Andrew Nelms is an average football player at Leland High School. He is currently in a relationship, and is president at the National Sarcasm League. He is Christian. His favorite athlete is Hope Solo.
“Ummm basically my name is Andrew, but more commonly known as Nelms. I enjoy many things including chillin, meetin new people, football. If you wanna know more message me for my #.”
This is an essay assignment that I did in 8th grade on December 4th, 2007. I wrote about my knowledge of domains and websites at that time.
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How to Go Big
big, Big, BIG! These are the words people speak in anticipation of making their site “go big”. When I say site, I mean domain. A domain is the name of the site somebody wishes to own/host. For example, apple.com is a domain name. This name must be bought it in order to own that site and try to make everyone come. How does a site come up first when people search on google? How do people hear of a site? Where are they coming from? Why do certain sites have a higher “google page rank” than others? It starts now.
“Linking” refers to when another person (Owner of another domain) likes a domain/site and wishes to help it out. They go to their database management and puts the site’s link, to help bring traffic to the given site. That is the simplest way of explaining it. Of course, this means there are lots of ways people can “cheat” the system or get away without following the rules for a period of time. A given site can contact the owner of other sites, and tell them that they will do an exchange. “I will link you if you link me”. There are also programs or hacks/exploits that will automatically pretend a site has lots and lots of links from other people. However, google being who they are and how rich they are, they can easily track a site down in a couple months. That site will then be banned permanently from any google access, such as adsense ads, indexing, etc. Thus it is not a very good trade-off, furthermore it is illegal. So, if you wondered why certain sites come up first on google search, this is just one of the many reasons.
Another factor of “going big”, is SEO. This is very similar to Linking, but not quite. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Depending on what type of site is being run, there are different ways of doing and obtaining SEO. I will give an example with the one that I know best: forums. In a forum, people post threads and reply to others’ threads. Generally this leads to content in a forum. Say there is a forum about politics. People will discuss the regular updates from political parties and other related subjects. What SEO does is it saves those threads and posts that people have generated on the forum, and comes back to Link that site with its own content. This is very helpful, because another factor of getting on the first page of google is a site’s content. If there is a forum about politics, it will want to be on the first page when people search “politics” on google. So SEO really is helpful, because it acts like other political sites are linking it. Consequently it looks very good if other political sites that are competing with it, supposedly think it is an excellent site. SEO is a completely legal process, so therefore there is no harm in it.
The final factor that I am going to mention is the actual domain name that is being used. First off, if a person works very hard and does all the steps correctly, there is always a chance to “go big” no matter what the name of his/her domain is. Now, there is a value in every name, depending on several things. Let’s take this example: High School. So you want to make your site about High School very large and popular so as to bring more students in? The number one rule in my book, and many others, is to never get a domain that is “.net” or “.info” etc. The “.com” is of three times as much worth and easier to get a site prodigious. A person would not want to buy a domain that is cokeisgood.com, because that has no relation what-so-ever to High School. Therefore the person should get something more along the lines of at least schools. So it can narrow down to highschool.com. However, as pleasant as that may sound, that is not the best option if a site truly wishes to make it a big site as quick and easiest as possible. The worth of a one letter name (Such as h.com) is of the greatest worth. Sadly, these are no longer obtainable. So that is out of the picture. Two letter domains are of utmost value and the easiest to get a higher page rank, links, etc. (This is of course, not including names such as kill.com or hello.com, which are very valuable because they are very common words). Anyways, the most favorable domain name would be hs.com, which represents High School. A two letter domain, it represents High School, and not to mention over 200 Million people search “hs” on google every day. Unfortunately “hs.com” would cost over 5 Million dollars most likely, so I don’t think many people can afford that. As you can see, there is a trend in my thoughts. This will continue to three letter domains, four, pronounceable, etc. All I can say, is that this is a tricky business, and the chances of getting a perfect domain name are very slim.
