Reading Great Books 4

My Final Post

2007-06-06T11:38:00.001-07:00

Well I haven't had like any time this week because of rehearsals and my crazy busy schedule to read through the websites to find a story that I could relate back to my reading, so I just decided to write my final blog about all the wonderful lessons I have learned this year in English. I started out my English year with the Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn. Those books were some of the best I have ever read. The main character, Christy, went through so many of the same situations I have already experienced in high school or will experience some day and she was such a great example of how you should handle them. The books also had a big Christian influence in them and I learned so much about standing up for your faith and leading others to Christ. The books also, like any good book, had a love story in them which taught me many important lessons about taking things slow in a realtionship and working through the hard times. These books were truly amazing and every teenage girl should read them.

The next book I recall reading was To Kill a Mockingbird!! Wow, what a powerful book!! Even though it took forever to read and was difficult to understand at times, I am so glad I was given the oppurtunity to read it. There were so many valuable lessons to learn in that book as well. For example: when Atticus went ahead and defended Tom Robinson because he knew it was the right thing to do, despite all the teasing and mistreating he went through, and how Scout learned that she should have never have made assumptions and judged Boo the way she did before she met him and got to know him herself. These are both very important life lessons!! This book also made me realize how badly African American people were really treated back then. I mean how unfair is it that Tom Robinson didn't even get a fair trial just because of the color of his skin. I can't believe people could have been so mistreated in a country as powerful as America when in our own constitution our forefathers stated that all men are created equal. It just blows my mind. All young people should read this book for themselves and experince first hand what those people went through.

And last but not least Shakespeare's masterpiece, Romeo and Juliet. The most difficult, frustrating, and depressing work in literature that I have ever read. I will never forget how hard it was at first for me to understand at all what in the world Shakespeare was trying to say, but by the end of the play it seemed like just normal English to me. This is truly a remarkable play and it just amazes me that one man could think all of this stuff up. The poetry was absolutely gorgeous though. It all just had this rythm to it that made it seem so perfect. This play really demonstates how fate can never be changed no matter how hard you try to overcome it. Probably the most important lesson I learned from this incredible story, was to not take things to quickly. Most of the time in the story problems were created because different characters overreacted and moved to fast. I mean just imagine if Romeo and Juliet would have taken the time to date and actually get to know one another before running off and getting married. Maybe they would have found that the other wasn't as perfect as they thought. Or what if Romeo would have checked with the Friar before running to where Juliet was supposedly "buried" and killing himself. He could have found out that Juliet was only sleeping and then not have killed himself over nothing and saved both their lives. Being patient is so important!! Oh what a play!!

Well as you can tell I have learned very many valuable lessons from the books I have read this year!! I truly have enjoyed my semester in English and I am going to miss Ms. James very much!! Thanks for a great year everyone and keep up the blogging!!! Hope everyone has a fantastic summer!!

Kids having Kids

2007-06-05T08:22:00.001-07:00

I went to the NPR web site and listened to Malissa who is an eight teen year old girl who is about to become a mom. She is eight months pregnant at the beginning of the interview. She didn't mean to get pregnant. As she puts it she was just starting school and a new job she was just starting her life. When I sate and listened to this interview it was really sad. We don't really know how it is to live a "hard" life. This girl was in foster and group homes all of her life. Her mom had her when she was eight ten and hadn't talked to her in over a year. She didn't have a caring dad for the baby. She was living in a one bedroom apartment paid for by the government. How could she raise a new born baby? She thought about abortion. Malissa said that she couldn't do that it would be like killing a human being. She thought of adoption but she was put up for adoption and she was in and out of group homes all of her life she was never adopted she couldn't make her baby go through that. She decided to keep the baby. Listen to this all of her friends had kids except one. Do any of your high school friends have kids? It put me in realization that this really does happen. She does have the baby who is a healthy 7 pound boy. I just wanted you guys to know that this does happen and we need to get it out there that it isn't always a good thing.

Here once again is the npr site http://www.radiodiaries.org/index.html please check it out!

summer fun

2007-06-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

This is me, Kendra and my best friend, Robyn. We took this picture last weekend. She spent the night the whole weekend because I willbe gone this coming weekend because im going to a family reunion. Then after that, I am going to Ohio to Cedar Point for my birthday present from my aunt. My birthday was last April 14 but my aunt wanted me to wait after i got out of school and her get ff work for us to go.

I hope everyone has a great summer and i hope everyone will stay blogging beacause i will. Well good luck on all the finals you have to take. I hope to see everyone next year. Enjoy your summer and sleep read and BLOG!!!!

love ya all,
kendra

p.s other intresting blogs:

Lets Be Friends

Left behind in a fish bowl

once upon a feast

Soweto 1976

2007-06-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

I was visiting the Radio Diaries website looking for an idea on what to do my final blog on when I ran across a story about black students in South Africa who , thirty years ago, started a new resistance against the racist apartheid system and oppression in their schools. About 12,ooo students protested on the streets of Soweto on June 16, 1976. They headed toward a local stadium to hold a mass meeting and were greeted my the local law enforcement who tried to stop them by spraying tear gas and releasing dogs on them. When this didn't stop the rapid movement they opened fire on the students and killed at least 23. They didn't give up and the next day more prostested and the police killed 100 more. The movement began to spread until every township in South Africa was protesting. One thousand workers at a local Chrysler plant went on strike with the students the next week.

The strikes continued through the fall and students started sit-ins, boycotts, and night raids where they destroyed police outposts and other signs of their power. The nationwide resitance went on for 18 months and resulted in over 1,000 deaths before the law enforecement could regain control. The movement did help with some new improvements including urban black the right to a permanent residence in the city even though they were still segregated. Most important of all a new generation of leaders had emerged who were trained in the struggle and who would help the new fight within a few years. You can go and listen to all of their stories aat this link, http://www.radiodiaries.org/

Black Hawk Down!! (Final)

2007-06-05T07:39:00.000-07:00

Do you believe in the war in the Middle East?

I was reading the book Black Hawk Down and that reminded me of the war in the Middle East.

my thoughts of it is that i believe that we went in for a good reason but i don't understand why we are not getting anywhere with the Middle Easterners. i think that the reason why we went over there was too capture Saddam Hussein, and to help the people there make their own army. What everyone is wondering about like myself is why are we still in there when we did both of those things. It does not make any sense to me why we keep our own soldiers in their, and they are still getting killed. Why do you guys think that we are still in the Middle East.

This also brings me to another topic, and it is about the same type of issue. My next issue to talk about is why does the US think that they have to get into everybody's business when we are not even involved in the conflict. We are not the conflict doctor of what ever they think. I don't understand why we have to kill our own soldiers for something we didn't even have to get into. Its just my opinion that we did a mistake by even attempting to help the Middle East, and instead of helping the Middle east we Killed our soldiers.

Another thing is that we went to the war supposedly becuase they bombed us with the plains. My reasoning for that is that we dont even have evidence that the bombers were Middle Easterners, they could have been Korean or any other culture so that is only my opinion.

If you have any opinions of your own i would love to hear them!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Can you believe it? [FINAL]

2007-06-05T06:47:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought about how race can effect getting hired? A young African American, is in college and is working on a degree in health education and a minor in biology. She is also taking Nursing school outside of everything else. Have you ever thought how hard that would be? I mean come on thats a lot of time and school. It just makes upset when i read that she was saying i am happy to be going to school working on nursing, but because i am black it wont be easy to get a job. I really believe that even if you are another race that shouldn't matter. Even if your pink purple or black you should be treated the same and have the same advantages. She also states that people are not wanting colored to be in a higher position in a career. I believe that racism is getting better than before but its still happening...alot. It should not matter, everyone is the same and everyone knows it. But, careers are not everything that can be effected. Anything in life can be effected by race. I am white, and i respect african americans just as much as i respect people my race. I guess i just don't see what people that are racist see? But, you also have to take into consideration if the african americans are acting in an inappropriate then people might not treat them like others, i mean anyone can act inappropriate im just saying. I think that everyone should respect everyone and it would make a very good impact on the world:)

Great Reading Lessons from the Year (FINAL!!)

2007-06-05T06:31:00.000-07:00

This year we read To Kill a Mockingbird. I loved reading To Kill a Mockingbird. The book was so meaningful; I got a lot out of this book. All the racial differences in the book taught lessons to everyone. It expressed the message that even though everyone might have a different opinion than you, it is okay. This sounds a bit cliché, but you have to stand up for what you believe in. Do not let anyone change your mind, if you know that what you believe is right and fair. That is one of the most valuable lessons I learned from the book.

I read another book, Pink Angels; it and To Kill a Mockingbird have something in common. They both conveyed the message that you should never give up when times are hard. In To Kill a Mocking Bird the Finch family struggled with standing up for Mr. Robinson, a man of African American descent. They knew that he didn’t do anything wrong and they never stopped trying to give him a fair trial. In Pink Angels a girl has a mother with MS. The girl volunteers at the hospital to be a volunteer for the summer. She has a really hard time trying to balance her life because her mom feels like they should be together all the time. Everyone else knows that she needs to do somethings for herself. Her mom gets really sick and has to stay in the hospital to get a major surgery on her heart. The mother and daughter pair never give up on each other. In the end the mother got better and got to go home. Also the mom ended up understanding why her daughter had to do things for herself. In both of the books they express the same thought, but in totally different ways; never give up.

Lets Talk About This! (fInAl)

2007-06-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

lets all settle at this. We all know that no matter who you are living with, the person who cares for you, is basically your family. And in a family, sometimes there comes brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmothers, grandfathers, and so on down the family line! And sometimes you have multiples of these groups. Lets take brothers and sisters as an example, I have one younger sister, and we both have alkies and differences, and we fight like we were cats and dogs, like we were Caine and Able. But other times, if we want something from the other, we be nice to them! I know its kind of mean, but we all do it! But even though I might not show my love towards my sister, I actually really do! In fact, in some ways she inspires me! I'll break it off into lists for you,
1.) she doesn’t have the best luck with friends and she still sticks trough thick and thin trying to find a place in this world.
2.) She is one heck of a writer! I know Ms. J will love her! She can take some random happening, and make it into one beautiful poem or story,
3.) She can do it all on the basketball court! She is like a point guard/post, and if she would figure out a way to pass it to herself, then I’m sure she would.
4.) When kids are not being the nicest to them, She doesn’t let her emotions show! she keeps cool I guess.
I love her to death, and I know she sometimes doesn’t see that, and I might not show it a lot, but I'd take a bullet for her, and I want her to know that.
You know the times where you are like " I wish we could go back to the day, where blah blah blah! " Well when my sister was about 2 years old, she would follow me every where, and yes I did get annoyed by her a lot, but now days, she doesn’t want anything to do with me.
People might think I’m crazy, and I guess I kind of am, but I’m trying to keep a sisterly bond with my sister, something that a lot of people don’t really care about! ♥

Everyones Got Love (final blog)

2007-06-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
You remember these beautiful and famous words? Well these words are from romeo and Juliet. Juliet is the one that says this lovely quote. The last book we read in English. Romeo and Juliet have the greatest love anyone could possibly have. We all wish we could find someone like them and yet some do. These two lovers fell in love yet their families hated each other. They couldn't be together, but they made that happen. They met at Juliet's parents party. They quickly fell in love and found ways to see each other. They got married so Juliet didn't have to marry Paris and so they could be with each other at all times. Then Romeo kills Tybalt and gets banished from the town. Juliet is going to get married to Paris. So she makes a plan to Drink a potion that makes her sleep. Romeo was suppose to get a note saying Juliet is alive, but he gets news she is dead and kills himself with poison. Then Juliet sees him dead and kills herself. This shows how in love this couple was, to kill their own self because of seeing the other "dead" or really dead.

