Kick Me Adventures in Adolescence by Paul Feig Quiz

                              What flag does Paul put in his window?

                              What were his nick-names as a kid?

                              Who does he go to the dance with in 9th grade?

                              Who does he go to the senior prom with?

                             What type of store does his dad own?

                             What does he do for the talent show?

                              Who scares away the bus drivers?

                              Why does he hate P.E.?

                             What happens to him when they are learning CPR?

                              What does he go dressed as for Halloween?

        Theme 1: Perseverance
        Theme 2: Be Yourself.
        Theme 3: Take Risks

       Script
        Me: The three themes of Paul Feig's Kick Me are perseverance, be yourself and take risks.
        Me: The reason perseverance is is a theme is because Paul has to overcome the problems of adolescence.
        Me: Be Yourself is a theme because Paul shows individuality throughout the book.
        Me: Tale Risks is a theme because Paul has to take many risks in order to succeed.
      

                

                        

Cables Depict U.S. Haggling to Clear Guantanamo

   The U.S. Has had trouble removing prisoners from Guantanamo Bay prison. The U.S. has been trying to find countries willing to take the prisoners and are also able to be trusted to keep close watch over them. They are worried that if they send them to unstable countries they will rejoin terrorist groups. Many of the prisoners have been sent to Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Belgium. Since the Obama administration
began the number has only been lowered from 240 to 174. Obama's deadline has been missed and it is not
as much of a priority.
To see the article click here. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/30/world/americas/30gitmo.html?pagewanted=1&ref=todayspaper

Bombings Hit Atomic Experts in Iran Streets-The New York Times

     Two separate bombing attacks were carried out by people on motorcycles targeting two of Iran’s top Nuclear scientists killing one of them and wounding the other. Iran said that the United States and Israel were trying to disrupt Iran’s nuclear program. Israel and the United States have said that they will not tolerate a nuclear Iran. Iran says that its nuclear program is being used for civilian purposes only but the U.S. believes they want to make a nuclear bomb. Iran’s President Mahmoud Amadinejad said that a computer software had attacked its centrifuges. Experts say that the program was probably made by technicians working for the government. Plans to stop Iran’s nuclear program have not worked. Iran did say that it would continue talks with the European Union over it’s nuclear program.  

   To see the Article click Here. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/30/world/middleeast/30tehran.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

Despite Gains, Night Raids Split U.S. and Karzai- The New York Times

    The United States has recently tripled the amount of night raids it has been conducting with Special Forces to capture or kill members of the Taliban. The night raids have put pressure on Taliban leaders in
the safe havens of Pakistan. The raids have led to many civilian casualties, causing protest from the Afghan
people and are a political liability for Afghanistan's president Hamid Karzai. President Karzai said that
 the raids should be handled by the Afghan government. Hillary Clinton and other United States officials
claim that the raids were conducted in partnership with the Afghan government.

Europe Fears that Debt Crisis Is Ready to Spread- The New York Times

     European leaders are worried that the the debt crisis will spread, and that they will need to cover Ireland and Portugal in new rescue plans. In order to receive aid the countries would have to formally ask for it.
Portugal claims that it is in a better position than Ireland and that it does not need help, and Ireland says that it can keep going without help until spring. Weaker economic countries such Ireland and Portugal and stronger economic countries using the Euro are being pulled apart. The Portuguese finance minister said
that if Ireland's financial problems continue to get worse and it is unable to pay its debts to other European
countries those countries may get financial problems such as Spain.  
 

At Legal Fringe Empty Houses Go to The Needy-The New York Times

A Florida mortgage broker, Mark Guerette, has found foreclosed homes, that he does not own, for needy families. He relies on a law that says if the owners do not claim them in seven years they will belong to him. He is seen as a criminal by authorities, and is scheduled to go on trial in December for fraud charges and faces 15 years in prison. He claims to have taken possession of as many as 100 homes and has filed claims in court that he is the rightful owner of these properties.

