One month later...

Hi again,

I haven't updated in quite a long time... unfortunately. My life became really busy, but not we're on Thanksgiving break! That should be awesome... :)

I need this break, but I have sooooooooooooo much work to do!

CNY weather is quite weird; no snow at all, for over nine months now! Something to do with global warming, perhaps? Hmm...

Family is coming up for Thanksgiving -- hopefully, that goes well...

I'll keep things updated here, and I'm considering starting a Tumblr account too - they seem pretty cool. See you all later!

350

Don't forget to check out national Blog Action Day! It's about climate change this year. Check out one of its major sponsors: the 350 Challenge! Yay!

Oh, no!

Has it really been almost a month since I last updated??? So much has happened since then.

Let's see...

First, I'm published when writing about this blog on the Post Standard Teen Voices page: blog.syracuse.com/voices/

Also, I've been published at jdrampage.com - the new website for my school's online-only newspaper.

AP World History is going better now - I just got a 99 on my last quiz! I studied very very hard, and I know that it finally paid off. Yay!

I'm so sorry that I have not had a chance to check in more often. I'm doing a lot of leadership in the 5 clubs that I'm in, so it gets tough sometimes. I have a bit of homework that needs to get done all of the time, but it's worth it in the end.

My next post will be about something very special. I'd like to give a hint: tomorrow is Blog Action Day 2009 and the topic is climate change! :) I'm excited about that!

So, the Kanye West/Beyonce/Taylor Swift thing was crazy, huh? I cannot believe that Kanye would do something like that to ruin someone else's shining moment. How ignorant and self-centered can you get? Opinions?

And finally, when writing my blogging article, I noticed that another kid from my school blogs - Derek Horn. I don't know him, but his blog is really amusing, creative, and refreshingly sarcastic. Please check it out at derekhorn.blogspot.com.

Well, that's it for now. See you extra soon!

xoxo, Brianna

Hi! Here's an update.

Happy International Day of Peace!

On another note, I've been quite busy with school and clubs... Running my own is certainly not easy. I also have a leadership role in every club that I participate in, so things can get hectic sometimes. I love every minute of it all, though.

Youth orchestra has begun, and so have my weekly bassoon lessons with my other teacher. I'm really looking forward to it!

I'll be sure to update you more in the coming days.

By the way, today was the first day that I had only a light amount of homework! Yay! I've been enjoying it. Also, I was lucky enough to enjoy the last day of summer, when it hit 78-80 degrees!

Bye for now!

One week into school...

Hello world, again!

Hope you're all doing well. I was asked to write about keeping a blog for Voices, so I'm going to do that as soon as I finish this post!

So, we're one week into school now, and I'm a little booked with homework right now, so I figured I'd take a blogging break. I'm taking all Honors, one AP, and journalism and band. I'm happy that I can take personal fitness (i.e. go to the fitness center) for gym this year, because otherwise, gym+me=struggle! I've had all of my classes except for gym as of now, and I love my teachers! I seem to have a lot more work than last year, but I'm figuring things out as I go along.

Currently, I'm 29 pages into reading and annotating "Peter Pan", and 2 1/2 pages into my AP World homework. I've still got to write several other 400 word essays and such as well. Wow!

I just wanted to check in with the blog while I had the few minutes to do so!

PS - My brother was channel surfing and saw this on PBS Kids! I wish that I had this show when I was little! Adorably hip!

Info

Will be traveling, and will have limited internet access for the next week. Hopefully, I'll check back soon! :)

Women's Rights and Equality

When women's rights and equality come up, I'm always reminded of the Schoolhouse Rock video that I used to watch all the time:



But recently, I found this more modern video pertaining to women's equality and rights:



Think about these facts:

1% of landowners in the world are women.
130 million women world wide have been submitted to genital mutilation/cutting.
There are an estimated 5 thousand honor killings a year, mostly in the Muslim world.

Women today are still subjected to horrendous conditions, often mistreated by their male counterparts. We cannot, as a people, allow these occurances in our modern world. It is of extreme importance that every able-minded and able-bodied woman take a stance on the issue of women's equality.

Tomorrow is Women's Equality Day - do something about it. Take a look at this or this and begin to understand the conditions that some women and girls live with every day.

Take a stand, for those who can't.

What Happened Today...

Well, today was another excellent day. I had two main things that went on... I visited twins that I tutor and had a great time talking/playing with them! They were adorable! We also visited some friends and chatted with them. :) It was a lot of fun to be around people like them!

Also, I'm watching Saturday Night Live (rerun) right now. It's such a great one... the one where the real Sarah Palin comes! I love the Sarah Palin rap!!! Sometimes the shows are just hilarious...

This is about it. I'll write more tomorrow/later! :)

Videos, etc.

I hope the videos that I posted earlier were remotely day-brightening or amusing. They were fun to watch for me!!!

Well, I went to a party and enjoyed it today; it was good clean fun, with parents around and lots of music, joking, and sweets. Sometimes those things, with friends, are all I need to stay sane.

I'm enjoying a late night of "work": printing directions for college tours, and working on items for MyLife24-7 and Junior Pro Art, a music group I belong to.

Going to finish that up now! Talk to you soon!

Food Court Musical

One other video: This one is absolutely hysterical! I wish this happened in real life. I wonder how I'd react if I was one of the people in the food court.

