Ghost Story: A Chilling Tale

Over 100 years ago there stood a grand estate on the edge of a lake in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania. A wealthy man had married a young woman and moved out to the countryside. Many years passed and the couple had two children, both of them were boys. Nelly, a beloved baby girl, was born three years later. Still overjoyed by the birth of their new daughter, both parents wrote out a will of inheritance. The will was written to Nelly. Neither of the two boys would inherit a single penny. News of the will soon reached Nelly’s brothers. The boys were enraged and viciously plotted to kill their sister.

The following Sunday, Nelly woke up early and prepared herself for a family trip to the church. She put on her best yellow dress, and took a walk down to the lake to enjoy the stunning view. When she arrived at the lake her brothers were waiting for her. The children’s parents had not yet woken up. Nelly’s brothers suggested that they take the family boat out on the lake, like they used to in old times. Without a second thought, Nelly agreed. All three of the children began to untie the boat from the dock and paddle out.

At the middle of the lake, both burly boys hit Nelly over the head until she became unconscious. The boys then lifted up their lifeless fourteen-year-old sister and heaved her into the lake. Nelly sank like a rock as she silently drowned. Rowing back to the house, Nelly’s brothers thought about what they had just done, snickered at the fact that Nelly was now dead, and rejoiced as they realized that they were now the only recipients of their parent’s will.

When the brothers returned home, their parents were sitting outside in the courtyard nearest to the lake. Both parents questioned about the whereabouts of their favorite child. In response, the boys lied and said that Nelly had wandered off early in the morning. Nelly’s parents assumed that nothing was wrong and decided to wait a few hours before searching. They figured that Nelly would surely come back home; she was not the runaway-break-your-curfew kind of girl. A day later, frantic searches began to take place. The hunt for Nelly continued for weeks. Finally, both parents had given up. They soon realized that their daughter would never be found. Nelly’s location was never revealed. Neither of the parents had any idea that their dearly loved child was confined to the bottom of the lake.

Today, the estate in which Nelly and her family lived has been turned into Camp Saint Andrew (a residency camp for girls). The house had been bulldozed, and cabins were constructed. Although there is no trace of the old estate and its owners, people say that the ghost of Nelly still haunts the site. Residents in cabin number eight (the cabin closest to the lake) say that late at night a young girl wearing a yellow dress appears outside of the their window, and walks down a path towards the lake. Others say that her ghost still resides in the lake. They claim that when you try to cross over the spot where Nelly lays, your boat will not budge. No matter how hard you try to paddle, the boat will not progress any further. Nelly is holding you back, magnetizing your boat to the spot where she decays.

Camp Saint Andrew is home to one of Tunkhannock’s most haunting spirits. Many people have claimed to experience Nelly’s supernatural existence. She has made sure that her story will never die.

Free Post: A Current Crisis

Explanation:
The media is chock-full of reports that affect our everyday lives. Currently, a contaminated pet food recall is underway. Tainted pet food has killed several animals and devastated many families. This topic is clearly unrelated to English class. However, as an owner of two dogs I feel connected to the tragic events that are taking place. Everybody needs to be informed about this terrible misfortune.


Menu Foods-- Tainted Pet Food Kills Many

Recently, Menu Foods (a Canadian-based pet food company) released tainted pet food into the open market. The "cuts-and-gravy" wet food was contaminated with rat poison. Menu Foods is a producer for 95 smaller animal food companies (including Eukanuba, Science Diet, Iams, and Nutro). As a result, a mass quantity of the toxic food was widely distributed. Numerous animals have become ill and died within days of consumption. Veterinarian offices are overflowing with fearful dog and cat owners. At least 16 deaths that relate to the tainted food crisis have been reported. However, the number is increasing. The poisonous food is all over the nation. There have been deaths of animals in Long Beach, Chicago, and even Kailua. All of this drama makes you wonder if the catastrophe could have been prevented. The answer is yes, it could have.

