Wordy Tuesdays- The first Ten.

So I'm going to try out a new thing for the next couple of weeks. See, I'm trying to study to take the ACT again and to help study, I'm learning new words.

And because I believe that its always good to learn new words and that using different words can help enrich your writing, I'm going to share ten (hopefully new!) words every Tuesday and write a sentence using them. And then every Tuesday, we'll see ten new words and review last week's words.

So let's get started.

*Note: Blogger was being weird when I completed this blog post and wouldn't let me add anything at the bottom without messing up the numbers, so I'm putting what I meant to be at the bottom of this list, here. 

Resources
Dictionary.com

1. Lusus Naturae- [loo-suhs nuh-toor-ee, -tyoor-ee]- n. A deformed person or thing; freak. 
1. Variant felt like a lusus naturae when people made fun of her name. 
2. Telesthesia- [tuhl-uhs-thee-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh]- N. sensation or perception received at a distance without the normal operation of the recognized sense organs.
1. Juan was gifted with telesthesia, which allowed him to guess the answers to his test from reading his teacher's mind. 
3. Ignoramus- [ig-nuh-rey-muhs, -ram-uhs]- N. an extremely ignorant person.
1. The kid who did not study for the history test was cleary an ignoramus. 
4. Thaumaturgy- [thaw-muh-tur-jee]- N. the working of wonders or miracles; magic.
1. Harry Potter was knew how to use thaumaturgy because he was a wizard. 
5. Tellurian- [te-loor-ee-uhn]- Adj. of or characteristic of the earth or its inhabitants;terrestrial.
1. Trees are a tellurian part of the world. 
6. Antediluvian- [an-tee-di-loo-vee-uhn]- Adj. of or belonging to the period before the Flood. Gen. 7, 8.
   2.

   very old, old-fashioned, or out of date; antiquated;primitive: antediluvian ideas.

   1. The fashion styles of the 1700s are now antediluvian compared to today's fashion ideals. 
7. Ephemeral- [ih-fem-er-uhl]- Adj. lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory: the ephemeral joys of childhood.
   2.

   lasting but one day: an ephemeral flower.

   1. Horse flies are ephemeral creatures. 
8. Chimerical- [ki-mer-i-kuhl, -meer-, kahy-]- Adj. unreal; imaginary; visionary: a chimerical terrestrial paradise.
   2.

   wildly fanciful; highly unrealistic: a chimerical plan.

   1. Back before the 1960s, the idea that man would walk on the moon was a chimerical idea. 
9. Quixotic- [kwik-sot-ik]- Adj. ( sometimes initial capital letter ) resembling or befitting DonQuixote.
   2.

   extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical,or impracticable.
   3.

   impulsive and often rashly unpredictable.

   1. The extravagant decoration of the birthday hall was quite quixotic with the balloons that spilled out over the chairs and the glitter thrown every where. 
10. Amaranthine- [am-uh-ran-thin, -thahyn]- Adj. of or like the amaranth.
    2.

    unfading; everlasting: a woman of amaranthine loveliness.
    3.

    of purplish-red color.

    1. There is said to be a jellyfish that is amaranthine for whenever it 'dies' it is 'reborn' into a new jellyfish.

Interesting Facts- The Nine Animal Phylums

So since I saved my biology notes from last year, I'm going to share what the nine phylums of the animal kingdom are. 

First of all, what is a phylum? 

A Phylum is one of the major categories in Taxonomy (the study of living creatures) in which animals are divided. There are seven categories in which to organize the animals:  Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species (from biggest to the most specific). 

 There's actually a funny way I remembered those. So at the beginning of biology last year when we were just learning about these, I had gotten a henna tattoo in the shape of a fish with a cross in the middle at the state fair. And for some reason, I put one of the categories on each point of the tattoo so when I remembered it, I would tap that part in that order. 

I know its really weird, but I'm a very visual person. And sometimes its using weird tricks like that, that will help you remember things more.

