Everyone knows the dangers of procrastination in school. If your school worked is left unattended for long it can be a problem. It works by instead of doing the work you should be doing now, you do later.
This system actually works during the middle of the trimester because everything is procrastinated to later, basically just an altered schedule for your homework. Where you get into trouble is when you don't have a "later" time to procrastinate to. I am currently in this root, it is the end of the trimester and I no longer have a later time to procrastinate to. It is now crunch time to get all of my work done. At this present moment I have 14 more blogs to post by tomorrow... I know... crap.
Despite this overwhelming workload due tomorrow, believe it or not I have improved on my procrastination. First term it was even worse. First term not only did I procrastinate my blogs, I also procrastinated my reading and annotated bibliographies. So in retrospect, I have it good his term. ALL I have to do is write 14 blogs in on night... no big deal.
At least I am using my time wisely today. I have completed all other homework due tomorrow except the blogs, this way I can put my full focus on them. Even more, because I am done with all other homework, the only other way I can work is by working on my iPhone. I have written this entire blog so far on my iPhone and I'll be honest, it hasn't been fun, but at least I am using my time wisely now. And shhhh, don't tell Dr. W, I will be blogging all assembly today.
Procrastination is poor time management early and excellent time management in the end.
Word Count: 306
Monday, February 27, 2012
Japanese War Crimes
The Japanese war crimes are some of the most alarming things I have ever heard of. They were a series of crimes committed by Japan during their periods of imperialism, primarily World War Two. Traditionally these extreme acts of violence were committed by army personnel.
Many have referred to this event as the Asian Holocaust because it closely resembles the European Holocaust, taking place at the exact same time, but on the other side of the world. Instead of the Jews being targeted, in this case it was most heavily impacting the lives of the Chinese. Like Hitler in Europe, Emperor Hirohito is ultimately responsible for the events transpiring.
The video I watched about the Japanese War Crimes by the History Channel series World War II in HD was definitely not sugar coated. It showed the bloody gruesome reality of the Japanese war crimes, the way it should be. I’m glad it showed us the brutal reality instead of making it seem “not so bad”. I was appalled at the things I saw, and that was just through a television screen. I cannot imagine what it would be like in real life. I can fully understand how horrible the conditions were for the survivors and I admire their courage, fight and tenacity.
The single most horrendous part of the entire video was the Bataan Death March. Prisoners of war from the Philippines were marched 80 miles by the Imperial Japanese Army. Initially there were 76,000 POWs that began the march and thousands did not make it to the destination. The fact that POWs were being assaulted with weapons such as golf clubs just speaks out about how the Japanese were beating the POWs out of enjoyment, and no real reason.
All of these War Crimes were used back in America as tools for Propaganda. The Japanese soldiers were referred to as “Murdering Jap”. This is an appropriate title as some of the crimes committed were executions on the surrenders. It wasn’t until the 1950’s when former Japanese Army officers started to release public apologies for the incidents that happened. But no number of public apologies can undo the ruthless war crimes committed by the Japanese.
Word Count: 365
Many have referred to this event as the Asian Holocaust because it closely resembles the European Holocaust, taking place at the exact same time, but on the other side of the world. Instead of the Jews being targeted, in this case it was most heavily impacting the lives of the Chinese. Like Hitler in Europe, Emperor Hirohito is ultimately responsible for the events transpiring.
The video I watched about the Japanese War Crimes by the History Channel series World War II in HD was definitely not sugar coated. It showed the bloody gruesome reality of the Japanese war crimes, the way it should be. I’m glad it showed us the brutal reality instead of making it seem “not so bad”. I was appalled at the things I saw, and that was just through a television screen. I cannot imagine what it would be like in real life. I can fully understand how horrible the conditions were for the survivors and I admire their courage, fight and tenacity.
The single most horrendous part of the entire video was the Bataan Death March. Prisoners of war from the Philippines were marched 80 miles by the Imperial Japanese Army. Initially there were 76,000 POWs that began the march and thousands did not make it to the destination. The fact that POWs were being assaulted with weapons such as golf clubs just speaks out about how the Japanese were beating the POWs out of enjoyment, and no real reason.
