hannah.

braids and braids and pink

2010-03-10T19:41:00.003-05:00

The doll looks creepy but that's a nice pink. I'm not sure how I feel about barrel "braids" though.

Her braids are amazing. And omg pompoms. And imagine all of it pink. It would be so wonderful. [plus, the picture's from travelpod !]

This is the most amazing shade of pink I've seen. Gorgeous.

Pretty braids.

It would look better, I think, if it was all pink.

NACLO = awesome

2010-02-12T16:45:00.003-05:00

I have been missing out for the past three-odd years. In other words, I have been busy not participating in the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad. It's so sad.

The past week or so, before all the snow, I spent three hours solving some logic puzzles. It was possibly the most fun three hours I have spent in the past three years.

So now, I'm waiting to hear back, to see how I did. I really hope to be invited to the national invitational round, to be held mid-March-ish. That one is five hours! :D

Beyond that round, there's the international Linguistics Olympiad. This year it's in Uppsala, Sweden. There's no way I'd get that far, but I can always hope!

As for the questions, there were many warnings, like "ARGH DON'T TALK ABOUT THE QUESTIONS BEFORE THEY'RE POSTED ON THE WEBSITE GRRR." Anyways, my favorite *kind* of question was the one where they give you some sentences in a random language and their translations, and then you have to translate some other sentences from English and to English. So fun.

In other news, I need to learn about Turkish vowel harmony...

EDUCON

2010-01-30T11:26:00.001-05:00

EDUCON EDUCON EDUCON.

Saturday, I'm filming in Room 211.

Come say hi!

Dye! [Not today!]

2009-12-01T13:17:00.001-05:00

I have finally procured a blacklight.
So, as soon as I am able to, I will re-dye my hair!
How are these related? The hair dye I have is glow under blacklight.
Am I excited?
Yessssss

And Special Effects has a hair dye they call "Bright as %#*! Yellow."
Teehee.

Disjointed

2009-10-26T21:20:00.003-04:00

My eyes hurt. I haven't been getting enough sleep, haven't been recharging on weekends.
The first two benchmarks were relatively painless. However, three challenges remain ahead. I'm already behind. I feel like I've said this before...
Am I supposed to care about my parents' friends? My father seems to think I should...I don't.
I turn 18 in nine months, exactly. I'm excited, counting down the days. We've only all been counting for years...the day I turn 18 is the day I move out.
My capstone [senior project] is going to do with textiles...specifically, I have no idea.
I'm ready for holidays to come. Senior year has the aura of a whole big social event. It seems I never go straight home. It's nice, for a change.
I've applied to two colleges so far, out of 8 [I think] total. It all feels like a big to-do over nothing much. At least I know I'll be happy wherever I get accepted/get money. I have friends whose hearts are glued to one school. I feel sorry for them, almost.
I want to go apple picking. It's fall. That's what you do in fall, right?
The farmer's market near my house has the best apple cider I've ever tasted. Fahnestock Fruit Farms...
I have an exchange student. I'm ready for her to leave now.
I want my room back. I want personal space back.
I want a lot.
I want to sleep.

Be My Editor. Please?

2009-09-22T20:50:00.006-04:00

So, I'm a senior. That means college application time! And that means college application essays! Yay?
I realized that I know a lot of people online. A lot of smart people. A lot of smart writing people. And I thought, why not tap into this base?
And so, I am asking you all to be my editors. I will post my essays, and I would be grateful to you all if you would comment with corrections, suggestions, reactions, etc.
Please!
And so, the second draft of the first essay:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Russia is exactly like America.

Or, so it seemed as I settled into daily life. Beyond superficial differences like housing and, well, language, daily life is daily life in any country.

Until you start trying to actually do things, like pay at the café, or get directions, or even give a compliment. Then, language, that superficial difference, gets in your way. And yes, it got in my way in Russia. It was a little difficult to ignore, being there for two months. So, I grew, and developed strategies to combat my cultural ignorance.

Everything in Russia outside the major cities is in Russian. It may seem fairly obvious, but it wasn't to me until I actually sat down in what would be my bedroom during the duration of my stay. Only then did I realize just how pervasive the Russian language is in Russia. I would have to pay attention constantly.

On our first week, my group of American students went to eat in a cafeteria. I picked out what I wanted, slid my tray down the line, and reached the cashier. She totaled my check, and then rattled off an incomprehensible rush of what I assume was the price for my meal. I'm fairly certain that all I managed to muster in response was, "Huh?"

The next time we ate at the cafeteria, I made absolutely certain to be ready to listen extremely carefully when she told me the amount. I concentrated to a painful extent. And this time, did I understand?

Well, no. It takes some time to comprehend a mumbled language of which you are not a native. But, by the 6th or 7th time we ordered there, I understood the price. I understood because I kept listening, I kept concentrating.

And beyond that, I kept engaging. I didn't understand a word? I asked for an explanation. No talking was necessary in a transaction? I practiced my chit-chat. Someone asked me if the bus goes to Karl Marx Street? I apologized for not being able to assist, and noted the bus number to check later. I took advantage of opportunities to review, to learn, to live.

Though I may still not be able to give anyone directions while speaking Russian, I know how to attempt, and through that, how to eventually attain that goal, or any goal, language-related and not.

Oh, hi :)

2009-09-02T22:42:00.002-04:00

I have about one thousand photos from this summer. Between the eleven of us invading Kirov, I can only imagine. We have many photos. And these photos can probably give a much better picture of our little Russian city than we can in words. All of my photos are on facebook.

If you would like to hear stories, I have stories.

I have an album of Russian toilets. Let me explain. In the bathroom of the Yaroslavl train station in Moscow, we encountered a squat toilet, quite dirty, without toilet paper in the stall--you had to take some from the roll at the door before you went in. It was an experience. From then on, though I was unable to do so for this first bathroom, I took a photo of each toilet I used in Russia. It makes for an interesting set.

School starts on Tuesday. I'm a senior. That's pretty neat. I'll let you know how it goes.

:)

SPACE Issue 4 Call for Submissions

2009-04-27T20:28:00.004-04:00

Yes, it is that time again!

SPACE magazine, an online K-12 literary magazine, is open for submission! Issue 4 is dedicated to showcase the many varieties of poetry, so submit your haikus, submit your limericks and your sonnets, submit your prose.

How to submit, you ask? Simple!
Tweet the URL of your work, along with your first name, grade, and location (state and/or country) to @space_issue4
and you've submitted! You are on your way to becoming a literary sensation!

DEADLINE: MAY 24, 2009!

Space Logo: Lindsea

Matzoh Meal Rolls [Kosher for Passover]

2009-04-10T13:52:00.000-04:00

This might be leaking a secret family recipe, but oh well :P

Makes 2 dozen.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Boil 1 1/2 cups of water with 1/2 cup of oil.
Add 1 1/2 cups of matzoh meal. Stir.
Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Add 4 eggs, one at a time.
Spoon fist-sized amounts onto tinfoil-covered cookie sheets.
Bake for 40-50 minutes.

AND YUM.

My Week in Music

2009-03-26T21:48:00.003-04:00

Why not? My first couple posts were about my musical tastes, and here's an update on what I've been listening to!

The songs that have been stuck in my head this week:

The Joker - Steve Miller Band

Caramelldansen - Caramell

Jag Soona Soona Lage - Om Shanti Om

Miss Kiss Kiss Bang - Alex Swings! Oscar Sings! (Germany Eurovision)

When She's Near - Fiction Family

Eurovision Fever

2009-03-15T22:22:00.003-04:00

Right around now, countries across Europe are holding contests for musicians to determine a representative to the Eurovision Song Contest, a, well, song contest between the nations of Europe.

I'm hooked. Most of the songs tend to be utterly horrible, but there are always a few gems. So, my hopes for this year's winner:

3. Romania - Elena Gheorghe singing "The Balkan Girls" is ridiculously catchy, and if it weren't for her sluttiness and obvious pop overtones, it might be mistaken for a great dance song.

2. Greece - Sakis Rouvas can pelvic thrust like no other. The song ("This Is Our Night") isn't bad either.

1. Estonia - Absolutely gorgeous and haunting. The song is beautiful. Sandra Nurmsalu with Urban Symphony singing "Rändajad." [Note: I found the lyrics!]

Don't Be Indo-Eurocentric

2009-03-04T19:45:00.005-05:00

I continue to realize just how Eurocentric the American education system has become (and has always been?). While devouring posts on Language Log, I clicked on a link that led me to Ethnologue, my new favorite obsession.

Ethnologue is a catalog of all the languages in the world. In other words, a lifetime of perusing entertainment. But while clicking around happily, I remembered that I didn't know what it meant when it classified the language: Indo-European, Slavic, South, Western. I had a vague idea, but aren't most languages Indo-European? And wait, what on earth is there besides Indo-European? I had no clue.

So, I went to the page detailing language families. And, as it turns out, there are a lot of other classifications on the same branch level as Indo-European. A couple hundred, I'd estimate. And Indo-European is by no means the largest grouping.

So darn. Why is it that in my life I have only ever heard of languages that were spoken by people who look like me? Why did I never even consider that Australian aborigines might have had their own language, besides the English of the colonists? Why is it that even now, on average, only Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Latin are taught in schools in my country?

All of those languages are European. Of the Indo-European language family. Within that, all but German belong to the Italic classification. Why do we focus on such a small, related group of languages? I know that some schools offer less common languages as well, but on the whole, those classes are not standard. They may also be clubs, instead of a regular class.

On the bright side, Japanese and Mandarin are infiltrating our classrooms. Finally.

Now, an argument in favor of those standard five language options is colonization. When Britain and France and Spain extended their empires out into the world, so they extended their languages. Still, today, much of the world is fluent to some degree in at least one of those languages (with the exception of Latin). So, why bother to learn any others?

Well, to start-- they're interesting. Perhaps not for everyone, I understand, but perhaps another choice would be more relevant to some students' interests. Perhaps they are not offered because they are "hard." This might be true, in that these languages are more different from our own and have fewer cognates than the standard offerings. But, if anyone ever listened to an argument of difficulty, then no high schooler would ever take physics.

Also, let me be clear-- I am not advocating teaching some jungle dialect of a native tribe in Brazil. But perhaps we should take a look at what language skills are needed, wanted in our country, and teach to fill the knowledge void.

The State Department has identified "desirable" languages for translators, etc, and they're not any of those five I listed above. They are: Arabic, Farsi, Russian, Hindi, Turkish, Korean, and Mandarin. These are the languages of the countries that America needs to be able to communicate with. And they are not all Indo-European.* None are Italic. We can no longer afford to stay Indo-Eurocentric, or we will lose step with the emerging powers of the world.

I am lucky in that I have the opportunity to study Russian, a non-standard offering. I just wish others had the same opportunities that I am offered.

