Waiting to put the pedal to the metal?

Buzzing of the saws, and humming of the flame thrower lightly singeing the rough exterior of the car, is all you hear in the air. A man appears from beneath the car wiping sweat and grease from his forehead and patting it into his work uniform, Thomas Dyer, a man who’s worked with cars basically his whole life. As he leaves his job, he nears home to start over again. Pulling in the driveway there sits an unfinished 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu Super Sport. He’s been working on it for some time, and his work is showing.

The question in the mind of many people is Do the men who work on these cars want them to be finished or do they enjoy building? The answer lies in the heart of the man or women.

For this dashing man, the answer is “Yes, I wish someone would come take this car and fix it and bring to back.”

He got this car after he scarified his 1969 Chevelle SS for a cougar xr7 which was a more suitable family car when he had his son Damian. Thomas and Kelly got married, and he got the car sitting in his drive way right now. They had a daughter and Tom started his habit of putting off working on the car to support his family.

Life got hard because his work moved to Mexico, which he couldn’t do because it was too much of a struggle to get up and move. He searched and searched for a new mechanic job which he found to be difficult even though he’s a full time worker who knows what he’s doing. He’s an ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certified. He finally found a job and began working again. He made a lot of progress but stopped for the winter.

His only dream is to have his baby up and running again. He really deserves it.

Most men in America work on old cars, new cars, and restore cars just for fun. It takes years, but it’s a natural interest and a big pastime. They enter car shows and contests to see whose car will end up on top. The real answer to that question is they want the car to be finished, but they love strapping on those gloves and diving into the world of tools and cars.

Thomas Dyer is planning on starting again soon in hopes to finish his car.

Slams down the wielding mask, starts the flame and turns around and puts on the side panel. The banging begins again. The smell lights up the air and the car rocks back and forth from the hard work. Garage doors close.

Crime Striking Young?

Sweeping across the nation more and more kids are falling to the clutches of evil. They steal, beat up, and sometimes even cause death to others. Kids begin cults, gangs, and then don’t give a rat’s hat about the law. They disrespect cops, and break laws as easily as breaking a glass plate.

     Drugs are the main things kids do, they gather in different places and cause corruption to the surrounding world. Outside of WaWa they group up and smoke, until a cop runs over and breaks it up.

     Kids began to drink and drive a lot causing accidents and killings. Those kids walk away from the accident scene unharmed while another family goes home morning the death of a loved one. But do these kids even care? They get the occasional nightmares, but does it really affect their “important” lives?

     For most it does, it causes grief and crying themselves to sleep every night. Others carry on like it never happened.

In Sterling High School, there are many robberies. A boy just got his clothes, ipod, and new phone stolen out of his gym locker, forcing him to walk around in his gym clothes all day. He had to break the news to the principle, but he’ll never get his stuff back.

 A few years ago, in another school a few boys killed themselves for being made fun of. They were gay and went to different schools. They didn’t fit in because they were gay and they got the laughing finger pointed on them.

Several years ago, a father went crazy and killed his to kids and then himself. It hit the kid’s friends hard because he was only a third grader. This happened in Magnolia. It was a rough few years after that and none of us will ever forget you Michael Wasserman.

     Crime comes in all sorts and sizes and affects everyone differently. Hopefully the statistics lower soon, for the sake of the future.

            Have you ever ridden over a bridge not to far from here? The one you most likely don’t know the name of because as your mother tells you, you slowly make the radio louder to drown out her nasally voice. It doesn’t work as planned, but maybe it was for your own good you heard her. You watch as her lips curl and twist to form the words Walt Whitman Bridge out of her mouth. This huge bridge connects Philadelphia and Gloucester City. The Walt Whitman Bridge spans across the deep blue Delaware River and was assembled in 1953. The beautiful city Gloucester happens to be a great place to get away and relax, or even make memories…

     There once was a small child, her name was Harley Ann. She always loved visiting grandma’s house, but there was never any time for those typical milk and cookie breaks, at least not when you’re a child on the run. Tiny Harley would tug Mommy and Daddy’s arm to take her outside. They’d venture onward trough the town where her mother grew up. Harley Ann always loved one certain park not so far own the block. She’d teeter-totter around and laugh at her brother being crazy and tried to keep up as her blonde hair glistened in the sunshine. The sound of the swings gliding back and forth through the air always lured in the wide-eyed curious Harley. She’d hear Mommy say “Honey be careful in front of those!” Harley paid no attention. Her older brother, Damian, pushed her awhile until he grabbed her chubby hand and rushed to the gazebo. The whole crew was there; Mom, Dad, Aunts, Uncles, Grandma, and even cousin Melissa. They would be conversing and giggling. Other families would be around, but Harley wasn’t scared. Gloucester kids have a reputation for being tough. They are but they’re all kind people.

