(Saturday) Five

I KNOW I KNOW. I didn't do a Friday Five! So I'm doing a Saturday Five. It's lacking alliteration, but whatever. 

I did take the ACT this morning, I did survive, and I thought I did alright. We'll just have to wait for the scores... (crossing my fingers!)

Anyway, WE BELATEDLY BEGIN:

ONE - Charles Krauthammer, Inspirational Human Being

This guy is beyond amazing. He's always been a friend to the Arciga household since he's such a fabulous commentator for Fox News, but I really had no clue about his personal life, or what he had been through. Last night I watched little snippets of his "Fox News Reporting" profile, and I was astounded. I give his mad props for his academics and credentials: Oxford University to study Political Theory, Harvard for Med School, and a FREAKING PULITZER PRIZE. WHAT CAN HE NOT DO?! But what impressed me most was his heart. When he was 22, he had a diving accident, rendering him paralyzed. Despite this, he graduated Harvard Medical on time and went on to become one of the most influential figures in political journalism, and politics as a whole. I have great respect for Mr. Krauthammer!

TWO - The Christening of Prince George

They. Look. So. Happy. SO HAPPY! IT'S BEAUTIFUL! I LOVE YOU KATE AND WILL. AND THE BABY. JUST LOOK AT HIM. HE'S BEYOND ADORABLE. QUITE POSSIBLY THE CUTEST LITTLE PATOOTIE I'VE EVER SEEN!

THREE - Kim K's Ring

Now moving on to America's tacky "royalty." 15 carats? Amazingly large. I wonder how much that thing weights her finger down...

FOUR - Icona Pop

"All Night" has been perpetually stuck in my head for about a good 3 weeks now. Plus, I seriously dig the album art for some strange region. Maybe it's because it's modern and minimalist? Maybe because it has grey as the background?

FIVE - London Calling

Kate Spade has done it again. I need this bangle. I'm going to get it, even if it is $88. It's too beautiful not to be mine. Just one more accessory to keep London close to me at all times! I love the little idiom on the inside too!

An Empire State of Mind

I wore a Yankees cap yesterday... in Dodger territory! (eh, I'm a risk taker)

I brought it originally for an english project (we were acting out a segment of a play) but I thought it would look pretty cute with my navy blue/white/black outfit I had going. My skinnies were blue and white pin-striped, and since the Yankees uniform pretty much has the same exact stripe-thing, it ended up matching pretty perfectly. I also wore a navy J.Crew puffer-peacoat-thing, a black scarf (super soft & cozy), and a white v-neck. The cap added a little pizzazz! 

But to be truthful, I didn't pick the Yankees cap at random. There was also a Dodgers and Braves cap lying around my house, but my dad was a BIG Yankees fan when he was a kid and was pretty passionate about baseball throughout grade school and high school, so it was kind of a salute to him.

My second team of choice? The Giants! I grew up in SF from 5-10 years old, so I can't rid of my loyalty to that foggy city. Sorry Dodgers fans...

In other news, college apps have been, of course, stressing me out immensely. AND I've got the ACT tomorrow, wish me luck?

See you on the other side.

Online ObamaCare

So, I'm sure that ALL of you have seen this little gem... but in case you haven't, here's Jon Stewart beautifully RIPPING the ObamaCare website by the seams.

The Daily Show

Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook

I mean, really? If the White House can't even run the OC website properly, things aren't looking up for this policy's approval ratings overall...

Just thought I'd share a little chuckle. :)

- Julia

Catchin' Up // Friday Five

Hey Guys! It's been a bit since I've posted, but I finally found some time to actually write!

Since I've posted:

• Got a newspaper internship! It's quite a feat to juggle all my academics, school-related extracurriculars, and this internship, but I think of it as training for life outside high school! I'm pretty darn busy, but it's better than being bored and being a lazy butt!
• I think I've finalized my college list... I think. Scary thought! I also interviewed with my #1 and plan on interviewing with a couple more. Naturally, all of them are J-Schools (Journalism Schools, hehe).
• My J.Crew and Kate Spade obsessions are at an all time high, and, OF COURSE, my fund$ are at an all time low. Hopefully that will change soon...

Anyway, I thought doing multi-paragraph and dense political rants on all my posts would get a bit monotonous for my dear readers. So, from now on I'll be doing Friday Fives, just for a cool way to tell you guys what's been on my radar.

ONE // Government Shutdown Ends

Yeah, the Gov. Shutdown ended... Seriously I have NO idea what Congress wants us to do. Do they want us to pop a bottle of bubbly just because they failed to do their jobs in the first place? Yeah, NO. And the whole "THE ECONOMY WILL DIE" bit never happened either. Boring. Uneventful. Next.

