Thursday, April 30, 2009

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen at Princeton University

Sunday, April 19, 2009

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.

Monday, April 13, 2009

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.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

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.

Friday, April 10, 2009

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.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

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

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

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

Sunday, April 5, 2009

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

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

To Kill a Mockingbird



http://video.aol.com/video-detail/to-kill-a-mockingbird-1962/4067904238


Based upon the 1960, Harper Lee story, To Kill a Mockingbird has been a Oscar winning film, a Pulitzer winning novel , and a great black and white movie.
This film had adventure, drama, action, and humor. It is strongly connected to the Harper Lee novel, but they organized it to flow. This movie has scenes that flows or connects together. It's not a movie where the scenes are loosely connected and the story doesn't make sense , but a movie with a great plot line, a good story, and great acting.

This film starts out unusually, but as the movie progresses, we start to see that the objects shown in the beginning have strong ties to the story. I like the firm and assertive voice over along with the dramatic music.
The music is very memorable.
The acting of Scout was my absolute favorite because Scout acts like a boy , but her character and personality is still a girl. Scout is the main character and girl that introduces her town called Maycomb county. I love how Scout calls her father,"Atticus, Atticus."
She uses a very cute accent to say it. That is why I will never forget Scout. I may forget the movie.

Then there is Jem,he is a childish boy at the beginning , but as the years progressed, I can tell he has matured. he gone from a boy that played childish games with Charles Baker Harris or Dill to being more mature. I can see the character maturing as I watch the trial of Tom Robinson.
, but Atticus and Scout I will not forget.

Last, but not least is Atticus. Atticus played by Gregory Peck has really empathized the meaning of a lawyer. My favorite part about him was when he was defending Tom Robinson and was talking to the Jurors, he was very firm and serious. He gave a very important speech.

This movie has really enhanced my understanding of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It may be an old black and white film , but an award wining black and white film which I think is the best out of black and white films.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

30 Days




What if you had to step into somebody else shoes? What would you do if you worked minimum wage for 30 days?

The television series 30 Days starring Morgan Spurlock shows people like you and me what it is like working minimum wage. Morgan Spurlock was the actor of the Oscar nominated movie, Super sized me. Currently, Morgan is working on his reality TV show called 30 Days. 30 Days is a show where Morgan will live someone Else's life for 30 days. It might be living 30 days in prison, with a Muslim family in America, or working minimum wage.

This month's challenge for Morgan was to live off of minimum wage. He has talked his fiance in doing it with him. He has travelled to Columbus, Ohio to do his television program. He has stayed with his brother's family for several hours and then he and his wife has gone apartment finding. They have about 350 dollars in their pockets. They have found lots of apartments and all but one were way to expensive for them. This movie shows great persuasion that Senator Ted Kennedy needs to raise the minimum wage.

Senator Kennedy has wanted to pass the bill that raised the minimum wage because the minimum wage has not raised a cent since 1997, but the cost of living has been raised. For every year the bill was introduced, it was turned down by congress. The minimum wage was introduced in the 1930s during the Great Depression because it was supposed to cover the bear minimum of living, but since the cost of living has risen, the minimum wage no longer does what it was intended to do.

Living off of minimum wage was extremely difficult because there was water bills, electric bills, hospital bills and rent for their apartment. By the end of the month , both Morgan and his wife had two hospital bills from the emergency room and Morgan's cost was 1000 dollars while his treatment was only a 40 dollar bandage."That's bu shit,"said Morgan.

This is ridiculous because minimum wage is barely enough to cover the cost of a couple. What if they had children? The parents would have to take care of them, pay for their schooling, medical cost, and child care. (Medical cost would include the basic vaccinations before the children arrive at school.)Morgan and his wife worked 8 hour jobs everyday , but a couple with children can only have one work an 8 hour job if their on minimum wage. That would make it even more difficult to make a living.

