Abstract for Government Project

San Diegans are extremely fortunate to have a city-wide recycling and trash pickup system. However, people who live in San Diego are missing an unfortunate third leg of the stool of effective waste management: a composting system. Unfortunately, in this city, the valuable food waste is being thrown in the landfill with other trash that takes significantly longer to decompose, such as non-recyclable plastics, cigarette butts, and other garbage. San Diegans must make a city-wide composting pick-up system that takes the food to a composting landfill. This system has been implemented in many places such as Ottawa, San Francisco, Seattle, and Germany with much success. The city will benefit by reducing emissions produced in a normal landfill as well as gain profit from selling the compost to local farmers. In this way, the nutrients will stay in a closed loop food system. San Diegans will need to arrange for the drivers, the trucks, land to put the compost on, cans for pick-up, and materials to educate the public. All these costs will add up; one estimate was that the cost would be similar to that of the trash pick-up system, approximately $54-65 million, but the cost will be worth it to make San Diego sustainable. Many people who oppose composting; if these people only knew that composting, done correctly, does not have an extremely bad vermin problem or even smell they would surely change their mind. Although this system could take time and thought to implement, the plan is still a prudent option. Composting is a benefit to all of the people it serves."The city of San Diego's Miramar Landfill is expected to reach capacity in 2012, unless it is expanded" (Fitzsimons, Elizabeth). However, about 25-50%% of trash is able to be composted and if this was to be removed from the trash that must be put in the landfills, then that problem will be greatly reduced (Schenk, Courtney). Keeping food waste out of landfills is a valuable goal for San Diegans. California has historically been a leader in all “green” causes; we consistently vote democratically and support environmental policies and laws. It is extremely disappointing to many San Diegan citizens to have their city fall behind in the race for sustainability. If San Diegans cannot be convinced to start a composting system for the pure, above stated, benefits, at least the citzens can feel the sense of competition among forward thinking cities in the United State as well as abroad. A composting system will be a huge benefit to all members of the city of San Diego and must, for San Diego's own sake, be implemented immediately.

Vocabulary Words Week 4

1. intrepid - adj. fearless, courageous. The intrepid explorer walked into the dark cave, not knowing what he might find at the other end.
2. trepidation - n. hesitation, fear, or anxiety. It was with trepidation that the girl walked in to the room of lions, carrying only a large bottle of water and a magic scarf.
3. despondent - adj. depressed, without hope. Working on college applications makes me despondent; I feel like I could be writing essays forever.
4. decorum - n. proper manners or behavior. I plan to have advisory made into a decorum class, where students would be taught essential skill such as napkin folding and the samba.
5. aspire - v. yearn, hope, or dream. I aspire to be a top notch archer.
6. vacillate - v. constantly wavering, unable to choose. The young adolescent vacillated between hating all of humanity and wanting to cuddle with his girlfriend.
7. desultory - adj. unplanned, disorganized, and without enthusiasm. When the fat, balding man began questioning me about my love life, I answered him desultorily, making up short stories than would make him stop talking to me.
8. fallacy - n. an untruth, a lie. Johnny told Marie a fallacy when he said he only had eyes for her...because really, he was sneaking around behind her back with other potatoes.
9. formidable - adj. scary, large, foreboding. The large castle was scary enough, but the alligators in the moat were extremely formidable.
10. heritage - n. legacy, inheritance, culture. My heritage is mixed; I am a mutt of all breeds.
11. guru - n. a leader in some way, often religious or spiritual. My guru says I need to eat only grapes and drink only canola oil for the next week in order to cleanse my aura.

Vocabulary Words for Government Honors Wk 3

subtle: below the surface, hidden, not blatant
His subtle use of sarcasm made his co-workers confused whether or not he hated them.
vehement: positive, sure, loudly assertive
I am vehemently opposed to opposition.
zealous: crazy, passionate, often about religion
Enviornmental zealots often hold riots for causes they strongly believe in.
adverse: opposed to a thing
I will never go; I am completely adverse to bungee jumping.
averse: opposed to a person
She has an aversion to him...something about his giant eyebrows.
blatant: outright, shameless
His blatant disregard of both schedules and the contraints of time meant he was always late.
alleged: supposed, rumored
It is alleged that Jon is pregnant with an alien baby.
aggravate: anger, intentionally bother
It aggravates me when, at soccer practice, the field is wet because then I kick up mud all over myself when I run.
discreet: hidden, self-conscious, polite, well-mannered, taking care
Discretion is an important quality for both butlers and assasins.
factoid: something asserted as a fact, but might be made up
Texans often believe the factoid that the Texas State flag may be at an equal height with the American flag, because of Texas' previous status as a nation. However, by law all flags must be lower than the American flag.
flout: go around something, blatantly disregard,
He flouted the teacher by showing up for class late, wearing a baseball cap, and toting his teeny girlfriend, who went to another school. They then proceded to sit in the back of the class and make out. Loudly.
forte: area of interest or special talents
I love making any kind of food, but soup is my forte.
disinterested: objective, neutral, not taking sides.
Referees must be disinterested in the outcome of the game in order to remain impartial.
Pictures will be turned in on Monday.

