I chose to read What Was I Scared Of byDr. Seuss. I chose this book because it was my favorite bedtime story when I was little and I wanted to share it with the class. It is a children's book, and I believe it is a great story with a good message. It is about a boy who came across a pair of floating pants with nobody inside of them. He feared the pants and judged them to be scary without even knowing them. For weeks he ran away and feared the pants, but when he finally met them face to face, he realized he was wrong. The pants were actually scared of him as well. The empty pants and the boy got to know each other and they became good friends. They got over their differences and ended up liking each other a lot. The moral of the story is to not judge someone before you get to know them. I think it is a good moral and I also like the drawings. It is a great story.
Tonight, after dinner, i picked up The Onion when i went into Starbucks. The Onion is my favorite newspaper. I read through the articles, but there was one that caught my eye. The article was about John McCain, and the title was, John McCain Folds Extra Neck Skin Under Shirt Collar. It was great! It made me laugh out loud. I then read it to my dad and my brother, and they thought it was hilarious. I think The Onion is a great thing to read wherever you are. Even though it is not a real news source or a great novel, it is fun to read and makes people laugh. At the end of the night, when i got home, i cut out the article and hung it on my refrigerator.
I read another few chapters in Eragon. In the book there are a few different stories emerging that seem interesting. First of all, Eragon's cousin has a girlfriend who he is not supposed to be seeing. Eragon also was adopted by his Uncle because his Mother left without a reason when he was a child, and he doesn't know his father. Eragon is curious and wants to know more about his past. The most important thing is that the Traders have come to town again and are telling stories about the evil warriors that are headed to Eragon's home. Eragon also found out that the rock he found in the forrest is a unknown matrial that is hollow and harder than a diamond. I think the rock is actually a dragon's egg left by the Elves to help Eragon's town. I have decided, now that i have read more of the book, that it is interesting and will make a good story. But I don't really like magical books, except Harry Potter, and so i may try another book for now.
My brother has been reading the Eragon series and now they are his favorite books. I wanted to see what they were like, so i started reading the first book. When I began reading the introduction, it seemed to me that the author just replaced the names of the Lord of the Rings creatures, because thats how similar it was. As I began to read more, other characters developed and I could tell it would emerge into a story line unlike Lord of the Rings. So far a boy named Eragon lives in a town with his uncle. They are not doing so well, and they can barely even afford dinner. Eragon went hunting and found a stone in the middle of a burt forrest. There are also magical creatures, that are much like the elves and orcs in Lord of the Rings. The book was written by a 15-year-old boy, and it's pretty obvious. The book is at a low reading level, and it seems like a kid my age wrote it. I think it will be a good book, and if your into magic like in Lord of the Rings or Ella Enchanted, and want an easy read, Eragon would be a perfect book.
I was not able to fit these pictures in the correct spots in my hero box, so I posted them all here. Each website that i got the pictures on is listed with the other information on the other hero post. Sorry for the confusion.
Picture One: Kristen Wiig as one of her many characters in an SNL sketch.
Picture Two: Tina Fey(Left) and Amy Poehler(Right) in a scene from the movie Baby Mama.
Picture Three: Will Farrell in a scene from his movie, Blades of Glory.
Picture Four: Tina Fey promoting her show, 3o Rock.
All these pictures show the past and present Saturday Night Live Heroes as characters while acting in either a movie or in a Saturday Night Live sketch.
Saturday Night Live is a live variety show filmed in New York City that has been running since 1975. It is one of the longest running programs on television in American History. Saturday Night Live has given birth to many great careers in show business for it's cast members. Many former members are now famous actors, writers, and directors. And many current cast members already have promising careers due to their performance just on the show. Saturday Night Live has given birth to many heroes, present and past cast members.
Past Heroes
Tina Fey
Tina Fey began working on Saturday Night Live in 1997, and by 1999 she became a head writer. Since her work on SNL, she has become a successful actress, writer, and producer. She is currently starring in the show 30 Rock and has reappeared on SNL as Sarah Palin. Tina Fey wrote and performed in the movie Mean Girls, and recently had a lead role in Baby Mama. Tina Fey's career carried on past Saturday Night Live and now is an SNL hero.
