Think Through: Faust.

There once was this Emperor named Leo, who ruled the land of Popsicle. Leo was a new emperor, and just experiencing the tasks that an emperor had, and getting used to ruling over people.

Now, Popsicle wasn't the biggest country there was, not by far. Surrounding countries were far larger than Popsicle, which was only the size of a small town. Although it was small, it was nice and cosy. Everyone knew everyone, and liked it that way. The only person that didn't like it was Emperor Leo. The trouble was, he wanted more. More land, that is. All of the successful emperor's he'd heard of ruled over miles and miles of land. Since he was new, he wanted more, and wouldn't be happy until he had it. He needed more to rule over, he was power-hungry, and he was going to get what he wanted no matter what.

So, Emperor Leo assembled an army. He ordered all of the men in the country to join and train with the army. About half of the women were ordered to go along, to be nurses and to help the wounded soldiers, or to keep track of food and weapons. He needed the most skillful women, and one to lead them and keep them in order. The one person who could do this job best was none other than his wife, the empress, herself.

Of course, this was unheard of. Everyone knows that royalty doesn't go into battle. But Emperor Leo didn't care. He needed the best of the best in order to conquer other lands and gain more power. He was going to stop at nothing to achieve this.

So the army set out to the surrounding lands. After the first battle, they had won, and now Leo owned the land of Icecream. It felt so great to win, and now he ruled over two countries. He had to have more. So on he went to the next country, and again, the army succeeded. Although there were more causalities than the first battle, the men could still fight. Onward, he ordered them, to the neighboring country of Itsakadoozie. Here is where things started to get bad. The army of Itsakadoozie was really strong and confident. Leo's army was reduced by half by the time the fight was over, and Leo had conquered Itsakadoozie.

His wife told him that he should probably turn the troops around and head home to rest and let the soldiers who were alive heal. But Emperor Leo would have none of it. The way he saw it, he still had half of an army left, and they were plenty capable of conquering at least two more countries.

The next country they moved on to was Freezer. The battle was long and gory. Leo's army could barely stand up against the other army. The women were forced to rush on and off the battle field, trying to save the wounded soldiers so they could make it back to the first aid tent to get treatment for their wounds. It was during one of these times that the Empress rushed out to save a badly wounded soldier, that she got shot by an oncoming bullet. She died instantly, leaving the women to finish the duty themselves.

Emperor Leo barely blinked at this. He ordered the troops to keep fighting. He must be the new ruler of Freezer at all costs. Finally, after two days, Leo's army prevailed. Now the Emperor of five countries, he couldn't stop. The feeling of this power was just so good, he couldn't pass up trying to conquer the next land, Cookie.

With only about 100 men left, he ordered them to march on, towards the direction of Cookie.
Emperor Leo was aware that the Cookie army was strong and had many more numbers than his army. He knew that they were basically the replica of the Spartans. But he didn't care. He just had to rule over this land.

The battle began, two days later. It was over fairly quickly. Leo's army was defeated in a matter of hours. Leo wouldn't surrender though. Surrendering was a sign of the weak, and Leo certainly wasn't weak. After all, he ruled five countries now. They fought until the last man was dead.

With everyone dead, reality started to dawn on Emperor Leo. His wife was dead. His army was dead. The army was basically the whole town, so the town was dead. Sure, he ruled five countries, but he couldn't share his pleasure with anyone. He finally had what he wanted, but he wasn't happy, and should have been happy with what he had. If only he hadn't let his mind run away with greed, maybe he would be happy in the castle, sitting on his throne next to his wife.

Where are you from?

I live in Sarasota, Florida and attend Booker High School. I go to Booker High for the VPA music program, which means that I spend half of my day taking music classes. My dad is from Ecuador and his family came to the United States when he was about two years old. My grandma (from my dad's side) was from Germany. My mom's parents were from Copenhagen, Denmark. So even though I have lived in Florida my whole life, I have many different nationalities in my background.

The Cider House Rules.

I just watched a really great movie called The Cider House Rules. It's a story about, Homer Wells (played by Toby McGuire from spiderman) and it's set back during world war two. Homer lives in an orphanage and finally decides to leave and gets a job working as an apple picker in Maine. The orphanage Homer left he was training to be a doctor. The doctor he was apprenticing under was the only qualified doctor who preformed abortions, illegally of course. Before Homer leaves, the doctor is hoping that Homer will take his place working in the orphanage, and being a doctor as well. But Homer has been at the orphanage for about 20 years, and decides he really needs to figure out what he wants to do with his life. While he works as an apple picker, the workers stay in a house called "The Cider House". During his stay there he experiences other migrant workers and makes friends, and discovers things about himself he didn't know, and makes other relationships. There are two twists that I won't tell you about, I really hope you will watch the movie, or either read the book by John Irving. It's really a wonderful movie, and I'm off to read the book now, cheers!

Think Through: Songs that Celebrate.

3. The relationship between humans and gods is pure adoration. The people depend on the gods to give them things, and keep them safe and when the gods follow through with that, the people praise them and prostrate them. Humans always have to be on good terms with the god, or the gods could ruin all of the good that has been happening on earth. The gods have ultimate control, and so if you upset them, the consequences could be catastrophic.

4. The tone is very serious. All three of the praise songs are not to be taken lightly. They are full of strong beliefs, concentration, and over all seriousness. After all, this is what these people believe in, and they certainly wouldn't joke about such a pensive topic such as these.

5. Over all, I think that the river goddess orisha, Oshun, appealed to me the most. She seems to be really well rounded, thoughtful, and full of care. To her everyone is her child, and she would treat everyone like this with no diminished value. She is the reason many of the people are here on this earth, and nobody ever forgets that. Everyone adores her so, and is always grateful for the acts that she's performed. I would say that out of all of the orishas, she is the one that the people appreciate the most.

Capital Punishment.

I am not strongly for or against the death penalty. It has its pros and cons, and depending on the circumstance I can be swayed either way.

I believe that if somebody killed a person, not out of self defence but for whatever the reason may be, then they should as well receive the death penalty. Nobody has any right to decide to kill another person or not. It's just something that you don't do (duh).

Now, if someone killed a person out of self defence...say someone broke into a house, or you needed to protect yourself, then it would be alright to kill the person. Provided these circumstances. It still doesn't make it right to kill anyone, but if you're doing it out of self defence then that could be understood.

