Just Listen (#6)

This week i finished the book and things really started to come together and get better for Annabel. With all that has happened within the last year, she learns that people like Clarke and Emily, never hated her and that even after walking out on Owen at the concert, he still cares about her. When Emily has an experience with Will just like she did at another party, Emily goes to the police and makes it a case that everyone is talking about at school. Annabel realizes that she should have told someone about what happened to her and that Emily took action where she should have too. Emily comes to her during the week at school to talk to her about this, Emily finds her in the Library and gives her the card of her attorney if she will come and talk to the court about Will. Clarke is another person who comes to Annabel when she needs someone. One day when Clarke sees her in the bathroom, she asks her if she is okay and says that Owen is really worried about her. Clarke and Annabel talk for a while and Clarke says that she never hated Annabel, that she was just really mad and hurt. Clarke hands her number in case she ever needs anyone to talk to and leaves. Later Annabel sees Owen and works things out with him. When she sees him she cannot get herself to tell him everything that happened to her and why she walked out on him at the concert. On Sunday while she is listening to his radio show, she realizes how much she needs to tell him and work things out when she tells him he really listens and helps her to go to the court with the case against Will. Annabels social and family life are getting better and things look better than they have all year for her.

Just Listen (#5)

In this section of the book you learn a lot about what happened between Sophie, Annabel, and Emily and why they aren't friends. It starts with talking about the end-of-year party on the last day of school. Sophie and her boyfriend, Will were having problems and Sophie was sulking about how horrible her summer was going to be as Annabel and Emily try to cheer her up. Annabel and Emily find a couple of guys from one of their classes and when they find out that one is drunk, she goes to get a water for one of them. When Annabel gets the water she comes back upstairs and can't find Nick, there is a door to one of the bedrooms open and thinking that Nick went in there, she goes in too. The room is pitch black and when she gets in there and starts talking she realizes that it isn't Nick. The person in the room tells her to be quiet and faster than she can do anything, she is being raped and she doesn't know who it is. She is helpless when trying to get away. Until someone barely opens the door and she can see that it is Will, her best friends boyfriend. Automatically Sophie sees Annabel first and the blame goes on her before it goes to Will. Will also makes it seem like it was Annabel's fault that all of this happened, Annabel was so shocked and hurt that she couldn't get herself to say anything.

Just Listen (#4)

In this section of Just Listen, a lot has happened in the book. During this section at the beginning Annabel is listening to Owens radio show and he plays a pop song that would not usually be on there and he addresses it to her. When the show is over she calls the station and the both laugh about it and he tells her that he is leaving soon and asks her if she wants to go out to breakfast with him. The go to a little breakfast diner and when he drops her off at her house after he asks her to go a concert with her. She says yes even though it is all music that she really doesn't like. While Annabel's parents are gone, Whitney and Annabel actually spend some time together even though Whitney is so quiet. While Whitney is getting better from her eating disorder, she is getting more fun to be around they are taking small steps but they make dinner together and talk which they both really enjoy. When they have eaten and cleaned up, Annabel goes over to Owens and is surprised when Malory opens the door all dressed up with a ton of make-up on. Annabel quickly finds out that she is having a photo shoot with her friends and it looks like a really big production is going on. Malory is so excited that she is there and automatically brings her into the photo shoot and explains to her what is going on. Annabel sees all the different parts and helps them get ready to go, but none of them listen to her suggestions when she suggest less make-up or not so fancy. But when she sees Owen he is really surprised to see her. Throughout the time she is there she really gets to know Owen better and they kiss when she is leaving. Annabel and Owen are becoming better friends and hers and Whitney's relationship is improving too.

