5/31/12

I think Romeo being banished from Verona will devastate Juliet.  They are in love and married now, therefore, I believe that Juliet will follow Romeo, to be with him.  I don't think she'd have a problem with leaving her mother and old life behind her, because she never really seemed happy with it, before him.

5/24/12

I do think that Shakespeare is still relevant in today's culture.  I have not read one of his books until now, but they are famous for their plot lines and meanings.  I think his novels should keep being taught because there's obviously a reason they've been taught for so long.  Also, I think it's important to learn how to read the kind of English he used.

5/22/12

The Prologues sets the scene in Verona.  Then it seems like these two people had an old grudge against each other and want to kill one another.  And it says they had civil hands which means to me that they were very good citizens, suddenly changing to killers.  Then two people blinded by love kill themselves.

5/16/12

The Sniper starts off with a man in combat on a rooftop.  He laid there silently with his rifle by his side and hungrily eating his sandwich.  He decided to also take the risk of being spotted by the enemy for a smoke.  His light was seen and was immediately shot at, he quickly crawled away from his original spot.  He snuck a peek to see where it was coming from and another bullet from across the street whizzed by his head.  He noticed that the enemy was also hiding.  A car drove up the same street and stopped infront of the enemy's building.  It was an enemy car, he wanted to shoot at it, but knew it would make no difference.  Suddenly, a woman came up the street and informed the man in the car of the sniper.  He immediately shot at them and the man died, the woman tried running away and went into the gutter.  The enemy shot again and the sniper dropped his rifle, he then realized he'd been hit.  He couldn't feel any pain, it was just numb and bleeding intensely.  He bandaged himself up, gritting his teeth through the pain of his fractured arm.  He laid still for a long time, trying to think of an escape.  He took off his hat and placed it on the muzzle of his rifle.  He made it visible to the enemy and he shot at it.  The sniper pretended to die.  Since the enemy thought he was dead, he made his silhouette visible, the sniper shot him and he hit the pavement beneath him, hard.  The sniper became remorseful and disturbed, but after a few moments he became joyful.  He chugged his flask of whiskey and went to see his dead enemy to report him.  He turned over the dead body and realized it was his very own brother.

5/14/12

I do not think the state of Maine should have budget cuts on MaineCare.  Because the elderly people of Maine need this insurance money to survive.  Taking money from that would throw them under the bus and prevents them from getting things they need to live.

5/10/12

I understand both sides of the argument on the parking fees.  But, I think that parking garages should not raise the fee to park.  In this economy, people are looking for a bargain.  They park in the garages to shop, which means spending money.  They aren;t going to want to spend even more in a parking garage and then spend even more money.  I think the number of people going into Portland and parking in the garages will go down, maybe even plummet and then they will have an even bigger economic problem on their hands.

5/8/12

Your mental and physical state of being depicts who you are as a person.  In the novel Of Mice and Men, there are many characters with disabilities.  The characters with the most prominent impairments are Lennie, Candy, and Crooks.  The impairments and disabilities of these characters define their personality and make them who they are, may it be strong or weak.  

5/4/12

I think the poem "To a Mouse" relates to "Of Mine and Men" because the mouse is like Lennie.  The way the author of the poem describes the mouse is weak and feeble, which is like Lennie's mind.  He talks about temptation and how he gets is trouble, just like what happened to Lennie.  Also, the mouse had this huge dream to have a nice, warm home made of green grass, just like Lennie did.  He dreamed of having a farm, with rabbits to tend to.  But, that was taken away by George, like the mouse's dream was crushed by the farmer.

4/30/12

From the previous 4 chapters, I would assume that Lennie and George are going to proceed to buy the land that George found.  I don't think Candy will join them, though.  I also think that George is just manipulating Lennie for his work money and going to just use him for a work hand.  Saying that, I do know that at the end George kills Lennie, although I do not know the reasons why.

4/26/12

I do and don't think a college education is worth the debt.  I think having a college education is very important for your future.  But a lot of students graduate with $25,000 or more in debt and are not getting good, well paying jobs so they can not pay it off and are stuck with it well into their lifetime.  I don't think it should cost so much to go to college.

