Got Change? Panhandling ordinance back on Arcata council's agenda

White, Allison; "The Times Standard"; 3/2/10; local news; A3

How and where people ask for money in Arcata is up in the air again Wednesday as the Arcata city council takes a look at the new and revised panhandling ordinance. The gist of the ordinance is the same - to prohibit panhandling aggressively and in some areas of the city. The first proposed bill was in October but the council wanted clarification on some topics. Aggressively panhandling is defined in the ordinance as following or touching someone intentionally, using profane or aggressive language, or blocking traffic while asking for goods or money. The ordinance would also restrict where people could panhandle such as a pedestrian bridge and within 20 feet of a supermarket, intersection, ATM, parking lot, restaurant, bus shelter, retail store, or cash checking business. People who appose the ordinance make the argument that it restricts the right to freedom of speech established in the constitution. "Is there a fundamental difference between asking the time of day and asking for a dollar?" asks councilman Shane Brinton.

I don't think that the ordinance is necessary. In my limited experience, I have not seen or experienced aggressive panhandling. I have seen panhandling at intersections but it hasn't seemed to make traffic problems. If the business doesn't want to have panhandlers outside, the employees just have to ask and the panhandlers will most likely go away. I have seen this before. I actually think that panhandling outside of a store gives the panhandler an advantage because you trust them more that they will actually go and get food. If you really want to, you can watch them go into the restaurant and come out with food. Also, It seems like if you can't panhandle within 20 feet of all those businesses, there wouldn't be many places available to panhandle in. Only residential areas and I wouldn't want my neighborhood full of panhandlers.

1.) Do you think the ordinance is necessary?
2.) Have you ever seen or been aggressively panhandled?

California Appoints New Secretary of Education

Davis, Susan; Alameda Blog; February 25, 2010; Education/State
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/inalameda/detail?entry_id=57951

Governor Schwarzenegger has appointed a new Secretary of Education after three weeks of the spot being vacant. The old Secretary, Glen Thomas, resigned and in the past the spot sometimes stayed vacant for months. Bonnie Reiss is a democrat and a long-time friend of governor Schwarzenegger. She was The governor's advisor from 2003 to 2007 and a State Board of Education member from 2004 to 2006. "I enthusiastically support the governor's priorities for education and his commitment to see that every child receives a great education that allows them to achieve their dreams." Reiss said.The U.S. department of Education awarded Reiss the William S. White Lifetime Achievement award in 2007 for her support of public education. She was sworn in on the 24th of February.
When Reiss says, "the Governor's priorities for education and his commitment to see that every child receives a great education." who is she referring to? Our governor has cut the education funding way, way too much already and is now proposing to cut even more. He is the last person that I would say has a priority in education. I am hoping that the new secretary will pull us out of this hole or else our generation will end up leading our whole country into a huge hole.
1.) What do you think the consequences of cutting the education budget so much?
2.) Do you think that Bonnie Reiss sounds like a good person to fill the vacant spot?

(chapter 13) September 6,1620

I am leaving today for the new world with my mother, father, two brothers, and two sisters. We are going because we felt unwelcome in the old world. Our family was pushed out of England before I was born and we did not feel at home in Holland. Our living space is so cramped that I can barely move but my family says it will be worth it. I know I will miss our old home. Hopefully Virginny will be better.

September 9, 1620

I am already getting claustrophobic in these sleeping and living quarters. My brother, Love, and I have taken up thumb wars but most of the time I am just staring at a hull wall. We are not let up on deck for we might get in the way of the mariners. I desperately would like to see the sea sparkling in the sun and the large strong waves. I am curious about the sea men because they are always going in and out and are sleeping very little. One though has been nice to love and I and has tried to get us up on deck soon. I am excited already.

September 29, 1620

We have been running into large waves and a storm I think but I have not seen it. I have been down in the sleeping quarters for a long time. This storm tosses us around such that you cannot tell up from down . I could be inverted at any moment and not be aware of it. I hope it stops soon for there are people spewing old food all over from sea sickness. I feel queasy as well.

