Always Remember

Well this seems to be my last post. I’d like to say I had fun but I didn’t really have too much fun. After a while I kind of just wanted to get to the word requirement.

But here are some things to always remember:

1.       Be tolerant: Just because people don’t lead the same life you do doesn’t mean they don’t deserve the same amount of respect.

2.       Speak up: If something is wrong and you can do something about it, then do it.

3.       Love everyone: Everyone has something to give to this world and you’ll have a happier life if you find the gifts in everyone.

4.       Find the beauty in Earth: Nature is a wonderful thing and you need to make sure you get your butt outside and experience it in whatever way you can.

5.       Never stop dreaming: Always have a goal and always strive to reach it.

6.       Put your worries aside: Have fun in life! Don’t sit there and have all these worries; it’s such a waste of time.

Of course there are a million other inspirational things I could say for you to do but hopefully if you are a very uninspired person, these will at least get you started. :)

Why the Reasons for Banning Gay Marriage are Stupid

2012 Hurricane Season

While it’s been noticed that tornado season has and will be worse than last year, what about hurricane season? How will the hurricanes be this summer?

While I was looking for the answers to these questions I found that most people were basing their information off of the Colorado State forecasters. Naturally I had to look them up before I read their research to make sure they were the real deal. Here’s what I found:

“Each December for the last 16 years, Colorado State University scientists have forecast the following year’s hurricane activity. And on average, for those 16 years, a forecast of average hurricane activity each year would have done as well. Nonetheless, the latest forecast — for above-average hurricane activity next year, with seven Atlantic hurricanes between June 1 and November 30, and three major hurricanes — was covered by the Associated Press, Bloomberg and MarketWatch, which, like WSJ.com is owned by News Corp.

The Colorado State team updates the forecasts several times before and during the hurricane season, and, as you might expect, the forecasts tend to get more acurate as the year progresses — though even the later forecasts have missed badly in the last couple of years, as some of the above articles noted. The track record is much worse for the December forecast, though, a point acknowledged by lead forecaster Philip J. Klotzbach in the group’s latest report: “You always learn more when your seasonal forecast busts than when it verifies. Busted forecasts drive us to explain the reasons for the failure and likely lead to enhanced skill in future years.” (If the sports analogy that started this blog post sounds strained, consider how much Dr. Klotzbach sounds like a member of a sports team after a tough loss.)

As Dr. Klotzbach explains in the forecast, the Colorado State team — previously led by professor emeritus William Gray, who still co-writes the forecasts — has tried three different schemes over the years to formulate its December forecasts, derived from various climatic factors such as African rainfall and North Atlantic sea surface temperatures. Each initially looked good when “hindcasting” — that is, evaluating the new models based on how well they would have done had they been used to predict past seasons. But each failed when put to work forecasting the next year’s hurricane activity. Dr. Klotzbach attributes that disappointing result to relying on climatic factors that had no real link to Atlantic hurricane activity — something he says has changed in the latest forecast.

This time around, Dr. Klotzbach is trying a fourth scheme that is a hybrid of two other approaches. Of course, if Scheme D fails, it may also be discarded, though Dr. Klotzbach isn’t setting any deadlines.

Even a more-accurate seasonal forecast is of questionable utility. AccuWeather.com makes its own seasonal forecasts, and trumpeted in a recent press release that it beat the Colorado State team and other entrants in forecasting accuracy this year. Nonetheless, Ken Reeves, AccuWeather.com’s director of forecasting operations, told me, “We’re not really big fans of the seasonal number games.” What really matters, he says, is “whether they make landfall, and how strong they are at landfall.””

--This article thanks to Carl Bialik

Now, whether or not you believe these forecasters are accurate or not will determine how much you will believe their predictions below:

“The 2012 hurricane season promises to be less active than normal, and close to half as active as last year, when 20 tropical cyclones, seven hurricanes and four major hurricanes were recorded, according to a forecast released today by the Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project. Forecasters Philip Klotzbach and William Gray predict the 2012 season, which begins June 1, will have 4 hurricanes, compared with an average of 6.5 hurricanes between 1981 and 2010, and 10 named storms, compared with an average of 12.

The forecasters predict that two of the hurricanes will be major storms, ranked as Category 3 or higher, with winds greater than 111 mph, which is just about average. But there will only be a total of three days when hurricanes will have that major storm status, compared with an average of 3.9 days.

The duo's April 2011 forecast called for nine hurricanes, of which five would be major, and 16 named storms.

The chance of a major hurricane making landfall in the United States this year is about 80 percent of the average, and the total tropical cyclone activity will be only 75 percent of the long term average.

"Although that is welcome news for the Gulf Coast, it certainly is not a signal for us to let our guard down," said Jefferson Parish President John Young. "Rather, our citizens should continue to make preparations for the upcoming hurricane season since any major storm can cause catastrophic property devastation and loss of human life."

In making their forecast, Klotzbach and Gray are only comparing their predicted storm activity to 29 years of hurricane records. Last year, the pair compared their predictions against a 50-year storm history from 1950 to 2000.

Under the 50-year scenario, there was an average 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 major hurricanes.

The forecasting duo credit a combination of cooler than normal sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and an expected return to El Nino warmer than normal surface water conditions in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean for the reduced tropical storm activity.

The lower Atlantic water temperatures make it more difficult for storms to form, as does higher air pressures in that region that the forecasters say will occur this summer and fall.

The El Nino conditions historically have prompted greater wind shear in the upper atmosphere in the Atlantic, which tends to blow the tops off of thunderstorms, again making it more difficult for hurricanes to form.

