"Edison Office Shooting"

         "Edison Office Shooting Victims, Killer Identified" is an article in the LA Times written by Irfan Khan and Hector Becerra on December 17, 2011 at 7:33 p.m. On Saturday, authorities identified two men killed in a workplace at Southern California Edison office, in  Irwindale. It was said that the shooter was a co-worker. Robert Lindsay,53, and Henry Serrano,56, were killed by Andre Turner,48, when he opened fire in the office, then committed suicide. Angela Alvarez and Abhay Pimpale were wounded. All five of them worked in Edison's technology department. Lindsay and Serrano were the managers. Detectives still do not know the motive for this shooting. It occurred at 1:30 p.m. at the Edison offices. It is said that Turner did not like the management. After the shooting many nearby school were locked down, until the police were sure the shooter was dead. Both Lindsay and Serrano had worked for Edison for almost thirty years, yet the shooter only seven years.
         I found this article interesting. A co-worker, who had worked for this specific company killed the management because he did not like them? This shows how close-minded people are. But, deep down I know that there must have been another reason. The shooter had a family and a home, he would not just randomly decide to kill the two bosses. There is always two sides of a story. This one makes the audience feel pity for the management. Hopefully, the other side of the story will soon come out.

"The Fall of the House of Usher"

      The short story "The Fall of the House of Usher" was written by Edgar Allan Poe. There were many psychological aspects that made this story Gothic. The house was old, rusty and scary. It was located in a remote environment. The house had eye-like windows, which made it almost seem like it had a sad face. Throughout the story the house is linked to Usher, which makes the audience conclude that Usher is also sad. The house is old, it has a fissure running down from the roof to the door, it looks like it is going to break down. It makes the reader foreshadow that something bad is going to happen.
      The exterior of the house was bad, but the inside was the same. Torn drapes, old furniture and broken objects filled the rooms. The inside was dark and you could not see the corners of the room. The house was psychologically effecting Usher. It was making him feel worse. If someone is placed in that type of environment, naturally they would become more ill. Finally, Madeline's death causes many difficulties for Usher. It made him more depressed and he was becoming weaker. He was going crazy. He felt her presence in the room. He felt that she was alive. They had a strong connection, because they were twins. The weather did not help the situation either.

"Weight-loss Drug Qnexa is Poised for FDA Approval"

      The article, "Weight-loss Drug Qnexa is Poised for FDA Approval" was written by Sari Roan, on December 9, 2011 in the LA Times. Qnexa is a weight-loss drug that has been turned down by the Food and Drug Administrations. Now, the makers of the drug have new data that will ask less of the FDA this time.
      The drug was denied the FDA approval last year, because it had many potential side effect who became pregnant wile taking the medication. This drug is a combination of two drugs: Phentermine the "stimulant" and Topiramate the "anti-seizure drug".Qnexa has been shown to reduce weigh gain in its patients in significant amounts.  The FDA requires that in order for a drug to even be considered as an obesity fighting drug, it must have at least a third of the test patients lose 5% or plus body weight. The NEW Qnexa has shown an average of 14% weigh lost over one year.  The patients had also improved their metabolic and cardiovascular problem risks, including cholesterol and the lower risk of being diabetic.
        This drug needs to be approved as quickly as possible. America's new generation has a high rate of obesity. Not only the new generation, but also ALL the people. If this pill, can help people loose the weight and get healthy, why not? Some people have eating problems and thyroid instability, this pill can change their lives. I strongly support it. If it helps people get back on track, and lowers the percent of diabetes, who would not support it? The FDA will announce their final answer in the beginning of 2012.

