I'm Sorry that I abandoned you all

I'm sorry guys. I was so excited because I'd been doing really well in keeing up with my posting, but there comes that week of your senior year when teachers decide they want you to remain in interested in school, even though you're already in college and you stopped caring a while ago. Oh, but last night was the ATL concert, and it was actually one of the best concerts I've even been to, and I've been to a couple. The environment was great, and I got to go crowd surfing... twice. It was so much fun, and it was truly amazing. The Summer Set ended on my favorite song by them, and they're just fantastic-I was just bummed my best friend wasn't there to see it with me. Hey Monday was fantastic, and Cassidy Pope has an incredible voice, and she kind of remind me of LIGHTS with the way that she talks on stage. Yellowcard was great, and they performed this song for a girl who died a few months ago because her friends were going to be there. All Time Low... was just amazing. They got up on stage and they told jokes and had bras thrown at the them, and it was literally so fun to just be in the audience to watch them perform because they're so fantastic live with a great stage presence that you don't really see in that many bands as a combination. I know it's a saturday, but I have to make up for my lack of posting over the week, so I'll just give you a really long list of songs to keep you all occupied.
ALL TIME LOW-Keep the Change, You Filthy Animal
THE SUMMER SET-Someone Like You
YELLOWCARD-View From Heaven
HEY MONDAY-Wondergirl
MAYDAY PARADE-Ocean and Atltanic
LIGHTS-Second Go
BOYS LIKE GIRLS-Kill Me in a Record Shop
A ROCKET TO THE MOON-Give a Damn
THE MAINE-Girls Do What They Want
COBRA STARSHIP-Hot Mess

Also, book review! The "39 Clues" Series. Really good. I just started it, but it's a bunch of different authors and they're working on a series. Yes, it's for children, but how many of us read the Percy Jackson books, or the Harry Potter books? Yeah, exactly. It's historical fiction, really well researched, and the story line in fantastic. Plus, it comes with trading cards, and you can work online with it.

Album Review! Nicki Minaj's "Pink Friday". She's amazing, the album is an amazing collaboration with Young Money and a bunch of other artists, like Natasha Bedingfield, Eminem, Drake, and others. It's amazing, and songs to listen to off of it (in case you don't like her that much) are Last Chance (ft. Natasha Bedingfield), Roman's Revenge(ft. Eminem), and Fly(ft Rihanna). Next week will be Natasha Bedingfield's Album- Strip Me.

AND SO DAWNS A NEW ERA

Yes, I did get that from Lord of the Rings, but you know.... Nah, you probably don't.
Today's rant topic on politics is.... THE FEDERAL BUDGET. Yes, it's controversial, but that's because we can't cut things, like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. We also can't cut from the 748 BILLION dollars that was requested for the 2012 budget... yes, that's right. 748 BILLION. That's the equivalent of what we pay in Social Security.... Yeah, now I know you're all thinking "Why do we need this much money to go into defense? We aren't even being attacked!" And I would have to agree with you. None of this money is going to pay veterans benefits or their salaries-they're only proposed to have 125 billion dollars. Oh yeah, have I mentioned that in next years budget, we have a 1.5 TRILLION dollar defecit? Yeah, we're in the trillions now. These are all legit numbers, for the record. They come from the US Census Bureau, so I'm not making them up. Oh, by the way, if you aren't asking the aforementioned question, then you really shouldn't be reading my blog, because it's probably not "corrupt" enough for you. Jon Stewart says that we should look at our parties as corrupt and not corrupt, rather than liberal and conservative. We talked about this in my... HONORS ECONOMICS class, which I know I've been coming back to a lot, and I'm sorry, but it's truly a fun class. I really like it.
Back on topic though. Yeah, the way my group decided we should cut things-300 from social security (I know you can't actually cut from that), 300 from defense, 74 from medicare(again, I know) 25 from medicaid, and then scattered amount down, but we cut none from disaster relief and education, but you all should be aware of my feelings on education cuts by now, especially because I keep coming back to that, and I will until our education system is treated the way it should be-taken as seriously as defense and medicare, and the other top spenders of our government's money. But, our problem was, we were still short. Since we couldn't bring ourselves to cut from veterans benefits, or cut more than the 300 billion dollars we were already cutting from defense, we raised taxes. Yes, go ahead-complain. But, we really only taxed the top 1% of the population. For every 1% that we taxed them, we received 16 billion dollars... so we raised their taxes from 23% to 35%... bringing us all the money that we needed to "balance" the federal budget. Yes, I understand that may seem like a lot, and it probably is, but all the programs that we didn't cut from (which is only disaster relief with 11 billion and education with 71 billion-from a federal level) really wouldn't have given us enough, so we still would have had to increase taxes, or cut from our defense spending, and since one of the guys in our group was really for not cutting, we really didn't want to get into a debate about it, since that would have been obnoxious, and a serious time waster.
I may not have the same opinions, but I do make a valid point with what we cut. Most of our defense money is going into funding our allies, but we still haven't received all the money back that we invested during World War 2 under FDR's lend-and-lease program.... and if we were to actually collect and call on that... it might be enough to help us get out of the trillions of debt... yeah, really.