Just Listen (#3)

I almost half way done with my book and a lot has happened already. During this section, Annabel has her lakeview models calendar shoot. During this shoot Owens sister, Malory and Malory makes a big deal about seeing her there and her mom embarrasses her in front of Annabel. Emily cannot believe that her brother actually knows her and is obsessed with Annabel. After the weekend, on Monday Annabel sees Owen at school and they talk about Owens show. Annabel hated the show and does not know how to tell Owen that she didn't like it. She finally tells him that she didn't like any of the music and the style of music she didn't like either. She tells him once she tries to say it nicely and is really surprised to find that Owen doesn't care that she didn't like it. After school that day, Annabel sees Owen walking home and since he gave her a ride home, she asks him if he wants a ride home too. During their ride home, they talk a lot about how Owen is in anger management and about the kind of music they like. Owen says that anger management helps him to control and say what he really feels. During their discussion, music comes up and Owen tells her that he will give her some Cd's to listen to so that she can see if she likes anything. He gives her 10 Cd's of his favorite music. When she starts listening to them she hates all the music on them. Once the weekend comes Annabel's mom finally gives her some freedom and leaves her and Whitney home alone for the weekend. Whitney cannot wait for the freedom and Annabel is excited for her mom not to pressure her about modeling.

Just Listen (#2)

"some people think they like music but have no idea what it's really about. They're kidding themselves. Then there are people who feel strongly about music, but just aren't listening to the right stuff. They're misguided. And then there are people like me."
This quote is from Owen Wilson who is a boy that Annabel goes to school with. He says this after Annabel and her former friend Sophie get into a big fight and Annabel needs a ride home. When they are riding in the car, Owen has all this weird music that she had never heard. He asks her if she like music and she yes says and then he tells her that not everybody really likes music which is where this quote comes in. This quote relates back to the title of the book because they both have something to do with just listening to the music and really understanding if you like music or not. Owen has his own radio show where he plays music that he says most people don't appreciate if they don't really like music. He plays what he thinks is the music that everyone should listen to and what he calls "real" music. This quote really explains what Owen thinks of the music taste of the people who just think that hey like music.

Just Listen (#1)

This week i read the first section of Just Listen by Sarah Dessen and it has been really good so far. It is about a girl named Annabel Greene who is a model for Lakeside Models and so are her two older sisters. On camera she looks like she has everything but in really life there are so many things which she wishes she had. Her two sisters are Whitney and Kirsten and are both totally opposite personalities. Whitney is the quiet one and Kirsten is the really outgoing one. When a new girl moves into the neighborhood, she is really mean and thinks that she is so much better than Annabel. The new girl follows her sister Kirsten around all summer, everyday at the beach she sits right next to her and is a brat to Annabel. When Kirsten is tired of her following her around and never leaving her and her friends alone, she tells Annabel and Emily [her best friend] to go and talk to the new girl, Sophie. When Annabel tries to be nice and talk to her Sophie laughs out loud at her and tells her that she would never hang out with her. Kirsten hears this and walks over and tells her who she is and Sophie runs home and forgets her stuff. Annabel and Emily bring it to her and they become friends. Now that the school year is starting with the three of them getting into a fight over the summer and not being friends anymore, Annabel is more worried than ever. During the school day Sophie has been glaring at her all day and Annabel doesnt know what she is going to do. Other than school, Annabels grandmother just died and her mom is just finally starting to get into a better mood lately. Her mom has been taking her and her sisters to more auditions and things are getting better at home just as they are getting worse at school and between her and her former best friends.

Just Listen

I chose to read Just Listen by Sarah Dessen for my outside reading book because it looked like a really interesting book. I have other books by Sarah Dessen and really enjoyed reading them. I wanted to read this book because it looked like many other books that I have read and enjoyed and it is about a girl around my age which seemed like something entertaining to read. It also has something to do with music which I really like and thought would be interesting to read about. Overall I think that this book will be really interesting and i will really enjoy reading it.

