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We Love the Earth

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A wise man by the name of David Andrew Burd once said: "We love the Earth, it is our planet We love the Earth, it is our home" I think most people would agree that they do love the Earth if the question was imposed upon them. How could someone not love something so crucial for our everyday life? The Earth has shown us love for a very long time. It provides our air, food, water, shelter, and so much more. These are all things we often take for granted. Many - including myself - forget how lucky we really are to live on such a beautiful planet that does so much for us. There is an issue brought about by this ignorance, however. Over time humans have taken advantage of this planet thinking only for themselves. This has resulted in the climate getting warmer, forests being burned down, and pollution being commonplace. Our actions as a species don't only affect us. They affect all other life on Earth as well, and we do not have the right to ruin the lives of other i

My Shot

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In the musical Hamilton , the main character Alexander Hamilton is quoted saying "I am not throwing away my shot". Hamilton was born outside America on a group of small islands. In his youth he faced many trials from his father leaving to the death of his mother. Once in America, the odds were quite stacked against him. He was an immigrant with no money and no credibility. He was, however, a very good writer. Despite the odds being stacked against him, he worked very hard to fulfill his potential in this new place. He saw opportunity in politics and swooped in during the revolution to help America win the war against Britain. In this time he had made it all the way up to being George Washington's right hand man. Hamilton was dealt a very bad hand at first, but he didn't give up and stop caring. If he had, he would have missed his chance to become great. Because he persevered and watched for the right opportunity to come about, he was able to rise far above where he

The Crayon Box Illusion

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Crayon boxes were a major source of contention back in my elementary school years. There was a wide range of crayon ownership and a class system of lords and peons seemed to develop naturally because of it. At the bottom of the hierarchy were the beggars that had to borrow crayons from the class. It was hard to stoop lower than this, and was also extremely humiliating to do so. Next up are the 6 crayon box people. These people were often too shy to ask for other crayons out of shame for having only six crayons of their own. This level is analogous to that of farmers. After that came those (including myself) with the 12 crayon kit. This was the middle class where most of the students resided. Next up were the 24 crayon users, which is where the upper class began. A couple kids always had the next step up, which was the 64 crayon box. These boxes demanded massive amounts of respect. At the very top of the monarchy was the King (or queen). The one kid that had the box with over 100 cray

Will it Blend?

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The age old question: will it blend? Many objects in this universe will in fact blend. The blender doesn't care what is put inside, all it knows is to try its best to blend that object to a fine, indistinguishable powder or mush. The reason it doesn't decide if it wants to blend something beforehand because it has no conscience. Every human has a conscience, but it can sometimes be confusing or difficult to identify. This can be seen in the feature film Finding Nemo . At one point in this movie, Dory incorrectly identifies Marlin as her conscience. Marlin decides to roll (or swim) with it and tells her they haven't spoken in a while. I only now understand that line after many hours of scribbling. The lesson here is to try to listen to your conscience as you go throughout your day, don't ignore it like Dory.

The Bonsai in Your Heart

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The word Bonsai is made up of the two characters "Bon" and "Sai". This directly translates to "a tree which is planted in a shallow container". However, there is much more to the art of Bonsai. It requires immense patience and very fine precision. For many, it takes a complete lifestyle change to provide enough support for the little Bonsai to thrive in its shallow bowl. Many are not cut out for this lifestyle, as it is not an easy thing to do. It is not a one and done sort of situation either. It requires constant close care. Most importantly, it requires love. Without love the bonsai will never achieve its full potential. Humans are much the same way. We yearn for love and life is hard when it isn't present. Help those around you thrive by spreading love and chill vibes this valentines day. Make the bonsai in the hearts of those around you flourish and stand tall (but not too tall, its still a bonsai).

Pop a Wheelie

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Motorcycles tend to travel in packs or gangs. They mob the streets and show their dominance over those with more than two wheels. Not this one, though. This one travels alone, exploring its own path. Perhaps it once had a gang to belong to, but no longer. The bright red paint clearly shows the deep pain and betrayal that still torments it from its past gang. However, it has mostly recovered or at least found something more fulfilling. It is doing a wheelie, proud and confident. It isn't ashamed to part from the norm and actually finds redemption in exploration. None of us should be afraid to try new things. Do what you want, how you want, where you want. Unless its immoral (which is a topic for another day). If you feel like popping a wheelie, give it a shot! You have nothing to lose.

Happy Superbowl Day!

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Today is the most important day of the year. It's Superbowl day! The whole football season all leads up to this. 32 NFL teams start out, but one by one they fall until there are only two teams left.These two teams then duke it out in front of over 100 million people watching. Once a team has won they are indisputably declared the victors and masters of the NFL - at least until six months from now when the season restarts. The extent of my knowledge comes from Madden and my amazing freshman year PE teacher (shout out to Mr. Dygert!). This goes to show how everyone has different learning methods and that is okay. All methods of learning should be accommodated to give everyone a fair shot a getting the education they deserve. If you see someone struggling, try to see things from their point of view, and you just might learn something yourself.