The Right Way to Study for You

With all of us in the midst of finals and the school year wrapping up, we would benefit from knowing the right way to study in order for us to achieve our full potential. Everyone has a different learning style and these specific style fall under three different categories; visual, auditory, kinesthetic.
Below are different ways to study for each category.

Visual Learners

•  Uses visual objects such as graphs, charts, pictures, and seeing information
•  Can read body language well and has a good perception of aesthetics
•  Able to memorize and recall various information
•  Tends to remember things that are written down
•  Learns better in lectures by watching them

Auditory Learners 

•  Retains information through hearing and speaking
• Often prefers to be told how to do things and then summarizes the main points out loud to help with memorization
• Notices different aspects of speaking
• Often has talents in music and may concentrate better with soft music playing in the background

Kinesthetic Learners 

•  Likes to use the hands-on approach to learn new material
• Is generally good in math and science
• Would rather demonstrate how to do something rather than verbally explain it
• Usually prefers group work more than others

California, Desperate for Water

The drought that plagues the state of California deeply affects the other regions of the United States. California has been known as "the bread basket of the world" because it provides a large amount of food which is grown in the central valley. For example, 90% of the world's almonds are grown in California. Therefore it is crucial that us locals conserve our natural resources through methods such as changing shower heads, fixing leaks, and taking shorter showers. I also believe that in order for California to remain a leading producer of produce that it is necessary for the US government to take action in finding a solution to our lack of H2O. For example, by finding a cheaper way to desalinize ocean water or commandeering water from other states in order to provide California with sufficient water resources to continue growing food. 

Check out this article which states different ways to preserve water in your house.

http://eartheasy.com/live_water_saving.htm 

Tips for Senior Year

With the school year coming to a close and a new one around the corner, I think it is prominent to know how to prepare for your senior year so you can be successful. An article I read on Huffington Post called "10 Things I Wish I Had Known Before Senior Year of Highschool" listed numerous things to check off your to do list. A tip I personally connected with was #8 which talks about the necessity of mental health days. Many times this year when school work seemed like an unclimbable mountain of doom, I would often take a day off from school to finish up all of my work instead of attending class. Although risky, this method has allowed me to remain sane and get my work done in order to be present when I attend school.

Check out the article below!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/15/10-things-i-wish-i-had-known-before-senior-year_n_3763882.html

11 year old with 3 Degrees

Tanishq Abraham was born in Sacramento, California in 2003. According to his Wikipedia page, he was 5 years old when he completed the math courses in five grades (kindergarten to 4th grade) at Stanford's Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) in less than 6 months.  He graduated high school in 2014 and had just graduated from American River College last Wednesday, May 20, with 3 associate college degrees.

Tanishq and his sister, Tiara, are among the youngest member of MENSA, the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world.

Read more about him here

Blended Sentencing

Recently my friend showed me an interesting proposal advocating for blended sentencing, which is thought to be a more effective method for rehabilitating juvenile offenders. Blended sentencing allows juvenile offenders to be subject to juvenile or adult sanctions, depending on the severity of the crime and the offender's maturity. In some cases, the offender is levied adult and juvenile sentences simultaneously, but can have the adult sentence revoked through good behavior. In other cases, the juvenile sentence is served until the offender reaches a certain age, when he or she is transfered to an adult facility and begins serving the adult sentence.

The idea behind this is to give juvenile offenders a chance to reduce their punishment. They are evaluated before receiving an adult sentence, which could be much harsher than a juvenile one, and given opportunities to appeal. This method has been found to reduce recidivism (relapse into criminal behavior) in youth, since it re-evaluates the offender before condemning him or her to a potentially life-long sentence.

Only about half of the states use blended sentencing, but I think it should be adopted nationwide. Juvenile offenders should be given a chance to show their growth and maturity, and letting them know that their future doesn't have to be prison can be a great motivator for them to change their behavior.

What do you all think about blended sentencing, or dealing with juvenile offenders in general?

Should the FDA Regulate Cosmetics?

The Federal Drug Administration was created initially to protect consumers from harmful carcinogens and contaminants that companies could sneak into their products. However, the FDA does nothing to regulate cosmetics and instead has left the industry to "self-regulate." As a consequence, the closest thing to oversight over cosmetic companies is the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, an organization to which submitting cosmetics is entirely option. This means that bad products often make it to the shelves, and once they're there, are impossible to recall.

It makes sense to try and let a market regulate itself. Many argue that consumers will simply stop buying harmful products and subsequently make the production of those products economically infeasible. However, consumers are often left blind to long lasting harmful side effects. Harmful chemicals that form as a result when common ingredients react after being mixed in don't need to be disclosed on labels. Mercury is allowed in mascara.