Before distribution, Menu Foods reportedly tested the pet food on forty to fifty subject animals. Out of the forty to fifty animals, eleven died. That is nearly one fifth of the entire subject group! It is abnormal for such a large number of deaths to occur at the same time while testing out substances. Employees at Menu Foods clearly noticed the sudden decrease of test subjects, but failed to do anything about it. Instead, producers created millions of packages containing the lethal concoction and distributed the packages across the nation. What could have been done to prevent this cruelly catastrophic crisis was dismissed. As a result, tragedy struck pet owners everywhere.

Being an owner of two dogs, I was speechless upon hearing the news of a tainted pet food calamity. Pet owners are connected to their animals from the heart. When an animal is adopted, the pet becomes part of the family. I felt knots form inside of my stomach as I wondered if my dogs could potentially be in danger. Fortunately, the products that I fed my dogs were not produced by Menu Foods. Although I have nothing to fear, there is a deep sorrow in my heart. A sorrow for all those who have or are about to lose a beloved pet to rat poison. Hopefully this disaster will soon be over, and all of our pets will finally be safe.

Free Post: A Musical Message

Explanation:
While searching through my iTunes Playlist, I came across a song with astoundingly powerful lyrics. I would like to use this "free post" to communicate a message that is key to life itself. The song lyrics are not at all related to English class. In spite of this, I feel that the song's moral deserves to be heard and considered.

Listen to the song: “100 Years”: Five For Fighting




Song Lyrics: “100 Years”: Five For Fighting:

I'm 15 for a moment
Caught in between 10 and 20
And I'm just dreaming
Counting the ways to where you are
I'm 22 for a moment
She feels better than ever
And we're on fire
Making our way back from Mars
15 there's still time for you
Time to buy and time to lose
15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live
I'm 33 for a moment
Still the man, but you see I'm a they
A kid on the way
A family on my mind
I'm 45 for a moment
The sea is high
And I'm heading into a crisis
Chasing the years of my life
15 there's still time for you
Time to buy, Time to lose yourself
Within a morning star
15 I'm all right with you
15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live
Half time goes by
Suddenly you're wise
Another blink of an eye
67 is gone
The sun is getting high
We're moving on...
I'm 99 for a moment
Dying for just another moment
And I'm just dreaming
Counting the ways to where you are
15 there's still time for you
22 I feel her too
33 you're on your way
Every day's a new day...
15 there's still time for you
Time to buy and time to choose
Hey 15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live

The Message:

The song "100 Years" revolves around one main theme: Live your life to the fullest that it can be. Everyday is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that should not be wasted. Failure to experience life at its fullest will only end in regret. After all, "you've only got 100 years to live." Throughout the entire song, different ages and corresponding actions are mentioned. Longing for the past becomes a major issue as life progresses. Each age or step in life consists of a different meaning.

“100 Years” often refers to the immensely ideal idea of being fifteen years old. Life is just beginning for those at the age of fifteen, “15 there's still time for you. Time to buy and time to lose.” Youth provides the ability to be carefree and explore aimlessly. The Possibilities of life seem endless, “I'm 15 for a moment. Caught in between 10 and 20.And I'm just dreaming.” There is time for fantasizing about the future, time for planning the road ahead. At this age there are no boundaries.

As life continues, previous options disappear. Restrictions are created as age increases. The age of twenty-two proposes that it is time for settling down, “I’m 22 for a moment. She feels better than ever and we’re on fire, making our way back from Mars.” The first portion of the quote suggests that a significant other has been introduced. The second half, “And we’re on fire, making our way back from Mars,” suggests that the couple was once carefree and inside of their own fantasy. However, they realized that the time was right for settling down. The couple in the song is returning from their dreamland, or “Mars” to find a more practical land of their own. The boundaries of life have only begun to present themselves.

