Cicero Agrees with Me!

A while ago, I wrote a post about how I don't see political flip-flopping as such a big deal. My Latin teacher set me up with these selections from Cicero:

...numquam enim in praestantibus in re publica gubernanda viris laudata est in una sententia perpetua permansio....

...for persistence in a single permanent opinion among men [sic] active in the governance of the republic has never been praised....

Familiares 1.9.21

and

nemo doctus umquam ... mutationem consili inconstantiam dixit esse.

No educated person has ever said that a change of mind was inconsistency.

Atticum 16.7.3

Obama - "Seven"

This is a great ad from the Obama camp in response to a question from Politico asking how many houses McCain owns, to which he responded, “I think — I’ll have my staff get to you.…It’s condominiums where — I’ll have them get to you.” This is a major gaffe by McCain, and the Obama camp will get tons of mileage out of it.

Annoyances

These things annoy me, although not a lot. Still, though, what's up with this?

The phrase "not to mention" is a blatant lie.
I saw a magazine to day that was entitled "History Today." Really? I think they should re-name it "History a While Ago."

The Media

Have you ever wondered where the word "media" (sg. medium) derives its meaning from? Well, I didn't either, but it hit me in Latin class today (I started school yesterday). It derives from the Latin "media," an adjective meaning "middle." From this comes the word "medium," both in the sense of size and in the communications/art sense. The plural of the latter meaning is media, which we use to refer to the conglomeration of radio, TV, newspaper, blogs, etc. So why, exactly, does a word like "medium" derive from a word meaning "middle?" It is because the media are intended to take the middle ground and to be unbiased. In the truest sense of the word and its etymology, the media have failed and done so miserably.

Who "Wins" the Olympics?

Personally, I agree with the IOC here, in that competitions are between athletes not countries. Nonetheless, how to rank countries has always been a source of contentious debate. Here's my modest proposal: Assign 3 points to gold medals, 2 to silvers, and 1 to bronzes. This weights each medal fairly, gives recognition to silver and bronze winners, and is, well, fair. By this count, as of right now, it's China: 184, US: 162. There you go, media, free advice, just for you.

Line of the Week 6

This passage comes to you from Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope.

"And yet I find myself returning again and again to my mother's simple principle—'How would that make you feel?'—as a guidepost for my politics.
"It's not a question we ask ourselves enough, I think; as a country, we seem to be suffering from an empathy deficit. We wouldn't tolerate schools that don't teach, that are chronically underfunded and understaffed and underinspired, if we thought that the children in them were like our children. It's hard to imagine the CEO of a company giving himself a multimillion-dollar bonus while cutting health-care for his workers if he thought they were in some way equals. And it's safe to assume that those in power would think longer and harder about launching a war if they envisioned their own sons and daughters in harm's way
"I believe a stronger sense of empathy would tilt the balance of our current policies in favor of those people who are struggling in this society. After all, if they are like us, then their struggles are our own. If we fail to help, we diminish ourselves."

Photo of the Week 13

This photo, too, comes from the first small batch of photos from Maine I've uploaded to my Flickr account. I'm going to upload those photos... eventually.

Photo of the Week 12

This photo, too, comes from the first small batch of photos from Maine I've uploaded to my Flickr account. (Others will be uploaded soon... I promise!) I really like this photo because I think it sums up life in Downeast Maine: it's a maritime lifestyle and beautiful coasts and landscapes abound.

Photo of the Week 11

This photo comes from West Stonington, ME on Deer Isle. It's only one of the first small batch of photos I've gotten onto my Flickr account.

Photo of the Month (July08)

Here's your (late) July '08 installment of the Photo of Week, which is my favorite photo of each month's Photos of the Week.

(Photo of the Week 7)

Line of the Week 5

This week's installment is some sage advice from a sign at an elementary school near Penobscot, ME. Here it is:

"Choose to be a Tigger, not an Eeyore."

Line of the Week 4

Sorry for the delay. Here's your line for a week ago (one of August 7th's Quotes of the Day):

"Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one." - Charles Mackay

Electric Billboards (Banner Ads!)

