Last Class

I have enjoyed the last couple of years In your class, and I have enjoyed the classes also, my personal favorite was this one, Composition. I have always enjoyed writing and these classes have allowed me to do that and it has helped me to do it better. I hope you have a good summer break and I will get a senior picture to you when I visit the school and all the little kids in it after I get them. Good luck having a class as cool as ours.


-Jonah Melinn

Cartoon

Jonah Melinn

Ms. Tombre

Comp, 2^nd hour

3/13/12

  Cartoon Paper

It seems that the theme to this comic strip is to show how the imagination of a child can alter the view of their entire life. It makes life more fun and everyday is an adventure to them. It might not be the most humorous of all comics, but it shows what a child imagines when they want to. It shows Calvin, and his friends are few. This allows his Imagination to take over and he lives in a world that he created; he can create it, destroy it, or change it in any way. It all has to do with him; he is the center of his own stage. Which allows him to accomplish anything he can dream of. I enjoy this strip because it explains how the imagination of a young child can and usually is completely disregarded by parents. Calvin shows his ability to create his entire world that he belongs in, though he feels unattached from the outside world.  His ability to be able to live in his “world” shows his youth living in naivety, unaware of the concept of aging and the responsibilities that come with it.

Bill Watterson, who is the cartoonist who created the very well known “Calvin and Hobbes” series, was born on July 5, 1958 in Washington, D.C. At the age of 6 years old he and his parents moved to Chagrin Falls, Ohio. He did fairly well in school, had no imaginary friends, and stayed out of trouble, which makes one wonder where the inspiration for the opposite Calvin.  He took a sudden interest in writing, and read old comics such as “Peanuts” and “Pogo”. He enlisted in Kenyon collage in Ohio in 1976. He spent four years drawing political cartoon for the campus newspaper. He graduated in 1980 and immediately got a job offering as a editorial cartoonist at the Cincinnati Post. He did not have the effect the editors wanted it and fired him a year later. He quit cartoons and decided to go back to comic strips.

For the next few years he sent many comics to many newspapers and received nothing but rejections. He finally created the strip Calvin and Hobbes, a 6 year old independent first grader, and Hobbes, his stuffed tiger who came to life only when Calvin was present.  The strips popularity exploded at its release when Universal Press Syndicate bought it in 1985. In 1986 Bill Watterson became the youngest cartoonist to ever receive National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award. He continued to write Calvin and Hobbes strips, until he announced its ending in 1995, the last strip was released on December 31^st.

Theme Song

Jonah Melinn
Mrs. Tombre
2nd hour Comp.
March 2nd, 2012


The song that best describes me is “Strawberry Fields Forever”, by The Beatles. The Beatles were an early pop/ rock and roll band in the 1960’s. The early band was composed of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best, and Stuart Sutcliffe. Stuart left the band in 1961 and Pete in 1962, Pete was replaced by Ringo Starr and the band continued. The Beatles are arguably the most influential and most well known band of all time. They lasted until December 31st, 1970, when they officially split. and the music ceased recording. Between the time they started and ended the group had recorded and released over 200 songs, with even more released after The Beatles had split, making it over 250 song recordings in all. The song was released in early 1966 on the A side single with “Penny Lane” on the opposite.

I chose this song because it defines me due to the memories that have been created from what has happened. “Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.
It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out, it doesn't matter much to me.
Let me take you down, 'cos I'm going to Strawberry Fields. Nothing is real and nothing to get hung-about. Strawberry Fields forever”. It goes to a orphanage near where John Lennon grew up, he was reminiscing about living near there, playing in the woods, and everyone who he met there. His father and mother had both left him at a young age and he felt a bond to the orphans who would play in the woods along with him.
This song always makes me feel a sense of happiness, a rush of memories to me from the houses and neighborhoods I have lived at. This song is not in any movies that I am aware of.

“No one I think is in my tree, I mean it must be high or low.” What John Lennon really meant is no one seems to be as cool as him, so he must be either crazy or a genius. John Lennon wrote this song in Spain in 1966 while shooting the movie How I won the War. There were two  different versions of this song, and John Lennon had George Martin (Music Producer) splice the two to make one complicated version of both. When I first actually heard this whole song I was about 12 years old. It was on the radio, so i stopped and listened to it, after turning it up of course. It was a fantastic song, and I still enjoy listening to it and many other Beatles songs.

