CEJ #4

CEJ #5

Egypt hot-air balloon accident kills 19

http://www.sfgate.com/world/article/Egypt-hot-air-balloon-accident-kills-19-4311354.php

Logan Urfer

2/26/2013

On february 26,2013, a hot-air balloon had crashed in Egypt near the city of Luxor. While in the air, the balloon had burst into flames. A local farmer had watched this event occur, he said that he had saw 19 people jump out of the balloon in panic, while 1000ft in the sky, and fall to their deaths. One British tourist had survived, as well as the Egyptian tour guide, but had suffered horrible burns in the process. The city of Luxor has suffered since this tragic accident occurred. Luxor is practically a ghost town. Tourists are leaving out of fright. The article described it as       “Luxor is filled with vacant hotel rooms and empty cruise ships”. Some of the authorities are saying that the death of these 19 people were the pilots fault, as he did not do what he was trained for in these certain situations. The cause of the fire was that a cable got caught around a helium tube, and a fire erupted. All hot-air balloon are temporarily suspended for further investigation.

This is obviously an extremely tragic accident, and I wonder what it was like for the people in the balloon. What they must have been thinking when the hot-air balloon had erupted into flames. Only 2 people survived the accident, the Egyptian guide and a british tourist, what are the odds of that? The article did not say if they had chosen to stay in the aircraft or jump like the rest of the passengers did, but all i know is, that they are extremely lucky. I think that the tourists should not run away, they should just stay and enjoy their time, I fully doubt that another accident like that will happen anytime soon. I also dont think that it is the pilot's fault, what was he supposed to do? I think that they are just looking for someone to blame. But, what I don't fully understand is, why did they jump from the hot-air balloon? Wouldn't it be any easier to just stay in the passenger area?

Video Game Response

Videogame Response

Logan Urfer

My favorite game, at the moment, is Minecraft. Minecraft is a game that give you the opportunity to create your own pixelated world and go from there. You can spawn in different biomes. Biomes are certain amount of areas that include some type of theme. Like a jungle biome, a snow biome, a desert biome, or even the ocean. You start out by chopping wood using your hand or an axe. You can craft things with wood such as wooden pickaxes, wooden swords, wooden axes, and wooden shovels. You can also make amazing houses with wood and cobblestone/stone. You can get cobblestone by mining through the ground. While your mining you can find iron, coal and sometimes even diamonds! Diamonds are the best items in the game, but are the hardest to find.
Minecraft is made purely out of java, nothing else. The creators of Minecraft gave the players a way to connect with your friends through a multiplayer server. A Minecraft server can be personalized to the fullest based on the owners needs. You can have a pvp server. A creative server. Even a server that all you do is run around and jump on/off things. Minecraft is such an open source game, that’s why it is so easy to personalize your gameplay experience, because you can take the game and edit the code as you please, no strings attached.

Enders game 1-5

Chapter 1
1. What attitude motivates the adults to lie to Ender?
1: The adults lied to Ender about the monitor because they wanted to see how Ender would react with the monitor removed from his body. He reacted by literally hospitalizing a kid. This impressed the adults.

2:Explain what it seems to mean for Ender to be born a "Third". Show whether this is
a negative or positive fact to:
- his parents: His parents love him, but they feel ashamed to have a third in their family. A third is a third child. In the book, it is illegal to have 3 children.
- his brother, Peter: As Ender is considered “better” than Peter, Peter feels jealous of Ender, as well as angry. But, in the book, Peter shows that he still loves his brother.
- his sister, Valentine: Valentine and Ender have a great bond. Valentine loves
- his classmates.
Chapter 2
1. Was Peter joking when he threatened Ender and Valentine?  Support your answer
with evidence from the novel.

1: Yes, according to Peter, he was. He kinda slowed all his shenanigans down when Valentine and Ender started to get defensive. Also, that night, he snuck into Enders room and said how much he loved him. He also said how sorry he actually was. So, I think he was joking, but I also think that he has quite a few grudges held against Ender.

2.Why is Peter’s behavior at the end of the chapter so completely different from the
rest of the chapter?

2: Peters behavior changes when he sneaks into Enders room and tells Ender that he is sorry for what he did.

