Current Connection 2.1

In a recent article titled "Que. Boy, 12, Pleads Guilty To Hacking Government Websites" posted at Toronto Sun, Michael Nguyen informs readers that a 12-year-old boy hacked government websites.

According to Nguyen, "A 12-year-old Quebec boy is responsible for hacking several government and police websites during the student uprising in spring 2012, creating computer havoc and causing $60,000 damage..." I just wonder how a 12-year-old managed to hack such websites. Although I know nothing about hacking, using a computer to gain unauthorized access to data in a system, a morally wrong decision, I am sure that the task is difficult, especially when dealing with government websites.

Nguyen stated, "He pleaded guilty to three charges related to the hacking of the websites, including those of Montreal police, the Quebec Institute of Public Health, Chilean government and some non-public sites." Those are series charges, but at least the boy confessed to what he did instead of denying his actions. He will face the consequences of his actions; he made the decision to hack those websites, and he made the decision to plead guilty. 

The author claims, "The Grade 5 student from the Montreal suburb of Notre-Dame-de-Grace, whose actions were not politically motivated, traded pirated information to Anonymous for video games, court was told." Anonymous is a snake, sly and deceptive. The mischievous group bribed the boy with video games, and the boy accepted the bribe. The boy, desiring video games, did something he should not have done.

This article connects to the world because with the right amount of skill, almost anyone can become a hacker, and anyone can join Anonymous. Hacking government websites is wrong, and I just do not understand why anyone hacks them.

A 12-year-old Canadian boy pleaded guilty to hacking several government websites.

                                               
Work Cited

Nguyen, Michael. "Que. Boy, 12, Pleads Guilty To Hacking Government Websites." Toronto Sun.                   25 Oct. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
                                                



Appositives
Compound sentence
Metaphor; Extended metaphor
Participial phrase

Current Connection: 1.2

In a recent article by Kathy Kristof titled "Fake Student Loan Site Steals Identities," Kristof informs readers about fake Sallie Mae accounts that attempt to steal student identities.

Kristof states, "However, students who attempt to be among the first 150,000 to take the bogus sites up on the offer are asked to provide personal information, such as birth dates and Social Security Numbers, allowing the sites to steal their identities, according to Scambook." This is one reason that everyone should be very careful about giving out their information. Scambook, a website that detects bogus sites and warns consumers about using them, is a way for consumers to make sure they are not giving their information to identity thieves.

The author claims, "The fake Sallie sites have a timely and attractive pitch: Due to the government shutdown, indebted graduates can apply for a loan 'forgiveness' program that would wipe away their debt." Their pitch seems plausible, but everyone should be careful about who they give their information to. People should be skeptical about what they read on the internet; therefore, if they see something on the internet that seems too good to be true, it probably is.

According to Kristof, "Another option is for people to start monitoring their credit report at annualcreditreport.com. This site provides one free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus each year. That gives you access to three reports each year (one from each bureau)." Monitoring your credit report is a good idea. Doing so will help ensure that there are no mistakes or purchases the consumer did not make.

This article connects to the world because identity theft is a global issue. One in ten Americans have their identities stolen each year. Identity theft, a bother that can ruin a person's credit, needs to be stopped.

Fake Sallie Mae sites have been stealing students' identities by claiming to wipe away student loan debts and asking for personal information.

Current Connection 1.1

In a recent article by Lateef Mungin, titled "LA School Officials Accused In Plot To Steal Thousands Of Textbooks," Mungin informs readers about how some Los Angeles County employees stole textbooks so they could sell them.

The author states, "The employees were paid from $600 up to $47,000 to steal textbooks in literature, language arts, economics, physics, anatomy, and physiology, prosecutors said." I guess some people will do anything for money. Stealing textbooks from schools is depriving lots of children the opportunity to learn, a necessity for avoiding ignorance, and that is wrong.

The author claims, "Twelve Los Angeles County employees stole thousands of textbooks from school districts to supply them to a buyer, who paid them in bribes, court records show." This is the same as stealing from children, only this could be worse than stealing material possessions... this is stealing their education. Every child deserves a good education.

According to Mungin, "Twelve of the 13 suspects have pleaded not guilty, authorities said." I hope that the court makes the right decision and finds the suspects guilty. They deserve to be put in jail.

