–by Ashley Zhou
Wednesday night, January 13, was a heartbreaking moment for many people—the
Powerball jackpot winning numbers were released and 1.5 billion
dollars were taken away. . . by someone else.
The US Powerball is run by the Multi-State Lottery Association, and it
was the most valuable lottery in the United States. If no one
wins a jackpot, the prize is accumulated automatically
into the next one until someone brings the bonus home. The week before January 13 was a
craze for purchasing lottery tickets because the bonus money was the
highest ever in history–$1.5 billion.(what??!!!)
“Normally, it is not worth it to buy a lottery ticket of any kind.
Your chances of winning . . . Powerball are less than 1 in 220 million.
You’re more likely to get struck by lightning twice in your natural
lifespan than you are to win the Powerball on a particular ticket. If
the jackpot is $40 million, then the expected value of a lottery
ticket (assuming you only care about the jackpot, not the smaller
prizes), is $40 million / 220 million = 18 cents. Since a ticket costs
$2, you are spending far more than you can reasonably expect to get.
However, last week, when the jackpot was 1.3 billion, the expected
value of a ticket was approximately $1.3 billion / 220 million, or
$5.90 — more than the cost of a ticket. So, in theory, it is worth it
to buy a ticket. In practice, of course, it is effectively certain
that you won’t win, but some–myself included–derive entertainment
from imagining that they can win. That’s why I dropped $10 just this
once. Buying 5 tickets increased my chances from 1 in 220,000,000 to
one in 44,000,000, which you should recognize is still very nearly 0.
From a financial standpoint, buying more tickets is more akin to
spending more money than it is to increasing your chances of winning.”
–Statistics and Calculus teacher, Ms. Emily McKee
Even though the chance of winning the jackpot is so small, it’s
very interesting to talk about: How would you spend that huge amount
of money if you had won the jackpot?
“I’d probably donate $10 million or so to Palm Valley and set up a
scholarship. I’d definitely keep working here because I can’t imagine
anything I’d rather do, but I might give my salary to hire a teacher’s
aide just to do the less fun parts of being a teacher–i.e. everything
except teaching kids. I’d also take college classes whenever I wanted
for the fun of learning. There’d be no pressure, since a bad grade
would have absolutely no impact on my life,” says Ms. McKee.
Our loyalest blog reader, Drama teacher Mr. Sarkis, shared his
idea with us:
After paying the taxes,
I would sit down with a pencil and paper and
while crying tears of joy,
take great delight in planning large amounts to give to:
21 nieces and nephews,… 35 grand nieces and nephews,… 2 great-grand nephews,
St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital,
Sisters of St Joseph in Rochester, NY,
a merit scholarship endowment fund for Palm Valley School,
a Dance Training and Performance School….free for young people who
love to dance and are willing to work.
I’d give to . . .
the United Nations Relief Organizations.
I would purchase . . .
• a 2-bedroom penthouse overlooking Central Park in NYC
• a 2-bedroom condo on Las Terrenas Beach in the Dominican Republic
(both of which I would share with friends who love adventure and art
and life)
• a state-of-the-art jumbo-size video-screen-tv communication
console
• I would travel the world and be especially generous in handing out
substantial sums of money to good poor people I encountered along the
way.
I would spend 1 year exploring China by car, and pay whatever the cost
for a chauffeur and a guide with the personality and intelligence and
energy of PVS Senior sudent, Henry Huang.
I would hire a personal full-time cook specializing in low cholesterol
high nutrition, exotic gourmet cooking and invite friends and loved
ones to lots of dinners….. and a personal trainer/masseuse skilled
in teaching old people how to do yoga.
I would contribute large sums of money for research to find a sure cure
for drug addiction.
I would treat 10 high-school students who LOVE American History to
a trip to NYC for a dinner and performance of Broadway’s smash hit
HAMILTON…. AND a comprehensive field-trip study of the memorial site
of the World Trade Center disaster.
I would make-come-true the Dream Vacation of Susie Zachik’s choice.
I would make sure that anyone I knew who needed money…. to support a
quest for Enlightened Happiness…… got it.
I would give meaningful presents to people who really meant it when
they hugged me.
I would pay for every person who goes to dinner or to a movie with me.
I would carry 100 dollar bills at all times…. and watch everyday for
random acts of kindness….. and surprise practioners by giving them
one.
I would pay for their gas everytime I saw a mother or father drive
into a station with children in the back seat of an old shabby looking
car.
I would pay someone to write down the rest of my Powerball dreams
because it is late now and I am tired and I want to go to bed.
