saturday i woke up to hear the news, "for those of you just joining us, nasa has lost the space shuttle columbia..." i thought, "how does one lose a space shuttle?" i tried to play off my surprise and shock as i came in and sat down at the computer. the better part of my day was spent researching and learning about what had happened as well as just trying to learn as much as i could about it. i went to church that night, and get this. because the pilot, willie mccool, attended my church, channel 39 was in the church during mass with their video camera. and for some reason, they were filming *me* the whole time (and i go to a really big church, this is no easy feat). at one point they were actually in my pew filming me and my family. they need to back off. that night i went to see the recruit with leif and chris (which was a really good movie, btw) and on our way back the number of people just crowding around the jsc sign blew me away.

sunday i attended confirmation class where they waved the normal activities and we held a memorial service and group discussion. i found out that some of the people in my group were very directly affected by the tragedy, many of them through friendship with asaf ramon (the son of ilan ramon, the first israeli into space and the pilot of the columbia) who attended my school and is moving back to israel very soon.

monday the media was at our school. okay, first of all, they should be leaving the families alone (asaf ramon and cameron mccool both go to my school... presumably the reason for the media's presence), and second of all, it's stupid anyway. it's not like they're going to be at school that day. dur. anyway, there was lots of stupid run-of-the-mill "if you need anyone to talk to" and "let's share our stories" stuff accompanied my a hollow letter from the superintendent containing a supposedly inspirational poem about a butterfly.

today the president flew into houston, and his parade shut off the major highway and the road to my school (i go to school just down the road from jsc). we heard the jets flying overhead but i was completely oblivious to any of the goings-on today as i was stuck in school or doing other stuff. i looked at yahoo news earlier, though, and they have pictures up of asaf and cameron with their families sitting next to the president at the memorial service. at the moment, i'm dealing with a few select members at nightly who have decided that the space program is worthless and a waste of money. @_@

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take the nerd test.

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oooh. ::finds it::

::goes to do it::

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1. explain why you started to journal/blog.

a bunch of my online friends had blogs, and it looked fun so i signed up with blogger and started my own.

2. do people you interact with day to day or family members know about your journal/blog? why or why not?

my friends do... my family knows of it, but i don't know that they know exactly what it is, and i know they've never taken the time to read it. probably better that way, though. :op

3. do you have a theme for your journal/blog?

well, just the title. it's called paseo del río because el paseo del río is my favorite place in the world. (it's also known as the riverwalk... it's in san antonio).

4. what direction would you like to have your journal/blog go in over the next year?

*shrug* maybe just post more in it. i don't always post a lot, but i do try to post when there's something important happening. i want to be able to come back and read this as an adult. basically, it's just because i was never able to keep a physical journal up, so this will replace that. :op

5. pimp five of your favorite journals/blogs.

hmm, i visit let's try this again... and the torment of tantalus regularly. also photo | synthesis. everything else is just... random boredom and poking around.

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supposedly leif's mom is coming to get us or something.

--- continued:

okay, i'm back home now. leif's mom came and got us about 30 minutes before school was supposed to let out normally. then we had the problem of having to go back and get our things that had been left in the main campus when we were locked out during the fire alarm. so we go in and then people don't want to let us back out. i was just pretending to be leif's brother and the three of us got out by going out the door of the band hall (which wasn't guarded... our school is so intelligent). anyway. so here i am. that was mighty stupid. i hate how everything has to be legal-this and legal-that. they wouldn't let me go get my own freaking car and go home, so instead i had to wait around for an hour to be picked up by my "mom". just so she could drive me over to my car. they won't let you leave without a guardian, because it's all about legality. grar, die law.

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1. education is often denied as a means of keeping one from having an impact on society (such as uneducated female populations). the already small impact that youth are able to have in our society is hindered by ignorance and lack of education - it is the most knowledgeable youth who are able to make their voice heard. these are almost always those with the most well-developed and insightful opinions and ideas, too.

2. maths and sciences/applied technologies work to further the comforts of everyday life and push our knowledge of the universe to new limits. new medicines, machines, and helpful chemicals are engineered with a wide scope of technical and scientific skills. youth of today can independently develop new possible solutions to problems and develop their skills as inventors, engineers, and scientists.

3. english helps us to understand our forefathers and our contemporaries, as well as draw from the knowledge and creativity of years past, perhaps with the end result of bestowing some of our own wisdom on our posterity. all age groups have equally important opinions, yet adults always voice theirs more effectively through their use of writing and understanding of the english language. education in the english language will help to bring out the young perspective as well, and may increase understanding between age groups.

