7th grade was a fantastic year. I accomplished so many projects I cannot count. One of my biggest accomplishments was the World History Fair. This project as well as others brought up my biggest problem, procrastination. It was not fun trying to finish any project on the night before it was due.  That was a huge teaching point for me. Other than that I would not change anything. Life is supposed to have hiccups because you can only learn from them. Hopefully though, I can reduce my hiccups in eighth grade by fixing my procrastination. I can’t wait to see what eighth grade has in store for me. If it is anything like seventh grade, it will be a fantastic year.

Advice: Try not to get stressed out over anything. It will be alright no matter how bad things look. TIP: DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. It will make your life so much easier and reduce your stress levels. Have a great year!

International Towne was a pretty good experience overall. If I could change one thing about International Towne it would be the size. I was honestly a little disappointed about how small the facility was. I imagined the place to be a bit bigger and less condensed and crowded.  I even feel like Young AmeriTowne was bigger. But, enough of the negativity, the trip was pretty good. I learned how countries can become interdependent. My country relied on other countries citizens to buy our products so we could succeed. Another example of interdependence is trading. One country relies on another to give it a resource to sell or help produce a product. Without its shipment, the country that needed it would be sunk. For me the best part of International Towne was being able to travel around and buy souvenirs. I got a souvenir or product from every region. It was pretty cool to see all the countries’ goods and services. I especially liked the slushies from Mexico.  Overall, International Towne was a good time and experience.

How did Leonardo da Vinci’s Helical Air Screw impact further flight designs?—Guiding Question

Leonardo da Vinci’s Helical Air Screw was the building block for further helicopter designs. Many inventors took his idea and ran with it. They believed his overall concept was good, but his mechanism did not create enough force or torque to actually fly. Many prototypes were created but the engine was finally the answer. Without Leonardo da Vinci’s Helical Air Screw the world would have no helicopters. Leonardo was an insane genius. I re-learned this through the creation of my 3-D model. I do not know how Leonardo was able to keep his fabric upright. I had to use starch and I do not think he had clothing starch to keep his linen rigid. Plus, I am puzzled how he made the swirl increase in diameter. My dad and I spent countless minutes trying to recreate it but eventually had to settle with creating a look alike. The most interesting part was making my 3-D model. It took a lot of thinking, paper designs, and hot glue to create what I did. Overall, it was a good project and I think I did well.

            Oh the things history has to teach us. I think that I really got to see and learn a part of history this World History Fair. I learned how important gold and salt were to ancient Ghana. Without these two resources, Ghana could’ve crumbled having no way to trade or create the foods that they did. Ghana even had guards to protect its trading routes to protect the gold and salt. From Alec I learned how the Punic War was ended. As Rome was about to lose the war, there was the battle of Carthage.  The Romans were able to get a leg up by using elephants as war machines and transportation. Rome ended up winning the battle and eventually winning the war. Of all the projects that I saw, these two were well done and I was able to remember them the best. I also do recall snippets about Athena, Aqueducts, and The Roman Colosseum.

My project was the helical air screw created by Leonardo da Vinci. Along with all the research I found on why he built it, dimensions and materials, when, and where, I also learned how he impacted flight. His design was a screw that would run off of spin power. Unlike helicopters today, Leonardo’s was powered by man. Later inventors of the helicopter liked his idea of the spinning top that can cut through the air, but they did not think his machine had enough power. That is why other designers later used engines to create enough force. Without Leonardo’s initial idea no one would have known how to make a helicopter. The helical air screw was the foundation for helicopters to come.

Honestly I am not ready. I am taking this weekend to get going. I have my final plan for everything I just need to write it and create. Unfortunately my procrastination has struck again. But I do feel that I will be able to pull it all together and have a great project. All this time has given me a chance to think about all my answers to questions. Overall, I think I can do it!  

When will it come?

