HAMLET CREW

Passive and Active voice sentences

Passive and Active voice sentences
1.Joanne was delayed by a client when she was leaving the office.
2.A meeting was being held by the tennis club at 6.30.
3.Sheba, the dog, blocked the doorway.
4.Sheba had to be taken to the vet by Joanne.
5.The vet was worried by her condition.
6.While Joanne went home, the vet treated the dog.
7.Joanne was told to get out of the house.
8.Joanne was confused by the telephone call.
9.The burglar was captured by the police.
10.His fingers had been bitten off by the dog.

The Inmortal Coil # 3

Like we did today in class, I tried to create my own Dilema and apply all of Dawkins rules.
This, ¨The soccer dilema¨ is basically a dilema that involves two player. These two players are both the gollies of the two teams that are playing a soccer game. The final score was 1 to 1 so to find the winner they had to go to penalty kicks.
Here is where the dilema starts. The idea main idea of each gollie is to make their teams win and in order to do that, the golie must try toi stop as much goals as possible. At one point, the two gollies confront each other, one gollie kicks while the other stops and otherwise. The cooperator is the one that would cooperate with the team wich would be: scoring when kicking, and stopping the goal when goalling. The deffector would be the one that looses for the team woch would be: not scoring when kicking and been scored when goallie. I know it sounds a little bit confusing but I think it may work.

FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDMENT OF THESE DILEMA, THE TABLE ABOVE SHOWS HOW IT WOULD WORK.

The Inmortal coil # 2

Talking in class about the prisoners dilema planted in the read now, I realized that there was a very deep connection between that problem and the other planted in the reading of Dawkins. For this dilema, I think that the most likely way the prisoners would react or behave towards the situation is they would both betray each other. In this dilema, where the betrayer would be benefited no matter what, or at least by betraying the other, the possible results are never going to be the worst, then the process in each of the two personñs barin, is to immediatedly react to find their safetyness. What i mena by this, is that in a certain way, unconsciuousness plays an important role here as well as the automatic and instinctive behaviot if the humans genes in order to take the most beneficial desicion.
The ¨players¨ would betray each other in order to show their inocenc and protect themselves from more time in jail, rather tha risking the position of being accuses and hving to pay for more days in jail under several conditiosn. what we as a reader can tell immediately is that the best thing for each individual would be to stay silence because the sentence would only be six months rather than years, like I mentioned before.

THIS IS HOW THE DILEMA´S CHART WOULD LOOK LIKE

The inmortal coil

Like I mentioned before, many of the words that Richard Dawkins uses to describe the different types of processes are not very familiar to us. These is a short vocabulary that defines some of these types of words.

VOCABULARY

1. ALLELE: Genes that are rivals fighting for the same slot in the chromosome.

2. MEIOSIS: the division of cells into two new cells, that occurs only in the production of sex cells.

3. MITOSIS: The normal division of cells that occur when the two new cells each one receives a copy of the 46 chromosomes.

4. START SYMBOL: Where the process for meking the protein begins. Sequence of nuclotide lletter starting the sequence.

5. END SYMBOL: The last letter of a sequence in a protein chain.

6. MIMICRY: A phenomenon in wich some species use to survive by imitating a special characteristic of another resistant or superior specie.

7. POINT MUTATION: error misinterpated in a nucleotide or letter printed in a book..

The Replicators

This second chapter of ¨The Selfish Gene¨ is a little bit shorter than last chapter, but I found it more complex and difficult to understand the point Dawkins was debating. The first thing that confused me, was a term used in the first sentences of the chapter. ¨In the beginning was simplicity.¨ SIMPLICITY. The dictionary definition for this term is: the quality or condition of being easy to understand or do. After continue on reading through the chapter, I found again the word simplicity and I was able to adapt that definition to the context of this chapter.

Why are people?

This next book we are reading is called ¨The Selfish Gene¨ and is written by Richard Dawkins. aparently, this book is totally different from what we have already read in class and it calls my attention becasue the topic is not very common and is even less common in our context. You never think about why we behave how we do and were does all those behaviors come from. well I think many of these questions are going to be answered by Richard in this book.

Until now, I find very interesting reading the selfish gene because until know and by reading the first chapter I realize that most of the things you do and in almost all the cases your behavior, are controled by your genes and ¨natural infrastructure¨. I found this a very complex reading and most of the terms I dont know their meaning, but this I think will help me to learn more about this topic and leading me to investigate certain terms and certain biological body components.
Altruism: doing things for the good of the species or group.
Selfish: doing things for personal benefit in the face of the good of the group.
Its interesting how he defines these two words as in a behavioral context and not a subjective context of the person or group.

Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing

QUOTING. According to the author, the crisis is not present in all schools. "Private schools have no such problem. They can fail or dismiss students, knowing such students can attend public school"(Page #).

SUMMARY. In this essay, Roger Sipher is argumenting why schools should get rid of the attendance laws. He tries to make a point on the mandatory attendance for students that are not really interesting in learning, therefore the students that are interested in learning are being interrupted by those who dont. By abolishing these laws, sais roger, not only schools would no longer loose money, but students progress would be reflected on their grades and these grades are probably going to show a higer average than it did before when students not interested continued to be part of the education program.

PARAPHRASING. Roger states in one of the paragraphs that school is not a place were children go to spend some time out of their houses and a place were there are some teachers incharge of them and taking care of them. In stead, roger sais, is a place were people interested in learning can go and use their time wisely without being interrupted by those who dont find a meaning for learning and for the importance of education.

The Clip

I chose this video because it is very interesting how we can connect it to what is happening in the story. We can relate the protagonist of this video clip with the stranger, or priest, that has escaped from the authorities and finally is caught. The final part of the video has no relationship with the story but its very funny and interesting.

The Power and The Glory

The more I read, the more interesting it gets. For this third part, I was able to identify the different perspectives that are being shown to us in this story.
The importance of using perspective in a story is that it gives the story a different aspect and makes it more interesting when reading it. By using this, the author introduces different situations and different actions at the same time that indirectly connect to each other. This style of perspective what does is, shows the story like if were a movie. What I mean, is that if we see how the movie is shown, we see that things take place in different settings or in different places and its easy to make it that way because of the camera poition and the changing of scenes. The perspective following this example would be when the camera stops in one place, and starts off in a totally different place.
For The Power and the Glory, I´ve already found many different perspectives. the story is taking place at at least five different places. The first one thas shown to us in the book is when the stranger meets Mr.Tench and this last one invites the straner to his small hut to have some drinks. Here they describe the location where the story si taking place and also they give us some infromation about Mr.Tench and the stranger. The second perspective we can see is the Police department and the authorities talking about a guy that has scaped and a priest that has to be found. In this part they also gives us some information that is very important for us in order to fin out the historical background and therefore identify the epoch where this story is taking place on. This also helps us understand a little bit more of whats happening and why thats happening. The third perspective I found was when they talk about a priest, Padre Jose and there they give us some information of him and his life. Another important perspective is Captain´s Fellow appearance. Captain Fellow is, for what we know, a banana seller or so, and he lives in his hpuse with his wife and his daughter. This fourth perspective also involves the stranger that was introduced at the begining and they show us how this stranger is hiding from the authorities. The little girl protects this stranger because she things is the right thing to do, but captain Fellow goes against her.
Like I said before, this story is conformed of many perspectives and in order to have a complete understandment of whats happening, we have to pay a lot of attention to the perspectives and be able to identify when these persepctives change. Until now the book is very interesting and is very fun how this method of using perspectives keeps you into the book all the time like if you where the detective trying to solve the case.
Mariana Gonzalez
September 30/2007
Pag 45-60

The Priest, the Stranger, The gringo??

After reading the third chapter of The Power and the Glory, I was able to answer some questions and some doubts I had from the first two chapters. some more characters are intrduced and that gives us more backgroung information in order to identify the straight plot. At this point I was able to make a straight connection from the last two chapter and it was that the same stranger that was drinking some brandy at Mr. Tench´s house, the man that left in a mule with the younger kid, the guy that was using the captains hut and his daughter´s nobleness to hide from the authorities, the Priest that ended in a very poor house full of rats and without being able to sleep because of the confesions of the people who lived there, are the same person, or at least thats what until know I can say.
There are many factor that helped me discover this connections. For instance, there is one clue that appears every time they mention him and is his english speaking in a latin town, not very common.
-"Somebody whispered in english, ¨What did you say?¨ Mr. Tench swivelled around. ¨You English?¨he asked in atonishment,"(pg. 9).
-"¨Quien es usted?¨ Captain Fellows said. ¨I speak English.¨" (pg. 37).
This clue help us because, as the author states at the beggining, is not very common to see someone speak a foreign language so basically by this we can connect the stranger from the beggining with the guy hidding from the authorities in the Captains house.
Another of those clues I found to connect all this characters as being one, is when they describe the character and give us details of what he is wearing and taking with him. they mention two very important things: an attaché case he takes averywhere and the brandy he had at the begining that then asks to the Captain if he has some.
-"A small man dressed in a shabby dark city suit, carrying a small attaché case." (Pg. 9).
_"He clutched a small attaché case to his side,..." (pg 37).
Like I mentioned before, he always carried along with this attaché, a bottle of Brandy or if he didnt had one, he asked for any king of drink that had alcohol.
-"¨I have a little brandy,¨the stranger said" (Pg. 11)
-"Ïf you would do me a favour...¨ ¨What?¨ ¨A little brandy.¨" (Pg. 38).

