I= Eight People to Emulate

1.Shelby Iapoce- I played varsity soccer with her this year and she works harder than anyone I know. She exceeds in everything she does and pushed me to work hard too.

2.Isaac Malsky- One of the most intelligent people I know. He is very independent and is always discovering new things or ideas. I hope I can someday be as smart as he is.

3.Isla Fisher- A very successful actress (starred in "Confessions of a Shopaholic".) She is funny and beautiful and I would love to be as succesful as she is.

4.Ian Harding- An actor in one of my favorite television shows "Pretty Little Liars". He is a very talent actor.

5.Isaac Deyo- My cousin who has some learning disabilities. He doesn't let that stop him from striving to do his best everyday.

6.Kathy Ireland- A beautifull and successful famous model and business women. She opened her own line of clothing.

7.Laura Ingraham- An extremely successful writer and talk show host. Author of several books and has her own radio show. She is an inspiration for any women who wants to become successful.

8. Jeff Immelt- The chief officer of General Electric which is one of the biggest corporations in the world. It takes a lot of work to achieve what he has done.

TU Tuesday - Culture

 use text quoted directly from your article in your response and put it in quotation marks.  Then, respond to it by including a link to a POEM from that same culture that connects to the article and use text quoted directly from your poem in your response and put it in quotation marks.  The Power Standard this addresses is:
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Interpret, analyze, and evaluate culturally diverse narratives, poetry and drama, aesthetically and ethically, by making connections to other texts, ideas, cultural  perspectives, eras, personal events and situations.  Self-select text to respond and develop innovative perspectives.

Link to article: http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Israel-police-New-attack-on-Palestinian-property-2259634.php

Link to poem: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/jerusalem-12/

I read an article about an attack in Jerusalem on Palestinians by Jewish extremists. There have been tensions between these two groups in Israel for a very long time and is a very tough conflict to control, causing problems within the country. The Jewish extremists were protesting Palestinian settlements. The article explains what happened "The words "price tag" were spray-painted on the house in Beit Ummar, a town near the West Bank city of Hebron, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said." The article also talks about how the Hamas militants, who took over the territory, have limited some of the rights of the people like being able to export goods to Europe. "Also Wednesday, the Israeli military said Gaza furniture makers will be allowed to export their goods to Europe this week for the first time since Hamas militants took over the territory in 2007." This article can be connected to a poem by Nizar Qabbani about Jerusalem. He writes about the struggles faced by Israelis, "Oh Jerusalem, the city of sorrow. A big tear wandering in the eye. Who will halt the aggression? On you, the pearl of religions? Who will wash your bloody walls?" He  is describing the violent conflicts between Palestinians and Jewish people that are described in the article. He writes to ask for an end to the violence and for peace within his country. Both the article and poem show the problems faced by this culture and how they wonder when peace will come. "Oh Jerusalem my town
Oh Jerusalem my love
Tomorrow the lemon trees will blossom
And the olive trees will rejoice
Your eyes will dance
The migrant pigeons will return
To your sacred roofs
And your children will play again
And fathers and sons will meet
On your rosy hills
My town
The town of peace and olives. "

Valentine's Day

Dear Dad,          
           I can't even begin to explain how thankful I am to have you as a father. Not every kid has a dad who does as much for them as you do for me. Whenever I need to go somewhere you drive me, when I need help with homework you drop what you're doing to make sure I figure it out. You spoil me all the time even when you get mad for all the things I buy. You're my number one fan. You always have been and you always will be. When I get nervous for a soccer game I look over to the crowd and there you are, standing off to the side because you don't like sitting with all the loud and obnoxious parents. You just enjoy watching me play. I think about some of my friends and how hard their parents are on them especiallly if they play bad. Then I realize: wow my dad would never do that to me. Even if I messed up every single play and didn't do one thing right the whole game I know you would just say "It's okay buddy, you'll get 'em next time." I never stop or take a minute to realize all the little things you do for me everyday that make a huge difference. Sometimes I don't even realize how much of a difference just supporting me and loving me can make. Thank you for being such an incredible father. I love you.

                                                                                                          Love, Lauren
                                                                                       

Time passes as night blooms

Night Blooms, Day Withers

Time passes as night blooms.
The minutes tick down
until blackness.
The world becomes quiet and
mysterious.
A gloomy presence fills the air.

