Limericks

There once was a boy from Amsterdam
Who claimed he didn't give a damn
So they took his pig
Gave it a cig
And now he has black smoked ham

There once was a pebble from Mars
Who said there were plenty of gold bars
So astronauts went
And then a man named Kent
Took the pebble in one of his cars

There was was a hat from New York
Who said he had a wart
So the doctor cut him
Called him a nim
So now he has no wart at all

Raps

My name is Finn Clark
I'm friends with a guy named Stark
He owns the industries that's super dark
Imma beat you so bad is gonna leave a mark

I be walking through the fire 
This situation's dire
Imma make you trip on that wire
Slash your car you're going to need a spare tire

You need some help? 
Here's some more
Imma give you a band aid 
Cuz your lookin pretty sore

I Have Seen Poem

Finn Clark

4/25/2013

I have seen relationships lost

The fighting, the words

The red faces of the two when they are done

The sad in their personality

I have heard the screams

Of others mourning for their lost

The hatred, buried deep in their heart

I have stood next to the killer

And fueled him on

I am the brother to sad

Sometimes we go, hand in hand

Other times, we are separate but reunite later

And sometimes, we are one

Sometimes, you cannot hold me back

Sometimes, I boil inside until you can’t stand it anymore

Sometimes, I am the cause for your mistakes

Sometimes...

I am hatred

I am a brother to sad

And a cousin to fear

But when it comes down to it

I can make a life disappear

Poem Response #3

Poem Response

Finn Clark

4/25/13

Poems by H.D.

The poem “Heat” by H.D. is a poem about, well heat. It describes heat as being so thick that you can cut through it. That if a pear was to fall into the heat it would be dried to such as a grape. “ Fruit cannot fall into this heat that presses up and blunts” I think by this she means that the heat is so harsh that it is dangerous. As in blunt. Like a dull knife it can be dangerous. Towards the end of the poem it says something along the lines of plowing through the heat so it is on either side of your path. This could be a metaphor for cutting something or trudging on through something unbearable and hard to get through, but doing it anyways and somewhere, maybe, beyond that heat is a place that is cool and lush. Much more extravagant than where you were before. That might be what the meaning of this poem is. That even if other things or people, can’t get through it and might burn up, that if you try and trudge or plow through then you will be rewarded.

The poem “Sea Rose” by H.D. gave off the title to me feeling that it is like beauty in a sea of darkness. In the beginning it feels like the poet is saying like the rose is thin and easy to fall, without flaw, and in this case a flaw is a leaf. The next part says that it is more precious that a wet rose, and it is caught in the drift. This makes me think of the head of a petal floating down a river, easy to run into things but still goes along, and sometimes it will be stopped but will slowly make its way through it. Like life, sometimes you hit bumps and they slow you down, but slowly but surely you make it through it. Then it says that it is in the crisp sand, that drives in the wind. This makes me think it has hit land and then much like the sand it carried by the wind, the flower is picked up by this same wind and then fly’s through the air undisturbed only by the wind’s force. Then it talks about acrid fragrances caught in the spice-rose. So maybe this is the part where it is leaving all the bad parts of the rose behind and carrying in a new shell of its former self. This could relate to life a lot. Like sometimes you have to move on and leave the bad things behind. Like the rose did with it’s acrid fragrances. H.D. has become quickly become one of my favorite poets for such deep poems that she has created.

Nature, Season, and Media Haiku's

Otter is swimming
The fog is rolling in now
The kelp is shining

Sun is shining bright
Hydrant is spraying water
Children playing, fun

People walking fast
On phones or calling taxi's
Honks in the background

Poem Response #2

The poem "Spring is Like a Perhaps Hand" by e.e. cummings kind of gives off the idea that you should feel tension while reading it. Like you should be careful reading it or taking care of it. Some of these lines sound like it could be something out of like cleaning a house. That is what at least the first half. The second half sounds like it is narrating a person with lots of power and it is switching old things to new things and placing an "inch of air here", to me sounds like he or she is making something float or decorating. The last line, without breaking anything, felt like it should receive the most tension. I'm not sure why he would choose a title with a perhaps hand. I am not too sure what he means by this. It talks of a window so maybe it is a window to two worlds, one with human capability or changing, and one with god- like capabilities and people from both sides are looking into the window.

The poem Pear Tree by H.D. is a poem that sounds like it is about the growth of a tree from the beginning. Or maybe of a pear. In the beginning it talks about silver dust lifting from earth. I thought this was like pollen beginning the first phases of having a pear grow. Maybe she is just giving everyday things more enthusiasm by adding new and interesting colors to it. Like pollen is silver, a staunch white leaf that parted silver, a white pear, and the purple hearts of them. She is making everything interesting by taking simple things and making them more exciting by making them futuristic colors. She talked about how you cannot get such a rare silver of that from a flower parting. I could see this resemblance because seeing something grow into something more beautiful is an event, but having something already be there and the smelting it to see it beautiful is different. I like how she made nature more interesting by taking the beauty of it and expanding on that.

