Wednesday, December 28, 2005

DON'T FORGET!

Don't forget to pick up something to use as a writer's notebook this semester. Also, keep your eyes open for things that will fuel a possible story. What you write about could be around you right now!

Saturday, December 10, 2005

NHS Basketball

So I'm using my blog as a shameless promotion for our athletics. We have a home game Friday night against Airport and I want to see a full student section! Coach Scott is going to rope off an area just for you and you need to take advantage. Don't you think its time that we make our gym a terrible place to visit? Chapin did it to us last night, and we need to stand up and take notes. Come by my room after school Friday to make some posters and I'll see you at the game!

Thank you!

I feel like each of you that has posted your memoir has taken me to your home and given me an inside look. I loved it...even the not-so-pretty stuff. Thanks for taking me home with you!

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

2nd Block Holiday Memoirs

The steeple of the Old North Church loomed ahead of us as we wandered aimlessly through the North End of Boston. We strolled past the cafes and bistros of Little Italy, smelling the warm scents of fresh pasta and olive oil. We continued our wandering until we met the base of the church that played such a major role in the Revolution. It was here that we found what we were looking for--a cozy coffee shop perfect for three weary tourists.

I've always felt that you should visit the small hole-in-the-wall joints when traveling. Its the only true way to get a feel for the city. This is where you can sit back and watch the locals interact and learn all that they have to teach you. This was one of those places. Our ears were greeted by the sharp Boston accent the second we entered the room. The shop was small and dim, with a bar featuring pastries and latte flavorings and half-empty bottles of wine stretching down one side. The opposing wall featured the small round tables that you can only find in coffee shops.

The best of these was occupied by two old men, obviously regulars, who were playfully harassing the kid behind the counter. He laughed and returned their jabs with ease. Their easy banter made us feel immediately at ease. Removing our many outer layers, we quickly found a corner table and ordered warm drinks to fill our cold insides.

We sat in the small coffee shop, sipping our lattes and reliving our adventures of the morning. We laughed at other tourists wandering by the window in the freezing afternoon. We laughed with old men when one of them spilled his coffee and decided to swith to Budweiser. We took pictures in front of the wall plaque that read, "At this site in 1897, nothing happened." We warmed up completely in that cozy shop until it was time to head back out into the streets.

We bundled up against the biting winds sweeping off the Bay and, waving our good-byes and thank yours, headed towards downtown. Just two steps out the door, it hit us. Snow! It was snowing! Looking up, millions of soft, white snowflakes danced down from the graying sky to shower on us there in the North End of Boston.

2nd Block Memoirs Comments/Questions

Use this section to post questions/comments about what you have read from 2nd block.

3rd Block Holiday Memoirs

3rd Block Memoirs Comments/Questions

Use this section to react to what you have read from the third block students.

4th Block Holiday Memoirs

Next Stop: Wonderland

We struggled to stand as we clutched the rail at the top of the T. It was rush hour and we were on our way downtown for shopping and sight-seeing. I wanted to take advantage of everything that Boston had to offer. As we rode, my sister regaled the entire train with tales of her own adventures since moving away from South Carolina. I couldn't help but laugh as she remembered her worst T ride ever.

"I was on my way back from the airport after fall break," she said, her eyes crinkling with laughter. We are so loud when we get together, and I know that we were getting some looks from the other passengers. "I had my huge suitcase all loaded up, because I was bringing back clothes from home. I got on the T during rush hour and there was not a seat to be had. Would you believe it that no one got up to offer me one?"

I reminded her that it was her decision to go to seminary up North instead of at Duke or Emory, but she brushed it off. I can tell by her new haircut and her stylish winter coat and her rosy cheeks that she has found home. Its a mixed feeling for me--I am so glad that she is happy, but I know in my heart that my sister won't be coming back to South Carolina. I know this as well as I know that I am content not leaving South Carolina, and that knowledge weighs heavy on my heart.

