Blog 7

Mimicking the blog eatocracy

            A food trend that has been rising in the last few years is the trend to eat organic. The term “organic” refers to the way the food is grown which pollution and promotes soil conservation. Organic foods also do not have pesticides or fertilizers making them a more natural alternative. However a downside is that organic food is more expensive. Is organic food really worth it or has it just been hyped up?

            Recently, a health trend has been popular among many Americans who choose a healthy active lifestyle. Whole Foods has become a growing grocery store packed with healthy alternatives for a better lifestyle. According to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, a study with 200 pages, organic food was not proven to be in any way more nutritious than regularly grown food. This study reveals to millions of Americans that a seemingly common belief upon additional research may actually turn out to be false.

            Even though one study has shown that organic foods have no additional benefit, it is more than likely that Americans will continue to purchase organic foods. As organic foods grow in popularity more research will be conducted by scientists to figure out whether there are benefits or not.

Jennifer Wang

Staff Writer

Blog 7

Fran Blinebury writes for the NBA Hangtime Blog. He uses a lot of metaphors and syntactical tools and has a clear viewpoint in his blogs. Blinebury talks about anything that relates to basketball.

Down 0-3.
It's never been done before, but who knows? Maybe they can do it.
Down 0-3.
No, they don't have a chance. Their season is done.
Down 0-3.
Why are we watching this? Change the channel. The Rockets don't have a prayer.

Houston, we have a problem. Nobody believes in us. Nobody expects us to win. We're too young. We can't close games. We aren't ready.

And yet, here we are sitting at 2-3. What were they saying? What happened to everyone saying we would have been swept 4-0? Where did they go?

Houston, we have a problem. We have an addiction. We're addicted to proving people wrong. We're addicted to making the best out of situations we were never supposed to be in.

Never in the history of the NBA has a team gone on to win a playoff series after giving up the first three games. It just hasn't been done.

And yet, here we are sitting at 2-3. We're still alive. We have been shown mercy. We have a chance to go down in history.

Just 2 more games, and the Rockets will move on to the next round in the playoffs. It is very unlikely, but it is very possible. This years' Rockets are one of those teams that miracles can happen too. We have shown tremendous fight in not wanting to go down. Even if we don't make it out the first round, this is a good learning experience for a young team.

Game 6 is tonight. If we win, it's Game 7, with the series evened at 3 games apiece. One game at a time. Houston, you are cleared for take off.

Zean Liao

Blog 7

(This is in the style of Alexander Lobrano from the NY Times blog called "The Moment")

A flow of fresh, new additions are coming to Houston's Highland Village, bringing exciting stores, shopping, and experiences. 

Highland Village has taken the same-old classic shopping that has been around for years and has reinvented its look and shopping experience. This happening spot, home to restaurants such as Ra Sushi and Smith and Wolinksys, has recently renovated and added multiple stores. This area of Houston is now the destination for the high end but slightly price conscious shopper. Much of the renovations center around the movement of Anthropologie to the area where the now closed down store, Tootsies, used to be located. This renovation seems to have sparked a new wave of eye-catching shopping to beautify Highland Village. The popular clothing brand, Splendid, has opened in a brand new location just around the corner from the new Anthropologie. Best of all is the new J Crew that has opened right next to Anthropologie, also taking the place of Tootsies. Highland village is now the home to many relaxing days of shopping, eating, and much more. 

Alison Elberger

Blog 6

"I don't even know what I don't know,"

Oh Ha Ni from the popular k-drama Playful Kiss whines. She gives up trying to prove trigonometric identities and falls asleep, mid-exam. 

Sigh...

Just my luck. While I'm trying to relax on a Sunday afternoon, I'm reminded of my AP Chemistry exam looming just around the corner-next monday to be exact. I pushed the hot laptop off my stomach and groaned as I lifted my limp body off my couch. Scheduled group-study sessions, mock exams and free response practices, all skipped for to fuel my addiction to these dramas. It's not that I don't care about my exam score, or what college's will think of me; I do, a lot. I've somehow amassed this idealistic point of view that makes me feel like everything will be alright. I can get a perfect 5 on the AP sans studying and still bawl over Lee Min Ho's ridiculous curly locks in Boys Over Flowers. 