    

     At the gate of the park stands an intriguing statue. This piece of history is surrounded by big beautiful trees still missing some leaves. There are two winding pathways leading up and around this majestic creation. It resembles a dull metallic black statue of a role model. She appears nude and is bending over half way as if to catch her breath. It shows her drying off with a towel. She swam the Delaware River up and back like this to Philly and back to New Jersey. Someone placed a scarf around her neck.

     After the park you can walk down a block and walk out to see the Delaware River perfectly. Smell the smells of the water, the boats flowing softly over the crest of the water, and the birds flapping their wings in cool breeze. To the left are boats and construction machines; to the right lays the bright sky that’s looks painted and suspended in mid air and the breath taking sight of the bridge in the distance. Stationed there is a Coast Guard base, most teenagers hang outside of there on the grass. It’s a large white building with many windows and a parking lot all its own.  

     If you want to go for a stroll, there are many stores close together. If you’re a drinker, Gloucester City is known for having the most bars in any city in the world one on almost every corner. The best ice cream store, The Frozen Cow, is up for rent, but there’s plenty more places for that yummy dessert. A little shop called Family Store is located on a corner that is friendly and it has small things sort of like a walgreens. If you see a small convenient store called The News Agency you are nearing the end of the city. But there are churches, stores, and a lot of fun places on every street. A great recommendation for a hair cut is a tiny place called Hair Peace located on the 500^th block of Monmouth.

     The buildings of the town give off an old fashioned look, and most haven’t been tinkered with so they are original. The schools are mainly all close together; several catholic schools and elementary schools. Harley’s Mom attended St. Mary’s and Gloucester High. The kids were tough, so you had to be tough back.

     Now back to grandma’s house, the stories flow out of the mouths of everyone as Harley played a little guitar and sang nonsense. The street the house was located on was once owned by Harley’s great great great grandma, and the house has been in the family for 150 years. Row homes in Gloucester used to be resting places. Literally. Families used to place their loved ones and their coffins in the living room. Boxes of pictures have been discovered and it was an odd sight to see. The spirits of these people now haunt the houses. Harley’s mom and aunts share their ghost stories and it seemed scary. Basements were nothing but dirt sort of like a giant hole just there. The houses are four stories high and had many rooms and winding staircases. They are simply beautiful.

     As sleepy Harley yawns in the back seat, the night is coming to an end. Her eyes dreary with the hope of rest as the street lights shine on her baby face and music blares in the car and she squirms in her condensed car seat. Another fulfilling day at grandmas. 

      

    

36 Hours in Hong Kong Summary

          In Hong Kong, the most non-limited place of cities is very different and similar to other places. People wait two hours for noodles, and there are Buddhist temples all around. If you go to Hong Kong this article helps you learn what you should do to have a very fulfilling trip. Start off with a venture to one of the many art galleries. The famous 50- year old hotel, Miramar in Tsim Tsa Shui, was remade in 2009 and now has several restaurants inside it’s huge belly. Karaoke bars are a huge fun time here in Hong Kong, it’s a place for a dim lighted room to get out and have some laughs and sing your heart out. You can enjoy tea and sit by a small pond full of bird’s chirpings and it has a very relaxing habitat. Hong Kong is a very nice place to visit with many things to offer such as cocktail revolutions, fashion stores, and many fun cute little eateries.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/travel/20hours-hongkong.html?ref=travel

Answer the following algebraic expression on the board….