Horrible crimes deserve horrible punishments. When the horrible people who kidnap and rape kids, then deserve to go through the same exact pain that they put the child through. This is where it gets kind of wishy-washy. Death just seems like an easy way out of what they did. They don't suffer enough, and I think that they should go through the amount of pain that they've caused other people.

But since the government doesn't believe in that, the worst punishment you can receive is death. So, for now, for the people that deserve the death penalty that's what they'll get. Quick and it's done, and they'll never be able to act however they acted before they ended up on death row again.

Critic's Review.

When Rain Clouds Gather.
By: Bessie Head
3/5

In When Rain Clouds Gather, we've been introduced to many characters. Makhaya, Gilbert, Dinorego, Maria, Mma-Millipede, Paulina Sesbo, Chief Matenge, and Chief Sekoto.
Makhaya has escaped from his old country to go to Botswana. Once he finds himself inside of the Botswana borders, he is hiding as a refugee inside of Dinorego's house. When Dinorego first met Makhaya, he took Makhaya under his wing, and introduced him to his daughter, Maria, and his good friend Gilbert.

Gilbert has big plans for Golema Mmidi; plans to modernize the country and open the people's eyes to new cash crops and other doorways. He needs to change the way that the people of the country see things. Introducing tobacco, millet, and other cash crops is just the start of his plan. With those cash crops in order, the money will be reeling in for all of the people in the country, and with that money will come intelligence, with intelligence comes women's rights. The women would be able to speak out for theme selves, and the brutal actions towards them would be stopped. The men would be able to stay home with their family and not have to travel around with cattle and children will be able to stay home and go to school. Although all of this sounds like a wonderful plan, bigger people have other ideas about Gilbert and his friends.

Chief Matenge highly dislikes Dinorego and Gilbert. He feels that they are trying to take over (especially Gilbert) when really they are only trying to help. When the Chief finds out about both of them hiding a refugee in the borders, he is absolutely furious and wants to get Makhaya thrown out A-SAP. The Chief only wants to stay in power and rule over all of the land which can't be done on account of his biggest enemy: Chief Sekoto, his brother. Both of the brothers despise each other, and can't stand to be near one another. Hence why their ruling areas have been split in half. Chief Sekoto rules one half, while Chief Matenge rules the other half. These two characters are pretty sketchy, and Chief Matenge thinks that his brother is plotting to kill him so naturally his hate only grows for his brother.

This book is pretty good so far, although the plot has kind of come to a level right now. But I'm sure it's only a matter of time when some more action starts up. Hopefully something will happen between Paulina and Makhaya.

A Typical Day at School.

My school starts at 7:30 every morning, and we get out at 2:15. At my school we only have 4 blocks a day for 2 quarters. We're on something called block scheduling which means that after our first 2 quarters, or semester, is up then we switch classes, so all in all we take 8 classes a year. Four classes a day seems really small, which it is, but each period lasts 90 minutes. Also, I know that that sounds long as well, but it's actually really great because the teacher gets to teach the whole lesson, give you your homework, and you're able to do your homework in class. I rarely have any homework, and when I do, it's max. a half hour because it's only the other things that I didn't get to finish in class. So it's really great, and it makes it so much easier for you to have a job and do extracurriculars.

Currently I am taking Alg II, Wind Ensemble II, English II and Jazz Band II. So I pretty much spend half of my day in some type of music class or another. Last semester I took Chemistry Hon, Wind Ensemble II, World History Hon and Jazz Band II.

And then there's lunch...every one's favorite time of the day, aside from school being let out. At my school there are two cafeterias: the east and the west. Some kids eat in the cafeterias while others, such as myself, eat out in the courtyard on picnic benches or on the grass. We also have a pavilion where kids can eat out by the soccer and softball fields. I usually bring my lunch because I'm on the Track and Field team and can't eat the cafeteria food and then end up running out in the heat at 2:45. Lots of kids do eat the school lunch though. The most popular meal, by far, would be the nachos. Everyone looks forward to nacho day, and the lines to both of the cafeterias are so ridiculously long.

In my city there are 3 public high schools, and my school is the smallest one of the three. Although my school is a VPA (visual and performing arts) school our whopping 1,734 students barely compares to the two other school populations. You would think that an arts school such as mine would reel in more kids, but it doesn't. It's actually nice though, because you get to know just about the whole school, where as at other big schools you could be in the same grade as someone and never even know that the person existed. Being a small school also makes it so much easier get across campus and to learn in class. We have 7 minutes to get from class to class, which is more than enough time and you never have to rush. The average number of students in one class is 19-20.

So overall, I really don't mind going to a small school. It's great also because being at an arts school, kids get to focus on the arts and what they really aspire to do. Music, dance, art, theater are the VPAs students have to choose from; there are also different academies such as the law academy and environmental science academy and ROTC. It's really just a great atmosphere, and it really makes you enjoy school, and it makes you actually like being here to learn and hang out with your friends.

Think Through: A Drop of Milk.

1. Who exactly is Doondari, and how did he come to be the creator of the world? Why a drop of milk? Why did he have to create blidness in the first place? If he hadn't come up with blindness, then the world would be basically perfect...wouldn't it?

2. According to this story, the world came from a drop of milk, and Doondari came down and formed that drop of milk into stone, fire, water and air. Ultimately creating the five elements. From those elements he created man, and with the man Doondari created the feelings and attributes of man.

4. Blindness defeats man because man cannot see if he's blind. But if blindness defeats man, then sleep defeats blindness because you can't see when you're sleeping, so it's like you actually are blind, only you know that when you wake up you'll still have your sight as opposed to if you were blind and could never gain your sight back.

5. I think that Doondari returns as Gueno to complete the cycle. Once he came as Gueno, carrying immortality, he had made the full circle back to the starting of man. Also, I think he came back as Gueno so that maybe people could give the immortality attribute to the gods, because if the gods weren't immortal, then they would end up being just like man, and there would be nothing special about them hence them not exceeding man, but being equal.

6. I've found that humans aren't perfect, never were and never will be. Every human has his flaws and learns to cope with them and figure around it. Doondari going one step further and creating blindness just created the domino effect and many other attributes of man sprang up. So really, even in great people such as Doondari, there are still flaws. Nobody will ever be perfect, no matter how hard you try.

7. If man had not been proud, then the world would be nearly perfect. It's just like Pandora's box in the sense that if Pandora had not opened the box, then we wouldn't have been exposed to all of the horrible things that were enclosed in it. But life isn't like that, nothing is ever perfect, and there will always be consequences and reactions for your actions.

