Life at the Ward home...

When you think about second chances what comes to mind? Today when I think about second chances I think about The Ward Home. What is the Ward Home? It is a Independent Living Program. Kids who have been living in foster care or in group homes and are ready to go out on thier own. There are many exciting stories coming from the Ward Home. For example young adults getting further with thier education, girls getting to attend prom, and even going back home to be with their families.
The Ward Home is set up in apartment like housing, so the kids have the responsibility of cleaning and taking care of their living space. They are taught the basic skills on how to basically live on their own and make it happen.
The Ward Home accepts all different people from those expecting babies to those who are as young as 16 years old.
The Home encourages you to continue your education and learn how to budget money and such lifeskills as that.
I believe The Ward Home is a great place for kids who just need that extra attention to make it somewhere in life. :}

Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.), thirty-ninth president of the United States, was born Oct. 1, 1924, in the small farming town of Plains, Ga., and grew up in the nearby community of Archery. His father, James Earl Carter, Sr., was a farmer and businessman; his mother, Lillian Gordy Carter, a registered nurse.


He was educated in the public school of Plains, attended Georgia Southwestern College and the Georgia Institute of Technology, and received a bachelor of science degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1946. In the Navy he became a submariner, serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets and rising to the rank of lieutenant. Chosen by Admiral Hyman Rickover for the nuclear submarine program, he was assigned to Schenectady, N.Y., where he took graduate work at Union College in reactor technology and nuclear physics, and served as senior officer of the pre-commissioning crew of the Seawolf, the second nuclear submarine.


On July 7, 1946, he married Rosalynn Smith of Plains. When his father died in 1953, he resigned his naval commission and returned with his family to Georgia. He took over the Carter farms, and he and Rosalynn operated Carter's Warehouse, a general-purpose seed and farm supply company in Plains. He quickly became a leader of the community, serving on county boards supervising education, the hospital authority, and the library. In 1962 he won election to the Georgia Senate. He lost his first gubernatorial campaign in 1966, but won the next election, becoming Georgia's seventy-sixth governor on Jan. 12, 1971. He was the Democratic National Committee campaign chairman for the 1974 congressional and gubernatorial elections.



President Jimmy Carter

On Dec. 12, 1974, he announced his candidacy for president of the United States. He won his party's nomination on the first ballot at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, and was elected president on Nov. 2, 1976.


Jimmy Carter served as president from Jan. 20, 1977, to Jan. 20, 1981. Significant foreign policy accomplishments of his administration included the Panama Canal treaties, the Camp David Accords, the treaty of peace between Egypt and Israel, the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union, and the establishment of U.S. diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. He championed human rights throughout the world. On the domestic side, the administration's achievements included a comprehensive energy program conducted by a new Department of Energy; deregulation in energy, transportation, communications, and finance; major educational programs under a new Department of Education; and major environmental protection legislation, including the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.



Books & Accomplishments

Mr. Carter is the author of 24 books, many of which are now in revised editions: "Why Not the Best?" 1975, 1996; "A Government as Good as Its People," 1977, 1996; "Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President," 1982, 1995; "Negotiation: The Alternative to Hostility," 1984, 2003; "The Blood of Abraham," 1985, 1993, 2007; "Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life," written with Rosalynn Carter, 1987, 1995; "An Outdoor Journal," 1988, 1994; "Turning Point: A Candidate, a State, and a Nation Come of Age," 1992; "Talking Peace: A Vision for the Next Generation," 1993, 1995; "Always a Reckoning," 1995; "The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer," illustrated by Amy Carter, 1995; "Living Faith," 1996; "Sources of Strength: Meditations on Scripture for a Living Faith," 1997; "The Virtues of Aging," 1998; "An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood," 2001; "Christmas in Plains: Memories," 2001; "The Nobel Peace Prize Lecture," 2002; "The Hornet's Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary War," 2003; "Sharing Good Times," 2004; "Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis," 2005; "Palestine Peace Not Apartheid," 2006; "Beyond the White House: Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope," 2007; A Remarkable Mother," 2008; and "We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work," 2009.



The Carter Center

In 1982, he became University Distinguished Professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., and founded The Carter Center. Actively guided by President Carter, the nonpartisan and nonprofit Center addresses national and international issues of public policy. Carter Center fellows, associates, and staff join with President Carter in efforts to resolve conflict, promote democracy, protect human rights, and prevent disease and other afflictions. Through the Global 2000 programs, the Center advances health and agriculture in the developing world. It has spearheaded the international effort to eradicate Guinea worm disease, which will be the second disease in history to be eliminated.


