Baseball Essay

Nine players, a dusty field, wooden sticks, and a ball. When you come down to it, America’s favorite  pastime may not actually be everyone’s favorite. A rational thinker, like myself, could argue that America’s favorite sport shouldn't be baseball, but rather replaced by a new and fresh sport, basketball.

Baseball has been known as America’s favorite pastime since even the late 1800’s when the sport was just beginning to become popular. Many say that one of the major reasons baseball is America’s pastime is that it dates back to our grandfathers and even generations before them. Baseball’s first recorded game was played at Elysian Fields on June 19, 1846. Around this time baseball was at its peak of popularity, brewing amidst the Civil War to become the country’s new love.

The Civil War began on April 12, 1861 with the attack on Fort Sumter in South Carolina. During the four bloodiest years our country has ever witnessed, baseball was people’s escape from their otherwise stressful lives in the midst of a war. Baseball was a huge favorite for people back in times like the Civil War when they worked hard, usually twelve hours a day seven days a week. Going out to the baseball field on a Saturday afternoon to sit back and relax to watch the game was very relaxing. People were hungry for the chance to just relax together.

Fast forward a century and a half. In today’s times, the general public isn't so intrigued with the idea  of heading out to the baseball field to burn in the sun and squint until we can finally see what’s going on. For most, sitting and baking in the sun while agonizing over what inning it is isn't very exciting. The present day culture of our generation is hungry for fast paced entertainment, not sitting around waiting for the action to happen.

In the modern world we live in today, what people thought of years ago as ‘relaxing’ would now be thought of as boring to us. Times have changed and that is one of the major reasons baseball is being overlooked by new sport’s fans often. Most people today enjoy the continuous action and excitement of basketball compared to a baseball game that can drag on for what seems like forever. With few boring moments, basketball is a fast upcoming game that is catching a wide range of viewer’s attention, and reflecting the fast paced modern lifestyle to which we are accustomed.

Although basketball may not be an elder in the history of sports, it is definitely making its name known around the world but it didn't come easy. For years after the game was invented in 1891, there were no federations concerning just basketball formed. It wasn't until 1932 that an international federation was made specifically for basketball. Fewer than three years later the federation was recognized. But even before the FIBB was formed, a federation that handled all hand ball sports. After six years of no progress or even any meetings, the IAHF’s power was handed down to the FIBB who later took on just basketball and everything then took place. Basketball continued to grow and had to take huge steps to get to the level that is it now nationally and internationally.

In general, it’s clear that there are many flaws overlooked in our nation’s said, favorite pastime. As the world grows and changes through technological advances and in other ways, shouldn't our nation’s favorite sports be too? Basketball is a relevant sport that is becoming more and more popular, so why be stuck squinting into the sun, waiting for something exciting to happen at the baseball game, when over at the basketball arena there’s enough action to keep you glued to your seat?

Science Group Write-Up: Basketball Experiment

Author’s Note: This was written after our Science Group conducted an experiment that at the time we thought was well thought out and successful. Shortly after the fact, we realized that to administrate a clean and concrete experiment we should have done things differently. This piece is a reflection of the plan we decided to put into action.

In hopes of answering the question, ‘Which size athlete is most effective in basketball,’ we conducted multiple test scenarios that we thought would give us a better understanding of what really is an ideal size for an athlete in basketball. In reflection after the tests were finished, our group came to a conclusion that many of the aspects in our laid back experiment could and should have been done in other ways.

Our original idea for this experiment was to take real scenarios from games and recreate those situations that put “bigs” against “littles” and vise-versa. Before the filming began, we somewhat scratched the surface of the scientific process when we created a hypothesis, but nonetheless, we needed to have gone more into depth throughout the entire experiment.

Throughout the experiment, we ran into many obstacles and found flaws, but especially towards the end we started to realize that the results we collected weren’t completely correct. Instead of taking a lax approach to the whole project, we needed to lay out what we were going to be focusing on from the beginning. A huge flaw we found after the fact was how much the scientific process comes into play and that if you’re going to use it,  the entire process should run smoother and be more concrete.