*Classifications: Arabic (Afro-Asiatic), Farsi (Indo-European), Russian (Indo-European), Hindi (Indo-European), Turkish (Altaic), Korean (Language Isolate), and Mandarin (Sino-Tibetan)

Crocheted Daffodil: A Pattern

2009-02-19T22:34:00.002-05:00

Materials:
4 feet of gardening wire
~A few yards of a green yarn
~A few yards of a yellow yarn
~A yard of an orange or yellow yarn
Crochet hook of any size

Note: Colors can be varied

Stem:
Chain 3
Join ends and continue single crocheting around until stem is at desired length, generally around 6in
Finish off, leaving a few inches of yarn

Leaves:
Chain ~12
Single crochet next row until end of row, finish, and leave an inch or so of yarn
Repeat for second leaf
Add as many leaves as wanted

Petals:
Row 1: Chain 2
Row 2: Single crochet 2 stitches in 1 stitch to increase
Row 3: Single crochet 1, single crochet 2 stitches in 1 stitch
Row 4: Single crochet 2, single crochet 2 stitches in 1 stitch
Row 5: Single crochet 4
Row 6: Single crochet 2, single crochet 2 together
Row 7: Single crochet 1, single crochet 2 together, and finish, leaving an inch or two
Repeat for ~5 leaves
Join petals together by threading the excess yarn on the ends through the bottom stitches of the other petals until they are all conjoined securely.

Cup (that bell-shaped part):
Chain 3
Join ends and continue single crochet around, increasing by single crocheting 2 stitches in 1 every few stitches
After cup is 1 inch – 1.5 inches tall, finish and weave in excess yarn
To attach bell to petals, thread excess yarn from bottom of bell into the bottoms of the petals.

To assemble all parts together:
Cut a 2-foot length of gardening wire.
Bend in half (gently) and thread both ends up through the stem. Pull wire up through stem, making sure the bottom of the wire bend is at the bottom of stem, and not poking out past it.
Thread ends of wire through the middle of the petals-and-cup conglomeration multiple times around until secure.
Make sure the ends of the wires are safely tucked into yarn, so as not to poke a flower recipient and cause harm.
To attach leaves, cut a two-foot length of wire. Thread the wire up then down through both leaves, leaving about an inch of wire at each end.
Thread the wire ends into the bottom of the stem, through and around until secure.
Make sure the ends aren’t sticking out in a position to poke people.

Snip any visible excess yarn or wire, and you have yourself a daffodil.

What's Cochineal?

2009-02-10T22:49:00.003-05:00

I am not a science person. So the reason why I decided to take Advanced Engineering as an elective this year is beyond me.

Well, now I know! I'm going to be making natural dyes, and dyeing myself some nice pretty wool to work with. SWEET, no? I think so :)

So, I suppose I will soon be sharing my exploits in dye baths.

Wacky and Weird

2009-02-10T22:45:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow the high is projected to be 60 degrees. The month is February.

I'm confused.

In other news, my friend has informed me that I am going to end up a linguist.

PS: If you're in an RSS reader, go look at the actual page! It's been modified to look like me :P

Hmm.

2009-01-30T11:49:00.003-05:00

Now is a time to wait.
I have five countdowns on my dashboard.
The Flower Show is one month away.
Liverpool arrives in Philadelphia in two months.
And then more.

And as for now-- quite a bit has just happened. But I feel no need to process externally.

Now-- now I am applying for a National Security Language Initiative for Youth scholarship, sponsored by the State Department. I am excited, to say the absolute least. I suppose that I will write more on this if I am even considered. I am hopeful.

May 2009 Be A Wonderful Year

2009-01-01T13:04:00.003-05:00

And for all you non-Philadelphians, here's how we celebrate the New Year here:
Mummers.

I will move to Siberia and become a muskox farmer

2008-12-15T14:00:00.001-05:00

I get mainly straight A's on my report cards.
I test well.
I like to think that I can be creative too.
All of this adds up to huge platter of pressure.

I generally like school. I enjoy learning and thinking. However, like your average student, I don't always enjoy the workload.

Which got me thinking-- what is the workload for? Is it school's way to measure what I have learned? I know that I've learned. Why should I have to prove it to someone else?

So far, the only answer seems to be 'to get into a good college.' Perhaps also to assure my teachers' pay. Now, the latter reason I'm all for, but I'm no longer so sure of the first.

To start with the now: This past quarter, I ended up in tears more than once due to my mounting pile of work to be done. That can't be healthy, and it sure was not fun. Stress hurts.

Moving on to the post-now: I am genuinely excited to go to college and specialize. I look forward to it immensely. But, I don't necessarily believe that an "elite" college will give me a "better" education than any other institution. My mother has staunchly avowed that I will attend a college that is "good enough for me." This forces me to consider only those whose applicants are the type of person I avoid being-- over-stressed, over-worked, over-achieving, members-of-20-extra-curriculars, play-when-injured-athletes, focused-to-the-point-of-blindness, future-all-planned-out wayyyyyyyyy over-stretched suburban teenager. My goodness. I like to breathe. Now, I know my picture is over-generalized and most likely stereotyped, but I know some of these people. And I also know that I don't want to be them.

However, I also don't want to be bored. I'm not about to apply to Community College. But, I'm not convinced that I need a network of super-intelligent people, or at least people with a level of intelligence comparable to mine, in order to learn effectively. There is a reason independent study programs exist.

To bring it back to the point: Do I need to work myself to tears? If it's just to get into a school environment that I'm not sold on entering, then I'm not so sure anymore.

After college, I will be finished with formal education. I know that about myself. I will most definitely keep on learning, but not in a classroom. I would prefer to become a productive member of society.

Which might lead to the question, do I want to go college at all? But, I have no intentions of murdering my parents :)

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A Thanksgiving Post, I Suppose

2008-11-30T15:07:00.001-05:00

I am still in a food coma. So, I post an assignment from English class, two years ago.
-----
Thanksgiving with the Family

Another year, another turkey, another day of pishing. For all the goyim out there, that translates to peeing in Yiddish. No, we don’t urinate at the table. In our family, we always thought that pishing meant “happy tears”, which we exhibit frequently. The contradiction in definitions only came up this year when my Aunt Melanie found out.
“You know, my friend so-and-so said that it really means peeing”
”Really? Hm. Who knew? Well, for us, it’s different”
And they continued with their demonstration, grinning and bawling.

To start, everyone on my mother’s side of the family has their holiday. Aunt Gail always hosts Hannukah. Melanie always hosts break fast for Yom Kippur. My mother always hosts Thanksgiving. That’s the way it is.

First comes the moving of furniture. Everything has to be set up just right. Two long tables, enough to seat about twenty people - our normal amount - fill the dining room, spilling out into the living room. Thankfully, we have been able to fit everyone in all the houses we’ve had, big and small - even in an apartment. I always do the seating plan then, placing everyone apart from their immediate family and next to their favorite cousin or one they haven’t seen in a while. We have permanent place cards, and if you have one, you’re there to stay for a while. This year, my cousin Jenn’s “life partner” Todd got one. Whenever that title is mentioned, it’s always met with a laugh, usually from Jenn.
“It sounds like we’re gay”
They’re not planning on getting married, so it works.

Second comes the turkey, which is always a production. It has to be stuffed with bread and herbs, rubbed with butter and whatnot, hoisted into the pan (to feed 20 people, this is a monstrous beast of a turkey), the pan ooph-ed into the oven, and the bird basted. Every ten minutes. This year the heated task fell upon me. You suck up all the turkey juice and spit it back. on the turkey to moisturize its skin. I end up slaving over the hot oven, while my mother gets all the credit for feeling up the turkey while stuffing it.

By the time everyone arrives, the house is warm and reeks of turkey and other foodstuffs. The smell only increases as people deposit their goods in the kitchen, decreasing what little amount of counter space we have left. The “Brooklyn Boys” hand over their broccoli rabe, which seems to be the only dish they know how to buy. Miles and Ricky are my mother’s cousins, which makes Miles’ son, little Josh, my second cousin. Melanie’s son, Big Josh, is my first cousin. Last year little Josh came with an injury, something with his ear. There was some kind of blood blister on the lobe, and he had to get it lanced at the hospital. So, when he came, there was a huge bandage covering his left ear. That was last year’s big discussion topic. This year it was cousin Eli’s semester in Ghana.

Eli attends Tulane University in New Orleans. For the first semester of his junior year in college, he went to Accra, the capitol of Ghana. When hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, we all marveled at how he was safer in an African country - abutting one in civil war even - than in America. Needless to say, he had many stories to relate to those who hadn’t heard any yet. There was the voodoo priest who cured him from a curse, the bus ride through war torn Cote D’Ivoire, and the giant indigenous statue of a god with a giant erect penis in Burkina Faso. When village women had problems, they went to the statue.
They do not pray the same way we do.

Eli went on with the voodoo ceremony,
“The priest had me get 2 chickens, 2 bottles of gin, and other things, like feathers…I really did have a curse! The priest described this other guy in our program who was jealous of me, we knew that already, and he had cursed me apparently”

After everyone’s caught up, and the chocolate’s been delved into, we all make our way to the table and sit down. Uncle Frank carves the turkey, using his electric knife to slice into the meat. With every stomach groaning and stretched to the limit, we move on to what the holiday is about: giving thanks. My mother insists on going around, each person verbalizing their blessings. One relative this year was thankful for the turkey cookies. Aunt Melanie is a first grade teacher, and is therefore privy to many secret elementary school cute little things. This year, one former student brought cookies shaped like turkeys to school. Now, these were not cutouts, but 3-D turkeys, with candy corn for beaks and feet. She replicated them and brought them to dinner, but for many around our table, they were too cute to eat. I, however, never one to turn down chocolate, ate two. Stale candy corn is really good.

When we get to Jenn and the other non-emotional people like her:
“O god, it’s turning into group therapy”
“Oh, just be thankful”
But the pishing continues,
“It’s just-I’m just-so happy”
The latter, if you can guess, is my mother, being my mother on Thanksgiving.
“The whole family together..” (she laughs at herself in the middle of tears) “I’m just so grateful for having such a wonderful family..” and she elaborates, still with tears falling.
The thanks continue as we journey around the table - some words political, some religious, most thankful for family.

I’m thankful for my family. Even though we may create scenes whilst bawling into the cranberry sauce, we have more fun than pigs in mud. My crazy family is louder than a hungry baby, and loves chocolate more than Hershey. But we love each other, even when we get exasperated. Jenn is just joking, and we have come to expect the yearly ritual. I love my mom because of her pishing, and if she didn’t sob into stuffing at Thanksgiving, she wouldn’t be the same person. I adore her for her imperfections, and without them, she wouldn’t be my mother, and Thanksgiving wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining.