In predicting a return to El Nino conditions in the Pacific, however, the forecasters are a bit ahead of the official National Weather Service forecast.

The service's Climate Prediction Center on Monday agreed that a two-year stretch of La Nina conditions in the tropical Pacific, representing cooler than normal surface water temperatures, has weakened. But the center's prediction only calls for a change to neutral conditions, neither cooler nor warmer, by April, with a 40 percent chance of it remaining neutral through December, compared to a 38 percent chance of turning to warmer El Nino conditions.”

--This article thanks to Greater New Orleans

I personally think that the forecasters are probably close in their predictions. They’ve done plenty of research and devote their time to this. But after all, the weather can be pretty unpredictable so who knows how the hurricane season will really turn out this year.

Bad Sunflower Seeds

Random annoyance of the day: The sunflower seeds that tastes really bad. I eat the whole seed, like shell and all, because I think it’s good. But every now and then you’ll get a really horrible one that makes you want to gag. What’s up with that?

You Don't have to be Straight to be in the Military; You just have to be able to Shoot Straight

I have a firm belief that it doesn’t matter what your sexual orientation is, you should be allowed to serve in the military. You don’t have to be straight to be a soldier; you just have to shoot straight. But here are 13 reasons (and dumb reasons at that) originally supplied by BuzzFeed. (They also agree that these claims are poorly backed-up)

“1. Body Art

“In my opinion, the presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts would very likely create an unacceptable risk to those high standards. It will lead to alcohol use, adultery, fraternization, and body art. If we change this rule of 'Don't Ask, Dont Tell' what are we going to do with these other rules?” - Sen. Saxby Chambliss

2. Transgenders and Hermaphrodites

“There has to be a special bond in the Military, and I think that bond is broken if you open up the military to transgenders, to hermaphrodites, to gays and lesbians. Yeah, that's gonna be part of this whole thing. It's not just gays and lesbians. It's a whole gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual community.” Rep. Duncan Hunter

3. Awkward Barrack

“It's not about anti-gay. It's about being comfortable in the barracks” - Bill O'Reilly

4. Gay People Have AIDS

Given the officially recognized correlation between homosexual conduct and HIV infection, it is reasonable to expect that repeal of the law could increase the number of troops who require medical benefits for many years but cannot be deployed.” - Elaine Donnelly, President of the Center for Military Readiness

5. iPhone Shower Photo Scandals

In her 2008 report, Elaine Donnelly talks about how new technology like iPhones make it easier to take photos of cadets in showers.

6. Because Gay People Are Like Fat/Old People

“In order to preserve military effectiveness the military “discriminates” against the overweight, the old (most must retire in their 40s or early 50s). Similarly, it is for the good of the service that homosexuals are not allowed to serve openly.” - Colonel Dave Bedey

7. Black Lesbian Gangs

Elaine Donnelly believes there will be more gang activity. In her 2008 report she told a story about a group of black lesbians who decided to “gang-assault a fellow soldier.

8. There Will Be A Draft

It (the repeal of DADT) ultimately could lead to the imposition of the draft to fill the numbers and quotas of the military.” - Tony Perkins, Louisiana State Representative from District 64 (East Baton Rouge Parish)

9. Flamboyant Displays Of Homosexual Pride

“The sudden change in military structure would add distractions from worrying about accidentally contracting AIDS by sharing showers and quarters to unwanted sexual advances and flamboyant displays of homosexual pride.” - Eugene Delgaudio

10. Abortions?

“If you vote yes, you are voting for open gay activity in our military and abortions in our hospitals.” - Seator Jim Inhofe

11. Soldiers Will Be Unwilling To Die For Their Gay Comrades

“I happen to be Army, and Army and Marines always feel that when we're out there, we're not doing it for the flag or the country; we're doing it for the guy in the next foxhole. And that would dramatically change that.” - Senator Jim Inhofe

12. Exotic Forms Of Sexual Expression

“Exotic forms of sexual expression, forcible sodomy, and inappropriate passive/aggressive actions are common in the homosexual community.” - Elaine Donnelly

13. It Just Doesn't Make Sense

“For those of us…and I'm one of them…who have gone through the military, gone through basic training, and you stop and think… it just doesn't make any sense.” - Senator Jim Inhofe”

All of these reasons are incredibly stupid. Just saying, homosexual people don’t make advances towards straight people because they know they’re not gay. I just can’t believe the ignorance some people have. If someone is willing to die for this country they should be able to join the military. I understand the whole old/fat discrimination but that’s only because of health reasons. A fit young man who also happens to be gay could perform just as well a straight man. And as far as not wanting to sacrifice your life for a gay comrade, that’s bull. If you’re so horrible of a human being that you wouldn’t risk your life to save another fellow American’s then you probably aren’t in the military anyway.

I can’t wait until the generation before me stops having say in politics. All the rules are going to change because the fight for rights for homosexuals will never die.

Swimming Olympic Trials are Held too Late

The swimming Olympic trials are held in late June/early July. While this has always been the case, Natalie Coughlin (eleven time Olympic medalist) thinks that this time is way too late to hold trials.

"I absolutely hate how late we have our Olympic trials, and always have," Coughlin said during a teleconference on April 17, 2012.

 Coughlin, who earned six swimming medals at the 2008 Olympic Games, acknowledges that there are arguments for and against holding Olympic trials earlier. She just doesn't necessarily agree with all of those arguments, she said.

 For instance, the end of the college swimming season could interfere with trials, and some coaches believe that allowing swimmers to qualify for the Olympic team too early makes swimmers complacent.

