Ninja Dog

I’ve always known Shasta has special abilities. Some would even say super powers, but dogs can’t have super powers…or can they? I remember one particular day this past summer when my dog actually took off flying. My brother and I were in the backyard tossing a ball around. I noticed Shasta had stopped playing with our other dog Charlie and began taking an interest in the ball. That’s when I decided to play a little game with her. I thought it would be a great idea to play a game called Monkey-in-the-Middle and Shasta got the role of the monkey. My brother Adam threw the ball to me from across the yard and Shasta (being the good “monkey” that she was) charged after it. I teased her with it just a little bit and then threw it back to Adam. Again, Shasta charged after it. This went on for about five or six times when Adam decided to make it a little more interesting by standing on the steps of our deck. This must have been the time when Shasta decided to put an end to the “monkey” business. I asked Adam if he was ready to catch the ball and then threw it his way. Shasta immediately charged after the ball and launched herself into the air about five feet from him. Adam wasn’t expecting a flying fur ball to come hurling his way. Shasta looked like a super hero about to take out a villain, her front paws directly stretched out in front of her. Adam didn’t even know what was coming, but Shasta managed to drop-kick him with her paws against his chest. He went flying back and landed on the deck quite a bit stunned. Shasta ended up with the prize – the ball! At the time Adam didn’t find it so funny, but now we get a good laugh when we talk about my “super” dog.

I have accomplished everything I had wanted to do for this check-point. Although, I remember that I had told you that I would be posting pictures up. I do not have any pictures of her yet because she has not been cooperating with the camera, but I will try to get some for the next time.

Everyone Is a Phony...

11.W.1.2 Students can write a document analyzing how a work of literature mirrors the themes and issues of its historical period.

11.R.2.2 Students can read fluently to comprehend grade-level text

J.D. Salinger never thought of inspiring American culture through the theme of his novel; and only focused on writing what was happening to society for the first time. In the 50s many teens were driven away from the goody scene and TV shows like Happy days, The Dona red show and other family TV shows would soon be losing its young adult audience. Parents would soon be wishing for the day to see the innocence in their children again. In this novel the main character Holden has trouble with swearing, relationships, homosexuality, depression and in general rebellion. The 50s was the era were teens would start to rebel and follow their emotions instead of parents or other adults. Throughout the novel J.D makes Holden have these inner problems with himself. One big problem Holden faces is the search of relationships and even at some point in the novel he turns to a guy through his desperation. He talks very perversely with other guys and is always trying to have sex talks rather than a normal conversation. As you can imagine libraries wound not tolerate racy literature in the 50s. Society was willing to deny the fact what was happening to teens during the 50s. But J.D showed American through his famous novel the theme that would show thousands how to rebel and be different from others. Holden says he wants to be “the catcher in the rye” and to save the children from falling off the cliff. There’s a part in Holden of wanting to save the next generation into falling into the deep dark hole. He does this in several ways, while it’s erasing F*** You at an Elementary School or helping little children. Overall J.D. had the guts to write this incredible novel making it a truly classic novel in today’s society.   

This cycle I have achieved what I had wanted. Last time I was still in the middle of the novel, but I have met my goal and finished it. I also finished writing the theme and issues of the 50s. I have also finished the File Folder Project. This time I didn’t come over any difficulties, and I enjoyed it. I wish to do this again and read this novel. But I think I’m going to take a break of reading novels. I also think that I would take more time on the file folder project. I would recommend this novel to others because it’s very entertaining and you get sucked right in the life of Holden Caulfield.

Thank you ladies and gents!

Tuesdays with Morrie

11.R.2.2 Students can read fluently to comprehend grade-level text, I am reading the book Tuesdays with Morrie by: Mitch Albom

The story starts with an older man, Morrie, learning about the coming of death in his life. Morrie was a college professor in sociology and loved teaching the class. One of Morrie’s best students became great friends with him and this student in the later years of his life came back to see him in the days and months before his death. This student flies in about every Tuesday after they first meet and they talk about everything. Morrie talks about all the things going wrong with his body, and this student that works for the press and is telling him about the strike that they have going on right now so he is out of work.

I have loved this book so far and am going to keep reading it. I would repeat reading a book because I get to choose what I want to read and enjoy reading. I wouldn’t do anything differently right now because this book is super good.

As I continue to read on in this book it become more and more interesting. The depth of the conversation be come more in depth and detailed.

The Sixth Tuesday: The Talk About Emotions

Mitch comes to Morrie's house this Tuesday and brings more food because he wants to give Morrie something but already is giving him something, and the refrigerator is still full from the last week that he brought food. Just the present of Mitch being there is a gift to Morrie. When dealing with emotion if you don't let it go, then you will always be afraid of emotion Mitch says. On the other had Morrie says the opposite wash yourself with emotion and if fear gets inside of you then put on the same face you always do to make it through the day.

The Professor, Part Two

More background information about Morrie, his first job was to observe mental patients and record their teatments. Morrie meet some interesting people during this job, he helped a woman get off of the floor and sit up with him. He also had patents refuse to eat , soil their pants and medicated. Soon after that, he took a job at the college and his class would travel to different places around the U.S.

The Seventh Tuesday, We talk about the fear of aging

On the seventh tuesday, Mitch had learned that he had lost another ability, to wipe like his nose or in the bathroom. At this stage in Morrie's life he really didn't have any abilities beside eating and breathing. Morrie states that when you become old and can't really do anything that you feel like a child all over again because you have someone help dress you.

Evaluation: I think that i have achieved what i have wanted to do for this short period of time. The only difficulties i had were trying to find time to read and journal about my progress. I would love to continue this project so that i can get reading book cause thats a thing that i don;t get to do enough.

Selena

The next case that I have read articles about is the Latin singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez. My reading standard is 11.R.5.1. I have summarized this on a different document. This is the second case I have read about. Selena was a popular Latin singer in the early 1990's. The other day, I watched the movie Selena. It was a very interesting movie about her life, but ended very tragically. In the movie, Jennifer Lopez played the roll of Selena. Jennifer Lopez and Selena actually almost look alike. In the articles and the movie, it said that Selena was shot by her fan club president, Yolanda Salvidar. Selena and her father, also the manager, found out that Yolanda was stealing money from the club and Selena wanted to confront her about it. On March 31st, 1993, Selena was killed.

Here is a link to the biography of Selena Quintanilla-Perez: http://www.biography.com/people/selena-189149

Evaluation: Till this day, no one really knows why did Yolanda shot Selena. Many people have said that it was for the money. After Selena's death, Texas has established "Selena Day" on April 12th in Texas. Texas is the birthplace of Selena. Selena is remembered as "The Queen of Tejano".

