Rain? In LA?

"Rainstorm could be Los Angeles' wettest in 2 years"

By: Rong-Gong Lin II

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-rainstorm-los-angeles-wettest-2-years-20140223,0,4826440.story#axzz2uDRG9GOt

After having what feels like a lifetime without rain, Los Angeles' drought problem may be lessened with the upcoming two storms coming this way. The first storm is predicted to strike Wednesday evening reaching up to a quarter of an inch in rain, with a larger, even more ferocious storm making its appearance on Friday and lasting through Saturday with about one to two inches of rain. Last time this much rain had fallen in Los Angeles was on March 25th, 2012, when 0.91 inches of rainfall fell. The lasting amount of rain throughout the span also means a plenty amount of snow in the mountains, reaching as low as 5,000 feet by Saturday. Temperatures will without a doubt drop as well from the constant seventy degree span to a lower mid sixties, which Los Angeles citizens consider cold. The second storm is predicted to cause floods and powerful mudslides with debris included in wildfire struck areas. Since July 1st, Los Angeles has received a low 1.2 inches of rain, with the average amount during this time of year to be 10.45 inches. LA, keep the umbrellas handy because from Wednesday to Saturday there will be a high chance that those fancy hairstyles will get wet!

Nature

When one attempts to understand nature, they are usually unable to. When one allows nature to naturally connect with them, there is an immediate occurring understanding. The moment I sat down in my front yard in an area with half shade and the other half with sunlight, a relaxing breeze blew giving me a comforting feeling. I closed my eyes and allowed my ears to take in the environment around me. The sound of various birds around me forced me to open my eyes and look around searching for them, realizing that each one was making a different sound every time. I looked one way above me to the tree and I saw a baby black crow making something that seems like it was calling another crow and another way I saw a woodpecker looking for bugs in a tree trunk. After noticing the birds, I looked around me and noticed the verdant green trees all around me, along with a clear blue cloudless sky. I took a deep breath and felt the fresh smell of the plants and the semi-humid air.
When I began to think, I was not able to think of anything. I realized I was not looking at anything but I was staring into nothingness. My mind completely went blank and I was in a trance of not worrying about anything in life for an enjoyable 15 minutes. To me, my front yard is the perfect relaxation spot with no cars passing by and the pleasant view, it is the ideal Hakuna Matata.

Community

Communities plays a significant role in building one's life and future. The community is what a person's childhood is based on as well as portraying their live's upcoming decisions. A perfect example of a community in my idea is the athletic community of Pilibos. Both the parents and the athletes as well as those belonging to the committee have formed a bond bringing each other together. The parents play the role of encouraging the athletes to continue to strive for greatness, while the athletes have the attitude of becoming the best they can possibly be. The athletic committee plays a major role in the community as well, for they are the backbone of the community. A community is a set of people that come together to form a group in which everyone has a connection with one another.
Another useful example is the religious community involving the Armenian Church in Glendale. Every Sunday the people gather together for mass, and these people do not leave after mass is over. They once again gather in a room near where the mass was held and converse while having cookies and coffee. Never have I met a religious group of people that meet again after mass to talk about their week's encounters. To me that shows amazing dedication to keep the community's faith together and to grow even stronger as both a group and individual.

GPS Monitoring Gone Wrong?

"GPS monitoring alerts overwhelm probation officers"
By: Paige St. John
Source: Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-ff-gps-overload-20140216,0,1708422.story#axzz2tWC0rzYr
LA Country is currently using the GPS monitoring device to maintain constant supervision on the felons moved out of California keeping track of their location day and night. Despite having an effective plan, an odd problem occurred where the probation officers began receiving up to 1,000 alerts per day involving the felons. The majority of these alerts have been meaningless, those of which being blocked signal or low battery. The frequency of these messages have been so constant that the officers have begun deleting the alerts. Last fall, auditors reviewed the probation officer's job and found more than a dozen situations where the officers failed to realize the devices were out of battery and those on probation were roaming around unsupervised, on some occasions lasting weeks! California's statewide monitoring system for sex offenders receives up to 400,000 alerts each month. Ignoring such messages may leave the citizen's lives at risk as well as the probationer's chances of proving themselves a worthy citizen. In New York officers were overwhelmed by the alerts that they set it to delete themselves after five minutes. Little did they know a man charged with child pornography broke the device's strap and left the monitor at home, going out and raping an innocent ten year old girl and stabbing her mother to death. These cases are beyond horrific to the world and the officers need to take an extreme step toward improving the system and keeping the felons on check.

