A lesson in a chinses quiz

 

王朋和李友在同一个学校学习快半年了。王朋常常帮李友学中文，他们常常一起完人，没次都完人的很高兴。 李友对王朋的印象很好，王朋也很喜欢李友，他们成了好朋友。

这个周末学校演一个中国电影，看电影的`人很多，王朋费了很大力气才买到票。他请李友去看电影李友说好极了。她问王朋还有别人根他们一起看电影吗，王朋说就他们俩。李友很高兴，说看电影以前她请王朋吃晚饭。

This is a sample of a Chinese quiz here at Kennedy. To type this you first have to switch your computer to simplified Chinese. Then you don't type the characters but the pinyin, which is how the characters sound in the paragraph. This is important to know if you ever want to live in china for if you need to type on a Chinese computer, or just how to switch it back to English.

To read the following paragraph out loud I will give you the pinyin for the words.

“wang peng he li you zai tong yi ge xue xiao xue xi kuai ban nian le. Wang peng chang chang bang li you xue zhong wen, tamen changchang yi qi wanr, mei ci dou wanr de hen gao xing. Li you dui wang peng de yinxiang hen hao, wang peng ye hen xihuan li you, ta men cheng le hao peng you.

Zhe ge zhoumo xuexiao yan yi ge zhongguo dainying, kan dian ying nde ren hen duo, wang peng fei le hen da liqi cai mai dao piao. Ta qing liyou qu kan dainying, li you shou hao ji le. Ta wen wang peng hai you bier en gen ta men yi qi kan dianying ma, wang peng shuo jiu tamen lia. Liyou hen gao xing, shuo kan dianying yiqian ta qing wang peng chi wanfan.”

That was all the words in the end it’s all just how you say it. The English translation is “ wang peng and liyou have been at the same school for almost half a year. Wang peng often helps liyou  study chinese, they often hang out, and when they do they are both very happy. Liyou has a good impression of wang peng, wang peng also likes li you, they are now good friends.

This weekend at school they are showing a Chinese film, there are supposed to be a lot of people there,, wang peng worked hard to get tickets. He wants to treat li you to see the movie, liyou says yes. She asks wang pen if anyone will be joining them, he says it’s only the two fo them. Li you is very happy, she says that before the movie she will treat wang peng to dinner.”  That is our Chinese writing quiz. It takes a lot to learn all of this but it’s worth it. Now that you have seen all the meaning of the text here it is one more time.

王朋和李友在同一个学校学习快半年了。王朋常常帮李友学中文，他们常常一起完人，没次都完人的很高兴。 李友对王朋的印象很好，王朋也很喜欢李友，他们成了好朋友。

这个周末学校演一个中国电影，看电影的`人很多，王朋费了很大力气才买到票。他请李友去看电影李友说好极了。她问王朋还有别人根他们一起看电影吗，王朋说就他们俩。李友很高兴，说看电影以前她请王朋吃晚饭。

becoming invisible

The blinding lights fade to blackness,

The flash of light gone, losing interest in you

This world wants you to be visible by being invisible

To been seen is to be a face in a crowd

To be a voice worth hearing you must,

Raise your voice,

Shake your arms and legs,

And still you have to have the same opinion

 Fade back, become cellophane

Invisible to the world

Like the celestial body of Osiris

Fade into the crowd to become invisible

Yet you are more visible as crowd then as an individual today

 So for now becoming invisible is visible.

Line 1 and 2 have symbolism the light and blackness that I mention in the first to sentences is suppose represent visible in both along with blackness  of being  invisible.  

Line 1 is imagery that is visual. I wanted to with this line create a feeling of being visible with the light and then as you fade to blackness you in a way become invisible

Line 2 is personification for a light can’t be interested in a person, it’s a light, they don’t have a say in what it looks at.

Line 3 has an oxymoron in it with the saying that “to be visible by being invisible” it’s an oxymoron in that the world play is supposed to  be funny in that the word visible is to  mean see, but to be seen you have to become invisible, or not seen.

