Outside Post #16: Independence Day

Today I was watching the movie Independence Day starring Will Smith. It was about a alien invasion over the world. The alien mother ships were strategically place over the major cities in the world like Los Angeles, New York, and so on. Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) managed to recover an alien after fighting with it in air. The scientist in Area 51 had recovered an alien spaceship a while back and with the help of David Levinson, a cable guy working for New York, they used that ship to counter attack the huge mother board ship. The film ends with the the ship blowing up and debris falling from the sky.

Outside Post #15: All My Sons

Last week in our English class we finished reading the book "All My Sons" and we watched the movie. The one thing I learned about the movie was that if you know that you did something bad, you should man up and confess to what you did. Joe Keller knew that he had something to do with the plane parts the were sent out and that crashed the planes, but he just planted everything on Steven Deever. He said he did it for his son Chris, but he never thought about telling his own son and he had to find out by other means. If i were Joe, I would of confessed to what I had done wrong and would of taken the consequences that came with my wrong doing.

Outside Post #14: Wonka NERDS and Schwarzenegger

Today I received a box of the candy NERDS by Wonka. I was reading the nutrition facts and I found out that 13 of these little candy's equal 60 calories. I was surprised that these little candy's would have so many calories. If I were to eat about 33 servings of these, it would be the equivalent of the calories I should be eating in one day. But anyways, I was watching in the news that in California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, was in debt and he owed the the state $4.1 billion. My parents and I both live in that state, so that effects us , and in the long run, we are the ones who are going to have to pay back the money that the governor owes.

Outside Reading Blog #13: The Myth About Food

During English class, i was reasearching for information concerning my debate topic, i am negative side. This article tell you that eventhough you see all those kids in third worl countries that are suffering from hunger, there is still enough food in the world to feed evryone. If we were to take Brasil for example, in the year 2007, they exported about $13 bilion worth of food, while there were hundreds and thousands of people in Brasil that are malnourished. After reading this article, it kind of changed my mind about all those kids that die from hunger, but I know it not there fault that they don't get fed, it their governments fault.

Outside Post #12: "La Nina Fea"

In Spanish class, we read a short story called "La Nina Fea" (The Ugly Girl.) This story was a bout a small child, and everyone at her school used to call her ugly. Every time she wanted to interact with her friends they always told her to go away, and every time she went to her hidden place. That's where she felt safe and wanted. But one day the ground spoke to her and said that she looked like the ground. That's when the readers find out that she died. A pretty tragic story but is shows how a child felt during the war in Spain.

Outside Post #11: Guns Germs and Steel

In our AP World History class, we saw a movie called Guns Germs and Steel Part 2. This was a National Geographic documentary in which this guy names Jared Diamond goes and studies about the Incas and the Conquistadors. The main leader in the Spanish Conquistadors was Pizarro who was born in a small town in Spain. When they defeated the Incas, they not only defeated them and killed their king, but they also left an silent killer disease, Smallpox. The Incas did not know how to deal with this disease because they had never dealt with something this bad. Some of the conquistadors were immune to the disease, so they were able to reproduce. So their children had also that immunity. So at the end, Diamond ended with a final opinion, he said that the conquistadors had an advantage over the Incas because they had "Guns Germs and Steel."

Outside Reading Blog #10: The Giver

Jonas decides not to wait the two weeks him and the Receiver had planned. He had also heard that everyone had voted to release the new born Gabriel, and Jonas was not going to let that happen. So he grabs a bike, some food, and puts Gabriel in the baby seat. As both of them left the community territory the landscape begins to change. It becomes rough and bumpy then Jonas trips and twists his ankle. Then it begins to snow, and the bike does not make up the hill and have to walk up it. At the top of the hill he found a sled and he guided Gabriel and him down the hill. At the bottom of the hill he finds a house where he sees and hears a family singing for the first time.

The Odyssey: Hero of the Year

Hero of the Year
The land of Ithaca finds itself pondering, pondering the choice between two great heroes. Although both candidates make such fine heroes, I endorse Telemachus, son of Odysseus.