High Five Escalator

This is such a great video! I absolutely adore it. So clever. It shows how one thing can change people's day. :) Enjoy your day!

Relaxed Day

This morning I had a great bassoon lesson, very laid back. I enjoy them a lot. I might want to play bassoon in college, so I might as well learn now! Then, I got to go home and relax for a little bit, then eating lunch with a friend, then more relaxing. I just got off the phone with some people from mylife24-7.org, which is a youth-led website/group. I'm an ambassador for it, and I really enjoy working on it. It's basically website design and blogging, both of which I love! I'm heading out for ice cream with another friend in a sec.

This article was interesting and sweet to me. I really enjoyed learning about other girls in a different country than me, and I learned just how lucky I am. It made me grateful for what I have.

Well, that's it for now. Writing pieces to be posted soon (I hope)!

A Nice Day...

So, today was quite nice. I spent the majority of it relaxing, practicing bassoon, and enjoying my free time... Not a bad life! I updated my profiles on zinch.com, cappex.com, and fastweb.com, so that my scholarship chances are greatened. :)

In my internet adventures, I've discovered amazing stop-motion videos by someone who calls him/herself "PES". I really enjoy them, though! Here's my favorite, "Western Spaghetti".


Cool, isn't it?

Next order of business, I'm just learning of this case out of the Mohawk Valley (relatively close to me). A lawsuit's being filed from the NYCLU on behalf of an openly gay 14 year old boy. Being openly gay, he was subjected to years of verbal and physical harassment, according to the lawsuit. Apparently, administration did nothing to prevent/deal with this. Now they're being sued because of it. I think that the boy and his parents are doing the right thing. Comments under the news article suggest that thousands of lawsuits could be filed like this... my response is, "Why not file them? We need more attention to be drawn to bullying and harassment in schools." As a student, I see firsthand the effects of bullying. Students that are bullied usually undergo years of harassment that is uncalled for. Check out this story here and here.

I'm considering writing reflections on some big summer events for me; when I do, they'll go right here!

The schoolyear is approaching fast. I'm happy to say that I'm looking forward to it. Clubs are meeting early so we can discuss the upcoming year, and I'm actually getting psyched for these plans!

Speaking of school, I'd love to discuss a recent news story. In New York, low-income families were given an extra $200 per-child for "school supplies". If I understand this correctly, a millionaire decided that he would contribute to this because "as a child, he was poor, and he always remembered the money he got for school supplies". That's all well and good, but this was a truly disastrous plan in execution. Most of the people receiving the money had no idea what it was for until after the money was spent on things other than school supplies. And for those that did know, I'm sure that many of them put the money towards "more important things". Their children will still come to school complaining that they can't afford notebooks and pencils. How do I know? These children are my classmates. I watched my single mom drop over $100 on my brother's school supplies alone, and does she get welfare money? No. She pays taxes that go towards ineffective programs like this. I apologize for ranting like this, it just seems a bit unfair. Everyone's suffering, Paterson.

Well, that's all for now. I'll check in soon!

Apology, and Update

First of all, the delay in my blogging is inexcusable. I do apologize for not including any posts since over one month ago! I should have kept it up to date. Won't let it happen again. :)

So, now the updates.

I've been using this new site called Polyvore and I really love it. It's so much fun. Basically, if you can imagine clipping photos out of magazines and making collages with them, that's what you're doing. It's a really good time! I'm so addicted but I love it. Here's two examples of my work:

Untitled by lettert on Polyvore.com

Vintage by lettert featuring Alexander McQueen shoes

Also, I found this really interesting: Joshua Bell, world-renowned violinist, played for an hour as a street musician at L'Enfant Plaza subway stop in Washington D.C., and he went unnoticed by so many! I was shocked to see this. It made me wonder, "Would I stop to listen, even if I didn't know who he was?". Check it out here.

If you enjoyed the photos from my previous posts, be sure to my photography out on Flickr.com! View them here.

I just finished the book "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Piccoult, and I loved it! It was such a sad book, but it was really touching, too. I'm trying to decide whether the movie would be better or worse.

My Sister's Keeper from Red Carpet on Vimeo.

Check out this cute editorial on water fountains across the U.S. Artists tallied who went to each fountain during a certain amount of time and sketched the fountains. Makes me want to do the same thing! If I do, then I'll be sure to post it!

I think that this contest would be interesting to enter. Write a story of 600 words and start it with this sentence: "The nurse left work at five o'clock."... How exciting! The possibilities are endless.

My summer's been pretty exciting. I'm really enjoying how laid back everything is, I'm looking forward to an upcoming vacation and school. :D So far, I've already survived summer school in Health class, so I can get ahead and not take it during the school year. The summer weather has been somewhat iffy, with lots of rain. The past few days have been warm, but it just rained again. Who's complaining, though? I've ridden my bike often and spent time outside, some time tye dying, and we've already gone to Boston/Hampton Beach and Sylvan Beach. Fun trips!

Well, that's all for now. My goal is to write a bit more frequently now. Let's see if I can keep it up! Ta ta for now!

Happy Fourth of July!

Hey, everyone! Happy Independence Day!

We're not really doing much today, just hanging out at home. Sometimes it's really nice just to chill out...

