tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770544591550492822024-02-08T11:59:31.533-08:00Jacqueline's AP Lang BlogJacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-80318139390283847152012-04-04T17:05:00.000-07:002012-04-04T17:05:09.154-07:00What Are Its Shortcomings?There is only one shortcoming to <i>The Men Who Stare At Goats</i> and that is that the events are out of order, which makes the book confusing at some times. This is a shortcoming because I had to flip to previous pages to clear some things up. Other than this one shortcoming, the rest of the book is praiseworthy and I would definitely recommend it to other students.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-52615084635742624972012-04-04T17:04:00.000-07:002012-04-04T17:04:38.438-07:00What Was Praiseworthy About The Book?Something that was praiseworthy about <i>The Men Who Stare At Goats</i> is the action that the events bring. In addition, I enjoy the hidden humor of the book. The action and the humor make it praiseworthy because that is what I look for when I am trying to find a new book to read. There are several other things that make this book praiseworthy, but those are the key ones that make this book so great.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-29088267655948264872012-04-04T17:03:00.000-07:002012-04-04T17:03:49.650-07:00The Main Idea Of "The Men Who Stare At Goats"The main idea of <i>The Men Who Stare At Goats </i>was to open peoples' eyes to the weird and exotic happenings of the U.S. Military and several inspired citizens of the United States. This book shows that the Military once believed, and possibly still does believe, in trying to use supernatural powers and psychic abilities to control an enemy. In addition, it shows that the U.S. brought more science and technology into the military. <i>The Men Who Stare At Goats</i> informs people about unknown events and humorous actions that have happened in the 1900s and the recent years.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-85208336605664993252012-04-04T17:02:00.000-07:002012-04-04T17:02:29.464-07:00The Difference Between "I Me Mine" and "The Men Who Stare At Goats"<i>I Me Mine </i>and<i> The Men Who Stare At Goats </i>are two totally different books. <i>I Me Mine </i>was an autobiography of George Harrison, while<i> The Men Who Stare At Goats</i> is a non-fiction book about odd events throughout the U.S. Military and the World. Both books were amazing and I didn't stop reading them until the book was finished. <i>The Men Who Stare At Goats,</i> however, was a more humorous book that had a lot more action than<i> I Me Mine.</i> As Much as I love reading about the Beatles, <i>The Men Who Stare At Goats </i>was the better book because of the action and the interesting events that have went on throughout the 1900s. It was also more upbeat, which gave it a better mood. <i>I Me Mine </i>and<i> The Men Who Stare At Goats </i>were both fantastic non-fiction books, but they were both so different that they can't really be compared.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-57869264876785543982012-04-04T17:00:00.000-07:002012-04-04T17:00:39.554-07:00Three Major Incidents Of "The Men Who Stare At Goats"Three major incidents of <i>The Men Who Stare At Goats </i>are the creation of the First Earth Battalion, psychological warfare against Iraqi prisoners, and the CIA's involvement with mind altering techniques.<br />
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The First Earth Battalion was created by a man named Jim Channon. Jim Channon was a Vietnam veteran who was traumatized by the war and created a book called <i>First Earth Battalion Operations Manual</i>. This book was about new military tactics that calm the enemy and make peace with everyone. He also talked about psychic ability that will also help calm the enemy. <i>Fist Earth Battalion Operations Manual</i> inspired someone to attempt to make group in the U.S. Military called the First Earth Battalion. General Stubblebine was the man who helped contribute to making this group. The people in this group were expected to use their minds to create peace with the enemy. Sadly, this army never really accomplished that goal, however, several people still get inspired by Jim Channon's book.<br />
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Another major incident was psychological warfare with Iraqi prisoners. During the war in Iraq, the U.S. Army has been testing different methods of questioning the enemy. Jon Ronson finds out that what they are testing is quite odd. An army group called PsyOps put Iraqi prisoners in a metal shipping container, flashed a light on and off, and played different kinds of music loudly. This was to see if the prisoners would answer questions asked by the army. Jon Ronson also found out about subliminal messaging that the army may have been using, but it was never confirmed.<br />
