In a recent article by Dylan Stableford in the Yahoo! News entitled "D.C. sniper 10 years later: 'I was a monster,'" Stableford informs readers of the thoughts and feelings of Lee Boyd Malvo, the D.C. sniper, 10 years after he and John Aleen Muhammad murdered many people.
According to the article, Malvo says: "If you look up the definition, that's what a monster is. I was a ghoul. I
was a thief. I stole people's lives. I did someone else's bidding just
because they said so. There is no rhyme or reason or sense." If you believe what he is saying, it is clear that he laments his decision to murder several people. That said, there is no excuse for such heinous acts against innocent people.
Malvo did not decide to commit these horrible crimes on his own. At the time, he was only 17 years old, and was being "brainwashed" by John Allen Muhammad to do his bidding. This reminds me of how young boys in the Middle East are being brainwashed by extremist groups there. The groups are training young children to become terrorists when they are older.
Malvo may feel bad about the atrocious acts he committed, but that does not mean he deserves to be forgiven. No matter how sorry he feels, the people he murdered cannot be brought back and the damage done to their families cannot be undone.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
"Speak" Book Review
Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak disturbed me with its dark story and evil characters. The book is about a teenage girl who gets raped at a party, becomes depressed, and nearly stops speaking. Despite the dark tone, I did enjoy the book.
One of the themes of this book is about how it is bad to keep some secrets. Melinda keeps the fact that she was raped a secret from everyone and it causes her many problems. The book says: "As they walk down the aisle, people who were my middle-school lab partners or gym buddies glare at me." They are angry about her ruining a party and they don't realize that she did it because she was raped. Through most of the book, Melinda has to spend her free time hiding in an abandoned janitors closet because she is outcast from everyone. She could've been accepted if she had told her secret and gotten help. Also, throughout the book, Melinda sinks deeper and deeper into her depression. This is because her secret was tearing her apart on the inside.
The setting of this story is Syracuse, New York. The setting often reflects how Melinda is feeling throughout the book. As the days get colder towards the end of fall, Melinda becomes colder and more distant from other people. In the long, frozen winter, Melinda reaches the deepest part of her depression and becomes very fragile. As the days begin to warm up in the spring, Melinda begins to warm up to other people and "thaw out."
Melinda is the main character and one of the few likable ones in the book. In one part of the book, Melinda thinks: "There is nothing wrong with me. These are really sick people. Sick that you can see." Here, she shows that she can be tough when she needs to and should be. Throughout the book, Melinda spends a great deal of time skipping class and hiding in a janitor's closet. This shows that she wants to be isolated from everyone else. During most of the book, Melinda speaks very little and often tries to avoid social situations. This shows how withdrawn from other people she is.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has not read it before.
One of the themes of this book is about how it is bad to keep some secrets. Melinda keeps the fact that she was raped a secret from everyone and it causes her many problems. The book says: "As they walk down the aisle, people who were my middle-school lab partners or gym buddies glare at me." They are angry about her ruining a party and they don't realize that she did it because she was raped. Through most of the book, Melinda has to spend her free time hiding in an abandoned janitors closet because she is outcast from everyone. She could've been accepted if she had told her secret and gotten help. Also, throughout the book, Melinda sinks deeper and deeper into her depression. This is because her secret was tearing her apart on the inside.
The setting of this story is Syracuse, New York. The setting often reflects how Melinda is feeling throughout the book. As the days get colder towards the end of fall, Melinda becomes colder and more distant from other people. In the long, frozen winter, Melinda reaches the deepest part of her depression and becomes very fragile. As the days begin to warm up in the spring, Melinda begins to warm up to other people and "thaw out."
Melinda is the main character and one of the few likable ones in the book. In one part of the book, Melinda thinks: "There is nothing wrong with me. These are really sick people. Sick that you can see." Here, she shows that she can be tough when she needs to and should be. Throughout the book, Melinda spends a great deal of time skipping class and hiding in a janitor's closet. This shows that she wants to be isolated from everyone else. During most of the book, Melinda speaks very little and often tries to avoid social situations. This shows how withdrawn from other people she is.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has not read it before.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Current Connection
In a recent article by Olivier Knox in the Yahoo! News entitled "U.S. ambassador killed after chaotic, hours-long siege," Knox informs readers of the recent events in the Middle East, a dangerous place.
Unfortunately, there were attacks on various U.S. embassies throughout the Middle East, specifically, Libya. The attacks were supposedly ignited by a film on the Internet made by an American. If that is the case, then people were murdered over a video on the Internet, which is absolutely ridiculous.
The article states: "American officials painted a harrowing picture late Wednesday of the assault on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that left the widely respected diplomat and three others dead." It is a shame that four innocent people were murdered for no real reason. I did not realize that people could get so angry over some stupid video on the Internet.
I am reminded of the infamous attack on the Twin Towers by extremists back in 2001. The attacks also happened to occur on the 11th anniversary of that attack. Both of these attacks were carried out by Muslim extremists.
