SCOTUS Case: Florence V. Board

Constitutional Question: The case of Florence V. Board of Chosen Freeholders of the Country of Burlington was followed with a question from the Supreme Court, the question is “Does the Constitution permit the government to strip search every person admitted to a jail, even if there is no reasonable basis to suspect that the person has hidden weapons or contraband?” In another word, does the Constitution have permission to violate the fourth amendment to follow security order and to investigate minor Crimes.

 

Facts of the Case: A citizen named Albert Florence from the state of New Jersey was arrested on a bench warrant from Essex County. Florence was charged from the arrested for non-indictable offense and not capable to pay a fine. However, Florence argued for his rights and protested the validity of the warrant due to the fact that he had paid the fine. However, after his arrested and detention, the charge was, in fact already been dismissed.

During the arrest, Florence was stripped and search as subjected to a visual body cavity search during his arrival at the Burlington County Jail. From the time of his arrest he was being consume to visual body cavity search and after six days upon his transfer from Burlington County to Essex Country Correctional Facility. But soon after, the charge against him was dismissed and Florence was released.

However, Florence decided to bring a civil rights lawsuit to the United State District Court and to the District of New Jersey for claiming the right to his privacy and the rights of all persons in the class of alleged minor offenders of consuming in the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.  Also the Constitution were violated the Fourth Amendment by strip and search a visual body cavity searches for a minor arrest. This District Court agreed to Florence request and his claim to the charge.


Summary of the Arguments before the SCOTUS: The Court pointed out the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1979, which stated “Inmates do not have the right of privacy in prison that is guaranteed to ordinary citizens.” This is to protect the process from unreasonable violations to any citizen’s privacy. The Court decided to applied one of the cased called “Bell v. Wolfish,” which were also involved visual body cavity searches for being arrestees including charged with a minor offense and was striped and search.

The Court decided to apply the rule of the Third Circuit panel that was persuaded by the recent Eleventh and Ninth Circuit that ruled balancing the jails’ security concerns. These circuits are –

(1) The detection of smuggling weapons, contraband and drugs into the facility.

 (2) The identification of gang members by observation of their tattoos.

(3) The prevention of disease, particularly MRSA, against the privacy interest of the arrestees, a blanket policy of strip searching and subjecting all arrestees to visual body cavity searches, irrespective of any particularized suspicion, does not contravene the Fourth Amendment. 

 


Prediction: Since the Supreme court had involved in a similar case and was pass with the Bell v. Wolfish, this case probably will be done with more of a complex explanation by the judges and the court. However, since this case is being reenact, Florence V. Board will not be abandon by lawyers because the Fourth Amendment was violated for Florence, which also was prohibited in the Three Circuits.

 http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/florence-v-board-of-chosen-freeholders-of-the-county-of-burlington/

 http://www.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/093603p.pdf




jesse's lobbying project part 2

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ztm25718


 According to Philadelphia.Gov City Council website the person that represents me is Anna C. Verna who runs the district of number 2 that includes Center City, South, and South West Philadelphia.

 

My legislator Anna C. Verna would have voted on my issue in the past of curfew with it being a lot stricter. According To City Council City Of Philadelphia Life Liberty and You it states that she has be a strong supporter of curfew centers therefore should would want the curfew law to be more enforced then what it is now since teens get out of hand after being told what to do.

 

My representatives and I have in common that the curfew should be a lot stricter then what it. Teens should not be out late at night and ruin it for the people who don’t do anything at all. As previously stated from the first blog A first violation of Philadelphia's curfew law will result in the imposition of a $250 fine and/or community service. Parents are held responsible for the actions of their teens.  The fine for the first offense of breaking curfew is $300 and up to $500 for the second offense.

 

 

 

 

President Verna main policy was to make sure Philadelphia was well protected and making sure the needs were meet She is  involved with a lot of stuff. For example She has been a consistent supporter of wage and business tax reductions while remaining firmly committed to public services.



