A Knight's Tale

By Sir Walter Scott

The story takes place in England, during a time when the Saxons and the Normans do not like each other. Ivanhoe is the son of a Saxon, Lord Cedric. Lord Cedric disinherits Ivanhoe after he follows King Richard, a Norman, to a crusade. Lord Cedric is the guardian of Lady Rowena. She is a distant relative. Ivanhoe loves Lady Rowena, but his father wants Rowena to marry a Saxon of royal blood.
Ivanhoe returns to England, traveling in disguise. In fact he is staying at his father’s castle, with Isaac of York as guests. Ivanhoe overhears Brian de Bois-Guilbert tell his men to rob and kidnap Isaac. It is planned for the following day. Before it could happen, Ivanhoe sneaks into Isaac’s room, and warns him. Ivanhoe and Isaac leave through the back gate with the help of Ivanhoe’s old friend and squire, Gurth. To repay the stranger for helping him, Isaac offers Ivanhoe a horse and armor to compete in the knights’ tournament.
On the first day of the tournament Ivanhoe, still in disguise, defeats all the other knights. Ivanhoe is rewarded by picking the Queen of the Tournament. He chooses Rowena. The next day Ivanhoe leads his group of knights against Brian’s. Ivanhoe’s is about to win, when he is wounded. Brian and two other knights continue to battle the wounded Ivanhoe. Suddenly a black knight enters the tournament. He defeats Brian and his group, but quickly leaves. Ivanhoe is declared the tournament winner.
At the winners’ ceremony, Rowena declares Ivanhoe the King of the Tournament. He takes off his helmet, is crowned, and then faints from his wounds. Ivanhoe is taken to get medical help, by Isaac and Rowena. They take him to Rebecca, who happens to be Isaac’s daughter. Rebecca recognizes Ivanhoe, whom she has always loved.
After a few days of rest, the group starts to travel to Isaac’s home. On the way, they join Cedric’s party. Cedric does not recognize his son. The group is kidnapped by people claiming to be Saxons. The group is taken to a castle that King Richard gave Ivanhoe. Richard’s evil brother, Prince John, had taken the castle away from Ivanhoe.
Gurth witnessed the kidnapping. He tries to get help, but he is stopped. Gurth gets help from Robin Hood. Robin Hood gets his men, and the black knight to storm the castle to free Ivanhoe, Cedric, and the others.
The kidnappers are really Brian and Maurice. They want Rowena and Rebecca to marry them. They threaten to kill Cedric. Robin Hood offers a priest before Cedric’s execution. The priest is really Gurth. Gurth switches places with Cedric. Once Cedric is out of the castle, Robin Hood, the black knight, and the men attack the castle.
Meanwhile, Isaac starts a fire in his cell that races out of control. The castle burns, and starts to fall apart. Gurth rescues Rowena, and Brian takes Rebecca. Rebecca does not want to go, but Brian forces her. The black knight rescues the others.
Brian takes Rebecca to Prince John to get married. Before that happens, Ivanhoe and the black knight find them. Ivanhoe kills Brian. The black knight reveals himself as King Richard, and Cedric reunites with Ivanhoe. Rowena and Ivanhoe later marry.
I liked this book because it had adventure, and romance. I would recommend this book to others.

A Great Friend In To Different Versions

Old Yeller is the story of a young boy, and his dog. Living on a small farm in Texas, the Coate's are a hard-working family. They are struggling with money problems, after the Civil War. Jim, the father, must leave his family to go on a cattle drive to earn money. Travis, the oldest son, is forced to grow up fast as the, “man of the house." Old Yeller, the adopted family dog, helps Travis keep the family going.

The book and movie Old Yeller are alike in several ways. Mr. Coate’s drives cattle to Kansas for "cash" money. Arliss, the youngest son, is known to make up a story or, “a big windy.” Old Yeller saves Arliss from a mother bear. Travis and Old Yeller get hurt by hogs, when they tried to tag the young hogs with the Coate's family mark. Finally, Old Yeller must be killed, because he was bitten by a mad wolf.

