Aaran Fulton's Blog

For this article of the week, I read an article with the title “Joseph Kony On The Move As Manhunt Steps Up, UN Envoy Says” by Louis Charbonneau about Kony trying to escape from our army. But the US governments and other armies have not found him yet. This is very concerning to me how a very powerful US government cannot find one very dangerous man in Uganda. Joseph Kony is a dictator who recruits young children into his army. I think Joseph Kony is a complete psychopath to even take kids from their home, let alone for them to join the army. Poor kids are being put through the war and they have no choice. Girls are used as sex slaves which would be a horrible life. None of them deserve this. The US government spans across several countries and they will not rest until they find Kony. It is good that the US government and foreign armies are trying very hard to find Kony in the dense forrest

Kony moves his location every couple of days and he is definitely on the edge. It is good that he is getting nervous because he knows that he will eventually be caught since many armies are trying to find him. Every once in a while, someone who has escaped from Kony’s armies tell our governments how he is feeling. It is very good that our armies have insight at what Kony is thinking so they know what to expect from him. All around the world, more and more people are finding out the horrible things Kony is doing. This is good because if more people know about Kony, the more people will want to stop him, which means the armies will try harder to find and catch him. It will be a huge accomplishment if we find him.

After reading this article, I believe that the US government and other armies are very capable of finding Kony. It is only a matter of time until they find him somewhere in the really dense forest. I am sure they are trying very hard to try and capture Kony because of what he is doing to all those children in the war and the children who are sex slaves. I think Kony is a very horrible man who should be stopped as soon as possible. He is doing horrible things that should be unheard of in our world.

For this article of the week, we were able to choose our own article and I chose a article from NYtimes. The article was named ” The Events Leading to the Shooting of Trayvon Martin”. The link is http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/04/02/us/the-events-leading-to-the-shooting-of-trayvon-martin.html?ref=us. The article was about the events leading up to the shooting, hence the name of the article. It is about all the different points of views of different people and what the police had to say. To my surprise, many of the stories were very similar or very different. It also seemed as if the different families had different stories from each other. But all the stories had similar characteristics. Obviously, they all had the horrible ending because Trayvon Martin was shot.

Not to my surprise, Zimmerman and and his father and very similar stories to each other. They had both mentioned how Trayvon Martin had walked up to Zimmerman and decided to beet him up out of the blue. For obvious reasons, I do not believe this at all. Why would anyone walk up to a random stranger and beet them up. It just does not add up. The detectives had said that Trayvon went up to Zimmerman and asked him why he was following Martin. This gives me an idea that Zimmerman was following Trayvon. This makes me a little suspicious. The police also found out that in Trayvon Martin’s last phone call was to his girlfriend when he mentioned that he was being followed. This proves to me that Trayvon Martin was being followed and it makes me think that Trayvon had nothing to do with being attacked. Two witnesses of the whole thing had said that Trayvon Martin was below Zimmerman as he was being attacked. This makes me think that Trayvon was the one to be attacked and not Zimmerman.

In the end, I believe that Trayvon Martin was the one to be attacked. I believe this because all the stories make me lean towards Zimmerman being the bad “guy”. I think that Zimmerman decided to attack Trayvon Martin for absolutely no reason. I think that Zimmerman should go to jail for murdering someone for absolutely no reason and I hope that Trayvon’s family  gets justice out of all of this.

For this article of the week, I read a article with the title “In South Sudan, Girls Are Being Given Away to Settle Family Feuds” by Tom Rhodes. The article was about a girl that was 8 years old that was given away to a family because of a crime she did not do. I cannot believe that a family would give their daughter away at 8 years old. In fact, I cannot believe a family would give away a child at all or at any age. Instead of being arrested in the community, you have to give a family member away. I do not think this is a good idea at all. It is also not fair that she was the one to pay the price and not the people who committed the crime. The reason she was given away was because her brother killed a man over cattle. I think this is a very horrible law for anybody at all. But why did the son stay in the community while the sister of the murderer was sent to another family. Things like this are not fair at all. I wonder how long this tradition has been going on? I also wonder how Atia Odongi felt when she was given to another family.

