Josh
November 24-2010
To be, or not to be, that is the question:"
Should I live? Why do I live? Why do I exist? What purpose do I serve? What is my meaning, my purpose, in life?
"Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune"
Why do I suffer? What did I do to cause this? Could this have been avoided? Should I hold it in, and keep my pain to myself? Do I deserve this?
"Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them."
Do I rise up against those who suppress me? Take action? Fight back? Should I stand out? Be that one lone wolf who fights back? Even if it costs me? Costs me everything I hold dear? Am I willing to lose it all for something I believe in?
The quotes above come from Shakespeare's Hamlet, when the character of Hamlet is contemplating suicide. He questions if he should live or if he should die. I have pondered the same question; however, I have contemplated quite a bit more. I am not suicidal, but I do question what happens after death. What happens to our minds, where we "go". Fortunately, I have friends who ask these same questions. Together, we keep each other's minds active, and work towards examining every aspect of all these questions.
I love taking part in these intellectual discussions, where we drop the bounds of the real world and pretend that anything is possible, and actually believe it is. I'm not afraid to ask the question which everybody thinks about, but are too scared to ask. I have these life talks with my friends, and learn. I don't learn math or science, I learn life. We're all teenagers and we don't have a lot of experience out in the "real world", but we don't care. We're willing to discuss things that we're too young to know about. And we surprise even ourselves sometimes with revelations that we never thought were coming.
By questioning the world around me, I get to learn something new, every day. And I love it. I never want it to stop. I'll always be questioning things, always be that person to ask "Why?", be the one who seems annoying. But I want to know. I really want to know why. It's something that drives me to continue on every single day.
One real benefit that I've gotten from asking all these questions is closure. Once I know the answer, I can come to terms with it and move on. In my past, I've had a not-so-perfect home life, floating between the two houses of my divorced parents. But by questioning over time, and learning that it really was for the best, I am able to accept the fact that even though I may have not liked it at the time, I can accept the fact that it was for the best.
The same can be said for when I get into a disagreement with one of my friends. When dealing with issue, I try and figure out the reason they did certain things, the reason I did what I did. I go over it in my mind, and talk with them. I can always find a way to forgive them. Personally, I don't think I could ever not forgive my friends. Though it may be a flaw in my personality, I find it extremely hard not to trust people, unless they've abused it. My friends mean a lot to me, I would not be who I am without them.
As a kid, I was constantly reading. You could never find me without a book. I read mystery, fantasy, horror, science fiction - everything. I noticed a certain trend in the books. The protagonist (or "hero" in my mind back then) always got to save the day. They would help somebody, and everything would turn out all right. The good guys would win. Even as a kid when reading these books, I acknowledged that this couldn't happen in the real world. When I turned 11 I would not get a letter in the mail telling me I was a wizard. I knew it was too good to be true. But I still hoped. I always hoped that I was wrong, that the letter would still come. To this day, I still have that hope inside of me. I still want to be the person who wins the day, makes all the difference. I want to change the world, be amazing. I'm trying to do that in my own way. By questioning the world, trying to figure out how it works, I try to find my place in it. I try and figure out the secrets of life with my friends. I want to be that hero, and I will always try to be. I'm still waiting for my letter.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Newsletter #00068
Kasey
May 25-2010
Ok, so it’s been like what? 4 months since any of us last published one of these? Yeah sorry about that, again. I haven’t had much time to work on writing anything these past few months with AP history still going strong, but now that its over and I just finished two of my three finals I feel like I have all this time and no clue what to do with it. Plus its about five million degrees in my bedroom right now and I need to keep my mind off of the heat… so what better to do that than by writing? (Or you know, finding an air conditioner, but since that’s pretty impossible right now, I guess I’ll have to stick to this).
So a few months ago in AP history we were discussing the Japanese Internment Camps during WWII, and we had a discussion on it in class and we talked about whether or not the decision to lock up thousands of innocent Japanese Americans in camps because they “may” pose a threat to the country based on their nationality, could be justified.
I had really wanted to discuss that in a newsletter months ago when I was learning about it but obviously never got around to doing it. With the recent passage of Arizona’s new immigration bill, I thought it would be a good time to discuss both of these things, starting with the Japanese internment camps.