All of these War Crimes were used back in America as tools for Propaganda. The Japanese soldiers were referred to as “Murdering Jap”. This is an appropriate title as some of the crimes committed were executions on the surrenders. It wasn’t until the 1950’s when former Japanese Army officers started to release public apologies for the incidents that happened. But no number of public apologies can undo the ruthless war crimes committed by the Japanese.
Word Count: 365
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Evil Doctor Candle Introduction
Elementary writing. I remember writing stories, much of which do not make sense to me today, once made perfect sense. In second grade I wrote a story called Evil Doctor Candle, it was long for the second grade, at least two notebook pages. I remember I was more concentrated on writing a funny story than an overall good story. It was an interesting account following my statement above. I’ll be honest, the storyline was TERRIBLE, and it hardly makes sense when I read it today. This Evil Doctor Candle story continued throughout elementary and I have produced two sequels, in third and fourth grade respectively. But as with movies, the sequels are never as good as the original and I never enjoyed them quite as much as the first.
When we had a chance to share our story with everyone else in the class, everyone was practically bouncing off the walls laughing. It was a sort of stupid humor; hilarious but at the same time was completely ridiculous. It was about an evil candle seeking to take over the world by bizarre ways. The good guys were a bunch of school supplies led by a walking, talking bed. In addition there was a mix of Power Rangers, Pokémon, SpongeBob, Music, and Looney Tunes throughout the story.
To go along with the wacky story, I had made illustrations on every page. I remember these the most. They were what really made it a funny story. They filled gaps in the writing making it have somewhat of a “basic” storyline that only an elementary student can comprehend. The series of Evil Doctor Candle stories was one of my favorite memories from elementary school. I remember all of this because it was truly my first story I had ever written, and although it wasn’t a great story it was still a very fun and positive experience.
Word Count: 313
When we had a chance to share our story with everyone else in the class, everyone was practically bouncing off the walls laughing. It was a sort of stupid humor; hilarious but at the same time was completely ridiculous. It was about an evil candle seeking to take over the world by bizarre ways. The good guys were a bunch of school supplies led by a walking, talking bed. In addition there was a mix of Power Rangers, Pokémon, SpongeBob, Music, and Looney Tunes throughout the story.
To go along with the wacky story, I had made illustrations on every page. I remember these the most. They were what really made it a funny story. They filled gaps in the writing making it have somewhat of a “basic” storyline that only an elementary student can comprehend. The series of Evil Doctor Candle stories was one of my favorite memories from elementary school. I remember all of this because it was truly my first story I had ever written, and although it wasn’t a great story it was still a very fun and positive experience.
Word Count: 313
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Leadership: A Definition
What is a leader? A leader is a person that has the ability to motivate others, strong beliefs, and good communication skills.
“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.” These words are attributed to the famous philosopher, physician & humanitarian, Albert Schweitzer. I believe one of the most important qualities of a leader is the ability to motivate others. As indicated by Schweitzer, a Nobel Peace Prizewinner, it is essential to lead by example. I have been diligently been working on my homework every night. People notice my work ethic and consequently, people in my class will ask me to help them for what they don’t understand.
Leaders should have strong beliefs. Throughout the years, religion has played a large part of my life. For the past three summers, I have attended Riverside Bible Camp. This experience has helped me to treat people fairly and respect differences. During the last two and one half years, I have helped at worship at church. The acolyting I have done has involved being in front of the congregation with the pastors and aiding them during communion, offertory, and at the beginning and closing of the service. Over the years, I have volunteered and visited people in nursing homes & helped serve food for the homeless. My strong beliefs have helped me when I have worked with my peers and teachers at school. I try to listen to all before making decisions.
Lastly, communication is the key to leadership. A leader needs to communicate what needs to be accomplished and then communicate the results of their labor. "Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.” This is a famous quote by General George Patton, who was a great leader in World War II. One needs to communicate what needs to be accomplished but not necessarily exactly how to proceed.
A leader is a person that has the ability to motivate others, strong beliefs, and good communication skills. I believe these are key components to a good leader.