Line 4 has Irony because it says to be seen is to be a face in the crowd, but if you have ever been in a crowd you know that it is one of the times that you feel more invisible.

Line 5-8 this is supposed to be a hyperbole, exaggerating how you  can get yourself seen by doing those things, which you don’t have to do but I wanted to try and prove a point, which is it takes a lot to been seen anywhere.

Line 9 is a diction play; I used the word cellophane because it is a different word for invisible. This is to wake up my readers and have a change in the poem.

Line 11 has an allusion in it to Osiris and his celestial body which is in Egyptian mythology, and is explained that it is just connected to any body that is celestial becoming invisible.  

off you go to Urinetown!!!!!

The Spring musical for this year was Urinetown, it’s a crazy premise of comedy with a bit.  The set of this play was a fun one to build; we have multiple walls that we have flying in to create different scenes, just with one big set.  It contrasts the way that the painting has been done to both sides of this set. On one side you have all the scenes with the poor, they have a backdrop that follows their costumes, it’s dirty, everywhere. We created this with lots of sponging of the tin sheeting to rust it and darker grays to age the steel posts that were the structure of this set.  Another aspect added to make a more darker place is the hazers used to make the place seem smoggy and even more dirty.

The contrast was the rich with the bright colors you were supposed to think of a bright place unlike were you just were with the poor; you have a very colorful place, which speaks of cleanness and people who have privilege to have money. There costumes are clean and give of the office with how they are all the same in the rich but the named characters. We used splatter painting to add color to the bright green to mellow it down a little but the colors of the rich were supposed to be like from a false reality. To add to this lighting is brighter while in any other scene you see darker shades of light.

This show has been in the works for a long time now and today we open. So you reading this should come and enjoy the show for it is a great one. The actors have worked very hard to get this play were it is learning chorography and music. Backstage we have been building what is a backdrop for their talents bring it all to life.  So sit back and enjoy the show, but be sure to avoid the restrooms, they may make you pay to pee.

I included this link so that you could compare a different set to ours.

http://www.d.umn.edu/~mharvey/urinetown.html

the fears of being normal

The truth of fitting in is an idea of conformity. To think differently is not to blend in and be part of a crowd. Simply to be normal. In literature, past and present a reacquiring theme is that to be normal isn’t worth it and we should be unique in our own way.  We strive to be special but a normal special, which means that you want other people to agree with the normalcy of your specialness

We can’t ever be normal for it is an unattainable idea. People try so hard just to be that perfect idea of a person and yet they will always fall short.  Truman Capote wrote “it may be normal, darling, but I’d rather be natural.” To do this maybe we should let humanity be the new normal. Just stop with all the fakeness of this world and be natural, for just being who you are is easier.

To do this a person must come to understand what your natural. That doesn’t mean that you need to be a natural person literally, but be the person you can live with, A natural person who you can your own self. It’s a funny idea but how many people can say that they like there natural self? I know I can’t because I feel like I don’t know my natural self.

 To find that natural self you need to take all of your past, beliefs and just your point of view will affect that. Maybe to find your natural self is just to find that place where you feel comfortable in the world,  If that maybe on a stage, or a sports field.  All I pray for in the future is that maybe normal will become something as simple as just being yourself not, being perfectly dressed or fitting into an idea of another person. Nope just you and the quiet of mind safe and natural.

freedom of valentine

I’m reading a book called “paper Valentine” by Brenna Yoanoff. My thoughts so far are that it is a good book; the ideas the book has are very eye open and are great. The book is hauntingly creep and well written.

The main characters name is Hannah; she is living in a town called Ludlow. In the book this takes place during the summer, which is the hottest summer the town has had. Ludlow was a town which has become the place of a serial killer, who likes to leave behind toys and a valentine heart.  How the author writes the book you see how mass panic spreads in a community.

Hannah also has some problems with the fact that her best friend is still around after she is died. Her best friend named Lillian is a ghost who is haunting her. Lillian didn’t die because of the serial killer she died of malnutrition due to anorexia, which when she was alive she called it Trevor.  Lillian is a character who you see how Hannah and her friendship with her was flawed and how with her still around the mental backlash for Hannah is depressing her.   It also is holding her back from getting over her death.