So, first of all some facts:
1) During WWII, approximately 110,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans along the Pacific Coast of the US were sent to live in interment camps, forced to sell all of their belongings with usually no more than a few days notice and leave their entire lives behind
2) In Hawaii, where the Pearl Harbor bombings occurred only about 1,200 to 1,500 Japanese of 150,000 were put into camps
3) Of the Japanese who were interned, 62% were American citizens
These were just some of the things that we learned about before we had our discussion in history. We were then put into groups and asked to discuss whether or not this decision could be justified during a time of war. I was appalled and stunned when I heard so much of my class arguing that it could be.
One of the great things about America is the rights we have. It doesn’t matter your ancestry, if you are an American citizen, you are guaranteed the same rights as everyone else.
Well… sometimes that is. I can think of a few examples right now where this isn’t exactly the case (can anyone say Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell or the Defense of Marriage Act?), and yet, our country, for all of its flaws, has seemed to always come around in the end. Black rights and women’s rights are now a reality, and hopefully the fight for Gay Rights will soon be as successful as past movements.
What always amazes me however, is when people who can easily say that women, or blacks, or gays, or whoever else should have rights, cannot see how those same principles and lessons apply to other things as well. Without due cause, none of the Japanese who were interned should have been subjected to the pain and humiliation that came with being locked up like animals in a pen.
And for all that our government and military tried to justify it as being for our nation’s safety, they had more than their fair share of flaws in their plan. For example, if you were a college student or wanted to serve in the military, those were both ways you could leave the internment camps. Yes, that’s right everyone, we don’t trust you to live your normal life, but we’ll trust you with a gun, fighting for the people who locked up you and your family.
And, its only because the Japanese in America were so dangerous that less than 10% of the Hawaiian Japanese-American population was locked up, despite being so close to where Pearl Harbor was bombed. Oh, that’s right, the Japanese in Hawaii were essential to the economy, so that’s why they weren’t sent away.
There is no reason to justify internment camps. They were created on the basis of an irrational, racist fear.
My father was born in Canada. He is now an American citizen, and, as I was born in the United States I am also an American citizen. Like many of the Japanese Americans interned, I am the child of a foreigner. Now of course, I can’t think of many people who would consider my father a foreigner. He’s only from Canada after all.
But what if we went to war with Canada? I somehow doubt that any of the people trying to justify internment camps in my history class would ever seriously think that my family should be locked up because we “might” pose a threat.
That is exactly what happened with the Japanese. Racial stereotyping.
It is what is beginning to happen in Arizona, with their new immigration laws.
Let’s go over a bit of what that bill entails, shall we?
According to CNN.com “Arizona's law orders immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there's reason to suspect they're in the United States illegally.”
Right, sounds fine at first right? I mean, people shouldn’t be in the country illegally and all that.
Yeah, but then you look at the line “requires police to question people if there’s REASON to suspect they’re in the United States illegally.”
Reason? Interesting. That’s interesting. What exactly does reason entail?
Well, considering the fact that illegal immigrants in this country don’t have a certain strange light glowing around them, or a third eye, or anything else that could differentiate them from anyone who is a legal citizen of this country, it seems to me like your race is now being considered reason enough to suspect you’re illegal.
It would be rather inconvenient for police to stop every single person on the street and check the status of their legality wouldn’t it? Which means that they need a quick way to determine who should be asked and who shouldn’t be.
Basically this just means that if you are Hispanic, or look Mexican, or look something that’s not your typical WASP, you can get stopped by a police officer and made to prove that you aren’t illegally here. You can have be Arizona born and raised, but hey, you don’t look “white” enough for our nation, so can I please see some identification?
Arizona’s policy is the most ridiculous instance of racial stereotyping that I think has come along in some time, and the fact that it’s an actual law, rather than a group of people choosing just to act rude in their own time makes things even worse, because its so much harder to put a stop to.
Honestly, why doesn’t Arizona just make all immigrants wear yellow stars on their clothes or something? At least then they can stop pretending that they aren’t acting like a bunch of Nazis; it will be right out in the open for everyone to see.
I realize my views may come across as rather strong, but it honestly disgusts me to see people who will fight any day of the week for one group’s rights, and fight the next day against the rights of someone else, for no reason other than that they feel one prejudice is justified and not another. No prejudice is justified, and I hope that our nation starts realizing that sooner, rather than later.
May 25-2010
Ok, so it’s been like what? 4 months since any of us last published one of these? Yeah sorry about that, again. I haven’t had much time to work on writing anything these past few months with AP history still going strong, but now that its over and I just finished two of my three finals I feel like I have all this time and no clue what to do with it. Plus its about five million degrees in my bedroom right now and I need to keep my mind off of the heat… so what better to do that than by writing? (Or you know, finding an air conditioner, but since that’s pretty impossible right now, I guess I’ll have to stick to this).
