more changes for the better.
In Brave New World, the science is much more advance than the technology that our world has access to. Although we are able to do some things that they can, such as child mutation and use certain machines to our advantage, there hasn’t been anything discovered about creating the minds of people in our world and basically controlling the lives they live. I think that in our future, there might be more ways to determine what your unborn child may look like to a more accurate extent. Such as their height, skin tone, gender, etc. Also, the novel has a different attitude towards sex and humanity than we do. The people in the World State doesn’t have sex to reproduce, and I think that in our future the population in our world is only going to increase.
I think that our economy will also change in our future, because it changes already all the time. I also think that we will have more to offer to people and experience new things, such as flying cars for more convenience and things like that, that you would never see in this generation. The economy in Brave New World is different, because there isn’t much variety to anything and nothing really ever changes.

« Final 2,000 Words

Final 2,000 Words

–Obama’s Border Plan–
President Barack Obama wants to send as many as 1,200 National Guard troops to the US-Mexico border. 6,000 troops were sent by President George W. Bush to the border from June 2006 to July 2008. They were credited with improving the border security.
Some law enforcement officials along the border said they worry that Obama will repeat Bush’s mistake by limiting the troops to support roles, such as conducting surveillance and installing lighting, rather than letting them make arrests and confront smugglers. They also believe the number of people of the force is too small to make a difference along the length of the 2,000-mile border.
Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever, whose jurisdiction includes about 80 miles of the Arizona-Mexico border, said 1,200 soldiers might make a difference in a smaller portion of the border. “But if you spread it across the border, it’s like spitting into the wind,” Dever said.
Under the Obama plan, the troops will work on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support, analysis and training, and support efforts to block drug trafficking. They will temporarily supplement border patrol agents until Customs and Border Protection can recruit and train additional officers and agents to serve on the border. Obama also will request $500 million for border protection and law enforcement activities.
The Mexican government issued a statement saying it hoped the troops would be used to fight drug cartels and not enforce immigration laws. Mexico has traditionally objected to the use of the military to control illegal immigration. When Bush sent the National Guard to the border, the troops performed support duties that tie up immigration agents, who then had more time to arrest illegal immigrants.
The troops under the Bush deployment didn’t perform significant law enforcement duties. The effect of the troops was felt by the smugglers and people trying to cross the border during 2006 in Palomas, Mexico, a smuggling hub south of the village of Columbus, N.M., where a buildup of border agents, surveillance cameras, vehicle barriers and troops were credited with reducing smuggling traffic. Vendors in Palomas reported a significant drop in the number of backpacks they sold to border-crossers for carrying their food, water and clothing in during their walk into the United States. “There are not many people because of the soldiers that were put on the border,” vendor Elisco Hernandez Gonzalez said.
Republican state Sen. Russell Pearce of Arizona, the author of the state’s new immigration law, said he fears Obama will repeat Bush’s mistake in not giving the troops the power to confront violent smugglers and other armed criminals along the border. Pearce was disturbed by an incident in 2007 where National Guard troops backed off and called in federal agents as gunmen approached their post near the Arizona-Mexico border.
T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a union representing 17,000 agents, said he doesn’t see the broad outlines of the Obama plan as a solution to border violence. “People shouldn’t be surprised if the violence continues,” Bonner said. “They shouldn’t expect that the announcement of up to 1,200 National Guard members will send a shock wave of fear in the cartels and that they will start playing nice.”

