National Clean Your Room Day

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Out of our 365, sometimes 366, days of the year there are many holidays to be celebrated. Most crazy, some serious are appointed to each day. As for on this special day of the year, I have chosen National Clean Your Room Day. This special and highly parent celebrated day is May 10. Cleaning your room is feared by most. But it must be done at one time or another. The creators of this day thought that rooms were getting too messy. Thus, the invention of this day. This day is solely dedicated to cleaning one anothers room until cleanliness is achieved. This day is involved is the tradition of “Spring Cleaning”. Spring Cleaning goes back to the ancient times when people used fire to light and heat their homes during winter. After months of being shut in with no fresh air and soot and ash all over the place it was time to clean. They would take all their furniture and belongings outside to clean them off. While they were out, the people would scrub the whole house down with soap and water. Scrubbing down the walls, beating down the carpets, and dusting everything in sight are included in this tradition. This may be a crazy holiday but it benefits us all in the end. It is hard to have the initiative to clean your room. This is why this celebratory day is one to partake on. But just admit it, our rooms get terribly dirty and someone has to deal with it. So just take the time on this day to tidy up your room, the living room, or even the whole house. Check under your bed for missing valuables you've been missing for a while. You never know, you just may find what you’re looking for.

Snowplow Mailbox Hocky Day

Have you ever wanted to hit your neighbor’s mailbox? Well on January 23rd you
can! You and your friends can knock down as many mailboxes’ as you want! 1
point for knocking it down twenty extra points for boosting one into the next
township. You can only do this on snow days though! This holiday was invited by
Thomas & Ruth Roy. So you can thank them for this special occasion! If you wake
up and your mailbox is missing just know that somebody either scored 20 extra
points or got just 1 point! The reason why I chose this holiday because I thought
this is a good way to express your anger! So just keep on building up your anger
so that you can take it out on mailboxes! You should not try this at home!

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National One Direction Day!

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Do you like One Direction? Well July 22nd is a day to celebrate One Direction. On July 22nd if you support One Direction then wear everything you have that involves the band and also listen to their music. One Direction was formed on July 22 2010 at the Boot camp stage of X Factor series 7. Members Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik each auditioned as soloists earlier in the year and were put together at Boot camp so they could progress as a group to Judges' Houses, the next stage of the competition. Each member made it to the finals and got a record deal. They are all very talented and deserve all that has happened to them.  I think that One Direction is a very great band i love them.

April Fools Day

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A day full of giggles and laughs is celebrated every year on April 1st. The point of April Fools is to have fun and maybe not get in trouble for playing practical jokes , and to have a good sense of humor. April Fools is celebrated all around the world the world with many different traditions. In the United States, americans play small practical jokes on one another. In France, french children prank their friends and family by taping a paper fish to their back, and when the prank is discovered, the prankster would scream “Poisson D’Avril!” meaning April Fish. In Scotland April Fools day is celebrated for 2 days. April Fools is sometime called “All Fool’s Day” or in France “April Fish.” I picked this day because it's the only day I or anyone else won't get in trouble for their sense of humor. Out of all 365 day a year, April Fools is by far one of the best holiday of all.

National Hugging Day

http://www.zawaj.com/hugging-people-of-the-opposite-sex/two-children-hugging/

Send a hug today, or to be more precise on the 21st of January. Why? Well, it’s hugging day! “Who?” anyone of course. Hug your best friend, hug your neighbor, hug a stranger, hug your mailman! The 21st of January is a day to celebrate, it’s the day to spread joy and happiness all within one little hug.

The holiday started in 1986 in Caro Michigan, and ever since it has been a day to celebrate and enjoy the pleasure of sharing their happiness with someone. The 21st of January was picked because that is the mid-point between Christmas and Valentines Day, two holidays that are known for expressing with love and happiness.

