Alex's Blog

Two years of a foreign language'
One year of chemistry
One year of an art or music class
Four years of gym


No-its not a random list-its part of my requirements. That is, my requirements to graduate highschool.

They bombard us with "essential and crucial" courses, yet, when we get out of school, few of us will ever plot electrons on it's cloud nor speak cohesively in spanish or latin. Heck, we rarely will make a clay pot, beat on a drum, or give one hoot about the proper way to square dance.

Yet-we are REQUIRED to take these courses..... as some group of men and women on our school board decided it was the things we need.


Now to break this up-


What we really need to learn about for graduation is made of dull-green colored sheet of cotton.


Some people might call it MONEY.

If there is one thing besides air and water that every adult uses, its money. And to quote gore, its an inconvient truth that many young people fail at handling it in a mature manner

You can blame it and make excuses on them just being kids, but the situation, in theory, is atleast a tad avoidable.

17 states nation wide require atleast one course in economics for graduation.

Guess what-Philly and Jersey are NOT on the list.


So, Fox. I ask you this- dont you think this is a "kind of" (Sarcasm) a big issue? The fact that millions of young adults are going into the working world with little, if any, knowledge on how to spend/save/budget their money???


Well, i did an article on this topic for my school newspaper (Granted its a school newspaper- no one outside the bored kids in homeroom read it) but nonetheless, i had a point.

We spend years upon years learning about stuff we will never use, yet the one thing promised to be an issue to us is barely even mentioned unless you chose it as an elective.

So Dave....John......Shawnette.........whoever can bring up possible stories....... why not investigate this?  Im not sure what FOX has on their priorities list, but i think this ranks a tad bit higher than some guy not putting in auto parts or some girl giving away prom dresses ;)

Seriously, though. I would be thrilled if you would atleast briefly bring up this issue on the news.

Thanks
Alex

(BTW, if you do read this and do a story on it..... email me ;)

alex244444@yahoo.com)

Anyways, good day

Theres a new wave of semi-zealous people out there. Im not talking about religious politicians or breast cancer awareness activists-Im talking about sippy cup wielding, shopping cart pushing, diaper changing child care takers.

So whats the big deal? Children have been taken care of since we can imagine, right?

Well, true. And to tell the truth-the field has been just fine. Im personally not a fan of changing something that works, but society in general has challenged our stereotyped system of home care taking and child raising by adding a special spice.

Its nothing luscious like cinnamon or oregano, its just a simple letter: "Y"

Yes, the "Y" chromosome has been thrown into the challenging profession of child care. More and more dads have been taking off work to spend time with their kids. In fact, the number of stay at home dads have climbed 3 fold according to newsweek magazine.

Fathers for past generations have been expected to care for their children by providing a financial fit home without showing too much emotion. That severely stereotypical view is changing. Few no why exactly-but for the most part, it seems like a change for the better.

Combine that with the fact that people are getting married later, dispersing home chores more evenly, and negotiating what jobs are done by whom, and you have a more responcible society.

So the next time you pass a guy in the store with 5 toddlers tagging behind him, glance over and realize your seeing a generational family change happening in real time. Simple things can be self-pleasing, and this seems to be one of them. Although woman still hold the burden of care, men are stepping up and showing they can be more than money-makers and a strict disciplinary force.

It wasnt that long ago when everyone from  little girls to mayor candidates were taking on the elements and standing outside tech stores to be the first to get their hands on the new apple iPhone.

 

Fast forward half a year and the owners of these new  smart phones are facing a multitude of dilemmas.  People who bought the phone early on witnessed a price cut a few weeks ago and were outraged by it. 

 

Now, apple is under fire from customers who have "hacked" the phone to allow other mobile services to be used on the phone. (Apparently AT&T is the only "legal one"

 

Customers who have claimed they didnt tamper with the tech say they have also experienced problems like deleted contacts after apple's newest software update.

 Seems to me those who bit into the state of the art phone were in for a nasty worm inside their apple. Hopefully people here havent gotten screwed over by Job's yet.

 

Anyways, anyone here having trouble? Maybe fox could do a story on it if the problem is more than skin deep.

 

Politics and speeches will make the average Joe yawn with boredom, but for 21 year old Andrew Meyer, the outcome was quite the opposite.

Meyer, a student at the University of Florida, had taken the microphone to ask Senator John Kerry a question... (Or two... or 7... :P ) When his alloted time was up, the journalism student failed to give up the hot spot.