There are several large and small differences between the book and the movie. In the book, Old Yeller has a stubby tail and bitten up ears, but in the movie he doesn't have those features. A bull fight is not shown in the movie. The bull with hydrophobia wasn't shown in the movie, so Travis didn't shoot three animals with hydrophobia. Travis fell out of a tree in the movie, unlike the sand cave that collapsed under him in the book. The pup Lisbeth brought to Travis was not speckled; instead it looked liked Old Yeller. After Old Yeller was bitten by the mad wolf, Travis shot Old Yeller right away. In the movie, they kept Old Yeller in the corn crib for a month to see if he was infected.

Old Yeller is a classic story of a boy who misses his first dog, who had died. He tries not to love the new family dog, but as he grows up, so does his love for Old Yeller. In the end, the boy shows his love for the dog by not allowing Old Yeller to suffer when he is bitten by a mad wolf. The story is filled with exciting events. Starting with a bear attack, and then saving Travis from the hogs, Old Yeller finally saves the family one last time in a heroic fight with the mad wolf.

King Of Reptiles

The Komodo dragon is the king of reptiles, because it is the largest living reptile. It lives on the islands of central Indonesia. The Komodo dragon has a long flat head, rounded snout, large body with scaly skin, bowed legs, and a huge, muscular tail. Although it looks slow, it is actually quick and agile, can climb trees and can swim. A dragon can grow to 10 feet in length, weigh up to 300 pounds and eat 80% of their body weight. Their keen sense of smell helps them hunt. Dragons will eat most anything, including deer, pig, smaller dragons, water buffalo and humans.

Komodo dragons were almost driven to extinction, but now they are protected. There are now between 3000 and 5000 dragons in the world.

Mouse

He was tiny
Gray and white
With a long tail
And whiskers too!

His nose was pink
He squeaked when he spoke
He looked like a mouse
He squeaked like a mouse
He wigged his nose like a mouse.

His name is Mouse …….but he’s our kitten

In A Cave

I am surrounded by trees, plants, and long grass along the flowing river in the valley below. Listen to the sounds of birds singing and Eland running. The unique smells from flowers fill my lungs, adding to my relaxation. I am drawn to the smell of oranges. I pick one from the tree and feel the rough peel against my fingers, reminding me of the texture of the cave wall. Sitting by the cave entrance, I peel the orange and enjoy its sweet juice.

Animals

Little four legged creature
Wander hopelessly on the streets.
Digging in garbage cans for something to eat.
Flea bitten smelly and scared.
Dirty wet and cold.
Hoping one day, they’ll have a home of they’re own.
Sleeping on sidewalks and under benches at the park.
Fur falling out and nails growing apart.
Grown men chasing them
Beating them with a kick and a punch.
What did they do?
They were only looking for lunch.
I look at these creatures,
Abandoned and alone.
Hoping one day I could give them a home.
A nice hot bath and treats all around.
When I grow up.
I want to save the animals.

I didn't write this poem but I think it is a awesome poem.

People Of Old Tales

Robin
Brave, Kind, Gentle, Scared
Son of Sir John de Bureford
Lover of whittling
Who feels helpless
Who needs mother
Who fears the plague
Who gives a doll
Who would like to see his father
Resident of England
de Bureford

Sir Peter
Brave, Kind, Gentle, Protector
Cousin of Sir Hugh
Lover of Lady Constance
Who feels trapped
Who needs food
Who fears the Welsh
Who gives protection
Who would like to see other knights
Resident of England
de Lindsay

Brother
Kind, Gentle, Smart, Helpful
Relative of other brothers
Lover of God
Who feels like helping
Who needs God
Who fears the Welsh
Who gives lessons
Who would like to see Robin
Resident of England
Luke

John
Fast, Smart, Brave, Kind
Son of his mother
Lover of music
Who feels jolly
Who needs a message
Who fears the Welsh
Who gives a message
Who would like to see his mother
Resident of England
Go-In-The-Wind

What Does "Sheep: Mean?

