Book of Faces

I have turned over a new leaf in my life as of late, because I have finally disassociated myself from the popular social networking site, Facebook. I feel so much more free now that I have left the site. The false enjoyment I felt from looking at my news feed every ten minutes or so has finally been taken away. I have rediscovered the life I once had before I got a Facebook account, and it has been quite enjoyable. Facebook had its moments, but it carried too much drama along with it to be kept afloat in my sea of thoughts. My friends and I had some funny times on the site and I enjoyed it for a long time. Facebook was a very convenient medium for school and communication, but as of now I do not see a use for it.

Before I had a Facebook account my life was fine, but when I started my high school years, it became all the rage. I was egged on to obtain this extravagant treasure now as "a Facebook" by my friends, but I did not really see the need for one. As I approached my sophomore year however, I started to want a facebook really badly. When I first got my account I was very excited and it was great while it lasted. But after about a year and a half, I have become tired of it and I yearn for the freedom of my younger days. I have learned one thing from having a Facebook account though, it's that too much of a "good" thing is a bad thing.

World Cup 2010

I was not a soccer fan at all until this year's World Cup started. I never watch it, talk about it, or even think about soccer. For reasons still unknown to me, I turned the channel to the World Cup one day while watching television. I always thought soccer matches were way too long and drawn out, and the goal scoring way too infrequent for my taste. But, as I watched it I started to appreciate how hard soccer must be on that kind of level and how skilled the players are. It occurred to me that the difficulty of soccer was the reason for the low point scores.

I began to realize why the World Cup is such a huge event all around the world. Having your country represented in a tournament of the most talented teams in the most difficult game around is something to behold! The fact that one event can bring together all kinds of people from every continent to one place for a game is something that seems so special to me. This World Cup has given me a new perspective on soccer and the rest of the world. I am now very excited to see how this World Cup will play out and I have an appreciation for soccer I would not have otherwise from watching it.

Gracie

My family hasn't had a pet in about 5 years, and we were enjoying that fact up until a couple months ago. That is when Gracie came into our family. One night when me and my sister had a few friends over, my dad arrives home from work a little later than usual. When he comes up the stairs from the garage, we hear another set of footsteps along with his. My dad came into the kitchen where we were and there was a medium-sized pointer-lab mix on a leash beside him. Me and my sister were extremely surprised because our father did not tell us that he was getting a dog or that we even wanted one!

Gracie was well accepted by myself and my sister, but when my mom got home she was quite appalled to say the least. "Randy, why did you bring a dog home? That's the last thing we need right now!", said my mother. Gracie was hard to get used to not only because our clean smelling house now smelled like a dog and our floors were covered in dog hair, but she was also very disobedient to begin with. After a month or so, Gracie has become a friend to our family and is a joy to play with because she's full of energy. Even though she dug holes near our house's foundation and tore down a gutter downspout, we still love her and enjoy her.

My Wallet

It seems like it would be easy to keep track of a wallet since it stays on you most of the time, and it is only taken out for the occasional purchase. But, for me that seems to be quite a task. In the past year I think I have lost it about 3 times, the third time being last thursday night at GPC. Fortunately, someone graciously turned it in to the lost & found the following monday. Unfortunately, all of the money I had in the wallet was taken out, but the important stuff like my driver's permit and JCard were still intact.

Although keeping your wallet with you is simple, I seem to make it harder for myself sometimes. I usually keep it in my pocket everywhere I go but where I lose it never ceases to amaze me. Do you have things you own that you lose often? I hate when I lose my wallet because it is a very valuable piece of property. Is there something that is important to you that you sometimes misplace? When I forget where I put my wallet I feel this sense of urgency to find it, and an impulse to start worrying about it. But every time I manage to find it somewhere.

Tom Clancy

Tom Clancy is a famous author whose compelling military-based novels have been adapted into film and whose namesake has been adopted by Ubisoft, a prominent video game developer, are something I greatly admire. Movies such as The Hunt For Red October, Sum of All Fears, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger are based directly off of his well-known novels of the same names. I have been reading one of his later novels, Rainbow Six, which is about a special operations multinational antiterrorism unit whose job is to go into hostage situations, take out the enemy, and retrieve the hostages being held all over the world. Tom Clancy's writing style is the what makes his stories so thrilling and it's what keeps you from putting the book down.

