URGENT- SAVE WYOMING WOLVES February 27, 2013

In 2011, Congress took gray wolves off the endangered species list and made them legal to kill. They made much of the state a zone where wolves could be shot on sight, excluding some obvious areas like national parks. THIS. IS. URGENT. They are now opening almost all of the state of Wyoming to become a legal kill-zone. This will result in the most vulnerable part of the species- mothers and pups- being killed, for when spring starts, litters will be born… and murdered.

https://secure.defenders.org/site/Donation2?df_id=10880&10880.donation=form1&s_src=3WAE1305G1TX1&s_subsrc=022713_DNTFF_Wyoming_Expanding_Wolf_Killing_nondonors&JServSessionIdr004=lui7wb8vb1.app226a

Even if you cannot donate to stop this awful thing, you can still help. Sign petitions on care2.com. Send this to everyone and tell everybody about it. PLEASE!

TAKE ACTION NOW.
Ceej, Vice President of Bonsai

Why Literacy is Amazingly Amazing

Do you love watching movies? Do you adore fangirling over TV shows? Well, have you ever considered that there are literary sources for everything? Have you ever thought that maybe the books are better than the movie?

Once there were two goats. They were eating a film canister. Then one goat turned to the other and said, “I liked the book better.”

 

Illiteracy (ignorance from not reading enough books HINT HINT) is a huge problem in our society today. Too many people are relying on the internet, movies, and TV shows to get their knowledge. They do not read very many books, and because of this, our generation and society is becoming less and less and less.

Why Literacy is Important

Literacy is important in our society because it helps us. First of all, it makes us not stupid (Therefore, intelligent!). Being un-stupid can be gratifying to us in many ways. Unless your parents are crazy rich and are ready to give you a 2 million dollar business to inherit, being un-stupid will help you get jobs. Jobs usually require some degree of intelligence,  unless you want to spend the rest of your days scrubbing dishes and sweeping floors. Secondly, literacy gives you a chance to rub in other people’s faces that you get a bunch of references they don’t. You can quote Harry Potter, Shakespeare, and Ray Bradbury without a single thought and others will look up to you and find you smart. It will also make your future employers think you’re smart, and then you get more jobs! (Why do I keep reflecting on jobs? They help you, as well as the economy.) Lastly, literacy helps you become more creative. It will help you come up with new ideas to industrialize the world, or just write a book that makes people smile. Literacy is a very import and underrated skill to have these days, and it is slowly slipping away from us.

Why Being Illiterate is “Bad”

You might think that this is going to be the opposite of why literacy is important, and you can interpret it that way if you wish. Yes, it’s true that if you’re illiterate you don’t get good jobs and you don’t get to quote Shakespeare for your English teacher, but it’s also true that it will come back to bite you in the butt many times, maybe every day. You might not be “good enough” for your significant other. You might not be “smart enough” to keep any friends. You will have to live with your parents for your entire life, until they kick you out and you have to live in a “bad” apartment or on the streets. You don’t want to be lonely, depressed, poor, and an insult to society and economy, do you? That should be enough.

How do I Become More Literate?

You become more literate by finding books you enjoy! I strongly recommend goodreads.com, a place that gives you book recommendations based on what other books you’ve enjoyed in the past. You can also talk to librarians, friends, and look for authors you might have enjoyed in the past. And doing well in school never hurts!

I hope you are inspired to become more literate. :]

Mary, Author at Bonsai

E-Books February 26, 2013

You know my older post about e-magazines and e-newspapers? I neglected to mention that there are e-books, too, although you probably know about that already. E-Books are great for the environment, because they are, of course, electronic, meaning less trees will be cut down to create books. However, if you’re not so sure you want to trade out your nice paper copy- I, myself, have a Nook tablet, but like real, paper books better- another good option is to check books out from the library, since those books aren’t read just once or twice, but hundreds of times, and anyone can access them.

Hope you consider this the next time you’re in a bookstore and, instead of buying books, make a list of books on scrap paper or your electronic device and proceed to head over to the library and, when you check out your books, tell the librarian you would prefer to not have a receipt.