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The last major incident of the book was about the CIA's involvement with mind altering techniques. A man by the name of Eric Olson researched the death of his father for years. He just recently found out that the CIA was involved and they put all kinds of tests on him. They even gave him LSD to see if he would answer questions truthfully. Eric Olson believes that they killed his dad because he was going to leak thins information to the press. It was confirmed when Eric had a doctor observe his father's body and they found a bullet wound in the head. This is quite a big incident of the book because it shows that the CIA are testing different tactics for mind altering, which is very suspicious.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-9632883008891038972012-04-04T16:57:00.000-07:002012-04-04T16:57:16.511-07:00What Element Is Most Important To The Story?The characters and the events are the most important elements of <i>The Men Who Stare At Goats.</i> This is because the characters bring life into the book and the events move the plot along. The several people introduced in the book are very different, odd individuals that make the book funny and very interesting. They are what makes the book true and what makes the book a book. With the characters interesting beliefs and actions, there is always something to laugh about or something that makes the reader curious to find out more. The events give <i>The Men Who Stare At Goats</i> structure and makes the it believable. The events are very interesting and guide the reader through this very action packed book. Without these key elements, the book would literally be nothing; characters and events make <i>The Men Who Stare At Goats</i> one of my favorite books.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-18641500027475821132012-04-04T16:55:00.000-07:002012-04-04T16:55:39.475-07:00The Mood of "The Men Who Stare At Goats"<i>The Men Who Stare At Goats</i> is both humorous and serious because it informs of true events and it entertains the reader. The book is humorous by the several characters that are unintentionally funny. For example, one man, Guy Savelli, was part of a psychic group of military people and he claimed to have killed his hamster. "And then he said- and his voice sounded sorrowful and distressed- 'Last week I killed my hamster.'" When Guy said he killed his hamster, he was talking about how he used psychic powers to kill it, and then shows Jon Ronson the video of him staring at it, but it never actually dies. This brought humor into the book and made it more than just a book of information. Another part of the book that had humor was when a man by the name of Pete Brusso, a teacher of martial arts who believes in psychic powers, actually beats up the reporter Jon Ronson. "I didn't see Pete's hands move. All I know is that both my armpits, my neck, and my chest began to hurt enormously, all at once, and then I was flying..." Pete Brusso asked Ronson to choke him, so he did, and that is what happened; he got thrown up in the air without really even knowing how it happened. This seemed like a hilarious break in the book because it was unexpected.<br />
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</div><div>The book is also serious because Jon Ronson talks about real world issues, like the war in Iraq and the 9/11 attacks. A man named Bert Rodriguez, a martial arts teacher who also believes in psychic power, was apparently a trainer of Ziad Jarrah who took down one of the planes on 9/11. "Ziad Jarrah was twenty-six when he took control of United Airlines flight 93, which came down in a field in Pennsylvania on its way to Washington, D.C." This part of the book had a very serious mood to it because it talked about how Bert Rodriguez unknowingly taught a terrorist martial arts to prepare him for the 9/11 attacks. </div>Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-44665219136286321152012-04-04T16:52:00.000-07:002012-04-04T16:52:14.103-07:00What Kind Of Person Do You Think The Author Is?I think the author of <i>The Men Who Stare At Goats</i> is a sarcastic individual that is also curious about the history of the U.S. Military. The author, Jon Ronson, is a reporter who is originally from the U.K. He seems to be interested in odd individuals because in <i>The Men Who Stare At Goats</i> he interviews and talks to some very strange people. While talking about these strange people in the book, he uses hints of humor to describe the people and events that happen, which show that he has a humorous personality. Jon Ronson's curiosity definitely shows in the book because he is always asking questions and trying to find answers. He also wrote another book about extremists called <i>Them Adventures With Extremists,</i> which shows that he likes to learn about different people and share their story.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-3357940933369955562012-04-04T16:50:00.000-07:002012-04-04T16:50:46.192-07:00Jon Ronson's Purpose of writing "The Men Who Stare At Goats"The purpose of Jon Ronson writing <i>The Men Who Stare At Goats</i> was to inform and entertain. This is because Ronson uses sarcasm to inform the audience of a classified group of people in the U.S. Military that have done strange events for several years. He talks about the history of this weird group of individuals and where they are today. This topic of technology and military science is entertaining to the audience because this department of the military has been unknown to the public for quite some time. <i>The Men Who Stare At Goats</i> is an exciting book that informs and entertains the audience with the twisted history of an eventful group of people in the military.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-194285831332867282012-04-04T12:49:00.001-07:002012-04-04T13:06:14.908-07:00MLA Documentation of "The Men Who Stare At Goats"Ronson, Jon. <i>The Men Who Stare At Goats. </i>New York: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks, 2009. Print.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-65062352634305133652012-02-28T20:02:00.000-08:002012-02-28T20:02:53.620-08:00FCA's<br />
