Favorite Book for Class and Life

To Kill a Mockingbird is not only loved by millions around the world, it is also loved by me therefore being my favorite piece of literature discussed in my AP English and Language class. I had heard all around that this novel was a spectacular one, but did not believe it until I actually read it myself. I was angry that we had to read novels during our precious summer break, but when I began reading this one, suddenly my boredom had faded away. I have no siblings but the love and care siblings have for each other melts my heart and has me searching for more. The main characters in the book, Scout and Jem, had an imaginative, innocent, carefree, joyful childhood. They played with each other, relied on each other, cared for each other, loved each other, and were best friends. When reality hit their lives and suddenly all was turning worse, they still stuck together and did not leave each others' sights. This is the reason this book is so heart catching. This book taught me that once you know and trust someone, they will always have your back. It also taught me never to be prejudice and judge people or things by their covers or what has been said about them. The entire book was based on prejudice thoughts. Boo Radley was being judged and feared from throughout the book, but at the end the one that was there to save the day was really only him. He now was more than a neighbor, more than a story, more than a scary man to Scout and Jem. He now was a friend.

Nature Vs Jobs

"Report finds it pays -- literally -- to live near wilderness"
Julie Cart, Los Angeles Times 
Published on 12/2/2012
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-wilderness-economics20121202,0,4282900.story

Due to protected federal public lands and, of course, the beautiful environment, people are beginning to live more by nature and the wilderness. They get paid more and employment rates are higher than those of not federally protected lands. With federal protection, lands and jobs get funded, calling people's attentions towards them. Aside from the economic status of these lands, they are beautiful, breathtaking, and know how to capture one's attention. Although this seems to be the ideal lifestyle, these public acres of land are being used in order to build companies. All these companies are what jobs come from and that is why employment rates are high. It seems like a beneficial enforcement, but is it really? Nature is being abused to create and stimulate jobs. Beautiful land is being taken away for jobs. Already the world has been destroyed for money, and sadly the rest of what is left is being abused, also.

A Single Night Can Change Everything

     On the aphotic night of November 22, 2010 my grandmother was sitting in our living room watching television with my grandfather. Suddenly her body began to react to something and she began twitching. My grandfather was lost in confusion and did not know what to do other than help her out and call us for help. My mother and I rushed into the living room and found my grandmother twitching. We immediately called 911 and waited impatiently until they arrived. When they came my grandmother seemed to have calmed down already and the parademics told us that she had a ceisure that might have led from something she ate. We wanted to see if her mind was still working normally so they asked her what they it was and she replied "Monday". They then took her to the hospital and my mom went along. We called my aunt's house to let them know of this incident. My aunt and her husband rushed to the hospital while my cousins came to take us to their house. That was the first day I experienced such fear and sadness. I had been crying for hours, along with my grandpa, having my cousins tell us that everything will be fine. Everything was not fine, however. The next day when we went to the hospital my grandmother was not herself anymore. Her mind was not working normally, although she recognized who we were, and she thought the hospital room was our living room. I then realized that I may never live another hour with my grandma the way she used to be before this ceisure. The doctors informed us that my grandmother had a cancerous brain tumor and the best option would be to have it surgically removed. We, as a family, agreed and a day or two later the surgery began, before the tumor can result in further damage. After the surgery, we went to visit my grandmother and the picture of how she had looked will never leave my mind. She looked completely different and the only thing that had stayed was her incredible smile. That smile stayed on her face until the end. She was slowly recovering and after a few months we brought her back home. For a whole year I saw how much my mother and aunt were suffering in order to take care of her twenty four hours, seven days a week. Of course all of us family members helped out, but it could not be compared to my mother's and aunt's troubles. We enjoyed every minute we had with her, watching her slowly speak, say our names, eat, laugh, and sometimes walk. After a year we began to notice how much she had gotten worse. She started off not well, then improved hugely, and finally sadly weakened. We took her to the nursing home a week before she passed away. We stayed by her side, knowing of her soon future. A week later, on December 6, 2011, she passed away and shortly after that I noticed the change in my family. This event was probably the most affective thing in my life, because my grandmother had raised me and lived with me all my life and my memories with her were endless. After she passed, my grandfather was alone, my house was quiet, and something has been missing ever since. She was one of the most important figures in mine and my family's life. Unfortunately, this is life and we all have to adjust to the things that affect us in a helpful, or devastating way.