 It's the second argument that Coughlin doesn't agree with, she said. Because of the advent of post-collegiate and professional swimmers, complacency is less of an issue than it would have been in the past, she said.

 "The way swimming has gone in the past decade or so, having a lot more older swimmers -- a lot more post-graduate and professional swimmers -- I think that the idea of complacency, it's not something that would exists where we're all mature adults," Coughlin said during the teleconference. "The Olympic team 15 years ago was quite a bit younger so it was kind of a different group of people."

 Coughlin argues that holding the trials earlier would allow for more decompression time in between team selection and the Olympic Games. In addition, it would allow athletes to spend more time focusing on the events they are actually swimming in the Games, rather than spending time training for events in which they might not qualify.

 "For swimmers to swim multiple events, we have to qualify in each and every event, and you don't want to be training for an event you're not going to compete in for the London Games," Coughlin said during the teleconference.

 Despite what she sees as a less-than-ideal trials schedule, Coughlin believe the U.S. team will do well and come out on top in London, she said.

 "I think it will work out for the U.S. team, I just think it makes us all a lot more stressed out not knowing what we're doing this summer," Coughlin said during the teleconference. "…So it's difficult. I would prefer the earlier, but there's nothing we can do to change it this time around."

--This review with Coughlin was done by Sandra Johnson

I, too, believe that the trials are too late. By the time that college swimming ends and trials begin there is so much time for relaxation to take place. In order to get the best results the trials should really be during a swimmer’s competitive season or rather, at the very end of it. This way they are the fastest that they can be.

Opera is Good

Phantom of the Opera is one of my all time favorite movies and soundtracks. Here's one of the songs and scenes from the movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej1zMxbhOO0

Maroon 5 Has Still Got It

New song from Maroon 5 is still just as awesome as the ones before!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FlQSQuv_mg&ob=av3e

Is This New Weather REALLY Because of Global Warming?

In one of my previous posts I had posed the question that this new seemingly extreme weather might be the effects of global warming. Here are two differing views to help you decide which side you’re on:

“Global warming is making hot days hotter, rainfall and flooding heavier, hurricanes stronger and droughts more severe.

This intensification of weather and climate extremes will be the most visible impact of global warming in our everyday lives. People who have the least ability to cope with these changes--the poor, very old, very young, or sick--are the most vulnerable.

Extreme Weather's Impact on U.S. Energy Infrastructure

More weather and climate extremes are likely to impact U.S. energy security in ways that have not been adequately considered. For example, major weather-related power outages are already becoming more common, oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf region is at risk as hurricanes and tropical storms intensify, coal transport by rail and barge across the Midwest and Northeast will face more flooding disruptions, and electricity generation in the Southwest will be limited by water shortages and more extreme heat.

Heat Waves

Global warming will bring more extreme heat waves. As the United States warms another 4 to 11°F on average over the next century, we will have more extremely hot summer days. Every part of the country will be affected. Urban areas will feel the heat more acutely because asphalt, concrete and other structures absorb and reradiate heat, causing temperature to be as much as 10°F higher than nearby rural areas.

Extreme Allergies

Unchecked global warming will worsen respiratory allergies for approximately 25 million Americans. Springtime allergies to tree pollens are projected to get worse. In the fall, ragweed is projected to thrive and become more irritating under increased carbon dioxide levels. These potential impacts of global warming could have a significant economic impact: allergies and asthma already cost the United States more than $32 billion annually in direct health care costs and lost productivity.

Winter Weather

Global warming is having a seemingly peculiar effect on winter weather in the northern United States. Winter is becoming milder and shorter on average; spring arrives 10 to 14 days earlier than it did just 20 years ago. But most snowbelt areas are still experiencing extremely heavy snowstorms. Some places are even expected to
have more heavy snowfall events as storm tracks shift northward and as reduced ice cover on the Great Lakes increases lake-effect snowfalls.

Drought

Global warming is shifting precipitation patterns and also increasing evaporation rates. These trends will create persistently drier conditions in some places, including the American Southwest. At the same time, they will intensify the periodic droughts that affect other regions of the country. These longer and drier droughts will have major consequences for water supply, agriculture and wildlife. Although the American Southeast is typically thought of as having abundant water supplies, recent droughts have served as a wake up call for the region.

Wildfires

Catastrophic wildfires just waiting to happen. This is the situation now facing the American West. Wildfire frequency, severity and damages are increasing because of rising temperatures, drying conditions and more lightning brought by global warming, combined with decades of fire suppression that allowed unsafe fuel loads to accumulate, a severe bark beetle infestation that is rapidly decimating trees and ever expanding human settlements in and near forests.

Floods

Global warming has caused more heavy rainfall events in the United States over the last few decades along with an increased likelihood of devastating floods. While no single storm or flood can be attributed directly to global warming, changing climate conditions are at least partly responsible for past trends. Because warmer air can hold more moisture, more and heavier precipitation is expected in the years to come. At the same time, shifts in snowfall patterns, the onset of spring and river-ice melting may all exacerbate some flooding risks.

Hurricanes

Stronger hurricanes, heavier rainfall and rising sea level: this is what global warming has in store for the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts. The latest science indicates that maximum hurricane wind speed will increase 2 to 13 percent and rainfall rates will increase 10 to 31 percent over this century. At the same time, sea-level rise will cause bigger storm surges and further erode the natural defenses provided by coastal wetlands that buffer storm impacts.

