Pika-Chu Presentation Review (Pecha Kucha)

           The Pecha Kucha I chose had a fascinating girl talking about the wonders of her sky-diving life. Very interesting lifestyle with some cool pictures of her jumping out of helicopters 10,000 some odd feet in the sky. When I'm older I definitely want to try sky diving.

         The Presenter did a great job at providing visuals. The pictures were all different but interesting, and they were arranged to tell a small story as the speaker presented. It was very easy to watch.

        However there are some spots where she seemed to rush her speaking, and at one spot she got lost in her (I assume notecards) and she fumbled for a second. She picked back up nicely though and other than a few "umms" and "sorry's", she wrapped up the presentation nicely.

        This style of presenting is nice because it is short but filled with good information. Hopefully I can get enough interesting visuals to keep the audience keyed in. Also rehearsal seems to be the key to these kinds of presentation.

Pollution Problems...

          Despite China's economic juggernaut, it holds some of the greatest pollution severity across the world. Public health is reeling, cancer rates are staggering. According to a New York Times article, "Air pollution alone is blamed for over hundreds of thousands of deaths each year," and "over 500 million people lack access to safe drinking water. The skies are constantly shrouded in pollution clouds; not seeing the blue sky is normal to Chinese city dwellers.



Just recently, parts of China's air reached 20 times the "normal" polluted amount (The Gaurdian, Pollution). In fact, the European Union documented that barely 1% of 560 million people have safe air to breathe. I thought I had recycling issues...


Green Algae formed in the  waters of China from high bacteria concentration, Its "normal" to them.

Chinese Government knows a change of course is needed, but it's hard when the country is experiencing such phenomenal economical growth and success. Leaders of China claim they are looking for solutions to continue their growth and consider the stability of China's health.

China's pollution has become such a problem it is starting to affect other countries as well. High levels of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are producing hefty acid rain clouds. China will not be the leaders of the world if their pollution problem grows any longer. When will the ignorance be taken too far?




      

 Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/world/asia/26china.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/05/world/asia/china-algae-green-blob/index.html
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/10/china-pollution-levels-hit-20-times-safe-levels

Second Response: Wake

"Dream as if you'll Live forever. Live as if you'll die today..."

-James Dean

 

 

Have you ever wanted to be in somebody's dream?

 

What if you were forced to? Night after night...

Welcome to Wake

 

Lisa McMann definitely knows how to make an interesting plot. Janie Hannagan is just hitting seventeen, an only child with a slob of a mother. While her mother is lagging around the house, making a vodka tonic for breakfast, Janie heads off to high school, where she knows a little too much about some people. Her gift, or her curse, is falling into peoples' dreams. She does so unintentionally; Janie HATES getting into others' privacy, but she can't help it. If anyone falls asleep around her in a fifteen foot radius, she just gets sucked in. Her heart beat increases, time slows, she passes out, and quickly enters the dream realm.

After school, Janie works at an assisted living facility. Janie buys her own groceries, pays her own bills, supports herself other than paying for the house. Sadly, old people dream too. They dream of their past life, regrets, moments that were meant to happen but never did.

She's seen every dream you can imagine: The "What the crap I'm naked during my presentation" dream, or the "falling into an empty void" dream, and probably the most common out of high schoolers, the "best sexual fantasy ever" dreams. Janie Hannagan has seen too many of those...

Janie hates the curse. It's killing her. Anytime she's sucked into a dream, she has no control of her body, and the problem is people sleep everywhere. On the bus to school, during school, at her work, in her neighborhood. She's given about 5 seconds of notice before she's dragged in, after that her body is on it's own. She has even been sucked in while driving (luckily she didn't hit anything). This book is about Janie, trying to figure out her curse, trying to stay out of people's dreams, and why the dreamers always beg for Janie's help. Janie can't really do anything, can she?

 

I'm probably about 75% done with this book, and it is a pretty good read. It's written in third person (limited), which as it ups and downs. The reading can be a little tedious: "Janie did this, then she did that, and then this happened because she did that...," third person isn't my favorite perspective because of this, but it is what it is.

 

Like I said, Lisa McMann can make one heck of a story line. I've never thought dreaming as a curse, but this book really puts that idea into perspective. Janie has already had such a hard life, and it's only getting harder for her. She is all alone looking for the answer; no one will believe a person claiming to be able to see other's dreams.

