Should Animals be Used as Circus Performers

No, Animals should not be used as performers because it robs them of their natural freedom. We are using creatures that should be free and be able to live a natural life be used for our own entertainment. This is not living at all. It is proven that animals in the Circus live a depressing life of domination, confinement, and violence. We all see how some circus owners treat their animals that they are using for performance. Some animals are whipped and shocked just to preform tricks for our so called "amusement." Many animals in the circus experience horrendous living conditions.


Yes, I believe that animals should be used as circus performers, because the animals are protected. Not all circuses have animal cruelty. An article from theguardian.com had lots of research done with it that showed that not all circuses abuse animals for training. Bobby Roberts Super Circus for example, makes sure that their animals are treated well. For example, the author of the article in question went to see a performance of Great Britain's super Circus to find that the animals were treated well. When a trainer performed a trick with 5 Bengal Tigers, there was no whipping or chair brandishing, the trainer merely tapped on the table, and the tigers did the trick similar to a domestic cat doing a trick to get a reward. After the performance the author went to see the conditions of the animals and saw the audience petting the animals. The author asked a trainer if the animals were being abused in anyway to which the trainer replied, "if they were abused, wouldn't they be shying away from the people?" This gives us the side that animals are actually doing well in circuses and are being treated fairly.

I have surveyed many people and all of them said No for similar reasons. One said that the animals are not treated humanely and are lashed and abused and not taken care of properly. Another said that animals being used in circuses is cruel and inhumane. Another said that they get tortured and they are not in their natural habitat and are used for human entertainment that is unnecessary.

I believe that animals should not be used as circus performers unless it is clear that the animals are being treated well and there is no signs of abuse or neglect. Some circuses treated their animals performers well and fed them good food, take proper care of them and where they live, make sure that they get proper excersise and make sure that no one is abusing them. Other circuses don't care about the animal performers and only care about the wealth that they generate. This is immoral and inhumane.

Recommend a game, book, series, or music that you enjoy. Describe it's style and why you like it. Explain why the reader should watch/read/play it.

A T.V. series that I would have to recommend is the 2011 series, Grimm. Grimm is a T.V. show that was highly inspired by the Grimm brothers fairy tales. Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard, Pied Piper, all of those and more are featured in the series. The Reason why I like it is that it's style is sort of a mix between Law and Order and the show Once Upon a Time (if you haven't seen those I recommend that you go see them.) and gives us a sort of a mix of fiction and reality. There is lots of action and suspense in each episode and each episode adds in a new conflict or event such as new characters, character development, or even character death. It is a really good show and once you start watching it you will definitely get hooked on it.

To give you a background of who the Grimm brothers are as I mentioned them in the paragraph above, the Grimm brothers, Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, were the authors of many of the fairy tales that we know of today, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Red Riding hood, all those fairy tales were made by the Grimm brothers. Sad, that so few people remember who they are, they are some of the most influential literary authors to this day. Their tales have spread into movies, plays, and shows all over the world.

The reader should watch it if they are into a mystery and action kind of T.V. genere. Most of the show takes place involving the Police and involves investigations, interrogations and even amusing characters and reactions. This is definitely a must watch for those who are into fantasy and crime shows. Let me tell you, this show will keep you on edge.

Review of Our Books

Spoilers ahead for Death of a Salesman, The Stranger, Follow the River, To Kill a Mockingbird, Romeo and Juliet, and The Great Divorce. 

The books I read in my Literature class impacted my freshman year of high school. Through these books I either found myself either enjoying them, falling asleep to them, or getting mad at them. Each one was unique in it's own way and each one told a different story.

The First book we read was The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, was a play turned book that told the story of Willy Loman, a troubled salesman whose mental state was off and his family in shambles. Willy's mental illness bears great similarities to that of schizophrenia. I personally thought that the book was actually pretty good. It set the mood and setting right from the start and soon I found myself unable to put the book down. The interactions between the characters is what really made this book so special.

L’Étranger or as we in America call it, The Stranger, was a book written by Albert Camus. The Stranger dealt with the concept of existentialism and how our lives are no significance. The main character, Meursault, is an individual whose emotions seem to be very emotionless until the end of the book when he faces his death. I personally thought that this book moved a little bit too slow for my liking.