Let me just say that I'm fully opposed to electric billboards, especially as they are beginning to become increasingly prevalent where I live. Let me also say, though, that we need to take advantage of them. We are missing a great opportunity here. I'm talking about electric billboard banner ads. Can't you imagine the possibilities here? "Congratulations, you're the 1,000,000th person to drive on this interstate!," "Exit here to claim your free iPhone!," or even "Exit now for a one-month, free trial on Netflix!" In the Columbia, SC metro area, where Lamar Advertising is king, a 10' 6" x 36 electric billboard slot for a month is only $3,000… (as per their website) Who's in?

Veepstakes: John Edwards

It was released today that John Edwards, former presidential contender, had an extramarital affair with Rielle Hunter in 2006. His wife, it should be noted, was in remission at the time. John, enjoy NOT being a VP or Presidential candidate again.

Maine - Blog Neglect

Yeah, I'm neglecting you, blog. Right now, I'm on my family's annual Mainecation! I'm on Deer Isle, and just as last year, the views are stunning, and the weather is amazing. (Currently, I'm in 73.9ºF, whereas at home I'd have 94.1ºF) I'll have your line and photo of the week and the photo of the month for July coming soon. For now, however, I'll be Mainecationing.

New Poll

Over on the right sidebar, there's a new poll: What's your favorite movie this year (among Wall-E, Mamma Mia!, and The Dark Knight.)? Go over, and vote for your favorite!

Photo of the Week 10

This week's installment of my weekly selection of my favorite photo from my Flickr account comes not from my D60 (I'm working on it!) but, rather, from a trip last year to Maine. This features some of the white pines of Acadia National Park.

Line of the Week 3

This line comes from Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens in his dissenting opinion in reference to the case Bush v. Gore:

"[The majority opinion] can only lend credence to the most cynical appraisal of the work of judges throughout the land … Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year's presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the nation's confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law."

Bureaucracy at Work!

I found a list of SCDMV's various specialty plate. Among the whose-idea-was-that?!?!? plates:

"First in Golf"




"Georgia Tech Foundation" (Yes, GEORGIA Tech).

"NASCAR" (Plus 5 for individual drivers)

"Secular Humanists of the Low Country"

"Shag"

"Sons of the Confederacy"

"Square Dance"

"Working for the Wild Turkey"

There are other stupid plates too... Trust me.

SC Senate: The Pride.

Er, scratch that whole pride idea. This comes to you from SC Senator Kevin Bryant (R - Anderson). This post, as you might imagine, was deleted incredibly quickly. Nice job, Bryant. Nice job.

Photo of the Week 9

This photo is brought to you by my Flickr account. It was taken at an overlook along the Pinnacle Pass Trail at Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, in the upstate region of SC. Next week, hopefully, I'll have some photos from the D60.

Line of the Week 2

Yesterday (Friday) was my birthday. Since then I've been in a photographic mood, as I now call an amazing Nikon D60 my own. This line comes from Step Across This Line, a collection of short stories, speeches and articles by Salman Rushdie. This particular story, about his being photographed by Avedon, is called "On Being Photographed."

"What the photographer gained, the subject lost; cameras, like fear, ate the soul.
"If you believe the language—and the language never lies, though liars often have the sweetest tongues—then the camera is a weapon: a photograph is a shot, and a session is a shoot, and a portrait may therefore be the trophy the hunter brings home from his shikar. A stuffed head for his wall."

Sanford

I'm so proud of my governor. Yes, he may have vetoed a bill that would require AEDs in all public schools, and, yes, he vetoed an increase in the cigarette tax, which, as it stands today, is one of the lowest in the country. But if there's one thing he CAN do, he can show us that McCain is no different from Bush. Take a look. (Sorry, Mark, you aren't going to be a veep candidate any longer.)

WALL·E

Let briefly summarize WALL·E: Phenomenal. Its plot line is swift enough to keep its target audience interested, but it has an underlying message. This, I think, is the best film Pixar has created yet, easily surpassing even Toy Story itself. Now for that message:

WALL·E must be commended for bringing up the issue of our current lifestyle of excessive capitalism and increasing laziness, while doing so in a subtle way—one that will undoubtedly stick in the minds of its audience. IRONY WARNING! Why, exactly, is Disney, one of the largest corporations in the world, denouncing excessive capitalism?!