Desperation rises as the years swiftly pass, “ I’m 45 for a moment. The sea is high and I’m heading into crisis, chasing the years of my life.” A desire to firmly hold on to the years and never let another one pass becomes prominent. Time seems to move too quickly, “Half time goes by, suddenly you’re wise. Another blink of an eye, 67 is gone. The sun is getting high, we’re moving on.” The second half of the line uses the phrase “blink of an eye.” I have come to believe that the phrase “blink of an eye” is an indicator of instantaneous change. Blinking your eye takes approximately half of a second. Therefore, it only takes about half a second to lose track of time and let the years whiz right by. A chapter in the book of your life could be gone in a half-second. Yearning for younger years starts to invade the thoughts of your mind.

Near the end of life, an intense desire to return to the past arises. Youth is significantly missed, “15 there's still time for you. Time to buy and time to choose.” Reminiscing about the past occurs. The old days are then praised, “Hey 15, there’s never a wish better than this.” This quote gives off the impression that the early stages of life are the most excellent. Life seems short, “When you only got 100 years to live.” By the time that your life is over, it seems as though life had passed too rapidly.

The lesson in these lyrics is that you should take your life to the furthest possible place. You should do all that you can do and push for even more. The future will only hold regret and hunger for earlier times if life is not completely experienced.

Who Am I?: A Few Accomplishments

I am proud to say that I have accomplished much throughout my relatively short years on this earth. I do not want to risk being perceived as a conceited, and egotistical being. This entry is not a cocky, twisted, over-the-top, or fabricated composition of myself. In fact, I have created this post solely for the purpose of others to get to know the real me.

As you may have noticed from my introduction to this blog entry, I claim to have accomplished quite a bit of astounding feats during the course of my life. Everything that I am about to describe may not seem incredible to you, as a reader. Nevertheless, I believe that each accomplishment, no matter how large or how small, contributes to the self-assurance that I possess.

Growing up, my family noticed that I was able to hold a pleasant tune every now and then. I am not saying that I was going to be the next Whitney Houston, but as the years went by my family pushed for me to keep singing. They wished for me to step outside of my comfort zone and sing in front of other people. The more my family pushed, the more self-conscious and terrified I felt. I acquired an extreme case of stage fright and my fear of singing for others prevented me from doing what I loved for many years.

It wasn't until one year ago that I broke free from the heavy chains of stage fright. In 2006, the local Little League Baseball committee requested that I sing the National Anthem for the league's Opening Day Ceremony. Still in shock from the startling request, I hesitantly agreed. I had never been offered such a unique opportunity and realized that singing the National Anthem for an Opening Day Ceremony could be a once in a lifetime experience.

After months of preparation the day finally came, I sang the Star Spangled Banner for the Little League Baseball Ceremony. Right now some of you are probably thinking, "Even I could do that! It's only Little League, that's nothing special." However, that is only your opinion. To me, singing for the ceremony was a milestone; I sang in front of an audience of over one hundred people. My stage fright and inability to sing for others disappeared that day. Now I can sing for anybody, no matter how large the audience. I have transformed from a shy and self-conscious girl into a bolder and more outgoing one. Singing in front of a large audience is not the only accomplishment that I have ever achieved.

Academics are another strength of mine. I have always been known as a straight-A student. In the fifth grade, international standardized testing was brought into the curriculum. When my test results returned, I discovered that I had tested in the ninety-eighth percentile. This meant that I had scored higher than ninety-eight percent of people that had taken this test nationally. Along with my high test scores came an invitation to participate in the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth program (an overseas program for intelligent individuals).

During the program, children would take advanced, and even college level courses. My parents turned down the offer, taking into account that I was only in the fifth grade. As my education further progressed, however, I continued to receive the offers. When I was in the eighth grade, my parents finally accepted the offer. There was only one major drawback: I was not officially part of the program.

In order to be fully considered a participant, I needed to take the SAT. If my score on the SAT was high, I would be allowed to participate in the Johns Hopkins program. My parents quickly signed me up to take the next available SAT test. Three weeks after taking the SAT, my scores returned with another letter from the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. I had once again scored well and was now able to take part in the program. I enrolled in a one month Nuclear Physics class that was based off of college level physics and chemistry. After successfully completing the course, I returned to my home with the excitement of knowing that only a select portion of students are invited to participate in the program that I had just finished. The Center for Talented Youth clearly set me apart from thousands of students. I believe that my participation in the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth program was a major achievement. Taking part in the course set me on a straight path to scientific success.