Baby Style

"Psy the Baby Whisperer? Babies Love 'Gangnam Style' too"
Published on November 10, 2012
By Deborah Netburn, The Los Angeles
http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-gangnam-style-babies-20121109,0,1978837.story
     The music video and the song for 'Gangnam Style' has gone viral from the moment the genius behind it put it up. Radios have been playing it, television shows, movies, parties, and many more. The song, along with its dance is now known throughout the world and everyone is dancing and singing along to it, including babies. Parents have been uploading videos of their babies dancing and singing to the video. Screaming and crying babies are beginning to calm down due to the video. A ten-month-old baby named Benjamin is crying and screaming because of his father trying to feed him. Once the father turns on the video for 'Gangnam Style', baby Benjamin calms down and opens his mouth to eat. A seven-month-old baby girl named Ava cannot stop tearing up and crying until her mother turns on 'Gangnam Style'. One uncle recorded his sixteen-month-old nephew dancing along to 'Gangnam Style' repeating almost every move. Music is something that is relative to one's ears and soothes a person. A song can make one calm and cheerful, regardless what age the person may be.

The links to the three videos are:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6W1Nmm6rjho
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=j_bI1K1MyzE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=u9SN66JxCTI

Journey to Moral Perfection

     Benjamin Franklin thought of thirteen virtues he had to follow in order to reach moral perfection. The three I chose to follow for the past three days were temperance, silence, and justice. Temperance meant that I could not overeat or get drunk. Silence meant I could only speak kind things about myself and others. Justice meant I could not commit any crimes. I began following temperance and did fine on Thursday. However, on Friday my friends and I had visited a cute restaurant called Teriyaki Me and I, having been starved the whole day, ordered a huge plate of food and after finishing it all did not feel good until the next day.
     I thought I should challenge myself and do something I knew would be difficult for me. Following silence, I decided to speak only beneficial things about myself and others. I found myself breaking that rule not a while after deciding to do it. I am not an optimistic person, so talking only beneficial things about myself was quite hard. I succeeded the part of talking good about others longer than talking good about myself. I, however, did not succeed fully about talking good about others when my friends began engaging me in their gossipy conversations.
     The third and final virtue I had chosen, justice, was quite easy for me to overcome. This was the only one I committed to all throughout the days and I am hoping I will commit to it for the rest of my life. I do not enjoy hearing about crimes and I would never engage in committing one. I could not live with the idea of even verbally hurting someone, worse, hurting them physically. This was not a difficult task and I am glad I completed at least this very important one.

Halloween Party Misunderstood

-"Halloween Party Gunfight Leaves One Dead, Another Wounded"
-Published October 28, 2012
-Ari Bloomekatz, Los Angeles Times
-http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/10/halloween-party-gunfight-leaves-one-dead-another-wounded.html
Gunfights need to be stopped and police need to take more action in stopping them. A Halloween party organized for some costume fun, led to the death of a person, and wounding of another. This happened in the Florence neighborhood of South Los Angeles. Although it is not yet verified what resulted in this attack, it is said that the suspect shot the victim in the head twice, killing the victim, and the victim shot the suspect once, only hurting the suspect. No one, yet, is charged for this incident but people should learn from this that having possession of a gun should not lead to violence such as this one, that causes the death of a human being. Guns should be used only for self defense and ones who do not respect that should not have them in their possession. Parties in general can be dangerous and one can assume this crime happened due to drinking and misunderstanding. A simple costume party should not have caused one from enjoying the party to dying.