This article connects to the book Till Death Us Do Part because one of the characters in the book, Alan, was charged with embezzlement. But, unfortunately, the character in the book got away with his crime. Hopefully that will not happen in this case.

Thirteen L.A. school officials stole at least 7,000 textbooks and were paid $200,000 in bribes.

Dog Description

The vanilla colored dog, splattered with swatches of mocha, wagging his tail excitedly when he saw his master, romped happily through the lush green grass, tongue hanging out of his mouth, to anticipate the daily pat on the head that he got every day when his master arrived home.

Narrative Techniques

My English teacher has assigned me to write a short story.


Creating the main character has been the easiest part of writing my short story so far. This is because I have already had some ideas in my head for this character for some time, and so all I really had to do was work out the details about how is supposed to look and act.

I think that coming up with the setting has been the most frustrating. I do not have much of an imagination, so it is really hard for me to think up imaginary settings, and I am not a very good writer to begin with.

My main character's name is Dani. With an elaborate tattoo of an octopus on his arm, partially obscured by the scars of an old life, he resembles one of those dangerous boys that look like they have just got done serving in the army; the ones that do not want to be messed with. However, his eyes, a peculiar shade of green, always shine brightly, disarming his intimidating looks.

Although writing some of my short story has been very frustrating, I am sure that in the end, it will be rewarding. I am hoping that maybe writing this will make me a better writer, and that I will become better at showing characters.

Book Review #2

"There were extenuating circumstances in their case--they were married, they had a child. Although it is not as if they reside in this outpost, far from home, by their own choice. We were banished here, the three of us--the four of us, I should say; Alec was just a squalling baby when we left the Glass City. They can return to Idris on official business only, and then only for short times. I can never return. I will never see the Glass City again."This is a quote from City Of Bones, book one of The Mortal Instruments series, by Cassandra Clare. This book captured me with its strong characters and continually twisting plot.

A theme of this book is to not believe everything you hear. Clary Fray spent all her life thinking that she was an average, normal teenage girl, but she was wrong. She finds out that she really is a Shadowhunter, which is a warrior that hunts demons. Her mother, who is also a Shadowhunter, lied to her all of her life so that she would never find out that they were Shadowhunters. Clary finds this out after meeting Jace, Alec, and Isabelle Lightwood at the Pandemonium Club, and it rocks her world. This book is full of lies and deceit. Clary's mother also lied to her about her father and her brother being dead. Another way that this book is full of deceit is that Alec is gay and in love with Jace, but he doesn't tell anyone, although Clary discovers the truth by the way he looked at Jace.

I really like Cassandra Clare's use of imagery and detail. It makes me want to continue reading the book and never put it down. An example of when she has used imagery when describing a character is "The girl was gorgeous, the kind of girl Clary would have liked to draw--tall and ribbon-slim, with a long spill of black hair." The girl being described is Isabelle another Shadowhunter. Another example of her use of imagery when describing characters is "The man blocking the doorway was as tall and thin as a rail, his hair a crown of dense black spikes. Clary guessed from the curve of his sleepy eyes and the gold tone of his evenly tanned skin that he was part Asian. He wore jeans and a black shirt covered with dozens of metal buckles. His eyes were crusted with a raccoon mask of charcoal glittter, his lips painted a dark shade of blue." This is a description of Magnus Bane, the eccentric, gay, High Warlock of Brooklyn. He does not do favors for people without charging them, and he can be a jerk. Another example of when Cassandra Clare used imagery and detail when describing the setting is "Colored lights played over the dance floor, turning it into a multicolored fairyland of blues and acid greens, hot pinks and golds."

