In the middle of the night sixty-five years ago today, soldiers from the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and the British 1st Airborne Division jumped out of their troop-carrier airplanes and parachuted into Normandy, France.
Hours later, one and a half million soldiers from the United States, Britain, England, and Canada stormed the beaches of Normandy, struggling onto the beaches amidst a hail of German gunfire. In seizing this mere 60 miles of beachhead, they began the great endeavor to liberate Europe from Nazi oppression.
Most people, unfortunately, do not remember why today is important, but for me today is especially important, because these heroic men (along with their then-comrades in the Soviet Red Army) saved many Jews, Gypsies, Russians, Poles, intellectuals, homosexuals, political prisoners, etc. from murder at the hands of the Nazis (even when millions of others had already been murdered). My grandparents were at Buchenwald when American soldiers, among them the president's uncle, liberated it.
In the end, the total monetary loss of World War II cannot be accurately estimated, but over 50 million people, civilians and soldiers, died in a war that never should have started--but did. All I ask is that today people remember that on this day and for nearly a year after it sixty-five years ago, thousands of those 50 million people died so that this world would remain untouched by further stomping under the heels of the Nazi jackboot. Because of the valor displayed by those soldiers, the Nazis are a few thousand crazed white-supremacists in a few underarmed and irrelevant militias, the Hebrew language is spoken by over thirteen million Jews today, and when newly inducted members of the Israel Defense Forces are sworn in at the ruins of Masada, they say this: never again. I add this: never forget.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Summer Projects *cries*
Summer is the ultimate time of the year to relax. Just think: popsicles (and ice cream and frozen yogurt and all of the best fruits only available this season to top them off with), road trips, late nights followed by late mornings, watching thunderstorms from the porch (a personal favorite), bicycles, picnics, going barefoot...and...
Then your soon-to-be Honors/AP English teacher thrusts an ominously thick packet at you before you can escape, squishing the sense of freedom in which you'd been hoping to roll around the moment the bell rings on the final day of school.
Don't get me wrong, I love reading. I have a massive list of books I hope to read before school starts, and that includes rereading all seven Harry Potter books. But--and I'm sure even the most intense bookworm would agree with me--summer reading projects are a drag.
Usually by the time summer is over, I never want to open that darned classic book again because I've spent hours and days and weeks identifying character, motifs, plot, setting, defining a hundred vocabulary words, rereading each chapter three times, and answering fifty questions. And, without the hardcore analysis, I probably would have enjoyed the book, too!
Summer is the one time I can read for days on end without being inturrupted by homework and studying. It's the one time I can read a million books from my list and enjoy them.
Teachers need to seek the most dedicated students, and a project outside of school is the perfect way for them to do this, so the assignment is understandable. However, the problem is that both of the projects I heaved to my new teacher on the first day of school for both my eighth and ninth grade years were just glanced at. I recieved a check-plus. No comments, no filled-out rubric, nothing. I could have done a horrible job and still recieved a credit grade.
Anyway...
What do you think about summer projects? Are they beneficial or just a waste of time?
What book are you reading for your summer project?
On a brighter note, what books are you going to read for pleasure this summer?
Friday, June 5, 2009
Attention all SKINNY JEAN lovers!!!!!!!
Attention all lovers of such things as, My Chemical Romance, eyeliner, or just the fashion of the hugely poplar SKINNY JEAN!!!! You may look the best in a long line of your friends, or make a statement by looking different than anyone around but is it worth the risk of NERVE DAMAGE??Yes its is true all my fellow skinny jean lovers out there there has been many reported cases of Meralgia Paresthetica, a tingling sensation in the thigh and lower leg that can be caused by that lovely pair of skin fitting jeans that you are looking cauciously down at right this moment!!! Well this story despite it's odd nature caught my attention and got me thinking.......
Should i put my Tight jeans on the hanger?
Or stick it to my nerves and look great doing it?
What do you think??
Donuts on the brain?...
I swear ALL my posts won't be about food, but this fodder was just too funny to resist...
Just as Sonic resturants were celebrating the wonders of 'Free Float Day', today people of the 'US of A' are celebrating National Donut Day!
Always falling on the first Friday in June, HolidayInsights.com says the holiday originally "honors the Salvation Army 'Lassies' of WWI," and is also used to raise money for the Salvation Army.
Just as Sonic resturants were celebrating the wonders of 'Free Float Day', today people of the 'US of A' are celebrating National Donut Day!
