Winner

This weekend I had a basketball tournament. We actually won! But I didn’t even play for my normal team. I was subbing for them. It was at center court and Carson was on my team! Our goal was to win a tournament by the end of the summer and we did. Many people play basketball for fun or for competition or for both.  I hate having basketball games early in the morning, but I would rather wake up and play basketball then wait around all day. Next year is High school basketball which is different then AAU. AAU is summer basketball, like travel teams. Some teams  go to like Orlando for tournaments, but not my team…..

Sadly we stay in this state we call Wisconsin. I think it would be a good experience if we went out of state, but I know that would never happen. I guess playing tournaments local is better then nothing.  Winning a tournament is a good feeling. You feel like you have accomplished something.

Tradition

Author's note: I am writing this short response on what I think is the main theme of The Lottery Shirley Jackson.

In the short story, The Lottery, there was a main theme that stood out the most. The main theme would have to be tradition. I would say tradition because in the story the lottery(what they call their yearly "killing") happens every June 27th. People back then would call this entertaining, but it would not be fun if the person you loved would be standing there getting rocks thrown at them. I would probably cry. Although the title might through your off, you would never think that the lottery would mean killing people.

When we think of the lottery, we think of money, but this is not their kind of lottery. What they call the lottery, is what we would never do in our society. It would be cruel to think that every year someone's name would get called and they would get killed. In this case the women got stoned.  It is a tradition for this village to pull a families last name and then pick a family member. That is not what we call "normal". I think that since the people living there are afraid of the government, none of them would have the courage to leave. The government was so strong about this tradition, that everyone felt like they should be dedicated to the lottery. Even though someone has to die.

In conclusion, tradition is very important to this story. If their was no government, there probably would be no tradition. Reading this made me think about how the societies are different now then what they used to be.

A crack in the Mirror

If you crack a mirror, you can get bad luck. If you walk under a ladder you, get bad luck. And if you step on a crack you will brake your mother's back. You can believe it or you can not, but its all superstitious. When you brake a mirror, you will get 2 years of bad luck. Its kind of like Karma. While you do things you have to think about what you say. If you say something like "My team will win this game." You don’t always know. So you knock on wood. I guess you could say that I believe in all of these superstitions, but I also think that it is something that happened to a person and say that if it happens to you, you will get bad luck. Honestly, braking a mirror is not such a great deal, unless you truly believe karma.

 

People always have these things that they believe in, for example, if you step over someone, they get bad luck. If you step back over them the bad luck goes away. I learned this from my mom's friend. She learned it from a superstition from the country that her ancestors were born, and it just carried on throughout the family. There could also be myths, folktales and fairy tales. These are all things that are passed on from generation to generation. They have made many fairy tale books, into movies. For example, Cinderella. It is not real but people used to think it was. Or it is just a story that some one made up and it still lives on. These myths, folktales, and fairy tales are all like things that you have to believe and things that you have to know to pass on to other people.

Live Life to the Fullest

Author’s Note: This essay is about the motto “Livestrong”. It was all started by a man named Lance Armstrong. Also I am writing my opinion and what it means to me.

Livestrong is an organization that was created by a man with cancer. His name was Lance Armstrong and he had cancer. He was very famous because he was a famous bicyclist. His organization all started with a simple yellow wristband. As Livestrong grew, more and more people bought the bracelets to help. To be able to get more money, the organization started making clothing and shoes. I believe that this is a great motto and also a wonderful foundation. 

            It all started with the bracelet. The program is intended to raise money for cancer research and raise money for cancer awareness. It has grown over the years, there are many things they sell and other events that you can join to help the Livestrong foundation. The wrist band shows reminds people to live life to the fullest. There has been eighty million bracelets sold to date (Live Strong Wristband). Yellow was chosen because of the importance of in professional cycling. The color yellow was worn by the leader of the Tour e France race which, Lance Armstrong won seven times (Livestrong Wristband). Other charities used the idea of making their own bracelets to sell to raise money. They got this idea because the Livestrong yellow bands that were very popular. 

            I believe that Livestrong is also a great motto, because it is encouraging. This helps me, for example if I am running and I am getting tired, it reminds me to be strong and finish for my team and for myself. You want to live life to your fullest. You don’t always have to do what others want you to. Do what you want to do. Live your life, for you not for other people. I have recently gotten the wristband, and I wear it when I fell like I need ecouragement to keep going, and never stop. I think that this is what Lance Armstrong thought to himself when he was fighting cancer. He wants to pass it on to others that are fighting, and encourage them to be strong and keep going. 