The final question we're left with involves the extent of government involvement that should be introduced. Should the FDA be able to recall products once they're on the shelves. Should they get involved before then? Should they be involved at all?

Baltimore Protests

On April 12, 2015, Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American resident sustained injuries following his arrest. Gray sustained a coma and Baltimore residents protested in front of the Western district police station. Then on May 1, 2015, Gray's death was ruled to be homicide and legal charges were issued against the six officers involved in the incident, including that of second-degree murder. After Gray's death was announced, numerous protests erupted throughout baltimore. On April 25, 2015, protests were organized in downtown Baltimore. Protesters marched from the Baltimore City Hall to Inner Harbor. After the final stage of the official protest event, some people became violent and damaged at least five police vehicles, and pelted police with rocks. During a press conference, Baltimore mayor Stephanie said most protesters were respectful but a "small group of agitators intervened". She also stated that "It’s a very delicate balancing act. Because while we try to make sure that they were protected from the cars and other things that were going on, we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well. And we worked very hard to keep that balance and to put ourselves in the best position to de-escalate."The phrase "we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well" was interpreted by some conservative-leaning news sources as an indication that the mayor was giving permission to protesters to destroy property, while some others, including Breitbart News Network, pointed out that "when you look at the full context, it’s clear the Mayor meant something different (though it’s also true she didn’t say it very clearly)."

http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2015/04/27/updates-from-baltimore-riots/YuKFLrjt8PnLWWCDbhkVDJ/story.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Baltimore_protests

Should the United States Build a National Aqueduct?

The California drought has been a large point of contention recently. Agriculture is often criticized for using a disproportionate amount of water (almonds use 11% of the state's water while major cities use about 20%). But in a country where one parched state produces a sizable majority of the nation's produce, completely halting agricultural production is not an option. Below is a short piece I wrote attempting to justify the controversial construction of an aqueduct from Alaska to Mt. Shasta that would allow Alaska, Oregon, and Washington state to sell their water to California. The justification was written in an attempt to instigate debate, and I would really appreciate if you guys would comment any arguments in favor of or opposed to this infrastructure project!

America's agricultural system is designed in such a way that forces us to depend disproportionately on certain sectors. Notably, California is home to 4% of the nation's ranches, and, yet, produces more than 13% of the nation's food, and a sizable majority of our produce. In recent years, as the Californian drought continues to worsen, the sustainability of this system needs to be challenged. Without access to environmentally responsible resources to grow food, Californian farms often turn to unsound sources. Extracting around 800 billion gallons of groundwater a year, the California agricultural sector has caused the land to subside by two feet and the water table by 500. Continuously decreasing snowfall levels mean that the state cannot continue to serve as the nation's breadbasket if it does not have the resources to do so.

The construction of an aqueduct spanning from the southern Alaskan islands to Lake Shasta is a drastic, but essential, step that needs to be taken to support the way America's food production is currently structured. If the nation wishes to continue reaping the rewards of such expansive agricultural production in the state of California, we need to ensure that the proper infrastructure exists to do so.

Do We Need To Fix American Perception Worldwide?

It's no secret that many parts of the world disapprove of the United States. The question that remains is why. There's a large difference between having an accurate understanding of what the United States stands for and disliking its principles and being misinformed. A friend of mine has taken it upon himself recently to argue for reinstating a branch of the government found archaic after the Cold War ended whose sole purpose was to promote America's brand worldwide.

The United States Information Agency was established "to understand, inform and influence foreign publics in promotion of the national interest, and to broaden the dialogue between Americans and U.S. institutions, and their counterparts abroad.” Many argue that in the twenty first century, we fight less wars based on territory and more based on ideology. So what greater weapon do we have than an information agency that effectively portrays America in a favorable light?

Critics of the agency have other things to say. Many argue that such propaganda is inappropriate in such a day and age and that the United States should not have to resort to tactics often used by countries we view as "shady" or "illegitimate".

The question remains - what methods do you think the United States should use to promote its image worldwide?

The Science of Bagels

I thought it would be helpful to write about something a little more lighthearted than stress or current events - bagels.

I'd say about 9 out of 10 school days, I bring a bagel with cream cheese and sometimes lox to first period for breakfast. I am a bagel fanatic. Whenever we would visit my mother's family in NYC when I was younger, the only thing that would get me through the seemingly everlasting flight was the promise of East Coast bagels. So I was personally thrilled when I saw that NPR's Maria Godoy had reported a story on what makes New York bagels so good.