Always falling on the first Friday in June, HolidayInsights.com says the holiday originally "honors the Salvation Army 'Lassies' of WWI," and is also used to raise money for the Salvation Army.
There actually IS some history behind this kooky, (but delicious!) holiday! These volunteer 'lassies' were sent to the front lines of Europe to crank out home-cooked foods and also provide some vital moral support for the troops. HolidayInsights.com even says that these donuts were often cooked in oil inside of the soldier's helmets...(yum, right?)
The first celebration of the holiday came around in 1938 by the Chicago Salvation Army to raise funds during the Great Depression. They copied the original scheme of making donuts for the troops, and thus 'National Donut Day' is born!
So that leaves me wondering... - Anyone cruising by Krispy Kreme?
Thursday, June 4, 2009
School's out!!
So today was the last day of school down here, and you know I can't help but rub it in. =D
What have you guys got planned for the summer? Any fun trips? Big plans?
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!
Having spent the better part of...I want to say 2 years, lurking around the now-defunct official Vox Box blog, mostly as an attack dog and the comic relief, I come...in peace (yes, cheesy and cliche!!! *claps*). Alright, seriously, alien humor aside, I thank Nick and the ladies for the opportunity to be a contributor to this magnificent endeavor.
About me:
My name is Jeremiah Max Salinger, and I am 19 year old college sophomore at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. I'm majoring in Wildlife Ecology & Management, concentration in Commercial Fisheries with minors in Evolutionary Psychology and Marine Science. How did I end up in the hotbed of intolerance in America (just kidding)? Well, I lived there for ten years until my parents split up, upon which I moved Spokane with my mother. I'm an alum of Lincoln Heights Elementary (and not that new one...the old school, yeah...I'm old), Chase Middle School, and Ferris High School, Class of 2008...Saxons rule the world, by the way. :)
As I may have revealed in posts to the old blog, I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a high functioning form of Autism at the age of 10. Asperger's Syndrome is characterized by physical clumsiness, difficulties in social interaction, specific subject obsession (usually in childhood...mine was airline flight timetables), and a lack of cognitive retardation...to summarize, I walk, talk, think, smart off, etc. just like any other person now that I've had years of intensive therapy...still clumsy though. In case anyone wonders, my position on the whole idea of "Oh, what if we could cure your condition?" is that 1) I don't consider what I have to be a condition--it is a gift from G-d and 2) If there ever was a cure, I wouldn't want it and I believe that any self-respecting person with AS should reject it as well--if the world cures its people with Autism disorders, it can say goodbye to the best musical, mathematical, literary, scientific, and dramatic minds it has ever seen.
Okay, next up. The casual viewer may not have noticed that when I described my diagnosis of AS as a gift, I didn't spell out His name. Why? As a Jew (Reform with Zionist leanings, in case anyone is interested), I believe to be an affront to G-d to spell out his name on a medium that can be destroyed because destroying the medium is destroying praise of Him (it is sacrilege, akin to what I think Christians would call taking His name in vain, yes?). On a similar cord, I am pretty strongly pro-Israel, and I'm not ashamed of it...among groups and people that torque me off are Amnesty International (sometimes...ever since that woman from Frisco came to my senior year CWA class, I've been a bit bitter) and Uri Avnery. That is not to say that I don't advocate peace in the Middle East--on the contrary, I do. I also am supportive of the two-state solution, one for Jews and one for Palestinians. However, I will not support the second state being run by terrorists.
Alright, serious stuff aside...time for random trivia.
Favorite color: red
Favorite authors: Tom Clancy, Brad Thor, Michael Connelly, Vince Flynn, Nelson DeMille, Karen Traviss, Michael Oren (yes, him)
Average daily coffee intake: ~ 2 pots
Birthday: July 11th
Hobbies: Computer gaming (mainly tycoon games, Call of Duty, Top Chef, and Civilizations), reading (except for this lit class I'm taking on the Internet...250 pages in a week is insane!), cooking, and being a newsie (right now, I've got CNN on TV, and four of my five tabs open right now are the Spokesman Review, the Wall Street Journal, The Jerusalem Post, and The Guardian)
Any other questions about me, feel free to post them. My beat will be international news, with a focus on the Middle East...most articles will come from the Jerusalem Post and either Al Jazeera or Al Arabiya. If I get kind of fiery in my responses...well...I'm passionate. :) Okay, next poor schmuck's turn!
