If oneday an achievement of mine will be great, I hope it is the achievement of finding a cure for Cancer. Any sort of cancer will do fine for me, I'm not picky, but I do have standards. If my goal was too lofty and I aimed for, say, breast cancer then I would instantly be barraged by all kinds of charities and activist groups, thus preventing me from moving on to less important things. To tackle stomach cancer sounds more promising and less gimmicky. To achieve such an achievement, first I should go to college and study pharmacy, with a major in botanical chemistry. After grad school, I will live in the Amazon rainforest without telling anyone so they can't take my idea, not to mention it will be so much more dramatic if I just show up back in the states with a cure for stomach cancer after being missing for a couple years. But while I'm there, I will be testing any plant, which hasn't already been featured in National Geographic, for medicinal qualities and asking myself deep introspective questions. Once my great discovery has been revealed to the world, I will surely be internationally famous and viewable in loads of magazines and textbooks. The medicine I harvest will probably go into mass production earning me mountains of cash (which is not in any way part of my goal). When every other field scientist in the world flocks to the Amazon to re-invent my wheel, deforestation will end, the South American economy will be stabalized, and everyone will be happy for all of the amzing advances being made and the world will be at peace. But the real achievement of my life will be when I am elected the supreme ruler of the world before retiring at age 35 and living in peace on my state-of-the-art space station.

life dedication

There are many people to whom would dedicate my life, but there is one person who I believe stands above all others. That man would be my Father. I have looked up to him for as long as I can remember. Its is not just for the reason that he is my Father but, it is what he has done with his life to make me so proud to be his son . He is serving in the U.S Air Force and is doing all he can to help our country. He works different hours every week so he must adjust his sleeping schedule every week. Even with the the challenge of coping with a drastic lack of sleep, he still manages to spend a reasonable amount of time with me. He also manages to do all of the household chores, with my help of course. After realizing what he actually goes through, I have made it my own goal to become a member of the U.S Air Force, and carry on the same work ethic, the same dedication toward family , and the same the very same pride for my country.

A Pale Blue Dot

Watch the first Youtube video, "A Pale Blue Dot," on the left-hand column of this blog, or go to the link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47EBLD-ISyc). The words that appear in the video are Carl Sagan's observations about a famous Voyager 1 photograph of Earth, taken from 4 billion miles away. Read it at the bottom of this page or go to the link, if you want a copy of the quote (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_Blue_Dot). Be prepared to discuss the significance and relevance of Sagan's powerful words.

Answer one of the following questions in one strong ACE paragraphy. Use complete sentences, being mindful to begin some of them with clauses or phrases (as discussed in class). Further, include personal examples when appropriate and give specific details with vivid verbs, demonstrative adverbs and lively adjectives. This is your writing sample, so write well.

1. Up to this moment in time, what contribution have you made to the people in your life? Keep in mind that your victories might be small but purposeful.

2. If it were possible, what failure would you go back and change?

3. What great achievement do you hope to accomplish during your lifetime?

4. To whom would you dedicate your life? Explain why that person deserves recognition.

Greetings and Salutations ! ! !

Welcome to our classroom web log! This space is designated for you to compose your thoughts, feelings, responses and questions to various subjects throughout the year. Further, it is a place for you to comment on and respond to your peers. Think of it as an interactive journal.

We need a proper title for our class blog, so if you want to astonish me with your cerebral prowess there will be extra credit for such efforts. To help you along, the class focuses on American literature in the 20th Century. This includes the Modernists, the Imagists, the Harlem Renaissance, the Beat Generation and the Sixties social, cultural and sexual revolutions. Remember to keep your suggestions school appropriate!

The first task is to read Kate Chopin’s “The Story of An Hour.” It is an incredibly short story (exactly 1009 words) about a young woman’s response to the news of her husband’s death. Knowing what you do of plot structure, character development and figurative language, choose five phrases in the story that you find particularly significant. Then briefly analyze the importance of each phrase. Please write in complete sentences and remember to back your arguments with evidence from the text.

Please be honest, open and have fun with this space!!!

Later, we will attempt to upload pictures and images and, perhaps, create our own group podcasts!

But right now, get to work on your first story!