A Child Called "It"

A Truly touching story about a young boy, mentally and physically abused by his mother.  She did unspeakable acts to poor David.  Acts such as starving him.  Poor David was abandoned, while his other sibling was treated like an angel.  I would recommend this book to everyone.  Just like every book in the world, there is something to be learned by reading this book, and I encourage people to look for themselves. I enjoyed it because I learned how important it is to treat people right.  On the other hand, I didn't like the book because no one should have to feel what David did.

The bully by paul langang the bluford series

A book about a young boy named darrell mercer whose life turned up side down when he is foreced to leave his hometown in Philadelphia to a new start in California were he will  be forced to adapt to a hole new life style with his single mother and very poor income in one of the most expensive and violant places to live in the world. Just when life seemed like it couldn't get any  worse for Darrell he stumbles upon one of the most ruthless and most malicious person named tyray who has  taken Darrell's life and turned it into a nightmare.only Darrell can face his fears and defend himself against a force that has threatened his life and the only family he has left his mother and his love amberlyn who has given him hope that he may be able to create a good life with his mother and for himself. I think this book for being a good life lesson that people can make a life so long as they work at makeing the best  of everything. I recommend this book for all readers not just because of entertainment but because it can teach so much about life when you are thrown in the mist  with bad people and  in a whole new unknown life.

Newspaper Sydney J

Joshua Bennet Dor was 29 when he was arrested. Joshua was booked into the Pickens County Detention Center early in the morning. The exact time he was put into thewas around 8:34. December 24th he was arrested with two counts of deissinating obscene material to a minor and one count of contributing to a child. Joshua was a former assistant football coach at Pickens High School. He is no longer working there.

Video Game Blog

The blog that I found that I have a substantial interest in is video games. The blog is called ThatVideoGame Blog and it tells you what is coming out and what has come out and reviews for a large selections of games. The reason that I chose this blog was because video games is something that has interesting me since I was six or seven and its just something that always sticks over everything else. Another reason that I like this blog is because it tells you everything that you might of missed when you didn't see when the latest game is coming out or when the extra content is coming out.

Unbroken

The book that I read for nonfiction was Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Unbroken is a narrative, non-fiction book that tells the life story of Louie Zamperini, an Italian American from Torrance, California. This book had me on the edge of seat the whole time I was reading it. I would recommend this book to people that love stories of military veterans.

The Battle of The Labyrinth

The book that I read for fiction is called, The Battle of The Labyrinth by Rick Riordan. The Battle of The Labyrinth is about an adventure that Percy Jackson and his friends, Annabeth and Grover, and his brother Tyson. They find out what the Titan lord, Kronos, has been developing a plan to destroy all of the Olympians and Percy has found his way into the plan since he is a son of the Big Three. While on this adventure Percy has to explore the all famous Labyrinth. I recommend this book to mythological lovers and people that liked The Lightning Thief.

A Child Called "It"

The book that I read for my Literary Nonfiction/Biography was "A Child Called "It" by David Pelzer . This book was about a boy named, David, and how much and brutal his Mother abused him as a child and how he survived. David had an abusive Mother while growing up and she treated him like he didn't exist while he did everything for him and when he made one mistake he got beat. This book is not for the people who cry easily but I recommend this book strongly. This book also made me think on how precious life is and how much life is taken forth while other people have it hard like, David.

Samsung Galaxy S6

The new Galaxy came out about a week ago! It looks like a nice phone. The magazine article explained the new features and how to use it. It's pretty simple. I think it's a nice phone!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

This is a really funny interesting book. Greg and his best friend go on a summer trip. This series of books is very good, they're funny. I love them all. My favorite part in this book is when they were being chickens about a roller coaster! I recommend this book for everyone!

Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell

Lone Survivor is an AMAZING story. Mr. Luttrell went through such a journey as a Navy Seal. This book is about his time as a navy seal fighting to find Bin Laden. I have not seen the movie but this book was amazing. I recommend it to everyone.

Crazy love

Francis Chan wrote a nonfiction book in 2008 entitled "Crazy Love." This book is about the crazy love we ought to have for Christ. Francis experienced many hardships throughout his life as his mother died in labor, and his dad passed when he was twelve. Francis writes about how through these hard times it's easy to lose sight of Gods love for us. Chan explains that we should be hungry for a person authentic relationship with Christ to enhance our spiritual walk with him. Although it's hard to develop a love for someone you can't see, if we all fell in love with Jesus whole heartedly I couldn't imagine the impact we could make on society. This book was such an eye-opener and Francis Chan did an excellent job. 

I just recently read a book called "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou. It contains events that have happen in her childhood. Having to deal with devorce of her parents, racist, love, family, and being raped, Maya tells us her story in this book. It all starts with Maya and her brother Bailey Jr. At the age of three and four ridding across the country from California to Arkansas into a town called Stamps. They lived with their grandmother that they call Momma and their Uncle Willie. Momma and Uncle Willie are strict people who would drill the importance of education in their brains. During that time, Maya started to develope a crush on Shakespeare and literature. The story continues with how Maya and Bailey Jr. was than moved from Stamps to St. Louis to Stamps again and then to the west coast. It also describe the hurdles that they had to overcome and finally the book ends with how she's freaking out about her being pregnant in the result of doing it with one of the neighborhood boys and hiding it all the way through graduation and about how she is going to be a good mother.  Reading this book was immotional and interesting on how her story rolled out. I hope that in this day and age that rape would not occur however it does and I really hope the the rapier would die a long painful death not like how Maya's raper who didn't spend his time in jail but was murdered. I recommend people to this biography if they want to her a story about a girl in the 1930's through 1940's.

"A child called it."

Dave Pelzer wrote a heartbreaking story entitled "A child called it." He shared his own personal outlook of life throughout his experiences of being abused. This book was written through the eyes of Dave and speaks to all readers. In this book, Dave discusses the emotional and physical state of abuse he was living in at the age of four to around twelve years old. Not only was Dave being abused, he was being abused by the one who should hold him in her arms when he is hurt, tie his shoe laces, and is supposed to give him a shoulder to cry on, Dave was abused by his own mother. Being forced to eat throw up, to be forced into drinking poison, and to be forced into eating soap was normal in his everyday life. Dave couldn't help but feel trapped and hopeless. Although Dave experiences a horrible abuse and emotional struggle, he did not let that define him. Dave stayed true to himself and he was brought out of the abuse through his courage and determination to remove himself from the heartbreak. Dave's teacher was notified about the abuse and helped Dave escape the torment. This book had a lasting impact upon me and it made me thankful for what I have been blessed with. I have learned through Dave that you never know what someone is going through and to not take situations like this lightly. I will always remember this book.

How to cut sodas out of your diet

The health magazine had an article written by Norine Mcdaniel about how to minimize the cravings of sodas or other unhealthy drinks. In this article Norine wrote that the first step is to recognize the harm in the soft drinks. Studies have shown that tooth decay can be prevented by cutting out sodas and heart problems can disappear as well. Although breaking a habit is difficult, the best way to quit is to give yourself a limit and begin by just cutting out one a week in the hopes of eventually cutting them all out of your diet. Change is a hard thing to accept but it perfectly acceptable for you to realize a change needs to be made. To accept the fact that sodas are unhealthy is a great step to begin the process of eliminating them. To help get rid of sodas Norine wrote that if you mix water in with it, water alone will be easier to drink. This magazine article gave me many tips on how to eliminate sodas from my diet since I drink more than I probably should and I am looking forward to trying some of the tips out!

