Nick’s Corner

                                                                    Freedom Fighters

Most people just know Veterans Day as a holiday with no significant meaning whatsoever. They just recognize it as a day when they have school or work off. What these people do not realize is that this holiday is a day put aside to honor the bravery and integrity of the men and women who have sold their lives for their country and the people they cared for. It is thanks to these men and women that America is still a prosperous and wonderful place to reside in. because of their efforts, no foreign invaders have ever set foot on American soil since the end of the American Revolution. These men and women are patriots who deserve our honor in every way, shape, and form.

                I would not say that all veterans deserve our honor and blessings. I certainly wouldn’t praise a Nazi for his brave and “noble” deeds; nor would I salute a terrorist for his great “contributions” to the “greater good”. But our American veterans are different from those crazy lunatics. Our American veterans don’t kill for the “greater good” or any of that nonsense. Our veterans fight for the freedoms that we Americans take for granite. We have liberties that men and women from China and other communist countries have never been graced with the pleasure of. We have these rights because our veterans waged war over these simple freedoms that molded America into the freedom-loving democracy that it is today

                Many people do not give the veterans credit for the crucial parts they played in forming and keeping America the same wondrous place to live. For example; once the Vietnam War had ended, and the soldiers returned home, they were greeted by a great billowing cloud of disappointment. Apparently the government had spread false rumors about Vietnam being a “military failure” when it really wasn’t much of anyone’s fault. It was a very confusing war, for the Vietnamese soldiers looked exactly alike the US soldiers from a distance, their suits of camouflage looked almost exactly identical. Also they didn’t have the same support of the people as they did in World War 1 and World War 2. It’s pretty hard to fight for something that people back home thing is a waste of time. All in all, the veterans of Vietnam were violated and improperly treated even though they gave it their best effort; it apparently wasn’t enough for the ignorant American people.

               
                It was Sunday, December 7, 1941. A lone radar tower reported an echo bigger than any they had ever heard. Unfortunately the tower had just recently been built, the men there where somewhat inexperienced therefore they mistook the echo for a formation of American bombers and didn’t warn anybody, because nothing seemed wrong… how wrong they were. It happened exactly at 7:48am, the Japanese struck with brutal efficiency, partly because no one suspected it such actions. Just 30 minutes earlier, the US embassy had received a transmission from Japanese leaders that their country had broken off all trade negotiations. No one suspected that this was a declaration of war, but alas it was. 8 navy battle ships, 3 cruisers, 3 destroyers, and one mine layer were all destroyed in the process. Also 2402 military personnel perished and 1282 were wounded. This was the start of many brave soldiers’ military careers, and the end of many others. The men who fought at Pearl Harbor fought for their loved ones and for the sake of their fellow comrades; these men where veterans.

                When America had its good times the veterans celebrated with us, when America has its tough times the veterans help us though, when America had its bad times the veterans where there to put a hand on our shoulder, during Americas times of war, the veterans fought until their dying breath for us. For these reasons and many, many others I shall ever be grateful for what the veterans did for my country and I and what they will do if ever the need arises.  

                                                     The Innocence of Hunting      

Some people may imply that hunting is an unsafe sport that is cruel to animals and their habitats.  People who make comments such as these obviously don’t know what they’re talking about. Those people probably don’t know that we slaughter chickens (and other farm animals) in the hundreds each day just to supply you with Chicken Mcnuggets and a Big Mac. Some may also say that hunting is unsafe and dangerous to your health; they are also ignorant of the facts.  I know it sounds odd, but The Department of Fish and Game and the NRA (National Rifle Association) donate and participate more time and money to conserve the environment than most environment protection agencies. These are the facts and nothing but the facts that support hunting and all its causes.

