Senior Reflection Blog #4

My dad and I got into a stupid fight today over a misunderstanding and it got me thinking about a few things. I'd say this blog is for anyone who has Asian parents because you'd probably already know how I feel. We are supposed to be raised to pretty much worship and respect our elders and whatever we think doesn't matter, period (philiopiety). They are smart, we are stupid. They are older, we are younger. They are wise, we are still learning. They are more experienced, we aren't even there yet. Blah blah blah etc. I never thought that way, nor will I ever raise my kids that way. I believe that in a family, everyone plays an important role and we are a team. Everyone is supposed to listen to each other and work out problems rather than just saying I'm right and you're wrong. I can't even count the number of times my dad has started a fight with me, just because of a misunderstanding on his part, followed by "I'm right and you're wrong." Overall, here's my philosophy: if you are right, and you know you're right, never let anyone tell you otherwise. Never let anyone push you down just because you are "subordinate" to them. Respect is a two way street and over-controlling egomaniacs don't deserve your time or energy.

4th QT CE #4

This week’s current event is on an article I found on Yahoo called “Kan. Abortion doctor killed in church, suspect held.” It is talking about Dr. George Tiller who was killed on Sunday in a church where he was an usher. The gunman fled the scene but they’ve suspected a 51 year old to be responsible who is now detained. Johnson County Sheriff’s spokesman Tom Erickson has identified the man as Scott Roeder. He is going to be taken to Wichita for questioning. Apparently there wasn’t a motive for the shooting but this is not the first time that abortion clinics where shot at. His widow, four children, and 10 grandchildren all call this an unspeakable tragedy because he was shot in his house of worship. President Barack Obama said that he was "shocked and outraged" by the murder. "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence." Tiller had in the past endured threats and violence. A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985.

I thought that this event was very tragic. I think that the world we live in gets the best of all of us sometimes, even up to the extent where violence gets out of hand. I think that this doctor most definitely did not deserve to die despite of what anti-abortion groups believe. I’m pro-choice because I believe that women deserve the right to choose what they want for themselves and their children. I just feel horrible for his family who has lost a great person. And I think that shootings are never the way to go to make a point and anyone who chooses to go down that path is a moron.

Senior Reflection Blog #3

I have no idea what to write about again, so I'm just going to write about my memorial day weekend. So starting Friday, my cousin had a little get together at her place in Lansdowne. We ate chinese takeout, ice cream, and fresh baked cookies which were soooooo good. We spent the rest of the night just hanging out at her place, taking pictures, and playing pool. It was fun. It was about midnight when I realized I needed to stop by work so I did. All of my coworkers could have sworn that I was drunk THOUGH I WASN'T. They forced me to walk in a straight line, which I did no problem, then say the alphabet backwards. Even a sober person can mess that up fyi. So I went home and my sister, her husband, and their baby was home. I haven't seen my niece in about 2 months and she GREW big time. On Saturday I just played around with the baby and I had to spend the whole day shopping. My brother in law's sister and her husband came over for dinner but I had to work that night. I also had to work Sunday morning which is always fun. That night I stayed up and played with the baby again. If you have facebook, you can see her pictures on my page, she's extremely adorable. They left on Monday morning at 8 so I couldn't say bye because I was passed out from my long weekend. So that's my interesting weekend =)

4th QT CE #3

This week’s current event is on an article I found on Med Page Today called “The Mysterious Case of the Missing Fingerprints.” On May 27 in Toronto, a Singapore cancer patient arrived in the U.S. missing his fingerprints. He’s only identified as Mr.S and he was detained at the airport for four hours until Homeland Security could identify him by other means. His loss of fingerprints was part of a condition called hand-foot syndrome aka palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia. It happens to patients who take capecitabine aka Xeloda. This syndrome causes inflammation of the palms and soles of feet and the skin tends to peel, bleed, and develop ulcers and blisters, hence the cause of his loss of fingerprints. Some U.S. airports nowadays ask visitors to provide fingerprints in order to detect whether the new visa applicant has a visa under a different name. These fingerprints sometimes match up to a list of suspected criminals. Patients with this problem are suggested to travel with a travel note from their doctor in order to avoid this type of problem.

