Do we need a new temperance movement? Why or why not?

I think we do need a new temperance movement. Our country needs moderation in certain areas of addiction (alcohol, smoking, obesity, etc). All these things could all be prevented by having moderation in their life. For example, obesity could be prevented by having longer meals and eating less.

A good belief statement would consist of:

• a strong belief
• something that you will stand up for
• a universal belief
• a good foundation
• evidence to back it up

Why was women’s sufferage ever in question?

Women’s suffrage was in question because men thought that women didn’t have as much power as men.  Women were believed to be inferior to men and not as smart as them. Now, we know that women are just as capable as men, and they are just as smart as them.

What can 10 words do that 10,000 can’t?

10 words can be more powerful than 10,000 words can. 10 words can be short, sweet and to the point. If the 10 words are strong, then people are more likely to listen to them. Someone could be campaigning for president and have a ten word slogan or a 10,000 word slogan. The 10 words will have more people read and look at it because no one has time to read a 10,000 word slogan. People will remember words that are short and sweet.

Is competing at a spelling bee different than competing in a sport?

It is sometimes different than sports, but it depends on the sport. Spelling bees challenge your mind, and sports challenge your body physically. Coaches for sports like professional football have a job that is like a spelling bee. The players of the game, like football, have a physical job that doesn’t really challenge their minds.

This is list of all the memorable items in my room.

• My cross
  • It hangs on my wall by my door so I remember God day by day
• My memory box
  • It has thing in it like my diary keys, memories from vacations, etc.
• My blue bubble chair
  • I sit in it for homework, reading, etc. It looks like a fuzzy bubble that has been cut in half. My chair makes you sink down when you sit in it, and it’s great for sleeping in.

How will you find your happy place within a CSAP prompt?

I will try to relax and just think of what I will write about first. Then, I will calmly write my draft. After that, I will edit my piece and write my final draft.

Volleyball Game

We all lined up at the back line, anxious to start. The referee blew the whistle, we all jumped. The person at the front of the line started to walk around the side line towards the other team. We kept walking and then gave all the other players high fives and said “good luck”. Walking back to our coach, we could see her nervousness through her smile. My team walked to our spots on the court and got into position. A teammate of mine served, and missed. The ball was the other teams’ now. They served, and missed too. Back to my team, and now my turn. I held the ball in my hand and tried to concentrate. I could see my team, the opposing team, and the whole audience watching me. My heart was racing. This was our first game as a team, as well as our first game at our home school. I had to make this serve. My arm swung, connected with the ball, and stopped. We all watched the ball as it flew through the air. It hit the top of the net, wobbled, and fell into the other teams court. My team burst into a scream. We got the first point of the game.
The rest of the game continued a lot like the previous hit, barely making it over. The game ended with us losing by three points. We were all bummed to lose, but we were close. Our coach told us that we did good. We tried and that’s all that mattered. It was a fun first game.

Where do we draw the line?

“and I noticed on your blog that you mentioned you’re the only one of your friends that is interested in this stuff… you really haven’t connected with anyone in your area”

I think that Jen brings up a good point. Most younger people are on other websites, like myspace. They want to be able to see a page with pictures so they know who they are talking to. If they see that they are talking to a man or woman that looks like he/she is 40 (for example) they won’t be as likely to want to talk to them. Young people care about image more than people who are older. I think older people care more about the content that images. They usually don’t care if they are talking to a 10 year old or a 60 year old. As long as the person they are talking to is being serious and really thinking, they will talk to them.

Another idea is that all the things that young people are learning about the predators on the internet is a big turn-off to talking to older people. The news says all the time that when 10 year olds talk to 30 year olds (another example) they get abducted of abused or other things like that. Even though blog sites are usually safe there are still ways of doing bad stuff on them. I saw a comment on a blog that said “I don’t care how old you are. Let’s talk!”. I don’t think that the person meant anything bad by this, but it could be a threat. Young people feel safer talking to people their own age (or if they think that they are their age).

Why is it so easy to persecute someone for their beliefs?

Some people are hold on to their beliefs so strongly that they will not change them. They are not easy to persecute for their beliefs. Then there are some people who don’t know what they believe and they will change their beliefs so often that people can easily persecute them for their ideas and their beliefs.

All-American Girl

Since the day they got married,
He’d been playing for a little baby boy.
Someone he could take fishing,
Throw the football and be his pride and joy.
He could already see him holding that trophy,
Taking his team to state.
But when the nurse came in with a little pink blanket,
All those big dreams changed.

CHORUS
And now he’s wrapped around her finger,
She’s the center of his whole world.
And his heart belongs to that sweet little beautiful, wonderful, perfect All-American Girl.

Sixteen short years later,
She was falling for the senior football star.
Before you knew it he was dropping passes,
Skipping practice just to spend more time with her.

The coach said “Hey son, what’s your problem? Tell me, have you lost your mind?”
Daddy said “You’ll lose your free ride to college. Boy you better tell her goodbye”.