Well, I'm working on making an alternative paper and a website with a friend. I was over at his house yesterday. We're making some progress, slowly but surely. It's a lot more work than we thought, but I'll keep you posted as soon as the website's up and running. We're deciding on topics, length, how often it'll be updated, whether or not it'll be school affiliated, etc. It'll be hard to make this work

It's actually really nice here. We don't have thunder rolling through, for once! The sky's nice and blue, with cotton-ball clouds, my favorite weather! It could be a little warmer, but I'm not complaining.

Isn't this cool? I'm always interested in hairstyles and stuff, so I thought that the New York Times did a nice job with the comparisons between first ladies.

This was a pretty interesting article. I was so shocked to learn that it's so easy to graduate in Louisiana! That's not the real solution to their problem with education.

I'm planning a trip to Boston and Hampton Beach, NH, so I'm pretty excited! That should be fun......

I have a lot of work to do on that AP World summer assignment - I'd better get to work on that soon! I have to write some articles for the alternative paper, too. I'll be busy, but I'll check in with you all soon! :)

Enjoy this cute Fourth of July video!

I've Missed You!

I apologize for being away! Final exams descended upon me in June, and now I'm free (kind of). I still have a summer assignment to do, and I'm taking Health as a summer class instead of the mandatory elective next year. So I go to summer school every weekday. The good news is that I've met some really nice people from this!

The weather's been mostly thunder-ish for the past few days, unfortunately. I do love lightning, but the dark clouds that are always looming make me miss the sun!

Let's see, what's happened in the last month or so:

• I've received an A in all classes and on my finals!
• I'm reading some awesome books, including Persepolis, which is really good.
• I've been chillin and not doing to much, but I will be working on an "alternative paper" with a friend. I'll give the website link as soon as I have it! Also, I'm going to be in a concert, commissioning a new musical piece! That's pretty exciting, too.

Ooh. It looks like a storm's coming right now, as I type! Excitement.

I've also been into some photography lately. Here's some photos, and a link to more here.






















Here's a really serious article about a teen who was "bullied to death". It's so awful that things like this even happen. I wish that adults who saw this happening would do more about it.

This is an amazing story of Daivd Ashby, someone my age, who's walking along the east coast from Orlando, Florida to Washington, D.C. all by foot! He's trying to raise awareness and money for homelessness, and I think it's a wonderful cause! Check it out!

I contribute to mylife24-7.org often as well. I'm a student ambassador for them, and I really love their message. Go to the site and take a look around!

Recently, I joined a few college/scholarship search sites that I really love: zinch.com, fastweb.com, and cappex.com. All three have helped me find really good scholarships and contests, along with schools that I may be interested in. Some are really fun to use, and not that different from social networking sites!

See you soon!

-Brianna

So:

Lots of news here! In the time since my last update, I've discovered so many cool news articles. I'll share that and some news from my life with you.

First of all, hearing Ishmael Beah speak was wonderful! We got to take a picture with him and I even got his autograph! Now I'm actually reading his book, and it's so suspenseful! It's amazing to think that he survived those events and manages to talk about them frequently. It takes a truly strong person to admit that he/she's killed someone, seen people die, and suffered.

Secondly... I discovered this wonderful website: OperationNICE.com, which highlights all of the positive things in life. It made me smile. It's a great resource for anyone who needs cheering up. :)

Also: things have been hectic, and they'll stay like that until after finals. Once I get past those, I'll be free (well, except for that summer assignment in AP World)! In the meantime, I've taken a bassoon reedmaking lesson, uh... not too much else. Awards night is tomorrow!

Now, on to the articles!

1) This article appeared in the New York Times last Thursday. It talks about teens and hugging. I'm not really sure where to stand on this, but I'll write a later post on teens and hugging, from the perspective of a teen.

2) WireTap Magazine has a very progressive, youthful take on national/international news and opinion. I really enjoy reading about young people's takes on the world!

3) Here's an article from WireTap Mag about the future of high school journalism. I'm slightly worried about this, considering that I want to take this course next year, and I'd like to go into journalism!

4) Here's two Newsweek spotlight articles on our society's focus on beauty. It's really interesting. I cannot believe how much the average diva spends on beauty... Click here and here to see the articles.

5) Here's an article criticizing Sesame Street. I couldn't believe how low it was ranked among children's shows! I grew up with it! I really enjoyed that show, although there is much controversy over the usefullness of kids' TV shows now... Let's take a look at some good old Sesame Street memories:

Cookie Monster? Healthy Food? What's Next?!?!


I would always dance around to this one... Do De Rubba Duck!


So catchy! I loved this song...


These animations were so cool!


Now that I've shared my articles, here's one more website. I recently discovered Jango.com, which is a great resource for music and internet radio. It allows you to get the songs that you like onto a single station, and it lets you skip past the songs that you don't want. :) It's really fun! I'm listening to it now!

On another note, I've been meaning to comment on Susan Boyle for awhile. In a later post!

-TTYL!

Ishmael Beah!

Hey! Sorry for not writing for awhile, things are picking up towards the end of the schoolyear. Anyways...


I'm going to see Ishmael Beah speak tonight! He's the author of the book A Long Way Gone. I've seen him speak once before - he's a really powerful speaker, so I'm looking forward to it!

Also, I'm preparing for a bake sale on Thursday at school... we'll see how that goes. My club is kind of wiped out from all the recent activity, so I've been bombarding them with emails...