8. In all of these accounts of the creation of the world, they end up making man. Although after they make man, they're not satisfied and they go a step further, and then creates all of the feelings that associate with man, some being okay while others being more on the dim side. If only they had stopped just at man instead of going further and ending up with flaws, but that just shows you that every man will have his own flaws to deal with.

9. I have to say that I don't really like the reason that death came to be. Worrying isn't all that bad...I mean, obviously if you do it so much that it totally stresses you out and you start having anxiety attacks, then it's not good and the result could be death. But overall, people rarely worry that much, and the result of minor worrying isn't death, just stress.

When Rain Clouds Gather.

PLOT SUMMARY-
A lot has happened in When Rain Clouds Gather since the first chapter. Makhaya is now safely in the Botswana borders, or so he thinks. Both Chief Matenge and Joas Tsepe want badly to throw Makhaya in jail, as a result of him being a refugee. George Appleby-Smith, a police officer, has declared that he would 'stick his neck out' for Makhaya, no matter what happens, and has also helped Makhaya to get his papers in which allow him to become a resident of Botswana and no longer be considered a refugee. George is acting under Cheif Sekoto, who is Cheif Matenge's brother and is much more kind and generous than his sibling as well Years ago both of the cheifs had an argument, and split up, so now they rule two different parts of the land, and are in much contempt for eachother. Chief Matenge has a plot to kill his brother, and Chief Sekoto wishes, with George's help, to protect Makhaya and throw Chief Matenge into jail. Although Makhaya has obvious enemies, he also has made great friends, who'll stand by him no matter what. Dinorega has taken him under his wing, and introduced Makhaya to his daughter, Maria, and adopted son Gilbert. Makhaya has been working with Gilbert on his agriculture project; trying to get rid of the cattle co-operatives and start planting millet, which could grown in conditions with only three inches of rain. Just recently we have been introduced to a new character, Paulina Sebeso. She moved to Botswana, with her two children, Isaac and Lorato, after her husband died. I think she fancies Makhaya, because she sent her daughter over to Makhaya one day in order to give him greetings that her mother offered. Makhaya responded rudely, and then walked away. Paulina thinks that he likes Maria, but that thought was quickly shut down as Gilbert proposed to Maria later that night.

CENTRAL CONFLICT-
The central conflict is mainly between the two chiefs. Their contempt for each other is shown very obviously. These feelings get in the way of how they rule and influences their thoughts. Whatever one wants, the other wants the exact opposite. I do like Chief Sekoto much more than his brother, because he wants to help Makhaya rather than getting him in trouble and getting him banished out of the country or thrown in jail. However, Cheif Matenge wants nothing more than to throw out the refugee and see the downfall of his brother, as well as all of Makhaya's friends; especially Dinorega and Gilbert.

MAIN CHARACTER-
Makhaya seems like a very intelligent and shy person. He doesn't really like much talk, but he does enjoy listening and learning. He doesn't seem as bad as Chief Matenge makes him out to be. He really wants to learn about the agriculture and what Gilbert has to teach him. He also seems really reserved. Makhaya doesn't really like to make bother to starting conversation, or forcing himself upon people. Although, he is really headstrong with his beliefs and opinions, such as those on government. He reminds me of the breeze; coming and going as he pleases, never being too uptight or serious, and just going with the flow, wherever he ends up, he'll gain knowledge as well as spread knowledge.

My City.

The city of Sarasota, Florida is well known for its art. We have sculptures up all over town, mainly downtown near our library and three points park. Just recently they have put up differently decorated clowns located downtown. I know it sounds weird, but it's actually pretty neat. The clowns are decorated all differently, one has got butterflies all over her dress, another is a ringmaster and there's even one that's really materialistic, with a Gucci hand bag and Chanel sunglasses.

With art, along comes elderly people who retire here for it being a small town and to enjoy the art. Many are tourists here as well. It gets pretty crazy when all of the 'snowbirds', as we call them, come down to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather. It sure makes traffic horrendous, and you have to leave your house about fifteen minutes (give or take depending on how far you are from where you'd like to end up at) before you actually would like to leave in order to get to your destination on time. Most of the tourists and elderly people don't really care for teenagers either. I think this has to do with the stereotypes that ignorant teens make for us.

The beaches here are beautiful as well. I think that Siesta Key beach is on the list of top ten beaches in the United States.

Women in Botswana.

The country of Botswana is located in Southern Africa. The country is landlocked, surrounded by barren and vast deserts. The Kalahari Desert actually covers up seventy percent of the land surface on the country. Botswana gained independence within the Commonwealth on September 30, 1966. Botswana's economy is mainly based off of cattle, tourism, and diamond mining. You'll find that the women of this country are far from the women in the United States.

The women in Botswana act mainly as the heads of the house. Rarely do they ever leave the house, or take part in anything that isn't manual labor around the house. It's found that the women actually do much more manual labor than men. The women's professions mainly cover crafting house hold materials and handicrafts; materials such as crafted baskets and dyes. Many families in Botswana are not settled, or mobile. They rarely stay in one place for a long amount of time. The reason for such mobility is food and income. A whopping fifty percent of families live below the Poverty Datum Line. Many people rarely have ownership of large amounts of cash, or make individual achievements. In the cases that someone has made an individual achievement, or has ownership of money, the conclusion of witchcraft is assumed.

Botswana has a very Egalitarian culture. They believe in male superior above all. With males having this power, many of them take advantage of this by beating and raping women constantly. Because of this, many of the women have HIV/AIDS. Women can't speak out against these acts because of male superior; they're immediately shot down, or blamed for what has happened...it's always the woman's fault. Women also have an immense lack of education and understanding cash economy. Women have potential to play important roles in education, health economic activity, and even agriculture but there are numerous cultural, social, economical, political and legal barriers that prevent women from ever holding a position in any of these professions. Without decent professions the women also experience a lack of health services, water, education, and infrastructure. "Man must earn a salary and a woman must remain as a housewife, resulting in women choosing or being made to choose less rewarding jobs."

Apart from all of this, things are starting to change. Just recently, the police force and the army have had openings for women. Many women are apart of many clubs supporting women and fighting for their rights. After all, this is the twenty-first century, and I really think it's about time for the people in Botswana to realize that, and make quite a few changes for the better. Women are just as capable as man in any subject or profession, and they need to open their eyes and see this.

Think Through: The Pillow Book.

1. I thought that the "Graceful things" was the most interesting. That section along with "I Remember a Clear Morning". It was interesting what exactly she found graceful and elegant. In "I Remember a Clear Morning" I enjoyed the irony of how the listeners didn't find the morning as interesting as he had.