She would have to clean and scrub the floors everyday. She was also raped by all the men in the family. This  is very horrible how her life was just cleaning and then to be raped by many men in their family. It is not fair at all.  I wonder what she would think when all of this is happening in her life. I would be very depressed. The men would rape her because they would want a child to replace the man who had died. This is very horrible how her life was just cleaning and then to be raped by many men in their family. It is not fair at all.  I wonder what she would think when all of this is happening in her life. I would be very depressed.

I believe that the ways of these people should stop because the wrong people are being punished for bad things. I believe that anyone who commits a crime should be punished instead of someone who did not because it is not the fault of the one being given away. The girl would be raped and forced to clean for nothing. Maybe if we showed them modern day laws, they would come to their senses and change their ways.

For this weeks article of the week, I read an article with the title ” BP Oil Spill Aftermath: Eyeless Shrimp, Clawless Crabs and Fish with Oozing Sores” by Casey Chan. It was about many creatures in the Sea that had deformities. When I really thought about this, I realized it is very sad how fish are becoming deformed because many restaurants rely on fish to support their needs. In the article, it mentioned that shrimp were found without eyes, with the baby shrimp still attached and things like that. I think this would make the shrimp uneatable because people are unsure what these deformities can do to humans. Seafood restaurants are most likely having troubles finding shrimp that do not have deformities

I also read about all the different deformities on the fish which were equally as horrible as the  shrimp being deformed. This makes me think that the fish are very sick and they will have very small lives because of their deformities. If people ate this i am sure they would also become sick. After reading what has happened to all these animals, it makes me think that oil must be very bad for all animals because many different types of sea life are becoming sick. You can also tell because the deformities are very major.

Many scientists and fisherman were noticing that they have never seen anything so major in their time as scientists or fisherman. It is also amazing that they have never seen fish in such bad shape for over 20 years. To me it is sad that the fish are in the worst shape for such a long time. Scientists are saying that this is most likely responsible of the BP oil spill in 2010. I remember when this disaster happened because  I remember watching people trying to fix it everyday on the news. I also remember how this effected so many people because of all the dirty oil in the water.

I hope that these sea creatures that are deformed will be able to become normal in the next few years. It is very sad for all the people who relied on the fish, shrimp, crab, and many other animals that were harmed. I am sure too many people were effected in a bad way. Owner’s of seafood restaurants, fishermen, and people who sell food to restaurants are all effected in this situation because many fish they find will probably be deformed. I hope all of this can be fixed soon.

For this quarter, my goal is that I would like to bring my algebra grade up to at least a B-. That is my main goal since it is very important for high school. The way I can reach this goal is to complete all of my homework problems on time. I would also like to study much more before the class. Even start studying a few days before hand. I believe I will reach my goal by the end of the year if I try hard in the class and ask question a lot more often.

Post Writing Reflection

My strengths as a writer is that I have strong writing in fluency, ideas, and voice. This helps a lot with writing because readers can follow along your writing very easily. One of the problems I encountered was that I had trouble replicating the different parts of the real Declaration of Independence  to my writing. I solved this by looking at real declaration and using similar ideas to what the declaration had. I also used moodle to help guide me through the process. The way I came up with the ideas was that I took my ideas and put them in my declaration of independence using the real one to help me. The way I found the grievances was thinking about what my most recent school had that SSIS did not. For example, there are uniforms here at SSIS but there were not any uniforms at my other school back in Qatar. If I were to start this declaration of independence all over again I would read through it over and over after finishing to find all the small mistakes. I would use the same style and most likely the same grievances as I did for this declaration of independence.

Declaration of Independence

For this weeks article of the week, we read an article titled “Students hid during shooting at California School” by Jorge Ortiz. The article was about a man with the name One Goh who went into a Korean college and killed several people. In the article they had a very intriguing first sentence that made me ponder for a bit. It mentioned that seven college students were shot in a small Korean school in California. It made me ponder because I was thinking, why would anybody do such a thing.  It is very sad that 7 kids were killed because it was not their fault what so ever. They were unlucky to run into a maniac that is shooting people. I bet that everyone in the school ran when they heard the gunshot. In the article, it mentioned that the police found the man that was involved with the shooting. It is really good that they have a suspect for the shooting and it is good that they are trying to prove the man guilty. I am sure the gun they found is very good evidence. As I was reading this article, I thought about the Virginia Tech shootings that have happened because I have read articles about it and watched the news. Because of this, I wonder if One Goh had a grudge against the school because the shooters in Virginia Tech were very mentally unstable.

