What Happen to the Storm?

Snow storm? What snow storm? Last time I checked there wasn't a flake of snow in Manhattan. But there was a good amount of snow in Brooklyn. This morning, it looked like a little slow plane in the middle of the road. But I never heard anything about it snowing in Brooklyn. I heard 4-5 inches in Manhattan. But this morning I didn't hear of any snow. Now, in Brooklyn the snow has decreased, in fact, I haven't seen snow in about four hours. Needless to say, its rather unfortunate that there wasn't a snow storm, or even a couple inches. Snow is mad cool. But their is a flip side.

To get the flip side of snow just go to Washington, D.C. right now. A blizzard hit! Villanova and Georgetown almost didn't play today because of the snow. I doubt anybody in Washington, D.C. likes snow at the moment. Then you could also check out Pennsylvania because they also got a good amount of snow. Hence, New York is very fortunate that they missed the snow storm.

Republicans Should Stop Delaying Reform

I’m frustrated with the Republican leadership. They keep trying to stop any and every thing that President Obama tries to improve. Republican leadership continues to delay bill after bill. They should start helping Americans and stop delaying reform.

Health care is a perfect example of Republican leadership delaying reform. They are getting in the way! There are even some Republicans admitting that they’re going to delay reform up until November. Why? Reason being, they don't want the health care industry to change, since there making money. Plus, as long as they stall, the more Republicans they can try to recruit through elections. Thanks to the super-majority rule Republicans could do that. But Majority should win! Thus, this is why health care reform may take a while. Thanks to Republicans delaying reform.

With Homeschool, the Good Days Keep On Coming

By Amir Ali Said

A couple years ago, probably around the 6th grade when I got my first iPod—the iPod shuffle, I would listen to, "Today Was A Good Day" by Ice Cube. I don't know why at that time I liked that song so much, but I listened to it a lot. Sometimes, even on the train ride to school. The song just kept me moving and focused. But anyway, "Today Was A Good Day", for the right reasons.

I woke up at around 11:30 A.M. today after a good sleep. Man was I tired. After waking up I walked over to my desk and sat down. Wiped my face a little bit and begun reading Pop's article on BeatTips.com. It was good. You've got to check out that article. Then I began my first component of reading, A Tale Of Two Cities of course. Did it get any better? No, it got much better. Back to my day, after reading about 15 pages of A Tale of Two Cities I took a slight brake and headed over to SI.com (Sports Illustrated), I read a couple articles over there, especially the one about Pete Carrol's impact on recruiting for the 2010 college football season. After reading that article, I began reading again, yea its hard to put A Tale of Two Cities down.

After reading some more of A Tale of Two Cities I went and had lunch. While I ate Pop and I watched "Test Pilot," another great classic movie from Turner Classic Movies. Crazy thing is that we missed one hour of the movie and it was still great. One line from the movie was funnier and better than "The Hangover." But I'll devote another article to both films. After the movie, I had my screening. Today I watched "Vertigo," a Alfred Hitchcock classic starring James Stewart. Another article. What's the article count now? Anyway, after my screening Pop went and got a very delectable dinner, steak fajitas. That food was realll good (3 l's needed.) Only problem was Pop got these humongous tortillas, I could only have one and half. But that should hold me for about 10 hours, not including when I'm sleeping. So as you can see I had a good day. Now that I'm homeschooling, there will be a lot more like it.

A Tale Of Two Cities Update (Part 4)

By Amir Ali Said

I'm up to chapter 19. The book is getting even more interesting. Book Two is taking some twists and turns. Plus, Mr. Lorry and Miss Mannette is back. Both of them are playing some pretty big roles in the last parts of Book Two. Mr. Lorry and Miss Mannette are both starting a family. That's about all I can tell you. The man who was acquitted in Book One is back, oh wait, it's not him. Read Book Two and you'll see why. Here's a brief description.

As if Book Two couldn't get any better, Dickens helps you out. Book Two is getting hectic and the story is starting to unfold. Actually there are multiple stories, but the source of A Tale of Two Cities is starting to unravel. Mr. Lorry and Miss Mannette are having separate lives, ever since that first meeting. Miss Mannette's father is going back to work. But there's more. To bad, I can't describe what else is happening because that would really spoil your reading experience. But like I've said before, pick up A Tale of Two Cities as soon as possible.

New Dope Nike Helmet

By Amir Ali Said

My new Nike helmet is different from the helmet I use to have. I use to wear a black Rawlings Coolflo helmet. The Coolflo is a good helmet. It's even worn by some Major League Baseball teams. But I felt there was time for a change.

Friday I got the Nike Keystone helmet in black and white. The Keystone helmet is dope. It's different from most helmets. I always wanted a helmet like the keystone, since I've seen it in college baseball. The keystone is like a hat. The brim of the helmet comes inward. On the other hand, the Coolflo's brim goes outward. In the back of the keystone it's similar to the Coolflo helmet. Now that I have the keystone helmet, my setup is almost complete. Look for Part 2 to this article, about my baseball setup.

Ongoing Learning's Right For Me

By Amir Ali Said

Yesterday was jam-packed. But it was a great day. Yesterday, Pop and I went to get batting gear for the batting cages, and got enchilada ingredients. Here’s a breakdown of how the day went.