The microphone was quickly shut off, but Meyers rage had just begun; as cops pulled him away he waved his hands in the air and pleaded with the people to "Help him".

Meyer was soon wrestled to the ground by the university police. After yelling "Don't tase me, bro", Meyer erupted in shrieks of pain as he was "tased" right there on the floor. lol

John Kerry continued his speech and later claimed, "I did not know a taser had been used until after I left the building." Kerry also stated that he believed the situation could have been handled differently.

Students at UF have protested and shown their resentment towards the way the UPD handled the situation. They held a protest later that day and started a chain of facebook accounts to show their devotion against the UPD incident.

Sides have been taken already, as many people either believe the police used excessive force or that Meyer deserved what he got. Either way, its funny as heck to watch, and has introduced a new, and relatively catchy phrase to our vocabulary, " DON'T TASE ME, BRO"

Edit: here is a video showing everything that happened.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6bVa6jn4rpE

"I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because uh some people out there in our nation don't have maps and uh I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and the Iraq everywhere like such as and I believe that they should our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for."

 

 

LMAO

 The impressive sentence structure of Lauren Upton, Miss teen USA

 

Got to love the intelligent people who are representing our teens ;)

I took a trip to NYC this weekend and on saturday afternoon, went on the subway and got off near ground zero where the twin towers bruned to the ground 7 years ago. But when i got there, there was ANOTHER fire burning. It was in an abandoned high rise near ground zero......

I got atleast 20 pictures of the firefighters, the fire, and the hectic seen. Some are blurry, but ill post them later when i get them on my computer.

 

  NEW YORK  -- 

A seven-alarm fire ripped through an abandoned skyscraper next to ground zero in Lower Manhattan Saturday, killing two firefighters who were responding to the blaze.

Officers at the scene were preventing nearby residents from returning to their homes, telling them that authorities were concerned the former Deutsche Bank office building, vacant since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks turned it into a toxic nightmare, could fall. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that fear turned out to be unfounded.

The plume of gray smoke that trailed above the site of the World Trade Center raised concerns that toxic substances in the building could be spreading.

Bloomberg sought to reassure residents that the chemicals in the building likely did not present a significant health risk, saying air-quality tests so far showed no danger.

"Having said that, we are extremely careful. We don't want to prejudge anything," the mayor added. Tests were to continue overnight, he said.

One of the firefighters killed was identified as Joseph Graffagnino, 34, of Brooklyn. He was a member of Ladder 5, which lost 11 members on Sept. 11, 2001.

"Today's events really are another cruel blow to our city and to our fire department," Bloomberg said. He said the fire had "expanded our loss."

The name of the other slain firefighter was not immediately released because officials were not able to reach his family, Bloomberg said. Bloomberg said both firefighters had become trapped.

Five or six other firefighters were taken to a hospital but were expected to be released, Bloomberg said. No civilians were hurt.

Construction crews had already dismantled 14 of the building's 40 stories -- reaching the 26th floor on Tuesday. Some firefighters used stairs to reach the burning upper floors of the building, just steps from where 343 firefighters lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Smoke pouring from the burning building was visible from midtown Manhattan and the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.

The acrid smell of smoke, which hung over the neighborhood for days after Sept. 11, returned to lower Manhattan along with the wail of emergency vehicles. More than five dozen fire vehicles, with more than 270 firefighters, responded to the blaze as pieces of burning debris fell from the building to the streets.

Residents said they weren't allowed home even to rescue their pets.

"We heard this crashing," said Elizabeth Hughes, who saw the fire start from her rooftop deck across from the tower. "And then a huge fire that went up three floors fast. It was massive. ... Oh my God! I can't even go in and get my cats."

By late Saturday evening, nearby residents who had been evacuated were told they could return.

The 1.4-million square foot office tower was contaminated with toxic dust and debris after the World Trade Center's south tower collapsed into it. Bloomberg said the chemicals in the building did not present a significant health risk.

Efforts to dismantle it were halted by a labor dispute last year, along with the ongoing search for the remains of attack victims.

City officials announced in June they had completed recovery efforts at the structure. More than 700 human remains were found at the site.

Errol Cockfield, a spokesman for the Empire State Development Corp., which is overseeing redevelopment at ground zero, said authorities were investigating whether the smoke at the scene could pose any environmental danger.

 

 

_______________________
_______

Thats the news article from fox's sister station, myfoxny.com

 

Ill send some pictures later, but its a good idea now to remember the two fire fighters that died........ 