I have lived a thousand years By Bitton-Jackson

Ellie Friedmann is young Jewish girl living in Samorin, Czechoslovakia. Her brother, Bubi was going to school when he came back he told the family that Germany had invaded Budapest. The family had not taken his news into to consideration since there was no news to prove what he was saying the the truth. Bubi had to go to school the next day with his friend and they arrived with same news that the invasion was close. One day later and the  newspapers screamed  "Invasion". The schools later closed and a group of boys act like Nazi soldiers while Ellie was walking home, she walked faster and sobbed. The Jews are asked to give all their prized possessions to city hall, but Ellie just got a new bike and she doesn't want to give it up. Ellie's father showed the family a secret spot where he hides all his is prized possessions and asks Ellie if she makes it, to promise to remember this spot. She becomes really angered because she wants all her family to live not just one or two of the family.  Ellie hated the idea that she had to wear a yellow star symbolizing that she was a Jew and their house had to be painted a yellow star. A couple more days had past and the rules for Jews became more strict like they couldn't talk to Christans or anybody outside their religion. Ellie was only thirteen when she, along with her mother and her brother were taken to Auschwitz. Where they worked in the hot sun and served food with bugs in them since the chef doesn't really care. She finds herself to be abnormally disfigured because of the malnutrition and the intense work. They moved away from the Auschwitz camps to Plaszow the most notorious forced-labor camp in Poland. While they were there they moved constantly around in the room. Meaning they had to change beds every week, the beds were only wooden planks and Ellie and her mother were beside each other when one of the wooden beds fell on them. Ellie came out unharmed but her mother became paralyzed from that striking blow. After all the traitorous misadventure they finally evacuated out of the camps and the American soldiers provided the clothing and food. Ellie decided to go to New York to start a new life and she was staring at the Statue of Liberty she felt the hope in her heart. I feel that the only way humans can learn is to do it I'm not saying this is an option. Its sad that this was a way of life for about 4 years for the Jews.      

Will the USA side with IRAN against Israel

I read an article stating that as of march 15 that the US is in conference about weather or my to side with Iran against Israel! Every other country has sided with Iran except the good ole USA. We should not just jump on the band wagon we should stand up and defend what is right and defend those who are weak and weary. We should be the big brother country and stand up for what is right. In a religious stand point (please don't let this offend any one it is not meant to be offensive) we should stand up for the holy land and God's chosen people the children of Israel. Since when have we the United States of America chosen to go with the crowd even if it means going against all that is morally right. I mean think about it innocent men women and children will be sacrificed and killed just because we decided to go with the flow. Everybody else is doing it why can't we. I will tell you why it is because it is morrally unright and injustice to murder innocent men women and children.

When The Game Stands Tall. Neil Hayes. Cole Powell

This is a book about the most winningest streak in the history of sports. It takes place in 2002 at De La Salle High school with the De La Salle Spartans, led by one of the best coaches in high school football history, Bob Ladouceur. He won 151 games in a row that started in 1993 and ended in 2004. This book shows the ups and downs and the endless practice it took to keep this streak alive. This coaching staff and team was well equipt with the plays, players, and the streak that they had following them. This book is exciting, but the movie was stretched out and very over-exaggerated. This is a must read book for a fan of the sport cause you can't relate to a team that has won as many games as this team, but you can relate to the ups and downs to everyone in it 

How to grow a horses mane an tail faster

For my magazine article I decided to read something that would benefit me and my horse (skipper) as well. Skipper is a tall beautiful quarter horse he is the apple of my eye and I do everything and anything to spoil him. But lately I've noticed his hair wasn't as full and lushus as I wanted an needed it for halter show standards. So I looked up a few magazine articles online on easy safe essential oil ways to grow a horses mane and tail. What I found was amazing and worked wonders on his mane and tail. The article said to mix coconut oil and 3 drops if orange citrus together in a glass jar so the oils don't break down r eat away any bad materials in a plastic jar. Once I mixed therouly together I aplied to the base of his main and the base of his tail and left it in like leave in conditioner. And didn't rinse out. The results were amazing his hair is not only longer but is straighter and smoother and thicker and less nappy and tangly!! It only took about a week or so!!!

Night

For my literary nonfiction book I decided to re-read NIGHT by Ellie Wiesel. Hey I love this book so much I figured it wouldn't hurt to read it just one more time. NIGHT is about a young Jewish Elizers  journey and struggles through a German cocnectration camp and his struggle to stay true to his faith while trying to stay alive. Ellie and his father face many trials such as beating starvation and separation from there other friends and family while struggling not loose each other as well. They have small living quarters and no restrooms other than the corner body's stacked upon each other and many are sea or dying. Many are so skippy u can count every rib and bone in there body. I liked this book because of its great visual descriptions. Plus it tells what young Elizer emotional battles and trials are as well. I couldn't really relate to this book that eel because I have never really experienced such a horribly tragedy as this thank the good Lord. But something about this book just draws me in and makes grieve and fell sorry for an understand the hardships that these poor Jews went through. I also realize just how awful the human race can really be against its on kind just because they don't look the same or talk different or maybe have a few imperfections. It almost reminds me of bullying in public schools.

Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow

This book was written by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. It is about how Hitler controlled more than just the military, he controlled the entire country of Germany. Mainly this book explains parts of the WWII history and shows the true extent of the power that Hitler had over everyone. The Hitler Youth began as a voluntary organization to support Hitler, but it quickly became a way for Hitler to control the youth. Soon the Hitler Youth was not voluntary and they were being used in much the same way as the military. 
This book tells true stories of children in the Hitler Youth and children that were brave enough to speak up. It is truly horrific and fascinating. This book made me realize how serious the Holocaust is and the effect it had on many children. I recommend this book to those of you who are interested in history and want to get a deeper meaning of the Holocaust.

Skulduggery Pleasant

This story follows a thirteen year old girl named Stephanie Edgley siting around her uncles funeral (Gordon Edgley). Her uncle who was a novelist left her a vast mansion and many books for her to read. A man in a dark over coat and frizzy hair with big sunglasses and a scarf, visited the funeral and mentioned to Stephanie that Gordon was one of his close pals. While Stephanie was viewing the great mansion her parents told her that they were going to go home, but Stephanie insisted to stay to get used to the mansion. The strange man later left the house and advised Stephanie to be careful while staying in the mansion. In the middle of the night a strange noise had abruptly awoken Stephanie, outside of the mansion was a furious man asking Stephanie for a "key" when she refuses to let him in she gets attacked, but she is later saved by the strange frizzy haired man who is revealed to be Skulduggery Pleasant. Stephanie thanks Skulduggery and Skulduggery shows that he is nothing less than a skeleton that possesses elemental magic. When she finds that he is a skeleton she faints and wakes up in the morning smelling breakfast. They talked about the new world that has opened up for Stephanie, she also learns that her uncle was a sorcerer until his mysterious death.To allow Stephanie to go on her adventures with skulduggery she creates a magical dummy of her self so her parents think that she is home. The personality of this dummy is mostly neutral which makes the parents worried that Stephanie is up to no good. Stephanie needs a new name to protect her from other sorcerer that can control her if they know her real name so she chooses Valkyrie Cain. As the story progresses Stephanie and Skulduggery find they that they need to stop Nefarian Serpine from reaching the spectre. They reach him too late and Nefarian turns into a mad man with power of course that gives Stephanie and Skulduggery opportunity to take him down. While they're taking him down, Stephanie deals a large amount of magical damage to her leg which we find out that breaks her foot. When they come back to the magic community Stephanie is offered some magical rocks that reduces the waiting time for her leg to heal. Her legs healed in a week, she also found that she can use  elemental magic now. I think the moral of the this story is that if you are presented with something that is life changing then go for it. It is possible that it might show you a new world in your life that you would like to experience.                              

Alabama legalizes same-sex marriage

Alabama has become the 37th state in the United States to legalize same-sex marriage. For my newspaper article on a current event, I decided to read this article about Alabama passing this law. I think that this is a very good thing that the state of Alabama has done. Even if you may not agree with same-sex marriage I think you should be able to support people for loving who they love. To the people fighting for same-see marriage, it is equivalent to how the African American people fought for their rights. Imagine if you lived in a world where same-sex marriage was all there was and you had to fight for your rights to marry of the opposite sex. It would be hard. That's how people who are fighting for this right feel. That is why I think that this is a great thing. I hope soon that the entire United States can pass this law and let people live and love freely.

"If I stay"

I read a young adult fiction book titled "If I stay." This story was told through the eyes of seventeen year old Mia Hall. Mia struggles with the experiences and results from a car wreck she was in with her family that sent her into a coma. Mia was put in a hospital and watched as her family gathered around her wishing she would wake up. Mia fell for love with her bestfriend Adam and it is up to her whether or not she can wake up with pain or stay and sleep in peace. This decision has an emotional effect on her social life and Mia essentially decided to stay in the pain in the hope of love. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romantic books!

