Hypocritical County

The county I live in was recently awarded for being a very "green" county - from what I heard, it was essentially because they cut their kilowatt usage in county buildings. However, in the same flood plain/drain that has been previously mentioned in other posts (see Sept. 6, 2008), the county has shown an extremely un-environmentally conscious side. Where there were trees and grasses and other plant life providing a meager (though still existent) counter to the carbon dioxide emitted all around it, the county authorized a complete "strip" of the land claiming that the plant life interfered with the drainage system. Thus, what was once green (slowly browning as the seasons changed - as nature intended it to), is now stripped bare to the red clay beneath...

What happened to being environmentally conscious? Besides, their argument that the plants were interfering with the draining of storm waters is complete bunk. We've only had that one instance in 2004-2005 where the drain clogged and the plain flooded. Since then, the plant life acted as a natural filter for all the storm water coming in with excess going into the drain.

Hasn't the county heard of reconstructed wetlands? Those are becoming more and more popular as landscaping choices because of its eco-friendly-ness. Basically, a wetland acts as a drainage and filtration system in the wild. The rain water is taken in by the plants and debris such as leaves and dirt are deposited amongst the plants' roots. This debris later is broken down into nutrients that are then absorbed by the plants and used. Reconstructed wetlands are essentially a series of human-created wetlands (or as close as possible, due to their proximity to human buildings, these "wetlands" do not support the amount of animal diversity that natural wetlands do) that eventually drains into a sewage system. Once in the system, the water can be further cleaned (although this takes less time as the water has already been filtered by the plants outside) and used in the building. The same reconstructed wetland system can also be used to filter water coming out from the building - for example: the water from the toilet system can be run through a preliminary filter in the building's sewage system to sort large solids out, then sent through pipes to the reconstructed wetland to filter through the plants down to the building for reuse. This concept greatly reduces the amount of water being used by the building and because the water naturally flows downwards due to gravity, external electricity isn't needed to pump the water through the reconstructed wetland (just to the wetland from the building).

So, rather than stripping the land, maybe the county should allow the land to become a reconstructed wetland that was partially created by nature to aid in the filtration before reaching the main sewage pipes. Regardless of whether or not they actually make it part of a system, it's still just not eco-friendly to cut down all these trees and lowlife.

Upset at the silliness of the county,
Little Star

PEACH

Promote Education Across CHina = PEACH
Formerly Project FEY

Prevent the Spread of Germs

Here's some amusing/informative YouTube videos:







Protect! Don't Infect!
:P
Little Star

Blog Action Day: Climate Change

I wanted to be part of the 10,000 or so blogs posting today (Blog Action Day 2009)...and I actually really care about climate change.

Climate Change: From a Scientific Point (or something like that) Regarding Water

With climate change, the temperatures of the oceans increase. Warm water fosters a good living condition for bacteria, microscopic organisms, and macroscopic organisms - some of which carry genes for dangerous diseases. For those who don't have proper filtration devices, drinking this water will cause them to become ill. For the larger organisms living in this water (read: fish), an increase in bacteria level will result in a decrease of oxygen and an increase in disease. These illnesses can pass through the food chain rapidly.

In addition, warmer waters leads to eutrophication - an increase in the productivity of an ecosystem. Depending on the degree of eutrophication, results may range from an increase in plant life and living organisms to anoxia (total decrease in level of oxygen), water quality decreases severely, fish and other animal populations are reduced drastically.

What happens? Warmer waters lead to better growth for underwater plants. An increase in food source (the plants) leads to an increase in population. Two things can occur here: 1) the population level rises faster than the amount of food and the carrying capacity (how many organisms the area can support - enough oxygen, food, water, and shelter) of the body of water is exceeded (resulting in not enough food for all organisms --> starvation) and/or 2) the population level rises drastically, exceeds carrying capacity, many organisms die and the level of bacteria rises --> more bacteria = more oxygen being used to decompose the dying organisms. With the rise in bacteria, the oxygen supply decreases - the plants (which produce oxygen) are being eaten and the remaining oxygen is being converted in carbon dioxide by the bacteria. This leads to even more deaths of those organisms who remained.