Journal Entries

Jonah Melinn

Ms. Tombre

Composition/ 2nd hour

January 31, 2012

33. People of the age of 14 should not be able to watch rated R movies. The contents that rated R movies is much too graphic for a child of the age of 14 and could psychologically effect the child, especially violence/ deaths that could take place in the movie. I do not believe 14 year olds should be able to watch rated R movies even with a parent present during the film. It is morally wrong of the parents who allow their children to watch movies that are rated R and be perfectly fine with it. I do understand however that it is a controversial issue and is debated fiercely by parties on both sides. Those who support it saying that it is following the Pursuit of Happiness, and those who oppose it following with a moral argument. Legally it depends on the parents and the decision they make, that decides whether or not a child of that age can watch a movie of that nature, but many parents believe an age to watch movies such as that is a respectable one, such as 16. However, there are others who believe that it is up to the child as to what movie limit the child would have. Of course the child is going to want to watch any movie they possibly can to feel more “adult-like” so they will want to have no limit on the movie or gore content it contains. This could cause many problems with the child, including nightmares, overactive imagination, and many others.

Jonah Melinn

Ms. Tombre

45. My perfect vacation would be on a pacific tropical island where the temperature gets no lower then 70 degrees. There is a three story beach house that has a hot tub located in the backyard, and a kitchen with a large island in the middle of it. Directly in front of this house is the palm trees, in which a hammock swings in between them. The beach is always calm, and seagulls occasionally squawk in the air. I would be able to hear the sounds of peoples cars passing by at times. There would be a slide leading from a second story bedroom onto the beach not 6 feet from the ocean. My house would be facing the East so i could watch the sunset everyday. The weather would be sometimes rain, mostly shine, and NO snow, that would be ideal. The length of the vacation would be as long as possible, in that same house. There would be a small town not far from where I live. The town would be loosely populated with friendly people who greet kindly when they see you. The house would have a sunroof on the third story, a library on the second story, 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a large spiral staircase to access all of the floors in the house. It would be one of only few house on the beach it is located on and would have a large view of the wide open sea and a warm sandy beach in front of it. The refrigerator would be stocked with pears, and other fruits. Some trees in my backyard would provide coconuts. My family would join me naturally, and the house would be louder then I want probably, but the family is gonna go and the beach house will be enjoyed, along with the scenery and people that will surround it.

41. In 20 years I will be living in a trailer park in Canada in a little shed with my many cats outside of John White’s trailer. My cats will be outside cats but i will feed them and they may enter my shed whenever they want to. I will make a living by pushing grocery carts down the hill by the malls and collecting them later because they are in public domain. These grocery carts will be fixed up by me so I can sell them back to the two malls and play them off each other for the best price, and that’s how I make my livin’, it won’t even be stealing really because i will buy all my cat food and other needs there anyway. This grocery cart living will make me between 20,000 and 30,000 dollars a year. My shed will have green paint on it and will be old and faded looking. I will have a small television with a remote and I will have many channels on it because I steal cable from my neighbors. My single room, state of the art shed will have a bed, a toilet,  a clothes line outside, my tools I use to fix shopping carts, and my other personal belongings. I will have the Animal Planet channel for the cats especially cats 101, and they will watch that while i am away. This will keep them occupied so that they will stay out of mischief. I will also leave them food and water while i am away, so they do not have to venture out outside where it is not safe in search of it. I lost a staring contest with the sun, which caused my eyesight to have gone so bad that my goggles (glasses) will need to be worn 24/7, and the thickness is comparable to the width of a dime. I will have an elastic strap that holds these goggles to my face. I will spend my spare time fixing shopping carts, stealing shopping carts, swimming in the stream, and sleeping in my personalized shed by the trailer. I will have a vegetable garden outside and will care for it every day of the week.

