Transformers Revenge of the Fallen at Princeton University

5 reasons why we should not use Biofuel

1. There are people in the world without food. They are so poor that they can barely afford bread. Why should we be selfish and use up the corn to fuel our cars when there are people starving?

2. Bio fuel uses petroleum to turn the corn into the oil that we use for cars. We're still using petroleum oil in Bio fuel. Even though the media and the politicians say that this is helping the environment. No, No, No, we need more strategic plans to avoid using petroleum. Our everyday lives require petroleum. From the clothes, to the cars, we are too dependant on oil and using Bio fuel is still using Petroleum. Why waste the good petroleum that was created over millions of years on turning food into oil?

3. Our engines need to be adjusted for Bio fuel because not all engines are used to corn in the tank. Adjusting it costs money.

4. Don't be fooled by Al Gore. Al Gore's a politician that has done research. His research has been strongly contradicted by scientists around the world. Yes, the ice is melting, but using bio fuel is not an option to alternative energy.

5. It uses the petroleum that we use to make our clothes. We have cotton, but the polyester comes from petroleum. We can't waste the petroleum on burning precious food because we need it for clothes. Bio fuel is not helping our world wide hunger crisis. It is making the hunger crisis worse.

Next time, when you hear the government talking about using Bio fuel, tell them that it is not an option. It is a bridge to no where. Don't be fooled by the government's propaganda because they studied law, not environmental science. They know nothing about environmental science.

The Elms

The Elms was the home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Julius Berwind of Philadelphia and New York. Mr. Berwind made his fortune in the Pennsylvania coal industry. In 1898, the Berwinds engaged Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer to design a house modeled after the mid-18th century French chateau d'Asnieres (c.1750) outside Paris. Construction of The Elms was completed in 1901 at a cost reported at approximately $1.4 million. The interiors and furnishings were designed by Allard and Sons of Paris and were the setting for the Berwinds' collection of Renaissance ceramics, 18th century French and Venetian paintings, and Oriental jades. The elaborate Classical Revival gardens on the grounds were developed between 1907 and 1914. They include terraces displaying marble and bronze sculpture, a park of fine specimen trees and a lavish lower garden featuring marble pavilions, fountains, a sunken garden and carriage house and garage. These gardens were recently restored.

Like the Breakers and Marble House, the Elms were a summer home. It was for the Berwind family retreat. Mr. Julius Berwind owned a large coal industry that powered Vanderbilt Railroad Company. His company was essential in powering homes, trains, and other large companies that require coal. His wife would be in the Elms thought July 4th to the end of August.

When Julius Berwind's wife passed away, Julius invited his sister, Julia. Julia served as his hostess. Mrs. Berwind died in 1922. Mr. Berwind died in 1936 and Miss Julia continued to summer at The Elms until her death in 1961, at which time the house and most of its contents were sold at public auction. The Preservation Society of Newport County purchased The Elms in 1962 and opened the house to the public. In 1996, The Elms was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Like Marble House, this home was also designed in a French style. As I walked into the Elms with my audio guide, I proceeded to my left. This was where the tour began. At the front entrance are two kinds of artwork woven in cloth. The audio guide proceeded in telling me how the Elms were almost set to be destroyed. The land was to be a shopping center or housing community. The National preservation of mansions at Newport purchased the home with the help of sponsors. Now the Preservation society continues giving tours to visitors like me.

The home was constructed from 1899 to 1901.The first floor has a beautiful ballroom, breakfast room, dining room, salon, library, conservatory, and a grand hallway. The hallway that I entered was built in marble. The mansion was constructed in steel frame with brick portions and a limestone facade.

The lawn behind the Elms had a beautiful flower garden. The lawn had a long carpet that was used for walking, so that none of the ladies would get their dresses and shoes dirty. The Conservatory on the first floor has a beautiful view of this lawn.

The conservatory was built in by Julius Berwind because of his love of French gardens and fountains. He had beautiful fountain sprouting water and two glass mirrors on the fountain's sides. Then there was a pool table at the very center of the conservatory.