So a few months ago in AP history we were discussing the Japanese Internment Camps during WWII, and we had a discussion on it in class and we talked about whether or not the decision to lock up thousands of innocent Japanese Americans in camps because they “may” pose a threat to the country based on their nationality, could be justified.
I had really wanted to discuss that in a newsletter months ago when I was learning about it but obviously never got around to doing it. With the recent passage of Arizona’s new immigration bill, I thought it would be a good time to discuss both of these things, starting with the Japanese internment camps.
So, first of all some facts:
1) During WWII, approximately 110,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans along the Pacific Coast of the US were sent to live in interment camps, forced to sell all of their belongings with usually no more than a few days notice and leave their entire lives behind
2) In Hawaii, where the Pearl Harbor bombings occurred only about 1,200 to 1,500 Japanese of 150,000 were put into camps
3) Of the Japanese who were interned, 62% were American citizens
These were just some of the things that we learned about before we had our discussion in history. We were then put into groups and asked to discuss whether or not this decision could be justified during a time of war. I was appalled and stunned when I heard so much of my class arguing that it could be.
One of the great things about America is the rights we have. It doesn’t matter your ancestry, if you are an American citizen, you are guaranteed the same rights as everyone else.
Well… sometimes that is. I can think of a few examples right now where this isn’t exactly the case (can anyone say Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell or the Defense of Marriage Act?), and yet, our country, for all of its flaws, has seemed to always come around in the end. Black rights and women’s rights are now a reality, and hopefully the fight for Gay Rights will soon be as successful as past movements.
What always amazes me however, is when people who can easily say that women, or blacks, or gays, or whoever else should have rights, cannot see how those same principles and lessons apply to other things as well. Without due cause, none of the Japanese who were interned should have been subjected to the pain and humiliation that came with being locked up like animals in a pen.
And for all that our government and military tried to justify it as being for our nation’s safety, they had more than their fair share of flaws in their plan. For example, if you were a college student or wanted to serve in the military, those were both ways you could leave the internment camps. Yes, that’s right everyone, we don’t trust you to live your normal life, but we’ll trust you with a gun, fighting for the people who locked up you and your family.
And, its only because the Japanese in America were so dangerous that less than 10% of the Hawaiian Japanese-American population was locked up, despite being so close to where Pearl Harbor was bombed. Oh, that’s right, the Japanese in Hawaii were essential to the economy, so that’s why they weren’t sent away.
There is no reason to justify internment camps. They were created on the basis of an irrational, racist fear.
My father was born in Canada. He is now an American citizen, and, as I was born in the United States I am also an American citizen. Like many of the Japanese Americans interned, I am the child of a foreigner. Now of course, I can’t think of many people who would consider my father a foreigner. He’s only from Canada after all.
But what if we went to war with Canada? I somehow doubt that any of the people trying to justify internment camps in my history class would ever seriously think that my family should be locked up because we “might” pose a threat.
That is exactly what happened with the Japanese. Racial stereotyping.
It is what is beginning to happen in Arizona, with their new immigration laws.
Let’s go over a bit of what that bill entails, shall we?
According to CNN.com “Arizona's law orders immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there's reason to suspect they're in the United States illegally.”
Right, sounds fine at first right? I mean, people shouldn’t be in the country illegally and all that.
Yeah, but then you look at the line “requires police to question people if there’s REASON to suspect they’re in the United States illegally.”
Reason? Interesting. That’s interesting. What exactly does reason entail?
Well, considering the fact that illegal immigrants in this country don’t have a certain strange light glowing around them, or a third eye, or anything else that could differentiate them from anyone who is a legal citizen of this country, it seems to me like your race is now being considered reason enough to suspect you’re illegal.
It would be rather inconvenient for police to stop every single person on the street and check the status of their legality wouldn’t it? Which means that they need a quick way to determine who should be asked and who shouldn’t be.
Basically this just means that if you are Hispanic, or look Mexican, or look something that’s not your typical WASP, you can get stopped by a police officer and made to prove that you aren’t illegally here. You can have be Arizona born and raised, but hey, you don’t look “white” enough for our nation, so can I please see some identification?
Arizona’s policy is the most ridiculous instance of racial stereotyping that I think has come along in some time, and the fact that it’s an actual law, rather than a group of people choosing just to act rude in their own time makes things even worse, because its so much harder to put a stop to.
