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All Students:  Be sure to read the entries for this group  (August writers).  Everyone is required to comment on at least three different pieces of writing.  You must post the comment here on the blog (below the post is the "comments" link to click) AND cut and paste your comments, complete with dates and times, on to a Word document and turn it in to me by September 19.  You must do both to get credit for comments this month.

Remember, comments must be positive, supportive, constructive, and SPECIFIC.  No "Good Job!" comments, unless you follow that with specific things you thought were done well in the piece.  Show them you actually took the time to read and enjoy their work!

"Dreams" by Johnathan S

     As I sit here, hiding and locked away from facade that lies beyond the door, this one thought remains inescapable: I have much to fear. My mind, plagued with the afflictions of panic and terror, is seldom assuaged by the consolation of fixed convention that this expanse provides. The crowded company of this habitation tremble with the ground as the courtship between Earth and Sky is sparked with Zeus's might. I have cowered beside them in this harrowing room for years with day bringing no greater illumination than night ever could allow, and from this darkness I have been led to a myriad of burdening questions. What will become of me if I leave the comfort of my conventions? Will my journey ever bear the fruit of completion, or will my efforts lack the fertility to conceive success? I admire the valiant souls that depart from the consolation of our homely routine. Few eyes have seen the conclusion of the prismatic brimstone path that lies just beyond the door. Most have lost their way, crashed to the depths of diffidence and hopelessness in their hopes to find the Crock of Gold at the end. The risks posed by such an endeavor are too great for I. Leastwise here is invariable and undemanding. I can spend my efforts sleeping away the days, attempting at peace and comfort. Yet, herein exist no peace or comfort. I contend day to day with the life I live and the life I covet. I’m locked here, hidden away and fatalistic of my being forgotten. I look out the window, yearning to see the Light unseen. Light has been unseen in this room by the furthest of my recollections. Even now, not a star in the sky to share my gaze.

     But then─I saw something. A brightness broke through the blank plane of the sky. It was beautiful, a heavenly body whooshing through the emptiness. Never in my life have I been bestowed with such a magnificent sight. The prospects of my dreams─once forlorn─now illumined with aspiration and ambition. I must follow it.  I crept through the dark crowded room, weaving through the maze of sullen bodies making my way towards the door. Before me stood the barrier between the facade of my conventions and the consolation of what lies beyond the door. Am I ready? Do I harbor the strength to endure what’s to come, or will I fall and crash like the others?  At that moment the Light revealed itself through the window yet again, temporarily consuming the darkness that I’ve only ever known to be an abode. I was quickly overwhelmed with joy and glee. I have never been stricken so. What I must understand is that I do much to fear, but  life cannot continue without risk. It is necessary to gamble and roll the dice. A great deal of people may have lost their way, however that does not allow one to be foolishly blinded by pessimism. A great deal of people have made it through the storm that brews outside. Such can be done by them as well as I. I stared at the door; there was no door knob, just a keyhole. It radiated with possibilities and echoed with opportunity. I reached my hand out, yet the door opened by its own will before me, revealing what was at a time a hellish path, truly an opalescent passage resembling a rainbow; bringing the thought of prosperity. Zeus's displays were destructive and horrifying, but upon the door opening, His bolts suddenly became a sacred light. I saw so much beauty in front of me when for so long I saw nothing but darkness. Hence I went forward with the Light shooting through the sky as my guide, trekking on the rainbow path as the lightning shined my way.

"What is Time?" by Sachin R

     Time affects us all in different ways, and drives our life forward.  But what is time? Time is an artificial idea created by the brain to prevent everything from happening at once.  This perception of time is common in all living things but at different speeds.  What does this mean? This means that not every lifeform sees time in the same manner.  For example, a human, a horsefly and a tree will all perceive time differently.  Have you ever tried to swat a fly that was sitting on a counter, but it easily escapes?  That is one example.  The fly, being a smaller creature perceives time faster than a larger creature such as you and me.  Our perception of time is much slower than the fly’s.  In effect, the human seems to be moving in slow motion to the fly.  Thus, it is childsplay for the fly to avoid death.  Moving on, we currently live and act in the present, we believe.  However, there is no present.  Since it takes your brain 0.086 seconds to process the words you are currently reading, there can be no real present.  The only proof anyone has of the past is memories.  These can come in different forms, such as fossils or even mental memories.  These events, are thought to all have a coordinate in spacetime, based on Einstein’s theory of relativity.  This spacetime can be thought of as a timeline that contains all the points as events.  This timeline however is not just a straight line moving into the future, it is a grid.  A grid that moves infinitely in all directions.  So if it’s a grid, how can we know what is the past, “present” and future?  Well, we can’t and we don’t.  This “timeline” does not follow any path and has no real direction.  This means that there is no definitive past present and future.  To prove that time is merely a concept that is created, look to space.  Again referring to Einstein, he proved mathematically that if a person could fly a plane just outside of the Earth’s atmosphere at the speed of light against the Earth’s rotation, that that person’s sense of time would be destroyed.  This means that a person would fly in the opposite direction as the Earth’s spin (If the Earth spins East, the plane flies West).  Let’s assume he flew at the speed of light for just six months, then landed home.  Everyone around him would be over 50 years older, while he would’ve only aged 6 months!  Now somehow someway Einstein was able to prove this mathematically.  So what does this mean?  This means that everyone perceives time differently, and that pilot was able to change his perception of time in a very serious way.  Of course, to actually try that would be impossible to both survive and execute.  However, it is an interesting gateway into the illusion that is time.  So what does all this mean for me and you. It is interesting to think that the very fabric that is our time, that even the illusion of the present, is merely a concept that is created by your brain and tailored to you specifically.

