Book title

A Long Way Gone

By: Ishmael Beah.

I picked this book, mainly because my mom gave it to me and she said it would be good for me to read it. Looking into though, it really does seem pretty interesting with these little African Kids participating in war far beyond their knowledge. I am looking forward to seeing what this book has to offer, and seeing how this kid uses his bravery to fight the war amongst himself and country. This is a rare story because it is told from him himself. Which makes all the information very real and probably hard to take at some points. We will see how the story plays out!

SRP

The SRP was a good paper overall. The things that I did well were being able to write good lengthy sections. Some of my research was pretty well thought out. Some things I did bad was paraphrasing and quotes. I did not even that out enough. Also editing my paper at the end. What I would like to do over is to save my sites at the beginning and being able to relate to my thesis more.

I would recommend to the next senior class to just follow the deadlines. That is the main thing, but also to really research about your author and book.

Snipers

For most of us, the word "sniper" evokes some unsettling imagery -- a lone gunman, undetectable, on the hunt. And while military snipers are indeed elite shooters who hide, line up a target in their sights and pull the trigger, there is a lot more to it than that. When a sniper takes a shot, there are countless variables to consider before squeezing the trigger --- wind speed, wind direction, range, target movement, mirage, light source, temperature, barometric pressure, and that's just the beginning. The work that goes into getting a good position to take a shot is immense. That's why snipers always work in pairs. Surprised? Most people are. These highly skilled marksmen are often perceived as lone assassins racking up "confirmed kills." In reality, true snipers work for the military and law enforcement agencies and are far more concerned with the number of lives they save than with the ones they take. Because of the secretive and stealthy nature of the work, not too many people know what's really involved in being a sniper. A sniper is a highly trained soldier who specializes in shooting targets with modified rifles from incredibly long distances. They're also adept in stealth, camouflage, infiltration, and observation techniques. Military snipers are used in a variety of missions on the battlefield, and the sniper's primary mission has nothing to do with pulling a trigger. The main battlefield role of the sniper is reconnaissance. Because snipers are masters of stealth, they are perfectly suited to sneak behind enemy lines to provide command with information about the enemy's size, strength and location.

Coach P.

Bulldog lacrosse. That is where it all started for me.

During 3rd grade, I was introduced to a new sport that I have never played before. Something new and something that looked interesting. A mix of all different kind of sports, and since I was semi decent at sports, I figured I should try it out. It was a very tough sport to get used to and be good at. Sometimes it is frustrating because you want to be good, but you have to practice a lot in order to do so. Coach Peterson was definitely the right person to coach me. Even though he is tough minded, he always was good at teaching the sport. I remember he would use to always be yelling, but in positive ways, and made lacrosse fun. When I first started everybody gets nicknames created by Coach P. Mine was Uttski, and still today Coach Peterson calls me that with the rest of my friends too. Also to make practices more fun, he would make us all jump in the big rain puddles if it had rained that day. That was a good start to the practice. Sometimes I remember I was scared of Coach Peterson because of all his yelling, but in the end I think it made me tougher as a younger kid. Coach Peterson has definitely been a great mentor for my lacrosse career. He was the one that introduced me into the college lacrosse recruiting process. I remember that night when we sat down at the dinner table and laid at all my options and how to get best recruited. I am very thankful to have had him as my lacrosse coach, but am also thankful to have him as a good friend for the rest of my life.

Poetry Project

Song on PhotoPeach

Skiing

Every year my family goes out to either Colorado or Utah. This has been a tradition for a while and trips that have made me be the skier I am today. Colorado has very beautiful scenery and makes skiing out there even better. As a young kid I was not a great skier, but once I went out west to ski, my uncle and dad could teach me better and give me the technique I have today. I remember I used to be really scared to go down some of the steep hills in Colorado, but now I am so used to it that I can just fly down the hill. When you feel like you’re in a rhythm when you ski, you feel like you can go down anything. I especially love going in the back country where no one goes. The powder is so deep and smooth and you feel like it is just you and the mountain. Also, you can make your own trail when you are out there. Then you can experience new things each time.

This weekend my family will be going out to Colorado to ski Keystone, Breckinridge, and Vail. We will also meet up with my dad’s brother and his kids and grandkids. I am very excited to go out there. The towns are just very unique and nothing like any place in Cincinnati. I wish I could just stay out there the whole winter and ski every day. Maybe someday that will happen!

Super Bowl Sunday

The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather than the year in which it is held. For example, Super Bowl I was played on January 15, 1967, following the regular season played in 1966, while Super Bowl XLV will be played on February 6, 2011, to determine the champion of the 2010 regular season. The game was created as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League (AFL). It was agreed that the two leagues' champion teams would play in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was to officially begin in 1970. After the merger, each league was redesignated as a "conference", and the game was then played between the conference champions. The day on which the Super Bowl is played is now considered a de facto American national holiday, called "Super Bowl Sunday". It is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day. In most years, the Super Bowl is the most-watched American television broadcast; Super Bowl XLIV, played on February 7, 2010 between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts, became the most-watched American television program in history, drawing an average audience of 106.5 million viewers and taking over the spot held for twenty-seven years by the final episode of M*A*S*H. The Super Bowl is among the most watched sporting events in the world, primarily due to mostly North American audiences, and is second to soccer's UEFA Champions League final as the most watched annual sporting event worldwide.