Honestly, why doesn’t Arizona just make all immigrants wear yellow stars on their clothes or something? At least then they can stop pretending that they aren’t acting like a bunch of Nazis; it will be right out in the open for everyone to see.
I realize my views may come across as rather strong, but it honestly disgusts me to see people who will fight any day of the week for one group’s rights, and fight the next day against the rights of someone else, for no reason other than that they feel one prejudice is justified and not another. No prejudice is justified, and I hope that our nation starts realizing that sooner, rather than later.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Newsletter #00067
Kasey
January 19-2010
Ok, so I had just seen Josh’s status about writing a newsletter and I realized how much I as well missed doing these. It certainly has been a very long while since I’ve last written one, and when I was looking through the blog the other day I realized that we really needed to start doing these again. So hopefully this is the start of the newsletter comebacks!
This past weekend I went to the 70th AIC Model Congress in Springfield MA and the experience was so interesting that I decided to write about it today. Considering how many of you newsletter readers contributed to helping Lauren and I perfect the bill, you are probably also curious about the trip. And if you aren’t well so be it. Don’t read this then, lol. Also, this newsletter is really long, feel free to skip around. I had a lot to say.
So the trip consisted of 10 of us from Gardner, the 8 delegates and 2 observers and of course Mr. Francoeur and Mr. Aho. We left Thursday afternoon and arrived at the hotel a few hours later. What generally happens the first day is that we get to the hotel, unpack and then go eat the best pizza ever at the Red Rose in Springfield. After we eat we come back and its time for the emergency session.
Basically this is the one session of debate at AIC where everybody, observers and delegates debate the same bill at the same time. The bill is a surprise to everybody before you get there. There’s supposed to be time to socialize before debating and so Lauren and I had totally planned to do that and to make friends so that we could get people to vote for our own bill, however we were shy and unsure of how to start a conversation and ended up talking to like one person, lol.
The emergency legislation this year was a bill that would basically legalize all currently illegal drugs in the country. Seriously, until you’ve been there you don’t realize how intense these debates can be, which is generally why I saw nothing at the emergency session. Although good points were made on both sides, the bill ended up failing.
Day 2 (Friday) is when we really start to get going with the debates. After breakfast and the keynote speaker we split up into committees to debate 6 or 7 bills. We do this is usually two sessions, a morning one and an afternoon one, but if you are unlucky enough to not finish in time they make you stay after dinner and finish.
The bill Lauren and I were sponsoring on Legal Joining was supposed to be 2nd but there was a problem (well, multiple really) with getting the correct, amended version of the bill passed. To make a long story short we actually had to come onto Facebook to get the correct copy of the bill.
Anyways, one of the things most of you probably don’t know about unless you’ve done it before is what we actually do at Model Congress to debate a bill. So I’ll break it down for you.
1) The sponsor of the bill (or 1st in favor) takes the floor to speak on the bill.
2) The sponsor generally closes themselves so that no questions can be asks while speaking.
3) Once they are done speaking they open themselves and people start to ask questions about the bill, using proper procedures and whatnot (I won’t get into these here)
4) The sponsor yields the floor and a 1st opposed comes up and does the same thing but speaking against the bill.
5) Repeat with the cosponsor (2nd in favor) and 2nd opposed.
6) After all 4 of these speakers are done you enter general debate where anyone can seek the floor and speak for or against the bill.
7) During general debate any amendments that have been written for the bill are presented and then you vote on whether or not to read them. In committee if the amendment is read there must be a debate on whether or not to pass the amendment itself.
8) After everyone is done debating someone says “Motion to move to previous question”, which is basically a motion to vote on voting. (Yes, voting takes FOREVER. You have to take an initial tally, then vote on voting or vote on reading the amendment or whatever it might be. Then if that passes you vote on the actual motion. I believe they may also do another initial tally in the middle of that but I can’t remember)
This is basically the process you go through for each and every bill. On top of this there’s all the different points (of inquiry, query, order, personal preference, parliamentary inquiry…) and motions. It’s kind of a lot to take in. Plus you have to be careful to always speak through the chair instead of directly to the person you are asking the question of and to make sure your question isn’t rhetorical.
Anyways, enough with the logistics of things. In the first day of committee our group only passed 2 bills, ours and another one about funding for pluripotent stem cell research (which was actually one of my favorite bills presented). Our bill passed 13-12-0 (that is, 13 in favor, 12 opposed and 0 abstentions)
I was very happy with how debate went. Although some people didn’t seem to comprehend that our bill in no way interfered with religion, many people had some good points about the bill.