      Black shoes, brown kakis, and a blue button-up shirt lead to a very tall man with brown hair, smiling bigger the a half moon. He’s a young man who loves batman, and is probably my inspiration of wanting to be a teacher. Mr. Cogan, a math teacher of four years, prepares himself for the screaming seventh and eighth grade kids at Magnolia Public School. Everyday all year round is the same old routine; roll out of bed, get ready, and drive half awake to "the best job in the world" during the eye wrenching hours of the morning. But what’s the story behind this tall fellow? Take out your notebooks and learn it here.

Q: What are some highlights in teaching? A: "For me, I love seeing my students mature. It’s awesome watching children work hard and succeed in something they didn’t think they could do. The prize at the end of the journey is watching them all graduate."
Q: What kind of schooling/classes did you have to take to become a teacher?A: "I took many math courses and teaching classes. Calculus, Algebra, Geometry, all of them."
Q: How was having my seventh grade class as your  first class?A: "You crazy kids were loud and disruptive. I knew you were all good, smart kid but it took you all some time to come into your own."
Q: What was the most interesting day for you?A: "The most interesting day was probably my first day. I was nervous, and didn’t really know what to expect from such a small school. Like I didn’t know how you guys learned and how far along all of you were in the math field."
Q: How is leaving work to go be a referee?

A: "I ref basketball and football. I always think and prepare ahead of time so I’m not rushing from job to job. Just last week I was a ref for a special needs game, and a few of the kids started chasing me around. Jobs are fun sometimes."
Q: You have a degree in English, why are you a math teacher?  A: "I had the decision to take writing classes, and I did. I liked math more, so BAM! I’m a math teacher."
Q: How do you prepare kids for future life?A: "I only teach meaningful and helpful things. I try to simulate it to high school level work, and hold kids accountable for there own work like in the business world. My afterschool program sail helps further the kid’s education outside of the classroom; so far it’s been successful."
Q: Are you only a teacher to follow in your fathers footsteps?A: "Partially, other then the fact that I enjoy helping people."
Q: How do you feel about the new math systems entering schools?

A: "I do believe some of it is good and useful. It’s all based on technology. It’s different from when I grew up. The smart board is efficient and I like the new programs."

      As Mr. Cogan erases the white board, another chapter of his book has come to a cliff hanging ending. The children, books in hand, rush out of the classroom.

**I must thank Mr. Cogan for his time and cooperation. :)**

Fluctuating Gas prices may roll new drivers back to the curb

       

One day you’re driving home from school and your mom asks you to stop and get milk. You look at you gas tank and realize you’re running low. You answer her “sure, but it may take a little longer I need to get gas, and I only have 25 dollars to get both.” You go to get milk, it cost $3.25. Leaves you with $21.75, you think to yourself this is hopefully enough. Stop right there. If we rewound the tape four or five years ago we would see gas simply cost $20 to fill up a whole tank and ran about $2.00 a gallon. You would’ve had more then enough to fill her up. Two or three years ago gas weeble-wobbled up and down from $2.25 to $2.75, but has the price of gas these days made it hard for teenagers to put the petal to the metal?

Most kids have trouble getting jobs, caused by being 16, and taking the early bird route in getting their license. Which is when you go to driving school at 16 and get all your forms, written tests, and the road test completed. If you go this way you’ll be driving before you know it at age 16. Most of us are reliable and should be able to get a job anywhere, but you have to be 18.

            Kids have to pay for gas, insurance, and other expenses they have. Others have their mommies and daddies take care of it. If you’re a part time worker, and you have car insurance bills and school funds these gas prices may hit you like a 18 wheeler. You think with all the driving to school, work, and to run errands or go out to have fun you’re looking at filling up at least two times a week. The prices for gas today go up to $3.25 and at some places even $3.30. Depending on what car you own changes the amount of gallons your car holds, but for now well say 10 gallons. You’re looking at $32.50 every time you get gas, twice a week it comes out to $65 a week. That’s more then any teenager makes in a full days work, and even sometimes more then a kid makes in a week. The prices of gas and ages limitations of getting a job for minimum wage are holding us back as a whole. Not just a piece.

Are small verizon phones good enough?

       

Favorite contacts

          Recently the kin one phone has been catching the eyes of many small loving people. But the true question is, is it good enough and as sufficient as everyone hopes? The answer clearly lies within the expectation levels of everyone.  

