Zoos Are Good....

Zoos Do More Good Than Harm

Well, zoos do do more good than harm in my mind. For one, zoos have changed since they have been around a long time.
Their living environment has changed. Instead of all the iron bars and cement cages, their habitats look and feel more like their natural living environment. Also zoos use their habitats to bring back endangered species by breeding them and then releasing them back into the wild. There is this one true story where they brought back the Pere David’s deer from the brink of extinction. The deer had ceased to exist in the wild but some zoos in Europe and China had them, they then released some of them into the wild and now they are self-sustaining. Also, zoos have changed their methods of getting animals. Instead of capturing them from the wild, zoos now get their animals from other zoos and through captive breeding programs.
Some zoos have taken abandoned animals that wouldn’t have a home if they hadn’t taken them. Take the Baltimore Zoo and the Detroit Zoo for example. They both took in polar bears rescued from a traveling circus; the Bronx Zoo took care, and is still taking care of a snow leopard cub, Leo, in 2007. Zookeepers now understand that many animals need activities to keep them from being bored and mental deterioration. That’s why sometimes you see monkeys playing with toys and tigers “hunting”. Many zoos even contribute to the care of the animals wild natural habitats. The Toledo Zoo is helping restore butterfly habitats in Ohio, and the Bronx Zoo has put more than 3 million dollars toward conservation projects in Africa.
Zoos give scientists an opportunity to conduct research. According to Jennifer Horton, an environmentalist and journalist, in 2002, zoos participated in 2,230 research projects and conservation projects in 80+ countries.(Horton, 2011)
The information that they gathered helps them develop new medicines an improve animal health; besides all the good things that zoos have for animals they help people too. Zoos educate and give children a fun way to learn. Children aren’t the only ones to learn either, zoos aim programs toward adults and teens too. Zoos teach people about what animals need and that conservation is important and why; when people get exited enough they just might be more towards donation to conservation projects. Just another good thing about zoos.
While I’m here telling you about all the good things about zoos there are people who will argue that zoos are bad. Animals like zebras, giraffes, gazelles are ment to run around, and while the habitat that zookeepers are just beginning to understand, and it is very hard to replicate the environment in which they naturally live in.
It is an on going debate in whether zoos are good or bad. It all depends on what zoo you are talking about and whether you are talking about a random zoo animal or a random wild animal a thousand miles away.


Horton, J. (2011). Are zoos good or bad for animals?. Retrieved from http://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/zoos-good-or-bad1.htm

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Why gum should be allowed in school (Charlie)

In most middle schools, gum chewing is not allowed. The reasons for this is because many people think it is nasty, distracting, and will be stuck in places that you will end up putting your hand in. Today, though, I’ll show you why gum chewing should be allowed in all schools. Some recent studies have proven that chewing gum can help. In a test at the Baylor College of Medicine, 108 kids (ages 13-16) were separated into two groups. One group was given gum, the other not, and the two groups were followed for 14 weeks, always keeping the pattern for homework and tests. The scores showed that the kids who chewed gum had a 3% better score than the rest of the kids. The gum kids also had better concentration and longer attention spans. Gum tests have shown that not only concentration and attention spans were affected. A test at the University of Northumbria showed that it improves memory, like the short term memory of recalling words, names, or phone numbers. Again, the difference was very noticeable.
It has been proven that there is an explanation of why gum helps. We’ve even learned about it in Science. When you do some form of physical exercise (running, jumping, and in this case, chewing) your body pumps blood faster, trying to get oxygen to the parts of the body that need it to provide energy. When you chew gum, a lot more oxygen comes through your body. The brain loves this oxygen, and it seems to make your mind work better.
I’ll disprove another assumption that most people think; that gum damages teeth because people are chewing it for so long. There is sugar free gum, and even regular, sugary gum only does minimal damage to weaker teeth. Nothing that can’t be scrubbed of by a good toothbrush. The sugar free gum does no damage at all. Gum can even clean off the pieces of food from your teeth after you’ve eaten lunch, clearing junk that could wear away the outer covering of your teeth. It strengthens your jaw muscles, making it easier for you to eat other foods.
Many teachers think that most gum chewers will stick it under desks, or on walls, or something like that. Many kids though, say they would never do that if they didn’t have to hide it. Teachers also think that gum is too loud, even though it is barely recognizable unless if it is being smacked or blown into a bubble. If that happens, then the teacher can just tell the student to chew more quietly.
Another great reason to chew gum is that people really do enjoy chewing it. People like the taste of the flavors, the constant motion of the chewing, and because they know that chewing gum can help you in school. If the gum becomes a distraction, then the teacher can tell them to be quiet or to spit it out. I’m not saying there won’t be consequences for abusing gum chewing. Very few kids, though, have it explained to them why gum is not allowed in middle schools. If someone could explain the consequences (like a ban if gum is misused) then maybe kids would use it much more responsibly. The high schools allow gum, and they seem to have few troubles with gum.
I myself chew gum very much. Whenever I play sports, I ritually get two pieces of gum. It really seems like I do better when I use it, and I can’t imagine I’ll ever stop (it’s like when my favorite team scores a lot of runs to take the lead, and I’m afraid to change my position on the couch). I bring gum with me to school, too, to chew during our breaks (and I think teachers and students would prefer it if the kids’ breath smelled better than a sewer). As far as I know, when I was chewing gum, or when I gave it to someone else, the gum never became a distraction. I wish that I was able to chew it all the time, because I always feel more comfortable with it.
Gum is a great way to enhance concentration, and kids should be able to take advantage of it. Many tests have proved how much it helps their concentration, attention, and memory. That three percent difference shown in the test can be for many kids the difference between an A or a B, or even the difference between a pass and a fail. As long as the privilege is not abused too much, then gum should be allowed in middle school.

