Last Blog

Although it was difficult to do at times, Blogging was actually a decent experience. There were some things many people in the class did not like about it, but overall it was better than book reports or discussing what you read to the class. This has been a great experience that was better than most classes and I am glad I go to experience this.

Zeitoun (pgs 215-265)

The book goes back to September 6th and looks at Zeitoun's perceptive of the situation. After he is done taking a shower, officials burst into his home and escort him into a bus. Zeitoun, Naseer, Todd, and Ronnie have no idea  where this bus is going. Todd is quite hotheaded and is asking what they have done over and over again. Then, Zeitoun hears one of the guards says that they are Al Qaeda. Zeituon can not believe it and thinks he has misheard what the guard says. He also hears the guard says that they are part of the Taliban. They were all also violently stripped search without any warrant or trial for these victims. Also, they were proceeded to a prison that looked like Guantanamo Bay. The guards are strict and spray the prisoners that do not cooperate with pepper spray. There is also a man sent into their sell named Jerry. Jerry asks many questions and is a very funny and exciting guy. Todd starts to think that he is a spy sent from the other guards to get information from them. Zeitoun asks for phone calls as well, but the guards tell him that the phones don't work and that he is Taliban and would not be allowed to use them anyways. Him and Naseer realize they need to pray which they knew would draw suspicion from the guards. They do their wudu with dirt instead of water and pray. Zeitoun has had a pain in his foot and is starting to feel some pain in his kidney. He pries the metal needle out of his foot with a sharp glass piece from a bottle. The kidney pain bothers him while he is in the prison. Zeitoun is having problems sleeping at night as well. Even if he could get comfortable enough to sleep, he knew that the train would bother him. He admires the construction of the prison as well because of the short time they had to construct it. There was a man yelling out things that a small child he would say. It annoyed the guards to the point where he was pepper sprayed. He starts to feel bad for Kathy and his kids because he knows that he should have left early. Kathy kept on telling him and this was why she had warned him. The prisoners eventually move out of Camp Greyhound into a much nicer prison. Zeitoun continues to ask for phone calls in this season, but they say that the phones don't work and they are not his prisoner. He is a part of FEMA. Zeitoun appreciates how nice they were at the beginning which was a great improvement from the last prison. He also tells the nurse he has kidney problems, but she can't help yet because he doesn't have a prescription. She gives him a doctor's note that he has to fill out and he gives it back to her when she comes back. At the last prison, the doctors would not help him because they thought he was a part of the Taliban and was a terrorist. Four african-american men are put into Zeitoun and Naseer's cell, which separated the Syrian- Americans from the Americans. The African- american said they were serving "Katrina time." Zeitoun begins to think that his pain may be from the fumes of Hurricane Katrina as Kathy had warned him. Many problems are occurring with Zeitoun while in prison and it is a difficult time for him.

I am completely shocked of this outcome. I did not suspect it to be this bad! Zeitoun is unfairly tried into a prison similar to Guantanamo Bay. This does not seem fair. Just because of where he is from and what religion he is, they are going to consider him terrorists? Mr. Hill was right when he said this gets completely infuriating. This amazing man who was helping his community in Katrina is a terrorist? That is a complete oxymoron. The helpful terrorist? How does this make any sense. I can't put this book down at all because I want to find the fairness in the situaion. I want to know what happens to Zeitoun.

Globetrotter Impersonation

This guy from the Globetrotter impersonates NBA Stars! This is some funny stuff and he doesn't do a bad job of impersonating them either.

Manchester City over Arsenal.

Manchester city has moved ahead of Arsenal and I can't believe it! Arsenal is such a better team with so many key injuries! It just isn't fair how a team like Man City can move ahead of them. Hopefully Arsenal wins this weekend and is able to move past them in the standings...

Keep Your Head Up

I can't get this song out of my head right now. Andy Grammer created an amazing song that will probably just be like I'm Yours by Jason Mraz. This will still be a good song in many years to come as well.

