TU Tuesday- Local

Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text.
 Then, convince me you read the article, understood what you read, understood the prompt below I asked you to think about as you read, and wrote a thoughtful response, using support (direct quotes) from the article in your response.  put a working link to the article you read and are responding to, address the instructions in yellow below, and use support from the article you read in the form of FOUR direct quotes.


http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Maddie-s-Mark-in-memory-of-girl-who-died-of-brain-3591020.php

This article displayed the theme of "You never know what the future holds and you really need to enjoy ever single day," which is shortened into "the best days ever" because of the lasting memory that "Maddie's Mark Foundation" is giving us. This article is about "Madeline "Maddie" Musto, a 5-year-old Rotterdam girl who died in February of a rare, incurable brain stem tumor." she has shown us to live everyday to the fullest and that the smallest things really do count. "Though she is appreciative of everything, Erin Musto says it was the small things she remembers most fondly" and a lot of people forget that. Many people get tied up in work or school and people forget that at any moment, this can be taken away from you. I think this article is not only to give knowledge about Maddie's Mark and their goal "to donate money to help maintain places including parks, playgrounds, butterfly gardens and nature walks where people can enjoy "best days ever," it is about the message to stop and enjoy life. I think a local story like this and a strong family to deliver this message can have a big impact on a town that only pushes us to focus on the future without stopping to live in the moment. I love that  "the foundation hopes to provide a scholarship to a college-bound girl, who is kind, creative and can appreciate the best days ever," it really shows that people can strive for their future and their goals by enjoying life each day. Personally, I think that is a major aspect in achieving happiness in someone's life. Maddie's story should inspire more people to stop and soak in their surroundings instead of planning and squeezing out every minute of everyday. 

36. how would you feel if there was a draft?

36. How would you feel if there was a draft?

If there was a draft I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep very much without worrying. I already worry enough as it is. I wouldn’t want to lose the people I love and really care about and since we are getting to that age where they try to recruit people, it would have a bigger impact then I first thought. If there was a draft I feel like our whole country would have a depressed feeling linger in the air. There are a lot of people out there that think it is an honor to serve for your country, but I feel like that number is decreasing. Also nationalism in this country seems to be decreasing over the years. More people are thinking of a draft as a death sentence and shouldn’t be forced to enroll. Personally, I don’t think there should ever be a need for a draft because so many people already have the feeling that it is an honor to serve this country. 

what is crippling us?

Gatto has come to believe that the schooling system only cares about teaching students "1) To make good people 2) To make good citizens 3) To make each person his or her personal best." also that education isn’t all that it has hyped up to be because many philosophers and leaders throughout our history weren’t in the schooling system. The part that really stood out to me stated that "George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln? Someone taught them, to be sure, but they were not products of a school system, and not one of them was ever "graduated" from a secondary school." this stood out to me because I never thought of it that way, so many people that we have looked up to and depended on, didn’t go trough proper schooling. The schooling all just seems the same because we are all taught the same thing, tested on the same thing and encouraged mostly the same way. What also stuck out to me was when Gatto was talking about the integrating function. "This might well be called "the conformity function," because its intention is to make children as alike as possible. People who conform are predictable, and this is of great use to those who wish to harness and manipulate a large labor force." now that this is brought to my attention, I don’t think there are ways to change the system. In Fahrenheit 451, the people in the society seem to all think a certain way. I came to that conclusion when Montag asked, "What do you talk about?" when Clarisse said her family just sits around and talks; that seems unheard of in their neighborhood. Also it seems that Gatto and Bradbury have a connection when saying people are becoming more and more alike. This was shown when Montag thought "these men (referring to the other firemen) were all mirror images of himself!" I am persuaded by both Gatto and Bradbury's writings because as our schools have created us to be so similar and have similar goals of being our best that we can be. 