1. Identify a position<br />
2. Explain your criteria, application, reasoning for your position with quoted evidence as support. Please indicate the page number of your quote in parentheses following the quote.<br />
3. Explain the position of the opposition and provide counterargument.<br />
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For the first two years of one book one school at Allen Park High School, the books were basically the same, dystopian novels. To say I am sick of dystopian novels is an understatement, I dispise dystopian novels! So this year's one book one school book <em>Life As We Knew It</em> was almost a relief to read after reading the other two books. <em>Life As We Knew It</em> was an action packed book that kept me reading until the end.<br />
<i>Life As We Knew It</i> was a great book, especially because it's set up like a diary, which makes reading go by faster. This set up also gives any reader an almost personal experience of the natural disaster that took place. The way Miranda, the teenage girl who writes the journal, describes her and her family waiting and watching the news to see why the moon came so close to the Earth makes the reader wait with anticipation like they were actually watching the TV with her family. "The TV connection went in and out, but we never got cable back (pg.22)." When Miranda said this, I had to go check and see if my TV still had cable. The action of <i>Life As We Knew It</i> seemed so real that the reader feels like this disaster is actually happening for real.<br />
<i>Life As We Knew It</i> was also an interesting book because of how Susan Pfeffer used a plausible natural disaster for the plot line. I happen to be a big fan of sciency disasters, so reading about an asteroid hitting the moon and the moon causing a lot of disasters made the book scary and interesting. The fact that this event could actually happen causes any reader to become terrified of the moon and asteroids. When Miranda says, "...the moon wasn't a half moon anymore. It was tilted and wrong and a three-quarter moon and it got larger, way larger...(pg.19)," I began to fear the moon. Her explanation would make any reader begin to watch the moon with suspicion or go looking through a telescope to see if there are any asteroids heading for the moon.<br />
Although some people may think of this book as too much of an easy read or too generic, there is so much more to this book even though it is a fast read.People that didn't like <i>Life As We Knew It</i> may have their reasons for disliking the book, but they need to realize that there can be other reasons to like the book. It has action, romance, science, family experiences, and so much more. One can't look at something they don't like in the book and disregard other parts of the book that they may like. <i>Life As We Knew It </i>was an amazing book and I would recommend to anyone that is looking for a scary, science and action filled book that will keep the reader hooked until the very end.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-89716055704529057262012-02-15T17:57:00.000-08:002012-02-15T18:19:09.610-08:00Why I chose "The Men Who Stare At Goats"The non-fiction book I picked for my project was<i> The Men Who Stare At Goats.</i> I thought this would be a good choice because I love the movie and it seems like an interesting topic to look into. It never occurred to me that the movie was based off a book until my brother told me about it. I then realized that the book was non-fiction and immediately decided that that would be my book for this quarters project. It also caught my attention because it is a very ridiculous topic and I happen to like idiotic subjects that are surprisingly true. This book will be interesting and teach me about the crazy events in the military in the 1960s-2000s.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-30007821214588985142011-11-27T13:44:00.000-08:002011-11-27T13:44:43.616-08:00Recommendation of I Me Mine to AP StudentsI would recommend <em>I Me Mine</em> to anyone who is a Beatles fan or anyone who is looking for something inspirational to read. I think the book should have been a little longer, but it is full of events and information. In addition, it might be a little hard to comprehend at some parts, but AP students are suppose to read challenging literature. Overall it is a good book that is very interesting.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-14947588303203710722011-11-27T13:31:00.000-08:002011-11-27T13:33:47.188-08:00Summary of I Me MineThe book starts out with Derek Taylor talking about how he met George Harrison and how they became good friends when he became the Beatles press officer. Then it goes into George's life. He was born February 25, 1943 in a small house in Liverpool. Then, he talks about how he had an interest in rock and roll music and when he met Paul McCartney at school. He then drops out of school and joins the Quarrymen after an audition on a double decker bus with John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Soon Brian Epstein becomes their manger and Ringo Starr joins, and they become the Beatles. They become famous for their song "Love Me Do". The Beatles rise to fame, but George Harrison mentions that he dislikes all the attention. He then recalls a time when they had to go to Manila to perform and how it ended up in fear, but they managed to get out of there.<br />