The second day at AIC they usually hold a dance. 2 years ago it was a really cool magic show. The dance was a lot of fun. All us Gardner kids also went swimming and in the hot tub which was nice.
Saturday was the third and final day of AIC. This is the day when they split you into 2 groups—House and Senate. My delegation was in the Senate this year. This day is for debating all the bills that passed through committee the day before.
My delegation (me, Lauren, Katie and Mary) sat at a table and another group of kids from Belchertown joined us. It was great actually because as it turns out, they’re pretty much our twins. We spent much of the Senate session making cootie catchers and coloring Disney pictures with crayons. Hahaha its always good to embrace your inner child.
There was another problem with our bill (2 times again actually) on the last day so our bill ended up being like 4th or something to be debated. I was surprised with how many people supported our bill. Other than the occasional person who refused to listen to a word about the bill and decided instead to talk about how it went against our founding fathers’ religion and whatnot, it was a really good debate.
Our bill passed through the Senate 44-16-1, so almost 75% of the people voted for it, which was really cool. Pretty much the rest of the first day was spent the same way, debating bills and such until Gardner decided to leave early.
Yeah so, that was AIC. This is my third year attending and I think the trip becomes more fun every year. Gardner wasn’t even hated this year! Hahaha we made friends for once.
Anyways, I think the whole process of government is really interesting and Model Congress definitely gives you a good introduction to what our senators and representatives do on a daily basis. I’d be interested in possibly pursuing a career in politics, only I don’t know if I’d ever be elected for anything since our country (and I really did read this somewhere) is less likely to vote an atheist/agnostic into office than a Muslim or a recent immigrant. Go figure. I guess I’m secretly evil or something, who knows.
Ok, well I hope you enjoyed reading this because it feels good to be back hopefully in the swing of things with these newsletters. Now we just need to get Brad back on board!
Oh, and remember if you want to read our past newsletters they are up on www.newslettergroup.blogspot.com and I have a blog of my own at www.kaydotsidot.blogspot.com.
January 19-2010
Ok, so I had just seen Josh’s status about writing a newsletter and I realized how much I as well missed doing these. It certainly has been a very long while since I’ve last written one, and when I was looking through the blog the other day I realized that we really needed to start doing these again. So hopefully this is the start of the newsletter comebacks!
This past weekend I went to the 70th AIC Model Congress in Springfield MA and the experience was so interesting that I decided to write about it today. Considering how many of you newsletter readers contributed to helping Lauren and I perfect the bill, you are probably also curious about the trip. And if you aren’t well so be it. Don’t read this then, lol. Also, this newsletter is really long, feel free to skip around. I had a lot to say.
So the trip consisted of 10 of us from Gardner, the 8 delegates and 2 observers and of course Mr. Francoeur and Mr. Aho. We left Thursday afternoon and arrived at the hotel a few hours later. What generally happens the first day is that we get to the hotel, unpack and then go eat the best pizza ever at the Red Rose in Springfield. After we eat we come back and its time for the emergency session.
Basically this is the one session of debate at AIC where everybody, observers and delegates debate the same bill at the same time. The bill is a surprise to everybody before you get there. There’s supposed to be time to socialize before debating and so Lauren and I had totally planned to do that and to make friends so that we could get people to vote for our own bill, however we were shy and unsure of how to start a conversation and ended up talking to like one person, lol.
The emergency legislation this year was a bill that would basically legalize all currently illegal drugs in the country. Seriously, until you’ve been there you don’t realize how intense these debates can be, which is generally why I saw nothing at the emergency session. Although good points were made on both sides, the bill ended up failing.
Day 2 (Friday) is when we really start to get going with the debates. After breakfast and the keynote speaker we split up into committees to debate 6 or 7 bills. We do this is usually two sessions, a morning one and an afternoon one, but if you are unlucky enough to not finish in time they make you stay after dinner and finish.
The bill Lauren and I were sponsoring on Legal Joining was supposed to be 2nd but there was a problem (well, multiple really) with getting the correct, amended version of the bill passed. To make a long story short we actually had to come onto Facebook to get the correct copy of the bill.
Anyways, one of the things most of you probably don’t know about unless you’ve done it before is what we actually do at Model Congress to debate a bill. So I’ll break it down for you.
1) The sponsor of the bill (or 1st in favor) takes the floor to speak on the bill.
2) The sponsor generally closes themselves so that no questions can be asks while speaking.
