Pecha Kucha 

I tried to listen to Fertile Voids at first, but after the first few minutes I got bored of barely understanding her, and the bland presentation made me doze off. Since I didn't finish that presentation, I decided to listen to another one so I'd have something to write about.

My second choice was Tools for Design. It intrigued me way more than the other, his voice kept you awake and wasn't monotone like the other. Adding to his great speaking voice, the way he setup his presentation with all of his eye-popping visuals was extraordinary. Although I didn't understand half of the engineering examples he was talking about, his presentation was still excellent.

計劃生育政策: One-child Policy

計劃生育政策: One-child Policy

            For many decades China has had the one child policy. A policy in which a family is only allowed one child. The policy was initiated in the late 70s to early 80s. The reasoning behind this policy is to reduce the growth rate in Chinas enormous population. Although you can only have one child, there’s an exception if you have twins.

In the late 1970s China promoted birth control due to its population rapidly approaching the one-billion mark. Later the policy was managed by National Population and Family Planning Commission under the central government since 1981, until it was taken over by the National Health and Family Planning Commission in 2013.

The policy relaxed a little for those parents within a minority race if their first born was handicapped.  If that applied to you, it was acceptable for you to have more than one child. Many girls were placed in orphanages because boys were more preferred over girls. Many preferred boys because they would keep the family name and inherit their property. During these times of male empowerment, many families would have an abortion after hearing they would be having a girl.  

My correspondent for the emails to China, didn't send an email back, so I went out of the way and chose my own. I chose this because it was the one that interested me the most and I found the most information about. While reading this about this topic, I found pros and cons in this policy, so my opinion about it is neutral.

Sources: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1710568/one-child-policy

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-child_policy

 

Face to Face

 

Listening to the face to face audio files really showed me how other people of a different race felt during 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. Being Caucasian and only four years old when 9/11 occurred, and not even a rational thought when pearl harbor happened; I don't know what it would be like to been seen as a threat to the government and public safety of others. After listening to Jihad Turk story, I feel bad for them for being left out in the crowd just for having a foreign sounding name or their skin color, even if they have done no harm.

 

In Kiyo Sato-Viacrucis' story, it broke my heart to visualize the terror they went through when being interrogated by the FBI. Visualizing the people that are suppose to be protecting our country going to people's houses tearing up their belongings to take away their possession's and their loved ones all because they are a different race than you.

 

Implicit Test

On the implicit bias test, I felt as if the results were very accurate. I was a little warmer feeling to white people than black people, but not by much. I understand how they got that result. The reason I am little more comfortable around white people is because I can connect with them more than I could with black people. Although I feel this way, no matter what race or skin tone you are, I'll always treat the person with the respect that they deserve.



 

Book response #4: The Scorch Trials

 

 

As I've gotten further into the Scorch Trials by James Dashner, I've realized that this book is nothing like I thought it would be. Before I started reading this book I pictured it being just like the first one but instead of the maze being the puzzle it would be something else ridiculously confusing and almost impossible to solve.

 

James Dashner hasn't just grabbed my attention to this series, but he has kidnapped my interest in what book I read. For whatever book I read next, one of his will be put into consideration.

 

One thing I like about Dashner's writing is his use of different and descriptive words. Sometimes I'll have to look up what one of his weird words mean. Despite his diverse use of words, his ability to bring mystery and confusion to the audience then piece it all together in the end of the story really intrigues me.  

 

"The next few seconds were beyond strange. As soon as Thomas's hand made contact with the odd metal ball, the boy stopped moving. His arms and legs stilled and the stiffness in his twitching torso went away in an instant. Thomas felt a thick wetness on the hard sphere, oozing up from where the kid's neck should've been. He knew it was blood, could smell the coppery scent of it."

(pg.. 80)

 

I chose this passage because it shows the style of Dashner's writing. It brings out his descriptive yet kind of creepy phrases. This passage is describing what the main character Thomas is going through as one of the boys he once shared times with in the maze died.

 

 

 



Book Response #3: The Scorch Trials

 

 

After reading the first book of the Maze Runner, I was excited to read the second book: The scorch trials. The beginning of the book got off to a fast start, and had many suspenseful parts. In the first book it had a slow start, but once the book got going it picked up the pace. I've only gotten through the first 30 pages so I don't have much of a summary to tell. Although after finishing the maze, the gladers find themselves in an odd room where they were placed in by their rescuers.