She continued to describe how she struggled to get on the train with her suitcase and how she struggled to balance with it.

"Wouldn't you know that the damn train took off and I fell on my butt with my suitcase on top of me?" We howled with the image that this put in our minds, knowing that my sister is not the most graceful creature in the world.

"What in the world did you do?" I gasped, tears just beginning to seep from the corners of my eyes, evidence of the side-splitting laughter her story called for.

"I sat there. In fact, I even said out loud, 'Well, I guess I'll just sit here til the damn thing stops.' And that is just what I did."

"Please tell me someone took pity and helped you up."

"Nope. They barely looked up and no one even cracked a smile. Welcome to Boston!"

I laughed and gave her a loving squeeze. "I would help you up, you know. After, I had horse-laughed you all the way to the next T stop, of course, but I would have helped you up."

She laughed and returned my smirk, matching my raised eyebrows as only a sister can.

4th Block Holiday Memoirs Comments/Questions

Use this section to react to what you have read from the fourth block students.

A Definition of Reading...

As part of one of my graduate courses, I am reading the Probst book, Response and Analysis: Teaching Literature in Secondary School. I recently encountered one of the most beautiful definitions of reading that I have ever read (written by Alberto Manguel)...


The readers of books, into who family I was unknowingly entering (we always think that we are alone in each discovery, and that every experience, from death to birth is terrifyingly unique), extend or concentrate a function common to us all. Reading letters on a page is only one of its many guises. The astronomer reading a map of stars that no longer exists; the Japanese architect reading the land on which a house is to be built so as to guard it from evil forces; the zoologist reading the spoor of animals in the forest; the card-player reading her partner's gestures before playing the winning card; the dancer reading the choreographer's notations, and the public reading the dancer's movements on the stage; the weaver reading the intricate design of a carpet being woven; the organ-player reading various simultaneous strands of music orchestrated on the page; the parent reading the baby's face for signs of joy or fright, or wonder; the Chinese fortune-teller reading the ancient marks on the shell of a tortoise; the psychiatrist helping patients read their own bewhildering dreams; the Hawaiian fisherman reading the ocean currents by plunging a hand into the water; the farmer reading the weather in the sky--all these share with book-readers the craft of deciphering and translating signs. Some of these readings are couloured by the knowledge that the thing read was created for this specific purpose by other human beings--music notation or road signs, for instance--or by the gods--the tortoise shell, the sky at night. Others belong to chance.

And yet in every case, it is the reader who reads the sense; it is the reader who grants or recognizes in an object, place, or event a certain possible readability; it is the reader who must attribute meanign to a system of signs, and then decipher it. We all read ourselves and the world around us in order to glimpse what and where we are. We read to understand, or to begin to understand. We cannot do but read. Reading, almost as much as breathing, is our essential function.


What would you add to this definition? What is reading to you?

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all enjoy your break! Work on your writing portfolios and AR and stems! We still have a lot to do after the break!

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Writing Portfolio

The writing portfolio that we have been generating in class is due December 2nd! It will be here before you know it. Be sure that you have the following pieces in your portfolio:

  1. Snapshot #1 (a look at a moment in time with one person that you know well)
  2. Scary Experience
  3. Snapshot #2 (a second moment in time with the same person from #1)
  4. Thoughtshot (how has this person influenced you? how do you feel/think about them?)
  5. Childhood Experience (told from present tense, as though you are that child)
  6. Childhood Experience (same experience, from past tense)
  7. Tinted Snapshot (describe a place you know well through one of the following filters--you just won ten million dollars or you just accidentally killed your best friend)
  8. Tinted Thoughtshot (develop a character with a problem and write the thoughtshot tinted through that situation)
  9. Emotional Filter (describe room 108 through a filter of any emotion)
  10. Exploded Moment (write about a moment from your life that seemed to last forever, but actually did not--extend the moment)
  11. Snapshot #3 (this was based on a picture we viewed in class--if you are missing it, you will have to come see me AFTER SCHOOL)
  12. Build a Scene (from the Elizabeth I activity)
  13. Poem with Two Voices (this will accompany the Sir Phillip Sidney poems)
  14. Sonnet

These pieces have to be typed and presented in a report folder on the 2nd. Please choose one piece to read aloud to the class. This portfolio will count as two major grades!!!

