Blog number 3

In my reading, Mariam was told that she had a husband waiting for her. When she her this, she couldn't believe. Mariam was being told that she was to marry him the next the day. Even though this is already strange, it gets even weirder. Mariam is only nine, and her to be husband is FOURTY FIVE. It is weird to me because the wives of Jalil play the difference of ages off like it is no big deal. To me, it is as big of a deal as the age difference between Mariam and her soon to be husband. When i was reading this, i immediately thought of Nectar in a Sieve. The main character in the book get married off to a man that she doesnt even know, at a young age, and the man in a lot older than she is. Also, in Nectar in a Sieve, they go to a city where they see a lot of new things and have no where to go. Mariam also does this in the book i am reading. She has never left her little hut in her whole life, and now she left it to go to the city where her father lives. Sadly, when she gets to her dad's house, people refuse to let her in. I predict that in my book, Mariam will hate living with her new husband. I think one night, after a couple of years, she will leave his house when he is sleeping, and she will never go back. 

Blog Number 2

Not once in my life have i wanted something so much that i would do anything to have it, and as soon as i get it, i hate it. Then again, no one has ever died from me getting something. In my reading, Mariams mom told Mariam that she would die if she went to the city with her dad. Mariam went into the city, and sure enough, when she came back, her mom was hanging by her neck from the tree. Mariam had to live with her father, and she hated every second of it. This shows a lot about Mariams mother. If i could describe Mariams mother in three words, they would be stubborn, mad, and unwilling. The reason i say stubborn is because she doesn't let Mariam do anything if has to do with her father. This is because she hates Mariams father, and anything do with him. I say mad is because, like i said, she hates Mariams father. This is because Mariams father made her leave her job as his maid, after impregnating her. I also say unwilling because when Mariam is offered to go to school, she will not let her. This is because she doesn't like the idea of school. This is why if i had to describe Mariams mother in three words, they would be Stubborn, Mad and Unwilling. There are many other words to describe her, but i believe that these are the main characteristics of her.

1st Reflection

Imagine being born to a mother who used to be a maid. Then imagine that the man she was a maid for was your father. This leads onto only seeing your father that you love so much only once a week, because he was not supposed to be your father. This was Mariams life. Her and her mother lived in a house outside of the city. They get hardly any money from Mariams father. And Mariams mother is one of those people that say, "Don't mind me, i'll just read in the dark." Meaning that when a good opportunity comes along, she never takes it. Mariam, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. If i could describe her with three adjectives, it would be hopeful, smart, and loving. The reason i say hopeful is because Mariam is hopeful that one day her father will take her into the city and take her to a movie with the rest of Mariams half brothers and sisters. I would say smart because Mariam desperately wants to go to school, even though her mother would never let her, and i would say loving because, even though her dad only comes to visit once a week, she still loves him the most out of anyone in the whole world.

A 1000 Splendid Suns

I choose to read A 1000 Splendid Suns because i read the Kit Runner and i thought it was a really good book. I find The authors writing style very intriguing. I also choose this book because i felt that cover made me want to read more about the book and find out what happens in it.

Jackie Robinson

Today, I read an article about Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson was the first African American man to play in major league baseball. This article talks about how Jackie leaped over the racial barrier a decade before Rosa Parks's incident. Jackie Robinson showed great strengths in many areas. He was one of the best player in the majors, ever, and he was really strong in the emotional department. Many people hated him and wanted him out of the league. Some people would spit on him during games and he would sometimes even get threatened. Even though his life may have been in danger, Jackie Robinson kept doing what he loved the most, play baseball. Jackie did not only help in the baseball department. Him getting into a big league paved the way for many other African Americans trying to play sports. Jackie Robinson, no doubt, overcame the greatest challenge of all, and that was leaping over the racial barrier to sports.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/jackie_robinson/index.html

Goldstein, Richard. "Brooklyn Dodgers Legend And Civil Rights Pioneer." New York Times. 13 April 2007, 22 March 2009.

Love

This week i read an article about how a woman who is going to Morocco for a year. This woman was in an on and off relationship and she decided to end it before she went to Morocco. This relationship had been going on for two years, and she had been wanting to end for a while, and when she finally did, she completely lost control. All this woman could do was cry, and when she was not crying, all she could do was cook to get her mind off crying. She tried to make herself realize that she is getting exactly what she wanted, and now she was hating everything about it. When this woman went to Morocco, she had a single bed in a hotel room, and she could feel was loneliness. This article makes people realize that, once someone is in love, it is very hard to be away from it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/fashion/22love.html?_r=1

Monroe, Rachel. "My Back-Seat View Of A Great Romance." New York Times. 21 February 2009, 18 March 2009.