     The kin one is a new sleek, stylish phone that stands out from the group. It is simply made for calling, and surfing the web. This phone comes equip with built in 3g, and wi-fi. This wi-fi helps skim the web and check emails faster then a speeding bullet. But does it? Actually it does, the phone sends emails in a jiffy, and stands up well in areas full of computers, but in far away places it slows up a bit. Calls are never dropped, and the voice quality is so clear and smooth. With one shift sliding motion, the call is answered.

Size comparasion

     The kin also has a music side. For any music lovers, this phone has a built in ipod. The phone comes with a set of headphones specially made for music and answering and talking like a Bluetooth headset.  It can hold a decent number of songs, but always have an ipod for back up! Voicemail boxes also have there own button to automatically link you to you messages.

     The battery life on the phone is good as long as it’s not being constantly used for hours on end, in which case the phone will over heat and turn off.

     Sending messages is easy with a touch screen, and a full keyboard. Also for other side of the spectrum people, the phone includes a 5.0 mega pixel camera. This beautifully takes pictures, and videos that are 50 seconds long. 

     Some other fun things about the phone are you have an easy-to-reach calendar where it helps mark any important dates, and has a phone alarm go off when those dates come. Also the phone comes with an alarm system where it’s able to have three timers to go off at a certain time that it’s appointed to. Like set one for 7:00, one for 7:05, and one for 7:10 and it won’t stop till you wake up! The phone has a whole page to save the top important contacts, with a sliding motion to get to them.

The whole phone

     But now to the nitty-gritty, the phone costs $119.99. But if you have a simple 2 year contract with verizon, you get the phone flat out for $20 with free shipping.

     I have recently gotten this phone, and I believe that for everything it comes with, that this phone is sufficient and worth the money needed for it.

New Teacher Perfectly Tuned or Flat Note?

     As I stroll down the long crowded hallways towards room 6, I hear the perfectly tuned wind instruments and the ra ta tas of the drums. The harmonious music flies and swings about the band room. All the shiny brass instruments play in sync and glisen in the poorly lighted room. All the drummers  keep time and dut intensely. As I enter I see there's a new man behind this music genius. Mr. Golddeck who just started here a couple weeks ago. 

Mr. Golddeck hard at work

      While Mr. Golddeck is working hard to pull his new job and classroom together, he's trying his best to progress quickly with the band. There are many exciting new things in the up coming months of our school's musical life. For concert band students, the spring concert is approaching really fast. This year they well be performing a few songs such as Hands across the sea, Simple gifts, The light eternal, Wicked, and In this quiet place. As for music theory, a class Mr. Golddeck seems to enjoy, their working on key signatures and scales. He said that the class is getting ready for a big test on that section. Percussion ensemble, which just started this Friday, got their music for Fuguetta Rock. A piece that was written by Thomas L. Davis.

Mr Golddeck teaching

    But there's more to this story other then a new music teacher.

     There's a man, and his passion. As I was talking to him, I learned that this job is harder then you'd think and he's doing a great job handling it. He started his love for music very young, and stuck with it. And even though there are mixed and many mutual feelings and relationships between teacher and student, he has it tough. He told me that since he started in the middle of the year that he didn't get a week training like every other teacher. He's trying hard to keep up with all the silly little things he has to learn to do. Emails, and entering grades a new way.  As he said it "I had a one day change from Mr. Belskis to me to get ready, the consistency was hard and fast."

   He said this is his first teaching job, but he's really excited because he got the correct age group he likes to work with. Not really little kids. He says his relationships with his students in general is fairly well, but there are a few who are a little bumpy and haven't adjusted to him yet. He thinks the band is working slower then he'd hoped but he'll make do with what he has.  He said he does enjoy being able to teach what his heart desires though.
     Although to man of the students, the biggest controversy is the big change in teachers. As of now, even though it's mean to say, Mr. Golddeck is still lurking in Mr. Belskis' shadow. Everyone loved him, and are still flustered that he's gone. Many can't accept it yet. I decided to get to the bottom of this and asked around from previous students of Mr. Belskis, co-workers, and band students now-a-days.
   "Mr. Belskis was always great to me, but when he wanted mento work harder he'd get stern with me. But he was always great." said Tom Amadio, a former student.
         "Through my time working with the Sterling High School Marching Band, I got to know Mike Belskis and his staff reasonably well. From the very beginning, he made it clear that financially the music program was in a tougher situation than they had been in years past, but he also seemed to make it work. He was knowledgeable about how to run the music program and develop his students. It became apparent that he wanted to make them into more than just musicians. He cared about their character, behavior and their relationship with him. Overall Belskis was a fun and supportive co-worker who loved the program he built at Sterling High School and he showed that he was disappointed to leave it behind as he continued on in his career." spoke Sam Schneider, one of the helpers for marching band.
    But even though everyone liked Belskis, many students are still pleased.

