SBC 10

Audit:
I had a lot of posts; Like 15
They were all school based or set by the challenges
I had 1 comment
My first post got the most comments because it was the only 1 to get a comment
I enjoyed the easier posts that we had last year
I did change my theme once because I wanted to
I have 8 or 7 widgets; That's probably a decent amount
I don't think I have anyone on my blogroll

Good People

This past Monday (12-2-13) I was assigned to find people online who have done good things for the world or their community, and I found quite a few good ones. Most notable though, was a young woman named Nikki Allinson. She is currently 23, but when she was younger she experienced the worst kind of bullying: Racial bullying. She is Jewish, and when she went to school no one understood her heritage or religion, so they made fun of her for it. She asked for a day off of school for a religious holiday, and other students thought it wasn't fair and made fun of her for it. She experienced bullying for a couple years before moving to a new place with and going to a new school, where the teachers and students were more accepting of their differences.

She now has an after school program in Washington D.C. She teaches kids from all different backgrounds and ethnicities about friendship, as well as general skills that they'll need that they can't get from school. She utilises many activities like cooking and gardening to build character. There were many others, but this one was the most interesting to me.

A Personal Narrative/Blogging Challenge 9 Part 1

I've probably been involved in at least half a dozen misdemeanors, but most of them aren't really bad, or good enough stories to write about. This is just one of my many adventures.

I woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb-... Wait, no, that's the intro to a song. Here's how a story starts.

It was a warm evening in June; I, along with a couple friends went to Dairy Queen after a long day of doing stuff that teens do. Mikey's mom mom gave us $5 to buy something at DQ. Now if you know anything about money, you know $5 dollars doesn't buy ****. We literally scavenged change from the floor and had to ask another friend, Coby, for his change. In the end we had a bout $6.50, which still isn't much, but it was enough to but a slushy and a small Blizzard.

We loitered there for about an hour, until our desserts had settled. Then we decided to go down to the park at Washington School and have some fun. We prank called just about every girl in our contacts, using *67, obviously, then we called a random number and heard a sexually explicit pre-recorded message, that was one of the funniest things I've ever heard. I nearly fell off the big dome-jungle-gym thing because I was laughing so hard.

Later, the fourth member of our party, Jordan, suggested that we have a fake fight right next to the state highway. I didn't really want to because I knew some concerned citizen would come over and try to put a stop to it. But the other guys convnced me to at least be the camera guy. We started behind the school, and Jordan ran out to the road with us chasing him, then Coby jumps off his bike and tackles him. Then the we run up and start kicking him. Just as I thought, some old dude pulled up and started yelling. I, being the oldest and quickest one there, showed him the phone and made up some story about making a bullying video for YouTube, and Jordan explained that he was fine and we weren't actually hitting him. Somehow, we got away with it. This was probably the best part of the whole adventure.

Hours later, Mikey and I walked around his neighborhood, lighting fireworks in random people's yards and driveways (this took pretty much no convincing from my friend, because I was down with this, too), then running away. I don't know if that was illegal, but I don't think the people who woke up to "crack, crack-crack-crack, crack!" liked it. It was great, though. Afterwards, we played video games at his house, then we got 4 or 5 hours of sleep, woke up, and played video games again. 

That folks, is a day in the life of Camron M. (the author)

Now reflecting upon it, I find myself wondering why we did most of those things, and I have come up with only one answer: Because we wanted to.

Wonder of The Day

Do Taste Buds Change?

Taste buds don't change,(according to the article), but they do die. you may not like things when you're young because you have more taste buds and and overall better senses. Older folks though, have lesser senses, and may not think it tastes as bad or as strong as when they were younger.

SBC 7

Is Being More Connected Good...

Or Bad?

