Senior Year has thus far been extremely stressful--with all the college applications, homework, scholarships, etc. I think everyone expected that Senior Year would be much easier at least by this time. Honestly though, I don't think I've really enjoyed Senior Year, but I think that will soon change especially once we hit March. I feel like March will be a major turning point for all seniors because then we're suddenly going to be on the fast track to Graduation. So, I guess I just have to make through the rough patch of Senior year, so I can get to the fun stuff. After February though, I think we can all be glad that we'll be graduating soon! March represents field trips, finishing up lessons so we can just get to the easy review period, finding out about scholarships and colleges. April is the major decision time where we'll get all our college information and have a break from school (Spring Break!) and then Prom time comes around. By May, AP exams will end within the first couple of weeks and we'll get our senior final exams done with! Then it's easy coasting till the end.
I wouldn't change anything about Senior Year thus far though because I know that we'll get a chance to have our fun soon enough!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Huntsman Drops Out
Political Cartoonist: Nate Beeler
This political cartoon has one clear feature that I found particularly interesting which was the fact that Huntsman was "dropping out" of the competition literally, but in a high class, flashy way. This feature seeks to show that Huntsman proved himself and left as an equally good model candidate. Huntsman left as an honest candidate who still wants to fight Obama, but from backstage rather than front and center, which is why he chose to endorse Romney as the key candidate to win the election. The quote said by the media "now that's how you end a campaign!" goes to say that Huntsman left the campaign, but managed to turn the tables. Unlike other candidates, Huntsman chose to endorse a candidate whose views are far from his own--Mitt Romney. This decision on Huntsman's part will definitely give Romney an extra cushion of votes, especially after the rough showing in South Carolina.
The cartoonist clearly has an admiration for Jon Huntsman because he was not satirizing or ridiculing the way that Huntsman dropped out of the campaign. Huntsman left the GOP campaign honorably after a long but good run for nomination. The cartoonist admires the fact that Huntsman chose to leave as a good sport, who continued to endorse his opponents, mainly Mitt Romney. Hunstman is all for helping his opponents on the GOP side to fight back against Obama. Huntsman proved in his declaration of withdrawl that despite his differences with Romney; he knows that Romney will be the best candidate to reap the GOP some rewards (possibly even the presidency).
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Who will win the GOP nomination?
There have been a lot of ups and downs so far in the race for GOP nomination, but one candidate has seemed to maintain solid ground: Mitt Romney. Romney has the best chance of winning the GOP nomination because the candidates he's running up against all have some sort of major flaw that seems to keep them from winning enough votes.
Romney has always been a front runner for the GOP nomination because of his speech-making abilities and his abilities in gaining the votes of Republicans and Democrats alike. Romney is the best candidate for the win because: he doesn't freak out democrats/independents because he isn't steadfast in conservative beliefs like Bachmann was or Perry is. For this, Romney would be a fantastic candidate for the Republicans in the upcoming general election. His moderate views can gain him more votes from independents in the general election, giving him a greater chance of winning the presidency.
Rick Perry doesn't have a chance of winning the GOP nomination because of his current status as a "nutcase" (after the drinking incident at a GOP debate) and his strong conservative will. Perry doesn't want to sway to any moderate ideals, which will definitely hurt the Republicans in the general election. Perry's crusade against gay marriage and for school prayer will not help him gain the votes of the growing independents in America.
Newt Gingrich showed real promise these past couple of weeks as he had pulled through from nothing to a person who people know of. Gingrich seems to have a lot of ideas of what he will do with the presidency, but Americans aren't very trusting of the man who has brought a lot of political baggage with him. Independents and moderates have not seen Gingrich as a real candidate thus far.
Rick Santorum has entered the picture again, but not as a really promising candidate. He was pretty low in the ranks for the GOP nomination, until the Iowa caucus. Santorum had spent much of his time in Iowa, spreading his views on how he will change if he is chosen as president, which seemed to pay off as Santorum "surprised" everyone by having a hefty number of votes at the Iowa caucus. Though his victory is short lived because Santorum lacks diversity in his views, he wants to turn back to traditional views of "don't ask, don't tell" and anti-birth control laws. Santorum is a very conservative candidate, which will most definitely hurt him in the run for GOP nomination.
Ron Paul has proved to be a really good competition for Romney in the upcoming election. Paul has some moderate ideas that have/will most definitely appeal to younger candidates (like myself). The only issue with Paul is his old age, which could be a deciding factor for whether voters will choose him. Paul has a fairly good shot at winning though because most Republican voters prefer more conservative views (Paul) compared to the moderate-swaying views of Romney. Romney has stressed that his views are moderate, whereas Paul has managed to sneak in moderate views along with conservative ones.
