final exam

First off, I would like to say that I am really glad that I live in the time period that I do because there is lots to do. With computers, you practically have the world at your fingertips. It's really amazing what people can do.
The class I would choose would be English, and have there be computers I picked that subject for a few reasons. Those reasons are that in English people usually have to write essays, cd rom programs, you can use the internet to look up information, and you can find so many videos for basically everything.
This would help the students to write the essays. Even though I normally do type up my essays, sometimes my computer is down, or I'll forget it at home. This way, you have it right there with you in class. It would also make it easier to see who actually has worked on the assignment or just messed around.
Cd-rom programs can be extremely helpful. I have found disks that are for different grade, SAT help, spanish, learning how to type on a keyboard, educational games, world history, etc. There is something for every subject. These programs help the students have more fun in school.
If you go to Google, you can find anything. There are a ton of other search engines too. There are so many websites for news, cultuare, information, teaching help, activities, etc. With computers, students can find the information in less time than from a book.
On youtube, there are so many videos. In my science class, Ron and Jon, have used a video on youtube to help us learn. It was more interesting than a lecture. Plus, it is kind of cool that they looked on youtube.
The required text for students, would be to read articles from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/industries/technology.html. This website has many many articles about technology and the evolution of technology. This would teach students about what they would be using.
There are articles about software, browsers, computers, and technology in general. One article that would be extremely important to read would be http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5439.html. This describes browsers in paticular, and studies. Another great article would be http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5729.html. This article describes the evolution of Apple. It would be a good idea for students to learn about Apple because, Apple is quite possibly the biggest technology business.
I would hope that this course would help prepare students for life after high school. Basically every job has computer usage. It is extremely important to learn more about computers because the computer industry is just getting larger. Computers are in libraries, schools, businesses, doctor's office, etc. If students don't learn how to use computers, finding and keeping a job may be difficult.

mysteries of the salem witch trials

Two Salem Familes
1641-1692

Wow I just found out something I didn't know. Salem comes from the Hebrew word Shalom, which means hello, goodbye, and peace.
Haha. Peace. Well, that doesn't exactly fit. That is very interesting.
Well I get the point that Salem was an extremely religious place. They followed like God's rules.
It seems like these people are the stereotypical olden day families.
It's strange because like all these families would like team up on one person accused of witchcraft. It's really sad.
It talks about anyone in the ministry had their work cut out for them. I don't doubt that. They were called left and right to assist victims of witchcraft.


These people just seem obssessed with witchcraft.

Lucky

So something that has REALLY been on my mind lately has been my dog, Lucky. I got him for my birthday like eleven years ago or something like that, and I love him so much. We just found out about a week ago that he is dying. The vet said maybe a few months, these kind of things we don't know exactly how long he has left.
The thought on my mind:
What am I going to do without him???

I just have no idea what I am going to do without him. He has been there for me when no one else has been. When I cry, he licks my face. When I'm sad, he sits with me. He plays with me when I am lonely, he is always there. Now, what's going to happen when he's not there??? For a long time he is all that I had. It really hurts to think that he's not going to be around anymore. Maybe the hardest thing is knowing what is going to happen and there's not a damn thing I can do about it. I wish everyday I could just get rid of the cancer and just have him live. I love him so much. I just can't imagine my life without him. When you get a dog, you don't really think about when the dog is going to die. I know I didn't. And now it's happening. I don't know what to do. I am trying to prepare myself but nothing is working. I feel so helpless.

With this and so many other things going on in my life, I have a ton of stress so.... tomorrow I am going to get a punching bag that you hang from the ceiling. I cannot wait. Seriously, I really want one and I have been having this urge for the longest time to just punch something. So maybe this will help?

My Mind

What's on my mind? Too many things. But then again doesn't everyone?
But I guess I'll pick out one of the many things.

So, sometimes I get a little pissed off over little things. Usually at my family. For instance, my sister. Sometimes we get along, but just like everyone, sometimes we don't. There are certain things about her that just drive me crazy. I mean, I love her more than anything in the world, but she still drives me nuts. We have a few things in common but not a great amount. For instance we both like The O.C. We can watch this together and I guess that's kind of bonding? Things used to be a whole lot different. A couple of years ago, we got along great. Every saturday morning we would wake up around seven or so, knowing our parents wouldn't be up until around 9, and we would go down into the basement and play barbies. We played barbies for hours and hours. I cannot even count how many hours we spent. But, I do remember we had so much fun. We had hundreds of barbie dolls. From Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen barbies to Princess Jasmine. Also, of course Barbie and her friends like Teresa and Ken. Sometimes I still wish we had them. Sometimes I wish I was a kid again, with no worries, just playing barbies with my sister.

But things have changed. One thing that absolutely drives me NUTS is some of the shows she watches. I can see her turning into these people, and they are not the kind of people I want my sister to be. I mean for crying out loud there are shows like The Soup (love that show!!) and Best Week Ever (also love that show!!) that make fun of these people. You know why? Because some of them are assholes and bitches. I do not want my sister turning into a bitch like those girls are. For some reason just her watching The Hills, Laguna Beach, and America's Next Top Model, just pisses me off. For one, she watches it WAY too much. She clogs up our DVR with that crap. I know that she's can watch whatever she wants, I just don't want her to turn into that. I'm worried because she already acts like that a little bit. To me it seems like she's halfway there. People already ask me if she has an eating disorder and personally, I don't know if she does but I don't want her to be pressured into having one. Being a model is a tough job, you are wide open for people to insult you and stuff like that. She's my little sister, of course I'm protective of her. I know it's kind of bitchy of me, and I'm trying to be more tolerant of it, it's just that it's like my biggest fear for her. She wants to be a model. That just scares me. I don't want to see her turning into an attention whore bitch. Ugh. I know I'm being bitchy though. I know I would get so pissed off if someone yelled at me about the shows that I watch. But I don't know, something about it just REALLY pisses me off.