I get on Twitter a lot, so for me it's a good thing. I tweet to friends and acquaintances about the New York Giants, at #GiantsChat, as well as random stuff that normal 14-year-olds Tweet about, if other 14-year-olds Tweet at all. I don't use Facebook, because I've never seen it used for anything but Cyber-Bullying and other bad stuff. Twitter doesn't make it as easy to have actual openly-viewed conversations, so people tend not to talk directly to one another, which reduces derogatory comments. Obviously, there will always be that element, but there are ways to make it happen less often.

I get on Twitter at school, which is frowned upon by the teach and I often get in trouble for it, but I can't help it; I just have this constant need to communicate with the world about stuff that I think is important, because the odds are, at least some of the 7 billion people on the planet have similar concerns. 

SBC 6

Student Blogging Challenge 6

(I chose activity #3)

My heritage is questionable, but all signs point to my family as being predominantly Irish. My father has an orangish beard, and St. Patrick's Day has always been celebrated in our family. I've always been interested in the history of Ireland; They didn't have major roles in the world wars, but they were in them. That's about it for my family heritage.

Blog Action Day

Blog Action Day

human Rights Challenge 5

While reading the Convention on the Rights of the Child, I am left with many question, few of which can be answered honestly and accurately. There is a part that states "You can't be separated from your parents if it is against your will or in our best interest ", but I didn't see anything about rights to leave your parents if you want to. It says "You are to be protected from neglect and abuse", but that obviously isn't very well enforced. "If you are capable of forming your own views, you have the right to express your views"- That's not true. In school there are countless restrictions on what we say, and I already know the terrible things that adults have tried to hide from kids, but I think keeping it from the rest of them does more harm than good.

I knew there was no "Bunny paschae" or "dentem fairy" (used latin so as not to crush kids' beliefs) by the time I was 8, but I didn't tell adults that because I thought they were going to stop giving me candy and money; I was right. 

I know that was kind of a roundabout way of saying it, but my point was children have the right to know everything that adults know. Perhaps not all at once, but tell them these things every once and a while so they don't get to middle school and find out about everything bad in the world all at once. That's pretty much what happened to me, except it wasn't in middle school; It was in 1st grade that I discovered the true horrors of life.

Blogging Challenge

#5

While reading the Convention on the Rights of the Child, I am left with many question, few of which can be answered honestly and accurately. There is a part that states "You can't be separated from your parents if it is against your will or in our best interest ", but I didn't see anything about rights to leave your parents if you want to. It says "You are to be protected from neglect and abuse", but that obviously isn't very well enforced. "If you are capable of forming your own views, you have the right to express your views"- That's not true. In school there are countless restrictions on what we say, and I already know the terrible things that adults have tried to hide from kids, but I think keeping it from the rest of them does more harm than good.

I knew there was no "Bunny paschae" or "dentem fairy" (used latin so as not to crush kids' beliefs) by the time I was 8, but I didn't tell adults that because I thought they were going to stop giving me candy and money; I was right. 

I know that was kind of a roundabout way of saying it, but my point was children have the right to know everything that adults know. Perhaps not all at once, but tell them these things every once and a while so they don't get to middle school and find out about everything bad in the world all at once. That's pretty much what happened to me, except it wasn't in middle school; It was in 1st grade that I discovered the true horrors of life.

#4
Out of all the subjects to choose from, the one that affects me the most is the government shut down. I am surprised that there haven't been more problems yet. I thought there would be riots and protests on every street corner. The dollar (primary currency in the U.S.) has lost 2% of its value. that doesn't mean it's worth 98¢. it's still a dollar, but the dollar is less valuable now. It's hard to explain. It's all part of macroeconomics, which is stupid and hard to understand, and no less difficult to explain. 

I am not directly affected by the shutdown, but it kind of screws all the police and everyone else who works for the government.