Saturday, November 12, 2005

What are you reading now?

We are halfway through the second nine weeks and you should be finished at least one of your AR books. By this point, you should have read at leat 3 books, preferably more. Which one has been your favorite?

Think of the one that you have enjoyed the most. You will present this book to class in December. For right now, talk about it here. Why did you like it? Who would you recommend it to? Why did you pick it up?

I recently tried reading She Said Yes by Misty Bernall. This book looks at the life of one of the students who died at Columbine High School. When asked by the killers if she believed in God, she said yes. Its fascinating that she took to ultimate stand for her faith, yet died for it. I wasn't able to finish this book, though. I didn't hold my interest (although I know several others who have read and been unable to put it down.)

I also read Breaking Point. This book takes a close look at the things we do to be accepted. Great book...insane twist at the end.

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Here is an example of a handout used for the presentations. I will get you are hard copy of this in class Thursday. Questions? Posted by Picasa

Tentative Due Dates for Expert Groups

November 10 -- Last day for research in class

November 14 -- King Henry VII and Anne Bolyn

November 16 -- Queen Elizabethh and Astrophel and Stella

November 18 -- Edmund Spenser and Pastoral Poetry

November 22 -- Shakespeare, the Poet and Music in Shakespeare Plays

Expert Groups

As you work with your expert group, visit the following websites for help!

Henry VIII and Anne Bolyn
Tudor History.org
Anne Bolyn

Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth I

Astrophel and Stella
The Sonnet Sequence
Encarta

Shakespeare, The Poet
Shakespeare, A Poet for this Earth
Biography

Pastoral Poetry
Encarta Information

Edmund Spenser
The Edmund Spenser Homepage
Wikipedia Bio

Music in Shakespeare's Plays
Shakespeare on Stage
His Musical Purpose

Remember to document your sources carefully! See the instructions for the handout layout!

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Creative Writing

What do you think of the writing we've been doing in class the last few days? Different from your research writing, that's for sure!

Monday, October 17, 2005

MLA Style Documentation

You will be using MLA style documentation for your research paper. The following links will help you with your paper.

A Research Guide For Students

Creating In-Text Citations Using MLA Style

Purdue University Writing Lab

The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing

Post any additional questions you may have in this forum.

Monday, October 10, 2005

AR Books

The end of the nine weeks is Monday the 17th. Be sure you have read your two novels and taken two AR tests. These will count as major test grades.

Use this forum to discuss what you have been reading!

Research Paper

How are the papers coming? Questions?

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Book Talk

Since you are supposed to be reading at least two books a nine weeks, we are going to start sharing them in class. When we finish our research project, we will have a day of book talk. Everyone will talk about the books that they read and then choose a section that is interesting to read aloud to others. I'll also share some of the books that I've read recently. This will be a great chance to check out what others are reading. But it will only work if you cooperate. If you are really nice, then maybe we can have snack time during book talk time. But you have to really earn that! ;)

Monday, September 26, 2005

First research paper due date!

As we begin our research paper project, I will establish due dates based on the pace with which we work. While we will be working on research in class, there will be drafts, etc. to complete at home.

First due date:
You will complete an annotated bibliography from the research that you collect in class. I will give you notes Wednesday, as well as handouts and samples. You can access extra information at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_annotatedbib.html. Your annotated bib will be due next Tuesday, October 4!

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Merlin

Cinema can be considered a form of literature--it is definitely an art form. How did the movie, "Merlin", help you better understand the Arthurian legend? Did you like watching to movie before dealing with the legend? What questions were left post-viewing that you are interested in learning more about?

