The Choice

1) The choice for Rebecca to take the poison or not on her own.
2) It's not a real choice because either way, Rebecca's parents are going to make sure she takes it.
3) Because it's exactly what they are doing, poisoning there daughters cancer, but also the rest of her healthy cells.
4) She wants to play with the toy because she says she's not going to live to be eight. I agree and disagree because if you agree to let her play with it, your pretty much telling Rebecca "Yeah your right, you're going to die." But if you disagree you are assuring Rebecca that she is going to be fine.
5) I'd want to make sure I spent a lot more time with my family, help others in need in their lives, and go out into the world and try  to experience as much as I can.
6) When you know that your discomfort is benefitting all those around you but not just family but everyone as a whole.
7) Yes because it makes you realizes what you have or had, or it can be a learning experience that you pass on to others.
8) I think it's because nobody can imagine something like this happening to someone close to them and they want to support that person through their suffering.

Research Paper

Our lives are watched over every day by police and security every day. They are what make citizens feel like they are safe to go about their day to day business. What happens though when these people that are there to protect us are the ones who are also making people live in fear? Across the country and even around the world, people of all ethnicities face the problem of racial profiling whether they’re African-American, White, Mexican, Asian, or any other race. Not all people are racist but still to this day racial profiling exists and happens on a day to day basis. The minorities however are the ones who face the real impact of this profiling and are abused by law enforcement physically and mentally. Reputations of officers drop among these people because they now believe that instead of being there to protect them, the police are out to get them. These events of racial profiling are hardly brought to public concern because they are usually pushed aside as false claims. These accounts of profiling have left people across the humiliated and in some cases dead.

Racial Profiling Notes and Resources

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/15/opinion/racial-profiling-lives-on.html?_r=0

• officers are more likely to stop African americans and latinos before white person based on suspicion and race.
• racial stereo types say that an armed black man is more dangerous than a armed white man
• could stop a person for being latino and believe that they are undocumented
• officers can stop and question anyone because as long as there free to walk away, the fourth amendment doesn't apply
• officers don't have to tell a person that they have the right to deny a search request

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/01/showbiz/tyler-perry-profiling/

• white officers became more aggressive due to a fact that they had stopped a black man
• due to the fact that perry said he was making sure no one was following him, the officers began questioning him further for things other than the traffic violation
• perrys mentality was to not question the officers especially since they were white and to do as they say
• officers look for things to questions such as tinted windows and begin trying to take keys from his car
• a 3rd officer shows up that is black, upon seeing perry, there is a different reaction that comes from the two white cops that are very apologetic.

https://www.aclu.org/racial-justice/lapd-provides-disappointing-response-racial-profiling-report

• LAPD denies any racial profiling in there department and that if there is any, its very little
• LAPD refuses any type of work that involes weeding out or pointing out racial profiling in there department
• 1200 claims made against LAPD for racial profiling, all of them denied by them

http://www.publicintegrity.org/2012/03/20/8456/racial-profiling-blamed-black-teens-shooting-florida

• a white man who was said to be an "aggressive neighborhood watch" suspicious of a black teen walking in his complex
• due to reports of theft, it was assumed that this black teen was up to no good
• dispatchers tried telling Zimmerman that he didn't need to follow trayvon and he refused
• police defend Zimmerman claiming it was "self-defense" and that it applies under stand your ground laws
• witnesses that called the police said that the cries for help were from a boy that suddenly stopped when a gun shot was fired.
• trayvon's girlfriend was on the phone with him before this happened and there is recorded evidence that Zimmerman confronted trayvon first

http://www.publicintegrity.org/2013/10/25/13612/police-killing-boy-13-pellet-gun-spotlights-foiled-attempts-regulate-replicas

• andy was a kid of Hispanic decent, a possible reason to the quick decision to shoot
• officers gave little warning to surrender before shooting
• soldiers at war don't have permission to fire unless fired upon where as the police fired on this boy before he fully turned around
• 7 shots fired within 10 seconds, a long period to be shooting at someone

http://www.thenation.com/article/175693/did-racial-profiling-put-unarmed-black-man-jail-north-Carolina

• a young black man is stopped for traffic violation by an officer in street clothes and is choked by the officer
• the black man says that the officer was pulling his gun and accidently shot himself in the leg and in that moment took the gun from him and threw it and ran away.
• evidence does show that the officers equipment was scattered around the area but the gun was never found
• officers say that riley took the officers weapon and shot him with it and ran off
• there is a pattern that shows officers assume that the black body is considered a weapon.
• durham county is know as one of North Carolinas most racist areas
• other reports of racial profiling have occurred in this area that have end with physical violence by the officers who stop people based on race

http://www.channelone.com/swedish-gypsy-file-brings-racial-profiling-fears/

• racial profiling can be found across the world and for many other races
• A gypsy family in sweeden found out that they were on a profile for police to fight violent crime
• 5000 people in this profile not limited to children
• compared the situation to hitler
• European countries are racist towards these people and are the equvilant of how people profile against minorities in America
• Some people in Europe don't deny the racial profiling such as the French interior minister who says that there lifestyle is "confrontational" to that of the French