4. history helps us form ideas about the trends in human society as well as provides us with a basis of which political and economic apparatuses work the best. the youth of today, as the future leaders of the world, should strive to understand these trials and errors, as "those who do not learn their history are doomed to repeat it." young people can also play an active part in their government, by interacting with their local politicians and representatives, as well as voting in the later teen years.

5. a person's specific subject of study is less important than the fact that they are focusing on something and concetrating on learning it. a common social theory is states that any specific individual advancement in any area also represents an advancement of the society as a whole. therefore, any foray into the unknown is better than a stagnating society in which no one works to better their conditions.

6. education has been a working and important idea even since before during the time of the greek philosophers, who used it as a means to congregate and discuss the universe, the sciences, and logic. two particular students of these schools, plato and aristotle, went on to have a huge impact not only on their society, but on ours today. the youth of today have this same potential.

7. many times, motivation is not enough for one to complete a job: it must be coupled with knowledge upon which to build. i.e., one must first understand something in order to build upon or further it

8. knowledge of english and literature and composition of one's own literature and poetry has the potential to further beauty and expression in the world, and provide a creative outlet which others can draw inspiration from. this is an area in which youth are particularly able to participate. in many cases, young people are able to express themselves just as well or better than other age groups. the active imaginations and vivd emotions that youth have, especially during their teen years, make them wonderful candidates for creative outlets and make their compositions some of the most interesting and believable compositions available.

9. social, economic, and political conditions can be improved if an extensive knowledge of what doesn't work exists, and with the motivation to improve life's conditions, both physical and mental, one is encouraged to create new methods and technologies which have been previously untried

10. education never detracts from society but almost constantly works to further it, making it a worthy and important cause

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throughout history, most great accomplishments have come about because of a motivation that someone had to achieve a goal. however, many times, motivation is not enough for one to complete a job: one must first understand something in order to build upon it. this is why a good education is of paramount importance to our society's youth.

a multifaceted education is a must for any student. a study into the english language helps our youth to understand their forefathers as well as their contemporaries, and to draw from the knowledge and creativity of years past. they may, perhaps, even bestow some of their own wisdom on their posterity. all age groups have equally important opinions, yet adults always seem to voice theirs more effectively through their use of writing and understanding of the english language. valuable writing skills will help to bring out the perspective of the young, and will serve to increase understanding between age groups. knowledge of english and literature, and composition of one's own literature and poetry have the potential to further beauty and expression in the world, and provide a creative outlet from which others can draw inspiration. this is an area in which youth are particularly able to participate. in many cases, young people are able to express themselves just as well or better than other age groups. the active imaginations and vivd emotions that youth have, especially during their teen years, make them wonderful candidates for creative outlets and make their compositions some of the most interesting and believable available.

equally as important is a strong base in math and science. as applied technologies, they work to further the comforts of everyday life and push our knowledge of the universe to new limits. groudbreaking medicines, blazing-fast supercomputers, and innovative spacecraft are all being engineered by people with a wide scope of technical and scientific skills. the youth of today can independently develop new possible solutions to problems and develop their skills as inventors, engineers, and scientists. these skills will allow them to one day work in a field where they will find new cures for disease, develop sustainable energy sources, or perhaps even travel to another planet!

yet another integral facet of a complete education is a study of history. history helps our youth form ideas about the trends in human society as well as provides them with a basis of which political and economic apparatuses work the best. the youth of today, as the future leaders of the world, should strive to understand these trials and errors, as "those who do not learn their history are doomed to repeat it." what our youth learn today may end up becoming a part of our world twenty years from now. young people can also play an active part in their government, by interacting with their local politicians and representatives, as well as voting in the later teen years. it is important for youth to take an active role in their government and environment, rather than waiting around for history to write itself. social, economic, and political conditions can be improved if an extensive knowledge of what doesn't work exists. furthermore, with the motivation to improve life's conditions, both physical and mental, one is encouraged to try new methods and technologies which have been previously unexplored.

it is important to note that a person's specific subject of study is less important than the fact that they are focusing on something and concetrating on learning it. a specific individual advancement in any area also represents an advancement of the society as a whole. any foray into the unknown, be the results encouraging or adverse, is better than a stagnating society in which no one works to explore new options. for our youth, an education never detracts from society but almost constantly works to further it, making it a worthy and important cause.