If you've had a good life, with fancy cars, television, Ipods, or good schooling, then I strongly suggest you to watch this episode of 30 Days. That way you can step into an minimum wage family's shoes and see what it it like working on minimum wage during a recession.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

The 81st Oscar in 2009

http://cs8a.clearspring.com/u/496e682876b273c0/49a21d4858053d0a

Hollywood's biggest formal party is the Academy Awards. The Academy Awards is the biggest party for celebrities. Some go home with an Oscar and some go home with the experience at the Oscars. Actors, Producers, Editors, Directors, and sound mixers are all sitting together to watch an Annual show. This formal event includes some of the world's most expensive dresses and suits. The actresses have more elegant dresses because the actors and directors just have black suit, tie, and white shirt and black pants. Every year the actress’s dresses are all original. These dresses are rated by TV audiences. Art is a universal language that brings the world closer together. Art means visual art, music, film making, drawing, photography, or painting goes into the big category of art. Art is what brings the world closer together as a universal language.

The 2009 Academy Awards began with an original song. I felt the song was creative because it includes this year's great movies. The movies are divided into several categories. These categories include Sound editing, Best Actor, Best supporting actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting actress, Best Animated film, Best Animated short, Best Short film, Best sound editing, Best film editing, best supporting role, costume design, and Art direction.

Some this year's great movies include Slum dog Millionaire, The Dark Knight, Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Wall-E, Kung Fu Panda, Bolt, and Iron Man. The movies nominated are the movies that have been recognized by the Academy, but it not all the recognized and nominated are awarded because there are exceptional movies in the world. It was said Art was the universal language in the world. The great movies with best sound editing and best supporting actor is The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight had that action in the film. Heath Ledger as the Joker just made this film even better. I may forget the Dark Knight, but I will never forget Heath Ledger as the Joker. The Dark Knight is an example of an exceptional film. There are those films that I do not know why they won. One of those movies is Wall-E. Wall-E was boring and not enough action like Kung Fu Panda or Bolt. Wall-E did show it was an original screenplay and original music.

Slum dog millionaire won 8 Oscars. Slum dog millionaire was about a boy who's from the slums of Mumbai and completes in the competition of who wants to be a millionaire. Then there was the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It's about a boy who was born an Old man and ages backwards.

The 81st Oscar began well with an original Oscar song, but as it progressed the performance got boring. It was a great show, but it wasn't like last year with songs and scenes from the movie Enchanted. Last years performances were what made the Oscar great. This year the Oscars were just missing decent performances to keep the audience interested.

The Annual West Windsor Library Book Sale.

As I entered the West Windsor Library for the Book sale volunteer, I was surrounded by books. There were all kinds of Books from Foreign Language to Self Help.I could estimate that there were at least 5000 books at the very site.

The 2009 Book Sale at West Windsor is the first year for me to volunteer. I was confused with my job, but I soon as I entered, I was told to read several papers and sign in. My job was carrying the boxes of unorganized books to each category and sort them in to boxes by size. It seems easy , but there were thousands of books in a contained area. If the original organized box is not organized, then I have to organize it. All the spine titles have to face the same direction and the books must be laid down , not standing vertically.

The perks of being the volunteer is buying the books, after your assigned job is finished. The Friends of the West Windsor Library has a kitchen full of snacks and drinks for the volunteers.

I enjoy volunteering at the Book Sale because on Saturday, February 21 I was sorting the Foreign Language books and I learned how to tell apart Hindi , Bangladesh , and Tamil characters apart. I also learned how the Russian characters look, so volunteering is not dull or boring because it is an opportunity to experience an adventure.

Just by volunteering, I learned how to shelf library books, DVD, videos, tapes, and non fiction. I am no stranger to volunteering because I have 65 volunteer hours as of Sunday, February 22, 2009. I have also learned how to teach or take care of Small children. I have also learned CPR through volunteering. Volunteering is fun, exciting, and giving back to the community.

Being a volunteer also have perks that people who do not volunteer have.

