Blake Mycoskie, inStart Something THAT Matters, wrote, "Stories are the most primitive and purest form of communication. The most enduring and galvanizing ideas and values of our civilization are embedded in our stories, from those of Homer, whose preliterate epic poems united the Greeks' national spirit, and Virgil, whose poems did the same for the Romans, to those told by Jesus, who used parables to teach his disciples. It seems to be in our genetic makeup to capture our best ideas in stories, to enjoy them, to learn from them, and to pass them on to others" (2011, p. 25). (By the way, I'm using APA formatting and not MLA here, so don't get confused.) Many of us use Facebook to share such stories that move us. Write about a time you shared a story (or followed a link to a story) that touched your heart or moved you in some way. You may have been moved to tears, enraged over an injustice, or prompted to act in some way. I'm talking about real stories not the funny, nonsensical stuff that is also often shared. For example, I was moved and inspired by "Caine's Arcade," and it prompted me to share it with you. Describe the story you encountered, your reaction(s), and then post the link below. Then state why you think this story matters to humanity and how its universal to us all. ONLY SHARE STORIES THAT ARE APPROPRIATE! You must write your first name and last initial and class period each time you post. Example: Shelia S, period 1. You must also use academic language. Absolutely NO texting abbreviations. Initial Response is due on Friday. Your response to a classmate is due on Monday.
118 Comments
4/18/2012 03:24:25 am
Watching the viral video of Joseph Kony I found on Facebook moved me and inspired me. Because of that 30-minute long video, I was aware of issues outside of the United States . The reason why many of us are not aware of issues like that is because America will not publish these kinds of stories in the News. Helping the people in Africa would not benefit the United States economically or politically; however, that shouldn’t stop us from taking actions against Kony. There are many kids that are suffering through what Kony is or were putting them through; hence, it would only be morally and ethically righteous for many of us to do something about it. In many ways, this video elicited both anger and sympathy. I was angered by the actions of Kony, and was also mad at the fact that we’re (people in America ) so ignorant. I sympathize for the kids that are forced to be Kony’s slave. Ultimately, though, I was inspired to raise awareness so that people are aware of issues happening around the world. This matters because if this were to happen in the United States, we would want other countries to aid us if they had the ability to make a difference.
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Emmelynn G., Period 2
4/26/2012 02:32:07 am
I also thought this video was inspiring. But it also showed me the how powerful the internet is. The video spread so fast to so many people. Now almost everyone in school knows about it and is talking about.
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Tonny Tay Period 1
4/26/2012 06:27:20 am
This is still continuing. People keep talking about it. Sooner or later no one will really care, cause this has been going on for so long already.
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Shishei T., Per. 2
4/26/2012 11:11:59 am
This video also inspired me. I never really know that a propaganda can be spread this way. Their "Cover the Night" activity sounds very mysterious and powerful which makes me want to join them. I admire people who started this kind of propaganda a lot.
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4/27/2012 01:20:43 am
This video inspired me. I really want to be apart of something that matters and makes a difference in the world. We have a moral obligation to help others who are less fortunate than us because we would other to help us in times of need.
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Andrew S. Per.1
4/28/2012 12:08:22 pm
I thought that the Kony 2012 video was not what it seemed to be. Many had posted response videos that were from Uganda and have lived there and laughed at the entire video. They stated that Joseph Kony had been recruiting his army for some time now. Also Invisible Children had informed us what was going on over there a couple of years ago. Why does the U.S. step in now?
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Amy W. Period 2
4/29/2012 02:50:14 am
This video shocked me because there are people who are no different from Adolf Hitler in World War 2. Joseph Kony is a man who must be stopped because of his war crimes that he committed and must be tried in court. Although many people would want Kony to be stopped, there are many people who believe that he’s dead and it would be a waste of the U.S due to the fact that the government has their own problems in their economy.
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Jimmy A, Period 2
4/29/2012 02:40:37 pm
Not only Kony, many people around the world is still under a dependent government. This only alert us that something is happening in another country. And want we should do is to let everyone influence to the world and take the people out from the hell
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Kristine T.
4/29/2012 02:45:01 pm
Kony wasn't really brought into America's attention because it won't help with anything financially. This is why no one really paid much attention to Uganda. Since Uganda won't do us any good, we won't step in to lend a helping hand. This matters because no matter what we should always be there for someone in need. It just shows how mean everyone is nowadays. I was too inspired by this video. It showed me a lot. It showed me that I should really value what my parents had given me, that America is really a free country, that laws and regulations are strong to keep us organized. This video also showed that we should all step up and make a difference because as a whole, everything will succeed even if it takes time because without an "ok," that is not the end.
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Pauline M. Period 1
5/4/2012 12:55:24 am
You wrote that, "It just shows how mean everyone is nowadays." I can't completely coincide with what you stated ,but I understand what you are trying to point out. I would say that it shows how isolated we've become , and how we have abandoned the poverty of other countries. This also had brought me to my attention of how much I need to value what I have everyday and how things are taken granted daily.
Daniela H, period 2
4/30/2012 03:21:56 pm
If only we could make a change and stop Kony i would feel better sleeping at night knowing some peace has been done... i truely sympathize for those kids.
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Hector C. Period 2
4/30/2012 04:13:04 pm
I have always wondered why we things like this never really comes up to our attention until it's too late. I feel that United States needs to be able to see the global affairs as well as domestic pop idols. If we can see more global affairs maybe we can prevent crisis like Kony and whoever else may threaten society.
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Ryan Kan, Period 1
5/4/2012 12:15:03 am
This video inspired me because the fact that Kony has such huge power in Africa while nobody has the ability to stopped him from doing all these things. This matters because everyone was shocked and feel bad for those kids that were kidnapped by Kony. People are even trying to get the American Government involve. Hopefully this is going to happen one day and Kony is going to get caught.
