StaplerFight: Staplariallus antagonisticus. (click here to skip to menu) days until summer break for juniors. Concert Watch: PYJO - Rockaway Beach - My bad, it's actually June 14. May 22 was our last concert. Lola's Room schedule Kennedy School schedule Music 'Till Midnight Ticketmaster Flogging Molly Steely Dan Pearl Jam AHSband.org Link of the day: Russian Mail Order Brides. 05.20.03. First off: As of 10:44PM, Measure 34-67 not only achieved the 50% voter turnout (narrowly, I believe), but is passing 24,363 to 17,369. Not too shabby considering 70% of voters don't even have kids in the public school system. I think they realized they'd rather foot an extra $15 a month than have hoodlums out slashing tires after school. Anyways, Tim Hibbits of KATU Channel 2 predicts that it will pass...and Tim Hibbits is rarely wrong. (cue dramatic, yet triumphant music). Boo-yah. Also, I am happy for I am finished with my AP tests, one of my finals and track. Also the prospects of band class turning into AP Ultimate Frisbee are looking pretty good. more... 05.04.03. Yesterday was our track invitational in Vancouver, WA at the McKenzie at Mt. View High School. Ah, Washington, the land of high schools with money. It would have been a much better day had I actually ended up racing. Basically, it went something like this: I warmed up and checked in per usual. However, they were running the 800m in three heats yesterday, and I was supposed to be in heat #1. As I was putting my clothes over by the side, stripping to run, I saw what I thought were the rest of the runners in my heat, milling about by the judges' stand, waiting for something. I figured I had at least another minute or so, which wasn't uncommon. I was heinously wrong however, as they were actually runners from another heat. By another stroke of luck the judges' stand happened to be conviently blocking my view of all the runners in my heat lining up on the starting line. I remember my coach asking me if I was supposed to be in that heat, to which I replied in the affirmative, yet didn't understand his question because I couldn't see the people at the starting line. The next few seconds are somewhat of a blur to me. Somebody said something about the race starting. I had my warm-ups half-way down when the gun went off. I'm pretty sure they all got a pretty good view of my racing underwear in my haste, but I've lost all sense of humility since joining marching band anyways. Today, I tutored my student and later went to Everday Music to redeem some store credit that had been decaying in my wallet for a while. I got a pretty sweet Squirrel Nut Zippers Album (Perrenial Favorites) and Yield, by Pearl Jam, which also rules. I don't think I've ever had a bad experience at Everyday Music. Come help canvass or come to the rally. Or I'll eat your soul. 05.02.03 They're Stealing My Childhood p.2 Vote YES on #34-67 on May 20th Here are three great ways to get involved in saving our schools. Not only do they make a difference, but they're also a good way to get volunteering hours (for NHS, scholarships, etc.) while doing something that actually benefits you in the long (or not so long) run. Canvassing We will be dropping flyers on doorsteps in many neighborhoods and encouraging residents to get out and vote on or before May 20th. Actually talking with residents is optional, but encouraged. If you want to go, please go in groups. It's funner and more safe that way. Email me if this interests you and I will hook you up with maps and all the information you'll need. I've done a bit of canvassing for Susan Castillo when she was running for State Super. of Public Instruction (which she won) and it's actually quite an enjoyable way to spend a few hours.Dates: May 5,6,7 and 8. Phone-Out We will also be making phone calls encouraging people to vote. It will be at the district office, where they have about 100 phones for us to use. If you don't feel comfortable going door-to-door, this is a great way to help. Again, Email me if you'd like more information on how to get involved with this. Dates: May 5,6,7,8,12,13,14 and 15; 6pm-9pm at the BSD office. Rally The Stand Up for Education Rally will be held at 40 locations around the Beaverton School District. Athletes and participants of other activities are encouraged to wear their uniforms if applicable. Otherwise, wear red. It should be fun, as well be putting on quite a show for the passing traffic. Email me to recieve more info. Date: May 10th; 11am-1pm. My email: BenLizard@yahoo.com 04.22.03. Happy Earth Day They're Stealing My Childhood Vote YES on #34-67 on May 20th      On May 20th, BSD voters will decide whether to pass a local option levy that would restore approximately $17 million a year for the next three years of a yearly $30-$35 million budget shortfall. As of now, we are projected to lose 330.23 APU (allocated person units, i.e. staff, teachers, guidance councelors, etc) unless this levy passes. But it doesn't stop there. We'd lose all sports and activities in high school schools as well as PE teachers, music teachers, media specialists and ESL support staff in the elementary schools. To see a list of exactly what gets cut, go here. Basically, on that list, Blocks 1-6 and part of 7 would be restored under the levy. Everything else gets cut along with a whole slew of other things that aren't even covered under the levy. For an explanation of budget funding and budget levels, go here. Read carefully - it's a bit muddling because district people wrote it.      Local option levy #34-67 requires a double majority to pass. This simply means that at least half of registered voters must vote and a majority of those must vote in favor of it. Double majority is required by Oregon State Law. However, the irony of all this is that nobody seems to be informed of this emergency. Public employees are generally forbidden to influence voters (or children of voters) on issues and most choose not to discuss it at all (Restrictions on Political Campaigning for Public Employees). Students or voters, however, have no such restrictions. I know this is an over-used cliche, but if you don't stay informed, this town will be shot to hell. Knowledge is power.      