"Enjoy the flavors of the Mediterranean"
Athos, known for having classic Greek cuisine, and has a fairly diverse menu. With choices for people who live with vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free diets. I thought that was nice, so people who having restrictions on what they eat can enjoy the classic and savory tastes from Greece. The appetizer and the salad were $12 each, and living on a budget, I felt that was a bit pricy. Although the appetizers were very good, the flat bread was fresh and light, and the dips/spreads were tastefully spiced and seasoned.
"Greek cuisine is extremely diverse in its ingredients, seasonings and flavors. The mixture of Turkish, Balkan, and Venetian influences all come together in Greek cuisine. At Athos, we have created a menu featuring classic Greek dishes. Chef Harry, who has been featured in Gourmet magazine, and whose restaurant (Ithaka) in Manhattan has received an excellent rating with Zagats, uses recipes passed down from generations of Greek cooks and bakers."
The overall atmosphere of the restaurant was elegant, quiet, peaceful, and classy. It sort of surprised me that even with the plethora of people in the room it still felt non-chaotic or load. The restaurant is also known for having a family- friendly atmosphere. Although both the service and food quality can suffer with such a great amount of people, but the restaurant seemed to know how to handle a large rush well.
Within the proximity is a few other restaurants, like Inferno Pizzaria, not many unique attractions/ sites are located near Athos. That may be a weak point, but really if you are going out to dinner what else are you going to do. Just eat, then go home.
Overall the restaurant is great and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a nice classy place with tasty and fresh food.
http://athosrestaurant.com/#
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
The Book that Changed My Life
Unwind
"In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.
"In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.
In Unwind, Boston Globe/Horn Book Award winner Neal Shusterman challenges readers' ideas about life -- not just where life begins, and where it ends, but what it truly means to be alive."
As a child book I didn't read books much or enough. Books were not in abundance in our home and it was not encouraged to read- it wasn't looked down upon either, my parents just weren't pushy. They were young parents and didn't see the importance of reading in a child, growing to an intelligent adults, life. So with that said, I am not entirely used to reading or fond of it. But as I am getting older I am enjoying literature much more. But when I was younger it was really hard to come across a good book. I wouldn't stick with the book unless I enjoyed it. Unwind changed everything and I am so grateful that Ms. Zisa had the book lying on her desk during advisory so I could ask if she was reading it, she said say no, and I would pick it up and start reading it.
Unwind is by far my favorite book and has been for awhile. I read this book when I was a freshmen and it opened my eyes. Personally I was at first attracted to the cover, it looks great, then through reading the story became so real that I couldn't keep from reading on. The book maybe think about life in a whole new way, because in the story each individual between the ages of 13-18 doesn't have a choice to live, that choice is decided by a parent or guardian. That is a lot of power to have as a parent or guardian, a child -who may I say is going through puberty at the time and is overemotional and moody- may, no will, get into a fight. Fighting between parents and teens is inevitable. So one fight and the child is gone? Without a trace? His/ her body parts used for someone else. But did they ever think that the most influential people as children were not seen as "useful" and they were seen as "problematic" they were different and were not afraid to challenge old ideas. So society would not move forward without these essential individuals.
In the book there are three main characters; Connor, Risa, and Lev. Connor was my favorite -fearless, smart, and charismatic with a great dose of sarcasm. I rooted for him and Risa to be together, it just seemed right. Risa the uptight orphan girl who had so much to offer the world but without any parents was seen as not needed, and Conner who was just Connor. It seemed almost fact that they wouldn't or shouldn't be together. But in the end they got together, and that made a special fan of the book a very happy camper.
PS: I think I may have to read this book again soon by MAKING time for it. I am so emotionally attached to this book it is unreal. I love it!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Bucket List
1) Meet a wonderful boy and fall in love then have a family- I have always wanted a romantic and fairy tale love, and with my love I would want to build a happy, loving, and successful family. The family that I wish I had growing up.
2) Have an extremely successful medical career- I have worked so hard in everything I do to try and be the best. I am hardworking and determined. All of this work had to have been for something, and I feel that in the end my determination and hard work will get me an amazing career in medicine. That is what I have been working for all my life so far, I want a prestigious award or a change in medical history so bad. I want to make a mark and save many lives.
3) Travel- anywhere, everywhere- Specifically Europe, Ireland, Africa, and Canada! I have never traveled outside of the United States, not even the east side I have only been to Florida. That is the farthest I have gone and I feel deprived. I want to see what the world has to offer, not just what the little town of Guilderland has to offer.
4) Bungee Jump!- I don't really know why, maybe the adrenaline rush or the wind literally blasting through my hair and face. I want to feel this experience that everyone is raving about.
