Literature Is Powerful

2011-04-14T16:48:00.001-04:00

http://www.good-parenting-skills.com/wp-content/themes/classic/www.html

My Final Reflection On Paparazzi

2008-06-03T10:54:00.008-04:00

So as I end my research on paparazzi interfering with the life of celebs, I learned a lot about them.Well, I come to a conclusion that paparazzi can be bad people but they also can be helpful and useful people. They can be bad people because they go way to deep into celebs personal lives. Paparazzi can get embarrassing things from celebs like nights at the club and bar, or like pictures that celebs wouldn't like to be in the magazines. There can be pictures that paparazzi take are kind of horrible to show off to the world. Like for example, when paparazzi took a picture of Paris Hilton coming out of the car and paparazzi took a picture of something way to embarrassing and horrible. Paparazzi can also be helpful and useful to the world like getting good pictures of celebs with there married couple and kids. Also pictures like celebs new born babies or celebs that are pregnant, or with their new couples. That's good things that paparazzi good.

But I also learned that paparazzi don't only take pictures, they go to celebs awards (MTV awards, BET awards and like movie awards) and talk to some celebs about things. Things on like info on there life or on celebs new songs or what they are looking forward to see at the awards. Or when they want to talk to celebs and its not at an award show they start to chase the celebs and try to force the celebs to answer the paparazzi questions. Paparazzi can sometimes get good answers from the paparazzi and put it in a magazine. But sometimes paparazzi seems to get mad because they probably cant get that kind of answers they want from the celebs.

When I see paparazzi on T.V. chasing celebs, I see that celebs push the paparazzi out their way or celebs try to cover up which hardly works.Like for example, Miley Cyrus first kiss picture. I guess someone [another paparazzi] has that picture and wants $150,000,000 for that picture.Its really stupid that paparazzi really hunt for pictures they really want. That is really ridiculous! Paparazzi are way too much.But at the same time they are doing their job. I understand being a paparazzi could be a good job because you get paid plenty of money but on the other side probably being a paparazzi can be a difficult thing because they cant get exactly what they want.

As I try and look for some more answers for this certain question (Do paparazzi have a boss or are they their own boss?) . I searched everywhere on the Internet to find what I want but I really didn't find any answers. But in my opinion, I think that they probably have a boss because who would pay they? Do they go to other paparazzi and sell their celeb pictures to them or IDK! Its hard to look for something certain online and you cant get the right answer.

Final Thoughts On Strained Parent/Child Relationships

2008-05-27T11:24:00.010-04:00

As my research comes to an end, I cant help but be amazed about all the information I have gathered and learned. By observing three different families, I have found many similarities, but yet many differences between each. Weather it's an issue with patience, the surrounding environment, or just a conflict of interest, all parents and children fight. But I honestly believe it's wrong to hit a child because you have no patience with them. If that's the case, maybe you shouldn't have had any kids in the first place. But maybe it's because of your surrounding environment. If it is, then try and get out of that environment. You can only better yourself and your relationship with your parents. Where is the harm in that?! If it's a conflict of interest, try solving the problem by talking to one another one on one. If that doesn't work, try going to a counselor or something to make the relationship better.

I have also learned that a brain area, called the amygdala, is known to be linked to the conflicts in teens. A research done at the University of Melbourne's Orygen Research Center in Australia reports that the areas of the brain may have a special link when it comes to teens who regularly fight with their parents. After participating in a problem-solving task that was designed to create conflict, 137 teens underwent a MRI brain scan to measure the the size of their amygdala. They found that the larger the amygdala, the more likely the kids were to fight with their parents. After the study, they found that children whose amygdala were larger were more likely to spend a longer amount of time being aggressive or angry with their parents during an interaction, so there was a relation to the size of the amygdala and how angry or aggressive the child was during the interaction.

Getting a teenager (and expecting mother) opinion really helped a lot too. My friend Gloria, who is turning 19 in August, and expecting her first child that same month, has given me her insight on my topic. She isn't like a lot of people out in the world now-a-days. She is expecting to do good for her baby, and give her a good life, and try to discipline her the best she can without hitting her when she gets older. She believes one-on-one talking would help, but if it doesn't, she would advise people to go to counseling to try and make the relationship better. She, just as some people believe both parties are at fault. Some kids try to become distant from their parents because they just want to do their own thing, etc. But at the same time, parents can strain the relationship by neglecting their child, and abuse the child in any way, shape, or form, etc.

I believe I have just reached the beginning of my research. I believe there is more information out there that I could really use in the future, so many more facts, so many more opinions, so much more news. I will continue my research only for the simple fact that I believe I have NOT completely answered my essential question!

Interview With A Child About Parent/Child Conflicts

2008-05-22T11:08:00.005-04:00

I have interviewed Gloria Gonzalez about conflicts between parents and their children. This is what she had to say...

Me:" Do you know a parent or parents who has a strained relationship with their child(ren)?"
Gloria: "Yes I do."

Me: "How did the relationship get strained in the first place?"
Gloria: "My cousin is 10 and has ADHD, and because they're hyper and have a mind of their own, my aunt obviously doesn't have any patience with him so she gets stressed because of it and ends up getting mad and starts hitting him."

Me: "Do you think one-on-one communication would help the situation?"
Gloria: "I think it depends because they fight a lot. But it could work."

Me: "Do you think therapy would be a better choice?"
Gloria: "Yes. This way they could get their ideas out in a more healthy way in a more non-hostile environment."

Me: "What do children do to strain the relationship?"
Gloria: "I believe when children get older, they become more distant from their parents and choose not to get along with them, they backtalk, and don't talk to their parents about things that probably need to be talked about."

Me: "What do parents do to strain the relationship?"
Gloria: "Some parents neglect their children, they physically, emotionally and verbally abuse their children, they could spoil their children when they're younger and just automatically stop, or they could be too strict."

Me: "How should parents discipline their children in order to have a safe, healthy, loving relationship with their children?!"
Gloria: "Time-out when they're little, talking, grounding as they get older. But absolutely NO HITTING whatsoever."

Me: "Once you have a good relationship with your parents (or children) how can you maintain it?"
Gloria: "Conversations on a regular basis, family dinners, family time (bonding), apologizing for everything you put them through."

my final thoughts.....

2008-05-22T10:59:00.002-04:00

so my journey on teen pregnancy is finally over but i just want to share a couple more things. my essential question in the beginning was what can be done about teen pregnancy? well my answer to that is that most teenage girls are more concerned with finding love and not paying attention to whats really important and what i think is important is talking i think thats the best thing you could do.

some important things that i have learned are the fact that most girls get pregnant and the guy either leaves or the girl has the baby and the parents make her give it away. I learned that some girls actually try and commit suicide because they dont know what to do and their all alone and under alot of stress.

