tabula rasa

2005-08-24T19:25:00.000-05:00

new blog...

2004-12-17T16:40:00.000-06:00

capital punishment is stupid. if you care to know why ask.

2004-11-03T22:38:00.000-06:00

Exactly 1461 days till November 4, 2008-- ELECTION DAY '08

Exactly 1536 days 14 hours 22 min till NOON January 20, 2009 -- W2 forever gone.

2004-11-03T22:07:00.000-06:00

bush wins.

I guess it doesn't affect me much, as long as i'm not...

poor,
gay,
black,
pregnant,
old,
young,
indian/iraqi/or anyone that looks middle eastern,
a believer in a non-christian religion,
in the military,
sick,
out of a job,
looking for a job,
or
a tree

.. soo it's all good.

2004-10-26T09:27:00.000-05:00

Asian Professionals Night
Wednesday, October 27th, 2004
7:00pm @ theTxUnion Quadrangle Room
FREE T-shirts!

Please come...

2004-10-23T08:25:00.001-05:00

http://www.votergasm.org

Take the Votergasm Pledge! Choose from 3:

Citizen:
I pledge to withhold sex from non-voters for the week following the election.

Patriot:
I pledge to have sex with a voter on election night and withhold sex from non-voters for the week following the election.

American Hero:
I pledge to have sex with a voter on election night and withhold sex from non-voters for the next four years.

What are you?

*Compliments of dynamiteMissJ!

2004-10-22T14:27:00.000-05:00

updated polling results

2004-10-22T01:09:00.000-05:00

whats worse then a conservative?
a conservative who think s/hes liberal.

who do you think your kidding?

...besides yourself?

2004-10-21T13:49:00.000-05:00

Clinton Eyes Top UN Post.

2004-10-17T13:16:00.000-05:00

2004 VOTER's GUIDE
Follow the NO CARB rule:
NO C-heney
NO A-shcroft
NO R-umsfeld
NO B-ush

and absolutely NO RICE

2004-10-17T03:09:00.000-05:00

There is still so much I have to learn about myself.

2004-10-15T18:00:00.000-05:00

New 2004 election polling results (pdf).

BSO Bad

2004-10-15T14:59:00.000-05:00

I seriously believe that we ought to reconsider our participation in BSO this year. I find it morally appalling that we willfully contribute each year to the total squander of food. How much do you think BC wastes annually on this event-- $200? $300? More? At any rate, any amount is ethically questionable. Such practices are simply socially objectionable especially when there are families in our very own community who struggle daily to put food on their tables. We promote ourselves as philanthropic-- committed to community service and outreach; this mission seems to be incompatible with the values portrayed within BSO. Granted that there is little direct harm caused by such an exploitation of food, however what’s paramount are the intangible ethical questions. The ill use of food evokes a sense of social elitism, a stereotype the business school is frequently wrongfully accused of. However, there is really no adequate defense for the abuse and misuse of such resources demonstrated in BSO. I have participated in BSO for the past 2 years and have not realized the gravity of the situation until recently.

2004-10-07T22:46:00.001-05:00

Will Abercrombie ever learn?

2004-10-06T22:41:00.000-05:00

I know a little bit of everything...
...but not a whole lot of anything.

Jack of all trades...
...master of none.

Is it better to know alot of everything or just do one thing really well?

2004-10-06T01:37:00.000-05:00

jerryWhOo (10:30:12 AM): hi
jerryWhOo (10:30:15 AM): im hungry
Demona848 (10:30:30 AM): eat your fist
Demona848 (10:30:36 AM): yumym

...odd

Goals for the Semester

2004-10-05T18:47:00.000-05:00

1. Practice LSATs and make above a 165
2. Practice LSATs and make above a 165
3. Practice LSATs and make above a 165
4. Practice LSATs and make above a 165
5. Practice LSATs and make above a 165
6. Don't fail.
7. Find myself.

Lack of Community in Asian American Politics

2004-10-05T18:01:00.000-05:00

As young multi-generational Asian Americans, we have shown a growing interest in American politics (believe it or not), unfortunately we ultimately still express a cynical outlook and opinion of our identification and our place within the American political spectrum.

This can be attributed to the lack of a strong sense of community and specifically a non-existent pan-ethnic movement within Asia America. This ultimately furthers, major party candidates’ unwillingness to tackle Asian American community issues. The cause of such strife stems from concerns that are socio- historic, geographic, and economic in nature. In areas concerning foreign policy matters involving China-Taiwan or India-Pakistan relations, Asian Americans of differing ethnicity have conflicting viewpoints. Much of which is rooted in the political and cultural history of past generations not easily forgotten. In domestic policy there is a large divide between professional Asian American and Asian Americans of the working class.

In essence, the reason why there is little candidate involvement with Asian community issues is not because they are necessarily indifferent to these concerns but rather Asia America does not have a strong community to which candidates can publicize their perspective without possibly alienating another part of the same so called community.

Regrettably there is no one particular issue or movements in which all Asian Americans can relate to and hence unify under. African American politics have historically been rooted in Civil Rights, Hispanic American have ownership of immigration. Asian Americans have nothing… It is important for Asian Americans to find a common voice with common goals in order to further an agenda beneficial to all its members.

