Economic Crisis

I think this "bailout" plan is the ONLY option at this point. Just yesterday, investors lost over a trillion dollars in Retirement Investments. We have had over five major investment firms fail this year. The lines of credit have completely dried up and everyone's suffering. To most uneducated Americans, it sounds like $700,000,000,000 is being used to fix the mistakes of Wall Street CEO's. What they don't understand is that this is vital to keep America from becoming a third-world power. Obviously Congress doesn't either.

This Weekend

My weekend started Friday after school. I went with my friends Meghan and Alice to El Potro's for lunch. I NEVER eat lunch at school on early release day. We (the band) left at 4:30 to go to Moultrie for the game. The ride was pretty good, I got to sit with my friend Mary Esther, and we played Mario Party on our DS's. Unfortunately we were on the bus with a bunch of freshman and sophomores, and a lot of the really annoying ones. We won the game 46-20, go Trojans! Their concession stands sucked. Luckily, I was still pretty full from lunch. After the game, we had to get on the bus and get quiet, because Colquitt County is not the most hospitable place in the world. On Saturday, we had a band competition in Hawkinsville. We also marched the Nicholls Founder's Day Parade. I got to bed at 1:45 on Friday and had to get up at 7:30 the next morning. Not fun. We did good at Competition, we got all Superior's. Unfortunately their concession stands also sucked. Sunday I slept in and watched Football all day. Grrr at the Crimson Tide and the stupid coaches for putting USC above Georgia!

Sleeping Patterns

Usually I go to sleep between 11:30 and 12:00 on weeknights. I get up at 7:00, so I usually get plenty of sleep. I don't go to bed if I'm not tired, if I'm not I'll usually either watch TV, listen to music, or do some housework until I am. A lot of the time, I'll be doing my homework and I'll get really sleepy so I'll compromise by going to sleep but waking up early the next morning to finish it. I usually take a few naps a week. A couple of weekdays and almost every Saturday, usually.

Army Representatives

I know the military is great for some people, but it's just not for me. I know how I'm going to pay for college, so that doesn't help me. I consider myself capable of surviving in the real world without help. If it's for you, great. It's just not for me.

Legal Drinking Age

To start, I kinda feel that 21 is an odd age for a legal drinking age. Most rights are earned at the age of 18. Rights earned beyond are in business matters (such as you must be 25 to rent a car). We can vote, gamble, buy "dangerous" products (cigarettes, spray paint, white out, etc.), and do various other "adult" things when we're 18, so why not make it legal to purchase alcohol? Drinking rates among 18-21 year olds would not raise significantly, but rates of binge drinking likely would fall. But then again, don't we have more important issues? (the $700,000,000,000 federal financial bailout plan, perhaps?)

Track Quote

The quote is so true. I think it best means everyone needs to try their hardest (by not sitting down), no matter where they are in life (at whatever track they're on). I've always told anybody who'll listen that just laying back and accepting fate makes you much more of a loser than someone who tries something and fails miserably. And its the truth.

Albany State University Speaker

I somewhat enjoyed the presentation. She was an OK speaker, not all that great. It didn't do anything for me as far as making me review my college plans. I'm not going to Albany State. 4,400 students is WAY too small, they only have 32 degree programs, and their academic standards are way too low. Still, a little bit of knowledge never hurt anybody.

Secret Service Protection

I would NOT like to have Secret Service Protection follow me around all day. It would be like having really smart, devious parents you can't outsmart that know everywhere you go. There would be absolutely no privacy and I couldn't handle it. That is one of the reasons I want to avoid life in the public sector. I'm my own person and I can take care of myself.

Dog Saves Owner

I don't want to sound negative, but, this article is only mildly interesting at best. How does this, or can this affect any person in this room? I just don't see training dogs to do this as either profitable or practical. I don't feel it would pay off in many instances and more than a few unlucky owners would fall through the cracks. But as for the guy, great for him. He's lucky he has a dog with those capabilities.

