The End

With it being the end of the year and all things coming to an end we as an English class had one last book to read, I read Oedipus Rex. We have read a lot of good books this year this was not one of them it was just boring it was easy to read but I just never got into it. Now for our last blogpost we are supposed to compare it to another piece of literature that we have read this year. I chose the most recent of last books, Hamlet.
Now Hamlet and Oedipus are so similar they could have been family. They both have daddy issues, Oedipus's sent him away while Hamlets was killed by his uncle. But what makes it really disturbing but interesting is their relationship with their mothers. They are both in love with their mothers now with Mothers Day being yesterday loving your mom is a good thing but "being in love" now that's just wrong. Oedipus sleeps with his mother not even Hamlet can attest to that but Hamlet can say that he would which is just as bad. So daddy problems and mother problems are not the only thing Hamlet and Oedipus have in common, both of the plays have the same way of instigating the main character. In Hamlet it was the ghost of Hamlets father saying, "avenge me", very straight forward so Hamlet goes on a killing spree. In Oedipus it is a blind man by the name of Tiresias. He comes in as a comic relief at first until he tells Oedipus about what the King did to him except he doesn't know that the king is his father. He sleeps with his mother kills his father, between the two plays Oedipus and Hamlet I'd take psycho (hamlet) any day over Oedipus.
So much is coming to a close we finished our last paper, our last book, our last blogpost, heck it is our last full week! It has been a long year but a fun one and as I lay in bed typing this on my iPod an hour or two before this is due I want to say, "if I don't see you good morning, good evening, and good night"

Life Without Parole and the Death Penalty

I am going to paint a picture for you. You came home no lights are on, what do you do? Turn on the light. Switch it from of to on and when your done in that room on to off. It's a simple easy decision and it doesn't take any effort at all. That is how easy it is to kill a man under the death penalty, the flip of a switch off to on.
A recent story involving a little boy killing another boy happened it happens all the time. He can get life-without parole and or a death sentence. So it begs the question should a young boy get either of these sentences? I say no.
Life without parole is saying to the kid hey you have no future. Prison is more about rehabilitation than it is about punishment for me because 90% maybe more of those people are going to be released eventually. So in order for them not to go back they have to be molded into everyday citizens. If you condemn a child to life without parole... That is a sixty year sentence a lifetime. That is all that kid will know. What will he do when he gets out? Most likely die or go back to prison. Honestly, all he knows is the prison life the land behind bars, to him there is no other side of the fence.
A death sentence is even worse. Talking about no future I'm glad I'm not the one telling a boy he is going to die. They give those men who are going to die a "last supper" what is a kid going to eat? Fruity Pebbles!
The human brain does not fully develop till you are in your 20's. How can a young child be considered being able to make a logical decision? They can't so you can't possibly find it logical to condemn them to an adult sentence. I would not call a child on death row and no future, justice.

Trayvon Martin Case

Hey hows does a man get away with murder to be or not to that is the question should a man go to prison A 16-year-old girl tells Benjamin Crump, the Martin family’s attorney, about the last moments of Trayvon Martin’s life. Martin was on the phone with her when George Zimmerman began following him. She recounted that she told Martin to run, then she heard some pushing, then the line went dead.

The U.S. Justice Department announces it has launched an investigation into Martin’s slaying.

ABC News also learns that Zimmerman violated major principles of the Neighborhood Watch manual, which states, “it should be emphasized to members that they do not possess police powers, and they shall not carry weapons or pursue vehicles.”

The State Attorney’s office in Seminole County, Fla., announces that a grand jury will review the evidence of the case on April 10. so yes he died and what does it mean we should all be fightiing over this!! would this "nice" boy want us to do this the man made a mistake an honest one we shouldn't condem him to death this is where social media is at its worst sensationalizing an event. 

yeah so this is going to get uglier before it gets better it was a misunderstanding and it is sad for both families. this is sad

Summarizing Modern Genocides

     Some parts of history are hard to look back upon but to grow as a country, as a society we must look back upon the bad times. We do this because if we get comfortable we let our guard down and we can never let our guard down when it comes to human suffering.

     We say we have grown and learn from the mistakes of the Holocaust and the way it was handled. We obviously have not. From the slaughtering of innocent citizens in Sri Lanka, to Darfur, and Srebrenica. We as the US allow these mad men to get into power and then treat their citizens as livestock for slaughter! In Srebrenica like Sri Lanka a "safe zone" was established but it didn't stop the killing. If we have learned anything it is that if it doesn't affect our allies and our National Security its not a priority.

     All human life is sacred and the fact that mad men are out there killing it doesn't make sense but I guess that is life? People die everyday, what does it matter if a couple thousand die every year in third world countries it doesn't effect our economy that much. We can't stop everyone that would be impossible but we should at least try to prevent mad men from getting into power.