The part is never as strong as the whole.

2004-10-05T10:11:00.000-05:00

I use to be smart...
somewhere between then and now
something happened
...I'm no longer smart.

2004-09-13T00:01:00.000-05:00

...i'm OLD

2004-09-12T23:46:00.000-05:00

ultimately you will end up

cynical,
cold,
alone,
and unhappy
and you will wonder...

why people no longer care.

but you will have no one to blame except yourself.
for you have willed this on your own...

Answer to Steph's Post on Women Executives in Corporate America

2004-09-12T03:02:00.000-05:00

I'll start by attempting to answer steph's blog question concerning why there are so few women at the top.

yes, i would agree that for whatever reason most men dislike powerful women, and even more women dislike powerful women and that might have an effect on hiring practices,

and yes women have been a historically oppressed segment of society,

but no, the problem is more systematic then evolutionary (more on that later).

the bottom line is actually much simpler then any of the previous posters have suggested. ask any HR director of any company and i have a good feeling that if it were legal they would hire a male over female, all else being equal. I would even go out on a limb and suggest that they will still hire a male even if he is less qualified then the female.

all you business majors out there have had one idea drilled into your heads since you have entered the business school. your school motto should read something like this: do all that it takes to meet the bottom line for yourself, your company and your stockholders. the bottom line can be many things but what it is not is social justice. //end of diatribe//

all too often the bottom line tends to equal money. statistically speaking women are more of a financial liability then men are. in fact it might even be economically wise to hire a less qualified man and train him then it is to hire a already qualified women. the reason is simple men don't have wombs, they can't get pregnant. men aren't the primary caregiver of children (meaning, when junior gets sick its usually not daddy that takes time off work to care for him).

granted this is of no fault of the women. you are born the way you are and our patriarchal society has placed certain gender roles on certain activities, which both sexes have reinforced.

this tends to answer the question of why women are not as prevalent in corporate america as men. but fails to answer why women are not at the top.

the answer to this is also quite simplistic, maybe over simplistic.

the reason is most women do in fact choose to take maternity leave when the time arrives. many women choose to also place their careers on hold for several months to many years. consequently, among working mothers you will notice a significant gap within their resumes.

it is not a corporate ladder but rather a escalator going in the opposite direction you are going. if you were to stop you would be pushed back, and in order for you to reach the top of this backwards elevator it takes tremendous effort in the beginning but less effort at the end.

fortunately or not, most women decide (though not really a choice if you think about it) to have children at the beginning of their careers rather then the end. usually ending their chances of continuously climbing the backwards escalator like their male counterparts.

the cause is numerous but relatively simple, the difficulty is in the solution.

the problem is systematic. it is easy to blame evolution for the historical oppression of women rather then examine the system which has reinforced this oppression.

Yes, women can reach the top even in this system but…

Why should she have to choose between her career or her family?
Why should she have to explain herself when she decides not to have children?
Why should she have to take off her wedding ring before an interview?

And for men…

…Do you know what privilege means?

Privilege means you don’t have to ever answer or even think about those questions if you don’t want to because no one will ever ask you.

that’s a privilege women don’t have… but should

for more information: http://www.catalystwomen.org/

Funny Stuff

2004-08-31T19:25:00.000-05:00

From Christine's blog...

Courtesy of thida: "In biology class today, the professor was discussing the high glucose levels found in semen. A young female (freshman) raised her hand, asking, 'So if you're saying there is as much glucose in a man's semen as there is in sugar, then why doesn't it taste sweet?' After a stunned silence, the whole class burst out laughing. The girl's face turned bright red as she suddenly realized what she inadvertantly implied. Picking up her books without a word she walked out of class. As she approached the door the professor sympathetically tried to save face by at least giving her the dignity of an answer. Kindly he replied, 'It doesn't taste sweet because the taste-buds for sweetness are on the tip of the tongue and not in the back of the throat."

...ROFLMAO. Poor girl, bet she drops the class the next day.

My Head is Stuffy

2004-08-25T02:05:00.000-05:00

yay~ I got that internship I was talking about in the earlier post.

This semester is going to be crazy even though im only going to be taking three classes Tuesdays and Thursdays; i'll be interning Monday, Wedensday and Friday in addition to preparing for the LSATs in October, filling out law school apps, and not to mention keeping up with my student orgs. Professionally life hasnt been bad at all. Both the ACLU and Edelman's called me back but I had already accepted the offer from PSI, I guess internships are easier to get during the fall since most students prefer focusing on classwork.

I've been really stressed lately. Too much nonsense going on in my mind . I have to keep busy or my mind begins to wander. After my internship ended at the AG's office I haven't really been doing much. I'm actually looking forward to the school year beginning. AIC is getting off to a pretty good start, we just need to recruit more members. I'm excited.

I noticed I haven't written in awhile, I just dont really know what to say sometimes and I prefer not to think when I don't have to. Yes, my head is stuffy, thinking doesn't help this stuffiness.

FreeiPod?