Lebron Best Player of His Era?

Lebron Best of His Era?

One of the first questions I had to ask was who would be the other candidates for the title, best player of LeBron James’s era (2003-2004 season to present day). One of the immediate candidates was of course the Black Mamba himself, Kobe Bryant. Another person would be Steve Nash, the only other player of his career to achieve more than 1 MVP was Steve. Other candidates include, Derrick Rose of the Bulls, KG of the Celts, Kevin Durant or the Durantula as he is also know as, Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs, Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavs, Lebron’s current teammate Dwayne Wade, and finally Dwight Howard who has won three straight Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Another question that I had to ask was out of the candidates who owns a championship ring. Out of the candidates the most rings a player has is, Kobe Bryant who has 5 championships under his belt. Now, I know that ring mean a lot to how good a player is but really I’m talking about skill and being a great teammate. Let’s just compare some of their stats, head to head, points per game, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, blocks, steals, and turnovers;
Kobe (in the order that I listed): 25-5-5-.454-.828-.2-1.2-2.96.
Lebron: 28-7-7-.479-.744-.8-1.7-3.3.
Those stats sway towards Lebron to me, especially the 28-7-7 compared to the 25-5-5. What do you think? Okay, back on topic the other candidates with championship rings include, KG, Tim Duncan, and Dwayne Wade.
Now out of those players that have won rings, let’s take a look at who they had on their team and then look at who Lebron has had. Kobe; Kobe played with Shaq when he was in his prime and put up 30 points, 14 boards, and swatted 3 blocks per game, pretty good, right, oh yeah he won the MVP that year also. KG; well let’s just say that he played with the best three point shooter ever and a very good other man called Paul Pierce who won the Finals MVP the year they won the title. Tim Duncan; Tim won 4 NBA titles, very nice, yes, but he had two All-stars with him. The All-stars were none other than Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili who has proven himself to a very exceptional clutch shooter. The last Finals winner in Lebron’s era is Lebron’s now-teammate Dwayne Wade. Wade won the Finals in the 05-06 season but had a very nice supporting cast including, Shaq who averaged a double double in the playoffs, Udonis Haslem who almost had a double double in the 05-06 playoffs, Jason Williams and Antoine Walker both put up double digit points, and great leadership from Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning.
Now, let’s look at the best team of Lebron’s the 06-07 team when he reached his first NBA Finals. The best teammate he had was Larry Hughes who went for 15-4 (ppg followed by apg) and then Ilgauskas who went for 12 points and 7.7 rebounds. Now to me that sounds like two all right role players but not starters on an NBA Finals caliber team. I believe that Lebron in the 06-07 season had one of the worst supporting casts of any team ever to make it to the Finals.
Let’s turn our attention to Lebron James career achievements. Lebron is the youngest player in NBA history to score 10,000 points and the third quickest (fewest amount of games) behind Wilt the Stilt and MJ. Lebron has 7 all-star appearances in 8 years in the league. Lebron has won MVP twice. He has the 3rd highest ppg in NBA history (27.8). LBJ has the highest efficiency rating (26.9) among active players and second all-time behind MJ. He was compared to the ABA Doctor J, Bo Jackson, and the ’92 Pippen by Bill Simmons in his book “The Book of Basketball, the NBA According to the Sports Guy” (which is pretty cool considering who he is). NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2004. All but his rookie season he was awarded an All-NBA either 1st or 2nd team accolade. Also Lebron is the only player ever to avg. at least 26 points 6 rebounds and 6 assists in their career. There are way too many so I had to stop there on one of his greatest accomplishments. The list literally goes on forever.
After all of my research and after finding some great accomplishments such as the one about Lebron being the only player ever to avg. 26-6-6, I have definitely decided that he is the best player in his era. After all he is only 26 and in the NBA players typically reach their “prime” between the ages of 28-32 so just wait he may just go down in the books (if he wins some rings) as the greatest NBA player.