These were some of the connections I could come up with by reading the second twenty pages. There are some more clues I can think about in this moment but that still are not very clerly stated so I would prefers on waiting to read the next chapters and see what happens. Until now I find very interesting the novel because it makes you thnk a lot and makes you get into the story like a detective.
Mariana Gonzalez
September 26/2007
(Pg 30-45)

The Port and the Capital (The Power and the Glory # 1)

The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene is the next novel we will be reading for english class. This novel seems to take place in latin america, first of all becuase the language spoken is spanish and they mentioned some mexican towns. I think the setting of this novel until now, takes place in a small town of Mexico during the time period of the mexican revolution. We can make this connection and deduce this events because of what was happening, priest being prosecuted and killed, street bands, people dying, lack of work, poor people etc.
Until now, what ive read, talks about a priest or a stranger thats being persecute by the authorities while this one tries to scape from them hiding in peoples houses and hiding his real identity to some others. First, this authorities talk about a person guilty of robing a bank, but also mention a priest or a stranger that was guilty of treason and that was scaping from the authorities. This part was very confusing, because there are many secondary characters and secondary situations that are occuring at the same time as the principal story so some times it gets confusing and you easily loose the track of the novel.
For this part of the novel I can do a character comparison between Mr. Tench and Mersault from The Stranger. We can see how Mr. Tench has a very undefined labor life just like Mersault did in The Stranger. We can see how both carry on with a solitaire and a very independent life. Both in some cases are really eaasy going like for example in The Stranger when Mersault has conversations with his neighbot, and in this novel, when Mr. Tench gets into a conversation with this strange guy very easily.
This are some connections I could manage to do by only reading the first twenty pages of the novel. I am still a little confused about some parts of the plot but hopefully this doubts would get resolved after reading some more.
Mariana Gonzalez
September 25/ 2007
Pages (7-30)

RHETORIC

After reading this OP-ed article, I separated each of the paragraphs into one of the three ctaegories or type of rhetoric exmples.


LOGOS: Argument by Logic: paragraphs 3,4,5,9,10
ex... a very simple and clear example of logos is in paragraph 5 where the author talks about the production of Ethanol in the world and how this, combined wth some other factors, are pushing the global price of grain.
ETHOS: Argument by Character: paragraphs 1,2,6,7,8
ex... For example, the first paragraph is introucing us to the problem and the problems a consumer probably would have to deal with only for having another source of fuel.
PATHOS: Argument by Emotion: paragraph 11
ex... this paragraph as we can see is more personal and emotional, the auhtor is giving sourt of a conclusion with his personal point of view about the situation.


FOLLOW LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/19/opinion/19wed1.html?n=Top/Opinion/Editorials%20and%20Op-Ed/Editorials

Backed by the White House, corn-state governors and solid blocks on both sides of Congress’s partisan divide, the politics of biofuels could hardly look sunnier. The economics of the American drive to increase ethanol in the energy supply are more discouraging.

American corn-based ethanol is expensive. And while it can help cut oil imports and provide modest reductions in greenhouse gases compared to conventional gasoline, corn ethanol also carries considerable risks. Even now as Europe and China join the United States in ramping up production, world food prices are rising, threatening misery for the poorest countries.

The European Union has announced that it wants to replace 10 percent of its transport fuel with biofuels by 2020. China is aiming for a 15 percent share. The United States is already on track to exceed Congress’s 2005 goal of doubling the amount of ethanol used in motor fuels to 7.5 billion gallons by 2012. In his State of the Union speech in January, President Bush set a new goal of 35 billion gallons of biofuels by 2017. In June, the Senate raised it to 36 billion gallons by 2022. Of that, Congress said that 15 billion gallons should come from corn and 21 billion from advanced biofuels that are nowhere near commercial production.