Anna C. Verna community is interest is making sure that they live by her ways in the past. such as
hard work, perseverance and integrity. She is a very powerful person who tends who made sure that they people’s needs were being met.  


resources:

 

http://www.phila.gov/citycouncil/AnnaVerna.html


 http://teens.lovetoknow.com/Facts_About_Teenagers_Curfews

VernaLG
VernaLG

CSheridan;Why I Write

Cyndi Lynn Sheridan
English 3 - Rami
October 19, 2011

Why I Write:

I write to express my emotions.
To release all the anger and frustration
that’s holding me back from accomplishing any task at hand.
I write to record the memories that make me who I am today.
I write to a friend that always listens and never judges.
I write to brainstorm ideas that can possibly make a difference in the future.
I write to feel free of speaking my voice.
I write to escape reality and live in dreams,
which helps me live forever.
In a world where secrets and privacy exists.
I write to concentrate and feel a sense of purpose in life.
I write to reveal the truth.
I write to try and accept any circumstance.

Weather: Qué Tiempo Hace Hoy?

¿Qué Tiempo Hace Hoy?

 

(How to respond when someone asks you what the weather is like today.)

 

If someone who doesn’t speak English and asks you “¿Qué tiempo hace hoy?” here are a few ways you can respond:

 

 

¿Qué tiempo hace?         

What's the weather like?

Hace frío.

It's cold.

Hace calor.

It's hot.

Hace viento.

It's windy.

Hace sol.

It's sunny.

Hace buen tiempo.

The weather is good.

Hace mal tiempo.

The weather is bad.

Hace fresco.

It's brisk.

 

Other weather expressions use the verb esta along with an adjective:

Está oscuro.

It's dark.

Está nublado.

It's cloudy.

Está lluvioso.

It's raining.

 

There are also weather expressions that use the verb hay:

Hay niebla.

It's foggy.

Hay neblina.

It's misty.

Hay sol.

The sun is shining.

Hay luna.

The moon is out.

Hay relámpagos.

It's lightning.

Hay humedad.

It's humid.

Hay nubes.

It's cloudy.

Hay lluvias torrenciales.

It's pouring.

Hay un vendaval.

There's a windstorm.

Hay granizo.

It's hailing.

Hay lloviznas.

It's sprinkling.


 


​Here's a video to show you how to ask for the "weather" for tomorrow  phrases if you are not able to pronounce them. Just click on the picture.
Here's a lesson from my pareja, Enthony, on greetings in Spanish.

Greetings

​Greetings are very good and useful to learn. here is a helpful website you can use to help you prononce the words. It's helpful to know greeting because say your school take a trip to Mexico , mostly everyone speaks Spanish and a older person comes up to you and say ¡hola! but you don't know what there saying. This is why its good to know your Spanish greetings. below is a chart i made to help you with your greetings.  Vist the website i provided to hear them in Spanish out loud.
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Screen Shot 2011-10-19 at 7.51.33 PM

Alphabet with correct pronunciation/spelling.

“WAIT! Can you spell it for me?”

 (How to learn the alphabet with correct pronunciation/spelling)

 

In today’s society, you need to know the spanish alphabet and the pronunciation in order to spell something in spanish to someone.

 

¡EL ALFABETO! ....¿Si?

 

 

A (ah)        B (beh)          C (seh)      D (deh)      E (eh)        F (efeh)      


G (HEY!)     H (acheh)           I (eeee)                 J (hota)         K (kah)   


L (eleh)        M (emeh)             N (eneh)          Ñ (enyeh)      O (ooh)

 

 

P (peh)         Q (cooo)              R (ereh)            S (eseh)      T (teh)       



U (oooo)       V (beh)              W (doble beh)      X (equis)                  



(eeegriega)   Z (seta)

 

 

Whenever you come across someone who speaks Spanish and he/she doesn’t understand the way to say your name, you’ll simply need to spell it out the letters in spanish to them. If you don’t, they might say “¿QUE?”

 

Example:

 

Stranger: ¿Hola, Cómo se llama?

 

Me: Me llamo Adam.

 

Stranger: ¿Qué? No entiendo.

 

Me: Adam,  ah-deh-ah-emeh  ¿Si?

 

Stranger:  ¡Muy bien, gracias!

Here's a lesson from my pareja, Enthony, on how to say excuse me in Spanish.

Hola! Let's Learn Our Spanish Days of the Week!

Knowing your Spanish days of the week is very important, so I'm going to teach you them. 

