Reflection

   From the end of my 8th grade year until the end of my 9th grade year I have changed in many different ways. Some of these ways were bod but most of them were good.

   First, One big way that I changed was my attitude towards school. When I was in 8th grade I didn't really care for school a lot, I thought it was just a waste of time. But now I feel as though school is important and without it, it would be hard to do some of the thing that you want to do in your life.

   Second, In 8th grade I use come to school late, play in the hallways, and run around the building. This year I come on time, and come to class and dedicate all my time to doing my work.

   Then, One other thing that changed during my 9th grade year was that I get less sleep. In 8th grade I could go to sleep around 11:00 and wake up at 8:00, but now I don't go to sleep until 1:00 and I have to wake up at 6:00.

   Next, When I first came to Parkway West I wanted to just stay to myself and do all my work without talking to anyone. After I got in the school my plan slightly changed, I still got my work done but i met some new people that I talk to now.

   Last, During my 9th grade year I have become more and more optimistic about my future and what I want to do in my future. As I think about the things I want to do I get more and more excited and willing to push myself to meeting my goals.

NBA Playoffs 2012: Why the 76ers Have a Great Shot at Making the NBA Finals

 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1189741-2012-nba-playoffs-why-the-76ers-have-a-great-shot-at-making-the-nba-finals
   This article is about how the Sixers have a great chance of winning the eastern conference playoffs this year, and why they have a great chance of winning the eastern conference playoffs.
   One of the key reason why this article says that the Sixers can win the eastern conference playoffs is because "they have great chemistry", another thing that this article states is "during the playoffs, they've solved an issue that haunted them throughout the regular season—winning close games. Five of Philadelphia's six playoff wins have come in tight games."
   I also believe that the Sixers have a great chance of winning the eastern conference playoffs this year. The reason why i think this is because even tho the Sixers have no star players they are still a very young, healthy, and talented. Other teams have players that are as no in the best shape, like if the Sixers win this round they will have to play the Miami Heat and there star "Dwayne Wade" has knee problems and bosh is hurt.
   Another reason why I think the Sixers have a great chance of winning the eastern conference playoffs is because they are a very fast team and they can get rebounds, if they get a lot of fast break points then it will be easier for them to win.
   One thing that I think is holding the Sixers back is a star player, because if they had a star player to make big shots in close game situations I think they would feel a lot more comfortable in close game situations. But because they don't they will have to relay on what they do have, which is speed, defense , and there ability to get it in and score close to the basket.

To Be the Best Humans We Can Be

  This article is written by a police man named Tim Wilson and it is about how he feels to say that actions speak louder then words, and he wants his kids to feel the same when they grow up.
  Some details from the article are  "live in the moment, do not attach yourself to physical things, treat others the way you would like to be treated, find happiness in the service of others, make the most out of today, follow your dreams, don’t take yourself too seriously". One more example is "But for me, it’s not enough to write down my beliefs. I try to be the best person I can be every day—even in very difficult circumstances, even with offensive people."
  I agree with his statement that actions speak louder than words. The reason why i agree with the statement is because people can talk all day about what they want to be in life or what their going to do, but if you don't prove it with your actions it will just be another "Belief" that you have.
  For example, I can walk around school and walk around the streets saying that I will be the best basketball player in the world one day, but if i don't put in the time in hard work it will just be a lost dream.
  I think that if more people thought that actions spoke louder than words then there would be a lot more people who would go forward and do things with their life, and not just sit around, watch T.V, play the game, and talk about what their about to do but never do what they say.
  I like to take action in things that I feel as tho i would like, and feel comfortable doing for the rest of my life.

New Fashion Wrinkle: Stylishly Hiding the Gun

    "New Fashion Wrinkle: Hiding the Gun" is a article from New York Times, written by Matt Richtel. This article tells you about how clothing that has gun concealed pockets are starting to become a new trend.
    Some evidence from the article is "Several clothing companies are following suit, building business around the sharp rise in people with permits to carry concealed weapons. Then Shawn Thompson said, "Most of the cloths I used in the past to hide my sidearm looked pretty  sloppy and had my girlfriend complaining.
    I think this is a good topic because many people feel the need to carry a gun because they think of the streets as not so safe, and if they had a piece of clothing they could just put their gun in without no one seeing it more people would feel safer. One other thing I think is that the law is a little to soft on the gun law, because just because you have a permit to carry a gun that make you any better then some one who has no permit. Permit or not you can kill someone for no reason just as others do.  
    I also think that if people have guns then it would make them feel like they could do any thing they want to people just because they have a weapon. If someone does something to someone that has an gun and they do not like what that person said then it will most likely end up in shooting and killing.
    Some questions that I have is what does the government think about this situation? Or, do people think that this clothing will cause a rise in the crime rate?
    This is some of the things that we should ask are self before creating and making new things to keep or hide guns.