The Way of Life

The Way of Life

Finn

4/18/13

Quiet is a black snake swimming through swampy sunken grasses

Dreams are blurry trees, speeding past as I fly

Happiness is red planets floating freely through time and space interrupted by gravity

Joy is white clouds dancing in the ocean of space

Pain is a red, white, and blue flag surrounded by black clothing

Success is a white suit visible on the space needle

Quiet is black stillness floating alone

Poem Response

In "Anyone Lived In a Pretty How Town" by e.e. cummings, he talks about what you might go through in life. He talks of the seasons, and the weather that passes whenever he is noting it. He talks about how children forget what they know when they are growing up. He talks of marriage and death, arrogance and annoyance. I think he might be talking about how the time fly's by through 9 verses of descriptive feedback on what we go through in life. I enjoyed the part towards the middle when he is talking about someones married their everyones, laughed their cryings and did their dance. That part is like when your half way through your life and he or someone else is getting married. He repeats the lines summer, autumn, winter spring, and sun, moon, stars, rain twice in the poem and the if the seasons and nights go by as fast as you can same them and they just keep going. I really like this poem because it talks about life and love and e.e. cummings is a great poet.

The next poem is "Why Must Itself Up Every of a Park" by e.e. cummings and at the beginning it seems like it talks about statues and how they have had to be jerks to others and a hero in someones perspective. The line That a hero equals any jerk kind of gives away that clue and another is a quote of Generalissimo E. and it was "Nothing" in 1944 AD "Can stand against the argument of military necessity" but there is a space between mil and itary for some reason maybe it means that if the the military gets too large and out of control it should split itself in half or maybe it means something else. Towards the end it sounds like he is talking of paying taxes and how, you pays your money and you doesn't take your choice, that we don't have a choice on what we want but what the government wants or wants us to do and we supply it with money so they can. The last sentence, Ain't freedom grand, says something like even though we are free we really aren't. A poem that relates to it I think is Why the Caged Bird Sings, where we can see all around us but we really can't go there, we force ourselves to thinking that we are free but in true reality we aren't.

Moon Landing

America vs. Russia

Time vs. launch time

Explosion vs. Human

Space vs. Mankind

Happiness vs. Depression

Metal vs. Moon

Atmosphere vs. rocket

Pod vs. Ocean

Moon Landing vs. Earth Landing

Irratating Sounds

Alarm clocks
Siblings yelling
Horns honking
Classmates gossiping
Cafeteria cluster
School bells ringing
Computers beeps
Pencil scratching paper
Forks grinding dinner plates
The loud sound of
popular Nick shows
The nagging thoughts of having
to repeat it tomorrow.

IRJ #11

IRJ #11

Finn Clark

3/12/13

The Wednesday Wars

Dear Abby,

My name is Holling Hoodhood and my problem is that my teacher and I have to be together every wednesday because on wednesdays my class breaks up because we go to different churches and since I am the only presbyterian I am left in the classroom with my teacher while everybody else heads off to their places. Last year there was 2 other presbyterian kids in my class so I wasn’t alone and now they both moved. I seriously think my teacher hates my guts though, she made me do extra work when I stay so I did it and the reason I have to behave is because my teacher’s family own Baker’s State Emporium and Hoodhood and Associates, my fathers company, wants to help them remodel the emporium while Kowalski and Associates are his rival company and also want to remodel the emporium and my friend Meryl Lee, her dad is the owner of Kowalski and Associates so it’s hard for us to be friends. My teacher is making me read Shakespeare in class now and her idea of boring me to death isn’t working. I like taking Shakespeare and forming to make curses of my own. Anyways is there anything you could help me with handling my teacher like any advice? If so that would be great.

Dear Holling Hoodhood,

You said something about you liking Shakespeare and I do have to say I enjoy his arts myself. My thoughts on what you should do is that maybe find something that you and your teacher have in common. Maybe that would be better and make it so that you two could become closer. To what you said about her hating your guts, she probably doesn’t, she just sees potential in you and wants to bring it out so she is making you do more work so just keep it up. The way you dad is making it so that you have to behave because he wants the emporium is in my opinion abuse of power. He should let you be yourself and I think that if Mrs. Baker wants to choose what company to remodel the emporium that whoevers child acts the best she will choose that person’s father’s company. I hope that I have been able to help you with your problems and feel free to write more letters if you need help with anything else. Thank you and write again.

Revisiting the Anticipation Guide

Revisiting Ender's Game Anticipation Guide

Finn

3/12/13

Lying is justifiable for the greater good

1.This is kind of true and kind of untrue because  if they hadn't lied to Ender he wouldn't have done what he did. I'm not saying that lying is good but sometimes it can be for the greater good. So I rated it a 3 and before I had rated it a 2.