At around two PM, Pop and I went to Modell's. At Modell's we searched for a bat. Finally, we settled on a Nike, black and red Keystone bat. My bat was 32 inches by 21 ounces. Afterwards, we looked for a helmet. We got a Nike helmet. Then it was time to get cleats. You might ask what company this time? Nike of course, would be my answer. Lastly, it was time to get batting gloves, and we went with Nike. Once we left Modell's we went home and started watching a movie on TCM (Turner Classic Movies), we watched "The Baron Of Arizona." That movie truly deserves another post.

At the batting cages, (3rd Avenue Sportscenter,) Pop bought a handful of video game tokens, by mistake. Once we realized, we went to the batting cages. I started and ended at 45 mph. It was just for warm-up anyway, but man was it a work out. I hadn't hit a baseball for a year. It was a great experience, getting my stroke back. But it took about two rounds of Batting practice to hit one ball. My mechanics and stance were off, but eventually I got it together. I felt good about my Batting practice.

After batting practice, Pop and I went on a journey to find enchilada ingredients. Eventually, we just stopped off at Pathmark. They had everything we needed for a delicious meal. Once we got home, Pop made the enchiladas. Those enchiladas Pop made may very well be the best dinner he's ever made. It was so good. It was such a full day, to have a meal like that, just capped off a wonderful day. This is the kind of stuff I look forward to doing while in homeschool. Learning never stops!

School For the Gifted and Talented...SYKE!

By Amir Ali Said

About two weeks ago I started homeschooling. I felt that homeschooling was the right choice for me. Plus, I thought that my old school (Philippa Schuyler, School for the Gifted and Talented) could no longer provide the right education for me. And since I left, the school has only gotten worse.

One of my closest friends has informed me that the school has been resorting to new heights. The atmosphere is much much worse. My former English Language Arts teacher has left and went back to Canada. Just two days ago, there were three fights, within three periods of each other. And today I was informed that kids just aren't going to class now, practically every period kids are cutting class. Plus, I already knew that this year kids have even began to cut school. I don't believe in coincidences, I think that this is only the beginning of the downfall for Philippa Schuyler, School For the Gifted and Talented.

A Tale Of Two Cities Update (Part 3)

By Amir Ali Said

I'm up to chapter 15 in Book Two and the story has only gotten deeper and better. I thought the story would get better, but boy is it taking a couple turns. After chapter 9, Dickens goes into the life of Charles Darnay. He's just been acquitted a couple chapters before. And he has interest in Miss Mannette. Problem is, two other men do. So that leaves you with a question, how's that going to work out? Me, I think somebody is going to disappear, I just have that movie mind-state. I don't think all three men can have an interest, without the others finding out. When they do, they'll be happy to eliminate any and all competition. But who?

Looking forward to the rest of Book Two and Literary Club next week, fuels the need to complete A Tale of Two Cities. It's such a great book, that keeps you interested during every page. Even when the writing gets out of hand, I still want to read more, because I know it'll only get better. This may very well be my favorite book, since I've never read a book like it. It's made me become a better writer and reader. I think this book will certainly help me in the long haul. If you haven't read or intend on reading A Tale of Two Cities, I can't stress it enough, please do.

"NCAA Basketball 10," Sports Video Game Changer

By Amir Ali Said

Message to Pop, I would like to get "NCAA Basketball 10" for the XBOX 360. That game looks really cool. Plus, I want to play along with the NCAA Basketball season in real life. EA has included some new features into "NCAA Basketball 10," that I think are cool. With this game, EA may be changing sports video gaming. That's because of there "presentation." With the game, you can decide to play with the CBS broadcast system or the ESPN broadcast system. That's real cool. I'll breakdown how EA can use this new way of video gaming with all of their sports games.

With Madden Football, EA could choose CBS and FOX's broadcast system. With their MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) game they could use Spike TV's broadcast system. For NBA Live, EA could use TNT, ESPN, or ABC's broadcast system. For FIFA EA could use ESPN, or the Fox Soccer Channel's broadcast system. And the list can go on and on. If I was EA, I would certainly take advantage of their "presentation" system, this could be huge, and they would be first.

Also, EA has a new motion system that allows you to put players in motion to get the open pass and score. That feature is cool too, but not nearly as cool as the presentation feature. Like Modern Warfare 2, I want to participate in history in the making. I really think this game will change sports video gaming for the future. So Pop, can we get "NCAA Basketball 10" for XBOX 360 as soon as possible?

Arts & Design vs Arts & Graphics

By Amir Ali Said

Arts and Design...Or Arts and Graphics. To me, there is no difference. To others, it might be a big one. Arts is a very broad topic, it can span over many different forms of employment. Also, Art can span over many different ways of life. Art is a huge topic to discuss, which is why I am only going into the simple importance of it. Here, I'll break down each group.

For both groups, Arts can be described as painting, movie making, sports, writing etc. Design can be equal to painting, designing a scheme for a company, or creating a poster or piece of artwork using software. Software like adobe illustrator. There is my definition of Arts and Design, the arts + design = a piece of work, good or bad that can be used in the present or future. It's all math.

Graphics is similar to Arts in many ways. They both can be a painting. Graphics and Arts can also be movie making. Plus, Graphics can include, posters, and other pieces of art-work. Point is, there is really no difference between Arts and Design vs Arts and Graphics. I take both as a way of learning, through which I use software or other instruments to create art.