The Nine Phylums

Phylum	Characteristics	Examples
Porifera	Contain pores (Porifera); lives in water, most primitive, sessik	Sponge
Cnidaria	Stinging cells; aquatic; tentacles	Jellyfish, hydras, coral
Platyhelminthes	Flat worms	Tape worms; plamranian; flukes
Nematoda	Round worms (remember the Nematodes from Spongebob that ate his house?)	Trichira; hook worms, asckarid
Molluska	Soft bodies; tentacles, shells (most); suction cups	Clam, squid, snail
Annelids	Segmented worms	Earth worms, leech, sand worms
Arthropods	Many jointed appendages; legs; exoskeleton; antenna; feelers; claws	Insects; spiders; lobsters
Echinodermita	Spiney skin; (ocean) water muscular system	Starfish, sand dollar, sea urchins
Chordata	Backbone (notocord) (Cordata, Cor like in cord, or backbone like a cord); skeleton;	Reptiles, Amphidians, mammals, fish, birds, humans

So there's a nice chart that hopefully is easy to understand. In future posts, I'll explore each phylum in more depth (provided I still have my notes for it! Or I can find information on the internet about them) and eventually I'll post about human biology.

Resources
My biology notes

Sincerely,
Sareh

Who doesn't like free classes?

People who don't like do to homework.

Well, I suspect that people just don't like to do homework in general. But anyways, tonight I'm blogging about this really awesome site called, Coursera. See, the reason its so neat is that you can take free, online, college level courses through actual colleges and taught by real professors.

It has over a hundred classes in pretty much every subject (there's even a class where you can play a video game for assignments!). Some of them require a bit of background knowledge, but most of them are just for people who are curious about the subject. Some also have suggested materials that you could view before or during the course that will help with the course, but most of all the materials are provided for free.

One of the nice things I like about it too is that you're not required to complete a class. So if it turns out to be too difficult or if you're just not interested in the subject, you can drop it at any time and it doesn't affect you. But say you don't pass the class, you are allowed to retake it too.

Some of the classes even give you certificates for completing the class (note that you don't get any actual college credit for them unless maybe you're a student at that particular university and your professor gives you some).

Also, most of the classes are taught in lectures and the assignments are peer reviewed. Why peer reviewed? Well because there's so many people taking the course (I think the history course I'm taking has over 83,000 people taking it?) that there's no way just the professor and maybe his assistants could review them all alongside their regular classes.

Keep in mind, that you don't have to do the assignments. I joined my history class really late and because there's so many lectures and they're usually long (anywhere from five to nineteen minutes long), I'm just watching the videos and participating in the discussion forums.

So far, most of my classes aren't too bad but its watching the lectures that take the longest. Some classes also have quizzes and tests too, but the ones I've taken haven't been very hard. Most of the assignments I've gotten are given a week's time to complete them and then a couple days to review some of my classmates' assignments.

Most classes I think has discussion forums where you can talk to your classmates and ask questions. Normally, I don't think the teacher answers questions himself (unless there's a lot of students asking the same one or you brought up something important) but I've seen teacher assistants answer them and most of the students are pretty knowledgeable so I haven't had much trouble yet.

Classes I'm taking (or planning too):

• Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Human Mind, our Modern World
• A History of the World since 1300
• Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society
• Think Again: How to Reason and Argue
• Fundamentals of Personal Financial Planning
• The Social Contest of Mental Health and Illness
• E-learning and Digital Cultures
• Introduction to Philosophy
• Introduction to Sociology
• Songwriting
• Property and Liability: An Introduction to Law and Economics
• A Beginner's Guide to Irrational Behavior
• Why We Need Psychology
• Archaeology's Dirty Little Secrets
• The Camera Never Lies
• Creative Programming for Digital Media & Mobile Apps
• English Common Law: An Introduction
• Online Games: Literature, New Media, and Narrative
• Social Psychology
• Listening to World Music
• Animal Behavior 
• Basic Behavioral Neurology

Eh, I know that's a lot, (I just counted and there's twenty-two on that list so far) but that's the thing I really like about Coursera. I can enroll in any class and drop it later if I want to. But besides that, there's so many courses on so many different subjects that its really nice. See, it lets me learn and explore subjects no offered by my school.