President Carter and The Carter Center have engaged in conflict mediation in Ethiopia and Eritrea (1989), North Korea (1994), Liberia (1994), Haiti (1994), Bosnia (1994), Sudan (1995), the Great Lakes region of Africa (1995-96), Sudan and Uganda (1999), Venezuela (2002-2003), Nepal (2004-2008), and Ecuador and Colombia (2008). Under his leadership, The Carter Center has sent 76 election-monitoring missions to the Americas, Africa, and Asia. These include Panama (1989), Nicaragua (1990), Guyana (1992), China (1997), Nigeria (1998), Indonesia (1999), East Timor (1999), Mexico (2000), Guatemala (2003), Venezuela (2004), Ethiopia (2005), Liberia (2005), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2006), Nepal (2008), and Lebanon (2009).


The permanent facilities of The Carter Presidential Center were dedicated in October 1986, and include the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum, administered by the National Archives. Also open to visitors is the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains, administered by the National Park Service.


Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter volunteer one week a year for Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that helps needy people in the United States and in other countries renovate and build homes for themselves. He also teaches Sunday school and is a deacon in the Maranatha Baptist Church of Plains. For recreation, he enjoys fly-fishing, woodworking, cycling, tennis, and skiing. The Carters have three sons, one daughter, eight grandsons, three granddaughters, and two great-grandsons.


On Dec. 10, 2002, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2002 to Mr. Carter "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development."



Carter Family

Parents: James Earl Carter, born 1894, Arlington, Ga.; died 1953. Lillian Gordy Carter, born 1898, Richland, Ga.; died 1983. They married Sept. 26, 1923.


Sisters and Brother: Ruth Carter Stapleton (Mrs. Robert T.), died 1983. Gloria Carter Spann (Mrs. Walter G.), died 1990. William Alton (Billy) Carter III, died 1988.


Wife: Rosalynn Smith Carter, born Aug. 18, 1927, Plains, Ga.


Children, Grandchildren, and Great-Grandchildren: John William (Jack) Carter, born July 3, 1947, Portsmouth, Va. He is married to Elizabeth Sawyer of Cleveland, Miss. Their children are: Jason James Carter, born Aug. 7, 1975, Sarah Rosemary Carter, born Dec. 19, 1978, John Michael Chuldenko, born Mar. 21, 1975, and Sarah Elizabeth Chuldenko, born Mar. 22, 1978. Jason and Kate Carter's children are: Henry Lewis Carter, born Sept. 2, 2006, and Thomas Clyde Carter, born Dec. 22, 2008.


James Earl (Chip) Carter III, born April 12, 1950, Honolulu, Hawaii. He is married to Becky Payne of Parkersburg, W.V. Their children are: James Earl Carter IV, born Feb. 25, 1977, Margaret Alicia Carter, born Sept. 23, 1987, and Casey Payne Gallagher, born May 7, 1986.


Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff) Carter, born Aug. 18, 1952, New London, Conn. He is married to Annette Jene Davis of Arlington, Ga. Their children are: Joshua Jeffrey Carter, born May 8, 1984, Jeremy Davis Carter, born June 25, 1987, and James Carlton Carter, born April 24, 1991.


Amy Lynn Carter, born Oct. 19, 1967, Americus, Ga. Her son, Hugo James Wentzel, was born July 29, 1999.

Oil Spill In Gulf Of Mexico...

First off, what is an oil spill? An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. It can be very harmful for the marine life and plant life. It is one very big mess.
Right now there is an oil spill going on in the Gulf Of Mexico. It has been going on for 43 days now.
Who is responsable for this massive oil spill? Some say the BP company is responsible for it. According to President Obama whoever is held accountable for this will be prosecuted.
Whats the big deal, how is it affecting us? The BP oil leak makes the notorious Exxon Valdez spill pale in comparison, with official estimates of that disaster at 11 million gallons. Although the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has yet to reach the shoreline in most areas, the New York Times reports that scientists are finding enormous oil plumes in deeper waters, including one as large as 10 miles long, 3 miles wide and 300 feet thick. The plumes are depleting the oxygen dissolved in the gulf. Scientists anticipate that oxygen levels will fall enough to kill off most undersea life near the plumes. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 2010 could be on course to defile the third-longest barrier reef in the world, the 221-mile-long Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which draws millions of tourist dollars to Florida’s floundering economy. The toxic oil slick can smother and kill the corals, causing a chain reaction of carnage among thousands of species of exotic marine life that live in and around reefs.
Another issue is the fact that it may drift into the Florida Keys. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 2010 is drawing closer to the Loop Current. Reuters reports that scientists say once the BP oil leak is in the loop, it could reach the Florida Keys in 10 days. The loop current is a ribbon of warm water that begins in the Gulf of Mexico and courses around Florida. Some scientists project the current will draw the oil slick through the Keys and then north up Florida’s Atlantic Coast. They said the oil might miss the beaches of Miami and Fort Lauderdale but could wash up around Palm Beach.

