The Help.

Alrighty, this book hasn't been a huge priority for me, but I'm slowly getting through the book and enjoying it overall. I'm far from done, but will try to focus on finishing. I'm going to answer a few discussion questions I found online. I'll answer more specific questions next cycle.

1. Which character do you relate to the most?
Thus far I relate most to Skeeter, because of her bookish ways and uniqueness both in appearance and thought.

2. What part of 1960s life in Mississippi do you find most shocking?
At this point in the book I find the treatment of the hired help the most shocking. A complete lack of compassion and respect-- they even believe these women shouldn't be able to use the same bathroom.

I also took a good reads quiz on the first 17 chapters of The Help and got 7 out of 7.

Whitney Houston

August 9th, 1963 - Feburary 11th, 2012

My reading standard is 11.R.5.1. I have summarized this on a different document. I didn’t do the Fearbook for this check point. Instead I am doing a report/investigation/tribute to Whitney Houston. She was a recording artist, producer, model, and actress throughout her life. She will always be remembered by her family and her fans.

She was born in Newark, New Jersey on August 9th, 1963. She got into the music industry from her mother, Cissy Houston who was also producing and singing gospel/soul music with her cousins. Her music career accorded when she was singing in a church choir when she was a teen. She tour with her mother to nightclubs. She started to become a back-up singer with other bands. Whitney Houston’s first album was in 1985. Her album made the top 200 albums for fourteen non-consecutive weeks. Her single “Greatest Love Of All” was No. 1 for three weeks in a row. In 1986, she won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Fans thought that she should have won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, but she wasn’t eligible for the award. Whitney Houston won all types of Awards in her music career. She was a caring woman because she formed a program called The Whitney Houston Foundation for Children. It was a non-profit organization and it was for children who were homeless, had cancer, or other issues.
On July 18th, 1992, Whitney married R&B singer Bobby Brown. They soon had Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown, now 18 years old. She is Whitney’s only child and Bobby’s fourth. Throughout their marriage, Bobby was dealing with drug addiction and run-in with the law. During 1992, the movie The Bodyguard was released and the audience heard a single by Whitney Houston. This song is still remembered till today. The song is called “I Will Always Love You”. It soon won her a Grammy Award in 1994 for Song of the Year. Throughout the marriage of Bobby and Whitney, they went through tough ups and downs. Whitney started getting into drugs because of Bobby and she was changing into an addict with alcohol, cocaine, and prescription drugs.
The day before the Grammy Awards were suppose to be taken off, there was a mystery going on in the Beverly Hills Hotel. Whitney Houston’s mother found her daughter in the bathtub not responding to anything on Feburary 11th, 2012. She was pronounced dead at the scene when paramedics showed up. This left devastation to friends such as Ray J and other artist that sang with her, her family such as her daughter, and fans all over America. They want answers to what happen to Whitney Houston. Detectives and paramedics say that her death had dealt with the mix of prescription pills and alcohol. Until this day, there has been a couple of cause of death.
There have been a few articles for the mystery of her death. They say cause of death was drugs, but others say either suicide or murder. Murder isn’t really the huge topic though anymore. It’s either between suicide or “accidental” drug overdose. I read articles online that say she didn’t have any money because she always spent her money on cocaine. Another article said she killed herself because of money and that her secret life was coming out of being lesbian. No one knows the answer, but people do want the answer. I was reading an article at the store and it said that she was possible murder and she was also pregnant? I don’t know if I believe any of these articles because I think it’s just trying to confuse everyone. In my opinion I think it was drug overdose or suicide. I can’t really pick which one it was. No one will know until the autopsy comes back in a few more weeks.
Her death has left her daughter hospitalized twice. Her daughter went to her funeral drunk and high. Her actions have got her family worried about her. Her funeral was held in Newark, New Jersey. Whitney Houston will always be remembered by fans and family.

Overview:

For 20% time I played and read reviews for Cartoon Wars.

Standard:

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

Game Review Site:

No helpful game reviews for this game.

