Summer and Future Plans

I don't have any major plans for the summer yet.  There will be a few parties, hanging out, and catching up on movies/shows, but nothing thrilling.  I know that I'm going up to New York for a bit to help my mom with selling our families old summer home, but that isn't going to be very vacation-y.  I'm also going to North Carolina to help paint and get together stuff in my parent's new house.  They're not moving for a couple of years, but we have to get ready for when they do.  Unfortunately, neither of these places will have internet or cable.  I don't really know what I'm going to do with myself without it.  I have been planning on getting a better phone with a data plan though, so before I leave would probably be a good time to get one.  It would be fun to go on a big vacation, but it wouldn't be very practical to. My dad is leaving for Afghanistan in about two weeks, and my brother is going to Poland on a Full Bright scholarship some time at the end of summer, which makes having a family trip somewhere a bit difficult.   I feel bad leaving my mom at home in the fall without anyone else there, especially when except for her and me, no one will even be in the same continent. I'm sure everything will work out okay though even if it's a bit trickier to manage.

College

So after getting back all of my college decisions, I decided on Pittsburgh.  I'm not really sure how I feel about it, except for the fact that it would be INCREDIBLY stupid to turn down over $100,000 and get out of college without any debt.  My decision got narrowed down to Hopkins, UVA, William & Mary, and Pitt pretty fast mostly because I ignored safety schools.  I decided that I didn't want to waste a ton of money on college when I'm planing on going to graduate school or medical school anyway, so that knocked out Hopkins. I also really dislike Baltimore. Then it was between Pitt and UVA because it seemed like it would be a better fit than William & Mary.  I'm not sure if I'm sad that I'm not going to UVA or not.  A lot of people I really like are going there, so it would be nice to be at the same place as them, but there are also just SO many people I know going there.  I guess I'm kind of happy that I get to go somewhere new and meet new people.  I'm a bit worried I made the wrong decision though. Pittsburgh should have some good things I hope though.  I definitely prefer cities to college towns and activity wise it should be better in terms of shopping and dining.  I also know it has a much larger and better medical program, but I feel like I'm just trying to convince myself that I want to go there.  I hope I get more excited about everything over the summer. 

Senior Year

Overall, I don't think this year went too horribly.  I actually thought it was going to be worse than it was considering that I took 5 APs and 2 dual enrolled classes with a total of 7 AP tests.  If I did well enough on tests to pass out of a lot of things, then I'd be pretty happy.  I'm not sure if I want to try to graduate early or not, but knocking out a bunch of gen ed classes would be nice. I'm definitely starting as a sophomore credit wise, but if I didn't fail this year on the tests then it could almost be as a junior, which would be pretty cool.  I don't really get why some people think this year was that bad even with a heavy course load.  I still got plenty of sleep and had time to do a lot of other things.  I definitely don't regret taking all of the classes that I took, even though it looked like it was going to be terrible.  I feel like if i essentially took a full college course load this year, then adjusting to next year shouldn't be as bad.  I'm trying to convince myself that anyway so I don't start worrying before I'm even there.

Current Event #4

The New York Times post, "How Exercise Can Jog the Memory," talks about the relation between exercise and other processes of the body. Through numerous studies, it has been proven that exercise is capable of influencing brain functioning and emotions.  A new study on the memory impacts of exercise suggests that it is a more complicated relationship than previously supposed.  An experiment at Dartmouth last month that tested long term exercise on memory performance.  The volunteers where largely sedentary before the study but some were required to exercise regularly over a 4week period.  Half of the exercising group walked or jogged before the testing, and the other half didn't. The non exercising group followed a similar procedure so half exercised that day for the first time since the start of the study, and the rest didn't.  The people who exercised over the month and exercised that day had the largest changes.  The group that exercised over the month, but didn't that day also reported higher scores and wellness but not to the same extent.  The group that didn't exercise over the month of that day had no change.  Finally the group that didn't exercise over the month, but did that day were more agitated and anxious than they were on the previous visit.  This suggests that exercise is recommended overall for long term brain health, but there it is not cut and dried for how the brain responds to exercise.