Hugging Day is one day that is dedicated to making you and others around you feel happy. I strongly encourage everyone who wants to spread happiness to all make and wear a badge that reads “FREE HUGS” that way everyone can experience the joy of National Hug Day.

Want to Join the Weirdos?

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Have you ever been called weird? Well if you have you can now celebrate that on September ninth, Wonderful Weirdos Day.Wonderful Weirdos Day is a day to celebrate your weirdness by dressing weird, acting weird, and being simply weird with all the other wonderful weirdos. This day was created by Tom Roy, he came up with this idea because he liked the thought of unique differences. One main objective to do on Wonderful Weirdos Day is join in on The Ministry of Silly Walks. The Ministry of Silly Walks is a sketch from the “Monty Pythons” comedy troupes television show. To join in on this you must walk around while doing the silliest and strangest moves you can think of while also walking. Wonderful Weirdos Day is celebrated all over the world and thousands of people join in on it every year, don't you want to be one of those wonderful weirdos out there? If so celebrate with the rest of the world on september ninth, Wonderful Weirdos Day.

Lemonade Day

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“Lemonade, 50 cents”, calls my friend as tons of people come around to our stand to taste our yummy lemonade. “Wow I never thought there would be so many people today, it was hotter yesterday”, she said. “Well it is Lemonade day”, I said! “There’s a Lemonade Day”? “Yes”! Lemonade Day is a different day each year, but this year it is Tuesday, August 20th. The founder of Lemonade Day is Michael Holthouse who is partnered with Google to help young kids learn about Entrepreneurs. The point of Lemonade Day is to enable youth to take ownership of their lives and become productive members of society. I thought it was just a day where you had fun with your friends and had a lemonade stand. It seems way more fun that way! To me, it seemed like it was a dumb way to say that we were starting a business, but then I realized that the only reason why I would even do a stand is to get money to go to Hawaii. So that gave me ideas. Lemonade is a fun way to get money. Lemonade day is just a fun day to hang out with your friends and maybe, just maybe get lots of money!

National Wright Brothers Day

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       Most people know about holidays like Christmas and Halloween but every year some people recognize Wright Brothers Day on December 17th. On that day in 1903, the Orville and his brother Wilbur were credited for building and flying the world's first aircraft with controls that enable them to steer the plane. Their first flight lasted for twelve seconds and traveled approximately 120 feet. This holiday was first celebrated in 1963. The Wright Brothers were not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft but they were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed wing flight possible. This holiday is important to me because i have always been transfixed with flight and love the idea of it.

Walk On Your Wild Side

 April 12th, was a chance to be fun, crazy, weird, and most of all your true self. It is a day to embrace your inner wild streak. Most people will wear neon colors and obnoxious make up. It should happen more often because its an inspiring time where its okay to be silly without people making fun of you and you can feel free to be who you are. This wacky day is called Walk on Your Wild Side Day. It is the chance to wear or do something you never would have ever thought of doing. It can be something small, as long as it's outside of the box. Maybe even take it to the next level and be crazy enough to even get a little out of your comfort zone. It is an event that is unpredictable because so many people wear amusing outfits. I think we should all have a day to just walk on our wild side.

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March 14 is also known as pi day. it’s the birthday of physicist Albert Einstein. For all mathematicians, this day is for the nerds of math and science out there!  If you don’t know what Pi is, I’ll sum it up for you: it’s an infinite decimal that pertains to the math of circles.This day for the decimal number for sure has a point; it’s for eating pie and celebrating pi! I don’t like decimals, but I am partial to fractions, so I use 22/7 for Pi. This day is for infinite fun with your friends, so go out celebrating and I’ll talk to you linear!

