Investigating Branford's Environment.

I want to write an environmental piece on the environment directly related to the residents of Branford, Ct. It is a common misconception that we live in an generally clean location, but little do residents know that we are down wind of all the major factories in the mid west of the united states. We also live by a highly polluted body of water called the long island sound. Looking at big business such a Atlantic Wire located right on the Branford river, which follows directly into the sound. How many brownfields (property containing poisonous or hazardous materials) are there in Branford? And from the lack of knowledge I have recognized from the surround citizens should be educated on environmental problems that we face on a daily basis. From swimming in the long island sound, to eating and using the resources that come from the sound, who is to blame for it's ruin? Well these are questions that i want to answer and i want to let other people know and educate the populous about the environment.

SHOES!!!!

I am an 18 year old and I have healthy income of money and I find myself spending 30% of my money on gas, 20% on food and 50% on clothes! I love fashion and the thing I love the most and I believe that nobody can have to much of is… shoes! Art is one of my favorite subjects and fashion is art you can wear, and many of the blogs that I look at involoving fashion is so artistically created that I’m left a little jelous no being able to know how to do that myself. As far as photography goes, ive decided to do a photo assignment with my fellow classmate maddy, for this class and it will be a collection of shoes photographed artistically and done fashionably. I modeled it after a blog that I had found, and other bloggers had taken notice of it as well. There is an easy and noticable link between photography and fashion, there would be no models in the world and if there were no models we would have no americas next model.

i believe...black and white

I was 15 years old when I had to go to an air plane hanger with my father to watch my brother Michael board a plan and fly to Iraq.

I was shell shocked at first everyone was forcing fake smiles trying to consciously forget what the next hour would bring. All the military personal was scattered throughout the crown in there camo ironically sticking out like a sore thumb within each little clique of the crowd.

I was in a spellbound feeling of unbelief, there is no way this is actually happening. I chocked back stinging tears and at 15 years I held my dads hand both of us taking what little comfort we could from out firm grasp. To try and distract myself from my perfectly uniformed brother, I looked into the crowd and I saw something that made my choked back tears flow freely. Mother’s making there sons promise to come home safely. Spouses unwilling to let go of their other half. Children confused and frustrated asking where there mom or dad was going.. moments that have stood still inside my mind as small black and white movies.

My dad, bother and I hugged one last time and that was it, the plane lifted off and he was gone…

Well as sad as that was I’m so lucky to see the opposite of this, all of them coming home. This time around I saw waves of joy and happiness. I felt love all around me radiating like the suns heat off of everything giving the large spacious room and odd glow. There was also a long heavy sigh, like everyone was holding there breathe, it was the sound of relief.

I believe in black and white. These two scenarios of my life has taught me so much. Not only did I see love, and heard relief. I learned that without despair there is no hope. Without anxiety there is no relief. I learned so much in two separate days spanned by two years, then I have in my entire life. Without seeing pain and despair did I really learn and appreciate the soldiers coming home. I learned what the ancient Buddhist learned centuries ago the belief in yin and yang and it has never been so much clearer to me then right now, opposing forces are bound together and intertwined to create life.

I Believe Essay Thinking Outloud

I believe is a project that my class has decided to do, I’m excited in writing this because I have had a lot of experiences that have helped shape my life and gives my life meaning every day. The whole idea of I believe is to write about a personal experience to help explain a moral that we live by. Even though I’m only 18 I feel like I’ve lived through so much and I have so much to write about. It has taken me forever to decide and I still haven’t really decided officially on what exactly I’m going to write about. In the end though I figured out one thing that I aim to achieve every day of my life and something I think about often. Happiness is the single thing that I wish to achieve in my life and even seeing other people who are unhappy I feel this insistent need to reach out to these people and help. I want everyone to be happy I may come across as being a naïve dumb little girl but I’m unhappy by the unhappiness of the people all around me. This what has made me deiced on what to write my I believe paper on and I hope it turns out as good and convey what I’m thinking as well I understand it in my head.

Two things you should never discuss Religion and Politics

For this Year’s election I am able to Vote for the first time. I turned 18 on the 23rd of October and I registered October the 28th (I procrastinated until the last possible day). Going through this process I’m beginning to find many flaws within the whole voting thing I’ve gotten myself into. Everyone tells me that I HAVE to vote this year because I can, well they say this strongly encourage this only if I’m voting for the same person as them. I find that these questions come in procession of each other...first: “Are you registering to vote this year?” I respond with a yes and then the question I hate the most, “who are you voting for?” and I honestly want to respond to this question with a, "none of your effing business". I have made the fatal mistake to actually give my opinion on the two candidates Obama and McCain and I have responded with anger and persuasion also the never ending conversation of politics. I’m annoyed by this whole continuous cycle that happens whenever these two ominous questions arise.

