Blizzard conditions suprisingly not hitting Western New York

Yesterday, January 27th, blizzard conditions swept over New England. About 7,700 flights canceled. Grocery stores empty. White out conditions made it impossible to leave the house. Costal New England saw hurricane-like winds and high seas. The Blizzard missed New York City, but is expected to hit Boston with two feet of snow.

Being accustomed to this weather, it's not a big deal. People were told in advanced about the storm. Most stocked up on supplies and prepared for this storm. I hope all are safe and no causalities result from this storm.

Final Exam: Money's impact on 2015 Elections

2014 Elections spent the most money in history. Four billion dollars in total were spent on all the midterm elections. Four billion dollars is a lot of money. 10 times more than the money spent to fight Ebola. America could buy 25 F-18 fighter jets; or put 12,000 students education kindergarten through twelfth grade.

The current salary for a senate member is $174,000 per year. So, $696,000 per term. Senate Leadership gets paid $193,400 per year. Speaker of the House makes $223,500 per year. The average salary of a teacher in New York is $43,839. The people teaching the next generation gets paid a third of an average senate member. Not to even mention the speaker and minority representatives.

Senate runners pay for apart of their races they also get donations from their parties and other sponsors. Tomas Steyer gave 20.8 million dollars to super PACs.

Republicans spent a lot of money and it seemed to pay off. They won majority in the senate and retain it in the house. North Carolina's race was won by Tillis who spent the most, is a republican. Money really can influence the outcome of a race.

Final Exam: Ferguson Recap

The incident that happened in Ferguson many months ago, still has repercussions all over the country today.  August 9th, 2014, 12:01 pm, Michael Brown was shot by Officer Darren Wilson. Wilson was not indicted for the death of Brown. People all over the country were infuriated. This picture is all the tweets using #Ferguson after the jury decision.

Riots broke out across Ferguson destroying homes, buildings, and livelihood. Vandalism, looting, and arson destroyed the livelihoods of many living in Ferguson. Why are they destroying their hometown? You're destroying other people's livelihoods. The family needs healing and peace to deal with their loss, because Michael isn't coming back. At the end of all of this discussion that it was about race, or that he didn't surrender. Nobody knows what really happened other than that Michael Brown died. A boy lost his life, and a family lost their son.

 

This incident has been driven by race. A white officer shots unarmed black teen. I don't think race should play a factor in this case. It had nothing to do with race. The autopsy confirmed Wilson's story. He was doing what he needed to do to stay alive. He felt threatened Michael was a big guys and easily could have killed him.

Who is really underrepresented? The African American community or the police officers who risk their lives every day to protect EVERYONE. Wilson did what he thought was right. He had never shot his gun before this accident. He had to resign from the force and probably will be recognized where ever he goes. He has a wife, and is expecting a child. And he now has to move to who knows where to be safe from the threats made.

Police brutality has been monitored since this incident. And this pushed the idea of police officers wearing body cameras. It protects citizens and officers. This is a great idea, hopefully, it will work out well. Maybe it will be able to save a live and bring the truth to what really happens in situations similar to this one.

I am sorry for Michael's family. I hope they were able to mourn their loss in peace and healing comes to Ferguson soon.

Final Exam: Paris Shooting

On the 7th of January, 2015, Cherif and Saïd Kouachi attacked the magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, France. Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine company, was attacked by terrorists. The magazine is a horrible magazine that pokes fun of many religions, and shouldn't be in print. Many of the cartoonists were a part of a different magazine company in the 60's, but that was shut down after printing a mock death notice for General Charles de Gaulle, only to reappear months later under the name Charlie Hebdo. They criticized Muhammad and Muslims believe that they are blaspheming images.

This wasn't a random shooting. There was a clear motive. You publish cartoons that are blasphemous in the eyes of Muslims and expect no repercussions! Sadly, people were killed, and the gunmen are still on the run. The gunmen don' have done what they had done; it wasn't the right approach. And when the gunmen get caught they will be punished. If the government would have shut the magazine down this wouldn't have happened. Just because you have the freedom of speech doesn't mean you should be publishing bologna about other religions.

Pope Francis told reporters that, though waging war in God’s name was wrong, responding violently to one’s religion being mocked or insulted was “natural”. He likened such provocation to using a crude word about someone’s mother, saying that if a Vatican official standing nearby were to do such a thing to him, he could “expect to get punched in the nose”. -The Economist

The attack on the magazine company wasn't the only thing that happened. They called it the "three days of terror." The next day, a police officer was killed and a gas station robbed. The suspect entered a printing building and took hostages.
  The world rallied around France. "Je Suis Charlie" or "I Am Charlie" is the slogan to show support for the victims. Political figures spoke against the attack saying this will not stop our freedom of speech. The Eiffel tower went dark on Thursday for the victim of this attack.  