Overcoming Odds (#15)

I am reading Twilight and in this book Edward and Bella have to overcome many odds with Edward being a vampire and Bella being just a normal girl. Bella moves into the same town as Edward and the first time Edward sees her he does not know what is so different about her from everyone else. He cannot read her mind the same way that he can read others and cannot look at her when they sit next to each other in biology. Bella does not know what is wrong with him when he is next to her. As the book goes on, they start to really like each other and Bella has to figure out what is so different about Edward. When Bella figures out that Edward is a vampire is when their real obstacles start coming. Bella does not know how to act around him and Edward is so attracted to her blood that he is afraid that he will kill her. They make it through though and Edward has to control himself when he saves her life because if he took anymore blood she would have died. Edward and Bella find a way to overcome their obstacles in their relationship even when all the odds were against them.
Meyer, Stephanie. Twilight. New York City: Time Warner Book Group, 2005.

Love (#14)

I am reading an A-List novel where Sam is trying to win back the one she loves and Anna is trying to work things out with Ben. Sam is trying to win back Eduardo and will do anything that she can. She loves him so much that she has left him tons of messages and sent tons of things to his room to hopefully win him back with something. One of the craziest things she does because she is so in love with him is that she goes and buys 100 phones from her cell phone severs and has them program them all so that they can only call her number, so whenever he tries to call someone else after they are delivered to his room it automatically goes to her number. In the end Eduardo comes back to Sam and they work out all their problems. Then there is Ben and Anna, their relationship was going really well and then Ben started acting all weird for no apparent reason. He won't tell her what is going on and seems to avoid the question by saying everything is fine anytime she asks. As the book goes on they go up and down in their relationship. By the end of the book Anna finds out what was going and they move past it and end up in a strong relationship.
Dean, Zoey. American Beauty (The A-List Series #7). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2006.

War (#13)

I read an article about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The two wars have already lasted longer than World War II and have taken more troops and money than the government ever expected. These wars have the pentagon thinking about what they are going to do because the old doctrine may not work for much longer with these wars. The wars have taken already more than 170,00 troops which are having to stay longer than expected and cause the government to keep pouring more money into these places. The pentagon is thinking of having to make a new plan for budgeting, planning, and buying weapons with the effects the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have caused. The Bush administration put into effect a new plan which prevented terrorists from obtaining biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons and defends the American population. The two wars that the US is fighting are causing new strains and problems within our government and have the pentagon seriously searching for a new plan of action to keep our military going.
Shanker, Thom. "Pentagon Rethinking Old Doctrine on 2 Wars." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 14 Mar. 2009. The New York Times. 15 Mar. 2009 .

Imperialism/Colonization (#12)

I read an article about how for the earth to last for the predicted number of years, we must colonize on mars within 46 years from 1993. 14 years after this prediction came out, there had still been no progress to the thought of living on mars. J. RIchard Gott II predicted this period of time based on scientific methods and has a 95 percent chance of being correct on his time frame. He says that since we have colonized all over one planet, why not move to the next and do something on that planet to keep our world around longer. The colonization of mars needs to be up and running by 2039 according to Dr. Gott and he does not think that this task is too far out of our range. The colonization of mars should not be too difficult because according to him we have colonized our whole world, so why can't we move on to something outside of out planet into the world. We only have a small time period once a rocket is built to get back up to mars and back, so colonizing and building a life up there will be more difficult than many think. Colonization on mars is one that will hopefully come soon and could change the outcome for our planet greatly.
Tierney, John. "A Survival Imperative for Space Colonization." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 17 July 2007. The New York Times. 10 Mar. 2009 .

Global Issue (#11)

THe global issue that i read about was about deforestation and logging. This issue started first in Sumatra and has recently spread to all around the world. WHen people go around and cut down trees, they are destroying habitat and are one of the leading causes in the green house effect. THis issue is ruining our planet and many people still take this job as what they do and don't stop cutting down trees even when they know the consuquences it is putting on our planet. Sumatra began this trend and lost many of their forests which led to people who used to have jobs losing their jobs because of the derostation ruining the habitat. People are buying land just so that they can use the trees to make palm oil or paper. This process is killing our planet. During deforestation carbon is released into the air which accounts for 20 percent ofo the world's greenhouse emissions. THis issue is one which needs to be adressed and is becoming too popular in our world to not do something about.
Gelling, Peter. "Forest Loss in Sumatra Becomes a Global Issue." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 6 Dec. 2007. The New York Times. 8 Mar. 2009 .