Anthony Mirra warming up on set, Steve Lebano on bass

        "He's a great teacher, and I like the new guys" are some of the things being thrown around from one kid to another. After time Mr. Golddeck will fit into our difficult puzzle perfectly. But as of now may I just say he's doing a wonderful job. With expressing his love for music, teaching us, and helping young people love music just like him.

Leap into the technologic world! (explication)

Sony’s PSPgo may come as a shock to you gamers

     

          While sony tries to create a game system that might shoot them up the sales bar, there still are a few things holding them down. Although the new PSPgo is sleek and form fitting to any thigh or pocket out there, it still has some difficulties holding it down. The new gaming device is levels above the last play station portable systems, such as the psp. It’s about half the size of the old psp and is actually portable! It’s about 5 x 0.6 x 2.7 inches when it’s closed. This product will also reach out to more people seeing as it looks and feels the same as a normal sliding keyboard type phone. It slides open from the bottom, and is built strong for any non level headed gamers.

         

    “It’s small but comfortable, even for those of us cursed with oversized paws: It’s just wide enough for the index fingers to curl around the frame, and your thumbs fall into prime button-mashing position without feeling cramped,” wrote Nate Ralph.
     The system all together has 10 buttons, and one analog stick. The screen is about 3.8-inches, and still shares the same amount of pixels in the graphics (480 X 272 resolutions).
 “We got roughly four and a half hours each during extensive web-browsing, music-playing and gaming sessions.”
    Some of the new features include Bluetooth. The little movies for the system will be clearer, and more efficient. Also the “latest thing” sweeping the nation slowly is skype. Skype will now be accessible for this system, you can call friends, and people across the world as much as you please, just like a phone! Also you now can pause your gaming addiction to go cool off for a little bit, no need to rush back! This function lasts as long as you’d like it to. It can also be hooked up and played on the T.V just like play station three, and played with a ps3 controller.
    “The UMD disc has been scrapped (woo-hoo!) in favor of digital distribution. That means you can pick up new music, movies, and games wherever you can find a Wi-Fi connection.” – Wrote Nate Ralph. 
     Although there are a lot of new, exciting things happening with this device, there’s always room for faults. It can no longer play old games, or use any accessories from the old psp (bummer!) It seems that even though it’s sleek and stylish, that Sony thinks people don’t care about price anymore. This device costs a raging $250 in the market. Plus there up against Apple’s new products and everyone else’s out in stores. I think the product will do fairly well with play station lovers, but won’t reach out to others. Great design and great system and your playing abilities are endless! It’s going to be a fun system, can’t wait to see where it ends up. It’s a really risky gamble to throw all your cards in on one shot, what gamers will give this gaming device a whirl? Only time can tell.

http://www.wired.com/reviews/2009/09/pr_pspgo/

Seventeen Magazine: The review

    Seventeen magazine is basically for girls ranging from righth grade and up. If you're an eighth grader, your basically just getting an idea what to look forward to in highschool, and set your bearings straight. You can see the latest "hip" styles and make up lines, to see the different groups of people you'd want to converse with.

    The websites outlook is very flashy and generally very colorful. It has every headline to their newest articles, researchs, and stories. The website provides quizzes and games that reach out to the younger kids, and show the newest and most famous teenage stars. Most of which are girls, such as Taylor Swift, Miranda Cosgrove, and sadly Justin Bieber. The website is very clear and easy to use, but if I could i'd change a few things. I wouldn't make it as flashy around articles or products their selling because people will watch that instead. And also they should consider an advice column for girls, to help in highschool or college (because everyone knows how dramatic girls are).