:) Well, ttyl!

-Brianna

Thank you???

This article/editorial from the New York Times is really interesting. I never really considered road courtesy, probably because I don't drive... But it got me thinking about how many nice things get overlooked every day. I'm going to really start thinking about who holds the door for me, who says "Bless you", "Thank you", or "You're welcome", or who compliments/encourages me. I really will be more thankful for all of the people go out of their ways to make my day a little better.

Also, the swine flu outbreak is really interesting to me. I know it's kind of old news, but it's still somewhat relevant. There have been a few cases in the area, and schools have closed, reopened, sent home letters, etc....basically, gone crazy. Every year it's a new epidemic: swine flu, bird flu, MRSA.... The media will continue to frighten the public.

Anyways, I'm doing a candy sale fundraiser at school and so many people have been so helpful to me! It's really empowering.

Well, ttyl!

Happy May!

Well, students have basically made it through the school year, and some of them are coasting through their last months of high school! Whew! This year went pretty fast, but I sure am looking forward to summer!

I'm having a very busy week, but I'm enjoying every minute of it! I have so many wonderful people supporting me!

Anyways, actress Mia Farrow is on a 21 day hunger strike for Darfuri conflict awareness. I'm unsure what to think about it. On one hand, it's wonderful that she wants to bring awareness to the people suffering in Darfur. On the other hand, some people are saying that she has used the hunger strike as a way to gain attention. I really respect her for doing this though, as long as its for the right reasons. She seems extremely dedicated and passionate about her cause, so my attitude is: good for her.

She's blogging her experiences, so here's her videos below:

I'm Back!

It's been so long since I've posted! I apologize for the wait, I've just been extremely busy. Even over April vacation! I'm working on a Model United Nations conference, NYSSMA, and more... Hopefully, my life will stay just as happy and as busy as it is right now.

This week seems to be a week of "holidays". I use "holiday" with care, because not everything that's happening is really a cause for celebration. Here's the list of things happening:

1. Earth Day (Weds): This is one of my favorite holidays - I'm really keen on going green! (Hey, that rhymed!).
2. Unofficial Day of Silence (Fri): Although the actual day was last Friday, many groups are celebrating it this Friday because tons of schools were on April break last week. I love this day, because it gives me a chance to really show support for a great cause.
3. Holocaust Remembrance Day (Tues): This one's nice to set aside too. We had a moment of silence for it in school...
4. The Rescue (Sat): This one's new to me this year, but I'm really liking it!

Here's some links for each day:

• Earth Day
  
• Day of Silence
  
• Holocaust Remembrance
  
• The Rescue

Please check those out! They're lots of fun to explore!

Well, that's about all for now, so ttyl!

School vacation soon!

Will write more in two days... :)

Blah.......

Not much to say here. Stay posted for more.

One thing, actually, did you see my quote/pic in the article about Syracuse Symphony Youth Orchestra in the Family Times?

Lists

So, I've just posted some lists. They're actually quite fun to make! I really enjoyed learning about myself from them. Try it! Enjoy!

Things on my "To Don't List"

1. Lying.
2. Not being a loyal friend.
3. Getting stuck in more obnoxious traffic!
4. Letting people get to me.
5. Being irresponsible for my own actions.
6. Staying unhealthy, mentally, physically, and emotionally.
7. Wasting time.
8. Pushing myself too hard.
9. Not reading enough.
10. Putting all of my faith into one person or thing.

25 Things I Like:

1. The time right before a rainstorm.
   
2. Springtime weather.
   
3. Fettucine alfredo.
   
4. Blogging.
   
5. Writing.
   
6. Checking email.
   
7. Playing bassoon.
   
8. Singing. 
   
9. Humming. Subconsciously.
   
10. Sunshine.
    
11. The smell of cookies baking.
    
12. Friendly people.
    
13. News shows, newspapers, magazines... well, you get the picture.
    
14. Frozen yogurt, especially the chocolate chip cookie dough kind.
    
15. Canada!
    
16. Walking barefoot on a sandy beach.
    
17. Collecting things.
    
18. British and Canadian accents!
    
19. Reading. Often.
    
20. Smiling.
    
21. Laughing.
    
22. Creativity.
    
23. Art. Drawing, painting, and most anything else.
    
24. Being unique.
    
25. Living life to the fullest.
    

Barack you!

Check out this article and see if it's true in your area. Are teens really "baracking" each other?

Spread the Word to End the Word

Spread the word to end the word in the campaign set up by the Special Olympics. Visit http://www.r-word.org/ to see what the deal is about. The only way we can put an end to hatred is through tolerance and acceptance. Stop the ignorance!

On another note, check out Jamendo.com for some free music downloads of up-and-coming artists - they're great!

If you haven't yet seen the Hugs, Not Drugs video on this blog, check it! It's really powerful, coming from a 14 year old!

News. About my life.