About me:
My name is Jeremiah Max Salinger, and I am 19 year old college sophomore at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. I'm majoring in Wildlife Ecology & Management, concentration in Commercial Fisheries with minors in Evolutionary Psychology and Marine Science. How did I end up in the hotbed of intolerance in America (just kidding)? Well, I lived there for ten years until my parents split up, upon which I moved Spokane with my mother. I'm an alum of Lincoln Heights Elementary (and not that new one...the old school, yeah...I'm old), Chase Middle School, and Ferris High School, Class of 2008...Saxons rule the world, by the way. :)
As I may have revealed in posts to the old blog, I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a high functioning form of Autism at the age of 10. Asperger's Syndrome is characterized by physical clumsiness, difficulties in social interaction, specific subject obsession (usually in childhood...mine was airline flight timetables), and a lack of cognitive retardation...to summarize, I walk, talk, think, smart off, etc. just like any other person now that I've had years of intensive therapy...still clumsy though. In case anyone wonders, my position on the whole idea of "Oh, what if we could cure your condition?" is that 1) I don't consider what I have to be a condition--it is a gift from G-d and 2) If there ever was a cure, I wouldn't want it and I believe that any self-respecting person with AS should reject it as well--if the world cures its people with Autism disorders, it can say goodbye to the best musical, mathematical, literary, scientific, and dramatic minds it has ever seen.
Okay, next up. The casual viewer may not have noticed that when I described my diagnosis of AS as a gift, I didn't spell out His name. Why? As a Jew (Reform with Zionist leanings, in case anyone is interested), I believe to be an affront to G-d to spell out his name on a medium that can be destroyed because destroying the medium is destroying praise of Him (it is sacrilege, akin to what I think Christians would call taking His name in vain, yes?). On a similar cord, I am pretty strongly pro-Israel, and I'm not ashamed of it...among groups and people that torque me off are Amnesty International (sometimes...ever since that woman from Frisco came to my senior year CWA class, I've been a bit bitter) and Uri Avnery. That is not to say that I don't advocate peace in the Middle East--on the contrary, I do. I also am supportive of the two-state solution, one for Jews and one for Palestinians. However, I will not support the second state being run by terrorists.
Alright, serious stuff aside...time for random trivia.
Favorite color: red
Favorite authors: Tom Clancy, Brad Thor, Michael Connelly, Vince Flynn, Nelson DeMille, Karen Traviss, Michael Oren (yes, him)
Average daily coffee intake: ~ 2 pots
Birthday: July 11th
Hobbies: Computer gaming (mainly tycoon games, Call of Duty, Top Chef, and Civilizations), reading (except for this lit class I'm taking on the Internet...250 pages in a week is insane!), cooking, and being a newsie (right now, I've got CNN on TV, and four of my five tabs open right now are the Spokesman Review, the Wall Street Journal, The Jerusalem Post, and The Guardian)
Any other questions about me, feel free to post them. My beat will be international news, with a focus on the Middle East...most articles will come from the Jerusalem Post and either Al Jazeera or Al Arabiya. If I get kind of fiery in my responses...well...I'm passionate. :) Okay, next poor schmuck's turn!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Some literary fun
Hello again...Katie here.
I'm in the midst of writing my final paper for English, and I thought I would share something with the internet community. My paper is about searching for your identity and how that relates to some of the literature I've read this year and I wanted to share a short story with you. It's called "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid. It's really cool and well-written and here it is for you to check out. http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/fiction/Girl/Girl.pdf
It's written in an interesting style (all dialogue) and I really enjoyed it.
Comments: Let me know what you think about it...Nothing really specific, don't even read it if you don't want.
I'm in the midst of writing my final paper for English, and I thought I would share something with the internet community. My paper is about searching for your identity and how that relates to some of the literature I've read this year and I wanted to share a short story with you. It's called "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid. It's really cool and well-written and here it is for you to check out. http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/fiction/Girl/Girl.pdf
It's written in an interesting style (all dialogue) and I really enjoyed it.
Comments: Let me know what you think about it...Nothing really specific, don't even read it if you don't want.
Anyone going to Sonic?
Ok - You know I'm a go-to girl for some random food facts, (weird but true, I recall some of the odd 'Food New's posts from the former VOX...) but here's a good one...better yet! Make that a 'free' one.
Today, and today only, Sonic resturants are celebrating their 'FREE Float Night'. What's the catch?, you ask: That's the best part, there isn't one! These classic drive-in food joints are offering up an absolutely free 10 oz. Root Beer float between the hours of 8pm and midnight! Just drive on up and get your classic summer treat. (And let me tell you, those things can be addictive...)