Jonah Melinn

Mrs. Tombre

2-9-12

Composition 2nd hour

All of the world is based on one concept, perspective. Life is what you make it, and how you perceive it will determine your reaction to the world and what happens in it. The more pessimistic one becomes, the less they will enjoy the simple pleasures of life, which unfortunately happens to many people around the world. They develop this mindset that life sucks and feel helpless to all that happens to them. This causes a sense of self pity, and reactive behavior. This behavior leads to just down right anger, which affects those who are around them, including friends, family, co-workers, and other interactions. It produces a negative emotional “vibe” on these people, which, in turn, does the same to those that they know. A continuous chain that in the end will effect everyone. It can be ended by a simple act of kindness, this act will create an equal but opposite affect, caused a positive ‘’vibe’’ to those surrounding that person. It allows the good mood to engulf the atmosphere, and provides the person with an optimistic outlook that it takes much to suppress. To be happy with life does not mean to be stupid or be naive, but to enjoy the world just the way they are , to accept the good and bad, and to live your life the way you want. What is also important is to allow others to do the same with their lives, that is what will allow there to be peace.

Dream Spring Break

Jonah Melinn

Mrs. Tombre

FIRSTDAYOFSPRING May 20th 2012

2nd hour Composition

On my Dream Spring break with a 5,000 dollar budget I would travel to the southern Island of New Zealand, approximately 1000 miles southwest of Australia. It is the lesser populated of the two islands and consists mainly of nature. It is composed of many beautiful landscapes and has a population of only 1.45 million inhabitants. I would travel on the Package deal called South Island Explorer, I feel it would be a great way to be able to leave the typical life and take time to actually visit another country for productive reasons. I will broaden my knowledge of the world, and allow me a new experience that only few have been able to achieve. The Trip will be mostly me driving throughout the West Coast, from hiking on glaciers to kayaking through a river, all of which will be new fun experiences. I also plan on trying a unique activity called Zorbing. I’ll have an amazing time, it will be fantastic.

I will take a flight to Los Angeles on March 28th, and then the fourteen hour trip to Christchurch, both of the flights round trip would be about $566, and if you add that to the cost of the trip itself then it would about $2,865, leaving me a little over two thousand dollars for spending money on food and souvenirs. It will be an eleven day trip all and all , and i will spend all that time doing many activities and enjoying the landscape. On day one all the way to day three I will be spending my time on planes, first to Los Angeles from Detroit, then next to Christchurch, New Zealand. On my first day there I will go on a ride on the TranzAlpine, what is known as  “The Great New Zealand Rail Adventure” which is world renowned. It will take me over viaducts, across valleys and gorges, and crossing the Southern Alps. Eventually it will lead me to the town of Greymouth after about thirty minutes of on the rail trip. I will gold pan and go kayaking in Greymouth, which is the largest town on the West Coast. After that I will drive in my rental car to the nearby “pancake rocks” that make the town of Punakaiki so well known. These rocks are actually limestone formations that began forming over thirty million years ago. I might have to chip off a small piece as a souvenir tho.

On day five I will return to Greymouth then move my way south to Hokitika. The road to Hokitika has many beaches and allows you to breathe in the salty air near the ocean. Or just drive with the windows down and enjoy the warm air and windbutts butts butts butts in your face (My personal favorite). I plan on buying some greenstone in a chunk or  after being carved. After spending time in Hokitika, the grueling 1.75 hour drive to Franz Josef will begin, In Franz Josef I will go on a full day Glacier hike, I have never gone hiking before so I feel this will be a new and exciting experience, naturally packing all the necessary equipment.

Franz Josef Glacier is one of two unique relics that have lasted since the last Ice age, It is the only place in the world that has Glaciers so close to the sea. I next will next drive to a place called Fox Glacier, the second of the two unique Ice Glaciers. From there I will drive to Haast, which was once a Construction camp for the Ministry of Works, from there I will walk to Lake Moeraki, a peaceful quiet lake known for its amazing fishing and untouched beauty. I am also planning to go to the Penguin Colony at Monro Beach, which is just a quick forty minute walk away. Also in Haast I will be able to fly into the rugged ranges and deer hunt.

After that I will drive to the town of Wanaka. Wanaka is known for its high density of Cafes, Restaurants, and interesting souvenir shops. I will spend the night in Wanaka and then drive through the Haast pass. There will be waterfalls and beautiful scenery as I venture into the rainforest land. From there I will continue to drive south until I reach the town of Queenstown. In Queenstown, day seven and eight, I will go on the Milford Sound Nature Cruise, It is guided by someone with expert knowledge on the history and wildlife of the region, on this guide I will see many beauties of nature, including Waterfalls, Rainforests, and Mountain Peaks. I also plan on taking a tour on the rugged and once dangerous Skipper Road, which was cut by hand into the steep cliffs of the well-known Shotover River Valley.