                Did you know that chickens and other farm animals are slaughtered by the hundreds to provide your daily dish of chicken, sausage, or pork? Also how they are slaughtered is quite astonishing as well; they are slaughtered in the “humane” style of DECAPITATION! While on the other hand, the average hunter gets about one deer every ten years and shoots the animal right through its lungs and other vital organs killing it in seconds . That area in which you are suppose to hit an animal while hunting is called its “vital zone”. If a hunter cannot hit an animal in its vital zone he is NOT SUPPOSED to take the shot, unfortunately there are some irresponsible hunters out there that don’t abide by these rules. But if you look at the ratio of the responsible to the irresponsible the responsible is definitely the majority.

                Another argument that hunter haters may put up is that hunting is “an unsafe sport and is dangerous to your health”. They obviously don’t know that hunting is far from the sport with the least deaths and injuries. FOOTBALL has the most injuries out of any sport. Hunting is not the least dangerous sport, but its way down there as the second least dangerous. The chance of having an injury while hunting is extraordinarily low; it is approximately 2.7 out of 100,000 (results in 2008). Hunting’s injury level remains so low because of its intense Hunter’s Safety program that you have to pass to be able to legally shoot a gun at an animal. Also once you get your license, if you’re caught in some sort of illegal act you could have your gun, license and all other objects involved in the crime confiscated permanently. This practice is used to try to ensure that irresponsible hunters are out of the picture; and fortunately, for the most part, it works.

                Did you know that the average hunter pays approximately 1,000 dollars a year to conserve and protect animal’s habitats? It may sound like a false fact, but it’s true. For example; a hunter pays about 1,000 dollars a year to the NRA and the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Whether it’s through license renewals, permits, fines, or other reasons the hunter donates about that much. The NRA and the Department of Fish and Game donate approximately 10,000,000 dollars a year each to conservation funds throughout the US. That’s a lot more than PETA donates! Some people may say: “you just do this to fatten them up to better eating!” Yes, that’s true, but if it wasn’t for hunters there would be nothing to protect!  A lot of problems can occur without hunters such as OVERPOPULATION in a species in specific areas. Results of this problem lead to OVERGRAZING which leads to DISEASE which leads to MASS DECREASE IN POPULATION. It may not seem like it but hunting can really help out an ecosystem.

                So to sum it all up, hunting is not a bad thing in itself, some of the people who participate in it may be irresponsible, but there’s irresponsible people in every sport, activity and association. It’s not every day that someone pulls a Dick Cheney on his fellow hunting partner. Hunting is also a fun and surprisingly athletic sport, it’s even fun if you don’t get anything (sometimes even more fun)! All in all hunting is a harmless sport that many people enjoy the excitement of all over the world.         

Robert Langdon lived a normal everyday life as a collage historical arts teacher.  That is until he received a call early one morning from a discrete particle physicist named Maximilian Kohler; who apparently needed him to check out an ancient symbol branded on to the chest of a murdered physicist who worked for him. Unknown to Langdon, this was the beginning of a wild treasure hunt that would lead him through some of the most sacred parts of Vatican City. The novel Angels and Demons by Dan Brown is an intense piece of literature that takes you through the halls and catacombs of Vatican City. This suspenseful, action- packed novel keeps you very entertained and always wanting more.

                Robert Langdon is an average collage historical arts teacher. He was well known for his presentations at historical art museum openings. He is 40 years old and is single; he has never really had someone he was truly was fond of. He is also well known for his expertise and his elaborate website on a supposedly extinct cult called the Illuminati (also known as the enlightened ones) and there vendetta against their sworn enemy: the Catholic Church. Later on after being summoned by the mysterious particle physicist, he meets Vittoria Vetra, (the daughter of the man who was murdered) a beautiful Italian scientist, and teams up with her on a quest to save all of Vatican City from certain doom.

                The plot of this story is an elaborate and confusing one. Apparently Vittoria Vetra and her father had made a terrifying creation:  an entire quarter of a gram of antimatter. That small but deadly substance in good hands, could power every house in New York City for a week. In evil hands it could utterly annihilate Vatican City off the map; and unfortunately, that’s exactly what it’s used for. The antimatter (as announced by a revealed member of the Illuminati) is hidden somewhere in the secret catacombs of Vatican City. The antimatter was kept in a magnetic battery powered canister that after 24 hours will stop working, and that means ka-boom! So it is all up to Langdon and Vittoria Vetra to find the antimatter, and return it safely to its protected location, and subdue the Illuminati and there acts of terrorism.