My search was relly successful because i found alot of neat websites and they had alot of good information and alot of interesting facts that i didnt know. Im glad i picked this topic beacaue if i hadent i wouldnt have found out all the interesting stuff that i did. teen pregnacy is a reallly good topic to talk about because it might help someone who is going through it.

What i plan to do with all this information that i found is use it and to answer questions that i myself may have in the future or other people. I dont know everything about teen pregnancy but i do know some things and i would love to share. Teen pregnancy is a topic thats always gunna be around and the right thing to do is to just help people in need and thats what i plan to do with the information. I plan to help and everyone else should to.

Most teenage girls are looking for help when they are pregnant.some may have families who would support her and their may be some girls that dont have families who would support her. Thats why their are those places where girls can go for help. so they need us.

my final thoughts on "straight guys being more gay"

2008-05-21T17:19:00.006-04:00

So.. I've learned a lot while doing my research on straight guys being more gay. In other words, did you ever notice how good of a connection a straight girl, and a gay guy have? Well a lot of girls are hoping to have that same connection with a straight guy as well. So to be more gay, I think means to be more open, maybe more sensitive, and more caring towards a friendship with a member of the opposite sex. Mainly straight guys towards girls, because guys don't seem to have the same problem that girls do with this situation.

I think my topic was very missunderstood by a couple of people. But the people who understood where I was coming from made a lot of good points, and agreed with my point of view. Just because a straight guy shows his sensitivity to a girl, doesn't mean that he's doing it for all the wrong reasons. Sometimes, yeah they do. But if a guy really cares about a girl, then he isn't doing it for all the wrong reasons.

A lot of people actually got where I was coming from though, I was a little nervous to do this topic at first because I thought I was going to get a lot of weird reactions from a lot of people. But the more I talked about it with people the more I realized that a lot of people feel that straight guys could be "more gay". The way it's worded throws people off... but when they actually understand the meaning of the question, they weren't so awkward about it. I talked to a lot of guys, who said that when it comes to to their friendship with their girl friends, not their guy friends, that yeah maybe they could be "more gay". Shaun commented one of my posts, and I liked how he put it. He said that maybe we don't want guys to be more gay, but just sort of "gayish". And I thought that was maybe a better way to put it.

I realized that most guys, think they always have to be tough, and that they can't show their sensitivity, because it would make them look "soft", or whatever you want to call it. But then again, there are also some guys that are already that way, and they don't care what people say. Those are the guys that are really good friends.

I don't think my question will ever be 100% answered, because it does go beyond the sensitivity to something, I'm not really sure what that is though. I just know that if guys could see things through a girls eyes, they would see how much girls would value their friendship if they would just try harder. They see how girls act with gay guys, and how they connect with them, and how much fun they have with them, and sure there are some that can act that way, without feeling gay, but the ones who can't should try. I've said before, that I don't have this problem, because I tend not to really get along with a lot of girls anyways, so I have a lot of guy friends, some who are gay, some who can act "gayish", and some that aren't "gayish" at all. And I connect with each of them the same way, some more than others, but the gay ones, and the ones who can act "gayish", are much easier for me to talk to about more personal things, like the things that bother me. The straiht ones, and the ones that don't act "gayish", are a little harder to try to talk about the personal things with.

wow horrible thing

2008-05-21T11:01:00.002-04:00

so i found this really interesting fact about teen pregnancy and it stated that most girls end up giving the baby up for adoption. most girls get caught up in their lives and they wanna do what they think is best for them or sometimes they have to do what their parents say. most teenagers talk it over with each other and some dont it all depends on the person. anyway i looked on google some more and looked up teen pregnancy and things that can prevent it and it stated that abstience is one way or birth control but you dont got to listen to them. how you choose to handle it is your business. They also stated that you should talk to your partner before it happens and if you dont just make sure you talk weither its before or after. Its very important that you communicate with your partner. Each teenagers mind is dfferent. and each of them have a differnt way of handeling things. FOR example this girl on the web site talks about how her boyfriend was there for her the whole time and he was very supportive because he knew the responsibility he has now. Then their was this other girl talking about how her boyfriend said that he couldnt do it that he wasnt ready to be a father and that he was sorry. That girl is now leftby herself to take care of it which isnt righ but thats how somethings turn up sometime. but the girl knew she would never give up.

okay so...

2008-05-21T10:56:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I typed in "fag hags" in the search engine on yahoo, and a wikipedia site came up. The definition on the wikipedia site for fag hags is the slang term for a woman who either associates mostly or exclusively with homosexual men, or is best or good friends to a gay man or men. It also says that "fag hags" are "frequently stereotyped as outgoing women who are seeking a substitute for heterosexual relationships, or who are secretly attracted to gay men. In fact, many women who identify s fag hags are already in romantic relationships, either with straight men or women but appreciate the alternative experience of socializing with gay men." That was copied directly from wikipedia.

I noticed that most people seem to think that my topic is about the sensitivity of a straight guy, compared to that of a gay guy, and yeah I guess that's part of it, but thats not all of it. My topic goes beyond just the sensitivity. It's about the relationship that girls seem to have with gay guys, that they don't really have with straight guys. I have realized that most straight guys aren't sensitive towards girls, but there are some that can be. I have a lot of straight guy friends, and a couple gay guys as friends too, and my relationship with the straight guys is just about the same as the guy gays, because some of the straight guys actually can be sensitive.

I understand that with guys, they don't want to show their sensitivity, because they think they will be made fun of, or that it will make them seem less manly. Or whatever it may be, but at the same time, why is it such a big deal?

Like I've said before, I don't personally have this problem, but I do know a lot oif girls who feel like they have trouble relating to straight guys, as friends, sometmes even more. So maybe if the straight guy was willing to be "more gay" then it would make things easier for both the girls and the guys.

Did You Know.. That A Brain Area Might Hold the Key To Teen Conflicts?!

2008-05-16T10:55:00.012-04:00

I was searching the web and came across this website that had a lot of helpful information on my topic. The website showed that there was a recent study that was done, revealing that an area of the brain may be a reason why teens conflict with their parents. "some teens seem to seek out conflict with their parents more than others" (Dan Childs, ABC News Medical Unit). A new Research draws a link between teens' arguments with their parents and the size of their amygdala (a specific brain structure linked to emotions. Researchers believe the amygdala "may hold the key to how aggressive teens act toward their parents" (Childs).

This area of the brain is heavily involved in emotional responses and is linked to the "fight-or-flight" behaviors that typify our bodies responses to emergency situations (Childs). A research done at the University of Melbourne's Orygen Research Center in Australia reports that the areas of the brain may have a special link when it comes to teens who regularly fight with their parents. After participating in a problem-solving task that was designed to create conflict, 137 teens underwent a MRI brain scan to measure the the size of their amygdala. They found that the larger the amygdala, the more likely the kids were to fight with their parents.

"one of the things we found in our study was the children whose amygdala were larger were more likely to spend a longer amount of time being aggressive or angry with their parents during an interaction, so there was a relation to the size of the amygdala and how angry or aggressive the child was during the interaction" (Nick Allen, associate professor at the University of Melbourne's School of Behavioral Science).