Well, that pretty much tops it off, although there are many more factors in this rigorous process and experience. Linking, SEO, and the domain name itself all play a role in determining who is the #1 site according to google. I do hope people can learn something from this, and I wish anybody to think carefully before entering the portal of domains.
This is an essay assignment that I did in 8th grade on November 10th, 2007. This was my final draft.
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James Armistead Lafayette – Final
As a slave, I didn’t get much freedom and was very bored a lot of the time. I had a lust for adventure. Therefore I offered myself to the American Rebels as a spy. I knew T’was a very difficult and high-risk job, but I felt up to it. When thee is a slave and discriminated against, there isn’t much to lose. I was not guaranteed/offered freedom in return for my services. I volunteered completely.
Oh, I forgot to tell a bit about myself. I am a slave, and a spy for General Lafayette. I had, excuse me please, a somewhat great memory as well as a superb intelligence level. I was, and am, a Patriot and I believe in freedom very strongly. I was twenty-one when I joined the Rebels, and I think I played quite my own part in the American Revolution.
Well enough about why I chose to become a spy. Shall we get into the meat of the story? To begin with, I was a double crosser. I know it sounds like I was bad and that it is a negative word, but I truly was I cannot deny it. I pretended to be a spy for the British while actually spying for the Rebels. I even fed the British fake information on the Rebels strategies and plans of attack. One reason I was picked to do the job, was because I had a very good memory and an “unnatural” intelligence, if I do say so myself. I also had a knack of getting trust easily and fluidly. Nobody ever even suspected me of being a spy on either side. Their trust was of the utmost. Anyways, I was stationed in Lord Cornwallis’s camp, also near Benedict Arnold’s camp, and was regularly in “contact” with the Lord Cornwallis himself who was the General in charge of the camp. This meant I could over-hear conversations and listen to slips dropped by the guards who were not supposed to have said anything at all. Because of this dangerous job I had, I did not record any of what I did, said or anything else that was of importance. If any of the British figured out my secret by reading records they might have discovered, I would have been done for, and quite dead. Obviously that would not have done me or the Rebels any good. Eventually after quite some time, I got the major slip-up I needed and my information led to the defeat of Lord Cornwallis. This was playing a part in the victory of the Rebels on the whole. By finding out when the British were going to move, I was able to alert General Lafayette. His army stationed themselves to hold off Lord Cornwallis. Lafayette captured Lord Cornwallis’s ships in a trap, and defeated them.
After this busy work, I was given a Certificate praising my work (This was given to me by Lafayette himself). I then sent the Certificate to Virginia asking to be set free. However I did not demand to be set free, unless my owner, William Armistead, was paid for his loss (of me). The Virginian Government (delightfully) agreed, and I was set free as well as William Armistead was paid for the loss. It was then that I changed my name to James Armistead Lafayette in honor of these two men that had given me my freedom. I received one more annual pension for my service during the revolution that was usually given to whites. Later on before I became an old and rusty man, I worked to abolish slavery, and opened an estate for Blacks to go to. Overall I affected the defeat of Lord Cornwallis, and helped the Rebels win that one key battle. It helped us win the Revolution.
“So young-lings, how did you like my story?”
“Mr. Lafayette, why were there slaves, that is so mean.”
“Ah child, ask your parents when you are older.”
“My. Lafayette, you are so nice I wish my teacher was like you.”
“Oh remember you can learn a lot from your teacher. Don’t think they aren’t nice. If you look into it you will see your teacher is a nice person.”
“My Lafayette, how did you get so tall?”
“I ate my vegetables.”
This is an essay assignment that I did in 8th grade on October 25th, 2007. This was my rough draft for the project.
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James Armistead Lafayette
As a slave, I didn’t get much freedom and was very bored a lot of the time. Therefore I offered myself to the American Rebels as a spy. I know it’s a very difficult and high-risk job, but I felt up to it. When you are a slave, there isn’t much to lose. I was not even guaranteed/offered freedom in return for my services. I volunteered completely out of the good of my heart.