I have been fortunate to be presented with many opportunities during my lifetime. These opportunities have opened doors that are beyond my wildest beliefs. You may not find my accomplishments to be particularly appealing. However, I have truly benefited from the knowledge that I have unique and distinctive talents.

Who Am I?: An Action

Join The Fight-- Defeat Breast Cancer and Help Breast Cancer Victims

Millions of men and women are diagnosed with Breast Cancer annually. In fact, Breast Cancer holds the second highest rate of cancer related deaths in women. Over 178,480 new cases of the cancer are expected to appear in unsuspecting beings this year. New technology has led to higher survival rates. However, people that contract the cancer often die. This year, approximately 40,910 deaths from Breast Cancer will occur. Scientists are still searching for an effective way to destroy Breast Cancer. The most helpful way that people can contribute to the cure for Breast Cancer is to spread awareness about the devastating killer.

Thousands of campaigns and fundraisers have been designed to educate civilians about Breast Cancer, and cure those who have it. The movements include The Pink Ribbon and The Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure. The Pink Ribbon is the most recognizable Breast Cancer awareness symbol. Pink Ribbons are sold in the form of pins, magnets, and other merchandise. By selling the Pink Ribbons, money is raised for the cure and treatment of Breast Cancer victims. The Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure is a marathon that is conducted annually, in various places. Tons of people flock to the races. An entrance fee is mandatory at each event, thus resulting in colossal profit. I am proud to say that I have become involved with the fight against Breast Cancer.

In the year of 2001, my family decided to take a stand against Breast Cancer. As a Thoracic Surgeon and General Oncologist, my father had treated thousands of men and women with the cancer. Often times, the people with Breast Cancer could not afford to pay the expensive medical bills that came along with their treatment. This was usually due to a lack of adequate health insurance. It was tragic to see a dying person turn down treatment because of an inability to pay for the medical bills that followed. My mother (who was a lawyer) moved quickly to aid the people who suffered from Breast Cancer. She designed legislation that would enable Breast Cancer victims without insurance to receive proper treatment.

More than 2,000 supporting citizens were needed to pass the legislation. My family worked diligently in order to collect the required signatures. I was only eight at the time, but I can remember walking up to complete strangers and asking for their support. The fact that I was not familiar with the people that I was asking did not alter my determination to save the humans with Breast Cancer. Knowing that I was laboring away for a great cause, I was fearless. In the end, my family collected over 3,000 signatures and the legislation passed. We had succeeded, all patients without insurance could now receive treatment for their case of Breast Cancer. When I look back upon the event, I feel that I have accomplished something spectacular.

Who Am I?: A Thought

"The Message"-- A Response To "One World."

Day after day, the human race stumbles upon countless obstacles in life that relate to diversity, rejection, and self-respect. We, as the world's people, are at a disagreement with each other and ourselves. The Video displays the desires of numerous men and women. Each and every one of the people shown in "The Message" has the same goal: They wish for all of humankind to disregard personal conflicts, and the differences between unique individuals. They believe that the world can come together and relieve all tensions.

The Video "The Message" is an excellent example of my beliefs. I was speechless the first time that I viewed the film. There are no words to describe the level of inspiration that flooded through my mind. My exact thoughts and aspirations were reflected through the wishes of the beings that were displayed in the video. Worldwide agreement is key to a successful and peaceful planet. Enforcing concepts like "compassion," "forgiveness," "tolerance," and "ending bigotry," lends a hand in creating a single, harmonious world. I believe that humankind can work together to create an ideal society on Earth. If you put forth an effort to change the world, anything is possible. Acceptance, kindness, and respect compose the first step of the movement towards undivided global cooperation. This first step is an action that I intend to take.

