Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Roaming the Library: "Minotaur" by Joseph Alexander Macgillivray

The book I have selected is called "Minotaur" by Joseph Alexander Macgillivray.

**"A veil of mystery hangs over the whole...nothing but the Potent is certain; and fearful as I am of giving publicity to ill-omened words, I cannot refrain from breathing a suspicion that this unhallowed bellowing may proceed from some hideous Minotaur, caverned in his labyrinthine den." -Charles Kingsley.

The reason I have picked out this book is because it is about Greek mythology and a major person who is well known for acient greek architecture and excavation, Sir Arthur Evan. He was well known for recovering King Minos' palace. I took a class back in highschool about this topic and I found it very interesting. The minotaur was included and so therefore the subject topic jumped out at me.

There is only one author and he is Joseph Macgillivray. The title is Minotaur and it was published in the year of 2000. The publisher of the book is Hill and Wang and this book was printed and distributed in the United States. The exact city of publication is New York, New York.

Works Cited

**Kingsley, Charles. Pg 46. "Minotaur" Macgillivray, Joseph. 2000. Hill and Wang. New York, New York. Lit.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Library Links: Subject Guides

The link I have looked up was the Subject Guides.
This link is very useful to help you know the description of job titles and what goes on in the job. This can be helpful when you are looking for a career department to go into or are even just curious. They also have links inside to help you find books and other resources, such as magazines, newspapers, and journals, for that particular subject you are interested in learning more about. Not only can this link provide knowledge of careers but it can also help you decide this. That is why this link is useful and even more helpful.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Summary of Part II: Presentation, Little Princes, by Conor Grennan

By Adam, Girum, Rakan Alolayani, Ahmed, Shukri

Summary

  • Conor travels to Bangkok, his journey around the world begins.

  • Conor meets old friends, travel onwards, they soon complete their journey in January.

  • Conor returns to Nepal, due to missing the orphans, in 2006.

  • The war in Nepal had gotten worse. Prince shot and killed half of his family, due to no approval of intended bride. Shot his self, crowned but died right after. The crown moved onward and with it, the Maoist rebellion grew stronger.

  • Rebellion moves into the Kathmandu Valley. Bahndas grew worse and worse by the day.

  • Nuraj's mother shows up. Tells about how her child was given up, in hope of a better life for him.

  • Several children from Golkka found with Nuraj's mother, who were also trafficked from Humla. Conor helps them, Umbrella agrees to take them in after help from the Child welfare board.

  • Conor leaves to return home from Nepal after over a year away.

Analysis

  • Talks about how the civil war also a lot about child trafficking from Humla in Nepal was hard on him and the children.

  • Conor talks about how he wants to help the children and make a better life for them all.

  • He shows how his passion in helping these children has grown, even when before he knew nothing about children when he first arrived.

Part 2 Summary and Analysis: Little Princes by Conor Grennan

By Adam, Girum, Shukri, Ahmed, and Rakan

Summary

In this chapter Conor talks about how his travel to Bangkok in January turned to a trip around the world and kept his heart in the little princess orphanage which made him come back to Nepal after he left for united states for a year on January 2005. He talks about the story of the children in little princess orphanage, the instability of Nepal at the time and how the conflict affected him, kids and the entire country.
When Conor first arrived in Bangkok he meets up with a close friend he knew from when he was in Prague. They got together and biked around south East Asia covering a lot of countries. They traveled using their bicycles and they sailed with boats. Conor traveled all the way to South America, He gave up his bike there and meets up with his old college buddies, Charlie, Steve and Kelly. Then he flew to Peru, sailed twelve hundred miles down the amazon and experience many things. At last he flew back to New York to stay with his parents since he was broke from traveling around the world.

After a couple of weeks Conor missed Nepal and traveled back to Nepal after a year on mid-January 2006. When he went back he was surprised how the kids have grown up and how they were helping each other through their day to day life. He became more attached with the kids and Nepal felt more like home and they felt like family to him.

At this time the civil war in Nepal was worsening. Four years earlier the King of Nepal was murdered with the queen and most of the royal family by his own son because the king did not approve the marriage of the prince’s intended future wife. The prince was crowned king but died from the wound he got from shouting himself after murdering half of his family. The Maoist, the rebellion, were growing stronger, fighting against the new king.

The Nepalese people were helping the rebel by feeding the soldiers in a search of peace but things get worse every day and the people were running out of food to give to the Maoist as they grew in number. The Maoist then made a new rule that said the people need to give one child from each home to build army that fought against the King, that’s when Hair came to tell Coner that there is a roomer the Moist are planning to come to the little prince’s orphanage to take the kids for their army. Everyone was alarmed by the news but, Hari then explained his opinion to Coner that the Maoist will not take a chance to come to Kathmandu valley as it is too risky for them. The children in the orphanage then continued their daily activities.

