zerophiliacs anonymous

shadow of the wind

2008-06-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

in this part of the book, Daniel and Fermin goes to Father Fernando's office to talk to him about Julian Carax. they get Father Fernando to give them information about Carax by telling the father that Daniel is the " secret son" of Carax. the father believes them and even tells Daniel that he looks a little bit like Carax when he was younger. the father then begins to give them information about Carax: Father Fernando and Carax had been school mates and friends when they were boys. they were part of a group called the "Starving gang" because they did not come from a rich family like the majority of the school did.

DQ: do you think something bad might happen to Daniel because he lied to a priest?

shadow of the wind

2008-06-10T22:49:00.000-07:00

in this part of the book, Daniel accuses Bea that she is only marrying the lieutenant in order to get away from Barcelona and her family, "To go somewhere where they can't hurt you". Daniel also shows BEA a different side of Barcelona. a side she has never seen before. Daniel laters tells Bea about his adventures involving the Shadow of the wind and it's author, Carax. this leads to Daniel showing Bea the Cementary of Forgotton books.

DQ: do you think Daniel should have shown Bea the Cementary of Forgotton book?

shadow of the wind

2008-06-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

in this part of the book Don Anacleto Olmo has just finished telling Daniel, his father, Fermin and Merceditas (Daniel's neighbor who takes a likeing to his father) about the incident that caused Don Federico Flavia i Pujades (local watch maker and friends to the Semperes) to go to jail. Don Federico has returned from prison and is thrown on his front door steps coverd in blood. he had also been urinated on, his clothes were torn and his face was full of cuts and bruises.

DQ: why do you think inspector Fumero wanted Don Federico in jail?
Do you think Don Federico has any connections to Carax?

shadow of the wind

2008-06-04T19:20:00.000-07:00

in this section of the book, Fermin Romer de Torres tells Daniel that Bea was asked the bookstore and asked for him. Fermin then goes over board, like he always does, and starts talking about how Bea is a "bombshell". Also Fermin tells Daniel that if he didn't already have Bernanda then Bea would have definitely caught his eye. Fermin also jumps to conclusions and believes that Bea is Daniel's fiance. but Bea, Tomas Aguilar's (Daniel's friend) sister, is already engaged to a lieutenant in the military service.

DQ: why do you think Daniel always falls for women he can not have?

shadow of the wind

2008-06-03T19:14:00.000-07:00

in this part of the book, Fermino is doing better. Fermino discusses his dislike for the professor Javier Velazquez. he believes the professor sleeps with underaged women. but Daniel's father likes the professor because he always pays for his books well in advance. the professor also recommends Daniel's father to everyone he knows. Fermino then goes on to talk about how he would never sleep with an underage women. also he says that if he ever has doubts he would ask the woman for identification.

DQ: why do you think lately alot of adults have been sleeping with underage children?

shadow of the wind

2008-06-03T19:06:00.000-07:00

in this part of the story, Daniel is dealing with the aftermath of his discovery of Clara and Neri in bed together. in this section of the book Daniel goes back to the Cementary of Forgotten books and puts the book back. also, Daniel's relationship with his father improves greatly in this part of the book. Daniel also revisits the the begger, Fermin Romero de Torres, he met and offers him a job at his father's bookshop. the begger accepts and in a months time he looks like a new man. it is also revealed in this sectionof the book that the begger has some sort of psychological issues.

DQ: what do you think is wrong with Fermin?
Would you do what Daniel did, take home a begger and give that person a job?

shadow of the wind

2008-05-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

in this section of the book, Daniel explains the change in his relationship with Clara. Clara no longers wants to be left in a room alone with Daniel. Her uncles usually pretends to read a newspaper and Daniel now thinks Clara is embarassed by him. also a new character is introduced. Neri, a music instructor, is a "rich kid from the snobby uptown district of San Gervasio". Daniel doesn't like Neri at all. he thinks Neri is a flirt and a suck up. in this section of the book Daniel also goes into detail about his birthday dinner that did not turn out how he planned.