2. Shonagon didn't want to tell Tadataka that the dog really was Okinamaro because she feared that he would hurt the dog since it was he who banished Okinamaro from the palace.

3. I think that the author is really down to earth based on her entries. She just really told things as they really are. She didn't butter everything up or exaggerate at all. Things in life are hateful, beautiful, and embarrassing, and her accounts of these thoughts are right on because in reality things like this aren't buttered up.

4. The people not finding the morning beautiful told Shonagon told her that they, too, stop to appreciate the little beautiful things in life and don't take them for granted.

5. I do have to agree with Murasaki Shikibu because based off The Pillow Book it almost humbles you. You connect so well with what she's saying and it's almost as if you're speaking them through her. It's always satisfying to know that there are others who have the same views as you.

6. I really agree with "Graceful Things" and "Embarrassing Things". Human nature hasn't changed that drastically over the years. People always get embarrassed and find certain things graceful or elegant.

Think Through: Tu Fu.

1. I think that the poem "Jade Flower Palace" has the best imagery. You really get the picture of how old and dilapidated the crumbling palace is.

2. These words and phrases are used as metaphors in order to be more creative, over exaggerated and descriptive.

3. The theme of "Jade Flower Palace" is focusing on the old structure. The speaker really goes into detail of how old and worn the palace is now, but back in its prime, it was a magnificent building bustling with people.

4. The information about their friend Sun Tsai is the reason that this poem couldn't actually be a historic account. Everything that he does for the family is just so great and too good to be true, not very realistic at all.

6. The similarities between "Jade Flower Palace" and "Ozymandias" are that they both describe a building or structure that has been worn through time. In "Jade Flower Palace" the poem mainly describes the palace where in "Ozymandias" describes trunks and treasures in the desert. Also in "Ozymandias" the tone is more leaning towards mysterious and intrigue as opposed to "Jade Flower Palace" is more appreciative and recollecting the past of the palace.

7. I do agree with the statement because he really touches on the basic to tiniest details to the most important and serious ones. Without this style you wouldn't get the full effect of the poems or get the feel of his style. It's the little things that make the big events so spectacular.

8. People today can always relate to the hardships of life and the great moments of the past. The events that Tu Fu describes in his work are a place that everyone has been before; maybe not to the extent in the poems, but you definitely can understand where the speaker's words are coming from.

Women and Sports.

I am a female, and I participate in many sports. At my school we have just as many girls’ sports teams as guys. Girls sports consist of: golf, swimming, cross country, volleyball, weightlifting, basketball, track and field, tennis, soccer, and powder-puff. Girls sport teams at my school I am on the Weightlifting, Track and Field, Powder-puff, and Cross Country teams. Most of the girls’ sports practice at the same time as the corresponding boys sports. The cross country girls and boys team train together; the track and field team, swim team, and golf team also practice the girls and boys at the same time.

Some teams such as soccer and softball have a plethora of girls that go out for those teams; however, many of the other teams are in need of girls. I'm not really sure why that is, because it's loads of fun and you make so many friends that you normally would never hang out with. Also, you get a letter to put on your letterman jacket which is really neat, and not many girls have them. I can understand that girls wouldn't exactly like to go out and join the weightlifting team because it seems that you have to be strong, but mostly girls that do end up joining it are just really conditioning for another sport and not really doing it to win.

Not all sports are for everyone, but most of them go hand in hand. If you lift weights, then that'll help you with your sprinting. Most girls don't realize this and I think that in their minds they would like to join a sports team and automatically be great in whatever they try. Practice makes perfect, and practices aren't always glamourous or pretty. They're hard work and can be fun some of the time, but overall you work your butt off to become good. I think that this factor scares some of the girls off. You have to work hard and be committed. You don't always have to be born with a talent for the sport either. Again, that's what the practicing and training is for.

Holidays.

Here in Florida, we have many different holidays. They're all so diverse and different from one another, although most relate back to the same general topic. Many of these holidays depend on your choice of religion, and in the US we have many different religions. Some of these are holidays that I celebrate.

Today is actually Valentine's day, in which you're supposed to appreciate a loved one. Lots of reds and pinks and hearts, candy, chocolate, balloons and bears. Not everyone celebrates this holiday, depending on if you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend. But most people just make out valentines for their friends, just to show that they appreciate them.

Another holiday is Christmas. It's in December, to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We set up a Christmas tree inside of our house, and decorate it with bobbles, and lights, sometimes some garlands. Christmas time is supposed to be a time of giving and being happy. Everyone is usually in a caring and happy mood. It's a really great time of the year because people decorate the outside of their houses with lights and nativity scenes.

In April, we celebrate Easter, when Jesus came back to life. Little kids are told that the Easter Bunny comes and gives them gifts, and hides eggs for them to find. We also boil eggs, and decorate them with different designs. There are little marshmallow treats called Peeps, shaped like rabbits or ducks.

St. Patrick's day is another holiday that we celebrate. Everyone wears green, and if they're not wearing green, then you get to pinch them. This is the day that St. Patrick was a major influence of the Trinity...three people yet one God.

In the month of February we celebrate Black History Month. We often write papers on some of the most important Afro-Americans in US history. People such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou, and Billie Holiday. We also recognize the brave people who fought in the abolition of slavery. People such as our sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln.

We also have a day dedicated to the great Presidents of our past. We get off school for this day which is mainly why all of the students like it. haha, at least that's why I like it.

There are many other holidays that I have not mentioned, but I have touched on a few of the major ones.

Think Through: Chinese Poetry.

1. I'd have to say, the poem that appealed to me the most would be "Still Night Thoughts". Even though it was so short, you can really get the flow and feel the words which makes you better understand his tone as well as emotion.

2. The relationship with the wife and the husband went from the wife being unsure and feeble to both of them loving one another strongly. you can tell they both cared for each other because she states "You dragged your feet when you went out". Also when she states that she'll meed him as far as Cho-tu-sa, which is several hundred miles away from her town, you can really tell that she's devoted.

3. In "Still Night Thoughts" I think that the speaker is just overwhelmed with hopes and dreams; drinking in the beauty of the sight. Like "the world is my oyster"...and the realization that even though hes so small in comparison to the moon and the world, the possibilities are endless.