5) Write a book- I have so much to say. Words that to me seem important. I think differently than everyone else. I can tell, I just know I do. Things are not processed the same way as others. So to be able to share the way I think in some way, and to finally be understood on some level, well that my friend...that is a gift. If the book isn't published I would at least like it to be passed down within my family so my great great great great great grandkids can have something to read from their great great great great great grandma.
6) See a change in the world- I want to see something change; people become less greedy, Global Warming end, architecture and agriculture flourish, technology expand dramatically. I don't exactly know but I wish to see some kind of positive change.
7) Act, Sing, and Dance- I have always loved acting, singing, and dancing. I love medicine as well, I mean it is the more realistic career path. But if I could choose I would love to sing, dance, and act. So I want to perform somewhere, anywhere outside of high school. I want to participate in some big production and not loose the hobby that I love the most.
8) Rock Climb/ Mountain climb- again another adrenaline rush. I really want to travel see the world and do things that not everyone had a chance to do. I want to rock climb on a mountain side (with other supervision of coarse, and safely)
9) Become a great cook- I cannot cook nor do I really care what the food takes like. I just eat it. But I feel that if I became a better cook I would be able to appreciate the savory tastes in some delicacies.
10) Be genuinely happy- Seems difficult, but I know that if I keep doing what I love and working hard. Then there is no way I will not be happy.
2) Have an extremely successful medical career- I have worked so hard in everything I do to try and be the best. I am hardworking and determined. All of this work had to have been for something, and I feel that in the end my determination and hard work will get me an amazing career in medicine. That is what I have been working for all my life so far, I want a prestigious award or a change in medical history so bad. I want to make a mark and save many lives.
3) Travel- anywhere, everywhere- Specifically Europe, Ireland, Africa, and Canada! I have never traveled outside of the United States, not even the east side I have only been to Florida. That is the farthest I have gone and I feel deprived. I want to see what the world has to offer, not just what the little town of Guilderland has to offer.
4) Bungee Jump!- I don't really know why, maybe the adrenaline rush or the wind literally blasting through my hair and face. I want to feel this experience that everyone is raving about.
5) Write a book- I have so much to say. Words that to me seem important. I think differently than everyone else. I can tell, I just know I do. Things are not processed the same way as others. So to be able to share the way I think in some way, and to finally be understood on some level, well that my friend...that is a gift. If the book isn't published I would at least like it to be passed down within my family so my great great great great great grandkids can have something to read from their great great great great great grandma.
6) See a change in the world- I want to see something change; people become less greedy, Global Warming end, architecture and agriculture flourish, technology expand dramatically. I don't exactly know but I wish to see some kind of positive change.
7) Act, Sing, and Dance- I have always loved acting, singing, and dancing. I love medicine as well, I mean it is the more realistic career path. But if I could choose I would love to sing, dance, and act. So I want to perform somewhere, anywhere outside of high school. I want to participate in some big production and not loose the hobby that I love the most.
8) Rock Climb/ Mountain climb- again another adrenaline rush. I really want to travel see the world and do things that not everyone had a chance to do. I want to rock climb on a mountain side (with other supervision of coarse, and safely)
9) Become a great cook- I cannot cook nor do I really care what the food takes like. I just eat it. But I feel that if I became a better cook I would be able to appreciate the savory tastes in some delicacies.
10) Be genuinely happy- Seems difficult, but I know that if I keep doing what I love and working hard. Then there is no way I will not be happy.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The Language of Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nSAwgCoy2s
I have the joy of seeing you everyday. That face, that hair, those eyes. For weeks, months even, I stayed quiet. Away from your glance, embarrassed that you would not like what you would see. Embarrassed that I may crack under the pressure and my nerves, and my first impression would end up being my last. "Hi" you'd say. Shocked and confused, I froze. My body numb and my brain not functioning at all. No words and no graceful moments ran through me. The pressure and nerves got to me, but eventually I was able to push the word, H-Hello, out of my nervously sewn shut lips. His smile shook every single dynamic bone in my body, and my heart raced at a thousand beats per minute. If I could get my neck to even move the slightest to look down at my chest, I could swear I would be able to see the outline of the excited heart that normally beats calmly in my chest cavity.
"We should hang out? Ya know together, see a movie or something." No way. He asked me...to...no way. Now I had lost it, every single blood vessel incased under my fair skin rushed, giving me the warmest and rosiest cheeks I had ever felt. Those words that had left his mouth were sweeter then any ripe melon I could have ever tasted. His words were not at all fake like those rocks hanging off a woman's neck, but rather real and sincere. I felt his love coursing through his veins, out through his speech, and right into my ready -but shaking with nerves- ears. He was real, the feeling was real, and this moment was real.
"Y-Yes!" I said excitedly, "Of coarse."
