Current Connection #2

Article: "Wolf-McGinnis auction draws interest from around the world"
Author: Donetta Sterling


     When most people think of antiques, they automatically believe that they are old pieces of junk that old people collect. But according to the Wolf and McGinnis family, antiques are old treasures that need to be protected. In the recent article "Wolf-McGinnis auction draws interest from the world," Donetta Sterling informs readers of the background story to the antique auction taking place.
     Now deceased, Alexander McGinnis and John Wolf's antique collection is being sold in a pretty big auction. Sterling explains, "bidders from around the world are hoping to get their hands on some very rare items that belonged to natives Alexander 'Clyde' McGinnis and John Quincy Wolf Jr. along with their wives, have managed to collect rooms of antiques, Indian relics, coins, glass and more." Apparently the Wolf and McGinnis couples collected the antiques for many years and took great care of them.
     Sterling interviewed the daughters of the two families, Mrs. Healy and Mrs. Grilli, digging up information on the story behind the antiques. Mrs. Healy, sharing her parents love for the old relics, states, "'I like to think of the many times my parents went to auctions and wanted others to have the same experience,'Healy said.' My parents would be so pleased.'" I like to think of Mrs. Healy as very kind because she chose to give away her parents  prized possessions instead keeping them all for herself. Although, I am sure she kept some.
     Mrs. Grilli apparently had the same spirit as Mrs. Healy because she too is selling her parents treasures. Sterling, interviewing Grilli, explains, "Grilli said that she and her sister, Florence Calaway, had already taken the items they wanted and there's too much left to try to keep. Grilli said she hopes whoever buys the items will them as much as her parents did." Hopefully the next owners of the timeless antiques will take great responsibility of them as McGinnis and Wolf did. It would be a shame if they did not.
     I, for one, love antiques. When I see them, I feel as if I am going back in time. I love exploring the shelves of antique stores and I hope to collect some once I actually have money.
     McGinnis and Wolf obviously had a deep respect for old treasures and hopefully someone with as much love for antiques will buy them at the auction. 
    

Religious freedom: When does it go too far?

     The freedom of religion, used by most Americans, is one of the greatest rights a citizen can have. We have the right to choose what to believe in, and not be persecuted for the decisions we make. But where does it go too far? For instance, if a religion required human sacrifces would that religion still be tolerated? Understanding the rules of this country, I would say no because it's murder, which is illegal in the United States. However, if the freedom of religion is expressed in that way, isn't that their right? Where is the line crossed? These problems must be addressed,

1st Book Review: Inkheart

    Sometimes when you're reading a book, you feel like your living it. You can see the character, feel the air, and hear the conversations taking place. Kind of like a movie in your head. Well in this trilogy the book actually comes to life. Cornelia Funke's Inkheart pulled me into her book within a book. 
     There are a lot of characters in this book; too many to list so I'll just tell you about the really important ones. The story starts off with a 12 year old girl named Meggie. She lives with her father Mortimer, a skilled bookbinder. But her father has a secret. One that he has not even told Meggie. And one day the truth is revealed. Dustfinger, a "fire-eater," comes to Mortimer warning him of an evil villain, a man named Capricorn. You see, one night Mo (that's Mortimer's nickname) was reading a book called Inkheart aloud to his wife Resa and 2 year old Meggie, and all of a sudden three men appear. Not men of this world but the world of Inkheart. Dustfinger, Capricorn, and Basta, a man who loves his knife, all appear but Resa disappears into the book taking the places of the men. When Mo reads out loud out of a book, the words and characters come to life. Capricorn wants to use Mo's gift for evil, taking treasure out of books and such. Meggie soon discovers she also has the gift and with the help of Fenoglio, the author of Inkheart, destroy Capricorn.
     The setting of this story mainly takes place in Capricorns fortress,a dark place covered in shadows, in Northern Italy. Mostly all of the action takes place here, but you'll have to read the book to find out about all that good stuff. But some of the book is in the house of Elinor, Resa's aunt who is obsessed with books.
     This book sort of reminds me of the movie Inception. The film is about a dream within a dream, within a dream, within a dream, and so on. It is a really confusing movie and the book is not half as bewildering, but it still reminds me of the movie. They also made a movie based on the book Inkheart but it was not as good as the book. But is the movie ever than the book?
    I recommend this book for people who love books, lots of evil villains, and action. But this book is a series so you will have to read all three to know how the story turns out.
     