4. The speaker in "Gazing at the Lu Mountain Waterfall" feels that the waterfall is almost a part of him; that it completes him. He is just overcome by the beauty of it all and it gives him a peaceful, serene feeling, although while still being in awe. As if the waterfall was a family member, he wants to hold fast and stay close.

5. These poems aren't written in everyday, standard writing format. Since we're not used to reading the text in this style, to be able to visualize the descriptions really help you to better understand what exactly the speaker is trying to communicate to the reader.

6. In both "Mulberry on the Lowland" and "The River-merchant's Wife: A Letter", the two women love their husbands so very much. One difference is that while the woman in "Mulberry on the Lowland" has always loved her significant other, while the other woman did not. In "The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter", the woman started out unsure about her husband and their relationship, but grew to love him dearly.

7. I would say that people today view nature in the same way that Li Po did. The only thing is that today people don't appreciate it to the extent that he did. If we did appreciate nature to that extent we would be saving more trees, recycling more, and generally taking better care of our surroundings and world.

Think Through: Poetry of Ancient Rome.

1. Both of the poems, to me, seemed to be saying to not ever get to curious. In "Seize the Day", the writer was saying to "not ask the forbidden question." And stating that "acceptance was much better". Some things in life you can't always ask why, or how, you just have to go with the flow of things, and accept things as they are, even though you may not always agree with the decisions made. In "Better to Live, Licinius..." the writer was saying to play things safely, that there isn't much room to wonder or aim high. It was saying how you should always stay in your comfort zone, and not exceed your safety net because those who do end up dead. Which I believe isn't true at all, because in order to live you have to take risks, or else you'll be left wondering your whole life "what if".

2. The speaker suggests that Leuconoe should live for the day because you should live every day as if it's your last. Enjoy life as it is, because many people take it for granted. Life, something you can never get back, and it can be gone in an instant. Live your life one day at a time.

3. The speaker means that a person in their who's in their comfort zone, being smug and is happy with where they are, should steer away from the risky parts of life. If your life is already perfect, why would you want to risk messing it up by venturing into the unknown? He's saying to not stick your neck out, like the giant pine and the tallest towers, because they have too big an ego, and are quickly struck down. Be happy about where you are, but don't become to egocentric because as soon as you do, someone will become upset, and just cut you down.

4. I think that "Better to Live, Licinius..." contrast is the most effective out of the two poems. In this poem, the speaker gives more examples to let you get the full visualization of the situations. You can really picture exactly what he's saying, and understand his tone, where as in "Seize the Day" it was just short and simple. It really didn't leave room for much visual concepts.

5. I would say that both of these poems are more for teaching aspects rather than delight. They both teach a valuable lesson, which aren't really for delight. "Better to Live, Licinius..." was more delightful out of the two, though, because you could really get a visualization going along with the different stanzas.

6. "Better to live, Licinius, not always rushing into deep water, and not, when fear of storms makes you shiver, pushing to the dangerous coast". This image really made me connect with the speakers words. I could really understand that if you're happy how you are, you wouldn't want to take a dumb risk, like going into rough deep water. That would risk your life and everything that you love. Certainly you shouldn't take a risk because your friends, or someone tells you to...you always have to consider the situation, and how risky it really is. If it's something like your life being at stake, then obviously you wouldn't take the risk related to that outcome.

7. "Seize the Day", in my opinion serves better advice. I agree that everyone has limitations, and only the person knows what exactly those limitations are. You can't force your body or your mind to do something that it's not capable of. If you had asthma, and you knew that the farthest you could run was a half mile, then you'd do a half mile. You certainly wouldn't risk an attack, by doing a full mile, because you know that your limit is eight-hundred meters.

8. "Trim your hopes to fit your limits". I don't think that I completely agree with this. As a kid, everyone told me that I could grow up to be whatever I pleased. As long as you have the desire and passion for your aspiration, then I truly believe that you can get there and be successful. However, if your goal is to become the king or queen of a country, now that can't happen, because you can't choose to be royalty, you're born into it.

Literature.

In my English II class, we just finished reading Oedipus by Sophocles. I really enjoyed the story because it was so exciting and thrilling. Once something started to get the ball rolling, it just kept going and going, gaining energy. I was really surprised that it ended up being Oedipus that killed Laius, and his father. Also, it's amazing how that long ago, people could come up with such elaborate and intricate details and plots. I enjoy reading older literature, such as this. I like some Shakespeare as well, but you know, I can only handle so much of old Billy. Last year in English I, we read Romeo and Juliet as a class, and then we watched two versions of the movie. One with Leo DiCaprio and then the older original one. I really enjoyed reading it aloud because you can really get into it and you can actually visualize better when it's being read to you. As well as Romeo and Juliet, we read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Sorry to say, that I really didn't enjoy this book. Just something about climbing through windows, and dreary English moors. Not to mention that Heathcliffe was a tad bit out there. But hey, what's not for some is great for others. I'm more of a book person anyways. Just put it in front of me, and I'm sure to read it...even if it does end up containing dreary English moors. haha

Pause and Reflect: Oedipus.

PAUSE&REFLECT.
1. Oedipus seems really fake to me, like he's way over exaggerating how much he really cares. He started out by trying to make the priest feel bad for him, when really Oedipus should have felt bad for the priest and tried to help him. But after that, then he went into how much he loved and cared for his people, so he could be really sincere or just being fake.

2. The cause of the plague was that they never tracked down Laius's killer and punished him.

3. "Thebes is like a great army dying and there no sword of thought to save us."

4. A curse that basically he'll be living hell and be banished from the city and that he, as well as everyone else, will die.

5. I think that Oedipus's father is the murderer if Laius. Or maybe Laius's father is the killer.

THINKTHROUGH.
1. He sends for Tiresias to learn the murderer of Laius because he's the only one that knows the exact truth.

2. They feel he's blind and not really using his head to figure things out. He's not thinking before he's acting.

3. Oedipus wants to know the killer so the plague will stop killing his people. Also I think he might want to find out about his family, it somehow may be linked. I think it was Oedipus's father who murdered Laius.

PAUSE&REFLECT.
1. Oedipus thinks that Creon and Tiresias are plotting against him to kill him.

2. Oedipus is realizing that he is the murderer of Laius. Although he doesn't know Laius is his father.

THINKTHROUGH.
1. Oedipus killed the travelers as well as Laius at the place where the three roads meet.

2. He ran because he didn't want the prophecy to come true and he didn't want to kill his father.

3. She doesn't really believe in the prophecies or fate. What happens, happens.

4. The chorus believes there is a greater being of determining the prophecies as well as fate.

PAUSE&REFLECT.
1. Oedipus finds his fake father, Polybus, has died of an illness.