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
TU Tuesday - CRIME
Are there laws against hacking? If so how can hacking be prevented?
In the times union article, "[Clive] Goodman arrested along with private investigator Glenn Mulcaire for suspected hacking into voicemails of royal officials.” Their punishments were said to be; “Goodman jailed for four months; Mulcaire given six-month sentence.” Laws have been made, “In the early 1980s law enforcement agencies faced the dawn of the computer
age with growing concern about the lack of criminal laws available to fight
emerging computer crimes.” As well as “Congress included in the Comprehensive Crime Control Act
of 1984 provisions to address the unauthorized access and use of computers and
computer networks.”
The penalties for computer crimes are as follows:
Table 1. Summary of CFAA Penalties
Offense Section Sentence*
Obtaining National Security Information (a)(1) 10 (20) years
Accessing a Computer and Obtaining Information (a)(2) 1 or 5 (10)
Trespassing in a Government Computer (a)(3) 1 (10)
Accessing a Computer to Defraud & Obtain Value (a)(4) 5 (10)
Intentionally Damaging by Knowing Transmission (a)(5)(A) 1 or 10 (20)
Recklessly Damaging by Intentional Access (a)(5)(B) 1 or 5 (20)
Negligently Causing Damage & Loss by Intentional Access (a)(5)(C) 1 (10)
Trafficking in Passwords (a)(6) 1 (10)
Extortion Involving Computers (a)(7) 5 (10)
* The maximum prison sentences for second convictions are noted in parentheses.
The prevention of phone hacking is not attainable but there are ways of reducing your chancing of being hacked, “Eliminating phone hacking is impossible, but you can reduce chances of ever being phone hacked by observice a few rules:
1. Prevent phone hacking through Passwords
Here are some password tips to reduce chances of being phone hacked:
1. Turn on password protection for your voice mail.
2. Never use the same password for more than one account.
3. Change your phone's default passwords.
4. Avoid passwords that are easy to guess e.g: your birth year (Can easily be found on your Facebook page).
5. Change your system passwords on a regular basis.
2. Never use the same password for more than one account.
3. Change your phone's default passwords.
4. Avoid passwords that are easy to guess e.g: your birth year (Can easily be found on your Facebook page).
5. Change your system passwords on a regular basis.
2. Switch off your phone
This is not the most popular option, but if you don't need to be reachable at all the times, consider this option.
3. Keep your phone updated
New phone hack prevention mechanism are released now and then as phone companies try to keep up with phone hack prevention. Its a good idea to keep your phone updated.
4. Phone security
Safeguard the physical location of your phone and related computer equipment. Consider anti-theft software like this one http://www.pctipstricks.net/hacking/free-download-anti-theft-software-mobile-phones/. With this software you can do the following:
1.Remotely lock your phone by sending sms
2.Remotely format/wipe your phone by sending sms
3.You will get the location and information of the new sim inserted in the phone.
So it can help you recover your mobile phone which has been stolen or lost accidently.
So it can help you recover your mobile phone which has been stolen or lost accidently.
5. Turn off Bluetooth
Most phone hacking is done via bluetooth .Turn off bluetooth service when not using it.
6. Turn off voice mail service running on your provider
Some providers allow access to your voice mail without requiring a password provided that the calling number (Caller ID) is actually yours. This is usually to make their service easier to use for the intended persons. A hacker can spoof your number and call the voice mail number on your provider and operate your voice mail as though it was his own without the need to even know your password! Call your provider and either ask them to require authentication regardless of the caller ID.
Spoofing your number is easy. There are a dozen websites that offer the service at a small fee.”
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Creative Contest II Blog
Once upon a time there lived a boy named George Smith. He was always treated poorly by the other children in his school, they called him called Box Boy. Not much was out of the ordinary for George except the whole square-shaped-head-while-everyone-else-has-a-circular-head thing. George didn't do much either, except he knew he was slighty different from the others. And the other kids yelling "Hey Box Boy!" wasn't helping the poor boys case either. Every day life to him became less and less exciting, less and less worth waiting for, and less and less worth living for. His personality gradually changed to someone that he didn't like, someone more quiet, more reserved, and more different. He began to hate what he had become. So he worked hard to get back the old George. It took a bit, but eventually he was back; happier and more proud of himself and his differences than ever. He strutted every day to that school, and down the streets, with pride radiating from his square head. "Im square and Im proud, Im square and Im proud", and eventually everyone else caught onto George's pride and uniqueness as well and stopped calling him Box Boy but rather they started embracing him as George Smith.
BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!!!!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Scruples
A neighbor’s six year old child finds $30 on your driveway and gives it to you. No one claims it. Do you give the money to the child?
No I would not give the child the money because:
(I do not want to sound selfish but...)