I ordered it five years ago

It seems the mail has lost it

In its vast number of items

I want it so badly

I think I am going to cry

Oh wait, I like those

I am going to order them

But wait, didn’t my last package get lost

Maybe I should go to the mall

Or maybe use a new mail service

I honestly don’t know

Oi this is making my head hurt

The recent chicken wing experiment was one of my favorite experiments ever. I have always liked to dissect things, and this time was no different. It was tough going at the very beginning trying to cut off the skin in order to be able to dissect inside. From there my group was able to find out all the muscles that were in the wing. The most fun part came next. On the very left of the wing there was a muscle that seemed pretty large. We found out that when you squeeze that muscle the whole wing will straighten out. It was incredible to see that muscles still work even when their host is dead. My group also found out that bone marrow has the consistency of styrofoam and when you eat a chicken wing, you are actually eating chicken muscle.

I am a bag of trail mix

            Including a medley of foods, cultures, and ideas

I am a traveler

            Abiding in others’ homes along my journey

I am a shark

            Waiting for my next meal

I am a book

            With only a few pages written

I am a lion

            Anticipating what may come next

I am a disciple

            Falling short at my masters feet

I am who I am

            And nothing can change that

It is truly appalling to me that humans would do that to one another. That situation must’ve taken a lot of courage to get through.  I cannot imagine having to go through something like that that every single day. Having a mob yell at you just for going to school had to have been scary. Receiving death threats and hearing all the discrimination was probably extremely difficult to deal with. Placed in the situation, I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done.  I don’t know if I would’ve had the courage to fight on. Granted, we all have a little courage, but none of us have the courage that was possessed by The Little Rock Nine. Every day of their life was a battle. And yet, they did not hate others for it, but merely accepted it and kept trudging forward.
There is still some discrimination today with people from the Middle East. Most people think of them as terrorists when really, not a lot of them are. I honestly think a person is a person no matter how different they are or even where they come from.

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”—Tim Tebow

--From the book Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow and Nathan Whitaker

Hard Work

So what?

You think you got talent?

Let me tell you something

Having talent doesn’t mean you are good

Especially if you slack off

No matter what you do, work hard

With hard work you will get to the next level

Talent alone will NOT get you there

When you give 100% you will eventually gain some talent

People will notice you are eager to get better

Even if you are not the best, people will notice you

They’ll know you are eager to get better

And give everything you have

Science is one of my favorite subjects (math is the other). The cells and microbiology unit has been another example of this. Part of my love is the labs I get to do. So far we have done a ton of labs, with the most memorable being the protists lab.  I actually got to look at live organisms under a microscope. That was my first time being able to look living organisms up close and in detail. Plus, I have learned a lot about how cells work and the parts of them. Through this I have increased my knowledge of prefixes and root words as well as why certain things happen the way they do in cells. I also learned why viruses can be so potent. They feed off of other cells and use them to multiply themselves. Cells are what make up you and me. We should know what makes them thrive and be deprived so we can keep ourselves healthy.   

The Super Bowl

On February 6^th

Toward the time of noon

Without any competition

In homes

Around the nation and other places

Despite unpopularity

From every person’s television set

Inside every warming home

Among the many traditions

Near this time of year

Across all the stations

Over the time

Of three elongated hours

Within, a joyous show

Like that

From above

Atop the priority lists

This quote really means a lot to me. I interpret this quote as meaning that you need to believe in yourself. If you don’t even think you can do something, you are only giving half effort.  In some scenarios I have not believed in myself before a task and most of the time I failed. But, after a little motivation from a friend, I thought I could do it and I did! So now I know that even a little self confidence can go a long way in helping you succeed. I will start believing I can do things that might be difficult and maybe things will turn out. This philosophy can be used to brighten anyone’s mood. If you think you can more things can be accomplished. Whether it is a toddler believing they can walk or an athlete thinking he can break a record, anyone can apply this mentality to themselves. Eventually, the world will be impacted. If one person can do something then another can and another and another until everyone can get things done. Think of the possibilities that can come out of accomplishing things! The possibilities are endless! I know that it starts with me, thinking I can do it.   

2011 was a year chalk full of memories. But, it is a new-year with just as many memories to occur. In order to have an even better year I have put in place some goals. First, I NEED to stop procrastinating. I have set this goal before and have not really achieved it. I know this is the year I need to change because the older I get, the harder procrastination will make my life. This will help me get more sleep and do my best on school work. Second, I need to be kind even when it is hard to. I sometimes catch myself not taking an opportunity to make someone smile when I could. It is a lot harder to do the right thing when with friends. You just want to be neutral and not do anything because you think you are preoccupied. Being in Rachel’s Challenge has really made me want to be a better person and impact the world one person at a time. I can’t wait to see what 2012 has in store.