The secret? It's in the boiling. The American Chemical Society found that the idea that New York bagels are so delicious because of their water is actually largely untrue. What makes a NY bagel so good is first the refrigeration that slows the yeast in the dough, which allows for fermentation that results in more delicious bagels. The boiling process then contributes its own effects to the taste and texture of the bagels, must like freeze flashing a steak.

So, if you ever want to make your own bagels, be sure to stick them in the fridge and then boil them. It'll feel like you're in New York!

Ditching School?

With all the talks we've been having recently about the effects of stress and parenting styles on students, I thought I'd summarize a story recently covered by NPR titled "How Do You Motivate Kids To Stop Skipping School?

The article discusses how a recent study demonstrated that oftentimes, providing incentives to attend school is counterproductive. The study looked at 799 boys and girls in an impoverished part of India who were part of an altruistic program that, despite providing a significantly higher quality education than other programs, finds itself with the same attendance rate.

The program tried to provide an incentive - those who showed up 32 out of 38 days would receive two pencils and an eraser. Initially, attendance rates improved. However, as time went on and the reward period was concluded, attendance rates went back to normal. With kids who didn't qualify for the reward, the attendance level actually decreased to a point lower than where it was before incentives were introduced.

The summary NPR provided concluded that failing these types of challenges are disheartening. What do you think?

Iconic Photos in US History

Great Depression

World War II

 Flag Raising at Iwo Jima
This is probably the most iconic photo in American history to date. It captures the American spirit perfectly, with the American people working together to reach a common goal. The photograph is also very symbolic because it shows the prevalence of American ideals even amidst all the rubble and chaos.

 New York's Penn Station (1944)

 Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (June 1942)

 Members of the U.S. Army Air Corps's legendary 99th Pursuit Squadron, the Tuskegee Airmen (1942)

Selma (March 7, 1965)

Vietnam War (1964 - 1975)

 The Saigon Execution (Feb 1, 1968)

 Kent State Protest (May 4, 1970)

*Selma and the Kent State Protest reflect the violence of police brutality amidst the confusion of war.

9/11

Flag Raising at the World Trade Center

 The Falling Man 

*While the flag raising reflects hope, the falling man reflects hopelessness.  These two photographs capture the two prevailing moods during the aftermath of 9/11.

Sources: 
Wikimedia Foundation

Clinton Email Scandal

Hi everyone! If you've been following the news the past few months, you may have noticed that presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has been criticized recently for her use of a private email in her time in the State Department. The main issue was that, by using a private email,  she didn't need to release her emails to the public.

Today, the State Department released 296 emails sent by Secretary Clinton in her time in the State Department.

The department stated that the first set of emails released would be given to the House Select Committee on Benghazi, which talk mostly about the attack on the facility that has often been a focal point of the criticism surrounding Clinton. Many argue that this latest email scandal plays into Clinton's reputation as being seemingly above the rules. The Committee on Benghazi has stated, "The emails we release today do not change the essential facts or out understanding of the events before, during, or after the attacks, which have been known since the independent Accountability Review Board report on the Benghazi attacks was released almost two and a half years ago."

The question now remains - can Clinton shed her reputation as seeming high and mighty and above the rules by which al others abide, or are these emails only the most recent unfolding that uphold such a portrayal?

Dealing with Stress

Hey guys! I found this website to share with your parents to help with coping with school-related pressure and stress:

Click Me!

Elephant Mom

I found this article on elephant parents. Elephant parents are the complete opposite of tiger parents. Your parents do everything for you and instead of putting the pressure on you, they try to take away the pressure. It's more like being a mommy's boy. You can't survive in life without your parents. This can be bad because if you rely on your parents to much, you won't be prepared for life. Meaning when you go off to college or make your own independent choices, you can't always rely on your parents to make the choices for you. This article also talks about the comparisons between a tiger mom and elephant mom. Now going to my parents, my dad is a tiger dad and my mom is a elephant mom. It's funny because when I need something I always go to my mom. And this causes a lot of conflicts because my dad hates buying knick knacks, or anything fancy because he thinks it's completely useless. This link tells the difference between a tiger parents and elephant parents.

http://www.healthywomen.org/content/blog-entry/are-you-elephant-mom-or-tiger-mom

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

A while ago, I wrote a post about Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the somewhat cult following she's accumulated amongst liberals. In the time since I've posted the original piece, the've made an announcement in how the media is beginning to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg's legacy: there is an upcoming biopic starring Natalie Portman about the Justice's life.