Thoughts about the game:

My thoughts about the game were that it is a great game to play in your free time. The only place to find this particular game is on your phone and the only way can play it is if you have a smart phone. The goal of the game is to keep you castle protected from wave after wave of monsters. How you do this is that you send out heors that all have certain powers or abilities that they use to protect your castle and destroy the monsters castle. But you also have arrows that are mounted to your castle that help you out to. All in all it is a good game to keep you entertained.

Evaluation:

I got most of the results from the gameplay but little from the research. Some of the difficulties that encountered were no review sites for this particular game. So i had to go throught alot of sites and i think i only found one that was still not helpful. Yes i would repeat this project. I would keep playing the game and try to finish it and find more review sites.

Still Helping the Animals

For the past couple of weeks, I had been working on the posters to post up around the school. I am completely done with them and so I will be printing them off soon so that Nicole (our school secretary) will hopefully be able to make multiple copies of them so then I can really decorate the walls with them. I will also hopefully try to get her to announce it over the intercom so that people will be able to hear about it.
Now, I have some good or bad news…depending on how they react. I have not made any contact with the shelter about the thing I am doing for them, so when I bring in the items (that’s if I do get items) it will be a giant surprise. I hope they do not mind, although I am sure they won’t…so surprise! I am really looking forward to see what the ending result will be for this project.

Call of Duty Black Ops

Call of Duty: Black Ops

I haven't really been playing a lot of new games lately so i decided to do one that has been in my collection for a while now.

Call of Duty: Black Ops is a great game with lots of action and adventures. You start out as a spy trying to find secrets in a Russian missile organization. I must find out what big plans they have. I finally realize that they are planning to blow up the moon with multiple rockets, but you have been caught and brainwashed into think you are someone you are not. The Cummunist Russians make you fight your own team.

You finally realize that you have been brainwashed and your now confused about who you were and where you came from. you are now back on track trying to find a way to stop the missiles, but hwo will you do it? Thats for you to find out.

This game is a first of its series of Call of Duty series (Black Ops 2 will be coming out in November).

Instead of having Special Ops like Modern Warfare 2 and 3 has Black Ops has Nazi Zombies which a survival mode where you fight hordes of zombies that want to kill you. Nazi Zombies is a really good game to play with friends because you have to use team work and stategy in order to survive. Each waveof zombies becomes smarter and there is more of them.

The Multiplayer is probably the lowest part of this game becuase there corrupted gamers and unfair advantages in the maps and guns. There is a multiplier game type called Combat Training where you fight computer based enemies that attack to which difficulty you set them at.

If you are looking to buy this game, you might want to rent it or barrow it from a friend becuase it really depends on what you like in order to understand the game. If you like close quaters combat than this would be a good game for you. If you like spread out combat than you would most likley want to play the Battlefield Series which is more expanded.

I will try to get a newer game for next post but there is no promises.

Isaac

Scholarships

I applied for several little scholarships and am sending one large scholarship off today. I used 11.R.5.1 Students can analyze factors that influence the credibility of informational sources, and 11.W.2.4 Students can edit for correct use of parentheses, dashes, hyphens, and ellipses. For reading I have to read all the requirements and find out if I meet them and for writing there are often times essays that are required.

Desert Journal

In the Desert Chapter of Survivng the Extremes, Dr. Kamler tells us the story of a Italian policeman, Mauro Prosperi, who found himself lost after a sandstorm interrupted the Ultramarathon of Sands in the Sahara Desert. He survived for nine days by himself with just drops of water left in his water bottle and no food. When he was found, he lost 33 pounds, and he also needed to replace 4 gallons of water that he lost. His skin was so dry that water couldn't be absorbed by it right away. His throat and mouth were swollen to the point where he couldn't swallow or talk. Military doctors in Morocco said it was impossible to survive for more than five days in the desert without supplies, and they postulated that he must have been taken in, somewhat restored, and reentered civilization with a dramatic story to tell. Could he possibly live that long without the most important essentials to sustain human life? Kamler tells the amazing story of how he did it, and I created a daily journal of what he did each day he was stranded.

