Dude Finishes the Book of Mormon

For the last year I have been listening to the Book of Mormon, 1 chapter a day. So in this blog post I will say what I got from it and what my favorite parts are. Starting at the easiest question I am going to say what I got from reading the Book of mormon. What I got from it is that God is always willing to accept all who come to him, take the lamanites for example. They were so bad at the beginning but then they repented and they were forgiven and blessed. like a shepherd with his sheep. No matter how long they were missing and how dirty they are when they come back he is always willing to welcome them back into the fold. Now I will say what my favorite story is. My favorite story is the ship on the water in the first nephi. I like how when they were bad the ship was lost and suffering from storms, but when they repented they were on their way fine. This story is like our everyday life. When we are bad, God leaves us and we are lost, but when we repent we are back on track and just fine. so this is what my favorite parts and what I got from the Book of Mormon. THE END 

this is by Dude

Why Stardew Valley is the Best by Luca Marler

Luca wrote this little essay because she enjoys typing and she had some free time at school. I also thought this one was worth preserving for posterity.

Minecraft, Roblox, Terraria, Gang Beasts. These are all great games. But, Stardew Valley tops them all! You are probably wondering, why Luca? Why is Stardew Valley the best? Fortnite is so much fun! There are many reasons why, my dear reader.

First of all, the Npcs. The dialogue written for them is amazing! Yeah, some of them are kinda snarky, but so what! Plus, you can befriend them! My favorite Npc to hang out with is Abigail. I played video games with her! A video game in a video game. What more do you need?

Then comes the farm. When you start playing, there is a package on the floor of your cabin. Inside you will find fifteen parsnip seeds, which you place outside to grow! When they do grow, you pull them up and can sell them to Pierre, the local produce storekeeper. What I think is fun is the fact you can buy a chicken coop from Robin, the carpenter, and then raise chickens! You can actually raise a lot of different animals, even slimes! After twenty eight days, all of your spring crops will die and you will have to buy new seeds from Pierre. This marks the beginning of a new season! There is Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. They act like months. In each season, there are Npc’s birthdays. If you were to give someone a gift on their birthday, it would get you eight times the amount of friendship points. 

The music. It’s so beautiful, lively, and very odd. Take the wizards tower. It sounds so very weird. But the summer soundtrack. That’s my favorite sound track of all. 

Something I find very weird about Stardew Valley is the fact you can marry single Npcs. but it’s very complicated. First you have to give them a bouquet after you get eight hearts with him or her. Then after you have dated, you must get the “old amulet” from the dude on the island next to the beach. They will then move in with you and help out around the farm. 

If you still don’t like Stardew Valley, then so be it. But you should try it out and let it explain itself to you. 

The Three Branches of Government by Luca Marler

Luca had to write an essay for her 5th grade class on the three branches of government. I loved it so much I made her send it to me so I could preserve it for posterity. Enjoy.

Since the creation of The Constitution, America has had three branches of government. The Legislative branch, the Judicial branch, and the Executive branch. It’s pretty cool how each branch balances each other out so everyone has equal power. 

The Legislative branch is the branch that makes laws, and passes taxes. (with approval from the president.) It can also be known as the Congress, made up of 100 senators, and 435 representatives. All states have two senators each. The number of representatives is based on the population of each state. Oregon has six currently, but California has 52, which is the most a state has. A representative may serve six two year terms, but a senator may only serve two three year terms. Congress approves presidential appointments, like, say the president wanted to appoint Mr. Level for the supreme court. They could say, “He doesn’t have the necessary qualifications.” (I’m not actually sure, but this is just an example.) So then the president would have to pick someone new.

Next there’s the Executive branch. That’s where the president works. He lives in the White House, and does all of the president's work in the oval office. His job is to veto laws, which means to reject laws. He also gets to pick a cabinet, a vice president, and if there are any slots, he’ll appoint Supreme court justices. (mentioned above.) Another name for the president is commander in chief, or chief of state. He is also in charge of the military, but that doesn’t mean he can just stroll into Abu Dhabi and declare war! Actually, he needs approval from the Legislative branch. A president may only serve two four year terms. More on the veto. So a bill is written and sent to the president, and if the president likes it, he approves it and it becomes a law. If he disagrees with it, it is vetoed. BUT, if the congress really feels like it should be a law, they can overrule his orders if two-thirds of them agree.

Finally, the Judicial branch. They evaluate laws and decide if they are constitutional. Like, if the Legislative branch wanted to make it so presidents could serve as many terms as they want. Their job would be to say, “The constitution clearly states that a president may only serve two terms. Your idea is rejected.” or something like that. The judicial branch also makes sure that laws are followed correctly. No one misbehaves under their watch! Inside the judicial branch is the supreme court. This court is the highest court in the nation! Made up of nine justices, one chief justice, and eight associate justices. Each of them serve life terms, or they can step down. Whenever there is an empty slot, the president will fill it with his pick. But the legislative branch has to approve them. There are also the federal courts and the district courts.

As you can see, each branch balances the power. No branch is the most powerful. This creates a balanced, safe government. If not for the constitution, the president would basically be a king and the people would be peasants. 

In all, I’m certain that we have a fantastical government. If not for it, we wouldn’t be in school today. The Judicial branch, the Executive branch, and the Legislative branch all work together wonderfully to create this land of beauty we call home. Thank you authors of the constitution!! (They helped us a LOT!)