20 problems I can comprehend with my dust particle sized wealth of worldly knowledge!!! Pathetic I know...

1. Lack of reasoning for war
2. Rape
3. Civil war
4. Human rights abuse
5. Children soldiers
6. Children losing their parents and their source of love
7. Lack of psychological help for children and adults after the war
8. Poor responses by government military
9. Availability of resources to rebel forces
10. Use of conflict resources in non-fighting countries
11. Illegal resource exportation
12. Drug use
13. Lack of border control in the fighting country of both imports and exports
14. Lack of border control and monitoring of export destinations from other nations supporting the war
15. Bureaucratization of war
16. Media reporting that ignores important information
17. Negative views on the war causing a lack of help
18. Lack of gun control
19. Lack of safe havens for families running from the war
20. Physical effects on the people after war
21. Ecological effects of the war

In my mind, these are all problems in our world when it comes to war. One thing that I have thought about while reading this book is how the rebel soldiers came upon their weapons. I understand they pay people off, and many people nowadays would rather have the money than the feeling they did something good for the world. It seems like there are almost no surefire solutions to this problem. One thing I think that needs to be put to use is today’s power to track things. If we can track sharks and penguins, I’m sure we can track planes and where they are headed. Non-governmental forces get their resources from other nations, most likely larger nations. All planes and transport vehicles need to be searched, monitored, and tracked. Although governmental officials may be corrupt and accept money as a bribe, they should be required to search all international flights and track them after liftoff. There also needs to be consequences for pilots who “accidentally veer of course.” Not to make the jobs of air traffic controllers any more stressful, but outgoing and incoming planes need to be monitored if there is any chance of reducing the amount of aid to rebel forces. This, in my opinion, may slightly reduce the resources that are available to rebel forces. In the case of A Long Way Gone, resources to both governmental and rebel forces should have been cut off. I believe neither of these groups were in the right.

Meet Heat and Lab Bonuses... My ENEMIES!

After today, I am completely ready for winter if not a little fall weather, at least. I'm sick of walking to classes in over ninety degree weather and standing in front of my fans in the dorm for ten minutes when I get back from class. If only this stupid global warming would stop screwing up the Earth's climate system, we might get a little break. Not trying to brainwash anyone, but seriously, you have to believe in global warming... at least a little! For what other reasons have our storms gotten worse and more people died? Last week, I sat for three hours in front of Fox News Channel and CNN watching the news on the floods in southern Wisconsin and Findlay, OH. In my hometown, the storms were so bad that they knocked down over twenty of the massive metal poles that are in farm fields. A NIPSCO guy said he had never seen more than one or two knocked down at a time for the past twenty-five years. Certain people of the conservative persuasion can choose to ignore it for the time being, but something is going on! I regret admitting that some of this benefits my interest in snowboarding, which is another great reason of why I hate the heat. On to the other point of this post: ENGR126H Lab Bonus. I have bad feelings about this whole bonus point thing. Is it really worth an extra five or six hours of my time? In all actuality, it probably is! I just hate thinking about the fact that I stayed up until 2 AM last night to finish it. If it took me that long to finish the first set of tasks...how much harder are they going to get, and how long are they going to take? Those are some scary questions!

Intro to me!

Hey guys! My name is Taylor Bankroff, and I am a freshman in Purdue's Honors Engineering program. Mechanical is what I'm intending on doing, but it will most likely change. Being a patent attorney is what I aim for. I graduated at the top of my class from Boone Grove High School. Born and raised in Crown Point, I don't consider myself a complete city girl, but I have some of the characteristics! I have one older brother named Tim, but I still call him Timmy. He is 22 and in the process of going back to school for a Master's in Zoology. My parents are Tim and Laurie. My dad is a credit union examiner... I still have no idea what he does :) My mom is a guidance counselor at Lake Central High School. She was definitely a major help when it came to application and scholarship stuff.
So now on to my life... fun, huh? Starting at the age of three, I played soccer. I continued through high school and always loved it. I was sporty when I was younger to try to fit in with my brother and his friends... he didn't like it so much. I've always been comfortable hanging around with guys because of my brother, and I'm thankful for that. Girly-girl has never really been my thing, and I don't really wear skirts or dress up unless I have to. I'm usually pretty quiet and choose to not talk if I have the choice. Awkward silence isn't really something I comprehend. My favorite color is orange, but I love to wear aqua or any other blue or green color. I get annoyed with people who are fake or have no idea what work means. I never wanted to come to Purdue because I always thought it was ugly. It rained or snowed every time I was here last year. This has probably been the most random "paragraph" ever written.
I have a great boyfriend of two and a half years...kinda. We broke up when he left for college my junior year and have been back together since he came home the next summer. His name is Mike, and he is majoring here in Agricultural Economics. He is part of the Farmhouse Fraternity and plays rugby.
My hobbies include reading, playing soccer, running, snowboarding, writing when I'm in the mood, eating, and being lazy. I love being outdoors and doing things like canoeing and hiking. My favorite movies include Office Space, Supertroopers, and Out Cold. I love country music but am willing to listen to some other stuff. When I have time to relax, I read as much as possible. I love reading Harry Potter books and books by Dean Koontz. He is definitely my favorite author.
Since I have absolutely no idea what else to write about myself, I'm going to go! Later gators :)