The Colorado Adventure

CAP graduation

At the restaurant

Joel Carberry
Mrs. Rubin
7th grade writing sample
February 15, 2008

Cause and Effect: What was here first?

When land development occurs what happens to the land and wildlife? Natural land is necessary for animal habitats and it is also nice to look at an area in its primitive state. Plants and trees in an undeveloped area support our atmosphere. The air you breathe may depend on land areas remaining uncultivated. The safety of where you live may depend on animals having a proper food source. The chain of cause and effects of homebuilding in our area is rapidly growing into a huge problem.

Because people need shelter, home manufacturers build houses. It may seem like a simple request, but do people need new houses? In Highlands Ranch Shea homes builds new homes on prairie dog colonies. There are plenty of existing domiciles in Highlands Ranch for people to live in. Families are always moving, so there are always dwellings for sale. When Shea homes decides that new houses need to be built they destroy prairie dog colonies and the native land they inhabit.

As a result of the new homes, prairie dog colonies are sucked up with a special machine and relocated to prairie dog farms. Shea homes ships more and more prairie dogs until the farms are full; consequently Shea homes turns the animals over to a ferret program to be used as food. Soon they might just have to kill the prairie dogs as the farms are full and the ferrets have plenty of food. Some people think prairie dogs are a nuisance but they are a vital part of the food chain in their natural environment. In fact, we now have a problem with coyotes by our house because their main food source, prairie dogs, are slowly being eradicated by Shea homes. Now the coyotes are eating small dogs and cats in our neighborhood.

Do we need trees? You may think that flooding isn’t a concern when you live in a high mountain desert but trees help hold back dirt and soil that would otherwise get swept away. Builders who cut down trees to build houses are affecting the lay of the land. A direct result of land development is that trees have to be cut down. This causes increased flooding, loss of small creatures habitat, and might even change migratory patters of birds. Near our home we have eagles that nest in the trees by Chatfield. With fewer trees to make their nests in, the population of these birds is definitely in danger.

In conclusion there is a chain of cause and effects when people demand a new house. What started as a simple request, a new house, grows into problems with land, wildlife and changing the landscape of where we live. Maybe we should reconsider buying new homes and make do with older ones. Maybe we should keep open spaces open for animals. Maybe then we can have the beauty of the landscape remain undeveloped and learn to appreciate what nature has offered us.

Joel Carberry
November 2007
Literature unit 8

In the story The Christmas Carol the main character Scrooge is affected by the coming of three spirits. Each one showed him things about his life that he needed to change or that used to make him happy. He is given a chance to turn from his selfish ways and become a better person after these visits. As each spirit visited him he learned lessons that help him turn his life around.

The first sprit that visited him is the Ghost of Christmas Past. This spirit has white hair, which should make him old. But Scrooge noticed that the spirit had no wrinkles. The spirit is small like a child, but seemed to be older. He carried a holly branch. The Spirit showed Scrooge as his younger self, apprenticing in Fezziwig’s shop. Scrooge saw himself younger and happier at a Christmas party that was given by his boss. Seeing himself so happy overwhelmed Scrooge and he felt like he was drowning and wanted to go home. It was important for the Sprit of Christmas Past to visit Scrooge so that he could see that he wasn’t always unhappy. There was a time in his life when he was full of life and merriment. By seeing this Scrooge knows that he can become that happy man again.

The second sprit to visit Scrooge was the Ghost of Christmas Present. This spirit was a giant who held a torch in his hand. He was full of good cheer and had a throne of food. The ghost showed Scrooge the Cratchit family at their poor house. They are gathered around the table thinking about their meager Christmas dinner to come. Tiny Tim is weak and Scrooge saw that if help isn’t given to him, Tim might die. Scrooge also goes to see his Nephew Fred’s house. There they are playing games and talking about Scrooge. Scrooge is worried about Tiny Tim, his well being and thinks that maybe he can help Tim and make a difference. At the nephews’ house Scrooge gets caught up in the games and starts to play along. It was important for Scrooge to see the present so he could realize that he should stop worrying about the future and enjoy now. By seeing this Scrooge realizes that the future can hold it self, but people need help now.