The distortions in agricultural production are startling. Corn prices are up about 50 percent from last year, while soybean prices are projected to rise up to 30 percent in the coming year, as farmers have replaced soy with corn in their fields. The increasing cost of animal feed is raising the prices of dairy and poultry products.

The news from the rest of the world is little better. Ethanol production in the United States and other countries, combined with bad weather and rising demand for animal feed in China, has helped push global grain prices to their highest levels in at least a decade. Earlier this year, rising prices of corn imports from the United States triggered mass protests in Mexico. The chief of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has warned that rising food prices around the world have threatened social unrest in developing countries.

A recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, an economic forum of rich nations, called on the United States and other industrialized nations to eliminate subsidies for the production of ethanol which, the report said, is driving up food costs, threatening natural habitats and imposing other environmental costs. “The overall environmental impacts of ethanol and biodiesel can very easily exceed those of petrol and mineral diesel,” it said.

The economics of corn ethanol have never made much sense. Rather than importing cheap Brazilian ethanol made from sugar cane, the United States slaps a tariff of 54 cents a gallon on ethanol from Brazil. Then the government provides a tax break of 51 cents a gallon to American ethanol producers — on top of the generous subsidies that corn growers already receive under the farm program.

Corn-based ethanol also requires a lot of land. An O.E.C.D. report two years ago suggested that replacing 10 percent of America’s motor fuel with biofuels would require about a third of the total cropland devoted to cereals, oilseeds and sugar crops.

Meanwhile, the environmental benefits are modest. A study published last year by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, estimated that after accounting for the energy used to grow the corn and turn it into ethanol, corn ethanol lowers emissions of greenhouse gases by only 13 percent.

The United States will not meet the dual challenges of reducing global warming and its dependence on foreign suppliers of energy until it manages to reduce energy consumption. That should be its main goal.

There is nothing wrong with developing alternative fuels, and there is high hope among environmentalists and even venture capitalists that more advanced biofuels — like cellulosic ethanol — can eventually play a constructive role in reducing oil dependency and greenhouse gases. What’s wrong is letting politics — the kind that leads to unnecessary subsidies, the invasion of natural landscapes best left alone and soaring food prices that hurt the poor — rather than sound science and sound economics drive America’s energy policy.

The Soccer War #7

The Soccer War #6

This video is a very sad video of the death of a soccer player in the field while playing. I thought it was a great idea to comprae it to the similar situation in The Soccer War when Victoriano Gomez gets killed in the middle of the soccer game. isnt it ironic to see a death in such activities? Your are supposed to die if your body doesnt do excersie, not if you excersies your body avery now and then, dont you think so?

The Soccer War #5

Reading this twenty pages I couldnt imagine a war could be determined by a soccer game. I am a soccer fan and I watch every game possible and now that I am reading this novel I wonder how would it be if things like this happened in real life. I cant imagine Colombia for example going to war with Paraguay beacuse they defeated them last game. The war between Honduras and El salvador started because of a soccer game, but a war needs some backgroung misunderstandings for it to occur. I war cant just start because of a loss in a soccer game, it has to have something behind it and this was exactly what happened in this ocassion. Honduras and El Salvador had some misunderstandings since the some peasants, due to the high population on El Salvador, were movind to Honduras and were tehre was more space for them.
I also liked about this chapter the description they give us of Latin America, makes me remember of my country and be proud of who I am as a citizen.

Mariana Gonzalez
Pg. (170-190)

Listening Clip

Soccer War #4

Today I came home and started playing Risk. Risk is a board game where you have to conquer other countries and is basically a continuous war, fighting for territories. After we finished the game, I sat down and started writing this blog entry. I figured out that what I had just played related with what I was reading in The Soccer War. In this twenty pages I read, i fugured out that the war was expanding each time south and that every place the main character visited had some reason for being in war. Its interesting to see this conncetion with Risk game because in the game finally someone wins, but in real life and in this novel, no one wins, the battles and the enemies never end.

Soccer War #3

At this point of the novel, many of the questions I have asked before, are now being answered. I felt identified with the main character in this part because once I did the same he is doing now. I once grabbed a car with some friends and traveled through Colombia. We went from town to town investigating for the fisrt time those places. The difference is that I didnt go out of Colombia, while the main character visits all or many of the countries in Latin America and some other continents.
Mariana Gonzalez
pag(136-150)

Soccer War #2

What does the word coup means?

