Scholastic News: Roadkill for Dinner

            This article is about a new law in Montana that states that people are allowed to eat roadkill they find on the highways. Personally, I feel that this law is cruel and wrong. I think this because they should just install bars on the highway that deer and other animals can't jump over. Many animals like deer

           Every year over 2 million animals are killed on the highway. These animals include elk, deer, cats, moose, and in some areas, antelope. This happens in many states that have road crossings, major highways, interstates, and rural areas. In states like Arizona, New Jersey, and Montana, people are allowed to eat any animal they find dead on the road. All they have to do is pick them up and cook them.

            **This Paragraph is My opinion**
           I think this law is nasty and disgusting. If you find dead roadkill, you should just leave it there for bugs to eat it, its part of the lie cycle. We're sure as heck not bugs, so leave it to them. Also, eating dead animals on the side of the road, rotted, and dirty, that's unsanitary. To prevent this should add gates to the sides of these roads so that no animals can go on the road. Or, lower the speed limits so if the animal gets hit at a lower speed, they can have a chance to live. And, they won't damage their car as much.

Diary Of A Wimpy Kid Connections

                Lately  I have been reading the Diary of A Wimpy kid series. I re read all the books and I got some great memories. Right now I'm read the 7th book in the series, The Third Wheel by Jeff Kiney. Even though this series is not my level, I still think there is a deeper meaning to the story.

               The book so far has been about how Greg doesn't like being around his brothers. He also doesn't like how he always get hand-me downs and that Manny the youngest, gets new clothes and toys. Greg was also talking about when he was in his mother's womb and how he could sleep all he wants and he could do flips when he felt like it. He tried to recreate these moments but he couldn't get any privacy because Manny and Rodrick don't give him space or privacy.

            I can connect to some moments in this book. At one point, Greg said " Sometimes I have to wait until all of Manny's imaginary friends are done using the bathroom before I can get in." I can connect to this. Even though my sister doesn't have imaginary friends, she still takes a year and a day to get out. And when I go to my other bathroom she gets out..... Same story, different day.

up-Front Magazine: Has the Arab Spring Failed?

up-Front Magazine: Has the Arab Spring Failed?
 
                The article Has the Arab Spring Failed? is about the turmoil in the Middle East and how there are thousands of people dying from protests and wars. In countries like Egypt, and Libya, there are dictators who have been ruling for 20 years. I feel, yes it has failed.

                See, countries in the Middle East do not have presidents like the United States and Canada has, and many other countries. They have dictators. A dictator is a person exercising absolute power, especially a ruler who has absolute unrestricted control in a government without hereditary succession. The article stated, "Security forces used armored vehicles, bulldozers, tear gas, bird shot, live ammunition, and snipers to raze encampments of protesters who supported the deposed Islamist dictator." This act killed thousands of Egyptians in Cairo. The dictator then stood down. "The confrontation lasted more than 12 hours and turned parts of Cairo into a war zone. More than 600 people were killed and close to 4,000 injured." This shows that spring in the Middle East has defiantly failed. And this crisis is not only happening in Egypt. It's happening in Tunisa, Isreal, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Egypt, and Yemen.

             This crisis in the Middle East connects to me personally. This connects to me personally because I'm from the Middle East, I'm from Yemen. I am glad to be living in America, my country is a living battlefield right now (Yemen). I'm soooooo glad we have a president, and a great one!

                                             Author's Craft- Literary Devices

             Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is about a young man named Hugo. He is an orphan and he lives by himself in a train station. Hugo is different from everyone else, he has a unique talent. He can fix clocks and machinery from a huge clock tower clock, to a small wind up mouse. As Hugo grows older he finds out more and more about his dad who passed away and how he was working on an auto-maton( a machine that writes out a message). He figures out how to fix the machine and it draws something, a man in the moon with a fireworks rocket in his eye.

             I think Brian Selznick has a very original and exquisite way of writing, he uses imagery to express words into nice pictures that form in my head. Imagery helps the reader create images out of words, details that appeal to our senses; sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. For example, in one part of the book it said, "His dirty blonde hair covered his dirt smudged forehead and his red tipped ears". This quote gave a description of what the main character, Hugo, looks like. This tells you that Hugo is a hard worker making his shifts around the train station to fix all the clocks. All in all, literary devices enhance the story to make it better and more understandable.