Yesterday, during a conference in Iraq, Iraqi photographer, Muntadar al-Zaidi threw shoes at President Bush. In Arab culture, it's a huge insult to show the soles of your shoes so obviously throwing shoes at someone is a much bigger offense then it would be here. The author said that Bush composed and defended himself really well after the incident. Bush compared it to being yelled at at a rally. He also said that obviously the photographer wanted to get a message across and now the reporters were asking questions about it to him. So, Muntadar accomplished what he wanted by drawing attention to himself. The author also related this incident to the one in 1991 that occured to President Bush Sr. Fortunetly for Mr. Bush jr., he was able to duck out of the way. Bush supporters reacted to the incident, considering it to be a mean-gesture to a man who has liberated the country from a vicious dictator. This article was written by Martin Asser.
Mike invites Bella to go to La Push Beach along all their other friends, she accepts. There, she meets up with Jacob Black. Jacob is a member of the Quileutes and lives on the reservation. After one mention of the Cullens Bella is eager to find out more. She turns on her flirtatiousness with Jacob to get him to talk more. He's vulnerable and gives Bella his whole story. This was about the Quileutes and the Cullens running into eachother along time ago. They were known as the cold ones. Bella's eagerness continues so she researches "The Cold One". One day at school she doesn't give up the opportunity to go to Port Angeles with Jessica and Angela because she knows there's a book store there that she could hopefully get more information from. Jessica and Angela's intention was to have Bella help choose their prom dresses. Bella shows a lack of interest and excuses herself to go to the book store. When leaving the book store, she runs into some guys who follow her. It's night, she is cold and she's alone.
Now that Bella has settled in to a new school, new house and new friends, she's met many interesting people. There's Mike Newton who becomes obsessed with her right away. There's Eric, who also seems to be somewhat obsessed with her. There's also Tyler. There's also Jessica and Angela and Lauren. And then there's Edward Cullen. Just like the other Cullens, he's pale white, but very handsome, almost to beautiful to be true. When Edward first finds out that he's lab partners with Bella in biology, he becomes disgusted. She sits there uncomfortably. Then next day he doesn't show up, nor the next or the next. Although Bella tries to convince herself that she's not the reason he's gone, she can't help but wonder. After a couple weeks, he comes back as if he'd never been gone. In biology, he introduces himself and starts questioning Bella immediately about her life. At this point, Bella's obviously confused but has worked up her curiousity so much that she must find out more about this Edward Cullen.
So these past few months, the book to read as been Twilight. I didn't read it at first thinking that I wouldn't like it since everybody else did. I usually don't read on my own unless I'm assigned to. So, I let it go, until the movie came out. A friend invited me to go to the midnight showing so, even though I hadn't read the book like every other person in the theatres, I went, thinking it might be fun. Of course, I absolutely loved the movie and was surprised to hear the satisfactory but not overwhelming reactions around me. I thought for sure everyone would have loved it. Many people said they did but it wasn't as good as the book. I don't think that there has been one movie, ever, that is as good as it's inspiring book. So I thought if the movie was this good, the book must be amazing. I started reading the book and haven't been able to put it down. Of course it's hard to read alot with such hectic scheduals as a teenager but every moment I have, I'm reading. Since the premier, I've also seen the movie two other times and each time thought it was better than the first. I also own the whole soundtrack now and for some reason haven't been able to listen to anything else. It's like the whole Twilight phenomenon (books, movie, soundtrack, apparel) has nicotine in it or something, it's making me obsessed. Anyways, as most everyone knows, this amazing book by Stephenie Meyer starts out with a girl, Isabella (Bella) Swan who moves to Forks, Washington to be with her dad. She is not too enthused about this. She's never like the cold, wet climate, of course it's nothing like the previous climate she lived in, in Pheonix.
This past weekend's opener, Twilight got huge box office results! This article was written by Joshua Rich. The new Twilight movie, based off the book written by Stephenie Meyer, broke many records this weekend. First of all, it was obviously number one in the box office this week. Secondly, it's the best movie, directed by a women, in the box office ever! It's also number twenty-ninth best box office opener movie of all time. It's the biggest movie ever made by Summit. It's the fourth best opener of this year, so far. This movie has just been huge. Of course, seventy-five percent of the audience was screaming girls/women who had been waiting for this premier for ever! There was no surprise that, they have already declared they will do the sequel, New Moon. This weekend, in second came Quantum of Solace, then Bolt, Then Madagascar, and finally Role Models.