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Juan H Period 1
5/4/2012 12:33:50 am
Personally I wish I could do something to get the governments attention so that they could think of something to do to stop this madness. This is completely wrong and should be stopped at once. This video is really sad to watch because you see little kids being trained to kll.
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Jenny Chuang, period 1
5/6/2012 03:01:55 pm
i remember watching a viral video about joseph kony a while ago when the invisible children were at mark keppel giving a presentation. it started dying down after a while since no one talks about it after weeks, but then as the popular network builds up, facebook video sharing started causing everyone to notice the new video of kony when the invisible children were to put up another video about it 3 or 4 years later.
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Davis Wang Per.1
5/10/2012 01:39:23 pm
This video also inspired me very much. It hurts to see what people have been having to put up with that are less fortunate than us.
Erik M. period 1
5/14/2012 01:15:46 am
this story/documentary changed the way i thought. i did not know stuff like this even existed. we are all stuck in our own lives and we complain about simple little problems. it sucks to see real problems like this that most people never even knew about. i feel for these kids and it sucks that this may not ever change.
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Sandie Barreras, Period 2
5/14/2012 04:20:35 am
This story of Kony made me think. I realized that i have it good, compared to people in other countries. I complain about my life but people in other countries have it way harder than i ever will and i just have to be grateful for what i have.
Liana Wong P2
5/14/2012 05:51:48 am
Joseph Kony has become almost a household name in almost no time; however, controversies have arisen-- whether or not the motives behind Kony 2012 were pure or just another way to make money. In my opinion, Kony 2012 did what it was intended to do: raise awareness.
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Michelle L, Period 2
4/18/2012 02:54:01 pm
Some time ago on Facebook, I saw a video about China that enraged me. The video showed footage from a video surveillance camera of a little kid getting run over two times. The worst part of the video was that none of the passerby bothered to help the child after she was run over the first time. Eventually, the kid's mother found her and took her away. The video also showed the mother's grief and an interview at the end (which I couldn't understand). At first, I felt fear for the child when she got ran over the first time, then anger at the people who saw the child on the ground but didn't stop to help, then sadness for the mother. This video shows firsthand how dangerous it is to be on the streets of China, and perhaps prompts us to take action to correct it. However, I don't see a solution. The difference between this and an accident is that the driver knew what he was doing.
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Sindy L. Period 2
4/19/2012 01:29:38 pm
I saw that video as well, it made me sick to my stomach to watch it and not be able to do anything about it. I couldn't believe how many people just passed by. It made it seem like it was an average every-day occurrence to them. The part that bothered me the most was how only one person decided to do anything about it and even then, that person pulled the little girl to the side of the road quite forcefully. She practically yanked her over, not giving any care to how critical her condition might be.
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Emmelynn G., Period 2
4/26/2012 02:27:40 am
I had the same reaction as you when I saw this video as well. I was appalled because people looked directly at her and were just inches, even centimeters, away from her! But I think this video is very helpful because it shows people what not to do. This shows that you should help someone that's hurting, even though it may be a scary sight. Parents could learn from this video as well. They need to make sure they know their kids whereabouts so they know they're safe and don't have any regrets.
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Derrick D. Per. 2
5/14/2012 03:20:17 am
Just watching this video made me sick and couldn't just let that brutality go unpunished. It goes against my belieft in life and one thing for sure is that this incident is the act of undistinctively evil. Although this incident took place in China and rules may be different when driving, it still doesn't excuse the first-degree murder.
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Matthew Low, Period 1
4/19/2012 04:55:46 am
http://m.yahoo.com/w/news_america/summitt-great-ride-tennessee-181238598--spt.html?orig_host_hdr=news.yahoo.com&.intl=us&.lang=en-us
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Tonny T. Period 1
4/19/2012 06:09:14 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O7zkXjSQWk
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4/19/2012 09:11:11 am
Catana Starks' astonishing story of taking risky actions to start something that matters caught my attention a few months ago. This video enlightened me to take courage and show respect to everyone around me. I would have never had the confidence and motivation to start a Division 1 African American Men's golf team in Tennessee in the 80's. Giving minorities a chance to succeed at something and work together at the same time is truly inspiring. Bringing together individuals from different parts of the world to be on the same team is what I like to call a true team. A team that is "worlds apart" yet so close to be able to assemble and compete as one would now a days be very unusual. Without that one person like Starks who goes above and beyond to create such a unique program that changes the lives of so many, we would probably be living in a much less secure society. Nonetheless, the upcoming film about Starks story, I believe, is extremely ideal and will give everyone the inspiration to do something for themselves and others that will matter in this world.
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Ann Y, Period 1
4/19/2012 10:07:18 am
In January, I came across a video about a young woman named Janet whom is diagnosed with leukemia. Up till now, she haven't found a perfect marrow donor. She is going through chemotherapy and is taking different types of medication till she have found a perfect match. When I was watching this, I burst into tears. It wasn't because it was sad, but because I couldn't do anything to help her. At the end of the video, I knew that the only thing I can do was help spread the words. Our life is pretty unpredictable. We don't know what will happen tomorrow or the next day. Nobody ever wants this to happen to them. Most of the people, one day, will fall upon a disease that might need similar help like Janet's situation. Even though we may not be her perfect match or cannot donate marrow due to personal reasons, we should, at least, help spread the words and hope someone that may be her perfect match will save her.
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Helen F. period 2
4/21/2012 08:46:10 am
This video is very touching. I agree with you that we need to help spread the words. We need to help others in order for them to help us when we need help.
