reflect on the article

Check out this article at:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/07/14/18288103.php

If your computer is able to view the video, you might want to see it.

Questions to consider:
1. Why didn't the police arrest the Minutmen member?
2. Would it have been different if the violence had been caused by an undocumented immigrant?
3. Is violence ever okay in a protest?

the border

by J.N.

What is the border? The border is like a subject trying to keep people out. It might be a physical wall, but it is the subject, the idea that is the real border. It's like there is no end to it.

We try to help each other but there is a border. We try to be friends but there is a border. We try but find out what we like and what we don't like. All we want is a conersation, a dialogue between two groups. We try to change the world but there is a border.

So how can we make the world a better place if there is a border? And each year it grows. Without borders we would understand how others need help. The border blinds us, but we would see the poverty on the other side. Without the border, we would know how to create a plan to change the world; because, if you see, you can be aware and if you are aware, you can do something about it. However, as long as there is a border, we will not be able to see.

feminists

What are some of the issues that feminists would have fought for during the Civil Rights? Create a list of at least five ideas.

a solution

Yesterday we talked about all of the different groups that could claim that the land belonged to "them." What is a compromise that could make each group at least moderately satisfied?

fear what?

by K G

What is fear?
And what should
I do?
Fear what?

I go to my room
And hide.
I wonder if fear
just took all my pride

What should I do?
be afraid?
be a warrior?
I'm not sure

I want to face
my fear
I just don't know how
so what should I
do?

What is fear?
And what should I do?
Fear what?

sadness

by R. Parra

Sadness

Dedicated to Richard Parra


My body is aching.My heart is in so much pain.But when I think about you my pain grows more powerful.I miss you so much that I still think that you're by my side.I feel stupid cause I know it can't be true.I loved you with my innermost feelings and you betrayed them.I wish you could still be here but the more I wish I know it's not going to happen.I feel like I'm in sorrow.It's hard to believe that I'm in so much sadness.It feels that my sorrow is suffocating me in everything I do.I can't stand it I want to forget you but the more I try the more your face still stares at me.My mind is gone and my whole figure is wasted.Day and night I look out my bedroom window remembering all that's to be remembered.All the good memories we had together.But the memories we shared just was forgotten.I only have the last little memory left.It shows us going to the beach and running through the waves.As I remember this memory tears roll down my cheeks.The beautiful memory of you has almost disappeared from my mind.The people has seen me suffer for a long time.I have starved myself and gone for days without any sleep.Every night I look up at the sky wishing,hoping,praying that I can see you one more time.People want me to go outside and forget you.But I will never forget you.My heart and soul will always be connected with you.We'll never be separated,The more I think the more it comes to me that you've gone to a place so far away that no matter how much I've tried,I can't reach the place you have accomplished to come to.I miss you!!!I know you miss me.I'll always love you forever.......Gramps.

Fair Housing

Even when the Federal Government passed laws saying that anyone could buy a home, many minorities (such as African-Americans and Latinos) could not afford to buy in those neighborhoods. They were left asking, "What's the point of fair housing if we can't buy a home?"

Was this an example of integration, de facto segregation or explict segregation? Why?

Drinking Fountains

During the 1960's, African-Americans had to use separate drinking fountains. They posted signs saying, "Whites Only" and "Colored."

Was this an example of integration, de facto segregation or explict segregation? Why?

Case: Brown v. Board of Education

In Brown versus the Board of Education, African-Americans sued a school district that separated the students based upon race. The Supreme Court decided that "separate is not equal," and forced the schools to have a mix of races.

Was the Supreme Court decision an example of integration or de facto segregation or explicit segregation? Why?

borders

Read the following article and comment about it. Is this a Civil Rights issue? If so, what can be done to stop it?


SAN LUIS RÍO COLORADO, Mexico — For 10 years, Eduardo Valenzuela has been crossing the border illegally near Yuma, Ariz., trekking over desert scrub and hopping a freight train to get back to his job with a construction company in Phoenix. The clandestine trip has become an annual ritual for him, as he goes home each winter to see his children.

But on a recent afternoon he and four travel companions from his hometown, Los Mochis, plopped down on a bench in a park in the border town of San Luis Río Colorado, exhausted and dispirited. They were beat. Border Patrol agents had caught them twice over three days, hounding them with helicopters and four-wheel-drive trucks.

“It’s become much more difficult,” Mr. Valenzuela said, echoing the comments of dozens of other migrants. “Before, you just arrived here and then you walked a little and got the train. You used to see a border patrol agent every 10 kilometers. Now you see four of them where there was one. Think of it.”

All along the border, there are signs that the measures the Border Patrol and other federal agencies have taken over the last year, from erecting new barriers to posting 6,000 National Guardsmen as armed sentinels, are beginning to slow the flow of illegal immigrants.
The only available barometer of the decline is how many migrants are caught. In the last four months, the number has dropped 27 percent compared with the same period last year, the biggest drop since a crackdown immediately after 9/11. In two sections around Yuma and near Del Rio, Tex., the numbers have fallen by nearly two-thirds, Homeland Security officials say.
“We are comfortable that this actually reflects a change in momentum,” Michael Chertoff, the secretary of Homeland Security, said in an interview last week during his first official visit to Mexico City. “I’m always quick to say it doesn’t mean we can declare victory. To some degree, I expect the criminal organizations or smugglers are pulling back a little, watching to see if we lose interest.”

Some immigration experts said it was too early to tell if the enforcement efforts had caused a permanent downturn. In the past, tougher enforcement has only caused smugglers to seek new routes. “It’s the squeeze the balloon phenomenon,” said Roberto Suro, the director of the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington. “Sometimes you can’t tell where the bubble will come when you squeeze until later.”

Nor can they rule out other factors, like a relatively cold winter on the border and Mexico’s solid economic growth last year. Border Patrol commanders say they see no explanation for the drop-off across the entire 2,000-mile border other than stiffer enforcement deterring migrants. The slackening flow, they argue, belies the conventional wisdom that it is impossible to stem illegal migration. Many veteran officers in the force are now beginning to believe it can be controlled with enough resources.

The new measures range from simply putting more officers out on patrol to erecting stadium lights, secondary fences and barriers of thick steel poles to stop smugglers from racing across the desert in all-wheel-drive trucks. The Border Patrol has deployed hundreds of new guards to watch rivers, monitor surveillance cameras and guard fences.

In the Yuma headquarters of the Border Patrol, for instance, Chief Ronald Colburn said that with the help of the National Guard the patrol had doubled the agents in his sector to about 900, extended the primary steel wall eight miles past the end of the Mexican town of San Luis Río Colorado, and constructed a vehicle barrier six miles beyond that. “It’s the right mix, the right recipe,” he said.

The federal government has also begun punishing migrants with prison time from the first time they enter illegally in some areas. For instance, along the 210 miles of border covered by the Del Rio office of the Border Patrol, everyone caught crossing illegally is charged in federal court and, if convicted, sentenced to at least two weeks in prison.

Walls or War?
by Antonese

Their heads faced against the wall. Around them are their family. The look in their eyes is confusion. Why is there a wall here? Why can't we come? Which gets you thinking. Why do nations create walls? My honest opinion is that nation build walls because they have no trust for others. Fear and greed over rule them forcing things of this sort. They have fear of what the people from other nations might do such as over power them. They have greed and say we have such a nice place which share. Many effects could happen because of this. Our world is already separated with some hate as it is walls will just make it much worse. Nations could go into war because they took the message the wrong way. Nothing positive could come out of complete separation. That brings me to a question on what the president has in our future,so why are we going to make them?

Why Is It There?
By Mackenzie

Why is it there?
It separates them from us.
Lots of people go across.
But lots also get sent back.
People don't like it.
Some die when they pass this hurtful wall.
Its like racism.
Is that why its there?
Some people use it for a way to hurt people.
Some use it to create a better life
Kids ask why is it there?
Others say its not supposed to be there
Some say lets destroy it
But others say its not that easy
It causes so much pain
So I still ask
Why is it there?

Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr.

	Malcom X	Martin Luther King Jr.
Can all races get along?	Segregation – All races should be separate and leave one another alone	Integration – All races should live and interact with each other
Faith	Muslim	Christian
Methods	Violence might be necessary when protests are not enough, but also try boycotts and protests and speeches.	Never use violence. Instead, use boycotts, protests, speeches, etc.
National Identity	Be proud of your race and consider yourself a nation of your race instead of your country	Be proud of your American identity and your race at the same time. The goal is for all races to be part of our nation.

Imagine you are an African-American during the Civil Rights movement. You have just heard speeches from Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr. What are their similiarties? What are their differences? Whose approach do you like better? Which man would you choose to follow?

Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr.

	Malcom X	Martin Luther King Jr.
Can all races get along?	Segregation – All races should be separate and leave one another alone	Integration – All races should live and interact with each other
Faith	Muslim	Christian
Methods	Violence might be necessary when protests are not enough, but also try boycotts and protests and speeches.	Never use violence. Instead, use boycotts, protests, speeches, etc.
National Identity	Be proud of your race and consider yourself a nation of your race instead of your country	Be proud of your American identity and your race at the same time. The goal is for all races to be part of our nation.

What are their similiarties? What are their differences?

Whose approach do you like better?

Vietnam Picture #4

What does this soldier look like? What do you think he is feeling in the moment? What stands out in your mind as you look at the picture?

Vietnam Picture #3

What goes through your mind as you view this picture? What emotions do you feel? How would you respond if you were in that situation?

Vietnam Picture #2

What does this image say about the Vietnam War? What does it make you think? How does it make you feel?

Vietnam Picture #1

This image is a painting about the Vietnam Memorial. What is the main theme of this picture? What does it say about soldiers remembering the war?

Group #1

The American middle class was mostly white. They tended to

Why We Should Care About Gorillas

By S. Terrazas

We should care a lot if gorillas are endangered (or in this case any animal not just gorillas) because if they disappear from the face of the earth that will damage the circle of life. We are in the circle of life too, keep that in mind.

Dozens of gorillas die in a year. Today only about 2,500 remain in the wild, and only a few dozen live in the world's zoos. The eastern lowland gorilla population has declined significantly in recent decades. If this keeps up gorillas will become extinct. This is a very sad matter. Because they are not only dieing they are also being brutally killed and are being infected with diseases.

Only 700 mountain gorillas exist in the world. More than half live in the Virunga conservation area. (A huge swath of territory at the intersection of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.) Rebels loyal to warlord Laurent Nkunda battled over the park in their clashes with the army. the poor gorillas are in the middle of this. 10 have been killed this year. If this keeps up there will be more gorillas, because they are being killed faster than they can reproduce.

Gorillas are also dieing from diseases like Ebola. Ebola kills through massive internal bleeding. It has been known to infect gorillas and chimps in Africa. It wasdiscovered in 1976 and has killed about 1,000 PEOPLE, these people probably got the disease by eating or touching infected meat from wild primates. Ebola is believed to be one of the world's most deadly diseases. It can be passed on be touching or eating primates and/or people.) It has no known cure. Between 50% and 90% of the people that got infected die. Among humans, the disease often burns out before spreading far. Thats a good thing, dieing from Ebola must be a painful death!

In Congo gorillas are hunted for their fur and for their meat. Gorillas are hunted by native people for their meat, known as bushmeat, to eat or sell, for body parts that are used for amulets or traded as souvenirs, and for protecting crops that gorillas destroy.Hunting and poaching are the leading threats to gorilla populations throughout Africa. Gorillas are shot, speared, and trapped for their meat as well as for trophies. Gorillas are sometimes caught in traps for smaller animals and die of infected wounds. Their survival is also threatened by habitatdestruction caused by agriculture and logging. Human populations in central Africa are increasing, which means that the gorillas' population will continue to shrink.

These poor creatures are being killed for no reason at all. When trees are being logged instead of just leaving them there to die with no vegetation or shelter they can be put in reservations. Why would people eat gorilla meat? Its probably infected too. I would be scared, plus there is cows. People like wearing animal fur. I'm not totally for that or against it. Hey i love looking good and having the nicest stuff. But there is also artificial fur that is really similar. I wouldn't like to wear a a gorilla tooth around my neck. I have my own i carry around with me. Animal statues have no purpose at all. Why would people like having a dead gorilla in their living room its not like you can play with it. We really need to think about how we treat other species.

Other gorilla facts:
Habitat: The western lowland gorilla is found in the African countries of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Congo, and Equatorial Guinea. The easternmost range of the western lowland gorilla is the Oubangui River. The eastern lowland gorilla is found in eastern Zaire. The mountain gorilla is found within limited mountainous regions of Zaire, Rwanda, and Uganda at altitudes of 1,650 to 3,790 m (5,413-12,435 ft.). Western lowland gorillas inhabit tropical rain forests, forest edges and clearings, riverine forests, swamps, and abandoned, cultivated fields.

Gorillas Adult female gorillas tend to be shorter than adult males, and weigh only half as much. Females average 1.4 m (4.6 ft) and 90 kg (198 lb.). Males average 1.7 m (5.6 ft.) and 180 kg (397 lb.).A gorilla has a stocky build with a broad, shallow chest, a short trunk and longer arms than legs. Long arms show the gorilla's tree-dwelling ancestry even though it is now mostly on ground. The thumb and big toe opposeable allowing gorillas to grasp and/or manipulate objects. All great apes exhibit a capacity for complex learning. In behavioral research facilities, some gorillas have learned sign language and formed very simple sentences to communicate with people. They are really smart.

Baby Gorillas: A newborn gorilla weighs about 1.4 to 1.8 kg (3-4 lb.). Newborn gorillas are totally dependent on their mother for care and are clutched belly-to-belly for close contact for the first few months. At about two months they have developed enough strength and coordination to cling to their mother's hair unsupported 50% of the day. Juveniles are weaned at about 2 1/2 years and begin building their own nests for sleeping.An infant gorilla begins crawling at about nine weeks, riding on its mother's back at about 16 weeks, walking at about 35 weeks, and wandering among group members at about one year. Gorilla babies develop physical skills about twice as fast as human babies. Silverbacks are tolerant parents that successfully rear weaned orphaned or abandoned juveniles.

Immigrants and Racial Profiling

By C. Ibanez

Many immigrants in San Diego are being neglected. Their employers are putting them in danger. Authorities and volunteers are treating them rudely. They are also being refused at aid and evacuation sites.They have no where to go and no one will offer them help. Instead of being treated with respect or at least compassion they are being abused and racially profiled. Immigrants are being neglected by authorities and forced to work in farms adjacent to fires. There have been numerous instances in which immigrant laborers are being forced to stay working in farms adjacent to evacuated areas. Employers are threatening to fire laborers who refuse to work under precarious conditions. This poses a great health risk for them. Primarily because the air they are breathing is polluted. Many people are afraid of losing their jobs so they continue working under such conditions.

The San Diego Union Tribune reported that many immigrants living in remote canyons and fields near the fires are not evacuating. they are not evacuating either because they are afraid of losing their jobs or scared of getting caught by the Border Patrol. They are also staying in their homes because they have no where to go because they are being rejected at refuges centers because of their legal status. They are being rejected because they now need an ID of proof of their legal residence. Many don't have them because they lost them in the fire.

immigrants are being racially profiled by police and deported by the Border Patrol. Six undocumented immigrants were arrested by border patrol when they were looking for help in San Diego. They were left homeless after the wild fires in San Diego destroyed their home. They were getting food for their family a lady called the cops and accused them of stealing food meant for evacuees. Police responded to the call they came to find 6 people in a van who did not speak English nor did they ave a drivers licence. They then confessed that they were Mexican citizens. The police let them go a while later border patrol showed up. Police had called border patrol after finding out that they were illegals. They arrested the immigrants they were deported the left a couple and 4 kids because the kids were U.S citizens. Apprehensions and deportations of these immigrants are potentially illegal, since San Diego Police Officers are not supposed to report undocumented immigrants to Border Patrol agents unless they are formally arrested and charged with a crime.