Homework should be limted

I think that homework should be limited. We’re having to much and its stressing students way out. We are always worrying if we can get it done in time, if we are going to get in trouble, or will if effect our grades. As a student, I know how the feeling is. Some days i’m so packed with homework. Than I get frustrated. Not only that studies show that homework does improve some unit test scores. Also, studies show that that middle level students that have homework exceeding over 90 minutes just “drop off”. [Harris Copper]

Here is a situation that happened to me that might help you understand. Last week (it was late in the week), I got assigned a writing and reading project. Science questions and I had to finish my reading goal. That night I was really stressed out and got very frustrated because I had a hard time figuring out my writing project. The next day I was worried all day that I was going to get in trouble because I wasn’t able to finish it all.

I know that teachers don’t mean to stress us out. They just want us to have a good eduction and exceed in life. All they have is good intentions. But it’s getting out of hand. Students are having 1 to 2 hours of homework a night and sometimes more. The homework has sky rocketed since the 1990’s and is getting higher. A recommendation that I would say is that the teachers communicate on homework so we wont have so much.

Thank you so very much for listening and hope that you will really think about this.

Homework Should be Banned by Jessica L.

Some say homework should be banned. Well, if you ask me I would completely agree and I’m sure most kids would to. I not only dislike homework but after researching there are facts that support my opinion of banning homework. Iconic figures that support my topic would include Ted Turner, Liz Claiborne, Whoopi Goldberg, Albert Einstein and Howard Stern but I’ll get to them later. Plus time spent doing homework could be put to more physical and fun activities or focusing on dilemmas or other family problems. Also I would like to point out homework is seen as an annoyance and an added stress for kids.

So back to the iconic figures. As you may know Ted Turner, Liz Claiborne, Whoopi Goldberg, Albert Einstein and Howard Stern didn’t excel in school but still managed a profitable adult career.There school failure reflected on the fact that school and school homework they were assigned was not completed.Well, it could be that many people are forcing students into a “good student” mold which suppresses the students learning. According to a PhD named Robert McCall many or most underachievers catch up to the achieving peers later on in life. Meaning homework doesn’t effect our adult future.

I would also like to go back to the point of time spent on homework is time that could go towards family time and physical activities. I would like to begin by stating a quote by Melissa Cooper a NCTE-middle school teacher. She says quote “Many of them have outside obligations like sports or babysitting, and many are dealing with some heavy-duty stuff outside of school. Who wants to worry about algebra when your mom is dying or you don't know when you're going to eat next?” To me this statement is so very true and so very touching because really, who wants to work out math problems when they could spend that time with a relative for the remaining time that loved one has left. Plus people are telling kids things like “You need to spend more time outside” or “Stay physical” but really what student has time after completing the pile of homework they were assigned. And factor in the time it takes for them to eat a good meal, get a good night sleep, and build a bond with family. There really isn’t much time for homework. Homework sets this kind of barrier that limits out side of school activities.

Sleep is also very important for students and homework limits sleep time. According to The National Sleep Foundation Statistics found that 22% of children fall asleep doing homework. And 80% of teens do not get the recommended amount of sleep which cause at least 28% to fall asleep during school which then causes more homework.

Next I would like to go back to the added stress and annoyance it puts on students. So basically teachers are assigning homework that a child doesn't want to do. Student much rather be playing and living there child hood. So what are they not going to do. Thats right there homework. So in simple terms there setting students up for failure. Plus I would like to point out that since they don’t want to do it, in a hurry to complete there assignment those students will resort to cheating to get the job done.