So I'll post more on politics on Thursday, and tomorrow.... is a book review day. I'll think of something.... who knows? Maybe I'll review Twilight, but rip it to shreds is more apropos.

SIGNING OFF-The music fanatic.

Sorry about that guys

So, along with some of the changes that I've decided to make, I'm only going to post on the weekdays, simply because my weekends are starting to get hectic. So, here's the new schedule:
Mondays-Rant about my life (or the story of my life... whatever you wanna call it)
Tuesdays-Rant about political stuff
Wednesdays-BOOK REVIEWS
Thursdays-Political Rant
Fridays-Album Reviews
I think that sounds fair, don't you? I'm not trying to overwork myself here, or make people check back every day for a rant, so this way, people who actually read this can give me feedback on a certain album, or any books, or political stuff and I have time to research it, and you can check back. I'll probably even post what I'm going to review for the next week. I'll try and vary things up a little, but some suggestions are always (as usual) much appreciated.
So, for today, I just wanted to say hi, and I'll start the "story of my life" next week.

EXTRA NOTE:I recently watched a video on someone's blog (if you wanna check it out, I recommend it-http://konradjuengling.blogspot.com/) about a gay man who stood up and "opposed" being impartial on a jury. He's pretty freaking awesome, and I totally agree with him because he stood up for what he believes in, and that's what I told you all to do on Friday.

I can break the chains that bind you

Metaphorically of course. I'm not actually that strong. So... I was wrong last night. It didn't happen, and so now I'm sad. I think that I should really just give up on BONES at this point, but we all know that isn't going to happen. I'm too obsessed, because now there's a promise that it's going to happen, and I can't just leave it at that. But I've picked up a new show, that's only just starting, so I would recommend picking it up now. It's called "Fairly Legal" and it's on USA. It's really fantastic, and the characters themselves get developed well within the first few episodes. Pretty much what I'm saying... start watching before there's too much for you to get caught up on. Today, I'm going to skip the rant, simply because I'm going to change things up a bit. I'll rant on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but every other day of the week, I'll tell you about my life. So that it's not overly redundant.

MUSIC:
Family Tree-MATTHEW WEST
Raised on Black and Tans-GAELIC STORM(in honor of yesterday)
Power(ft. Dwele)-KAYNE WEST

Top of the Morning to ya!

Yes, I am aware that it's not the morning, but even still, happy St. Patrick's Day! I have nothing against this "holiday" because it's not actually a holiday-it's really cultural diffusion at it's finest... and a grand excuse to party on a weekday and not get in trouble for it. Oh, I just wanted to apologize for not posting yesterday, but I didn't have anything to rant about, and I also got addicted to this game called "Entanglement", which I'm actually still playing... it's kind of pathetic actually.I've also been jamming out to the original songs that they did on GLEE this past week, because they were just phenomenal.
Oh, and Thursday is my favorite day of the week. Yeah, that sounds weird, I'm aware, but I have a valid reason. One of the webcomics I read, Looking for Group is updated on Thursday, and BONES comes out tonight. And I'm calling it-this week it's gonna happen. IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. I think it's going to every week, but this week-I'm positive about this one.

