This part of the novel was very different than the first part. I got different feekling from the first paper clip to now. We picked a good section to divide the book in. It gets different, at first , after first understanding who cole was, and how he lived, to even beating a kid up to now. I was irrateated at his charactor and seeing how mean he was, he didn't have a care in the world , at all. To now, I feel as if he is more caring and understanding for things and people other than himself.

On the island Cole was convinced that he saw the spirit bear, and it acually mauled him, But what makes this kind of ironic, is he said he caould easily kill the bear and he had absolutely no respect for the bear but then the bear, who i had my bets on, mauled the disrespectful kid. This seriously taught him a lesson though, he now knows he's not all that tough, nd there are things that could easily harm him, or even worst.

There has been more circle justice meetings, and even after trying to escape, and getting amuled, cole gets a second change at the island and takes it over jail, but this time you can see improvment. THis sort-of surprised me, i kind of could tell it was coming from context clues, and it's a book, and things like this happen, ...good endings.Or at least better. At the circle justice meetings, Coles mom is starting to take more of a stand, but the others, beside garvey, mostly, are being rude to him, and are not believing him for the mauling. IT is obvious from scrars but the lawyer on peters side still wants him thrown in jail. I like how cole is becoming with his second change, he is starting to take responsibility and acually trying to make better of his situation, The bear has taught him a lesson i n my opinion.

In Trouble

This is a story of a time I got in trouble with my best friend. In the middle of 8^th grade, I was going to the close-up trip meetings every Thursday. I had already paid the the non-refundable check. It was a Tuesday i think, or somw day in the middle of my week and after my math class was lunch and my good friend found a wallet with 96 dollars in it. I was really excited because he said we could split the money and leave the wallet in the classroom. I thought we had won the lottery, I knew it was kind of wrong but my friend wanted to keep the money. As we were walking a teacher saw him holding up the money, he was showing it to me. The teacher said hey where did you get all that money from, and he said shockingly that it was his.

We did not think we would get in trouble, we thought since we found it we could keep it. Then we were showing it off to some friends. My friend let me hold it for the rest of the day, and I let another friend hold $20. I don’t know why, but I did, and I wanted to do was hold that money. I thought I was cool because I had $96. I felt rich, and powerful because usually I only have around $10 to $20 with me or at my house. I had heard that someone had lost their wallet, so I became scared and decided to turn all of it in after school, after I had thought of it I knew it was the right thing to do. So my friend who had $20 dollars and I were going to turn in the money afterschool and say that we found it on the ground.

During my 7^th period class, my name was called to the office. I walked in and saw my friend in a room and he looked very depressed. So as I was talking to the principle, I was as stiff as a stone and very nervous. I told the truth, and the principle said that I was going to be suspended for one day and I might not be able to go on the close-up trip. The only thing I could think about was what would my parents say about this.The principle said that my friend would most likely not go on the close-up trip. We were going to room together too, our trip was going to be messed up. When I got home on that rainy day my mom was furious and my dad was disappointed and more understanding.

After the day I stayed home I wasn’t really nervous and on Thursday the teachers who were going on close-up talked to us and after all we were able to go on the trip and we did room together. I told a lot of people what happened and most of them said they would do the same thing. I was as happy as a clam when I found out I could still go on the close-up trip. And one month later, I went. My mom was really mad, but her anger went down with in a week. Also the principle said that no one should bring that much money to school, and that if someone did they should pay really close attention to their wallet. As soon as I found out who the person was who owned the wallet I wrote them a apology letter, I felt a little guilt but the person wasn’t mad because he got all his money back. After three weeks I forgot about it and everybody was focusing on the close-up trip.

To me. i find cars very interesting and because i am getting my license next tuesday, i bought a car. So for my first ride, i bought a used acura legend from my neibors who don't drive it any m. They kept the car in real good condition because the husband of the driver is a car enthusist and he is in to corvettes, so he knows a thing or two about autpmobles. Back to my "whip". IT is 1988 5sp manuel with a v6 2.7 liter motor. Yes, it is a stick shift, and i prefer that for a car because it is much funner and after i learned how to drive a stick, it makes driving less boring, and to me it makes me, to pay attention to what im doing. I can't multitask, for example, which is illegal now but, i could not drive and talk on the phone while eating, and listening to music having a coversation with my friends, who are in the car also. 

    My parents have alrwady told me the rules for me to drive. I can't rwally leave alameda, much, and i have to tell them, but io would any way. I can't drive my friends arounf because it is illegal, unless i get good grads i have to pay for my insuranse, which is kind of a bummer. But iam getting a 3.0 right now so i can get cheaper insuranse, which is awesome for me. 