Forza Motorsport 4

Overview: For 20% time, Matt and I  played the game . We also created new top of the line customized veichles and raced. 

Standard: 11.R.2.2 Students can read fluently to comprehend grade-level text.

Review Site: www.gamespot.com/forza-motorsport-4/reviews/forza-motorsport-4-review-6338542

Our Thoughts: We thought the game has very realistic qualities. The graphics make it seem like real life.  The customization options seem to never end from Paint to performance.  Not only that, but the game handles more realistically than any racing simulator we have ever played in our lives.  This game is tons of fun, you really get into the action with how real the game is, and not only the game is good but there are tons of top of the line cars.

Evaluation: We think the game was great we are going to continue playing we will be uploading pictures of the custom cars and more information on them. Until next time customize, go fast,  and have fun and maybe even try it out for yourself!

Madden NFL

For my second game that I played, I played...

In any of the Madden NFL games you can be whoever you want and whichever team you want to be. You can even create your own players and teams.

I play this game all the time at my house and i have been playing it at school. At my house i have created a super team, to were i have all of the greatest NFL players all playing with eachother.

In the latest Madden games there has been a mode called Madden Momments and in this mode you replay situations from real games that actually took place in an NFL season.

There is a mode called Franchise mode were you can choose you favorite team and play through their entire season. You start at the draft and end when you reach the Pro-Bowl.

You can play online with football fans around the world to test your skills. Yuo can figure out if you have what it take to be come a madden pro.

Isaac

act for ACT

I have decided to change from my previous topic to something new and different! I didn't really comprehend much of what I was reading. So, while I was trying to come up with a new topic I decided figured ACT would be pretty simple and very beneficial, especially because we are starting to do ACT preparation in English class any way, so why not double team this. In the futur I think I will also so do preperation to the math and science not only english, but since our 20% time comes from english I am only allowed to do the english ACT preperation.

Have a nice Day,
Pedo Bear

Great Bear!

Great Bear Ski Valley in Sioux Falls will have it’s grand opening on December 23, 2011. It will all start with a rail jam!
Great Bear has lots of things to do. You can ski, snow board, or tube. There are many trails, rails, and jumps for the skiers and snow boarders. Great Bear has high prices on EVERYTHING! That’s the bad thing…Rates and Rentals:
Lift Tickets –
Full Day (9 am to 10 pm) $23Half-Day (3 pm to 10pm) $20 Kids 5 and under ski free with an adult Season Passes -Single $249 All Area Pass $348 Family (4 passes) $845 Each Additional Family Pass $183 All Area Family Pass $1240 Each Additional All Area Family Pass $269 Tubing Only $129 Punch Card (10 uses) $175 Equipment (Ski or Snowboard) $125.00

Equipment Rentals
Skis, Boots & Poles (Cross Country, Downhill and Telemark) Full Day (9 am to 10 pm) $17 Half-Day (3 pm to 10pm) $15 Adaptive Ski Equipment Great Bear has a limited supply of adaptive ski equipment available to the public at no charge. Snowboard & Boots Full Day (9 am to 10 pm) $31 Half-Day (3 pm to 10pm) $26 Snowboard Only Full Day (9 am to 10 pm) $25 Half-Day (3 pm to 10pm) $20

I get a season pass every year and I think it is worth it. But the rates are just so high! Everyone complains about the lack of rails and jumps. Great Bear should use all the money they get to make some more ramps and buy more rails.
In the long run; getting a pass is a good decision.

Saints Row The Third

Overview:
For 20% time I played and read reviews for the game Saints Row the Third.

Standard:
11.R.2.2 Students can read fluently to comprehend grade-level text.

Game Review Site:
http://www.gamespot.com/saints-row-the-third/reviews/saints-row-the-third-review-6345399 blocked at school

Thoughts about the game:
My thoughts about the game were that it is awesome but it is not as good as Grand Theft Auto. The graphics in the game were outstanding it looked so real. There were only a few things that i had problems with one of them is that the game is so glitchy and weird things happen when it glitches out. And the the other thing is that when you start another mission is it might freeze your Xbox 360 and you cant do anything but shut your Xbox 360 off and restart. But over all the game had enought missions that you can keep playing the game and still want to play it more.

Evaluation:
I got the most of the results that i wanted out of the research and the gameplay. Some of the difficulties that encountered were that some of the game review sites some of them people talked about random things and not even the game. So i had to go throught the helpful game sites and the unhelpful game sites. Yes i would repeat this project. I would do more research and finish the game that i started weeks ago.

Modern Warfare 3

The standard that Edward and I used was Indicator 2: Students can comprehend and fluently read text. (Analysis) 11.R.2.1 Students can analyze how diction affects the interpretation of text.(Application) 11.R.2.2 Students can read fluently to comprehend grade-level text.

For the second game, I played Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 (outside of school because the Mature rating). I bought the game at 12:00 on November 8, 2011 when the game released at GameStop. That morning, I started the campaign and only played four missions. However, I have not completed the campaign yet because of the awesome online multiplayer. The multiplayer is completely different than Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2. It has new features: different types of Special Ops, new weapons, new killstreaks with different types to choose from, and new game modes. Hopefully, I can complete the campaign in a week or two.

The reviews of the game that Edward and I read were on Best Buy and Game Informer. For others peoples' reviews, you can see them on Best Buy also (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Call+of+Duty%3A+Modern+Warfare+3+-+Xbox+360/2670133.p?id=1218343210400&skuId=2670133&st=call of duty_&lp=1&cp=1). I achieved almost everything I wanted to: online, special ops, campaign. However, I did not finish the campaign which I hoped to do. Some of the difficulties that I encountered included complications with internet, homework/holiday, and friends not on to play with. I overcame that stuff by fixing my router for my laggy internet, and I finished homework before I would game. With my friends not on, I decided to play by myself, which isn't as much fun. I would definitely redo this project because I am a fan of Call of Duty and the new Modern Warfare 3. If I was to do anything differently, I would do campaign before going online and playing multiplayer or special ops. Also, I would play the campaign on the hardest difficulty to challenge by skills of gaming.

Pregnant Women in Prison

Reading about the harsh circumstances that some women went through really saddened me. It was very informative but also unbelievable how our security forces could be so inhumane. Granted that these cases were some of the most harsh and brought into the news, there should still be sympathy put on others. The women could have been treated harshly because they were frowned upon for what they were being held in prison for, but it's still never an excuse for inappropriate care for women.