2. Sometimes violence is the only way to solve a problem

I'm going to stay with what I said before which was a 3 because when Bonzo wanted to kill Ender with his group but ended up just fighting Bonzo, it's not like he could have talked that one out and if he did he would've been killed.

3. It's okay to kill someone in self-defense 

Still a 2 because even though Ender didn't mean to kill Bonzo and Stilson, they both were attacking him and he was not the instigator. That's what they were saying in the jury case about the murders of Bonzo and Stilson. It was self-defense but Ender didn't mean to kill them.

4. Words are stronger than fists

Depends on the situation, if you are a bully and shouting at someone then it's going to hurt them, not physically but emotionally. If you are in a fist fight and someone punches you and then you start shouting at them it really isn't going to help at all. So I rated it a 2 rather than a 3. An example for this is Locke and Demosthenes, they used the net to instigate a war between them and Russia. Now if they had gone in their with guns it would not have helped at all.

5. Bullies hurt others because they have low self esteem

Maybe they just want to be a jerk. Not because they have low self esteem. Maybe they have other issues, like problems they can't deal with. With Bonzo I am not sure if he had low self esteem but maybe he wanted to hurt Ender because he was much better than Bonzo. I rated this a 2 now and not a 4 for that reason.

6. Only the best and brightest students should receive the best education to become a nation's leaders

Ender in my opinion wasn't the best and brightest student. Even though he was definitely going to become a nation leader. He can lead a small army, but what if you put him in front of a very large army? The best and brightest students may want to do something different than become a nations leader. So I rated it a 1 rather than a 3.

7. Revenge is never justified.

 I see what they mean by this and the buggers. The buggers and them had 2 wars and now it was time for Earth to have revenge even though they showed no sign of attacking them again, they felt that revenge was never justified so they attacked them. I rated this a 2 because they didn't out of spite that they could do it, not that they didn't want it to happen again.

8. Crying is evidence of weakness.

Same response as I had last time, it does not show you are weak it shows you have a personality and are human. So and am going to rate it a 1 just like last time.\

9. Any action is acceptable in war.

This is not true all the time. The way they tricked Ender into fighting the buggers without telling him was really messed up but it was an acceptable action in war because if they would've told him he would really be stressed out. So I rated it a 2 because not all actions are acceptable in war, only some. So it is the same rating as last time.

10. Teenagers need discipline and rules because they can't control themselves.

I am not too sure what an example of this would be besides the fact that Bonzo wasn't disciplined when he was obviously trying to hurt Ender in a very bad way. So maybe but not all the time, if we were disciplined and made to follow rules all the time we would go insane and try to break the system. It's freedom that keeps us alive. I rated this a 3 because I'm on the fence of no and yes. I rated this a 2 before.

11. Only through personal sacrifice can someone create positive change.

Ender's personal sacrifice was his family and when he went to command school, when he slept. He would dream of all the bad things he has done before and then wake up to do more battles. Not all sacrifice can create peace though so I'm rating it a 2 rather than a 1 like last time. 

12. Generating compassion for your enemies is the only way to create peace.

I think that many people on Earth created compassion for the buggers and thought they could have peace, but when Ender finally generated compassion for the buggers, they were all dead except for the egg. So maybe generating compassion for your enemies could be the only way to create peace. Or maybe it isn't the only way to create peace but any way I rated this a 4 rather than a 2. 

Article Response

Orson Scott Card's Outlook on Homosexuality vs. Ender's Game

Finn Clark

2/28/13

I think that Orson Scott Card's views on homosexuality doesn't really affect me at all. I mean it doesn't change my views on Ender's Game because it doesn't matter if he is against gays, it doesn't change his creativity and we also have the right of speech. Making it okay to speak out even though it may not be politically right. There are people who are for gays and against gays, on both sides they have different views on the things they believe in. It's just like what we are discussing in history. The south and north have different views on what they believe in. For the south it's slavery and north it against slavery. There might be sources that try to manipulate our views on different subjects but if you truly believe in what you think is correct then that is your opinion and everyone has a different opinion on everything. Just in the same way everyone is different. So my opinion on this subject is that it is okay for Orson Scott Card to believe on what he thinks is right and everyone who disagrees can think otherwise, but it doesn't change my thoughts on Ender's Game. 