3: How do you feel about each of these characters (Ender, Valentine, Peter)?  What
did the author do to help create these feelings

3: I think that Peter is a mean person, because of how he acts towards Ender. The author made Peter out to be the bad guy, because of how jealous he was of Ender. I like Valentine and Ender because of the friendly bond they have between each other. They both kinda defend each other in the situations that involve Peter.
Chapter 3
1:What did Graff mean about evolution working against girls?
1:He meant that in the evolution of humans, men were made out to be the warriors, to fight against the enemies. Woman were made to be reproductive. The ones who gave birth to all the warriors, not the ones who are meant to fight.
2:Ender is leaving to learn how to fight a war, yet he takes Graff’s hand. Why does
Orson Scott Card (OSC) include this action?
2: Graff tells Ender that although he is loved, he is a burden to his family and everything around him, as he is a third. I think the author did this to show graff’s skills in social engineering, but also show that graff was a possible friend to Ender.
Chapter 4
1:Explain the meaning of the following statement: “Individual human beings are tools
that the others use to help us all survive.”
1:I think this statement means that there is this cycle in humanity were others will feed off you to survive. For instance, the population of the world relies on the army to defend their nation. But the army relies on the people to invent new weapons, collect more resources, farm food. No one is ever the victim in this cycle.
2:Explain the following quote: "Isolate him enough that he remains creative -
otherwise he'll adopt the system here and we'll lose him." Your answer should
include the terms: isolation, creative, adopt, lose.
2:I think this quote means the when Ender adapts to the way things are done, he won't be as creative, and he will start to stop thinking on his own two feet. He might start thinking just like everybody else. He won't be making his own battle decisions.
3:Did Ender mean to break the other boy’s arm?  What does this incident tell us about
Ender?  Is it acceptable to do despicable things for survival?  Why or why not?
3:No, Ender did not mean to break the boys arm. It was just self defense. The incident says that Ender does not know really how strong he is, and it also says that he is very emotional, and doesn't like to be messed with. I think this action was acceptable because of the amount of torcher he would have gone through. But if it wasn't as bad as it was in that situation, i dont think it wouldve been acceptable.
Chapter 5 – Games
1. Ender works hard to express his feelings in private and not show homesickness in
front of any other person. Is it healthy for him or not?   What is positive and what is
negative about showing feelings?  What is positive and what is negative about not
showing feelings?
1:On the other hand, it isn't healthy for Ender to keep is feeling in, but it is physically healthy for Ender so people don't think of him as a wuss. The positive things for showing feelings is that people might actually feel bad for you, depending on what you have to go through at home. The negative thing is that, people may make fun of you, depending on how bad it is at home, also, people may not care as much as you do, since its not their life. A positive thing about not showing feelings is that you stay physically safe, you won't be bullied about it, and it won't affect your social life. A negative thing about not showing feelings is that you keep everything bottled up, giving you problems like anger issues.
2:How did Ender beat Bernard?  Is this an unusual solution to his problem?
2:Ender beat bernard by making fun of him in front of all his friends, not by physically beating him, but by emotionally tearing him. Ender wrote a message to everyone saying “Bernard stairs at guys butts!” It was an unusual solution to his problem because he hacked into the system just to mess with Bernard, but it kept Bernard out of command and made him stop being a jerk to everyone.
3:List the different coping mechanisms (ways of dealing with difficulties) Ender
shows. For each one describe whether the overall result of each is helpful or
harmful to Ender.
3: Ender stays to himself, he doesn't try to make friends, he just goes solo. This is a good thing towards Enders physical health because it made him stay away from the bullies. Ender acted as every insult Bernard or the others had directed toward him, was a compliment. This made the bullies mad. because in a way Ender was outsmarting them, and they dont like having someone better than them.

CEJ #3

CEJ #3

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/us/politics/obama-pushes-for-increase-in-federal-minimum-wage.html?ref=us&_r=0

Logan Urfer

This article stated that Barack Obama(The President of the United States)wants to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to a flat out $9. Studies show that most couples that have a child and work for minimum wage , even if they work full hours for 5 days a week, they still live under the poverty line. Obama stated in one of his speeches that “Let’s declare that in the wealthiest nation on earth, no one who works full time should have to live in poverty.” The White House had also stated that ever since the minimum wage of common everyday workers was raised in 2006, from $5.15 to $7.25, that there has been no significant unemployment raise since then, so why would it affect us now? But, both small and large businesses that rely on minimum wage workers have actually opposed in raising the minimum wage workers because it would obviously increase their business costs.

I think that by increasing the minimum wage rate, we will be decreasing the amount of people below the poverty line. The poverty line is the bare minimum in which a person or person’s can make a year and still afford the most basic costs of living. The article stated that some people thought that by increasing minimum wage, you are also stimulating the economy because of the amount of cash being circulated throughout the United States of America. This statement makes sense, because if you are part of the 1% for example, and you own a company with thousands of employees, that 1% will start making less money than originally, but, eventually, that person will start making more money than before, because he/she has gained more consumers than originally.