The other person who has some importance is Finny Boone. He is a boy form Hannah’s childhood who she was mean. Now though she likes him and when she is ever around him, she feels like she was normal and didn’t have to pretend to be happy.  Finny is a boy who is a boy who looks like a bad buy but really isn’t. He just had a past that doesn’t have the best things. The moral of bad thing happen to good people. He also has that way of affecting her that he makes her happy.

We haven’t found out who the serial killer is, but I feel like it will be one of those books, where it will be the ending that will leave you wondering what will be worth it.

how to succeed in the classroom without really trying

How to succeed in the classroom without really trying.

                Well if you’re reading this it means you’re about to enter your senior year of high school. This coming school year is about to become one of the best years of your life! To do this though, you have to stop trying so hard in school so you can enjoy what little time you have left were most of your meals are free and you don’t have to pay rent. The problem is that you still have to succeed in school to keep up with your dream of going to a great college. This is where this article comes in, I, the article, will be here to give you some tips on how to succeed in a classroom without really trying school.

                First don’t listen to your teacher. Yeah I said it, to not have to work just don’t know about it. That may drive your teachers crazy but being nice to them may only lead to more help which maybe more work in the classroom, which you don’t want. Also being nice to the teacher would lead to the idea that you don’t want to be there which in this case is crazy. You the senior would rather be doing other things than, learning about whatever last requirements must be met to graduate.

             

high school pov

1.       Write an essay explaining whether you agree with Leon Botstein’s critique of American high school.

The fact of the matter is that high schools are slipping in Source 5 you see that in the table you see how math percentage of math students who are in learning in our school system aren’t learning at all. I agree with Leon Botstein, in that our school system is out dated, and needs to be rethought.

                In source3, the author talks about how our society today has become that of an age where information is so easy to get a hold of, it has lost real value in what it means. Teachers are not helping this with the way they have commercialized the class room. In source 3 the author makes a point of how we need to change how we offer the learning material “here is Jane Austen on psychological complication, Balzac on the pecuniary, Douglass with slavery.”  This is offering a book and having it teach something, not just the media shoving down your glut.

                Source 4 talks about how they hope to improve high schools, not exactly the way that Leon offers in his essay but, it is a reform that is getting students to act more like adults and take responsibility for their actions. In a testimony form the essay Chris Marks says “you either make the most of this opportunity or you don’t. It’s up to you”. Now to change the way that schools are run would a huge task but if it were to bring up our percentages like the one from source 5 it might be worth it.

                Source 2 is Leon Botstein’s essay and he points out that with our culture today, students are growing up faster, but schools are handicapping them by keeping them in an environment that isn’t close to the real world. So he suggests that we should reform our high school system, letting students try being adults, with real responsibility. He suggests that getting rid of middle school, and junior high, and having people graduate at 16.

                They would then go either into the work force or college, making it easier to get the kids who really like learning, so teachers can teach not just to a crowd of students but to have the hope  that those students are going to institutions of learning that will keep them from dropping out.   

to be a reader of novels

I was reading part of an essay, well more like skimming it because I was bored, but as I skim read this essay I realized its argument was very true. So I stopped and then I reread the essay word for word. The essay was called “I know why the cage bird can’t read” by Francine Prose points out that in the English classes of today we spend more time teaching values of books then the beauty of the word a book says or how the authors word choice communicates feelings and emotions.  

In the classroom you should find students in English classes learning about how novels and essays use word choice and grammar, to communicate the story they want to tell. On refection of my own education in the school over the years I feel I have been cheated that, at least from my school education.  The books I have read in the pass for school I can remember looking at how the author of to kill a mocking bird was for civil rights buts I can’t prove from the writing of the book how. This is because in class I spent my time discussing views of equal rights and acceptance. That did not lead me to enjoy a novel that may have been very good had I been able to read it for the books face value and not the political stuff that most teachers feel the need to bring into my learning environment.