P.S. This concept is adopted by many physicists and has been proven both conceptually and mathematically, but not experimentally.

"Book Review: Death of Expertise: The Campaign against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters" by Kayla R

            First and foremost, I must start this review disclosing a confession: I wanted to enjoy this book from the moment I simply saw the title scrolling through Amazon. Consequently, I was not disappointed. Published by the largest university press in the world, Oxford University Press, Tom Nichol’s nonfiction Death of Expertise: The Campaign against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters is an introspective read about the fractured relationship between experts and citizens and the wave of nonsensicalness that has resulted in the United States due to this disconnect. Nichol’s novel primarily focuses on how this broken bond of respect for expert’s knowledge by those who are not experts, has created a maelstrom of frenzy and inaccuracy specifically in the political realm.

            One of Nichol’s culprits for this wave of increased misinformation is none other than the internet itself. While all can agree the internet is the most innovative technological breakthroughs of the twentieth century, it is of vital importance to remember a galore of information that has been placed on the internet is more than likely, false or inaccurate in some way. Unlike books that must all be fact-checked and peer edited numerous times before publication, most websites on the internet do not have these extensive trials and virtually, anyone can post any misleading information they so please. For example, how many times have you googled a symptom when you were feeling ill and self-diagnosed yourself through posts read online, without seeing a doctor? How many times has your own self-diagnosis been completely inaccurate in your scope of research? I know I sure am guilty of succumbing to this atrocity on multiple occasions. The internet has allowed for us to be exposed to a large amount of information all in a single sitting, while unintentionally taking away from our knowledge by engulfing us in data and allowing us to cherry-pick information that already fits with our prior beliefs through a distortion of rumors, speculation, and downright propaganda found online.

Nichol’s defines this impulse we all have to find information that supports what we already think as “confirmation bias.” Confirmation bias can be extremely dangerous to our society and all citizens among the political spectrum can be at fault. It is extremely common for citizens to live in their own world of media consumption. How often would you see a fiscally conservative depending on CNN for reliable news? Similarly, a liberal ever tuning into Fox for credible sources? The fact of the matter is that Democrats, Republicans, and those in between are all guilty of only utilizing media outlets that already share their beliefs, upholding Nichol’s principle of confirmation bias. Nichol also points out, through a scholarly-based study, when people were confronted with solid evidence that clashes with their previous bias, many of those studied would simply deny the proof presented before them and become even more deep-rooted in their original doctrine. This extreme denial is known as the backfire effect, and because of this, many extreme views are augmented through the internet, broadcasts, and television.

Now you’re probably thinking, “this sounds horrible, how can we fix this problem?” The answer to this question is simple. Vary your media diet. Read credible articles and books that contrast your beliefs and contribute to your understanding of the subject at hand. Be bipartisan in your research of a topic. Stray away from forums in which any uneducated person can make false claims. Be open to any contrasting evidence you find and willing to understand the perspective of those whose opinions differs from yours.  All of the factors listed in the paragraphs prior have promoted a society circumventing competent debaters, sabotaging institutions, and in essence, creating a political realm in which no real change or progress can ever occur.

As you may have already noticed from this review, Nichol utilizes an abundance of logos, a technique in which an author appeals to a reader’s rational using reason, logic, and proof to convince their audience/readers of a particular agenda. In this novel, Nichol’s entire argument is a case of why we should be concerned about the death of expertise. Concurrently in using logos, he is able to allow readers to stop and reflect among themselves to realize they may, in fact, be incoherently part of the problem itself. As well as the strong presence of logos throughout the novel, Nichol also has a distinctive word choice in which he sets a factual-if not sometimes harsh, tone in order to convince readers of the severity of immediate change that must occur in our democracy. Though the level of higher thinking this novel entails may intimidate some from reading this piece literature, those apt to reading this book will have absolutely no regrets and a deeper understanding of their role in the death of expertise.

"Incremental Gains" Kristyn R

Act I Scene I

A very simple room, Elliot and Ana sit on opposite sides in the same position. Lights and music fade in.

Elliot stands first and walks toward Ana who does the same. They stop facing each other.

