Hey People,
Today is September 1st, a kid's worst nightmare. It means " Summer is over, school for 9 months". My question is, can they really start school before September 1st? I mean, in warm places like Florida, where it's like summer all year, and they get out in May to avoid the heat, It's ok. In places like New England, where schools are beginning in August for no reason, I don't get it. Yes, they could start early to avoid the "Snow day add ons in July". But here, we really don't have it that bad. We generally pull through when those happen. I thought there used to be a rule, schools start AFTER Labor Day. Yet some people were supposed to start this past Monday (if not for Irene). From what I know, and correct me if I'm wrong, MA schools are required to be in session 180 days. I add that up to the day after Labor day, I get March 4. Add on a month for vacations and days off thats April 4th. Add like 2 months of weekends, that's June 4th. This is obviously just quick math, I'm probably off by a week, or 2, but my point is, Why start in August? Why take away that summer time? Why not give kids that extra week to read their summer reading books? I know when I was in middle school, I could've used that time. Especially in Elementary school and early middle school, they don't need that extra school time. They have no exams to take up class time, to take and prep. All they do in elementary and early middle school, is learn, and take a few quizzes. It does not take that much time.
If anyone reading this happens to work for the Department of Education, and would like to explain, please comment on this post!
That's my opinion. Take it or leave it.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Footballs are American!
Hey People!
Enjoying a nice vacation here on the island of Nantucket Mass, and was on the beach playing football when realized something. The American Football I was playing with was made in China. Now, I have nothing against items made in China, a lot of good stuff comes from there. However, my first thought when I realized this was " Why can't such an American product be made in America?" People are jobless out there, and part of the reason is that products like the football, which are pretty specific to America (because no one else plays American Football) are made in other countries! Products that are worldwide can be made in China, although it would be nice to make them here in the states tom give people jobs, but you can't get mad that some plastic toy is made in china. That's just the logical place to make them, because labor can be cheaper in China. But the fact that such an American product like the football is made half way around the world, just shows that people are taking outsourcing to far. People these days are to greedy! They move their factories and businesses half way around the world, so they can make more money. Why not, instead of asking people for donations for the poor, why can't we get business to stay in America so that poor people have the opportunity to make money. Why won't those greedy business men think of other Americans for a second? I just don't get it.
Enjoying a nice vacation here on the island of Nantucket Mass, and was on the beach playing football when realized something. The American Football I was playing with was made in China. Now, I have nothing against items made in China, a lot of good stuff comes from there. However, my first thought when I realized this was " Why can't such an American product be made in America?" People are jobless out there, and part of the reason is that products like the football, which are pretty specific to America (because no one else plays American Football) are made in other countries! Products that are worldwide can be made in China, although it would be nice to make them here in the states tom give people jobs, but you can't get mad that some plastic toy is made in china. That's just the logical place to make them, because labor can be cheaper in China. But the fact that such an American product like the football is made half way around the world, just shows that people are taking outsourcing to far. People these days are to greedy! They move their factories and businesses half way around the world, so they can make more money. Why not, instead of asking people for donations for the poor, why can't we get business to stay in America so that poor people have the opportunity to make money. Why won't those greedy business men think of other Americans for a second? I just don't get it.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Boarding and De-boarding planes.