This was terrifying to hear on the news. Not a lot of information was gathered before it hit the news stations and people were left wondering what really happened. Paris is my dream place to visit. I would still feel safe traveling to Paris. Security will be heightened from now on. I would be nervous but really cautious will be there. I'm sorry for all the families of these victims. I hope healing comes soon to all of France. 

"Desperate to solicit clients"

"100 Lashes if you are not dying of laughter"

"Love is stronger than hate"

Pope Francis

Pope Francis made an unscheduled stop on his journey through the Philippines. He visited the children who live in shelters. The children were so excited to see him. They were hoping to just catch a glimpse of him, so when he stopped they were overjoyed.  He was there for about ten minutes and spoke to the children about how much they were loved by God. The director of the shelter said, "This is very important to them. Here in Manila it is not unusual to see children sleep among the garbage. This is what the pope's visit and words mean to them, that they are not garbage."

Pope Francis has also been making comments about the attack on Charlie Hebdo. He said "He said if your friend said a swear word to your mother you would slap them." He also believed that there should be limits to freedom of speech when it comes to insulting religion.

He also has spoke about canonizing an American missionary, Junipero Serra. He brought Christianity to western America in the 1700s. When Pope Francis visits Philadelphia in 2015, he will officially canonize him saint.

Historic climb finally finished.

The long journey began on December 27th and was completed January 14th, 19 days later. Tommy Caldwell, 36, and Kevin Jorgeson, 30, were the first people to climb the daunting 3,000-foot vertical wall on El Capitan. This is considered the most difficult climb in the world and they also did it with only safety harnesses to catch them if they fall, but relied on muscle and dexterity to get them through this treacherous climb. The rocks are not smooth nor the isn't big spaces for hand to fit. Free-climbers do not use pulleys or carve out hand holds, they brace themselves with their legs and find a spot where they have a grip. The climb was painful hands throbbing skin ripping open. The beating took when losing their grip and slamming against the mountain. Rest days were necessary to allow injuries to heal. Superglue and tape to heal and speed up this process.

Other people had made it to the top, However, not one continuous free-climb. This should be an inspiration for all, not just rock climbers. They were knocked down so many times, but kept getting back up. They have dreamed big and followed their dreams. And you should too!

The Flu

Here at Niagara Catholic, the school has been hit hard with the flu. With such a small school, it spreads fast. Every other class period a kid is sitting on the bench waiting to go home. Teachers leaving early or never coming in. Coughing is heard constantly.
CDC confirms the flu has hit widespread in 43 states. There were 15 pediatric deaths. The flu vaccine this year was not as effective as hoped. However it still does defend from some strains. The thing about viral diseases it the mutate much faster and spread faster than bacterial diseases, so it is harder to stop. You may have a different strain than what the flu shot protects from. It mostly infects young people and the elderly.
Wash you hands. Use hand sanitizer. If not feeling well with flu like symptoms stay home if possible. Get vaccinated. Try to get 8-10 hours of sleep. Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. Mr. C recommends Airborne® to combat your worst flu symptoms.

Update: Because of the number of sick students and staff, Niagara Catholic took a sick day on Thursday 15th of January. 

Charlie Hebdo Magazine company attacked

Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine company, was attacked by terrorists. The magazine is a horrible magazine that pokes fun of many religions, and shouldn't be in print. Many of the cartoonists were a part of a different magazine company in the 60's, but that was shut down after printing a mock death notice for General Charles de Gaulle, only to reappear months later under the name Charlie Hebdo. They criticized Muhammad and Muslims believe that they are blasphemes images. They were sued in 2007 by two French Muslim associations. The cases were dismissed because they did not "incite religious hatred." This is infuriating! They should have won the case the things they publish are horrible and disgusting.  In 2012, France was forced to close its embassies and schools in 20 countries after the magazine published cartoons of Muhammad. The magazine's editor is on an al Qaeda hit list.
This wasn't a random shooting. There was a clear motive. You publish cartoons that are blasphemous in the eyes of Muslims and expect no repercussions! Sadly, people were killed, and the gunmen are still on the run. The gunmen don' have done what they had done;  it wasn't the right approach. And when the gunmen get caught they will be punished. If the government would have shut the magazine down this wouldn't have happened. Just because you have the freedom of speech doesn't mean you should be publishing bologna about other religions.