That this is happening in the U.S is just wrong. This was supposed to be a land of immigrants and honestly no one is truly 100% American. Everyone is an immigrant or descendant of an immigrant. These people do not deserve to be treated like this. Immigrants should be treated with respect. Just because they are immigrants does not mean that they are less human than anyone else.

Are the Patriots Cheaters?

By S. DeLeon

Are the New England Patriots cheaters? We all want to know the answer to that question, and believe it or not they are. The Patriots are a very good team that deserve to be good but they wanted more so to get more they did something that made them regret what they did. They cheated in their fist game against the New York Jets by video taping their plays. That was disrespectful and they are okay with what they did. That's just wrong to do that to a team you are friends with.

The NFL commissioner took away a first round pick away from them and he fined the Patriots and Bill Belichic $500,000 dollars total. This fine did effect the way people think about them. People might think that they cheat in every game and that's why they are so good. The way they cheated was wrong they video taped them and than they thought they were going to get away with it. They did admit that they cheated and that they were sorry about what they did. This will effect the head coach job but they are doing so well that everyone has forgot about it.

This makes America look like cheaters and that we will do anything to win. People from different countries might look at America like we did a horrible thing and they did but they see us as cheaters. That will effect us in the global game or big global tournaments because they might say the Patriots did it maybe they did it to. With the War in Iraq, our image isn't exactly great around the world. People see the Patriots as the team that won three Super Bowls in six years but now they are doubted and it seems like they cheated their way to victory but no one knows excactly how they won.

To me they should be punished more because that is not acceptable to the other team and to America. I do think they are cheaters and they are not a great team but that is my opinion. To me they should have taken this to court and done some more harm to them. To me they should have been forced to forfit that game and suspend the coach for doing what he did. This is not loyal because they did cheat and did it a horrible way.

what do you think?

a quote

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.
-Percicles

a quote

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.
-Percicles

making Borman greener

Many people are concerned about the environment. For some, the biggest issues are related to global warming, while for others, it has more to do with air quality, destruction of preserved lands and endangered species.

Businesses are realizing that, often times, they can save money by being more environmentally friendly. If that's true of businesses, it should be true of our school as well. So, that is why I pose the following questions:

What can Borman do to be more environmentally friendly?
What would a "green" school include in its design?
How would we pay for all the improvements?

ideas

IMPACT was developed by the brainstorm of students answering the questions:

• What would make education more meaningful for you?
• What would make school a better experience?
• How could we make a difference in our community and in our world?

For that reason, we encourage ideas from students regarding future IMPACT projects. Here is a place where you can brainstorm any idea. It might seem insane at first, but we could make it happen.

Make Borman More Beautiful

Next Quarter, we will work on a project to make Borman more beautiful. Don't get worried. We're not talking about improving the looks of the students or teachers. We're referring to the school itself. We'll definately work on creating a garden. We'll also be painting murals.

Besides that, what should we do to make Borman more beautiful? Be respectful, honest and realistic in your response.

Turkey Dance

On Tuesday, we will partner with the Social Awareness Club for a dance to raise money for charities. Whatever we vote for today will be our designated global charity. I need people to volunteer to sell candy and soda at the dance. If you would like to do that, simply e-mail me.

What other fundraisers should we do?

Borman Website

Students in the IMPACT program have begun the process of creating a new Borman website. Throughout the month of December, students will work on designing the student web page (which is currently blank). We need some volunteers to create the layout, coordinate on the design and begin creating the Borman website.

If you would like to participate in this, please respond to this blog or e-mail Mr. Spencer.

The current Borman website is can be found at http://www.cartwright.k12.az.us/borman/index.html

What should the student page have? What else should the webpage have?

food bank

The IMPACT program partnered with the Social Awareness Club in a trip to the St. Mary's Food Bank on Saturday. Currently, the two groups are working on many projects together. These include a Turkey Dance this upcoming Tuesday as well as an Astro Mural that we just finished. We'll be posting pictures of the mural within the next few days.

Together the two groups have donated over 1,500 items of food and have had roughly 30 volunteers particpate in our service learning trips. Great work everybody!

If you volunteered, please write a short reflection about your experience. What was it like? How did it feel before and after? Who were you able to help? Would you recommend this activity again?

Wonder Why? - Dangers of Alcohol

By N.D.

People wonder why adults drink alcohol and get addicted. As a student I think that adults start getting addicted by when they turn 21 that's when they are a legal to drink. They start drinking and they can't stop drinking. Its as if they are meant to be together, like they are married to each other or like peanut butter and jelly. That’s funny. I wonder why people drink and can’t stop drinking. Every time when I see somebody drink I always ask myself that question. I know that I will understand when I get older, if I do drink when I am old enough.

I ask my parents why do people drink and they said that drinking gets them away from their problems that they have at home. It makes there day happy if they had a sad or hard day at work. Drinking is often related to celebration. I mean, people have to have alcohol when they celebrate. It gets the fun out of them and it makes there day. Mostly they told me that it relaxed their body. Then I ask them that why can't they just talk to somebody or just take a shower and just relaxed and go to sleep. My dad said to just go to my room and stop questioning him and my mom said that I'll understand when I get older; when I start drinking. I told her that I was thinking that to myself and she said that I was weird because I am not suppose to think about that stuff right know. Then I told her that every teenager thinks of that stuff.

Alcohol could take control over your body I mean that it could make your behavior change and that you would start doing stupid things like going to the bath room on yourself. That’s so funny to some people. It's a silly thing to do. Or maybe you would do bad things like killing somebody and you would go to prison. They say on TV millions of times not to drink and drive home or where ever you’re going. People do it anyway, because they don't think right when they are drunk.


Alcohol is not a good thing to drink. Please don't drink alcohol. I always tell that to my dad and mom or to whom ever I see drinking to stop drinking and start thinking about there body and there lives and that I don't need to worry about them and just worry about myself and about my life .


I want to ask people questions and these are the questions; when did you start drinking, how does it taste like, why did you start drinking, are you addicted to alcohol, and why do you drink? I really want to know these question so I could know about people that do drink and I really want to know because when I am old enough then I might not drink. When people drink and drive and they get pulled over, that people get out of hand when they are drunk, and the next day you get a hang over and sleep all day long. That is so dangerous. So, maybe I'll just avoid alcohol altogether.

Lessons from Vietnam and Korea

What have we to learn from the Vietnam war? We have learned absolutely nothing from the Vietnam War. Or I should say our leaders have not learned the lessons from Vietnam. It was a conflict that began back in Eisenhower's term. We sent the military in South Vietnam to ward help ward off the takeover of the whole country by communist. Over a ten year period, our total commitment was over 500,000 men. Our rate was a little more than 10 percent of that total by the time we pulled out of Vietnam. When they had pulled out the people,they were all Communism.

What did the Vietnam War produce? It produced dividing countries away,It also created animosity against our men in military .

I do believe we have learned from Vietnam is that today, we do support our troops unlike Vietnam. During the time of Vietnam, we blamed our troops instead of the Administration; today we have turned the our brains and are now blaming the Administration instead of the troops like we use to. Our troops are doing their job and that is following orders given by the President George Bush.

Why did we lose in Vietnam? people wonder why. They were fighting and had been fighting for their freedom for many centuries. We saw this as a civil war that was going to fall to communism and create a domino effect. Instead of sitting down and talking about our differences like professionals, we decided to use technology and military and thought it would do the job to fight. This was due to the policies put in place by President Johnson.

We need to look to our past in order to make a better future, for the people. We need to learn from the past so we don't make the same mistakes . Vietnam and Iraq are so similar that it is very haunting that is really scary. We could have avoided war, but our Administration wanted to learn from the past what we had did when we fought back then.