I would also like to counter argue an immense point for the “pro” homework people. They say homework improves test scores. Well according to a study done by a researcher named Harris Cooper who wrote “Homework Research and Policy: A Review of Literature” there are increases in some students test scores but there is no proof that the increase is caused by homework.

Based on the information that I have presented I can conclude that I am a believer in the ban of homework. Well think about it. Would you want the burden or stress of homework when you should or could be with family members or outside playing and being physical. And remember even though you might not excel in school, or you just can’t seem to stay on top of your school work doesn’t mean you can’t be an Einstein when you grow up.



Cooper, H. (1994). Concerns affecting homework. Retrieved from http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/plato1/constructhome/page7.html

Debatable Topic- Cell Phones in Middle Schools

Okay so I am a kid. I LOVE my cell phone. I wanted to talk about having cell phones in school and all of the benefits of it. Cell phones are important to today’s society. 84%of students ages 11-15 have one. When you are in danger or need help you can dial 911, anywhere. When you need a ride from school you can call up your parents or friend to give you ride. When I started researching the topic, of Cell phones in school however, here’s what I found out.

Cell phones should not be allowed in middle schools.They have been seen to be disruptive in past years, with them ringing in class and people concentrating on their conversation instead of the lesson. Imagine, you are in class, trying to concentrate on a test and the person sitting next to you’s cell phone rings. You completely lost your train of thought.

Also tests could be cheated on. People could text their friends for answers to questions on exams or tests, or even take a picture of their quiz and send it through picture message and they could get answers back. With smart phones you have the ability to do “Hands Free” an app that you can talk to people and they can dictate the answers to you. Newer mobile devices have the internet, which is great, you can find out anything in the blink of an eye. But this is a set back to having them in school, you could easily cheat! Old and new mobile phones have calculators too, this should be a worry for all school who are allowing these devices in school, math tests would be a breeze, but it isn’t fair to others.





Students could take unwanted or inappropriate pictures of students and post them online and humiliate them. The internet again on cell phones is huge pictures could be updated from the cell phones camera to Facebook or MySpace. Cell phones could cause rumored violence or threats through cyber bullying. in recent years a girl killed herself because she was so nervous to go to school because she had been threatened to be beat up via text message on her cell phone.

Also new research is being done by Dr. Michael H. Repacholi, Occupational and Environmental Health, World Health Organization, that cell phones, the higher radiation they have, there are more chances of developing cancer. Michael H. Repacholi, Occupational and Environmental Health, World Health Organization.

So lastly, I just have to say that middle schools shouldn’t allow cell phones. Who wants brain cancer? Who wants to be interrupted during a test? Can’t you just use the school phone to make connections with your parents during emergencies? Cell phones are important you can’t deny that, but they are not appropriate for a learning environment.

Debate Topic-Homework should be banned, By Julia Eleanor Zavaleta 7L

Why homework should be banned-Julia Zavaleta 7L

Why should homework be banned? That is the question, here’s my point of view on this issue. Homework does have some plus sides, but it also has many down sides. One of them is that homework can keep you up all night, especially when you have several big projects due, on the same day! And as many of you know, staying up all night weakens your immune system making you more prone to diseases, and having diseases can make you miss school that can give you more homework.

But that is only one reason I feel that homework should be banned. If homework was banned, I know that I would be outside getting exercise and being more active, along with many more students. But instead I get cooped up inside doing homework, also, along with many other students. Another reason that homework can be unhealthy is that, when students get home they get a snack and do their homework. And when you are eating and concentrating on something you don’t even notice when you get full, so you will keep on eating and eating until you get done with your homework. And that type of thing can cause obesity.

When students have to much homework, they can spend hours and hours doing it,they can even spend all night doing their homework if they have enough! So they loose concentration and students can start getting tired. Especially when you have major projects due. I feel that if teachers and sports coaches communicated with each other, so that practices, projects, and homework wouldn’t get in the way. I feel it would help so much, and students would get their homework done. And they would get higher scores on it.

I know that not all teachers do this, but some do push you to do extra curricular activities. Those after school activities can put some students back on homework, students need that after school time to work on homework. Which brings me back to this, if coaches and teachers communicated that could make such a big difference!

So to wrap it all up, homework can be good, and it can raise test scores. But if teachers let up on it a bit there would be no harm done, and students would be outside getting exercise. And younger people in general may just be a little more fit. And students wouldn’t be so tired and they may get higher grade averages from not being so stressed out the night before.