The end result of eutrophication: drastic and lasting change to the ecosystem. Since every ecosystem requires oxygen, and most of the oxygen on Earth comes from the oceans, eutrophication affects everyone and everything.


So think quickly.
We can work together to save our oceans and other bodies of water (about 75% of the Earth and about 65% of the human body) now, today, tomorrow, and at Copenhagen 09...or we can face the consequences of eutrophication.

Think hard,
Little Star

Copenhagen 09

You know all of those great treaties that we all know about? The North Atlantic Treaty (forming the North Atlantic Treaty Organization - NATO), the Charter of the United Nations (forming the United Nations - the UN), the Treaty of Versailles ending WWI, etc. The treaty that's going to be remembered in the future that will be signed in our life times is going to be the new global treaty that's on the table now for Copenhagen, Denmark this December 2009.
Replacing the Kyoto Protocol, the treaty will also focus on cutting emissions, but now, the consequences of not doing so will be more drastic and appear sooner than before. Scientists have determined that the acceptable level of CO2 parts per million in the atmosphere is about 350. Right now, we're at 385.92 parts per million - and that's too much. Right now, the treaty at Copenhagen doesn't meet the 350 standard; we need to mobilize the world to send a "clear message to world leaders: the solutions to climate change must be equitable, they must be grounded in science, and they must meet the scale of the crisis" (350.org).
If we don't act now, how much of the Earth will be left for future generations? Will there even be any future?
Act now to save the planet - sign the pledge at 350.org to support the call for a cleaner planet. Join now and show your support for the Earth on October 24, 2009: send letters to your politicians, organize a community bike ride/walk, gather friends to participate in service projects that help the environment, spread the news. Whatever you do, take a picture of it and submit it to 350.org to show your support.





Love,
Little Star

The Science of LOVE and FLIRTING

The following two articles are from Time Magazine:

The Science of Romance: Why We Love

The Science of Romance: Why We Flirt

They're interesting! Something that is definitely something that we can all learn from...
:)
Little Star

Where is the Love?

So, I was looking around YouTube for this one song by the Black Eyed Peas ("I Gotta Feeling") when I stumbled upon a song from around 2003 by the Black Eyed Pease: "Where Is The Love?"
I played it, then looked for the lyrics, but all the ones I found were incomplete. I finally found one from YouTube; Just read through the lyrics:




I just wish people would practice this...
The world would be a better place!
Little Star

Just wanted to showcase my doodles...

I still don't understand, I showed my mom these doodles, and she looked at them and said, "you used a stencil, right?"

She wouldn't/couldn't believe that I HAD drawn them free hand! Yes, they look professional and stenciled because of the marker (thanks for letting me use them, Lumina!), but I do have SOME artistic talent!!

Anyways, here they are (no color yet, sorry):

Little Star - Inspired by my email address.



Coffee Time - I hate coffee







Sunny Dayz - Inspired by summer






Love Peace - Inspired by my love of peace (reawoken during 20th Century History class - movies "Cry Freedom" about apartheid and "Dear America: Letters From Vietnam" about [wait for it, wait for it - you guessed it] Vietnam)

Scribble - Inspired by my imagination (I was staring at my pencil case that houses [mainly] mechanical pencils)


Anyways, hope you believe me when I say I did it free hand, I've two witnesses: Lumina and Cayleigh Marie.
Little Star

Something Depressing...

Want to hear something depressing?
Most blogs have a readership of about...one or two people.

I honestly hope that's not the case with me...but just in case...

If you'd like to be notified each time I post something new, send me an email at asklittlestar@gmail.com with the subject Ask Little Star Updates.

:) Thanks!

Pass it on,
Little Star

Language Arts Class, Very Important It Is

Proofreading...a dying art.
Taking cues from Yoda Journalists are...and editors are being hired off the street, maybe...

Some "examples":

Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter
Hm...now, how does that work?

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
No, really? You think?

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
A little extreme, maybe?

Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
That sounds a bit odd...

Miners Refuse to Work after Death
What lazy bums! How dare they!

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
Wha-what? What happened to a fair trial? Moving straight to the guns?!

War Dims Hope for Peace
What did you think it would do? War create peace?

If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
Well, that makes sense. Now tell us something we don't know.

Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
Can you believe it?

Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
Wow, I wonder how they came to that?!

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
Something stronger than duct tape? Amazing!

Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge
Isn't HE the battery charge...

New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
The first group wasn't fat enough?!

Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas
Wasn't he warned not to be chowing on those beans?

Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
Do they taste like chicken, too?

Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
Hollywood would love that as a thriller plot...

Hospital Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
Is that the new record for tallest person?

Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead
Really?!


Are these really newspaper headlines? I have no idea. But admit it, you smiled at least once while reading through this!

:)
Enjoy summer,
Little Star

Don't you miss being a kid?

Kids...they may be small, but their logic is infallible.
Here are some examples:
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America .
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America ?
CLASS: Maria.
__________________________________________

TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.

__________________________________________

TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with 'I.'
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'
__________________________________________

TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher
__________________________________________


Don't get me wrong, my teachers have always been wonderful! It's just that they're adults, and adults often forget the simplicity of being a kid.
July 14 marked the 10th year of Spongebob Squarepants on Nickelodeon.

This summer, make sure you let out a bit of your inner child!
Have fun (and be safe - no jumping off of decks with a garbage bag parachute),
Little Star

Summer Reading

Some groan and moan about having to read in the summer, but I think it's the best time for reading. For one, you don't have to focus on 7 or 8 different classes, for another, there's so many different subjects you can read about. For example, historical fiction is like history, but you can kind of relate to it.

I've been reading books that deal with the ethics of science: The Declaration and its sequel The Resistance both by Gemma Malley.
In these books, scientists have found the drug to stop aging, but in order for the earth to support an undying population, restrictions must be imposed. No children are allowed, unless you Opt-Out of living forever. There is also a Life for a Life exchange, where a parent will die to let their child survive. There is also a new drug developed, Longevity+, which reverses the aging process...but a key ingredient must be harvested from the children that weren't supposed to be born, otherwise known as Surplus.

Another series I've been reading is The Squad, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. In this series (of two books also, Perfect Cover and Killer Spirit), the reader follows Toby Klein, a sophomore recreational hacker and a black belt, through her journey as a member of The Squad. The Squad is an elite "spy" group, the only remaining working branch of a program of the CIA. Squad members are disguised as the varsity cheerleaders at Bayport HS, and do spy work for the CIA where actual CIA members would be too conspicuous.
Honestly, though, it's a brilliant idea. Cheerleaders are the epitome of disguise, no matter how terrible their day, a cheerleader must have a smile on their face during their routine. People always assume cheerleaders have a combined IQ of a 3rd grader, but in reality, they are just high school students.

Well, that's all for now, must finish The Resistance,
Little Star

Wrapping up another school year..

Time for some thoughtful reflection!
Ready? Go!
...
...
...
Done yet?

Well, I am, and I've found a couple of songs from when we were young!
One song I particularly like by S Club 7: Never had a Dream Come True



Another particular favorite of mine: Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On



Another version with the song performed live:



On another note, here's an empowering song: It's My Life by Bon Jovi



A happy, bubbly song: Lollipop by Mika



Yeah Shrek!!! I'm a Believer by Smash Mouth



Another pump-up song by Smash Mouth: All Star




To wrap it all up...
Congrats to the 2009 grads and all of us for making it through another year!!!

EARTH HOUR!!!!!

IT'S HERE!!!
8:30 - 9:30pm local time and our house is dark.
This is pretty cool, i don' t think our house has ever been this dark before - that is, when the power has been working.
I've been on facebook updating statuses, gmail account, and now here too.
Even though not everyone is doing it in my neighborhood, there's this amazing feeling that "yes, we are the world, this IS our home, and we ARE one in the fight against global warming!"
If we can all do this, if we could all participate, do you know how bejeebering cool that would be? It would be amazing, astounding, astonishing, out of our minds crazy awesome!!!
Oh yeah, I'm pumped for this hour. I just spent all day eating sugar!! WOO HOO!!!!

Supposedly live blogging, but you know what, I'm going to go and stare at the darkness for a while, maybe look for a few stars now that we can actually see the dark sky.
Little Star

Earth Hour

"A vote for the Earth"
Earth Hour is coming on March 28, 2009.
This is a global initiative sponsored by the WWF.
It is from 8:30 to 9:30 - we are trying to get 1 billion people to turn off their lights and vote for Earth.

