Last Quarter 4 Blog :)

I just found the trailer for the next Twilight movie "New Moon", and I am SO EXTATIC. It is set to be in theaters sometime in the fall I believe, which is great being that thats only about a year apart from the last movie. I really think they do a fantastic job with this movie series - the scene shown inthe preview was so like what I had imagined - as it showed a clip from the first chapter of the second in the saga. Although I do think that the actress who plays Bella could show a little more emotion, I love darkness and mystery the setting portrays. I'm definatly hoping they are planning somekind of contract to produce all four movies... Can't wait!

Quarter 4 - Blog #6

As I had hoped, I've been reading on more of the vampire's "how they came to be" stories, as Jasper Cullen - Alice's lover - tells Bella of his terrifying transformation. In his case, he had been a general in the south during a war sometime in the 1800's, a time when supposivly vampire groups were rapidly growing. Thus, he was attacked, and long story short, became a vampire. Without the detail, this would seem very unappealing, but these parts of the novel have been my favorite so far! It really shows how much the Cullen family trusts Bella, as they are starting to see her as one of them. That definatly is forshadowing somekind of transformation for Bella in the near future!

Quarter 4 - Blog #5

During Bella's most recent visit with Jacob, she told him that one day, she'd hope to eventually become a vampire, too. When Jacob heard this, the lightheartedness of there conversation was gone, and he refused to forgive her if this ever were to happen. When he heard that this was being planned to happen in a matter of weeks, he was furious. Jacob told her that she'd be better off dead, and Bella left. This made Edward extremely angry to hear, and although he never would do it to Bella, he said he could kill Jacob for saying such a thing. These kind of events have made me wonder if Bella and Jacob will actually stay friends or not... it'd be very hard to be close to two such different and opposing creatures.

Quarter 4 - Blog #4

On Edward's weekend away hunting, Edward's sister and one of Bella's best friends, Alice, "kidnapped" her and brought her to stay for the weekend at the luxorious Cullen estate. During the first night of there planned "sleepover", Rosalie - Edward's other 'sister' who has never been much of a fan of Bella - came in to say goodnight. Surprisingly, it began with an apology to Bella for Rosalie's rudeness, and led to an open talk of how Rosalie became a vampire in the first place. Listening to such a horrifying story helped Bella to realize why she had never wanted her to become a vampire. It was a very hard journey - and as Rosalie had sumed up, she would pay any amount to be human. This makes me even more anxious to see if Bella will ever actually become a vampire, as the set date (after graduation) is approaching. I'd also love to hear more of the vampires' stories on how they became to be.

Quarter 4 - Blog #3

As the pull between two very different boys has continued, Bella's father recommended that she take some time to hangout with people other than the Cullens and the Blacks. After being with Jake one day, Bella zipped over to her friend Angela's house as her boyfriend was just walking out. It was good girl time for the two, something Bella does not seem as used to. Bella told Angela about the conflict between Jacob and Edward (leaving out the two very major details), but Angela suggest that either of them very well could be jealous, and that was a very normal thing. In reality, the issue is very far from normal! I'm hoping that throughout the book, Bella will keep up this time with other friends, it'd be hard to always be the only human in the room.

Quarter 4 - Blog #2

After a fair amount of distance had passed between the two old friends, Bella FINALLY visited with her used-to-be best friend Jacob, and they imidiatly fell right back to where they had been. Jacob, another friend with powers beyond those of a human (werewolf), had been worried when Bella had "disapeared" for the three days she had been in florida with Edward. Used as a good excuse to call, Bella imidiatly jumped at the oppertunity, but was still cautious - as she knew that Edward did not like her hanging out with a werewolf, and Jacob did not approve of her vampire boyfriend. Still, the visit was neccesary, and reminded us of the good friendship the two had had before Edward and Bella had gotten back together in the second book. I am very curious to see the pull between the two boys throughout the rest of the book, as it will always be an issue Bella puts herself in the middle of. I don't see either charecter going anywhere, I like both of them very much as they show the kindof 'best of both worlds' in Bella's life.