Stop Them Old People

    Personally I feel if elderly drivers were removed from the roads the world would be a slightly safer place. Because many wrecks each year are at the hands of the elderly who are no longer worthy of driving because they are drousy, sick, or generally not strong enough to pilot a powerful vehicle. There would be less accidents, tax costs to repair the roads, and loss of life. Although it may be more inconvenient for our elders, the pros outweigh the cons. Some pros I already listed, some cons are lack of mobility for seniors, and angry elderly people who can no longer drive.
    I hope that it would lower taxes by eliminating damage to roads due to accidents at the hands of the elderly. It would lower taxes by reducing the amount of money spent on roads to keep them in shape after accidents. Also nobody likes accidents and loves their grandparents. So nobody would want to lose them or their money. I hope that in a few years drivers over 60 will need to take a test to see if they are still worthy to drive.
    This test would keep them from wrecking cars and keeping them alive. The cars not wrecking would keep money in your pocket and keep grandma and grandpa still chugging along in life. Something we all want. So, would you rather keep seniors driving or your grandma or grandpa?

National Doughnut Day

            Glorious days come every day of every year. Big and small they still come. These days are days like potato chip day, wear purple day, and national bacon day. Another is national doughnut day. It occurs every year on the first Friday of June.

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The best day in my opinion would have to be national doughnut day that was started by the Salvation Army in World War 2. Starting in 1938, doughnuts were served to people affected by the great depression to honor girls who served soldiers doughnut. The idea sprung in World War 1 when there was a mission on the front lines to find out what the troops needed the most on the front lines. They concluded that they needed a “hut” or stand that sells baked goods, writing supplies, and clothes repair for troops. The selling of doughnuts was thought of by Margaret Sheldon and Helen Purviance. They had the idea while serving in World War 1. It became a massive success, and the Salvation Army girls were busier than ever preparing food for fighting troops. In Chicago, National Doughnut Day is still a fund raiser for the Salvation Army.

I felt it necessary to choose this day because I love food. I especially like doughnuts and almost any other fried food. Another reason is I feel doughnuts are underappreciated. Nobody ever gives credit to doughnuts for having a good time when they eat them. Just the company that creates them get all the glory for making those glorious rings. Also, it is just another cause to eat doughnuts.

Crazy Answering Message Day

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Don’t you hate when you call someone, they don’t answer, and you’re stuck listening to that same boring answering machine message that everyone has? Or when people complain to you that you didn’t pick up your phone so they had to go through two minutes of pure agony to tell you what they wanted to? Well for one day, you can change all of that. On Wednesday, January 30th, you can set your answering machine message to something silly that will brighten everyone’s day. Crazy Answering Machine Message Day was founded by the bored people of this planet. It might not seem like much, but that one message can be the difference between friend or foe. Answering messages tend to be a little dull, ranging from mobile network defaults, to the classic, “Sorry, John’s not here right now… please leave a message after the tone”. Liven things up on Crazy Answering Machine Message Day by getting creative, funny or silly with your message. And who knows, maybe you will have so much fun that you will want to keep it that way.

Multiple Personalites Day

Someone with multiple personalities. Photo done by petedadds.com

            March 5 is a day to tap into your many different personalities. Why? You may ask, because its multiple personalities day. On this day you are able to act out many different personalities that you’ve always wanted to try. People also celebrate this day to bring awareness to multiple personality disorders. This day is quite controversial day though, because some people find this day offensive because they view it as making fun of people with a personality disorder. I chose this day because I liked that you're able to do as many different personalities as you want and it sound fun. I also like that its a day to honor those with a personality disorder. So remember on this day to have fun but also think about those with personality disorders.

May 2013: Umbrella Saftey Month

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What do I get out of “April showers and May flowers”? Umbrellas. You may seem to see them opening up all over your neighborhood. Shielding people from the dreaded rain. But when those umbrellas open, watch out! It’s every man for himself. If you’re not careful you could end up just another statistic in the umbrella wars. 



  Emergency rooms are filled with horror stories of lost eyes and puncture wounds as a result of careless umbrella owners. As a child we are taught to not cross the road without looking, don’t talk to strangers, or the good ‘ol “don’t stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole”. But do parents teach their kids about umbrella safety? No. Of course not.