The scene is New York, where Clary, her mother, and Luke, her mother's boyfriend, live. It is also where the Lightwoods live. The scene is important because if Clary, her mother, and Luke lived somewhere else, then Clary may never have realized that she was a Shadowhunter. Everything would be different. The book says "'No. I mean, if there were other people around, but you were the only one who could see something. As if it were invisible to everyone but you.'" If Clary and her family lived somewhere else, she may have never seen Jace, Isabelle, or Alec. Clary's mother would continue to lie to her, and Clary would be in danger her whole life, because she would not know how to protect herself from demons. On page twelve of the book, Jace says "A mundie girl. And she can see us." What he means by this is that Clary is a mundane, a human, yet she can see the Lightwoods. This is strange because they were using glamour, which makes them invisible to human eyes. If Clary had not gone to the Pandemonium Club in New York, she never would have seen them, and never would have realized that she had the Sight, which is something that only Shadowhunters have. The book says "'No!' Terror scraped Jocelyn's voice raw. 'Don't come home! Do you understand me, Clary? Don't you dare come home. Go to Simon's. Go straight to Simon's house and stay there until I can--' A noise in the background interrupted her: the sound of something falling, shattering, something heavy striking the floor--" in chapter three. If they had not been in New York, perhaps Jocelyn, Clary's mother, would not have been attacked. But she was, and this also led to Clary finding out that she and her mother are Shadowhunters, and that Luke used to be.

My best friend recommended City Of Bones to me, and I recommend the book for anyone who is interested in fantasy, romance, and suspense. The book is fantastic and leaves you wanting more and more.

CC#4: How Did Woman's Body Come To Be In L.A. Hotel Water Tank?

In a recent article by Alan Duke, titled "How Did Woman's Body Come To Be In L.A. Hotel Water Tank?", the author informs readers about a body that was found in a Los Angeles hotel water tank.

The article states "The decomposing body of Elisa Lam floated inside a water tank on the roof of the Cecil Hotel while guests brushed their teeth, bathed, and drank with water from it for as long as 19 days." That is really disgusting. Just imagine drinking a glass of water and then later finding out that a dead body had been floating in it. That is sickening. And how someone could bring themselves to do something like that, I have no idea.

The article also states "A maintenance worker, checking on complaints about the hotel's water, found the 21-year-old Canadian tourist inside one of four water cisterns Tuesday morning, Los Angeles Police Sgt. Rudy Lopez said." It must have been quite a shock for the maintenance worker; when he woke up that morning, I bet he was not expecting to come across a dead body. That must have been terrible.

The article states "But for a week, they never complained. 'We never thought anything of it,' she said, 'We thought it was just the way it was here.'" That is what Sabina Baugh, who had been staying at the hotel, said. When she turned on the tap, the water would be black for the first few seconds, and then it would go back to normal. I would be worried if I saw black water coming out of the tap, and I would probably complain at the first sight of it, too.

I would say that the article connects to me. This is because I like books and movies that are about murders and mysteries. Do not get me wrong, I think what happened to this girl is awful. The police do not know who killed her, and say "Falling into a covered water tank behind a locked door on top of a roof would be an unusual accident."

Elisa Lam, a Canadian tourist staying in a Los Angeles hotel was murdered and her body was put into a water tank. The police are unsure as to what she died of and who killed her. It was an international case, and because of this, may have gotten more attention than most of the several thousand missing person reports made in Los Angeles each year.

The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

I have always really liked to read. Books are adventures. I have read various books by various authors, including Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz, Bag of Bones by Stephen King, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, and I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. But I think my favorite books are the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

I do not know exactly when I first watched the movies, but it was when I was a little kid. They instantly became my favorite movies. They are still my favorite movies. I tried to read the books when I was in sixth grade, but I did not understand them, so I quit. This school year I decided that it was time for me to read them. I could not just start with The Fellowship Of The Ring, though, I wanted to read the two books that took place before it: The Silmarillion and The Hobbit.

The Lord Of The Rings trilogy is about a gold ring. The ring is the One Ring, forged by the Dark Lord Sauron. The One Ring has immense power, and seems to have a mind of its own. Bilbo, a hobbit, found the ring in The Hobbit, and kept it for himself. In The Fellowship Of The Ring, he gave it to his nephew, Frodo. The trilogy chronicles the journey of the fellowship (Aragorn, Legolas, Gandalf, Gimli, Samwise, Frodo, Merry, Pippin, and Boromir) to destroy the ring before Sauron can discover its whereabouts and reclaim it.

J.R.R. Tolkien used vivid imagery in these books, as well as beautiful metaphors and similies. A quote from The Two Towers that uses these is "Suddenly through a rent in the clouds behind them a shaft of sun stabbed down. The falling showers gleamed like silver, and far away the river glittered like a shimmering glass." I really like his writing style.