Enders Game Questions

Chapter 12 – Bonzo
1. How did Ender provoke Bonzo?  How did Bonzo respond?
I forget how Ender provoked Bonzo but the way Bonzo responded was by challenging him and saying that he was going to kill Ender when actually it was Ender that killed Bonzo in the bathroom.
2. Who was Stilson? Why was Ender thinking of him?
Stilson was the kid that Ender beat up in school when he lost his monitor. The kid was put in the hospital and died later on. Ender thought of him because that was what he was doing when he slept, he would think of all the people he hurt and would wake in sweat or fear.
3. Why does Ender still expect help from the teachers?
He expects help from the teachers because they are teachers and he needed help from them at some times. Mostly for protection and he knew that they were most likely watching and listening to him and Bonzo when they were in the fight in the bathroom. 
4. Did you know Stilson and Bonzo were dead? Find the specific clues in this chapter about the deaths.
I can't find specific clues because I don't have the book anymore but I remember it saying in the beginning that they had only two deaths in the battle school and Bonzo was the second. About Stilson I think it said something about bad news and that he had died in the hospital and I'm not sure how he could die but he did. 
5. Was Ender justified? Why did they not tell him of the deaths?
They didn't tell Ender about the deaths because they didn't want to stress him out anymore than he already was with all the battles and practices with dragon army. I'm not sure what "Was Ender justified" would mean but he definitely wasn't given the same rules as everyone else in the battle school.

Chapter 13 – Valentine
1. “Perhaps it is impossible to wear an identity without becoming what you pretend to be.” Explain what this quote means. State an example of this idea.
I think it means like that if you are pretending to be somebody that if you are the best you can be at being that identity that you eventually start acting and becoming him or her in a sense when you are trying to be yourself. An example would be like when Valentine wrote that essay in school and it was so well that her teacher wanted to send it in to the government and Valentine had to beg not to because it was too much like Demosthenes. 
2. Is it a natural, “good” instinct for humans to be killers? (survival of the fittest)
Well for me it isn't a good thing for humans to be killers but it's the way that we can do it and why we do it matters the most. Like when Peter would kill squirrels just to kill squirrels and peel back their skin and watch them die, that's wrong. But if I were starving and saw a turkey and had a gun that is a fast non painful way for me to get meat and the turkey to not feel anything. If humans didn't have this instinct we all probably would've been killed by tigers or some other natural predator a long time ago.
3. Discuss the conversation between Ender and Valentine on the raft. What does Ender reveal about himself and his enemies?
He reveals about himself is that since he has been at battle school, he has been having to be his own company. That it's different to actually have someone here that actually cares on what he has to say. With Valentine he feels safe. What he reveals about his enemies is that the way he beat all of his opponents at battle school is that he knew the way they were thinking and could beat them by doing something different when they thought they knew how he thought. The problem is that he doesn't know how to beat the buggers because he doesn't know how they think. So the problem for him is how is going to be able to beat them if he doesn't know how they think. 4. Discuss Valentine’s conflicting thoughts about her brothers. How have Peter and Ender’s roles shifted? How does Valentine feel about each?
Valentines conflicting thoughts on each of her brothers is that she thinks she has come to know the new Peter, and Ender is just a far off memory until then. She feels like Peter and Ender are two faces of the coin, and she is the metal between. That if one is up the other is down, and Ender feels like he's facing down while he is at battle school.
5. Discuss Graff’s statements about why the war with the Buggers was inevitable.
Graff was saying that the third invasion was inevitable because they had sent ships over 70 years ago and their most outdated equipment is attacking the home planet. The master ansible is the machine that controls all the ships and it's on Eros. He was saying that the only thing they need now is a battle commander good enough to command the ships. Until then they will be waiting to attack.

Chapter 14 – Ender’s Teacher
1. What disturbs Ender about Eros? How does Ender figure out the truth about Eros?
What disturbed Ender about Eros was that the hallways were always too narrow and short. That they didn't seem to be made for humans and hadn't been created by humans. Ender figures out the truth about Eros by his teacher, Mazer Rackham, that Eros had actually been a bugger outpost. So that's why it felt like it wasn't made by humans. 
2. Describe how Mazer is going to be the only teacher Ender has ever had?
Mazer is going to be the only teacher Ender has ever had in a way because he hasn't had a full on teacher yet. All that have been looking over him are administrators and others that have higher ranking. Mazer is going to be Ender's only teacher because Mazer is going to be teaching Ender how to fight against the buggers and different battle routines. 
3. Why had Mazer been dishonest with Ender? Do you think Ender could have
handled the truth?
If Mazer had been honest with Ender it would have pressured him too much and would've cracked. So they decided to lie to Ender about him using the simulator/master ansible. I do not think Ender could have handled he truth because he was already breaking down from how much they were working him alone. If he had been told the truth he would have gone crazy or made too many mistakes and ultimately destroyed his fleet or even the human race. 
4. Have they pushed the children too far? Was it worth it?
I think they had pushed the children too far. Not only had Ender and Alai, Beans, and Petra felt the pressure, but so had everyone else. In the final assessment, I think everyone was stressed because they were attacking the home planet and it would have been horrible if they hadn't won. They would have to retry and maybe win the next time. 
5. Is genocide, or in the case of Ender's Game where an entire alien race is
annihilated, xenocide, ever justified? Was the xenocide of the Buggers inevitable? Why?
I'm not sure if the xenocide of the buggers was inevitable because when Ender found the hive queen egg she said that they had learned from their mistakes and had decided not to attack like they had in the last 2 invasions. Even though earth had already sent ships to attack about 70 years after the second invasion. 

