book report!

Rennison, Louise. Love is a Many Trousered Thing. New York. HarperCollins Publisher: 2007.


Reason, Type and Setting: I chose this book because I have read every single book in this series and this book just came out so I really wanted to read it. The series are really funny and it's about a teenagers live so it's easy to relate some parts. Explain why you selected this book. I'm not sure what type of book it is comedy/fiction? This novel takes place in Europe. It takes place in modern day life.



Plot: This story is about a teenager living in England. She used to be going on with this one guy named Robbie but then he left he and went to New Zealand, while he was there she meets an Italian guy named Masimo and starts liking him. Then Robbie comes back and she stuck with both of them at a gig and runs off. Throughout the book Georgia Nicolson [the teen] tries to figure out who she should pick, in the end she chooses Masimo but then at the very end makes out with Dave at a camping trip.



Character: Georgia Nicolson. I don't really remember what she looks like because the first book that described her, I read years ago. But she has brown hair, she thinks it's a boring color, she always wears lippy [lipstick], mascara and eyeliner. She seems to have a good sense of style. I think she has qualities of a typical teenager, she has attitude towards her parents, she's boy crazy, she's very talkative and sarcastic. She seems to seem very self involved, like she gets mad when her friend doesn't respond to her. She's the main character. She thought she figured out that Masimo was her one and only, but during the book she always mentions Dave so I thought it was a hint that she would realize she liked him or something would happen.


Evaluation: I liked the book, it was a cute book and very funny. The only thing that bugged me was when Georgia bashed Jas all the time I feel like Georgia doesn't really appreciate Jas, but I don't know Jas that much so I can't judge their relationship. I'm not sure it really had a point but it was about a girl trying to figure out her life and who she liked. I would recommend to people who like sarcastic humor and maybe to people who like Gossip Girl because it's kinda fun to read about other people's lifes and how people deal with situations. Well the book is based on real life, it contains real life situations, like friend problems, boy problems, parent problems, etc. I don't think that it's neccesary for people to read this book I think this is just a book you can read for fun. I have been in the same situation before, well kinda like that and it sucked, I got to know them both and I based my decision on my happiness. I wouldn't have made out with both of them and then decided, and then made out with someone else. I think she needs to just think and reflect and realize who makes her happier. Like it was obvious to me looking in on the outside that she likes Dave.




Author, Context and Trivia: She read all eight books in the series, Confessions of Georgia Nicolson. I know she lives in England, and I think she's 40+ years old. I liked all of the books in the series, I'm kinda sad though because this is the last book so I can't read anymore of this series, I think I'm going to try to find more books like this or see if she has written any other books.


Reader Response
Quote and comment: "Well, luuurve is a many trousered thing..." This quote was on page 248, it was said by Dave. I think this quote is true, I think that you can love many people, but I think when you've in love you can't share that. I chose this quote because I thought it was a significant quote.

current event!

Summary: We know that acupuncture relieves pain; even menstrual pain! In a study it showed that "acupuncture was beneficial for women if offered as part of the health insurance system." They found also it helps with dysmenorrhea. Of the women given the acupuncture 63.4% felt at least 33% improvement, compared to only 24% of the women in the control group.

Significance: Cramps hurt really bad sometimes, and they can prevent you from doing certain activities. As a girl I would like to be aware of all my options of relieving my menstrual pain.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23355673/

current event!

Summary: It’s normal for people to loss around one-hundred hairs a day, but there is a hair loss disease that rare but it’s hereditary called Hypotrichosis simplex. They identified a receptor that is connected to hair growth. This disease is very rare but it may be crucial in finding an understanding the “mechanisms of hair growth.” What it does it stops certain receptor structures on the exterior of hair follicle cells from properly shaping. They also discovered that when “messengers from outside bind to these receptors” they turn on a chain reaction in the cell’s core which is essential for the hair follicle to work properly. “The defective receptor structure falls into the category of what are known as G-protein-coupled receptors,” Professor Dr. Markus Nothen says. This is a good thing because they compatible places for the drug treatments. They also recognized an endogenous [arising from within] messenger that attaches itself to the hair follicle and then to the receptor.
Significance: This is important because now they can help treat hair loss and research more into how to help people who deal with Hypotrichosis simplex. I think it would be horrible if you lost your hair when you were just a child, you would have to go through so much and it would probably affect your psychological state. It might also lead us to being able to grow more hair if someone wanted long hair. So I think the effects of this study will provide help to the people who are losing their hair but it might also open a new business opportunity just for materialist wants.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2008/02/24/getting_to_the_roots_of_hair_loss.html

war documentary reflection

Documentary Name: The Civil War by Ken Burns [PBS]

Reflection: I thought this documentary was interesting, it was a little long but it had a ton of pictures. We are planning to do our documentary like this one. We want to have pictures being shown while one of us narrarates and then have some clips of the interviews we do. Also the movie was helpful because it showed history before the war so it showed us the events leading up to the war. The only thing I didn't like was how long it was.

vocab words!

1.insurrection - rebellion. This picture represents the word insurrection because it shows the teenager rebelling. Teenagers often rebel by doing crazy things with their hair like getting crazy hair cuts or hair colors. Another act of rebellion is when kids get parts of their bodies piercing. I think almost everyone if not everyone has rebelled against something before. What would the world be like if people didn't rebel and get their voices heard?

