Jabberwocky Parody

'Twas awaking, and the army begins,

Did insanity and gimble in the world:

All mimsy were the skins,

And the mome zombies unfurled.

'Beware the fighterclub*, my son!

The fists that punch, the claws that scatch!

Beware the maymmaym* bird, and shun

The frumious boxing match!'

He took his vorpal mind in hand:

Long time the manxome foe he sought --

So rested he by the sansan* tree,

And stood awake in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he sleep,

The followers, with eyes of destruction,

Came whiffling through the tulgey creep,

And burbled as it came!

Two per! Two per! And conquer and conquer

The vorpal mind went insaner*-sane! 

He left it dead, and with its head

He felt his converging pain.

'And hast thou slain the Fighterclub*?

Come to my sleep, my beamish boy!

Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'

He chortled in his joy.

'Twas awaking, and the army begins,

Did insanity and gimble in the world:

All mimsy were the skins,

And the mome zombies unfurled.

1.       Fighterclub-  fight club

2.       Maymmaym- from the word mayhem

3.       Sansan- from the word insanity

4.       Insaner- from the word insane

picture poem

Sammy Habbaz                                                                                               March 19, 2013

Ms. Bloom                                                                                                      4-V            

I will not sleep through my education

I will just have to wait till my vacation.

Even though it’s boring and I’m wasting my time,

I will not imitate the teacher and pretend that I’m a mime.

Why am I getting punished for this stupid action?

I don’t need to know math for a simple transaction.

Just because she’s a teacher doesn't make her smarter

If I killed her, do you think she would be a martyr?

I’d probably end up in jail and rot in a cell

But before I go, I say farewell.

My lawyer sucks so I got the chair

But then I was freed by a grizzly bear.

I ran and hid inside a hotel

Then I ended up helping the drug cartel.

Before I knew it, I was back in jail

They laughed in my face when I asked for bail.

They were about to pull the lever and send me down below

When I suddenly woke up, shaking from head to toe.

The moral of the story is not to sleep in school

Because you will end up ten feet below, looking like a fool. 

Literary self

Sammy Habbaz                                                                                                       January 30, 2013

Ms. Bloom                                                                                                               4-V

Being a decent author is not an easy task. There are many different components that make up a piece of literature. However, one of the first jobs an author has to do is make the character relatable to its readers. By doing this the author makes the story more likable because it seems more genuine. An author who has achieved this goal is J.K. Rowling. By creating an interesting plot, with relatable characters, Rowling has written one of the most famous young adult books in history. The Harry Potter series was actually one of the first books I have ever read and I enjoyed it immensely. For me, the character that I could most relate to is Harry Potter’s best friend, Ron Weasley.                                                                                                                                               

When we are first introduced to Ron, we see that he is one of the youngest within a family of nine. Nevertheless, being the youngest does not stop him from being one of the tallest in his family. Not only that, but we are told that he has a father that works for his interests rather than for the money. As a result, he lacks certain comforts of a normal family. He gets his older brother’s old wand, robes, and even his pet rat. Ron often feels neglected and overshadowed. We see this on the train going to Hogwarts when his mom makes him a sandwich that he does not like.                                                                                                                                                          As he travels on the train he discusses these problems with Harry. He continues to say that he is nervous about going to Hogwarts. Besides being a new atmosphere that he is not used to, he is scared about not living up to his family name. All of his older brothers made a name for themselves within Hogwarts. Whether they were quidditch captain, a prefect, or just plain funny, they all made a mark on the school. And even if Ron achieves the same thing it is not a big deal because they all accomplished it first. Whatever he does within the school he will be known as the younger brother. This bothers him because by going into a new place he is already expected to be great and he does not think he could live up to his brothers’ name. All he wanted was to be independent and have his own name. However, we see as the series progresses that this is not true.                                                                                                                                              Besides being courageous and a good friend, Ron finds his talents in quidditch, a sport already perfected by his older brother. It can be said, that this affected his mind set while playing the game, resulting in an inconsistency in his performance. On the other hand, when he actually believed he could do well and practiced hard it led to outstanding games.                                        Another aspect that Ron showed expertise was in chess. It was known that Ron was the best chess player within Hogwarts. This was important because he finally found an area he was good in that was not previously mastered by someone in his family. At last he had something that could be attributed to only him. He found his place in Hogwarts and ended up doing well there.

