What's Cool About Calcium

      I'm doing a science project on the element, calcium.  So, I thought that I should tell you a bit about this element. 
      Calcium is the 20th element of the periodic table.  It consists of 20 protons, neutrons, and electrons.  It's estimated atomic mass is 40.  It's symbol is Ca, not CA, which stands for California.  This element is classified as a metal and a solid.  These are some of the properties of this fascinating and useful element. 

     Calcium is a soft, grey mineral that makes up a large portion of the earth's crust and the human body.  It is necessary for living creatures to survive.  Which is why it is unfortunate that 50-75% of human diets do not contain enough calcium.  This could affect the body severely as mentioned in the next paragraph. 

      Throughout the body, calcium is used for many different reasons.  For example, contracting muscles, strengthening teeth and bones, conducting nerves impulses throughout the body, clotting blood, maintaining a normal heartbeat, etc.  Without consuming the correct amount of calcium.

     People under the age of 18, whose bones may still be developing, should consume 1300 mg each day.  Adults ages 18-50 should recieve an intake of 1000 mg per day.  Elderly people over the age of 50 are reccommended to take in around 1200 mg every day.  People from different ages need a varying amount of calcium. 
    Calcium can be found in many different places.  Most people instantly think dairy when they here calcium.  But, it can found in places where people would never look, like, broccoli, dandelion greens, kale or collard greens, beans, almonds, sesame seeds, and oranges.  Consume calcium and get rid of the 'not enough variety' excuse. 
     Keep up on your calcium because it could affect you in the long run.  To learn more about calcium visit these sites:http://www.facts-about.org.uk/science-element-calcium.htm  and
chemistry.about.com/b/2010/04/30/calcium-facts-2.htm    

Cell Phones: Fun Technology or Hand-Held Trouble

     Cell phones for children is a controversial subject.  But, the truth of the matter is that some adults should not even have these devices. 

     The newest cell phones now have 4G networks and the ability to takes photos and videos.  Those are great, but the real problem lays at texting.  This generation finds it too tiring to pick up the phone and hold it up to your ear.  Texting can ruin your speaking and writing.  What would an employer say if you texted them 'Thnx 4 aul ur help.' ? Teens spend hours in their rooms texting all the time.  But, the activity can create improper grammar and spelling.  Now while texting is fun it should not be done for countless hours. 

     The next issues with cell phones is prank calls/texts.  Many children indulge in prank-calling.  The calls cost money for the parents.  You should make sure that your child does not prank call because not only does it create huge bills but, it also can cause trouble.  Your child could dial a random number and anyone could pick up from a widowed housewife to a brutal biker thug.  Depending on who your child dials, he or she could be in a wide range of trouble. 

     Lastly, cell phones can be very distracting.  Although some use their cell phones while doing the following activities, it is not a very smart thing to do.  Walking across the street, driving, and any other activity that you should be paying attention to your surroundings.  This is how accidents occur.  
     So, fun technology or hand-held trouble? You decide and give your thoughts in the comments.

Triumph In The Sea

A refreshing ocean breeze came from the green sea.  Seagulls squawked and cawed around me.  I sat on a long terry cloth towel and stared out into the ocean.  The sun shined in the afternoon sky.  As it did, its rays reflected on the water’s surface, turning it a deep blue.  I spotted my friends out at sea as they either dove into the oncoming wave, or leaped over it. 

                  I wondered what it would be like to go ‘wave diving’, as my friends call it.  I sprinted to the shore where the water met the land.  I stood there and shivered as the cold water came up to my ankles, burying my feet in the wet sand.  I slowly departed from the shore, water rising higher around me, until I came to the spot where my friends were fooling around. 

                  At first, small waves came, which I had no trouble hopping over, but then… it came.  It was the biggest and roughest wave that I’ve ever seen.  Out in the distance, I could hear it laughing at me, taunting and telling me that I’ll never make it to the other side. 

                  The smaller waves around me cackled agreeing with the bigger one approaching.  My friend, Elena called from somewhere off to the right, “We’re going to dive soon!  Are you ready or are you chicken?!”

      Though the words were a bit insulting, they were also encouraging.  To her I replied, “Yes, I’m ready.” I silently prayed to the universe, ‘Please, oh, please let me live.’ I took a deep breath to relax my nerves, then, I dove in. 

                  I wore goggles to keep the salty water away from my eyes.  The ocean appeared foggy and dark green under the surface.  The sight of it disgusted me.  But, it was rejuvenating, refreshing, and relaxing swimming through the waves.  It was also so thrilling, feeling the rush off the wave going over my back. 

                  I emerged from the water, breathing heavily. 

                  “See, I told you it wasn’t hard,” Elena told me.  I just rolled my eyes, but inside I cheered, ‘I did it, I did it.’ For about 30 more minutes, Elena and I wave dove. 

Last Book in The Universe

     In my English class, we were introduced to book clubs.  We even started our own book club in class.  We were reading  The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick. 

     This book has a genre of science fiction.  Long into the future, a strong earthquake ruined the world and almost destroyed mankind.  Now, the world is gray and everyone is living in misery.  Except, if you're a proov* living in Eden, the paradise of the future.  Spaz is one of those people that doesn't live in Eden.  In the beginning of the book he rips off an old man called Ryter.  When Spaz comes back to receive the one item that he left with Ryter, he sits down with the old man and discovers that he's not that bad a guy. 

     Later, Spaz finds out that his sister is ill and could die.  He sets out to cross three latches** to get to her.  Before he leaves, Ryter decides to tag along for the last adventure of his life(he was old). 

     As they traveled on the outskirts of town, Little Face(a street kid that Spaz met traveling to Ryter) catches up with them.  Not long after, the trio saves a proov girl and in return she helps them with their quest.  In the book, there is many  more interesting surprises, but you'll have to read it to find out what they are. 