Just a little more irony, for your ironic pleasure. This is the "U Command WALL·E." Yes, it's a WALL·E toy that will add to the landfills only to be disposed, perhaps, by WALL·E himself. That, folks, is ironic capitalism straight from your friends at Disney.

Confessions

I'm ashamed. I ate fast food today, after a long 3-4 month (I don't remember how long, exactly) boycott of sorts on it. For what it's worth, it's a local place. Oh, the guilt!

ChaCha!

Over the past few days, I've been trying to figure out how I'm going to cobble together the money I need to buy a Canon EOS 400D by July 26... While the goal is all-but-impossible now, I decided I still need some source of income. As a result, my brother and I are sharing a guide account on ChaCha. Today we took all of the tests, and now we have to wait. Gauging by the "Simulator Test," it's a really easy job. We'll see for sure, though, once we get the OK from ChaCha.

Photo of the Week 8

Each week, I pick my favorite picture from my Flickr account. This week's installment comes from Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area in Upstate SC. Pictured here: Lichens!

Line of the Week

I'm not sure if this will be a regular feature on the blog, Nonetheless, I wanted to post this, as it makes some very interesting—and very real—observations on the American political scene, although it's about Communism.

"In a way, the world-view of the Party imposed itself most successfully on people incapable of understanding it. They could be made to accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully grasped the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficiently interested in public events to notice what was happening. By lack of understanding they remained sane. They simply swallowed everything, and what they swallowed did them no harm, because it left no residue behind, just as a grain of corn will pass undigested through the body of a bird."
-George Orwell, 1984

Making a Mountain out of a Molehill

I fail to see why everyone's flipping out over Obama's "move to the center." I see this as a good thing. The majority of Americans are independent and centrist in their political ideologies. Do we not want a president who (*gasp*) represents the people?!?!? People are calling this a "flip-flop." I also fail to see why Americans are so anti-"flip-flop." Why would we want a president who is absolute and would never reconsider his or her views? I see such an unwillingness to change one's mind as a liability instead of an advantage. This is the power of the media and talking heads.

The Power of CNN

CNN's website is way more powerful than I had had previously thought. Above is a picture of CNN's "From the blogs" section, from one of their stories I linked to in a blog post from earlier today. The number of hits I got (compared to a typical day) and the variety in location of these posts was stunning. I hope someone who found the blog through CNN will stick around, but I doubt it (if you did, please comment!). It's also just cool to think that my blog was on CNN...

(Note: I did link to the same story again. We'll see if their algorithm picks this post up.)

Iranian Missile Tests

I'm sure most of you all know about today's Iranian Missile Tests, which have increased Middle Eastern tensions and are threatening that region, including allies such as Israel, and, ultimately, us. To quote an Iranian general, Hossein Salami, "We want to tell the world that those who conduct their foreign policy by using the language of threat against Iran have to know that our finger is always on the trigger and we have hundreds and even thousands of missiles ready to be fired against predetermined targets." I don't want to come off as a fear monger, but as citizens and as a nation, we need to take action. Please, call your senators and your representative and urge them, as a constituent, to consider avoiding the use of militaristic action in favor of diplomatic action. That is, unless you want another war. Very few citizens contact their representatives, and when they do, it makes a world of difference. I just called all three of my reps, Sen. Jim DeMint, Sen. Lindsey Graham, and Rep. Joe Wilson; it took me all of four minutes. If you don't know who your senators are or what their phone numbers are, select your state of the drop-down list at the Senate website. If you need the same information for your representative, just type your Zip+4 at the House website (if you don't know what your Zip+4 code is, go here.). Seriously, let's stay away from another war. Spend 5 minutes of your time. Also, you'll notice that I included a "Digg this" button on this post; please consider Digging this, and spread the word.

Photo of the Month (June08)

Every month, I pick 1 photo from the previous month's Photos of the Week.

(Photo of the Week 6)

Photo of the Month (May08)

Here's another (hopefully) regular installment. Each month, I'll pick my favorite photo among the previous month's Photos of the Week. Here's your installment, albeit late, for May, 2008.



(Photo of the Week 1)

Photo of the Week 7

Each week, I pick one photo from my Flickr account. This was taken at a waterfall near Jones Gap State Park.

Sorry for the delay; I was unable to access the internet on Saturday.