A Ghostly Encounter-Part Two

“Please pull your chairs forward into the upright position. Make sure that your trays are firmly secured to the chair in front of you. We are preparing for landing.” The pleasantly fake voice of a flight attendant rang over the speakers. Her voice really wasn’t pleasant, it was rather annoying actually. Perhaps I only believed that it was pleasant because I associated her voice with ACTUAL LAND, not the ground on the discolored floor of the airplane.

I could feel the steady decline of the aircraft throughout my whole body. My heart racing out of sheer excitement, my ears aching from all of the mounting pressure, and my stomach — doing the best that it could to keep down the disgusting meal that I had just scarfed down; there had been no other food available throughout the long flight. The plane continued to decline until I was all but thrown out of my seat by the earthquake that the pilot called a landing.

After I had recovered from the sudden jolt, the plane began to taxi into Gate 41 of the San Francisco International Airport. I could not wait to be on the ground again, every second felt like an hour. Sitting impatiently, I silently picked at the loose thread that was hanging from my oversized UCSC sweatshirt, stared out of the dingy oblong window, and waited for the “fasten your seatbelt” sign to be switched off. Finally, the plane stopped. We were released - I felt like a slave that had just been freed by Abraham Lincoln. Overcome by the sense of delight that my love of land always brought me, I could not help but jump out of my seat when the flight attendant declared that all passengers could take of their seatbelts. I did not care that I was located all the way at the back of the plane, and that it would be at least 20 minutes until it was my turn to escape from this torture chamber that the Federal-American-Transportation-Regulators called a “sophisticated mode of transportation.” Ignoring the awkward glances that elderly women dressed in orthopedic shoes and cardigans that smelled strongly of mothballs gave me, I impatiently counted the minutes that would lead me to freedom. At last, most of the passengers had vacated the airplane, and my family and I were free to go. We quickly squeezed ourselves through the ridiculously narrow isles, and headed towards Baggage Claim. Unfortunately, our suitcases looked exactly like the suitcases of every body else in the world that just happened to decide to fly into San Francisco at 9:30 in the evening. My father stood in frustration, scouring the carousel for three black, standard-sized, Samsonite suitcases.

At the same time, my mother had gone to customer reports. She returned to us with the knowledge that our bags had been lost, and that they would be sent to our hotel by morning. Slightly depressed, my family and I began to walk the two-block hike up to our hotel, The Beresford Arms.

After minutes of climbing up San Francisco’s mountainous terrain, The Beresford Arms finally came into view. It had a rustic sign, one that looked like it had been hanging on the ledge of the edifice for ages. Aside from the antiquated appearance of the hotel, the building looked relatively normal. High wooden arches, and handcrafted windows complimented the Beresford’s classic Victorian structure. When my family and I were done admiring the brilliant architecture, we proceeded to the entrance.

I reached out my hand to push open the enormous front door. However, I was quickly stopped because the sticker that was plastered above the handle said “PULL” in massive black letters. After smoothly disguising my brief moment of idiocracy, I managed to successfully open the bulky glass door. My mother immediately strolled up to the front desk. The rest of us sat down in the undersized, uncomfortable bench that was nearest to the elevator. While waiting for my mother to check-in to our room, I observed the timeworn lobby.

The Beresford Arms had an eerie presence. Something was irregular about the hotel, I could feel it in my bones. A chill went up my spine as I realized that I had to spend tree nights in the ancient Beresford. I couldn’t help but wonder if I would survive the night in such a ghoulish place. Still waiting for my mother to check-in, I nervously picked at my fingernails.

My mother finally returned to us with keys to our room in her hand. The man behind the front desk had taken a ridiculously long time to simply hand over a set of keys. He really wasn’t given a difficult task, I don’t know why he had to drag on the process. I was already terrified of the hotel, the last thing I needed was to sit and wait just a little longer so that I could evaluate how creepy the building really was.

