April 29- May 5:

                Everyone loves beautiful and peaceful places. Canyons or mountains or cliffs or rivers. What do you think draws people to graffiti these places?  Picture this, a beautiful river to your left a field of amethyst glowing with purple so bright and the slight breeze blowing the sweet smell of wet moss.  Peace so overwhelming that it could bring tears to your eyes.  As you walk you find a rock face of a canyon, it is completely covered with chipping paint of pictures and words unmentionable in this blog post.  Why in the world would someone destroy the beauty you have found in this remote area?  BINGO, it was just that simple. Beautiful places are prime targets for graffiti because they are remote.  People who graffiti have no respect for anyone or anything, whether it be on the train cars or the side of a building, a street sign or a canyon wall it happens.  We see graffiti all the time in the city and a lot of the time the perpetrator is caught and charged with the crime.  In places where there are no witnesses such as the rock face in that place I early described crime such as graffiti is easier to get away with… That is why people are drawn to them.

April 8-14:

You have been struggling financially your whole life.  You just won a million dollar lottery. Do you give any to charity?

Charity is something that blesses the lives of many and can even save the lives of some.  Charity does not have to be in the form of money or material objects. It is simply an act of love and shows caringness towards your fellow men.  If by small chance I won the million dollar lottery, which would never happen, I would show my care for others by not only donating a percent of my winnings to charity, but also show my charity by serving them with a willing heart.  The only legitimate excuse for someone to not be charitable to others would be that in the entirety of their live never were helped or never received any act of charity!  That is an impossible excuse due to the simple fact that everyone in their life has most certainly had at least one act of charity! Therefore every single person including myself has no reason to NOT be charitable in our actions!

April 22-28:

In some cultures dogs are part of daily cuisine.  In some cows are worshiped.  What would other cultures look at as strange or unacceptable in our culture?
Crowds of people all want the same thing here. WELCOME TO.... (insert amusement park name). In society today majority of American citizens love the rush of adrenalin obtained by that first drop of the roller coaster and go to extreme lengths to get it.  Not only the rides attract so many people but also come for the food, games, and atmosphere.  This could be viewed as unacceptable to some cultures if they didn't know that the real reason these amusement parks are so popular, and this reason would simply to build or encourage family and friend relationships.  Don't get me wrong, there are those that go for the rush, the food, and loud crowds of excited family and friends.
Another strange and possibly even disgusting habit of our culture is our love for GREASE!  Millions of gallons of grease are used all day everyday of every year to produce what we consider "fast food"  even in a local mindset this behavior is off putting.  I like to think of fast food and "fast 50 foods" because I quickly gain 50 pounds after just looking at a McDonalds restaurant or Burger King billboard.  I understand perfectly if another culture looks at our society and is put off because of our love for grease. 

April 15-21:

In what situations is it wise for a friend to give advice and when should they just listen?  A true friend is there to help you and has your best interest in mind, their advice and opinion are, in my life, always acceptable and encouraged.  A friend should want what is best for you and if they don't I don't suppose they fit the qualities and characteristics of the definition, therefore making them intelligible to be called such.
Now, I have often be advised in subjects that I feel either inadequate or guilty, I of course would take offence to that friends opinion.  Keeping in mind that they more than likely are right and do want to help, I find myself angry and offended.  This of course is caused by pride and will fade because the realization that my  friend is truly concerned enough to say something.  It is a blessing to have someone care for me in that way and they are welcome to advice me after listening to a problem I have presented to them or otherwise heard.

Earnest Essay

Dallice Johnson

Mr. Gowans

Language Arts 12

15 April 2013

Earnestness an Important Attribute

What is the big deal about being earnest? Earnestness is a trait rare but admirable in our society. Earnestness, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is a serious and intent mental state, but can also mean and is often interpreted as being a hard and devoted worker.  To be earnest is to be worthwhile worker, meaning that the worker is worth what he/she is being paid or awarded with in return for their labor.  Earnestness is important to those around an individual, they watch and judge a person on the behavior and actions, the few individuals in society today that do fill the definition of an earnest person are viewed as more desirable and important than those who do not live an earnest life style.