 

 

 

"Columbia County authorities say Linda Faye Davis, 51, of the 4400 block of Hickory Drive, made at least nine non-emergency calls to sheriff's dispatchers during a 24-hour period.

She remained in the Columbia County Detention Center on Wednesday on $1,100 bond on a charge of making harassing phone calls.

According to authorities, the calls began about 11 p.m. Monday, when Ms. Davis phoned 911 to say she loved a deputy who she said saved her life. Dispatchers thanked Ms. Davis for the call but warned her that 911 was restricted to emergency calls, according to the incident report.

At about 12:54 a.m. Tuesday, Ms. Davis was directed to call information when she called requesting a man's address.

At 1:43 a.m., Ms. Davis called, claiming she heard suspicious noises. When deputies arrived at her home, she said all was well, but claimed to have been threatened during a harassing phone call, according to the report.

Deputies again warned her when she admitted the harassing call was made up. Police tested her with an Alco-Sensor and recorded her alcohol content at 0.21 grams, according to the report.

She was warned again at 5 a.m., when she called 911 and said she was awake and wanted someone to talk to.

At 5:27 a.m., Ms. Davis called 911 again, requesting the date and time because she wanted to know if it was time to give her dog its medicine. And she was warned again about calling 911.

At 6:35 p.m., Ms. Davis called 911 requesting the address and phone number for a man, drawing another warning.

She called twice at 10:52 p.m. to inform deputies a man had called her "trailer trash." She also told deputies she had eaten a tomato sandwich.

At 11:21 p.m., she called and told dispatchers her neighbors had let out their dogs, causing hers to bark."

 

 

LOL 

(Its worth a laugh...... or 2... or 17 :)

 

 

 

Me (George Bush), the Decider of the United States, in order to scorn a more perfect system, abolish Justice, insure domestic inequity, provide for deceitful defense, promote the corporate welfare and insure the debasement of Liberty for ourselves, our friends and our non-taxable posterity, do disdain and demolish this Constitution of the United States of America.
 

I understand we like this guy a lot..... or dont like him a lot..... or something. But... maybe next time another failure figure comes out with a new piece of technology we limit the blogs regarding it to maybe...... 10?

 

Just a suggestion ;) 

New York Moves To Ban Public Filming And Photography

The empire state building... the statue of liberty.... heck, the unbelievable skyline, littered with modern skyscrapers are surely substances our cameras are addicted to. Whether your a would-be photographer, a curious tourist, or simply a kid with a kodak, taking pictures of one of the world's most famous cities is surely a basic necessity for anyone who enjoys creating pictures. Whether a dedicated artist or a mere hobbist, taking pictures of New York is awesome.

But past the Paris hilton headlines, the hillary Clinton theme song, and the Rosie VS Trump fued, lies an actual problem that actual concerns us!

As hard as it is to believe, New York Law makers are now banning photographgy in New York altogether. No YouTube videos, no tourist photos, no shakey home movies unless you obtain a permitt by the government, sometimes even requiring insurance. Supporters of the law say that filming them violates their privacy. The 4th ammendment states otherwise. According to the ammendment (Which by the law governs out country), city streets are fair game... in other words, when you walk onto a highway, a street corner, or a public park, you no longer have privacy rights.

So..... There you have it. Take your pictures quick and use that 1 hour photo developement at CVS..... you'll need it. No longer can we have the "privledge" of looking at your very own country via a piece of paper..... those days are over.

They say "A picture is worth a thousand words"........ but banning pictures only leaves two words..... "Holy S***"

Im glad my tax does not go to New York.

"WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled Monday that ordinary taxpayers cannot challenge a White House initiative that helps religious charities get a share of federal money.

The 5-4 decision blocks a lawsuit by a group of atheists and agnostics against eight Bush administration officials including the head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

The taxpayers' group, the Freedom From Religion Foundation Inc., objected to government conferences in which administration officials encourage religious charities to apply for federal grants."

 

--http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/1
9414473/ 

 

That is a recent article involving our government's situation where they are funding private religious charities using tax payers money to do so. A group categorized as "Atheists" brought it up to our courts to well, decide what prevails--The foundation of our wonderful country, or the interests of religioius people over others.

 

Apparently, our so called foundation has been rotted over as the years progressed.  And to tell the truth,  this deterioration has a deeper fix then even terminex can handle. It questions our overall stature as a nation and how we conduct ourselves.

