Tegan Pinna's Third Period Blog

may 27, 2008

2008-05-27T06:44:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Charity: Aid workers raping, abusing children

who:Children as young as 6
what:Humanitarian aid workers and United Nation peacekeepers are sexually abusing small children in war-ravaged countries, a leading European charity has said.
where:LONDON, England
when:Tuesday.
how it happened:Children as young as 6 have been forced to have sex with aid workers and peacekeepers in return for food and money, Save the Children UK said in a report released Tuesdaya 15-year-old girl from Haiti told researchers: "My friends and I were walking by the National Palace one evening when we encountered a couple of humanitarian men. The men called us over and showed us their penises.

may 20,08

2008-05-20T06:43:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Homeless woman suffocates in sand; 3 held
who:53-year-old Patricia Ann Kalbskopf.
what:A homeless woman has died of suffocation after being buried by three men on a California beach -- a fate her family described as her greatest fear
where:OCEANO, California
when:doesnt say
how it happened: Three men were being held on involuntary manslaughter charges in the death Wednesday of 53-year-old Patricia Ann Kalbskopf.
They allegedly poured sand over her while she was passed out drunk at some dunes along the state's central coast.
Investigators say they don't believe the men, who were also drinking, intended to kill Kalbskopf, but their actions resulted in her death.
Kalbskopf's niece, Lisa Cruz, said her aunt's fear of burial was so acute she made the family promise to cremate her after her death. The family plans to honor the request. Men are charged with manslaughter

may 19,08

2008-05-19T06:38:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on http://www.cnn.com/, http://www.foxnews.com/, or http://www.msnbc.com/ and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Age of pregnant FLDS 'girls' disputed
who: many women in the south west
what:When Texas child welfare authorities released statistics showing nearly 60 percent of the teen girls taken from a polygamist sect's ranch were pregnant or had children, they seemed to prove what was alleged all along: The sect commonly pushed girls into marriage and sex
where:SAN ANTONIO
when:April
how it happened:But in the past week, the state has twice been forced to admit "girls" who gave birth while in state custody are actually adults. One was 22 and said she showed state officials a Utah birth certificate shortly after she and more than 400 minors were seized from the West Texas ranch in an April raid.
The state has in custody two dozen other young mothers and others whose ages are in dispute. If most of them also turn out to be adults, it would be a severe blow to the state's claim of widespread sexual abuse.
If it turns out the other 24 disputed minors are adults, the number of actual 14- to 17-year-old girls with children could drop to as low as five or six. That would amount to about one-fifth of the girls that age found at the ranch -- substantially higher than the average rate of teen pregnancies in Texas but a far cry from 60 percent.
"It's not widespread, and you've got to look at every family individually to determine whether there's a problem in a family," said Rod Parker, a spokesman for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the renegade Mormon sect that runs the ranch.

may 16,08

2008-05-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

what:A Missouri mom was indicted Thursday for her alleged role in the death of a teen who killed herself over a failed Internet romance that turned out to be a hoax
where:LOS ANGELES, California
who:Lori Drew (49), The girl, Megan Meier,
when:Thursday
how it happened:The girl, Megan Meier, committed suicide after her online love interest spurned her, according to prosecutors, telling her the world would be a better place without her.
Drew faces up to 20 years in prison on charges of conspiracy and accessing protected computers to obtain information to inflict emotional distress.
The indictment, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, accuses Drew and others of registering on MySpace as "Josh Evans" and using the account to lure Meier into an an online romance.

may 14,08

2008-05-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Teen gets life in prison for gruesome killing
who:Jean Pierre Orlewicz, 18
what:A teenager convicted of killing a man, then beheading him and setting fire to his body in what prosecutors called a thrill killing was sentenced Monday to life in prison without par
where:DETROIT, Michigan
when:doesnt say
how it happened:"I am grateful that you are going away for the rest of your life, because in my view I believe you will kill again," Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Annette Berry said.
Orlewicz was convicted last month of first-degree murder in the November 7 slaying of Daniel Sorensen, 26, in Canton Township.
Sorensen's father, James Sorensen, called the killing "the ultimate act of cowardice."
As James Sorensen choked back tears, he told the court: "My son was a victim of a person seeking a trophy."
The defense had argued that Orlewicz killed the much larger Sorensen in self defense and mutilated the body because he feared reprisal by organized crime figures.

may 13,08

2008-05-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Rape victim pushes for expanded DNA database
who:Laura Neuman
what:Laura Neuman was raped when she was 18 years old. It took nearly 20 years to identify her attacker, even though he'd been arrested six times before her attack and at least six times afterward.
where:WASHINGTON
when:nearly 20 years ago
what happened:Alphonso Hill pleaded guilty in September 2002 to raping Neuman and was sent to prison for 15 years. A DNA sample, taken in prison, led to charges in six other rape cases.
Police say he's also a suspect in at least 20 rapes in the Baltimore, Maryland, area. Hill denies raping any women besides Neuman, and his lawyer wouldn't comment.
If Hill is eventually proven guilty, Neuman believes that he could have been stopped.
"He could have been caught sooner if DNA had been taken and he had been matched to the cases that were unsolved," she said.
"For me, it would have made a profound difference in having the case solved sooner and for many of these women, their cases would have been solved sooner."

may 7, 08

2008-05-07T06:46:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Georgia killer executed after lethal injection moratorium

who:William Earl Lynd
what:A Georgia man convicted of kidnapping and killing his girlfriend was executed Tuesday.
where:ATLANTA, Georgia
when:Tuesday.
how it happened:William Earl Lynd was the first inmate to die by injection since September, when the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider whether the three-drug combination represented cruel and unusual punishment.
The process began at 7:34 p.m. and ended 17 minutes later at 7:51 p.m., said Paul Czachowski, public affairs manager for the Georgia Department of Corrections. "The condemned declined to make a last statement or accept a prayer; he remained quiet and calm throughout the whole procedure," he said.
Lynd, 53, had requested as his last meal two pepper jack BBQ burgers with crisp onions, two baked potatoes with sour cream, bacon and cheese and a large strawberry milkshake -- all from a local restaurant.

may 6, 08

2008-05-06T06:38:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Defense: Officer's trial will uncover rogue cops

who:Kathryn Johnston, 92
what:The attorney for a former police officer charged in a botched drug raid in which an elderly woman was shot to death described a renegade Atlanta narcotics unit that routinely planted drugs and lied to obtain search warrants.
where:ATLANTA, Georgia
why:they dont know because he is court now
how it happened:Kathryn Johnston, 92, was killed November 26, 2006, shot 39 times as plainclothes narcotics officers busted into her home using a "no-knock" warrant. Johnston fired one shot from a pistol as police were breaking down her door, but she did not hit any of the officers.

may5,08

2008-05-05T06:43:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Pregnant teller: Gunman stopped co-workers from helping her
who: Katherin Shuffield, 30,
where: INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana
what: A pregnant bank teller who lost the twins she was carrying after being shot during a holdup choked back tears Saturday as she recalled lying on the bank's floor, bleeding and pleading for help, as the gunman demanded money from her co-workers
when:April 22
how it happened:Katherin Shuffield, 30, said the masked gunman jumped over her teller station and shot her once in the abdomen April 22 just after the Huntington Bank branch had opened for the day.
As she lay bleeding on the floor, she said the gunman, who remains at large, refused to let her co-workers call 911 to get her medical assistance.
"I said, 'Please help me! He shot me, he shot me! My babies!' He didn't let anybody do anything because he was more worried about taking the money," Shuffield said during a news conference at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.
Two days after the shooting, Shuffield, who was five months pregnant, lost her twin girls. She remains hospitalized with an infection created by the bullet that passed through her abdomen.
Her husband, Jason, pushed her in a wheelchair Saturday to a media room where she spent 20 minutes recounting her ordeal and the heartbreak of losing their twins after a pregnancy that had recently become easier after a difficult first three months.
Katherin Shuffield said that she started working at the bank branch in March 2007 and that since then it had been robbed three times, including the April 22 holdup.