I thought that this article was very interesting. I’ve never heard of anyone losing their fingerprints besides how they did it in the Men in Black movie. I’ve never heard of airports checking for fingerprints unless they suspect the person to be a criminal. I’ve also never heard of this syndrome that causes inflammation of the palms and soles of your feet. I felt kind of sorry for Mr.S because he was detained for four hours. But I agree when they say that patients with this kind of problem should travel with a doctor’s note.

Senior Reflection Blog #2

Herndon High in General

I put a good amount of thought into what to write about for this blog. I wanted to write about something more specific, in the end I had nothing, so I figure I'll just write about high school in general for now. Unfortunately I hate high school, but then again so does everyone else I know. The saddest part is, I loved it when I was a freshman. Barely any homework and I could still maintain good grades, homecoming was actually fun, lacrosse was fun, orchestra was fun, pep rallies, games, etc. were all so much fun. And now? Everything about this school just makes me want to leave more and more everyday. I strongly dislike the administration, the facility, activities, people, etc. To top it all off, we got a new principal aka Gus Gus, who very few people like. To be honest, I don't know anyone who likes him. For the past two years here, I've gotten involved with almost nothing at Herndon High. A lot of my friends became acquaintances because we just never have time to do anything together anymore. Plus I got a great job at the Silver Diner and an AMAZING salary. I would definitely say I've met the best people working there. Overall, right now I'm just looking forward to prom (not Herndon's of course). I told a friend from academy that I wasn't planning on going to Herndon's prom and she suggested I go to hers (Woodson). She also coincidentally knew a family friend who wanted to take me so he ended up surprising me at her house. After prom is done, I'm just gonna slack until graduation.

4th QT CE #2

This week’s current event is from an article on Google called “GOP backs CIA in dispute with Pelosi.” It is talking about the dispute between Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker of California, and Congressional Republicans. During the Bush administration, detainees were waterboarded, which is a form of torture where the victim is tied down with a towel on their face and the torturer pours water on their face in order to simulate drowning. Nancy Pelosi accused the CIA of misleader her and other lawmakers about the use of waterboarding. Apparently the Democrats were told that waterboarding wasn’t being used and they found out later on. She says that this just deepened the fault lines between the two political parties. Senator Kit Bond of Missouri says that it is a tragedy that we are seeing this massive attack on our intelligence community which has kept us safe. NBC’s Today’s show was where he questioned why Pelosi was calling the agency a bunch of liars. Bond said that it was clear that Pelosi was informed of the interrogation method although he wasn’t with her during the briefing.


In my opinion, I think that we need to forget and move on from the mistakes that Bush has made. President Obama has already put an end to American torture of these detainees and we need to move forward. Rather than focusing on this, we need to be focusing on other issues such as social security and the economy. I just think that looking back at the past just to criticize Republicans and the Bush administration is a waste of time because it won’t change anything or benefit us. Overall, I think this whole issue is kind of moronic.

Senior Reflection Blog #1

Chantilly Academy/ Interning

So some of you know that I take academy at Chantilly High School. I'm currently taking Hospitality Management at Chantilly and part of that course is going to a hotel to intern every Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, depending on the week (black day or red day). From visiting last year and hearing so many great opportunities from this course, I decided to sign up for it. Turns out this class is bull@#$%. Going to the hotel is not as luxurious as I thought it would be. Yeah, you get some work experience but they don't trust us to do anything beyond filing papers in the accounting department or folding napkins in the banquet department (sounds like free labor right? right.) So we get up early in the morning to take a bus to Chantilly, then take another bus to the hotel (unless you have a car then you can just drive to the hotel), change into our unflattering tuxedo shirt and pants and bowtie, then disperse into our stations. So far I've been in the restaurant, banquet, front desk, catering, and accounting departments; I would definitely say restaurant was my favorite. Ironically now, everyone loves being in the classroom on Mondays and Tuesdays and hates going to the hotel. I can't even give you an estimate of how many absences we've had this year because of people skipping hotel days.