To say that having a values discussion in class is bad, it’s just how we discuss it for the class. That is where the language class has been misled.  What we discuss is something that philosophy classes may discuss after reading the book, like how would you react in the main characters place? What should be asked are vocabulary questions and how the styles of writing create emotion in these great novels. Today now when we are left to our own discussions we often get stuck on the subject of values, not how great a novel has written a metaphor or how the tone threw out the book changes.

The older I get I feel that in my language class I’m losing my grip on how to be a good student. I have been taught a style of learning to read a book for its values and not for the writing it presents. Now going off to college I must find the way to learn look at books in the style of college level reading and that is for the books words not its values. I hope that in the future teachers find a way to balance out this problem by maybe taking out the philosophy, and putting in more of the writing part.

My perfect Ap class

With education you find that the media and country talks about change, but is change really in our future? With the way that our school system is going, this education system will lead to the loss of great students not by the fact that we are beating them down but by the way we spoil them with praise.

Ralph Emerson once wrote that “by simple living, by an illimitable soul, you inspire, you correct, you instruct, you raise, you embellish all.by your own act you teach the beholder how to do the practicable.” This idea that, to teach is to inspire students to become greater is a thing that makes a great teacher different from just a teacher.

In a perfect world this would be one of the things I would change is I would make teaching different from it is now. With the standardizing of the schools, you lose the ability to make your class a place to learn because you have it teach things that everywhere is being taught.  To change this I would try and lessen the amount of standard there is in a class room. One way to do that is to take away advance placement classes.

Instead I would substitute it with an advance class that would teach college material, but you take the placement course in college instead of the ap exam because you can gain knowledge and it can better you learning career but it takes away the stress of teaching for the ap exam.  Teachers can now teach the college stuff at their own pace because you just take the placement class and be put in higher college.

This taking away of Ap classes would mean that weighted grades would go also. I would do this because taking the advance class would be your chose. You would take the class because you love the subject and you can see yourself being able to take a placement test in college and getting out of classes that otherwise would waste your time.

These ideas may not sit well with everyone, but the ability to learn stuff that is more advance is a good idea. When Ap classes were start they were to help with college and now they are pushed back into almost advance classes.  This leaves students with less to learn and less prepared to take an exam.  Just in a perfect world this learning would be inspired by teachers and a student’s own drive to learn.

What books should do

When in doubt this is a class about language, but to say that we have an understand of our language is something that can never be true. For with language we create a place as real as London in any time period, or as fictional as middle earth, and Narnia. Books create and inspire. That is why in the end reading is such a great thing. It leads to those who are willing to learn and look into the future to become more than just a normal person. Even those who just read for fun, have something that people who don’t read have.

What should you read though? Books only in one area of literature or in more than one area. The choice is yours, but to be a well-rounded reader is as good as being a well-rounded person, it just helps those in any way possible and is never a bad thing. Books give us knowledge not just in a way of writing and style but in how to think. They can teach you right from wrong and these books in our great world can teach us about the past and maybe something’s about what the future may hold.

The real point is that what you read should bring you joy, it should entertain you as much as add to the knowledge you have. Books when reading then should make you think question your outlook on life and push you to new heights. These dreams that the author put out for you are yours for the taking if you just can crack open that cover of a book, and then begin to read it.

So in the end what you must start to do is read. Whether you have read books and stopped to do to other things, or have never quite liked read. There is a book out there for every person. It will speak to you in ways that no other book has for that writer will have written it for an audience that is you. Now they won’t know that but a book will change your life. I know it; it has been seen and done. It is that book that a person can quote by heart just because when they read it, it fit into their life so completely it became an addicting book.

For me that book was “the Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett. In this book, the main character Mary is a spoiled brat and when she moves to England you read about how a garden, brings on a transformation from a little girl who is often sick and the most unpleasant person to be around to a real child who laughs and plays. This transformation is also brought on to the child who lived at the house before Mary got there. His name is Collin and he is in his mind a cripple, which because of the garden he over comes.

