Hush Hush Beginning and End

I loved the beginning! It introduced a mystery in the first chapter in the book. I like how it got right into it (im not very patient). I found some of the characters really interesting. Patch was my favorite because he was mysterious and the plot complications and forshadowing made you wonder if it was him. I like to be kept wondering so i was looking forward to a cliff hanger ending. I was a bit dissapointed and i thought it would have made a better short story as the ending wasn't very satisfactory. : (

Hush Hush Overall

Hush Hush was a decent book and had a lot of strengths to it as well as weaknesses. All of the girls in my group loved it, they said it was because the story was from the point of view of a teenage girl. They said that they really connected to it and enjoyed reading it. I have always liked thrillers and mysteries so the beginning was really entertaining for me. But you'll hear that in my next post. All in all it was a bit cheesy and the writing style was a bit repetitive.

Summer Books

I Heard that the hunger games was a really intense, good book and i look forward to reading it over the Summer. I understand that there is a movie coming out, I looked at the trailer on youtube but it doesn't look very interesting. My sister has read it and said everything was really goo except the ending. My Mom also agreed to read it with me over the summer so we can have "fun discussions" together. No but seriously i look forward too  it.

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Books I would like to read

1. The Lightning Thief
2. Harry Potter
3. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
4. Dracula
5. Hunger Games

Top Ten Books (not in order)

1. Bear Walker
2. Flush - Carl Hiassen
3. Hoot - Carl Hiassen
4. To Kill A Mocking Bird -  Harper Lee
5. Monster -
6. Green Eggs And Ham - Dr. Suess
7.The Million Dollar Kick - Dan Gutman
8. Kick Me - Paul Feig
9. The Million Dollar Putt - Dan Gutman
10. The Twits - Roald Dahl

Good blogs

http://www.katesbookblog.blogspot.com/  Kate blogs about famous authors/critics from different parts of the world. It told me about Edgar Allen Poe and how he was a strict critic. I have heard his name before and I didn't know who he was until today. It is important to learn about things like that just in case.

http://myreadingbooks.blogspot.com/  This persons blog has several posts about books the have read and essays. Some of the books are The Peach Keeper, Paranormancy, and the magicians book. If I ever have any problems writing essays I will look at this blog. I read one of them and I loved it. 

http://biblioasis.blogspot.com/  This blog not only contains blogs and summaries from books, but it also contains world news for books. You can find summaries of the loop (by Alexander Mecleod) to poems and criticisms. I think it's nice to have a fair amount of knowledge for everything. From pop culture to books.

http://suko95.blogspot.com/. Suko's blog is a place for foreign books from his or her family's culture. He has rediscovered his roots and has partaken in the annual Japanese book challenge. The objective is to read two Japanese books (three depending on length). Suko's has picked a certain author named Banana Yoshimoto. I like how he connects with his family birthplace and tries to learn about it.

http://thenewcanlit.blogspot.com/  Michael Bryson is an avid fan of John Lavery. In fact he has dedicated his whole blog to reviewing his (and a few other's) books. Such as: Sandra Back,  Very Good Butter, and  You, Kwaznievski, You Piss Me Off. I like how he really dedicates himself to reading and posting blogs about it.     

  

Homework

Homework is terrible.

It damages our brains and limits our creativity. Having an assighnment in which you have to stay within the expectations and rules limits yor ability to "think outside the box."

Not to mention that it hinders their social lives and recent studies show that more and more jobs need people skills. All students do is go to school for 7 hours a day then come home mentally exhausted. But they have to do more work. It is work nonstop around the clock. Not to mention weekends. What is the weekend if it is not a break? Even on our breaks we still work, it is unfair.

In my opinion, it is overtstressing and does not help our education. Most students stay up all night doing homework. Being tired has a huge affect on your attention, adittude, and memory. Therefore homework is unnecessary and restrictive to our education.

Homework is good.

However, homework refreshes the memory of our recently covered classroom material. It helps the student practice and memorize material they need to know. One of the many strategies students have in order to memorize something is to write it down or take notes. By looking over these notes or homework later helps you prepare for the test.

Many jobs do not need most of the skills covered in class but academic in the class room serves as a way of separating the various skills and talents different individuals have. For example, if a person is really good at writing and terrible in math, it may be a good idea not to study engineering.

Based on the previous arguments, I am of the opinion that i am neutral. I believe homework can be unnecessary, as much as it can be needed.

Enselada Rusa

Enselada Rusa, or potato salad (as we call it in america) is a classic argentinian dish. I chose to write about it because I love potato salad. Potato salad is prepared many different ways in many different countries. Certain religions or cultures have different styles of food. This shows that although we come from different places we still share things in common.  

Here are the ingredients

4 russet potatoes - peeled, boiled, and cubed
3 hard cooked eggs, chopped
1 (10 ounce) can mixed vegetables
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
5 tablespoons chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
salt and black pepper to taste

Pasteles

Who doesn't like caramel and crescents? I know I do so that is why I picked this Argentinian desert, pasteles. Pasteles are a desert crescent that contains sugar and caramel. I thought it was exotic that crescents were used for desert. I had never had any. I hope that i can try this and i may try to make it at home! That is why I picked this recipe out of all of the other ones    

Here are the Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
7 tablespoons ice water
2 tablespoons milk
25 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Argentine Lentel Soup
I picked this because I find it unique. As you can see underneath in the ingredients it uses: apples, barbecue sauce, tomatoes, and lentils (a kind of edamame like bean). I like dishes that have a wide and odd range of food items, that is why I chose this recipe.    