Elliot: I hate you.

Ana: I know.

Black out.

Scene II

Ana paces the floor on her side of the room while Elliot sits looking bored.

Ana: I just don’t understand how anyone could be so stupid!

Elliot (exasperated): I just don't believe in it.

Ana: B-but there's poems, and books, and songs. . . and movies, there's movies too!

Elliot: Your point being?

Ana: They aren't just making it up!

Elliot: Lots of things are made up Ana, don’t be so naïve. People make things up all the time to escape the reality in which they live.

Ana: God, you are such a pessimist.

Elliot: Probably, but I have every reason to be one. You just don't understand.

Ana: Then enlighten me since you clearly know everything.

Elliot: I've just been through some stuff, are you always this nosy?

Ana: Considering you're the only person I can talk to, yes.

Elliot takes a second to collect his thoughts before speaking.

Elliot: She came into my life like waves crash onto the shore, sudden and intensely. But she left, abandoning me on the sand.

Black out.

Scene III

*Flashback* Elliot sits alone reading a book. Enter Isabel.

Isabel: Hi, um Elliot right? I believe you're in my English class, I'm Isabel.

Elliot (tripping over himself to stand): oh-uh-yeah Hi. . I-I like this book we're reading, do you?

Isabel: Oh, I'm not really one for sappy romance but I guess it's alright.

Elliot: Come on, how could you not love romance?

Isabel: It’s just so unrealistic, so cliché. The boy gets the girl, and happily ever after. It's just not how life works.

Elliot: I bet I can convince you otherwise.

Ana: Sounds like a challenge.

They slowly walk off stage, lights fade behind them.  *flashback ends*

Scene IV

Lights fade in, Elliot and Ana are in the same position as before.

Elliot: I thought it was true love but I've never been so wrong.

Ana: I'm obviously not following, you only described how you met?

Elliot: That's my favorite memory of her. She was beautiful. Her eyes kept me at a loss for words, her hair shined like the sun. I've never seen anyone so breathtaking in my entire life.

Ana: So, what happened?

Elliot: She left.

Blackout.

*Flashback* Enter Elliot then Isabel.

Isabel: I just wanted to help, Elliot!

Elliot: By telling my parents? They want to send me away!

Isabel: They want you to get better! I want you to get better.

Elliot: I'll never see you! You're what keeps me sane, you can't do this!

Isabel: Oh Elliot, please don't say that. This is for the best.

Elliot: I can't believe you're okay with this! I trusted you... I love you!

Isabel: I love you to but-

Elliot: No, you don't! If you did you wouldn't leave me!

Isabel: I'm not leaving you, I'm trying to help you.

Elliot: I don't even need help, you all are the crazy ones.

Isabel: Please just try and understand.

Elliot: I can't even begin to try.

Elliot rushes offstage. Isabel pauses then slowly follows.

Scene V

 Lights fade in on Ana and Elliot in same positions.

Elliot: That night, my parents packed up all my stuff and drove me here. I haven't seen her since. Not that I get many visitors.

Ana: We're not even allowed to have visitors.

Elliot: For her, I would've found a way.

Ana: We haven't left these rooms in months; how do you know she hasn't tried?

Elliot:  I just do. And what even is the benefit of being kept in "isolation" if they're just going to put a glass wall between us. I'm not isolated at all! I can still hear and see you. So much for privacy.

Ana: They think it will help our conditions to focus on making an emotional connection with just one person. Incremental gains you know?

Elliot: Incremental gains?

Ana: Yeah, baby steps. You can't just fix something like this in one step. You take it day by day and create small goals to achieve happiness.

Elliot: I'm not something that needs to be fixed, I'm not broken.

Ana: Then why are you here?

Elliot: I seem to be consistently asking myself that very question. Besides, happiness isn't created through a plan it just happens.

Ana: But you don't become happy all at once. Not from this state. It takes time, effort, and self-evaluation. You need to admit that you're not okay and then slowly work towards recovery.

Elliot: What are you, a doctor?

Ana: No, I've just had plenty of time to think here.

Elliot: Well, I don't need your help. I'm pretty sure talking to the same person every day is just adding to my insanity.

Ana: So, you admit that you're not sane?

Elliot: No, I- I'm not even going to try.

Ana: I count that as the first step.

Music slowly fades in while lights fade out.

Act II Scene I

to be continued . . .