Quarter 4 - Blog #1

Recaping the last chapter I read in the third book of the Twilight series "Eclipse" (Stephanie Mayer), Bella and Edward finally used the two plance tickets that Bella had received from Edward's parents for her birthday. They visited sunny florida to catch up with Bella's mom and pro-baseball playing step-father. This of course was an interesting trip for the couple, as vampires are known to sparkle when emerged in the sunlight. This being said, Edward spent most of the trip inside "sick" as Bella and her mother had some much needed family time. Her mother oticing how close she and Edward had been become was not a surprise to her, because they had. But when she suggested that "there's some secret I'm missing..." Bella shrugged it off, and her mother agreed that she was just being silly. Still, this makes me wonder if Bella's mother will ever find out about her other life. The distance between the two (oregon to florida) is definatly in Bella's favor when it comes to this, but if Bella did become a vampire, i don't see how she would be able to keep that from her family..?! Can't wait for Breaking Dawn.

So much depends...

written April 15th:


Snickers Bar

So much depends
upon

the sweet smell
of the pure chocolate glazed bar.

perfection unravels in your mouth
as you take the first heavenly bite

of the luscious combonation,
happiness in tact.



Spring

So much depends
upon

he warm new breeze ever floating
through the young budding trees.

The chirp of birds feeding their young
as the cycle of life

continues in a new rebirth.



Ocean

So much depends
upon

the bluest ocean
its breeze carrying on for miles,

as its calming sound
lingers just along the coast.

The salt drenched air
as it soaks into my skin,

glistens in the warm
sinking light of the dusk.

Stars beginto cast their gaze
over the ever darkening,

waving horizon.

Quarter 3 - Blog #13

Love

http://www.lovepoemsandquotes.com/LoveQuote25.html

I believe that without love, one does not truely live life to it's potential. It is a feeling for someone or something that enriches life, one that cannot be seen but only felt with the heart. However, some people often take love as infatuation or lust, which is a less heart-felt emotion or crush. When two people are true to themselves and have mutual feelings for eachother - theyre love is unconditional and honest.

Love isn't blind; it just only sees what matters.

- William Curry -

In otherwords, those who love you will always feel that way no matter what you do and love you for every flaw, genuine love is something that doesn't just go away like a crush.

Native American Imperialism/Persecution

When Columbus' ship landed on the shore of the Americas in 1492, he was hoping for a clean slate for white settlers. But later when Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, it was discovered that a mass population of "Indians" - or so they had thought - lived on the land. A want for control over the new found land provocted the European's motive for killing off the unknown group of natives. Even in 1830, Pres. Andrew Jackson encouraged the "Trail of Tears" otherwise known as a death march to the native american community. In America's earliest years, the Native American population was completely torn down - millions loosing there lives to the selfish wants of early settlers. In result, much of the traditional Native American culture had been lost in the early mass persecution - being that in many of the eldery population had died in the Trail of Tears, dying with the secrets of ancient tradition. These acts of Genocide are a few of the first of the new age, and still hold a struggle on Native Americans today. Even in this day, many Native Americans could say they have experienced form of segregation and bigotry towards their culture. This is understandable, infact many still call rural reservations there home - a tradition started by the white men in "trade" for Indian land. In conclusion, both short and long term effects are inevitable when dealing with a problem such as genocide - an unfair treatment for a culture we had such little knowledge about.





http://www.iearn.org/hgp/aeti/aeti-1997/native-americans.html

http://www.google.com/archivesearch?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=native+american+persecution&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&scoring=t&ei=u-6-ScS1BKTwMoql6aMN&sa=X&oi=timeline_result&resnum=11&ct=title

Quarter 3 - Blog #12

WAR

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/learn/features/timeline/depwwii/wwarii/wwarii.html

World War ll

Like many wars, the start of World War ll began with a bang - the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. War officially broke out three days later that December of 1941, when Italy and Germany engaged the U.S. During this time, many of America's people stood up and joined military forces, while thousands of women stayed back holding the home for the family. Coincidentally, this entry into the war improved the U.S's economy - of which had just exited a depression. This war provided so many jobs for so many Americans, giving them the chance to pay back old debts and save new earnings. Although this effect of the war was a positive one, this was a strenuous war and difficult time for many people around the world - being that so many countries were involved.