November 27, 1620

We are getting closer every day but it is tough being in a confined space for so long. There is sickness on our boat. Luckily no one in our family has gotten sick yet and we shall pray for more good fortune. I would go into a deep depression if any of my siblings died. There has been a small baby born aboard the ship so we will arrive with one extra person than when we arrived.

November 28, 1620

My statement about one extra person was wrong. Last night, my sister's acquaintance died. I did not know him very well but my sister is very depressed.

December 10, 1620

We have finally spotted land! The occasion was marked by everyone coming on deck. This was the first time that I have been on deck for a long time. I was partially blinded by the light for a second but then I saw a beautiful sight. Actually, the land wasn't all that beautiful because it was windblown and rocky but compared to the view I have had for the last few months, it looked like paradise with sugar on top. I was outraged when I heard that we would be trying to find Virginny. We will sail up and down the coast to try to find it. They will force us back into that horrid room until we find our destination and I am very angry at these adults. I would consider mutiny if I was older.

December 22, 1620

We have finally gone ashore after the adults stalled us again because they wanted to write a paper about how we would live on the new land. The scholars luckily made it quick so we could get ashore. It is amazing to have my feet on land again. The first thing I did was fall because I still felt like I was on a ship. This is the most room I have had to move around for 66 days. It is cold here and it would normally be unenjoyable but compared to the boat, it is heaven.

December 30, 1620

The adults say it is too late in the year to plant crops so we will not have very much food until the seasons change. We are hoping for the best.

(chapter 14) February 5, 1621

There is not enough food in the new world for us to live by. Many people have already died and more surely will. There are diseases and starvation sweeping our town. My sister is currently very sick and I am very worried.

February 28, 1621

The Indian named Squanto has taken me and love on some walking trips and it was very fun. We romped around in the forest for hours on end. He is the one Indian that actually stays with us and can easily speak our language. Normally he is helping the adults get food and plant crops.

October 15, 1621

We had a large feast today and I sat and ate with a few other Indian kids. We ate splendid foods including several fowl. It was very fun and afterwards I was stuffed.

November 12, 1621

The Indians are and interesting people. They wear animal skins on themselves or wear nothing at all. More than once an adult has covered my eyes. I still think that they are nice. I wish I could speak their language. They also have leaders in their tribes like Massasoit. Massasoit is a much better leader than King James.

(Chapter 15) July 30, 1623

There are lots of people now that want to purify the King James religion. We do not like them and they do not like us. They have some queer views about religion. They think you can just change an already established religion. What odd people.

September 21, 1623

There are more and more people coming to America. In some ways it helps but they all have queer views. There are also slaves coming in and they help a lot. We have more crops and more food because of our slaves. We are a striving village now with the knowledge of the Indians and the work of the slaves.

October 17, 1623

There are more and more of the queer-viewed people coming and they have lots of fights with other queer-viewed people. This second group thinks that god has picked if you will go to heaven or hell before you are even born. you can try, but it won't make a difference. I don't see why people must fight over wee things such as their queer beliefs.

Blacksmith with Mask

The bronze sculpture Blacksmith with Mask by Jack Mays is of a man cut in half, holding a mask. The front half has one foot on the ground and one foot on an anvil that is also cut in half. The back half is sort of merging with the front half but has a separate head and one foot.
The sculpture looks real from the front but then looks like unreal from the side. The main focus is on the mask because it is covering most of the other faces and because the other man/men are leaning towards it. It is not symmetrical but it is almost like seeing the same man multiple times. The shapes are soft and rounded except for the first real man's face which has sharper aspect to it. If the sculpture was bigger, there would probably be more detail.
The color is mainly gray-brown but there are spots of blue on it. The colors make the mood kind of sullen. The mask is expressionless and looks like it has something like a worm going through its head. That might signify the "mask" that people try to put on themselves of no emotion but we're really different inside. The first face looks like a man with a full head of hair in his younger years. He looks determined and a little bit mad. The last face looks like and old, bald, sad, butt-chinned man. he is also holding on to the mask. He might signify the man inside us who is never revealed and is completely different. The artist might have felt frustrated that he couldn't understand humans and so he tried to create it in a piece of art . I feel for him, man.