Let’s make an effort to go green. Let’s save the planet. Let’s be Bonsai.

Nik, Author at Bonsai

Bonsai Has Been Nominated for the Liebster Award! February 24, 2013

We’re so honored that Julia over at her numerous blogs has nominated us for the Liebster award.
The rules of the Liebster award is that we must put 11 fun facts about ourselves, answer the 11 questions made by the original blogger, and make 11 questions for anybody we decide to pass it on too. One day, when we find a Liebsterless blog that makes the world a better place, they can answer those questions! So, onto the elevens…

11 Fun Facts About the Bonsai Staff
1. We live all over the world.
2. We also have other blogs: The Flying Buttress, Kidnapping the Toast, palletcolors, Role Models for Me, Pencils to Paper, Nahodny, and more!
3. We all share a passion for Harry Potter as well as charity.
4. I’m still a Girl Scout at age 13 and no, I don’t think it’s uncool.
5. Ruby (president) is vegan.
6. Only Hallie and I have met in person. It was really awesome.
7. Kaia and Ruby are pro artists. (Check out Ruby’s blog- palletcolors.com)
8. Kaia has a countless number of cats.
9. Most of us are aspiring authors.
10. Ceej (me) is a black belt in taekwondo.
11. We love likes, comments, and of course follows, so if you haven’t signed up already do it!

11 Questions to Answer…
1. Who’s your favorite LOLcat?
I don’t know any LOLcats… but I suppose I like them all…

2. Do you like gold or silver better?
Silver, definitely. *wink to Kaia and Ruby*

3. Are you a saver or spender?
Heck, I lose all my money before I can buy anything- but that’s not saving, either!

4. What are your strange and unknown hobbies?
I make soap and stupid videos about bush babies. I also have a passion for video editing but I’m notoriously bad at it.

5.The quote you live by?
Screw gravity.

6.What’s your favorite and least favorite book?
Freaking HARRY POTTER. It is everything. And least favorite… probably The Blue Dolphins or whatever it was called. It was really boring!

7. What’s the first random thing that pops into your mind?
Square bagels. Of course.

8. What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever showed up at your doorstep, inbox, or voicemail?
A snake… except it’s not like somebody mailed it to us. It was just on the doorstep.

9. Are frogs wearing cheese hats cool? Have you ever wanted a gourd hat? (An emptied out gourd/pumpkin. As a hat.)
Frogs wearing cheese hats are NOT cool. Ruining perfectly good cheese? No way! And yes. I would love a gourd hat. Next post- save cloth and other materials by making a hat out of a gourd!

10. Most embarrasing moment?
Oh jeez.. which one are you talking about? XD While in Hawaii, I saw a tiki keychain with plastic red eyes. It had a button on top. I kept poking the button, saying, “I want to make its eyes glow!” Suddenly, a jet of fire shot out its mouth. I screamed and backed into a sign that said “Do not let children play with lighters.”

11. Favorite Food?
EVERYTHING. No, just kidding. I’m a really picky eater. I love bread, anything bread, and noodles, and cheese, and starch and dairy. I do my best to be healthy, but I really love food that does nothing for nutrition.. just so yummy! This is why I don’t do the healthy recipes posts XP

11 Questions for the Next Liebster Receiver
1. How long have you had your blog?
2. What kind of music do you like?
3. What do you want your future job to be?
4. Favorite movie and why you like it?
5. What projects have you done to make the world a better place?
6. Just how green are you? What do you do to be more eco-friendly?
7. Favorite place to be, whether on vacation or simply chilling?
8. Any sport you’re in love with? …Figuratively?
9. Brag about your biggest accomplishment. You know you want to!
10. What is your favorite Dr. Seuss poem or story?
11. One issue with the world you’d love to change?

I will be on the lookout for a deserving blog that can answer these questions.
Once again, we’re truly honored! Thank you, Julia! I’m going to be posting something as a guest writer later this week, maybe tomorrow, so keep watch.