Indicator 2: Students can comprehend and fluently read text. (Application) 11.R.2.2 Students can read fluently to comprehend grade-level text.

Collier County Jail – Florida
Joan S. sought medical attention – age 22
-Near due date
-Leaking amniotic fluid
-Two weeks
Got ultrasound
-Fluid was completely gone
-Babies’ skull had collapsed
Jail delayed
-Transporting her to the hospital
-Giving her a shot that would prevent complications in being pregnant again later on

Miscarriages
Maricopa County Jail
Michelle M
-Punched repeatedly in the stomach by two other prisoners
-Bled heavily
Taken to doctor
-Miscarried
-Needed follow up checkups
Jail failed to bring her to her check up until she was bleeding heavily, again, and called an ambulance
-Needed blood transfusion
-Surgical procedure to remove remains of the pregnancy from her uterus

Giving birth – in some cases
Informed staff members to help women while in labor
-In cells
-Some have assistance of a nurse
Aren’t taken to doctor until after they have given birth

Nineteen-year-old Terra K. screamed, pounded on the door and asked for the nurse in the Dubuque County Jail in Iowa, only to give birth alone in her cell. Afterward she asked, “How does somebody have a baby in jail without anybody noticing?”

http://womenandprison.org/motherhood/view/pregnant_in_prison_and_denied_care/

Just be YOU

11.R.3.1 Students can explain literary devices within text, also 11.R.2.2 Students can read fluently to comprehend grade-level text.

Grade-level reading for some is a boundary to whether or not they will allow themselves to pick out a more complex book and try to read it, let alone trying to obtain the mental capacity for picking out and fully understanding literary devices like the point of view from which the piece may be written or even the genre of the piece.

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks is an inspirational heartfelt story of a soldier who comes home for 2 weeks and during that time he falls in love, impossible right. This soldier, John Tyre comes from a background of drugs and gangs. Having a troubled adolescence he didn't really care. Finally realizing that he wanted to make something with his life he enlisted in the army. Then you have Savannah, a small shy girl with a never ending compassion for wanting to lend a helping hand. She and a group of friends are on a mission trip for Habitat for Humanity when she first meets John. Of course having someone bringing back your sopping wet satchel isn't exactly the ideal way to meet if you ask me but it worked for them. Time flies when you're painting details you didn't realize were there to begin with, before they know it he has to deploy once more and she promises to write. In one of his letters he tells her that, "No matter where your at in the world the moon is never bigger than your thumb.." The story ends with a tough lesson in love and that believing in yourself and staying true to who you are will get you farther in life than anything else ever will.

"Don't follow your dreams......Chase them." -Richard Dumb

*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*

NEW BOOK!!

I can't tell you much about this new book yet because I just started it but it is so enthralling that it's nearly impossible to put down. What information that is available is this...The book is called After River by Donna Milner. In the first chapter the main character, Natalie, describes how she first sees this figure walking up the lane towards their valley nestled dairy farm home. Natalie is very hesitant toward this strange man and yet it seems as if her mother, Nettie, is expecting him. What to do, what to do?

RuRo Shaggy!

No one wants to get a phone call in the middle of night hearing your brother telling you that your mother keeps asking for you. Let alone having to go back to the place that you have spent most of your adult life trying to stay away from.

Natalie Ward's mother (Nettie) has been slowly dieing for the past 5 years and it is all now catching up to her. Nat as she is called in the book, feels that there is nothing there for her anymore.

As she boards a bus and settles into her seat for the next 13 hours she reminisces about her life before HE showed up.


"Sometimes people put up walls, not to keep others out but to see who cares enough to tear them down" - Anonymous

It Helps to Actually Post...

1.1.R.2.2- Students can read fluently to comprehend grade level text

Since my project would involve a lot more work to use for the analytical part of 20% Time than I want it to, I decided I would also do a book review so as to have something easier to write about. Since it had just come out and I read it recently, My first book was Inheritance, by Christopher Paolini.

This is the fourth and final book in a series that was originally meant to only have three books, And in my opinion, it shows. There are some parts that seem to just be filler, sections that add length and nothing else. Other than that the book was well worth the wait and an enjoyable read.

The story starts with the protagonist, Eragon, in a fight to capture one of the many cities unter the control of King Galbatorix. During the struggle he and Saphira find a Dauthdaert, a magical artifact that has the ability to bypass a dragon's magic, killing it. Their chances of killing Galbatorix improve greatly, but are by no means certain. Eragon's brother Roran becomes a war hero after capturing two more cities for the Varden, the force opposing the king.
Much of the story after this vague point cannot be done justice without including spoilers, which isn't acceptable at all, but it includes Eragon's work to discover the secrets of the Vault of Souls and the struggles to avoid Galbatorix's forces as the Varden gets closer to the capital city.

Overall I enjoyed the entire series, so I'd reccomend the books to everybody who doesn't mind a 400 page count.

Since doing book reviews seems like an easy, likeable thing to do, I think I'll continue.

The last book I read was The Redemption of Althalus, by one of my many favorite authors, David Eddings. This book, along with many of his other works, centers around the basic idea of good versus evil. In this book, the main character, Althalus, is approached by a man who offers him countless treasures in exchange for one thing: a book. Thinking it but a simple task, Althalus travels to the house at the end of the world to retrieve it, only to discover that the 'simple book' was actually one of the two books of the gods. Dweia, the keeper of the book, informs Althalus that he is actually the 'chosen one' who will use the book to defeat the evil controller of the opposite book's power, essentially saving the world from disaster. Unfortunately for Althalus, the book is not an easy tool to use. In order to comprehend what he needs to simply to use its power, Althalus spends more than two thousand years in the house at the end of the world, unaging thanks to Dweia's influence. Thus Althalus must save a world that he is two milleniums removed from, facing an evil that has had two thousand years to prepare.

I love this book and (again) reccomend it most highly to those who aren't daunted by page count.

Genre: Fantasy

PTSD

I used the (Analysis) 11.R.5.1 Students can analyze factors that influence the credibility of informational sources standard.

I chose PTSD because the night before we chose our topics, I was watching Grey's Anatomy (don't make fun), and in the episode, the hospital fell victim to a shooting at the hospital. One of the surgeons was operating on a friend who was shot while having gun held to head by a man who was telling her to stop operating and let him die. After the traumatic event, she experienced PTSD so horribly that she quit being a surgeon. She turned into the opposite of what she was. She did things that she wouldn't have done before the incident, and she didn't do things she did before the incident. After that episode, PTSD really sparked my interest.