America's shark lady bryan pickler

America's shark lady is a nonfiction biography of Eugenia Clark who is know as America's shark lady, written by Ann McGovern.  Eugenia Clark was just a normal girl who lived in new york, who had a dream of swimming with sharks, and followed that Dream. She went to hunter college in new York City in 1942. She would often go on trips to California to study fish and work as a part time research assistant to Dr.carl Hubbs, a famous ichthyologist. There she learned all she needed to know about deep sea diving, and professional diver. On her first deep sea dive her helmet had broken and water started to Come in, and filled it with water. Eugenia quickly took it off and swam to the surface and grabbed quickly to the boat with the help of her crew. Even through she had experienced that frightful moment, that didn't stop her and she went back down again. After sodding in California for almost a year she returned home to new York and worked at the American museum of natural history. After about three years later, Eugenie was sent off by the US to the pacific islands to learn more about types of fish and sharks in that area. When she returned home she wrote a book on all of her adventures called lady Werth a spear. She would often be in the lab doing tests with sharks to see how they would react to different things. During the 1970's Eugenia took many deep sea diving missions in a submarine to discover more about sharks and we're they lived, ate, and what kinds of species they are. If you love fishing and are fascinated with underwater discoveries, this is a book for you!

Unbroken

Unbroken is a Nonfiction novel by Laura Hillenbrand about the life of Louie Zamperini. He grows up as troublemaker in Torrance, California by stealing food, running, and dreaming of leaving the town for good. Louie's brother, Pete, turns his love of running from the law into a passion for track and field. His career goes far into him breaking high school records, going to the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936, and training to beat the four minute mile. This career is put on hold when the Second World War breaks out and he signs up for the army air corps, becoming a bombardier. Louie and his crew, including pilot "Phil" Phillips are involved in an air battle with their plane, the Super Man. The crew is forced to land the plane, even though there's over five hundred bullet holes. The men is then transferred to a less reliable plane, the Green Hornet, which is shot down over the Pacific Ocean. Only three men survive: Louie, Phil, and Mac; Phil is torn apart by the guilt of the crash, Mac begins to go crazy (unfortunately dying later), and Louie wrestles a shark at sea and eats its liver. Louie and Phil survive for forty-six days, but end up being captured by the Japanese and put away in a terrible POW camp. The men are tossed back and forth through terrible camps until the war ends; with one of them where Louie encounters a sadistic guard with the nickname 'Bird', being punched over two hundred times, and having to clean a pigsty. Louie is able to return home, reuniting with his family and marrying his love at first site, Cynthia. They have a daughter and Louie begins to have a drinking problem at this time. The horrors of the war are haunting Louie, causing him to turn to drinking to try to forget. This, and catching him shaking the baby, causes Cynthia to divorce him. She changes her mind when Billy Graham comes to town and convinces Louie to go to one of his preaching sessions. After this, he finds his faith and quits drinking, becoming a motivational speaker. Years later, he finds peace in his past and forgives all those who wronged him in the war. In 1998, he carries the Olympic torch past Naoetsu, where he was once imprisoned, putting his past behind him. I really enjoyed this book because I find World War II very interesting, and to hear about Louie's point of view made it even more interesting.

How to make French Macarons

For my magazine article on how to do something, I chose an article that teaches you how to make French Macarons. This article explains in details how to do each step of the process. I think it is very well written and is very simple to understand. I am always interesting in learning things from different cultures, and since I am taking French I right now, I thought it would be really cool if I learned how to make macarons. This article also comes with a video to show you how it's done, which is really helpful in my opinion. After reading this article, it definitely makes me want to make some of these and, if they turn out well, share them with my French I class. The website I found this article on is: http://www.finecooking.com/videos/how-to-make-classic-french-macarons.aspx

Modern Nations of the World Vietnam by Karen Wills

The book is filled with the history, geography, economy, and culture of Vietman. Vietnam's capital city is called Hanoi. It has a long interesting history, full of world powers intervening however they are always driven out by the sheer cunning and determination of the Vietnamese. The northern terrain is balanced by a wealth of minerals. The landscape is mostly full of mountains, trees, and water. The streets of Vietnam is filled motorcycle, cars, buses, and bicycles. They have an art of good food. Vietnamese Chiefs have adapted the best of culinary arts from foreign sources. Vietnam  is a colorful place because flowers are everywhere. While reading this book it brings back memories of my visits to Vietnam. It how funny that the fairy tales I grow up know are in the books and it was kind of a bummer that they didn't have more pictures in the book because just from reading it doesn't show how beautiful Vietnam is really. So if anyone wants to go visit a foreign country with good food go to Vietnam however if you want to try the food that are good you would have to bring a Vietnamese with you.😊

Vanishing

The book Vanishing by Bruce Brooks is about a girl named Alice who's parents get a divorce and she has to go live with her alcoholic mom and stepfather who doesn't like her and doesn't care that everyone knows it. In Alice's perfect world she would have gotten to go live with her dad who understands her more. When Alice suddenly gets bronchitis and has to be hospitalized she decided this was the perfect thing that would keep her from having to return home. Whenever Alice is in the hospital she becomes good friends with her roommate Rex who will eventually die from the disease he has. Alice then begins to refuse to eat so that she will have to remain in the hospital. Once Rex goes into coma she must decide if she should break her fast to be able to go see him. I like this book mostly because it was very dramatic and you didn't really expect anything that did happen was going to happen. I definitely would recommend this book to everyone.

Caught bryan pickler

Caught is the fifth book of the missing series written by Margaret Peterson Haddix. The suspenseful book is about two teanaged siblings (jonah and Katherine) what are from the 21st century, and must travel back to 1903 to save Albert Einstein 's daughter, liseral. With the help of there friend JB Jonah and katherine can fix the past and return back to the 21st century. All of a sudden something goes catastrophically wrong, liserals mother finds out what they are doing, and won't let them take her were she belongs, and tries to stop them. By useing the time traveling device called an elucidator liserals mother travels into the feature, 60 years and finds out everything about her future and the 21st century, and almost ruins time forever. Margaret Peterson Haddix will put you on the edge of your chair, and not want to stop reading. This book is not only suspenseful, but you get an inside look of what 1903 would have looked like and learn about history that you may have not known before. If you love history, and love time travel and mysteries that will keep you on the edge of you seat begging to find out more, then I highly recommend this book to you!

life and death of Mary Wollstonecraft by the european graduate institute

Mary Wollstonecraft born 1759 and died 1797. Was considered to be the founder of the European and american movements for wemons rights. Mary Wollstonecraft was none to be self educated and practiced law as well as literature.For most of her life but she made a living as a governess but soon relocated to a writing career as she continued to develop her ideas on education for wemon and for wemon to be able to speak among men about more serious matters. She later wrote and published a book  in 1792:" make wemon rational creatures and free citizens and they will quickly become good wife's. She died son after her daughter Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley was born who was the auther of the famous novel Frankenstein. I don't recommend this book for fast past readers but this read is rather intriguing only because it raises more questions than answers about the development of wemons rights.

How to Get Kids to Sleep More

This magazine article gives tips on how to get your kids to sleep more. It said that 77% of children use television as their pre-bedtime routine.  The light from a television or computer can delay both the necessary drop in core body temperature and   delay sleep by two hours. Kids who are involved in more after school activities tend to be the ones to get less sleep . One way to get your kids to sleep more is to limit the television time by 30 minutes. I enjoyed this article because I know what its like when your kids don't get enough sleep because I have nieces and nephews. 

Increasing Basic Literacy is Changing Lives

I found in the March 15th edition of The Greenville News an article about literacy rates in Greenville.  Imagine not being able to read to your children, understand prices in the supermarket, or read directions on a prescription bottle!  This is a reality for roughly 32 million in our country, as 14 percent of Americans can't read. 21 percent read below a fifth grade level.  There are 56,000 adults in Greenville County who do not have the literacy skills needed for employment and do not have a GED or high school diploma.  The Greenville Literacy Association and Rotary Family Literacy Center have created a partnership and constructed a center for adult students to take literacy courses.  This is great because getting an education is the first step to a better life and to preventing and ending most of the worlds issues.