Zeitoun pgs. (183-214)

Kathy is worried sick about Zeitoun the entire section and she is a complete mess. She awaits the call from Zeitoun, but does not get one for two whole weeks. Her kids constantly ask where their dad is, but Kathy does not know, so she ends up lying to her kids that she received a call at night from Yuko's phone on the first ring. Yuko tries to prevent Kathy from TV, the interent, and the radio, but this still does not stop Kathy. She still researches what is going on in New Orleans and realizes the death toll is increasing daily which worries her even more. This makes her think that her husband is dead and that she may have to prepare for a funeral. Zeituon's family from around the world is always calling and is also very worried. They are wondering where Zeitoun could be since he hasn't told Kathy and he hasn't called his family. Ahmad, Zeitouin's brother from Spain, is getting worried as well. Ahmad sends information of Zeitoun to the news stations and organizations in the USA to see if anyone has seen him. Kathy also enrolls the kids into a new school which Yuko helps them all get settled in. This intense experience drives everyone crazy. However, at the very end of the chapter, Kathy receives a cal from a man with a deep voice. He asks if she knows Zeitoun, which he pronouces wrong, and Kathy says yes. The man tells her that Zeitoun is in jail and safe. After that, Kathy asks many questions in one breath, but the man can not respond because he may be in trouble just for telling her that.
The end of the chapter really got to me. It was repetitive about how worried Kathy was, but I could sense the intensity of this. Zeituon is in jail!!!! I have no idea how he could be when the worst what he had done was try to help somebody. How could this great man be in jail?

Zeitoun (pgs. 156-182)

Zeituon wakes up and starts a barbecue with the others he is with while Kathy has finally arrived in Arizona with Ahmaad driving there and only stopping on the trip once. Ahmad, Zeitoun's brother, calls again and asks Zeitoun to leave and tries to convince him by saying his kids are worried sick, but this still does not change his mind as he is to take care of his city. Zeitoun remembers how his brother had hacked into a camera system in New Orleans and told him to stand there so he could see him. Zeituon went to the location his brother told him with his family and his brother had seen him and was very excited. Also, Zeitoun sees a fire that is near his office which has yet to be flooded with water. The fire is moving down the street at a fast rate and Zeitoun is not too worried as his office only received small harm. There is a weird institute where Zeituon picks up a woman that happens to be a prostitute  This makes it very awkward as he is already married and is wondering if anyone would need her services. Zeitoun asks her where she is going and she says my work.It made it extremely awkward for him during the trip, but he had to do it because he was helping everybody. While Zeitoun is paddling, he discovers dogs that have been shot down. After that, he immediately calls Kathy who again tells him to evacuate the city and there can be many health problems for those who are staying. Zeitoun is actually considering evacuating, but does not tell Kathy.His number one concern is for the kids to be in school, but Kathy's concern is for Zeituon to leave. As he proceeds to Nadeemah's bedroom, he starts to read the Quran as he is relaxing today and opens up the beautiful book and reads the parts he has been thinking about. Zeituon reflects on his interaction with birds from his childhood as he had kept them. Also, Naseer decides he would like to leave the city. However, when Zeituon takes him there, the helicopter has crashed. Naseer has to wait another day. When they make their way back to Zeitoun's house, they realize the water is working. Excited, Zeitoun goes to take a shower. After that, there is a group of men that storm in to Zeitoun's house which has him worried and he goes downstairs.

This is starting to get intense. I am not sure what these men will do to Zeitoun, but I am still waiting to find out. Also, I can't believe that he is still staying in this horribly conditioned city helping people. It takes true bravery and confidence to that in God's wish. I hope nothing too bad happens to Zeituon, but I will just have to wait and see.

Heat @ Bulls

Well it turns out I am going to the Heat @ Bulls game Wednesday and I'm PUMPED!!! I can't wait to see these two teams battle it out for the win and I am sure it will be a good match up from the two for Game 3 in Chicago!

Rain.

It has been raining so much lately and I am getting sick of it. Why can't it be a normal spring in May when it is sunny and windy all the time which opens up activities to do outside. I have really not been able to get outside much because there is always rain being predicted.

Surprising Elimination on Idol

James Durbin was surprisingly eliminated on American Idol. James was the front runner of the competition with his interesting rocker/metal performances that were so intense with flames and fireworks. He was clearly the best that was left in the competition and now he is gone. There are two country people that are good which are Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery. Hopefully, one of these two can win the competition.

Arsenal.....................

Arsenal lost to Aston Villa today which is extremely disappointing. I was counting on them to win so they could receive runner-up in the premier league, but since they lost the best they can do is third place which I really hope they get. It really makes me angry how they could lose to an easy team like Aston Villa, but beat both Chelsea and Manchester United. Injuries are really killing the Gunners at the moment and I hope they will be good for next season with all these young gunners coming up.