Food Blog Update

After reading an excerpt from Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food, we had to answer some questions about it. Following are the questions and my answers.

1)Why do people choose to eat products that are unhealthy for them? (food stuffs)

There are many reasons that someone might choose to eat unhealthy food. Sometimes other products are unavailable or are too expensive for the average consumer. Or people can simply be uneducated or think that they are making healthy choices. Another reason is addiction-to sweeteners or foods that taste good. People might be too busy to spend the extra effort to get the healthier food options.

2) What roles/responsibilities does the government have in framing your choice? (Should they be responsible for educating us? should they be responsible for managing all products we consume? GM included, plastic chemicals - poisonous additives)

I believe the government should be responsible for enforcing labeling of the food as well as the nutrients in it and where they come from or if they are genetically modified. Then they should let a free market and the demand of the consumers dictate what products remain in the market. I don't like the nutrition suggestions and percentages because they were made by corporations and do not apply to everyone.

Vocabulary Words for Government Honors Wk 2.

1. accord-to be in agreement, to come to a compromise or understanding
2. bias-prejudice, a previously held view or opinion
3. incognito-disguised, concealed
4. deduct-to conclude, to figure out
5. paradigm-a model or pattern for something to come
6. plagiarize-using other people's thoughts without giving them credit
7. objectivity-a state of mind without prejudices or biases
8. precipitous-steep
9. recapitulate-to go over again
10. reciprocate-to give back, to return in kind
11. empathy-feeling like someone else is, identifying with them and their emotions or reasonings
Pictures hand drawn and turned in.

Vocabulary Words for Government Honors

Photo Credits: www.leapuckett.com/images/portfolio/flourish.gif

FLOURISH - to thrive, to live thoroughly. The bean tree started to flourish once it was moved to a bigger pot and put in the sun.

guerilla - an unexpected, unconventional type of warfare or marketing. When warfare, often consists of wearing the enemy down with rape, traps, and other secret activities until they can be defeated in normal combat. The guerilla marketing plan was simple but effective; thousands of flyers were printed and placed on all the windows of gas station bathrooms.

renegade - outlaw, criminal, running from the law. The renegade quickly flipped up the kickstand and sped off, sending gravel flying.

Photo Credits: http://www.web-wise-wizard.com/web-graphics-design/wild-animals-gallery-photos-photographs.html REPOSE - rest, a short hiatus. The lady in the painting was shown in repose; her arm lay limply along the sofa, holding a fan.

Photo Credits:xunax.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/stereotypes.jpg STEREOTYPE - a greatly exaggerated and often made up caricature of a type of person, often intended as humorous. The stereotype of blondes is that they are unintelligent.

Photo Credits: http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Symbiosis-Posters_i838292_.htm SYMBIOSIS - the state when two or more organisms or things live in harmony, assisting each other and being assisted. Clown fish live in a symbiotic relationship with anemone. Clown fish trick other fish into believing the trap is safe, while anemones provide a safe home for the clown fish.

tariff - taxes. Ships coming into the San Diego port must pay a tariff to the port authority on all brown sugar held in the holds.

Photo Credits: www.myspace.com/tempojazz TEMPO - beat, rhythm (as of music). The quick tempo of the brainwashing tape made his heart beat faster.

tranquility - peace, a sense of well being, calmness. She floated in a sea of tranquility...nothing mattered anymore.

tumult - chaos, quickly moving. Her thoughts were tumultuous and ever changing. She couldn't focus on anything and felt she was going insane.

tundra - a treeless region near the poles of the Earth, or at high elevation. Poison oak, the scourge of the planet, cannot survive in a tundra.

Photo Credits: www.inmagine.com/bldvcd033/bld060195-photo UNANIMOUS - every last person agrees on something. The decision to go graffiti afterschool was unanimous.

Deviancy Experiment

Our latest project involved Starbucks, milkshakes, and tantrums. Check out my friend's blog below to see the video and read more about the project.
http://melaniesattempttopassgovernmet.blogspot.com/2009/10/sociology-experiment.html

Investigating Novalina Jennie Betancourt

For this project, our teacher brought in someone we knew nothing about. We had about 45 minutes to ask them any questions we wanted to try to find out their life story. Then, we wrote a short biography. Following is mine.

