BOSTON AND NEWPORT 2013

On Wednesday, 20 March thirty-nine cadets departed for the annual orientation trip.  This year took us back to Naval Station Newport and Boston, MA.  We walked the famous Cliff Walk in Newport and Boston's Freedom Trail, we toured the Minute Man National Park and the site of the "Shot Heard Around the World" at Concord, MA.  While in Boston we also visited the Bunker Hill Memorial and the U.S.S. Constitution.  On the base we visited the Surface Warfare Officer School and tried out the Full Mission Bridge Simulator and Conning Officer Virtual Environment trainers--this year no one got seasick.  While touring the USCGC IDA LEWIS, Barone got to meet a real BM and visit a real paint locker; luckily, no one was harmed.

If you went on the trip, remember that you owe a one paragraph essay describing the most significant thing you saw or learned.  Your essay must be a well-constructed paragraph and, as always, spelling, grammar, and neatness count.  In addition to the aforementioned, you will be graded on persuassiveness; can you, in a single paragraph, satisfactorily explain whyyou chose what you did?  You must also identify one figure of speech used in your essay.  Underline the figure of speech and note its proper name in the margin.  Extra credit will be assigned to those who properly use either hypophora or parataxis.  Your essay will be due on Monday, 1 April and a penalty for lateness will be assessed.  Good luck

Here are a few pictures--more will be posted in April.

Departure

Departure again.  Just want to make sure that you're paying attention.

Checking in to King Hall.

The Mouth Irrepressible.  (That's at least two figures of speech for you!)

YOU MIGHT REMEMBER...

You might remember Brenda Hernandez, MHS class of 2012.  She is pictured below enjoying life at Parris Island.

MCRD PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. (March 12, 2013) - Recruit Brenda L. Hernandez, Company N, 4th Recruit Training Battalion, a native of Middletown, N.Y., speaks with an educator from Upstate New York during the annual Recruiting Station Albany Educator's Workshop at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C., March 12, 2013.  (OFFICIAL MARINE CORPS PHOTO BY SGT TIMOTHY T. PARISH) (RELEASED)

A PECULIAR CHALLENGE

Congratulations to Cadet Nyaware who solved the riddle.  The answer is "FRUIT."  Good job, Zach!  Is there a prize?  Perhaps I will return his cover.

Here's a new challenge:

My first is in fish but not in snail
My second in rabbit but not in tail
My third in up but not down
My fourth in tiara not in crown
My fifth in tree you plainly see
My whole a food for you and me

What is it?  This challenge will expire in about the time it takes a grape to become a raisin. Good luck.

Fish and snail.

YET ANOTHER CHALLENGE

Congratulations to Cadet Jorge Esquivel, who correctly answered that "C" is correct.  Do you know why?

Here's the latest challenge.  This one is pure logic.  Which of the following is correct?

a.  One of these statements is false.

b.  Two of these statements are false.

c.  Three of these statements are false.

d.  Four of these statements are false.

Which is it, a, b, c, or d?  This challenge will expire at 0730, Wednesday, 20 March.  Good luck. 

LET'S PLAY A GAME!

I recently came into possession of a cadet's cover.  I won't say who's cover it is, just that his initials are Z N, that he is known to have the appetite of a teenage rhinocerous, and that he should know better.  I have hidden the cover.  If the owner should find it, he can have it back.  If any one else should find it, well, I will leave that to you...

I hid it in a fairly open place this time; next time I find it, it may go for a swim.



A teenager wearing a rhinocerous hat.  Who knew?



NEW OLD CHALLENGE

Here is a new challenge, unless you've seen it before, in which case it is old and you get to be quiet.  Read the following carefully:

You've been placed on a course of expensive medication in which you are to take one tablet of medicine A and one tablet of medicine B daily. You must be careful that you take just one of each because taking more of either can have serious side effects. Taking an A without taking a B, or vice versa, can also be very serious, because they must be taken together in order to be effective.

In summary, you must take exactly one of the A pills and one of the B pills at one time. Therefore, you open up the A bottle, and you tap one A pill into your hand. You put that bottle aside and you open the B bottle. You do the same, but by mistake, two Bs fall into your hand with the A pill. Now, here's the problem. You weren't watching your hand as the pills fell into it, so you can't tell the A pill apart from the two B pills. The pills look identical. They are the same size, same weight, same color, same everything, and they are not marked differently in any way. 

What are you going to do? You cannot tell which pill is which, and they cost $100 a piece, so you cannot afford to throw them away and start over again. How do you get your daily dose of exactly one A and exactly one B without wasting any of the pills?

This challenge will expire at 0730 15 March.  The winner will explain the solution in detail.  Good luck.

NEW PICTURES

It's been some time since I posted pictures of our august corps of cadets.  Here are a few, with comments where appropriate. 

The start of a corned beef and cabbage dinner (unless you county growing the cabbage and raising the beef, in which case this is the middle of said dinner).

Cadet Barone has taken charge of the post and is standing his watch in a military manner.  I can't tell if he's alert or not.

Cookie inventory.

Company guidon.

Our color guard and marching unit at the Mid-Hudson St. Patrick's Day Parade, Goshen, NY, 10 March 2013.



Cadet Ferguson



Parade detail, Goshen, NY



Aren't 18 year olds supposed to be tall enough to actually see over the back of a bus seat?



ANOTHER CHALLENGE

Apparently this was too easy.  Stand-by for heavy rolls!

Here's a new cadet challenge.  This one is an honor challenge...time yourself and be honest.  You have 10 seconds to name a word--not a proper noun--that starts with an "A" and ends with an "E."  Did you do it?  Let me know.  This challenge will expire at 0730 15 March 2013.

NEW CHALLENGE

Congratulations to Cadets Soriano and Glickman who correctly answered "C: 50."  A couple others answered correctly, but late.

Here's a simple challenge for you no-account, feckless, non-hacking, "can't count on me for nothin," can't carry the load, trip-off-the-line, steaming weasel cadets:

7 + 7  ÷  7 + 7 x 7 – 7

A: 0

B: 8

C: 50

D: 56

Good luck!