When we came into the experiment, a more organized plan was needed. To have made the experiment accurate, we could have followed through with the scientific process. This means using ‘PHEOC,’ identifying the problem, creating a hypothesis, putting together the experimental design, making our observations, and finally coming to a conclusion. Making only a hypothesis, one small part of the process isn’t sufficient enough, which is the only piece our group followed through on. Although following the scientific process may have been more work, in the end it would have made our experiment cleaner and overall more definite.

Along with any sort of test there are always variables, also a large part in the scientific process. There are constants, repeated trials and control, all aspects that we needed to define and incorporate into our experiment . In our specific case, the independent variable would be how we switched who was on offense and defense each test run. The parts of our experiment were not all that difficult to identify, but if we would have realized these pieces played a major role in our experiment, the result could have turned out completely different.

Looking back on the tests we did, in all there were many parts and pieces that should have been done in a different manner. In simple terms, if another experiment was to be done I would make sure the first thing I did was follow the scientific process. Additionally, knowing what you want your end result to be can drive you to get the most on point results and an overall excellent experiment.

Flow of An Ecosystem

Author's Note: The purpose of this piece was to explain how humans interact with ecosystems around us and how we do it, in addition to showing how one of our action's can affect the environment around us both positively and negatively.

Interaction. It’s a key word that we use when talking about human and environmental relationship. Without even knowing it, every day we affect ecosystems in our area and they affect our lives too. Doing something as simple as plopping down a new highway or street could lead to so many other problems in an ecosystem that may have never crossed our mind. In our eyes, an idea of a shortcut to work or a quicker drive to school could possibly lead to a disastrous chain of events for an ecosystem in our area.

Behind the scenes, nature has its own hidden order apart from us. In an ecosystem, there’s a continuous cycle that keeps everything in order, working through the things we don’t have to worry about. In an ecosystem, there are four types of organisms: the Producers, the Consumers, the Decomposers, and the Inorganic material. In this cycle of organisms, everything is constantly being recycled, and it all starts with the producers.

Producers (plants,) are known as autotrophs. Autotrophs are the plants who make their own food, and in the process give off oxygen. When plants make their own food it is called Photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is when C02, sunlight, and water is combined. This makes glucose (sugar) and oxygen at the same time.

Next is the Consumers. The consumers eat producers or even other consumers. That’s when the decomposers come in to break down the  producers and consumers. Once the organisms have been broken down, they basically become a part of the ground, or non-life. These ‘non-life things,’ are categorized into Inorganic Material.

Just like how there is a constant cycle of life through the Producers, Consumers, Decomposers, and Inorganic Material, we can’t forget about the energy flow.  Energy flow through an ecosystem is a bit different than the life cycle. There is a law called, ‘The Law of Conservation of Energy.’ This law states that energy can be neither created nor destroyed, and can only change form.

The main source of energy is the sun. The sun’s rays are classified into the Electro Magnetic Spectrum, which orders the amounts of speed and energy each wave gives off from the sun. Right in the middle of the Spectrum is the UV Rays. The UV rays are what the organisms receive from the sun in the form of energy, along with radiation.

Once an organism receives energy, it can be transferred from Producers to Consumers, Consumers to Decomposers, and Producers to Decomposers. That may sound confusing but basically it means that in the end, all of the energy is given to the Decomposers and nothing comes out of or transfers to the Inorganic Material. When any energy is transferred from the Producers, Consumers, or Decomposers, excess energy is given off as heat into the atmosphere.

It’s hard to imagine how any of this could be linked into our lives but when you break certain scenarios down, what may just be a small road construction could lead to major disaster someplace that’s meaningful to you. In the event of a highway build into a State Park, actions would have to be taken to make the site ready for construction. This could very well mean deforestation and other negative domino effects on the environment.