2. Oedipus's dad didn't want the prophecy to come true so he pinned his ankles together and gave him to the messenger. The messenger then gave Oedipus to Polybus.

3. Oedipus discovers that Laius is his father and his wife is really his mother. (gross).

THINKTHROUGH.
1. The shepherd gave the baby to Polybus.

2. They now look down on him, they're ashamed of their king.

3. Oedipus left Corinth causing him to cross paths with his real father and kill him.

PAUSE&REFLECT.
1. I think Oedipus will leave Thebes and travel far away from this travesty.

2. He blinds himself because he is so ashamed at what he's done and what's become of him and his life.

Music.

I love music, different kinds and styles, basically anything. I'm in band for half of the school day so I guess you could call me a band geek, but it's not even really that. Everyone that is in my band classes, or theory classes, or music history classes, all have a passion for music. It's amazing being able to not just play the literature that's set in front of us, but to also make music. It's challenging but so much fun at the same time. You get better every day, and never encounter the same notes of rhythms twice. There's always something to learn with music, it's always surprising me. And it's one thing to be able to play the music, but to also feel it, and become emotionally attached to it, to be reeling the audience in with your feelings, it's just a joy that you can't describe.

Writing Option 2: Analysis of Women's Role.

Women played a big role in the Athenian society. What Pericles says was basically that the men mostly took the women for granted. Without the women though, the men would not have food on the table, or clean clothes. Pericles also states that he was kind of sorry for the women because god made them women, and really they shouldn't be shoved down at all because they helped out a bunch in the society. Also, that when men criticize the women, they really do care about them, they just can't show it. The men take the women for granted, and never praise them because what they do is considered petty, even though what the women did was anything but petty, and they don't even realize that.

Mandela and Pericles.

1. Stephen Biko and the Athenian soldiers have a few things in common. In Pericles' oration, he states that the Athenian soldiers died nobly, and fought for what they had to guard and what they thought was right. They died for their empire, and had so much pride. They fought and died because they wanted the future to be better for their Athenians' future. In Mandela's speech, he states "It is the dictate of history to bring to the fore the kind of leaders who seize the moment, who cohere the wishes and aspirations of the oppressed. While not everyone could do much about Apartheid, Stephen Biko stuck his head out because he had pride in his people, and he knew it had to be stopped. He prided himself so much in his people that he didn't care if he died because if he did, he knew that he was going to leave a huge impact the future. He knew that if he stuck his neck out, he and his people would be on the road to a better life.

2. Mandela wanted to keep alive the memory of Biko because what Biko did was amazing, and he's a hero for speaking the truth to everyone and standing up for what he strongly believed in. Also, Mandela keeps the memory going because he knows that from what Biko did, things would begin taking a huge turn, and soon others would start to state what they believed in as well.

Think Through: Poems by Sappho.

1. Out of all of the three poems written by Sappho, I think that I understand "To Aphrodite of the Flowers, at Knossos". This one is my favorite, because it talks about leaving all you know just to go and experience something beautiful and great. You may have a great life as it is, but sometimes you have to take chances in order to find the even greater life that you could have.

3. In the first poem, "Some say thronging cavalry...", when she talks about Helen of Troy, it makes her think of her own friend, Anactoria, because Helen and herself have something in common. They both are suffering from one of their loved ones being away, Helen's love being off at war, and Sappho's love having moved away. They're both longing to see their faces. In the second poem, "He Is More Than a Hero", I think that Sappho has mixed feelings about the man she talks about. She talks about getting excited and out of breath when the man is around, but then she goes into how if she's around him a lot, she feels like she's going to die. I think that she loves him so much that she wants to hold on to him and keep holding because she fears of losing him. If she did lose him, she feels that she wouldn't be able to go on. So she could be thinking so much about him, and loving him so much, that she gets herself so worried about what would happen if he wasn't there anymore, and dreading life with out him. In the third poem, "To Aphrodite of the Flowers, at Knossos", Sappho describes such a wonderful, vivid place. It's so heavenly that even the goddess Aphrodite graces herself upon the land. The place that she describes is the most wonderful place that anyone could ever imagine, the perfect utopia.

4. 'She values intimate moments of friendship', and 'She appreciates the beauty of nature' best apply to Sappho. You can tell that she loves her friendship with Anactoria, and she misses her friend dearly. She shows that she misses her so much that she even relates herself to Helen of Troy. Also, she clearly appreciates the beauty of nature in her poem "To Aphrodite of the Flowers, at Knossos", the way she describes the land so intimately, and vividly. She makes the land come alive, and actually puts you there, in the poem, enjoying all of the aspects of nature that she describes.

6. If Sappho's poems were to be set to modern day music, I think that The Shins would do the best job with her poems. They are mellow, and often sing about nature, and struggles with other things in life. The mood of these poems to me, were mostly mellow, and laid back, while still getting to the point and addressing her opinions really strongly. They would definitely set the mood for these poems, making everything that she wrote come to life, and actually put you into the song/poem.

Italy and Italians.

I really don't know that much about Italians, but just recently (well, not really recently, the beginning of the school year) one of my really good friends moved to Florence for the year. She loves it over there, although I miss her a lot. She's always saying how nice the weather is over there, and that she loves the historic aspects of the town. She says she's almost fluent in Italian, and says it is a lot like Spanish, which she's just about fluent in as well. So, I guess that's basically what I know about Italy/Italians.

P.S- Oh! I have a question for some Italians out there, don't think I'm like really dumb or anything, but do you guys really like spaghetti? This is always a question people ask, and I always think it sounds stupid, but I was just curious to the answer.

Think Through: Mahabarata

1. I thought Arjuna was a very quick learner and very skilled with a bow and arrow. He was born with this talent and that talent made him the best student of Drona's, as well as a hero.

3. I think Arjuna's quality to be skilled with weapons was admired in ancient India. That is always handy when going into a battle, or fighting in a war. Also to be admired is his devotion to his guru.

4. I think Drona kind of favored Arjuna. Even though the scolding the other students was necessary, he could have told them how to fix their mistakes. Also I think Drona didn't save himself from the crocodile to show the other students how skilled and levelheaded Arjuna was in the time of need.

5. I think this story is told to children to teach them to say calm in dire situations. Also to teach them to listen to their teachers and rewards will come.

