methodwriter85

I think rules vary state to state.

The ACLU filed a lawsuit with U.S. Department of Education in Civil Rights, ACLU: Charter schools causing resegregation ACLU: Charter schools causing resegregation The ACLU argues charters are causing resegregation and discrimination against minorities. View on www.delawareonline... Preview by Yahoo It's been complained about since I went to high school that Charter School of Wilmington has "skimmed" off the top of the best students leaving crumbs for the normal schools, and this seems like another piece of b.s. in a long line of trying to take the school down. They've already put a cap on the enrollment, now they want to try abolishing admission tests? I mean, they don't say it out loud exactly, but it's obvious when one of these "Oh, charters are HORRIBLE and ELITIST and RACIST!" articles that they mean CSW. Geez. The point of Charter was that it was a school set up for students that are advanced in science and math, not that it would be open to anyone who wanted to join. It just seems like a big case of sour grapes that Charter's model has worked, and worked well, while the regular public high schools in northern Delaware have languished, with a couple of exceptions. Some of their complaints were ridiculous- "Oh no, you mean I as a parent actually MUST be involved with my child's education for them to go to a school where they won't get shot in a drive-by? Call up the ACLU because that's RACIST!" I guess I might be a little sour grapes as well. I'm extremely nervous about what this might mean for magnet schools in the state if they manage to gut charter schools, because magnet schools are often lumped in with charters. I heard a little rumbling of a rumor that the school board was going to start putting pressure on Cab Calloway to make admissions lottery-based only and get rid of the auditions. Which has to be one of the most asinine ideas I've heard of- "Oh, hey, we've got a performing arts school- but as long as your name gets picked out of a hat it doesn't matter if you don't have any talent!" Cab has gotten harder to get into because of demand, from what I've heard, and I'm betting anything the board member who has allegedly been floating that idea is some parent who got pissed off their kid didn't get in. I'm generally a fan of charter schools, because they cut through the red tape and bureaucratic overbloating that tends to drag down normal public schools. And I loved my magnet school experience, because I got to experience a school environment where people really wanted to be there instead of the apathy you often get in regular schools. So I just don't get the vehement protests about charter schools. Some fail, others do great- just like regular public schools.

That was funny. In all seriousness though, I don't think JJ is supposed to look androgynous like Johnny Weir. He's described as cute/handsome, not cute/pretty. Mark and I have actually had back-and-forth on this- though he's a clotheshorse and a metrosexual, JJ's not actually effeminate. He's more along the lines of Evan Lysacek. JJ's not collecting Louis Vuitton purses or wearing high heels like Johnny Weir. I actually liked Dane DeHann (Amazing Spiderman 2, The Place Beyond the Pines) for JJ, but Mark didn't bite on that one like he did for Lucas Till. I get the feeling that JJ is supposed to be conventionally handsome, but just short and still very boyish looking. I pictured JJ with quirky elfin features, but I think I'm wrong on that. Dane kind of reminds me of a Young Leo, at least around the eyes. Like Basketball Diaries-era Leo. But if Leo had a quirkiness to his looks. Maybe he could be Alisdair, if we ever see that guy again? Anyway...if we're talking requests...Sean O'Pry from Taylor Swift's Blank Space for somebody? Hot damn. I love that he's got this All-American look to him, but just the right amount of exoticness to go with it to keep him from looking too cookie-cutter.

Damned if Taylor Swift can't persistently put out really catchy tunes and music videos: Sean O'Pry is really, really hot. I like the boy next door look with really exotic eyes.

I can see that, but without the grey hair. There's no way in hell Elizabeth Danfield would let her hair go gray. Very few Baby Boomer politician wives do. (Or are they older than that? I thought Wade's parents were in their late 40's/early 50's, but they could be in their late 50's/early 60's like Matt's parents.) Blue, it's funny that you thought of Heather Locklear, because I thought of Ava Sambora (Heather's daughter) for Marie until you came up with the Taissa Farmiga pick. (Which both Mark and I totally agreed with.) She for damn sure favors her mother over her father. Another Ella pick...Grace Dzienny from ABC Family's Chasing Life: If they ever do a Heathers remake, she would make a fantastic Heather Chandler.

So in honor of America's annual shopping frenzy day (well, now weekend), here's a compilation of some of the most notorious incidences from Black Friday: The Worst Black Friday Disasters And some of the fights: Wal-Mart Black Friday Fight over $5 Headphones Why the hell would you take little kids to this? Geez. Black Friday Compilation Have these people never head of Cyber Monday?

Chapter 25 -When JJ and Alex finally go all the way. "Unbreakable" by Westlife Thank god boyband pop was still going strong in the U.K. in 2002. Cutesy love songs from boybands were dying out here in the U.S. during that year.