Modern Genocides: Sri Lanka

      Humans are capable of unending kindness and merciless cruelness. Humanity, it appears, has not learned the lessons that the Holocaust left, that there is no limit to human suffering.11 million people died in during the Holocaust and yet instead of ending the suffering, today there are still atrocities among the human race in our "modern genocides". 

     
      Since 1976 to 2009 the country/island of Sri Lanka, which is located of the coast of India, has been in a civil war. The two combatants have been a rebel extremist group called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LITE) and the Sri Lanka Military. Tamil Tigers where formed to help bring creation of a separate Tamilstate in the north and east of Sri Lanka. They are the only terrorist group to assassinate Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993 and former Indian Prime Minister Rajive Gandhi in 1991. What was originally a military operation to fight over territory and rights much like our own civil war turned into the biggest conspiracy and cover up in modern history.


     In 2009 the Sri Lankan government set up a "no-fire zone" or "free-fire zone" where refugees of the war could "live in peace". What really happened was that the Sri Lakan Military and LITE used this as their shelling grounds to try and end the war. 150,000 of civilians were trapped when the government that was meant to save them killed them in order to destroy LITE. Worldwide outcry of disdain came out once the Sri Lankan government admitted to the shelling of the area on May 1st of 2009. 
      
     So many innocent lives lost over a war that should have never happened in the first place. it is a shame to the human race to believe that we have "learned" and "moved on from the Holocaust" but we obviously haven't. 
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                                                             My other Sources   

"Is the World Ignoring Sri Lankaâuc0€uc0™ Srebrenica?" The Lede Blog. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/is-the-world-ignoring-sri-lankas-srebrenica/>. 


"Sri Lanka Profile." BBC News. BBC, 25 Jan. 2012. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12004081>. 


"Sri Lanka: US War Crimes Report Details Extensive Abuses | Human Rights Watch." Human Rights Watch. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/10/22/sri-lanka-us-war-crimes-report-details-extensive-abuses>. 

Detective Dan: The Brownie Paradox.

CHAPTER 1:(Prologue)
  
    It happened in the waning hours of my summer vacation. The events that unfolded opened my eyes to the evil that was always around me that I never excepted. Who in their right mind could do such a thing? It was the weekend that changed my life. The weekend my brownies were taken from me...

CHAPTER 1: So it begins...
Saturday 8:00 am  

    Hi my name is Dan. Detective Dan that is, I’m what you call a big deal my parents always tell me I’m their “special boy”. I am 8 years old and the smartest kid in my town. I’m not into those games will the balls, too confusing too much going on. I’m into mysteries and puzzles, I’ve always been good at finding stuff. This one time my older brother Chris missed placed this thing called a “strap jock”, to me it was just underwear, but he said it was important. Anyway I found it in the dogs bed, he was so relieved and my parents told me I was the best. Like I said I’m kinda the man. Well today is the Saturday before I go into 4th grade and my summer has been kinda boring up to now I’ve just reading my detective 101 books and THE GREATEST DETECTIVE IN THE WORLD... SHERLOCK HOLMES!!! My idol he is what I want to be when I grow up, be all dectectivey.
  
    So what makes the end of summer soooooo awesome is the fact that my mom makes her special back to school brownies for me and my brother. They are a triple chocolate chip mountain of deliciousness. She told us that it is a super secret recipe that has been past down in our family for decades and that it is the greatest brownie recipe the world will never now. That will give you just a sense on how fantastic these brownies are. We as a family have never lost a single bake sale competition. and today is the day that my five senses will be throughly indulged.

CHAPTER 2: The Clouds Darken...
Saturday 10:00ish am

    “Mom can I go to the park”, I yelled into the kitchen.

    “Sure honey just be back for lunch I have special surprise for you cooling in the window for when you get back.”

     I already know what the surprise is of course... the brownies. The reason for my existence. I was born to eat those brownies that and solve the mysterious of the playground. So I dashed up the stairs to grab my note pad, my magnify glass, and the truth source of my detective power my hat. All great detectives have there hats like Sherlock Holmes, that Nancy Drew lady my mom likes to read about even Scooby-Doo wears a hat sometimes. All great detectives wear hats. So I walk out to solve the problems of the neighborhood.

     Little did I know at that very moment that there was an unfathomable evil creeping across the lawn towards my open window and to the glory that lay inside.

CHAPTER 3: The Park
Saturday 10:30 am

    The Playground... nothing compares to the type of shenanigans that go on here. It is the definition of corruption, social disarray, and tyranny that knows no bounds. It is ruled by the Middle Schoolers luckily I am on their good side because I solve all there problems like missing kick balls to stolen pokemon cards. I’m the neighborhoods problem solver.
  
    Matty is 5th grader and the supreme ruler of the park, it is said that he once stole the lunch money from two 6th graders at the same time and he was only in third grade!! I’m on friendly terms, luckily, with him because I found his dog when it went missing . Actually it was sitting in my backyard because my family and I were having a barbeque.