–Merging of the Middle Schools–
After eleven years as principal at Mountain Shadows Middle School in Rohnert Park, Laurie Mason will be taking on the job as principal at Creekside Middle School, which is not that easy of a transition as it sounds. “In this economy a merger like ours isn’t unusual,” said Mason. “We’ve explained to the kids what’s happening. We’ve formed student transfer teams, some as many as thirty to thirty-five kids, to meet and get to know what lies ahead.”
The questions most asked are about the electives that’ll be available and will they have the same teachers. A lot of the kids at Mountain Shadows already know a lot of the Creekside kids, through athletics and joint programs that they have had. “We have no models or examples to follow in this merger process. I’m taking notes as we move along so if the situation ever comes up again, we’ll have some guidelines,” said Mason. “There are so many nooks and crannies in classrooms and storage spaces to sort through and rescue historical material.”
Mason is 60 years old and was born in Texas. She came west to California when she was a teen and is the oldest of six siblings. Her dad was a professional baseball player in the Texas League. She went to several different schools, then San Jose State for her Bachelor’s degree, UC Santa Cruz for her Master’s and then to University of Laverne in southern California for her Doctorate in Education. She spent years with the Sonoma County Office of Education as a specialist in working with schools throughout the county needing professional help in handling problem students.
Eleven years ago, she became the first and only principal at Mountain Shadows. Joining her at Creekside will be her assistant principal, Matt Morgan. “The story of this merger is how do you put these pieces together to make a picture? Middle school students are great to work with, they always have a lot of questions, each one is different. I know, they say things like ‘raging hormones’ and kids ‘on the cusp’ of adulthood,” said Mason. “It’s a great challenge, they keep all of us on our toes. I love it and find every day filled with challenges. I could easily say it’s very exciting working with these kids.”

–Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico–
Government officials said on Wednesday that oil might be leaking from a well in the Gulf of Mexico at a rate five times more than what they thought. In a news conference, Rear Adm. Mary E. Landry of the Coast Guard said a scientist from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had said that oil is leaking at the rate of 5,000 barrels a day, not 1,000, which was the estimate.
An explosion and fire on a drilling rig on April 20th left eleven workers missing and assumed dead. The rig sank two days later about 50 miles off the Louisiana coast. Officials had found two leaks in the riser before, the 5,000-foot-long pipe that connected the rig to the wellhead and is now detached and snaking along the sea floor. One leak was at the end of the riser and the other was close to the wellhead. President Obama has been notified.
There is a possibility that if the government determines that BP, which is responsible for the cleanup, can’t handle the spill with the resources available, that Defense Department could become involved to contribute technology. Wind patterns may push the spill into the coast of Louisiana as soon as Friday night, which will take more consideration of more urgent measures to protect coastal wildlife. Part of the oil slick was only 16 miles offshore and closing in on the Mississippi River Delta. Already 100,000 feet of protective booms have been laid down to protect the shoreline, with 500,000 feet more standing by, said Charlie Henry, an oil spill expert for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
On Wednesday night, cleanup crews began planning an in-situ burn, a process that consists of corralling concentrated parts of the spill in a 500-foot-long fireproof boom, moving it to another location and burning it. It has been tested effectively on other spills, but weather and ecological concerns can complicate the procedure. Burns may not be effective for most of this spill, of which 97 percent is estimated to be an oil-water mixture. A burn scheduled for 11am Wednesday was delayed. At 4:45pm, the first small portion of the spill was ignited. Officials said it was successful.

–Health Care Reform Bill–
The new health care bill will cost $940 billion over the next ten years. It will expand coverage to 32 million Americans who are currently uninsured. People who are uninsured and self-employed will be able to purchase insurance through state-based exchanges to individuals and families with income between the 133 percent and 400 percent of poverty level.
In 2014 separate exchanges will be created for small businesses to purchase coverage. Starting in 2012, the Medicare Payroll Tax will be expanded to include unearned income. That is a 3.8 percent tax on investment income for families making more than $250,000 per year ($200,000 for individuals). 10 percent of the excise tax will be spent on indoor tanning services. It closes the Medicare prescription drug “donut hole” by 2020. Seniors who hit the donut hole by 2010 will receive a $250 rebate. Starting in 2011, seniors in the gap will get a 50 percent discount on brand name drugs. The bill also includes $500 billion in Medicare cuts over the next ten years. It requires states to expand Medicaid to include orphans starting in 2014.
Federal Government pays all costs for covering newly eligible individuals through 2016. Illegal immigrants are not eligible for Medicaid. Starting in 2014, insurance companies can’t deny coverage to anyone with preexisting conditions. Insurance companies must allow children to stay on their parent’s insurance plans until they are 26 years old.
Individuals have to pay for abortion coverage by making two separate payments, private funds would have to be kept in a separate account from federal and taxpayer funds. No health care plan would be required to offer abortion coverage. States could pass legislation choosing to get out of offering abortion coverage through the exchange.
In 2014, everyone must purchase health insurance or they will get a $695 fine. There are some exceptions for low-income people. Employers with more than 50 employees must provide health insurance or pay a fine of $2000 per worker each year if any worker receives federal subsidies to purchase health insurance. Illegal immigrants are not allowed to buy health insurance in the exchanges, even if they pay with their own money.