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Jenny Chuang, Period 1
4/27/2012 02:29:26 pm
Janet Liang, is actually one of my friend who I met while volunteering at a UCLA non-profit organization project. She is a really kind and fun person to be around. Her inspirational movement of creating the Helping Janet organization really moved me. She like us are just a regular person who lives regular life until one day realizaing that she was diagnosed with leukemia, but it didnt stop her there. She actually went up to creating this whole group to help not just her, but many others who are in need of a donor. That is something we lack in society. And I eager many of you who reads this to try out and see if you are a match, because she only have a few weeks left to find a donor. :(
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4/19/2012 10:08:05 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJTXLuu7_0Y
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Jerry J. Period 2
4/26/2012 03:19:45 pm
WOW! That was crazy , i agree i would to try to stop such an injustice. They both are crazy because they bike guy kicked the car first , which if he dented it(the driver's car) the driver would be mad. But the driver shouldn't have tried to run the guy over. No one should ever try to run someone over , they would just go to jail for crime or even murder. Both of them should be off the streets
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Leon H. Period 1
4/30/2012 10:00:22 am
I read about how people are less willing to help others in distress when there are more people around. This makes me wonder why our society is like this.
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4/19/2012 10:32:12 am
One day in Ms. Sutton's class, we watched a movie called Gridiron Gang. It is about Sean Porter, a man who works with juveniles in a camp, who decides to start a football team. Putting the boys in a football taught them how to work as a team and it that takes hard and "It's been done and it's going to be cheesy and unoriginal." How wrong was I? After watching the movie, I was so touched and inspired. It made me research and include the characters in an essay I wrote for class, and it made me want to share the movie with all my friends. I think it made such an impact on me because the message mattered universally. It matters to humanity because it shows us that we all make mistakes but that's not what life's all about. Life is about making mistakes and fixing them and learning from them. The boys in the film all made mistakes, which is why they are in Camp Kilpatrick. In the beginning, they were stubborn, rebellious, couldn't do anything except mope around and feel sorry for themselves, and took their feelings out on others. But after Sean Porter put these boys in a football team, they learned what life is about. It touched me because I saw many tough-looking guys break down for losing their first football game. But after that, it inspired me because their loss didn't make them upset, as they might've been if they didn't join this football team. Instead, they used it as motivation to win and succeed. After many of them left Camp Kilpatrick, they turned their life around and learned from their experiences being on a football team.
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Ellen P., Period 2
4/26/2012 02:41:37 am
This movie also inspired me because it showed me not to give up so easily, because as long as I try my best, I will succeed. It also showed me that no matter how hard I fall, I can pick myself up again as long as I am confident.
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Tonny Tay Period 1
4/26/2012 06:29:03 am
This film I really love. It is makes me think about Juveniles. Will never get tired of this movie.
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Kristine T.
4/29/2012 02:48:43 pm
This movie was super good! I loved this movie a lot. It proved to me that there are second chances. Even when those gang members made a mistake, they changed for the better. They grew a heart. During the games where the team lost, they motivated themselves and picked up their chins and continued. They never gave up. The perseverance that they had led them to win and succeed because everyone is winner not a loser in this world. With whatever you set your mind into, you will succeed
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Brandon H
5/10/2012 08:48:22 am
This movie is very touching, Sean Porter never gave up on the juveniles. He pushes them to work together and force them to get along even though they were in different gangs.
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Lucas T. Period 1
5/11/2012 01:10:03 am
This movie is a motivator to me because they show the point of view of what its like to get into trouble and then get a second chance to make things right. If you don't get in trouble, there is no need to get a second chance because you are doing okay in life, staying out of trouble. People in this world believe that second chances would help other people to do something right in this world as long as they know what they did was wrong. I am one of those believers.
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Jennifer T. Period 2
4/19/2012 10:59:38 am
Anytime I come across a video that is by Peta it always moves me because of the way they treat the animals. All the cruelty is just a horrible thing that animals should not be dealing with. Two videos from them really caught attention though, they were the "No Fur" and the "Elephants Never Forget". The "No Fur" one talked about people in Canada beating baby seals to death for their fur. Sometimes skinning them while they are still alive and bloody. The "Elephants Never Forget" one was about circuses training the elephants by whipping them in their most sensitive areas. Both of these videos brought tears to my eyes and i sign the petition they had for both of them.
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Michelle L. Period 2
4/23/2012 03:16:52 pm
I haven't seen the videos, but I am outraged at unchecked animal cruelty. Although animals may not be able to communicate with us, they feel pain too. We should treat them as we would like to be treated.
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Alyssa Benipayo, Period 2
4/29/2012 05:16:48 pm
I have not seen the videos by Peta YET, but hearing news about animal cruelty is a crime, and it really brings an emotional impact to me every time I see a video or even pictures of the cruelty that horrible people can do to animals! I would also say (agreeing with Michelle's comment) that animals may not be able to communicate like we humans can do, but we, humans, should at least treat them like how we wanted to be treated.
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Gary H., Period 1
4/19/2012 11:04:37 am
One of the things that I've encountered was a photo that had surfaced all over the place (ex. Facebook) a few months ago. It was a photo of two men kissing, one was a man in the U.S. Marine's and the other was his partner, at a homecoming. Because of the photo, that had made it's way throughout the internet, it gained over 650 comments within twelve hours after it was posted onto the users Facebook. Not all of the comments that was being posted about the photo were nice. There were comments that had contained disgusts because of the man, that IS in the Marine's, was kissing his partner while wearing his uniform. As if it was a wrong thing to do, and as if it were a disrespectful thing to do while in uniform. The users eventually made a statement after all the hype over the photo, stating, "To everyone who has responded in a positive way. My partner and I want to say thank you." and then responded to those who had made negative comments with, "As for the haters, let em hate...to quote Kat Williams, everyone needs haters, so let them hate. We are the happiest we have ever been and as for the whole PDA and kissing slash hugging in uniform...it was a homecoming, if the Sergeants Major, Captains, Majors, and Colonels around us didn't care...then why do you care what these random people have to say?" This was so inspiring to me because no matter what you're going to do, there will always be a problem. But sometimes you just gotta move on, keep your head up, know what you think is right, and to always be true to yourself.