Oh, I forgot to tell a bit about myself. I am a “black” slave, and a spy for General Lafayette. I had, excuse me please, a great memory as well as a superb intelligence level. I was, and am, a Patriot and I believe in freedom very strongly. I was twenty-one when I joined the Rebels, and I think I played my part in the American Revolution.
Well enough about why I chose to become a spy. Let’s get into the meat of the game. To begin with, I was a double crosser. I know it sounds like I was bad and that it is a negative word, but I truly was. I pretended to be a spy for the British while actually spying for the Rebels. I even fed the British fake information on the Rebels strategies and plans of attack. One reason I was picked to do the job, was because I had a very good memory and an “unnatural” intelligence, if I do say so myself. I also had a knack of getting trust easily. Nobody ever even suspected me of being a spy on either side. Their trust was of the utmost. Anyways, I was stationed in Lord Cornwallis’s camp, also near Benedict Arnold’s camp, and was regularly in “contact” with the Lord Cornwallis himself who was the General in charge. This meant I could over-hear conversations and listen to slips dropped by the guards who were not supposed to have said anything. Because of this dangerous job I had, I did not record any of what I did, said or anything else that was of importance. If any of the British figured out my secret by reading my recordings I would have been done for, and certainly dead. Obviously that would not have done the Rebels any good. Eventually my information led to the defeat of Lord Cornwallis, playing a part in the victory of the Rebels. By finding out when the British were going to move, I was able to alert General Lafayette, and his army could station themselves to hold off Lord Cornwallis. Lafayette captured Lord Cornwallis’s ships in a trap, and defeated them.
After all this, I was given a Certificate praising my work (This was given to me be Lafayette himself). I then sent the Certificate to Virginia asking to be set free. However I did not demand to be set free, unless my owner, William Armistead, was paid for his loss of me. The Virginian Government agreed, and I was set free as well as William Armistead was paid for his loss. It was then that I changed my name to James Armistead Lafayette in honor of these two men that had given me my freedom. I received one more annual pension for my service during the revolution that was usually given to whites. Later on before I became an old and rusty man, I worked to abolish slavery, and opened an estate for Blacks to go to. Overall I affected the defeat of Cornwallis, and helped the Rebels win that one major battle. It helped us win the Revolution.
“So young-lings, how did you like my story?”
“Mr. Lafayette, why were there slaves, that is so mean.”
“Ah child, ask your parents when you are older.”
“My. Lafayette, you are so nice I wish my teacher was like you.”
“Oh remember you can learn a lot from your teacher. Don’t think they aren’t nice. If you look into it you will see your teacher is a nice person.”
“My Lafayette, how did you get so tall?”
“I ate my vegetables.”
This is an essay assignment that I did in 8th grade on October 18th, 2007. This is the outline that I did of that assignment.
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I. James Armistead Lafayette
A. Why be a Spy?
1. Freedom? Not Promised.
2. Volunteer
B. Experiences
1. Months of being in Lord Cornwallis’s tent
a. Listened to all plans
2. No life record
3. British Camps
4. His info lead to victory over Cornwallis
a. Ships of Cornwallis sail. Americans trap them.
5. Double Crosser
a. Played spy for both sides but gave fake info to British
6. “Black innocence” and played part well
7. Slave
C. About yourself
1. Slave
2. Black
3. Double Crosser
4. Lafayette Spy
5. Superb intelligence
6. Amazing memory
II. Results of Actions
A. Yourself Personally
1. Received Certificate
a. For bravery
2. ^^^ Gets to be free
3. Annual Pension
a. Pension for white to service
b. Service for cause American Revolution
B. War in General
1. Defeat of Cornwallis
2. Winner of one big battle
This is an English assignment that I did in 8th grade on October 17th, 2007. I believe I had to write a short “journal entry” of a fake day. It probably had to contain descriptive adjectives.