    Yes, my car is a fix-er-upper. I do have some more things to do , added to what iv'e already done. So far, i have cleaned it really good, oty was very dirty when ifirst bought it. The car has been sitting for years, but after the help of a booster pack, it started right up. SO, the first day, i was the most excited iv'e been in awhile. THe nexyt day, icleaned the air filter, pump[ed up the tires, got seat covers and a steering wheel cover, and got black mats for the carpet. Back in the day this car was very expensive andwas considered luxury's. It has leather seats, but they are all torn up, ....explains the seat covers. The first time driving my own car, i was exstaitc, and i drove from my house to the gas station in south soure. I checked the oil there, and there was none. So my mom and i went inside and bought some, which i should of checked before i drove, but i was too excited.  The stereo set up in the car is pretty good for the year, the owners put an aftermarket stereo and speakers in it, and m ost like;ly dropped a bit of money on that. I made one cd with 20 songs on it and so far, its the only thing ive been listening to because i think i can replace the faceplate with  a new set up, so i can plug my ipod in, insted of making a ton of cd's.

bad opinion

Dear Declan and Johnny boi,

I, so far, am lightweight enjoying this book. I say lightweight because the main character, Cole literally kind of makes me mad. He is a bully and is so disrespectful, its unbelievable. He is still very young and became very ignorant, and its sad theres actually people like this. I don't think, in real life, the whole circle justice group would not work on a person like this, but a year is a long time, so i can't be sure. But my prediction is he will become a better person in society. Garvey, the guy who is actually trying to help out Cole, and cares and actually sees and wants to fix the problems in Cole's life, gets treated very poorly. IT is sad, i am glad though, when Garvey says, "I don't waste my time on losers", so he says something that is negative against Cole, which i think is a good thing.

Cole has to go to the hut on the island, and is is so bad that he burns it down, while laughing, mocking all the people he hates. First off, someone took alot of time to build it, and money to but the materials, and is so arrogant, that he burns it down, and then, to top it off, he throws the blanket that Garvey gave him into the fire. And he swims from island to island, some how, he was supported in swimming, so he is a strong swimmer.

I like this book, and i don't, for example, Cole just makes me mad, but i know this is a fake story. Things like this do happen though, it is just describing a kid who had bad influences growing up and the change he goes through. HE beat up a kid, real bad, i think jail would have been better, but it;s just a book.

Motorcross

In order for some people to be happy, sometimes they have to take risks. Its not true for all peopel though. Motocross is a way of life for most people that do it. The thrill of racing against someone so close that you could tap them on their opposite shoulder, 10 feet in the air, is what i and all the motocross racers live for. For those uninformed of what motocross is, I will explain. Motocross is competition dirt bike racing which takes place on either large outdoor tracks mainly. There are many obstacles such as jumps that can be as long as 100 feet, to closely packed rollers, called whoops that can be knee deep in depth. Along with manmade obstacles, after a full day of racing the track will form deep ruts due to the tire tracks, and large braking bumps that can very easily throw an inexperienced rider over the bars. All of this is can be competed by as any as 40 riders at a time, which can make for very exciting racing. My cr250, 2 stroke is basically, or was made for motorcross.
There is a large consent from non motocross racers that it can not be considered a sport because of the fact that you are on a machine, and that it is not a physically demanding sport because you are only twisting a throttle. However, if you have ever competed in a race, or even rode a bike you would know. Some Recent studies from magazines ive been reading have shown that motocross is the second most physically demanding sport…in the world, trailing soccer for the number one spot. You are on a very powerful dirt bike lined up on a gate with 40 other riders all of which will start at the same time, and race into the same corner all battling for position. If you make it through the first turn, then you have the rest of the track to race a 20 minute moto on. You will be riding through crater sized holes, ruts, and rocks the size of volleyballs all at the 50 mph plus speed. After one lap, a beginning rider may become so tired they have to pull over. Throughout the course of the race, your arms become so swollen, a condition called arm pump it sucks. You lose hand control and you struggle to hold onto the bike. Now imagine not being able to hold onto the handlebars of your machine, flying 80 feet through the air, with people inches away from you on both sides. By the end of the race you are so physically exhausted that you can barely hold on after five laps of racing all out on an almost mile long track, that you are relieved to pull of the track. Now do that one or two more times in the same day. If that isn’t physically demanding, then I don’t know what physically demanding is. I ride on motorcross tracke, and ive raced quads.
The thrill of riding is the reason riders come back week after week. Everything important that you worried about earlier in the day, becomes obsolete the moment you start your bike on the line in anticipation of so much as a quiver from the starting gate. It’s also the reason we spend countless dollars just to have your bike competition ready week in and week out. The price however, is why most riders will never accomplish their dream of becoming pro and winning a world champion. And it is very expensive, which is why only a select few will ever be successful in the sport. People may say that it’s a waste of money, but those people will never understand why we do it. Racers are a different breed of people. We have to be the best, at everything that we do. Everyone in the pits on a race day are all there for one thing and one thing only, to win. If we don’t win, then the day was a waste but we will always be there next weekend, to do it all over again in hopes of getting what we came for.