A hero is someone who stands against all for what’s right; heroes are strong and fierce; they continue on and follow through during rough times. After careful study, I am proud to endorse Telemachus as Hero of the Year.

Telemachus is an inspiring to many people. He not only has the will and strength to find his father who has been lost for years, but he also has the courage to stand against anyone who does not believe in him or his father. For example, from the text, “’Dear god, hear me! Yesterday you came to my house, you told me to ship out on the mist sea and learn if father, gone so long, is ever coming home… Look how my countrymen-the suitors most of all, the pernicious bullies- foil each move I make.’”(II, 295-300). In this scene, Telemachus is complaining to the god Athena, that he can’t get any help from any of the people of Ithaca, so this shows that he had the will to stand up for what he believed and went of on his way.

Poseidon is also a very smart and intelligent hero. He shows hero-like qualities, but in a way he just doesn’t fit in the category of a hero. For example, in the novel, when Odysseus is stranded at sea, and his men have all been killed, it is Poseidon who answers his cry, and uses a storm to keep Odysseus away from Ithaca. I Endorse Telemachus over Poseidon because doesn’t fit as a hero, he doesn’t try to help out anyone.

Throughout the book, Telemachus stands strong, firm and his will to prove that his father is not dead is what drives him. He shows his courage, and his overall determination as a hero. He always does what is best for others, for example his parents. In my opinion he has all the qualities and more to become this year’s hero.

Outside Reading Blog #9: The Giver

Jonas is still curious about the releasing of the new born twins. The Receiver tells him that being the Receiver gives him the right to know everything that goes around the community. So he has the right to go and watch his father release one of the twins. He first weighs both of them then he takes the lowest weighted one and injects something into its head. Jonas then realizes that he is dead and is overwhelmed with horror on what release really means. He cries and does not want to go home knowing that his father had lied to him. The Receiver allows Jonas to spend the night over and then they come up with a plan. Jonas will escape the community leaving all his memories to all the community.

Outside Reading Blog #8: The Giver

It has been a few weeks that Jonas has not taken his pills and he has pleasurable dreams that make him feel a little guilty, but he refuses to give up the heightened feelings that the Stirrings and his wonderful memories have given him. Now he know that he is feeling new feelings that he had never known before existed. then an unexpected holiday comes up in the community. During the celebration, the kids begin to play a game of good guys bad guys, but Jonas does not participate when he realizes that it is a game of war and the memory of war comes back and haunts him once again. Jonas asks the Receiver on his opinion of "release." The Receiver responds by saying that he always thinks about that when he is in great pain and he can;t apply for release until Jonas has been trained by rule because a failed training about ten years ago. The Receiver had given her some bad memories in which she could not handle and that day she applied for release and never saw he again. Jonas knows that he can't apply and he asks the Receiver what would happen if he drowned himself? the Receiver responds by saying that all the memories that had been transmitted to him and would go all through the community and it would cause chaos.

Outside Reading Blog #7: The Giver

Jonas' main question returns, "why can't anyone else in the community know about these horrible memories?" The Receiver tells him that they don't want the community to be burdened with these memories because they will not know how to take in such horrible things and tells him that that's why the position of the Receiver is so honored. Then there is a new child born in the community called Gabriel. But Jonas' father worries that Gabriel will have to be released after all and that is also worries Jonas.

Outside Reading Blog #6: The Giver

One more time, Jonas is given a memory about the sled and snow. Only this time, its not as fun as the first time. The sled begins to lose control and this time Jonas experienced the pain of a broken leg. When he comes to he still has the pain if the broken leg, but the Receiver does not give him pain relievers because he is not allowed. After more days of terrible memories, Jonas finally asks the Receiver why is it that these memories need to be preserved. The Receiver responds by saying that these memories bring wisdom.

