jolly saint nick saves the day

In Pharr Texas a nine year old girl wrote a letter to santa as a school assignment and it saved the well being of her 10 year old sister. The girl wrote on her wish list that she wanted her relative to stop touching her older sister. The police will not release the letter which they say is evidence. Andres enrique cantu who works at an alternative highschool is said to have touched them wrong when they slept or did homework. The mother was questioned but she said she had no idea of the acts. There were no reports of Cantu acting this way at the school he was employed at and he was arrested at school on friday. Mr. Cantu was placed on a total bail of 350,000$ which basically means he will go to prison. This simple little school assignment may have saved this girl life which we must say thanks to Jolly old saint nick and the teacher for assigning the work. What this girl did was simply amazing, just to even have the courage to write that is amazing. This really shows the true power of the christmas spirit.
2 pages
http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20081216/Santa.Letter.Molestation/

Fighting for your country

A republican senator from South Carolina named Lindsey Graham, who is a national guard reserve, is now serving for our country in Kabul Afghanistan. He enrolled in ROTC in 1973 and has been serving as a military lawyer ever since. He was working in Kabul training U.S. lawyers and judges that will be working in Afghanistan. Graham is very respected because in 2005 he and Hilary Clinton worked with tricare to try and get more soldiers insurance. About 25% of the U.S. soldiers don't have insurance. Graham and other U.S. officals including President Obama have concluded that this war in Afghanistan is going to get a lot tougher. There have been more deaths in Afghanistan in 2008 than there has been in any year after the invasion. Senator Graham is doing a great job fufilling his duties not only as a senator but as a membera s the U.S. army helping for the betterment of our country. I think what he is doing is a great example for other political senators to follow because he is supporting what the new president is planning on doing and that provides hope for the future, and that is what we desperatly need.
http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20081214/AS.Afghan.Senator.Soldier/
2 pages

Senator tries to sell his seat

Rod B. A senator from Illinois was arrested on corruption charges when he tried to sell the vacant U.S. senate seat which was held by president Obama. Rod was chargerd with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, and solicitation of bribery. This action creates negative attention to Mr. Obama. Rod was trying to sell the seat to the highest bidder, almost playing a game with them. This is a perfect example of corrupt democracy and how it needs to be stopped. This man is facing up to 70 years in prison for the crime he commited. Luckily Barack isn't at all associated with this man so The president is not questioned about his involvement. I think that this man just ruined his life and Chicago's senatoral reputation for a long time. This is a great example of old school Chicago corruption. The Government was quick to act on this situation and I am glad it was stopped.
2 pages
http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20081209/NEWS-US-BLAGOJEVICH-CRIME/

Band of Brothers

Over the weekend I read a book called Band Of Brothers which is a novel written be Stephen E. Ambrose. This story is about E. Company from the 101st Airborne divison fighting their way through Europe. The story starts with the men in training and earning their airborne wings. None of the men knew what the airborne was or what it had in store for them they just knew it paid 50$ more than infantry. The Airborne is groups of soldiers who jump out of planes behind enemy lines. These men were dropped into the worst combat situations of all regiments and they had the lowest death count. The men of E. company gained one of the greatest brotherly bonds between each other and that is what led them to their great success. When I read that these men were so close the would die for one another I really realized that their brotherly bond, not their skill is what made them such a successful unit.
307 pages
Band Of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose

Pirates

Off the shores of Kenya an American cruise ship was traveling with hundreds of passengers. The ship was comandeered by somali pirates. The six men were in two little boats firing rifle shots at the cruise.( yes this is for real). The cruise quickly sped away. Even this little attempt of piracy has sparked increased security measures in maritime matters. Other cruise lines have re routed their vessels to avoid the coast of Somalia. When i read this article I just started laughing because the thought of piracy is just a joke now with modern ships. Espically when it is just six men in dingys with rifles. This attempt was just probabally an act of stupidity and was in no way piracy. When i heard that security measures were increasing after this event i felt safer because the people are now concerned about small acts of violence.
3 pages
http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-world/20081202/Piracy/

