Current Connection: Feb 25

     When you go to big cities, there are always homeless people lined up on the streets jingling their cups for spare change to make it through the week. On the CNN website, in Dana Ford's article, Donations pour in for homeless man who returned diamond ring she explains a story of true character that we do not often see in the world. 
     As we all know, homeless people do not have much money. When the opportunity of "quick cash" arises, they usually take that opportunity. However, Billy Ray Harris did not. Ford explains, "Well-wishers from around the world are opening their wallets to a homeless man who returned a diamond engagement ring to its rightful owner, after she accidentally dropped it in his donation cup." If I had lost my engagement ring, I would be, literally, freaking out. Even without my class ring I feel naked.

     Now, I'm thinking how on Earth did this woman lose her ENGAGEMENT RING? She had better have a pretty good reason, and she did. Ford states, "She almost never takes it off, but it was giving her a bit of a rash so she did, zipping it in her coin purse for safe keeping....Later, she absentmindedly emptied the contents of that purse into the collection cup of Billy Ray Harris, who is homeless and often stays under a bridge in Darling's hometown. It wasn't until the next day that she realized her ring was gone." People would probably think that Harris would run off with the ring, cash it in, and be set to live comfortably for a while. Despite his title and everyone's assumptions, Harris did not run away with the ring but instead he gave the ring back when Sarah Darling came inquiring for her lost treasure the next day. 

     To show them their thanks, Darling and her fiance helped Harris out a little. In her article, Ford says, "To show their appreciation, Darling and her husband set up an online fundraiser for Harris. The donations and praise have poured in....So far, in about a week, more than 3,400 donations have been made, totaling nearly $95,000. The money will be given to Harris at the end of a 90-day campaign." That is one lucky man!!! Looks like having good character pays off in the end!

     If I were homeless, I would have ran away with that thing as fast as possible. However, I am glad that there are still people like Billy Ray Harris in the world. 

     There is a saying that says "what goes around comes around" so I guess Billy deserved what came around for what he did. Hopefully, there are a lot more people like him.

    

The Piano

In certain movies, there is a piano. Someone usually plays that piano in the movie and when they do, the piano sings and the player's fingers glide across the keys. I have been playing the piano for about four years now and sometimes learning the art is a challenge. Although, practicing music calms me in a way that nothing else can. The music that comes from the instrument seems to have a life of its own. I enjoy being the one who makes it live.

I am not going to lie; playing the piano is a ton of work. I practice for 30 minutes a day, and I have most definitely not acquired the skills that I want to have. In the beginning playing was easy, but as I progressed, the music became a new language. The notes were either dangerously low or high above the staff, the treble and bass clefs. Becoming the pianist I want to be will not be an easy task. I have so much further to go in my lessons and I am sure playing will only become even more trying.

I have played many pieces of music in my four years (going on five). I started out with different books containing very simplified versions of real pieces, scales, and chords. Now I am a lot more advanced than I used to be. Practice makes perfect! Although I am far from perfect, the pieces I play now are at least 4 to 5 pages long. The works I am currently practicing are Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and Mozart's Turkish March. The first is 5 pages and the second is 6 pages long. Moonlight Sonata is a very slow song, and the Turkish March is super duper fast. I'm having a lot of fun with both.

If you have seen a piano before, you know that there are white keys and black keys. The white keys are the "natural" keys, whereas the black keys are either "sharps" or "flats." I know this probably sounds confusing, but the specifics become second nature once you get the main stuff down. The notes have a specific name. The white keys are named a, b, c, d, e, f, g and then the naming system starts all over again. As you go up the keyboard, the black keys are A sharp or #, B#, C#, D#, E#, F#, and G#. As you move down the piano, the black keys become "flat," and the names of them are A flat, B flat, C flat, D flat, F flat, and G flat. Learning the notes becomes simpler over time. 

Music is like a river; it speeds up, but then at a moments notice, slows down. Pieces can have very soft music (pp), just soft enough to be quieter (p), having a normal loudness (mf), or being louder than usual (f). Music also has crescendo's, which means the music builds volume over a series of notes. There are staccato's that makes the note abrupt and short. The symbol of a staccato is usually a dot over a note. There are lots of other things I cannot think off the top of my head, but in short, piano music is usually very complicated. 

A word of advice: DO NOT start piano lessons if the heart is not fully into the music. Playing, as I said before, is very hard work and takes a lot of patience. Contradictory to what I just said, the piano is also so much fun and when you learn how to play a song, the feeling is indescribable. The piano is an overall enjoyable instrument, and I recommend that if you want to learn, go for it!  

