Free Blog-Running

Runners for Life

When most students hear from their gym teachers that they are running the mile the next day, they are filled with a sense of dread. Call me crazy, but I get excited. I have always loved running; anywhere, anytime, and any distance. From soccer to basketball and now cross country and track, I can only describe the free feeling as my feet fly as pure ecstasy. When people find out about my running habits they one, think I’m crazy, or two, have known me long enough to say that it’s about time. Either way, people then ask how I got started, which is not quite a long story, but not something quick to explain either.
I went to a very small, private school for Kindergarten up until eighth grade where the only sports offered for girls were volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter, and softball in the spring. I had been playing soccer since I was five, but in fourth grade I had to stop and was looking for something new to get rid of some of my energy. The coaches for the three sports offered were friends of my parents and I got put into all three sports. Over the next couple of years, I got better and better at all three sports, managing to become captain of my volleyball and softball team two years in a row, and in basketball one year. I liked the sports, but I still wanted to just run. School, athletics, church activities, and working stopped me from being able to do more up until high school. Most people expected me to go on to do volleyball, basketball, and softball at Stevenson, but I shocked a lot of people-especially my parents-when I decided to join the cross country team in the fall. For the people that don't know, cross country is a grueling 5km, or 3.11 mile race that takes place outside in forests, parks, and the occasional baseball diamond. (Lots of them) I loved every exhausting stride. The feeling of running is like nothing else I've ever experienced, and the feeling afterwards is sometimes described as a runner's "high." You feel on top of the world after every run, and I couldn't wait to do it all over again. The people I met while running were another reason I was so glad to do cross country. I don't know what it is, but runners always smile when we pass on sidewalks and cheer each other on, no matter what school we go to. Many times I have been encouraged by runners from Churchill, Franklin, and other schools, and I have always been one to encourage someone who was maybe lagging behind. And I know I keep saying running this, and running that, but it really means that much to me. I wasn't really sure about high school coming from such a small school (240 kids, preschool through eighth grade), but running really helped me walk up to the building with confidence.