Boston Bombing Marathon Trial

The trial began March 4,2015.This trial of alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev begins at the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse in South Boston, Massachusetts. During the trial's first day, Tsarnaev's attorneys surprise the court by admitting that he is responsible for this terror attack. Prosecutors show new video footage from local cameras from the marathon scene and witnesses share their disturbing memories of that day. Tsarnaev faces a total of 30 charges, 17 of which come with the possibility of the death penalty. This article made me feel for those families who had to go through that tragic day. 

Safe Haven

Safe Haven is about a girl named Katie who comes to a small own in North Carolina called Southport. There she has a little, old cottage. She doesn't seem like she wants to talk to much people, and she especially doesn't want to talk about her past. She starts out working at Ivan's the main restaurant that all the locals eat at. She always went down to the local grocery store owned my a man named Alex. Alex instantly became talkative, and could not keep his eyes off of her. Alex and Katie become good friends and eventually they went on dates and then fell in love. I recommend this book to those who enjoy love stories. I enjoyed it because i'm a big fan of chick flicks. I also recommend the movie.

better homes in gardens retro refresh

Time to renew you're metal chair or table with this three step spray paint treatment will deliver a smooth finish. First coat with an all surface primer;let dry. Next spray on two coats   of your desired color making sure paint dries completely. Finish with two coats of high gloss clear spray(Rust oleum 2x ultra cover clear is  a good recommendation) to keep it in tip top shape.

Positive

The book Positive is by Paige Rawl it is about a fifteen-year-old girl named Paige who had to deal with being bullied after the word that she had HIV got out. Paige had been HIV positive since she was born but she never felt like this brought he down or made her any different. It was a normal day at middle school for Paige until she told her friend that she did have HIV and only within a couple of hours the whole school knew. From this day on Paige's life was like a ticking time bomb. She had to deal with the constant bullying and being called names. When she tried discussing this with her principals they over looked it and told her that she didn't need to make everything so dramatic. After her plea for help was ignored Paige felt like she had no one else to turn to. Once she felt this way she decided she had enough and took a bottle of sleeping pills. Instead of this being the end of Paige's story it was just the beginning. She soon confided in others that had HIV and started a support group to help others like her. I really enjoyed this book because not only did she have to face total embarrassment she got over it and came out even stronger. I find this a very inspirational book and would recommend this for anyone!

Heaven is For Real

Heaven is For Real is written by Lynn Vincent. This book is about a little boy named Colton Burpo and his survival after going through an emergency appendectomy. Colton claims to making a trip to Heaven and back while in surgery. He explains this claim by describing exactly what his parents were doing in another part of the hospital while he was being operated on. He talked of visiting heaven and relayed stories told to him by people there whom he had never met in life. He also surprised his parents with descriptions of heaven that matched the bible exactly. I really enjoyed this book because it gave me an even better hope that there really is an heaven. I recommend this book to those who are doubting the existence of God. It's an eye opener!

Upstream

Upstream is a fiction book by Melissa Lion about a teenage girl named Marty who is struggling to overcome the death of her boyfriend. You do find out that Steven her boyfriend was killed while with Marty but she never tells anyone what actually happened on that day. This book isn't particularly about the death of him it is more about the journey of Marty grieving over him. While just starting her senior year she makes friends with the new owner of the local movie theater that she works at. Becoming close friends with Katherine, the movie theater owner is quite easy for Marty but difficult at the same time because of keeping the details of Steven's death a secret. By the end Marty opens up to Katherine about what happens but in the same day says she's moving to Hawaii for college. I really enjoyed this book because it kept me intrigued till the end. If you like to be on your toes wondering what's going to happen next I recommend this book!

An Abundance of Katherines

An Abundance of Katherines is a fiction book by John Green about the life of a guy named Colin. What's unique about Colin is, he has been dumped nineteen times by girls all named Katherine. He is also a child prodigy who could read by the age of two. To get away from all of his troubles, Colin and his friend Hassan go on a road trip. They end up in a town named Gutshot; and when they go to see the grave of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, they meet a girl named Lindsey, who is happening to date a guy named Colin. Lindsey becomes their friend, and her mom offers the two boys a job interviewing people about about Gutshot and a factory. During this time, Colin and Lindsey begin getting close, sharing interests and secrets. Colin begins wanting to prove he's not just some child prodigy, so he begins working on The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability. This is a complicated math equation that plots out romantic relationships. With this theorem, he begins understand what happened with the nineteen Katherines. Eventually, Colin and Lindsey begin dating and he calculates that they'll be done for on the fourth day. Lindsey jokingly breaks up with him on the fourth day, and that's when Colin realizes he shouldn't use some math equation to figure out his love life. I'd recommend this book if you may be struggling with relationships of your own and just can't figure out why. 

Three Little Words

 Three Little Words is a memoir on Ashley Rhodes-Courter's life. Ashley spent nine years of her life in fourteen different foster homes. Her mother began to spiral out of control when she was only three years old; getting involved with drugs and abusive boyfriends. During the nine years of foster care, Ashley faced even more abusive families and harsh obstacles in her life. Her childhood is not very stable, since she's juggled between schools and foster homes one after another. Finally when she is twelve years old, she gets adopted by Gay and Phil Courter. Ashley finds it very difficult to adjust to a new family since she has been holding on to the hope that her mother will come back for her all her life. In the end, Ashley begins to open up to other families and adoption agencies on her troublesome time in the foster care services. I'd recommend this book for you if you have any interests in the foster care services or can relate to any of this!

Yankees make first round of cuts. Brandon Bates

After two weeks of spring training games, the Yankees made their first round of cuts this afternoon. Among the first players to get the boot to minor league camp are Luis Severino, Trent Garrison, Nick Goody, James Pazos, Diego Moreno, Tyler Webb, and Juan Graterol. While none of these players will be considered as major league options from this point, don't be surprised if a few of them show up in a few games this spring.Obviously, the biggest disappointment is Luis Severino. It would have been nice to see him a few more times, but the small chance he got wasn't exactly impressive. While Diego Moreno was bad and had no real chance to make the team, cutting Pazos and Webb takes away their ability to impress the organization for later consideration. It's okay that Nick Goody has been cut because all he needed to prove was that he was healthy and could compete against a higher level of play. It is somewhat surprising to see both Trent Garrison and Juan Graterol get cut, but it's likely Garrison will be kept around to help catch bullpens and learn from their surroundings.

                                       Jason Cohen 

                                      March 15, 2015

Black champions of the gridiron. Brandon Bates

Rarely have two college athletes, black or white, in the 1960s gained such attention among the fans as O. J. Simpson of USC and Leroy Keyes of Purdue. Both have risen to national fame in 1967, it was the 1968 season that made the names of the these two players almost the synonymous with college football. The competition and the respect between these two players in their race for the Heisman trophy is captured in this amazing book. The author traces their carter from the backyard to the NFL and giving their statistics from their college football years 

Patriots

Thoughts around Patriots
Mike Reiss March 14th, 2015.

       This blog/news report is about current off season questions regarding the New England Patriots.
He states signings, cuts, and salary cap issues, It is perfect for a Patriot fan like me. I check these reports daily and they are always very reliable.

How to Change oil in your car. Brandon Bates

Changing the oil in your car is something that any Person  can do. Although changing the oil might appear rather easy, there are still a lot of folks doing it wrong, making it an ugly chore or overpaying for oil changes they could do themselves. Plus, it’s the single most important task you can do to make your engine last.Changing your own oil isn’t brain surgery—you probably did it yourself years ago. But with oil change shops charging more and more, it’s time to get back under the car and start saving big bucks. Plus, you won’t be pressured into buying overpriced add-ons every time you go in for a change. This will show you how to change your oil fast and painlessly.

How to be Successful.

I currently just read a magazine article with tips on being successful in life. IT basically said dream big and have endless goals. You are the only one stopping yourself from achieving them. It also states that you can not succeed without failing so do not be afraid of failure. Avoid conflicts and be friendly to everyone. And always try to introduce new ideas.

USA Today- NFL free agency winners, losers: Who took hardest hit?