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17 of October,
I woke up and had a very nice breakfast. A bagel with pumpkin butter smeared over it. I got ready for school drowsily, and packed my bag. Dragging my back-pack behind me, I started the walk to school. Shivering, I waited for the blissful sun to come out. I gave up hope on the sun, and arrived at school where I had Math waiting for me. After surviving several classes I began the journey of walking to lunch, where I would have silent time. Once I was done, I played football outside with other friends. That is my interesting day.
This is an essay assignment that I did in 8th grade on October 4th, 2007. I had to write a five paragraph essay on virtually anything, and I chose to write it on soccer fans.
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Soccer Fans
Ideas:
- Dutch (For sure) Craziness
- Brazil Fans (Good Soccer)
- USA Fans
- Mexico’s Fans (Hostility)
- Best League Teams and their fans
Did you know that fans from different places, and support their teams in different ways? Well I hope so, and besides that, I can show you the extreme cases of soccer addiction. Brazil is famous for having the best team in the world. However did you know that most of their fans only come for the good soccer, and not for support of their country. For the US it’s a completely different aspect. Recently they have come upon the “great David Beckham” who draws people out of popularity. The most extreme case I have ever seen in soccer is the Dutch’s (Netherlands) craziness and complete faith in their team.
The Brazilian International team is great and they have many fans. However they usually only are fans of Brazil because they get to see good soccer. In the last World Cup, and Brazil played Ghana in the Round of Sixteen, Ghana out-played Brazil (Although still losing) and the Brazilian fans started cheering for Ghana! However this doesn’t mean some Brazilian fans aren’t loyal. In fact, some of their fans got arrested for throwing a grenade into a rival teams bus! Basically I think the fans are wanna-bees and they want to see soccer they wish they could do.
In the USA, David Beckham (A player from England) has come to play for the MLS League. This has caused lots and lots of people to be more attracted to soccer, and to attend more games. Although this is mainly because of his “good looks” as girls say, and his chances of becoming an actor, this still is making more people choose soccer as “their sport”. As I said, there are now more screamers and cheerers to make the USA international team win their games.
In the Netherlands, you are either completely serious or the opposite: crazy. In this case, the Dutch fans are totally outrageously crazy in their support of their team. In the last World Cup, they dressed all orange and let it rip. 1000 Fans actually watched a game without trousers on! They went around in an orange car made of cardboard and a lot more!
To me every one of these is a proof of how soccer is the best sport in the world. People support their teams, are drawn to it, and show just how crazy they are about it. Did you know that this isn’t all there is?
This is an essay assignment that I did in 8th grade on September 30th, 2007. It is a five paragraph essay, and I had to summarize some potential arguments in an outline beforehand.
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Playing Soccer Bullet Outline
Pros:
(3) — In-creases strength heart
(3) — Exercise
(2) — Improved Breathing
(3) — Meet new people
— Most of the world likes it the most
(2) — Strengthens muscles
(3) — Leadership skills
(3) — Smartness
(2) — Get out and away from family
Cons:
(1) — Time consuming
(1) — Interfere with school
— If high level you can’t play any other sport
(1) — Lots of running
(1) — Pressure
Paragraphs
Playing soccer can be a great sport, as long as you know how to enjoy yourself, however, if you do not you may not be so happy. In soccer there are many things you can learn: Leadership skills, “smarts”, meet new people, exercise and much more. Sometimes though, soccer is not the best sport in the world. It is time consuming (especially if you are in school) and if you don’t like running, it’s not that fun. As well as at a medium level there is lots, and lots of pressure.
Soccer is a good sport, but sometimes it doesn’t make you the happiest you can be. Soccer is time consuming and you may find yourself thinking its wasting you time, when you could be doing something else that’s important. It may interfere with school-work, which is not a good thing for many people. People who do not like running a lot, would not like soccer either. Soccer games are usually 45-60 minutes for kids. Therefore that would be a lot of running. At a high level soccer can also get discouraging. There is lots of pressure, and messing up would make team-mates mad at you. The coach may also be un-happy and not put you in as much. All in all, soccer can be a discouraging sport.