Outside Reading Blog #5: The Giver

Despite all the things Jonas had gone through with his work, he n=he had a duty to do, so he continued to go to his job. He also learned what love and hate is.He did not really like what hate was but he thought that love was one of the most amazing things he ever saw. The only problem was that he could not talk about his work to anyone, not his parents or his friends so he had to keep everything to himself.

Outside Reading Blog #4: The Giver

As the book progressed, Jonas started to go to training for his Receiver job. He began to learn many things he did not know before like anger, snow, and happiness. He also learns one thing that made him feel very bad. He had a vision in his mind about war. He had never seen or known about war and this knew thing to him scared him. He saw all the shooting and all the blood of the people who were bleeding or who were dead. He asked the Receiver if he could go home and the Receiver understood and let him go.

Siddhartha Blog Assignment #4

The book Siddhartha by Herman Hesse is a journey that Siddhartha takes in order for him to find enlightenment. After following Siddhartha on his quest, I begin to learn that he understands suffering exists from human desires, and I was able to learn this best through watching him communicate with Vasudeva.

Siddhartha learns that suffering exist from human desires from Vasudeva. He learn this when Vasudeva tells him “He is looking after himself; he is going his own way. Oh, Siddhartha, I can see you are suffering pain over which one should laugh, over which you will soon laugh yourself." (Siddhartha, 100) This quote teaches Siddhartha that his desire are not only going to come with what he want, but also there are going to be consequences to come with his desire

Overall, Siddhartha learned many things throughout his journey. This was just one of the things that he learned throughout his journey. Either they were good lessons or bad, he learned something new from everything he did.

Heroes in a Box: Paragraphs

The kind of heroes I decided to choose was soccer heroes. I chose soccer for two main reasons; one is that soccer is my favorite sport and two that I have a pretty good knowledge about soccer so it makes it easier. I divided my heroes into two categories, males and females.

The first category I decided to do on soccer was the male heroes. One of the male heroes was Cuauhtémoc Blanco. Blanco is a Mexican soccer player who is currently playing in the U.S. for the Chicago Fire. Growing up, I looked up to him hoping that on day I would become like him. He also plays for the national team for Mexico. Also, I choose Freddy Adu who became the youngest to ever sign a major league contract in over 100 years at the age of 14. He is currently playing for the AS Monaco on a loan from Benefica. The third male soccer hero I choose is Christian Vieri is an Italian football player who is currently playing for Atalanta. In his 20 year soccer career he has been in 15 different teams. He has played for his national team of Italy for 43 games and in those 43 games he has scored about 22 goals.

My second category was female soccer heroes. The first female I choose was Mia Hamm. She is a retired soccer player who won two gold medals and one silver medal in the Olympics. In her 15 year soccer career, including college, she scored roughly around 290 goals. With the U.S. national team alone she scored 158 goals. The Second female soccer player is also a U.S. national team player, but she is not a forward, not defense, and not midfield, but she is still as important as anyone in the field, she is Briana Scurry the goalkeeper. She was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has played for the national team for 14 years now and has made 167 appearances. She is currently playing for the Atlanta Beat.

In conclusion, there are many other soccer heroes out there; these are just a few of the many there are. Being a soccer fan and a soccer player myself, I one day hope I can make an impact on someone as these 5 people have on me. Choosing these 5 people were not easy because there are many more soccer players that I think are important but at the end these were the 5 that I choose who I though had made an impact in the soccer community.

Heroes in a Box: Tree Map

Heroes in a Box: Articles

23 Aug 2002, 05:00 PM
My 5 HEROS1. Luis Hernandez (La Galaxy / America) showed me to never give up and to always try my hardest and in soccer thats not that easy..2.Cuauhtemoc Blanco (America) Made me see the fun side of soccer and to always be spectacular and to be good at playing it.3.Jared Borgetti (Santos) Showed me that if you stay cool and calm miracles can happend on the field i learned to never loose my coolness with him.4. Fransico Palencia (Cruz Azul) Showed me that to always try harder then the next person and to like it5.Christian Vieri (Inter) He showed me the skill of determination
(http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-9537.html)