Chris Stevens and the other 3 Americans were good, innocent people that committed no crime and were unjustly killed. I can only hope that President Obama makes good on his promise to bring these murderers to justice.
Unfortunately, there were attacks on various U.S. embassies throughout the Middle East, specifically, Libya. The attacks were supposedly ignited by a film on the Internet made by an American. If that is the case, then people were murdered over a video on the Internet, which is absolutely ridiculous.
The article states: "American officials painted a harrowing picture late Wednesday of the assault on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that left the widely respected diplomat and three others dead." It is a shame that four innocent people were murdered for no real reason. I did not realize that people could get so angry over some stupid video on the Internet.
I am reminded of the infamous attack on the Twin Towers by extremists back in 2001. The attacks also happened to occur on the 11th anniversary of that attack. Both of these attacks were carried out by Muslim extremists.
Chris Stevens and the other 3 Americans were good, innocent people that committed no crime and were unjustly killed. I can only hope that President Obama makes good on his promise to bring these murderers to justice.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
9/11 Infographic Inference
The rebuilding of one World Trade Center is a huge project that takes much effort and labor.
The infographic states: "More than 2,500 workers on an average day." The infographic also states there are 19 public agencies; 2 private developers; 101 contractors and sub-contractors; and 33 designers, architects and consulting firms.
2,500 workers is a lot of people to work on something, especially all in one place on one day. For example, the original twin towers only had 10,000 workers in total.
The infographic states: "More than 2,500 workers on an average day." The infographic also states there are 19 public agencies; 2 private developers; 101 contractors and sub-contractors; and 33 designers, architects and consulting firms.
2,500 workers is a lot of people to work on something, especially all in one place on one day. For example, the original twin towers only had 10,000 workers in total.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Brandon's Reading Bucket List
- Holes - by Louis Sachar: I saw the movie of this book quite a long time ago and I really enjoyed it. Books are usually much better than the movie versions of them, so I would really like to read it. I was only in the second grade when I saw it the first time, so I didn't really understand a lot of it. I would like to go back and have all the holes in the story of the movie filled in by the book.
- Jurassic Park - by Michael Crichton: I absolutely adored these movies as a child. I was extremely fascinated by dinosaurs loved everything to do with them. I think it would be great to go back and enjoy the stories that I enjoyed so long ago. I would also be interested in seeing the deeper story that the book most likely contains. This book is also a part of my favorite genre of books, fantasy.
- The Fellowship of the Ring - by J.R.R. Tolkien: This is another series of movies that I grew up watching. I have always enjoyed the Lord of the Rings movies and I know that the books will not disappoint me. The fantasy genre of books is, without a doubt, my favorite genre of any form of media, especially books. I actually have this book at my house, so getting it to read will not be a problem for me.
- Speak - by Laurie Halse Anderson: I know very little about this book, except that it is supposed to be a "must-read" for anyone of any age, according to Mrs. Gillmore. One of the key topics, bullying, is definitely relevant to real life right now, especially since we have and will continue to do classwork related to bullying and it is Beta Club's Awareness Platform this year. I already have this book checked out from the library so this will be my first bucket list book to read, and I look forward to it.
- The Hobbit - by J.R.R. Tolkien: I have heard good things about this book as well. My grandmother tried to get me to read this several years ago, but my mom thought that I was too young to enjoy it. My grandmother has recently tried to get me to read it again, and, since it is related to The Lord of the Rings stories, I am sure I will enjoy reading it.
- Ender's Game - by Orson Scott Card: This is yet another book I know very little about, though that is not necessarily a bad thing. I would like to expand my reading horizons, so reading books I know little to nothing about could actually be a good thing for me. Plus, according to miss Gillmore, it is a good book for someone my age.
- Fang - by James Patterson: I read several online reviews of this book and everyone that writes a review seems to like it. It is one of my favorite genres of books, fantasy, and a genre I have never read before, horror. I think it would be interesting to try to read a new genre of books. It is also a part of a series, so I will need to read all the books before it first, which will give me more books to read. Additionally, Mrs. Gillmore says that this book is worth reading.
- Thirteen Reasons Why - by Jay Asher: This is another book that is highly recommended by Mrs. Gillmore. This book has won many awards and received stellar reviews, so I guess I can't go wrong with reading it. Additionally, it is being made into a movie soon, so I must read this book before I go see it. It is also written from a unique perspective. It is said to "deeply affect" teen readers, so that is a plus because I like books that make me think.
- Hatchet - by Gary Paulsen: Since I was in Junior High, I have heard many good things from many people about this book. It is also a part of a series, which just makes it better because I like to stick with one character for a long period of time. My brother also read it and really enjoyed it, and he doesn't even enjoy reading usually.
- The Book Thief - by Markus Zusak: Another book that is in a genre that I really love, this time it's Historical Fiction. I've also heard that this novel is narrated from a very different point of view, Death's. I like to read books that are written in a different way that normal books every once in a while. It is also set in Nazi Germany, a very interesting time and place in history.
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