A small sidebar conversation has been slowly developing in the role-playing thread. I opened this post up to give a voice those students who wish to discuss our propensity for myths and legends.
(Note: the term ”Sic” is a Latin word meaning “thus”, “so”, “as such”, or “just as that”. It is used when quoting directly to indicate that the preceding grammatical or usage error was in the original document and is not a result of faulty transcription.)

Teiyuri started by stating that she “not believe in Lycans or faeries but vampires are understandable.” and went on to assert that “this world and universe is huge and even if we could live for all eternity we could still not discover all the secrets to [sic] it.”

Petros followed with his assertion that, to him, “vampires . . . are real fake and dumb. They started in movies and its gone to [sic] far.”

Martinique entered last into this conversation, and perhaps most tellingly, with her address to “believers:” ”
No offense to the people that [sic] think it is real [sic] but I just think it is a whole bunch of dumb stuff. Also i [sic] don’t get how some people could believe in fairies and things like that [sic] why whould there be so [sic] lady or man that is going to come and make your fantasies come true like when young children say there [sic] imaginary friend is there. Things like this to me jus [sic] gives [sic] everyone something random to talk about.”

What do you think about these three statements?

This is an RP(role play) hosted by Tiana Pitre and Jasmine Ellison.

If you choose to join us, you will take an epic journey into a world of extraordinary fantasy, where imagination  is the key to unlock the realm of life beyond reality…

 Simple Rules:

1.) No text talk or obscenely irregular typing, meaning,  no typing “LiKe DiS” or using words such as: Lol, Omg, Lmao, Rofl, etc.

2.) Must post more than one entry to earn full credit. (As long as you stay on topic and aren’t just babbling.)

3.) We understand if you get Writer’s Block… It happens. But try to keep it from happening as much as possible.

Grading Process:

Contributing to this blog selection will count toward your Extensions grade for the 4th quarter. Mr. Rice will grade you on your effort and level of contribution.

Introduction

Think you know about everything that goes on in the world you live in? And no, I don’t mean the things the media puts in your head, I’m talking about what lurks in the shadows, the things you don’t see in broad day light. If you truly look deep into the corners of the world you’d be able to find us living amongst the humans. And by us I mean Vampires, Lycans and last but not least, Faeries (Not the happy flowery kind you see on t.v., these things DO cause malicious mayhem). It’s too late, you can’t turn back. You’ve already gone too far. Come, stay and chat with us for a while, we won’t bite… Yet.

This post is designed to be more conversational in nature than the others, so I will be looking for a series of short answers to build a dialog. Contention is acceptable and encouraged as long as it remains civil and considerate of the academic setting. Active participation in this blog will count toward your 4th quarter Extensions grade.

People have been discussing the concepts of fate, destiny, and life’s meaning ever since we had time to contemplate. You are the next generation to tackle these big questions that form the foundation for the way you interact with the world. In “What Do You Believe?” Mona told us she believes “in the power of the Universe and [that] it is always in control, whether you accept it or know it or not.” What do you think of this proposition?

THIS POST IS CLOSED. PLEASE REPLY TO ANY POST TITLED S2 QUARTER 4 THROUGH THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. 

Topic #2 is titled, “This I Believe” and is named after the National Public Radio program that describes itself as an” international project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values that guide their daily lives.” The essay I used for Topic #2 is one of “tens of thousands of essays” accepted by the program for archiving and broadcast .

If you choose to respond to this topic, you will have an opportunity to have your voice heard, saved, and maybe even broadcast on the radio. You will write a 350 – 500 word essay using “This I Believe” guidelines and submit it to this blog. It takes roughly 3 minutes to speak 500 written words and I know you guys can talk about your beliefs for three minutes. I will comment on your entry, tell you if you need to fix anything, and then work with you to get it submitted to the program.

Before you write, listen to a few This I Believe essays at http://thisibelieve.org/view_featured_essays.php

Then follow the following guidelines to write your essay. Make sure you read the information found at the essay writing tips link.

1. Please limit your essay to fewer than 500 words.
2. Describe an event that shaped your beliefs or a person who inspired them.
3. Avoid sermons and editorials—no soapbox declamations, please!
4. Read more of our essay-writing tips.

