Hurricane Sandy

I recently read the article called “Hurricane Sandy Doesn’t Stop Concerned Voters From Going to the Polls,” by Nicholas Fevelo, this article is mostly about hurricane sandy not being able to stop people from voting no matter how badly there homes and there lives are wrecked from the hurricane. At first the article talks about how badly the hurricane-damaged places in New York City are. But even if these places are damaged this bad that won’t stop people there from voting. When the streets are flooded, the polls are still open. People still went to vote, even when their houses were flooded. One woman said, “Materially, I’ve lost everything,” she said. “Everything is in ruins. But I have to go vote. I’m an American — 15th generation. My family came here in 1621. It’s our civic duty. But I believe in Mr. Obama and I sincerely feel he has to continue.” Another said “No country can compare to America, I can work here, go to school here, my children can go to school here. America is still the leader of the world, and it needs the best leader,” as she talks about her thoughts on the upcoming election. This article shows how badly the hurricane effected people in the Northeast area, and how even when there homes are wrecked and damaged, they still want to go vote.


 “Everything is in ruins. But I have to go vote. I’m an American — 15th generation. My family came here in 1621. It’s our civic duty. But I believe in Mr. Obama and I sincerely feel he has to continue.”           
This quote shows me how important voting is to Americans. This woman had lost everything, her entire house was in ruins, but she still went to vote. It also shows me how much America means to some people she has been here since 1621 and she feels that it is her duty as an American to vote. Many Americans don’t even vote, and to see somebody when they are in this type of situation, to go and vote is incredible. That’s why I picked it to use for this blog.

“My house is under 4 feet of water, but I would like to express my civic duty, I would like to lend a hand in re-electing President Obama,” said one man.
This quote from the article shows me how torn and devastated some people are from hurricane Sandy. They have lost their homes and are in terrible shape. What impresses me is the fact that people still would like to go out and vote. They decide not to try and fix up their house or drain their basements, they would like to go out and vote for the president. This showed me how much voting means to some people. That’s why I chose it for my blog post.

In conclusion this article has showed me a lot of things about Americans and how important voting is to them. This article showed me how that Americans will stop at nothing to go and vote. Many people had four feet of water in their houses and they went to vote because that is more important to them. This article was also an eye- opener for me. I now realize how lucky we are to live here. Our government is great, and the people know it. In other countries there would be not as much aid as there is here in America. The citizens are helping out too. That’s another thing I really like about this country, the sense of community, and how many people give up their time to help people and places in New York that have been effected by the hurricane.
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Hunger Games

I recently finished reading the book, The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. All throughout this book I didn't know what was going to happen. I had no idea that Katniss and Peeta would both be aloud to win the games. I had no idea that Thresh was going to let Katniss live and kill Clove. The whole book was amazing. This book makes me want to go out and buy the 2nd and 3rd books myself. So I am going to make a prediction. My prediction is that the 2nd and 3rd books in The Hunger Games series will have to do with an uprising and rebellion of the districts. I think this because in the end when Katniss and Peeta think that they have won the hunger games but then on the loudspeaker the capitol says that there can only be one winner, so Katniss and Peeta decide that they should both eat the poisonous berries so the capitol could have no winner. This shows that Katniss and Peeta both would be willing to risk their lives to stand up to the capitol. Which is what I think they will do in the next two books. Just as they are about to kill themselves the loudspeaker comes on and says that they can both win. That also shows how much Peeta and Katniss both hate the capitol.

"Smile" by Raina Telgemeier

     I recently finished reading the book "Smile" by Raina Telgemeier, this book was about a girl named Raina who falls down and gets her two front teeth knocked out; and has to undergo series of treatments to get her teeth to look normal. When she comes back from all of her treatments all of her friends and peers look a her funny, and ask her questions about what happened. I can relate to her because I once came back from getting a surgery and everyone looked at me funny.
     I admire Raina's perseverance and how she gets through all of the tough things that happened to her. She had to live with everyone thinking she is weird because she had a really big problem with her two front teeth. She also gets picked on a lot in the story so I also admire the fact that she is able to get past whats happening to her, while being picked on.
     At one point in the story, Raina comes back to school after she got her teeth knocked out and had surgery. When she comes back to school her first day everyone asks her so many questions that she becomes overwhelmed and feels uncomfortable. The same thing happened to me. Last year I had a surgery and it was really hard to come back to school, I felt overwhelmed and i felt uncomfortable as well. I can understand how she was feeling during the story and relate to it well.
     Raina's perseverance and courage to be able to keep going when she feels uncomfortable and overwhelmed inspires me.
 

