Journal#17 Peaceful Protests

Protesting is a good alternative to an all out riot. Riots generally do not accomplish much and many people can usually end up dead and hurt. For instance, in the Middle East, Israeli officials visited a muslim temple and the muslims got very angry over this. So, their reaction was to start massive riots throughout the city and the Israelis had to call out the police to fend off the rioters. To the rest of the world, this riot showed unrest in the nations and was not viewed in very high esteem. This riot accomplished nothing except to make things worse and to cause even more political tensions between Isareal and the rest of the Arab world.

A better solution to this would have been to just let the whole thing go, not start a massive riot that accomplished nothing. Martin Luther King Jr was an expert in peaceful protesting. He organized countless protests and he did not advocate violence. He knew that if the blacks fought with the whites it would make tensions worse and everything would fall apart, violence would not achieve civil rights. King even spoke out against groups such as the Black Panthers who used violence because he did not like the thought of fighting. He knew that if the blacks kept peacfully protesting then eventually the whites would not have anything to use against them because the blacks were not being violent. He understood the importance of peaceful protesting and how much more effective it can be compared to violence.

However, sometimes ou have to put the peace dove aside and call out the war hawk. When things get ugly, and you can't talk your way out of it, you will have to gear up and send in the troops. Such as when the Little Rock Nine were attending school and the rioting crowds blocked them out. President Lyndon B. Johnson called in the National Gaurd and the troops kept the protesters at bay. The Little Rock Nine were able to attend school with the white kids and this helped to de-segregate the pulic school systems in the south.

Journal #16 Taking Breaks

Sometimes life can become too over whelming and people cannot take it anymore. This is perfectly normal and there is a simple solution. All people have to do is take a break as soon as they can. This will help them to relax and give them some time off. Everyone, no matter who they are need to take a break at some point every once in awhile.

I like to take a break everyday after school. When I get home, I will lie down on the couch and watch tv for an hour or so. Then I feel a little better and am ready tp start tackling my homework, which usually takes up the rest of my night. Sometimes I will take a nap while lying on the couch, hoverver, I only do this when I really need to because it keeps me up at night. Also, when I wake up from the nap I feel worse than I did before i fell asleep. After about half an hour I am re-energized from the nap and feel muh better.

If I did not watch tv or take a nap every day, then quite simply, I would die. I would not be able to keep up with everything I've been scheduling myself to do and the things I am in charge of handling. Also school gives me hours of work every night. So, I need to take a break every once in awhile, just like every body else does. If people did not take breaks every so often, then they would simply over work themselves and ultimately fall apart.

I usually try not to actually fall asleep when I take a nap after school because I know i won't be able to fall asleep at night. Plus, I feel aweful and like garbage when I wake up from naps. I feel better when I take some time and wake up, which is where the nap pays off. I usually just like to lie down and relax, without actually falling asleep.

Reading Enjoyment Journal # 15

Thre are many different genres of literature out on the market for people to choose from. Personally, I like to read about mysteries. The mystery novel can be in any form from normal Sherlock Holmes where the detective is trying to solve the case or a mystery on a much larger scale with a wide variety of characters. One author who's writings I have enjoyed for a number of years is Clive Cussler.

I enjoy Cussler's writing because all of them have myseteries that need to be solved. They also have adventure and an exciting cast of characters consiting of a wide variety. I enjoy these stories because of the fast paced motion they have, even though I never fully understand what is going on in them, I don't mined because i enjoy the story.

I also like to read books about historiacal figures or events. When I graduate highschool I want to go into Political Science and either become a lawyer or a history teacher. Im pretty sure that even if I cahnge my mind on those two career options i will still have a career involving history. I would not say that I enjoy reading historical books because they are exciting but more so because I enjoy picking up interesting facts about them. Plus, if I am reading the book about it it is because i am interested in learning more about it so I enjoy gaining a better understanding of the person or event.

Overall, I would say that I enjoy reading and find it enjoyable. however, I never feel motivated to read for school because I don't like the books. Many people complain about school reading mostly on the grounds that they don't like to read. I enjoy the reading once I finish it when it is school reading but at the time i am not a fan because i do not like being forced to read. An example of this is when we read Great Expectations during freshmen year. i absoulutely hated it (and still do) but a few weeks after we finished it i was able to reflect a bit and enjoy the story for what it was (which is still not good).

Journal #14 The Ideal United States

The Ideal United States would vary in the opinion of everyone. Nobody can create an illusion of the United States that would satisfy everyone. I feel that in the ideal United States I would be able to do whatever i wanted. I would sit around all day and cat-nap in the sun. When I had my fair share of that I would get up and watch NCIS for about five hours more. Then I would do my homework and finish all of my school related work.

In my ideal United States there would be no language other than English. Spanish three is basically destroying me one class at a time. I don't really like this very much and its even worse because I'm watching it happen. Also, the ideal united states would not allow me to be sick. It would produce scientists smart enough to eradicate all diseases, or at least send them to other countries so that I don not have to deal with them. I think that is the best way because it will give the Postal Service something to do and jump start the economy again.

Also, McChickens should be a requirement for school lunch, everyday, served along side of a sweet tea and an oreo mcflurry. Basically, that right there would be the highlight of my day and I would always be in a good mood. Another important detail would be that there would be no crime. Plus, I feel that horrendously awful things such vegetables and prune juice should be outlawed.

In my ideal united states I would essentially be able to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I would not plane on doing anything bad, and most of the things I would do would be relatively harmless. It would just be nice to not have any consequences. Even if only a few of my plans listed above were implemented it would still be a an ideal united states. I would be perfectly happy with minor changes as well, but I am perfectly happy with how the country is now as well so Im not too worried about it.

