Exams

Well, they are almost here. Exams, that is. Semester exams are Thursday (blocks 1 and 3) and Friday (blocks 2 and 4). Of course, when your portfolio is turned in completed, you have finished my exam.

So how many exams do you have to take? Are you able to exempt any of them? Which one will be your most difficult?

Your task is simple today. You need to answer the questions above. Make sure you proofread!

Who Are You Pulling For?

Jets, Steelers, Packers or Bears? The final playoff games prior to the Super Bowl are on Sunday. Who will you be cheering for, and why? If you are not pulling for any of these teams, then tell us what you will be doing Sunday afternoon and evening.



Proofread. I expect your post to be without error!

Idol is Back

American Idol begins its tenth season tonight. Over the years American Idol has become the standard by which other talent/reality shows are judged.







There are many differences between this year's show and previous seasons. For one thing, the original production crew has been brought back to help the show.







In addition to that change, there are two new judges. Paula left before last year. Kara and Ellen are not coming back. But the biggest judging news is that Simon Cowell will not be returning! Do you wonder how it will affect the program.







The new judges are Jennifer Lopez (J-LO) and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and Polar Express fame. But of course, the biggest stars are the singers. From the auditions to the finals, we all tune in to watch the singers and cheer for our favorite.







As you can guess, I am a big fan of American Idol. Think of all the artists you listen to today who got their start on Idol. There's Jennifer Hudson, Clay Aiken, Carrie Underwood, Fantasia, Adam Lambert and Taylor Hicks; just to name a few.







Or do you watch for the "train wrecks," the bad singers. the attitudes and the "unique" characters? How can you forget Sanjaya, William Hung, Bikini Girl and some of the others? Even Adam Lambert had his quirky side!




Do you watch Idol? What do you think of the new judges? Will Simon's departure hurt the show? Let us know what you think!

With a Little Help From my Friends...

By now, you may have heard of Elizabeth Hughes. Elizabeth is an eight year old girl who sung the National Anthem at last Friday's Norfolk Admirals hockey game. Watch the video, and read the news article. What do you think of the crowd's reaction? Did you notice that someone laughs at this little girl's microphone cuts out after the words "gave proof" at about the 1:30 mark? Then someone shushes her! Then the crowd helped her finish the anthem! What a truly inspiring moment! Did you notice that this event happened in Norfolk?

Your job: Watch the video and tell us what you thought of this event. Did you notice the rudeness or the helpfulness of the crowd?

The Onion

Need a good laugh? Then read the Onion! The newspaper of this satirical organization is sure to generate plenty of laughs. And maybe a few laughs is something we can all use! Satire is a type of humor that sometimes is hard to understand, but can be quite funny. Satire is defined as "the use of sarcasm, irony, ridicule or the like to expose, denounce, or deride vice, folly ,etc..." This definition is from dictionary.com

Your assignment is to open the Onion site, and look at today's issue. Pick one article that you think is funny and tell us what you thought of it! Remember to post your reply with three sentences and proofread!

Is it Luck?

Maybe you have heard of Ted Williams. No, not the famous baseball player, but the current Internet sensation. It seems that Mr. Williams has a gift of voice and was trained in Radio. Sadly, he fell upon hard times and became homeless, panhandling for money by the side of the street in the Columbus, Ohio area. That is, until he was "discovered" and his video went viral. Read the news story and watch the video that goes along with it. You have to be impressed by it.

Here is another story about Mr. Williams. Do you think that this is the end of his story?

Here is your assignment. Read both stories. Tell us what you think of this man's journey. Will he be successful in the future? Will there be more to his story? What do you think of his voice?

The Birds

On December 31, 2010 thousands of birds began falling from the sky dead in Beebe, Arkansas, thirty minutes from the beginning of the new year. Days later in Louisiana more birds fell from the sky, also dead. Also in this time period fish began dying in the Chesapeake bay. In England, thousands of dead crabs began washing up on numerous shores. On top of all this, bees are disappearing all over the country, something that has been happening for years, has now reached dangerous levels.

Many speculate that these recent happenings have something to do with the 2012 predictions of the Mayan civilization. After reading the links posted in this blog do you feel that this could be related to the Mayans? Are you worried about these sudden unexpected deaths in the world? What impact do you think the drop in the bee population will have on the world?

Don't forget to respond in at least 3 sentences.

A special thanks to our first guest blogger of the semester: Pat Thompson. And remember, we are always looking for guest bloggers!

Winter Wipeout

If you have looked at previous posts on this blog, you will notice that we have blogged on the television show Wipeout several times. If you have been missing Wipeout, I have good news for you! Winter Wipeout premieres tomorrow night on ABC at 8 pm. Here is a promotional video for the show. And here is another.

If you are not familiar with Wipeout, the concept is simple. Contestants attempt to complete a series of obstacle courses, fastest time wins. The prize is usually $50,000. Of course the appeal of the show is the obstacles which are just about impossible to complete, causing the contestants to "wipe out." These obstacles include the "sucker punch," the "motivator" and every body's favorite, the "Big Balls."

For the last several years, Wipeout has been on during the summer when it is warm outside. Winter Wipeout is run during much colder times. It should be interesting to watch. Have you watched Wipeout before? What did you think of it? Will you be watching it tomorrow night? Remember to give us at least three sentences in your paragraph. Proofread!