Despite of all the negative things I've said about this class, we do have a lot of fun. We (including the teacher) go to places like IHOP from time to time and skip class for the day. My friends and I skip whenever there is a sub and it all turns into this big Mission Possible thing, trying to sneak out of the hotel. We also have a lot of parties. The highlight of this whole year was definitely the trip to Orlando, FL. We took a plane and stayed at the Disney's All Stars Movies Resort, which by the way was the BEST hotel I've ever been in so far. We went to all the parks and I ended up in the hospital the first night because I was running on 1 hour of sleep and 1 cup of coffee in my system, so I passed out. Not too smart. We got to see High School Musical 3 perform live at Universal Studios; but the real actors weren't there to do it, lame. We also had a gorgeous Russian chauffeur named Max drive us to Planet Hollywood the last night, another highlight of the trip. We also ended up getting into a fight with a girl who was standing in line for the rocknrollercoaster. Yeah that was entertaining and memorable. Overall, it was an awesome experience and I would definitely say it was for a great deal because 685 bucks covered round trip plane tickets, food, hotel, parks, 4 days, and a free refillable drink mug *hahaha*.

So that is just a taste of Hospitality Management at Chantilly Academy for you. I wouldn't say I fully enjoyed this class, however, I met some of the best people through this program, as well as a potential roommate in college, although she didn't get accepted to the same school. If you plan to pursue a career in the hotel/restaurant industry, I would definitely take this class. I think that this class along with my job and co-op are the magic bullets that got me into college.

4th QT CE #1

This week’s article is called “U.S. vaccine supply could be limited on flu pandemic.” It is referring to the swine flu that has been spreading around for a while now. The article talks about how we are limited on the supply of swine flu vaccine because it is manufactured in foreign countries. The government has tried to take steps to produce more of the vaccine in the U.S. by a diverse group of companies but so far, they have not even come close to finishing. They feel that if this flu turns into a pandemic, the countries would keep the supply to themselves. Global health official are currently debating whether or not to ask manufacturers to mass produce the vaccine to help everyone in Mexico, including a Mexican boy in the U.S. who is getting treatment. Turns out, it is going to take months to make a vaccine that can fight the newest strain. So far, the flu has been found in the U.S., New Zealand, Israel, Spain, and Canada.

I thought that this article was interesting. It gave me an idea of how far the flu has been spreading and what can be done to fight it. I wasn’t surprised to find that the vaccine is limited in the U.S. We’ve been focusing on too many other things and not paying much attention to health. I have a strong feeling that manufacturers of the vaccine won’t be willing to give us much. If the flu ends up spreading to Europe, without a doubt, they will keep the vaccine for themselves. I think that most people are overreacting. The swine flu is not much different from the regular flu. It is something we can fight off if we are healthy and overreacting towards it is like overreacting towards influenza. Overall, I thought that this article was interesting.

Editorial CE #5

This week’s editorial is called “Behind the Cell Curve” by Kathleen Parker in the Washington Post. It is discussing how Barack Obama has cut spending on stem cell research and that any scientific decisions will be made based on fact not ideology. Parker feels that Obama is being oblivious to some amazing strides that researchers have made in alternative stem cell research. Unfortunately, the stem cell debate has always been a conflict between science and religion. The majority of Americans have reached a consensus that we should pursue this research. Polling confirms as much, but most Americans, including most journalists and politicians, aren't fluent in stem cell research. If people know anything, it is that embryonic stem cells can cure diseases and that all stem cells come from fertility clinic embryos that will be discarded anyway. Every success in treating patients with stem cells so far has involved adult or umbilical cord stem cells, not embryonic stem cells. And though federal dollars still won't directly fund embryo destruction, federally funded researchers can obtain embryos privately created only for experimentation. Thus, taxpayers now are incentivizing a market for embryo creation and destruction. Embryonic stem cells have been argued to be pluripotent. But studies in 2007 have shown that with injection of genes into skin cells, the same pluripotent cells can be created. Many scientists want to conduct embryonic stem cell research, as they have and always could with private funding. One may agree or disagree with their purposes, but one may also question why taxpayers should have to fund something so ethically charged when alternative methods are available. Parker feels that “science handed Obama a gift, and he sent it back.” I agree and disagree with Parker on this editorial. We do need the private funding so we can further stem cell research, but if there are alternate methods, we should take advantage of those instead of drowning ourselves in more debt by spending more money. It is amazing to be able to cure cancer with stem cells and it is something I advocate. I think we should cut back a little bit on funding stem cell research rather than cutting funding completely.