CNN

Okay, it's things like this that make society just strange and somewhat frustrating. Seriously, it's like when telomarketers call my house. It's just plain out annoying. Thankfully, it's not as up in your face as the calls are, but still, it's the same type of idea. Isn't CNN making enough money? It's just annoying. There are so many things out there trying to take our money and quite frankly I'm tired of it. Pop up adds, commericals on the tv, radio, etc. It's everywhere!! And I might just be stereotyping but really most of the people who I know that watch CNN are well... old. I don't really think many of the elderly people are going to buy stupid tee shirts.
It's just frustrating because they already have a ton of money! Money is already an issue in our world so it's like ughhh CNN stop being so greedy!

Boston, 1688: The Possession of the Goodwin Children

Mather vs. Glover

This chapter starts out with a story about Martha Goodwin and her washerwoman. She suspected that the washerwoman had stolen some linen from her family, and the washerwoman's mother was so mad that she said mean things to Martha. After this Martha, and her three younger siblings had "fits".
A physician had no idea what was going on, so he just said that he believed their suffering was due to witchcraft. They immediatly blamed Glover.
Glover was a poor woman, a stereotype of witches. After she was taken into custody, the younger children were "healed". Later, they relapsed. A minister came to try and take the "demons" out of the children.
They were Puritans and during this time period the Puritans were the minority. They feared being attacked by the devil, the enemy of god. Witchcraft and the devil were among their worst fears. Just like we fear terrorists.
A witch was defined on different levels. It could be a person who could do harm by magical means. Supposedly, a witch, man or woman, could curdle milk, hobble animals, and cause young children to become sick and die.
There was a kind of folklore that supposedly made you immune to witchcraft. There was a tree in Salem that had a gap just the right size for a baby to pass through the tree. They believed that this would make the child immune to witchcraft. The last record of this tree being used by these means was on July 8, 1793.
Some acts that are preformed today that would be considered "little sorceries", consist of checking your daily horoscope in the paper, looking for four leaf clovers, and using a Ouija board.
A witch could be defined as a person who had made a pact with the devil, which was the Puritan's greatest fears. A witch would have given up her soul so that she/he could comman the devil's powers. She/he could use invisible forces to harm people. She/he gave up her/his humanity and made herself/himself a "tool of evil".
While Glover's home was searched, they found "evidence" consisting of: "several small images, or puppets, or babies, made of rags, and stuffed with goat's hair." Such props were used by witches to inflict torture on their victems. The judges then tried a kind of "test" on Glover. They brought her the puppets to see what would happen. Glover was happy to see her puppets. Unfortunatly for her, when she put her hands on them the children "fell into sad fits". The verdict was if a witch had her puppets, her victems would suffer.
Glover was convicted and hanged.
I found this bit of information interesting: witches were never burned in America. Hmmmm. I remember watching Hocus Pocus and they were hanged. Now that I think about it, I never heard of a witch being burned here in America. Only in other countries. Such as in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which was in France.
Interestingly enough, before Glover was killed, she warned the judges that her death would not help the Goodwins. Sure enough, the children's condition grew worse.
I found the symptoms really quite odd. I've never heard of these kinds of symptoms before. It makes me curious. Why would anyone think that these would make a person suffer. To me, it just looks like these children had mental problems. I mean come on, a witch making children bark like dogs, or purr like cats. Yeah, that kind of sounds fake to me. I'm no witch so I wouldn't know, but it just sounds like a whole bunch of crap to me.
The minister who tried to "heal" the children, Cotton Mather, wrote a book about his experiences with the children. The man had supposedly brought the children back to sanity by fasting and prayer. Interesting. Not the kind of thing I would have imagined to get rid of witchcraft. I don't really think the devil or witches give a crap if you pray or fast. I would think that rituals would be a more appropriate thing.
The author says something very interesting: "The lesson of the Goodwin children was that children's games could have serious consequences." Hmmmm. I agree. Child games can turn in the wrong direction. When I was a kid I used to play Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Detective Agency with my neighbors, and while we never caused harm, we did end up getting one of our neighbors in trouble from our snooping. We thought her house was being robbed. We reported this to our parents. Turns out, it was just the teenage daughter sneaking boys over. Oops. Yeah, I think that kind of pissed her off.


So far I think this book extremely interesting. I think it really shows how much children can have an effect. I never really thought that children played much of a role in history, but during this time period, I see that they were at the center of this mess. If you trace back the causes to the Salem Witch Trials, you'll trace it right back to children.

witch-hunt: mysteries of the salem witch trials

Okay, so I really didn't want to read Blink, so I picked a book that interested me more.

Witch-Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials
By: Marc Aronson

Introduction: Of dark forests and Midnight Thoughts

The introduction starts with the title: "The QUEEN of hell". The date is May 31st, 1692. I think it's really interesting that the author chooses to put QUEEN in all capital letters. The chapter starts with a short paragraph briefly describing the scene.
"In a plain Salem meetinghouse a woman stands before her judges. The magistrate - we are not sure if it was John Hathrone of Jonathan Corwin - speaks with the stern, suspicious voice of the community. The accusers, girls and young women, are fervent, overexcited, just on the edge of breaking convulsions. They are so tormented, it is as if their very bones are being pulled out of their sockets."
-Introduction