I was mostly just looking for a fourth article, and this one seemed unobjectionable.  I think how systems in the body are tied together is interesting too.  New studies that add to the every growing list of the positives of exercise is also good to keep in mind.  The article was well written, and it was also interesting.  I enjoyed reading it, and thought the manner in which they performed the test was clever. 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/how-exercise-can-jog-the-memory/?ref=health

Current Event #3

The New York Times article, "More Genes Than Humans: The Tomato Decoded," takes about the study of Tomatoes' genetic composition.  Tomatoes have 31,760 genes which is 7,000 more than humans have.  Various plant geneticists studied the tomato to try to decode the genome to breed better ones. The tomato which is technically a fruit in classification was actually declared a vegetable by the Supreme Court.  This was an odd decision, but the tomato does have many similarities to its close relative the potato.  Understanding the genome of the tomato could reveal insight into other plants of its family.  The fact that tomatoes have more genes than humans doesn't mean that it is more complex, it just has a different way of managing cell based things.  The tomato family has genetic complexity because it gained genes.  In some instances it has as much as 3 times as much DNA.  while this sounds like a problem, the change of having what is called triplication of DNA may have been what saved tomatoes from what ended the dinosaurs, as the change occurred on the same time frame. 

This article choice was pretty random, but it just struck me as funny. Also, I had to click on it to see what the implications of tomatoes having more genes than humans were.  It was well written and had some interesting facts like the Supreme Court ruling on tomatoes.  I enjoyed the article, and I would have picked a different article had I not enjoyed it. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/science/the-tomato-ripe-juicy-and-bursting-with-genes.html?_r=1&ref=science

Current Event #2

The New York Times article, "Plan to Tax Soda Gets a Mixed Reception," covers the responses from Richmond, California residents to the state's proposed soda tax.  The tax proposes to put a one-cent per ounce tax on soda and other sugar sweetened drinks.  While may of the people interviewed has issues with diabetes, heart disease, blood pressure problems, and other ailments,  many still did not see the necessity of the soda tax and did not like what it said.  This tax is likely to most impact the impoverished because money is tight and unhealthy foods are often the cheapest.  Soda on average is significantly less expensive to buy than even water.  The article sited other startling stats like that two-thirds of teenagers drink an average of 1.8 sugar-sweetened drinks a day. The calories from soda also add up in the long term with the math of a soda having around 240 calories, this equates to around 150,000 extra calories which could cause 20 pounds of weight gain in one year alone.  The soda tax also raises issues on what else could be taxed in the near future like pastries and other unhealthy choices. If the tax is not enough to deter people from drinking soda, the money will at least help California to fund more public projects.

The topic of taxing certain food items in an attempt to limit the growing health crisis in the US has been coming up frequently, and this article caught my eye.  It was well written, as all New York Times articles are.  It was a fairly interesting article and I thought the perspectives of people in opposition to the tax were interesting.  I don't particularly like soda and rarely drink it, so it doesn't seem like a big deal to me, but for some people it is.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/us/richmond-calif-seeks-to-tax-sweetened-beverages.html?ref=health

Current Event #1

The article from the New York Times, "To Save Some Species, Zoos Must Let Others Die," presents the growing difficult choices that zoos and animal sanctuaries in the United States must face recently.  As more animals are being placed on the endangered list and at the brink of extinction, it is critical that care be given to protect these animals.  However, it seems an impossible task to save every species that faces this gloomy outlook.  Zoos are being forced to efficiently allocate resources to best serve a select few species that have the best chance at surviving and breeding.  The need for zoos to conserve animal species is switching the purpose of zoos away from primarily entertainment purposes. This causes problems in what to  spend money on and what not to spend money.  For example, sea lions are not endangered and fine out in the wild, but in one zoo they were given an $18 million dollar new pool because they are one of the most popular features.  The balance that must be reached to do the most good for animals is between conserving endangered animals while collecting income off showier species. 

I chose this article because it struck me as interesting, and I am concerned with the protection of wild life.  I was also curious about the tough decisions that zoos had to make.  The article was well written and informative so I enjoyed it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/28/science/zoos-bitter-choice-to-save-some-species-letting-others-die.html?ref=science

Current Event #6: Limited Impact of Tibetan Activism

Days before a meeting between Brazil, Russia, India, and China in New Delhi, a Tibetan man set himself on fire near India’s parliament during a protest against Chinese rule in Tibet. He died shortly after, but the main concern Chinese officials had was not the strength of his protest about Tibet but to avoid embarrassment on behalf of President Hu Jintao during his visit to India.  Incidents of this type are not uncommon in Tibetan protests with a similar example in New Delhi in 1998 and more than 30 other cases of self-immolation recently.