Below are pictures of the Korean War Veterans Memorial!!!

I think that we should stop this mess because then if we don't then people are going to die and that people don't want to die they want to live and stay alive like the rest of us.It would be easier because then bush wouldn't need to be hated on and then he wouldn't need to bother on fighting in a war.It would be as if the world didn't have anything going on .The world would be so nice and that it would not a mess anymore.

Quarterly Update

It is not uncommon for adults to rant and rave about the current generation of youth. "They're so selfish," one complains. "It's such a me-focussed generation," experts suggest.

True, the current generation might enjoy portable music on mp3 players and posting pictures on myspace. Yet, this is also a generation that wants to serve, that cares about the issues in society and that wants to make a difference.

This last quarter of IMPACT was one where students really took ownership to make sure IMPACT lived up to its bold name. You can read the "Current Projects" or "Calendar" to realize that there is something happening every day, before school, during school and after school. Often, there are even weekend events.

We can quote data to suggest that things are happening: nearly 1,000 cans of food, over 500 service hours, 100 articles written, etc. We can show websites and murals to try and prove it. We can view our documentaries or listen to our podcasts.

However, ultimately, it is not in websites or cans or anything like that where we make the biggest impact. The truth is that none of that matters if lives are not changed through the learning that occurs. I am encouraged when I read the service learning reflections.

The truth is that the biggest impact we can make is often with those who are closest to us. It's in the smaller things, such as when students choose not to fight or stand up for what they believe. It's in an attitude that says, "I will do what is right, regardless of whether I get anything in return."

The students have worked hard and we, as the teachers, are really proud. Thank you for what you are teaching us in the process.

If I could change one thing about industrialization . . .

by A.V.

The first thing I would do is pass a law that is against child labor because no child deserves to have the childhood many children of the past unfortunatly had to go through.A childhood where many of their parents would get injured or even die in their jobs,of hunger,or of all the deadly diseases there were back then.Secondly I would help all of the people that got injured while at ther job because if a man or a woman lost their arm of leg at their job they wouldnt get health covorage and most of those people after they lost one of their body parts were not alowed back at that job or sometimes not at eny other job eather.Lastly I would talk with pressident Rosavelt so that he would pass a law that would forse factories to use safe chemicals because if people back then had known about the effects of pollution none of what has happened sense then would be have happened no global warming, no illnesses do to the a non-sanitary life style. Those are the three things I would do if I could go back in time and change the things that happened during industrialization.

How can we make Borman greener?

Many people are concerned about the environment. For some, the biggest issues are related to global warming, while for others, it has more to do with air quality, destruction of preserved lands and endangered species.

Businesses are realizing that, often times, they can save money by being more environmentally friendly. If that's true of businesses, it should be true of our school as well. So, that is why I pose the following questions:

What can Borman do to be more environmentally friendly?

What would a "green" school include in its design?

Child Labor - The Facts

Quoted from No Sweat: How Levi Strauss and Reebok Cleaned Up Child Labor in the Sporting Goods Industry

According to the International Labor Organization (www.ilo.org), 211 million children ages 5-14 are still suffering under the conditions of child labor, and this brand of child labor is not Hollywood style—kids singing, dancing and playacting for a living, getting personal tutoring, their own crafts table and a trust fund for college. The internationally recognized definition of child labor excludes children 12 and older, who are just working a few hours of light work each week. It focuses instead on children 15 and under whose work is hazardous, who are not given adequate education and who are, many times, forced to work under subhuman conditions.

According to the ILO, 171 million children ages 5-17 are working in hazardous situations, with 8.4 million involved in the worst forms of child labor, like trafficking (1.2 million children), forced and bonded labor (5.7 million), war (300,000), prostitution (1.8 million) and illicit activities (600,000). The conditions under which these children are forced to work read like a sordid headline from the Industrial Revolution--lack of light and/or ventilation, extreme heat and/or cold and backbreaking labor that can result in death, maiming and/or loss of limb, not to mention the lifelong psychological damage of war, prostitution and corruption. Some of the worst occupations and situations that these kids have been subject to include: airport runways, railway stations, dangerous animals, brick manufacturing, care for mentally disturbed individuals, carpet weaving, night clubs and bars, machinery, prisons, mining, war, asbestos, mercury, radioactive substances and corpses.

So what can we do about it?

Social Voice News

Social Voice News is a five-minute newscast designed to inform students about the world in which they live.

Goals:
1. Seven newscasts created, edited and posted to the internet by the end of the second quarter
2. At some point during the quarter, have a high enough quality that we can launch SV News school-wide

Mural #1

We are currently painting a mural for the gymnasium. The subject is the Borman Astronaut.

Goal:
Finish the entire mural by December 1, 2007

Crochet Blankets

We will crochet blankets and give them away to charity. What if you don't know how to crochet? Don't worry, we will have people who will teach you. What if you can't bring any yarn? Again, don't worry, because we will supply the yarn.

Goal:
10 blankets by January

Letters to Soldiers

For the last quarter, we have been writing letters to soldiers. These letters go to soldiers in Iraq and in the Veteran's Hospital.

Goal:
500 total
250 - Iraq
250 - VA hospital

Fundraisers

During the second quarter, we will be raising money for a global charity. The charity will be researched by the seventh grade class and voted by the Leadership Team.

Goal: $1,000 total

Service Hours

On our team, we log in community service hours. Currently, we have just under 500 hours as a team.

Our goal for second quarter is to have a combined total of 1,000 hours (combining first and second quarter).

Upcoming IMPACT Activities

The following is a list of projects students for the second quarter:

Service Projects

• Food Drive - partnership with the Social Awareness Club
• Fundraisers - selling hot chocolate
• Recycling Program
• Community Garage Sale
• Service Hours - goal of reaching 1,000 hours
• Food Bank Service Trips
• Letters to soldiers
• Crochet blankets for the children's hospital
• Turkey Dance - partnership with the Social Awareness Club

Creative Projects

• Mural #1 - Borman Astro Mural
• Mural #2 - We will begin sketching and painting it

Media Projects

• Social Voice News
• Borman Website - Sports Report, Clubs Report
• IMPACT website and blog
• Social Voice website and blog
• Civil Rights Documentary
• Face the Issues Podcast
• My Life website
• PERHAPS - a return of Moco Loco

Academic Projects

• Student Leadership - Fridays
• Book Club - Tuesdays and Thursdays
• Social Voice Book
• History Day
• Social Voice Articles
• School Newspaper - one per month
• Online portfolio

Activities & Events

• Field Trip #1
• Field Trip #2
• Family Night -at Rollero this time!
• After-School Movie - Newsies
• After-School Movie - Walk-out

Fear

By J. Castillo

FEAR of those who kill and leave behind blood,
FEAR of death that comes beyond,
FEAR of confusion that approaches near by,
FEAR of them troops whom carry a gun,

FEAR of those who kill and leave behind blood,
FEAR of losing my family,
FEAR of everything that surrounds me,
FEAR of those that decide to rape,

AND ALL FOR ALL FEAR OF ALL!!!!!!!!!

Case Studies - Does it violate their rights?

CASE #1
Stu Pidiodit went to his job at Mal-Wart. While he was there, he waited to get his break. Instead of asking, he decided to take his break at exactly three hours. His manager wrote him up and he sued, claiming that Mal-Wart owed him his break.

CASE #2
Joe Schmoe worked at the grocery store, where he was told to always use gloves when pulling the dry ice out of the container. On one occasion, his boss told him to go get the dry ice. When he went to the container, there were no gloves. As a result, he pulled the dry ice and badly burned his hands. Did the grocery store violate his rights?

CASE #3
A thirteen year old girl volunteered at the food bank. The work required her to lift boxes of food. Despite the hard work, she said it was worth it. However, her older brother claimed that the work was an example of child labor. Did the food bank violate her rights?