Hey People,
This past week I traveled to the island of Grand Cayman, just south of Cuba. I had a great time on the island, but as always, travel can become a hassel. One thing I noticed both on the way to, and home from Grand Cayman, was the unethical method of boarding that the airline uses. First they start with first class, which is understandable, because they pay more. But then they board the plane from the front row of coach, to the back. This causes major traffic flow issues. The people in the front get on, and take a few seconds to put away their carry on bag, then they take a seat. But during that time, they block the isle, so no one can get by. This makes the boarding process take a lot longer then it should take. I don't get what the point of it is? Why not let the people in the back get on first. That way, they get to the back, and they don't block the isle. This would speed up the boarding process by a lot, and allow the plane to depart ON TIME, which is the main goal. What I noticed when we landed, was the de boarding process, which may be worse then the boarding process. When the cabin door opens, everyone leaps up to get off the plane AFAP! (As Fast As Possible). This again, makes a traffic jam. This is especially bad for people with connecting flights! How can we make it go faster? Gee, I wonder. I wonder how the airline didn't think of this? Why not let the people who don't have anything in the overhead bin off first. They would take no time getting off the plane. They can just get up and go, without reaching up to the overhead bin. Then, when they're off the plane, the people with connecting flights, who can prove they have a connecting flight, with a ticket. Then, finally, those with items in the overhead bin. This would not only workout for the passengers, but it would also encourage passengers to check their bags, and possibly pay the airline more money! Clearly, those people running the airline have never flown before in coach, and seen how annoying it is to get on and off the plane. Now, before I end, I just wanna tell a quick story about American Airlines. I flew with them to Grand Cayman. On the way home, we stopped in Miami, with about 3 hours till our flight to Boston. We had to pick up our bags, bring them through customs, and then give them to TSA to be scanned, and loaded onto the plane. I handed my bag over to TSA in Miami, and the plane took off at 11pm, 4 hours later then we were scheduled to take off. So, it's not like they had to rush to put the bags on the plane. They had plenty of time. However, when I got to Boston at 2:30 AM, not in the mood to see anything but the insides of my eyelids, I have to stand there watching the luggage go around the baggage claim. Suddenly, the carousel stops turning, and the door where the luggage came from shuts. No more luggage. My bag no where to be seen. Now it's 3 AM, and I'm mad at American Airlines. After standing in line for 15 minutes, with a bunch of other people who's luggage did not show up, they tell me the bag is still in Miami, and that they'll deliver it tomorrow. No "So sorry for this, here's a coupon for another flight." or even just a plain apology. Just " You're bag is in Miami, and it will be delivered tomorrow". So, the lesson for today is: Fly first class, and get on and off the plane first, and never trust American Airlines with your suitcase.
This past week I traveled to the island of Grand Cayman, just south of Cuba. I had a great time on the island, but as always, travel can become a hassel. One thing I noticed both on the way to, and home from Grand Cayman, was the unethical method of boarding that the airline uses. First they start with first class, which is understandable, because they pay more. But then they board the plane from the front row of coach, to the back. This causes major traffic flow issues. The people in the front get on, and take a few seconds to put away their carry on bag, then they take a seat. But during that time, they block the isle, so no one can get by. This makes the boarding process take a lot longer then it should take. I don't get what the point of it is? Why not let the people in the back get on first. That way, they get to the back, and they don't block the isle. This would speed up the boarding process by a lot, and allow the plane to depart ON TIME, which is the main goal. What I noticed when we landed, was the de boarding process, which may be worse then the boarding process. When the cabin door opens, everyone leaps up to get off the plane AFAP! (As Fast As Possible). This again, makes a traffic jam. This is especially bad for people with connecting flights! How can we make it go faster? Gee, I wonder. I wonder how the airline didn't think of this? Why not let the people who don't have anything in the overhead bin off first. They would take no time getting off the plane. They can just get up and go, without reaching up to the overhead bin. Then, when they're off the plane, the people with connecting flights, who can prove they have a connecting flight, with a ticket. Then, finally, those with items in the overhead bin. This would not only workout for the passengers, but it would also encourage passengers to check their bags, and possibly pay the airline more money! Clearly, those people running the airline have never flown before in coach, and seen how annoying it is to get on and off the plane. Now, before I end, I just wanna tell a quick story about American Airlines. I flew with them to Grand Cayman. On the way home, we stopped in Miami, with about 3 hours till our flight to Boston. We had to pick up our bags, bring them through customs, and then give them to TSA to be scanned, and loaded onto the plane. I handed my bag over to TSA in Miami, and the plane took off at 11pm, 4 hours later then we were scheduled to take off. So, it's not like they had to rush to put the bags on the plane. They had plenty of time. However, when I got to Boston at 2:30 AM, not in the mood to see anything but the insides of my eyelids, I have to stand there watching the luggage go around the baggage claim. Suddenly, the carousel stops turning, and the door where the luggage came from shuts. No more luggage. My bag no where to be seen. Now it's 3 AM, and I'm mad at American Airlines. After standing in line for 15 minutes, with a bunch of other people who's luggage did not show up, they tell me the bag is still in Miami, and that they'll deliver it tomorrow. No "So sorry for this, here's a coupon for another flight." or even just a plain apology. Just " You're bag is in Miami, and it will be delivered tomorrow". So, the lesson for today is: Fly first class, and get on and off the plane first, and never trust American Airlines with your suitcase.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Standby lights.
