zombies?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/29/ronald-poppo-identified-man-eats-face-miami-rudy-eugene_n_1554063.html

The brutal attack in Miami where Rudy Eugene ate a homeless person face on May 27th has now had more facts revealed. The homeless person has been found out to be Ronald Poppo who is still alive in Jackson Memorial Hospital. It is suspected that this attack was caused by the use of bath salts that are amphetamines.

I decided to look this up to get more of the facts because I had heard plenty about this attack at school, but hadn't heard anything new in the last few days. This new article did a good job of filling in this information giving further facts. I am also glad to hear Poppo did survive and hope these new illegal bath salts don't cause anymore freak attacks like this. Overall I did enjoy the article.

Comparing lights

http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/05/comparing-energy-efficient-lighting-technologies-infographic/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IM-cleantechnica+%28CleanTechnica%29

This compares high density discharge, fluorescent, induction, and LED lights to each other. HID lights are described as highly inefficient, but useful for diverse climates and lots of light. Fluorescent are the most flexible and cheapest, used the most currently. Induction lights last a really long time so they are useful for high ceilings where changing lights is expensive. Finally LED lights are the most expensive, but most energy efficient and diverse, so they are foreseen as the lights of the future.

This article caught my attention because I didn't know that much about lighting and it interested me. Once again with my interests in alternative energies. I loved how this article is presented. The tables, graphs, and diagrams give a lot information in very little space. After reading this article I feel they covered everything because I don't have any questions left.

More efficient geothermal

http://www.altenergystocks.com/archives/2012/06/geothermal_heat_pumps_the_next_generation_1.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AlternativeEnergyStocks+%28AltEnergyStocks.com%29
LSB Industries have created the Climate master. This is a geothermal heat pump that's much more efficient than any other out there. EER (energy efficiency ratio) is used to measure how good a system is. The Climate master gets a rating of 40, while the top systems before had a rating of 30. At the moment this isn't a big deal because the high initial cost doesn't make the long term benefits economically worth it. Despite most likely not being a major economic success, this does mark a major step forward for energy efficiency in the field of heating.

I chose this article because I want to work on alternative energies as a career. The problem of trying to make things more energy efficient has interested me since I was 8 so I enjoy these sort of break advancements. This article isn't that well written. My main issue with it is that it doesn't seem to have a target audience since it explains what EER is, yet seems to assume the reader understands specifics of heat pumps such as "variable speed compressor pumps." I would have enjoyed the article much more if it had a better explanation about how the new pump worked.

Juggling a triathlon

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/10/joe-salter-triathalon-while-juggling_n_1503612.html
A man recently completed an entire triathlon while juggling. This person is Joe Salter who completed a sprint triathlon in Pensacola, Florida on April 21st. This took him a total of 1 hour 57 minutes to swim .25 miles, bike 16.2 miles, and to run 4 miles. Incredibly he only dropped three times during this entire time, all of them being during the swimming.

This is a very entertaining story, that I had a bunch of people telling me about because I love juggling. This article is pretty well written talking a little bit about the joggling community, but obviously written for non jugglers. For this reason most of it was common sense to me, but I did enjoy getting details about what Joe Salter had to go through to do this.

Summer plans

With college starting early August I have a short summer, but am hoping to make the most of it. This is planned to be my last summer without work (I want to get a job over summer during college). First thing after graduation I'm going to college orientation so I'll get to see what it will be like. Once I get back I'm working for the junior grand, a theater camp, at the school. For this I'll be a counselor and leading a juggling workshop. Then I'm going to the International Jugglers Association festival in North Carolina. That will be a week of intense juggling and I'll get to meet some of the best jugglers in the world which is really exciting. My only other major plan is to hopefully arrange a trip to and from Pennsylvania to see a lot of my friends who live in Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Juggling

So I have been juggling for 4.5 years now and its a huge part of my life. As it stands I'm trying to figure out what role it will play in my life for the future. I did consider going into performing and trying to become a professional juggler. It is a tempting idea, but I decided against it because it's a very unstable job and considering how good I am at math engineering is a much better paying and stable job. With that I still don't know how much I'll juggle in college, what I decided on was to just see how it plays out and if I end up spending three hours a day in the gym juggling that's just fine with me, as long as I keep my grades up. There's also a strong chance between school and my social life I'll quit juggling as much, instead only do a couple hours a week. The only thing I'm certain about it I am going to continue juggling for the rest of my life and will most likely continue performing as a side job throughout my life.

