Orion

4/18/2013

A Fun Death

Death is bloody red sand circles

Fun is the silver clink of my trucks  

Boredom is a cloud grey image of nothingness

Peace is flower yellow hippie gatherings on the plaza

Thirst is ocean blue water wells

The End is volcano red cracks steaming from inland tsunamis

splashing mankind into a gasping extinction.

Orion

Apr 17, 2013

Good Guy vs Bad Guy

Jesus	vs	Satan
The Republic	vs	The Empire
Tom	vs	Jerry
Batman	vs	Joker
Spiderman	vs	Green Goblin
seal	vs	shark
whale	vs	whaler
cat	vs	dog
Splinter	vs	Shredder
Optimus Prime	vs	Megatron

Things That I dont like

slugs and snails,

sick slithering snakes,

and big boogers beneath desks

are things that I don’t like.

boring bushy broccoli,

really raw rolls of sushi,

and dang dirty dogs

are things that I don't like.

fat freaky frogs,

pokey porcupines,

and gleaming globs of goo

are all things that I do not like.

Revisiting the Anticipation Guide

Lying is justifiable for the greater good.
I still gave this a four because if Mazer Rackham had told Ender the truth about what he was actually doing, then I don't think Ender would have actually been able to kill all the buggers knowing he was a such a murderer.

Sometimes violence is the only way to solve a problem.
I gave this a four now that I read the book, because, in this books case, humans could not contact the buggers and could not speak to them or communicate to them in any way, so they ended up going to war and they couldn't hear each others side to the story, so the only way to solve their problem was to be violent and kill each other.

It is okay to kill someone in self defense.
I gave this a four because my opinion hasn't really changed much about this because I still think that if someone is trying to kill you, like Bonzo was to Ender, then I think the only way to stop that, in their case, would be to kill one anther. There were no teachers, so what could Ender really have done anyway.

Words are stronger than fists.
I still fully agree with this statement and would give it a five because for example in the book, Peter used to be the person that took pleasure in violence. But later on in the book he ends up becoming a person named Locke that uses his words to create peace. He ended up preventing a great battle on Earth just by using his words and his knowledge.

Bullies hurt others because they have a low self esteem.
After reading the book, I have a little bit of a disagreement.  I realize that bullies bully people for many different reasons, one of them definitely being a low self esteem, but in this books case, like Peter for example, it is not for that reason.  Peter kills squirrels because when he does it gives him the feeling that he in control of the squirrels and that he has power over them.

Only the best and brightest student should receive the best education to become that nations leader.
I still give this a one because of the fact that Peter Wiggin was definitely a very smart kid, but he received the same education that most other kids did, and still ended up becoming the ruler of Earth.

Revenge is never justified.
I now give this a three because people in this book just seem to like revenge. For example, Bonzo... Ender became a better commander than Bonzo did and Bonzo didn't like this so he decides to kill Ender?? That's not very cool. And what about Ender killing the whole bugger race (though he didn't know what he was doing) just because the buggers attacked the humans at one point? That's billions of lives that humans did not even understand going to waste.

Crying is evidence of weakness.
I still give this a two because the book didn't really change my opinion, but it did add to my first opinion.  After Ender had destroyed all of the buggers, there were people around him crying because they were so happy and joyful at what Ender had done.

Any action is acceptable in war.
I now give this a two because not every action is acceptable in war. There are a lot that aren't  for example, Ender destroying a whole race is really bad. nobody should do that.

Teenagers need discipline and rules because they cant control themselves.
I still give this a three because there are some kids like Bonzo who tried to kill Ender who obviously need some discipline and then there is someone like Valentine who doesn't break the rules and is a very good kid and who already knows what the rules are and doesn't have to break them to figure them out.

Only through personal sacrifice can someone create positive change. 
At first I didn't agree with this and i gave it a two, but now i give this a four after reading the book because in Enders case, he had to sacrifice his childhood and being able to be with his friends and family but in the end ended up leading the human race to peace. If Ender had made the decision to stay instead of go to the Battle School, there would probably be no human race.

Generating compassion for your enemies is the only way to create peace. 
I gave this a five at first, and I still give it a five because it truly is the only way to create peace. I think this now because of the way Ender took the bugger egg and vowed to find a new home for her.  

Orion

Feb/27/2013

Times Standard staff writer

CEJ#5-local

Summary

What was believed to be the night of February 21, a great deal of copper wire was stolen from the Mckinleyville high school stadium. On Monday the sheriffs office received a call saying that the stadium was damaged with the wire being stolen from the access panels.  The suspects were believed to have used a pulling object and a hacksaw to remove the panels.   The high school is still figuring out the total loss.  The theft of the wire damaged the stadium lights and the cost of the wire itself is believed to be around 1000 dollars and to rewire the stadium is going to cost a lot more according the sheriffs office release.  Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call the office at 445-7251 or the sheriffs office crime tip line at 268-2539.

Response

I think this was a pretty bad thing to do, but copper wire does have many uses.  Whoever stole that much wire is going to get a good price for it.  As for finding the people who stole the wire, I would go around to every pawnshop around the area and find out if anybody brought in a heap of copper wire.  Then, I would go around door to door to the the people that live near the high school to find out if they witnesses any suspicious activity or if they knew who committed the crime or know anything about the person or people who committed the crime. Then  after that, if I had gotten no leads, I would move into the high school and ask the children in the school if they knew about what happened.  After reading about what happened on the Times Standard, I actually asked my brother who goes to Mckinleyville High School if he knew anything about it, but he said no. 

CEJ#4-STATE

Orion

SFC

2/13/13

Carolyn Jones

Lone Birds of Their Species Winter Here.

Summary

In the Bay Area, every winter the sky is filled with millions of migrating birds:   mallards, avocets, Canada geese, western sandpipers and one Tufted duck.  Tufted ducks live in Asia, but every year, the same duck  ditches his flock and flies to Oakland.  While many of his friends wait in Thailand, this duck paddles along the Lake Merritt instead.  Hes not the only bird that's off track though.  San Francisco is the home of a Eurasian wigeon, and Monterrey Bay holds an arctic loon that should really be in Japan.  John sterling, a wildlife biologist in Woodland said that  "These weird birds can show up unexpectedly, at any time. To see one can be totally mind-blowing,"

Response

I thought this article was pretty cool because I had known that birds sometimes fly off coarse and end up somewhere totally unexpected for them, but I didn't know that it happened so close to where we live! I thought that it was pretty amazing that the same tufted duck comes here to Oakland every year. This duck is also not even from our continent. It is from Asia.  It's pretty cool that a duck would fly thousands of miles just to come and see us! maybe the duck just likes the weather here, but its still pretty cool.

 Orion

2/26/2013

An Ode to Toast

Toast is good.

 It is the food to break my fast.

It is what I have waited for,

Sleeping without wake for hours.

I hold what is not toast but bread in my hand

And see the whole grains, the type I like to eat.

Then it drops into the toaster to brown to perfection.

And I wait; wait for what seems like hours.

And then I smell what is crispy,

Then from the blade of the knife the butter spreads

And I eat and sit down to enjoy my life which is toast.