Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Into the Wild
Response #3 REVISED
One of the most important scenes in Into the Wild is when Alexander (Emile Hirsch) first gets out into the wilderness. It is his fourth day on his own in the "magic bus" that he found in the middle of the mountains. This is the scene that really shows how remote of an area he is in all by himself. He gets out and stands on top of the bus yelling and being free, completely isolated from the society he abruptly left. Also in this scene Alexander is shown running through a valley chasing after some elk and he is so in awe of the creatures beauty that a tear shows up in his eye. Not a tear of sadness or grief but a tear of joy and excitement. This is the scene that shows he really did it, he finally made his dream come true and he couldn't be happier with his decision. Alexander left his family, friends, and everyone he met on his journey to be all alone living in the outdoors. When Alexander begins to carve his thoughts into the plank of wood it shows again how dedicated he was to find his happiness and how excited he is that he completed the journey. Part of the quote he carves is "Two years he walks the earth. No phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom. An extremist" He then ends the quote saying "No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild." This is an important quote because it explains how he lived the best years of his life, he was happy and had little to worry about. He made some great friends along the way who helped him out and this scene sums up the fact that all of those people no matter what they did to help, were a large part of Alexander fulfilling his dream. I think this scene proves to everyone that if you set your mind to something, it can be done, you just need to believe in yourself.
How to Set Up a Tent
Response #2 REVISED
 
 
 

          For my job at Equipment Rentals I set up large tents that parties, carnivals, and festivals take place under. In order to set up a large tent let's say a 40 X 80 foot tent there are many steps. First, you start by measuring and laying down four 20 X 40 foot ground liners then lay the tent tops on top of them. Once laid out you lace the tops together while the other crew members lay out side poles, ratchets, center poles, stakes, and base plates. There is one rule: "Miss a lace, buy a case" so you do not want to miss laces on the tent top! When all of the four foot long steel stakes are laid out you pound them into the ground with sledge hammers and connect the ratchets to the stakes and tent top. Starting at the corners you put in the poles and tighten the four corners. Once they are tightened you put the center poles in the tent top crown and pull them to the center of the tent. The center poles can be very hard work at times and may take up to five guys to get set into place. When the center poles are straight vertical you can put in the rest of the side poles and tighten the tent so it looks good and will be sturdy in heavy winds. Roll up the ground liners, clean up extra supplies and get on your way back to the shop.
Is Winning Above Everything Else?
Response #1 REVISED

In a recent news article by David Maraniss he argues that "winning actually isn't the only thing" in a response to the controversial Seattle Seahawks victory over the Green Bay Packers Monday night. Everyone has seen this play and nearly everyone knows that the true call should have been an interception resulting in a Green Bay victory. It was very clear the Seahawks had been given a victory they did not deserve, but Seattle players and coaches weren't man enough to admit defeat. Maraniss along with everyone else was upset to hear the interviews after the game from Russell Wilson, Pete Carrol, and Golden Tate. They all knew it was the wrong call but they boasted that they had deservedly won the game even though it was due to arguably the worst call in the history of the NFL. Maraniss was more disappointed in Russell Wilson's response because he is such a down to earth and all around good guy, not to mention he was the Wisconsin Badger's quarterback last year. What Maraniss was getting at is that even though these players are excited about the win they should still be man enough to admit that they were given the win they didn't deserve. For the good of the game and respect for themselves they should admit that they didn't deserve to win that football game.


In no way should anyone be able to honestly disagree with Maraniss' opinion that the refs blew the game and the players should admit it. When I first saw the interview by Golden Tate, the player who "caught" the game winning touchdown, I was disgusted. I couldn't believe he could honestly say he didn't push Sam Shields to the ground and proceed to say he had possession of the ball. I lost all respect for him and his coach for what they said regarding the controversial call. You would think an NFL receiver would be man enough to admit he got away with one after that call. This game tampered the NFL and what many people previously thought of it. Although they were happy they won the game, that was not the most important part of the night. Of course I was very angry when the refs called that a touchdown but after the interviews I was beyond mad and I lost a lot of respect for a lot of players and what they said.

 

Wednesday, November 28, 2012


Stevie Wonder





Stevie Wonder
By: Amelia Olsen
Calvin Michiels
Natalie Trumm
Tyler Tennies

Our journey began on the third floor wandering around for a miscellanious C.D that turned out to be The Rolling Stones Album--Some Girls
We went down to the second floor and had to look for a newspaper which was hidden in a jungle of bookshelves.




Then we searched around for a shark hanging from the cieling and found a paw print under it.


The shark information led us to these eggs and then we had to go to...Photo
We told her the famous dog show was the Westminister Dog Show then she gave us a V.


This was the Charlie Chaplin bookshelf that led us to the letter C.

Calvin found a monkey in a cage and fought it in order to get the letter H.




We had to find the Smithsonian Institution call number, so we did. We got the letters S and I.

Then we met a janitor and stole his elevator twice and rescued Stevie Pointer from the archives.
We won,
The End