Next, there is a kind of transcript of the trial. Judge addresses the accusers and the accused.
The girls accuse Martha "Goody" Carrier. They called her "Goody" (Goodwife) because only women of high status are called "Mrs." She was not a popular woman who had her first child before she was married. She was also suspected of spreading smallpox and had spoken sharply to her neighbors. I think therefore the girls saw her as an extremely easy target. No one really liked her, people already suspected her of spreading disease, not to mention people back in the 1600's believed different things than we do nowadays. They lived in a time of paranoia of the threat of witches and magic.
Martha Carrier insists over and over again that she is not a witch. After every statement that Martha makes, the girls conviently have another kind of "symptom". One girl, Susannah, screams that she can see an evil man or the devil, dressed in black. This evil figure appeared frequently and was called "the black man." Another girl, Ann Putnam Jr. claims she feels a pin being stuck in her. After Susannah claims she sees the black man, Ann also claims he is there. Mary Warren then claims she too can feel something piercing her skin.
All of the girls scream, holding out pins that had pierced them. Interestingly enough, the collapse to the ground almost as if Martha's stare had caused it.
Due to this performance, the judge believed they were under a demonic attack and tries to make Martha confess. Martha keeps insisting that she has done nothing to them. She says that she never looked at them, only at the judge, so how could she possibly make them collapse?
The girls then claim to see thirteen ghosts. They then tell the court that they are positive that Martha had killed these people. When Martha claims that she cannot see the ghosts and she has not killed anyone, Mercy Lewis begins a fit. It seemed that the girls were under so much pain, that the judge ordered Martha to be bound and sent away.

I think it's really interesting that the trial had taken a turn this way. First of all, the accusers are a bunch of teenage girls, living in a small town back in the 1600's. There wasn't really a whole lot of things girls could do back then. Many actions that are common nowadays, would have turned these girls into outcasts. It makes sense that they were bored and just wanted to create a little havoic. Although times change and we certainly act much differently, since the beginning of time there have been "mean" girls. There are also always girls (and boys) who want attention. I don't think that if I had lived back then I would have tried to have someone hung because I was bored, but knowing my personality I would have probably gotten into trouble.
The author asks a great question: "Why would young people join together to attack someone they had hardly, if ever, met, knowing their wails and visions and fits would lead to her death?" As I said before, I believe these were just a bunch of bored, mean girls, looking to stir things up and for attention.

The girls have many advantages over their victim.
1: They are young, therefore they get more sympathy from adults, that's always how the world has worked.
2: They lived in a time of paranoia from witches, magic, etc.
3: They often choose people who were outcasts or people who fit a certain kind of "witch" stereotype. For instance; old, not married, no children, and many times female.

Another reason that I strongly believe that these girls lied, is because the accusers at the trials consisted of many of the same girls! If anything like that happened nowadays, it would be pretty obvious to the court that they were lying, and would be charged with perjury.

So far, I find this book extremely interesting. But, it makes me a bit mad just the fact that these girls were the reason that these people died. I don't know how they could do that or live with that.

Linworth Computers

At linworth, basically everyone has gone on facebook or myspace at least once. Most people go on just about everyday. Most of us only do when we have nothing else to do. I know for me, I only do when I have finished all my work. Also, if anyone needs a computer to do school work, I get right on out of there.
I really don't see a problem with getting on facebook, myspace, and other websites like that, if we don't hog the powder room. I haven't really seen anyone refuse to get up when someone needs to work on something. As long as that continues, I really don't see the harm in it.
I can understand that someone mights say that it's not an appropriate use of our school time. I mean, I guess it isn't exactly productive work, but I think that if we have all of our other work done, then it's okay. Of course, it's not up to me to decide, but, I think that the way things are now, are fine. People give computers to students who need to work on them. End of story.

My Lists

I decided to do two seperate lists. One for friends and another for parents. I think it's a really good idea.

Parents:
1. No nagging. (especially when I just wake up)
2. No yelling.
3. Respect my privacy (Don't go through my room, backpack, purse, binder, etc.)
4. Help me when I want you're help.
5. No buying ugly things.
6. Be nice to all of my friends.
7. Be supportive.


Friends:
1. No backstabbing
2. No gossiping
3. No teasing in a non-friendly way
4. No telling other people's secrets
5. Be supportive.

Walmart

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/25/walmart.insurance.battle/index.html

This story just really pisses me off. Here is this woman whose family is having to pay for help for her, and Walmart tries to take that money away from them? That's just insane. They already have 90 billion, and gaining more every minute. Why in the world would the people from Walmart even do such a horrible thing? Her family can barely afford to pay for medical aid for her.
I never have liked Walmart THAT much, but this makes me really dislike them. I think it is just insanely cruel. How would those people feel if the same had been done to them? I do believe there should be an exception for this because the family really needs the money in order for survial. Walmart should be more understanding. This woman has already suffered so much, why would they make her suffer even more?

tipping point

Although the librarian I am shadowing over interim said that The Tipping Point was a great book, I do not think it was all that great.
Personally, I'm just glad it's over. While I thought some theroies were good, others were just pointless. I always found myself bored out of my mind when trying to read this book. The author just talked way too much.

But I am glad it is over.

Iraq...

Most of what I know about the Iraq war is what is from Nightly News and The Daily Show. I don't watch Nightly News except at dinner because that is what my family watches during dinner.
I like to watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart about that kind of stuff because it's not as depressing as it would be if I had heard it on the news.
I feel like I'm already depressed enough so I don't really like obsessively follow details about the Iraq war or the death toll. But that doesnt mean I dont care about the war or people who die or serve for our country
Personally, I do not know exactly how I feel about this war. I think that war is all bad. But, I think we should first worry about people in OUR country then in other countries. But, that's just my personal thoughts on it.
Honestly, I didn't get us into this mess, so I don't think I should have to come up with a plan to get us out. Let the person who is responsible for this disaster of a war clean it up. I mean it's not like I think we should just leave the Iraqi people right now and be like oh hey sorry bye we're just leaving you to blow each other to bits. We should settle things out now that we are there.