In humanities, I am doing a Greek simulation. My class is working together in five of the most powerful and historic poleis to gain points for our city-state.  These points are earned through fate and events. Whichever polis has the most points at the end of the simulation will reign victorious. Each polis has unique characteristics that may or may not be helpful in certain events. I am in Athens, a polis known for its intellectual skill and arts. The battle of the city-states is on and everyone will do anything to win.

The best mystery I have ever read was “The Speckled Band”. This mystery kept me guessing until the very end. Plus, Sherlock Holmes is one my favorite characters. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did an explicit job of giving away evidence. The truth is though; I think Sherlock was the only one who picked up on these clues. It was astounding how Sir Arthur’s character picked up on these clues. Plus, I learned new vocabulary and it was a fun read.

 “Pump, pump, pump it up! Yeah, yeah, yeah!” rang my sister. It was just another boring day in suburbia. Every day it was like this: Carrie, my sister gets up, she blasts her lame music, and then wakes me up by singing along obnoxiously.

I quickly rushed downstairs to eat my breakfast. Half way through my strawberry pop tarts, I realized my parents weren’t here. I quickly became circumspect. Suddenly, I heard “Beware Adam Wychovsert, you have been  cursed!”

I have honestly enjoyed this blogging assignment. I have really enjoyed since I love to write but sometimes the actual writing can get boring. The typing is a nice break and a good way to express my thoughts. It has gone pretty smooth except for the fact that I have forgot to do some prompts and submitted them late. I think that an additional free writing prompt would be good. I know that I am not the only one that likes to create new stories. Overall, I hope this assignment will continue because I have loved it so much.

At the beginning of every man or woman’s career in the armed forces they take an oath.  That oath is an oath of sacrifice. They will, if they have to, give their life for their country. I honestly don’t know if I could make that kind of promise. Even if it was for something or someone I love. The thoughts that must be going through that man or woman’s head, at the time, must be thoughts of valiance. They are probably not even thinking about death but merely of service, duty, and honor. That is the true meaning of bravery.

I just read an article at http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/17/world/americas/central-america-floods/index.html .  It was about the torrential rain in Central America. The death toll is currently at 60 and the rain is not forecasted to let up. El Salvador has gotten the worst end of the storm, with a state of emergency and evacuation.  This to me is truly tragic. No country should have to deal with that kind of tragedy. Even though we can’t control Mother Nature, it is still sad. Hopefully the countries can keep strong and make it through the storm.This should make the countries even more wary and prepared for future storms.

I just finished reading The Son of Neptune. It is by Rick Riordan. Rick Riordan is the author of many other of my favorite series such as “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” and “The Kane Chronicles”. The Son of Neptune was superb was many reasons. First, it combined mystery, fiction, and fact perfectly. This combination made the book exciting and intriguing. Second, there was an immense amount of action. The characters fought a medley of Greek and Roman monsters. Finally, it was the continuation of my favorite series, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians”. “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” made me think that everything was ok but, The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune provoked this thought. Overall, this book was a pleasure to read.

I think that books should not be banned. Even though it may seem bad I completely agree with one of the quotes in the video.  There are bad people and harsh realities in the world unfortunately. I think that books are an ok way to learn about them. Personally, I think books should be rated like movies. This way, people know the content of the book before they read it. I think this would be extremely helpful because you cannot just ban books. People love to read and I think freedom of speech plays an important role. I think if you can say what you want you should be able to publish what you want. Children are going to learn the bad things of life eventually, so why not in a book. This way they read and not actually experience it. Personally, I rather read about it then see or hear it.

Although this video was tricky to figure out, I finally got it. What happened was that they did not “carry over”. The easiest way for me to explain this is by addition. If you have a lot of numbers like they did you have to do something special when you add. First you add the ones column. If the sum is more than ten you carry the tens value over to the tens column. What they did wrong is that they counted what should’ve been tens as ones. Another set of numbers that could work is 4x16=28; this is not true because 16x4 really equals 64.