Soua 2010 Nov

[NextStep Admin]

August 31st Notes
IQ PHRASE:
Whether vs. if
-EX: i don’t care if he goes or not (WRONG!)
-My sister can’t tell whether he told the truth or not.

ETYMOLOGY:
Lesson 41:
mater, matris: mother
-matron: elderly woman
alma: soul
-alma mater: soul mother; school you graduated from

Lesson 42:
sui: self
frater, fratris: brother
-fratricide: killing of brother
soror: sister
-sororicide: killing of sister
rex, regis: king
-regicide: killing of king
uxor: wife
-uxoricide: killing of wife
infans, infantis: infant
-infanticide: killing of baby
genos: kind, group
-genocide: killing of a group; Holocaust
-parricide: killing of parents

Lesson 43:
-fraternize: frater: brother; associating with enemy
-fraternity: club houses to men in college
-sorority: club houses to women in college
-uxorious: wifelike, wife duties
-uxorial: man acting like a woman
maritus: marriage
-marital: marriage problems
-extramarital: outside of marriage; an affair
-regal: kingly
mania: crazy
-monomania: obsessed with one thing at a time
dipsa: thirst
-dipsomania: alcoholic
klepte: thief
-kleptomania: obsessed with stealing
pyros: fire
incendo, incensus: fire
-incendiary: person who sets on fire (person/adjective)
ardo, arsus: fire
-arson: person who set other person’s property on fire
-megalomania: thinking highly of oneself

Lesson 44:
claustrum, phobia: shut; fear
agora: marketplace
-agoraphobia: fear of open spaces
akros: high
-acrophobia: fear of heights
gnostos, gnosis: know
-agnostic: a: can’t; gnost: know; doesn’t know if God exists
-prognostic: go toward; prediction of disease
-prognosticate: predicting
pan: all
-pantheism: all things are God

Lesson 45:
-lecherous (all about lust; EX: streaking)
-libidinous
-lascivious
-lubricous
-licentious
-lewd
-prurient

IRREGULAR VERBS:
-present, past, participle:
-use participle with perfect tense and passive voice
-past: specific time
-participle: use has/have
-awake, awoke, awakened
1) The bear awoke from his hibernation after the winter season.
2) My baby brother became cranky when he has awakened.
-bear, bore, borne
3) My aunt bore her second child yesterday at noon.
4) The woman has borne three children in 2 years.
-beat, beat, beaten
5) My dad beat my sister when she talked back to him.
6) The gansters have beaten the skinny woman.
-begin, began, begun
7) Susan began to open her mouth when the teacher interrupted her.
8) The movie has just begun when Eric sat down.
-bid, bade, bidden
9) My best friend bade me farewell when I moved to Chicago.
10) Tom has bidden his son to play baseball with his friends.
-bite, bit, bitten
11) My tooth fell out when I bit the apple.
12) Edward has almost bitten Bella in the movie, Twilight.
-break, broke, broken
13) Jay got mad when Sally broke his PS3.
14)
-bring, brought, brought
15)
16)
-burn, burnt/burned, burnt/burned
17)
18)
-burst, burst, burst
19)
20)
-catch, caught, caught
1) The rabbit was caught by the hunter.
-choose, chose, chosen
2) The nerd was chosen last by the bully for dodge ball.
-come, came, come
-dive, dived or dove, dived
-dream, dreamt or dreamed, dreamt or dreamed
3) The dream was dreamt by the little preschooler.
-drink, drank, drunk
4)
-drown, drowned, drowned
5) Lily was drowned by the anchor that was tied on her ankle.
-dwell, dwelt or dwelled, dwelt or dwelled
6)
-fight, fought, fought
1) I had fought with Diane before I fought with Jia.
-flee, fled, fled
2) Lucy had fled from Memphis before she fled from Washington D.C.
-fling, flung, flung
3) Samantha had flung her bag pack over her shoulders after she flung a ball over the wall.
-freeze, froze, frozen
4) George had frozen his dinner before he froze his leftover ice cream.
-get, got, got or gotten
5) My aunt had gotten a present from me before she got a present from her daughter.
-hang (a thing), hung, hung
6) She had hung her raincoat before she hung her umbrella.
-hang (a person), hanged, hanged
7) The despot had hanged hundreds of people before he hanged himself.
-lay, laid, laid
8) My sister had laid her blanklet on her bed before she laid Mochi down.
-lead, led, led
-lend, lent, lent