*Note: When my mother first read this, she started pishing.

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Rutabaga

2008-11-28T15:34:00.001-05:00

I chuck one at your head.

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This I Believe

2008-11-18T11:49:00.001-05:00

Grass Is Always Greener In Between Your Toes

I was born in the city and raised in a rowhouse. My backyard was three squares of cement and one square of pear tree, bordered with a flowerbed. Every year, my parents would plant pansies, violets, and various seed mixes to brighten up the patch. From days of planting, among other experiences, I grew into a love of nature.

When I turned 10, my mother moved out of the city, straight into suburbia. All I knew about the suburbs was the classic 1950s picture – manicured lawns all leading up to identical ranch houses. Unfortunately, that characterization wasn’t far off.

My neighbor mowed his lawn every single day. He did so neatly, so there were criss-cross lines through the grass, making a pattern. It looked nice, but he never set foot on it. With a yard like a field, how could he not just stand in the middle, barefoot, and curl his toes, pressing into the clean nature of the land?

I spent four years surrounded by nature in the suburbs – there were woods, streams, large grassy yards – but noticing that many of the people around me didn’t see any of it and seemed to take it for granted. Perhaps my background, coming from a place largely deprived of clean grassy fields with open blue skies to revel in, somehow forced the belief that we should enjoy and participate in nature, rather than shy away from it and beat it back with pesticides.

Now I live in the middle of the city again, and I know I’m lucky to have a park bursting with greenness and nature just two blocks away. I try to visit as much as I can, and each time, to sprawl out on the grassy regions in between paths, because I believe that grass should be walked on and fully enjoyed.

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Emergency! Emergency! Everybody to get from street!

2008-10-26T20:55:00.002-04:00

I wish I had a Cyrillic keyboard.*

My ILP this year is at Drexel University. High school students can enroll in one course per quarter/semester through the Pennoni Honors College, and I am taking Russian 101.

My Russian knowledge is vast and deep. I can say such illustrious phrases as "That is a cat." and "Where is his magazine?"

Sarcasm aside, I love Russian. Though I can't quite read Dostoevsky in its original language, hey, I'll get there one day. I have mastered the alphabet! Almost!

I wander the streets muttering possessive pronouns, counting street lamps, identifying objects and greeting my imaginary friends.

I can count from один to десять. And backwards.

I can mind my p's and q's.

And I can say fuck your mother. Yeah, I have my priorities in order.

*Are there any applications or something that will let me type in Cyrillic letters? Please contact me!

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Coal Waste Poisons Water

2008-10-17T17:35:00.000-04:00

I think it has been well established that coal mining is not all that great for the environment. Coal waste gets dumped in creeks and other water bodies, even though there are currently laws against doing just that. There is a reason for those laws: people drink that water.

A recent study published last Tuesday “found more lung cancer deaths, overall hospitalizations and overall deaths in coal-producing counties compared to other parts of the region and to the nation as a whole” (The Charleston Gazette ). Adjusted for smoking and other factors, the numbers were still higher than normal. A major reason for all of the sickness and deaths is the water. Coal waste contaminates Appalachian water. It makes it smell bad, according to the little girl in the video below, and it can tarnish a penny in mere minutes.

Coal waste is a general term. Here’s what it means: when coal is mined, it is not pure. Rock is mined along with the coal, and there are other substances in there as well. Coal companies “wash” the coal with water and chemicals to separate just the coal from the rock and other materials. They then take the coal and sell it. But, they’re left with a huge amount of waste. Coal waste is a mix of rock, water, and highly toxic chemicals such Aniline, Benzidine, Pyrene, and many others that I can’t even begin to pronounce (Sludge Safety Project ).

People are drinking toxic waste.

Tell Me Something Smart

2008-10-13T15:28:00.003-04:00

Ian:
how about the Diving reflex?

Hannah:
ok
what's that?

Ian:
It's interesting

Hannah:
lovely

Ian:
hehe
but seriously
it's mostly seen in marine animals (not surprisingly)
When, say, a dolphin goes under water for an extended period of time, it can shut down some of its body processes, like its digestive track or its reproductive system.
It does this because excess processes, like digesting food or creating and maintaining gametes, are not necessary for the life of the animal at that point, so it can save energy for more important processes, like keeping the heart pumping and the brain thinking.
You can think of it like turning off the lights in the rooms in your house where no one is.
The real interesting part about the Diving Reflex is that humans also posses it to some extent.
If someone falls into freezing water, their body processes slow down in order to keep their heart and brain alive.
And as such, people can be "brought back to life" after seemingly drowning in a freezing lake.

Hannah:
It sounds like it's more of a temperature thing than a water thing.

Ian:
Kinda,
It's actually a brain thing.
It helps show that humans and dolphins are distantly related.

Hannah:
But, the trigger that tells the brain processes to shut down seems like temperature or pressure, not the water...

Ian:
In humans, yes.
Dolphins can do it, even in warm water.
We have to be shocked into doing it.
Actually, I just remembered that some people don't have to be shocked to trigger their Diving Reflex...
Have you ever heard of "Sudden Infant Death Syndrome"?
It's really the same thing.
Except unexpected.

/Today's Daily Learning.

Hector's Index Card

2008-09-26T23:37:00.001-04:00

He patted his left pocket to make sure the money was still there. Good. He could feel the bulge. Self-conscious, he put his head down and kept walking. Spruce, Locust, Walnut. He still had a ways to go.

He trudged past the army-navy store, imagining himself in a flak jacket, carrying a rifle through the jungle. No, the desert. However animalistic and adventurous the jungle may seem, the desert was realistic. His face morphed into Carlos’ in his mind, and he shuddered. He wished he hadn’t walked past the army-navy store. He should’ve turned west three blocks back.

Looking up at City Hall, he saw Billy Penn point to his wrist. Glancing down at his watch, he cursed and sped up. His hand dove into the right-side pocket, fishing for the paper. Shit. He withdrew his hand and sucked on his finger, licking the cut clean, tasting the bitter blood. Fucking transpass. He didn’t even need it.

Walking cleared his mind. Helped him forget. The air rushed past his ears as he strode along the sidewalk, creating a white noise soundtrack to block out his thoughts. Every so often, a snippet of conversation swirled into his head from the people strolling by, and he found himself creating a whole dialogue around it.

Think. Wait. Don’t Think. Don’t Remember. Just Walk. Just Get There.

He decided to turn onto Market. Walking through City Hall, he could feel the eyes of the stone lions following him. What did they know. They knew nothing. They felt nothing. He was a lion. A stone lion.

He reached back into his pocket and gingerly extracted the paper. The schedule was creased and thin from checking and re-checking the time and location. Yes. It was still the same. Same time, same place.

The skyscraper offices slanted in, suffocating his vision. He anxiously shoved up his sleeve and checked his watch. Ok. Plenty of time. He could relax.

But he couldn’t.

Carlos—but he wouldn’t think about Carlos. Couldn’t think about Carlos.

He kept walking.

He turned.

He paused to re-tie his shoe. He should’ve double-knotted them. But he never did. Carlos always did.

He resumed walking. He would not be late. He could not be late. He checked his watch, sped up. He was almost there.

He could see it now. His destination. His beginning. He patted his left pocket to make sure the money was still there.

It would be something. He couldn’t give much, but it was all he had.

As the doors came towards him, his eyes developed blinders. He walked straight inside, straight down the aisle, straight to the front. He swatted away his thoughts, and looked down at Carlos inside the box.

He unlocked his mind and was whole.

Vengo de

2008-09-17T09:06:00.007-04:00

My Spanish teacher has propelled me into an existential crisis.

¿De donde vengo yo? Yo no sé.
Where do I come from? I don't know.

Literal: I come from my mother. Her cells divided to form me, a fetus, inside her uterus. I come from my mother. I am a link in a line of strong women, women who followed their passions.

Literal: I come from Philadelphia. I come from the traffic on the streets and the traffic on the sidewalks. I wind through crowds; I walk on cobblestones. I buy soft pretzels on the street; I stop at the Wawa for a snack.

Metaphorical: I am from the loom, woven into a skein of brightly colored wool. Throughout my existence, I will become unwound, then wound tighter again. I will be tugged at and coaxed into forming a shape. Perhaps then I will be agitated and smoothed into one cohesive fabric. I will keep someone warm, cuddled in cold months, wrapped around necks and flung over shoulders. I will need repairs. Eventually I will be eaten by moths.

Metaphorical: I come from a field of music, rhythms and harmonies blending into cacophony. The clink of spoons, the pluck of banjos, the bowing of fiddles. All dictate the beat of my heart. I come from community, a closeness to friends seen only twice a year. I come from shared harmonies, voices in beautiful contrast. I come from campfires and stories, from encouragement and growth, from support and sound.

¿De donde vengo yo? De más puedo decir. De la historia. Del hilo. De la música. De mi familia. Del mundo. Del amor.

That cloud is dead!

2008-09-15T11:05:00.002-04:00

Summer is over.
School has been in session for over a week now.
My life has fallen into routine.

I like routine.

I can remember to boil the kettle for tea.
Orange pekoe has a lovely scent.

I painted flowerpots yesterday.
One is a turtle.

Nature is a Lovely Thing

2008-09-08T16:47:00.004-04:00

I have been reading A Walk in the Woods, as you may know, and while Bill Bryson, the author, tries not to inject too many facts and science, there is quite a bit of information. However, I am not going to talk about those parts of the book in this entry.

This entry is for nature.

Nature, the natural world, is what we humans are from. Much as we may attempt to distance ourselves from nature with fiberglass and concrete, without it we would cease to exist. Sorprendo a la naturaleza (Just to add some interdisciplinary learning – sorprender is a Spanish vocab word this week!).

I marvel at nature. Have you ever stood in the middle of the woods and just looked up at the trees? It is humbling.

I had the privilege to attend an elementary school with a wonderful program – once a week each grade went out to a Girl Scout camp in the woods for the whole day. In the younger grades, we mostly just ran around and made forts and had loads of fun. However, we also learned about the plants we saw, and took time to appreciate the natural setting that was so different from our own urban environment.

I will always remember the hours I spent sitting by a creek, shaded by tall stately trees, writing poetry about the sheer beauty of my surroundings.

We need to slow down and appreciate the splendor of nature. I know I need to remember this so as to remember why I care about this topic. No issue is devoid of emotion, and every so often we all need to remind ourselves why we care.

Photo credit: denis collette on Flickr

What I'm Going To Do With My Life

2008-09-01T01:28:00.002-04:00

...for this school year, at least :D

Stop wasting time on the computer.

I refresh Twitter every minute. I need to wait a bit. I click on links that I know are merely fluff. I need to stop doing that. I stare at my screen blankly for minutes at a time. I need to be productive. I will not waste time! I will not waste (as much) time!