Day 1

Today was the first day on my own out in the Sahara Desert. The rules of run stated that if any runner was to become lost, we are supposed to stay put where are and wait for
rescue. I did. A rescue helicopter passed overhead, and I waved and waved, but it didn’t see me. I finished my last bit of water today. I don’t know what I’m going to do about water. When I’m finished with this journal, I think I’m going to pee in my bottle to recycle my fluids. It won’t taste good when I drink it, but I must do anything and everything to live. I can and will survive. I will survive.


Day 2

I woke this morning and gazed in the distance; what I saw was very disappointing: a barren wasteland with nothing in site besides rolling dunes of sand. I knew I couldn’t stay here because the sun would roast me alive or I would die of starvation. After hours of walking, I finally spotted a small Muslim shrine in the distance. I was extremely lucky I found it, but unlucky because it was completely empty. It didn’t take too long for me to discover I was the only organism taking shelter in that shrine. There was a colony of bats in the shrine. I instantly thought food. I grabbed two bats and broke their necks. After I sucked the bats dry for water, I ate them raw. The taste was horrendous, but it was food. I started to feel more and more like a predator. I am going to rest up tonight in the shrine and tomorrow I will figure out what to do. I will survive.


Day 3

Today I created a SOS in the sand for planes to see. I also placed my Italian flag outside on a post just in case someone will luckily come by. I made some useful observations during the day when I was outside. These observations were about the effects of heat during the day. My muscles started to kind of convulse or shake during the day when I was outside. I also discovered that my heart started to beat faster when I was just sitting outside; this made me conclude that the chemical reactions in my body speed up when it’s hot. So this must mean, at night when it is cold, the chemical reactions slow down along with my heart rate. After a while, I realized that I can’t be out here too long because I sweat, and when I sweat, I lose water. I can’t lose water. I will…


Day 4

I really don’t know what happened last night. I woke up this morning and my wrists were slit. I was finishing up my journal, and I don’t remember what happened after that. That must be another effect of heat on the body; confusion, fainting, and maybe suicidal thoughts or actions? Luckily I fainted inside, so the sun wouldn’t kill me. Anyway, a plan flew over this morning, but unfortunately didn’t see my SOS or my Italian flag. After I gave up on waving, the mountains off in the distance sparked something in my mind. I remembered that the race ends at the base of those mountains! I must head there, and I will be rescued! I will walk during sunset and sunrise, and rest at night to cool my body off; I will also rest during the day in shade, so I don’t dehydrate or roast myself alive. I will lick rocks for water in the morning, and I will suck the water out of any plants that I can find to stay hydrated. I ate some beetles that weren’t actually that bad. “Slimy yet satisfying”; Simba was right! (Lion King reference) I also ate a mouse that I killed with a slingshot made from a bungee cord and stick. I will survive.


Day 5

Today I felt the real effects of the desert. I swear I spotted water ahead of me as I was progressing towards the mountains. I moved toward it, and it remained there, however, I knew it might not be real. I remained hopeful though as I progressed towards the water. As I got to it, the water disappeared. It was a mirage. Stupid me. I wasted a lot of energy trying to get to that for nothing. I became stressed. My heart started to beat faster, and I started to sweat. I was losing even more water. I calmed myself down. I remembered back in college when we learned about stress: Stress enhances danger to survive. Stress causes the endocrine system to release adrenaline which makes your heart beat faster and you start sweating. Sweating requires more water. Chaperone proteins are used to respond to rising levels in stress, starvation, sleep deprivation, and vigorous exercise. That is why vigorous exercise relieves the mental stress on the nervous system so well.


Day 6

I really have nothing to talk about today. I am becoming extremely lonely. I have been finding myself talking to myself a lot. When I sleep, I dream of my family and their beautiful faces. I miss them, and the times we had together. Oh my, I need to stop otherwise I’m going to cry and lose even more water. I just need to keep my head and get to the mountains.