"On The Basis Of Sex" will detail Ginsburg's attempts to alleviate gender-based discrimination in the legal field. Many have criticized the movie for its obviously liberal slant, saying, "Hollywood really doesn’t hide its bias well, when no producer or director seems to have any interest in making a film about a conservative First Lady or Supreme Court Justice."

Ginsburg is the Court's first Jewish female Justice, an accolade that's been hinted to be the center focus of "On the Basis of Sex". 

The film is supposed to be released sometime in 2015. Who's in?

A Day in the Life of Amy Chua

Summer Break
6:30 am - Amy wakes up to the family dogs, Coco and Pushkin, licking her chin.
"Dogs are so much nicer than daughters.  Sophia and Lulu, now somehow 22 and 19, are going back to college tomorrow. They've been home for almost a month, and frankly, we've had some rocky moments." 

Amy looks on as her daughter, Sophia, practices piano (top). Lulu plays the violin (bottom).                                        

11:00 am - Amy has graded 10 exams, wrote three letters of recommendation, and blurbed a book.

12:00 pm - Amy unloads the dishwasher

1:00 pm - Amy wakes up her daughters
"Gently reminded them that they had to start packing. And do their own laundry, because it was ridiculous in this day and age that a woman with a career like me still had to do all the housework.  Deeply moved by my own words." 

"Asked Lulu why she had to waste $3.49 on a Dunkin' Donuts coffee when we have perfectly good coffee at home and when $3.49 would have fed my whole family for a month when I was growing up." 

"Discovered that Sophia got a tattoo.  She tried to hide it from me, but I spotted it.  Instead of going ballistic like I have in the past, I was very reasonable.  I told Sophia that I was glad she had at least chosen a physics symbol (a light cone) and that I would pay for its removal.  I'll have to hide this from my parents."

"I wish I'd made their stay more fun.  What if they don't want to come home again?" 

Spring Term
6:30 am - Wake up
10:00 - 12:00 am - Amy attends a meeting
12:00 - 2:00 pm -  Amy attends another meeting
2:00 - 6:00 pm - Amy holds marathon office hours
6:30 pm - Amy hosts dinner for a student organization
8:00 pm - Amy plays tennis and runs with her dogs, Coco and Pushkin

9:00 pm - Amy meets some research assistants for drinks

"Self control, discipline, resilience. I got that from my parents." 

 Amy Chua with her husband, Jed Rubenfield

Source:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-week-in-the-life-of-the-tiger-mother-amy-chua-1422632082

Amy Chua: The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Understanding the tiger mom culture is hard for us kids. Amy Chua's The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother embodies what makes the concept of being a tiger mom rewarding. This book also served as a therapeutic outlet for her to vent when she felt her her control over her daughter slacking. It's not a guide for would-be tiger moms, but a memoir filled with her stories about the experiences she had being one and living under one when she was younger. She points out that while her parenting is not the best model, she believes parents in America could push their kids to achieve more to unlock their potential, as cliche as that sounds.

Link to her book

A helpful site for 2016 primaries

Website is: http://www.ontheissues.org/default.htm

I have found a website which may help you choose your presidential candidate. It shows those running for the GOP, Democratic and independent primaries. A very helpful and simple to read page on every candidate shows what they believe, from topics like environment to principles and values. It makes it so much easier to decide whether or not the candidate is right for you. Although it is a quick overview and I recommend looking more into the candidate as some of the information may be outdated such as some sources are from the early 2000’s or 1990’s and they may not believe that anymore. But the site keeps the candidates updated with the most recent sources on the top of the list and goes down chronologically from what they said in the past on a certain topic. The site also tries to be unbiased so it won’t make one candidate more appealing than the other. I think the site is very helpful for those who haven’t decided which candidate to pick yet and is a great tool in beginning the search for one. It is the easiest and simplest site I've seen which provides information to do so. Again, I highly recommend this for looking at the quick overviews on the candidate's beliefs and as a starter for research on said candidate, they could have different opinions from something they have said years ago.

Which parent do you think you would appreciate most?

Talking about all the different parents, I am wondering which parent people would appreciate the most. For this question, think about whether the outcomes overweight the costs such as in a tiger mom, or if they don't.
Also, don't look at the word "appreciate" as in you feelings, look at it in the overall scheme of your early life.

For me, I would most rather have a tiger mom when I am in middle school, and then have my parents ease off as I entered high school (I don't have tiger parents, but they are pretty strict). This is because, early on I think it is important to get your child to understand the importance of grades, but later, I would prefer less monitoring of my schoolwork by my parents because it will help me become more individualistic earlier and give me an advantage in college, where I will be responsible to do everything on my own, without parental help or guidance.

What would you guys pick?