from The Story of My Life

by Elijah Waldon

Keep this truth in mind: Everything you see on beaches is not for picking up!

    This story takes place about 6 or 7 years ago.  My mom and I was living in Virginia at that time.  My mom and I loved to do everything together.  We've been to Busch Gardens nearly sixteen times.  We've even taken a trip to Disney World together; that's right, no dad included. 

     On this particular day we decided to go to the beach; to Virginia Beach, that is.  It was a very cloudy day with no sun in site; the weather seemed a bit gloomy, but I did not let that ruin my excitement.  We drove to Virginia Beach in Mom's van.  When we arrived, I got out of the van wearing my comfortable blue swimming trunks; I did not pay attention to what Mom was wearing because I was too concerned about having fun. 

     Surprisingly, many people were at the beach on that gloomy day.  I did not know why, but I didn't care; again, I was only thinking about myself.  Excitement rose in me as we approached the high tide line.  We started walking along the high tide line, then we would stop, waiting for the ocean water to touch our feet.  I was having so much fun!  We started walking again when I spotted a shell to pick up, then another....then another....then another....then another....then another.....then another....then another....then another....

     In no time at all, I had more shells then I could count.  I was on a roll!  Then, I spotted something; something unusual.  It looked liked nothing I ever saw before in my life.  I picked it up to examine it.  It had a solid, liquid-like feel, somewhat like mush.  It was very, very translucent because I could see the sand on the beaches through it.  I thought to myself, What could this strange object be?  I bet nobody has seen something like this!  It must be a new discovery!  Then, in the middle of my examination, Mom knocked the object out of my hand into the ocean yelling "ELIJAH! THAT'S A JELLYFISH!"  She just KNOCKED it out my hand without even asking me to hold it.  I was so interested in that object, and then here comes Mom, knocking my discovery out of my hand and ruining my good day at the beach.  But, actually, it wasn't ruined; I forgot about it after I started picking up some more shells.

     You might be wondering, "So, why are you telling me this?"

     I'm just teaching you a life lesson here, people.  You know what they say: Curiosity killed the cat or in this case could of killed the cat.  Don't let your curiosity lead you into the wrong situation. Trust me, I know.

....And so does Dory

Knock, Knock

Who's there?

Owls

Owls who?

That's right. Owl whoooo.


Get it?
In the part that says "Owl who?," "who" and the sound that owls make (whoooo) are homophones.
HeeHeeHaHaHoHoHar...

This is a link to the Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole movie trailer.  The joke is told at the end of the trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXNFA__uOJU













Want to see something else funny?
This is a picture of my grandpa (being eaten by a monkey), my dad, my mom, and myself as a baby.
HeeHeeHaHaHoHoHar...

Using Repartee

This is a story about a cheerleader, a panda, a bounty hunter, and a movie director.  This story takes place on a Friday night at the director's home.  They are eating pizza and taking turns playing chess.  This event happens right after they realize there is only one slice of pizza left.


Cheerleader:  "Uh Oh! There is only one slice of pizza left.  I guess I'll have it."

Bounty Hunter:  "You may want to leave the pizza alone...so you'll be able to cheer at the next game."

Cheerleader:  "So, you calling me fat?"

Panda:  "Um, excuse me, Ms. I'm-So-Perky, but you already had three slices.  You may want to back off!"

Movie Director:  "Excuse me guys, but I thought you all came to lose at some chess."

Cheerleader:  "So when did you learn to play chess?"

Movie Director:  "Ha Ha!"

Bounty Hunter:  "Hey, Ms. Shout-it-out, it's your move...Choose wisely."

Cheerleader:  "Ooh! I'll move this piece."

Panda:  "She plays well.  You just exposed your bishop!"

Cheerleader:  "I'm good, Huh?"

Bounty Hunter:  "Yeah, if you want to lose."

Cheerleader:  "Huh!"

Bounty Hunter:  "My turn.  I'll just take your bishop here."

Cheerleader:  "OK, then.  Checkmate!"

Everyone:  "Huh!!"

Cheerleader:  "I win.  I guess the last slice is mine.  See ya!"
Hope you enjoyed my use of repartee.

Barack Obama-Nobel Peace Prize Winner

     Some of the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize comes from rough beginnings, but they feel as if they should change the world in a way that address global issues.  At first glance, these recipients who come from uneducated and poor families look like they will not prosper in their lives, but they have become well-known people around the globe.  I chose one recipient to study...someone everyone in the U.S. should know...President Barack Obama!

Name: Barack H. Obama

Country: United States

Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for:  His "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people" and "visions of and work for a world without nuclear weapons."

Work and Specific Contributions: -World organizing

                                                       - Arms control and disarmament

                                                      

Obama saw the need for diplomacy and took action to strengthen relationships around the world.

There was a lot of tension between many countries around the world because of the poor economy, land disputes, and various wars.

He took action by cutting taxes for families who worked hard and keeping the world's most harmful weapons from being used.

                                                    

He used the television, the internet, and conferences to promote nuclear disarmament.

