I'll Pray For Y'all.

 The actions of the looters were completely hypocrtical and relentless in my eyes. In the article, a man had the nerve to say "Look, they've been looting our wallets for too long" after stealing a TV from a store. Now, in all my years of living I've never thought it necessary to have a TV to survive, so they're not looting their wallets because a TV isn't a neccesity. By saying that he was just trying to make it seem like what he did wasn't wrong. One of the store owners said that "between the flooding and the plundering, his losses were too high to easily calculate. He’s not sure when he’ll reopen" The looters want to act like the victims in this situation because they feel that the items they were stealing were actually theirs to take. But what about the hard working store owners that are already having problems during this hurricane and in addition to that.. had crazy looters rob them? They're the real victims. This is a time when people should support eachother and come together as a team, but instead they decided to destroy everything their fellow citizens had worked for. And to me, that is true hysteria.

I MISSED IT!

I have watched the first and second season of "The Walking Dead" and I absolutely LOVED them. Wyatt Jones and I always talk about all the episodes in my English class. Needless to say, we're a little obsessed. The first episode of the third season was aired Sunday, October 14. I have waited patiently for a whole summer to watch this show. Wyatt told me to watch it on Friday in English and you know what? I completely forgot. When I came into class today, Wyatt asked me if I'd watched it and I almost had an emotinal breakdown knowing that I'd missed the best show ever made. And if that wasn't bad enough.. While I was searching for a topic to write my Current Connections paper about, I came across a ton of reviews on "The Walking Dead." (http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/15/showbiz/tv/walking-dead-ratings-ew/index.html?hpt=en_c1) Apparently it was the number 1 watched show in America when it aired Sunday. It had amazing ratings and it was one of the best episodes yet. AND I MISSED IT! I demanded that Wyatt tell me every detail about the show and to give me a full report on everything that I missed. I still can't beleive that I forgot about it, but I never want to miss it again so from now on I will be glued to my couch on Sundays to watch every single episode of "The Walking Dead." :)

Do you agree to these terms and conditions?

     The other day I was trying to buy a song on iTunes, but they wouldn't let me download it until I read and agreed to the terms and conditions. I automatically scrolled to the bottom and pressed agree. Now, of course I should have read the whole 99 pages of terms, but I didn't. I remember thinking to myself that it probably isn't a good habit to just agree to things I haven't read, but I'm not very patient and I wanted my song to start downloading.
     
     I made a connection with an article I read on FoxNews.com (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/09/23/cat-goes-to-vet-for-flea-bath-and-gets-euthanized/) A woman took her cats to the vet for a flea bath and signed wrong papers that were accidentally given to her, and her cats were euthanized. The owner states "She was healthy, she was beautiful, she didn't have a bit of sickness about her." about her cat, Lady. This story breaks my heart, but it's hard for me to have sympathy for her when it's technically her fault. We're all human and make mistakes, but signing papers, agreeing to terms and conditions, making contracts, etc. are all ways that people try to limit mistakes and miscommunications. If we don't read what we are agreeing to then mishaps like this happen.
    
     This article hasn't neccisarilly opened my eyes completely to the fact that I have to start reading what I'm agreeing to because I've always known I should. Everytime I agree to something I feel a little bit of guilt, but this article has made me realize that I should take it more serious. I don't want to make the same mistake the woman did and accidentally sign something that I can't take back. I will definitely read every word of the papers I'm signing or agreeing to because in the end it will help me avoid problems.

Current Connections

I made a current connection from an article I read on msnbc.com about American children consuming too much salt. The article states that eating too much salt can cause premature heart disease. It reminded me of how my dad is always telling me that I put too much salt on my food.

It's proven that salt is more likely to cause problems for kids that are overweight and obese, but too much is bad for any body type. I salt most of my food, and it's a habit my dad has been trying to break me of. He lectures me every meal on how unhealthy my salt intake is. This article reminds me of some of the lessons he's tried to teach me during dinner. 

Also, heart disease in children younger than 17 depend on age, gender, and height. Even though heart disease isn't a definite fate for me, I really don't want to increase the chance of getting it. The facts in this article have opened my eyes to how putting too much salt on my food and eating foods with high sodium can hurt me.

I know I need a good level of sodium in my body too. This study has helped me want to find a good balance between too much salt and too little salt. I'm thankful that my dad and this article could connect with me and hopefully make me a healthier person in life. I know I'll lecture my children on how much salt they eat now that I know the harmful effects of too much salt.

The New and Improved....

This buildings base will probably be much more safe and sturdy than the original World Trade Center. According to the info graphic, floors 1-19 make up just the buildings base. The old World Trade Center didn't have a base like this. I'm sure they won't use floors 1-19 for anything except being an extra safe base for this huge skyscraper.