ANYWAYS, for a rant, I think today I'm going to talk about... myself. I'm going to give anyone that actually reads this a good insight as to what I'm thinking half the time... and yes, I can only tell you about half the time, because the other half of the time, I have no idea what I'm thinking, or I'm too lazy to even think.
For starters, I think about education, and how we can use it to better our future. I think about my friends and what I can do to make sure that they aren't mad, or upset, or frustrated, or stressed. I think about people who are less fortunate than I am, and I think of how grateful I am to be where I am. I think of justice, and how rarely it's actually served. I think of the past, because the past is a key to unlocking the future. I think of the present, because it's just that-a present. I think of the future, because it's what we all strive for-a better one. I think of the way that we should do things-quickly, effectively, and calmly. I think of all that I can be, what I can do, and how I can make a difference. I spent a weekend arguing a case, and listening to ideas that could change the world if people bothered to listen to logic. I think rationally, and I think irrationally when I don't care, or when I'm upset, and most of all? I think about how much better the world could be if there was no war, and there was no sorrow.  I know it sounds cliched, but it's true. There's so much that my generation has the potential to do, and there's so much that we aren't able to because we aren't listened to until it's too late. The 1960's and 70's were periods of change that was mostly for the better, and it was because the youth of the nation was able to band together and petition. There's too much wrong with division of the masses, and separation for one reason or another that it could be hundreds of years before we're even given the opportunity to get together again and show the world what the youth can do, and all that we can be. My weekend was spent listening to bills about how to advance welfare, and how to protect the integrity of the education system, and I spent it in the nation's capitol. From the Youth and Government Program of New York State, 55 proposed bills were then passed by the actual New York State government, and then 15 are now federal laws and regulations. Democracy is learned by each generation, but if these great ideas are stifled, how can we move ahead and change what needs to be changed?
The world is a complicated place because we make it that way. There are so many ways to make life easier for ourselves, and not even just because of technology. If we took advantage of services and help provided to us, and we gave back what we needed, then life could be the way the it should be-simple.

MUSIC:
ALL TIME LOW-Poison
FOREVER THE SICKEST KIDS-Keep on Bringing Me Down

As the Cold Dark Winter Comes... and then goes

So, my school has officially gotten more classy. We have an unofficial smut list. For those of you who don't know what a smut is, it's basically a slut, but at the same time, it's a different classification of porn that really objectifies women. Thankfully, I am not on said smut list, and I'm very grateful for that. But this? This is a clear example of bullying that I was talking about. It's wrong, and within the past week, there have been 152 hits about it, but within the pasurs, there were 2 articles written, and those were only about bullying as a whole. We fail to realize that cyber bullying can be just as hurtful to those being bullied. That facebook status that says "The girl you just called fat? She's been starving herself and has lost over 30 lbs. The boy you just called stupid? He has a learning disability and studies over 4 hrs a night. The girl you just called ugly? She spends hours putting makeup on hoping people will like her. The boy you just tripped? He's abused enough at home. Post this as your status if you're against bullying." only really references bullying that everyone can be aware of, but you have cyber bullying as well, which causes just as much damage-if not more. I've looked up some statistics for you.

• One in four children is bullied, usually by peers at school, and it's usually verbal bullying.
• 77% of all students are bullied, and of that 77%, 14% admit to having a lot of psychological scarring because of it.
• One in every five kids admits to doing some kind of bullying.
• Every 7 minutes, a child is bullied. Adult intervention occurs 4% of the time, peer intervention occurs 11% of the time, but 85% of the time, there is no intervention.
• 100,000 students will carry a gun to school each year.
• 282,000 students are violently attacked each year by their classmates.

For the record, those statistics were not made up. There are more, and if you're curious, you can go to http://www.pascack.k12.nj.us/70271919141818/lib/70271919141818/Bullying_Statistics.htm and there's more information there. The fact that only 4% of the time there's adult intervention for bullying sickens me. It's actually disgusting to know that's how faculty and adults respond so ambivalently to bullying, and the top five worst places for bullying are:

1. California
2. New York
3. Illinois (kinda random, but okay)
4. Pennsylvania 
5. Washington (state, not DC)

It's kind of sickening the facts that you can find out online about bullying and what it does, isn't it? Hazing is bullying. Everything you can think of that's rude, offensive, and mean is bullying, and 77% of all students are bullied at one point or another.... yeah, more than 3/4 for people who aren't mathematically inclined, much like myself. Teens who are bullied are more likely to become suicidal or even clinically depressed as backlash to this treatment. If you think that I'm kidding, I'm not. The "smut list" that was started at school caused a girl to leave because she was crying. She's not even a whore, and she's still a virgin. Please, explain to me how she makes it onto that list? Is it because of the boy that she dated who cheated on her? Or is it because she likes to party? I really have no idea, but the fact that people feel as though they can get away with this kind of bullshit is sickening and it's offensive. 