This article by USA Today is about the winners and losers of the current 2015 NFL free agency. IT includes insight o big moves by teams and players. I am a big NFL fan so this article was fun to read and interesting. I was very surprised by some of the moves. It is very accurate and reliable as well.

Giver....

            Lois Lowry's The Giver centers around Jonas, a young boy in a dystopian world of the future. The Ceremony of Twelve introduces him to a whole new existence, as the Receiver of Memory. He's blessed (or cursed). Separation from family and friends is a traumatic event for most 12-year-old, but Jonah is introduced to a whole new world of secrets and lies. The Committee of Elders seeks the advice of The Giver to remember what came before (a past long forgotten), but the responsibility is also fraught with unimaginable terrors.

           Jonah experiences the history of hatred, pain and war--which leaves him "desperately alone." Nobody else knows (or could know). And, the reality of what he has always believed to be harmless practices causes him to make the decision to leave the community. He's already been estranged/alienated from all that he'd previously held dear. His new understanding of himself and his society makes it impossible for him to stay. He decides he must leave... In his his horrendous flight/journey, he rescues Gabriel from euthanasia--experiencing hunger and pain in his trek toward the Nirvana of Elsewhere.

Showtime

During the 1980’s the sports world was dominated by one team: The Los Angeles Lakers. Led by number one pick Earvin “Magic” Johnson, featuring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and led by slicked-back hair, Armani suit strutting Pat Riley, the team played in nine NBA championship series over eleven years winning five of them. The Lakers became known for their “showtime” style of play and entertaining millions across the globe.  The Los Angleles Lakers are my favorite basketball and i learned many interesting details about them during this time period.  

American Sniper

Chris Kyle was nothing more than a Texan man who wanted to become a cowboy, but in his thirties he found out that maybe his life needed something different, something where he could express his real talent, something that could help America in its fight against terrorism. So he joined the SEALs in order to become a sniper. After marrying, Kyle and the other members of the team are called for their first tour of Iraq. Kyle's struggle isn't with his missions, but about his relationship with the reality of the war and, once returned at home, how he manages to handle it with his urban life, his wife and kids. This story is one of my favorites, I encourage every one to read this book and see this movie.

Cultural history of the United States (1920's) bryan pickler

America, an amazing country filled with amazing people such as teachers,presidents, and the brave men and women who are fighting for us, and the history and stories of its people,  but do we ever look back at it and think about it? A cultural history of the United States (1920's) is a nonfiction / Informational book that is written by Erica Hanson which tells the history of America through the 1920's. Did u ever know that in the beginning of the  1920's most American homes did not have electricity in them until 1928, which by then was 80% percent of america. Many inventions and styles were created and perfected during the 1920's. such as the car, airplane, fashion models,  weaponns, scooters, electricity, and appliances. One appliances that everyone wanted was the vacuum cleaner. It  was before its time people would often say, and it was only $6.25! I must  say that is crazy compared to today! Cars could now transport people were ever they needed, people  could fly all around the world and discover new places, people were doing amazing things that nobody would ever think would happen, radio stations were playing music and stories on the air, the economy was thriving more than ever, no wonder that the 1920's was the golden age of America! Finally on October 29, 1929 sadly the golden age came to an end to the stock market crash. Americans became homeless, they had to sell everything to survive, people would no longer know when there next mean would come. I can relate very well to the 1920's because my grandfather was born in 1923. Now understanding more about the 1920's, I know the amazing and tragic things that my grandfather experienced in his childhood. This makes me feel extremely proud to have an amazing grandfather, and want to know more about what is was like in the 1920's, and his childhood, and how he made it though the great depression .

Fallen angels. Brandon Bates

 This book is about a seventeen year old boy Richie perry that has graduated from high school. He cannot afford college and the streets are too rough for him. So he signs up for the army and gets shipped off to Vietnam. In a battlefield jungle where every move could be life or death he meets peewee, lobel, Johnson, and Brunner. They are in the army for different reasons but they have the same dream-getting out alive. This is a great book it is also a gut-twisting book about the the truth of the Vietnam war and about 5 teenagers trying to get home alive 

The armor within us the story of bone by joseph samachson

This book is one of the most interesting books when it comes to scientific enlightenment on the evolution of every living creature on earth from forming of cells to the first exoskeleton based creatures and eventually boned creatures. This book helps you understand why we are what we are and whow we have become what we are due to the evolution of are skeletal structure and are nurel system. The same genetic code that nearly everything living and soon to live will go by till the end of time. But humans over time have somewhow rewritten the genetic code when it comes to the development of our brain almost like we were destined for something greater then what we were intentionally created for considering the fact that we are discovering the secrets to our universe with each passing year. And although we and all other creatures where made out of perfection we are not perfect.I feel that this book  is good for readers who want to discover more about whow they were made and what makes them human and why we have the armor inside us all.

The Lightning Thief

A 12 year old boy named Percy Jackson, has many issues like ADHD, Dyslexia, a good-for-nothing step father and the fact that he is a demi-god; yes, a demi-god. Percy takes on a quest, to rescue her mother from Hades in the Underworld; with the help of Grover, a young satyr who has been Percy's best friend for several months and also his protector; and Annabeth, one of the children of the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena. Together they will go on a dangerous adventure filled with monsters trying to kill them, especially Percy. Percy, the son of Poseidon; was accused of stealing Zeus' lightning bolt. Now the monsters are trying to get the Lightning bolt from Percy. But little do they know... He really doesn't have it. This book really is a interesting dream-like adventure that I've heard great things about and I also really enjoyed myself.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder is the first book in the Lunar Chronicles series. It's a twist on the old fairy tale Cinderella. It follows a teenage cyborg called Cinder who remembers nothing before age 11. Now living with her two steps sisters and evil stepmother who blames her for their father's death, she works as a mechanic. On day, the beloved Prince Kai meet Cinder when he brings his broken android to her shop to be fix. They start to bevelope feeling for each other however Kai doesn't know that she is a cyborg. Also, she will discover why she can't remember her live before the age 11. I love this book. It's in the category of books that I love to read. Cinder is a book that I would recommend to read for those who loves fairy tales because the whole Lunar Chronicles series is not just a twist on the original story on Cinderella but also a twist on the other fairy tales.

The Elite by Kiera Cass

 This book is the second book of a series called "The Selection." From thirty five girls in the beginning being narrowed down to six girls competing for the crown and love of the Prince. A sixteen-year-old teenager named America Singer now not only have to work hard to keep her place in the game but also choose who she wants to be with. Being torn between Prince Maxon and her childhood sweetheart Aspen, who suddenly appears in the Castle as a guard, America can't choose between the two of them because Aspen broke her heart and Maxon didn't help her best friend. However the irony is that Maxon did in fact save her best friend and Aspen only broke her heart for her to have a better life. So if you I going to read this book it's not for the fainted heart. It's filled with heartbreaks, mysteries, love triangles, friendship and rivals. Warning: this book will mess with your feelings of which is right and wrong. However, if you're looking for a book that has a fairytale love story with obstacles this is a book for you.

Here's How To Get Free Ice Cream Next Week!

I found in a Seventeen magazine an article called How To Get Free Ice Cream Next Week!  It was written by a Seventeen author named Zoe Bained.  Next week, Dairy Queen is celebrating the very beginning of ice cream season, along with the brand's 75th anniversary.  On March 16, participating ice cream shop locations will celebrate Free Cone Day, offering customers a small vanilla soft serve at no cost. Dairy Queen is encouraging customers to donate the money they save to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.  I think this is awesome because I personally love ice cream and believe that is the the best thing ever.  Another reason this is great is because it is for a great cause. 

"Into The Wild" by Jon Krakauer

For my book or literary nonfiction, I chose to read the book Into The Wild by Jon Krakaeur. This book tells the story of a man, Chris McCandless, who abandons his whole life, family, a bank account with at least $25,00 in it, and everything except the things in his bag that is on his back. He travels the country for several years before settling into Alaska. Incompetent of the bitter and harshness of the land, he met his death within an old vacated bus. This book explores the life and death of Chris while interviewing Chris's family and friends. It also provides photos, and maps of his travels. It also includes first hand experiences from the author that relate to Chris's nomadic life. I didn't really understand why he would just leave such a good life that he had. I understand though that he was chasing a dream, but he just abandons everyone and everything. That is what I didn't understand. Honestly, the book is a tad slow while getting into the story and excitement. I would recommend this book to someone that doesn't mind a little boredom before excitement, but loves a good adventure.