Extreme Weather and Climate Justice

More and more Americans will be living in places highly vulnerable to weather and climate extremes as population continues to grow rapidly in cities, along the coasts and in the South. Racial and ethnic minorities will be disproportionately impacted because their populations are concentrated in these places. For example, 56 percent of African Americans live in the Southern United States or in urban areas. Furthermore, global warming will add further stress to existing problems in urban areas, in particular poverty, inequities in access to health care, aging infrastructure and air pollution.”

This article is thanks to the National Wildlife Federation.

Now for a differing view on how it’s not the effects of global warming:

“As part of my exploration of different surface temperature datasets, I’m examining the relationship between average U.S. temperatures and other weather variables in NOAA’s Integrated Surface Hourly (ISH) dataset. (I think I might have mistakenly called it “International” before, instead of “Integrated” Surface Hourly).

Anyway , one of the things that popped out of my analysis is related to our record warm March this year (2012). Connecting such an event to “global warming” would require either lazy thinking, jumping to conclusions, or evidence that the warmth was not caused by persistent southerly flow over an unusually large area for that time of year.

The U.S. is a pretty small place (about 2% of the Earth), and so a single high or low pressure area can cover most of the country. For example, if unusually persistent southerly flow sets up all month over most of the country, there will be unusual warmth. In that case we are talking about “weather”, not “climate change”.

Why do I say that? Because one of the basic concepts you learn in meteorology is “mass continuity”. If there is persistent and widespread southerly flow over the U.S., there must be (by mass continuity) the same amount of northerly flow elsewhere at the same latitude.

That means that our unusual warmth is matched by unusual coolness someplace else.

Well, guess what? It turns out that our record warm March was ALSO a record for southerly flow, averaged over the U.S. This is shown in the next plot, which comes from about 250 weather stations distributed across the Lower 48

Weather records are broken on occasion, even without global warming. And here we see evidence that our March warmth was simply a chance fluctuation in weather patterns.

If you claim, “Well, maybe global warming caused the extra southerly flow!”, you then are also claiming (through mass continuity) that global warming ALSO caused extra northerly flow (with below normal temperatures) somewhere else.

And no matter what anyone has told you, global warming cannot cause colder than normal weather. It’s not in the physics. The fact that warming has been greatest in the Arctic means that the equator-to-pole temperature contrast has been reduced, which would mean less storminess and less North-South exchange of air masses — not more.”

This article thanks to Phd Roy W. Spencer.

So How do you feel about the new weather? Do you believe it is the effects of global warming, or just nothing that should be a big deal?

Landshark Rap

Watch out...this song will get stuck in your head...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swsEvb2yytU

Here's an Idea For You...

Recently I had almost an epiphany. I refer to it as almost one because the idea might actually not work as well in reality as it does in my head.

The US national debt is over 15.5 trillion dollars and rising. Breaking that down, per citizen it’s about 50,000 dollars; per taxpayer it’s about 140,000 dollars; the US federal budget deficit is about 1.3 trillion dollars; and US federal spending is over 3.5 trillion dollars. (Deficit is per year what debt we have while the debt is overall what has been accumulated.)

Now the whole idea of getting rid of the deficit is for consumers to start spending more money so that aggregate demand will increase. To do this, you’ll have to cut taxes and increase government spending.

–Which by the way, ignore the republicans budget idea for the new election because it is a proven fact in economics that if they cut government spending, we’re going to hit another recession. If government spending decreases then aggregate demand does as well which means less GDP, less spending, and a lower price level.

If we’re going to cut taxes then that reduces the amount of money going into the budget. Also by increasing spending the government will have to borrow the money in order to increase their spending, which in turn, will increase consumer spending. So basically it’s just a vicious cycle of debt and it seems there is no way out.

But here’s my idea. There are plenty of rich people out there that earn billions a year or more and I bet that they don’t use every last cent of that earned money. I think it would be extremely beneficial if everyone that earns over 1 million dollars per year contributes to paying back our national debt, just out of the goodness in their hearts. If they could contribute each year more than 1.5 trillion dollars (all together) then we can begin to bring the debt down and get this nation to feel secure again.

However, a lot of these rich people are just big jerks like Mitt Romney and won’t help out the people who are affected by an increasing deficit because they’re still earning millions to billions of dollars. Hell, I even bet that some of those super rich people don’t even realize how big of a problem this deficit is. They’re going to sit there and spend millions on a new clothing line instead of helping out the nation they live in for our future generations.

If I was a billionaire, I’d totally donate my money to decrease the deficit and not expect a penny back.

Snow in Late April?!?

A large snowstorm came barreling through the Northeast on Monday, threatening to drop 16 inches in some areas and frustrate commuters.

By Monday morning, Newfield, New York, was reporting 10 inches of snow, while Ridgebury, Pennsylvania, had 8 inches. More accumulation was expected, especially in higher elevations.

The blustery blast follows a mild winter that saw little snow and the warmest March on record.

"The last time we had a big snowstorm across the East Coast was back in October," when fall foliage was still on the trees, said CNN Meteorologist Rob Marciano. "This has been a crazy, crazy winter" in the region, he said.

 Snowstorms of this magnitude are very rare for this late in April. Forecasters expect record snowfall for this time of year in some areas. "We have a forestry division on standby that they're going to be ready to respond to any tree problems and issues that we have," Rob Kaczorowski of Pittsburgh Public Works told CNN affiliate KDKA-TV. Regarding snow removal, he said, this "will be a wet, slushy snow and we'll be in a plow mode actually pushing the slush off the street."

The highest recorded snowfall for Pittsburgh on this date was a half-inch in 1956. Up to 5 inches of snow are forecast for Monday, the weather service said.