And if I take a class and find out I'm not good at it or I don't like it, I won't have to pay or anything if I drop it. I can take science and math classes (neither of which I'm good at) and learn a little more in those areas if I like. I can take classes in subjects I'm not normally interested in and see if I like them or not.

So while I'm taking a lot (and I expect I won't finish them all or even start some of them!), I think its okay. Personally, I love learning (eh, I hate homework depending on what it is) and I think this is a great opportunity for me to learn even more before I head off to college (where I'll learn even more and things will be more stressful).

But that's the other thing, these are college-level courses so when I go off to college, I think I'll have a better understanding of how hard or easy they'll be (granted though, these are online courses though and I don't expect to do actual college online).

See, I think that this site is a great idea. Because some people really can't afford to actually go to college and this might give them a chance to learn more. Plus, I think there's a lot of people (especially in my generation) who only seem to learn things if they have to or only about things they're interested in (which is natural). So, I guess, this is a way for people to take advantage and learn new things.

Personally, I think education is very important. And I think that people should take advantage of every opportunity out there for them to grow as a person. We have education for a reason and while school is boring and stressful, fun and maybe exciting (at least in social terms more often then naught), we should be grateful that we actually can get a somewhat decent education.

It reminds me of that Pakistani girl who was recently shot for standing up for education for girls. I think that's a great cause and I applaud her for standing up for something so important. I think she's very brave for trying to get a higher education in a society where many girls may not go beyond the basic level.

So anyway's, there's my spiel tonight. If you want more information, I guess you can go to the FAQ page, here (which is actually kinda hard to find). That or join and sign up for a class and see what its like. I recommend it, some of them are really fun and interesting.

Sincerely,
Sareh

Writing Prompt- Quotes

I think I might have done this one already...but anyways. So tonight we're going to look at a random quote and then write a snippet about whatever it brings to mind.

"Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all. " -John Fitzgerald Kennedy 

What this makes me think: I absolutely love this quote just because not only is it so true, but its really interesting. I could see the flashes of a plot bunny here but its not quite there. Computers can only do so much, but humans can do amazing things that computers will probably never be able to do. 

What does this make you think?

Sincerely,
Sareh

Writing Prompt- Retail!

So, tonight's prompt is that your character is opening a retail store or just a store of some kind. Write a scene in which you explain what it is that they sell and if any of the items has a special meaning to your character or someone else. Try to have fun with it! (Who doesn't love a story with a store that sells magical items?)

I once read an article where the author suggested that if you want to make your story more interesting, add a cool gadget or fun item. I don't know about you, but I always loved the stories as a kid where the main character would have a wand or cool item that I wished I had.

Sincerely,
Sareh

Book Review- Knight's End

Sometimes choosing between love and family means choosing between life and death.

Aston Smith, Knight of Fridel, has been sent on a dangerous mission: catch The Rogue Royal, a notorious man who has been killing corrupt monarchs. When the mission goes wrong, the knight is sentenced to death. To escape his fate, he runs, planning to track down the murderer and clear his name.

Along the way, he meets and teams up with Jade du Halen, who he thinks is just another woman. Secretly, she is the runaway princess of Adion who denied her duties as a princess and refused to marry the man her father had chosen for her. Instead, she convinces Aston that she can clear his name, joining him on his hunt for justice.

Can these two individuals hide from their hunters, catch The Rogue Royal, and live happily ever after? Or will Jade’s secret tear them apart?

In a story told from the perspectives of five individuals, lives are changed forever, reputations are destroyed, love is found and lost, and betrayal is never far behind.

So my wonderful, awesome friend, Jami Montgomery self-published her book, Knight's End so I just had to buy a copy. And it was just as amazing as I expected it to be. And I'm not saying that just because she's my friend. 

First off, the characters were fairly realistic. Jade, the heroine, was a brave daring princess who didn't want to marry the first man her father pawned her off on. Jade was brave but reckless at times, smart but sometimes it didn't seem like she thought some things through the whole way. Our wonderful hero, Aston was brave, courageous, and intelligent. He was kind hearted and took his duties as a knight seriously. And the other characters were just as good as well. 