Cars As a Double-Edged Sword

Excerpt from The Extreme News (one of our students' blogs)

A car is a good way to travel and go different places. But it's also good at polluting and destroying the earth's atmosphere. Cars are efficient and gives us a chance to speed up the day.If We didn't have cars we couldn't expand and have as much economy as we do today. Even though cars are very helpful,they are also very deadly and in a couple of years all the pollution will get rid of the atmosphere.If there's no atmosphere then there's nothing to keep us save from the power of the sun.then the south and north pole will melt and drown us. Unless we can find a better way to travel.One of the best ideas is to make hybrid cars. Cars are very useful but eventually be the death of us.

fairness - Is it fair that baseball players earn more than teachers?

from the blog: the A-Zone (a student on our team)

Is it fair that baseball players earn more than the measly 30,000 that teachers make? I say no. Why? Because there are just a bunch of people out there throwing a ball and swinging at it with a bat just for the sole purpose of entertaining thousands of people willingly paying their hard earned money to go to these places.

For me, it's quite common seeing a parent talking on and on about sports with their children, and yet after their kid's dismissal from school they simply say, "How was your day at school?" and when the child replies good, the kid simply goes off into doing something they like. Or ( which is worse ) the parent makes no movement to engage the child into a conversation about school. Whereas they engage in conversations daily about baseball and other sports.

However, baseball should hold no real value for kids in school age since the baseball players aren't teaching them and teachers are. Parents shouldn't waste a lot of money on baseball when learning is much more important than leisure currently. The ways that teachers can teach are few since they can't have enough books and such to use for learning in case of a money shortage. Which will reflect on society later on when those kids are adults.

Apparently seventy-eight million dollars is not enough for A-Rod

Current Map of Iraq

This is a current map of Iraq. How is Iraq divided? What could potentially happen if we leave Iraq?

why do people hate America?

Why are these people burning the U.S. flag? What does the U.S. represent to them? How should America respond to this? Why do they hate America?

What leads to happiness?

The Declaration of Independence mentions the pursuit of happiness. It is part of the American Dream. Yet, what is it that actually leads to happiness? What are the things in life that will make people actually happy over the years (not just in the moment)?

Why is there suffering?

Why is there suffering in the world? Why do bad things happen to people, whether they do the right thing or not?

Cold War Case Study

In 1966, a teacher was arrested for being a member of a Communist sympathizing group. When she signed her contract, she had taken a vow that she was not a Communist, but she was found on the weekend sending pamphlets supporting Communist revolutions in other countries. After further examination, they found that she had written several articles for a Communist newspaper and had been active in creating a socialist political party. She was fired for her actions and sued the school district.

Were they right in firing her? Why would they be concerned about a teacher as opposed to another profession? Share your reflections about the case.

Cold War Questions

What type of economic system would you choose if your were rich? What kind would you choose if you were poor? Why would people be worried about Communism spreading? Who would be the people most concerned?

When is it okay to use violence?

When is it okay to use violence? It's a question that has plagued humanity for centuries. Is violence something that should only happen if you are attacked? Or should you attack if you know you will be attacked? Or is it better to turn the other cheek? Is it okay to use violence if it will make a nation stronger?

I'm still searching for an answer. I'm not so sure there is an easy one. That's why I want to start a dialogue about it.

The Story of a Super Bowl

By S. Deleon

Super Bowl 41 was one of the greatest Super Bowls ever played. This Super Bowl is the past but it was a nice game. This game had a lot of interesting facts like there was rain in the game and the game was in Miami, Florida. The teams that were playing were the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears.

The game started off with a kick off to the Chicago Bears. Devin Hester returned the kick off for a 96 yard touchdown. They made the extra point for a 7-0 lead chcago was up. At that point people thought the red hot Chicago Bears were going to take this game easily. they must of forgot that the Bears were playing the best team in the AFC. They are the team that scores the most points in their division and that offense got them to the Super Bowl for a reason.

The game was geting interesting. Peyton Manning (the Colts QB) was throwing passes to his favorite reciver Marrvion Harrison. Then a long touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne tied the score 7-7. It really was a great game which tested the teams because it was raining super hard and it is hard to keep the ball in their hands. The Bears had tooken the lead by taking the ball at the Colts 21 for a field goal. Now the score was 10-7 Bears.

The Colts were catching up with a terrific pass to Reggie Wayne and that got them at the 49 yard line. Than another pass to Marrvion Harrison got them the laed with the touchdown.. At that point the Colts were up 14-10 at halftime. the second half begins and after three quarters the score was now 29-17. It was the fourth quarter and it was coming to an end and the Chicago Bears had the ball in scoring possesion, but the Colts great defence had intercepted the ball. The player that had closed Super Bowl 41 was Bob Sanders That was the game the Colts had won the Super Bowl and had their fifth division title. The Colts are the defending champions coming into this season and they're off to a terrific start at 5-0.

this is me

By J Rosales

I am smart and funny
I wonder why people don't help others
I hear people crying for help
I see world peace
I want to be successful
I am smart and funny

I pretend that everything is fine
I feel sadness
I touch the sky
I worry about my mom
I am smart and funny

I understand that I say that every deserves equality
I dream about my life
I try to be my best in school
I hope for world peace
I am smart and funny

Who Am I

By Kayleen

I love my family.
No space of our own but still happy
because we know
that together we must be.

I love music
and the guitar
I listen to it
and look up at a star.

I love puppies
small and cute they get cuddly
and enchanting as can be.

I love my family, music, and puppies
in my heart theres always a place for them.
This must mean Kayleen is who I am.

Should We Elect a Black President?

By V. S. 

During Reconstruction, Americans began to elect black officials, create black businesses and new schools. It was as if, by doing these quick fixes we could get past the issue of racism and slavery. By simply passing a few amendments to the constitution, things could change. Now, as we face this time of post-Civil Rights, Americans are wondering whether it's time to elect an African-American president.

It is important to many Americans that we allow an African-Americans to get elected because then we would be doing the equivalent of shouting hurray by showing we are growing out of the slave thing. It's a way for us to pat ourselves on the back and claim that we are no longer being racist in our country. But I think it's a little misguided. We think that by electing African-Americans we can just run away from our legacy of racism and slavery.

I know we don't have slaves now, but we treat each other like we still do. Gang leaders telling people to fight, people still forcing a sensual relationship by tying up women and having a "sensual" relationship. People still murdering and hurting other people by means of whipping, strangling, torture. Companies take advantage of workers and act like they are just slaves. People round up immigrants like cattle. Children around the world still work in factories where they cannot leave. Mere children are forced into prostitution in some countries.

We act like we are over with racism, but the reality is we are not. Minorities are still called names. We still make jokes about it. They still do not have an equal voice in the media. But it's more than that. There is still the shame of being followed around in a store or knowing that you could never buy a home in "that" neighborhood. Or having cops harass you. I think choosing a black president is just an easy way to lie to ourselves and say, "the racism is over."

So, we are left with the question of whether we should elect a black president. Could Obama be elected? Should he be elected? Maybe. But we need to make sure we are not doing it to simply avoid the racism that still exists.

The Mixed Reality of Rap Music

J. Vargas

Rap music is a controversial style of music. Some people love it. They enjoy the loud beats and the heavy bass. Others say it is a bad influence on America’s youth. Either way, rap music has some very controversial themes.

People that are protesting and angry are usually upset about the language used in the songs. In the past, in the early days of rap, no one was worried about it. It was just a way that people expressed their ideas. Then, sometimes in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, a rapper made a song that talked about killing cops. Soon, people started to listen to gangster rap. The songs were about killing and making money from drugs and pimping.

People who heard that music got mad about that they didn't let their kids listen to rap songs. They tried to pass laws saying you couldn’t listen to certain songs if you were underage. The one that made the rap song said that he didn't mean to tell people to kill cops and that he was sorry. Instead, he was mad that a police officer had killed his innocent friend. He made that song to show how he feels about one particular cop.

The truth is that not all rap songs have bad language. Some rap talk about what happens in our world. Like other rappers that tell about past events. Others share their beliefs about the White House. So, sometimes they are more about politics than just killing and pimping.