Barack

On november 23 Soon to be president Barack Obama declared that he will dedicate more U.S. aid and military power to Afghanistan. He personally spoke to the Afghan leaders and said he would provide more aid to end the conflict in that area. The United States have around 32,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, this number will increase by thousands next year. The Afghan leaders quoted Obama saying about fighting terrorism. " in Afghanistan, the region and the world is a top priority.". These measures of action will increase the nations security. These actions of reinforced security has pleased the middle eastern nations. Barack is doing a very good job as to creating a good reputation. The actions of adding more troops has probabally angered Americans. Although he is creating good foreign relations, he has made American families un-easy. This action really makes you wonder if we elected the right guy? I think Barck is just to this as peace keeping measures and in no way shape or form is this an act of agression.
3 pages
http://www.startribune.com/world/34954429.html?page=3&c=y

Down goes the wall

Today the New york stock exchange or Wall street plunged to an all time low in the last 5 years. The most fatal drops were in the financial and energy stocks. The Dow Jones which is one of the biggest exchanges has gone down almost 6 percent. The stock market is crashing rapidly as our great nation is slipping more into a depression. The stocks that are dropping really scare me because the country is becoming un stable. Our national debt is increasing as we speak which isn't helping the decline of our economy. People need to start having faith the economy will get better and invest their money, that is how countries are pulled out of terrible economic times like this.
1 page
http://finance.comcast.net/www/news.html?x=http://76.96.38.13/data/news/2008/11/20/1120129.xml

Wild fires

In California there have been many wild fires spreading through the region of southern California. These fires have been very fierce with dry coditions and high winds. The flames have almost destroyed one thousand homes. tens of thousands have evacuated to safe regions. Some officials have said that around twenty thousand acres of land have been schorched. The fires have damaged the star filled areas around los angeles. The fires have lasted for 4 days. The smoke clogs almost all line of vision in the surrounding areas. This article i found was very intresting because this fire spread very rapidly throught that region of California. This also is scary because I have family in California being affected by the fires right now. I really hope that hte fires can be stopped and the people who were affected can go back to their normal lives. These fires also show that one of mans best creations (fire) can also be a very dangerous thing that is very destructive.
http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20081114/NEWS-US-WILDFIRE-CALIFORNIA/
2 pages

Refusal

In London England a thirteen year old girl turned down a heart transplant so she could live a normal life instead of in a hospital bed. She was diagnosed with leukemia at age 4 and has had a dozen operations on her heart. She refused this treatment becasue she says she is sick of being in a hospital bed. She was threatened by the hospital for refusing this care. A social worker was sent to talk with Hannah, and she said the welfare not the health is more important for the child.
This is a very powerful story for me because the girl is willing to give up more years on her life just to have a few more years normally. This girl made a very strong decision to deny the advanced medical care in path of a new life. She just wants to have a good mindset towards life and not that of a sick person. I believe she just wants to live normally for these last years and just go with the flow. Hannah really emphasizes the point of quality not quantity.

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-world-europe/20081111/EU.Britain.Refusing.Care/
2 pages

Gettin lucky in North Dakota?

In a small town called Parshall in North Dakota was struggling economically. It is an Indian reservation with around 100 citizens. The town is very close to the Canadian border. About 400 personally owned buildings have been leased in the recent years. There is an oil reserve near the town that big Texas companies own. Nobody thought it was a large reserve at all. The investors who bought the buildings and the mineral rights below it are being paid big bucks for the oil below them. The town has prospered in recent months because of the output of their oil reserve. The town is on the up rise during a time of despair in our economy today. This article show the wealth of oil today and how just one natural resource can change the lives of just a small North Dakotan town. This town has become a town desired by oil companies, that is what makes it a town that has value to the economy.
3 pages
http://finance.comcast.net/www/news.html?x=http://76.96.38.13/data/news/2008/11/09/1110126.xml