"The Raven"

      On Saturday, we read the poem, "The Raven". It was written by Edgar Allan Poe. He wrote the poem with a mysterious, dark and Gothic tone. The Gothic literature was famous during that era, but for it to be considered Gothic it needed to have four specific components. It needs to be in a mysterious, bleak and remote place, characters are in a psychological/physical torment, a supernatural element has to be present and the plot has to involve macabre or violent incidents.
       "The Raven" took place in a huge house/palace, at midnight in December. The setting already sets the mysterious mood. Even though, there were no violent actions involved, the audience can conclude that the narrator connects violent thoughts with Lenore. The narrator was in a mentally unstable stage. First, he was talking to a bird, then he believes that the Raven's name is nevermore. He clearly was ill. Everyone in his life had left him. He was lonely. The supernatural part of this poem, is that the bird is actually speaking, and when the narrator was in the room he could feel Lenore's presence. He was being tortured. Maybe, Lenore was getting revenge for something he did? The Raven never left the palace, which symbolized that Lenore will never be forgotten. She will forevermore torture him.

"Lipitor, Best-selling Drug Ever, Goes Off Patent"

     "Lipitor, Best-selling Drug Ever, Goes Off Patent", is an article in the LA Times, written by Shari Roan on November 30,2011. Lipitor is the top-selling drug that reduces LDL cholesterol "will cease being Pfizer's cash cow." The big drug will still be available, but there will be a less-expensive version called Atorvastin. Lipitor has mad more that a  hundred billion dollars, since it has been approved in 1997. Some of the patients fear that Atorvastin will not be as affective. But in 2010, there was a study conducted by Clinical Therapeutics. Patient received Lipitor in an eight-week study and had a 48 percent reduction of LDL and the patients that took the Atorvastin had a 44 percent reduction of LDL. Lipitor costs one-hundred sixty dollars each month, and and Atorvastin costs ten dollars per month.
       I think this topic is very important, because patients are paying so much for this pill, when there is another pill, which can have the same affect for a less price. Today, many people are not doing financially well. If they have this cholesterol problem, and could not afford to buy this expensive medication, now there is a solution.

MY Favorite Scene

       Our first novel of the year, was the "Scarlet Letter". Personally, I do not like reading books, but this one was not as bad as others. Sometimes, it had a couple of pointless parts, but it is fine, because it made it up after with a surprise. There were many scenes that I really liked, but my favorite was when Dimmesdale died and Pearl kissed his hand. Throughout the story Pearl did not like Dimmesdale. She knew that he was her father, but she did not like the fact that he would not come by them in public. He was keeping them a secret.
        For example, Dimmesdale kissed Pearl's forehead in the forest and she wiped it on. She did not like it. She always kept away from him. At the last scene (my favorite), after Dimmesdale fell, she kissed him, finally proving that she really believed he is her father. I think this mad him very happy. He felt wanted and his daughter finally showed that she cared about him. I just wish she had done it earlier. It makes me wonder, if he was not dying, would she still do it or would she keep torturing him?
        I also had another favorite scene ( I could not choose). The meteor in the sky was very interesting, because it left an A in the sky, showing that Dimmesdale was a sinner.

Chillingworth or Dimmesdale?

      We are reading the amazing "The Scarlet Letter". Throughout the story we are introduced to many characters. Hester, Chillingworth and Dimsdale. I think I would be more sympathetic to Dimmsdale, because Hester was very lonely and they were in love. Even though he is a priest, and he is supposed to be "holy", no one can escape love. Throughout the story he is suffering for seven years, because of this one mistake. He can not even see his daughter, because he has to keep his reputation. On the other hand, Chillingworth who is supposedly Hester's "husband" does not need any sympathy, because they were not in love, he left her. What did he expect?
   "Hester Prynne was now fully sensible of the deep injury for which she was responsible to this unhappy man, in permitting him to lie for so many years, or, indeed, for a single moment, at the mercy of one, whose purposes could not be other than malevolent"(Hawthorne 315). This quote explains everything. Hester let Dimmesdale suffer for seven years. She did not tell him the truth about Chillingworth, who had been torturing him. Even though Dimmesdale is a sinner, he payed his debt. He engraved a scarlet A on his chest, give the man a break. He was in love with a girl who was "married".