Editorial CE #4

This week’s editorial is called “The Audacity of Audacity” by E.J. Dionne Jr. in the Washington Post. It discusses how President Obama is facing three overlapping questions: When will middle-of-the-road voters start blaming him for the sick economy? When will he act decisively to deal with the mess that is our banking system? And can he keep managing his political two-step of appealing simultaneously to centrists and progressives? The economy is still in crisis and will remain so until there is a solution to the problems with the banks, and if things keep going bad, more and more voters in the middle will start blaming Obama for not fixing them. All of the bad news is empowering Obama’s critics who consider themselves moderates. They say that the president, in trying to keep his campaign promises on health care and energy, is "overreaching" and not focusing on economic recovery. Dionne says that it's hard for the fair-minded not to have some sympathy for Obama. He has been in office for less than two months, and no president since Franklin D. Roosevelt had to deal with such a crisis as the one Obama is dealing with now. Wall Street conservatives are arguing that the stock market is collapsing because Obama wants to institute a relatively modest set of tax increases on the wealthy. But these voices supported lower taxes on the rich when the economy was bad, when the economy was good and when the economy was so-so. They have no credibility. These same voices claim to worry about future budget deficits. Unfortunately for Obama, such arguments matter far less right now than unemployment hitting 8.1 percent and the downward spiral of the stock market since he took office. All of the administration's critics are being emboldened by its hesitancy in dealing with the banking question and its apparent fear of temporary bank nationalization. On this issue, the president genuinely is trying to steer a moderate course. Obama's calm and deliberative style is one of his greatest strengths. He doesn't want precipitous action in the midst of an economic collapse to come back to haunt us all. But sometimes excessive caution can be as dangerous as impetuousness. The president has no choice but to be bold. If there is one thing he should fear, it is fear itself. Overall, I believe that Obama is doing the right thing with the economy right now. We do need higher taxes in order to solve this downward slope in the economy. It is better that we spend less and pay more than to lose all of our money in the banks and stock markets. I think it is very typical of the wealthy to criticize Obama’s actions. He wants tax cuts for the middle class and I think that that would help put more money into the economy.

Editorial CE #3

This week’s editorial is from the Washington Post called “Recession’s Hidden Virtues” written by Michael Gerson. Basically, it is talking about how typically we would argue that a recession and unemployment leads to an increase in health problems. Traditionally, it could lead to stress smoking, unhealthy comfort foods, increased alcohol consumption, heart problems, depression, and possibly suicide. But this editorial argues that we actually become healthier in a recession. According to Christopher Ruhm’s studies at the University of North Carolina, it is confirmed that recession increases mental health problems. But he found that physical health improves. For every point of increase in the unemployment rate, there is a half point decline in the death rate. During tough times, people tend to increase exercise, drive less, smoke less, and cook healthier food. In other words, we try to control everything else in our lives that we are still capable of. There is also a parallel debate on the nation’s moral health. The editorial says that studies during the Great Depression show that there was a decrease in crime and divorce. During the prosperity of the 60’s and 70’s, crime rates shot up and families fell apart. James Q. Wilson hypothesized that the Great Depression pulled families together and this cohesion inhibited crime. In my opinion, I agree with this editorial. I would say that during tough economic times, people do tend to cut back on unnecessary things such as smoking, drinking, and any other perks that cause stress and waste money. The death rate decreases but that won’t be for long if this crisis isn’t reversed. Overall in that light, I would say that every cloud has a silver lining.