The Presidential Debate

     In Andy Sullivan's recent article "Analysis: Romney Scores in Debate, but will it be Enough?" he ponders on whether the October 3rd debate was enough to pull Gov. Mitt Romney through.
     The Presidential election is coming up fast. Romney wins this debate but will it be enough to make him president? A lot of  people do not think so.
     "Romney won. The real surprise is that he won so clearly," said Paul Sracic, a political scientist professor at Youngstown State University. Voters seem to agree with him. President Obama, the first African American president, may have lost by a long shot but he steered clear of saying stupid statements that would cause his supporters to rethink their choice. Many pollsters expect Obama's polls to go down somewhat, but debates hardly have a huge impact. Opinion polls have only shifted an average of 1 percent in the wake of the 16 presidential debates since 1988. President Obama was in the lead, and he might still be. Was this debate enough for Romney?
     Personally, I think both men would be a good President. Obama pulled us out of a recession (somewhat), but Romney has some pretty good ideas. I am the type of girl who votes for the person and not the party. Both men have good platforms. I am just wondering who is going to make it.
     This presidential election will have a huge impact on our future. And it's up to voters to decide our future. Romney won the first debate but who will win the next? Unfortunately I cannot vote, but I would if I could. We're all wondering who will win... Romney or Obama?

Can you play music too loud?

     In an article on UPI.com entitled "Woman arrested four times in 26 hours," it informs readers of a woman named Joyce Coffey, a resident of New Hampshire, was arrested 4 times within 26 hours for refusing to turn down her radio and assaulting her nephew.
     Police were called to Coffey's house at 3 p.m. after complaints of loud music; they gave her a warning and left. An hour later they were informed again and arrested Coffey for disorderly conduct and refusing to turn her music down. She then bailed herself out. 5 and a half hours later the authorities were again at her house and arrested her again. She again bailed herself out. For the third time, the police arrived at Coffey's home at 1:10 in the morning and arrested her for playing "Highway to Hell" too loud. This time she had a hearing and was barred from playing music before 10 am and after 8 pm. The police received a report of domestic disturbance and once again the source of the trouble was Coffey. Her nephew had come to get some of his things at her house and apparently she got mad at him and threw a frying pan at her nephew. She is now still in jail for simple assault and breach of bail conditions (10,000 dollars).
     Now, I absolutely love music but I do not blare it enough to get arrested. This article reminds me of a time when we lived in Japan when our neighbors used to blare their music when my family and I would be sleeping.
    This woman was probably not an active participant in her learning because after the first time she could have turned her music down and not get arrested.

The New World Trade Center

     11 years ago today, the World Trade Center in New York City was attacked by radical terrorists. Now the WTC is coming back stronger than ever. These buildings will be a symbol of 9/11 and all the innocent people that lost their lives on that Tuesday morning.
     The new World Trade Center is 1,776 feet high, but that is not a coincidence. It's height represents the year the U.S. gained its independence. More than 45,000 tons of structural steel will be used to make this project complete. The WTC's walls will be made up of state-of-the-art concrete that can withstand 3 times more pressure than most skyscrapers. There are 71 elevators that only take 45 seconds to get to the top of the building. Not only are these buildings strong but they also hold a memorial for the 9/11 attacks. Two pools sit where the great towers once stood. They are bordered by parapets that display all the names of 2,983 victims of the 1993 and the 2001 attacks. There are also over 400 trees that are planted around the pools from Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. to honor the lives lost on Flight 93 and at the Pentagon.
     The new WTC shows that you cant knock America down. If you do, we'll come back fighting and more powerful than before.