Again though, it's like with Will and JP....what exactly do they expect to happen with Triton? Brad and Stefan might not need the money, but in order to keep Triton running and to keep Claremont's renaissance going full-swing, it's almost a given that Triton will need to get itself involved in the Iraq War. Lots of people are going to depend on the new jobs being created, and the new wealth that's going towards the town as a result of the company. Which could be an interesting quandary- Claremont needs this defense contract company to succeed in order to not slide back into being a rustbelt town, but on the other side, they'll be sending their young sons and daughter off to fight in a war that a lot of people do not believe in. I mean, it's really not just Haliburton that profits from this war- DuPont's Kevlar vests probably kept that company going as well during the war. And now we've got this fictional company in CAP that has been created and located to JP's beloved hometown, and will need to invest in this war to keep itself going. I do think doing a story about the Iraq War is going to be challenging for Mark, because it's a big, sprawling story that spreads out over 11/12 years- Mark would have to pick a focus and stay there, but even then, as the decade goes on, the Iraq War stays in the background.

Hmm, interesting. I actually came across an old school newspaper from spring 2005 that bitched about rising gas prices, showing the gas to be a whooping $2.12 a gallon. I just must have not been paying attention to gas prices that much, because I wasn't driving in the fall of 2005- I lived on campus at a small liberal arts school in Delaware. I do remember that summer I knew people who were bitching about gas prices creeping up closer to something like $2.50. The big one I remember very well was the summer of 2008, when gas prices hit 4 dollars a gallon. I was driving a lot that summer. Yeah, I loved that one. It was very in character- he wants people with good breeding, or at least appear that way. I can see his type being, when he's older, an Anderson Cooper or Bennedict Cumberbatch type. He's just not going for the meathead blue-collar jock type.

Chapter 24 -When Alex and JJ make-up. "Don't Know Why" by Norah Jones I always thought that Norah Jones and John Mayer should've done an lullaby album together. Perfect voices to fall asleep to. -When J.P. walks out of the dining room, after saying his peace about his feelings on the impending War in Iraq. "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield I will never forget watching the 2004 Republican National Convention protests. The CAP family really is headed into some crazy times.

That's really interesting. It makes sense- you live in an area that is warm and sunny all the time, and you don't have the moodiness of grey winters or the thoughtfulness of vibrandt fall seasons to deal with. I don't know if it's deliberate on Mark's part, but it worked out because JJ doesn't have a chipper personality to him. He might have when he was 12, but 16-year old JJ could give a shit if you think he sounds happy, unless you're a judge or a media person doing a profile on him.

Here's a better one of him, although this is less bushy: I think the bushy beard and longish hair is probably part of a role he's going to do. I dig it, but I get why others wouldn't dig it. I just realized that it's rare for CAP male characters to have (literal) beards- but then again, that makes sense, because facial hair wasn't that popular during the late 1990's/early 2000's, especially with guys that were in high school/college, or guys that had white-collar jobs. You definitely weren't seeing that many young guys walking around with beards or significant facial scruff like you do now. And you're seeing them a lot more on guys who would generally be considered preppy/white collar guys. But I'm guessing you'll have Zach stay clean-shaven like here: DAMN, That is one hell of a specimen! God, no wonder Miley Cyrus has made like an entire album where she's kicking herself for screwing things up with him. Anyway, all of the new promotion for her new "my career took a setback" NBC T.V. drama has me thinking...Katherine Heigl At Age 20 for Ella? My general picture of Ella is a hot blond who is tall and very naturally voluptuous (like if Marilyn Monroe was taller), and can go between being the girl next door and the sexy vixen type. And of course, capable of being a total using bitch who burns bridges. Man, I loved Katherine Heigl from Roswell and pre-ghost sex Grey's Anatomy, but it's really incredible to watch how she basically had superstardom in her grasp in the late 2000's and then threw it away because she couldn't stop pissing people off and burning bridges.

I think that goes back to when JJ said to Will that the coach may have sex with the other boys, but that the coach liked him best. I think as long as JJ knows he's the "legitimate" one, and the whore is just a whore, he's okay. It really depresses me to think about how the United States is about to go on a decade-long boondoogle that will bankrupt the country while making certain defense contractors rich, and I'm glad you are finally getting chance to vent about the direction the country took through the characters of his fictional series CAP. I actually participated in a student walk-out to protest the Iraq War in early March of 2003, just before the war broke out. We walked out "symbolically" at 9:11 a.m., which was my French class. I can still hear us chanting "Drop Bush, Not Bombs!" and "To Hell With This Oil War Shit!" I was willing to take the detention I knew I was getting for it, but after lunch, our dean came out and threatened all of us with expulsion if we didn't go back to class. The irony of it all was that gasoline shot way up after Iraq, hitting by 2005 what was an incredible 2 dollars per gallon.