What may seem like, ‘starting fresh,’ is actually very harmful to the complex ecosystem of the area I’m focusing in on, Peninsula State Park in Door County. Annually, my family takes a trip to Peninsula State park to enjoy its beauty and gorgeous bike trails. None of this would be there if a highway project was approved.  

One of the first jobs done on a road or highway construction is clearing the area. Deforestation itself is destructive, but along with clearing out the trees comes other issues such as less coverage and lower oxygen levels. Along with that is the fact that when the trees are rooted up, out comes the roots with it. All of the trees roots hold the soil in place but when the roots get ripped out, the ground around it becomes loose. When the earth is loose and it rains, all of that washes away and usually into some sort of body of water like a river or stream, causing that to then clog.

More and more problems seem to accumulate from one simple idea a shortcut to work or more efficient travel for everyone. In reality, things and projects like this happen every day. Carelessness is one thing that we could easily fix if we would take a minute to determine the effects our intentions may have on the ecosystem short and long term. With the combination of rethinking and possibly redesigning a build, projects like this one could continue without the harmful effects on the environment around us.

     "Energy Flow in Ecosystems." CINCH Learning. McGraw/ Hill, n.d. Web. 11 June 2013. <https://www.cinchlearning.com/se_search.html?rid=7>.   

Panera Argument

Author’s Note: My inspiration for this piece came from Hannah and my argument about which restaurant is overall better to eat at, Panera Bread or Noodles & Company? We set out to write each of our arguments about what we thought to be great about each of our chosen restaurants. To add another aspect to support our claims, we went to Panera and Noodles to snap some pictures so readers could refer to them as they read about each one in our pieces.

When given the turn to choose where family dinner is on a Saturday night, many deciding factors have to come into play to make full use of your power. In normal circumstances, I’d fall back on a safe choice like McDonald's or Wendy’s, but why not try somewhere healthier, smarter, and more delicious, like Panera?

In general, Panera is the best place on the market for modern, healthy, and mouthwatering food. This bakery-cafe eatery has been recognized for years as the one of the healthiest fast food restaurants in America. In 2012, Panera Bread was awarded the Casual Dining Brand of the Year along with the #2 Ranking Among Excellent Large Fast Food Chains. Since 2009, Panera has received 14 different awards for being among the highest quality fast food restaurants in the business.

Panera Bread offers more than just good food, you can get that at a lot of places. What is unique about it is that it combines delicious meals with healthy eating. At any Panera across the nation you’ll find a calorie total next to each food item on the menu. Additionally, on the restaurant’s website is an entire nutrition guide. Another plus is that Panera only uses the freshest in-season ingredients in their products; as well as all the bread you see is handmade daily.

In addition to the healthful menu, there are a few goodies slipped in. If you’re willing to spoil yourself, the bakery adds just the right touch to satisfy your sweet tooth after any meal. For dessert, head up to the bakery counter and grab a seasonally decorated cookie, muffin, scone, or anything sweet. If you're thirsty and need something just as good as your meal to wash it down with, Panera also serves specialty drinks such as smoothies, coffee drinks, tea and more. Each Panera provides breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, all equally delectable at every time of the day.

In all, Panera is a unique restaurant with perks that very few others provide. It is a healthy break from the usual greasy fast food most have been accustomed to. With the combination of mouthwatering food, healthy eating options and information, Panera should always be one of your top choices in restaurants no matter what meal it is!

"Panera Bread › Press Room › Awards & Recognition." Panera Bread › Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2013. <http://www.panerabread.com/about/press/

The wind whipped against the old yellowing house. It howled and yelled as I turned up the volume on the tv attempting to drown out the sounds of the storm. Lightning flashed against the dark sky.  The thunder crackled in the distance, but I could hear it growing louder and closer. Where are my parents right now? I wondered. A weather warning report flashed across the screen.

