What Grinds My Gears

Roughdraft

2008-05-29T09:25:00.001-07:00

John Hong
English Essay
Period 3
There is a big problem on this earth that many people do try to counteract. It is not the starvation across the world, or the wars across the world; this is an even bigger problem. This problem is Global Warming. This problem is not being faced seriously enough in the United States. Many people claim it does not exist, or it could just be a natural cycle of the earth. People said disasters like Hurricane Katrina could not happen, but it did. So we do not share the same fate as Katrina we should aim to stop global warming before it is too late. We must teach the younger generation of this global crisis so they will make better choices in the future. To do this The Inconvenient Truth, by Al Gore, should replace the Body of Christopher Creed, by Carol Plum-Ucci because the theme of global warming is greater than the themes in Christopher Creed.
In our school we have the book The Body of Christopher Creed. This book is about a boy who is involved in the disappearance of another one of his peers. The themes of this book are not very important compared to global warming. Suicide is a one of the main themes in the book. A teacher from a school where this book was discussed says, “The students were particularly struck by all the talk of suicide in the book”. Besides suicide another minor important theme in the book is how being different in your teenage group is a bad thing. This is another theme that stuck out in the book. The book showed how “Along the way, he discovers how sheltered he and his friends have kept themselves, and how naïve they all are. In the end, they ostracize him as they have with everyone else different from them”. Another main theme of this book is bullying. The bullying done by the teenagers causes the thoughts about suicide, and the ostracizing.
Suicide and being different are not that important of themes. Suicide is a problem these days, but it is not that important in a neighborhood like this. Pascack Hills is a school with very little bullying and no need for things like Chris Creed to teach kids about bullying. The bullying aspect of the book teaches that bullying is causes people to commit suicide. I do not think this is a true aspect of life. “I don’t want to say that bullying is okay. But it’s a teaching tool for kids. It teaches them to get along with people, how to use power the victims—how to obtain power when not in power positions. How do we stop bullying and victimization? I hate to make this case in public. But we don’t’ entirely want to…” Bullying is a bad thing, but it is a necessary evil in the life of most children. Also the theme of being different is very over taught in society. Being kids we see this almost everyday on children’s television. We do not need another book like The Body of Christopher Creed teaching us things like this. Instead of themes like suicide and being different that we have already known throughout our lifetime we should get a book that teaches us something new, like The Inconvenient Truth.
The Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore is a breathtaking book on one of the major problems on this earth. Global warming is an issue that humans have been feeding for years. Global warming is the rise in the natural surface temperature of the earth. We cause this rise in surface temperature on the earth. We pollute the earth with CO2 emissions, but many countries do have programs do help slow down this global warming. Sadly America has yet to get in the race to stop global warming. Even though America causes over 20% of the world’s pollution, we do not have sufficient enough programs to make up for our mistakes. Most of America does not know how severe this global warming problem is and how as American’s we should try to implement programs to stop the severity of global warming.
To do this we must teach teens who will make decisions in the future about this problem. By making teens read The Inconvenient Truth they will learn the truth about global warming and maybe do something to stop it in the future. While Chris Creed does teach us some important things about our teenage lives, The Inconvenient Truth teaches us about a global problem that can possibly to irreparable damage to the earth. Many people say that teaching our children global warming will help prevent it in the future. “Educating multiple generations about the complexities, consequences, and controversies related to global warming is an enormous task. This challenge motivated Davis Guggenheim and Al Gore to turn an enhanced version of Gore’s multimedia slide show into a 21st; century teach-in on global warming” We should help people like Al Gore and make it our mission to help spread his book into our school curriculum. The threat that global warming causes to the earth are vastly greater than a school bully making a kid goes missing.
Global warming is a huge problem today in our society. By allowing the school curriculum to teach about school bullying and suicide while not teaching about global warming is a crime. We should not rob our children about the knowledge of global warming and implement this book in our curriculum and Pascack Hills.

My weekend

2008-05-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

I did almost close to nothing over the weekend. I went over a friends house, then on another day went over and went to a friends birthday. Then my relatives chilled at my house. Besides that I did not do much over the weekend.