One Can Never Fully Predict an Ending

     Centuries ago a man's reputation, similar to now, had to be kept high. Their "ego" should always be respectful and high. When Hester Prynne was found unfaithful to her husband, Roger Chillingworth, it is nothing but obvious that Mr. Chillingworth would grow angry. The thought of a woman cheating on the man is unacceptable. Chillingworth decided to get revenge on the man who became the reason for him to lose his wife and, in a way, his ego. I also feel sympathetic for Dimmesdale, but he, knowing Hester was a married woman, should not have had an affair with her. Roger sent his wife to America in order to make money to support his wife and provide a decent life for her. Her mistakes ruined all of his plans and twisted his whole life around. I was supporting Dimmesdale throughout the whole story until I read the part of Chillingworth leaving inheritance for Pearl. This made me realize that this poor man did not have a child and his wife's child should have been his, so, in a way, pretending that this child should have been his, and knowing the child's innocence, he left inheritance for her. He probably thought of how Pearl's mother's and father's sin had hurt her, and how his revenge had caused harm to her, too and she lost a parent because of him. In my opinion, his guilt and somewhat heart had led him to leave some inheritance for Pearl, as a form of an apology and a way to help her out.

A New Member of the Book of World Records!

"Daredevil breaks world record with highest jump"
Published on October 14, 2012
W.J. Hennigan, LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-free-fall-jump-new-mexico-20121014,0,3124991.story
A forty-three year old man named Felix Baumgartner jumped from a capsule hanging 120,000 feet above the Earth, breaking a world record of fifty-two years. Four minutes after his jump, he opened up his parachutes, and fifteen minutes after that he landed on the grounds of New Mexico. In 1960, an Air Force test pilot named Joe Kittinger broke the free-fall record by jumping off 102,800 feet. Baumgartner broke this record. His jump was not quite set for breaking the world record, though. It was set to test the equipment he was wearing in order to find the weight it holds for people. He was wearing a newly designed outfit which included the suit and the helmet. He was able to jump off at such a great length, meaning that the outfit was well enough to hold him through. It must have been a massive challenge for Baumgartner, because at any given point of time, the suit's strength could have failed to hold him together. He could have been hurt but then again one only lives once and must do challenges without regret. This was definitely a scary, yet adventurous challenge for Baumgartner and I am happy he got a world record for it and is now popular throughout the media.

Quote of the Century!

"'God gave her into my keeping.' repeated Hester Prynne, raising her voice almost to a shriek. 'I will not give her up!' And here, by a sudden impulse, she turned to the young clergyman, Mr. Dimmesdale, at whom, up to this moment, she had seemed hardly so much as once to direct her eyes. 'Speak thou for me!' cried she. 'Thou wast my pastor, and hadst charge of my soul, and knowest me better than these men can. I will not lose the child! Speak for me! Thou knowest, for thou hast sympathies which these men lack! thou knowest what is in my heart, and what are a mother's rights, and how much stronger they are, when that mother has but her child and the scarlet letter! Look thou to it! I will not lose the child! Look to it!'"
     In this quote from The Scarlet Letter the readers can finally get an idea of who the father of Pearl is. Hester expresses herself to Mr. Dimmesdale in a way that she has never expressed to anyone else. She has never asked for anyone's help until this point and now she is asking him, showing some comfort she feels with him. From all these men she claims he is the only one who understands her and has a heart. Instead of turning to anyone else, at a situation where it had to do with her daughter, she turned to him. She knew he would have helped her for the sake of their daughter. She knew he would not want to watch her suffer and since he has not done much to help them, this might have been a good way for him to help them for once, by letting them stay with each other. To me, this quote is the climax of the story because it is where the readers see a change of tone in Hester, a sort of feelings towards this man, and a choice of words that can lead to conclusions of Mr. Dimmesdale being the father.

Poor Children of America...