Be an attentive student in science class.

I slacked off last year in science class. By the end of the year, I simply was not paying any attention at all in that class. That is bad. I will not do that this year. I will just get the assignments done, quickly, no matter how mundane. Get it done. Get it done now. On time. Plus, science fair will hopefully no longer be mandatory. No more science fair! No more organized, legalized torture!

Be more regular in journal-writing.

We were handed out journals in English class last year, a la Freedom Writer's Diary. And we wrote in them at the beginning of each class. I like journal-writing. But I have a hard time keeping up with it. So, I will make a concentrated effort to write a little bit each night before going to sleep.

Remember that others are complex, even if they don't yet know it themselves.

This would require a long explanation... Basically, I find types of people annoying, and I will try not to dislike certain people just because they follow a stereotype.

Get outside more.

This relates to the first goal: I am indoors for too much of the day. Perhaps this will manifest itself in a simple walk after dinner, or doing homework in the park or on the porch.

Actively engage my friends instead of just being content to know that they are my friends.

Basically, get a life? Not really... I see my friends in school. Not so much outside of school. I think that that should change a bit. We could go see a movie! Or just chill.

Watch less TV.

I am in love with Law & Order: Criminal Intent. The problem is, when the TV goes on, it's hard to turn off... So, we came up with a plan to just rent stuff! Watch more movies, and rent the shows. I enquired at my local video store as to the status of L&O:CI discs, and apparently they don't have any! So, my plan is falling apart already. Oh well, I'll still watch less TV.

These are my goals and aspirations.

Signed: Hannah Feldman

:)

2008-08-25T23:46:00.001-04:00

So there's this guy...

I had a wonderful day.

Coal-Dusted Water

2008-08-23T23:13:00.003-04:00

The Clean Water Act, a law to regulate detrimental practices to bodies of water, was amended in 2002 to allow mine waste to “fill in streams for development and other purposes.” Now, the US Office of Surface Mining (which, apparently, exists) has proposed more changes to the Act. According to the New York Times, these new regulations would only serve to legalize mountaintop removal mining. Their article, Ravaging Appalachia, from last August, blasts politicians for continually attempting to condone this horrendous form of mining.

And apparently it’s not enough that hundreds of mountains have been obliterated. Now coal companies want to destroy streams. As per the article, 1200 miles of streams have been buried under mine debris, known as ‘spoil.’ To compare, that the same length as Florida’s entire coastline (Source ).

Having coal mines in such close proximity to streams and other water sources has many negative effects. Drinking water in West Virginia can be brown, and it is dangerous to drink, as shown in the trailer for the documentary, Burning the Future: Coal in America. West Virginia is a poor state, and people there cannot afford to buy something else to drink. These people are dying from coal mines without even going in one.

Photo credit: cindy47452 on Flickr

An Update!

2008-08-23T22:33:00.004-04:00

It is summer, and I have been busy, as have you all.

So, what have I been doing? A quick update, glossing over the events:

I went to the Poconos. The Poconos are the Pennsylvania section of the Appalachians. Lovely mountains. All of my mother's family was there: the cousins, the aunts, the uncles, my grandma, and my mother and myself. We had a wonderful time driving each other insane, and I turned 16.

Yes, I am now of driving age. Watch out! Okay, so I'm nowhere near driving yet, but it would be legal.

Then, my father and I went off to California for a grand adventure.

We spent a week outside Los Angeles, staying with his best friend, which was quite lovely because we don't get to see her often, as she lives three thousand miles away.

We then drove up the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco, stopping on the way in San Simeon to see Hearst Castle, which was freaking RIDICULOUS. It's something that has to be seen in person to be believed.

In San Francisco, we visited some colleges (Ack! I'm too young...) which was vaguely interesting. Just before we had to leave for home, I got to meet up with @lindseak for some delicious cupcakes.

It was then off to the Philadelphia Folk Festival, an annual event in my life. We camp in a dormant field, sit around campfires, and listen to folk music with instruments such as banjos, washboards, and spoons. Yep.

We camp with an established group: the Lord Louis Mountbatten Memorial Campsite, in between the Flids and the Azzoles (in case anyone wants to find us...). We have pink flamingos.

It is my favorite time of the year. I made new friends; I became closer to the ones that I already had. I discovered new groups. I sold t-shirts.

After returning with multiple layers of dirt from fest, I discovered that my mother had moved our entire apartment north five floors. This was expected, but not quite at the rate that it had happened. My room is now a lovely shade of orange :)

I have cut out pork and shellfish from my diet, and am slowly separating meat and dairy in dishes. That part's a bit harder, but it's all entirely doable. I like keeping kosher, and perhaps there will be another, longer post on this.

And that was my summer. There is less than two weeks until school starts, and in that time I will finish up summer reading assignments and hang with friends as much as possible. However, I'm excited to get back into routine. I'm hoping to start up a couple new ones as well.

Goals for the new school year will be posted soon. Hope everyone has had a lovely, enjoyable summer.

Mining + Heavy Machinery = Fewer (Union) Workers

2008-07-30T00:54:00.001-04:00

I have stumbled across a reason for strip mining, why companies thought it was a reasonable way to mine. Robert F. Kennedy Jr wrote an article on his father’s fight against strip mining, and it gives a bit of history on the situation. It starts with unions. In the sixties, there “were 114,000 unionized mine workers in West Virginia digging coal from tunnels and supporting the families and communities of Appalachia. Today, there are less than 11,000 miners in West Virginia taking the same amount of coal and only a fraction of them are unionized because the strip industry isn’t.” Strip mining requires heavy machinery that can do the work of many men. With more machines, fewer workers – union workers – were needed to mine the land. Non-union labor is cheaper, and having fewer workers to pay is cheaper, and companies certainly like a profit.

The initial reason for this practice to be thought up is explained as well: “The mining industry debuted strip mining in the 1940s in the Western States, to extract coal seams that lay a few feet below the surface and therefore inaccessible through traditional tunnel mining. To extract the wealth, all you needed was a bulldozer.” They were only thinking of immediate return, with no eye towards the future of the land.

Well, here’s the future:

The most shocking statistic I have read is from the same site. Strip miners set off 3,000 pounds of dynamite A DAY in West Virginia. Added up, it is the size of the Hiroshima bomb each week. The US Department of Energy estimates that 70,000 people died from the initial blast (Source). Buildings were destroyed; everything was destroyed. If that’s how much one bomb did, and to humans and buildings, imagine the effects of one of those each week on the trees and natural elements.

Photo credit: Kent Kessinger

Commodore, Our Brother's Blood!

2008-07-23T21:54:00.003-04:00

At the Intrepid Classroom, a lot of the talk is centered around peace and social action and that sort of stuff. We started off talking about issues in relation to music, but I thought about my music library, and I couldn't think of any song that was really political or anything. Well, a couple days ago I saw my favorite musician live, and listening to his songs more actively in that setting, I realized that, oh!, that song is political...oh, that one too! So, I guess I need to listen more carefully, for starters.

One of Joshua James' songs, Our Brother's Blood, has a strong message about war.

"Apologies never sounded insincerer
Than when calling up a mother,
Her bloody child on the battle field of war,
While the pretty politicians
lay their babies down to sleep."

So often, war and other forms of destruction are talked about in terms of ethics, morality, and economics. That's all well and good, but we forget that people are involved. It's not just money or right and wrong, but people. Living, breathing humans who are affected. Countries may win or lose wars, but at the end of the day, there are parents who have to be told that their child is dead.

Another point that the verse makes is how removed the people are who actually make the decisions. Many politicians don't have children in danger.

"it's fine to sacrifice our brother's blood.
Cuz it ain’t my son that’s fighting in the war
Across the seas."

So often*, the people dying are poor or uneducated or both. The people who put them in the face of a missile are mostly rich and highly educated. Are the policymakers thinking about the actual people who get the work done? How could they be? How could anyone knowingly send a person to their certain death? Of course, in any war, people die. So, why do we start wars? I just don't know.

"Because one by one we will watch them die,
In shallow graves our soldiers lay."

From Joshua James' "Commodore," written from the point of view of a child during the Holocaust,

"Mama said the war will end
just as soon as it began.
But then why do we sit and hide?
Commodore oh why?"

Politicians don't always consider the actual will of the people. Rarely do everyday citizens say that they want war. A war would mean that Joey from down the street, who you grew up with, would be shipped off to somewhere you don't know anything about, or that black curtains would need to be put up on all of the windows so "the enemy" won't see you. Mama wants the war to end. But she can't do anything about it, because they all have to hide. And in the meantime, that's all she can tell her kid. What else is there to say?

Politicians are removed, and all they see is the economy and stock prices and their political alliances. Perhaps if they visited their constituencies a bit more, or met more everyday people, wars wouldn't make it through the legislature.

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"I love humanity but I hate people." -Edna St. Vincent Millay

For me, this quote is flipped. I love people but I hate humanity. Humanity? The human race as a whole is pretty clumsy, and we start wars. Our collective self turns pretty shy, too, and likes to hide behind its own projected image. "These [insert race of people] dirty the earth, and so to save humanity, I will kill them all!" But perhaps that's too harsh. Perhaps Ms. Millay meant "the quality of being benevolent" (Wiktionary) - kindness. Well, I love kindness, too, and you know what? I see it in people. Yes, those people that you hate - they are all human, and they have humanity.

Why send kind people to die in a war? I just don't see the sense.

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*Disclaimer: I know nothing for a fact. I'm saying what I perceive to be the case, or hear about, or interpret from the song.

Not-So-Clean Coal

2008-07-23T21:24:00.001-04:00

Coal is dirty. Now, I’m assuming we all know that, as coal is black and leaves coal powder on your hand if you touch it. But what, then, is “clean coal”? I’m not about to rail on the dangers of coal and why we should just plain stop using it as an energy source, because we as a nation can’t just stop cold turkey.

My point: “More than 60 percent of all coal mined in the United States today, in fact, comes from strip mines.” This comes from an article in the Washington Post . “Millions of acres across 36 states have been dynamited, torn and churned into bits by strip mining in the last 150 years.” Is it because the coal companies couldn’t think of a better way to mine coal? Maybe. At least now there are other options.

Hopefully people will buy into alternate energy sources. My father’s house and synagogue are powered by wind energy, an option offered by PECO. My father reports that wind power (as opposed to whatever energy source is normal) costs him five extra dollars a month. That is it.

I cannot think of any real downfalls of wind energy. Taking the sleeper train from Philadelphia to Chicago, we passed through West Virginia. On top of many lovely mountains, we saw wind turbines. One argument I have heard against wind power is that the turbines mar the landscape. I have to disagree. I think they look nice. They’re tall and majestic. Also, I know they produce a fraction of the greenhouse gases of other energy sources, and that makes me like them even more.