But the findings are already being debated among child development experts. Some are concerned that the research could lead to a conclusion that it is the large amygdala of aggressive teens that necessarily fuels conflict, when a number of biological and social factors may be to blame.

"The problem with this kind of research is that it is correlational and only demonstrates an association. Even though not explicitly said, the underlying tendency is to assume this means causation -- in other words, that the structural changes cause aggression" (Merritt Schreiber, UCLA National Center for Child Traumatic Stress). "It says nothing about cause at all or interaction among factors leading to the results, which is likely extremely complex. I'm not even certain there is much agreement as to what the size of the amygdala indicates, or how good the data is on normal amygdala size in adolescence" (Daniel Kupper, assistant clinical professor of psychology and psychiatry at UCLA).

Still, some child development experts say that the findings make sense, given what's already known about the amygdala. "Amygdala over function creates a propensity to overreact to ... stressors and difficulty in disengaging in conflicts. Like firefighters rushing into a burning building while the rest run out, teens with biologically based over reactivity tend to be attracted to conflict, exacerbate out of it, and not be able to think their way out of it. Parents can learn to understand their children's violent behavior as a symptom of an underlying dysfunction rather than a sign of poor character or an indictment of bad parenting" (Kendall Johnson, a clinician in private practice in California and author of the books "Trauma in the Lives of Children" and "Dealing with Classroom Crisis").

"Focusing too much on the size of one particular brain structure -- and not enough on a multitude of other biological and social factors -- would be tantamount to ignoring 40 years of research on other factors that could contribute to teen aggression. These factors include parenting practices and media influences" (Schreiber).

"Ignoring these parts findings could misdirect parents in dealing with their teens' problems with aggression. More and more malfunction is being attributed to ill-understood deviations in morphology and physiology. This may have one possible benefit -- to reduce parents' feelings of self-blame. But until we know a lot more, I think thees are by far outweighed by the dangers in 'labeling' these adolescents as abnormal and doomed to conflict. We have so much established knowledge of the tremendous significance of family function, environmental pressures and education on these behaviors that I choose to stay with these explanations" (Dr. Barbara Korsch, professor of pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California).

Childs, Dan. "Rebellious Teen? A Brain Area May Hold the Key." 02 25 2008 20 May 2008

an interesting fact

2008-05-15T11:29:00.001-04:00

so i went on wikipedia and looked up teen pregnancy and i found out alot of interesting facts about why teenage girls are ending up pregnant. There was stories from other girls nd their sides to the story. They were talking about how their parents made them have an abortion and then their were other stories where their boyfriends or guys they became involved with would tell them that it would be all them if they got pregnant.I find that wrong because it would be their baby to so i think they should help even if they dont want to be with the girl. every day their are teenage girls getting pregnant and having to decide wat to do and where their gunna go from now. I think that most girls are scared to talk to someone and i think that they really should. when i went to google and typed in teen pregnany and lots and lots of web sites poped up because their are tons of girls telling their story.

my research on teen pregnancy

2008-05-14T11:06:00.006-04:00

so my research on teen pregnsncy is going really well im learning alot of things that i never knew. alot of the things that im learning have alot to do with our society now and most girls now are actually keeping the baby because back then they didnt end up keeping the baby. either they werent ready or hey just didnt want it. i think that alot of the time the girl freaks out but in all "natural studies" the girl wants the baby put the parents or the guy makes her give it away.

Research on to see if there is any kind of movies on my topic on Paparazzi [[4th blog post]]

2008-05-13T21:09:00.014-04:00

I went on Google and search paparazzi movies. I didn't know there are movies based on paparazzi. There's a movie that's called Paparazzi is based on my topic. The last post I did was about are paparazzi the reason for some celebs death? And this movie goes great with that post. This movie is about The film chronicles the life of a popular Hollywood movie star in the aftermath of a tragic car accident caused by four paparazzo tabloid. This movie was said to be thrilling! Paparazzi in this movie were called relentless, ruthless and even criminals. I went on Google and I searched information on the movie paparazzi and I went and clicked on a certain one that sound interesting (http://www.epinions.com/content_155397099140). In a paragraph on that page it talks about paparazzi even more. There is a lot of information on the paparazzi and the information on there is really interesting and it tells me more about the paparazzi and there job taking pictures and getting dirt from the paparazzi. I wanted to see if their were people that watch this movie before and get a review from them. I haven't got one person that watch this movie. So I went on Google, searched for reviews on the movie Paparazzi and some people said it was a good movie, some people said it was misunderstood and some people said it was just rediculous on some parts of the movie. People said its crazy how the actors of the paparazzi in the movie are similiar as the real paparazzi. People said its really rediculous how the paparazzi go crazy for just a stupid picture. But I know that those photos that they take worth a lot of money, but they need to calm down a lot more.

3rd research post...

2008-05-13T11:05:00.002-04:00

So, I was reading this thing on "yahoo answers" about a gay guy who is openly gay, and he's in 8th grade. He's about to graduate and go to high school, but he is worried because he doesn't have any straight guy friends, and says all straight guys that he knows think that he has some kind of disease or something. And he wants to make straight guy friends to go through high school with but he is afraid that none of the guys in high school will want anything to do with him, just because he is gay. I think thats wrong for guys to not want to talk to, or associate with him, just because he likes guys, & not girls. He said he isn't looking for a boyfriend, just friends. So I don't see what the big deal is. That didn't really have all that much to do with my topic, but I found it interesting, because in a way it does relate to my topic. Because in my opinion if the straight guys, who don't want to be his friends were more like him, maybe more sensitive, if thats what you want to call it, then they would be more open & understanding of his preference, & not even judge him as a person or as a friend by the fact that he's not interested in girls.

2nd research post

2008-05-09T11:24:00.002-04:00

So I was trying to find information on my topic on yahoo, or google.. but I had a really hard time finding information about it. There's not much you can put in the search engine about straight guys being "more gay", and expect to get a serious response on the topic. But I did find this one website, I think it was on yahoo, where people were asking the question how straight guys feel about gay guys, and stuff like that, and people were replying to the questions about how they felt. A lot of guys said they don't like it, but then some guys said they don't have a problem with it. Girls were also commenting on it saying that they really like gay guys, and that straight guys should be more sensitive and act more like the gay guys do. So I found that there are other people, who are also curious about my topic, and that theres also a few people that see things from my point of view as well.