Great Gatsby Movie Review

After sitting down with my old friends Ebert and Roeper, we had come to the conclusion that the movie The Great Gatsby was quite amusing and worthwhile. Watching the movie after having read the book, it was unlike any other movie based on a novel. The Great Gatsby was on point in nearly each of the book's details. Of those details the most important one that I appreciated the director making it stand out was the representation of Dr. T.J. Eckleberg as God, watching over the Valley of Ashes. After the hit-and-run of Myrtle, she flew into the sky right in the sight of Dr. T.J. Eckleberg, depicting that nothing ever goes unnoticed. Another addition to the thumbs up part of the movie was the color differential of Gatsby's and Tom's car. That key factor allowed the viewer to know who caused the incident and the twist in the story. Despite the almost perfect representation of the book, one disappointment was the lack of effort put into the scene of Gatsby's funeral. The reason I believe the scene is a critical masterpiece to the movie is to show the kind of person Gatsby was to the people. When it came to his parties, everyone was sure to be there, but when it came to his funeral, everyone hid in their caves and gave a sketchy excuse as to why they are not able to attend. Overall, Ebert, Roeper, and I give the movie a two thumbs up!

No Helping Zone

"Syria crisis: UN 'undeterred' by Homs aid convoy attack"
By: Anonymous
Source: BBC World News
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26106229
The UN has the best intentions for Syria, delivering convoys filled with food, water, and medicine to aid the city of Homs. There is only one problem within all this generosity. A three day cease fire attack destroyed this convoy. Despite the attack, UN humanitarian Valerie Amos said the UN would do "the best we can" but had to be reassured that they would have "safety guarantees". As the convoy was leaving Homs, it was under attack by mortars and gunfire. Being told by Syrians authorities that the attack was instigated by rebel units, the citizens blame the attack on President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Regardless of the attack, Baroness Amos recognizes the critical state the city of Homs is in being part of the 250,000 Syrians that are not getting food, and are in urgent need of medical care. As Baroness Amos stated, "The UN [and its] humanitarian partners won't be deterred from doing our best to bring critical aid to people but we need safety guarantees for aid convoys. I continue to call on those engaged in this brutal conflict to respect the humanitarian pause, ensure the protection of civilians and facilitate the safe delivery of aid." With the unfortunate situation of the constant daily bombings and attacks, the poor citizens of Syria are unable to obtain the care they are in dire need of.

Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down

"Volcanic ash smothers part of Indonesia, kills 15"
By: Kathy Quiano and Mark Morgenstien
Source: CNN News
http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/01/world/asia/indonesia-volcano/index.html?hpt=wo_c1
Mount Singabug has been causing devastating debris in Jakarta, Indonesia. The volcanic eruption's main source of destruction has been the soot, suffocating fifteen unlucky victims. An excess amount of ash ejected a mile into the sky reaching up to 700 degrees in temperature, later speeding toward the ground in minutes. The Jakarta Post reported that this is the first time in history that Mount Singabug has ever caused deaths. For 400 years Mount Sinabug has been inactive, erupting for the first time in 2010. With the eruption instigating more activity, the volcano has been emitting gas since September. The English-language Jakarta Post said that thirty one people died from eruption-related illnesses, such as asthma and hypertension. Unfortunately, the most recent volcanic activity has caused sixteen villages to evacuate, with a minimum of 30,000 people having to temporarily evacuate and being housed in one of forty-two evacuation centers. Many government agencies and nongovernmental humanitarian groups were at the destruction site on Sunday helping those affected, such as World Vision, whom of which were helping children with their trauma and hygiene. Hopefully the ashes will subside to a complete stop and the city of Jakarta will be back at its normal state.