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throughout history, most of man's greatest accomplishments have come about because of a someone's motivation that someone had to achieve in reaching a goal. however, many times, motivation is not enough for one to complete a job: one must first understand something in order to build upon it. this is why for this reason, a multi-faceted good education is of paramount importance to our society's youth.

a multifaceted education is a must for any student. a study into the english language helps aids our youth to in understanding their forefathers as well as their contemporaries, and to in drawing from the knowledge and creativity of years past. they may, perhaps, even bestow some of their own wisdom on their posterity. all age groups have equally important opinions, yet adults always seem to voice theirs more effectively through their use of writing and their understanding of the english language. valuable writing skills will help to bring out the perspective of the young, and will serve to increase understanding between age groups. knowledge of english and literature, and composition of one's own literature and poetry have the potential to further beauty and expression in the world, and provide a creative outlet from which others can draw inspiration. this is an in this area, in which youth are particularly able well-suited to participate. in many cases, young people are able to express themselves just as well or better than other age groups. the active imaginations and vivd emotions that are so characteristic of today's youth have, especially during their teen years, make them wonderful candidates conduits for creative outlets creativity and make their compositions some of the most interesting and believable available.

equally as important to our youth is a strong base in math and science. as applied technologies, they these work to further the comforts of everyday life and push our knowledge of the universe to new limits. groudbreaking medicines, blazing-fast supercomputers, and innovative spacecraft are all being engineered by people with a wide scope of technical and scientific skills. the youth of today can employ they education to independently develop new possible new solutions to problems and develop their skills as inventors, engineers, and scientists. these skills will allow them to one day work in a field where they will find new cures for diseases, develop sustainable energy sources, or perhaps even travel to another planet!

yet another integral facet of an complete education is a study of history. history helps asists our youth in forming ideas about the trends in human society as well as provides them with a basis of which political and economic apparatuses work the best seem to succeed. social, economic, and political conditions can be improved if an extensive knowledge of what doesn't work exists. furthermore, with the motivation to improve life's conditions, both physical and mental, one is encouraged to try new methods and technologies which have been previously unexplored. the youth of today, as the future leaders of the world, should must strive to understand these trials and errors, as "those who do not learn their history are doomed to repeat it." what our youth learn today may end up becoming become a part of our world twenty years from now. young people can also play an active part in their government, by interacting with their local politicians and representatives, as well as voting in their later teen years. it is important for youth to take an active role in their government and environment, rather than waiting around for history to write itself.

it is important to note that ultimately, a person's specific subject of study is less important than the fact that they are focusing on something and concentrating on learning it. a specific individual advancement in any area also represents an advancement of the society as a whole. any foray into the unknown, be the results encouraging or adverse, is better than a stagnating society in which no one works to explore new options. for our youth, an education never detracts from society but almost constantly works to further it, making it a worthy and important cause an impetus for a changing and improving world.

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throughout history, most of man's greatest accomplishments have come about in reaching a goal. however, motivation is not enough for one to complete a job: one must first understand something in order to build upon it. for this reason, a multi-faceted education is of paramount importance to our society's youth.

a study of the english language aids our youth in understanding their forefathers and contemporaries, and in drawing from the knowledge of years past. all age groups have equally important opinions, yet adults always seem to voice theirs more effectively through their use of writing and understanding of the english language. valuable writing skills help to bring out the perspective of the young, and increase understanding between age groups. literature and poetry further expression in the world, and provide a creative outlet from which others can draw inspiration. youth are particularly well suited for this, as the active imaginations and vivid emotions that are so characteristic of today's youth, especially during their teen years, make them wonderful conduits for creativity.

equally as important is a strong base in math and science. as applied technologies, these work to further the comforts of everyday life and push our knowledge of the universe to new limits. groundbreaking medicines, blazing-fast supercomputers, and innovative spacecraft are all engineered by people who possess a wide scope of technical and scientific skills. the youth of today can employ their education to independently develop possible new solutions to problems and develop their skills as inventors, engineers, and scientists. these skills will allow them to one day work in a field where they will find new cures for diseases, develop sustainable energy sources, or perhaps even travel to another planet!

another integral facet of an education is a study of history. history assists our youth in finding trends in human society. social, economic, and political conditions can be improved if an extensive knowledge of what doesn't work exists. furthermore, with the motivation to improve life's conditions, both physical and mental, one is encouraged to try new methods which have been previously unexplored. the youth of today, as the future leaders of the world, must strive to understand these trials and errors, as "those who do not learn their history are doomed to repeat it." what our youth learn today may become a part of our world twenty years from now. it is important for the young to take an active role in their environment, rather than waiting for history to write itself.

ultimately, a person's specific study is less important than the fact that they are focusing on something at all. a specific individual advancement in any area also represents an advancement of the society as a whole. any foray into the unknown, be the results encouraging or adverse, is better than a stagnating society in which no one works to explore new options. for our youth, an education never detracts from society but works to further it; it is an impetus for a changing and improving world.

word count: 499 (1 under the limit :op)

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