Earnestness is searched for by employers, and if viewed from their point of view is quite the desirable trait.  The truth is there are few employers who hire someone to work for them with the known agreement to exchange labor for money.  An employer would more than likely want someone who actually earns what they will be rewarded. In that way Earnestness is an important attribute.

In the play “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde, “Earnest from the country” is characterized as a man of his word, well off and all around good man.  His very name is enough to win the girls over, “It is a divine name. It has a music of its own... It produces vibrations” said Gwendolen (The Importance of Being Earnest ).  Even the name Earnest represents a good man, although doesn’t exactly guarantee one, for example Jack’s “brother,” Earnest is known for his foolish decisions and his other less than desirable traits.  Furthermore his name- though a contradiction of his personality- makes him attractive to young Cecily.  Earnest whether a name or characteristic is an important trait for suitable girls to look for in a companion.

Earnest workers gain a better reward for their effort as well as influence others to do well and work hard.  As said on WikiHow to do anything website, a hard worker shares their ideas with others, strives to be like fellow hard workers and try to teach others their habits and earnest work ethics.  An unavoidable consequence of hard work is influencing others around you, therefore improving your work environment.

In summation, an earnest worker is sought after by many. Including, but not limited to girls employers and fellow workers.  Earnestness, although not common in society today is an important attribute and can be shared. Influence the lives of others by living and working earnestly, and if not for that reason... The chicks dig it! Change an entire work environment with the simple yet useful technique of hard work, it really pays off.

Works Cited

“Earnestness.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, Inc. 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2013.

"Ten Qualities of a Valuable Employee." Ten Qualities of a Valuable Employee. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2013.

April2-7:

Texting and driving is dangerous, it is against the law, it can destroy lives.   They question here is, "if someone I loved was seriously injured or killed by a texting driver, would that stop me from ever texting while driving?" The answer is short and simple, I do NOT text and drive! Therefore I cannot stop something I have never done.  Although I have never been personally involved with the victim of a texting driver I have seen the pain and affliction in other's lives that is the result of texting and driving simultaneously.  It is very true that most of the time texting while driving has little to no consequence, but the few time it does the results are horrifying and have me convinced to never text while driving.  Though I cannot stop others from texting and driving I most  certainly can help those in my community who text and drive by spreading the word and being an advocate for the cause, and so can you, at any time you find yourself in a vehicle with a texting driver ask them to put it down. Protect yourself and others around you by doing so, and possibly even save lives!

Feb. 25- Mar. 3

Suppose you had a black box of your life. What would it contain? Well my life has been and always will be hillbilly, redneck, small town country.  I grew up hunting and fishing every chance I could with my dad, so to represent me the box would contain a fish hook and bullets.  My whole life I have worn boots so there would have to be a pair of at least one of my old boots, possibly my spurs because I ride horses and mules quite often. My family farms chickens so include a chicken feather. Another thing that would have to go in the black bow would be a dog collar because me and my boyfriend have very many dogs for hunting. I love all of them! Speaking of boyfriend, I would need a ring in my box… Not that I am or ever will get marrried but that’s what I think of when I think of things that should represent me. It would be nesessary for this box to cdontain duct tape and bailin’ twine, as I said I am a rednec. So in this box would be things that represent me in a possitive way. Some other things that would do this are my high school awards, my track volleyball and debate and drama medals. And my volleyball uniform. Pretty boring and way redneck, but hey that’s just me.

Feb. 18-24 blog post

What is your favorite quote? Why and how has it affected your life? "Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyways" (John Wayne). In all honesty it hasn't affected in life, the reason I like it is because I already decided to live my life in the way the quote above describes. So rather than living my life because I was inspired by Johnn Waynes quote, I found this quote and liked it because it represents me. My life has been filled with many trials, some as difficult as losing my mom at the age of eight. That indeed was one of the toughest things I have had to deal with, I was scared. I didn't know what to do, but despite my fears I (in the terms of John Wayne) saddled up anyways. It is important in life that we push through our trials, fears, and flaws in order to move on and find happiness in our lives. Saddling up despite our instinct to keep our feet on the ground is an essential step in an individuals prusuit of happiness. I try to live my life in search for happiness; not allowing my fears to keep me from my dreams.