It wasn’t until later in my life that I realized how much my life ended up like Ron’s. First off, just like Ron, I am tall, lanky, and have freckles. I too am the youngest within my family. Although I am only a family of six, my parents often get confused between each family member. I can sympathize with Ron because often enough my mom has made me cream cheese sandwiches; which happens to be one of the few things that I don’t like.                                

Another way Ron and I are similar is that our fathers have the same mindset. They both have jobs that pertain to their interests rather than have a job that pays a lot of money. One of my father’s favorite thing to do is to take pictures, so he became a photographer. As a result there are certain things that my friends have that I do not. Although my dad chose to take this path, it seems to be that we are better off than the Weasley family. Occasionally I would get my brothers old bike or even sometimes share clothes. However, sometimes this was done for convenience rather than for money. But nonetheless I know the feeling of not completely having something of your own. This was one of the reasons why I wanted to get a job and start feeling a little more independent.                                       

            When choosing a high school I decided to go to a school that my brother already attended. Just like Ron, I was walking into a new environment and into a school that my brother already made a name for himself. He was known as being really smart and as a good debater. When anyone found out who I was the first question they asked was if I was as smart as my older brother. Not only that, but many teachers and principals kept on comparing me to my brother. This turned out to be really annoying. All I wanted to do is to be known for the accomplishments of my own and not for being someone else’s brother. So I set out trying to make my own name and started off with debate. Being that this was already my brother’s expertise I often found myself doubting my skills as a debater. If I did well in a debate it wouldn’t matter because my brother was already a skilled debater. So I often didn’t do as well as I could have. But if I practiced enough and concentrated on my own performance, I came out winning the debate. Although this was an accomplishment, I still needed to find something of my own like Ron; I needed to find my chess.                                                                                                                         Finally, I found something that was of personal interest to me and put my debate skills to good use; I wanted to become a lawyer. Testing out my new found interest, I participated in a competitive competition known as moot court. This was a successful experiment and I ended up winning the whole tournament. This achievement was something I could be proud of and was completely my own. As a senior I could honestly say that I ended up succeeding in this new environment and made a name for myself.

Syntax

Sammy Habbaz                                                                                                                             October 24, 2012
Ms. Bloom                                                                                                                                      4-R

1. The pencil is wiser to use than the pen. The reason why I think this is simply because you could do more with a pencil.  When you write with a pen its permanent and you can’t fix your mistakes. As oppose to a pencil, when you write it’s possible to learn and correct your mistakes right on the same paper.  Not only that, but when you want to draw it’s better to use a pencil. It’s better because it could be used for proper shading and outlining because it’s a neutral color.
2. It’s easier to forgive the sidewalk than the street. The reason I think this because when you get hit on the street, it’s more likely to be from a car and that’s potentially fatal. However, if you would get hit on the sidewalk it’s more likely to be from a pedestrian or a bike. The result of this possible injury will only be minor.
3. A calendar is smarter than a clock because it could give you more information.
4. It’s easier to teach a question rather than an answer. The reason why I think this is because when you teach a question there is only one possible question. However, when you try to teach an answer there can be more than one possible answer and it could get confusing.
5. Something new is going to be more fearful than something old. The reason why I think this is because something old your already use to it and there are no surprises. However with something new, anything can happen.
6. Mathematics is more like a promise because in science there are so many different types of theories and arguments that not everything is concrete.  
7. A dream is more difficult to remember because with a nightmare it scares you so much that it’s hard to forget.
8. A map is easier to close because its just closing a piece of paper.  With a road you have to make detours and stop traffic and that’s more complicated.
9. An enemy is more useful than a friend because with an enemy your mind is always sharp so your never caught off guard.
10. A signature has less charm because you do it without any thought.

