Drinking Age

I believe that the drinking age in British Columbia should be reduced to 16. This is an age where parents have more control over their kids, and therefore can introduce alcohol in a safe and healthy environment. If they are exposed to it earlier, then they will be more prepared as they enter the partying days of their grad year and college. Nineteen is too late, in my opinion. It will be more of a shock, say if they abide by the legal drinking age and have not had exposure to it before then. There are many young individuals who binge, and cannot handle their liquor and encounter serious issues as a result of not being educated about alcohol before they turn nineteen. It is very difficult to teach your children after they become adults, and head off to college. They are thrust into an atmosphere where partying and drinking are commonplace. It is like if they regulated bike riding to nineteen. When you become of age and you are thrust onto the bike, and sent off to ride by yourself. Undoubtably, you will end up flat on your face because you lack the experience, much as with drinking. Alcohol is easily obtained by underage kids, and because they have to hide it, I feel it is more dangerous because it is more likely that they will not drink in a safe place, which can have deadly consequences. Many kids in Penticton will go down to the beaches and drink after dark. This can be fun, but if someone gets too inebriated, they can easily wander off and pass out. If they are suffering from alcohol poisoning, they need medical attention immediately, which is usually not found because of the fear of getting in trouble for underage drinking. If the drinking age is lowered, this scenario would most likely not happen. If the individual wanted to drink, then they would be at a bar, where the alcohol consumption is monitored. There would not be the bingeing danger, and it would be alot safer. Once it is lowered, underage drinking would become less of a factor in today's society, and help to make safer, and more concientious teens.

55 Fiction---Whoops

Stacey approached Mark with a somber face..."Wow Stace, you've put on weight since we dated." teased Mark. "Eating too many chips have we?" Stacey burst into tears and ran down the hallway. Mark strolled away with a mischevious grin. "That was really insensitive Mark" scolded Tara "She's four months along...and by the way, its yours."

A Hair Strands Point Of View

I'm laying here, deeply rooted. Tightly curled and slightly split at the ends, she hasn't cut me in a while. I've got a pretty good place up here, near the top, just to the left of those horrendous layered bangs. Thankfully I missed being a part of that mistake. I'm slightly disgusted to discover a dandruff flake....does she not know what Head and Shoulders is!? She certainly knows how to torture me, drowning me in clouds of hairspray, and gobs of gel. She burns me daily with her vicious blow dryer, set on high heat of course for maximum pain and suffering. I am a damaged piece of hair. I was once dyed a hideous shade of orange, labeled "Cinnamon Sunrise". Was she brain dead when she chose that color?! I was slathered in a viscous goo, suffocated for half an hour in a plastic bag. And for what?! To resemble a traffic cone?! That was something I hope to never relive. I would much rather be brushed out, or rinsed down the drain, stuck to a sweater then experience the horror of it again. I am a piece of hair, but sometimes I just want to curl up and die.

Guinea (Novel Research)

Guinea is a West African country, which borders the Atlantic Ocean. Its official name is the Republic of Guinea. It is bordered by Senegal, Mali, Côté D'Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Guinea is divided into four natural regions, Maritime Guinea, Mid Guinea, Upper Guinea and Forested Guinea. It is richly endowed with minerals, and its official language is French, but there are also many other African dialects spoken. Islam is the predominant religion, followed by Christian and indigenous beliefs. The climate is usually hot and humid, with a monsoon-type rainy season from June to November. The terrain is generally flat, coastal plain. Although with rich resources, Guinea remains an underdeveloped nation.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/GV.html

25 Things To Do Before I'm 20 :)

(1) Go Back To Zambia, Check On My House.

(2) Learn How To Drive (Well).

(3) Eat Asparagus.

(4) Go Skydiving.

(5) Travel To A Place Where I Don't Know The Language.

(6) Get A Tattoo

(7) Stop Working At Wal-Mart

(8) Learn How To Walk In Heels

(9) Be Punctual For Once!

(10) Ride Another Elephant

(11) Dye My Hair A Wierd Color

(12) Grow My Hair As Long As I Can

(13) Pull An All-Nighter Or Two

(14) Visit My Grandpa

(15) Milk A Cow

(16) Take A Road Trip

(17) Write A Song

(18) Sing In Public

(19) Take A Painting Class

(20) Learn How To Play Poker

(21) Go To The Gym

(22) Find A Hobby

(23) See A Broadway Show

(24) Dip My Foot In The Atlantic Ocean

(25) Find Myself

Connection

"I sail'd on board a Guinea-man And to the slave-coast went;… Would that the sea had swallow'd me When I was innocent!"
The sailor was forced, by his captain, to flog a sad woman who refused to eat. He heard her suffering all night long until she died the next day.
"They flung her overboard;… poor wretch She rested from her pain,.. But when..O Christ! O blessed God! Shall I have rest again!"