Indeed, that much money will definitely change one’s life, but how to
use it is totally up to you. Buying a new Lamborghini? Donating some
money to a hospital? Or getting a mansion in Beverly Hills? However, if
you didn’t win the money, you better go back to work or go
study for your tests and quizzes after daydreaming. LOL. –Editor Gaven Li
here, one in the Czech Republic.) It was already very unfortunate for me having to study for two high schools, but it was necessary to have it done. My journey was planned to begin on the 15th of December. I was all packed and went to a nice brunch with Trey. We were sitting in the restaurant with plates full of pancakes, talking and enjoying our last moments before I left when I remembered to check my flight, making sure everything was still planned and on time. To my surprise, it said that my flight was delayed by about five hours! There was no way this could work because I was flying from Palm Springs to Denver where I was supposed to have only a 45-minute layover. So, Trey and I went to the airport early to ask “What’s going on?!” When we arrived, a man working for United confirmed that I will indeed be missing my flight to Denver by exactly five hours. I started freaking out, so he said he would try to find another flight to get me to Czech on time. It was about 12:45 p.m., and the man finally found another flight and said I can fly to San Francisco, but I would have to go now, because the flight takes off in a little less than ten minutes. Not knowing that I would have to run to my gate, I had left my luggage and purse in Trey’s car so he had to run for it. They didn’t even let me put luggage on the belt and told me to run. So I took my purse, said bye To Trey, and ran to my gate. I had to pass all the TSA checkpoints and everyone was yelling at me that I am late. Finally, I arrived to my plane without knowing if my luggage would fly all the way with me. As I finally got to my seat, some woman was sitting there. So, I went to her and asked her nicely if she can move because it is MY seat, but she refused. I didn’t want to make a big deal of it, so I just put myself down in the middle spot.
never found out what happened. Everything eventually calmed down, and after a tiresome journey, I landed in Frankfurt. Glad I was finally in Europe, my relief was quickly erased when I found out that my remaining flight itineraries were left back in the Palm Springs airport. With no idea where to go, I finally found my gate. But with my luck, my terrible journey didn’t end there. The woman working at Lufthansa said that she didn’t see me on the list for my last flight to Czech, and she explained to me that I couldn’t fly anywhere. After an hour of her calling and me being utterly exhausted, she finally got clearance to let me go to the plane and I successfully flew to Prague.
correct one, catching my flight back to Frankfurt. Surprisingly, nothing too bad happened on this flight, and from there I landed in Houston where the worst part of my trip was still waiting for me. Everyone was leaving the plane, and I was slowly following the herd of people off. There was a huge line for immigration control. Luckily, I had a four-hour layover, but nothing would prepare me for what was about to come. I finally got in front and went before the immigration officer. He was going through my papers, passport, joking around, . . . and then he stopped, looked at me, and said that they don’t accept copies of an I-20 (document for international students). When I tried to show him an original one with just my name and a signature on it, he said that there is no date, so they couldn’t accept it. I started being very nervous. He told me to wait and sent someone for me. A police officer came for me and took me to a small room. My international student agency told me to call them if something like this happened, but no phones were allowed in the room. I stayed there three hours being questioned about everything, but I had no way to see the time; I was scared I had missed my flight. The officers there were very nervous because the room was filling up with people every minute. People had to start sitting outside, that’s how packed it was. Some of them couldn’t even speak English, which made the officers even more angry. There were also little kids crying, and I felt really bad after ten hours of them flying. I thought, “They will send me back to my home country,” or “I will definitely miss my flight to Palm Springs.” I would be stuck in Texas without anyone. The officer was trying to joke with me about basketball, but I really wasn’t in the mood for it. They finally let me go, and I didn’t miss my flight (surprisingly), but this experience will always stay in my heart. It was the spookiest thing that has ever happened to me.
This weapon is the most powerful explosive device ever built by human beings. Designed by the Soviets in 1960, this device had a yield of 50 megaton TNT–3,800 times more powerful than theHiroshima bomb. However, it was not designed in 50 megaton TNT; it was designed actually to be 100 megaton TNT. For a Hydrogen bomb like that, there is no place in the world that the weapon could be tested safely. That was the reason that the final explosion was only 50 megaton. It was not designed to put into real use. The Soviets were threatening Americans by the explosion of the Czar Bomba. It was designed to be a threat. When it was exploded and tested, the fireball could be seen more than 1,000 kilometers away–that’s more than 600 miles or three times the distance to Los Angeles from Rancho Mirage. The hot wind would givehuman beings 170 kilometers away 3rd degree burns. The explosion ranked second among all the explosions in the world.
(Note: the largest explosion made dinosaurs extent.)
possible Soviet invasion.
The weapon is not a relatively powerful nuke, only yielding 10 tons TNT payload. A Davy Crockett can only cause damage in a 2.5 mile range. However, that is the reason this weapon is crazy. Because this nuke is so small, it must be fired at close range with a handheld cannon. The radiation caused by firing this weapon at close range might harm the very soldiers who fired the weapon. What’s more, the weapon was designed to use in a conventional battlefield. The idea of using a nuclear weapon conventionally is crazy! How could this be common practice on the battlefield?
