drumstick.

The Truth

2008-02-09T10:49:00.000-05:00

mind. BODY. spirit.

Outdoor vs. Television

2008-02-08T16:41:00.000-05:00

If I had the choice of either going outside or watching television, I would chose the one most appropriate at the time. It really depends on the weather, what's on tv, who I'm with, and my mood. I actually don't watch a lot of television. I watch about an hour and a half a week. I'd probably prefer to be outside if it were sunny and warm out. If it were humid or raining I would stay inside. But if it were the summer when it was warm and raining, I would run outside with my sister and joke around. I like being outside a lot, and I think I get that from my Dad. He loves to hike and camp outdoors. I like nature a lot but I usually get bored with it after about 10 minutes. Maybe I'd watch T.V. when I first wake up and then go outside!

Should Old People be Banned from Driving?

2008-02-07T16:32:00.000-05:00

(picture from lifestartstat.com)

"This is a right turn lane only, Pop-Pop."

"Oh, is it now?"

"Yes, you have to turn right!"

"Maybe this fellow will let me in right here."

Pop-Pop tried to turn from the right turn lane only into the lane going straight. He almost crashed into the man behind us who was rightfully going straight.
The blaring horns from the aggravated driver behind us commenced.

Old people shouldn't be banned from driving. Not all old people can't drive. Honestly, it depends upon the situation. If a woman cannot see past three feet of her, it is crucial for her safety and the safety of other drivers around her that she do not drive. If you have no sense of direction or can't hear, it's probably best that you do not drive. Although these disabilities can affect younger people, most likely the main victims of these unfortunate disabilites are older people. After the age of 60 or 65, I think it's responsible and necessary for people to be tested on their driving skills. They say that being sleepy is just as dangerous as driving under the influence and I agree. But I also agree that older, disabled people driving are just as dangerous as a drunk man or woman. Most old people are terrible drivers due to the affects of mother nature and time. It isn't their fault but it isn't fair to let them drive. They could endanger the lives of other people, and most importantly, they could end up hurting themselves.

Super Power?

2008-02-07T16:18:00.000-05:00

If I had any superpower, it would definitely be the ability to read minds. Sure, the idea of being able to fly from one place to another or even be the strongest person on the earth is particulary intriguing, but I'd rather have a more intricate power. Mind reading is a little more useful than being able to be invisible. If I could mind read, I could find out what everyone was thinking. I could be efficient in my social interactions with other people and be able to persuade friends or family by using what's on their mind to my benefit. Mind reading would not only be a useful resource but it would certainly entertain me. I think I would definitely learn how the mind works and how people make decisions better. I would be able to understand how the human mind worked. Being able to read people's minds would definitely be my superpower if I could have one.

Feelin' Poetic ...

2008-02-07T16:16:00.000-05:00

(picture from zapatopi.net)

I started off the day tired
But the sunrise made me inspired
I came into school
feeling so cool
about how to rule
the sophomore class
and how to use my sass
to get good grades.

Don't you try to do the same?

Peace Out PA

2008-02-01T16:59:00.000-05:00

I WANT TO GET OUT OF PENNSYLVANIA.

It is a lovely state, don't get me wrong. But sometimes I get sick of the same old town, people, and scenery. I always hear my fellow classmates chat on and on about their glamorous vacations to the Dominican Republic and St. Marten. I rarely ever go anywhere but New Jersey or Delaware. Not exactly the dream vacation you would expect, right? Yeah, I just want to go somewhere pretty. Even just by going to Florida I get excited. The change of scenery would make me more relaxed and I would be able to experience different things. But the perfect vacation for me would, no offense family, be with my friends. I don't even care if we fly or drive there. As long as I'm out of the state, I would be happy. Teighlor and I would really like to go to Greece. It is so pretty and so historical, I feel like I would be in heaven there. I also really want to go see the turquoise waters in either the Bahamas or in Tahiti. I WANT TO STAY IN A HUT ON THE WATER IN TAHITI. Sorry, I get really worked up about that. That's probably my dream vacation. My Grandmother always tells me stories about her trips to Italy to visit our family and friends. Not only would seeing my extended Italian family be really cool, but I always wanted to go to Venice! I want to go to Tuscany! Even Rome. I can't handle this blog anymore, it makes me depressed because I never go anywhere... so to sum things up, I want to go on a major trip with my best friends where I can enjoy new and different things that I normally wouldn't.

(Picture by prweb.com)

Finding My Opinion on Abortion

2008-02-01T16:44:00.000-05:00

"Abortion is not the answer," my father always tells me. "There are plenty of other choices for a young woman."