Countering China Obama Backs India for U.N. Council- New York Times

       Obama went to India to help India get a permanent seat on the U.N. security council. Obama wants to create a partnership between the U.S. and India to counter balance the growing power of China. Obama's announcement was made to the Indian Parliament after his three day trip to India. Pakistan criticized the United States relationship with India, while on the other hand India criticized the U.S. for not cracking down on Pakistan to get rid of it's terrorist safe havens.

House Of The Scorpion

    Two themes of the book are freedom and being accepted for who you are. During the story the character Matt is constantly searching for freedom and acceptance. He is shunned for being a clone and is held captive by El Patron. At the end of the story he finally is able to be free. The protagonist is Matt, because he is the one who has to overcome all of the problems. All Matt wants during the story is to be free. The antagonist changes several times during the book, but the main one is El Patron. El Patron causes Matt the most problems. El Patron only cares about money and riches. He wants to use Matt so that he can live longer. The mentor is Tam Lin, he is one of Matt's closest friends and he wants to help Matt. In the beginning of the story Matt is innocent and does not understand the danger he is in. As the story progresses He learns how to face and overcome bad things. Matt changes when he finds out that El Patron wants to use him for his organs. It is when Matt comes of age and realizes what a bad place his world is. One of my favorite parts of the is when Matt is fleeing El Patron's Palace. I also thought that
 when he realizes what has happened to everyone in Opium at the end of the story was very interesting.
The section about the plankton factory was very interesting too. I enjoyed the book a lot and it should be used for next years reading bowl. 

Parent/Teacher Conference

    I think you will say I am doing fine so far this year. I've gotten my homework in and I have done well on the tests. I have behaved in class and I have done my cleaning, so I think I will be fine.  I don't see any major problems that need to be addressed.  I don't have anything in particular that I want you to tell them. I have have had a lot of homework recently, but not really in the last week. I think you should talk about how much homework I am supposed to have. I also think you should explain more about what we do in class. There is nothing I don't want you tell them. I am fine with to whatever you want to talk about.

Democrats Grip on the South Continues to Slip

        Elections are coming up and Democrats are afraid of losing positions in the south. The change in the south has been going on since 1964, when the Civil Rights Act was passed. Democrats are trying to keep four open seats in Arkansas and Tennessee, along with incumbents in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and North Carolina. The positions are key for Republicans to get control of the house. There are 59 Democrats in house seats from the the 11 states of the Old Confederacy. It could be the Democrats biggest loss since 1994, when they lost 19 seats.

Bee populations have been decreasing since 2006, 20 to 40 percent of colonies have suffered from colony collapse and up until now scientists did not why. A partnership of military scientists and entomologists made a break-through. A fungus and virus have interacted and caused the problem. Scientists do not know exactly how it kills the bees. The fungus and virus are both found in damp cool weather and they are found inside the bees gut. They suspect that it causes the bees to not get good nutrition. The bees disperse from the hive and then die. The fungus and virus alone are not harmful but together they are fatal. The scientists do not know why the bees fly off. The disease may cause them to lose their memory, or cause some kind of insect insanity. Scientists are trying to find out how to prevent it.  

Pakistan Relations

The relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan has deteriorated recently. The most recent conflict was when the U.S. attacked a border post that accidentally killed three Pakistani soldiers. The U.S. gave apologies to Pakistani officials. Pakistan closed supply lines into Afghanistan, which the U.S. worries made it easier for militants to attack backed up tanker trucks that were going to Afghanistan. America has put pressure on Pakistan to crack down on terrorist groups. A video came onto the internet last week. It showed men in Pakistani uniforms executing six men in civilian clothes, it increased concern about unlawful killings by Pakistani soldiers. The threat of terrorist attacks in Europe has also caused tension to mount.      

Ghana Object

My object is a sea shell from St. George Island, Florida. The reason I chose it is because being outdoors is very important to me. I am not a person who can spend all day inside. For as long as I can remember I have always loved the outdoors especially hiking and fishing. Being outdoors helps me think and makes me feel happy. No matter where it is, the beach, the mountains, or my own backyard, being outdoors is very important to me.