Charlie Bartlett

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0423977/trailers-screenplay-E32662-314

I actually want to see this movie really really badly! It has two people from one of my favorite shows, "Degrassi: The Next Generation", in it. I find the whole concept of it kind of funny. I mean in real life, no kid would be able to get away with a drug deal that public. It just is extremely humorous. In a way this reminds me of Superbad. I don't know why. I guess you could say it is almost the same kind of style? But, this movie looks extremely funny. The really cool thing is everyone can probably relate to at least one of the different people's problems in the film.

Bo Burnham: Teenage Comdian Genius

http://youtube.com/watch?v=LZoO8LyizLA

If you haven't already heard seen some of Bo Burnham's songs on youtube, check them out. This is just one of the many hilarious songs Bo has created. This particular song is called "My Whole Family...". This song is (a joke) about how his family thinks he is gay. This song is entirely a joke and is in no way trying to make fun of gay people. I showed it to one of my gay friends and she laughed.
I think this song is possibly his best song. First of all, this is his first song he ever posted. Secondly, the lyrics are truely amazing. Take for example:

I think that God might think im gay,
What does he know anyway.
My grandma gave me a present just last year,
and the card said, "Happy Birthday queer!"

I have to wonder how he even thought up this song or it's lyrics but, whatever it was, he did a great job making a song out of it.

The only thing about this video I might have changed was the keyboard was extremely loud, louder than his voice and it kind of gets screechy at certain points, but other than that it's really cool.

As Bo gets older in his videos he gets cuter. If you like this video, be sure to check out his other ones, they are all funny too. His songs are about all different things. He (jokingly) pokes fun at different things. For instance Helen Keller. (That song is called "The Perfect Woman" and it is hysterical!)

I simply love Bo and his work, deffiently be sure to check him out! He is extremely talented, I am very impressed by him. He is extremely creative and funny. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

The Tipping Point Chapter Four

Lying & Cheating:
Lying and cheating are very similar. For some people it is a lifestyle. Some people are just liars. It does not surprise me that students do better on take home tests because they do have the oppurtunity to cheat. And more than likely, at least half of them will. Cheating and lying are wrong most of the time, and everyone knows that. But, that still won't stop people from doing it.

Good Samaritan:
When I see someone hurt, I try my best to help them. If they are not recieving help, I would deffiently try to help them out. For instance, a little over a month ago, my family and I were coming home from Toledo, and the roads were completely frozen over with ice. As we stopped at a stop light, we saw two cars collide. I immediatly told my Dad to call 911, but luckily they recieved help immediatly. I wanted to stop to make sure they were okay, and we waited until we saw people get out of the car, unharmed. I would stop in almost any condition. Even if I was late to someone 9 times out of 10, I would stop, unless I was like on the way to a funeral or to see someone on their death bed. But I would call 911 on my way.

The Tipping Point Chapter Four

The Broken Window Theory:
I haven't seen it like personally, but in the news, sure. Like I saw saying before, school shooting are becoming more and more frequent because kids see one person do it, and then another and another and another. They get the ideas from each other.
Personally, I think that dude, Gunn, was pretty stupid. Why would you focus on the graffiti??? I think safety is more important. Graffiti is not the collapse of a system... graffiti happens everywhere. If it was, then Columbus would be a failed city...which would make absolutly no sense.
We should focus on the bigger problems first, because if you focus on the smaller problems first, the bigger problems will destroy you. For instance, since the Titanic was mentioned in this book, I'm going to use an example from that. Let's say since Jack "stole" the necklace, after the ship hit the iceberg, it would be totally pointless to focus on that and try to arrest him because the ship is sinking! I mean if you deal with that problem first, you are probably going to be dead because you are on a sinking ship. That would just be dumb.


Prison Experiment At Stanford:
Oh my god. This sounds terrible. Why would anyone come up with this idea? I would never want to experience prison. It's not a place I plan to be in. This kind of reminds me of the book "The Wave". In both cases the roles they were given sort of over took them, and they became them. I find that really really scary.

School Shootings

Omg. I hate school shootings. I am on the phone with a friend of mine, and when I told him what I had to write about, he told me that he was in a school shooting in 2003.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Midwest/09/25/school.shooting/index.html
I just found out this was the school shooting he was in.
This made me cry.
He just told me the story of what happened. I am like in shock. I can't say anything else but, "That is so horrible". I am just like so idk. It is so sad. I honestly don't know what to say. I've never known someone who was in one. I looked it up and it was true and I just cried. I don't know what to say.


But uhm back to the original assignment. School shootings are becoming more of a regular thing. In the last year or so, I've heard of two shootings at colleges. It seems to me that they have become more and more often since the shooting at Columbine, which was also terrible.

Honestly, school shootings have made me feel less safe at school, but only at the big high schools. At Linworth, I don't feel that I have anything to worry about. We are such a small school and people want to go to Linworth. I don't feel that anyone there would try to hurt anyone. But, bomb threats at the home schools, it's getting more and more often. I am scared sometimes to go over to the home schools. I don't feel as safe there. People might say that because we live in Worthington, it won't happen because we are so sheltered and we are such a "safe" place. That doesn't make me feel so much better. I mean, look at the Columbine situation. It took place in a considerably wealthy and thought to be safe area. But I mean, that didn't make a difference. It just makes me so mad that people would shoot other people. I understand what it's like to not be popular, and made fun of a lot. Back in elementary school and middle school, basically that's all that ever happened to me. But I would NEVER hurt any of them, no matter how much I disliked them. I understand how horrible kids can be, I really do. I think everyone has at one point or another been picked on. I do understand though that most of these kids are picked on nonstop. That's terrible, but it's even more terrible to shoot people. I mean, no one deserves that. No one. At least not in my opinion.
The worst part is, I think that we will still see more and more school shootings. It's awful but, I just don't think they are going to stop. Even if we do have security at schools, it only takes on shot to kill someone. Also, schools can't afford to have a security guard standing in every single hallway. You just can't do that. There's too many schools in this country. I wish I could say that they won't happen again. But unfortunatly, more and more kids hear about school shootings and get the idea to do it themselves. I wish that they wouldn't. I wish that they would sort out their problems in a non-violent way. Unfortunatly, for some kids, that won't happen. =[

Blog Class

First off, I would like to say that I really am glad that this class was offered for a course. For the most part, I am really enjoying it.
I really like having to do the internet research and just our own personal opinions. I think it is really fun! I really liked doing a post on what makes me smile.
The only thing I am not crazy about is having to do reading and posting about it.
The book we are currently reading confuses me alot.
I really honestly think the author just likes to hear himself talk.
I do wish that there was more interaction between the people who take this class. Two comments isn't really alot.
Otherwise, I love class!