Many people will say that they have heard of PTSD, and that soldiers only get after returning from war, but not a lot of people really know what it means. PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder that occurs after a traumatic event such as combat or military experience (most common or most heard of), sexual or physical abuse or assault, serious accidents such as vehicle and environmental accidents, and natural disasters. After the event, the victims may feel scared, angry, confused, and/or lost. These feelings won’t go away, and will sometimes get worse as time goes on. These feelings may disrupt a person’s life, and make it feel like the victim can’t continue their life.

The first symptoms of PTSD may not show up for anywhere between one day and a couple weeks. There are four main types PTSD symptoms. The first one and possibly the most extreme symptom is reliving the event. A victim could possibly feel the same horror and fear in everyday situations, and it seems like everything that happens is a flashback from the event because of the horror feeling. This symptom is usually causes by some sort of a trigger. These triggers include hearing a loud bang or noise which would recall gunshots or battles from previous traumatic events. Other triggers includes seeing a car accident happen or hearing of the accident or seeing or hearing violent, physical or sexual assaults.

The second main symptom of PTSD is when a victim avoids situations. A victim of a train accident experiencing PTSD would avoid any place dealing with trains and also possibly avoid conversations about trains. A person who was attacked by a construction worker would want to avoid construction workers because they don’t want to think of that certain experience. A victim could possibly avoid their therapist because they would have to relive the situation in order to talk about how they feel. Victims with these situations will tend to avoid people, places, and thoughts that would relate back to that incident.

The third symptom of PTSD is numbness feeling. This symptom would make it hard for victims to express their feelings towards family members, therapists, friends, and whoever they talk to. They also fail to communicate normally on a daily basis. Victims will also avoid relationships and positive feelings. Victims will also fail to participate in their usual activities because of their loss of interest in them.


The fourth and final symptom when victims become alert. Victims could possibly have a hard time sleeping because they are afraid and alert about everything. They could also be paranoid about the smallest things. Because of this paranoia, victims will be unable to concentrate or pay attention. Another sign of this symptom is when the victims feel like they are in danger all the time.

After a traumatic event, it is normal for people to experience these symptoms. Some people will think that they have PTSD because they are experiencing these symptoms. However, if the symptoms go away or decrease after several days, then they are experiencing normal trauma. People who PTSD, on the hand, will experience these symptoms just people with normal trauma, but their symptoms don’t go away. It only gets worse for PTSD victims. This is because the mind is in a psychological shock. All of the feelings and memories towards the event are disconnected, and will remain disconnected until the victim faces their fears. In order to move on from the event, victims should reconnect all the memories and feelings about the event, and talk about them. Another way to face the feelings of the event is to go to the place where it happened and relive the event in the mind. Doing so will free the mind and release all the anger, frustration, and sadness. It may not work the first couple times, but it will. When experiencing PTSD, it is imperative to do whatever means necessary to get better because PTSD can and will put someone on the edge of life and death.

I believe I achieved what I wanted to learn about PTSD. I’ve found so much information of PTSD, and there is much more information out there to find. I didn’t really encounter any difficulties besides having to find the websites I used because one of them was recently blocked at school, so I had to cite that information at home. Besides that, the only difficulties I really encountered were what information I should use. I don’t know if I would want to do a project this long again; towards the end, it started to bore me. I don’t know why it did, but I am kind of bored of reading about PTSD. It might be because I haven’t found a whole lot of new information lately, and I’ve been finding all the same information I found before. I probably wouldn’t repeat this project once I finish it because it’d pretty much be the same exact blog.

Works Cited
Hall-Flavin, Daniel K., and David Mrazek. “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2 Aug. 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. http://www.mayoclinic.com/‌health/‌post-traumatic-stress-disorder/‌DS00246/‌DSECTION=symptoms.

Segal, Jeanne, and Melinda Smith. “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.” HelpGuide. Segal Enterprises, Oct. 2011. Web. 1 Nov. 2011. http://helpguide.org/‌mental/‌post_traumatic_stress_disorder_symptoms_treatment.htm.

The First Day

So for my 20% time, I am going to be journaling about my dog (Shasta) for my project. Like in the book, Marley and Me, I have been inspired by the main actor/character in the book/movie. So for the next couple of weeks, I am going to be journaling about her telling stories about her life or the different things she does. So for instance, in the next paragraph, is a story about her when we had first gotten her.

The first day we brought Shasta home, we couldn't believe how big she was. She was already three months old when we got her; she was born October 29th, 2010. It was a Saturday when we got her, and I still remember the feeling I had when I saw her for the first time. I fell instantly in love with her. Her ears were floppy at the time because she was still just a puppy, and so the muscles in the ears had a hard time keeping them up, but I didn't care. Her eyes were ice blue, and huge! She looked at me, at first with curiosity, then with a type of trust that can only happen between an owner and his dog. She snuggled up on the way home and it was a moment I will cherish forever. Her love was and is unconditional and has in some way, shape, or form has changed not just me, but my family as well. It’s funny how a chubby, little, ball of black and white fur, could bring so much joy and laughter into someone’s life.

So everything is going well, and I cannot wait to tell you more about Shasta and the different things she has done. I will also be posting pictures of her soon, so everyone can see her.

Here is my link: http://shasta-and-me.blogspot.com/

Life is hard!! =/

11.W.1.2 Students can write a document analyzing how a work of literature mirrors the themes and issues of its historical period.

11.R.2.2 Students can read fluently to comprehend grade-level text

For this Cycle I have selected to read a novel by J.D. Salinger titled The Catcher In The Rye. It's one of the most popular book in the 20th century that introduced teen rebellion and emotions. It reveals the life of Holden Caulfield, showing his teen angst and his moving emotions. In this classic novel the main character, Caulfield, struggles in the real world and shows the readers for the first time how to not care and be a free teen.

In this cycle I didn’t achieve what I have wanted. I desired to get the book done during this cycle but unfortunately there was not enough time. Currently I’m in the middle of the book. I would have wanted to take more time to read the novel and get it done quicker. So I could have started my next project but unfortunately that will have to get pushed back. Hopefully at the end of this week I will get done with the novel. For my writing project I have decided to do a file folder book project. I will also add the journal that the file folder book project requires. I will write from the character’s point of view using first person narrative.
  