To register, either click on the picture below or visit Earth Hour at earthhour.org.

Here are a couple of links to the videos showing what they are trying to do on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd1BsNvEXqo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CRs-7lRlPo

Inauguration Day

Today marks the 56th presidential inauguration...wow, that's a lot!
As much as I'd like to say I'm an expert, I'm not.

So, here's a web page that can explain the "history" of the inauguration.

In addition, today, at about 12:03 pm, whitehouse.gov changed the Administration page from George W. Bush's term in office (notice how we call it a "term" in office and not a "reign" in office - there is no possible way America could even be compared to a monarchy...except that before 1901, the White House has been known as the "President's Palace" -et al.- until President Theodore Roosevelt gave it its current name in -- big surprise -- 1901) to President Barack H. Obama and his administration (including updated pages on the wives of the prez and VP).

In addition, did you know that Vice President Biden's middle name is Robinette?! And that there are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels in the Residence. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators. There is also a variety of facilities available to its residents, including a tennis court, jogging track, swimming pool, movie theater, and bowling lane -- well, you didn't really expect the first family to go to any of these facilities in the public! Can you imagine the nightmares that the Secret Service agents would have if it were allowed??!! For that matter, why are they called Secret Service agents? We all know they exist!

In the White House kitchen, there are 5 full time chefs (take that "Cory in the House"! No way would that ever happen in real life, just one chef? And his son is the only other kid at the White House other than the President's daughter?) Also, the White House requires 570 gallons of paint to cover its outside surface -- now think about the amount of paint needed for the inside walls...

Here are some residential "firsts" while in office

• President James Polk (in office 1845 - 1849) was the first President to have his photograph taken - Wow. What a milestone. If only we had a real picture of George Washington. I guess it may not be the best of things because if we ever have a really ugly president, there's no way to bribe the artist to make them look better...
• President Theodore Roosevelt (in office 1901 - 1909) was the first President to ride in an automobile and the first President to travel outside the country (when he visited Panama) - Jeez, were cars really only used about 100 years ago? If you think about, modern history moved really, really, really fast once humans began giving up the old "hunting/gathering" societies.
• President Franklin Roosevelt (in office 1933- 1945) was the first President to ride in an airplane - also had one of the longest terms: 4 terms = 16 years give or take a couple of months. He should also be one of President Obama's role models with the economy where it is...

Now, wouldn't you love to live in the White House too? It's the only residence of a head of state that is open to the public free of charge. Pretty cool.
For more information on tours, visit this web page on the White House government site.

Off to watch the Inauguration news again (the television has been tuned into the Inauguration events since about 9:30 am!),
Little Star

Strange...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work in a picnic basket? Or to live next to someone with the wackiest house imaginable?

Well, it's true, some people do work in a picnic basket (in Ohio) and some people do live in really, really, really interesting houses (all over the world). There are so many different places that it's hard to visit them all.

So, I've found a site that has pictures of what they consider the 50 oddest buildings.
However, there all split up among 5 (10 buildings per page) links. So, I (the hardworking star that I am) have gathered them all into one spot - asklittlestar.blogspot.com!

Here are the links (the buildings are arranged in no order, just the 50 strangest buildings. It's not ranked - at least, I don't think they're ranked).
Enjoy!

1. Buildings 1 - 10
   
2. Buildings 11 - 20
   
3. Buildings 21 - 30
4. Buildings 31 - 40
5. Buildings 41 - 50

There you have it! The 50 strangest buildings as chosen by Sina English - a website full of news from China but including news all over the world.

Wouldn't you love to live in some of those buildings?
;)
Little Star

New Year's Winter Cleaning

So, I've decided to take Ask Little Star into a totally different direction.
Rather than being a personal "diary" where I rant amongst other things, I'm going to blog about meaningful things....most of the time.
However, I will still be posting on Ask Little Star - following the same pattern as I am now --> random stuff and rants and other stuff.

You can find the new blog at a new location
:)

The new blog (Little Star Good Times) can be found at littlestarsgoodtimes.blogspot.com.

Little Star