Day 7

I don’t know how much more I can take of this. I know I should be dead right now, but miraculously, I’m alive. I’m starting to think surviving isn’t worth the pain I’m in. The mountains are becoming close…I think. I’m giving myself to day 10 before I finally decide whether or not to give up. I found a couple beetles today and ate them. I haven’t found water for days, and my urine is starting to take an effect on me. I think I figured out some reasons as to why I survived this long: My endurance training strengthened my cardiovascular system to require less pumping to maintain blood flow. It also enhances my liver’s ability to convert glycogen to glucose. My muscles contract smoothly which conserves energy. The energy saved reduces heat buildup. My training also made it easier for his blood to flow to the surface for cooling and reach the deep organs for nourishment.


Day 8

As I am writing this, I am periodically licking a puddle of water in a wadi! When I first discovered it, I drank it, but I threw up. I think I threw up because my throat and mouth were so dang swollen. That really hurt my throat because it was scratchy and all. I never thought muddy water tasted so good! My moral has been boosted exceptionally! I’m staying here all day and night to drink. Tomorrow is another day, and we’ll see what happens. I am surviving.

Day 9

This will be my very last journal entry. I came across fresh goat droppings and a small human footprint! I continued on and later came across a Tureg girl. She was very little. She screamed at me and ran away. I wouldn’t blame her though. I lost at least 30 to 40 pounds, and I probably look hideous. I tried to speak but nothing came out because my throat was so swollen. He reappeared with what seemed to be her grandmother. They kindly led me to their camp. Apparently I’m in Algeria now. They first took me by camel than a car to an Algerian Hospital. I survived…

Hunger Games

In the past three weeks I started and completed the first two books in the Hunger Games series. Katniss Everdeen is the main character who is a teenage girl struggles to feed her mother and sister, but when the all ruling capitol draws tributes for the 74the annual hunger games, Katniss's worst fear has occurred. Her innocent sister has been chosen to participate in the blood bath of the hunger games, and Katniss must volunteer in her place. With a background of hunting illegally, she catches many off guard and becomes one of the favorites to win the game. In the ever adapting games Katniss struggles for survival and a new twist forces Katniss and Peeta (the male tribute from district 12 together). These two "star crossed lovers" survive to the end of the games and are the last two alive. But because there can only be one winner the two defy the capitol. They are pulled from the games and declared winners before they have a chance- ending book one. In book two, the Quarter Quell is opon them (the 75 anniversery of the games where Peeta and Katniss and thrown back into the games with previous winners where rebellion in the districs turn the tide against the capitol-putting an interesting spin on the games.
I am in the process of reading the final book and will blog in three weeks about my thoughts.

I must say was entrapped by the action packed plot of Suzanne Collins and I even enjoyed the love struggle of Katniss Everdeen where she has to choose between Peeta and Gale. I think that the books show a struggle for democracy in a world where the Capitol rules over 12 districts like an overseer. It is a series of hope for the future and taking a stand on what you know is right. Like the millions of others who have read the series, I would reccommend these books to anyone.

New Topic

I am thinking of researching on the best fundraisers that are easy and quick. The ideas that i have come up with are change jars, car wash, recycling and pancake breakfast. The idea of change jars are put jars around the school and around business to ask for their loose change. The car wash would be like having people pledge for how many cars you wash and you charge a certain rate per car pledge. The Recycling ideas is when we ask for all your old cell phone, ink cartage, old batteries from cars and just sending those things in for money. And finally a pancake breakfast feed which is pretty self explanatory or some sort of feed that is not to are or messy to clean up. I will narrow it down in the coming days and will start planning the event. I plan on it being a week or 2 effort for this project unless if it works out really well.

One Hit Wonders!

We finally are going to be performing our song, "White Horse" by Taylor Swift. We were going to perform today, but we'll have to wait until tomorrow because Ellie is absent today. We have been progressing very well; for the most part, we all know our parts. I think our band is a one hit wonder. We did better than what we thought we were going to do. We didn't think we were all actually going to be able to learn this song, but we did!