Let's take a cue from Sonic and celebrate summer, - it's almost here, school's almost out!
Question!: Summer is all about the frozen-deliciousness; What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Ice cream treat?
Today, and today only, Sonic resturants are celebrating their 'FREE Float Night'. What's the catch?, you ask: That's the best part, there isn't one! These classic drive-in food joints are offering up an absolutely free 10 oz. Root Beer float between the hours of 8pm and midnight! Just drive on up and get your classic summer treat. (And let me tell you, those things can be addictive...)
Let's take a cue from Sonic and celebrate summer, - it's almost here, school's almost out!
Question!: Summer is all about the frozen-deliciousness; What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Ice cream treat?
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Greetings Fellow Humans, Its Nick!!
Hello all you people, I go by the title of Nick Wright. I live in a small little town called Oakesdale, Wa. I have made the choice to take Katie and Chloe's idea's on this whole blogger intro thing!! Well like I said, I'm Nick and I have never blogged before in my life so we will see how this whole thing goes. Back in the days of the good ol' Vox Box I was an loyal follower so when I herd from Chloe that it was going to be no more I was sad to say the least. Then her next news hit me THERE IS GOING TO BE A NEW ONE OPEN FOR ANYONE!!!! O MY GOSH was my first reaction as I had the brainstorm that I might be able to be known as one of the WELL KNOWN Vox Bloggers!!! Yes that would rock and a few weeks later HERE I AM!!!! Soooooo.... what am I into well I love MUSIC is....well...Stellar to say the least!!! I am the front man in a Punk/Alternative band entitled Fading Anchor and I love it! My next biggest hobby is going to concerts (weird that is something music related) MOSHING to say the least!!! I also love mountain biking and hanging out with my stellar homiez..(oh and my JEEP rules). Well all in all I am VERY proud to say I am a VOX BLOGGER and all you guys should expect to see lots from me!!!
So peace 4now!!!!
Blog Intro!
Hey guys! So, taking a leaf out of Katie and Chloe's book, I'm posting my own quick introduction. I'm Caitlin, and I'm the Vox's crosscountry correspondent (in other words, I live in Dallas). I wrote for the Vox for two years and was extremely reluctant to leave it behind when we moved last summer, so Erin offered me a position on the blog, which I happily accepted. Now on to the random trivia:
-My favorite color is dark purple.
-I have two dogs, one a pug-daschund mix and the other a German shepard-terrier mix.
-I am one of the few teenage girls in existence who does not like Twilight.
-Books I DO like, however, include Harry Potter, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, and Ishmael by Daniel Quinn (every single one of you needs to go read that last one, right now; I mean it).
-I will be a senior in four days (the nice thing about living down here is that we don't have ages of snow days to make up :D).
-My favorite bands are (at the moment) U2, Coldplay, Snow Patrol, and Keane, though I've found few bands I don't like.
-I'm so hooked on coffee that my parents got me an espresso machine last Christmas because doing so would ultimately save them money, since I wouldn't be borrowing cash for Starbucks all the time.
-I am an avid writer who loves her characters almost as much as she loves forcing them into awful situations.
-I've participated in National Novel Writing Month the past two years. Made it year before last, didn't even come close last year, hoping to make it again this year.
I think that covers the basics. I look forward to continuing to blog with you guys, and I hope we get as much traffic as we did on the Spokesman site. Tell your friends to get over here and post!
Any random tidbits about yourself you'd like to share?
-My favorite color is dark purple.
-I have two dogs, one a pug-daschund mix and the other a German shepard-terrier mix.
-I am one of the few teenage girls in existence who does not like Twilight.
-Books I DO like, however, include Harry Potter, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, and Ishmael by Daniel Quinn (every single one of you needs to go read that last one, right now; I mean it).
-I will be a senior in four days (the nice thing about living down here is that we don't have ages of snow days to make up :D).
-My favorite bands are (at the moment) U2, Coldplay, Snow Patrol, and Keane, though I've found few bands I don't like.
-I'm so hooked on coffee that my parents got me an espresso machine last Christmas because doing so would ultimately save them money, since I wouldn't be borrowing cash for Starbucks all the time.
-I am an avid writer who loves her characters almost as much as she loves forcing them into awful situations.
-I've participated in National Novel Writing Month the past two years. Made it year before last, didn't even come close last year, hoping to make it again this year.