Chapter 15 – Speaker for the Dead
1. Valentine said, “Nobody controls his own life, Ender. The best you can do is choose to fill the roles given to you by good people, by people who love you.” After what has happened in Ender’s life, what would he think of this statement?
I'm not sure, but what I think Ender would think of this statement is that it would be hard to listen to good people or people who love him because he has been lied to and cheated so many times. He just should try to make his own decisions and listen to what he thinks is best about his own life. It also kind of depends on the role the person gives you.  2. Ender listens to the evidence about the deaths of Stilson and Bonzo. What is Ender’s opinion about the deaths?
Ender's opinion about the deaths is that he was not the the one who provoked Stilson and Bonzo but it was only an act of self defense. It was not Ender's fault for their deaths but he only wished to be left alone so he beat both of them into submission and later death. 
3. Why did Valentine make sure that Ender could never return to earth?
Valentine made sure that Ender could never return to earth because it said that if Ender came to earth then every tyrant to be would want him and then place him in front of the army and watch people either flock to join of cower in fear. So Valentine knew that Ender had to stay in space. Plus if Ender had came to earth he would want to relax and everybody there wouldn't let him. 
4. What is ironic about Valentine’s statement about Peter saving millions of lives?
The irony of Valentine saying that Peter saved millions of lives is that he ultimately wanted to rule the world. He prevented the league from falling apart but if he hadn't he would've had to conquer the world piece by piece instead of just in one big lump. By keeping the league together he saved millions of lives.
5. What knowledge did Ender gain the enabled him to write The Hive-Queen? Give specific details.
The way Ender gained the knowledge that enabled him to write The Hive-Queen was that when he and Valentine had gone to a bugger planet Ender explored and found that this place was the same place that he had created in the game Giants Drink. When he went to the tower he thought about how when he killed the rug snake, which was not there, he looked in the mirror and saw Peter. Instead, he went to the mirror and looked behind it and found holes, and in one of those holes there was the Hive Queen egg and he began to speak to the hive queen and told Ender her story. With that knowledge he was able to write The Hive-Queen.
6. Why does Ender publish the book using the pseudonym “Speaker for the Dead” and not his own name?
The reason Ender published a book with the title Speaker for the Dead and not his own name was that since he had found the hive queen egg, she could tell him the bugger stories and he could metaphorically "speak for the dead". Mostly because the buggers are dead. He didn't use his own name because that really wouldn't make much sense and since he is speaking on the side of the buggers.

CEJ #5

CEJ #5

Finn Clark

2/25/13

War of Ants Intesifies In U.S.

Douglas Quenqua

New York Times

2/25/13

Science

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/science/ant-species-losing-ground-to-venomous-kind.html?ref=science

Aggressive ants in America are losing ground to a more potentially dangerous ant. A long time ago the Argentine ant has claimed dominance in the North Carolina Office Park. But for over four years the land of the Argentine ant is being taken over by the Asian Needle ant. The Argentine ant has posed a threat to lizards and other small animals but never to humans, the problem with the Asian Needle ant is that it has a venom that can make a human burn and itch for weeks. The reason that Argentine ants took over the North Carolina park so quickly is that it has an ability to create super colonies that have at least 1000 ants in each. Imagine this spread out between 15 colonies in one park. Researchers think that the reason Asian Needle ants have an advantage on the Argentine ants is because Asian Needle ants are active during cool weather, and during that weather the Argentine ants are resting. It is said that the Asian Needle ants have came to America in the 1930's and have spread to areas like New York, Alabama, Oregon, and Virginia. 

I'm not sure what we should do about this upcoming problem with Asian Needle ants is, but it is a problem. I have not been stung or bitten but I do not want to find out how much it hurts, and I'm speaking for others who feel the same way. Argentine ants have not posed a threat but the way they make colonies, I feel bad for the picnickers that have experienced this. At least it's better than being stung when you are picnicking. I also wonder if the Argentine ants can fight back against the Asian Needle ants and possibly  take back their land and still be alive. This is also a thought, maybe after a long course of time the Argentine ants could naturally adapt and start being active during cool weather and maybe outsource the Asian Needle ants. 

Ode To My Sweatshirt

Ode To My Sweatshirt

Oh how you are stitched

So tightly to keep the coldness out

Of how your style

Fills me with joy

Oh how you keep me warmed

As if I am next to the fire

But beware the wind

For it will seep through

and chill me to my bones

Bones that ache for the warmth 

You provide

You are so close to me at all times

and even provide protection for my hands

From that ghastly wind

It is you I have chosen

and you I am grateful for

So please, 

Don't rip or tear

and keep doing your job

Of keeping me warmed

Drone Response

There are some good things and some bad things with this topic. Some good things are that there are less people dying if wer use drones but more of the enemy is dying. Bat outcomes could be that the government could turn this into a some type of game. I heard that they way they control the drones is by a remote control that looks like an Xbox controller. So I can see how easily they could turn it into a game. Money is a big thing to. It cost the government a lot to make and have the drones fly. The way I see things is that it is good and bad for the U.S. to be doing this.