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/us/racial-profiling-at-boston-airport-officials-say.html?_r=0

• officers in this airport  have observed evidence of racial profiling
• written complaints from the officers that they were to target minorities
• minorities were stopped to raise numbers of stops to show that there program was working but 80 percent of the stops were on minorities

http://kalw.org/post/psychology-racial-profiling-policing

• alameda county sheriff have received about 30 complaints of racial profiling since 2005 and found 3 to be improper actions by officers
• stereotyping is typical human behavior whether you believe it or not
• officer Ron Davis looks on his career of policing and realize that he has been apart of racial profiling even though it wasn't intentional

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/05/two-cases-going-viral-question-police-force-profiling/2885769/

• video evidence of an officer running over a black man running on foot
•  shooting another man 10 times for not listening to orders.
• officer being charged with man slaughter
• officers report that the man shot charged the car and was shot at with a tazer and missed so 10 shots were fired but dash cam shows that the man shot had his hands above his head

7 Times

The officers shot out of racial profiling, no doubt in my mind. I won't lie if I saw someone in a hoodie walking around with what appeared to be a real weapon, I'd be a little on edge. What troubles me is the fact that the officers were so quick to shoot without letting the boy answer. The officer fired because the kid supposedly turned around and pointed the gun at the officer. I don't believe that one second because I'm pretty sure no one is dumb enough to point a gun, fake or real, at an officer. I think the kid was just turning around to see who called him but wasn't given the chance too. If officers have free range like this, are we saying that if a ranger calls out to a hunter and they turn around, they have the right to shoot them. Even on the battlefields in Afghanistan,  There are still rules to engagement. Soldiers are not to shoot unless fired upon. Does this mean that people over there who we're at war with get more protection that the citizens who are supposed to be protected by police? The article says the officer was 30 feet away. Even if there's no orange tip, that's still close enough to determine if its a air rifle. As realistic as it may have looked there are still clear distinguishable differences between the two. If this was really and accident, the officer would have shot only once, because at that point the person would shoot back immediately. Seven times though in 10 seconds though..... that tells you that this officer only wanted to kill.

Racial Profiling Lives On Notes

• Officers tend to harass minorities due to racial profiling.
• An officer is more likely to stop a African American or Latino before a white person.
• Crime rates are significantly higher for minorities but that's due to officers who patrol and frisk low in come/ high crime rate areas which are usually home to minorities.
• Officers will try and find and excuse to stop a minority.
• People don't have the right to know that they can refuse a request to conduct a search. This causes people to give themselves up to search.
• Immigration laws cause most Latinos to be stopped and checked of documents just by suspicion.
• Even if the officer was to use what the suspect would call "excessive force" court would appeal to the officer because it is there judgment.
• As long as an officer has reasonable excuse for why they stopped someone, it is constitutional and there's no proof against and officer who is supposedly using racial profiling.

LAQ #3 Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Topic
1)     I thought that the book I read was nonfiction because I remember my teacher back in 7th grade telling us that it was when we read it back then. It is not though, it is historical fiction which is somewhat close to nonfiction. This story though is about two neighboring families during world war 2 in Nazi occupied Denmark. One family the families is Jewish and both have two girls that go to school together. Nazi hostility towards the Jews leads to the Rosen family fleeing but leaving there daughter behind with the Johansen's who are helping Jews escape to Sweden.

2)     Lowry chose to write about this time because, it is a history filled time period. All though this time was a dark point in our history. It is good to tell stories about this time to remind people of what happened and how it should never happen again.

3)     I chose this book because I remember this book from junior high and I thought that maybe if I read it now, I would understand it better because now I know what the holocaust is. Also because I never returned it and its one of the only books I have that I thought was nonfiction.

4)     I found this book to be realistic because there is extensive history on the holocaust. From reading this also, it's believable to read this because in history books and videos, they talk about how Jews would be hidden by friends or helped to escape. I can't relate to this story at all because I will never experience a type of hardship like this.

Characters

1)      In my case, the author did create these characters. I feel though to create these characters, the author had to have done extensive research to get personalities and memories of people who were alive in that time and relate it to that time in history and make them believable characters who would do anything to survive.

2)     Ellen Rosen- She is Annemarie's best friend. She is a studious girl and serious. She is a Jew though so she is in immediate danger with the Nazi presence so she is seen being scared. Ellen has dark hair which makes her look different from the rest of Johansen family but is able to pull of being a daughter because Annemarie's dead sister had dark hair like Ellen.
      Annemarie Johansen- She is Ellen's best friend. She is said to be abnormally tall for a ten year old and she's very aware about the war going on around her. She doesn't have any fear of the Nazis because she knows that they aren't after her. She admires brave people and wishes that she can show her bravery.