Gum Chewing in Middleschool- Hailey Craig

Chewing Gum in middle schools, an act that has been prohibited for quite a while. Most kids in their preteen to early teen years enjoy chewing gum, as do many other age groups. If the middle school that a student attends does allow chewing gum, some teachers may be strongly opposed to the idea. With the strict rule of no chewing gum in middle school, the facility is not allowing the students to receive the benefits that gum chewing gives. I would like to list those benefits, and resolve any situations that may come up if the rule of gum chewing is allowed.

The company that produces wrigley gum performed a study on the benefits of hewing gum in class. It was headed by Craig A. Johnston who has a Ph.D. for children's nutrition research center Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. This took place from 9:00 to 10:00 am on Wednesday, April 22, at the American Society for Nutrition in 2009. they found the following research.

The researchers found that students who chewed gum showed an increase in standardized testing scores, and their final grades were better than those who didn't chew gum. If chewing gum increases grades, shouldn't we be able to chew it in school? Isn't school all about grades? Not only do schools want to give their students a start at life and a brighter future, but seeing their school as one of the top schools in the area grade wise, it wouldn't only be rewarding to the teachers for doing exceptionally at their jobs, but to the students, who got fabulous grades to help set a good model for younger students.

they also found that students who chewed gum during math class for fourteen weeks and while doing homework had an extreme increase in their standardized math test scores compared to those who didn't chew gum. Chewing gum has been scientifically proven to increase memory, thus making you remember those pesky math drills better. the motion of chewing gum exercises a part of the brain, which increases blood flow. From personal experience, I know on Monday mornings it's hard to zone in on those two step equations. getting blood flowing through your body wakes you up and makes you more alert, thus helping you stay focused. Summing up everything I just said, Chewing gum makes raises grades because it makes you more alert, focused, and increases memory.

Another experiment was held also. At the university of Northumbria in Great Britain in 2001, Professor Andrew Scholey performed a research project to figure out the benefits and effects of gum chewing. He took three controlled groups of people, and had them all take the same test. One group chewed gum during the test. Another pretended to chew gum, just acting out the movement of of chewing, and the last group kept their jaws and lips still. After the test, Scholey found that things were revealed about gum chewing. The gum chewers doubled the scores of those who kept their jaws still. The group who didn't chew gum but still moved their jaws improved, but not as well as those who chewed for real. they did significantly compare to those who did nothing at all.

Scholey found that there are insulin receptors in the brain, on both right and left hemispheres. When the insulin went into the grooves of the hemispheres, they excite the parts of the brain cause attention, comprehension, and memory. The insulin is caused by the chewing movement, and the body getting in sync, and the body being fooled into thinking that real food is coming. Insulin is released because insulin's job is to control glucose in the blood, so if the brain believes that you are going to receive food that contains glucose, it creates insulin. So, therefor, chewing increases attention, comprehension, and your memory.

So, what about gum on the floors at school? Under the desks or chairs? Every school has those few who are "rebels." If schools allowed gum chewing, they could have a meeting at the beginning of the school year, like a laptop meeting, to discuss the penalties and rules of chewing gum on the school property. If students are continually caught being irresponsible with the subject, ban chewing gum for a week. try to pinpoint what class and/or what person seems to be causing the most issues. If it is a specific person, and they get caught numerous times acting irresponsibly, it could end in a demerit and/or detention. If it is a more general group, say a class, have meeting with that class and explain the rules once again. Explain that chewing gum is a privilege, not a right. If necessary, make up a contract having all students agree to the rules and agree to accept any punishment that may come their way resulting from their actions. That way, they can't have the excuse of "you never said that" or "that's not what I heard." It would be practically fool proof. Until people turned in their contracts, they would not be allowed to chew gum.

Middle schoolers love chewing gum, and we all love it for different reasons. It tastes good, it makes your breath smell good, and for a teachers benefit, it would most likely keep kids quiet during class. they will be busy chewing away. There are so many benefits, and if gum chewing was allowed, those students could achieve those benefits. The school could even do a test sort of thing. They could consider it a research project. For one week, allow middle schoolers to chew gum. If everything goes smoothly, it should be okay. If it's a disaster, well, it wasn't a good idea. So, with all the good things that could come of it, why not give it a try? You may be surprised at what us pesky kids could accomplish.

