Nineteen Minutes. #6.

This week, I had more time then usual to read for outside reading, and I ended up finishing the story. I absolutely loved the book. The ending was completely unpredictable. I don't think any reader would have imagined the book ending the way it did. The book ended with Josie saying she was the one the killed Matt. She completely took all the blame from Peter which wasn't expected. At first, I hated the ending and couldn't believe what I had just read. After thinking about the story, I started to understand Josie's reasoning. She had been super good friends with Peter all her younger years, until about 7th grade year when she became friends with the popular people. 9th grade year, she started dating the popular jock, Matt. He was never extremely loving towards her, and he spoke to her in an abusive way. Josie was one of those girls who would do anything to be popular. She longed for the title, and Matt helped her be popular. She was afraid and scared to be friends with Peter because he was considered the typical "nerd". She didn't want to ruin her popular name by not being like everyone else and being nice to "nerds". She wasn't strong enough to stand up to her clique and tell them she thought it was right to be nice to everyone, including the "nerds" and "geeks". She was afraid of what it would do to her reputation. I starting thinking about the ending, and I concluded it was her way of trying to make up for her actions. I think she desperately wanted to show Peter she was still by his side, and still considered him her friend deep down inside. I think the ending was proof that Josie was an individual who was extremely confused and easily manipulated. She spent all of her time trying to fit in and impress everyone at school and in her life. Overall, Jodi Picoult has yet to disappoint me with one of her novels. I couldn't believe how amazing the book was. It caused me to really think about how Josie was feeling and what prompted her actions. Not every story has the power to make the reader put themselves in the protagonist's shoes, but Jodi Picoult's stories are always thought provoking and original.

Nineteen Minutes. #5.

This week, I didn't have much time to continue reading nineteen minutes. I am currently a little over half way through the book. I still love the book and continue to learn new things from the reading. The book continues to emphasize the things most people wouldn't traditionally think about like the killer's feelings and those of the killer's parents. Most people would feel terrible for the victims of the shooting. The way Jodi Picoult writes causes the reader to have sympathy for Peter. The style of writing makes some people feel worse for Peter than the victims and their families. The book especially shows Peter's parents inner struggle over the love of their son. They can't decide if the sin their son has commited is forgivable. They are having a real problem trying to chose if their kid is worthy of their love and what specific actions they should take to support him through his struggle and difficult time. They are trying to figure out the most productive way to help get their son out of the slump he has gotten himself into. They obviously also feel protective of their kid and don't want him to be an outcast. This is an interesting topic to think about because it causes teenagers to consider how their parents would react if they pulled a stunt this horrible. It makes me wonder what my parents would do and fully understand what great parents they are by never letting me fall low enough where I would ever feel compeled to do anything that life changing and messed up.

ANNOTATED CITATION #2

Festing, Simon, and Greek, Ray. "Animal Research Necessary, Evil...or Both?." Ecologist Nov. 2003: pg. 28-31. SIRS knowledge.Proquest. Edina Library. 08 012 2009 . http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMN0307H-0-7772&artno=0000184551&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=Animal%20Research%3A%20Necessary%2C%20Evil...or%20Both%3F&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=Y

This article is a debate between two highly respected individuals, Simon Festing and Ray Greek. Festing graduated in 1987 with a bachelor in medicine from the London Hospital Medical College. He is now the executive director of the Research Defense Society in Britain. His job is to defend the use of animal testing in the UK. He has been a member or multiple voluntary support groups. In this article, he obviously represents the use of animals for testing in the debate. Ray Greek works with his wife, Jean Greek traveling the world speaking to scientists and activists about the negative impacts of the use of animals for research. They also speak with the intention of exposing the "money-driven superstition called animal-modelled biomedical research". Ray Greek is the scientific adviser of the National Anti-Vivisection Society in America, the president of Americans for Medical Advancement, and the medical director of Europens for medical advancement. Him and his wife are convinced human health is at risk if animals continue to be used for the purpose of medical reasearch. They also believe animals are going to become exstinct if this kind of reasearch and testing continues.

ANNOTATED CITATION

My question:
IS IT ETHICAL AND USEFUL TO USE ANIMALS FOR THE PURPOSE OF MEDICAL EXPERIMENTATION?

