Mr. Putin’s Enemies March 10, 2007

    This week in Russia another newspaper journalist has died. He went out to go get oranges, and went he got back into his apartment he fell out of his fourth floor window. The government labeled it a suicide immediately. Under Putin’s Presidency there has been already 13 journalists killed. The op-ed columnist who wrote this article for the Washington Post believes that the FBI and Prince George’s army need to go out and find out who is killing all of these journalists. But, whenever the FBI tries to find out who killed these journalists, the culprits are kept from the FBI by Putin’s government.

In my opinion I think that this article was very easy to read. It flowed very well, and all the paragraphs fit well together. The grammar was also correct, and the words he used in the article were easy to read. You could tell what the coulmist’s point of view was in this article, and that makes the article an easier piece to read. He had information to back up his points, which made the story more reliable.

I think that we need to go into Russia and figure out who is killing all of these journalists. We know that Putin wants them killed, but we need to go in and figure out who is doing the killing for him. I think that Putin is afraid of these journalists, and so the only way he can get rid of them is to kill them. That is in my point of view wrong. If he doesn’t want the journalists to talk he should just tell them so, or give them some money, but he didn’t need to killed these innocent people.

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/08/AR2007030801776.html?nav=rss_opinion

Civilians Flee From Sri Lanka

    This week fighting has started between the Tigers and the government in Sri Lanka. The fighting is taking place mainly in the east, and so people who live around that area are fleeing to government controlled areas. Already, over 30,000 people have fled the area. One of the spokespersons for the Tigers is quoted saying “The government pushed them into a full- scale war and he warned that conflict would spread throughout the island”.  The government has overran a Tiger training camp, and according the the government has killed 20 rebels, and 4 government police officers have died.

I think that the government in Sri Lanka needs to end the fighting with the Tigers. Nothing good will come of fighting, and more people will be displaced from their homes. I think the if the government cares about the people who live in Sri Lanka they should end the fighting. No more people need to be killed. The government should allow the Tigers to have a little part of land, and the government could have the rest of the land. Both the Tigers and the government need to worry about the residents of Sri Lanka, not how much land each one of them will get.

Roland Buerk

“Civilians Flee From Sri Lanka”

BBC News South Asia

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6436911.stm

Ann Coulter In Big Trouble… Again March 4, 2007

    This week while looking through many different pieces I found a article on Ann Coulter. I didn’t know who she was really, so I decided to read who she was, and I found out. She is not known as a good person, and the article that I read she got in a lot of trouble. This week she decided to call Senator John Edwards a “faggot”, and I thought that was very disrespectful. The article I read was called “Faggot Feud”, and it was by an unknown author. The author says that Ann says this type of stuff all the time and that it shouldn’t being taken for it’s literal meaning. I disagree with him.

I think that when she said what she said it was meant to be taken for it’s literal meaning, and I think that she wanted some more publicity. She didn’t have to call Senator Edwards that word, she could have called him something else, but she didn’t, so it meant something to her. She’s said this word to a few other famous politicians, and no one has really taken her seriously until now. I think that people need to stand up against her, and make sure that she doesn’t call any other people this type of demeaning name.

The article is a op/ed piece, so the author’s view is seen through the entire piece. You can tell that he doesn’t take Ann very seriously, and that you shouldn’t think that what she said was true. He makes it sound like she was just trying to get some publicity, which she probably was. But, in a way i think that he applauds her for what she says, and he almost in his opening arguments says that because she’s a woman she can say this type of thing.

I disagree with him on this piece. I think that he should take her more seriously, otherwise she might say something that is even more demeaning. He can’t just write this one off, because it’s not going to go away, I think that she must be punished for what she said, becuase that is not acceptable.

to read more on this piece go to: http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20070303/cm_thenation/15171321 

Lidstrom Scores 200th, and Wing’s Win March 3, 2007

    Yesterday Night the Red Wings played the Chicago Blackhawks for the second time in less than a week. Also, they beat them for the second time in less than a week. The firs time they played them they won 4-2. Now, last night the Wings beat the Hawks 6-2, and Lidstrom finally scored his 200th goal. He had been pointless in 14 games, and finally last night he scored his 200th goal, and also added 2 assists. The Wings now are tied with Nashville atop the Central Division, and also atop the Western Conference.

Lidstrom was quoted saying ” It (200th goal) doesn’t feel special in the middle of the season, I think you’re going to appreciate it a lot more when you look back when your done playing hockey. But it was a nice thing to get out of the way”.  For the past few games Lidstrom has been getting a lot of jokes about not scoring his 200th goal, but now that he has it over with, it probably feels much better. That goal, his 11th of the season was also his 100th power-play goal. He is the eighth person in NHL history to score 200 goals while playing for one team.