How To Make This The Year You Get Stuff Done

For the blog post on a subject of interest I found a blog called The Art of Doing Stuff.  The author, Karen Cummings, seems to be a very funny and well motivated person.  She blogs about the DIY projects that she does inside and outside her house.  She even teaches live-stream online courses on how to get stuff done with the time you have.  In the blogpost that I found- How To Make This Year The Year You Get Stuff Done, Karen answered questions about how she uses and prioritizes her time to get all of her projects done.  She says that the main key to most of her success is planning everything down to the smallest detail, and genuinely wanting to just do stuff.  I definitely liked this blog and would recommend it to anyone looking for inspirations of cool things to do with your time and how to spend it wisely.

  http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/how-to-make-this-the-year-you-get-stuff-done/

How To Be Happy by Karen Salmonsohn

For the nonfiction/informational book I read How To Be Happy by Karen Salmonsohn.  This book puts a very funny but useful view on how to be your better self.  This book includes 44 inspiring life lessons that will save you years of time and effort.  The author of this book talked about many different ideas and tips. Some of them are things like be careful about the decisions you make when you are in a negative state.  She also gave random little tips or assignments, like when you are feeling down, recite Victor Frankl's (a holocaust survivor) famous book quote: “It isn't the past which holds us back, it’s the future; and how we undermine it, today.”  I found this book very interesting and really liked it because who doesn't want to be happy. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy book to read that will hopefully improve their lives.

 

South Carolina Trivia by Al and Shirley Menendez

South Carolina Trivia is the who, what, when, where, and how book of the great state of South Carolina. Filled with interesting questions and answers about well-known and no-so-well-known facts of this colorful, historic state, South Carolina Trivia will provide hours of entertainment and education. Designed for use in a wide variety of settings--home, office, school, parties--it focuses on the history, culture, people, and places of the fascinating Palmetto State. Has many categories such as: geography, entertainment, history, arts & literature, sports & leisure, and science & nature. I have learned many new things from SC Trivia. Like, Little Mountain holds a folk festival every August called Reunion. Tom Cruise stared in Days of Thunder, which was partly filmed in Darlington. Also, Jack Nicklaus designed the Long Bay Club and Turtle Point Golf Club, and so much more from SC Trivia.

How to change your running routine

When you do something different, it changes the way the body is "stressed," making it more adaptable and therefore, stronger. Flexibility and strength go hand-in-hand. there is no set law that Saturday has to be long run day. Or that you have to follow a weeklong, seven-day schedule. Instead, try switching to a longer or shorter schedule, depending on what races you have coming up. For shorter races, try a shorter schedule, like a five or six-day loop for a few weeks. The extra days in between stress-workouts are perfect for cross training days, like yoga, biking, and pool workouts. Your training for longer races like the marathon can accommodate a longer schedule. I have followed these instructions and had a great time running and hiking with my family. It really prepares you for any short or long runs.

George Washington

The biography of George Washington by Calista Courtenay is a great read.  I have always been interested in history and my favorite is learning about Presidents.  Even though I have read several Washington books before you always learn something new.   I have been reading on Washington since I was 5 years old and knew the presidents frontward and backward at an early age.  This particular book talks about Washington as a young surveyor to his early military career and appointed General in French and Indian war.  It takes you through Washington being a member of the first Continental Congress, beginning of the Revolution all the way through his Inauguration as 1st President.One of the things I thought about while I read this and we don't think about was how young he was when he was first ranked military officer at 19 years old.  He truly was born to lead. He was a hard worker, humble and very respected by everyone.  I would suggest this book for any history lovers.  It was easy to read, but a lot of it I already knew, but still good to read.

Boys: How to be the best at EVERYTHING??

The Boys Book: How to be the Best at Everything, by: Dominque Enright

I picked this book for my non-fiction because it was one of my childhood favorites. This is one of those books you put in the bathroom because you can read it over, and over, and over again. And you can read just a couple of pages or the whole book! In the book it has all sorts of information like: How to fly a helicopter, How to play music with a piece of grass, How to tie 3 essential knots, ect. These go on for over 100+ pages of fun facts and knowledge that I loved as a kid! I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves the outdoors, has a little brother/son, or for yourself! They also have one for girls on everything from painting nails to creating awesome dance routines.

Ghost of War: The True Story of a 19-year-old GI Sydney Jones

This story was a true story on Ryan Smithson. He was a former U.S. Soilder. The book tells us about his adventures in Iraq and fighting. My favorite part of this book was when he was give a Bazoona Cat; which bazoona means cat in Arabic, by a small child in Iraq. The child gave him this for giving him some water. The overall theme of this book was duty and sacrifice. He wanted to join the army after 9/11. This book was a great read.

Anne of green gables

For my book of choice I decided to read Anne of Green Gables by L.M.Montgomery. This novel is about little orphan Anne. Her adopters were wanting a boy to work the farm and tend to the garden and carry on the family name seeing as they have no children of their own. But when Mr. Cuthberts goes to pick up the darling orphan boy he is in for a surprise when there sit a little fiery red headed girl with a temper to match her name is Anne. When Anne first arrives at the snug white farm house she wants immediately wants to stay forever! But Anne must earn her keep and try her absolute best to refrain from rushing headlong in

The warrior heir

For my book of fiction I decided to read the warrior heir by Cinda Williams. This book is about a teenager who has just been told he has a long line of magical heritage that comes with his very one encahanted sword. He ends up being fought and sought after by two wizard guilds the white rose and the red rose he is capture and made forced to fight in a tournament against another warrior to the death. But the warrior he is fighting against just so happens to be his newly found love interests!

A child called "it". Brandon bates

A child called "it" is a real life story about a boy who was brutally beaten and starved by his alcoholic mother. At first Dave pelzer lived a normal life with his family until his mother turned into this like monster taking her anger out on him. Dave was submerged in freezing cold water, forced to eat his vomit, and forced to sit in a burning stove. These are just a few of of the torturous games his mother used to play. Dave suffered mental and physical abuse. In order to survive he had to use all of his strength through all of her torture games there for his inner and outer strength were put to their limits. 

Father Abraham

Father Abraham is an incredible book describing how Abraham Lincoln used his strategic mind to become President and win the Civil War. Lincoln was born on Feb. 12, 1809 Kentucky and was assassinated on April 15, 1865. Before his demise, however, Lincoln had became leader of  the new Republican Party in 1854. The Republicans nominated him for president. Although not having the support of the South, Lincoln swept the North and was elected President of the United States in 1860. Lincolns election made seven southern states leave the Union and became the Confederate States of America. The North and Lincoln saw this as a act of treason and prepared for war, Lincoln said he would have the Union army wait for the South to make the first move. The South bombarded Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861 with cannon fire, officially starting the bloodiest war in US history. When the war started the Union was not doing to well. Almost every battle was a Confederate victory. Until one of his generals won a battle that turned the tide of the war. Ulysses S. Grant finally won the Confederate capital of Richmond and Lee surrendered, the war was finally over. Sadly six days later, while at a theater, John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln. On the day after Lincoln had died, a great banner was stretched across Broadway. The message was powerful and brief. It is a message this book has sought to prove. "The great person," it read, "the great man, is the miracle of history." Powerful words to end an amazing book. I loved reading this book. When I finished reading I was blown away at how much I didn't know about Lincoln and all he did to preserve the nation.

Battle of Jechrico

The Battle of Jericho by Sharon M Draper is a book that takes place in Douglas High School. Its about a "School Club" called the "Warriors of Distinction." On the outside they are a harmless club who do charity work for the community and help the school. But on the inside new members are extremely hazed. One of the girls that sneaks into initiation gets hazed extremely bad by on of the leaders. At one point he takes her into the bathroom and urinates in the toilet and gives her a swirly. At the end the main character's cousin dies by jumping off a roof. I recommend this book to anyone who likes books about peer pressure, discrimination, and fitting in. I loved the book, it was very powerful. I don't really have any cons, I really liked this book.

