A game of throne

The game of thrones is a book about the houses of a Lannister , the starks and the ruling family Baratheon, there is also one more family but that family has lost power and they are the Taragaryen’s. That family has been exiled across the sea. This book is their way of living while tring to play the game of thrones. What you find out is that nothing good ever happen.  The families live in melodramas that will lead to the death of a lot of people.

This whole book is a melodrama of people. Each family has problems, each character a secret. The Starks head of the clan is Eddard but everyone calls him Ned. He rules the north from winterfell.  His wife was originally supposed to marry his older brother but he was killed by the mad king, her name Catelyn and she is of the house Tully. They have five kids and Ned has one bastard. The five children are Robb, Snasa, Arya, Brandon,Rickon who is only three. Ned’s bastard name is Jon Snow. The last name Snow is the way of telling the world that Jon is a bastard. He can't use the last name Stark. He has never known his mother. Ned stark brought him back from the fight over the last time the iron throne change houses.

Now it belongs to the Baratheon family. The king is named Robert and he is good friends with Ned. Ned helped him get his throne from the last Taragaryen king.  He was suppose to marry Neds sister who he was madly in love with, but she died, which broke his heart. Now he is married to Cersei who is queen. She is of the house Lannister. The Lannister house is the riches house of all others. 

Queen Cersei has two brothers. Her Twin named Jaime, he killed the last king he is also a knight and heir to Casterly Rock. Her other brother is called the “imp” he is a dwarf, his really name is Tyrion. While his brother is strong of sword Tyrion is a great thinker and planner.

The final house that is of great know is the Taragaryens, they were the blood of the dragons, and ruled for over 283 years. The family was mostly massacred at the sacking of kings landing. Prince Viserys and princess Daenerys are the last of the Taragayens and they are only children. We find out that The people call Viserys the beggar king. He has no money but wants to take back the iron throne. Daenerys is at the beginning married to Khal Drogo of the Dothraki. They are strong warriors and raise great horses. They are nomadic people.   Danny is only 13 when this happens. She has never been to her homeland having been born on only a small rock while the king ready his forces to come and kill her and her brother. One of her wedding gifts that she is given is three dragon eggs. The dragons have been gone for a long time the eggs are sad to be dead but we will find out.

This book has a lot of stuff going on in it, Rarely any of it good. A problem that might come from the north is that in the back of the country is a great ice wall. It separates the country from the wilds of the frosted woods. There you would find magical and strange creatures like dire wolves and ice people who bring back the dead..

Being human

The idea that we are human is a big one. We breathe air, we eat food, and we live. What sets us apart from other animals? Is it that we live in houses or that we can build many amazing things? What makes us human?

The first thing that sets us apart is the way we communicate. It’s not just between, person to person but we can communicate with other animals. We use are voices to tell each other what we want or how we feel; also tell a dog to sit. This is something unique about a human are ability to learn.

Other thing that we share with mammals but we have taken to the next level is affection. We present each other with gifts not just to a person we may have a crush on but to a family member for a holiday or their birthday. Animals don’t do that; they may present a shiny rock to a potential mate but not a family member.  

Do animals have feeling? We say they. A dog can be guilty, a cat aloof, a hoarse playful but is that a human thing? Humans are the only ones who characterize feelings, but they hardly call them happy or sad.

As human beings we are special in the way we look at the world, the only thing close is Are evolutionary tree family member the apes. Who also show the closes thing to human emotion? I do believe that we are up high on feeling and emotions but is that a good thing? 

Swimming

Yesterday was regional swimming, next week State for the high schools of Iowa. With the times getting hard it’s starting to feel like we are all just getting faster.  While not every high school has a swim team that means that they aren’t unheard of.   Kennedy went to Clinton for Regional's this weekend it was pretty good. We got second place just losing to Pleasant Valley and we had some good swims. Next week state will be at Marshall town and we hope to swim fast. We will find out what it takes to be fast in Iowa. They only take the top 24 in the state for any event. Relays are a lot better because you have your team mates to cheer you on. Swimming is both a team and individual sport. It is one of the rare ones.  