The third sprit to visit Scrooge was the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. This figure was hooded and wearing a dark robe. He had a mist around him and he never spoke, only gestured to Scrooge. The spirit took him to see a dead body and Scrooge saw that it was himself. Also he showed him the Cratchit family mourning over the loss of Tiny Tim and finally the grave of Ebenezer Scrooge marked in stone. This ghost and vision is the most terrifying for Scrooge. He now knows that if he doesn’t change he will not only end up dead, but people that he could have helped will be worse off. He immediately makes changes in his life, like sending a turkey to the Crachit family. This was the most important ghost for Scrooge to see because it pushed him over the edge from greed to realizing that he needs to invest in people, not money.

Scrooge has an inner conflict of what he used to be fighting with the greed and unhappiness of his present self. By seeing the three sprits he resolves to change his ways. He learns that greed makes people unhappy, but that if he invests in the lives of people and shares his wealth; he will be the happiest person on earth. He sees now that unhappiness fell over him like a shadow, but the inner joy of sharing has cast a golden glow on his life. He went from gloomy and grouchy to bright and cheerful because of his new attitude. Scrooge knows that he was given a chance to overcome and change the course of his life by the spirits visits. He could have stayed the course and been a miserable man, but he chose to make a change in his life for the better. The lessons that Scrooge learns are relevant even to the present day reader. We can choose to invest in people and have a greater happiness in our lives, by doing this we will be happy and full of joy.

Hockey
Joel Carberry
November 2007
Comp. First person narrative

When I first moved to Highlands Ranch in 2005 our new house was down the block from the Rec center. I wondered what kind of sports they had there that I could play. So, I went over and looked around. Soccer, basketball, baseball, I’d done all those before. Then I saw hockey. Not ice hockey, in-line skate hockey. That looks cool, I thought to myself. When I got home I asked my Mom and Dad if I could play. “Sure,” my Mom said, “Do you know what you need for it?” I got a list and we went to the store. We bought some inline skates and lots of pads. There were shin pads, kneepads, hip pads, a chest pad, shoulder pads, elbow pads and a helmet. When I suited up I looked like a linebacker! The last item we picked out was my hockey stick. I had never played hockey before, so I just picked the coolest stick I saw.

The first practice I went to the coach told me, “Joel, you need different skates, and tape that stick!” It was my first time in-line skating and playing hockey; I had a lot to learn. Over the months I practiced every week and got better at skating. I usually played defense, which meant I was the barrier the other team had to get through before the goalie. People would storm towards me with the puck and I would have to shoot it away. Sometimes I got smashed into the side of the rink, but it didn’t hurt. When I played offense it was harder. I would have to pass the puck to my teammates so we could try to get to the other side. This position required a lot more skating and being in the right spot to receive the puck.

As we played games each week we rose higher in the ranks. Soon my team was in second place and we stayed there until the very end. Finally, it was time for the championship game; we had made it! The game was tight, every shot we made the other team came back with a goal. It went back and forth, 1-1, 2-2, 3-3. The air was very tense; everyone was waiting for the game to be over so the next teams could play. But, we wouldn’t give up; we had to beat the other team. Finally the game was over, a tie 3-3. I wondered what would happen next. The coach said, “ Ok guys. We’re going to have a shoot-out. I’ll pick one guy to take a shot, if you make it we win, if not we lose.” Talk about pressure! I said, “Don’t pick me!” and got to the back of the line. I knew there were guys who were better shots than me, I was a good barrier, but now we needed a good shot. The other team was up first, they missed. Then we missed. This went on 2 more times. Finally our guy was up and he slammed the shot straight into the goal. We won! I couldn’t believe it, a shoot-out in overtime and we won! Everyone was jumping up and down and laughing. I’ll never forget my first and last hockey season, where I learned to skate and play hockey and was part of the championship team. It was awesome.