2004-08-06T12:12:00.000-05:00

You sign up on freeipods.com, and then you complete one of the offers on the website (do ebay...it doesn't require a credit card number, doesn't require any commitments, and it doesn't require any cancellations). Then you get 5 other people (family, friends, whoever...just make sure they don't have the same mailing address as you) to sign up and do the same, and you've got a free ipod on its way! Anywho, here's a more detailed step-by-step version of how to do this

Ring of Fire: My version!

2004-08-05T20:55:00.000-05:00

A- waterfall
2- drink with someone
3- take a shot with someone
5-hands up
6-free pass
7- 7 game (mult of 7, numbers with a 7, 11,22,33...)
8-posemaster
9-rhyme time
10-categories
J-thumb master
Q-question master
K-make you own rule
Joker-shot of 151

Camps

2004-07-25T20:38:00.000-05:00

CYC is this week, this is the 3rd or 4th year I haven't gone. My chinese school asked if I wanted to be a volunteer there this year, but I had to intern, not like I would have been doin anything interseting anyways. In fact, I didn't do any camps this summer, no YLC nor BYC. I like the whole idea of camps though, a couple of days away from home, where you could meet new people and be on your own without your parents breathing down your back. A chance for counselors to mentor and demonstrate thier leadership to younger kids. They might extend BYC to a week after their new site is complete and well hopefully CYC will eventually allow old people like me to come back as an advisor, CYC-Dallas already does, we should too. Camps are great!

2004-07-25T18:11:00.000-05:00

YAY...I got an interview for a fall internship with Public Strategies Inc., a public relations and political consulting firm based right here in Austin. They do public policy work for everyone from the small town politician to Fortune 500 companes. This is just the thing I wanted to do. The recruiter wanted writting sample, I have plenty of writtings but I have no clue which ones to select. I hope I get this internship, but this means that I can't take that job with the law firm if I decide to go with PSI. Oh well, the law firm hasn't gotten back to me yet, it's not a job where you can learn much; the pay is good. But I gladly take a pay cut and actually participate in something that I've always wanted to get into then to just do something for the money. It's truly not all about the money, money is nice, but if you have no passion in your career I don't think you can truly do it for a lifetime and enjoy it. I see so many people who goto work everyday and they hate every moment of it. I'd rather be happy. I want to dread retirement when the time comes.

2004-07-19T19:05:00.000-05:00

"Holding anger is a problem. It eats you from inside. We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person that harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves."
-- Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven

2004-07-17T15:22:00.000-05:00

I wish I was this smart.

Socio-economic Reasons for Obesity

2004-07-16T18:40:00.000-05:00

The problem with obesity goes further then a simple issue of prevention.  For many, the greatest barrier to weight control lies with socio-economic status.   In the June 7, 2004 issue of Time magazine, there was an article entitled Not Too Rich or Too Thin by Lisa Takeuchi Cullen. The article cites studies that have shown that there is a direct correlation between obesity and family income-- the less money you have, the more likely you are to be overweight. 25% adults below the poverty level are obese. The effect is even more striking among minorities where 1 in 3 poor African Americans are obese.

This is contrary to conventional wisdom which might say that because of the lack of money individual living in poverty tend to be thin rather then obese. The truth to the matter is this issue has as much to do with socio-economics as it does with socio-geographics. The communities in which individuals living under poverty reside in are far different then communities in which you or I have grown-up in. These inner city communities do not have major grocery chains such as HEB or Randall's. Rather individuals who live in these communities are forced to primarily buy their groceries from convenience stores or even gas stations.   Where apple flavored airheads are more plentiful then apples themselves. Fast food becomes a favorable option.  The majority of the underprivileged do not work 9 to 5 jobs; they tend to work odd hours and hence time becomes a great commodity.  Microwaving a hot dog is not only faster then grilling chicken but also cheaper. As well, individuals living in poorer communities not only do not have access to health clubs or gyms; the idea of having a jog around the neighborhood is unheard of because of the high crime rates surrounding these communities.

The people who are hurt most by this are the children. When parents are at work the babysitter tends to be television and a large pizza. By allowing children to play outside you run the risk of exposing your child to gangs and drug dealing.  Urban schools are more likely to strike deals with vending machine companies and cut funding to physical education classes when money gets tight. Fighting obesity is difficult as it is. Adding poverty to the situation just deepens the problem.    ....for more info.

Dreams and Ambitions

2004-07-14T23:31:00.000-05:00

There are some people in this world that just seem like they have no ambitions. They live life day to day, week to week. I can't possibly imagine a life where you have no dreams, no goals. But I suppose without dreams or goals one can never truly be letdown by failure. Unfortunately, the fear of non-success drives even the most motivated people towards mediocrity. People should never surrender simply because its too hard or the chance of disappointment too high. Edison noted that "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." ...But I guess to reach his own.

2004-07-14T22:36:00.000-05:00

I hate removing people from my buddylist. Its like saying your no longer my buddy.

2004-07-14T22:21:00.000-05:00

I wonder how many kids go: Geee, I wanna be a accountant when I grow up!