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  It is for this reason that I am calling upon you to pressure your town and village officials into putting regulations on over sized umbrellas and to demand that umbrella safety be taught to our children at school. So when May comes around, remember to educate your peers about what horrific things that umbrellas could do. Not only for your sake, but for others around you.

National No Homework Day

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It is May 6th you are in Algebra and you are just about to finish the Period and your teacher is about to give you an assignment when suddenly some from behind yells to the teacher “We can’t have homework, it’s May 6th, National No Homework Day.”

On May 6th you are NEVER supposed to be assigned homework. The reason being is that it is National No Homework Day. So teachers don't assign homework as us students are working αharder than mommy and daddy. And students you still have to do your homework if it is I assigned but shame your teachers. On this day have fun and look forward to the next one.

A Pirate's Life For Me

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    Ships sail through the ocean. Skull, and cross-bone flags fill the seven seas. Words like scurvy, and ahoy are used in everyday sentences! For behold! This is the time of Pirates. As a young girl the typical fantasies of princesses, and ballerinas are the usual dream career, but not for me. No, adventure, excitement, and danger has always intrigued me. Since the day I saw Johnny Depp play the epic role of Jack Sparrow, I dreamed of being a pirate. Unfortunately that career is no longer much of an option in today's world. However pirate lovers much like me created a day, a day to talk like a pirate. This blessed day takes place on the 19th of September. Allowing those who are daring enough to not only talk like a pirate, but dress as such and partake in adventure! Some may say this day is foolish or even crazy. In my opinion life's greatest joys come out out of the “crazy” and adventurous activities we do. This 19th of September I hope to hear yer all talkin' like yeh' scurvy pirates.

Potato chip day!

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A nation is only as good as it’s snacks, that's why America created the potato chip. This great snack food symbolizes America perfectly. The potato chip is great, powerful, and loved by all, and so is America.1.2 billion chips of potato are consumed in America every year! It’s easy to tell that it is the number one snack in America. To memorialize this great invention, We have made a day to symbolize the great taste, and greatness of the one and only potato chip. This day is on March 15th, but only in America! This holiday was probably made up by the snack food industry to increase sales. It is hard to believe that the humble chip was invented as a joke! In 1853 Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, was in New York for vacation. One day, he stopped at a restaurant for a bite to eat. He ordered fried potatoes but was outraged that the chef cut the potatoes to thick! Annoyed, chef George Crum decided to play a joke on the Commodore, he cut the potatoes paper thin, then deep fried and salted them. The practical joke was an instant success in the restaurant! No one knows how the title “potato chip” came along, but when it did it was beloved by all. Thanks to chef Crum the world has been blessed by the presence of the Chip of potato. So next March 15th remember the story of the commodore and chef Crum, and eat some potato chips.

Bullies are not cool

Stacy Fitzpatrick’s article, titled “Bullies” is a great piece of work. Stacy makes some good points about bullying and i agree with her that it has to be stopped. Although i did feel like she could have gone into more detail about what a bully actually is. Bullying is the use of force to abuse or intimidate others.and what you can do if you are getting bullied. a couple of strategies to stop a bully is to tell an adult, or stand up to him/her.  Also, I feel like the article could have gained some greater meaning if she had added in a scenario in the beginning. Overall, Stacy did a very good job and i am proud of her.  

Ditch New Years Resolution Day!