#3

1. What time do you normally get up to go to school? I get up at 6:00.
2. What do you normally have for breakfast, recess, lunch, tea (dinner, supper)? For breakfast, I usually have a bagel. For lunch… Whatever the school prepares. For dinner I eat any number of things; Pizza, poultry, or even tacos.  
3. How do you get to school? I ride a bus to school. We have 30-60 kids on my bus on any given day. Obviously, I prefer the former.
4. How long does it take to get to or from school? My bus ride takes 45-55 minutes, depending on the route and the number of stops we make.
5. A typical lunch at school- There are probably 25-40 premade meals we have throughout the year, that occur in a random order. we have pizza, poultry, pasta, salads (offered daily as an alternative to the standard meal), and quesadillas. 
6. Subjects you have to do – remember to explain abbreviations like LOTE and ELA- We have 4 required subjects in our school. English, Arithmetic, Science, and World (though, most of the time we study the United States) History.
7. Specialist subjects or electives, options- Being both athletic and of moderate intelligence, I like to take several electives. Such include: PE (or physical education), PLTW (project lead the way), which teaches us about engineering and working with computers, as well as more hands on skills.
8. Do you have to wear uniform? NO! Boy, if I had to wear a uniform I'd show up to school far less often.
9. How many days per year are you at school? How is this arranged – terms etc?- We have to attend 180 days of school, 4 terms of 45 days.
10. Technology in your school- We are quite fortunate in our school. We got a government grant for hundreds of thousands of dollars, which they used to buy personal computers for the students.
11. What do you enjoy most about school?- I enjoy lunch and (sometimes) physical education.
12. A typical schoolday with timetable and breaks- 1st period; 5 minute break; 2nd period; 5 minute break; 3rd period; 5 minute break; lunch/recess; 5 minute break; 4th period; 5th minute break; 6th period; school is dismissed 

#2
A- America; America is our name for what you might call the United States. It was established as a country over 200 years ago. It may be bigger or smaller than your country (unless you live here, too), or have more wildlife. In the remaining 25 letters, I will describe foods made in America.

B- Banana split/sundae- This is an interesting one; David Strickler invented this. He decided to split a banana length-wise and put it in a dish with ice-cream (as if the banana would make it healthier). The result was the delight of millions of children.

B- (2) Biscuits-n'-gravy- I just couldn't stand to leave this out, but I also like Banana splits, so I did 2. Biscuits-n'-gravy is also a southern invention. I can imagine cold, hard biscuits would not be very good eatin' on cattle-drives, and I would have been willing to try just about anything, too.  "Thank god for rednecks!" -Woody Harrelson, Zombieland

C- Country Fried Steak- Does everything good come from the South? CFS is an American revolution of the weiner schnitzel brought to America by Austrians. Every time I go to a buffet, this is one of the first things I get.

D- Denver omelet-The Denver omelet is always one of my first choices for breakfast. Although it was first made in the south, somewhere along the line it was dubbed the Denver omelet. It's a simple but delicious meal that is just... Heartwarming. Eggs, ham, assorted vegetables. What more could you ask?

E-

F- Fajitas- despite the name, fajitas WERE invented in the United States. they were the product of tortillas and the scrap cuts of beef that labourers were given as part of their pay in the west. Combine beef, tortillas, vegetables, and a little cowboy ingenuity, and you get one of the United States most discredited foods.

G- Gumbo-... Never had gumbo, honestly. It's the epitome of southern cuisine; Seafood, vegetables, spices... Isn't that all you need?

H- Hotdogs- When you were 5, hotdogs were probably your staple-food. One of the easiest meals to make, it has an interesting story. A man from Germany who had his own sausage business decided to use buns to conserve plates. He didn't intend that they actually eat the bun, but someone must not have heard.

I-

J- Jerky- Probably the only meat that you can honestly call a snack. I guess some guy (or girl) just decided to leave their beef sit out in the sun, for like, way too long, and when they went to get it, it was all dehydrated and shrivelled. Mmmmm…

K-

L- Lobster rolls- I keep seeing this come up on all the sites I go to, and even though I've never had it, I'll include it because it looks good (mostly because I haven't seen many foods that start with "L"). lobster rolls come from the north, probably invented by creative fishermen. It's lobster, veggies, & sauces on a toasted bun. My mouth is watering just thinking about it... Or maybe it's because I'm eating.