Soccer definitely has its good qualities, in several aspects. When going to practice, there is the chance to get away from family. They might be getting annoying and to just get out and away may be very refreshing. When practicing, it will strengthen muscles, because of the constant kicking and running. Also breathing will become much easier, as learning to breathe correctly is essential.
There are more things that make soccer an excellent sport. Lots of exercise is included in this. At school you can then dominate people with increased endurance and strength. Running will also increase your hearts strength, which will make you live longer (and everyone likes that). Making friends is also fun, and there will be plenty of that if you play soccer. Most importantly, when playing soccer you develop leadership skills and “smarts”. You learn to command people with ease, and make smart decisions that will influence the whole team. All of these are what makes soccer a very fun game.
Playing soccer is on the whole a fun game, and you learn a lot from it. Even when the game gets boring and not so fun, there is always a way to come back to it.
This is a current event assignment that I did in 8th grade on September 30th, 2007. It is about Topps Meat Company forced to recall ground beef. The article is quoted and the summary I had to do follows.
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“Topps Meat Co. on Saturday expanded a recall of ground beef from about 300,000 pounds to 21.7 million pounds, one of the largest meat recalls in U.S. history.
The recalled products are all ground beef patties with various brand names.
In a statement, the Elizabeth, New Jersey, company said the hamburger patties may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, a bacterium that can cause severe diarrhea and cramps, as well as other complications.
A statement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture said 25 illnesses are under investigation in Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The ground beef products being recalled have a “sell by date” or a “best if used by date” between September 25, 2007, and September 25, 2008, Topps’ statement said.
The packages also have the marking “Est. 9748″ inside the USDA mark of inspection.
Tuesday, the company announced a recall of about 331,000 pounds of hamburger meat, according to the USDA.
“Because the health and safety of our consumers is our top priority, we are taking these expansive measures,” said Vice President of Operations Geoffrey Livermore in the statement.
“Topps is continuing to work with the USDA, state departments of health, retailers and distributors to ensure the safety of our consumers. Additionally, we have augmented our internal quality control procedures with microbiologists and food safety experts. We sincerely regret any inconvenience and concerns this may cause our consumers,” Livermore said.
This is the company’s first recall in its 65 years of business, the statement said.
Consumers who find the products at home are asked to cut off the UPC code and return it to Topps for a full refund, then dispose of the product immediately, Topps spokeswoman Michelle Williams said.
The company said to avoid E.coli, consumers should wash hands thoroughly after handling the beef.
Topps set up a toll-free recall help line at (888) 734-0451.
Williams said because the products may have been produced up to a year ago, many of them have already been safely consumed.
Production in the ground beef area of the company’s plant in Elizabeth has been shut down until all the investigations are complete, Williams said in a phone interview.
“We’re working with the USDA and the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and conducting our own investigation,” she added.
The products, all ground beef patties and hamburgers with various brand names, were distributed mainly in the northeastern United States, but went to retailers in many other areas of the country as well, Williams said.”
Summary
A company that makes ground beef (Topps Meat), has issued one of the largest recalls in the history of the US. They went from 300,000 to 2.17 MILLION pounds of recall. There are many illnesses (25) in different places because of these patties. This is also the companies first re-call in 65 years, and places are having to work together to stop this sickness/disease. This is NOT a good sign for Topps Meat Co.
This is a literature assignment that I did in 8th grade on September 17th, 2007. I’m not exactly sure what this assignment was. It was probably that I had to write a small paragraph with adjectives. I do not recall.
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(1) Once upon a time there was a great man. (2) He lived in a small house, with his wife and children, and worked as a stones-smith. (3) One day he started out for work. (4) As he was walking, he decided that he should slowly start his stretching of the arms. (5) Under the bridge he walked, continuing to do his exercises and stretching. (6) Finally he reached his destination (his work) which was a huge building that contained lots of materials. (7) To try, was his motto and he obliged it every day. (8) This was his normal morning, and was what he was used to every day.
