Unfavorable Traits.

Know what I hate? When one person treats another person differently then the other person, although they are just as smart and awesome as the other person. I may have just lost you, but what I'm talking about is something that ticks me off alot. This thing is none other the favortism.
There are certain individuals in our school that are really really smart. Now, this may sound concieted but I believe I'm really smart as well. What really irks me is when someone, a teacher in particular, favors one student over the other, although clearly the other student can do the task at hand just as well. It was like this at Olympiad this week.
It was my first practice for olympiad this year. I unfairly got cut from almost all of my favorite events, which gets me more upset with olympiad everytime I think about it. Thats not the point. The point is that at this particular practice, there were definatly favorites being played.
The coach who's name will remain a secret basically ignored our whole side of the room. I guess I'm a little bit high matinece because I got realllllly irritated because not only was she not calling on me at all, she wasn't calling our side at all. It wasn't like a compititon or anything, just with something like this you really want to show off and act smart so the coaches with be amazed with your talent. I never got to do this durring the meeting due to lack of attention!!! And now the kid that this particular coach called on almost everytime is bragging about how he womped every one at practice and how good he was!!! This coach was just arming this kid with the weapons he needed to totally ruin everyone elses self esteem! This is not good. That is not what should be happening on a team like this where everyone needs to be at the top of their game.

Is any of this real...

I've been having these strange feelings lately...like is any of this real, or not?
That line (or something similar), as many of you might have been quick enough to figure out, is from an awesome game called Kingdom Hearts. Not only is it from a game, it is also the topic of the blog today!
There is this terrific and incredibly mind bending episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in which a demon injects Buffy with some sort of poison and she starts having these visions like she's in an insane asylum. If you've never seen Buffy before, then some background information is needed. Firstly Buffy is the "chosen" one, the one who is strong enough to kill the demons and vampires. Every generation (meaning that one slayer dies) another slayer is chosen. The slayer is a girl, obviously. When Buffy saw her first vampire she told her parents and they sent her to an insane asylum, and she says "When I didn't mention it again, they let me go." Now she lives in Sunnydale where she has these awesome friends that kick butt and conqure evil. Now, when she starts having these weird lapses where she's in this asylum, her parents are there and are telling her everything she is living is Sunnydale is a figment; her sister, her friends, her powers. They start to tell her that her friends are the ones that are dragging her into sunnydale again and again and it's making it hard for her to get healthy and come home with them. Buffy then tries to kill her friends by tying them down in the basement and setting a demon free on them. Just when the doctor is about to tell her she's healthy and that she was a good girl and took care of her friends, she decides what's really important and goes back to her friends in sunnydale, totally blocking out the idea of the asylum ever again.
This leads us to think, is any of this real, or not? Of course our lives aren't as fantastic as Buffy Summers the Vampire slayer, but it raises an interesting point. What if we're all insane? I know my life has been utterly amazing; going from one fantastic feat to another. Is this really real? I'm I even the age I am now? Some of you might argue that if you were going to imagine something, you would make it perfect, right? Best at everything, perhaps? In Buffy it isn't that way. In season six her friends dragged her out of what they thought was a hell demension, but she really was in heaven. That's CLEARLY not perfect, right? Maybe the trials we might 'imagine' are just things to tell us that this is real, and we really aren't dreaming it up in a white room strapped to a bed.

15 minutes of fame...