Remember to check out the Book Sale on March 3rd, 4th, 5th , 6th, 7th, and 8th.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

New York Post in racism row over chimpanzee cartoon | World news | The Guardian

New York Post in racism row over chimpanzee cartoon | World news | The Guardian

Recently , there has been a Chimpanzee attack in the United States of America. New York Post decided to report this attack and show it on the news , but they also created a rasist cartoon. This cartoon is portraying President Obama as a Chimpanzee. Then two police cops shot the chimpanzee. One of the Police said, " They'll have to find another person to write the Stimulus Bill. That is insulting the President and the African American Race. You can not dislike the president in a cartoon that portrays an ape being shot. They just means you wan the President assinsinated.
This is unacceptable New York Post.
The News Media can not portray Racism through a cartoon because it still hards. America is a Nation full of Cowards. I am begining to believe this because statistics show that 50% of white americans live in subarbs and 50% Blacks live in Cities. Some white americans don't be social with blacks, but as Obama said, " There is no white america, no black America, no liberal america, there is the United States of America."
This photo also shows there freedom of Speech and Press, but this is not the right way to show it. This is just like the shoe throwing incidents. There are then one way to show dislikes and hatred. If one country hated another country, should they just go to war? No , because they know and Presidents know that we need Peace. To establish Peace is to creating firm relationships with other countries.
The same goes to the photo, they can't show the photo like this. President Obama is a hard waorking man. He went from a average high schooler to a graduate in Harvard Law. He is currently focused on his Stimulus Package.
The photo just proves that the New York Post is not worth reading.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

The 58th NBA All Star game

Where have you seen the greatest players in the NBA play in one night? When have you seen Shaq, Kobe , and Yao play together?
The annual NBA All Star Game brings the NBA's top players to one arena. NBA's Top Players include the World's Top Players as well. Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and Lebronon James are Olympic Gold Medalist in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This game gives the players and the fans an opportunity to see all these players play together or play against each other. I enjoyed seeing Shaq and Kobe playing together because They haven't play much together since Shaq left the LA Lakers.
This NBA All Star is no different than any other All Star, but this is Shaquille O'Neal's 15th All Star Game.
This NBA Game started out with the East on offense. Dwayne Wade started the game with a 3-pointer shot. He took this 3-Pointer minutes after the beginning of the game. It goes into the West taking the lead and Kobe Bryant shooting 23 Points and Shaquille O' Neal shooting 17 Points.
My favorite part of this All Star Game is how Shaquille O'Neal passed the ball underneath his opponent. Then Shaquille O' Neal makes a Dunk. His dunk is NBA history. In history, Shaq once made a dunk that broke the backboard. He has amazing strength and energy.
Kobe Bryant has a record of making 80 points a game. He could be the next Michael Jordan.
Chris Paul made a nice dunk 2 minutes 11 seconds left for the game. Chris Paul is on fire, he made another dunk at the last minute of the game.
The East can't win because they have 119 and the West have 146. They were behind 27 points in the last few seconds. Not even an miracle could save them.
This proves the West is stronger than the East. The West has Chris Paul, Tim Duncan, Yao Ming, Kobe Bryant, Tony Parker and Dirk Nowitzki.
The East has Kevin Garnet, Lebronon James, Dwayne Wade and Allen Iversion. No wonder the East can't beat the West because the West has one of the strongest player, Kobe Bryant.
Congratulations Shaquille O' Neal and Kobe Bryant for winning the Co- MVP of the 2009 All Star Game.

Pink Panther 2 Summary

Pink Panther 2 starts out with stolen artifacts in Rome, London, and Tokyo. They started out with a global and moving from England, Italy, and Japan to France. I enjoyed how they started the movie with a globe. It's a nice visual. All three artifacts were stolen by Les Tornado. Then they move to France where Dryfess talks to other Inspectors. They want to solve the case worldwide with an International Dream Team. France has asked Jacques. Monsieur Jacques Cousteau has been assigned to Parking duty. Dryfess assigned him to that job after his win of the Medal of Honor. He was reassigned to the dream team to solve the case of the missing artifacts around the world and find Le Tornado. On his parking duty he has cross referenced the tickets by writing down the date of the ticket given, license plate number and when was it given. This cross referencing was important in the case. As Clouseau was about to leave France, the Pink Panther Diamond was stolen. Now the dream team is starting in France. The Pink Panther diamond that was stolen was a fake. Clouseau switched the replicated given to him in a case with the real diamond. Clouseau knew it would be stolen, so he switched the real and replicated one before anyone would know.

Afterwards, they moved to Rome, Italy. They will interview the person that is a suspected suspect. Clouseau did not follow the crew instead he went digging around for information. He said, “The Tornado is in there. I can sense him."