STRESS

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110809092045.htm

http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2011/09/academic-stress.aspx

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2011/01/its_not_the_job_market.html

Stress level is high at school and it is. We spend all our time studying for class and stress relief is hard to find. Think of it this way. If you are a student athlete you have to get up go to school then practice, then at least eat something then do homework. You have to shift gears a lot.

Now students aren’t the only ones who are stressed.  In a slate article the author Taylor Clark tells us that “the united states is the most anxieties nation”.  Here in the U.S. A, we are just a bunch of worry warts.   

Stress is affecting everyone. Children at school have pressure from their teachers at home their parents. Adults have bosses and children to stress them out.

To change this trend of a stressed out America, we may need to take a look at finding ways to calm down. Stress can do bad things to the body when not used right.

Stress was originally used to protect us from dyeing at the hand of disease and other protectors. Now today stress makes us gain weight and not sleep well.

We need to relax. To do this a healthy diet, lots of sleep and excises can help. Also some time to relax and do nothing  can unwind this tight nation. 

Taylor swift.

Music is a thing I live on. It falls in love with me and it tells of long. One of my favorite artists of all times is Taylor Swift. Her music just makes me smile and it just tells of things like passion, and heartbreak.

Taylor swift has risen to her fame buy her ever changing music. She started as a country singer and is now a pop start, but having been to one of her concerts live I must say she knows what she is doing. Her concert had that enchanted feeling and when she rose out from under the stage to the spraks of sparks fly you knew that this was going to be a night to remember.

Army Strong

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/46297361/ns/today-relationships/t/marriage-retreats-combat-high-rate-military-divorce/

Last year nearly “30,000 marriages” ended last year, all those marriages where of military families that had severed overseas in combat. My family wasn’t one of them. I have a father who is in the military. He wasn’t around a lot sometimes.  He has working in the Middle East and here in Iowa. My mom has raised my brother and a lot by herself.  What it has been is hard for both sides of their marriage and on if they should stay together in this marriage. They have but it’s been a lot of work.

When you spend a lot of time with a person you come to know them and their habits, but if that person was to leave and go to war then come back they never come back the same.  Sometimes they lose a leg or an arm. Even when they do come back physically sound mentally they may not be.   Nearly “20% of the total returning troops” from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.   http://operationmilitaryfamily.com/guides/mental-health/  That can put pressure on a marriage or on a family member.  Post-Traumatic stress disorder is a reaction to a traumatic event in your life, like combat. It can cause many mental issues like the inability to express feeling and cope with change.  http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/what-is-ptsd.asp

My family is truly lucky.  We are still one family. After over 5 years together of my dad being gone we are still a family. It had taken a lot of hard work on are part but it has been worth it. My uncle has also severed in the military; he has severed overseas 3 times but has also had a divorce and is into his second marriage. It was not his fault that the marriage ended it was his wife’s choice and he tried to stop it but she had moved to Texas already by the time he could come home.  

The army has a saying “there is strong, then theirs army strong.”  I like to believe that even if I haven’t ever really been in the army that I am army strong just for my father. He is my idol in his strength to leave his family and go to war. My mother is also army strong in that she can stay here and raise to children and support him. She is home front strong and I idolize her from it.  So luck is just really hard work to stay a family.

NOt just in the books

Books carry a lot of similarity between them. When you compare them you find parallels not just to the real world but to other books and the past. A book is what the author needs to say in a way that is creative and different.

One way you see this parallel is in“lord of the rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien. His writings show very big parallels, not even just in the Good Vs. Evil but in industrializing from an agrarian society, it is shown in the way the hobbits’ are more of calm farming folk while their opposite the goblin builds weapons of destruction and use the industrializing for war. Mr. J.R.R Tolkien was an English professor, but serviced in World War 1 at the battle of Somme, this may have given him the idea of war being so bad with industrializing because World War 1 was a war of technology. http://www.lord-of-the-rings.org/author.html

J.R.R Tolkien may have been one of the greatest fantasy fiction writers of all time. His books of good versus evil and defeating with friendship and loyalty will be a good read for a long time. He is not the only good writer though, another excellent writer who uses ideas that to read the book only once would be missed. That would be J.K Rowling and Harry Potter.