If you live in the Beaverton School district, please inform everybody you know of the situation and instruct them to vote yes on local option levy #34-67. I'd like to get as many people involved in informing the public as possible. If you'd like to help, drop me a line (BenLizard@yahoo.com) and familiarize yourself with the facts (incidentally, I recommend the "fact sheet" below.) I'm going to try to go canvass this Thurseday (4/25) if Kinko's will donate copies. If all goes well, we may go another day too. Be nice to your kids, they'll be the ones choosing your nursing home. More information Levy Main Page Local Option Levy Fact Sheet Budget Information Automatic Calculator -- Estimate your Local Option tax Restrictions on Campaigning by Public Employees BSD Home Page 04.19.03. 9:00 AM: I happened to wake up before noon today... I happened to check my email at 10:20, this morning. Laura happened to have emailed me about having study group today for AP biology at the beaverton library at 11:00. We happened to stay until 12:30, 30 minutes before I predicted to be done. I happened to have nothing to do for half an hour. I happened to go looking for a sheet of paper to write notes on. I happened to run into Melody, whom I thought moved to california. We both happened to be on the way out anyways. There happened to be a youth summit today at the library, and they happened to be taking a break outside at that exact moment. I happened to know roughly half the people there from totally different (or so I thought) places. Many of whom, I haven't talked to since middle school. They all happened to know each other (Obviously) They happened to invite me to stay for the rest of the summit. It happened to be very cool as I happened to here some very motivating speakers from Nike and the mayor of Beaverton, Rob Drake. NHS happened to be sponsoring the whole shindig (to my complete and utter ignorance) I happen to have a sophmore NHS induction to do on monday, where I happen to have 2 or 3 speeches to give. Mrs. Trudel, one of our NHS advisors, happens to send out emails very frequently. This happens to require me to - against my nature- check my email at 10:20 on a saturday morning. This happens to be a ridiculously small world. Today, I learned how to play "Blackbird," by The Beatles on my guitar. It is a cool song. Let's play fugitive sometime. Keep trying, curtis. Another gem from the greatest website in the world: 3.18.03. A word on Jazz Band...      Jazz band has stopped being fun for me of late. It's ironic that the cause of this should be the lack of focus and seriousness I see around me. Nobody practices, nobody will shut up during rehearsal, nobody cares. Add to that the fact we have a bass player roughly one day out of 6 or so. This situation is quite sub-par. For a while, I've sensed that something wasn't quite right. After joining PYJO, I don't see why it took me so long to notice. After rehearsal yesterday, I was quite ready to quit jazz band (and consequently wind ensemble, which I enjoy too) altogether. I don't see why I should take summer classes and zero period in order to wrap my schedule around band if people are going to jack around so much. We have been stagnating for so much of the year, and that's time we'll never get back. It scares me that we have a gig next friday and we're not even close to being ready. It terrifies me that a scant few people realize this.      Thankfully, I'm not entirely alone. The entire trombone section is with me along with a few others. I proposed yesterday that we start up another group consisting of a rhythm section and anybody who wants to become a better improviser. I'm hoping we can jump on that immediately, as I feel that what gets hurt the most when we're disorganized and divided is our ability to express our minds. I care too much about jazz band to see us dive off the deep end. 3.16.03. A word on NHS elections...      Well, they're over; and what a freakish experience it was. I find it unsettling and just a bit scary that the race came as close as it did. I was convinced, as I dragged myself down to track practice an hour and a quarter late (by the way, I recommend running for anybody who wants to clear their mind. very therapeutic), that anna geiger would be our next pres. I was pretty angry that somebody could show up for two meetings, hand out some candy and ask all her friends to vote for her. Most of all, I was wishing I'd practiced my speech a bit more, or at all actually.      While there is no way humanly possible way to fix this, NHS seems consists of two types of people. (1) People who take hard classes and work their asses off and get a 3.5 or higher. (2) People who take easy classes and get a 3.5 or higher. Both types will be invited to join NHS, both types will be nominated and accepted, and both will recieve membership. That scares me a little, especially because I suspect that the type 1 group is a relative minority. Yet, as in all good democracies, each member's vote carries exactly the same weight.      