CC#4 China's Gaokao

In The New York Times magazine Upfront, an article entitled "Failure Is Not An Option" Sharon LaFraniere Informs us of the importance of this test. This test is very important to the people and can make or break you. This test is something you should fail, and if you do, this will break you.

The Gaokao, China's college exam, is very serious. stated by the author "He studied 14 to 16 hours a day for the test which will determine the fate of more than 9 million Chinese students this year." This test is incredibly hard and students will have to spent most the day for long times to prepare for this test. Putting this must effort means the test is something they are putting all their effort into.

This exam will set you out for life. Stated by the author "In a country where education is so highly prized, a student's score on the gaokao is believed to set the course of one's life." The Gaokao will determine your future for the rest of your life depending on how you did on it. With it determining how you will do in the future, the need to pass it makes it ever more important.

The Exam will take some people to extremes so they can pass the test. Written in the article "Last year in sichuan province in southwestern china, some students studied a hospital, hooked up to oxygen containers, in hopes of improving their concentration." These students are going by far beyond the norm and going to hospitals and learning which on oxygen tanks believing the they will be able to focus better. They are doing extremes to do this.

I know test for colleges are important. The ACT is important to us but not at important as the gaokao to the chinese. This test will help determine my future by allowing me to help get into certain colleges. So to do this test, I study and prepare myself for it. The ACT and the Gaokao are very important exams and i understand why these people are taking the Gaokao very seriously.

The Gaokao is a test not to be underestimated. The exam will change you life if you make a mistake and with china's growing number of universities and colleges, the exam becomes more important if you want to get into one of them since admission to Chinese universities and colleges is often the sole admission for them.The students over there are preparing themselves and some by doing the extreme to learn as much as they can to overcome this test which will determine much of their future.

Topic of Choice SpaceX

Space Exploration or SpaceX, is a first of a new wave of companies who will venture out into space. SpaceX is an American company which wants to bring the power to bring our american astronauts to the International Space Station by means of an American Rocket. SpaceX is an incredibly company who will show that we americans are still ahead.

SpaceX started in 2002 by Elon Musk. Elon Musk is a South African born but is a American Citizen who resides here in the United States. After selling PayPal to Ebay, he amassed a large fortune and used 100 million of it to start SpaceX. Elon Musk has started an American Private Space Company that will do the first of many for America.

SpaceX developed by itself the Falcon 1 rocket. Which they launched from a military base. After three failed launches, their fourth launch was a success which help paved way for their Falcon 9 rocket. Due to this success, they eventually got help from Nasa to help with the falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX is a man driving forth American Innovation around the world.

Nasa aided SpaceX with their COTS program which is Commercial Orbital Transportation Service which many companies participated in and SpaceX won along with another company. Due to this, Nasa sent them a large sum of money to develope the falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon Capsule. The Dragon Capsule from the start is designed for people but used currently for cargo until human rated. SpaceX is like a lion, it's small and awesome when its new, but when it ages, it is ferocious and you must watch out for it because SpaceX is destroying the competition one by one.

With their Dragon Capsule, SpaceX got a contract with Nasa to supply the ISS several times for 1.6 Billion. A huge milestone for SpaceX due to them geting new contacts and more recently got a few military contracts. They also have several irridium contracts for their Falcon 9 which are due to launch in a few years. SpaceX a little big company who started small but has all these contracts to increasing in size every day.

Recently SpaceX have applied to get their Falcon 9 rocket to become a EEVL or Evolved Expendable Vehicle Launch which are launch vehicles the military uses. In the arsenal of EEVL, their are the two american rockets Atlas 5 and Delta 4. Soon another american vehicle will be added, the Falcon 9.

SpaceX started with one American with a passion and a goal. He put much of his own money and effort to start this company up and now they are a driving force. This American Company has even told the European Space Agency which is a government space agency that if they don't make the Ariane 6 rocket and keep with the Ariane 5 rocket, SpaceX will surpass them indefinitely due to SpaceX's goal to make going to space much cheaper yet much safer. SpaceX is a true american company who has used innovation to be in league with governments. They are conquering the new frontier as us americans did earlier many times in our history.