When I first started reading the article, I thought the man who shot the students was a student himself at the time. But it turns out that he was living in the area for a very long time. But this makes me wonder even more of why he went into the school and shot the students. In the article it mentions that the school was built right next to a Korean Church. Who knows? Maybe he was very religious and he did not want  a college next to the church. Or this could have absolutely no relevance at all. After the shooting, police surrounded the building and attended to the wounded and laid the victims on the grass. First off, it is very good how the police men and women took action towards this horrible disaster. It is also good how they attended to the wounded very quickly. But it is unfortunate how people were killed and then they were put onto the grass. Couldn’t they have just brought them away from the public eye. I also believe that the people who survived will be very shy after this because of what has happened to them.

Apparently One Goh was a student from long before and he was not enrolled any more. But we are not sure whether he was kicked out of college or he dropped out. Since Pastor Jong Kim says he was a past student that was no longer enrolled, the shooter has knowledge of the school. If he was expelled, I wonder if that would lead him to hold a grudge against the school. Or maybe he dropped out because he did not like the school because of certain teachers or other students. Many things could have lead him to go into the school and kill many people. One of the head teachers at the school had heard around 30 rapid fire shots. I first was trying to imagine of what he was thinking as he heard the gunshot. Was he scared or worried. I was just lock the door and lay under the desk. Then I realized, it is partially his fault for not having proper security at the gates.

I could not imagine what people would think if they were at the heart of the tragedy. What would you do if you saw someone right in front of you with a gun and all you can do is run. You would have a very small chance if you were right next to the shooter. I believe the people who were there and were not shot are very lucky to have survived such a horrible thing. I bet the people who were killed had absolutely no chance to run away. I just wish the families of the dead ones luck and to the people that were at the school at the time of the shooting.

People mourn after VT shooting-Wikipedia

Preamble

In the course of human events, there is a time when we students have to have our rights of freedom and choice. We need to become independent from our teachers as we lose our bonds that connect us. But, we need evidence to show our school leaders we deserve independence. This is why I am writing this Declaration of Independence for other students and teachers to read. We will become equal to our teachers as we revolt against the school. They will have absolutely no choice and nothing to do except to agree with us.

Declaration of Student Rights

We hold these truths to be self evident, that as students, we deserve equality. It is the school’s job to give the students freedom and the pursuit of happiness. Since the school is not fulfilling their duties, we have the right to go against them and completely destroy their ways of teaching and testing. This is not something short term, because teachers have been using these horrid methods for years and years on end, and it is time to change. It is our responsibility to take them down and make our own rules and methods. We will inspire many other schools to do the same,` as our students’ rules will overtake the ways of teaching!

List of Complaints/Grievances

For many years, students have not been complaining and we have been very patient. But we have been too patient. It is time for a change and to show what our school, SSIS, has been doing to us all these miserable years.
-They have given us ugly uniforms that are very uncomfortable and they are very hard to move in.
- Most of the clocks in each classroom are different and this makes it confusing and annoying. You could be late for next block and you would not know it.
- Teachers are letting students out of class very late so we get in trouble for the next block and it is not our fault at all.
- They have shortened breaks so we have very little time between classes for us to either eat or go to the gym and play sports.
- The school has influenced all the kids to worry about grades and GPA and it is digging into all of our heads.

Statements of prior attempts to redress grievances

Even after years of dealing with our school, we have tried many times to tell our teachers of our complaints. The problem is that the information is going through one ear and flying out the other. We students feel that this is unfair because we are being ignored as a punishment. We have talked to our parents about how our suggestions and complaints are being ignored and our parents still do not care at all. We know how to rule ourselves, yet they are still acting as if they do not care. So after many failures of trying to persuade them to listen, we are breaking apart from the school to become independent. I know there will be arguments, but one day we will become allies, one day.

