Global Warming Ice Age and Other Things Meant to Destroy Our World

Author's Note: My main focus in this short story was to inform those who don't already know the world's fate, who think they will live forever, who don't plan for these kind of things without being prompted. Because this piece was written simply to get my thoughts out, please look for my voice and how I express my opinion and my conclusion which usually isn't very strong but in this piece it is meant to leave the reader thinking.

What is our world becoming? One of the world's most beautiful creatures is soon to be extinct. We know lots of animals are endangered because of illegal poaching and overpopulation of other species, but extinct is a word that reminds us of the ice age. The Ice Age froze out a number of wonderful creatures, and took place a few billion years ago; but today, we can see our future hurdling toward us, faster than we can control. The opposite age of the Ice Age is coming. The name we give it, is global warming.

Now, we already know that our generations grandchildren will not see a polar bear, and it looks like the world has given up hope. And although the animals need our concern, the people matter too. Great discoveries have been made in our history in places we might lose. People sliding through the ice bergs, stalking penguins, measuring land. Tough journeys filled with hunger, frostbite, amputation. However, we have learned that people who go through hard times, always come back with great stories. Maybe even a scientific breakthrough or two. Sadly, with our ice bergs heating themselves up, we won't be able to travel up to the north pole. Canada will be and adventure.

Now you may be worried about Canada melting, and then North America and continuing down the line, but I predict that this will not happen. I predict that global warming won't be our only issue considering our world only has 4 billion years left. Yes, unless we can find another star that burns as bright as the sun, we have no hope. Three billion and six million years from now we will not be worried about our planet heating up so much that we melt ourselves to the ground, but instead we will worry about freezing our selves to our beds at night. Our sun will grow dim, as all stars must, and then once it explodes, we will die.

So what we really have to stress over is the present moment, worry about our friends and family, help stop global warming in the 3 billion years we have left. Global warming has and will do lots to us today, but that is nothing compared to what will happen if we don't stop it. It will bother us when we have bigger things to worry about.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Author's Note: I have just finished reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. My favorite chapter was when Tom and Becky were trapped in the cave, and this was from Tom's point of view, so I decided to look at the story from Becky's point of view.

I never thought we'd get trapped. I was almost certain he knew the way. Tom had always been brave through my eyes, and wherever I went, as long as he was with me, I felt safe. This is where I thought wrong.

The night so far had been everything I'd dreamed it would be. Tom took me on a picnic, and we left the others by the boat. I was sure none of it was real, I was sure it was some sort of fantasy. Then, he showed me a path, and I followed, even though my skirt was definitly not fit for this sort of journey. Tom slid through a hole in the big rock wall and then helped me through it. The trouble began somewhere close to here.

We entered the cave, the large and powerful cave. It ALMOST felt romantic until the bats swarmed in around us. Tom grabbed my hand and took me running with him. We ran faster and faster, reaching maximum speed when one of the bats knocked out the flame in my candle. By the time we escaped the bats, we had no idea where we were and I was past worried. A quick thought popped into my mind, a thought that I felt I needed to share. I said, "Why, I didn't notice, but it seems ever so long since we've seen any of the others."

"Come to think, Becky, we are away down below them-and I don't know how far away north, or south, or east, or which ever it is. We couldn't hear them here."

I stared aghast at the walls which seemed to be closing in on us. I was definitely scared." Can you find the way, Tom? It's all mixed-up crookedness to me."

"I reckon I could find it-but then the bats. If they put out both of our lights it will be an awful fix. Let's try not to go through there." He pointed to the large corridor we had just exited.

We wandered in circles for a while. Miserable, never-ending circles. Tom would find a new room of the cave every few minutes, and I would watch his face looking for an expression to cheer me up. By this point I was cold, tired, and hungry. Tom swore. When I looked up at him, he told me he had forgot to mark the places we'd been. Now, I was just about done, I wanted myself out of this cave, a full belly, and my friends again. I laid myself down on the disgusting ground, and cried.