200 Days Left!

I'm trying out Blogger's "scheduled posts" feature to post this at exactly midnight to let you know that we only have 200 days left of the Bush presidency! Thanks to my friend who found—and gave to me—a countdown clock from backwardsbush.com.

Interesting Discoveries

I was rummaging around, looking for things to sell on eBay (time is running out if I'm to buy the camera!) when I found a journal I wrote, spanning December 31, 1999 to October 26, 2003. It has 2-3 entries per year, and they're mainly me jotting down the day's happenings. Here, for your reading pleasure, is one of the 15 entries: I'm nine now. I'm on a soccer team, the HFC. I'm getting really good now [WRONG!]. I scored 3 times today! In a week I'll be a forth [sic] grader!"

I also uncovered our old N64. My brother, his girlfriend, and I played a few games of Mario Kart 64 and a bit of 1080º.

Photo of the Week 6

Each week, I pick one photo from my Flickr account. This week's photo was taken at the peak of Bald Knob, near Pembroke, VA at the Mountain Lake Hotel.

(Sorry it's late... again)

We got Street View!!

I was on Google Maps yesterday, when I noticed that the "Street View" button was in the navbar, although I was looking at downtown Columbia... Apparently, they got most of the suburbs, too, going all the way up to Blythewood and Chapin, west to Lexington and Gilbert, east to Elgin and Eastover, and south to Gaston. That's a pretty big area, especially because they still don't have Seattle up! We also now have traffic functionality.

Woot! Shirt Purchase

I bought this shirt from Woot! Shirt on Tuesday, with one difference: The spelling of iceberg was corrected from iceburg.

Neglect...

I'm sorry, blog. I've neglected you. Here's why:

* Online Class! I'm taking AP US Government and Politics with Apex Learning. It's going at a faster pace than I had counted on, with an essay, essentially, every other day. For example, today I had due: 1 test, 1 essay, and 2 quizzes.

* Cub Scout Day Camp. This week I've done ~5.5 hours of volunteering daily, which, in the summer heat of SC, has an uncanny ability to drain energy.

Sorry for the lack of posts this week, everyone. I'll try to post more this weekend and next week.

Photo of the Week 5

(Sorry it's a few days late)

Every week I pick one picture from my Flickr account. This photo was taken while sailing in Maine.

Pepsi's "SmartSpot"

While some of Pepsi's explanations are at least somewhat legitimate, a lot of them seem like Pepsi trying to make their junk seem healthy... like this:

Frito Lay® brand Nuts and Seeds

SmartSpot Explanation: "When choosing a snack FRITO LAY® brand nuts are a smart choice because 'scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as almonds, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.'"

Calories per serving: 280

Fat per serving: 24g

Could someone explain how 24 grams of fat can be justified as healthy?!

Veepstakes: Bill Richardson

(Source: topnews.in)

Richarson has a compelling case for Obama's veep choice that rests on these points:

* He is Hispanic and can draw Latino voters, which represent the fastest-growing voting bloc, to Obama's side.

* He is the governor of New Mexico, a key swing state, and is well-liked in the state. The primary purpose of a running mate in the campaign, after all, is to win their home state.

* Foreign policy experience is a moot point this campaign, and with Richardson's extensice experience, he can quell concerns of Obama's inexperience.

* Richardson's Hispanic background helps solidify the one-America image, a key theme in the campiagn.

* If nothing else, he endorsed Obama far before any of the other primary veep 'candidates.'

If you have any thoughts on the veepstakes--or other compelling cases for any of the veep possibilities, please post a comment to this post.

Boy Scout Camp

Sorry for the lack of post over the past few days. I was at Camp Barstow for my troop's annual week of Scout Camp. It was generally fun, though relatively uneventful. Book reviews, a look at the Veepstakes, and a post about the family reunion I'm at now to follow.

Photo of the Week 4

Every week, I select a photo from my Flickr account. This photo was taken on Isle au Haut, ME.

Kung Fu Panda Review

My Rating: * * * .5 (3.5)

Rotten Tomatoes: 87%

Despite the poor review in our local newspaper (* * .5) and mediocre reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, I went to see the movie at the request of my sister. Nonetheless, the graphics were amazing, and the story line, though a bit lacking, was strong enough to make the film congeal and enjoyable. For its great graphics and cohesive and enjoyable plot, I'm giving it 3.5 stars.