I think that Romney definitely has the best chance at winning the election, but only time will tell whether he can hold on to his central position.
Romney has always been a front runner for the GOP nomination because of his speech-making abilities and his abilities in gaining the votes of Republicans and Democrats alike. Romney is the best candidate for the win because: he doesn't freak out democrats/independents because he isn't steadfast in conservative beliefs like Bachmann was or Perry is. For this, Romney would be a fantastic candidate for the Republicans in the upcoming general election. His moderate views can gain him more votes from independents in the general election, giving him a greater chance of winning the presidency.
Rick Perry doesn't have a chance of winning the GOP nomination because of his current status as a "nutcase" (after the drinking incident at a GOP debate) and his strong conservative will. Perry doesn't want to sway to any moderate ideals, which will definitely hurt the Republicans in the general election. Perry's crusade against gay marriage and for school prayer will not help him gain the votes of the growing independents in America.
Newt Gingrich showed real promise these past couple of weeks as he had pulled through from nothing to a person who people know of. Gingrich seems to have a lot of ideas of what he will do with the presidency, but Americans aren't very trusting of the man who has brought a lot of political baggage with him. Independents and moderates have not seen Gingrich as a real candidate thus far.
Rick Santorum has entered the picture again, but not as a really promising candidate. He was pretty low in the ranks for the GOP nomination, until the Iowa caucus. Santorum had spent much of his time in Iowa, spreading his views on how he will change if he is chosen as president, which seemed to pay off as Santorum "surprised" everyone by having a hefty number of votes at the Iowa caucus. Though his victory is short lived because Santorum lacks diversity in his views, he wants to turn back to traditional views of "don't ask, don't tell" and anti-birth control laws. Santorum is a very conservative candidate, which will most definitely hurt him in the run for GOP nomination.
Ron Paul has proved to be a really good competition for Romney in the upcoming election. Paul has some moderate ideas that have/will most definitely appeal to younger candidates (like myself). The only issue with Paul is his old age, which could be a deciding factor for whether voters will choose him. Paul has a fairly good shot at winning though because most Republican voters prefer more conservative views (Paul) compared to the moderate-swaying views of Romney. Romney has stressed that his views are moderate, whereas Paul has managed to sneak in moderate views along with conservative ones.
I think that Romney definitely has the best chance at winning the election, but only time will tell whether he can hold on to his central position.
GOP: Flavor of the Month
The key objects in this cartoon are the "GOP Ice Cream Shoppe," the elephant, the different ice cream flavors, and Newt Gingrich watching from the outside of the shop. The whole "GOP Ice Cream Shoppe" represents the overall GOP race for nomination in the upcoming general election. The elephant represents the Republican public who is voting for GOP candidates. Newt Gingrich watching from outside of the shop is used as a satire. Gingrich is shown as a chubby man looking into the ice cream shoppe at the different flavors. The different flavors represent the different candidates. Rick Santorum represents a "surprise" candidate who pulled forward in the Iowa caucus as a big surprise to voters and the candidates themselves. Other candidates are also shown such as Rick "Nuts" Perry and Newt "Ego Nog" Gingrich.
The cartoonist clearly uses satire in this political cartoon to make fun of the GOP candidates for nomination. McKee uses the different aspects of the cartoon to satirize the fact that each of the candidates have their own key features that keep them from getting the GOP nomination. The elephant (Republican public) is putting up a new "Flavor of the Month." Gingrich has lost his high ranking position to Santorum.
The really interesting thing about this political cartoon is that it does not show the candidate Mitt Romney anywhere (either to say that he never had a chance at winning or to say that he isn't involved in the petty battle for GOP nomination as Newt Gingrich is). The cartoonist is showing how over time American's opinion over who is the next "flavor of the month" is chaning.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Holiday Memories
My favorite holiday memory would have to be from when I was about 10 or 11 years old. I took a week off of school (right before Winter Break). My mom, my dad, and I went to Disneyworld in Florida for a week. We stayed at a beautiful hotel for a week and got back home on Christmas Eve morning. I had never been to Disneyworld before that and I had the most amazing time. Disneyworld was all decked out in Christmas and holiday decorations, which made the holiday time so much more fun.
One key thing I remember is waking up every morning and having Mickey Mouse-shaped blueberry waffles. We would wake up really early so that we could head out sightseeing to each of the "lands" in Disneyworld. When we went to Animal Kingdom, we got to witness the Lion King Christmas parade which was definitely a spectacle to see. I was a little short back then and I couldn't see over the crowd of people who stood in front of me. My dad had hoisted me up on his shoulders so that I could watch the parade. It was so loud, but so amazing!
