1/2 of my Junior Year Completed

To think that half o my junior year is over is amazing. That is just one step closer to being a senior. This year has been flying by. It is hard to believe. So many activities have gone by. For example, all of the Friday night football games were great. We did very well this year it was 12 and 1. Everyone was excited about it.

Our cross country girls won state for the seventh time in a row, that is very good too. Thanksgiving has come and gone and now we are wait on Christmas. It is now time for semester tests and not a single person is excited for them. They are what we do not look forward to.

I can not wait for the next semester to be over so we can be seniors. When we are seniors life will feel great. All of "the little ones" will be looking up at us wishing they could be in our place. That will be a great feeling. The fact that we are still in school with our friends is a great feeling and that will be something we miss once we graduate.

Good Night

As I turned off my TV,
When I turned off my DVD player,
While I turned off my light,
After the lights were out,
I was ready to go to bed and to sleep.

While I lay down and look at the ceiling,
When I count the sheep,
Before I say goodnight,
As my eyes were closing for the night,
I fell asleep.

The Blind Side Book Review

Michael Lewis' book, The Blind Side, inspires me because of the character Michael Oher and his courageous character.

Most of the characters in this book are very inspiring. The main character Michael Oher came from a bad family. His mother was a crack-addict and his father was murdered. Despite all of that his has a great future ahead of him because of the Tuohy Family. Sean Tuohy is the father and he has a daughter that was in Michael's class. The Tuohy family ended up taking in Michael and feeding and clothing him.

A theme of this book would be to never give up. Michael Oher came from a family that was not your model family. He kept pushing on despite all of his hard times during his life. Great things came to him, like the Tuohy family. Michael broke free from the hard times and landed a great blessing.

This book relates to many issues in this world. There are kids even in Batesville that have a very similar background with the drugs and murders. There are kids all over the world that have druggie parents and can not help it. The kids just need guidance and inspiration and that is just what The Tuohy family did. That is just what some people need to step up and do.

I find the book, The Blind Side, by Michael Lewis a very good book. This book shows that when you think you are stuck and can not go anywhere there is always a way out. Sometimes this way out can lead to many great and inspirational things. There is also a Movie about this book called The Blind Side but the book is better.

352 pages = 2 books

Argument: Talking and Driving

Claim:
My argument is that anyone in the state of Arkansas should be able to talk on the phone, using a head set or something similar while driving.

Evidence:
Our society lives in a phone user society. We will talk on the phone.

• Commentary 1: 82.4% of Americans were subscribed to a cell phone service in 2007, and they used their phones quite frequently.
• Commentary 2: The average age for a person to get their first cell phone is at the age of 8.

People use their phones everyday while they drive even with the laws we do have in place.

• Commentary 1: While 1/3 of all young drivers, ages 24 and under, are texting on the road, the laws about being on the phone while driving are still in effect.
• Commentary 2: Almost 50% of all drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 are texting while driving so that shows that people will break the rules to do what they want anyways.

Opposing Claims:

• The state law argues that you can not talk on the cell phone while operating a vehicle.

My Rebuttal:

• But the law is wrong because some people have important conversations they need to talk about and important business matters to talk about.

Paragraph:
 Anyone in the state of Arkansas should be able to talk on the phone, using a head set or similar device while driving. Here are a few reasons why. First of all, our society today, lives in a phone using world. We will talk on the phone. 82.4% of Americans were subscribed to a cell phone service in 2007. The average age for a person to buy their first cell phone is at the age of 8. Next, people use their phones everyday while they drive even with the laws we do have in place. While 1/3 of all young drivers, ages 24 and under, are texting on the road, the laws about being on the phone while driving are still in effect. Almost 50% of all drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 are texting while driving so that shows that people will break the rules to do what they want anyways. The state law argues that you can not talk on the cell phone while operating a vehicle. Furthermore, the law is wrong because some people have important conversations they need to talk about and important business matters to discuss. In other words, no matter what age you are, we should be able to talk on the phone while driving.

My thinking:

I think that my paragraph is a mixture of inductive and deductive reasoning. It include both reasonings in it.
Sources:

• Car Accident Cell Phone Statistics
• What percentage of people own cell phones in the US
• Children get their First Cell Phone at the age of 8

The Chocolate War Book Review

Robert Cormier's book The Chocolate War  fascinates me. I thought that this book was a good read.

A theme of this book would be courage. The first chapter establishes Jerry as a character who has the courage to withstand physical pain in football practice. Also in chapter one we learn that Jerry's mother has died. Jerry has to have a lot of courage to keep going with that emotional pain. Also Jerry refuses to sale chocolate in a school fundraiser and that takes a lot of courage to stand up and say no.

Robert Cormier's writing style is somewhat odd but it also has its good attributes. In this book there is a lot of profanity and there are several bold references to sexual activities. There are many profound words used in the writing of this book that could have been left out and the book would have been just as good. There are also quite a few references to masturbation and guy's fantasies about females. Other than that he has a very good writing style and can write good books.