Chicken Soup for the Teacher's Soul

Michelle Schwab
20% time

At first I started to read and summarize a different book, but after picking up Chicken Soup for the Teacher’s Soul I changed my project to these heart wrenching stories.
After reading various stories I pick out 3 that were my favorite.
#1.This kid was dirty and gross and had been picked on all 5 years of elementary school. At first he got moved from class room to class room because he was always disruptive. Then after this sped teacher got him into her class she started thinking his parents didn’t care about him. She researched where he live and found out that the father had eight kids and was raising them on a third grade education. So once she realized the dad did care and was doing the best he could with what he had she took the boy under her wing and taught him life lessons that his father couldn’t have.
#2. This one was about a college professor on their first day. Everyone in the class room seamed bored and didn’t seem to be listening, until the teacher spotted one student in particular who seemed to have it all together. Later in the semester the teacher noticed she wasn’t attending class for two weeks. As an attempt to get to know this girl better the teacher went to the dean of students and asked where she had been. The teacher found out the girl had committed suicide. Shocked the teacher created a class on love. It filled the class room and student brought other students who weren’t even taking the class. The most touching part of this read was the fact that for the first time a college student went up to his dad and told him he loved him for the first time. It brought tears to my eyes.
#3. This story was about a long time teacher who had prided their self on being a great teacher; putting their self through grad school even and after twenty years of teaching burnt out. And just at the divine moment, a message from God sparked their interest in teaching again. A student who had probably been about ten years back was at the hospital with his wife and child and pointed to the teacher who was picking up pills saying “HEY THAT’S THE LADY THAT KEPT ME IN SCHOOL AND THE REASON WHY I READ TODAY”. It created that fire for teaching again in the teacher that they actually canceled their new job of being a car salesman to still teach after 20 years. Wow, that’s a story; they found what they were called to do.

I’ve really enjoyed this book. I will be reading tid bits in BANDOLOGY. It’s a warm fuzzy book. J

ACT Prep and Scholarship Search

Reading Standard - 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. Writing Standard - Writing essays for the scholarships I apply for.

I started a new project this week. I will be searching for scholarships and hopefully applying for some soon. I will also be studying and reviewing for the ACT since I signed up last week and will be taking the test in April. So far, I have found a few scholarships that I could apply before, but I haven't gone too far into detail with them.

Continuing to read Life As We Knew It…

Indicator 1: Students can recognize and analyze words. 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.
Miranda continues to swim at the pond with her friends. She brings her brother one day and realizes how much he is struggling with all of this as well. She also thinks about how much she hasn’t talked to her friends, and decides to pay them a visit. Her brother is now at baseball camp where he is working on a farm and getting full course meals for every meal. The shortage for food in town and in houses is dramatically growing low, and families learn to not talk about food or ‘private life’ like others would in everyday life.
As far as reading goes for me, I am beginning to read by myself on my own time. I usually do during my study hall when I sit in the library. There is a couch right by the window which is super relaxing and motivating to my reading; I am about half way through my book, and am now starting the Hunger Games in hope to finish before the midnight release in Dell Rapids!

Scholarship Search

Reading Standard: 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.
Writing Standard: Writing some essays for the scholarships

I am starting a new project today. I will be doing some scholarship searching. These scholarships offer different amounts of money from hundreds to thousands of dollars.
http://www.free-4u.com/scholarships_for_high_school_students.htm
This is a website that has a few scholarships listed.

Dresses.....Shoes.....Tanning....Stress.....Decorating.....Parties........PROM!!!!

As of today Prom is only 45 days away. My only question is why do we stress out so much about it?
Girls with finding the right dress and making sure we have all the perfect accessories. Guys with their fidgety ways of wanting to ask a girl to go but deathly afraid of that simple word "NO". So can someone please tell me how we went from simple yet elegant to wild and crazy yet some what controlled.

