War In Iraq Poem

Bloodshed, sweat, and tears
Soilders living their lives in fear
fear of not waking up the next morning
fear of families over burial sites mourning
from night to day, day to night
lives are lost as these soilders fight

letter to the editor

Dear Editor,
I agree with the facts that were stated in the article that you wrote. I believe that this was a very good article and I think that it really helped a lot of people see the war from a different point of view. I think the fact that you stated that the United States have spent over 860 billion dollars since the terrorist attacks in September 11. I think that this statement and your article will really open up the eyes of American taxpayers. It will show them where there money is really going.
I think that the veterans that block the roads of Massachusetts in respect to the army sergeant body that was brought home showed a spark that will show the true devastation that the war is creating. You included in your article that Pope Benedict XVI urged the world to help Iraqis who have fled their country. I think that this was a very good induction in your article because it showed the concern of the Pope. The Pope wants the world to better protect the Christian located in Iraq. This is extremely important because if you are a Christian in Iraq you will possibly face execution.
In your article you stated that approximately 686 billion dollars was spent on the war in 2008. I think this was an essential piece in your article because it shows the gradually growing funding of the war in Iraq. The funding for the Iraq war is gradually increasing as the years go on. With over 40 percent of the United States weapon in Iraq, and the United States training the ISF it’s no wonder that the war cost this much. I would like to know what is your stance on the war in Iraq? I would also like to know how you feel about the money being spent in iraq?

News Article

WAR UPDATESECTION: NEWS; Pg. A14LENGTH: 315 words
A procession of veterans on motorcycles and state police in their cruisers blocked parts of two Massachusetts interstates Friday as it finally brought home the body of a New York-born Army staff sergeant who was missing for months after being seized by insurgents in Iraq. A hearse bearing the remains of 25-year-old Alex Jimenez came to a halt in front of the home of his father, Ramon "Andy" Jimenez, in Lawrence. Jimenez and three others were in a unit that was ambushed 20 miles south of Baghdad on May 12, 2007. Jimenez was born in Queens, and his mother, Maria Duran, lives there, though many members of his family were born in the Dominican Republic.
Pope Benedict XVI urged the world to help Iraqis who have fled their country and called for better protection for Christians inside Iraq during talks Friday with Iraq's prime minister, the Vatican said. The struggle against terrorism and the need for religious freedom also were central issues in the talks with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki,
Enhanced Coverage Linkingal-Maliki, -Search using:
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News, Most Recent 60 Dayssaid the Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman. Al-Maliki,
Enhanced Coverage LinkingAl-Maliki, -Search using:
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News, Most Recent 60 Dayswho is on a European tour, met with Benedict at his vacation palace in Castel Gandolfo south of Rome. A Vatican communique said a key theme was the need to assist Iraqi refugees, who both men hope will return to their country.
The total cost of the Iraq war is approaching the Vietnam War's expense, a congressional report estimates, while spending for military operations after 9/11 has exceeded it. The new report by the Congressional Research Service estimates the United States has spent $648 billion on Iraq war operations, putting it in range with the $686 billion, in 2008 dollars, spent on the Vietnam War, the second most expensive war behind World War II. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the U.S. has doled out almost $860 billion for military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere around the world.

Issue with RA

A issue that I am extremely concernced with is an incident that happened last weekend. Me and my roomate were blamed for an attempt to break into the RA room. During the time that this incident happened me and my roomate were in Orlando at UCF. Me and my roomate were visiting some friends that go to the University of Central Florida. Nothing was stolen from the RA room. I think that she just dislike us becuase of the room that we were in. She blame the occupants of room seven ten and our neighbor across the room. We were falsely accused and I think that we deserve and apology because you cannot say someone did something if you didn't see someone do something.