Plus not only that, but Jami's characters all developed nicely over the course of the story. At first I completely hated Talbot but in the end I came to understand him, even almost like him. And Ernst, oh wow, I don't even know where to begin. I think that Jami did a wonderful job on his character. He was the villain  but you understood why, almost even agreeing. He wasn't evil for the sake of being evil, no he had friends and family too, and an actual reason for doing what he did. He was sane and you could see kindness in him every once in while. And all the secondary characters were wonderful. Aston's friends were wonderful people. 

And the plot was good too. I finished the book in about a day and the whole time I was reading it, I kept wondering if Jade's scorned husband-wanna-be was going to get her or if Aston was going to clear his name or not. There was romance, but thankfully, no love triangles! And the romance wasn't super heavy but I think Jami did a good job on developing the romance and making it seem realistic. It wasn't real graphic, but it was nice. 

And the end! Oh my gosh! I cried! It was one of those I-love-it-but-I-hate-it-at-the-same-time endings. When I talked to her later that night, I yelled at her. And now not only do I have to wait for the next one, but now I'm trying to figure out who in the world could have done it. 

As for the writing and things like that, there was a few spelling mistakes here and there. But that's okay I think because she edited it herself. And for editing it herself, she did a very good job. But the writing was a little simple at times, but it worked I think. And at other times there were a few parts where I wondered if the characters would really have those kinds of things back in their time period, but other then that, nothing jumped out at me for being bad. 

On Goodreads: Knight's End
Website/facebook page: Jami Montgomery

Sincerely, 
Sareh

In the News- Will Science Disprove God?

Sareh says no. 

Plain and simple. 

According to a Yahoo! news article I meant to talk about last week, some people think that eventually science will be able to prove that God doesn't exist. I have several problems with this issue. Not only is it because of my beliefs but that I don't think things like the Big Bang make any sense. (Feel free to disagree or agree with me in the comments below).

Although cosmic mysteries remain, Sean Carroll, a theoretical cosmologist at the California Institute of Technology, says there's good reason to think science will ultimately arrive at a complete understanding of the universe that leaves no grounds for God whatsoever.

Carroll argues that God's sphere of influence has shrunk drastically in modern times, as physics and cosmology have expanded in their ability to explain the origin and evolution of the universe. "As we learn more about the universe, there's less and less need to look outside it for help," he told Life's Little Mysteries.

 I would like to argue Mr. Carroll's point in saying that their ability to explain the "origin" of the universe is actually not all that much more convincing then say the ancient Roman's beliefs that their gods created the universe. In fact, although we know more about our universe, we can only present theories and beliefs on how the universe was created since we were not there. 

Why I don't agree with the Big Bang theory. 

Gobs of evidence have been collected in favor of the Big Bang model of cosmology, or the notion that the universe expanded from a hot, infinitely dense state to its current cooler, more expansive state over the course of 13.7 billion years. Cosmologists can model what happened from 10^-43 seconds after the Big Bang until now, but the split-second before that remains murky. Some theologians have tried to equate the moment of the Big Bang with the description of the creation of the world found in the Bible and other religious texts; they argue that something — i.e., God — must have initiated the explosive event. 

Yes, "gobs" of evidence have been collected, but maybe they can't prove what happened because it didn't happen? And I know that others have said that God created the Big Bang, and I guess while that could make sense:

(Genesis 1: 1-3)  1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.  3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.  

As we can see in verse three, all God has to do is say something is bam,  it happens. So I guess, I could see that argument, but according to the Big Bang the universe didn't really happen all at once. It took "billions" of years.  

(Genesis 1: 31) 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

But according to the Bible, God created the world in the space of six "days". I put days there in quotations because some people aren't quite sure if when they say "days" if they mean it in the same way we see time (despite the fact that it says "there was evening and there was morning"). But anyways, since I believe that God created everything in six days, the world could not have taken several "billion" years to form. 