Signs of Summer's Arrival

* I suddenly have a lot of spare time--and nothing to do with it.
* Highs--and afternoon temperatures--are in the high 90s and low 100s consistently.
* Thunderstorms are a daily ritual.
* No more primaries...
* I'm doing community service with my school's outdoor program--primarily belaying on the Alpine Tower.
* Sunburn
* I have WAY more time to read.

Photo of the Week 3

Every week, I select a photo from my Flickr account. This photo was taken at the Jamestown Settlement.

Dem Primaries Analysis

First of all, sorry for the utter lack of posts of late; my computer has all but died, and I've been consumed with, well, summer. There isn't too much analysis to be done on the Dems' last three primaries... Barack sealed the deal and is up against McCain for the general. Clinton will be dropping out officially on Saturday. Following this long and drawn out race has been great fun for me and has morphed me, somewhat, into a political junkie. I know, though, that all involved are looking forward to a break, however short. Until then, my analyses are on hiatus.

Photo of the Week #2

The second installment in a series of my favorite photos each week from my Flickr account.

Daily Wrap-Up - An... Odd Day

First a bit of background. My commencement activities were held yesterday, and the foreign exchange student we're hosting was graduating. As a result, her dad is in town, so today we wanted to give him a brief tour of the city. One of the stops we made was Finlay Park, which holds a great view of the Columbia skyline, depicted in my Photo of the Week from last week. As we were walking to the fountain, we saw a man open a car door, retrieve a bag of some sort, and walk off, as the car alarm continued to go off. He continued to walk off without so much as looking back, a suspicious sign to say the least. My dad and I had remembered seeing a police car at the top of a hill, so he ran to report the now-suspected crime. The man has caught and apprehended. Because the police had a eyewitness account, the theft was categorized as a felony, auto theft, rather than a misdemeanor. It was an... interesting experience.

SUMMER!

With today's two exams, summer vacation is FINALLY here. Tomorrow is the school's commencement, where I'll be ushering and the foreign exchange student we're hosting is graduating. It's about time for a break, and the timing is just about impeccable.
Generic beach, from Beachtown
Press

Happy Memorial Day!

Memorial Day '08 outlook: Studying for exams. On deck for Tuesday: English 9 and Spanish 1. What a waste of a memorial day.

Vietnam Memorial from my Flickr account

Photo of the Week 1

Here's a new weekly feature: Each Saturday, I'll pick one picture from my Flickr account. I'll try to post each Saturday, but I won't make promises.



Columbia's skyline, as seen from Finlay Park.

TI$A Video Supporting Obama

This makes me laugh every time.

KY/OR Analysis

The race has continued on despite Clinton's fading chances. Finally, after last night, I think we can finally say that the race's denoument has officially begun. Obama took a thumping in Kentucky, but still netted ~14 delegates. Oregon went strongly Obama, adding more fuel to the fire that is the Clinton campaign. Obama is now within 70 delegates of outright victory and has clinched the pledged delegate majority. If the race wasn't decided before last night, it certainly is now.

McCain Smacked Down

... by Brave New Films, using his own words.

PES (Pre-Exam Stress) Wrap-Up

First of all, a definition of PES: it's an acronym I came up with last semester, meaning Pre-Exam Stress. i.e. Teachers cram remaining material into the few weeks preceding exam week. Finally, this Friday essentially marks the end of the material-cramming period. I'm going to be utilizing this weekend as a sort of stress detox after this week-of-weeks, which has been riddled with projects and presentations and tests and quizzes and whatever else you can think of. Oh, how happy I am that it's over!

WV Analysis

First of all, let me apologize for neglecting to write up my WV predictions. Nonetheless, Clinton won a landslide victory, winning by 41%. While this is an impressive margin, it isn't enough, especially in a state with such demographics as W. Virginia. Just after the NC/IN primaries, before the stream of superdelegates to Obama, the math determined that, in order to tie Obama in delegates, Clinton would need to win 70%of the remaining delegates, including the supers. West Virginia's demographics are fertile teritory for Clinton, likely the best she'll see in the rest of the race. She won 67% of the vote, which is just shy of the 70% threshold and far from being enough to combat Obama's superdelegate stream. Clinton performed very, very well in WV, but it wasn't enough, and the race continues to be over.