The Scarlet Letter

         The Scarlet Letter  was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In this novel, he is depicting the life during the American Romantic Era. He had found a manuscript of the non-fictional story about the adulteress and by adding fictional aspects he created The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne incorporates the dark and gothic American Romanticism in this story. An example can be when he described the prison door. "Like all that pertains to crime, it seemed never to have know a youthful era"(Hawthorne 43). The prison door is old, scary and gothic. It has spikes in it. It does not belong in that area. The prison door looked like it belonged in another era. This description puts the reader into a dark and mysterious mood. It presents the Gothic theme perfectly.
          Another example that goes along with the American Romantic Era theme is when the judges give the penalty to Prynne. "The penalty therefore is death. But in their great mercy and tenderness of heart, they have doomed Mistress Prynne to stand only at a space of three hours on the platform of pillory and therefore, for the remainder of her natural life, to wear a mark of shame upon her bosom"( Hawthorne 54). At this moment, the reader is thinking, they are going to kill her. Instead, they made her stand on a platform, all eyes on her. She had to wear a scarlet letter on her chest. She had become an outcast.  I think she is very brave, because she stayed and she is living through this harsh situation. But what does not make sense to me, why not kill her? Did someone stop them or the did the reverend feel guilty? This give a sense of a dark, yet twisted romantic story. I can not wait to read on. (which is our homework, which of course I am going to do :} ).

Synthetic Marijuana Linked to HEART ATTACKS in TEENS!

            "Synthetic Marijuana Linked to Heart Attacks in Teens", is an article in the LA Times written by Shari Roan, on November 8,2011. Three teenagers in Texas had heart attacks cause by smoking synthetic marijuana. Synthetic marijuana is a psychoactive herbal and chemical product that mimics the affects of cannabis. It is best known by the trade names K2 and Spice. Both largely recognized by teens. While smocking marijuana, it affects the heart rate, but synthetic pot, causes more damages.
              All three sixteen year old boys, who had heart attacks had smoked K2. If they had not smoked it, they were all healthy and had no signs of cardiovascular disease. Right after smoking K2 they all said that they had chest pains. Now, people, nationwide are trying to make the sale and possession of K2 illegal. Even though they are trying, it has already been concluded that K2 and Spice has already spread like wildfire.
             I think that these drugs should be banned. Seeing teens loose their lives just because they smoked this STUPID drug, to get a high feeling does not make sense to me. All three teens were healthy, they could have had a long life, with a family. Instead they lost their live in an instant. This should be a wake-up call for everyone. STAY DRUG FREE. :)

" To My Dear and Loving Husband"

             This week we read two poems. My favorite was "To My Dear and Loving Husband". The speaker of the poem is Anne Bradstreet. She wrote it during the Puritan times. She specifically wrote it to her husband to inform him about her love. Her tone is loving, emotional and romantic. Throughout her poem, she writes about love and her emotions. During puritan times, poems were supposed to be religious, you could not incorporate emotions. She broke the rules, to show her love to her husband. She also compared herself, to  a woman who is extremely happy with her marriage. She loved her husband. She made it very clear that no amount of land, or a whole mine of gold ( A LOT of money) could buy or change her love toward her husband.
              I truly love this poem, because Anne expresses her true feelings. She is like a rebel. She went against the rules of Puritan writing. I think that she is very brave and courageous. Her love was unique and pure, and no one or no amount of money can change her love. That kind of relationship is rare today. Her husband was lucky.

            

Pride

           Pride: the state of being proud. This amazing feeling is considered as one of the seven deadliest sins. I think that I have committed this sin uncountable times. When I was young, I was very competitive, especially considering grades. I know this sounds bad, but when I used to get A's I used to keep it on my desk so all of my friends would see and be jealous. I would keep my  head up and say "It was easy, I did not even study." In reality, I would study for hours.
              As an athlete you need self-confidence. It has been said that too much pride is bad. When a player scores a goal, or makes a basket and runs back with his head high, yelling in his opponents face is considered having to much pride. I have done this many times. It boosts my self-confidence. It puts me into this world, where I am superior to others. Even though, at that moment  it is an amazing feeling, a couple hours later, I realize that i made that person feel low and self-conscience.
               If I had a "P" put on my shirt, just like in the "Scarlet Letter" I would feel ashamed. Everyone would look at me like I am a cocky and mean person. I would try to hide and stay away from people. Instead of having pride, I would have no confidence. It would degrade my reputation. I now realize that maybe I should just keep my comments and reactions to myself, because I do not want to make anyone feel lower than me. That is just not right.