Declaration of independence

We students have come together and signed this Declaration for us to split. We have every student on our side and the teachers have no way of staying as the leaders of our school. We have all the evidence and the support it takes for the students to become independent and to have the right to separate. Every bond between us will no longer exist and we will have no connections between the school and ourselves. We are free to do what we want. Every student who has signed this Declaration of Independence have put their student careers in danger, to be free

It was the junior world series and I was next up to bat with one out left in the bottom of the 9th inning. The bases were full and everyone in the stands were cheering for me. All the pressure were on my shoulders as I stepped up to the plate. I did my usual routine by twisting my left foot in the dirt and swinging my bat left to right. I spit in front of me as the pitcher wound up. Throwing what I would think as a curve ball. Then he through it, the perfect pitch for me. The next thing I hear is the ball hitting the sweet spot on my bat, and the next thing I see is the ball flying higher and higher. To my disbelief, the ball and gone over the fence and the whole crowd was cheering for me. I had won the world series as I was lifted above every ones shoulders. At this moment, I realized that I would never lose my love for sports

I am the most successful at balance in life because I leave time in the week and on the weekend for things that have nothing to do with school. One way I have balance in life is that I play sports. I play American Football every Monday after school and I will also join Volleyball in a week or so. This gives me balance in life because I do not pay attention to school while playing sports. I also occasionally go over to my friends house on the weekend or they come over to mine. We will sometimes make movies, play games, or play sports. None of this involves school which gives me balance in life. Overall, I have many things that I do that are fun, and do not involve of any kind. Except for the work that is fun to do.

I am the least successful with academic excellence because I have a couple grades that I am not very proud of. One thing that can prove this is that I do not pay as much attention in class as I would like to. In many classes, I talk with my friends too much and listen to the teacher too little. Another reason why this is my least successful is because I do not study that much before tests and quizzes which leads to a bad grade on power school. At home I procrastinate way too much which leads to barely any studying. I really need to focus on schoolwork when I am studying at home or when I am in a classroom.

There are several ways I can be more successful with academic excellence. If I were to stop socializing in class, I could listen more in class to my teachers and students around me. I could ignore my friends when the teacher is talking. If I have trouble with studying I can always ask my dad or my brother. Instead of procrastinating, I could call for my dad or brother for which they can help me with either my algebra or my Spanish when I need the help. There are many ways I can improve in my classes, it is just that I do not want to do it.

I have many strengths that I can show through my effort with SSIS’s core values. Especially with balance in life. I can improve my academic excellence by focusing on that during classes and at home. If I continue working on balance in life and on my academic excellence I will have a much better time outside of school, and inside of school. I will feel more confident in classes if I have a better academic excellence. And balance in life is always a great contribution.

For this weeks article of the week, our class read an article titled, ” ‘Bully’ Documentary” Weinstein Company loses Appeal Over R-Rating”. It was about a documentary about bullies that was meant to be showed to teenagers, but was rated to be R. In my opinion, I cannot believe that they would rate something that is meant to be shown to kids R. Yeah, it may have some swear words, but you could always beep them out. I wonder what the people will do to be able to show the kids what is going on around that has to do with bullying. The people who rate the movies said it had some swear words, which lead to it becoming R. Something with a few bad words should not make any movie R especially ones that are meant for kids.

Unfortunately for the people who made bully, if one more person voted for the movie to be PG-13, it could have been shown to many schools in the US and all around the world. It is amazing that if one more of the people who rate the movies excepted it to go down in rating, schools could have the benefit of showing the movie to try and prevent bullying. Weinstein, the person who is fighting to bring down the rating of Bully, failed to bring down the Kings speech to PG-13. Apparently it had to many F-words. But I actually watched The Kings Speech. It was not that bad except he stuttered causing him to say the F-word more than once.

The man said that if the movie is not shown to children around the world, there will be much more violence. He said some language is much better then violence. I could not agree with him more than I do right now. Everyone should see this movie. I agree with him that a little bit of language is much better than having a lot of violence at school or over the internet. I really think this should be a PG-13 movie. I want to see it as well. In the article, it mentions that if a movie has more than one F-word, it is R. I find this rule very bad. If one F word is fine, then why would 2 F words be any worse. It is always the same word. I understand if there are more than 5 F words. But what is the difference between 1 F word and 2 F words

In the end, I believe this movie should be shown to kids above 13 because they need to know about the harm that bully can cause to kids. Bullies do not realize how much pain they are causing to others, and if they saw the movie they would understand and stop. This movie  could change the way of  how middle schools are structured without bullying being as big a problem as before. Of course there will still be bullying, but not nearly as much.