"Belle's Biggest Mistake" by Alaijah

     I have a lover and we have been together for what it feels like centuries. He’s as handsome as could be, but then one day he left me. I'm not sure where he went does he even miss me? Beauty made him want to be a model. So what if he was a bit selfish? He still loved me. I haven’t seen him since the day he left me. Now I can't seem to find anybody who is worthy of me. This one man fell for me but he was a snob. Gastan was his name, to me he looked like a tree. He always spoke nonsense of my father and I. “Belle your father is crazy!” he told me. My father wasn't crazy he just loved me. He loved me so much he went in the woods to search for a way to pay our debts. A few days passed and he too had left me. His body was found in the woods all chewed up. I just knew that I would  forever be lonely. The day after he died a letter came in the mail  it said,”Belle, my love, I can't live without you any longer. I am currently living in the woods, come and find me and I will explain everything. “

• Love yours truly, B

I decided it was about time to find my long lost lover. I left my house in search for my only family. In the woods I found this huge castle behind the trees. Maybe the owner has seen my one and only love. I knocked excitedly waiting for a response. No one answered as I waited anxiously. Call me crazy but I was so determined to find my soul mate that I walked straight into the castle. The castle was dark and a few lights were lit, a musty gust of wind lingered the air . The next thing I knew, a huge beast attacked me from behind and startled me.  Little did I know that I would soon fall in love with this beast. Days passed by and I was a prisoner in this place called his home. He reminded me of my long lost lover. I know, I know you're probably thinking he left you leave him be. I tried you see, that's why I fell in love with the Beast. But he, he could never love me- right? Looking at his long lashes when he blinked made me sad because I knew that he could never love me. His personality made me smile and made me feel confident about myself. I had fallen in love with the Beast, but I couldn't help but think about my previous lover and how he left me. I told myself repeatedly that the Beast understood me like no other, but I just couldn't tell anybody about this warming feeling in my heart.

     So one day I left the Beast and started my own family. Two years later I decided to visit the Beast. I called for the Beast but he didn't answer me. I searched everywhere in the castle, but couldn't find anything. Had the Beast left me? I searched the room that he forbidden me to see.

Maybe that's where he was playing hide and go seek. A letter was left next to a dead rose.

I picked it up and this is what it said,” Belle if  you are reading this I have died in misery.

I died because no one ever told me they loved me. I was your lover who left you because of my disease, I have Hypertrichosis which makes me grow unwanted hair all over my body. A witch cast a spell of me because of my selfishness. I hid from you because of the way I looked ----But obviously you thought you were too good for me. I will always love you but we can never be together because I am a  freak----right? Is that why you couldn't love me? Is that why you left me? You kept of talking about your long lost lover Belle, but all along you were looking at him. I bet you feel stupid, huh!? How do you think I feel? So I have one more thing to say before you finish reading. There's a twist to the witch's curse, your first born child will go through the same misery as me. On his or hers 16th birthday he or she will become the Beast. Sorry Belle, but this is how it has to be. If you would have said you loved me then we could have been a family. Anyways Belle I love you and never forget about me.

-yours forever, B

" The Tale of a Schiminey" by Benjamin M

Schiminey was by no means a normal goblin. He did his work in the caverns, sharpening the daggers, and curdling the soup, like that of the other goblins, but there was something different about him. Schiminey like many other goblins shared a burning desire for wealth. The seven deadly sins for humans was set only two about 1 for the goblin race: greed. Although Schiminey would not be noticed among his own people for being different, he was indeed unique when compared to the other goblins. The main characteristic that made him unique was his uncommon desire for adventure. While tightening the chains of a prisoner, or harvesting mushrooms from within those deep and treacherous tunnels, he would often ponder and collect his thoughts. “If I am to be like the other goblins simply living my life down here in the caverns then how will I acquire my enormous wealth?  If I am only to leave the caverns to raid the towns of the goods, then how will I acquire my enormous wealth? If all of the gold is to be shared among the goblins, then it is not mine. Not my enormous wealth.”

            Schiminey did not care much for the other goblins. They were loud and obnoxious, and stank of rancid meat, and unlike Schiminey they did not see the bigger picture. The picture filled with gold, and fresh bread, and the beautiful castle walls with his 27 servants. These were the intricacies of a true dreamer. One day Schiminey was walking through the deeps, feeding the leftover slop to the prisoners, mainly humans but some other races, when suddenly he thought of fantastic idea. He walked over to a skinny bearded man that sat with his head over his knees, his long grayish hairs dangling to the grimey stone floors. “Hey you!” Schiminey whispered loudly to the man, spit accidentally spewing from his mouth. The main slowly looked up, his blue eyes glimmered in the light created from the worms slithering upon the walls. “How’d you like to get outta here?”

            The mans expression did not change but he began to speak in a deep hissing tone. “You monsters killed my family. How am I supposed to trust you?” Schiminey’s enraged goblin smile, and short sharp teeth shone. “You can’t, but you’re going to die anyway so you might as well.” The man slowly stood up, his shackles ringing as they bumped into one another. “Alright get me out of here then!” he yelled. Schiminey threw down the bucket, and slop spilled across the floor. He reached for the key ring that was connected to the cloth belt of his waist, and pulled forward the correct key. The key fit into the hole and the tumblers clicked. Other prisoners seeing the act began to yell and beg. “Right here! Get me out!..Get me out!” Schiminey looked over to the others and smiled. “Sorry, but I can only take one for this to be believable”

            Schiminey unhooked the man from the wall that he was connected to, and motioned for him to follow. The other prisoners moaned, and groaned as the two walked down and out of the the lower tunnel. The mans bonds jangled as he limped at an unreasonable pace. “Alright Human.” Schiminey began “I need to get out of this place to acquire my wealth, however most of the races are not too fond of goblins. If I promise to get you out, you need to promise and help me out.”

