Tuesday - 3/29

1.) First, the NY Times article about high school seniors-
       - I really like Damion Damus because he wants to be a counselor because of personal experience and not because of money. He really cares.
       - I don't like Samantha Jensen because she isn't motivated enough to be a doctor.
 Ten years after I get out of high school. I will be a pharmacist. I will probably be married. I want to move somewhere warmer. I will probably have one kid, hopefully a boy. I really want a son.


2.) For part two, I read the New York Times article about Indi Cowie. I think she is freaking amazing. I also play soccer and I have never seen anyone get anywhere close to what she does. I am not surprised by the anonymous mean phone call. Some soccer girls can be extremely mean. They act like they are you best friend but they will talk crap behind your back like no other. Soccer girls want to be the best and when someone is million times better, they hate the good one.  Although I see why they hate her. She is being a ball hog. The point of soccer is to pass and make goals. If only one person is shotting, it would be goalie verses shoter. The goalie has a 60 percent chance of missing.  It's no one's fault. Jealousy is to blame.







        

Outliers, pg. 177-223

This chapter is called "The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes." It starts with a story about a Korean captain. He's getting ready. He was flying to Guam. On the way there, he crashed. He couldn't the runaway. Korean Air became known for crashing planes; however in recent years, they have turned themselves around. Most crashes happen due to a lot of small mistakes not major ones. It's normally due to new captains, engine failures, running out of fuel, and overworked pilots. The book gave several stories where these were the causes.

This chapter was freaking scary! I was had to stop reading at one point because I felt like I was having an anxiety attack. I have never been afraid, but now it will always be in the back of my head.

Outliers, pg. 159-176

This is part two and it's called "Legacy." Chapter six is called "Harlan, Kentucky." First, he explains what and where this town is. It's small rural area. Most of the people that live there are from the British Isles. This town became famous because the town was split by a family feud. Then, the cops went in and looked around. They found that murders due to family feud were high, but stranger crimes (for example mugging) was low. The people from the British Isles are a group of proud people. The main motivate here was pride.

This chapter has brought me back in. This chapter was totally different than all the other chapters. I liked it.

Today's blog assignment

 My Favorite Poem of the Nine Weeks-
I really liked "French Toast" by Anya Silver. She makes love look so beautiful. It makes me look forward to growing old thing someone special.

1000 Awesome Things-
When I opened the site, the first thing was eating while cooking. I do that all the time. I would add to this list "walking bare feet in the grass," and "eating warm cookies with cold milk."

Outliers, pg. 116-158

This chapter is called "The Three Lessons of Joe Flom." Flom grew up during the Depression. His parents lived through WWI, depression, and WWII. He was born at the right time and avoided all the bad times. Joe Flom's first lesson is "Lesson Number One: The Importance of Being Jewish." At that time, all the firms were clean cut. The jewish firms were the lawyers who did the dirty deeds. They were used to sue and take over companies. The Jews made good money. The second lesson was "Lesson Number Two: Demographic Luck." He was the oldest. According to studies, the oldest child is usually an overachiever. Also, at the time of his birth, the number of births were lower that usual. The next lesson is "Lesson Number Three: The Garment Industry and Meaningful Work." His parent were hardworking and poor. But, they made their own business. According to studies, garment makers have lawyers and doctors as babies. Joe Flom had many things that led to his success.

I'm starting to dislike this book. It makes the future more and more hopeless.

The Movie, Diction

Chris was a boy who grew up in the ghetto somewhere in Tennessee. He was trying to talk like a smarter person but some slang sneak into his language. He talked with a lot of low elevation. He wants to be smarter. Once, he said,"Imma holler at you fo dinner." Then, when talking about dinner, he said,"momz alwayz da best." He tries but sometimes doesn't pronounce the word properly. He is movitated to be more smart. He tries in school but has some mental disablities. He gets checks for it and gives it to his mom to help with the bills and expenses. He tries to be more intelligent but can not because of his mental disorders. Also, he talks sort of slow, but does not use very big words. He uses short and is to the point. Chris is very short and concrete. He is very literal. He means what he says. Chris is very independent and wants to stand by himself. Chris may come off as dumb, but he is independent, movitated, caring, and loving. He is very helpful. Chris is not so dumb hick. He is just someone who can not talk properly. He does not always know where he is going with a point.