I definatly think that this is a  milestone for him. He deserved to get that goal, he works very hard every night, and it’s just a cool thing to watch. Through his entire career he has only missed 4 games, and even that is a big thing. He just needs to keep going, and many more good things will come along.

To read more about this article go to: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=270302005&campaign=rssNHLHeadlines 

     

Al Qaeda Resurgent February 25, 2007

    In the New York Times Opinionated Editorial piece Al Qaeda Resurgent it talks about how Al Qaeda is building back up it’s armies because the United States and Pakistan aren’t going after them, and stopping them. The author says that we should have just gone after the leaders of Al Qaeda, but we didn’t. We went into Iraq and got rid of leaders there, and while we were in there we could have completely gotten rid of Al Qaeda, but we didn’t. He says that we could have won the war in Afghanistan, but we didn’t, and now we can’t even win the war in Iraq. He says that we need to be helping the people also in Afghanistan get work because right now they have hardly any work, and most of the men work with farming, and they can’t even do that. We need to help the people in Afghanistan before Al Qaeda comes back and takes control of the country.

This piece was a very easy piece to read. The whole structure of the article was very put together, and very easy to read. The sentences were short and to the point, yet very easy to understand. Some of the grammar was wrong, but you couldn’t tell unless you really like looking for grammar mistakes. Overall the structure of the article was very put together.

I have to agree with the author of this post. I think that we could have won the war in Afghanistan, but then Bush sent us into Iraq, and now that we’ve done that, Al Qaeda has gained more power. I do think that we need to get back over to Afghanistan and help the people over there, and make sure that Al Qaeda doesn’r come back and take control of the country. We need to worry more about getting rid of Al Qaeda and keeping Afghanistan safe. We don’t want another September 11 to happen, so we have to get over there soon and get rid of Al Qaeda.

to read more about this article go to:  http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/25/opinion/25sun1.html?ex=1330059600&en=9c6f191f8a73d&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Mexican Films Big At Oscars February 23, 2007

    In the past few years there have been trends on movies directed from other countries. When the Oscars roll around a lot of these foreign films end up on the Oscar list for things like film of the year, or even actor or actress of the year. In the past countries like Russia, Britain, and France have produced very big movies, but this year the country everyone is talking about it Mexico. In the article entitled ” Mexican Wave Rides High In The Film World” it talks about all of the big movies that have come out of that country this past year.

People who live in Mexico and work in some part of the movie business are really excited about this.  Mr. Aguinaga a movie production person is quoted saying” We have been producing world-class films for many years now. This is a real film industry with abundantly talented people”. Many big movies are being made in Mexico, movies like Babel, 21 Grams, and Pan’s Labyrinth. The main reason movies are being filmed there are because it is cheaper to film in Mexico than it is in California. Also, many big director’s come from Mexico, along with big actors. In 2003 a film called “Mama Tambien” was a small budget film that wasn’t expected to go anywhere. It was a box office surprise by earning lots of money, but never made it to the Oscars. Now, directors in Mexico along with actors think that this is their big break into the mainstream.

I definitely have to agree with the directors and actors, many great movies have come out of Mexico and it’s time that they win a big trophy like a Oscar for their great direction. I love watching movies from different countries it teaches me new things, and a lot of the time I get to see new talent that isn’t here yet in the United States. Take for instance actor Gael Garcia Bernal, he was in the movie Motorcycle Diaries. After starring in that movie he is starting to become a big name actor, and he deserves to be that. He is a wonderful actor, and more actors and actresses need to come up from Mexico. I think that Mexico could gain so much recognition from the movies that they make, if they just keep making more I know they will become big someday, or even this year.

To read more on this article go to : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6382161.stm

Brazilian Samba Star And His Wife Shot Dead February 15, 2007

    In Brazil it wasn’t a very good Valentine’s Day for Mr. Falco and his wife. As reported by the BBC World news both were shot dead yesterday. The reason is not yet known for why they were killed, but it most likely has to do with the school that they teach at. The Samba school is a type of school that keeps going by illegal lottery money, it’s like an illegal ring. Last week a young boy was killed, and riots broke out in the town of Rio to try and get justice for the boy. Over 100 people have been arrested for the riots going on right now. Not much is yet known about the case since the shooting happened yesterday, and the police also aren’t talking much, but one unnamed police officer came forward and said ” Most likely the shootings were “execution” style judging by the look of the crime scene”.

In my opinion i think that whoever shot these two people should come forward and fess up to the crime. They might have not been the best type of people, but they were letting poorer type children go to school. Also, if the people who killed this family are found, i think that they should be put in a jail for a long time. There are already a number of riots going on in the city, and now this just adds to the commotion even more. I can’t believe that these gunman went after the Falco family just after a little boy was killed, maybe in some way both of these crimes were committed by the same person, but it’s up to the police to find the killer.