Comment, like, follow if you haven’t already! Thanks for reading!
Ceej, Vice President of Bonsai, the Newly ‘Liebstered Blog!

Happy Purim February 23, 2013

Purim. It is a fun Jewish Holiday that begins tonight. It is a celebration of how many Jews were saved on this day, which in the Hebrew calendar is the 13th day of the Hebrew month of Adar.

The Story

© http://www.judaism.about.com

ESTHER AND THE KING

The Purim celebration is based upon the biblical Book of Esther, which recounts the story of Queen Esther and how she saved the Jewish people from annihilation.

The story begins when King Ahasuerus commands his wife, Queen Vashti, to appear before him and his male guests at a party. She refuses and as a result King Ahasuerus decides to find another queen. His search begins with a royal beauty pageant. The most beautiful young women in the kingdom are brought before the king, and Esther, a young Jewish girl, is selected to be the new queen. Esther is portrayed as an orphan belonging to the tribe of Benjamin. She lives with her cousin Mordechai as a member of the Jewish exiles in Persia. At her cousin’s behest, Esther conceals her Jewish identity from the king.

Not long after Esther becomes queen, Mordechai offends the grand vizier, Haman, by refusing to bow down to him. Haman decides to punish not only Mordechai but all Jews for this slight. He informs King Ahasuerus that the Jews do not obey the king’s laws and that it would be in the kingdom’s best interest to get rid of them. He asks for permission to destroy them, which the king grants. Haman then orders the king’s officials to kill all the Jews – “young and old, women and children” – on the 13th day of the month of Adar (Esther 3:13).

When Mordechai learns of the plot he tears his clothes and sits in sackcloth and ash at the entrance to the city. When Esther learns of this, she orders one of her servants to find out what is troubling her cousin. The servant returns to Esther with a copy of the edict and instructions from Mordechai that she should beg the king for mercy on behalf of her people. This was not a simple request – at the time it had been thirty days since King Ahasuerus had summoned Esther and appearing before him without a summons was punishable by death. But Mordechai urges her to take action anyways, saying that perhaps she became queen so that she could save her people. Esther decides to fast before taking action and requests that her fellow Jews fast along with her.

After fasting for three days Esther puts on her finest clothes and appears before the king. He is pleased to see her and asks what she desires. She replies that she would like the king and Haman to join her at a banquet. Haman is delighted to hear this but is still so upset with Mordechai that he can’t stop thinking about it. His wife and friends tell him to impale Mordechai on a pole if it will make him feel better. Haman loves this idea and immediately has the pole set up. However, that night the king decides to honor Mordechai because earlier in the story Mordecai had uncovered a plot against the king. He commands Haman to put the king’s own robe on Mordecai and to take him around the city on the king’s horse while proclaiming, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!” (Esther 6:11). Haman reluctantly obeys and soon afterward goes to Esther’s banquet.

At the banquet King Ahasuerus asks his wife again, what does she desire? She answers: “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated.” (Esther 7:3). The king is outraged that anyone would dare threaten his queen and when he asks who has done such a thing Esther declares that Haman is to blame. One of Esther’s servants then tells the king that Haman had erected a pole upon which he planned to impale Mordechai. King Ahasuerus commands that Haman instead be impaled. He then takes his signet ring from Haman and gives it to Mordechai. Mordechai is also given Haman’s estate and the king gives Esther the power to overturn Haman’s orders.

Esther issues an edict giving Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves against anyone who may try to harm them. When the appointed day arrives, the Jews defend themselves against their attackers, killing and destroying them. According to the Book of Esther, this happened on the thirteenth day of Adar “and on the fourteenth [day] [the Jews] rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.” (Esther 9:18). Mordecai declares that the victory be remembered every year. The celebration is called Purim because Haman cast the “pur” (the lot) against the Jews, yet failed to destroy them.

The Celebration

• Kids dress up
• People eat hamentashan, a special type of cookie shaped like Haman’s hat
• People read the megillah (which contains the Purim story above)
• People perform a shpiel
• Do other festive activities

Happy Purim to you all!