"From Letter From Birmingham City Jail"

               This week we concentrated on letters. Letters are very personal, emotional and sent to a specific person. One of the letters we read was, "From Letter From Birmingham City Jail." The speaker of this letter is Martin Luther King Jr. He wrote it, while he was in jail. Because he was not provided with paper, he wrote on the side of the newspaper. He wrote this long letter on April 16, 1963. He had specifically written it to the writers of the newspaper article. Throughout his letter he uses many rhetorical devices. He mostly talks about segregation of the African Americans, and the brutality of the police. They are using violence against non-violent people. He believes in freedom, but getting to their goal without violence.
               Throughout the letter his tone was calm, emotional and yet encouraging. The subject of this letter was civil rights and of course freedom. Personally, I really like this letter, because I believe in equality and freedom. I believe that every person is human, and we are all the same. The skin color or physical aspect does not matter. Marting Luther King Jr. has left a huge legacy and because of him, today, African Americans get to live a normal life.

"A 20-year Survey Links Tanning BOoth Use to Skin Cancer"

       "A 20-year Survey Links Tanning Booth Use to Cancer", is an article, in the LA Times, written by Amina Khan, on October 25, 2011. It has been proven, that the more a person uses a tanning bed, the higher the risk of deadly skin cancer. Researchers from Bringham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University in Boston followed 73,494 nurses who took part in a health study from 1989 to 2009, taking note of their tanning bed habits, throughout high school and college. They also had to track the overall average usage in relation to basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Four very dangerous types of skin cancer. If they visited a a tanning booth, 4 times per year, the risk for basal and squamous cell cancer rose to 15% and the risk of melanoma rose 11%. It was proven that using tanning booths at younger age, during high school and college, had a stronger effect on cancer risk. That is why, this year the American Academy of Pediatrics sent out a policy statement that supported the banning of tanning beds for children younger than eighteen. This month, the tanning beds were banned for use by minors in California.
       I think, no one should use a tanning bed. We are told to always put sunblock on, so we do not get burned by the suns rays. Imagine lying down in a hot bed, being directly exposed to the rays. Imagine how much damage your causing to your skin. I, personally, have never gone into a tanning bed. I think it is pointless. I can just sit out for half an hour instead. I agree with the new law, because childrens' skins are very sensitive. Why would parents let them tan?

"Younger Doctors Not As Pro-vaccine As Older Doctors"

       "Younger Doctors Not As Pro-vaccine As Older Doctors" was written in the LA Times, by Shari Roan on October 20,2011. This article is talking about how, before the doctors were very enthusiastic about vaccination, but a new study shows that the younger doctors are less likely to believe in the effectiveness of vaccines. The study, done by the Infection Diseases Society of American in Boston  surveyed  551 doctors. Newly graduates from medical school were fifteen percent less likely to believe in the effectiveness of the vaccine compared to the older doctors. It is said, that maybe because the younger doctors are in a generation that did not experience measles or polio, they do not recommend the vaccines. Another major study was done in the Midwest, but this time with parents. They concluded that the reason why vaccination rates have dropped was that the parents were afraid that too many vaccines may lead to autism parents were afraid of  the side effects of too many vaccines.
         I do believe in the power of vaccines and recommend it to everyone. It is a way to prevent major diseases that may cause death. But, I believe that over time, people will start completely rejecting vaccines.