Hey people,
I'm sure most of the people reading this have some sort of electronic with a little light labeled "Standby". Some companies claim that the purpose of this light is to keep the device on to maintain the clock. (unlikely). Why would that light need to be on? It can be distracting on a bedroom appliance such as a radio, computer, clock, etc. and it's pointless. Plus, it's NON-GREEN! Think about it. The device needs power in order to keep that little light on, right? When the device is unplugged, that light stays off, because it needs energy. So not only is it an annoying little nuisance, it's also wastes electricity. Now, this light is good sometimes. For example, I'm writing this from my Macbook Pro. All macs have a little light on them. When the computer is operating, the light stays off. When the computer is off, the light stays off. When the computer is in "sleep mode", the light goes on and off, kind of like if the computer were breathing. On (breathe in) then Off (breathe out). So when I sit down at the computer and open it, I know that it's either off, in which case I have to turn it on, or if it's sleeping, in which case i just open it and wait. That light is useful, but my clock radio on my desk has a little red light on it. When it's on, the light is off. When it's off, the little red light is on. It's not distracting when I sleep, but it's just there. It's a power waster.
I'm sure most of the people reading this have some sort of electronic with a little light labeled "Standby". Some companies claim that the purpose of this light is to keep the device on to maintain the clock. (unlikely). Why would that light need to be on? It can be distracting on a bedroom appliance such as a radio, computer, clock, etc. and it's pointless. Plus, it's NON-GREEN! Think about it. The device needs power in order to keep that little light on, right? When the device is unplugged, that light stays off, because it needs energy. So not only is it an annoying little nuisance, it's also wastes electricity. Now, this light is good sometimes. For example, I'm writing this from my Macbook Pro. All macs have a little light on them. When the computer is operating, the light stays off. When the computer is off, the light stays off. When the computer is in "sleep mode", the light goes on and off, kind of like if the computer were breathing. On (breathe in) then Off (breathe out). So when I sit down at the computer and open it, I know that it's either off, in which case I have to turn it on, or if it's sleeping, in which case i just open it and wait. That light is useful, but my clock radio on my desk has a little red light on it. When it's on, the light is off. When it's off, the little red light is on. It's not distracting when I sleep, but it's just there. It's a power waster.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Florida Road trip 2011
Hey People,
Two weeks ago, I flew down to Florida with my dad, to drive my grandpa's car up from Florida for him. It took us 3 days of driving to get home. On the first day, we started out in Jupiter, Florida, and drove up I-95. We stopped at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum for about an hour, in Savannah, Georgia, and then continued on I-95 to Florence, South Carolina. One of the interesting things along the way was a town called Ridgeland, South Carolina. In this town, on this stretch of I-95, there are camera's watching the road. These camera's monitor your speed, and if