The video games bearing the Clancy name take the action from his novels and make it come to life right before your eyes. The games are the most entertaining of all the ones i've played and I own two of them: Rainbow Six Vegas 2 and Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2. The video games have three series of stories that they are built upon: Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. All three of them deliver compelling storylines and combat like no other games out there. I recommend, if you are a gamer of course, to try one of the Tom Clancy games out. Or if you are more into books, you should check out one of Clancy's many gripping novels. Either way, you will not be disappointed.

Driving

Some teenagers are eager to get on the road and drive on their own as soon as possible, but I was not one of them. I got my learner's permit about eighteen months ago but I was in no hurry to get my driver's license right after. When I got my permit, I didn't have to go places, run errands, or go to work so I did not pursue a driver's license. As I have grown older I will need to drive soon to do things that adults do, so I have started to take an online drivers education program to get my license. I have learned a lot during my online course including how to avoid accidents and creating a space management system, which helps you become a better defensive driver.

Although I do not have my drivers license, I drive very frequently and have become very comfortable driving all around metro Atlanta. Driving has come pretty easy to me since I have started and I have gained much experience while driving. For example, I hadn't had my permit that long and one afternoon I had to drive me and my dad back home from a golf course which is about 40 minutes from our house because he had forgotten his license. I had to drive in a long way in a vehicle I was not acclimated with, which was quite the job. We both made it home safe and it turned out to be not as difficult a task for me. Even though driving can be enjoyable it can also be frightening at times. Even though I haven't obtained my license, I am very close and eager to go places when I do!

Metallica

I would have to say that Metallica is one of my favorite bands these days. I love their music because it is fast, fierce, and crazy. Even though they have their roots in thrash metal, they have become more and more technical and melodic in their songs and songwriting. Their third album, Master of Puppets, is one of my favorites and probably thier most well known album.

What I like about Metallica is their great guitar work brought about by the virtuoso Kirk Hammett and the incredible singing of James Hetfield. Kirk is a master of making catchy, heavy riffs and fast, electrifying solos. James on the other hand has a very unique voice with which he adds accents to his lyrics that make him stand out from other vocalists. What I also like about Metallica is that they aren't always heavy. Many of their well known songs include acoustic masterpieces such as "Nothing Else Matters" and "Fade to Black". Their portfolio of songs include a few instrumental songs like "Orion" and "The Call of the Ktulu" as well as an epic live CD-DVD set with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.

The final thing I would like to say about Metallica that I admire is their songs quality and length. The band never makes a short song. Almost all of their songs are over five minutes and are showcases of their talent and dedication to their music. Metallica's latest album, Death Magnetic, was probably their greatest effort to date, is the best example of this attribute. The album's standout song that encompasses their talent, melody, song length, multiple riffs, and just plain awesomeness is The Day that Never Comes. It is one of my favorite songs in my music collection and a highlight of why I love Metallica. The reasons for my admiration of Metallica are their talent in guitar and vocals, their never disappointing songs, and the uniqueness that makes them stand out from all other bands.

America's Food

The other night I watched a documentary on America's food industry called Food, inc. It gave me an intriguing look into the dark side of the processing of meat, how the animals are treated, and how the workers in this business are mistreated and kept under a close watch by huge corporations. One point the film highlighted was the use of corn in almost everything that we eat nowadays. It's amazing how many things contain corn in the form of high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, and xanthan gum. Corn is also used as feed for cattle which allows companies to feed many cows at once as well as make them fatter quicker. The food companies do this so that they can subsidize their products to provide cheaper food to the public.

Another detail that startled me was how the farmers of these crops and animals were treated. The chicken farmers make about $13,000 a year and the farmhouses used to house the chickens cost over $200,000 each. The corporations make contracts with the farmers and it is usually the only thing keeping the farmers in business. The animals are fed so much so quickly that their young legs allow them only to walk a few steps before sitting back down again. Cameras were prohibited from entering the dark houses that held all of the chickens but only one or two allowed them to enter. The crowded conditions inside the chicken houses result in the chicken standing around in their own feces. This means that when they go to the slaughter house, the chances of contamination are high.