The books really spoke to me. They were wonderfully well written. I immersed myself in these books, and when I finished reading the last book, The Return Of The King, I wasn't sure what to do next. I recommend you read The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. And if you want to explore the creation of Middle-earth (where the books take place) and its inhabitants,  you should also read The Silmarillion.

For more information on the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, click here.


Yellow = Personification
Blue = Metaphor
Red = Alliteration

CC#3: Boy Scout Leaders Put Off Vote On Gay Membership

In a recent article by Casey Wian and Michael Pearson titled "Boy Scout Leaders Put Off Vote On Gay Membership," the authors inform readers that the vote on lifting the Boy Scouts' ban on openly gay scouts and troop leaders will be postponed until their annual meeting in May.

The article states, "The decision disappointed critics who had hoped to see the organization end its ban despite a 2000 Supreme Court ruling saying it had the right to keep it." In 2000, the Supreme Court ruled that private organizations, such as the Boy Scouts of America, have the right to exclude a person from membership when "the presence of that person affects in a significant way the group's ability to advocate public or private viewpoints." Banning openly gay boy scouts and troop leaders is discrimination, plain and simple, and that's wrong.  Homosexuals are human beings, just like heterosexuals are. Everyone should be treated equally, no matter what their race, religion, or sexual preference is.

The article also states, "The Boy Scouts announced last month that the organization would consider changing the policy, a sharp reversal of its previous support for excluding openly gay members and scout leaders." The organization should change this policy; gay children are discriminated against enough as it is. Straight children shouldn't be raised to hate homosexuals, and homosexuals shouldn't have to worry about not being accepted.

The article states, "Brandy Pryde, a troop leader who participated in a prayer vigil outside the Boy Scouts headquarters Wednesday, said her church would pull support from scouting if the change goes through." The Bible does state "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination," which is probably why she said that her church would pull support from scouting. But the Bible also says "love your neighbor as yourself." They should accept everyone with loving arms instead of being quick to judge them.

This article connects to the world. Gay people, among others, are discriminated against every day because others are uncomfortable with their differences. Some people discriminate against others because they want to feel better about themselves. But discrimination against anyone is wrong, whatever the excuse may be.

The Boy Scouts' executive Board will not vote on Wednesday on a proposal to let local groups set their own policies, as had been planned. It will instead be voted on at the organization's annual board meeting in May, because it needs more time to get comment on the issue from its members. 

Book Review #1

     “For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.” This is a quote from the book "The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King" by J.R.R. Tolkien. This book inspired me with its courageous characters. 
     A theme of this book is that you should never give up, even when all things seem bleak. In the book, Legolas said "Oft hope is born when all is forlorn." What he meant by this is that a lot of the time people begin to be hopeful when things aren't going well. He said this to Gimli, and it made Gimli hopeful of the future. On page 232, the book says “And yet their wills did not yield, and they struggled on.” Frodo and Sam were at the last stage of their journey; to go to Mount Doom and destroy the one ring. By this point in the story, they were incredibly weary, and had no hope of returning home. But still they had hope that they would destroy the one ring, at least, and save Middle-earth. On page 195, when Sam is in the Tower of Cirith Ungol, feeling defeated because he still could not find Frodo, he sang 
“Above all shadows rides the Sun
and Stars for ever dwell:
I will not say the Day is done,
nor bid the Stars farewell.” 

These words suddenly came to him, and he felt new strength. This gave him hope. 
     The author makes me believe in the characters as people. I like the characters in the book. Liking the characters is one of the reasons I like the book so much. Liking them made me want to continue reading to see if they were going to make it to the end of the book, and it made me feel connected to them. Frodo, the ring-bearer, and Sam, his faithful companion, are determined hobbits. When Samwise asked Frodo if he could manage the rest of the journey, Frodo said "I can manage it. I must," and went on. As Frodo was sleeping, Sam thought to himself "So that was the job I felt I had to do when I started, to help Mr. Frodo to the last step and then die with him? Well, if that is the job then I must do it." Sam went with Frodo until the end of his journey. "...Sam struggled on as best he could, having no guidance but the will to climb as high as might be before his strength gave out and his will broke." Sam, always put Frodo ahead of himself. He knew that Frodo couldn't make it up Mount Doom himself, so  he carried him. Sam didn't care if they didn't survive the journey, as long as they accomplished what they set out to do: to destroy the ring of power.
     I recommend that you read this book, because it has a good message, an interesting plot, and it is written well.

