‘American Idol’ down to its final 12

Every Tuesday and Wensday I sit down in my family room with my Dad and little sister and we watch American Idol.  Basically we are hardcore fans. This past week it got down to the final twelve and that is what this article is about.  Antonella (the girl with the scandalas pictures on the internet) , Jared (the handsome african american guy) , Sundance (one of the bigger guys) and Sabrina (one of the big voices this season) were all voted off.  Everyone was pretty much surprised to see Sabrina leave because she was really good.  The judges were stunned to see that she was eliminated. When Ryan Seacrest asked Cowell what he thought happened he said, “the volume must have been turned down”, meaning America must have not heard Sabrina rock it out on Wensday night. Besides surprised faces on who got voted off, many of people say that its the girls show this year. The girls have been doing awesome every week. They have been stronger vocally than the men.  Randy Jackson says, “May the best girl win.” I guess we will just have to see.

I personally love American Idol. I am not even sure why, I just like it. Its just interesting to see how average people come onto this show. I love the audtions and I like to follow up each week to see how everyones doing. I do agree that this year the women are bringing it on.  Many of them have big wonderful voices and rock it out, as Randy Jackson often says. He has also said about the women, “May the best girl win.”  My favorite girl is Lakesha Jones and she is very likeable and very good. I think she will definitly go far. The guys are pretty good too, but some of them need to step it up.  I think that the judges this year are pretty reasonable. I think that Simon has some reasonable comments, but of course he always blurts out those mean ones too. Anyway if you haven’t watched it this season, you should turn on your tv at eight o clock on Tuesdays and Wensdays. ( again I wrote this on March 11 at 6:15pm)

‘American Idol’ down to its final 12

By Cnn

March 9, 2007

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“My Home is New Orleans”

Once again I went to the This I Believe website and found a really intriguing essay. This article is by a social worker from New Orleans named Mike Miller. He has lived in New Orleans since 1998 and grew up in Chicago. He said that he believes in attachment to place. After Katrina hit Mike moved back to Chicago and lived with the generosity of others. He said that in some ways life was easier in Chicago because he got offered jobs and was paid three times the wage he got in New Orleans. After a while he thought of moving to a ton of different places, but he knew that even though New Orleans was hard to live in, he wanted to go back there. He says he believes in the soul of New Orleans and how it can never be destroyed, even from a hurricane. He believes that the music, the slang, playing instruments on the streets, and everything else will always be there and that is what makes New Orleans its own and his home.

I really enjoyed reading Mike’s essay. I really liked how he gave examples of why New Orleans ins unique in its own way. I could almost imagine for myself. I think that his story shows a very good This I Believe essay because again it is a personal story and its interesting. I really liked how convincing he sounded too. Like for example at the end he gives examples of how he has a graduate degree in social work, a 65 pound bulldog, and all his clothes can fit in his backpack, but he still believes in New Orleans. He seems like a person of courage and knowing never to give up even though that seems like the best choice. I really do like these essays a lot. (I wrote this on March 11 at 6:00pm)

“My Home is New Orleans”

By Mike Miller

August 28, 2006

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“Creating Our Own Happiness”

For this entry I went back to the npr website and looked at more This I Believe essays. I found one by Wayne Coyne, a singer and guitarist for the award winning rock band The Flaming Lips. I really liked his essay alot.  He talked about how the littlest things can make you happy and you are in charge of your own happiness. He told an example about he was sitting in his car one day and it was windy and cold and how thankful he was to be in his warm car.  He then goes on to tell how he saw a couple at a bus stop huddled. He say how his first reaction was pity for these people because they looked cold, poor and uncomfortbale. But then he noticed that they were laughing and having a fun time even in the crappy weather. From that day he realized that we as humans have the power to make moments into happiness.

I really thought he did a great job at this essay. I really liked how he used that example to illulstrate what he wanted to say. I liked how he told his example and told his first gut reaction, but then states how really these people didn’t need his sympathy. I thought his point of having us be happy with what we have and try to find the good parts of our lives. I think thats hard for us to do sometimes, but he says it so simply. I know there are times when I’m driving downtown or I’m on a mission trip and I see homeless people and I immdietly feel sorry for them and think they must be so sad. But really I don’t know those people and I don’t kow their situation. I once sat down with a homelss man and he told me how him being homeless isn’t something for me to pity about because its how he wants to live his life. Anyway I really thought that Wayne wrote his essay very well, understandable and convincing. ( I did this post at 2:20pm on Sunday March 4, 2007 also)

“Creating Our Own Happiness”

By Wayne Coyne

February 26, 2007

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“Jolie Flies to Adopt in Vietnam”

Just to start off I am doing this entry at 1:28 pm on Sunday March 4.  If anyone knows how to change to the right time on these blogs, let me know haha. Anyway that was a bad way to start off a entry. I read an article about Angelina Jolie and how she is adopting her third child from out of the country. I’m not sure if Brad Pitt and her are still a thing, but it looks like he is supporting her in all of this too. Apparently she filed the papers for the adoption this week at the international agency in Vietnam. Brad and her have three children, one is adopted from Cambodia, one from Ethiopia and one is biological.  The article says that Angelina and Brad made a visit to Vietnam around this past Thanksgiving and visited the orphange in Ho Chi Minh City. The article states that having these two celebrities there was a big deal and they made the headlines of the paper.