Tom looked down at me. He didn't know what to do with me, and eventually guilt got the best of him. He started blaming and abusing himself. It got terrible, he was practically beating himself. After a few minutes, I finally came to my senses. I stood up and sat next to him, I told him I would follow him wherever he might lead if only he would not talk like that anymore. For he was no more to blame then me.

After some time of wandering aimlessly, in no direction at all, I fell to the ground. Tom sat down net to me and placed his candle in the center of us.

I said,"Tom, I'm hungry!"

He took something out of his pocket and said, "Remember this?"

Of course I did! It was our wedding cake from the picnic we'd had earlier. "It's hardly any but I am so glad you have it."

He divided it and I gobbled mine down, while he took small bites. He mumbled something about someone coming for us soon, and it took all the hope I had left to believe that.

Hours later, Tom decided to wait it out. I lay down to die and slowly fell asleep. Tom went out exploring but promised to come back. A few minutes, maybe hours later, Tom came back to me screaming. He dragged me up and said he'd heard someone. He showed me a platform that led to outside the cave. He called it his "jumping off place" he jumped off and waited to catch me.

A few days later, Tom visited me at my house. I was under the care of my Mother, who had been extremely worried. Tom's aunt had also been worried sick, but not as much as my own Mother. When we were rescued, we didn't shed a tear, we were overjoyed to be found but we didn't show it. We were heroes now. All the other children worshiped us. They asked if they could come into the cave with us next time. I shook my head and held back the fear. Tom and I walked the streets together, we were safe, we were living, and we were famous.

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Author's Note: This is a Mixbook of one of the books I've read called And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I recommend it to you if you like murder mysteries. This project may not give you a very good summary of the book, but it is hard to explain and even I don't know all of its secrets.

I am Thankful for Today

Author's Note: This piece was not to strengthen my writing or to write out my feelings. In two days it is Thanksgiving, and this, I believe is the least celebrated holiday. Smell the air. What do you smell? Happiness....at school!
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Although the aunts are working their hardest to get the turkey golden and plump, no one notices. As I watch their struggling effort from the stool across the kitchen, I listen. All around me is laughter, screaming, and singing from children of all ages. Although the house is small, we all fit. In the small bedroom in outside the front door, there is frost covering the windows. Snow has finally arrived, but no one notices. The older kids hang out here. There is a computer, a television, and a comfortable sitting area, but no one notices. We sit on the floor. We talk, we laugh, we throw things at each other. You are never left out. Being too young to be classified as a little kid, I stay in this room. I am welcomed. Grandma rings the bell, even though by now we are all sitting around the orange and gold table anyway. Then, our feast arrives. The highlight of the night. Turkey, chicken, and stuffing are traditional, and necessary. They arrive first. Then, come potatoes, cherry marshmallow salad, and rolls. We eat more than what is good for us, but no one notices. When the adults finish their meal, and we have thrown all of our food at each other, we stand. We try and form a circle, but this attempt is usually unsuccessful. Finally, we pray. We go around the circle saying what we are thankful for. I hear lots of "Family," and "Health." I also hear "Hippo's," and "Pokémon!" As I wait for my turn, I think hard. Mason speaks before I do, and Emma is waiting for her turn, which comes after mine. I am ready. I speak loud and clear, telling my relatives what I am thankful for. I hope I don't get made fun of, as I scan the room waiting for feedback. After all, my response was kind of cheesy. But I get applause, because it is the reason why we are here. I see smiles, and finally I give one back. Everyone notices.


Happy Thanksgiving!

Essay of the Week

Author's Note: This is my first essay, is doesn't go into social studies or science, but I had fun writing it and I learned a lot.

Christmas lights, can be a waste of electricity. Now it is that time of year. Your parents are debating on when to put the Christmas decorations up, and more importantly, the Christmas lights. You may be lazy, but Christmas spirit overpowers you. But as you are hanging the green and red lights, you realize that there may be something you forgot to think about. Maybe...how much electricity will be used this year? Will it be worth the cost?