4/24/12

I did absolutely nothing over vacation.  The first few nights I couldn't even stay up until midnight, which made me feel like an old person and I kept waking up at 6 AM because of my 4 month old baby sister crying.  I hung out a lot with my boyfriend and my best friend and I went shopping a little.  The last five days of vacation I stayed up until about 4 AM watching Lifetime Movie Network movies and woke up at about 11 AM. I miss going on vacations during school breaks but I can't because of my little sister now.  But all in all it was a nice relaxing vacation.

I am super glad to be back at school.  Staying at home gets really boring and I missed all of my friends.  Plus, I actually enjoy school.

4/10/12

I do think think this bill is a good idea...of course, if I was a seventh grader reading this I would not be so happy.  I would think that all the older kids got off easy, just needing to pass.  But the article says that diplomas are simply saying you passed, not that you actually understand how to do basic things.  So it will be more work for future high schoolers, but it will probably give them a better future, which is worth it.

4/6/12

Out of the characters introduced in Chapter two would be Candy.  I think he seems to sweet and adorable.  He seems so naive but also wise.  I also felt bad fro him when George was yelling at him for spying at first.  Also, his dog is old and going to die soon....so I feel super bad for him.

4/4/12

I do agree with this article; however, I think it is very difficult in this day and age to not be plugged in.  My generation is always so focused on our friends and social life, it is hard to be away from these things.  Personally, I almost always have a Facebook tab open when doing my homework and I always have my phone with me.  I tell myself that it doesn't effect my education or success in school, but honestly I believe it does.  If Facebook, cable and cell phones didn't exist I would have straight A's, always.  There would be nothing else to really distract me.  Also, I believe it does effect our social habits and tendencies.  I am always nervous to talk to people I don't know, so I don't have that skill that older people do.

4/2/12

Farmers poorly farmed their crops for years and then severe drought conditions came into play.  Severe winds kicked up dust (which was soil) and formed a dust bowl.  Throughout the 1930's, millions of acres became dried up and thousands farmers lost their jobs.  Therefore, many families became very poor because the men were usually the breadwinners and they lost their livelihood.

3/27/12

I think assisted euthanasia should be legalized.  Seniors should have the decision on how to proceed with their lives.  Especially elders who are not able to do anything with their lives and living in nursing homes.  Their care costs are extremely expensive and they feel they're imposing and placing a burden on their family.  Some of them actually want to die, and I don't believe we can refuse them of that.

3/23/12

Honestly, I wouldn't risk my life for my best friend.  I don't think I have a friend that I have a super close bond with yet.  I would help them if they were in trouble, most definitely but run into a burning building is super crazy.  I would call the police immediately, though.  

3/21/12

A good friend is someone who is honest with you.  Like if you ask a friend's opinion they have to tell you the truth no matter what.  An example would be like when the other day my best friend sent me a picture message asking if her outfit looked good.  It looked horrible, so I told her, and I saved her from a day of ridicule. :)

3/19/12

I do not think Maine should cut MPBN's funding.  People who can not afford cable depend on these networks to inform them of what's going on in their state, without it it would be very difficult to find these important things out.  $1.9 million is a lot of money for a state broadcasting network though, so I think these costs should be slimmed down a bit.

3/15/12

I think that it's absolutely ridiculous that schools are getting the option to use pink slime.  It's an outrage.  Obviously schools that choose to use pink slime in children's school lunches don't care at all about the kids eating it.  It is absolutely disgusting.  This pink slime was initially intended for dog food, not for humans!  I also can't believe that even McDonald's and other fast food chains discontinued using this, and schools are considering it! Schools need to step up and buy real, actual meat, not some crap that's made for dogs.  It should not be allowed anywhere near the food industry and stop being processed immediately.  I don't care how cheap it is, if I was a parent I would be mortified to hear that my child's school is serving pink slime and not real meat.  I would call the school and complain, in fact, my mom already has.  It goes against what schools are supposedly standing for, for children to have proper nutrition and healthy choices.  Using pink slime is despicable.

3/13/12

I do agree with this article's point of view.  I have never been a fan of Rush Limbaugh in any way but, as the argument says, the first amendment says it's unconstitutional to kick him off the air.  People are free to say what they wish, where they wish.  People can hate him all they want, but it is unconstitutional to kick him off the air.

3/8/12

I think it's absolutely unethical to have bounties in the NFL.  As the article said, young people look up to these football players as role models.  Hurting other players should not have a reward, especially not $1,000+.  They already get paid way too much than they should.  The teams doing this should get in trouble and be punished.

