Essays

In my english class this year, I have had to write many essays. Most of them are at school, but I typed a couple here. Enjoy- it was tough.

'Who is affected when a professional athlete makes the choice to cheat?'

In Ancient Rome the main form of entertainment were the circuses. They took many long expeditions into other countries to capture animals such as elephants, lions, tigers, bears, and leopards and brought them to Rome. Slaves, criminals or captured soldiers were forced to fight these animals. Many people died, but it was not just the humans who were in danger during the fighting. Because of these fights, by the end of the Roman Empire at least three different kinds of animal species had become extinct, and many unknown subspecies. The Romans had thought of the short term result, entertaining their citizens and dignitaries, and not the long term consequences. This can be said for some athletes too. When they cheat they are thinking of the short term benefits, mostly the fame and money achieved with success.
In this world when a professional athlete cheats most everyone is affected-- the player, the fans, and the game. The player will have a hard time signing onto another team, if he is still allowed to play. His name will be tarnished forever. His accomplishments will always be questioned. Fans do not admire him anymore. Kids like me lose their role models or worse, make the same mistake. If it is their hero who does it, it must be okay. When somebody cheats it is like a chain reaction. It is hard to stop it. If somebody is proven guilty of using performance enhancing drugs then the game will suffer.
The best and smartest thinking would be to not cheat or hang out with cheaters. If you do cheat it is easy to keep doing it, but you will be caught.
Be smart, don’t start.


Why Americas Veterans Should Be Honored

When a soldier goes overseas, he is putting his life in danger, giving service, and making sacrifices. They might not agree with the war, but they still go because they want America to stay a free and democratic country. The soldiers allow us to do what we do everyday. Without them we would be conquered and another country would be in charge of us. We should respect and honor them for the sacrifices they make.
In the first place, they are away from their families, friends, and people they love for extended amounts of time. During training and actual combat, they will rarely, if ever get to see their families in this period of time. They miss Christmas, birthdays and other important events. Some will never come home again.
A second reason we should show honor and respect for the military is because they are putting their lives in danger. Every time they go into battle these brave people do not know if they will come back. They are risking everything, including their life, for us to stay free.
A third reason we should remember our soldiers is that they give unselfish service. This service is enjoyed by all Americans, regardless of race, gender, or choice of religion. They might be fighting overseas or going to foreign countries to help clean up after a natural disaster.
Finally, when soldiers give this service and make sacrifices to protect us, they are young. They are sacrificing their days of youth to allow us to be free and safe. Instead of being architects, becoming a professional sports player making millions of dollars a year, soldiers are in new and foreign places fighting for our country. In conclusion, soldiers give up many things, sometimes themselves to keep us free and safe. I cannot imagine myself having to be away from my family, and making all the other sacrifices they make. I know they go through rigorous training to be ready for combat. This includes physical and mental readiness. This effort on their part to complete such exact and difficult schooling exemplifies the type of individual willing to give their all for others. I am thankful for those who have sacrificed for me that I can enjoy the freedoms I have.


Here is also an invention our class had to think of and build. Then a t.v. station interviewed us about it.
Bubble Wrap Bag Liner

When we come home from the store the fruit that we buy is bruised or mushy. Food put in a grocery cart before you check out and after you check out gets buried by all the other products. Trying to keep the more delicate purchases on the top doesn’t always work, and then loading in the car adds another chance for poor packaging. The Bubble Wrap Bag Liner would go inside the reusable cloth grocery bag and protect it from getting bruised. The Bubble Wrap Bag Liner offers much more cushioning than regular plastic or cloth bags. The liner would also be reusable. Bubble Wrap Bag Liners would also protect glass purchases, gifts such as antiques or anything that would be prone to breaking.
The Bubble Wrap was cut into pieces, which were then hot glued together to form two separate bags. One bag was set inside the other bag, and they were then hot glued together. In the first layer all of the bubbles face towards the inside and in the second layer all the bubbles face outwards. Three extra layers were added to the bottom of this Bubble Bag, as this is where most protection is needed. Of the five layers on the bottom, two face upwards and three face downwards. A 12 square foot package of Bubble Wrap was used to make this invention. This Bubble Wrap Bag Liner was then set inside a reusable Walmart cloth bag used for shopping. The Bubble Wrap Bag Liner protects items from getting damaged, the cushioning allows the contents of the bag to be safe and not get bruised, cracked or mushy.
I came up with the idea after going to the store. The bananas and pears were mushy and bruised by the time we got home. I first thought of using the Bubble Wrap to protect the fruit when it was being shipped to the stores. When we buy the fruits they are usually fine and not mushy. I found out that the food usually gets bruised on the way home, not on the way to the store. Because of this I decided to switch and design something that protects food products on the way home from the store. Everyone is thinking green nowadays, and so the bag liners would be able to be reused.
With many things getting more and more expensive we are all trying to save money. If we use these bags we would bring more of our food purchases home intact. People are making fewer trips to the store because of the price of gas. Groceries get packed in the backs of the car. Whether these items are in plastic bags or recycle bags, there is no protection for food that is more fragile. With the use of the Bubble Wrap Bag Liner you avoid broken glass, broken eggs, bruised produce. This saves us money from replacing these items, and reduces trips to the store. Also a common occurrence when carrying more than one bag into the house, sometimes the handles slip or break, causing the products to fall to the ground. With the Bubble Wrap Bag Liner, the items would be protected if the bag was dropped, limiting or eliminating damage. Because these bags are reusable, there would not be a need to use as many plastic bags. This should lower the costs of the store, and hopefully this saving would be passed on to us. There would also be less trash that is made from plastic bags.