2008-04-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Incest family hold 'astonishing' reunion
who:Josef Fritzl @ 73
what:Family members at the center of a bizarre incest and imprisonment case spanning 24 years have held an "astonishing" reunion, medical officials say.Investigators say 73-year-old Josef Fritzl held his daughter, Elisabeth, captive in a cellar for 24 years. He raped her repeatedly, they say, and eventually fathered seven of her children.
where:AMSTETTEN, Austria
when: for the past 24 years
how it happened:Elisabeth and two of her children were reunited Sunday with three of her other children and her mother, Kepplinger said Tuesday. The three children and her mother lived in the home above the cellar.
Elisabeth's eldest child, 19-year-old Kerstin Fritzl, remains in hospital.
A seventh child died years ago, shortly after birth. Fritzl told police he burned the infant's body in a furnace.
The story of the family's imprisonment began to unravel a week ago, when Kerstin fell seriously ill with convulsions and was hospitalized.
Austrian police Wednesday denied reports that they were investigating possible links between Fritzl and the unsolved murder of a woman.
Franz Polzer, director of the Lower Austrian Bureau of Criminal Affairs, said Fritzl had owned an Austrian hotel near where a woman was found murdered decades ago. However, they were not investigating the incident at this stage.

april 29,2008

2008-04-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

At least 140 homes hit by Virginia tornadoes

who:the people in Virginia who suffered from the tonrado
what:Virginians faced a massive cleanup project Tuesday after at least three tornadoes damaged dozens of homes and injured more than 200 people.
where:SUFFOLK, Virginia
when:Monday
how it happened:At least 200 were injured Monday in Suffolk, where a twister destroyed several homes and businesses, said Bob Spieldenner of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management

april 28,08

2008-04-28T06:43:00.000-07:00

Who:Dr. Brad Leuwerke,
What:If you're like us, you eat out more than ever -- and, as nice as it is to not have to cook, those meals out can actually feel like work. How do you navigate the minefields of huge portions, hidden fats, and sky-high sodium levels?
Where:olive garden
When:DOESN'T SAY
What happened:You shouldn't have to resign yourself to paying for restaurant meals with a future cardiac risk. You just need to know where to go to find healthy, fresh food. To that end, we went out into the world of sit-down restaurants, looking to separate the (whole) wheat from the chaff43 chains with more than 75 locations across the country and, frankly, were astonished by how many restaurants made

2008-04-25T06:41:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Cops not guilty in groom shooting
who:Detective Marc Cooper & Sean Bell and Nicole Paultre
what:A judge acquitted three New York Police Department detectives of all charges Friday morning in the shooting death of an unarmed man in a 50-bullet barrage, hours before he was to be married.
where:NEW YORK
when:before dawn on his wedding day
how it happened:was killed just before dawn on his wedding day, November 25, 2006. He and several friends were winding up an all-night bachelor party at the Kalua Club in Queens, a strip club that was under investigation by a NYPD undercover unit looking into complaints of guns, drugs and prostitution.

april 21,2008

2008-04-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Moms' new battle: The food price bulge
Moms struggling with prices
who:Christina Pond ,
what:Beyond clipping coupons, families are embracing generic grocery brands, and making their own baby food and detergent.
where:NEW YORK what happened:As American families face the double whammy of higher gas and food prices, moms nationwide are resorting to considerable ingenuity to stretch their monthly grocery budget. Christina Pond of Arlington, Texas, makes her own detergent.As a result, she's been able to bring down her monthly grocery bill to under $200.

april 18,08

2008-04-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Avalanches knock out power to Alaska's capital
who:Bruce Botelho
what:Massive avalanches destroyed transmission lines and support towers to a dam that supplies 85 percent of the electricity for Alaska's capital, and utility rates could quintuple for months until repairs are made, officials said.
where:Juneau, Alaska,
when:The series of avalanches hit at 4 a.m. Wednesday, taking out 1.5 miles of power transmission
what happened:Repairing the line is estimated to cost $5 million to $10 million, said McLeod, but conditions are too unstable at the site to assess the situation from the groundOne in five households in Juneau are heated with electricity, according to the city

april, 16,08

2008-04-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Rape a child, pay with your life, Louisiana argues
where:ANGOLA, Louisiana
who:Kennedy, 43,
what:He is not a killer, but the state of Louisiana is determined to execute Patrick Kennedy for his crime.
what happened:Unlike the 3,300 inmates awaiting execution nationwide -- including the 94 other men at Angola -- Kennedy, 43, is a convicted rapist. The victim was his 8-year-old stepdaughter.
when:Wednesday

april 14,08

2008-04-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article

Custody hearings planned for sect's children

what:An investigation of abuse at the private ranch of a polygamous sect is moving to a Texas courthouse this week as the state argues to retain custody of 416 children removed from their parents.
where:SAN ANGELO, Texas
when:
how it happened:"The size, the scope of this effort is unprecedented," attorney Guy Choate said. "It's terribly important to the State Bar of Texas that everyone have access to justice."
Child welfare laws require each child in state custody to have an attorney.
A scheduling hearing to determine which cases will be addressed first and other procedural issues was set for Monday. A judge was to begin addressing custody issues at a hearing Thursday.
who:Three mothers

april 10.08

2008-04-11T06:44:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Murder charges await Marine captured in Mexico

where:MEXICO CITY, Mexico
who:Cesar Laurean,
what: Authorities in North Carolina waited Friday for extradition proceedings to return a fugitive Marine, captured in Mexico, to face murder charges.
when:Friday
how it happened:U.S. Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean, the main suspect in the killing of a 20-year-old pregnant Marine, was captured Thursday night, three months after fleeing North Carolina, the FBI said

april 9, 08

2008-04-09T06:51:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Club Mansion bouncers accused of beating patrons
who:
what:Miami Beach police have charged at least eight Club Mansion bouncers with beating three spring breakers over a disputed bar tab.
where:SOUTH BEACH Club Mansion
when:friday april 4,08
how it happened:At South Beach's Club Mansion, $700 will get you a bottle of liquor and a spot at a VIP table for a few hours.
It does not, however, buy your safety.
Or so it seems four days after as many as 11 bouncers inside the posh nightclub at 1235 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, bludgeoned three University of Delaware seniors over a disputed bill, according to Miami Beach police.After about two hours, a waitress told the three men they had to give up their table for other patrons. Then they were told their tab for the vodka was $700.
Surprised by the amount, the students asked twice to see a bill. Twice they were refused.
At this point, they were ushered into a back room, which was packed with bouncers. When the young men again refused to pay without seeing a tab, employees of the club turned physical.
''They started pounding on the boys,'' Dennis said.

april,8.08

2008-04-08T06:38:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Police seek IDs of girls abused in sex tapes

who:Matthew Kent Sheley, 36
what:Police in Hallandale Beach, Florida, are looking for at least two victims of underage sexual abuse seen in videotapes found in the apartment of a man arrested last week on child pornography charges.
where:Sheley was arrested after police received five videos showing attacks on two girls, both about 7 to 9 years old, from a property manager cleaning
when:last week
how it happened:Although the faces of neither Sheley nor the girls are shown in the video, police identified him through star tattoos on his left arm and hand that are seen in the video, Casper said.