Survival Guide For the High Seas

The next chapter in the book is called The High Seas. In the chapter, Kamler doesn't adventure out to sea, instead he gives us insight on what happens to the body through other survivors' stories. This chapter has many useful and interesting tips on what to and what not to do. I decided to make a short survival guide for when someone is stranded in the ocean.

Finding Food and Water

Take advantage of rain! Use a canopy or tarp of some sort to funnel in rain water in containers. Two thirds of the body is made up of water, and water is used in all chemical reactions and bodily functions. A person can’t eat without water, so because the digestive enzymes won’t function properly. “Sea water sends you mad”. Organs and tissues are intolerant to increased salt. Salt is very hard to get out once dissolved in water. The more salt water you drink, the thirstier you get.
Dehydration can lead to hallucinations it can be very convincing because the brain doesn’t get enough excitement, so it creates its own excitement. Electrochemistry is generated by emotion and memory. People have even been known to walk off the boat.

Watch what you eat! Normal human diet should contain 60% of carbohydrates because they are an important fuel, and our bodies can’t manufacture it. In the ocean, a human needs to about a pound of carbohydrates a day. In order to obtain carbohydrates, eat fish that eat algae due to the fact that algae are directly inedible. 25% of daily intake should be from fats. This is difficult in the ocean due to the fact that fish are the only source of food, and they only contain one percent of fat. The other 15% of daily intake should be protein. Protein is easy to find because fish are made up of nearly all protein. Too much protein is bad though. Due to its complexity, proteins take nearly five times more energy to break down so the body can use. Hunger means that not enough fuel is being distributed by the food. Glucose burns easily. Blood resupplies glucose levels with the release of glucose levels. from the liver.

Adaptations

With steady fat and carbohydrate levels, the body takes steps decrease the rate of power consumption. Reaction times slow down because nothing that requires reaction has taken place for a while. The decreased production of cells that repair wounds takes place. The decreased production of sex hormones takes place due to the fact that that is not a priority Metabolic rate is decreased because the body doesn’t have to break down as much food, and it conserves energy. Due to lack of energy, protein can be burned for energy. Muscle is the first one to lose protein because of its abundance. At this point, the body starts to literally eat itself alive


Cannibalism and Mentality

It is the process of eating of the same species. It works against individuals but favors the survival of the groups. Fairness and morality which is in the cerebral cortex, is easily deactivated. As ethical standards drop, the cerebral cortex drops back to more primal instincts and less control over primitive urges. This is seen in the novel Lord of the Flies. It is imperative to have the WILL to live that will keep a stranded person alive.Hope alone has kept people alive for over a month when stranded out at sea.

Indo Board

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.

I got the idea to Indo Board from Noah's Demonition Speech. It looked like a really fun thing to do and it looked like a good thing to improve my balance for golfing and surfing. To learn more about Indo-Boarding, I went to http://indoboard.com/. There, I looked at different techniques and trick/workouts that you can do on the Indo Board.

The last few weeks I have been working on Indo-Boarding. Lately, I have gotten better because I can get up and stay for several minutes. I am helping other people learn how to Indo Board. Noah is also there to help others with learning because I don't know as much as he does about it (because he is the owner of it).

Clothes For a Cause

This past weekend, Nicole and I took our items into the Children's Inn Society. We had a total of 595 items ranging from clothing to toys, to shoes, to breakfast foods. Anything that the Children's Inn couldn't use would be donated to another organization that helps families get started on their own feet.

100th Post!

I was just sitting there, about to make a post on my own blog (link!) when I noticed that there were 99 posts on the main blog. That means that this is the 100th post!

That's about it I guess.

Clothes for a Cause

Nicole and I have reached our goal of 150. We actually have probably doubled it. We will be taking our "closet" of clothes to the Children's Inn this weekend.

We have items of all types. We even got extras. We've received shirts, jeans, shoes, dresses, hats, gloves, jackets, snow pants, and breakfast foods. The extras we received were toys.