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Yangfan Z. Period 2
4/19/2012 11:28:45 am
I could not find anything interesting online so I return to old fashioned printed books and articles. The story that moved me the most is an eastern story retold by Leo Tolstoy in My Confession.
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Katherine Ang, Period 1
4/19/2012 11:53:45 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPsuLsJR5LI
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Ryan Kan, Period 1
5/4/2012 12:21:22 am
Seeing animals being abused just depresses me every single time. With animals that has no power to fight back at all, how could one even try to hurt them. Animals are our friends, we are supposed to take care of them and treat them nicely, not to hurt them or even trying to kill them. This matters because as there are more news and cases about animal abusing, the society will pay more attention to them and eventually, and hopefully, the judicial branch might increase its punishment towards abusing animals.
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Jennifer T. Per. 2
5/14/2012 03:20:10 am
Any video i see with animal abuse breaks my heart. I agree that some people are really inhumane. They are the people who think that animals have no feelings and treat them like trash. When i see a video like that, depending on how bad the video is then i would not be able to watch it. People need to realize that animals have feelings too.
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4/19/2012 12:16:14 pm
i looked up an Euthanasia video because my brother did a report about people who were really sick. It got me wondering on how these people live there life, and i saw the condition on how these people are living. I felt so sorry for them because i feel so lucky to have my health being able to go to school everyday and see other people. This video shows how sadnessthat they give a Right to Life spokesperson the final word in this report.
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I saw this video last year, for my Mandarin class. The video is about a mother who has not seen her daughter for a long time. The daughter, who lives in the United States, sends a photo to the mom saying that she just had a baby. This prompts the mother to go to the US to look for her daughter and make some some soup for her to recover from childbirth. The mother knows no English, is traveling 32,000 km and has no one to help her; this is all to see her daughter. Throughout this whole video, I could see my mom doing all those things the mother in the video did for her daughter. In fact, my mother actually did something similar for me but I was too stubborn to acknowledge it at the time. This video teaches you to appreciate your mom, because you may never truly realize the lengths that a mother would go through for their children.
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Sindy L. Period
4/19/2012 01:05:34 pm
Sorry, forgot to put the period. Period 2.
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Eric L.
4/19/2012 01:03:51 pm
A couple months ago i saw a video that multiple people shared on facebook that showed a gang of white students relentlessly attacking an asian teen. The video has since been removed due to its graphic content, but the period the period of time that it was up, there was an extreme uprising from the internet community against bullying. However this video didn't just infuriate me because of the heinous crime, but also because it was a hate crime towards asian americans. Although there is an inspiring factor to this story, and it is the amount of anger towards bullying this proved. This anger wasn't just a group of upset bloggers, but the coming together of asian americans that really showcases the pride we have for ourselves and our culture.
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Eric L.
4/19/2012 01:05:00 pm
Per. 1 ^
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Eliza Ly, period 2
4/19/2012 02:58:13 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc
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Ryan Kan, period 1
4/19/2012 04:03:49 pm
The yideo about the little girl that got ran over in China really touched me. It happened back in November last year when this little girl got hit by a truck, then the truck driver backed up and rolled over her twice again. This is really shocking to me not only because what the truck driver has done to this poor innocent little girl, it has shown the culture and the people's heart in China. In China, if you hit somehow and they died, you are just going to be fined once. But if the person that you hit was injured severely, then you need to take care of them and pay for all of their medical treatment fees for the rest of their lives. Therefore, a lot of Chinese people rather back up and roller over the person a couple times, just to make sure they're dead, rather than taking the responsibility for the rest of their lives. This is very cruel and uncivilized. How could one country's people have a mind like that. This is just unbelievable and heart braking. I think the Chinese Government should at least do something like changing the rules in order to prevent things like this to ever happen again.
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4/19/2012 05:10:25 pm
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Derrick D. Period 2
4/19/2012 10:50:25 pm
The story of Kony 2012 opened my eyes and realized that there are people around the world who only chaos, tyranny, and power. When the advocate for Kony tried to get us to listen, I was touched by how within their voice, they have a motive, meaning to their action. It all started when a guy named Jason Russell went to Uganda and saw the horror done by Joseph Kony. From that day Jason dedicated his life to freeing the nation of Uganda from the tyranny of Kony. Joseph tactics of kidnapping young children and forcing them to join his army only gives Jason a higher chance to receiving aid from any government organization.
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Amy Wen, Period 2
4/20/2012 06:15:39 am
The novel that has moved me this past month is, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games describe the future United States that is separated by districts one to twelve and the government treats their people unfairly. Every year, the capitol forces young adolescents from the twelve districts to participate in these games known as the Hunger Games. Two kids from each district are taken from their homes and placed into The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a game where kids have to kill each other in order to survive. The government used these games to entertain themselves and to show the people of Panem that they aren't powerful to rebel against the government. The book opened my eyes on government because our superiors dictate what Americans should do and it isn’t fair. Although they might ban the use of drugs that are harmful to human health and illegal weapons, there are people who would still import these illegal items and sell them to the black market.
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Ms. S
4/23/2012 11:59:24 pm
We are looking for true stories in this discussion thread.
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David L. period 1
4/20/2012 10:28:50 am
A video that I have encountered on facecook was when I saw the video of the racist white girls from Arizona. I saw this video a few months ago on facebook. As I was watching this video I was socked and mostly angry at the ignorant comments these girls were saying. They were sending a message to the hispanic community saying very racist things and using more cuss words than someone in middle school. What got to me the most was when they said that the "mexicans" weren't here(the US) first. Get your history straight! First it was the natives then the mexicans then the americans. A popular saying in the hispanic community "we (mexicans) didn't cross the border, the border crossed us!"