Speech Presentations

Mrs. Kirkman had given us a very interesting project. We had to choose a speech and dissect it, to find the SOAPTS, rhetorical devices, and many other things. This week, we got the chance to present our amazing PowerPoint presentations in front of the whole class. It is not as easy as it sounds. I enjoyed listening and really understanding each pairs presentation. One that really stuck in my mind was Harout's and Mike's speech project. It was on Franklin D. Roosevelt's speech about the attack on Pearl Harbor, which occurred during World War I by the Japanese army. They had started of the presentation, with a small biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt. His tone was serious, but comforting. By using the word we, and our he was relating to the whole nation. The audience were the people at the speech and all Americans around the world. Their presentation was interesting and heartfelt. Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam. Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands. Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island. They explained these few sentences. Roosevelt used parallelism ,one of the rhetorical devices, to emphasize the places Japan had attacked.

Order

          I was pretty excited to see that we had a different blog post this week. We read Benjamin Franklin's autobiography and he had a very interesting chart. He had thirteen virtues he thought would make him reach moral perfection. I truly can not understand how a seventeen year old can come up with this, because I know I was pretty surprised.
             In the beginning of the week I made a small chart, with five virtues that I, personally thought I need to work on. Procrastination, saving, silence, honesty and kindness.

1.       Procrastination-not to do finish my work at the last second

2.       Saving- to not waste money or time

3.       Silence- say something, only if it is nice

4.       Honesty- to be honest, in a nice way

5.       Kidness-try to help other people in the time of need.

 I tried procrastination for the first two days. Clearly, it did not work very well, because I am writing this blog now. Next, I tried honesty. I do not like hurting people, but it is better to hurt someone with the truth, then comforting them with a lie. So, my sister asked me how she looks (she was sick). I was honest, but I was also very nice. I guess, i did a good job and she changed her outfit. That is one thing I can cross off my list. I thought that this assignment was going to be very easy, but it is so difficult, to keep up. This made me realize, that I probably can not be perfect but I can keep on trying.

"Straw into Gold: Metamorphasis of Everyday"

          This week we also read, "Straw into Gold". The speaker is Sandra Cisneros. She is a Mexican-American writer, who explain her life and achievements. Her tone is simple and practical. Of course the audience is the reader. In her autobiography, Cisneros explains the troubles she went through, but with hard work and dedication she succeeded.
          In the beginning, we are introduced to Cisneros, as a student who is poor and living off grants. Gradually, we start to truly understand her character and her way of thinking. She was very exited to be invited to her friend's house and eat Mexican food, but she did not expect that she had to make anything. Her friends assumed, just because she is Mexican, she has to know how to cook something. She had to make tortillas. She compared making tortillas and her master's test to turning straw into gold, because she is portraying that she is given a task, that is impossible to accomplish. In her family, she was the "black sheep", but she did inherit a sappy heart from her dad and her intelligence from her mom. Finally, at the end of the autobiography, she talks about her achievements and her travels. You can turn straw into gold, but only with the help of imagination.



Order

             I was pretty excited to see that we had a different blog post this week. We read Benjamin Franklin's autobiography and he had a very interesting chart. He had thirteen virtues he thought would make him reach moral perfection. I truly can not understand, how a seventeen year old can come up with this, because I know I was pretty surprised.
             In the beginning of the week I made a small chart, with five virtues that I, personally thought I need to work on. Procrastination, saving, silence, honesty and kindness. I tried procrastination for the first two days. Clearly, it did not work very well, because I am writing this blog now. Next, I tried honesty. I do not like hurting people, but it is better to hurt someone with the truth, then comforting them with a lie. So, my sister asked me how she looks(she was sick). I was honest, but I was also very nice. I guess, i did a good job and she changed her outfit. That is one thing I can cross off my list. I thought that this assignment was going to be very easy, but it is so difficult, to keep up. This made me realize, that I probably can not be perfect but I can keep on trying.

"Benjamin Franklin Biography"

             Surprisingly, this week we only read one story. It was a part of Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. It was interesting, because it showed Franklin's priorities when he was seventeen years old. The overall autobiography is discussing his life, ideas and the goals he wants to achieve. The specific portion we read was when he was seventeen in 1723. The audience is the readers. I think, that teens can connect more with this specific part, because we are almost the same age. It shows us his perspective during that time. The subject of the story is moral perfection and self improvement. Benjamin Franklin's tone was informative, practical and descriptive. There are specific qualities a person has to do to achieve moral perfection.