National Team: Mia Hamm: First-ever three-time U.S. Soccer athlete of the year, male or female (1994-1996) ... Member of the Gold Medal winning U.S. Women's National Team at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games ... Sprained her ankle against Sweden in the first round of the Olympic Games, but fought through the injury to lead the U.S. To victories over Norway (semifinal) and China (final) ... Named U.S. Soccer's Female Athlete of the Year for three consecutive years from 1994-96, becoming the first player honored three times ... Generally considered the best all-around woman soccer player in the world ... Led the team in scoring in 1996 with 19 goals and 18 assists ... MVP of the Women's World Cup in Sweden in 1995 where she scored three goals on long range free-kicks including the equalizer against Norway in the championship game ... Played several minutes at goalkeeper against Denmark in the World Cup in Sweden when regular `keeper Briana Scurry was ejected and the U.S. Had to use all its substitutes ... Tied with Michelle Akers as the second-leading goal scorer at the 1994 CONCACAF qualifying tournament with six goals, including a four-goal and two-assist performance in the USA's 11-1 win over Trinidad & Tobago ... Voted by fans the MVP of the 1994 Chiquita Cup ... The youngest member of the 1991 women's world championship team, at the age of 19, she started five of six games and scored a pair of goals for the USA in China in 1991 ... The youngest woman ever to play with the U.S. National Team at the age of 15 ... Played in three Olympic Festivals, winning gold medals in 1989 with the South and 1990 with the North and a silver in 1987 with the South
http://www.womensoccer.com/biogs/hamm.html

At the age of 14, Adu became the youngest American athlete in over 100 years to sign a major league pro contract - in any team sport - when he was chosen by DC United as the number one overall pick in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft, and won the MLS Cup title with them that year.
In order to allow Adu to play close to home, MLS assigned him to D.C. United on November 18, 2003, working a deal with the Dallas Burn, who owned the top pick in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. Dallas was compensated with a player allocation. Having already signed with D.C. United, Adu effectively became the first player selected in that draft, two months before it officially took place. D.C. United had previously signed American youngsters Bobby Convey in 2000, aged 16, and Santino Quaranta in 2001 at 16 years and four months — each at the time the youngest MLS player.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddy_Adu

Briana Scurry (born September 7, 1971 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) was the starting goalkeeper for the United States women's national soccer team at the 1995 World Cup (3rd place), 1996 Olympics (gold medal), 1999 World Cup (champions), 2003 World Cup (3rd place) and 2004 Olympics (gold medal). She was a founding member of the WUSA, playing three seasons as starting goalkeeper for the Atlanta Beat (2001-2003).
Her current (October 20, 2007) career total of 167 international appearances is the eleventh most of any American woman, and the eighteenth most among all women. Among goalkeepers, only Bente Nordby of Norway has more caps, with 171.
On June 23, 2008 United States Women's Olympic soccer coach Pia Sundhage announced that Scurry would not be on the Olympic team.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Briana_Scurry

Outside Reading Book Blog #3: The Giver

Jonas began to be curious about the saying that people get "released." But there was not time for that, he had to go out and find the place where he is going to be working. He went into a small house that seemed like there was no one living in the house. When he walked in, he saw that there were many books in the shelf, books names that he had never heard of like: United States, China, Town, etc. When he shook hand with the current Receiver he saw something in his mind that he had never seen before. He saw a white blanket that was covering this mysterious place and in that place it was very cold. When he came back to, he got scared and ran of back to his house.

Outside Reading Book Blog #2: The Giver

As the book continued, Jonas had wondered many things about his community. His graduation is like yours or mine. In his graduation, the community chooses a job for him which he will have to carry out for the rest of his life. He received a job as The Receiver. It seems that this job is the most important job in the community, but he does not know what this job has in store for him but it seems that it will be a lot of work. He is also courious about a saying that goes around the community, that people get "released."