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Lucas T Period 1
4/20/2012 01:51:39 pm
when i saw the Joseph Kony video, i was disappointed about what Joseph Kony was doing. The fact that he was controlling women and children was frustrating to see in the video. Every single one of those civilians had the right of freedom. But that was lost when Joseph Kony was forcing them into armies and sex slaves. It has been going on for almost 27 years. Joseph Kony has been operating and the United States government and didn't know about it. When the government knew about it, they did nothing about it. It was not fair to those civilians that were in very grave danger and the United States government looked the other way. Joseph Kony needs to be stopped, whether its now or sometime in the future. But Joseph Kony needs to be stopped soon as possible.
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Linda O. Period 1
4/20/2012 04:22:59 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jocw-oD2pgo
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Matthew Low
4/21/2012 01:49:25 am
This video was very touching, especially since sports are extremely competitive and other teams want to win. So seeing players help an opposing team is really inspiring.
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Lucas T. Period 1
4/26/2012 12:10:45 pm
This video was very touching. That fact that two girls from the other team stepped up to help Sara around the bases, proves that this is the right way to play in sports. This is right form of sportsmanship. If every sport had a moment like this, sports would have more fans and more people playing in sports. Unfortunately, its not that way in this world. Its very competitive and people are focusing on winning with little sportsmanship on the side.
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Cameron W. Period 1
4/20/2012 05:12:53 pm
This story is old but its about Jason McElwain. Jason is an autistic teenager. He was the team manager of the basketball team because he couldn't play. In the last game of the season, the coach put him into the game as a reward for his dedication to the team. Here you have an autistic boy playing basketball in a real game for the first time. His first shot was an air ball. After that he went on to knock down 6 three pointers and ended the game with 20 points. A teenager with autism scored 20 points in his first game ever. This just goes to show you that all your hard work, dedication, and persistence can be rewarded in a span of a few minutes. Jason still plays pick up games today. He admits that he will never have an experience like that again. An experience that made him who he is.
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Helen F. Period 2
4/21/2012 08:41:14 am
A few weeks ago, I came across a biography video clip about a women whose life completely change after she taken a commonly taken seasonal flu vaccine. She had start her cheerleader career and continue to learn how to be someone's wife. Her life was full of happiness before the injection of flu vaccine. After ten day of the vaccine injection, she began experiencing flu like symptoms, followed by severe convulsions and black outs.No one know what was the disease until seeing around 60 doctors, she was eventually diagnosed with dystonia, a paralyzing neurological disorder that causes the muscles to relentlessly contract and spasm.Now she can barely talk or walk and her life has all but been destroyed. She can't start her cheerleader career and take care of her husband.This example alter us not to vaccine when it is not needed.
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Ann Y, Period 1
4/22/2012 01:42:06 am
Her whole life is changed by one vaccine. Who would ever knew this would cause a big effect on her.
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Diana Rongavilla
4/22/2012 07:10:31 pm
Last year, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a Facebook post about "Super Narc."
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Diana Rongavilla Per. 1
4/22/2012 07:11:01 pm
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meleddy tavarez p2
5/14/2012 04:15:21 am
people (parents and other adults) tell us don't judge a book by its cover, but that is exactly what we do. it is how we decide who we want to hang out with who will help us in class when your friends aren't there or your teacher is busy. super narc looks mean bye the way stands, walks, and rides his bike but he is just doing his job yea we think he takes it to seriously but he seriously cares for our safety and his job. he is also fair with us he gives us a warning but if we continue to defy the rules he takes action(deans office). He has never sent me to the deans but every once in a while i'll wear a hat/beanie and if he sees me he tells me to put it away and i do. he is doing his job he is not a dictator he is a person who happens to help run the school for our safety.i respect him for doing his job.
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Christina Wang, Period 1
4/24/2012 03:44:35 pm
Recently, I randomly clicked on this interesting article on my newsfeed. It was a short story about two friends. It starts out with the student who was the popular and smart guy in his school. He saw a student carrying all his books home on a Friday. A couple friends bullied him, and all his books fell onto the floor. The popular student and went over and picked them up and they became best friends for the next four years. During the graduation speech, the nerdy friend who was now the valectdictorian revealed that his friend was the one who had saved him from committing suicide, and that he was taking his books home so that his mom wouldn't have to clean it out for him.
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4/26/2012 01:30:47 am
First things first, the testing they do on animals is incredibly cruel and it's hard not to be a little disturbed just by looking at the pictures in this article. However, that being said, it's necessary to have these tests on animals so that we know what is safe for us humans to use. I for one value a human life more than an animal. If there is a better alternative than what they are using, then I am all for it but if there isn't then I will just have to turn my back on this issue. What is mind boggling is that most people will complain and yell "this is wrong! stop testing on these poor animals!" and what not, but yet most of those people will be the first to buy the very same product instead of boycotting it and standing up for what they supposedly believe in. If you want companies to stop testing on animals, do your part and stop buying make-up from these companies and stop complaining and doing nothing about it. Pick a side and don't be a hypocrite.
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Robert R period 1
4/26/2012 01:32:34 am
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2134555/Lush-animal-testing-protest-Woman-subjected-experiments-horrified-shoppers.html
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4/26/2012 01:33:18 am
I did no find my story on Facebook but I did find it on Tumblr and I re blogged it to share it with other because of how horrifying it is.
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Tonny Tay Period 1
4/26/2012 06:33:14 am
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/31/girl-sparks-animal-activi_n_701011.html (Watch at your own risk, very horrifying.)