THIS POST IS CLOSED. PLEASE REPLY TO ANY POST TITLED S2 QUARTER 4 THROUGH THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

Only five students will be able to take this topic. THIS TOPIC IS NOW CLOSED. PLEASE ADDRESS ONE OF THE OTHER THREE S2 TOPICS TO COMPLETE THE BLOG ASSIGNMENT.

Research and respond to one of the following subjects. Once someone has selected a subject, it is closed and may not be used again for credit on this post.

Your response must include proper MLA in-text, parenthetical citations and works cited (see our class reference page for sites to help you with citing sources). Since this is a blog posting, you do not have to double-space or include page heading information.

SUBJECT #1: CLOSED (P. Petros) Where does the power come from that lights up your television and powers your video games? Write a brief expository blog entry on the where and how the electricity you use is generated and delivered to your house.

SUBJECT #2: CLOSED (B. Peppers-Matthews) Do you drink bottled water? Write a brief expository blog entry explaining where your favorite brand of bottle water comes from and how it is produced and delivered.

SUBJECT #3: CLOSED (B. Ortner) Where does your microwave burrito wrapper go? Write a brief expository blog entry explaining where the trash in your house goes after you leave it on the kitchen counter.

SUBJECT #4: CLOSED (T. Smith) Do you eat fast food? Write a brief expository blog entry explaining where your favorite fast food item comes from and hos it goes from being grown or raised and ends up in a box in front of you.

SUBJECT #5: CLOSED (D. Miller) Do you have a favorite clothing brand? Write a brief expository blog entry explaining how a clothing item you like to wear went from being part of bolt of cloth to an essential part of your wardrobe.

THIS POST IS CLOSED. PLEASE REPLY TO ANY POST TITLED S2 QUARTER 4 THROUGH THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

READ THE ENTIRE ASSIGNMENT BEFORE BEGINNING

Listen to Amelia Baxter-Stoltzfus reading of her essay “Returning to What’s Natural” at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15006650. Read along with the transcript printed just below the “Listen Now” speaker icon.

Paraphrase Baxter-Stoltzfus’s main point and then discuss how the ideas she presents and defends in her essay pertain to your own life. Your essay should be thoughtful and lengthy enough to give me the same sense of depth I get from Baxter-Stoltzfus’s essay.

Again, you may also use this forum to ask each other for help and clarification.

THIS POST IS CLOSED. PLEASE REPLY TO ANY POST TITLED S2 QUARTER 4 THROUGH THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

Read the Gabriel Garcia Marquez short story “One of These Days” at http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/ootdays.html

Write an essay in which you outline the story’s theme and support your assertion with evidence from the text.

I realize this may seem like a daunting assignment. Remember, words are only “big” to you because you don’t know them yet (when did you first learn the meaning of the “random,” for instance?).

Take it slow, look up words you don’t know, and take an honest shot at tackling the question. I encourage open discussion; you are free to ask for peer assistance within this forum and engage in discussions to help you clarify the assignment. I am looking for you to direct your own discoveries, not to come up with the “right” answers.

If you dropped by here to join in the discussions, take a moment and head over to our class web site for a look at some semester exam study tips.

THIS POST IS CLOSED FOR COMMENTS. FOR CREDIT, PLEASE RESPOND TO ANY POST LABELED, “S2 TOPIC#:”Respond to the following assertion:

Anyone, except convicted felons, should be able to carry a gun anywhere they want, any time they want.

THIS POST IS CLOSED FOR COMMENTS. FOR CREDIT, PLEASE RESPOND TO ANY POST LABELED, “S2 TOPIC#:”

What is this poem about? What is the poet trying to say?

If I Cut My Own Throat

If I cut my own throat,
Would the blood know its place,
And spurt in neat pools of one-eighth Welsh, German, and Dutch?
Would my jugular dutifully disgorge smaller gouts of Irish, English, and French,
And save a drop or two for a forgotten Gambian and Arapaho?

Or would it all just flow together, slick and red,
Into a congealing lake of sticky brown,
Oblivious to the distinctions of genealogists?