Journal Entry 1

Holden Caulfield

Dear Journal,

My mom and dad are going to be really mad at me for failing out of school. Boy, I hope they won’t get too mad at me. I says the word boy a lot, I really do my grammar aint very good either but that was the only class that I didn’t fail. All of my other classes though I failed. My history teacher Dr. Thurmer invited me today to his house to talk to me about my classes and school and other useless things. I really hate when adults have to tell you things over and over and over. It drives me insane especially when they think they want to say an “emotional speech” when really they just want to waste my time with their words. Well Dr. Thurmer is really a great teacher he really is. He has a good soul. Well I have to leave journal my roommate Ackley is in my room again. I swear he always comes in here just to touch my stuff and his teeth are really disturbing. He says he brushes them but the whole goddam school knows he don’t. He also thinks he is better than me because he is 18 when really he acts childish –Goodbye

Rock Band 3

The standard that Edward and I used was Indicator 2: Students can comprehend and fluently read text. (Analysis) 11.R.2.1 Students can analyze how diction affects the interpretation of text.
(Application) 11.R.2.2 Students can read fluently to comprehend grade-level text.

Edward and I decided to do our 20% Time on playing and reviewing new (or in the past year releases) video games for Xbox 360. To start off the review of the games, we read reviews from Game Informer Magazine. After the reading of the reviews, we play the desired video game. Edward and I, like other gamers, will post our own review of the games on their websites or retail stores like Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy.

For out first part of 20% Time, we played Rock Band 3. We decided to pick this game because it is a great game for all ages and has new songs on it. It also has amazing graphics and features: multi-vocals, keyboard, and new drums. Edward and I started playing the World Tour; however, it starts off as Road Challenges, which is a cool way to show how you need to progress your way through setlists. With the amount of time in school, we couldn't finish the Tour. We play Rock Band all the time at Edward's house (with Josiah, Isaac, Tom, and many others), and I know we have beaten the World Tour before. I would repeat this project because it is a great game and it is really fun to play modern and older well-known songs with friends. If I did this again, I would probably do the Tour with the keyboard because I haven't really played enough songs to see how the keyboard is.

Meth, Abuse, and Abandonment! (OH MY!)

I used this writing standard: 11.R.2.2 reading standard where students can read fluently to comprehend grade-level text.

I have been reading the book Fallout by Ellen Hopkins. I haven't got very far into the book yet, but I plan to do a project of some sort that portrays Hopkins' writing style. I also plan to give 3-week by 3-week intervals of what's been happening throughout the book, sharing comments on certain ideas/happenings from the book. Along with my project, I plan to do some research on her and why she writes about what she does.

Firstly, Hopkins has a writing style so unique compared to other authors. Actually, you could consider her more of a poet. Hopkins is also the author of Crank, a book of hers that people may be more familiar with. People are easily intimidated by the 650-page books she writes, but in all actuallity, the 3-4 inch-thick books are pretty quick reads. Instead of using normal paragraphs, she creates story through free verse poetry, and sometimes makes things even more intricate by creating illusions with her words. (Example: If she is talking about money, she forms her poem into a dollar sign).

Some people aren't so fond of her books because they tend to be rather morbid. Her first novel, Crank, is about a girl who gets hooked on meth and becomes far more distant towards her family. Another novel, Tricks, is about 4 different people living completely different lives in Las Vegas, but all being connected somehow. This book, Fallout, is actually a sequel to Crank. Crank came first, then Glass, and now Fallout. (Sorry for confusion).

So far, this book talks about the 3 of the 5 children of Kristina, the main girl from Crank who gets addicted to meth and ends up getting raped by this seriously jerk-like guy, then getting pregnant with his baby. Anyways, this book goes back and forth between the 3 kids: Hunter, Autumn, and Summer. Hunter is a guy who is living a wild college life, while dating this supposedly awesome girl. He wants to find out why his mom left him with his grandparents and never bothered to care. Autumn an extremely self-conscience girl, living with her aunt and alcoholic grandfather. She has some OCD, and a few other problems, including her prision-ridden father. Summer is a girl who finds it hard to live up to her name. She's a foster kid who basically has to look out for the "family" because her fostermom doesn't really seem to care. Where I just left of in my story is when Summer gets in a nasty fight with her "sister" after standing up for her younger "sibling" because she violated her.

I feel like some people don't grasp the concepts of these stories in the same way I do, hence why I enjoy them more than most. I feel like reading about the morbidity of other's lives (to be blunt) makes me appreciate what I have so much more. It makes me want to strive to do better and help others stay away from any related or non-related problems.

Evaluation

For my 20% time project, I chose to pursue a a field that I am fascinated with-finance. Since taking personal finance at the beginning of this school year, I have become a sponge in search for knowledge of finance. One of my favorite people in finance would be Dave Ramsey. His teaching, writing, and experience have made him a millionaire. The best part about it is he wants everyone to be a millionaire too, so he started writing and he published the book called The Total Money Makeover. The book is directed toward adults who are struggling with debt but also talks about how to stay out of debt in college. I have applied some of his tactics to try and keep myself debt free. I have applied for a scholarship called Being an American Essay Contest worth 1000 dollars. The guidelines are as followed:

Essay may be submitted between Constitution Day – September 17, 2011 through Bill of Rights Day - December 15, 2011. All contest entries are due by 11:59 (PST) on December 15, 2011.
Question:
How does the Constitution establish and maintain a culture of liberty?
In an essay of no more than 1000 words, analyze and discuss:
• How one of the Founding principles established in the Constitution helps preserve liberty• Why at least one Founder, as evidenced in a primary source document, believed your chosen principle was a safeguard to liberty• Why your principle continues to be important today• How you personally help preserve a culture that ensures the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in America

My drafting from my research is going well and I have a great idea on what to write and can't wait to follow up on further progress of 20% time in the next 3 weeks!

Exotic Fruit

I used this writing standard: 11.R.4.1 Students can analyze a text within cultural, geographical, and historical context.

I am taste testing exotic fruits. During every piece of fruit I will write what I smell, taste, flavor, texture and appearance. I will also give my thoughts about the fruit’s characteristics.

I have accomplished everything that I wanted to for this cycle. Some difficulties were trying to find the exotic fruit and looking at different places. Some things I would do differently for this project: eat in class more and get the food earlier.

1) Cactus Pear
The appearance of the pear was a green outside with cactus pricks and reddish inside with a purple/ dark red seeds. The whole cactus pear smells like green beans. When we move onto the texture of the pear was like a watermelon, but had more seeds than normal. The flavor was very small and had a little bit of a sweet taste to it for a second, but really no taste. I really didn’t like the cactus pear because the seeds in the pear were not appetizing to me and had no specific taste to it.