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Shishei T., Per. 2
4/26/2012 11:21:29 am
The video "Caine's Arcade" shared in Ms. Sutton's class is very interesting. It's about a boy named Caine who started a card board arcade by himself, and he tried so hard to get a customer for his arcade. At first, many may think that he is naive and childish. However, it actually shows that he is a potential entrepreneur. In fact, a lot of childish fantasy can become something real and a business. However, the passion for a lot of these fantasies are push out when as the children mature. Therefore, I think people should actually pay attention to their children's inspirations. Since people start paying attention at Caine's inspirations, he got more motivation to work harder and to improve. I have confidence that he will become someone great in the future.
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Lucas T.
4/26/2012 11:29:10 am
The commercials with wounded animals or animals that don't have homes is very touching. Every time i see the commercial, it makes me feel guilty because i can't do anything about it to give those pets a home. I feel that we should support this organization and do our best that we can to help.
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Lucas T. Period 1
4/26/2012 11:30:06 am
Period 1 (forgot to put it down)
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Danny Ngo P2
4/26/2012 03:16:37 pm
A video that I watched that enraged me was about an old Asian man who was mugged by several high school teenage boys in broad daylight. In the video, the boys savagely and relentlessly beat him down over and over again. The older man laying on the floor with his hands over his head repeatedly begged the boys to leave him alone. What makes matters even worse was the video was uploaded by the same culprits and even blogged about how "amazingly fun" the fight was. What this video shows is how dark human nature is. The fact that even a senior citizen can be considered as an acceptable target in society to teenagers leaves me shock and appealed. The world outside is a scary place where justice doesn't always win. As individuals, we need to be on guard for these horrendous activities and stand up for those who can't protect themselves.
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4/26/2012 03:43:21 pm
A story about a man named Cliff Young. This story is about running a ultra-marathon in Australia , its 543.7miles long , takes 5 days. Mostly super athletes(age 30 and under) run this marathon. But this 61 year old shocked everyone! The Press and others would question him why he was running this and that he will not make it. He replied back with spirit that he can win this race and then talked about what he was doing on the farm and why he can accomplish this race. Then the race went on, every super athlete knew the race took around 5 days (18 hours day and 6 hour sleep)but Young did not know that so he surpassed the super athlete runners by not sleeping at all, in the end he got 1st prize ( $10,000)! He didn't know there was a prize so he ended it with giving it all away. This story is amazing because this means anything is possible you just have to have the spirit and believe in it.
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Andrew S. Per. 1
4/28/2012 12:52:48 pm
I was on Yahoo and i had seen this story about a father who found out that his autistic son was being bullied by the teachers at his school. This really pissed me off and made me wonder why a professional teacher would do such a thing? I read on and it turns out that there were a couple of teachers and also their aides that were bullying that 10 year old with autism. The father wired his son and he caught them on audio all the horrible things they were saying. They were talking about alcohol, their husbands, lying to parents, etc. the father turned in the audio and only one person was fired out of all the bullies. this enrages me because all of the other teachers and aides are still teaching at the elementary school, they were only moved to another class. I truly believe they should have been fired. This should not happen to any child in a school. A teacher is supposed to be a friend, a counselor, and even a protector especially to kids with autism. It makes me wonder what this world is coming to. You guys can watch the video if you like.
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4/29/2012 03:11:16 am
A year ago, I was looking through interesting news to read on the internet. Then, a video with an eye catching title caught my attention. When I finally clicked on the video, I saw a girl throwing puppies into a cold, fast-moving river. That's one of the cruelest things I've ever seen in my life because it’s like killing an innocent life that hasn’t started living yet. This girl deserved to be punished and the fact the she posted this video on YOUTUBE makes this girl a cold blooded animal killer.
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Pauline M. Period 1
4/29/2012 05:47:15 am
Tumblr.com is a blog site that allows us to post pictures, to start a movement , and just blog. I follow many blogs, but there was one that had my attention, and It was different. This was when Tumblr had barely started out, and there was thousands of re-blogs on this one picture. This girl who was tired of feeling insecure decided to create a blog about her weight-loss story. When I was on her blog she had pictures and stories of her progress. About her lifestyle change, home workouts,and images of before and after. I chose to share this story not just because of her weight-loss but her motivation. I know that there are a lot of people who are naturally slender and you may think this wouldn't be relevant to you, but I felt like it wasn't just about her weight-loss story that had caught my eye but it was her self-motivation, and how she'll motivate readers on different aspects. I feel that this is universal to us because just one achievement can initiate millions of aspiration.
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Jimmy A. Period 2
4/29/2012 02:34:23 pm
This video is in Chinese but partly English.
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Kristine T.
4/29/2012 02:39:11 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc
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4/29/2012 05:12:00 pm
The first time I've heard about Hana Hwang was when I was scrolling down Tumblr's dashboard. Hana Hwang, first of all, was a hospitalized teen who's suffering from progeria, which is a rare genetic condition that causes children to age eight to ten times faster than the average person and shortening their life expectancy considerably. Though despite her condition, she's an optimistic, beautiful being who brings smiles to people around her. In the video, her wish was fulfilled when Selena Gomez surprisingly visited her, which I thought was heartfelt finding out what good celebrities can do with their fame. Overall, I think this story matters to humanity and how its universal to all of us in every angle. This story teaches us, humans, that despite the troubles we're going through in our lifetime, the utmost choice we have: Keep our head up, just like Hana Hwang. Another reason why I think this story matters because it also teaches us to take our time to great deed. It doesn't necessarily have to be like a huge gift to a friend, but maybe a smile to a stranger or a visit to the hospital or charity. It'll make a little difference to the person/people you encounter.
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Juan Herrera Period 1
4/30/2012 08:15:26 am
Watching the video of Joseph Kony moved me and inspired me. I was aware of issues outside of the United States . The reason why many of us are not aware of issues like that is because we dont take the time to search things around the world. Helping the people in Africa might not benefit the U.S economically or politically; however, that shouldn’t stop us from taking actions against Kony. There are many kids that are suffering through what Kony is or were putting them through; and many of us should do something about it. In many ways, this video elicited both anger and sympathy. I was angered by the actions of Kony, and was also mad at the fact that we’re (people in America ) so ignorant. I was inspired to raise awareness so that people are aware of issues happening around the world. This matters because if this were to happen in the U.S, we would want other countries to aid us if they had the ability to make a difference.