Most people thought that the choice to give the award to Pres. Obama was premature. The Republicans in Washington believed Obama should not have been awarded with the prize. Some of my sources said that he was awarded the prize for the future accomplishments that people thought that he would make. Even President Obama said that he would accept this award as motivation to complete the actions that he had put into motion.

“I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who have been honored by this prize, men and women who’ve inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.” -Barack Obama

President Obama felt he was not worthy of receiving this reward, but he accepted it as a "call to action" to address global issues.

His vision for changing the world was making the world free of nuclear weapons.

Before winning the Nobel Peace Prize,

-Obama became known as the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review.

-Obama helped lead a voter registration drive and taught at a university in Chicago.

-As a U. S. Senator, Obama did much to deter the use of some of the world's most dangerous weapons.

Pres. Obama's press secretary called him to tell him that he had won the award.
Pres. Obama inspires me to become a leader. When reading my sources, I found out that many people from many countries were hoping that he would be able to use his influence to help make the world a safer and better place.  Obama helped solved problems that addressed issues of the world and in return, people gave him their trust and hopes. When all people in the world depend on the same man, it's up to him to change the world, for good or for bad. Knowing this, I am inspired to change the world in a way where all people of the world feel happy and safe.

Sources: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/
               http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/world/10nobel.html

               http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/10/09/us-nobel-peace-obama-idUSTRE5981JK20091009

               http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/09/nobel-peace-prize-barack-obama

Bullying in Franklin Academy (Wake Forest)

I find it easy to think about what an individual can do, but it's not so easy for me to practice it.  I will consider an issue that is well-know in many schools across America, and that is bullying.  I created a survey for students at my school with questions relating to bullying at my school.  Here are my results!  (Notice: My answers is in red)



1. Have you ever been a victim of bullying at some time during this school year? (This includes teasing, name-calling, hitting, threats, intimidation, and so on and so forth).

No

Students: Yes 40%
                No 60%

2. Have you bullied someone during this school year?

No

Students: Yes 0%
                 No 100%

3.Have you seen someone else being bullied this school year?

No

Students: Yes 82%
                No 18%

4. What do witnesses or bystanders usually do when they see someone being bullied?

They immediately tell a teacher or trusted adult.

Students: Tell a teacher 50%
                Help the victim by standing up to the bully/hitting the bully/telling the bully to stop 40%
                Bystander would be afraid to tell a teacher 10%

5. Is bullying a problem here at Franklin Academy?

No

Students: Yes 63%
                No 27%
                Sometimes 10%


Conclusion
Based on the results, I can see that bullying is a huge problem at Franklin Academy.  The school seems well-organized and well-managed, but under all that, the students are being bullied.  I love the school, but I wish something could be done to stop bullying.


Quote
"All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing."  - Edmund Burke

Notice I highlighted the word "good" in the quote.  I did that to show how this quote applies to the issue of bullying at Franklin.  The only way for bullying to continue is by students letting it happen.  Even when their friend is being bullied, the "good" guy does nothing or keeps quiet in order to protect himself from the bully.  It think that Franklin Academy should do more to encourage students to report bullying when they see it or experience it.

What would YOU do?

Viewing the Holocaust

Quote:  "I have decided to devote my life to telling the story because I felt that having survived I owed something to the dead.  And anyone who does not remember betrays them again." -Elie Wiesel


     A lot of people do not like to remember the Holocaust.  It was a very terrible and depressing time.  Many Jews all over Europe were killed in only a few years.  Now, years later, many people still don't like to talk about it.  All that most people want to remember about it is that it was a very important part of history, and they choose to believe that something like that will never happen again.  But as I write, genocides still happen today.

     In the quote above made by Elie Wiesel, he gives his reason for telling his story about surviving the Holocaust.  He wants people to hear his story since others who died in the Holocaust can not tell theirs.  He also says that whoever chooses not to remember the Holocaust will betray them all over again.  This means that people today act like the family and friends of those who died, who did not do anything to help the Jews.  I agree with Wiesel because I can relate to a similar situation.  When a kid views a particular group in school to be popular or "cool", he would do anything to be with them including betraying his old friend.  He would rather trade his old friend for the new group in order to appear "cool" to other students in school.  This situation proves Wiesel's statement to be true of people's betrayal of others.  It is not right for someone to betray a friend in order to become popular, safe, or benefit from someone else's misfortune. 

     Here are some images that I think of when I read Wiesel's passage.

The two dogs used to be friends until the dog sitting betrayed the dog standing and got a new cat friend.

Judas has betrayed Christ.

The picture shows Wiesel's reason why he wanted to tell his story.  Wiesel should tell his story because the other Jews in the Holocaust can not tell their story.  Wiesel "owes" it to the Jews to tell his story.

The girl is cheating on the guy in orange, betraying him for someone else.

The red person represents Wiesel.  The blue people represent the Jews who died in the Holocaust.  Wiesel is holding his hand up because he is choosing to tell the story of Jewish life during the Holocaust.

     This is my view of the Holocaust.  What 's yours?

Elijah Waldon