3) Once they are done speaking they open themselves and people start to ask questions about the bill, using proper procedures and whatnot (I won’t get into these here)
4) The sponsor yields the floor and a 1st opposed comes up and does the same thing but speaking against the bill.
5) Repeat with the cosponsor (2nd in favor) and 2nd opposed.
6) After all 4 of these speakers are done you enter general debate where anyone can seek the floor and speak for or against the bill.
7) During general debate any amendments that have been written for the bill are presented and then you vote on whether or not to read them. In committee if the amendment is read there must be a debate on whether or not to pass the amendment itself.
8) After everyone is done debating someone says “Motion to move to previous question”, which is basically a motion to vote on voting. (Yes, voting takes FOREVER. You have to take an initial tally, then vote on voting or vote on reading the amendment or whatever it might be. Then if that passes you vote on the actual motion. I believe they may also do another initial tally in the middle of that but I can’t remember)
This is basically the process you go through for each and every bill. On top of this there’s all the different points (of inquiry, query, order, personal preference, parliamentary inquiry…) and motions. It’s kind of a lot to take in. Plus you have to be careful to always speak through the chair instead of directly to the person you are asking the question of and to make sure your question isn’t rhetorical.
Anyways, enough with the logistics of things. In the first day of committee our group only passed 2 bills, ours and another one about funding for pluripotent stem cell research (which was actually one of my favorite bills presented). Our bill passed 13-12-0 (that is, 13 in favor, 12 opposed and 0 abstentions)
I was very happy with how debate went. Although some people didn’t seem to comprehend that our bill in no way interfered with religion, many people had some good points about the bill.
The second day at AIC they usually hold a dance. 2 years ago it was a really cool magic show. The dance was a lot of fun. All us Gardner kids also went swimming and in the hot tub which was nice.
Saturday was the third and final day of AIC. This is the day when they split you into 2 groups—House and Senate. My delegation was in the Senate this year. This day is for debating all the bills that passed through committee the day before.
My delegation (me, Lauren, Katie and Mary) sat at a table and another group of kids from Belchertown joined us. It was great actually because as it turns out, they’re pretty much our twins. We spent much of the Senate session making cootie catchers and coloring Disney pictures with crayons. Hahaha its always good to embrace your inner child.
There was another problem with our bill (2 times again actually) on the last day so our bill ended up being like 4th or something to be debated. I was surprised with how many people supported our bill. Other than the occasional person who refused to listen to a word about the bill and decided instead to talk about how it went against our founding fathers’ religion and whatnot, it was a really good debate.
Our bill passed through the Senate 44-16-1, so almost 75% of the people voted for it, which was really cool. Pretty much the rest of the first day was spent the same way, debating bills and such until Gardner decided to leave early.
Yeah so, that was AIC. This is my third year attending and I think the trip becomes more fun every year. Gardner wasn’t even hated this year! Hahaha we made friends for once.
Anyways, I think the whole process of government is really interesting and Model Congress definitely gives you a good introduction to what our senators and representatives do on a daily basis. I’d be interested in possibly pursuing a career in politics, only I don’t know if I’d ever be elected for anything since our country (and I really did read this somewhere) is less likely to vote an atheist/agnostic into office than a Muslim or a recent immigrant. Go figure. I guess I’m secretly evil or something, who knows.
Ok, well I hope you enjoyed reading this because it feels good to be back hopefully in the swing of things with these newsletters. Now we just need to get Brad back on board!
Oh, and remember if you want to read our past newsletters they are up on www.newslettergroup.blogsp
Newsletter #00066
Josh
January 19-2010
EDIT: First Newsletter of 2010!
66... One number away from the number 666, the so-called "Devil's Number". Something with Book of Revelations in the Bible or something. I don't know.
Uh, yeah. Just doing this because I really don't have anything else to do. Midterms this week, already did English and History. French and Physics tomorrow. Je sais deja tous de mots en francais que j'ai besoin de savoir a demain. (I already know all the French words I need to know for tomorrow.) And in Physics we get an equation sheet. So yeah... Nothing to do.
I was reading the past Newsletters, and realized how much I miss them. Putting in the quotes, writing about random things. It was fun. So I've decided to do this one. I don't really have much to talk about though. I'll be rambling, which is what I normally do. Yay for ADD. :P
I recently found a college, that I think is actually perfect for me. It's the Wentworth Institute of Technology. After taking Drafting I this year, I realized how much I really do like it. I've been thinking about majoring in CAD or Architectural Design, but this school has a major that I'm really interested in. This is copied from their website:
Civil Engineering Technology, B.S. degree
Civil engineering technologists are among the most established and respected of all engineering professionals. Historically, civil engineering technology has focused on the design and construction of infrastructures such as highways, bridges, buildings, utilities, treatment plants, dams, tunnels, subways, and airports. In addition, the profession is now equally concerned with preserving the environment.