I'm pretty sure that I talked about bullying and suicide for being a homosexual, but even if you aren't, it's still important to know something about how drastic this is. 88% of all cyber bullying takes place on a cell phone, which is where the list started out in my school. With developments in technology, there are more and more ways to hurt another person's feelings, and many school shootings are in backlash to bullying. 

Yeah, so I just wanted to let you guys know about that, and my music for today is:

HEY MONDAY-Candles

KAYNE WEST-Power

TEMPER TRAP-Sweet Disposition

I've got friends in high and low places?

So, I just started listening to the band Forever the Sickest Kids. The album "Underdog Alma Matter" is really good. There's a lot of things that I've started doing. For one, I re-read all of the older posts I've written, and I'm so happy that I've gotten older and can appreciate how silly I was back then. Also, I wanted to let you know that at my conference this past weekend, I won my case, I made judicial exemplar, and I was the best attorney in my courtroom of about 40 people, so I'm pretty happy. I also got accepted into Bowling Green State University in Ohio, so that's two schools so far that I've been accepted to.
I also noted this morning when I checked my blog that I have more followers. Who knows how often you guys are going to check this, but hey, it makes me feel better about myself, so if you want to tell your friends, go ahead. I'll keep writing anyways.
Today, I'm going to talk to you about something that's kind of big in the news. Education. I know that I've started to talk about education, but it's really important to me. Democracy needs to be learned by each generation. Every one should know the way that our government works, because one day, it will be ours. We will be the ones ruling for our various counties, states, and our "great" nation. If our nation were truly great, then every child would follow the news, and be defining people as "children", I'm using the federal definition under social security, which is 20. Every child would know who was representing them, and not just who the 7 members of the Jersey Shore house. I'll admit, I follow celebrity gossip almost as much as every other teenager, and I love to party and hang out, but if we aren't taught these things from a young age, then how are we supposed to grow into what would be a perfect democracy? Every morning in school, we say the pledge of alligence, and our youth are never taught what it means. Every day, we go to school, and we learn, but it's what a curriculum or a state wants us to know, never what should be taught. History is controlled by the victor, the modern English language is full of colloquialisms that others wouldn't understand, and some schools don't even give children the opportunity to study a foriegn language. Language determines the way we think. In Europe, they think "I have hunger", not "I am hungry". Some languages don't acknowledge the past as a tense. If we, as a nation don't step up in our children's education, then we doom our future. The children of today control not only the outcome of any problems, but also the amount of money that we can decrease from the deficit, and, the amount of money that we eventually will take back from social security. Having spent my entire weekend in the New York State Capitol, Albany, I learned a few things, and I plan on following everything that I possibly can. WE are the change, not the people who sit in congress and try to determine what's best for us. WE have a voice, and we don't utilize it nearly enough. WE are the future, and the future can always be changed. WE are citizens as well, so we should have a say. And lastly, EVERYONE controls the fate of the world, not just the senate, not just congress, not just the president, but EVERYONE in our "great" nation. I'm not asking to be elected to office, or to even start a cult. All I ask of anyone whose read this, take it to heart. We can control the future and lean things in OUR direction, make things go OUR way, and even try and fix problems going on in our own country, because there are so many more than we're even made aware of. By embracing these challenges, I propose to you, today, or whenever you read this, that you go out, you do research, and you come up with a way to change the way that our country runs. You can write a bill, just as much as any senator, and you can be the change that you wish to see in the world. My words may inspire you, and they may anger you. They may make you laugh at how stupid you think I am, or they may cause you to think. All I ask is that you don't remain indifferent, because indifference is a curse that we must not bear.