The Tipping Point Chapter Three

Okay, this book is so freaking confusing!
I am so lost.
He just repeats the same points over and over again.
This is very frustrating!
I didn't know that they experimented with that show though...
But this is like way too much information...
But this does bring back many memories.
But, I never did watch Blue's Clues.
But I guess it sounds like Blue's Clues was addicting? I really don't understand.
Awww I loved Big Bird!
Is he saying that the show didn't do well at first? If that's true, that's really weird.
I'm really bored.
He just keeps talking about the same stuff... it's kind of annoying.
I just really don't understand what he is saying... it's extremely frustrating.
Things that stick for me are usually when I see something that has a favorite celebrity of mine in it. For instance, I love The O.C., and my favorite actress on the show is Mischa Barton. She is one of the advertisers for the shoes KEDS. I saw her in an ad, and so I bought them. Basically now, I don't wear any other brand of shoe.

The Tipping Point Chapter Three

As soon as I read the first page, I remember my Seasame Street phase. Wow, that was such a long time ago! I used to watch it like everyday. I even had computer games of Seasame Street. I remember playing for hours and hours. Wow. I haven't thought about that in forever.
It sounds to me that they kind of made Seasame Street addicting for children...I don't know.
I suppose Seasame Street was like a messanger. It spreaded many messages to children about right and wrong, and other educational things. Different characters portrayed different subjects and messages.
Stickyness the word kind of sounds to me like it means like to clamp on to something. I suppose that is kind of the idea here. To put a message into someones mind.
This chapter is a bit confusing...

Cool Schools

http://www.fullsail.com/
This school looks really sweet. I first learned about this school through Riana Brewer. She got an information packet one day and I just happened to be with her. I took a look over it, and I realized that I really wanted to go there. But, unfortunatly, I know my parents would never let me go. So...there goes that. But, I still think it's a pretty tight school. It's a school of Film, Art, Design, Music, and Media Production. In the brochure, it said that they had been involved with Christina Aguliera, Transformers, Pirates Of The Carribean, Gwen Stefani, and tons of other cool movies and people. I would love to work in film one day or music. But, I just don't think that's going to happen...
This school sort of reminds me of Linworth because the students are encouraged to follow their wildest dreams and learn to become more independent. They want you to believe in yourself.

http://www.aada.org/html/main.html
This school looks really cool because they train people to act in plays, movies, and television. Since I was very little, I always dreamed about becoming an actress. This school is like my dream school. They are in California and New York. I think it just sounds amazing. This school also inspires students to follow their dreams. I would love to apply to this college.

Please Pray For My Friends

The crash occurred at about 10:30 p.m. on Queensbridge Drive at Shallowford Avenue, NBC 4 reported.
Police said Joshua O'Neil was traveling eastbound on Queensbridge Drive when he veered from the road, ran over a mailbox and crashed into a tree.
All three passengers were taken to Riverside Methodist Hospital.
One of the passengers, 18-year-old Colin Spears, was being treated for life-threatening injuries.
Alcohol is suspected in the crash.
The investigation is ongoing.

My best friend, Chelsea was hurt last night. She got home from the hospital at three this morning. She has a concusion and her knees are all messed up. Her boyfriend, Josh, who is also a friend of mine, has a broken rib and lung damage. Collin, is not doing good.

Please pray from my friends. I am really upset. I really honestly just do not know what to do right now. I am so lost....

My Top Five Movies =]

5. Saving Private Ryan
Why?
There are a few reasons Saving Private Ryan is number 5 on my top movies list. For one, it has Matt Damon in it, and oh my gosh he is goregous. Also, although graphic at times, it has a great pace and plenty of action. I never get bored during the entire film. In fact, the first time I saw it, I experience many emotions. At times I was in tears, and other times I was shouting at the screen. I tend to get really angry when a character does something pretty stupid. This movie has a greet script, has amazing actors, and overall is just a great film.

4. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Why?
I love this movie to death! First of all, the acting is incredible. Leonardo DiCaprio amazes me in each and every film he is in. Plus, he is just absolutely goregous. The director did an amazing job because he was able to use the original script that William Shakespeare wrote, and modernalize it at the same time. He blended it together so perfectly, that the old fashion talk did not bother me at all. I love a good romance film and action films. This movie was both. I also just love the story of Romeo and Juliet. This movie makes me sob every single time I watch it. It holds my attention for the entire film.

3. The Bourne Movies
Why?
Well, of course Matt Damon is just goregous. Also, I love how the movies are filmed. The way how it is filmed, it's like you are right next to Bourne, getting in with all the action. I don't know which one my favorite is because, they are all so amazing! The plot just keeps me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The rush is incredible. I only just saw these movies about a month or so ago, and I am in love with them!