april 7, 08

2008-04-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Lovestruck guard helped inmates escape

who:Amber Lynn Goff
what:A former prison guard romantically involved with one of the two inmates she helped escape pleaded guilty Friday to a federal firearms charge, telling relatives she now realizes she was used.
where:WICHITA, Kansas
when:some time last week
how it happened:Goff wrote that she received a cell phone call from Ford the evening of the escape. She said she used bolt cutters to cut through the padlock securing an outer gate and drove onto the grounds.
"I approached the outermost wire perimeter fence on foot and used bolt cutters to cut through this fence in order to assist Ford and Bell in their escape from the El Dorado Correctional facility," Goff wroteGoff's family said she had a romantic relationship with Ford before the escape

3-25-08

2008-03-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Drew Peterson: It's 'very lonely' without Stacy

WHO:Drew Peterson
WHAT:Jobless and with no prospects, Drew Peterson spends his days taking care of his four children: cooking meals, washing clothes, helping with homework. All the while, he does so knowing that most of the world believes he killed his last two wives.
WHERE:BOLINGBROOK, Illinois
WHEN:the past 4 months
WHAT HAPPENED:Nearly five months have passed since Stacy Peterson vanished from the couple's home in this Chicago suburb.
Peterson is a suspect in her disappearance, and authorities are also trying to determine if he had any role in the 2004 death of his ex-wife.
The 54-year-old former police officer knows that he could be locked up anytime, and that is part of why he allowed The Associated Press into his home for an exclusive interview.

3-24-08

2008-03-24T06:38:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

*Coast Guard: 4 dead, 1 missing in fishing vessel's sinking*
*WHO:*Capt. Eric Peter Jacobsen, chief engineer Daniel Cook, mate David Silveira and crewman Byron Carrillo.
*WHAT:*The U.S. Coast Guard searched through the night for a crew member missing after his fishing vessel sank Sunday in the frigid waters off Alaska's Aleutian Islands, killing four others.
*WHERE:*Alaska's Aleutian Islands
*WHEN:*Sunday
* WHAT HAPPENED:*The Seattle, Washington-based Alaska Ranger was moving in 10-foot seas amid winds of 30 to 35 mph when it reported water leaking into the steering gear compartment about 2:50 a.m. Sunday.Without a survival suit, generally your survival time is less than 30 minutes," They were incredibly brave, hard-working men," the company said in a statement. "Our hearts are broken."
A nearby ship, the Alaska Warrior, rescued 25 crew members, while the Coast Guard retrieved the rest of the crew, the firm said.
"We do not have sufficient information to determine why the vessel foundered," the company said. "We will do everything possible to find out what occurred with the hope that something can be learned that will be of value to the fishing community."

3/14/08

2008-03-17T06:39:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Searchers find possible graves at Manson compound

who:Charles Manson
what:Bone-white stretches of salt, leached up from the lifeless soil, lay like a shroud over the high desert where a paranoid Charles Manson holed up after an orgy of murder nearly four decades ago.
where:DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, California
what happened:Now, as then, few venture into this alkaline wilderness -- gold-diggers, outlaws, loners content to live and let live.
But a determined group of outsiders recently made the trek. They were leading forensic investigators searching for new evidence of death -- clues pointing to possible decades-old clandestine graves.
And the results of just-completed followup tests suggest bodies could indeed be lying beneath the parched ground. The test findings -- described in detail to The Associated Press, which had accompanied the site search -- conclude there are two likely clandestine grave sites at Barker Ranch, and one additional site that merits further investigation.
Next step, the ad hoc investigators urge: Dig.The same jailhouse confessions that helped investigators initially connect the band of misfits living in the Panamint Mountains to the gruesome killings that terrorized Los Angeles hinted at other deaths. Manson follower Susan Atkins boasted to her cell mate on November 1, 1969, that there were "three people out in the desert that they done in." Other stories surfaced. In the absence of bodies, they were forgotten.

2-14-08

2008-03-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

*Dupre's MySpace page evolves with scandal*
WHAT: In three days, Ashley Alexandra Dupre went from being an unknown 22-year-old aspiring musician to the fifth most-searched subject on Google because of her alleged sexual encounters with New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
WHO:Ashley Alexandra Dupre
WHERE:New York
WHEN:In three days
WHAT HAPPENED:At the same time, she appeared to have jumped on her MySpace page, which was identified by the Times, and a Facebook profile with the same name and photos.
It seemed she was trying to stay one step ahead of journalists, attempting to limit what information they could access.
She was seemingly aware that the press would have access to her friends and every word, photo and comment on her profiles, so she began by deleting connections between her friends on Facebook.
Facebook and MySpace have become one of the go-to background tools for journalists in the past couple of years, allowing members of the press to put a face to the subject of their story and find out more about them.

2-10-08

2008-03-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article

Law to make tongue kissing minors a sex offense
who:State legislators & Gov. Timothy Kaine
what: State legislators passed a law Saturday that would require adults who French kiss a child younger than 13 to register as a sex offender.
where:RICHMOND, Virginia
when:last week
what happened:Those convicted of tongue-kissing a child would be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine. The House of Delegates passed the legislation 96-1 and the Senate 39-0.

2-7-08

2008-03-07T06:38:00.000-08:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

"Thousands mourn slain UNC student; cops search for killer"

WHO:Eve Carson
WHAT:Thousands of students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill gathered Thursday to remember student body president Eve Carson, who was shot and killed in a suburban neighborhood near campus.
WHERE:UNC-Chapel Hill, Georgia
WHEN:Thursday
WHAT HAPPENED:The Chapel Hill Police Department confirmed earlier Thursday that Carson, 22, had been shot and killed.
Officers responding to a report of gunshots around 5 a.m. Wednesday, in a neighborhood about a mile from campus, found her body lying in an intersection, police said

2/5/08

2008-03-05T06:48:00.000-08:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

WHO:Paramedic Rafael Vazquez & Alburn Edward Blake
WHAT: Recordings of 911 calls made as a gunman rampaged through a fast-food restaurant capture the screams, moans and banging that ensued after he killed a paramedic at the counter and fired at panicked customers.
WHERE:WEST PALM BEACH, Florida
WHEN:Monday
WHAT HAPPENED:A surveillance video shows gunman Alburn Edward Blake entering the Wendy's restaurant during the lunch rush Monday and going straight to the bathroom, authorities said Tuesday.
He emerged minutes later to fatally shoot Lt. Rafael Vazquez, who had gone back into the restaurant to exchange a kid's meal toy his child had received.
Blake then fired about 20 additional shots -- more than there were people in the entire restaurant -- wounding four others, authorities said.
The 911 tapes recorded the sounds made as customers frantically called for help. Patrons screamed and dived for cover as the gunman fired.
"Then you can see him return to the center of the restaurant where he shoots himself in the head and takes his own life," said Capt. Jack Strenges of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. "He stood silent the whole time."

02-04-08

2008-03-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

*WHO: six people and two childern
*WHAT:Six people were killed, including two children, in a home Monday in Memphis, Tennessee, authorities said. Three other children were wounded.
*WHERE:Memphis, Tennessee
*WHEN:Monday
*WHAT HAPPENED:We just don't know the motive or cause of death, but we do have four adults and two children The four dead adults were shot and the two children were stabbed, sources told CNN affiliate WMC-TV.
At least one of the wounded children also was stabbed, police told the Commercial Appeal newspaper.
Memphis Fire Department spokeswoman Melanie Young said firefighters responded to a 911 call at a home at 6:11 p.m. Monday and found the bodies and wounded children.
A 7-year-old boy, a 10-month-old girl and a 4-year-old whose gender wasn't immediately known were taken to Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center.