Outline

2008-05-20T07:30:00.001-07:00

What is the question you are answering in your own words?
What book should we swap in the curriculum for another book.
What is your thesis statement? This sets up the entire paper with your focus and direction.
The Inconvenient Truth, by Al Gore, should replace the Body of Christopher Creed, by Carol Plum-Ucci because the theme of global warming is greater than the themes in Christopher Creed.
BODY PARAGRAPH 1
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
What is Chris Creed about?
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. “The students were particularly struck by all the talk of suicide in the book”
b. “Along the way, he discovers how sheltered he and his friends have kept themselves, and how naïve they all are. In the end, they ostracize him as they have with everyone else different from them”

What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. Chris Creed is about a kid that gets bullied
b. Book tries to find out what happens to Chris Creed and focuses on suicide, and running away
BODY PARAGRAPH 2
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
Why Chris Creed should be taken out of the Curriculum
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. “I don’t want to say that bullying is okay. But it’s a teaching tool for kids. It teaches them to get along with people, how to use power the victims—how to obtain power when not in power positions. How do we stop bullying and victimization? I hate to make this case in public. But we don’t’ entirely want to…”
b. “I don’t want to say that bullying is okay. But it’s a teaching tool for kids. It teaches them to get along with people, how to use power the victims—how to obtain power when not in power positions. How do we stop bullying and victimization? I hate to make this case in public. But we don’t’ entirely want to…”

What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. Bullying is important but it is not a global scale problem that will destroy humanity
b. Suicides and runaways should be better taught in health class
BODY PARAGRAPH 3
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
What is the Inconvenient Truth about
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. “The Marshall Institue survey concluded that global temperatures are rising only.2”F per decade—three times less than what is predicted by computer models—and recommends a hiatus of 10 years before any CO2 emission limits are imposed so that more research can be conducted.
b.
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. Global warming is real and it exists
b. Humans cause global warming
BODY PARAGRAPH 4
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
Why should we put it in the curriculum
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. “The centre now officially expects global warming to resume at some point between 2009 and 2014”
b. “Educating multiple generations about the complexities, consequences, and controversies related to global warming is an enormous task. This challenge motivated Davis Guggenheim and Al Gore to turn an enhanced version of Gore’s multimedia slide show into a 21st; century teach-in on global warming”
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. Global warming is a big problem teen’s do not realize
b. Many people will teach young teens global warming does not exist, which is false
CONCLUSION
What should we now understand after reading your paper? Where idea(s) does your paper lead?
a. Chris Creed is not a book that is important enough to be in our curriculum
b. The Al Gore book is very important and should be taught in our High School

2008-05-13T07:25:00.001-07:00

TITLE: Bullying
AUTHOR: Issues & Controversies
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2005
Main Idea #1: Bullying is a problem
Summary: There is a lot of bullying in the US
Quote: “According to the National Education Association (NEA), which has launched a National Bullying Awareness Campaign, bullying is a community issue that requires the involvement of many parties, including students, parents, teachers, school administrators and local, state and national governments”
Question: How do we know that there is actual bullying going on in the US. Some teachers may mistake bullying with fooling around.
Main Idea #2: Effects of Bullying
Summary: Bullying destroyed younger children and causes suicide.
Quote: “he attacker's schoolmates claimed that almost every student in the school had engaged in bullying behavior toward him, including tripping, shoving, hitting him with objects and holding his”
Question: This can not be proven and has no proof behind it
Main Idea #3: Bullying laws are misguided.
Summary: Bullying is not a problem that should be addressed by state and measures are already taken to prevent these kinds of things.
Quote: “Some argue that it is unnecessary because sufficient measures are already in place for dealing with bullying, while others say that it is not needed because bullying is not a problem to be addressed by legislation.”
Question: What measures do we already take to prevent bullying?
How will this source help you write your paper?
This will help me write the paper because I am trying to disprove these things. The paper gives me a lot to go against and will help me make my point stronger.

Socratic Seminar 2

2008-05-12T07:18:00.000-07:00

This time the class had a seminar and talked about our new book Montana 1948. We finished reading the book and the rest of the class discussed some of the main ideas of the ending. First they discussed did Frank Deserve it? I personally think he didn't because he chose suicide, but some people in class said he did for the crimes he committed. After that they talked about the importance of David becoming a history teacher. Some said this is important because David only saw one side of the story in the situation. By teaching history he can teach students that there are two sides of the story. Was this story a western style story? This question came up in the seminar and the class agreed it had many aspects of a western style story. There were guns, a showdown, and a county sheriff with a lot of power. All these elements make a very recognizable western type story.

Source # 2

2008-05-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

TITLE: Global Warming
AUTHOR: Encyclopedia
YEAR PUBLISHED: 1995

Main Idea #1: Global warming is a concern around the world
Summary: Global warming is a concern around the world.
Quote: “An advisory subcommittee of the U.N., the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), issued a report on global warming at the conference”
Question: What is America doing about this
Main Idea #2: Critics about global warming
Summary: What do some critics have to say about global warming
Quote:” Critics of the notion of global warming said the downgraded estimates issued by the IPCC confirmed the earlier contentions of skeptics, who said the scientific claims of global warming were exaggerated”
Question: Why is global warming exaggerated
Main Idea #3: How global warming works
Summary: This article talks about how global warming works and the greenhouse effect
Quote: The planet's natural greenhouse effect has made life habitable on the planet. The Earth absorbs the sun's energy, and, like all things heated, emits its own radiation.
Question:
How will this source help you write your paper?
This will help me write my paper because Al gore’s book talks about global warming and this page helps me prove the idea that Global warming is a threat.