Again, all I ask is that you take what I just said to heart, but I'll give you the music now.
FOREVER THE SICKEST KIDS-Woah Oh!(ft. Selena Gomez)
A ROCKET TO THE MOON-Mistakes I Haven't Made
FOREVER THE SICKEST KIDS-Men in Black
WE THE KINGS-A Life, A Love, A Lie

Getting There

I still don't know where I'm going, but as Pitbull says in the "Tik Tok" remix-If you don't know where you're from then you don't know where you're going, but I'm so lit, I don't know where I'm at, where I'm from or where I'm going. uh... today I'm too lazy, but I got the pink out of my hair, and I have to go shopping tomorrow for business wear, so that I look presentable for the youth and government conference this weekend, where I'll be arguing all weekend, with my partner. WAAAAAY too lazy to rant today.

MUSIC:
Crushed and Created-Caityln Smith
Waking Up-OneRepublic
Everyday-Toby Lightman
Arizona-Hey Monday

Peace out.

Sometimes...

As a teenager, I've learned that we question everything, whether we want to or not. Parents may get upset, but it's a natural part of cognitive development. If you ever talk to an atheist, like myself, and ask them when they "converted", many people our age will say 7th or 8th grade. If your parents ask, which, we all know they will, you now have a valid excuse. According to my psychology textbook, "Psychology and Life", children go through four periods of cognitive growth. I'm pretty sure that I covered part of it a while back. In the 4th stage, known as the formal operational stage, children begin to question everything going on in the world, like their sense of faith, justice, and even what they think of their parents. This gives you the excuse to question them. Oh, by the way-you're still in this stage of formal operations. From the time that we're 12 all the way into death, we're in this stage. While there are other stages of thought as well, we can also go through Maslow's hierarchy of needs too-which puts us teenagers normally within the 3rd level (or, for those of us who aren't actual psychologists, attachment) or on the 4th level(which is pretty much the need for education and learning.) Psychological development is important, and a lot of the time, it has to do with what we as individuals feel.

I feel almost like that was a rant enough.... So, I'm gonna leave it at that's for now, and we can ponder philosophy later. I just have one question- If given the choice between education and military, which do you choose? By the way, there's no in between.

MUSIC

1. Can't Find the Words-Karina
2. Passion for Publication-Anarbor
3. Face Up-LIGHTS
4. Leaving-The Starting Line
5. All These Things That I've Done-The Killers

My bed feels...

You know that feeling when you get home from a trip where you're forced to stay overnight, and then your bed feels really nice? Yeah, story of my life, especially this month, considering that I'll be running from place to place. I mean, I literally just got back from Washington DC (yes, I missed school. It's okay-you all have my permission to call me a lucky bitch. I won't get mad, I promise.)Friday, I leave for Albany, where I'll be at a conference all weekend, next weekend, I'm spending with my cousins for St. Patrick's Day. Us Irish folks have to go and party together that week. And then the following week is that All Time Low Concert! SO PUMPED!
Anyone who isn't a senior, here's my advice-COLLEGE SHIT SUCKS! Make sure you do as much of it as you can, whenever you can. It's a huge pain in the ass, and apply to colleges that waive your fee, so that you save a shit ton of money. This is also a segue into my topic for... the remaining hour and 17 minutes of the day.
EDUCATION. We need it, or so we're made to believe. We hear stories of people like Mark Zuckerberg, or those two guys who invented Google, and how they didn't finish college. We hear stories about millionaires of the past, and by the past I mean people such as Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Nobel. There are plenty of them, but how did they get where they are? We're currently in a pretty shitty economic state right now, where everything is ultra-competitive, and the more education you have, the better, right? But if the United States entered one period of development thinking that if they worked hard, they would do well, why can't we see it like that again? If you think about it, Bill Gates got lucky. Half of the richest people in the world for inventions did exactly the same thing-got lucky. I don't mean they scored with women (or men, depending), I mean just what I said-they got lucky. They were in the right place at the right time, or they came up with the right thing-at the right time. If today's "right thing" involves more education (which at this point, looks like it's in the field of nanotechnology-which you need a lot of education for), then that "American Dream" from so long ago seems pointless.
I know that it must get pretty boring to anyone reading this (if people actually do) that I constantly reference history, but there are parallels. There's a book out called "Are We Rome?" (I haven't actually read it), but it's comparing the fall of the Roman empire to the fall of the United States as a world power. While the United States has only technically been a world power since we defeated the Spanish in the Spanish-American war in the 1890's, with the help of President Theodore Roosevelt, who led the country through one of the greatest periods of change ever. (If you're curious, go look up the his anti-trust laws, his support for the muckrakers, as well as his founding of the national parks-Yellowstone being the first... at least, I think so....) But note, about 15 years after Teddy's plans are put into action, and there's all this growth, we enter the great depression, in October of 1929. The 80's and 90's were great periods of change and economic growth, and look, 15 years later.... we're in a recession. Please, I can see parallels here, and I'm a 17 year old girl. You really can't argue with my logic there.
I just wanted to point out that history repeats itself, and education can be really beneficial, but there are some fields that it isn't necessary for, but you have to have the talent... as well as the drive in order to make sure that you can accomplish whatever it is without the education that makes our society so competitive. I'm sorry for the late post (as well as abandoning you all this weekend.... I had a good entry planned out about the history of Mardi Gras, but I'll save that for next year now)
I'm also going to bail on the music for tonight, simply because I'm tired, and I didn't actually find any good songs this weekend.... I'll leave you with one-not for small children of course. "L.G. F.U.A.D" by Motion City Soundtrack. Enjoy!