02/29/08

2008-02-29T06:38:00.000-08:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

*Deputy, 2 daughters fatally shot at home*
*WHO:
*WHAT:A deputy and her two young daughters were found shot to death at their Lawrenceville, Georgia, home Thursday night, police said.
*WHERE:
*WHEN:
*WHAT HAPPENED:

feb27/08

2008-02-27T06:41:00.000-08:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

*Father of slain girl to file suit over failed search*
*WHAT:Mark Lunsford, whose daughter Jessica was abducted, raped and killed by a neighbor in 2005, is planning to sue the Citrus County, Florida, sheriff for failing to search the neighbor's home, Lunsford's attorneys said.
*WHERE:Citrus County, Florida
*WHEN:February 2005.
*WHO:Mark Lunsford,daughter Jessica
WHAT HAPPENED:The proposed lawsuit, which has not yet been filed, claims that if law enforcement officers had searched the mobile home of John Couey, the registered sex offender convicted of Jessica's rape and murder, instead of just searching the home's yard the night the 9-year-old girl disappeared, she would have been discovered

2/26/08

2008-02-26T06:41:00.000-08:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

*Mother to 911 operator: 'I killed my babies'*
WHO:A girl, 6, and two boys, ages 5 and 1 & Leatrice Brewer, 27
WHAT:Three young children found dead in their apartment appeared to have been drowned or poisoned, and one had her throat cut, police said Monday.
WHERE:GARDEN CITY, New York
WHEN:Monday.
WHAT HAPPENED:"They almost looked as though they were sleeping," he said. "It almost looked like they were cuddled up together for the night."Foaming around the children's mouths and noses could be a symptom of drowning or poisoning, Fleming said. Toxicology tests will be conducted with autopsies.A girl, 6, and two boys, ages 5 and 1, were found dead in a bed wearing their night clothes after their mother called police early Sunday claiming she had killed them.When officers arrived, she repeated the murder claim and jumped out a second-floor window of the building in a poor section of New Cassel on Long Island. Brewer, who has an arrest record dating to 2000, was hospitalized for a back injury.

02-25-07

2008-02-25T06:39:00.000-08:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

** New York mother charged in deaths of 3 children**
*WHO:Leatrice Brewer
*WHAT:A mother has been charged with murder in the death of her three children
*WHERE:Long Island,NEW YORK
*WHEN: Sunday shortly before 9 a.m
*WHAT HAPPENED:first-degree murder and and three counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Jewell Ward, 6, Michael Demesyeux, 5, and Innocent Demesyeux, 18 months

02-22-08

2008-02-22T06:40:00.000-08:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

** Scouts' two-day hike from Broward ends at Haulover**
*WHO: boy scouts & 1 girl scout troop, troop 529
*WHAT:BOY AND GIRL SCOUTS HIKED 35 MILES ALONG A HISTORIC TRAIL THAT ENDED IN MIAMI BEACH
*WHERE: they started @ pompano beach and camped at Haulover Park and finished @ the south point of south beach Beach View Park, 5041 Collins Ave., Miami Beach.
*WHEN: February 1-3, 2008
*WHST HAPPENED:Girl Scouts and leaders from across South Florida who participated in the 44th Barefoot Mailman Hike last weekend and more than 300 Boy Scouts.The Barefoot Mailman Hike is held every year to commemorate the original barefoot mailmen who traveled a similar path along the beach to deliver mail from Palm Beach to Miami in the late 1800s. They took off their shoes to make it easier to walk.

02/20/08

2008-02-20T06:44:00.000-08:00

Read a news article on http://www.cnn.com/, http://www.foxnews.com/, or http://www.msnbc.com/ and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

*Teacher gets 6 years for sex with teens*

*WHO: Allenna Ward, 24

*WHAT:A former middle school teacher was sent to prison for six years Tuesday for having sexual encounters with five teenage boys.

*WHERE:LAURENS, South Carolina

*WHEN:Tuesday

*WHAT HAPPENED:Authorities said Allenna Ward, 24, met 14- and 15-year-old boys at the school where she taught as well as at a motel, a park and behind a restaurant.
"I apologize from the depths of my heart," Ward said in court.
Police began investigating last year after school officials found a note believed to have been written by Ward to one of the boys. Some of the victims were students at Bell Street Middle School in Clinton, where Ward taught. She was fired about a year ago.

feb/19/08

2008-02-19T07:25:00.000-08:00

Read a news article on http://www.cnn.com/, http://www.foxnews.com/, or http://www.msnbc.com/ and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

**Police: Dead student victim of serial rapist**

WHO:Brianna Denison

WHAT:A 19-year-old college student missing since she was abducted nearly a month ago was strangled by a serial rapist who has attacked at least two other women and may strike again, Reno police said Saturday.

WHERE:RENO, Nevada

WHEN:Friday February 15,2008

WHAT HAPPENED:An autopsy confirmed that a dead woman found Friday in a brush-covered field near a business park was Brianna Denison and that she died of strangulation

02-15-08

2008-02-15T06:39:00.000-08:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

** Former student kills 6 at Northern Illinois University, sparks 'chaos'**
*WHO:Zach Seward
*WHAT:A gunman dressed in black stepped from behind a curtain at the front of a large lecture hall at Northern Illinois University on Thursday and shot 21 people, six of them fatally, then shot and killed himself, said university President John Peters. Four died at the scene, including the shooter, and three later died at a hospital, officials said.
At least 22 people, including the gunman and a graduate student who was teaching an ocean sciences class, were shot
*WHERE: DEKALB, Illinois
*WHEN: Late Thursday
*WHAT HAPPEND:Late Thursday, dozens of students gathered on campus for a candlelight prayer vigil. Video footage showed students comforting one another and a young man playing guitar

2-13-08

2008-02-13T06:50:00.000-08:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.
** Lenny Kravitz Hospitalized In Miami Beach**
*Who:Lenny Kravitz
*What:Donovan says Kravitz was suffering from dehydration and fatigue, and that doctors advised him to check into the hospital.
*Where:Mt. Sinai Hospital in miami beach
*When:this week
*What Happened:Doctors at Mt. Sinai Hospital are treating rocker and Miami Beach resident Lenny Kravitz for bronchitis and dehydration; he's postponing his upcoming European tour because of the illness.

2/11/08

2008-02-11T06:39:00.000-08:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

** Official: U.S. to seek death for 9/11 detainees **
*Who:Khalid Sheikh Mohammed,Mohammed al-Qahtani
*What:The United States will seek the death penalty against six Guantanamo Bay detainees who are suspects in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a senior U.S. official said.
*When:today
*What Happened:All six suspects are accused of helping plan the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, the official said

02/06/08

2008-02-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

**Son held, answers few in killings of 'normal' family**
**Who:Nicholas Browning
**What:
**Where:
**When:
**Why:
**What Happened:

2008-02-05T05:48:00.000-08:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

**Bail Denied For Teenager In Family Slaying**
*WHO:*Nicholas Waggoner Browning
*WHAT:*
*WHERE:*
*WHAT HAPPENED:*
*WHEN:*

02-04-08

2008-02-04T06:44:00.000-08:00

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

**Suspect says Holloway's body dumped 'like an old rag'**
*Who:Natalee Holloway
*What:a suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway from the island of Aruba. a tape was found with the voice of Joran van der Sloot on it.
*Where: Aruba, and Alabama, arnhem in netherlands
*When:Sunday
*What Happened:He went out to sea and then he threw her out, like an old rag, not even sure if she really was dead he said he doesnt know what happened they were on the beach...suddenly she wasnt moving any more,i tried to shake her i was shaking that bitch, i almost wanted to cry why does thuis shit always happen to me. He then called a friend who took her body out in a boat and duimpwed it in the ocean and he said he hasnt lost a night of sleep because of this

Jan30/08

2008-01-30T06:42:00.000-08:00

Read a news article on http://www.cnn.com/, http://www.foxnews.com/, or http://www.msnbc.com/ and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

** New Orleans cop shot to death with her own gun **

*Who: Officer Nicola Cotton, 24,

*What: A man who was stopped for questioning beat and wrestled a gun away from a New Orleans police officer and shot her to death..