 

 When they wake up the next morning, they try and escape the room, but they find themselves surrounded by their rescuers hanging from a rope from the ceiling. They don't know if it was a murder or suicide, but they are scared to death. They have no way of escaping what could be another death trap, or anyway of being rescued.

 

The main character Thomas soon looks for his friend Teresa who is the only girl in the group. But to their surprise they find a boy they've never seen before named Aris. Aris says he was in the same experiment as the other boys, but he was the only boy, like Teresa.

 

 

"How about we all just take turns beating the living klunk out of your shuck face? Then we'll ask you to talk again. " -Minho yelling at Aris when he refuses to answer questions.

 

 

I chose this quote because it shows the weird slang words they use to talk to each other, and also it shows how Minho is a natural leader, and now without their past leader Alby gone, he has to step up and take that role.  



The Maze Runner

 

 

 

I recently finished the book Maze Runner. In my opinion, it was the second best book I have ever read. Every chapter kept me on the edge of my seat. It was filled with action, drama, suspense, and a little bit of comedy. Last Friday I went to see the movie based off this book. I was disappointed on how the director cut quite a bit of important parts from the book, but that's how most movies are when they come from books. I would recommend this book to everyone because it has almost every genre all put into one.

                               

 

 

"If you ain't scared, you ain't human." -Alby (the leader of the Glade.)   

 

I chose this quote because, in the movie they put a lot of emphasis on how everyone is scared when placed into the maze, you just have to overcome your fears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                    

Book blog: The Maze Runner

Imagine waking up in a huge box, not remembering anything about yourself except your name. You sit there for what seems like forever, but you don't know what forever feels like because you don't know anything. Then the box starts  moving upward, you reach a stopping point and the top of thee box begins to open. You're blinded by this light shining down on you. You can't see for a few moments, then your eyes focus on 20 teenage boys looking down on you. This is what a 16 year old boy named Thomas was going through.

Thomas gets helped out of the box and was ask questions that he has no idea what the answers are, except for his name. Thomas has been called all these weird names, that not only him but even the people calling him these names don't know what they mean.

Thomas later that day meets his soon to be only friend Chuck. Chuck is a 12 year old boy who was the "newbie" before Thomas arrived at this strange place. Thomas at least gets some answers from Chuck. The strange place they are at is called the Glade, and the teens that are in this Glade are called Gladers. These gladers all have jobs. There are Keepers, Med-Jacks, Frypans, Builders, Sloppers, Baggers, Track-Hoes, Slicers, and Runners.  These runners are the most important job at the glade. Beyond the Glade is a maze, and the runners job is to solve the maze to get out of the Glade. The runners are the only chance for survival.

Thomas is trying to find his role in the Glade. As he tries to find his job, he keeps having this feeling in his gut that he's been here before and somehow he has to be a runner. Runners usually have to be fast, strong, and smart. Which Thomas is only one of those things but his memory loss takes away his intellect. I can relate to Thomas because he just wants answers and wants to be apart of what is going on at the Glade. In my own life, I'm always trying to be included in what is going on around me so I can be a help to a cause. Thomas reminds me of myself in not just his mindset but his physical appearance. The author James Dashner describes Thomas as a tall and lanky 16 year old young man, which pretty much describes me but 17 years old not 16.   

I can't wait to finish this book and then watch the new movie in just one week! You guys should read this book! 

 

 

15 things about me

1. I sing in Choir

2. I have never been on a plane.

3. I have played baseball since I was 4 years old.

4. My favorite thing to do is to sing.

5. My favorite food is chicken. Doesn't matter if it's legs, wings, or breast. I love Chicken.

6. I have terrible stage fright, even though I am doing the Fall musical.

7. I have never left the country.

8. I used to hate reading, but now I can't stop reading books.

9. I have always loved writing, ever since I was in 3rd grade.

10. I have grown a whole foot since being in high school.

11. I am in 3 different music classes this year.

12. I have one dog named Baylor. He's an idiot.

13. I have 4 siblings, and I am the youngest.

14. I have a niece who is almost 2 years old, and a nephew who is 9 years old.

15. My favorite kind of movie is Comedy. I love Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler.