Marijuana Recreationally Legalized in Seattle, WA

Yahoo News recently published a story on the recreational legalization of marijuana written by Steve Gorman.  This expository article describes the events that took place the night of Thursday, December 6, 2012.  Marijuana was legalized in Seattle, WA, making history by becoming the first state in the nation to legalize the drug for adult recreational use. 

Although the citizens knew the law forbid them from "lighting up" outside of the privacy of their own homes, many people gathered at the bottom of the landmark Space Needle to smoke cannabis and celebrate the legalization without being cited.  There were no law enforcement officers at the scene to stop the mass "blaze," no citizens were fined. 

 The new law sets the state up for future trouble with the federal government.  US Attorney Jenny Durkan in Seattle stated that the US Justice Department position that growing, selling or possessing any amount of marijuana remained a federal crime, regardless of any changes in state law. 

The Washington law legalizes possession of up to 16 ounces of solid cannabis-infused goods - like brownies or cookies - and up to 72 ounces of weed in liquid form.  Colorado also chose to legalize pot for personal recreational use.  Both states are among 18 that have already removed criminal sanctions for medical use of marijuana.

I disagree with the recreational legalization of marijuana because it will only make our country lazier and make everyone want to work even less than they already do.  Some of my friends have told me of instances when they smoked marijuana, and they have explained that the feeling they get is of laziness and not wanting to do anything but relax.  That feeling isn't wrong in all aspects, but when all one wants to do all day everyday is get high and do nothing, that could have a devastating effect and further plummet our country into disaster.

Book Review #2

"You are normal, Vladimir.  A perfectly normal, healthy teenage vampire.  Some people are vegetarians, you drink blood---it's not weird or bizarre or abnormal in the least.  You're just different from the rest of this town." 

Eighth Grade Bites:  The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd, is book one of five, written by Heather Brewer.  This series is about the life of a teenage vampire named Vladimir Todd.   "Different" doesn't begin to describe Vlad's situation.  Being in eighth grade is hard enough by itself, but it's even worse when you're dealing with the grief of losing both parents.  To add to his problems he lives with an over-protective aunt and is trying to act more human, which is almost impossible.  Heather Brewer's style of writing was engrossing and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. 

The book is a fictional thriller whose theme is based around first impressions.  It proves that one should use the old saying "don't judge a book by it's cover."  This point is brought home to Vlad after he meets his strange and awkward substitute teacher named Otis Otis, who turns out to be his own uncle. 

Before Vlad discovers that Otis is his uncle, he develops a strange dislike towards him.  In class, Mr. Otis assigns research projects to all the students, and strangely enough, Vlad is chosen to research vampires.  This makes him extremely suspicious of Mr. Otis.  Vlad doesn't know how he will ever be able to stand in front of the class to talk about vampires when he IS one.  Especially in front of the school bullies, Tom and Bill.

Vlad's best friend, Henry, knows that he's a vampire and accepts this without a problem.  He protects Vlad from the bullies and even tries to fix Vlad up with the prettiest girl in school when Vlad shows an interest in her.  Henry doesn't judge Vlad for what he is, he likes him for who he is. 

Vlad's Aunt Nelly completely accepts that fact that Vlad is half vampire.  She was his mother's best friend and she even brings blood to him from the hospital where she works.  Vlad is baffled when his Aunt invites Mr. Otis to their home for dinner, since he believes that Otis is the enemy. 

All the main characters have much to learn about trusting others and not making judgements without reason.  Brewer makes the characters come to life in this book.  She is very accurate in her description of Junior High School and the behavior of the teenagers.  This is the perfect setting for the characters to interact and for Vlad to do the research he needs in order to start his journey into learning more about his parents, and the dangers that face him because of who he really is.

I connected with this book because it make the reader believe that it might really be possible to live in this world as a vampire/human.  The author draws you into the story immediately by sparking your interest with captivating details and alluring questions that leave you wanting more. 

Israeli Invasion of Gaza

 Israel bombed dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip on Monday and said that while it was prepared to step up its offensive by sending in troops, it preferred a diplomatic solution that would end Palestinian rocket fire.

 Police said, "Militants in the Gaza Strip fired 110 rockets at southern Israel on Monday, causing no casualties." For the second straight day, Israeli missiles blasted a tower block in the city of Gaza housing international media. Two people were killed there, one of them an Islamic Jihad militant.  Khaled Meshaal, exiled leader of Hamas, said a truce was possible but the Islamist group, in charge of the Gaza Strip since 2007, would not accept Israeli demands and wanted Israel to halt its strikes first. Khaled Meshaal said, “Whoever started the war must end it."
          
Yaalon also said Israel wanted an end to Gaza guerrilla activity in the neighbouring Egyptian Sinai peninsula. Although 84 percent of Israelis supported the current Gaza assault, according to a poll by Israel's Haaretz newspaper, only 30 percent wanted an invasion, while 19 percent wanted their government to work on securing a truce soon. A senior officer close to  Netanyahu said, “Israel is prepared and has taken steps, and is ready for a ground incursion which will deal severely with the Hamas military machine.”

Egypt is acting as a mediator in the biggest test yet of Cairo's 1979 peace treaty with Israel since the fall of Hosni Mubarak. “I think we are close, but the nature of this kind of negotiation, (means) it is very difficult to predict,” says Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Kandil, who visited Gaza on Friday to show support to its people.

Living on Caffeine

The article written by Veronique Greenwood describes how scientists have recently discovered a bacterium that can derive energy by consuming caffeine, essentially making the phrase, "living on caffeine," literal.

Last month, scientists discovered a new bacterium that possesses the capability to derive energy from caffeine when consumed.  They also use vitamins and minerals found in caffeine that human beings aren't able to extract because we do not possess the correct enzymes needed to break down caffeine.  Scientists theorize that once the entire human microbiome is sequenced during future testing, the discovery of a hidden enzyme possessing the same capabilities of the enzyme found in this newly discovered bacterium could be quite possible.  If an enzyme similar to or the same as the enzyme in this bacterium is discovered inside of humans, scientists may be able to start the process that would allow us to use vitamins and minerals found in caffeine, and essentially make it possible for human beings to live off of caffeine.

Personally, I don't normally drink coffee, or anything caffeinated for that matter.  The chances that I would be affected in any way by having an enzyme discovered that could break down caffeine are very slim, given the fact that I stay away from caffeinated beverages.

Flying Saucer Theories Undone

An article by Fox News explains to us a possible reason as to why people have claimed to have seen flying saucers and alien space craft in the past. 

Fox News states that recently the National Declassification Center opened one of over 100 boxes of classified information.  They discovered a 114 page document from 1956 describing a project by the Air Force to create a flying saucer.  It was proposed that the saucer would have an ejector seat and would be powered by a "ram jet".  It was designed to reach a top speed of Mach 4 and be able to reach heights of over 100,000 feet.  The government entitled the project, "Project 1794".  The concept and blue prints looked as if the saucer would be a success, but thorough testing proved otherwise. The disk-shaped craft was basically an over exaggerated version of a hovercraft, and it didn't work out as the scientists had hoped.  As the craft gained in altitude, is started to wobble uncontrollably.  There was a followupplan to develope weapons for the saucer so as to make it capable of reconnaissance, intercepting enemy information, or to be used as a tacticle bomber.  The idea of scientists attempting to build a flying saucer during the cold war is very interesting.  The numbers in the name of the program, "Project 1794," can be rearranged to create the year of the Roswell incident, 1974, when a flying saucer was found crashed in Roswell, New Mexico.

Government testing of the saucer can be linked to many sightings and conspiracy theories about the Roswell incident and Area 51.  This article written by Fox News has given an explanation for the alien space craft theory by providing proof that it was caused by government testing a new program.

Book Review #1

"I'm not what you think I am, I whispered desperately.  The Darkling stepped closer to me and said, his voice so low only I could her, 'I doubt you have any idea what you are.'"  This is a quote from a book called Shadow and Bone, book number one in a trilogy.  I can already tell from reading the first book that it will be at the top of my list of favorites.  Shadow and Bone is basically about a teenage girl name Alina in a fictional world, where magic is used and demonic creatures lurk in the darkness of the Flod.  Aline has magical powers that show up uncalled for, but save her and her friends life, along with making her capable of saving or destroying the world.  Leigh Bardugo's exquisite style of writing in Shadow and Bone had me enthralled in the story, making me extremely reluctant to stop at the end of each chapter.

Shadow and Bone is a fictional novel based in a fictional world and sports the theme of good vs. evil.  The life lesson is to be careful who you trust, inner good conquers evil.

Alina, the main character, discovered she had a power that could lead her down one of two paths, to change the world for good or bad.  Alina trusted the Darkling, an evil and deceptive person, and became enslaved by him so he could harness her power.  Alina's life long friend, Mal, became a victim of the Darkling's plot to control the world.  Alina's bond with Mal caused her to gather enough will power to conquer the Darklings evil, resulting in the saving of Mal's life. 

Leigh Bardugo's style of writing makes this novel exciting to read.  The way the book is narrated from Alina's discriptive point of view makes me feel as if I were watching the story on a movie screen, or as if I were really there.  The way the author descibes the scenery in the land of Racka allows me to have a perfect mental image of every area. The narrators voice in this book is unique, being the first book I have read from a females point of view.

The characters in this novel are very well developed by the author and it is easy to recognize what type of people they are.  It was easy to indentify the characters personality because of the authors discriptive writing.  The fact that the characters were described so well allowed me to emerse myself in the story.  Alina describes her self in the beginning as a small, frail girl that wasn't very attractive.  The Darkling is descibed as a handsom, mysterious being with immense power.  The Darkling decieved Alina by giving her anything she wanted to trick her into trusting him so he could enslave her.  Mal is said to be the best tracker in Ravka, he is portrayed as a popular guy who is also Alina's best friend.

The setting of the novel is a war torn land called Ravka.  The conflict in this novel is between Alina and Mal, who are good, and the Darkling, who is evil.  Ravka is divided by a place called the Fold, which is inhabited by demon creatures, preventing people from crossing.  The creatures of the Fold's main purpose is to kill anything the come across.  When Alina and Mal try to escape the Darkling, they use Ravka's rugged terrain to hide and protect themselves.

This book connects with me because I love fictional stories.  The only other books I have read similar to this are the Harry Potter books.  This type of book appeals to me mainly because of the dramatic storyline and the use of mythological beings.  This book would appeal to anyone who enjoys modern fictional fantasy and a great suspensful story line.

Profit for Good Plans

Yahoo News/Inc.com, published an article on Friday, September 28, 2012, by John McDermott, entitled "Teacher Makes $1 Million Selling Lesson Plan".  This expository article informs readers of a great way for teachers to make money and share their ideas with other teachers around the world. 

The article tells us about a 43 year old kindergarten teacher, Deanna Jump, who made $1 million dollars this year selling her lesson plans.  She belongs to an online marketplace where teachers are able to sell and share their lesson plans with other teachers.  This website is called TPT (TeachersPayTeachers.com), founded by Paul Edelman, a retired New York City middle school English teacher.  Deanna took advantage of this website, offering her brilliant lesson plans packed with all the necessities to teach 5 year old children.  She also incorporated very successful ways of promoting her ideas through TPT.  For example, Mrs. Jump created her own blog where she advertises and markets her lesson plans.  Her products are affordable to everyone with prices ranging from free up to $100 for a packet that gives a school year worth of lesson plans.  Her user rating with TPT is at the top of the list.  Her best advertisement is that with every new resource unit she creates, she sends an e-mail to each of her 17,000 subscribers.  "I can post something and within an hour it's selling," Jump says.  Mrs. Jump is the number one seller on TPT, but there are others who have also made a formidable profit with their own ideas and plans.  There are other companies similar to TPT where teachers can share their lesson plans for free, but Edelman's idea of giving teachers the opportunity to make money by sharing their lesson plans is different.  He believes that offering teachers a way to make extra money will invite a higher level of lesson plans and participants.  Edelman was correct.  He states that TPT will bring in about $30 million dollars in lesson plan sales this year.  

This is a great business that offers great opportunities for teachers to supplement their income by using their own original, creative ideas.  Many teachers already buy supplies for their classrooms with their own money, just to make their teaching environment more interesting for their students.  TPT offers a marketplace for these dedicated, talented teachers to help themselves and others.

TPT is another example of a successful internet business started by a person with a good idea.  The success of this business teaches us that opportunities are available to share our ideas with the world.  This story inspires me to be creative with my ideas, and to work hard, because great success is within reach.      

An Extremely Dedicated Dog

An article in Yahoo News/The Side Show, on September 13, 2012, by reporter Eric Pfieffer, entitled "Dog stands guard over deceased owner's grave for six years," informs readers of an extraordinary bond between master and dog.  In the article, Pfieffer describes the dog, Capiton's, inexplicable behavior after his master's death.  This story comes to us from central Argentina.

Miguel Guzman adopted Capitan, a German Shepherd dog, in 2005 as a gift for his son, Damian.    Mr. Guzman died a year later in 2006, and after his burial the family discovered Capiton had disappeared.  They could not find him anywhere and were sure that he must have gotten killed somehow .  A week after Mr. Guzman passed away, the family went to the cemetery to visit his grave, and to Damian's amazement, there was Capiton sitting beside Mr. Guzman's grave.  Capiton ran up to the family barking and howling as if he were crying.  The family was so happy to have found their dog.  They tried taking Capiton home many times, but he would always find his way back to the cemetery regardless of what they did.  One of the strangest things about this story is that, according to Mr. Guzman's widow, Veronica, the family had never taken Capiton to that cemetery in the past. 