I'm happy I won, although I think curtis would have done a damn fine job, if anybody could. Congrats to him for coming so close. Talking to Sarah schwint on the way out that day, she remarked how sad and pathetic she thought it all was and how she was ready to be "done and be a senior for a while." I haven't seen her since actually. She's probably halfway to alaska by now. tuesday the fifthteenth, the year of our lord two thousand and three. Happy Tax Day! In celebration, go here and get a free peace button from asian man records: asianmanrecords.com Science Club Lab 17 - Hot Dog Lumenescence Materials Needed: hot dog segment, roughly 2-3" in length two paper clips (unfold once to make an "s" shape) a plastic fork Procedure Insert unfolded paper clips into hot dog approximately 1.5cm apart, leaving half of each clip exposed. Insert plastic fork into opposite side. (See diagram 1.1) Holding only the plastic fork (for the love of god, don't use a metal one), insert assemblage (electrode first) into a common wall electrical socket. Observe lumenescense. Do it again. (On a side note, pickles also work extremely well.) I you don't see the space between the clips light up, try moving them closer. Also, make sure the fork isn't directly between the clips, but lower down. Disclaimer: Science enthusiasts assume responsibility for any and all fires, electrical shorts, revolting odors and/or deaths that may or may not occur as a result of this or any other experiment and agree not to hold me accountable for aforementioned atrocities. the old electricity page Thursday the tenth.... The Nature of man I have a solution for all the redundance I see coming for the 2003 marching band season. Work hard Don't be an ass Sing Pink Floyd during marching band I believe this covers just about every memo, addendum, and procedure they can throw at us. Save the trees! Conserve paper! (use both sides of the TP) It's amazing how often I forget that for every quality website out there, there exist roughly 3,000 truly terrible ones. I'm not even talking about the webblog your little brother slapped together that's like: "I like cheese, I have to fart." In this case, I'm talking some corporation hired an out-of-touch middle aged web designer to design something "cool" or "hip" in a pathetic attempt to reach the grammatically deficient generation of IM. I was checking my email and I happened to notice this side-bar ad (ads are what makes Yahoo free, I'm not complaining): Intrigued by a morbid sense of curiosity, I clicked on it. If you have a few hundred brain cells you won't miss, go ahead and click on it. I'm ashamed for all of generation Y (or is it Z now?) On an entirely unrelated subject, here are some articles I found interesting about vegetarianism. Do vegetarian diets help of hinder endurance athletes? Going Raw More myths and misconceptions about vegetarianism The Vegetarian Choice These articles made me realize that being vegetarian is actually better for me as a healthy indivual, an athlete and a resident of the earth. I'm not really a hippie, but I think everybody would be better off if they eliminated some if not all animal products from their lifestyle (see the McDonalds thing above for a painfully obvious example). It's Kind Notice I said lifestyle, not diet. This is because being vegetarian can translate into a more bio-friendly attitude and way of life. It's a fairly well know fact (that many choose to ignore) that most animals raised for consumtion are raised in unsanitary, cramped quarters and pumped full of antibiotics and hormones to ward off the diseases that are a product of their stressful environment. Chickens raised outside don't lay salmonella infected eggs. I don't know the numbers off the top of my head, but many more people could be fed by using the water, grain, and land used to raise cattle for farming instead. It's Healthy Then there's the health factor. Many people say they can't be vegetarian because they're afraid of being deficient in calcium, iron, protein, B12 or any number of other nutrients available in meat. However, these are entirely myths, according to every source I've ever read. If all you eat are chips and pop - while technically vegetarian - you'll get sick pretty fast. The key to a nutritional diet is to eat a wide variety of foods, especially leafy greens (calcium, iron), legumes (protein), and fruits (vitamins). It's nearly impossible to not get enough of these things if you eat right. In addition to nutrition, being vegetarian also fends off many types of disease and cancer. As for athletes, by eating less meat, you have more room for carbs, which your body stores as glucose, quick burning fuel. The Types Most vegans, who eat absolutely no animal products, also choose not to use cosmetic products made with or tested on animals or clothes made from animals (furs, leather, shell, skin). Then there are the octo-lavo vegetarians (like me), who choose to eat dairy (milk, eggs) but not animal flesh. There are people who claim to be vegetarians, but eat fish (something to do with Jesus, I don't know). I don't know how legit this is; Are fish vegetables? Then there are people who don't eat much meat but just can't give up that philly cheese steak and make the switch. To each their own, I suppose. According to The Simpsons, a level nine vegetarian doesn't eat anything that castes a shadow. So there you have it, now I would recommend going and hugging a tree to make your day complete. Here's a peak into the bizarre world of pre-calc and what people (i.e. me) do under the strains of boredom besides carve obscenities into the desk (which is also fun). The last few I listened to... So I'm into Anti-war music lately. Mike Park "No War" A pretty cool ska song by Mike Park, owner of Asian Man Records. This excerpt says it all... "It's so fun we'll all shoot guns. Pitch a tent, smoke some blunts. I kill the bad guys, we're going to war real soon." download: http://www.asianmanrecords.com Pinhead Gunpowder "Life During Wartime" A remake of the original written back during the first Gulf War, this one features Greenday singer Billie Joe Armstrong and also rules. download: http://www.cinderblock.biz/lifeduringwar.mp3 I also recommend this website: http://www.protest-records.com Songs du jour: James Taylor - Fire and Rain Blood, Sweat and Tears - Spinning Wheel Ides of March - Vehicle (this is also the song featured on the GM commercial)

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