I strongly encourage you to read the rest of the article. It is informative and scary. More later.

The Mountain State and Its Loss of Mountains

2008-07-12T22:09:00.003-04:00

[[This is a repost from my school blog and the Change the World project. I plan on rerunning the entire series on mountaintop removal coal mining, and perhaps get motivated to continue. But, for now it's just recycled ;)]]

[[And please check out the snazzy widget to the right >> It would be lovely if you could add your name to the efforts to stop mountaintop removal mining!]]

Coal is already generating protestors because it is nonrenewable, but what not many people know is how coal is mined. Strip mining, a type of surface mining, is one method coal companies use to extract coal from the land. Strip mining is basically razing the vegetation in an area, then drilling holes and blowing up the ground, and then actually mining the coal, as described by Thinkquest . At times, whole mountaintops are simply blown off to reach the coal. Why? Well, according to iLovemountains.org , “Coal companies in Appalachia are increasingly using this method because it allows for almost complete recovery of coal seams while reducing the number of workers required to a fraction of what conventional methods require.” Verifying that, Appalachian Voices says, “although coal production rose 32 percent between 1987 and 1997, mining jobs dropped by 29 percent over the same period.” So, it’s cheaper. Well, coal mining companies may lose a bit of money, but everyone loses the oxygen those trees produced, and simply the beautiful views and landscapes they provided. Over 450 mountains have been destroyed in Appalachia so far, and there are myriad more surface mining permits granted for the area.

There are laws in place to regulate strip mining, but they are not well enforced. “While reclamation efforts such as stabilization and revegetation are required for mountaintop removal sites, in practice, state agencies that regulate mining are generous with granting waivers to coal companies. Most sites receive little more than a spraying of exotic grass seed” says ilovemountains.org. Mountains are not just grass. What about the forests that used to thrive? Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither do forests grow back in a day, especially not hardwoods. According to PBS , “300,000 acres of hardwood forest in West Virginia have been destroyed by mountaintop removal mining.” West Virginia is the Mountain State, and hopefully it stays that way. I also strongly encourage you to go here and see your connection to this disastrous practice.

Summer Reading List 2008

2008-07-06T02:19:00.002-04:00

From Practical Theory, here we have the Reading List for summer 2008! You might notice that it’s quite short. Fear not, English teachers! I’m more of a wanderer of library shelves than a planner. However, here’s what I know I’ll be reading.

However, perhaps it’s because of my unstructured nature that I haven’t really found my way to the classics and just plain really good adult books. I’ll try to steer myself away from all of the crappy teen fiction! Suggestions are much loved!

The Must Reads

It’s Been A Good Life, by Isaac Asimov
Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov
Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder

The Must Finish

Forest of the Pygmies, by Isabel Allende
The World According to Garp, by John Irving

The Rereads

Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett

The Hope-To Get-To

Tears of the Giraffe, by Alexander McCall Smith
Forever in Blue: 4th Summer of the Sisterhood, by Ann Brashares
Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet, by Kashmira Sheth
Armageddon In Retrospect, by Kurt Vonnegut

What are you reading,

Lindsea?
Jabiz?
Soojin?
Arthus?
Julia?
Meg?
Tyrone?

And anyone else who feels like sharing :)

The Magnets On My Fridge

2008-07-01T16:40:00.007-04:00

We're getting a new fridge tomorrow. The most daunting task: removing all of my magnets. I collect them. I have a lot. You could not see the actual color of the fridge. While removing all of them, we decided it was the perfect time to get an accurate count of exactly how many I had.

If friends go on a trip, they'll bring me back a magnet. I try to get a magnet from everywhere I go. I know where pretty much all of my magnets came, who they're from, and roughly when I got them. I also knew where they were on the fridge.

So, here goes: [[Update: our friends gave us one more magnet in honor of the Great Counting Endeavor]]

MAGNETS = 404

· Hannah: 368

o Geographic - 227

§ Europe (47)

· Hungary: 5

· Poland: 1

· Czech Republic: 5

· Spain: 5

· Russia: 4

· France: 1

· Scotland: 2

· Greece: 2

· England: 22

§ Africa (1)

· Tanzania: 1

§ Central America (6)

· Cayman Islands: 3

· Costa Rica: 2

· Panama: 1

§ South America (1)

· Colombia: 1

§ North America (172)

· Mexico: 1

· Canada: 1

· United States: 170

o New England (18)

§ Maine: 11

§ Vermont: 4

§ Massachusetts: 2

§ Rhode Island: 1

o Mid-Atlantic (52)

§ New York: 9

§ New Jersey: 9

§ Pennsylvania: 28

· Philadelphia: 19

· Other: 9

§ Maryland: 1

§ Washington, DC: 4

§ Virginia: 2

o South-East (14)

§ North Carolina: 1

§ South Carolina: 1

§ Florida: 10

o South (2)

§ Arkansas: 1

§ Texas: 1

o Midwest (32)

§ Ohio: 2

§ Michigan: 2

§ Illinois: 14

§ Missouri: 12

§ Iowa: 2

o West (50)

§ South Dakota: 7

§ Wyoming: 4

§ Idaho: 2

§ Utah: 4

§ Colorado: 15

§ New Mexico: 2

§ Four Corners: 1

§ California: 15

o Hawaii (1)

o Non-Geographic – 141

§ Art (11)

§ Broadway (11)

§ Events (4)

§ Organizations (21)

§ Government (6)

§ Businesses (29)

§ Animals (19)

§ Characters (6)

§ Humor (3)

§ Inspiration (5)

§ Handmade (7)

§ Hannah (4)

§ Other (15)

· David: 16

o Geographic – 4

o Events – 4

o Art – 1

o Organizations – 2

o Government – 2

o Humor – 1

o Inspiration – 1

o Notepad – 1

· Utility: 20

o Clips – 3

o Paper-holder-uppers – 16

o Bottle opener - 1

School-Year-End Reflection

2008-06-23T22:37:00.001-04:00

I have grown quite a bit this year. At five feet tall, that growth was not physical, but as a person. I've met so many people this past year, and I've been lucky enough to learn and communicate with them. The majority of my learning this year took place outside of the classroom. I've discovered twitter, and I've read so much through the blogs in my PLN. It's all a bit mind-boggling really. You just start talking and then all of a sudden you have connections as close as across the river and as far as the other side of the world. I'm in shock every day.

This year has also taught me to be more confident in myself. I've always been quiet (not to be mistaken with shy), so finding my own voice is quite a challenge. Every year I speak up a bit more! Being an analytical person, I also analyzed absolutely everything I said and worried about if it made the right impression or if perhaps it could have been misunderstood and on and on. Okay, I still analyze most everything, but I don't worry about it so much. I own what I say.

Tandem with my own opinion of myself is others'. Yes, I still care what people think (That's not a bad thing - you should care) but not enough to change myself. That's where people go wrong, when they try to change who they are to please other people. You should know what people think, and you should care about and respect their opinions, but don't let them affect you. Strangely, my personal advancements in this area came from a haircut. Earlier in the school year, I decided to chop off quite a bit of my hair and dye it orange. Bright orange. So I did. Well, the hairdresser did. It was a fairly drastic change, and having to deal with reactions to my hair forced me to own myself.

I guess it's been a big year for personal growth. What with Prozdor (Hebrew school continued) and all the above, and my ILP (explained in greater detail in another post perhaps), and my sudden addiction to Twitter and various other online tools, it's been a pretty good year. For the more schooly things, hmmm. I learned a couple new tenses in Spanish (whoo hoo!), I made some cute Othello puppets in English, World War 1 was actually discussed in History class, and the teachers at SLA are amazing, as always.

Clay Burell wrote how "teachers need positive feedback more than you realize," so here's a shout-out to all of my wonderful teachers:

Chase: You know I love you, and you can get all of us involved and caring like no other. The Change the World project really helped me improve my research and writing skills, so even when I complained that I was repeating myself and didn't know what else to write about, I found something.
VK: My mother says that we're too alike. Anyway, thank you for letting me help with the schedule, and I really do love alphabetizing. And thanks for putting up with me. I know I wasn't the best student....
Baird: Your patience is much appreciated, though sometimes I really do just think that you should whack some people over the head. I am constantly amazed at all of the primary source resources you find and share with us. They're fascinating.
Ms. Kelley: Bueno..... :D I think I understand the subjunctive! Somehow you managed to get us back on topic most of the time. We applaud.
Best: The chemical benchmark was a good one. It was interesting to see all the ways that we're killing ourselves. Anyways, your sarcasm and music is appreciated.
Kay: You know our drama class is the best (What fer they kill our baby?). Your presence is noticeable, even to students, and we really do appreciate that. We like a sense of order. I can say confidently that I have improved in drama this year, and that is because you are a good teacher, and you push us. Thank you.
Mr. Scaer: I look forward to seeing you again next year. You are really passionate about music, and it shows (Are there any more Songlines cds? They're really good.).
Lehmann: Lehmann, Lehmann, Lehmann. What to say? You're all-around amazing. So is your couch. We love you and it.
Ms. Tioanda: Ballroom... we'll miss you! And we'll continue to dance. I got a tango record.

It's been a long year. And I can't wait until September.

In other news, 33 days until my 16th birthday, and 51 days until the Folk Festival.

Confirmation is.....uhh....what?

2008-06-02T18:28:00.004-04:00

This year I attended Prozdor, the confirmation class, at my synagogue. Yes. Confirmation. I had no idea before this year that there is such a thing as Jewish confirmation, but apparently there is. Go figure.

Anyways, we each had to write an essay about our Jewish identity. Something along those lines. So, I thought I'd post my essay here.

In my world history class, we’re studying the Holocaust. The only difference between me and my classmates (none of whom are Jewish) is that I’ve learned about it already. Throughout my life, I’ve been indifferent to my religion. Yes, I’m Jewish, but it didn’t mean much besides celebrating different holidays than most people around me. I fasted on Yom Kippur, and kept kosher for Passover. But, I did that as a test to my self-discipline, not because it meant anything symbolically, religiously.

My bat mitzvah was more proof of how secular I had grown up. I went to Hebrew school at the JCC, because my family did not belong to a synagogue. The education there was historical, not religious. We learned about the stories in the Torah, and the history of the Jews, in events such as the Holocaust. We attempted to learn a bit of Hebrew one year, and I was one of about three of us who managed to solidly learn the aleph-bet. Beyond that, nothing. When it came to for my bat mitzvah, the synagogue we had joined a year ago refused to schedule me for a bat mitzvah, because I had not attended their Hebrew school. The politics of Judaism and synagogues made my bat mitzvah thoroughly unenjoyable.