Lawyers, Ethics, and World Domination

2004-07-13T23:25:00.000-05:00

Someone once told me that there were only two reasons why people became lawyers, either to save the world-- or to take it over, but why do one when you can do both. First, save the world, then, take it over. World domination isn't exactly in my career plans, but I wouldn't mind becoming ruler of the universe, though I think you need more then a law degree to do that.

Lawyers are just as bad as Business people when it comes to ethics. Maybe its 'cause most of their clients are from business. They led them astray. Ambitious lawyer who dreamed of fighting injustice turned towards darkenss by the claws of big business, not to mention big money. Anyways, lawyers have been poorly stereotyped as liars and generally scum of the universe. When in actuality, they aren’t liars at all! Attorney's simply exercising their judicial duty as an officer of the court to ensure the best light always falls upon their client. Now doesn't that sound much better then liar liar?

Learning Good. Grades Bad.

2004-07-12T01:20:00.000-05:00

I dont care much for grades. Learning is fun, grades just ruin the fun. I enjoy learning, I dont enjoy grades. They aren't a necessary evil either. UC-Santa Barbara tried a total pass/fail system and was relatively sucessful but was forced to change to a more traditional grading system when students were not being accepted into graduate programs. Supposedly grades provide an incentive for students to study. The fear is without grades students would all become slackers. The idea of learning for the sake of self-enrichment doesn't really exist anymore. Its just hard for me to comprehend how knowledge can be reduced into two digits and how a 79.5 is equal to an 89.4; an 89 is "okay" a 79.5 on the other hand is "you suck". But, no our transcipts dont reflect this fact. How grades are determined irritates me even more (refer to previous post). On a lighter note I got an 'A' in my comm class, though I have to admit I did the minimal amount of work neccesary and was only saved by the curve, yet I've gotten B's in classes which I've gone above any beyond what was required...I wonder what that means? Grades at the end don't measure much yet so much emphasis is placed on them.

Downfall of Critical Thinking

2004-07-11T23:59:00.000-05:00

I had a similar conversation earlier in the evening. It seems that our schools, specifically public schools, today are churning out students that substantially lack critcal thinking skills. With America school facing an ever mounting teacher shortage crisis, our classrooms are overcrowding. Simpy for time efficiency sake teachers are forced to administer multiple choice test in subjects where essays or papers might better satisfy pedagogical goals. The concern I have with multiple choice testing is that it seems backwards. Traditiaonlly speaking test questions are created by the teacher while answers are given by the students. In the case of multiple choice testing the test questions and answer are both created by the teacher. Turning multi-choice testing into a teacher focused test rather then student focused. This debunks the argument that multiple choice tests are in fact objective rather then subjective. There is in fact no such thing as an objective test. Though students might prefer multi-choice tests over essays or papers the truth to the matter is essays and papers, specially ones that require the student to advance an argument are better able to teach necessary critical thinking and development skills.

In addition, with the hiring of less and less qualified teacher the use of classroom discussions as a teaching tool is quickly disappearing. No longer are students encouraged to ask questions. Rather critical questions that challenge the status quo posed to lousy instructors are more of a threat to the teachers ego and are seen as defiant to authority then as a educationally useful. Critical discussion of history is crucial to its understanding. The marketplace of ideas dictates that in order for new thoughts to flourish they must undergo scutiny. Students are no longer encouraged to scrutinize class material but rather blindly accept what is taught.

Fahrenhite 9/11

2004-07-10T22:11:00.000-05:00

I saw Fahrenhite 9/11 two weeks ago. Shouldn't really consider it a documentary, it was considerably biased, but nevertheless still entertaining. Besides the clearly anti-Bush message, the movie could also be interpreted as a critical critique of the ills inherent in capitalistic societies. Moore portrays greed and money as the driving force that has relagated the poor and disadvantaged into fighting an unjust war that heavily benefits major corporations like Halliburton and Lockheed-Martin. To a certain point I agree. The ever increasing stock prices of these corporation and the bulging pocket books of their shareholders lies with the blood of our military. With individuals that have limited options for education or career advancement the military is sold by recruiters as an impressive option for college money or a point to start a promising career.

Ironically, Moore fails to mention that he is expected to earn millions off of his latest film. As he should. Like, Michael Eisner of Dsiney or others in the film industry Moore is in fact a capitalist and out to profit from his enterprises. Maybe that is why he chooses to clearly focus the film as a docotomy between democrats and republicans, left versus right, a clearly political debate rather then one based upon socio-economics where the haves and have nots are put at odds. Moore is by no means a "have not". He is a "have" and will continue to be one. He would love for you to believe that lining the pockets of republicans is far worse then lining his pockets. This may or may not be true who really knows? All in all the movie was entertaining and for the most part I enjoy warching Michael Moore. Supposedly his next film will deal with the ills of big business.

Leaving the Familiar

2004-07-10T17:14:00.000-05:00

It is this idea that most ppl connect with. Its the realization that it is simply a matter of time before all of us must move on and go our seperate ways to pursue our own dreams our own ambitions be it at a different college or a new career. It is this idea that friendships built upon a solid foundation spanning many years could face such uncertainty at this crucial moment. That is what have difficulty comprehending. Friendship is truly forever but certain things are still finite. We must move on with our lives sooner or later and be faced with a decision to physically leave what we know and care about behind. Many of our own families have choosen distance from relatives in order to pursue freedom education careers among other things. It is a decision that we all must evetually face one way or the other.