Faith of My Fathers

I read a book written by John McCain and Mark Salter called Faith of My Fathers. This book is about how John learned about life. He was told stories from his Grandfather and his father. They told him great stories of the wars they participated in. He was the son of a top commander in the U.S. army. During Vietnam John was naval pilot when his plane was shot down over a town called Hanoi in 1967. He was taken by the Vietnamese and imprisoned. The Vietnamese officers found that he was the son of a top military officer and they then offered to let him go. He refused because he learned from his father that pride in yourself and country were some of the greatest things a man can attain. John refused this because he didn’t want to embarrass the U.S. He was then imprisoned for 5 and a half years. This book was really good because it told the story of a man who is willing to do anything for his country. I think this book that he wrote really helps his campaign for president because Americans will see he has an insurmountable amount of pride in this country. John is in the upcoming election and this book sets him apart from obama because it is a story of struggle and belief in your country.

349 pages
By John McCain
with Mark Salters

Coaching Heroes

Joe Paterno
I chose JoePa because he is a coach who shows loyalty and a desire to create a legacy of greatness. He is the all time winningest coach in college football history. He has been coaching since 1950 all at the same school, Penn State. He has the most bowl game wins with 10, and the most undefeated seasons with 5. Joe Paterno attended brown university where he played football and basketball. He isn't just a man of football he also is credited with making his athletes into students that priortized academics rather than sports. Joe is now 81 years old but he is still going strong espically after his big win over ohio state in columbus. His nittany lions are perfect right now at 8-0 and they are looking strong with national title aspirations that will add to JoePa's already impressive resume. I learned from the studying of Joe Paterno that to be successful doing other things than just the things you are good at will make you successful. Joe P. Made academics a priority above football for his players. I also learned that staying loyal to a thing will create good outcomes. Joe P. shows this because he has been at Penn state for 58 years.

John Wooden
i chose John because he showed an example of coaches that is followed today by almost every coach. He was the coach of the UCLA mens basketball team and he won an amazing 10 championships in 12 years while coaching. He was the first person to ever be inducted into the basketball hall of fame as a player and as a coach. John attended the university of purdue and had a good career playing basketball. He started coaching at indiana state from 1946-1948 he then coached at UCLA from 1948-1975. He amassed a total of 664 wins. John had a record of winning 7 national championships in a row. His time at UCLA was an amazing stretch that exemplifies what UCLA basketball should be. He had the Men's basketball arena named after him. He is now 98 and his life is slowly ending, but his legacy will live on well past his life time. I learned from john wooden that you should present yourself as you want to be perceived. John was a very classy man who always went about his business. He still was able to stay humble while he was winning championship after championship.




Bobby cox
I chose bobby because he has an amazing career as a baseball god.he is the manager for the Atlanta Braves. he has the longest tenure with a club, it has lasted for 17 years. He started by being a 3rd base coach for the braves from 197-1981 a manager for the blue jays from 1982-1985, and a manager for the braves from 1990-present day. he is 4th all time in managerial wins, and he has the record for the most ejections. He has only won one world series in 1995, but he has amassed many wins and has an aura that spreads through baseball. Bobby is known for his passion for the game and his hot headed mindset. This combonation that he has made him into one of the best baseball managers of all time. Bobby cox taught me that a man who's actions are loud may not mean he is a loud person. Boby cox has the record for most ejections, but he is a very quiet man who plays by the rules.