Backpacking Trip

Recently, my class went on a backpacking trip. We went five and a half miles up Redwood Creek. There were twenty one people going. Mostly what everyone did was walk and complain that they didn't have their care bear. Most people, including me, had fun though.
One of the most memorable moments for me was waking up outside and seeing this wispy, purple and pink cloud above my head. I wasn't quite awake all the way so I was thinking, "Why is everything sideways and OH MY GOD! that tree is going to fall! And so is that one! All of them are!" I'm not a morning person.
Anyway, the cloud was puffy in one place and fading into a wispy, half transparent, swirly tail. It was framed by a light blue sky with the faintest outlines of stars still lingering. It slowly passed over my head and disappeared over the treetops just to be followed by another almost identical cloud.
So that was one of the most memorable moments on the backpacking trip for me. Or maybe it was a dream.

The Misfits

The Misfits by James Howe was published in 2001. It is a fiction novel about four middle school kids who don't fit in and aren't popular. The theme of the book is be yourself no matter what other people think. James Howe also wrote the Bunnicula series.
There are four main characters in this book and their names are Bobby, Skeezie, Joe, and Addie. Bobby is fat and is made fun of for that reason but he is also good with words but no one sees this. Skeezie is unclean and looks like a "1950's young hooligan." He is really very nice inside but most people only see the outside. Joe is very feminine and is actually very funny but no one sees that. Addie is tall and very smart but people call her know-it-all and beanpole. The kids want to stop name calling in schools.
This book was funny in a lot of parts and sent a good message. Even when it was a serious part in the book, the author found a way to incorporate humor. Most of the time this was good but sometimes it just ruined the moment. One problem with this book is that people in seventh grade probably wouldn't be that mature. For example, they all use the word love and one of them (Joe) even knows he is gay. And yet the book is still mostly about going through adolescence and finding yourself. It seems like the kids are either totally confused about themselves or completely sure about something.
I do agree that there is homophobia in life and school. No matter how old you are, you will probably run into homophobes. I also agree with the author when the kids ask an African-American kid if he was called names. He said he wasn't but he realized there were racist people out there. I don't think there are many racist people in small town middle schools. You might run into some in high-school and in adult life but in middle school, it is unlikely.
Also, the book talks about how the school is in a small town but it still has radical cliques . Chances are, in small towns the cliques would be a little less radical at least. The book might be a little more realistic if the setting was in a larger town and school. The author did catch himself a few times though. For example, "I have declared the love for the girl of my dreams. Okay, I may be getting a little carried away here. I have declared the like for the girl in my art class." This book did help me think more about calling people names and standing up for people getting made fun of.
Overall, I didn't like this book much. It might be because I haven't really had problems with name calling. A reader might identify with it more with the book if they are made fun of. They might also identify morewith the book if they have found love in seventh grade. This book is mainly for people in sixth or seventh grade who have been called names.

Inventions

Have you ever thought of how people make inventions? For example, Ben Franklin discovering electricity. Why would you even go outside during a huge lightning storm? What was he thinking then, "Gee I think I'll go shock myself." Sure it was a turning point in human history but who would think that? what did his neighbors think when they saw him flying a kite with a key on it outside in a giant storm? I don't mean to bash on him but I just don't think that he was one of the smartest inventors. I'm not saying that everyone that invents things is whacked because there are some good inventions like baseball or plastic vomit.

Also, who invented football? There must have been a huge fight somewhere and someone said, "Let's make this into a sport." Football players are supposed to be huge but I've noticed that the fans are bigger.

Another dumb invention is decorated toilet paper. what did the inventor of that think you were going to do with it? Some toilet paper decorations are good though like Paris Hilton's face (Yes that does exist).

Who invented the sport of rugby? It was probably normal (if I can use that word) at it's time of invention but who thought up not using pads? Whoever it was obviously played too much rugby without pads. People get broken bones and dislocated joints but keep playing. I think hell is a huge rugby game without ambulances.

Also, who invented paper money? someone must have been pretty stupid to exchange food or something valuable for a piece of paper with a number written on it. Money has ruined our society if you think about it. It's just a middle man between stuff and stuff. Instead of being called a millionaire, people could just call you a person with 50 houses.

All inventors are smart but they just have way too much time on their hands.