2004-07-06T10:43:00.000-05:00

im back!

2004-04-11T01:37:00.000-05:00

im just so aggrevated...sigh.

2004-04-02T15:34:00.000-06:00

argh...rule number one to argumentation you must fully realize your opponents point of view and the argument he/she is trying to articulate before forming a rebuttal. else, risk feeling stupid when you end up getting tangled in various tangents only to finally come to the conclusion that you views never really differed by to much to begin with.

2004-03-31T15:10:00.000-06:00

for those of you thinking about signing with Crossng Place Apts....they offer $100 per referal, if you list me as your referal i'll give you $50.

2004-03-28T11:43:00.000-06:00

i hate it when i cant articulate the arguments i want to make or when i can't seem to remember good rebuttals. only to remember when its too late. discourse is is fun it stimulates the mind, too bad there arent that many people out there willing to speak out on opposing views.

2004-03-26T15:05:00.000-06:00

Studies have shown that men prefer women with a waist to hip ratio of 0.7. You can calculate your own using this formula:

waist measurement ÷ hip measurement = ratio.

2004-03-19T03:38:00.000-06:00

*****NeWS*****

Taiwan President Shot, Not in Critical Condition

Mar 19, 2:02 AM (ET)

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian was shot while campaigning Friday, a day before a presidential election, but was not in critical condition, his spokesman told Reuters.
He had been rushed to hospital in the southern city of Tainan, officials said. Vice President Annette Lu was also wounded, but her condition was not yet known. "It was a gunshot but he is not in critical condition," James Huang, presidential spokesman, told Reuters.

2004-03-19T02:36:00.000-06:00

128-10-93-85-10-128-98-112-6-6-25-126-39-1-68-78

2004-03-14T04:19:00.000-06:00

the more i think about it the more i realize that the problem is not only inherent and possibly systematic but also culturally rooted. its not something that an icebreaker here or there can fix. it in essence involves a change in lifestyle that must be learned.

2004-03-12T03:57:00.000-06:00

When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ball-point pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat this problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion developing a pen that writes in zero gravity, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300 C.

The Russians used a pencil.

2004-03-05T02:54:00.000-06:00

i havent posted in awhile...ive been sick.

2004-02-20T20:35:00.000-06:00

Asian Pacific American Coalition presents
Building a Better Foundation: Showcase
featuring spoken Words Artists Bao Phi and others
Saturday, Feb. 21, 7:00pm UTC 2.112 FREEEE

anyone interested?

2004-02-17T23:45:00.000-06:00

I haTE IT when people think they're better then everyone else.
I haTE IT when these people are wrong and can't see their mistake
I haTE IT when others blindly follow, giving up any need to think
I haTE IT when the person thats correct gets rebuffed for challenging "authority"
nope, not talking about anyone in particular...just thinking about all the times i've encountered just such a scenerio where mistakes were made due to arrogance while others sat by eagerly soaking up the misinformation.

2004-02-17T11:34:00.000-06:00

*****NeWS*****
Cingular Wireless, the nation's No. 2 mobile phone provider, has agreed to acquire third-largest AT&T Wireless for more than $40 billion, a deal that could create the nation's largest cellular subscription base.

2004-02-16T23:31:00.000-06:00

project 2004 was saturday....
Austin has a clear geographic distinction between the have's and have not's; divided neatly by the interstate. Where the poor, mainly latino and african american families, settled east of I-35 and the more prominient, west. This was by no accident, in the early 20th century in order to keep minority families away from the centers of business, politics and education the city implemented a rezoning strategy that placed all the african american schools on the east side. Due to segregation black families had no choice but to settle where the schools could be found. Thereby creating a divide that has lasted till this very day.
....the world is segregated by the have's and have not's

2004-02-14T16:40:00.000-06:00

So you say you're educated...do you think you could've passed the 8th grade in 1895?

This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, Kansas, USA. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.

8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, KS -1895

********************************
Grammar (Time, one hour)

1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph.
4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of "lie," "play,"' and "run."
5. Define case; Illustrate each case.
6. What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

*****************************************
Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find the cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per metre?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.

********************************************
U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)

1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War. 4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849,1865.

*******************************************
Orthography (Time, one hour)

1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication.
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.'
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vei! n, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.

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Geography (Time, one hour)

1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

2004-02-12T00:28:00.000-06:00

bleh.
i dont feel well.