M- Meatloaf- I love meatloaf! The food, of course, but the singer/actor is great, too! Meatloaf is probably the most ascetically displeasing food I've ever eaten, but it's pretty good. Normally catchup is an insult to meat, but in this case, it's a compliment. It's just so sweet.  I can't stand big chunks of raw union, but it's not so bad cooked and mixed with meat and all the other stuff.

N- Nachos- You probably didn't think that nachos were made here, either, but they were. One of America's favourite meals, no doubt. It's the perfect meal for someone who's not very hungry but still wants the calories you'd get from spare ribs.

O-

P- Potato Chips!!! Who do we have to thank for our favourite snack? George Crum,  who is frustrated when a customer says the french-fries he served him were too thick, so he sends them back so thinly-sliced, the customer couldn't even eat them with a fork. This sarcastic act turned out to be the invention of the 2nd best selling snack in America, behind only Ritz crackers.

Q-

R- Reuben Sandwich- I'm not a fan, but millions of other people are, so I guess I've gotta' put it on here. it's not known for certain who in the Reuben family (who the sandwich was named after) actually invented it, but we do know that they were a genius. At the time (early 1900's), sandwiches consisted of meat & cheese, and maybe a couple vegetables. They had the idea to put sauerkraut on it, and it was an instant hit.

S- S'mores… Chocolate, graham cracker, marshmallow- 'Nuff said

T- Tater-tots- Everybody likes french-fries, but they're long and unwieldly, and often brake when you pick them up. So, what have we made? Little potato cylinders! I'm sure whoever invented them made lots of money.

U-

V-

W- Wild game- In America, we'll pretty much kill anything and eat it. Cattle, pigs, deer, birds, reptiles, etc.

X-

Y-

Z-

Wonderopolis

After reading today's "Wonder of The Day", I am left with little more knowledge than I already possessed. While it was interesting, I don't care for it. I am interested in astrology, not planetary science or planetology. I now know that Russia put the first probe on Venus, and that it was destroyed by the heat, but I can't think of any future situation that I'd apply it to. Doubtless, there are articles on this site that would interest me, but without the luxury of being able to pick one for myself (they are assigned), I probably won't find many.

Government Shutdown (Blogging Challenge 4)

Out of all the subjects to choose from, the one that affects me the most is the government shut down. I am surprised that there haven't been more problems yet. I thought there would be riots and protests on every street corner. The dollar (primary currency in the U.S.) has lost 2% of its value. that doesn't mean it's worth 98¢. it's still a dollar, but the dollar is less valuable now. It's hard to explain. It's all part of macroeconomics, which is stupid and hard to understand, and no less difficult to explain. 

I am not directly affected by the shutdown, but it kind of screws all the police and everyone else who works for the government.

Societal Expectations For Adolescent Boys

10-3-13


So, we're reading The Lord of The Flies in my English class, and we are to answer the following questions (or question, depending on how much I feel like typing):

What are society's expectations for teen boys entering adulthood? I think society depends greatly on boys to get jobs involving physical labour, because girls get all the jobs that require higher competence. But men are also starting to develop a disinclination to get their hands dirty. Luckily (depending on how you look at it) machines are now able to do a majority of jobs that had previously warranted actual intelligence, such as metallurgy/metalworking. Those are some of the most dangerous professions I can think of. It involves working in areas in excess of 38° C ≈ 100° F. That kind of an environment is, at the least, uncomfortable, and potentially dangerous.

I for one, plan to enter my country's armed forces after college. Ideally, I would enter a military college, because then I'm killing 2 birds with one stone, as the saying goes. I've always liked studying wars and battle tactics, and I might make a career out of it.