I thought this article was interesting.  I personally think that its awesome that Angelina and Brad are adopting even another child from a different country where so many kids need homes.  I really respect them for doing that. I think that they are using their money well and helping these kids to have a life that they might not ever get if not adopted. I think that Angelina and Brad are a good role model to other celebrities on how money can he used other than for tons of material things. It shows that when you have a lot of money and are well off, you can make a big difference around the world and even in little kids lives.

“Jolie Files to Adopt in Vietnam”

By cnn

March 2, 2007

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“Borders Without Fences”

The border between the USA and Mexico has been an issue for a while. I read this article about how the government isnt really thinking about the wildlife around the area when they put big fences up.  The Secure Act Fence was made in 2006 and said that a 700 mile long 15 foot high fence will be made across the border between us and Mexico. But Ted KERASOTE says that this fence will be affecting as many animals as people.  This area has some of the most biological diverse speices.  there are endangered speices like the jaguar, gray wolf, and other animals like white tail deer and many insects and birds. This fence will prevent speices from traveling across the border. This fence will also reduce viewing of these animals in national parks.

I  was really interested in this article. Ted really made a good point at the end that basically says that he hopes congress will rethink this fence idea because people can find some way around this fence, but wildlife cant.  I like how Ted gave us history in this article and different seneros. He really pointed out something that I had never really thought about. I always thought when it came to illegal immigration by the border, it always meant keeping people out, but really wildlife needs to be able to come in and out. I dont know how they are going to be able to do this. I really hope that the wildlife can live as they are now. I really liked how he kept his article simple, but informational at the same time.

“Borders Witout Fences”

By Ted Kerasote

February 24, 2007

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“Special Ed, Special Brother”

I dont know what it is like to have a sibling with a developmental disibility.  But this article shows how there are ways to give the other sibing just as much attention as the kid with a disiblitiy.  In the article Lydia Fong says that studies have shown that siblings of disibility kids are more prone to not get as much attention from their parents bceause they are so busy with the other kid.  She says at first they don’t get why these kids are getting all the attention and get well cards and everything and often start to feel left out. The siblings also get stared at too and get asked why their brother or sister is like the way they are.  Debra Lobato, who has studied this, made a progam called SibLink and it helps parents balance out their attention for their kids.  The five main things are: Be honest, Be fair, aknowlege difficulties, express your feelings, and being aware of your feelings. All these things hopefully can help, she says. It can help these kids become caring and independent.

I thought this article was very interesting because it was something new for me to think about. I know people who have siblings who are developmentally behind and I never seemed to realize that being a sibling of someone like that can be so hard. I know that it must be hard, but truely its something that needs a strong family bond. I think that it is awesome to talk to developmentally challenged people, they are just as important as anybody else. I remember I was at my friends cottage this summer and her brother is mentally impaired and he wanted to play football so bad. So we all went down to the beach and played football and it was so awesome to see how excited he got and I found myself getting really into the game, more than I would normally. I really admire families who have so much courage.

“Special Ed, Special Brother”

By Lydia Fong

December 13, 2006

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“Newborn baby skeletons found in bag”

You might be really grossed out by the title of my post.  I can see why you would be. Well I found this afticle on cnn’s website and the reason that it struck me was because this happened in India and I’m adopted from there.  Anyway in Bhopal, India police found a plastic bag of at least six baby skeletons after searching around a nearby Christian Missionary hostpital. This bag was found hidden in a drainage ditch and there was about 390 bone fragments. They are still investigating to make sure these are new borns, but they are pretty sure. Many were wondering if the hospital was disposing of remains correcltly because normally remains are buried in a cemetary. The workers at the hostpital were shocked because nothing like this has ever happened. But with more investigation they will be able to figure more things out.  They sent the remains to a lab to find out how old these bones were.

 I thought this article was pretty disturbing.  But still its interesting in a way because you can realize some of the different cultral differences.  For example in the article they talked about how in some parts of India they value baby boys than girls.  Apparently some parts of India have had a history of killing babies.  But the article said that sex selection abortion was outlawed years ago.  Also I fould it interesting that boys are valued more because they are breadwinners and women are just in the way.  It don’t know what It would be like to live up in that kind of setting.  I know for a fact that India isn’t all like this, but there are parts that certainly are.  The article said that last year indians government said that more than 20 million girls have been killed by their parents before or after birth in India.  This was counted before abortion was outlawed. Anyway I thought that this article was interesting and gross. Its sad to think that these babie’s skeletons are just found in a plastic bag.