Conclusion
These great leaders have showed themselves in seperate ways but they all had renowned success. Joe P. showed and created the saying that academics are more important than sports. This principal is told by every coach to their players. John W. was a wuiet humble man who went about his business. He always was professional even in the bad times. He exemplified what a coach of any sport should look like. Bobby cox was a very un-orthodox manager because he used his actions to speak instead of other things. Bobby has the record for the most ejections which shows that he is hot headed and cocky. Bobby actually is a southern valued quiet man that loves his job. These 3 coaches all present themselves in different ways. They all had amazing careers that created legacies at the places they started at. These coaches had certain qualities that define their careers. They all attained success throught their own ways. I think the ways they did it define them and that is how they attained greatness. They all gained legacies through their work and that is why they are known as the best coaches of all time. These coaches are the definiton of greatness.

Josh Hamilton

Josh Hamilton had high hopes for his future coming out of high school being a first round draft pick by the Tampa bay devil rays, he also had a 4 million dollar signing bonus. He was playing in the minors and then he had a streak of partying and then became addicted to Crack. After he was banished from baseball in 2004 he was downing a bottle of crown royal a day along with a couple hundred dollars in crack. He was kicked out of his home by his wife Katie. He moved to his grandmothers house and became sober. He found the lord and that is what he said has helped pulled him through these times. This past season Josh was traded to the Texas Rangers and had a stellar season by hitting .304 with 32 homeruns and 130 RBI. These are some pretty amazing numbers for a man who was a crack addict and alcoholic for almost 2 years. Josh Hamilton is a very humble person who knows that he is blessed because he was able to come back from drugs and all of that to being one of the league’s best players.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/albert_chen/05/27/hamilton0602/index.html
3 pages

Is Sarah Palin the right choice?

Sarah Palin was the governor of a small Alaskan town called Wasilla. The population is around 5000 and there are now big political and economical issues. Usually presidential candidates and their vices are very well educated, not Palin she went to two different community colleges and the very prestigious Idaho state. Sarah isn’t “educated” by what are political standards for political officials are but she is posed as a level headed “Hockey mom”. She has a family that only has a net worth just over 1 million. I think that this net worth stat is impressive because it breaks the mold of all of the other political officials because she isn’t a very wealthy person; she knows the average life of an American.

I think Sarah Palin has the mind set of an average American, and that is what I think we need in office. She has reformed Alaska’s industry into an area of the economy that was once corrupt into a profitable thriving industry. She is very religious and that is the only concern I have for her. She was once quoted on wanting to sensor material in a public library. Sarah Palin I believe will be a nice conservative influence to John McCain’s somewhat moderate ideas.


Sarah Palin was the governor of a small Alaskan town called Wasilla. The population is around 5000 and there are now big political and economical issues. Usually presidential candidates and their vices are very well educated, not Palin she went to two different community colleges and the very prestigious Idaho state. Sarah isn’t “educated” by what are political standards for political officials are but she is posed as a level headed “Hockey mom”. She has a family that only has a net worth just over 1 million. I think that this net worth stat is impressive because it breaks the mold of all of the other political officials because she isn’t a very wealthy person; she knows the average life of an American.

I think Sarah Palin has the mind set of an average American, and that is what I think we need in office. She has reformed Alaska’s industry into an area of the economy that was once corrupt into a profitable thriving industry. She is very religious and that is the only concern I have for her. She was once quoted on wanting to sensor material in a public library. Sarah Palin I believe will be a nice conservative influence to John McCain’s somewhat moderate ideas.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin#Personal_life
3 pages

Dead NHL player

This year a prospect from the New York Rangers system died of heart failure. His name was Alexei Cherepanov, he was 19. He was drafted in 2007 in the first round with high hopes for the NHL. During a game he was sitting on the bench and just fell back, he had a heart attack. At the Arena there was no defibrillator and other emergency equipment used in these types of situations. The ambulance that is regularly stationed there had left and had to be called back which lessened his chance by even more. When taken to the hospital they were unable to revive him. Alexei had much promise in his future for playing in the NHL, he broke all of the scoring records in the Russian hockey league. His agent is looking into the arena safety for other NHL teams so that this doesn’t happen again. I decided to do so further research and I found that he passed his entire physical test in the NHL with flying colors; this might have just been a fluke or maybe a missed medical condition.