This is a current event assignment that I did in 8th grade on September 10th, 2007. The assignment was to print the article and our own summary of the article. I have quoted the article and my summary follows the article. I also had to do a short verbal presentation.
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“A confirmed sighting of a baiji dolphin just months after it was declared “extinct” has prompted scientists to launch an against-all-odds plan to save the last of the rare Chinese river dwellers.
A team of marine-life scholars led by Wang Ding, a scientist at China’s Institute of Hydrobiology, examined digital video footage recently taken along the eastern section of the Yangtze River. The video provides evidence of the survival of the baiji, or whitefin dolphin, the team confirmed.
Now experts at the institute are studying the feasibility of transporting the survivors to a natural preserve in a Noah’s Ark-like operation, said Wang, one of China’s leading authorities on the nearly decimated species.
“Functionally Extinct”?
The sighting provides a small ray of hope for scientists who had previously given up on the baiji.
A six-nation coalition of scientists, including Wang, spent five weeks late last year using high-performance optical instruments and underwater microphones to search the Yangtze, the baiji’s sole habitat, for any signs of the species. (See a map of China.)
“The baiji is functionally extinct,” concluded August Pfluger, head of the Swiss-based baiji.org foundation and co-organizer of the 2,200-mile (3,500-kilometer expedition), at the time.
“It is a tragedy, a loss not only for China, but for the entire world.”
(Read: China’s Rare River Dolphin Now Extinct, Experts Announce”[December 14, 2006].)
According to Wang, baiji dolphins apparently lived and flourished in the Yangtze for more than 19 million years before humans arrived on the scene.
Beat Mueller is a geochemist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology who was also part of the 2006 baiji expedition.
“The disappearance and extinction of such highly evolved endemic mammals as the white Yangtze River dolphin [baiji], the finless porpoise, or the Chinese sturgeon from the Yangtze River can be attributed to a multitude of circumstances, such as the deterioration and loss of their natural habitats, overfishing of the river, the heavy freight ship traffic, and others,” Mueller said.
“Increasing concentrations of anthropogenic chemicals may just be one additional factor,” he added.
But Wang said he and others at the hydrobiology institute are now convinced that the last survivors of the dolphin might be found along small tributaries of the Yangtze in eastern China’s Anhui Province, where the amateur video was shot in mid-August.
Call to Action
Conservation specialists at the hydrobiology institute, which is part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, are preparing to search those waterways, pending approval from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture.
“We may try to catch the baiji dolphins and move them into our semi-natural Tian-e-Zhou Reserve, which is located along an oxbow [U-shaped curve] of the Yangtze River, to put them under full protection,” Wang said.
According to Karen Baragona, a specialist on the Yangtze at the World Wildlife Fund, the keys to the survival of the baiji are conserving oxbow lakes in the central Yangtze, creating a network of nature reserves along the river, and managing the river’s entire ecosystem from a holistic perspective.
“This sighting presents a last hope that the baiji may not go the way of the dodo bird,” Baragona said in a statement.
“Other species have been brought back from the brink of extinction, like the southern right whale and white rhinos, but only through the most intensive conservation efforts.”
Wang, with the help of the baiji.org group, might even attempt to engineer the recovery of the dolphins through a captive breeding program.
The Baiji Conservation Aquarium has already scored small successes with a similar breeding scheme aimed at averting the extinction of the endangered Yangtze finless porpoise.
Two finless calves have been born at the aquarium since it was set up two years ago.
But Wang warned that the battle to save the baiji is anything but guaranteed.
“The chances of saving the baiji are really small,” he said. “But we have to try our best to save the last baiji, even if we know it may be a mission impossible.” ”
Summary
A Baiji, or whitefin, Dolphin in China which was declared extinct several months ago, was sighted and video recorded by an Amateur Video recorder. The marine life scholars examined the video and confirmed that this was living evidence of the survival of the Baiji Dolphin. They are working on transporting those surviving dolphins to a preserve area. This obviously gives hope to those marine life scholars to preserve a dying species.