Click Here for more information on SpaceX.

CC#3 Obama 'Betrayed' Terrorist Victims

Posted on Yahoo, 'Fort Hood Hero Says Obama 'Betrayed' Her, Other Victims' The author of this article informs us about how victims of a terrorist action are neglected by the government and are not receiving what they should.

The attack was definitely an act of terrorism but even with evidence, the government thinks of the event as workplace violence. "Despite extensive evidence that Hasan was in communication with al Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki prior to the attack, the military has denied the victims a Purple Heart and is treating the incident as 'workplace violence' instead of 'combat related' or terrorism." Hasan was in contact with Al Qaida which is evidence that he was a terrorist but the government doesn't recognize this and doesn't even give the victims a Purple Heart.

The government didn't do anywhere close as they should have. "Some of the victims "had to find civilian doctors to get proper medical treatment" and the military has not assigned liaison officers to help them coordinate their recovery, said the group's lawyer, Reed Rubinstein." Some of the soldiers couldn't get help from the government so they had to go to civilian doctors instead due to the government not helping. This is a disgrace and should not have happen.

Due to the governments listing the event as a Workplace violence, some of the veterans cannot receive the money they need to heal. Manning says the "workplace violence" designation has cost him almost $70,000 in benefits that would have been available if his injuries were classified as "combat related." If the government would have instead did what was right and listed the event as a terrorist attack, this would have happen and the veteran could actually get the help he needs.

To me, this is unacceptable. Americans are going out to fight against terrorist for our country to protect our freedom. Yet the government is not helping the victims that have done much more than a lot of people in the united states. They are being deprived of help.

With this happening, I feel the government is failing us. When they stop trying to help their own citizens, they are no longer needed. The victims of this attack should be helped by the government without any need for suing due to lack of help.

Book Review Q3 #1

An amazing book with battles between gods, demigods, monsters, this book will take you on an adventure in the modern day revolving about Greeks and Romans. Rick Riordan's book The Mark of Athena is a incredible book that has a great story that will entertain most readers with the likeability of the characters and the action between the Protagonist and the antagonist.

I learned from this book that just because you are scared, does not mean you can't do it. Athena was scared of the challenge the Mark of Athena was bring her to. She would like to have done it with Percy but does it herself even though she was fearful because many before her have died. But she didn't waver in her fear and did it.  As Annabeth said to Percy "'It's all right, Percy.' Annabeth  squeezed his hand. 'I need to do this.'" Annabeth tells Percy it's all right and that she will do this herself which she alone has too. Leo Valdez is another character who was scared but he did it anyway. As written in the book "A problem you cannot solve, said a voice in his mind. Nemesis...she'd told him to expect this moment. Leo thrust his hand into his pocket and brought out the fortune cookie. The goddess had warned him of a great price for her help-as great as losing an eye. He broke open the cookie." Leo Valdez know that opening the fortune cookie would take something from him. He's afraid to use it not knowing what it'll take away from him but uses it anyway despite that fear to save his friends.

Percy Jackson is the main protagonist. He is very kind and cares deeply for his friend. That's why he is one of my favorite characters in this book. As written in the book "Percy hated it. He would've preferred to fight any monster in the world." When Annabeth has to go by herself to finish the mark of Athena, he hates it and would rather fight anything than to leave her. As Percy told Piper "'Piper,' Percy said, 'I can help.'" Jason is in trouble and Percy is the only one that can help. So Percy helps him. Percy told Annabeth "'We're staying together,' he promised. 'You're not getting away fro me, Never again.'" Percy is holding onto Annabeth but he knows he won't be able to pull her up. He can either drop her to go with her, so he decides to go with her and stay with her without abandoning.

This book reminds me of The Hunger Games. In the Hunger Games, each district has to send people. In this book, both camps have people going to fight an enemy because they have to due to a prophecy. Like when Katniss and Peeta decide to do suicide together, Percy and Annabeth decide to go into the pit of tartarus together instead of leaving the other behind.

This book is absolutely amazing. Telling the story from the viewpoints of many characters and the situations they are in are spectacular. They use real places and put the scenes their. This book I would recommended to anyone in a heartbeat because that is how much I love it.