Source #1

2008-05-11T19:01:00.001-07:00

TITLE: All-school read unites Waubonsie students
AUTHOR: Beth Sneller
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2003

Main Idea #1: Kids in Waubonsie read The Body of Christopher Creed

Summary: The town has a book program and gives out the Body of Christopher Creed to many children
Quote: “Gayl Smith, a library director, bought 76 copies of Plum-Ucci's book and gave them to students and staff at the beginning of the summer. She instructed Warriors to read the book, sign their names on the inside front cover and pass it on to someone else.”

Question: What did the children think about the book

Main Idea #2: Suicide is a main topic in the story
Summary: The students talked about all the suicide in the book

Quote: “The students were particularly struck by all the talk of suicide in the book.”

Question: What about the suicide in the book?

Main Idea #3: School social status
Summary: The students talk about friendship in the book

Quote: “Along the way, he discovers how sheltered he and his friends have kept themselves, and how naive they all are. In the end, they ostracize him as they have with everyone else different from them.”

Question: How did this effect the book

How will this source help you write your paper?
This will help me write my paper because I can anaylyze what some of my peers think about the book, and with this information I can see if we should keep this book.

Research Paper Sources

2008-05-08T22:43:00.000-07:00

1. All-school read unites Waubonsie students.
Beth Sneller
Literature Resource Center
A school has a reading program and they choose to read the book The Body of Christopher Creed. After handing out the books and finish reading they have a meeting. They talk about the main themes in the book like suicide and bullying.
2. THE REAL INCONVENIENT TRUTH; Cast adrift: But does global warming propaganda such as Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth paint a false picture of the Earth's future?
Nigel Lawson
Literature Resource Center
This source talks about how global warming is not as big as a problem Al Gore projects it to be. This article shows some points of why Al Gore is wrong.
3. Global Warming
Multiple Authors
Issues & Controversies http://2facts.com/ICOF/temp/7255tempi0100830.asp?DBType=ICOF
Global Warming article shows all the facts about this problem. It shows the statistics the greenhosue situation and what we are doing about this.
4. Bullying
Multiple Authors
Issues & Controversies http://2facts.com/ICOF/temp/7350tempi1000220.asp?DBType=ICOF
Bullying is a problem in the USA. There are many issues with bullying and this article shows what is going on in our nation today.
5. Heating Up for GLOBAL WARMING Research and Policy.
Stoss, Kaeti
Stoss, Frederick W.
Ebsco
This article shows the impact that people like Al Gore are making in the Global Warming scene. There are many different types of communities this issue is impacting and this article explains a lot of them.

Annotated Bibliography

2008-04-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

Joyner, Ashley Tusan. "Woman who took in young children vows to end family's
tortured history." Online posting. 28 Apr. 2008. 29 Apr. 2008
. This stie is by Ashley Joyner a journalist from Macon.
This article gives us the history of a woman who wanted to break the cycle
of drugs in the family. The article talks about the family history and the
mothers addiction to drugs. After the mother was gone the great aunt was
left in charge of the children. She wanted to put an end to the drugs in
the family so she is showing full parental attention to these children.

1 Year Off the Stuff

2008-04-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

A while back when I still played World of Warcraft (WoW) I met some unique people. I met this guy named Dhamion. He was 38 and he was married. He sometimes talked about how his wife didn’t like him playing the game because it took up so much of his time. For 2 years we played WoW together. He played for hours a day and had a lot of free time. His wife said he should stop playing because they don’t spend any time together. He snuck on once in a while and played with me, but eventually he got pretty guilty and said “I can’t do this anymore”. He quit and spent some quality time with his family.
The point of this story, besides showing the evil’s of WoW, is that guild it a very strong emotion. It can even keep a man from playing his life long adventure. Everyone has a run in with guilt once in a while. Like when you steal your sisters cookie and blame it on your brother, or if you throw a body into the Hudson. Everyone would feel slightly guilty doing something like that. The most guilty thing I ever do nowadays is thinking about playing WoW again. The temptation is there and if I started playing again I know it would consume my life, so I feel guilty everytiem i think about the stuff.
In Macbeth guilt is not the biggest factor. In Macbeth the Hero and his wife do not really show their guilt in the play. Macbeth turns into a tyrant and shows no emotion over killing his best friend; however, Lady Macbeth starts sleepwalking and eventually dies. We think she kills herself thus showing that she probably felt very bad for killing a lot of people. I don’t think anyone else felt guilty. Guilt played a pretty small role in Macbeth.