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George Harrison then talks about going to India, getting a sitar, and converting to the Hindu faith. Ravi Shankar is mentioned and other big influences of George Harrison's life. The marriage of George Harrison and Pattie Boyd is another event that he talks about, and how they both go to India several times<br />
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The drug LSD is also mentioned and how his dentist slipped it into John Lennon's and George Harrison's coffee. This leads to George Harrison talking about how the Beatles took the drug other times, and how it influenced their music. Then he talks about the Beatles breaking up and how he had several benefit concerts, like the Concert for Bangla Desh. He also talks about how he bought Friar Park, and how he started making more music there. <br />
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George Harrison also mentions how he became friends with Eric Idle from the show Monty Python. In addition he mentions how he became fond of Motor Racing and his love of cars. The other parts of the book are pictures and all the songs he wrote along with his notes and a descriptions of each song.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-72471634514139144012011-11-27T12:18:00.000-08:002011-11-27T12:21:49.834-08:00Best Section of the BookThe best section of <em>I Me Mine</em> is when George Harrison goes to India and starts practicing Hinduism. I believe this is the best part of the book because he finds a faith that he believed in for the rest of his life. In addition, this part of the book is where he found the rest of his niche, and where his tone lights up. He is happy throughout the whole book, but in this section you can tell that he is happier, because he believes in something. I think becoming Hindu set the tone for the rest of his life, which makes this section of the book the most important. This event may even be the most important in his life.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-70863193863592636322011-11-27T11:38:00.000-08:002011-11-27T13:47:50.417-08:00The Author's Tone On One Page of I Me Mine pg. 55One part of the book that I think is interesting is when George Harrison describes his lessons on the sitar with Ravi Shankar. He has a fascinated, grateful, and excited tone. It's almost as if he lights up when talking about the sitar lessons, just like when he says, "The first sitar lesson was interesting in that it was so nice to find somebody who was such a master being able to start from scratch with a beginner." He seems to be very excited about the whole experience. George Harrison's tone is also informative when he talks about what you shouldn't do when playing a sitar or practicing the Hindu faith. <br />
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One section on this page is when Ravi Shankar tells George that you must have respect for the instrument. George then says, "... you can't appreciate anything if you have no respect." This shows that looked up to Ravi Shankar, and learned a great deal from him. This page shows that George Harrison was influenced greatly by Ravi Shankar.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-64362868590845112132011-11-27T10:57:00.000-08:002011-11-27T10:57:26.052-08:00Ten Significant Events in I Me Mine1. George Harrison was born February 25, 1943.<br />
2. George Harrison got his first guitar and started playing rock and roll music.<br />
3. Paul McCartney introduced George Harrison to John Lennon and he then joined the Quarrymen.<br />
4. The Beatles became famous with their song "Love Me Do".<br />
5. George Harrison meets Pattie Boyd and they marry, but later split up and George marries Olivia Harrison.<br />
6. Gorge Harrison starts playing the sitar, goes to India and starts practicing the Hindu faith.<br />
7. George Harrison becomes good friends with Ravi Shankar.<br />
8. The Beatles break up in 1969.<br />
9. George Harrison buys Friar Park and has the benefit concert, Concert for Bangla Desh.<br />
10. George Harrison becomes fond of Motor Racing.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-11440019824101055672011-11-27T10:43:00.000-08:002011-11-27T10:43:53.542-08:00Two Important Places in I Me MineTwo important places in <em>I Me Mine</em> are India and Friar Park. India was mentioned because that is where George Harrison finds the Hindu faith and several people who would guide him to spirituality. Before entering India, George Harrison thinks they are a foreign country that knows nothing about the recent pop culture. When he arrives there, with the other Beatles, he realizes he was wrong because several people were screaming "The Beatles!" and running toward them. He described India as beautiful, and some parts as British because the British came in and built roads and buildings some places. George Harrison thought of India as a second home because he felt that he belonged. After the first trip, he took several other trips to India throughout his life.<br />