–Two Homicide Victims Found in Santa Clara–
Two men were killed in unrelated homicides in Santa Clara, where police said that killings are rare in this city. On Friday at 10:20am, an employee at the St. Francis Motel called the police because he saw what looked like a dead body at the motel. Later that evening, officers responded to another call from an apartment complex. Officers found a dead body at the property at about 6:15pm. No identifying information about the victims and no details about the incidents have been released. No identifying information about the victims and no details about the incidents have been released. The two homocide’s were the city’s first and second this year. Last year, there were six killings, with five of them coming in a murder-suicide. Officer Cooke said that homicide’s are uncommon and in the twenty years that he has been working there, he can’t remember the last time that there was two in one day.

“Where Are We Headed?” Project »« Racism: MLK Speech

Racism: MLK Speech

The Brown v. Board of Education, which occured in 1953, was heard by the Supreme Court of the United States. This case led to the outlawing of separate but equal schools. Two years later, the Montgomery Bus boycotts launched because of Rosa Parks. The boycott lasted for about 385 days, and it brought attention to every race of Martin Luthing King, Jr. For the next five years, King remained as a minister at the Black Church. Beginning with the Montgomery Boycott, and continuing for another five years, King kept an impact on the black religion life. He helped to make the black church relevant again. He was able to do that by launching a revival that took place outside the church. Groups from outside the Southern church became the center for King’s activities on behalf of the civil rights.

Martin Luther King, Jr. has been stereotyped two different ways. He is looked at as either being a saint or a black radical. King came from a long line of Baptist ministers. He attended Morehouse College, and received his seminary degree from Crozier Theological Seminary. When he received his PHD from Boston University in 1950, he was one of the most educated black men in America. King chose to lead a movement of social reform. He was involved in the civil rights struggle in 1955 with the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and he lead to help bring together members of the African-American middle class and black preachers.

Not everyone thought that King’s leadership was a positive thing. In 1961, the Progressive Baptist Convention opposed him and his strategy as being too confrontational. It was thought that King elected to target Birmingham in 1963, and force the integration of that city. The year before, the City of Birmingham had closed all public parks and other public places to keep them from being integrated. Not much later, King had a chance to test his strategy of non-violence. King’s arrest was a sit-in at a stand-up lunch counter in a local discount store. When he and five others walked in they were told that the counter was closed. When they refused to leave, they were arrested. They couldn’t have visitors and their bail was delayed. White church leaders in Birmingham said that the arrest was “unwise and untimely.” King responded to these White clergy with a letter written from his cell. He wrote a letter, which became well known as “Letter from the Birmingham Jail,” and he said he wanted to challenge a group of ten white ministers to protest his efforts to desegregate Birmingham. Then he realized that it’s the universal truth has power on its own, because people can’t deny the truth and it’s not something that can be changed. In this case, the truth was racial segregation. In 1963, King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, which said he wants people to not be judged by the color of their skin, but the content of their character. That same year, he was named Man of the Year. Five years later, in 1968, King was assassinated.