Research Of The Life Of Paparazzi & Celebs [3rd post]

2008-04-28T11:01:00.008-04:00

Paparazzi go crazy to take a exciting picture of a celeb. I went on Google and I found an interesting site that talks about Princess Diana fatal crash that people say that paparazzi killed her or made that crash happened. This article sites that judge clearing pursuing photographers [[paparazzi]] some believed contributed to this wreck (Stephan). That's what I mean when I say paparazzi are crazy. They made that happened because they try to go really deep in her business. I wonder if paparazzi are the cause of some celebs death. Paparazzi need to calm down a little on their job.
I ask some people do paparazzi go way to far? I interview some people and out of the majority of them at least 60% said yes they go way to far on things. Most of them think they should call paparazzi murders and that the press is half the reason that stars turn to drugs and alcohol, it is probably the only way to escape the constant hounding. Paparazzi are dreadful!! They are some sneaky photographers. Paparazzi should have a limit before they become stalkers.For example like they should have a limit on how much pictures they take from each celeb or like they shouldn't get pictures on like really dirty stuff on celebs. My next thing I'm going to research on like are there any kind of movies out or been out that deal with paparazzi?.

Humi, Peter. "Judge clears photographers implicated in Diana crash." CNN September 3, 1999 20 May 2008 .

1st research post

2008-04-22T11:20:00.005-04:00

I've done some research on my topic, I asked girls & guys both how they feel about how girls tend to feel more comfortable, get along better & have more fun with gay guys than they do with straight guys. I honestly don't have the same problem that most girls do with guys because I get along with straight guys better than I do with girls anyways, because a lot of girls are just full of drama, & all they do is talk about other girls, because their jealous, or they just want to judge them for no reason. & that causes problems, that I don't want or need. But even though I can get along with straight guys & communicate with them well, I still love gay guys. A lot. I'm not saying that girls want to date a guy that acts "more gay", but in ways they do want them to be more sensitive towards them, because I do know of a lot of girls who have problems understand straight guys, & feel like most straight guys have a problem understanding them, or that the straight guys don't even want to try to understand them. I've asked a few straight guys their opinions on how they feel about being "more gay" or trying to be able to understand girls better, & girls understanding them better, & I also asked some girls if they would feel more comfortable around the straight guys or like hanging out with them more if they were more like gay guys, & all of the girls said yes, & the majority of the guys even said that they'd be willing to be "more gay".

2nd post

2008-04-22T11:19:00.002-04:00

I am researching the topic teen pregnancy and ive learned that so many teenage girls are becoming pregnant at such a young age. I think that teenagers should be using some type of birth control to prevent pregnancy. or they should wait till marrage. lots of teenage girls are ending up pregnant and i think they should be more responsible and think about all the consequences and what might happen. I Think that the girl and the boy should talk before doing anything. That could really make a difference.

My Research On Paparazzi And Celebs [2nd Post]

2008-04-22T11:18:00.004-04:00

I've done some research on my topic on paparazzi and celebs and I learned more and more about them. I never knew how much they make or who are they. I went on yahoo answers to see how much people would agree or disagree on should paparazzi leave celebs alone ? And I found out that most of the people on yahoo answers say that why should they leave the celebs alone because all that money the paparazzi make wont they get in trouble. But some of the people on yahoo answers say that they should leave them alone in some ways. They shouldn't be way to nosy on their personal lives. Then I researched on how much paparazzi get paid. I never knew they made so much money on just one picture on a celeb. They can earn $10,000-$15,000 for a shot of a celeb. No wonder they go inside celebs business to find dirt about them. But in a way should paparazzi do that? Why cant paparazzi go to regular people and get inside their business. I think I wouldn't like my personal business out there. I asked some people would they like to have paparazzi taking pictures of them or getting bad news about them and put it out there to the world ? Most People say they would get violent with the paparazzi and a couple of people would like to get there business out there to the world so they could get more and more famous. But sometimes in my opinion, paparazzi should leave a couple of things alone on the celebs.

Observations of Strained Relationships

2008-04-18T13:29:00.003-04:00

One day, I decided to go to my sisters house to study the actions between her and my niece. My sister has absolutely no patience for my niece any my niece knows it. Every time my sister asks my niece to do something, she talks back, whines and cries, throws a temper tantrum or just ignores her completely. My sister gets mad and starts to scream and yell at her, sometimes taking it too far by hitting her. What I have noticed is teen mothers (or women who were mothers when they were a teen) really dint have much patience for the child(ren). Maybe they could either learn patience or they could go for help (i.e. being a family member, a friend or a therapist.).

I was also talking to my boyfriend the other day about his "home life." I got a little insight about why he has a strained relationship with his parents. When he was growing up, he was in and out of trouble in school and in his neighborhood because of his life at home. His parents split and his mother married some other man and had his little sister, then got divorced and got back together with his father. In between all that commotion going on in his life, I guess it got so bad he couldn't take it anymore and started staying out of the house for a couple weeks at a time and eventually dropped out of school at the age of 16. Now 18, he is the one who is pretty much holding his family together. His father works long hours everyday, his mother finds things for herself to do, his little brother, 15, doesn't even go to school anymore because he thinks he has better things to do, and his little sister, 6, goes to school but is too young to understand the current situation. My boyfriend was forced to grow up fast and without any help. He takes care of his sister more than anybody in his house. He gets her up, fed, dressed and out for the bus in the morning and gets her off the bus in the afternoon. In a way, I believe somewhere in the future he will be thankful that he grew up and matured faster, but right now, his sanity is at stake.

As for me, I sat down and had a heart-to-heart talk with my mother. We talked about how our relationship got to the point it was at, about the little things that bother us, and how we can improve our relationship. We realized that me being in the house a lot is what is getting me so aggravated and tense, because if I have a bad day or something, I tend to keep it inside of me and let it eat me up inside and just snap at any given time. So we are trying to do our parts to change and improve our relationship.

WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT TEEN PREGNANCY?

2008-04-17T11:00:00.001-04:00

The topic that i choose was teen pregnancy and the reason I chose this topic was because I'm curious to know why so many teenage girls aren't using birth control and getting pregnant. I know that some girls feel pressured into saying yes and they think that they could fit in better if they were doing what everybody else was doing. Some girls feel pressured by their boyfriends because they don't want their boyfriends to go find somebody else that will do it. I think that something should be done about the fact that girls are getting pregnant at such young ages. My opinion is that they should do it because they want to, and to be safe about it, but I think that people should be waiting until their older and ready to do it. What can be done about teen pregnancy? Why are so many getting pregnant at such a young age? Why are so many teenage girls not on birth control?

HOW DO YOU MAKE STRAIGHT GUYS MORE GAY?

2008-04-11T11:06:00.004-04:00

From experience, I've realized, that girls get along with gay guys so much better than they do with straight guys. For example, I like to hang out with gay guys a lot because they are a lot more fun to be around than the straight guys a lot of the time. They're a lot easier to talk to, because they connect with you on a higher level than most straight guys do. A lot of the time, straight guys don't really care what we have to say, because they don't want to hear our issues, but yet we have to sit there and listen to theirs. You can also talk to gay guys, about straight guys because they actually can relate to that too when the straight guy can't.

