A Farewell?

I'm not sure who is actually going to read this (and if you do, I guess you know me well enough to expect a random blog for a finale), but SAT this summer was a lot of fun! I wonder if I will continue to use this blog, it seems like a shame to never use it again! I won't forget all the crazy moments we had in that classroom.

For starters, let me write some things and phrases that will forever be with me.

PAPAYAS! I speak AMERICAN. Dinosaurs breathe fire. Larry the fireman cat savior. Apple trees in the front yard. Squid mode! Don't move me to the front, I talk to EVERYONE. I know you're speaking English, but I don't understand you. PORTO'S! Make up words! You sound like a dying whale. 3D printers! No talking in detention (and starts talking to students). Chair rides! Rubber band wars! Every drop counts. Car ride dance party! Detention is not fun! Card games! Hey you guys, the Mahjong gambling table, no more cards! James's rejection by Joe.  "I like running", actually I loathe running. Every time I turn around, you guys are doing something weird. and so much more. Three time's the charm!

I can't remember all of them, but feel free to tell me which ones I missed!

OC fair with you guys was really fun too! MY SNAKE IS AMAZING. I hope you guys love your minions! We had so much fun there, and I will never trust Alex and Matthew with a water bottle again. :P
I still can't believe we didn't get that huge minion on that first water game we played (sorry). Thanks for putting up with my singing for like the entire time! :D Trust me, it's not usually like that.

Have a good rest of summer and school year guys! :D

Christopher Dillingham Blew Up Family Dog, Won't Face Animal Cruelty Charges: Police

Huffington Post:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/06/christopher-dillingham-blows-up-dog_n_3713681.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Yes, you did just read that title correctly. Mr. Christopher Dillingham did blow up his Labrador Retriever, Cabella, with an explosive device tied around the poor animals neck. *Warning* The video is simply heart-wrenching; Cabella's previous owner speaks (or more like cries) about how he feels on his old dog's death and what he thinks should be done. The rest of the news article can make you feel angry and shocked. 

So Dillingham received Cabella merely six months ago because Cabella's previous owner, Ty Freemantle,  had to move and could not keep Cabella. Freemantle's best friend recommended Freemantle to give Cabella to the Dillinghams. Freemantle inspected the house and talked to Dillingham's ex-girlfriend, but he thinks it was not enough. Six months from receiving Cabella, Dillingham blows up Cabella at 4 a.m. and leaves her body parts strewn across his yard. 

However, the most shocking issue is, Dillingham is "charged with reckless endangerment and possession of an explosive device" but he is NOT charged for animal cruelty. Why? Supposedly, poor Cabella did not suffer and her death was "instantaneous", so it isn't animal cruelty. 

WHAT?! I find it extremely unfair that Dillingham blew up a dog and isn't charged with cruelty. Also, how do people know that the dog did not suffer? I would expect there would have been mistreatment of the dog before Dillingham decided to blow her up. Dillingham's excuse was his ex-girlfriend "put the devil in it", it meaning Cabella. Alright, so I don't believe that, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. If the "devil" really was in the dog, wouldn't it be better to put Cabella to sleep instead of blowing her up? That seems a little too cruel for my taste. 

 I hope that Dillingham sees what he did and I hope he NEVER does this again. Hopefully, Freemantle will get over his loss of Cabella as well. This news article is extremely depressing and I am not very pleased with the charges Dillingham has (or doesn't have). 

At Street Fair, Science Replaces Sausage

Ny Times:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/01/nyregion/at-street-fair-science-replaces-sausage.html?ref=science&_r=0

Woah, I've heard of many types of fairs, but never the "Geek Street Fair" before. In this fair, sponsored by Google, is designed to work in a place like Google, Facebook, or Microsoft (though I think Google is taking over everything! Google has Google +, Google Drive, Youtube, and Motorola Mobility; what's next? Starbucks?). The fair gives attenders a passport "that would earn them a pair of red shades, a yo-yo, or a Frisbee, once they collected five stamps for completing a set of exercises at the different booths (take the sunglasses!). It encourages participants to be active in this fair and really have a hands on experience, which I think is a wonderful way to learn, in contrast to lectures. The fair has Lego robots, virtual games, hands on experiments, and speed Rubik's "cubers". 

I think this fair will have a very positive influence on the participants. The children were given an opportunity to make robots using Lego pieces, to tinker with metal objects and wires, and to even kick inflatable beach balls in the middle of the park! These children are exploring different areas of science at these fairs as well. They are engineers as they make robots, technicians as they tinker with metal objects and wires, and athletes as they kick around the beach ball. I feel like many of these children will wish to return again to this fair next time it occurs. 

The fair also has concepts of math embedded in it. "Children were asked to cut out pictures of their favorite fictional characters, stick them on the end of a long stick, hold them out at varying distances, and take pictures." This introduces the concept of ratio to the children, as the picture grows smaller and bigger as it approaches the camera. The fair also shows the the mechanisms of the Rubik's Cube by taking it apart and "uncovering a mechanical structure of pivots and screws. Then the fair showed three people who solved the Rubik's Cube in less than 15 seconds, which is incredible (but don't get me wrong, I can make all the sides the same color too! Just give me an hour to take it apart and reassemble it).  

In conclusion, the "Geek Street Fair" is really one of a kind. It shows how science and math is present in everyday life and entertains many children as well. I hope they have more of these interesting fairs!

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On a different note, does anyone actually read my responses to the comments? It's nice to get comments on my blogs (even if it's mandatory) and I try to make the blogs with lighter topics more interesting by expressing my thoughts (in parenthesis!). I wonder if I scared people out of reading this blog because I wrote so much. I actually considered writing at the top (Hey you! Don't be intimidated by the length of this blog!). For me, it doesn't matter how much someone wrote, it's how interesting it is. Well if anyone read this, (you're cool) do you think I should keep responding to comments? (oh and I added a reactions at the bottom, so you can check what you thought it was) Thank you for your time!