Millionare's son kills over cut allowance

Thomas Gilbert Jr., 30, is accused of killing his 70 year old father on Sunday afternoon. His mother left the house to get food, then she had a "bad feeling" and returned home to find her husband on floor with a bullet in his hand and the gun nearby. The police believe it is a staged suicide. They believe Thomas shot his father and made it look like a suicide. The police believe that Thomas' motive was revenge; his father cut his allowance and wouldn't pay his rent.
Thomas Gilbert Jr. was a gradate of Princeton University with a degree in economics. However, he had no recent work activity. He had a reputation of partying. He was a spoiled brat. At the age of thirty, he doesn't have a job and his parents a paying his rent that is ridicules. Parents need to stop spoiling their children. You need to let them make mistakes and figure it out for themselves, not just open your wallet. If they want something, make them work for it.

The 7 Year Old Lone Survivor

On Friday the 2nd of January, two days into the new year, tragedy struck. Piper PA-34 aircraft crashed leaving 4 people dead and an injured 7 year old girl, Sailor, alone. The family was flying back Illinois after spending their vacation in Florida. Marty, Kimberly, and Piper Gutzler and Sierra Wilder, Sailor's cousin, were killed on impact. With bare feet and a broken wrist she walked three quarters of a mile to find help. It wasn't an easy journey. She climbed a hill and crossed a creek bed.
The little girl was released Saturday to relatives and a fund has been started in her name to help with physical and emotional healing. I can't even imagine how terrified she was and at the age of seven! It's truly a miracle.

Pakistan School Massacre: Malala's Response

Malala just 17, commented on the attack that has taken place in Pakistan. Malala, recipient of the noble peace prize and an inspiration to all, spoke against the terror that occurred.

Here’s what she said:

I am heartbroken by this senseless and cold-blooded act of terror in Peshawar that is unfolding before us.
Innocent children in their school have no place in horror such as this. I condemn these atrocious and cowardly acts and stand united with the government and armed forces of Pakistan whose efforts so far to address this horrific event are commendable.
I, along with millions of others around the world, mourn these children, my brothers and sisters - but we will never be defeated.

With the words of inspiration, hopefully, healing will begin soon for the families and friends of these victims.

Cheney standing behind the CIA

Cheney standing behind the CIA

Former Vice president Dick Chaney calling the report  "deeply flawed" and "a terrible piece of work." He has no regrets of the tactics used. He believed they helped find Osama bin Laden. "I think what needed to be done was done," Cheney said. "I think we were perfectly justified in doing it. And I'd do it again in a minute."
It's is horrifying to see someone that was vice president during that time supported it.

CIA Under Investigation

CIA Investigation into torture cover-up.

CIA has been accused of paying off interrogators of terror suspects. Psychologists were paid $81 million to enhance interrogation methods. Inhuman torture methods were used on suspects even after there was no more information to be gathered. Some methods include waterboarding (which is illegal). This is absolutely appalling. I understand that information needs to be gathered however torture is not the answer. One man was waterboarded 183 times! A detainee died of hypothermia in 2002. They did not gather any information into finding Osama bin Laden. This is horrifying. I hope those accused will be punished.

To read more check out: http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/09/politics/top-takeaways-cia-torture-report/index.html

The Real Beauty

The Real Beauty

What a difference a commercial can make...

 

 

With one month left in 2014, I'd like to make note of something I have been noticing more and more on T.V ads. Some companies, live Dove, have been focusing their ads on the natural beauty of women. Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty talks reminds women they are beautiful. They have been doing research into women's self-esteem and the statistics are surprising.
 

Only 4% of women consider themselves beautiful.

72% of girls feel pressured to be beautiful.

 

Media was never an advocate of natural beauty its inspiring to see Dove trying to make a difference.

P&G Always is another company running an ad about girls' self-esteem called "Like a girl." The ad shows teenage girls acting out phrases "hit like a girl" "fight like a girl" and so on. The teenage girls of course act wimpy and weak. Then they ask the same questions to 10 year old girls. They act like they would in any situations. The first  time I was it, it popped up on YouTube and I was just going to skip it, I started watching it. I couldn't stop, I would of acted just like the teenage girls did.   

I love that some companies are trying to promote better body images for women and teenagers. With all the publicity of size 0 models and makeup ads everywhere, it is what women need to be seeing.
 

Check out the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkTh_r66lDA 

 

To learn more about Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty got to: http://www.dove.us/Our-Mission/Girls-Self-Esteem/Our-Research/default.aspx 

Ferguson

Ferguson

3 months coming to an end...