I'll always love you Winnie Foster!
Do you know what movie/book this is off of? In Tuck Everlasting. Jesse Tuck blurts this quote out at the end of the story right before his family leaves the jail. Winnie meets Jesse in the woods. Winnie's parents thought someone kidnapped her, so they set out a search for her. This man follows Jesse Tuck and Winnie back to Jesse's place. Then the man turns in where the Foster's daughter is in exchange for their woods. The tucks have been living for a long time. One time, while searching the woods, the Tucks came up to a tree with a puddle of water in it's roots. So all the Tucks took a drink and lived forever. Well the water was in the forest of the Woods that the Fosters owned and the man knew about this. That's why he wanted the woods. Well Winnie's father and the search team found the Fosters and Winnie. They also found the man dead because of May Tuck had killed him. Winnie and Jesse were just like Romeo and Juliet. They were so in love with each other. Well May went to jail to be hung and if she was hung, she wouldn't of died. So Jesse, his brother and Winnie helped Tuck and May get out of jail. Jesse wanted Winnie to go with them but she couldn't. So Jesse told her to go to the tree and drink the water. He also said he would come back to her. Well he went back and she was dead.

I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks.
You may not remember this quote, but this quote is from Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird. This book ties in this love circle. Mayella Ewell did not have any friends. When she met Tom Robinson, she became friends with him. She talked to him every time he went by. She thought he liked her just like she liked him and tried to kiss him. She soon found out that he was just being nice to her because he knew she did not have any friends. Well Mayella's father saw them kissing and Tom had to go to court because of that. Tom Robinson ended up trying to escape from a camp and got shot several times. Also there is another kind of love in this book. The love Scout and Jem had for their Father, Atticus. They obeyed him several times and helped him out when he needed help. They also showed him love when ever he was feeling down or lonely. They showed him that he had them to love because their mother was not there.

I think this song "Don't Matter" goes with all this love that these 4 characters have with each other. The lyrics say that no body wants the two to be together. They Will fight for the right to love each other. I hope the music plays and i hope u enjoy my post!

MY LAST BLOG.

2007-06-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

In my last blog I have decided to sum up all of my favorite readings & favorite books. This collage to your left is one that I made to sum all of the books up & to show the covers. Two of my favorite authors are, Ellen Hopkins and Cecily von Ziegesar. There are links to both of the authors title lists and biographys. You might know of the books Crank, Burned, Impulse, ect. These are by Ellen Hopkins. All of the It Girl Novels & the Gossip Girl Novels are by von Ziegesar. These are two very talented authors.

The reason I enjoy these authors so much is because they both right about very realistic things and they both relate to teens. The characters in these books range from 13-21 & they are a lot like me and my friends. I absolutly love these authors a& their wonderful creations. You should take a look on Amazon or Google to purchase or read summaries on these books:)

Women Who Work (final)

2007-06-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

What could you do with 2 million dollars? It sounds like a crazy question, but if your a working woman that's how much money you could be missing out on just because of your gender.
On average women make 77% cents to every dollar a man makes, according to an article by Evelyn Murphy. Two people with the same education, doing the same job, working the same hours, and putting in the same effort. Yet because one is a women she gets only 77% of what the man gets. It's discrimination, and it's illegal.
Most companies would rather pay a one time fine, then make the necessary costly changes that would even the playing field. Some women are trying to get these problems fixed, but others don't think of the money as as big of a deal. They don't realize that the money multiplies, end of the year bonuses are smaller because they are a percentage of their salary. They were passed up for project, or weren't given a promotion because it was given to a man.
Also the number of single mothers in the U.S. is much more then the number of single fathers. If anything women need to be payed more then men, because they have children to support. With each pay check a women is jipped, its braces her daughter couldn't get, or baseball lessons her son couldn't take. So, who are we hurting? The working women? Their children? The entire American work force.
As I was reading this article I started to think about Scout from to Kill a Mockingbird. How would she feel about this? Even that long ago I don't think she would have stood for it. Scout is a perfect example of how women are just as intelligent as men. Want to read stories of other women who have conquered the discrimination? Click this link. Also here's 2 more articles by Murphy for more information called What should you do now? and Recent Sex Discrimination Lawsuits. So if your a women with aspirations in this world then I think this is a case you can get behind, because our generation can make a difference in the unfair treatment.

Rwandan Genocide:Final Blog

2007-06-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

I have been reading about the Rwanda genocide.In Rwanda which is in central Africa,east of Democratic Republic of the Congo.In the 1920s Belgian ethnologists analyzed lots of Rwandans on analogous racial criteria.Documents were made giving each person a ethnic identity.The Belgians declared the group called the Tutsi to be superior over the Hutu.
The Tutsi started to rule over Rwandans.Before the Belgians came into Rwanda the Hutu and Tutsi were considered to be friends.They shared many traditions such as food,dance,drum, and spirituality.They could intermarry and people could be promoted and become a Tutsi or demoted and become a Hutu.

In 1994 the genocide began the Hutu rebelled against the Tutsi because they were superior.The genocide was the mass killing of thousands of ethnic Tutsis and sympathetic Hutu.The two Hutu groups that carried out the genocide was the Inerahamwe and the Impuzamugambi.The genocide was carried out for about 100 days ,from April through July.The death toll is between 800,000 to 1,000,000.The genocide ended when the Tutsi rebel movement known as the Rwandan Patriotic Front overthrew the Hutu government and seized power.Thousands of Hutu and other refugees went to Zaire(the Congo).The tension between the Tutsi and Hutu then fueled the Burundi Civil War.

This event really connects to the book "To Kill A Mockingbird" because innocent Tom Robinsion was killed just because of his race.This was a major issue in the genocide lots of innocent people were killed because they were Hutu or Tutsi.This event connects to Romeo and Juliet in a few obvious ways.In the Rwandan genocide we have to major groups that hate each other so much they are willing to die.The only way that both their problems were solved was when the loss of lives were great.This event can also connect to the Odessey because in Rwanda they have been fighting forever just like the Greeks and the Trojans.Both groups have so much hatred. The movie Hotel Rwanda is a great movie that shows the tension between the to groups.I hope I hear your opinions on this event.

The War

2007-06-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

This Picture is an Iraq war cemetery.

The war in Iraq is one of the most controversial topics in America right now. Even people that are in the same political party disagree on this subject. (Here is a link that shows that presidential candidates even disagree on the Iraq subject. This website tells that Hilary Clinton is in support of the war and her competitor John Edwards against it.) Some people think that we need to pull out of the war because it is getting to expensive. Others think that if we pull out now that everything will go back to the way it was and that it would be a pointless war if we pulled out People now feel hatred towards the President. Others just don’t care what he does and try to support what he does. Even though both of these are wrong because we elected the President, I think that the second choice is the better one because we should try to honor the person that is in authority over us. We chose to make him in charge so we should try to listen to what he has to say. We should also support the actions he takes when he is trying to do the things that are best for the country.

Our country has so many problems with authority because we just can’t listen to it. The majority of teens rebel against some type of authority but that is mostly caused by their parents or other adults leading that type of lifestyle. If our country could just agree or at least not rebel against people in authority so much we would be much better off.

The Most Hated Family in America

2007-06-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

America is a country of patriotism and love towards soldiers, but there aren't many actions more provocative than the picketing of soldiers funerals. Picketing is when someone attaches a sign to a picket and goes around yelling about the topic. Take Summer Fresh for example, there's always people out there whining about something that doesn't do anything but make people mad at the picketers.

The reason I told you about picketers is because that is one of the tactics of the Phelps family(the most hated family in America). They don't picket grocery stores or any other business, but they picket soldiers funerals. Some of the signs they use are "God is your enemy, The World is doomed, All Soldiers are Homosexual, Soldiers Die, God Laughs, and one of the most provocative is Thank God For 9/11." These people are serious about this, they eat sleep and breathe this religion.

The church they belong to is the Westboro Baptist Church. The church has 71 members made up of mainly the Phelps family. The kids of the family are born into the this religion and if they want to leave they are rebuked and not allowed back into the family. The kids are forced to do all of these horrible things until they are of adulthood, age 18.

I found out about this family through youtube here is a link to watch the videos. Louis Theroux of BBC was the reporter that followed them around. He has done many reports on provocative things, but he said this was the worse. They loved there family but he asked them if one of them became gay would they care if they died and they are replied simultaneously NO!

This is a very weird family. Here is a link to there website, I suggest you don't go though, it is very creepy. I wish these people would see the wrong in there actions but they are all guided by there ruthless Grandpa who shoves these bad thoughts down there throats.

The reason I wrote about this topic is because I sometimes read through http://BBC.com. It is a good sight that has a lot of news on today's topics. I enjoyed reading an article but what I really liked was the T.V. series on http://youtube.com, it was very interesting.

"Everything Was Beautiful, And Nothing Hurt."

2007-06-04T07:59:00.001-07:00

There are many things in the world in which we live, that shudder with injustice and evil. There are many things in the past that we are not proud of, and especially the way that people used to be treated. In times that people were treated like another piece of property or as an animal in an exhibition. The caliber example of this kind of evil is the story of "The Pygmy in the Zoo."
In 1904, the World's Fair was to be held in St. Louis and the Fair was in need of something new and interesting that would attract many people. As a result, Samuel Phillips Verner, a missionary, was hired by the fair to travel to Africa and bring some natives back to the fair. He traveled to Africa and brought back some natives of Africa, one of them being a pygmy named Ota Benga. Benga was a member of a pygmy tribe named the Batwas in the Belgian Congo. Pygmies are types of people who are abnormally short, usually the same size as a pre- teen child. Ota Benga was obtained by Verner when Verner met with a tribe who had Benga help as a captive. Verner offered the tribe a trade for Benga which consisted of sugar, salt, and other miscellaneous items. The natives were brought to the fair and then they were returned home as promised by Verner. When they arrived home, however, Benga's people had been wiped from existence while he was gone and he did'nt seem to fit in with the other tribes. He decided to return to America and to try life there.

While living in America in 1906, Ota was put in the Monkey Cage in the Bronx Zoo as an exhibition. He was placed in there with a chimpanzee and was an isntant hit. It is estimated that over 40,000 people visited the exhibit daily to see Benga. This was seen immoral and unethical in many eyes, including the African- American ministers of the country. They protested to the point that the exhibit was abandoned and Ota was sent to the Howard Colored Orphan Asylum and then was sent to Lynchburg, Virginia where he tried living with numerous families. He was to be civilized and follow the American ways but was mostly seen spending his time in the woods and seemed as though he missed his old life back in Africa. One day in March of 1916, Ota borrowed a gun from one of the host families, went to the edge of the town in a woodland area, built a bonfire, and committed suicide by shooting himself. He believed this would help him "send his soul back to Africa."