The first article that I read was Is That Just Some Game? No, it’s a Cultural Artifact by Heather Chaplin. The article tells us about a man by the name of Henry Lowood and his notion to preserve games. He says that games a cultural significance and a historical significance. I believe games do have cultural and historical significance because they remind us of our younger days. Almost everyone remembers their favorite games when they were younger. I also believe that our video games will one day be historic artifacts because early Aztec tribes of mexico used to play games and today those games are there history. Mr lowood chose games that were vital to some of the existing games today. He chose space war, star raiders, zork, tetris,sim city, super Mario bros 3, civilization 1 and 2, warcraft, and sensible world soccer. I think that these were the best games to choose because the hold significance and they were very important to the Halo’s and the guitar heroes of today.

Why did he choose the 3rd super Mario?
How long did he have this theory of the significance of games?
What is his favorite video game?


The article Media and Risky behavior by Soledad Liliana Escobar-Chaves and Craig A. Anderson talks about teenagers the health risk behaviors in which they participate in. Some of these behaviors include drinking, smoking, sexual activity, violence and obesity. The article talks about overexposure to media may contribute to teenagers engaging in these unhealthy behavioral factors. Obesity is a big unhealthy factor that is affecting teenagers as well as others. I believe that Obesity is due to the media and stress. The media has corrupted young minds with the pleasure of fast food ever since a young age. I know that I remember when I was younger and they would have a new Jurassic park action figure in a kid’s meal at McDonalds I would ask my mother all day to take me to McDonalds. The article talks about the food advertiser spending 1.2 billions dollars on advertising high calorie foods. It’s no wonder why approximately 35 percent of U.S. six- to Nineteen year olds is overweight. Another thing that this article covers is smoking. Smoking is extremely prevalent among teenagers today. In the article there was a study conducted and it revealed that 78 percent of middle school students reported seeing actors using tobacco on television and movies. I believe that this is a complete plausible statement because I see people smoke in movies and on television every day. The first time I saw cocaine was in a boy’s bathroom in middle school so I would say that a lot of unhealthy behavioral factors are practiced in middle school. Escobar-Chaves talks about alcohol usage in the article. The article tells us the Results from the YRBS 2005 of a nationally representative sample of students in grades nine through twelve showed that 74 percent had had at least one drink of alcohol on more than one day during their life. I remember taking a similar survey all 4 years of high school. I know for a fact that a lot less student drink less in the 9th grade rather than the twelve. Sex is a big issue that is covered in this article. I believe that sexual activity is affected by media. I can honestly say this because when your turn on your television you will see at least some form of sex. The first time I notice this was on commercials selling the body spray tagged and commercial selling chewing gum. Violence is extremely prevalent among teens. Escobar-Chaves says that video games, television and music may be a contributing factor to violence. I complete believe this statement is true because I’ve been to club and kids would start fighting because a song would come on. Where I’m from there was a prevalence of gangs or cliques form by teenagers my age.

Why do you think that food advertiser target children?
Do you think that tobacco companies target children?
How do you think we can change some of these behavioral factors among teens?

Katrina Comic ~N~ Interview with Marjane

This reading begins dealing with the issue of hurricane Katrina. In the beginning of the reading the word about the Hurricane is just being passed around. At first people did not think the storm would be a big deal. Kids just seen it as a way to have school off, and naïve adults just tried to ignored it. Denise mother tells her that she will be unable to leave during the hurricane. Denise decides to stay with her mother in the duration of the hurricane. On Saturday August 27 the storm was a category 5 and headed straight for the New Orleans Area. Leo and his wife plans to evacuate the storm. At first Leo’s wife didn’t want to leave because she believes that the storm is going to turn and everything is going to be ok. Leo looks at his box of comics books before he leaves. He’s had those comic books every since he was a child. His parents used to box them up when they used to evacuate from Hurricanes. I believe that Leo really wanted to take them with him, but he left them because of his wife’s reassurance that everything will be ok. Hamid’s family leaves to Houston for evacuation purposes but hamid stays. Hamids daughter gives him a first aid kit just incase anything were to happen. I believe this part of the reading showed great ethos. Hamids plan to stay in his grocery store because he thinks that it can sustain hurricane winds My favorite person in this story is Denise because she is a strong person and she stands up for her self. In the story you can see the aggression on her face when the doctor told her that they gave her mothers room away. In the duration of the reading hamid experience the hostility of the flooding. He has loss much of his valuable material things. Hamid and his friend saw a boat during the flood but stayed to watch over the store for looters. Hamid had to deal with mosquitoes, the flood, and rats. When Leo seen the flooding that was in New Orleans he thought of his comics books. In story hamid and his friend took water from the store and gave it to a old lady. I thought was a very generous thing that hamid did in the story. In the story two men start fighting over a bottle of water. I could only imagine the frustration of going through that hurricane and to need a bottle of water so bad that you would fight for it. I think this part of the story really opened up my eyes to the tragedy these people faced. In the news they showed us black males stealing big screen plasma television sets, looting stores, but they didn’t tell America that people were dying of dehydration and the males had to actually take water from stores. This is nothing but another example of the media being biased. Ms. Williams ends up dying in the story due to dehydration. They U.S. troops rode through the city with their guns pointed in peoples faces. They could have easily brought those people some water and could have saved Ms. Williams life. This was a very sad and mournful story, I have really learned a lot of things that I didn’t know before and have seen it from a different perspective.
Leo how did it feel to know that you had escape something so distrustful?
When they us troops turn people back from crossing the bridge did you feel like they wanted everyone dead?
When the us troops rode by with there guns pointed at you how did that make you feel?