6. Drona reminds me of a karate, or martial arts instructor. He knows exactly what he wants, and what is needed, and the students are supposed to learn from the mistakes of their peers. He doesn't speak much at all, and I think his reason for this is that silence is louder than words. You never see a martial arts instructor speaking much either, because they need to focus on the task at hand.

7. I do think this lesson is true because you'll always get rewarded for paying attention and learning from your teachers.

Writing Option 2: Remembering a Teacher.

I had a great pre-algebra and algebra teacher in middle school, Mr. Dinoia. In the same way that Drona was an excellent teacher to Arjuna, Mr. Dinoia was an excellent teacher to me. While being a good teacher was one thing they had in common, they weren't at all similar.

Drona made his students learn on their own, from their mistakes. He wasn't very verbal at all. When his students would make a mistake or give him the wrong answer, Drona would only scold them and move on. he wouldn't tell the student what they did wrong, so they had to guess at what their guru wanted. Also Drona wouldn't tell them how they could improve either.

Mr. Dinoia, on the other hand, was very verbal. He still made me learn from my mistakes, like Drona, but overall, they were totally different. When I would do something wrong, Mr. Dinoia would help me to get the right answer. He made me work for it which is better than just handing me the answer. I never had to guess at what his expectations of me were, he would just tell me exactly what I had to do. Also I wouldn't be scolded for a wrong answer, and he would work with me explaining my mistakes and how I could improve, which is very different from the method of Drona.

Ancient Literature and People.

Similarities and differences:

All of these ancient cultures were based off of the rivers. They all needed to have their civilization by at least one river in order to farm and care for themselves as well as livestock. Also many of them also used the rivers by means of transportation to other civilizations that were based off of the same river. All of the ancient cultures had means of communication.

Out of all of the ancient cultures the Assyrians were by far the most warlike and violent. The Akkadians and Babylonians based their cultures off of the Sumerians. While the other ancient cultures didn't provide many opportunities for women, the Sumerian culture did. In the Sumerian culture women could farm, take up crafts, become merchants and even join the priesthood. Most of these cultures had something similar to slaves to do the lower work for the empire. Along with this, they all also had means of different social classes.

The Egyptians believed very strongly in life as well as afterlife. They spent most of their life preparing for the after life by means of building extravagent pyramids. The pyramids were filled with all different kinds of artwork that the artists would decorate the insides of it. They pyramids became a focal point for Egyptian artistic creativity. The women of this civilizations had almost the same rights as men.

The ancient Hebrews had a sacred text called the Torah. This was basically like their bible. They built temples for worship, such as Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. The Jewish society was dominated by males, like most cultures of the ancient Mddle East. The Hebrews fought a lot in order to keep 'the holy land', Jerusalem.

Think Through: Greek Culture.

1. The religion of ancient Greeks is different from that of the Jews, Christians, and Muslims because the ancient Greeks believed in many gods, not just one, polytheist versus monotheist. Also the ancient Greeks had no sacred writings or texts and no commandments.

2. The Olympian gods are like human beings because they showed human qualities. Qualities such as love, had and jealousy. The gods also had arguments and had a sense of competition just like humans. However, the Olympian gods live forever, they are immortal while humans cannot live forever.

3. The Athenian democracy had a group called 'the assembly' and this group passed laws as well as selected generals. Anybody could be in the assembly; the assembly also debated over ideas that were submitted hoping to be turned into laws. The Council of Five Hundred was another part of the Athenian democracy. Five hundred citizens were chosen at random to serve on this council and their duty was to propose laws.

4. The greatest thinkers of ancient Greece were Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

5. Events that were included in the Olympic Games were one such as boxing, wrestling, the javelin and discus throws, and races of all kinds. All of these events are still included in today's Olympic Games.

6. The Greek language was so easy to use because they used letters to represent all the sounds in the Greek language. This caused literacy to spread throughout other empires for the first time in history

English.

The English language is very important everywhere. Almost anywhere you go people speak English. It's such a vast language and just about everyone speaks it. Here in Florida you take English classes in elementary school, middle school, high school, and you have to have English credits in college. It's really a fascinating language, as there are so many little tricks odd rules to abide by. I guess you really could call it 'American' because our English here in the States, isn't really proper English. I always love to hear people from England talk because even though it's the same language, it's not at all. Both languages are so diverse and unique that we really should classify them as two different languages. It's neat when you hear some slang words and you actually know what words they have derived from. If we just spelled phonetically I think that would take the fun and uniqueness out of what makes English English. There are also many movies that come quipped with subtitles or even have been dubbed over to be English. Me, personally, I love to watch foreign movies with subtitles. I think that when a movie has been dubbed over to be English takes a little of the effect out of it because you don't really get to listen and hear what other languages sound like and how different they are from what we're used to. It's a nice thing to have and most people enjoy it. For me, even when a movie is in English, I put the subtitles on just because I love reading. English is a great language to have on hand, seeing as basically everyone speaks it. I always think it's awesome when I meet people who are bilingual. I am currently taking Spanish, and hope to become fluent as well but if that doesn't work out, I know I'll always have my English.

Think Through: Egyptian Literature.

2. I would say the tone of the Book of the Dead would be really proud, and majestic. Nu really adores Ra and everything that he does. Nu thinks that nothing could be better than Ra, and all he wants to do is please him and show him the utmost respect; praise him. Certainly the God of the Sun should be praised, such as this, since he is the reason everything on this planet is alive and thriving.

3. The speaker thinks that Ra should be praised because he is the sun. Without the sun, we have nothing at all. The sun plays an extremely important role in our lives and our world, and though everyone knows that, I think it's often forgotten. Without the sun we could not be and nor could anything else.

4. The speaker describes herself as a bride waiting beside her love because that to her would be her perfect Utopia. She sees everything that she would like to see, and everything is exactly how she'd like it. I'm imagining that on your wedding day, things seem just like this, and for her to describe herself as a bride gets the point across that absolutely everything is to her liking.

6. 'Whenever I leave you, I go out of breath' gave me the strongest sense of the speaker as a person because I could really connect with him. To me he seemed just as scared and bitter towards death as sometimes I can be. I'm just afraid of being alone and missing everything on our beautiful earth.

7. While both 'Whenever I leave you, I go out of breath' and 'I'm going downstream on Kingswater Canal' mention her absent lover, they are both very different. In 'Whenever I leave you, I go out of breath' the tone and mood is really deep and dark. She fears death, and being alone. She doesn't want to leave her loved one, and the things that she loves on Earth. However, in the story 'I'm going downstream on Kingswater Canal', the mood is upbeat, bright, and cheery. In this story she is happy because she is in her perfect Utopia, and she is not afraid of dying because she knows that everything will be exactly how she would like.