2. countermand - revoke or cancel. This picture represents countermand because people get their licenses revoked sometimes. Almost everytime someone gets punished there is some kind of countermanding. When I get in a lot of trouble I get my phone, computer, television, and hanging out with friends privledges countermanded. I don't think countermanded is always the right way to punish someone. Someiimes when my parents takes my privledges away I may continue to do the things they tell me not to.

3. fidelity - loyalty, faithfulness. I chose this picture because I think that marriage represents fidelity, but the ironic thing some married people divorce because of a lack of fidelity. I think fidelity is very important whether in a friendship or marriage or dating. It's important to be able to feel you can trust them around people, trust them to keep your secrets, etc. I think it's hard to find a relationship that has complete fidelity, and that is the biggest hardship for people, being able to completely trust someone.

4. steadfast - unwavering in position. I chose this picture because when I see a fist I connect it with being firm in their decision, like "putting down the rules." I think it's important to be steadfast with your decisions and not be vacillate. If you are because won't value your opinion as much as they would have before. But I think it's important to know and understand both sides before you make your decision and become steadfast about it.

5. complicit - choosing to be involved with an illegal activity. I think that a lot of people think that they are innocent and not involved with the crime, but they are. If they knew about the crime and they didn't act on it, they are being a part of a crime. I think a lot of people complicit, because they are scared they will get hurt if they stand up for theirselves or they think they won't get caught.

lucidity - easily understood; a lucid explanation
conciliatory - tending to win; a conciliatory manner
acumen - keen insight, quick
complicit - choosing to be involved with an illegal activity
emancipation - to be freed
bolster - a pillow

current event!

Artificial Sweeteners linked to weight

Summary: Researchers found out when testing on rats, when eating the yogurt with zero-calorie saccharin, they consumed more and gained more weight. The researchers said this is because
“salient orosensory stimulus,” what is does it predicts that someone is about to pit in a lot of calories. The Ingestive and digestive reflexes gear up for that intake but when false sweetness isn’t followed by a lot of calories, it gets confused. As a result people may eat more then they usually would.
Significance: This is important because it shows how our body works and also it shows how we’ve changed and modernized our food and it’s backfiring on us. We are so focused on our self image we’re doing so much things to try to make things convient for us in short term. Today people are all about short term and don’t focus on cons or what could happen to them in the long run.

http://www,biologynews.net/archives/2008/02/11/artificial_sweeteners_linked_to_weight_gain.html

1. renovate v. - to restore to good condition; repair. I chose this picture because his is fixing the desk and making it as good as new. I think you can renovate friendships by talking to the people and fixing the problems and then your friendship is as good as new.

2. disseminate v. - to scatter or spread widely, as though sowing seed; promulgate extensively; broadcast; disperse. I chose this picture because it shows a girl whispering in a guy's ear and gossiping to him. This represents disseminate because I think a lot of things are disseminated because of people live off of gossip and tell everyone everything and can't keep a secret.

3. resilience n. - the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity. I picked this picture because all of my friends are resilient. They have been through things but then in the end get through it and are fine. Also in this picture it says love and I think love helps you be resilient.

4. austere adj. - grave, strict, forbidding. I picked this picture because it shows a strict teacher. I don't think being strict is neccesarily a bad thing, when I was in ninth grade Ian Eggleson was my teacher, if he wasn't as austere as he was I don't think I would have been pushed my to best.

5. sanguine adj. - cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident. I think this picture represents the word because she looks so happy and she is very sanguine. A lot of my friends are very sanguine, I like that because it influences me and I become happy and more optimistic. I think it's important to surround yourself with happy and optimistic people.

6. Eloquence (n) - the practice or art of using language with fluency and aptness. [flow of eloquence]

7. Baleful (adj) - full of menacing or malign influences; miserable
8. Bigot (n) - a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion.
9. Relapse (n) and (v) - to fall or slip back into a former state, practice; a return of a disease or illness after partial recovery from it
10. Repudiate (v) - to reject as having no authority or binding force

Song Project

Song: Such Great Heights
Written by: Bed Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello
When: Early 2002Song definition: a melody and lyrics connecting and creating a song.
Genre: Indie Electronica Rock
Created because: He wanted to write a positive love song and they wanted to do a new kind of thing with cool beats and neat lyrics.
Meaning: I think this song is him talking about how perfect this girl is for him there are hardships that he has to go through to stay with her but since she’s so perfect for him he will go through them and wait for her, Also I think this song during the hook it’s saying that when he’s with her he forgets about anything bad, but people are telling him he can’t hide and ignore the problems all the time. Some people think that it’s about his love that’s a musician and she picked her career over him and he’s using this song as a way for her to remember and know he’s waiting and missing her.
Stanzas: 5
Structure: It has a hook: They will see us waving from such great heights, "come down now", they'll saybut everything looks perfect from far away"come down now", but we'll stay...
Secondary Context: Many people have done a cover of this song, Ben Folds, Jenny Lewis, Teddy Geiger, Matt Nathanson, and Iron & WinePeople and Society: This song tells us about love and this love seems pure because he is waiting for her and hasn’t forgotten about her. It also is a song that people can relate to.