As a student iin our Civil Engineering Technology program, you'll be prepared to enter the profession as a productive member of design-build teams with the potential to become an innovative technical problem-solver and industry leader. You will acquire technical skills such as surveying, laboratory and field testing, and the use of computers for analysis, design, and computer-aided drafting (CAD). The math and computer-based curriculum includes courses in structural analysis and design, soil and foundation design, transportation engineering, municipal planning, fluid mechanics, and water and wastewater treatment design. Classroom studies are complemented by applied lab work, and the successful completion of two co-op work semesters beginning junior year. This program is accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. (See www.abet.org for information about TAC/ABET accreditation.)
As a graduate you will choose from a variety of careers, including positions with engineering consulting companies, state or federal government, local municipalities, construction firms, or architecture/surveying companies.
This program has basically everything I could want. I love analyzing, designing stuff (anybody remember the school mentioned way back when that Brad and I were designing? I've actually started building a 3-D model of it on the computer. It looks really cool. :D ) CAD is something I haven't done a lot with, but we're going to be doing next year in Drafting II (Architectural Design). It'll be lots of fun.
I just realized I write quite a bit about what interests me, and not what is interesting to me is not necessarily the same for other people. Oh well. :P
So yeah... The whole Coakley/Brown thing-a-bober, I didn't really care for it. People were saying that she bashed him, and then vice versa, and blah blah blah. Sure, more politics. I'm normally interested in them, but I think that my life has just been so hectic with worrying about my History midterm (FINALLY DONE!) and whatnot, it just got pushed to the side. I'll see the effects of what happens probably in a month or two. Until then, I really don't care. I couldn't have voted anyways. Minors don't get that right.
Hmmm... I was recently asked by Patrick what my favorite ice cream flavor is. I have many, but I really do enjoy Chocolate Chocolate Chip, in case anybody is interested...
I got an iPod Touch for Christmas. It's quite enjoyable. I use it more than my phone now, and normally my phone's battery is dead. ^.^ I want an iPhone, that way I don't need to worry about two electronics.
I don't buy my music legally. http://www.thepiratebay.org/ It's where I get all my music, all my games, everything. It's amazing. If you ever need any help with it, just ask. You can get movies, games, music, anything. It's quite useful. And it's all for free. Now I just hope that some stalker FBI Agent doesn't find my Facebook, and this note exactly. Like that'd ever happen.
Kasey is writing her Newsletter right now. We both feel the need to procrastinate, and for some reason this has sparked Newsletter creativity within us. Whatever, I'm enjoying writing this. Let's see.... anything else? I want an interesting topic...
OH!
For those of you who don't know, Chase Community Giving is going on right now. If you've seen any of my Facebook statuses, or even my profile picture, you'd know. One of the charities (that is currently in the lead with the most votes! :D ) is To Write Love On Her Arms. It is an amazing organization, and they'll be using the money to launch a brand new helpful tool in suicide prevention, called IM Alive. (I Am Alive; Instant Messaging Alive) This client will be staffed by trained people in crisis situations. It'll be a big help for those who don't want to call things like 1-800-SUICIDE. This will be something amazing, I'm sure. For more information, go to http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/1299927 to vote for them, and see what they have to say. Their regular website is http://www.twloha.com/
TWLOHA is an amazing, cause, and I support it so much. Really, go on their website, and read what they're about. They want to raise awareness about teen suicide and self-harm. To show your support for this, when there is a TWLOHA Day, you simply write the word "Love" on your arms. It helps raise awareness. The next day is February 12th, and we will actually be having some stuff going on at GHS.
Well, this is a rather lengthy Newsletter, and I'm quite pleased with it. I enjoyed writing it, and I really want to keep doing these again.
"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."
- Mark Twain
"The future depends on what we do in the present."
- Gandhi
January 19-2010
EDIT: First Newsletter of 2010!
66... One number away from the number 666, the so-called "Devil's Number". Something with Book of Revelations in the Bible or something. I don't know.