Before it appears that I dislike Judaism, there are many aspects of being Jewish that I believe are lovely. The ritual of placing stones on graves is calming. Flowers can be garish, and they wilt. Stones last for millions of years and you can hold them in the palm of your hand. Jews will also readily accept anyone in to a group and make them feel welcome, perhaps due to the group prayer. In synagogue, people are not islands of prayer, but rather one whole ark. Voices join together in reciting prayers, and we are a community. One more voice is welcomed.

Being Jewish can affect my decisions as well. Next year, I will be starting to learn a third language. Hebrew is in my top two choices, because I am Jewish. If I were not, I would not have a desire to learn Hebrew. It isn’t widely spoken, and the main Hebrew-speaking country is halfway around the world and always in a war. However, I have a strong desire to learn Hebrew. I want to know what I’m saying on the rare Saturday morning I attend synagogue. I want to put a name to Jewish values. I want to understand what I’m singing when I listen to songs in Hebrew.

But my newfound interest in Judaism (for that’s what it is) is partially fueled by history class, and learning about the Holocaust. Isn’t there more? When Jewish history is mentioned, it is always either the Torah, or the Holocaust. I want to know what happened in between those times, and then after the Holocaust. That’s never taught. 9^th grade history curriculum in Philadelphia is African-American history. We learned about African-Americans from ancient times up until the present, all-encompassing. I want to learn about Jewish history like that, not just as like we currently do. “Well, Jews existed before the Holocaust, and then Hitler tried to wipe them all out, and then there were fewer Jews, but they still existed. The end.” It’s not the end, and it starts in the middle.

There’s still so much to learn. I attended Prozdor to start to learn, and I have. Prozdor, for me, was Introduction to Jewish Values. I’ve puzzled over whose blood is redder, and I’ve learned that the most valuable gift is one that is blind on both ends. But, it’s just a beginning, and I hope to keep studying and learning about Judaism after being confirmed.

Confuzzled.

2008-05-29T11:34:00.008-04:00

As the school year comes to a close (even though I still have five major projects to finish...), we start the business of scheduling our courses for next year. Picking electives comes on Friday, I believe, so I'll see what my options are then.

The one decision that I'm having a hard time making is my internship.

This year I was in an intern at 1812 Productions, an all-comedy theater company. It was pretty awesome. I stuffed envelopes and labeled things, and sometimes even got to alphabetize and chronologize thing !! You may think this is sarcasm, but sadly, it is not. I love to alphabetize. The JKL sequence is tricky. It's hard to remember the order of those three letters...

The people at 1812 are wonderful. Monica and Kate and Tyler are hilarious. It was an office, but a fun one. I went (past tense o.O) once a week for three hours. Supposedly around 100 hours total.

Yesterday was my last day there. They got me a cake (:O) - with strawberries! Twas quite yummy :) I'm sad to go :(

But, now I have to choose what to do next year. I know that I want to start another language, but which one? Ah, that is the question. I have narrowed it down to two choices: Russian or Hebrew. Now I just have to pick between the two. And it's causing me quite some trouble.

Here's my chart:

What am I missing? Any opinions?

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Kashrut

2008-05-22T21:11:00.004-04:00

There is a difference between faith and religion. Your faith is what you believe, your personal code of conduct, your morals. Your religion is how you practice your faith, how you please your god. Something like that.

My personal faith is fairly solid, but I'm not going into that. I've been thinking about religion.

I am Jewish, I belong to a synagogue, and I have been bat-mitzvah-ed. My synagogue is conservative with reconstructionist leanings. However, I've been raised fairly secular. The Hewbrew school I attended to prepare for my bat mitzvah was held at a Jewish Community Center (JCC), the class for all the Jewish kids who didn't actually belong to any synagogue (we didn't at the time). It was quite relaxed, and I was one of about two kids who managed to leave knowing the entire Hebrew alphabet. We were accomplished by comparison.

This year I decided to attend confirmation classes at my synagogue. Jewish confirmation exists (who knew?), and is called prozdor (I have no idea...). I am going to be confirmed on June 8th. Surprisingly, I am one of the more religious students in my class. I keep strictly kosher for Passover, and fast on Yom Kippur. I am quite lacking in my knowledge of prayers and Jewish values, however. But that's not what I want to talk about either.

In July, my second-cousin (as in the daughter of my father's cousin) is getting married. She's twenty. She's Orthodox. That whole branch of the family is. I made a friend not too long ago who is extremely Conservative, but not quite Orthodox. I had dinner a couple nights ago at an Orthodox family's house. I rather like the Orthodox traditions.

I think that as I get older, I will become more religious. I don't predict my faith changing much, but religious practices. Right now, I'm contemplating starting to keep kosher /kashrut. This would entail not eating pork or shellfish, and separating meat and dairy, waiting a certain amount of time before eating one after the other. Traditionally, separate dishes and utensils and cookware are used as well, one set for meat, another for dairy. I think that is overkill. Washing is enough. Soap and water can take care of the "meat" label after eating some cow on that plate. Wash it, and arrange some cheese and crackers. Fine by me.

I'm not sure how I feel about the preparation. Do I feel the need to get my meat from a kosher butcher, or will any beef do? I'm not really sure. Will everything I eat need to be certified? I'm not sure how picky I want to get. I do feel like since I'm not worrying about kashering (making kosher) dishes, I should be more strict with the food itself.

I am a huge fan of self-discipline. That's the reason that I already fast on Yom Kippur and such. I like to prove to myself that I can. However, there are reasons beyond that for why I am doing this.

Judaism is all about community. We pray together, singing out in unison. We schmooze at Oneg Shabbat. We celebrate holidays with extended families and friends. Following Jewish traditions makes me feel more a part of the community. It is something shared. I know that when I long for some challah at Passover instead of horrible dry matzo, someone else is thinking the exact same thing. It's a nice feeling.

Just cause:

I'm bored....

2008-05-20T13:08:00.002-04:00

I have nothing to do at lunch right now, so here's "If Your Life Was A Movie, What Would The Soundtrack Be?", care of Julia. The songs I got should all have been shifted down one place. It would have made more sense that way.

Here's how it works:
1. Open your music library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every section, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie.

I linked to lyrics, if anyone wants them.

OPENING CREDITS: "James Bond", Scouting for Girls I've never listened to this song before....ever.....
WAKING UP: "Act of Remembrance", The Proclaimers This is a nice song to wake up to.
FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL: "Altísimo", Hector Buitrago I love this song <3 And I like the first day of school.
FALLING IN LOVE: "Foghar Nan Eilein", Runrig Couldn't find the lyrics for this one, sorry.
FIGHT SONG: "Forgotten Works", the Klaxons Never actually listened to this before either...
BREAKING UP: "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?", from The Lion King Hee hee
PROM: "ABC", Jackson Five
LIFE: "Hideaway", Olivia Tremor Control
MENTAL BREAKDOWN: "Don't Ask Me to Explain", Of Montreal
DRIVING: "No Me Llores", Sierra Maestra Maybe I shouldn't drive.
FLASHBACK: "Let's Get Married", The Proclaimers Down one, anyone?
WEDDING: "Clifton Bridge", Mark Olson
BIRTH OF A CHILD: "My First Wedding", The Wombats Never listened.
FINAL BATTLE: "The March", Astra Heights Can't find lyrics :(
DEATH SCENE: "Big My Secret", Michael Nyman (from The Piano) It's instrumental. It's sad. It's amazing. Go out and buy the Piano soundtrack. Now.
FUNERAL SONG: "Heal", Ambient Music Therapy Haha. I think I'm dead already though...
END CREDIT: "If I Had A Hammer", Peter, Paul, and Mary

The Dangers of the Internet [aka my daily routine]

2008-05-20T08:21:00.004-04:00

Oh, internet, how you give us all ADD. I start in the morning when I get to school with my email and then mosey on over to my rss feeds. From there, I go invariably to one blog, then perhaps another. After that solid fifteen minutes, I refresh Twitterrific, and lo and behold, a link! I will obey and follow. On to del.icio.us. Why thank you, Mr. Matt, for a NYTimes article…hmm…wow, I never thought of that... Ooh, I had something I wanted to look up! Why thank you, Wikipedia, for the speedy response. Wait, what does that term mean? *Click* Ohh. Ooh, that sounds interesting…. *time lapse, twenty minutes* Right, I got my answer…. Well, I’m not doing much, I’ll just go see if there are any unanswered Mosio questions. *five to ten minutes of obsessive refreshing later* And back to Twitter. Nothing interesting in those last few tweets… On to Youth Twitter. Goodness, these kids do love to advertise their tumbl-logs. Ok, ok, I’ll read it. Who is this kid? Perhaps I’ll click over to his blog…. Back to Youth Twitter. Any new Space submissions? Ooh, a poem! On to tumblr and google docs. Google docs has new updates? Cool features… I wonder if the Almighty School District has unblocked Ning yet. Nope. Oh well. Perhaps it’s for the better. Keep me from getting distracted. I’ll just go to Moodle. On to SLA Talk. Goodness, 47 unread posts on the chat forums! Better bring that down to zero… Ugh, I guess I’ll check my SLA mail…this system is so horrible. Nope, nothing new. Back to Moodle. Back to email. Refresh email. Refresh email. To google reader. Refresh google reader. Refresh google reader. Sigh.

“Hey Hannah, you realize that class is over in fifteen minutes?”

“What??” Back to Moodle. On to class page; go directly to current in-class assignment. Do work. Re-pack backpack. On to next class.

**DISCLAIMER: This is not every class. This is just first period. Usually.**

Musically Minded

2008-05-13T16:01:00.005-04:00

First period today was not good. For unnamed reasons, I was pissed. So, what did I do? I put on some music.

The song I played is It’s Gonna Rain, by the Four Shadow. It is timeless. It’s an a cappella piece, and it’s on my IC ning playlist. I really can’t describe what it does, so just go listen to it. Please.

There are myriad genres of music, all with different moods. My two favorite types are complete opposites: folk and electronic.

Electronic and dance music makes me happy. I like the sounds that these songs make; the synth sounds soft and comforting. Discotech, by Young Love, has a pulsating beat that matches the blood in my veins. Solta o Frango, by Bonde do Role, is another electronic song I like. Why, I’m not sure. Those two songs don’t have stories attached. I just plain like ‘em.

The a cappella music in my iTunes library has a story attached, yes. The three notable songs in this category are It’s Gonna Rain (the Four Shadow), Zamru (Pizmon), and Scenes from an Italian Restaurant (Binghamton Crosbys version).

Like so many stories, it has to do with a guy. The short version is that we’re family friends, and I downloaded all of the songs on his iPod onto my computer. Those three are some of his favorites, for good reason. The harmonies are perfection. However, he lives in Boston, which is a full day’s drive from Philadelphia, so I don’t ever see him. When I listen to the music I got from him, it brings back good memories.