Afghan Girls, Scarred by Acid, Defy Terror, Embracing School , By:Dexter Filkins

    In "Afghan Girls, Scarred by Acid, Defy Terror, Embracing School" Dexter Filkins explores the topic of girls in Afghanistan not being able to go to school without them and their parents fearing them getting hurt. Most of the girls that were injured while trying to go to school, did not want to go back because they feared what would happen if they did.

    The article has quotes from girls that were apart of this, their parents, and the principle. One very important fact that I found in this article was that even though some girls suffered injuries from trying to go to school, they still went even in fear of getting hurt badly or even killed.

    I think that girls should be able to go to school and get an education, just as males are able to. The reason I think that girls should have the same rights to learn as men is because no one wants a wife who cant even read. Plus if she stays at home all day where will your kids get their knowledge from?

    I think that girls not being able to go to school in Afghanistan is similar to what use to happen earlier in the rest of the world. In earlier years of life men thought that all women were good for was to stay at home and take care of the babies and in Afghanistan they say the same things.

    This article made me really think about the topic of women not being able to get an educating and when they try to they can get hurt or killed for it. It made me think about if my mom or sister wanted to get an education but every day they walked to school its a man there with a weapon threatening them. I would not want them to have to face challenges like that just to get an education.

Dirt-bike tragedy an example of bigger problem

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20120409_Dirt-bike_tragedy_an_example_of_bigger_problem.html

    This article was about a boy who was killed on a dirt bike during a cop chase, and how his family is unhappy with the situation because they say that there are farther more and bigger crimes being done and they worry about people riding dirt bikes, and cops are not even allowed to chase these bikes but they do it anyway.
    I think that the cops were wrong in this case because the law states that cop cars is not permitted to chase these bikes, they know what type of dangerous situations they put the riders of the dirt bikes in when they chase them, but they still continue to chase them. I also agree with the family by saying there are much bigger crimes in this world then riding a dirt bike, instead of chasing them threw the streets they could be watching for other crimes like, fights or shootings.
     Another big thing i dont get is why are dirt bikes illegal anyway, they are just another way to have fun, and if the government really feels a certain way about the bikes why do they let them sell them in stores.
    plus its also not fair that cops can just take something that you spent your money on, its not like they are cheap, some cost just as much as a brand new car or motorcycle.

He was no angel but does that merit a death sentence

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20120327_Jenice_Armstrong__TRASHING_TRAYVON__He_was_no_angel__but_does_that_merit_a_death_sentence_.html


    This article was about how the boy named Trayvon Martin was murdered while on a visit to see his father in Florida. This article states that the boy (Trayvon) was on his way back to his dad's fiancee's house. as said in the article "Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood-watch volunteer, noticed him walking through the neighborhood and dialed 9-1-1. A police dispatcher told Zimmerman not to follow Trayvon, but Zimmerman did anyway." then when the cops came they saw Trayvon laying there with a gunshot wound, But the man never got arrested.
    At first mostly all people were on the side of Trayvon, but as they found out that the only reason Trayvon was visiting his father was because he got suspended from school for having a bag with marijuana residue inside of it, some people changed their point of view about the killing of Trayvon. Now some people think that Trayvon may have provoked the man who shot and killed him, but still no one will actually know what happened before Trayvon got shot.
    The real question is, even if Trayvon provoked the man, did he have the right to shoot and kill him? I do not think the man had any rights to shoot Trayvon. The reason i say this is because when Zimmerman called the cops and told him about the situation they told him to stay in the car. But he took things in his own hands, he got out the car, followed Trayvon and killed him. Another thing I think is that even if he did provoke him, Trayvon still had no weapon on him, and no one should ever get away with murder no matter how good of an explanation you have for killing someone.