After reading this story, it was very hard for me to soak in. It made me realize how immoral people can be and it really flat out angers me. Step into someone else's shoes and think about how it would feel. People like the administrators of the Bronx Zoo make me sick and almost make me ashamed to call myself a human being. To treat a fellow human being as an exhibit and not as a fellow human is not only inhumane, but evil and disturbing. Ota was so homesick and filled with pain that it drove him to his own suicide.

Ota Benga is very much related to Tom Robinson in " To Kill a Mockingbird." Both of them were put in a very bad situation that they should have had no part in and were treated as property. They were put in front of society to be mocked and jeered at for the way they were. Most importantly, they were both so unhappy that they both took their own lives. They may have in different ways, but essentially, both ended their own lives because of their anguish and unhappiness. Ota can also be related to "Romeo and Juliet." They both were expected to live certain way in which they were told what to do and not to make any choices for themselves. Because of this confinement, they took their own lives so that they could be in better places and happy there.

Let us never forgot the story of Ota Benga and how he was treated.

" If we do not learn from our mistakes, then we are bound to repeat them."- Anonymous

Jail Sucks

2007-06-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

When I was at the NPR site I looked at the audio of a person in prison. His name is John Mills and he is serving 7-9 years in prison for committing over 75 armed robberies. He is 21 now and still has about 3 years to go. In his story he talks about what prison is really like. He has became very lonley and misses his old life. He said whenever he would rob someone or something he would always get a thrill out of it. It was the thing gave him excitement. He said one of the hardest things all is missing the girls. He said even homosexual people miss the girls. Just someone to hold and to hol him is all he wants. Its funny, when john was a kid he dreames of being a police officer, but now he is putting a gun in peoples faces and is in jail. This story really made me think how well i have it and how I could lose it easily. I think people need to really think of the consequences before they act. Your actions could really mess up your life if you are not carefull. If you want to read or listen to John Mills complete story here is the link.

Laura's Story (final)

2007-06-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

Laura is a 21 year old college student. She tries her best to fit in, and really just wants to be like her peers. This is very difficult for her, because she is living with cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is a chronic disease that mainly affects one's lungs. Laura was first diagnosed with CF when she was three days old. At that time, in 1981, the life expectancy of someone living with CF was lower than it is now, which is only around 30 years old. I think it would very difficult to grow up not knowing if you were going to live to have another birthday or not. Laura spent a lot of time in the hospital. Enough time to be on a first name basis with almost everyone, and she describes how she's seen medical students become interns become attendants. She spent a lot of time growing up inside the hospitals walls due to her "tune ups" that she had to get regularly as a child. She could never forget her own mortality because she grew up watching her friends with CF all die off. Laura's childhood was anything but easy living with her condition.

some information on CF-
Cystic fibrosis (CF), also called mucoviscidosis, is a hereditary disease that affects the entire body, causing progressive disability and early death. Formerly known as cystic fibrosis of the pancreas, this entity has increasingly been labeled simply 'cystic fibrosis.'[1]
Difficulty breathing and insufficient enzyme production in the pancreas are the most common symptoms. Thick mucous production as well as a low immune system results in frequent lung infections, which are treated, though not always cured, by oral and intravenous antibiotics and other medications. A multitude of other symptoms, including sinus infections, poor growth, diarrhea, and potential infertility (mostly in males, due to the condition Congenital bilateral absence of the vas Deferens) result from the effects of CF on other parts of the body. Often, symptoms of CF appear in infancy and childhood; these include meconium ileus, failure to thrive, and recurrent lung infections.
Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common life-shortening, childhood-onset inherited diseases. In the United States, 1 in 3900 children are born with CF.[2] It is most common among Europeans and Ashkenazi Jews; one in twenty-two people of European descent carry one gene for CF, making it the most common genetic disease among them.
Individuals with cystic fibrosis can be diagnosed prior to birth by genetic testing (See also Dor Yeshorim) or in early childhood by a sweat test. Newborn screening tests are increasingly common and effective. There is no cure for CF, and most individuals with cystic fibrosis die young — many in their 20s and 30s from lung failure although with many new treatments being introduced the life expectancy of a person with CF is increasing. Ultimately, lung transplantation is often necessary as CF worsens.
CF is caused by a mutation in a gene called the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). The product of this gene helps create sweat, digestive juices, and mucus. Although most people without CF have two working copies of the CFTR gene, only one is needed to prevent cystic fibrosis. CF develops when neither gene works normally. Therefore, CF is considered an autosomal recessive disease. The name cystic fibrosis refers to the characteristic 'fibrosis' (tissue scarring) and cyst formation within the pancreas, first recognized in the 1930s

Recently Laura has been trying to stay optomistic. She has many friends from her college, but she feels like they don't fully understand her disease. She gets very sad sometimes still, especially when she has to stay inside on Friday nights because of her disease. She has a loving relationship with her dad. Her dad often cries in the audio tapes and says it would be his dream for her to outlive him. Laura received a lung transplant in 2001. This is what she has to say about it.

"This is Laura. And I'm sitting here with my cat Gus who is asleep. I haven't talked in a while. On Monday it will be a year since my lung transplant. So, I'm happy I made it a year, but it is not the year that I'd dreamed of: complication, after complication, after surgery, after surgery, and rejection and lymphoma. I've had to get a feeding tube up back in because I lost so much weight. You know I think to get to the transplant, I really had to pretend that the transplant would do more than it realistically could do for me. My whole life, I've been searching for something to fix me. And it hasn't. "

Laura has a book published, titled "Breathing For A Living"
You can pick it up at Barnes & Noble.

The Holocaust (Final)

2007-06-04T07:48:00.000-07:00

To the left you can see a group of Jewish people gathering around their recently deceased friends who died from starvation, disease, beatings, or just getting brutally murdered by the Nazis. To the right are shoes...hundreds of thousands of shoes that belong to the Jewish people who died at Auschwitz. I'm sure everyone has heard of the Holocaust, and if you haven't you have had your head in a hole in the ground your entire life! The Holocaust is usually described as the killing of about six million European Jews during World War II, which was part of a program of deliberate genocide against the Jewish people planned and executed by the Nazi regime in Germany led by Adolf Hitler. Here is a link about the Holocaust on wikipedia, not the most trusted site but it is filled with links to various info about the mass genocide against the Jews.

I recently watched a movie that reminded me of the German government from the 1930's, "V for Vendetta." The movie is about the British government going corrupt just like the German's did. There are many good movies that recreate the holocaust and give an in depth look at what really happened during the long six years. One of the best movies that is specifically about the holocaust is "Schindler's List" which was made in 1993. The movie is in black and white but it really gives a better understanding of what really happened on the streets of Germany during those times. If you are interested in watching the movie you can watch it on youtube, it is fairly easy to find. Here is a link to it's official web site.

I think it is important to remember the Jewish people who were literally pulled out of their homes for absolutely no reason and shot, dead, on the streets. The streets ran red with the blood of the innocent and Hitler is to blame. It is sad to think there are still genocides that you hear about from time to time even in the year 2007. It goes to show that we really need to learn from history to stop things before they really get bad. In my opinion the United States didn't act fast enough to stop Hitler, but instead hid away on the other side of the Atlantic while countless thousands died every week. But that is just my opinion. If you have an opinion about the Holocaust or a story please do leave a comment and we can discuss it!

Consumer Courage (Final)

2007-06-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

Possible Blood Diamonds

This could possibly be

one of RUF's many Boy Soldiers

one day

Sierra Leone Flag

The Cast of "Blood Diamond"

According to CBS News Blood diamonds are "conflict, or blood diamonds are mined in a war zone and sold, usually clandestinely, in order to finance an insurgent or invading army's war efforts."

Also according to CBS News "The diamond industry estimates that conflict diamonds represent 4 percent of the total trade in rough diamonds. Others have estimated that conflict diamonds could amount to as high as 15 percent of the total trade. In 2001, the diamond industry produced rough diamonds with a market value of $7.9 billion. At the end of the diamond chain, this was converted into jewelry worth $54.1 billion. "

The countries affected by the blood diamond trade is Central and Western African Countries like Sierra Leone. Which is where the movie Blood Diamond takes place. Staring Leonardo DiCaprio. Which according to diamondfacts.org, "An estimated 65% of the world's diamonds come from African countries." In the movie you see a war torn country being over took by the Revolutionary Untied Front(RUF). The RUF go to villages around Sierra Leone and kill all the people but they will keep the able bodies and have them work in the mining areas. They will also take little boys of maybe 10-12 and turn them into killing soldiers of RUF. So you have the people running from the RUF and trying to obey the Government. You have RUF who mine diamonds, kill people and fight the Government's army by getting money from the diamonds. Then you have the poor Government trying to protect people when RUF have better equipment because of the diamonds. Also according to another part of CBS News "The 1991 to 2002 civil war between the government and the RUF resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third of the population), many of whom are now refugees in neighboring countries." So many of the people in Sierra Leone have their lives taken away all for a little blood diamond.

Though back in 2002 the UN interfered and disarmed the RUF using the World bank. They continued to try and make Sierra Leone a peaceful country but they need help. So next time you buy a diamond make sure it is not a conflict diamond. With courage you can do this. Be different and do whats right. Like Romeo and Juliet, they loved each other and showed courage to get married. In The Odyssey, Ulysses showed courage to get past the sirens and cyclopes. If Romeo, Juliet or Ulysses didn't have courage then they couldn't have conquered marriage or an epic adventure. You don't have to kill yourself for your love or fight evil monsters, all you need is a little consumer courage.

I couldn't put my song on here but I think this link will take you to music video of "Shine on em" by NAS. You can't see the video at school but you should be able to at home.

Women's Rights

2007-06-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

I recently read a book called Star-Crossed. The main character, Patricia, was trying to get back home where her father had left her his sugar plantation. The only problem was she was a woman. Meaning she could not own her own land. She would have to marry a man if she wanted to get the plantation. But instead of marrying some one, she dresses up like a man and works on a naval ship as a surgeon's mate, in order to get money to get to the island where the plantation is located. She had to disguise herself as a man because women could not get a job that payed very well, if it even payed at all. Because during this time period women did not have very many rights.

I found a website that talks about early attitudes shown towards women, the legal status of women, and more. I found the facts to be very interesting to see how women used to be treated.

Another website that I found showed how women from different countries around the world fought for their rights.

When I first decided to choose this topic I thought that it was no longer a problem. But through further research I have found that it is a problem, not necessarily in the U.S. but in other countries. I believe that women's rights is not a very big issue in the U.S. But it is a big issue in other countries, such as Iraq, where women's rights are endangered on a daily basis.

Visit the websites and then share you opinion.