 

In other words, the USA is based on a simple concept; the church and state is separated in funding and principles. This is what separates us from Iran. By the government ignoring this successful idea, it breaks the concept of how we run our country, and offers more questions to be answered.

 

What religion gets to pick?

 

Why?

 

Whether or not you are a devoted religionist or not, its indisputable that the government is contradicting its very own supporting beams. Our western society and ruling is being questioned, and only time and a bit of corrupt politicians will tell how far this goes.

 

I may not 100% agree with the immigration bill or war in Iraq, but it is moreover a better use of time to solve problems then recreate the constitution.  But.. what do I know...my family and I are only "ordinary tax payers," anyway.  Maybe I misunderstood the word "Equality"

 

 

Comments? 

 

Well, not exactly-but the veteran station with tanking ratings seems to be going to a great length to get a story about it.  Yesterday, NBC's "Today" show announced that they will be shelling out 1 mill in cash to the already rich heiress/inmate for an interview reguarding her "stay" at the Twin Towers prison in CA.

 

ABC is supposedly infuriated about this; their intentions were to get the story first. But in atleast one case, (mine) civilians are also on the egde; has our news become that horrible? We get the occasional Paris Prison update or the latest break-up or re-hookup with the stars, but this has shot passed the stars and hit another galaxy altogether.

 

Paying a wealthy twenty-something with the maturity of my 12 year old sister is not only a mockery to the news industry, but a defeat to common sense itself. Imagine how much "good" could be done with 1 million dollars.  In fact, according to the food drive story recently posted on here, that could feed about 200,000 hungry families. But no-the bucks would rather go to Paris Hilton for the 30 minutes of her time she will be honoring us with.

 

So, I ask of you, the rational, common-sense-based people, please, think about it the next time you tune into NBC and get ready to watch the Hilton interview. Think about it-to the degree passed a dim-witted goldy locks who likes to "act dumb" because she "thinks it is cute." And if that is not enough for you, just ponder over what you will actually learn:

 

No rich, greek boyfriends?

No all night bashes?

No after-party for the bash?

No Bently's to crash?

                                   Yeah, I'd never guessed that. News in it's finest to some, I guess.
 

 

Are you going to support this idiocy? Will you be apart of Paris' next Bently or night out on the strip? I sure wont, and for me atleast, I will not be watching whatever blurry piece of footage they call shows. Because apparently, the best show they have to offer is a bunch of perverts on dateline or late night poker. surely good to stall time while your waiting for your Paris Story? I dont think so.

Throughout our country, hundreds of thousands of museums are scattered through every state. They depict everything from dinosaurs, to early humans, to rare artifacts that have influenced modern day society. But whether your viewing the skeleton of a 100 million year old T-Rex, or the streets of ancient Greece, there is always one thing in common; a basis of science and proof.

That essential and yet, by out society's standards, farfetched idea has been shattered. A new creationist museum in kentucky now illistrates Noah and his family casually playing with their Dinosaur friends. Apparently, T-Rex's used to eat carrots and lions and gazels used to run in harmoney together.

Obviously this ignores everything we have taught in schools, and undermines what a museum is there for-LEARNING. These people claim that it is their "belief", but I, and most unbiased, rational people would believe they just live in a world separated from reality. When you preach the Earth and Universe is a mere 6000 years old, its pretty apparent you have problems.

So, I ask, how are some people so arrogant?? A recent poll showed that only about a quarter of Americans ACCEPT evolution, and a little less then 50% of Americans believe in creationism by the bible.

How come the news isnt digging into this topic? I saw ONE short story on it, and thats it. To me, this is a little more then a small issue-it questions the overall IQ, and for that matter, common sense of half our country.

Please, insult me if you wish, or praise my logic. You can see how ignorant people are sometimes by viewing a news report on the topic:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Wzjjxi7f0Oc

 

I just ask that everyone browsing over this takes 7 minutes out of their day to see how ignorant and irrational some people can be.

Fox recently has had a story about how "Compulsive Buying" could not be a mental disorder? 

 

My question........are we that sad of a society?? We now have to blame a disorder because some people are little princes and princesses that need to have  95 dollar jeans and 50 dollar shirts? Do we have to blame a disorder on the fact that we need to ride on a pegasis for our sweet 16's?

 

Why cant people accept the fact that they are spoiled and want more STUFF..... rather then blaming a disorder for their money spending?  

 

I seriously laughed at this.. it almost rivals people spilling hot cofee on themselves and getting a settlement for it.....

 

WOW