Word Count: 352
“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.” These words are attributed to the famous philosopher, physician & humanitarian, Albert Schweitzer. I believe one of the most important qualities of a leader is the ability to motivate others. As indicated by Schweitzer, a Nobel Peace Prizewinner, it is essential to lead by example. I have been diligently been working on my homework every night. People notice my work ethic and consequently, people in my class will ask me to help them for what they don’t understand.
Leaders should have strong beliefs. Throughout the years, religion has played a large part of my life. For the past three summers, I have attended Riverside Bible Camp. This experience has helped me to treat people fairly and respect differences. During the last two and one half years, I have helped at worship at church. The acolyting I have done has involved being in front of the congregation with the pastors and aiding them during communion, offertory, and at the beginning and closing of the service. Over the years, I have volunteered and visited people in nursing homes & helped serve food for the homeless. My strong beliefs have helped me when I have worked with my peers and teachers at school. I try to listen to all before making decisions.
Lastly, communication is the key to leadership. A leader needs to communicate what needs to be accomplished and then communicate the results of their labor. "Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.” This is a famous quote by General George Patton, who was a great leader in World War II. One needs to communicate what needs to be accomplished but not necessarily exactly how to proceed.
A leader is a person that has the ability to motivate others, strong beliefs, and good communication skills. I believe these are key components to a good leader.
Word Count: 352
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Police Ride-Along Part 4
The rest of my ride along experience was not quite as gripping as the events layed out in Police Ride-Along Part 3. Despite this, the night was far from over, and there is still some excitement to come.
Following my most recent adventure, we got a call reporting a car theft at Mckineley Middle School. We had to head over there quickly and upon our arrival the victim was waiting outside. He was there for a basketball practice for his daughter and had gone out to his car to get the teams' new jerseys to show them. He had left his car running with it unlocked while he brought the jerseys inside for five minutes and when he came back out, his car was gone. Luckily for us, there were cameras all around the building and the athletic directer from Taft MS just happened to be there too so we went to the main office and started looking through the tapes. It is nice that they have the cameras and all, but they don't know how to work them very well. After about 15 minutes of squirreling around on with the cameras trying to get the right angle, we decided to give up and wait until morning when someone who actually knows how to use the cameras was there. So unfortunately for the victim there was a whole lot we could do immediately besides file a report and send out a notice for people to look out for the specific car.
The final event of the night included what the police refer to ass a "hot run". This is where you put on your lights and sirens and disregard all traffic signals/signs. Immediately after leaving McKinley, we got a call to Mercy Hospital because there was a guy there threatening to beat people up. After an exhilarating ride, we arrived just as about five other police cars. I was instructed to stay in the car while they all ran into the hospital. In the end it wasn't that exciting, it was simply a drunk guy yelling at the hospital staff. All that happened was that the man was apprehended and sent to jail.
Everyone talks about how the police are unfair, and how they are "out to get'cha". I don't think that any of these people can fully appreciate what the Cedar Rapids Police Department does for this city. They make it safe to live here, they make it an attractive place for business, they make it so we can go outside and have peace of mind.
This ends my four-part series about my Police Ride-Along. I have to say, it was one of the most fun things I have ever done in the city of Cedar Rapids. I would recommend to every sophomore to apply for the Five Seasons Leadership Program so that they can experience some of the same, awesome experiences as I.
Word Count: 485
Following my most recent adventure, we got a call reporting a car theft at Mckineley Middle School. We had to head over there quickly and upon our arrival the victim was waiting outside. He was there for a basketball practice for his daughter and had gone out to his car to get the teams' new jerseys to show them. He had left his car running with it unlocked while he brought the jerseys inside for five minutes and when he came back out, his car was gone. Luckily for us, there were cameras all around the building and the athletic directer from Taft MS just happened to be there too so we went to the main office and started looking through the tapes. It is nice that they have the cameras and all, but they don't know how to work them very well. After about 15 minutes of squirreling around on with the cameras trying to get the right angle, we decided to give up and wait until morning when someone who actually knows how to use the cameras was there. So unfortunately for the victim there was a whole lot we could do immediately besides file a report and send out a notice for people to look out for the specific car.