Outliers, pg. 91-115

This chapter is called "The Trouble With Geniuses, Part 2." Chris Langan had a bad childhood. He went to Reed University with a scholarship but lose it when his mom forgot to sign a paper. Then, he went to Montana State but dropped out. He had trouble with school and society. Then, the author compares Chris with Robert Oppenheimer. They both had trouble in school. Oppenheimer tried to poison his tutor. However, Oppenheimer was discovered. Intelligence is 50% inherited. Also, poor kids are more shy. Chris and Oppenheimer both grew up poor. Not all geniuses become big shots. Some are just awkward.

To be honest, I didn't like this chapter. It was boring.

Outliers, pg. 69-90

This chapter is called "The Trouble with Geniuses, Part 1." It starts by talking about the show who wants to be a millionaire. They had Chris Langan on and he's a genius. He kept winning and pulled out at $250,000. He's always been wierd. He would semester textbooks in days. After WWI, Lewis Truman, a professor at Stanford, went out in search of genuises. It wasn't hard. There was one, Cowell, who dropped out and was a janitor. He found thousands of geniuses. Then, he shows a list of colleges for all the US nominees for the Nobel Prize. Some schools were top and others weren't. It's not the school but how you apply yourself. The IQ test doesn't measure one's cleverness. There are genuises who just chill at home, and there are people who never went college and are living a successful life.

I think this chapter gave me a lot of hope. Now, I know I don't have to be perfect.

Outliers, pg. 35-68

The chapter is called "The 10,000-Hour Rule." It starts by talking about Bill Joy. He is a compute genius. In college, he was into math. He started using computers. He was so interested. He spent all night working on them. He spent over 10,000 hours on computers. A study showed that people, who practiced over 10,000 hours by age 20, were virtuosos. He was a virtuosos. Then, the book shows that the Beatles also practiced for 10,000 hours. The author says that talent is needed but so is practice. Then, he goes on to say that Bill Joy and Bill Gates were both lucky to be born in the 50's. This was the computer boom. If they were born later they would be too late.

I was semi-bored. It was full of information, but it wasn't the most interesting chapter.

"Let Kids Rule The School" New York Times Article

From the beginning, it gets your attention. I didn't know that so many people don't finish high school. In the article, a group of students started their own school. The students made no grades and set up student evaluations. They setup a lot of reading and math. The study shows this experiment created more motivated students.

Outliers, pg. 1-35

The book starts with an introduction. It is called "The Roseto Mystery." There was a village in Italy called Roseto. When a group of them came to the U.S., they started their own city in Pennsylvania. Once, a doctor noticed that no one in that town got heart disease under 55. This was in the 50's when it was highly unlikely. Stewart Wolf started a study and noticed the only difference was that they were a very close society. People lived with extended family.

Then, the book starts part one. It is called "Opportunity." Chapter one is called "The Matthew Effect." It starts about telling about the Canadian Memorial Cup. Then, he states that he will show how the people on the teams are outliers. Then, he shows the team rosters. If you look closely, you can see most of the players are born in the first quarter of the year. In Canada, the cut off date for hockey is January, so the people born earlier in the year are older and better. Then, he shows the Czech soccer team. Again, most players are born toward January.

I think this book is very interesting. It makes me wonder if I was born under different circumstances if I would be different.

Hole In My Life, pg.176-200

This is still Part 3. This chapter is called "marking time." When people left, no one threw a good bye party in jail. Jack counted his time in weeks. Sundays were hard because there was another week of his life wasted. One day, when he was working he found his file and saw the parole board said he was uncooperative. Visiting hours were only on the weekends. But one day, Jack got a visitor. Since it was a weekday they only got 5 minutes. It was his dad and uncle. His dad was wasted. They hugged and left. Jack went to the psychologicist. He tried to be perfect, but that failed. One day, one of the cons got a broken lightbulb shoved in his butt. He wrote about it. Jail motivated him to write.

The next chapter is called "getting out." Many cons tried to escape but it never worked. This one guy run away and stole a car but forgot to change the car plates and was caught. Jack's lawyer retired and got a new one. Jack got the idea to get out for school. They applied and it was approved.

The last chapter is called "a closed book." Jack picked out some normal clothes and checked out of jail. They took his journal because it was jail property. Then, he went to New York to live with a family friend's relative. They were nice. Jack got a job, went to school, and was now motivated to write.