J.K Rowling is known for her book about a young wizard who is chosen to save the all of the wizard world from one very evil man. She first penned the beginning of harry potter on the back of a napkin, and that little idea on a back of a napkin became a global phenomenon.

These books like the lord of the rings show similarities to other idea and themes. Like lord of the rings it a good versus evil idea with one person trying to change the course of the future. In lord of the rings its Frodo and destroying the ring, while for Harry it is stopping and in the end killing Lord Voldemort. They both triumphant threw loyalty, courage, and friendship.

Harry potter also carries the real world idea of propaganda. Voldemort uses it to keep people afraid of him. This is similar to Minster of magic who use the newspaper to keep people in check.

 Harry potter uses propaganda but not as much as , the hunger  games. This story uses it so much not just by the capitol, but district thirteen.  They both use Katness and Peeta As signs of either peace or rebellion.  Their propaganda either is for or against rebellion.

Vote Now!!

http://library.thinkquest.org/C0111500/proptech.htm

Propaganda the use of information to create a opinion in the favor of the party presenting it.  This is being use today. With all the talk about elections we are seeing poetical adds everywhere and they are very much propaganda. They use them to get votes and for companies to get buyers.

Techniques of propaganda show us that it can be effective. Picket signs in people’s front yard show both a Glittering generation and a bandwagon because you see a lot of who your friends are voting for. This year I hear a lot of plain folk. The potations are trying to sound like they understand my situation. Which they don’t!

We see a lot of books use propaganda in there settings to add to the fact that the main charater is standing up to something. Harry does this in the harry potter book by keeping his faith in himself and Dumbledore while the daily prophet tries them apart.  In the hunger games, Katniess falls for the propaganda and joins the rebellion because they appeal to her feeling of lost of home and safety after the capitol burns district twelve.

Now politician aren’t the only ones who use propaganda. Big companies use it to. Those ads that are just odd are trying to sell you something. Weather it threw card stacking or testimonies. To avoid falling for propaganda you need to do your own researcher, and ask yourself why am I buying this?  These points and the link above can help you identify and stop yourself from falling from the truth.

She's the man

"She’s the man” is the twist of the William Shakespeare tale the “twelfth night”. I watched it this weekend at a swimmer party and found it quite funny.  It is the story of a  Viola who dress up like her brother, to go to a school to play scorer fr that school where she ends up falling in love with her roommate who is in love with the girl who like Sebastian who is really Viola dressed up as her brother Sebastian. Confused yet? I was in for most of it but like any good romantic comedy, the girl always gets her man. She did and it was a happy ending. To think that this is based off a Shakespeare play isn’t surprising. When you think about you see his plays all the time. Romeo and Juliet, the lion king is really hamlet.  But whatever play this movie is a chick flick to watch. 

Serenity

             

The idea of a perfect future and how it is disrupted by those, who are different and are human don't belong. In the movie "Serenity" we see how the governments use on sole to try and hunt down one who has found out about a test to try and create a perfect society.

"This whole world is dead for no reason" a line said by Jane in the movie after they have arrived on Miranda, a planet in the outer part the universe that this movie takes place in. Miranda is a symbol of humans trying to play god, the government tried an experiment with a kind of gas to try and take out aggression in people. it worked in a way they lost the will to live, so let themselves die, but because not people react the same way to one drug a small percent of people reacted the opposite creating something that in the TV show that was made before this movie were a big thing to avoid for they rape, torture and kill their victims.

"You have always taken care of me Simon, now it’s my turn to take care of you” this is said by River who was sent to a academy that tore apart her brain and turned her into a living weapon. It is again showing how the alliance, the government controlling the people is trying to play god. She is half insane with the fact that she can read everyone mind and can’t control what she hears.

When she says this she also takes into account all that Simon has given up to save her. They are very much the perfect brother and sister in that family idea, which is also included in how Malcolm looks at his crew, like his family. They are his family he would never leave one of them behind.

The name of the movie and ship is also that idea of family. You can find Serenity with your family, or when you feel truly safe, Which what this ship is to those who live on it. Serenity.

Duct tape

For about on average $2.50 you can buy a roll of duct tape, but for that you can get a world of fun.  Duct tape is cotton mesh, polyethylene coating, and adhesive.  This makes it very durable and strong. We use duct tape all time. But what are some of the most whacky ways to use it that will work.