Feb. 11-17

What do we need to do to encourage less fast foods and more fruits and vegetables?  There are many theories as to how we can encourage better eating habits, most we know would fail terribly such as eliminating all fast food/junk food. It is a silly idea, but there are ways to lower the amount of fast food intake in America. It starts at home and requires dedication from parents but is the most important step in the process.  No matter what the public does it would be impossible to lower the fast food eating habit if parents don’t take the necessary steps to helping encourage a healthier lifestyle.  They can do this by making home cooked meals and not only feeding their children the healthy food but explaining to them what they are eating and why. By doing this it shows kids the importance of choosing fruits and vegetables over junk food choices. It all starts at home, so parents play the lead role in encouraging this healthy eating habit. Nothing outside of the home is even worth it if the effort inside the home is not there. Not only does the effort in the home need to be present but the knowledge of the strife and trying that the parents are putting forward as well. This will inturn will encourage less fast foods and more fruits and veggies.

Feb. 4-10

Do you think rehabilitation of criminals works, or do you think punishments the way to go? the summer of 2012 I had the opportunity to visit the state prison, it was very alarming to me to find that the tax dollars of law abiding citizens is being put towards “rehabilitation” of criminals.  Included in the tour of the prison we were allowed to converse with some of the inmates, upon talking to a man convicted of first degree murder for the manslaughter of his fourteen year old son, I found that he, a prisoner, had opportunities in prison for killing someone than most citizens have.  This man intentionally KILLED his son while high on methamphetamine, and now has the chance to recover and participate in the rehab program that allows him to work and be payed, and in his words “even go on vacations.”  This frustrated me beyond belief, I do NOT think that someone who has done something to get put in prison should be able to live a better life than most people in America that DO obey the laws! It is ridiculous that CRIMINALS even have that as an option. They are criminals, they are there for a reason and we need not forget that, besides the fact most criminals DO return to prison after they complete the rehab program.  So they use OUR tax dollars to go through the rehabilitation to turn around as soon as the get out and head straight back to using our taxes. The rehab programs are a joke and should not be used for criminals!

Jan. 28- Feb. 3

         Which superpower would be most useful to have as president of the United States to fix a struggling country? I think of "superpower" as a special ability. Therefore, the most useful superpower for the president would be to know how wrong and absurd his ideas for the future of America are. This ability would help our struggling country and prevent it from further struggle and failures. This superpower would ensure our country to be governed the way our fore fathers invisioned, planned and worked so hard for. It was their intention, by bringing forth the Constitution, to have this great country ran by the people for the people. NOT to have those in leadership positions to rule over the citizens of the United States, and especially not to have our president dictate our freedoms, rights and privelages; such as our health-care. I bring up this issue because it is a familar topic around the country at this time. By this "Obama-care" we are insured to an "equal" health care oppertunity by paying taxes to make health care universal, but the statement of equality is impossible, it takes the rights of the people by forcing them to pay for someone else's doctors trips. It goes against the Constitution of the United States, which should be followed at all times in all situations! If the president had the ability or superpower of knowing that what he is doing is wrong then he would know the best way to lead America out of our struggles is to follow the Constitution.

Jan. 21-27 Blog post

        You have the opportunity for one day to take an all expense paid trip to either Stonehenge or The Great Wall of China. Which do you choose and why? Although both places would be fascinating trips, there is not the slightest question of where I would choose. The Great Wall of China is an amazing sight and an even greater piece of history, but Stonehenge would be my choice because of the mystery that lies with the ruins. First of all, I enjoy a mystery, secondly with out a set story of how or what happened it is easier for my mind to explore possibilities. With an open mind people are more open to different ideas and opinions. For myself the trip to somewhere in which lies a mystery would be like opening my eyes to possibly a new writing style or genre. I love writing and often need inspiration that stems from wonder to get my mind flowing, this can happen due to being around something I know nothing about. Stonehenge would be a perfect place for this. In my writing it is possible for me to create any story to fill the missing history of such a beautiful and unique place. I suppose The Great Wall of China could also play a great mystery, had I not paid attention in my World History class in 11th grade, but I did. Stonehenge plays the role of the unknown which intrigues me, and fascinates many. It would make for a much better trip because of what it could do for my writing.