Pearl Harbor and Being Japanese-American

2007-06-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was struck by the Japanese and caused country-wide chaos and panic. The country was terrified and were afraid of the possibility that spies were around them. This caused many Japanese-American people to fear for their lives. Many people accused them of spying and even the police accused them. A Japanese-American woman tells her story of what she went through when Pearl Harbor was struck. This is the original transcript of her interview: Story <-----

Kiyo Sato-Viacrucis is a Japanese-American woman who lived through fear and injustice. The police came to her house and they searched everything. They found her diary and read through it, but they didn't actually find anything incriminating in their house, but she was himiliated and embarrassed. If that ever happened to me, I'd probably cry. She told of how her family and other Japanese-American families were humiliated because they were accused of doing things, but they were really inncocent. They felt totally unwelcome in their own country where they were supposed to be free. One guy hung himself after being harassed by the police. It was just so unfair to them. I remember reading in U.S. History about how they were put in camps and were treated like criminals. Many years later, the court found this act inhumane and unfair. They tried to make up for what they did to them, but I don't think it really made up for how their own country had treated them. I do believe that the court was sincerely sorry for what they did, and I think they acted out of fear for their safety and for their lives. They just learned from their mistakes. So, what do you think?

*This is my final blog*

-peanutbutterisyummy-Y

BENCHMARK TEST

2007-06-01T08:55:00.000-07:00

The Benchmark Test wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I really enjoyed using the computer. It made writing a whole lot easier and I like to use spell check and the thesaurus. The final is alot different then anything I've ever done, it's kind of exciting. NPR is also very helpful.

Locked Up!

2007-06-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

As a part of a Bronx Zoo exhibit in 1906 Ota Benga from the Batwa people who lived in the Belgian Congo was locked in a cage to live with the monkeys to be viewed by the people. He was brought to the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 with several of his people, but after the fairhe went back to Africa and all of his people were dead so he decided to come back to the U.S. After he was put in the cage he became very popular and everyone would go to the zoo to watch him, but also mock and laugh at him.

After Ota was released from the exhibit he was sent to live with several foster families. He spent of his time in the wood and wilderness because it seemed that he really missed Africa. So one day Ota borrowed a gun from his host family at the time, went to the woods built a bonfire and shot himself, committing suicide. He believed that by dieing his sole would go back to Africa.

If you think about it you can compare this to when Romeo was banished from Verona and wasn't allowed to enter the city almost as if he was an animal locked in a cage not allowed to have his freedom, so he couldn't be with his love. Ota Benga was the same way he was locked in the cage like an animal with no freedom. It was also the same thing with Tom Robinson in To Kill A Mockingbird, he was wrongly accused of rape and was jailed and also held captive like an animal in jail before he was killed. Tom Robinson and Ota Benga were both treated as if they were property and they were set in front of all society to be mocked and laughed at. All three of these stories are very similar and somewhat sad.

To learn more about Ota Benga's click here. Also to see more about Ota's story and hear peoples interviews about his story on a national radio broadcast click here. If any of you agree with my post or even disagree please comment me back, Thanks!

garage

2007-06-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

wow. I was just looking through blogger and i found this blog post about garages! There is a little joural about it. is the link. It talks about the old days where people road buggys and things and didnt really need to use a garage. Then it brings us to the 20th century and talks about how people use garages to store cars and things. ENJOY!
The Link

Alcohol and Its Effects on the Body [Final]

2007-06-01T08:31:00.002-07:00

MADD Mothers Against Drunk Driving Ad, A Must See! - For more of the funniest videos, click here

A person is killed every 30 mintes due to alcohol consumption. In Missouri the legal limit for your BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) is .08, for anyone under 21 the limit is .025. Hopefully, everyone remembers when Bob Ewell got drunk and attacked Scout and Jem. Well alcohol effected his judgement also. If Bob Ewell wasn't intoxicated he might not have attacked Scout and Jem. However, he might have anyways because he was just a big jerk, but alcohol definately altered his mindset and morals. In 2005 there were 16,885 alcohol-related fatalities, this was 39% of the total traffic fatalities for the year.

Do you want to know what I think? I think that there should be a little box in all the bars, and if you order an alcoholic beverage, you should have to put your keys in this box. When you first put your keys in the box they will take your fingerprint and give you a card with a number on it. The number card would help you remember what box is yours. When you are ready to leave that bar you have to blow in a breathalizer that is connected to the key box. If you blow a .08 BAC or below than it allows you to give your fingerprint and it opens the box with your keys in it. I believe that this would stop the legal drinkers from leaving bars and driving while intoxicated. This idea wouldn't stop underage drinkers from driving while intoxicated, however, there are more legal drinkers that are driving while intoxicated than there are underage drinkers. I hope this might have changed your viewpoint on DWI and I hope you realize that DWI is a big problem and it needs to be addressed, and fast.

Benchmark

2007-06-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

If you ask me the Benchmark test was long. It seems like we've been taking the same test since like 2nd grade. English is not my subject and I don't like writing essays so, i kind of dread the Benchmark.

I also really like how Ms. James is letting our final be over the blog, since we've been doing the blog since the beginning of the semester. And it's a lot less stressful then a regular test.

Ten Goals

2007-06-01T08:22:00.001-07:00

I thought the "10 goals" post was a good idea. Just 10 vague goals.

1. Don't bomb finals.

2. Get a job.

3. Get some wheels.

4. Graduate Highschool.

5. Go to College.

6. Find something to major in.

7. Do something with my degree.

8. Make enough money to get into the stock market.

9. Buy some happiness.

10. Have a son.

The Atomic Bomb (final)

2007-06-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

Death and devastation do not even begin to describe the horrors that were created by the atomic bombs. I went on to the NPR site and read a couple stories on the witnesses of the atomic bombs. These stories were graphic in great detail of the suffering of the victims of the a-bombs. I would really encourage you guys to read a few stories from this link. The stories may be long, but they are really worth reading over. Make sure you click on the transcript and the first two bullets under explore.

I saw this audio clip that talked about a man named Jack Aeby who took the only picture of the Trinity test explosion of the atomic bomb on south east Sorroco in New Mexico. This is the picture he took of Trinity (with a link included), the first test bomb. A child who's skin is starting to die and fall off from the exposure to the bomb is pictured above.

Do you guys think that the atomic bombs should have been dropped? In my way I think that there are two ways of thinking of the delima ; no, the bomb shouldn't have been dropped because it harmed many innocent civilians, or yes, the bomb should have been dropped to save the lives of American soldiers by getting out of the war sooner. Do you guys have any other opinions on this or any other ways of thinking of this event in history? If you were the President what would you have done?

I think that this event in history relates, strangely enough, to Romeo and Juliet. In Romeo and Juliet, the two families were fighting. It cost the two lovers their lives to create peace between the families. So it took death to create peace and save future lives. The atomic bombs are like a more extreme version of this principle. Once the atomic bombs were dropped the war ended, so it took death to create peace. This, in my opinion, is a sad but true reality of war.

Thanks for all the fun classes together! Have a fun summer everyone!

what man does to man

2007-06-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

To see pictures click here

The story I listened to was about Ota Benga who was held in an exhibition at a zoo in the Bronx. He was 22 years old and a member of the Batwa people who were pygmies. He was brought over by an American explorer with a few other pygmies. They were thought to be "interesting" to look at because they were very small. The average height of a male was the height of an eleven year old boy. People would come from all over to see these pygmies and they thought it was so cool to laugh and look at them. However, when they took them back to Africa Ota did not fit in so he came back to the states and was was put in an ape exhibit where he stayed for a year. Everyday people would stare at him and often times they would just come to laugh. The bad thing was that the people who put him in the exhibit thought that they were doing something good, they did not realize their actions at all. Finally, a family took him in but, he just could not adjust to the everyday world so he shot himself. The last thing he said was that he wanted his soul to go back to Africa where it belonged.
It amazes me how man can treat man. How they can look at one another and believe that they were better then the other person, so much better that they can put the other in an ape exhibit, keep each other as slaves, or put each other in concentration camps. This just amazes me. I do not understand what makes people just decide they are better then someone else, and I do not think I ever will.
Ota was part of a time period where the theory of evolution was heated and they used him as if he was the void between ape and man that had been missing. Even though I can see why they might think that can they not also think that he is a man that deserves to be treated like one. Listening to this made me very disturbed and I would hope that this story could set an example for the future so that it does not repeat itself. I believe Ota deserved a better life, a life back in Africa. To hear his story click here.
The story of Ota relates to everything we have been doing this year because it shows how times have changed. Just as times have changed from the times of Greek gods to the times of arranged marriages in Romeo and Juliet. In the case of Ota's story times have definitely changed for the better. It also relates to Romeo and Juliet because of how the Capulets treat the Montegues. Both houses think they are better then the other so they constantly fight with each other. This relates directly to the title of my post "what man does to man." It hurts to think that we will never live in a world that has people think of eachother equally, but we can try to make it better by trying to do better as an individual. To learn more about Ota Benga's story click here

~♥~ Braven Gilmore Girl

Being an Athiest

2007-06-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

Right now I am listening to this story about a kid named Ricky whose dad is an athiest. And it is somewhat sad. This kid is brought up to believe that God is made believe. Which is okay, everyone has their own belief in whatever they want about religion or politics or whatever. That is fine. But I feel bad for this kid because he is growing up not knowing what to believe. His dad had tried to get the "Under God" part of Pledge of Alligance. And when his son was a younger kid he wanted to be in boy scouts, the people would not let him because his dad didn't like the oath they had to take when they had to swear to God or something like that. So he couldn't be in boy scouts. And it is somewhat ironic because his favorite song is "One of Us" by Joan Osborne. Talking about what if God was one of us. We probably all have heard this song.

I think this is not fair on how people treat athiests. Just because someone is Jewish we don't descriminate them do we? Not any more. Just because someone is athiest or someone's has parents that are athiest doesn't mean their child is or that that person worships the devil. People treat them as if they are dirt because they don't believe that there is a God. Now I am not saying God isn't real because I do go to church and I do definitely believe in God, but I think people need to be treated the same as a friend or whatever regaurdless of their religion, beliefes, or race or whatever. None of that matters because it all comes down to who that person is on the inside. Everyone is the same when stripped of religion and everything else. The things he said about when he went to school and how other kids treated him didn't surprise me. A lot of people don't have insite of what it is like for that person so they just tune them out and give them no attention. Other kids treated him as a devil worshipper and an outsider. I thought to myself why don't kids listen to his side? In his diary post he said that he didn't know what he was and wanted to believe. So to me that didn't make him an automatic athiest. He was just a confused kid who doesn't know what to believe in. He was brought up to believe that there is no God. Now he is discovering that there are other beliefs out there and he doesn't know what path to choose.

This is a really good documentary and I recomend listening to it. What do you guys think about this situation? Put yourself in his shoes and just think what it would be like to be shut out just because of your parents religion and beliefs. Here is the link to hear his story.

Summer Reading

2007-06-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

I know everyone has been freaking out about what they're going to read all summer, so hear i am to the rescue. This site not only has a reading list, it has the top 10. A lot of these books actually look really interesting, and trust me, I'm the last one you would expect to want to be READING during my summer.

