Ribbon Awareness Essay

Caileb Newby, Chris Newlon, Jordan Edel, Jim, Cody McAdams

English 101-113

Mrs. Anthony

April 19, 2013

Support Animal Cruelty Awareness

            Since the dawn of time animals have been considered companions for humans. It is our responsibility as a society to raise awareness to the neglect and cruelty that many animals endure. On a database called Pet-Abuse.com, Animal Cruelty cases are logged and there are currently 19,265 cases listed. (Gianotto) That is out of control so help the cause today by educating yourself on Animal Cruelty by wearing the purple animal cruelty awareness ribbon, donating money through the proper local channels, or volunteering your time at a local humane society because these animals are helpless on their own.

            To understand the cause you must first define what Animal Cruelty is because what seems cruel to one person may not be cruel to another based on their own personal interests and beliefs.  According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals , “While much progress has been made for animals in our society, particularly during the past 50 years, the continuing absence of a widely accepted definition of cruelty to animals remains an enormous obstacle.” (Kilroy) To help fight Animal Cruelty the ASPCA was formed and they defined it as, “Acts of violence or neglect perpetrated against animals are considered animal cruelty.”(ASPCA.org) Furthermore, they divided Animal Abuse into two categories; Intentional and Unintentional. Intentional would be when someone purposely harms an animal causing injury or death, such as the violent training and culling methods of large scale dog fighting organization. Unintentional would be considered all forms of neglect including failing to meet basic necessities of food, water, shelter, and appropriate veterinary care.  The ASPCA passed a law in 1866 that made dog fighting and all cruelty to animals illegal.(ASPCA.org)

            Animal abuse has had a long and bloody history. In ancient times, barbaric fights to the death were popular involving both humans and animals alike. In the United States cockfighting and dogfighting go back to the 1800’s. Cockfighting in the south was very popular and even became part of the southern culture.  The ASPCA outlawed all forms of animal cruelty, but these blood sports are still occurring in dangerous frequency. Underground dog fighting organizations have been unearthed like the recent Michael Vick scandal. This only makes the fact that the problem is not yet fixed more real. This incident occurred in 2007 involving Michael Vick, a well-known professional football player. It gained mass media attention because a well-known individual was involved.  The ASPCAs’ investigation team got involved in the case against Michael Vick. According to an article on the ASPCA website, the Investigation concluded that Michael Vick and two other individuals were involved in an underground dog fighting organization which caused him to serve 23 months in prison, 3 years of probation, and 1 million dollars into a fund used to rehabilitate and care for the animals. He also was dropped from the NFL. This is a good example of how the ASPCA gets involved to help end Animal Cruelty.

            The biggest problem with animal abuse is that there is not enough awareness and cases fail to be reported. According to the Humane Society’s’ website, “Most cases are never reported, and most animal suffering goes unrecognized and unabated.”(Humanesociety.org) The whole purpose of the purple ribbon is to help fight Animal Cruelty by creating awareness so that the problem can be brought out of the shadows. There are many hotlines available across the country where you can report suspected animal abuse to the proper authorities. Without the help of caring individuals to support the cause the problem will continue to go undiagnosed and only the animals will suffer. I am asking you today to help out the animals and support the cause of Animal Cruelty by wearing the ribbon, donating money, or volunteering in whichever means you can.

            Through organizations like ASPCA, The Humane Society, and PETA the laws and views regarding animal abuse have made great strides. Through gaining awareness and the support of volunteers the lives of countless animals have been improved for the better. Now it is your turn to help by joining the cause today.

Work Cited

"Animal Cruelty Facts and Statistics." Humanesociety.org. N.p., 21 July 2011. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. 

"Animal Cruelty (Informational Paper)." Learningtogive.org. N.p., 13 Apr. 2008. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. 

"The ASPCA and the 2007 Investigation of Michael Vick." aspca.org. N.p., 4 Dec. 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. 

Kilroy, Walter. "Cruelty Prevention: What is Animal Cruelty." mspca.org. ASPCA, 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.

Gianotto, Alison. "Animal Abuse Cases." Pet-Abuse.com. N.p., 9 Apr. 2013. Cruelty Database. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.

Bucketlist Continued

The thing that I will accomplish next on my bucket list...

It is graduating from college. I think I have lived a full life once I have a lot of wisdom and graduating from college is just one more step to wisdom. I get my Associates Transfer Degree in about a month so I am excited to be one step closer to checking off my bucket list. I have always thought that I would have a college degree one day and now I will have it. I think the next thing after that is to watch the movie " The Bucket List." I have to write a lecture based on the ideals of this movie and the Last Lecture video on youtube so I will do that soon. I wrote a bucket list of 50 things and I plan to one day accomplish them. I am still pretty young so hopefully I have many years to work on them. After that the next one I will probably try to accomplish is go to a Denver Broncos Football Game. I know that they will play Kansas City so I will just go when they are playing at KC. other than that I will just keep going.

