Wired Magazine Article "Gone"

The article itself was very intriguing and related to a lot of the self identity issues addressed in Into the Wild, The Great Gatsby and Invisible Man. Such as the fact that the guy did not tell anyone where he was going not even his girlfriend or close relatives. He wanted to escape this "blindness" of reality and very see what the world was all about the way he wanted to. Also he sent letters to his family however he did so that they were not able to contact him in any way. He made up a fake name in order to start over and fresh. So that people would not judge him upon his title but his character. He saw this all as an adventure and would take the consequences that followed for his mistakes that he made along the way. However, with today's technology and knowledge people have access to, I do not believe a person would be able to 'disappear' from the digital world. Even if you were to wipe away all traces of you o the internet, people are trained to find people who do not want to be found ad I feel it would be impossible to just vanish from the world unseen or completely. And with the novels we have read so far it was hard even for Chris or Gatsby to completely erase their old life and create a new identity. For their past kept creeping up on them and eventually became known in the end. I feel you can try to escape being yourself or the world around but at some point it will catch up to you.

IR Blog Post 3 Twins on the way (3)

Facts:

1. 41 year old singer, Mariah Carey is carrying twins
2. Nick Cannon confirmed the news of his wife being pregnant on New York's 92.3 radio station
3. Carey had not told anyone before Nick shared this news to the world

http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/16/twins-on-the-way-for-mariah-carey-and-nick-cannon/

Questions:

1. Why did Nick decided to announce that his wife was pregnant on the radio?
2. Do they know the genders of the babies yet?

Link:
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20451078,00.html

IR Blog Post 3 The Forgotten Freshmen (2)

Facts:

1. The history of the tiny Democratic freshmen class have been overlooked compared to the history of the Republican.
2. 87-member class that gave the GOP its new majority
3. This class was also known as the Forgotten Nine

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46456.html

Questions:

1. How did the Democratic freshmen class get the nickname the Forgotten Nine?
2. Are they being forgotten because of the recent election of 2010?

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/04/dodd-presses-senate-fresh_n_670433.html

IR Blog Post 3 Tattoo for a Friend.. (1)

Facts:

1. 25 year old, Sean Stennett was gunned down through an apartment door
2. The shooter fired eight shots and many killed Sean
3. His final words were, "I'm going to miss this place". 

http://www.tattooblog.com/2010/12/tattoo-for-a-friend/

Questions:

1. Why did no one help Sean in his time of need? 
2. What was the shooter's intensions upon shooting Sean? Was it random or did they have a purpose?

Link: 

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/memorial-tattoo-designs.html

Theme #3 Reflection

1. I feel I did alright but not as well I would have liked. I thought my grade was higher because I put a lot of emotion and powerful statements to create a meaningful poem. I wanted to show how I view America and what we as a country have done throughout history.
2. I was able to use words to paint a picture for the reader of what our country has done wrong and that we need to take action and recognize our mistakes before future generations do the same. I enjoy using various words to create imagery in my poems and something that will open others to what we have overlooked.
3. Take a little more time on minor errors in my writing like capitalization, grammar and the way I used different words.

IR Post 2 What brings parties together? Doubts over bipartisanship (3)

Facts:

• Obama making a bipartisanship between both parties ( Democrats and Republicans)
• Tax cuts should not be extended for households earning more than $250,000
• The president's inconsistent efforts have left both parties wondering about his intentions

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/45784.html

Questions:

• Why do each party have doubts of Obama's intentions?
• What caused Obama to make this decision?

Link:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/obama-vows-redouble-efforts-bipartisanship/

IR Post 2 Snoring, sleep problems may signal heart risk (2)

Facts:

• Sleep problems could cause risk factors for heart disease and diabetes
• In the study, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh asked more than 800 people between the ages of 45 and 74 about the quality of their sleep
• Overall, 14 percent of the study participants developed metabolic syndrome

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/30/sleep.problems.health/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

Questions:

• What can those who snore help reduce their risk?
• Does snoring have any other harmful causes besides heart disease?