I had this huge humorous entry written in my brain, but then I decided I should give myself another week to go deeper into the concept. Nevertheless, I have yet to post this week. It was a really hard decision of what to write this week; not because lack of topics, but because of too many. Since this is fresh in my brain I'll write about the topic at hand: How peoples attitudes change towards you when you have your 'fifteen minutes of fame'.
Today, as some of you know, Nick News came to film me because of my service project. I knew it would be amazing, and it was, but I just think it's hillarious how people that you haven't talked to before EVER suddenly know your name and about your life when they see you infront of a camera. I know I didn't even know the name of some of the people that congragulated me by name or gave me big hugs while the camera guy was nearby. There were even subtle things, like several guys poking me in the arm while I was in frame and walking down the hall. People I haven't talked to in years, no joke!
When something like this happens you have to question the teenagers motive. Are they really congragulating you, or do they just want to be on camera? I know two weeks ago when they announced that I was going to be on Nick, a few people I knew personally congragulated me, but not until today did several people I didn't know congragulate me. I guess that might be that they didn't know me before, but they knew me as soon as they saw me with the camera...or was it the camera that 'triggered' their memory? I think the second is the best option for the right answer.
Despite this aspect, I had an EXCELLENT time filming. The camera guy/sound guy/ reporter/director was SO awesome! He was actually a pro soccer player, as well as a reporter and has worked on sets of 20/20 and 60 minutes. It was really cool listening to his life story, and believe me, he told me. I think he wanted to get me relaxed for my big 40 minute interview...and it did help. 40 minutes may not seem like a lot to you guys (or it may seem like too much) but it really is. It's hard sitting still in the one least comfortable chairs in your house not fidgeting and pretty much not moving, because he's recording the whole time and you don't want to move out of frame. Also it pretty tough saying certain phrases over and over again so he can get the right sound to it when he edits it all together. He also said I had 'too much' energy. Basically what he meant by that was I talk loud and fast. I can't help it, though, my brain catches things that are fast and I just get irritated when it's slower then normal. But overall he said I did great and he got some really awesome shots to go along with the story. You'll even see the spot that I am sitting here typing this very moment on TV! How cool is that?
Funny story now. Like I told you some people's attitudes changed, but others didn't have a clue of what was going on. We (camera guy, me, lori, sarah, jackson, ashley, brooke and clint) were done filming in the library and so we were waiting around to do a shot of us walking down a crowded hall with donation boxes (we were waiting for the bell to ring so there would be kids walking down the hall) Well, after going outside and talking still shots and doing various poses, the bell was finally going to ring. We took our spots in the hall where the RESPECT poster is in the middle of the hall that Mr. E is on, and the bell rings. We wait a few seconds for the kids to file in and start walking in the direction of the camera (It's not allowed to look directly into the camera ;) ) Then, from out of the blue this girl apears and totally plows me over without saying sorry or anything, and we have to do the whole thing again. What are the chances, eh? I mean, I've had my number of being plowed over, but while I was on camera? It was hillarious and I started cracking up right in the middle.

There will probably be many edits to this post, when more things come to mind. I'd like to thank all the stores that were generous enough to donate! I'd also like to thank all those special kids that got me sick with the stomach flu so I probably can't go to school tomorrow. Thanks a whole lot.

Da Interweb

Think about the comments on your blog right now. How many of them are 'spam' comments. You know the ones that tell you to visit their blogs on how to make money quick or how to find singles online. They're really annoying and dumb. Should there be specific limits on how far this spamming, and the content of the World Wide Web as a whole, goes?
I think about the early days of my email address. I've had the same email since I was in first or second grade, so I've had if for at least seven years. Now, I used to get loads and loads of email 'spam' with inappropriate content and suggestive titles, and when you're seven years old you're bound to open one of those up be totally shocked at the things you see.
I really think it's wrong how spam like that is circulated around the internet. With junk mail filters and stuff like that nowadays, it's gotten a lot better, but it's still out there. They can target all ages, too! For instance, say a ten year old wants to be 'cool' and research the newest hot celebrity. They type in the name to the best of their ability on the search engine and wait for the results. There is probably a fairly high chance that some of the sites high on the list are porno sites. Have you ever tried to look up someone you know and get a bunch of spamo porn? It's disgusting! There should really be laws against porn coming up with certain keywords. I mean, I understand if you're actually searching for that kind of stuff, but when you're innocent and underage there is no excuse for the perpetrators when it pops up on your screen.
As I was searching the blogs, I noticed one spamo comment in particular on several people's blog. I won't give any names of the user because it's slipped my mind, but it features a racy picture as the avatar, and if you take a look at the profile, there are several sex related blogs that this user keeps. People should NOT be able to do that!! We are innocent students just trying to get some honors credit or trying to get into good colleges! We should not be punished with filthy JUNK like that infecting our blogs! It not only makes the user themselfs uncomfortable, but it endangers the parents right that have probably tried long and hard to keep it away from their child!
I also think that emails with innapropriate comments should have a category by themselves in the email system. For example, if an email has sexual content the sender of the email can put a red flag on it or something, and the user of the email will know that it is a bad email and won't open it. I think it makes it a lot easier then putting adult titles on the emails, because that just leads to odd questions asked by the child and it doesn't help anything!
I also think that some emails should require maybe a social number or something, because I know kids that lie on their age to get certain features. Back in the days of when I was first starting out with email, it used to be that you had to be 13 years or older to use the instant messenger feature. I don't think it's that way anymore, which is good, but kids still lie about their ages. If kids could put an acurate age when starting an account, the email service could block all adult email out. I don't think this will ever work, kids will always do as they want, there is no way to protect everyone.
There is no way to protect everyone, yes, but you should protect the innocent. The ones that are doing this for a project, the ones that unknowingly slipup upon some bad site, kids that are to little to know what anything means, and esspecially services like blogger where something like this COULD be stopped. Protect the Youth of the Nation.