The final event of the night included what the police refer to ass a "hot run". This is where you put on your lights and sirens and disregard all traffic signals/signs. Immediately after leaving McKinley, we got a call to Mercy Hospital because there was a guy there threatening to beat people up. After an exhilarating ride, we arrived just as about five other police cars. I was instructed to stay in the car while they all ran into the hospital. In the end it wasn't that exciting, it was simply a drunk guy yelling at the hospital staff. All that happened was that the man was apprehended and sent to jail.
Everyone talks about how the police are unfair, and how they are "out to get'cha". I don't think that any of these people can fully appreciate what the Cedar Rapids Police Department does for this city. They make it safe to live here, they make it an attractive place for business, they make it so we can go outside and have peace of mind.
This ends my four-part series about my Police Ride-Along. I have to say, it was one of the most fun things I have ever done in the city of Cedar Rapids. I would recommend to every sophomore to apply for the Five Seasons Leadership Program so that they can experience some of the same, awesome experiences as I.
Word Count: 485
Semi-Automatic Firearms: A Persuasion
The FBI estimates there are over 200 million privately owned semi-automatic firearms in the United States. Now if semi-auto guns were banned over 200 million firearms would have to be taken away. This is unquestionably not possible. If by some way the government found away to collect the firearms, what would be done with them? I whole-heartedly believe semi-automatic weapons should not be, and in reality cannot be effectively banned.
Many people that have semi-auto firearms compete in competitions. My dad is a participant in these competitions as well. With every sport there are professionals in that sport. This means that if the firearms are taken away, you are also taking away livelihoods. Suppose your job is a shopkeeper a local gun store, how would you feel knowing much of your stock would be taken away because of a semi-auto gun ban? Now I think I speak for everyone when I say that I would be furious at the fact that my business is virtually being taken away.
A large reason my opposition wants semi-auto weapons to be banned is because they are commonly used in crimes. Now many “bad guys” get their weapons illegally anyway and have undocumented firearms. The United States would have no way of collecting these undocumented firearms, effectively disarming the responsible users of said firearms. This leaves innocent people defenseless against any “bad guy.” Not only are guns used defensively against other armed humans.
Because many people already have semi-auto weapons, it is not practical to remove 200 million firearms from the American people. It is a sport, so, this ban would ruin many people lives. Since a large amount “bad guys” get the guns illegally anyway, it is virtually making the public defenseless. Therefore, I do not, and will not ever support the banning of semi-automatic firearms for public use.
Word Count: 306
Protégé Show Choir: A Definition
Protégé is group of singers and dancers at Kennedy High School
Here is how a year in show choir goes; it starts out the spring the school year before when you have to audition. The audition process consists of both a singing and dancing audition. There are other small factors like grades and do you work well in a group, but those are not big factors. About a month later the list is released and hopefully you made the group. Now you have to wait until August for Protégé to actually begin. At the beginning of August we have Choreography camps. These are all day camps where we learn two of our songs. We then begin regular Tuesday night rehearsals until about October when we also start rehearsing on Thursday nights also. In the time from after the original camps and October we have had other camps learn the rest of our songs. We then continue this rehearsal schedule for the rest of the year. When January finally comes we start our competition season! This is the part we worked all fall for and is definitely the most fun. From watching other groups to performing ourselves it is a great experience. You also get to meet a lot of new people while hanging out around the hosting school. It all ends then at the Going out Concert which for many people is very emotional, especially for seniors in Happiness.
As for the rules of the group they are basically the standard rules with all other activities. Don’t talk when the director talking. Clap and show support for other groups. Don’t talk bad about any other group. Respect everyone and everything. Have Fun! As long as everyone everyone plays the same role, sing and dance. The goal is for everyone to be on the same page doing the same thing at the same time. We believe in having fun while also working hard. We believe in ourselves and each other to do the best we can do.
Protégé changes a ton throughout the year. As they progress we get better and better. I wish it would change by everyone being a little more equal in talent so then there wasn’t so much competition within the choir for better spots in both dancing and singing.
One becomes a member by auditioning in the spring of every year. One must complete a singing and dancing audition in order to be admitted into Protégé Show Choir. All in all it is a lot and fun and you get to work with a great group of people.
Word Count: 514
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