I picked my laptop back up, plopped it back on my stomach and re-opened Netflix with the mindset of "I'll start studying when the laptop gets too hot for my skin to handle."

Maybe then...

Blog 7

In the style of Ray Matteson

When you think of summer, you automatically think of freedom, as in laxity from school. You think of fun in with friends, spending day in and day out in the sun with friends. You think of the late nights. What you do not think of is preparation for your senior year of high school: college applications.

Graduated juniors see the summer as a break from the nightmare that junior year had been. Between the athletics, academics, and intensive testing, the list of things to do seemed to be at the back of every student’s head relentlessly.

At the beginning of summer, juniors are carefree and happy and think that summer will be relaxing and enjoyable. They know it is early in the summer, but they need to give more thought to working ahead on college applications, giving extra thought to the fact they will have to accommodate summer academics with their ever busy schedule.

Their summers are being held together by late nights, hot days, and cold water to relax in. They will eventually point their fingers at the mirror and tell themselves they should have gotten more serious sooner.

This is not your typical relaxing and carefree summer, even though it is a typical summer for the junior concerned about his or her college experience. Writing essays, making lists of colleges, deciding possible majors, thinking which dorm to live in, finding your room mate composes just a few of the tasks with  making the college experience as good as it can be.

There are still a few questions to be answered before students decide exactly how to lay out their lives. Do they want to go to public or private school? Which scholarships do they need to apply for? Is athletics something that could heavily influence their choice of school? So many questions, so many things to do in the application and decision process.

With the first day of August will come the first serious thoughts of college and the fact that seniors will in less than a year be making huge life choices. I know it seems awful to associate junior summer with all the hard work after spending the previous nine months battling through the school year, but with all the work required, it is kind of hard not to. 

Leslie Cundiff

Sports Writer

Bellaire TPP

Blog 7

Blog 7

Paul Miller is a lead writer for The Verge, is extremely opinionated, and loves movie trailers. He reviews consumer technology and where electronics are headed in the future. 

During the summer of 2012, I was selected to participate on a mission trip to Cambodia, where I experienced the culture of the country and learned what composes a good global citizen. While I was there, I taught children about American culture and the English language. Though teaching the Cambodian children was something that changed my life, I was expecting to do that before the trip even started. What I was not expecting to do was teach a working father of five. While staying at a small, 4-bedroom homestay in rural Chi-Phat, I brought out my dictionary to teach the young children how to say a simple greeting in English. While the children and I were sitting around my dictionary, I sensed someone behind me. I looked around to discover that it was the children’s father, nicknamed Chre. Intriguingly, he looked over my shoulder as if he wanted to learn the words as well. I was not expecting this because most Cambodians learn English while in secondary school, but he did not know a single word in English besides “hello.” He sat next to me as I taught him words such as “family,” “happy” and “farmer.” The experience is a situation that I will never forget because we established a solid, genuine connection. The day after I taught him those words, he began to repeat them every time he saw me.

When I am reminiscing about my past trip to Cambodia, I like to think about the time Chre and I spent going over those English words. I would like to imagine that he is still saying them, halfway across the world, on a regular basis.

Johnnie Sinclair

Blog 7

On April 7, country music icons from around America gathered at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada for the 2013 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards hosted by country superstars Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton. From Record of the Year to Entertainer of the Year, there were plenty of awards for country superstars, and the winners were quite deserving of their respected wins.

    Hosts Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton began the opening dialogue with comedic banter including hits at Bryan’s tight jeans and Shelton’s wife, Miranda Lambert. Bryan and Shelton also included jokes about Carrie Underwood and other music icons. The opening dialogue ended quickly as award presentations and performances began.