I'm not saying that I'd rather date a gay guy, or trying to say that I want straight guys to be gay, I'm just saying that they should learn to deal with us like we deal with them. They should try being a little more sensitive, and try to understand us, the way we try to understand them. I just think that straight guys should share their feelings more, instead of hiding them, maybe then us females could feel more comfortable talking to them about serious issues. How do you make straight guys more gay? What is it about the gay men that girls get so drawn to?

Paparazzi And Celebs: Before The Search

2008-04-11T11:02:00.004-04:00

-Why are celebs getting attack by paparazzi when they do something like drugs or getting pregnant at a young age?

When I first notice that celebs were getting attack by paparazzi, it was kind of annoying me. I notice these things on television and also on websites. Its kind of personal that all the information that the paparazzi get on tape. I would hate that all my business would get known all over the world. But if life was kind of different, like we non-celebs would not like stuff like that. That's my opinion. I think us people would get violent with the paparazzi unlike the celebs which they just ignore them like their not there. Why can they have normal like without people knowing there personal life?

Foundation Questions: 1] Why don't regular people (non-celebs) get attack by paparazzi when something bad happens

2] Do celebs hate when they get expose about there personal life?

3] If life was to be different, like paparazzi are going after non-celebs, would we (non-celebs) like it? Would we be violent to the paparazzi?

4] What are some impacts on the celebs and paparazzi?

What Steps Can We Take To Improve A Strained Relationship Between Parents And Their Children: Before The Search

2008-04-11T10:54:00.004-04:00

Honestly, I became interested in this topic because I pretty much live through it every day, whether it's in my life or some body else's life that I care about. In my situation, I get into arguments with my mother almost everyday over little, stupid things that end up getting blown out of proportion, my sister has no patience with my niece so she yells and screams at her everyday, and my boyfriend pretty much has no healthy relationship with his parents at all. He grew up in hostile environment, moving from house to house, neighborhood to neighborhood. Through all that time, he started to develop habits of his environment, causing a strain on his relationship with his parents. Now, I don't know if he could fix his relationship with his parents of if its lost forever..

I really don't know much about this topic. If I did, I think I'd have a better relationship with my mother instead of the grief and aggravation between her and me right now.

In order to answer my essential question, I think I would have to find the answer to the following questions:

How did the relationship get strainned in the first place?!
Do you think one-on-one communication would help the situation?!
Do you think therapy would be a better choice?!
Why do most parents try to be friends instead of parents?!
What do children do to strain the relationship?!
What do parents do to strain the relationship?!
How should parents discipline their children in order to have a safe, healthy, loving relationship with their children?!
Once you have a good relationship with your parents (or children) how can you maintain it?!

last onr..

2008-03-13T20:54:00.000-04:00

After reading "Remember Me" by Christopher Pike, I didn't really like my book. I thought it was interesting at first, but then towards the end I didn't really like it much. It was kind of confusing, and I didn't really get it. I wish I would have picked another book.

more..

2008-03-13T20:41:00.002-04:00

In my book, Shari met a another spirit, that she went to school with, to help her find her killer before he/she killed again. Shari didn't commit suicide, she was pushed off a balcony. And after investigating enough, and retracing her footsteps, Shari finds out who killed her.

pages 20-65

2008-03-13T20:38:00.002-04:00

So far in my book, they have gone to the party, and it isn't really very interesting yet because they still haven't given enough clues to who the person who killed Shari was. And it was getting kind of annoying because I want to know who did it. But right now they are only giving more information about the suspects, and not enough to know who actually killed her.

2008-02-26T21:16:00.001-05:00

N Is For Noose
By: Sue Grafton
Pages: 100-125

-Who was Tom Newquist and why was he respected in Nota Lake?

Kinsey, the investigator that Selma hired to investigate on Tom's death, she went to Nota Lake to ask people questions about Tom. Kinsey finds Nota Lake to be charming community. She finds out that Tom Newquist is a respected investigator on the local police force that was a tough and honest cop. Everyone in that town liked Tom but not his wife Selma for some reason. He was a hard worker that's why townsfolks liked him. But when everyone heard about his death they were saddened but not surprised. I wondered why anyone wasn't surprised. That's why Selma hired Kinsey to investigate on that. But I think Kinsey is not a good investigator. It seems like she's not trying harder on investigating in Tom's death.

-If you were an investigator working on this case would you try harder?
-Why do you think that the townfolks were not surprised on Tom's death?

Fate Is Finally Revealed

2008-02-26T20:26:00.002-05:00

M Is For Malice by Sue Grafton
pages 133-244

What about the plot? Did it pull you in; or did you feel you had to force yourself to read the book? Why?

To be quite honest, I thought the book was quite boring at first. The first few chapters made me sleepy and i had to force myself to read it, until i gave up on the book all together. But after given advice from my English teacher, Mr. Malley, I decided to keep reading. To me, the book just started getting interesting around the end.

That's when the plot started twisting and I finally started to understand everything that happened in the previous chapters and why. After forcing myself to read the book, I finally didn't have to anymore, because it was finally making sense to me. In the end, we learn of the fate of the missing brother and the will. And its all thanks to Kinsey Millhone, the private detective who was there for it all!

Tell me, Would you force yourself to read a book that you don't find appealing to you at all at first, or would you give up like I almost did?!

The Twist

2008-02-26T20:04:00.004-05:00

M is for Malice by Sue Grafton
pages 45-132

Is it written in the first person, third person, or perhaps the second person, or perhaps a combination? Is the story told from one point of view or many?

The book is written in first person perspective. The main character, Kinsey Millhone, tells the whole story. She tries to find a guy who has been missing for 18+ years and blah blah blah. (I'm not trying to tell you the plot of the book now!) She tells how she interacts with the mans brothers, her family and her old flame. She describes her every move, like when she goes for a run every morning, she explains where she runs and how she can feel her blood pulsing through her body because of her ritual cardio-exercise.

If you could explain one detail about your life, whether it be from the past or the present, what would you say?! How would you explain it?!

Group Blog...

2008-02-26T19:57:00.002-05:00

Our group chose to do the mystery genre because we thought it would be very interesting to do. With all the twists, turns and suspense, we could avidly enjoy our books. It turns out, we could read our books and not put them down, even if some parts were really boring.

Selma Newquist

2008-02-26T11:21:00.004-05:00

N Is For Noose
Author: Sue Grafton
Chapter 1

Selma Newquist seems like a disturbing person on how she looks though she is in her fifties. The way Kinsey Millhone [the detective] describes her makes her seem dirty. The back of Selma's hands were freckled with liver spots and ropy with veins. Her skin tones suggested dark coloring, but her hair was a confection of white-blood curls, like a cloud of cotton candy. Her hair looked sticky from all the hair spray she puts in her hair. Selma looks like she draws in her eyebrows with a red-brown pencil. To me I can see a image of Selma. She was a type of old lady that worked to hard , smoked to much and didn't exercise as much. Also she seems like she is never organized with her stuff. I think that Selma changed into a smoker and probaly the reason why she don't exercise as much because her husband Tom Newquist died.
-What kind of character you think Selma Newquist is?

