Last week we dissected chicken wings. I thought it was really fun. We dissected the chicken wing to learn more about the skeletal and muscular system. I think the best way to learn about something is to get a first hand experience. I don't get grossed out by that kind of stuff because...well, yeah. Over all I really enjoyed the experience and am excited to dissect even more. 

     Several days ago, we had a speaker come to our school and talk about bullying. He didn't pull out the classic "don't bully people, it's not nice" or the "stand up to bullys and don't be a bystander." All that is good and dandy, but it doesn't really effect you very much. The speaker we had (Mark Brown) had a very different approach. He compared the movie The Beauty and the Beast  to bullying. I really like this approach. I thought that it stuck with me a lot more than other boring speeches. Not only was Mr. Brown's talk creative, but it was funny which stuck with me too. People remember things better when there's something remarkable, or unique about it...like  humor. Even though I havn't seen any difference in bullying (I tend to block that out when going down the halls) I try to be more aware of how people feel and what we say to them. You never know when just an idle comment could really hurt someone.

     Right now, my favorite mystery is The Speckled Band. First off, I love Sherlock Holmes. He is a genius. Also, this mystery isn't the classic robbery or a boring murder, it's very creative and unique. One unusual feature is the investigation of the crime occured several after the crime.  Also, how the crime was commited was unique to the murderer and his interests. It was not the boring stab with a knive or shot of a gun (not intent to be violent). Alright, here's my attempt to write,

     A dark shadow slid across the wall. A crash sounded and then a cry of dismay. Following that, silence. As stealthily as a mouse, the offender slipped out. Four hours later, the alarm sounded. By then, however, it was too late. Police and investigators swarmed all over the museum. The only evidence they found was a finger print of the missing guard on the case of the gold crown, the missing gold crown.

Every boy always dreamed about being in the military at some time or another. Whether it is as a 5 year old or a 15 year old. However, only a select few succeed. In order to live this dream, you must be strong, willing to go the extra mile, and you must never ever give up.
Any advice? thanks

  For 18 years, the Hubble space telescope has been sending us never before seen images of space and far away galaxies. However, late this September, the Hubble stopped sending us data. The problem is the data formatting unit. This device is used to take information from the  five different instruments and send this data back to earth. Without this working, the telescope is useless. NASA does have a backup unit but scientists say that this could cause several problems.

Personally, I think that this problem could not have been avoided. NASA was prepared for this type of problem and did install a backup. They were however, unable to predict the potential problems with replacing it. If a backup unit wasn't installed, they would be facing a much bigger problem.

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2008/10/troubles-with-hubble-2/

Right now, I am reading an autobiography by a man named Peter Jenkins call Across China.

Honestly, I think that the banning of books is the most ridiculous thing ever. Let's pretend that you're the president of the U.S. and you ban one book, just one. The next thing you know, hundreds of books are banned. If hundreds of books are banned, no one can read any interesting books and nobody will enjoy reading. If you don't enjoy reading, you won't get as good of an education. Without good education, a country falls apart. Without knowing it, you have just completely ruined the future of an entire country.
Also, let's address the freedom of speech. The freedom of speech says that people are free to talk(obviously). One way of speaking is by communicating through books. By banning a book, you are essentially taking away that persons right to say as they please. That's completely contradicting the freedom of speech.
Finally, banning books has a negative effect on the economy. Let's take the Hunger Games for example. The Hunger Games has been charged with violence, anti-ethics, and offensive language. Along with making about 155 million dollars (the movie written after the book), it's probaly the most popular book in the entire U.S(just an opinion.) Those two features don't seem to match up, but they do. If a popular book is challenged, nobody will listen. Obviously, if you want to ban a book, especially a popular book, you're toast. From now on READ ON!