Lets say you light up your bushes and garage with 5 strings of 100 bulbs. You also have one spotlight showing your cut-out of Santa, and you show these lights from 4-9 PM. This would cost your family 48 cents a day. I'll let you do the math and add up the cost for the season. You are also using 4 kilowatts an hour. Just to give you some more understanding, a 42 inch TV only consumes 0.3 kilowatts per hour.

Common sense is a huge part in the process of saving money and electricity, because we now know how much wattage we are using. Simple things, like making sure your lights are on a timer, or turning them off when you sleep, can keep you safer too. WE Energy says that we should check for broken lights, and if we find them we must replace them with bulbs of the same wattage. Also, we should use no more than 3 light sets per extension cords. Like I said, common sense will save you money, electricity, and a lot of trouble.

Now that you know how to save electricity, I think you should spread the word. Help make Christmas merrier. Tell others to put up some day decorations that celebrate the holiday just as well. Things like wreaths, ornaments on trees in your yard, and a wooden Santa or two, all have the same effect as Christmas lights. These things cost less, look pretty, and are probably more efficient than a bunch of IB's on a string. Save the world. Use less lights.


Look on the We Energies website to find the amount of wattage YOU use every Christmas.

Struggling

Authors Note: Are any of you out there worried about where you will be in 10 years? Of course not! We are young! We are curious and crazy! But for me, there has always been that fact in the back of my mind that whatever we do WILL affect our futures. So this thought deserves a poem.

I never have crazy ideas.
I ruin dreams, I crush feelings.

No explosives on school property
Too much homework
These aren't excuses, but facts

I try to be polite,
Common sense takes over my brain.
My creative personality falls unconscious.

I apologize to any of you who have questioned my voice of reason.

A little fun never hurt anyone, right?
Some people remember the lectures we were given when we messed up.

Have you ever heard of a six month plan,
Meant to give kids a better future?
Sounds positive,
Extremely well thought out

I do not blog about such things.
I blog negatively.

There is a flaw
Which shatters the plan;

One police record
Completely failed report card
Or missed goal on your soccer team.
Leads to a failure of the acclaimed sixth month plan.

Truth comes out,
As it always does.
We shape our future when we are young and foolish.

Why do you read my posts?
This one is getting much too long,
You could be studying for important tests
or impressing your language arts teacher.

We shape our lives like clay
in an art room.
A dent in the clay,
Stays in the clay.
We cannot change what we've done.
The clay cannot be fixed.

If I crushed the feelings
That you woke up with
Happy
Secure

I apologize.

If you are looking for happy posts,
do not keep reading,
you will find none here.


Go to Natalie's Blog, Kati's Blog, Brett's Blog, or Xavier's blog, for happy stories. Ask me tomorrow and maybe I will be a completely different person.

As You Like It

Speak'st thou in sober meanings? By my life I do.

What?! Does this make any sense to you? I suppose you could tell that a question is being answered, and in somewhat of a businesslike manner. What is really means is the common phrase used today. Are you serious? Then the answer, I swear on my life, yes!

In the play, As You Like It, by Shakespeare, all of the lines look like the one shown at the top. It is in English, if you were wondering. This was the English language that was spoken in Shakespeare's time. The stories are great, and As You Like It is a beautifully written story, but I will admit it is hard to decode.

With the help of Spark Notes, As You Like It has been translated into No Fear Shakespeare. It is a version of the book where the pages are divided into two sections. On the right side, is the authors original version. On the left side, is the modern version. It is the same story, only you can choose to read William Shakespeare's ornate form; written in the early 1600's. Or you can read the newer form, with different words and sentence structure. The greatest part of No Fear Shakespeare is that you don't have to make this choice!

This book company makes almost all of Shakespeare's books and can be found at Barnes & Noble. I highly suggest that you check them out, and you will probably find As You like It, to be more interesting, once you can understand it.