London, Edythe. "Why I Use Animals in My Research." Los Angeles Times 01 011 2007: n.p.. SIRS knowledge. Proquest. Edina Library. 8 Dec 2008 . http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMN0307H-0-7772&artno=0000269166&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=Why%20I%20Use%20Animals%20in%20My%20Research&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=Y

Edythe London is a scientist at UCLA who uses animals in her research. She is targeted by animals rights activists and highly criticized. Dr. London's research has advanced the study of substance abuse and helped come up with new approaches for brain studies. She has edited several books, and she has written over 200 original research articles. Also, she she is the author of over 60 reviews. Her largest accomplishment involves PET scanning of human subjects who suffer from addictions. London's group became famous when they were the first to prove a relationship between the activity of specific brain regions and drug cravings. She also showed that drug abusers have structural differences from normal people that highly affect their decision making. All these accomplishments are due to her use of animals for testing and research. Her work influenced other researchers to continue looking at what motivates and compels individuals to do drugs. Most recently, she and her peers have been researching the area of the brain nicotine affects and how it acts.

Nineteen Minutes. #4.

This week, new information has been revealed during my reading. I've read about four tenths of the book so far. There was much emotional turmoil during this section in many important characters. The reader finds out that Peter's parents think it is their fault, and they think they did something to cause Peter to act in a violent way. This fact is affecting them deeply and their emotions are starting to be revealed. They think they said or did something that caused Peter to become super unhappy and feel the need to bring the gun which causes them to think long and hard about what could have possibly motivated their son to go to such extremes. Also, Alex Cormier, Josie's mom who is the judge appointed to this specific case, starts to question if she really wants to take this case. On one hand, she realizes that this could potentially be the biggest most important case she will ever be a part of in her full career. On the other hand, she fears doing something or having an opinion that would eventually damage her relationship with her daughter, who was at one point Peter's best friend. Any normal mother would fear destroying her relationship with her daughter, and I belive I fully grasp the difficulty of the situation. This would be hard for any normal human being who feels emotions and places value on having strong relationships. This situation is a true example of something that has potential to hurt the mother daughter relationship because Josie might feel strongly one way and her mother might feel differently. In the end, it is Alex's ultimate choice because she is legally the one appointed to make the decision. I can't wait to find out if Alex chooses to take the case because it would change the story completely if she didn't. I am also still waiting to see if Josie "remembers" what happend when the trial begins.

Nineteen Minutes. #3.

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult is an amazing book. It reminds me a lot of the school shooting in an episode of One Tree Hill. Jimmy Edwards, like Peter Houghton in Nineteen Minutes, was bullied in school and treated poorly. As of right now, those were Peter's only motives for doing the school shooting. I am excited to find out more about his true motives as the book goes on. I personally think there was more to Peter's choice to bring a gun. Perahps he was feeling stressed about something or had some hidden feelings about something or someone at school. I can't wait for the trial because I think there will be some surprises and many intriguing things revealed. I am also excited to continue reading because I would love to find out the reason for Peter writing "Let Live" under the picture in the school yearbook, and his reason for "saving" Josie. I am about 200 pages into this story, and I love the way the author writes. Jodi Picoult changes tenses alot to make certain events more clear to the reader. For example, we learn new information about Peter's relationship with his older brother, Joey, who died as a result of a drunk driving incident. When explaining this event, Jodi Picoult changes time periods which makes it alot more clear to the reader. It helped me a lot because it made me feel like I was there and truely understand the feelings Joey was feeling. Overall, I think this story is very unique and keeps the reader hooked. It is a true page turner, and I can't put the book down.

Nineteen Minutes.

So far, this book is absolutely amazing. I love Jodi Picoult's style of writing and the creativity demonstrated throughout all of her novels. The intro paragraph made me want to read more. I love the way Jodi Picoult used many different events that would affect many different types of people to prove the point that a lot can take place in nineteen minutes. This paragraph reveals to the reader something important takes place in nineteen minutes and makes them want to find out what happens in that time period. As the story continues, the reader discovers a school shooting takes place. Peter Houghton is the one who is guilty. He is charged with 10 accounts of murder and 13 acccounts of attempted murder. Josie is another character whom the reader meets in the first part of this book. She was with her boyfriend in the locker room when he was shot and killed by Peter, her childhood friend. After the shooting, Josie claims not to remember what has taken place after the death of her boyfriend. Personally, I think she is only saying that to help Peter, her longtime friend. The case becomes more interesting when the reader discovers the judge of the case will be Josie's mom. This makes the case a little tricky because Josie's mom is friends with Peter's mom, Lacy. I believe as the book goes on, there will be some desicions made to please friends, not to please the law. I am excited to continue reading and see if Josie testifies and if that event creates drama with her mom, the judge.

This Quarter.