NASA, in the 1950s, worked on a project meant to send astronauts to Mars. This plan to send rockets to Mars sounds like it has nothing to do with nuclear weapons. However, it was one of the craziest ideas regarding the use of nuclear weapons.
Crazy was using nuclear weapons in the 60’s to remove rocks and mountains for road access and construction. However, this idea is the craziest. Americans were trying to use nuclear weapons as fuel for rockets! NASA was trying to use the enormous force that nuclear weapon explosions could produce to propel rockets.
The plan was so outrageous and so dangerous. They couldn’t steer a nuclear-explosion-powered rocket. The power itself is uncontrollable. The plan was to explode nuclear weapons–one by one–to push the rockets to Mars. In fact, NASA cancelled the plan in a short time.
If you have not seen the film, turn back before it’s too late! This is not the post you are looking for. SPOILER ALERT!!!
storyteller. The Force Awakens was a beautifully directed, mediocre story. J.J. Abrams played it safe and retold Episode 4 instead of creating something new. Although I’d rather have more Star Wars than less, this movie was nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution clearly articulates Americans’ rights to bear arms. If something is so clearly stated, why are there so many people who wish to infringe upon this right? Already, there are many laws in place that restrict the owning, selling, and usage of guns. For example, it is almost impossible to obtain a Concealed Weapons License in New York City, and California has many laws regulating the type of guns that you may own and the number of rounds you can keep in the gun’s magazine. Despite these laws, there are over 33,600 gun-related deaths annually in the US. Some are quick to point the finger at the NRA, and they say the problem is that there are too many guns. I completely disagree. The problem is that law-abiding citizens are restricted from carrying guns so guns fall in the hands of criminals.
ssion, then we will continue to see the death toll rise due to mass shootings.
independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government. –George Washington
order to maximize the profit. Chinese KFC’s offer not only fried-chicken wings and sandwiches but also seafood porridge, chicken wraps, puddings, corn, fried rice, and even egg tarts! China is the only country in the world where KFC makes more money than McDonald’s does, and a huge part of the reason is because of the diversity and localization.
long list of desserts including ice-cream chocolate cake, caramel brûlée, etc. Moreover, all of the Pizza Huts in China are designed as sit-down restaurants. They also have servers at the door to lead people to different tables and booths and waiters for each table. Moreover, the Pizza Huts in China offer a special packet for little kids. In this packet, kids get to go to Pizza Hut with their friends on their birthday and learn how to make pizzas. The Pizza Hut staff also arrange games for kids at their birthday parties.
world. They slaughter anyone who does not conform to their ideas. They kill those who stand in the way of their ideology. These terrorists wish to instill immense fear in the hearts of everyone. And, they’re succeeding. These men, women, and children who are stuck between the crossfire are forced to seek refuge in safer lands. Europe is currently overflowing with refugees from Syria, unable to support so many who cannot support themselves. Up to this point, America has done nothing in regards to helping the refugees escape their war-stricken home. The refugees want to come to a place where they can be safe and successful, without having to fear for their childrens’ lives. They have to travel thousands of kilometers every day for a chance at a better life. America should intervene and alleviate some of Europe’s weighty responsibility to the refugees. We cannot send these refugees back to their hell. It is our duty as humans to help them. Not every Muslim is a terrorist. That’s a fact we should all realize.
hallucinations, paranoia, delusions and collapse in emotions. It usually starts in young adulthood, and symptoms are identified through a patient’s actions and perceived experiences.
symptoms are already apparent in his young age when he has an illusion of a roommate who helps him with everything. Even though our main hero is extremely antisocial and going to classes sounds stupid to him, he makes it through university with producing an excellent paper on governing dynamics and gets a great job at MIT. Unfortunately, he considers his new job uninteresting and boring. Some years later, people from the Pentagon come for him to break some important code, and he cracks it. After this event, another illusion appears. This time it is a man who works for the United States Department of Defense who wants him to break more codes to uncover Russia’s secret plan on attacking the USA. By that time, John falls in love with his lovely student Alicia Larde who soon becomes pregnant. With time, John Nash has difficulty distinguishing what is real and what is not. He attacks poor Alicia in order to protect her from his nonexistent boss from the Department of Defense. As a matter of fact, none of the characters or tasks from the Department of Defense are real. This attack makes her call a psychiatrist. Then, Nash begins treatment with medication for schizophrenia. However, Nash stops taking the medication after time because he grows too aggressive with it. He can’t take care of his own baby. And, he can’t think clearly. However, when he discontinues the medication, his hallucinations come back. By the end of movie, Nash is able to ignore his hallucinations, and he wins a Nobel Prize for his article regarding governing dynamics.