I agree with this statement. To an extent. I cannot fully support a pro-life or a pro-choice side because I believe that it depends on the situation that the woman is in. I agree with the pro-life side when it comes to careless, irresponsible people. When people have sex knowing beforehand that they do not want a baby, there are many resources to keep from having children. It is easy to take birth control or even have condoms on hand. I do not think that because someone was careless with sex that they should be able to kill an innocent fetus. But then I agree with pro-choice when a girl is raped. It was not her choice to be forced to have sex with the man. She wasn't being lazy or lacking responsibilty on her behalf. Although I get queasy at the thought of terminating a young baby's life, I do feel that it is necessary to get rid of the unwanted child if the woman was not being careless or actively participating.

Umm, No Thank You, I don't eat...

2008-02-01T16:17:00.000-05:00

There are just some foods that I will never eat. Although I am not vegetarian, there are certain meats that do not make me salivate at all. I have eaten veal in the past, but now I refuse to eat that. I do not like the idea of trapping baby cows in small spaces to make their meat better. My family always teases me because they think I want to be vegetarian. But I just do not believe in eating baby animals. I will never eat lamb, fish, or calamari. I WILL NEVER EAT DOG. Dogs, along with dolphins and giraffes, are my favorite animals. Don't laugh, they rock. If I could, I would make dogs immortal. I do not like the texture of fish and calamari. I refuse to taste venison, also commonly known as deer. I know it is a delicacy in some countries to eat insects but I cannot and will not eat them. I will eat almost any vegetable except for tomatoes. I will not eat tomatoes but I LOVE KETCHUP!! I will not eat eggs but I love omelets. It is really quite bizarre how my taste buds work.

Dog Fighting

2008-01-31T16:48:00.000-05:00

(Photo from leerburg.com)
Imagine you work in the dog shelter in your town. A stray pitbull has been brought in with severe cuts and scraps all along its body. You feel sorry for the helpless animal and want to help it anyway you can. Surely there is someone who would love to nurse this lost dog back to health and provide it with a family to love it. But the only way this can happen is if the dog passes multiple behavioral tests. The dog passes the object reaction test with flying colors. But when it comes to aggression towards others in regards to its food, it fails. The dog must be humanely euthanized. In other words, because someone has wrongly treated this dog, it must die. No one will take a dog that has bad behavioral skills.

This is why I hate dog fighting.
It is not the dog's fault. The people that have raised the dog, no matter what breed, size, gender, or color have mistreated the animal. Some examples of mistreatment include beating the dog, starving the dog, and training the dog to fight and hurt other dogs. The dog then believes that being aggressive towards other dogs and even people is okay. It is not okay and it is not fair to the dog at all. Intentionaly teaching the dog to behave a certain way that endangers the dog's well being is innapropriate. I do not agree with dog fighting under any circumstance. It is wrong.

Mortal Combat Madness

2008-01-31T16:43:00.000-05:00

I feel that the two teens responsible for the death of their seven year old sibling should be sent to jail. Not only were their actions irresponsible but also immature. People who are sixteen are old enough to figure out what is appropriate and what is inappropriate. Violence is not an acceptable action, especially to people who are younger than you. They are looking up to you; you are their role model. By these two teens abusing the younger sibling, it is showing that violence is okay. But it is not. Violence is a very serious and adult topic. This is why they should take responsibility for their ‘adult’ actions and go to jail convicted as adults with murder. I believe that violent video games should be banned. Not all video games, just the violent ones that send a bad message and give kids and teens the idea to do horrid things like this.

(Photo found at dxgaming.com)

Physical Affection - Where Are the Limits?

2008-01-31T16:37:00.000-05:00

Student-on-Student public displays of affection are acceptable as long as they do not cross the line. I do not believe that physical contact should be completely banned from high schools. Body language and physical contact are important parts of social interaction. What is so wrong with a kid giving their classmate a high five because they both got an excellent grade in math? Nothing to me seems unnatural or wrong about this. The only time where physical contact in schools is inappropriate is when the boundary between being friendly and being romantically intimate is overstepped. A hug between two friends isn’t necessarily violating any social code. I don’t even think hand holding is that bad of a public display of affection for school. The intentions behind the actions are what determine what’s socially acceptable to be performed at school and what is to be left at home or outside of school.
(Photo provided by romancetracker.com)

Casinos in Philadelphia

2008-01-31T16:34:00.000-05:00

We should not allow casinos to be built in the city of Philadelphia because the costs outweigh the benefits. Although with casinos in our area taxes will be decreased for the citizens, the need for more than 100 cops will cost the city over 5 million dollars. There is an increased amount of crime including prostitution, white-collar crime, and assault at an estimated 84%. The death rate and violence in Philadelphia as it is already is so high that there is no need for any more disturbances. The casinos will bring in new visitors to Philadelphia but that does not necessarily mean that they will be beneficial to the city’s success. The business conducted inside of the casino will harm other Philadelphian businesses. Socially, families have been known to fall apart due to an addiction to gambling; divorce, physical abuse, and debt are all related issues to casinos. The money lost to the casinos and to counseling for the families will bring Philadelphia down. Overall, Philadelphia will see an increased crime rate and unnecessary fees for issues that would have never come up if it weren’t for the construction of these casinos in Philadelphia.