(Genesis 1: 20-25)  20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.”  21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.  22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”  23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.  24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.  25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 

These verses, I think, proves that evolution could not have taken place because God created all of the creatures over a period of six days. There was no little amoeba that all the creatures came from, no, God created all of the creatures as they were suppose to be.

Anyways, I'll save the rest of my "Creation Science" behind for another day and get back to the article. 

Some versions of quantum gravity theory that have been proposed by cosmologists predict that the Big Bang, rather than being the starting point of time, was just "a transitional stage in an eternal universe," in Carroll's words. For example, one model holds that the universe acts like a balloon that inflates and deflates over and over under its own steam. If, in fact, time had no beginning, this shuts the book on Genesis. 

I'm not exactly sure what all of this quote means, but the last sentence I do get. See, according to the Bible, God is eternal. He is without beginning and without end:

(1 Timothy 1:17) 17 To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 

 God was here before the creation of the universe (which bring the questions, what did He do before He created the universe? And I'm not even going to try and ask how long it was before He created the universe). And God will be here for the rest of forever. So technically, the article is right in a way. Time has no beginning. Time only "began" when God created the universe. And actually, time is a human concept.

(2 Peter 3: 8) But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Other Passages and Theories 
So basically the rest of the article talks about parallel universes (a fun concept, but I don't believe it. Not for one moment.) as a way to disprove the theory that the universe is so "fine tuned" that there is no other reason for it but God. Which I think is a valid point.

And this is one of the reasons I don't believe in the Big Bang theory. According to the theory, everything came from nothing. But technically, nothing can do nothing. So then, if there was nothing before the Big Bang theory, how did the universe come about?

Now if someone was to bring in the parallel universe theory, I'd like to argue, well then where did all those other universes come from? And how could multiple universes even prove that God isn't real? That the article isn't clear enough about, I think.

The chances of everything being just so, enough to support life, coming from chance is nearly impossible. I'm not saying it is impossible, but the chances of that happening so so slim that I highly doubt that our world just randomly was perfect enough to support life as we know it.

Anyways, onto my passages!

(Hebrews 11:3) By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 

(2 Peter 3:5-6) For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,  6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 

(1 Timothy 6: 20-21)  O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,”  21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you.

I especially like the 1 Timothy verse, "falsely called "knowledge" for by professing it some have swerved from the faith." How many people have stopped believing or have not believed because they decided to listen to evolutionary science?

But not only am I trying to make the argument here that evolution just doesn't make sense (which I'll make a case for creation science in another post) but I believe that the universe proves that God does exist. God makes Himself known in three ways. ( taken from Luther's Small Catechism with Explanation):

1. Through the existence of the world (Natural knowledge of God). 
1. Psalm 19: 1   The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2. Romans 1:19-20  For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 
3. Hebrews 3:4  (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 
2. Through conscience (natural knowledge of God):
1. Romans 2:15  They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.
3. Especially through the Holy Scriptures in which God clearly reveals Himself and His gift of salvation in Christ (revealed knowledge of God)
1. John 20:21  but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
2. 2 Timothy 3:15   and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  
3. Hebrews 1:1-2  Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,  2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Enough with the passages, now onto me rambling a bit more. 
For those of you who also read over the yahoo comments, I think they're very interesting. I know that one of the points that people often make is that if God is real, why doesn't He show Himself to us today?

Which is a very good question, but here's the thing. These people want physical miracles. They want to see God in the flesh. But what they fail to take into account is that God has already come to us as a man. And that was Jesus. He was both God and man, fully God and fully human at the same time. He performed miracles and walked among the people.

And Jesus is going to come again when the world ends (and no, the world is not going to end this year because the Bible very clearly states that no one knows when the world is going to end but God. And besides, every single other end of the world prophecy has been wrong.) so you know what, we all will see Him again on Judgement day. So if you want to see Him that badly, just wait, you'll see Him yourself.