3)     What makes these two characters so interesting to write about is the point of view that the book is written from. Most world war 2 and holocaust stories are told from the eyes of an adult. This book is so original because it is told from the views of two children who are trying to understand what the war is really about.

4)     The main character is Annemarie and she is a dynamic character. At the beginning of the novel she does realize that there is a war going on but doesn't understand the severity. After being stopped by a Nazi soldier, she began questioning what was really happening. Little by little she is fully let into the background of the war and details like how her sister really died because she was apart of the resistance. At the end of the war, Annemarie choses to where the star of david until she meets Ellen again.

5) The authors syntax changes when he begins to focus on Ellen. There is a more fearful tone because Ellen is the one who is at risk of being taken by the Nazis. The tone becomes more suspenseful during these times show Ellen's paranoia.

6) I feel after reading this book that I actually met a character. Annemarie was the most dynamic because from beginning to end you see growth in her. The war around her makes her more mature and insightful to the things around her.

Style
1)     One symbol that clearly stood out for me was at the end when Annemarie choses to where the Star of David until she is reunited with Ellen. It shows that she has a very close bond with her friend and that she will stand through anything for her.

2)     Lowry took a serious stance to the topic in this story. This period of time was a devastation to millions of people and wants us to see through a point of view of people caught in this situation.

3)     I think that the main characters in this story learn that even in the face of humanities evil behaviors, not everyone is like that and are willing to stand by your side to defend you. Ellen and her family knows this because the Johansen's were risking there own safety to help out those in need to escape the Nazis. I see this because Annemarie wants to show her bravery to help her friend and at the end of the novel, shows her devotion as a friend to Ellen.

Value of learning/ value of life

 Hamlet's Soliloquy Activities

• Activity 1

To me, being alive is actually doing something with your life. Not just sitting around letting things come to you but being a go getter. Being alive is a person looking for something to do, to be a change, looking for every opportunity that they can get. Life is made worth while when you are setting goals for yourself to achieve. Not just simple goals that can be obtained with no effort but something that you will have to work for in order to achieve.

• Activity 2

The word "Life" has different meanings to people. To one person life can mean physical life. An example is how a person looks at there well-being or the how people physically live. To others it can mean showing signs of thought or an indication of hope. The word can be interpreted in many different ways to show different meaning.

• Activity 3

1. I've only been to one play in my life and it was for my sister. I couldn't stand all the singing.
2. I noticed that it really doesn't rhyme and each line isn't end just because it goes down a line.
3. The text is written in iambic pentameter which Shakespeare is known to use a lot.

• Activity 4

1. Tragedy usually means something very disastrous happened. So in this case know Hamlet is a tradgedy, you know that it isn't going to end well.
2. Normally Shakespeare has very difficult plays to understand. Mostly because no one ever talks that way so it's hard to pull meaning out of what's said.
3. Normally I would just look up a summary on the reading because I had no way of understanding it myself.
4. Hamlet is deciding if he will kill his uncle or not. He has already made up his mind that it has to be done but now he's afraid to do it. He is scarred of the unknown that comes afterwards.

• Activity 5

opposition- support
action- stand by
endurance- unconditioned
mystery- solved
life- death

action- attack, commit, react, offensive
thought- hesitation, second-guessing, regret, uncertain
suffering- hurt, emotions, conflicted
mortality- short, unexpected, death
fear- unknown, death, nervous, confidence

• Activity 6

I would say that Hamlet is more of a pessimist just because the fact that he is hesitant. He knows that he must kill his uncle but is unsure of himself. He s scared of what might happen to him but also scared of what will happen if he doesn't. Nothing is looked at in a positive way.

• Activity 7

1. The main question is asked in line one when he says, "To be, or not to be."
2. Immediately after Hamlet asks the question, he begins describing what he means by the initial question.
3. Hamlet never does answer his own question but continues on and on about how he feels about it.
4. He also talks about death and wondering what it would be like if he was gone.
5. I don't think Hamlet actually ever finished his speech because it seemed like he would physic himself out when it seemed that he was coming to a conclusion.

• Activity 8

"For in that sleep of death what dreams may come/ when we have shuffled off this mortal coil/ must give us peace."
Death is the subject and shuffled is the verb.

• Activity 9

Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer

The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune,

Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles

 

 

For who would bear the Whips and Scorns of time,
The Oppressor's wrong, the proud man's Contumely

 

 

Thus Conscience does make Cowards of us all

 

• Activity 10

  ...take Arms against a Sea of troubles- go against life's struggles

That makes Calamity of so long life- living with disasters makes like seem longer

But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered Country, from whose bourn- Scared of what happens when you die
No Traveller returns

Thus Conscience does make Cowards of us all- everyone is intimidated by there thoughts

Shakespeare talks in this weird way because the meaning isn't given away so clearly making the reader try to interpret their own meanings.