College plans

For college I am excited to be going to Iowa State university. I have applied for chemical engineering, but will probably switch to some sort of physics based engineering after my freshmen year. My hopes for a career is to work on alternative energy research. It's something I've been thinking about and fascinated by since I was 8. The alternative energy problem is an intriguing very complex logic problem that solutions to it greatly contribute to the world as a whole. Getting away from home and into college will probably lots of fun and a nice change to my life. I also love that I will be only needing to learn what is important or interesting to me.

Beijing Coup? (5)

Rumors spread that there was a coup in Beijing with military on the streets. This is claimed to have been the People's Liberation Army due to one of their favorites in the CCP falling. Whether or not this actually happened it does indicate there is some discontent, and most likely some open unrest. The fact that this information got out shows the grip of Chinese censorship beginning to weaken. Not only that, but this could be a trigger for further unrest that may spread. No matter the oppression if unrest spreads across the country the government won't be able to stop it. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/NC29Ad02.html

Self immolation in Tibet (4)

A Tibetan burned himself in protest of Hu Jintao's visit to Tibet. The Chinese government blamed the Dalai Lama for planning this self immolation. These extreme forms of protest are a result of the extreme oppression in Tibet. Unlike past occurrences this self immolation got on the internet. This shows how the Chinese government can't keep everything contained forever due to modern communication. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/china-blames-dalai-lama-for-self-immolations-after-tibetan-sets-self-on-fire-in-india/2012/03/27/gIQAo6GgdS_story.html

US sanctions on Iran (3)

The US suspects six Iranian firms of dealing with weapons of mass destruction. For this the Treasury Department froze their assets in the US. In doing this tensions between Iran and the US are increased even further, and Iran's economy gets hurt even more. Losing foreign assets for Iran is a major deal, because it doesn't have many due to being an export based economy. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/industries/us-slaps-new-sanctions-on-iranian-firms-shipping-executives/2012/03/28/gIQAOq5wgS_story.html

Iran banking cut (2)

Swift, the provider of international banking connections, removed Iran from its system. This was done in response to concerns about Iran's nuclear program. This makes it impossible to make monetary transactions with Iran, so even countries still willing to trade have to use some other form of currency, such as gold. Iran's economy is almost entirely dependent on oil exports so this, in all practical sense, trade embargo will cripple its economy. On the other hand the lack of oil for the rest of the world will raise their oil prices hurting the global economy. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17390456

China fuel prices (1)

Fuel prices have been raised in China. This was caused by tensions with Iran increasing the price of crude oil. After just ending inflation issues in China this may start up new problems. Raising prices may also cause unrest with it. Unrest is central locations seriously weaken the communist party which works on containing unrest to the isolated rural places. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17441176

state of the union cartoon (6)

 

This cartoon was drawn by Nate Beeler of the Washington Examiner. A unicorn with solar panels on it represents Obama's policy plans, while the scared man behind it is the policymaker. These depictions use caricature to highlight the flaws in Obama's plans. It shows how unrealistic and demanding the plans are, which Obama's statement of disappointment furthers. This is a statement that while sounding good, his proposals are useless in their current state. Beeler is critical of Obama's plans for re-election.

Senior year (6)

My school year has been going pretty well so far. I have been accepted to the college of my choice, Iowa State. My grades aren't bad and school hasn't been overwhelming despite taking 5 AP classes. I'm hoping for the rest of the year to go as well. Comparative government is going to be interesting, I enjoy looking at the big picture ideas and relations. Graduation will be exciting and despite the year going pretty well I still want to get out of high school and into college.