                 The theme of this story is that one should not create what one cannot control; this theme/idea appears periodically throughout the book. The theme shows that although it may feel good to make a discovery or creation that astounds your fellow people, it’s not always the right decision to make.  The theme is related to the one that is in Jurassic Park; the scientists create the dinosaurs for the sake of knowledge and fame, but there plan backfires and they all end up getting eaten. That theme is along the same lines as Angles and Demons Vittoria’s father pays dearly for his decision to make a quarter of a gram of antimatter. He thought he had it locked up safely (in a secret storage facility 2 miles underground) but he was wrong. And thanks to his poorly thought out decision, he nearly destroyed the capital of all Catholicism!

                All in all, Angles and demons is a great book that anyone can enjoy! It is suspenseful; it keeps you entertained the entire time, and there are actually some interesting facts thrown in there. To sum it all up I would give Angles and Demons  4 out of 5 for its fantastic job of keeping you wanting more and more.                     

         Once upon a time when I was ten, my cousin Tony was being a very mean person. He was teasing me about random nonsense that he found amusing for some reason. I whispered to my cousin Ceria, “Geez, Tony can be a real pill. Someone should tell him to shut up”. She agreed with me and said that I should do it, but of course I couldn’t do that, I was just a silly immature nine- year- old, and he was a big thirteen year old “teenager”. Or at least he was physically, but mentally I wasn’t so sure about.

           Apparently I wasn’t the only one who was having those thoughts, for when I looked at all my other cousins; they had the same look on their faces: sheer and utter boredom and annoyance. Finally someone collected the courage to tell him, and of all people it was my little meager cousin Sean. Sean flatly told my cousin Tony, “hey shut up you pansy”, which at the time seemed to be his catch- phrase (and still is). Sean not knowing his consequence for his actions, laughed. This did not make my thug of a cousin any happier; he stormed right over to Sean and released his fiery rage by a full-on slap to the face. Sean fell over head over heels wailing like a banshee in the night, and then it was Tony’s turn to laugh. What really made me mad though was the fact that he didn’t get in trouble for it!

          “Now”, I muttered to myself “he’s crossing the line!” I then started yelling at him and calling him a stupid butthole(which was cussing in a nine-year-old’s point of view .He got so mad that something wasn’t going according to plan for him, that he flew out of his chair and raced towards me at top speed(which wasn’t very fast) and tried to tackle me! I could feel my blood coursing through my veins at top speed, I knew I was going to have to dodge, him but how I wasn’t so sure. He was coming on fast so I prepared for impact, I solemnly waiting for the storm to hit.

         It was as easy as sticking out a foot and watching him fall, fall, and fall then SMACK!

         I was yelled at by my mom, dad, uncles, aunts, grandpa, and grandma; I was even grounded for a month! But I didn’t care or even pay attention, I was too busy studying and treasuring the picture of my cousins smiling faces, all 16 of them staring at tony while he pounded the ground with his head planted into the grass. This sacred memory I hold very close to my heart, and forever will I hold that treasured picture in my mind.    

         The book Black Wind by Clive Cussler is a typical action novel; violence, violence, and more violence. But this book, unlike most action books, actually has a realistic and interesting plot, and details to boot.