1) The money was found in MY DRIVEWAY and no one claimed
2) The boy gave the found money TO ME
3) What can a six year old boy do with $30 anyway?
4) I feel like in this scenario I play an adult role- I would have better uses for the $30
5) I do not feel the child would care if he was given the money or not
But then I feel bad :( So I feel I would give a portion to the boy ( I do not know if that is against the rules but I am not breaking rules -just bending)
No I would not give the child the money because:
(I do not want to sound selfish but...)
1) The money was found in MY DRIVEWAY and no one claimed
2) The boy gave the found money TO ME
3) What can a six year old boy do with $30 anyway?
4) I feel like in this scenario I play an adult role- I would have better uses for the $30
5) I do not feel the child would care if he was given the money or not
But then I feel bad :( So I feel I would give a portion to the boy ( I do not know if that is against the rules but I am not breaking rules -just bending)
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
My Blog Idea
If you were granted three wishes. Only three, and no more. Who would grant these wishes for you? Where and when would these wishes be granted? Would you take the three wishes seriously? Or blow the off as if like is already so perfect now? So the choice is yours. What would you wish for? (And Why?)
1) A perfect family: A family full of opportunities, love, hope, and intellect. I want a family full of supporters rather than downers. Rich rather than poor. Intelligent rather dumb. Selfless rather than selfish. I want a family that cares, and is there for me and the greater good of the family.
2) Talent: I wish I could be just a bit more talented. Above average. I want to be the best of the best at something and not average. I want talent; great, unique, world-class talent.
3) Guaranteed Peace: I am tired of holocausts, genocide, racial acts of hatred, movements, totalitarian regimes. I am tired of having to worry about where my country stands on an international standpoint. I want to know that generations following my own will be safe from terror.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Revisions
Original Poems:
An object shared
control our appearance
objects shared
deciding our appearance
For "Bounce" I love the original, as did Moriarty, she didn't suggest that I change anything. Which I was really happy with, it felt nice having my poem complimented.
And For "The Unseen" I prefer the revised, and I am so glad that she gave me advise to change the poem because it just made the poem so much stronger. And it was true what she said I did need to choose between using rhythm and rhyme or nothing at all.
"Bounce"
"Bounce!"
I say. Into the air, 10 feet high
Swift, strong arms thrust the rubber ball
To the ground, and the ball just does as it was told
The ball always does and always will do what it is told
The schedule never fluctuates; it is unyielding, even obdurate
There is not a thing the ball can change about the day or itself
You bounce I say, and all the rubber knows how to do is blindly
Respond with how high? To the sky to the moon, I will go the
Distance for you, I am yours for I have been taught to do not
A thing but bounce endlessly till you grow terribly tired of
Me and my outside grows worn, I am yours with no choice
Or say so I might as well be happy to be somebodies,
To feel warmth in ones’ hand you say bounce
And as planned I happily say
How High?
"The Unseen"
between you and I
him and her
all of us, everyone
smaller than
the eye can see
and handed down
through family history
slightly different for everyone
by just one percent
they make me, Me
and you, YOU
personality and behavior
they are the masterminds behind
what we have learned to call ourselves
Mimi Moriarty's Feedback:
Alaynah - I think you were the only one who attempted a concrete poem. Good effort at creating a picture with your poem! And there's an interesting message in the poem, as well, about obedience and dependence. You have a nice flair for the dramatic.
In "The Unseen" - check the second line for a grammatical error "between you and me" not "between you and I" - otherwise, nicely done. I especially like the second stanza - nice rhythm and rhyme. The rest of the poem breaks the rhythm and rhyme, so I think you have to decide if you will use it throughout, or not at all. This is something I struggle with all of the time. You just have to choose.
Mimi Moriarty
In "The Unseen" - check the second line for a grammatical error "between you and me" not "between you and I" - otherwise, nicely done. I especially like the second stanza - nice rhythm and rhyme. The rest of the poem breaks the rhythm and rhyme, so I think you have to decide if you will use it throughout, or not at all. This is something I struggle with all of the time. You just have to choose.
Mimi Moriarty
My Revisions:
"The Unseen"
between you, me, mother, son
its been declared
they are within everyone
they are within everyone
smaller than
the eye can see
and handed down
through family history
make me unique
slightly different
being bold is what we seek
slightly different
being bold is what we seek
through just one percent
personality and behavior
masterminds in a sense
masterminds in a sense
individualities savior
My Response:
For "Bounce" I love the original, as did Moriarty, she didn't suggest that I change anything. Which I was really happy with, it felt nice having my poem complimented.
And For "The Unseen" I prefer the revised, and I am so glad that she gave me advise to change the poem because it just made the poem so much stronger. And it was true what she said I did need to choose between using rhythm and rhyme or nothing at all.
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