"Fast Food Logos 'Imprinted' On Kids' Brains, Study Finds"
Published on September 24, 2012
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/24/fast-food-logos_n_1910423.html?utm_hp_ref=brain

Advertising for fast food is so strong that the logos used for fast food restaurants are imprinted in children's brains, study shows. Show a McDonald's logo to any kid and he or she will recognize it in probably a second. Show a healthy, not so popular logo or label of food to a kid and they may never figure out what it is. This is probably what causes child obesity. The fact that children recognize fast food logos so quickly and the fact that these logos are imprinted in their brains, is devastating, because it shows how much fast food is consumed in this nation and how effective it is. One can only imagine how much a kid can pass by or eat at a fast food restaurant for the logo to be imprinted in their minds. There is probably no child who cannot recognize a McDonald's, Burger King, In N Out, Carl's Jr. etc. logo. Although this scientific fact is quite interesting, it is pretty devastating also, if one thinks about it.

The Scarlet Letter

Books written from and about centuries ago, seem to be the ones that capture my interest most. Reading The Scarlet Letter has me thinking a lot. On behalf of how the book might end, I think the father of Pearl will turn out to be the governor, because he welcomed Hester and Pearl to his house, wanted to purchase something Hester had made, and does not question Pearl about anything, as far as I have read. Hester and Pearl were not accepted or liked by many, but the governor welcomed them to his house without judgement. Maybe it is because he is in love with Hester and Pearl is his daughter, maybe not. That is just my assumption. He had asked Hester to make him something so he can buy from her. He probably asked from Hester so that he can provide her a little money to take care of Pearl. He also probably wanted to see them, so inviting them over was probably the excuse. The reverend saw Pearl and Hester and automatically got to questioning. The governor had not said much to Pearl, probably knowing everything about her whereabouts and how she is on this Earth, also not wanting to make her or her mother uncomfortable. Many assumptions can be made about this story, but this is the one I came up with.

Child Labor

"Faces of Child Labor (PHOTOS)"
Published on 9/29/2012
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/29/faces-of-child-labor_n_1924274.html?ir=Business

Child Labor has been around ever since the Industrial Revolution. Agriculture was turning into industry and needed a lot of labor. Having children work was thought to be useful, since more work done was needed, and it was cheaper. This idea seems to be something from decades or even centuries ago, but has it even stopped? Child labor is still around all over the world and plans to have it stopped by the year 2016 are moving slow. "The U.S. Labor Department this week released a report that found 134 products in 17 countries that may have ties to child or forced labor" (Huffington Post). It is just disturbing knowing that children who should be playing outside with friends are carrying labor. Apparently, companies like Chuck E. Cheese and Hershey use child labor, disobeying the laws. They were fined for disobeying the laws and hopefully whichever other company that uses child labor, will get punished for it too. Children need to learn, grow, play, and enjoy their childhood. They are not supposed to be working for the benefit of economy.

Should Tracking Be Allowed for the Benefit of Businesses?

"Google+ Hangout: Are Retailers Watching Our Every Move?"
Published on September 21, 2012
By Christopher Matthews, Time 
http://business.time.com/2012/09/21/google-hangout-are-retailers-watching-our-every-move/

If one is involved in the internet, they know that somehow or another they are being tracked. Retailers and businesses track consumers down in order to find out how they can market us more. "Stores are using everything from the wi-fi signals in smart phones to facial-recognition technology to understand how shoppers are interacting with retail outlets" (Christopher Matthews, Time). The reason stores are doing all this is to see how they can compete in having better products that the consumers would most likely get from them. Christopher Matthews started a discussion with Pam Dixon and Laura Davis, two experts about tracking. Listening to what Laura Davis was saying about how stores track people, was pretty disturbing. They can track literally every single move a person does, every single place a person looks. Pam Dixon was talking about how having bluetooth or wi-fi on in a store gives the retailers their opportunity to track people down. Turning these off might help in not being tracked down. What the experts were saying that I agreed with was that if the businesses just track down enough to know the number of people in a store, that would be understandable. However, tracking only a number leads to tracking each individual and having access to personal identities. I do not think tracking should be allowed, because privacy is a human right that no one can overlook and should be protected no matter what the situation happens to be. 