Today we "celebrated" Earth Hour, a global cause that was started a few years ago. The main goal was to conserve some energy by turning out lights worldwide for 60 minutes. So tonight, from 8:30 to 9:30, my family participated. We basically spent the time talking with each other on our deck in the backyard, enjoying the fairly warm night. It was great to bond with my family, as most of the time, our schedules are too packed to do anything like this. It also got me thinking - people that were around before electricity/light bulbs must have been much closer to their families, and they must have also been more efficient during the daylight hours. Definitely an awesome opportunity to bond and get thinking. :)

Also, last night, we saw Monsters vs. Aliens. This is a children's movie, but in the theater that we were in, several couples were there, and in the almost empty theater, almost all of the people there were adults. The movie boasts an all-star cast, including Hugh Laurie, Seth Rogen, Rainn Wilson, and Reese Witherspoon. This cast really holds up the cute plot of the movie. I loved watching it. It's a great movie for kids and adults!

It's nice to have a chance to talk about what's been going on in my life for a change. Thanks! See ya!

PS:

Check out FastWeb.com for some really good college resources!

Drugs???

While viewing the Voices page, I noticed an article on drugs in high schools. Consider these facts from the government:

Marijuana use across the three grades surveyed has shown a consistent decline since the mid-1990s, but appears it to have leveled off. Past-year use was reported by 10.9 percent of 8th-graders, 23.9 percent of 10th-graders, and 32.4 percent of 12th-graders.

In 2008, 15.4 percent of 12th-graders reported using a prescription drug nonmedically within the past year. This category includes amphetamines, sedatives/barbiturates, tranquilizers, and opiates other than heroin. Vicodin continues to be abused at unacceptably high levels. Many of the drugs used by 12th-graders are prescription drugs or, in the case of cough medicine, are available over the counter.

Attitudes toward substance abuse, often seen as harbingers of change in rates of use, were mostly stable. However, among 12th-graders, perceived risk of harm associated with LSD continues to decrease. Additionally, perceived harmfulness and disapproval of marijuana and inhalant use softened among 8th-graders this year.

I wonder if illicit drug use/sales/abuse in high schools are really as bad as they seem from this? One of the local schools is dealing with a drug problem that the police are involved in at this point. At our school, it doesn't seem to be as bad as the facts make it out to be. But what about other schools?

This video is absolutely amazing - made by a 14 year old!

World Water Day

And one other interesting vid. Maybe this will make you think twice about eating that burger:

A new look....

Hope you like it!

Quite an amusing video...

They're sorry.

Fun links!

So, did anyone catch Obama's slip up on Jay Leno's late night show? He said he was awful at bowling, and compared his skills to "the Special Olympics or something". He later apologized to the Special Olympics, before the show was aired. He also invited some Special Olympics athletes to come bowl or play basketball in the White House with him. Here's an article about it.

Speaking of the Special Olympics, they have a new campaign against the R-word. Unfortunately, too many people believe that it's alright to describe something that they dislike as "retarded". The Special Olympics has started a movement to put an end to the ignorance. Here's their website.

Tomorrow is World Water Day! Help me campaign for Water for Life! Check out their site.

On a much different note, here's an interesting case of what appears to be extreme bullying. In my opinion, the school should have stepped in before things got to this point. See the article here.

Check out a new artist who's absolutely great: seanfournier.blogspot.com. He also has several free songs that you can download. :) Enjoy!

Have a great night! See ya!

No news

No news from me yet, but keep checkin back! I'll be updating...

PS: Have you checked out What Would You Do? on ABC? Tuesdays at 10. Check it out! It's a cool social experiment type thing...

Vegetarianism?

Apparently, several studies show that being vegetarian has its benefits. Check out this one about how vegetarians have higher IQs, or see this - being a vegetarian cuts your heart risk. What about this: vegetarianism leads to a lower risk of most cancers.

Pretty interesting... I've been a vegetarian for the past 5-6 years, and I've had barely any health problems - no high cholesterol/blood pressure/pulse, no other complications. And, my grades are pretty good. Are these studies just coincidence, or are they really true? Is vegetarianism really this beneficial?

More links about Daniel Tammet

Daniel's Blog
http://www.optimnem.co.uk/blog/index.php

60 Minutes Story on Daniel
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/26/60minutes/main2401846.shtml

Pi Day, Autistic Savants, and Acceptance....

3.14159265358979323846264338327950288.... and on, and on, and on. What's this? Pi, of course!

Today, 3/14, is Pi Day! Celebrate the irrational number that helps us calculate many facts about circles. Here are some links for fun Pi Day activities:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/bryantpark/2008/03/a_challenge_for_pi_day_write_y.html
http://www.piday.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi_Day

Also, while learning about Pi Day, I discovered some very interesting information about a man who memorized Pi to 22,514 digits. Daniel Tammet is an autistic savant who has amazing abilities. Watch him in action below. Autistic savants are known to have amazing memories, trouble in social situations, and extreme abilities in certain areas. Daniel excells in math and reading.



Here is Daniel's website.

That sort of thing amazes me.

On a much different note, here is a very interesting/disturbing bit of news:

Here is an ABC story on the revival of the Ku Klux Klan. Watch the video on the case here (scroll down on the Recently on Nightline until you see Nightline Exclisives. Under there, click on "The KKK Reborn").

http://abcnews.go.com/nightline

I apologize for the huge gap between posts - things got pretty busy! I'm trying to post more often now though. TTYL!

Wow, has it really been almost a month?

I apologize for such a wait in writing another blog post! Things have been fairly packed...

There's a cold going around our school. Surprisingly, I haven't gotten sick - yet. *Knock on wood*. Check out this article on it.

While I'm Posting...