Online Power

"I can use my online power for good by"- My Teacher August 27, 2013

I guess I could try not to insult people online. And instead, I could do good things. I could tweet compliments to people, rather than complaints... Make lots of friends on Facebook... Or send money to the Red Cross by Pay-Pal. In conclusion, those are the ways I could use my "power" for good.

What does 21st Century Literacy Mean To Me?

   PLEASE NOTE: This was an assignment I was given by my teacher... Just know that I would never voluntarily do something like this.

   The ability to read and write is the definition of literacy, and I don't see how it would be different in the 21st century than... the 16th century. Reading and writing is still the same, it's just done differently than 500 years ago. I'm assuming that I'm supposed to talk about technology, but that's not in the question, so I'm just gonna' go ahead and... not do that. To me, literacy is becoming less and less important. I had the vocabulary of the average 12th grader by 6th grade, so I would probably be alright if I quit school now. (I'm in 8th grade) Anyway, that's the way I see "21st Century Literacy".

Blogging Challenge- Challenge 8

Student Blogging Challenge-

Challenge 8

10.)   I like popsicles. Popsicles are yummy in my tummy. They are especially satisfying on hot summer days. If you're one of those freaks of nature who likes brain-freezes, you might enjoy consuming frozen juices in the dead of winter. This will hurt your head, but I suppose anyone who likes doing it already knows.

For the science behind brain-freezes, visit this site.

9.)   I like dogs. Dogs are good companions for everyone, except maybe lobotomized people. The whole point of having a dog is to have a friend that's always around. "Vegetables" can't interact with people. I however, spend more time with my dogs than my own brother. That's probably because my dad is a _ _ _ _ and he rarely lets me see him. I hardly ever get to see my brother. It's sad really, but as some random digital passersby, you probably don't care.

8.)   I like- No I LOVE KFC! KFC is the food of gods! Never have I had better chicken, or Mac N' Cheese. I could eat KFC 3 nights a week. I say 3 because I need 1 night for pizza, 1 night for chimichangas, & 2 random nights. KFC though, is the best food ever, and I would eat it whenever possible.

7.)   I also like Tobuscus. Toby(short for Tobuscus) is a famous YouTuber/actor/comedian. He records himself playing games and puts it on YouTube. He has thousands of followers, and one of the top 5 online fan-bases. In my opinion he is the best (yeah, that's right Pewdiepie fans) in the business.

6.)   I enjoy playing C.O.D. You could argue that it is the best first-person shooter ever, but I would disagree. I think it is the 2nd best first-person shooter, falling just short of Halo (which I'll get to later). The online gameplay is slightly better, but as online gameplay increases in quality, campaign decreases. Halo though, has maintained quality multiplayer and campaign gameplay for 12 years (it came out in 2001). Call of duty has slightly more realistic graphics and story-lines, but The imaginative quality that Halo has just isn't there in C.O.D.

5.)- Halo 1...lol

4.)- Halo 2...lolol

3.)- Halo 3 ( regular Halo 3, not "Halo 3: ODST"... God, what an awful game)...lololol

2.)- Halo Reach... lolololol

1.)   HALO 4!!! I LOVE HALO 4! HALO 4 is the best first person shooter ever, and as technology advances, the game will, too.
   

Blogging Challenge- Challenge 6

Student Blogging Challenge

Challenge 6

   A digital foot-print starts the first time you register for a site, wether it be Facebook, Google+, or Youtube. Anyone can find out a lot about you with an email. These weirdos on the internet will use this information to gain personal information, and ultimately, abduct or humiliate you. Humiliation might not sound terrible, but abduction is never good. You will be dragged into the world on underground child slave trafficking. That's why the internet is a terrible, terrible conspiracy that pedos use to find and abduct you.

Blogging Challenge- Challenge 5

Challenge 5

Number 10

What is the mysterious thing in the mysterious woods?