I loved this book, because I like to garden also, and so when I read this book. It moved me, as I read about the healing and change brought on by only a garden.

Disorderly Conduct

Yesterday I went to see a comedian named Jeff Dunham. I went with my family, who I must say were all old enough to hear the colorful language that was present at this show. This would be one thing that I would be careful of if you don’t like to hear cussing or have small children, then I would say leave them at home or, they should leave you at as they go to enjoy a fantastic show.

The show that I went to took place in Peoria, Illinois. It was a little bit of a drive but, we got there in time. The show started at around 8ish. Mr. Dunham came out and did some standup comedy to start with. My favorite bit from that part was how he had some penguin humidifies on stage and threw out the show the dummies would comment on them.

  The first dummy used was Achmed the dead terrorist. Achmed is famous for his line “Silence I kell you.”  His next dummy was Bubba J, and in this part of the show, Jeff did some improve because he messed up in the bit. It was one of the funniest parts of the show because he was making the whole thing up I think. It was great.

The third dummy to come out Little Jeff, the reason he did this was that he now sells little Jeff’s, they are for sale and it was funny because the little Jeff made fun of big Jeff while telling him a sellout. His fourth act was peanut, and jose jalapeno on a stick. This act went well other than that he sounded like he didn’t know what he was doing.

                  His final act was with Walter. Walter is an old man who has never been happy on stage.  He did the bit with an interaction with the crowd. The letters were written before the show and then read as a improve bit. The show ended with Walter, and it was a very good show.  

http://www.jeffdunham.com/home

Valentine's day ideas

Valentine’s Day a holiday for couples but was it is a holiday that goes back to the time of the Romans. Back then it wasn’t called valentine’s day and for sure it wasn’t sweet and lovey dovey. No it was a pagan holiday, and like most holidays christen churches created Valentine’s Day to combat this pagan with a celebration of their own.  This celebration was called St. Valentine’s Day by Pope Gelasius and was to take place on February the 14^th every year.  

http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day

This holiday is spent showing affection to people you care about or love ones, but really what is the best way to do this? In today’s economy it probably won’t be the best idea to go out and spend the average amount of 150 dollars spent by men or the 74 spent by women. But have no fear because I’m on a mission to find the best Valentines for your money.   http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/interactives/valentines-day-by-the-numbers

 For your friends Valentine ’s Day would be good for giving cards.  These cute robots are the way to go for friends I think. They can be made out of scrapes of different colored paper and the body is a candy bar.  You can buy a bag of mini chocolates at you locale grocery store and make as many as you’d like. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/29/valentines-day-ideas-robot-card_n_2552851.html?utm_hp_ref=crafts

 

  If you have kids then these yarn hearts would be a good idea for you. All you have to do is cut out some cardboard paper hearts and then let the little kids wrap different shades of pink and red around the hearts. Then paste them on to a blank card and you have a valentine that you kids can be proud of and will love to give away.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/06/valentines-day-ideas-yarn-hearts_n_2615536.html?utm_hp_ref=valentines-day-gift-ideas

My final thing is that if you’re feeling very creative, that you should do a valentines scavenger hunt. I got this idea form pinterest and it sounded really cute. You hide hearts in nature and then threw, the scavenger hunt you leave really cute hearts. this could be the best idea for a cute valentines day activity. 

Football

This evening I watched a little bit of the super bowl. Now I wasn’t really paying attention to the game that’s when I got most of my blogging done, but I did watch the half time show. This year it was done by Beyoncé. I have some of her music and some of her songs I just jam out to. The two form the show I liked the best was “crazy in love” and “Single Ladies”.

          Now because I’m one of those people who like looking at the stage and special effects I found that her show was very much a lot of lights. She also had fireworks and her stage didn’t really move around, she did. Over  all it was a great show and I can’t wait for next year’s one.

A knight of books

       

Sir Terry Prachett, has been a published author scenes 1971 and he has written over all 56 books. Most of those books are in his Discworld series, which you don’t have to read in order because inside Discworld there are a bunch of characters and stories.