There was a private guest sitting room on the first floor as well. The sitting room had a portrait of Julius Berwind over a fireplace and next to him was the architect of the Elms, Horace Traubeauer. On Mr. Berwind's opposite wall was a portrait of his lovely wife.

After the sitting room and the conservatory was the library. The library housed many of the Berdwind family books and novels. The Berwinds loved to read and enjoyed many books.

The next room is the ballroom. This ballroom has served many guests including three orchestras. Two orchestras played in the ball room and one played outside in the lawn. Many parties were hosted and the meals were served in the Dining Room. The Dining room used a French style of serving foods. The chairs weighed over a ton and footman’s had to push the chair in. During meals, it was only polite to talk to the person next to you. Every time a dish comes up, the person had to talk to a person on their left or right.

Their food came and goes so fast that they can only eat very little. The good part was that at the Elms, the children could get midnight snacks.

The next room was the Breakfast room; this room is currently under restoration of the ceiling by the Preservation society. Near the windows is a Chinese artwork that was brought to the room from China.

As we exit the breakfast room and enter the dining room, we turn left to head towards the main entrance. Stop at the glass casings. Then turn right and head up the stairs. Stop at the second floor and I will meet you up there. This staircase was created in marble.

As you go up the stairs, please do not operate your audio player.

To be continued.

Slumdog Millionaire

I was watching the Slumdog Millionaire DVD that I rented from Prime Tyme. Prime Tyme is a Video rental store in Plainsboro ,New Jersey. It is going out of business , so I ask my blog viewers to go to Prime Tyme and rent some DVDs to help their business.It closes in May 30, 2009. Help their business. The owner is very friendly and cares about his customers.Slumdog millionaire is a very dramatic film. It shows the reality of life. It shows how fortunate Americans are.

Slumdog millionaire is about a boy who's from the slums of Mumbai and got on the show, Who wants to be a millionaire.His name is Jamal. Jamal won 10,000,000 rupees and have 10,000,000 left to go to be the first millionaire from the slums of India. The host called the cops and arrested him for cheating. At the police office, he explains every little detail on how he knew the answers. All the answers goes back to when he was a little boy. He starts the story of his childhood with him being in a outhouse. His brother was screaming get out the helicopter is here. Then he placed a chair to lock him in. Then Jamal jumped into the outhouse toilet. He had always wanted to get the actors autograph. When the actor signed his paper, Jamal was covered in disgusting things.

He explained that living in the slums were hard because the police chased you and there would be raids and thefts in the slums. There were schools , but the raids were scary,. Jamal lost his mother in one of the slums.

The majority of the movie was a flashback. The movie was slowly progressing towards the present. He found his dream girl, Lathia. He won 1, 000,000 dollars or 20,000,000 rupees. He saw an excellent life ahead of him. His brother was killed by the gang , but his brother killed the gang leader.

The end of the movie was a Bollywood style ending. There was dancing, music , and Hindi songs.

The movie ended very uniquely. American movies do not end in a song or a dance. Our movies end in a very western style. Usually our movies end with the good guy defeating the bad guy or a person gets married.

This movie was creative and showed the reality of India. It showed that India is not very friendly and there are lots of poor people around. There were beatings and scams happening. As you watch this film, try to think about how Jamal and his brother was feeling.

Chateau Sur Mer Part I

Chateau Sur Mer or translated into english is castle above the sea. Chateaus Sur Mer was built by William Shepard Wetmore. It was completed in 1852 as a French Villa for William Shepard Wetmore. He was a merchant in the China trade business. The builder was Seth Bradford. The house was Victorian, the furniture, wallpaper,ceramics, architecture, and stenciling were all Victorian style. Then William Shepard Wetmore died in 1862. He left the bulk of his fortune to his son, George Peabody Wetmore. George Wetmore had graduated from Yale College and Columbia Law University.

William Wetmore was in the China trade business. That was where the majority of his fortune came from. He traded Chinese porcelain, Egyptian products, and other Chinese products. He built the 13 acred Chateau Sur Mer at Newport , Rhode Island. This mansion was different from the Elms, Rosecliff, Breakers, and marble House because this house was a Victorian mansion.