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Zachary Chen, Period 2
5/1/2012 12:00:29 pm
The kony video really inspired me as well. I think there are corruptions everywhere across the world. I believe it is impossible to stop all of them. However, I believe is clicking and watching the video is going to make a change in the lives of the African people. I will be glad to do that. We all want to make a change in the world and I agree with you that this is how we do it to build a better tomorrow for mankind.
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Leon H. Period 1
4/30/2012 09:58:18 am
A few days ago, I read a post on Reddit.com. The poster told the community of his story about losing his parents in a house fire and living with bad foster parents. He was able to get emancipated from his foster home now he is living alone. He is supporting himself and is doing well. His story made me think about what I would do if my parents passed away.
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Daniela H , period 2
4/30/2012 03:17:50 pm
I was on facebook one night and i see all these post about Koney and at first i was like whats all this nonsense talk ! But then the next day in ms. suttons class we started watching the Koney video and we didnt get to finish it i came home did research on it and watched the half hour video it really intrigged me and i showed my family and friends. But the worst part was knowing i could not do anything to help win this battle of finding him and putting a stop to it. What those kids go through is a feeling i could not phathom but was heartbreaking. The video went viral the first week it came out and since i have not heard much talk about it but i pray by the end of 2012 we will have some peace for those unfortunate then us.
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Hector C. Period 2
4/30/2012 04:10:24 pm
There this time post that I could not forget because it was sad and touching. On facebook, I read a post talking about this guy who wanted to divorce his wife because he found someone else who wanted to be with. The wife didn't seem pleased and seemed worried about her child. She asked for one request instead of inheriting half of his company. For one whole month he is to carry his wife down stairs up stairs and etc. The man accepted the awkward request and did not question it. He did this everyday from going to work and going back upstairs. The man started to feel attracted back to wife again and told the person he was seeing that he doesn't want a divorce anymore and is no longer interested in her. The man goes buy flowers and goes home to his wife. His wife is dead from fighting cancer. For the past month his wife was fighting cancer without him knowing. In his son's eye he was a hero but the man knew he wasn't.
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Alyssa Benipayo, Period 2
5/4/2012 01:14:24 am
Many people tend to forget what they have already obtained, especially when it's right in front of them. In agreement to Hector's post, the story shared on Facebook is a great example of how the man, like people nowadays, forgot (and then remembered) the little moments he and his wife cherished long before his decision on divorce, which he, thankfully, did not put into action.
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Vincent D, per.2
5/1/2012 03:19:14 am
Our class watched a movie in class called "The Blindside", which was bases on the book by Michael Lewis. The storyline feature Michael Oher, an impoverished student, with no where to live. The Tuohy family adopted Michael and bought him into their home. They gave Michael everything he ever needed and also motivated Michael to try out football. The Tuohy family gave Michael the love he never received and that led to his success. This story was very inspirational and it prompt me to watch it again. This story sends out a powerful message and it is a great example that displays how helping someone can change their lives for the better.
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Sandie Barreras, period 2
5/14/2012 04:18:00 am
This movie was very touching. It made me think about if there are really people out there in this world like that, and if there is, not many are like that. I loved this movie the fact that she didnt judge him on the way he looks but the way he was. She was brave to take in someone in her home, and i also loved how her husband didnt care that he was living with them neither. (:
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Zachary Chen Period 2
5/1/2012 11:58:28 am
One of the stories I read was the video about kony 2012 video. I heard from my friends. On a thursday, my good friend send me the link and told me to watch the video. I did not care much at first. However, after watching it, I was shocked by the power of that video. I learned that Kony is still out there and politically abusing the people in Africa. I understood the fact that many Africans are still suffering from the destruction of civil war and political corruption. Therefore, I wanted to make a change. I decided to become part of it so I can share the message with everyone. I am determined to bring kony down and help Africa to move forward to a bright tomorrow. This is why I chose to share the story.
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Jessica Ramos Period 1
5/1/2012 02:01:23 pm
One of my favorite movies of all time is called "Freedom Writers".
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Jessica Ramos Period 1
5/1/2012 02:01:43 pm
If money was never an issue, I would love to travel around the world and create shelters for domestic violence victims. I would provide victims with schooling, therapy, counseling and independent apartments for women and children. I would do anything in my power to end the cycle of violence, each person has grown to know. My shelters would be names L.O.V.E. (let’s overcome violence everywhere)
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Amanda dang period 1
5/2/2012 02:04:44 pm
I watched to Kony video and it moved me to tears The Kony video is a short film created by the Invisible Children. It's a video to show us what the Invisible Children organization do and how to stop Kony. Kony is a man that is in charged of the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army). He takes Ugandan children from their parents and train them to kill others. After watching the video, It showed me that people actually do something about the children in Africa instead of hearing it. It inspired me to want to help.
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5/4/2012 01:09:51 am
Avery Canahuati was a five-month old girl with Spinal muscular atrophy, which is a disease that causes muscle damage and weakness, which get worse over time and eventually lead to death. She was a cheery baby, who's determination is to fulfill majority of her "bucket list" from her blog created by her parents. In her blog includes her many adventures checked off her bucket list including getting a tattoo, a driver's license, and her first kiss.
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Billy Giang
5/13/2012 01:20:23 pm
After reading this, i realize that we are very fortunate to have a simple life. We can achieve so much and we must try to look our lives in someone else's perspective. To the people with disablilities, their spirits should not be destroyed, because they can lead a happy life too.