*Where:NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana

*When:two weeks ago.

*What Happened:He allegedly shot her once in the head and began to walk away. But he came back and shot her three more times,Police say a surveillance camera captured the killing.

1/23/08

2008-01-23T06:51:00.000-08:00

Read a news article on http://www.cnn.com/, http://www.foxnews.com/, or http://www.msnbc.com/ and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

**Autopsy planned as actor Heath Ledger is mourned**

Who:Heath Ledger
What:possible drug overdose
Where:Lower Manhattan apartment
When:Tuesday
What Happened:Ledger was found dead Tuesday of a possible drug overdose in a Lower Manhattan apartment, the New York Police Department said. Ledger was 28.

jan/22/08

2008-01-22T06:39:00.000-08:00

**Deaths in skeleton mystery ruled homicides**

Who:Eight men & Erik D. Cohler, 21,John C. Blevins, 38,
What:skeletal remains were discovered
When: Friday
Where: Fort Myers,WEST PALM BEACH, Florida
What Happened:Authorities would not say how the victims died, citing the ongoing investigation. A surveyor found the first skeleton in March in a wooded area just outside downtown. Police soon discovered seven others nearby. No flesh remained on the bones, which appeared to have been chewed on by animals. There were no clothes or personal items, either, and police have been struggling to identify them.Conahan is also suspected in at least five other slayings of young men dubbed the Hog Trail Murders because of the swampy, wooded locations where the nude bodies were found in the mid-1990s. Those cases remain unsolved.

12/15/07

2007-12-14T06:42:00.000-08:00

Please log on to cnn.com, fox.com or msnbc.com and read one current event. Give a 2 paragraph summary and your interpretation of the events.

I read a story about two students who were shot at thier college campus. The two students were found shot to death inside thier dorm up in Louisana State University. They dont have an suspects yet. the police came to the campus @ 10:30pm on thursday night when they were checking the permiss.

I think its sad what happened to those two students.It's also scary in a way of looking @ it because now everyone that stays on that campus and the people the work or attend the school are now put into danger and at risk or endangerment

decemeber 12 2007

2007-12-12T06:49:00.000-08:00

Please log on to cnn.com, fox.com or msnbc.com and read one current event. Give a 2 paragraph summary and your interpretation of the events.

I read an upsetting article about a young boy who fought a four year cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma which is a fast-growing, highly malignant tumour which accounts for over half of the soft tissue sarcomas in children. So as his years of suffering he decsided to write a book about the pain, fear and all the things that he and the family that had face and put up with. He died with in a few days after his thirteenth birthday. The bok was published and it was titled "Ten Needles" which represents how many shots he took everyday. The cancer began to apper at the age of nine with a small lump on his hands and it spread from there.

12/10

2007-12-10T06:40:00.000-08:00

Please log on to cnn.com, fox.com or msnbc.com and read one current event. Give a 2 paragraph summary and your interpretation of the events

I read an article about this man that who stopped at a gas station to fill his tank up with gas. While his wife was sitting inside in the passengers seat another man jumped into the car driving off with his wife in the car, leaving the man at the gas station stranded. Once the wife and the highjacker got on to the main road they ran straight into an 18-axial trucks killing both of them this happened on thursday or firday. Both the woman adn ther highjackker were both dead once the impact huit them and the woman went flying throught the windsheild. Both died that day in an instant.

decemeber 5th

2007-12-05T06:42:00.000-08:00

Finish this sentence: I was most disappointed when... describe in detail a time when you were most disappointed. What happened? What caused the events?

i am most disapointed when they told em that i couldn't run for class of 09 president because my GPA was to low and i could particapte int eh election. I felt like i let everyone who told me i would make a good president down and so then i decided to ruyn for secertary and still lost because the girl that was running agaisntst me they mistaken her for anopther popular girl and so they voted for her and i dont think that its fair some people are born with leadership quailties and if you dont use it you loose it and so i think it doesn't matter what the GPa is as long as they aren't failing terribly and i am not.

december 3,2007

2007-12-03T06:49:00.000-08:00

You have an extra $1,000,000 to give away; you cannot spend it on yourself. What would you do with the money? Describe what you would do with it in detail.

If i had $1,000,000.00 to give away i would donate some of it to charoties and the poor and unwealthy familes in other countires and here in the US to. I would donate the money to the womens club, the susan b. cancer assiocation, and the boys and girls club. I would feed the homeless and help

2007-11-28T16:35:00.000-08:00

What is something you dislike about yourself? Describe it in detail. Why don’t you like this particular attribute?

To many peple they would say beauty comes at a high price and so therefore i would agree but my most dislike image of myslef would be the fact that i have a extremely bad problem with my name biting and it has become something that has effected my life in a way of speaking.I dont like this attribute because people look @ me differently, people judge me because of it the accuse me of an anxiousity problem and that im self concioous and etc. but its not that honestly im not sure what the problem is but i just do it and i kno i shouldnt.

nov 27th 07

2007-11-27T06:42:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen a ghost or heard a noise that could not be explained by any rational explanation? If so describe the occurrence. What happened? Describe the entity you saw or sound you heard. If you have not, do you believe that there are spirits of dead people dwelling in our world? Do you know anyone who claims to have had an encounter such as this? Do you believe them?

I personally haven't but i have been told that my great grandmother was psychic and had this thing where you thik about someone and the next day they would call or something would happen to them or something she would have these strange occuring dreams of death,unicorns etc. i never had the opporntunity to meet her but i was told she was an outstanding unique woman. I do believe and sometimes i feel like they are around especailly in cemintaries, or funreal homes or other place like that

nov 26th 07

2007-11-26T06:45:00.000-08:00

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? Is there any special location that you would like to go to? Have you been there before? What is your impression of this place?

I would live in ALASKA. because it is like waking up to a fairytale setting every day. Not really because alaska has a very small population there are only two main roads. Yes i have been there i went over the summer for two weeks. This place would probably be somewhere where i'd live but not forever probably only for a while.Because it gets so cold and the time change and the altitude it would take a lot of adjusting to do but it is an amazing place very breathtaking and i would recomend everyone to see it before they die

nov/19/07

2007-11-19T06:47:00.000-08:00

What is your most indispensable possession and why? What possession of yours is most special? What make it so special? How did you acquire it?

My most indispensable possession would be either my mothers wedding dress or the jewlery from when i was a baby. I used to always wear a gold cross, a gold braclet with three december rinestones on it, and my little gold cross shaped earing or the heart shaped earings. I was that little girl that you would see walking around in a little pink or white poofy dress with the ruffles underneath and the pink patanleather dress shoes.with my hair all up looking like a little waterfountain and i'd always remeber that jewlery would be on me. As I age to be older some day i will find the man that i wish to spend the rest of my life with and i wana wear my mother wedding dress

11/14/07

2007-11-14T06:48:00.000-08:00

Read the article located at this link. Write your opinion on the matter. Is calling the man hispanic to describe what he looks like a racist statement or not?

i think that calling aman hispanic is not a racist comment it is a way of decribing the man and what he apears to look like. I would have to say that being one of the few parts of the percentage of "white" in this school i dont get affended by someone decribing me as white because its true that what i am and i accept that. Depending on how those words are used would make it racist or not.In this article it is racist but for example if you were to say oh yea my english class is located down the hispanic hallway that isn't racist thats decribing what hallway my english class is down. But if you were to say that boy is an ugly hispanic then maybe that would be considered racist but people these days dont realize it racist is having hatred against someone due to thier culture or background.But yes it is a racist and then it puts a reputation on the hispanics that they are rapists or that they do thinkgs that cause them to be wanted or something.

novemeber 9/2007

2007-11-09T06:40:00.000-08:00

The best lesson my grandparent (or parent or any relative) ever taught me was… (describe what and why)

I have been taught many things from my parents and relatives. One that ive learned form my mother is that if u make mom happy the world is happy, walk with ur head held high now matter what i learned from my grandfather and my father has always taught me to speak my opinion and my brother has always taught me that i can do anything i put my mind to and i can do anything i want and be anyone i want.