The problem is that much of rap can be both good and bad. For example, Tupac had a rap that told a story about teen pregnancy. His song Brenda Has A Baby was based on a true story. He all so made another song about cops that are racist. One of his songs even encouraged people to change their behaviors and live right. Other songs were not so positive. There were people who got angry about the words H-s, B$&%@, and S&@%. Then came the songs that talk about smoking weed and doing coke. That’s what got people angry.

"So there is no good rap song out there. Every rap there someone that will get anger. People that do get rap song have a bad back round.” That what people think. They think that people who listen to hip hop are all thugs. Yet, some of Tupac’s fans are white people that have a good back round. Some of the rap music can be really positive.

A Chance at a Better Life

By V. Chavarria

Should the immigrants stay in the UNITED States? It’s a difficult and controversial question. I think that the immigrants should stay in the United states because everybody in the united states was once an immigrant. Anyone whose family at one time moved from one nation to another was an immigrant. Immigrants deserve the right to
stay in the United states. After all, it was many of the immigrants who built the houses. When you see new stores and new streets you usually see the immigrants were the ones who created it. Immigrants deserve the right to earn money and have food, because they were the ones who worked in the fields and in the factories to make the food.

Why do so many of the immigrants leave Mexico? Why don’t they simply stay there? They probably don't want to stay there because there probably tired of living there. They don't get that much money over there and some of them can’t get buy on their income. They don't get paid good money. They want something new. They want a better life and they are willing to work hard for it.

Immigrants find it possible to create a better life. They going to be happy because they finally have a chance to have a better life. They can get a better job. Their life can be better then how they were before. They can become rich – or at least by their standards. Although people protest and create laws to limit it, the truth is that immigrants can make it in the United States.

Immigrants deserve a chance to stay in the United States in the same way that immigrants once moved here by crossing Ellis Island. Everybody in the United States was an immigrant at some point. Therefore, immigrants deserve that same chance at the American Dream.

World War II - Why It Happened

By N. Lopez

World war II was very bad. It involved innocent people who lost there lives. It looked awful – bodies laying across battlefields, people wasting away in concentration camps, smoke, bombs,and a lot of people layen there dead. Some of them didn't have a choice to stay or to go to war.

War world II happen because of Hitler and what he was trying to do to the world. The second world war affected a lot of people. The reason is that Hitler had gained lots of power and used his plan to create the perfect race. He wanted to take over the world. It was a big part of history everybody who was there probably to this day might remember exactly how it smelled, looked or they probably even could still taste it.

It was a really tragic war. It was one of the longest wars of the last century. It was certainly the deadliest. For many countries, it was all about revenge. The more they lost the more the sent more soldiers to attack them. The Germans wanted revenge for the Treaty of Versailles. Other nations wanted revenge on the Brittish for imperialism. America wanted revenge for Pearl Harbor.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor was another cause of the World War II. This why America got involved in it. When my teacher showed us what happen and all the pictures.I felt like crying because when I saw all those people and this one little kid he looked so scared and lost. Yet, I felt just as bad for the people who died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

I think that the World War II is important to me because there where some innocent people who die. Some people didn't have any chose to go in fight for our country or state. Hopefully it is a disaster that will never have to happen again.

Photo Credit

National Archives

Public Domain

How Children Learn Violence Is Okay

By V. Sanchez

Hatred and violence are a new trend in the youth of the today's vocabulary. Parents, do you want your children growing up cussing at each other, calling each other sluts, and n-words ? If I had kids I would say no, but that's not the point. The point is, children as young as 2-3 years old are calling each other the cuss word equivalent of turds, female dogs, and donkey holes. Why? It is all due to the fact that children learn this from their environment.

What causes people to hate? I would say, it's the violence in the people's hearts. There are rapists, burglars, gangsters, kidnappers, murders, and drug dealers. The kids of today have to live in this state of violence and so they start to think it’s normal. Every single step I take, people are either talking, listening, watching, playing, making, or even joining this violent havoc that is streaking across America. Thousands of thousands of people simply support the preachers of violence and the others by joining them. How does this happen? By going and snapping in their minds and then getting people into a frenzied state. That's often how people turn into rapists and such.

It's because their minds couldn't handle something that finally made their mind snap. Then they start shooting up drugs, shooting people and raping. Or they could become psychotic individuals, who will shoot at the slightest touch. Another version of the pyschotic individual is one who will kill, either for the pure joy of it, or at the first little voice in their heads. Such people are often increasingly scary due to the murders going on from other people. Psychotics can be found in the game Condemned: Criminal Origins but that goes with the making violence since they try to kill you. So, it’s the environment that causes people to act like this.

The current situation is the fact that young children ( 3- 21 ) are playing games like Condemned , Grand Theft Auto , Saint's Row , or Dead Rising. I don't know why, but children are just going to have to learn how to deal with this violence without ever joining it, and aggravating the current situation. Don't go out with a boom, like Ted Bundy. Go out with beauty. Choose a life of non-violence.

Immigrants Are Mistreated

By K. Yunis

Is immigration really a big deal? For many Americans it isn't. It should be. There are many families that can’t even sleep because the are scared knowing that at any minute someone could call the immigration officials on them. It is at a point were they had their hopes up for a better life for them and know people are going to take it away for them at any moment. Nobody would like that after everything it took them to get to where they are they have to to go back from where they started. It is really sad.

Immigrants actually come here for a better life. They come here sacrificing their lives to get here. People act like if they are animals that are going to harm us, but they deserve a chance for everything. We are the ones destroying the environment (like crashing down buildings). Who are the ones cleaning up after us? The immigrants do this type of work and yet they still don't complain. They want to help out, because they want a better life.They are humans and equal like every one of us. Everybody deserves a chance to be here. They actually respect our country. They come here, give us something special and what do we do in return? We just flick them away like if they don't mean anything, but they do. They are the ones actually make a difference around the world.

Yet, despite this, things are getting worse for immigrants. Last election, they faced harsh laws to limit their freedom. Now there is an immigration hot line led by Sherrif Joe; where you can report any suspected illegal immigrant. I just think that is something very important that people are doing right now. Its really sad that they are doing this to innocent people that just come here for a better life.

Immigrants are very important .We should let them come here. I say everybody deserves a chance. We could really use their help right now. We should treat them like we do with everybody else. That 's how much of a big deal about the immigrant situation is.

What Should I Do?

By A.V.

what do I do?
im only 13
i dont know every thing
should I stay or leave
can you tell me please

what do i do
i'm in math class
whats two plus three
should i stay or leave
the rest of the day is passing by
who should i stay with

how should i be
i dont know everthing
should i stay or leave
can you help me please ?

Questions About Life

These were questions posted by an inquisitive student. Sometimes questions are more powerful than an article or even a poem.

Questions About Life

.Why do we have to be smart to be someone in life?
.Why do we go to school. How do you know something is true?
.Why don’t people think we are as important as adults?
.Why do we have a lot of racist people in this country?
.Why do we love? Why do we hate? Which is more powerful?
.How come we could we live without computers?
.Why do we have bad people in this world?
.Why are men more important then women?
.Why are we having wars?
.Why do we have a lot of other countries people hating us?
.Why are they making laws against latinos? What did we ever do?
.Why do people bully other people?

3 Short Poems

3 short poems

History is cool,
History is a tool,
History is fun
but I’m not done
History is awesome, I like it a bunch
I’d like to keep typing, but it is time for lunch.

History is great,
I might turn this assignment in late.
I learned about the civil war,
That sucks they didn’t have cool stores.

Slaves are treated bad,
That is kind of mad.
Slave owners are messed,
Because they think they’re the best.

Is World Peace Possible?

By K. Valdez

Is world peace possible? Can we all get together and get along with each other? The government is not the solution for the peace everyone has been looking for. Most of the wars are caused by the governments that claim to protect peace. The people march against war but their voice is not heard.