This is a current event assignment that I did in 8th grade on September 1st, 2007. The assignment was to print the article and our own summary of the article. I have quoted the article and my summary follows the article. I look back and laugh at my simple misspellings.
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“The Rev. John Henry Walker, accused of tax evasion and stealing from his Charlotte congregation, was sentenced Friday to more than five years in prison.
U.S. District Judge Frank Whitney also ordered the 48-year-old pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church to pay more than $277,000 in restitution to the government.
Walker pleaded guilty to tax evasion, bank fraud and lying to federal agents. Though his lawyer asked that Walker remain free long enough to preach a goodbye sermon at his church, the judge ordered marshals to take him immediately into custody to begin serving his sentence.
The courtroom was packed with current and former members of the church, with the pastor’s supporters mostly sitting on one side and his critics on the other. Outside, after the sentencing, emotions flared, with the two sides scuffling and calling each other names. Some angry backers of WalkerWalker’s wife, Rosie, an associate minister at the church. also charged TV camera crews and photographers, demanding that they stop crowding the path of
Prosecutors had pushed for a 10-year sentence, saying Walker’s “powers of persuasion” were a danger to his congregation. Walker’s attorney, touting the pastor’s military service and his previous career as a Greensboro firefighter, asked the judge to consider probation and home detention.
Before being sentenced to five years and three months, Walker, wearing a dark pinstriped suit and a blue shirt and tie, stood and offered a rambling, sometimes emotional plea for mercy. He apologized to the court and his family and took a shot at former members of the church who, he said, had tried to undermine his leadership and remove him.
“I’m already punished, labeled as a felon,” he said, stopping once to fight back tears. “I am not perfect. I’ve made mistakes. … But this is the first time I’ve ever faced anything like this. It still seems like a nightmare.”
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt Meyers cast Walker as unrepentant and as a minister who used charisma and bullying to get congregation members to help him steal money from the church for years.
“He is an admitted predator and an admitted liar,” Meyers said. “And he will steal again.”
Prosecutors alleged that Walker stole $160,000 from his congregation through the unauthorized use of the church’s credit card. They say Walker used the church credit card for personal expenses, including hotel rooms with paramours, erectile dysfunction medication, dental work, and airline trips for him and female acquaintances.
Walker was accused of taking more than $70,000 in cash advances from the church credit card between 1998 and 2003. Prosecutors say he provided no receipts or accounting of any kind for the cash advances and refused to do so when asked.
Walker earned almost $600,000 in taxable income from the church and other sources between 1999 and 2003 but reported taxable income of less than $55,000 to the government, the indictment alleges. Prosecutors accused Walker of failing to pay nearly $400,000 in federal and state income taxes for the years 1998 through 2004.
Walker has been pastor at the 500-member church north of uptown since 1992.
Defense attorney Harold Cogdell called two supportive members of Walker’s congregation to the stand Friday.
Annette Willis, a member off and on since 1958, said she and most of those still attending Macedonia Baptist reject the idea that they were victims of Walker. When he asked the church to forgive him, Willis said, “it’s like the slate’s been cleared. I’m reconciled with Pastor Walker.”
Anita Hill, a member since 1984, agreed and said the church members wanted to keep Walker as their pastor: “He’s the one who has helped our families through deaths and births and divorces and problems with our children. … He’s somebody anybody can talk to.”
But both women admitted being among those in the congregation who would give Walker “love offerings” — donations they’d stuff into green envelopes or later, charged an IRS agent, throw at his feet on the altar.
IRS agent Robert Ripley, who helped investigate Walker, estimated that Walker collected more than $200,000 in love offerings — most of it cash — from 1999 to 2004. “Chump change” is what Walker called it, Ripley testified Friday.
It was unclear Friday where Walker would serve his sentence.
The hearing, which lasted about eight hours, ended emotionally, with Walker’s wife joining hands and praying with supporters.
Walker seemed stunned when Whitney announced the sentence. He turned to his supporters and appeared to mouth “Don’t cry,” but several did anyway.