            Lance has taken his foundation to the next level. He now has more then wrist bands to sell. At sports stores, such as Finish Line they sell shorts and workout gear that is the brand Livestrong. There are also Livestrong shoes that are sold. There is also a Livestrong marathon that many people participate in. The last marathon raised more than seventy-thousand dollars (Livestrong). Raising that much money for cancer research is a great thing. Eventually finding a cure would be remarkable, but they need to help out which is what they are doing by raising money. 

            In conclusion, Livestrong is the one thing that I think about when wanting to push myself to work harder. I aslo think that helping raise money for cancer research is fantastic. A little goes a long way, and donating even a little bit can help.

The Secret

Author’s Note: I am writing a conflict/resolution essay which goes with the story, Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard.

                Pretty Little Liars, by Sara Shepard, is a story about four best friends who work together to find out who murdered their best friend and leader, Alison. After she is reported missing, they all begin to receive text messages from an anonymous person called “A”. The person who “A” is seems to know everything about each and everything about each of one of the four girls. There is more than one conflict in this story, for example, who killed Alison? and who is the anonymous “A” sending all of the text messages?

               

 The night that Ali went missing, was the night that Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily all had a sleepover.  In the story this is the climax because they think that Alison may have been murdered. The girls eventually part ways because it is hard to be together and think about Ali all at the same time.  When the girls split up, they all get mysterious texts and emails. All of them are from a person or group of people that call themselves “A”. Realizing they are all receiving these texts, they reunite to resolve this mystery.  The police suspect so many people there really is no resolution to what happened to Ali. One night that they find her body, but no one knows what happened, other than she was buried under a slab of concrete. These texts that they get are mainly threats and if they don’t do what they say something happens to someone in their family or friends. “A”, is always one step ahead of the group. The girls go on a hunt to find out who “A “is. 

                Since “A” knows everything about them it is hard for the girls to figure out who this person is. Spencer, Aria, Hanna and Emily unlock clues that help them figure out who “A” is. Although along the way they meet people that help them. For example Dr. Sullivan, who is a therapist that figures out the case but “A” captures. Everything they do A knows. If they tell anyone about A, they are dead. It is a tough journey for them, but their resolution never gets revealed.  This story is kind of a brainteaser. While reading each chapter you really have to put thought into what is going on. It is like a puzzle. No one thought that there would an answer until “A” reveals themselves. One of the best friends of Hanna ends up being “A”. Her name was Mona. Mona would probably be the last person you would think would be the stalker. When they get their resolution, their lives turn better and everything thing goes back to normal without Ali. 

                In conclusion, being in the middle of a murder case is a hard thing to handle, especially because if it is your best friend. The friends learn how to get through it and live through torture and sadness. After figuring out what has all happened the girls don’t have to suffer anymore.

Survival of the Fittest

Author’s Note: This piece is a cause and effect piece about the book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This is an essay explaining the cause and effect events in the story.

                According to the Capitol fighting until death is entertaining. Twelve districts are a part of what once was the country, the United States. Every year, each district chooses one boy and one girl to participate in the Hunger Games. The sole winner of the games receives celebrity status for themselves as well as food for their district. Primrose Everdeen was chosen from District Twelve, however, her older sister, Katniss, volunteers to take her place. Katniss feels compelled to protect her sister as she has been doing ever since the death of her father. Due to their mother’s severe depression, Katniss has been providing and protecting her family for years. The Hunger Games, the climax, or cause is the ultimate test of survival for Katniss.

                 Katniss is a brave and strong girl who lives in a poor district where fending off starvation is a daily struggle. This extreme struggle to survive has forced her to learn how to secretly hunt using a bow and arrow. This skill meant survival at home but also becomes her talent and aids in her survival during the games. When she enters the arena, she has to face many unimaginable things such as; starvation, thirst, out of this world animals and emotional trials she has never expected. Her difficult life gave her some preparation that helped her survive in the Hunger games, a minor cause and effect result. 

                The major effects and turning point of this story happened to be at the end of the games and afterward when Peeta and Katniss both are declared winners. At the end of the games, Peeta and Katniss are left to decide who would survive. Neither one could bring themselves to kill the other, so they decided to eat poisonous berries and die together, leaving no one a winner.  The capitol interfered before they could eat the berries and both were declared winners. 