I really enjoyed this book. Jack is hilarous and is very smart. He changed my view on life.

Hole In My Life, pg.154-186

This is part of Part 3. This chapter is called "my yellow cell." Jack is moved from state prison to federal prison. When he was checked in, the doctor spotted a lice, and Jack was taken to the hospital part of the prison. He was put in a yellow cell as a part of the treatment. Jack had mood swings. He liked his cell because he was alone. There was no fear of getting raped alone. The first week was really hard because Jack had nothing to do. Six times a day, the guards would take count. The guard would yell, "SHOUT" and Jack responded with "IN." Jack started to feel the walls. Previous cons had carved things into the walls. Jack recognized one of them as a quote from a book he went. One of the workers felt bad for Jack and gave him some books, paper, envelopes, and a pencil. He wrote a letter to the judge to reduce his sentence. He used one of the books as a journal. One day, three black guys from the Muslim Brotherhood came to meet him. They said they wanted to improve race relations. They wanted Jack to go to the bathroom, bend over, and they wouldn't take advantage of him. By trusting the men, Jack would join them. They would protect him. He said no. One day, the doctor checks up on Jack. Jack says he volunteered at a hospital when he was younger and wanted a job. The doctor said one just opened up. Jack got the job.



This next chapter is called "drug lust." He got used to the routine. Everyone in prison wanted drugs to escape from the pain. People found creative ways to smuggle. The hospital cells were seperate. The hospital workers, witness protection poragram members, and sexual offenders lived here. This one time, Jack met a Elvis impersonator. He went jail to jail performing and doing his time. There was only one female worker at the prison. One day everyone including her had chest x-rays. In her x-ray, you could see the outline of her boobs. Her x-ray was stolen and found in a bathroom. She quit soon after. Next, he went to the parole board. They didn't like him. But they didn't give him a date. Outside his window, he could see some house. He remembers when some cons escaped the prison on Halloween. He stayed up all night looking for them in the windows.



I really liked these chapter. I knew prison wasn't happy-go-lucky but I didn't except this. I never wanted to go to jail. Now I don't want to even more.

Spellbound

1.) Neil was in the spelling bee to make his father proud. He has the pressure of his grandfather who set up a prayer for him. Emily was trying to beat her record. She wanted to be famous. They both don't want to disappoint.

Hole In My Life, pg. 132-153

This is part of part 3. This chapter is called "face-to-face." He stayed at the hotel for three weeks waiting for his sentence. Jack noticed that he was being spied on, so he stayed in his room as much as possible. He called a couple college, and they asked for a sample piece of work. He started several ideas but could never finish one. He decided to meet up with Lucas. Jack dealed to Lucas and he seemed cool. Jack went to Lucas' house. His wife was home. She said Lucas and Jack would be sentenced on the same day. She was very setup with Jack and Lucas. Then, Jack went to the dock and found out the boat had been destroyed. Jack broke down and started crying. On his court date, he hide and got away from the spies and burned his leftover pot. He gave his stuff to the front desk at the hotel and told them someone would pick it up later.



This chapter is called "a long, long day." Jack and Al met up and went to court. Tepper says that Jack didn't cooperate. Al says that it wasn't Jack's fault. He was just hired to sail the boat. The judge asked Jack why. Jack said he made a mistake. Tepper reads a quote from the ship log in which Jack says he is scared of getting caught. The judge gave Jack a 5010B. Al says that Jack was going to jail. Once he was in jail, he would meet the parole board who will decide. He can be there for 60 days to 6 years. Then, Jack is taken away. The first night was the worst. He took a bus to jail. It was very somber on the bus. He was one of the first off; therefore, he got through faster and was one of the first to pick a bunk. In his cell, there were two bunks fell. One in a corner with the light in your face or one in the dark middle. He chose the first one. Lucas got the second bunk. The next day, Jack went to the bathroom when everyone was eating. A dude told Jack to check up on Lucas. Jack opened the stall and Lucas was sitting there naked. He had been raped. Jack was scared.



This chapters were so sad. When he got sentenced, I felt like I was being sent to jail. I won't ever forget Jack's story.