This book, in a way, can compare to life right now. There are many kids at school that want to take a stand, some good some bad. Many kids just want to rebel against everything. Jerry is not going to sale chocolate at his school fundraiser and therefore he is is wanting to rebel.


I recommend this book to everyone that enjoys a good book and does not mind profanity and sexual references.This book is a good story and almost everyone would enjoy reading it.


253 pages = 2 books

Bullied

One day, while waiting in line for lunch at school, I noticed an intense argument. Apparently this girl had slapped this guy while waiting in line. The guy was most obviously mad because his face was a dark red and he was yelling quite loudly. I am not too sure why this girl had slapped the guy but I bet he deserved it. I do not know the background and information of this fight so I can not conclude who the actual bully is. Some people might think that it was the guy because he might have done something to the girl to make her slap him or the the bully could be the girl for slapping the guy. From what I saw I want to think that the girl was the bully. What gave her the right to slap this guy?

Homecoming week

This week is homecoming week here at Batesville High School. I can't wait for the game tomorrow night. I think that it is going to be a really good game.

I really don't like spirit week. It gets on my nerves. During spirit week you have a lot of crazy idiots running around school and for some reason they all think that it is time to go crazy. Well news flash, IT'S NOT! Be civil, please. Its alright to show school spirit but there is a line that you should not cross. If you cross that line you just look dumb. Other than all of the crazy people running around I am enjoying spirit week.

I kind of like the change in the day of the dance. It does sound weird having a Winter Formal but I guess it's alright. I mostly like the change because we will be able to enjoy and stay for the entire game. We won't have to leave in the middle of it to change and take pictures.

My Antonia Book Review

Willa Cather's book My Antonia captured my attention. This was an interesting book that I would not mind to read again someday.
A theme of this book would be, When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Something that someone might learn while reading this book would be to never give up. The author's writing style of this book would be easy read. This book wasn't all that funny but it was a good book. In this book there are two main characters, Jim and Antonia. Jim is a you boy, at the beginning of the book, and he falls in love with Antonia. Antonia is a foreign girl that moves to the states and is very poor. Most of the setting is in Nebraska out in the country. It is much like around here, there isn't a whole lot. Both Antonia and Jim move to Black Hawk, Nebraska and they become friends. They grow up together and become very close. Jim tries to get Antonia to learn English and get an education. Unfortunately, things happen and Antonia is forced to start working at an early age. Jim goes to college then to Harvard. Antonia has children and Jim grows apart from Antonia. He dates  and marries Lena and still has feelings for Antonia. Jim waits and waits to go see Antonia again and one day he finally does. They reminisce about growing up together and talk a little bit. He is happy for her because he can see that she is happy. I  made a few connections to this book because it talks about going to school and learning and going to college. That is what I plan to do.
Overall i liked this book and I will probably read it again. If you like older stories then this would be a great book for you to read.

272 pages = 1 book

1/4 of Junior Year COMPLETED

Wow, Junior year is going by very fast. It seems like we have just started school. So far the year has gone by very good. There hasn't been too much drama and that is ALWAYS good. I like most of my classes this year but there a few that i could do with out. I love the moments at lunch with my friends. We come up with so many funny things! (Would like some water? its only 12 ounces so you can only take a sip!, "reserved for Alex Chunn" , Someone's hair, OH, YOUR TALKING ABOUT THAT GUY RIGHT THERE WITH THE MOHAWK AND RED SHIRT AND IS LOOKING AT US?)  Oh how I love Junior Year.

4 Paragraphs

Time Pioneer

Hi, my name is Will Allen; I am an urban farmer and the founder and CEO of Growing Power Inc. I believe that everyone regardless of their economic means should have access to the same healthy, safe, affordable food that is grown naturally. I am the founder and CEO of Growing Power Inc., a non-profit organization, and I love it. People come from all around the world to see my two-acre Community Food Center. The goal of my company is to grow food, grow minds, and grow the community. I have been recognized as among the preeminent thinkers of our time on agriculture and food policy. In 2008 I was named a John D. and Katherine T. McArthur Foundation Fellow and was awarded a prestigious foundation “genius grant” for my work. In May 2010, Time magazine named me to the Time 100 World’s Most Influential People.

Career Day

UACCB’s Career Day was very inspirational and informational in my career outlook. At career day I learned many details about careers in physical therapy and law enforcement.

During the first session that I went to, I learned that there are different types of physical therapists. There are some therapists that mainly focus on the areas above the arms and there are others that focus on areas below the arms. I also learned that the average range of pay at White River Medical Center, for physical therapists, is between 40 and 80 thousand a year.
           The next session that I attended was law enforcement centered. This session mainly focused on a career of a State Police Officer. To become a State Police Officer you have to endure seventeen weeks of training, at a boot camp, and be at least twenty-two.
     Now that I know a few of the components of physical therapy and law enforcement, I can conclude that I don’t see myself being a physical therapist or a State Police Officer any time soon.

Environment

How/Why do you think people should show respect to the environment?

