New York Times Upfront; facebook and free speech

     Facebook is a place where you can say what you are doing and what you are thinking and share it with the world. Nowadays companies are keeping up with these social networks and watching what employees are saying. They take these posts into consideration when hiring as well. Some companies have even fired employees after they read some of said employees posts. Some employees argue that this kind of action is unconstitutional and violates the first amendment. Some companies argue back that it is in fact constitutional and that they are just checking up on their employees and or future employees.

       The author here is trying to inform the world on the issue at stake here. The apparent side of the author seems to be neutral the focus is more on how the reader responds to the actions of the companies and the opinions of the employees.What is your view on the topic?

New York Times Upfront; Ancient Vandalism

               Nowadays vandalism is a crime, but back in ancient Roman times it was respected. The word graffiti traces back to the Italian word graffito which means scribblings. While working on the Colesseum- the 50,000 seat ampitheater built in 70A.D. where ancient Romans went to watch Gladiator duels- archaeologists discovered writings and drawings beneath the stadium's walls.These "graffiti" word state victories and vengeance and other things of the sort that where meant to leave the mark and tell the story of their writer. The oldest trace of graffiti dates back 40,000 years in Spain taking the form of cavemen drawings. Experts on ancient Rome say that this "graffiti" was valued in ancient Rome because very few Romans were literate.

               The Author wants the reader to realize that once a long time ago "graffiti; was tolerated and even admired because very few people knew how to write or read. They want readers to know that this "graffiti" helps archaeologists see inside the world of the Ancient Romans and open up a new discovery into Ancient Roman life.

New York Times Upfront; Parallel Barking

               Dogs are trained to rescue people, sniff out drugs, detect oil spills, and many more things. Dog trainers have recently added a new skill to the list: driving. Animal Rescue Workers in New Zealand have taught three dogs awaiting adoption: Porter, Monty, and Ginny, to drive an SUV. They did this to prove just how smart dogs can be to adopters. They trained these dogs just as you would train any other animal, by rewarding them with treats every time they steered or changed gears. After 8 intense weeks of training Porter, Monty, and Ginny could drive. Recently the dogs took a driving test in New Zealand and they passed.(unfortunately they were underage so they didn't get their driver's licenses)

               The Author wanted the reader to realize just how smart dogs actually are. They wanted humans to respect the mind of our best friends. they wanted us to see this opportunity and take time to exercise our dog's brains because they are smarter than we think. 

 

New York Times Upfront; More to Emily Dickinson

               "Small like a wren; and my hair is bold, like the chestnut burr."in her own words is how she would describe herself. She was a celebrated, but solitary poet who usually stayed in the comfort of her home where she stayed a nobody until after her death. Until very recently we have had only one portrait of this beloved artist, but now the Amherst College library believes that they may have found another one. Experts say it was taken around 1859 when Emily was about 29 years old. They are using computer scanners to compare the two photos, and if this portrait is authentic Dickinson scholars will be able to better understand who Emily Dickinson really was.

               The Author was trying to inform the reader about Emily Dickinson and how solitary and untraceable she really was. The Author was trying to get the reader to understand how big of a discovery a portrait of Emily really was. The Author was really trying to get the reader to see how this one discovery could unlock a whole new side to Emily Dickinson.

New York Times Upfront; Erasing Women

               Ikea recently released its fall catalogue for Saudi Arabia. Customers were awed when they saw that they had photo shopped out all the women.Ikea was saying that they did it to respect Saudi Arabia's conservative Muslim culture, where women are to be covered from head to toe and they may not leave the house without a male. Although Saudi Arabia is strict about its women it has begun to change. Slowly women have been able to appear in ads as long as they are not too revealing. King Abdallah has allowed small reforms, like letting women take part in small local elections(that is all the country has since it is a monarchy). Ikea has since apologized for excluding women and has announced that they will include women in their future catalogues.

               The author of this article wanted the reader to realize that Saudi Arabia has slowly but surely changed some of its ways. They wanted the reader to know that Saudi Arabian women are gaining more and   more respect everyday. The author wanted the reader to know that although the world may not know it Saudi Arabia has started changing its view on women. 