Monday, September 19, 2005

Canterbury Tales Projects

I must admit that I was overall pleasantly surprised with your projects. You really took them seriously and did a good job. My one complaint is how you present things. A majority of you are not comfortable speaking to a group. I understand that. I was a freshman when I had to give my first speech and right before my turn I had to leave the room to vomit. To this day, I hate public speaking. Its a natural reaction. But its coming...you are just going to have to do a lot of that this year so I can get your ready for other things.

Do you have any suggestions for other fun projects that we could do this year? What would YOU like to do to prove your mastery of the literature that we are reading? I am totally up for cool suggestions!

Thought for the day...

Promise me you will always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

~ A. A. Milne, Christopher Robin to Pooh


As a high school senior, how do insecurities affect your personal life as well as your academic life?

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Making you a reader...

I want to make each of you a reader. I've read posts on why you don't have time to read. Now tell me what I can do to make you a reader!

I have recently read research on read-alouds in the secondary classroom. These articles tell me that I can help encourage you to read more by exposing you to more literature through read-alouds. I can choose novels, poetry, articles, essays, etc. that interest me and share them with you. What do you think about this? Should I try it?

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

More sites for Canterbury Projects

These sites may help you with some background on the Canterbury cathedral.

http://www.hillside.co.uk/tour/

http://www.kessler-web.co.uk/History/FeaturesBritain/BritishCanterbury.htm

http://www.localhistories.org/canterbury.html

http://www.britannia.com/magical/magic17.html

Good luck with your projects!

Medieval Websites

Below are some links that you can visit to help you with your project! Good luck!

http://www.bitwise.net/~ken-bill/med-p1.htm (For recipes)

http://www.godecookery.com/godeboke/godeboke.htm (For recipes)

http://www.schools.ash.org.au/elanorah/Med.htm (For research)

http://www.suelebeau.com/medievaltimes.htm (For research)

Let me know if any sites aren't working or if you find one that is better!

Help me! :)

I finished Harry Potter. I liked it, but of course now I can't wait for the next one. What can I read next? I know some of you have some good suggestions!

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Canterbury Tales

I passed out the project assignment for The Canterbury Tales. I hope that you all can find something on that sheet that you will enjoy doing. Use this area for questions about the project. We'll be going to the library Wednesday to get started and projects are due on the 9th.

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Reading Question

For those of you who don't read a whole lot, what keeps you from reading more? What would make you want to read more?

Friday, August 12, 2005

New reading for me...

I picked up the new Harry Potter today in the library. I think I am going to tackle it over the weekend. I'm in the middle of a Patricia Cornwell novel that I've enjoyed, but I'm kinda excited about the new Harry Potter. Any of you read it over the summer?

Friday, August 05, 2005

Summer Reading--Seniors

Summer reading will be due August 19th. No late projects will be accepted. You may choose from the following books. If you see something that you like or don't like, leave a post with some HELPFUL comments. Of course, comments that aren't helpful will be removed.

English IV Summer Reading List
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
Five People you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
The Client by John Grisham
The Last Juror by John Grisham
Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix
First Part Last by Angela Johnson
Bill Gates by Jeanne Lesinski
Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
I am Mordred: A Tale from Camelot by Nancy Springer
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Double Helix by Nancy Werlin
Black Boy by Richard Wright

**Please see me immediately if you have any questions or concerns.**

Monday, August 01, 2005

My Summer Reading

I did a lot of reading over the summer...most for pleasure. What books did you read that you liked or didn't like? Did you read ANYTHING other than your summer reading assignment? Did you even read that?

I read several that I enjoyed and a few that I suffered through. Here's a rundown...

Same Sweet Girls--This book is by Cassandra King, who is married to Pat Conroy. I enjoyed this alot, even though it was about women in there 40s and 50s. This book takes a close look at friendship and the ties that it creates amongst us.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants--Parts 2 and 3--With the movie coming out, I considered re-reading the original, but decided instead to go for the sequels. They were great. I highly recommend these books.