It could be:

1. a corpse

2. buried treasure

3. a repurposed sock

4. Texas Chainsaw Massacre

5. a banana peel

6. a chupacabra

7. π (pi) written out in full

8. an aborted lama fetus

9. an extremist religious cult

10. Bigfoot and Nessy having a picnic with extraterrestrials next to the holy grail

Blogging Challenge- Challenge 4

Challenge 4

   I like Sparta and Spartans. There are Halo Spartans, and Sparta Spartans, the warriors of Greece. The Halo Spartans are thousands of years more advanced. They came about in the 2440's A.D., whereas the Greek Spartan warriors came more than 500 B.C.






This is Kat, a female Spartan of the planet Reach in Halo. I threw her in so I had at least 1 female Spartan. Ancient Greece did not allow women to fight.

Photo Credit: retinence via Compfight cc

This is an amusing lego portrayal of a spartan.

Photo Credit: retinence via Compfight cc





















This map shows Sparta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparta

This is terrain in Sparta

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparta

This is the terrain in Sparta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparta

This is Chief in Halo 4.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_Chief_(Halo)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_Chief_(Halo)

This guy (Steve Downes) voices the Halo Spartan Master Chief.

This is The Preliminary Sketch of Chief. Obviously it changed a bit in the actual game.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_Chief_(Halo)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonidas_I
This is Leonidas, a King of Ancient Greece.

This is Leonidas, doubtless the greatest Spartan warrior of all time, at the battle of Thermopylae.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonidas_I

Blogging Challenge- Challenge 3

Blogging Challenge 3

"I have just finished washing my clothes and found one sock that is now full of holes. I can’t use it as a sock, but list 10 other ways I could use the sock."

I could:

• Use it as a hand-puppet
• Make a stuffed animal
• Sew it, along with hundreds of others, into a blanket
• Paint it white, stuff it, put a face and nose on it, and you've got a snowman
• Make mittens
• Make a hat
• Give it to a homeless person
• Whip people with it when they're bad
• You could be "that guy" and continue wearing the worn-through sock
• Plaster the outside so as to harden it, and you've got a flower vase.

   Wow... That was harder than I thought it would be. Please include suggestions for better uses.

Blogging Challenge- Challenge 2

Blogging Challenge

Challenge 2

Thinglink

Freedom of Choice-

   I choose spartans as my topic. there are 2 kinds of spartans; there were the Spartans of ancient Greece, who were known for being the best warriors of their time.

   There are also the Halo spartans, who laugh at the efforts of their opponents to fight them. They are deadly accurate and covered head-to-toe in composite armor plating and energy shields.

   they are both masters of their times, but which class of spartan was more effective in battle?
   I'm looking for comments, because I really can't decide. 

Blogging Challenge- Challenge 1

Student Blogging Challenge:
 Challenge 1

These are 10 people I would like to meet.

1. Morgan Freeman-
I would ask him "Do you like the sound of your voice?"

2. Will Ferrell-
"What's your favourite movie or TV show?"


















3. Ghandi-
How did you remain hopeful that one day all people would have equal rights, despite all the hardships you and your followers experienced.

















4. Harry Caray-
"Have you ever seen Will Ferrell's impersonation of you on SNL?"
(my school's internet security sucks it won't let me get a picture of Harry Caray ):)

5. Martin Freeman-
"Were you reluctant to take the job acting in 'The Hobbit', or did you jump right on it?"











6. Steve Zahn-
"What is your favourite movie you've ever starred in?"
















7. Paul Rudd-
"Who is your favourite actor? (you don't count in this)"












8. John Lennon-
"What kind of music did you listen to as a child, and did it have any effect on the type of music you wrote?"














9. Stephen Hawking-
"It must be frustrating at times trying to communicate with people, so how did you stay motivated to keep exploring science?"














10. Will Smith-
"Who was your childhood idol?"

Brief Description of Me

   This is my avatar. He's an albino hispanic gangster with a pet bunny. The only thing that would be better is if I could photo shop my face into it. My favourite band is Metallica. There's nothing about them that's related to school, but I like listening to music in class so I don't have to listen to all the people in class.