2007-11-07T06:54:00.000-08:00

If you and your best friend could have a free limo for 24 hours, where would you go and what would you do? Describe in detail what you would do.

hmmmm if i had a limo and my best friend for 24 hours.i'd probably just drive around because one its free and second well i have it for 24 hours so im gonna use it for 24 hrs so i would probably have a driver just drive and my best friend and i would just sit in the hot tub and talk or lay on the seats and drink and eat like crazy and who knows where it would lead to and so therefore i would just sit in the limo and hang out inside it. I know its doesn't sound like fun but when u put me and my best friend in the limo together we make fun happen and thats that!!!! Every girl would say "oh lets go shopping" or something but really why have a free limo for 24hours if ur going to spend ur time in the mall if u ask me i think thats POINTLESS but whateva so yea Barbie want to go for a ride lol =]

novemeber 6/2007

2007-11-06T06:58:00.000-08:00

Describe a dream that you had recently. Provide as many details as possible. What do you think the dream meant? Did it disturb you or did it make you feel good? Why?

Barbie doesn't have dreams she makes dreams happen and i am made of rubber matreial and a toy. Therefore i am barbie and i don't have dreams lol =D just kidding

novemeber 5,2007

2007-11-05T06:37:00.000-08:00

Write an entry telling another person something that you are too afraid or reluctant to tell them. Pretend you are actually talking to them either in a note or in person.

Dear chaz,
Well i understand that your are my older brother and that you care very greatly about me.But i must tell u that i am 16 and i am a junior and that im responsible for my own actions and sometimes i wish that you would understand that ur friends do wanna hang out with me and hang out and party together they aren't just YOUR friends they are my friends to and it bothers me when u tell me that i can't go to a party with u and ur friends even if i was invited and i understand that u dont wanna "babysit" but understand that and when i talk on the phone with ur friends and go places with ur friends i understand that u dont wanna loose ur friends but i wouldn't take them away from u. They will always be ur friends no matter wat and if they aren't then they oviously weren't ur true friends and they dont care. Latly u have been hanging out with my friends like lianet, and vanesah and janelle, laura and kathy those are my friends but i dont say that u can't hangout with them or go places and party with them so i dont think its fair that u do it to me im not a mean person i have common sense and i kno when to back off and not inbrass u but i dont think its fair that u can hang out with my friends but i cant hang out with urs thats makes no sense. so next time u go out consider the fact that I might want to go and that they are your FRIENDS but they are MY FRIENDS TOO =D
sincerly ur lil sis

october 31, 2007

2007-10-31T06:39:00.000-07:00

If you could be given one skill or ability, which would you want, why would you want it and what would you do with it?

If had an ability it would be to freeze people and time becuase then i could get everything i need to do that day done.This ablility would help me finsh everything and have time to myself. I would be able to test without rushing,take long hours of sleep wiothout loosing daylight and be able to study for my test until i felt prepared for them. I would help people out with this ability if some one needed to get home by a certain time thenm iwould freeze time until they were home and things like that.

october 29,2007

2007-10-29T06:36:00.000-07:00

Write about the most terrifying thing that has ever happened to you. What was it? What made it so frightening? How old were you? Would it be scary again today if it happened again?

The most scariest feeling for me would be when i have a loved one in the hospital and for bad reasons. I was a lucky girl growing up with three grandmothers sadly i never had a chance to meet my mothers mom and my father had his mother and his father got divorced and remarried.So i was lucky enough to have two living grandmothers. Sadly they both passed away due to heart problem/ Cancer one of the hardest times for me was when my fathers mother was in the hospital for surgury and i snuck in before the surgury to say hi and that i loved her i was the last person to see her before surgey and she passed away during surgery and ever since then it has been hard because she was a big part of my life. My father was in the hospital with low blood pressure and then it increased rapdily.so it was very scary and now as of october 26th he was admitted to the hospital and has been there since. So im hopeing they find out what is wrong and help him get over it. My mom works in the hospital she comes home and tells us about the emergencys or trumas that happen in the ER and so for someone i care greatly about to be in the hospital scares me and i think it always will. When my grandmother passed away i was 8 and 10 my father was recent and my brother is now being in the hospital is a scary thing for anyone.

10-24-07

2007-10-24T06:40:00.000-07:00

Write about the most exciting thing that ever happened to you. What was it? What made it so exciting? How old were you? Would it be exciting if you did it again?

The most exciting thing that has ever happened to me would be a very diffcult to say one particular thing I have seen plenty of exciting things like i've witnessed the birth of my babay cousin and i got to see the wildlife in Alaska and Colordao the Rocky Mountains, I am one of the fewest people to actually say that i have seen the top of Mount McKinley which isn't veiwed very often. I have had many expirences that i was excited to exprience all the things and i am very fortinate to expirence the thing i have already in my life. I have wintessed many things but i would say that one of my most exciting moments would be getting my period becuase that was the symbol on womanhood.

october 23, 2007

2007-10-23T06:44:00.000-07:00

Write about a belief you've discarded. Talk about why you no longer believe in this belief?

When i was younger i was always told to becareful with my feet going to bed because it was a possiblity that the footymoster would come and eat my feet to keep them away from the edge of the bed. My brother would tell me that he would come over while im @ school and lay there and wait til i went to bed and then if i didnt go near the egde of the bed then he would leave during the night becuase of the sun so i would jump onto my bed while grabbing my feet and making sure that the footymonster would eat my feet. =] funny childhood memories!

2007-10-22T17:36:00.000-07:00

Do you have chores or jobs that you have to do at home? What are they? Why do you have to do them? Do you like doing them?

Being part of a house with three other family memebers in it i hold plenty of responsiblity. Some of the duties i hold in my household beside being the youngest and keeping my grades up and being a good student would sthe dishes, vaccuming the floors, and mopping the floors, the laundry and sometimes i habe the honor of preparing the meals, i have to maitain my bedroom and the kitty liter.Then of course whatever else my mother requests to assits her in. Chores are chores they need to be done so we cant complain. To maitain the household so it remains clean

october 19 2007

2007-10-19T06:41:00.000-07:00

What holidays does your family celebrate (like Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah)? What do you do on those holidays?

I celebrate Christmas. Usually what my family does is we host a large christmas eve party where the adults have thier celebration and the kids have thiers.The adult celebration consists of going in my backyard and talking and drinking rum ancd egg nog or vodka & cranberry juice or something. The kids celebration includes games that pretain to this cheerful season we do a secert santa, we have one adult hide bow and we have to find them,we spin dradels (my borthers best friend's dad is jewish but thier mom isn't so when they celebrate thias holiday we usually play and do some jewish things) we even open one gift a peice. Another thing muy family and friends get together to do would be to eat, we eat A LOT of food and usually its pot luck we have my mom who cooks the ham and friends that bring mashed potatos and everything else i usually do my famous choclate creme pie and then the follwong day we wake up my dad makes breakfast which usually is eggs and candian bacon with toast and hot chocolate then we gather around the christmas tree and open presents usually a week before my girl scout troop and i wander out the neightborhood and sing christmas carols and bake cookies. then the foloowing day after christmas would be my best friend chloe's birthday so then uisually we;'ll do something for her birthday then the following day we would celebrate my birthday and do something then usually after we will sllep @ one of our houses and finish off the birthday cake and look sat out presents and just chill =]

October 16, 2007

2007-10-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

Write about your favorite and least favorite teachers. Why do you like them or dislike them? What can they do to be better teachers in your eyes?