In all 22 of the Spanish countries, the days of the week start with Monday, whereas in the English speaking countries, our days of the week start with Sunday. 

lunes
Monday

martes
Tuesday

miércoles
Wednesday

jueves
Thursday

viernes
Friday

sábado
Saturday

domingo
Sunday


*Note: The Spanish days of the week must be lowercase*


Calendar for Blog  

Use this Calendar to demonstrate that Monday starts off the week on the Spanish calendar compared to the English calendar where Sunday starts off the week. 
​Now lets use your new knowledge, and put it into a real life situation. Lets say that you are going on vacation to Barcelona and you needed to know how to make dinner reservations, you already knew how to say what the time you wanted was, but couldn't say what day. Well here's how you could apply your new knowledge to real life:

(Over the phone) ¡Hola! ¿Puedo ayudarte? (Hi, How can i help you?)

Si! la cena del lunes a las seis (Yes, Dinner on Monday at 6)

No Problemo (No Problem)


Gracias (Thank you)

Por Nada (No Problem)

Why I Write

Writing isn’t easy for me.

How can I put this idea on paper in a way that makes sense?

Yawing all day because it took me all night to come up with a thesis.

 

Irritated because I didn’t get the grade I wanted.

 

Writing is something that I have to do to pass my classes.

Reality is that I rather use my spare time to do something that is easier for me.

I envy those who can create words that make me want to read them over and over.

The ease of writing comes to me occasionally.

Every once in a while I do write something awesome.

Hola mi amigo!

​There's an exchange student from a spanish speaking country, and you want to introduce yourself!

You need to know ......
- how to say hi/ start a conversation
- how to ask someone how they are
- pronunciation
- how to end a conversation

Saludos (greetings)

¡Hola!                    (oh-la)                       Hello!

¡Buenos días!        (bwe-nose-d-as)        Good morning!

¡Buenas tardes!     (bwe-nas-tar-dez)      Good afternoon!

¡Buenas noches!    (bwe-nas-no-chez)    Good evening!

Asking someone how they are/ mas saludos(more greetings)

¿Qué tal?                         (kay-tal)            What's up?

¿Cómo estás?(informal)  (como-es-tas)     How are you?

¿Cómo está?(formal)      (como-es-ta)       How are you?



Responses

Muy bien, gracias.      (muy-bee-in-gra-ci-as)         Very good, thanks!

Masomenos                 (mas-o-men-os)                  Alright.

(Muy) Mal                  (muy-mal)                           (Very) Terrible/Awful


Ending a conversation 

¡Adiós!                   (adi-os)                              Bye!

¡Chao!                    (ch-ow)                              Bye!

¡Hasta luego!          (asta-lu-egg-oh)                 See ya later!

¡Hasta pronto!         (asta-pron-toe)                   See ya soon!

¡Hasta mañana!       (asta-man-ana)                   See ya tomorrow!

¡Qué le vaya bien!  (kay-le-va-ya-bee-in)         Have a good one!

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hola-300x267
​Here is the link to my partner's lesson on days of the week ....


Qu tiempo hace? ( What's the weather like?)

¿Qué tiempo hace en Filadelfia ?(How's the weather in Philadelphia?).Today you will be learning how to say the weather in spanish. Here's a helpful resource to use.  The main reason why you are learning this is because say you are travleing to Spain , where everyone talks spanish and you don't know what the weather is like , you can ask somebody by saying : ¿Qué tiempo hace? here's a helpful chart below to help you more with the weather in both spanish and english ! 
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Screen Shot 2011-10-19 at 12.25.57 PM

i write...- maddie walls

​i write... by Maddie Walls

i write to feel the rhythm of the keys dance under my finger tips. to hear the clicking that marks the release of thoughts that have hung heavy in my head waiting for the sweet and sacred moment were they flow through my hands and mark a moment of pure exploration that frees the mind of the weight that weighs so heavy on every action it makes. i write to state the things that i can't say the things the lips will not move to express. it comes out in an easy pouring motion sloppy at first until the mind settles into the pattern a flow a grove that gives the sense of purpose or meaning. a connection of the mind and soul that creates a picture not with paint or pen but words that mean nothing but everything all at once that drives ones to the point of joy and sorrow which each passing word. the joy that the meaning that you have been searching so hard for draws nearer to you with every key that you hit but the sorrow that it will all come to an end and may remain as words that the world many never understand but meant so much to you that you shake to the point of explosion. writing leads one to the point of insanity having to find a way to express hours days years of though into short simple sentences that take only small parts of your soul which you have put firmly into these some time meaningless thought. it then leads you on a roller coster of ups and downs through the inevitable writers blocks, distractions and trials that lay in the path to true expression. i write to make to the impossibly far away feeling of completion. the feeling that everything has been said and nothing has been left unsaid or explored. my simple true is that i will never reach that blissful release i search for but i write for if the one day comes that i can find it i am there to greet it with pure passion into my arms and accept my truth, my writer identity. this is why i wrote, write and will forever  continue writing…

Why I write.....