 

Another interesting thing about visiting dreams, no one seems to remember Janie being in them, or at least they never mention it. Every dream ends in the dreamer begging or Janie's help. Quickly after that question, the dreamer wakes, and has no remembrance of Janie seeing the whole ordeal; except for one boy.

 

Of course its a cute boy too, the totally cool kind of cute. You'll make it about 30 pages and then the love story falls into place (and I thought maybe there wouldn't be... HA). Anywho, this boy actually discovers Janie's horrid secret. This love/hate relationship between Cabel (the hot boy) and Janie kind of sets the pace of the story; it isn't the worst love story I've read.

 

The way the book is set up can be confusing. It jumps around in time a little bit, so pay attention to dates. Janie will talk about what is going on in reality, and then she'll start getting sucked into the dream. The font changes, and now your in the dream state. It is really cool honestly.

 

I'll pull a section from the beginning, showing you how the whole dream thing acts. On page 17, Janie is at a sleep over (big mistake). She gets sucked into Melinda's (a rich snob) dream. The passage reads:

"Melinda is drawing hearts. Janie walks toward her. She says, "Melinda," but no sound comes out. When someone knocks on the bedroom window, Melinda looks over and smiles. "Help me open this window, will you?

Janie stares at Melinda. Melinda stares back, then points to the window with a jerk of her head. Janie, feeling compelled, stumbles over to the window next to Melinda and they open it. Carrie climbs in.

 

She is naked from the waist up.

Her breasts are the size of watermelons.

The breasts sway from side to side when Carries scrambles over the sill.

She walks through Janie and stand shyly in front of Melinda.

...They embrace and kiss." (17-18)

 

The book kind of reads like an elementary book, but the topics and scenes are definitely not for kids.

Every dream is a little different, and occasionally Janie will find herself in a nightmare...Those are the worst for Janie.

 

This book is extremely interesting to say the least. I'd give it a 8/10. Its a great read if you are looking for something short, funny, and at the same time very serious and compelling. The love story doesn't get too much in the way of the actual story, and it plays out really nicely. Thank you Sydney Bertalot for recommending it to me.

 

I've got some more reading to do. Kody signing off...

 

 

First BookBlog: Ashfall

Finally!! A post-apocalyptic book that is NOT about zombies!!!

 

     Imagine yourself as a teen boy by the name of Alex, about to play some good old World of Warcraft, when the whole world starts to shake, and the thunder made from a thousand Zeuses penetrates your eardrum. This is Alex's story of being alone for a weekend when the super volcano in Yellowstone National Park erupts after years of build up. The deafening booms, although far away, are constant and ear-ringing. The next day, the world is covered in a thick layer of Ash, and the world is dark. Alex is alone in this new world, his parents and sister left for a vacation a few days before. Alex must find his family. This is Ashfall.

 

I finished this book in a week, which is saying something because it usually takes me a LOT longer than that to finish a book. I just couldn't put it down. I got sucked in this doomed world, the new dangerous environment. The eruption changes people into scavengers and survivors. The ash ruins everything, from food to health. Alex has to go through many hardships to survive, finding a beautiful angel along the way (Of course it has some romance too; this book has everything).

 

Through my reading I sticky-tabbed some AMAZING sections. Readers beware, this book is graphic and has adult situations. A couple passages are graphic, reader discretion is advised.

 

The world of Ash turns people into a protective, defensive stature. As a survivor wandering in the ash, every step you take must be take with precaution. Alex learns this for the first time as he walks up to a boarded up farmhouse along the road, and knocks on the door.

"The door pulled inward in a rush, and I saw the long, black, double barrel of a shotgun pointing right at my nuts. My nuts knew where that shotgun was pointing, too; I could feel them trying to climb up into my body for protection. All my muscles tensed and my eyes widened, adrenaline coursing through my system." (98)

 

The world of Ash is a dangerous placed, filled with dangerous people. Alex meets a man by the name of Target. Alex was drawn in to him by the smell of cooking meat, and later finds out Target is fresh out of prison, crazy, and very dangerous. In this scene, Alex realizes how dangerous he is, and tries to get away from him. It is never that easy. Thankfully, Alex heavily practiced taekwondo.