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Friar Park was another place mentioned in the book. It was George Harrison's final home that he bought when he found out it was going to be demolished. Friar Park was previously a Catholic school before he turned it into his home. Surrounding the magnificent building was several acres of beautiful land. George Harrison became fond of gardening and was constantly changing the several acres of land. Friar Park became a big part of his life. This was where he lived with Olivia Harrison and his son Dhani. He also had a music studio built there, where he recorded all of his other albums.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-64938000572605124692011-11-27T10:03:00.000-08:002011-11-28T16:06:31.085-08:00Important People in I Me MineThere are several people in <em>I Me Mine</em> that are important, but there are a few that stand out more than others. These important people are George Harrison, the other three Beatles, Pattie Boyd, and Ravi Shankar. George Harrison is the most important character because this book is his autobiography. He was a guitar player and songwriter in the Beatles, and then became a solo music artists. Harrison was a tall, quiet individual, but was a powerful person. It was never about him and always about others. His music made many people happy and his influence told others to be peaceful and to give charity. <br />
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The other three Beatles, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and Paul McCartney, were also very important in <em>I Me Mine</em>. They were all around the same age, had mop top hair cuts at one point, and they all became very good friends. The other three Beatles influenced George Harrison greatly. They helped each other become famous and despite the Beatles breaking up, they are still a very well known band today. Although they had fights in the end, they were still friends and are all still known as the Beatles.<br />
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Pattie Boyd is another important person. She was George Harrison's first wife. They met on the set of <em>A Hard Days Night, </em>the fake Beatles documentary. She was normal height and blond, and was always in style when it came to fashion. Pattie Boyd was a great influence on George Harrison's life because she helped him find Hinduism, and Eastern Indian culture. Although she was a big influence,she left him for Eric Clapton, a musician and one of George Harrison's good friends. <br />
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Ravi Shankar is from India and is a well known sitar player.Ravi Shankar, in my opinion, is one of the biggest influences on George's life. This is because he became a mentor for George Harrison. Ravi Shankar helped him play the sitar and helped him with practicing the Hindu faith. He also helped Harrison become very spiritual in his mind and in his music. Both George Harrison and Ravi Shankar became very good friends, and even played concerts together.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-23942732784428306842011-11-17T16:17:00.000-08:002011-11-17T16:17:12.936-08:00How the Title I Me Mine Was ChosenI Me Mine was a name of one of the songs that George Harrison wrote when in the Beatles. Aside from it being a name of one of George's songs, it is also ironic. This is because it was never "I me mine" with George Harrison. What I mean is it was never all about him; he was a giver and never really the center of attention. In his book he said, "I hated everything about my ego- it was a flash of everything false and impermanent which I disliked." This shows that he didn't want everything to be about him, but he wanted it to be about others. His many charity concerts that he did is proof that it wasn't all about him.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-15046731123615052882011-11-17T15:58:00.000-08:002011-11-17T16:00:45.422-08:00About the Authors of I Me MineThe authors of <em>I Me Mine</em> are George Harrison and Derek Taylor. George Harrison was a member of the Beatles and after the Beatles was a solo music artist. He was born February 25, 1943 in Liverpool, England. George Harrison was married twice, first to Pattie Boyd and second to Olivia Harrison. He had one son with Olivia, a boy named Dhani. This book is the only book he wrote, but he wrote many songs that are well known. Harrison is well known for not just being in the Beatles, but also creating many charity events like the Concert for Bangla Desh and his peaceful songs that warmed the hearts of many people. Sadly he died in 2001 from cancerous tumors in is brain and his lung.<br />