King changed the direction of American history and brought changes in the relationships of African-Americans and Whites, he also made many other contributions to the world around him. For instance, King’s strategy of non-violence and civil disobedience saved the symbolism of Christianity. King saw the Cross as a symbol of Christian love. He wanted to show the love even to those who have hatred and have attacked, just like Jesus gave his enemies love nearly 2,000 years earlier. King was able to transform religious faith into social action and creating the political leadership and the movement for social change under the religion.

Final 2,000 Words »« Jaycee Dugard Home Videos

Jaycee Dugard Home Videos

Kidnapping victim Jaycee Dugard, held captive for 18 years in a backyard compound, was seen cooking with her sister and mother and riding horses in recently shot home videos aired on ABC Friday. In one video clip, Dugard’s mother, Terry Probyn, thanks the public for its support and asks people to respect the family’s privacy. Dugard’s mother does not want the press to be involved in their family’s life. They released the videos to show people that they are happy, but they also want time to heal as a family. In another clip, Dugard thanks everyone for their support and says that she is doing well, but it is a long process. Several seconds of the video shows Dugard  in the kitchen with her mother and her half-sister, Shayna, decorating Christmas cookies and laughing. The appearance by Dugard, now 29, represents the first time she has been seen and heard on video since she returned six months ago after being kidnapped outside her South Lake Tahoe, CA home in 1991. Photographs of Dugard, her mother and her half-sister were published in People magazine in October, along with a statement from Dugard saying that she was happy to be back with her family. Convicted sex offender, Phillip Garrido, and his wife, Nancy, are awaiting trial on charges that they kidnapped Dugard when she was 11 years old and sexually assaulted her for several years. Prosecutors say she was kept in a tent-compound in a secret backyard at the couple’s Antioch, CA home. The Garridos have pleaded not guilty. Dugard had two daughters, now 12 and 15, by Phillip Garrido. The girls were not pictured in the People magazine spread to protect their privacy, and ABC did not say they would appear in the home videos. Since being reunited with her family, Dugard has avoided the spotlight while living in an undisclosed location in Northern California. Over the past six months, Dugard also has taken steps to reintegrate into society. She got a driver’s license last month and obtained birth certificates for her daughters. ABC reported that she is completing her high-school equivalency degree and hopes to attend college.

Racism: MLK Speech »« Titanic

Titanic

On April 10th, 1912 the Titanic sailed from Southampton with 2,200 people, including passengers and crew. Four days later, the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank after two hours and forty minutes. 1,500 people died and 700 survived, which made it one of the deadliest disasters in history. The ship did not carry enough lifeboats for everyone on board, and many men died because women and children were to go on the boats before any of the men could.

The Titanic was designed by some of the most experienced engineers, and used some of the most advanced technology that was available at the time. They called the ship the Unsinkable. On the night that it sank, the temperature had dropped to almost freezing and the Atlantic Ocean was still. There were warnings when the captain first spotted the iceberg straight ahead, but they apparently reacted too late.  The iceberg hit the ship’s right side, causing it to pop out rivets below the waterline over a length of 299 feet. Five compartments were filling with water, while four were already flooded. The five compartments that were already filled with water weighed down the ship, which caused more water to pour into other compartments as well.

The Titanic carried twenty lifeboats. Although that was not enough for everyone who was on the ship, the Titanic carried more boats than was required by the British Board of Trade Regulations. At the time, the number of lifeboats required was determined by a ship’s gross register tonnage, rather than how many people were on the ship. Men would be put on the lifeboats before women only when women were absent or if oarsmen were needed.

After a while, the forward funnel collapsed and crushed part of the bridge and people in the water. On deck, people were running towards the stern or jumping overboard hoping to reach a lifeboat. The ship’s stern slowly rose into the air, and everything unsecured crashed towards the water. While the stern rose, the electrical system finally failed and the lights went out. Shortly afterward, the stress on the hull caused Titanic to break apart between the last two funnels, and the bow went completely under water. The stern went straight up and rose vertically. After a few minutes, the second half also sank into the ocean.

