Clarification

Some of you didn't get what I previously posted. It's okay. My brain was skipping a few steps when I wrote it.

The first paragraph was a short description of the book I read recently entitled The 47th Samurai. I didn't go into alot of detail for it was not a book that you talk about. It's hard to explain as most of the subjects are socially not acceptable to talk about, so that's that.

The next paragraph was an assignment from our English teacher to write a story about a number.
I used 1. You'll notice I used many prefixes such as mono-, uni-, and ordinals like first, and such. So that's my clarification.

2-in-1...again

Been awhile since I posted last. Been very busy. Yep.

I finished a book by Stephen Hunter entitled The 47th Samurai. Very good book. It was a great American blood-soaked thriller but also gave me a new perspective on the subjects of face, bushido, samurai, seppuku, and Japan's love of porn. I guess they really love white, blond women in a teacher-blows-Johnny porn vid. Anyway, I've got a cool little story to share with y'all.

Once upon a time, there was Uric the Unicorn who was talking to Manny Monogram who was talking about Newton's first law of motion to a one Sandy Solo. That one Sandy Solo was practicing one of her monologues in front of Uric the Unicorn and Manny Monogram who were making unique comments concerning her comic comedy.

How many references to the number one did I make?

Count and post.

Spontaneous Word Poem

He ran to a place,
any place, from elementary school
a person followed in pursuit,
that teacher from LA.

He climbed, they jumped
he slipped, the shouted with
the teacher from LA.

Cops drive, principals slip away, for
they hit, they lie
like the teacher from LA.

School House Rock destroyed him,
other kids were broken,
but he would not be broken,
by the teacher from LA.

They came across the alleyway,
he slipped by unnoticed,
beams of light grazed him as he saw walk by,
that teacher from LA.

He ran to someone, someplace,
any place,
that apartment!
In the dark of a bush
the teacher from LA.

He opens the door-
damn! it's locked!
Smells the sweet lavender
on her cheeks and knows the chase is over
he turns and faces the teacher from LA.

Spring Poems

So much depends
upon
a shiny, earth colored
noisy wrapper
upon a melty piece of heaven
layered in milky chocolate

So much depends
on
Soft, chewy peanuts with
gooey caramel
on the complexity of a single
recipe
and the happiness
inside


So much of Spring depends
upon
the song of animals
in the trees
calling out "Hello. How are you?"
"Just fine, thank you."
replies the fluffy, soft voice
of a Nuthatch


So much of Spring depends
upon
the waking of the trees from
winter's chill
upon the revival of the grass
and flowers

Native American Persecution

George Washington thought that the Native Americans were an equal but inferior race and designed a six step plan to civilize the Native Americans. In my opinion, this occured because the Native Americans really had no central governmental figure to stop the colonization. Akin to the tribes of Umuofia in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart the Native Americans were a mottly bunch of little tribes that really had no chance against a central power like the newly formed United States of America. Here's my source: Remini, Robert. ""The Reform Begins"". Andrew Jackson. History Book Club. p. 201.

It looks better when you click on the image. Well, I can do it now. Check me off.

BOLLYWOOD!!!

Bollywood is a word that either refers to all the movies that are made in India, or it can refer to a specific genre of movies that qualify as "Bollywood" movies. Slumdog Millionaire can be a Bollywood movie as it was made in India however, it doesn't meet the requirements to be a pure and true "Bollywood Movie".

"The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the Indian film industry. Bollywood is the largest film producer in India and one of the largest in the world." (Wikipedia 1).

I think from Slumdog Millionaire that we can expect a great deal more movies that are from Bollywood coming into the American theatres.

2 in 1

Eck. it's my sweet 16 and I'm sick. it's cheap irony. well, life goes on. I didn't do the last post so I'm rolling both hope and change into one post. I really don't have a lot of hope for getting over this sore throat and cold that i have. I stumbled across a poem of hope by Joaquin Miller entitled "Colombus"

It reads:
"Behind him lay the great Azores,
Behind the Gates of Hercules:
Before him not the ghost of shores,
Before him only shoreless seas.
The good mate said, 'Now must we pray,
For lo! The very stars are gone.
Brave Adm'r'l, speak; what shall I say?'
'Why, say: Sail on! Sail on! And on!'
Then, pale and worn, he kept his deck,
And peered through darkness. Ah, that night
Of all dark nights! And then a speck-
A light! A light! A light! A light!
It grew, a starlit flag unfurled!
It grew to be Time's burst of dawn.
He gained a world; he gave that world
Its grandest lesson: 'On! Sail on!'"

Columbus kept his faith and he gained a world, he found a hemisphere. I believe that this has significant relevance to the times now. As Obama said, we must quit bickering about the past, quarreling and playing the ever familiar, politician's favorite game: the blame game.