The Mermaid Chair--For anyone who read Sue Monk Kidd's first novel, The Secret Life of Bees, I think you'll see that she has gotten even better with this one. I have to admit...I cried. This book is not so much a young adult novel...it examines the life of a middle-aged woman and her love for a man who is forbidden for unique reasons. It also examines her relationship with her mother and the growth that we go through as we strive to understand those around us.

Those are just a few of the novels that I read over the break. There were many others--Skinny Dip by Carl Hiassen, Harvard Yard by someone who's name I can't remember, Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire...the list is lengthy. So if you need book advice, let me know. What did you read over the summer? What are you interested in?

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

READING SURVEY

Consider these questions:
1. What does someone do to become a good reader?
2. What factors contribute to someone being a good or a poor reader?
3. What would make you want to read more?

Have a great summer and read those summer reading books! I'll be checking!

Monday, May 09, 2005

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Seniors enjoy the spring sun while finishing up their novel, Tuesdays with MorriePosted by Hello

Monday, April 11, 2005

Quote by e. e. cummings

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. ~ e. e. cummings, American poet

For seniors--Tuesdays with Morrie Projects

Seniors--
Post your project proposals here with any questions. I'll respond, so check back often!
DDH

Attention Juniors--

We are starting to read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Use this spot to post questions, comments, interesting thoughts, confusing parts, etc. Be sure to check back for a response from me.

For seniors...

As the school year winds down, what are you thinking of for the fall? What are your plans?

Tuesday, April 05, 2005

For seniors...

What do you think of Tuesdays with Morrie so far? What lessons do you think you will learn from this book?

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

For Juniors--

How has Janie grown, matured, or changed through what we have read so far?

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Quote from Hurston

Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place. ~ Zora Neale Hurston

Based on what you know about Janie so far, how does this quote apply to her personality?

Monday, March 07, 2005

Their Eyes Were Watching God, the movie

I stayed up late on a Sunday night to watch Their Eyes Were Watching God on ABC. Halle Berry played Janie and did an outstanding job. The movie did give away the ending early for me, but I don't regret watching it. Those of you that watched the movie, what did you think of it? Oprah has called this the best love story ever written. Do you agree?

PS...Don't just tell that you like it or not. Give good reasons and details. What were the best parts? Most poignant? Most realistic? How did Janie change? Etc, etc, etc.

Thursday, March 03, 2005

Website for Lord of the Flies

This site has some interesting information to help you.

http://www.gerenser.com/lotf/

Lord of the Flies (for Seniors)

What about their subservience to authority, even on a deserted island? There are several references to authority in chapter four:


  • The little ones listen to Ralph because "he was big enough to be a link with the adult world of authority..."
  • Maurice kicked sand in Percival's eyes and immediately felt bad about it. "In his other life, Maurice had received chastisement for filling a younger eye with sand. Now, though there was no parent to let fall a heavy hand, Maurice still fel the unease of wrongdoing."
  • Roger threw stones towards Henry, but deliberately didn't try to hit him. "Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law. Roger's arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins."

Why are the boys still obedient? Why are they looking for someone to listen to? Even though we often wish we could defy authority, if it wasn't there, would we continue to do things the ways that we know are right?

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Why Your Posts Stink

Dear students,
I truly enjoy reading your unique thoughts. You often have some great things to say. However, you often choose to keep those thoughts hidden in your posts!

More often than not, you simply respond to whatever I say with a "that sounds great" or an "I'll have to pick that up". Show some thought and originality! I feel like the Pied Piper of Newberry--whatever I say you are going to go right along with it. So, from this day forward, your posts better be insightful, or you will find yourself without credit for them!

Be original. If I wanted you to regurgitate everything I tell you, then I wouldn't waste time challenging you!

Sincerely,
Ms. Hartness

New Book

I read Glamour monthly and they often recommend books to read. Last month, the recommended Smashed--The Story of a Drunken Girlhood. I ordered it online and started it last weekend, when I finished Hating Valentine's Day. Its awesome!