Only two of the eighteen launched lifeboats rescued people after the ship sank. Lifeboat 4 was close by and picked up five people. Two of them later died by being frozen. About an hour later, lifeboat 14 went back and rescued four people. One of them died afterward by the same cause. Other people managed to climb onto the lifeboats that floated off the deck. There were some arguments in some of the other lifeboats about going back, but many survivors were afraid of being swamped by people trying to climb into the lifeboat or being pulled down by the suction from the sinking Titanic. But it turned out that there had been very little suction.

As news of the disaster got around, many people were surprised that the Titanic could sink with such great loss of life despite all of her technological advances. Newspapers were filled with stories of the tragedy and were eager to get all of the information. Many charities were set up to help the victims and their families. The people of Southampton were deeply affected by the sinking. Almost 1,000 local families were directly affected. Almost every street in the Chapel district of the town lost more than one resident and over 500 households lost a member.

Jaycee Dugard Home Videos »« Rancho Debate

Rancho Debate

Rancho Cotate may have some issues, but none that are unique from other high school’s. Every school deals with bullying, some drug use, cliques, fighting, not so great teachers, and so on… It is unfair to give Rancho such a negative reputation, because I feel that there are more good things to be talked about the school than bad. Some of my favorite memories had taken place at this school. Although I have had some bad times too, as I’m sure that most students here have as well, it is only because some people may not get along with other people, students are not committed to their school work, or students get involved in things that they shouldn’t be. It’s not the school’s fault, it’s the students that attend the school. The teachers and the staff have no control over what the students do in their personal life, and they have no control over what they say. I have had teachers here that have had a great impact on me and that I will remember forever. They have encouraged me to work hard and do the best of my ability and they have supported me to no end. Of course, I have also had teachers that I haven’t been fond of, and I have dreaded going to their class everyday… But doesn’t every student feel that way at some point or another, no matter where they go to school? I mean, I ‘ve seen nicer campuses, heard of awesome clubs, and met some really cool people from other school’s, but I’m more than satisfied with what Rancho has to offer their students and what I’ve gained from coming here. Plus, we have the biggest and nicest football stadium in Sonoma County, we have more elective classes to offer than any other high school in the area, and we also have a lot of diversity, which I think is important. My three older siblings graduated from Rancho… One who works at the radio station Live 105 in San Francisco, has his own show on the air, and DJ’s at local clubs… One who is in a band and gets to tour all over the world… And one who lives in Los Angeles as a makeup artist and has done work with a number of famous celebrities. People think you cannot be as successful if you graduate from Rancho, but I have seen how untrue that is. I have many who are graduating this year that have been accepted to UC’s and a ton of amazing colleges around the country. You have to work for what you want because nothing is ever just handed down to you on a silver platter. I have no regrets with attending Rancho, and as excited as I am to be graduating this June, it will be sad for me to leave.

Titanic »« Tiger Woods’ Apology

Tiger Woods’ Apology

This morning I watched Tiger Woods give a speech on the news, expressing that he is sorry for being unfaithful to his wife and for letting down his fans and other people who admired him. I think that the whole situation with Tiger Woods cheating on his wife shouldn’t be the main focus in the media. It’s been on every cover of every magazine, every cover of every newspaper in the United States, every news station, and it’s all over the internet. They didn’t focus on the earthquake in Haiti more than they are continuing to focus on Woods’ personal life. I feel that it is none of anyone’s business what goes on between their marriage and their family. Paparazzi has even followed his children to school and it should’t have been as big of a deal as the media made it.