L.A. Candy

The last 20% time I finished the book L.A. Candy. Madison is jealous that Jane is getting all of the attention. Jane is falling between two guys: Braden and his best friend, Jesse. Madison decides to hire a camera man to photograph Jane with Braden, and then Jane with Jesse, trying to make Jane look like she was two timing both of them. She gets pictures of Jane and Braden making out, and she gives them to a magazine editor. Before Jane knows it, she's all over every magazine and every headline imaginable. She's incredibly embarassed, and Madison tells Jane that it was all Jesse who gave the pictures to the magazine editor. Scarlett, Jane's best friend, goes over to Jesse's house to freak out on him, but when she returns, there's a note from Jane saying her and Madison had gone away for a few days to Madison's parent's house. In the note she also writes there is no cell service there so Scarlett wouldn't be able to tell Jane it was actually Madison.

Fearbook: Zodiac Killer

My reading standard is 11.R.5.1. I have summarized this on a different document. I am still going through the Fearbook and learning about past notorious serial killers and what made them blow up like a ticking time bomb.

The next man I have researched about is the Zodiac Killer. There is no suspects and the case is still unsolved. The Zodiac Killer may never be solve because it has been going on for about 40 years. The suspect behind the Zodiac killing is possibly deceased now. The Zodiac Killer has claimed to murder 37 victims. The reason I have said "claim" in that sentence is because in the 1960's and the 1970's the Zodiac Killer sent letters to the detectives that were trying to solve the case. He would always start in the letter saying, "This is the Zodiac speaking". No one really knows why he is called that.

The Zodiac always wanted his murders in the papers and he wants his mysterious letters in there as well. He would send cryptograms to the news media and demand them to print it out on papers. If they didn't, he would warn them that he will kill again. He kills mostly couples where there are no witnesses around. He mostly have killed women because most of the men survive to tell their stories. The most daring procedure he tried to do was warn the police department that he put a bomb on a school bus and threaten the police department that he was going to kill all the children. He sent a letter of the school bus and where the bomb was. He always called the chief of the police department "The Blue Piggy".

There has not been a Zodiac killing in a maximum of 30 years. Hopefully there will never be another Zodiac killing again.

Band's Still Working Together

This last two weeks we have been practicing very, very, very hard. We, yet again, changed our song to White Horse by Taylor Swift. We think that this song choice would be easier for us to preform.

Her story

No one will ever know my sister like I do, but not even I will know the way she feels. I know she is a strong woman, but at this time she needs help to build her strength. I am there for her along with all of the nurses who help her, which I could never thank them enough for.

I wrote just a small portion of her story and how I learned a lesson behind her accident. I used to say good-bye as if I would see you tomorrow. I now say good-bye as if I'll never see you again. I make sure to tell them how much they mean to me.

I inserted a picture of her and her first son with the portion of her story for memories of her every day. I will never forget my sister.

Yoga Shmoga

Michelle Schwab
20% time blog
Yoga
Students can read fluently to comprehend grade-level text.
For the first week, a couple of us did power yoga, seriously. This stuff was fast and advanced. We definitely clicked the wrong video. And for the second week, while listening we did yoga in class while listening to Huck Finn. Let me say this, Mrs. K has got some ADVANCED MOVES. I could hardly do half of them. I learned it is all about balance.
Ever since my 20% time I have been doing yoga moves as stretches to help me get lose over the course of weeks. It’s really improved my flexibility for working out!
I read this article on yoga. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,106356,00.html

And learned some interesting things:
You should feel famous while doing yoga… all the big stars do too! J
I keep spelling yoga as ‘yogo’. GoodNESS.
Yoga has increased 75% in the past five years. Understandably.
It takes the western culture out of its body to inside but yoga see its as a chance to see what’s inside to experience it on the outside as well.
There was a testimony of a woman who had cancer and they did surgery on her arm and how she can stand up on her arms with her feet on her head because she uses breathing and mental techniques to keep her going.
Through this project I have found a new love for yoga stretches. It’s great for the body and gives you a non toxic mind after and during. The stretches are great to cleanse the mind with.