2004-02-08T18:17:00.000-06:00

Many times, we see stereotypes as either "good" or "bad". Unfortunately, the truth to the matter is there is no such thing as a positive stereotype. All stereotypes involve generalizations about a group as a whole; generalizations that may not be applicable to the specific individuals of that group. Even stereotypes towards Asian Americans that are associated with positive beliefs can be extremely detrimental to the Asian American community. For instance, the idea of the Asian American as the "model minority" generally has a positive connotation. It is a widely held belief among certain circles that all other minority groups should attempted to make the transition into contemporary America as well as their Asian counterparts, they should strive to reach both the American and Asian ideals of hard-work, dedication to education, sacrifice, and perseverance. Totally ignoring the fact that they have completely different histories. And we all know that not all Asians believe in hard-work, education, sacrifice, or perseverance. The “model minority" stereotype propels the belief that all Asians do. Subsequently creating an atmosphere that since Asians are so successful they do not need social programs, government assistance, or a numerous other benefits accorded to other minorities to help them "strive to be like Asians". In essence, Asian Americans are missing out on aid do to the belief that we are already successful. Unfortunately, Asians are also stereotyped as the “silenced” minority. The irony is that the term “model minority” would not have been associated with Asian American if in fact Asian were candidly vocal. Such facts cannot be overlooked and definitely contribute to unfair generalizations about Asians Americans as a whole. In any case, activism and visibility is the only way to counter stereotypes. The more visible and active a culture is in pointing inaccuracies the more likely all people will realize the truth.

2004-02-07T20:11:00.000-06:00

missed catfish 'cause i forgot about the laundry i left in the washer, hence i had no warm clothes to wear. sorry, viv.

2004-02-07T12:40:00.000-06:00

a couple weeks ago i believed that the republicans had enough political capital to get bush re-elected, but after seeing recent polls, i now doubt that. there is a fairly good chance that america will see a new president come nov 2004. the up coming presidential elections could be as close as the ones in 2000, so go vote! democratic, preferably.

2004-02-07T00:55:00.000-06:00

life is just not fair

2004-01-30T01:12:00.000-06:00

im terrible with names.
its embarassing when you call a person by the wrong name,
esspecially when they still know yours.
when i can't think of their real names
sometimes i remember them by there screenames.
ill remember faces forever.

2004-01-29T01:12:00.000-06:00

http://www.bushin30seconds.org

2004-01-29T00:31:00.000-06:00

my professors are TOO liberal. yea this is coming from a person that is as left as you can get without being considered a socialists. though i agree with most of there views and i believe in academic freedom, its how they present their views during class discussions that produces an unfair slant towards the left, leaving many of the more conservatives students uncomfortable of speaking. education is in fact about discourse and when certain people interefere with the expression of differing ideas we can no longer consider that educationally healthy.

2004-01-27T00:33:00.000-06:00

blog annoyances...

1. backgrounds that are so elaborate that they interfere with the text
2. text colors that are inappropriate for the background (yellow back, white text)
3. music or other multimedia that take forever to load

its your blog do whatever you want, just thought i'd share.

2004-01-25T03:22:00.000-06:00

Race is a social construction:
It is society that creates and defines the make up of race. Race is not an exact classification such as gender or blood type. From a scientific standpoint, it is a construction only slightly more important then hair color or eye color. The emphasis placed on the color of our skin is an emphasis arbitrarily created but the world we live in, rather then scientific standards. It is a creation meant to serve certain purposes for certain people. For instance, Asian Indians are considered generally to be of the Asian race, however from a genealogical standpoint, natives of the Asian sub-continent have ancestries more closely related to Europeans then to East Asians. So why have our south Asian friends been effortlessly labeled as ‘Asian’ rather then European/Caucasian or a separate classification of there own? In this case, besides the obvious aesthetic reasons, European hegemony and colonialism play major roles in the racial identification of South Asians. A case where European “Hispanics” (i.e. Spain, Portugal) are more often then not considered Caucasian while Hispanics brought up in south and central America are not, while both have clear Latin roots, clearly exemplifies how subjective the idea of race truly is. Race identity and its creation holds no ill in itself; it is when race is used to subjugate entire groups of people at the benefit of another that we must investigate how and why racial identities are created and assigned.

2004-01-25T01:32:00.000-06:00

versatility of 'FUCK'

2004-01-24T17:22:00.000-06:00

coonies soong wants to goto A&M... convince her not to go!

2004-01-24T17:14:00.000-06:00

my LEB professor, prof baker, is an odd one, hes entertaining but he tells alot of crude and sometimes tasteless jokes, he got good reviews on pick-a-prof, so maybe behind all the histrionics i'll actually learn something.

2004-01-21T01:30:00.000-06:00

aarghh...so i went to sleep at 11pm tonight. i was so proud, finally sleeping early. but guess what im up again and i cant fall back asleep....

2004-01-20T03:33:00.000-06:00

class starts later today and i cant fall asleep, its 3:00am. fortunately my first class doesnt start till 12:30. its been a long break, over a month, our next break isnt till spring. i think id much rather have a shorter winter break and more breaks in between now and spring break then to have one super long winter break, make sense?

kerry won the caucus in iowa. sad how everyone is just gonna go back to ignoring that state, they only get noticed once every four years. texas primaries arent till march, havent been following the issues much. i dont care who wins the democratic nomination as long as he defeats bush, however unlikely that might be.

2004-01-19T19:09:00.000-06:00

...tag my tag board.

2004-01-19T15:32:00.000-06:00

YAY for MLK day
BOO for Columbus day

2004-01-19T03:06:00.000-06:00

poker hasnt been going well. the poker gods havent been playing on my side these past few months. its time to turn to bingo and scratch off tickets.