I believe

Sammy Habbaz                                                                                                   December 29th, 2012

Ms. Bloom                                                                                                           4-V

I believe in being immortal.

A few years ago I saw the film “Shawshank Redemption”. It is about this guy who was framed for killing his wife and is sent to prison. The movie is about his everyday life in person and eventually his escape to freedom. Right away I deemed this film one of my favorite movies of all time. The only problem I had with the movie is that I didn't quite understand it. There was this one line that bothered me especially. “Hope is a good thing, maybe even the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.” No good thing ever dies? How is this possible? What about those countless, innocent good people, that dies for no reason. I had a hard time actually understanding this line. However, as life continued I found my answer.                                                                                April 27^th, 2011 is a day that I will remember for a long time. It started out like a regular day, but soon turn into one of those days that you wished never happened. I remember sitting on my couch watching the hit movie “Lord of The Rings” and enjoying the last day of my spring vacation. Probably like countless students, I was wishing for any reason not to go to school that day. Little did I realize that I would come to regret that wish. In middle of the movie my house phone rang. Even though it was right next to me I did not get up and answer it. The reason for this is that I have come to realize that the only people who call my house phone are those people who need to speak to my parents. So I just let in ring and I heard my mom answer it in the other room. I made the movie louder so I would be able to hear it over my mom’s conversation. However, no noise would be able to shield my ears from what would come next. I heard my mom scream like I never heard her scream before. Not long after that she came running into the den crying. I turned off the movie realizing something bad just happened. My mom told me that a friend of mine from my old school just passed away unexpectedly at age 16. I was in shock, I couldn't believe it. The first thing I remember doing is checking Facebook for some sort of proof. And sure enough, there were posts about this unexpected death. Here was clear proof that the movie didn't make sense. “No good ever dies?” Was my friend not a good person? But after a few months after her passing my answer finally came.                                                       A few of her close friends made a project to keep her morals and voice alive. Through Facebook and the many different yeshivas in the area, these few friends were successful in spreading the morals that she stood for. By doing this they brought the community closer together and kept her memory alive. Now, people that never even met her knew what she stood for. Its been about two years and she is far from forgotten. After all of this happened I finally understood the movie. No truer words have ever been spoken, “No good thing ever dies”.

paper bag project

Sammy Habbaz                                                                                                                             November 13, 2012

Ms. Bloom                                                                                                                                                  4-R

ANT

How can I help you?

PRO

(looking exhausted and angry)

I just got off a twenty two hour flight and my luggage is not by the drop off area.

    ANT

(With an expressionless, bored face)

Are you sure?

PRO

Of course I’m sure, it’s my luggage!

ANT

I need you to calm down sir.

PRO

(Screaming)

Calm down? I just got off a connecting flight from Israel, stopped over in Paris for five hours, and then came here to find out that you lost my luggage!

ANT

Excuse me sir, I did not lose your anything. And if you want me to help you, you better watch your tone and apologize right now.

PRO

(Taken aback but still angry)

Apoli….let me speak to your supervisor.

ANT

(With a smug looked)

Its two o clock in the morning, I am the only one here.

PRO

What’s your name?

ANT

Doesn’t matter you are not getting my help without an apology

PRO

Fine fine I’m sorry.

ANT

You could do better than that. I have all night

PRO

You are right. I shouldn’t have screamed at you.

ANT

And?

PRO

And it is not your fault that I lost my luggage, I’m sorry.

ANT

That’s better. What’s your flight number?

PRO

Flight 23a94

ANT

Right so you are the sixth person to come to me with lost luggage from this flight. It didn’t end up being transferred and is sitting in Paris as we speak. If you fill out this form we could have your luggage here in about a week.

PRO

(Looking disgruntled)

If you knew this earlier why didn’t you tell!