            “Whatever you say.” the man responded. They headed from the deeps, into the forge, and through the twisted tunnels passing by the bioluminescent algae until they finally entered the great hall. Hundreds of goblins were working tirelessly here in an attempt to appease the goblin queen. The massively gigantic, colossal, and obese goblin queen was about the size of 20 horses put together. Though most of the goblins simply fed on mushrooms, and sometimes various meats, the tastes of the goblin queen were quite diverse when compared with the other goblins. She ate cheese, and potatoes, pies and tomatoes, but was especially fond of meat. She ate cows, and sheep, and sometimes pigs feet, but her favorite meat was human.

            She sat upon her throne, in the middle of the great hall, eating all day and night, in order to have the energy to give birth. The goblin queen was the only female of her species. Female goblins were only born once every hundred years. She spawned around three goblins a day, and these goblins were most often set to work in the mines.

            The other goblins scoffed, and snarled as Schiminey and the man walked down the great bridge in order to meet with the goblin queen. She was guarded by Beetle, and Deedle two unusually large and strong goblins, that stood at about 6 feet tall each. “Speak your business!” Deedle said while he pounded his staff upon the ground. “I wish to speak with the goblin queen!” Schiminey replied. The goblin queen preoccupied at the moment, tearing the leg off of a goat then looked down at Schiminey. “What do you want?” she said, sticking the festering piece of meat into her mouth, and chewing the bones whole. “I wish to be given permission to exit the caverns! This prisoner has been giving us trouble!” Schiminey said, yelling to make sure he was heard over the disgusting sound of spit mixing with bone and meat.

            The goblin queen stopped everything she was doing and looked down at Schiminey and the man. “Mmm… Human!” she licked her chops. “There is no need for you take him out of the caverns my child. I will simply eat him!” the goblin queen said in a delighted tone, throwing the goat across the great hall, and knocking a worker down in the process. She began to reach for the man, when Schiminey, jumped in front of him. “M’lady, I bid you not eat this human. He has consumed a great poison that will be unleashed into these halls If he is not taken out.” the goblin queen screamed. “Ahhh!” she said flailing her arms. “Beetle, take this wretched being out of the caverns at once!” Beetle pounded his staff to the ground. “Yes M’lady!” he said grabbing onto the man. Schiminey was forced to intervene once again. “I am sorry M’lady, but I am the one who saw the man concocting the poison… If I am not the one to take him out of the caverns, then the curse that he has set into our city will remain.” the goblin queen, being no smarter than any other goblin began to flail her arms again. “Do it then!” she yelled. She reached into one of her fat flaps, and pulled out a small piece of metal that would grant Schiminey temporary access to leave the caverns.

Schiminey bowed. “Thank you M’lady!” he said. Schiminey waved at the man to follow him, and they both found their way out of the cavern, unopposed.

“47, chirp, chirp” - Jennifer K

The last summer I had to myself was the one right after I graduated from eighth grade.

This might seem strange, because we all go on summer break, so I must have had one, yet I didn’t. While I was away from school, I wasn’t at the same time. Each summer following the one after my freshman year, I had the honor to be apart of this experience that would shape the rest of my future. I was one of the three people at my school to be accepted into a program at Pomona College. Seeing the little amount of acceptances from my school, I was indeed afraid of what was to come. I was going to be devoting four weeks of my summer vacation to a school I had never been to, people I had never met, and things I had never experienced. I wouldn’t see my family for six days out the week, and I had never been away from them for that long. The point of the program was to give us insight on what it would be like to be a college student, which didn’t sound too fun, but my parents forced me to do it anyways.

            I remember distinctly walking into the lounge area of the dorm . It was filled with people in red shirts running all around, families with so many bags as if their child was going to be living there forever, and a line full of desks. While I stared in awe, not knowing how to react, I was swiftly shoved to a table next to me that had a sign that read “Registration”. I was handed a name tag, a room key, and a red shirt similar to the ones I had seen previously. Each table I went to I was met with a huge smile, bright eyes, and upbeat voice. Just when I thought things were done, a sudden flash blinded my view. Someone had just taken a photo of me and before I could even say anything, the next person anxiously waited for me to move so they could get their photo taken. As I stepped away with my parents, I finally felt as though I could catch my breath. This was short-lived, as I was met with a T.A. who was eager to show me to my room. I was relieved in a sense because I knew that in my room, there wouldn’t be any chaos. As I got there, I set my belongings down, shut my door, and just laid on my bed. I stared at the ceiling, asking myself if I should really follow through with this program.