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Derek Taylor was the press officer for the Beatles and wrote a column about George in the paper <em>The Daily Express. </em>He was born on May 7, 1932. Taylor was an English journalist and wrote in the <em>News Chronicle</em>, the <em>Sunday Dispatch</em>, and the <em>Sunday Express</em>. He was first assigned to review the Beatles concerts and was then asked to write a column about one of the Beatles. After being the press officer of the Beatles, he moved to the Americas and created his own public relations company where he provided publicity for The Byrds, The Beach Boys', and Paul Revere and the Raiders. In addition to helping George write <em>I Me Mine, </em>Derek Taylor wrote <em>The Making of the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Fifty Years Adrift (In An Opened Necked Shirt), </em>and<em> It Was Twenty Years Ago Today.</em> He died September 8, 1997 from cancer.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-34126957667001219932011-11-16T11:27:00.000-08:002011-11-17T11:07:32.161-08:00MLA Documentation for the bookHarrison, George, and Taylor, Derek. <em>I Me Mine</em>. Chronicle Books. n.d.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-52100565557770474552011-10-16T15:41:00.000-07:002011-10-16T15:41:50.162-07:00How I came Across "My Life in France"It all started when my brother and I heard about how all of the Borders stores were closing. About twice a week throughout August we would go and buy at least two books from a Borders store. One week he let me know that I would need four non-fiction books for AP Lang, so we started looking. When we went that week he showed me 3 books: My Life in France, Julie and Julia, and The Elephant to Hollywood by Michael Caine. They were all non-fiction, and I happen to like Julia Childs and Michael Caine. My brother and I watch Julia Childs' "The French Chef", so I was excited to get her memoir. We split the money and bought all three. There isn't a special reason for why I picked "My Life in France" first; I was just so excited to get started on reading it because I had been waiting so long.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-65586120813387754422011-10-10T17:15:00.000-07:002011-10-10T17:17:00.012-07:00Why I Write: Timothy Ferris on Writing to Learn"Why I Write: Timothy Ferris on Writing to Learn" talks about how writing is a very difficult subject and how science writing can help you and others learn. He starts off with saying that he writes to learn. Ferris also says that you don't just learn, you also create. He then goes into how writing is difficult and how there are no excuses, or "hiding places", when writing, it just has to be good. Then Ferris goes into the next section, where he talks about how writing about science is one of the best things to write about. He explains how you can learn from writing about science, and that it is genuine news because there is always new discoveries or events in the science field. <br />
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Timothy Ferris' "Why I Write" is more of a persuasive passage of how science writing is so great and can help you learn. It was very inspiring the way he put his words and how he said that writing is difficult and takes time to learn. I like the contrast between writing and artist. He says that artists working in other media can make excuses, while writers can't make excuses, "writers have nowhere to hide." When he jumps to the "No Finer Subject Then Science" section, it's almost as if his tone fills with excitement, which in return fills the reader with excitement. The fact that he said science is genuine news was interesting, because he is telling you that it's not the same topic every time. Another phrase that catches my attention it when he says, "Science is not just a novel; it's revolutionary." This was a very eye catcher statement that pulls you in. I found this writing passage very interesting and enjoyable because it makes sense and is credible.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3664">http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3664</a> Why I Write: Timothy Ferris on Writing to LearnJacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2877054459155049282.post-48347387542547931542011-10-10T16:35:00.000-07:002011-10-10T16:35:23.312-07:00My reaction to Myers' "And Then I Read...""And Then I Read..." by Walter Myers was a very interesting reading passage. The way he described his relationship with his mother, in a way relates the relationship with my mom. I also like how he said he learned new words and language from his mother and how he learned the language of the army and other people. It was interesting when he said, "I started writing again....I needed to reinvest in the inner person that seemed closer to who I really was." It caught my attention because he was trying to find himself through writing. When he writes about characters in his books, Myers wants to own them and experience the atmosphere that the character would be in. This was another attention getter because he went into jail to experience the jail atmosphere for one of his books. I find it bizarre, but yet very clever to "own" the character. In addition, in the last page he says the more reading equals more writing, which says to me that you learn from reading, which will help you learn from writing. In the second to last paragraph he says he is still thrilled by opening a new book, which is true to me that there are many exciting books out there, so you should never stop reading.Jacquelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647506493061747450noreply@blogger.com0