Homecoming

I had an AMAZING time for Homecoming this year. The Pep Rally was awesome, especially since I got to dance to Peanut Butter Jelly Time. It does suck that I was forced to sit with the lifeless, spiritless zombies known as Band, and unable to stand up and cheer with all of my senior friends. The parade was rough. Our song sucked, it was over 90 degrees, and there were barely any floats or anything in the parade. The game rocked, though. The Trojans beat "Class AAA Powerhouse" Shaw in a blowout. Go Trojans! It looks like we might have a shot at the playoffs after all. The Dance was a little mixed. I had to drive out to Ambrose to pick up my date and then she left the dance two hours early. Whatever, that was my last date with her. Otherwise, I had a great time after she left. I danced with at least ten different girls and my legs are still killing me today. After the dance, I went and partied with a few friends for a little while and was home before one.

Love Quote

I agree completely. You'll never find happiness, acceptance, fulfillment, or any other positive emotion without trying something, and that applies especially to love. And that is different for everyone.

Abandoned Baby in China

While it may be easy to pass judgement on this woman, I don't feel that I'm qualified to judge her. That being said, I find it really hard to believe that anyone could do that. It's unfortunate that anyone would do physical harm to a child that way. Another point to consider is that because China has such strict, totalitarian laws regarding child bearing and adoption, her situation was likely not an easy one to bear. We can only hope that in a free, democratic society, she would've made a different decision.

Brittney Spears

I didn't watch the VMA's, and I don't care for Brittney Spears. I don't like her music and I haven't listened to anything of hers since the 90's. I think her questionable actions are due to her being another example of a child star gone awry. Whenever we hear about another scandal, I just roll my eyes. You know its bad when Kevin Federline is viewed as a better role model for kids.

Substitutes

I think cutting subs is a fair way to save money - for the high school, where there is always a teacher on planning. At the middle and elementary schools, it isn't. It'll work out more than fine for us - Mr. Evans and others can watch a class instead of smoking behind the ag building during their planning.

Opinion of Blogging

So far, I enjoy blogging. It's a different outlet to express your opinions. You can say pretty much whatever you want, and if you don't want anyone to read them, you can set it to private. I may start blogging on the side.

Pet Peeves

While I could write about this topic for days...

• Whenever anybody uses up a roll of toilet paper and doesn't throw the empty roll away. Also when they put the new roll on the counter or the top of the toilet.
• When people slurp, burp, or make any unpleasant noises while eating or drinking.
• Any hair found in anything involved in the processes of preparing or eating food.

Sarah Palin

I am best described as an independent, a moderate, and well informed. As far as this election goes, I'm sorta divided. Economic conditions and the utter failures of the Bush Administration make Obama look more attractive. On the other hand, John McCain is an experienced hero and has shown great qualities such as leadership, good judgement, and compromise. He's also closer to the middle than Obama. This all adds up to me leaning McCain. When Obama picked Senator Biden to be his V.P., I thought it was safe, yet good choice. McCain's selection of Palin definitely adds spice to the race, but it also raises doubts. A vice president who less than 2 years ago was the mayor of a town smaller than Douglas? Especially given McCain's age. As far as her politics goes, she seems to be a common sense Conservative with the gall to go against the establishment. That's definitely a positive. The worst part of the story though is the recent disclosures made about her dealings and her family. Between the family fued involving her firing the official for not firing her ex-brother-in-law and her knocked up daughter, I wonder if McCain should've announced his pick on Jerry Springer. More troublesome, it was disclosed that her Alaska town received a lot of federal pork barrel money for various purposes. As the historical aspect goes, I think it's a true landmark we will either have the first black president, or the first female VP.

Teen Pregnancy

I feel the rise in teen pregnancy is due to the erosion of proper Sex Education in schools. I realize that the reason Sex Ed. has eroded is the policy of pushing abstinence first, but I really think at this point it's proven itself unsuccessful. Teens are going to mess around, and the day we start regulating it through figures other than parents is the day we will all wear a khaki one-piece and march in lines to vote for the one candidate on the ballot. A proper Sex. Ed. would teach the consequences of unprotected sex (such as teen pregnancy), and, yes, birth control methods to appropriate aged students. Many teens don't know they can get a prescription for birth control pills, that condoms are more than 90% effective in preventing STD's and pregnancy, and that babies born to teenage mothers are at much higher risks of birth defects. They also don't realize the detrimental effects of being saddled down with a baby at such a young age. The proper message from authority figures shouldn't be, "We don't think you should do it all so we're not even going to mention it." It should be, "We'd prefer you didn't, but we'd rather you be safe about it."