Enjoy this heartbreaking video from the Courage Campaign on the effects of Proposition 8. Think about it. And enjoy the awesome song along the way.

These Pictures Made Me Smile.

These pictures (taken from http://www.thegospelaccordingtolarry.com/blog/) are such good indicators of the hope that's out there, and the fact that everyone (including the Dalai Lama) can be a child at heart. Enjoy these!

School Vacation!

Yes, we're finally on break! Yes! Everyone needs some time off, don't you think?

I'm hoping to get more viewers and comments, so if you like what you see, pass it on!

Touring Ithaca College in a few days. Hopefully, I'll like what I see. It looks like a great place.

Make sure you check out the great articles on the Voices page about the risks of distracted driving - they're wonderful! Take a look here.

Other than visiting Ithaca, my plans are to relax and chill (and finish that geometry homework). Well, I'll get to the homework later.

Also, here's a great article that I'd like to share. Being a musician myself, it really spoke to me. It's called Why Music, by Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser:

Music is a science. It is exact, specific; and it demands exact acoustics. A conductor’s full score is a chart, a graph which indicates frequencies, intensities, volume changes, melody, and harmony all at once and with the most exact control of time.

Music is mathematical. It is rhythmically based on the subdivision of time into fractions which must be done instantaneously, not worked out on paper.

Music is a foreign language. Most of the terms are in Italian, German, or French; and the notation is certainly not English – but a highly developed kind of shorthand that uses symbols to represent ideas. The semantics of music is the most complete and universal language.

Music is history. Music usually reflects the environment and times of its creation, often even the country and/or racial feeling.

Music is physical education. It requires fantastic coordination of fingers, hands, arms, lip, cheek, and facial muscles, in addition to extraordinary control of the diaphragm, back, stomach, and chest muscles, which respond instantly to the sound the ear hears and the mind interprets.

Music is all these things, but most of all, Music is art. It allows a human being to take all these dry, technically boring (but difficult) techniques and use them to create emotion. That is one thing science cannot duplicate: humanism, feeling, emotion, call it what you will.

Music is taught in schools –

Not because you are expected to major in music,
Not because you are expected to play or sing all your life,
Not so you can relax,
Not so you can have fun, but
So you will be human;
So you will recognize beauty,
So you will be sensitive,
So you will be closer to an infinite beyond this world,
So you will have something to cling to,
So you will have more love, more compassion, more gentleness, more good – in short, more life.

Of what value will it be to make a prosperous living unless you know how to live?

That is why Music is Taught.

(I have no good title for this)

First of all, I do apologize for letting my blog sit idle for so long! It's been a busy week already, and I'm considering what classes I'll take next year, etc. Hopefully, things will calm down soon!

Just here to share some news links with you people... :)

This is pretty interesting - not surprisingly, less minority students are taking/passing AP exams. This directly affects me, seeing as how I'm a minority, and I do take Honors/will take AP classes. I'm one of the few minority students that will do this - Latino and African American students seem to have a harder time succeeding, perhaps because my school is predominantly white... not being racist, there. Just making an observation as a minority.

Also, here's an inspirational CNY story. It was great to read about a teen overcoming their disabilities and using their talents to their advantage.

This stuff is really interesting to me. But moving on, I'm debating about what classes to take. I'm being recommended for all Honors/AP, but I don't know if I'll have time to do this. I definitely don't want to be overwhelmed, but at the same time, I feel the pressure to look good for colleges and succeed. Tough stuff. I'll figure it out, though.

Well, nothing else to say here. Thanks for reading! Check back soon!

Relaxation Techniques

Today, certain people continued to get on my nerves, and I was pretty fed up with the world. I really was not in the mood to deal with anyone. I had planned to stay after, but my club was cancelled and I missed the bus... So, I went to the only place that I could: the art room.

I expected to just work for a little while and get pretty bored... I actually really started to relax! It was so nice just to be able to meditate on my art piece and forget about the world. I could literally just focus on my drawing and block everything else out. This time also gave me a chance to sort some things out in my head. I had a quiet, calm place to think and plan. The art room = HEAVEN! I then went home to rant to my mom about everything that annoys me, but that's besides the point - I found a sanctuary!

I've gotta learn how to meditate for real, now. . . :)

Even more thoughts...

As you can see, my post titles are becoming less and less creative - oh well, at least they're still coming. This is the longest that I've ever been blogging on one site!

I have very little homework, because it's the first day back from midterms. So nice not to have to work!

The weather today was supposed to be horrendous, but it turned out to be not so bad. Of course, my school district was the only one that was still open (as usual), but I got a lot out of being in school. I complained about it a lot, but then I realized that in the end, what's one day in a lifetime? Anyways, school is going great. I have a couple of really close awesome friends, and all of my teachers are great this year! :)

Hey, by the way, check out this video embodying the entire Obama campaign. It's beautiful:




or what about this? Ugh, Bush...




Why do so many ignorant people wink? Bush, Palin, cough cough.

I have a great video that I made with all of the best debate moments from Palin... I'll try to upload it...

So yes, today's theme was politics, obviously. Well, I hope you've enjoyed it!

See ya! - Brianna

More thoughts...

Here's some great essays about teenage inauguration attendees - definitely worth reading!

Midterms are over! I did fairly well on all. They were not as bad as I expected, although I still don't understand the necessity of them only in certain classes.