TWO // BBC Turns 91!

Happy Birthday to my future employer! Haha, just kidding... (No I'm not...). But in all seriousness, BBC has been and always will be the most prominent name in global news in my eyes. A truly reliable source, and all the best of journalism represented under one roof (but actually, their newsroom is my heaven).

THREE // Benedict Cumberbatch

The Fifth Estate comes out tonight AND he landed TIME's international cover! Seriously though, if you look up "Perfect British Male," his picture will probably show up along with Tom Hiddleston's. If anyone happens to watch The Fifth Estate, please tell me what you thought of it, I'd love to hear! Especially since Wikileaks has been consistently clogging my Twitter feed with their negative campaign against the film... The whole drama around this film just makes it more interesting!

FOUR // House of Cards

If you have not watched this amazing Netflix series, PLEASE do yourself a favor and watch it RIGHT NOW. It's beyond perfect, especially for political junkies! I adored Kevin Spacey in American Beauty, and he does not disappoint here. All the episodes of Season One are currently on Netflix, and Season Two starts February 1st. It's going to be the perfect motivation to get me through first semester finals!

FIVE // Kate Spade

I told you I was obsessed. I can't get enough of their tech gear, like this geek chic "dictionary" iPad folio, and their girly luxuries, like these inhumanly beautiful shoes (Only a bit over $500 for those babies, but hey, they're gorgeous).

xx - Julia

As the summer sun sets, senior year lies ahead...

Senior year starts in a week! It's been a hectic summer, and with 5 AP classes and Broadcast Journalism and Model UN and College Apps headed my way, I guess the chaos won't stop anytime soon.

Summer was fantastic. Spending a month at Oxford University studying Journalism and International Business was nothing but enriching and I'm so thankful for that learning experience. We produced a magazine called The Visitor in my Journo class and I learned a lot about Game Theory and decision-making in my Business class.

Journalism was truly remarkable. The people I was so blessed to work with, including my teacher, Paul, were so incredibly amazing. Staying up until 4:30 AM the night before print was exhausting, no doubt, but it was the best type of exhausting. It was hard work, but it was work that I loved to do.

During my month at Oxford I also got to tour the British Broadcasting Corporation, also known as the BBC. I got to see the BBC newsroom, live feed from the news desk as the anchors were reporting, and I even got to give anchoring a try at a mini-demo desk. I've done some anchoring before, but I was so nervous that my heart was racing and I messed up a bit! I've decided that I want to work for the BBC someday, and that might be ambitious and too "reach-for-the-stars" type of thing, but I love England and being a proper journalist at one of the best networks in the world would make me nothing but happy.

Robbi and I anchoring at the BBC

After my month at Oxford I got to spend a week in London, South of France, and Paris before heading home. I must say, London was my favorite out of all of them. It might be my favorite city of all!

The fact that I'm going to be graduating high school in a year makes me squirm. I just feel so old! I can't believe by this time next year, I'll be settled in at university. It's crazy how time flies...

...and I still haven't finished my summer homework. Oops!

PS: I promise that next post will be something political! Probably about Edward Snowden and Egypt! :)

Rights on Rights

You must have been living under a rock if you don't know what's been going on politically for the past 24 hours.

For those of you who DON'T know what's been happening, here's a Rapid-Fire Update for ya:

• Yesterday Morning: A vital part of the Voting Rights Act was struck down by the Supreme Court, freeing 9 states (mostly southern) to pass any voting laws sans federal approval (unlike before, when they did have to get federal approval).
• Yesterday Night: Texas State Senator Wendy Davis (D) was a straight-up badass, filibustering for 12-13 hours (in running shoes and a back brace no less) to kill a bill for abortion restrictions during a special session. There was a sh*t-ton of drama. Republicans (predominately male) were trying to illegally end the filibuster (they did end it because she went "off-topic") and tried to vote on it. Turns out, the vote was at 12:03 PM, and the vote was supposed to be made before midnight. So, it's dead, for now. Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) called for another special session (in other words, buckle up).
• This Morning: DOMA = Dead. That's right, ladies and gents. Gay married couples now have the right to get the same federal benefits as straight married couples do AND California gay couples now can get married!

Alright, Rapid-Fire Update: over.

Let's get to the deets, shall we?

I know the Voting Rights Act is all about racial equality, but my question is how does one determine whether or not a voting process is racially discriminatory. I'm all for racial equality, but is there a standard for racial equality, or is the determination of discrimination all subjective? I guess you could say this is where it gets dicey. I still don't understand how in the world showing your ID is racially discriminatory. You can get IDs, it shouldn't be an issue. Passports, Driver's Licences, etc. Why is that racially discriminatory? It's only trying to prevent voter fraud! Unfortunately, I don't know as much on this issue as I'd like to, and I plan on digging up more info.