“A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect for the following cities.  Auburn, Brewer, Buxton, and Cumberland, Maine.  The wind will make its way up to a speed of 55 miles per hour. For the safety of you and your family we suggest you stay aways from windows and avoid going outdoors,” announced the weather man.

I felt my stomach clench, so I decided to flip off the television and head upstairs.The stairs creaked under me as I walked -- the carpeting soft against my bare feet. I did my normal nighttime routine and climbed hesitantly under the soft covers of what was supposed to be my parents bed. I forced myself to calm down and  shut my unwilling eyes. Memories came flooding back to me of nights like this years ago when I was a child. My mother would cradle me in her arms and say, “Sweet dreams my love.” as she kissed me on the forehead and lay me down in my crib.  “There’s nothing to worry about, everything will be alright.” her monotone voice always very honest and soothing, but she had been lying to me that night.  Everything was not going to be alright.  In fact everything was going to be far from it.

At the time I did not know that that would be one of the last times I would ever see my family. Nothing had ever gone wrong in our family.  My mother and father had a happy and healthy marriage and seemed as if they were madly in love every second of every day. Both of my parents loved me to death. They gave me everything I could have ever wanted. They had good jobs, a beautiful house, a child, everything.

One day everything just fell apart.  It was raining and my father came home drunk.  I was six and I was scared of the thunder outside.  My mother carried me to bed and lay me down, told me everything would be okay and I believed her. When I woke up the next morning, they were gone -- not even a trace that they had ever been there. I waited, and waited and waited. First for days, then weeks, months, and years.

Now I’m still here, alone, twelve years later -- no family, or friends.  I stay home all day. I’ve never been to school, the only place I’ve ever gone is to the little farmers market across the street.  I get my money from my minimum wage job at a pizza place on the verge of running out of business.  For about a month I received letters and cards, and presents from neighbors and friends saying how sorry they were about what happened. Everyone says it wasn’t my fault that my parents left, but I can see right through their painful lies.

I woke up to the sound of the rain pounding on the window pane.  It was still pouring as it was the previous night.  I slowly sat up in bed and swung my feet over the side.  I set them down gently on the cedar floor.  The coolness of the wood taunted my feet to move back into the warm bed and I hated it. Out of nowhere, I spewed into an angry rampage.

“I can’t live like this anymore!” I screamed to no one.

I could end it now if I really wanted to. Why does all of this have to be my fault? No one would miss me if I was gone, so why not? My head began to swim.  With all of my frustration and sadness and anger and pure emotion flooding out of me after all these years, I guess my body and mind just couldn’t handle it. I blacked out as my feet slid out from under my weight and my knees buckled beneath me.

The next time I opened my eyes was in bright place.  And no, I wasn’t dead.  I was in a cold, depressing, bland hospital room.  The light flooded around me and a nurse appeared in the doorway.

“Hello, Alex. I’m nurse Jackie and I’ll be taking care of you from now on. On August 25th you slipped into a coma.  It is now April 13th. We found you lying on a bedroom floor.  One of your neighbors reported to the authorities that you had been living on your own for a very long time.  Social Services came looking, and when you didn’t answer the door they let themselves in. From there, they took you here.”

I didn’t even realize just then that I was shoving the nurse out of my way. I bolted for the main entrance of the hospital. What am I doing here? My eyes got weak and warm tears flowed down my cheeks as I ran as hard as I could, my legs threatening to give out since I hadn’t walked in months.

“Wait, Alex, where are you going?!”  the nurses frantically called after me.

The voices of the staff slowly grew soft and far away as I continued to drift away. I opened the doors and the cold air hit me.  I inhaled, the cool spring air flooding my dry nostrils.  I ran as far as my legs could take me away from that hospital.  I walked down the street in only my light blue hospital gown -- wandering aimlessly, not knowing where to turn next. Leaning against a brick wall in an alley somewhere hours away from home -- I fell into a restless sleep, I dreamed that I was falling forever. I finally awoke, only to find myself in a dark world. Suddenly, everything went black.