There was a mother interviewed whose healthy son contracted E. Coli through eating contaminated beef. He was dead within 12 days. She was an advocate for food safety and her actions brought about Kevin's Law: a law named after her son which states that companies can be put out of business if they have multiple cases of food contamination. Overall the movie was very interesting and thought provoking and I think that it would be a great education If you are ever curious about how the food industry works and what is really in your food.

Golf

When I was a kid, I was not in to many of the "popular" sports like baseball, football, or soccer. I was more interested in golf, so I was a sort of black sheep among kids my age. I've always found golf very entertaining and enjoyable because it puts you out in the beautiful outdoors and it is a game of which all ages can play and still be equal for all of the participants. It attracted me from other sports because It did not involve physical contact and constant practice of football and it was free from fouls and the annoying rules of basketball. I am now on the varsity golf team for Crown Athletics and i've been playing for two years.

Although golf is somewhat more expensive sport to keep up, its value outlasts all others because it is a sport that you can play until you die. There are many advantages to golf because of its access by all ages: it can be used as a business tool, it can provide a lucrative living if you are a professional, and it is exercise tool. Many businessmen use golf as a way to meet clients or as outings for their fellow coworkers. I you were to go pro and practice with dedication like you would in any other career, you can earn a very steady income. The income could allow you to retire early, even then you could still play golf! Another advantage of golf is that it is beneficial to your health. Instead of using a cart to get around, you can walk the course which is what I do in all of my golf matches. Golf benefits your core, legs, and brain. Golf is beneficial to people in several ways: physically, in business, and as a career.

Army looks to replace their main weapon

Over the years, the U.S. Army has used a variety of guns as their troops' main weapon. Since 1991 the U.S. Army has been using the M4 carbine for almost all of their ground troops, and it has been very reliable. Lately, there have been many difficulties reported by M4 users and the military is thinking of moving forward with another firearm to take the place of the aging M4. Many of its users are annoyed with the frequent jamming (when the bullet gets stuck in the chamber causing the gun not to fire) that occurs with the M4 in sandy and windy conditions. Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are the ones suffering most from this problem as they are in these sort of conditions most of the time. According to a recent survey of soldiers, about 92% of them claim that they are content with the M4, but today's market has much more to offer in terms of higher-caliber, higher-accuracy, lower-maintenance weaponry to better suit soldiers in combat. The M4 has had problems with accuracy at long range and it lacks the power to put down a target from distance because of its small 5.52mm ammo. If they could put down targets at longer range, they wouldn't have to put themselves in more danger by getting closer to the enemy. A few examples of those guns are the FN-SCAR or (Special Forces Combat Rifle), and the Heckler & Koch HK416. The SCAR offers higher caliber 7.62mm ammo and more accuracy while the HK416 performs in all conditions, even underwater! Whatever the Army chooses to replace the M4, I think a change is definitely needed for it. http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Analysis_Army_seeks_to_replace_M4_and_M16_999.html

Year-round Education

There is an idea that kids should be in school all during the year without any summer break, and I believe the idea is both a good and bad thing. The idea is that students will retain more of what they learn and that it will solve most of the problems that the education system presently has. Those who are opposed to the proposal argue that students will forget material anyway regardless of their time off on breaks. The short breaks the students will receive will restrict their ability to seek summer employment as well as the attendance at various summer camps. This will in turn affect businessess that sometimes rely on students coming to work for them because of summer break. Jobs are becoming a precious commodity these days and I think it would be a much better idea to keep the system how it is so that those jobs can be spared. Although there are some problems with this education proposal, there are some benefits that would be brought about by it. The probability that students' retention rate might increase and that the students will not get bored of the long summer break bring some upside to education. The studies on the implementation of the new year-round system are inconclusive and there is no glaring upside or downside to qualify it as a definite plan to move forward with. With all that being said, I am undecided whether the idea of year-round school would be a good idea or not, but I think it is something that should be looked over and following as it is diliberated on.