Thought Diets are the Best Choice? Well Think Again

"25 Health Tips Our Readers Want You To Know"
Posted September 16, 2012
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/16/health-tips-advice_n_1884834.html?ir=Healthy+Living
   
     Everyone is always wondering how they can be healthier and skinnier and what diet they can use to undergo these tasks. People always ask around for advice, but do they always get the ones they need? A community was asked for what they think is the best advice about health. Twenty five were picked. They are:
"1. Find balance. 

-Tiffany Manning

2. Listen to your body. 
-Aimee I.

3. You have one body. Be kind to it! Treat it like you would your favorite person. 
-Scotty Walrod

4. Never smoke. 
-Miram Webster

5. Eat greens with almost every meal. 
-Lizeth Bejarano

6. Move more quickly, chew more slowly. 
-Christine Pagnotta DiPilla

7. Be honest with your doctor. 
-Andrew Lockett

8. Go easy on the partying. 
-Kari Cartee-Ward

9. Don't trust your past to teach you something new. Change is what gives you new and greater health. Not same old same old. 
-Elizabeth Keung Vilece

10. Drink more water. 
-Brandon and Crystal King

11. Breathe fully and deeply. 
-Cheryl L.

12. Don't skimp on sleep. 
-Terry Carlle

13. Don’t worry yourself to death. 
-Divine Angel

14. Don’t rely on someone else to make you happy. You can create your own happiness. 
-Peggy Norton-Rosko

15. Avoid sugar. Or things that easily convert to sugar. 
-Marie T. Matteson

16. Start now! 
-Sandi M.

17. Don't diet (that usually leads to feelings of deprivation and you'll end up eating more). Instead, figure out why you have an emotional relationship with food. Learn proactive/non-food ways to deal with your emotions and you will be able to get to and maintain a healthy weight. 
-Lisa Stromeier

18. Meditate every day and all the rest will fall into place. 
-The Balanced Gourmet

19. Every morning, lean in to the mirror, and say I love you! 
-Robin Leach

20. Eat real food. Wait, no -- first, learn the difference between real food and food products. 
-Sandarita Raqs

21. Prevention is better than treatment. 
-Lori S.

22. Be aware of what you put in, on, and around your body. 
-Melissa Atha

23. Be engaged, physically, mentally, emotionally in everything that you do. Do not settle for the fastest/easiest route. Take the extra step to make everything worthwhile. 
-Melanie B.

24. Laugh every day. 
-Martine Sweedler

25. Appreciate and work towards good health. 
-Liz N. Alex Prozzo" (Huffington Post) 

Finding one's balance may help them concentrate on what they want to do and how they want to undergo that. They will be more focused and determined on their tasks, therefore they can manage their healthy behaviors. If one listens to their body they can figure out what the body is in a way "asking for" and what is needed for them to feel better. One has to treat their body in a respective manner in order to feel healthy within their body. Smoking causes your health to go down the drain. It is a leading cause in death, completely destroys one's lungs, and results in poor health. Eating greens with almost every meal can give one the nutrients they need and the proper diet needed for each meal. For example, with every carb, there needs to be some kind of green to go with it. Moving constantly causes one's bones and muscles to work, and causes one to burn more calories and stay fit. Chewing slowly allows a person to digest much faster and become full faster, so that they do not overeat. If one feels there is some kind of thing wrong with them or something that is not normal, they should consult with their doctor in order to solve what needs to be solved before it is to late. Partying is fun, but partying also means drinking, possibly smoking or doing drugs, and sleeping late. These are all negatives to successful health. Change can be a positive thing. One can try changing their habits and might see a positive result. Drinking water is one of the best things one can do for their body and health. Water hydrates and cleanses the body, leaving a person feeling satisfied. Breathing fully and deeply is a technique yoga teachers use along with all instructors. Breathing opens up your lungs and airways and fills the body with oxygen. Sleeping is quite important one's health. It provides energy and relaxation, both much needed for a person. Worrying causes stress and that leaves one in poor health and possible sickness. One should try not worrying and clearing their mind. One needs to create happiness on their and not put their hopes up on anyone, because in the end the only person they have to make them happy, is themselves. Sugar is harmful and causes blood levels to rise. One must avoid sugar as much as they can. One must start immediately on trying to make their health better. Waiting can lead to never getting anything done. Dieting is not recommended and usually leads to one eating more. One must figure out their purpose of dieting and find new ways to deal with it. Meditating clears minds and leaves one relaxed. One must do this every day. Loving yourself gives you more self confidence and leads to better health. One must avoid food products and try finding natural, real foods in order to better their health. Preventing something from happening is much better than doing something then treating it. It is much easier and saves way more time. One must make sure they know what is going around on the surface of their body. One must learn about everything they do and know what they can do to better themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. Laughing is said to cause one to live longer. One should laugh when they can, because it changes the mood completely, for the better. All this can help one to work their way to successful, healthy health! 