Bucket List

1. Graduate Highschool
2. Jump out of a plane
3. Ride on an airplane
4. see the ocean
5. swim in the ocean 
6. go to another country
7. graduate from college
8. Make a difference in other peoples lives
9. do something I will be remembered for 
10. have kids
11. get married 
12. have an elaborate proposal
13. get good grades 
14. Travel
15. Bungee Jump
16. rock climbing
17. film a really good video part
18. walk the great wall of china
19. Surf in the ocean
20. Skateboarding
21. Wakeboarding
22. Have a crazy weekend in Las Vegas
23. Go to panama City beach for spring break
24. Ride across the country on a motorcycle
25. Go to a big music festival 
26. Go to a lot of concerts
27. eat healthy maintain fitness 
28. Live a positive lifestyle
29. climb a moutain
30. go to a broncos football game
31. go on a skate trip to california
32. Live somewhere besides MO
33. Go on a cruise
34. Buy my own camera with a fisheye
35. Skate the berrics
36. Skate at the street league
37. go to new orleans for mardi gras
38. go to time square in New york
39. Go to barcelona spain
40. Have really good freinds who are there for me
41. Start my own company
42. Become a proffessional skateboarder
43. Make a name for myself in a proffession
44. Spend time with my family
45. Try many different kinds of food
46. Live my life to the fullest
47. Visit my family I never see
48. Get a pet most likely a dog
49. Run in a marathon
50. Build a mini ramp in my backyard

What Direction I am heading

I think in my future I will still be skateboarding maybe with some sponsors. Have a bachelors degree with a good job. I feel like I will eventually move to a warmer climate maybe Arizona or Colorado. I am not exactly sure what I am going to specialize my degree in. Maybe Astronomy or Physics. Something Science based. I have came to this decision because I get so much enjoyment out of skateboarding, and warmer climate is something I am envious of living in Missouri.

Questions in Class...
Answers.
Good Work Ethic, and Imagination.
Skateboarding or something interesting.
Art, Photography, Skateboarding,
Family and Friends, seeing new places, accomplishing goals
Opportunities that I have been given, Talents I possess, Wisdom
I would travel and skate on a trip around the world with freinds
The little things and taking time to enjoy myself
Skate Contests, Editing videos, Painting, Photography, Listening to live music.
Move somewhere where there is more skate industry and ride for a company.
I want to travel, I would change the amount of starving people to zero.
I give my old clothes to friends or kids at the skate park because they are skate companies.
I start my own skate company that would make skateboards and clothes.
I would not have got in so much trouble when I was younger
I want to be remembered as positive and a well rounded human being.

5 most important values:
1. Enjoyment/Happiness
2. Fitness/Health
3.Travel/Adventure
4. Advancement/Promotion
5. Respect

animated story

We watched a video in class and this is from the perspective of the bird.

It was a day like any other. I went out on my afternoon food search down a sunny neighborhood composed of businesses. Men in suites walked the sidewalks and cars drove by quickly on their way. A scent of a fresh bagel stopped me dead in my tracks because bagels just so happen to be my favorite treat. I approached the man who was sitting on a bench below where I was flying. I tried to tell him I was robbing him but he didn't understand. He took one piece off and threw it on the ground, but I didn't come down here to only get a piece. I started to fight him like the thug bird I am. He got a few swats in on me so I backed up and got trapped in this weird suitcase. There were all these bright lights I wonder what happens when I hit this one. Maybe this other button will help me out. Now I get how to control this thing. I'm gonna take this guy out and then that bagel will be mine. Why is he going behind that wall. I tried to make it fly, but it was a lot harder than I thought. It flew all over recklessly and then it got kind of fun. It was like I was playing grand theft auto and I was running from the police. Then I saw him and I tried to go for the kill. Wait, he has the bagel so I surrendered. Then he tried to trick me so I aimed a rocket at him. I thought about it, but I couldn't risk the bagel. Then he threw the bagel and knocked me out of the suitcase. I was in a daze and he took off in the sky with my bagel. He isn't going to get away with this so I flew after him. I caught him without breaking a sweat keeping the image of the bagel in my mind. Time to teach you a lesson I thought. Then just as I go to claw him the bagel starts to fall back towards earth. I was not about to let it get away so I decided I would get my revenge another day.

Final Blog Entry

Reflection:
I thought this was an interesting assignment. I have never blogged before this, but it really wasn't that bad. I didn't know what my reaction would be. I thought it was fun to customize your blog page. Sometime I ran out of stuff to talk about, but the writings we did in class really helped out. I do not think I will continue to blog after this class, but it was fun to mess around with. I didn't really think that I had any huge challenges with this type of project. It got me typing more though and I feel like my typing has probably improved and I have also seen a change in my writings as well. I didn't really have anything that I hated about it. It was pretty straight forward about what we had to do and I like that we could write about anything. I am not really a blogger so this is probably the end of my blogging career.