2) Apple Pear
The yellow/gold outside and white inside describes the appearance of the apple pear. When you take a whiff of the apple pear it depends on what you smell, but I smell more of an apple than pear and other people says it smell more like pears. The texture of the pear was very juicy and had the watermelon membrane but tougher. When you taste the apple pear it’s like an apple and has the crisp bite into it and flavor of an apple, and later in that tasting period you can also taste the pear towards the end. The apple pear was very good and was my favorite out of all of the fruits.

3) Pomegranate
The appearance of the pomegranate was bigger than I thought it would be and it was an orangish red color and the inside was a red seeds and a milky white membrane that is holding the seeds in place. The aroma of the fruit also smelt like green beans. The texture of the pomegranate was smooth around the seed and the seed was rough and grainy when you were chewing on it. The flavor of the fruit was sweet on the outside of the seed and once I bit into it, it turned tart. The pomegranate was a delightful fruit because it had the sweet and tartness of the fruit was really good.

4) Persimmon
An orange tomato characteristic with green leaves for the outside and the inside was orange and had a star like shape of an apple. The odor of the persimmon was interesting because it smell nothing fruity or really pleasant. The texture of the fruit was soft and had little grain fibers inside of it. The taste of the persimmon had its own unique taste to it because I couldn’t think of anything that it tasted like. This one interesting fruits because it was very unique and delightful but I couldn’t eat that every day.

Oil Changes for Dipsticks

For my 20% time I choose to write a how to instructions guide. Researching from CDX Plus the online book for my auto class at The CTE Academy I used the 11.R.2.2 reading standard where students can read fluently to comprehend grade-level text.
The guide will have step by step instructions on how to
· Drain motor oil
· Remove the old oil filter
· Replace oil
· Replace oil filter
· Grease the front end
During the work days I thus far I have researched ideas and information on my topic. I have also been drafting my guide as well as collecting images to put a visual to some of the objects that the person using my guide may need to find. for the next cycle I will post the first draft of my guide.

This week I am posting what i have of my guide thus far.

Safety precautions
When doing an oil change you might want to run the engine for ten to fifteen minutes so that the oil will run out faster and take less time to do the oil change. If the engine is warm you can get burn easily so take caution when draining the hot oil, as well as hot metals on or near the engine. Never go under a vehicle held up by floor jacks. If you need the vehicle lifted use jack stands or car ramps, and if you lift the front of a front wheel drive car block the back wheels so the car cannot roll away while on ramps or jack stands.

Supplies and tools needed
To do an oil change some things you will need are: Drain pan to catch oil, correct size wrench or socket to remove the drain plug, oil filter wrench to remove the old filter, set of car ramps or jack stand (not needed if you have an overhead car lift), A new oil filter for the make and Model of your vehicle, fresh oil the correct weight of oil and enough for your vehicle (most common is 5 quarts of 5W-30 or 10W-30).

Procedure
Put the car on an over head lift if possible otherwise a set of ramps or jack stands will do just fine. Next you will want to get an oil drain pan underneath your car to catch your old oil. Once your catch pan is in place you can take out the engine oil drain plug shown in the pictures below. Make sure when you take out the drain plug that you don’t take the transmission fluid drain plug by mistake. Let all of the oil drain out of the oil pan then remove the old oil filter with a filter wrench by tuning the filter to the left and dispose of the old filter. Let any oil drain that remains in the engine. Once all of the oil is out of the engine you can put the drain plug back in being careful not to over tighten the drain plug. Next make sure that the old oil filter seal is not stuck to the oil filter seat if the oil filter seal is stuck to the motor remove the seal. When replacing the oil filter you should rub a small amount of oil on the seal of the new filter to ensure that the filter seals well, to install a new filter line up the threads and turn the filter to the right and tighten it hand tight. Once the filter is on the car pour the new oil into the fill cap under the hood until the dipstick that you check the oil with reads full (most cars take five quarts). Remember that the filter will absorb some oil so check the oil once the car has ran and cooled down. Once the oil is full and there are no leaks you are done and all you have to do is clean up.

Clean up
Pour the waste oil out of the catch pan into a container that you can take to a waste oil recycling facility. Make sure that you put all of your tools away in a place you will be able to find them. Dispose of any empty bottles that the new oil came in. Clean up any spilt oil and put away the car ramps.

Night

I used this writing standard: 11.R.2.2 Students can read fluently to comprehend grade-level text.

I am reading Night by Elie Wiesel. After each chapter I will write a short summary of what has happened so far; I will also be writing some of my thoughts of the chapter.

I have accomplished everything that I planned on doing for this first cycle. Some difficulties that I faced were procrastination. Some things that I would do differently for this project are: not procrastinating and reading in class.

Chapter 1:
Throughout chapter 1, the narrator explains his life in the beginning of the Holocaust. There is a family of 6 and the only son is the narrator. He is a very intelligent child. In my opinion, this first chapter is very informative. I can tell already that I am going to like this book. It has kept my interest throughout the whole first chapter. Eliezer (the narrator) describes his story of what happened to his family and him in the Holocaust.

Chapter 2:
In chapter 2, Eliezer and the other Jew are locked in the synagogue for a few days. Then they get on a train to get deported again. There is a woman who got accidentally separated from her husband and two sons. This woman keeps shouting about a fire when there really isn’t one. When the train finally stops, she yells fire again. There is actually a fire this time. There is a horrible stench that fills the train. The Jews look out the window and see flames billowing from a tall chimney. They are forced to get off the train and leave all their stuff on it. That is where the chapter ends. My thought of this chapter is sadness. It is heartbreaking to read about these people getting treated with no respect. You know what they see when they look out of the train at the fire. And it is just sad to see that they don’t have any control of what will happen to them.

Chapter 3:
In chapter 3, Eliezer and his dad are separated from the rest of their family. The men were then separated by age/health/occupation. Eliezer and his dad were together, they had to then strip down and through their clothes in a pile. Then they were shaved and put in the shower. At this point they were all thinking that they were going to die. But then they were given new clothes and started walking to a different concentration camp. They were then able to sleep and eat. They received a new “name”. Eliezer new name was A-7713. In this chapter, Eliezer and his dad get lucky. They aren’t one of the strong people so they stay in one camp for a while. They get bread and soup every day. My thoughts are that the dad is worried but he doesn’t want to show it because he doesn’t want to scare Eliezer. This book is very sad but it is also very interesting.