Rancho Debate »« FIDM

FIDM

The school that I will be attending after I graduate high school is called FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise). Their locations are in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Orange County. FIDM’s focused curriculum integrates creative and leadership skills to develop graduates for the global industries of Fashion, Visual Arts, Interior Design, and Entertainment. Combined with these skills, FIDM graduates value ethical choices, demonstrate an awareness of cultural diversity, communicate effectively, think critically, and possess the knowledge of technology essential to their professions. The campus normally consist of 7,500 students and 500 in faculty. To apply, you need to fill out an application, choose yout major, then write a two page essay explaining what you hope to gain out of attending FIDM and what your goals are after you receive your degree. Then you must make a portfolio with ten sketches that you desigined of evening wear designs, career designs, sportswear designs, and other designs of your choice. FIDM also helps you find internships, which is what I hope I will be able to do at a fashion magazine, such as Cosmo or Teen Vogue. Once I accomplish that, I hope to maybe became a fashion editor. I think it would be amazing to work behind the sceens on a photo shoot or a runway show, helping the models choose what to wear and how to look. That is what I will hope to somehow achieve after graduating from FIDM.

Tiger Woods’ Apology »« Rohnert Park Murder

Rohnert Park Murder

Police arrested a suspect in the killing of well-known guitar maker Taku Sakashta outside his Rohnert Park workshop last week. Joshua Rhea Begley, 28, was taken into custody shortly after 1 a.m. Monday in the area of 905 Civic Center Drive after a car chase and a foot pursuit, police said. Sakashta’s body was found shortly before 4 a.m. Friday outside his workshop. Sakashta’s wife had called police to report that her husband had failed to return home. When she went to his workshop to check on him, she knew that something was wrong because it was in a “suspicious” state. Officers searched the area and found the body of 43-year-old Sakashta outside in some bushes, police Lt. Jeff Taylor said. Evidence pointed police toward Begley, who had made headlines earlier that week for briefly escaping police custody during an arrest in Petaluma by using a key hidden in his mouth to unlock his handcuffs. He was eventually arrested in that case but apparently was out of custody when the murder occurred. When police tried to arrest Begley for Sakashta’s murder, he sped off in his car, making the police chase him. He got out of his vehicle at the corner of Camino Colegio and Southwest Boulevard and ran. Rohnert Park police searched the neighborhood with the help of Sonoma State University police, Cotati police, Petaluma police and the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. Begley was eventually tracked to an apartment at 905 Civic Center Drive and was arrested at 1:10 a.m. Monday. He was booked into Sonoma County jail on charges of murder, robbery and evading police. Taylor Monday declined to discuss how Sakashta was killed but said an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday. Begley had charges pending from several drug-related arrests in recent months, including two in Cotati: a Sept. 26 arrest for possession of paraphernalia and a Jan. 3 arrest for possession of paraphernalia and a controlled substance, Taylor said. Separately, on Feb. 8, Begley escaped custody using his hidden key during an arrest in Petaluma for being under the influence of a controlled substance. He is being held without bail in Sonoma County jail. It is a scary thought to me that something like this could happen in the town I live in, and that there are people here that are capable and willing to do that to someone. I remember seeing the helicopter’s that night with spot lights flashing while I was driving home from a friend’s house, but I didn’t know what was going on until I heard about it the next day. I hope that nothing like it will ever happen here again.

FIDM »« Americans Trafficking Children in Haiti

Americans Trafficking Children in Haiti

Ten Americans, five men and five women, have been charged by Haitian authorities for what the prime minister called “kidnapping” of Haitian children, even though that was not their intention. They were arrested on the border with children that were not theirs and that they had no papers for those children. “For me it’s not Americans that were arrested, it was kidnappers that were arrested,” said Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive. The ten Baptist missionaries, mostly from an Idaho church group, said they were attempting to bring thirty-three Haitian children to an orphanage across the border in the Dominican Republic when they were arrested at a border crossing. I don’t think that they should go to jail for doing this, because even though they shouldn’t have taken the kids without being sure that they were still with their parents, they were trying to do a good thing for them. I think they went about the whole situation all wrong and they should have done a lot of things differently, but ultimately, they didn’t mean any harm and they went to Haiti out of the goodness of their hearts.

Rohnert Park Murder »« Old Blog Entry’s