ANT

That’s your fault. You should have been nicer to me from the beginning.

abstract noun

The Story of Deceit

When I was younger I was told over and over again that being Deceitful will get you nowhere and eventually it will catch up to you. Even though this is true, it takes people a while to witness the harmful effects of Deceit. For some people being Deceitful has become part of their everyday life and they do not even realize that they are lying. These types of people are known as compulsive liars. However, not all lies are bad and in fact in certain situations it's better to lie. We see today, especially with the media, that being deceitful is portrayed as a horrible thing. However, so many average and even famous people lie because they think they can get away with. When the media finds out they make it a point to make it a big deal. Three examples of this are Bill Clinton, Sean Peyton, and Anthony Weiner.

Bill Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States of America. He was the third youngest president in history. He was a beloved President after his first term, having the highest approval ratings since World War II. This was helped by an economic boom and years of peace. However in his 2nd term he wasn't as popular. The reason for this was the big sex scandal that surrounded his presidency known as the Lewinsky scandal. Monica Lewinsky was a White House intern that had a sexual relationship with the President Clinton. This Affair was blown up in the media because it involved the leader of our nation. When asked about these allegations he completely denied them. This was probably because he was scared of the consequences of the affair and thought that he would not get caught. After they both deny this affair, recorded tapes of a conversation appeared confirming the allegations. After this evidence was brought forward, the people wanted to impeach Clinton for being deceitful and having this secret sex affair. Even though Clinton was seen as a favorable president in his first term, his overall presidency was tainted because of this scandal.

Another example of deceit within the media is with the head coach of the New Orleans head coach, Sean Peyton. Within the past few years there was a scandal surrounding a NFL team known as bounty gate. Bounty Gate was when the defensive coach of New Orleans paid his players money in order to injure players on the opposing team. There was strong evidence against the team that they intentionally injured two high profile quarter backs in the playoffs. Not only that, when they started this program the Saints won the championship. This is obviously seen as horrific act and even worse the head coach did nothing about it. There was question to whether Sean Peyton was actually a participant of this program. However, when the media got hold of this story it did not matter. They portrayed Sean Peyton as a bad person for not reporting this program to the NFL. The media felt that he is the head coach and he is involved with everything that the team does. By not coming forward, the media felt that he was being deceitful and tried to cover it up.

A famous example of trickery and deceit is the Anthony Wiener case which took place about three years ago. He famously exchanged revealing pictures of himself with a female mistress of his in an apparent extramarital affair. When the news came out of the allegations of the affair, it became widespread in the media. He repeatedly denied the accusations and went to great lengths to try and deceive press reporters and other members of the media who were trying to uncover the potential scandal. The truth, however, ultimately caught up to him, as new details of the affair continued to come out, and the reality became undeniable for Weiner. He eventually admitted to exchanging inappropriate photos with his female companion and his entire political career was over in a heartbeat. He was forced to resign from his political post and apologize publicly to his family, friends, and in essence, the entire mass media.

Being deceitful gets you nowhere and often hurts your reputation. In the examples I have given the lives of these people were tainted just because they didn't come forward and tell the truth. Obviously because these men are in the "spotlight", the media makes it a bigger deal then it really is. However, I think the media does a good job in portraying deceit and the harmful effects.

Works Cited

( http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1721111_1721210-1721114,00.hm1>

<'http:/lurryw.n)dailvnews.comisportslfootbalVtagliabue-tosses-bountygate-stxoensions-article-l . 1 2 177i9 >

< htto:i/wwr.cbsspoorts.com/nfl/blog/jason-la-canforai21333l79/the-nfl-today-bountygate-settlement-offer-reiected-bv-nflDa>

< http://www.hu{finstonpost.coml20l I /06/06/anthony-*'einer-twitter-new-photos-n-87l8l7.htrn>

< http://articles.cnn.com/201 I -06-l2ipolitics/weiner.scandal.timeline_l_conservative-blogger-lewd-photo-twitter-account?-s=PM:POLITICS >