I pride myself on my open-mindedness, especially when it comes to music. Many people brand folk as soft and drug-induced before they ever listen to it, so I try to listen to music before dismissing it. Besides rap, pretty much the only genre I don’t like is reggae, or what I classify as reggae-like. I listen to music for the music itself, and while I can appreciate a resonating lyric, it’s not what I really pay attention to. So, Mr. Raisdana, while I’m sure Ben Harper’s lyrics speak volumes, I don’t like his music. I listened to some songs, and they’re tolerable, but the music bores me.

Then, I listened to a clip of the song you first mentioned, Walk Away. It reminded me of Amos Lee, an artist I heard at the Folk Festival a few years ago. The same slow guitar-picking, and unassuming singing. And I changed my mind. No, I don’t like Ben Harper’s music as whole. But, every so often you find a genre-jumping song that makes you smile.

[[Response to the Intrepid Classroom]]

Space

2008-05-07T09:04:00.003-04:00

One day I was scrolling through twitter messages, and I clicked on a link from @tkidd132. This link happened to be Youth Twitter.

For those of you who don’t know, Youth Twitter (YT) is like regular Twitter, a microblogging site, except that it’s for, well, youth. I had been on YT for only a small amount of time before notices began popping up about Space, a literary magazine put together by YT members. Needless to say, I was curious.

Space gathers submissions from middle school students, members of YT, plus a few errant high schoolers. It showcases a wide range of mediums, from traditional stories and poems, to original songs, animations, hypertext stories, and voicethreads. The second edition recently came out, and a third is currently accepting submissions.

If you’re interested, just go to Space to read the current edition. If you want to submit, click here to learn how.

I hope to see you there!

the Mile-Long Petition

2008-05-05T11:24:00.006-04:00

If you have visited my blog recently, you may have noticed a new widget in the sidebar: the mile-long petition. You can read about the specific issue at Appalachian Voices, but I'll summarize for you here.

Coal mining is dirty. The method in which most coal is mined in the US is horrendous: mountaintop removal strip mining. Basically, coal companies blow up an entire mountain to get at the coal, and then dump the waste into nearby valleys and streams. That's the main problem. Those streams feed water into peoples' homes. That water is polluted; it runs brown. More about the evils of coal mining can be found at my school blog, which is in the blogroll.

This petition calls for a planned coal mine for Virginia to not be built. They are hoping for 50,000 signatures, so it can be one mile (5,280 feet) long. Please click on the widget and sign the petition!

Book Mode

2008-05-05T11:19:00.002-04:00

I just finished reading a book. I'm in book mode. To those close to me, I don't need to explain any further as to why I'm unusually quiet, or spacey, or just plain unresponsive.

After I read a book, I need time to let it settle. Just to think about it, and see if anything pops into my head. I don't like to actively think about themes or morals. I let the lessons and ideas seep into my head by osmosis.

For me, reading is an escape mechanism. I don't like to bring myself into the books. That would defy my purpose in reading. Because of that, I can't tell you what I learned from which book. But, I can tell you that my principles stem from my ideas, my ideas that pop into my head when I'm in book mode.

Book mode is a trance. I try not to talk. I just observe, and process. I try not to force my thoughts. I just think, and remember.

It lasts perhaps a day or two after I read an interesting, applicable, thought-provoking book. It's an enjoyable time.

The Times They Are A-Changin'

2008-05-02T00:03:00.004-04:00

A Simplified Story of How I Moved and Then Moved Back.

2008-04-30T09:26:00.002-04:00

I had just finished fourth grade. I was ten years old. And I was moving.

I had been at the same school since kindergarten: five years. Five years was a whole half of my life! Now, I had to start over in a town that I had never heard of. I had lived in the city my entire life, and this new town was definitely not urban. There were woods in our backyard.

Moving also meant that I had to leave my friends, the people I had grown up with. Now, I don’t make new friends easily. I am a quiet person. So, this revelation that I would be alone was quite tragic.

We moved in the summer, after school let out. Down the street lived two other girls my age – perhaps I could make a friend there! Unfortunately, they had grown up together, so I found it hard to break in to their bond. On top of that, we had nothing in common.

Eventually school started, and I was still my quiet self. I didn’t make friends. Luckily for me, we had assigned seats at lunch, so I started to talk a bit to Kelsey, a girl at my table. She and her friends were all nice and a little weird, so I fit in well. If you’re a non-social person like me, it’s always safe to hang out with the other non-social people. We had a lot of fun at recess playing with beanie babies.

So, eventually I made friends. Making friends takes time. You have to get to know people a bit, to make sure that you actually like them before you start hanging out with them. It may sound obvious, but if two people don’t like each other, they’re not going to have fun together!

It may sound like that’s the end of they happy story, and me and my new friends walked off into the sunset and the rest of our lives. However, that would not be true.

I had just finished eighth grade. I was thirteen. And I was moving.

This time, the move was familiar: back to the city from whence we had come! This time the move was joyous. Sure, I would miss my new friends, but honestly, a small town was just not the place for me. We had grown apart in middle school, unfortunately, and I was beginning to dislike our moving out of the city in the first place.

This second move came right before high school. In high school, everyone is new, because admission is from all over the city, so there are 100 people in one school coming from fifty different middle schools. I was going to attend the Science Leadership Academy. I walked into the new student orientation, and sitting right there in the second row is my best friend from elementary school.

We now attend the same school, and it’s almost like I never left. We’re BFFL: Best friend for life ☺

“Make new friends,
and keep the old.
One is silver
And the other’s gold.”

Friday.

2008-04-25T12:44:00.005-04:00

It's just one of those days.

Meme: High School Daze to Praise

2008-04-21T15:13:00.005-04:00

Meme Rules:

- Select and briefly review one teen novel, classic or modern, which is a sure antidote to the daze of high school.
-Title your post Meme: High School Daze to Praise
-Include an image with your post.
-Tag four blogger colleagues.

After a couple of days of not being able to think of a book that would get my lazy classmates to read, I finally thought of one. I’ve read a few blog posts lately (A Writing Curbxstomp and Soojin, and perhaps others that I don’t remember) on comic books, manga, and graphic novels. Then – aha! – it hit me! Duh, a teenager would love to read a graphic novel, and there are those out there with the potential to spark great discussions. And forget the rules, here are two:

Option 1: Maus, by Art SpiegelmanI absolutely loved this book, especially because I could relate to many of the characters – Art reminds me of my father, and his father reminds me of my grandmother. I’m sure students could recognize their relatives in these nagging characters. Soojin commented that in comics, Americans all look the same – in Maus, characters are drawn as different animals to represent their nationality, so no confusion there!

One of the best things about Maus for the classroom is the interdisciplinary material. It is about the Holocaust, and so could fit in nicely with a history course. It could be used in conjunction with an art class as well due to the format. Actually, both of my suggestions could be used in history and art class. Graphic novels are fabulous!

Option 2: Persepolis, by Marjane SatrapiAgain, expressive drawings, and intricate plot with lots of relevant topics. The writing style in Persepolis is a bit hard to get used to, because Ms. Satrapi writes very directly, so it can feel a bit jerky at times. However, it’s an extremely rich story, with a lot going on, and much of it (if not ALL of it) teenagers can relate to today (in some way, shape or form).

Okay, I tag:

Lehmann (has he been tagged already?)
Chase
Meg
Dylan

A Mini-Rant on Signals

2008-04-16T23:34:00.002-04:00

This is my rant for tonight…I’m a bit frustrated…

If, on a social network or aim, a person does not wish to talk to someone, they should really just say so. Saying something really short and with no substance like “thanks” or “no problem” or simply “yeah” is rude, because the person receiving the message doesn’t know what to do with that. It’s not clearly stating that the person sending it wants to sever contact, but it doesn’t exactly allow for a response. The receiver is then left in the predicament of how to respond. Should they post back with a message of substance in hopes for a meatier response? Should they not respond and let communication die off? Be clear in what you want! Do you want to converse or not? Let me know.

If you cannot tell by now, I’m in the receiver’s position… So, Ilan, do you want me to stop talking already?

Math Class Madness

2008-04-09T21:58:00.002-04:00

It’s hard for a student to know how they learn if they’ve only ever been taught one way.

I am a year or two above everyone in my school when it comes to math. This year, in tenth grade, I am taking pre-calculus. Most people are taking Geometry or Algebra 2. Since I am the only student who needs pre-calculus, there is no class for it. There was a little bit of scrambling last year figuring out what to do with me. They came up with an independent study class – I would sit with one of our genius teachers (he seriously is) for two periods a week, and the other two would be independent. Now, our school hasn’t done that before (we haven’t done a lot before, considering we’re barely two years old), so what it would look like was pretty up in the air.

In the beginning of the year, the class was talking about the overall topics when I had a teacher, and me pretty much just sitting there amazed at how much there is to know in the world. On the other days I would attempt math problems from a pre-calc textbook. Then, we switched to worksheets that were fairly similar to the textbook. I still wasn’t getting it. For some reason, I was just in way over my head and I wasn’t getting anything from doing these problems. The math wasn’t sticking. When I wasn’t in the classroom, I was banging my head against the wall at one a.m. because I simply did not understand the math.

We then switched to multi-step problems on websites, and that didn’t go too badly. I got more sleep. On Monday, I asked for a test because I had finally figured out that I hate repeatedly doing math problems and then just getting assigned…..more math problems. Exciting, no? It’s easier to know what you don’t like. I realized that I don’t like endless problem sheets with no end in sight. I like having an end goal towards which to work. Now that there’s a test, something real to say, “I’m learning this for that.” I had no incentive before. Maybe it’s weird, having a test be my incentive. But maybe I’ll retain trigonometric proofs. We’ll see after Monday.

Math class won’t automatically improve now that I have a test to look forward to. I am a traditionalist in math. I like pencil-and-paper worksheets. I miss having a real class. Having people to interact with and complain about the work with is really an essential element of the classroom. And now I know that. I’ve only ever had that kind of class. This year, with my independent study, I learned how I learn in math.

There is only one marking period left, and then summer. As for next year, perhaps I’ll take calculus at the Community College or at Drexel. It is to be determined.

Photo: "hard math" from misterbisson

I <3 Banjos

2008-04-03T21:06:00.001-04:00

Isn't it pretty? I hope to get it for my birthday so I can teach myself!

The Season of Chaos without Sleep

2008-04-03T20:26:00.002-04:00

Ahh, benchmark season. The chaotic, stress-filled work sessions of doom. I have seven classes. That equals seven major projects all due in pretty much the same time frame. All final products due in the same week. Now, if you’re like me, you tend towards procrastination. So, in the process of frantically finishing large important projects, I haven’t done much else in the past few weeks.