But not only that, God does come to us. All the time. He's everywhere at once and comes to us spiritually. Whenever I read the Bible, I know that God is with me. He's speaking to me through His Word. And the Bible isn't the only way that God comes to us. He also comes to us through prayer and He always listens and talks to us that way (another post once again).

The third way is that God talks to us all the time. But the thing is that some people choose to ignore Him. That or they don't realize He's talking to them. God talk to us through other people, and through pretty much anything He wants. But to hear Him, you have to be open to hearing Him. If you constantly deny Him, chances are, you're not listening. (If that doesn't make sense, just ask me to clarify it more).

God won't force you to listen to Him either. That choice is up to you because of free will. Yes, God could force us to believe in Him, but where would the love in that be? No one wants to be forced into anything. And because He loves us, He gives us the choice of free will. Does God want us to believe in Him? Of course? Is He saddened when people don't believe, of course. God wants everyone to come and believe in Him because He loves you and me so much.

In Conclusion...
So since I realize that I'm just rambling kinda here and I'm pretty much only backing up my views right now with Bible verses, I know that some people don't believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and that it is without error (any error like spelling mistakes or whatever is human error). I'll get into creation science in another post (Friday perhaps?). Personally, I think creation science is really interesting, especially when they start to talk about dinosaurs and why Adam and the ancient OT people lived for so long.

But in all honestly, I believe this by faith. And I realize that these scientists believe by faith basically the opposite of me. Am I saying that they're wrong? Yeah (that science will prove that God doesn't exist), but is science bad? No, it isn't. Science proves that God is real. But what bugs me is when people (including myself!) start trying to prove each other wrong and end up making people mad (which I'm sure I'm going to make some people who read this mad).

What I mean is that when people say things in a way that is disrespectful to others or is in an uneducated way. I believe in learning about the other's side before defending your own (hear the other side of the story). Not only that, but before even that, know yourself what you truly believe in (for example, if you're going to say well the Bible says this and this without actually reading it, well I don't think that's the smartest choice. If you're going to use the Bible to defend your beliefs, actually take the time to read the scripture and understand it first.)

Everyone has a right to defend what they believe in, and everyone has a right to what they believe. No one should force anyone to believe anything. But what we also shouldn't do is come straight out and bash people just because they believe something different from us. These scientists out there are very intelligent people, and I respect them for being as intelligent as they are and accomplishing things and understanding things I don't. But I just believe that they are misguided in some of their beliefs.

So anyways, what I'm trying to say here is that I hope I've at least given you something to think about. And I hope its positive. As always, and like I said in the beginning, feel free to agree or disagree with me. I love hearing other people's opinions, especially those who differ from mine. And as long as you respect my opinion, I'll respect yours. Simple, no?

Sincerely,
Sareh

Writing Prompt- disABILITY

That was actually a line I read in a magazine once about a girl who had a disability and she turned it into an ability. Anyways, so I saw an article eariler about a girl who was born without arms and how she's able to do pretty much everything with her feet. It was really inspiring. And now I'm following her youtube channel, (http://www.youtube.com/user/tishaunarmed?feature=g-all-c)

Anyways, so tonight's prompt is to write a short story or a story/scene about someone with a disability who learns how to turn it into an "ability". For example, it could even mean something interesting like a woman who can't talk on her own (actually oney of the ladies in my writer's group has this. I think its quite interesting so I'm turning it into a story), or someone who doesn't have any limbs at all (like Nick Vujicic).

Of course it doesn't have to be that extreme. It can even be something like having back problems or breaking an arm or having only partial vision or feeling (actually one of the guys in my grade lost his ability to feel when he was little. I actually never knew about it until last year and I've going to school with him for four years now).

Sincerely,
Sareh

Writing Prompt- Your Backstory

So for tonight's writing prompt, let's pretend that our lives are exciting and worthy enough to be put into a book. Anyways, if you were going to be put into a book, what would your back story be? If you could change anything about your past, what would it be?

After that, try creating back stories (a past) for multiple people.

