FSPA Districts

So, it was really cool to compete at the Florida Scholastic Press Association this year, and it was even cooler to get 1st place for On-The-Spot Photo! For all of my journo-nerds reading, here's my winning picture.

Concepts of Time

Every second in a day is unique. Think about it. Every single moment in one day's duration will never happen again on that exact moment of time.

 

 As you are reading this, you might not be conscious of it by seconds have passed that will never happen again.  But, in terms of time seconds are not the only concept of time that is special.

 Weeks that pass cannot be relived. Once a week has passed we are onto the next one, same with months and years.  

 

So ask yourself this, how does one live each second, day, week, year and so on to the fullest? That depends on what makes you, as a person, happy. What I try to do is try to make every person I meet smile at least once. You might ask why I do this, the answer is simple. 

You never know what type of day that person is having and by making them smirk or grin you might have made their day better or if not that one second. That’s better than nothing right?

Of course you do not have to do this, I was giving an example. But, why not try to smile or giggle at something silly knowing that lame joke or weird picture has just made you live a moment in time that will never happen again?

Also, I would like state in my opinion, this is valid until a working time machine is invented and we as a people can actually relive the past.

The Acceleration of Technology in Today's Time

When was the last time you saw a VCR tape or a VCR player? Do you even know what a VCR tape is? How about Laser discs?  What about Floppy disks?

Back in the day, from maybe the 1960s to the late 1990s these items of technology were red hot. People thought they were hip if had that new smoking record from their favorite artist. These things are things of the past now, and considering all of the new technology in the world today, it makes sense.  

Think about in one days time how much of the things a person comes in contact with are digital? Let’s start from dawn to dusk, one wakes up maybe turns off an alarm clock. After successfully turning off that alarm clock five times and trudging into the bathroom they flick on the lights and freshen up. 

They make their way back to their bedroom flick on that light and get dressed. They do their hair maybe even a hair straighter or a curler, no bad hair days here. Feeling fresh and dandy they make their breakfast, using a toaster and an electrical stove they make the ultimate breakfast, an egg sandwich. 

They dash out the door and head off to live their day whether it be at school or work they encounter technology at every turn. Cell phones, televisions, office phones, cars, computers, the list can go on, depending where you are. 

They make it back home safe and sound they warm up some dinner and relax for a bit. It might be at a computer or maybe a television.  Relaxation may actually be somewhat analog for example reading a book but technology is there with that blinding LED light bulb. That's it from dawn to dusk.

Technology is everywhere and is evolving faster as time progresses.  What’s next on this ever accelerating agenda of technology? Will it include a mass production of hover cars and holograms?

Syria: Should we intervene?

President Obama has issued a letter seeking the House and Senate to weigh in on this pressing question. BBC News reports that 1429 people, 426 of them children, have died in a single chemical attack taking place in Syria at the hands of the government. Currently, the United Nations' weapons inspectors have left Syria after gathering evidence on the acts. The analysis of this evidence may take weeks to be completed. Meanwhile, innocent children and civillians continue to face inhumane violence as the world looks on; waiting for the United States to make a decision.

 

America is considered to be the greatest nation on Earth and one of the most envied because of our founding principle of freedom. Therefore, I firmly believe that we should step in. If we don't, who will? The United Kingdom's Defense Secretary has stated that the British army will not intervene while other nations are hesistant to make any final decisions.  

Our nation is a historial beacon of safety and justice, and thus we have a moral obligation to stand up for justice and human rights. This occurrence harkens back to the time of Hitler's regime, when millions of minorities were being persecuted and slaughtered in Europe during the Holocaust. The Allied Forces, including the United States, turned a blind eye to these monstrosites and waited years before acting upon such genocide. Precious lives could have been spared in that period, and the same is true for the civilians of Syria.

In addition to immediate action, I do believe that the United States government needs to inform the American public about what will take place in Syria and the extent to which the U.S. will participate in the country's affairs. I think that a lot of citizens felt that they were out of the loop when America entered the Middle East, an act of warfare that took an enormous economic and social toll on our nation. Thus, the public needs to be assured how we will deliver aid in a efficient and effective manner.

A creative breakfast

Hey there everyone, I woke up feeling creative, so I decided to make a classic breakfast.

Green eggs and ham, It was yummy, delicious and in a few moments...

Gone. Try adding a twist to your everyday meal, it is fun and can be as easy as adding seven drops of green food coloring to your eggs. 

Oshogatsu Festival - Happy New Year, Japanese Style

Ringing in the Year of the Snake, the Morikami Museum and Japanese gardens, situated in Boca Raton, hosted a Japanese Oshogatsu Festival on January, 13, 2013. There were Japanese Shishimai (Lion Dances), a mochitsuki making demonstration, traditional Japanese fortune telling, kite flying, dancing, and so much more.

Approximately 7,000 visitors were expected to show, and the festival was absolutely packed, brimming to the rim with people. It was difficult to even walk through the main lobby without brushing shoulders with at least a few strangers.

I worked as a volunteer, and helped out at the T-shirt silk screening station. Visitors would bring or buy blank t-shirts and get them ink silk screened with their choice of two designs: a Japanese lion (Shishimai), or a four-squared design featuring a Daruma doll (wish doll), a snake, flowers, and fan, which represented the new year of the snake. My partner, Jordan, screened the designs onto the shirts, while I sealed the ink with a hot iron press. This was such a popular activity among the visitors that a never-ending stream of people would continuously line up to get a customized silk screened Oshogatsu t-shirt. In fact, we eventually had to switch from black ink to red because we ran out of main supplies (luckily, Jordan came prepared). Some people were so excited that they literally took their own shirts off (of course, they had something underneath) to get them designed.

The Oshogatsu Festival was a blast. If you would like to experience one for yourself, then you will have to wait until next year. However, there is a Hatsume (Spring) Fair coming up in March, which will be held or two days on March 23 and 24.

Hope to see you there.

Until next time.

Sayonara,
Karam Atli

How It Feels to NOT Have a Smartphone

Sometimes, I feel very lonely.

I look around during lunch at school, and almost everyone has their eyes glued to a screen.

I could ignore them, and think of myself as original, someone who didn't hop onto the Steve Jobs is a genius, I should buy all of his products bandwagon. Someone who has better things to worry about then who tweeted this or who Instagrammed that.

Or, I could crawl into a corner and wonder why life is so horrible, and how I could be asking Siri where the best pizza place is instead of wallowing in the darkness.

Okay, that was a bit dramatic.

But you get my point.

Looking on the bright side, it's not like iPhones were always around. People lived happy lives without them. (You would be lying if you said you've never heard your parents tell you the "Back in My Day" spiel).

Sadly, the way Apple is moving, it doesn't look like iPhones will loose popularity any time soon.

In the mean time, I'll wait for someone to invent a time machine, so I can go back to the prehistoric era and be amongst my fellow dinosaurs.