Zeitoun (pgs. 126-156)

Kathy decides to drive to Phoenix where Yuko lives because she can't stand her family anymore. While she is driving there, she calls Zeituon and another man picks up which makes her worried sick that he has been robbed. Also, Yuko calls her on her way there and tells her not to drive anymore and that her husband will pick them up at Houston where they can fly to Phoenix. Zeituon continues to help out the community by feeding other survivors and stray dogs in New Orleans. As he is helping out others, Zeitoun sees men robbing a gas station which is what Kathy was warning him about. He watches them from a safe distance, but one of the gang members sees him, so Zeituon decides to paddle away quickly in his canoe before they can get him. He also saw army officials guarding an area and they surprisingly refused to help Zeitoun when he was asking them to help others in need. Ahmad, Zeitoun's Brother, calls and instructs Zeituon to leave the city, but he refuses and says he must help the city as it is God's Wish. There was a man that Zeitoun encountered that Zetioun asked him to help a handicapped man which the man had agreed to, but the man never helped and had broken a promise to Zeitoun which made him very angry. Zeituon starts to miss his family and children, so he goes into Nadeemah's bedroom where he encounters pictures of his brother, Ahmad. It shows his numerous adventures around the world and what he had seen during his boat expeditions. Zeituon mentions how much he liked to take pictures on his adventures and would encounter so many people just through that.

The book continues to be absolutely spontaneous. It is so adventurous and so interesting! Zeitoun is such a great guy in helping everyone in the city even though they were not close at all. This may be one of my favorite books of all time, but that depends on how the ending is.

Premier League Standings

Manchester United clinched the Premiership title this weekend with a win over Chelsea and a loss by Arsenal to stoke city...... I HATE MAN U WITH A PASSION! I know this is getting quite repetitive, but seriously..... all their team can do is score goals and nothing else. Their roster is full of players with ego and attitude. Also, I miss Fabregas and Nasri. They have been injured so much this season which is the reason why Arsenal descended in the standings and lost the chance for the title. Although it has been a while for them, I believe next season the Gunners will clinch the title assuming that Cesc Fabregas statys.

Poems for Anthology

The Summer Day

Mary Oliver

http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/133.html

Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper, I mean-

the one who has flung herself out of the grass,

the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,

who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-

who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.

Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,

which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

Summer in a Small Town

Linda Gregg

http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/170.html

When the men leave me,

they leave me in a beautiful place.

It is always late summer.

When I think of them now,

I think of the place.

And being happy alone afterwards.

This time it’s Clinton, New York.

I swim in the public pool

at six when the other people

have gone home.

The sky is grey, the air hot.

I walk back across the mown lawn

loving the smell and the houses

so completely it leaves my heart empty.

The Summer I Was Sixteen

Geraldine Connolly

http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/003.html

The turquoise pool rose up to meet us,

its slide a silver afterthought down which

we plunged, screaming, into a mirage of bubbles.

We did not exist beyond the gaze of a boy.

Shaking water off our limbs, we lifted

up from ladder rungs across the fern-cool

lip of rim. Afternoon. Oiled and sated,

we sunbathed, rose and paraded the concrete,

danced to the low beat of "Duke of Earl".

Past cherry colas, hot-dogs, Dreamsicles,

we came to the counter where bees staggered

into root beer cups and drowned. We gobbled

cotton candy torches, sweet as furtive kisses,

shared on benches beneath summer shadows.

Cherry. Elm. Sycamore. We spread our chenille

blankets across grass, pressed radios to our ears,

mouthing the old words, then loosened

thin bikini straps and rubbed baby oil with iodine

across sunburned shoulders, tossing a glance

through the chain link at an improbable world

. Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;

And give us not to think so far away

As the uncertain harvest; keep us here

All simply in the springing of the year.

A Prayer in Spring

Robert Frost

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-prayer-in-spring/

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,

Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;

And make us happy in the happy bees,

The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird

That suddenly above the bees is heard,

The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,

And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,

The which it is reserved for God above

To sanctify to what far ends He will,

But which it only needs that we fulfil.

"A Tropical Paradise," Madison F.

Lying on the beach
With sunglasses on your face
Shielding the harsh sunlight from your eyes.
You cover your skin with SPF 25.
Sand makes its way into your sandals,
but you don’t mind.
Off in the distance music is being played
on steel drums.
They set the mood of your whole vacation:
relaxation.
You see the boats drift by with their brightly
colored sides
And you hold onto your tropical drink that tastes
like bananas
With its tiny umbrella hanging off the side.
It makes you smile.
You wonder if the sailors on the boat are as
peaceful as you are.
Worries escape you as you drift into your own oasis
And your home life becomes something of the past.
Almost unreal.
You smell coconut everywhere you go
And wonder if you’ll miss it when you leave.
All you hear is the crashing of the waves.
All you can feel is your newly burnt skin.
All that matters is nothing.