    “Hi Matty, how’s it hanging?” I said to Matt as he was swing across the monkey bars.

    “Detective Dan... Not so good I’ve lost my dads favorite pen.” said Matty in a not so friendly tone.

    “Well Matty did you check your pocket...”

    “WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM STUPID!,” Matt screamed, rummaging through his pockets “Of course I checked my.... oh”

    “What were you saying Matt?” I asked.

    “Uhh... nothing I found the pen.” Matty said, as his cheeks reddened.

    “Uh huh... So I heard that you needed my help finding...” just then their was a cry that pierced the air that gave me those alien bumps on my arm.

     “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! DANNNNNNNNNN!”, it was my mom?!. What set of lungs she had my house is a half mile away so the fact that I heard her so vividly is a miracle in itself. So I rushed home in a daze pondering if I had done anything recently to make her wrath fall upon me. Not thinking of anything I doubled my pace home.

    Once at home I saw, an image that will be burned into my brain for the rest of my life. The tray of the most delicious brownies known to man were. GONE!!!

(Hope you enjoyed there is a lot more to come)

First Look into author Jesse Freeland's "Running From Death"

1) What is your story about?
A) My story is about a zombie apocalypse, and two guys (Frank and Chris) who work together to survive.

2) What is the inspiration behind your story?
A) I got a lot of inspiration from watching The Walking Dead, and also from I Am Legend. I Am Legend has a really emotional story, and makes for a great “Last person on earth” type of movie.

3) What is the title of your book?
A) “Running From Death”

4) Who are your characters?
A) Frank Smith was a soldier who fought in Afghanistan for two years. Shortly after the apocalypse happens, he runs into Chris, a former police officer who is looking for supplies at a gas station. They work together to survive as long as they can.

5) Who are the good guys and bad guys?
A) Frank and Chris are obviously good guys, while the zombies are the bad guys.

6) Are there special qualities about your main characters?
A) Frank fought in the war in Afghanistan, so he knows all about survival, and using guns. Chris also has a real knack for shooting since he was a police officer.

7) How does your zombie book stand out from other zombie books?
A) I think you’ll just have to read the book to find out…

8) Does your story relate to life?
A) It does in some ways, but obviously we haven’t had a zombie apocalypse, so it doesn’t relate too much.

9) What lessons does your story teach us about life?
A) “Running From Death” is all about these two guys who work together to survive. Without each other, they wouldn’t be able to live. In an apocalypse, there is no hatred of other people, and difference are put aside. The story teaches people to set aside their differences, and work together with other people to accomplish their goals, because we can only survive by ourselves for so long.

10) What makes your story important to you?
A) I enjoy writing it, and it has parts in it that are very emotional. I really feel it’s a story that people can become connected to, mainly because of the characters and who they work together.

11) Do your characters have flaws? What are they?
A) Chris has had some really bad things happen to him since the zombie infection started. There are times where he tends to just shut down and forget about the world around him. Frank has those moments too, and he also goes through a lot of stress mainly because of the war he fought in for two years. They definitely have their flaws, and they must help each other to work through the difficult times.

12) Did you have any road blocks while writing this story?
A) Yeah, definitely. I think it was difficult coming up with a title, which I still may change it later on, but I also want to have the best ending possible for the story. Everything that I write at the beginning has a huge impact on how the book is going to end. So there are times when I just have to stop and think about how my decisions will change the ending.

13) Are there any major twists in your plot?
A) You’ll just have to read and find out.

14) Tell me more about how your characters met.
A) That’ll ruin the whole part when it happens. You’ll just have to read it…

15) Did The Walking Dead play a major part in the development of the story?
A) It did in some ways. I’ve been watching The Walking Dead every Sunday while I’m in the middle of writing this story, and I wanted to be able to capture the emotion that The Walking Dead does. It has a very emotional story between all of the characters, and I wanted to kind of capture the same idea.

16) How has writing this story affected you?
A) It’s made me more interested in zombie shows and books, which are awesome.

17) Zombies are a hot topic these days. Do you think your story will be successful?
A) I think so. People seem to have a great obsession lately with stories that are about mankind’s demise. In movies, shows, and books about the apocalypse, people are forced to set aside their differences to work together in order to survive. My story is emotional and has zombies in it like other zombie stories, but there’s a lot more to it than just that. I think there’s a lot that makes it different.

18) Do any of your characters have any moral obligations to the zombies?
A) They kind of feel bad for them. Even though they are flesh eating monsters, they were once people, which now have lost their souls and thoughts.

19) Do your characters have any moral compasses?
A) They definitely have different morals that they live by. But overall, there most important goal is to survive.

20) Do you think of yourself as a pioneer into the zombie apocalypse field of writing?
A) I think I can change it drastically, and change the way people think about zombie stories.

Click on the hyperlink to read more about Jesse's "Running From Death" here.