    Nominees for Male Vocalist of the Year included Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Toby Keith, and Blake Shelton. Shelton held the 2012 title of Male Vocalist of the Year, but Jason Aldean won 2013 Male Vocalist of Year. Aldean’s major hits include “Don’t You Wanna Stay”, “Church Pew or Bar Stool”, and “Just Passing Through”. Although Shelton did not win Male Vocalist of the Year, his wife, Miranda Lambert, won Female Vocalist of the Year and Record of the Year with her song, “Over You”.

    As the night continued, more awards and honors were awarded to various artists and vocal groups. Thompson Square won Vocal Duo of the Year. Eric Church won Album of the Year for his popular album, “Chief”. Florida Georgia Line won New Artist of the Year, a major honor in music awards. Little Big Town won Vocal Group of the Year. “Over You”, written by Blake Shelton and performed by Miranda Lambert, won Song of the Year.

    With only one award left, all performers were focused on one title: Entertainer of the Year. The deserving nominees included Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, and Taylor Swift. Swift held the 2011 and 2012 title for Entertainer of the Year, and everyone awaited to see if lucky number three would also be in favor. The 2013 Entertainer of the Year award went to male country superstar Luke Bryan.

    Between the laughs and awards, the 2013 Academy of Country Music Awards was a major success. Two and three time title holders passed their titles down to the up and coming music stars, and even those who did not win a title or award still had an enjoyable laugh or two throughout the eventful evening.

-Mimicking Entertainment Weekly blogger Mandi Bierly

Sophie Daily

TPP staff writer

Blog 7

This is in the style of Jonathan Tilove, a writer for the Austin American-Statesman. He writes in a lightly cynical style and uses cliche/cheesy expressions in very smart ways.

I have some trouble with my favorite band. Or should I say former favorite band, as they don't exist yet.

Sonic Youth, the inventors of indie, has broken up after 30 years due to irreconcilable differences. However, these are not between all members. Frontman and guitarist Thurston Moore and bassist Kim Gordon separated in 2011 after 27 years of marriage, and the details of the separation are now coming out two years later.

Gordon explained to Spin Magazine that Moore had been seeing another woman outside the marriage. He continued to see the woman even as he and his wife were going through marriage counseling. Gordon said that the affair reached the point of a double life, and describes her husband as a "lost soul." Gordon and Moore have a 20-year old daughter named Coco. Gordon and Moore are both 60 years old.

From my personal take, a cheating scandal this late in life is a true shame. In my opinion they had something special, both musically and through their chemistry - touring as a band often strains interpersonal relationships. They managed to get through all that. My heart goes out to them, and I can only wish them the best despite how much I miss them.

Blog 7

For the past week, I have been thinking about quotes. I don't know why I have this sudden urge, but each time I read another one it infatuates me to think about what's going on in my life. Besides the classic movie quotes like, "You had me at Hello," quotes can come from the most unlikely of places. How do people come up with these saying that twist you mind and make you think? Is it random or do they have a gift of just making words flow well. I have attempted making my own quotes because I wanted to represent myself in a phrase that would describe my life. My first one created was, " you must learn the feeling of loss, before you can accept the feeling of winning." Think about it. How do you know what it feels like when everything you have worked for comes true, when you haven't even discovered what really matters when you lost it. I know that sounds confusing, but only a person's true desires come after they have lost. My other quote is one of motivation which is always helpful. " If you give up, then what have you really given." There is no point of quitting unless you succeed. Quotes change people, and they also are a representation of us. However, only the few can dissect them and understand their true meaning.

Elaine Shen blog #7

Local University's golf club transports staff to Austin to compete in annual sports competition

University of Houston is using a new solution to provide its students with a 24-hour service,. Rather than hiring more workers or switching current staff to the overnight staff, Houston-based Metro has offered to transport some of the students to a part of Houston to save costs.

Metro, which serves more than one million Houstonians a year, came up with this idea after studying the processes used in colleges in Chin, the DDE reports. The staff has since driven a trial group for 10 students to Dallas, where they took over another busing company. The staff works in shifts of four days in order to travel around the region.