Holidays (#10)

I read an article about how many people see valentine's gifts as how much you can spend or what you can get your loved one, not about what it really means to a person. The article was in perspective of a former jeweler who always hated the valentines day sales. Many people would come in and buy something just ordinary for their loved one, and really had no meaning to the person they were giving it too. Some would buy gold earings or even a small pearl necklace, which is an expensive gift nonetheless but nothing that they could have gotten from anyone else. Most people take the thought away from valentines day when they just buy something ordinary, the gifts that really count are the ones that the person has to think about and it may not be the most expensive thing in the store but it what the person puts into it that coutns the most. As a former jeweler, he says that the best gifts he ever sold were the ones that had a reason behind them, like something htat they have been talking baout or something that thier mother had. Valentine's Day is about being with your loved one and showing them how much you care, not how much you can spend on them.
Martin, Clancy. "The New York Times Log In." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 14 Feb. 2009. The new york times. 22 Feb. 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/14/opinion/14martin.html">http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/14/opinion/14martin.html.

Bollywood (#9)

I read about a very famous bollywood producer and what a tru bollywood film is like. Many of their films are very wholesome and down-to-earth, what it would really be like in India. Yash Chopra, who is a veteran in the film industry in India is currently working on another one of his amazing films. He has won many awards for his films in his country and has set many of the staples in Bollywood films to what they are today. Some things which most of their films have in them are romantic plots, lavish costumes and sets, and catchy songs sung in exotic locales. Yash has produced many of his films as wholesome films with the two main characters falling in love and never kissing eachother until their wedding day and having to win over the approval of their parents for their marriage so that his films can be true to the culture in India. Bollywood films are always over the top and are very fun and entertaining to watch with all of the fun and over-the-top costumes and designs that the producers put into their films.
Mehta, Suketu. "Welcome to Bollywood." National Geographic Magazine. 2005. National Geographic. 21 Feb. 2009 .

Culture (#8)

I read an article about American culture and how people's hectic lives have become revolved around fast food and how fast you can get things done. Many mornings for working class people consist of maybe dropping the kids off at school, then paying bills online and calling in Starbucks orders, and many other tasks electronically all before they are even into their work. Our culture has turned us away from the home-cooked meals from the fifties and the means of appreciating a good meal. The slow drift away from the home meals that the mom would make from have been going ever since the TV was invented and TV dinners came when families would sit and watch TV instead of having a conversation amongst themselves. With eating out all the time people are not getting the nutrients they need and are loosing the cooking skills that were present years ago. As cooking shows lean towards cooking healthy and making home-made meals again, it could start to slowly shift our culture back to more healthy eating habits.
"Fast Food and American Culture - Associated Content." Associated Content - associatedcontent.com. 1 Feb. 2007. Health and Wellness. 21 Feb. 2009 .

Change (#7)

I read an article about the climate change and global warming. The cause of global warming has changed from humans only "likely" being the cause of the cause to humans being "very likely" the reason for global warming. The simple word, very, has changed everything in the world of science from bringing them to think that their could be other factors to the main factor now is very likely to be humans. The green house effect is the main reason that scientist are pin-pointing to the rise in temperatures over the years. The green house effect was necesary for the world to work out like it has because in the begining it brought up the temperature to be one that we could survive in and not freeze. Now that the temperature has risen almost three times the average from the 20th century, the green house effect is not doing us as much good as it used too. The effect lets the sun reach us without all of the heat coming to us. The slight change in the scientific world on research of global warming has changed many people outlooks on what is actually causing global warming in our world.
"Global Warming- Science - The New York Times." Times Topics. 3 Feb. 2007. The New York Times. 21 Feb. 2009 .