Another issue with reading over the summer is having a place to get the books. So this link is the public Greene county library. They make it so easy you can even order a book online and pick it up drive-thru style. So get out there and read this summer, you won't regret it.

tourette's

2007-06-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

Josh is a kid who lives in New York with Tourette's. He is in 11th grade and he has a radio diary that follows him throughout his day. He is very bitter, and I guess he has a better excuse to be in a bad mood then most people have. He can sort of control his outbursts, and he tries really hard to surpress his ticks during school. When he comes home he just flips out on his parents and likes to make prank phone calls and scream at people. Living with tourette's wouldbe very difficult, especially as a teenager in New York. In the radio diary Josh tries to figure to out if he'd be crazy without Tourette's.

http://www.radiodiaries.org/teenagediaries.html

Sweet Sixteen

2007-06-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

On June 17, which is Father's Day, I turn 16. Once I can drive everything will be better. I won't have to wait on drives. I can drive myself strait to my house which will save me tons of blogging time. If I make my blogs earlier then I will be able to start my reading faster. The more I blog and read the more enriching my summer will be. So once I am 16 I am going to get a lot smarter faster. SO if you see me during the summer I look smarter it is because I got my license. I will do so much this summer in July I will think it is August because I have calculated the time I will save and figured I will have a whole month more of reading with car. Got any good books to read or good topics to blog about because I got the time.

Here is cool link to where you can buy some sweet books.

Along For The Journey (FINAL)

2007-06-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that this school year is almost over? I cannot wait for summer! When I first reached high-school I felt like I had reached the high road but I figured out along the way that I had just started the journey to the beginning of my life. I felt like I had finally started along the correct pathway. I didn’t realize that high-school is where it all starts! I started thinking the other day about being a sophomore and it was a scary thought but a good thought! As many of you know that golf is a major part of my life. I am finally realizing that golf is what I want to do “when I grow up.” I want to become a professional golfer on the LPGA even though I know what it takes! I know that the Lord has given me this talent for a reason I want to use it. I read a book this year called Golf is Not a Perfect Game and it was the greatest book I have ever read. Its not only related to golf but also to my life. Here is a link to read a little bit about the book and what it is about. I hope that everyone has a great summer and a good journey!

Looking for Mary

2007-06-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

At the very beginning of the semester, the 1st book I read was "The DaVinci Code" by Dan Brown. "The DaVinci Code" is a fictitious book about 2 young companions that are trying to find the location of Mary Magdalene in order to protect it from the Catholic Church. Of course, the Catholic church isn't really stirring up a plan to find the carcass of Mary, it's just the storyline :D

When Ms.James assigned the class our final blog, I was quite flabbergasted, because I thought it would be hard to find a *Radio Diary* that tied into The Odyssey, The DaVinci Code, Angels & Demons, To Kill A Mockingbird, Deception Point, or Romeo & Juliet. As I skimmed through the titles of the diaries, I gazed into the computer screen, and read 'Looking for Mary.' It sounded like a kidnap story, so I clicked on it, hoping that it had any kind of similarity to any of the books I have read.

When I clicked on Looking for Mary, I was very pleased that it did indeed fit into my book, "The Davinci Code," very nicely. As I read the transcript of the whole Diary, I was very intrigued with the information that I read. The article talks about how people today search for the Virgin Mary, and some people all over the regions all over the United States, believe that they have seen the Virgin Mary....alive. This story was interesting to me, and it reminded me of the chase in "The DaVinci Code"

Both stories talk about religious people searching for the body of Mary Magdalene. In "The DaVinci Code," the search for Mary Magdalene is intense, because if Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu don't find the location of the Mary, the Catholic church will have the chance to get rid of the only remains of the true 'royal blood line.' In the article, by Beverly Donofrio, she talks about how she followed religious people that were on the hunt to find the live 'Virgin Mary'. Supposedly, people go to random spots, for instance the Mojave Desert, and they get to worship the 'Virgin Mary,' whom walks around in a white robe, and hugs and kisses everyone in her sight.

So whether you're ever looking for Jesus, Odysseus, Romeo, or the Virgin Mary, I wish you the best of luck, because in both of these stories, the hunters always find what they're looking for.

WELLL.

2007-06-01T08:02:00.000-07:00

this year was a good year. i really enjoyed high school & i'm anxious to start next year. my favorite class this year was honestly english. the blogger made me enjoy learning. i didn't like TKM all that much but romeo and juliet was pretty interesting. i think that english two will be fun next year, but it will be much different without the blogger. this summer i am going to get a job because i know that i will get really really bored. i turn 16! i'm pretty excited for that.

my summer reading:

i probley wont do much reading but i want to set my goal of about three books. i think that is a pretty good goal because it isn't high at all but it is stilll keeping up with some reading.

my summer plans:

go to the lake,

go on a big trip with my boyfriend, best friend, and family:)

next year's goals:
my goals for next year are...

to make good grades. work hard. make tons of friends. and have a blastttt:) ohh and be careful, cause i'll be driving.

COMMENTSSS.

Another Poem

2007-06-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

It is June

Time to ride the dunes

Time to go to the pool

Time to look realy cool

Time to stay up late

Time to get hot dates

Time to blog

Time to read on a log

Time to write

Time to fight

I can't wait for summer

School is a bummer

Because I can't blog all day long

I don't have time to write my song

I don't have time to read everyday

If I had a say

School would be over today!!!

Here is a cool link to where you can see some cool poems

Top 10 goals

2007-06-01T07:55:00.001-07:00

When I sit back and think about all the things i want to do with my life it's almost intemidating. So since I couldn't pick 10 these the top ten things I want to be before I die, I realize that I probably can't be them all but I WILL be some.

1. A good person

2. A wife

3. A mom

4. A doctor

5. A coach

6. A broadway actress

7. A Movie Star

8. A choreographer

9. A dog breeder and/or owner

10. A grandparent

Teenagers and Bulimia (Final)

2007-06-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

Over this school year I have been reading the series of books called "Gossip Girls". There are entertaining and I think they include many hidden life lessons. Blair is one of the main characters. She is beautiful, has everything, and ever girl wants to be like her. However, Blair is bulimic. The sad thing is the book makes it seem like it is okay. It is definitely not. Her friends know that Blair has this problem but do nothing to help her. Bulimia is a very dangerous disorder and is not healthy for anyone. Even though it was Blair's fault for choosing to be bulimic, her friends are also the problem because they don't do anything to help her. There are several things that you do do for a bulimic friend. Here is a list of what you can do.

Talk to your friend privately about their problem.

Tell your friend that you are worried about their heath.

Don't get angry even if your friend denies it or gets defensive.

If your friend refuses to do something about it on their own tell your parents, the school counselor, the school nurse, or your friend's parents.

Some of you may wonder, what is bulimia? According to dictionary.com bulimia is a habitual disturbance in eating behavior mostly affecting young women of normal weight, characterized by frequent episodes of grossly excessive food intake followed by self-induced vomiting to avert weight gain. Sometimes it can be hard to tell if your friend has bulimia. There are 10 main symptoms:

Your friend is obsessed about their weight and food.

Your friend constantly is looking at food labels and knows exactly how many calories are in the foods they eat.

Your friend exercises all the time.

Your friend avoids hanging out with you during meals.

Your friend begins to wear extremely baggy clothes to hide the body that they aren't happy about.

Your friend goes on extreme diets and plays with food on plate instead of eating it.

Your friend goes to the bathroom a lot especially after meal and you think you may have heard them vomiting.

Your friend has lost weight and still calls herself fat.

Your friend constantly takes laxatives, diet pills, or steroids.

Your friend faints, bruises easily, is unusually pale, and complains about being cold often.

Overall, bulimia is a very serious disorder and should not be taken lightly. It is important for people especially teens, to feel good in the body that they are in. Never stop eating or make yourself vomit to lose weight. It is so much healthier to go on a diet and exercise if you want lose weight. It is a lot more rewarding to lose weight from being healthy than to lose weight from an eating disorder. If you want to learn more about bulimia and other eating disorders, go to this link.

June

2007-06-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

As we start the summer I see so many blogging, reading and writing adventures beginning to open up. We have three months to read, write and blog!!! We won't be in school we can just read, write and blog all night and not having to wake-up in the morning until 12:00 PM or whenever and the read, write and blog again!!! I mean don't let this summer be meaning less. This summer will be a learning adventure!!! I won't waste my life by doing nothing. I am going to read, write and blog. I challenge you to do the same thing. I will be so ready for Sophomore year English!!! Well I hope you enjoy your summer of blogging, reading, and writing. Only 4 and a half more days til summer of English!!!

Here is a cool link for summer learning. I am going!!!

Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite! FINAL

2007-06-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I get from about 5-6 hours asleep a night. Just by the time I finally get to bed and asleep, and wake up enough to get ready that's about what I get. I have an extremely busy schedule, so I don't have enough times to sleep! I love sleep it makes me feel better, but I just don't have time for it!

That sounds terrible, but seriously how many hours of sleep do you get? I know that pretty much all of us have a busy schedule, and probably have trouble laying down your head at night for some shut eye. You know?

Scientist and doctors says that for a teen, 9-10 hours of sleep is whats needed, and for an adult 8 hours. So, the amount of sleep I get in an average school week is between 5-6 hours, even though I don't think much of it, it is not healthy! It's actually hurting me.

It affects our personalities. We may become less tolerant, grouchy, and our sense of humor might not be the same. Also, it clearly effects how we think, concentration, and just how we naturally feel. && of course it affects us physically. Tired, drowsiness, coordination, agility, and ability all suffers physically. So, I think that we should all think about getting ourselves more sleep. I know we think we don't have time, but maybe we should make the time. It would at least give you an extra boost for the day! Here is a link for 33 secrets to a good night's sleep. It will help you, if you have problems going to sleep at night.

I've been reading this book about this girl suffering throughout high school. With her grades, and physically just how she feels were going down hill. She never got enough sleep. She got between 3-4 hours a night because she was so busy through all of her activities. It's proven that sleep helps grades and physical feelings. So, just a few more hours of sleep would really help!

This relates back to this year because it effects everything we did. Even when we read. I know if I didn't get a good nights sleep the night before I would have trouble falling asleep while reading. Then, at school I would feel exhausted. So, sleep effects school majorly. If you feel tired and have troubles staying awake its going to effect test scores and grades. So, make the time. It's important!

Top 10 life Goals

2007-06-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

As we go through life we really don't know where we are going or what we will be doing. Though we may have a few things we definitely want to do. I hope we all want to graduate High School. We all might not want to meet a rapper or adopt ten dogs and cats. We all have different goals and dreams. These are some of mine. I have a few more but these are the basic wants.

1. Graduate from High School

2. Get a scholarship to college

3. Graduate from College

4. Go to Law School

5. Graduate Law School

6. Get Married

7. Have Children

8. Go to Europe

9. Have Grand kids

10. Watch Grand kids grow up.

Here is a cool link to a place where you can find everything

Benchmark Test

2007-05-31T14:16:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!
So what did everyone think of the Benchmark test? It wasn't too hard it was just time consuming. I was ready to get it over with though. I liked writing the essay on the computer though. It made it a little easier than writing it all on paper. Man that would have taken forever! Oh well, at least we don't have an actual final to take. I am actually kind of excited about how we get to blog for our final. It makes it feel like we aren't taking an actual test. I hope that next week goes by pretty quick so that we can get on with summer. Everyday I will be sitting at school thinking about all the things I want to do this summer. We are almost there thank goodness! Just a few more days! Well, I hope that everyone has a good weekend and have fun getting ready for finals! lol.

The Benchmark

2007-05-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

I think the benchmark test went ok. For all of you guys out there who worry over tests all of the time like me my advice to you is don't. I have come to a great acceptance in my life that all I can do is my best. It isn't like I don't care how I do any more, I just choose not to worry about it anymore. I guess it was kind of silly for me not to have figured that out along time ago huh? Well with finals coming up I will really have to work hard on my new theory of not worrying. What do you guys think about that? Do any of you think that we should be able to opt out of finals if we have A's in all of our classes? Some people say yes because it would relieve alot of stress, but other people say no because if you don't take finals now you won't be prepared for college. Finals are never optional in college. I think I would want to take finals because it wouldn't be worth getting to college and not being ready for college finals. After all you do have to pay for college so it would be bad if you weren't ready and you ruined something that you sort of had to buy. What do you guys think?

Susies great idea

2007-05-31T09:08:00.000-07:00

I think everyone should post atleast ten things they want to to accomplish in the future.

1. GET MARRIED
2. HAVE ATLEAST ONE CHILD
3. LIVE IN THE COUNTRY
4. GO TO A REAL LIVE CONCERT
5. MEET A RAP STAR
6. GO TO ALL THE AMUSEMENT PARKS
7. TRAVEL TO ALL THE STATES
8. ADOPT ABOUT 10 DOGS OR CATS.
9. BE A PRESCHOOL TEACHER OR A VET
10. VISIT ALL MY TEACHERS I EVER HAD IN MY LIFETIME IF THEY ARE STILL TEACHERS WHEN I GROW UP.

Top 10

2007-05-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

Anna! at the disco, from readinggreatbooks6, posted about 50 things that they wanted to do or accomplish during their lifetime.(here is the link.)

I thought that that was an awesome idea so I decided to share some ideas that I came up with. But instead of 50 I changed it to Top 10 things that I wanted to do! They aren't in any particular order, they are just in the order that I though of them. Well here they are:

1. Get married

2. Have children

3. Adopt a little puppy(a Yorkie)

4. Be in a movie

5. Go deep sea diving with some friends

6. Make an award winning meal

7. Write a novel or children's' story

8. Have a big pillow fight with real feather pillows

9. Drive a tractor

10. Swim in a pool full of M&M's

What about you? I thought that finding 10 things that I wanted

to do would be easy, but if you really think about it, it takes a

while longer than you would expect.

Have fun!

NIGHTT.

2007-05-29T22:07:00.000-07:00

I am extremely tired but i though i should post. Well the end of school is nearing faster and faster. I am so excited for summer. I have gone to the lake one time this school year & it was just this past weekend. It was really really fun. I rode my seadoos & spent quality time with my family. I have a 6 month old niece and she was there. She is soooo cute:) i'm an aunt and it's such a good feeling.

Hope that everyone is studying hard for those finals & working hard to finish up the year. Best wishes to everyone, i'm going to bed, finally.

My Monday off...

2007-05-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

On Sunday night my little brothers and sisters and I decided to camp out on our back deck. So at 8:30 we all set up the tent. It is an 8 man tent. And it is big! It barely fit on our deck.

We finally got the tent up and then put the rain fly on (just in case of rain.) We all ran in to get our blankets, beds, pillows, and some snacks.

Just when we had settled down and were all lying down and conferable (lying and listening to the crickets), it started to rain. We were so glad we had put the rain fly on!

We had so much fun, even though we did not stay up very late. If you have never camped out in your backyard before I would totally recommend it. Especially if you have siblings or you don't like to go out and camp in the wilderness. Have fun!

6.5 days left of school

2007-05-29T12:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend i spent time with my family and friends.
I went to the springfield cardinals game last night with my mom and step dad and my friend.
cardinals WON!!!
Next week:
Tuesday: second block final
Wedensday: first and third block final
Thursday: fourth block final and i half day!
what do u guys think of our last days of school???

Summer Dayz

2007-05-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

This Memorial Day weekend, I went on a Canoe trip with my family. We went to the Buffalo River, in Arkansas, and canoed exactly 10 miles. It was so much fun, soaking up the sun, while getting a great upper body work out. It was even more fun since my cousin and I had no idea how to steer the boat, and what seemed like every 3 seconds, we were going sideways against the current.

This weekend reminded me of how close summer is and how much I am looking forward to it. Summer is the time of the year when I get to really spend quality time with friends and family, and also just relax. So basically, I can't wait!!! :D

Romeo and Juliet Test!

2007-05-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

So I definately wasn't ready for that Romeo and Juliet test. I had read the play atleast 2x, however, I was planning on reading it in modern text the night before the test so i could freshen my memory because Act I Scene I was quite some time ago. Yet, I think I did alright on the test. I just didn't understand some of the quotes and I got confused on whether Mercutio or Benvolio was Romeo's cousin. But it is over and done with now and I won't have to deal with it ever again! YAY!! Please Ms. James don't put Romeo and Juliet on the final. =/ =/ =/ =/

El Fin

2007-05-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

Romeo and Juliet has come to an end
And their families have been able to mend
The year long family feud
That made everyone quite rude
I ask you all not to cry
As we all say our good-byes

This story has stolen our heart
Even though we have to part
We all will do good on the test
Because we know the play our very best
:D

Friday's Test!

2007-05-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

How did you feel about Friday's test? I think I did really well, I didn't have a great understanding of Romeo and Juliet but I could answer most of the questions with deductive reasoning. The final section was the hardest I think, because Romeo and Juliet's quotes were pretty obvious, but some of the other characters were not.

Its Over!

2007-05-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

I am so glad that we are done with Romeo and Juliet. To tell you guys the truth i really didn't like it. I guess this stuff just isn't for me. It was fun acting out all the scenes. That part I did like. I hope that everyone had a good weekend. I know I did enen though I hurt myself

It's Finally Over

2007-05-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited that Romeo and juliet is finally over, I liked it but it was starting to get boring. I think that it's kind of ironic that it the end both of their dreams of seeing each other in a grave really come true, but maybe that's just me. It seemed like Shakespere used alot of irony in this play. I liked how we ended the play with the 60 second Shakespere, where each group summarized an act form the play. I don't know about you but that really helped prepare me for the test. I glad it's over and I can't wait for summer!

Just About Summer!

2007-05-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

Only 7.5 days of school left, I so excited. I have wanted school to be over for so long and now I'm excited that it is finally here. Only bad thing is that we have to take finals, but I won't let that bring me down. I don't have any summer plans yet other than baseball, but maybe I might get to go on a vacation. What are your guys plans for the summer?

Romeo and Juliet is finally over!!!

2007-05-28T17:11:00.001-07:00

I was so excited to finally get to the end of Romeo and Juliet and get to watch the two movie versions. The new version definitely had a lot better ending to it. It was so intense and made it even more sad when Juliet woke up to see Romeo dying. I can't imagine what Romeo must have been thinking when he realized that Juliet was alive and that he had just killed himself for no reason. The play was just so depressing. I mean everything that could have possibly went wrong went wrong. Shakespeare is truly amazing. I thought it was so weird in the movies to how niether one showed the deaths of Paris or Lady Montague. Those deaths were so revelant to the story I wonder why they didn't put them in there. The sixty second shakespeare thing we did was a lot of fun. It really helped me remember all the imoprtant moments in the play and review for our test on Friday. The test wasn't to hard except for the matching quote thing. It was kind of confusing. I hope we get to watch one of the movies all the way through this week sometime. That would make things so much more clear to me with no interruptions. So only 7.5 days left of school!! Enjoy!!!

7.5 days?

2007-05-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

Something like that...It seems like the last 2 months just flew by and I am happy to see summer is finally almost here! It is too bad finals are just about to come up but after that we are home free. Hopefully the summer doesn't fly by like April and May have. All I know is I am going to be spending a long time down at the pool working on this hard-core farmers tan of mine. Legion Baseball will also be a whole lot of fun to do as well over the summer. I don't think I'll be going on vacation though which is a bummer but I'll live with it. So, how about you guys? What are your plans for the summer?

Pirates of the Caribbean:At World's End

2007-05-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

This movie is really great!It is better actually way better than the 2nd movie.It is almost better than the 1st but you can't beat the classic one.This movie has lots of allusions to the Odyssey.In the movie you will meet Calypso.They tell about what Calypso does.The movie also connects to other folk stories.I suggest EVERYONE go and see it.

The Empire Games

2007-05-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

The Empire games are like the Olympics for all of the countries in the British Empire. They were held in Vancouver in 1954 and the mile was looked forward to the most because it was the first time that the only two sub four minute milers ran against each other. The games started out well but with about two days before the mile race John Landy stepped on a flashbulb and cut the arch of his and had to have stitches. The doctor advised Landy not to run on it whether he had a race or not. Landy did any way and was doing really well for the whole race and through third lap he was beating Roger Banister by about 2 or 3 seconds but by the end of the race Banister caught him and beat him by about one second but they both ran under four minutes. Here is a link to a really good sight for info on Banister and Landy.

Beating the Perfect Mile

2007-05-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

John Landy ran better than the first sub four minute mile. He ran a 3:58 at a race in Europe with some of the best conditions and some of the best tracks. He could never run sub four in Australia because the tracks were not very good also the conditions were very hot and humid. He held the World record for three years until Derek Ibbotson from Yorkshire ran a 3:57 in London. He retired twice in his caree, got under four minutes in Aulstralia, and became an American hero as well as an Australian one as well. John Landy was expected to win a gold at the 1956 Olympics but developed tendinitus and placed fourth. John retired to be a Biology teacher and a public speaker.

Tourist Trap

2007-05-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

This is the best book I have read in a long time. I highly recommend that you read it. It takes place in a small town that has a lake and is attractive to many wealthy families during the summer months. The people of the town call the families that come for the summer 'invaders.' The local girl befriends an invader and stirs up a whole lot of trouble. This book is not insipid at all. I do not want to say to much about the book because if you want to read it I do not want to spoil it. This is an awesome book. You have to read this book!

All in 60 seconds

2007-05-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

Today's assignment to act out out an act of Romeo and Juliet in 60 seconds was so fun! It is hard to tell who's was the best performance because they were all so good. I was surprised by how every one did. Because we only had a little bit of the class period to plan our acts. I think that it was also a good idea to tape the performances because we were all able to watch what we had performed. What was your favorite performance? Did you enjoy this activity?

2007-05-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

Endless

Never

Done

LOVE

2007-05-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

Longing

Ongoing

Vivid

Endless

Sir Philip Sidney

2007-05-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

This man was a writer in the 1500-1600 in England.He has many works including Arcadia,Astrophel and Stella,The Defence of Poesy,The Lady of May,certain sonnets,and Psalms 1-9 and 10 and 19.It is so interesting to me that he wrote some of the psalms.The work Arcadia is a long pastoral romance.Astrophel and stella includes 108 sonnets and 11 songs that are influnced by petrarchan conventions.

PSALM III.

Domine, quid multiplici?

I. LORD, how do they encrease
That hatefull never cease
To breed my grievous trouble?
How many ones there be,
That all against poor me
Their numbrous strength redouble?