My favorite teachers my high school career would have to be.....hmmm.... oh yea duh! Mr. Enriquez because he had a way of teaching that was unique and it wasn't perminate and i enjoy that class enviorment much better therefore I'm more willing to learn plus it help when you get along with the teacher.I seem to do better in classes i have more intrest in and also the classes with the better teachers. You are a good example of what kind of teachers i enjoy being taught from becuase you have something other teachers lack and that would be a SENSE OF HUMOR! and is able to enjoy the learning enviorment

October 15, 2007

2007-10-15T06:47:00.000-07:00

Write about your best friends. Who are they? Why do you like them? What do you do together for fun?

My Best Friends whould be Chloe and Criesth they have always been there for me adnd to pick me up when im down. I also know that they are great, smart and two of rthe worlds coolest people. I really enjoy thier company and we can sit in a room and just do absoultly nothing not say a word and walk out of there knowing the whole world and the coolest part is that were live close or go to the same school.Criseth and i are both in the 11th grade and have a class together and lunch we love each others company and snese of fashion,advice and every little tyhing possible. i have jknown Chloe for about 14 years now and Criseth i have known for 6 year sbut it feels like were closer then that my mom says i should just move in with them because im alwasys on the phone with them hanging out and doing crazy fun little things that make life worth while. If theres a smile on my face theres a 99% chance that it envolves them. I don't like my best friends....i love them they are the two greatest people in this world (besides my family! ^.^)We never have fun its always an adventure @ the mall, or a blast @ the water parks or even just a relax laugh ur ass off @ my house or criseths house or even chloes house sometimes we'll gettogether just to rejuvinate and watch the sunset together and eating food of course ^.^

2007-10-12T06:45:00.000-07:00

Write about a time when you were brave. Describe the situation, do you believe that the experience made you a stronger person?

One time i was babysitting this little girl at the time was five and and so we were watching a movies and we ordered pizza and as we were eating this cheese pizza so then all at once the power went out and was out for about a half an hour and then the little girl casey that i was babysitting she was really scared and began crying then the dog started barking and the lighing and raining outside started to freak us both out but i had to calm her down and tell her that everything was okay and that i was there to protect her and all the encourageing stuff you usually say when a little child is scared.Then about an hour or so afterwards the light came back on and i showed her that everything was okay but while the lights were out we had to look for a flashlight and i had to make it fun so pretend that we were on amission and we hid under the chiars in the dining room and i made it fun and kept her mind off the whole out of power problem and we were pretending that we were running form the FBI and had to escape and hid where it was safe and i just had to crerate a senario. That was a fun night

october 10, 2007

2007-10-10T06:42:00.000-07:00

Write about a time when you were dishonest. Describe the situation, do you regret being dishonest?

I have been dishonest plenty of times. One time i recieved a failure notice and my mother and father were asking me if i was doing good in school and passing all my classes and of coarse i did all but one and to this day i still haven't mentioned the failure notice to my mom but one of the onbly reasons i didnt show her the failure notice was because it was ion english and i happen to enjoy english i mean im the type of kid that look foward to going to english and learning about that. but of course i didnt show it to her becuase she knows how much i enjoy that subject. And i try not to regret anything in life but when i look back to it i should have shwon it to her so that i could get the help i needed so i could have possibly passed it with a c or higher. One of the reasons i have troubles in school work and studdies isn't because im not focused i spent about 4-6 hours during school days and 7-8 hours during the weekend but i have a problem with taking tests and i dont know but i study for everything and know everything but then i freeze up and remeber it all after the papers get collected so thats another thing that i have been dishonest with is studying even though usually i do study just fail either way.

ocotber 9,2007

2007-10-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
Heroes may seem old-fashioned today. Many people are cynical and seem to enjoy discrediting role models more than creating new ones or cherishing those they already have. Some people, moreover, object to the very idea of heroes, arguing that we should not exalt individuals who, after all, are only flesh and blood, just like the rest of us. But we desperately need heroes—to teach us, to captivate us through their words and deeds, to inspire us to greatness.
Adapted from Psychology Today, "How To Be Great! What Does It Take To Be A Hero?"
Assignment:
Is there a value in celebrating certain individuals as heroes? Plan and write a blog in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

i BELIEVE THAT MOST PEOPLE HAVE ROLE MODELS AND I THINK ITS REALLY FOR THE BELEIVERS THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE OUT IN THIS WORLD DOING THE RIGHT THING BUT IT TAKES A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF COUARGE TO BE A ROLE MODEL AND TO BE ALWAYS DOING THE RIGHT THING.I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO ALWAYS DO THE RIGHT THING AND TO BE CATIOUS OF WHO IS WATCHING BUT IN THIS SOCIETY THAT WE LIVE IN NOW ITS HARD TO HAVE RULES OR GUIDELINES OF WHAT A ROLE MODEL IS AND HOW THEY SHOULD ACT. I AGREE WITH THE STATEMENT ABOUT CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS AS HEROS OVIOUSLY TAKE BRITTANY SPEARS SHE ONCE WAS A ROLE MODEL FOR KID BUT NOW AND FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS SHE HASN'T BEEN SUCH A GOOD ROLE MODEL

october 5,2007

2007-10-05T06:45:00.000-07:00

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the prompt below.
People are happy only when they have their minds fixed on some goal other than their own happiness. Happiness comes when people focus instead on the happiness of others, on the improvement of humanity, on some course of action that is followed not as a means to anything else but as an end in itself. Aiming at something other than their own happiness, they find happiness along the way. The only way to be happy is to pursue some goal external to your own happiness.
Are people more likely to be happy if they focus on goals other than their own happiness? Plan and write a blog in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

I think that an equal amount of both happiness and pursueing your goals.The only person that can persue your goals would be yourself and i think that if you persue your goals that should make your happiness level boost so i really don't see a way that one has more importances then the other in life. Especially since in life you have ups and downs that help you and sometimes may hurt but if you have happiness and goals in life you will mostly likely persue those gials by making your self happy. In my personal oppinion i think that they balance each other out and regardless of anyhting else you can increase your happiness by doing things for yourself like for example maybe your goal is to get your toenails done once every three weeks and once you do that your self-esteem increases and that a) made your goal and b)made you happy both internally and externally.

October 3, 2007

2007-10-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

Describe the last vacation or holiday you took. what made it special? How long ago did it occur? Does having a fun necessarily have to involve a certain place or certain people? Hypothetically speaking, which would you rather take, a three day holiday spent at home, but with your favorite people to spend with your favorite people in the world, or three days anywhere you choose in the world (all expenses paid), but with no one you really know well.

The last vacation i took was to the 49th state in the United States which is Alaska. My family and I took five other motorhomes.I went with my family and I would go anywhere with my family and i enjoy vacations with them. This summer with my family. I honestly wouldnt know because my kind of personality is like that where i can go somewhere doesn't really matter where with people i dont know and make friends with them and in time we'd be friends.But i honeslty would perfer to be home with my family probably because i dont get to spend much time at home with my family the family part i got down packed but the home part is hardly ever.As for friends welll thier another story but i'd probably go anywhere with them or just stay home and chill either way i enjoy thier company.