SAIL ON! Move on america. Wall st. Get your act together. quit spending millions in private jets and bonuses. Enough is enough.

I was looking through a book by President Gordon B. Hinckley (late President of the LDS/ Mormon Church) entitled: "Standing for Something: 10 Neglected virtues that will heal our hearts and homes."

In reading through a section focusing on learning a passage reads:
" Many events that take place around us provide constant reminders that
there is cause for alarm in our nation. It is shcoking to read, for instance,
that illiteracy is on the rise. It is almost unthinkable that, in such an
abundant society, many adults cannot read. A story in the New York
Times published under the headline 'Study Says Half of Adults in U.S. Lack
Reading and Math Abilities' offered some sobering statistics based on a study of
more than 26,000 Americans above age fifteen:

Nearly half of the nation's 191 million adult citizens are not proficient enough in English to write a letter about a billing error or to calculate the length of a bus trip from a published shcedule, according to a foru-year Federal study. The study, released yesterday by the Education Department, presented a bleak statistical protrait of the nation's literacy. . . . Businesses estimate that lose $25 billion to $30 billion a yeat nationwide in lost productivity, errors and accidents attributable to porr literacy" (Hinckley 63).

I find this quite fascinating. Later in page 63 he quotes the Chicago Tribune in its false surprise that this phenomenon has occured. A society with the manners of a rock band, the morals of a soap opera, and the decision-making ability of the Simpsons wants to pay for government on Visa and American Express? DUH!! All we want is quick zip-zap remote controlled patch-er-up solutions so that I have to deal with all this crap. At 16 years of age, I'm already confused and wondering, "Where'd all my college fund go?". We need to change our habits and work hard for the things we care about. That's what I have to say.

Gender Roles

Nectar in a Sieve presents gender roles in a very straight forward way. Women bear children and men work the fields to provide for the family. Though, this can go on beyond men and women. The firstborn of any family prepares to inherit the land of his father, so, he must work in the same area of expertise as his father: farming. However, we see that in Nectar in a Sieve the roles flip-flop for a short period of time. We see that, "With her earnings Irawaddy was able to buy rice and salt, and milk for [Kuti], who was too weak for anything else" (Markandaya 99). Ira supported her family during the drought from her earnings by selling herself. Granted, that may pose a very unmoral decision, but, a decision that she resolved to make. So, I think that gender roles present a very biased view on the woman. People should not view women as weak, dependent people, but rather as people who can contribute to society.

Different Cultures

The Indian culture is different from ours in many ways. They have different dances, food and clothing. Very tired right now. Haven't really found any texts about this subject. night.

I found a passage in Nectar in a Sieve that eludes on the subject of trying to get over a difficulty or facing a challenge. Ruku and Nathan are trying to keep their hopes up even when the drought has the best of them and they're barely making end's meet. She says, " That ye3ar the rains failed. A week went by, two. We threw ourselves on the earth and we prayed./I thought she [Ruku's goddess] looked at me with compassion and I went away comforted, but no rain came" (Markandaya 71).

New Book

We got a new book this week titled Nectar in a Sieve. This first post is going to elaborate upon the natural disasters or how people are affected in the book. The monsoon comes in the book at around chapter 5-6 or something like that. The monsoon comes in and literally destroys everything. I find it quite interesting that despite the monsoon and the destruction good things can happen. As Ruku and Nathan break the dams around the rice paddy she recalls,

"When the water was all gone, there they were caught in the meshes and among the paddy, shoals of them leaping madly, wet and silver and good to look upon" (Markandaya 44).

Good things happen to us if we keep our faith up and believe that things will turn out for the better. As long as we find things to be grateful for everyday then we find that life is good, and we are blessed. That is what this passage means to me. Life is good.

Shakespeare

I love Shakespeare. I've always loved his language, his sense of humor and how entertaining he is. My favorite play is Romeo and Juliet. This new play we're reading in english is A Midsummer Night's Dream which is really funny and has many twists and turns. Very well written. I am working hard in school this last week before finals so I can get all of my stuff back. Not much else. Haven't been reading much. Maybe I should get to that.

It's been awhile

Been gone awhile. I was busy during Winter Break, rocking out on my new Laguna Guitar and my Line 6 Spider III 15 amp. Been practicing Stairway to Heaven for about a month and its getting solidified in my head. Started a new unit in English. Midsummer Night's Dream. I really love Shakespeare. It's just really funny. I'm really busy with getting my grades up. If I can get a B+ average in all six of my classes I can get my phone, mp3, facebook, and socializing back plus I get signed up for Driver's Ed. With my A in Chem. I can have no lower than a B- in another class with my other four B+'s and I'll make it. It's kind of a strategy game almost. That's the news.