 

 

The grand jury decided against indictment of Ferguson police office, Darren Wilson, involved in the death of Michael Brown. August 9th Brown was shot by Darren Wilson.

Violent protest broke out in Ferguson and all over the country. Vandalism, looting, and arson destroyed the livelihoods of many living in Ferguson. Why are they destroying their hometown? The family needs healing and peace to deal with their loss, because Michael isn't coming back. At the end of all of this discussion that it was about race, or that he didn't surrender. Nobody knows what really happened other than Michael Brown died. A boy lost his life, and a family lost their son. 

A Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich for the Pope

Pope coming to Philadelphia

 

 “Love Is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive”

 

September 2015, the World Meetings of Families will be held in Philadelphia and the Pope said he will be making an appearance. It will be the first time Pope Francis has visited the U.S. I'm very excited. I hope I will be able to go. Fingers-Crossed! To learn more or book a hotel check out: http://www.worldmeeting2015.org 

Nolan Burch

Nolan Burch

 “wonderful young man full of life, full of mischievous and fun.” -Father Betti 

 

 

Arrangements have been made for Nolan Burch's funeral. Nolan died from an over consumption of alcohol after a fraternity initiation. He was a graduate from Canisius high school, enrolled in West Virginia University. He was only 18.

 

I know people from Canisius, and my cousin works at Delta Sonic, the same one that Nolan worked at in Williamsville. I don't know if any of them knew Nolan, but it still hits a little to close to home. 

I don't understand why people would wan to be a part of a fraternity or sorority that acts that way. A week before, 19 Kappa Sigma members were arrested for alcohol-related charges. Kappa Sigma is no longer recognized as a fraternity at WVU. 

It's hard to hear stories like this, because it has happened before. Alcohol is a joke to people. People aren't responsible with it. He was only 18; he could not have bought it himself. So sombody else gave it to him, breaking a law. Drinking to the point where you don't remember the night before is disgusting. Why is it apart of some fraternity pledges? 

A young man lost his life because he felt like he needed to join a fraternity. The fraternity didn't care what happened to him. I'm sure it was all for laughs and never meant for anyone to get hurt.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/west-virginia-university-student-nolan-burch-dies-injuries-school-n248286 

Conversing with a fungi

Conversations between plant



 

No plants can't speak to us. However they can communicate between other plant with the use of fungi. Fungi creates a system like the Internet to communicate. Not only do they communicate, they also help each other survive. Or steal nutrients from each other.
 

The article (found on the link below) is written by Nic Fleming. Title: Plants talk to each other using an Internet of fungus. His thesis statement was clear and supported it with evidence from trusted sources. It's interesting to read about this topic. Started by Albert Bernard Frank 200 years ago, still intriguing today. The article left me with questions. Do plants have feeling/emotions? What impact does it have in the scientific community? How does it affect everyday life? Even though it was a well written article, he could have explained things a little farther for those who don't study ecology. Overall, it was an interesting article.  

 

 

 

Article: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141111-plants-have-a-hidden-internet 

What winning means..

Under the influence

What winning means..

Part VI

Thom Tillis won the North Carolina Senate race. Both sides poured money into the race, making it the most expensive race this year. Mostly outside money on negative ads. Thom Tillis's election win was due to:

• Obama's disapproval rate discouraged Kay Hagan's reelection.
• Tillis’ task was to burnish his image as a moderate, business conservative while assuring anti-abortion, gun-rights and traditional marriage supporters that he also stood with them.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/11/04/4293806/us-senate-small-percentage-of.html#storylink=cpy

If I was able to vote in the election, Thom Tillis would have another vote added to his 1,413,269 votes.

Chart: https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=thom+tillis
Thom Tillis information: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/11/04/4293806/us-senate-small-percentage-of.html

And the Winner is...

And the Winner is...

Under the influence

Part V

Based on who raised the most money Incumbent Kay Hagan should win the 2014 North Carolina Senate race. However, the race is still a toss up between Tom Tillis and herself. Hagan's approval rating has dropped down to a 33% approval rating and a 49% disproval rating.

 

I support Thom Tillis for North Carolina. He wants to cut down on business regulations, balance the budget, create jobs, increase teachers salaries. He believes in a traditional family and the rights of the unborn.

 

Approval Ratings: http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/ballot-2014/2014/03/03/poll-kay-hagan-struggles-in-north-carolina-senate-race

 

Thom Tillis stance on issues: http://thomtillis.com/meet-thom/