In the book, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Santiago’s sheep represent people relying on others to support them throughout life. In life people can’t do everything by themselves, you need someone to lean on. The sheep are just like that but they lean more heavily on Santiago because they are not as smart he is: “As long as the boy knew how to find the best pastures in Andalusia, they would be his friends“(7). This quote shows that the sheep know who they can lean on to show them the way to what they need in life. Whether he knows it or not Santiago leans on the sheep as much as they do. The sheep give him their wool; he sells the wool and gets money that keeps him alive: “’I need to sell some wool,’ the boy said to the Merchant” (5). It’s the same with human to human friendships. People support each other and help show each other the way to fulfilling your life.

Who’s at Fault?

An officer is not at fault in the article, “Harvard professor gates arrested at Cambridge home.” Around 12:44 p.m. on a sunny Thursday afternoon a call came in to the Cambridge police about a possible break-in involving an African American man. This man turned out to be Harvard professor Gates, who was just having trouble with his jammed front door. Gate was arrested on Thursday afternoon at his Cambridge home, for disorderly conduct. While questioning Gates, the officer was accused the officer of being a racist pro-filer and then threaten him by saying he had “No idea who he was messing with.” Gates continued to yell at the officer both inside and outside of the home. The officer was just doing his job and Gates overreacted by taking it too far.

Tire Expiration

Expiration dates should clearly be put on tires. Every year 3,000-6,000 people in the U.S. are killed by not knowing when their tire expires. According to news articles and papers, there have been simulations that show a tire being defected and a professional driver having a hard time getting the car under control. Now, imagine a regular civilian having an even harder time trying to control his or her car. That is why we would like to propose a bill that puts expiration dates on tires. This bill will help reduce the car crashes in the USA and will save thousands of dollars in taxpayer money.

Section 1:
In this bill we want to enforce to keep your tires for no longer than 6-10 years. Driving with tires over 6-10 years old is an avoidable safety hazard. The rubber in older tires begins to break down which may cause the tire to rupture causing the car to lose control. The expiration date for bringing tires in will be after 10 years after production date. But we will specifically put the law into place 40 days after our bill is approved. This gives the people time check their tires and see if they need to be changed or see how many years they have left.
Section 2:
Our Auto Mechanics and Admission testers will enforce the law. They will be the one’s checking the expiration dates on the tires and either replacing them or telling the pedestrian how many years until the tires need to be replaced. Also, when they arrive at the mechanics shop, they will be given a pamphlet to explain why the tires are being replaced. These pamphlets will be handed out at the mechanics shop and admissions testing. They will also be handed out at any car check up when the tires are replaced. This ensures that if people don’t exactly remember when their tires were changed they have their auto mechanics to remind and check up on them.

Section 3:
The penalties for driving with or selling tires over 10 years old is a $750 fine. This fine will only be used 5 years after the bill has been passed to ensure time for retailers to check all of their stock and drivers to check all of their tires. Any retailer, who continues to sell outdated tires, will be fined 70% of possible profits on tires after the bill has been in effect for 5 years. This fine should be enough to make sure everyone on the road is up to par with the safety measure put in place.

Section 4:
There are about 3,000-6,000 people who die in car crashes every year in the U.S. related to expired tires. Not only is there a way to stop this but it is cheap and simple. Every year approximately $5,000 is spent on individual car crashes. With replacing your tires every year, you can save a lot of money. This decreases car crashes and is better for everyone.

Final Section:
Every year there are many people who don’t replace tires that need to be replaced. This results to accidents, family tragedies, and death. Hospital bills, car bills and everything can stack up so quickly. But with one quick and simple trip to the mechanic shop, your tires can be replaced and the hassle of bills stacking up and family members missing disappears. With your approval of the bill, a better life can be made for not only the U.S. but for families everywhere.

Vaccines That Need To Be Mandatory

Vaccines should be mandatory for children. Just because some types of viruses haven’t been seen in the US in a long time doesn’t mean they won’t come back. All it takes is one person to get the disease and it’ll spread like wild fire. In other countries they don’t have the resources to get vaccines so there is a bigger chance of getting a disease. It’s like we’re living in a bubble, the moment someone comes back from a trip with that disease the bubble is popped. Why would you put your children through the pain of the disease itself and the pains of the treatments? Vaccines service as a shield against pain and suffering.