Its an autobiographical look at a drinker. She starts at the age of 14 and its seems as her entire adolescence is defined by drinking. She isn't an alcoholic, but is definitely out of control in several places in the book. Its worth picking up and checking out.

PS--If you respond to this post by saying that this book sounds good and you'll be sure to pick it up, then your post won't be counted towards your monthly quota. Come up with something original, folks!

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

FOR SENIORS--Socratic Seminar

Today, we participated in the Socratic Seminar. I'd like your reactions and/or questions to today's lessons. For your information, I am also posting the guidelines for Socratic Seminars.

Guidelines for Participants in a Socratic Seminar

  1. Refer to the text when needed during the discussion. A seminar is not a test of memory. You are not "learning a subject"; your goal is to understand the ideas, issues, and values reflected in the text.
  2. It's OK to "pass" when asked to contribute.
  3. Do not participate if you are not prepared. A seminar should not be a bull session.
  4. Do not stay confused; ask for clarification.
  5. Stick to the point currently under discussion; make notes about ideas you want to come back to.
  6. Don't raise hands; take turns speaking.
  7. Listen carefully.
  8. Speak up so that all can hear you.
  9. Talk to each other, not just to the leader or teacher.
  10. Discuss ideas rather than each other's opinions.
  11. You are responsible for the seminar, even if you don't know it or admit it.

The History of Valentine's Day

To comment on this post, check out the webpage below. Comments about how cool it is will not be graded. Seniors--Practice your Socratic Seminar skills.

http://www.pictureframes.co.uk/pages/saint_valentine.htm

Monday, February 07, 2005

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

I read this book over the weekend and it was amazing. The basic plot is this--(as written by Dan Brown himself) A renowned Harvard symbologist is summoned to the Louvre Museum to examine a series of cryptic symbols relating to Da Vinci's work. In decrypting the code, he uncovers the key to one of the greatest mysteries of all time...and becomes a hunted man himself.

I had no idea what to expect from this book when I picked it up. There has been so much fall-out and discussion from the book that I really had no clue what it was that I was reading. And the book jacket didn't do much to settle my questions. All I knew was that people told me that the book would make me question things about my faith. It did indeed bring some thoughts to mind, but in such a way that I never imagined possible. This book is not the complicated read I expected. Its actually on the 6.4 AR level. It is extremely fast-paced and entertaining. I highly recommend checking out the copy that we have here in the library--once I turn it back in, that is. I may read it again before I take it back!

Friday, February 04, 2005

Books for Juniors

Today we read a story about the Roaring 20s and it reminded me of two books I have read several times.

Alexandra Ripley, who was commissioned to write the sequel to Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind, was the author of Charleston and On Leaving Charleston.

Charleston tells the story of Elizabeth Tradd from the age of 3 years old to 40 years old. Her life is a story of heartbreaks and triumphs. Lizzie is raised in the wealth and finery of the Old South, until the Civil War leaves her family bordering on poverty. She struggles through Reconstruction in Charleston, where the Yankees occupied for many years. The family will never be the same after the War and this book chronicles those changes.

On Leaving Charleston is Ripley's sequel to Charleston. It chronicles the rise and fall and subsequent recuperation of Garden Tradd, the grand-neice of Elizabeth Tradd and daughter of a once-rich family that became poor after the Civil War. Garden marries the rich, fast Yankee, Schuyler Harris and is ripped from Charleston on a whirl-wind tour of New York and Europe. This book chronicles the opulent spending of the Roaring 20s. Through Garden's eyes, readers can see how the 20s affected the participants. When Garden is forced to return to Charleston, the people shun her for her behavior. Yet, she has her aunt Elizabeth and her daughter and no one protects their own like South Carolinians. So when the Harrises come back for trouble, they meet the brick wall that is Charleston.

Two great books for you to check out! We may have them in the library here, and I know you can find them in the town library!