The Downward Sprial

2008-02-26T11:05:00.003-05:00

M Is For Malice by Sue Grafton
pages 1-44

What genre is it? Is this a genre you're familiar with? Does the book 'break the mold' in any way?

The book I am reading is a Mystery. To be quite honest, I am not particularly familiar with Mystery novels, because they really aren't my thing. But I decided to try reading something new to me. So far I'm only on chapter 5, so I don't really know if i like it yet or not or if it breaks the mold in any way. But I will say, I'm interested in reading more to find out.

The main character is Kinsey Millhone. I think she is a good character. She seems so much like a real person how she has to deal with things on a daily basis. She has to deal with the stress from work, since she is a private detective and all, but she also has to deal with her emotions as well. She is just like any other person who has to deal with heartbreak, and just as she finally gets over it, he comes back into her life...

How do you think you would be able to manage emotionally if you had to work and get over somebody you loved for a long time, but they recently came back into your like? How do you think you could you change the situation?

N Is For Noose

2008-02-26T11:01:00.003-05:00

My book that I'm reading is called N Is For Noose written by Sue Grafton. I started reading this book but so far I think that my impressions of this book is appealing. I only go up to chapter seven and I like it so far. Some parts of this book is confusing, so I had to go back a few chapters and read it over again. This book is like a jigsaw puzzle. Also is a mystery. Mysteries are cool to read because you don't know whats going to happen next in the story. So far the detective's says that this is not a mystery on the death of Kinsey's husband. So I'm going to read this book more to find out more information on this mystery.

last blog

2008-02-14T10:22:00.002-05:00

so im finishing up my book and so far its ending really good they found out whats been going on at the camp and why all the weird stuff is happening. It wasnt really weird stuff tho kate just thought weird stuff was happening and when she heard or saw weird stuff happening she kinda took it as something else. like when there wasa guy peaking in the window she thought he was spying on the camp nurse when he was really checking to see if she was busy. and in the beginning there was a case of food poisoning but what really happened was that the hot chocolate was bad. so that explains why all this stuff was happening.

2nd post

2008-02-14T10:09:00.002-05:00

so in my book alot has been happening. kate seen a shadow when she walking to the main cabin. and she told the camp nurse about it and explained what she saw and she helped kate look around but they couldnt find anyone. so now theres another mystery at camp windigo and kate knows she has to figure it out before something else happens. also all the children there are sorta helping out to even tho the person whose in charge of the camp didnt want the children to know but a little girl kinda over heard two counselors talking. I wonder whats gunna happen next....

Introducing My Book

2008-02-08T11:09:00.000-05:00

My book is M Is For Malice, by Sue Grafton. It is a Mystery. Its about a private detective who is aske to search for this man who has been estranged from his family for about 30 years. The thing is, his father (who was a successful gravel owner) had just died and there are reports that he made a new will after his wife died, some years earlier, leaving out one of his sons. But after his death, the new will is missing... Is this a concidence, or is it fate?

1st blog

2008-02-04T10:15:00.000-05:00

The book i am reading is called mystery at camp windingo by Lisa Eisenberg. so far i have read up to page thirty three. i think this book is very good so far because its a mystery book and i like mystery books because you never know whats gunna happen next. This girl kate and her cousin monty go to camp windingo to be camp counselors, they were hoping that they were gunna be in the same group but they were assigned different groups. and the first night they were their, there was a severe case of food poisoning and they think it was from the hot chocolate. so now they got to figure out what exactly happened. so now theres a mystery at camp windingo and kate is gunna figure out exactly what it is. They think its the cook but there not sure. he's been a cook their for a long time so he doesnt see why any one would blame him. as the book goes on there is more weird stuff happening and its just the beginning.....

2008-01-17T10:53:00.000-05:00

My book that I'm reading is called Flash Fire written by Caroline B. Cooney. I started reading this book but so far I think that my impressions of this book is appealing and adventurous. I only got to page sixteen and i like it so far.Its starts off like if someone is writing in a diary. I think when I read more to this book I think that there is going to be romance and tragedy will strike with the teenagers. This book is like a mystery. No one knows that the fire would cross Pinch Canyon. No one know how the fire started. I think it started because over where Danna, the main character lives is hot. But I'm going to read more of my book to see what happens. Right now I'm confuse about whats going on but futher on in the book I will find out.

hey

2008-01-17T10:52:00.000-05:00

So I started reading my book, it's a mystery book by Christopher Pike, and it's called "Remember Me". So far I like the book. I've only got to page seventeen, but it's still very interesting. My book is about a girl, who was killed, but everyone thinks she killed herself. I think this is very interesting because in every mystery book they always find out who's guilty & they get to the bottom of every case. But, in my book, Shari, the main character is describing the night of her murder, & some of the people who I think could be possible suspects, so I'm very interested in reading more of my book & finding out more information & maybe figuring out who the real killer actually is. So far I don't have any idea on who it could be, but there are a few possible people that she has named that it could have been. But I'm going to keep reading my book so I can figure it out.

2008-01-10T18:14:00.000-05:00

But his world begins to slowly unravel after he cripples a fellow player in a football game, earning him the nickname "Killer." Keir stumbles through endless pranks and parties in a drunken, and often drug-induced, haze, not really understanding what he's doing, or why he's there. When I read more into the book I notice that he rape someone.

I knew Keir was capable of terrible things like his betrayal of the soccer team showed that , and we knew what the terrible thing was going to be from the start, but I could not help but naively hope that some miracle would happen and he would not rape Gigi. That's why this book is compelling. A flawed character, a very flawed character, is sometimes easiest to like, and it thrashes us when he is shown with the monstrous flaws he has.

last blog

2008-01-09T10:20:00.000-05:00

So im finally done with my book and i have to say it was rather good. At the end alex made up with his parents and he ended up getting a second chance to live, which i knew would happen. Alex had to just make sure he lives it right this time no more bullying and no more skipping school. He knows he only has one mre chance to make things right between people at school and his family. Alex is gunna be smart this time ariound and make good decisions instead of bad ones. I would highly recommend this book because its a good book and it helps you to learn how to deal with every day situations. so if you havent read this book i think you should.

heyy

2008-01-09T10:13:00.000-05:00

So im pretty much done with my book and i gatta say its really good. im glad i picked this book to read because every chapter its something new lyke in this last chapter alex finds out that he's adopted and that totally shocked him because he had no idea. he also was kinda disapointed that his family hid this from him for so long. he yells at his parents and tells them to go away and leave him alone. The next day he didnt show up to school because he was still upset about the night before. any way he still wants another chance to live but he alsio wishes that his parents would have told him when he was younger that he was adopted.