The Reasons... Concept Essay

Dallice Johnson
Mr. Gowans
Language Arts 12
January 14, 2013

The Reason

“Bullying is a type of aggressive behavior in which there is a power imbalance between its predators and its victims” (Schwarz 344). It takes place all over, many times going unnoticed, it spans over every country. “Bullying is a sociocultural problem that requires interventions” (Schwarz 344). It has occurred in the past, it is prominent in society today, but the ultimate goal is to eliminate it for tomorrow. It is known that bullying is the cause of childhood cases of depression and can even affect a person in their later years of life; this alone being a reason to prevent bullying in schools. If there is a legitimate reason to put an end to this sad occurrence, why haven’t the efforts been made to enforce a no bullying act? Well, the truth of the matter is, there have been many attempts to end current bullying and prevent future bullies, but along the way there have been setbacks keeping the efforts from being completely successful.

First being that students don’t report bullying because they “may fear retaliation from a bully” (Johnson1). Fear is a very big motivator. When it comes to instincts everyone has a “fight or flight” response, meaning that in every case of fear it is natural to either run away from the situation or confront what is the source of your fear. It happens too often that the children being bullied choose the flight reponse, and ignore the fact that they are tormented and harassed rather than reporting the bully. Retaliation of the bully would trigger yet another fight or flight response, and yet again too many of those bullied choose to run from the conflict. That causes an upset in the strife for a bully-free environment. How would officials know what steps to take to end bullying if they are not aware of the problems? Children must feel safe in reporting the bully in order for the bullying to end. This can only come from students knowing and trusting school officials.

It is apparent that prevention of the situation requires awareness to the problem. Ignorance is a reason bullying has yet to be stopped, but there are many additional reasons it is so hard to end bullying. Some believe that bullying cannot be prevented because it stems from their family life and how they are raised. In a study it was found that “there is a positive correlation between the sub-dimension of family support and the sub-dimension of bullying” (Işiklar 895). In simpler terms that means that family support is directly related to whether a student bullies. It went on to explain that children who live in a home when there are cases of open relational aggression, mocking and or abuse, cannot escape the habits of their parents and siblings. Therefore it seems to be pointless to try ending this aggressive behavior. People who think this make the prevention of bullying so much harder than it needs to be. The statement that they cannot be changed because they were raised that way is also incorrect. There are many situations in which someone was raised one way and then as a teen, young adult or even some young children choose to live a different lifestyle than the one they were taught growing up. For instance, Carrie Underwood was raised in a country town, specifically on a farm, where she grew up eating meat that her own family harvested. She now lives a lifestyle in which she opts to not eat any meat. No matter how incorrect some of these opinions about bully prevention are there is no escaping the fact that the do affect the progress of the prevention and end to bullying.

Although some may say that bullying cannot be stopped, it is more common to hear of people being aware that bullying is occurring around them, but they have the mindset of it being a natural part of life. “Although successful bullying programs remain important accomplishments, [researchers] have found... school bullying is not a problem” (Polanin 48). Without a problem there is no need for a solution, therefore if bullying is not viewed as a problem there is no need to find a solution. This causes difficulties in the attempt to trying to stop bullying, especially if those that believe bullying does not negatively affect a person. This mindset is dangerous, it is like believing that if you ignore the fact that an alligator has teeth, it will not hurt when it bites you. Believing that bullying is not a problem is foolish and has to be changed, but regardless of opinions about this situation, the fact is people believe that bullying isn’t a problem. Therefore preventing a bully free environment.