Snowfall rates in central Pennsylvania are expected to reach 1 inch per hour at times on Monday afternoon, said CNN Meteorologist Sean Morris. One "bull's-eye is Dubois, Pennsylvania," he said.

Another is Erie, Pennsylvania, where snowfalls totals along the southern side of Lake Erie could reach 16 inches, Morris said. "The snow will be heavy and wet. The weight of the snow accumulating on trees combined with gusty winds could cause branches to come down on power lines, resulting in widespread power outages," he said.

Snowfall amounts of 6 to 14 inches are forecast for the Allegheny Mountains of western Pennsylvania and near Lake Erie, the National Weather Service said. Snow advisories also are posted for West Virginia, western New York and extreme northeastern Ohio.

The snow won't last long, Morris said. Temperatures are expected to rise into the 40s and 50s this week, with overnight lows remaining above freezing.

Meanwhile, rain will challenge commuters along other parts of the Eastern Seaboard for parts of Monday, spilling precipitation from the Washington area into Maine. Flood advisories are in place across the region as the forecast calls for 2 to 4 inches of rain and widespread urban flooding.

The storm could also play havoc with air traffic in major business centers like New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, which will be subject to wind gusts of up to 31 mph in addition to the rain, forecasters said.

The storm could also snarl New York City's sprawling mass transit system.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority was preparing for potential problems, including the possibility of snow affecting Metro North service upstate.

"The MTA has put together its emergency plans and preparations," Joseph Lhota, executive director of the authority, told affiliate NY1. "The subway system, Long Island Railroad and Metro North as well as all of our bridges and tunnels are on alert with the concern of wind as well as the amount of water that we're about to receive."

The Long Island Power Authority also braced for the storm's fury. "LIPA crews are ready to respond to any potential power outages caused by damaging winds and will work ... to restore power as quickly and safely as possible," the utility's website said.

The system rained out both the Mets and Yankees baseball games on Sunday.

A "pattern shift in the jet stream over the weekend" caused the weather change, with temperatures dropping in the country's eastern half and spiking in the west, said CNN Meteorologist Sarah Dillingham. "This trend will continue through Tuesday and Wednesday," though by Wednesday temperatures will be working their way closer to normal, she said.

--This article thanks to CNN

After reading this it makes me happy to be in Iowa. We usually have the worst winters here in the Midwest and now it seems as though the tables have turned and now the other states get to experience what winter really is. I even remember when it snowed in May when I was younger. However, due to the extremely mild winter that Iowa had, our temperatures now seem cold. But had we of had our normal winter weather, these temperature would be super warm.

But one big question follows all of this crazy weather: Is this the cause of global warming?...

Swimmers Don't Just Swim

When swimmers have to train for their upcoming season obviously you would imagine that they swim a lot to prepare. What a lot of people don’t realize, though, is that swimmers also need to do dryland (workouts not in the water).

Abs are essential to every swimmer, there isn’t a time in the water that they aren’t using their abs. Plus legs workouts like lunges and squats also help for kicking. Finally, lifting helps the muscles grow stronger so it’s easier to go faster in the water.

Iron and Exercise

When exercising, and especially swimming, there’s an obvious need for protein. But what some people don’t realize it that iron is just as necessary.

We can get iron from two sources: meat and fish or plant foods. Even though both kinds are absorbed and used by the body, iron that comes from meat and fish, rather than plants, is easier to be absorbed by the body. The reason that iron is so helpful to a swimmer is because iron helps transport oxygen to cells. If a swimmer is iron-deficient then there won’t be as much oxygen going into the muscles. Considering that a swimmer uses every muscle, oxygen is very important to have in them.

Oddly enough, as you age the need for iron increases. This is because blood volume expands naturally. Below are the general requirements for males and females:

Male

9-13 years: 8 mg per day

 14-18 years 11 mg per day

Female

9-13 years: 8 mg per day

14-18 years: 15 mg per day

The reason that girls need to almost double their intake of iron once they hit puberty is because of the loss of blood due to menstruation.

If you don’t get enough iron then it is possible to get fatigue or lack of energy, paleness, low body temperature, chronic infections/colds, and reduced academic performance. If you don’t have the sufficient amount of iron for too long, it is possible that you could then develop anemia.

Swimmers and other endurance athletes are at higher risk for iron deficiency anemia. This is because of blood cell breakdown during exercise, making iron more of a concern. Children and teens who are picky eaters, dieters, meal skippers or who have a poor quality diet (more junk food than healthy options) are also more at risk for iron deficiency.

Possible foods that are rich in iron include liver, red meats, poultry, and fish. As far as other foods go that aren’t meat then iron rich foods include spinach, kale, beans, tofu, fruits or raisins, iron-fortified cereals, iron-fortified bread, bagels, muffins, soy, almonds, and cashews.

If you feel like you don’t have enough iron in your diet, here are some tips on how to get more:

-Plan to include iron-rich foods at each meal.
-Vitamin C promotes iron absorption of non-meat sources. Pair citrus juices, fruits such as strawberries and mango, and other sources of vitamin C with plant-based iron-rich foods.
---Example: iron-fortified cereal with raisins and a glass of orange juice
-Protein helps iron absorption. When meat is combined with iron sources (the “meat factor,”), absorption of iron increases 2-3 times!
---Example: Enchiladas with lean ground beef and beans; steak and spinach

A great example is a simple iron-rich smoothie:
4-6 ounces of orange juice
½ - 1 cup of baby spinach leaves (or kale)
1 cup of frozen berries (raspberries, blueberries, or other)
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt or iron-fortified tofu

Teach Tolerance, Not Defense

On February 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. Trayvon was a 17 year old African American male who was unarmed. Trayvon was staying at his father’s girlfriend’s house in a gated community. His father and girlfriend had decided to go out to dinner that night and Trayvon decided to watch the NBA that night. He walked to the gas station to get skittles and an ice tea and while walking back Zimmerman followed him.