Well there have been some mythbuster episodes on just this topic.  They have created so many crazy things with it, like making a plane shell with nothing but duct tape. It could really fly which was crazy.  They have survived on an island “stranded with nothing but duct tape and the environment”. But if you’re not that outgoing as that you can try some things at home that are a little safer.

They things are like creating a duct tape wallet and rose but they also fix your belt problem or if made correctly they can be used to make headbands.

(http://www.buytape.com/what_is_duct_tape_made_of.shtml) (http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/duct-tape.htm) 

Dozens of Puppies Rescued in Animal Cruelty Investigation | Video - ABC News

Dozens of Puppies Rescued in Animal Cruelty Investigation | Video - ABC News

Animal cruelty is a real thing; it is the torture of living animals that causes them pain and even death. It takes place all over the world even here in the U.S.A.  Dogs are more often the victim of animal cruelty about “64.5% of 1,880 animal cruelty cases were against dogs” but  about “25%”  involve other animals. http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/abuse_neglect/facts/animal_cruelty_facts_statistics.html

Puppy mills are an example of the one of the most despicable things on the planet.   According to a website I found “99% of all puppies sold in a pet store are from a puppy mill”. These dogs are never petted and they spend their life in a cage. It is a depressing thing that we need to stop. To help with this a say that if you’re going to get a dog as a pet you need to research were you are getting it from or just go to the shelter and adopt a good friend from there.

 http://madonnaofthemills.com/puppy-mills/

this is one of the most sad post I have posted for my blog so far. But you have to look at the truth some times, and its just depressing. To change it we need to become active in our community shelter and help stop animal cruelty by reporting it to the police. I included the link to the locale animal shelter because change starts in our community.  

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/IA125.html

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I just finished a good book today. It was called “The girl with the dragon tattoo”  by Stieg Larsson. This is in the fiction crime drama genre. It tells the tale of a Swedish journalist who goes on the hunt for an missing family member of a rich family, the “Vanger “clan. They are in this book one of the wealthiest families in Sweden.  He gains a help from a hacker named Lisbeth  Salander, who has a past of her own which she tries to hid from.

Personally I didn’t like the beginning or most of the middle part of the book. It starts very slow and you get a lot of characters who just overwhelm you with too much information.  The characters over time are developed well but it is very slowly.  Once you get to the end of the book its starts getting really good, there is black mail, intrigue and murder that you find out that was happening threw out the book whil you were wondering when was something going to happen.

The next book in the trilogy is “the girl who played with fire”. I hope it will start faster than this one, but be just as good in reading.

 To compare it to the last book I read it would be very different.  The last book I read was nonfiction work and set in the world of Nazi Germany before world war II. The Girl with the dragon tattoo is set in Sweden and is a work of fiction.  They are similar in that they both deal with on very crazy person who gained a lot of power. One was Martin Vanger from the girl with the dragon tattoo and from in the garden of the beasts you have Hitler. 

Breast cancer awareness month

http://www.especiallyforyourace.org/

It’s now October and that means fall. It also means Halloween, haunted house and trick or treating. But it is also breast cancer awareness month.

            The world has gone pink for October. The football players of the NFL are wearing pink, stores are selling it and you are hearing about it everywhere.  Today I walked in the especially for you race against breast cancer walk.  The walk is to help fund free mammograms and other breast-care services to this area.

It was a chilly morning and early morning on the day of the walk, but my mom and I got up to go to the walk. When we got there; we found hundreds of people all wearing the same shirt with different logos on the back supporting people who had breast cancer. One of my mom’s friends was so excited to do this. She said “it makes me happy to think that all these people can come together for one cause”. I think this is true. Breast cancer is one of the big cancers in the public’s eye.

It may be because almost everyone knows someone who is affected by it. my mom has had a co-work who has survived breast cancer and I have had two teachers who are going through treatment of cancer.  These people develop a strongest that I think is amazing. They are going through something that is very tough and they are facing the best they can.

Breast cancer awareness month maybe focused on finding a cure but something we need to think about are the people who have gone through the process of kemo and still moved on with their lives. They are the people who I walked for today on this chilly morning. If you want to walk with the especially for you breast cancer walk you can click on the link above. 