Second check up
Review: I don't think that I really accomplished what I wanted for this cycle. I wanted to be finished with this book but I didn't have time to read it except for class time. Some difficulties that I encountered were not having enough time to read and journal; and I was having a hard time journaling for a while because some of the chapters are the same story. I would repeat this project only if I had more time to actually read. Something that I would do differently would be to make a time every night to read the book.

Chapter 4:
Chapter 4 was very pessimistic. It was about Eliezer and his dad moving to another camp. When they get to another camp the routine is to pass through the showers, new clothing, settle into tents, assigned to a block, roll call, and then eat food. In this chapter, Eliezer meets a new girl. She works with Eliezer and but she is not Jewish. One day Eliezer took a beating from a guard and the girl helped him when it was over. She started talking to him and he realized that she was Jewish she just lied. Later on in the chapter, the alarm goes off; and American planes fly by dropping bombs. Quote: Eliezer says: “The last sound of the American plane dissipated in the wind and there we were, in our own cemetery.” This sentence is distressing because they thought that they were going to die and they couldn’t do anything about it. They weren’t able to move from their spot or else they would get shot. For example: during the bombing, a man crawled over to soup kettles and started eating. He was shot and died. After that happened the guards started hanging people, and made the rest of the people watch. My thoughts on this chapter are similar to my thoughts on the other chapters. It is interesting to read about what actually happened in the Holocaust.


Chapter 5:
In chapter 5, Eliezer is still separated from his dad; one day they had selections; which is when the Jews are evaluated and then separated. This separation was between the strong and the weak. They were forced to take their clothes off and stand in front of the doctor to be evaluated. If the doctor writes a name down, then you are considered weak. Eliezer and his dad both passed the selection. Later in the chapter Eliezer had to go to the infirmary and have surgery on his foot. He was to stay in the infirmary for two weeks. After being in the infirmary for a few days, Eliezer heard that everyone was going to evacuate the camp. The people in the infirmary were to stay at the camp. Eliezer did not want to get separated from his father so he and his father decided that Eliezer would evacuate with his dad. At the end of the chapter, everyone evacuated. Before they evacuated a few men were sent into the block to clean and the Blockälteste said: “Let them know that here lived men and not pigs.” Eliezer thought: “So we were men after all?” Eliezer has a good point here. At the beginning of the book Eliezer thinks that he is no longer a man because after being sent to a camp, he was treated just like everyone else. My thoughts on this chapter are that Eliezer is a very strong character. Even though he has been separated from his dad and has an injured foot, he does not give up at all. I can’t really tell what kind of person Eliezer’s dad is yet. I think that he has given up, but he doesn’t want Eliezer to see that.


Third Check Up:
Review: I don't think that I have achieved what I wanted to this check up. Some difficulties that I had were not having enough time to read my book. I was always doing homework or something else. Something that I would do differently would be to make a schedual for when I need to read and how long.

Chapter 6:
In this chapter, Eliezer and his father are moved to another camp with the others. On the journey there, they were ordered to run. After a few hours of running, many people slowed their pace. When someone slowed their pace, an SS officer would shoot them. One kid that was running next to Eliezer collapsed and the officer didn’t even have to shoot him because he got trampled by the others. They come to an area that has a shed where they were able to rest for a while. Many people had to stay outside because there was not enough room in the shed. Eliezer and his dad got to stay in the shed and rest. After a while the officers decided it was time to go. They started marching again and after a few hours they finally arrived at their destination. When they got there they were pushed to the ground and piled on top of each other. Eliezer was lying on top of a boy he met earlier who played the violin. After a while Eliezer heard the boy playing his violin. Later Eliezer found the boy dead in the snow. They stayed at the camp for three days. They were finally given bread to eat. They were thirsty so they started eating the snow. On the third day they were put on a train to go to the middle of Germany. My thoughts on this chapter are that Eliezer and his dad were lucky because they didn’t die from exhaustion and from the cold. There were many people that died on the trip to the next camp. I am very interested in how this story is going to end. Is Eliezer going to die? Is Eliezer’s dad going to die? Are they both going to survive? I only have a few chapters left to read and I am interested in what is going to happen in them.

Book review: http://bestsellers.about.com/od/nonfictionreviews/gr/Night_r.htm

Food bank

11.R.5.1 Students can analyze factors that influence the credibility of informational sources.



Casey Warkenthien and Hunter Roberts
1 Bulldog Ave.
Baltic, South Dakota, 57003
605-759-2987 605-553-1452
CW3392@k12.sd.us HR3024@k12.sd.us
November 8th, 2011

Baltic High School
1 Bulldog Ave.
Baltic, South Dakota, 57003


Mr. Aisenbrey, Mr. Sittig, and Mr. Gunderson:

In our English III class we are doing independent projects where we take every Tuesday of class just to focus time towards our project. We decided for our project that we could do something for the people that just don’t get as much: a food drive. What we plan on doing is raising as much money and donated food as we can accomplish.

We are planning on all ages, anyone that may be interested in helping people that don't get as much. We plan to do plenty of activities with everyone K-12, including parents. In 2010, 48.8 million Americans lived in food-insecure households: 32.6 million adults and 16.2 million children.

Some of the activities that we are planning to do to raise food and money are around the time before Christmas because December is the month of “giving”. We want to give the food bank for the people who may not get enough, we plan to put fliers and posters up around the school to show when it will start and end. It will also be in the announcements and notes will go home with K-12. We are wanting everyone to get involved. We are trying to pass it through the school that if you bring 2 canned goods (or anything for the food bank that is needed) to a certain basketball game, you have to only pay 2 dollars.

Another thing we can do is use coupons. For the High School and Middle School students want to eat or drink something (unless they are participating in a computer class), they have to bring 3 canned goods or anything that is needed for the food drive as well.

We are hoping that everyone is willing to give because this is for a good cause. It’s not just for us; it’s for the needy of our community. Thank you for your time.


Sincerely,

Casey Warkenthein and Hunter Roberts


So far we have achieved what we have been trying to get done. Getting everything set up. Passing everything that we want to be done during this giving time through teachers that we needed to pass it through.

Video Games (Review and Hints)

 

The standard that I used was, Indicator 2: Students can comprehend and fluently read text.

 (Analysis) 11.R.2.1 Students can analyze how diction affects the interpretation of text.

(Application) 11.R.2.2 Students can read fluently to comprehend grade-level text.