"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"

     Speeches are a huge part of English literature. A speech we read as a class that captured my attention is "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards. Three aspects of the SOAPST for this speech are audience, purpose, and subject. The audience are the sinners, so that pretty much narrows it down to everyone. Jonathan Edwards refers to the audience as all of them being sinners. According to him, everyone is a sinner except for few like himself. God holds all of them on a string and is ready to let go whenever he desires. They are God's little toys and should fear God.
     The purpose is to persuade. Jonathan Edwards tries to persuade his audience into being what he believes is right. They are all sinners to him, and God, and if they do not act "perfect" like how Edwards displays them to be, they will all go to hell. The purpose of his speech works, because Edwards instills fear into the audience and gives the idea that God does not like them and they will all die and go to hell.
     The subject is salvation. Edwards preaches how his audience can be "saved" by telling them how they should be. He tells them that God does not like them and He will eventually send them to hell, but there is a way to be saved. The only way is to pray everyday so that when judgement day comes, they will automatically be saved from death, and their stay on Earth can be extended a bit.

Try Saying "Commitment"

-"Noah Kalina ages 12.5 years in 7.5 minutes"
-Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times 
-Published on September 8, 2012
-http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-noah-kalina-age-12-years-20120907,0,2524681.story

For all the project lovers out there, here is one that might interest many. While many like doing projects quick and getting over them as fast as they can, one boy thought he might be able to carry out a project in a time period of twelve and a half years. Noah Kalina decided to take a picture of himself every day for twelve and a half years. While many had this same idea, not all were able to maintain this project for as long as Noah. After the time period passed, Noah finally put all the pieces of his project together, and created a slideshow showing how he aged daily, for the next twelve and a half years. When one constantly sees someone, they do not encounter the changes taking place with the person, physically. This video of Noah's pictures shows how he aged and what physical changes he went through. Honestly, time does pass by really fast. It is like watching someone grow as much as twelve to thirteen years, in a matter of seven to eight minutes.

Here is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPPzXlMdi7o&feature=player_embedded

Dance Baby Dance

"Baby twins dance when dad plays guitar, and the world goes 'awww"

Deborah Netburn, LA Times 

September 1, 2012

Posting videos is the new big thing of this generation. A father posted a video of his two twin daughters dancing to him playing the guitar. This video went viral and was viewed by many families. It is adorable and too cute to resist. "You Tube trends manager Kevin Allocca said that "11 Month Old Twins Dancing To Daddy's Guitar" was the most shared video in most cities across the United States and -- this is the part I especially love -- across all ages and genders" (Deborah Netburn, LA Times). Two baby girls shake their heads from side to side in almost perfect rhythm to their father's playings. This video got so many views and was so cute that even famous news channels were showing it. By looking at this video, one can see the connection between the two twins and how they communicate and react to the music. One can also conclude that twins can be similar in thinking. There can be many research to this simple video, but what is the main thing is how much infants can adapt to their surroundings and how playful and energetic they are to sounds and music. 