GOP race (5)

Romney is the most likely GOP candidate. Santorum and Paul are almost out, so the race is basically between Gingrich and Romney. Between his wives and Freddie Mac, Gingrich has too much questionable activity to give him a good shot. Along with that he has Santorum and Paul taking further votes away from him. On the other hand Romney has no scandal, a solid plan, and his personal finances to go on giving him a much stronger stand to compete for candidacy.

The holidays (4)

Holidays are great time to relax and enjoy life. I have had many good holiday experiences, but the best would be my Christmas when I was 8 years old. I went to Savanna Georgia to visit my grandparents. It was a great week and the last time seeing my grandfather. Those last days I spent with him are times I will always treasure and enjoy. To be honest there aren't many memories, however I do remember a few details like the delicious lemon cookies we had and the long table filled with sewing stuff. The best parts were moments such as sitting on the carpet listening to oldies on a record player, while listening to him telling stories about his life. Those are the times to cherish forever.

Obama's chances (3)

Obama's current job approval is 43%, this is an increase from a couple months ago, but worse than it has been over his entire presidency. He is getting support for his actions in Iraq, but this is lost through the lack of approval of his economic policy and the deficit. The polls show Obama having a low chance of getting re-elected. This is because he has one of the lowest presidential approval ratings in the last 48 years of a president seeking re-election.

Mitt Romney as president? (2)

Mitt Romney has a good chance of becoming the president in 2012. He has a specific plan for creating jobs that he says he will get Congress to pass within 30 days of entering office. It is a relatively sound plan that may help the American economy. This will help him win because the economy is one of the biggest issues for people. Mitt Romney revealing showing that he spent less than 15% taxes for his revenues last year along with his massive wealth has turned off many voters. This disconnect from the common man may result in Romney losing the election.

National debt cartoon (5)

 

This cartoon was drawn by Rick McKee of the Augusta Chronicle. A large monster is used to represent the US debt, and a US flag represents Obama's State of the Union address. This is ridiculing what Obama said about the US. Obama's claim that the US is strong is shown to be ridiculous because of how huge the debt is. These troubles can't be masked by the patriotism in his speech, as is represented by the flag. McKee is against Obama and dislikes the debt.

Sinking the US cartoon (4)

 

This cartoon was drawn by Gary McCoy of Cagle Cartoons. Obama is being portrayed as a captain and the sinking ship is implied to be the US. Dead bodies are also floating in the water to dramatize the situation. This is using the recent cruise line wreck as an analogy to the U.S. to ridicule Obama. Obama is compared to Schettino as having lead the U.S. astray. This is blaming Obama for the economic issues and saying that its ridiculous that he's trying to run for president again after making these mistakes. McCoy is strongly against Obama getting re-elected.

Cheating Gingrich cartoon (3)

 

This cartoon was drawn by Adam Zyglis of the Buffalo News. Freddie Mac is represented by a greedy looking businessman with a suitcase full of money. Gingrich has his arms linked with the businessman and a sign to represent his involvement with Freddie Mac. The cartoon points out two of Gingrich's major faults through satire. His statement is directly about his bad deals with Freddie Mac, but also alludes to him cheating on his wives. It's a strong reminder that Gingrich was paid by Freddie Mac when he was a congressman, assisting in creating this bad economy. Zyglis does not believe Gingrich is a good candidate because of his past actions showing that he is a cheat.

Obama taxation cartoon (2)

 

 This cartoon was drawn by Rick McKee of the Augusta Chronicle. Their is a pile of money and person to represent the rich and their taxes. The juxtaposition of Obama's statement and the visualization of his plan creates an ironic scene. The irony is used to highlight that plans to increase taxes on the rich is not going to help everyone. This is saying that the proposed increase of income tax on the rich is not the easy solution Obama is trying to make it sound like. McKee does not support Obama and is a Republican.