     

     http://karl683.deviantart.com/art/Piano-Music-286326877

CC#3: Feb. 11

     Imagine being on a cruise and getting away from all the struggles of life and just relaxing.Suddenly, the captain's voice comes over the speakers, "Folks, the engine just caught fire and we are going to be stuck for a while. Sorry for the inconvenience." CNN staff reports this story in the recent article Carnival cruise ship to be towed after fire strands it in Gulf of Mexico and explain the situation that the cruise ship was in.
     The passengers were obviously in a pickle, and did not expect their vacation to become a "trip gone bad." The news reporters state in the article, "The Carnival Triumph was about 150 miles off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, heading back to Galveston, Texas, when the fire broke out in an engine room Sunday morning, according to Carnival Cruise Lines. The ship's automatic fire extinguishing system kicked in and soon contained the blaze, and no injuries were reported, Carnival said Monday." Thankfully, nobody was hurt down in the engine room and the crew got to the fire and controlled the accident before anyone was seriously injured. The ship was still in deep water and only going about two miles an hour, so the ship was out of trouble.
     Brent Nutt spoke with his wife who was on the ship and says, "She said they had no power, no running water, and she said she hadn't been able to eat anything yet." That problem was soon solved and "guests have been supplied with food and refreshments throughout yesterday and this morning and the ship has supplies on board to last until the vessel returns to port," states Carnival. The electricity was soon turned back on with emergency generators, and people were actually able to use the toilets again! Man, that would be awful to be without a toilet.
     All of this trouble kind of has benefits. The cruise line said, "After being towed to Progreso, those aboard the Carnival Triumph will be flown back to the United States at no cost to them, the cruise line said. They will also get a full refund, credit that can be used toward a future trip and reimbursement for all expenses, except casino and gift shop purchases." Even though, the trip was not all that great, maybe the discounted one will go a lot smoother! If the passengers would have had to pay, I am sure there would have been many unhappy people.
     I do not know why, but this incident kind of reminds me of the Titanic. None of the Carnival passengers died, but them being stranded out in the ocean makes me remember the tragedy of the Titanic. I have never been on a cruise, but I do not intend to get on one after all these stories!
     In conclusion,  many passengers on this cruise had their vacation ruined, but everything worked out in the end.
    

Book Review #1: Feb. 1

     Imagine a world where wizards and witches exist. Flying brooms, spells, and all types of magic are just a normal part of life. J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series sucks you into a realm where all this and more is possible.
     One theme of this series is pretty much Good vs. Evil. Voldemort, the mortal enemy of just about every wizard (except for his followers, the Death Eaters), plans to take over the world killing the main character, Harry Potter, in the process. Harry Potter has to war with the evil inside of him and kill Voldemort before Voldemort kills him: both cannot survive at the same time. With the help of his friends including Professor Dumbledore, Hermione, Ron, Neville, and many others, Harry strives to save the world from utter destruction.
     There are so many characters in this book, it is almost confusing. So, I will just describe the main characters. Harry Potter, the star of the books, is an orphan boy trying to "fit in" in the "muggle" (human) world.  He's just different, and then he finds out that he is a wizard! How crazy would that be? So he goes and trains at a school called Hogwarts and has amazing and frightening experiences there. He also meets Hermione and Ron, his two best friends in the series. Hermione is a goody two-shoes who is always the best at every class. Ron is Harry's awkward and clumsy friend who always messes up everything. Professor Dumbledore helps Harry along his journey to defeat Voldemort and wizard and muggle lives.
     The story mostly takes place at Hogwarts, a training school for young wizards and witches. The school is protected by a shield that mostly keeps dark magic out. It is where Harry meets all his friends and his enemies, like the kids from Slytherin.
     I was kind of skeptical of these books at first because I am not really into the whole "wizard" stuff, but once I started reading them, I could not stop. The movies are good, but they are NOTHING compared to the books. So, READ THE BOOKS! THEY ARE AMAZING!

