Reading Minute

Saving Grace by Katherine Spencer is about a girl who loses her brother, Matt, of which she is really close to. As the story goes on you learn about what happened to her brother and the effects it is having on Grace. She can't stand to be around her friends; they remind her too much of Matt. Grace finds some new friends, the popular kids. They drink, they smoke, and they get in trouble, but anything is better than the painful reminders of Matt. Then a girl named Philomena shows up right when the most painful reminders of Matt's death are surfacing.. She always seems to be there in Grace's most difficult moments.

Farewell, Northwest: The Delta merger is official

The article Farewell, Northwest: The Delta merger is official written by Liz Fedor is about the Northwest and Delta airlines merger. The merger happened today, just hours after being approved by U.S. Department of Justice. The two airlines will keep the Delta name and instead of being based out of Egan, Mn, it will be based out of Atlanta. For now though, the webisites and "airlines" will opperate seperately but should be completely merged in the next 12 to 24 months. With the merger, it is possible that many jobs in Minnesota will be lost. Some of the jobs include coporate office jobs, piolits, crew members, flight attendents, and more. This has potential of really hurting Minnesota's already hurt economy.

I-35W Bridge Was Doomed From The Start

The article I-35W bridge was doomed from the start written by Tony Kennedy from the Star Tribune investigates the collapse of the 35W bridge. Federal investigators revisited the cause of the bridge collapse. They found that the designers of the bridge, 40 years ago, "neglected to calculate the size of key gusset plates that eventually failed. As we know, 40 years later, this would lead to a bridge needing to be rebuilt and the loss of 13 lives. If the plates had be one and a half inch thick rather than only one inch thick, it is likely that the bridge would have been able to withstand the concrete from renovations and the nearly 287 ton truck that drove over it earlier that day.

Hero and Tribute Videos

I found six videos that I thought were really good representations of the heroes from September 11th. Each video is different but with the same idea. As I looked for the videos I watched maybe 40 to 50 before choosing the ones I did. A lot of the videos were really hard to watch. Each video I found honored the father, mothers, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives, or friends, the heroes that helped rescue people's lives.

Hero performed by Michael Israel in New York

A Tribute to the Heroes of September 11th, 2001

9/11 Tribute! Worth Watching!

MEMORYS OF 9-11

I Believe - A 9/11 Tribute

Hero in a Box Conclusion

There are a lot of qualities in everyone, but some of the greatest qualities are those of heroes. There are two types of people in this world, those who want to help, and those who help. The people who help are brave, have lots of courage, strength, and trust. In the case of September 11th heroes, you would have to be really brave and have a lot of courage to go into a building struck by a plain to help save someone. Also, you need to have a lot of strength. Not only do you need physical strength, but also mental strength. You need to be to trust your equipment, and the others helping you to keep you safe.


To be remembered as someone who helped save the lives of people who experienced such an awful thing would be such an honor. There were fire fighters, civilians, EMTs, doctors, police officers, and so many more that risked their lives trying to save those of others. Most say they were just doing their job, but because of that, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM IS A HERO. Each one of them helped.

Hero Photos

All of these photos show the heroes of September 11th. Whether they are helping someone, putting out a fire, or raising the American Flag, each one is a hero. You see the bravery and courage each one of these people has as they rescue victims of the tragedy.


http://www.fema.gov/kids/images/911heroes/ff_truck_flag67.jpg


http://nmhm.washingtondc.museum/news/imgs/9-11_3.jpg


http://www.thepowerhour.com/images/9-11_thermite1.jpg


http://www.worldproutassembly.org/images/9-11-A.jpg


http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd115/duhbomb08/9-11.jpg

Song Lyrics

Empty Sky

Bruce Springsteen

I woke up this morning
I could barely breathe
Just an empty impression
In the bed where you used to be
I want a kiss from your lips
I want an eye for an eye
I woke up this morning to the empty sky