Part of the world's problems come from the government's from all around the world. Warsare started because of them. The government needs to be calm or else their citizens are going to go out of control. How does the government expect their local residents to behave when their own behaviors are causing an international problem? That is something to consider in searching for world peace.

Peace is created not found. It has to do with how much you respect and how much you want to be respected. Peace treaties are very effective in international relationships. All we have to do is live by the law and not interfere with any problems the government is facing during a process of something. The government needs to recognize that when they have problems their citizens are worried there might be a war again. If people are so worried there going to start to go out of their country. That has happened before, when a country had severe problems people migrated somewhere far from their country. We just need to listen to the government and live how we want to, and I know everyone will be enjoying their life how it is. In other words, if people obey the law and the government creates fair laws, there won’t be any problems.

We all need to find out what is going on in our own community. You never know if you’re in danger and the community might be in danger with you to. Those are the kind of problems the government does not know about. That's why no government in the world can stop crime or any other problem there is. We just need to keep our eyes open and report anything that we see that can put our neighborhood or community in danger. Recognizing our rights can keep us just about free. If we let people live in this freedom, there is no need for war. Anyway, this is a free country!

A War that Everyone Forgets

By A. Martinez

What do you know about World War I? Do you think it was tragic, or was it not important to you at all? I've rarely heard about it. World War II is more known to people, but I'm going to help you learn more about it, because it is an important war.

It was known as the War to End all Wars, but did it? World War I was a big part of history. It was tragic, it was depressing, and millions of people died fighting for their countries and their families. More than nine million soldiers and civilians died. It took place in Europe from 1914, to 1918. Austria-Hungary declared war on July 28th, after that, on the first of August, the Germans declared war against Russia, then two days later they declared war against France. The toll on human life was something the world had never seen and it all began with one shot.

World War I began because of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife on June 28th, 1914, by Gavrillo Princip. After that, countries began declaring war against each other. You can imagine how traumatized the war left all those people, how they'll never be the same again. The people who fought in the war were known as the Lost Generation. After a few years or so, Europe mourned. Memorials were set up in thousands of villages and towns. It must bring back terrible memories to see the memorials, and even if they never do go visit the memorials, they must think about it from time to time. It was a time when people could no longer believe in hope or progress.

During the war, around 8 million men surrendered and were put in POW camps. 92,000 Russians surrendered, over half of the Russian losses were prisoners. Prisoners from allied armies totalled about 1.4 million (not including Russia, who lost between 2.5 and 3.5 men as prisoners) from central powers, about 3.3 million men became prisoners. So many people were killed, injured, or held as prisoners. The amount of men that were killed during World War I, is terribly high. It's sad to think about it.

World War I was a very terrible war. It wasn't the last war, and neither was World War II. No matter what, there will always be mean and sick people out there who'll do things, that cause others to want to put an end to it. For all the men that fought in World War I to bring peace to the world, they should never be forgotten. They risked their lives, and most died, just fighting for their countries. No one, should forget, The War to End all Wars.

The Story of World War II

By J. Barraza

Have you ever wanted to know about the World War II? It was a very brutal war between the Axis and the Allies team. During the World War II another tragic thing was happening. It was the Holocaust. It was a very tragic thing that should never happen again because there were millions of Jews who were massacred for no reason. World War II was another tragic thing that should never happen.

World War II happened because a evil dictator named Adolf Hitler wanted to take over the world. Germany, Italy, Japan and other Axis powers wanted to take over the world. However, America and the other Allied countries did not want them to take over the world so that is how the war started. The Allies weren’t perfect, however. For years, they had practiced imperialism and now they were forcing the German citizens to pay huge fines for World War I.

First Germany did a surprise attack on smaller countries like Belgium and Poland and took over parts of Europe. Then Great Britain told the other countries if they could help them then the other countries jump into the fight and that is how the World War II started. Except for America they did not jump into the war yet so they could come in late and make them look like they are the strong ones. This way, America would emerge as the superpower.

During the war there was another tragic thing happening. It was the Holocaust. The Jews were being killed by the Germans. They were putting the Jews in these places called ghettos. Later, they sent them to death camps. Then they put them in these gas chambers and killing one by one. Then, when they died in the gas chambers they dragged them out and put them in these piles of dead people that were stacked one by one. Then by one year they killed over a million Jews.

Midway through the war, the Japanese decided to bomb Pearl Harbor. That is what made the Americans jump into the war. The Americans went to be in the good side that has Great Britain, Canada, and Russia. But they did not go into the war early they went into the war late so they could win the war and make look like they are the strong ones. When the war was over Adolf Hitler had nothing else to live for so he killed himself. Later, America used the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, so the war was over.

The war started because of the Germans, because they wanted to rule the world. They were killing all of the Jews. Then the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and that is what the Americans in the war. Their was allot of countries in the war, the good side is the Allies and the bad side is the Axis team.

Lessons from the Holocaust

By I. Diaz

Hitler was one of the leaders form the Holocaust. Except he wasn't the only one responsible for killing Jewish people. Other countries were allies with Hitler and Nazi people. Hitler was powerful for controlling other people lives, but they still had a choice. Hitler didn't care if they were innocent. He didn't even care for children. If he considered them inferior, he murdered them.

Jewish people were in Concentration Camps where they had to work hard.They didn't eat enough to be healthy and stay alive. Many of them died in gas chambers and some of them died because they were to skinny.The Nazi people lied to the Jewish people by saying that they were going to take a shower witch in real life they were send to The Gas Chamber. In there they breathed poison and died. They didn't know the truth. After they died in the gas chamber, their bodies were stacked up and then tossed into the creamatorium.

Some people survived this tragedy to tell how it was and what was their own story.What happen to people and what they heaved to live trough with their family? The people can answer questions that we have about the Holocaust. They might have pictures or something we can imagine how it was. Jewish people were treated badly and poorly back then. Those people had to live that horrible experience. Yet, when they tell their story, we can learn from the tragedy.

People lived through horrible things back then. We as humans would never like to live in those horror times. Hitler and those people didn't care for those people and children.He didn't have feelings for those poor people. They got killed just for having another cultural identity. However, we can learn from this. Genocide still happens and by studying the past, we can help prevent what is happening now.

Kidnapping!

By A. Nelson

Imagine walking down a street alone with goose bumps going down your spine because you can hear large footsteps right behind you. Just imagine being blind sighted by a strange unknown hand covering your eyes. Try to imagine screaming for your life but not one sound coming out because of this giant hand surrounding your mouth. Imagine waking up to find your eyes being covered with a cloth allowing you to see nothing but darkness. Imagine feeling your hands, waist, and feet tied up to a chair and your mouth taped down. Now imagine all the different thoughts that would be going through your head. Kidnapping is such a scary thing. It's sad that I live in a world where that is a usual topic on the news. I would never want to be in the shoes of a child who were to be kidnapped!

The term kidnapping was recorded in 1673. They came up with the word kidnapping because strangers would take kids and would snatch them which back then they called it nap (nab). The meaning of kidnapping is taking a person against his or her own will. Stray kids on the street were usually taken by adults to become their servants or to do labors in America back in the 1600. Unfortunately that means that kids were separated from their families and because they were poor they couldn't do anything about it. Now kidnapping is illegal but sadly people are going against the law and putting many lives in danger!

Over a year's time period 797,500 children under 18 have been reported missing. Devastatingly there were 203,900 children were apart of family abductions. Unfortunately 58,200 children were apart of non-family abductions. Last 115 children were apart of "stereotypical" kidnapping. Most abductors take these kids for ransom. Some want to keep them permitted. It is horrifying to see so many kids being abducted and it is even worse when a family member does it. That can bring disgrace and confusion to their family relationship!

Suffering is such an awful word. It harms many people. Just like the people who get taken against their will everyday. They suffer for an unknown reason. For someone to take anther person's freedom and turn it into suffering is barbarian! The worse part is they could be anyone from your neighbors, to your family, to the old man on the street. I can't image some one who would do that especially to an Innocent underage child who doesn't deserve the suffering that take place in kidnapping!