(Photo by lgic.org)

Stop-and-Frisk: Preventing Crime and Violence

2008-01-31T16:29:00.000-05:00

I think that the stop and frisk law is illegal for it contradicts a person’s civil rights. But this does not mean I necessarily believe that it should be illegal. I personally think that it should be legal because it helps in the prevention of crime and violence. The danger that is seen in our cities today is an unfortunate consequence due to lack of attention on the city’s behalf. If local police were able to do the stop and frisk, they would be paying more attention to the people in the cities and therefore would be able to eliminate crime. By taking the time to stop and frisk someone, the police are eliminating any chance there is for that person to harm another if they do carry a gun.

(Picture by forces.org)

Promoting Safe Sex: Smart or a Bad Idea?

2008-01-31T16:25:00.000-05:00

(Picture by JupiterImages.com)

I think it is not the smartest idea to be promoting sexual activity in an educational environment, especially if the students are in Middle School. I would definitely not want my child taking birth control without my permission or knowledge because becoming sexually active is only for mature people and is a serious part of anyone’s life. It is a step in a person’s life that needs to be considered in depth before acting. If my sister were taking birth control, I would probably tell my parents. If they didn’t know that she was sexually active, I would certainly tell them to inform them. It is something that parents need to know especially if their child is at a young age. I would not be taking birth control in Middle School because I would not be sexually active. Period. Sex is not to be taken lightly; it is an adult topic with adult consequences.

What Would You Save in a Fire?

2008-01-25T16:46:00.002-05:00

QUICK!

You have 10 minutes! Besides family members, explain what you would grab first and take with you out to safety;

I would take my three dogs and one of my favorite bracelets. My three dogs are important to me because they bring me love and joy in my life. They have been there for me through the hard times and I could not get through life without them. I would take the bracelet because it has ancestral value.

(Picture Provided by Riverfire.com)

Comparing and Contrasting Natural Disasters

2008-01-25T16:46:00.001-05:00

VS.

(Pictures are from gbgm-umc.org & tiee.ecoed.net)

Hurricane Katrina and Fires in California

Although the two natural disasters are of different types, each event was handled similarly. Both disasters used football stadiums for shelter and the citizens of the area all experienced death, damage, and destruction. So far only 10 people have been killed due to the forest fires in California which is seen as little compared to Hurricane Katrina; 1200-1800 were killed. The president has become and was involved with both situations. Both events led to the destruction of homes and the misplacement of people. California residents lost their homes due to fire and the people from the south lost their homes due to flooding. One million people were displaced because of the flooding from Katrina when a mere half of that, 500,000, were displaced in California.

Attention US!

2008-01-25T16:45:00.001-05:00

(Picture by Keetsa.com)

If I had the attention of the whole US population for five minutes, I would tell them that they do not care about the atrocities that consume our life and may affect our generations to come. This may include global warming or saving our rain forests. We live in a selfish world today that does not care about the consequences of our actions because we simply “will not be around” for it later, so it doesn’t matter to us. Instead of focusing on simple things like how we look or the material items we have, the US must first recognize and be aware of the problems we may face in the future, whether or not we are going to be around to experience them. We are too selfish. This must change or else our future generations will be negatively impacted by our ways today.

Pop Culture - Helping or Hindering the Scholars of Our Country?

2008-01-25T16:42:00.000-05:00

(Picture Uploaded by LalliSig on PicturePost.com)
I disagree with the idea that pop culture wastes a person’s leisure time. I think that popular culture is a way for young people to relate to one another, and is an important part of being creative. For some, they are born with a natural talent involving pop culture that cannot be denied. Pop culture can include anything from music to movies. Artists and musicians cannot choose what they like and dislike; they may feel like they aren’t getting enough out of their education studying anything else. For example, Christina Aguilera has grown up loving music. She was born with the natural talent of a strong, appealing voice. If she were to want to pursue her education through college in the arts, mainly focusing on her pop music, why should she be stopped? Pop culture can be good for a young adult’s education: it brings variety into their life and allows them to express themselves creatively and freely.

Pop Culture is truly important.