DQ: why do you think the man in the shadow believes he and Daniel will become friends?

shadow of the wind

2008-05-27T22:11:00.000-07:00

in this section of the book Clara describes the joy of reading. also Daniel becomes attracted to Clara, who is twice his age and blind. Clara tells Daniel about a man who also looks for other novels of Julian Carax. but instead of reading them, this man sets them on fire. in this section of the book, Daniel talks about when he once dreamed of becoming a novelist. he later goes into detail about a pen that he heard about when he was younger, and what that pen could accomplish.

DQ: why do you think the pen that Daniel describes represents?

The Shadow of the Wind

2008-05-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

the first 26 pages of the novel The Shadow of the Wind, written by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, was interesting. i was introduced to the setting -Barcelona , Spain in the aftermath of the civil war. some of the major characters and their history. Daniel, the story's narrator, is 10 years old ("almost eleven") and loves the read. His father is the owner of a book shop and his mother died of a sickness when he was four. after forgeting what his mother looks like, Daniel's father takes him to the cementery of Forgotten book, where he finds the book The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. Daniel now wants to read Carax's entire collection of book and wants to learn more about the author.

Quote: "never trust anyone, Daniel, especially the people you admire. those are the ones who will make you suffer the worst blows."
-Clara Barcelo

DQ: Do you think Clara was right when she told Daniel to "never trust anyone"?

What Happened to Lani Garver

2008-05-07T01:59:00.000-07:00

What Happened to Lani Garver, written by Carol Plum-Ucci, is a book about what happens when a girl, who has just overcome cancer, meets Lani Garver-who no one knows is a girl or a boy. the theme of this book was non-comformity. Lani Garver never cared that no one knew what gender he ( i'm just using he because i think Lani was a boy, but that information was never mentioned in the book) was. He also didn't care that because of this fact, he became an outsider who peopled talked about regularly. Lani just wanted to be his self. i really liked this book because it was the first book where a lot of information wasn't given about one of the main characters. so Lani was a mystery to me as well as a mystery for the characters in the book. i think an implied argument of the book was not to judge people because they are different.

questions: Why do you think it was so important for the characters in the book to figure out what gender Lani Garver was?
Do you think Lani Garver was an angel?

The Perks of Being a WallFlower

2008-05-04T09:35:00.000-07:00

The Perks of Being a WallFlower, written by Stephen Chbosky, is a fantastic novel about adolescence. the book has multiple themes. one theme in the book was Conformity. this theme was illustrated when one of the characters, Brad, denied his true sexual orientation so his friends and family wouldn't think he was weird. This theme also ties in with another theme, Appearance vs. Reality. Brad was the high school quaterback and he felt that he had to maintain an image that people have of a quaterback. For example, being the tough guy who picks on the nerd and being straight because everyone knows quaterbacks can't be gay. I really enoyed this book; i felt that it covered all the main teenager issues: sexuality, drug&alochol use, abuse, incest and more. i believe one of the author's implied arguments was that you should just be yourself.

question: Who was your favorite character why?
Do you think one day Brad will be ok with his sexuality?

Killing Bridezilla

2008-03-04T22:45:00.000-08:00

"We're expected to go from boy crazy when we're little to bridezillas as adults"

in Jessica Valenti's book, Full Frontal Feminism, she addresses the issue of weddings and apparently how over the top it has gotten lately. Valenti feels that wedding fever is the "scariest disease" she has ever seen, "it's excess at it's best". she states that apparently 72 billion dollars a year is spent on weddings. Valenti doesn't understand why should someone spend that much money on a wedding when that could be a down payment for a house. there were two aspects about marriage totally pissed Valenti off: 1) engagements rings; Valenti thinks that "the purpose of an engagement ring is show that you (talking about women) belong to someone" and 2) the changing of the last name; Valenti feels that this "epitomizes the idea that you(talking about women again) are not your own person" and that this is the "ultimate buy-in sexist bull****". according to Valenti, hyphenating your last name is the better way to go.

tone-blunt
fab 40-incongruous
rhetorical strategies- statistics: " a whopping $72 billion per year is spent on weddings"
anecdote: "Recently i was talking to my friend..."

DQ- what is your opinion about expensive weddings?

