My annotated photo/story

Here's my first Summer assignment for English class about who I am as a writer, reader and who I am myself.

Book Review: The Bar Code Tattoo

      Suzanne Weyn's The Bar Code Tattoo astonished me in how I could see our world in a similar situation.

    A major idea of the The Bar Code Tattoo is that all people would (will?) be identified with bar codes.  These bar codes would identify the person's blood type and other medical specifics.  What if the codes told more than just these medical specifications?  What if we were tracked through these codes?  What if our lives were controlled by a few simple black bars?  That's a tough set of questions.  In the story of The Bar Code Tattoo bar codes are beginning to be used for everything from buying items to getting a job.  In the story, a character compares the degree of government tracking individuals by saying that "they first started out using Driver's Licenses as IDs, then credit cards were tracked" and so on.

     Kayla, the main character, resists the bar code and joins a group against the bar called KnotU2.  This group is centered around working against Global-1.  Global-1 is a large organization that owns all farm production and many other vital businesses.  This reminds me a little bit of our (somewhat) monopolies in our society.  Though not on the same level, what if these large corporations turned into an all-controlling monopoly like in the story?

    Our world may be moving in this direction if we are not careful of our government and business corporations.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes semi-futuristic or action themes.

Persuasion

I do not use persuasion very often.  I am not very good at persuading people, which is probably because I do not use persuasion very much.  If I do have to persuade someone, I will probably talk out the situation and give reasons/facts for my point.  Persuasion is not very important in my life.

Winning

Winning can mean doing better than other people in an activity or overcoming a personal obstacle in yourself.  Winning does not always mean receiving a tangible reward.  I am both ashamed and proud of many things I have won.  Even though winning doesn't always mean receiving something tangible, something I am very proud of winning is academic medals during Junior High.  I was given 3 (maybe 4) rewards for the highest grade in class.  The classes I remember are Art, Computer Technology, and History.

Commitment

I believe that I could commit myself to being better at playing the marching snare.  I will commit myself to learning to play the marching snare better.  Making myself better at the snare is important.  Next year, (this season is already over) there will be only one person on snare who has had any experience with the marching snare.  Also, he is going to be a Senior, so I have to learn as much as I can from him before he leaves.  This is even more important when I remember that I am the only person moving up (maybe, this could change) from the bass drum (which is what everyone on the Drumline starts out on).

Yesterday, I saw a mug in Barnes and Noble that made me smile. The mug read: "Be the change you wish to see in the world…" (just in case you didn't notice that large image above). The quote was by Ghandi (something else you might not have known if you managed to miss that picture), which made me more interested in this particular cup. Really, if you think about this, you can figure out pretty easily how you influence other people. There are more quotable mugs that are good, if you are willing to take a look.

I took the image from here.

Taking a Stand

      This post may seem a little obvious with what tomorrow is, but I'm going to write on this subject anyway.  I admire Martin Luther King, Jr. for his stand against many of the United States.

      Even though nearly everyone knows his story, I'm just going to give a quick refresher.  At the time, there was major segregation between Blacks and Whites in the US.  The segregation went to far as to have Whites and Blacks separated into different schools and even to have different restrooms. Martin Luther King, Jr. took a stand against all this and most of the US (and by most, I don't mean all).  Martin Luther King, Jr. used non-violent protests to get a point across (which was partly inspired by Ghandi's way of protest).  He succeeded in changing the entirety of the US and how  people look at the small differences in each the other man.  In the end, as everyone knows, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.

      I admire Martin Luther King, Jr. for his capability to stand against such a large mass of people, something I don't think I could ever replicate.  Martin Luther King, Jr.'s peaceful protest inspires me to do the same with conflict among others.  Even in the face of danger and death, he did not use violence, something that inspires this non-violent method even more.  Martin Luther King, Jr. had everything to lose, his home, family, and even his life, and yet he still stood up for what he believed in.

      Against all odds, Martin Luther King, Jr. stood up for what he thought was right and I admire him immensely for that.

Image from 

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm1.static.flickr.com/113/286476887_d43f3cff29.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.knowmoremedia.com/influences/&usg=__6wugj_gkpccYJVzolyfCpqaGVgQ=&h=393&w=500&sz=140&hl=en&start=9&sig2=xjWTweVENKcCT7LltjntUw&um=1&tbnid=5u1k79LU752-WM:&tbnh=102&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmartin%2Bluther%2Bking,%2Bjr.%2Bmarch%2Bon%2Bwashington%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26um%3D1&ei=fMhTS5XQEJLytQOIu43hBw

Something I wish I could change, but really can't

Less homework.  I really am just writing about this because I don't want to get into politics or war.  Homework can be a major dampener on study time and free time.  I believe that if you are really taught what you are supposed to be taught at school, you should not need to learn more at home on your own time.  I believe that time at home should be used to study or relax.

Taking a Stand

     Many people may think that taking a stand for what they believe in is difficult.  Taking a stand can be very difficult, if you make it difficult for yourself.  I took a stand for what I believed in.  This was no small task for me.

     First, a little background info.  I moved into a new house about a year ago.  This new house is actually a warehouse and it wasn't exactly in the best condition when we moved in.  Ever since, my family and I have been working on our new home.  Everyone does their part, some more than others, but it is still help none the less.  My Father is home nearly all the time and he does about  90% of everything that gets done around the house.  My Mother helps all she can, though she has a day job and isn't home nearly as much as my Father.

      This is where explaining gets difficult.  My Father doesn't exactly have a day job he goes to every morning at 8 but still gets payed even though he is home most of the time (and I don't mean he has a job on the computer at home or anything).  My Mother does and usually gets home around 5.  Honestly and bluntly, my Mother complains of (nearly) all that my Father does even when he does his best and just does what's best for us.

      Back to what I've been meaning to say from the start, taking the stand.  At the time, I was playing at the computer when my Mother and someone she was talking to walking into the room a couple steps away.  My Mother said something to the effect (that's probably the wrong a/effect) of complaining about the trimming near a door being off the ground.  The person she was talking to agreed and said that they had suggested the same.

     I couldn't take it anymore.  I stood up and walked over to my mother.  I explained to her that my Father does much more for us than she knows and that he does what he does because he loves us.  I didn't wait for a response as I turned back to the computer.

     Some teenagers may have little to no respect for their parents and think that this stand is nothing compared to what they do.  I respect my parents very much which made this stand that much harder for me.

What Makes a Leader a True Leader?

     You may know many leaders, from the ones known by everyone to the ones only you know of.  The question is, what makes a leader a true leader?  This subject is easily debatable so keep in mind that this is my opinion and yours may differ, and that's fine.  One of the first characteristics of a leader that comes into my mind is charisma.  Dictionary.com defines charisma as "a spiritual power or personal quality that gives and individual an influence or authority over large numbers of people".  Being a natural leader helps in many ways.  Another characteristic of a true leader, I think, is being willing to lead in your endeavors.  A leader sitting in the rear of the action isn't really a true leader if he doesn't stand up himself for what he wants is he?  A true leader must inspire the people he leads, if he doesn't, the people he leads are just blind followers.

           -This blog post is for a class I barely care for at the moment, so it isn't the best I can muster

Reason for the Season

Top ten reasons for the season:

1. Family-family is forever
2. Friends
3. Food-we couldn't live without it you know!
4. Health
5. Wealth-even though many people whine and complain about being poor, they're actually quite a bit more wealthy than they think
6. God
7. Jesus
8. Affection
9. Random Acts of Kindness-being either on the receiving end or giving end, it's something to be thankful for
10. A Home-even a new one is a roof over your head