Just as I start to get it

Tomorrow, I leave for Washington DC on the Orchestra trip through my school (I'm not even close to being good enough to be in a professional orchestra), and I won't have access to my laptop until Tuesday... which is kind of a bummer, because now, I can't read my favorite web comic, Least I Could Do. Written by Ryan Sohmer and Lar Desouza, it's one of the funniest things that I know. I mean, it's not appropriate for people who are... younger or don't have a perverse sense of humor (like I do) then it isn't interesting. It's also one of those things that you have to read from the beginning.

BUT-Today I plan on skipping my rant, mainly because it's late and I have to be up at 5:20 and out of the house... 20 minutes later. If you have the time, head over to Netflix and watch a tv show called "The Guild". It'll take maybe 2 hours out of your life, and it's really funny.

No music today either. I'm just way to tired (which I understand that it's weird for me, but again, 5 in the morning... not so appealing to a 17 year old...)

All My Life

Yes, starting to go "mainstream" here, but I couldn't help myself. That damn song is so freaking catchy. I mean, it's almost obnoxiously catchy. But, hey, what the hell, right? (pun totally intended.) So.... I haven't done any book reviews in a while, so I'm thinking that I should (though, hopefully, they won't sound as childish as the ones that I wrote last year, because I sound like an 11 year old... which is not acceptable). So, for today, we're going to start off with...

1. I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore. It was a really good book that I enjoyed on a 7 hour car ride back from Canada. From what I've heard, it's really pretty similar to the movie, but they changed some stuff, but that's almost to be expected. No one can stay on perfectly. The book moved pretty quickly, once John (Number Four) begins to develop his legacies (the powers that he gets for being from the planet Lorien) and once he starts dating Sarah (Diana Agron's character). It's an enjoyable book, full of both intrigue as well as the romantic aspect. Perfect, especially for us sci-fi chicks.

I love to read, and so today.... we're going to talk about... literacy.

Many people in the US are illiterate, and it's many more than most people are willing to believe, or even admit too. According to a survey among juveniles who were processed through the court system (federal and state), 85% of them were unable to read above a 4th grade-and that's saying that they can read at all. The critical age to teach a child to read is anytime before the 4th grade, which can be pretty hard, especially considering that when a child is in the 4th grade, that's when they start to understand logic and math, at least according to psychologist Jean Piaget, who developed cognitive development into 4 stages. 

The first stage, known as the sensorimotor stage, goes for children 0-2 years old. This is when children learn about depth perception and object permanence (when an object-or person-leaves, they know it hasn't vanished forever). 

The second stage, known as preoperational, goes for children 2-7. Children at this age are easily distracted by shiny or reflective surfaces. They are also very egotistical, but not like adults are. Children in this stage can't process that there is any other way of looking at something other than their way. According to modern psychologists, this is the age when children need to be taught how to read. 

The third stage, known as the concrete operational stage, goes for children 7-12. This is when children learn a sense of right and wrong, as well as begin to think logically.