            Later that day, I had to say farewell to my parents, which was new for me, and then I met with my T.A. group. All I can say is, it was the most awkward experience being surrounded by teenagers who didn’t do anything, except stare. I scanned the group, looking for a familiar face, until I found one. Her name was Ezinne, and at that point in my life, I had only known her from school, but latched onto her as if we had been bestfriends for years. Our group played several icebreakers, until we got tired of trying to get to know everyone.  Our T.A.s led us back to the lounge, where we were greeted with pizza; lots of it. That day, our T.A. group fell into a food coma, and the night ended with watching Big Hero 6 in a theater at the school. I walked to my room, closed my door, and laid down in bed.

            Fast forward to this past summer,  I experienced everything once again, yet this time it all felt so different. Already having two years experience in the program, I was eager for summer to begin because I knew I would be heading to Pomona college. I entered the lounge, to find an empty room. This was because I was going to be helping with registration this year. The color for this summer was grey, so I put on a grey shirt and got to work, placing tables in their correct areas. As soon as registration began, I was running around trying to help as many people as possible. I greeted families who looked like they were all going to move in.  I lightly shoved new students to the table that read “Registration”, greeted everyone with a big smile, bright eyes, and upbeat voice. I stood behind the camera and yelled “CHEESE!” before blinding students with the flash. I ran down the halls in excitement, as I showed new students to their dorm. I made sure they got situated and chuckled when they would say a quick thank you and abruptly close their doors. After saying farewell to my parents, I met with my final T.A. group of this year. I scanned the group once again and my heart grew big as I was greeted with so many familiar faces. The faces of people I had grown to love in just three short summers. As soon icebreakers started, it was hard to stop. We played all the way until we made it back the lounge, greeted with the wonderful scent of pizza. Once again, my group fell into another food coma and ended the day watching Hidden Figures at the theater. Afterwards, I walked to my room with my roommates, Ezinne and Cori. We caught up with each other about everything that happened the previous school year. As I grew sleepy, I went into my room, closed my door, unpacked my belongings, and laid down on my bed. I stared at the ceiling, asking myself why these past three summers went by so quickly.

Looking back, the most I had ever cried was on July 14th. To some, that holds no particular meaning, however that day changed my life forever. I remember it being a day filled with tears; many tears. Those tears spoke of sadness, happiness, and thank you’s all put into one.The day I dreaded so much, came in a sudden motion, and I couldn’t do anything except let the tears flow, just as my peers did. This day I forever hold dear to my heart, is the day I ended my summer program at Pomona College. I learned so many things about myself during my time at Pomona College. That others had similar struggles as I did, and that there is good in this world. I gained confidence in myself and learned that I am a boss and should be treated as such. I realized that college isn’t a such scary thing after all, since I’ll have a whole program supporting me throughout the whole process. Also, I realized that I am so ready to graduate and go to college.That day I closed the door on my time at Pomona, but know that I simultaneously unlocked something even better.

"Your Password Sucks" by Bryan T

We all have a basic understanding of why passwords are important. If I asked you to email all of your passwords to me, you wouldn’t do it. You understand that your online identity has value and that you wouldn’t want to give it up to a stranger.

However, keeping your password a secret is only half of the story. Having a strong password also matters, but unfortunately, this is a topic many people don’t understand. Perhaps even more dangerously, there are many people who falsely believe that their passwords are secure.

Personally, I’ve gone through many password changes as my understanding of cybersecurity has evolved. I’ve gone from using a two character password to using my name as a password to using a basic “word + number” password to a secure 40+ character password. I’m lucky that I haven’t experienced any devastating losses before switching to using a more secure password. (Although sometimes, I receive the rare email that some stranger in China logged into an account that still uses my old password!)

Know Thy Enemy

Before you start designing passwords, it’s important to understand who you’re fighting against.

Your most valuable asset is, ironically, the fact that you aren’t valuable. You are one of billions of internet users and there is no reason why an attacker would want to dedicate all of their resources into potentially ruining your life. However, don’t trick yourself into thinking you aren’t a target. If an opportunity opens up, expect to have several hundreds of computers trying to break into your account.

“If an opportunity opens up?”

I’m going to focus on an attacker’s ideal scenario—when a service you use has been compromised and customer details have been leaked. An attacker can try to guess your password even if the service isn’t compromised, but they’ll generally be limited to 1000 guesses per second. In the case of a data breach, the risks are far more interesting.

Once your account details have been released in a data breach, the danger you’re in depends on the security practices used by the compromised service. If the service stores your passwords in plaintext (i.e. character-for-character the exact same way you registered it), you’re screwed regardless of how strong your password is.

Fortunately, most services store a hash of your password, preventing attackers from obtaining your password immediately. In this scenario, the time you have to protect any vulnerable accounts depends on how much time it takes an attacker to guess your password.

a side note on hashing Storing a hash of a password is more secure than storing a password in plaintext because a hash cannot be reversed. If you imagine your password as a recipe, its hash would be a cooked meal. It’s easy to verify whether two meals come from the same recipe (they’ll taste the same!), but hard to derive the recipe from the meal (without guessing, of course).