For example:

1. A gas station clerk who recently comes into work more happy then usual. Why is he so happy?
2. A teacher who suddenly disappears from the school without reason. Why did he disappear? What could have happened in the past that made it so?
3. A girl who was adopted and then ended up disappearing. Why did she disappear, what happened to her family, and where did she go?

Sincerely,

Sareh

Writing Prompt- If you were a celebrity...

What would you do?

What kind of celebrity would you be? Acting? Singing? Something else entirely?

How would you treat your new fame and fortune?

Write a short story in which you, someone you know, or a character becomes a celebrity. Write about what kind of celebrity they would be (what they're known for), and how their life changes.

Sincerely,
Sareh

I've been recently obsessed with J-pop and K-pop.

Thanks to the former members of Inkpop.

SNSD (AKA Girl's Generation)- Run Devil Run

SNSD- Bad Girl

G.NA- Top Girl

G.NA- I Will Get Lost, You Go Your Way

BOA- Obsessed

Boa- Hypnotic Dancefloor

Other bands

• 2 pm
• Wonder Girls
• Beast
• Utada
• T-Ara
• 2NE1
• Trouble Maker (I just love their song, "trouble maker")

Sincerely,

Sareh

I've been on vacation.

Unexpectedly.

Well not really. Actually I knew I was going on vacation, I just didn't expect that I wouldn't have internet for a week or that I would be so busy that I wouldn't be able to post until tonight.

Anyways, since its late here already, I'm going to start regularly posting again tomorrow hopefully. If not, Sunday or Monday I will for sure.

So until next time,
Sareh.

In the News- Heroes vs Villains. Oh, and a Painting.

Our First Villain Tries to Steal a Baby

A woman disguised in scrubs was stopped before she could steal a newborn baby girl from a Southern California hospital in a tote bag. Yep, she thought that a tote bag was the perfect way to carry off a baby. Thankfully the senors attached to the baby alerted employees who stopped Grisel Ramirez, 48. She was arrested at Garden Grove Medical Center and they don't seem to know why she wanted to take the baby.

Apparently she posed as a nurse, went into the baby mother's room and told her to take a shower before a doctor came. Once the baby's mother was out, Ramirez put the baby in a purple tie-dyed tote bag and tried to whisk her away. Many hopsitals apparenlty have security systems where patients, like babies, have an electronic sensor on them as either a bracelet or anklet that sets off an alarm when the patient leaves a certain area.

The baby thankfully wasn't harmed throughout her ordeal and was in the bag only for a short time. Ramirez has been identified as the woman who walked into a hospital in Anaheim last week to ask several questions about a pregnant woman. The  pregnat woman told police who put up fliers with Ramirez's picture on it. You can read the whole thing and watch the video, here.


Our First Hero Dies to Rescue Two Boys

Dr. Donald Liu, chief of pediatric surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine's Comer Children's Hospital, didn't hesitate to save two boys when they were swept into the water of Lake Michigan. The two boys were friends of the family and despite the dangerous conditions and protests from his own children, the brave doctor jumped in. While the boys made it back to shore near Cherry Beach in Chikaming, Dr. Liu, 50, didn't make it back.

After the doctor was finally found, his wife, also a doctor, tried to do mouth-to-mouth but it was too late. The Coast Guard had been responding to another call nearby when they got the call to come get Dr. Liu, but they were unable to make it in time. Dr. Liu is remembered for his passion for helping children not just at the hospital, but for being such a good dad to his three children. You can read the whole thing here
.

Our Second Hero Stops Villain Number Two
Juan Carlos Alvarez, 29, walked into a sporting goods store in Yuba City, California and held Allyson Taylor at gunpoint for hours. He eventually surrended to police outside the Big 5 Sporting Goods store with Taylor unharmed thanks to good thinking. After opening some dialogue with him about him wanting to see his daughter again and some calls from hostage negotiators, she was freed. You can read the whole thing and watch the video here.

Possible da Vinci Painting Found

A scottish woman, Fiona McLaren, 59, recently found out that an old painting her father gave her could be worth up to $150 million and be over 500 years old. After getting it appraised, experts suspect that the painting may be a Leonardo da Vinci original or at least, made by one of the painter's pupils during the 16th century.