The Facebook-less Experiment Wrap-Up

If anything, this experiment, which I had intended to last for 1 week, showed me what a hopeless Facebook-addict I am. The experiment lasted all of 20 hours before I could no longer bear my need to procrastinate. Sigh.

ANOTHER Reuters Mistake

TORONTO (Reuters) - An attendant at a Canadian restaurant who was sacked for giving a bite-sized doughnut, worth 16 cents, to an agitated toddler was given her job back on Thursday after the case received wide media attention.

Nicole Lilliman, a single mother, said she was dismissed from a London, Ontario, outlet of the Tim Hortons coffee and doughnut chain after video cameras captured the 27-year-old giving a Timbit to a toddler.

Problem: Unnecessary comma usage

The full story at Reuters Oddly Enough.

Iraq War Analogy

Here's an analogy I came up with earlier today, with an addendum from a friend of mine.

"It's like a game at the fair... you can't win, but you keep throwing more and more money at it."

Addendem: We even have creepy old white dudes telling us that eventually we'll win something shiny and worthwhile."

Pretty much nails it on the head, IMO.

IN/NC Analysis

The smoke has lifted from last night, and the results are nothing short of stunning. Obama won North Carolina by 14%. I predicted Obama by 10%. Obama also nearly scored an upset in Indiana, where Clinton eked out a mere 2% win. The Democrats are beginning to rally around Obama, with 3 new superdelegate endorsements today, including one switchover from the Clinton side. Clinton is also short on cash, and yesterday is doing nothing to help her disposition. Just for a little ego padding, I predicted a McCain/Obama matchup in late February.

IN/NC Predictions

Indiana: The polls are inconclusive; the state seems to be up in the air for either candidate to snatch (Just think of Indiana as a tip-off in basketball, Obama!). The state's blue collar workers will propel Clinton to a 5% victory.

North Carolina: Here, the polls are far more conclusive and show Obama grasp on the state. Despite Clinton's headway in the polls, I'm predicting Obama by 10%.

Obama will come out delegate-wise overall and will be just a tad closer to clinching the nomination.

The Facebook-less Experiment

I'll admit it. I spend waaaay too much time on Facebook, and every week I lose hours of productivity. So, until Sunday, May 11, I will not go onto the Facebook website. I'm curious as to how much more I'll get done, how much more sleep (yes, lost sleep!) I'll get, etc. I'll try to post a little update every once and a while. Here's hoping for no withdrawl headaches!

The Corridor of Shame (Editorial)

This letter was published on November 30th, 2007 in The State newspaper:

We live in an age where all Americans are expected to be given a “minimally adequate” education in “minimally adequate” facilities. The state, however, has fallen short of these already low standards in the Corridor of Shame, along I-95, where students are expected to learn in conditions that can be at best described as horrendous.
These students are expected to learn in buildings over 100 years old with dated materials, a 33% teacher turnover rate, all the while coping with their communities’ poverty. How can this country’s future be educated with textbooks that state that, “Someday, man will land on the moon?” How can these students score well on standardized tests when they are lacking in the basics, such as reading? These are conditions that simply cannot and should not be tolerated by the state.
I call upon the citizens of this state to write their elected officials. I push the state legislators and the governor to act upon this outcry and take immediate action to put an end to these egregious conditions.
Will no child be left behind, or will this become another issue for my generation to cope with?

More information about the Corridor of Shame.

PA/Guam Analysis

Sorry. I forgot to do PA analysis before now, and I also forgot to write up my Guam predictions (Obama by 10%).

PA: Nothing changes. Clinton was predicted to win by 10% or so, so a victory by 9.4% doesn't come as any suprise.

Guam: Again, nothing changes. A victory by 7 votes means very, very little.

Loss

Despite my opponent's lack of campaigning and my seemingly-endless campaigning, which brought me to a run-off election, I lost today's run-off. Most of my class confronted me to say that they thought I has the superior speech, and I was the only of my five opponents to have stickers and/or campaign signs. Nonetheless, once I saw the results, I found the other contender to say: "They posted the results. You won. Congratulations." As if the bitter taste of defeat wasn't bad enough, she replied, saying: "Really?! Oh my goodness! Please, turn around, so I don't laugh to your face" (Italics for emphasis). As a consolation, at least, many sophomores, juniors, and seniors, with whom I'm friends, who all told me that they'd have voted for me, were they freshmen. Alas, the popluarity contest lives on.