8. Today, of course, nobody is ever really prepared for death. Just like the Egyptians we try and do appreciate everyday life, but I think sometimes we take it for granted. While the Egyptians extensively prepared for death, we really don't. Of course there are certain steps you take in order to prepare for death, but we don't build pyramids or anything that extravagant.

Quest Story.

One very common quest story would be The Odyssey. Throughout the story, Odysseus, the hero, was trying to return home to his wife, Penelope, after the war at Troy. He had to go through many obstacles on the voyage home. He made friends like Sicily, who at first hindered him, but later ended up helping him. Hermes was the one who went to the island of Calypso and ordered Sicily to release Odysseus so he could continue on his way. Another character who also hindered Odysseus would be the Cyclops that captured Odysseus and his crew to eat. But Odysseus formed a plan to escape and hid under Apollo’s sheep with his crew, and safely returned to his ship to continue his voyage home. Later in the story the sirens also hinder Odysseus, by using their hypnotizing voices to try to get Odysseus’s’ ship to crash. Thankfully Athena acted as Odysseus’s mentor, and gave him certain advice, such as to tie himself and other crew members to the mast of the ship when they passed the sirens, that way they wouldn’t be hypnotized by their voices.
Another common quest story would be Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. During the story you have your hero, Jim Hawkins, who is left with a map guiding them to Treasure Island. His friend, the doctor, helps him gather up a crew of miscreants, and a really great captain. Without the captain they would have never gotten to the island, found the treasure, survived, or had tips about when the rest of the crew was planning and when they would strike. The doctor Jim made friends with Long John Silver during the journey, who was a really sketchy character. He helped, and hindered Jim. You could never make up your mind about Long John really, because always at the last minute he would turn yet again. When Long John was on Jim’s side that gave Jim the advantage, because the whole crew would listen to Long John which really helped matters.

Think Through: Gilgamesh.

1. I was really dissapointed that the serpent ate the thorn stick out of Gilgamesh's hand. I was really happy that he had found it, after all that he went through, he deserved it. But also, his quest turned him into a better man. Before, he was greedy and all of his power had gone to his head, when he returned though, he was a man who was nice and wiser. So even though he didn't get what he was looking for, the quest turned out to be good for him.

3. Gilgamesh can't accept the fact that humans die because he thinks that when people die they basically surrender to the earth, letting it eat them up and cover their heads. He thinks it's almost like a sign of weakness. Also he thinks that everyone should see the sun until they've had enough of it. He also fears death, which is part of his thinking. Also he's scared of what awaits him in the after life.

4. I think that Gilgamesh is proud of his city. He has so much pride in where he lives, and who built it. I think when he showed it to Urshanabi, it was almost as if he got to brag a little bit.

5. I think the most important event in the story was when Gilgamesh's friend, Enkidu, died. This event took such a toll on Gilgamesh, it effected him through most of the story. It's what drove him out on his quest to find immortality, and it's what caused him to make most of the decisions that he made.

6. In the future, Gilgamesh I think will be the ideal king. He won't be so greedy, and he won't let his power go to his head. He's much more wise then he was before he started out on his quest for mortality. His people will be very satisfied with the man that he has become.

7. Some different attitudes that people have towards death would be most of them are frightened. They don't know what will happen to them after they're gone. The world will keep on spinning and going on, even after they've stopped. Also some people learn to accept it. Everyone's time will come, and you just have to make the best of the time you have here on earth. Some people become angry as well. They don't understand why it has to be them that dies. They really just need to realize that everyone will die some day, it's not just them.

Abortion.

Abortion has always been a very sensitive topic. Some people don't agree with it at all, but on the other hand you have the people who are totally pro towards it. As for me, I'm all for it. I think that if you become pregnant at an early age, and you realize that you have made a huge mistake, and don't want to ruin the rest of your life because of one mistake, then you should be able to go and take care of it. Sometimes it happens to the best of students, who have a future and plan on going to college, and set the standards really high for themselves, but then they go and make the mistake of having sex and that could cost them their future and the rest of their lives. But also, I believe that if you are that kind of person, who dreams of college, you should not risk having sex and having the chance of ruining your future. Some people see it as 'killing another human being', but I don't see it that way. For me I don't think that you can kill something that hasn't really even had the chance to live. Not trying to offend anyone, but that's just what I believe, and my way of thinking. And, I also think that abortion should be your choice, and you should be able to choose that decision.
(district weightlifting meet wednesday 9th)

Global Warming.

This year I've noticed that it has been getting hotter and hotter outside. I live in Florida, and I know that our seasons aren't a drastic change, but we've only had maybe one or two cold fronts that lasted a couple of days. Usually we get a bit of a temperature change going into winter, but not this year. On Christmas eve morning, my family and I went swimming in our pool. Christmas eve morning. Don't you think that it'd be cold so close to Christmas? But unfortunately, it wasn't. Also, my relatives who live up north, Washington D.C and Wisconsin, they say that it hasn't snowed once up there yet. This is so obvious that global warming is taking a toll on our world. I think that others really need to see this, and start acting on it. After all, this is our world and if we don't take care of it, who will? If we don't take care of it, then it won't be here for the generations after us. This is our earth, and if it's not here, then neither will we. People should make a bigger attempt to recycle, and carpool, or even spend the little extra to own a hybrid car. Global warming is a serious issue, and we need to treat it like one. A couple of months ago, I watched a movie called "An Inconvenient Truth". It's Al Gore's movie about global warming and what we can do to help, and if we don't, what would happen to our earth. It changed the way I see global warming now, and I highly recommend everyone to see it. Before I saw it, I knew that global warming was a problem, but I just thought, "oh, global warming won't affect me, it won't happen until I'm dead". And I'm sure that others think that same exact thing, only it's not true. Antarctica is melting faster than ever, and Greenland is as well. With these two places melting, the oceans are rising. If they melt too fast, many countries will be underwater, including my state, Florida. I know that I'm going to be around a while, and I don't want my time to be shortened because of global warming. Generations after us are going to want to live on this beautiful planet, Earth. And it's not fair to them if we ruin it before the even get a chance to see what a wonderful place this can be. So do yourself a favor, and for the people after us, and do what you can to reduce global warming. Don't think for one second that it's not a serious issue, because anything concerning preserving our world is a serious issue. RECYCLE!
-AP