The Karman Family Blog

This week I worked at Terri-Lynn’s every single day (except Monday when it was closed) so I had to manage my time very carefully.

Monday: First day of school!! I did extra today because tomorrow my mom has arranged for me to meet a girl my age who is doing the same curriculum and is in the same grade as I am in school. I really liked the subjects Bible and Math (because it was really easy).

Tuesday: I sat at the Chiropractor’s office and did school before we went to meet the girl. We had fun and baked brownies after we talked for a while. I got some school done before work at least. ;)

Wednesday: Math is still soooooo easy. My writing assignment for this week is to do a page of creative writing to show the ‘otherness’ of two characters.

Thursday & Friday: My writing assignment for this week is to write a one-page creative story showing the “otherness” or different cultures/perspectives/worldviews of two different characters or groups of people. I’m writing a conversation/argument between two college roommates; one from NYC and the other from a community in small-town Maine. I should get to it!

Before August eighteenth the boat was called a humanitarian crisis. The Open Arms, a rescue ship, was stranded off Italy’s coast. Why? Because Italy refused to let the rescued people in. Over 100 people were crammed on the ship for two weeks. Minors were eventually let onto Italian soil; without their parents. Other countries have offered to take some of the people in but leaders believe the journey is too far for the weak passengers.

This is a summary of the article “Migrant Ship Stranded Off Italy in ‘Crisis,’ Aid Group Says” by The New York Times.

Tornados and thunderstorms were been ravaging in and around tornado alley in the US. Storms have been reported in Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas during the weekend and several were certified by the National Weather Service. One weathercaster said the tornado in Illinois was caused due to a snowstorm. Damages in Taylorville and other towns include powerlines down, damaged and flattened houses, as well as injuries. One person was reported dead in Missouri, and 21 patients visited Taylorville hospital.

Note, this was written sometime last year and left unpublished. Oops…

According to new research, many major cities are running low water. Without any preventative measures or water-use limits in place, we could soon step into a major crisis. The World Resources Institute says on its website* that “the world’s water systems face formidable threats. More than a billion people currently live in water-scarce regions, and as many as 3.5 billion could experience water scarcity by 2025.” As they also point out on their water page; water is vital to human life. With thousands living in depleted areas, urban centers targeted, preemptive measures are desirable.

*https://www.wri.org/our-work/topics/water

China has changed its strategy on the US-China trade war. Xi Jinping, the current president, let the Yuan drop in value possibly as a weapon against the US. As of August 5th, 2019, the Yuan is worth 0.14 US dollars; one of the lowest values in the last year. China also proclaimed its decision to stop buying crops from the US. Xi accepts waiting out the possible economic falls resulting from his decision in hopes of long-term gain. He encourages/demands that the Chinese people do the same. It is yet to be seen how his approach works.

The Sunrise movement and other independent groups have been busy in preparation for the upcoming election. The Sunrise Movement has targeted Democrat candidates, hoping for alignment of their cause. They are not only promoting eco-friendly actions but also want candidates to support their ideas for social change; economic, anti-racism, inequality, and justice. Large concepts for a liberal movement. Candidates consistently agreed with the eco-friendly side of their ideas but not as many as they wanted to align with their social concepts. According to the New York Times post; Progressive Activists Have Pushed Democrats to the Left on Climate Issues. Now What? several candidates began closer to the Sunrise Movement’s ideals but have strayed, possibly because of the social side of the movement’s campaign. The future will show how much power the movement will have in the government.

Hey! So, I may have switched to a charter school for the second semester of last year and not told you. But I’m back and excited for high school (I’m a Freshman now)!

More coming soon!

11/26/18

Aunt Sarah and Uncle Matt are still here so I didn’t do a whole school day. They leave tomorrow though. We aren’t doing school then either because we’re going to Ikea in Memphis. It’ll be so much fun!

I have to write a “forgotten” chapter of a book this week. The book is The Outlaws of Sherwood, which anyone who has read one of my five essays on it should know I think highly of its mechanics, storyline, and author. I am slightly worried I’ll ruin it with a bad chapter.

No journals Tuesday-Wednesday. We did not end up going to Ikea.

11/29/18

I had a ton of school to do but also did some Christmas shopping! :) I love making and wrapping presents too. It combines several of my favorite things and talents.

I read several chapters of my history book today. Long, but also interesting. I like hearing about the lives and personalities of scientists and mathematicians-but Bernoulli’s Principle is mindblowing to me. It opens up brand new an astounding world!

11/30/18

 I had a lot of schoolwork to do. It was crazy and I didn’t finish all of it but made some progress. I accidentally printed my newspaper with the date Nov. 31. Oops… (I had a trick to get the number of days in a month right, but apparently it doesn’t work for November.)

I plotted out my chapter for English. It is amazing. A basic plot that has been used a million times before; in a new time period. (Astounding, isn’t it?) Ohh well, there is a reason it has been used a million times before.

In the middle of devastating wildfires in California, one man’s generosity lifts hearts in the town of Paradise and beyond. Paradise was hit hard by the recent fires, their high school was spared, but has been closed a majority of November. Many students and teachers lost their homes. Bob Wilson took $1,000 checks to the school and handed them out to the teacher and students, totaling 1,085 checks.

The Group 20 summit in Argentina started November 30th. NAFTA 2.0, the trade agreement between the US, Canada, and Mexico designed to replace NAFTA was signed Friday at the summit. It will now go to Congress for approval. Analysts and others writing about the event believe this will not be a short and simple process. POLITICO released an article Friday morning titled “NAFTA 2.0 is signed – but it’s far from finished[.]” The Trump administration spent 15 months on talks with Mexico and Canada before the signing.