Rocky Rocky Road!

Ice cream has been around for as long as I can imagine. It is an all time favorite amongst all no matter what age group. It is a refreshment and a sweet treat you cannot resist. My favorite flavor of ice cream is "Rocky Road" ice cream. This flavor contains plain chocolate ice cream, mixed with almonds and marshmallows. One basically has a flavor of semi-sweet chocolate, crunchy, bitter almonds, and sweet chewy marshmallow all in one bite. This flavor was brought up by a man named William Dreyer in March 1929. I like this flavor the best, because while eating it I get to enjoy not one but three amazing flavors, to eat nonstop without getting tired of it, and to receive my daily necessities of almonds. Who likes plain anything? Everyone likes a bit of an extra something in anything they eat. So buy and scoop and enjoy the delicious flavors of rocky road ice cream. 

"The Declaration of Independence"

     From all the thing I have read in any of my English classes, I am glad to have read an important historical piece of literature. As a class, we read "The Declaration of Independence". We discussed the SOAPST, or the speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject, and tone. The speakers were the colonists, the occasion was July 4, 1776, the audiences were King George III and the American colonists, the purpose was to persuade and to inspire and inform, the subject was independence, and finally, the tone was demanding, inspiring, and conclusive. Three aspects that I will describe are the speaker, occasion, and the subject. Although Thomas Jefferson was the main author of this piece, his words were from the colonists themselves. They all had a say in it, wanting independence from King George III, who from miles away was controlling their lives, in a harsh matter. After years of torture and obedience, they finally put their feet down, and demanded independence. The occasion was July 4, 1776. On this day "The Declaration of Independence" was published and read throughout everywhere. This day marked the independence of America, and is celebrated until this day. It has turned into a holiday. The final aspect that I will be discussing is the subject. The subject is independence and all there is to this piece is independence. All the colonists' voices have been put together for one cause and at the end the only and most important thing they got out of it was independence. Throughout the world, one's main wish is to be independent, and nothing else.

What's Next?

"What to expect from the iPhone 5 [Google+ Hangout]" 

Salvador Rodriguez, LA Times 

Published August 25, 2012

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-iphone-hangout-0120824,0,2538826.story 

     Smartphones are being used throughout the world everyday, by almost everyone. With all these smartphones out on the market, competition among each company just becomes larger and larger. Companies begin updating and advancing their smartphones, coming up with newer versions of the devices. One smartphone that the world is familiar with, and that keeps advancing and updating, is the iPhone. Since the iPhone first came out, each year the company has been announcing newer versions of the phone, with newer features and looks. This year the iPhone will once again have a new version. It is said that on September 12 the new version will be released, and can be pre-ordered, and on September 21, the device will be in stores. It is only obvious that this newer version will have new features. A few features said to be on the new iPhone are a wider screen, competing with other smartphones, a smaller dock connector, and 4G LTE connectivity. The name of the device is still undecided, but the main features are predicted, and if you wish to find out the rest of the features, just stand in line like everyone else, and wait until your turn. 

"Graduation" by Maya Angelou

     One of Maya Angelou's works that we read in class was "Graduation", an essay about her graduation ceremony and her experience of graduating. The three aspects of the SOAPST I will be discussing are the speaker, subject, and the tone. While Maya Angelou was an African American herself and did not have as many privileges, she still attempted to accomplish much more than imagined. Since she is a playwright, producer, dancer, actor, poet, and much more, she is reliable to us. We can use Holden Caulfield, from Catcher in the Rye, as an example as to why Angelou is more reliable, because Holden had a mental disorder. Therefore, we cannot trust everything he talked about, since we know how much he would exaggerate.

