November-­‐January    Writing  

 1. Letter  to  the  Numazu  Exchange  Student  

2. Obama  VS.  Romney,  Why  Romney            Should  be  Elected  

3. The  Devil’s  Arithmetic  Book  Report  4. Marijuana,  (Feature  Article)  

 Numazu  Exchange  Letter  

                                                                                                                   #7,  Ami  Kosugi  

November  28,  2012      Dear  Ami,      

Hi,  My  name  is  Maya  Russell  and  I  am  going  to  be  your  partner  from  the  American  School  in  Japan  (ASIJ).  I  am  from  Brazil,  Thailand  and  America  (Those  are  just  some  of  the  places  I  come  from).  I  have  lived  in  Tokyo  for  three  months.    My  favorite  things  to  do  are  playing                                                  4-­‐squares,  volleyball,  talking  and  singing  (also  being  CRAZY!)  I  also  like  spending  time  with  my  friends,  family,  and  listening  to  music,  especially  ‘FUN’S’  song  ‘We  Are  Young’.  My  Japanese  language  skills  are  basically  non-­‐existent,  but  I  have  been  working  kinda  hard  to  learn  to  read  and  speak  better.  Hopefully  you  can  help  me  improve  my  Japanese  speaking  skills  when  you  visit  me.  I  put  a  picture  of  myself  in  the  letter  so  you  can  recognize  me  when  you  arrive  at  ASIJ  on  the  20th  January.    

Before  living  in  Tokyo  I  lived  in  Bangkok,  Thailand  for  4  years.  I  have  one  little  sister  (1  month),  a  dad,  a  stepmom  and  a  mom.  I  also  have  two  cats  the  female  one  called  CoCo  and  the  male  is  named  Lumpy.  

I  want  to  understand  the  Japanese  culture  by  trying  the  food  near  your  school  BTW  (By  the  way)  I’m  allergic  to  nuts.  Please  write  and  tell  me  all  about  yourself,  and  remember  to  tell  me  if  you  are  allergic  to  any  food.    Looking  forward  to  seeing  you  J    

Maya  Russell    

   

Obama  VS.  Romney  

Whose  side  are  you  on?    

I  believe  that  Governor  Mitt  Romney  is  the  right  presidential  candidate.  He  is  an  experienced  entrepreneur  and  he  has  a  long  string  of  business  triumphs.  Just  look  at  Massachusetts.  Romney  believes  that  people  should  determine  their  own  fate  and  they  should  work  for  a  living.  Unlike  an  Obama,  Romney  believes  that  people  should  work  for  themselves.  Not  just  have  the  government  pay  for  a  bunch  of  people  who  are  too  lazy  to  get  a  job!  Also  some  people  want  to  choose  their  health  care,  not  get  it  from  the  government.    There  are  people  who  just  take  public  healthcare  (Obama  Care)  for  granted.        Governor  Mitt  Romney  believes  that  the  government  should  lower  taxes  on  the  wealthy  people  creating  jobs  for  the  lower  and  middle  class.  Governor  Mitt  Romney  believes  that  fewer  taxes  make  more  jobs  because  the  money  that  is  not  spent  on  taxes  is  invested  in  the  free  market,  allowing  the  free  market  to  stimulate  and  create  more  jobs.  The  reason  rich  people  should  pay  less  tax  is  because  the  entrepreneurs  will  invest  in  companies  helping  them  flourish  and  creating  more  jobs  for  people  who  covet  them.  The  trickle  down  theory  is  where  less  economic  pressure  is  placed  on  the  wealthy  and  that  improves  the  economy  as  a  whole.    With  Obama’s  plans  for  a  big  government  it’s  limiting  each  state’s  power.  On  the  other  hand  Governor  Mitt  Romney’s  plan  is  to  create  jobs  and  allow  people  to  choose  their  health  care.  Each  person  has  a  choice  to  choose  what  they  to  do.  What  if  they  don’t  participate  in  government  funded  healthcare?  If  you  don’t  comply  with  Obama  Care  you  could  pay  a  fine  up  to  $12,000  or  more  (according  to  Forbes).  Does  that  seem  right  to  you?    In  Obama’s  big  government  plan,  he  is  promoting  that  states  don’t  have  a  big  say.  He’s  taking  away  states  rights  and  he’s  taking  away  people  freedom  of  choice.  It’s  only  what  the  government  think  is  good  for  the  individual.  Studies  show  that  states  that  say  you  work  for  what  you  earn  have  added  millions  of  jobs.  While  states  with  pro  union  policies  have  lost  millions  of  jobs  over  the  decades.        Governor  Mitt  Romney  wants  to  eliminate  the  Death  Tax.      