-Passive voice:
-is done
-was done
-had been done
-has been done

-Past perfect:
-had done
-had eaten before I showered







August 26th Notes
To Kill a Mockingbird:
The forces of good and evil in To Kill a Mockingbird is greater than the story’s setting, a small Southern town in which the plot takes place. The author adds drama and atmosphere by adding in a few Gothic details. Among the Gothic elements are the strange snowfalls, an unexpected fire that kills the neighbor’s house, Scout and Jem’s predictions about Boo Radley, the diseased dog that was shot, and the dark Halloween evening when Bob Ewell hurts Scout and Jem. These happenings, out of place in everyday and peaceful Maycomb, create tension and serve to foreshadow the eccentric trial events.






August 24th Notes
Speed Reading:
-average college student reads between 250 and 350 words per minute on fiction and non-technical materials.
-a good reading speed is around 500 to 700 words per minute, some people can read 1000 or higher.

Etymology:
Lesson 36
venter, ventis: stomach side
-ventral: (fin) fin on the bottom side
-ventricle: heart valves
auris: ear
-auricle: shaped like an ear
avunculus: uncle
-avuncular: uncle-like; good uncle, giving presents
dorsum: back
-endorse: back him up; support
-vociferousness: voice, carry; being loud

Lesson 37:
somnus: sleep
-somniferous: sleep, carry/bring; boring
-somnolent: boring, dull
ambulo: walk
-somnambulism: sleep walking
-ambulatory: able to walk
-perambulator: baby carrier
-amble: stroll
sopor: slep
-soporific: to do/make

Lesson 38:
-martinet: drill sergent
sykon, phanein: fig, show
-dilettante: dabbler
vir: man
-virago: manlike woman
-chauvinist: feel superior
-monomanic: maniac about one thing at a time
-iconoclast: don’t like established things
-lecher: womanizer
-hypochondriac: under; thinks hes sick

Lesson 39:
dia: through, across (ex: diameter)
-diaphanous: something that shows through, semi-transparent
-dilettanti: (plural)
-tyro: noob, neophyte
-virtuoso: expert
-termagant: virago (manlike woman)
-harridan: virago

Lesson 40:
pater, patris, -mony: father, country; money
-patrimony: legacy
onyma: name
anti: against
homos: same
-paternity: fatherness
-paternalistic: government acts like a father
archein: rule
-cide: kill
-patricide: killing of your father

Prounoun antecedent agreement:
1) agreement in number
2) agreement in person; shift in pronoun person





August 19th Notes
GNP=Gross National Product (includes exports)
GDP=Gross Domestic Product (excludes exports)
GNI=Gross Nation Income
per capita= per person

The transformation of the Korean economy during 1945 and 2003 was a large growth trend. In 1945, the GNI for South Koreans was about 500 dollars per annum. This low income level was caused by Korea’s liberation from the Japanese Colonial rule. In 1995, Korea’s income increased to approximately 11,000 per annum. This was an outcome from

From 1960 to 2003, the industrial structure changed from agriculture to manufacturing items. In the 1960’s, our nation was producing approximately 50% agricultural exports. This was so because we did not obtain the knowledge to create high technological products like cars and cell phones. However, in 2003, the percentage from 1960 goes down to 2.8%.


MATH:
absolute value:
If |ax-b|<d, then -d<ax-b<d
If |ax-b|>d, then ax-b<-d or ax-b>d

definition of function:
-ordered pairs of the form (x,y)
1) x is always different, y can be same.
-ex: (2,4) (5,8) (7,9) (6,4) (3,12)
2) vertical test: draw a line anywhere down the figure and it can only intersect once.

nCr=n!/r!(n-r)!

[NextStep Admin]

September 30th Notes
IQ PHRASE:
F-Had (I/he/she/it) [done]
-Had she finished college, she would have gotten a job.
-Had Winston listened to Big Brother, he would have never have to experience his greatest fear.