    The subject of the essay was her graduation experience. Since it was an accomplishment of hers, she was glad to see the day where she would graduate. With all the excitement, she was anxious to graduate and be free from the school which was torturous to her. Through the story, we see how not only her excitement but her classmates' excitements die down, because of the truth of their reality told to them from the white man. Even if they were disappointed and brought down, she still managed to be hopeful. What was meant for a happy day almost became a disappointment.

    The tone of the story includes her being predictable, excited, confused, angry, and inspired. On the day of her graduation, in the morning, she is predictable because she already has expectations of what the day will bring and how it will end. She is excited, because it is her day today since she is graduating; it is also one of her achievements for which she is proud of. Her excitement goes to confusion and anger, because of the white man's speech. He tells them how the white schools are better and how much more possibilities they have, unlike the black students. While this is enough to disappoint both the students and parents, Maya Angelou still manages to have hope. We are also shown how proud she is of her race. She is inspired to keep trying and is hopeful she will get somewhere someday. 

The Future: Predictable or Not?

-"In 1995, prophetic fifth graders predict Internet of the future" by Deborah Netburn, The LA Times  

-Published on August 19, 2012 6:00 a.m. 

-http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-prophetic-internet-of-the-future-20120817,0,488396.story  

     In all of world's history there have been a huge amount of advancements that people have brought up. One of the largest advancements that people have created throughout the years is technology. From a simple cutting tool up to a device where you can do almost anything on, people have invented means for us to live a simpler, easier life. In 1995, a group of fifth graders, along with their teacher, created a video to let kids know about the Internet and how you can do so much on it. " 'By the time we are in college, the Internet will be our telephone, television, shopping center and workplace,' the kids say" (Deborah Netburn, The LA Times). It turns out these kids were able to predict the future correctly! The Internet IS all this to us and more. We can go on the Internet and find numbers to call, watch live shows and channels, shop through clothing sites, and have our own businesses through it. These kids make it seem like the Internet is possibly the best invention yet, but is it really? In 1995, the Internet was something new to children and to most of the world. It was not a huge part of their lives, and they used it only occasionally. Also, it was not as fast as today's Internet, and people were not as patient to sit and wait for hours until something came up. They simply checked what they needed to check and only sometimes did they use it for entertainment. The fifth graders in this video saw the Internet as a wonderful creation, but little did they know how much affect it has on us, 17 years later. The Internet has become part of our daily lives and one does not complete anything without it. We abuse this privilege we have. These kids were happy with what they had so far, and thought that when they transfer to college, the Internet will be good to them. They were right about what the Internet will become, but they did not know the truth about it being all that stupendous, or not. This video was put on YouTube years ago and made many years before that, and it just shows how predictable even a group of kids can be about the future, with all these technological advancements taking place. 

Here is the video made by the "prophetic" fifth graders: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m4KZHDVWRE&feature=player_embedded

 

Favorite Book

From all the books I have read throughout my life, one book that fascinated me from beginning to end is Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Since the beginning of the book, although I had no clue what it was about, it interested me, because I love reading or watching things about the old times, especially the 1950s. A high school student named Holden Caulfield experienced life in the 50s, although his was not quite the best. He did not live with his family, instead with a boy who had the perfect teenage life. He always felt the need for someone. His younger brother had passed away, because he was sick. Although we do not see it until the end of the book, his brother's death had had a huge impact in his life. He learned that nothing lasts forever and that whatever you love, will eventually disappear from your life. This made him lose trust in almost everything, and having to experience such a horrid thing, at a young age like his, caused him to lose his mind and turn psychotic. I was able to imagine every scene of the book, fantasizing about living in that time. Life was more about just technology and teenagers had almost nothing to fear. They did not care about much other than fun. For example, kids in high school would dorm with each other, date who they want to date, go to watch sports and games late at night, go to movies that were projected outside and they can watch from their own cars, and many more things that we, in these years, are not always able to do. I wish that I can experience this type of life for at least one day. There was night life for teens my age and everything seemed very chill. All this was mentioned and described in this book, and I was happy to have at least experienced it through reading.