On the morning of day nine I will drive through the town of Omarama and into Twizal, just twenty miles north of it. The drive to Twizal will take me through mountain ranges and sheep farms, and when I reach Twizal I will mountain climb, for the geography of the town is perfect for it. Also I will in the Ahuriri River, which is known for its Rainbow and Brown Trout. By day ten I will have driven back to Mount Cook, which is an approximate two and a half hour drive north. When there, I plan on winding down and relaxing for my final day, and then on day 11 I will return to Christchurch have departed for Los Angeles, soon to Return to Michigan.

Letters

Jonah Melinn

1445 Robinson Rd. SE

49506, Eastown

Grand Rapids, Michigan

February 28, 2012

Rising Dragon Tattoos

51 West 14th Street

Suite 2F

New York, N.Y. 10011

Dear Horisei

My name is Jonah and I am looking to get a tattoo and was wondering if you could e the one who does it for me.

The tattoo that I want to get will be a huge phoenix along my back and it will be awesome. I would like the flames coming off of the bird to reach all the way down to my lower back, while the wings of it extend over my shoulder blades and down to my elbows. The head of the bird will be on the back of my neck with red burning eyes and the claws will be open, as if reaching to grasp something. I realize this will be a long process and will probably take many days to complete. If you wish for me to bring anything you may contact me at the given number.

We may also discuss the guarantee of your work, and I will contact you about the charge of the tattoo on Thursday. We can also discuss the appointment date and time, and please reply if the appointment does not fit your schedule.

Thank you

Sincerely,

Jonah Melinn

http://www.risingdragon.com/contact.php

Jonah Melinn

1445 Robinson Rd. SE

49506 Eastown

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Paul McCartney

MPL

1 Soho Square

London W1V6HD

UK       

Dear Paul McCartney:

I am sure you get many letters like this but I am a huge fan of your music due to the unprecedented creativity you put into all your work.

I also must say I saw the concert in Detroit last summer on July 24th and it was absolutely fantastic. Three straight hours of nonstop music with no opening band. I can honestly say that was the greatest concert ever seen by me in my life. I have admired your music for a long time and it is something that I will always enjoy listening to and I was hoping a reply with an autograph could be received from you. Your new album Kisses on the Bottom is fantastic and I like the blues/jazz feel that it has. Your career is as strong as ever and i am sure you will continue to write and perform music as masterfully as you have in the past. (A signed picture for my grandfather  also would be greatly appreciated, as he is also a fan.)

Thank you for the time

Sincerely,

Jonah Melinn

Jonah Melinn

1445 Robinson Rd. SE

Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506

U.S.A.

Mick Jagger

c/o Kleinberg Lopez Lange Assoc.

2049 Century Park East, #3180

Los Angeles, CA 90067

USA

Dear Mick Jagger,

I am a big fan of your music and i watched the live show at the White House from home, it was performed very well and I enjoyed being able to see it to it.

I must say that you still sing amazingly. I still listen to it and have for many years. My favorite album would have to be Beggars' Banquet, it almost seems to have a country feel to most of the songs. I have to ask if I may get an autograph from you, and also one for my grandfather, who is also a fan of your music. It would be greatly appreciated if I could, and also if you could tour somewhere in Michigan would be fantastic. Preferably close to Grand Rapids (Detroit would be fine) that would be great. I would really enjoy being able to actually see The Rolling Stones in concert. In the meantime I hope you continue to write and perform music and I will continue to listen to it, as I have for years.