Tried and true

http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/post/17477297690/my-28-most-tried-and-true-writing-prompts

a-accept others

b- bring peace to your mind

c- count your blessings

d- dare yourself

e- excite yourself about the small things

f- find yourself

g- give yourself credit

h- help others

i- ignore the negative

j- just let your hair down

k- kindness is key

l- learn to love

m- money isn't everything

n- notice everything 

o- overloading isn't always good

p- pretty isn't everything

q- quiet moments are good for your health

r- relax 

s- soak up the sun

t- take your time

u- understand before you start

v- visualize your meaning

w- walk don't run

x- xenophobia isn't okay 

y- you always come first

z- zone in on what you want

TU Tuesday- Commencement Speech

"When I finished school I was completely lost...and I really had no ambition or know what I wanted to do." I understand what she went though. I really admire people who know what they want to do and the exact job they want but I still cannot figure out what to do for my career! I would love to have a job that has to do with art but the only thing that seems to be an option is an art teacher and that seems so ordinary. I do feel like I know who I am and "found myself" like some people say but when Ellen DeGeneres stated "by the time I was your age I really thought I knew who I was" now I do know exactly what I want for myself and understand that if something doesn’t fit in my life or doesn’t make me happy, I wont keep that around. "Live your life with integrity and not to give into peer pressure to try to be something that you are not, to live your life as an honest and compassionate person, to contribute in some way... follow your passion and never follow someone else’s path." I don’t like when girls or guys change them self to be accepted, I believe you have to know what you want and how you want to live life and if the people around you are blocking you from living to your fullest, you might have to think twice about the people you are hanging out with. Lately I understand that completely, a few friends that I have been a little iffy about this year held me back from who I really wanted to be seen and known as so slowly I've been weeding out the bad ones to leave the ones I want. Yes we have had good times and laughs but the "weeds" just take away from you and leave nothing to make you feel good about yourself. "I finally decided that I was living with so much shame and so much fear that I just couldn't live that way anymore... (I wanted) to free myself from this heaviness that I was carrying around." the heaviness can always be lifted if you know exactly what you want in life. If you want to be happy and joyful, don’t let others bring you down because they don’t have a found propose in life yet. I also agree that "the most devastating things can teach you the most" because after you experience a fall in your life, you know exactly what to do to get right back up and back onto your feet. If that ever occurs again it is that much easier to get back up. “Don’t be afraid to fail... though you should not fear failure, you should do your very best to avoid It." if you don’t try than you never know what could have been. It is better to try and fail than you forever wonder what could have happened. 

Commencement speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JccudODwwY

second non-fiction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmDYXaaT9sA&feature=related

90 Newspapers and How I Would Change Them

90 Newspapers and How I Would Change Them

I don’t understand how someone could just sit down and read the newspaper. I always hear about people who read the paper every morning. But I don’t understand, it is always so boring for me! Whenever we get the Sunday newspaper, I always open to the middle and take out the store ads to look through and throw the rest of it back on the table. The business section, sports, opinion and whatever other sections there are, are boring. I don’t understand the economy or politics and all the terms so I don’t care for reading about it. If I could change the newspaper I would put in more entertaining things like brainteasers or news around the world. I want our newspapers to be more like the journal we receive in school. The journal is upbeat, up to date, and never talks about depressing subjects or how the economy is going down. I would also make the print a little bit bigger because it annoys me when I’m trying to read the article and the paper is held 3 inches away from my face. I would also want to hear more about music and the artists, not the things like “they were seen outside of a night club drinking” but their new albums and their concerts.  

Love to Know Slideshow

http://freelance-writing.lovetoknow.com/Slideshow:Journal_Writing_Prompts~2

Essentials for a Happy Life List 10 things that are essential for a happy life and describe why each item is important.

1. To forgive- most people seem to not be able to forgive and forget problems that affected their life. I think for a happy life you need to forgive the people that made you mad or upset and just live life without worrying about the past.

2. Smile - I really believe that happiness is contagious. I was at a tournament and I received the two best complements anyone could have ever said. The first one was from a teammate’s mom who said "you are just always happy and you are always smiling no matter what." and the other one was from a coach that comes from time to time. We were down by 10 or so and it was my turn to finally go in. everyone seemed to have long faces and you could see they were down in their eyes. I went in, helped get some points back while smiling and laughing off any mistake that I made and when I came out and stood by the bench my coach came over to talk to me, he said "I think you’re up-beat attitude and the points you got really helped the team get out of the rut. It’s really important to have that skill to shake off any mistake that you made and you really have that." that lead me to believe happiness is contagious at that moment.

3. laugh- I did a project about Humor therapy when I was in middle school and I learned that laughter is very good for your health and can help you live a longer and happier life. When you laugh you just feel happier and some stress is taken away.