September 28th Notes
IQ PHRASE:
-If I had studied harder, I would have passed the test.
-If I had washed the dishes properly, I wouldn’t have needed to wash them again.
-(correct) If she had paid the taxes, she wouldn’t have gotten a letter from the IRS audit.
-(wrong) If she would have paid the taxes, she wouldn’t have gotten a letter from the IRS audit.
-If Lindsay Lohan had gone to her court hearing, she wouldn’t have had to go to jail.

TYPES OF COURSE CASES:
-criminal case:
-criminal case: prosecutor vs. defense attorney
-people of CA vs. defendant
-judgment by unanimous verdict (everyone agrees)
-civil case
-plaintiff vs. defendant
-judgment by preponderance of evidence
-double jeopardy: cannot be tried on the same charge
-class action lawsuit
-many plaintiffs vs. defendant
-all plaintiffs represented by one set of lawers
-contingency fee-usually 1/3 of settlement

TYPES OF MONETARY AWARDS:
-compensatory damages
-actual damage suffered
-punitive damages
-punishment through money

VOCABULARY:

Lesson 116:
-The aggressive fighter is always attacking when an insult is said about him.
-The girls baited the children who were stuck at home studying.
-The clairvoyant warning gave me a heads up on what to expect.
-It’s hard to know if a criminal is 100% culpable of a crime.
-The use of drugs results in the feeling of ecstasy.
-Applying lipgloss ontop of lipstick makes your lips glossy.
-Many celebrities are put into rehab so that they may experience introspective moments.
-When asked who’s side he was on, Robert decided that he was neutral.
-The government must pay war reparations to those who were put into camps.
-Perfect faces have vertical symmetry.

Lesson 117:
-I was aghast when I saw my brother sprawled on the floor.
-The toddler balked at finishing his vegetables.
-The clamor of the teenagers made the senior citizens cover their ears.
-The small, petite woman had troubles carrying her cumbersome packages up the stairs.
-The royal edict took charge of the political issue.
-
-The quiet introvert never raised her hand in class.
-The nihilist just sits around with no opinions because he doesn’t believe in anything.

Lesson 118:
-Ballet dancers need agility in order to move quickly.
-ballast
-Drug dealers must exchange the goods with their clients during clandestine meetings.
-The cupidity overwhelmed the pirates and left them with nothing.
-The teenagers goaded the monkey with a stick to eat the banana.
-I didn’t mean to intrude your conversation, but can I ask you a question?
-Owls are nocturnal, while humans are diurnal.
-The judge repealed the law.
-Blind people must increase their tactile sense.

Lesson 119:
-agitate
-The lip balm helped sooth my chapped lips.
-The call of the bugle woke the young campers quickly.
-The curator of the museum makes sure all the exhibits are perfect.
-The effervescent experience still makes me bubbly with excitement.
-Gory horror movies contain very bloody scenes.
-intuition
-Many homeless people are nomadic and always move around.
-repellant
-talon

Lesson 120:
-Agnostic people who aren’t sure if a God exists.
-Drama is the bane of friendships.
-The clasp of the bracelet broke, so I am unable to wear it.
-Cursive writing is easier than printed writing because it flows.
-effigy
-Etticus Rex gouged out his own eyeballs with his fingers.
-invalidate
-Valet parking costs are just nominal fees.
-repertoire







September 21th Notes
IQ PHRASE:
-If I were your mom, I would let you go hang out with your friends.
-If I were the doctor, I would calmly confront the patient about her illness.
-If I were Michael Jackson, I would not get another nose job.

Sophie’s World
-Socrates:
-sentenced to death
-refused to escape
-if you accept the benefits of a society, accept the consequences
Socrates is a philosopher who is sentenced to death. Socrates states that he would rather not escape from prison and would rather die.

-Plato
-student of Socrates
-there exists a perfect idea of objects apart from the physical
-Allegory of the cave
-Republic: advocates eugenics
Plato is a student of the philosopher, Socrates. He believes that there a perfect idea of objects apart from the physical world that exists. He also wrote the Allegory of the Cave. This fable tells the lives of people living in a cave who lives staring at shadows. And when one man is sent to observe the “real world” the others feel the need to kill him because they don’t want to believe that there is a “real world”. Plato also writes Republic, which advocates eugenics to make a perfect society.