I think that all the riots need to end in this poor city, there is enough commotion going on right now, they don’t need another killing to make this any worse. Who ever did this killing also needs to come forward because right now they are causing a lot of trouble in this city, and all the violence, drugs, and gangs need to leave Rio.

To read more on this article go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6361953.stm

Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone February 14, 2007

    While looking through the multiple essays on the NPR website I read an essay entitled ” Disrupting My Comfort Zone”.  This essay written by Brian Grazer, and he is an actor in Hollywood. What his article talks about is his trip to Hawaii to learn how to surf, and how he had to let go of his fears, and just go for it. He said that he must get out of his comfort zone and try a new thing. He also talked about his acting career, and how it started off very rocky at first, and how nobody knew him or wanted to know him. Now when he looks back after doing many movies and television shows he realizes that he should have stepped out of his comfort zone sooner. He says that by stepping out of his comfort zone, he is continuing to grow as a person. Lazer is best quoted saying “The answer is simple: Disrupting my comfort zone, bombarding myself with challenging people and situations–this is the best way I know to keep growing.”

I believe that this essay is a reflection of good writing because it talks both about his personal experiences, and talks about the future, and what he wants to achieve as a person. When listening to Brian read his essay you could hear the emotion in his voice. Also, the paragraphs are very organized, and they are very easy to read. You can pick out his personality in every paragraph. Also, when you read the essay you feel connected to it as a person. The piece is also very simple, which makes it an easier piece to read, yet very enjoyable.

In my opinion what makes a good I believe piece is that the person tries to connect with the reader in some way. Also, the piece I feel must really reflect what the person really believes. I think that if it doesn’t reflect what the person really believes, then it is a pointless essay. If the author also makes the piece flow very well, it makes it very easy to read, the same goes with the type of words that the author uses, if they use huge words, no one is going to want to read their piece. So always keep it simple. Also, what makes a piece good is if you use personal examples from your life, and how your experience relates to your piece. That makes the author seem more like a real person.

To read more go to: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5508283 

Snow Continues To Pound New York February 11, 2007

    In the small county of Oswego, and surrounding counties they have declared a state of emergency. In the next few hours they could also get up to another foot of snow. The snow has been falling at a rate of five inches a hour, and just when road commissions get the snow off, the snow piles back onto the roads. The snow started last week Sunday, and have continued since then. This heavy snow has came from the Great Lakes, and continued over into New York. Over 20 deaths have come from this massive amount of snow. By the end of this weekend there will be over 100 inches of snow in the county of Oswego and other surrounding counties.

I completely agree with the mayor of Oswego, and the other mayor who declared a state of emergency for there counties. There is too much snow for the counties to be plowing out, and just when they think there done clearing off the roads, more snow comes. I think also that homes, or shelters should be set up for homeless people, or any people who need help when all this snow is coming. Those people who live in New York, should be helped, and the road commission should also be praised for going out and doing their job no matter what the weather was like.

The mayor of Oswego county said it best about the weather right now in New York, he said” We catch up when it stops, but it just comes again, even heavier”. He put it best by saying that the road commission can’t do anything really but try and clear the roads as best as they can. You can’t stop mother nature for pouring it’s worst on you, they just have to wait for the snow to leave New York, and then hopefully the people will be able to start living their lives normally again.  To read more about this article on the BBC go to:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6347139.stm

Harry Potter…. Will You Read It? February 6, 2007

As we all know the last Harry Potter is book is coming out in July, and the hype about the last book is already starting. In the Washington Post Editorial Article entitled “Last Call On Platform 93/4” the author talks about how much hype is going for the book, and how it has helped kids read over the years. The author also talks about how this is the last book in the series, and how in a way it is sad, because no more books will follow it. But, the author does promise that the hype following the book will be huge. In the article, the author talks about how kids wouldn’t read much during their summer time off, but when the Harry Potter books came out, kids were now reading huge books in a day or less, and the author says that that’s a great thing.

The article, in my opinion was very easy to read, and the grammar was mostly correct, there might have been a few mistakes, but I wouldn’t have noticed them. The Overall flow of the article is very easy to read, and you can also understand the article very well. The author also, has some very good points on how the Harry Potter books have helped children read, and how it has gotten the children excited to read over the years.

The author of this article has some very good points about the Harry Potter books. For one thing it has helped kids read over the past few words, and the kids who have read the Harry Potter books have read some very big books. Also, the books have given a single mother income to raise her children, and her income comes from the fun she has of writing these books. In my opinion I think that the author of this article really likes the Harry Potter books, and like many people is going to be sad after the last book comes out. All in all  I have to agree with the author it has helped kids in many ways learn how to read more, and I for one will be sad to see these books go.

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/02/AR2007020501287.html?nav=rss_opinion