Link:
http://heartdisease.about.com/lw/Health-Medicine/Conditions-and-diseases/Why-Snorers-Should-Be-Tested-for-Heart-Disease.htm

IR Post 2 When You Wish Upon a Star (1)

Facts:

• Has 2,200 Disney related tattoos
• Wanted to remove all of them to start a new life
• 56 year old, George Reiger might be the biggest Disney fan

http://www.tattooblog.com/2010/11/when-you-wish-upon-a-star/

Questions:

• Why would you get that many tattoos based on Disney characters?
• What was Reiger's first tattoo?

Link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/17/us/17tattoo.html

IM Prologue

This picture reflects the prologue of Invisible Man and it shows the author, Ralph Ellison sitting in a cluttered room filled with objects surrounding him. Maybe to create the sense of isolation or trapped in his own world. And the lights above may represent the hope for African Americans or society looking down upon their race and they are just out of reach of the light.

IM Introduction, Ellison Bio, and UbD Post

Economics, geography and sociology have influenced Ellison's writing in many ways. His writing reflects the time period and the issues that were present during it. And it was all about seeking one's identity and what our purpose is in life. His voice is very strong and seems pride of his race and what they have struggled with and accomplished throughout history. He also talks about how invisible the character feels because of the color of his skin and racial discrimination. I feel as though he took his ideas of that particular time period and tried to put the reader in the shoes of someone who has been invisible for their entire life. He discusses a lot about barriers between race, religion, class, color and region, which I believe is a major reason why he decided to make a 581 page novel.  He wanted to make the reader aware of what he was trying to tell the world and reach out to individuals.

IR Blog Post 1 Compromise Benefits TV Viewers (3)

For more than two decades, television broadcasters and pay-television operators are taking part in the business deals of the marketplace. They use a process known as retransmission consent which boosts a staggering success rate. Almost 99 percent of these negotiations have been resolved and without disturbing the regular television service. Broadcast TV stations and pay-TV operators both are trying to reach a fair agreement which makes the system work so well. If one fails, the other will too. Each of these companies rely on the success of the other. Without the reinvestment of revenues, broadcasters viewers would have a lack of local news products and fewer people would pay for television. Most importantly, this retransmission revenue supports a local news and entertainment platform for more than 30 million Americans who are unable to get cable or simply can not pay for it.

Facts

• Retransmission consent- boosts a staggering success rate
• Broadcast TV stations and pay- TV operators rely on each other
• The retransmission helps the 30 million Americans who can not afford cable

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/45152.html

Questions
Why is the number of Americans who can not afford cable so high?
What is the reason for both the TV broadcast staions and pay-TV operators rely so heavily on each other?

Link
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/technology/129157-fix-broken-broadcast-retransmission-consent-system

IR Blog Post 1 Prince William gives Diana's ring to fiancee Kate Middleton (2)

Prince William is engaged to Kate Middleton and has given her the engagement ring of her mother Diana, Princess of Wales. This ring had a large sapphire surrounded by smaller diamonds which was last seen by the public when Charles and Diana announced their divorce in 1996. William and his fiancee have been dating since 2003 and rumor has it for years they were close to the decision of marriage. The wedding will take place in London in either the spring or summer of this year. The couple will live in Wales where William can continue to serve the Royal Air Force.

Facts

• Engagement ring of Princess Diana
• The ring was last seen when Charles and Diana divorced in 1996
• The couple have been dating since 2003

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/11/16/uk.prince.william.engaged/index.html?iref=NS1

Questions
Why did the couple decide until now to get married?
What was the reason behind choosing the location of the wedding? Where will it be held?