-Aristotle:
-student of Plato

-Descartes:
-all things are dubitable except one idea that is indubitable
-cogito ergo sum (i think therefore i am)
-tries to prove existence of God

-Hume:
-causation or coincidence?
-knowledge is based on sensory observation
-we can observe events, but not causation
Hume believes that knowledge is based on our sensory observation. Unlike Descartes, Hume believes that we have to observe what we see, instead of just sitting and thinking. He also knows that causation is never 100% accurate, and what seems like the cause, is just a possibility. We can never be sure on what caused something else to happen.


VOCABULARY:

Lesson: 111
-The affluence of Beverly Hills gives me butterflies when I drive by.
-I knew something had gone awry when my mom didn’t answer her phone.
-The circumspect examined my home before allowing me to sell it.
-The tales from the crypt tells us the lives of ancient egyptian kings.
-My pencil dwindled to nothing as I sharpened it every day.
-I got the gist of the lesson once the study sheets were passed out.

Lesson 112:
-My mouth was agape when I saw my mom in a tight leotard.
-My math class requires students to memorize the axioms of geometry.
-The country circumvented their enemies by sending decoys before attacking.
-Many office workers work in small cubicles.
-Cheerleaders have dynamic personalities.
-The glaring headlights blinded me for 5 minutes.
-My intimate friend and I can share all of our secrets with each other.
-Before we set out to sail, we have to find navigable waterways.
-Architects must renovate all of the 1923 buildings.

Lesson 113:
-I have an agglomeration of souvenirs from my past 5 years of traveling.
-My baby brother is always babbling, and no one can understand him.
-Soldiers keep watch from citadels.
-I love Korean and Japanese cuisine buffets because of the variety.
-The dog chases the ebbing of the tide as it diminishes.
-Krispy Kreme has the best glazed donuts.
-My mom intimated her wish for me to do well on the SAT’s by sending me to a tutor.
-The baby sitter was fired due to negligence towards the children.

Lesson 114
-Mothers aggrandize their power by giving harsh punishments to their children.
-I hate when my sister badgers me for money.
-Bibliographies require you to cite your sources.
-Chefs attend culinary arts schools.
-I finally eclipsed my previous running record by 1 minute and 24 seconds.
-Glib salesmen should never be trusted
-intricate
-negligible
-rent
-surveillance

Lesson 15
-aggregate
-I’m baffled by how arrogant you can be.
-The community grants citizens civil rights.
-culminition
-ecomony
-The glossary at the end of our textbooks contain all of the vocabulary words.
-intrinsic
-The master must train the neophyte.
-Reparable damage is easy to fix.

IRREGULAR VERBS:
swear



September 16th Notes:
IQ PHRASE:
-Schadenfreude: feeling good about someone elses misfortune
-I felt schadenfreude when the antagonist got caught stealing the precious rubies.

ESSAY PRACTICE:
-Body:
-The people of the town admired Richard Cory’s way of being an honorable man from “sole to crown”.
-
-As he walked down the road, Richard Cory “fluttered pulses” as he greeted the townspeople. Cory is able to “flutter pulses” because his idealized qualities are able to arouse the people he greets as a celebrity excites his fans.








September 14th Notes
IQ PHRASE:
run the gamut:
-The vegetables in my backyard garden run the gamut from lettuce to cucumbers.
-The color spectrum runs the gamut from black to white.

Mini-paragraph
The construction of the mosque should be allowed because the first amendment of the constitution guarantees the freedom of religion. Americans near ground zero are protesting the birth of a mosque one block because it’s relation to the terrorist attack on nine eleven. The problem with this, is that Americans’ racists protests are going against Muslim rights, [This part is too much like a news report. You need to argue that freedom of religion protects the Muslims, regardless of how they are related to the terrorists] however the Americans who are protesting have the exact same rights, but their religions aren’t being forbidden.