Big Fish Blog

It started out like any other wintry day in the quaint, little town of Livonia, MI. The lawns of the sleepy residents were swamped with the two feet of snow they had received the night before, and some children had already began to build snowmen. Those still inside were bouncing with delight as their disgruntled parents tried to dress them warmly enough to play outside in the snow. My siblings were among the latter group, running around the house trying to find gloves, scarves, and hats. I was upstairs in my room packing my own snow gear for the trip to my friend Madi's house. Earlier in the day she had called me to go snowboarding and hiking at a nearby mountain with our friend Batool. I was excited to go, but at the same time a little nervous. My mother had always told me the stories that surrounded the nearby river; the ones where hikers went there and never returned. But, I told myself, those are just myths told to scare little children. Either way, I would be staying far away from the river. I had just arrived at Madi's house when she came running out to the front yard with a panicked look on her face. "Something happened to Batool!" she sputtered, "I turned my back for one second and she was gone! There was just a hole in the snow where she was standing." I ran out back and saw for myself the gaping hole in the ground. I racked my brain for an idea until it hit me. "Kip and Max!" I exclaimed. Kip and Max were Madi's two dogs, if that's even the word to use. They were more like horse-sized wolves, and most importantly, they had been around Batool and knew her scent. Madi and I ran to get the dogs, a sled, and one of Batool's gloves. We tied the dogs to the sled, let them smell Batool's glove, and we were off. The dogs instantly set off towards the mountain, and to my slight fear, the river. On the way to the mountain we came across a strange tan farmhouse. We stopped to rest for a while here and went up to knock on the front door of the farmhouse to see if anyone was home. The door was instantly swung open by a girl that looked to be about the same age as us. "Hi! My name is Kelly. Welcome to the White House." Madi and I looked at each other a little confused. "Hi Kelly, I'm Madi and this Hannah." said Madi, "And not to be rude, but isn't your house tan?" Kelly just shook her head and laughed. "Why don't you both come inside and have something to eat? I hope you like your fruits and vegetables." Kelly turned and walked inside her house. Madi looked at me a little disturbed, though at this strange girl or the prospect of eating vegetables I wasn't quite sure. Kelly walked over to us and gave us both a bag that had an apple and a bushel of carrots in it and than said, "Well, it's getting late, you both better be on your way." She turned and closed the door, leaving us both standing there a little unsure of what just happened. "Well, we'd better be going." said Madi uncertainly. I nodded in agreement and we both got back on the sled, being pulled by the dogs to the mountain. We traveled for about thirty minutes more until we got to the base of the mountain a few feet away from the river. The dogs started pawing at the ground and whimpering so I got off the sled and starting looking around. "Hmmm, it seems like the trail just ends here." I said. "I wonder where she- Ahhhh!!!" I stepped forward and fell into a giant tunnel underground, followed by Madi and then the dogs. I sat up to see if everyone was alright, which they were. "What is this place?" Madi wondered aloud. "I believe I can answer that." said a new, high-pitched voice. Madi and I both jumped at the sound while the dogs didn't look at all alarmed. I saw a small figure step out of the shadows and I couldn't believe my eyes. There stood a groundhog, maybe two feet tall that was talking to us. "Hannah and Madi, it's me, Batool." the groundhog said. "But how? What? Why? What is going on?!" cried Madi. The groundhog shuffled over to us. "This is going to sound really weird," said Batool, "but I'm a shape-shifter." Madi and I just stood there a little too overwhelmed to make sense of anything. Batool continued on, "You see, my whole family carries the gene for shape-shifting, always have, and under certain conditions will turn into a groundhog." I was still lost. "So, kind of like a werewolf?" asked Madi. Batool just laughed. "There are no such things as werewolves Madi. I mean, come on." Just as Madi was about to say something, the dogs started barking and pacing, acting very nervous. Batool looked confused (if that's possible for a groundhog) and then panicked. "Wait! Stop!" she called out into the darkness but it was too late. Four more groundhogs came flying at us, snapping at our bodies. I heard Madi yell out and saw that a groundhog had a firm grip on her arm. I swatted it off only to see it had bitten her. She looked at her arm and than at me. All of a sudden she seemed to vanish and her clothes landed in a pile on the floor. The groundhogs stopped moving and stared at the spot where Madi was. All of a sudden a little groundhog popped its head out of the pile. "What the heck?" it screeched in a shrill voice. The groundhog that was Batool sighed. "Great job you rodent," she said to one of the groundhogs, "now Madi's a shifter too." Just as she said that though, Madi rose from the ground and turned back into her normal old self. "That was so weird," she said, "can I do it again?" Batool looked a little relieved that Madi wasn't mad and said, "Well, you'll probably do it again if you get scared by your shadow. Where did you think that silly Groundhog's Day myth came from?" Madi and I just looked at each other. We climbed out of the pit, followed by Batool now back in human form and saw it was still light out. "Well, now that episode is over," said Madi, "who's up for some snowboarding?" I looked at her as if she was crazy for being calm about what just happened, but then I realized this was Madi I was talking to. "Sure," I said, "but first I want to see something." Madi asked what it was. "Look! Your shadow's going to get you!" I exclaimed. Batool and Madi both flinched and then shrunk into groundhogs. "Hannah!" They both shouted. I just started laughing and thought to myself how I could get used to doing that.

Dalai Lama and Barack Obama meet to the displeasure of China.

"Dalai Lama to meet Barack Obama as US relations with China worsen."

Taking these provocative steps with China will not lead to any positive solution to our relation problems.

Despite what President Obama thinks are his best efforts to deal with the growing Chinese "threat" to our global status, the negative actions we are taking will not earn support or cooperation from China. The Chinese are not really mad that our president is meeting with a man from their country, it is the outright disregard for their wishes that has them furious. The Dalai Lama is symbolic to them of the opposition they face for their strict measures, and by establishing relations with this man, it is like we are directly supporting the opposition. I do not believe that angering the Chinese any more is the correct path to take because of the close economic and foreign ties we hold with them. Angering a country that has such a large say in global decision making just doesn't seem like the best way to, for example, pass sanctions on a country like Iran, which has just declared itself a Nuclear State. Not to mention the economic consequences we could face for provoking a global power whose economy we depend so much on.

We are a country that has very few exports compared to the enormous loads of imports we take in, most of which come from China. Irritating the direct source of almost all our goods does not seem like a very good way to ensure and work for economic stability. Speaking of economic stability, China is the world's largest holder of United States debt, would it be a country-friendly decision to upset and recieve possible consequences from such a huge player in the global economy game? As stated in the article "there is an enduring lack of trust and confidence on both sides" and that breach of trust needs to be delt with before any somewhat controversial issues are addressed. I believe it would be in the U.S.' best interests to wait a little longer and think out a plan before rushing to pick fights to show our so-called "dominance".