The cemetery director and his workers said Capiton turned up there one day, alone, and wandered around the cemetery until he found his master's grave.  He sometimes leaves the grave during the day for a while, but always hurries back to keep watch.  Every night he returns at six o'clock sharp, and lays down on the grave to stay throughout the night.  He has been doing this now for six years.  The cemetery staff started feeding and taking care of Capiton because it was obvious he was not going to leave Mr. Guzman's side.  Quote from Damian, "I think he's going to be there until he dies too. He's looking after my dad."

Reading this article verified for me that an extraordinary bond can occur between a dog and his master if they share love and respect.  This article caught my eye because I own a dog that I am extremely close to and have a strong bond with.  I have gained a new respect for this amazing animal. 

In conclusion, Mr. Guzman unknowingly taught us that our relationship with our dog can be far more complex than we can ever fathom.  This article encourages me to want to learn more about canine senses. 

Raleigh's Reading Bucketlist

1. Thirteen Reasons Why - By Jay Asher:  Mrs. Gillmore was talking about books in class and suggested this book for us to read.  She gave us a brief discription and I was hooked and decided to add it to the list of books I want to read this year.
2. 50 Shades of Grey - By EL James: Hastings is usually where I find all the books that I want to read.  I was looking for books in Hastings and 50 Shades of Grey stood out to me, the cover looks kind of dark, but the story line isn't.  I asked people about it and they said it was a good book, for a mature audience.
3. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - By Seth Grahame: The movie, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, was amazing.  Many people I've asked, including my English teacher, have told me that it's a great read also, so I decided it should be on my bucket list of books to read.
4. 50 Shades Darker - By EL James:
5. {Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie} - By Lubar:
6. Shadow and Bone - By Leigh Bardugo: I was walking through Hastings looking for interesting books to read, when I saw this book out of the corner of my eye.  The cover art for the book was awesome, it looked like it could be a really cool book, so I read the back and was instantly hooked on the story.
7. The Great Gatsby - By Scott Fitzgerald: I've recently been seeing more and more commercial for the movie The Great Gatsby.  I heard from my dad that it's a book as well, so I went to Hastings to look for it. I found and bought it because the trailer from the movie commercial was enough to make me want to read the book, and the books are usually better than the movies.
8. Slayer Chronicles - By Heather Brewer: I read the entire Chronicles of Vladimir Todd series and kept my self updated with Heather Brewers upcoming novels and books.  After the Chronicles of Vladimir Todd series she decided to make a series about the slayers that were hunting Vlad, who is a vampire in the series.  It was the best series of book I've ever read, so I decided to read the Slayer Chronicles.
9. Blackout - By John Rocco
10. I Am Number Four - By Pittacus Lore:

Remembering 9/11

By rebuilding the WTC, America is making a statement saying that we will not give up and let anyone else beat us into submission.  In the article we/re told about all the memorials being built around the new WTC.  They are being constucted so that we never forget what happened on 9/11, but that we're rebuilding to show we cannot be beaten and we will never give up. Building the new WTC is a great thing because it gives every American proof that our country is strong and that we will let everyone else know that we cannot be beaten down, we will always stand up and fight back whether it's fighting a war or making a statement like we are now.

The Titanic

If I were a male on the Titanic, it would be very hard for me to forgive the officers and the captain. They left me there to die a very painful death and it's all their faults. The life boats were only filled about half way up, and I could have been on one of them. It was the officers responsibility to get as many people as possible on the life boats. The captain should have been paying attention to everything that was going on around him. He paid no attention to the ice warnings and he didn't slow down for the ice berg even though he knew he would hit it.

The Sunflower

Yes, this man deserves pity from Simon. In the text it states that "Believe me, I would be ready to suffer worse and longer pains if by that means I could bring back the dead, at Dnepropetrovsk." By saying that, he shows that he really is sorry for everything that he has done, and if he had to suffer longer more hurtful pains, he would, if it meant bringing back the lives of those that were killed. Also, the man states "I am well aware of my condition and all the time I have been lying here I have never stopped thinking of the horriible deed at Dnepropetrovsk. If only I had not survived that shell." This man is saying that he would rather have died than to take the lives of others. The whole entire time he has been laying there, on his death bed, he was thinking of all the horrible things he did and is feeling guilty for them.

Forgiveness is Key

A soldier obeys his commander's order to shoot an unarmed mother and child.  This soldier was being courageous by killing an innocent mother and child.  He had to follow the orders or he might have been kicked out of the military.  Sure some of you might think he was being "selfish" but the truth is, he could have been doing it for the United States.  He wants to keep fighting for his country, so he did as he was told.  If he would not have done it, someone else who was more obedient would have been chosen to finish the job AND the man who refused would have been kicked out of the military, so it's a lose lose situation if he were to refuse.