    How long do you keep your new years resolutions? Eventually people give up sometime, make that sometime now on the 17th “Ditch New Years Resolution Day!”
    This is the one day all year that you are allowed to ditch those resolutions you just made! Maybe they weren't such a good idea now that you think about it.....whatever the case may be, this is the day to take advantage of this celebration and get out from under those new rules you saddled yourself with.
        Forget about January 12th “Stick To Your New Years Resolution pep talk day.”  You've put in enough effort and, realistically, there's only so much self-improving you can do before you become unrecognizable to your friends and colleagues. You're perfect just as you are!
   



http://cmcforum.com/life/01172012-resolutions-revisited

The Tooth Fairy

A Tooth Fairy using her wand. Picture found on sharpcreations.com

    Remember when you were little and you had a loose tooth? And then the next day or so you would pull it out and your parents told you to put it under your pillow, so you did. You wake up and you look under your pillow and all of a sudden your tooth is gone and in exchange you received money. Your parents would tell you that the Tooth Fairy came and took your tooth and gave you money. February 28th is National Tooth Fairy Day and I choose this day to write about because pulling out my baby teeth and putting them under my pillow for exchange of money is one of my best and favorite childhood memories. The story of the Tooth fairy started with stories about a Tooth Mouse who scampers around town and steals children's teeth in the middle of the night. The story of the mouse evolved into the story of the Tooth Fairy who leaves treasures under children's pillows in exchange for their lost teeth. Tooth Fairy stories are a part of every kid’s memory and are still very common today. Children everywhere around the world put their lost baby teeth under their pillows and wait for the surprise in the morning. So on the 28th of February remember to tell your friends and family Happy National Tooth Fairy Day! 
 

The Day the Music Died

Ritchie Valens. Photo found on Amazon.com.

    We all have favorite music artists. Yours could range from Justin Beiber and One Direction to Led Zeppelin and Queen. Though some of of us may enjoy our parents generation of music most of us enjoy this generation of music, and would be devastated if one of our idols became deathly ill, or worse, they actually died. On February 3rd, 1959 three popular rock stars known as Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash. The death of these three rock stars devastated the 1950’s generation, thus creating “The Day the Music Died.” Now, even though every February 3rd those three rock singers are remembered, there are still websites memorializing their deaths, proving how important this day is even if people have never heard of it. I chose this day because it made me think about life and how precious it is. You never know when you are going to die, so appreciate life while you have it and say ‘I love you’ a little more often. In the end it could make all the difference.

School Uniforms

You are an eleven year old girl. You come from a rather poor family and you cannot afford all of the fancy clothes that some of the other girls have. At school your are bullied and made fun of because of your clothes. If only your school had a set school uniform you wouldn’t feel so out of place. I believe school uniforms should be endorsed by schools on a national level because they make everyone feel the same. The issue that most people have with school uniforms is that it would infringe on their rights as American citizens. When in fact, as minors we do not have many rights that legal adults have. By having children wear uniforms, they are being prepared for having a job. Most jobs, no matter what profession, have some kind of dress code. It also teaches responsibility because students have to make sure their outfits are clean the following day and remember to wear them every day. Also what you wear won't offend others if they're wearing the exact same outfit. So in conclusion it is in the best interest of the United States Educational Systems to standardize school uniforms so that everyone is more focused on education and not on clothing.

Stop Making the Illegal Legal



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Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug in America and around the world.  It is also the leading cause of drug addiction aside from alcohol in the U.S. Drug addiction also known as substance dependence may lead to marijuana abuse or marijuana dependence.Those supporting the legalization of marijuana, don’t realize it’s major cost. President Barack Obama had been questioned in an interview hosted by Barbara Walters on his opinion on the legalization of Marijuana. He responded “I wouldn’t go that far.” In his past, Obama disclosed that he had used marijuana but regrets that and knows it was a bad decision now. Because of his realization he has chosen to not support the legalization in his office of presidency.

        Marijuana has already been legalized in Colorado and Washington; they became the first states in the U.S . to legalize the usage of marijuana. Marijuana is being legalized for medical reasons, but most people would use it and abuse it. Which is why I don't support the legalization of marijuana because it won't make our society a better place. 