George Wetmore took a trip to Europe with his wife, Edith Keteltas. He left Richard Morris Hunt to redecorate and redesign the home. George Peabody Wetmore got the name Peabody from one of the designers of the home. During the 1870s, the Wetmores departed on an extended trip to Europe, leaving architect Richard Morris Hunt to remodel and redecorate the house in the Second Empire style. As a result, Chateau-sur-Mer displays most of the major design trends of the last half of the 19th century. The house is constructed of Fall River Granite.


Unlike most of the "cottages" built in Newport during this period, Chateau-sur-Mer was one of the few built as a year round residence. This was because the Wetmores were a New England family who made Newport their home. George was very active in Rhode Island politics during the late 19th century. A life long Republican, Wetmore was a member of the Electoral College of 1880 and again in 1884. In 1885 Wetmore was elected Governor of Rhode Island, and went on the win reelection in 1886, but was defeated in an attempt for a third term in 1887. In 1894, the Rhode Island General Assembly elected Wetmore to the United States Senate, where Wetmore remained until 1913. In the Senate, Wetmore served on the Naval Affairs Committee and the Appropriations Committee.


At the start of this guided tour was in the breakfast room. The breakfast room was full of artifacts and Chinese porcelain. Chinese Porcelain had a dragon near the top and nicely glazed pottery. The Porcelain was one of ancient Chinese secret recipe.

The tour guide explained that the breakfast room was later added into the home by George Peabody Wetmore. The next room was the room next to the entrance had a unique view of the staircases. The very top was a painted window not stain glass.

The difference between stain glass and painted is that stain glass was made with the glass while the painted was later painted on the glass.

When you move upstairs. You can see that on every bed is a button. This button calls the staff to bring them anything they would like. The tour guide joked that he asked his wife for one, but his wife said, "sure, but nobody is going to come." On the second floor is the bedrooms and the Wetmore family China. Their china are all protected by the Preservation society in glass cases.

Monsters Vs Aliens Part III

In Part III of my review of Monsters vs Aliens is the picture, story, plot line.
Monsters Vs Aliens is about a girl named Susan Murphy. She got hit by a meteor and received the radioactive powers. She started glowing and her boy friend said, "Susan your glowing. Your really glowing."

On the day of her marriage, she turned into a 44 foot giant. The government thought she was a monster so they brought her to a special facility. In this giant facility are BOB, Dr. Cockroach, The missing Link, and Insectosaurus.She saw that all these creatures were innocent and misunderstood. They have not left the facility in 50 years. Then one day, the government saw an Alien machine came to the United States.
The generals plan was to use the monsters help to defeat this gigantic machine with one eye. The government evacuated the cities and it was Susan who defeated the giant robot. Meanwhile they destroyed the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco. She saved the innocent civilians with the help of BOB.

After the hero work, Susan realized that the person she was going to marry only cared about him and his job. It was never a team, it was always about him. (Susan's ex fiance was Derek. he was the news station's meteorologist.)

Then the Alien with 6 eyes came and abducted Susan. He injured insectourous and stole Susan's powers. He came to Earth looking for that power to rule the Earth. He created a thousand clones of himself and a team of machines. He extracted Susan's powers and made her normal.

It was BOB, The missing Link and Dr. Cockroach's mission to rescue Susan and save the planet from the evil 6 eyed alien.

In the end, BOB, Link, and Dr. Cockroach rescued Susan. Susan thought it through and purposely gained her powers back because she felt that she could accomplish more.
She showed off her ex fiance and refused his hand in marriage.

This epic adventure, IMAX 3D film was about drama, action and adventure. A girl learned to speak her heart in what she wanted.

Monsters vs Aliens Part II

BOB or Bicarbonate Ostylezene Benzonate was one of Susan Murphy or Gigantorious's friends. She made friends with BOB when she was trapped in the Government facility. BOB has no brain and insisits on saying, "It turns out that you do not need one."
Bob is a computer generated creature that was made from a jello type of substance.
He has one eye and eats ham.Anything can go in and come out intact.