“Alright, we are in room 412. Let’s go everybody, get into the elevator.” My mother pressed the button on the wall that was labeled “up.” As the elevator slowly declined to the floor level, my father, my brother, and I made our way to the elevator’s door. The elevator opened, and we all stepped inside. I lightly tapped on the button that said “4,” afraid that I would break the frail elevator. We were all slightly unnerved by the creaking, and shaking that was occurring as we traveled upward. All of us afraid that the elevator would suddenly break and that we would fall to our deaths, or be stuck inside of the miniscule traveling box forever. “DING, DING, DING,” the tottering elevator approached floor four.

The elevator door opened to reveal a dank, and dimly lit hallway. We followed the hallway all the way to its end, at room 412. My mother fumbled inside of her pockets, searching for the room key. When suddenly, the door creaked open.

“Oh Lord.” My brother let out a frightened murmur.

“Relax, everything is fine. The wind opened the door, that’s all.” My mother tried to comfort us.

“Yeah, everything is fine.” My father repeated, attempting to calm my brother and I. I was less than consoled. How could a LOCKED door just mysteriously open? Even a hurricane couldn’t manage to force open a locked door. Someone, or something had to be on the other side. My brother, on the other hand, seemed to have bought into my parent’s half-hearted “everything is fine” speech. The door opened even further, and we all cautiously stepped inside.

The room was a quaint junior suite, equipped with two adjacent bedrooms, one bathroom, and a kitchenette. After saying goodnight, my brother followed my parents into the room with two beds. I was left behind, all alone, to sleep in the next room. The time was now half past eleven. Tossing and turning, I found it impossible to sleep. Comfort was so far away from where I lay. I stayed wide-awake for hours, until I began to feel the slightest bit of drowsiness.

Just as I was falling asleep, a commotion arose. The noise sounded as though children were playing. Soft giggles, heavy breathing, and the clanking of toys erupted from the bathroom (which was only three yards away from where I lay). The children continued to play, until one of their toys rolled loose. A small bouncy-ball leapt up onto the foot of my bed, I was petrified. Frozen, I stayed inside of my bed, hoping that the children wouldn’t notice me. Light footsteps encircled my bed; the children were searching for the lost ball. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the children. One child was a girl, and the other was a boy. Both of the children were around the age of six. I couldn’t believe what was happening, I was staring directly at ghost-children.

The footsteps continued to surround me, as I silently wished that everything were all a dream. I pinched my self once, to see if I really was experiencing the terror. Unfortunately, I felt every pore in my skin tighten as my fingers grasped the extra flesh located on my forearm. The search for the ball had not yet ended. My bed still remained unexamined.

I felt a slight tug on my sheets—the children had started to search my bed. At this point, I was more terrified than I had ever been in my whole life. A hand brushed up against my shin. I could feel a shiver take over my entire body. The tiny hand continued to brush up against me, until it had finally located the ball. Once the children had uncovered their missing toy, they returned once more to their playground inside of the bathroom.

Trying my best to ignore the children’s constant clamor, I seemed to have faded into sleep. I do not know when the fatigue finally set in, or how I had even managed to disregard the immense fear that I had felt. Nevertheless, I had fallen into a deep sleep. No other disturbances woke me that night. Dawn was soon to come.

The next morning, I awoke to the doorbell ringing. Our luggage had finally arrived from the airport. My mother and father quickly gave the bellboy a tip, and placed our suitcases onto the floor. I made my way into the next room, so that I could retrieve my belongings.

When I entered the room that my brother and parents shared, I was handed my bag. Still clouded by sleep, I dragged the suitcase into my room and placed it on my bed. Noticing that my breath had obtained a particularly unpleasant odor, I rummaged through my luggage in search of a toothbrush and toothpaste. As soon as I found my Sonicare electronic toothbrush and Colgate Extreme Whitening toothpaste, I stumbled into the bathroom.

I had completely forgotten about the events that had taken place the night before. In fact, I was beginning to believe that the whole night was all just a dream. Placing my toiletries carefully onto the counter, I turned on the sink faucet. I splashed my face once with water, and then turned around to find a towel. My peripheral vision caught a glance of something unusual inside of the sink. Out of curiosity, I quickly whipped my head around so that I could get a better view. There it was—a red and blue bouncy-ball, right inside of the sink bowl. The night really hadn’t been a dream; I had seen REAL ghost-children with my own two eyes.