Quarter 3 - Blog #11

Colonization

http://www.harlingen.isd.tenet.edu/coakhist/coloniz.html

The New England Colonies, named by captain John Smith, were settled in 1614. Colonized by the Pilgrims and Puritans originally from England, the area of land now makes up the states that are today known as Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. This was the first sect of land settled when the Europeans came to the Americas. Unions had already been formed by the year 1643, in effort to keep strong against Pequot Indians, also coming in as a strong millitary strength for the new colony. Fishing and lumber became the two means of work for those living in this new land, being that the soil was poor and rocky - not good for growing crops. The selling of slaves also came into play around the time of this colonization.

Quarter 3 - Blog #11

Global Issues

http://www.globalissues.org/issue/2/causes-of-poverty

POVERTY

Growing up with such a blessed life, it is hard for most of us to imagine that many of the world's population lives on only a few dollars a day. Poverty exists in all countries throughout the globe. They are the people with little or no access to health care, food, and many times, an education. Poverty often is spread through generations, and without learning, those struggling with poverty end up creating a cycle. Disease is also spread even quicker when poverty is a factor, because there is often not enough money for the right care. The death rate of children living in poor countries is mind-blowing. It is a depressing thought thinking that with the proper medicine and medical care, these people wouldn't be dying at the rate they are. Fortunatly, there are always people willing to donate and do there part to help these people, but to touch the lives of all those in hardship would be nearly impossible - poverty will always be a global problem.

Quarter 3 - Blog #10

Holidays

http://www.history.com/minisites/fourthofjuly/

The Fourth of July

Looking forward to the summer, I always think to one of my favorite national holidays, the 4th of July. On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed by the Continental Congress - including some of the most important people to America's freedom. Celebrated as a rememberance of the anniversary of our country's independence, it is a day set a side for family and friends. However, this holiday was not officially recognized until it was declared legal in 1941. While the people of the past celebrated this event with city bells, bands and cannons, fireworks and parades are what make this summer day special today.

Quarter 3 - Blog #9

Bollywood

http://www.suketumehta.com/nytm.html

In the article "Bollywood Confidential" found in the New York Times, Suketu Mehta writes about her love of Bollywood films. She explains that those native to India especially take pride in the Bollywood films - as there culture as well as traditional singing and dance is displayed through musicals. Starting in the 1950's Indian movies grew in popularity. The movie industry is extremly important to the country, as they are known for producing even more movies per year than Hollywood. As Mehta writes, it was a huge deal going to a Bollywood film, and the audience was always encouraged to interact with the screen playing before them. With a belief that spoken words can never fully explain emotion, the light-hearted musicals performed in the films - being that there are always atleast 5-14 - capture the audience and leave them always in good spirits.

Quarter 3 - Blog #8

Culture

http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Greenland.html

The Culture of Greenland

Because I have yet to hear much about the culture of Greenland, I thought it would be an interesting one to look up for my blog. Greenland is the very northern piece of land near Canada and Antarctica located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Being that this is true, it makes scence that there main food palate would include fish, and sometimes seal and polar bear meat in Inuit communities. Other staples include potatoes, vegtables and canned foods. Greenland is very dependent on there fishing and agriculture industries for means of there economy. Suprisingly, I found that arranged marriges are not unheard of, but also that Monogamous relationships also do occur where a man my have more than one wife. Christianity is practiced here, as many of the people are Lutheran. Storytelling has always been popular in there communities, as many myths come from the Inuit people for means of explaining moral behavior and standards. The fine and performing arts are based on the Inuit culture, and clothing is often decorated with handmade designs and traditional materials. Overall, I really had no idea this country had such a different culture or aspect than America's or Canada's - they seem very tradition based, but also very separate from the rest of the countries around it.