Scholarship Search

This past few week I have been apply for scholarship from thousands to hundreds of dollars. It doesn't matter how much or how little it helps pay your way through college someway. So far I think I have signed up for about 10 to 15 scholarship. Some are easy, like submiting a your name to them or as hard as writing essays that have to meet certain guidelines and regulations that you must follow. All I can do is try and do as many as possible to increase my odds in getting a scholarship.

Helping the Animals

So instead of doing the whole "Shasta-and-Me" thing, I am switching my project to something a little more helpful. I had been doing research these past couple of weeks, and I couldn't help but look at the Sioux Falls Humane Society website. I saw that they had a wish list, including a new building project that is needing money. I thought to myself for a while and knew that I couldn't just straight out and ask for money from people, so instead of getting money for the building project, I am going to try to fulfill the wish list which includes: dog food, cat food, distilled water gallons, latex gloves, cotton balls, pill containers WITHOUT labels, hand sanitizer, Clorox Bleach (because the other types don't have the correct concentration for disease prevention), air fresheners, stamps, Dawn Dish Soap, and of course money for either the building fund or for animal care and medical services.
Now, I myself am an animal lover and it shows because I have four dogs and two cats. To help the poor animals that were abandoned, abused, or just brought in for different purposes means a lot to me. So hopefully I will be able to make some change for everyone at the Humane Society.
For the next couple of weeks I will be making posters to post around the school so that the word will be getting out. With those posters, I may even print pictures of the animals that are at the Humane Society and post them along the walls as well. Hopefully this project will work, and I will be looking forward to keep the people updated with how it is going.

regretable I sunk so low to write poems

I used standards 11.R.1.1 and 11.W.2.2. I wrote poems.

I also read some poems on http://thepoetsgarret.com/2011Challenge/form1.html

I wrote poems to the rhyme scheme of:
A
B
A
B
C
On a day such as this you may feel dismay
But for what? Just don’t lose sleep at night
Don’t let this gloom make your whole day gray
Be confident you’ll chose what’s right
Stay in school and don’t do drugs!

I’m listening to a techno mix
Thinking of the next line
But wishing I had a Twix
Realizing I’m glad moles are benign
700,030 die from cancer in a year

Blue is everywhere
Is it because it’s our school color
Look it’s right there
Blue is just duller
Blue is overused

Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption

This action packed western game brings gun slingers to life in a free roam world. John Marston is out to rescue his brother from one of the most dangerous gangs ever in the wild wild west.

John was found passed out in front of an barricade, he was shot trying to find his brother. A ranch family took him in until he became healthy. Now, John is out to get revenge on the gang and to rescue his brain washed brother.

John must train for his missions, but first he must become familiar with the land and all the people that might stand in his way. He must explore in order to succeed. John has no idea what he is up against and how he will be able to survive.

I my opinion i think this game is amazing. You almost forget that you are actually playing a video game. You can tell the creators spent a lot of time making the graphics and scenory perfect. This game is just like Grand Theft Auto but in the western era which makes a new twist in free roam game. This game is huge, the world is huge and the mission set is huge. The multiplayer is ever perfect. with teamdeath match and co-op campaign. I understand how this game got game of the year and why poeple are still playing it even after a fews years its been out. It always has something new to do.

If i were to give this game a rating out of 10 it would definelty be extremely close to a 10. The characters are perfect and the bad poeple are perfect, they have the perfect amount of villain.

The Help

Okay, I'm about a fourth of the way through the book so I'm going to speed up my reading a bit and hopefully finish it by the end fo the next cycle. Once I finish the book I'm going to find some reading guides/ book club questions and answer some of my favorites. So far, I'm still loving the dialect used in the story and the characters are so believable. Looking forward to reading more! Adieu.

Life As We Know It... 3

Indicator 1: Students can recognize and analyze words. 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.

I am doing better on reading on my own outside of class. The book is getting super interesting, which makes it even more hard to blog about it. I don't want to give away any more details on what is happening for anyone who might want to be reading the book. I usually read during 20% time in the library, and then also during study hall and any other extra time I get during class.