Here are the ingredients

1 cup dry lentils
1 quart water
1 cube vegetable bouillon
3 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
1 carrot, sliced
1 medium apple - peeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 large clove garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup barbeque sauce
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Monte Alban

In Oaxaca, Mexico, up on the mountains there is an ancient city, Monte Alban. Monte Alban is one of the first cities ever. It was founded in about 500 years before Christ was born. It was home to citizens also known as "cloud people." for up until 750 a.d they dominated the valleys and cities around them. A man named Alfanso Caso found this city in 1934 as were 500 pieces of gold and jade (some of the citizens were gold miners). Tourists can access and look through the city. Researchers still don't know a lot about it but they are working on it.   

I do not remember 911 at all. But i do remember going to the airport when there was no security and checking and stuff. My mom said that i used to go in to the airport and just ride the trains all day when i was little. But then 911 and we had to stop. That is the only way that i was affected. I know that 911 was a big shock to america. Sure we have had a couple terrorist attacks but i think that this was a big wake up call. Every one was really angry and quick to blame. The government was ridiculed and that is why they had to make significant changes. Now everytime i go o vacation i have to ait 4 hours before i get on a plane.

Water

1.      In Northern Kenya many schools are being cancelled because of a devistating drout. Over 1016 students are now missing classes. Some students may not be back until next year. In Bangalore, India the communities are going through a water famine. Many worry that in five years Bangalore will be in serious trouble. Desperate, They have resorted to tapping underground sources. As the demand for water is rising Bangalore's government is trying to figure out what to do.

2.      Water.org and Matt Damon are promising to help ensure the right to clean water. They are going to support 14 countries including Haiti. They are using a new system called "water credit." So far it is going well and soon they hope that people can drink water without risking their lives. Bangalore's BWSSB has been making plans to help fix the water famine with many plans for the future. In Bangalore there is no main river and all of the other tributaries are polluted and filthy.

3.       The problem of water allocation and safety can be improved by humans changing their water use habits, and using current water resources  in environmentally  friendly ways. Both families and companies have a part to play in this eco-friendly use of water. Families who have to cut down on their everyday use of water by using more efficient house appliances which require less water for each function. Companies will also have to develop more eco-friendly equipment to recycle the waste water from there manufacturing waste.

4.        Here are some suggestions on what we can do as a class to cut down on our water usage.
a. We can cut down on the length of showers
b. We can run our dishwashers only when it's full.
c. We can fix leaky faucets.
d. Buy recycled or reusable products instead of throw away ones. Manufacturers have to use water to make products, so if we recycle and reuse we will cut down on the water used for manufacturing.

American Born Chinese

(1) Why did Jin move to america?


(2) Why did the monkey leave flower mountain?


(3) Who is really Danny's cousin?


(4) Why was monkey punished for 500 years?


(5) What nationality is the foreign exchange student Wei Chen?


(6) What is the name of the girl Jin falls in love with?


(7) What is significant about all of these personalities and how do they effect one another?


(8) What are some good reasons that this story is an allusion to Buddhism (must have at least two)?


(9) What is significant about the time and setting of Jin's story?


(10)

American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese is an allusion to buddhism
In Danny's story Danny is  avoiding his ultimate Chinese stereotype of a cousin that keeps ruining his reputation. Danny is symbolically running from who he is. When he realized that he was running from his heritage he accepted who he was and didn't care about what others thought of him as much. So he realized that he was trying to be something he is not. This is telling us to be proud of who and what we are.

In the monkeys story, it is related to buddhism. Monkey was king of flower mountain. But he wanted to be a god, not a monkey. So he gathered followers and disciples so he could be accepted. It is symbolic because he strived and aimed for heaven. But instead he was "punished" for 5 hundred years. Monkey disguised himself Danny's cousin. But when danny knocked off his mask monkey came out of hiding. He was not worried about himself anymore and was therefor enlightened like Sidartha.

In Jin's story, he is a new exchange student from china. He doesn't fit in with the other students so he "hides" himself. He is embarrassed of his heritage. When a new exchange student similar to him comes to school he tries to avoid him. But he soon makes friends with him. When he realizes that he has been ignoring and trying to hide who he is he gained confidence and stopped caring about what people think about him as much.

This concludes my points why these stories are allusions to Buddhism. The morale could be to be comfortable with yourself and be confident for who you really are.

Recently, the Euthanasia bill has not been passed. As a recap from my other blogs, euthanasia is the killing off of people in our society that we don't need anymore or reliving pain in life by death. But assisted suicide is another name for it. 11 votes supporting it were four greens, six labor members, and one national. Compared to the 24 votes against it. Nick Goiran collected 7,000 votes against it, he had a huge part in making it illegal. though some may still disagree, now that the huge debate is over, the members of the Western Upper Australian House think they have made a good, safe decision.

NEWS WEEKLY

In China,the one child policy is hurting their society deeply. The sex trafficking in women has gone up. The crime rate has gone up as well. Recently, two guys were sentenced to death for stealing 46 male babies and selling them on the black market. China's desperate attempt to narrow down the populations have violated Human rights and more. China has been forcing abortions even when the woman is nine months pregnant. Since 1974, the population has gone down by 400milion. The law has been working but it has been violating human rights and causing more crime. Babies have been drowned, parents have been tortured, and China is letting it happen. Any of the people who have revolted have been either killed, or beaten and tortured.

The MDBA are taking 30% of the farmers water and putting it in other areas. Because of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, 800 workers are out of the job and will reduce agricultural production by $800,000,000. Farmers were burning the Draft Murray-Darling plan last week. Hundreds are outraged and out of the job. Some families are struggling to eat. Many are scavenging the cities looking for jobs.

q

Obama's "political failures have left him in a tough spot. All of the republicans are winning over democrats due to Obama's fail to live up to his word. The House of Representatives elections are coming up and it doesn't look good for democrats. As you know, Obama promised to pull the troops out of Afghanistan which he has not done. He is quickly losing support and unless he changes something it isn't going to be good.