Spring

By Gerard Manley Hopkins

Nothing is so beautiful as Spring –         

   When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;         

   Thrush’s eggs look little low heavens, and thrush         

Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring         

The ear, it strikes like lightnings to hear him sing;

   The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush         

   The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush         

With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.         

What is all this juice and all this joy?         

   A strain of the earth’s sweet being in the beginning

In Eden garden. – Have, get, before it cloy,         

   Before it cloud, Christ, lord, and sour with sinning,         

Innocent mind and Mayday in girl and boy,         

   Most, O maid’s child, thy choice and worthy the winning.         

Spring

By Karla Kuskin

I’m shouting

I’m singing

I’m swinging through trees

I’m winging skyhigh

With the buzzing black bees.

I’m the sun

I’m the moon

I’m the dew on the rose.

I’m a rabbit

Whose habit

Is twitching his nose.

I’m lively

I’m lovely

I’m kicking my heels.

I’m crying “Come Dance”

To the fresh water eels.

I’m racing through meadows

Without any coat

I’m a gamboling lamb

I’m a light leaping goat

I’m a bud

I’m a bloom

I’m a dove on the wing.

I’m running on rooftops

And welcoming spring!

The Picture of Dorian Gray (pgs. 32-65)

HAHAHHAHAHAHHA I JUST TRICKED YOU MR. HILL!!!!!

Zeitoun (pgs. 95-126)

It continues to go back and forth between the settings of Kathy and Zeituon. Kathy is worried sick for Zeitoun as the worse of the storm approaches. After Zeitoun moves everything in their house upstairs, he has a phone conversation with Kathy. She tells him that she should come over here and Zeitoun tells her he can't because he has to take care of their house. However, Zeitoun's phone is about to die so they hang up and have their individual settings. Kathy drives the kids around to waste time and is continuously being scolded by her family. She asks if they can take some of Zeitoun's family members in, but her mom says no for some odd reason. Zeituon starts driving around New Orleans in a canoe. He meets his neighbor named Frank and takes him for a ride through the city. They happen to see a lady who is just floating there, Frank and Zeitoun tell her that they will find help where they are going and come back. Luckily, they see some boats with officers on it. They redundantly call for help but the officers do not respond to their cries for help. This does not stop Zeitoun as he heroically saves the lady. He goes around the city trying to help everyone he can and he feels great. After this day, he calls Kathy. She is ecstatic to hear from him and glad he is ok, but she still asks him to come to Baton Rogue. Although Zeitoun knows the city is in bad condition, he refuses and tells Kathy how he has to help the people of the city recover. After that, Zeitoun goes home and finds some pictures of his family and brothers in his household. He is being reminded of when he grew up and when his kids grew up and becomes really happy.
I think it is amazing that Zeitoun is helping the city recover when he is a victim himself. This is a very brave and courageous act to be performed in a time in need for everyone in the city. Zeitoun is obviously a good man and always does whatever is the best for other people. Even though he is slightly worried about his own condition from the storm, that slight scary feeling does not stop him from helping other people in his community.

Zeitoun (pgs. 78-94)

Kathy is in Baton Rogue with her family and she tries to hold back and just enjoy the time that they are having there. Although they serve her children hot dogs, which contain pork and is against Islam, she calms down and settles back. The children are having a fun time with their cousins and it all seems safe. Zeitoun is still in New Orleans and is not worried much. He is sleeping a lot and can not find anything to do. He wakes up one day and realizes he has slept through the storm. There is not much damage to his house compared to his neighbors. Zeituon has been sleeping late for the past 3 days during the storm and is finding this time somewhat peaceful. One of his family members in his moms side calls and Zeituon surprisingly admits that he is scared, something he would never admit to Kathy. His family member could not  find a place to stay, so he just gave him Kathy's family number.
I thought it was interesting that Zeitoun did not react much  to the hurricane. He did not feel the need to evacuate or take caution during the storm. This shows what kind of man Zeitoun is. He does not believe anything people tell them until he has valid evidence to prove that the storm is going to be that bad. He seems right in his theory, so far....

Maroon 5

I can't stop listening to this band. I have yet to find a song that I dislike from all their albums. I literally enjoy listening to every single song that they have made. They are a truly amazing band.

ARSENAL DEFEATS MANCHESTER UNITED!!!!!