Media...

Have you ever been to the store and seen those AWEFUL 'tabloids' on the check out lines with titles like *Jenifer Anaston kisses Ashton Kutcher? and, *Man gives birth to five pound balogna? I really hope you don't take that information as true, because more then half the time the media isn't factual (in other words, "strait out LYING".) I have experienced this myself, but I wasn't really harmed by it, I just have to tell people over and over my real story. Today I'm going to talk about if it's ethical and if celebrities have the same right to 'privacy' as we do.
Now think about it. Say a guy, Joe Shmow we'll call him, goes to the zoo. Who cares, right? It really wouldn't sell very well if a reporter went to that zoo and took pictures and put it in his publication. Now say a famous celebrity goes to a party, cheats on the person he/she is going with, get's drunk and involved with drugs, and the camera's catch this all. This would be very appealing to the customer (for some reason...). **Alot, more appealing then Joe at the zoo, eh? Now, the reporter COULD go to the zoo, and COULD put joe in the pubiblication, but he chooses to but the celeb in instead. This really ticks the celebrities off. But why, when we are basically PAYING them to be our source of entertainment? Shouldn't, instead of singing hate songs about poparazii embrace the fact that they're getting attention and turn it positive? They put themselves in the limelight, and yet they are upset when people care about their lives. They did this to themselves, get used to it or get out! I am so SICK of the I hate the poparazzi songs! In some cases it's okay, like Michael Jackson for instance. He was so popular that poparazzi still follow him WHEREVER he goes. Now Lindsey Lohan, that girl bugs me. If she would stop acting like a total IDIOT the poparazzi would stop following her! Did you hear any stories about her before she turned 18 and started partying everynight and all that junk? No, none! And then she goes to her movie set and makes them take her to the hospital and give her time off because she too worn or exhausted. Do you think she would be worn if she didn't literally stay out EVERY night partying til three or four in the morning? Of course not!! Sometimes I reallly think so of the celebs out there need a reality check coughtomcruisecough.
In conclusion, yes, celebrities should be able to have a private life, but they won't unless the pull their life toghether and act like a normal human being.