How quickly can an attacker guess your password from a stolen hash? Your average gaming computer can generate over 20,000 megahashes per second. For Americans, that’s 20,000,000,000 hashes (guesses) per second!

And that’s with your average gaming computer. Dedicated computers can achieve speeds over 8 times that, generating over 160 gigahashes (that’s 160,000,000,000 hashes, Americans) per second.

It’s important to note that most attackers make random guesses. Humans are lazy and tend to create passwords that match a set of patterns. A common strategy for cracking passwords is to take a giant list of leaked passwords and apply millions of common transformations (e.g. converting o’s into 0’s, s’s into $’s, changing capitalization) on them.

Even if you have a long password, if it resembles a common password pattern, it may be cracked more quickly than a shorter password composed of completely random characters.

Design a Strong Password

Password strength indicators lie to you. Many websites will claim that a password is “strong” just because it contains a few special characters. In reality, the strength of a password is not determined by what characters it contains, but by how difficult it is to guess the order of those characters.

We need to design a password that meets the following criteria:

●      It should be long enough that random guessing is infeasible.

●      It should be unique enough that it cannot be guessed with a strategy.

●      It should be memorable enough to be recalled without much effort.

A good procedure for creating passwords is the “xkcd method” (aka passphrase method):

The logic behind the “xkcd method” is that choosing four random words takes more information to represent in a computer, meaning it’s less likely to be guessed randomly. Because the passphrase is composed of words that have significance to the creator, it’s also easy to remember.

This method is sometimes criticized for being easy to crack if the attacker has a strategy. Indeed, if an attacker knows that they should only guess permutations of English words, they could reduce the search space (and thus the time it would take to guess your password) significantly. Because of this flaw, I recommend you also use a word that isn’t likely to be in a dictionary.

The final procedure looks like this:

1. Pick three random words. Try to use a random number generator to pick the word if you can; humans are a terrible source of randomness.
2. Pick a word that is unlikely to be found anywhere else. This can be a made up word, an inside joke, or even an uncommon misspelling of a word.
3. Connect the words together using spaces.
4. Memorize your passphrase! Creating a short narrative for your passphrase may help you remember it.

Stop Recycling Passwords

Now you have a strong passphrase, but you can’t just use it everywhere.

First, some websites will not accept your new passphrase. Some services will complain about your password being too long or not having enough special characters.

Second, reusing passwords poses a security risk. Any service you give your password to may store your password insecurely or use your password for nefarious purposes. If one of your accounts is compromised, any accounts using that password are also in danger.

Manually creating per-service passwords that are secure, unique, and memorable is not a trivial task. The solution is to use a password manager such as Master Password or LastPass. A password manager allows you to create strong passwords for every service you use while only requiring you to remember your master password.

Not only does this solve the issue of password reuse, but it also allows you to create passwords that satisfy the password requirements of services that don’t accept passphrases.

Shame Bad Websites

If you see a website that has a maximum length limit on passwords or prohibits certain characters, yell at them aggressively and threaten to stop using their services (try testing their PR team by doing it in public, like on Twitter). These are signs that a website stores passwords insecurely. Websites that hash passwords properly should not have these restrictions. (Sadly, a couple of offenders are Turnitin and College Board!)

If you see a website that requires you to include any number of special characters, feel free to politely tell them that those requirements are no longer recommended.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently (just this year!) changed their security guidelines, advising companies to remove password complexity requirements. Research suggests that these requirements actually lead users to create worse passwords. Part of the reason why many passwords fit common patterns is because users tend to replace letters with similar-looking symbols and numbers in order to satisfy unnecessarily strict password requirements. Although these passwords contain more obscure characters, since many of these substitutions are predictable, they don’t make the password any more secure.

Last Words

If you only take away one thing from this post, it should be the idea that password design is a science, not an art. While security experts may disagree about what the “optimal” password creation procedure is, most would agree on one thing: Most people don’t know how to make passwords.

The passphrase creation method detailed here is certainly not the only way to achieve a high level of security. You’re free to use whatever method you see fit; I only ask that you understand the risks and make an informed decision.

The strategies mentioned here aren’t a definitive guide to cybersecurity either. If you want to ensure that your online identity is completely secure, I encourage you to do your own research. If you want a good jumping-off point, I recommend looking into multi-factor authentication (especially the emerging standard, U2F).

And if you do end up becoming a security nerd, try not to get tunnel vision. Don’t forget to watch out for your offline identity too!

Credit to xkcd for having so many relevant comics!