Empty sky, empty sky
I woke up this morning to an empty sky
Empty sky, empty sky
I woke up this morning to an empty sky

Blood on the streets
Yeah blood flowin' down
I hear the blood of my blood
Cryin' from the ground

Empty sky, empty sky
I woke up this morning to an empty sky
Empty sky, empty sky
I woke up this morning to an empty sky

On the plains of Jordan
I cut my bow from the wood
Of this tree of evil
Of this tree of good
I want a kiss from your lips
I want an eye for an eye
I woke up this morning to an empty sky

Empty sky, empty sky
I woke up this morning to an empty sky
Empty sky, empty sky
I woke up this morning to an empty sky
Empty sky, empty sky
I woke up this morning to an empty sky

Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)

Alan Jackson

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry

Did you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below

Did you burst out in pride
For the red white and blue
The heroes who died just doing what they do
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself to what really matters

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that bible at home
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Speak with some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

The greatest is love
The greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day

Hero

Mariah Carey

There's a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don't have to be afraid
Of what you are
There's an answer
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away

And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you

It's a long road
When you face the world alone
No one reaches out a hand
For you to hold
You can find love
If you search within yourself
And the emptiness you felt
Will disappear

And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you

Lord knows
Dreams are hard to follow
But don't let anyone
Tear them away
Hold on
There will be tomorrow
In time
You'll find the way

And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you

I think the first two songs they lyrics tell about the loss and impact of September 11th. They help us realize how terrible the attacks were and how strong a person must have had to be to stay and help save lives. The third set of lyrics tell us that everyone can be a hero, that it is inside of all of us. Everyone has the strength to be a hero.

Heroes From a Day We All Wish Had Never Happened: September 11th, 2001

When we were asked to do this assignment, I had no idea how or what type of hero to choose. I listened to what others said but still had no ideas. Then I remembered two things, a movie I had recently seen on Lifetime about the doctor that finds a cure for some types of cancer and that there was a war going on in Iraq. I decided I was going to do "War Heroes" or "Medical Heroes". When we got to the computer lab I started with Medical Heroes to see what I could find. I started at YouTube searching for "medical heroes". In that list there were things about EMTs, a few doctors and something I hadn't expected, "9/11 Health of our Heroes". I new the second I saw that what I was going to do. "Heroes of September 11th, 2001".

To be remembered as someone who helped save the lives of people who experienced such an awful thing would be such an honor. There were fire fighters, civilians, EMTs, doctors, police officers, and so many more that risked their lives trying to save those of others. Most say they were just doing their job, but because of that, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM IS A HERO.

"Real heroes are men who fall and fail and are flawed, but win out in the end because they've stayed true to their ideals and beliefs and commitments."

-Kevin Costner

http://sayings.wordpress.com/2007/09/17/heroes/

I chose this quote because the rescuers from 9/11 never gave up. They followed through with their commitments to the job.


No greater love

"The passengers and crew of United Flight 93 showed courage and self-sacrifice in the face of almost certain death." I think that the courage that the people on Flight 93 showed was amazing. If in the same situation, I don't know if I could have done what they did.

9/11 Will Never Be Forgotten By Wisconsin Fire Truck Company Workers Proud To Help New York

Building a fire truck takes time. Building 54 takes even more time. A Wisconsin company did just that, but they did it fairly quickly. This in return helped save lives. It's amazing that simply building fire trucks can make you a hero.

A Hero's Stroy From 9/11

You hear stories of the people who survived the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, of how they rescued people or nearly died. I've read a few in the past, but when I read this one I got the chills. This man lost people, but he survived and lives to tell the story.

9/11 Rescuers Return to the Pentagon

I can understand how difficult it would be to return to a place of such tragedy. Rescuers returned to the Pentagon to be honored, something they truly deserve. Risking your life to save someone else's life is something that should never go unnoticed, and for these people it didn't.