Pearl Harbor

Tonight I am Writing about the movie Pearl Harbor. This movie brings viewers inside Pearl Harbor, before the attack during it, and after it. This Movie illustrates how much fear, glory and bravery went into world war two. In the movie, living in a time of war is told through eyes of two child friends. These two friends names are Rafe and Danny. Here Rafe Meets and girl named Evelyn. Then, Evelyn and Rafe fall in love. When everything looks like it is at its best, Rafe's plane was shot down. He was presumed dead. After, Danny consoles Evelyn, and they end up to drawn closer to each other. After Danny and Evelyn get over their sadness about their friend, Rafe is found alive. This movie shows how much the war messed with peoples minds. People can really experience the attack on Pearl Harbor by watching this movie, or, if they a more realistic feeling, they can go the actual Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. 

Europe Colonize Africa

The article that I read this week was about many European countries colonizing in all parts of Africa. These European countries include: France, Britain Germany, Belgium, Italy, Portugal and the Dutch. In this article it talks about how on the last three decades of the 1900's, there was a major scramble to take over the inner parts and cities of Africa. Even though these countries are nice and often visited, their controlling of these African cities was very cruel. For example, I have met a man from the country of Togo in Africa. France colonized this country. He some how got out of Togo and I got to hear brutal stories of some of the things that these foreigners would do. Not only did the Europeans treat Africans poorly, just the fact the they would waltz right into some one else's culture, and try to change it. This just makes them seem cruel and a country that has no conscience.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEEDE113EF93BA15751C0A96E948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all


Boyd, William, "Carving Up Africa" New York Times. 28 Febuary 1988, 11 March 2009

Iraq War

This weekend I read an article having to do with the Iraq war. The Iraq war has been going on for some time, and Spy agencies believe that the war is making the terrorism threat level higher than it needs to be. In the article it says that America occupying Iraq has spawned a newer generation of Islamic Radicalism. It says that since September eleventh, 2001, the threat level has grown even higher. If things stay this way, this war will never end, and Iraq and America are not the only two countries suffering from this war. Many countries feel the effect of it. The Iraq war has a bad effect on the American economy, which affects a lot of different countries in the world. Not only are people affected money wise, they are emotionally as well. Many loved ones have died due to this war, and according to this article, this war has only made the threat level even higher. Hopefully, peace can be brought to each country, and the Iraq war will end.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/world/middleeast/24terror.html

Mazzetti, Mark, "Spy Agencies Say Iraq War Worsens Terrorism Threat" New York Times, 24 September 2006, 9 March 2009.

The Ghostly Ghouls of Halloween

This weekend I watched the show Pete and Pete. The episode i watched was called Halloweenie. In this episode, little pete is trying to break the world record for going to most houses in one night. His older brother, who is also named Pete, does not want to help his little brother trick or treat because if someone sees him, he will become a Halloweenie. The people he could get caught by are the Pumpkin Eaters, the meanest group of people ever. The Pumpkin Eaters almost destroy halloween by causing so much distress on halloween. Older Pete decides that he wants to help his brother, but only if he gets to wear a mask. On halloween, Pete and Pete almost beat the world record, when the pumpkin eaters strike. Pete runs away from the pumpkin eaters for a long time. Does pete get away from the pumpkin eaters? Does Little pete break the world record? Watch the show to find out what happens.

Bollywood

Bollywood movies are one of the most cherished things in the country of India. Movies from India make a lot of money. For this reason, many more Bollywood movies are starting to be mad, except for one thing, they are not from India. Many Hollywood production companies are starting to make Bollywood movies because there is so much love for them in many different countries. The films that are made in the United States of America have all the same characteristics that a real Bollywood, such as dancing and singing. Americans making Bollywood films presents a competition between India and America. This competition helps to contribute to many movies that are made today. Some American Bollywood movies are Slumdog Millionaire, and Bride and Prejudice. After watching Bride and Prejudice in class, I realized that the competition between India and America is a good thing. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/movies/08boll.html 

Giridharadas, Anand "Hollywood Starts Making Bollywood Films in India" New York Times. 8 August, 2007. 4 March 2009. 