This poem by Robert Southey connects strongly to the novel "The Book of Negros". The reference to Guinea is also in the novel. The main character Aminata Diallo is from Guinea, and she is also taken into the slave trade. She is an innocent girl, taken against her will. On board the slave ship, she witnesses many tragedies, such as one of the women from her village murdering her newly born baby and tossing it overboard. This brings in the verse "they flung her overboard". As well, many of the villagers taken with Aminata die of malnutrition and other illnesses, and are thrown over the side of the ship as a result. When the surviving villagers attempt a mutiny against their captors, plenty of them are killed and or tossed overboard.

Trident Watermelon Twist Gum

What makes a good chewing gum? Number one, its flavor..you wouldn't put something that tasted like dog excrement in your mouth. Secondly, its how long the flavor lasts. If it loses flavor quickly, then that means you have to keep replacing it, thus using more gum, and having to spend more money faster, which loses customers. The target market for said chewing gum, is a younger, most likely a student with a limited budget. They do not want to be paying continuously for gum that they go through in a very short time. I find Trident Watermelon Twist Gum to be an affordable, and delicious chewing gum. The flavor is explosive, covering your tastebuds with a sweet, fruity and enjoyable taste. Being a soft gum, it lasts for quite a long time, rivaling Stride in long-lasting flavor. Hard shelled gum is a cheap alternative, but it loses flavor quickly and can leave an unpleasant taste in the chewers mouth.

Overall, I give this gum a five out of five in taste, flavor length and affordabilty!

Top Three Reasons Why I Couldn't Get Up This Morning:

1) It was freezing in my room...except for my bed.

2) I had biology first block.

3) I stayed up late last night studying for my chemistry test.

ETA-7am (Estimated Time of Awakening) ATA-8:12am (Actual Time of Awakening)

This morning, the temperature outside at 7am was -2 degrees Celsius. Inside my room, the temperature was around 15 degrees, but factoring in the hallway draft and tiredness ratio, it felt closer to sub-arctic temperatures. My parents are very environmentally conscious, and use the furnace as little as possible, which contributes to the ability to see my breath in the morning. Therefore, when I woke up with my alarm clock, I was filled with despair, along with a mild case of hypothermia of my exposed body parts, my head and hands. As I was building the courage to spring out of my bed and into my slippers, I encountered another obstacle. My very fluffy and warm puppy named Ranger had decided to crawl into my bed. This increased the comfy factor in my bed, thus increasing the awakening difficulty level from a 7 to an approximate 11. The awakening difficulty level (ADL) is a scale from 1-15, 1 being the easiest, 15 being the most difficult. This scale factors in amount of sleep, bed temperature, softness of sheets and bed occupants. My departure from my bed was delayed approximately 1 hour 12 minutes, therefore making me very late for biology, which brings me to my second reason..

My first class this morning was biology, which contributes an "UNNHHAAGGGHH" when it is thought of at such an early hour. Biology can bring about loss of hair, premature wrinkles and extreme feelings of unintelligence. The word "fun" does not occur in this class, as it does in such classes as English Literature and English with Searcy. There is endless notes and a virtually unreadable projector. It is a class taken out of necessity, without much possibility of enjoyment...unless one finds amino acids thrilling. The cold classroom and strange aromas emanating from the tables is enough to make a student crawl back into their bed for multiple hours. When the thought of heading to Biology crossed my mind, my ADL was pushed to approximately a 13, making it nearly impossible to detach myself from my toasty sleeping quarters. I also realized that I had only received a maximum of 6 hours of sleep, due to studying for my chemistry test.

I spent approximately 4 hours studying catalysts, endo and exothermic reactions, activation energy and many other sleep-inducing chemistry concepts. Unfortunately, it was mandatory that I study for this test because otherwise I would fail, drop out of school and become an exotic dancer. Maybe not that dire, but pretty close. I placed high importance on my first chemistry test, and promptly left it to the last minute because I am a self-professed procrastinator. I had to work, being a Wal-Mart slave, and did not start studying until quite late. As the hours dragged on, my thoughts of how I was going to get myself out of bed ran through my head. I had the bright, inspired decision to place my cell phone (used as an alarm clock) on the other side of my room. I set three consecutive alarms, five minutes apart. As the blasting strains of "CAN'T READ MY, CAN'T READ MY, NO HE CAN'T READ MY POOOOKKERRR FACE" scream across my room...I curse the morning and retreat under my pillows.

"If You Could Read My Mind..."

If I had a superpower, I would like the ability to read minds. Not constantly, but as I wish. It would be very distracting to always have other people's thoughts running through my head along with my own. I would forego having infinite knowledge, because I think it would be boring knowing everything, its fun learning new things...knowing everything about everything would be terrible, because you would know all of the terrible things, all of the conspiracys, and it would be likely be too much for one person to handle. You can never tell what a person is truly thinking, and it would give me insight into them as a person. Undoubtably its invasive, but I don't care. I find it cool, and there would be no secrets. With any superpower comes a downside..there is no perfect one...when powers become super, there is always corruption. Even though I'd choose this power, I don't think I would like to have it, let alone any super power...I like just being me.