I believe essay

Caileb Newby

English 101-113

Mrs. Anthony

February 23, 2013

I Believe Essay

When it comes to life there is one principle that I believe is very important for success and that principle is hard work. According to an article by Simran Khurana, Thomas Edison once said,” Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”(Quotes about Hard Work) I have seen countless examples throughout my life of how hard work and dedication has paid off for different people. Improving your work ethic can improve your life in many ways; whether it’s at work, your everyday life, or even at school.

At a young age I was introduced to the idea of hard work. When I was growing up my parents separated. I lived with my dad, two older brothers, and twin sister. My dad had to work three jobs to provide for us. Raising four kids could not have been easy, but he was successful because he always worked hard to give us the best he could. He taught me that I should always work for anything that I wanted. In my earlier years before I was old enough to work a legit job I would borrow my dads' lawnmower and go door to door for money. It would take me about an hour depending on the size of the yard and I would earn twenty dollars. Sometimes I would take the lawnmower pretty far just to make some extra money. I associated hard work with material rewards like candy or extra milk money. It felt good to make my own money and be able to buy things. The independence I felt was a direct result of hard work. When I wanted something more expensive I would have to work harder to get my reward. This kind of thinking led me to have an outstanding work ethic that I could take with me to future jobs.

When I was finally able to start working as a legal employee I started working in a restaurant close to my house. The only job they would hire me for is the dishwasher position because I had no experience for anything else. I worked really hard in the dish area for about six months and by that time the kitchen manager had seen my work ethic and decided to move me up to a prep position. I was so happy when I did not have to wash dishes anymore and got to do more things with food. It turned out that I actually really liked to cook. After a while of learning the prep duties, I eventually got to start working on the line doing desserts and salads. I worked my way up from the bottom all the way to the fry, grill, and sauté stations. Hard work allowed me to move up faster and make more money with promotions and raises. However, I also saw fellow employees that would slack off. They would be stuck working the same positions for years. I would not have had the same opportunities if I did not believe in hard work. As I worked in many different kitchens over the years I have always taken my hard working beliefs with me.

Hard work transcended to other aspects of my life. Having a good work ethic helped me to progress and become a better skateboarder. I started out riding my skateboard to school as transportation. As I skated with my friends and learned tricks, I really became passionate about it. I decided I wanted to work hard to be the best skateboarder I could be. I eventually became really good after a lot of hard work and dedication. I wanted to test my new skills and started skating in contests at the Springfield Skate Park. The highlight of contest skating for me is winning first place in the advanced division and also winning the best trick contest in the same day. It felt so good to be rewarded for my hard work. Soon after, a skate shop owner approached me to be on his skate team. I accepted and still ride for 41/7 Skate Shop to this day. As a team we travel to different places to film skateboarding and shoot photos. Currently I am filming a video part and there is a lot of hard work that goes in to the making of a skate video part. Sometimes I fall down, roll my ankle, or even break my board. I always get back up, dust myself off, and go back to get the trick. I am very thankful for these life opportunities that my work ethic has made possible.

Work ethic in School is essential for success. If you want to do well in a class you must do the homework and take time out of your schedule to study for the test. I always got good grades in High School because I would always try my best and I liked the challenge. I knew that if I worked hard someday it would pay off. My senior year in High School I started dual enrolling in Ozarks Technical Community College. I even got A's in all my classes during dual enrollment. Now I am almost done with my Associates Transfer Degree and I have maintained above a 3.7 grade point average. I will be working to get a Bachelors Degree of Science at Missouri State University when I am done. I am also eligible for scholarships as a result of the hard work I have put into my education. Scholarship opportunities made the difference for me continuing my education because without them I might not have been able to afford the tuition. In my future, I will continue down the road I am heading and I know I will be able to do it as long as I continue to believe in hard work. My goal is to get a good education so I can get a really good job and be able to afford the things I want to do in life. According to the Census Bureau, “workers with bachelor’s degrees in 2008 earned about $26,000 more annually on average than workers with a high school diploma.”(census.gov) This statement just reassures my beliefs that hard work will pay off long term.

When it comes to life, hard work and dedication are the tools to get anything that your heart desires. If you want something then you will have to be willing to put in the hard work to get it. I feel like nothing is out of reach. My work ethic has guided my past, present, and will continue to guide my future. Without these principles I would not have any of the things that I have today. I have many friends with good and bad work ethics. I have noticed that the ones that are willing to work hard are happier and in a better place in life in general. Good work ethic can give you opportunities you wouldn’t otherwise have, help you accomplish your dreams, and improve every aspect of your life in a positive way.

Work Cited

Julian, Tiffany. "Work-Life Earnings for People With a Bachelor’s Degree: 2011." www.census.gov. N.p., Oct. 2012. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.

Khurana, Simran. "Quotes on Hard Work." About.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.