Chinese New Year

Every year, before the Chinese New Year, people will clean there house to the greatest extent. The reasoning for this is, because, it is a metaphorical way to bring in the New Year. They see it as sweeping out the old and bringing in the new. People also do not sweep their floors for a few days because they don't want to sweep out the good luck. The writer of this article talks about how this annual cleaning is good, but it would even better to do it every day. With cluttered houses, people can sometimes not eat as much because they have a disfunctional kitchen, or they do not get enough sleep because they have to much junk in their room and on their bed. The way I see it, peoples house should be pretty clean most of the time, and once in a great while, they should clean their houses like no tomorrow, kinda like the Chinese do before a new year.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/cleaning-up-for-chinese-new-year/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Fremson, Ruth, "Cleaning Up for the Chinese New Year" New York Times, 26 January 2009, 4 March 2009

Change

This weekend I read an article about Barack Obama winning the presidential election. It talks about how Obama was elected the fourty fourth president of the united states, and how many racial barriers have been broken. Up until that point in time, every single president of the United States of America has been white. Having Barack Obama win the election shows how much the world is changing. Sixty years ago, there was segregation, and today, the man running our country, is African American. The article goes on to say, how Barack Obama, fourty seven, a senator from Illinois, defeated Senator John McCain. America has been starting this change for a long time. Around the beginning, it was a major change that an African American was playing in the Major Leagues for baseball. Now, one of the most powerful countries is being run by an African American man. Hopefully, he will do his best to help out this country, which i am sure he will, because, he understands change, and this exactly what this country needs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/us/politics/05campaign.html

Nagourney, Adam "Obama Wins Election; McCain Looses as Bush Legacy is Rejected." New York Times. 4 November 2008, 1 March 2009

Hope

The article I read was about american idol hopeful, Casey Carlson, and her coach watching her live performance. In this article, Casey Carlsons coach, Patty Peterson, watched in minneapolis, while her student was singing on national television in Los Angeles. In the article, it describes Peterson encouraging Casey from hundreds of miles away. After Casey's performance, Patty applauded with approval. Even though Patty Peterson thought she sung well, the American Idol Judges did not agree. All four judges felt it was the wrong song for her to sing. the next night, it didn't take long for Patty and Casey's hope to vanish. Casey was the first one eliminated from the show. Even though she got eliminated, there is still hope for her to move on, on account of the judges picking her in the wild card position. All that is left to do for Casey and her proud teacher, is hope. 

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/39775502.html?elr=KArksUUUU

Bream, Jon "Eden Prarie's Own Gets Simonized on 'Idol' Ouch." Star tribune. 19 February 2009, 24 February 2009

Religion

In eighth grade, I read one of the greatest books i have ever read. The Diary of Anne Frank talked much about the holocaust, the fear of the Nazi army, but most importantly, the Jewish Religion. In this book, Anne Frank and her family are forced to move into an annex above in an office building . Her and her family lived there for two years. Over these two years, they had many scared days, sleepless night, and many hardships. The family would get food from the people that owned the house, who also let them hide there. This book shows how many hardships people of the Jewish faith have gone through. Even though all these hardships, the Jewish religion has survived many years. The Jewish Faith hardships have gone back thousands of years, to when Moses, parted the Red Sea and led the Jews though the exodus. The Jewish religion is a major part of todays society.

Gender Roles

This weekend I read an article about gender roles. This article described a immigration detention center, in Arizona. It described how almost three hundred women are facing dangerous health care delays. It also says that women were treated to aggressively when trying to be detained. Many of these women rarely posed a slight risk, but were still treated very poorly. These women also did not have prenatal care, no treatment for cancer and other big health diseases. In some cases, women were being mixed in with federal prisoners. This article shows how women trying to come to America, trying to chase a dream, get treated with such great disrespect and cruelty. This also shows that, even in today's society, women are still being treated with less respect than men, even though so many things have gone right for them. Hopefully one day, everyone will be treated the same way, with the same respect. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/21/weekinreview/21mishra.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2

Frosch, Dan “Report Faults Treatment of Women Held at Immigration Centers” New York Times. 20 January 2009, 16 Febuary 2009.