Behind the Art: Landscape With Grouse

After looking at hundreds of pieces of artwork all day, one piece in particular stood out to me. The piece I chose is called Landscape With Grouse, and was created by John Steuart Curry. Landscape With Grouse is a type of art called Regionalism. Regionalism is focused on capturing the American rural lifestyle. In the 1930’s around the time of The Great Depression when this type of art was popular, Curry was introduced to other famous artists with some of the same type of ideas and work relating to Regionalism. All three artists,  Curry, Grant Wood, and Thomas Hart Benton, wanted to reflect into their work the American way of life. Regionalism to these artists was a simple concept: artists should paint what is around them, what they see, and what they know.

Regionalism was popular during the time of The Great Depression. This type of art was a reminder to people in hard times of what their homeland is meant to be like and what they were striving to regain. Although a majority saw the purpose and meaning of Regionalism at the time, others strongly disagreed. John Steuart Curry liked to paint scenes of  Kansas, where he grew up. One of his pieces shows a family running for shelter from a massive tornado overhead. Many people did not like the fact that Curry was focusing only on the negative aspects of Kansas. John Steuart’s work was not meant to only show the down side to life in Kansas, but to show how people overcame hardship.

I thought about a way to transfer what I had learned about regionalism into my painting. I ended up at the last minute adding a barn and a silo. When I think of the American homeland, right away a classic looking barn and silo come to mind. The final touch was the American flag to top off the complete scene. In my art piece,  I attempted to think like John Steuart Curry. To be honest, my piece turned out completely different than I had imagined and I’m glad. I feel very proud of my work not only because of just the painting itself, but because I thought like an artist.

Literary Analysis- Between Shades of Gray

Author’s Note: In this piece I will be working on trying to go beyond just summarizing the story.  In Between Shades of Gray, Lina and her family are one night arrested by the secret Soviet Police and deported to Siberia while her their father is sentenced to death in a prison camp. After being shipped from place to place for weeks in filthy train cars, Lina and her family are struggling to survive. Hundreds of innocent people have died of illness and starvation in the unbearable living conditions. When Lina is put to the test of keeping herself and her family alive, she has no choice but to be strong and keep the will to live.

Lina is a very head strong girl. She has a way of doing things right and doesn’t let just anybody tell her otherwise. She lives a happy life with her father, mother and brother Jonas..  Lina’s life might have been seen as almost perfect, until the night she and her family are arrested by the Soviet Police. After living months filled with fear and uncertainty under the Soviet’s control, Lina’s mother and brother get very ill along with many others. Lina has no choice but to step up to the plate and be brave.

Lina’s determined personality leads her to do many courageous and risky things to keep her family together and alive. Throughout the book Lina shows her bravery. When her family is stationed in a camp, Lina has to learn on the spot how to take care of her wilting mother and brother. Long hard days at work with incredibly tiny portions of food don’t amount to any type of good health. Lina tries to draw clues out for her father, hoping he will find them and be reunited. The feeling of being with her father burns in Lina and she is driven to see him again. When Jonah gets sick, Lina’s mother is too tired and beat down to help much, so it’s put on Lina to care of him, her mother, and herself under insane circumstances.

Just when Lina manages to keep her family together and going again, they are suddenly shipped out to a forgotten iceland. It couldn’t have gotten much worse for a young girl like Lina, but she continued to fight. They last a brutal winter only to be greeted by a monster the next year. Sickness spreads in the camp very quickly, and Lina’s mother and hundreds of others die. Lina wills everything she has left into saving her brother and getting out alive.  

She took what she had seen her parents do by example and used it once they were gone. What she learned from her parents before and during the war shaped her as a person and made her who she is. Lina’s true self came out when she was put in a series of  life or death situations. By the end of the war, Lina finally thought of herself to be the person that she thought her parents always hoped for.