Editorial CE #2

Washington Post
President of Everything
by Eugene Robinson


This week’s editorial called “President of Everything” by Eugene Robinson. It summarizes his opinion on Barack Obama’s new presidency. He refers to it as “a presidency on steroids.” In the first month, Barack Obama has decreed an end to torture and the Guantanamo prison, extended health insurance to more children, reversing Bush-era policies on family planning. He also managed to push through Congress the stimulus package designed to stimulate the economy and reorder the nation’s priorities which he said is “little short of astonishing.” His next obstacle is to set the parameters of a new presidential role: managing the big chunks of the private-sector economy that are now more accurately described as semi-private.
This week, executives of General Motors and Chrysler are reporting on their progress in transforming themselves into “lean, mean, car-making machines, capable of leading American industry into a new golden age. They’ll also explain that they need more money fast. General Motors got a $9.4 billion cash infusion from the government two months ago and wants the remaining $4 billion that the Bush administration approved. Chrysler which got $4 billion in December, needs $3 billion more.
Robinson says that Obama has abandoned plans to appoint a “car czar” to oversee government aid to the auto companies, giving the job instead of a high-level task force. So far, he has declined to face the central question: can GM and Chrysler thrive under present management? If the Big Three are not going to merge into the Big One, Obama and Congress are going to have to oversee GM and Chrysler almost like a board of directors.
The auto industry problem is cheap and simple compared to the other problems Obama must face in the financial sector. Because of the amendment that Senator Christopher Dodd inserted into the stimulus bill, Washington now has control over bonuses and severance packages at financial companies that have taken funds from the Bush administration’s Troubled Assets Relief Program. All Barack Obama wanted was to be president, but he may have to become an auto executive, a banker, a mortgage broker, and who knows what else before we overcome this crisis.
In my opinion, this editorial is pretty accurate in depicting the overall view of Barack Obama’s presidency. He has done a lot over the past month and he’s still got a long way to go before fully resolving any of the problems our nation is facing. I think he’s made the right choice putting an end to the Guantanamo prison and the stimulus package is necessary to reverse our economy’s condition. However, I’m not sure why GM and Chrysler are discussing a merger when it is something they should go ahead and follow through with.

Editorial CE #1

The Senate Balks
Why President Obama should heed calls for a more focused stimulus package

This week's editorial basically just discusses Barack Obama's decision to pass the $900 billion stimulus package. Obama was challenging all of the critics of the stimulus package, accusing them of peddling "the same failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis" and warning that, without immediate action, "Our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse." Obama is justified in signaling that the plan should not be tilted in favor of tax cuts and that the GOP should not waste valuable time trying to achieve that. As the package emerged from the House, it suffered from a confusion of objectives. Obama praised it as "not merely a prescription for short-term spending" but a "strategy for long-term economic growth in areas like renewable energy and health care and education." As credible experts have pointed out, much of this "long-term" spending either won't stimulate the economy now, is of questionable merit, or both. All other policy priorities should pass through the normal budget process, which involves hearings, debate and competition with other programs. Senator Susan Collins of Maine is one of the moderate Republicans whose support the president must win if he is to garner the 60 Senate votes needed to pass a stimulus package. She and Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska are working on a plan that would carry a lower nominal price tag than the current bill, perhaps $200 billion lower, but which would focus on aid to states, "shovel-ready" infrastructure projects, food stamp increases and other items calculated to boost business and consumer spending quickly. She would also keep Obama's priorities, including a $500-per-worker tax rebate. Overall, I'm not sure what to think about this editorial because I'm not well informed about the stimulus package, but I think that if that is the best solution right now, it is something Obama should follow through with.

Political Cartoon #5

This week's political cartoon shows George W. Bush up to his neck in a sea of his mistakes. You can see that he's messed up with global warming, the war in Iraq, the economy, deficit, civil liberties, Katrina, etc. He's saying that he's leaving office "with his head held high" but only because he's drowning in his flaws. I think that this cartoon well represents what George W. Bush has done and he shouldn't be leaving with his head held too high.

Political Cartoon #4

This week's political cartoon shows George W. Bush with security guards for any shoe attacks that may happen. It shows an assistant telling him that he's now safe from any attacks but the agents have created signs to request certain shoes. This cartoon is a depiction of what happened a few weeks back when an Iraqi journalist took off his shoes and threw them at Bush during an Iraqi Conference meeting with the Prime Minister. It's been said that the shoes are the lowest part of a person's clothing which is why it is disrespectful to wear shoes into the house and that is why the journalist intended to throw them at him. Overall, I thought the event was funny but it wasn't very smart to do that during a meeting.