"Imagine a ruin so strange it must never have happened"

"Imagine a ruin so strange it must never have happened." Well to imagine a ruin so strange means that it must look extremely different than any other places and to have something look extremely different then something drastic must have taken place there. I myself have not encountered anything in my life that is so strange it must have never happened but I have heard about things like this in school.

In school we learned about atoms and also had a mini lesson on atomic bombs. In class we learned about how they can destroy so much and how deadly they are. The picture above is of the aftermath of an atomic bomb. In this picture you can see how everything that used to be there is wiped out. I think this used to be a either a city or the suburbs but now it is just a pile of rubble and will take years to build back up again. In an atomic bomb there is so much heat that it burns everything it touches to nothing and then also to make matters worse the chemicals associated with it also give people cancer after being exposed to it.

When I was younger I would always ask my dad if Hawaii would be safe if a bomb was dropped in California. I can still remember how paranoid I used to be about bombs and the destruction they could cause. I used to day dream about ways to escape the bomb and its chemicals. I had crazy ideas like making a big concrete block and sitting in there for years until it was safe to come outside. Man was I a crazy little kid. I am just very blessed that our nation doesn’t have to worry about being attacked by something as deadly as that so we don’t have a, “ruin so strange it must never have happened.”

"The Grotto" Response

In the short story, "The Grotto" a woman named Clara ventures off to Egypt four years after her mother dies to leave her past in Alabama. All Clara had in her life was her mother and their garden and now with her mother passing from a sickness she decides to get some un-normality in her life by going to Egypt.

When Clara is in Egypt she seems to have a culture clash with the Egyptians. For example when she was in the street and passing by six Egyptians woman covered by their Burkas she says, “dark eyes turning to me…wondering, I daresay at the nakedness of our faces. And thinking what of us? That we were brazen? A shame of God? Wicked and worldly?” (184). this quote shows how she is so different from the Egyptians and how they do not understand each other.

The theme of this paper is “otherness” and this quote is a great example of it. Clara and the Egyptians were very different from each other because of many things. The appearance for one thing is different. The woman in Egypt had to wear the Burkas while the Americans didn’t have to and were envied and looked down upon by the Egyptian woman for it. This little clothing difference is huge because it shows how the two cultures are different.

Another part of the story that shows “otherness” is when Clara went into the Grotto and met an Egyptian man names Musad. Musad was in the Grotto before Clara entered it and startled her. When she came upon him he was staring into the water and thinking when he saw he graciously offered to leave and in the process called her “dear lady.” Clara was offended by this comment because she had the feeling that he was hitting on her but his real intentions were to be polite. This shows “otherness” because they both took that phrase “dear lady” in two totally different ways.

Extra Credit: Twilight of the Books

The words and their definitions that I didn't understand are:

Pollster- a person whose occupation is the taking of public-opinion polls

Latitude- freedom from narrow restrictions; freedom of action, opinion

Correlations- A causal, complementary, parallel, or reciprocal relationship, especially a structural, functional, or qualitative correspondence between two comparable entities

Sociologists- study society and social behavior by examining the groups, cultures, organizations, and social institutions people form. They also study the activities in which people participate, including social, religious, political, economic, and business organizations. They study the behavior of, and interaction among, groups, organizations, institutions, and nations and how they react to phenomena such as the spread of technology, health epidemics, crime, and social movements

Arcane- known or understood by very few; mysterious; secret; obscure; esoteric

Neurobiological- the branch of biology that is concerned with the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system

Cuneiform- having the form of a wedge; wedge-shaped

Hieroglyphs-A picture or symbol used in hieroglyphic writing

Phonetic- corresponding to pronunciation

Ideographic- an ideogram (a written symbol that represents an idea or object directly rather than a particular word or speech sound, as a Chinese character.)

Browbeaten- to intimidate by overbearing looks or words; bully
(www.dictionary.com)


Caleb Crain the author of "Twilight of the Books" wrote about how people don't read books anymore. In his article he gives many good facts that support his idea. He shows how many people throughout the years read books and also how kids are reading books while high teens and adults don't anymore. He also gives proof of why these numbers are going down. He says this because news papers aren't circulating as much anymore. This is just some of the many evidences used in "Twilight of the Books." Caleb Crain did a very good job in convincing me that books are being lost to modern technology like video games and tv.

Common Place Book Entry

TO LOOK AT PICTURE CLICK. SORRY PICTURE DIDN'T SHOW UP.

This picture of Vincent Van Gough's sunflowers is a very interesting one. I really don’t care too much for paintings or art but when I was in middle school my Spanish teacher who was into art told us to look this picture up and I was entranced by it. I marveled at the different textures and how it creates an optical illusion. On a website that talks about this picture it says, “The colors are vibrant and express emotions typically associated with the life of sunflowers: bright yellows of the full bloom to arid browns of wilting and death; all of the stages woven through these polar opposites are presented. Perhaps this very technique is what draws one into the painting; the fulfillment of seeing all angles of the spectrum of life and in turn reaching a deeper understanding of how all living things are tied together.” (http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/sunflowerindex.html). I really like what this quote says because it talks about how this painting illustrates “how all living things are tied together.” I think this is true because of the circle of life. You might think that is some Disney little kid movie stuff but I think that it’s an important thing in life. Everything relies on each other. For example in our world we rely on plants for food and oxygen. They rely on us humans to keep them watered and not to pollute the air. Without the plants we would die and without the humans than the plants wouldn’t be able to survive to their fullest. That is why I believe that Van Gough’s Sunflowers is much more important than what people realize. People need to really look into the deeper meaning of things to understand the true meaning.