Love, connection, growth, authenticity, and relationships. These five words not only describe Novalina Jennie Betancourt’s most important values, but also influenced the path she chose for her life. From her book, The Total Female Package, to what she looks for in a relationship, Novalina is always searching for her five important values. Her basic core values were instilled her close-knit Puerto Rican family in San Francisco, especially her father who followed his true dream instead of the sanitation career suggested by his parents. These values determined her life path-from her choice to go to college at UC Davis, far away from her hometown, because of the extremely connected professors she found there, to her decision to quit her long term job for a technology company. She worked at the company as a personal development director, making teams work together well, but when she left she become a radio DJ, combining her love of women and music, especially hip hop, with a great speaking voice. She now works as a writer whose new book (The Total Female Package), along with the book she co-authored with some of the authors from the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and the book The Secret, called Strategies for Success, is helping women to become fulfilled people through her five values. Novelina also knows what she wants in a relationship. She intends to get married someday and have two children of her own before adopting “lots” and she is convinced she will know the right person when she finds them. Novalina has had a few long relationships, which ended on mutual and friendly notes. In fact, she still remains good friends with her old flames. What’s in the future for Novalina? Her ideal world would include, of course, her ultimate marriage- “A perfect me, for a perfect mate. Imperfectly.” Her book would have expanded into a franchise series that she discussed on her reality talk show where she would have 13 weeks to turn a woman with a dream into a passionate, fulfilled, woman “package”. The love that Novalina gives to everyone she meets and everything she does shines through brightly. This is one woman to watch out for in the years to come!

US putting its nose into other countries business is a no-no.

Our next assignment is to write about our opinions on the US' role in the world. Are we some sort of benefactor or policeperson? When do we intervene and how do we do so? To the right there is a somewhat humorous drawing in an intent to lighten the topic. Credit: http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/PageMill_Images/how%20Americans%20see%20world-map.jpg

Following is my response.

I feel that the United States should always contain itself. Like in the "good old days" when we practiced isolationism, our presence would not be missed. We are not developed enough as a country to start helping others become their very best; a country, to murder a common saying, should clean up its own act before it starts looking to its neighbors. There is one small exception to this rule, however. Keeping in mind the larger world wars, where America, at least in our textbooks, saved the world, the United States should have one way to interfere. If the more powerful nations in the world realize something terrible is happening, and the UN agrees and collectively they ask the United States to step it, not because of our awe-inspiring abilities but because we are so large and so populous and so full of surprises, then the US will be allowed to send militia in to the country. This is not to say that the US cannot send in supplies or medical teams; I feel they should do so with little to no digression. But in terms of bombs, or tanks, or anything that involves weaponry, destruction, and the loss of our army men, the US should let the other countries fight it out in order to be poised to take over when all of them fall.

I would like to end with another quote, which gives an alternate option for those Americans that like to meddle. "Your dollar is your vote". America's dollars are our vote. What the government chooses to purchase, and who they choose to buy that from, means a lot in the global economy. Citzens can do their part by refusing to buy items made in certain countries or with child labor. This is the way we should solve minor conflicts.

Barder, the Heroic Flying Dog, in a Depressing Tale of Death, Ruin, and Tragedy.

Our next assignment: from the picture on the left, by Jan Von Holleben (Find more at http://www.janvonholleben.com/?page_id=4).
Write a story where the dog's name is Barder and the orange turban gives the power of flight.
My story follows, for more, look at my teacher's blog: http://hthi-govsoc.blogspot.com/