The next reading was a interview with Marjane Satrapi. Robert Root starts the interview by asking her how does illustration affects a non-fiction and a autobiography work. She acknowledges that there’s many things that you can say through mages that you cannot say through writing. I believe this statement she made because it goes with the old saying a picture is worth a thousand words. Marjanes tells us about the government in Iran treating them like they are worth half of a man. Marjanes gives us insight on the Rex cinema burning down in Tehran. Marjanes tells us that she is very comfortable and happy with her imperfection. She tells us that she is a fan of imperfection. Robert Root asked her if there was any restraints that was put on her as an illustrator. She answers the question telling us that when she wrote her book she was talked about because of her style of writing. I believe that Robert Root conducted this interview well and he did a good job.
Robert Root is there anything that you want to know about Marjane that you didn’t ask?
Marjane is it hard to talk about your experiences from the past?
How do you feel that your novel is now a movie?

See What The Media Isn't Telling You About The War In Iraq! - Watch a funny movie here



The War In Iraq - The top video clips of the week are here

memoir picture (coming 2 america)

The texture of retracing in Marjane Satrapi's

I found The Texture Of Retracing In Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis to be a very illuminating reading. This text talks about Marjane Satrapis Presepolis in which she talks about her childhood and her experiences with the Islamic Revolution. This novel is precieved as a graphic novel. Hillary Chute enlightens us about the visual emptiness of each frame of the story. She articulates that the emptiness and the blackness represent the thickness and the vacancy of the writers memory. Marjane Satrapi uses an ideal amount of ethos in her text. She tells us about the graphic nature of her childhood and how she perceived it. Hillary Chute talks about the author calling attention to history by representing endemic images. Majane Satrapis talks about the execution, the bombings, the mass murders that happen during her days as a innocent child. At one point in her story she talks about a executioner urinating in the open wounds of a prisoner. She then talks about the executioners decapitating the prisoner then cutting him in to 7 pieces like a doll. Marjane Uncles was given one person that he could request to see before his execution and he requested Marjane Strapi. He tells her to Never Forget. I believe this was probably the best part of this reading to me, because she never forgot. I think that ethos comes into play when her mother sends her away from Iran and fainted when the planes leaves. I think that this part of the text is a very emotional and touching part. Hillary Chutes informs us that Marjane Satrapi stresses the gap between our knowledge and our own imagination. I think this statement is completely veridical because its some things that I didn’t know and would have never imagined.
How did you feel when you left Iran?
Why was your uncle executed?
How did all the violence affect her childhood?