Sincerely,

Jonah Melinn

Earth Day Paper

Earth Day Paper

Jonah Melinn

Mrs. Tombre

April 10th 2012

                          Earth Day

There are many things that could be done to help preserve our environment with a little spending and the expense of some unnecessary wasting. The impact could be enormous and would create a healthier, safer environment for everyone to live in. What I would recommend as a priority is to halt the overpackaging that is used in the simplest devices, in the mail or the store. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, packaging materials makes up about one-third of all American garbage. The amount of plastic and cardboard that is used is unbelievable and unneeded in today’s society. One thing that is urged among the masses is to buy in bulk, this will use less cardboard per used space. Another thing that is asked is to leave the overpackaging at the store counter, this will force the companies to take action and reduce the amount of cardboard and plastic that is used in the transportation of the bought goods. In the end the it is the taxpayers who have to pay for the overuse of wrapping. Not only economically but also financially, due to the payment of the recycling and also the garbage trucks that must drop the trash off at the landfill. All throughout Europe and Asia laws have been passed that force the companies to pay for the packaging to be sorted and recycled, this obviously has made them rethink the amount of packaging that is used in all of their products in shipping. That would do much to prevent the waste of plastic and other packaging materials. It would allow us to use that material more efficiently and help us find other ways to also work on our “footprint”, so to speak.

Persuasion paper

Jonah Melinn

Mrs. Tombre

2nd Hour English

5/1/2012

                       IT’S A NECESSITY

For my ultimate gift at graduation I would like to get Lasik surgery done. It would improve my vision to 20/20, probably for life. Not to mention it would allow me to show off my awesome eyes. This could be great for those days that I’m running late and I forget my glasses (I wouldn’t need them). The entire procedure itself takes less then thirty minutes to perform and is effective. The cost however, would be about 700 dollars per eye, but this cost would be nothing compared to the amount in glasses or contacts I would spend in my lifetime. It would be well worth the money to have excellent vision for at least 40 years instead of having to buy new contacts every year or new glasses every 5 or so. Lasik surgery is the use of a laser to change the shape of the cornea to improve vision. Blurry and poor vision is when the cornea isn’t completely round and the light rays are not refracted correctly, causing the image to distort. What the laser does is alter the shape of the cornea to produce a perfect circle, making vision crystal clear. However, like any other surgery, it is not perfect and has some risks. Because of slightly different healing cases, perfect vision is not guaranteed. Your vision may worsen and you may experience glares and halos at night, and In rare cases vision may worsen and not be correctable by glasses or contacts, this may be caused by overcorrection or undercorrection or the need to still wear glasses.

That is all in rare cases though, and it seldom happens to patients, it is not uncommon to walk out of the clinic with perfect eyesight and have it last for many years. I am willing to take the risks to do Lasik surgery and improve my vision, and that is my ultimate gift. If I were to get it I would be infinitely grateful and hope I may get it for graduation.

Birthday Paper

Jonah Melinn

Mrs. Tombre

2/13/2012

Composition/ 2nd hr.

The day i was born was on Wednesday, August 31st, at Butterworth Hospital, in Downtown Grand Rapids. The number one hit song when i was born was Ill make love to you by Boys 2 men. I happen to share the same birthday as Van Morrison, Frank Robinson, Queen Rania of Jordan, Chris Tucker, and many others. After more than 3 years of negotiations, on August 31, 1994, the armed forces of the Russian Federation withdrew from Estonia. The Provisional Irish Republican Army declared a Ceasefire on August 31st.  The Video game “Need for Speed” was released in 1994. A month before my birth on July 6th, Forrest Gump was released and was the top grossing movie in North America for the year. The Mask and Lion King were also released and made much profit. Also in 1994, The N.A.F.T.A. was signed by The United States, Mexico, Canada. Aerosmith released “Crazy” as a single and it peaked at #17 on the charts, while The Rolling Stones released the album “Voodoo Lounge”, which one them a Grammy Award for Best Album. The T.V. shows Law and Order and America’s Funniest Home Videos were popular, but the most watched shows were Seinfeld, and E.R. Also in 1994, America proved to the world it is paramount in staging national events when the attendance number for the Soccer World Cup, the number of people there was over 3.5 million, while another 11 million watched from home on television. The U.S. team also advanced until the 16th round, for the first time since 1930. In football, the Dallas Cowboys won The Super Bowl and defeated the opposing team, The Buffalo Bills. In the NBA, the Houston Rockets beat the New York Knicks and won The NBA title. There was no Post season for Baseball in 1994. And in the NHL, The New York Rangers out-skated the Vancouver Canucks to win the Playoffs and take home the Stanley Cup.