Writing can be a very challenging subject for some people but for others, it is the easiest thing in the world. Writing for me has always come easy because always know what I am going to write before I even start. I think that these are one of the reasons why I am so attached to writing, since it comes easy to me. I also write because it is also a way for me to express my feelings and emotions. Writing is like an extension of myself because I can see myself in everything I write. It can make me feels better because the pen and the paper always listen to what you say. I also write because I can escape to a world where I can be whoever and whatever I want to be. I can write a poem about Jamaica and then I can picture myself there with my family and friends. This is one of the most important reasons why I write. When I first heard my sixth grade teacher tell me this, I did not believe her until I experienced it for myself. Every time I write a 2fer, I am happy because I get to write in a different way in the form of a more informational and unbiased way. I don’t get to state my opinions but instead, I used outside sources to prove a point. This is different from when I write about my own personal experiences. I write because it comes easy to me and it is just an added bonus when I get to sure my writing with my teachers and my fellow students.

Why I Write

Why I write ?

I write because

What is in a NAME?

A destiny, a person

A truth about whom

You will become

Is it the red of

Rose petals falling

Gently on

The green grass

As the wind caresses

The skin of a new

Born child

Who is called . . .

By a NAME

Is it the life lived?

By and by scrapping

To prosper yet falling

Failing not reaching the

Top of the pyramid of

Success, but in return

Dying at the bottom of

The abyss, that cold

Breath that touches you

Just as you live your last

Heart beat, and

How your family

And friends mourn . . .

The personality

Behind a

NAME

A NAME is

Merely letters in

An order

Its has

A singular purpose

It was given at

Birth

And reused after

Death

Common yet

Original to you

So a NAME is only

A NAME

It is important how, you,

Make people remember it

 

But I also write because

I wish . . . 

I wish I could call you

To tell you how I feel

To speak you name in whispers

And let my love be real

I wish that you would hold me

And tell me all is right

To hold me close in warm embrace

With in your arms all night

I wish that I could love you

And tell you all about me

But some things are meant for secrets

And our love just isn’t to be

I wish that you would love me

And say my name with care

And sit by me as the sun goes down

As I play in your hair

I wish that there were no boundaries

Between both you and I

And that your love could life me up

Until I reached the sky

I wish that I could tell you this

With out a care our doubt

But as it is this little voice

Stays in me with out a shout

I wish the little voice would scream

“I love you more and more”

But it has been hurt many times

In the past before

I wish you knew how I felt for you

And would tell me that you’re the same

Because my heart is waiting for you

With a fire that can’t be tamed 

So I wish that love could prevail

And could set us all free

But honestly, I wish that your love

Was mostly, meant for only me



I write because I love poetry 

I bare all of my soul

It helps explain me

And have my story told

I write because no one listens

To the story of my life

So instead I create a story

Of another welding a knife

I write because it let me live

Through the characters I create

And then the life I wish I had 

Is now fully sedate.

 

Unfinished: Why I Write

My mind defies its own limitation 
Limitless thoughts brim over a limited understanding
And my hands then
Become vessels of things I sometimes can't control
these fingers hold 
uncontrolled 
ideas and emotions and motion 
to profess them out...
My voice is background static in the radio station called life
Nothing I say comes out right
But when I write
Scribble and etch myself onto these lines
I can 
I can deny deterrents 
Break free of the suffocating undercurrents of shyness
There is no timorous or feelings of insufficience because
With great pens comes great audacity
And the capability
and the capacity
To Express the deepest parts of me

Why I Write

Why do you write?


I don't know

It's a way to save my ideas,

my make-believe stories of worlds that live in my head have a home on paper

It organizes my thoughts,

Those family trees of my characters, their ages, interests, secrets, dreams. 

I write to remember, 

So my ideas won't be jumbled up in the every day thoughts that occupy my mind like a nebulous shroud.

I write to give information

I write so a form of my ideas can be shared with others

That is why I write.



The beauty of writing, thats another reason.