I think that covers the basics. I look forward to continuing to blog with you guys, and I hope we get as much traffic as we did on the Spokesman site. Tell your friends to get over here and post!
Any random tidbits about yourself you'd like to share?
Hello World!, it's CHLOE!
So. Katie here had a stinkin' amazing idea: Blogger Introductions! You guys will, of course, want to know a little about the lives of your devoted bloggers! (Plus, I absolutely love to fill out all things 'quiz-questionaire-personality' related...It's a winning situation for all sides!)
Here's my own version of a Blogger Questionaire! It's all the things I love, (cleverly called 'All The Things I LOVE!)
1. Ice cream! - Especially frozen yogurt! I could probably eat myself out of an Olympic-sized swimming pool if it was filled with the wonderful concoction known as 'fro-yo'...
2. Rain!
3. Blogging! - Well, I just can't picture life without it after having been on the VOX blog-staff last year. I'm definately going to put 110%...no...120% (!) into this new blog-project! Who's with me?!? :D
4. Cupcake and Shake! - (It's a comic-strip me and Nick write: Just two little desserts going on adventures...) They're featured in the ZINE we write, called The INFINATE Zine. Check out the website at http://ihearttheinfinatezine.webs.com/!!!
5. Big Piles of Fallen Leaves! - Fun to jump in, pounce on, dance in, scoop into the air!
6. Music! - Like Katie, I'm all about mix CD's, classic mix tapes, and old vinyls - Collecting is a passion. LOVE concerts, moshing (! yee-haw!) and concert-photography. The pic up right is one from the mosh pit of an ahhh mazing concert I went to last summer..:D.
7. My Guitar - Now that's something I would definitely bring to my deserted island...
8. My betafishy 'Buddha' - I discussed him earlier in my reply to Katie's post..:D
9. COFFEE! - I can't believe it took me this long to remember my LOVE for it! Yeah - I kinda got a little reputation as a hardcore coffee-addict on the previous VOX. Anyone wanna go for a cup today? :) I'm game!
10. My Community! - Sure, I'm definately out here in 'the boonies', but it's a great place to be. Got great friends! Great music (mostly made by my friends!..) Great school! It just truly is an awesome place to get together for youth group, random games of frisbee, or just to eat pizza and do nothing at the park. (But I've always got my fellow bloggers to keep me updated on the city-life!!)
So there you have it! My 'Tip-Top 10!'
All-Important Question!: What are a couple of items off of YOUR list?
Here's my own version of a Blogger Questionaire! It's all the things I love, (cleverly called 'All The Things I LOVE!)
1. Ice cream! - Especially frozen yogurt! I could probably eat myself out of an Olympic-sized swimming pool if it was filled with the wonderful concoction known as 'fro-yo'...
2. Rain!
3. Blogging! - Well, I just can't picture life without it after having been on the VOX blog-staff last year. I'm definately going to put 110%...no...120% (!) into this new blog-project! Who's with me?!? :D
4. Cupcake and Shake! - (It's a comic-strip me and Nick write: Just two little desserts going on adventures...) They're featured in the ZINE we write, called The INFINATE Zine. Check out the website at http://ihearttheinfinatezine.webs.com/!!!
5. Big Piles of Fallen Leaves! - Fun to jump in, pounce on, dance in, scoop into the air!
6. Music! - Like Katie, I'm all about mix CD's, classic mix tapes, and old vinyls - Collecting is a passion. LOVE concerts, moshing (! yee-haw!) and concert-photography. The pic up right is one from the mosh pit of an ahhh mazing concert I went to last summer..:D.
7. My Guitar - Now that's something I would definitely bring to my deserted island...
8. My betafishy 'Buddha' - I discussed him earlier in my reply to Katie's post..:D
9. COFFEE! - I can't believe it took me this long to remember my LOVE for it! Yeah - I kinda got a little reputation as a hardcore coffee-addict on the previous VOX. Anyone wanna go for a cup today? :) I'm game!
10. My Community! - Sure, I'm definately out here in 'the boonies', but it's a great place to be. Got great friends! Great music (mostly made by my friends!..) Great school! It just truly is an awesome place to get together for youth group, random games of frisbee, or just to eat pizza and do nothing at the park. (But I've always got my fellow bloggers to keep me updated on the city-life!!)
So there you have it! My 'Tip-Top 10!'
All-Important Question!: What are a couple of items off of YOUR list?
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