Bad Memories

            Child abuse is one of the wrongs I don’t like. Child abuse can happen to any age group. Child abuse is cruel, mean, rude, and hurtful. It will also be a memory that the victim will forever hold as one of their bad memories. It will also decrease the child’s trust in people. Some feel scared and feel like they have no one to turn to. Some may even choose to commit suicide. Nearly five children die each day from child abuse. The percentage of child abuse in the United States is 20.6%. To help prevent child abuse visit www.childhood-usa.org/.   It is said on the website:  www.dreamcatchersforabusedchildren.com/. that there is a child being abused every thirteen seconds somewhere.
           Some ways we can help prevent child abuse is reporting it when seen. Teach children when to say "no", teach them the appropriate touching zones and the inappropriate touching zones, what and what not to tell, how to call 911, and you can even sign them up for therapy so they can report what is happening to them. You can also donate money online to child abuse charities such as: www.worldvision.org/ . Please read the information about how to stop child abuse.

Fight Like a Girl

Several women are fighting through breast cancer. Researchers are not positive about what can cause it, but they do know it has to do with personal health history. Breast cancer is the most common cancer for women after skin cancer. In 2012 the American Cancer Society estimates, about 40 thousand women will die a year from it. If a relative has had cancer, it is likely that it could be passed down to the next generation.This disease is dangerous and people really need to be examined to make sure they don’t have it. Although there is a very low chance, men can also get it. Breast cancer is terrifying and is something no one wants to have to experience. It upsets me and I am sure many others as well, that we still have not found a way to cure breast cancer. I couldn’t ever imagine going through what so many of our strong women in America have. I think more people should be informed about this cancer. And our world is dying because of it. More of the money we give for taxing should go toward cancer treatment such as breast cancer. Many citizens in our society are doing fundraisers to fight breast cancer such as the walk called “Making Strides for Breast Cancer.” This walk is an inspiring opportunity to honor those fighting, and it raises money to fight breast cancer. Staying fit and healthy may decrease the risk of breast cancer. If we keep up the good work and help out eventually we will probably be able to cure it and pay for those who need help getting through it.

Lunch or Bust

You look at your lunch. You can’t decide whether it’s pizza or ravioli. People around you poke the substance to make sure it’s not living. School food can be VERY disgusting, even at Sunridge Middle School. I personally bring my lunch to school, because I don’t like the school’s downhill tasting lunch. Many people complain,as do I, about the taste of this “food”. What most people complain about is our tater tots can be burnt,as can the pizza, bread, and many other menu items. The second biggest complaint is that everything is too greasy, literally dripping in grease. Bland noodles, revolting spaghetti sauce, mayonnaise tasting ranch, no thousand island dressing, and warm or frozen milk are other constant issues. not only is the food disgusting, but there is also miniscule portions. According to the nutrition standards released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in January 2012, middle school students need a range of 600 to 700 calories. Many school lunches don't taste or look appealing, so students don't eat much of it This causes hunger pains in various middle and high schools, along with collapsing from lack of nutrients, exhaustion, and stealing other's food. Wallace County school students are protesting against this healthier food that tastes like rubber.  We need to bring our lunches and protest against these substances they call “food” to bring about better tasting meals at the same nutritional value.

Gas Prices

What’s the usual answer when you want to go somewhere out of town with your family or friends and your mom is the ride? It’s no, the answer is usually no. Why? Gas prices have rose tremendously over the past five years. Today, gas is over three dollars a gallon. Unfortunately, it’s very hard to find low gas prices in the U.S. and Canada. Sometimes, it depends what kind of car you’re driving to run out of gas easily or just how much you drive to empty your tank. As a young adult, I strongly support this fact because I will soon be a licensed driver and would highly recommend lower gas prices. 