Journal #13 My favorites

What is it that makes something a favorite? Well, whatever it is, it varies from person to person. To be a favorite of someone that object/thought must be very important in one way or another to that specific person. Many people might agree that their favorite food is pizza, but overall everyone will not always agree on favorites. My favorite food is fettucini alfredo. If it has chicken in it then I still love it and will agree that it is just as good (chicken alfredo). My favorite soda has got to be Black Cherry soda, however, in a close second, it is Dr. Pepper. Other people will have different favorites than I do, it is just how we are wired together. Everybody like different things which is good because it creates variety.

Easily, my favorite day of the week is Saturday, this is because I greatly dis-like school. I hate getting up in the morning, I hate getting ready for school, and I hate school itself (Im not a fan of school). Honestly though, I enjoy school while I'm there, its just the homework and the fact that I have to be there that I hate about it. Otherwise, I am fine with having to go to school because I enjoy seeing and talking to people. That is why I enjoy Saturday so much. I can sleep in and relax, and hang out with my friends all day. I don't have to worry about school until sunday when I am forced to do all of my homework.

My favorite class is A.P. American History because I enjoy history alot and I am good in that class. My favorite sport is baseball, and it is the only high school sport that I still play. My favorite color is blue because red is too common for me. I know blue is very common too but I just like blue better. A very wide ranging favorite for many people is their favorite flavor of ice cream. I honestly don't care, I would prefer chocolate chip cookie dough but ill settle for chocolate or vanilla.

Having favorites different than those of the people around us adds variety to our lives and makes us unique.

Journal #13 Declaration of freedom

I beleive that freedom is very important to have. Life would not be nearly as good for me if i did not have this important thing. In the United States, we have what is called a Democracy, meaning that the people elect the officials and president. We do not have a perfect Democracy, but that would be imposible because when people run things nobody agrees 100% of the time. However, the difference in opinion allows for debates and arguments about the situation. This allows us to view the character of who we might possibly vote for in future elections. It shows us who is capaple of leading and who is not.

Freedom is not being allowed to do whatever you want whenever you want. So, if anyone every tells you they can do whatever they want because it is a free country, they are wrong. Freedom is having liberties like the right to vote, elect governing officials, and living as unregulated as you can. By unregulated I mean, the government might tax you and impose rules on you, but they do not totally control your life.

I enjoy living in the United States because in general, we have more freedoms than a lot of other laces in the world. I hear many people say that they would rather live in a foreign country but I think that is kind of dumb because i am perfectly happy here. If I can't find what I want in America, why would I be able to find it somewhere else? We have basically everything we could want here and most of us don't have to do anything to get it.

Im happy that I was born with the right to vote and all I really have to do is go to school and get an education. I don't have to go to war right now like many kids that are my age do in other parts of the world. I get to enjoy being a teenager and look forward to a productive life.

Journal #11 reasoning vs Emotion

When solving a problem, or looking to understand the world around them, many people use either reasoning and emotion. Reasoning is looking for a practical explanation for why something has happened. Emotion, in this case, is just saying that God is responsible, or something of that nature. For a long period of time, many people, including the Puritans, used emotion to explain the world around them. Whenever something good or bad happened they said God was responsible. An example of this is the Salem Witch Trials. The villagers believed the little girls when they said that they were being corrupted by witches. Without any real evidence, the juries convicted many people of being witches and sentenced them to death.

Reasoning is looking for a logical answer as to why something happens or occurs. An example of a rationalist thinker is Benjamin Franklin. He is famous for experimenting with lightning and politics. He created a plan, called the Albany Plan, which was meant to unite the colonies and bring them together in making a strategy for defense and Westward expansion. Although this plan did not work, it showed Franklin's potential and genius. Franklin experimented with lightning to learn more about it. He did not believe in saying God causes everything and he tried his bets to find answers. Through experimenting he invented a new stove that uses less fuel and many other important inventions. Franklin is a very good example because he excelled at using reason to find answers.

Neither one of these is right or wrong. It all depends on what our beliefs are. Personally, I like to take the reasoning approach. To me, it does not seem right saying God is responsible for things like earthquakes or hurricanes. I like to hear what the scientists say is the reason, like in an earthquake the cause is the plates running against each other. When it comes down to you're opinion, you just have to go with what you believe in most. I believe that reasoning is better because people need to expand their views.

Journal #10 School Spirit

School spirit is very important. If you don't show good spirit then your school could come off as sad and depressing. If nobody likes their school they will not show much spirit and people will not care about school as much. In Pleasant Plains, we have alot of school spirit. Kids enjoy coming to school everyday (I don't mean for learning and class, its more for the friends and good attitudes) and seeing each other.

In some cases, school spirit can be taken too far. Such cases are during homecoming week and important athletic events. Generally, it can be taken way too far but quite honesty I find this hilarious and entertaining. When I heard some of the chants that were going to be said today at the Spirit Day games I laughed, alot. Yes, they were all ridiculously insulting but that is what makes it fun. The only thing we are allowed to say now is, Seniors go to college. All I can say is that they will be hurt by that one...

However, we cannot allow school spirit to get out of hand and verbal and physical fights ensue, we will all feel the consequences. These are normal problems though as everyone just wishes to have a little fun and enjoy the moments. School spirit can make a school a much happier and energetic place. For instance, if we are not allowed to have spirit and show this energy in the from of spirit week, the student body might as well just wear all black and come to school as gothic and emu kids.

School spirit also ultimately brings the school together. After the rivalry of todays spirit games dies down,we will all unite together to show support for our football team at tonights game against new berlin High School.

School spirit is something that many of take for granted. Without it, our school would not be nearly as much fun. Images such as the cardinal, our mascot, make school something much easier to be proud of. I would much rather support our football team than something else... in an extreme case math class.