To kill “To Kill a Mockingbird”

            To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is an essential novel in children’s literature; it cannot be removed. Some wish to remove the novel because of its references to racism. I can see where they are coming from, but what they don’t get is the fact that the book was written in the 1960’s and it took place in the mid 1930’s when racism was a major issue. It is my opinion that the book should be protected. From all I have read in the novel I can personally relate so much of it to my own childhood. It can be used as a valuable teaching tool that surpasses any book I have read in my experience in school.

            The Lessons learned in this book are so key for our own reasoning and understanding. The novel is littered with several sub themes and important quotations that in themselves teach us lessons. Many times while reading this book I have sat back and had a good laugh while comparing Scout’s childhood to mine. This book gets on equal ground with children and teaches from their perspective while having a brilliantly created character such as Atticus be the mentor and teacher of the story.

            Racism is more important in this book than many think. I understand multiple schools wish to remove the novel because of the racism illustrated in it, but I think it is used to the author’s advantage. The author is able to teaching tool about judging people by color which was in Lee’s day. This sets up a great moment that I envision in the class room: teaching kids at a young age the wrong in segregation and judging. Lee offers wonderful breathtaking insight into the black’s world and the white’s and the separation between them. We see the two sides clash in the epic Court case that Tom Robinson, a black man framed (lied about) for rape. We are able to later reason for ourselves the problem involved there.

            The end of this book and how it raps up plays a major role into the title. The title is which I didn’t understand at first till now is very important in portraying the overlying theme, “The principle of people’s feelings and points of view and realizing them.” To shoot a mockingbird is to hurt innocent people that have done good. We learn in the novel that Jem, Boo, and Tom Robinson are the key Mocking birds of the story. By studying their lives we can learn how to but ourselves into others shoes and see from there perspective to further understand those whom we don’t understand. To me, that is the greatest thing this book has taught me. It has taught me to look deeper and but away selfish desires and judgments to understand God’s children who are understood. 

What is going in the US?

Knives on Airplanes.

This is a policy that will reverse many of the steps taken since the 2001 terrorist attack. Is it that hard pack your controversial item (Knife, bat) in you suit case and not take it through security. I will admit that I have accidentally left a knife a time or two while going though security and it has always been confiscated. I really never cared and They always (Salt Lake International Airport) give me an option to mail my item home if I so wished. I'm for safety of the passengers and the crew. They should continue the ban of knives and further consider the actions they are taking for the safety of everyone.

Job growth

It is amazing what they will say to advertise the government. They say 7.7% but those numbers aren't accurate. You can say that the economy is getting better, but it is so slow a snail could beat it in a race. I do believe that there has got to be different solution that will re-propel America to greatness. If Washington thinks the continual raising of taxes is the best solution then they are wrong. That won't fix anything and they should know that. Lowing taxes and letting the public sector grow is were the best solution is. The federal government has become way to large and bloated that It will be hard for any good things to happen.    

How to do your homework! 

(sounds crazy doesn't it?)

I thought about this topic because we all need

to develop homework habits that work and 

that are effective. This may not work for everyone

but you can adapt the system that I am about 

to tell you so it works for you! :) Lets get started!

Step One:

When you arrive home from school, it is important that you write down every homework assignment you have do the next day. So, get a little notebook or E-notebook for your laptop or Mac product (Microsoft word works fine, I still like to write it though). Once you have done a metal run down, checked all of Mrs. Meek's blogs and written down all that you need to do for that day, then you are ready for step two.

Step Two: 

Find a quiet, workable, and somewhat comfortable (not too comfortable for risk of falling asleep) working area with no TVs and blinding lights! For some people it works better to work in their room, but for me I like an open space (with the qualifications listed above). If you have a billion siblings running around then going in a closed space would be best. 

Like this ^ 

Step Three:

Find some music to listen to. I am one of those people who thinks music helps me work faster (It does!). The key is what kind of music to listen to. Usually you want to avoid music with lyrics and vocal parts (not always true, but mostly true). Listening to instrumental/electric music is the best path. Here is where soundtracks come in, they have both of these kinds of music. Music with a good rhythm (or even tempo) will make you work like 8 million times faster. Its weird, but it works! Also make sure the volume is low!

                                       

This is an example of music composed by Hans Zimmer that is perfect (87 min long, Its just a bunch of music)

Step Four:

Now, finally, put all your homework in an organized heap on the table (remember to have a big table with space). Begin with your reading homework first and check that off the list before you get too tired to keep your eyes open. For the reading part, don't listen to music (this is really about preference, I prefer not to). After your reading, begin on your math, music works wonders when doing math so start listening to it! Now that you have checked those two items off your list, begin working on what is left based on importance. You have to be the judge on this. If you begin to go crazy after a few hours, don't worry, that's normal :P 

Ya, this is what it feels like. 

PS keep texting (or just contact with the outside world) to a minimum or don't even do it at all (If you keep yourself in a bubble however it means you have no life at all, but that's OK if you don't care and you are excessively diligent).

A couple of other tips:

• Eat enough food to stay functioning and don't be afraid to drive to In-N-Out burger at midnight for a quick energy refuel.
• Don't use your computer for ANYTHING not related to the task at hand. Gmail chat is awesome and fun, but results in nothing completed. (Again, if you do want to connect to the mysterious place called "the outside world" Its OK to do it briefly, but don't get stuck or else everything suggested in this blog post becomes worthless) 
• Don't consume caffeine even if it is late. You will likely go crazy and your head won't be where it should. 
• Being focused is the key! 
• After listening to music for a long long long time, feel free to turn it off just for a change. 
• If you like to play musical instruments... Don't play them... too bad. You have to schedule time after or have a set time you practice on them everyday. If you use it for a class then use it only for that!
• If you want to have a nap sometime in this process then take it immediately when you get home from school. Any time after that will be hazardous to you getting anything done at a reasonable time.  
• Eating dinner is necessary, just eat it quick and asked to be excused. 
• Feel free to call or text a friend for help on any assignment. Make sure you stay on topic and that you don't digress and get off on random tangents with your friends.  