A good joke: Women's Rights

2008-04-09T19:44:00.001-07:00

Feminism is dead. This topic used to be somewhat controversial a long time ago, but now less than 75% of women consider themselves a feminist. The movement is gone mostly because most of the battles have been won. Womens rights is a joke nowadays. Women got what they wanted. Only thing that is not solved is the wages they earn. Women don’t really have many good role models because women don’t usually make for good role models. There are some exceptions like Hillary and Oprah whom are some examples of people who made is to the top. And some people like Britney are pretty stupid and are some of the only famous women that young girls know of. Lady Macbeth is a very good character in the play. She knows what she’s doing. She whips her husband into shape and helps him kill King Duncan. Even though she does all this she can be nothing more than a queen. Macbeth still has most of the power and authority. Just the way it should be.

Socratic Seminar

2008-04-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

Once in a while our teacher makes us do Socratic Seminars. This is when some of the people in the class come up to the front and discuss about the book. Today we had one of these seminars and it was pretty good. Some of the questions are like "do you like the book so far?". People liked the book, a lot of the females in our class liked Romeo and Juliet better. Also most of the women didn't like the book because of the hard language.
We talked about how Lady Macbeth and Britney were bad role models for women. I think Lady Macbeth is pretty good. She does anything to get power and acts just like a guy in that sense. She acts like what the feminists fight for; which is very surprising considering Lady Macbeth is a character from a time where women did not have much rights. On the other hand we have Britney Spears. I don’t think anyone considers her a role model. All she does is act very dumb and “whores” attention. Britney should not be considered a role model at all. Besides this we also discussed some good female role models. I think we decided that Oprah was a decent role model. Even though Oprah doesn’t really probably put her heart into charity, she does a lot of charity anyway.
The future is another hot topic. If Macbeth didn’t know his future wouldn’t have killed King Duncan. This makes you think “what if I knew my future?”. If you knew your future you probably would think of it a lot. This would make you worried about your future all the time. Brent made a very good example when he talked about if he knew he was going to be a doctor why care about English. Here is a really good site that explains this.This would probably change is future and he probably wouldn’t become an eye doctor. Personally I wouldn’t want to know my future because I think I’d be self conscious about it everyday. The stress would kill me.

Good People can do Bad Things

2008-04-02T21:34:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of people who have respectable pasts, yet they do some pretty bad things. George Bush is a good example of a nice person who is turned evil. George Bush was a decent person when he was running for president, but after he was elected George was turned evil by Darth Vader or you might know him as Dick Cheney. To read more about his evil escapades click here. This plot line is similar to Macbeth because Macbeth is George Bush and Lady Macbeth is Dick Cheney. Some say George was always evil, but George was convinced by Cheney to start an unauthorized war and waste billions of dollars. This was probably because both Macbeth and Bush aren't the brightest bulbs in the shed. George is not the smartest president in the world and because of that is easily manipulated. I think this was justifiable because George did not know what he is doing. This man is probably one of the dullest bulbs in the shed and he probably had absolutely no idea what he was getting into. Same with Macbeth, he was conned easily by his wife. Macbeth didn't really want to do it in the beginning; however, Lady Macbeth said, "are you a coward" and that's all it took for him to kill a king. Same with George when America was attacked on 9/11. Cheney probably came up to him and said, "are you gonna take that?" and George started a war of terror. Macbeth's case is unjustifiable because he is smarter than Bush; he probably had no idea what he was doing, but Macbeth is smarter than that. He knew he was doing evil and killing the King was wrong yet he does it anyway. Bush probably didn't know a single thing and he did not have any idea that he was doing wrong.

Macbeth 1st chapter

2008-03-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

We’re reading the book Macbeth. This book has a strong intro. The book starts out with these witches who predict Macbeth’s future. I liked the opening because it opened up with a prediction of Macbeth. This set the frame for the rest of the story. The witches added a mystery theme towards Macbeth. Even though the witches origin or background will probably never be explained to us, the addition of these witches helps the story build more dramatic effect. They tell Macbeth that he will become king, making him think of a murder. They set the gears in motion that fueled the whole story. Shakespeare set the story really dark and dreary and this is going to be the mood for the whole story. We can expect to see many more themes of murder. Shakespeare is known to write about a lot of death in his stories. This looks like a good book and I hope it gets better.

First Post

2008-03-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Im going to post about things that grind my gears.
To start out lets talk about penguins. Americans obsession with penguins grind my gears. These animals are cute and all but there are so many movies about penguins. March of the Penguins, and Happy Feet. Americans are obsessed with penguins right now. Whenever I'm on the internet theres always someone saying how cute these little things are. They even made a game of the little critters called Club Penguin . Penguins really grind my gears.