it is above the limit, sends you a ticket in the mail. My opinion, absolutely ridiculous! There really is no such thing as speeding on the highway. If the speed limit is 70, and you're going 80, as long as you're being responsible, excuse my language, but who the hell cares? Not only does this make things worse for the drivers, but it takes away the need for police to patrol the highway. Many officers will get laid off. I thought Obama was supposed to be making jobs, not destroying them by putting in computer traffic monitors. It would be one thing to have camera's monitoring the road in a downtown area, because you definatly don't want people speeding through there with cross walks and buildings. But with the highway, the only thing you can hit, is a guardrail, or maybe another car. I mean, isn't this getting a little bit too "Big Brother". Anyways, moving on (but not to fast, or the speed monitoring camera's will send you a ticket!), me and my dad arrived in Florence with no ticket (Although, you never know, one may show up in my Grandfather's mailbox.). We had dinner at a little restaurant, and saw the movie Source Code, which was pretty good, but somewhat confusing. I have to say, the highlight of the night was the waiter at the restaurant calling Dad, BUD! That night we stayed at the Best Western, which wasn't that bad really. The next day, Saturday, we got on the road and headed north. At the Georgia/South Carolina border the previous day, we saw signs for South of the Boarder, a road stop south of the North Carolina border. Over 100 miles ,there were 48 South of the Boarder billboards. You'd think they'd have good food and good service. They didn't, it was terrible. It took forever to get our food, and it was burnt. So, we continued on our trip up the coast, driving straight through to Lewes, DE. After we arrived, we waited a little bit for our ferry to Cape May, NJ, and I think the boat left at around 6:30-7:00PM. Oh, what a ride though. Those storms that hit the middle eastern part of the country were pretty strong. It was raining, and thundering, and here I am on this little car ferry being rocked back and forth continuously by these gigantic waves. I told my dad, I went down to the car to get something, and as I was leaning into the car, I swear I felt it slide a little on the deck. Of course, he didn't believe me, but I think that since the deck was wet from the rain, and the boat was swaying so much that it was hard to stand up right, that it was possible for the car to slide a little. After nearly being killed by Neptune's Rage, we arrived in Cape May, and drove to our hotel in the pouring rain. The final day of our trip was pretty uneventful. We drove North on the Garden State Parkway all the way to New York. Although I did mess up a little bit with the navigation, and caused us to take a wrong turn, we made it through New York, to Connecticut, to Massachusetts. We arrived home around 3, with enough time to wash the car, and move it into the garage until my Grandpa arrived.
I have to say, we had a great time, and I'd love to do it again with my dad sometime. But we decided that next time, we aren't taking that ferry. I think it'd be better to drive 95, and stay in Annapolis or D.C, instead of Cape May.
Thanks for reading, and if anyone has any suggestions for a new topic for me to write about, email me at connor.melvin@comcast.net.
Thanks for reading,
Connor Melvin
Editor,Publisher,Writer, Son, Friend, Cousin, etc.