Link
http://stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com/2010/11/16/prince-william-gives-kate-middleton-diana%E2%80%99s-engagement-ring/

IR Blog Post 1-Please, No Puns. Please. (1)

This article is a blog about how some people get tattoos for all the wrong reasons. One story in particular  was that of Dustin Thut from Duncan, British Columbia, who caught the host's attention of the Ellen DeGeneres show after getting a tattoo of his boss on his back side in order to get a two dollar raise. Though he got the raise, he was quickly laid off. Ellen featured his story under "The most ridiculous thing I have ever, ever seen in my entire life."Afterwards, he was left with this tattoo of his ex-boss and no job.

Facts

• Got a tattoo of his boss in order to get a $2 raise
• Ellen DeGeneres featured his story on her show
• It became featured as "the most ridiculous thing I have ever, ever seen in my entire life."

http://www.tattooblog.com/2010/11/please-no-puns-please/

Questions 

Why do people get tattoos like the one Thut got?

What kind of person lays off their employee after giving them a raise? 

Link

http://www.oddee.com/item_96831.aspx

http://fun-zor.blogspot.com/2009/05/20-most-stupid-tattoos-ever.html

Theme #1 & #2 Reflection

1. I believe I did very well on both of my themes this marking period and I think the grade I received for each one was correct. I had some areas I could improve on but overall I feel I did a great job filling the requirements of the themes.
2. Some opportunity areas with me and my writing could be to explain more of what I want to get across to the reader.
3. I think I did very well with each theme, maybe I could add some more vocabulary throughout my writing and fix just minor mistakes like placement of commas and word choices. 

The Great Gatsby Final Project

1. http://lessonsoftoday2.wordpress.com/

2. The character Nick Carraway, from the Great Gatsby, lived the ‘good life’ in the novel through his occupation, eduation and being adored by many that teaches us the lessons of what makes a ‘good life’ in today’s society.

3. My partner and I were trying to show how Nick Carraway could be considered a model of the 'good life' and how his characteristics could be the lessons to what makes a 'good life' in today's society.
4. I was very familiar with using Wordpress.com because I have used it for art class. Yes, I would use it again because I know how to use it and it is a very good source in order to oraginze information.

5. Overall the whole project went well although we had some trouble trying to figure out what exactly we had to do and how we were going to use the character Nick to support our thesis. I would change how we oraginzied it and added some more details to the pages.

IR Project #1 Digital Storytelling

The Mirror Crack'd by Agatha Christie 

http://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/interests/irp-the-mirror-crack-d-4950433




1a. I chose to create a scrapbook using Mixbook.com for my Independent Reading project b. I wanted to show the old fashion style of that time period and the way Christie writes her murder mysteries c. Two of my most meaningful or descriptive parts are the actual look of the project and how the pictures I chose helped to represent the characters and events in the novel.

2a. I personally had some difficulties with the program in the beginning however as I got the hang of it I felt more comfortable with using it b. I learned a lot about placement and size while working with Mixbook.com and to really show what the book was all about c. Yes, I do like synthesizing the book in this way because it is a more interesting method in trying to convey the message in a book and also lets me explore my creative side as well.

3a. Yes, I did. I have read several of her books already but I found this one to be really interesting in a way that it can relate to The Great Gatsby. Her mysteries always keeps you on your toes and you expect what the outcome may be b. Based on what we will be read I will keep a novel that has to do with identity and what we can become.

Chapter 9 - Gatsby Reflection

What is the American Dream?

This whole novel is about pursuing the American Dream and how people's ideas on what the American Dream varies depending on what they set out to accomplish in life. It also has to do with the character's intentions especially in the Great Gatsby and the people who influence them to become something greater or worse off than they were before. The American Dream is to find happiness in whatever it is that makes you personally happy with your life. You go out wanting something however you may not always get it but you are that much closer for taking the steps to achieve it. And I think the American Dream is part of your lifestyle and where you see yourself. People spend their whole lives searching for this idea of the "American Dream", some are lucky enough to find it, others are not or have not realized it yet. Maybe its just an imaginary thing to make people want to achieve success in their lives and we are told this to make the society better in a way that everyone is trying to work to obtain this similar dream that we all are so desperately seeking. I believe we should honor this idea because it gives everyone a chance to become something bigger than themselves and room beyond the ordinary.