2/15/12

The Door in the Wall starts off as this man thinking about a door that his friend had told him about.  He had just died, but he would have had a great future if he had lived long enough.  Anyway, the story was of a door in a wall that he though was real.  He had first seen it when he was 5 or 6 years old, it intrigued him and his description of what it held was so vivid.  He didn't have a great childhood.  His mother died when he was 2 and his father was sort of a dead beat.  He was taken care of by 2 nursery governess.  One day, he just left, and he found a bright green door.  He wanted to explore it so badly but he knew that it would not be a good idea.  He knew his father would be angry...but he ran in anyway and slammed the door behind him.  The once little boy described such a vivid and exquisite world with a garden.  A place that you would only think of from a fairytale.  He realized afterwards that when he went into the door, he forgot of everything in the other world, he remembered absolutely nothing.  He was so happy there, it was like heaven to him.  It seemed like the life that ever child has subconciously wished for.  He could remember everything of this place except for the games he played with other children there.  There was a woman who took him aside and showed him a book that held the realities of his life.  But, his adventures of the door was not in it, only the harsh reality which he did not fancy.  He was back in the real world then, he tried to tell others, like his father.  But he only beat him for telling lies.  He did not look for the door again until he was much older.  He crept upon him, but this time he did not enter.  He kept going to school, which was a priority for him.  He told another boy about it and soon he was being bullied and teased.  Again, he saw it when he was older, 17 exact.  And then another, which led to his career.  He had a good life, and he saw the door 3 times in one year, but never entered he was upset with himself.  He became depressed and ashamed.  His whole life has been thrown away over a door.  When really...was there any door in the wall at all?

What I got from this book was that he had a mental disability that handicapped his life.

3/6/12

I definitely think the 6-year statue of limitations for sexual assault should be extended.  A lot of abused people have a very difficult time coming to terms to what has happened to them and have a hard time seeking help.  People who have sexually abused a person should always be held accountable and not excused from their horrid actions.

3/2/12

I don't think the school board and parents were being too sensitive.  There are so many school shootings these days that I think any sort of threat, whether it a "joke" or not, should be taken seriously.  A school lock down may be going a little overboard but I believe in taking precautions for children's safety.

2/28/12

I think that bullying is definitely an issue in high schools today, but I don't think there is much more adults can do.  I think parents need to improve their behaviors because that is often why bullies are the way they are.  I also think all of this prevention is possibly making the bullying worse.  But honestly, back when my mom was in school there were no preventions, and people turned out just fine.  Of course, if you see a kid being bullied in the hallway, give them detention, give them consequences.  But I think preventing it is too far. I think bullying at SPHS is a minor issue.  There is definitely bulling, just like at every school, but I don't see it everywhere and everyday.

2/17/12

One change that LePage wants to make is to allow kids to go to other schools easily, if they have the transportation means to get there.  I like this idea because I think it is good to be able to make a choice in your schooling and education.  Therefore, I think it would improve the education in Maine.  If a child is not comfortable at a school, they are most likely doing poorly, whereas, if you are comfortable and feel welcome then you will be happier and do better in school.

2/13/12

The essay gave us a lot of reasons for how The Odyssey is still relevant today.  Odysseus had impulsiveness that led him to bad and sometimes good decisions, he had self-discipline which saved him many-a-time during his 20 year voyage back to Itheca.  Odysseus was a determined man who persevered to succeed and survive.  Like, a normal man, Odysseus was determined to prove himself to others.  Although, he did rely on Gods to get him through touch situations, so he did not have to think things through, which made him less of a hero in this story, to me.  I do agree with this person's point of view and take of The Odyssey.

2/9/12

I think that our economy is like half time right now.  The economy always snaps back, it always has and I believe it always will.  We need hope in this country, if no one in this country has hope, it means we're surrendering and giving up all of our American dreams for better lives and futures.  As an American, I think that if we all band together with a strong, united front we will get over this hump, as long as we persevere and stick together as one.