Assessment - Indy Reading Project - December

2008-01-08T19:43:00.000-05:00

Amanda - 5/5 Responses

Ok, moving away from plot. Nice job. Now you have to move into analysis. You mention the three settings. Do any of them create a specific mood? Represent or mean anything larger than themselves? Think on that a bit more. For the second last response, instead of talking about character actions, try to go into the realm of character traits. What is Jennifer like? How do her actions reflect these traits?

Gloria - 3/5 Responses

Good effort to try to get caught up. In the future, when you respond, try to stick to one topic. The response about Keir kind of jumps around. Try talking only about Keir's characteristics. I like the last response alot, but it tends to ramble from topic to topic. But it provides good insight into character.

Stephanie - 3/5 Responses

I really like that last response. It's got good voice. When you say "call me cheesy" it shows that you are aware of your audience and anticipating it's reaction. I like how you play that. Let's make sure to get all of our work done, eh?

Jessica - 4/5 Responses

Jessica, I'm digging the voice in your responses but you have to develop them further. When you say that a book is teaching you new things and you don't elaborate, it comes off kind of fake.

Last post...

2007-12-21T11:17:00.000-05:00

The setting of my book is kind of weird. It takes place in three different places. One place it takes place is where Jennifer goes to jog, where the blackberry bushes are. Another setting my book takes place in is at the police station where Jennifer went to get questioned. The police station is also where the detective wanted Jennifer to see a therapist. & The last setting of my book takes place at Jennifer's house. Her & her family, besides her sister Cass, who's never there, are obviously at her house a lot. Her dad works on his cooking career there. & they spend a lot of time at their home, like most people do.

heyyyy

2007-12-21T10:58:00.000-05:00

In my book, the narrarator is the main character. Her name is Jennifer, & she's telling her story, & what she made up & what not. She was the one who was talking the whole time, about when she planned her "attempted rape", & everything else. & her dad is really worried about her, & is trying to get her bodyguards to jog with, & hes also talking about getting a gun. Now Jennifer is worried that her dad is going to hurt himself, & she didn't think that it would go this far.

2007-12-19T10:59:00.000-05:00

In the beginning of this novel called Inexcusable ,Keir and his girlfriend Gigi Bondikan fights. There fight seem interesting but you don't know what they are fighting about. Gigi slaps and punches Keir and calls him bad names. So they breakup. But when you read this book towards the middle of it you see that Keir and Gigi go out to eat and talk after their prom. Keir is so kind to her because Gigi feet hurt from walking in her heels so Keir helped her took off her shoes and when inside he restaurant. The waitress was mean, she told Gigi to put her shoes back on because that was against the rules of the restaurant. Gigi didn't listen so there was this conflict with this waitress and Gigi. So the waitress kick them out. I can see how this part of the story looks like. I think that Gigi is a type a girl who don't care about what people say to her like if they talk to her in a mean way. That's how I am. I think I can relate Gigi and me. But Keir tells Gigi do she love him and she says no that she likes him only as a friend. I think that Gigi do love him she don't want to admit it. I don't know why she said no when he ask that simple question to her. I think they should go back out. Keir is a nice person. Probably more into the chapters they will go out and eventually fall madly in love and get married.

The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold, Chapters 10-14

2007-12-19T10:58:00.001-05:00

Sometimes we are pulled toward one or two characters in the story. We identify with them or feel sympathy for them. With which characters do you identify in the book, and why do you believe you identify with them?

Well, the first character I'd have to say i relate to is Susie, the main character. She tells the story of her death and how it has effected the lives of her family and friends, and makes it sound so real. You have no choice but to feel sorry for the girl. I also relate to her because, call me cheesy for saying this or whatever, but i have always wondered what happened to people and their souls when they die. Even though its just a story, some body believes that that's what happens, and it leaves your mind open to your imagination.

The second character i can relate to is Susie's sister Lindsey. She doesn't know exactly how to deal with her older sisters death. If any one of my two sisters died, I wouldn't know how to deal with it either! Especially if I found out my sisters were murdered. I would go out every day and night to try and find their killer! But at the same time, I would be hurting inside, like Lindsey, and keeping to myself, because I wouldn't know how to deal with the pain either.

hi

2007-12-19T10:32:00.000-05:00

so it says in the book that he's finaly ready to go back to school. This book is really good because i like never know whats gunna happen next in it like in the chapter that i jus tread he's talking about all the bad stuff he's done and how many feelings he's hurt over time. and he just wants all of that to go way and its beginning to because he's starting to see how other people felt. I cant wait to get to the end of this book because its teaching me alot of new things. He's actualy a good kid and he wants everyone to see that. I Really think his family is starting to see all the changes he's made.

hey

2007-12-18T11:05:00.001-05:00

so im half way through my book and so far it is really good. so far he is living his life over and he's telling everyone how sorry he is for the way he acted before and he 's starting to change his life around and his parents are really proud and happy for him because he's starting to become more and more mature everyday. I think that they might actually be amazed by all of the changes he's made. I think that this book is a great source for teenagers who have a rough life and wanna just start over and think its to late but really its not..

hi

2007-12-18T11:05:00.000-05:00

So far in my book, Jennifer is at the police station, & she is getting questioned, & they are taking pictures of her injuries, even though she caused them herself when she threw herself down the hill. But although Jennifer made up the attempted rape, she isn't being very smart about it. She is the very first victim that the police know of so far that has heard the attackers voice. No one else was spoken to by the attacker, when they were really attacked. & although Jennifer didn't really hear the attackers voice, because she wasn't really attacked, she said she did. Jennifer also said that he grabbed her, & she hit him & them he pushed her & threw her down the hill. I think that she's going to keep lying & get all caught up in her lies, & that's going to be her downfall, & what causes her to get caught in all of these lies.

Inexcusable

2007-12-18T10:59:00.000-05:00

Keir is this novel is loving and caring. He says and I believe it that good boys don't do anything bad.He lives with his father which his name is Rey. His father gives him lots of things. Keir and his father bond a lot. They play the game of Risk and they compete at who is going to own which land on the game board. Mary and Fran are his older sisters who are in college already and wants Keir to follow their footsteps in life. Rey, Keir and Keir's sisters father don't care about Mary and Fran. This can be a problem because his sisters probably think that their so called nice father is treating Keir right. But Keir loves his father. He thinks everything is going great with his father not like his mother treated Keir but Rey is a good father to me I think.

The Allure of the West

2007-12-13T19:56:00.001-05:00

Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer, pgs 144-207 (end)

Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller, pgs 1-97

So, I finished Into the Wild and started rereading a book that I'm studying with my AP Literature class. As I read the first act of the play I was struck by the similarity between Chris McCandless and many of the characters from Death of a Salesman. The main character of this story, Willy Loman frets over a missed opportunity to accompany his older brother to Alaska to make money. Instead he is 60 and stuck in a dead end sales job. Interestingly enough, Willy's father abandoned him as a child to also seek fortune in Alaska. In a weird twist, Willy is disappointed in his son Biff because he is constantly seeking work outside of the norm of the day. He's worked on cattle farms and other jobs that Willy does not respect. Biff explains that he likes these jobs because he's not stuck inside at a desk and can be out in the open air.