The scratching of a pencil

The swoosh of a pen

the click clack of keys

For some it sounds right, similar to the sound of a cleat hitting a soccer ball or the swish of a ball going through a basket. 

It belongs.

That beauty is something that cannot be replaced

That is why I write.


I write because I love it

It feels right, 

My gut tells me this is what I was meant to do

It is one of the oldest forms of communication

yet through the years it has never been replaced by any other technology. 

No one can upgrade writing

for it's strength and stubbornness

I revere it.

Thats why I write. 

Why I write

Writing is my passion
I love the frenzy of a flash of words 
igniting a page in a fire of feelings
blank paper with arms outstretched 
welcome me
to tickle its spine with lines of my poetry
I am enchanted by dancing pencils and pens 
that unleash thunderous words
that snap crackle and pop
on eyes once read

Its more than a hobby
its a passion that I hold close and dear to my heart
and I believe with this gift
I can change the world 
All I have to do is perfect my art

So I'll just take it one day at a time
slowly release my restrictions, inhibitions and doubts that cloud my mind
as I write to promote growth 
find my writer's voice and let it show

Douglas Wallace - Why I write

I write because I have to

Life issues haunt us all

So instead of picking up a bottle

I pick up a pen and

Let my story begin...

I write to free my brothas and sistas

My story isn't the only important one

So I will tell the story of June

Suffering from post-love depression

She was never taught this lesson

So she slits her wrist to pour out a confession...

Or for my brotha from another momma 

Who never had a poppa to tell him

How a real man is supposed to act.

It's hard for a mother to play father

And keep food on the table..

So little David sold a brick got locked up

And now by the government she is labled

So when I write I tell their true stories

Like they are fables..

I write to tell a story

It's funny how many people could actually relate

Your fate isn't just your alone..

You would be surprised how many lives

Your pen could save.

I write because this is what I love

No matter what I've gone through

My pen has always been here

My poetry book is my soul

I put my right hand on it 

When I tell the truth..

Writing tells the story of the life I live

I am constantly faces with quandaries that stretch

The boundaries on my tight-knit life.

You can validate my soul by reading my poems..

My book pass no judgement

My pen keeps all my secrets

My mind brings these things together in unison.

I create a 3 dimensional world 

On a 2 dimensional surface

This is why I write..

Lobbying Idea

​In America today you hardly see any after school sports programs for kids to be involved in and you see more and more children getting into bad acts because of the lack of these programs, you also see more and more children becoming obese because of these programs being taken out of schools. For my lobbying project I will explore ways to get these programs back into schools and how to lower the oncoming epidemic of childhood obesity in america; I will look closely at programs like play60 which encourages kids to get out and play for an hour a day by incorporating the idea with professional athletes, I will also look at what city officials in Philadelphia are doing to change this problem. In Philadelphia because of budget cuts a lot of these programs were cut back and some being taken away permanently because expenses were just to great to try and uphold over the course of a few years, I believe that if we also tackle the issue with how much money schools are actually given but how much schools can actually take out to use on sports year round and by combining these things and fixing them we can fix the problems of budget issues surrounding after school sport programs as well as sports programs being cut all together. 

I believe that by bringing these things back into schools across America we will not only see a great drop in childhood obesity but we will see a greater drop in illegal activities as well as an increase in students in school as well as students.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/2009-09-02-budget_sports_cuts_N.htm

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2007/08/28/2007-08-28_funding_cuts_squeeze_afterschool_program.html




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play60_03

Davis - Why Do I Write?

Over the years, writing has evolved into a major aspect of my life. As a young child, I would look at books and newspapers, astonished with the amount of words that one had written. Initially I couldn't understand the significance of writing so much. Why do the writers of textbooks care so much about the information it contains? How do authors of novels not get tired of writing so much after 100 pages?

These questions weren't answered until I began to explore writing in my own way. I often found myself digging deep into my imagination when i read stories. Looking at some of my favorite story lines like "X-Men" and "Star Wars" and thinking about how I could develop my own. I would then take those concepts to write alternate story lines for some of the stories I read, and even incorporate my own ideas. This process revealed the captivating aspects of writing and built my confidence in the subject.

In my teenage years, I found myself approaching writing from a different perspective. Instead of writing the fantasies in my imagination, I wrote more about the reality of my life. I discovered music as being an effective outlet in my life. Being able to turn my thoughts into lyrics and then mix them with other melodies. It's like being able to manipulate the thoughts that you can't control in your brain into a product that you know like the back of your hand.