           There were many categories in Franklin's chart. Every day, he would work on one, and if he improves, he moves on to the next category. One of the examples are silence and tranquility. He always started of his day with a question. "What am I going to achieve today", and at the end of the day answer the question. Even though, today, we live in a technological world and we do not emphasize on moral perfection, I think what he did was pretty incredible, because he tested his own abilities, and maybe if his environment did not interfere, he would have succeeded.

Heaven On Earth

           Are you curious about my title? I am not exaggerating. I have traveled to many places, throughout the 16 years of my life. The most amazing, astonishing, and impressive place I have ever visited is Beirut, Lebanon. Even though it does not sound like the "best vacation spot", for me it is home. It is beautiful, breath-taking and full of different cultures. There are many hotels, and even though they might not be five-star hotels, they truly connect you to the incredible culture that fills Beirut.

           I go to Beirut, almost every summer. It is not only the beauty that attracts me, yet my whole family lives there. Even though we live on different continents, we are still pretty close. Going every summer, creates an unbreakable bond, that I think will last a lifetime. When we go, I meet new people and I usually learn new things every day. The thing that I love the most, is that the people in Beirut are not materialistic and do not care about your physical appearance. All the people are nice and simple. I have made many friends there, and I truly love meeting people. They are all different from my friends here, that is why they interest me so much. Today, with the help of Facebook, from time to time I can talk to them.

           Lebanon is incredibly important to me. It connects me more to my parents, because I get to see there old houses and their lifestyles. Beirut is heaven on earth. Trust me, it is amazing, I repeat it is amazing!

This is one of my cousins

One of the most extravagant places in Lebanon.

"Speech in the Convention"

     This week in class, we emphasized on speeches. We read many types of speeches, including oratories and sermons. One that we read was "Speech in the Convention". This speech was given by Benjamin Franklin in 1787, at the Constitutional Convention. His purpose was to persuade the people into unity and agree to pass the Constitution.

      While giving this speech, Benjamin Franklin was eighty-one years old and he wanted the people to understand that the they have to agree to the Constitution for the right reasons, not just the money. Throughout the speech, his tone was calm, reasonable and logical. He explains how the people are the "instrument", and what they hear has to be echoed. Also, that the people have to be unanimous. This emphasized the importance of unity. The only way that it was going to work was if, the whole plan was well administered and enforced. Finally, Franklin explained that even though most intelligent people have good ideas, they are also prejudice and selfish. He believed that he had an almost perfect document.

Yummy In My Tummy

        I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream, but I scream more for Mochi. What is a Mochi? Mochi is a traditional Japanese ice cream with different natural flavors. By far, the flavor that I can not stop eating is definitely Strawberry. At the first bite, you would be confused, because it does not feel like ice cream, but once you bite deeper into the refreshing, cooling and tantalising Mochi, you will not be able to go back to "regular" ice cream again.

        If you are like me, a messy eater, Mochi is definitely your ice cream. It comes in small round pieces, lasts a few minutes before it melts and when it melts it only melts in your mouth. Yummy. The other thing  I like about Mochi, is the portion control and the convenience.

        I am always interested in finding exotic foods from different cultures. When I found this ice cream I was astonished by the shape and amazing taste. Not only did it tickle my taste buds, but it also connected me to the Japanese culture. This ice cream is delicious, tasty and has an unforgettable flavor. Trust me, after eating this sphere like, squishy and colorful ice cream, you will definitely become an advocate of Mochi.