“I’d  like  somebody  to  get  rid  of  the  death  tax.  That’s  what  I  want.  I  don’t  want  to  get  taxed  just  because  I  died.  If  I  give  something  to  my  kids,  I  already  paid  the  tax,  why  do  I  have  to  pay  again  just  because  I  died?”  quote  Whoopi  Goldberg.  The  death  tax  is  tax  on  inheritance  when  someone  in  the  family  dies.  Does  this  seem  right?      No  death  tax,  states  and  individual  freedom,  the  trickle  down  economic  theory  and  support  in  the  free  market.  These  are  some  of  the  reasons  you  should  put  your  support  in  Governor  Mitt  Romney.  

   

 

The Devils Arithmetic By  Maya  

 Have you ever dreaded the festive family dinner,

gathering with the same hoary relatives, listening to the same ancient stories, and going to the same old boring places. Every year 12 year old, Hannah Stern is required to attend

her family’s Passover because she’s Jewish. Hannah is tired of holiday gatherings all her family ever talks about, is the past. In fact, Hannah deems that’s what they do on every Jewish holiday. Hannah is humiliated of her elderly relatives and she’s tired of remembering until...

She is picked by her, “Loud, obnoxious and annoying,”

Grandpa Will to symbolically to open the door for the prophet Elijah. But everything changes when she is transported back in to 1942 in Poland during World War II. At that time and place, people believe she is Chaya Abramowicz a survivor of Cholera epidemic that eradicated her parents. Hannah, struggling to come to grips with reality is shocked to be kidnapped along with the rest of the Jewish village and shipped to a Nazi concentration camp. Will Hannah Survive? Will Things Ever Be The Same?

You experience Chaya’s four day grueling trip on a

boxcar, in all that time all Chaya gets is one cup of lewd water to drink; she is packed so tightly she can’t move with no toilet facilities; people simple micturate themselves. Adding to the putrid smell, a young child holding on to life dies in her mother’s arms and Chaya’s new friend dies as well and this is just the beginning of the horror. Hannah Stern is self-absorbed, she is tired of hearing her relatives stories about the past, “remember.” Hannah is tired of remembering. Hannah is tired of talking about the past, the holocaust and attending Passover and every other Jewish holiday. She is embarrassed by her Grandpa Will and the way he roars at the T.V when the tapes of the ‘Nazi Concentration Camps’ show, even though she knows the pain and the physical and emotional torture he experienced she still dismisses his feelings by acting embarrassed and hoping for him to be quiet. But as Hannah is transported back in time she must come to grips with her new reality and accept the fact that life will never be the same…

I didn’t like Hannah at the beginning of the book. To me

she was very self absorbed and doesn’t understand the meaning and importance of family. I start to like her when

she is transported back in time. I like how Hannah is always complaining about being dragged into holidays just because she Jewish then she experiences being ripped away form her life trapped in a box car for four days and experiencing concentration camp just because she’s Jewish. That teaches her the true meaning of family, remembrance and sacrifice.