Why Society Needs Rules...

I believe Society needs rules because otherwise the world would be full of chaos. There would be no order or organization out there. You would have complete maddness 24/7. Although some people tend to think that the rules are not needed and have no use,without them this place would be crazy. Society needs rules in order to maintain peace and to protect the populace. If there weren't set boundaries, then mayhem and chaos would result. Laws (which you could call "legal rules") lay out expectations for behavior so a group of people can live peacefully together, and set punishment for disregarding those rules.

How can I make the world a better place..

How Can I Make The World A Better Place??? Why is that such a difficult question for me to answer? I wish I could answer that with a simple statement but I can't. There isn't a quick and easy solution for it. I could say I can make the world a better place if I pick up trash in the local park but then what about the homeless people that use others trash for shelter or clothing? I could say I will not use harispray because someone once said it was making global warming worse but then what about the people who make a living by selling or making hairspray? As you can see there are always two sides to every arguement. So whatever you choose to do to try and make the world a better place there is always going to be someone out there that is going to try and talk you out of doing so..

Trivia Game

I am doing my trivia game on The Executive Branch. Doing the trivia game is easy to me because I am using something like a "cheat sheet." Otherwise it would be very hard to do because it takes me a while to learn how to work with the Adobe programs. It would however be something useful in the future but as of right now I am completely dumbfounded when it comes to those programs. I hope my game comes out okay and helps people understand the Executive Branch a little bit better. Because I know that before I started doing research on the Branch I didn't know hardly anything about it.

Project Jason

On June 13,2001 a mother went through a very tough day, her 19 year old son Jason had went missing. He was called into work early and was glad to go but had no ride there a female coworker was supposed to pick him up at the high school seven blocks down the road. It was believed that Jason got dressed in his uniform and headed off to meet his ride at the school. It was later told that the coworker showed up at the school and waited for Jason to arrive but he never did so she went back to work. The mother states she did not know anything until Jason's father called and asked if she had heard from Jason. Jason was known to be a responsible young adult and not showing up for work was not his thing. So the parents waited like any other parent for 24 hours before they contacted the police. Jason's parents didn't know what to think, His bank account hadn't been touched so it wasn't like he ran away. They said he hadn't shown anything out of the ordinary to prove maybe he commited suicide. They said he was a good kid and had a lot going for him,they never really had a reason to believe he was into any kind of trouble. The mother logged onto a computer and looked up how many missing people there still were to this day and she made herself a promise that her son's picture would not be on there as long as the others. Jason's parents didnt know where to turn for help. So they started Project Jason with the goal of not only reaising the awarness but to provide families of the missing with useful information.
Its amazing how something so little can go so far. By starting Project Jason, there were a couple of families reunited with their missing loved ones. All it takes is a little effort to help try and get the job done. Sometimes all you can do is hope and pray but it helps when you put forth some effort to help the sitiuation.

Bullying

Some people don't seem to think bullying is an issue, that it is something that is normal. That it is something everyone will go through at some point in life. They say, "Oh everyone has been through at one point in their life." People don't understand that not everyone can brush things off their backs like you can or laugh it off and let it go. Sometimes when someone is being bullied they take it very hard. They let it get to them and sometimes it consumes their life and daily schedules. Some people have been bullied their whole life and still don't know how to deal with it. The bullying hurts so bad that all they seem to think about it the worthless person inside of them. They have tried to be positive and look beyond the hurtful words and pranks. They have tried to reach out and get help from adults or staff but they do nothing but say,"Just ignore them or we will keep an eye out." But nothing ever gets done about it. How long can you ignore something? If you had cancer, how long could you ignore it? You say well cancer is very different from bullying. How? Being bullied eats away inside of you and is slowly breaking you down until your dying day. Being bullied isn't a joke, it isn't something that should be shook off. Young kids are killing themselves because they think they have no where else to turn. Because no one was strong enough to stand up to the bullys and put an end to it. Because everyone thought that the person being bullied was over reacting. That they just wanted attention. It wasn't the attention they wanted, they just wanted to be happy again. No one ever knows every detail of someones past, maybe they have been through some pretty tough stuff and when you bully them all they think of is "My life is never gonna be good, I'm never gonna be good enough." Help make someones life brighter and put an end to the bullying.

The Executive Branch

What is the Executive Branch and what do they do? There are three branches in the government and they are the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive. The Executive Branch plays a very important part in our government roles.Who ll is in the Branch? President Obama is the head of the Executive Branch. He is assisted by the vice president, the departments, and independent agencies. So what do they do? They make sure that ours nation's laws are followed and carried out thoroughly. They also make policy in different areas such as defense,education, commerce and much more. They basically responsible for "doing" the law.

Overcoming The Worse

Have you ever felt really low in one point in your life? Like you were in a hole and couldn't seem to find a way out? How do poeple overcome things they have been through?