This article really hit me hard because he had so much promise in his life and a very bright future. He then just lost it all in a flash. This really taught me to respect my life and be glad I am alive.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3641566
2 pages

Barack goes door to door

In the news this week I read an article on presidential candidate Barack Obama going door to door in Ohio to talk about the up coming election. Baracak went to Ohio because he says it is a key state for his victory. He was out there urging Democrats to spread the word and swaying other parties to vote for him. He fielded questions from all of the home owners. The top question that was asked was on the economy. The economy is at an all time low and Barack plans to use his plan of “Obamanomics” to stabilize the economy. This upcoming election is huge right now because of the presidential debates, and the early season polls that have been released.

When I read that Barack was going from door to door I thought that was a good thing that he was trying to convey the message of a man who is friendly and who cares. The election that is coming up is going to be very tight but I believe what Barack did in Ohio will help him sway the voters.

1 page
http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20081013/NEWS-US-USA-POLITICS-OBAMA/

Steve Prefontaine

I read a 168 story on on of America's running legends Steve Prefontaine. He was on of the greatest runners in American history. Steve became the first athlete to win four NCAA titles in one event. Every single year he kept on winning and that is why everybody loved him. He grew up in a small town in Oregon and fought for every accolade he obtained. He set state recors in almost every single event he raced in. He went on to the university of Oregon to pursue his dreams of running greatness. Instead of accepting sponsoships from companies he stayed as amatuer and fight for what he felt American amatuer athletes deserved. One night after a party Steve crashed his sports car putting and abrupt end to his five year reign as the best runner in America. Thos five years that he ran he made an everlasting impact on the running community to this day. I learned from this book that you shouldn't take life forgranted because even when life is all good you can lose everything so fast. This story also taught me to never give up and keep going to try and get better every day, because that is what made Steve Prefontaine one of the best runners ever.

"Its gone"

This past weekend the last series was played at Yankee stadium between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore orioles. In the next upcoming season the Yankees are planned to move to their newly mad ball park costing over an estimated 1 billion dollars. Yankee stadium is very old and has seen some of the greatest games ever inside its walls. The Yankees are arguably the most storied franchise in baseball history. Over the years the Yankees have played in 21% of the World Series games, and have had 44 hall of fame players.

I thought “why would a ballpark with so much history just be taken down?”. I was shocked when I heard they weren’t keeping any old historic pieces, and that they were selling them for funding for the new park. I had to think about this decision again and I did I came up with an answer to this. The Yankees have one of the largest fan followings in baseball so they needed another stadium, the other stadium was almost 100 years old, and George Steinbrenner always needs the best things. So in the end I realized that the decision made was strictly business by the Yankee’s front office in order to keep up the interest in their team.

4 pages
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/the_bonus/09/18/yankee.stadium/1.html

Darren Mcfadden is a boss

I was reading a 4 page article on Darren Mcfadden and childhood. While reading it i figured out that he grew up in a terible neighborhood in Arkansas. While he grew up idolizing his older brothers who were in gangs, this made Darren want to be just like them. His mother Mini would try and shelter Darren because she knew she had a bright future ahead of him. Once Darren found his passion for football he had a better chance of getting out of hi slife. When Darren was in juinor high and high school his mother would use the family's grocery money to buy crack and smoke. Her main dealer was Darren's older brother. Darren says he has given up his old life and kept away from that so he can focus on his NFL carrer. One night wile he was at a night club with friends he alledgly got into a fight with another patrona dn puched him in the face. Mcfadden's life is on pace for stardom in th eNfL and all he has to do is throw away all of his old baggage.

I found this very intresting because a lot of th ereally good athletes are from the inner cities and some how they never make it to the top level. I think Darren's passion for football drove him through all of the bad in his life and brought him to his true calling which is football not a gang.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2008/03/29/2008-03-29_after_home_life_from_hell_darren_mcfadde.html?page=0