China does not seem to worried by Tibetan protests because many Western countries are more focused on securing Chinese help for other international and economic issues than focusing on the internal problems with Tibet.  Avoiding confronting China in favor of cooperation means that Tibetan protests are not given much attention.  China has been forced to be non-committal about other problems as a result of its issues with Tibet for fear that taking a stand in support of intervening in another country like Syria will lead to support for anti-government protests in China.

Tibetan protests have caused the government of China to become more strict and increase security.  All Tibetans involved in the protest or practicing self-immolation are being called terrorists.  Media is portraying the Dalai Lama as fascist who wishes to remove other ethnic groups from Tibet.  It seems that protests will continue despite the fact that their purpose and effectiveness is very limited.

http://www.economist.com/node/21551540

Current Event #5: China's World Pressures: Then and Now

China's economic growth and increasing world influence has changed how they can act in regards to foreign policy.  In the past, China could attempt to stay out of issues and involvement in far away places like Iraq last decade. China's president at the time, Jiang Zemin, said, "The Iraq problem is relatively far away from us. But I think, as I made clear in my discussion with President Bush just now, the important thing is that peace is to be valued most.”  Instead of becoming entangled with random foreign issues, China focused on domestic growth and internal issues. 

Now, given China's dependence on large amounts of oil and the extent to which they have officials in other countries, it is impossible not to get involved.  China is projected to require 266 million tons of oil this year so it must be concerned with oil-producing regions.  China also was forced to evacuate 35,000 officials from Libya last year after things fell apart last year.

With the recent events in Iran and the Middle East, China has been receiving pressure from many countries to adopt a hard policy on Iran.  While countries like America, Israel, and Saudi Arabia are urging China to take a stand with them, with China's energy and commercial needs this could be detrimental to their economy. They are feeling a similar pressure about Syria as it grows more chaotic by the day.  China's importance has become so large that they much speak out regardless of whether the involved countries are in a close proximity or not.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/analects/2012/02/china-and-world

Current Event #4:Foxconn and Labor Laws

Foxconn's iPhone factories have recently been receiving a lot of attention based on working conditions.  Apple hired the Fair Labor Association to investigate the factories and there was an ABC documentary on factories and the working conditions there.  While many of the workers in these factories are living better lives than they would be without factory jobs and living in villages, the working conditions in China as a whole are still sub par.  

Because many people believe that the factories have poor working conditions, they argue that out sourced products should be sent to countries South Korea, Taiwan, or Japan which all have better enforced laws.  This is a faulty argument that would actually further hurt Chinese factory workers however.  It would be impossible to avoid importing tons of things from China, so instead of thinking of how to avoid supporting their poorly enforced labor laws, companies should try to change them.  Companies that outsource their labor would be in a position of power to force Chinese factories to improve working conditions to a satisfactory level.  

As information is more easily accessible, the preference for free trade and good working conditions are more important to consumers.   Often it would also be in keeping with brand images like Apple's image.  Increasing openness in the Chinese factories and their conditions would help to guarantee better working conditions which would help all parties involved from workers to consumers. 

http://www.economist.com/blogs/2012/02/foxconn-and-labour-laws

Current Event #3: China's Surplus is Shrinking

China has recently been condemned for its large trade surplus which is believed to be a result of it's currency being undervalued.  One calculation for the yuan by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggests that it is undervalued by about 23%.  While IMF has not given specific guidelines for what the norm of a country's currency should be, it is suggested to be about 2.9% of GDP.  Large account surpluses go hand in hand with cheap currency.  However in 2011, China's surplus shrank to 2.8% of GDP which is the smallest surplus relative to economic size since 2002.  

The future of China's surplus is in question.  Some predict that China's surplus could grow again if there is a recovery of export markets and prices for commodities fall.  Others believe that it may fall within1% next year and could be negative within two years.  Even with their economic imbalances seeming to straighten out China's economy is not totally stable.  The narrower surplus suggests that there has been more investment as opposed to consumption as a portion of the GDP which would be impossible to sustain in the long term so there could still be a large internal imbalance. 

This may prompt the Chinese government to rebalance the economy.  Private consumption has been increasing at a rate slower than the economy in general, but this also could be a result of improper calculations of figures by including things that are not typically counted in measurements.  Given the shear size of China's economy the balance and magnitude of growth and surpluses can have agreat impact.  Moving forward, this should be given extra attention.

http://www.economist.com/node/21547826

Current Event #2: China Objects to European Proposal to Limit Pollution from Airplanes

China recently objected to the European Union's proposed plan to reduce environmentally harmful emissions from airplanes.  Their plan went into effect for many countries on January 1st and requires all airlines flying into the EU to buy tradable carbon credits.  Many countries are not happy with this new policy, but this week China banned its airlines from participating without approval from the government.  This seems to be an escalation especially when EU officials are meeting in China next week, and there is a meeting scheduled for February 21st with 26 other countries who have not been in accordance with the new policy.  