I'm working on making the blog more interesting without clogging it up, so thoughts would be great. I've added a music player, so comment about that... It was surprisingly easier than I'd planned for.

I'm dreading actually having to go to classes tomorrow - even though there were exams, I enjoyed having half days today and yesterday! I definitely enjoy school, but of course with high school comes the typical social awkwardness(although I still feel like I have some good friends), and the high stakes for grades - that's pressure, haha. I do cause some of it, considering the fact that I'm the freshman that's concerned with college.

Also, I finished a very peculiar book review from the New York Times: it chronicled a woman's experience in a mental hospital. The catch was, she feigned being mentally ill to experience firsthand patient conditions, so that she could write about them. Being in these facilities, she relapsed into depression, and truly needed treatment. A similar idea was done by Nellie Bly, the famous journalist, during the Industrial Revolution. Here are the two links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/health/27book.html?ref=health
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/bly/madhouse/madhouse.html

Another hot topic: teens and sex. It's being discussed on nytimes.com, which says that despite rumors of teens being wildly promiscuous, the percentage of sexually active teens has gone down. It appears that teens today are more careful about sex, but that ideals behind relationships have changed. There are "hook-ups" more often, where teens are physically intimate without having a long-term relationship. This is where "friends with benefits" falls. Those that are unwilling to commit but are interested in a physical relationship become "friends with benefits" or "hook-up". So, what do I, a real live teen, have to say about all this? Well...

It's clear that sex is on teens' minds; anyone could see that. At my school, teens have been "going out" and having relationships since 5th grade. The "popular" teens constantly switch boyfriends and girlfriends, and by this point, certain students have gone out with almost all of their friends of the opposite sex. What I don't understand is, how does one "go out" without having a car? Your parents have to give you rides, so it's technically not "going out". But that's not the point. As I was saying, teens do think constantly about sex and relationships, and some adults have caught on to this. They attempt to talk to us about this, which is extremely awkward, and they do excercises about this type of thing. My classmates and I were "polled" by our guidance counselors, to discover that we perceived the senior class as wild, party-loving, substance-abusing, non-virgins. In actuality, I know many upperclassmen that I know are not sexually active. Yes, there is a percentage of students in each grade, but for the most part, teens may talk, but do they actually do it? My guess is no.

Well, that's all for now. Ta ta!

Midterms

THEY CONSUME MY LIFE!

I won't be blogging for a few days because of them, but I'll be back ASAP!

Thoughts

Here's an interesting article about fairness. It bothers me that this game even happened - what were they thinking when they agreed to this matchup??? Can anyone say "unfair"? It's disturbing to see some of the comments on that. Thoughts?

Interesting...

Here's two very interesting editorials from the New York Times, one on Chief Justice John Roberts' flubbing of the presidential oath, and the other on what we hope the Obama presidency will mean for America. Check those out, and comment with opinions.

Also, I'm currently reading a book titled Coffee With Buddha. In it, Buddha is fictionally "interviewed" by the author. It provides an insight into the life of Buddha, and the concepts of Buddhism. Buddhism is much more complicated than I'd thought! I'm really enjoying learning about how to let go of things, which would be an excellent skill for me to have. Also, it teaches the basics of meditation. I've tried it, but have been unsuccessful so far. If anyone wants to try to meditate, here's a great link on basic stuff. Again - more complicated than it seems.

I play in my school's pep band, which plays at all the home games for basketball season. It's actually pretty fun, and we all joke around about being band geeks... fun times. Also, a really great thing about my school is that the athletes and cheerleaders don't consider themselves elite. In fact, many of them aren't the "popular people". So, yeah. B-ball games are pretty fantastic, hanging with friends and watching some really talented players. Always a good time!!!

Ah! I am definitely in the mood for some pizza right now, even though I had some last night! Oh well...

Well, I have a very busy weekend, and I have to study for midterms. But I think it'll get done alright. I hope. Wish me luck!
-Brianna

Simple Musings...

Seeing as how I've vowed to write as often as possible, and as how nothing extraordinary happened today, I'll share some general thoughts.

First, I guess something did happen today. Obama has already halted prosecutions at the torture center Guantánamo. Yay! Change is currently here, with much more to come. Here's the article.

Also, I'm a self-proclaimed technology addict. With the blogging, checking email, and scouring news sites, I'm hooked. It's so hard not to wonder what's been going on in the past few moments, knowing that you can check with a few clicks of the mouse. I seriously need to work on this. Right now, I'm currently wondering if I have any new mail in my two email accounts. Sure, computers and the internet are wonderful things, but in moderation. IN MODERATION. haha...

Thirdly, I've caught midterm fever!!! Geez, you think they'd go easy on freshmen, but not so. I have three exams that are major portions of my grade, all next week. I stayed after school to look at old global studies tests and record some of the difficult questions and terms to study... That took longer than I thought! A good 40 minutes, and 3 pages worth of notes!!! It better be worth it - I'm bringing home huge, paper-stuffed binders every day, wondering to myself, "When does the madness end???" Hopefully, soon.

Currently listening to the hit of the 2000s, "Stacy's Mom". How many people remember this song??? I heard a kid playing it in the lobby of my school during one lunch period, and since then, I've bought it on iTunes and played it nonstop. It brings back memories of elementary school, snack times, wasted nap hours, and being in one classroom all day. Good times!