During 20% time, Dylan Brende and I read review on current, and what we thought were interesting video games. Then when we decided on a game that was school appropriate and visually appealing and chose to play that game. During my 20% time I decided to play the game, Rockband 3 and attempt to fully understand the features that this game had to offer. If you would like you could visit the Best Buy website and read reviews by other gamers on their opinion and viewpoints of the current games that we are playing. To see reviews on Rockband 3 visit The Reviews on Best Buy and check it out. Throughout this 20% time Dylan and I will be reviewing games that we might play outside of school and then blog about them on the blog site and and blog on the games official site as well, or in this case on Best Buy's website. During this 20% time Dylan and I plan on playing most of the newer games either inside our outside of school and writing reviews on them to learn how professional reviews are written. Some of the difficulties will be the games that are not school appropriate so we will have to play the games outside of school and write the review during 20% time in class.

This week my group had come together after school in order to play the video games that were not entirely school appropriate, such as Modern Warfare 3. Dylan Brende and I had decided that we were going to attempt to finish the campaign on Veteran, which is the hardest difficulty. I will be commenting on the official website or Best Buy's website, on the games abilities and features. The entire game has much more to offer than the previous games made around the view of Call of Duty. I think that newer is most of the time better which means that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was amazing and the best Call of Duty yet. This Call of Duty has the option of Survival mode which allows for a Hoarder based mode that requires all of the Allied players to compete against AIs in a new twisted game mode. Each player starts out with either a pistol (Five Seven) or an Assault Rifle (M16) depending on the difficulty setting. Then as you battle through waves of oncoming AIs you gain money to purchase a vast variety of weapons, grenades, and air support to help you survive, hence the name Survival. Each player is also allowed to get perks throughout the game mode through carepackages and some cash. As the game progresses on it obviously gets harder which means that each AI gets more armor, air support, and weapons. Overall Modern Warfare 3 is a completely different game then Modern Warfare 2 with a new campaign, many more options of game play modes, and a whole new multi player exprience.

This week was more of a independent 20% time because I went through the Gears of War 3 campaign and finished that on Insane difficulty which is the hardest difficulty in the game. The best part about it though is that I did it by myself which makes the game much harder because you don't get skilled players helping you defeat the horde. Instead, the players gets to experience a whole new game type with a bunch of ridiculous AI's walking around like they have their heads cut off and not even helping you complete the mission. The cool thing is that they do the same thing on the Halo: Reach campaign, in which you can go through the campaign by yourself and get extra gamerscore. For those who don't know hat gamerscore is, it's the point that your account receives for completing achievements that the games come out with. An average game will have 1250 gamerscore for you to get, but most of the time the achievements that are worth more are harder and the game designers usually try to come out with some that are close to impossible to achieve. For example, Gears of War 3 has 1750 gamerscore that you can get and then they added more when they came out with the new DLC's, which are also known as map packs. All in all, I think that Gears of War 3 has a lot to offer with it's new and improved maps with the exciting new Horde mode that allows you to be Locust and upgrade your Command Centers.

For the new year I have decided to go semi-solo with this project because I am playing games that only require a single player instead the multiplayer games I was playing last year. This year I thought I would start out with a new and truly loved game by all of the gamers, Skyrim. If you ask anyone who is truly a gamer they will be able to tell you everything and anything about Skyrim. Skyrim is a open map game that is have a medieval setting, but with a twist of magic and dragons. Throughout the game the player is able to battle newer and tougher dragons and learn new spells such as Flame Cloak and Thunes or shouts. The Thunes and shouts are special to your character because he/she is of dragon blood which allows him/her to speak in the tongue of dragons and do special things. For example, one of the first shouts that you learn is Fire Breath and later on in the game Dragonrend which is a shout that you shoot at other dragons to make them land. The game offers over 400 hours on in game play time because of the massive amount of quests that are available. Skyrim also allows the character to customize and enchant weapons and armor to make them better. You can also learn a variety of spells such as Spark to Storm Atronarch. Skyrim is all around an amazing and intense game that offers, in my opinion, more than any other game, that has come out in the last 3 years.

  






Alduin (the main dragon in Skyrim)





Daedric Armor (the best armor in Skyrim)

The video game of this checkpoint is going to be World of Warcraft. I don't think many people who have played World of Warcraft or are still playing have noticed that the creators are planning on coming out with a new expansion pack. The new expansion is going to entail a new class, Monk, and a new race, Pandaren, which is sort of like pandas out of Kung Fu Panda but they have unique features. For example, the Pandaren are able to choose a side unlike the other races. For those who don't know about the different sides, there are only 2, Alliance and Horde. For some who just play for fun that isn't a big deal, but for others who are hardcore gamers choose their side with great passion and chose their race of character based on either Horde or Alliance. As a gamer who loves most games, I can't wait for this to come out and see the new features that the Monk class has to offer. If you want to see the trailer about the Monk and new expansion go to the official website and read some of my blog posts, http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/ . 

This week I will be talking about another new thing/ things that I have learned throughout my experiences of playing video games. This week's game just happens to be World of Warcraft again, but this time it is about the best and most effective way to gain different types of currencies. First and most importantly, Honor Points, which are earned by attack players of a different faction, Alliance- Horde and Horde-Alliance. These are best earned when you are higher levels because you get a larger bonus for winning the battlegrounds. The best way is to play until you win and the bonus drops one level and then go for a different currency until the bonus goes back up. This technique will be applied to every type of currency except for daily quest currencies which can only be awarded on a daily basis. The most prestigious of currencies is Conquest Points or Valor Points depending on the type of player you are. Both of these have certain limits that you can get per week, and are the hardest to get based on the amount that you get each time and the amount that you need to purchase items with these points. The only other currency that can be awarded is Justice Points which are used to purchase heirlooms and other lower level equipment. These points are earned best through bonuses within the dungeons. Thanks for reading my blog and hopefully this helping in the always epic World of Warcraft.



All of the excitement about the new Diablo 3 coming out has been very hidden among the gamers and players. The beta testers have very few posts and comments about the new game because many of them have been hidden behind the new World of Warcraft beta. That beta has had the most beta testers of any game ever created, with an insane amount of 1,000,000 + testers. All of these players have to be signed up for a blog or a comment area which they report on their game experience to help the World of Warcraft developers understand the problems and bugs that occur during this new beta and expansion to World of Warcraft. I among the many others got to be a part of that beta testing and have noticed that there are many problems that need to be addressed. Some examples are that some quests don't have proper dialogue and some items needed for quests aren't received until later in the game or never appear. Although this has developing and problems that haven't been found yet. The new class and other new experiencees that are going to be in the new expansion are quite amazing and will amaze the new and old players into not being able to leave the computer.