Current Connections #2

     In a recent article on CNN Hundreds killed in Brazil nightclub fire, reporters Shasta Darlington, Marilia Brocchetto, and Helena DeMoura record the tragic story of a southern Brazilian nightclub catching fire early on Sunday.
    The ladies state, "The blaze at the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria killed at least 232 people, many of whom apparently died from smoke inhalation, state-run Agencia Brasil reported, citing fire officials. Others were trampled in the rush for the exits, one security guard told CNN affiliate Band News. More than 130 people were hospitalized, Agencia Brasil said." The fire started because the acoustic insulation caught on fire. No one knows how the fire started: the police are still investigating the cause.
     According to the text, "About 2,000 people were inside the club when the fire broke out -- double the maximum capacity of 1,000, said Guido de Melo, a state fire official." Maybe if the club had only had 1,000 people in it, more lives could have been saved. There were not enough exits for everyone to get out.
     Many families called their loved ones when they found out the fire had taken place; some did not answer. In the story, the reporters say, "Desperate families and friends wept as they searched for information outside a local gymnasium where bodies were taken for identification later Sunday. Inside, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff met with some of them as they waited on bleachers for word of their loved ones." The president had recently been on a trip, but cut the vacation short when she received the news. That was good of her to be there for her people in their hour of need.
     This sort of reminds me of 9/11. there was not nearly as many deaths, but many people died by the blaze, smoke inhalation, or the roof collapsing; the same causes of death as 9/11.
    We can only pray for those who have lost loved ones, or those who are still in critical condition.

The American Dream

     To me, the American Dream is what people want to do with their lives. My dream is not necessarily one big goal, but rather a series of many small achievements or ideas. Striving for what is important to me is a big part of my American dream, and I intend to acquire everything that I want in this life.
     As soon as I finish high school with a fresh diploma in my hand, that fall I will be looking for a college to derive my education. What I really want is to go to Bible College in either St. Louis or Texas. There, I could further my talent of singing, playing the piano, building the foundation of my relationship with God, and receiving my normal education in the meantime. I do not know what degree I need to become what I want to become, but I intend to research that career and find out. Hopefully, I will not be in school too long.
     Whatever it takes, I will become a librarian. Reading books is a major hobby for me, and I cannot imagine doing anything else. I want to spend my life doing something I enjoy, not moping around complaining about how boring and unexciting my job is. Being a librarian is the only thing I can picture myself doing. I love reading: being surrounded by books, and helping people get the perfect book would just make my day every day. I may be a book worm, but that is part of who I am.
     Every girl dreams of getting married. That is number three on my list. I pray to God that I will meet a dark-haired, dark-eyed guy in Bible College who loves God as much as I do, if not more. He would be perfect for me and I would be perfect for him. We could build our life together after we get married, living out in the country surrounded by nature but not too far from town. I want 4 kids or less, and no more. I could take them to school and tuck them in every night. My husband would mainly support us, since a librarian does not make alot of money. We would grow old together, rocking on the front porch surrounded by our children and grandchildren. I know life would not be all peaches and cream, but I still want to be a happy woman with everything I need.
     So basically, I want what every person wants; a life filled with accomplished goals and dreams. I want a future that is bright and chalked full of good surprises. Having strength, I can overcome the bad times. That is my Amercian Dream.

Current Connection: Jan 14

      In a recent article "Gun violence task force meets video game leaders as debate continues", Mariano Castillo explians the world wide debate on how to control guns and violent video games.
     Castillo says that Joe Biden, our nation's vice president, met with the game leaders on Friday, and Biden says, " 'We know there is no single answer and, quite frankly, we don't even know whether some of the things people think impact on this (gun violence) actually impact on it or not,' Biden said just before the meeting, stressing that video game industry officials are among 'a whole lot of people' participating in the discussion." This nation cannot control gun violence, but our government is taking every precaution to at least lower the crime rate. However so people are not to happy about that, such as the game makers. They will lose alot of money if the states ban violent video games.
     Some states are not waiting for the government to step in, such as Massachusettes. Castillo states, "in Massachusetts, action has been taken against violent video games. Specifically, operators of four rest stops have removed -- at the state's request -- arcade games with guns or 'shooting components,' said Sara Lavoie, a spokeswoman for Massachusetts' Department of Transportation." I do not think that video games are the sole reason  for the violence going on in the country, but it desensitizes the player from the real world and causes them to have those images ingrained in their minds. Violent arcade games should not be at state funded rest stops.
     Massachusettes is not the only state working on weeding out violence. Castillo explains, "In Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal -- like Dewhurst, a Republican -- on Friday proposed legislation to join 17 other states and make mental health records part of the screening criteria for federal background checks to buy firearms." To me, this is a wonderful idea. Guns are not the bad guys, but the one who shoots the gun to intentionally hurt someone should not be allowed to purchase a weapon.
     In my opinion, violent video games are not the big cause to mass destruction. The person who is the one that holds the gun should be to blame. I do not the think the government should take away our guns because then what would we have to protect ourselves. Complete gun control is not the answer.
     Due to the mass murder in Conneticut, the U.S. is in a tail spin looking for the right answer. What would this world be without guns? Remember that it is not the guns fault, but the person who uses that gun is to blame.