Quarter 3 - Blog #7

Change

In reference to the book "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Like all other good novels, Nectar focused on the difficult changes always present in Rukmani's life. Marrying at a young age due to Indian traditions, Rukmani had to adjust from being a young girl to a lower class wife. Throughout her entire life, Rukmani had to deal with hardships rooting from poverty. Change was usually negitive in her case, as she delt with loosing four of her children to hard times. Rukmani was never given enough time to settle into something new, for new change always seemed to strike imediatly after. Although change always seemed to come to Rukmani in very unfortunate situations, I do believe that change can also be a very good thing, and is neccessary to living a balanced life.

Quarter 3 - Blog #6

H O P E

http://www.wow4u.com/hope-thought/index.html

The Poem of Hope shares the essence of the word, explaining that without hope, there is nothing to look forward to, and nothing to bring you up when you are down. Being the optomistic person that I am, I do not look to the future without hope. When one loses all hope entirely, all is lost. To me, hope can be one's goals, dreams or just positive outlook on life.

As long as we have hope,
we have direction,
the energy to move,
and the map to move by.
We have a hundred alternatives,
a thousand paths and infinity of dreams.
Hopeful, we are halfway to where we want to go;
Hopeless, we are lost forever.

-Hong Kong Proverb

Quarter 3 - Blog #5

Non Belief

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_nonbelief

With those who strongly belive in our lord, there will always be a few who choose to disagree that he exists. In the unbelievers arguement, they try to show that if God truly did exist, there would be no one who doubted him. They state that if God actually wanted people to have faith in him, he would have brought on a situation where everyone would have believed in him. Being of Christian faith, however, I do believe that God has already "brought on" this situation. Dying on the cross for our sins is the only proof I need as a believer that our Lord has unconditional love for us. However, being that every person has free will, I do respect those who chose not to have any specific beliefs.

Quarter 3 - Blog #4

Gender Roles

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/gender/gender22a.htm

Although a much more relaxed perception in today's society, Gender roles had always been considered a far bigger deal - laying out a set of unwritten rules to men and women. It was the tradition that told women they must tend to the home and take care of the children while men left for a days work. Today, however, the old "norm" has been shifted, making it okay for both men and women to do what suits them - whether it being a man staying home with his kids, or a woman running her own business. Gender roles no longer decide a person's life path. Though some people still believe that we should go back to our nations old ways in order to raise children the "right way", I believe that it is important for people to do things their own way. I personally do not think it is right to make people feel they should conform to any certain role, and we live in a more fair and accepting country without these rigid requirements.

Quarter 3 - Blog #3

Aspects of Different Culture

http://www.indiancultureonline.com/

Through our recent reading and research in class, It is clear that Indian culture is very diverse from our American culture. Classical dance is still very popular there, and traditions from indias earliest times have been kept in tact. Whereas in our country, aspects of different culures have blended to form one great one. Here we dress very casually, but there they still stick to wearing "bindis" - the red dots worn apon a married woman's forhead, and beautiful robes called saris. One thing still very hard for me to grasp though, is arranged marrige. I cannot imagine marrying someone I do not love, let alone barely know. Still, I think India has a very unique and intreguing culture.

