HW #13

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/li-schools-plan-new-tests-for-spring-1.2545653

Really? Yet another test? Students on Long Island get tested enough as it is so why add on even more now? I'm sure that most other kids and teenagers attending school right now would agree with me. Nobody likes tests. Adults do not have this same feeling towartds the concept however. Social studies and foreign languages are important and are believed to have been looked at as less important than math and English recently according to local school supervisors of these subjects. One foreign language director is right however when he says that it will be a mess if we leave this decision to replace old tests that were taken away due to the economic situation up to local school districts. There will probably be a lot of controversial debates over whether or not this is a good idea. 62 districts have already signed up for them though which is a large number.

HW #12

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-gas-prices-among-highest-in-nation-1.2522922

I find it crazy that gas prices recently just went up another 7.7 cents in a matter of a week for us! It's rediculous that on Long Island we have the highest averages for gasoline nationally! These extreme numbers are preventing some individuals from travelling as they want or need. This is very upsetting especially because it is currently the holiday season. Prices tend to be so high in our region due to our skyrocketing taxes and real estate costs. It was just surveyed that we pay around $3.2 for each gallon of regular gas. For some people to pay this daily just to get from one place to the next really adds up! We have almost reached our highest prices yet since 2008. Hopefully we don't make a new record to even get higher in the years to come!