Uh, yeah. Just doing this because I really don't have anything else to do. Midterms this week, already did English and History. French and Physics tomorrow. Je sais deja tous de mots en francais que j'ai besoin de savoir a demain. (I already know all the French words I need to know for tomorrow.) And in Physics we get an equation sheet. So yeah... Nothing to do.
I was reading the past Newsletters, and realized how much I miss them. Putting in the quotes, writing about random things. It was fun. So I've decided to do this one. I don't really have much to talk about though. I'll be rambling, which is what I normally do. Yay for ADD. :P
I recently found a college, that I think is actually perfect for me. It's the Wentworth Institute of Technology. After taking Drafting I this year, I realized how much I really do like it. I've been thinking about majoring in CAD or Architectural Design, but this school has a major that I'm really interested in. This is copied from their website:
Civil Engineering Technology, B.S. degree
Civil engineering technologists are among the most established and respected of all engineering professionals. Historically, civil engineering technology has focused on the design and construction of infrastructures such as highways, bridges, buildings, utilities, treatment plants, dams, tunnels, subways, and airports. In addition, the profession is now equally concerned with preserving the environment.
As a student iin our Civil Engineering Technology program, you'll be prepared to enter the profession as a productive member of design-build teams with the potential to become an innovative technical problem-solver and industry leader. You will acquire technical skills such as surveying, laboratory and field testing, and the use of computers for analysis, design, and computer-aided drafting (CAD). The math and computer-based curriculum includes courses in structural analysis and design, soil and foundation design, transportation engineering, municipal planning, fluid mechanics, and water and wastewater treatment design. Classroom studies are complemented by applied lab work, and the successful completion of two co-op work semesters beginning junior year. This program is accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. (See www.abet.org for information about TAC/ABET accreditation.)
As a graduate you will choose from a variety of careers, including positions with engineering consulting companies, state or federal government, local municipalities, construction firms, or architecture/surveying companies.
This program has basically everything I could want. I love analyzing, designing stuff (anybody remember the school mentioned way back when that Brad and I were designing? I've actually started building a 3-D model of it on the computer. It looks really cool. :D ) CAD is something I haven't done a lot with, but we're going to be doing next year in Drafting II (Architectural Design). It'll be lots of fun.
I just realized I write quite a bit about what interests me, and not what is interesting to me is not necessarily the same for other people. Oh well. :P
So yeah... The whole Coakley/Brown thing-a-bober, I didn't really care for it. People were saying that she bashed him, and then vice versa, and blah blah blah. Sure, more politics. I'm normally interested in them, but I think that my life has just been so hectic with worrying about my History midterm (FINALLY DONE!) and whatnot, it just got pushed to the side. I'll see the effects of what happens probably in a month or two. Until then, I really don't care. I couldn't have voted anyways. Minors don't get that right.
Hmmm... I was recently asked by Patrick what my favorite ice cream flavor is. I have many, but I really do enjoy Chocolate Chocolate Chip, in case anybody is interested...
I got an iPod Touch for Christmas. It's quite enjoyable. I use it more than my phone now, and normally my phone's battery is dead. ^.^ I want an iPhone, that way I don't need to worry about two electronics.
I don't buy my music legally. http://www.thepiratebay.or
Kasey is writing her Newsletter right now. We both feel the need to procrastinate, and for some reason this has sparked Newsletter creativity within us. Whatever, I'm enjoying writing this. Let's see.... anything else? I want an interesting topic...
OH!
For those of you who don't know, Chase Community Giving is going on right now. If you've seen any of my Facebook statuses, or even my profile picture, you'd know. One of the charities (that is currently in the lead with the most votes! :D ) is To Write Love On Her Arms. It is an amazing organization, and they'll be using the money to launch a brand new helpful tool in suicide prevention, called IM Alive. (I Am Alive; Instant Messaging Alive) This client will be staffed by trained people in crisis situations. It'll be a big help for those who don't want to call things like 1-800-SUICIDE. This will be something amazing, I'm sure. For more information, go to http://apps.facebook.com/c
TWLOHA is an amazing, cause, and I support it so much. Really, go on their website, and read what they're about. They want to raise awareness about teen suicide and self-harm. To show your support for this, when there is a TWLOHA Day, you simply write the word "Love" on your arms. It helps raise awareness. The next day is February 12th, and we will actually be having some stuff going on at GHS.
Well, this is a rather lengthy Newsletter, and I'm quite pleased with it. I enjoyed writing it, and I really want to keep doing these again.
"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."
- Mark Twain
"The future depends on what we do in the present."
- Gandhi
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