Happy Purim again,

Hallie, Bonsai Author

 

 

Gun Control

We’re all deeply saddened by what happened at Sandy Hook recently. Well the exact date of this tragedy was December 14, 2012. A mass murder happened, where Adam Lanza, 20, shot 20 children and 6 adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut. From this experience, gun control was shown to be important.

My thoughts on gun control are so. I think that the United States should be less modest about gun control. I feel that you need to have an approved gun user ID card, before being able to purchase one. As well as that, use should be restricted other than in armed force events. What are your thoughts on gun control?

Victoria Soto, an aspiring first grade teacher at Sandy Hook was one example of a death at Sandy Hook. And she is one person who reminds us, of how important gun control is.

“Victoria Soto was 27 years old when she died protecting her students at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.  The shooter, 20-year-old Adam Lanza entered her classroom, demanding where the children were.  Having hidden them in closets she told him that they were in the gym.  He shot her before moving on.  She saved all of her students from Lanza. Victoria went to Eastern Connecticut State University, and got her degree as a teacher.  She worked at Sandy Hook for five years before she she was killed.  Her boyfriend was going to propose to her on Christmas. “It does not surprise me at all that Vicki died protecting her kids,” Ms. Schiavone, Victoria’s best friend- said. She wrote on her teacher’s blog at the beginning of the year that she was excited to work in room 10 this year. May she Rest In Peace.” -Kaia Willis

Gun Control is very important. I hope you enjoyed this post.

Hallie, Bonsai Author

Spotlight on Website: Free Rice!

Hi again everybody! (And thanks to the new followers who signed up to receive this in their email! All readers- if you haven’t already, go do so now, and share it with your friends!)

This week’s website for my Spotlight on Website feature is: freerice.com!

FreeRice is a website where you can answer trivia questions to feed the hungry. For every correct question you answer, ten grains of rice is added to your queue by generous sponsors. It’s fast and easy- in less than 10 minutes I donated 300 grains of rice, and by the time I finish this post I estimate I’ll have around 800.

Even better, they don’t take off grains if you fail a word. Instead, they give it to you again- improving your vocabulary, and the health of your needier fellows.

Please use FreeRice.com as much as possible and tell us what you do about feeding the hungry!
(There! 1000 in less than 25 minutes!)
Ceej, Vice President of Bonsai

E-Magazines and E-Newspapers February 22, 2013

Hi everyone! You all know how, here at Bonsai, we’re making an effort to save paper and go green. You know this is a e-newsletter, but have you heard of e-magazines and e-newspapers? For a lesser price, you can get the exact same magazine or newspaper that you get delivered daily/weekly/monthly on your phone or tablet. Sometimes, there are even bonus features that can only be accessed by getting the electronic version!
Next time a magazine sends you a notice that you need to renew, try getting the electronic version to save paper and trees.
Do you get e-magazines and e-newspapers? Comment and tell us your opinion!

Nik, Author at Bonsai

Saving Energy February 21, 2013

Hi all! You know how I’m in southern California? Well, the hotel that I’m staying at is like a bunch of other hotels making an effort to go greener.
  ~ The hotel gives you an option of changing the sheets every day, but they usually only change sheets every 3 days.
  ~ They give you an option of reusing your towels. However, if you want new towels, all you have to do is place the dirty ones on the floor.

Let’s all try to stay at hotels that are making an effort to go green!

Nik, Author at Bonsai

Local Pollution February 20, 2013

Hi everyone! I recently travelled to southern California, and found myself frowning as I looked past the city at the beautiful landscape. You could hardly make out the lovely cacti and strange rocks, for there was a large, grey cloud hanging around. At first, since where I live there is nothing like this, I was expecting it to rain. However, I soon realized that the cloud was, indeed, smog. When I went closer, I could tell that the smog was pollution on account of its smell. When I breathed it in, it irritated my lungs and made me cough.

Let’s keep our world clean and smog-free by using cars as little as possible and buying your foods locally.

Nik, Author at Bonsai