2/7/12

In the beginning of The Tell Tale Heart, a narrator (main character) talks about an old man with one, pale blue, evil eye.  This eye, is what drove the man to kill him.  He reassured us that he is not a madman, and that his reasons for killing the elderly man were legitimate. He talked about how every night for a week he stalked him and watched the old man sleep in his bed, alone.  One night, the old man woke up with a shriek when he mad a loud noise.  The old man was startled, as expected, but after an hour of neither of them moving a muscle he calmed down a bit.  The man breaking in knew exactly how terrified he was, and felt pity for him.  Still, no one was moving.  He ran out of patience and shone a ray of light on the eye, it gave him goosebumps.  He heard the mans heart thumping intensely.  It was getting louder and louder, he feared that a neighbor would hear, so he burst into the old man's room and killed him.  To make certain, he put his hand over his heart, and felt no pulse or beating.  He took apart the corpse and he put them all under the floorboards with acute precision.  There was no blood, everything was pristine.  Three policemen showed up at the door, he was confident, even cocky.  He let them rest, showed him the bedroom, let them search.  Suddenly, he heard a dull beating.  He was nervous, but conveyed nothing the the men.  The guilt was tearing apart, he yelling the policemen to tear up the floorboards, and he admitting to killing the man with the pale blue, evil eye.

2/3/12

I think that this wasn't just another sports fan riot.  It is mentioned many times that this is the worst disturbance that has hit this the revolution in Egypt.  I honestly don't think that could just happen without an ulterior motive behind it.

2/1/12

I think the definition of a hero is someone who does honorable acts and is able to be well respected.  I've never really thought about who my hero is, and this is going to sound really cliche, but I'd have to say my mom is my hero.  She is my hero because she has sacrificed so much for me.  She had me when she was 25 years old in Washington state, when I was a few months old she and my dad divorced and she had to move to Maine because that's where all my mom's side of the family is and she needed help.  She went back to school, we lived in crappy apartment buildings, but my mom did the very best she cold and gave me a great childhood.  She became an RN after 4 long years of college and worked a lot of hours to provide for me.  This past summer my mom found out she was pregnant and now I have a 6 week old sister.  She screams endlessly and we hardly get any sleep.  My mom is a single mother once again, but she never gives up persevering and being the best person and mother she could possibly be.

1/30/12

I do think Violette should keep/get his pension because there was no law in Maine stating that once you are convicted of a crime you can not acquire your pension.  With that said, morally, I do not think he should be allowed his pension for one reason in particular, he made a huge crime against his own company who he would be getting his pension from.  He will be in jail for a few years and he does need money to survive when he gets released.

1/26/12

I think the government has the responsibility of providing a healthy lunch at school.  If kids want a junk food lunch, they can bring one and that is their parents responsibility.  But, if a school is providing junk food and healthy food, which one do you think they're going to pick?  That's the right, junk food!  Schools need to help prevent childhood obesity, at least at school.

1/24/12

One reason that job hopping is bad for your career is that they don't stay in one job long enough to acquire the necessary skills to be good and successful in that business.  Another reason is that most companies like to see that you've been in one job with one company for a long time and acquired skills in a business. I like to see that you're loyal and that you're determined.  I agree with this article because all of the points the author is making are coming across strongly and he made me believe him.  His process of thinking makes a lot of sense to me, therefore I definitely agree that job hopping is not a good idea.

1/20/12

I think it is important to keep the internet uncensored, but I also feel like it should be censored.  I think the internet should stay the same because it hasn't been a problem to the public, but apparently foreign websites and stealing jobs from Americans, which is not good.  So honestly, I can't decide, it's a split decision for me.

1/18/12

I don't think this bill is a good idea.  To me, the internet is fine as it is and doesn't need to be changed.  Yes, there are faulty and untrustworthy sites out there, but that's the risk you take when using the internet.  There are some big problems like copyright infringement, but I think that those sites in particular should be shut down, not them in general.

1/13/12

Narcissus is the son of the river God.  He was a handsome young man, and many women and men fell in love with him.  He rejected them, harshly.  Ameinias sent the Gods to punish him, and they had him look at his own reflection.  He fell in love with himself and proceeded to drown himself when trying to touch it.  The Narcissus flower is named after him which makes sense because it's a very beautiful flower. and is commonly known. 