This article is about the opening weekend for the twenty-second james bond movie; Quantum of Solace and it's competing movie. Quantum of Solace came out in the Box officeat 70.4 million, that's is higher than any other James Bond movie. A little over half of the audience was over twenty-five years of age and about forty-five percent of those were female. The author says that women are really into Daniel Craig, and his bond-like features and personality. The men like him for his image and strength. Some of the viewers were also those who saw Dr. No when it first came out in 1962. The movie debuted overseas on October 31st and has made 322 million since. The feature film still hasn't debuted yet in Japan Australia, and Spain, which are some of the highest box office making countries. Other box office winners were last week's openers, Role Models and Madagascar. This article was written by Roger Vincent.
This article is about a 19-year-old's suicide and the reasons why he did it. This article was written by Oren Dorell. In this article, Oren talks about Abraham Biggs' suicide on his webcam and how other viewers could've helped Abraham finish what he was going to do. Biggs' father, Abraham Biggs Sr., said those who watched, and the website operators, share some blame in his son's death. "I think they are all equally wrong," he said. "As a human being, you don't watch someone in trouble and sit back and just watch." Although this is true, other viewers said they called the police while watching, but the police were to late. Briggs was found dead in his father's bed from overdoses of several medications. Other viewers didn't take Briggs seriously because they either thought he was joking or said that he had threatened to kill himself before so they didn't take him seriously. This was a really unfortunate event, hopefully this doesn't lead to more videotaped suicides. The author stresses his concern for this throughout the article.
This article is about Virgin airlines now offering internet access in flight. This article was written by Roger Yu. This article talks about The Virgin airlines following American Airlines in offering the internet during flight. With this, flyers can email, download, and use secure websites in flight. This service is $9.95 to $12.95 depending on the route and how long the flight is. Since this feature has struggled the past two years, Virgin airlines is testing it out on one plane for a week and if it is successful, they will work on adding the feature to all of the fleet, 24 planes based out of San Fransisco, by the middle of next year. Although this feature seems to be continuely slow, customers (mostly frequent flyers/business travelers) seem to be very impressed and are looking forward to more added features like this one. In the future, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Delta, and Continental Airlines are looking to also get this service in their flights.
This week, I read an article about how adavanced the ipod touch and iphone when it comes to games. This article was written by Stuart Andrews. This article mainly talks about how not more than a couple years ago, the most advanced gaming system was the PSP. With it's 480x272 widescreen display and graphics, you'd think that this was the best handhelds could get. No, the iphone and itouch's features top those of the handheld PSP's. The apple products have a better widescreen display of 480x320. They also have a little more clarity, they're brighter and more vibrant. The iphone and itouch also have more capabilities with their advanced memory. Purchases of games for the iphone are signaficantly higher than those of other cellphones, 25 percent to 7 percent. Many people question wether the iphone and itouches are the future of on-the-go gaming. Some consider these apple products like portable Wiis.
This week I read an article about some mudslides that occured this past weekend in China. This article was written by Chris Buckley. Chuxiong city is in the Yunnan province. It's a countryside near the province capital of Kunming. Most of the residents of Chuxiong are farmers who live in little villages perched up on hills. There is also alot of mining that goes on in this province. In fact, there was a mudslide in September that killed 250 people and the cause was damned up tailings from an iron ore. The province is mostly made up of steep terrain so theres no surprise for the mudslides, especially that it has been pooring down rain nonstop for the past weekend. Investigators, have no other reasons for the disaster, it is still being investigated. Unfortunetly these mudslides took the lives of 20 people. Of course, that death toll could go up because 42 people still remain missing. These mudslides also destroyed one thousand homes of the people who live in Chuxiong and many other public properties.
This article was about the Celtics' outstanding title last year and how the team plans to do another repeat of last season except with more motivation and more intensity. This article was called "NBA champion Celtics ready to go for banner number eighteen this season", this article was written by Walter Fornback. In this article, Walter interviews Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett. Kevin said that in every relationship there is room for improvement. The thing about the three of us (Garnett, Pierce, and Allen) is we constantly communicate. We constantly talk on the floor. He said that he was proud of his team last year but now it's a new season. New wins and losses, and ups and downs, but hopefully another title comes along with that too.
This article was called "Former Greatful Dead keyboardist Saunders dies at age 74". The article was written by Belinda Goldsmith. This article talks about Merl Saunders and his success in the jazz and rock musical world, but it also talked about his smile, and his caring and loving nature. Merl Saunders died from complications of a stroke he had six years ago. Merl Saunders was a keyboardist for the Greatful Dead, and his favorite instrument was the Hammond B3 organ. During his long lifetime, Merl Saunders had some great opportunities like recording with some top musicians like Miles Davis and B.B. King. Merl's family said that in his heart stood two things; love and music. They said he was a companion of many, but also a loved father and grandfather. Another achievement of his was that, in 2000, Saunders was the first recipient of the lifetime activist award from a Florida environmentalist group for his environmental activism. There will be a memorial service for Merl Saunders on October 29th, in San Fransisco.