Swine Cells Could Power Artificial Liver

     I just read the article "Swine Cells Could Power Artificial Liver," it was about a scientist named Niel Talbot, who thinks that a line of special liver cells could change the fact that there is no effective therapy at the moment to deal with the toxins that build up in your body. He interviewed the American Society of Animal Science who he discussed with the functions of a pig liver compared to a human liver. He thought a pig liver could preform many of the same functions as a human liver could form. He calls pig liver cells PICM-19. The cell line can is called immortal because it can divide infinitely, this is because it is derived of cancer cells. With more research and more time and effort PICM-19 could turn into something that replaces artificial livers. PICM-19 also helped Talbot study malaria and toxoplasmosis. This is something that in the future could help save people's lives. 

Reading Responce due on 2/14

      My book is called " The Art of Racing in the Rain." It is told by an old dog who is going to die soon. He talks about his adventures with his owner. He started off the story by talking about his present state, and how he doesn't want to die because he will forget everything when he becomes re-incarnated as a human. The reason the book is called The Art of Racing in the Rain is because the dog's owner is a race car driver, whom is quite good. He teaches Enzo (the dog) his secrets about doing well when "Racing in the Rain." This excites Enzo who is very happy for his owner, until racing tears them apart. Enzo's owner has to go for a racing tour for 8 months. This makes it hard for Enzo because he has to live with Eve, his owner's wife, who gives him a less than adequate amount of attention.
    Enzo is some sort of philosopher when it comes to dogs. He compares himself to Steven Hawking. He says that if he had a machine just like Steven Hawking did he could be as smart as him. Enzo is starting to also have interests in the child, Zoe, who he would give his life for. This shows you something about dogs.

The Art of Racing in the Rain

    This book is unlike any book i have ever read before. Normally books are told by a person, but never by a dog. This dog's name is Enzo he seems very smart, and even refers to himself as a human trapped in a dogs body. He says the most interesting thing he has ever seen was a documentary he watched on tv about reincarnation. He learned that many cultures believe that after dogs are reincarnated then they become a human at some point. This has had him thinking about life lately, but he doesn't want to die yet because he knows he will loose all of his memories.

Exit Here, Finished

Pages 358-440

     I have finally finished the book, "Exit Here" by Jason Myers. This was an amazing book. At the end of the book Travis goes to turn himself in for a murder that he thinks he did, when he finds out that the girl overdosed on drugs; he is put in Jail for 18 months for not filing criminal activity. During his trial his lawyer tells him to fight the case, but Travis pleads guilty. He had no reason to do this, he could have fought the case and won, but he decided to go to jail. Travis did this because for once in his life he had to take responsibility for his actions. His best friend Cliff never took responsibility, and in the last chapter he ended up dead. This is an important lesson for everyone to understand. Taking responsibilities for your actions will do good things for you.

Non-Fiction Reading Response

    Baby Stress Can Last Decades
by Stephen Ornes

    This article is about a study that was made on babies. They found out that babies who had a stressful time in their 1st year of living tend to have worse behavior as adults. These scientists have found out that girls are more likely to have bad behavior when they grow up than boys. The first year a baby has is really crucial for them to be safe and not under any stress, because it has been proven.
   Anxiety is A feeling of worry, nervousness or unease, typically about an upcoming event or something with an uncertain outcome.  This is a really hard thing to deal with that many teens and adults have to  deal with. Now that we know that this is caused by trauma and stress throughout a babies first year, it is crucial we prevent it and we make sure that babies aren't under any stress in their first year of life, as it can permanently damage the child.
   I think that this article will open up the minds of many mothers and make them know how badly they need to take care of their kid. I never knew that stress is caused by the first year of a babies life.

Exit Here

Pages 290-358

     In the last few pages I read many things have happened. But the biggest thing that happened, is Travis and Laura broke up. It happened when Travis went to his friend Chris' house to talk to him about what happened with Chris and his girlfriend. Then they started fighting and Chris told Travis one thing about Laura that he couldn't believe. A few months before this incident Travis lent his friend Chris some money. This was while he was at College in Arizona. This money was for Cliff to pay for the abortion Travis;' girlfriend, Laura, needed to have because she slept with Cliff. Now Laura and Travis broke up and they both are out partying all night because they are so sad and depressed inside.

Exit Here

Pages 234-290

   In the past pages I read many things have happened. Travis's dad has threatened to take away money and anything else Travis needs if he doesn't "get his act together." His dad wants him to go to USC just like he did, this will be hard for Travis because he wants to stay in his city with his girlfriend.
   Travis' best friend Cliff has been into drugs lately. When he gets Travis' younger sister involved in them it creates a tense situation with Travis and Cliff. Travis is super angry at Cliff, and Cliff is just trying to avoid Travis and to make money off of his younger sister.

Exit Here

Pages 174-232

     In the past few pages I read, many things happened. We now know that Travis and Laura are back together, and they aren't fighting anymore. What they are doing is talking to Claire and making her feel better, she lost her best friend in the car accident. Travis went to go and visit Kyle in jail. He was very depressed. He said to Travis that he is getting what he deserves. He also said that a lifetime in jail isn't even what he deserves for what he did. Travis' other friend is taking over Kyle's drug dealing business now that Kyle is locked up for life. All that Kyle asked of him, was to give his dad some money. This shows how good of a person Kyle is and that he truly is sorry for what he did.