As the child sat astride the dead dog, he rose into the air, lifted by his orange turban. Tears were freely falling down his face, mixing with the snot running from his nose and streaming to the sides as he pushed forward into the wind that always appeared at this altitude. The war was over now, and he was going back home. Although nothing remained of the castle orphanage that had been his home for the last 7 years, the grounds were still open to him. Although there would be no fire to warm his chilled fingers, and now no Barder to lean against as they watched the flames together, home was still home, and the only place he had left to go. Everything else had been destroyed in the war by the orphans like him who fought for the brave warlords. They fought and killed each other while the lords, fat and bloated with power and fear and greed into maggots, sat and ran their fingers through the skulls and gold coins that were brought back as spoils by the army of children. The lords took and gave when they felt like it and they had rarely been in generous moods. They had taken the child's parents, knowing that orphans made better fighters, home, friends, money, life, and then gave him hope, that as a general of the child army, he would have a true family, and a home, with the lords. But then they had dealt a cruel blow and the lords had demanded the sacrifice of his beloved animal, the high desert dog Barder who was the only dog who could withstand the tremendous pressures exerted by the turbans all the orphans wore, to help them fly and signify their tribe and position within. The other children flew alone through the sleet but Barder had been a trusty companion for this child. The lords had slit his throat and laughed as the blood poured forth from it as an offering to Victory. The lords had wanted the dog cut up for meat, which was indeed scarce, but the child has stolen the body and flown home. As it started to snow, he saw the ruins of his castle ahead. Leaning forward, he took himself and the dog down for a rough landing, falling on his side into the grey snow. He struggled a little to get up but Barder was literally a dead weight on his leg, pinning him fast. And he was so cold. He laid his head down, cushioned by the turban. The snow felt like the pillows he used to have in the castle. He closed his eyes, remembering long pillow fights and then cups of hot cocoa while he rubbed Barder's flanks as they laid down, exhausted, in front of the warm fire. With his eyes closed he could almost feel it. He smiled as he slipped into a long dreamless sleep in the snow, still pinioned under Barder's thick body.
The spy sent out after the child and Barder's body came upon them an hour later. He smiled as he saw his friend at peace at last, and then bore both bodies back to the hall for a feast. The lord would be pleased with his find and might even grant him a small piece of the meat. He hoped it was the dog; peoplemeat was too tough for his liking.

Storytelling in Reverse: The Ancient Ballerina

My senior government and sociology teacher gave us an assignment on our second week of school (Yes, I know everyone else just got back today. Well, we are special.)
We were to look at the lovely and fascinating pictures on this website: http://www.3situations.com/BillSullivanWorks/BillSullivan.html
(To read about this art installation, please see the website)
Basically, it is a series of pictures of people on their way through the New York Subway Turnstile.
Then we had to choose a picture or two that struck us and create, nay, craft a story about their past, their present, and their future, based on their facial expressions, props, and any other clues we could glean from the pictures.
The following is (hopefully) my picture and the story I wrote.

She saw the man but didn't smile as his camera flashed. Her first instinct was that he was some perv trying to get pictures of the famous Anna Hope Westland but then she remembered that she wasn't 20 anymore. She was nearing 50 and the many art critics and rich old women with their opera glasses who had known her name, who had wept with pain as she danced, who had exclaimed like lovers over the beauty of her form, were all dead of living on the streets or gloriously living still, fucking the newly famous ballerinas, spinning them fairy tales of fames, glitter, and bright spotlights trained upon their fresh new faces. She was nearing 50 and she rarely ever danced anymore, just walked though the wobbly lines of young girls who were too poor for the famous schools but too naive to give up the dream (yet) of that New York lifestyle of love, beauty, and dancing. They didn't see the poison that was this city. She'd given her life, her toes, her youth, her sanity, and finally her beautiful girl to this game and in return they had thrown her aside after one mistake. No, she did not smile but she raised her chin high. She still had the bearing of a dancer, she knew, the long taut neck, the slender wiry arms, the arched back. This man was probably some art student, or an econ major, taking pictures of the poor pathetic subway riders. She would give her old peers nothing to pity. She'd called them her friends but when she'd "had the accident" as the New York Times lied, they'd shown their true colors. They'd kicked her right out. She had danced for the Queen! She was young and naïve she knew but she was not the only dancer that had fallen for that scumbag. She has just been the best. And then she had decided to keep the baby. Everyone told her she was throwing her life away but she insisted. She could feel the warmth inside her, the radiance from her belly. She was hugely overweight and she felt more beautiful than she had ever felt before, even when the scumbag’s hands had been tangled in her hair while they kissed. And she never intended to keep the baby. All she wanted was 9 months off. 7 months to be pregnant and 2 months to recover. She knew she could do it, and she had done it. But when she went to her first audition-oh the disgrace. Annie Hay Westerfield who? She was done for. And the baby was gone. So she got the only job she could find, having skipped college and gone straight to the stage. She hated every minute of that mirrored hell; she hated every shining face filled with promise. She went home at night and lay in bed, dreaming of crowds cheering and young men on bended knees offering roses, purple ones, her favorite. She’d contemplated suicide (who hadn’t contemplated suicide?) but decided she would grow old and tough and wiry and scare little kids who came to trick or treat. She would destroy her girl’s hopes of fame and love in the big city, sneakily, worming her way in. She would be kind, at first, and then shake her head at clumsiness, clucking her tongue (“oh, you’ll never make it with legs like those, you’re way too voluptuous for a ballerina, you need to smile less”). And so she pissed on their dreams. It was for their own good, really. It was the only thing that brought her joy, anymore. She thought, as she passed through the turnstile, “it is really because I care for them. I don’t want them to be hurt. Being a ballerina isn’t easy.”