Outside Reading Book Blog #1: The Giver

In the first chapter we learn many things about the community in which the story takes place. For example, Jonas, the main character, says that everyone in the community has a specific job like there are women who breed and after breeding their third child they are given another job. Also they take hormone pills to lower their ecitement towards the opposite couple so they can control the population. Every night at dinner the family sits around and have what the community calls "Feeling Time." So far, this community seems really wird in many ways.

Siddhartha Blog Assignment #3

Part A.

First of all, Siddhartha's goal at the beginning was to go on the journey and at the end find enlightenment. But so far he has not turned out what we though he would. The first thing was that he became rich then he possessed a house with his own servants. Many people came to him whether they need advice or money. He also learned how to interact with other people and wear fine clothes. He also ate fish and meat when back then he did not eat any of those things.

My concerns are that Siddhartha is going to get tied up in all this commotion that he is going to forget about what his journey was about. He might just become like a rich person and not find enlightenment as he sough out at the beginning.


Part B.

Dear Ann Lander: My friend Siddhartha says he is planning to leave and follow the Samanas. I begged him and begged him to stay but he just doesn't want to stay. We have been best friends for a long time and i jusy can't put anything together to why he is leaving. Does he not like me anymore? Does he want to follow a different religion? Please Ann Landers, tell me what ii should do.

Dear Chuck Nahasapeemapetilon: All I can tell you is that if you really are his friend, you shuld let him go on whatever journey he has decided to go on. Show him that you belive that he can accomplish what he has set out for. Maybe if you show that you believe in him, after he is done with his journey, then he might return and teach you some of the stuff he learned.

Siddhartha Blog Assignment #2 Part. B

In my point of view, Govinda is not taking this in a very mature way. He crying to Siddhartha to stay even though he has his mind set to what he want to do. When he finally realized that Siddhartha was leaving he just put his monk thing on and just walked away. I think that he should let him go, let him follow what he believes would help him in life. Siddhartha said that they will always be friends, but Govinda being stubborned, he just doesn't want him to leave.

Siddhartha Blog Assignment #2 Part. A

-Govinda: What should I do in regards to what going on?
-Me: What do you mean
-Me: ?
-Govinda: Siddhartha has just left me and I don't know what to do
-Govinda: I've just been sitting here and weeping my eye out
-ME: Have you tried to talk to him and convince him to stay?
-Govinda: I have
-Govinda: But everytime I talk to him about that he says,"'Be at peace, Govinda. The illustrious One's teachings are very good. How could I find a flaw in them?"' (Siddahrtha, pg. 31).
-Me : This is the only thing I can tell you...
-Me: Let him be and just wish him the best in what he believes in and maybe he would change his mind

Ch. 1-4 Analysis

In chapters 1-4 starts off by talking about the Eightfold Path that guide to Nirvana. Siddhartha is a Brahmin. Everyone knows that he wil be great because he mastered all the rituals and things needed to know about his religion at a very early age. He does not feel comfortable that his father and all the other Brahmins have learnes the ritual trhough the holy books, and he feels that they have not reached enlightenment. He then decides that he will follow Samanas that were going throught their city because he says he cant live in this way anymore. He thinks that if he follows them he will learn more than from them. His father does not approve of him going with the Samanas but eventually gives in and let him go. His father asks him to return home and teach him what he learned.

My Character

Hello my name is Chuck Nahasapeemapetilon and I am from Ancient India. I am what people here in town call a common person. There is not many things I can but that I am not a very well known person here in town. I'm not as intellectual as many people here. But there is one person here in town that I look up to, and his name is Siddhartha. I will talk about him more in the next blog.

Day of the Dead

Myself

My name is Bryan Medina and I am 15 years old. Every time people want to ask me if I am Latino they hesitate to ask. But I am, I am Mexican- American because both my parents were born in Mexico but i was born in California. I have always been good at math but at the same time I have always hated it. Outside of school, I play soccer. I play for Edina. I have always ben amazed by the sport. I've been playing soccer since the age of 5. When i get home I like to sit back, relax and watch basketball and football games.