CEJ #4

Current Event Journal #4

Finn Clark

2/11/13

Broder, John M.

nytimes.com

2/8/13

Technology

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/automobiles/stalled-on-the-ev-highway.html?ref=technology

Tesla Motors, having California taken by foothold charging stations for it's electric cars tries to have two charging stations between Washington and Boston. Allowing a speedy-fast charge up for electric cars to make road trips. Tesla, an electric car manufacturer run by Elon Musk the billionare behind Paypal and SpaceX, offered a new high performance Sedan along with the two stations. This seemed ideal as a test for the Times. The charging stations are about 200 miles apart that is closer than the 265 mile drive that the Sedan gives off with it's 85 kilowatt-hour battery life. Tesla says that the Sedan can drive 300 miles in ideal conditions, but mileage may vary. The charging stations are 480 watts and can give the Sedan enough electricity to drive 150 miles in 30 minutes, with a full charge that can take up to an hour. That is a lot longer than it takes to get a full tank of gas on a regular car. Tesla says that they pay for all the electricity that is used  with the power stations. 

I think this is a very good idea for the economy because I know that a lot of people own electric cars and the  Sedan is a great thing too because it shows that most people will buy the Sedan because of its accommodation and large battery power. The person that tested it though found out that the mile estimate device was way off. HE stopped when his battery power was low and after charging it for 45 minutes it said it was fully charged and he went on his way. About 15 miles later it was saying that the estimated miles left was decreasing rather rapidly. About another 30 miles it had decreased by at least 85 miles in the counter. He pulled over and called the Tesla dealer and had her pick him up because his destination was 70 miles away and the counter said 79 miles left. He complained that the mile counter was way off and turned off most of the things like heater and cruise control and it was still going rapidly down. balls

  

Current Event Journal #3

CEJ #3

Nagourney, Adam

nytimes.com

2/6/13

U.S.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/us/millionaires-consider-leaving-california-over-taxes.html?ref=politics&_r=0

With the new year, the income tax has come to a jaw-dropping 51.9 percent. This percentage tax is for people who make 1 million and excess dollars that they earn. This is making millionaires like Tiger Woods, Phil Michaelson and many more, flee to places like Florida that has no percentage income tax. California tax has become the largest of any other state and also the steepest wince World War ll. The governor of Texas has been transmitting a radio advertisement for businesses to come to it and begin there work again there. Many millionaires are define California as a place where taxes are high and people there who hate them. Christobal Young predicted that only few millionaires will move and many will find a loophole and try to find ways to avoid having such high taxes. 

I think that the taxes are a little too high. They should be decreased but not by much because if they have too much money for themselves they would begin to bend the rules with wealth. Then again they need money to pay for their huge mansions that they don't need. If they move to Florida then they will adapt to the ways there and begin living in huge houses again but just not in Beverly Hills. So it wouldn't be the same but they would still have enough money to bend the rules and laws. I think the tax income should be the same in all states.

CEJ #2

Current Event Journal #2

Finn 

2/6/13

Mourtada, Hania

nytimes.com

1/5/13

World

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/world/middleeast/clashes-erupt-in-damascus-shattering-lull-as-prospects-for-talks-dim.html?ref=world&_r=0

A group of insurgents, people who rise with force toward lawful actions, attacked a military outpost and other places in Damascus. The attack happened a week after president Bashar al-Assad presented the idea of ending the civil war forcibly. Angered by the government refusing to respond, Sheik Ahmad Moaz al-Khatib, the opposing leader gave it a Sunday deadline. Some anti-government people brought up the resumption of trying to seize the central Damascus area as they have been trying to for the past couple of weeks. Some of the leading insurgents have claimed that 33 members of the president's security forces have surrendered and most have fled from Damascus square. In effect the government has put up roadblocks around Damascus in order to slow down or prevent rebel movements. Firas al-Horani had said that the activist groups, more heavily armed had taken over the square. He also said, “The capital, Damascus, is in a state of paralysis at the moment, and clashes are in full force in the streets.”. On BBC, a Syrian new channel, Sheik Khatib said that if the Mr. Assad's forces don't comply by Sunday with releasing the prisoners, especially women, the initiative will have been broken and they will attack. 