Twist

 The theme of Twist is that no one can live without love and that everyone has the ability to love. During the play Twist is constantly looking for a place where He is loved, and is safe. It does not matter what happens He always has that yearning to be loved. Twist has several mentors in the play two of the most important ones were Dela and Mr. Prudholm. Both of them basically told Twist the same thing, that He should never give up. I think the bad characters in the play served as mentors to. Lucius and the creepy funeral home Directer, showed Twist what not to be, so I think they were almost as important as Mr. Prudholm and Dela. 

              Twist’s name means a mix between black and white, a mix between two worlds. It is why Twist had such a hard time finding somewhere where He belonged. He wasn’t accepted in either world. The orphanage was a symbol of abandonment, not belonging, in the orphanage Twist was abandoned by society. Della’s locket was a symbol of hope. After Twist saw the locket He new that there were people who loved him. The Mardi Gras costumes were a symbol of people not showing who they really were. It showed how some people might look good on the outside, but be evil on the inside. I think that Boston was a symbol to he showed that no matter how good of a person you are we all have evil inside of us. 

           Overall the play was very good, it has potential to become even better. I don’t think that Dela needed to die in the end, I also think that they should have shown what happened to Twist, who He ended up living with. The dancing scenes were very good, and the songs were good to. If I worked on the play I would change the ending.

    

Twist

 The theme of Twist is that everyone needs to be loved and to never give up. Twist speeds his whole life looking for someone who loved him and a place where he belonged. Each time something bad happens he keeps on going and never gives up. It shows that you will never be happy until you find a place where you are loved. At the end of the play he finally finds a place where he belongs.   

Peace

I think that in order to have world peace you need to have inner peace in yourself. If everyone has inner
peace than there will be no need for conflict and there will be world peace.

Test

This is a test post.

Children Inspiring Hope Project

   For my object I would like to send a snow globe. The reason I would like to send a snow globe is because I love being outdoors. Spending time in the woods and doing other outdoor activities are some of
my favorite things to do. I need to spend time outdoors or I will go crazy.

    We have been in school for less than a month, but I think I am having a good year socially. I have become friends with people I didn't know as well before. I don't know a few of the 8th graders very well.
Even though we are in the same class we actually don't see them that often in classes, and there seems to be
a little bit of a divide between the 7th and 8th graders.

Teachers

I have liked all of the teachers I have had so far in Junior High. All of the teachers have made their classes interesting, and I have found them easy to get along with. I have had bad teachers before, who had boring classes, and were mean and hard to get along with, but none of them are like that.

Junior High

    I have liked the freedom that we at school now in Junior High. The ability to chose more of the classes that we want to take is a could thing. I have liked the topics we have talked about in class, especially in lit and world religions, and I have found them very interesting. I am finding hardest to deal with the homework. Finishing your homework and still having time for after school activities and other things you want to do is hard. Recently I have had days where I work on homework un till really late at night and then collapse into bed. The math homework takes an especially long time (I'm in Geometry), and it is hard to fit my other homework in.

Junior High

I didn't really know what to expect about Junior High. I had heard rumors about which teachers you want and which teachers you don't want. I knew that we would have lockers and a lot of homework, but that was it. I knew that we would have considerably more homework than in 6th grade, but I didn't expect nearly as much homework as we have now. The amount homework that we have has really surprised me, because it takes up all the time after school.  

Ghana Project

I think that our project for Ghana should be made out of hand prints. The hand prints could be many colors and form a picture of something that our class thinks is important. I remember in one of the children inspiring hope videos there was a song about doing something with your hands and that is one of the reasons I think we should do it.  

Promoting Peace

I am mainly interested in promoting peace through friend ship. I don't think that there is any one way to promote peace, but to me friend ship sounds like the best way.

Peace

I don't think that peace only means no more war. I think that there are several kinds of peace, like the peace you feel when you're not busy and have time to think, or world peace which I think means no more war or problems.

At school we are doing a project with Children Inspiring Hope a non-profit organization that works with in Ghana. We will be connecting with kids at a school in Ghana letters and art projects that will be sent to them during the year. You can get to Children Inspiring Hope's website at Children Inspiring Hope.org

Hi, I am a 7th Grader who lives in Atlanta.