"I stabbed the tip of my staff forward in a desperate strike. I'd practiced it thousands of times, but I had never though I'd have to use it for real. I lunged, stepping with my right foot. I aimed for his eye, guiding the blow with my right hand, thrusting with my left.

The result was spectacularly disgusting. His eye pretty much exploded. Blood and some kind of fluid steamed down the side of his face. He staggered back a few steps, toward the fire. "You mother-!""

 

Last but not least, you have to learn how to be a survivor. After Alex meets the Edmunds family, he and Darla (Who is 18 and Alex immediately loves) have to prepare a rabbit for stew. All livestock is sickly and dying from the ash, so the rabbits that are sick were eaten. But before one can cook a rabbit, one must kill it.

"I held the rabbit as she directed me, upside down in front of me. He waved his legs feebly. Darla grabbed his head and pulled down sharply, twisting it. There was a soft pop, and he went limp in my hands. I was so startled I dropped him.

Darla picked up the dead rabbit and said, "Bring the water, would you?"

 

I'd give this book a 10/10, and I'm on the hunt for the sequel. A great read if you want a realistic struggle against  humanity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

101 Things About Myself

     I am not really going to be 101 things, because that would be ridiculous. Why would I want to give myself away all at once? I like attaining somewhat of mystery. But we will start with 17, because that is how old I am (1).

    My dream was, is, and always will be attaining rock-star status (2). I want the thrill of a thousand screams echoing through my spine, on stage with thunderous drums and crunchy riffs. There is nothing more overpowering than a crowd screaming at the top of their lungs. All of the energy, the expression...

    However, dreams will not always come true. I will always pursue that vision, but realistically I've been thinking about trying my luck in the medical field. I'd like to be a paramedic (3), on the front lines and in the action. I see myself as a fairly calm person in tense situations. I would love to save lives, and help the world everyday.

    Currently, I've been trying to enjoy the senior life. I work a lot of my life away at Price Cutter (4). After working there over a year and a half, it is almost a home. I love all of my co-workers dearly, and have seen many of them go on to new careers and life-styles. It's surprisingly hard to watch a friend leave. Over the week-end, I am the designated Milk Man, or more commonly referred  to as a Dairy Associate. I go in, stock for 8 hours, and get out. A couple days over the week, right after school, I stock and take care of the Health and Beauty department. Then, they call me the Pad-Man...

    When I'm not schooling or working, I enjoy playing video games (5). I've been an avid gamer since Mario on the super Nintendo, and I imagine I always will have a great interest in the virtual realm. But when I decide not to waste time, I try to be a musician. I play guitar, violin, love to sing, and try to mess around on the piano (6). You're lucky I don't count that as 4.

    I am a single-child (7), and spoiled rotten. My mother, even though had to raise me alone (8), did a good job at keeping me happy. My mother is on disability now, so I am the man of the house somewhat. It's time for me to return the happiness to her.

    Wow this is getting long isn't it? I , even though can't afford to do it often, love to fish (9). It's a patience thing...listening to the silence, feeling the breeze, the smell of dead fish and bacteria filled water. Memories man.

    I've also come to enjoy camping (10). Favorite place so far is Ponca, Arkansas. It's not called the natural state for nothing. Appreciate nature, it is beautiful.

 

    I love animals (11). All types, all sizes. Hostile or passive, they are all interesting. Of course I'd prefer a dog over a bear, but a bear is still pretty cool to look at before he/she mauls you.

 

    My favorite show is South Park (12). I've seen every episode, at least twice. All 230+ episodes. Even the one they banned because of religion issues. It may be a tad inappropriate, but that show has some great messages. Believe it or not, I've learned a lot from that show.

 

   Science is by far my favorite subject (13). Real world application, raw data and proof, and unlimited information. The world strives of science. Science made this blog.

 

   I have no favorite food, because I love it all (14). Beggars can't be choosers, and I am always begging for food.

 

   If you thought I was patient person for loving to fish, you are wrong (15). My paragraphs are looking pretty pathetic now.

 

  I am a person that loves good quotes (16). You know, the ones that make you go, "Ohhh." As I say goodbye on my first post, I'll leave you one by the great Winnie the Pooh: "But I thought, how could I ever say good-bye to myself?"

 

  My favorite number is 143 (17). Why 143? Well, it's a secret. I'm sure you'll find out in the future.

 

  Phew, there's 17. Kody Allen is signing off. Let's hope this thing posts...