I'd also like to say that I LOVE YOU WENDY DAVIS. YOU GO GLEN COCO. Tumblr last night was on FIRE! It exploded to make wonderful, angry, feminist, politically-charged confetti. It was simply gorgeous, and I thought I'd share some:

[WARNING: There's foul language in the following images and I didn't censor it because it's completely necessary for this issue in my opinion.]

I've said this before: Separation of Church and State is so important, and my fellow Republicans are forgetting that COMPLETELY. I understand that the issue of the unborn baby is important, and I can completely see the legal concern for murder.  I still think Roe v. Wade is the best and closest compromise for the issue at hand. But the behavior displayed by the Republicans that night? Trying to illegally end the filibuster and simply not giving Davis the respect she deserves? That is completely inexcusable. Those who disrespected her that night ought to be ASHAMED. It makes me so angry that women still are not treated equally on a social and legal level. I'm utterly sick of this nonsense and America deserves better.

I take the same stance with gay marriage. Separation of Church and State, is that SO HARD to understand? What does it matter to you if two guys/girls get married? WHY DOES IT MATTER SO MUCH? STOP SHOVING YOUR RELIGIOUS MORALS DOWN UNWILLING THROATS! I repeat: WE ARE A SECULAR NATION. WE LEGALLY CANNOT DO ANYTHING LIKE DOMA. Oh, and for those dipwads who claim that 2 men/women would hurt society by raising a child that isn't a traditional family: Calm the hell down. I have friends who have been raised in gay/lesbian families and they are awesome. SO F YOU, and please consider the following image:

And some fantastic parting words, courtesy of Tumblr:

- Julia

PS: I'm headed to the UK this Saturday and going to be out of the US for a month-and-a-half. I'll try to write one more time before leaving, and I'll drop some pictures and short updates when I'm overseas. 

PSS: For those who actually read this and care, thank you so much for reading. I really appreciate your support! POLITICS ROCKS, AMIRIGHT? (well...sometimes)

Summertime, Sherlock, and the Stock Market

Hey everyone! Long time, no type... (I'm sorry. I blame finals.)

But it's a great time to give some RAPID-FIRE updates about my life and what's been goin' on. READY, SET, GO:

• I got accepted to a program to study Journalism and Business at Oxford University. I will be leaving for England in 8 days.
• I have joined the Sherlockian, Trekkie, Cumber-babe, and the Hiddles fandom. (If you don't know what that even is, GOOD. STAY IGNORANT. FANDOMS WILL RUIN YOUR LIFE.)
• Today was my last day of school... SUMMERRRRRR
• I think it's safe to say that I'm obsessed with anything British.
• I'm officially a senior now and I'm kinda flipping out about it.

Ok, Rapid-Fire Update is over. Now let's get down to the deets...

So, first topic: SUMMER! Yes, it's officially summertime. I will be in the UK (or the Cute-Accent Country) in approximately eight days. I'm going to be studying, staying at the dorms, and living the life of an Oxford student in just a few days! It's safe to say I'm stoked. I mean, great people have walked the halls and the paths that I will soon walk. W.H. Auden, Margret Thatcher, Tony Blair, James Cameron, Stephen Hawking, and tons more! GAH I'M EXCITED. (Don't worry guys, I'll post updates w/ pictures.)

Second, Sherlock. What can I say about BBC's Sherlock... I guess I can say that it's an amazing piece of art. It's absolutely gorgeous. I'm freaking obsessed. It's actually quite unhealthy. It's probably my favorite thing about my life right now.

Third, the Stock Market. (YUP! I'm going to do some actual reporting today...)

Today, the DOW Jones Industrial Average dropped 353.87 points. In one day. I know that in today's context, that doesn't sound like much. But on Black Thursday (the day that pretty much kicked off the Great Depression), the DOW dropped a little less than 300 points that day (in 1929 money). In the stock market crash in 1987, AKA Black Monday, the DOW dropped a little more than 500 points.

Well, clearly, we aren't in a Great Depression, but these numbers to me are really disturbing. Even though our economic system isn't on the super-über-brink, I think these numbers are show that our economic system is in a weak position. Weaker than we think it is. My opinion? If irresponsible economic policies continue, we will see a collapse. SOON. It's easy to get caught in a bubble of fiscal ignorance when you are a teen, but I think people my age really ought to pay more attention. In a few short years, we will be legal adults. So if the stock market collapses, we are the ones who will have to deal with it.

Alright. It's the first hours of summertime. 

How am I going to spend it?

Watching Sherlock on Netflix.

:)

- Julia