We Are All The Same

      There may be many problems in this world, including animal abuse, college prices, and millionaires paying less taxes. But above all I feel very strongly about adults taking children less seriously than they should. I think adults have this idea in their mind that they are more important than children. The point is, us children/teenagers can have very good points. Preferably children ages 12-15 are taken less seriously than they should be. Adults think that we are still young and don’t know that much. But the fact is that we start to know a lot. From friends knowledge to random knowledge that we look at on the internet, we get to know more than they think we do. We can also learn from T.V. This is an informational but unreliable source. We can learn how to cook a supposedly better pancake or waffle. Another point is that adults may not know everything! They may think they do but what they don’t know is that we are coming into a new age of all sorts of electronics that they don’t know how to work. So once they need your help it may be time to get payback by not knowing what to do.
      Adults may think they know everything but they don’t! Also, we can learn from music. Some types of music can be soothing which gets us in the mood to learn. But in a parents defense, we do not tell them everything they may want to know. Like how we are doing, our “relationships”, or if school is doing all right. So in their defense, they care a lot about us and don’t want us to get hurt or make wrong decisions. So in this topic of discussion, everyone has a fault that they need to fix. For adults, it is understanding that we are not still little children and we know more than they think. For us, it’s just that we have to communicate to our elders every once in awhile. As we all know, it’s bad to keep secrets. So everyone should just think the next time they are confronted with these situations to remember the important decision.

Is It Worth it?

Brandon Elizares (For Photo Credit: Click Here)

(I'd also like to state that I did not know Brandon personally, nor his family. I got the infromation from a KFOX14 news cast. This is an article that really touches my heart, not an article that I wrote myself.)

EL PASO, Texas-

Brandon Elizares was a bright-eyed boy with a big smile and bold dreams. The Andress High School sophomore knew what he wanted to do with his life.

"I'd ask him, 'Brandon, what do you want to be? (and he'd say) I want to be a model, a fashion designer, a poet, I'm going to write me a book," Zackalyn Elizares, Brandon's mom said in an interview.The teen tried to stay sane and true to himself. He was open about his homosexuality at the tender age of 14.

"When he first came out, he told me that he had lost a lot of his friends because he wanted to live openly as a gay person and he did not understand. He'd be like 'I'm still me. I'm still Brandon, nothing's changed other than the fact that I like boys," his mother said.

On June 2, 2012 the 16-year-old boy took his own life.

His mother said bullying and threats led to Brandon's suicide.

"My name is Brandon Joseph Elizares and I couldn't make it. I love you guys with all of my heart," Zackalyn said Brandon wrote in the note he left behind before he committed suicide."He wrote that he was sorry, that he felt like he had to hide under his skin from being who he was because it made him feel terrible."The teen's mother said Brandon had friends but also had bullies.

"Brandon was the type of person that if you're mean to him or you say something to him, he just smiled, kept on walking, and he wasn't going to say anything back. It's really sad because I always wish that he'd found his voice and I thought that he was getting better at it since he came out. But he internalized a lot of it," Zackalyn said.

            Our world is cruel. Full of evil people who seem to be heartless. Full of people who will never understand. And full of people who just simply don’t care. Society tells you that you have to be perfect. You have a single hair out of place? We’ll then you’re not perfect and you don’t belong. So I’m going to judge you for who you are, and what you look like.

This subject is a very touchy subject, for me, and really hits home. I know what it’s like to not fit in. I know what it’s like to feel like no one understands. This is why I strongly support equal rights, gay marriage, and suicide prevention. NOT because I am in any way bisexual, or a victim of bullying myself.

Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Washington, are the nine states that allow same sex marriage. Gays in these states are allowed to get married, and have the same rights that different sex couples have. Isn’t this how it’s supposed to be? Aren't we all supposed to have the same rights? At least I think that’s how it should be. People who like the same sex are not “weird”, “abnormal”, nor “different”. They just have different tastes. And I don't get what’s so “wrong” about having different tastes in something ,or in this case, someone. Yes, everyone has their own entitled opinion about same sex marriage, and I understand that. But what I DON’T understand is why people are judging other people about who they are. Even pushing yo, bright teenagers, into the point where they feel like taking their own life is the only way out. Of course that’s not the case. 