This quarter I chose to read the book Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. The reason I chose this specific book is that it has been recommended to me on many occasions and by many different individuals. Also, every other one of the books I have read by Jodi Picoult have been highly enjoyable. I still consider My Sister's Keeper one of my all time favorite books.  I heard Nineteen Minutes is captivating and amazing. I am looking forward to reading it, and discussing the story with my friends who have already read this book. Another reason is the topic of this book seems extremely intriguing. It is unique and unlike anything I've ever read. A school shooting is interesting to me because it isn't completely unrealistic. It could happen to any student at any time. Because of that fact, I think many students have enjoyed reading this different novel and experiencing the emotions of what it would be like to be involved in a school shooting. Jodi Picoult is one of the few authors I know of that writes about sad events and moves the reader to tears. I am looking forward to see how well the talented author conveys emotion in this novel. Hopefully, Nineteen Minutes will not let me down and be just as great as the others I have previously read! 

Lucky Star.

This week, I chose to blog about Madonna's song Lucky Star. This was one of my all time favorite songs during the younger years of my childhood. I loved the beat and tune of the song. I also really liked Madonna for some reason. Now, I think she is kind of bizarre. I saw a picture of her in the latest issue of US magazine, and I was stunned. She was wearing this ugly body suit thing while performing in her world tour which is happening right now. It made her look extremely old and didn't flatter her body at all. I honestly looked at it and was grossed out almost to the point where I was gagging. Despite that tiny little turn off, I still do believe her song lyrics are meaningful and her songs are unique. Back to the song lyrics I've chosen this week... The refrain is one of the part I feel I have always been able to make connection with,

"You must be my lucky star

'Cause you shine on me wherever you are

I just think of you and I start to glow

And I need your light

And baby you know"

I like this because I know exactly the feeling she is describing through her singing. When you first meet someone you like a lot, you get this sensation every time you see them or talk. You are constantly hoping that they might be the one, your "lucky star". Also, I totally know what she is referring to when she sings about glowing when she thinks of a specific person. When you commit yourself to someone and you really feel a connection with them, even doing something as small as thinking of them can cause you to get all happy and you "glow". 

Twilight.

This week, I've desided to blog about the book Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I've heard a lot of chatter going around about how amazing this series is, and I decided to see for myself. Over MEA, I had some free time to do whatever I fancied. I went to the nearest Barnes and Noble and got myself a copy of the bestseller, so I could see what all the buzz was about. I was skeptical about if this book would live up to all the great things people have told me and was a little affraid it would be a disappointment. It didn't let me down, and I absolutely loved it. It took a little bit to really get into it, but once the two protagonists started to have a connection it became juicy and amazing. After about fifty pages, it was nearly impossible to put the book down. I just had to know what happend next in the story. It was one of those books that leaves you on the edge of your seat the entire time. At the end of the chapter, there is always some twist that compells the reader to continue and uncover whats going on. Also, the reader really connects with Bella. I think especially teenage girls share a lot of the feelings she does in the story, and they experience many of the same issues Bella does. The entire time, I was routing for Bella. I couldn't stop hoping things would eventually turn out the way she wanted them to, and she would end up with Edward. In general, this book is abosolutely flawless. I love everything about it. It is the best story I've ever read, and I'm obsessed. Also, I am freaking out waiting for the movie to come out. I can't wait, and I'm planning on seeing the midnight showing opening night with other twilight finatics. Any young girl who likes romance and adventure should deffinitly pick up their own copy and get hooked on the twilight series!

Escape.

The song I chose to blog about this week is Escape by Enrique Iglesias. It has a dance feel to it, and it is one of those songs that can always put you in an amazing mood. The part that I connect with the most is when he belts:
"So if you go
You should know
It's hard to just forget the past to pass
It was good, it was bad but it was real
And that's all you get in the end of the matter "
I like this part because it really shows what love really is. In my opinion, this is an extremely down to earth pay of looking at love. A person can't take back anything that has happend. They can't erase it. Everything that took place was real and it is impossible to just erase all the memories and times from a person's head. I strongly believe this to be true. Some people think it is possible to erase memories from their mind's and just forget about someone they loved at one point in their lives. I feel that that is extremely untrue and impossible. Once a person's loved another, they can't take that back. These lines in the song are basically saying he will never forget about the one he loves. They are saying if she leaves, she should know he will not forget about her and he can't take anything back. Even the bad memories will stay with him forever.

Swim..