"Fey has satirised the governor of Alaska in a series of wildly popular sketches, more than doubling ratings for the long-standing sketch show." (Alex Starritt, Telegraph.com/uk news)
Will Farrell
Will Farrell first joined the Saturday Night Live cast in 1995 and continued on for another 7 years. Will Farrell grew famous for his many impressions throughout the show. Will went on the become a writer and actor. Will played Sky Corrigan in Superstar, a spin off of an SNL sketch. He starred in many more movies, some including Elf, Bewitched, Stranger Than Fiction, and Semi-Pro. Will Farrell has won many acting awards throughout his career. Will Farrell, having begun his career in Saturday Night Live is an SNL hero.
"As a cultural artifact, "Talladega Nights" is both completely phony and, therefore, utterly authentic. Or, to put it differently: this movie is the real thing. It's finger lickin' good. It's eatin' good in the neighborhood. It's the King of Beers. It's Wonder Bread." (Scott, The New York Times)
Present Heroes
Kristen Wiig
Kristen Wigg first began working for SNL in 2005, and she is still a present actor and impressionist on the show. Kristen Wiig is well known for her many characters she plays throughout the sketches. She has acted in various movies s1nce 2004. Kristen Wiig has impacted SNL in a great way and is therefore a present hero.
"Dead-on impressions, like the excitable Target clerk and jacket-loving Suze Orman." (Thelma Adams, Marie Claire)
Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler joined the SNL cast in 2001 as and anchior woman for the weekend update. She soon began appearing in other sketches as an actress and writer. She has appeared in various movies like Blades of Glory and Baby Mama, and has received awards for her acting. Amy Poeher in a present day hero for her comical rolls on the show.
"Comedian Amy Poehler is on a roll. She recently hit a network home run with her Saturday Night Live skit with Tina Fey and landed a starring role in a spinoff series from The Office."
(Jenna Wortham, Blogwired.com)
Conclusion: I think it is important to have people like these Saturday Night Live heroes in our society because they give us entertainment and another view on important issues in our culture. The media and television are big part of our lives now, and even though Saturday Night Live is not going to change to history of the United States, it still reflects the time period and the issues going on in life today. I think these four writers and many alike are talented people who have an impact on our society weather they are on television or in movies.
I read and article in this weeks Zephyrus paper about what issues students feel are most important. A survey was taken, asking students what issues they felt needed to be addressed, and the oil crisis was ranked as the number one concern at 36%. I agree it is very important. The rising costs and use of oil are effecting our economy and the environment in a negative way. The Iran/Iraq war was the next biggest concern at 33%. One student was worried because it was draining our economy and she thought our focus should be to improve our country, not another one. I agree with her. Another student expressed her ideas for wanting better education to improve our society. I think all these issues are important. I'm glad people are aware of what is going on in the electing and that people are involved in politics. Although during this election only 6% of our students are able to vote, but the elected president will most likely be running again in four years, and by then almost every one in our school now will be able to vote. I think it is important people start paying attention now, because they are able or will be able to have a say in the outcome, but most importantly it will effect their lives in the near future.
I just read an article in the Star Tibune called, For many dudes, Palin is The One. It was about the different kinds of people who were supporting Sarah Palin. This paper showed that Sarah Paling supporters were mainly men, outnumbering women 2 to 1. The article talked about many men who supported her because she was good looking. Someone people said, "Proud to be voting for a hot chick." And another man said "She's beautiful...
i came here to look at her." Others voted for her because she was like them, one man said he liked her because she was part of the NRA, just like him. One man said, "Who can't trust a mother?" Other people, women and men both, said they like the idea of a regular woman in the White House. One man said, "Men have done plenty to mess up this country. The sexual drives and big egos of male leaders have gotten in the way of politics in this country. It is time for a woman." This man also said his trucker friends agreed.
I know there are people who support Sarah Palin for her political beleifs, but there are others who are voting for her for reasons that should not be part of an election. I think it is important to "like" the person you are voting for for the next leader of our country, but you shouldn't only base your vote on that. I feel that some of people in this article are narrow minded and are voting based on appearance and judgements. For example voters may agree with Palin on hunting, but that is not going to affect our country and they should look at the bigger picture. Will Sarah Palin be a good vice president?