Mini-paragraph
Dr.Laura should not be tired for her use of the “n-word”.

Mini-paragraph
Medical marijuana should not be available to purchase. This is ethical because releasing this kind of item in the media not only is the first step towards legalizing advertising other harmful drugs, but also increases the chance of children receiving false knowledge about marijuana. This shouldn’t be readily available is because cancer patients could possibly become addicted.

Vocabulary sentences:
-George was a distressed teenager in high school because he faced many adversities.
-Samantha is adverse to speaking in public due to her shyness.
-My sister always throws me an affected smile when she’s lying.
-Diane averted her eyes when she told me the truth.
-There are many intangible concepts in science.
-The naivete of young children always reminds me of Spongebob’s gulibility.
-School teachers are paid by government subsidy.
-News reporters are avid fans of OJ.
-Tests and quizzes are an integral part on the education system.
- had an affiliation with the Communists.
-The fourth grader always fidgets and answers with circumlocution.
-The struggling victim finally agreed to the criminal’s commands under duress.
-My crotchety boss is always arriving late and screaming at the employees.
-Grandma Josephine always circumscribes the kid’s activities by setting a certain time limit and specific corner of the house.
-When I was sick, my profesesor’s lectures seemed interminable.

September 9th Notes
IRAQ WAR:
-9/11
-happened in 2001
-3,000 people died
-head of terroist group is Osaba Bin Laden
-Afghanistan
-Gulf War II
-if you were Bush:
-you attack al Qauda in Afghanistan, out of targets
-biggest fear is that al Qaeda will get help from foreign Muslim government and attack us with chemical or nuclear weapons
-possible options:
-secure borders, air travel, increase spying on Muslim countries
-propaganda campaigns to make US look better to Muslims and make americans understand Islam better
-what bush does: pre-empt an attack by attacking another country first (pre-empt, EX: if i know jia will hit me, i hit her first)
-Axis of Evil:
-in 2002, Bush listed 3 countries as an Axis of Evil
-Iraq
-Iran
-North Korea
-Sadam Hussein
-tried to kill George Bush S.
-No Fly Zone
-killed his own people with chemical weapons

TWO MINUTE RESPONSE:
Pre-emptive attacks are necessary and justifiable because we have to attack and protect ourselves before the other country ruins our country. Without doing so, we might lose our chances and fall deeper when the opposing country drops the large attack on us. Because they had the chance to give the initial attack, it weakens us and doesn’t allow for a ready attack back.





September 6th Notes
IQ PHRASE:
Status Quo: current condition way things are
-My parents like the status quo of the political world today.







September 2nd Notes
IQ PHRASE:
-Raison d’etre
-Preaching and spreading the word of Christianity in Africa is my raison d’etre.
-Taking care of neglected animals in shelters is my raison d’etre.

IRREGULAR VERBS:
lie (to recline), lay, lain
1) My grandfather had lain down on the couch before he lay on the bed.
lie (to tell an untruth) lied, lied
2) The troublemaker had lied to his mom before he lied to his teacher.
put, put, put
3) The technician put the microchip into the computer.
4) The microchip was put into the computer by the technician.
ring, rang, rung
5) The mailman rang the doorbell.
6) The doorbell was rung by the mailman.
rise, rose, risen
set, set, set
shine (intransitive), shone, shone
shrink, shrank or shrunk, shrunk or shrunken
shut, shut, shut
1) My grandma has shut the window.
2) The window has been shut.
sing, sang, sung
1) My family
2) The song has been sung beautifully.
sink, sank, sunk
sit, sat, sat
slay, slew, slain
speak, spoke, spoken
spit, spit or spat, spit or spat
spring, sprang, sprung
sting, stung, stung
strive, strove or strived, striven or strived

[NextStep Admin]

October 26 Notes:
Essay:
It is common for individuals in today’s society to believe that success dominates failure. However, our world is contaminated with success, and success can ultimately cause a calamity. We know that success can be disastrous from reading about examples from novels and experiencing moments and in real life which allow us to see how horrifying success can be.