Imagine being kidnapped. Now imagine all the different thoughts that would be going through your head. To me that sounds horrible. Which leaves me to question how can a person be so barbarian and why? Guess one word that scares me. Kidnapping!

The History of Racism in America

By M. Aguilar

Not that long ago anybody could be murder a gruesome death just because they are not a certain race that is supposedly the best one to be. Imagine your walking down the street and somebody calls you a bad name because you are not the race that person is. It doesn't seem fair that somebody could do that just because your not a race or color. Nobody should be treated this way it just not real way to live. Whipped,slapped,beaten,cut ,kicked and hit are only a few things that could happen to somebody that is a victim of racism.

The KKK was one of the most famous racist groups that would try to kill any body who was not one of them. They would hang African-Americans from tree's for being African-American. Doesn't seem fair to waste a life because of a belief. Another example of a racist group was the Nazis. The Nazis plans were to kill Jewish people because they were different. The Nazis were not like the KKK the Nazis captured some and then killed the others.Slavery was one of the worst cases of racism the south believed that African-Americans were no better than animals. The north on the other hand was a free country for slaves. Still, people faced racism up north.

Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are some of the people who made other people realize that racism is wrong. These heroes were a few of the many people who know why racism should never have been introduced to the world. If more people knew about how to stop slavery there wouldn't be as racism as there is now. They are such great examples because whether your sitting in a bus or starting a revolution it all makes a difference.

The Plight of Immigrants

By A. Araiza

America is the free land and immigrants come here for the American Dream. America is comprised of immigrants. Why push the people who immigrate here out, if the Americans were the first to come here and immigrated this land? The truth is that immigrants deserve a chance to make it in America.

Immigrants should be able to stay here because they are coming for a better life and the government is taking that away from them. They come and they look for jobs here and they are getting kicked out for working without papers. Who should be able to tell them they can't work: the government or the person who is giving them the job? If they can do the job and they are supporting the economy, why kick them out?

America's immigrants are being mistreated. They are getting kicked out for working and for not having papers. They are being held back from school and from going to the university. They get mistreated because they are a different race or just for immigrating here. The government is kicking them out when they do the the work that no one else wants to do. If all the immigrants were kicked out America's population would drop by a large pecentage and with that, many vital jobs. We need immigrants.

Immigrants come here for a better life. All the immigrants want is to come and live a more wealthy life than before in their home land. They come to work and to give their families as much as they can. They don't come to take anything from anybody here. They only take the jobs that no one wants or some jobs that they are very good at or have experience in. They come for jobs and money not to for anything bad.

Immigrants shouldn't be kicked out now. They are working peacefully and they are not harming anybody.

We Need to Focus on Iraq

By E. Angulo

War is one of the worst things that is happening on earth. You can't match anything to war. It is as if people are literally fighting to control their land. Land is usually the reason why people have war. They don't want to lose control of their land or at least the resources of the land. They should find another way to settle those kinds of problems. Why is that even though war is the most tragic thing that is breaking up America, and yet we don't care about it as much as we should? We need to put everything else aside and concentrate on that subject. For a long time different wars have spit us apart and Iraq is no exception.

One war that we had that war that effected many of people is the Civil War. The Civil War might be the worst war we ever had in America. Over a million people died in that war and that was when our population was a fraction of what it is now. Lot's of people lost their homes because of the war. It was a total war. Pretty much everybody was involved in the war and no rules applied.

Another war that is very dangerous is the war that we are in right now. Specifically, it involves Iraq. Yet, it’s part of a larger war on terrorism. It has terrorism involved in it. George W. Bush is our president right now. He doesn't want the soldiers to come back from the war, because he wants to see democracy work in Iraq. Some argue that the bigger reason for this war is that we want their oil. It goes back to the idea that war is fought for land. Many people disagree with Bush. I bet you that if he was in the war right now, he would be crying to come back.

My point is that we need to do something about it. We can't just sit here and wait for everything to be finished. Right now we have to do something to help the soldiers in Iraq. If the war gets too dangerous, we have to find another way to settle it. War isn't the solution to everything. If we found other ways to settle things without war, many of people's lives would be saved. Without war the world would be a more safer place to live.

Racism: America's Deadly Addiction

By A. Tirado
Racism is something that is killing our community. The only realreason people are racist because they are taught at a young age.Racism is mostly what can lead to a innocent death. Can you reallyi magine a world with out racism? It is hard because we have gottenso accustom to it. Really it's not our fault, but what people made us believe. Racism is something that is almost impossible to destroy.

We can also become racist towards others by anger. Like when someone from another race upsets you, you may say afternoon that person is this race so that race is bad. We (the world) have to give people chances no matter what their race. Maybe if we (the world) gives the different races of the world a chance, we might learn to get along. Some of us are trying to be cool by belonging to gangs that are only their because their races. That to me and to many others is wrong and sickening.

Some of us try so hard not to be races but it's so hard not to get back in to it. It’s very much like smoking, once you start you can'tstop. We really can't do anything about it because it's something thathas taken part of our world. As much as we try to stop it no one willlisten because it's their opinion not ours to choose for them.

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Child Abuse Prevention

By R. Colorado

Was there ever a child that you or someone else ever knew that was afraid to go to their home or someone else's(who's in their family) home. Are there reasons why they don't want to go home such as being afraid of being mistreated by other adults other elderly adults in their family. If so, then they might be afraid of being hurt in a very bad way. (Also known as "Child-Abuse.”) Now, you may be asking what this thing known as child-abuse is? Child-abuse is an improper way of treating one’s child.

For example, a child may be afraid to go home to their parents or their guardians for a reason like; being afraid of getting hit or harassed by their parents or guardians. Also, they might have to do things that are inappropriate to them and their parents or guardians. They could also be afraid of having their parent or their guardians touching or doing anything to any of their body-parts.

Child-Abuse is a very scary thing that can happen to any child that is still very young. One other fact that I want to mention about child-abuse is, that if an adult is having any type of relationship with any child other than being their parent or guardian is also known as child-abuse. That is my story on child-abuse.

Child Abuse Should Not Have to Happen

By M. Mendoza

Imagine a child at school, and committed an error, why would he be terrified to go back to his or her own home? Well this is the case for many children. They are terrified to go back to their home for one reason: their parents. Of coarse you would think that this is not true. Many children get whipped, spanked, and get beaten. That is the reason why some children are terrified to go home if they commit a tiny mistake. They know that something terrible awaits at their home. Child abuse is a very serious issue in our nation.

Child abuse is a very severe thing that is going on through out the United States. Even though it doesn't seem like it, there are many children being abused as soon as they get out of school. They are too scared to ask for help and they keep quiet and they keep getting whipped. In the year 2006, about 2000 children died as a result of child abuse. Based on that number, 6 to 7 children die each day due to this terrible crime. That means that every day, 6 children leave this world at a young age. Some of the children that die due to child abuse, are only 6 years old. The poor thing is that children die at 1 year of age and some that are only months old!! I don't know how people have the heart to mistreat children.

The cause of this terrible thing is their own parents. Mothers alone were responsible for more that half of the child abuse. To be specific mothers were responsible for 84% of the child abuse. They are the main reason why children die each day. Fathers are also responsible for 47% of all of the tragedy that children are going through. 60% are female ladies from an average age of 31. 40% are male with an average age of 34.

The race that is going through more child abuse are whites. Whites had a percentage of 51%. African Americans had 28% of the child abuse. 18% was for Hispanics. Only 2% was for American Indians. Lastley 1% was for Asians / Pacific Islanders. However, it must be understood that whites also make up the largest segment of the population.

Just because they make a mistake doesn't mean that they should get abused. Everyone is human and every single human commits mistakes. That is no reason to abuse a child. Every child has a chance to live a happy life. People that take away that chance from the poor children are just bad people. Child abuse should never have to occur.