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Billy Giang period 2
5/14/2012 03:35:49 am
Jenny Chuang, period 1
5/6/2012 02:56:36 pm
http://www.facebook.com/helpingjanet
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Jenny Chuang
5/6/2012 02:57:39 pm
****after reading this, it makes me realize that even though you may be at the end, at the edge, there are sometimes still hope if you are actually brave enough, taking the risk at least once rather than not trying anything at all and let fate leads you to death.
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Brandon H. Per.1
5/10/2012 08:36:26 am
In the 1992 Barcelona summer olympics, Derek Redmond was favored to win in the 400 meter race. However disappointment set in at 250 meters from the finish line. Derek had tore his hamstring, he fell to the ground in pain. As the stretcher bearer made their way to him, he had to decide. Despite the pain he got up and limp toward the finish line. A large man fought through the crowd and security to help Derek finish the race. That man was his father.
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Lucas T. Period 1
5/11/2012 01:24:13 am
A couple years ago, there was a teenage girl that was going to sing the national anthem at a Portland Trail Blazers basketball game. As she started to sing the anthem, she couldn't get through it because she started to get into nervous breakdown and was about to not finish the anthem, when the head coach of the Trail Blazers, Maurice Cheeks, came over to help the girl finish singing the national anthem. What Maurice Cheeks did was touching because normally some people would laugh about it, but Maurice did what was right and helped her get through the song when everyone else did nothing to help her.
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Juan Herrera Period1
5/11/2012 01:33:34 am
After reading this, I searched up the video and i saw it. I was a very touching video. This is something that people laugh at when it is happening to someone, but this coach did something no one would have done and help her finish off. People like this coach are people other should try to be. This is very nice.
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Juan Herrera Period 1
5/11/2012 01:29:05 am
Last year there was a high school senior girl on the softball team. The team was playing to go to the championships. The girl was up to bat and she swung her bat and hit the ball. It went out of the field, which made it a home run hit. As she was running to first base her suddenly fell and screamed in pain. She had a really serious leg injury. She couldn't get up. The rule was that her teammates couldn't help her around the bases. The pitcher from the opposing team asked the Ref if she can help her. That was something really strange to him but said yes. She went over to her her and suddenly another girl from the team helped as well. They both took her around the bases and finished her home run hit.
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Davis Wang Per.1
5/14/2012 01:17:09 am
The movie-"The Blindside"
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Elizabeth Negrete Period 2
5/14/2012 03:38:24 am
i agree with this that movie was moving and it was very touching since it was a true story you get to see that there are people out there who care.
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Jennifer Q per 2
5/16/2012 02:32:06 pm
i love this movie. one of the most touching ones yet.
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Erik M. period 1
5/14/2012 01:24:10 am
The video on Joseph Kony really got to me. I've seen it about 2 years ago but i didn't really understand it. i saw it a month ago and it made me kind of angry to know that it is still going on. When i ask people about Joseph Kony its sad to say that most have never even heard of him.
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Billy Giang
5/14/2012 03:27:43 am
"http://academictips.org/blogs/moral-tale-the-important-things-in-life/"
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Billy Giang Period 2
5/14/2012 03:36:32 am
Forgot to put down period
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Elizabeth Negrete P2
5/14/2012 03:41:12 am
The one time i did share a story and reblogged it on tumblr was the KONY Movement 2012 when i first heard of it i thought it was some kind of scam that people always post like to send money but they usually keep it to themselves but the day after i heard about it i took the time to watch it and pay attention to the movement. i was in tears it was really touching to see how we have it easy and some us are gifted with such good lives and there are children in other places suffering and some dont even have shoes. It really moved and i decided to spread the word by reblogging things about it. Spreading the word.
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Sandie Barreras, Period 2
5/14/2012 03:43:23 am
1. If i did not have to worry about money it would make my life soo much easier. I would go to college and get the best education i can, because i would be able to pay for it.
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Sandie Barreras, Period 2
5/14/2012 04:15:15 am
I remember one time i was surfing through the internet and saw this one story that really touched me. It was about a girl who had a boyfriend and she broke up with him and he didn't take it well so he wanted to meet up with her one day, and he told her he wanted to talk and he ended up raping her. Then after that she had went outside to go for a walk when out of no where a man with a cup of acid went up to her and threw it in her face. This story really touched me because this girl was a beautiful woman and because of a guy she lost that beautiful face of hers . But in the end she turned out becoming healed and told her story that touched many other people.
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meleddy tavarez p2
5/14/2012 04:43:14 am
1. I am going to college no matter what but if i didn't have to worry about money i would like Sandie be able to pay for school without the help of financial aid (which is not a bad thing) but it would be easier if i was prepared to pay for it.
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viviana r period 2
5/14/2012 05:31:33 am
i remember reading a story on facebook about a couple. the girl was blind and the guy wasnt. on day she was going to have eye transplant. they were going to give her new eye to see. the same day the boyfriend had a surgery as well. at the end he gives the girl his eyes. she later finds out her boyfriend was the one who gave his eyes to her.
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Liana Wong P2
5/14/2012 05:47:13 am
More than a decade ago at San Marino High, we had a student diagnosed with leukemia-- years after his death, an on campus club was formed in his honor. Tyler's Team is currently an active service club; their events range from fundraisers in order to support cancer research to volunteer opportunities with cancer patients at City of Hope. Through tragedy and the power of stories, a chain reaction may occur, provoking emotion and further actions.
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Jennifer Q. Per. 2
5/16/2012 02:27:06 pm
We really never know how fragile our lives are until we are finally exposed to hard reality. The best story in my life is the life story of my loved ones. Not only do they influence me at that moment but they also influence me on the daily. We all need that reminder that there are extraordinary stories out there but what I think is the most important is the appreciation of the small little things. Small little stories like a trip to the supermarket or the walk home from work or school. These little stories make our experiences which make us who we are.
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