Time passes as day withers.
The seconds tick down
until the sun descends
below the horizon.
I squint to see the tiny glimpse of light
as it disappears.

Time passed as night bloomed.
The stars gleam in the charcoal sky.
The night critters creep out
from behind the shadows.
Sounds of crickets in the distance.
Fireflies speckle the air.

Time passed as day withered.
The moon shines in place of the sun.
Animals take shelter in their homes
as they vanish for the night.
Everything is peaceful while we sleep
until day blooms.

Comic Connection

I chose this comic because I can't wait for summer. I'm definately not a winter person at all other than the holidays, going skiing and having snow days. I love absoluetly everything about summer and those are the only few things I enjoy about winter. During winter I just count down the days until it gets warmer outside and the days get longer. I feel like an animal going into hibernation in winter. I barely go outside or go to different places unlike summer when I'm always outside and never home. In summer everything seems more lively and bright but in winter it's always dark and dull. I want to live in south when I grow up and have a family there. I love going on vacation to Myrtle Beach and Florida I think it would be incredible to live there. Being so close to a warm beach would make me the happiest person on the planet. I don't think I want to go south for college, though because I want to be able to come home and see my family and friends. I don't know what will happen in the future or if I'll ever end up living down south. Life doesn't ever follow a plan but I hope one day it will happen.

Pep Talk

Go for it.

I think this applies to my life because when I'm making a decision and It's really hard for me to choose one way or the other I think to myself: go for it. I always realize I get mad at myself whenever I don't do something because I was unsure or a little nervous about it. I used to be terrified of rollercoasters but one day me and all my friends went to an amusement park together. I was really nervous because all the rides looked huge and frightening. My friends all rushed over to get in line. They urged me to come with with them. I was about to say no when I thought "just go for it." I would never know if I liked it or not until I tried it. I knew I would regret never going on one so I agreed to go with them. I was shaking the whole time we were in line but once the rollercoaster started it was incredibly fun! I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed it and afterwards I was the first person to shout "let's do it again!" Ever since then I've loved rollercoasters. I would've never known that if I didn't go for it. The same thing happened this year with trying out a new sport. Soccer is my main sport but this year my friend urged me to do lacrosse. I wasn't sure because I have never played so I didn't think I would be good or be able to make the team. Then I decided to go for it. I started playing with my friend and I'm getting better and I plan on trying out in march for the school team. I'm sure it will be a great experience. So that's my motto. Go for it.

TU Tuesday

http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Rooting-for-N-Y-by-default-2848740.php

"This is the biggest pizza day in America. On Super Sunday, we consume more pizza than the nations of Italy, Greece and Romania did from the 15th century to the 18th century." Hyperbole: An obvious exaggeration or overstatement

"But the Super Bowl has become a weeklong holiday for those going, and people generally prefer their resort venues to be, you know, NOT SO COLD. Just play the game in San Diego or New Orleans or Biosphere 2, for crying out loud. P.S. Say hello to East Rutherford for Super Bowl 48 in February 2014!" Style: How the author uses words, phrases and sentences to form their ideas. The qualities and characteristics that make them different from other writers.

 

"Madonna — yes, the ageless Madonna — will be Super Bowl 46's halftime entertainment. Time always stops on Super Sunday. If Gypsy Rose Lee were still alive, she'd be doing the coin toss at Super Bowl 47." Tone: The overall feeling created by a writers use of words (serious, humerous etc.)

              In Norman Chad's atricle "Rooting for New York by Default" he uses figureative language in a very unique way. He uses sarcasim and humor to make his readers laugh and entertain them with his writing. This article was about the upcoming superbowl and his thoughts on it in a funny and sarcastic way. "By the way, the Super Bowl referee will be John Parry. Thankfully, no Ed Hochuli — his explanations alone would push Super Sunday into Big Monday." You can definately get a sense of who he is as a person from the tone of the piece. He is an entertainer, he wants to make his readers laugh and enjoy his article. He doesn't seem concerned about offending anyone because he makes many jokes. "Apparently, these Patriots run a no-huddle offense off the field as well. The quarterback (Tom Brady) is married to a supermodel.

The wide receiver (Wes Welker) is engaged to a former Miss Hooters International. The tight end (Rob Gronkowski) hangs out with an adult film star. I guess that's why they're called "skill positions." His humor makes the article light and comical.