The book was captivating and kept you at the edge of

your seat, most of the time. The beginning of the book is kind of slow and drags you on, makes you want to stop reading, “but at page 19 everything changes her head hurts and everything starts to unravel,” quote Elisabeth Jensen, a fellow fan of The Devils Arithmetic.

The Devils Arithmetic explains the holocaust from a

young girls perspective in excruciating details, they’re many plot twists that captivate you and I really enjoyed this book and would recommend this book to ages 10 and up.

Hannah Symbolically opening the door for Elijah and being transported back

in time

 “Soft  Drugs”  Hard  Landing  

   

    Marijuana  is  a  very  influential  drug  that  gradually  terminates  you  from  the  inside  with  out  you  even  knowing.  Imagine…  Sauntering  in  the  neighborhood  coffee  shop  you  hear  the  familiar  jingle  of  the  bell  as  you  stride  in.  You  hear  the  drone  of  the  coffee  machine  grating  the  brown  beans.  Determining  whether  you  should  go  with  the  daily  espresso  or  the  coffee.  Deciding  you  need  an  energy  boost,  you  acquire  the  espresso.  You  want  something  to  balance  the  energy,  keep  you  composed.  You  place  a  wad  of  cigarette  wrapping  paper,  a  rubicund  lighter  and  Marijuana  on  the  counter.  “As  usual,”  the  cashier’s  wispy  golden  hair  is  tied  in  a  muddled  bun.  But  wasn’t  her  hair  auburn  yesterday,  you  calmly  ask,    

“Did  you  dye  your  hair?”      “My  hair  was  always  blonde.”  You  stand  there  dazed  and  

confused.  The  Marijuana  has  taken  a  mystifying  effect  on  your  brain,  distorting  your  memories.  You  run  out  dazed,  leaving  your  Marijuana  and  coffee  on  the  counter.  What  have  “soft  drugs”  done  to  you?…    

When  marijuana  enters  the  brain  it  cause  you  to  feel  euphoric  or  (high)  by  acting  on  the  brains  reward  system,  which  govern  to  the  response  of  pleasurable  things  like  chocolate  and  drugs.  Marijuana  activates  the  brains  reward  system  like  any  other  drug:  by  stimulating  brain  cells  to  release  the  chemical  dopamine.  Marijuana  causes  euphoria  and  relaxation.  Marijuana  is  very  addicting,  most  cases  of  marijuana  usage  result  in  constant  use,  killing  the  user  from  the  inside.  

Some  of  the  other  effects  vary  dramatically  depending  on  the  user.  These  include  heighted  sensory  perception  (brighter  colors),  laughter,  altered  perception  of  time  and  increased  appetite.  After  a  while  the  euphoria  subsides  the  user  may  feel  sleepy  and  depressed.  Occasionally  users  of  marijuana  may  experience  anxiety,  fear,  distrust,  or  panic.  Marijuana  use;  impairs  a  person's  ability  to  form  new  memories  and  to  shift  focus.  Marijuana  also  disrupts  coordination  and  balance  due  to  binding  to  receptors  in  the  cerebellum  and  basal  ganglia-­‐parts  of  the  brain  that  regulate  balance,  

posture,  coordination  and  reaction  to  time.  Therefore  learning,  doing  complicated  tasks,  participating  in  athletics  and  driving  are  also  affected.  Marijuana  users  who  have  taken  sizeable  doses  may  experience  hallucinations,  delusions,  loss  of  a  sense  of  personal  identity,  suicidal  thoughts  and  schizophrenia.  Children  who  are  long  term  exposed  to  marijuana  have  a  80%  higher  chance  of  schizophrenia.  