Two weeks ago, I flew down to Florida with my dad, to drive my grandpa's car up from Florida for him. It took us 3 days of driving to get home. On the first day, we started out in Jupiter, Florida, and drove up I-95. We stopped at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum for about an hour, in Savannah, Georgia, and then continued on I-95 to Florence, South Carolina. One of the interesting things along the way was a town called Ridgeland, South Carolina. In this town, on this stretch of I-95, there are camera's watching the road. These camera's monitor your speed, and if it is above the limit, sends you a ticket in the mail. My opinion, absolutely ridiculous! There really is no such thing as speeding on the highway. If the speed limit is 70, and you're going 80, as long as you're being responsible, excuse my language, but who the hell cares? Not only does this make things worse for the drivers, but it takes away the need for police to patrol the highway. Many officers will get laid off. I thought Obama was supposed to be making jobs, not destroying them by putting in computer traffic monitors. It would be one thing to have camera's monitoring the road in a downtown area, because you definatly don't want people speeding through there with cross walks and buildings. But with the highway, the only thing you can hit, is a guardrail, or maybe another car. I mean, isn't this getting a little bit too "Big Brother". Anyways, moving on (but not to fast, or the speed monitoring camera's will send you a ticket!), me and my dad arrived in Florence with no ticket (Although, you never know, one may show up in my Grandfather's mailbox.). We had dinner at a little restaurant, and saw the movie Source Code, which was pretty good, but somewhat confusing. I have to say, the highlight of the night was the waiter at the restaurant calling Dad, BUD! That night we stayed at the Best Western, which wasn't that bad really. The next day, Saturday, we got on the road and headed north. At the Georgia/South Carolina border the previous day, we saw signs for South of the Boarder, a road stop south of the North Carolina border. Over 100 miles ,there were 48 South of the Boarder billboards. You'd think they'd have good food and good service. They didn't, it was terrible. It took forever to get our food, and it was burnt. So, we continued on our trip up the coast, driving straight through to Lewes, DE. After we arrived, we waited a little bit for our ferry to Cape May, NJ, and I think the boat left at around 6:30-7:00PM. Oh, what a ride though. Those storms that hit the middle eastern part of the country were pretty strong. It was raining, and thundering, and here I am on this little car ferry being rocked back and forth continuously by these gigantic waves. I told my dad, I went down to the car to get something, and as I was leaning into the car, I swear I felt it slide a little on the deck. Of course, he didn't believe me, but I think that since the deck was wet from the rain, and the boat was swaying so much that it was hard to stand up right, that it was possible for the car to slide a little. After nearly being killed by Neptune's Rage, we arrived in Cape May, and drove to our hotel in the pouring rain. The final day of our trip was pretty uneventful. We drove North on the Garden State Parkway all the way to New York. Although I did mess up a little bit with the navigation, and caused us to take a wrong turn, we made it through New York, to Connecticut, to Massachusetts. We arrived home around 3, with enough time to wash the car, and move it into the garage until my Grandpa arrived.
I have to say, we had a great time, and I'd love to do it again with my dad sometime. But we decided that next time, we aren't taking that ferry. I think it'd be better to drive 95, and stay in Annapolis or D.C, instead of Cape May.
Thanks for reading, and if anyone has any suggestions for a new topic for me to write about, email me at connor.melvin@comcast.net.
Thanks for reading,
Connor Melvin
Editor,Publisher,Writer, Son, Friend, Cousin, etc.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Washington D.C
This past week I had the opportunity to view our government and how it all works with my school. I woke up at 3:30 AM Wednesday morning, almost missed my bus to the airport, but after an early morning flight, I made it to Washington D.C, our nation's capital. While there, besides viewing the countless monuments and memorials, I was able to visit many government buildings, including: The Pentagon, The White House, The Capital building (Congress), and other government locations. I was able to sit in on a meeting of the House of Representatives. I was also able to meet Senator of New Jersey, Frank Lautenberg, who happens to be the grandfather of a student at my school. I would have to say, The Capital building had the best tour of them all. While at the Pentagon, and at the White House, both those tours felt a little to museum like. For example, the hall ways of the Pentagon had numerous historical displays, images, and artifacts. Myself, along with my classmates, were expecting a bit more of an exciting atmosphere, like in all those movies. To answer any questions, there is no floor B32. They CLAIM that there are only 2 floors under ground. As for the tour of the White House, while it was cool to see the White House up close, and I'm glad I can now say I've been there, the tour was a snore. We were escorted in one door, and we walked through rooms like the Red Room, Green Room, Blue room, State Dining Room, and just other random rooms. Again, yes they have history, but nothing like what we'd expect to see. And also, I was a little bummed that I saw no one famous like Obama or a member of the first family.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Book review of The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
Hey People,
So, usually, I write on this blog about current events that I hear about on the news, or talk radio. But I was asked to write a book review for English class, so I figured I'd write it here. It's my opinion, and this is my blog, so I figured "Why not?"