Hope (#6)

I read an article about how the Grammy's were hoping for the best with all their performances, nominations, and the risks that are always involved in their shows. One of the big things that they were hoping would work out well was M.I.A who was on stage 9 months pregnant. They had a golf cart ready to take her off stage and out of the huge building if she started going into labor up on stage. Another thing that they were hoping to go well was the nominations. They were very surprised with how many people agreed with their nominations compared to other years when many people don't agree with who they nominate for their awards. One person who was a standout in their award was Lil' Wayne who was up for eight awards with Coldplay right behind them with seven nominations. With all award shows they must hope for the best to happen even in the worst of situations. The Grammy's have to take many risks with what to do in emergency situations. The risks involved with these shows many times play out with the luck of what happens during the show. The Grammy's had to have a lot of hope for their show to go as well as it did.
Sisario, Ben. "The New York Times Log In." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 5 Feb. 2009. The New York Times. 16 Feb. 2009 .

Religion/Spirituality/Belief/Non-Belief (#5)

The article i read is about how religous beliefs and ethical issues come together when countries are trying to research new medical breakthroughs. In India they are researching a stem cell project and it is very much against their religious beliefs and what their country believes in. In south Korea they are trying to make this research sound like it is okay and that it goes along with their beliefs. One scientist has said that by doing cem cell research he is recycling the life just like the belief that reincarnation does. These medical advances in these countries are things that many people believe in their own countries but many times go agains their religous and ethical beliefs. The trading and donating of organs in India remains a big contraversy in their country because this is going against what they believe even though it will help them in many ways with things that the people in this country need. The contraversy in India comes down to more than just what they want to do with medical advances but also with what they think is more important to them; medical advances or ethical and religious beliefs.
Mishira, Pankaj. "The New York Times Log In." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 21 Aug. 2005. The New York Times. 14 Feb. 2009 .

Gender Roles in soceity (#4)

This week I read an article about the treatment of women in immigration centers. The women staying in these centers are treated horribly and many result in sickness or bad health and the officials deny medical help. These women do not deserve to be treated so terribly and the government is trying to step in to help the women in these centers. This kind of treatment is not right and is not fair to people who should be treated just as any other person would. A law has been passed to improve the conditions but will not be put into affect until 2010 which will be too long for many women. In one specific case a women had been in the center for months with horrible stomach pain was told to escercise and watch her diet from theh staff at the center she was at. When she got out after alsmost six months, she was taken to a hospital where they found a cyst the size of a five-month-old fetus and the center did not do anything to help her with this treatment. Another case that they studied was a women who was six months pregnant. They put her on a top bunk and denied help or a sonogram for five weeks that she was there. These detention centers for women are not treating the women they get with any respect or fairness and the new rules in 2010 will hopefully start to change the ways that they are treated.
Frosch, Dan. "The New York Times Log In." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 21 Jan. 2009. The New York Times. 10 Feb. 2009 .

Different Cultures (#3)

I read an article about a West African culture and how they rely on the price and productivity of rice to earn their living. Already this year they are not planting over 500,000 acres of land and people do not have the money to put into producing the rice on that land. The price of rice has already dropped eight dollars this year and nobody knows what will happen next year with how unpredictable the market is. If people don't sell enough rice this year than there is a likely chance that they will not plant next year and then their market could get even worse. The people in this village don't know what will happen with their money they can either make a lot of money or lose their whole fortune over how much rice they sell. This culture is very different from our culture because of what they rely on to make a living where as we rely on office jobs and modern technology to make our money they rely on farming and stuff that not many people have practiced for year.
Polgreen, Lydia. "The New York Times Log In." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 25 Jan. 2009. The New York Times. 8 Feb. 2009 .