Final Thoughts

July 15

2:10pm,

Oh God, the final arguments. What is Petrocelli going to say?? Or Briggs?? Or O’Brien?? What’s she going to say, is she going to try to push the jury to think that I’m guilty when she suppose to be telling them I’m not???
I still don’t know whether or not she thinking I’m guilty or if she sees a monster. What does she see; I mean I can’t go back to that jail. I just can’t that place is horrible. Is O’Brien really going to put her own client into jail on purpose????
Or am I going to go to jail because Briggs connects me to King even after I said he was just someone I talked to a little bit??
Oh God what are my parents thinking??? What about Jerry, what is he going to think when he’s old when he finds out that his brother is or was a possible criminal???? Will he hate, or will he forgive me?? If he looks over the trail will he think I’m guilty or unfairly put into jail?????
Do my parents really think I’m innocent or that I belong in jail??? Will they never truth me again or will they forgive me???? Even if I don’t go to jail will they be on me all the time or will they say “You’ve learned your lesson.”
Or what about my friends or my teachers will they turn away from me or will they still talk to me.
Why did this happen to me, what did I do???? I’m sorry if I blamed Tony for something I did or that I’m bad at picking good friends. But what did I do????

2:30,
Thank you God!!!!!! I’m good, I’m good. I’m not dead yet. Thank you Briggs!!!!! Take that King, you certainly are not a friend of mine. But what about the jury???
I can’t tell what they’re thinking. They all have unreadable faces on. Will anything chance the way they see me??? Does it all depend on what O’Brien say??? But what is O’Brien going to say???
Maybe I should just ask her what she thinks of me???? And should I really be asking myself if I truly want to know what she sees in her client??? What will she say????

2:40,
Ok???? Is she didn’t directly say that I was innocent but she never said that word. All she said was that I was not guilty, why not use the word where it is meant to be used. In a court room when you are trying to keep someone out of jail????? Doesn’t that mean she really does think I’m guilty???? What does she see in me???
What do others see when I pass by or look at them??? Do they automatically see a monster or do they see unsure 16 year old, who is just trying to found himself??? What????
Is it just like when I see a new person, I judge or assume what they're like. Maybe that's what their doing to me........ I guess Karma is a pain in the neck.
But is karma going to put me into jail??? What is Petrocelli going to say???? It all comes down to these next few minutes.......I think I'm going to die from the emotions!!!!

2:50,
Ok so far she hasn't mention me yet........spoke to soon. But I didn't participate in this crime. I didn't "check out the place," I went to get some mints. I paid for them. Why would I kill the man I just bought mints from? The said mints are still sitting in my room untouched and uneaten.
Hold the phone; didn't the newscaster say the robbers were masked???? Was that every talked about?? I should tell O'Brien......but wait is it too late to bring this factor in???? I mean hundreds of people saw that report. Maybe then Mrs. Henry's testimony would be considered false because she wouldn't have been able to see King's face......Wait why do I want to help King??? He's the one who got me into this mess. He's the one who "paid" me, and the one who decide to go into the drugstore high. Did everyone forget that little piece?????
Oh shoot!!!! The judge is starting to ask.
"O'Brien, didn't one of the newscasters say the robbers were masked?"
"Yes, one channel did say the robbers were masked."
'Well, why not bring it up. Mrs. Henry would be lying if we can prove it."
"It's too late to bring up any new evidence and plus Mrs. Henry's testimony helps you."
Oh God here we go. Good bye old me and hello to the unknown.

3:00,

Then you must return a verdict of Guilty of felony murder.......Oh dear God even he thinks I'm guilty!!!! There goes the jury, they're not even looking at me!!!!! I guess this is it. They'll be back in less then five minutes. Better start saying or thinking my goodbyes. Bye mom, bye dad. I'm truly sorry I'm bad at picking out good people to have as friends. Good bye Jerry, I hope mom and dad talk to you about how to make good friends. Please don't be mad at me, and when you're old enough come visit me, please. Good bye to all my friends, the rest of my family and all my teacher. Good bye Mr. Sawicki. I hope I'll be able to give you me notes, maybe you'll sell it to a movie producer. Good bye to all my hopes and dreams.
Thank you O'Brien even if we don't win, thank you. You've taught me a lot in a short time. Thanks to everyone who stood with me.
God please protect me, if I do go to jail and if I don't.