"Feminism is So Last Week"

2008-02-20T01:11:00.000-08:00

"Girls aren't suppose to like sex, especially teenage girls"

Jessica Valenti's book enititled "Full Frontal Feminism" depicts the misconceptions of feminism made by today's Society. Valenti bluntly and humorously sets the record straight that as many attempts people have tried to kill it, Feminism Isn't Dead. the book tackles several issues, one being sex and women. Valenti states that in today society, teenage girls are not suppose to have sex and if they are then they are automatically viewed as sluts or as victims who are being taken advantage of. She argues that our consenting laws are flawed because it implies that "women can't make their own decisions about their sexuality". Valenti also gives an example about a bill in Missouri that requires teachers and doctors to report kids who are sexually active to a state abuse hotline, unless the girl is married "that's their get out of jail free card". Valenti thinks that these laws weren't created to keep girls safe but were in facts developed to ensure that someone "whether a parent, husband, or the state- is making decisions for young women".

tone-candid
fab 40-precise
rhetorical stragegies- statistics: "in recent articles, feminism has been blamed for promoting promiscuity" from Monique Stuart's January 1,2006 The Washington Times article "Slutty Feminism"
annecdotes:"Back in the fifth grade, the love of my life was Douglas MacIntyre, who told me i'd be pretty if only i didnt' have such a big, ugly nose"

question: Do you agree with the consenting laws we have concerning sex?

Cell Phones Cause Traffic Jams, And Other Problems

2008-01-05T23:56:00.000-08:00

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205207840

"That SOB on the cell phone is slowing you down and making you late."

W. David Gardner's January 3, 2008 article explains the effect of people who talk on cellphones while they drive. according to Gardner's studies they effect everyone. Gardner spoke with David Strayer, a psychology teacher at the University of Utah, and Strayer's research proved that the reaction time of young adults who talk on cell phones are compatiable with senior citizens. the French Health Ministry believes that obsessive cell phone usage by children should be avoided stating, "one should use a mobile phone with good judgement". in his article, Gardner states that a man in Massachusetts fatally injured a 13 year old boy with his SUV while he was text messaging while driving.

tone-logical

DQ- Do you think cell phone usage while driving is hazardous?

Rooting for trees

2007-12-30T22:12:00.001-08:00

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-morrison20dec20,0,2174323.column?coll=la-opinion-columnists

"Of course Homo sapiens love trees -- we used to live in them."

Patt Morrison's December 20, 2007 Los Angeles Times Opinion article expresses her personal view and the view of tree huggers. every year come Christmas time, thousands of trees are cut down to be placed in homes, and "by January 2 they're destined for trash bins". Morrison mentions in the article that trees are being cut down for petty reasons. for instance, to get betterl satelite TV reception or because they violate feng shui rules. Individuals at the U.N. Gloval Warming meeting, held in Bali last weekend, even considered paying countries to not cut down trees. Morrison's feels that "trees saved us once when we had to live out of the reach of hungry creatures" and planting a million more trees could possibly "rescue our sorry buts again, on a planetary scale." Morrison believes that a million trees can get planted if "If we all convene our poker pals, our book groups, our golf foursomes, our carpool or string quartet and plant one tree, we'll have the million".

tone- comical/informative

DQ- Do you feel planting more trees is a first-rate solution for aiding the enviornment.

The Worst President in History?

2007-12-16T14:50:00.000-08:00

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/worst_president_in_history

Sean Wilentz's April 21, 2006 Rolling Stone article expresses Wilentz's opinion of the current president of the United States, George W. Bush. Wilentz believes that "there seems to be little the administration can do to avoid being ranked on the lowest tier of U.S. presidents". A survey of 415 historians found that eighty-one percent considered the Bush administration a failure. A majority of voters in 43 states now disapprove of how Bush is handling his job. Only one other twice-elected president has seen his ratings go down in his second term. That president was Richard Nixon, two months prior to when he was forced to resign from office. Wilentz feels that the attacks on September 11, 2001 gave president Bush an opportunity to achieve greatness. But "Bush wasted his chance by quickly choosing partisanship over leadership". Basically Wilentz believes that everytime Bush is given an chance to improve the nation he blows it. Thus, making Bush one of the worst U.S. presidents in history.

tone- scholarly

DQ-how would the U.S. be today if president Bush was not elected?