Works cited

Lind, AE. (2009). New study shows chewing gum can lead to better academic performance in teenagers. retrieved from http://www.eurekalert.org/pub releases/2009-04/epr-nss041709.php

wnchsler, HB. (2006). Forget what you heard in school, chewing gum activates your brain. retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Forget-what-you-heard-in-school,-Chewing-Gum-Activates-You-Brain&id=198507

Persuasive Essay: Music Education In Schools. Justin Brown

We all know that music education has a lot of pros and some cons, but why do people have to focus more on the cons rather than the pros? I’m not sure if I’m the only one thinking this but it clearly doesn’t make sense. The benefits of music education far out weighs the number of cons!

I have heard, and read, only one con that music education brings. It’s “Music education takes time away from students core classes and negatively affects their learning.” I very much disagree with this over used statement. If someone can provide evidence that supports this, then I will gladly tip my hat to them but I have found no such evidence. On the contrary, I have found statistics that prove that music education has positive effects on students and makes them more academically and emotionally stable, intelligent, and even healthier than students who don’t participate in such music education.

According to Gregory Blankenbehler, a music educator with over 25 years of experience performing and teaching music from PitchPerfectPublishing.org, he says that on average, students with music education have had 27% higher math scores, 57 points higher on SAT’s and 46% higher IQ scores.(Blankenbehler, 2010) That’s a great reason to use some class time for music education. He also says that students with music education experience the lowest rate of gang activity and substance abuse. And the list goes on! Music participants receive more academic awards for grades over B’s, 73% of teens who play an instrument are less likely to have discipline problems, students who are rhythmically skilled also tend to better plan, sequence, and coordinate actions in their daily lives, and music educated students show less test anxiety and performance anxiety than other students.

Another benefit I would like to point out is that music education not only helps young and older students but adults and elderly people as well. According to Pitch Perfect Publishing, it has been tested and proven that music education lessens depression, loneliness, stroke, pain, migraines, and stress. It also helps Alzheimer's patients lessen agitation, increase focus and concentration, enhance ability to respond verbally and behaviorally, and have better social interactions.

I know some of you are saying to yourselves that we have to cut music education because we can’t cut anymore teacher’s salaries, we can’t cut anymore faculty positions, and we need more funding for core classes. I’m saying that music education should become a core class. With all of the benefits I have listed above, it does not make sense to cut music education.

During an average music class, students are learning history, math, and reading. Music education incorporates history because somehow, music has been changed throughout the years by someone or something. Mozart is a great example. He was called the world’s best musician. He came up with new tones, playing styles, and rhythms that have changed the way music is played and written forever. Math is a huge part of music. You need a way to count rhythms and measures. Reading is also an important part. There needs to be some way of reading notes, so why not use letters. Almost all of the core classes are incorporated in music education, another reason to not cut it!

To wrap this up, I would like to ask you a question. What do Aristotle, Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Steven Halking have in common? They were all musicians! Coincidence? Certainly not.



Works Cited:

Blankenbehler, G.B. (2010). The importance of music education in public schools. Pitch Perfect Publishing, Retrieved from http://pitchperfectmusic.org/articles/importance-music-education-public-schools/

Blankenbehler, G.B. (2010). Studies showing the benefits of music education. Pitch Perfect Publishing, Retrieved from http://pitchperfectmusic.org/articles/studies-showing-benefits-music-education/

Did Operation Iraqi Freedom do more good than harm?

Did Operation Iraqi Freedom do more good than harm? Did the benefits outweigh the bad? Here’s the cold hard truth.

We all love America, right? I know I do. Think about it, all those American soldiers, dead. How can anything good come from thousands of body bags containing young men being sent back to the States? You might say that they consciously knew what they were doing, and that it may lead to death, and that is true. But its not good, is it? It’s not something you would want to go through, the loss of a loved one, right?

Saddam Hussein was the Iraqi dictator when we invaded them. Of course, all of you probably know, he was quite brutal. In fact, he had one of the worst human rights records in the world. He reminded many people of the WWII era Russian dictator, Josef Stalin. In fact, Saddam said that Stalin was his role model. So, needless to say, it was necessary to attempt to free Iraq when Saddam may have had WMD [Weapons of Mass Destruction]. We found he did not have any, but when he had ties with terrorists, he probably could have had easy access to them if he really wanted to. Anyways, we took him and his Ba’ath government down, but nothing good came from it other then one terrorist down. [yet with others in the Middle East, did it really matter that only ONE was dead?] You might say “We took him down! That’s what we wanted to do! We did everything that was promised!” but you forget the cost of that, perhaps this war didn’t effect you personally, but it affected many families personally when they are missing a loved one, forever. You can’t sit there and say that this war was absolutely positive 100% when these men are dying and lives are being changed perpetually.