2. Even multitudes be they
That to my soul do say,
No help for you remaineth
In God, on whom you build.
Yet, Lord, Thou art my shield,
In Thee my glory raigneth.

3. The Lord lifts vp my head,
To Him my voyce I spread;
From holy hill He heard me:
I layd me down and slept,
While He me safely kept,
And safe from sleep I rear'd me.

4. I will not be afraid
Though legions round be layd,
Which all against me gather:
I say no more but this,
Vp, Lord, now time it is;
Help me, my God and Father!

5. For Thou, with cruel blowes
On jaw-bone of my foes,
My causeless wrongs hast wroken;
Thou, those men's teeth which byte,
Venom'd with godless spight,
Hast in their malice broken.

6. Salvation doth belong
Unto the Lord most strong;
For He alone defendeth:
And on those blessèd same
Which beare His people's name,
His blessing He extendeth.

Graduation

2007-05-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

I went to graduation the other day! How many of you guys went? My brother is finally done with high school! He is so excited! I am going to miss him alot because he is going away to college on July first! He will be in New York. I won't ever get to see him except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Labor Day. I really will miss him alot. How many of you guys have an older sibling who graduated this year? Are they going far away for college?

The Ending

2007-05-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

Did anybody else not really enjoy the ending of Romeo and Juliet? I didn't. I am someone that likes happy endings and not sad. I am so glad that we are finished with reading Romeo and Juliet. It seemed like it kept dragging on and on. Oh well, I did learn some things from it. I learned how to translate that language and understand the actual text without using no fear shakespeare. I like watching the different versions of the movie. Romeo and Juliet was a good experience but I am glad that it is over with. I cannot wait till we start our next thing in class. Class started to get a little on the boring side until we got to the ending and now we are finished!

What does everybody think about the difference between the movie and the dvd? I liked both of them. It gave a wide variety of the story. They both really explained the story in depth. I am glad that we got to watch the movie and dvd while reading each act. That was nice because it really helped me understand what it would be like in a modern way while also seeing it in a more original way. Well, I hope that everybody has had a good week!

Romeo and Juliet Is Finished!!

2007-05-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

So we finished Romeo and Juliet last night and it kind of had a weird and sad ending. I really wasn't expecting Romeo and Juliet to both kill themselves because of a simple misunderstanding. But I am really glad it is over with. However, I need a lot of help with my study guide. I got a little bit behind on it. Maybe one day we could take a whole class period and just work on our study guides as a class? Well, happy blogging!

"Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die"

2007-05-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

"Romeo and Juliet" is finally over! I thought it started out really confusing and kind of boring, but then at the end, it got really good. I think it's sad that Romeo killed himself, and didn't realize that Juliet was just under a potion. And then Juliet wakes up and she kills herself when she sees Romeo died. Ugh that's really sad. But I have a question. Do you think that it was dumb that Romeo and Juliet killed themselves because they loved each other, even though they only knew each other for four days? I think it was sad that they did that because they barely knew each other. But if they truly loved each other, then I can see why they wanted to die, instead of living without each other. What do you think? By the way, I think the movies that we've watched have been pretty good. Their acting is really passionate and emotional. But anyways, that's just what I think.

-peanutbutterisyummy-Y

I'm Macbeth

2007-05-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad we are finished reading Romeo and Juliet.It seemed like it dragged on forever.The literature was exactly what I expected it to be.I think people have told everyone the ending so many times you get bored because you know what is going to happen.If people didn't talk about it and actually let people read it themselves it would be such a great play,not that it isn't.People I think would not be so prone to getting bored with it because they know nothing about it.The reason why this play is so great in my opinion is that the have a true love and they do what ever it takes to be together.This play reminds me of the Titanic,but Rose doesn't kill herself in the end.I found this quiz you guys can take to tell you what famous Shakespearean play you are.

I'm Macbeth.Here click on this link.

The End

2007-05-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

I am so happy that we are finished with Romeo and Juliet. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. However there were many parts that I did not understand, but then again I think everyone is that way. I think the only person who ever completely understands every word and meaning of each act is Shakespeare because he is the one who wrote it. I am the kinda of person who enjoys stories with happy endings more than sad endings so I didn't really enjoy it, but I didn't hate it. I definitely now understand when everyone says that Romeo and Juliet is one of the best examples of a tragic love story.

Somewhere

2007-05-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

Somewhere

Oh, to be lying,
On a beach, Somewhere,
With sand in my toes,
And the wind, In my hair.

And only the sound,
Of the seagulls, On high,
On a beach, Somewhere,
Under sunny blue sky.

The gentle caress,
Of the waves, On the shore,
And you close, Beside me,
Could I ask for more?

A soft sandy beach,
That goes on, Forever,
You,
me,
And a beach,
So happy together.

Linda Harnett

A Deadly Poison

2007-05-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

Well as we all know Romeo and Juliet is almost finished. I am pretty sure that a lot of us have finished. I am really understanding so much better now. Even though we are almost done...anyways. These last few scenes I have had little trouble getting it.

With that said I think this play is very depressing. Not just for Rome and Juliet but for all of the characters. Any parent would be sad if their child died so Juliet's and Romeo's parents are going through that and Paris is in deep grief for his "future" wifes death. And the Nurse must be sad because, since Juliet's mother wasn't the one who raised her, the Nurse raised her she must be very depressed to. And the Friar probably felt awful and like it was his fault for what he did. So it is not just sad for Romeo and Juliet, but for everyone.

Flaming

2007-05-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

Flaming is defined as –verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
3.
to deceive; delude; cheat according to dictionary.com.

I provided a link to help you with other words.

Flaming is not debating and just because people disagree on certain issues doesn't mean we have to get upset if someone else disagrees with you. Everyone is blowing this way out of proportion. People are different and that is what makes life so cool. On the blog we are just giving opinions. So before we start singing why can't we be friends think about the real issues. Nobody is calling anybody stupid and we are just giving opinions. Don't cry or feel offended if someone disagrees with you. Be happy we are all different because this world would be really boring if we were all the same.

o happy dagger ♥

2007-05-23T08:16:00.001-07:00

When i finished the last scene of the play i felt so frustrated. I felt as though something could have been done to prevent this all from happening. It was just all to much of a coincidence that no one got there on time to stop Romeo. As the prince says his final words, " for there had never been a greater woe then the story of Juliet and her Romeo." This is so true, just because of their families hatred to eachother two young lovers died. It is a story of complete sadness, it took the death of the ones the families loved to make them realize their clash needed to be stopped. Romeo and Juliet's lovefor eachother was strong but not strong enough to overcome their fated death.

Sonnet 97

2007-05-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

1. How like a winter hath my absence been

2. From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!

3. What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen!

4. What old December's bareness everywhere!

5. And yet this time removed was summer's time;

6. The teeming autumn, big with rich increase,

7. Bearing the wanton burden of the prime,

8. Like widow'd wombs after their lords' decease:

9. Yet this abundant issue seemed to me

10. But hope of orphans, and unfathered fruit;

11. For summer and his pleasures wait on thee,

12. And, thou away, the very birds are mute:

13. Or, if they sing, 'tis with so dull a cheer,

14. That leaves look pale, dreading the winter's near.

This a Shakespeare Sonnet and it is pretty good. You can find other sonnets here.

Romeo and Juliet Finished!

2007-05-23T08:12:00.002-07:00

Yay! Finally we have completed the play and today we get to watch two different versions of Romeo and Juliet in the classroom. It is great to finally be done with reading the play and I can confidently say that I could understand the last acts alot easier than the first ones. Acting out Act 3 helped alot with understanding the main turning points of the play but it seems like we just went speeding right through the last 2 acts in just a couple of days, but I can't complain! Hopefully the videos further help with my understanding of what actually went on during the whole thing, that eventually led to there deaths. "For never was a story of more woe, Than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

Shakespeare

2007-05-23T08:12:00.001-07:00

So lately I've been wondering about the theatrical genius Shakespeare must have been. To have been the only of MANY playwrights from that time period to have had his plays last for this long. So I found this site that is pretty interesting if you wanna check it out. I never really liked Shakespeare before, and I've read quite a few of his plays. But I think that's because I never understood them before. Well I'm really liking Romeo and Juliet. I hope you are too!!

Famous Words...

2007-05-23T08:12:00.000-07:00

Romeo has some of the most famous quotes ever. I found this link that has pulled many famous quotes out of the play. Check it out.

Shakespears words are beautiful. To me it gives another sense of writing. Think if everyone wrote like Shakespear. His impsiring words have been there through centuries. I think he is one of the best authors of all time.

I also provided this link, to a website where you can watch clips from Romeo and Juliet. Including the first sight, first kiss, tybalts death, & more.

Ok well check it all out!

♥

Memorial Day Weekend

2007-05-23T08:08:00.000-07:00

This weekend I am going down to the lake! I am so happy for our three day weekend! I have a really big family and we all go down to the lake and have a huge dock party on special occasions like this. I have eight cousins and then eight aunts and uncles, my grandparents and some family friends that will be there. It gets a little bit crazy! Being with my family and friends and having fun is my favorite thing to do. For me times like these are true happiness. The sunset over the trees and water is so pretty. I love to go out on the boat at night and feel the wind blow through my hair and look up at the clear sky that holds the millions of sparkling stars that are not dimmed by city lights. I can't wait for summer to come and I will practically live at the lake. I keep on counting down the days but sometimes I think that makes the time pass slower! Oh well it keeps me busy so I will do it anyway. There are only nine and one half days not counting today! I think we can tough it out! Good luck!

Almost There!

2007-05-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

We are almost there almost to the freedom of hot sun and chlorine water! Where we stay up all night and sleep in all day! The pool the lake I love them both and I can't wait. So school is almost over I can't wait! It went by so quickly really did! We are going to be sophomores!!! So I notice that since school is almost out I am slacking but I can't. So my advice to you is drink some coffee or a rock star energy drink and keeping going strong just a little bit longer!

you can do it!

Why is the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet so Loved?

2007-05-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

Why does everyone love this sad story? Do we feel that we can connect to the story? Or is it that we feel such empathy to the characters? I think that people love this story so much because of boredom. When your own life isn't exciting enough we have to entertain ourselves with something, why not the perfect tale of two lovers destined for death? I think that books are meant to let yourself either be one of the characters in the story, or to be like a guardian angel in the story who hovers over a character and gets inside the character's head. I know in Romeo and Juliet I felt like I was constantly following the characters around like a shadow. I felt what they felt and I was happy when they were happy. Who did you feel like you connected the most in the book with? I think that I connected with the Friar the most because I am always trying to solve problems and make everyone happy. The friar was trying to fix everyone's problems and in the end he learns that he can't always work things out and sometimes it is best to just remain neutral and not get involved. I think the friar was in the middle of an internal conflict with himself and at the same time he was torn between the two fighting families. In the end he had to choose sides. He chose to fight for the teens in love. He tried his best but he failed. I hate that feeling of failure when you have done your best and it is still not good enough. What are your guys' thoughts?

I Ask of You...

2007-05-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

How did their parents feel?

2007-05-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

When our teacher started to talk about how Romeo's mom died and how Juliet's parents responded to finding Juliet dead (well they thought that she was anyway), it got me to thinking about how their parents really did feel about this whole thing. Their parents had no idea that Juliet had already been married to Romeo. The two young people went totally behind their parents' backs and kept it a secret from them. Then later their parents found them both died and had to learn the truth about what had happened.