Sunday, January 30, 2005

Thoughts from my favorite author...

I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge--
Myth is more potent than history--
Dreams are more powerful than facts--
Hope always triumphs over experience--
Laughter is the cure for grief--
Love is stronger than death.
~Robert Fulghum

What are you reading?

Finished The Broker by Grisham and now I am on to Third Degree by James Patterson. Patterson is an amazing writer and his books are always so suspenseful. Some of you may remember the movie Kiss the Girls with Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman. That was originally a Patterson novel. The book was better though.

What books have you read that have been turned into a movie and which one was better?

Thursday, January 20, 2005

New book for me!

I went to Wal-mart yesterday, which is always a big mistake. I found John Grisham's new book, The Broker. I started it last night and almost was not able to put it down. This one seems to have a hint of Clancy intrigue--espionage, murder, etc. So far so good. I'm interested to know why the main character is a hunted man, though. I haven't quite gotten to that part, but apparently he knows something so the CIA is setting him up to be killed.

Monday, January 17, 2005

Regarding your posts...

How about proofreading once and a while, guys? You can not make a point heard if it can not be understood due to grammatical errors. While I want you to voice your opinions here, I also want you to practice speaking like adults. Utilize your education!

Sunday, January 16, 2005

Today's Thought

"Capital punishment is society’s final assertion that it will not forgive." ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

How do you feel about the death penalty?

Thursday, January 13, 2005

Thought for the day...

Rebellion without truth is like spring in a bleak, arid desert. ~ Kahlil Gibran

Sunday, January 09, 2005

In the news...

Arraignment in killings of civil rights workers
MISSISSIPPI PROSECUTION OF '64 CRIME SPARKS QUESTIONS
By James Dao
New York Times

PHILADELPHIA, Miss. - For nearly all his life, Mark Duncan has lived under the cloud of one of the nation's most infamous unresolved crimes, the brutal killing of three civil rights workers along a muddy road near this town 40 years ago.

But Friday, Duncan, now the district attorney for Neshoba and three other counties, took a long step toward lifting that cloud, charging a 79-year-old preacher, Edgar Ray Killen, with the murders.

Standing before a courtroom packed with reporters, civil rights advocates and Killen's family, Duncan read the charges to the stooped, frail-looking defendant. Dressed in an orange jailhouse jumpsuit, Killen mumbled his answers in a brief interview with the judge -- until he was asked how he would plead.

``Not guilty,'' Killen said in a suddenly forceful voice.

The homicides of the three civil rights workers -- Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner and James Chaney -- and the inability, or unwillingness, of state and local prosecutors to bring charges in the case had left many here wondering whether the town's image would forever be tainted by a single unsolved crime.

Outside court after the arraignment Friday, Duncan, 45, who has lived here his entire life, said healing the town's old wound was not why he pushed for an indictment.

``But,'' he added, ``if that's what it does, I'm all for it.''

Killen, whom officials describe as a former Ku Klux Klan leader, runs a sawmill and owns a 20-acre farm outside town. He was being held without bail at the Neshoba County Jail.

He told Judge Marcus Gordon of Circuit Court that he did not have enough money to afford a lawyer, but the judge refused to appoint one for him, ordering a bond hearing for Wednesday.
Immediately after the arraignment, the courthouse was evacuated because of a bomb threat. As people poured onto the street, Killen's brother knocked down a television cameraman.

``Get all of your shots now,'' the brother, J.D. Killen, said. ``We're going to make sure you're not around for his funeral. My brother's innocent.''

Edgar Killen was among 18 people who were originally charged in 1967 with federal civil rights violations in the deaths. Seven were convicted, but Killen was released after an all-white jury became deadlocked.

And while eight of the original defendants are still alive, Duncan said he did not expect that anyone else would be charged in the case. He suggested that evidence had been presented against others, but that the grand jury had declined to indict anyone other than Killen.
But a representative of the Mississippi attorney general, Jim Hood, said the investigation remained open and that more charges could be brought if new evidence emerged.