Every single day that we were there in Disneyworld was great because we always had something new to see everytime. When we went to Magic Kingdom, we watched a light parade where all the lights in the entire theme park had been turned out, so it was pitch black and all we could see were these gorgeous parade floats that had neon lights. Afterwords, we got to see a fireworks show right above us.
Going to Disneyworld was definitely my favorite holiday memory thus far!
One key thing I remember is waking up every morning and having Mickey Mouse-shaped blueberry waffles. We would wake up really early so that we could head out sightseeing to each of the "lands" in Disneyworld. When we went to Animal Kingdom, we got to witness the Lion King Christmas parade which was definitely a spectacle to see. I was a little short back then and I couldn't see over the crowd of people who stood in front of me. My dad had hoisted me up on his shoulders so that I could watch the parade. It was so loud, but so amazing!
Every single day that we were there in Disneyworld was great because we always had something new to see everytime. When we went to Magic Kingdom, we watched a light parade where all the lights in the entire theme park had been turned out, so it was pitch black and all we could see were these gorgeous parade floats that had neon lights. Afterwords, we got to see a fireworks show right above us.
Going to Disneyworld was definitely my favorite holiday memory thus far!
Elect Santa
A key feature of this cartoon is the little kid. The fact that a little kid knows about the general election coming up is pretty amazing, but what is even more amazing is the fact that he seems to be exasperated over it. The little kid represents the voting citizens of the United States. The cartoonist is trying to say that Americans are sick and tired of the GOP candidates who are constantly in the limelight. The Americans believe that there's no way that America can achieve change because each of the candidates has his/her own flaws coming into the election. I believe that the cartoonist is right on this account. The GOP candidates have thus far proven nothing about their abilities to lead the United States. To them, it is a competition for the GOP nomination (not for the presidency). The candidates haven't thought of the big picture ideals that come with running for nomination. If Americans are expected to watch the GOP debates, to actually pay attention to who is running, and vote later on, they need to know that candidates are looking out for America's best interests, not the title and prestige that comes with being "President."
The cartoonist is using satire in this political cartoon. Since it is holiday time, the cartoonist uses the belief of Santa to engage readers about his cause. The cartoonist is also trying to say that the GOP debates have become so widespread that everyone knows about them.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
The Obama Update
Obama still has time till the general election. He needs to take charge with greater campaigning measures if he wants to win the reelection. Obama is currently dropping in the polls mainly because of his central policy--jobs. According to Gallup polls, Obama's jobs approval rating is at 42% with 51% of people disapproving. Also according to Gallup, his job approval rating is remaining pretty consistent with approval rating staying low.
I believe that at this current time, it is difficult to say whether Obama will win the bid for reelection. This completely depends on Obama's jobs bill which has yet to be signed by Congress till next year. If the bill gets signed, Obama may have a chance to win back voters.
To figure out this question on whether Obama will win the reelection bid, I took a look at Gallup's comparison of approval ratings for previous presidents. Around this time, most presidents have had pretty low approval ratings. Many presidents were able to increase their approval ratings by the election time in Novemeber. Obama may still have a chance to bring up his approval ratings, but he needs to do greater campaigning for this election because most Americans are tired of Obama's lack of "change" and in turn, they would rather vote for a lesser Republican candidate.
Right now, I think the election could go either way. Obama has a chance to take back voters, but with greater emphasis on the GOP debates, Obama has been pushed out of the limelight. People have become more interested in Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney. After a Republican nomination has been handed over, the campaigning can begin. At that point, we can take a look at whether Obama has a chance to win.
I believe that at this current time, it is difficult to say whether Obama will win the bid for reelection. This completely depends on Obama's jobs bill which has yet to be signed by Congress till next year. If the bill gets signed, Obama may have a chance to win back voters.
To figure out this question on whether Obama will win the reelection bid, I took a look at Gallup's comparison of approval ratings for previous presidents. Around this time, most presidents have had pretty low approval ratings. Many presidents were able to increase their approval ratings by the election time in Novemeber. Obama may still have a chance to bring up his approval ratings, but he needs to do greater campaigning for this election because most Americans are tired of Obama's lack of "change" and in turn, they would rather vote for a lesser Republican candidate.
Right now, I think the election could go either way. Obama has a chance to take back voters, but with greater emphasis on the GOP debates, Obama has been pushed out of the limelight. People have become more interested in Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney. After a Republican nomination has been handed over, the campaigning can begin. At that point, we can take a look at whether Obama has a chance to win.
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