Writing has changed me as a person, but more importantly, has allowed me to change it, morphing language into my own thoughts, and my thoughts into something tangible.

Why I Write

I

I write because when I have no other way to look, no other way to express my feelings, the paper of my hardback notebook is my escape from this world. Some have best friends, some have parents, some have Twitter and Facebook, but not me. It's just me, myself, and the notebook. I can speak my mind without being judged by others. I can release the things I hold close and dear to me, and never worry about its affect on those around me. When no one else understand me, the notebook is always there to be that understanding person. I can talk about my true feelings, talk about my stress, and relieve it without caution. My brain just leaks the thoughts on my mind onto the fine point of my #2 pencil and those thoughts end up on paper. And the process never ends. Whether its about how I feel about a person or about my experiences, writing will always give me positive feedback. It will never disagree, never reject those thoughts. And I like that. The brain can only hold so much till its breaking point. My brain is like a car, and writing is its oil change, giving me a fresh new start every time I close the pages.

Why I Write

The Writer

​I've always been fascinated by words,
The funny little characters dancing on the snow white backdrop,
Some so elegant and graceful,
While others are blockish and hurried.

They seem so simple, so easy to use and manipulate,
Creating something sprung from somewhere I've never seen or heard of,
And yet, there the product lies, orderly and clean to my eyes,
Ready to be shown to another.

I'm not sure where it's born from,
But the order I see has another effect on people,
Because where I see words in their proper order, simple and plain,
People say I've placed beauty and depth.

I look at what I've written and compare it to works I've read,
Things so beautiful and so very enchanting,
Words woven together to create new worlds,
Opening the doors to places never before dreamed of.

It is not that my own words are displeasing,
The order's right, and that does please me,
But they don't offer the same magic the others do
They don't open the same doors; they don't seem quite right.

Perhaps it is because I already know them,
I understand the magic they hold, I know the doors and the worlds beyond them,
So maybe it's not quite as enchanting for me
As it is for those who read it.

Who knows why it is so?
But what I write is not intended solely for me,
So if others like what I create, so be it,
I'll continue to write so long as there is a demand for it.

It may not always be easy to weave a new spell,
To forge something brand new and intriguing,
Only to fail to see the beauty others do,
But to see that smile spread across their face as their eyes trace the words upon the page,
Makes being a writer so much easier.

Why I Write

I  write because I want my ideas to spread beyond word of mouth.  It's easy to tell a person what you want them to hear but truly allowing yourself articulate a point worth real consideration requires ample thought. Writing gives the outlet to devolop my words and choose how I go about a point. Its means to portray the most elaborate idea into simple elegance or turn a hardened belief into a thoughtful persuasion. It acts as a filter that both refines but better explains myself while still carrying a my original thought with it. 

Why I Write

Why do I write? A simple question with many answers. I write for one reason. I write when there's a assignment which requires me to write a story/essay etc. Most of my writing happens in school so I basically write because I have to for a school assignment. Outside of school, I don't write that much or none at all. Writing has been one of my weakness thats why I never liked writing. I write to pass my assignments in school which requires me to write. If its not a school assignment, I won't be writing. 

Why I Write.

My writing is my voice on paper or a new Microsoft Word document. My voice is my identity. My voice represents my beliefs and my values. To not write is to not exist. To not write is one’s refusal to contribute to the turbulence of knowledge and opinions that our world is being swept away in. To not write is to be selfish. To not write is to limit humanity the choices that are available to it. Whoever writes helps break one link from the chains that we, as the human race, are confined to. It is for this worthy cause that I put my pen to paper and my skin to plastic. It is so that we can point our eyes to darkness and bring the light to our minds.

Revision

I’ve always believed that home is important because home is where my heart is. Home is where my memories are. Every happy and sad thing that has happened to me is brought back to this place. I’ve lived here almost all of my life. If I ever moved away from this neighborhood and my memories, I would be a disaster. It’s where I can go and I won’t be judged. I can come here after a rough day and be greeted by my family. While everything else in my world is spinning around, this is the one thing that never changes. It’s where I’m safe. 