Cultures of the World: Japan

For my book of Nonfiction/informational book, I chose a book about Japan. Since, I was younger Asian cultures have always fascinated me, so I decided to learn more about a very unique and different culture, Japan. As you all may know, Japanese culture is very different from other Asian cultures. Japan runs on a democratic government with a titular monarch, the Emperor. Every emperor, or ruler, of Japan is a descendant of the previous. Japan imperial family descends from an unbroken lineage of nearly two thousand years, longer than any royal family in history. Japan has one of the highest economies in the world, higher than the U.S. The average Japanese family consists of a constantly working father, a stay at home mother, and kids that go to school to get a good education for a future of success. Japanese people are very disciplined and are focused on acting as one, and fitting in. Like many other Asian cultures, Japanese people are very respectful to their elders and peers. Unlike in America, depending on your social status, might I say, or age, you have to use specific adjectives for specific people. Here's one that I'm sure most people know, the sempai-kohai relationship, or the senior-junior relationship. Japanese are extremely observant people. Body language is a very important key in communicating. Like I said previously, Japanese are very disciplined people, meaning they also must be good mannered. Examples of this are bowing when you greet people out of respect and manners. Some manners are as simple as wrapping a gift a specific way for someone. Speaking directly or straight-forward to someone is considered rude in Japan. Japanese people mainly have two religions: Shinto and Buddhism. There are other religions in Japan though, such as Christianity. The Japanese culture is also very involved in art and literature, such as poetry, theatre, music, and more. Japanese people definitely have plenty of interesting characteristics and views on life. If you like to learn about different and unique cultures, I recommend you to definitely read about the Japanese culture. Some things that you will learn may surprise you. Some things definitely surprised me. Did you know that Japan has special festivals to celebrate ones gender basically? Hinamatsuri, or "girls' day" and Boys' day, which is now referred to as just "Children's day." I hope you can learn some about a culture that fascinates you, like I have.

Hunger Games

For my fiction book I read "The Hunger Games." This book takes place in "Panem," a very sci-fi-esk, present day Earth. In Panem there are 12 "Districts." Each District has a specific function and purpose to serve the "Capitol." Every year there is a competition between the districts for ages 6-18. They kids are chosen in a "Reaping." Then they are taken to the capitol and placed in a battle. The last survivor wins and is placed in a "Victors Village" in their district. If you are into sci-fi, adventure, or action, then this book is for you. I liked the extreme violence mixed with the romance and drama. It made for an interesting plot line and kept you entertained while reading it. However, I didn't like the forced love relationship that takes place between Peeta and Katniss.

The Art of Diving: And Adventure in the Underwater World

A landmark photography collection by an award-winning photographer (landmark is good in conveying that this is important and not to be missed, but it also makes it sound a bit conventional. There’s something about these images – they are absolutely fresh, surprising, true to the experiences people have yet even better than they can imagine. Colorful, vibrant, larger-than-life, yet somehow real) named Alexander Mustard. Scuba diving has become one of the world’s most popular adventure sports, with now more than 20 million registered divers. Passion grows from people's exploration of a completely magical and otherworldly dimension under the sea. Each dive is a fresh experience, revealing a different diorama, captured in full color in this magnificent book. With a perfect combination of both art and science, the text and photography recreates the emotional and sensual dimension of diving as well as conveying the fascination of meeting unusual underwater creatures and observing the condition of marine environments. This book provides amazing, beautiful images of marine life as well as descriptive text that made it feel like you are diving underwater yourself. It is a very relaxing book to read, especially if you are wanting to see how vast and beautiful our world really is.

No Daylight Saving Time for Arizona

An article released on March 8 is about daylight sayings time. Everyone in the United States moved their clocks forword one hour, except for Arizona. This is because they do not participate in daylight savings. Indiana was in the boat until 2005. It's debateable if springing forward or backward in time is a good idea or not. But we can all agree that it mess up your schedule that you are already used to.

Divergent

In Divergent (a story written by Veronica Roth), Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue. Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is - she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves. However, it might destroy her as well. Both the book and the movie were great! In a way, it reminded me of The Hunger Games. If you are into suspenseful, action packed books, go check this one out. 

Unbroken

Unbroken, a biography by Laura Hillenbrand, is about the life story of Louie Zamperini, an Italian American from Torrance, California. Beginning with his childhood, he was a troublemaker. A boy who was a thief and a public nuisance, until his big brother, Pete, takes it upon himself to steer Louie in another direction. Eventually, he settled on running. that would keep him out of trouble. Louie had amazing skill and with Pete’s coaching, began winning race after race. By a stroke of luck, Louie was able to make the Olympic trials by switching his distance and competing in an open competition. With fierce determination, he earned his right to compete in the Berlin Summer Olympics of 1936.  Although Louie had a strong possibility for a medal in the next Summer Olympics, unfortunately, they were cancelled due to the economic hardship of the host
country. Louie soon after signed up for military service as a member of the Air Corps in 1941. Louie’s air crew was full of talent and accuracy, having an incredibly successful first mission on Wake Atoll. One day Louie, his pilot, and good friend Phil, along with a few new men had to take a different plane on a rescue mission because their previous plane was damaged during the battle of Nauru. Unfortunately, this plane “wasn’t airworthy” and crashed into the Pacific Ocean. For forty-six days, Louie barely survived on a raft and is soon found and captured by Japanese soldiers. This book was amazing and very inspirational. I highly recommend this book! 

How to be a Gentleman

The non-fiction novel "How to Be a Gentleman: A Contemporary Guide to Common Courtesy" by John Bridges is a book that every guy should have...so say my dad who recommended that I read this book.  Now that I have I'm glad I did.  The book was basically written as a guide with steps, pictures and short paragraphs and not written as a lecture which made it easier to read and it was funny too.  It is a book I know I will read and reference to when I get older.  Mainly because there are some parts that reference to grown-up situations like proper wine selections and what you should do at parties.  However, there are parts I can learn and use now such as using proper introductions, how to tie a bow tie and when and when not to properly use your cell phone, email, or any electric devise.  This is the part my mom thinks is very important for teens to know.  Gentlemanly behavior is slipping away in our generation and reading such a book reminds us that being a gentleman is about common sense and courtesy and a lot of good manners.  Throughout the book it gives gentlemen tips on how to dress, how to properly use a dinner napkin and utensils, how to properly ask a girl on a date, and how to start up proper conversations just to name a few.  These are the rules I think would be most helpful at my age.  I do think showing a little class goes a long way.  I do recommend this easy to read, very helpful book to anyone young or old.

The big, bad storm that wasn't bryan pickler

This news paper article written by Romando  Dixson, from the Pickens county new, was about the "huge snow storm" that was expected last week. Why didn't we get 8 inches of snow? Meteorologists in the upstate  simply put there wasent enough cold air in place long enough when a lot of precipitation fell over our area. Even though we didn't receive that much snow, schools all around the upstate got out and had a two hour delay the next day. The high way petrol reported more then 242 collisions, and 399 calls over all.

Abandon car blog bryan pickler

I've always like cars, and thought it would b cool to find a blog about abandon cars. As I searched the Internet I found one by, Justin hyde, he  tells how he discovered 60 abandoned classic cars. He tells how a man named Roger baillon, had started a business in 1950 and with his money stared buying cars to one day make him his own meuseum. Hyde shows pictures of each car and even made a video abut them, and tells some of the story's about each car. This blog made me want to open my eyes and to look around, and see what's out in the world.