Who Am I?: An Opinion

Dove-- The Campaign For Real Beauty

An epidemic of eating disorders is occurring. There is one main reason for this ever growing disease, the media. The media constantly gnarls and garbles our understanding of beauty. They emphasize imagery that is unhealthy, and sometimes even inhuman. Because of this, approximately one million American men and seven million American women are anorexic. Over 50 percent of girls ages 11 to 14 see themselves as overweight. In addition, the amount of people who contract eating disorders is rapidly increasing. Fortunately, there is something that we can do to help solve the problem.

The Campaign For Real Beauty is one way to put an end to eating disorders. The movement is designed to provide a foundation for societal change, and to widen the definition of beauty . The campaign is supported by Dove. Dove’s mission is to make women feel more beautiful everyday by challenging the modern stereotypical perception of attractiveness. So far, various ads have been put up, and lectures have been given. Many inspirational phrases have been constructed: “Grey and gorgeous”, “freckled and flawless”, and “wrinkled and wonderful”. I believe that this method is going to play a major role in diminishing the number of anorexia and bulimia cases that the world faces.

I am a firm believer in The Campaign For Real Beauty. Believe it or not, I have befriended over five people who have, or are battling with anorexia and bulimia. Scientific studies have shown that eating disorders are common among teenage girls, especially those in middle school and high school. They are common because teenage girls are constantly bombarded with the pressure to be thin. The media posts false pictures of women everywhere. Young girls are deceived into believing that there are people that actually look like the impostors on magazine covers. When the girls see these so-called "women" on the covers of magazines, they create a standard of beauty that is literally unachievable. However, the changes that have been made to every single one of the pictures have been hidden. As a result, the girls try to be physically identical to the ones in the photos. When they realize that they are incapable of the same appearance, the young ladies push themselves even further. This cycle continues, until death occurs. I believe that The Campaign For Real Beauty will help to put an end to eating disorders. By distributing a positive message across the female population, girls will no longer be mislead into believing that inhuman traits can be created. Every girl will learn to accept, and appreciate who they are.

Who Am I?: An Inspiration

Don't Give Up Africa-- Bono and Alicia Keys.

Africa has been in a state of disrepair for decades. Numerous organizations have put forth an effort to end the suffering, and end the deprivation. They have sought to free Africa of ethnic clashes, fierce rebellions (for example, the Blood Diamond rebellion), disease (like HIV/AIDS), and starvation. Although the organizations do not stand alone, many people deny the fact that Africa is in need. A great deal of our people refuses to accept Africa's crushed society. The beings believe that because they are not the ones suffering, they are not impacted at all. Our citizens believe that they do not have to aid Africa. When in actuality, the people of Africa are without crucial necessities to survival. Even just a penny can save someone's life, every bit counts. As a result of our ignorance, the needs of Africa are neglected. Everyone can contribute to the rescue of Africa, and anyone can make a difference.

As a strong believer in world peace and ending world hunger, this video (Don't Give Up Africa) has inspired me tremendously. The disregard of Africa has gone on for far too long. Nobody deserves to be ignored, or forgotten. The people of Africa did not put themselves in the position that they are currently in. Unfortunately, the Africans were placed in a hostile situation. The entire population needs our assistance to free themselves of famine and misery. Africa's lack of essential materials (and/or substances) affects my life everyday. I am constantly driven to reach out, and help in any way that is possible. Recently, i have joined a campaign sponsored by U2 (an Irish rock band), the campaign is mainly run by Bono (U2's lead singer). The movement is called ONE, and is designed as a fight against Africa's poverty and AIDS epidemic. I can truly say that by joining the campaign, I have become a part of something powerful. By doing this, I have learned that it IS possible to change the world. Even if I only play a small roll in saving Africa, I know that my roll is an important one. Don't give up on Africa--we can all come together and put an end to the struggle.