Gatsby- Chapter 3

I believe the 'good life' may refer to as a life that one would like to live. It really depends on that person and what they want to pursue in their lifetime and what inspires them each and every day. For me, it would be spent in a studio or gallery space looking and making art with all my ideas flow out of me creating something entirely new. In Fitzgerald's case, the 'good life' is to find something that is spontaneous and that makes you happy. For example, the people of the 1920's in The Great Gatsby find extravigant parties, cocktails and socializing what they considered to be the 'good life'. When comparing my definition to Fitzgerald's, we have very similar views on the subject however our ideas in which we describe them are different. The 'good life' can mean something to one but not the other.

UbB & Scott Fitzgerald

I think some themes we may study this marking period are struggles throughout life or self, family, culture, identity and relationships between characters. And some important elements of 'BK' that I think I should take from these readings is using the author's dialogue and context clues you can be able to see how these characters react with one another and you get some insight into who they are. Also, the author can help you realize the bigger picture by using techniques such as descriptive language and dialogue or understand the idea he/she is trying to convey to the reader. This ultimately helps you become a better reader and develop this skills to improve.

Independent Reading Section 1 & 2

The Mirror Crack'd

Agatha Christie

9/30/10: p.1-62 Ch. 1-8
10/18/10: p.62-151 Ch.8-16
10/28/10: p.151-216 Ch.16-23

Summary-
So far the novel is about a older woman named Miss Marple who is one of Agatha Christie's famous detectives along with Hercules Poirot. Her story starts off by describing Miss Marple's longing to tend to her garden more. And the theme of new v. old emerges as "The Development" is changing the world around her with new house and she addresses this by discussing the characteristics of her neighbors and friends. For example, whenever Miss Marple refers to something new, Cherry Baker comes into the conservation 'she was one of the detachment of young wives who shopped at the supermarket and wheeled prams about the quiet streets of St. Mary Mead.' Mrs.Bantry is invited to the house that is now owned by a famous director and actress (Jason Rudd and Marina Gregg) and later on only a selected few are allowed to attended a party held here. This event begins the climax of the story as during the evening a guest is mysteriously murdered.

Setting: Village of St. Mary Mead

Characters: Miss Marple (main character and detective), queen Marina Gregg (just mentioned in section), Ann Protheroe/ Colonel Protheroe, Cherry Baker, Miss Knight and the Development.

Post # 2

Characters: Heather Badcock, Jason Rudd, Mrs. Bantry and Ella Zielinsky.

Theme/Message/Main Point- new v. old and change.

Plot/ Topic- someone is murdered at the Gossington Hall and Miss Marple must figure out what happened to Heather Badcock.

Project-

Scrapbook:
-10 pages
-Characters, Two pictures/ two pieces of text per page, purpose/main plots events, setting, conflict and historical context

Hills Like White Elephants

This story is set in Spain and the couple that is introduced to the reader are at a train station. They are discussing the issue of abortion over drinks. The man addressed as 'The American' does not want the woman Jig to have the baby however he constantly tells her that he wants her to be happy and will do whatever she wants to do. The woman's tone in this story suggests that she respects herself and is trying to make up her mind on this decision though she loves him and wants to keep the baby, their relationship seems strained and he does not want this period of fun and travel to end with the responsibility of caring for a child.

What is Your Flavor?

The movies I enjoy watching are action-packed, plenty of mystery and a lot of horror. These three genres of movies I like because they make you think and usually involve an interesting plot twist or something you did not think was possible to happen or a character to do. Some books I like to read are mainly fiction and stories that the character ends up changing or developing as an individual because of the experience him/ her have encountered. And though I have not listened to books on tapes since I was little, I would like to read the same genres as hard back books.