4. balance- you need to balance your school, your sports, relationships, work, friends and family. If you work hard in school it really pays off! Then you are happy to see the good grades you are receiving.

5. love- love comes in many different forms. You first learn love and the feeling of it from your parents when you are young. As you grow older you begin to love for your friends and care for them and don’t want anything to hurt them. The feeling of love can bring happiness because of the bubbly feeling you get from it. Later in life you fall for your boyfriend or girlfriend and then your spouse and get the feeling of love for your kids. I hope to have a family like that when I’m older.

6. Think positive- this seems like a cliché answer but it really works! For example, if there is something in this world that you want or desire, think positive about it! If you think about it, focus your energy on it, it will come to you. I read and watched the movie for "the Secret" and it says that "You are a magnet attracting to you all things, via the signal you are emitting through your thoughts and feelings. (There are) ways to open yourself up and become a powerful magnet to wellness and health starting from wherever you are now."
(http://thesecret.tv/living.html)
7. sports- I think everyone should join a sport or be part of an activity because after you exercise, endorphins are released which help you feel happy and content. Then you physically just feel better about yourself. Also with joining a sport, you meet a lot of new people and make a bunch of new friends.

8. friendship- to live a happy life, you need friends to be there for you. Friends are always there when your family isn’t available to talk and it seems easier to talk to someone your age. I wouldn’t be able to get through life without my friends to talk to and get advice or criticism from them.

9. Don’t get into drama- I absolutely hate drama. High school seems to be full of it but I steer away from it. It seems to make life easier and you have more energy to spend on the positive things in this world.

10. music- music can put you in any mood depending on the song that you are playing. I think listening to music and just singing along always makes you in a better mood. I love listening to music and singing along with my friends because we just start singing our own version and get a good laugh from it.

Creative Contest III

first time relationship, parents eyeing him.    

Communism

Communism is based off the ideas of Karl Marx stating that the society would be a classless society and all resources are divided equally among the people. The definition of communism "a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state." the first country to become a communist state is Russia after the Bolshevik revolution. The Bolshevik party turned their name into the communist party and just took all of power. Also during the Second World War Germany was a communist nation that led to the U.S. policy of containment that is trying to stop the spread of communism and the theory of the domino effect which is that if one nation becomes communist then the surrounding nations will become communist. Surrogate wars were also fought following WWII of communist and non-communist nations like Vietnam and Korea. I do agree with the idea that everyone should be equal however, nothing successful has ever come out from a communist nation and the people are miserable. So I disagree with the ideas of communism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism
 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/communism?s=t

TU Tuesday - Classified

Her lips blew the dust off the "amber baby cup, plate and bowl set" sorrow sunk into her heart. Her daughter seemed more distant these past few years after the wedding. She received less phone calls, less visits, and slowly seemed to lose her daughter to her new husband. The old lady tucked a piece of white hair back into her bun and pushed her glasses farther up on her nose. The only thing she ever dreamed of is having grand children. She saved all her "vintage" toys to share with the toddlers and right when her dream became true, they move hundreds of miles away. A whole trunk full of "never used" toys seems to be a waste now. She would never be able to see the smile on their faces as they open and play with each toy. The "Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme" begins to hum in her head never being able to hum it to her grand children as they drift off into sleep. She wonders what could have been different, what could she have done to change her daughter from moving? Her wrinkled fingers trace the only picture of her grand daughter and her heart sinks deeper into her chest. She wanders back downstairs from the attic and drops herself into her tattered couch. Her eyes wander around the room until landing on the computer. She slowly approaches the mouse and wiggles it alive. Her fingers sluggishly begin to type... "Vintage Indiana Tiara Glass (Amber) Baby cup. Plate & Bowl set. Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme theme. Original box. Never used. Excellent condition. Label still on plate. Cash only, local only." she leans back into her chair, now only if she can get rid of the pain left in her heart.

http://timesunion.kaango.com/ad-antique-tiara-glass-mother-goose-cup-plate-bowl-set/20526813

Antique Tiara Glass Mother Goose Cup, Plate & Bowl set

Vintage Indiana Tiara Glass (Amber) Baby cup. plate & Bowl set. Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme theme. Original box. Never used. Excellent condition.

Label still on plate. Cash only, Local only