CHORUS
But now he’s wrapped around her finger,
She’s the center of his whole world.
And his heart belongs to that sweet little beautiful, wonderful, perfect All-American…

And when they got married and decided to have one of their own,
She said “Be honest, tell me what do you want?”
And he said “Honey, you oughta know… Sweet, little, beautiful… one just like you. Oh a beautiful, wonderful, perfect All-American…”

Now he’s wrapped around her finger,
She’s the center of his whole world.
And his heart belongs to that sweet little beautiful, wonderful, perfect All-American Girl.
Oh American Girl.

All American Girl Music Video (youtube)

My favorite song on Carrie Underwood’s CD (Carnival Ride) is All American-Girl. It tells a story about an American girl. First it starts out with a husband that wanted a son very bad. At the hospital the nurse came out with a baby girl in a pink blanket. From the moment he saw her he knew she was perfect. Now he loves her and would do anything for her. Then the song goes to when the American-Girl is sixteen and in love with the senior football star. He is in love so much that he was dropping the ball and skipping practices just for her. His dad is mad and says that he will lose his free ride to college and should say goodbye to her. Of course, he’s too much in love with her to do that so they get married and decide to have a child of their own. She asks him what he really wants and he says a child just like her.

This song tells the story that happens to a lot of people. The fathers want a son but get a daughter, she is loved by all and then gets loved by a husband that would do anything for her. Then they have a child and the same thing happens. It’s like the saying ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’. I think this could happen to almost anyone (thus, the many people in the music video). There is a music video of this song (link above) that is very up-beat and fun, just like the song. It has a care-free country tune to it. Carrie Underwood’s singing makes it even better.

Today her hair was green. She dyed it early this morning before school started. Last week she got her little brother Danny to buy a box of 20-color dye and sneak it into their house. She had to give up a week of allowance for that so she hoped it worked. This mornings dye job made that money worth it. She looked in the mirror and smiled. Every strand of hair on her head was a regular green. Not like a neon green that made your head hurt every time you looked at it but just a green green. Kinda like a fresh broccoli green. That reminded her, breakfast. She looked at the clock. She had exactly four minutes to grab breakfast and run out the door if she wanted to catch the bus. No use in a mom if she won’t make you breakfast Leah thought. Her mom happened to be sleeping on this morning so she would have to make it her self. At least mom won’t see my hair until this afternoon. She ran down the stairs and opened the pantry. Lucky Charms or her mom’s health cereal. Not a hard choice. She grabbed the last mini box of Lucky Charms and ran out the door. Good day to wear shorts and running shoes. She sprinted the last block or the street when she heard the bus pull up.
Her usual seat was vacant. She slumped down into it, thankful to have a full seat to herself. Leah opened the mini box and poured out a handful of cereal and marshmallows. As she chewed she remembered that Danny was going to have Lucky Charms this morning. Oops. The bus was quiet again this morning. All the ‘cool’ kids got their parents to drop them off at school, but since Leah’s mom had to drop Danny off at his school for 2nd grade she refused to drive for Leah too. Two more years until I can drive without an adult watching me. She was anticipating getting her permit soon because that was one year closer to getting her license. Her license. She could already taste that word in her mouth. Once she had that one thing that was missing in her life she was free.
As the bus came to a stop in front or her school she stumbled out and walked towards the entrance. As she passed the double doors she read the sign above the main office for the thousandth time in her life. Welcome to all students! Enjoy your day at Rock Creek High School! Her school was very into being happy everyday of the year. Even Mondays. When she got to her locker and opened it a note fell out. She bent down to pick it up. Lined paper, OK penmanship, rushed note. The note read “love the hair. when’s the next color coming?” Wow. Someone already noticed. ‘Course, it’s not hard to miss. That’s what I was going for, bold. Leah looked around to see if anyone was watching her. No one was. Whoever gave her this note was trying to be sneaky. That didn’t matter though, she would find whoever sent this note. Anything to make Monday’s better.

To be continued…

What makes someone’s writing distinct?

The style of everyone’s writing is different, like people’s personality. Sometimes they are happy, sad or mad. They might write a post about what they are thinking or feeling and you can usually tell who wrote it. The way that different things, like characters, are written is different for everyone. The theme or every writing piece is different too.

Writing = Personality

What is the difference between an idea & a belief?

The difference between an idea and a belief is that an idea is more like a fact. If you have an idea about something it can be more like ‘I have this idea about cells…’. It can be an opinion or a thought that comes through your mind. A belief is more like ‘I believe that this religion is right…’. A belief doesn’t need proof to be true, but it needs people believing in it to become true or real.

How Do You Make Sense of a World that is Capable of Such Atrocities?

There is no way of making sense of our world. People in every life do things that are cruel and they have no good reason for doing. They kill, murder, and torture other people because of their problems. People just need to be able to look past that and go on living. Everyone can be forgiving, but they just need to want to forgive.

How Did the Anne Frank Play Change the Way You Read Maus II?

The Anne Frank play didn’t really change the way I read Maus II. The one new thing was that what happened in the 1940’s then seemed more real. It gave me a little more insight about what really happened in the Holocaust.