2007-09-26T06:41:00.001-07:00

What is your favorite form of creative expression? If I were to ask you to pick one art that you could best express yourself through, which would it be? Of all the arts, which do you enjoy the most to view or listen to and which do you enjoy most to participate in. Are they the same?

I think my favorite art would be dance but not just any dance iwould have to say ballet because i think its a graceful and beautiful ways to express yourdelf.I think that is my favorite form of creative expression. I enjoy going to the ballets and watching them some of my personal favorites would be The Swan Lake, The nutcrakcer, and ofc coarse the miami city ballet performances. I enjioy watching them hoping that some day i may be as good as them. I have danced ballet since i was 2 1/2 years old and i still continue when i can i help out the younger girls. Yes i have grown to appreciate the effort, time and pain that goes into such a graceful and breathtaking performance.

september 25 2007

2007-09-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

If you could go back in time and fix three mistakes, what would they be? What would you do differently? Do you believe that fixing these mistakes would change your life today? Describe how. Do you think you would make these mistakes again later on in life?

The three things i would change in my life would be i wouldn't have been so careless in 10th grade at the begining of the year with my grades to cause my GPA to decrease. I would have changed a few things in some friendships to keep some of my friends around.The last thing i woud have changed would have been spending more time with my grandmother since she passed away when i we eight year old and i had to go threw so much since i miss her so much and i sometimes wish she was around more in my life and i wish that i would have been able to spend more time with her since now i miss her terribly and i know that she is in my heart but i would have liked to have her hug me once more.

September 24,2007

2007-09-24T06:46:00.000-07:00

Think about the person you were 5 years ago. Do you believe that you are the same now as you were back then? Do the same things interest you? Do you have the same friends? Do you believe that you will be as you are 5 years from now? Do you think the same things will be important to you? What do you expect to have accomplished by then?

Five years ago I was 11 years old thinking barbie's were cool and playing in the lake without a care in the world.I was intrsaeted in Birtney Spears and Backstreet boys and all those little pop bands that are history today.I feel like have increased my matureity level up at sometime or another I am a little kid just like everyone else inside and at heart.I think I have acomplished greater things in my life since i was eleven.No I think that everyone grows up eventually, also that people mature threw the years. Some but I call them childhood friends and yes I have grown out of some friends and grown into other friends. And maybe before i go to college I will most likely gorw out of friends that I hang out with now. Five years from now i will be 21 a considered a legal adult.Some such a long time goals such as college,marriage,childern in the future along with an aeducation to support a job. Some goals like becoming c/0 09 President, or Prom Queen those are small dreams or short term goals that i wish to acheive. I plan on visiting the last two state that i haven't been to (Hawaii & Wisconsin), I also want to have a good education, and a job have supporting it and a college degrees coming soon.

Septemeber 21, 2007

2007-09-21T06:49:00.000-07:00

Think about the way people look at you for a moment. List 10 qualities that you believe people perceive in you. Describe in a sentence why you think this is so. Are you happy with the way people think about you?

The way people look at me as an individual
1 Smart
2 Leadership skills
3 Personality
4 Blonde
5 Great Friend
6 Open minded
7 Up for anything
8 Innocence
9 Independent
10 Family orentated

Honestly I could care less about what other people think. Unless you are refering to my friends then yes I do care but i dont hang around people that put me down. Due to my background and the stories and the way i live my life people see me this way.

September 17, 2007

2007-09-17T06:45:00.000-07:00

Read and interpret the following quote by Benjamin Franklin. Describe what you think it means. Do you agree with it, why or why not. Share any experiences that may help you describe your view.

As Benjamin Franklin once said “Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing”. Friends are people that should make an impact on your life. My friends such as Criseth help me threw my many challenges and is always there for me. A friends is someone you can also trust and share your secerts with so when choosing your friends be careful who you choose and and when changing a friend be even slower I think what he means by that would be to now just let go of them but slowly losse the bad friends and keep the good friends forever :) Yes I agree with it because its true you should always be careful of you you hang around with because the people you hang around wioth are the people you are protrade to be like for example if you hang out with people that are smart then people will think your smart.

September 10,2007

2007-09-10T06:45:00.000-07:00

As we approach the halfway point in the first 9 weeks, which do you feel is the most demanding of all your classes? Are you finding it difficult to find your footing in school this year? Are you working particularly hard in any one area? How do you feel about the pace of this class so far? Is it meeting your expectations? Do you find it difficult?

I am an honors student and I have many classes were they excpect me to acomplish many thing and expcet thing for me.At first every class feels demanding but later on during the school year it become less demanding as you get use to the proceedures of the classroom.My footing in this school year is strong and I feel like I started on the right foot, and i feel like i have adjusted to the teachers, the clases, and the way the classroom works times six different classes and subjects along with different teachers.In most of my classes at some times I get an overload of homework and have to stay up all night or most of the night to complete it.I can't say certain teachers give me morwe homework then others but some expect more from thieir classes.The pace of this class isn't hard but it sure isn't easy.At some point its difficult but at other times its a matter of sitting down and doing it. Which goes back to having self disapline.

September 7, 2007

2007-09-07T06:46:00.000-07:00

Describe in detail your biggest fear. Do you believe it is something that you can overcome? If so, can you do do by yourself or do you need help? When do you believe that you first acquired this fear? Do you believe that it is a rational or irrational fear? Do you think that it is a common fear or is it something particular to you? Do you parents know about it?

I strongly believe that everyone has a fear of something but most people dont' seem to know.I would have to say that I have many fear but most of them are small little fears. I would say that OI ahve a fear or sharks because this may sound funny but in every fake shark movie the blonde, white girl always or usaully dies before most of the rest of the suviors from let say the ship wreck. I have also witnessed a shark attack and hear about them striking humans. I'm also afraid of drowing in a ship like the titanic did. I have a smalll fear of snakes i don't like them but if you have one near me thats cool as long as it doesn't touch me and the smae with most reptiles. I also perfer to not watch scary movies.
Yes this fear can be overcome but it may take some time and with the help of people I trust. Yea it would be rational and yes both my mother and my father are aware of all my fears. I think that some people have similar fear as me. I know for a fact that my best friend has the same fear of sharks and scary movies but she seems to overcome the scary movie factor alot better then myself.

septemeber 5,2007

2007-09-05T06:42:00.000-07:00

What do you believe is the most important right you have as an American? If you had to choose one right as being the most important to YOU, which would it be? Why is this the case? What would things be like if this right didn’t exist?

I believe that as an American I have many important rights. I believe that one of the most important right is freedom. Without freedom we would be nothing without it. Freedom give us the oportunity to express they way we feel, think, and whatever it is that we have to say. Without freedom we wouldn't be able to study our own beliefs or relgious freedom, we'd be like the miltary without any say of it.
I feel that here in America freedom is most important because without it there is nothing else for us to have and hold. Freedom is like beign able to go outside and do as you please. If there was no freedom we'd probably wouldn't be able to have homeschooling, or water our yard unless it was a specific time, and we'd have to be on a time scale for the rest of our lives. If you think aboput it its kinda like the comercail for norweagen cruise line.

September 4, 2007

2007-09-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

What is the definition of being an adult to you? Describe what it means to be “grown up”. Is it just a matter of age? What are some of the characteristics an adult has or should have?

I dont think the defination of an adult is consider anyone over the age of eighteen. Their are many younger teenages that say they are adult or atempt to act like adults. To be a considered a "grown up" i think some of the many characteristics of being an adult would be responsability, maturity, trust, and can handle mature sistuations.I truthfully feel thatnot even all the peopkle over the age of eighteen act like adults. And it isn't just a matter of age