            The main character in this story, Dirk Pitt, is like James Bond, he’s good with guns, he’s good with his fists, and he knows how to charm ladies. The only difference is that he’s not a secret agent but he’s the special projects director of a marine exploration agency called NUMA. In this novel he gets into a bit of a tussle with an extraordinarily rich South Korean/North Korean politician (whose name is Kang) and his small but well-trained army of mercenaries. His primary goal is to reunite North Korea and South Korea on North Korea’s terms. And also bomb the USA with a biological bomb that contains a hybrid disease of HIV and small pox (therefore creating a bomb with HIV’s incurable nature, and small pox’s deadliness); which would if successful, wipe out at least 3/5s of North America’s population. But dirk being his hard-headed confident self, could not let Kang do such a thing. Therefore, literally at the last second, he defeats Kang and destroys his vast stores of his hybrid bombs.

            All in all, I recommend BLACK WIND to anyone who likes action novels, or James Bond.         

          I jolted upright in bed; I was sweating like crazy, tears streamed down my face. My room was pitch black, but it didn’t matter, my room could have shown with the light of a thousand suns and it wouldn’t have made a difference. I felt as if my soul was permanently betrothed with a chain of black sorrows. I slowly whispered to myself,” I can’t believe she’s gone, I mean one minute she was full of life and the next she’s, well, gone… forever.” I sat in pure silence for a matter of moments, I heard nothing but my own heart- beat. Then it suddenly all came back to me; the words said, the actions taken and the looks on everyone’s faces. I finally relaxed and laid back down in bed. I then started replaying yesterday’s events to myself in my head.

            It was a normal Saturday afternoon and I was doing the usual playing with my legos and messing around on my GameCube. The common actions of an eight- year- old, the only thing out of the norm was the fact that my grandma was in the hospital, but at the time I didn’t think of that as such a big deal because she had been in the hospital several times before and every time, came out unscathed and also the doctors said she’ll be out of the hospital soon. After the day ended I lost all trust in doctors and there pitiful lies and promises they can’t keep.

            My mom was gone visiting my grandma and I thought that as long as my mom was there nothing bad could happen to her. I later realized the irony in what I had said. About an hour later my mom finally got home and started preaching about how good my grandma was doing and that she was going to be released in several days. Approximately fifteen minutes later, we got a phone call that I wished had never come.

            She picked up the phone, and even before any words were exchanged I could already feel the presence of death himself hovering invisibly over us. I swore I saw him grinning at me with scythe in hand I knew this wasn’t going to be the last time that I would see that creature today. My mom said “hello?” and then listened; I heard the voice of my grandfather as clear as I could see my very own hands. He said in the saddest and most down- to -earth voice I have ever heard that man say, “Annie… we lost her”. Those words struck me like a brick and my mom like a speeding bullet. She immediately started cursing at everything that was in sight. She was in such a rage that even death stopped grinning and ran for it. I sat there for a few minutes I was completely ambivalent about my emotions. Eventually stood up and walked to my room where I found death hiding from my mom’s wrath. After I shooed the scoundrel away I then sat down on the floor and burst into tears.  

            It was then that I woke out of my trance; I was back in bed and all of yesterday’s events where once again behind me. I then realized that if my grandma was here at this very moment she would tell me not to fret over spilled milk, after all she is in a better place now and no longer in pain. I smiled to myself and then settled down to dream about happier thoughts. Of all the good times my grandma and I had together; I then finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep.          

         Imagine being high above the trees, where the cool refreshing wind blows in your face and you can see and smell the pollen drifting silently through the air engaged in an endless dance. In the distance you can see the bay with sunlight shimmering across the wide expanse, and to make things even better, you can all see it from my roof.

         My roof is a very special place for me. I know. It sounds weird, but it is a place that I feel safe and secure at all times. It makes me feel safe because I know that if some crazy drunk guy came into our house with a knife, our roof would prove difficult terrain for him and I would be safe (I know it sounds sort of selfish to not care about the rest of my family, but hey, its mans curse to put his safety above others). Also if there was a fire, I could run and jump onto our car and run to safety and live on to take another breath. Then I think of earthquakes shaking our roof like a turbulent ocean. After that… I usually get off.

            But, all in all, our roof provides me with a safe, secure, place that I can retreat to when I am sad, angry, or just wanting some peace and quiet. It is a place of sanctuary from the outside world.     

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