My opinion on PEACE and violence

Peace-A state of mutual harmony between people. That's the definition of peace. I think that we don't see peace enough in this world. In order to have peace, we can't have violence, or war. I think that this would be a good topic to cover in class because it seems like people forget what peace is. All we ever see on the news is war. People dying, people killing. When is the last time you put the t.v. on and didn't see something about war or violence? I thought of writing this blog on peace because In my opinion, we never really see enough peace. Could you even Imagine world peace? Do you think it will ever be possible to achieve it? In my mind we never will because the world has to stop fighting, and in order to stop fighting, we need to come together. Honestly, I don't think that's possible.

Here is a song about peace. It was originally by John Lennon. This version is by A Perfect Circle.

My Blogging reflection

Blogger has helped me out extremely well. I have learned better ways of typing and writing so that my writing has improved greatly. Because we use it just about everyday it improves my ability to type faster. I have noticed that if I type regularly it not only improves my speed, but also improves my grammar. Blogging has helped also with feedback from classmates because before, I didn't think of myself as a good writer and the feedback has made me feel like I am a better writer then before. The first goal I have is I want to improve my writing ability even more by writing more challenging posts. The second goal I have is I want to have no grammar errors when publishing. But in order for me to improve, I have to try hard.

Situation In Haiti

These poor people have nothing left after an earthquake hit them on January 12, 2010. The workers in Port Au Prince are currently trying to bury 10,000 victims in the hills, while others are still dying from injuries. They have made makeshift camps for the injured, but there is fear off disease spreading to hundreds of thousands of people. The death toll is 200,000 according to the Haiti Government. There are currently around 1400 flights waiting because they can only take 120-140 flights a day. Some say the bodies of children are scattered everywhere, making it unbearable to see. U.S. soldiers are working with the Haiti Government to keep order in the lawless streets. Some are saying that they need more help because they are not getting as much help as promised.


Here are some links to some sites for more information:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/01/earthquake_in_haiti.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60B5IZ20100117
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/cb_haiti_earthquake

Update on Ishmael

Ishamel Beah is now living in Brooklyn New York and has become very successful. He is working for Human Rights Watch Children's Division Advisory Committee. He also wants to attend graduate school. He has served as the key spokesperson for some events, like the Global Young Leaders conference in 2007. He is currently 29 and visited his homeland in Sierra Leone with a news group and said that it was a good and bad thing. His book A Long Way Gone has earned an award called the Quill award for the best debut author in 2007.

This is where I found my information. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishmael_Beah

Song for Ishmael

I chose this song because the lyrics are talking about for 400 years there has been wars, and the youth are always in the middle. Bob Marley is saying that we can end the war, all of the youth can go to the land of liberty, the land of free (America), were there is no more boy soldiers and killing.


Bob Marley — "400 Years" lyrics

Translation in progress. Please wait...

400 years (400 years, 400 years. Wo-o-o-o)
And it's the same -
The same (wo-o-o-o) philosophy
I've said it's four hundred years;
(400 years, 400 years. Wo-o-o-o, wo-o-o-o)
Look, how long (wo-o-o-o)
And the people they (wo-o-o-o) still can't see.
Why do they fight against the poor youth of today?
And without these youths, they would be gone -
All gone astray

Come on, let's make a move:
(make a move, make a move. Wo-o-o-o, wo-o-o-o)
I can (wo-o-o-o) see time (wo-o-o-o) - time has come,
And if-a fools don't see
(fools don't see, fools don't see. Wo-o-o-o)
I can't save the youth:
The youth (wo-o-o-o) is gonna be strong.
So, won't you come with me;
I'll take you to a land of liberty
Where we can live - live a good, good life
And be free.

Look how long: 400 years, (400 years, 400 years) -
Way too long! (wo-o-o-o)
That's the reason my people (wo-o-o-o) - my people can't see.
Said, it's four hundred long years - (400 years, 400 years. Wo-o-o-o)
Give me patience (wo-o-o-o) - same philosophy.

It's been 400 years, (400 years, 400 years)
Wait so long! Wo-o-o-o, wo-o-o-o.
How long? 400 long, long years. /fadeout/

Civil Right Quote-Samuel Adams

"Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: first, a right to life; secondly, to liberty; thirdly to property; together with the right to support and defend them in the best manner they can." Samuel Adams.

This quote is saying the colonists have these rights. First, we have a right to live. The second is saying we have the right to our own freedom. The third is saying we have the right to have our own property. With these three things we also have the right to defend them and whoever supports them.

"What I'd like to see police do is deal with important issues and not these sorts of victimless crimes when society is riddled with problems." Alderman Rodney Barket

I agree 100% with this quote. In my opinion I feel like cops should be out busting criminals that deserve to be put in jail. It might sound like I don't like the police, but I respect them. Instead police are always busting people for minor infractions. For example, say that someone was out selling marijuana in the streets. How, in any way, is that harming anybody? It's not. It might be illegal but do you ever hear of someone killing someone over marijuana? No. Instead police are wasting precious time they could be using to track down a killer for busting people for being peaceful. They should be busting murderers, and rapists, and crimes that actually harm someone. That's my opinion.

A Single Slice Reveals Them

By: Naomi Shihab Nye

An apple on the table
hides its seeds
so neatly
under seamless skin.

But we talk and talk and talk
to let somebody
in.

The first stanza is saying that Ishmael is alive on the outside and looks like he is okay, but on the inside where no one but himself can see, he is dying mentally. And he can keep it hidden like the apple hides its seeds. I think that the second stanza is saying that in order to fix Ishmael's problems, he needs to keep hearing good things that will drive him into being normal again.

Double Consciousness

Ishmael is a soldier now. He used to be a boy but the war changed him, along with everyone else he knew. As soon as he accepted his gun, he became an adult. Now he has to live with the thoughts of killing with no mercy, for the rest of his life. When he had all the drugs and was killing he never had to think. Now that he has nothing, he has everything to think of, including his family he will never see again. Once you see death, you can never really go back and erase it from your mind, like UNICEF is hoping for. He is not ever really going to be a kid again, because seeing the things he saw changed him. So when he tries to be a kid again, all he knows is how to be a soldier.

Acrostic Poem

Lost children
In Sierra Leone
Too young to kill
Too young to die
Losing everything they have ever known
Energetic from all the drugs

Ripped apart
And dead inside
Made to kill
Born to live
Orphaned forever