  My brother loves this author and I think he is also a good author.  If you haven’t read any of his books these are the ones I would recommend you start with.

I would say any of the books that involve the witches are good. That series of books I would start with “equal rights”. This one is a feminist one because it is about a girl who is a wizard but because she is a girl, she can’t be a wizard. So she and another witch go after the wizards and prove that she can be a wizard.

In my favorite one which is called “Masquerade” we have a little ripe off of the phantom of the opera taking place. The new witch that we meet is a girl who has the magical ability to sing, but she is not pretty so she goes into town from the country and tries out at an opera house. She makes it in but her part is to sing in the back.  The book really is a great one because in the end the phantom turns out to be the one person you expect but didn’t really, which makes it even more my favorite.

The next one would be the wee free men and the Tiffany Aching books. Those ones I love because Tiffany is a really smart girl and she wants to be a witch! The comedy part comes in when she meets the wee free men, a bunch of fairies, but they aren’t your normal fairies.

A book not in   the discworld series but good would be nation. This book takes place on an island. The island suffers a natural disaster and the people who survive this have to rebuild from what they have which isn’t a lot. It is a coming of age book for some people, taking on responsibility.  It is one of the funnier ones also so if you like comedy I would read this one.

These are just a few of Terry Prachetts work but they are the ones I have read so far. If I read anymore I will tell you about them and if they are any good.

Dodger

The new book that I am reading right now is called “Dodger” by Terry Pratchett. His book dodger is one of his newest books. It is set in the historical fiction world of London in the 19^th century when London was either really rich or dirt poor; Not very many people in the middle.

We start our story on a dark and stormy night in London. There we read about how Dodger saves a girl form some men she was running from. For Dodger takes two men single handily. As you read this book you find out they don’t call Dodger for nothing.

One of the interesting things about the book so far is what the main character does for a living at the start of the book. He is a Toshers that means that everyday Mr. Dodger, would go down into the sewers and dig around in the muck and try and find random items of value.  It may have been one of the worst jobs I have heard of and to think people really id this for a job is just horrifying.

This book is historical fiction but so far two people who I have read about are real and are quite famous., Charles Dickens and Henry Mayhew. They have both been introduced so early in this book because of what they did in real life. They both wrote about how the underbelly of London was so bad and how the rich and no idea what was just across the way. Charles Dickens writings were all fiction in some way But Mr. Mayhews were all about reality.

Some it though is just urban legend, like how Dodger faces down Sweeny Todd the Demon barber of fleet street. The interesting thing is even though the Barbar almost kills him, Dodger doesn’t like to think of him as getting locked up because in this tale. Sweeny Todd   was in the war and crazy because he couldn’t have saved people.it just shows that Dodger has compassion and he can think for himself.

Dodgers character comes off to the rich as this dirty little kid who will steal your money the second he sees it but really that isn’t the case. Most of the time he will let you keep your money.  What he is a good kid who just has been in the wrong side of town. Or thast is what the rich people think, to Dodger, he thinks himself well off and pretty lucky. Which is a way that this character grows on you.  

So far I have liked this book. It has a good history but is an engaging read, but from Sir Terry Pratchett. On the next blog I will talk about this author and books by him you should read.

  http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/history/2012/06/quite-likely-the-worst-job-ever/

All-State speech

This weekend I volunteered at the state speech event at Kennedy. I was in the auditorium and working with the one act performances.   These shows are plays in one act and the goal is to tell a story in that one act. If they were very good your group would get to go all-state on February 16  they will perform for the final time if they past this weekend.

             Speech is a very interesting thing because you just don’t make speeches. There is along with one act, mime, choral reading and many others that are listed at this link http://lchs.lewiscentral.org/departments/fine_arts/speech/large_group_speech_categories/  . These categories showcase all kinds of acting and are great to see.

 The only thing about it is that speech performs only really have three completions. First one is districts and if you don’t pass the judges standers, you don’t get to go onto state. That isn’t really a challenge if you practice hard and work hard. The next completion is State and after state is All-State. All-State is this month on the 16^th.