2. Pearl Harbor
Why?
This film was one of my major obsessions during my childhood. Only one other film was a much bigger obsession for me than this one. I cannot even begin to count how many times I have seen it. I love this movie because it is well paced, and the story line is very clear and enjoyable. Plus, Ben Afflack and Josh Hartnett are really hot. Once again, it has romance and action. The music is great! Hans Zimmer did an amazing job with the score. Even though this movie is long, it holds my attention throughout the entire film. The special effects are simply incredible. The first time I saw this movie, I was completely blown away.

1. Titanic
Why?
I first saw this movie when I was in third grade. When I finished the movie, I knew I was in love with it. I then proceeded to learn everything I could about the true history of the Titanic and all about the movie. I watched the movie almost every single day. For over three years, this movie was my major obsession. To this day, I still know the whole movie by heart. The acting is amazing. The story is just wonderful. Once again, action and romance all in one. Leonardo DiCaprio not only looks so hot, but he performs beautifully, along with Kate Winslet. Throughout this entire movie, every single time I have seen it, it has kept my entire attention. I have never seen a movie so many times, I have seen this movie hundreds of times. I never got sick of it, and I am still not to this day. I don't watch it everyday now, but I do watch it at least once a month. This movie was a major part of my childhood. Even if someone didn't know me very well, they knew one thing, I loved the movie Titanic. James Horner did a brilliant job with the soundtrack, it was so moving. James Cameron did a magnificant job with this film. Last year, I made my sister buy me the 10 year anniversary DVD edition of Titanic, which is packed with bonus features. There are deleted scenes, and so many behind the scenes looks. There are special programs, the features just can go on for hours and hours. My favorite special feature, is probably the skit done by Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller, along with James Cameron. They propose to him to make a sequal to Titanic, and it is just hiliarious. An SNL skit is also included that is very enjoyable.


Those are my top five favorite movies, if you haven't seen them...you really should watch them, because they are incredible films.

The Tipping Point Chapter Two

I think that the game where you send the packet to see how many steps it takes to reach the poster is kind of interesting. I think it's actually pretty cool. I'd like to try that. I think it'd be interesting.
I think that all of them contribute to an epidemic. The connectors can tell everyone and of course word gets around that way. Salesmen talk to people, so once again word of mouth. I see Mavens more like journalists. So, news could spread in the media.
I think that connectors are very important because they can link people they know to others and that could create many opportunities.
I think that this chapter was long and extremely boring.
I do think he just likes to hear himself talk.

The Tipping Point Chapter Two

I didn't understand why the auther was talking about Paul Revere, and was thinking "What the...?" and then I saw the sentance about how the news spread like a virus. It was very much alike to the first chapter. Although I have heard this story about a billion and one times...
I think that people who are Connectors, are more often the people who are very friendly. It seems to me like they are the type of people who are in clubs and other groups where they get to know many different people.
I'm feeling a bit bored, he's kind of just rambling on and on and on...
But I know, I am not a connector. I am not really involved in many groups, I'm kind of shy actually.
But, I think my friend Elle, who is also my neighbor, is a connector. In fact her whole family is. They know so many people, it's like so weird.
I'm getting really bored...
Oh my god...He really just likes to hear himself talk.
I don't really know what I fit into... I kind of just go with the flow. I really don't know.
When I saw Maven comes from a Yiddish word, I felt like I knew something of what he was talking about finally. I hear about Yiddish alot being Jewish and all.
A maven seems to me kind of like a tour guide? I don't know why.
Maybe a specialist?
I don't really know if I know someone who is like a Maven.
Salesmen, I don't really understand what they are????

Political Blogs

Political Blogs Political Blogs http://www.president2008blog.com/ This blogger is very committed to informing the public about what is going on in the political world. He gives the facts, and how it is. He has polls about how the canadites are doing. Of course, he adds a bit of humor to his blogs. In the blog about Mitt Romney dropping out of the election, I like the ending of his writing. He posted quotes from when Romney dropped out. I don't know why exactly I found it funny, I just found it interesting and just kind of funny in it's own way. “This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends and our supporters … many of you right here in this room … have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming president. If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America,” Romney said. There were shouts of astonishment, with some moans and others yelling, “No, No.” Romney responded, “You guys are great.” -It might not be funny to you. http://www.watchblog.com/democrats/archives/005818.html#more This blogger has deffinetly made his opinion clear about who he wants to win the election. His blog is titled "Obama Has Already Won". So, I'm guessing...Obama? He really speaks highly of Obama. It is clear who he is voting for. He talks about him starting out as the underdog, but now he has made his way to the top. He praises him, saying that he will move this nation to the great country it used to be. I think he really likes Obama.

Target

Ok, first of all, I thought that the accusation was just crazy. Do people really think that Target is going to make an add that they center about sexual things? Absolutely not. They deffiently didn't aim their message to that. I think that the people who accused them are just dumb. This is just ridiculous. Now, on the other hand, Target should take into consideration the opinions of all their customers, including bloggers. I think that Target should listen to the bloggers, no matter what their opinion is. If a customer has questions about anything to do with your company, you should make that a major prioriety. The customer always comes first. Saying that your company doesn't respond to certain people, sends out a bad message. Target may have lost some customers over this controversy. Although, I'm sure it won't hurt them too badly except the negative press they are getting over it.

Sara Makes Me Smile.

The one thing that can always make me smile is this special little girl. I love her to death.
After months of waiting, when I finally got to see Sara, I was too happy for words. Every minute I spend with her is a blessing. I have never been so grateful. Whenever I see her, even if I'm in a bad mood, everything just goes away and she just brightens up my world. I love spending time with her and her parents. She is simply just the cutest thing. I've had many great memories with her. She is so smart! She knows how to use a cell phone. She has taken pictures with my cell phone and has even (accidently) called my mom. My phone background is her picture because she means so much to me and makes me happy. I show it to her and ask her, "Who's that? Is that you?", and she just smiles and shouts happily. Just being around her is like everything is alright and good. I don't know exactly how to explain it. We have all (my family) just waited so long for her to finally arrive and we couldn't be more thrilled. Sara is very independent. She doesn't like to be held for a long time because she loves to move around. She loves music and dances. My other cousins and I are extremely fond of her. On Thanksgiving, they were so excited to play with her since this was only the second time we had seen her, they tried to wake her up from her nap! Sara gives special kisses. We call them "Sara Kisses". She doesn't always give them out. But she is just too amazing. I'm so glad that she came into our lives, and I couldn't be more thrilled. I am crazy about this kid and I try to spend every minute I can with her. She makes me smile, laugh, and forget about all my troubles.