D.C. man indicted in Ham Lake fire

Today I read D.C. man indicted in Ham Lake fire by Larry Oakes. It was about the wildfires in Northern Minnesota last year started on May 5, 20o7. Stephen George Posniak was indicted on Tuesday for caussing one of Minnesota's wrost wildfires. It has been said that Posniak failed to fully extunguish his campfire at his campsite before leaving. With the dry, hot conditions Northern Minnesota was experiencing, failing to put out his fire was very dangerous. As we know, his failure to extiguish the fire caused a huge wildfire. The fires destroyed nearly 140 houses, cabins, and other stuctures before finally being contained and put out but cooler, wet weather and the work of more than 1,000 firefighters. The three-page indictment says, "in truth and in fact, as the defendant knew, he camped overnight on Ham Lake on the evening of May 4, 2007, and he started a paper trash fire at his Ham Lake campsite on the morning of May 5, 2007, that spread to nearby [forest]." Posniak knew what he was doing, and knew he should've put the fire out.

Finding Miracles

Over MEA break I read Finding Miracles by Julia Alvarez. Finding Miracles is about a girl who was adopted. In English class she is told to write a story about her life. She writes about a girl who gets an itchy rash on her hands when she thinks about where she came from or belonging to her family. When a new guy comes to school, she finds out that he is from the same country that she was born in. These two thing make Milly want to learn more about where she is from. When the Bolivars decide to take a trip back home, Milly is invited to go along. On the trip, Milly learns about possible families that she may have belonged to. At the same she gets close to Pablo. Finding Miracles is similar to Animal Dreams in the sense that the main character is on a journey to find herself. Like Codi, Milly has to find a sense of belonging and being needed to truly find herself.

So B. It

So B. It by Sarah Weeks is about a girl who grows up with a mentally disabled mother. Her neighbor Bernadette helps her with her mother, but it still make growing up hard. As the story goes on, Heidi decides she wants to go meet her father. She knows exactly who he is and here he is, or at least that's what's she's hoping. Each chapter of the book is titled with one of the twenty-three words her mother could say:
Heidi
So be it
Good
No
Blue
Soof
Out
Hot
Bad
Done
Shh
Uh-oh
Back soon
Hello
Dette
Tea
Go
Ow
More
Again
Pretty
Now
Kiss

Each word is tied into what the chapter is about as you watch Heidi search for her father.

Saving Grace

I tend to get bored with books really fast so what I do is pick up a book, read some of it, then pick up another book, then come back to it later. But this book was different. Saving Grace by Katherine Spencer is about a girl who loses her brother, Matt, of which she is really close to. As the story goes on you learn about what happened to her brother and the effects it is having on Grace. She can't stand to be around her friends; they remind her too much of Matt. Grace finds some new friends, the popular kids. They drink, they smoke, and they get in trouble, but anything is better than the painful reminders of Matt. Then a girl named Philomena shows up right when the most painful reminders of Matt's death are surfacing.. She always seems to be there in Grace's most difficult moments.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban

When I don't have anything else to read I tend to pick up one of the Harry Potter books. Though not my favorite, I started to read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban by J.K. Rowling. I picked this one up because I hadn't read it in a while. I love that there is a sense of mystery in all the Harry Potter books, yet my favorite one is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. While trying to save his godfather, Harry and Hermoine also save another life, Buckbeek. The two escape their scheduled deaths and run away, or in the case of Buckbeek, fly away.

13 Little Blue Envelopes

I started to read 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson. The book is about a girl whose aunt disappears. She decides to go to the place where her aunt lived and found a package with her name on it. When she opened it she found 13 blue envelopes. Each envelope had instructions inside of it, but she couldn't open the next one until she was in the place where the previous one told her she needed to be. The envelopes take Ginny all over Europe to see some amazing sights and to see what her aunt saw.