Students are unaware of the people they can turn to for help. Many school leaders are at school for the very purpose of stopping bullying, but the students do not know this is the case. Fearful, they go day to day being bullied and not knowing where to turn. This could be fixed easily by promoting those in position to help throughout the school halls and classrooms. It is detrimental to ensuring a friendly learning zone that our students know who they can turn to if ever they encounter a bully while at school. If students feel in danger or uncomfortable at school notice must be taken by the school and discipline must follow, but that cannot happen when children do not know how to inform said school officials.
Others believe that the reason bully prevention hasn't been successful is because teachers and school officials do not know how to enforce a bully free school policy. In the case of Karen Klein the teens on the bus she monitored made a victim out of the one person who was supposed to help end the problem. One student on the school bus recorded other students as they teased and tormented Klein with jabs and attacks on her weight and family, as well as making malicious, graphic and violent threats. Klein sat silent as they continued to harass and mock her. This women was on the bus for the sole purpose of stopping kids from bullying, she was incapable of doing so, therefore making the pursuit of a bully free environment impossible. It is important that people put in the position to end bullying know how to do so. Without knowing how to stop bullying, leaders become the bullied.
In many instances bully cannot be stopped due to the lack of publicity it has. Cyber-Bullying is able to remain unnoticed because often are these attacks made through text messages that get deleted or over the internet, making it nearly impossible to monitor. It is much easier to prevent bullying if it is recognizable, and it is a lot easier to recognise someone being publicly bullied and harassed than noticing someone using technology to bully another person. Cyber-bullying is one of the most common way bullying happens in today’s society and is also one of the biggest reasons bully prevention has yet to be completely successful. Once again something that is a problem cannot have a solution if there is ignorance to the fact that it is a problem.
In conclusion, there are many reasons that bullying still exists despite the great attempts to be rid of it in our society today. Some of which include but are not limited to, lack of being reported due to fear and not knowing who to tell, unsuitable school officials, and ignorance. All of which make it difficult, if not impossible to have any success in the goal of ending bullying in schools, the workplace and all together in society. Bullying is serious and needs to be viewed that way. No matter what influences an opinion on bullying it still is happening in schools today and there are many trying to end it, and because of some of the aforementioned reasons it has been unsuccessful.

Works Cited

Ilsa Schwarz, et al. "A Stuttering Education And Bullying Awareness And Prevention Resource: A Feasibility Study." Language, Speech & Hearing Services In Schools 43.3 (2012): 344-358. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Jan. 2013
Işiklar, Abdullah, Ali Haydar Şar, and Aslihan Çelᵢk. "Examining The Correlation Between Perceived Social Support In Adolescence And Bullying In Terms Of Prediction." Education132.4 (2012): 889-897. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Jan. 2013.
Johnson, Katie. "Bullying Prevention." American School & University 85.1 (2012): 34-37. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Jan. 2013.
Nash, Lindsay. "New Jersey's Anti-Bullying Fix: A Solution Or The Creation Of An Even Greater First Amendment Problem?." Brigham Young University Law Review 2012.3 (2012): 1039-1070. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Jan. 2013.
Polanin, Joshua R., Dorothy L. Espelage, and Therese D. Pigott. "A Meta-Analysis Of School-Based Bullying Prevention Programs' Effects On Bystander Intervention Behavior." School Psychology Review 41.1 (2012): 47-65. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Jan. 2013.

January 14-20 Blog Post

           Why do you think we, as a society, care more about Hollywood than the Curiosity Rover exploring Mars? The answer is simple, not everyone has the same interests.  People have different minds, and that garentees a difference in things cared about as a society.  This also means that there are people that do care about such scientific things as the Mars Rover, if there were not some people that took interest in it, there would be no such thing as a Mars Rover.  Although there are some that take intrest in science, there are many more poeple who take a liking to something less complex, such as Hollywood stars. Not only is it a more simple (in terms of understanding) intrest than science, it also has many more catagories for people to take intrest in. For instance, in Hollywood we have the rich and the famous, who either worked to be that way or those that were born into that power.  From there comes the different ways the worked to fame.  Some through the path of music, others acting.  Here is the point where things get very diverse.  There is a very wide scale to the genres of both music and acting careers; country music, horor films, commedies, rap music, love songs, romance movies and television shows. This wide range allows more for more people to take interest in.  "Hollywood" is a much more broad subject than "the Curiosity Rover exploring Mars."  There is simply more people interested in the many dimensions of  "Hollywood" then people that care about whats on Mars.