     

Current Connection #2

     In a recent article by Reza Sayah titled "Curfew issued as death toll in Egyptian soccer riot rises to 38," Sayah informs readers of a curfew issued because of a  rise in the death toll of a soccer riot. 

     The article states "Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy imposed a 30-day curfew on the restive city of Port Said after dozens of people were killed in riots that followed death sentences for people involved in fatal clashes at a soccer match last year." Because of all this violence, the Egyptian President deemed it necessary to impose a curfew. If I were him, I probably would have done the same thing. Protecting the citizens from violent rioters is very important. 

     The article also states "By Sunday afternoon, the death toll in Port Said had climbed to 38 over the weekend, health officials said. More than 415 were injured." It's tragic that so many people died, and so many were hurt, but it could have been worse. The numbers could have been reversed; there could have been 38 injured and 415 killed. But violence like this should not be condoned. 

     Another thing the article states is "Egypt's general prosecutor charged 75 people with premeditated murder and attempted murder, while three Al-Masry officials and nine police officers were charged with 'assisting the murders.'" The things that people will do surprises me. I don't see how people can just murder others left and right without feeling guilty. There are some really bad people in the world. 

     As I was reading this article, I was reminded of my history class when we learned about the riots that happened because in Little Rock when they were trying to desegregate schools.

American Dream Essay

     Walt Disney tells us that "all our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." Everyone has dreams; some choose to pursue them and end up being happy, while others, for whatever reason, choose not to pursue them, and end up being unhappy. My American dream is to become a freelance photographer.
     Being a freelance photographer is my American dream because it would make me happy. I've always been creative when it came to visual arts; I always thought of neat ideas, but I could never put them in a tangible form. Until I picked up a camera, that is. I couldn't draw very well, I couldn't paint very well, I couldn't sculpt very well. What I could do was capture my ideas with a camera. From the moment I snapped my first photo, I was hooked. I love being able to capture moments in life and go back and relive them any time I want. It makes me happy.
     Hopefully, being a freelance photographer would mean getting paid well. When I get older, I want to have plenty of money. I want to be able to share my success with my family because family is everything. Instead of relying on others, I want to be able to support myself financially.
     I would be my own boss if I was a freelance photographer. If I was my own boss, I would be able to go on vacations for as long as I wanted, which would be nice. To be my own boss would be to set my own hours. Setting my own hours would be convenient because it would make my schedule very flexible.
     Dr. Martin Luther King once said "I have a dream." I am choosing to try and live my dream of becoming a freelance photographer; I don't want to spend my life wondering "what if?" I believe everyone should try and make their dreams come true. Will you?

CC#1: Guns, guards, and posses: Schools try new security strategy

     In a recent article by Jamie Gumbrecht, titled "Guns, guards, and posses: Schools try new security strategies," Gumbrecht explains to readers about some new ways that different schools are trying to protect their students.
     The article states "In Utah and Texas, some educators trained in shooting or self-defense." School shootings are tragic, and I think it's great that schools are finally trying to do something to prevent them. Educators training in shooting or self-defense seems to me like a great way for teachers to take a stand for their students.
     The article also states "Arizona's Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio put a 'posse' of armed volunteers around school perimeters." While I do believe that schools should do something to try and keep students safe, I'm not sure how I feel about just putting volunteers around school perimeters. Anyone could volunteer to do that, right? Anyone. To me this seems a bit too dangerous to be doing.
     This article also states "It's all in reaction to the December 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut, where 20 children and six staffers were killed." I'm glad that schools are finally doing something, but it's sad that it had to happen after such a tragedy. If schools would have taken action before this, it could have been prevented.
     As I was reading this article, I was reminded of one of my classes in 9th grade when my teacher was telling the class about the Jonesboro shooting in 1998. There were two boys, Mitchell Johnson and Andrew Golden. One of them pulled the fire alarm so that everyone would go outside, and they started shooting at people as soon as they started filing out of the building, killing five people. I don't understand why anyone, especially kids, would so something so violent.