The indictment of Killen is just the latest of several cases brought by Southern prosecutors over the past decade involving unresolved killings from the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
In 1994, Byron De La Beckwith was convicted of the 1963 assassination of Medgar Evers, a field secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 1998, Sam Bowers, the onetime imperial wizard of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, was convicted for ordering a 1966 firebombing in Hattiesburg, Miss., that killed Vernon Dahmer, a prominent civil rights leader. And in the spring of 2002, Bobby Frank Cherry was convicted of killing four girls in the bombing of a predominantly black church in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963.

But it has remained something of a mystery as to why state and county prosecutors have been unable to bring murder charges in the killings of the three civil rights workers in Philadelphia.
The killings had a profound effect on the civil rights movement, generating national sympathy for the cause, prodding President Lyndon B. Johnson to become more aggressive about investigating the Klan and causing some civil rights workers to lose faith in the philosophy of non-violence of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Federal officials gathered enough evidence to prosecute 18 men in 1967 on charges of violating the civil rights of the three slain men. The men who were convicted were sentenced to prison terms ranging from three to 10 years, although none served more than six years. Killen was released after a holdout juror said she could not convict a preacher.

Witnesses at the federal trial testified that Killen had helped recruit and organize the Klan party that authorities say hunted down, beat and shot the three civil rights workers on June 21, 1964, before burying them under a clay berm outside town. Yet prosecutors declined to file state murder charges at the time.

Duncan did little to clear up the mystery Friday, declining to answer questions about what prompted the decision to impanel the grand jury in the case. He said the prosecution would rely in part on evidence from the 1967 federal trial.

But leaders of a group of local business, civic and civil rights leaders who have been pushing for charges in the case over the past year said they believed that Hood, the attorney general, played a major role in pushing for the charges.

POST SUGGESTION!

When posting, you don't have to comment just on what I say. You can also comment on what your classmates say in their responses. Read through the responses...something may strike a chord with you--either in a good way or a bad way--and you can respond to it. Just be sure that you make sense!

Top Ten Words of the Year

Merriam-Webster creates a top ten list of words based on their online dictionary look-ups over the course of the year. Below are the ten words, the part of speech, and their definition. I challenge you to use some of them in your speech. What sentences can you come up with?

  1. Blog (noun) : a website that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer
  2. Incumbent (noun) : the holder of an office or ecclesiastical benefice
  3. Electoral (adj.) : of or relating to an elector or election; i.e. the electoral college
  4. Insurgent (noun) : a person who revolts against a civil authority or an established government; a person who acts contrary to the politics and decisions of one's own political party
  5. Hurricane (noun) : a tropical cyclone with winds of 174 miles per hour or greather that occurs especially in the western Atlantic, that is usually accompanied by rain, thunder, and lightening, and that sometimes moves into temperate latitudes
  6. Cicada (noun) : any of a family (Cicadidae) of homopterous insects which have a stout body, wide blunt head, and large transparent wings and the males of which produce a loud buzzing noise usually by stridulation
  7. Peloton (noun) : the main body of riders in a bicycle race
  8. Partisan (noun) : a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person; one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance
  9. Sovereignty (noun) : supreme excellence or an example of it; a supreme power especially over a body politic
  10. Defenestration (noun) : a throwing of a person or thing out of a window

For more info, visit www.m-w.com!

Thought for the day...

Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one. ~ Malcolm S. Forbes

What does it mean to have an open mind? How can education open your mind?

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

Recommended Reading

I bought a great book over the holidays. Dorothea Benton Frank's new book, Shem Creek, was on sale at Barnes and Noble and I didn't even have to read the dust jacket to know that I wanted it. It was great too. She tells such a good story about the low-country, although if you read all of her books you may see that they all have a similar storyline.

I also read Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging from the school library. It was hilarious! Kind of a Bridget Jones's Diary for teenagers. Really good.

What are you reading? What do you recommend?