Meningitis

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/meningitis-outbreak-highlights-hazards-compounding-pharmacies/story?id=17405294#.UHGwJU2HJica

http://www.voicesofmeningitis.com/get-the-facts-the-basics.html?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_content=general&utm_term=meningitis&utm_campaign=2012_unbranded_driver_terms

What is meningitis?  Meningitis is when the meninges around the brain swell putting pressure on the brain. This can kill you quickly, without you even knowing it.

Today we are having a widespread breakout of fungal meningitis. This comes from a bad pain killer that is given threw a shot to the spine.  It has caused 5 deaths and across 7states according to Abc news. It is worry some because it’s hard to catch meningitis until it’s too late. It was tracked back to the New England Compounding center .CDC has issued a statement that it has opened its emergency operations clinic.  Symptoms can look like a stroke.

Ways to stop spreading normal meningitis is not to share drinks or food utensils. Also reframe from kissing people. The thing about meningitis is that it is a quick Bactria infection.   It is a high risk disease not for the young or elderly but for teens and young adults.  This is why it’s so big when meningitis is found in big outbreaks. 

Pets and your health

http://pets.webmd.com/ss/slideshow-pets-improve-your-health

Are pets are our closest friends; they offer companionship and a good protector. But they can also be helpful to your health. In an article I read in the link above I found 28 ways pets can improve your health. These ways have offered some good insight into owning a pet. They can help you live longer.

                Dogs aren’t the only one who can be helpful.   Owning a pet in general can help you in some way. When you stroke a pet it can help lower your blood pressure. Cats can help people recover from a stroke by giving them something to take care of that isn’t to need unlike a dog. Cats also can help prevent strokes, it is because of that calming effect a pet can have on a person. Having a cat around can also lower the chance of developing asthma in an infant.

Dogs can just do it all; they are our best tool to help people if they need help. They can act as a service do to those who need help to live alone. Taking your dog for a walk can raise you excise level and get you out of your isolation and into the world.   Having a dog or cat can also lower your rate of de3veloping allergies in a child.  We have also trained dogs to be able to tell when a diabetic needs sugar in their blood because of a drop in blood sugar level.

A dog can also be just a good therapist. When you have a dog in a therapy office it can help fight couples see how their fight affects people or animals around them. My aunt who is psychologists brings her dog to the office with her and children are more likely to open up to a dog than a grown up.

Dog and cats aren’t the only pets that can do help for the human health. Hoarse back riding is a good way to recover from a stroke, because it helps with balance and core strength.   Children with autism can work out problems by hoarse back riding it is a way to help open up to more senses.

Dogs and cats have also been helping us with cancer. They develop it to so we can study them to help understand how it works in humans. It is how we worked out prostate cancer and older men. This may be the way we find out how to completely get rid of cancer. Threw the dogs and cats we love so much. 

A mans best friend

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-beast/200904/why-are-humans-and-dogs-so-good-living-together

Almost everyone loves dogs, myself included. They are our best friend, are companions and the best listeners in the world. But what is it that makes dogs so special?

Dogs were the first animals that we domesticated; we have used them as protection and hunting partners.  They have profound way on how we think; a dog can teach you responsibility and good health choice by walking it.   A dog functions in a social unit similar to how we do, they “are emotionally bonded and greet each other enthusiastically after they have been separated” which we do every day when we greet people at school.  A dog can live perfectly happy in a human environment.  

We see are dogs as one of us, “40% of owners identify their dog as a family member” this is very true I count my dogs as part of my family. When people ask me how many are in your family, I more often reply “3 people and 3 dogs.” They are part of our family in a way that makes them special, dogs greet us when we get, and they will cuddle with us on cold nights when we are alone.

But along the way have we been domesticated by dogs as much we domesticated them? That is what the final idea was in the article I read. It gave some good points like how the dogs thinking part of the brain has shrunk scene it’s started out as a wolf.  Are brains have shrunk to, but not as much. So do we believe it is the entire thing is because of our dog or have the advancements in technology slowed down are brain growth and we don’t need as high senses as we us to so those parts of our brain have shrunk in size.

Whatever it is all I do know is that a dog is a man’s best friend.