Monsters vs. Aliens is playing in Digital 3D and IMAX 3D.The Imax 3D uses two camera lenses to represent the left and right eyes. The two lenses are separated by an interocular distance of 64 mm (2.5"), the average distance between a human's eyes. By recording on two separate rolls of film for the left and right eyes, and then projecting them simultaneously, viewers can be tricked into seeing a 3D image on a 2D screen. The IMAX 3D camera is cumbersome, weighing over 113 kg/250lbs. This makes it difficult to film on-location documentaries.

There are two methods to creating the 3D illusion in the theatre. The first involves polarization. During projection, the left and right eye images are polarized perpendicular to one another as they are projected onto the IMAX screen. By wearing special eyeglasses with lenses polarized in their respective directions to match the projection, the left eye image can be viewed only by the left eye since the polarization of the left lens will cancel out that of the right eye projection, and the right eye image can be viewed only by the right eye since the polarization of the right lens will cancel out that of the left eye projection. Another method for 3D projection involves LCD shutter glasses. These glasses contain LCD panels which are synchronised to the projector which alternates rapidly at 96 frames per second between displaying the left and right images which are momentarily viewed by the appropriate eye by allowing that eye's panel to become transparent while the other remains opaque. While the panels within these active-shutter 3D glasses alternate at 96 frames per second, the actual film is displayed at 24 frames per second.

Monsters vs Aliens

Monsters vs Aliens is the new Hollywood hit movie. Children loves it, adults enjoyed it and critics finds it satisfactory. This new hit movie stares Reece Witherspoon as Ginormous or Susan Murphy. This new movie was about a girl named Susan Murphy. She suddenly got hit by a meteorite before her wedding. Her boy said, "Whoa, Susan your glowing.I mean you're really glowing."
Susan got caught by federal agents and placed in a facility where monsters are held. She joins Dr. Cockroach PHD, BOB, and the missing link. She also finds the insectivore's. Each one was caught because they were monster

Dr. Cockroach has a PHD degree. He was a mad scientist that got turned into a cockroach. The cockroach may be small, but he can turn junk into technology. He is a brain maniac.

The Missing Link is a creature that was captured because he had destroyed several towns and thought to be dangerous.

To be continued

The Breakers Post 2 Contiued

The Breakers was a home that had many workers. There were butlers and in the butler Pantry was the Vanderbilt's fine china and food. The fine china in the Butler's Pantry was locked in a safe every night. The safe was a steel box with a metal lock.

The room after the pantry was the long and gigantic dining room. Every chair was at least one ton and needed a footman to push them in. The chandeliers were all electric lighting, but if the power failed, then the light switch to gas. Cornelius Vanderbilt designed it so that they will always have light. The gas will light up through the round , transparent , glass balls. The dining room reminds me of the Italian Renaissance or French style designs. It reminds me of Louis the XIV palace in Versailles.

The next room on the tour was the Billiard Room. The Billiard Room is faced from floor to ceiling of matching slabs of grey blue marble and matching alabaster arches. There's a pool table and designs of different animals. Can you locate the turtle?
The turtle is the little animal painted on the ceiling. It is the little animal crawling towards the woman's feet.

Richard Morris Hunt designed this home and lived his life in Newport. He was a French Art Student, but he was from America. He was the well known American Architect for his design of the Statue of Liberty. He was the architect of the 5th avenue facade of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mr. Hunt died in 1895 and was buried in the Common burying ground and Island cemetery in Newport , Rhode Island.

Next stop is the ballroom, the ballroom was the room for the wealthy family's invited guest parties. The ladies would slide down the stairs without tripping because of the low distance between each step. The ceiling has many unique designs including three acorns. The acorns represent the Vanderbilt family. One represents fortune, and another means wealth. The last one means long living. The ballroom held many parties and three orchestras played here at once. There's a piano at the ballroom.

The next room is the music room.The music room was an extremely important room. This
was the place where Gertude Vanderbilt played her music for the world to hear. The piano is next to the window. From the window, you could see the sea. The Breakers was the Summer's social capital during the Guilded Age. They were able to afford this because they did not have to pay Income Tax. So they kept everything that they earned, but when Income Tax was introduced to the nation, the wealthy could not afford to stay at the mansions. The summer's social capital had music to enjoy, parties to enjoy, and a comfort summer retreat. Gertude Vanderbilt recalls,"I remember my mother would left me practice everyday."