"Insulin May Slow Alzheimers, Study Finds"

   

“Insulin May Slow Alzheimer’s, Study Finds", was written by Melisa Healy, in the Los Angeles Times, on September 13, 2011. Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological disorder that gradually deteriorates.  It was proven that if a patient inhaled a concentrated cloud of insulin through the nose, twice a day it appears to slow down or even in some cases reverse the symptoms of memory loss. This incredible study involved only 104 people. By inhaling the insulin it boosts the failing metabolism in important areas of the brain that could postpone or perhaps overturn the progression of this horrible disorder, in its early stages.  Insulin is a popular metabolic hormone, best known in treating diabetes.  After many studies, it was concluded that people with diabetes and pre-diabetes have a higher risk of Alzheimer’s.

Researchers from the Veterans Administration’s Puget Sound Health Care System in Washington decided to test the insulin on people without diabetes who had been diagnosed with mild Alzheimer’s. The study participants were separated into three groups: 36 of them inhaled 20 milligrams of insulin twice a day for four months, 38 got 40 mg twice a day, and 30 were given a saline solution. After two months of the treatment, the participants that were treated with 20 mg of insulin had better performance on a memory test. Even after two months without the insulin treatment, the gains persisted. I think this article is extremely important, because it shows the progress and importance of science and medicine. An estimated 5.4 million Americans are believed to have Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is a horrible disorder which can ruin someone’s life making them loose all their memories. This study will definitely help patients with Alzheimer’s and hopefully science will be able to conduct much more successful studies to improve the lives of many people with grave and terminal diseases.

"Mission Update"

      Throughout this week, we read the blog "Mission Update." The speaker of this blog is Steven Squyres. He is blogging about his experiences and excitement of the landing of Opportunity. The blog  is in 2006, during the landing on Mars. Clearly, the audience of this story is the world. Anyone on the Internet can be interested and read his blog. His whole purpose was to inform and to attract the audience's attention. The subject of the blog is the life on Mars, and the landing of Opportunity. Finally, throughout the entire blog his tone was excitement.

      The overall idea of this blog was to show Squyres's enthusiasm about the landing of Opportunity. Writing about his emotions about the events that occurred  must have been an amazing experience, especially because he was in space. We are extremely lucky, to have read this blog, because we saw the perspective of Squyres and how exciting it really is to be in space.  The most fascinating fact, was when the speaker was explaining the view of Mars. He was awestruck. This makes the reader want to go online and see some amazing pictures of Mars.

Mars

"Russian Plane Crash Highlights Air Travel Safety Issues"

  

             The “Russian Plane Crash Highlights Air Travel Safety Issues” article was written in The Los Angeles Times, by Sergei L. Loiko, on September 8, 2011(reporting from Moscow). Hockey is an incredibly important sport in Russia, just like football is an essential sport in America. On Wednesday, a premier Kontinental Hockey League team’s jet crashed into the Volga River shortly after takeoff. Even though Russia is powerful, its weakness is the substandard quality and safety of air travel. Aircrafts are a necessity for the economy to flourish. The Yakovlev-42 jet crash killed forty-three people, thirty-five of them being players, coaches and team officials, including eight crew members. Sadly, only one player and flight engineer survived, but with serious injuries. Many athletes passed away, including former NHL player Brad McCrimmon, who had just signed a contract to coach Lokomotiv after working as an assistant coach. The game was planned for Thursday and it was going to be his first time coaching as the head coach. The Kontinental hockey League was organized and sponsored by Russia. This crash may cause a huge damage in the league’s reputation.

After many investigations, it has been concluded that the jet crashed because of mechanical malfunction and human errors. Coincidently, this was not the only Russian aircraft that has crashed. In June, Tupolev-134 crashed on the highway trying to land. Forty-four people died.

This article is extremely important, because it informs people about the dangers of the Russian aircrafts. I never knew that the Russian airplanes are old, inefficient and that the pilots are not properly trained to save the airplane during an emergency. It is truly unsafe and dangerous to be on one of those aircrafts. It would be really unfortunate to lose more lives.  This article really caught my attention, because innocent lives were lost due to the lack of experience. After being introduced to this horrible news, I do not think I will ever travel in a Russian airplane. One of the aviation experts expressed his professional opinion stating, "I hate to say it, but the situation is so bad that planes will continue to crash.”