Zimmerman thought Trayvon was acting suspicious and called the police who told him to just stop following him so they could take care of it. Zimmerman had shot Trayvon in the chest and when police arrived he said that he did so in self-defense. Since Florida has a Stand Your Ground law (which allows you to use a weapon against someone if you feel as though you’re in danger) Zimmerman was released from custody without charges. When Trayvon’s father got home he figured Trayvon went out to a movie with his cousin so he then fell asleep. But when his father woke up in the morning Trayvon still was not there. The police came to the door and showed him a picture of a young boy, dead; lying on the ground with a bullet wound and asked if this was his son. It, in fact, was his son Trayvon Martin.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma two men were caught and charged with 3 counts of first-degree murder and 2 counts of shooting with intent to kill. Jake England and Alvin Watts went on a shooting spree on five African Americans. The case is still being examined as a hate crime, even though the shooters say they aren’t racist. However England had posted really vulgar racial slurs on his Facebook status on the anniversary of his father’s death, which had died because of a murder from a black man. He wrote: “Today is two years that my dad has been gone shot by a f—— n—– it’s hard not to go off between that and sheran I’m gone in the head.”

Early this morning in Cedar Rapids, Iowa a man was shot and killed at a show club. Police arrived around 12:45am to find a man suffering from a gunshot wound. Although he was rushed to the hospital for treatment, he died shortly after. The man was shot in the parking lot and although the name of the victim will not be given out to the public until his family is notified, friends of his on Facebook are giving him a farewell to his death this morning. When I read up on people’s post for him, it turns out he was African American.

With all these outbreaks of hate crimes, should guns really be allowed to the public? Should we really have the right to carry or conceal a weapon? At first, I thought people should be able to carry a weapon, but after all these recent killings I’m not so sure anymore. If you’re trying to protect yourself in an act of self-defense then pepper spray could do the trick. No one would have to die. If guns weren’t allowed then they would be harder to find and other less damaging weapons would be used. This could also help that when hate crimes are committed those victims don’t die.

So I think I’m starting to lean towards the fact that people shouldn’t be allowed to have guns. Innocent lives are being taken and it’s not fair for them or their grieving families. What I find even worse is that we grow up in a society that teaches us how to defend ourselves against bad people; we aren’t simply taught to not be bad people. Why can’t we be taught to be tolerant of everyone? It’s the environment that people grow up in that decides whether they will be violent or not. So I think we need to change the environment by teaching people to be tolerant of others instead of teaching them how to defend yourself from the intolerance.

Animals Deserve As Much Respect As Humans

Considering that I am a vegetarian, I find animal rights to be very important. I don’t eat any meat or fish because I do not agree with the inhumane ways of catching or killing them.

Most of all, cows. Along with whales, cows are my favorite animals. I stopped eating beef over a year ago because I learned how they treat them. Farmers keep cows in a confined area and just continuously feed them so that they get obese. They can’t run around much so they just keep eating until they’re fat enough that they’d sell for big bucks when the farmer kills them. How is that okay at all?

Next comes fish. Fishermen on big boats that catch fish for the American population are ruining our seas. We are catching too many for the fish to survive. We have to keep going out into deeper and deeper waters because the ones close no longer have any fish. Soon enough, the ocean in its entirety will no longer supply fish. Plus the way that they catch them is really upsetting. They use huge nets and either scroll it along the bottom or just go in and come out.

By scrolling the net across the bottom of the ocean they are ruining the ocean floor by kicking up everything that lives on there and moving it around. When they put the net in and then pull it back out it’s incredibly common to catch something other than what you wanted. So many sea turtles, dolphins, and other kinds of fish get caught in the net and either dies because they can’t get air, or die because they aren’t supposed to breathe air. The fishermen then just throw those animals away as if they were a waste.

In fact, right now the population of tuna is rapidly declining. Because of the over-fishing Blue Fin tuna are now going extinct. They way that they catch these tuna? They use about four boats to corral a bunch of tuna into one area and then they pull them out as they are leaping out of the water and then gut them right then and there.

Finally, chickens. Companies that supply chickens for a large corporation (such as McDonald’s) keep the chickens locked in their cage. They come every now and then to pick up any new eggs, but for the most part, most chickens are just crammed together in a barn and have just about zero ability to move. They just get to poop and pee everywhere and be forced to live in it.

I know by me deciding not to eat animals, it doesn’t do a huge difference. But I’m not trying to make a difference. I just don’t want to be a part of the horrible in-humane ways that people get their meat to the market. I don’t want that on my conscience.

Now although majority of farms treat their animals horribly, there are organic farms that treat their animals just as if they were loved pets. These farmers make sure everyone knows and puts it on the label that they treat their animals well. I think if I ever decide to eat meat again, I’m going only for those brands.

Warmer Weather = Sooner Jobs

This past March has been one of the warmest on record all across the United States. Not only are students and children enjoying it but so are the construction workers.

Because the temperature is so warm, employees in the construction field are able to start earlier. This has caused unemployment to shrink earlier than it usually would for these seasonal jobs.