2004-01-17T02:37:00.000-06:00

Like many, I grew up with the notion that the American justice system was built upon integrity, honor, and most importantly fairness. It was this idea that even if the most powerless, the most underprivileged were brought to the steps of Justice these noble principles would easily prevail. However, with the recent enactment of the Patriot Act and other measures to “protect” our freedoms, we have actually seen an unmistakable assault on our Bill of Rights. For generations tyrannical majorities have used the excuse of National Security to undermine the liberties of the minority. It is senseless to trade liberty for security; yet many are willing and even eager to substitute one fear for another. But, more importantly with such an exchange we abandon what it means to be American; we abandon the principles of fairness, integrity, honor and justice, cornerstones of our history. We must make it clear that there should be no quid pro quo; liberty should not be up for barter.

2004-01-17T02:26:00.000-06:00

from this day forward i will refrain from asking and answering rhetorical questions while blogging. its terrible style not to mention annoying.

2004-01-16T15:14:00.000-06:00

its raining...still

2004-01-15T18:56:00.000-06:00

did the color orange come before the fruit or the fruit before the color? it would make more sense if the color came first. intersting how its the same in chinese. what about plum or apricot?

2004-01-15T17:22:00.000-06:00

i hate how i write it never flows

2004-01-15T16:49:00.000-06:00

ok, im back...

2002-10-28T22:49:00.000-06:00

im not gonna blog for a while im too busy, too lazy. so stop checking!

2002-10-26T12:59:00.000-05:00

2002-10-25T23:27:00.000-05:00

.......................................... Theoretics #1....................................
LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL
so how many people actually laugh out loud when they tell people they LOL? rite thats what i thought. even if we did really laugh out loud each told we told people we did. what is it suppose to mean? exceptional humor? possibly. so why not just say "that was really funny". thats cuz you see we're lazy people too many letters to type. its actually like chinese proverbs in a way, a few characters could represent the ideas present in an entire paragraph. it seems that ever since the onset of instant messages there has an ever growing attempt to simplify our lives through quicker faster responses by the use of all sorts of instant message acronyms. but at some point you have to say enough is enough. did you know that there is even an organization out there called AAAAA (American Association Against Acronym Abuse) yea well they're not doing a very good job. there are over 100 IM acronym and over 100 emoticons, yea those funny looking faces made out of various letters and chracters (@_@). we all knoe wtf, but wtf is IMNSHO or IYKWIMAITYD. heres a link of usual and very unsual IM acronyms and emoticons..... acronyms...emoticons. it seems so illogical to have excessively long acronyms, isnt the whole point of acronyms to decrease the need for excessive mental energy?
........................................................................................................

2002-10-25T21:27:00.000-05:00

ok ok, i havent been blogging lately mainly cuz i dont feel my life is interesting enough to share with the rest of the world. i think instead of just telling you people who actually read my blog the daily activities of my day i'll also use my blog to peer into the theoretical, the speculative, a soap box for my eccentric views. a forum for mind stimulating discussion...hahaha riiite.....i'll call it the theoretics!

2002-10-22T23:20:00.000-05:00

went camping this weekend with ABSA then business school olymipics with ABSA then volleyball with ABSA then dinner with ABSA then mind stimulating riddles with ABSA...hehe mind stimulating riddles :-D

2002-10-14T23:57:00.000-05:00

its columbus day...damn it i want my mail...

......................................Christine's blog........................................
happy columbus day.
my ass. lets celebrate the dipshit, stubborn, pompus, heartless male who went around depleting the native population of america. whole lotta good he did us. someone was bound to "discover" this land sooner or later. i dont believe it would've made a difference if he was killed in his crib. the moron thought this was india for the love of god. bla bla bla, im sure there are mobs of historians who can argue for his usefulness, but in my personal opinion, we should just name this "get lost and dont ask for directions" day. you just might discover something useful!
.............................................................................................................
couldn't have said it better myself

2002-10-14T23:43:00.000-05:00

i need fundraising ideas.... any suggestions, besides the usual car wash, bake sale, garage sale etc...anything unique?

2002-10-11T21:12:00.000-05:00

	What Cartoon Will I Lose My Cartoon Virginity To? Sailor Mercury (Sailor Moon): Alright, this is kind of wrong. She is in her early teens. But still, online quizzes never lie. You will lose your cartoon virginity to Sailor Mercury. You know what they say about getting in bed with chicks with magical powers...
What Cartoon Will I Lose My Cartoon Virginity To?

2002-10-11T00:09:00.000-05:00

its been a roller coaster of a week. i think im sometimes mildly bipolar. neways ive decided to go home this weekend it doesnt seem i have any other time, i'll probably be back by saturday night. feels like i have so much homework and there is yet another chinese test monday. i kinda wanna stay here and goto the ABSA volunteering thing but i need to go back to get my sleeping bag for the camping trip next weekend. its not like i do much on weekends neways, weekends here for me seems like a challenge at times, yet i look forward every week for the weekend so as to maybe defeat this challenege. i wanna have fun on weekends not juss sit behind a desk doing chinese homework, arghhh, i hate that class soooooo much now. like i said, this week has really been crazy the emotional ups and downs have taken its toll im tired, depleted. i need to juss vent to someone but there arent many ppl here that are good listeners.