Please leave comments below! If you have any

other suggestions or ideas then feel free to share 

them. This is a very flexible frame that you can

fit to your needs. If you don't agree with anything

then just skip it and don't worry about it. This 

is mostly from what helps me and few other of my 

friends with a similar work ethic.

!!!Last Thing!!!!

Very important: End every homework day with a video that will make you laugh your head off!!

Please watch!!

How to Load and Clean and Airsoft Gun

I'll begin with How to load an airsoftgun!

There are 3 basic types of mags that I will show you how to load: The spring pistol mag, the The spring rifle mag, and The AEG windup mag. 

1. Spring pistol mag and the spring rifle mag (very similar):

The first step is to discharge the mag by pressing the discharge button near the mag on the gun's body (On this rifle it is the far left lever in the mag well.)

  

Now, pour BB's that are at least 0.2 grams or heavier into the speed loader. 

The, insert the nozzle of the speed loader (bottom right of picture) into the mag hole that is always located on the top of every mag. Bump the top button/spring till you feel an ample amount of resistance. Now, reinsert the mag into the gun with the mag hole aligning correctly with the hop-up chamber of the gun. Insert till you hear a good click.

Now you are done!

2. AEG wind up mags:

These mags are quite a bit different, but some of the processes remain the same. remove the the mag with the  instructions listed above. 

 Slide the top panel open (bottom left). Pour 0.2 gram BBs in to the mag's interior. once full, spin the wheel at the bottom of the mag in the appropriate direction till you see BBs coming up the chamber (top left hole). 

Now, just insert this mag back into the gun till you hear a good click and there you go!

(with this mag design, you will have to re crank the wheel on the bottom after about 30 or so rounds to refill the chamber and put pressure on the loading spring) 

The first blog I visited is called "Music by Mark Oates". It is about film music which is something I love! This blog though it quite old and hasn't been updated in about 4 years. I partially agree with the content of the blog. There is one random post about why Voting is a waste of time which doesn't fulfill the purpose of the blog at all and is distracting to the goal, and it is being political which drives everyone crazy. It has a couple somewhat useful reviews on film soundtracks but they are space. I wouldn't recommend this blog. 

http://www.markmusicproduction.com






The second blog I visited was called Adrian's film music blog. I found this blog on the other hand extremely useful! :) It had reviews that had purpose and meaning. The entirety of the blog stayed on goal with the purpose. It had even more than I expected. It included some sheet music so I could visualize what I was reading about. The best thing is that the blog is up to date. It doesn't have as many reviews as I would've liked but I found the material very satisfying.      http://musicatthemovies.wordpress.com/

                                                                   Time, From Inception
The third blog I visited is a blog sponsored by airsplat.com, which is a pretty good sized airsoft retailer. Airsofting one of my favorite things but I hardly can find time to do it. This blog though was really enjoyable to read because of the the authors experience with the sport. It was fun to see what products he had and what kind of modified weapons he had built himself. The blog was started about 5 years ago and is still on going today, even though there are few reviews, but the few reviews that are there are always pretty massive.   I recommend this blog as a fun one to look at, but there isn't much to hold on too.

The Mexico Trip:

            This week long trip changed my life and opened my eyes to the world and showed me why I needed to be more grateful for everything, there are many incredible things that I experienced on the trip. I’ll start at the beginning:

            On day one, we flew to Mexico on an 11 hour or so plane trip. It was very long… I was looking desperately for differences between here and Mexico because it was my first time being out of the country. When we arrived I began seeing the difference but not until we dared the roads of Mexico City did I fully understand. It is a mad house!! Aside from the speed bumps laid out every 200 feet and the natural bumpiness of the roads I thought I was going to die because of the recklessness and the daring initiative of their drivers. I was horrified, but I trusted my driver, a fellow Mexican who knew the roads, to get our group through safely.

            Later on at the Campus of Benemerito I immediately began to see cultural changes. One funny difference was the food. While we do have an influence of their food in our culture a little it was fun to try their cuisine. The rule of thumb was “Spicy!” I wasn't used to eating beans and Jalapeños for every meal of the day. The rumors were true; American-Mexican restaurants serve slightly different food than authentic Mexican ones, however I like the taste of both pretty evenly.

            One of my highlights was visiting the ruins of Teotihuacan. I was in for the hike of my life! It was well worth it though to see the sights. I stood on the tallest one, the Pyramid of the Sun, just envisioning the Book of Mormon taking place before my eyes with the Title of Liberty whipping in the breeze atop every other pyramid. One student in our group hiked atop all the pyramids while they were crippled, but aided fellow AHS students and Benemerito Students. It was wonderful to see such unity to get together and allow her to see and do what few people have the opportunity to experience.

            The pinnacle of my trip was the visit to the homeless shelter. Earlier in the week we prepared blankets to give to the elderly men at the home. I distinctly remember the terrible smell and the oh so poor living conditions. The real treat was to reach out to these lonely men, ejected from society, and wrap them in a new warm blanket and just chat with them. I didn’t know what they were saying because it was in Spanish, but I remember the wonderful feeling of just being there. As the scriptures say, “Stand in holy places”. That was one for me that day.  

      

The Power of Music

Talents are the things members of the LDS church use to share the gospel. whether through music, dance or whatever your talent is, they are used to show the truth of the gospel. My talent to show in this blog is through music. Music is something that Dosn't come easily to me, but my hope is to develop this talent in order to show my testimony of the gospel through this blog.