In fact, this entire winter we have received very mild weather making temperatures warmer than usual at the very starting of this year. January brought an increase of about 7,000 jobs, and the Connecticut Department of Labor announced on March 29 that approximately 5,500 additional private sector jobs were added in the month of February. In New Haven, unemployment fell from 12.5 percent in January to 11.7 percent in February. Seven months in a row now the economy has been obviously growing and unemployment shrinking.

Because of this weather, private construction jobs are more likely to occur rather than jobs on the highway which will take place later this year. But for now, businesses, universities, and hospitals can receive construction earlier than last year.

New Warning Sirens

We all know the sound of a tornado warming siren. That siren that seems to get strong and pull back and do it over and over. But how often do we really listen to it? What’s the real ratio of tornado siren warnings to actual tornados? Well, the sirens probably win.

Because we often hear the warnings more than we see the actual tornado it’s not uncommon for us to not take action when we hear the siren. I know I’m guilty of that. I’ll hear a siren go off and I’ll go ahead and step outside and look around at the storm because I don’t feel the danger in doing so. Our sirens went off so often last year it seemed like our weather service was in a completely different area considering our storms weren’t that damaging. In fact, a lot of people don’t react much to tornado sirens because they aren’t one hundred percent sure that it’s coming. They will wait and look for additional information to really confirm that a tornado is heading towards them.

Now that people are used to the sirens it doesn’t seem like a big deal when they go off. But recently the tornadoes have been horrific. The National Weather Service is actually planning to change the sirens to give more of a scare to people so that they listen and take shelter.

The new sirens aren’t set to release in every state yet; it will mostly be in the states that have recently been hit by the sweep of tornadoes. They are planning to say something about how the damage will be so catastrophic the land will be unrecognizable after the storm is over. The goals of this new warning system are as follows:

- Provide a non-routine warning mechanism that prompts people to take immediate life-saving action in extreme events like strong and violent tornadoes.

- Be impact-based more than phenomenon-based for clarity on risk assessment.

- Be compatible with NWS technological, scientific and operational capabilities.

- Be compatible with external local warning systems and emerging mobile communications technology.

- Be easily understood and calibrated by the public to facilitate decision making.

- Maintain existing "probability of detection" for severe weather events.

- Diminish the perception of false alarms and their impacts on credibility

-These are the kind of warnings that will go out:

Standard Tornado Warning: These warnings are the basic warnings issued by the National Weather Service. These are generally the sirens that are used all across the United States.

Potentially Dangerous Situation (PDS) Tornado Warning: If a PDS Tornado Warning is issued, then it means that the storm has a tornado on the ground that was spotted by a storm chaser or the public. This is the second highest warning that could be issued by the National Weather Service.

Tornado Emergency: In a tornado emergency, a large tornado is on the ground producing a lot of damage and is headed towards a populated city. This is the highest possible warning used to alert people. It has already been used in some cities as of last year when super cell storms were occurring.

These warnings are going to be launched in St. Louis, Kansas City, Topeka, Wichita, and Springfield, Missouri. If they prove to be more effective than the previous warning system then it will be expanded to the entire nation within the following years.

A Drill to Help Students Realize That They Won't be Protected

With the recent outbreak of tornados, our school decided to practice our tornado drill. I know I can’t be the only one, but our procedure is incredibly stupid.

My class had to stand in a hallway for our protection. Classes had to walk out of their safe rooms to a different hallway so different classrooms could be protected in that room. Many classes have to walk down a hallway that has glass windows covering an entire side of the hallway in order to stand in a hallway that has doors on each side, pretty much making it a wind tunnel.

I remember in middle school when the whole school just went down to the locker rooms. I understand that our locker rooms in high school aren’t big enough for everyone, but we need that underground and strongly supported area rather than a hallway. I just find it really annoying that the administration didn’t find a safer way for us to find protection during a tornado.

March 4th Solar Flare

The starting of this month had begun with an intense solar flare from the sun. An active region on the sun unleashed a flare on March 4^th labeled as an X1.1-class solar flare. Solar flares are rated by letter with M being a medium eruption and C-class being a weak eruption.

This eruption ejected a fast moving cloud of plasma (otherwise known as a coronal mass ejection, or CME) into space. It wasn’t expected to hit Earth but it was expected to create minor geomagnetic storms. Some of these minor issues could include delaying of flights due to interference of radio waves, GPS systems not being able to connect to towers because of the interference, and satellite dishes also failing. I personally experienced Direct TV going down. The show had turned into a black screen and the next screen to follow was Direct TV apologizing because sometimes the sun interferes with its broadcasting.

The X-ray flux of X class flares increases the ionization of the upper atmosphere, which can interfere with short-wave radio communication and can heat the outer atmosphere. This can cause increased drag on low orbiting satellites, leading to orbital decay.

But solar flares also cause the aurora borealis (or Northern Lights) be able to be seen stronger and brighter and even further south than usual.

Although there were only minor issues from this solar flare, it is possible that Earth will see more of those and even stronger ones to come.

A lead researcher as NASA says that the region where the flare came from (AR1429) has been highly active recently. The region is at least 5 times larger than Earth and is actually expected to continue growing. If the flares continue to get stronger, they could be strong enough to knock out power grids and be hazardous to astronauts on the International Space Station. The astronauts could receive dangerous amount of radiation from the X and UV rays coming from the solar flare.

Considering the sun is rotating the active region towards Earth, the flares will have a more direct path to hit us. That being said, it could potentially cause much more damage.

These sun spots are created by intense magnetic activity. The spots can sometimes erupt into storms and send streams of plasma and charged particles into space. Every 11 years the sun’s activity hits a peak. The next solar maximum is expected to build up in 2013.

TSA Goes Extreme or TSA is Being Cautionary?