A papal bull was found attached to the back of the painting and is believed to have originated from the era of Pope Paul V, head of the Catholic Church in the early 17th century. McLaren says the word "Magdalene," is visible on the faded paper.
McLaren says she hopes the painting is sold to a museum, and she plans to donate a percentage of the painting's sale value after it is auctioned.

You can read the whole thing here.

Sincerely,
Sareh

Writing Prompt- The Olympics

So in another post about the Olympics, the prompt for this week is write a scene or a short story where your character is either in the Olympics or visiting.

If your character is in our world, our time, what sport would they be in? Or what sports would they go see?

If your character isn't in our time, but is in our world, (past) do they play some kind of sport or game? (Future) Are they in the Olympics if they still have them? Or if so, what sport would they go see?

If your character is in a totally different universe, what sports do they have there? Which one would your character be in? Or which would they go see?

Sincerely,
Sareh

Interesting Facts- The Olympics.

So in honor of the Olympics, I've decided to do an Olympic themed post tonight (and probably one every day this week except for Thursday and Saturday).

• At the first Olympic Summer Games in 1896, Greece, the host country, won the most medals with 47. 
• The country to win the most medals at the Winter Games is Norway with 263. 
• At the Summer Games, the U.S.A has won more medals then any other country (with a total of 2, 189).
• The five Olympic rings represent the five major regions in the world- Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Ocaeana. 
• The Olympic founder, Baron Pierre de Coubertin claimed that at least one of the ring's colors are in every flag in the world (blue, yellow, black, green, red, and including the white background).
• London will be the only city to have hosted the Games three times- in 1908, 1948, and 2012. 
• Only three continents have never hosted the Olympics (Africa, South America, and Antarctica).
• The Summer Olympic sports are archery, badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, canoe / kayak, cycling, diving, equestrian, fencing, field hockey, gymnastics, handball, judo, modern pentathlon (shooting, fencing, swimming, show jumping, and running), mountain biking, rowing, sailing, shooting, soccer, swimming, synchronized swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, track and field, triathlon (swimming, biking, running), volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, and wrestling.
• The Winter Olympic sports are alpine skiing, biathlon (cross-country skiing and target shooting), bobsled, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hocky, luge, Nordic combined (ski jumping and cross-country skiing), skeleton, ski jumping, snowboarding, and speed skating.
• The Olympic torch happened in ancient Olympia (Greece) too. There, the flame was ignited by the sun and kept burning until the Games ended. In our modern day, the torch is lit at Olympia by women wearing ancient-stlye robes and they use a curved mirror and the sun. Then its passed from runner to runner until it reaches the host city. After that, its kept alight until the games have ended. 
• The last Olympic gold medals to be made entirely out of hold, were given in 1912. 
• During the opening ceremony, the procession of athletes is led by teh Greek team, the followed by all the other teams in alphabetical order (in the language of the host country) and then the last team is always the host country. 
• When the Olympic commitee chooses locations, they always give the honor to a city rather then a country. 
• At the 1904 Paris Games, the winners were given paintings instead of medals because the French believed that they would be worth more. 
• A ten year old gymnast from Greece, Dimitrios Loundras, is said to be the youngest participant in the Olympic Games, but there's also said the be a French boy who was recuited at seven by the Dutch team who won the Coxed Rairs Rowing Race at the 1900 Games. But he got bored and went off before anyone got his name.
• Over 117 years, only three Olympic Games have been cancelled. Each time was because of a World War (1916, 1940, and 1944).
• Over the years, some of the events dropped from the Games inlcude, tug-of-war, Pelote Bisque, Cricket, Polo, and shooting live pigeons. 
• In the first Olympic Games, only nine events were given: athletics, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, shooting, swimming, tennis, weightlifting, and wrestling. All of these except tennis have been freatured at every subsequent Games. Tennis was dropped in 1928 but came back in 1988. 

Resources

Olympic Fun Facts

Interesting Olympic Facts

Facts about the Olympic Games