The fourth stage, known as the formal operational stage, goes for everyone else. This is when we develop a sense of justice, and begin to question everything, from religion to school. 

According to the NAAL, or the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, one in four children grows up without knowing how to read. That's 25% of the population, an even more ridiculous number, especially when you consider that there are 310, 925, 453 people in the United States, or at least, according to the US census bureau. If you don't believe me, http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html . I make no promises that the number will still be the same when (or if) you check it, especially because it just added 7 people in the time that it took me to write this paragraph, and I type more than 65 words a minute. 

Also, please trust me-I've been doing my research, and you can look at more things related to population here: http://www.poodwaddle.com/clocks/worldclock/ , but currently, I want to get back on topic. (There's a shocker.)

But according to another source, 42 million ADULT Americans can't read. This is a topic that I hold very near and dear to my heart, especially because of the way that it impacts us, not only in the work place but also at school. Many athletes have a tendency to cheat, skating by on as much as they can. I'm not having a discussion about cheating with you (at least, not right now), but cheating is one of the ways that many athletes can get by without it. If these athletes don't read, it's not because they're stupid-it's because they can't. For one reason or another.

Another list though. MUSIC:

1. 5:19-MATT WERTZ
2. The Wanderer-MARC BROUSSARD
3. That's What She Said-FRIDAY NIGHT BOYS
4. I Don't Wanna Dance-HEY MONDAY

I hope you enjoy the 'lists' as well as my statistics. If you, or someone you know has trouble reading, don't be afraid to get help. The best way to learn is by getting an education, and help is available for you in many school districts, as well as tutors are available. 

Clearly...

No one actually reads what I have to say anymore. I'm not trying to sound desperate-maybe all of my readers left, or maybe all of you decided that I wasn't worth waiting for, but I'm trying guys. Being a second semester senior with very little on her plate has really opened up my opportunities, especially now that I'm IN college.... I'm trying to help you all, fuel your arguments against those who are uneducated, give you some good music to listen to, but I understand if you've all given up on me. Maybe I'll get lucky, and some innocent bystander will happen upon my blog, and then he'll tell one of his friends, who will tell one of her friends, and maybe (just maybe) I'll get some readers again. Until that time comes though, I'll pretty much type what I normally would.

Now, today, I plan on telling you a story. It's a story that I wrote for my ex-boyfriend (you know, that oh-so-wonderful guy I mentioned... back in July?) about a giraffe and a monkey who become best friends. This story was pretty short, and I hope anyone who eventually reads this takes the time to read it.

Our story begins on a hot and muggy summer Tuesday, because all stories should begin on a Tuesday, as it is right between the worst day of the week and "hump" day. A forest, full of old and majestic trees stands firm and proud, providing shade for Marvin, a young monkey who is alienated from all of the monkey's at the monkey school. Marvin enjoyed long walks on the forest's edge, and often enjoyed long swims in a lake, hidden from most people. On the fine Tuesday that our story begins on, Marvin walks to the lake, but does not jump in, as a lone giraffe is standing on the shore, tentatively drinking water. Marvin slowly approached the giraffe, and glanced around. "Hello?" Marvin had never seen a giraffe before. "Hello, my name is Geraldine. I'm a giraffe. What exactly are you?" Marvin looked around again and waited for a few seconds before answering. "My name is Marvin, and I'm a monkey. What are you doing at this lake?" Geraldine looked at him and waited a few seconds before responding. "One of my friends told me about it... I get picked on a lot by the other giraffes. Do you mind?" "Not at all. I get picked on by the other monkeys too, so it's alright."