Chapter One Of The Tipping Point

I think that the number of people who got STD's went down because people were more cautious out of fear. Fear can be extremely powerful.
Once the number went down when the clinics cut back, the STD's made a comeback, I think mostly because there was less treatment. Also, I think people probably thought everything was safe again because the number had gone down significantly.
I agree with the 80/20 Principle because most criminals, when they get away with one thing, they do it again, and then again and again. They get addicted to the adrinalen rush it gives them. They just keep doing it, again and again. I think it is also true about motorists. If a person isn't the best driver, they are more likely to get into more than one accident. If you get into one accident, it shows that you have a weakness. Sometimes, the driver doesn't realize it, or they isn't able to get over it.
I think that people who have the AIDS virus, and know it, are just digusting for giving it to other people. It is so incredibly selfish. Do they realize that they are destroying someone's life? What could possibly go through someone's head when they decide to infect another person just because they want to have sex? It's just too horrible. Those people are just sick. It makes me so mad that they are killing these people and they don't even care. It's just too awful to think about. Usually these people don't just infect one person, they infect mulitiple people. How could someone do that? Do they not have a concince? I mean I could never do that, ever. It just disgusts me beyond words.
When he talks about what is going on in Baltimore just kind of baffels me. If you know that the city you live in, has a high rate of STD's why would you put yourself in a position that could possibly infect you too? Why would you even stay in that part of town? If I knew that the place where I lived had a high rate of STD's, I would move. I don't want to have an STD, and I'm guessing that most people don't want one either.
The story about Kitty Genovese infuriates me. If I saw someone in trouble, whether it be they were ill or about to be murdered or something else, I would help them. I feel that everyone has a responsiblity to help each other out because it could just as easily be you. 38 people heard this woman scream and no one called or tried to help. That is just too terrible beyond words. It makes me so angry. If they had been in that position they would want someone else to help, so why didn't they? It's so incredibly selfish. How are we supposed to survive and live in peace if we don't look out for one another? It reminds me of a poem by Pastor Martin Niemoller, "First They Came".

They came first for the Communists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,

and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me,

and by that time no one was left to speak up.

This reminded me of this instance because he did the exact same thing as the 38 people who didn't report or try to help out. He lived in during the time of Hitler's reign and he narrowly escaped death. But he is just an example of someone who didn't speak out, and then when it finally happened to him, there was no one to help him.

Introduction To The Tipping Point

My first thought about the Hush Puppies bit, was that this seems to happen a lot. When no one was wearing these shoes, and a few people started to wear them, then a few more, then a few more, it just spread like wildfire. It reminded me of something that happened to me. I had been listening to "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson, and I was mocked for it because it was "uncool". The next week I came into the locker room and every single girl was singing it.
My thoughts about the New York crime story were that maybe the kids who grew up in that situation of hearing violence started to be the main population. Most of the kids there, I would imagine were scared and maybe were effected by crimes, wouldn't want anything to do with it, and would want to get rid of it. Maybe police efforts did increase, but I don't believe that the decrease in violence was due to that.
I do agree that once a trend starts, it spreads quickly. For instance, Ipods & other MP3 players. It's not really "cool" anymore to use a cd player. Almost everyone in the world who can afford an MP3 player has one. I cannot even imagine the statistics of how many people have them.
Wow. He was totally right. I did just yawn. Yawns are extremely contagious. If I see someone yawn, I yawn too. It's really strange.
I have always thought that we are the way we are because society has made us. It has told us how to think, how to react, and what is right and is wrong. He is exactly right. Whenever we are giving bad news, we speak quietly because it's just what we do. I know that I never think twice about that.
So far, this book has really made me think about why things spread around so quickly. Fear is another thing that can spread extremely quickly. I think it is the most commonly spread emotion. I myself, get scared extremely easily. Whether it be films, or real life instances, I usually contribute to a wave of fear around the world.

The Bourne Ultimatum

http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/?p=1175

First of all, the writer talks about how a lot of people are complaining about the "shakiness" of the camera. This never bothered me while I was watching it. In fact, I didn't even really notice it. I thought that the way it was filmed really gave you the feel that you were right there with Matt Damon. I really liked that. This blogger is interesting, but in my opinion completely wrong about this movie. This blogger says that the movie has plot problems. He argues that the plot is so simple but it moves so fast that there are holes and gaps left in the viewers mind. I totally disagree with this. I understood this movie entirely and I loved it. It is an action movie and action movies are kind of supposed to be fast paced. If you don't like the movie's pace, then don't see it. The other two films were filmed exactly the same. Did you think it was going to be any different?
I felt like the blogger spent way too much time talking about the quality of the filming. He just kept going on and on and on about it. He argued that the director just tried to excite the audience with how it was filmed, and that it didn't. I totally have to disagree on that. The entire movie kept me on the edge the entire time! The entire series was AMAZING. I do not think that this was one of his best blogs. He totally slammed on one of my favorite movies! Some people may agree with him, but I don't. This type of blog is more for people who like to critique the style and not the movie itself. I was kind of disappointed because the actual plot and acting is the best part. But, that's just my opinion. If you want to read about how weird the camera style of the film, then I would recomend this blog to you. If you liked the movie, don't read it. It just pissed me off. I think the writer could have focused more on the positive.
More people need to focus on positive things nowadays. Everything is so freaking negative, it pisses me off.