In American culture the west has always been symbolic of the open frontier, a vast unexplored wilderness where a man could make his living outside of the realm of laws and societal constraints. It's interesting that these two books, written 50 years apart, have such similar themes.

Does anyone else know of any characters who seek a life outside of society? Anyone have a friend or family member who constantly wants to go out on the open road? What do you think drives a person to feel like this?

__________________________________________________

Dear Blogger: This is not a spam post. I am mailing to publish this on all of my student's blogs in order to provide a sample and to engage in discussions. Please call off the spambots.

part 2

2007-12-07T11:13:00.000-05:00

In the first couple chapters of my book, Jennifer starts her plan to make it appear that she was raped. She was going for a run, & then she threw herself down a hill, and got all scratched up & everything, then walked out onto the road where a cop car was driving by, & they stopped, & thats when Jennifer told them that she was raped. They wanted to take her in for questioning, & to find out more about her situation so they could find out who did that to her. Little do they know that there is no attacker, & that Jennifer is making the whole thing up. I want to find out what's going to happen next in the book, & I want to see how long it takes them to figure out what she's doing, & why she's doing it.

hey again

2007-12-07T11:07:00.001-05:00

So far my book is really good i've read chapters one through four and in those chapters he talks about his life and how his life was kinda different from others. He's one of those boys that sorta gets himself in some awkward situations and doesnt really know how to get himself out. He lives with hs parents but there kinda having promblems and that put's some stress on him. His friends kind encourage him to do some stuff that kinda gets out of hand. So therfore he has to get himself out. Im really looking forward to what happens next in my book because its a really good book so far.

hiii

2007-12-07T11:07:00.000-05:00

The book I am reading is called "rundown". It's written by Michael Cadnum. It is about a girl, who sets herself up, to make it appear that she was raped. She thinks she did a good job setting up her plan, but she didn't do as good of a job as she thought she did, & someone knows about what she's doing. What I like about this book so far, is that it makes you wonder what's going to happen next, & it makes you want to know if people are going to find out that she was lying about the whole thing all along.

The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold, Chapters 1-9

2007-12-06T19:20:00.000-05:00

The plot of the book pulled me into reading the book! It is about a 14 year old girl who gets raped and murdered and tells how her death has effected the lives of her family and friends. After her death, she went into what she calls her "heaven." From there she watches her family and friends and how they are living their lives day by day still effected by her death. She tells about people she met in her "heaven" as well. How one older lady reminds her of her mother and this girl about the same age is like one of her friends. She tries to let the people around her know that she's still around, but the only one who catches on so far is her father. It also tells how her best friend had pretty much turned into a rebel sort after her death. Her sister had found a boyfriend, and her little brother was still too young to understand what had happened to his big sister. The people most effected by this were her parents. Her mother acting like a zombie, not paying attention half the time and her father, always finding something to do to keep his mind off of his daughters death.

(This is in responce to the second bullet under conflict.)

2007-12-06T11:09:00.000-05:00

The book that I'm reading is called Inexcusable and the author of this book is Chris Lynch. This book is about a boy who says he is a good, intelligent and a football player. He thinks that good guys dont do bad things. One thing I like about this book is that its a raw and powerful book that will make its way into your heart and haunt you.

Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer Pages: 1-144

2007-12-05T23:53:00.000-05:00

So, the book I'm reading is about this early twenty something kid who
is pretty alienated. It's a nonfiction book, and since I haven't
summed it up yet in a previous response, it's about a kid who is
searching for meaning in life and seeks this meaning by exploring.
At the beginning of the book we find out that he ends up dying in the
middle of Alaska to exposure.

Even though I think I'm supposed to, I'm having a really hard time
identifying with the main character, Chris McCandless. I look at
the cover and there's this picture of Emile Hirsch portraying
McCandless. He's a good looking kid, and he's kind of sitting in this
"top of the world" type dominant pose. The author seems to really
identify with the character, and spends a couple of chapters relating
his own similar experiences. And McCandless is seemingly the rugged,
individualistic antihero that Americans celebrate.

But, I can't get into him, and I think it's because I'm a parent
now. I see the way this kid abandoned his parents, went off into the
middle of nowhere, took chances, didn't write home, and espoused his
theories on the way life works to whomever would listen, and I'm
like, "dude...call your mom, dad and sister. They're worried sick."
The kid is kind of portrayed as this spiritual, deep Thoreau quoting
prophetic figure, but he just strikes me as naive and self centered.
I don't know what I'd do if I was his parent. I would be devastated
if my son took off after graduating college and just disappeared.
It's really rather sad.

(By the way, if you're wondering, this response is to the 7th bullet
under character. The total length of this response is 279 words. I
summed up the book to start because I figured you'd need that
information, but then I really tried to stick to talking about
whether or not I identified with the main character and why.)

Hello

2007-12-04T11:08:00.000-05:00

hello everyone i am reading a book called rewind. its about a boy who has made lots of mistakes in his life, until one day he gets hit by a car and all he asks for is one change to live his life over. one thing i like about the book so far is that it deals with giving second changes to people and i think everyone deserves a second chance. by: Jessica Tyler

2007-12-03T11:10:00.000-05:00

The title of my book is The Lovely Bones. The Author is Alice Sebold. The story is about a girl who gets raped and murdered by a man in her neighborhood and nobody knows about it. She tells her story from her "heaven" and describes how her death has effected her family and friends.

One thing I like about the book is the tone the author uses and the suspense she builds. She give s the book so much life by the details she uses. She makes you feel like it happened to you or like your in the story because you can visualize everything she describes due to the vivid details she uses!

Your 1st Post!

2007-12-03T08:17:00.001-05:00

Today in class we will be posting to our blogs. To keep things simple, this
first post will be a kind of introductory thing. Here's what I'd like each
of you to write (make sure it is under your own display name):

1. In 2-3 sentences, give us a taste of the book. What is the title? Who
is the author? What is the "gist"? (It's about a girl who...)
2. In a separate paragraph of 2-3 sentences, finish this sentence: One
thing I like (or don't like) about the book so far is...

Welcome

2007-11-29T22:47:00.000-05:00

Hello folks. I just wanted to give you a hearty welcome to the
blogosphere (the world of weblogs, according to my widget dictionary).

I'm going to send you more meaty information in the next few days
(right now I'm testing out the "mail to blogger" option I told some
of you about today).

But for now, I want to talk to you about grammar and conventions.
These are blogs for my English class, and I expect you to follow the
rules of standard English as best as you can. Some of our previous
rm305 blog discussions were replete with mistake after mistake. You
may IM your friends and write on Myspace one way, but on these blogs
we are going to assume a more academic diction.

Thanks for the help. If you have any questions, let me know.