Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Connor Blake
Alldredge
Grade 8
5/26/2017


     Food Waste
If there are so many backyards with orchards and fruit trees that have tons of fruit going to waste, then why are people in Santa Barbara and other places around the world still faced with hunger? While many people have fruit trees and may take a couple oranges a week or a couple apples, many of this fruit goes to waste. I for one have an orchard that we pick almost nothing from. All of this unused fruit goes to waste, while many people really need this food. While there is already a service that allows you to sign up to get all of your fruit picked and donated, many people with unused fruit do not take advantage of this.
Without a solution, people will continue to waste food, which is not acceptable. One solution to this problem is a mandatory requirement to donate food that is not being used. With this law people would be required to donate produce that is being wasted. Once a person has registered a monthly or weekly free service team would come and harvest any produce that has been selected to be picked. This way we can cut down the amount of food waste and feed many people who don't have so much food.

Another solution could be to offer a low yet fitting price for people's wasted produce. This could be a possible solution because people would be more open to getting paid for the fruit that they grow rather than it being donated. This could increase the amount of people participating in the donation. While this could be more expensive than the other option of mandatory donation, it could be worth it if we get a bigger income of produce.

Monday, May 15, 2017

Abstract

If there are so many backyards with orchards and fruit trees that have tons of fruit going to waste, then why are people in Santa Barbara and other places around the world still faced with hunger? While many people have fruit trees and may take a couple oranges a week or a couple apples, many of this fruit goes to waste. I for one have an orchard that we pick almost nothing from. All of this unused fruit goes to waste, while many people really need this food. While there is already a service that allows you to sign up to get all of your fruit picked and donated, many people with unused fruit do not take advantage of this.

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

transformation book

Lord of the rings had a lot of transition because of what Frodo goes through in the book. At the beginning of this book Frodo is weak and by the end he is able to carry the ring up the slopes of Mordor and in the end destroy it. Sam also undergoes a huge transformation. At the begining of the book Sam is scared to do anything and by the end he was brave and strong.

Monday, May 1, 2017

I dont understand why I cant hangout with Danial. I didn't do anything wrong and i would really like it if you could let me play him. Just because I have a different skin color than you that means I cant hang out with my best friend? I say it is not ok and I would like you to reconsider your decision. 
Serenely, Martin

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Acceptance: The Lack of it Killed Millions
When I read Elie Wiesel quote about the Holocaust, I remember The hardships of Bilbo and Frodo, In the Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings. I remember all of the decisions Bilbo had to make, like keeping the ring of power a secret from gandalf, or when frodo didn't end golems miserable existence. These are all things, then if done by frodo and bilbo, would have made their story much more of a walk in the park. When I was reading and came across there major decisions that more or less decided their fate, it made me want to think about my everyday decisions more. If Bilbo had told gandalf about the ring, bilbo would never have had to hide it and become another golem slowly, if he had just told gandalf, in spite of his love for the ring, he would have returned to bag end, and lived his life out as a happy normal hobbit. If hitler had just accepted that the germans lost and did not use the Jews as a scapegoat, then hitler would have been able to live a full happy life. If Hitler did not want to rule the world, then millions of people would be spared from a horrible fate of death, work and overall torture. Even though hitler had a horrible childhood, “The needs of the many, outweigh, the needs of the few.” Even if we as people make a mistake, we must take responsibility for it and learn from those mistakes to make out future decisions better.

Another book that wiesel's quote reminds me of is The Ranger's Apprentice. The villain in this book, morgarath wants complete control over all of Araluen, even though he is already the Baron of a huge fief. If he had just worked his way up the ladder the become ruler, or just stayed in the place that he was in, Thousands of lives would have been saved. Because of morgaraths jealousy and hatred, many people died, all because one man was to selfish. The story if the same with hitler. If Hitler had not been so jealous and envious of his rulers and the Jews that had so much to be thankful for, than many lives would have been saved, and stories would not be told of how some people escaped from death camps, or fled Germany, and over all, the earth would have had a different but happier future. Once again, “The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few.”
Image result for lord of the ringsIn this day and age, it is easy for any person, to take acceptance, and make the choice that can save lives. It is so easy to not accept a loss, in war, or a game. If we as people can take acceptance, and learn from our mistakes, then we won't have to end lives or relationships.

“The Needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

Monday, February 13, 2017

Museum of tolerance

the museum of tolerance in LA is a humbling experience and I still am sad for those who died in the German concentration camps. Just the fact that man brutally killed his fellow man for no reason is frightening. If just one man was able to make an entire country turn against less than 1 percent of their populations, and kills millions of them, then how do we know this wont happen again. We need to realize what happened to Germany when Hitler became ruler, and realize out leaders today and make the connection to all the other horrible leaders that have caused terror in our past.
When you compare what is happening today in America and all over the world, then realize what our present day world has in comparison to the time of the Holocaust.
When you enter the museum of tolerance, you see pictures of survivors of the horrid acts that the Germans did. As you journey farther into the museum, you hear stories of those who died, and those who survived the holocaust. You are given a card with a picture of a child, who either lived, or died to the hands of the Germans.

Monday, February 6, 2017

Confederate soldier

Dear Mom,
Sense I have joined the war, I have killed 5 men, and seen many of my fellow confederates die to the hands of the Union. After seeing so much pain and destruction, I am wondering if is really worth all the bloodshed for slavery. Just 3 days ago, at the battle of The Battle of Bull Run, We defeated the Union, but at the cost of hundreds of out men. I know that people say that owning slaves is one of our many rights, but at this point, I am afraid for my life, we have no clue when or how the union will attack. Pray for me to not die in this bloodshed that is war.