CEJ #2

CEJ #2

Logan Urfer

2/8/2013

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/11/technology/samsung-challenges-apples-cool-factor.html?ref=technology

BRIAN X. CHEN

New York Times

This article stated that Apple has finally found a worthy opponent, Samsung Electronics. The IPhone, the worlds most bought smartphone on the market, Vs the Samsung Galaxy S3, the world 2nd most bought smartphone on the market. At the moment, Samsung and Apple are neck and neck in sales. As it also stated, Samsung could not get any more different than Apple. Samsung not only makes smartphones and tablets, but also makes more of the home necessities that most homeowners need. Including dryers, cameras, vacuum cleaners etc... Apple on the other hand,  dominate the market with only smartphones and tablets. Samsung, defeats its opponent (Apple) in the earning per year, But Apple still leads in the stock market value.

I have never been a big fan of Apple, or any of its products to be honest, so i'm glad too see that it finally has a competitor in the smartphone market. Hopefully, Samsung's Galaxy S3 will surpass the IPhone in sales, that's just my opinion. But, Samsung makes a lot of its revenue on other appliances, not just off their smartphones, so i have to applaud Apple for making its revenue only off its IPhone's and IPad's. But I still think that Apple overpriced their products, and is desperate enough to make a new IPad for what it seems like every 6 months. I think Apple is a great company, but I hope Samsung will surpass them in the future.

CEJ #1

CEJ #1

Perlroth, Nicole

New York Times

Jan 30, 2013

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/technology/chinese-hackers-infiltrate-new-york-times-computers.html?hp&_r=0

The New York Times was hacked! But how? Who? Why?The Ny Times was hacked by China, after publishing an article, oct 25, about Wen Jiabao, Chinese prime minister, and his relatives billions of dollars made from certain business deals. The New York times was attacked for around 4 months, and had 53 employee’s passwords compromised. Seems like a lot? It is, the Chinese had based the attack on the network, rendering anyone who used that network, hacked. But the Chinese were smart, and had attempted to cloak their attacks, by hacking into the Universities around the Ny Times, and sending the malicious software from there.  The software was a specific strain, that was recognized from many other attacks that had originated from China. Since the “investigators” hired by the Ny Times had not found any hard proof, they advise that it would be not smart to try and confront them about.

I understand why the Chinese would do this, if they actually did do it. You're trying to protect your corrupt relatives from being caught, so of course they would take it to extreme levels. But this is a matter of national security, even if it was only a newspaper article that was attacked, if it was up to me, i would probably take action. But since there was no hard proof, it would be stupid to go up against a country as powerful as China. I don't know how I would handle this, but all I know is that I do take it as an offensive gesture.

   

Your mantra: Let's investigate the natural world. (Naturalistic)
Naturalistic learners often understand the patterns of living things, and they apply scientific reasoning to the world. You recognize (and can classify) different types of plants or animals. You also empathize with animals. Some well-known careers for those with naturalistic intelligence are farmer, naturalist, animal behaviorist, and scientist.

My response: I got a 8% on this. In which I am not surprised. I've never really been too into nature. I've never had any interest in taking care of animal, but I don't mind being around them. I definitely don't apply scientifical thoughts to nature, because I don't believe that I need too. I feel that it is a waste of my time.

Your mantra: I understand what you mean.(Interpersonel)
Interpersonal learners thrive on social interaction. Friends often ask you for advice because you are understanding and in tune with the people around you and their motives, emotions, perspectives, and moods.
Your ability to manage relationships helps you understand situations and take a leadership role when necessary. You enjoy teaching and sharing your thoughts.
Careers that require insight and the ability to read what someone else is thinking or feeling -- such as teaching, psychology, or sales -- would be a great match for those with interpersonal intelligence.

My response: In this category, I got a 75%, I’m not very surprised. In fact, I do tend to thrive on social interaction, except for those few days where i'm sitting at home, being a loner. I believe that I am able to talk to people fluently and for a long period of time. As I can keep a conversation going for a while. Its almost like I am a therapist in training, but that just doesn't interest me in later life.

Your mantra: That sounds good to me! (Music)
You probably sing to yourself while walking down the street. Keep it up! Musical intelligence is associated with enjoying music, singing (vocalists), making music (composers), and playing an instrument (instrumentalists). You are sensitive to sounds and the emotions music conveys. You have a unique ability to know when something is off key.

My response: I am one of those types of people who love to sing and dance, not necessarily sing, but rap to some of my favorite songs. I like to dance, it's fun and exciting, especially seeing what other people can do. I'm not afraid to sing in front of people, well most of the time. Its easy for me too keep a beat going, especially in drum class.  I can memorize lyrics easily, without really focusing on the song. I just enjoy music!