Speaking of nap-time... Don't you wish we still had naptime? I miss it. A lot. As a kindergartener, I didn't understand the true value of something like that. Now, with exams, honors classes, and extracurriculars piling up, I'd love to fall asleep for a half hour in the middle of the day! Ha. Opinions on this? Maybe I'll set up a poll on this page about that... Hmm... :D

Well, back to studying for now. Thanks for reading!

-Brianna

PS - Thanks to Chris Iven at the Post Standard Voices page for the shoutout! I appreciate the compliments and publicity.

Inauguration Day

So, yes. Today was the long-awaited day when President Elect Barack Obama took the oath of office and was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. It was a momentous occasion for many, seeing as how Obama comes into office during such tumultuous times. I had two friends at the inauguration. I remained in Central New York, enjoying the festivities from home. Before I describe my experiences, I'd like to discuss a few things...

Firstly, I am bothered by the fact that people feel the need to identify Obama as the "First Black/African-American President". Yes, based on skin color, this is something that is new to America, but is his race truly the important thing? I'd rather refer to him as the President that brought change and hope, who happened to be PARTLY AFRICAN AND PARTLY CAUCASIAN. Yes, that's right. He's not all African American! He's biracial, just like me. So therefore, he's not our first black president... That's not a bad thing, just saying. Besides, AMERICA STILL LOVES YOU! :)

Also, did anyone else notice that the invocation prayer leader happened to be an openly anti-gay Californian pastor? Offensive???

What did you think of Obama's speech? I thought that it wasn't his best, but it wasn't his worst. He is an extremely powerful speaker, and his speeches are extremely well-written. I was very impressed with his composure and eloquence, even if he does use teleprompters...haha.

We watched this in school, in an assembly in the auditorium. I expected kids to be rude and chaotic, but actually, I was pleasantly surprised. I was overjoyed to see the entire school stand and become quiet as Barack Obama was sworn in as our 44th President. It almost brought me to tears to see so many unique individuals unite for those few moments, all because of one man.

Thanks to today, I truly have hope and faith in the future. For Obama - time to get started on those campaign promises!

See ya!
Brianna

Funk N Waffles

Last night, I went to see Joe Driscoll in performance at Funk N Waffles. It was absolutely amazing!

Funk N Waffles is a fun little place on the SU campus, behind Marshall Street. To get there, you walk down a little alley and down some stairs to reach a set of double doors. Inside of those doors is an awesome restaurant and music venue. Serving waffles and panini sandwiches with a variety of hot and cold drinks, this place is definitely funky. They have normal hours, but are often open after hours for band performances like Joe's. Also, this venue doesn't serve alcohol, making it a prime place to hang out for "cool" high schoolers and collegiates that are under 21. The fact that there is no alcohol also makes it more family-friendly, in a sense.

We arrived at the door a few minutes before 8:00, hoping to get in early for good seats. Unfortunately, we had to wait outside in the doorway until exactly 8:00, because of setup.

Once we were inside, the café opened up, allowing us to order all sorts of fun dishes. I, being very traditional, ordered the Brussels: a typical, light Belgian waffle. It was fantastic. I was with several friends and my family; they ordered Brownie Waffle Sundaes and a Grilled Cheese Panino on foccacia. Both were excellent as well. The food was wonderful, and it was to be followed with some amazing music.

The ambiance of this little restaurant is very unique. Drawing in a crowd of "indie"-type students, it's not uncommon to see Afros, dreadlocks, piercings, bushy beards, and tons of original clothing items. This clientel brings with it a rambunctious, fun-loving, risk-taking mood, accompanied by the occasional usage of some swear words. I was a bit overcome by this crowd at first, and I could tell that some of my company was as well - we don't usually hang out with this type. With time, I grew to love the feeling in the room, and relax. Overall, the crowd stayed under control, having tons of fun dancing and singing along to Joe's music.

The night was opened by two members of the band Dufus. I found their music to be a bit on the wild side, but with lots of positive energy and emotion. They played one set, with very original songs and sounds. It was pleasing to listen to, but to think about the meaning of the words/music would be to ruin it.

Then came Joe. Joe Driscoll is a performer who uses a loop machine to create background for his singing. He beatboxes/sings/plays guitar or digeridoo into the mic, and it will record and repeatedly play back, creating the sensation of a band, when there is only one man. This is a truly fantastic thing to watch, and listen to. This was my first time seeing him live, after hearing his CDs. It was so cool to see Joe beatbox for a couple of beats and then be able to stop without the sound ending. His spectacular performance got the crowd dancing. We danced long and hard, and Joe's first set didn't end until 11:00. The crowd definitely enjoyed this one-man band, who happened to be accompanied by a saxophonist and an African drummer on that night. It was great to see.

So, overall, what did I think of Funk N Waffles? Amazing, if you couldn't already tell. It's great to have a local alcohol-free spot for teens to hang out. Good times!

By the way, Happy MLK Day! Happy Inauguration Day Eve!

-Brianna

Hello world!

Hello, everyone! My name is Brianna, and I'll be sharing what I like to call "Central New York Experiences". These are local experiences that have made a difference in my life. Feel free to comment on my own experiences with experiences of your own! This will be somewhat like a journal, so we'll see how this goes. Look around, explore, and enjoy!