This past week I read a book called "The Scorch Trials" by James Dashner. It's the sequel to a book I read this summer, called "The Maze Runner" The Maze Runner was the story of a boy named Thomas, who finds himself in the middle of a maze, along with a bunch of other boys his age. A new boy is brought into what they call "The glade" every month, in "The box" with supplies. The boy has no idea where he came from, and where he is now, but only knows his first name. But Thomas was a different boy. Only days after Thomas's arrival, a girl shows up in the maze. Things begin to change for the "Gladers" and desperation to get out of this maze rises. The gladers must work together to find their way out of the maze, while fighting "Grievers". Monsters in the maze that are almost part robot, part flesh. One sting, and you go into "The changing". A painful, dreadful sickness that tortures your body. And after, you are "changed". My book, The scorch trials, comes after the maze, after they've escaped. Now, some people may say that you give it away by saying they escaped. But I didn't say who escaped, and I didn't say how. Come on, obviously they had to escape sometime, or else it wouldn't be a very good book. Anyways, after their escape, they come into the real world to find that Sun Flares are destroying man kind, and an incurable virus called "The Flare" has spread amongst the people of Earth. The few remaining people banded together to form "WICKED", a government that was put together to try and stop this virus. WICKED is running tests on the children of the Glade, and the Gladers aren't to happy. Their next objective, is to travel across the baron wasteland to the "Safe Haven" within 2 weeks. Can they do it, can they save the Human Race"?
I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars. I couldn't put it down, and I was dissapointed when I finished it, knowing I would have to wait for the next book to come out. To quote my school librarian, " It would make a great video game". I recommend it to anyone who likes an adventure book. (although, you have to read Maze Runner first. My school librarian, while she loved it, hadn't read The Maze Runner first, and was a little confused at some parts).
I anxiously await the next book in the series, to find out what happens to Thomas and his friends.
So, usually, I write on this blog about current events that I hear about on the news, or talk radio. But I was asked to write a book review for English class, so I figured I'd write it here. It's my opinion, and this is my blog, so I figured "Why not?"
This past week I read a book called "The Scorch Trials" by James Dashner. It's the sequel to a book I read this summer, called "The Maze Runner" The Maze Runner was the story of a boy named Thomas, who finds himself in the middle of a maze, along with a bunch of other boys his age. A new boy is brought into what they call "The glade" every month, in "The box" with supplies. The boy has no idea where he came from, and where he is now, but only knows his first name. But Thomas was a different boy. Only days after Thomas's arrival, a girl shows up in the maze. Things begin to change for the "Gladers" and desperation to get out of this maze rises. The gladers must work together to find their way out of the maze, while fighting "Grievers". Monsters in the maze that are almost part robot, part flesh. One sting, and you go into "The changing". A painful, dreadful sickness that tortures your body. And after, you are "changed". My book, The scorch trials, comes after the maze, after they've escaped. Now, some people may say that you give it away by saying they escaped. But I didn't say who escaped, and I didn't say how. Come on, obviously they had to escape sometime, or else it wouldn't be a very good book. Anyways, after their escape, they come into the real world to find that Sun Flares are destroying man kind, and an incurable virus called "The Flare" has spread amongst the people of Earth. The few remaining people banded together to form "WICKED", a government that was put together to try and stop this virus. WICKED is running tests on the children of the Glade, and the Gladers aren't to happy. Their next objective, is to travel across the baron wasteland to the "Safe Haven" within 2 weeks. Can they do it, can they save the Human Race"?
I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars. I couldn't put it down, and I was dissapointed when I finished it, knowing I would have to wait for the next book to come out. To quote my school librarian, " It would make a great video game". I recommend it to anyone who likes an adventure book. (although, you have to read Maze Runner first. My school librarian, while she loved it, hadn't read The Maze Runner first, and was a little confused at some parts).
I anxiously await the next book in the series, to find out what happens to Thomas and his friends.
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