The  specific  causes  of  these  symptoms  remain  unknown.    They  develop  more  frequently  in  a  high  dose  of  Cannabis  (the  Marijuana  plant)  that  is  consumed  in  food  or  drinks,  rather  then  smoked.  The  medicinal  use  for  marijuana  for  pain  reduction,  is  most  commonly  used  in  cancer  treatments.  Marijuana  is  sold  in  coffee  shops  in  the  Netherlands,  but  are  banned  from  tourists.  “Soft  Drugs”  and  “Hard  Drugs”  are  separated  from  the  damage  caused  in  a  dose,  but  did  you  know  that  using  “Soft  Drugs”  seals  your  fate  to  the  same  sticky  end  that  “Hard  Drugs”  ensures.  The  only  difference  is  that  it’s  easier  to  stop  the  addiction  and  takes  longer  and  more  doses  for  the  effects  of  the  “Soft  drugs”  to  settle  in  and  destroy  you  from  the  inside.    

Doping  on  Marijuana  slowly  kills  you  from  the  inside  without  you  even  knowing  it.  Many  people  turn  to  drugs  in  times  of  stress,  depression  and  uncertainty.  “Soft  Drugs”  are  a  coping  mechanism,  it  make  reality  easier.    Lots  of  celebrity’s  use  Marijuana  and  this  takes  influence  on  their  life.  Louis  Armstrong  was  arrested  1930,  along  with  drummer  Vic  Berton,  outside  the  Cotton  Club  in  Culver  City,  California.  Allegedly,  according  to  Berton’s  Brother  Ralph.  Vic  and  the  famous  Jazz  musician  spent  the  night  in  a  cell,  “laughing  it  up”  in  a  cell.  Since  they  were  on  Marijuana  they  experienced  an  extreme  lose  of  sense  and  personal  identity  along  with  other  symptoms.  A  judge  gave  them  each  six-­‐month  jail  sentences  (which  were  later  suspended)  and  a  $1,000  fine.    Willie  Nelson  was  issued  a  citation  in  2006  for  possession  of  Marijuana  and  narcotic  mushrooms).  John  Lennon,  Woody  Harleson,  Jennifer  Anniston,  Barack  Obama,  Lil’  Kim,  Snoop  Dog,  Whitney  Housten,  Macauley  Culkin,  Amy  Whinehouse,  Bob  Marley  and  many  other  celebrities.  The  thing  that  many  people  have  in  common  is  that  they  died  young  from  drugs  or  long-­‐term  symptoms  of  Marijuana.    

Marijuana  seems  to  yield  considerable  medical  benefits  for  many  Americans  with  diseases  from  glaucoma  to  cancer,  it  doesn’t.  On  a  national  level,  Marijuana  remains  a  serious  controversy.  Marijuana  causes  some  permanent  effects  on  the  brain,  similar  to  the  effects  the  long-­‐term  drug  users  experience.  For  example  cannabis  withdrawal  chronically  exposes  animals  and  that  leads  to  an  increase  in  the  stress-­‐response  system  and  changes  in  the  activity  in  the  nerve  cells  that  contain  dopamine.  Some  of  the  long-­‐term  symptoms  of  Marijuana  are  drug  addiction,  compulsive  drug  seeking  and  effects  on  the  users  taking  effect  on  their  social  ability.    

Long-­‐term  Marijuana  users  trying  to  quit,  experience  irritability,  sleeplessness,  decreased  appetite,  anxiety,  and  drug  craving  which  make  it  hard  to  stop.  These  withdrawal  symptoms  begin  within  one  day  following  the  absence  of  the  dopamine,  peak  at  2-­‐3  days  and  subside  within  1-­‐2  weeks  following  drug  cessation.      

Marijuana  has  been  categorized  as  a  narcotic,  a  drug  or  substance  that  relieves  pain,  induces  sleep,  or  alters  mood  or  behavior.    

Washington  and  Colorado  have  accepted  Marijuana  as  a  medical  drug  most  commonly  used  with  chemotherapy,  it  does  absolutely  nothing  except  relieve  pain  and  lower  the  chances  of  the  chemo  working.  Marijuana  is  a  malicious  drug  that  has  taken  thousands  of  lives,  don’t  let  it  take  yours.