The scene that followed showed the Tornado talking inside the mansion. Clouseau was correct. The funny part was when the Pope's ring was stolen and he dressed up as the Pope to act out what the pope did that night.

The crime of finding El Tornado was shortly solved when they found the key. El Tornado committed suicide and left all the stolen artifacts except the Pink Panther diamond which was burned. Clouseau consulted a geologist about how it could have burned and he said that El Tornado had to know it was a replica.

At the awards ceremony, Clouseau was the only person to realize that El tornado did not steal the pink Panther diamond. It was the girl who solved the case with them. (Not Nicole)
She destroyed the replica, but the real diamond stayed with Clouseau and no one knew until the ceremony.

He used the cross reference book to figure out that El Tornado did not steal the diamond because he went back to the day before the Pink Panther was stolen. He gave that car a ticket.
The rest of the Dream team all confessed that Clouseau's mind is sharper than them all.
The case was completely finished with Jacques Clouseau. He always finishes the case at the last minute.
To conclude the movie, Nicole and Jacques got married and Daryfess accidentally shot the security camera. The secret security came with big guns. The past word was hamburger, but it was changed. Cloyseau's gadget ran out of battery, so Clouseau and Nicole secretly sneaked out. At the end the movie was finished with the animated Pink Panther.

Jacques Clouseau succeeds in finding the Pink Panther again. Case Closed

Monday, February 9, 2009

Bad economic times for certain stores

2009 is going to be a bad year for stores and retailers. Linens and things and Circuit city have both gone down. Many lay offs occurring. Housing companies like Beazer Homes has tremendous lay offs. They have shut down the site in Maryland and closing departments. In New Jersey, the accounting and fiance department is already down to its last few people. Beazer Homes is a housing company that is doing the worst. They laid off 500 employees nationwide in January 16, 2009.
More and more employees are claiming their unemployment benefits and State unemployment benefits. New Jersey is considering giving those benefits as a loan. States like Michigan and Rhode Island have the highest unemployment rates. They've reached double digits. Our national unemployment rate is 7.5%.
Wall Street wasted the bailout money. President Obama calls it Shameful. They are going to bring out the artillery. That's a metaphor for the government's stepping in because unemployment funds are about to go bankrupt.
I predict that 2009 might be a downfall for Beazer Homes. By 2011, Beazer Homes might close many sites. New Jersey office is definitely one of those sites. The office is basically empty.
Construction is slowing in the housing industry. Not many buying new homes because of the bad economy. This is close to being the highest unemployment rate since the 1920s. We need another big government funded project like Hoover Dam back in the 1920 to get the economy back on track.
I've been watching the stocks and its not doing good. The majority of the stocks are going down.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Shoe throwing incident again Shameful act

Seven weeks after President Bush’s visit to Iraq, Premier Wen JiaBao was hit with a shoe. President Bush was hit with a shoe by an Iraqi Reporter and now Premier Wen Jiabao of China was hit by a shoe in Cambridge University.
Shoe throwing has causing a lot of political conflicts in high government positions. The protestors threw an Athletic shoe that missed Premier Wen jiabao by 30 feet. Premier Wen was giving a speech at the Concert Hall of Cambridge University. The man was in his 20s and 30s of European descent. He threw an athletic shoe. The New York Times recorded, "Some in the audience said he called the protest “despicable.” Others said that when he resumed the speech, to an audience of Chinese government ministers, university officials and students, he assured them that “the relations between Britain and China” would not be affected by the protest. A police spokeswoman gave no other details about the protester, Reuters reported."
The man said, “How can you listen to his lies."
I think that this man and the Iraqi reporter was proving a point, but done the wrong thing. They can use their freedom of Speech, but throwing a shoe is over using your freedom of Speech. The Iraqi reporters made not have damaged Former President George W. Bush, but he damages the former president emotionally and mentally. What If I threw a shoe at the Iraqi reporter or the European man? How would they feel? Political government helps build an public image, but President Bush was misguided by his administration. He has a nice personality and we should all respect that. Premier Wen was probably hurt emotionally, but does not show it to the media. The public needs to be more careful of these incidents. I am extremely disappointed at those two.
Two protestors proved a point, but could have used a smarter way to show it. Those two are idiots, ignorant, and inconsiderate jerks. That is how I feel.