The Book Follow the River  by incredible, inspiring, and very kind author James Alexander Thom is about a villager from the settlement of Draper's Meadow named Mary Ingles, who is kidnapped by Shawnee native Americans and how she makes her trek back to her settlement with (in my opinion anyways) crazy Irish woman Ghetel. I thought that this book was incredible. I got to actually meet James in person and he remembered mine and my classmates letters to him which he personally responded back to. His writing has inspired me and affected me to make use of dialect and figurative language. He is truly one of the most influential writers I have had the pleasure of meeting.

The Book To Kill a Mockingbird was a book written by Harper Lee. Mockingbird dealt with the concept of racism and racial equality. The main character, Scout, is a girl who is still young and lives with her father Atticus and her brother Jem. Scout has to learn about many things in this world that are unfair, including racism. This book was very eye opening for me. It made me realize how we as teens and kids view the world differently than what it truly is in reality. I actually cried after finishing the book it was so emotional and revealed to myself what I take for granted.

The classic play/show, Romeo and Juliet, is a world famous play written by the greatest playwright of all time, William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet takes place in Verona, Italy where the house of Montague, and the house of Capulet are at war with each other and peace is not an option. However, from this conflict sparks a forbidden love. The daughter of Lord Capulet, Juliet Capulet, and the son of Lord Montague, Romeo Montague, fall in love with each other. It is truly a romantic play with combat at many scenes to help keep the action going. I didn't enjoy it myself and I found myself getting bored by it.


The book The Great Divorce was written by the author who brought you The Chronicles of Narnia series, C.S. Lewis. The Great Divorce is set on a bus that takes a trip to Heaven so that ghosts may decide whether they want to stay in Hell, or go to Heaven. On the trip there, there are many conflicts (just like any road trip there is bound to be at least one argument) and each ghost has their own unique backstory. The book itself had a good plot and actual solid character development. However there were times where I wished that Lewis would take a leaf out of J.R.R Tolkien's "book" and at least add a tad bit more action to it. This book has a lot to deal with the concept of what the afterlife might look like and how many interpretations exist of it.



I highly recommend that you read the book, Follow the River by James Alexander Thom. I enjoyed this book because Thom was able to not keep us in the middle of an incredibly long exposition and he was able to make his characters actually seem that they were alive and reading the book with you. I highly recommend this book to any historical fiction readers out there. You will highly enjoy this book and the historical content is both interesting and accurate.

Does School Teach You the Skills that You Will Need Later in Life

Yes: yes, school does teach you the skills that you need later in life because life skills that you pick up in high school are applied later on in life. Here is a quote from the website debate.org that answers this question;

"School prepares you for the future because it teaches you how to become an everyday worker. Think of it this way, your boss doesn't want you slacking and not doing your work in a everyday environment. Well thats what school is an everyday environment where you complete assignments and whether you do them is up to you or not. However in a common work place if you don't do your work you end up fired, or in an almost same way you fail the class. Which if you think about it is almost like failing your job," (Debate.org).

This tells us that what school is subconsciously teaching us is actually life skills that can be applied to life. When your in school, you don't want to get a failing grade, so you work hard. Just like if you don't want to get fired from your job, you try your absolute best to be able to appease your boss and get work done to the best of your ability.

No: No, school doesn't teach you the skills that you will need later in life because it mostly depends on what job you are in. For example, if I wanted a job as a therapist, why would I need to know how to use the pythagorean theroum in real life? I don't because it doesn't pertain to my specific job. Here is a quote from debate.org in which a user lists the skills that he needed later in life that he didn't learn in school;