I know I have been there before a lot of times in my life I have found myself in a deep hole searching for a way out. How did I overcome the worst times of my life?

When I down in the dumps or something tragic happened to me in time I tend to look for somone such as a trusted adult or a close friend to talk to. Sometimes I even went to talk to a thereipst when I really needed some professional help with an issue. Always remember that no matter what it is that your going through that there is always a way to get through it and come out smiling. Whenever you feel yourself getting in a hole find someone to talk to or if you have a way of fixing the problem on your own without making it 10 times worse, go for it. Everything you go through in life makes you the person you are in the future. "God only gives you what you can handle and nothing more... You just have to keep faith in yourself and in those around you!!

What Makes Me Happy? :)

Has anyone ever asked you what makes you happy? All kinds of stuff make me happy from the littlest things such as waking up to sunshine streaming through my window to much bigger things like feeling my daughter moving around inside of me. Being with Edward and my family makes me happy..Seeing my little brother smile and pump his fist in his air as the basketball swoops through the net scoring the winning the game. Fishing on the lake with my dad as he teaches me new tricks to casting always made me happy. Getting up early on Thanksgiving morning to help my mom put together the last minute trimming always put a smile on my face. One thing that really made me happy was watching my sister walk across the stage at graduation in 08. All sorts of things make me happy..

Bills and Vetoes

Is it right that the President can veto a bill? There are usually two sides to this story, some people think its okay and the others don't believe that it is the right thing to do. Why is the President the one who can veto the bill? First thing, what does veto mean? Veto is basically another term for "I forbid." So when the President vetoes a bill he is basically saying he forbids the bill being passed. But on the other hand the Senate and the House can out vote the Presidential veto and then if the President decides to veto it again then the process is started over again. So now we are back to the original question, is it okay that the President has the power to veto a bill? My opinion is that yes, I think he can because he is the main one who makes the important decisions for our country. So if he believes that the bill will do no good or make things worse in our country then he has to abide by his Presidential duties and veto the bill. Others make think differently, they may think that he has no right to veto a bill. It really depends on the subject of the bill and what every ones opinion is about it, for them to make a decision whether or not they think its right that the President should veto it or not. For example if the President wanted to veto a bill that stated "No dogs allowed in public parks", and someone who doesn't like dogs wouldn't mind if the President vetoed the bill or not.

Human Rights

There are many human rights but what are the very basic ones? I believe that one of them is the right to medical attention. Medical attention is the right to see a doctor and accept medical attention. The crappy thing about it is the fact that not everyone can afford medical attention. Or when you need to see a dentist you can't afford all the visits they want you to attend. Another human right is to live without someone discriminating you. That means you should be able to go into any food place or sit anywhere you want and not have to worry about people judging them because of there race or religion.

Government and volunteers..

Why does the government depend on volunteers to help get things done? When natural disasters occur somewhere in the world it is hard for just the government to do everything themselves so when volunteers help out things can get done faster.. Volunteers help out by having fundraisers and raising money for whatever is needed during the time of disaster..During 9/11 many volunteers went to New York to help out in a major time of disaster..They all went and helped look for survivors and transport them to the nearest hospitals.. Volunteers can also help with things less major such as helping out in nursing homes and things like that. Without volunteers most things such as major disasters and such wouldn't get fixed and worked on and done as soon as we would expect them too..

House Rules

What are the house rules here at Crittenton? Which ones do I agree with and what are some rules that I believe that should be inforced?
Some of the rules here are simple such as, "Take care of yourself and your child." Or "Wear shoes in the kitchen." But as simple as they may be are they followed? Are any of the rules around here followed? I don't have an issue with the rules here, my main issue is whether or not they are being inforced.
I believe bullying is a really big problem here at Crittenton. Some girls find it funny or think of it as a way to fit in by bullying other girls. So what do we do about it? Go to staff? Why, so they can tell you to ignore it and keep your head up? They don't realize that they aren't around every second of the day or always going to be there when something happens.
No bullying should be one house rule that should be inforced and taken care of.
Most of the other house rules are simpily common sence and I don't have an issue with them. I do believe the staff and adults should start working harder to inforce the rules and make sure they are being followed.

Technology

Technology is very important in my life for many reasons. It helps me communicate with my family by using a telephone or cell phone. With technology we can travel far distances with our cars and trucks. Without technology we would all be lost in this world, there would be nothing but what the cavemen thought of and even that is some what considered technology. We use technology everyday and probably don't even realize it. Every morning when you wake up and stumble across the room and turn on the light you are using technology. When you walk into the kitchen and make a pot of coffee you are using a form of technology. We use technology every time we log onto a computer to check our email or bank account. Technology is all around us and very important to our daily life schedules.