There are many books that shows how success can be disastrous. One of the books is Animal Farm. In Animal Farm it talks about these farm animals taking control of other farm animals. The pigs succeed in taking over the farm thinking they can do better than man, but it turns disastrous because the pigs turn into men. This showed how after the pigs succeeded it turned into disaster. In a book called A Brave New World, there is also a success that turns into disaster. After this main character succeeds in going over to the brave new world, he realizes his success was a disaster. At that place he sees his mother die in a cruel way and sees the people having no freedom over their lives. Both these books demonstrate how successes turned into disaster.
Not only are successes that turn into disaster in fictional books, but also in real life. China and Michael Jackson are the examples that became successful, but also became disastrous. China is one of the world’s largest manufacturers in the world, making them successful in their overall economy. But there has been a disaster to this. China has become one of the most polluted countries in the world because of their overpopulated population and many factories. It is easy to see how the success in China has also brought disaster to their country. Michael Jackson is one of the many singers that had success being disastrous to them. Michael Jackson was a well known and popular singer who made a ton of money by being successful in his musical career. But in the end he went mad and started becoming a disaster. He didn’t eat anything but pills and changed his skin color with a bunch of plastic surgery. His success made him die in the end, a disastrous ending.
Books and the things in real life have examples of how success can lead to disasters.








October 12th Notes
Nothing Gold Can Stay:
-The poet uses an alliteration of the h sound in line two to describe nature. The h sound can resemble the huffing sound one makes from a heavy burden, and this relates to nature’s strong effort to retain youth.





October 7th Notes
Dream Deferred:
-raisin in the sun:
-A dream deferred is used as a comparison to “raisin in the sun”. The poet uses this term to portray the tactile imagery of uncomfortable heat.
-fester like a sore:
-The term “fester like a sore” is used to describe what happens to a dream deferred. This phrase depicts physical imagery of an unpleasant visual of decay.
-rotten meat:
-The phrase, “stink like rotten meat” is an adjective to describe how a dream deferred would smell. Stink like rotten meat provides olfactory imagery of slow decay.
-”explode”:
-Hughes uses the word “explode” to depict what could potentially harm a dream deferred. Explode allows readers to experience auditory imagery of sudden and deadly destruction.






October 5th Notes
IQ PHRASE:
It behooves (us/you/them) to..-We ought to/should
-It behooves teachers to teach harder

The Constitution:
-Preamble-intro
-7 Articles-main content; all about how to make the government
-Amendments-
-1-10: Bill of Rights
-11-27: others

VOCABULARY:
Lesson 121:
-Farms have agrarian occupations.
-My grandmother experiences clausrtrophobia in elevators.
-The dank dungeon grew fungus all over the walls.
-The fashion model had a very strong selfish egosim.
-gourmet or gourmand?
-inverse ratio
-nondescript face
-The person in charge of the merchandise stock must replenish the supplies.
-temper tantrum

Lesson 122:
-alchemy
-bantering
-cleave
-dappled
-egotistical
-gourmet or gourmand?
-The inveterate

Lesson 123:
-The abused mother and child traveled under an alias.
-barrage of gunfire
-build of a clientele
-The jury finally reached a deadlock after 6 months of the trial.
-Lincoln emancipated the slaves through the Emancipation Proclamation.
-God’s Grandeur is great and majestic.
-Presidents must make an inviolable oath on the Bible to be fully inaugurated.
-Albert Einstein is a notable scientist.
-I repressed my horrible memories of my childhood.
-Completing homework from the afternoon to midnight becomes tedious.

Lesson 124:
-The husband had to pay the monthly alimony payment to his ex-wife.
-barter for food
-climactic portion of the book
-deadpan expression
-trade embargo
-grandiloquent speech
-you don’t have an iota of evidence
-novice player
-reprimand the child
-Piano players must be able to play to fast tempos.

[NextStep Admin]

11/30/10 Notes
I believe that anti-ethnic based themes in novels and movies are essential. My argument is that if anti-ethnic themes are fervently being discussed in our school’s textbooks, then why not portray them through the media?