2002-10-07T02:04:00.000-05:00

another weekend gone by another chinese test to come. i havent been in a really good mood lately, its the same thing that always bogs me down, no its not about what happened last weekend, its about what happens every weekend. ive written about it in past entires, though not recently, it just bothers me, it bothers me alot, its a bit of paranoia,a and a bit of confusion mixed in with certain realities. i would share this lil quandry with more people but im afraid they wouldn't understand. neways, i might be going home this weekend i havent been back home since classes started havent really had time nor the will to drive all the way back but i really should go back this weekend though it seems that im gonna have a cloud of too much homework and studying over my head. if i dont go home this weekend it wont be till the end of october before i get a another chance.

2002-10-07T01:17:00.000-05:00

i needa hug... :-/

2002-10-07T00:56:00.000-05:00

tag my board !

2002-10-06T04:15:00.000-05:00

yea so ABSA car was was today it turned out pretty well. afterwards we went to coco on oltorf never been to that one but yea the service was pretty slow i guess they werent expecting all of us at once. i found out what a sugar glider was and saw a huge anaconda. driving right after football game is a pain. tried to study chinese didnt really work out that great i really need to be trying harder in that class its 6 hours. well now its 4am and i cant sleep im tired and all but i just cant fall asleep i think i have too much on my mind again. i got a notice for a oversized envelope in the mail today but i cant claim it till monday i wonder what it could be. i could almost bet its the bad news i was expecting. i feel so alone sometimes....i need to hold more "real" conversation with friends, instant messages have taken over my communications. they seem so isolating sometimes, what a paradox.

2002-10-04T00:13:00.000-05:00

so its friday, its finally friday, havent recieved any bad news in the mail yet so im not sure if thats exactly a good thing or a bad thing. i had the ABSA director of fundraising postion interview this past tuesday i think it went well, im qualified for the positon but then again other people applying could be just as equally qualified im competing against 10 other people. i hope i get it.

2002-09-28T14:52:00.000-05:00

so i got myself into a bit of trouble last nite. im not even sure whats going to happen now, its a weekend so whatevers gonna happen isnt gonna happen till next week. i just wish i had been more careful, i really dont have ne1 else to blame but myself but im just thinking there were just so many ways that this could have been avoided. i hate how i got other people involved too. now i dont know what to do; i just keep thinking about it and well it doesnt really help to think about something when you cant fix it or make it better. waiting....

2002-09-25T00:13:00.000-05:00

finally done with all my tests for the week. went to my CSD test; the one thats 90% airheads, geeez it took them 15 min to pass out scantrons and another 15 to pass out tests. the directions seemed easy enough but these morons just kept asking the same stupid questions over and over again, its like they never taken a test before. you just gotta wonder sometimes how the hell these people manage to not kill themselves.

2002-09-20T15:07:00.000-05:00

Which Peanuts Character Are You?

2002-09-19T02:29:00.000-05:00

this week seems to have gone by really fast, its thursday already. went tot he CTSA meeting today im not really sure if i wanna join or not, it'll be another $20, i ve laready decided that im not gonna do Red cross or ACC cuz well ACC has there meetings too early i like my afternoon naps and Red cross well i joined last year even paid my dues yet we didn't do anything. thry had more officers then members last year but this year i admit it does seem more organized but their meetings are at 5:30 again that will probably cut into my precious nap time. you see my nap time is very dear to me i cant concentrate without one, or maybe i should just try sleeping earlier instead of blogging and reading horoscpes at 2 in the morning. speaking of horoscopes i think the profiles of each sign are actually quite accurate, or it could just be another one of those self-fulfiling prophecies, like if you tell someone enough times tat they are stupid soon they'll actually start acting stupid even if they really arent, or if you goto a psychic and they tell you ur gonna marry a girl thats 5'6 and 110 lbs so now you only date girls that match that description, yea those are all self-fulfilling prophecies. but its weird both the profile for the chinese zodiac and the astrological zodiac seem to be very similar to my personality, or it could just be that these profiles tend to only discuss the positives and are sufficiently vague, hence since we like to think of ourselves as respectable individuals we try to find these positive attributes they desscribe in our own lives. though i do admit one negative is that am stubborn at times but of course i suppose everyone has had a bout of stubborness before.

2002-09-18T15:16:00.000-05:00

i just realized that i have three tests and a paper due next week all on either monday or tuesday. this weekend is gonna be all work work work. rite, probably just gonna procrastinate till sunday. i don't even know what to write about for my AAS paper, it has to fill up five pages. hmmm...i have three topics in mind (1) the melting pot versus salad-bowl ideaological debate: a critique on cultural assimilation, (2) a discussion on how culture is embeded within language and a nescessity for cultural transmission, (3) a critical anaylsis of asian-american activism in american society. i just don't know if i can fill the page requirement on any of these topics. any suggestions??

2002-09-18T01:55:00.000-05:00

got a belated birthday gift today! :-D

2002-09-17T01:27:00.000-05:00

meditation is good, unfortunately no time...