This weekend i read a chapter in the 7th Harry Potter book called the Ghoul in Pajamas. I thought the book so far has been good. In this chapter, Harry, Ron, and Hermione plan how to protect their families from Voldemort once they have left. Hermione put a spell on her parents, so they would believe they lived in Australia. They wouldn't believe they had a daughter, and Voldemort would not be able to find them. Ron, had a very funny way to protect his family. He has a Ghoul who lives in his attic, and his brothers put a spell in it, so it looks purple and bumpy. The ghoul looks like it has a very contagious wizard disease. Ron's family will say the ghoul is him, and nobody would want to check closely due to the risk they may catch the disease. I thought it was a funny and cleaver idea. Ron is my favorite character because he has a funny personality. I like all of Ron's family members, they all are very nice and try to do the best thing. The Harry Potter series are great and I think if you haven't read them yet you should!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Last night I read a chapter in the seventh Harry Potter book called the 7 Potters. I thought the chapter was interesting. Harry had to escape from his house, and get past Voldemort, to go to Ron's house. The Oder of the Phoenix gave 6 people poly juice potion, so they each turned into Harry Potter. All 7 Harry Potters flew out of the house and tried to confuse the death eaters. I like the idea of having seven Harry Potters, it was fun to imagine. I thought the chapter was exciting and it was fun to read. I can't wait to read more!
This week I read an article in the school paper about mom's using facebook. It caught my eye because it was written by one of my friends. I agreed with the article completely. I understand how parents would like to be more involved in their kids lives, but they should talk to their kids and respect their privacy. If a parent wants to know about their children's facebook, they should ask their children respectfully. All parents would accomplish more if they related to their kids and not going behind their backs. I thought this was a well written article.
A way to find self would be to find what you believe and and fight for it. John's character, at first, didn't truly find himself. When he began to work on the case, he started to feel strongly towards the families and the environment. John truly wanted to make a difference. Even though his firm was failing, John did all he could in his power to do the right thing, and save the citizens and the town. By taking this case, John was able to find out what he cares about, which helped him find self.
"I'd never seen anything in nature, only in the sort of paintings that show improbable and dreamlike things." (pg. 221) This is my favorite quote, because I can picture the landscape. I imagine a beautiful mountain with snowy pine trees and a little river. It reminds me of a place a travel to in Vermont each winter, which sounds somewhat like the place described in this quote. I also can imagine Codi and Loyd gliding down the side of the volcano and the hot spring. It sounds like a place in a dream that would be very fun and relaxing to visit.
My favorite character in the book is Loyd. I like Loyd because he is honest. He tells the truth and is true to himself. I also like Loyd because he is kind and caring. Loyd loves Jack and cares for him and treats him well. Loyd, even though he liked cock fighting (witch isn't the kindest thing), still treated the birds kindly. Loyd is also my favorite because he has a great sense of family. My most favorite thing about Loyd is that he tries to make Codi a better person. Loyd is an all around fun, nice guy!
"I wasn't keeping to any road, I was running, forgetting what lay behind and always looking ahead for the perfect home, where trains never wrecked and hearts never broke, where no one you loved ever died." (pg. 236) I think this is the most important quote in Animal Dreams. I think this, because it shows Codi has realized her problem. She has taken a step to figure out why she is unhappy, and it shows she can find happiness and a home. She has made so much progress since coming to Grace. Even though Hallie is "gone", and Codi has fallen back into her own ways, it shows she can still start over. Even though she has lost people in her life, she can still go on in life and be happy. It shows she has hope for the future.
Last week I read "Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are" by Dr. Seuss. I read this book to my younger cousin while I was babysitting her. I thought it was a great story, especially for younger kids. It sends out a great message to be thankful for what you have. I love how it expresses its theme in a fun way. There were examples of unlucky people with funny stories. I also liked how he used colorful pictures and rhymes to enhance the story. I thought it was great!!
My favorite book is The Host by Stephanie Meyer. In The Host, the earth is taken over by aliens, called the souls. They plant themselves in the neck of humans. The souls can control the human body with no resistance from the human, except they remember the human's memories. They do this to feel like a human and live like one for the experience. One soul, called Wonderer was placed into a human who was still "present". Her name was Melony, and she was one of the only humans left on earth at the time she was alive. Melony was able to control Wanderer and the other way around. They lead each other to Melony's uncle's secret hideout, which housed many surviving humans. Wanderer then fell in love with Melony's boyfriend and brother, while Melony loved them too. Wanderer then had to deal with the untrusting humans, Melony in her head, and she had to try to figure out the thoughts in her head, while trying to save the ones she loved even if it meant killing herself.
I like The Host because it is a unique, exciting, suspenseful story, and it has many likable characters who have different relationships with each other. (Picture From: www.dangerousdebris.wordpress.com)