One day a lady approached the orphanage while Conar and the kids were hanging out talking on the roof. Everyone was staring at her as she slowly approached the gates. Later the found out that she was one of the kids mother so they invited her in and one of the kids interpreted while she told her story. She sayed that a man called Golkka took money from her and other families by insuring their kids will be protected. She did not know how he did that but she took the chance to save her kids from the war and sold her house and cattle to earn money to give him. The man was trafficking kids and leaving them to orphanages saying they do not have parents and keeping the money he got from the parents to himself. He would punish and bit the kids if they tell anyone that their parents are alive so the kids were not happy to see their mother. The mother understood and left saying she will come back. Coner and Farid talked to the kids that they should not be afraid because their mother came and that no one will hurt them. They also promised them they will take them to see their mother regularly as things cool down and they did. The kids were happy. They came and tell the other kids how their day with their mother went.

One day Farid discovered that there were seven kids living with the mother of the two children that came to visit. He told Coner that they were starving and that they need to do something to help them, Coner agreed. The next day they went to the mother’s house with rice other food for kids and the mother. The violence was worsening and Coner’s day to leave the country was approaching. He was worried about the seven kids. If he leaves them with the mother they will finish the food and stave again and also be victims of the war. So he kept on looking for orphanages that will take care of the kids in but he was unlucky.

Three days before he was leaving he set up a meeting with the head of the child welfare board, a man named Gyan. To speak to him about the situation of the kids and the child trafficker called Golka. Gyan told him he was looking for this man for 2 years but was not able to find him. He said he will look for a place that will take the kids within three days and let him know. Conar got a call two days later from a Irish woman named Viva Bella, founder of Umbrella Foundation. She assured Conar that she will take all the kids in and take care of them. Conar, Farid and all the kids were happy. The next day Coner said goodbye to the kids, told them he will be back I a few weeks and left for the United States.

Analysis

Conor Grennan wrote about these events in his second part of the story to help show how his passion for these children has grown. He goes from not knowing much about any child to learning about how children can be and how they interact. In this passage, Conor travels the world and fulfills his goal to travel the world. He not only accomplished his goal but he also kept his promise to return to the children in Nepal. With this, he expressed how much love he has gained through his time with them. How he sympathises, and how bad he wants to help the children out. He shows how he keeps his word and also sets out to complete his other goals.
After he returns, two of the childrens' mother returns. Conor is thrilled at first but when he visits the mother, he finds several other children left by the child trafficker, Golkka. He returns often to help the children by bringing food. with this he shows again, how bad he wants to return hope to these children and give them a better life.
This passage, we feel, is a lot about how Conor has grown to love something he never thought of before. Also about how little can make a big difference in someones life. Like when Conor and Farid visit the seven children. They slowly open up everytime they come around, providing food and joy to the children.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Summary of Little Princes. By Conor Grennan

This book starts out with a man named Conor. After working hard throughout life he has managed to save up some money and is now planning to take a year off from work to travel the world. In doing so, he plans to start out by volunteering at an orphanage in Nepal. That way he won't be called selfish back home.
When he arrives, after a brief orientation to Nepal and an example on how to use the toilets, the volunteers are split up into different households to become accustomed to Nepal easier. This is where a little girl teaches him some "Nepali". He soon found out the little girl was deaf and was teaching him the wrong thing.
After spending a week with the family, Conor is soon sent to the orphanage.
He arrives and is greeted by some very excited children, but as he gets settled in and is becoming familiar with the children and how things are done, he finds out about their past, little by little.
He is shocked to learn that the children were there because of a child trafficker. One who has ties to people in the government and just refuses to get caught.
Not long after the trafficker makes a surprise visit to the orphanage for some odd reason, a mother of two of the children arrives.
This is when Conor decides to help the children. Help them find their families.This becomes more and more difficult though as the war continues and Bahndas become more dangerous everytime. 
Soon the three months are gone and Conor leaves for his trip for around the world.

One year passes and Conor returns to the Orphanage. He keeps on trying to help the kids and also seven more kids that were found with the mother that had shown up. 3 months late Conor goes back to the U.S.
A kidnapping happens when Conor is gone. The trafficker shows up and takes the seven kids that another orphanage, Umbrella, has agreed to care for. Conor then decides to start up a group to fundraise for finding the Nepali childrens parents in Humli.
Thinking that the war has calmed due to the King renouncing the throne under Maoist threat, Conor returns to Nepali to find the seven children.
In the end, the children are found and the families are reunited from Humli.

I would recommend this book to anyone. This book is well written and the story follows plot very well. I am inspired by this book and now that I know what went on Nepali, I view children differently. Whether they are starving or hard working. I give this book a nine out of ten.
I was very surprised I found this book very interesting since it outside of my favorite genres. I typically would not read a story like this, but I loved this book a lot.

Group 4

Group Four: Questions about Quotations and Paraphrases :
Valerie Mattson, Adam Block, and Sajjad Rabaan

Summary: Quotations and paraphrases are used in writing in order to enhance a point made by hte writer with evidence stated by others to support any point made. Factual information can also be taken away from these quotations;however, it is essential to utilize them correctly. The information listed below is necessary to prevent plagarism.