Here at Kennedy our groups improve team has won at All-State speech for the past three years for sure.  Speech is one of those things which I find to be a great thing to watch so if you’re thinking about going to watch All-State speech this year, you should go.

            

whose the fairest one of all?

This weekend my family watched mirror mirror. This is a snow white idea movie. Or really it’s a retelling of snow white. I wasn’t really watching it for the plot but for the gowns in this movie. They costumes for the queen and snow white we amazing.

In the movie one of my favorite scenes is the ball that is thrown to welcome the prince into the kingdom. The thing is that it’s a costume ball. The costumes of all the nobles are very non-colorful, but the queen is in a red ball-room gown that makes her look like a peacock; while snow white has the costume of a sawn with a bird head and wings.

Another dress which I love is the one that snow white starts out in. it is a simple pink and green dress with vines and flowers embroidered in to it.  Her wedding gown is also very pretty with its blue and giant orange bow.

The dwarves in this tale there are only six, and they are bandits.  They also have these cool stilts that they put accordions over to make themselves giants. It’s really a good idea.   One of the dwarves also has a wolf head which adds to his name wolf.

What this movie lacks in plot and characters it makes up in costume. So if your going for the movie itself them it won’t be that good. But if you just like pretty dresses this is the movie for you. 

last post on the great influenza

I am almost done with my free reading book and it has been the best one yet. The book I read for this term for most of it was “the great influenza” by John Barry. This book has changed my perspective on the medicine we use today; also on how we got to this point in that field.

You see this book started out in 1918 before world war one and the outbreak of influenza. It would look at the people who would develop modern American medicine till the outbreak and then those who would have to face it. These two groups of people would be the same people but not. For the epidemic will change their outlook on medicine and how they treat it.

             These men would also have to fight against the political machine which is the government of America. During my book the president of the United States is Woodrow Wilson and he chooses for most of the war to ignore the deaths of all the civilians and soldiers due to the influenza outbreak.

            Where I am at in my book though is very interesting, because it is up to where I know who they are talking about due to advance biology.  In the book the Author mentions Fred Griffith who we discussed in class because of his contributions to genetics and Watson and crick who both discovered the double helix. This book shows that its studies were going on in real time.

            I have a little bit left in this book, but I have loved reading it. I am excited to finish it also though . it will give me a chance to get back to reading something that is in the fiction and a little bit easier to read on a level. It will still be challenging but it will be in an area of literature not as hard as nonfiction.

blogging problems

The issue with blogging

you see right now I just spent a good long time working on one post. I found pictures I gave well detailed thoughts on those pictures and I even included a link. But blogger messed it up. Now all my pictures aren’t showing.  This frustrates me because I was proud of that post and now its due to the fact that I don’t know how to make a web site work for me.

This pass year I have been struggling with blogging due to the fact that I don’t know what to write about. I really don’t want to sound like a know it all and also not sound like a rant on about something I know little about. But blogging has just become a chore now.

                It lacks the fun of writing because I don’t know what I’m allowed to write about. Do I have to focus on like one real thing or can I do fiction writing without getting in trouble. In the end its just s stressor for my Sunday about getting it done.

                One thing about blogging is that once in a while in all this muck that is my writing I find a piece, that I am proud to say I have written.   It was one that put a lot of care into and feel like I have a message to give to my community of fellow writers.   This only happens once in a while; so is it really enough to make up for all the not so good writing I am doing?

                I don’t know but I hope that in the future I can maybe get more of those great writings and less like this one which I just started writing because blogger didn’t post pictures right on my last post correct. That would mean that my readers may not get the point I am trying to make.  

                To improve writing you must write often but does it all have to be well written that is the question? 

Shopping

Okay well I think with spring just around the corner, we can start looking at winter sales!  These are the some of the best times for shopping. When stores are starting to get there spring inventory and with that sales on all the winter cloths go.

Now you may be like why the heck would I want to get winter stuff for next year? Well even if the stores are selling out of there winter cloths it doesn’t mean winter is over.  You will just have to make sure that what you buy can be used in many different ways even sometimes in spring.