“Newborn baby skeletons found in bag”

By Cnn

February 19, 2007

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A Duty to Family, Heritage, and Country

I read an article by a 13 year old girl named Ying Ying Yu, who immigrated to the United States in 2001.  Her essay mainly talks about growing up in China and the many duties and responsibilities she had as a student.  In China education is the number one thing in a child’s life.  Grades are extremly important and failures aren’t accpeted at all.  A 85% would be considered as a failure in China, whereas in our school 85% would be a B-.  She had a ton of homework and would get punished for not paying attention.  She says that there were times when she felt like she wanted to throw everything away, but her belief on duty and obligation were always there to keep her strong.  What her family thinks is very important also and therefore respecting her culture.  She says in America there is almost a pressure to follow your dreams, but for Ying dreams are like illusions to her beacause its too late for her to turn around and try and make a different future.  What she is doing now is what is acceptable and duty is what impels her because that is what is supported by her family and heritage.  Also duty, she feels, will offer her something worth of her efforts.

 I thought this essay was well written.  I found myself being able to believe all the things that she said and I understood what she was trying to point out.  I think sometimes its hard to think that many other people are brought up so differently, but Ying shows how she was brought up and how thats just how her life is going to be like.  I feel like she states her points and opinions in a simple way and in an understandable way too. I really liked how she organized her writing too.  I like how at first there is an emphasis on her schooling in China, then she talks about what is suitable for her family,  and then she talks about what she would want to be, but it just won’t work.  I think its really amazing that shes realizes that she needs to stay in what she was brought up into, how learning is everything because I think it would be hard to stay true to your cultures expectations in the modern day America.

I think that many of these essays are different, but they seem to be all personal at some extent. I think what makes a good “This I believe” piece is that people need to be able to show their own feelings and their own opinions.  Also I think that its good when what you believe is so different to what the average person would believe, because then it makes the reader think more and understand different views.  Personally I liked the essays that had personal stories and stuff like that.  I thought that helped bring out a sense of who the author was and how they portrayed themselves. Also to be a good essay for this I think that your essay shouldn’t be overlly long and that if you keep it simple and short, the point will be easier to catch. 

“A Duty to Family, Heritage, and Country”

By Ying Ying Yu

July 17, 2006

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“The iNanny Alert”

Can you imagine NYC and all the people walking around on their cell phones and crossing streets? Its not hard to imagine because thats just what people do nowadays…we have eletronic devices.  Well in this editoral a New York poliction, State Senator Carl Kruger, wants to fine people $100 for crossing the street while dealing with electronic things in an area with a population of a million.  And yes it includes cell phones and ipods.  Apparently since September three people have been killed in crosswalks because on eletronics.  The writer is saying that he agrees with Kruger, but he says that many people bring it upon themselves.  He also says that we have to remember the distracted drivers and bicylcists too.

I think that this is an interesting topic.  I think that people do become distracted with their phones and iPods and don’t acknowege anyone around them.  It’s true we are dependant on these devices.  And its is the predistrans responisbilites to stop before a cross walk and not to jaywalk.  If many people took the time to be alot more careful then I think it would be a bit less chaotic and better.  But I do agree with the writer about how distracted drivers have a role in this issue too because many drivers are on their cell phones too or they are figiting around in their cars.  They also need to be alert too.  So basically I agree that both the pedestrians and the drivers have an duty to pay.

Feb. 11, 2007

“The iNanny Alert”

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“Grandfather Fights 16 Foot Snake to Save Grandson”

Have you ever wandered around with friends when it could possibly not be safe? Well thats excatly what eight year old, Mateus did.  He wasn’t looking for any trouble, but was having fun with his friends near a creek by his Grandfather, Joaquim Pereir’s, ranch.  His Grandfather’s ranch is in the city of Cosmorama, about 250 miles northwest of Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Anyway while playing an anaconda attached Mateus.  It wrapped itself around this eight year old and quickly started suffocating him and later bit him in the chest.  Meanwhile this friends ran to get Mateus’ Grandfather and he came rushing to the scene.  Without question he started to battle with the anaconda and by throwing rocks and knifing it for a half an hour.   Finally it let go of Mateus and he ended up having 21 stiches .

I coudn’t believe how scary that would have been! It’s amazing how a sixty six year old man somehow got that snake off his grandson.  It must have been so nerve racking.  This snake was 77 pounds and attacking an eight year old! I can’t even imagine!  I admire this boy for staying calm.   The police said that anaconda attacks on people are rare, but still its a possibilty.  It is awesome how much courage that Grandfather had to do what he did.  If it was me I don’t know what I would have done.  I mean I know I would have wanted to help save the grandson, but I think it’s hard for humans to put ourselves in danger for someone else.  I think that this Grandfather will be a hero forever! And the little boys friends were brave to because they were the ones to run and get the grandfather.  Its amazing how God works things out in the end.

cnn. com

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