American Sniper

American Sniper is a life story of  Chris Kyle, U.S. Navy SEAL Sniper, and his multiple tours to Iraq. In the book Chris tells about his life starting out on a small ranch in Southwest Texas. After graduating high school, Chris decided to go into the military, at his local mall he found  some recruitment offices. First he went to Army thinking that he wanted to be SF (Special Forces), after finding out that they were not open, a Navy recruiter called him over. "What were you just over there for?," said the recruiter. "I was applying to be an SF" Chris replied. "Ever thought about the SEALS?" That's where Chris' adventure begins, first he goes through Navy basic training. "Basic was pretty easy" says Chris "They teach you how to survive on ships and do exercises." But BUD/S training was a whole other story. During BUD/S you go through what is known as "Hell Week." During the whole week you go through intense training for 5 days straight with only 4hrs. of sleep. But Chris survived and went on to be in SEAL Team 3, based out of San Fransico, it was a good fit for Chris. About that time Chris met his wife Taya in a local San Fransico bar. After that Chris went on to have over 160 confirmed kills and an estimated 250 kills. He also went on to have 2 children and be the president of Craft International, a tactical sniper school based in Texas. On February 2, 2013, Kyle and a companion, Chad Littlefield, were shot and killed at the Rough Creek Ranch-Lodge-Resort shooting range in Ereth County, Texas Both men were armed with .45-caliber 1911-style pistols when they were killed, but neither gun had been unholstered or fired. The safeties were still on. Kyle was killed with a .45-caliber pistol, while Littlefield was shot with a 9mm Sig Sauer handgun. Both guns belonged to Kyle. The shooter was Eddie Ray Routh, a 25-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran from Lancaster, Texas. Kyle and Littlefield had reportedly taken Routh to the gun range in an effort to help him with his PTSD. Routh had been in and out of mental hospitals for at least two years and had been diagnosed with Schizophrenia. A memorial service was held for Kyle at Cowboys Statium in Arlington, Texas, on February 11, 2013. Kyle was buried on February 12, 2013, at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, after a funeral procession from Midlothian to Austin, stretching over 200 miles. Hundreds of people lined I35 to view the procession and pay their final respects to Kyle. He was a great man and will be sorely missed.

R.I.P. Chris Kyle, February 2 2013

Crime at Richland County, SC

A man named Robert Xavier Geter is charged for murder and attempted murder but soon he turns himself in to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department headquarters. Geter had an argument between one of the gentleman named James Lewis in Culler's bar the argument changed to physical engagement. After several people broke up the fight Geter pulled out a knife and began stabbing James Lewis in the upper part of the body. Another Gentlemen named Clarence Stone attempted to stop the assault but also got stabbed by Geter. Geter then ran away from the scene before the police could catch him. James Lewis died a day later and Clarence fortunately survived the scene. Robert Xavier Geter was later identified by investigators and witnesses. 

Tips on Achieving Your Goals

I just read in a magazine article showing tips to achieve your goal. It says that goals, habits, and success is a much better approach to achieving almost any goals for everybody. Goals can hold you happiness until you achieve it, so it's better commit to a process than a goal because with each process you can achieve your goal better and it would feel like it's going by faster. Also, to achieving your goals you would need to give up the need for immediate results because it takes time for thing to happen. So, after reading this article I think I can achieve my goals smoothly without giving up and for anybody else that wants to achieve their goals with these tips in mind.

Origami Blog

These days I've been interested in The art of folding paper. There are lots of things you can make out of paper but you would the need the patients and the instructions to make origami. So, I  started to explore the internet to find a blog that can do that could teach me and I found just the one. It's run by Elana. She would put up posts with instructions and pictures on how to fold certain things in a simple easy way to learn. Like for example a post that she put up on March 5 that is about making cute bookmarks that are easy to make. I recommend this blog for people who would want to try origami in their free time.  (https://tutorigami.wordpress.com/2012/12/22/how-to-fold-an-origami-envelope/)

Game Informer

 Destiny is a futuristic first-person shooter that will tell you about the Traveler which are the people that come in peace and want to explore outside the reef (The asteroid belt). The Darkness (bad guys) is the only thing that is putting down the Traveler. The guardians which are the gamers are supposed to beat the The Darkness with all the guardians pure light. This game is fun in my personal opinion some other players thinks its too banal. Bungie the creators of this game replied saying that the game is a ten year game and there are much more updates and DLC (Downloadable content) to come out. Yet there are a lot of people that like the game for the story, Vs., and the Strikes.

Wood Carving Blog

I've always been interested in many things, but wood carving is one unique thought that revolved around my head. I would never think of doing wood carving as an occupation but probably a hobby. Marry May has the skills at this kind of thing and It fascinates me that people have that much patience to delicately carve the fine designs. Marry had to make 12 chairs based on a 1850's Georgian cockfighting chair, for customers that live in Charleston, SC. There design was made so you would have to sit backwards in the chair. It was thought that if you sat that way you would be more on alert.

The Fire Within by Chris D'Lacey

  When David moves in with Liz and Lucy Pennykettle, He finds there are an numerous amount of hand crafted clay dragons sitting around the house. After a month of living there with Liz and Lucy, he gains their trust and he gets a dragon of his own named Gadzooks, who was holding a notepad and biting a pencil. Lucy asks David to write a story for her, David says ok and gave it chance but he didn't know what to write about. He asked lucy what she liked and she replied with "I like conker". David was confused and then found out that Conker is one of the squirrels that Lucy enjoys watching at the park. He decided that he was going to make an adventurous book about Conker and his friends called "Snigger and the Nutbeast". He used Gadzooks to help him with ideas for the story, David would close his eyes and imagine Gadzooks writing on his notepad a word that would spark an idea for the story. Later in the story David was stuck in one part of the story and didn't have an idea to continue. Liz asked David that did he ask Gadzooks to help him but David was mad at his dragon for creating a bad ending to his story. After a while David noticed that Gadzooks had been gone for a while he asked Liz and she said the dragons die if they are not loved, David realized the only way to revive Gadzooks was to catch his fire tear. If he didn't catch his fire tear Gadzooks would die since the fire tear would have touch the ground first. When David caught it he noticed it felt little squishy bean and all he had to do was transfer the fire tear from him to Gadzooks. While the transfer Gadzooks lit up as if he was ready to play again. I feel that this story really shined a new perspective of how someone can feel by the words of another person.

The Best Of Me by Nicholas Sparks

The Best Of Me is a Fiction love story between Dawson Cole and Amanda Collier. It all began in the spring of 1984, when they were both in high school. Dawson was seen around the town of Oriental, North Carolina as a delinquent because of his father/whole family. Whereas, Amanda was your typical popular girl that everyone adored. Their worlds collided one day when they were paired as lab partners in chemistry their junior year. From then on, they were inseparable; Amanda's love made Dawson feel worth it, when his father made him feel like he wasn't meant to be here. But of course, good things don't always last; when the summer of their senior year came around, their paths were torn apart from unforeseen events. Twenty-five years later, without even speaking or seeing each other since that summer, they were brought together by a close friends death. They left off on some bad notes, so now they were going to have to face the painful memories. Would their love replenish from those years? If you enjoy reading romance stories, I'd definitely recommend this book!

The Piano Blog

I have began to learn how to play the piano after recently getting a keyboard. Since I have never learned what notes are which, I thought looking at this blog would help. It is run by two individuals, Stevey and  Tierradentro, who have different experiences in music. Recently, one of them answered an anonymous question about feeling like you aren't progressing at all in your music, which I have felt for a couple of weeks. The advice they gave was very helpful for me, and I believe it could be to other piano players!

Organizing Ideas

I read a magazine article on how to organize your room or whole house, just in time for Spring! If you have no where to store your book bag, shoes, blankets, etc. then purchasing some woven baskets might solve your problem. Then, for all of the worksheets and homework you might need to work on (or are finished with) can be stored in a three-tiered rack that hangs on your wall. Both of these products can be purchased at a HomeGoods. I'd recommend trying out these if you always need to be organized like me!

Popular App Delivers Anonymous Abuse

I read a newspaper article in the New York Times based off a popular app called 'Yik Yak'. This uproar began at Eastern Michigan University last fall, when a teaching assistant brought attention to an honors class three female professors. 230 or so of the students in the class had been posting demeaning posts including crude, sexually explicit language and imagery. One of the professors, Margaret Crouch sent out emails, with evidence of these posts, to various university officials, urging them to take some sort of action. Unfortunately, nothing was done to help this situation, due to the posts being anonymous. Even though the app has only been introduced little more than a year ago, it has been used to issue threats of mass violence on more than a dozen colleges campuses: University of  North Carolina, Michigan State University, and Penn State. This app was actually created by Tyler Droll and Brooks Buffington, who graduated from Furman University. They created the app to "create a more democratic social media network, one where users didn't need a large number of followers or friends to have their posts read widely". While I understand their reasoning to make this app, I hope the cyberbullying on it begins to be handled.