Mod cloth is a website I love for dress shopping. The dress are cute and fun and you don’t find them really anywhere here in Iowa.  I picked this dress because any girl can use a little black dress.  Its form fitting do if you do wear it make sure you can keep in your tummy. The price for this dress on sale is about 15.99 without shipping.

This purple dress I just loved. The bow looks oh so cute and the print on it added some fun. I liked that the dress had straps because with strapless dress they have to be well fitted. the price for this dress is 16.99 so also a good price for a dress.

The one item that I would spend the most money on would be the shoes.  I found two different shoes on this site, the black bow ones which I absolutely adore and I think would go with both dress. The only bad thing about them is that they are 59.99 while the simple black wedge is 32. Fashion does have its moments.

I love shopping both online and in person. The best thing is when you go with friends though.  If you like the shoes and dresses here is the link for the website.

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/sale#?size=S,2,4&price=2,174&sort=newest&page=1

how to help writer block

Writers block is one of the worst things in the world. It is that moment when you hit a wall that will not move no matter how hard you try to come up with the next thing you are going to say; but fear not my fine friend for I am going to help you beat writers block.

Step one

First things first you need to drop the subject. You have been ting about it for hours now and you need to get a new fresh outlook on the subject. While that does not mean you should stop writing it means it should be on a different subject. These subjects could be anything from puppies to what the weather is outside. Once you have gotten away from the subject for a few hours it’s time to come back.

Step two

Refocus yourself on finding new ways to write about what you have a block on. This may be looking on the internet to see what other people say about the topic you are writing about. But be warned you do not what to plagiaries their ideas and take them as your own. Just find them a inspiration to fix your writers block. Other ways to refocus are to eat as you write to get those brain juices flowing again.  Smart people eat to keep their brains focused, meaning this could get you the idea to beat writers block.

Step three

            Starting back on the subject maybe hard at first; with the lost of creativity you find that every angle you look at is flawed. This is not the case; you just haven’t found the right perspective for writing a new idea. To help this one you will need to look at maybe another point that maybe coming in the future for you writing. Start from there , where you know what you want to do and write ahead. This may give you the insight into what needs to happen in the place where you have writers block. 

Paradise

The cost of perfection

A world that in which everything is perfect: utopia. What is the cost if such a great idea? For when everything is perfect do you want to understand it and fix it? Another word for utopia is paradise. A place that is perfect in a way that makes it a heaven to be in. If humans were in utopia or paradise would we even know it? The more important question is what is the cost of a perfect place?

When you find utopia it’s never really utopia. For humans are imperfect so what is perfect, that we humans bring ourselves into becomes imperfect. Literature shows this in many books written by many different people over time, the world is imperfect and so are we. Yet in a sense every person wants utopia or finds it and realizes paradise isn’t what the character thought.

Most often what seems to be a utopia is really a dystopia in disguise. In books these factors, ruin the perfection in what the character is living in. another way is that the dystopia was there the whole time but by outside forces the character is brought to see the corruption.

In “the giver” (http://www.shmoop.com/the-giver/summary.html) you see a kid who is growing up in what appears to be a utopian society, but what is really not. The shock of what his life has been brings Jonas to a change in perspective: and in the end he runs away from the community to free the people of their ignorance.

Dystopia’s are easier to find in both life and literature. The hunger game is an all-out dystopia with only utopia for the citizens of the capitol who live in wealth and don’t have to work hard for anything because the districts create everything for them. What makes it worse is that with the rebellion the government controls the districts with brute forces and control of the emotions of its people. This plays on the people make them controllable on a large scale and they can’t escape this control. Nor can they run away from it because district thirteen does about the same thing, controlling its people with survival and living underground to protect themselves.

Utopia and dystopia are opposites of each other. One is perfect and  the other imperfection. Is one better than the other? Can without becoming inhuman can we find perfection and paradise? The cost of paradise is too much in retrospect; to be perfect is boring and with it we lose our identity.