"Writing Effective Resumes and Online Profiles
-Job Applications and Automated Applicant Tracking Systems
-Social Media Participation
-Proper Manners, Demeanor, and Dress
-Proper Behavior in Business and Public
-Grooming and Appearance
-Creating and Following Schedules
-Conducting Winning Interviews
-Negotiating in the Business World
-Writing Brief E-mails
-Writing Executive Summaries
-Writing Professional Reports
-Planning and Hosting Small Meetings
-Voting and the Election Process
-Civic and Community Life
-Volunteering in Your Community
-Using the Library and Library Services
-Writing College Applications
-Writing Scholarship and Fellowship Applications
-What to Know Before Signing for a College Loan
-How to Know What You Owe for College
-Navigating Higher Education
-Fulfilling College Graduation Requirements
-How to Find an Internship
-Making the Best of Your Internship
-Certifications for Your Career
-International Travel Planning and Safety
-Domestic Travel Planning and Safety
-Driver's Education
-How to Buy or Lease a Car
-DMV Requirements and Vehicle Registration
-Vehicle Insurance
-How to Make and Follow a Personal Budget
-Online Banking
-Online Investing
-Frugal Shopping Methods and Skills
-Person to Person Transaction Safety (Craigslist)
-Means of Credit
-Renting vs. Buying a Home
-How to Buy a Home
-Mortgages and Home Equity
-How to Find a Rental Home
-What You Need to Know Before Signing a Lease
-Budgeting for Home Costs and Property Taxes
-Homeowners' and Renters' Insurance
-Home Safety and Health
-Fire Safety
-Water Safety
-Backpacking and Camping Safety
-Agriculture, Food Production, and Food Distribution
-How to Grow Food
-Basic Maintenance for Lawns and Gardens
-Basic Maintenance for Buildings
-Basic Maintenance for Vehicles
-Basic Maintenance for Home Appliances
-Cleaning Methods for Surfaces and Products
-Home Organizational Methods
-Using Technology (Sharepoint) for Efficient Homekeeping
-Clothing and Linen Repair
-Reusing, Repurposing, and Upcycling
-Balanced Diets
-Food Preparation for Singles
-Food Preparation for Infants and Toddlers
-Food Preparation for Families
-Food Preparation for Events/Holidays
-Retirement Income Planning
-Filing Income Taxes
-Resources for Those with Low Income
-Navigating the Divorce Process
-Navigating Courts and the Justice System
-Interacting with Police or Security Officers
-What to Do If You've Been Called for Jury Duty
-What to Do if You've Been Evicted
-What to Do if You Become Homeless
-What to Do if You've Been Assaulted
-Navigating the Healthcare System
-Preventing Illness and Chronic Disease
-Adopting and Caring for Pets
-Maintaining Healthy Relationships
-What to Do If You or Someone You Know Is Being Abused
-Resources for Battered Children and Parents
-How to Prepare for Pregnancy
-Safe Sex
-The Birthing Process
-Resources for Children with Low Income Parents
-Infant Care
-Care for the Developmentally Challenged
-Toddler Care
-Child Care
-Teen Care
-Young Adult Care
-Elderly Parent Care
-End of Life / Terminally Ill Care
-Cardiovascular Fitness and Health
-Mind and Body Wellness
-Caring for Someone With A Mental Health Disorder
-Caring for Someone With A History of Convictions
-Caring for Someone With Addiction
-Caring for Someone Who Has Been Abused
-Caring for Someone Who Has Returned from Active Service
-Dealing with Difficult Roommates
-How to Have a Crucial Conversation
-Foster Parenting and Adoption
-Wedding Planning
-Funeral Planning
-Reunion Planning," (Debate.org)

This individual lists quite a few skills that he needed in life that were not ever taught to him. Although some of these seem like the kind of thing that you would need to learn on your own. Funeral planning seems like a personal kind of thing to learn if you ask me.

I have surveyed quite a few people, and I got mostly yes. However each one had their own reasons as to why. One person said that yes, schools do teach you subjects that are necessary later in life because some schools have classes that teach students practical life skills. Another answer was that yes, schools does teach you skills you will need later in life, because school teaches you certain skills and some skills you will need to learn on your own. My final answer was that they thought that it depended on the school. Some schools don't teach certain things that are needed in life while some do.

My opinion: I believe that yes, schools do teach you skills that you will need later in life because they teach you life skills as well as academic skills. School teaches you time management, responsibility, communication skills, and being aware of how your physical and mental state is. These help tremendously in life, for example, if you are giving a presentation to your boss that is due in 2 weeks, what you would have procrastinated on in middle or high school, you now get started on right away. School helps us realize that time is limited, and we have a responsibility to ourselves, and our family. Working hard and earning what we work for is just part of the reward. There is no time for video games, or blowing off homework, you need to be ready for work just as you would need to be ready for school. 

The Great Divorce Video

The Great Divorce survey

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdcY9jmoszhqvUodH4pQt-7JoAHMnP_jGzrumW4EGyepFr4FA/viewform?usp=pp_url


Great Divorce Reasearch questions.