However, there is definite value in having to juggle multiple projects. Time management. I’m learning. I rarely need to stay up past midnight to finish a project. This is a definite improvement, and one that I am proud of.

Grades go in tonight. That means most benchmarks are done. You can visit my Biochemistry benchmark here, and blog section of my English benchmark here.

Now, you may wonder, projects? Not final unit tests? No, I tell you, because I go to a project-based school. We at the Science Leadership Academy believe that tests are not an accurate representation of learning. Projects challenge learning and necessitate understanding. On a test, all you need to know are dates and basic concepts. You might even guess on a few questions and magically get it right. However, you cannot guess on a project. You need to understand the deeper concepts of the French Revolution or Their Eyes Were Watching God in order to analyze their importance. You cannot make a multiple choice test question out of why Janie stayed with Joe even though he abused her. There are multiple reasons why, and different people will interpret the relationship differently.

I learn at my school, and I retain what I learn. I think that’s pretty darn important.

Plumbridge, Levittown, Pennsylvania

2008-03-31T15:02:00.001-04:00

A week ago was the anniversary of a local tragedy. In 1967, Mary Mamon bludgeoned three of her neighbors, one to death. Loretta Mullery died, her son Donald suffered huge damage, and the Mullery’s thirteen-year-old neighbor, Nancy Markham, suffered life-long damage as well. My mother lived across the field from them. Nancy was her first best friend. My mother was supposed to sleep over at the Markham’s the night before. If she had stayed over as planned, she would have been attacked as well.

Nancy suffered brain damage and a result couldn’t return to school or a normal life. She had to attend the Wood School, for “people with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities, challenging behaviors, emotional disorders, brain injury and neurological disorders.” She loved the Beatles, and her favorite song was Penny Lane.

Patty Mullery, in 7th grade and daughter of the woman killed, discovered the scene coming home from church with fellow classmate and neighbor, Andrew Mealey. When my mom eventually asked him about it, all he said was that there was so much blood. TV shows that depict crime scenes are tame compared. Blood was everywhere.

My mom remembers hearing that Mary Mamon went to the wrong house. Her target was the Markhams. Back then, people had their last initial on their screen doors. In a row were the Mullerys, the Markhams, and the Mealeys. All M’s. She heard that Mary Mamon saw the M and went in, not realizing that there were three M’s.

There’s only one hit on google about this. Some guy who writes about crimes wrote two articles on “The Murderous Mary Mamon.” Turns out she had a hand in the accidental death of a five-year-old back in the 1930s. Somehow she was acquitted.

Not for her final offense. She was convicted, and died in prison.

hot cocoa (post)ulate

2008-03-06T09:47:00.001-05:00

I am a Swiss Miss. That's one of my iChat headlines, and it is true. I am addicted to Swiss Miss hot chocolate. I will be the first to admit that I have a problem. On average, I drink about two mugs of cocoa a day.

But people underestimate the goodness of Swiss Miss. "It's just an instant mix" or "It's weak." Well, people, I believe I have found the perfect recipe for a nice mug of hot cocoa - yes, instant.

Take two packets of Swiss Miss milk chocolate hot cocoa powder. Open and pour into mug. Get yourself a spoon. Pour a quarter/half cup of hot water into the mug. Mix the water and powder until all powder is dissolved. (Note: take as much time as needed to dissolve it all. It might be longer than you wish to stir, but keep going. This is a crucial step.) Next, fill the mug to about half an inch from the top with hot water. Stir again to distribute the thick chocolate mixture you made in the previous step. Then, top off with cold water so your cocoa is not too hot to drink.

It's quite lovely.

Just today I got another convert. I walked her through the steps and she made herself a cup of cocoa. After drinking a bit, she said, "It's fluffy. Not watery at all. It has a bit of fluff as if made professionally." She had underestimated Swiss Miss. Now she knows, and hopefully you do too.

the evening (post)

2008-03-03T10:59:00.001-05:00

Last night my synagogue, Beth Am Israel, put on our annual cabaret! It's quite fun. This year's theme was Places I Remember. All of the songs had to do with places. Everyone started rehearsing way back in September, and the hard work payed off. People are getting better each year, and the show keeps expanding.

My contribution was "The Boy From", which is a Sondheim song from "The Mad Show" and "Side by Side by Sondheim." I'd never heard of it before, but my dad knew of it. Thankfully, I remembered all of the words, a feat which I had yet to accomplish through all of the rehearsals.

It's fun to be on stage singing, but the real joy of the night is all the happy people. It may sound cheesy, but everyone was wonderful, and the show made the people in the audience and on stage really happy. It was joyous. People should get together more often.

With all of the technology available in this day and age, it is easy to go for days without interacting with people in a meaningful way. Meaningful interaction is not paying the delivery guy who brought you food. Meaningful interaction is not a phone call or online interaction. Meaningful interaction is face-to-face gatherings with real people. There should be more, not fewer, of those.

I'm lucky that a group of family friends gets together once a month to sing songs, and talk, and eat cake. Those times are meaningful. Not in the sense that something productive gets done, but we all leave with greater well-being.

(post)age stamp

2008-02-20T08:28:00.001-05:00

This past weekend I went to New York. At my mom's high school reunion a couple months ago, she reconnected with a friend she had in middle school. She had not seen her in forty years, and last weekend we went and stayed with her. Forty years! And they reconnected so quickly.

Anyway, so we took the Chinese bus up to NYC, which surprisingly was not horrible. I thought it would not be so pleasant spending three hours cramped in a bus seat, but it was fine. And cheap. So take the bus! When we finally reached wherever we got to, we flagged down a cab to get to the friends' apartment. Well, in NYC cabs now have tv screens in the back. Ridiculous. I do not need to watch the news while I am in a cab. I do not care that some Italian restaurant in New Jersey makes fist-sized meatballs. It did have a map of where we were, though, which was pretty cool.

On Saturday, we all went to the New Museum on the Bowery. It's a contemporary art museum, and it was weird. The building was interesting in a good way. It had two or three galleries, each on its separate floor. The elevator was this huge lime green box. It is the best elevator I have ever been in =] The art in the museum....umm....yeah.... There was a plow spray-painted orange. There was a big cube of something. There were collage posters from porn and violence, drawn over with pen. Overall, there were about three worthwhile things. Two of the walls had these huge installations. One was a landscape, with mountains made from duct tape. I can't describe the other one, but both were amazing. Then there was a series of 'good housekeeping' type photos digitally layered with photos from Iraq. Other than those, the main exhibit, "Unmonumental" was, well, unmonumental.

Overall, it was a great weekend. And yes, we did a lot more than one museum. This will be more than one post =]

(post)master general

2008-02-13T21:00:00.001-05:00

Many people have never heard of much of my music. I find that quite sad. There are some wonderful musicians that people don’t think they’d like before they even hear a song! People are scared of folk and country. I’m not sure why, are they scared they’ll be labeled a hippie if they listen to a folk singer/songwriter? I get looked at quite strangely if I ever mention Tuvan throat-singers. I think more people should be exposed to ethnic music. What most people listen isn’t unique to anywhere. Pop is all the same, wherever it’s made. Now, I like pop music, but I believe that people should listen to different types of sound.

Polka seems to have fallen out of favor. It sounds like something our grandparents listened to, an ancient relic of a long, long time ago. Well, it’s still good music. Brave Combo is the only group that got me dancing at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. According to their website, they are a “new wave polka band.” Now tell me that doesn't sound awesome. Look them up sometime. Expand your horizons!

I love finding new music. I really have too much, but I like exploring new genres and finding great artists or just great songs. The other group I remember from the year with Brave Combo is La Bottine Souriante. They are a Quebecois roots group and their music is joyful and makes you start tapping your foot. I like the dialect too. It's a language I want to learn. I want to learn a lot of languages. Anyway, back on to the subject of finding new music. I have two main ways I hear new music.

One: free iTunes. Every Tuesday, the iTunes store releases two or three free songs to download. They are available for about a week. One song can be anything, from rock to country to electronic. A second song is something in Spanish. The third one is the "Discovery Download" and the blurb I believe says something about highlighting odd/unknown genres. I'm not really sure about that. Anyway, that is where I discovered my current favorite artist, Joshua James. One of his songs was a free download about a year ago, and this year I bought his album and I love every song. Sweet!

Method #2: iLike. I added this application on Facebook, and there was a link to free downloads. I downloaded some songs, and then some more...and deleted bad ones...and downloaded more....I ended up with way too many songs (if there is such a thing!) but I had again found one of my current favorite songs. Wives of the Circle Five by dariustx is a hilarious Americana song with a great melody and some nice harmony. I may not like the artists' other songs, but that one tops my charts.

So go out and discover! Don't say that you don't like a music style without first listening to a few samples. And check out the artists mentioned. I think they're fabulous, and maybe you will too =]

(post)cards are not dead

2008-02-12T12:01:00.001-05:00

Since this is my first post, I suppose it's introductions. My name is Hannah, and I am a sophomore in a Philadelphia public magnet high school, the Science Leadership Academy. My school in three words: Projects and Hugs.

I plan to use this blog to write pretty much write whatever I feel like talking about at any given moment. That could range from school to music to sports (unlikely but possible) to technology to the news to goodness knows what else! Doesn't that sound exciting?

WXPN (88.5 fm) is a fabulous radio station. I am listening right now to one of their "Live at the World Cafe" cds. A couple times a year they release a cd of live performances from their free-at-noon concerts. What I love most about XPN and these cds is that the music is really varied in terms of style/genre, yet it all fits together so well. I guess that's the point of radio and djs, to make everything work together, but it still amazes me. I wouldn't like some of these songs on their own. I probably would not like many of these artists' full cds. But, put these songs together in a playlist, and it's wonderful.

Here's the lineup on volume 24:

1. Let It Ride - Ryan Adams
2. No Bad News - Patty Griffin
3. O' Valencia! - the Decemberists
4. Falling Slowly - the Frames
5. Start a War - the National
6. Hands Open - Snow Patrol
7. Diablo Rojo - Rodrigo y Gabriela
8. I Trained Her to Love Me - Nick Lowe
9. Clifton Bridge - Mark Olson
10. Worst Trip - Dr. Dog
11. I Think I'm In Love - Beck
12. Ankle Injuries - Fujiya & Miyagi
13. Back in Your Head - Tegan & Sara
14. Get Up, Get Out - the Rosebuds
15. All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem
16. The Car Song - the Cat Empire
17. Modesto Is Not That Sweet - the Hold Steady
18. Imitosis - Andrew Bird

So yeah. My favorite tracks on there are 1, 2, 3, 10, 11, and 14. This is my favorite of the world cafe cds I have. I think my next post might elaborate on my music library. I have quite a bit =]