Overcoming Obstacles (#2)

In the city of Akiachak, Alaska they have many struggles withing their city and have to deal with the amazingly high prices and the thought of paying for things on the same tight budget as the rest of the wolrd. They pay eight dolars for a box of cereal while we can sometimes get it for close to two dollars. These people have to live with some of them not even being connected to water and havng to deal with that and not having a sewage system. because of the extremely high cost of livng many have had to abandon their homes becuase they can no longer afford to live there. The people j this community live by three simple ways of living: respect for elders, keep the languange and culture, and do not waste food. One important food to them is salmon wilhich they as careful not to waste. Even with all of these struggles the ones still livng here find a way to manage and make do with what tuey have. Even wih all that is happening in their community they still manage to go to school and amid it throug with their everyday lives. This community is one with very strong people left and ones who will fight for what they believe in and what they want done wig their community. These are people who will always try to see the best and show us what it really means to vercome struggles up matter how hard you have to try or what you have to do.
Barry, Dan. "Remote and Struggling but Still a Bit of America." New York Times. 5 October 2008. 2 February 2009.

Natural Disasters (Blog #1)

This week i am reading The Problem with Pardsise. In this book they have to overcome a huge hurricane as their natural disaster. They are on vacation with their dad on an island where they are the only house on it for the whole summer while their mom gets to stay at home all summer. While they are on the island a hurricane comes in unexpectdadly and their dad and neighbors are on the neighboring island while they are stuck home alone in their house. They have to wait in the basement emergency room while they wait for the storm to pass over. The storm lasts for days and their houses are ripped up and the whole island is torn apart. They have to clean up the island and find out if everyone is okay before they can go to the main island to get their brothers broken arm fixed. Their boat got blown away and their neighbors roof was blown off their house and there was so much damage that had to be fixed before they could go back to having a normal day on the island again.
Dahl, Lesley. The Problem with Paradise. New York: Yearling, 2008.

Just Listen Part 2

I am still reading Just Listen this week. Since my last post Annabel has made a new friend or boyfriend, they are not calling themselves anything yet. She met Owen at lunch one day and they have been hanging out a lot in and out of school. Her sister, Whitney has also gone to rehab and wouldn't come out of her room forever after she got out of rehab. Their parents have not given her any freedom and she feels like she is locked up in her own house. When her parents start giving her some freedom, she starts showing up around the house more and is not always in her room. Annabel has also been doing more modeling lately and made it into the Kopf's fashion show at the mall. Lately things have been looking up for Annabel and her life has been getting better even with Sophie.

Just Listen

The book that I am reading this week is called Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. It is about a girl named Annabel Greene and hwo her life seems so picture perfect on the outside but when you really see what is going on, it is anything but perfect. Annabel is a model for one of the biggest modeling agencies and is in high school at her local school. What people don't know is that her sister has a serious eating disorder and no one is realizing except for her other sister, even her family doesn't know. They finally see what is happening when she collapses and the ambulance has to come and get her because her body couldn't handle it anymore. Annabel's sister, Whitney is going the be staying with them for a while until her parents let her go back to LA. Annabel has also recently lost her best friend, Sophie. Annabel and Sophie had been the best of friends forever and becuase of Sophie Annabel is no longer friends with Clarke anymore either. Annabel is slowly coming to realize who she is and what high school is going to be like for her, and so far it hasn't been good.

114-year-old woman to be the oldest

Gertrude Baines is 114 years old and is currently living in a California nursing home. Baines was first born to a family of slaves in a little town south of Atlanta in 1984. She spent most of her long life in Ohio as a house mom at a university and eventually moved to Los Angelos to retire after her divorce. She has no reason to why she has lived for so long other than that god wanted her to. She is living happily and seems cheerful and talkative. Baines did have one child, who died at 18 from typhoid fever. She has not yet been given the title or worlds oldest but will be soon after further investigation. The current oldest women just died on November 26,2008 and lived to be 115 years, 220 days old when she died. Gertrude Baines is a happy women in California who will soon be named the worlds oldest women.