Rice Farming

In Senegal, rice in one of the most consumed products. Their population of thirteen million people consumed over 600,000 tons of rice each year. Some people there have based their whole lives off of the rice crop that they grow. They base their whole year and the coming years off of growing the rice. Another thing they base their lives off is how much the rice is selling for. The price has steadily dropped since its peal last year, which was thirty dollars for a one hundred ten pound sack of rice. In order for farmers to make a profit, they must sell their sacks of rice for twenty dollars or more. At the end of last year, the price was right around twenty two dollars a sack. Last year, when the price of rice rose, many bad things happened. There were riots over the high prices. The anger between people was so great that the Prime Minister of Haiti has to resign. Even though these high prices were bad, this let millions of farmers compete for rice selling. This competition led many people help make more money, which helped people a great amount. The rice crisis is a big problem that will hopefully one day be resolved.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/world/africa/26senegal.html

Polgreen, Lydia "West African Villagers Stake Their Fortunes On The Future Price Of Rice." New York Times. 25 January2009,12 February 2009.

History Project Websites

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Castel_Del_Monte_Throne_Room.jpg

http://www.trullo-bello.com/it/immagini/castel_delmonte.jpg

http://www.liebreich.com/LDC/Images/HallOfFame/Frederick/Castelmonte4.jpg

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/casteldelmonte.html

http://www.sitiunesco.it/index.phtml?id=638

http://worldheritage.heindorffhus.dk/frame-ItalyCastelDelMonte.htm

http://www.topcastles.com/kastelen.php

Struggles In Alaska

People in the state of Alaska are pretty much like People in other states. Nothing is really different about the state, except for one part. The city of Aklachak is still waiting for one of three parts to be connect to running water or a sewage system. People use water from a river just to bathe themselves. They also collect rain with tin cans. When people go into one of the two connivence stores they will see normal products that you would see at a normal store, except for one thing. One twelve ounce bag of Lays Potato Chips costs seven dollars and thirty nice cents. One nineteen ounce can of Progresso Soup costs four dollars and twenty nice cents. It also states that one twenty ounce box of Cheerios costs eight dollars and twenty cents. People are also moving away from the city of where there ancestors lived because it is two economically bad, and they are moving the the city of Anchorage. But, there are also many people still living in the city of Aklachak, trying to make the best out of things. 

Barry, Dan. "Remote and Struggling but Still a Bit of America." New York Times. 5 October
2008. 2 February 2009. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/us/06land.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

A Destructive Earth Quake

Tonight, I read the article Mrs. Jarret poster to her blog. On monday, there was a massive earthquake in China. It starts off by posing the question can an earthquake be predicted? It states that most scientists would insist that there is no possible way of predicting or preventing these deadly natural disasters. It then goes on to say that Chinese bloggers are starting to say, that in fact, the extremely high numbers of casualties could have been lowered by a significant amount. They go on to say that alerts that were reported seismology bureau were ledgy brushed off and not taking into account. Even though it says that the claim was debunked, many rumors have still been spread around. The rumors have come up numerous times, including at a live press conference. When a question was asked about the rumors, the television quickly switched to a clip of rescue footage. This just goes to show that even though rumors, most of the time are not true, they still get many peoples' attention. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/world/asia/16rumors.html?_r=1&fta=y

Jacobs, Andrew, "Superstitions About Quake Meet The Web, Irritating The Chinese Authorities" New York Times. 16 May.

Coincidence In Chaska?...... I THINK NOT!

It was reported that in the Chaska high school, some potentially dangerous things happened. For one, a gas line was left on in a science room. Many fumes had filled the room and made it a very dangerous place to be. One of the janitors found that is was on when cleaning up after school. If the janitor had not found it, many people could have been harmed and the school would have defiantly been shut down for a couple days. A teacher said that is could have been very possibly an accident, but many faculty were concerned because a battery charger was found hooked up on both ends to a heated drum of waste oil. The school reported these two incidents to the police because they thought it was more than just a coincidence. The school reported it a few days after being found. This might have made a few problems in the investigation. Both of these incidents are under great investigation, and i am sure that they will find an answer soon.

Back Up For Backstrom

Niklas Backstrom is a great goalie that the wild will always remember. But I am going to talk about the back up goalie, Josh Harding. Josh Harding was supposed to be the future goalie of the Minnesota Wild, but as long as Backstrom is hear, Josh Harding will just be sitting on the bench watching. "I have no control over it. All I can control is how I come to work every day and how I prepare for games." said Harding, "When I do get the chance to play, I have to play good." They're a few things that will happen to Harding in the near future. Backstrom is going to be listed as a free agent after this season, and the Wild want to resign him. If Backstrom does get resigned, Harding will be some great trading bate. On the other hand, if Backstrom does not get resigned, Harding will be the new face of the Minnesota Wild's goalie.

