#9

I recently read an article in the Sun Current about all the Edina robberies taking place. This is affecting our peaceful community greatly, and lots of effort should be put towards apprehending the criminals. Many families are getting nervous as well. For example, one of my neighbors is a single mom, so she is taking extra precautions to keep her kids safe. She added another lock on each door, and put a bell on the inside. Even if it seems like no harm would ever come to you, it is very sensible to park your cars in the garage and keep it closed, lock your doors at night, and if you have a security system, use it. It's good that the media is reporting these incidents so that citizens of Edina can be aware.

Hero In A Box

Researching people involved in animal rights was an easy way to distinguish common traits of heroes. Protests and lobbying are common, and this particular group of people is very determined to make a difference. These heroes have willpower, courage, drive, and support. I noticed that they aren't afraid to stand out, or what the public will think of them. I think that people who support animal rights can either be activists or spreaders. One type will chain themselves to a road, while others will use demonstrations as their way of conveying beliefs to the public. Each group is usually effective, and shows a lot of leadership qualities. This is what I think it means to be a hero.

"Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment."

-PETA slogan

Jill Phipps was a hero to Animal Rights. She was protesting outside of Coventry Airport in England, when the very lorry she was trying to stop, ran over her, fatally crushing her spine. The lorry was carrying veal calves to be distributed across Europe, and would not stop, even for the woman who chained herself to the road. Jill sets a great example as a hero, because she never gave up, no matter the consequences. She shouldn't have died, but it was for a cause she loved.

Ingrid Newkirk is an animal rights hero. She is the co-founder of PETA, an animal rights activist group. PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, started in 1980, and have been working towards stopping animal cruelty, and promoting their rights. She shows the makings of a hero in her work. Newkirk has devoted her life to this organization, and it has become internationally popular. There are many branches of PETA; people coming together for a cause they believe in.

#8

Last weekend I saw the movie Max Payne with a friend. We both like thriller/action movies, and the trailer looked pretty good. It was directed by Oliver Stone, who has made pretty good movies in the past, but this one was just okay. We decided that the beginning of the movie was hardly like the end, and very confusing at that. Throughout the film, characters took shots of a blue liquid, which turned out to be a failed military drug, which lead to the main character's wife's death. Very random. Another strange twist were the side effects of the drug... users hallucinated about birds killing them, and they would die in similar ways to the hallucination. Max Payne had a very twisted story line that was hard to distinguish, but lots of great explosions and shootout scenes. I liked how sometimes in the movie the good guy was confused with the bad guy as well.
Overall, it was a movie that made me think, and that is a big part of what counts.