Why does the main character is always traveling if he nows the situation in the countries he is visiting is not the most appropiated in that moment?

Why is there so much political struggle in African countries?

Mariana Gonzalez
pag(116-135)

Soccer War # 1

Why do we start at page 95 and not from the beggining?

By reading the first twenty pages of this novel, I found some similarities and difference withe the novel we read the past weeks, The Stranger. If we look at the main character in bothe novels, we can see that both were in jail at some moment of their lives. Compared to The Stranger, in the Soccer War the author is more descriptive and gives much more details of the things that are happening. Also we can say that the main character of the Soccer War is not as aimpulsive and agressive as it was Mersault from The Stranger.
Mariana Gonzalez
Pag(95-115)

The Stranger # 6

For this final chapter of the novel, I would say I was confused. From the beginning of the trial I knew he was going to be acussed as guilty, but I never imagine the punishment he received. I felt like if I were reading a book written thousnads of years before. I have to say that it was a little ironic the way they decided to kill Mersault because it didnt had nothing to do with the context. It was a very ancient way of killing someone and that changed my thoughts comlpetely. Even though, I liked the stroy and how it ended. Finally we discovered that even though he was still to this side of the line of death, he didnt regret for his acts and said that death would be a good thing that could happen to him.
Mariana Gonzalez
(pag 99-123)

The Stranger # 5

Ive never been into a court room but from the descriptions of the book and of what ive heard, it seems ti be a very interesting place to go. I say interesting not because i would like to be some day being judged or anything like that, but instead I would some day like to be present in the court while acussing someone of murder or something like that to learn. Last blog i asked the question of the final desicion of the jury, was mersault going to be guilty or not? Well by reading this other twenty pages, i realized that he is probably not goign to be free and that instead he is going to be declared guilty. The process in the court has been very intense but everything is turning out against him and so I think he is going to be gulty after all.
Mariana Gonzalez
(80-98)
August 30/2007

Mariana dijo...
Until now, the story is just starting and I am begining to understand a little bit more the theme of the story. What is happening to the main character, has never occured to me and I dont even what to imagine that moment. What I dont understand at this point of the story is the reaction of the guy when he was informed of his mothers death. Why does he reacts like if it didnt mean anything or like if it didnt matter to him? maybe he has his own reasons but i rellay would like to know them because I think there are no valid reasons that would permit a human being act like this guy is acting after knowing his mom had died.
Mariana Gonzalez
(pg 3-18)
20 de agosto de 2007 15:45
Mariana dijo...
I felt more identified with many things that occured in this second part. First of all the part were he is in his house watching outside the window the fans and the athletes all over the streets. That similar situaion used to happen to me when a was younger and Colombia played against other teams, the fans used to go out in the streets and shout for the team. As well as the relation he has with his neighbor. I can say I have a similar relationshi with one of my neighbors that has been a very good friend of mine since I live in this apartment. I still keep on thinking on why his reaction towards his mothers death was that one. Maybe it was because he expected it to happen.
Mariana Gonzalez
(pg 18-40)
20 de agosto de 2007 19:47
Mariana dijo...
When I read this part, many questions came up to my head. I still wonder why he doesnt feel anyhting when thngs happen. I already asked this question but why does his mothers death seems so natural? And also, why when it comes to feelings he is the most dry and less affective of all?For example I dont understand his reaction towards his girlfriend Mary. She loves him but he doesnt show any type of interest on her. he doesnt matter if she wants to mary him or leave him, he feels exactly the same way. Until now I find the book interesting but thi are basically the questions I have asked my self, for the ones I odnt have a concrete answer yet.
Mariana Gonzalez
(pg 40-60)
21 de agosto de 2007 15:14
Mariana dijo... Why does the main character keeps on having no feelings?
Is he going to be declared guilty?
Why did he paused after he fisrt shot the arab and befiore the other four shots?
Mariana Gonzalez
(pg 63-82)
26 de agosto de 2007 16:36

Mariana Gonzalez Bogota,Colombia

I dont know what is more interesting, to write here my personal information and show you what great person I am or simply leave this space in blanck. Well I guess I can do both... I am a senior at Colegio Nueva Granada, 18 years old and welcome to my 12 grade english class blog.