Reading Journal 3

http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2012/02/27/tv_russia_ukraine_agents_foil_anti_putin_plot/?p1=Well_News_links


          Earlier this morning Russian Secret Service foiled an attempt by Chechynan terrorists to assasinate the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Earlier this month Russian Servicemen arrested four terrorists in Odessa, Ukraine after an attempt to manufacture explosives backfired and caused a large blast. After weeks of interrogations the terrorists finally coughed up the plan they had to assasinate Putin after the elections last night. The Chechnyans had recorded many videos of Putins convoy and had planted explosives along his expected route home after the elections. Lucky for Putin his Secret Service men reached the alley before his convoy and rooted out the explosives. Now Putin is counting this as a victory for himself and Russian National Defense. In my opinion I think Putin is very lucky and eventually Russia's "chickens" are going to come back to roost.

Reading Journal #2

http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/7595636/boston-celtics-rajon-rondo-suspended-tossing-ball-ref
          Sunday afternoon the typically calm, cool, and collected Rajon Rondo of the Celtics was ejected in a game against the Dallas Mavericks. Rondo who is usually a leader on the team regardless of his age compared to the rest of the team lost his cool when an official made a bad call and he tossed the ball at his chest. although it was only a soft underhand toss the Vice-President of the NBA decided that Rondo had earned a two-game suspension. The rest of the Celtics and their coach Doc Rivers were understanding about the accident. Doc Rivers summed it up perfectly when he said "You're always disappointed when that happens," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "You should never put yourself in front of the team. But it's an emotional game. We can all agree that it was a pretty bad foul and a clear foul that wasn't called. At the time, we were getting our butts kicked and the frustration was high and it's a human game. I can guarantee you five seconds, 30 seconds after it happened, I guarantee you Rondo wished he could take it back." In my opinion Rondo's suspension was deserved because if one of the NBA stars starts disrespecting officials then other stars can get away with it.

Rhetorical Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeC3kPU-ZoA&feature=related
          The commercial I chose to watch was last years Super Bowl commercial for Gatorade. Gatorade spends a minute and half and millions of dollars just to show national television a bunch of over-payed athletes drinking their product.Why did they do that?
           The money they make selling their "sugar-water" is unbelievable, Every kid or athlete watching the Superbowl is going to watch that commercial and see people who have reached the pinnacle of football success drinking Gatorade. Subliminally people are going to associate performance with drinking Gatorade.Its hilarious to see people who are not even performing an excessive task drinking a sports performance drink like Gatorade. For example, the crossing guard up the street who is getting payed to stand and wave at people was drinking Gatorade the other day. I can promise that his body wasn't craving electrolytes or even really needed them, he was just thirsty and years of advertisents by Gatorade have told them to drink the drink of champions. This ad is genius in the way it applies to everyone, everyone likes to win no matter what it is they want to win. Even though for the most part this advertisement is being presented to athletes by athletes at the top of their game its inspiring; everyone is inspired by winning. In a country built by winners and overachievers Gatorade is an easy sell, if you work hard hard work will provide you success.
            The executives in charge of producing this commercial nailed it, every athlete watching it especially during the Super Bowl was inspired to work hard and drink Gatorade. They used a perfect balance of top NFL athletes and heart-pounding music to create a commercial that is aesthetically and musically pleasing to the viewer. Gatorade nailed it and now i want to run up to Cumberland Farms grab a bottle and finish everything I need to get done today.

Show Don't Tell

My hometown was more of just a place to spend 18 years before growing up and going to prison.
Lacie had a rather eccentric style, she would often walk out of the house in leopard skins.
Mr.Brown deserved his own chapter in the "Wayside School" series as being the teacher from hell.
The room reminds me of my cell back in the joint.

Reading Journal 1

http://espn.go.com/action/surfing/blog/_/post/7546719/chance-encounter-cautionary-tale
        
            Almost two years to the date San Diego surfer Josh Buran finally met the man who saved his life during a six foot swell at San Diego's Black Beach. Josh was having his typical Saturday morining out on the exceptional waves. Everything was going smooth for him until he wiped out in the pipe and took a surfboard right to the jaw. The rest of the story is told through Jason Isaacs perspective. "I paddled over, and Josh was unconscious, not breathing and blue. I got off my board and started compressions in the water by pushing on his chest and back at the same time. Grey foam was coming out of his nose and mouth and after a minute or two he made a gurgle/choking noise like he was trying to breath," says Isaacs. When Isaacs was trying to paddle him back to the dry land they were gobbled up by a 7 footer and Buran's body went under the water. Jason  and his fellow surfers dived under the waves to retrieve his unconscious body and pulled him onto the sand where the life guards were waiting. Buran was taken to the hospital where he survived with little injuries but he never ended up meeting his hero until two years later for the article.

Sports

As long as I could remeber sports has always been a release from the outside world, whether it was a Thanksgiving day fotball game or just hanging out playing basketball. I belive that I learned more about myself and just life in general on a field or a court than I ever learned in a classroom or a lecture. The focus of my essays will be on my experiences playing in sports, the first time I went surfing, and what I learned from playing sports. Also there are controversial issues in sports including but not limited too steroids in baseball, methamphetamine in surfing, and head-trauma in football.

reading journal practice

Forget Goofing Around
       The New York Times article if focussed on the argument of recess's place in school in the twenty first century. Some like the administration at the Broadway Elementary School believe that recess should be strutured to teach youngsters the advantages of exercise and discipline and most importantly to keep children safe and out of trouble. Researchers like Dr. Romina Barros believes that a structured recess is not conducive to learning because recess is suppposed to be a break from school, not the typical schoolrules during recess. I personally agree with Dr. Barros, recess is supposed to be a time for a creativity, exercise, and freedom; not a time for more of the same schoolwork.