For my quick read I decided to look up the origin of candy canes for the Christmas spirit. The origin of the candy cane goes back over 350 years, when candy-makers both professional and amateur were making hard sugar sticks. The original candy was straight and completely white in color. I thought that this would be fun since it was that last day of school before winter break.
The article I read is about how food allergies in American children are now affecting 3 million kids. The experts say that its because parents are now quicker to get their kids checked out. Studies showed that about 1 in 26 have a food allergy. That is an 18% increase since 1997. It also says that peanut allergies have doubled. I think that stinks really bad, peanut butter is my favorite food! I couldn't imagine how hard a time I would have being allergic to peanuts. It also says that its taking kids longer to outgrow allergies to milk and other dairy products. I thought this was interesting because when I was younger I was lactose intolerant and it took me a few years to grow out of it. I was so used to the taste of soy milk that I only started drinking normal skin milk in about 4th grade. It's kind of weird though because now I drink soy milk. I used to hate it so much.
I read an article called Terrestrial Quidditch for Muggles. This article was about students at Carleton College playing a version of quidditch. In the article it said that history was made because on October 16th the team that had captured the snitch still lost. I thought that this article was very good. I love how they made quidditch into a real sport. Carleton is a school I really want to go to, so hopefully they will still be playing quidditch in a few years. It would be really amazing to be able to experience the game. Harry Potter is also my favorite series. I think it would be so much fun playing a real life version of quidditch. Hopefully this sport will become popular and schools all over will start to play it. That would be pretty sweet.
For my type of hero I chose to study superheroes. They all have many similar and different attributes and qualities that make them who they are. One thing that is a common characteristic among superheroes is that they are all mostly good looking, buff, and of the male sex. Another thing that they had in common was that they all had double lives. Peter Parker was Spiderman, Bruce Banner was The Incredible Hulk, Clark Kent was Superman, Bruce Wayne was Batman; they all had double lives. Many of the superheroes I researched also had a girlfriend or lady in their lives. The bad guy would always capture her, and the hero would end up rescuing her. Another trait I noticed is that many of the superheroes suffered losses, like Spiderman and Batman, and that is a part of the reason they became superheroes.
I found many different types of artifacts on superheroes. Pictures, videos, and websites were the ones I chose to examine. They all help break down superheroes and their many qualities.
This is a movie trailer for the movie Superman Returns that came out in 2006. I thought that this trailer helped explain the definition of hero pretty well. It showed that the hero is strong and determined. It also shows that superheros have people they care about, like family, friends, and lovers. I thought this was an important part because it helps show that heroes are real people too, that they have feelings and emotions just like everyone else.
This video is a mixture of many different comics with heroes in them from DC and Marvel comics. I thought that this was a good artifact because it shows a variety of different heroes and villains that have been written about and created. It shows a lot of the heroes in action working hard for what they believe is right. This is an important quality to have, especially as a role model and superhero. Having determination and never giving up is very admirable. I think that this shows they have to work hard for what they want too, just like normal people.
Marvel is a really huge comic book company. It has a great variety of superheroes that show the many different types. This was a really great artifact. The site if very well put together and has so much information on a lot of that more common superheroes. It also has lots of information on movies, TV, comics, toys, and video games. The best part of marvel.com was the character bios. There were 56 different categories for superheroes and important characters that influence and play major parts in their lives. This was a great part of this artifact because on the popular superheroes they have very specific and detailed pages about them. It gives their Real Name, Aliases, Identity, Occupation, Citizenship, Known Relatives, Education, Height, Weight, Eyes, Hair, Powers ,Abilities ,Weapons, and many different statistics and facts about them.
These pictures are really good action shots of the many superheroes in it. It shows them in action, and how there emotions are when they are saving the world. It shows that variety of different types of superheroes and some different powers that they have.
Conclusion.
Heroes can come in all different shapes and sizes. For superheroes, the size is mostly tall, ripped, and beastly. Heroes in all different ways help and protect people. From saving one life to the whole world, heroic acts can be very small and still make a difference to someone. Even though when some people think of heroes they think of superheroes, heroes can be anyone. You don't need a cape to save someone.
I read an article about how Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson had to help idnetify her slain mom and brother's dead bodies. This article was so sad. I could never imagine being able to go through with what she had to go through. The police are also looking for her missing nephew Julian King. I truly hope that they can find Julian alive. Police say that they have broughten someone into custody but they won't reveal who it is. News reporters say that it is William Balfour, Jennifer's brother in law. Hopefully police will find the killer and put him in jail for a long time for what they've done.
I read an article from the star tribune about a dog that these two soldiers rescued in Iraq. It was shipped form Iraq to Amsterdam. After spending 2 days in a kettle the dog will come to Minneapolis. I thought that this article was very cute. I liked how the soldiers mentioned that the dog made a big difference in her stay in Iraq. Companions are a very important part in peoples lives, and I think this dog made a significant impact on the two soldiers who rescued it. The part I didn't like about this article was that the U.S. military wouldn't be responsible for it's transportation. I thought the least they could do for their soldiers who spent 13 months in Iraq fighting for their country was do them the little favor of helping the dog come back to Minneapolis, Minnesota.