Airplane emissions account for about 3% of the total pollution yearly, but their emissions have been rising.  The EU has stepped up to address the pollution where the International Civil Aviation Organization was meant to take steps in 2004.  In 2010, the ICAO it announced that it would begin a global framework to control pollution from airlines.  The EU seemed skeptical of the ICAO's actions and officially made efforts to control airline pollution a part of law. 

The only way to avoid it is by avoiding the EU or starting a comparable national initiative.   Countries that disagree with the EU actions believe that it applies to flight miles outside of the EU's jurisdiction and limits their sovereignty.  China believes that this initiative infringes on UN environmental and climate change agreements.  There is still time for negotiations however because billing would not occur until 2013 and even then it would be a minimal part of the total payment. the ICAO may end up making a solution which could ease global trade tensions.  

Beyond the environmental and global trade issues that this initiative brought up ground pollution from airplanes is also a big issue in developing countries.  Airplanes emit nitrous oxides and sulfur oxides which can combine with ammonia and other chemicals in dense factory settings like in China.  An estimated 3,000 to 8,000 people in China and India die early because of lung damaging fine particles that result from the combination of chemicals described above.  As air travel continues to grow, this problem will likely worsen. 

http://www.economist.com/node/21547283

Property Tax in China

Last year China imposed property taxes on large single-family homes, luxury flats, and second luxury apartments.  While property taxes are extremely common in other countries in the world, even the imposition of taxes on these select properties is rare.  Economists argue that expanding the use of property taxes could help alleviate problems with speculation in the housing market and debt troubles in local governments.  

In 2010 local government accounted for 80% of public spending but only collected 45% of the tax revenues which left a $600 billion gap.  To handle this gap, the central government provides much in handouts and charges land-use rights.  Charging for land use is an effective way to make money but causes divisions because urban land is state owned while rural land is collectively owned. This means that rural areas on the edges of urban areas can get removed because of the hazy definitions which leads to civil unrest.  In attempts to calm unrest, displaced rural villagers have been given better compensation but this will make it harder for local governments to repay debts.  Thus a new source of revenue must be found.

Current property taxes only cover the buying and selling of homes with little regard for the value of homes. The Chinese government suggested adding a full property tax as early as 2003, but logistical issues in deciding the fair value of land and ownership have arisen.  Political issues also stand in the way as many party officials own one or more homes so it would not benefit them to pay additional taxes.  Cities seem resistant to the issue however wavering land sales may push them to be more receptive to the idea.

While property taxes are not good for individual citizens, economically property taxes could be very helpful collectively.  It would take a considerable amount of effort to draw up all of the land and property ownership could help by reducing the haziness between government and personal ownership.  The additional revenue from taxes  could also support the economy further and potentially provide a way to expand services to citizens.

http://www.economist.com/node/21546040

Reflection on Senior Year

So far senior year has been about what I expected it to be. I have tons of homework in all of my classes and maybe should have made my schedule a bit easier, but it still seems to be going okay.  I've managed to say mostly motivated enough (which should hold out until at least the end of this quarter.)  Senioritis is definitely starting to kick in though.  I'm really excited and looking forward until the end of the year and also a bit nervous about deciding where I want to go to college and everything like that.  There's really not that much else to say because I'm not positive where I want to go or what I want to do.  I'm hoping/expecting to get in to a few more places, but, if nothing else, it's nice to know that I am going to college next year because at least I got accepted somewhere.  All in all things could definitely be a lot worse.  

Political Cartoon #6

The above cartoon was drawn by Eric Ariail for Townhall. com.  It shows all of the major GOP candidates saying negative things about Mitt Romney and Obama off to the side in support of what they're saying as if it were a political campaign advertisement.  The cartoonist uses caricature to overemphasize the characteristics of all of the candidates.  The cartoon deals with the repeated negative comments about Romney even though it looks clear that he will probably end up with the nomination.  All of this bickering before the presidential election only helps Obama later when early even his own party mates only had bad things to say about Romney.  The point of view seems to see the stupidity of potentially derailing the Republican party campaign by negatively portraying Romney for each individual candidates personal gain.