*These articles are made up for the purpose of demonstration

**If you said that reading Joe at the Zoo would be more appealing, then we should hang cause I think so to. ;)

Okay

In times so dark and so frail we turn to others in time of need. Sometimes the person we turn to is feeling just as upset and frail as we are, but it still helps to know that someone else cares how you feel, how you're doing, and I bet they love it just as much as you do to know that you care about them.
I lost my Grandma on Saturday. It was a terrifying experience, because my dad, grandpa, and sibblings were in Lake Powell when she passed and my mom and I were in California. We had no way of getting ahold of the rest of my family, until finally my uncle sent the park rangers looking for their licence plate number.
But, it really just makes you think, doesn't? Of how, even though everyone is feeling so much sorrow and it's just very upseting for everyone in the family, you can turn to each other and find even more love before. Death is a real eye-opener for most, that you should keep your loved ones close to your heart and never take them for granted. It sure was for me. When I lost my Grandpa on my mom's side all I remember was how fun it was to spend time with my aunt and my cousins I see rarely. I remember it was sad too, but I know my grandpa would have loved that I remembered how much of a good time sharring love and sorrow that we did than remember how mad and sad and broken-hearted we were. I don't think anyone wants anyone to be broken hearted.
So just remember that, although you should be upset, and it's great to be upset and depressed, think of all the love you're sharing and all the people that are supporting you and loving you with all the fibers of their being, and it will be okay. I promise.

I am the walrus...Cough cough achoo!

Motivation. Some kids have it, some kids don't. Where does the most motivation come from when it comes to me? I think myself. I have this hunger to be successful that I can only fulfill if I'm the best. I know, it sounds really conceited, but it's absolutely 100% true. And by best, it doesn't necessarily mean better then everyone else. In my eyes it means, to the best of my abilities.
As some of you might have already guessed, my entry has absolutely nothing to do with the title. Very good! You passed the first test! (Just kidding, there wasn't a test so if you failed it don't cry because it's your first F. ;D) It was really because I was going to talk about the 'bug' that is going around, but I didn't feel that was my best writing style, so it kind of evolved into this. Now enough 'chitter chatter' and back on the topic.
Success. I'm going to give you some simple ideas to be successful not only in your eyes but in your community and socially. I'm going to help you find the tools you need to become what is called a social entrepreneur.
What is a social entrepreneur, you ask? Well an entrepreneurship has a few characteristics listed below:

A process of organized efforts

Pursue opportunities to create value

Fulfill wants and needs through innovation and uniqueness

Resourcefulness

Let’s start out with a process of organized efforts. If your business is unorganized and no one that works at your company knows what they are supposed to be doing you will FAIL your goal. Oooh that almost curse word again, but it's also 100% completely true. If your employees don't know what they are doing, you will fail.
Pursue opportunities to create values. What on earth could that mean? It's actually quite simple. Risk to win. It's like gambling in a way. That's what entrepreneurs are, gamblers. But they're good gamblers, that's why some of them are so rich. I'll show you and activity on opportunities a bit later.
Fulfill wants and needs through innovation and uniqueness. That means that the projects that are the most successful are the ones you care about. The ones that you have a PASSION for, if you don't LIKE what your doing, you won't give it your all. It all goes back to that little word I mentioned before. MOTIVATION!
Resourcefulness. Last but certainly not least. This means use what's around you to gain success. Simple.
Next item: Why would you even WANT to be a young entrepreneur?
There are lots of reasons I could explain that would be good in to answer this question. But there is one in particular that stares everyone right in the face. Youth advantage.
Many kids our age aren't doing this. They play video games, date, all that fun stuff. But youth is a PRIME time to get recognition and, my favorite, money. You won't be cute for long. Flaunt it.
Okay, as promised an interactive activity!!
Okay let's think about creating a time machine...Is this a great IDEA or a great OPPORTUNITY?
If you said idea, you're right! Sure, it would be REEALLY nice to have a time machine, I know I probably would go back a couple times and remind myself to do something like turn in my honors contract on time or something, but right now we do not have the right technology to make it possible, and if we did it would probably cost millions of dollars.

Now, let's consider a party planning company. Is that a great IDEA or a great OPPORTUNITY?

If you said opportunity, you're right! Let's face it, kids like to party! It gets us off the street and into a fun environment. You will have pleanty of business and make lots of money. It would be a good risk or gamble, if you bet on the odds of getting business. That's what makes it a great opportunity.

Now, finally, let's look at a lemonade stand. Is this a great IDEA or a great OPPORTUNITY?

If you said both, you're right! Let's take a closer look. If you opened a lemonade stand in Antarctica, how much business would you get? Very little, right? Now if you opened your business in the middle of New York City when the heat index is 110, how much business would you get? A TON!! If you live somewhere where the weather benifits you, it is a great opportunity, but if you live somewhere where there really isn't a need, it's a great idea, but not an opportunity.