Quotations:
1. Direct Quotations: By using quotation marks and parenthetical documentation, one restates what another has already said.
"They must be copied exactly. . .General rule: 1 direct quote every 3 pages"**

2. Indirect Quotations: Restatement of a though, otherwise known as paraphrasing.

Try to limit the use of quotations. Only use them when they will strongly support an argument. Do not use a quotation if it is common sense. Also, it is important to describe the source of information and the speaker.
*For example, In The Coming of Age, Simone de Beavoir contends that the decrepitude accompanying old age is "in complete conflict with the manly or womanly ideal cherished by the young and fully grown" (65).
As shown in this example, it is okay to also combine paraphrasing in addition to quoting.

If a quotation is less than four lines, enclose them with quotation marks.

If a quotation is more than four lines, use a complete sentence followed by a colon, indent ten spaces, double space the lines, and do not use quotation marks. Do not indent unless it begins a new paragraph.
*An example of a long quotation:
Robert Hastrow sums up the process in the following passage,
where he compares rays of light to a ball thrown up from the earth and
returning because of the pull of gravity:

The tug of that enormous force prevents the ray of light from leaving
the surface of the star; like the ball thrown upward from the earth, they
are pulled back and cannot escape to space. All the light within the star
is now trapped by gravity. From this moment on, the star is invisible. It
is a black hole in space (65).
To clarify a quotation, use square brackets. For example: "They [the doctors] have created a new medicine"

Commas/Period:
If there is a parenthetical reference, place it on the outside. *For example, "Animals have a variety of emotions similar to human's" (Erikson 990). If there is no parenthetical reference, place the period on the inside of the quotation marks. For example, the supervisor said, "There is no excuse for aggressive behavior." Unlike the period, a colon and semicolon go outside the quotation mark.

Use an ellipse in order to leave out part of a quotation. *"in respect for woman. . .and a bright sunny day"

Use slash marks to seperate lines of poetry. For example, "There was a man from Peru/Who dreamed of eating his shoe"

If the quotation is a question, place the question mark inside of the quotation marks. If the quotation is NOT a question, place the question mark outside of the quotation marks.

Paraphrasing is when the writer uses his or her own interpretation. Use a "free" style when paraphrasing. This is when you borrow the main idea but use say it in a different way. Make sure if the ideas are not common sense, they are cited.

Citations:

*Examples used from the LEO website
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/ Visited on 9/10/13

**users.wowway.com/~marycay910/quotes.ppt /Visited on 9/10/13

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Reasons to leave- Little Princes

In the beginning, Conor Grennan came to Nepal to start his one year trip around the world. Volunteering at the Little Princes Orphanage seemed like the perfect idea. Not only would it make his trip seem a little selfish, but it would also help him avoid any harrassment back home. If someone said he was foolish, then he could say, "I didn't think volunteering at an Orphanage was a bad thing." or something of the sort. It would stump people mid-sentence and get them off his back. Even if the trip was dangerous, and maybe even irresponsible. He still wanted to take a vacation, and travel the world. Even climb some mountains maybe.

As he got further into his trip, and got to the orphanage, he got attatched. Even if the children are becoming used to volunteers coming and going, Conor felt it very difficult to just desert the children. He even tried convincing his self that he hasn't seen t.v. in months, he was dirty, cold, and he hasn't even went out to meet any women. He even thought of his mother, and how sad she would be if he left home all the time. Her sad look got to him and reminded him of the poor children he would be leaving.

In the end, he decided to return to the children in Nepal after he has toured the world. Even if it was a year later, he still felt the need to return to the children. A touching story this is turning out to be so far.

Reviews to "Who Am I?"

Click here to view the scores.

The three people who have recieved the highest scores would have to be Valerie Mattson, Jasmine Sainju, and Mohammed Alamer. Keep reading to find out why.

First, with a score of nine, Valerie Mattson. She has recieved this score because she has provided a lot of information about her and her own family. She told everyone who she is and what she likes to do. I haven't found any grammar errors and her spelling is great. I also found it interesting how she isn't afraid to talk about religion associated things and is open. Great job, Valerie!

Second of all, Jasmin Sainju, with a score of nine also. She faced a fear, and provided a great view of how her family has effected her, and also mentioned how she couldn't imagine she'd leave her home village. I also found it very impressive how she knows three languages! I can hardly imagine how many grammar rules there are and how she keeps them straight. Fantastic work, Jasmine! :)

Last but not least, Mohammed Alamer. The score he has recieved was an eight. He provided plenty of information about his background. He stated his marriage, his family, and his schooling. He even provided how long he was at a place to study, or living. Besides these, he has also stated his interests. I also liked his ending exert. It provided a nice touch. Awesome job!

Those were the reasons I have used when I gave them their scores. A lot of people did great on this job, but of course only a few were supposed to be picked. Good job, everyone!