                The effect of this result would assume would be joyous and most that is true however, with this conflict there is more than one effect that results. The obvious effect of the winning of the Hunger Games was ultimately the survival of Katniss and Peeta both from District twelve. They in fact would be provided with a new home, riches and food for themselves and their families. Winning the games made Katniss’s life much better than before the games however there were negative effects as well.  The effects not only her life but also her families lives too. It’s impacted her relationship with her friend, Gale. He didn’t know how to react to her relationship with Peeta and as a result he distanced himself from her. This was hurtful and confusing to her. Most importantly the effect of winning the Huger Games the way Peeta and Katniss did with the poisonous berries, did not go over well with the leaders in the capitol. Feeling deceived, the leaders give Katniss feelings of unrest for what her future may hold.

                In conclusion, many effects, not just one resulted from the winning of the Hunger Games, and not all were positive. As in life, the cause and effect relationship we experience we experience every day, though not as extreme as what Katniss experienced, can bring us and others around bring upon unhappiness and joy but also bring upon happiness and sorrow. There’s a lesson to be learned everyday we survive out own Hunger Games of life.  

A Common Cold

Author’s Note: I wrote this research essay, about the common cold and viruses. This was also for science class as well as Language Arts.

 Have you ever wondered why people get sick? There are many sicknesses, like the common cold which is very common throughout that world. “The common cold is just a viral infection disease (What a Common Cold is).” The average adult gets 2-3 colds a year. The cold is in your upper respiratory system. A common cold is usually harmless, although it may not feel that way. “If it's not a runny nose, sore throat and cough, it's the watery eyes, sneezing and congestion — or maybe all of the above (Common Cold).” Although the common cold can be spread to others, allergies cannot.

 Allergies do not spread. They are not contagious because allergies are caused by an overactive immune system (Is it a common cold or allergies? ). Many people around the world have allergies.Suffering from allergies is not uncommon. There are some over the counter drugs you can take to help. The difference between allergies and colds is the common cold is caused by hundreds of different viruses, while allergies are just because of your immune system. ”Your risk of developing allergies is related to your parents' allergy history” (Is it a common cold or allergies? ). If your parents have allergies you are at a higher risk of developing allergies.

The cold is common all around the world. It is called the “common cold” because most everyone gets it. “The symptoms of the common cold are a cough, sore throat, runny nose, and a fever (What a Common Cold is)”. The average child catches a cold about 6-7 times a year compare to adults, who they catch the cold about 2-3 times a year. ”Children are the ones that get the cold the most, because we develop immunity to many cold viruses as we age, which is why children are more likely to have colds than adults” (How to Catch a Cold). The cold is an illness caused by a virus infection located in the nose. Colds also involve the sinuses, ears, and bronchial tubes. Next, Allergen is also related to allergies. “Allergen is the substance that causes allergic response” (What is Allergen?). “Allergens are substances that, in some people, the immune system recognizes as "foreign" or "dangerous" but cause no response for most people” (What is Allergen?). Common allergens include bacteria and viruses, chemicals, dust, perfumes, and smoke (What is Allergen?).

Allergen causes allergies and allergies are very common and can be treated. Lastly, viruses. ”A virus is a small infectious agent that can only replicate inside the cells of another organism” (What is a viruse?). Viruses infect all types of organisms, such as plants, bacteria, and animals. Viral infections in animals provoke the immune system, which usually eliminates the infection virus (What is a viruse?). Vaccines can also produce immune responses, which confer to the specific viral infection. Examples of human diseases caused by viruses are the common cold, influenza, and cold sores. Vaccinations are a cheap way and effective way of preventing viruses (What is a viruse?).

 In conclusion, the common cold, allergen, viruses, and allergies are all tied together in some way. There are many things you can do to prevent these viruses and colds. You can wash your hands and go to the doctor to stay healthy. Take advantage of all the little things that you can do to help your body stay healthy.

"How to Catch a Cold." 2012. Duke Health. 4/18/12 April 2012 <http://www.dukehealth.org/health_library/health_articles/how-to-catch-a-cold>.

"Is it a common cold or allergies? ." 2012. WebMD. 4/18/12 April 2012 <http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/common-cold-or-allergy-symptoms>.

"What a Common Cold is." 2007. Common Colds. 4/18/12 April 2012 <http://www.commoncold.org/undrstn2.htm>.

"What is a viruse?" News Medical . 4/24/12 April 2012 <http://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-a-Virus.aspx>.

What is Allergen? 4/16/12 April 2012 <http://www.allergyuk.org/allergy_allergen.aspx>.