I agree that the government is misusing it's power greatly, something along the lines of tyranny. I also think that it's good what the anti-Assad group is doing and what it is doing it for. They are trying to take back family members and others from the tyranny that the government has been causing and making innocent people that may have some relation go to jail. I also read in the article that some people said it would be best if they just attack and not give them anytime to build up and prepare for the attack. I agree and disagree with this statement. I agree because it seems like the government isn't going to back down and maybe violence could be the best answer, but I disagree because it could mean people getting killed and many injured. To go along with the statement, I also think it would've been best to hint a deadline and not straight up because it gives them 4 days to build up their forces and prepare for the attack, giving them the upper hand. I remember last year that the U.S. was thinking of also going in there for the anti-Assad side but chose not to because we have our own problems and that they are going to do what they have to and have a civil war just like we did, but I think it would be best if we kept to ourselves while they figure it out. I may have found a bias because in one of the quotes it said that the person over exaggerated with the quote and they might not of might have. I definitely think that the activist group is going to attack, no doubt, even if the government complies because they would want a new president. I would too after what he did, I wouldn't trust him with that power and rebel again until someone else becomes the president.  

Enders Game Questions #2

1. The purpose of the Giant's Drink game is to challenge the students into thinking there is no way to beat it. Even though Ender did. This surprised Graff and Major Anderson greatly because Anderson rigged the game so it is unbeatable. There is no victory. The way Ender beats the giant is kicking over both of the drinks and when the giant gets angry, he jumped up and attacked the giants eye. It died but Ender felt bad about killing the giant. I don't think this makes him a murderer though because it's a game. If you were to look up the most popular games right now, I bet half of them involve shooting in some way or another and killing someone.

Chapter 7
1. The exchange of words between Ender and Alai is important because to Ender, he doesn't know what it means, but with Alai it means peace be with you. That is the important thing that Alai did to Ender. He blessed him with the meaning of peace that they would be friends forever.
2. I think by saying "just living" means that he hasn't been living, just doing what he has to do to survive. I also read a passage like this in The Alchemist, not the book we read in class but one that I read on my own time. Nicolas Flamel had been doing what he had to do to survive, not going out and living, taking joy out of being immortal, not taking sadness. So maybe that's what Ender has been doing when he is living like he is. If I were in his position I would be wanting to go home but also trying to be the best solider to prove myself that I'm worthy of being there.
3. Petra helps Ender by being his only friend in Salamander Army. She also taught him strategies on how to shoot and not be shot. She showed him the legs first attack and how it would help him in battle against other armies.
4. Ender learns the leadership tactics from Bonzo because Bonzo was mean to Ender mostly because he was the best solider in the battle school. That meant that Bonzo was trying to make Ender a tougher solider and also to teach him tactics. The tactics he learned from Bonzo were to make formations with different toon leaders and let the toon leaders have their toonsdo what they tell them to do. To teach their own group instead of having the commander teach them all. Ender reverses this and that is what makes him a better leader.

Chapter 8
1. I think what Graff means by saying "he is ten times smarter and stronger than I am" because since Ender is smarter he will know how to hurt him more than he would know how to hurt Ender. They also don't know what Ender's weaknesses are so they can't hurt him emotionally  but physically when Ender knows both.
2. I think the quote "so teach me" "so learn" is significant because it shows Ender is eager to learn from others when they expect him to teach himself tactics and how to be a better solider. They will refuse to teach him because I think they already know that Ender is a better solider than all of them so they won't teach him stuff he already knows.
3. His attack is so important because it shows the soliders from other armies are jealous that Ender is teaching the launchies tactics that they don't know. It is also important because it shows to Ender that he is like Peter for taking that kids ear off on accident by kicking him in the side of the head. This makes him sadder because he doesn't want to be like Peter. That is the one weakness Graff and Anderson don't know.
4. The scene with the snake and Peter is important because it shows that if he kills the snake he is like Peter. That is why the image of Peter is in the mirror after Ender kills the snake.
5. The last paragraph in the chapter pretty much represents that Ender is giving up and accepting that he is a killer like his older brother. That the part of him that Graff and Anderson want to shape Ender into, Ender hates. He agrees that even though they want him to be a killer for the buggers that he will never want to be one himself.

My Favorite Game (of the moment)

The game that I'm playing right now is Battlefield 3. It is an FPS (First Person Shooter) game that is about strategies and tactics in war. You can play online with other people and compete in a battle. Or you could do campaign and play by yourself. When you are playing multi-player you will be greeted with a choice of different game types. Some include conquest, rush, team deathmatch, and much more. When you join a conquest game you are going to be put in 1 of 4 squads that attack objectives you are assigned to. There could be multiple objectives with teammates and enemies both trying to capture it. With rush, there are two M-Comm stations that two teams are trying to attack and defend. The attacking team tries to blow up the M-Comm stations while the defending team tries to protect it. Once the attacking team blows up on of the stations or they run out of tickets (number of spawns a player can have), the match restarts so that the defending team is attacking and the attacking team is defending. Team deathmatch is a game type where there are two teams that are put in an enclosed area. The teams try to kill each other until one of the teams runs out of tickets. The game is best if you work together with you squad. Then, all of you can attack and defend enemies as a team. That's how you win games.