Run-Off!

Perhaps one of the most annoying rules for the election that was held today is that of the run-off. In order to win, you must clinch more than 50% of the vote. Well, with 5 people running, the 50% threshold is all but impossible to reach. Tomorrow I'm in a run-off with a person who carry the popularity vote. I suppose my school has lost sight of Jacksonian Democracy...

Thoughts on Failure

My day was going all too well today... until about 1:40 PM. It was then when I was given back a quiz on Le Morte D'Arthur. Well, despite the fact that I read the whole book, as well as a plethora of Spark Notes-style synopses and theme analyses, I managed to bomb the quiz, with a 35/55, or 64%, which is one point below the D/F threshold. This is literally the first time I've failed a test or quiz. Luckily, quizzes only count for 25% of my quarter average, which will now fall to a 90%. At least I didn't bomb it completely.

Opinion/Rant (Urbanity)

NOTE: My English teacher requires us to write in a flowery manner, and I wrote this piece for his class, so it's a bit more flowery than I'd like. Nonetheless, here's the piece:

One lone oak tree, a sign of the past, stands alone in a land of urbanity. Its weathered, gnarled branches speak of the ages through which it has lived. Its trunk is short and stout, the primary support of its limbs and branches, all that hold the tender signs of its life, leaves and the buds of flowers, that hope to be nurtured and produce the seed that will fall to the asphalt ground, only to be crushed by the careless feet of people, thinking nothing of the life that it could be. Hundreds of years ago it was but an acorn as well, one of many acorns that rained from the sky of oak canopies, part of a prospering forest, before man’s cruel, unrelenting destruction ruined it all, leaving only one lone oak tree to remember it by.

Kings Mountain Campout Chronicle

Here's a new sort of post: a sort of travel blogging, only about hiking and camping. On Friday, April 18, my troop left, without me, to Kings Mountain State Park [I was at the Honor Forum at Porter-Gaud School, in Charleston, SC (I serve on my school's Honor Council)]. I woke up at about 6:30 AM, and by about 7:15 my dad and I were on the road. We arrived at the trailhead at 9:00 and were hiking, with the troop, at 9:15. The views along the 11 miles of the trail we hiked that day, which encompassed both Kings Mountain State Park and Kings Mountain Military Park, were, at least in some parts, stunning. Unfortunately, I didn't bring a camera, although I now think the extra weight woul have been well worth it. We finally arrived at the campsite at about 4. The campsite was just past the state park/national park boundary, so the sight of the boundary line could be described as ecstastic. We set up camp, and our hunger soon found us, and a friend of I took a walk about .35 miles each way to the nearest stream to gather and purify some water to boil and cook with. We soon were eating some backpacking food (in my case Chicken Teriyaki from Mountain House.) and sitting around the fire. Sitting by the fire consisted of most of the next few hours (plus skipping rocks at the stream and a short-lived game of Sardines). On Sunday, we were up and, after some more water collection, were on the trail to hike the 5 miles necessary to complete the 16-mile circuitous trail. We eventually made it as rain began to fall (rain was on-and-off throughout the hikes and the night), and a thunderstorm converged upon us. We then proceeded to drive to the Military Park's Visitors' Center/Museum, learned about the history of the site, and chatted with the reenactors. Hunger, once again, became an unbearable force that led us to a Wendy's restaurant near Rock Hill, SC. While the rest of the troop devoured burgers, fries, etc., I sat next to them eating an Odwalla bar, having given up fast food after reading Fast Food Nation. And now I find myself here, a day afterwards, sore beyond belief. Looking forward to next time!

Here's the campout in pictoral form:

The brown line is the trail we took. The red circle is the general area where we slept.

Pennsylvania Predictions

As suggested by the polls and the pundits, Clinton will win Pennsylvania, but the thing to watch is the margin. I'm predicting that Clinton will win by 3-4%, and will net very few delegates. The polls don't seem to reflect the remarkable voter turnout, which supports Obama strongly. While I doubt he'll win, this article makes a good argument. Results and analysis tomorrow.