The ever so popular cabbage patch dolls have come out with four new dolls. Since 1983, Cabbage Patch has created dolls from Elvis to Donald Trump and Ellen DeGeneres to Oprah. Now, Cabbage has created presidential and vice presidential look-a-likes. There's Barrack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain, and Sarah Palin. The dolls have been sported with clothes and accessories to resemble the actual candidates. For example, Sarah Palin's doll is wearing a red suit, her signature, rimless glasses, and heels. The author says that these candidates were perfect for the dolls because they are all so different and have so many different personalities. These dolls will be auctioned off on ebay starting Thursday and ending November fourth. Along with the four candidate dolls, six limited-edition, 25th anniversary that have been created to look exactly like the first cabbage patch dolls, will also be auctioned off. The proceeds from the auction will go to the Marine's Toys for Tots foundation. This article was written by Derrik J. Lang.
This weekend I read an article called "High School Musical 3" Tops Box Office. It was written by Dean Goodman. This article talks about this past weekend's box office polls. Since both High School Musical 3 and Saw V came out on Friday, it was a real competition for which movie would come out on top. Even though the Saw movies have created the biggest horror movie franchise, High School Musical 3 came out on top with $42 million worth of ticket sales for it's first opening weekend. Saw V, which came in second, ranked in $30.5 million worth of ticket sales. Other premiers didn't do so well, Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros' came out with Pride and Glory which ranked in only $6.3 million. Unfortunetly, this is the second disapointment for Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros, two weekends ago, Body of Lies was also unsuccessful. However, the author expects that we will see additional sequels for both High School Musical movies and Saw movies. The High School Musical 3 premier also opened in international theaters, like in Britain, where it ranked in $13 million.
This week, I read an article about the incredible amount of Apple products being sold. This article was written by Jeffersen Graham. He talks about the amazing amound of sales of all the apple products. The best selling apple product is the iphone, bringing in 40% of Apple's profits. Apple has now sold 13 million iphones, 3 million more than the 10 million that was predicted to sell in the first calendar year. Also, more iphones have sold than blackberries. In the quarter, it was 6.9 million to 6.1 million. Apple has also been selling some of their other products very successfully. 11 million ipods have been sold. That's the best they've done in a non-holiday season. Apple computers have been selling strong aswell. Apple has sold 2.6 million more Apple computers than any other quarter. However, Apple does admit that sales dropped a little bit in September once the economy started falling rapidly. Even with this bit of a slump, Apple still has 25 billion in reserves and has zero debt.
Quotes: Peter Parker: -Not everyone is meant to make a difference. But for me, the choice to lead an ordinary life is no longer an option. Peter Parker: -Who am I? You sure you want to know? The story of my life is not for the faint of heart. If somebody said it was a happy little tale... if somebody told you I was just your average ordinary guy, not a care in the world... somebody lied. Peter Parker: Spiderman Quotes -Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: "With great power comes great responsibility." This is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I'm Spiderman. Green Goblin and Spider ManGreen Goblin: -Spider Man. This is why only fools are heroes… because you never know when some lunatic will come along with a sadistic choice. Let die the woman you love... or suffer the little children. Make your choice, Spider Man, and see how a hero is rewarded. Spider Man: Don't do it, Goblin.Green Goblin: We are who we choose to be... now choose! May Parker: -He knows a hero when he sees one. Too few characters out there, flying around like that, saving old girls like me. And Lord knows, kids like Henry need a hero. Courageous, self-sacrificing people. Setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero. People line up for them, cheer them, scream their names. And years later, they'll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them how to hold on a second longer. I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams. -True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others, at whatever cost. -Arthur Ashe
Hero Spiderman Movie:
Hero in all of us:
Hero Poem:
Hero
A hero is someone that reaches high above the stars Grabs someone's wishes and prays that they'll go far A hero never gives up on what they believe is true They'll be all they can be and they'll do all they can do A hero is someone who thinks highly of others Protects and provides for one another A hero stands by you through thick and through thin May not always get along but you're friends til' the end They're someone on whom you can always depend To stay close by through life's troubles and winds Keep your head up high and stay strong if have all of these things Because everyday you live with them by your side is a blessing
I recently read an article about how new technology has affected the everyday lives of a typical family, with two parents and one or more children. The author says that new technology such as; cellphones, email, and the internet have actually affected families in a positive way since they were invented. The author explains that these new technologies help families stay connected throughout the day. Since texting does not require an immediate response, kids can text their moms or dads before school, or after school, or during lunch, or even between classes. Studies show that since emailing has become more convenient, husbands email their wives during the day just to say hello. Same thing goes for cellphones, studies show that husbands and wives call eachother at least once a day just to see how the other is doing. Cellphones have made it practical to communicate because you can talk anywhere at any time. While moms are grocery shopping, dads are at work, and children are at friends houses, it is simply easier to get ahold of oneanother.