"A Journey Through Texas"

Throughout this week we read many stories.  In “A Journey Through Texas”, the speaker, Cabeza De Vaca writes about his journey in 1528, visiting various tribes in Texas. The purpose of this story was to inform the reader about the culture, lifestyle and customs of the diverse tribes. The subject of this story is exploration and knowledge. He was writing to the Spanish King and Queen, hoping that if he informed them about the tribes, he would be paid much more.  The tone changes throughout the story.   In the beginning it is informative and descriptive. Then it shows anger. Finally at the end of the story, the tone changes to happy.

While The Spanish group were in the first tribe, they acted mad and instilled fear in the people. Then, they started moving north, exploring the unique tribes and ideologies. The second tribe they visited was filled with naked people, who had nothing significant to give.  The group decided to continue their journey towards the north. They endured seventeen days without food.  Following their harsh journey, they found a friendly tribe, between two mountains.  The tribe lived in abounds, which were permanent huts. The people were extremely helpful and the Spanish group learned many of their customs. Cabeza De Vaca had finally encountered a tribe who had an abundance of maize. He had accomplished their goal.  

My Favorite Book

I have read many books throughout my school years. Out of all those books my favorite one was the Kite Runner. The narrator, Amir remembers an event that happened twenty-six years before. He was still a boy in Afghanistan. Before that event he had a very nice home in Kabul with his father. They had two servants. Ali and his son Hassan. Amir and Hassan were best friends. Everything in Amir's life was perfect, until Afghanistan's king was overthrown. After that, many horrible events occurred, but Amir did not treat Hassan as a friend anymore, yet only a servant. Amir moves to America and looses touch with Hassan, but when Amir finds out that Hassan died, he came back to Afghanistan. Rahim Khan told him the truth about his family. Hassan was truly his brother. That was not the only news he was told, he was also going to take care of  Hassan’s son Zohrab. After overcoming many difficulties to find Zohrab, Amir took him to America . Zohrab was traumatized from all the humiliation he was put through. He was extremely sad.He had lost his family. Amir wanted to make him happy and he knew what a great kite runner Hassan was. When Amir flew the kite, Zohrab smiled, reassuring him that everything would slowly get better. My favorite quote from the book was “For you, a thousand times over." Hassan had told Amir this when they were just little boys. It was ironic because, after twenty-six years, Amir was saying this specific saying to Hassan's son. He was trying to be like Hassan. He was ready to be Zohrab's father. This is my favorite book, because it shows how friends do betray each other, but at the end, they do not have to apologize. Their actions speak for themselves. I am not saying that it is right to lie or betray your friend, but if it does happen, try to make it up in a different way. I also really love how Amir and Hassan had a brotherly relationship in the beginning of the story. They portrayed what true friendship meanss. Even though Amir was a coward, Hassan was a loyal friend. I take him as an example, and try to be like him. Always loyal and honest.

Order

          I was pretty excited to see that we had a different blog post this week. We read Benjamin Franklin's autobiography and he had a very interesting chart. He had thirteen virtues he thought would make him reach moral perfection. I truly can not understand how a seventeen year old can come up with this, because I know I was pretty surprised.
             In the beginning of the week I made a small chart, with five virtues that I, personally thought I need to work on. Procrastination, saving, silence, honesty and kindness.

1.       Procrastination-not to do finish my work at the last second

2.       Saving- to not waste money or time

3.       Silence- say something, only if it is nice

4.       Honesty- to be honest, in a nice way

5.       Kidness-try to help other people in the time of need.

 I tried procrastination for the first two days. Clearly, it did not work very well, because I am writing this blog now. Next, I tried honesty. I do not like hurting people, but it is better to hurt someone with the truth, then comforting them with a lie. So, my sister asked me how she looks (she was sick). I was honest, but I was also very nice. I guess, i did a good job and she changed her outfit. That is one thing I can cross off my list. I thought that this assignment was going to be very easy, but it is so difficult, to keep up. This made me realize, that I probably can not be perfect but I can keep on trying.