This is a late post, but i forgot mention that ARSENAL WON. A goal from Aaron Ramsey sealed up the victory and Arsenal received an extra 3 points in the table. Although they are now in 3rd, I am sure they will eventually catch up to Man U with this huge confidence booster that was given this Sunday.

FC Barcelona over Real Madrid

Barcelona has advanced into the UEFA Champions league final against Manchester United! They defeated Real madrid in the first leg, but in the second leg it was a tie but that does not matter as it was an overall defeat. I am very happy for Barcelona and hope they can defeat bloody Manchester United!

Zeituon (pgs. 57-78)

This part of the book talks more about Kathy. She tries to convince Zeitoun to escape to Baton Rouge instead of Destin, Florida, but Zeituon is still not worried and remains to stay. They all wave goodbye and she leaves. However, she happened to take the wrong exit to Baton Rogue and is stuck in traffic. They thought that they would make it by 7, but make it at 11. During this part of the book, it goes into more detail about the relationship between Yuko and Kathy. Kathy would always run away to Yuko's house as a child. They were always inseparable from the day they met and even in college they worked together. Yuko was opening herself up to Islam and introduced Kathy to it as well. Kathy was dissapointed in her church as the pasturer would get angry and put Kathy on the spot when she told him that she was thinking about converting to Islam as it was some crime.The main reason why Kathy converted is because the Quran talked about all the religions and showed how the other messengers influenced each faith.
I was really intrigued by this part of the book because I am Muslim. I know the beauty of the religion and how it has influenced me in my every day life. Also, it is interesting how Kathy and Yuko were able to find the beauty of the religion when they each grew up as Christians in a Christian school.

Tuesday Response; Clues Gradually Led to the Location of Bin Laden

The hunt for bin Laden seemed very complicated. The Pakistan forces were the one that made the first conclusion that Osama may be in Pakistan after they saw a license plate. Pakistani CIA were the ones to carry out the operations at first. Then, the Navy seals came in one night and shot him in the head after pain-staking days of finding if it was really him. The intensity can not be described with words as the Pakistani and US forces worked together to kill the most wanted man in the world.

Zeitoun (pgs. 31-56)

It starts to discuss the relationship of Zeitoun and Kathy and how they had met. His friend's, Ahmaad, wife ,Yuko, had introduced him to this girl named Kathy. They did not give him the name until she was single. They talked about how they got to start to talk each other and how Kathy felt when she saw a father and son playing in the park. Eventually, they got married and had a happy life together. The storm is being foreshadowed more and more as Kathy constantly keeps on checking weather reports on the news and TV. This leads Kathy to leave to Destin without Zeitoun because Zeitoun didn't believe they would leave without him. His father is also a topic. It mentions how he is just like his father because he worked at sea then become a constructor. He is telling his kids the same thing his father told him. That the world needs more doctors, lawyers, and businessman and not seamen or constructors. Also, Islam is beginning to be mentioned in this book. It talks about Kathy's role as a Muslim Woman that is a hijabi. She discusses how this one young girl tried to pull it off, but when Kathy turned around she yelled at her and said what she was doing. Zeitoun is also very educated in Islam. He has various parts of the Quran memorized and uses them as a guideline to his daily life. He performs all his prayers in time and does all the things that is obligated in Islam.
Things start to intensify as it is fairly obvious the storm is about to come. His wife has left him after Zeitoun was thinking about how much he loved his wife and how he had met her. He doesn't seem very worried, but I am sure he will be later on.

Zeitoun (pgs. 1-30)

This book starts off with a story about Zeitoun and his life in New Orleans, LA. He has a wife and 4-5 daughters. He owns a painting company with his wife called Zeitoun A.Painting Contractor and they had a controversial logo. It was one with rainbow which could possibly represent homosexuality. When his wife asked him to change the logo, he proceeded to laugh because they were a Muslim company and homosexuality is against Islam. They also mention their daughter Nadeemah who is very intelligent. She has the role of "daddy's little girl" and listens to her dad in everything what to do. She is only two years old but she has enough intelligence to be somebody much older it seems. Towards the end of my reading, it mentioned a character named Emil. He is easily scared by Zeitoun when he comes behind him and scares him while he is painting and pulls out a slight grin. Throughout the chapter, the hurricane of Katrina constantly is being foreshadowed by his wife and daughter Nadeemah and they don't think it will be that bad.
This book has got me hooked already! I have no idea why I am so interested but it really pulled me in from the start when it starts in a diary format. His happiness with his family may have been what pulled me in and it is very interesting about what kind of man Zeitoun is from the beginning. I can't wait to see what happens when the actual story starts in this book.