Some might say that America does no wrong. The government does everything right. But if YOU say that, do you think sorrowful families and dead people are ‘benefits’ from this? Is high taxes good? How about the fear in Americans that terrorists will attack again? Are these good things? No, absolutely not.

In total, the death count was 2,119,087. That being both American, Iraqi, and Insurgent troops. That was in seven and a half years of war. Think about all those families, missing someone at the dinner table, because they were killed, or because they were in service for however long. Would YOU want your Father, Mother, Son, or Daughter to be missing from the family, for months to years at a time, or worse, forever?


Operation Iraqi Freedom, was necessary, but it was costly, it fueled our debt, and the gas prices. According to www.usmilitaryservices.com, in 2008, the United States spent 5,000 dollars per second on military efforts in Iraq. In 2009, it was 7.3 billion dollars per month, and the cost to deploy ONE soldier to Iraq, 390,000 dollars. Keep in mind, the taxpayers [you or your parents] are the ones paying for this, and the thing that came from this was death to soldiers. Again, is this what you call “doing everything right?”

In conclusion, I personally believe that Operation Iraqi Freedom had nothing beneficial come from it. The only results were negative. I would like you, to ponder on what I have said, and I am sure that you will agree that Operation Iraqi Freedom had many negative effects. Because, if you love America and agree with what it stands for, would YOU want all of these men gone, lives cut short? I think not.

Why do we pick on the Pitbulls?

Pit bull Appreciation

Pit bulls have been put down for a while. In the beginning of the 20th century, they were the most popular breed of dog in the world. But afterwards, into the end of the 20th century, they were given the title of “Dangerous” and “Killers”. According to the ASPCA website, ” No other breed of dog has experienced as many discrimination's and misconceptions as has the Pit Bull. ” They were deemed the most vicious dog breed on the planet. This is NOT true. They were and still are a very intelligent and loyal breed of dog,and even though their size and looks might intimidate you,they are the perfect family dog.

Myth One:A pit bulls jaw will lock once it has “latched onto” you or another object.This is impossible. Although the pit bull has a strong jaw,as well as many other dogs,it is impossible for the jaw to “Lock” in place. The way this myth came into play was because a pit bull,or any dog trained to attack,is trained to rip and tear.In a video I watched on pit bull fights,they fight to save themselves.They can grab ahold of their opponent by the neck,and kill,yet,so can any other good sized dog,but who is picked as the most dangerous?The pit bull,just because of the past of dog fighting for the breed.

Myth two:Pit bulls are aggressive towards other dogs as well as humans and other animals. Untrue. According to my classmate Jessica,” Pit bulls are not as bad as people make them out to be. I have a three year old pit bull retriever mix named Sadie. She may look aggressive but she’s not. She is the friendliest dog I have ever owned. She has never bitten anybody in my family in less it was a play bite but she knows what hurts and what doesn’t she would never cause anyone or anything any pain not even a fly. And the aggressive towards other animals I have two other dogs and a cat and she doesn’t bother them at all.”Bit bulls only fight when they need to survive,and it is the only was to stay alive.They Don’t fight for their own profit,humans fight for money,but they don’t get hurt,the dogs do.

Myth Three:Pit bulls are a danger to society and should be euthanized for he safety of the community. Why should we kill an innocent animal for being alive?You wouldn’t kill your house pet,your poodle,your german shepherd,Chihuahua.If you wouldn't do that,then why would you kill a pit bull?Just because of their past?In a shelter in texas, out of the 1.4 million dogs euthanized in the shelter, .7 million were pit bull types.That is half for the dogs that were killed.And why you may ask?because nobody wanted them because of what they had heard about them.

Altogether A pit bull is the future wonder dog.They are being trained as seeing eye dogs and they save people and animals.Once,A pit bull saved 30 people,29 dogs,13 horses,and a cat during a flood in south Carolina. If that is not a wonder dog,then what is?A pit bull is just another breed of dog,and no matter what the past of the breed is,they should not be put down just because of what we,we the humans that force the dogs to kill,make the dogs do,for us to make easy money.A pit bull is just another type of dog,and there is no evidence that can make a pit bull any different from all the other dogs.