Should College Entrance Requirements Include Test Scores in Addition to Extracurricular Experience?

Yes: Yes, I believe that college entrance requirements should include test scores along with extracurricular experience because it helps colleges better understand why applicants want to apply to certain colleges. The extracurricular experience helps colleges also realize what lengths applicants will go to in order to get the job they want.
Test scores should also help by allowing colleges to see who the slackers are and who are the people who work hard. Test scores also help colleges realize what a students best is. If a student gets usually a D on tests and they get Bs because they worked really hard, that tells the administration "wow, this kid really wants to come here," allowing them to make the decision of whether or not to accept the applicant or not easier.
Extracurricular experience helps administration realize how much time out of their life the applicant has put into their future career. If an applicant who wants to be a therapist takes time out of their life to visit a company that focuses on therapy and how to treat it, that will look extremely well on the applicant and how badly he wants to be a therapist.


No: No, I believe that college entrance requirements should not include test scores in addition to extracurricular activities. The reason behind this is that if a student just happens to be a bad test taker and usually scores low grades, the administration will fail to see how much time and effort the student has put into grades. Students look like they don't try when it might be the opposite.
Extracurricular activity also affects a students application. If a student is caught up in lots of work that they don't have time to contribute to their future career, then the student looks like they don't even want to get into the college even if they might want to. This causes applicants to be seen as lazy and not hard-working which can affect them immensely.


Survey:

Many people believe that college entrance requirements should not include test scores and extracurricular experience. The main reason being that tests only measure who is good at taking them and doesn't correlate to how hard someone works to get into college and their are many smart people out in the world who don't have the ability to do extracurricular work and don't do well on tests and that should not hinder them from being accepted into a college. Others believe that it should include tests scores the main reason being that it shows that the students are interested into what they want to major in and that they want to do more outside of school in order to increase their chances.


My opinion: I believe that college entrance requirements should not include test scores and extracurricular experience. The reason being that if someone wants to get into college and their bad at taking tests, this will have a huge negative impact on their futures and can cause them to not get accepted into a college. If they have no time to go do something outside of school in order to help them major in a subject in the future, they might be seen as apathetic and not committed when it is actually the exact opposite.

Business Proposal

Dear Jeff Bezos,

You have most likely by now heard of the app I am currently designing for teens. My app will revolutionize the whole youth demographic and technology. Here is my proposal to you. You can buy the rights to my app for 500,000 dollars and enough money to continue developing apps for you. Here is the outline of what my app will do.

The app allows the mobile device the user is using to be able to measure their emotions through a programmed heart beat monitor that senses the users pulse and perspiration. It can then find the best interface for the user at just the right times depending on their emotional state. For example, if the user is feeling sad or lonely, the interface will pull up the most dialed phone number of the user's contacts and will suggest that they dial that number for the user to feel comforted. If the user is stressed, than the application will call either a family member, or will remind the user that procrastination  will not help. this is extremely helpful in high school as procrastination can cause some teens to feel stressed.

If a teen is feeling relieved or satisfied, the app will allow the user to do something like play a game on their phone, or read a book. The best part about this app is that it can't be fooled. If a teenager is lying to their parents about if they have done their homework when they have not, the phone will turn on and declare that the student still has homework to do or a test to study for. This teaches the teen to be truthful and honest.

The app is also aware of time, if the teen wants to stay up late playing their phone, the app will shut down the phone and tell the student to go to sleep. This helps teens get the right amount of sleep and get ready for school.

As you can see, this app can absolutely revolutionize parenting and the young demographic. It has full access to the mobile device and is able to have restrictions set by the parents. So, please consider my proposal and if you accept, I will be feeling much better leaving this app in your hands.

Research two World Views on What Happens to the Soul After Death

What happens to the soul after death? This question has been asked throughout the history of the human race. There are many opinions as to what happens after death. I want to show you some of the many speculations as to what happens to your soul after death. My goal is to see whether there is a common theme to all this and if we can draw one simple solution.