This week I'm going to blog about another one of my new favorite songs. It has a rock vibe to it, and it has a very inspirational message. I listen to it when I am going through a rocky or hard time, and I need some support. I like to listen and sing along with the words; it puts me in a better mood and helps me realize tomorrow's another day, and I'm still alive. It also motivates me to make the best of the situation, no matter how bad it is. The song is called Swim by Jack's Mannquin. My favorite part is when he sings about going after his goals:
"You gotta swim
Swim for your life
Swim for the music
That saves you
When you're not so sure you'll survive
You gotta swim
Swim when it hurts
The whole world is watching
You haven't come this far
To fall off the earth"
There are many ways of interpreting these lyrics, but it is always a positive message in all interpretations. The way I see it, this part motivates people to pursue their dreams and continue living life. Even when it gets hard and hurts, you have to push yourself to the next level and continue trying. It's also saying you haven't worked all your life to get no rewards and just fade. Another part I enjoy is when he talks about getting through a difficult situation:
"I found a tidal wave
Begging to tear down the door
Memories like bullets
They fired at me from a gun
Cracking me open now
I swim to brighter days
Despite the absence of sun
Choking on salt water
I'm not giving in
You gotta swim "
The writer is talking about even when he is in the worst circumstances possible, he still doesn't give up and continues "swimming". When he refers to swimming, I believe he is talking about living his life. When something hard arises, he gets through it and never lets himself down. He reaches deep within himself and pulls out every last ounce of energy to survive. He refuses to give up on his own will unless his body gives out or he dies from something he has no control over.

happy ending.

This week I choose to blog about song lyrics. The song I picked is Happy Ending by Sugarland. This is one of my current favorite songs because it can always put me in a wonderful mood no matter what circumstance. It has a country vibe and has very inspirational lyrics. The chorus goes: "From the beginning
We're all looking for a happy ending
Every dream of winning
Every love we've been in
Right from the beginning
We're looking for a happy ending"
These lyrics motivate people to continue being happy and looking for the good in life. Also, I feel that these lyrics are completely true for the majority of people. When one gets involved in a relationship, they are usually hoping for a happy ending or marriage! Another one of my favorite parts of the song is when she breaks out and sings: "And for all the dreamers who have come and gone
Who have reached for the stars who have overcome
You're the hope, you're the wish, you're the truth"
I agree fully with these lyrics. I feel the people who dream and chase who they want to be are very respectable brave individuals. They inspire others to go after their wishes no matter how far off they may be. Also, the words of this amazing song send an extremely positive message overall unlike today's rap songs & hip hop about abusing women.

a book that helped me.

This week, I've decided to blog about another book I've read recently. The author is Lance Armstrong, an athlete whom I highly respect. The title of the book, It's Not About the Bike, My Journey Back to Life, basically sums up the general outline of the story being told. I found this book to be really interesting because I could relate to it in many ways. As most people know, my dad discovered a tumor in his brain this year around the end of summer. Although Lance Armstrong had a completely different form of cancer, I was able to link many characteristics between the two men. As I was reading, I found it super educational to read about the treatments Lance went through, and the way in which his family coped with the disease. I saw many traits in Lance that I also see everyday in my own father. For example, both men went into treatments with a completely positive attitude. Neither of them thought they were going to die, and they both dealt with the situation at hand in a very mature manner. The book talked about Lance's feelings about the cancer, and the hurt he was feeling about putting his family through this. I especially found that part interesting because I have never talked to my dad about that particular issue. It helped me to understand the way the actual ill-people feel. Also, reading that specific chapter helped me understand the amount of hurt the person is actually dealing with, no matter how happy they may appear to be. Overall, this book was amazing. I thought it was very deep and intriguing. I would recommend reading it, and I guarantee anyone who picks up a copy will learn many new facts and fully enjoy this splendid biography!

comeback.

The book I choose to blog about for post #1 is a memoire called comeback by mother and daughter, Claire Fontaine and Mia Fontaine. The main topic of this book is Mia's years of adolessence. She went through many stages, most of which were not normal. Many would say she was an out of control child who needed to go to rehab, and that she was not a good influence. I thought the book was quite interesting because the reader got to read and understand the mother's view and the daughter's view of many different situations. For example, one would first read about how Mia's life was difficult, and she went into a depression; which resulted in Mia's decision to do drugs. Secondly, Claire's reaction was given when she discovered her daughter's secret life which involved dark shady meetings with drug dealers in alleys. When she realized the extent of her daughter's issues, I couldn't imagine how hard it was for Claire to take in and process. I found many ways I could relate myself to Mia throughout the book, and I thought it was extremely interesting to compare our two very different ways of coping with different dilemmas that arise. Her way of coping resulted in Claire eventually forcing her little girl into a boot camp school in eastern europe to try to fix her daughter. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Mia describes her temporary new life in europe, living with heroin addicts and criminals. The entire time I couldn't stop thinking to myself what a scary situation that would be and how a person could do that to their own blood. Despite the fact I knew Claire was only trying to help her daughter and get her back on track, I disagree with that decision and feel there were other ways of fixing the problems without throwing Mia into those living circumstances. Overall, I highly reccomend this book and found it to be an easy read with many twists and turns which motivate a person to keep reading.