Edina Residents and Their Say

I eat breakfast every morning with the Star Tribune newspaper sitting in front of me. Now whether I read it or not all depends on whether or not something catches my eye. Well, on Wednesday that happened. My dad had left the "West Extra" section on the top with an article reading "Edina aims to let residents have more of their say" by Mary Jane Smetanka. Living in Edina I was curious as to what it said. I learned that some residents in Edina have been upset that they couldn't talk during the City Council meetings. According to Eden Prairie, who have held such meetings in the past, they seem to be a sucsess. Edina wants to give its residents the same chance. They want to give people the chance to come and complain, complement, or ask a question about what is giong on in the city and why. At Edina City Council meetings, there is currently time alotted for people to come and speak, but are not aloowed to speak about issues from the previous month or that are scheduled to be discussed in the months to come. Edina hopes that this new idea of an informal meeting where people can simply come and speak what is on their mind about Edina will make the city a better place to live.

Faorites from Animal Dreams

My favorite quote from Animal Dreams is, "'So you think we all just have animal dreams. We can't think of anything to dream about except our ordinary lives.' He gently moved a lock of hair out of my eyes. 'Only if you have an ordinary life. If you want sweet dreams, you've got to live a sweet life.' (pg. 133 Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver)." I really like this quote because I think that your dreams are almost your way of reflecting on your life without knowing it. I think that it is important to have goals and if you dream about these goals you can picture yourself achieving them, therefore having more of an incentive to acomplish them. I also think that by Loyd saying this to Codi it makes her feel a little more at peace with herself and being with him.
My favorite character in Animal Dreams is Loyd. I like his alomost mysterios ways and his understanding and patients with Codi. I feel that he has this "energy" that makes Codi like him as ling with the readers. I like how he is portrayed as this slightly shallow guy who gets around, but yet has this deep side that pulls you in and makes you want to read more and see what he will do with and/or for Codi next.
I think that the most important scene Animal Dreams so far is when Loyd and Codi go to vistit Loyd's family for Christmas. I think it shows Codi what it could feel like to belong someplace with a group of people. When Loyd says, "We're like coyotes, get to a good place, turn around three times in the grass, and you're home. Once you know how, you can always do that, no matter what. You won't forget." I feel like he is trying to tell Codi that she can belong anywhere she wants to, make homw anywhere she wants to. I think this is significant because it is saying that home insn't a place, but a feeling you have in a place, whether that is one place or ten places.

Favorite Books

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Saving Grace by Katherine Spencer
The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

My Sister's Keeper

I recently read My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I really liked this book. My Sister's Keeper is about a young girl who has a sister with cancer. Her parents had her in the hopes that she would be a perfect donor match for her sister, Kate, and she was. The story goes onto say that Anna is a donor for Kate multiple times, which Anna doesn't seem to mind. But Anna has to drw the line somewhere, and being asked to donate a kidney is where she does just that. Anna decides to find a lawyer and file for Medical Emancipation. I think that Anna definitely had a right to file for Medical Emancipation. I think that it's important that in these situations, however rare or unrare they may be, to remember that yes there is a child with cancer who needs transplants, but at the same time there is also another child in the picture. A child who may be physically harmed by the medical procedure. I was almost angry with the ending to My Sister's Keeper. It had a weird twist that you would have never seen coming. (Photo from: books.google.com)

Thirteen Reasons Why

One of my favorite books is Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Thirteen Reasons Why is about the thirteen reasons why girl commited suicide. She recorded seven tapes, each side with a different reason, a different person. As you read the book you learn about the things she went threw at school and at home. You see the reactions of the kid who has to listen to the tapes, then pass them onto the next person listed on the tapes. I got wrapped up in Thirteen Reasons Why and had a hard time putting it down. (Photo from http://thefirstbook.wordpress.com/2008/02/11/jay-asher-thirteen-reasons-why/ )

Animal Dreams Character Comparison

In the book Animal Dreams, two of the characters are Codi and Loyd. Like all characters in stories, they have similarities along with differences.

Hello