That's all I really wrote, but I felt that part of it was an appropriate segue into what I wanted to address with you "readers" today-bullying. It's not just ostracizing a fellow classmate, or even a colleague, but it's when you make a person feel worse about themselves by talking about them behind their back, spreading rumors, or even being a jackass to their face. You can bully a person for all sorts of reasons, but the main reason is because a person is gay or lesbian. Back in the 1950's and 60's, it made sense because of how they were raised. Since most people my age were raised by parents were growing up during the sexual revolution, when it become more "acceptable" to be gay or lesbian, why do kids bully others? Are the close minded? Love is love is love. No matter what way you look at it, love is love.
And please, don't give me that religious bullshit, because if we followed the bible in all aspects, there would be no football, no eating shellfish, or a lot of other things that we do in today's society. If most religions consider homosexuality to be a sin, that's great for them, but since the constitution of our "fine" nation says that there will be a separation of church and state (that's religion and the government for those who don't understand), why does it matter? We aren't supposed to be controlled by a religion, because that's not what the founding fathers wanted. There are some religions where you could practice bestiality, and they don't give a shit, and since the 1st amendment gives us the freedom of religion, that means that people who are homosexuals should be allowed to do whatever the hell they want-without being bullied.
One of my best friends on the entire planet is bisexual, and there's nothing I wouldn't do for her if she asked, and even if she didn't, I would still do it. I have no problem with her :liking girls", and I would kick the ass of anyone who did, because she's just the way she used to be, only now, she openly admits that she thinks some girls are attractive. I mean, I've been told I'm bisexual, and to be honest, after many of the posts from earlier, when I mentioned how I thought Bridget Regan was incredibly sexy, I can understand why. To clarify (since we're on the topic)-I am not bisexual or lesbian. I know because I have kissed a girl before, and I have no problem admitting that. According to a survey from "Seventeen Magazine", over 40% of high school girls have thought about kissing another girl, and 67% of those 40 had. Also, between 1990 and 2000, the average age for "coming out" had dropped from 22 (when most people graduate college) to 13 (when many children are in 8th grade).
Clearly, I'm not an advocate for bullying-in any form. Cyberbullying has become a new way for people to bully others, there are many examples, like the Irish girl who committed suicide because of the way she was being treated at school as well as online by her peers, or the gay guy who committed suicide because a video was posted of him with another man. If these people are persecuted for various reasons, and no one reports it, then you too are responsible. Bring it to a counselor, and don't black out names. There's a code of confidentiality, so you won't have to worry about the whole "snitches get stitches" thing.
If you're being bullied (online or in school), or if you're contemplating suicide from being bullied-don't. You can call the National Suicide Hotline, 24 hours a day, at 1-800-273-TALK, and don't be afraid to call. If you're being bullied and want to stop it, go to counselor, or tell a teacher that you trust. Sometimes, talking it out is the best (and safest road). If you consider suicide because of bullying, remember, there are people out there who care, and I hope that you take the time to realize that before you commit suicide. 


Anyways, onto brighter topics. MUSIC

1. Send Me On My Way-Rusted Root
2. Cash Cash-Cash Cash
3. Holly(Would You Turn Me On?)-All Time Low
4. Something to Hope For-The Undeserving

ENJOY! (I'll post tomorrow... I'm on a roll here!)

Anyways, onto lighter topics.

I called it off-I called it quits

So..... being a second semester senior has MANY advantages... like going down to Florida for Spring Break, and going to see ALL TIME LOW, HEY MONDAY, YELLOWCARD, AND THE SUMMER SET IN CONCERT ON MARCH 25TH! I love Hey Monday (as any reader should know) and I love The Summer Set as well. (again, any reader should know how much I love them as well.) I'm not too sure about Yellowcard and ATL is pretty much guaranteed to be awesome, and that's what I've heard from other friends who have seen them. So, as you can see, I'm pretty freaking excited.

Anyways, I have a few questions to pose for you, my loyal (if nonexistent) readers:
would you choose true love (and poverty) over 1 billion dollars (and everyone hates you)?
would you rather be a pirate or a cowboy?(the legit kinds though-not jack sparrow)
would you rather be cheated on and find out, or be cheated on and NEVER find out (though all your friends know)?

These are the kinds of things that we talk about during my Honors Economics class, which is actually a lot more fun than I anticipated at the beginning of the year. I hope the rest of the year keeps going this way. My teacher is an alum from my school, and he's pretty young too, so he manages to make it more interesting than it normally would be.

I just figured I could pose the questions to you guys, and if any of you have feedback, especially from yesterday's post, I would love to hear it.

Now, onto the music:

1. JESSIE J-Price Tag (ft. B.o.B.)
2. EMINEM-Cleaning out my Closet
3. JESSIE J-Do it like a Dude

Sorry the list is so short today, but I've been doing some community service, and I don't really have time.... unless you want me to go through my iPod (which I plan on doing next post)