Hey, check out "Zach" a.k.a. Liam Hemsworth, with a (literal) beard: I wonder if Zach would rock one. Probably not until later in the 2000's/start of the 2010's- we're in the clean-shaven metrosexual era right now in CAP. He would look damn good in one, if Liam's a good indication. The guy pulls off rugged mountain man quite well. I'm digging the whole facial hair comeback that seems to be going on right now- lots of 20-something/30-something guys seem to be wearing beards or facial scruff. Well, until you get to the guys who wear Duck Dynasty level beards, or the ones who decide to use mustache wax and do crazy things with it. Ugh, not a fan.

Damn. There went the cute and fluffy "Aww, isn't that funny!" aspect of the story.

And that is why the family is concerned about JJ attaching himself too much to Alex.

Chapter 23 -When JJ goes through his rountine, with a sense of fear. "I Hope I Get It" from A Chorus Line -When JJ pictures Alex riding to his rescue like a trashy romance novel. "The Last of the Mohicans" Theme -When JJ has his little freak-out about Alex not calling. "Aerials" by System of A Down

Probably because you're a beefy, grown man and not a twink ready for his Tiger Beat close-up? (That's not a bad thing at all.)

I thought it was mostly other teenagers? Hmm. This guy's commentary pretty much mirrors my thoughts about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7V3ive02BI It's like this kid did absolutely nothing, but then gained hundreds of thousands of followers, and there's something kind of fascinating about that.

*shrugs* However that reveal plays out (and I'm guessing we won't even get to that until JJ's 20 and it's the 2006 Olympic season), my general feel is that JJ's snobbiness and airs are setting him up for some kind of humbling experience. If not there, some other place. It would be pointless to follow JJ as a narrator if he stayed that stuck-up, dismissive teenager forever- I'm looking forward to his character growth, and I wonder what will spark it.

So some girl took a pic of this teenaged guy working at Target, someone hashtagged it "Alex from Target", and the photo went viral. He now has over 700k Twitter followers and even made an appearance on Ellen as a result. Here's his appearance on Ellen: And here's an article that kinda ponders what it means when fleeting fame can be attained for making no effort at all... 'Alex from Target' and the Mess of Uncontrollable Fame It's interesting how much the internet has changed the fame game. I think it's fascinating that at the speed of light, some obscure person can be turned into an internet meme and suddenly have thousands of fans. I also kind of wish this happened a few weeks earlier, because Alex from Target would have been an absurdly easy Halloween costume. In general, I just find it pretty funny and hilarious. It's a real big change from when I was 13, and my teen idols came from watching the WB or seeing 98 Degrees on MTV's Total Request Live.

I was kind of kidding on Finnick, but I was actually serious about Declan. Irish names are going to explode in popularity during this decade, especially "Aiden". For girls, Sophia, Isabella, or Hailey. Those names were on the rise at the time period.

1. Bitty was not an isolated person and Claremont is a small town and people talk... 2. Under normal circumstances, they'd be able to sweep things under the rug, but JJ is not an ordinary family member as he's making his way towards becoming a well-known public figure...not yet, but he's on his way towards becoming famous...if JJ gets famous enough to be a target, it's not going to take that much digging to find out, especially if someone figures out what rehabs Bitty attended through the 1980's and the early 1990's. 3. He's becoming famous in a sport that is desperately trying to seem clean and friendly after the 1994 scandal, and the 2002 Olympic pairs judging scandal, and therefore tabloids would love it if they had some interesting "dirt" on a leading skater, especially if it's one that seems as stuck-up as JJ. We're also entering the era of the SmokingGun.com and TMZ is just a few years away... 4. He's becoming famous as the beginning of cell phone cameras and videos are making their way up...wasn't it you who told me once that high-profile kids you know have to be a lot more careful about the stuff they say and do because of this? Which would also suggest that it's not quite so easy to keep things swept under the rug even if the family is rich and powerful. See: Ashley Biden's cocaine scandal- it fizzled, but it still got out because this is the era when it's really, really easy to film people now. 5. Finally, this is a soap, JJ has a juicy paternity backstory, and paternity secrets tend to explode in soaps. I mean, I kind of figured that's the reason why you gave JJ that kind of a paternity background in the first place- for the drama that will happen when he's old enough to deal with it. I think the only paternity secret that has managed to stay buried is Jim Crampton's child that he had when he was a teenager, and who would be a couple of years older than Stefan.

Okay, so like if Tiffany has a boy...how you feel about her naming him "Finnick" and calling him "Finn" for short? Sawyer would be another good one. Declan would go really good with Riley, though.

I think we all know that JJ and his general snobbiness is going to take it real hard when he realizes that he's the product of a crackwhore who fucked her uncle(my god I can see his rival Johnny Weir being absolutely brutal about that), so eh, in the meantime, his airs are pretty funny to watch because we know at some point he's crashing hard into reality. If it's not about that, it'll be in 2006 when he's NOT on the cover of a Wheaties box because he didn't get the damn Olympic Gold.