My vacation in Europe

A good time of my life was my time in Germany, and especially in Munich. In my favorite pub/restaurant in the world, The Hofbrauhaus. During my 7th grade summer, my family and i went to Europe for a family vacation and to visit relatives over the Atlantic, primarily in Germany. First, we spent a month in Germany, traveling abroad with a rent-a-car we had for a entire month. Going from place to place for weeks. We had a great time and visited many monuments and famous museums, alot of large attractions for tourist. My favorite city in all of Europe, so far, or at least for the history is Stuttgart, In Germany. This city in reknown and famous for the cars it produces. The Porsche, BMW, And Mercedes factory all reside in Germany, not only factory's, but museums, and gift shops, and larger dealerships. I think Audi too,and Volkswagen has its own city dedicated to itself, because Volkswagen owns many other car manufactures, for instance, Bugatti, Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley, i cant remember the rest..I love cars, and i am fully German, so i really take a fancy to German cars. I've liked cars, basically, since i was born. My grandpa had a shop in Oakland, dealing mainly with Volkswagen's, so my dad worked there for his high school career. But also, other German car owners could go there with other German cars. I can talk about cars for a long time.

The Volkswagen city, well, i was there in 2006, so I'm sure it has changed alot. To start out with, i want to say this is a place i would lie to visit someday again, hopefully soon. Basically, it is like a giant mall for car enthusiasts, there is a shitload of buildings, and they all have something to do with cars in them. It is called autostat, i believe. There is a museum for 5+ car manufactures, Starting out with the vw building, because it is the biggest building in the whole city, beside maybe the factory, where they produce some of the cars they make. They have things and activity's for all ages, and even a huge library, full of thousands of books, for sale. For the toureg, there idea of an suv, has its own test track people can use. IT is a track full of obstacles and a water crossing, a place where you can really feel the car, and what it can do. The historical museums in autostat are amazing, and they are designing so many people can go through it every day, theres not really a crowd per car because its so big. One thing, i really enjoyed, is the theme of the whole park; there is fountains, and a really good ambiance in the way they build the city. There is clean cut grass and cleanliness everywhere. There is not one bad thing i can say about this town of car enthusiasts. Soon, maybe my senior year, i will return.

Holocaust

Human nature: Who participates in genocide, and why? What does the commonality of genocide lead you to believe about humanity

Holocaust Genocide
One of the worst events in history happened in Germany, in the 1930's and 1940's. This genocide is known as the Holocaust and roughly 6 million Jews were killed. Genocide is a mass murder of people by another group of people, for example, Jews and Nazi's. In my opinion, the people who cause mass murders, are not intelligent enough to realize what they are doing, and become powerful enough to control an army, or a group of soldiers who follow orders without recognizing the damage. I think the commonality in all genocides is that a single man who is backed by a group of men who have one goal that changes and they become mad with power and have no consideration for the victims. The victims most times, can be completely innocent and the person with control wants them gone because of their beliefs and religion, so their freedom and life are drastically changed because of a personal or her-ital choice they or there ancestors have made.

Most Genocides that have happened are infamous and on the Internet so its possibly to know about many of them. The holocaust is one that i knew some facts about but i just looked it up and it is one of the biggest mass murdering events in the world and in history. More than 6 million people died, but 6 million of them were of Jewish decent. The concentration camps also took out other religions and different colored people, so basically, anyone who was not blue eyed and blond haired white heterosexual male or female who was all there in the head was killed. They persecuted mentally ill and homosexual victims. this is an event that went down in history as evil, it is very sad, and only happened about 65 to 80 years ago. Many people suffered, not only the people who were killed, but everyone. The average people who were just trying to live. Most people now-a-days don't understand the pain that these people went through. The Jews had to give up all of their belongings and give them to the Nazis to help supply the money that was going into the holocaust.
What i know is that my grandpa and grandma on my dads side are both 100 percents German, and they were children when the Holocaust started, or when it was in motion, and i know their childhoods were very hard. They had nothing like we have today, absolutely nothing. My grandpa had to go to work on a coal barge when he was 15 because his family was so poor.It was very hard work for cheap because of the time era and his age. This is right after this genocide, and from the stories I've heard them say, and they were not really directed by the holocaust in many ways. My grandma says she remembers soldiers coming to his small village, but they were nice. All i remember from her stories about this is that her family became very poor. So it did affect everybody in the whole country.

I can even imagine the soldiers breaking down because of the killing of so many people, it is unbearable. To work at a factory that only kills people or die yourself, i just don't understand how this happened. Many of the German soldiers died from many different things, but one huge factor was starvation. There was not enough food for everybody, and many people quit working to be a Nazi, so even less food.

After writing this i feel very grateful to be alive in the best time yet, yes there is still many international and local problems. But for the most part i have a good live. I don't have to worry about starving or being homeless and i live in a good community. Even my dad's childhood was tougher than mine, he had alot of work, to help support his family. There still was starving people in his time, and even my time, but not so much in America as other countries. I am thankful for living in America.