I also went to register and it said I wasn’t eligible to vote in the preliminaries if I didn’t choose a party, this annoyed me as well, I’m a U.S. citizen I don’t want to take sides in two of the biggest political bullies there are in this entire world. This basically means I’m not allowed to choose who I decide to vote for...does this make sense? Does this sound like a democracy? I have basically two people to choose from, but I don’t get to choose who those two people are. I still checked myself as an individual, and unclassified as to a political party.

Even as I write this there are a few people who are judging this saying that I’m wrong in thinking this way...well you people (yes I said you people) are the reason I have no hope in politics at all, and some of you will try and persuade going on and on about something or other that I won’t particularly listen too. Because of these conversations and people I’ve finally made a decision, I’m voting green even though I know nothing about the candidates Cynthia McKinney, and Rosa Clemente. Two women I think woman are a little bitchy to be honest (myself being one). I just don’t want to deal with the question of who I voted for and having annoying people being disappointed in my decision as much as I don’t care about other people’s opinions of whom I vote for it is as very large annoyance to me.

The dark scary side of senior year...

I don't know about everyone else but as far as myself and what I can tell from the majority of my senior class, it’s so overrated. It’s advertised in movies and stories are told by our parents, how great senior year is..well since im now in the thick of senior year im starting to experience the horrors of this year and I was clearly lied to by basically everyone.

It all started with the end of junior year and the beginning of the ominous monster that lurks around every senior year…senior exhibition project. That’s when I started to realize the sharp agonizing pains of this year, with the onslaught of this horrible gruesome project that took up a lot of my summer time, eating it away piece by piece devouring my precious hours of summer sun. Trust me it only begin there, remember I haven’t even started senior year.

Once my senior year started I was drenched with responsibility. Not only did I have to dwell with the constant stabbing pain in my head of the arrival of my senior ex, but I had to deal with college applications (dun dun daaaa) and that’s a dozy all in it’s own, it creates stress, headaches, back pains, and even the sudden loss of limbs. There's the dozens of forms and essays to write for each picky individual collge. All of that work and a good chance i might not even make it in. With the running list of things to do I was suffocated under the pressure and with each passing day it was getting harder and harder to breathe.

Then to add to the insurmountable pile of gruesome qualities of senior year I had to keep up with homework which basically left my with a huge headache, back and neck pain, and I lost a few limbs (it's astonishing I have even survived to write this article). Then you ask how I am I dealing with this horrify monster of a supposed best year of my high school career, well what else is there for me to turn to? Other then…The Little Mermaid. Before I go insane, I’ll watch some Little Mermaid and then it’s back to the dark abyss of filling out my college applications, and the reallife nightmare that I'm currently living in (otherwise known as SENIOR YEAR).

Skate Culture 101

The urban blend of art and function brings a whole new meaning to world style. There’s a huge style staple within every school and community and that’s Skate Culture. Conversations between the skaters range from the “nastiest” trick to where they buy their clothes and shoes. The “shredders” have their own unique style.

Clothing is a huge part of the skating lifestyle. Many skaters wear baggy T”s, that is worn for comfort so it’s easy to move, and jeans, that are, “long and thick denim to protect your ankles from shark bite[1].” Says John Records, “Plus they look damn sexy”. The places to shop are Skate liar in Enfield, Dayone in Bridgeport, and Transit in New York City. Some of the more popular brands advertised in Thrasher magazine are the brands of LRG, Upper playground, Levis, and Diamond.

Last but not least the ever important skate shoe ranging from the Nike SB, Adidas, és, and Vox, Pat Vigorito was quoted as saying, “skate shoes are padded so you’re feet don’t get busted up.”

The clothes are stylish and have a defining function. Skate Culture is about function but the skaters keep buying for the style, bright colors, interesting patterns and designs are a real foreground for artistic images and creative thinking. A major foot hold in the fashion and art world. Skate Culture is a fashion where personal style is really reflected in what is worn. It has no boundaries or rules as to the creativity established in this area of fashion