In the reading of “The Involvement of Art with Craft” Frank Mathias which is a World War II veteran that is caught in a struggle to write a memoir that reflects his days a war GI. He wants to write a memoir that is completely plausible and factual. He stresses that there was very little memoirs published after the World War I and World War II. He uses dialogue from the time that he served in the war in is memoir. He found letters in his basement which played a very big part in writing is memoir. He uses the letters to recollect dialogue and write a memoir of the man he used to be forty years before. He planned to fit fine art into is memoir with facts, chronology and a little imagination. He tells of stories from back in the days of war and how they affected his and his outlook on war. He tells us how he has grown from a boy who though he knew everything and frightened machine gunner to the man that he is today. He attempts to turn years of memories and experience into sentences while trying not to destroy his memoirs historical accuracy. He tells us that as a memoirist he is faced with materials in which he must use and discard. He says that any memoirist committed to the truth is soon faced with limitations of choice. He says this is perhaps the greatest discipline of memoir writing. He informs us that gradually writing a memoir is truly a blend of arts and craft and a writer must involve himself emotionally in the memoir. My reaction to this reading was very overwhelming because I at one point thought about entering the military. In the reading it talks about the soldiers playing cards and just moments later they are attacked by bomber planes.

1. Why does his imagination play a role in the writing of his memoir?
2. Was the first Kamikaze attack overwhelmingly destructive?
3. How long did it take him to write his memoir?

I read the FSU reading “Knocked Up” by Nicole Filmore. This reading talks about teenager being pregnant at a very young age. The United States Teenage Pregnancy statistic tells us that Almost 750,000 teenagers between the ages of seventeen and nineteen get pregnant each year. In the reading it talks about the sister of the female that is pregnant and the variety of things that she must do for her little sister. The older sister complains of the lack of attention that the she is receiving. My reaction to this reading was very emphatic because I once too was a contributor to one of those 750,000 teenage statistics.

1. Since giving birth to a child how has your life changed?
2. Where your parents supportive of the pregnancy from the beginning?
3. How did your father feel when he first found out?


My Third reading was of “Sing with Me Somehow” by Alison Slusarczyk. This reading was an emotional piece because of the bond that she shares within her family. When her sister was getting arrested she pleads to the cop. The second born which is Mary has a baby. In the beginning of her memoir she writes about memories of her family. She talks about the song of their parents and that they would buy them notebooks every birthday and holiday. Anna is an abusive drug user and her boyfriend died in a car accident. My reaction to this reading was very compelling. I can tell that the narrator has been through some difficult times in her life. We all go through difficult times its how we deal with them is what counts. I believed she dealt with her situations very well. This is one quote I will never forget “Perseverance often decides who succeed and who fails in life”.

1. How did you feel after your sister was arrested?
2. Would you change anything from your childhood?
3. Do you believe everything happens for a reason?

Wednesday Assignment

This writing deals with very emotional aspects of ones mind and how they are dealt with and healed through writing. Writing is a very powerful healing tool. Like me many and many of my peers there is something that is very special about writing. Writing gives you the opportunity to take your emotions and thoughts and pour it on to a peace of paper. Writing gives a person the chance to express there inner thoughts and let the voices of their soul speak.
Hurricane Katrina was a very tragic Disaster that changes the leave lives of the people in New Orleans and the relatives of the people who were affected by this natural disaster. The listening tells us about an aunt and nieces who were temporarily split apart during the hurricane and later relocated in Houston after the hurricane passed. This was a very emotional and heart warming listening. It lets us know that we should be grateful for what we have, because many people did not make it out of that disaster alive.
My initial reaction to passage was that it was very plausible. I say that this reading was factual because it has worked for me. When I was younger and something would upset or stress me I would just write about it and I would achieve this preeminent feeling.
After listening to story of the two hurricane Katrina victims, I was filled with sentimentalism. Hurricane Katrina left a lot of people homeless and with no where to turn. This was truly a catastrophic disaster and will be remembered. I can only imagine what the survivors must feel. Its best put into words by a victim "trying to climb a ladder with tie hands".
I have a couple questions about the passage. Was therapeutic writing used back in the days of the Anglo Saxons? How was this type of writing discovered? Was a survey ever taken of people who have written a memoir and been heal?
What was the total number of lives lost in New Orleans because of Katrina? Were the effects of Katrina more psychological than physical? Did the celebrities from the area help with the reconstruction of New Orleans?

Jevon Evans