Peanut butter: Good Spread With Celery Or Harmful Food?

Peanut butter can be put with anything: toast, jelly, celery. I have even seen some one eat peanut butter with scrambled eggs. Every one loves peanut butter, it doesn't matter who you are. You can be big small, little or tall, you will love peanut butter. Unless you are one of the thirty victims that got salmonella from the tasty snack. The sick people have said that they think it came from eating King Nut Creamy Peanut Butter. This report of Salmonella poisoning came two years after there was a report of Salmonella poisoning in another peanut butter brand, Peter Pan Peanut Butter. Some signs of Salmonella poisoning are abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and a fever. Anyone who thinks that they might have been infected with the disease should contact a doctor immediately and go to the hospital. Salmonella can be a deadly disease when not taken care of, so people should stop the disease, before it stops them. 

Hike A Mountain For School

The Andes mountains, one of the most famous mountain ranges in the world. Many have based their whole lives on climbing the mountain, but who would have ever taught a school lesson on the mountain. I will tell you who, Christian Gilbert, teacher of Waconia public schools. The teacher and a co-teacher climbed the mountain and sent emails to many students and faculty. The emails were all about were he was, what he had done that day and what he was going to do the next day. He also taught lessons for students that wanted to learn about the geological are of the Andes mountains. His students got a real inside look of the great mountains, with out even having to climb it. I am sure this lesson taught by Gilbert will inspire his students to learn more about the Andes mountains and many other mountain ranges.

Edina, Dream Home, Nightmare Pay

Edina, such a wonderful place. Students from Edina usually go off to well known colleges, and then end up living in great cities with great jobs. This means that every young parent wants their young child to go to school in the city of edina. In order for this to happen most families want to live in the great city of Edina.  Well according to those eager young families, it is much easier said than done. Housing in Edina has a median cost of 450,000 dollars. Add the cost the of remodeling into that number and the price is usually outside of families price range. There fore the most families get denied their dream of living in their home town and settle for someplace like Golden Valley or Chaska. Edina, such a dream place to live in, such a nightmare to pay for. I guess this might be one good reason why every one calls us the cake eaters.

No Puck Sees The Back Of Backstrom

The Minnesota Wild beat the Boston Bruins Tuesday, January sixth. Not only did they win, they shut out the Bruins. The Bruins have not been shut out this whole season, and they are the highest scoring team in the NHL. The Wild can give thanks to their goalie, Niklas Backstom, who played an amazing game on Tuesday. This was his second consecutive shut out, and it came against a very difficult team. It was his fifth shut out of the season, and the fourteenth of his career. His goals against average is now 2.14 and save percentage is .929. The one goal was scored by Marek Zidlicky. It seems for sure that the Mikko Koivu is for sure going to go the the all star game, but with a shut out the night before the western all star roster being announced, Niklas Backstrom prove that he is worthy of going to Montreal as well.

You can never drive to careful

One person was found dead after a crash in Dakota County. Another person was seriously injured. A car slipped on a patch of ice and rolled over. The two passengers were ejected when the Pontiac hit a patch of hidden ice. This goes to new drivers that you can never drive to careful. People don't need to go fifty five miles per hour just because that is the speed limit. People are allowed to go that fast under ideal conditions. Luckily no one else was involved in the accident. This accident happened 12:11 PM on january fourth. This occurred on highway fifty two on the southbound lane. It also happened on wet roads. Cars can e a very dangerous item and when not handled correctly, they can be very deadly. People who drive must be aware and alert at all times. 

Eagles Fly High, Vikings Ship Sinks

The Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles played each other in a game on sunday evening. The game was going to be watched by many people on account of stars such as Donovan McNabb and Adrian Peterson. The Eagles Spoiled the first home playoff game in eight years for the Vikings with a score of twenty six to fourteen. A touchdown return from an interception thrown by Tarvaris Jackson set a sad tone in the state of Minnesota Vikings Players. The Vikings, yet again, go into another off season with questions about quarterback issues. The Vikings fans, yet again, go into another off season with questions about their team. Even though the Vikings made it to the playoffs this year, they have many kinks to work out. The fans will just have to wait another off season to see if their home team can step it up.