I read The Secret of Platform 13 a few weeks ago. Eva Ibbotson wrote this book. It is one of my favorite books. I love every single part of it. Usually the beginning of books are boring, but this one wasn't for me. I like how all the different characters have challenges to face. It makes the book a lot more interesting. The middle of the book gets very suspenseful. I also like how it is set in London, England. The details about London are very well written and I feel like I'm watching everything take place as if I'm right there in London on the adventure with Hans, Cornelius, Gurkintrude, and Odge Gribble.
This article is about how many kids are eating so much candy on Halloween. Many parents are trying to keep their kids from getting overweight. Already around 30 percent of children ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese. Some people say that they give out toys instead of candy now so that they can avoid having their kids get overweight. The article also said on average people are spending about 20 dollars on candy for Halloween. If you really think about it that is a lot of candy. The big packs of mixed candy are like 2 dollars. Each of those has a hundred pieces or so. If you buy 20 dollars worth that would be a lot of candy.
I'm reading a book called Fly By Night. I'm not very far into it, but so far it is a really good book. In the beginning it is about a girl who has to live with her cruel uncle. Her only friend is her pet goose named Saracen. I think that this book is really interesting. Mosca Mye, the main character ends up burning down her uncles mill. She then ends up running away. In Mosca's world the ability to read is very rare and she has it. Most books have been burned or destroyed. As Mosca goes on her adventure of a lifetime, she runs into many obstacles. I can't wait to see what happens next.
I'm reading a book called Bittersweet Sixteen. It's about this girl who lives in New York and goes to an all girls private school there. Since its sophomore year, everyones sweet sixteen is coming up. Unexpectedly a new girl comes to school this year, who just happens to have her birthday on the same day. I can't wait to find out what drama and conflict will soon arise in the book.
Today I read my horoscope. It said "The Aquarius moon will help you keep working on a situation that's bugging you, especially if it has to do with your relationship with a group of people. If you believe in a certain cause with enough conviction, you'll work with others until everyone has at least a little bit of what they want. Doing something nice for others is a great way to improve your self-esteem."I thought that this was very interesting. Last night some people from a local church came asking for donations for VEAP. I gave them two grocery bags full, which made me feel really good. I guess my horoscope was right.
I recently read an article about 2 hikers who went missing on Monday. They were hiking in the northern Minnesota wilderness. I thought that this article was very intense. I can imagine how many people were worried about the 2 hikers. I am glad to see that they are okay. If anything like that ever happened to me, I wouldn't know what to do. They must have been very outdoorsy to survive in the wilderness for 3 and a half days without any supplies. This must have been quite the life experience. Now they will have a cool story to tell their grand kids.
In the movie A Civil Action the main character goes through a transformation of finding his true self. At the beginning of the movie Jan Schlichtmann is all about business and a workaholic. The thing that is most important to him is money. When he is in a store trying things on, he doesn't even look at the price tags. Also when he gets the speeding tickets he doesn't care about what he has to pay. Once Jan gets involved with the case of the water contamination he really starts to open up and realize that life isn't all about money and material objects. Jan soon begins to become really sensitive and interested in this case. He works all day and all night trying to get witnesses, figure out what happened, and everything else with the case. Jan goes through a dramatic change through the movie. He is no longer selfish and arrogant. Now he is a selfless man and starts appraciating things in life more.
One of my favorite quotes from the book Animal Dreams is when Loyd says "If you want sweet dreams, you've got to live a sweet life." I think it shows how Loyd can be very serious and deep sometimes. He is telling Codi that she can't spend her whole life worrying and hesitating. She has had difficulty making things right in her life with all the hardships she has gone through. Loyd is a great person and friend for helping her best he can.
My favorite character is Loyd Peregrina. He is very passionate about what he believes in. Loyd has grown up with a rough life, but he never lets that stop him from living life how he wants. Loyd is very smart and well spoken. Whenever he talks in the book it catches my attention and I feel like he always has something important to say.
The most important part of the book so far is when Codi talks about her mother dying. It sets the whole tone of her life. Without her mother, Codi seems lost. Hallie has always been her security blanket and the closest thing to a mom she has had. If their mom had not of died her life would be so different.
A book I read recently was Not So Sweet Sixteen. Even though I'm still in the middle of reading it, I can tell it is a good book. It's about best friends growing up in the heart of New York city. A new girl comes to their school. Her birhtday is the same day as this other girl Whitney's. Problems and complications arise as the party date of both girls birthday arives closer and closer.
One of the best books I've ever read is Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I really enjoyed reading this book. No matter what part it was at the book was always suspensful and interesting. Ever since the first Harry Potter book came out, I fell in love with the series. Through the series each book gets better and better.