Let's look at what the afterlife is like to cultures. The concept of Death is a part of many legends and myths all over the world. Greece, Rome, Egypt, Norse, Aztec, etc. The point is that Death plays a huge role in culture. The Greeks believe that after death, the soul of the person was to wait to board a ferry across the Underworld river, The Styx. After getting to the other side of the river, the soul was to be judged based on their actions when they were alive. Souls that had done terrible deeds and great sins, they were sent to Tartarus to suffer eternally. Souls that had done nothing or were indifferent were sent to the fields of Asphodel which was for the souls who were ordinary. The souls that had done good deeds and righteousness were sent to Elysium, a paradise which bears similarities to Heaven.



To Be Continued...

Are there words in our language that are overused? What are they? Why are they overused?

Yes: Yes, there are words in our language that are overused. Words such as "like" while originally being used for comparison are now used for interjections for conversation. According to grammarcheck.net, the English language has quite a few words that are overused. Words such as "literally" are used in figurative context. The language is turning itself upside down. The word "honestly" is used to confirm if people did or didn't see or do something. These words are overused because most of them have become interjections to continue to talk about something. The word "like" is a wonderful example.


No: No, the words in our language are not overused because they are used at the right moments. When you have a pause in the middle of a conversation, you replace that pause with a "like" so as to keep the conversation moving. Words such as "the," and "are," are vital in sentences. If you don't use the or are, you would have sentences like this,

"We__ going out to walk ___ the dog."

That sounds like an incomplete sentence to me. Words such as "like" are used to compare objects or people or emotions. These so called "overused words" are actually vital to sentences.


From interviewing people, I can draw the conclusion that the majority believe that there are words in our language that are overused. Their reasons were different. One was that there were certain times when a word is used too much and won't be used after. Such as how in the 80s, people were saying "rad" or "wicked". Another response was that they thought that there are lots of words that are overused. For example, the words "like" and "yeah" specifically because they are improper and don't belong in everyday conversation.

My opinion: I believe that our language is full of overused words. When I have a conversation, I will most likely use the words "like" and "literally" too often. This is because my brain subconsciously chooses these words to fill in those few second gaps in our conversation in order to make our statement a full one. I will hear some people say the word "like" at least 20 times at the most. This leads me to believe that the reason behind this is that these words have become speaking habits. We've used the words "like" and "literally" so much that it has become something that we must say in every conversation

The Virtue of Motherhood review

I read "The Virtue of Motherhood" by Teresa Botts. All in all it was a really good piece of writing. I love how the viewpoint is in first person and Teresa is able to describe her mother with sensory details and a little bit of dialouge. She, like many authors leave you with a cliffhanger on the end and it feels unfinished. The amount of visualization that Teresa included is what made this story so effective.


I personally think that she was able to show us the readers what the themes of love and parenthood was to the parent and what it was like for the child to have a parent. It shows the connection between the two as something incredible and you can see how close the child and mother are to each other. This made me remember some of the best times I had with my mother and I was able to feel a connection with the girl in this story. I could empathize with her and see how she felt about her mom as an individual who would never give up on her and would always be with her until the very end. I love the theme of parenthood and how even though it has moments where it is tough to do, the reward is being able to see your children grow up into successful people and being able to give them constant love and support and to hear that "I love you mom/dad" coming from them. It really makes me feel as if my parents are next to me, helping me out even though they are at work or at home. I also love how the child has to be responsible to help out her mother quit her smoking habit.

At no time did I agree to this

"Ok," my friend said to me, "If you can make it to the top of the rope without slipping, I will give you 20 dollars."

"Seems easy enough," I said. I started to climb the tall rope that was in the gym. After getting up to a quarter of it my hands started to burn. I was panting and I just wanted this torment to end. I felt my grip loosening, but then a thought came into my head, 'No! You must not give up! Not now!'  I felt my resolve strengthening and my head cleared. I was filled with energy. I started to climb my mind focused on a repeated pattern. Hand, feet, hoist, hand, feet, hoist. I was unstoppable. I got up to a third of the way when I looked down. Then, my focus broke, my muscles strained. I was determined though and I climbed and climbed. I reached the top and then safely repelled down.

"That will be 20 dollars," I tell my friend.

"I don't remember shaking your hand to make it official," he said to me.

I walked away tired and frustrated. I must have used my entire body to its limit as I collapsed in exhaustion.


I guess I should tell you I climbed a 50 foot rope all for the sake of nothing. At least it felt like it was 50 feet. How ironic would it be if I told you I only had climbed 5 feet. Looking back, I should have shaken his hand to make it official.