Most homosexual teenagers that haven't fully “came out” don’t believe that anyone will understand, or be their for them.  1-800-273-TALK  is a suicide prevention hotline where it gives anyone going through a hard time, needing someone to talk to, a chance to do so. This is a well trusted hotline that will connect you to a trained professional and help you find programs in your area that will meet your needs. 

I honestly don’t think we'll ever really KNOW why people judge other people about who they are, what they do, or even what they look like. Ever since the beginning of time we have judged people. But do we really have to take it to this extent? Name calling, physical abuse, and even deaths to innocent people, who clearly don’t deserve it. All because someone is different than you. I believe that all gay and lesbian couples should have the same rights as the rest of us. To be able to get married and be happy. To live like everyone else and be treated with respect. 

This article means a lot to me, and it’s something I feel very strongly about. Words hurt, and sometimes people don’t understand that. Words also have consequences. You say something hurtful one day to someone, and the next... They could be dead. Think before you speak!

Stopping Abuse

There are many problems in our world, such as hunger, poverty, natural

disasters and sickness. All these issues are serious, but I believe that one tragedy stands above all others, abuse. Specifically these types of abuse: animal, domestic and child. Animal abuse is a very serious issue in the United States. 1106 cases of animal abuse are reported every year, and very, very little of it is ever reported. Organizations such as the Humane Society are working against animal abuse to try to save all the poor animals subject to abuse. Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one partner against another in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, or family. 25% of women, and about 4,000,000 men are subject to domestic abuse In America at any given time. Domestic abuse is unacceptable in any form and needs to be stopped! If you are subject to domestic abuse you need to tell someone, friend, family member, or law official, it doesn't matter as long as you get help. More than five children die everyday from child abuse in America. To think that adults would hurt or torment innocent children is a horrible thought, and I wish it wasn’t a part of this world. Sadly child abuse is in this world and is a serious issue. Organizations such as the Every Child Matters Education Fund are working against child abuse. In conclusion, abuse is a very serious issue in America and around the world, and one day I hope it will end!

Child Abuse

           Imagine your parents physically abusing you all the time in your own home. It’s hard to think anyone would ever do that to their child, but people do. It’s a hard problem to try to solve, because kids don’t come forward and say they are being abused. People are trying to figure out a way to get victims to step forward and say something without them feeling embarrassed or like they are disobeying their parents. Social workers are trying to solve and stop the abusing when the victim is young, so that they don’t turn out to be just like the parent. This can be dangerous in many ways. The victim might try to take out their childhood anger by abusing their child, or maybe even murder.  
        There are a lot of  people in the world and it all starts from being raised by a crazy parent, not feeling loved, or being depressed. If you think a child is being abused, call a social worker, or counselor. Be nice to them and be their friend. That way they feel more comfortable around you and they might tell you more. Kids that are being abused are not only scared because they think their parents will be ashamed, they are scared their life is going to fall apart. They don’t want to live in a foster home. People are working hard to try to get to the bottom of child abuse. Without it the world would be such a better place.

Bullies!

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There are certain reasons why people bully. Some reasons are because of family problems or feeling lonely! So they take it out on people who either don’t know how to defend themselves or people who are smaller than them. When you bully somebody it hurts the people and makes them feel that they are no good and shouldn’t be living! So they go home and cry because of what the bully said! But when people bully the other person in front of everybody nobody helps out the person being bullied! I think the reason why they don’t help is either because they are scared of the bully, scared to get bullied, or just afraid to speak their minds! But if we all start to help people out who are getting bullied then we could possibly stop bullying.
          We can’t be afraid to tell an adult or the principal! Or you can tell the bully that you are not scared of him anymore or you can tell them to “STOP”. Unfortunately, some people who bully are parents, family members, or somebody who you go to school with. There is a difference between bullying and being funny. Your version of a joke could really hurt people’s feelings so you have to be careful of what you say and how you speak to others! So don’t be the bully, be the defender!