The servants and staffs working at the mansion were mainly immigrants coming to America. The mansion opened around the same time as Ellis Island. The staffs were not to be seen in the mansion by the family. Only the butlers, footmans, and male staffers may be seen. The female staffers are forbidden to be seen. The children of the staffers could stay in the mansion and play. However, they must not touch anything and cannot be seen by the family.

One of those children remembers it as a very large and fun place to be in. Although there were many rooms, "I remember every summer that I come here was an exciting moment because very few children could come and play in the mansions. "

Mr. Vanderbilt's bedroom was very plain because he only lived in it for one summer, but Mrs. Vanderbilt's room was decorated in Louis the 16th style. Her room was later occupied ny her daughter, Countless Laszlo Szecenyi. Mrs. Vanderbilt had a dressing room and a closet that had a hidden section. The door merged well with the wall. The doors back then were all cut out from the walls because the staffers did not want to disrupt the family while working. Mrs. Vanderbilt had her own dressing room and indoor bathroom. Mrs. Vanderbilt and the other ladies during the Guilded Age would wear different clothes during different hours of the day. The staff would wash tons of laundry everyday.

The Marble House

The Vanderbilt Family's home was the Marble House. The Marble House was the home of William J. K. Vanderbilt Junior's home. He was the grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt and son of William J. K. Vanderbilt. He was also the older brother of Cornelius Vanderbilt II.(owner of the breakers)

The Marble House was paid by William J. Vanderbilt for his wife, Alva Vanderbilt. Alva Vanderbilt later divorced William , but kept the house, the children and 30,000 dollars. This house has a unique structure. It has French taste in it. There are french designs and several pieces of the home were designed in France. The house was to model the Petit Trinon in Versailles, France. Simular to the Breakers, this house was also designed by Architect , Richard Morris Hunt.

Richard Morris Hunt studied Beaux- Arts in France and for the rest of his life, he was a architect designing Newport Mansions. He lived in a large house in Newport.

He was extremely famous in the wealthly family group in Newport.

The Marble House has a unique ballroom. This ballroom uses gold leaf. It used gold leaf all around the room. There's at least 22 carrot gold in the ballroom. There are Roman gods carved in to the walls. I saw the relief sculpture of the Roman God Possiant. The sculpture shows the god using his Trident in his underwater kingdom.
This room had lots and lots of detail. The lighting has lots of detail that could have taken a month to make.

The next room on the audio tour was the Gothic room. This room has painted or stain glass windows that shows religious stories. There are portraits of the Commodore and his grandson. The room gives a very Gothic and religious feeling. I would feel frightened of the room if it was at night. The room is very dark and gloomy.

The audio tour directs people to the marble hallway and shows tourists the Chinese Tea house. The Chinese tea house was built by Alva Vanderbilt. Alva Vanderbilt wanted to connect Oriental cultures with Western cultures.

Straight ahead there's a portrait of a French King. Then on your right is the library. Alva Vanderbilt loved books. She wanted to have them all. She placed no strains on what her daughter could or could not read. To her books were like heaven.

Alva Vanderbilt was very unique because she was the first to divorce a Vanderbilt, she fought for women's suffrage, and was very social. Alva and William had three children. Then she married Oliver Belmont. She died in Paris France on January 26, 1933.

In the Dining room, there were famous artworks, heavy chairs and a new way of serving food. They served food one at a time, but the food arrives so quickly that
they have no time to eat their food. They could only eat little of everything. '

The chairs that they sat in weighed more than a ton. They had foot mans push the chairs inwards. Only the male staffs could be seen in public. The female staffers at the Mansion were not allowed to be seen in public.

Their were oil canvas paintings and woven artworks.

On the second floor was Mr. Vanderbilt's room, Alva Vanderbilt's room, and the trophy room. Mr. Vanderbilt's room was pretty large in size. The room had a king sized bed with a portrait of him hanging over the fireplace.

