Raymond's Run

This is based on a "Raymond's Run"

I get stares from people just walking down the street. I don't think they realize what's wrong with me. They make faces at me and I tolerate them, they point and start to wisper. Man, am I glad I have my sister by my side. She'll knock anyone of them out, or so she says. She makes me feel confident, she makes goals for me to accomplish so I don't just feel like i'm there. I feel like i'm there for a reason because of her. I have abilities that only she can see, although I haven't comforth and shown them. I may look different and not fit in, but thanks to Squeaky I am right where i'm supposed to be.

Kidnapped and Beaten

Ever been a victim of verbal, physical, or cyber abuse? Thirteen year old Nadir Khoury was allegedly kidnapped, put in a tree and hung on a fence by a group of school boys ranging from the ages of 13 to 17 for no apparent reason. Jerrie Dean, author of the article portrayed a sinful and disturbing piece about what these boys did to young Nadir. This article shows that bullying is becoming one of the world's biggest growing epidemics.                                                                                                       

Bullying is a very serious case of abuse to another person whether it is verbal or physical. Nadir Khoury is one of many who have faced both types of bullying in one day that has traumatized him causing him to be home schooled. Six out of the seven boys have been found and are being put on trial and "Khoury is ready to testify in the case" says author Jerrie Dean.                                                                                                         

The trial lasted a couple of weeks then the decision was made that 6 out of the 7 boys that allegedly attacked Nadir are being arressted for assault and kidnapping charges. They are being sent to Lima Detention Facility until further notice. These types of things happen and we can help prevent them by accepting others no matter what race, religion, gender or sexual orientation they are. It will not only make you a better person but it will also motivate others to do whats right.                                        

This story is an inspiration to kids everywhere and it shows how far things like this can be taken. Next time you see a kid getting picked on don't just sit there and watch, do something about it and stand up for them. If you think your not gonna be able to help get someone who can. Make the right choices and you'll do fine in life.

Everything is Similar

Everything in perspective is the same, you see the same, hear the same, and taste the same. Whats the fun in that. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. portrays an interesting and different way to look at life if everyone was exactly the same.  Everday everything is the same nothing changes, how do you tell whose who, how do you make yourself different from others, truth is you can't.

Uniqueness is something that makes people who they are. How are you supposed to tell the difference between one person and another if they all look alike? Personally this story is very dumb and I don't agree with it. It is telling me that similarity is alright and that you should follow everything someone else does. In example if someone is smoking in front of another person that person is supposed to grab the cigarette and join them. That is just wrong, similarity doesn't let one express themselves through their clothes, personalities, or just how they say things.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. expresses what he thought the world would be like during the 2081, if we look at life nowadays the things he explained in the story aren't true. It may not be 2081 yet but it's only 70 years away and I don't believe we can figure out how to make everyone similar whether we like it or not. "Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else", this sentence makes one think that the world is going to be very boring in the next 70 years.

Imagine waking up in your early 80's to the same thing every single day. To a house with no color, clothes with no emotion and people who are exactly like you. Boring right? With us only being in the year 2011 I personally would like to keep things the way they are. I'm not saying I like violence or global warming, but I don't want people or places to change so that no is different from one another. The way we live today is the way we should live for a long time to come.

2081...

The year was 2081, it consisted of top fashion statements, new inventions for kids and adults alike, and new environments to live in. It seemed like paradise right? Wrong. The war's are beginning to get worse, we are suffering from more and more attacks from other outraged countries, and we are becoming over populated forcing people to be sent to other areas of the world, whether they are safe or not. We can get around quicker but it's a lot tougher. We can make the days seem like they last forever but we have certain times to be out in the open. But most importantly we have certain times we are allowed to see our own family members. This is definetly not what I call paradise.

School Uniforms A Problem?

  A group of small boys and girls all wearing the same colored uniforms assembled in front of a catholic school is what I imagine when thinking about school uniforms. This is probably what most people imagine. They have been attached to students of European and private schools. Such pictures of students dressing in school uniforms have led to stereotyping and a negative attitude towards schools enforcing a uniform policy. Displayed as robots without the ability to express them selves in a society that says you must express yourself and be an individual at all cost. The problem is that the cost to express yourself and be an individual is high in some cases. In Detroit, a 15-year-old boy was killed for his $86 basketball shoes. I believe that cost is to high for something so easy as shoes.

School uniforms have been the cause of many jokes and harassment to those who wore them. In the past, public schools considered uniforms old and out dated trends, though recently many public schools are starting to implement and enforce a uniform policy. The implementation of a school uniform policy is important if we are still striving to improve our students. The arguments against them are fading while the positive reasons are promoting school uniforms and gaining ground. Some of the possible benefits are safety, cost, uniformity and competition in academics instead of fashions. The main argument against them is the need for students to express their individual selves; this argument is losing ground compared to the benefits of the uniform policy. Today many public schools are mandating and enforcing school uniforms for their students.                                                                                                                                       The first fundamental issue that school board officials and law makers should look at before they make new policies and laws concerning school uniforms is, will these new laws and policies have a positive impact on students overall performance. This would not be limited to academic performances only but should also include other socially learned behavior that will enhance the students ability to conform to the social norms needed to be successful in today’s society. 

Fighting For the Right to Live

“It is my first morning of high school. I have seven new notebooks, a skirt I hate, and a stomachache.” These are the first words of an amazing novel written by Laurie Halse Anderson. The novel that has changed my point a view is “Speak.” This extremely well written book portrays a girl who is going into high school with a new start, except one small thing is missing; she has no friends. She has to go through a whole year and maybe even more by her lonesome. Laurie Anderson displays a truly warm and touching story about how a teenager can go through so much and yet no one is aware of what has happened! Melinda is portrayed as a teenager who has suffered from sexual abuse. Even though one can suffer greatly, there is hope if one takes up the courage to face themselves and fight for their right to live and to be.

To begin with, in the book Speak, Melinda went through what every teenage girl fears- rape. One out of every three girls will be sexually abused by the age of 18. This is a disturbing but very true fact. In the concept of the book Melinda is faced with things that a teenager shouldn’t be put through. Laurie Halse Anderson finds a different way to talk to her readers through her writing. It takes a look at sexual abuse victims and what they are thinking of and how you should be open.

In addition to being open to those that are around you, you also have to be able to listen and be opened minded about different subjects, even if they are weird or uncomfortable. The author is trying to send a message to her readers about how you should be safe and aware of your surroundings. In a part of the book Melinda says that “the safest place to be is alone, inside your own head.” These words are probably what every sexual abuse victim is thinking, but what they don’t know is that if they just peel back a layer of skin they will feel a weight lift off of their shoulders, and that is when they know they should “speak.”

Infinity Room

Infinite space

Miles of nothing

Surrounded by stars

Doesn’t feel like much

Walk forever

Still in the same place

Peace and Quiet

Out on your own

Everything you ever wanted

Or everything you never wanted

The feeling of discomfort

Or the feeling of Freedom

What were you feeling?

What inspired you?

Science or Space

We will never know

Stanley Landsman

Do you feel like this?

No space at all

Yet infinite space all the time

1930

Imagination began

Wheels turning

Inspiration was seen

1984

Lived to the fullest

Done the idescribable

Finished life dreams

Role Model

Inspirational

Created Smiles

Created tears

Will be remembered

For a long time

Almost for….

"Infinity"