11/18/10 Notes
IQ PHRASE:
-Caveot emptor (buyer beware)
-caveot-beware, emptor-buyer





11/16/10 Notes
-Roe V. Wade
-supreme court case, issue on abortion
-5 pro choice, 4 pro life
-Pro life
-conservative
-republican
-Pro choice
-liberal
-democrat

-The rights of a pregnant woman:
-right to privacy
-this is a right specified in Roe V Wade
-right to ownership of one’s own body
-is ownership a perspicuous category>
-right to equal treatment
-men can’t get pregnant
-right to self-determination
-making decisions by yourself




11/9/10 Notes
IQ Phrase:
-Utilitarianism: decision to torture one in order to benefit many others

Characterization:L
-Dynamic character-character who changes, usually main character
-Static character-character who doesn’t change, like a loyal butler
-Foil character-ex: soua and jia are sisters. however if you say that jia is diligent, then you’re saying something about soua as well.






NEWSY SUMMARIES:

11/7 #8
“Man Boards Plane in ‘Old Man’ Disguise”
An asian man boarded on an Air Canada plane disguised as an elderly Caucasian male with a silicon mask. His motive was to enter Canada from Hong Kong in order to receive refugee status.
Like stated in this video, who let this man board the plane? How did the security in Hong Kong airports not notice the hands of a young man and the face of a distinctively older gentleman? In my opinion, these security guards and airport employees should be more aware of minuscule details so that events like this don’t have to occur again. What if next time, it isn’t a man in a costume to apply for a refugee status, but a child under the guise of an adult to trade drugs? I’m not too experienced or knowledgeable in this field, but why would this man have to disguise himself as a different person so that he is able to get a refugee status? Perhaps he did something illegally, forcing him to swap a boarding pass with a 55 year old man and travel masked.
Is the security in Canada airports more advanced or trained compared to the security in Hong Kong airports? Why did this man have to disguise himself in order to apply for refugee status?

11/20 #7
“Birth or Abortion? Couple Puts Decision to a Vote”
Pete and Alisha Arnold casts a poll to see whether they should continue with birth or abort their unborn child. The “maybe” mother to be even posted a video of her OB check and pictures of her baby. Although 80% of 105,000 votes raise their glasses to giving birth, this couple will gather this data for consideration and will still proceed with their own personal decision. Another piece of vital information as to why the couple might be doing what they are doing, is that their site does contain ads and will be paid by Google based on the ads’ hits.
First of all, I personally do not agree with abortion. Second of all, I do not think what Pete and Alisha are doing is humane. Asking strangers to determine their future about a significant topic such as abortion is immature and selfish. This can show that young couples can be thoughtless and have no opinions on things. Another controversial part to this story is that their site contains ads by Google and they will be given money for the amount of hits the ads receive.
What will the couple end up choosing? Was creating a poll out of mercenary reasons or curiosity? Wouldn’t the couple become attached to their unborn child if they even gave him a nickname?


11/20 #6
“Burger King Employee Drops F-Bomb on Receipt”
On November 20, an employee working at Burger King gave a customer a receipt with the F-Bomb printed on it twice. Why? The customer asked a simple favor to cut the burger in half so that he could share it with his mother. As a result, the Burger King Corporation has fired both the manager and employee of this branch. In a small survey, KTVU has interviewed a few customers in order to see what they think should happen to the employee. Some say that he should take a temporary hiatus, and other say that he should be fired.
In my opinion, I believe that the employee should be fired. No matter what quarrelsome altercation might have transpired, the employee should not have to discharge his rage in this manner. Firing the F-Bomb to anyone in any situation is unwarranted and outrageous. Especially through the workplace.
What made the employee furious enough to commit such an action? What bothersome requests could the customer have made to infuriate the worker?