11/22/11

One very stormy night, the White family sits around a fire, enjoying each other and staying safe from the storm.  An old friend, Sargent-Major Morris stops by and enjoys their company.  Mr. White, out of conversation, brought up Morris' story of a monkey's paw, wondering more about it.  He did not want to discuss it, by Mrs. White inquired him, also.  Morris pulled out a mummified monkey's paw, he said it was magic.  He said a spell had been placed on it so that 3 men could each have 3 wishes.  He said he had had his 3 and turned white with a sick look on his face.  Another man had his 3 wishes, also.  The 3rd wish was for death.  Suddenly, he threw the paw into the fire; quickly, Mr. White dived for the paw and rescued it, saying that if he didn't want it, that he did.  Morris warned him, but he did not listen.  Mr. White made a wish for 200 pounds, heard a crash from the piano, and yelled.  The paw moved around like a snake as he wished and the money was not there.  The next day, Mrs. White saw a nicely dressed man outside her house, looking as if he was considering whether or not to enter their house.  She let him in and delivered the news that their son had been caught in the machinery and died.  The company compensated them 200 pounds, acquiring their wish.  10 days later, after Herbert had been buried, the wife realized they had 2 more wishes!  She made her husband wish their son alive again, which he did.  They heard a knock on the front door, Mr. White was terrified and reluctant but his wife was ecstatic.  Frantically, the husband searched for the paw, not wanting for her to let whatever outside in, he wished for whatever it was to go away.  She got the door opened, and the knocking ceased.  She cried and ran outside.  Herbert was gone.

12/19/11

I think the Occupy Maine group has the right do do what they are doing, but I feel as though they are taking it over board.  There are horrible acting and homeless people staying there, not even part of the movement.  The act wasn't doing anything they were hoping for and has no effect.  That said, they have the right, but I don't think that they should be taking such advantage of it.  I definitely think they have gone too far.

1/11/12

Lamb to the Slaughter is about a woman named Mary Maloney, who is told some very bad news from her husband.  One day, when he came home for a long day of work as a police officer, he was very disengaged with her and she was scared.  He sat her down and told her something, but it is not put into the story.  From what I inferred/imagined was that he wanted a divorce.  Mrs. Maloney very calmly sits there and listens, acting as if she didn't hear a thing at all.  She just sat on the couch, staring at the man she loved so much for minutes.  Finally, she stood up and said she would make some supper.  She got a frozen leg of lamb from the freezer, she wanted to throw up, everything was automatic for her, like she wasn't in control.  Mr. Maloney became angry, not wanting her to make him supper.  Then, she came upstairs with the rock hard leg of lamb, quietly walked up behind him, and slammed it down the top of his head as hard as she could.  He fell to the ground, dead.  She stood there staring at his dead body, comprehending what she just did.  She slowly walked into the kitchen, and put the lamb in the oven.  She decided to go the store to pick up somethings for dinner.  She rehearsed what she was going to say, to pass off an act of not knowing what happened to him.  She walked back to her house with her groceries, and yelled when she came in, "Patrick! How are you, darling?"  She placed her groceries down and called the police, she said he was lying on the floor dead, sobbing.  The police arrived and she was distraught, she didn't have to act.  She had to get rid of the evidence, she offered the officers dinner over and over again.  Finally they agreed, and Mrs. Maloney sighed a huge sigh of relief.  She came out of the kitchen with the lamb.  The officers spoke with each other, puzzled because they could not find a murder weapon.  At the very end the officers say,"Personally, I think it's right here on the premises." "Probably right under our very noses.  What do you think, Jack?"  Then, in the other room, Mrs. Maloney giggled to herself.

1/9/12

• There have been many accounts of Homer's life, the man who wrote this book, but there have been no scholars that have been able to prove them.
• No one will ever know if anything in The Odyssey ever happened.
• The setting was in the Bronze age, 12th century BCE
• The date of publication is unknown.
• The type of "work" is poem.

1/5/12

I think that the drug testing is a good idea.  I think this because if people on welfare are doing illegal things and are spending our government's money on drugs, they should be taken off of it!  Also, if people are aware of a future drug testing, they may stop.  So it could be motivation for becoming sober.  I really think this is a really great idea, and that we need to cut down the population of who is on welfare, I do not see a problem with this new bill.
 

1/3/12

My Christmas vacation was spent with my friends, boyfriend, family and baby sister.  Kerrigan was born on the 19 and came home from the NICU on Christmas Eve!  I spent a lot of time helping my mom take care of her and went shopping a lot.  I also did a lot of housework and cleaned my room for visitors, etc.  I had a ton of homework, too!  I had two projects and homework in every subject, except English. (Thank you!) The vacation seemed really short to me, just because I was so busy!  I felt like we should've had Wednesday off too, but what we had was fine and I was thankful.