Thoughts on an Election and the Year Forthcoming

No, not the primaries! I spent what seemed like at least an hour lying in the hammock this afternoon, thinking about my workload for next year (Classes: AP European History, Honors Biology, Honors PreCalculus, English 10, Latin III, Spanish II; Extracuriculars: Key Club Historian, Honor Council Member...) and considering running for a class office. I eventually decided to run for Sophomore Class Treasurer. As of yet, I'm running unopposed, but I've begun politicking, primarily by identifying likely votes, how many are likely to vote for me, and starting a Facebook group. We'll see how it plays out.

The Superdelegate Gap

Clinton now leads Obama by only 19 superdelegates according to The Politico. Wow.

South Carolina's Unconstitutional Clause

I recently stumbled upon a clause in the South Carolina Constution that can be desctibed only as unconstitutional. Thus, I started a petition, which is located here. Please take a moment to sign this petition and send a message to the South Carolinian government!

Podcacher: A great podcast about geocaching

While I imagine most of you all are Podcacher listeners, I thought I'd plug their great, weekly podcast about geocaching. The quality is amazing, the content even more so. Check them out at podcacher.com.

A Nonsensical Ad

This ad prefixes video content on The Politico.

Issues with this ad:
-"Hi, my name's TJ. I'm in the seventh grade…I like virtual games, but there's rules to stay safe, like you can't say your name." Well, ignoring the grammatical mistake ("there's rules…"), TJ just gave us an internet safety tip: don't say your name; thanks TJ!
-The ending shot states: "The Cox Family is net safe." Ok. So now we know that TJ Cox is a seventh grader, who enjoys virtual games and, apparently, lacrosse. Nice job! The Cox family is not as net safe as previously thought...

Why Students Hate Textbooks...

In addition to the obvious, I found this quip in my World History textbook: "In spite of the problems of students studying too much—or sometimes too little—medieval universities brought prestige and profit to the cities in which they were located."

What?! I guess appealing to teachers is always a good idea when they control which books their students buy...

UPDATE: Banks can, in fact, spell

I stand corrected; lollypop is, in fact, a valid spelling for the candy.

CNN Ticker Mistake

(Blurry, sorry)

Text: "...apologized for to its customers for the airline's..."

Correction: "...apologized to its customers for the airline's..."

Reuters Error

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton may be the Democrat who Republicans love to hate, but some Republican strategists say they have no fear of a match-up with her rival Barack Obama in November's presidential election. ..."

Text: ... may be the Democrat who Republicans love to hate ...

Corrected: ... may be the Democrat whom Republicans love to hate ...

Link: Reuters

Reuters Error

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton may be the Democrat who Republicans love to hate, but some Republican strategists say they have no fear of a match-up with her rival Barack Obama in November's presidential election. ..."

Text: ... may be the Democrat who Republicans love to hate ...

Corrected: ... may be the Democrat whom Republicans love to hate ...

Link: Reuters

Church Sign Error

Text: "I assend to my father and your father and my god and your god Mark 20:17 / Celebrate Jesus!"

Correction: "I ascend to my father and your father and my god and your god Mark 20:17 / Celebrate Jesus!"

Location: Church, Columbia, SC.

Banks' Expertise are Numbers, Not Words

Text: Lollypops

Corrected: Lollipops

Location: First National Bank of the South, Columbia, SC

UPDATED

Cake Misspelling

Text: "Happy birtday Mrs. Brook"

Correction: "Happy birthday Mrs. Brook"

Location: Cake, Columbia, SC.

Nationally Branded Mistake

Text: "Cremey Curl Honey Bun"

Correction: "Creamy Curl Honey Bun"

Location: Gas Station

Websites: UPC Search, Company Website.

Bi-Lo UScan Note

Text: "Please do not remove items from scale until finish order."

Corrected: "Please do not remove items from scale until you have finished your order.

Location: UScan aisle in Columbia, SC Bi-Lo.

Welcome!

13.7 Billion Years ago a tiny speck of mass exploded, creating the universe in which we live. Where do we stand today? This is the personal blog of a high school student in Columbia, SC and contains his opinions on society, etc., grammatical and spelling mistakes found primarily in Columbia, political predictions and analyses, reviews, and whatever other whims come to mind—essentially a perspective of where we stand as a society.