People need to respect the environment a lot more! There are many ways that we can respect the environment more but it will take a lot of work and commitment to protect it.

One way that everyone can protect the environment is to throw away our trash and recycle. If we don’t throw our trash out the window and wait until we have access to a trash can we can make the world a more beautiful place to be in. If we recycle we can save our resources.

Another way to protect our environment is to car pull. If we ride together we can save gas and not pollute the air as much. If we car pull, we can also save money by not wasting gas.

People need stay alert and be aware that if we don’t protect our environment we will not leave a healthy environment for out future relatives.

Antonia as Mother Earth

Comparing Antonia to Mother Earth can be very Interesting. Antonia can be very motherly. When she was living with her family as a child, she took care of all of her family. When she got a little older and had kids, she did become a true mother and mothered them. Mother Earth is very motherly, as in her name. Mother Earth symbolizes fertility. Antonia is obviously fertile because she had lots of children. Antonia has to be full of emotions because of all of the things she has been through. Mother Earth also symbolizes emotional nourishment. I think that it is obvious that Antonia can be compared to Mother Earth.

Eclipse Book Review

Stephenie Meyer's book New Moon bored me. I did not like this book very much but I wanted to continue the Twilight series to see how the rest of this story turns out.

A theme of this book is not to get involved with someone you know is dangerous. Don't get involved with groups our people that do bad things. I like the writing style of this book because it is easy to read. The author does a good job explaining things. Stephenie Meyer does a great job of trying to make the characters seem like they are real people. She has a lot of people fooled. Most of the book takes place in Forks, a cold a dreary town in Washington. The last part of the book takes place out of the country. In this book Bella and Edward are separated. Edward believes that it is better for Bella's safety to stay away from her. He is a little wrong. Bella starts spending more time with Jacob and she starts doing some dangerous things. When Bella decides to go cliff diving Alice sees the vision of her jumping. She tells Edward. Edward wants to be killed and now Alice and Bella have to get to him before he shows himself to the real world. This book follows Twilight and the story is going to keep going.

I do not like this story but I want to keep reading the books until I find out the ending. I would recommend this book to people that have read Twilight.

576 pages = 3 Books

Twilight book review

Stephenie Meyer's book, Twilight,blows my mind. This book is not the best book that I have ever read.

A theme of this book is to know what your child is doing at all times. The author's writing style of this book is fake. Nothing in this book could or will ever happen. In this book there is a girl named Bella. She has moved to Forks with her father while her step dad and mother are traveling around with her step dad's job. There is also Edward. He is a vampire in disguise. I don't like the characters very much they are too fake. The setting of this book is in Forks. It is a small town in Washington state. In this book Bella moves to Forks to live with her father. She goes to school and meets Edward. After some awkward conversations Bella and Edward start talking quite a bit and end up falling in love. Bella knows what Edward is and she meets his family and goes to play baseball with them. While playing baseball three vampires interrupt the game and do not like that Bella is with them so one of the three tries to kill Bella. This book does not compare to anything in my life because it is so fake.

If you like fake books and vampires you would love this book. If you do not like fake books and vampires definitely do not read this book!

498 pages = 2 books.

Haiku

Comma, AKA
interval, delay, time-out.
Use the comma right.

Knight of the Hill Country Book Review

Tim Tharp's Knight of the Hill Country screams READ ME! I thought this book was a really good read.

I think a theme of this book would be never stop when you feel like you need to. In this book, Knights of the Hill Country, Blaine has an injury and he does his best to keep playing football.

I like the way the author wrote this book. It is a very easy book to read. Not only is the book interesting but it is not that hard to understand.

Hampton is an amazing football player. He is trying to carry the Knight's legacy (to be undefeated for the fifth time in a row) on his shoulders and he does a great job. Blaine is Hampton's friend and Blaine is not playing his best.

The setting of this story is at school. I am always at school so I just picture it as if it were two of our own football players. I can imagine most of the story.

This book talks about a boy and his friend on the football team. They both love to play football but Hampton is a little better than Blaine this year. Blaine and his father taught Hampton everything he knows about football and Blaine is so jealous that Hampton is stealing his spotlight away. The football team is trying to hold on to the school's legacy to have an undefeated football season for the fifth year in a row. Read this book to find out if they have an undefeated season.

I can't compare this book a whole lot to myself, but I can try to imagine it would. I would like to think our football team will one day be undefeated for many years in a row. I know how hard that would be to keep the undefeated seasons going.

I would definitely recommed the book Knights of the Hill Country by Tim Tharp to anyone that likes football.

240 pages = 1 book

The Chosen Theme

I chose "Write Overload" because Jimmy's blog title was "Writing Overload" and it inspired me. I feel like this blog will have a lot of writing and stories in it. I think that it will be a great learning tool and I like writing. I cant wait to get blogging.

I want to write about many different subjects. I like to run, my favorite thing to do, I will probably write about that. I like to swim, I might writing about the pool or summer.

If you have any suggestions on what you want me to write, comment and leave me an idea.