Clarissa's Reading Bucket List

1. Speak- by Laurie Halse Anderson: Well I really liked Thirteen Reasons Why and I heard this book is sort of like it. I want to read more books about bullying so I can understand more about it. A bunch of my friends said it was really good and its a quick read. Also, Mrs. Gillmore reccomended it and said it was a good book.
2. I am Number Four- by Pitticuss Lore: I've already seen the movie and I absolutely loved it! I heard the book was even better, so I decided to read the book whenever I get the chance. Usually they mess up the movie because it is nothing like the book. I guess I'm going to find out!
3. Harry Potter (series)- J.K. Rowling: I know its crazy but I haven't seen any of the movies because I always wanted to read the books first. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to read any of them because I've been so caught up in other series! Everyone tells me they are AMAZING and I want to know if they are for myself.
4. Matched- by Ally Condle: During a promo that Mrs. Gillmore was presenting, she talked about a book called Matched. It seemed like a really great book that involves mystery and maybe romance? Thats definitely up my alley! Plus, I love books that take place in a Eutopia because I like to see what goes wrong in a "perfect world."
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower- by Stephen Chbosky: This movie is coming to theaters so, of course, I want to read the book first. This book is also about bullying, which I am detemined to learn more about. I saw the preview for the movie while watching The Hunger Games and it looked really good. So hopefully the book is even better!
6. Loving- by Karen Kingsbury: First of all, Karen Kingsbury is one of my favorite authors EVER. This is the last book in this awesome series I've been reading and I just HAVE to see how it ends up. So far all the books in the series have been wonderful. I hope she made this one the best one. She's kept me on the edge of my seat through out this whole series.
7. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children- author unknown: We watched a book trailer on this book and it looks freaking amazing!!!! It seems kinda scary and I love scary books. Plus, I love love love books about kids with special powers and this book has definitely got all that. Can't wait to read it!!!
8. Angel (Maximum Ride Series)- by James Patterson: I absolutely am crazy about this entire series and this is the latest book that our library has. I read the first...6? books in about 2 days because they were so good. But somebody checked out Angel right when I fininshed the book before it!!! :( So I am really excited to see what happens in this book. I love James Patterson's books!
9. The Infernal Devices- by Cassandra Clare: I've read most of the Mortal Instruments series (which I plan to re-read) and loved all of them. Mrs. Gillmore promoed this book and said this series should have been before the Mortal Instruments. So, I hope to read these books because everyone is saying they are really good.
10. Water for Elephants- by Sara Gruen: This book has already hit the big screen but I have not watched the movie yet. I need to read the book first and I've heard from Ms. Pickett that it's pretty good. Mrs. Gillmore has a few copies so I plan to read it soon!

Forgiveness for the Titanic

     My husband is dead, and its all Captain Smith's fault. I survived but he did not. I will never forgive him for what he did. He did not slow down even when he did get iceberg warnings. That is plain stupidity! If it wasn't for that idiotic, stubborn man my husband would be in New York with me, holding my hand and telling me that everything would be good from here on out. But it wont. How will I make it on my own? Especially with my child on the way. The Captain didn't even warn us of what was to come. Maybe if we had been acknowledged earlier, my husband would have survived. Instead, he sunk with the Titanic and that fool of a captain. Captain Smith deserved to die. My husband did not. He was a good, hardworking man who helped in any way he could to get the women on the lifeboats. He should still be here. Can I survive by myself and my child? If I don't, that captain is to be blamed...completely.

Does a Murderer deserve pity?

     A S.S soldier, who killed innocent Jewish families by orders of his commander, asks a Jew for pity. But is he truly sorry? In my opinion, he is. In The Sunflower, Simon (the Jew) says, "I saw he was torturing himself. He was determined to gloss over nothing." If the soldier wasn't regretting all that he did, he wouldn't have called the Jew to his chamber in the first place, much less recall what made him guilty. As the text said, he "tortured" himself repeating his past. If he's strong enough to admit that what he did was wrong, he should have pity. In the confession, the soldier says, "Believe me, I would be ready to suffer worse and longer pains if by that means I could bring back the dead, at Dnepropetrovsk." He is not only willing to suffer for the Jews he killed but he would suffer more and longer just to bring those Jews back. He regrets all he did and should be able to die knowing he was at least pitied.

Without the Possibility of Forgiveness

     If a man hijaks and airplane and flies it into the Pentagon, killing everyone on the plane and many military and civilian personnel on the ground, then i dont think forgiveness would be a possibility. In 2001, on September 11th, an Islamic terrorist did the exact same thing. He chose to take not only his life, but thousands of others who had families to go home to, and to attend to. They didn't have a choice in the matter. Children, mothers, fathers, grandparents, and many more were all on that plane and in the Pentagon, but the man didn't care. He had to know that he would kill all of them and many more but he did it anyways. No man deserving forgiveness would intentionally massacre innocent people.