Joel Carberry
Composition Unit 3
September 19, 2007

What is C.A.P.?

CAP stands for Civil Air Patrol. In CAP you can fly airplanes, you can launch model rockets, do drills and much more. CAP is about leadership and helping others. As you will find out this program is great and helps out our country.

What exactly is the Civil Air Patrol? Major General John Curry started the Patrol on December 1, 1941. In fact, the first exam I have to pass is called the Curry exam. The Patrol was started During World War II. The Civil Air Patrol was seen as a way to use America’s civil aviation resources to aid the war effort instead of grounding them. The organization did many missions like anti-submarine patrol and warfare, and patrolling borders. After the end of World War II the Civil Air Patrol became a civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force. The incorporation charter declared that CAP would never again be involved in direct combat activities

Now that CAP is a part of the USAF and cannot be in war, what do they do? One thing they do is emergency services. These include: Search and Rescue, Disaster Relief, Humanitarian Services, and Air Force Support. A current event you may have heard of is the search for Steve Fossett. His airplane went down in Nevada and CAP has been very involoved in the search for him. In Air force support CAP performs several missions that are not combat-related in support of the United States Air Force. This includes damage assessment, transportation of officials, communications support and low-altitude route surveys. The next mission is Aerospace education. Civil Air Patrol’s Aerospace Education Program serves the CAP cadet and senior member population. Education for members includes formal, graded courses about all aspects of flying, including flight physics, dynamics, history, application and others. There are several programs for CAP pilots to improve their flying skills and earn FAA ratings. Lastly, the Cadet program, which I am in now, is a major mission of CAP. I get to participate in drills, model rocket launchings, and help at events such as the Rocky Mountain Balloon festival. I get to wear BDU’s and Dress blues, depending on the Monday we have drill. I will also get to have glider flights and regular aircarft flights.

Who can be in CAP? Boys and girls beween the ages of 12 and 21 can be in the cadet program. After age 21 you can beome a senior member. Advantages to starting early and finishing CAP are: CAP cadets who go on to join the Air Force can enter as an Airman First Class (E-3) if they have earned the Mitchell Award, no CAP graduate has ever been denied entrance to the USAF academy in Colorado Springs and there are many scholarships available to CAP cadets. There are also summer programs of intesive aero-education availailbe.

I’ll end by saying that CAP is fun, even if you don’t want to fly. There are many other things you can do and be involved in. I think everyone should look into joining and see if it’s for them!

Literature 7 Tiger’s Whisker

In the story The Tiger’s Whisker the woman Yun Ok is to be admired. The character of this woman is patient and loving. Her situation is difficult. Her husband has come back from war and is angry. She wants him to be loving like he was in the past, that’s her goal.

Two obstacles she faces are her angry husband and getting a tiger’s whisker. The wise man she consults tells her that she must get the whisker to help her husband. She tames the tiger over a six-month period and is able to get the whisker. The obstacle of her angry husband is not overcome at the end of the story, but she has knowledge to help him. She now realizes that she must treat her husband with love, patience, and respect to help him become the person of the past.

Yun Ok is to be admired for her patience and not giving up on her husband. She sought out help when she needed it and did what she was asked to do to meet a goal. Achieving something as the result of total commitment is rewarding because it makes you feel good knowing you have accomplished you goal.

The history of the yo-yo
(presentation club)

The first historical mention of the yo-yo was from Greece in the year 500 B.C. These ancient toys were made out of wood, metal, or painted terra cotta disks. Even in ancient Egyptian temples, drawings of objects have been seen in the shape of yo-yos. Historical records indicate that in the 16th century hunters in the Philippines hid up in trees and used a rock tied to a long cord up to 20 feet in length, to throw at wild animals beneath them. The weapon could be pulled up and thrown back down for multiple attempts at the prey.

