Current Event: Another Big Hit To Al Qaeda

The 2nd in command of Al Qaeda, Al-Libi, was killed by a drone strike that also killed 15 other Al Qaeda members. He was one of only 2 real leaders left in the area. To read more go to: http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/05/world/asia/pakistan-drone-libi/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 .

While I, obviously, don't support terrorism, I think this whole ordeal has been elongated so much that it can't even really be called a "thing". After Osama's death we had won, they had no leadership left to speak of and really no way of threatening us, especially with the Department of Homeland Security working its heart out. While I agree that this is a victory for liberty, when we start pulling leaders out of a hat that no one has ever heard of it looks like the United States Government is some large child that hit all of his friends because one of them spat I his ice cream. This has become ridiculous. I thought we were pulling out of the Middle East, not making them more pissed and killing people that get their power from YouTube in countries with very little access to YouTube.

Senior Reflection #3

Early on in life I had an art teacher that talked about how some people are right or left minded. When I asked her if she thought I had a more artistic mind she laughed at me-- I was heartbroken. I really was a terrible artist: there is no doubt about that. Yet, I was more stubborn than I was terrible at art, so I did everything I could to become better at art. Through art classes in middle school and a whole lot of time spent honing my skills, I became a good artist and I knew that someday I'd become some sort of artist. Because of that teacher, I picked up music and pursued it, I wrote songs and stories, and even looked into a job as a home designer or an architect. Where am I?

Though that teacher was horrible for telling a young child what they couldn't be, if it weren't for her I'd probably never have realized how much I loved music. It's funny to think that because of her I will never be quitting music.

Current Event: Venus Transit 2012

A CNN blog post, Star-crossed: how to see Venus cross the sun, came out detailing an event that won't happen again for hundreds of years. However, people can only see it without damaging their eyes though the use of welding goggles. For more go to:http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/05/star-crossed-how-to-see-venus-cross-the-sun/?hpt=hp_c1 .
In a way I was tempted to just go on youtube some time and watch it. We see one of these events every year it seems. In fact, there is some rare event of a lifetime happening every day... so unless our lifetime is only a day long I'd think that they were making a small deal about all this. But, now that I think about it, by collecting such rare events and experiencing them, you could become one of those cool old guys that always has some story to tell. Sure, people might go on and on about how marvelous or enchanting the celestial event was that so happened to grace their vision... but that really isn't true. A black dot on the sun, I think I'll make something more out of it than it really is, and I'll tell the story to some youngster while he chews his bubble gum. Oh, and if you live in Alaska, you get to stare at it ALL DAY!

Senior Reflection #2

                One lesson my dad taught me early on in life was to treasure and hold on tight to your friends. As the son of a commander in the Navy, my father had to move all over the country to various schools. He met many, many people along the way that he became great friends with, but never thought to keep in contact. Now he has been trying to contact some for years but has yet to do so successfully.

                The first thing I hope to do this summer is make plans to hold onto my friends, because I have already lost a friend before that had to move and learned the hard way what my father had learned. As much as I might tell people I can't wait to go to college, I can't tell them just how much more I want to keep in touch with my friends. No one reads this, but if you do try to keep in touch with your friends, because no matter how much you might be fed up with them now, you will kick yourself for separating from them.

Current Event: Vatican Crackdown on American Nun's

This CNN blog post details events on June 5th when the Vatican reprimanded an American nun. According to the article, the Vatican has been cracking down on free spirited American nuns for years, but why should this nun be big news? This nun so happened to be one of the nation's leading religious authorities, a fact which seems to have brought CNN analysts to the conclusion that the Vatican may targeting her merely for her American background. Nonetheless, they had a reason: she'd written a book about Christian love in which she neglected to harp upon homosexuality and masturbation. To read more go to: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/05/vatican-intensifying-crackdown-on-american-nuns/?hpt=hp_t3.

I think the whole direction about the Vatican holding biased angst towards Americans seems a little childish. However, the blog post was interesting to me because of the Vatican's reasons for the reprimand. They only gave reasons in which they talked about what she hadn’t done, not what she had done. I'm not a Catholic, rather a Methodist, but as a Christian I see nothing wrong if she merely didn't talk about something. Even if she didn't pull out the axe to chop off the heads of all of the homosexual and perverted Americans out there, I don't see how they can reprimand an American citizen for not saying something in a book published on American sols. If she had been harsher, well America might be halved in size for all the not so Christian people out there. In any case, Christianity is about forgiveness, and this whole ordeal sends the wrong message to everyone about Christians, because the Catholic Church is seen by many as the head of the whole of Christianity. In any case, America is a very different land with much more freedom than Italy or the Vatican. I’m glad I live in a country where people are allowed to act as they wish to.

Senior Reflection #1

Out of the past 6 years senior year has probably been the best. Although the course load was much more intense, my teachers were awesome and they understand that we're supposed to have fun this year. I did a whole lot more things outside of school this year even though I had less time to do so last year. Last year, I felt like I was constantly working, and that was true. In senior year you realize that you can do as good in everything you do if you don't worry about them. I suppose some people don’t feel the same way, but senior year more than any I really felt like I had a family or a community to come to in school and that everyone around me felt the same way. I think it would be hilarious to put a freshman or a sophomore into the shoes of a senior for a day. They would FREAK OUT and try to work so hard. The happiness around them would probably drive them to the breaking point. No one reads these blogs, but if you read it respond and share your thoughts!

Ballots in Iran

Ballots were cast on Friday for Iran's parliamentary elections. These elections could show whether or not President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad still has power or not. Surely the whole world will be looking attentively at Iran and the outcome of the elections to see whether or not a resolution to the nuclear problems there can be reached. In any case these elections have a high probability of decide ding the Iranian president's future.