After the sentencing, Michael Todd, a church member who cooperated in the investigation and was pushed out of the church because of his criticism of the pastor’s spending, said: “I wanted to save the church. I wanted us to get back together. I wanted to stop the misappropriation of funds.
“It’s a sad day. I’m not happy he’s going to jail. His children no longer have their father. His wife no longer has her husband. That’s not a good thing. But the justice system worked.”
Another former church member, Danielle Bell, said: “He did wrong. I didn’t want him to do that much time. I wanted him to leave the church.”
One Walker supporter assured another: “He’s going to come back stronger and better.”
Walker’s brother, Leforice Walker, said: “I’m just shocked and stunned” at the sentence.
Judge Whitney, just before the sentencing, acknowledged the pain in Walker’s family and congregation, but added that Walker had defrauded his church and that the evidence of his crimes was overwhelming.
“Fifteen years of tax evasion shows this defendant does not respect the law,” the judge said. “It’s his criminal conduct that has caused this day to come.” “
Current Event Summary
Rev. John Henry Walker (48 yrs. Old) has been accused of stealing from his church, and has been sent to 5 years in prison as well as paying back around $275,000. When in court he did admit to it and pleaded guilty. Walker did ask to say goodbye to his church. When people are asked, there are mixed opinions. “I would like him to stay, he is a good person to talk to, and has helped many of us through death, birth, and much more”. “Once a lier and stealer, always a lier and stealer”. People would also say, “It’s a sad day, his family will miss him but the justice system worked”.
This is a three paragraph essay that I wrote in 8th grade on August 28th, 2007. It is about literature and books, and how they relate to real life.
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Books are an amazing thing, and deep inside of them there are messages, morals, and personalities. Last year I was fortunate enough to learn much about all of that. As I read I realized that you should always follow what you think is right. Alicia knowing the how cruel the Germans were, was saving people and making sure she could do as much as she could to help overcome the fear in everyone. Huck Finn could not allow the wrong discrimination most of “his” peoples directed at Jim even if he was black. He followed what his heart and saved Jim numerous times over, even when his fellow white folk pressured him to “go with the crowd”. In White Mountains, Will and Beanpole always had a pit in their hearts knowing something wrong or mysterious was going on. They went against everything they had ever known, and made a journey to stop whatever evil was wafting around. However in some cases following what you think is not always a good sign. One reason Huck left is because of his anger towards his father. Although this might have been good at the time, should he have left the whole community? He might have been able to get rid of his dad instead of leaving himself. In A Mid-Summer Nights Dream (AMSND), Lysander, Demetrius, Helena, and Hermia, all had anger and betrayal because of what they thought was right (even though they were tampered with).
Friendship is also key to succeed in life and stories. Where would Jim be if Huck wasn’t always at his side? In fact, where would Huck be without this very obvious bond between them? Although he likes to say he is independent, he would have a much less jolly life without Jim. Alicia and her beloved brother were as close as you can be while he still lived. She received love and comfort from him and therefore strengthening her as well as him, to push through the hard times. Beanpole and Will were growing to be good friends by the end, and together they faced difficult escapes, and challenges. Alone they could not have made it. Even if the four young lovers from AMSND hated each other from beginning, the ending resulted in friendship and they must have had a good life as well after that.
Humor, humor, humor…..you just can’t get enough of it; it’s essential. With several proving examples, humor plays a large role in many good books. Bottom showing off what an ass he is, trying to be all the roles at once, and really just giving all his friends a good inside laugh. Puck, his shadow, the joker of the gods, playing tricks (whether he was trying to or not) on many of the “lesser mortals”. As well as at the end he still thinks that “man is but an ass” and that men were the stupid things. Not to mention him acting and talking like a childish little bugger half the time. In Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer shows himself, and takes charge of a gang that’s going to go out and kill everyone. However when they get the chance to, Tom of course was just joking and having fun the whole time. All in all, there are many things you can learn from books and especially from the ones I read last year.