I can go back to when I first walked into my house when I was 5. I was down the basement and I couldn’t find my way upstairs. My dad was bringing things into the house since our basement door is next to the driveway. It’s easier then dragging things all the way to our front door, which is on the side of our house. When I saw him I ran over and said “Daddy! I can’t find the door! Help me!”  He laughed and then said, “Turn around.” As I turned around I saw the door to walk up into my living room. When I got upstairs there was almost a ton of change in random spots in the rooms. I was so excited; it felt like a treasure hunt, and so I ran around the house collecting any change that I saw.

I love looking back on that memory and thinking about how easy things were. The biggest problem that I had was that I couldn’t find the door out of my basement. Now I have to worry about what people I trust, what my grades are like, not letting things get to me, along with a hundred other things. Nevertheless, every rough time there is, a hundred great memories that come along.

One of my favorite memories in this house took place after a concert my friend and I went to, she came over my house to sleepover. We ended up staying up until 3:30 am, hanging out in my bedroom. Most people don’t like staying in my room for too long. Everything in my room is pink, my bedding, lamp, desk, walls, rug; even my ceiling is painted pink. It is very bright, even sometimes I don’t like being up in my room for too long. There are also a lot of pictures and posters. It was one of the funniest nights I have had though.

                   When we first got home from the concert, we just hung out and talked for a little.  As the night carried on we got extremely hyper, because we were both tired and we each had a can of Mountain Dew. About halfway though the night I brought in my little brother’s Yamaha keyboard. Neither of us know how to play keyboard so when we tried, it ended up sounding like nails on a chalkboard. I felt really happy because it was fun and neither of us has to try to act perfect. Later on, we decided to randomly call people and play the keyboard while on the phone. Every time we would dial a number and listen to the phone buzzing as we waited for them to answer, we would laugh hysterically, thinking about the reaction of the person we were calling. When someone would pick up, we would shout “Hello! Hi! Hey!” in funny voices and then slam random buttons on the keyoboard. People thought we were completely insane, asking, “What is wrong with you? Why are you calling me?” Every person that we called hung up on us within 5 minutes.
                   About an hour before we actually fell asleep, we turned on my old, bulky, silver television that my grandmother gave me. We started watching That 70’s Show, one of our favorite television shows. We were also quoting every line that a character would say and cracking up. After a while we got really tired so as we were still watching That 70’s Show, we both fell asleep.

            That night was just fun and that’s the night that I realized why home is important to me. It is important to me because it’s a stable place in the world. Everything changes, but this place never does. I have grown up in this same house and my bedroom has grown along with me. From my princess room, to just all pink, to how it is now. Now it is exactly how I want it, it has pictures all over my walls; there is just enough space all of my belongings and me. It’s organized perfectly for me, not too neat but at the same time its not too messy, and I know where I want everything to go.

 I remember when I got my room the way it is now. It was a Saturday, 2 years ago; the movers said they would at my house any time between 1-4 pm. It was 3:30pm and I have been staring out of my window for the past 2 hours, impatiently waiting for my new bedroom-set to be delivered. I had my room completely cleared out, except for my television. Other than there was just pink walls and ceiling, both windows with their curtains pulled up, and an open door. I was completely ready for my new bedroom, so over excited that I couldn’t even go 10 minutes without running towards my window to check if the movers have finally arrived. Every time I would hear a car rush by I would run outside and be greeted with disappointment.

            At 3:45 I heard something, it was the pounding of large tires on a road. I looked out the window and screamed downstairs to my mom “THEY’RE HERE!” as I stormed down the flight of stairs that was separating me from her. I stared out of the window as the movers checked their paperwork to make sure it was the right house, slammed the trucks doors, and started walking up to my front steps. When they finally knocked on the door, it was like a symphony. “Hello, we have a bedroom set delivery for the Flite family.” They said when we opened the door.

            When they were upstairs putting the furniture together, it felt like life times were passing by. They finally finished and left the house at 4:10. When they left I raced up my steps into my room to see how it looked. I loved it. It looked so different then before, instead of a cleared out room of nothing, my room now had a queen sized bed, and a matching dresser, They were each a light washed wood color with 2 rows of silver wood panels at the top.

Home is my place. It’s where I am free and happy. My little brother was born three months premature and for about 6 months I had to live at my grandma’s house. It just didn’t feel the same. Her house is nice and it’s big, but it’s not my house. It has a different feel to it. Home gives me a feeling of safety and security. It’s the one thing that never changes, while people and life does. I love my house and I love the feelings that come from it.