"Luck vs Destiny" by Cassidy B

    Luck and destiny are two concepts that go hand in hand as to how people view their situations. It seems as though I was often stuck in between the belief that things happened out of “luck” or that things were “destined” to happen. To me, luck is something that helps us make sense of our failures as just “bad luck”, or when we are successful against all odds it’s considered “good luck”. “We may also feel lucky when we survive a poor decision or a road accident. Without our intervention, things happen to us and around us, and we explain the near misses and actual harm as being due to fortune, to good or bad luck.” A near perfect example of luck is gambling. Whether you win or lose when gambling, it’s considered to be good or bad luck because it happened by chance. Luck can be broken down into a few categories, one being superstition. Good luck as a superstition can be a hopeful action such as blowing out birthday candles or making a wish on a shooting star. As for bad luck as a superstition, things such as opening an umbrella under a roof, going up to the 13th floor of a building, or coming across a black cat may be considered bad. I’ve come to the conclusion that people have a destined future, not a future full of luck. I view destiny as someone’s fate that is inevitable to happen. Destiny essentially makes us who we are, the kind of person we are meant to be, and what we are meant to do in life. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that there is a “higher power” predetermining our lives or that we are like puppets controlled by strings. There are still choices that we make that lead us to our destinies. For example, destiny is numerous obstacles and winding roads. Whichever “red light” you run through or “turn” or “stop” you take on this trip called life, is controlled by you and how you deal with the obstructions placed in your way. “Destiny means being a human and experiencing life and all the things that go along with it. We fall in and out of love, get bad haircuts, start new careers in life, crash the family car and don’t tell our parents. We all have ups and downs in life, whether we know our destiny of not.” Never get to caught up and focus too much on wondering about what your destiny is or what will happen. You’ve just got to go along with each experience that life throws at your face, or gently places in your hands. You must take the hardships that you endure, take them in by the spoonful, learn from them, and flourish. Don’t ever question what your destiny is and be too afraid of taking chances or missing out on opportunities. Don’t ever fret about the path you’re on or about fulfilling your destiny. Have trust in the routes paved out for you.

Works Cited
The Four Faces of Luck." The Four Faces of Luck. N.p., n.d. Web.
"What Does Destiny Mean?" Psychic Readings Guide. N.p., 29 Apr. 2017. Web.
"What Is Luck?" Changingminds.org. N.p., n.d. Web.

"How to Get Organized For College" by Sabrina W

That time of the year has come upon us. College Apps have opened, Fafsa is almost due, our stress level rises through the roof when you glance at your never ending to do list. This my friends is called Senior Year and it came faster than anything our freshman selves would have ever imagined. Getting into college is obviously the goal but what do we do when we get to our dream school and are faced with...adulthood? We get organized! I am here to provide a number of tips to help you prepare for that next chapter in your book of life that we are all so excited for. 

Some Supplies you’ll need to get organized include..
Planner

Wall Dry Erase Calendar
Bins for transporting/organizing dorm room
 
Phase One: Senior Year- This is your preparation period for the big day...college move in day. Step 1: Identify what needs to be done: Make a master To Do list of all the things that
need to be done for college only!
Step 2: Divide the work into chunks to prevent you and your parents from becoming
overwhelmed. I suggest getting a large dry erase calendar like the one below and hang it on the wall some place where your whole family can see. Write down every deadline, due date, or thing to work on on that calendar.

Step 3: After submitting your applications, ENJOY YOUR YEAR. Although college is important this is one year of your life you’ll always remember so please enjoy and cherish every moment.
Step 4: CELEBRATE once you’ve been accepted !!!
Phase Two: The Summer before College
Step 1: Get a planner and actually use it: Paper or digital (Google Calendar) ,separate
from wall calendar ,to add all registration dates and orientation dates especially for those that are interested in summer classes. Now that you have your planner this is your time to develop new study habits ,such as no procrastination, for your college study life.
Step 2 : The best part...GO SHOPPING: Now is the time to start buying cute dorm items such as refrigerator, microwave,a keurig and school supplies.
Phase Three: After Orientation/Registration
Step 1: Meet your roommate(s) before hand if possible. Exchange phone numbers and
just start chatting about your interests and who knows that person may turn out to be in your wedding! Also make sure to plan your dorm set-up accordingly so you don’t all buy things and then end up with three refrigerators.
Step 2: Look ahead at your classes. As soon as you get your schedule start looking through your books to be ultimately prepared for the first day of college.

Phase Four: Move in Day
Step 1: Have a checklist of all the things to pack and crucially not forget. Bins are your
friends! Use bins under your bed or in the wardrobe to keep all clothes.
Step 2: Arrive early to have first bed dibs, don’t be afraid to speak up if your room isn't
up to par.
Step 3: Participate in all activities! Bond with your floor mates and especially your
Resident Assistant for this is the person that you go to when you need anything in their dorm.
Phase Five: Have Fun
This is what all those years of schooling has prepared us for so make the most out of the
year. Please Remember- Make connections, learn as much as possible, and Enjoy! It has been a great four years, Have an awesome life y’all. Eagle Pride.