Ender's Game Questions

Questions

Finn

Chapter 1 – Third
1. What attitude motivates the adults to lie to Ender?
It’s what all adults say before something that you know is going to hurt you. They say it out of reassurance. An example would be that when your going to get a shot and you know it’s going to kind of or not at all hurt, they say it’s not going to hurt at all. So when they do it, it will feel like it didn’t hurt.

2. Explain what it seems to mean for Ender to be born a "Third". Show whether this is
a negative or positive fact to:
- his parents,
- his brother, Peter,
- his sister, Valentine, and
- his classmates.

It could be a possible negative to his parents in social activity, but all in all I would be glad to have a third child. Then again the government only let them have a third child to put him in the military so that would be a definite negative.

It is a negative to Peter because it makes him feel like they don’t care about him and that no one pays attention to him.

I think it would be a positive to Valentine so that way there is another family member that’s closer to herself. Such as Peter he isn’t very close to Valentine and usually fights, but Ender is really close to her because they both stick up for eachother.

It is a positive for the bullies in his class but I don’t see why it would be a negative in his classmates eyes. Ender is the smartest of the group so maybe that would be it then, him just being better than everybody.

Chapter 2 – Peter
1. .Was Peter joking when he threatened Ender and Valentine?  Support your answer
with evidence from the novel.
It didn’t seem like it at first when he was threatening them both, but at the end of the chapter, Peter said “Ender, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I know how it feels, I’m sorry, I’m your brother and I love you.” (15) and I guess that kind of gave it away that he was joking when he did it.

2. Why is Peter’s behavior at the end of the chapter so completely different from the
rest of the chapter?
I guess because he said I know how it feels, so maybe this has happened to him before. Not at home but at school maybe so he just wanted to take his anger out on Ender and Valentine and then said sorry at the end.

3. How do you feel about each of these characters (Ender, Valentine, Peter)?  What
did the author do to help create these feelings?  Give examples.
Ender I feel is a genius that gets picked on by the bullies because he is smart and is a “third”.
Valentine is possibly Ender’s one good sibling that will help him and in the coming chapters will probably have to part with her.
Peter I think is bi-polar because he was acting so serious when he threatened them both and then said I’m sorry a bunch like he was feeling all passive and sorry for his actions.

Chapter 3 – Graff
1. What did Graff mean about evolution working against girls?
It was a lie to make it so that Ender won’t trust Valentine because she was the people in the beginning’s weak link that could possibly start over everything (16).
2. Ender is leaving to learn how to fight a war, yet he takes Graff’s hand. Why does
Orson Scott Card (OSC) include this action?
I think it means that he trusts Graff and thinks of him as the family Ender is leaving behind.

Chapter 4 – Launch
1. Explain the meaning of the following statement: “Individual human beings are tools
that the others use to help us all survive.”
I think whoever said it means that individual people who can be used for something are used for the greater good or bad for other people to survive. They mean they could use Ender as a tool of survival if the buggers ever come.

2. Explain the following quote: "Isolate him enough that he remains creative -
otherwise he'll adopt the system here and we'll lose him." Your answer should
include the terms: isolation, creative, adopt, lose.
They want to isolate him from other people so they won’t tell him how it goes around here so he won’t adopt the system. They want him to be creative so they can’t lose him when battle strategies come into play when you have to be creative.

3. Did Ender mean to break the other boy’s arm?  What does this incident tell us about
Ender?  Is it acceptable to do despicable things for survival?  Why or why not?
I don’t think Ender meant to break the other boy’s arm on purpose but meant to hurt him enough so that they wouldn’t hurt him in the days to come. Which I can guess is acceptable but not all things are when it comes to survival

Chapter 5 – Games
1. Ender works hard to express his feelings in private and not show homesickness in
front of any other person. Is it healthy for him or not?   What is positive and what is
negative about showing feelings?  What is positive and what is negative about not
showing feelings?
I don’t think it’s very healthy, but by doing it he kind of I guess intimidates the others by not showing affection when all of it is being held down and it all has to come out sometime when something really emotional happens. A positive thing about showing feelings is that is shows that you have some feelings, and a negative about showing feelings in his camp I guess is that it shows weakness or others will think he’s weak.

2. How did Ender beat Bernard?  Is this an unusual solution to his problem?
Ender beat Bernard not by physical ways but by humiliating him in front of everyone and then have Dap come in and tell him what happened. It’s unusual because he broke the system just to make fun of Bernard but it helped him from keeping him as being the commander of the group and being a jerk to Ender.

3. List the different coping mechanisms (ways of dealing with difficulties) Ender
shows. For each one describe whether the overall result of each is helpful or
harmful to Ender.
He dealt with the bully at his school by breaking his arm on accident and showing them not to mess with him again. I would think this is harmful for him because it was his excuse that got him put into battle camp.
He dealt with Bernard by embarrassing him in front of his launchies and preventing him from being the commander of his group and Alai being the bridge between Ender’s and Bernard’s friendship. This was helpful because it kept Bernard from picking on Ender and created a new friend for him too.