Quarter 3 - Blog #2

Overcoming Struggle

http://www.bethanyhamilton.com/

The story of Bethany Hamilton captured my attention when looking for people who have faced difficulty in there life, due to her life changing surfing incident. Bethany, a local Hawaiian, was 13 and had been surfing for years at the time a 14 foot tiger shark attacked and left her without her left arm. Surfing off Kauai's shore, she had been lucky to be there with friends and family who are given credit for saving her in time. Bethany lost sixty percent of her blood through this accident but incredibly recovered from sergery without any infections. About a month after this horrific event, Bethany got back in the water to try surfing one-armed. Amazingly, Bethany stayed optomistic and headed back into the spotlight of her surfing competitions soon after, which she had been so well known for before the attack. She prefers to be given the same treatments in the conferences as the other two armed competitors, and does not complain. Bethany continued to win more competitions and has herocially overcome her struggle. She is a supportive and inspirational public figure and is always doing some sort of charity work these days. Bethany has such an amazing story, because unlike others, she maintained who she was even through the hardship, and would not let loosing an arm defeat her passion of surfing.

Quarter 3 - Blog #1

Natural Disasters

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_disaster

Natural disasters are a powerful force that in the end, can distroy peoples lives physically and emotionaly. As seen in the news, entire cities can be wiped out due to natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornados or earthquakes. People have been left homeless, and have lost family and friends because of these unstoppable and unpredictable forces of nature. Mind blowing amounts of money have been lost in these disasters and also in the rebuilding of homes and entire towns. I imagine that in worst cases, it would be almost impossible to recover from such a tragety. Our vulnerability is what makes natural disasters so difficult, because there is not always time to prepare or flee before the issue arises. Natural disasters would be much weaker without the shock of the blow, and people would use prior knowledge for a variety of different disaster plans given the chance.

More Recent Reading...

A few weeks ago, I found myself finishing another book of the Twilight Saga, by Stephanie Meyer. The second of the series, New Moon , seemed to be picked up at a darker place in Edward and Bella's relationship. Within the first few chapters, Edward broke the news that he and his family of vampires were moving, leaving everyday Bella depressed and alone, being that she had depended on her supernatural boyfriend for much more than she had thought. Through the monthes ahead, Bella had a hard time communicating with anyone other than her old friend, Jacob Black. Although Jacob had feelings for Bella that she didnt mutally share, he was the only one who seemed to understand her and provided an escape from her pending loneliness. But soon enough, Bella noticed a change in Jacob. Finding out that her best friend was a werewolf was not an easy thing to swallow, taken the fact that a vampire had just dumped her. Through many adventures, Bella finds that having her heart still tied to a "creature" completely hated by Jacob's pack would not be as easy as she had thought. Tension grows between the two friends when Edward's family moves back to town, through a series of nightmare themed journeys, Bella and Edward find there way back together, the only cost being Bella's friendship with Jacob. I am yet to start the third book, Eclipse, but I am looking forward to seeing if Bella can stay friends with both a werewolf - and being forever bound by the love of her vampire "fiance".

Current News #10

"Horrifying New Details Emerge in Caylee Anthony Case"
by oliver Jones, People.com

After searches for two-year-old Caylee Anthony, orange county police have finally found the body of the toddler, to there fright, wrapped in duct tape with a heart sticker stuck on it. Toys and sticker adhesives found with the body can be traced back to Caylee's home. It is reported that Caylee's mother Casey, who has been in arresst since october for the murder of her child, is now facing the death penalty. This is such a tragic story, being that such an innocent little girl is now dead, and her mother in such an unstable state. Although inevitable, I would hope that incidents such as this dont happen as often.

Current News #9

"Ty denies Obama girls inspired Sweet Sasha, Marvelous Malia"
by Alan Duke, CNN.com

A spokeswoman for Ty brand toys has recently said that the two newly released dolls, Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia, had not been inspired by President Barack Obama's two young daughters. Although the two dolls, only few of Ty's african american charecters do somewhat resemble the girls, ages 7 and 10, the company says they avoid naming there toys after any living person. They feel that if a certain toy already has a role in the world for example, the Obama children, then it will take away from the childs imagination. Personally, I think it is a very strange coincidence that they would have come out with two dolls, having the same unique names and ethnicity as the preseidents daughters, being released around inoguration day. Seems quite a stretch!