If you read all of this entry, I am sincerely proud. Comment and tell me becuase if this interested you at all I've got a few items I'll take to you to get you set up with something that would help you start your own business. It's called Youth Venture and it's a FABULOUS organization that supports youth striving to make an impact.

.:9/11:.

I was working on some other homework, trying to figure out what to write for my last 250 something words for this week when I noticed the date, September, 11. Four years ago there was a tragedy, but that tragedy pulled us as a nation closer together.
Where was I four years ago? I remember that day like the back of my hand. I was in fifth grade, spectrum student going to this school called Cook Elementary because I decided to do spectrum as soon as I entered 5th grade and spectrum at my original school was full. Anyway, my mom and dad had to work and a woman from my neighborhood agreed to pick me up and drive me to this school about 15 minutes away. I got into her car and we drove a while before she turned up the radio and informed me on what she thought was a "drunk pilot" that was "driving to low in the air". We really had no idea what was going on, I though it was awful but almost cast it aside anyway. I was anxious to get to school and talk to the other kids about what had happened, since I was completely and utterly clueless.
When I got to school, and at my school you had to wait outside until the five minute bell rang, I saw a group of my classmates huddled around the door discussing what was going on. I told them what my neighbor had told me, for we all had no idea the truth of this event. Soon, the history 'geek' in our class arived and rushed over to us, telling us the news. We were stunned into silence, unable to talk but still able to cry. We saw as tears streamed down ours and our peer's faces in complete horror of what we had learned. The five minute bell rang, and in silence we all walked to class.
I disliked my teacher that year with a passion, and she knew it, but I couldn't help feeling sorry for her as she bawled and shook her head as she watched the TV screen, unmoving. She told us as she wept that her daughter was getting on a plane that day, from Boston where the terrorists had taken off. She was terrified that her daughter wouldn't be alright.
We continued with our lessons that day, although we were all tearstained and didn't even THINK of going to recess, instead we stayed inside and watched the news. We had long indepth dicussions of what was to happen, what we should do. Some thought this wasn't for real, that what we were watching on the screen and heard on the radio was just some...cruel joke. It wasn't, it was too real infact To real for our fifth grade minds to comprehend.
Now that I'm older and more mature I realize how devistating it was for me as a young child. But in a way, it has helped me mature and become more aware of what the world is really like. It makes me strive to help countries in the world that experience this EVERYDAY. We are truely blessed to live in a nation where we are so fortunate that it completely devistates us when an event like that happens. And, we are truely blessed that we live in a country, where in time of trouble we unite together and join as one again, and help heal our wounds and make us stronger. E pluribus unum, no phrase could discribe our country better.

What I did over the Weekend...aka Hurricane Katrina: What can you do to help

You might think that you are too young, that you don't have any talents, and no way to help. You may say the only way to help someone is to give them money, or food, or water. I'm not saying that isn't a good way to help, I'm just saying that's not the only way. I'm sure a kid that lost there home and toys in the flood would really appreciate if you sent them your old beat up stereo and a CD of a band you don't like anymore. They would love it if you and your friends got together and make a video expressing your sympathy and how much this nation cares that they are suffering. Use your creative abilities to do something that will impact somebody else’s life! Contact your Mayor or Governor and ask them how you can use your time doing something that could help.
Now, I believe that most of the adults in leadership positions are doing the wrong thing with their time. Yes, they are getting people out, but they are also spending vital hours playing the blame game trying to decide whose fault it is that this happened. It was a terrible event, everyone knows it was, but in was no ones fault except Mother Nature, and yes, we should have gotten more people out but what's past has past and it isn't going to change by finding the so called "source" of the problem.
Since the "authority figures" are bickering over pointless nonsense, the nation turns to the youth to make a difference. Youth around the world raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help the tsunami victims, and now we must join as a nation and do the same for our own country, and the people who are suffering.

Blog #1

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