With new restrictions, and a few old removed, there is still plenty of uproar about the screening for security at airports. One of the biggest problems being brought up is the question on whether pat downs are really needed for kids and the elderly or not.

Recently, a young boy with his parents, two siblings and his grandparents were ready to get on the plane for a Disney vacation. When passing through security the young boy (3 years old) was pulled aside for more direct screening. The boy, in a wheelchair and leg cast, had to be patted down and have his cast swabbed. The family was told they couldn’t intervene so they weren’t allowed to touch him. During the pat down, the little boy reached out to his father wanting his dad to hold his hand and give him a hug because he was trembling with fear. All his parent could do was act like it was all okay so the boy wouldn’t feel the need to panic. The TSA even swabbed the boy’s hands twice to look for traces of explosives.

In this same situation, an elderly person also gets pulled aside for screening; an elderly person with a cane. The video of this recent incident is below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YNO-AzPxS4U#!

Other incidents that relate to this include a baby that got pat down in May 2011. One man took a picture of a woman being held aside by the TSA officers while her son, an infant, gets a pat down. He then posted the picture on Twitter exclaiming that this was too extreme. This picture wound up getting over 310,000 views.

Another incident includes a 6 year old girl receiving a pat down. In the video it shows a TSA agent explaining the procedure to the girl’s mother and then pulling the girl aside. She makes the girl spread out her arms and legs and tells her they will have to pat down “sensitive areas”. The young girl complains to her mom and asks if she could just be re-scanned. Her father said that she began to cry after the pat down.

The TSA has been pressured to change the rules now because of criticism of these incidents. Soon they will no longer require children under the age of 12 to remove their shoes for screening. They will also have modified pat downs as well as reduce the number of pat downs given to children. This means that the TSA will have the children walk through metal detectors and imaging machines multiple times to capture a clear picture and they will be using hand swabs more often to detect traces of explosives.

I understand the concern of having to watch your kids be scared of being pat down, but at the same time, it needs to be done. If it’s such a problem then just drive to your destination because it’s actually cheaper than flying these days. A terrorist would be smart to tell a kid to hide an explosive or to somehow attach it to an elderly person because they aren’t the normal suspects. The TSA is doing their job of keeping this country safe.

I never flew on a plane until 8^th grade. Up until then, my parents always drove us on vacation because we didn’t have the money for flights when we were really young. I think that’s a safer route to go. Wait until your kids can understand the TSA’s motives before you make them go on a plane. I understand if the TSA pulled me aside that all they are trying to do is make sure all the passengers will be safe on the flight. Because I understand that, I wouldn’t be afraid or have some huge issue with being pat down. I get that it’s invasive but really, I’d rather have that than be killed by someone’s hidden bomb.

Indiana Tornado

This is a video of a tornado that hit Indiana. The video becomes less interesting as they're running away and not focusing on the tornado. But this just shows how quickly one can form. Within a matter of minutes the sky darkened and the funnel formed and produced a tornado.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5fLJAk98pE&feature=related

The Problems With Christian Religion

Currently I am reading a book called Washed and Waiting by Wesley Hill. This book is about the author telling his struggles of being a homosexual and trying to still be a Christian. I saw this book and was interested because I know that I have Christian beliefs and also am homosexual.

This book is a really good read. It seems like a fast read but it’s very dense, for me anyway. A lot of things weighed heavy on my mind just entering the first chapter.

One thing that continues to annoy me is when people say that homosexuals are going to hell because “God hates fags” and all that other crap. First of all, my God is perfect. Therefore, that means he is incapable of hate and he can only love everyone equally. If there are people who think that their God can actually hate people, then they obviously see their God as imperfect which seems to be demeaning of the authority God should have.

People say that God hates gays because in the Bible and in the Gospel it is said that if a man lay down with another man like he would with a woman then that is an abomination. I’m not saying that the Gospel or Bible doesn’t say that, and I’m not even saying that’s incorrect. My point of view is that God (or Jesus) did not write the Gospel or Bible. My perfect God did not write either of those. An imperfect man wrote those from his own ideals of what God is to him. Why should I follow what a mere imperfect man has to say about God? I just don’t see how that makes any sense at all.

Another thing that bothers me is the fact that some churches will allow for you to be gay but homosexual sex is not allowed. This is because you are not to have sex before marriage in the Christian religion and since gays can’t get married in the church (the only place a Christian is expect to be married) then they can never have sex.

Now the whole idea of that is because Jesus never had sex. He never gave into his temptations and his followers should be just the same and deny sex. However, there actually have been many stories saying that Jesus indeed did have sex. He had sex (and potentially married) Mary Magdalene. There are stories that say they also had kids together. Literally half of the people believed this when the Bible and Gospel were written. But the people that were chosen were from the other half that believed that this wasn’t true. So technically, the Bible and Gospel are both bias sources.

There have been facts all across Jerusalem that gives evidence to the fact that Jesus did have children. However, the people who decided to depict the life of Jesus Christ for every follower turned up their noses to that evidence and wrote what they believed.

I personally do think that Jesus and Mary had kids. I think what makes a loyal man is one who can be faithful to a woman and his children. Just because he was perfect and he’s the savior in the Christian religion, doesn’t mean he has to be celibate. I really don’t think that has anything to do with it.

I think that the Christian religion tries way too hard to shun gays. Honestly, if you are a true Christian, you’ll accept everyone and love everyone no matter what. That’s what Jesus did; he loved every single person. If you’re Christian then you should be striving to act in a holy way as Jesus did so you should love everyone no matter what.