11/23 #5
“Festival Stampede Kills at least 350 in Cambodia”
On Monday, November 22, approximately 350 people were killed in a festival stampede in Cambodia.” No one is confident about the reasons of this terrible incident. Some witnesses claimed that rumors that the bridge would collapse spread and others stated food poisoning as a possibility. The Minister of Health even estimated the death toll as 351 deaths and 395 injuries. Now, the provincial Governor will hold traditional Buddhist cremations for the identified victims. However, a blog post on “The Economist” indicates that this act portrays the fundamental problems of Cambodia. It is thought to be so because this phenomena can depict the corruption and lame attitudes toward enforcing rules.
It is a terrible thing that such an event could happen to innocent people. And with that, I have to disagree with the blog post on “The Economist”. Although planning ahead to protect citizens of whatever harms should be vital, no organization could possibly frustrate all possible hazards of occurring at such a mirthful festival. Chances of food poisoning, murders, electrical sparks, sickness, teenage robbing, or even a small bombing are all practical ideas. And the amount of possibilities that are able to occur cannot all be prevented prematurely. No one is even sure of what happened one hundred percent because of all the feasible reasons. Therefore, being able to regulate rules in order to prevent all negative actions is nearly impossible.
When will we find out what killed the blameless crowd? How many other individuals agree with the blog post on “The Economist”? Will another cryptic circumstance occur again any time soon?


11/17 #4
“Black Hole Birth Recorded”
NASA scientists confirmed the birth of a black hole. This deadly hole was first spotted in 1979, when it was still just a supernova. A Harvard astrophysicist states that a star such as this will either become a neutron star or become a black hole when it explodes. What makes this black hole so special, is that it is the first black hole to have an exact birth date recorded. However, there is a slight probability that this black hole isn’t even a black hole.
I believe that this observation and recording of a black holes birth is very significant. However, because astronomers aren’t completely sure if this object is in fact a black hole or a neutron star, it isn’t fair to officially state that this is the first birth date of a black hole. It is a plus that just in case this mysterious object is a definite black hole, we will have its records. But because astronomers are not perfectly positive, it is not just for researchers to reveal this as a confirmation.
When will researchers be able to fully figure out if this “black hole” is really a black hole? How do the black holes and neutron stars differ in physical and chemical characteristics? If this isn’t a black hole, when do the astronomers predict that it will become a legit black hole?

11//10 #3
“Professor Loses 30lbs on Twinkie Diet”
On November 10th, 2010, a Kansas State University professor consumed junk food for 2 months and lost 27 pounds as a result. However, he did intake multi-vitamins and ate vegetables along with his Twinkies and powdered donuts. This audacious teacher took on this risky project in order to teach his class the significance of calorie intake. However some disagreed with this professor on his objective with asking how it can be effective for different body types and people with diabetes. However, in this case, based on the professor’s age and body mass, consuming the amount of calories that he did ended with losing weight.

11/8/10 #2
“Male Athlete Plays for Women’s Basketball Team”
George Washington University has officially accepted a male into their women’s basketball team. However, this “transgender” isn’t even physically a male, yet. Kye Allums is still a woman in every way and has not received surgery or taken male hormones. And because Allums is still physically female, NCAA is allowing her to continue playing for the women’s basketball team.
Although I understand Allum’s feelings that she was born in the wrong body, I don’t understand why she calls herself a male if she is still 100% female. Doing so will just create confusion and negative responses.
If she is that desperate to transform her gender, why doesn’t she just get surgery and/or take male hormones? Why does she claim to be a male, especially a transgender male?


11/4/10 #1:
“San Fransisco Passes Happy Meal Toy Ban”
On November 4th, the San Fransisco Board of Supervisors passed the McDonald’s Happy Meal Toy Ban. Many officials thought it necessary to pass this ban because many children as young as twelve years old, are being affected by type two Diabetes. However, many parents are disagreeing with these claims. They are stating that they have the right to decide what to feed their children and that Happy Meals are only small treats.
In this particular controversy, I choose to side with banning the Happy Meal Toys. I believe so because, because these minuscule toys are the starlets of this meal, they seduce children into buying them. And because the infamous fattening and gluttonous food of McDonald’s is involved, it is safe to assume that the child will 99.9% of the time consume the meal portion as well as enjoying the toy. Although it should be a freedom to purchase what one wants, it should be limited when health is an important factor. I mean, if the toys are the main point of these unhealthy meals, why can’t parents just purchase small toys at Walmart?
What makes the Happy Meal toys so much more interesting than other toys? How many children in the U.S. will be affected by banning the Happy Meal Toys? What is the precise sodium and fat percentage in an ordinary Happy Meal hamburger?