Exit Here

Exit Here
pages 110- 174

    A lot happened in the 64 pages I just read. Most of it was about Travis and his girlfriend Laura, who he is struggling with. They have been fighting lately because of what happened the other day at a concert. Travis and Laura's old boyfriend got into a brawl during the concert. After this Laura had a lecture with Travis about dealing with her old boyfriend named Bryan.
    Another thing that keeps happening is Travis' dad is always getting on his case about getting a job or going back to school. His father is very successful and is very wealthy. Travis' dad always says, " I expect big things from you Travis." Since his dad expects such large things from him, he always tries to get his big cooperate friends to help out his kid. Whenever his dad proposes this, Travis always yells at him and says, " I don't need your help!" What Travis needs to realize is the fact that he might need his dad's help if he doesn't get his act together.
    The biggest thing that happened in these 64 pages is the car crash. Travis and his friends were out partying late at night. They were all wasted, and on the way driving home, they crashed into a house and killed 2 kids in the house, and one girl in the car, who happened to be one of Travis' biggest friends. This is hard for Travis to get over, and even harder for his friend Kyle  because he is charged with a dui and homicide.

Exit Here

45-101

    Currently in "Exit Here," Travis is trying to get his girlfriend to like him again. He also faces the problem of his Dad getting on his case because he can't figure out what he is going to do with his life. Travis may not have the brains, but he has some kind of charm that makes everyone like him. Even though he is a drug dealer, many of the people he knows who are against it, don't nreally care that he is a drug dealer. Travis needs to figure out a place to live, and to get a job, he can't nlive off of his dad's millions forever.

Exit Here

Exit Here
pages 1-45

     I am currently reading the book "Exit Here," by Jason Myres. The main character in this book is a drug dealing college drop out named Travis. He lives off of his rich parents in San francisco. In the beginning he describes his life as being trapped in a car with no steering wheel, going full speed. In the beginning he goes to dinner with his parents, and uses a fake ID to buy alcohol, because he is only 19. His parents say nothing about this and don't seem to have a problem with it. I think that the reason he is describing his life as being trapped in a car with no steering wheel, is because his parents let that happen. Travis seems like the kind of person who isin't very social. Even though he was very popular in high school, when his friends call him, he never returns their calls. When he came back in town he never told anybody that he was in town.
   Currently in this book, Travis is at a party where he sees his ex girlfriend, who appears a bit too friendly. When he doesn't feel like being friendly back, Travis resorts to drugs and alcohol to make it easier.

Summary of The Perks of Being a Wallflower

In the story, the main character is Charlie, a boy who cries a lot. Charlie’s best friend, Michael, committed suicide the following spring. Charlie is now just entered high school and is having a difficult time. He soon makes friends with two seniors, Patrick and Sam, who introduce him to the world of sex and drugs. Charlie’s English teacher, Bill, takes a special interest in Charlie, giving him more books to read and more essays to write. Charlie then falls in love with Sam, but she says that they can’t be together because of the age difference.

     The holidays roll around, which means time with the family. Its soon realized that Charlie has a dysfunctional family. His dad and his aunt were beat as children and his aunt from his mom’s side, Aunt Helen, was molested by a family friend, which led her to molesting Charlie, but he doesn’t remember it happening.Aunt Helen died on Charlie’s seventh birthday when she was out buying him a Christmas and birthday present, and for that reason Charlie feels really guilty and he misses her dearly. 

    For Christmas, Sam and the gang play secret santa and Charlie ends up getting a suit and a typewriter. Sam starts going out with a college student named Craig. Charlie finds out his sister is pregnant with her secret boyfriend who hit her, but her boyfriend doesn’t believe it's his child. So, Charlie takes his sister to an abortion clinic and she tells her boyfriend it was a false alarm but breaks up with him. 

    Charlie starts dating Sam’s friend, Mary Elizabeth. They soon break up when Charlie is dared to kiss the prettiest girl in the room and kises Sam instead of Mary Elizabeth. Patrick was seeing Brad, who wasn’t openly gay, and the two were caught by Brad’s father and Brad was beaten by his dad. Brad ends things with Patrick by calling him a faggot and starting a fight in the cafeteria , which causes Patrick to lean on Charlie for emotional support. Charlie would go with Patrick to parks were gay men meet up and he let Patrick kiss him a few times. After prom Craig and Sam broke up because Sam found out he had been cheating on her. Charlie realized he loved Sam. In the end after attempting to have intercourse with Sam, Charlie remembered that his Aunt Helen molested him when he was a child and ends up in the hospital. After two months a mental hospital he gets better with a new perspective of life in mind. He decides it is important to participate in life and not be shy or introverted. It ends off with him on the back of Sam’s pick up truck feeling infinite.