If I were their parents it would make me so sad to find out that may own kids would not trust me enough to tell me that they wanted to marry their worst enemy. But then again I don't know if I would want to tell my parents if the person I liked was really their worst enemy. And then again I think that my parents would understand and find a way for me to marry that person because they when they were young they would probably do anything to get married.

What do you think?

Skim Milk

2007-05-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

You may be saying wow, has this person gone crazy??? Well... not completely. Skim milk actually does have some relevancy to what our class is talking about! Shakesphere. Shakesphere kind of invented the word skim milk. He also invented many other words and phrases that you can "skim through" in this link He He! I wish I could invent words that would end up being used world wide. That would be pretty fun! I wish Shakesphere could come to our generation and see how we use some of his made up words. He would probably get akick out of that! Well please tell me what your favorite words and phrases were! My favorite words were swagger, hobnob, majestic, and zany! My favorite phrases were in a pickle and tongue tied. Well happy blogging and I can't wait for our three day weekend!

Too Touchy of a Topic!

2007-05-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

Today's class discussion was about a blogger's choice of talking about major issues, like abortion or political parties. I think that abortion is horrible and political parties are so messed up. That's all. I don't think I should elaborate on it because we're all old enough to decide what we believe. I don't think going through a huge discussion about it especially with these topics being so touchy and sensitive is necessary. When the commenter on the other blog did that, it sparked a lot of comments from our class. When talking about these issues on the blog, I think that we should say our opinion and be done with it. To me, it's okay to elaborate on it when the blogger welcomes it, otherwise, it just causes debate, which can lead to flaming. What do you think?

-peanutbutterisyummy-Y

Friends....Weekends?

2007-05-21T08:53:00.001-07:00

This weekend for me was so much fun!! I was in Branson all weekend hanging out with my friends and practicing for our up coming show in Silver Dollar City! We learned a couple new dances and they weren't that hard but they were really fun!! I love practicing for SDC shows!! My friend ran in a sectionals track meet and she got a PR of 63 for her 4by4 relay!! She did really good and she was going really fast!!! Even though they didn't place they still did really good because they increased their PR as a team!! I love our school it is so amazing!! Our director assigned solos...well at least most of them and I got the one I wanted but even if I didn't get it I would of been fine...I don't perform to get solos but to make new friendships and just because I love sharing my talents with others if it makes them happy! Thanks!! -boot

Summer!

2007-05-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

It seems like summer is never going to get here. Does anybody agree? I am so tired of school it is not even funny. I cannot wait til we are out. I have so many things planned that are so exciting. I have started to sign up for out of state golf tournaments and I am missing some already because our school is the only one not out yet. My family is having to reschedule our vacation because of the superintendent and his decisions. Oh well, it will be over sooner or later. I just can't wait any longer. Seeing the seniors getting out makes me really jealous. Well, hope everybody has ANOTHER good week at school!

when does it go to far?

2007-05-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

As Ms. James was reading us the other classes blog i couldnt help but wonder why? why take the time to make everybody upset. i mean dont get me wrong i believe sharing your opinion is a great thing because that is what i am doing right now but there is a point where it just goes to far. you know you have gone to far when you have offended somebody. i think that since we are comming into the end of the year we are slipping and forgetting the rules of the beggining of the quarter. even though i think the blogs are getting better and better every week i think we should be careful with eachothers feelings. using sayings such as "let's fight about it"might not be the best choice of words because there are other things one can say to draw the same conclution. the blog was very well written it was just contraversal which is hard to deal with because everyone has something they would want to say about it. like one of my classmates said sometimes we just get caught up in the mement and end up saying things we will regret later. i hope this experience doesnt lead to people stopping sharing their thoughts because in the end that is what the blog is for right? ♥

Nearing the end

2007-05-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

Nearing the end of Romeo and Juliet is exciting me. I really want to finish the play. I am very into the play at this point and I just want it to be done with. I read Act 4 over the weekend and Juliet's so called death is extremely dramatic. They want to now use the weeding plans for the funeral. I think that is weird. They are changing a happy celebration into a depressing one. I don't know, I just thought that was weird.

Also school is nearing the end. Thank goodness! I'm so ready for summer! I got a glimpse of it Friday night when I went to the lake with my 5 closest friends. It was a blast. This first year of high school I have learned so much about friendships. I learned that people will hurt you and change. They can also stab you in the back. I think I have finally find ones that I can be close to for the rest of high school. I am so thankful for them!

My brother is graduating tonight. It is so weird to think of him graduating. My brother and I have grown so close this year, and it's just so weird to me. He's gonna live at home and go to college here but its still different. Well hope to see you all tonight maybe at graduation? well have a good week!

♥

Superw0men

Blogging 101

2007-05-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

I was always curious to find out when and how blogging began. It is kind of amazing to think about really. I mean anyone in the whole entire world can read them. Most of us are used to sharing our writing with a partner, a class, a teacher, or even your school. However now all of us have showed our writing to the world. I just find that really cool. It kinda of makes you realize how big our world is. Well here is a link to Blogging 101 which talks about how blogging began! Enjoy!

Just a Reminder

2007-05-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

We have forgotten the rules of blogging. So I went back to get the rules from Mrs. James when she first posted them and now I am going to repost them.

Think before you type.
Use proper language, school rules apply.
Share ideas and particiapte.
Be honest and accurate.
Be respectful and no flaming.
No personal information.
Apply Golden Rule.
Remember: Anything you write could be read by anyone.
Don't attempt to divulge identities.
Have fun!

All of these rules are important to maintain a healthy blog. Blogging should never be disrespectful. I think we have all broke a couple or more of these words. If everyone obeyed the first rule then there wouldn't be the bending or breaking of the other rules. Before you post, look through it again. Look for the mention of anything to do with our school and city then take it out. Make sure your post will not start a flame war or provoke anyone. When you comment do the same; just look it over and make sure that the rules are being applied. Be careful about what you say when you are blogging.

My Weekend At The Lake!!!!!!

2007-05-21T08:34:00.000-07:00

So this weekend was awesome i first went to the Relay 4 Life until two in the morning then i went to my grandmas house that night. well i guess that would be morning. then i had to get up at 6 in the morning, to go down to aquasports and go to the lake with my instructer to get certified. so we got down there and got our stuff ready and got in the water. it wasnt bad becasue we had like 2 layers of wet suits. but it did get a little cold when all the water seeped into the back and the front of it. we dived 2 times on saturday and but only went down to about 20 feet. we also fed some fish underwater with hotdogs and that was really fun. i caught like 3 fish in my hand with the hotdog and one of them spiked me. Then when we were done my instructor took me down to my friends dock so i could hang out with them for the rest of the day and night. me and him went night diving with flashlights and it was a little freaky becuase when we came up we came up under a dock and i scared my a little becuase it was huge and black. that next morning i had to go again to the place to get certified and we went 3 times that day so we could finish and when we were on our last one we were able to have one partner and go were ever we wanted as long as we came back with 500 psi of air. so me and my partner went down to 50 feet which is below i think 2 thermaclines and that is when the temp drops like 10 degrees and we were only in a longsleeve shorty wet suit and i was freezing i felt like i had ice caked on my brain but it was fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then i went back to my friends dock and fished and slept in the sun it was awesome. i cant wait untill i am 18 so i can become a scuba instructor and i am also going to get the highest diving card there is which is on the pick!!!!!

5,000 logged dives. PLATINUM PRO INSTRUCTOR!!!!!

IT'S WEIRD.

2007-05-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

The seniors are gone. They graduate tonight! Ahh. I was thinking all this weekend about what it would feel like to be graduating, because my boyfriend is, and it was weird. I was just thinking like he doesnt really know what he wants to do yet & its scary. I know that if I was a senior right now, I would kinda know what I wanted to do but I would be SOO scared to graduate & to have to go out into the real world. A lot of things lately have opened me up to what the real world is like. And its scary. This is a good quote, I think...

'I could not, at any age, be content to take my place by the fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.'

Welll I like it:)

comments, i guess.

Abortion

2007-05-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

Abortion is very hot topic in today's society. There is two different stances. Pro-Life and Pro-Choice. Pro-Life is against killing or aborting the fetus. Pro-Choice is for the women's rights. I think abortion is horrible but I do not believe I have the right to go down the street and tell a pregnant women they have to go through those 9 long months if they do not want to. I think it would be a mistake if they killed that baby but it is America and you have freedom. If she feels bad about killing the child then that is sad but she practiced the right of an American. But then if you say that then doesn't the American baby have rights too? This a very interesting topic feel free to talk about it.

Fun in The Sun

2007-05-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

On Friday, some of my closest friends and I headed to the lake. It was awesome! It was about 80 degrees and the water was about 75 degrees, and there was almost no wind. It couldn't have been any better! To make things absolutely perfect, there was basically no one at the lake, so we didn't have to worry about disturbing anyone. Secondly, we fished, which was the icing on the cake. We had so much fun tubing, attempting to fish, having grape wars, and just having fun! It's moments like these when you thank your lucky stars to have great friends. These moments also remind me how close, but yet far, summer is. Do any of you go to the lake, or do anything special with your loved ones?!?! If not, I highly recommend it, because those times are some of the best in your life.

~Toodles~

So Many Attemps

2007-05-20T19:48:00.001-07:00

There were so many attempts at the four minute mile that I almost started to think that these guys were not going to do it even though that is what the book is about. Roger Banister, John Landy, and Wes Santee are all trying to break the four minute mile barrier. They all were consistently all right around the record like 4:03 or 4:02 but they could never get those last two or three seconds because they hardly ever had some one to push them because they were the only ones in their countries that were even close to this great barrier. This barrier was so great that it was considered to be the Everest of athletics since no one had climbed Everest yet either. Bannister finally got a coach and that really helped him a lot when he got ten 440's in arrow in under 60 seconds and averaging 58.6. Then he knew that he was going to be the first person to break for minutes in the mile. He had done two three quarter mile timed trials to do all of his fine tuning and he was going to make his next attempt on May 6th 1954.

Romeo and Juliet Acting...

2007-05-20T19:31:00.001-07:00

Well on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday our class acted out our Romeo and Juliets parts and it was a lot of fun! My group had Act III Scene IV and part of Scene V. I really enjoyed it. Especially David's act. He was a PERFECT Juliet. No flaws at all. Also on Monday we had a bomb threat and it was also fun. We got to sit outside for an hour, but I wish we could have gone home. Well have a happy sunday night bloggers!

How To Torture Your English Teacher.

2007-05-20T19:30:00.001-07:00

Only raise your hand when
you want to get a laptop,
or defend yourself from class humiliation.
Repeat it every ten seconds.

Never raise your hand,
just blurt out;
and never stop.

Play games on the computer
while the teacher is lecturing;
and act surprised when she says close your laptop!
and reply with "I'm blogging, I promise!"

When the teacher says "Put that laptop down!";
you say "But I won't make a sound!"

At the end of the day
You wish you could say;
But no one will let you,
Until the next day.

-Do we have any of these type of people in our class?