My Bucket List 2012-2013

1. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

My friend recommended this book to me. She said it reminded her of our group of friends. The book pulls me in because all of the girls are dead, and I'd like to find out what happens to them. I like books about teenagers and that's exactly what this book is about. The author seems really good and to be completely honest the cover of the book makes me want to read it for some reason.

2. Delerium by Lauren Oliver

My friend recommended this book to me. I don't usually like fantasy, but I'd like to try this book out because I've heard nothing but good things about this author and book. It's a romance with some action, and I really enjoy books like this. I like reading series and this book will probably be one that I can't put down. I've been wanting to read it for awhile, so this year I'm gonna make it happen.

3. The Butterfly Garden by Chip St. Clair

It seems like a touching book. I read "A Child Called It" and enjoyed it, so I think I'll like this book. I like reading about people's experiences and that's what this book is. It's about child abuse and I'm a firm beleiver in not punishing your children with violence, so I'll really enjoying hearing about his experiences and how he grew from them.

4. The Sallie House Haunting by Debra Pickman

I like ghost stories a lot. They're always interesting to me, so I figure this will be a fun and easy read. I also like reading about people's experiences and their point of view on things. This book is written by the woman that actually went through paranormal encounters and I'd really like to know what was going on through her mind and how she delt with it.

5. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

I love romance books. I've seen the movie and I like to make comparisons between movies and books. Al so, it's a classic Nicholas Sparks books so I have to read it. I've read other books by this author and completely fell in love with them.

6. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

I've seen all the movies and loved them. I'd like to read a more detailed version of what I've already seen so that I can make comparisons and better understand the story. My dad read the books and says that there are quite a few differences and that it'd be a good idea to read the books and not just watch the movies.

7. In Defiance of Hitler by Varian Fry

I like reading about the Holocaust. I know that's weird and seems sick, but I like reading about bad things because it makes me want to do right, so that I'm nothing like those people. I also like hearing different peoples point of view on popular topics.

8. Marked by Kristin Cast

My friend recommended this book to me, It's fantasy, but I liked Twilight so I'll hopefully enjoy this book. I heard it has some action and romance so I think I'm going to like it. If I were to have to read any fantasy book, I would choose one with some romance and vampires in it.

9. Bringing Adam Home by Les Standiford

I like weird books and movies like this and I'm really looking forward to reading this book. It's about a kidnapping and it seems like it's going to be touching and emotional. I usually try to stay away from sad books and movies, but this story seems toogood not to read.

10. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

I've heard these books are really good for bpeople my age, so I'd like tosee for myself. It's fantasy, but I think this will be fun to see what it'd be like to live in a world like this. It seems like it's going to be a book that I can't put down and I'm anxious to read all the books in this series.

Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself.

In my opinion, the dying Nazi had no right to pity himself. In the story Wisenthal says, "I saw that he was torturing himself. He was determined to gloss over nothing." The soldier should have tortured himself. He killed so many innocent people and had absolutely no reason to other than the fact that someone told him to. Yes, it's hard to say no to your general when you're already mixed up in "Hitler's Youth", but he should've thought about that before going into the army. Just because he "came clean" and told someone how bad he felt doesn't make what he did right. It makes him honest, but still he deserves no pity.  The dying SS man says, "those Jews died quickly, they did not suffer as I do---though they were not as guilty as I am." That is a selfish thing to say in my eyes because the Nazi soldier is suffering by choice because he got involved in the army. He knew before that there would be a chance of dying or getting hurt. INNOCENT Jews were tortured and killed with no choice or warning. The soldier knew what he was getting into and he made his choices; the Jews he killed didn't have the same benefits. A murderer like that doesn't deserve pity.

UNFORGIVABLE

After hearing about Captian Smith's carelessness, I've decided that I could not forgive him. I'm a girl and I understand that I would have had a good chance of getting on a lifeboat and being safe, but what about my brother, my dad, my friends, or my husband? They would've most likely died because of a mindless and reckless captain. He was warned that they were in danger and he chose to ignore it and not take the right precautions. To me, that isn't just a simple misunderstanding. It's unforgivable because of the huge loss of innocent lives and the tragedy it was for millions of people.

Second Chances

An inmate in a concentration camp that becomes an assistant to his captors, helping the captors beat prisoners to make them work harder should be forgiven. I remember watching a video in History about the Holocaust. It showed all the awful things that Jews went through. If I were in a helpless situation like that and had the oppurtunity to stop being tortured, starved, and scared for my life everyday, I would. It's easy for an outsider to say they would rather die than help the people doing wrong, but when you're faced with life or death, you make less humane choices. Having to make a choice like that is hard and they deserve forgiveness because they'll be forced to live with that guilt for the rest of their lives. In my opinion, a person in this situation should be forgiven. I'm not saying it's right, but being put through a concentration camp can make even the nicest person do drastic things.