Recently I read an article about our presidential candidates, Barrack Obama and John McCain. I found this aritcle in the Star Tribune and it talked about how different Obama and McCain's ideas are, but they do agree on something. The environment, which has been becoming worse and worse, is obviously a huge issue for both candidates. The article says that no matter who is elected, we should expect some major changes to make the environment healthier and make the U.S more eco-friendly. Obama says that even with the currently poor economy, he will make it a priority. An envronmental goal of both candidates is enactment for climate-change legislation centered on a "cap and trade" mechanism. This legislation sets a ceiling on emissions that will decrease over time. He also says that he would use $150 billion of the auction revenue over 10 years to help improve nonpolluting vehicles, wind and solar power, technology for capturing emissions form power plants, and other energy technologies. This article was written by Andrew C. Revkin.
Recently I read an article about The Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox situation. This article was about where the Twins stand compared to the White Sox and how close they are from winning the division to go to the World series. In the last series between Minnesota and Chicago, the Twins came back to get ahead of the White Sox. Before they were behind 2 and a half games and now they're ahead 1/2 game. This article also talked about the eligable players for the best batting average, including Joe Mauer. This article also talks about the White Sox and Detroit Tigers game. The White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 8 to 2. This article also talks about the upcoming tiebreaker game and final game of the regular MLB season. Although this article was from two days ago, most of us already know the outcome of the game. A scoreless first six innings felt a little uneasy. Then in the sixth inning, Thome from the White Sox hit a homerun. So, good pitching from Minnesota wasn't enough to win the divison.
I think Codi and Hallie are very different! They do have their similarities, especially when it comes to their looks but when it comes to personality I think they are not like each other at all. I think Hallie is more hard-working. She works hard every day helping families in need in Nicaragua. Not that Codi isn’t hard-working but I don’t think her heart is really in it when she is working like Hallie’s is. Hallie is also very unselfish. She risks her life to help people. Codi is more stubborn. Although they are different, they do have some similarities. They both are adventurous. Before Codi moved back to Grace, she traveled with Carlos to Crete. She and Hallie also went to Tuscon together. Hallie is in Nicaragua working so this shows that they both like to travel and are looking for new adventures. Due to their genes, they are also both very tall. Codi on the other hand is more secretive. She kept the secret of her miscarriage. Unlike Hallie, she also doesn’t really know who she is. She went back to Grace because she didn’t know where she belonged. She’s confused on what she is supposed to do and basically how to live her life. She’s also confused about her past and who her ancestors were. Hallie, already has a job that she supposedly loves and knows she “belongs”. Codi is also educated. She went to medical school and is now a teacher. I think she knows she can do better though and I think she’s on her way to finding out where she belongs and who she really is.
Recently, I read an article called “Retailer Blues-No happy Holidays”. This article was written by, Susan Feyder and was in the September 19, 2008 issue of Star Tribune, in the business section. I think the thesis of this article was that the huge increase of gas and grocery prices have costed a decrease in holiday sales. Britt Beemer, a chairman of America’s Research Group, predicts that holiday sales will drop as much as 2 percent compared to last year. He says that some cause of this predicted drop are; a sales season of 6 days shorter than last year’s, online sales and TV advertisements. However, he says that the biggest and main causes of this predicted drop are the gas and grocery prices. Parents say they’re so disgusted with the high prices that they have decided not to buy gifts for eachother but only focus on their kids. The online sales have also increased due to the cost of gas these days, people don’t want to spend more money then they have to. These predictions mainly focus on what happens on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving, the start of the holiday season and supposedly the busiest shopping day of the year), Beemer says that if sales aren’t good on this day, businesses could fail!
One adjective to describe myself is adventurous. I would call myself adventurous because I have been on many adventures! I have also traveled a lot! I’ve already been to 5 of the 7 continents: North America, South America, Antarctica, Australia, and Europe. But, I plan on visiting all 7 continents and many cool places around the world before I die. Another adventurous thing I do is scuba dive. I’m not only adventurous when it comes to travel though, I’m also not a picky eater, I will try anything and usually like it. I’m also very adventurous when it comes to music because I like to listen to all different types of bands and genres. Basically, I am adventurous because I’m always willing to try new things.
Hey yaa, I'm a girl who weirdly likes the darkness, night, rain, and storms...I actually hate when it's sunny out...this is explains my love for vampire stories! However, I'm definetly not goth/emo...although I do love black, I wear all colors and am very open personality wise...anyways follow me! Comment!