The second blog I read was http://tassoula.blogspot.com/2007/08/bourne-ultimatum.html
I really like the varity of movies that she posts.
I agreed with her opinions about The Bourne Ultimatum, it was the best film in the trilogy. But I do not agree that the first one lacked sentiment. There was a great deal of emotions. There was romance and the feeling of not knowing whether they were going to live for the next few minutes. It was very emotional and powerful. I agree with her on several other points about Nicky's feeling for Bourne. I never expected that, but I liked it. I do hope that they make a fourth movie. Her blog is very intersting and I would recomend it for people who love movies. Some of her blogs are short, which is good because she doesn't ramble on and on like some bloggers do. I enjoy her blogs very much.

Dr. Hygiene

Okay, first of all this is just disgusting. Why would doctors be so irresponsible to not keep good hygiene? They aren't only just endangering their patients, but also themselves. I would think that being a doctor, you would understand the importance of protecting yourself from germs, but I guess not. Seriously, you shouldn't even have to ask your doctor or any doctor, nurse, etc. to wash their hands. Last year I volunteered at Riverside hospital and they spent a whole two hours teaching us good hygiene. Since I was only a volunteer and I learned good hygiene, I bet that doctors learn about good hygiene in medical school. Seeing that people have died due to people's lack of good hygiene just pisses me off.
Doctors are not the only problem though. I cannot believe how many nasty public bathrooms I have seen throughout my life. I can't even count how many times, it happens so often. Honestly, no one wants to see other people's waste. If you made a mess, clean it up. No one wants to deal with your crap. I remember when I was in elementary school at Bluffsview the bathrooms were horrifiying. It was like a horror movie when you walked into the bathroom. Numerous times over the seven years that I spent there, the princiable of the school would have to get on the loudspeaker and talk to the entire school about messes left in the bathroom. Whenever this happened, we would all giggle and laugh because seriously, who wipes their own crap on the walls? It's just digusting. Luckily, being at Linworth, I have never run into this situation at Linworth. It's a different story when going over to Kilbourne. I have walked into the bathroom twice this year and found that it was flooded. At Kilbourne sometimes there is no bathroom to use because people have locked them,(and I am not about to crawl underneathe the door on that nasty floor) or made a huge mess in them. I also noticed serveral soap dispenser has been (I have no clue how this is possible) ripped off of the wall. Sometimes I cannot believe how horrible the bathrooms are there. I mean we are in high school, you'd think by now people would have learned that when you are in the bathroom you should flush the toilet and/or clean up any mess you made. It's pretty clear to me that some people don't care at all if they trash the bathrooms because they just don't care about Kilbourne.
I get so fed up with people and their nasty habits. Why would you not bathe? Seriously, who takes pride in smelling so bad that people don't want to be around you? I have had to talk time and time again to the same person and they are still that way today. I'm not going to lie and say I'm perfect because I'm not. Back when I was in elementary school I showered everyday, (With soap and shampoo) I brushed my teeth, I wore clean clothes, I didn't do nasty things in the bathroom, and I washed my hands for the most part. My main fault was that I really didn't style my hair. My hair always looked like crap. I just didn't care. I wasn't by any means a tomboy but I just never did my hair. My mom would fight with me about doing my hair. Finally, she just gave up because I just simply never did it. Now, I am obsessed with my hair. Even though it doesn't always look perfect, I am still obsessed with it. When it doesn't look perfect, I get really stressed out. I think that I'm so obsessed with my hair now is because I didn't care about it then.
But seriously people...the least you can do is wash your hands.

Newsworthy Celebrities

So many celebrities are making the news these days, it's so hard to keep up with the latest news.
It seems like our world revals around them. Almost all I ever hear about these days is the latest news on Britney Spears, Heath Ledger, etc. I understand the death of Heath Ledger to be major news. I think that CNN is a news channel and they report news. I of course didn't know Heath Ledger and I have only seen a few movies with him in it. But still, I felt sad to hear of his death. I feel sad when I hear about anyone's death, be it Heath Ledger or just a random person. I'm not sure if it was determined that he commited suicide yet but, it kind of seems to me like he did, but I'm no expert. But since it seems to me like it was, it makes it that much sader because he felt like he had no other way out. But, in other words, I do believe that some stories should be reported on national news broadcasts.
Now other stories, I don't think are a main priority. For instance, last weekend I was watching "Best Week Ever" on VH1. One of the stories they were making fun of was Britney Spears and her new boy who according to "Best Week Ever", is the worst person ever. They showed a clip of Britney Spears skipping out on her court case in a parking lot, smoking a cigeratte and making out with her new boy. None of this really surprised me. The one thing that did surprise me is that this video was filmed by a CNN helicopter. I thought that was just weird that CNN was trailing Britney Spears around with a helicopter. I expect that kind of news to be on Extra! or Acess Hollywood, but not on CNN. Most of the people who watch CNN couldn't care less about Britney Spears smoking and making out. It's not important at all. There are so many things more important than Britney Spears. For instance the economy and how much trouble we are having with the stock market and selling houses. I would say those things matter a lot more to people than Britney Spears.
Should we care at all about what goes on in the entertainment business and the lives of celebrities? Sure, I read magazines about celebrities, but my whole world isn't going to be turned upside down because Kanye West's mom died. Sure, I think it's sad and I feel bad for Kanye and his family. But people shouldn't let that kind of stuff effect their lives. People get so obsessed with celebrities. For instance that video on youtube, "Leave Britney Alone", was just ridiculous. Why should you care that much to be just sobbing your eyes out, you'd think someone died she was so hysterical. But whatever if you do, it's your life and I'm not going to tell you how to live it.