The next historically dated mention of the yo-yo was a box from India made in the year 1765. Within the next 25 years, the yo-yo traveled from the Orient to Europe, specifically to the upper class of Scotland, France and on to England. High leaders such as the Prince of Wales and Napoleon used a yo-yo. The yo-yo craze traveled throughout Europe to England by the way of Scotland and France. In 1791, a print was circulated of the Prince of Wales whirling his yo-yo. On June 18,1815, at the famous battle of Waterloo, Napoleon and his army are known to have been seen playing with their yo-yos before battle.

The first recorded reference to any type of yo-yo in the U.S. was in 1866 when two men from Ohio received a patent for an invention called “an improved bandelore.” In 1916, the scientific American supplement published an article titled “Filipino toys” which showed it and named it a yo-yo. This was explained by some as the Filipino word for “come-come” or “to return.”

In the 1920s a man named Pedro Flores brought the first Filipino yo-yo to the U.S. and in 1928, began a yo-yo company by the same name in California. These yo-yos were hand carved from a single piece of wood. The string was looped around the axle, allowing the yo-yo to sleep at the end of the string. Rather then being able to only go up and down, the yo-yo was now capable of doing numbers of tricks.

In 1929, a businessman named Donald F. Duncan Sr. saw his first Flores yo-yo while he was in San Francisco. He saw the potential of the toy as he witnessed the crowd that Pedro was able to draw by doing a few tricks. He purchased not only the idea of the yo-yo, but the Pedro Flores company itself. In 1932, in an effort to protect his interest, Duncan filed for and was assigned a trademark for the word “yo-yo.”

In 1946, the Duncan company moved to Luck, Wisconsin, which quickly became known as the “yo-yo Capital of the world” producing 3,600 yo-yos per hour. They produced the original maple wooden yo-yos using 1 million boards per year. In 1960, plastic yo-yos that we still see today were made. By 1962, the Duncan company alone sold a record 45 million yo-yos in a country with only 40 million kids, and still could not keep up with demand.

On April 12,1985, the yo-yo was first taken into space by NASA on the Space Shuttle Discovery as part of the toys in space project. A basic spinning yo-yo was used to see what effect micro-gravity would have on it. What they discovered was that a yo-yo could be released at slow speeds and gracefully move along the string. However, the yo-yo refused to “sleep.” On July 31, 1992, the yo-yo again made its way into space, on the space shuttle Atlantis.

Whether the yo-yo was a Chinese, Greek, or Filipino invention or some combination is difficult to prove. Although the yo-yo has gone through periods of hibernation its popularity will always come back.

History 6 Child labor

One person can cause child labor to change, and improve laws for child labor.

Child labor can be dangerous. Small children don’t have the physical ability that an adult would have. For instance a boy in the late 1800’s might work 10 hours a day hauling 75 pounds and get a bent back for it. An adult could do the same work without stress to his body. In the late 1800’s a lady named Mother Jones fought to have laws against child labor imposed. In that day children were used in everything from cotton mills to mining.

She worked hard speaking about child labor and laws were made to help children. Now they didn’t have to work all day, they could go to school. If they did work they got a fair
wage or did a safer job.

So one person, Mother Jones, did cause child labor to change, for the better

Writing 6

HOW TO PLAY RUNESCAPE

To start playing runescape you will need some armor such as bronze or iron for new players. Other things you will need are a woodcutting ax or some runes if you like magic. Higher levels will need something like dragon armor or rune armor. But, you can’t just get this stuff you need money.

To earn money you might sell flax. To get flax you need to pick it from a flax field then use it on a spinning wheel to get a bowstring. Bowstrings can be sold for 150gp each. Another way to make money is to cut wood and sell it. Higherlevel wood is worth more.

So now that you know the basics you should know about membership. It costs 5$ a month to be a member the benefits are you will get to do more quests and go to new cities. Also you will get new skills like farming and fletching.