summer reading

             Over the summer I read a book called "Number the Stars" by Lowis Lowry, it was all about the Holocaust. There were two little girls, one was Jewish,and it was a tale about courage and bravery.Little Annmarie had to learn how to be brave even if she was scared. She had to be brave and courageous even though she didn't know what was going on in the world around her. She had to save her friend's life without knowing, and also that she was risking her own life and those of others.
             It all started in Copenhagen,Denmark. Annmarie was at home and her friend Ellen was over when they were both so rudely awoken when a Nazi soldier stormed into the Johansen's apartment. He was looking for Ellen's family. Ellen was Jewish, but she did not know at the time that she was moved so that she would not get hurt. Her family was seperated and she was saved by Mr. Johansen when he told the Nazi that she was his dead daughter Lisi.
             Later on the Johansen's moved to their uncle's farm outside the city,to insure more safety. There they secretly held a session in which they supplied Jews with things they would need in the free Sweden. They had to keep this a secret so when the Nazis questioned what was happening they told him they were having a funeral. Later on they quietly led the Jews to the boat and put them in secret storage so that when the Nazis checked the boat they would not be found, but they forgot their handkerchief. That handkerchief was genetically programmed to damage the sense of smell of the hound dogs that Nazis used to hunt hidden Jews.
             Annmarie woke up and realized what had been forgotten, but her mother had not returned.She looked out the window and found her mother. She was lying on the ground with a sprained ankle. She knew that she had to bring the handkerchief to the dock. She knew not that it was special for she knew only that it was important. She did run into the Nazis on her way but she did her job and gave her uncle his handkerchief.
                    Later on Annmarie was given every last bit of information and a few years later the war was over and Ellen returned to Denmark.Ellen and Annmarie were so glad to see each other for they had spent a great deal of time apart.

Me, Myself, and I

Normal...What is the definition of normal? I, for one, am not normal, but is it normal for one not to be normal? There are over seven billion people in the world, but how many of them are normal? Is it boring to be normal? I don’t know for I am not and I know not the definition of normal. People say it is boring to be normal, but how do they know? Are they normal? My name is Makenzie and I am proud that I am not normal because if we were all normal then the world would be boring. Right?

I am 13 years old and I am a student in the 8th grade at Tyngsborough Middle School. I am a dancer. Actually dance is my life. Dance owns me. I live for dance. Everyday I find my escape in dancing away all frustrations that come with the miracle of life. I have three siblings. Two sisters and a brother to be exact. I love to make people happy. I am a performer, and performers are not normal. Are they?
Every performer faces challenges. Most of which are decisions.Decisions are strongly influenced by those you look up to. Decisions can stick to you like glue. Especially if you make the wrong one. Is it normal to make the wrong decision?Many of the “performer gone wrong”cases exist because of decisions. I was 6 at the time.So innocent, like an . I had to decide what was best for me. I had to pick. I needed to decide if I was going to continue dancing at a studio that really wasn’t right for me, or if I was going to a new studio that I knew would be a perfect fit.I was like a child who had to decide whether or not Santa was real. If I left I would have to give up gymnastics, but if I went  I would have the opportunity to join a competitive dance company. Dancing in a company was my dream, but did it really mean that I had to give up gymnastics for it? Yes. That was my decision. I was going to follow my dream.I was going to dust off my wings and fly. I was going to leave.

There have been many people who have influenced who I am today. One of which is Mia Michaels.For one thing she is different, unique.Like a needle in a haystack. She has influenced me to be who I am and not who everyone wants me to be. Mia is not afraid to be out there. She knows who she is and she wants the world to know too. She is a very talented choreographer/dancer, but she doesn’t let that ruin her personality. She has no ego because she is proud of her work and the whole world already knows that. I want to be like Mia when I grow up because she doesn’t care what others think about her. She has shown me that it is important to let others know who I truly am. She has shown me that being a dancer is not always about being the best, it is about trying your best and keeping true to yourself. That is not normal,is it?

Virtues. What truly is a virtue? A virtue is correspondence to a standard of right a particular moral excellence, or so the dictionary says. To me a virtue is an area of personal achievement, success. Many performers are held together by a single virtue that grows weary and old , and constantly needs repair. I am held together by more than one virtue.My ability to dance, sing, and act, those are my virtues. They have helped shape my personality, who I am is shown throughout all three. I am dance, theater, and song. I am me, and me is a performer. I have many virtues, but I am not normal.

Every movie, TV show, product, commercial has a theme song. So do I. Something you dance for by Zendaya is my theme song. I have listened to that song over and over again. The more you listen to it, the more you can understand and relate to the lyrics.Many of the lyrics have hidden meanings.They say one thing, but mean another. Like a child who had just learned about sarcasm.” A dream like this not something you wish for,a dream like this not something you ask for, when it's a gift worth taking a chance for,then this is something you dance for”  When you really look at these lyrics you realize that they say that if you really want something you have to work for it, you can’t just wait for it to happen.”for the days nothing more,it's just you on the floor... This is something you dance for.”The lyrics explain that even if you are at rock bottom you still have to work to get what you want, and to get back on top. I like T.V. show have a theme song, and that is just one more thing that makes me different.

In the future I wish to become known as something amazing.Raw talent, hard work, practice, even hard times all work towards my dream. I know that not everyone can become famous, but I want to be that girl from Tyngsborough who made it big in Hollywood. That is who I aim to become. I want to meet the perfect guy,have the perfect family with the perfect children. I know there is no such thing as perfect, but I will try to be as close to it as i can. I am me and that is who I want to be, and I am NOT normal.