Hole In My LIfe, pg. 99-131

This chapter is in part 2. It's called "i love new york." He says everyone in prison has a story. Here's mine. They left New Jersey and went to NYC. Jack was nervous and wanted it to be over. They got off and met up with Rik. They drove to Woodstock, NY to deal drugs. Hamilton freaks out because he thinks someone's following them. Rik blows it off. When they went to the boat, the guard told them that someone fixed their boat because it was moving away. The pot was right next to the anchor. Jack thinks whoever fixed the boat saw the pot, but Rik blows it off. Then, they went to the Chelsea Hotel and chilled. Rik told Jack that this hotel was fancy. There were a lot of famous people. Jack gets paid and loves it. He starts calling colleges. Hamilton goes outside and the FBI pop out. Hamilton runs and gets away. Jack sneaks out. Jack flees to Florida and checks in at the place he used to live at.



This chapter is in part 3. It's called "evidence." Jack's lawyer's name was Al E. Newman. He calls his dad and his dad says to go back because the cops knew who he was. His dad found the lawyer. He says Jack whould turn himself in. He goes back to New York. The story was in the newspaper. He went back to the Chelsea Hotel and checked in to the same room. Everything was still there except his ship log. Al says not to worry. He would be okay. Federal prison was better than normal prison. He finds out that the case is a "conspiracy based." The oppisite side attorney, Tepper, comes in shows his proof. Rik snitched. Hamilton didn't away. Tepper asks for dealer names, so Jack could get off easier. Tepper leaves and Al predicts five years probation.



I really liked these chapters. There was a great twist. I can't believe this really happened. I feel terrible for Jack. I feel for him because I always fall into traps like he did except it's never as bad as him.

Hole In My Life, pg. 55-98

This is part 2. The first chapter is called "st. croix." Jack says that there is a large drug scene there. The cops don't even try to stop the dealings. All he did was smoke pot. Racial tensions were high there. Tourism dropped. Most people lost their jobs. His dad and he built crates for people. One day, this guy comes and asks for a crate with a secret section. He asked his dad what he thought of the guy. His dad said the guy was a dealer. There were few books available, but he read a lot of biographies. He decides he wants to interview the black racial leaders. He went in but didn't get much. They thought he was a spy. He left and went back to work. There, he met the guy, who is named Rik. Jack tells Rik to ship the crate with stuff in it to look less odd. Rik tells Jack to call him when he sees a red sailboat in the sea. Jack sees it and calls Rik. The boat is called Beaver. Rik asks if Jack wants to join him. Jack would earn 10 grand. He joins him. Then, he meets Hamilton. Hamilton says not to tell anyone!

The chapter is called "bon voyage." First, Hamilton and Jack are doing a couple practice runs. They agrounded a couple times. They finally got the hang of it and started going. Jack brought a lot of books along. Hamilton and Jack switched off and on sailing the boat. It was hard not to fall asleep. They got to Little Dog Island. Jack went ashore and dug and got 2,000 pounds of hash aka weed. After that, they went on there way to New York. The boat was boring, so Jack started going through it and found a log book. He started to log.

This chapter is called "ship's log." Jack takes a picture of Hamilton, and Hamilton threw the camera away because it was proof. This chapter is formated as journal entries. Hamilton has a gun but isn't very good. Jack misses talking to people. Hamilton and he talk. Hamilton says Jack is afraid of getting caught. Then, Jack gets sick by eating too much pot. Hamilton asks if Jack has taken a dump. He says he goes overboard. Hailton warns him not to because of the sharks. One day, Jack was swimming and Hamilton had the porthole open, so Jack reaches in and scares the crap out of Hamilton. He comes outside and shoots at Jack, but Jack's fine. Next, Jack complains that the boat won't move because there is no wind. One day, they meet a Japanese ship who gives them fuel. Now, they can sail all the without the wind. Then, there is a storm. When it's over, a coast guard plane passes over. Hamilton says it's nothing, so Jack waves hello at it. One day, it was hard to see and they sail into a coast guard base. The guard people were nice and showed them out. They were in New Jersey. They decided to get off at the port and call Rik.



I really like this book. It's so cool. I can't put it down. I just can't believe this really happened.

3.1 Diction: Poetry

A.) chill, sand, sifted, powdered, folly, yellow-coated, slender, bloomed, snow, beat

B.) Elevation- simple, slightly cultured, unique
Concreteness- physical, natural, strong
C.) In George Marion Mcclellan's poem "A January Dandelion," the slightly cultured language and physical word choice creates a very realistic familiar scenery.