In Mrs. Alva Vanderbilt's room was a good looking wallpaper and a king sized bed on a platform. The original wallpaper faded away, so the National Preservation society at Newport recreated a portion of the old wall paper. The old , colorful wallpaper was framed in a glass for visitors to compare the old and the recreated version.

In the trophy room was all the trophies of another Vanderbilt. There were trophies and portraits. One of the portraits was of Commodore Vanderbilt.

To Be Continued

The Breakers

Commodore Vanderbilt's grandson, Cornelius Vanderbilt the second constructed the Breakers with architect, Richard Morris Hunt. He's was only one of the many architects on this large project. He helped construct this home in 2 years because of the high technology and engineering during the Gilded age.

The Gilded age was a period of time in the United State's history, that had economic prosperity.During this period, the United States was the number one nation in the world. In this 11 acre home, the home represents the wealth of America in the 19th Century.The Breakers was only a Summer retreat home for the Vanderbilt family.

After the summer, the staff would have a series of tasks to do. The staff had to turn off the indoor plumbing, electricity, and made sure the pipes wouldn't freeze. They made sure that the mansion be ready for the next summer.

Cornelius Vanderbilt had only lived in this home for one summer because he had a stroke the year after.He passed away because of the stroke.

Cornelius Vanderbilt the second was the grandson of the Commodore not his son. Cornelius Vanderbilt's brother is William Vanderbilt. He is the owner of Newport's Marble House.

The Marble house and the Breakers represent the enormous wealth of the Vanderbilt family. The Vanderbilt family acquired this wealth from Commodore Vanderbilt's steamboat business and Railroad business. Commodore Vanderbilt had his steamboat business when he was in his 20s. He was bringing people up and down he Hudson river. Several years later, his railroad industry revolutionized the method of transportation. he could carry people from Chicago to New York. His railroad company let to the his enormous wealth that was carried to his grandchildren.His railroad company was fueled by the Elms owner, Birdwell. Birdwell's coal industry powered railroads including Vanderbilt railroad industry.

The Breakers was a great example of Italian Renaissance architecture and French styles. This unique home had a grand ballroom, where many large parties were held. Some of the parties had three orchestras playing. There were large bedrooms, indoor plumbing and electricity. During the time of the Vanderbilts, electricity and indoor plumbing was very seldom.

The Breakers had a neat and beautiful ballroom. The ceiling had three acorns. It represent the Vanderbilt family. One represents wealth, then good fortune, and long life.

The entire home was supposed to be designed in the Italian renaissance buildings at Turnin and Genoa. Cornelius Vanderbilt II was a bank clerk working on 50 dollars a month and later became chairman of his family's railroad business.

Cornelius Vanderbilt took no chances with wood and fire , so the entire home was constructed out of stone and brick with steel beams for support structure. The ground floor was where the kitchen had a seperate wing and the heating plant was near the caretaker's cottage. It was serval hundred feet away from the Mansion. Cornelius Vanderbilt took no chances because the original breaker was burned to the ground, so he wanted his Breaker to remain stable for generations.

Cornelius Vanderbilt filled his home with artwork from Italy and France. He created a music room. The music room was filled with instruments. There was a gold painted piano near the window. His daughter would play music in this room.

When the house was first opened , there were more than 300 guests present. They were escorted into the Great Hall by Footmans. The Great Hall had a grand staircase where children could slide down on dinner plates. The stairs were also short because it allowed women with long dresses to slide down without tripping. This was important because the Vanderbilts' hosted many parties. They were very social.

Their dining room chairs were so heavy that they needed footmans to push the chair inwards. This was a elegant dining area because they had nice foods and great chairs and tables.

The Breakers were a sea front mansion. This means they had a great view of the Atlantic ocean. When you stand on their back lawn, you could feel the cool sea air.

The upstairs were the bedrooms and bathrooms. The bathroom had a tub with four knobs. Two were for hot and cold and the other two were for salt water. Wealthy families believed that batheing in salt water was healthy for your body.

Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt's room is very plain and normal because he only stayed at the Breakers for one Summer. Then he died of a stroke.

To Be Continued