In my opinion, the book started out a bit confusing, but around chapters 3-5, I really started to get into it. 

11 Goals for 2011

1. READ 10 BOOKS:

This my first New Year's Resolution.  I have included this as one of my goal's because lately I have been reading often and in the last two and half months of the year I have read about three books, so I figured that I could read about a book a month.  10 is a nice and easy number to work with and because I'm doing sports I may fall a little bit behind so, with this easy number, I'd have an extra 2 months to catch up.

 

2. FINISH THE FIRST DRAFT OF MY PERSONAL WRITING:

This is one of my goals because I enjoy writing fiction stories, which do not get practiced in school.  I have also never completely finished one of my personal writings.  I'd usually end up writing the beginning and never coming back to it, but that was because they weren't any good anyways.  Now, my writing is more developed and has more of a plot to carry out.  So, finishing this one story would be a big accomplishment for me.

3. GET THE LEAD IN ONE OF THE MIDDLESEX COUNTY COLLEGE THEATER CAMP PRODUCTIONS:

This would be my 2nd year doing theatre camp.  Last year, I came very close to getting a lead role.  So, to get one this year would be a big step for me. 

4. SCORE 10 OR MORE GOALS IN SOCCER IN THE SPRING SEASON:

I was recently promoted to the forward position on my soccer team, along with my previous defense position.  Now, I get to do the scoring instead of waiting for other people to do the scoring.  To score 10 goals would be great because from what I remember I haven't scored 10 goals in a season before, so it would be great to do so. 

5. WIN THE REC LEAGUE FOR BASKETBALL:
I've won the rec league for travel basketball twice out of the 3 times that I've done it before.  The third time I wasn't there so, that made a difference.  But, if I won this time it would be excellent because this would be my last year participating in the rec league. 

6. BE UNDEFEATED IN TRAVEL BASKETBALL:

This is the goal for our whole team.  So, far our record is 5-0 (5 wins, 0 losses).  We are about halfway through the season, so if we can maintain this status for the rest of the season that would be great.  GO TEAM!!!

7 & 8. GIVE IT MY ALL:

To others this may seem like a small goal, but if you ask yourselves if you always give it your all, 99.9% of you would honestly answer no. I made this two of my goals because it is that important for me to accomplish this goal. 

9. BLOG REGULARLY:

Lately, I haven't been blogging as often as I should.  So, to keep this from happening I made it one of my goals to blog regularly.  Regularly meaning once a week or more.  If I can accomplish this it should get me more followers. 

10. LEARN 48 NEW WORDS:

I included this as one of my goals because I wanted to expand my vocabulary.  Generally speaking, there are 4 weeks in a month.  That multiplied by the months in a year equals 48.  I can't wait. 

11. ACCOMPLISH AT LEAST 5 OF THE GOALS ABOVE:

This really isn't a goal but, some people never accomplish the goals that they set, so by making this a goal I be more sure to accomplish it. 

Happy New Years to all.  I hope you all accomplish your goals. 

A Poignant Christmas

    Things were quiet around my house since my mother had passed a week ago.  My family wasn’t planning to get presents because they were still grieving over the loss of my mother.  I have been playing in the snow for the whole afternoon.  Even though my entire body was wrapped in winter garments, the frosty breeze still had broken through.  My father poked his head out of our doorway.  “Daniel, it is time for supper,”he called from his position.  
    After dinner, I got myself ready for bed.  I washed up, brushed my teeth, and slipped into my slumber clothes.  As I climbed into bed, I pulled my blanket up to my neck so it could hug me throughout the cold night.  

    I was falling deeper and deeper into a sleep with the help of the cool breeze from my open window.  A tapping noise came from my window.  I first ignored it assuming that it was a branch from one of the trees near my window, but when the tapping continued, I went to my window to inspect the situation.  Outside on my lawn, I thought that I saw a figure of a women near the snowman I had made earlier.  I suspected that she was a figment of my imagination from lack of sleep.  

    When I turned away from the window, I felt a sudden chill in my bedroom.  I spun back around to the window, and there I saw the woman from my lawn.  She looked so beauteous and elegant that she could have been Miss. America in a beauty pageant.  She had a long, ivory-colored dress that shimmered in the light of the moon.  The hue of her silky hair reminded me of  the color of chocolate milk.  The woman seemed genetically perfect.  

    Daniel, the woman’s voice spoke in my head as if she was talking.  Her voice was as sweet as an angel’s.  I wondered how she knew my name, but her next words answered my question.  I am your mother.  

    That couldn't be possible.  My mother is dead, but where the woman stood outside was exactly where my mother was buried.   I thought that it might not be impossible for this  woman to be my mother.  She handed me a Christmas card that on the outside read:Have a Happy Christmas.  On the inside it read: My dear Daniel, I will always be with you.  Mom. When I looked up from the card, my mother could no longer be seen, but I could still feel her presence.  

What Venus is Really About

     Venus was named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty is and Earth's sister planet.  Venus is also known as the Morning and Evening Star.  This planet is the second planet from the Sun with an average temperature of 867* F.  

     The planet's shape is similar to Earth's.  It's diameter is 95% of Earth's and its mass is 81.55% of our planet's.  The range of the planets suface areas is 10%. 

     Although the planet's shape are incredibly similar, they also have some important differences.  Venus rotates much slower than Earth and does not have a satellite.  These are just some of the points that make Earth and Venus different. 

     Venus is made metal, and liquid & solid rock.  Its atmosphere is dense and cloud-covered.  The clouds are made of sulfuric acid droplets and sulfur dioxide(instead of water).