Singer's Response

The first time I read the paper, I really thought that Singer was serious when he was talking about having the people eat babies but after looking at it I found out that he was just trying to make a point. The point was that we need to be helping the less fortunate instead of buying ourselves useless things like a bigger tv or a better sound system for your car. These people might not even have electricity or a car. So we need to donate money to help them. I really liked Singer's point and thouhgt that adding the baby eating was a good attention getter.

Punahou Proposal

In the academy one of the most sacred laws that helps govern our student body into acting as one is the “Dress Code.” The “Dress Code” is a way for all of the students to dress alike so it looks like we are one student body. This code makes it that all of the men must wear either Punahou approved shirts like, athletic shirts, other club shirts or collared shirts. The woman however has it very hard because this Dress Code was set in place because of their obscene dress. For their bottom half clothing it must be below their knees. As for their shirts it has to also be Punahou approved and has to be showing. This is not a very good thing for the girls because they like to wear appealing clothes but all of the Punahou approved shirts are not even close to being “cute.” When I first entered the Academy I saw that most students were scared of breaking the Dress Code because the punishment was wearing a hideous and stinky shirt for the rest of the day and also getting demerits. But now as the Dress Code has been going for a longer time I have realized how the teachers have not been catching as many students who have broken this sacred code. All they do is merely stroll pass saying “Hi” and not even mentioning the unapproved clothing he/she is wearing.
This is method of having the teachers catch the students out of dress code is not working and cannot be tolerated any longer. There needs to be a new system of catching students out of dress code. I propose that we put “Dress Code Scanners” at the entrances to the school and each student must go through them to enter campus. These scanners would scan each student and those out of Dress Code would get caught and have to change in order to get to school.

This is a very good idea because then it wouldn’t make the wonderful teachers have to worry about looking out for those terrible rebellious students who don’t follow the Dress Code. If we apply my proposal the teachers would only have to worry about molding our minds and preparing us for college. They wouldn’t have to look for the correct shirts and then running after the students who aren’t wearing the “good” shirts.

This proposal has no flaws and will benefit everyone. The teachers don’t have to worry about the Dress Code breaking students and the students won’t have to worry about getting demerits and wearing stinky unattractive shirts. These “Dress Code Scanners” are the best solution for this problem.

Why basketball is a GREAT pastime

Dribbling down the court, crossing up people left and right. Swooping towards the rim floating in the air until the last possibly second and then finally slamming it down through the orange rim as the buzzer sounds. The crowd goes wild and storms the court, hoisting you on their shoulders and screaming we're number one. The natural high of winning the game stays with you into the night as you hang with your friends and celebrate. This sole image plays throughout my head almost every night when I am dreaming in my sleep. I picture myself making the game winning shot and winning the big game for our team. That is one of the reasons why I play basketball but there are also many other good reasons like, you are able to stay in shape, you meet a variety of people throughout your playing days, you achieve a sense of competitiveness and you also learn many life values.
When I ask girls what type of guys they find physically attractive they always say, "a six pack and also big arms and a nice chest." Well if you play basketball these physical characteristics can be achieved. During a basketball practice one has to run constantly shedding those unwanted pounds and also you become toned. Lifting is also an aspect of basketball that is necessary. We lift almost every week and work those pectoral muscles so the ladies can notice them. Well if you aren't interested in getting that picture perfect body you can also feel healthy and in shape for yourself. The running makes you feel good about yourself because you are keeping fit and not being a couch potato.
Some of my best friends today I met through basketball. We met up during the outside basketball leagues and just kept playing together all our life. Basketball is a great way of meeting new people and keeping your old friendships. It is a great way of meeting people because it is something most people have in common with each other. I no that not everyone might play basketball, but they still come out to the games and support the school team. When Punahou plays Iolani every year the gym becomes packed and everyone cheers together as one. When you go to a game you can meet new people and create friendships.
Playing basketball is a way to develop many key values that are needed in life. You learn responsibility, respect and also you gain self-confidence. In basketball you learn the value of responsibility because when you play you are responsible for many different things. You have to stop your man of defense, make your lay-ups, don't turn the ball over and be a good teammate. If you aren't able to be responsible for these different things then the team wont be as strong. Basketball and respect go hand in hand. You learn about this value because you need to respect your teammates, coaches, referees and opponents. If you aren't respectful to your teammates they will not like you and you wont be doing your job as being a good teammate. You always need to listen and respect your coach or you won't be seeing to much playing time headed your way. In a game you always need to respect the referee's calls and judgments. If you don’t then you might be on your way to getting a technical foul which results in lose of ball and two free throws for the other team and if you get one of those your coach and teammates won't be very happy with you. Last but certainly not least is the value of self-confidence. This is a key value in living your life to the fullest. This value is gained in basketball whenever you make a big shot or get cheered for. Without self-confidence then you will never be able to live your life because you will never believe you can do anything difficult and always chicken out.
As you can see basketball is definitely a great pastime that I think everyone should try. You achieve so many different things like, the ability to stay in shape, a competitive drive, you meet new people and broaden yourself and last you learn great values that are needed in everyday life.