Word #4

1. Brusque

2. But his voice was brusque now-angry, but also businesslike.

Book: The Host by Stephenie Meyer

3. Adjective. Abrupt in speech or manner.

4. She was so nervous to give her award winning speech, her voice turned brusque in front of thousands of people.

Blog 4 – What Makes It News?

I read a news article from the Huffington Post, on the USA-Canada mens Olympic hockey game. The hockey game took place this last Sunday. Team Canada was favored to win by a long shot. The Americans pulled off an amazing upset, and won 5-3. The win will advance team USA to the quarterfinals. The game had taken place in Canada, with the crowd on their side, only to be disappointed. This story was extremely newsworthy because the Americans hadn't beat Canada in over two decades. They were definitely the underdogs, and pulled off what was said to be a miracle. Some of the news values found in this article are: what happened, who won, where and when it took place.

This story could be transformed into a local Bay Area story by writing about how many of the Canadian hockey players actually play for the San Jose Sharks team. A reporter could interview some Sharks fans to see who they cheered for during Sundays game. Also a member of the Sharks was on team USA, a reporter could interview him about playing against, and defeating his own teammates.

Word #3

1. Desiccated

2. I wondered, the pricking feeling returning in my desiccated tear ducts.

Book: The Host by Stephanie Meyer.

3. Adj. Remove the moisture from.

4. The drought lasted so long it nearly desiccated the entire lake.

A Fly on the Wall

I could hear the willows making music as they danced through the air. Their shadows mimicking them through the pavement. The smell of just cut grass gave my nostrils an itch. The energy that the children gave off with their screams, as they try to swing jump to the sky distracted my allergies. A little adventurous boy setting his heights a little too high, crash landed as gravity plunged him to the tan bark. For a split second there was a complete silence and shock on his face. The once soaring boy looked upon his injured wing and the sight of red brought him to instant tears. The mother, not far away, shouted, "oh no what happened?" Soon after squeaky wheels and annoying bells echoed through this little jungle. Once again screams of children filled the air, but for a good reason. All I could hear was, "I want this one, I want that one!" The ice cream seemed to be so good that the children had to share it with every part of their faces. The stained profiles were on the run again. The hands sticking to the monkey bars as they swing across like some sort of animals.

Word #2

1. Vestigial

2. I had clearly seen the vestigial feelers still attached to the truncated anterior section of a child.

Book: The Host by Stephanie Meyer

3. 1) adj remaining after the rest has disappeared or dwindled.

4. The firemen saw the vestigial framework of the burned home.

Favorite Writing

2PAC Lyrics-Changes

"And still I see no changes can't a brother get a little peace
It's war on the streets & the war in the Middle East
Instead of war on poverty they got a war on drugs
so the police can bother me
And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do
But now I'm back with the facts givin' it back to you
Don't let 'em jack you up, back you up,
crack you up and pimp smack you up
You gotta learn to hold ya own
they get jealous when they see ya with ya mobile phone
But tell the cops they can't touch this
I don't trust this when they try to rush I bust this
That's the sound of my tool you say it ain't cool
my mama didn't raise no fool
And as long as I stay black I gotta stay strapped
& I never get to lay back
'Cause I always got to worry 'bout the pay backs
some punk that I roughed up way back
comin' back after all these years

rat-tat-tat-tat-tat that's the way it is uhh"

The song Changes by 2PAC has always been one of my favorite songs. It's about how living a life in the ghetto can transform a person into survival mode. My first time listening to this song really blew me away. The lyrics are extremely deep in how they share the everyday struggles ethnic people have. I believe it really put peoples lives in perspective in how they can make a change for the better. I can't say that I can completely relate to this song, but I admire the way 2PAC expresses his lifestyle, and how he would like to change his ways. This artist gave a sense of nervous urgency to survive by using repetition in the second stanza. His comparisons in the song are very meaningful. For example, "It's war on the streets & the war in the Middle East," shows that life in the hood is just as bad as an actual war. 2PAC kept the attention of his fans because his lyrics speak out what most people hold in because they are too afraid of the consequences. 2PAC has a persona that change would be a good thing, but it would be impossible to change and still survive living in his environment. This song was recorded between 1995-1996, just within the same year that 2PAC was murdered.

Word #1

1) Nebulous

2)Desire is only a thought, and impulse. It is nebulous and ephemeral. Book- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

3) 1. unclear 2. of nebulae (adj.)

4)The word was no longer nebulous to me after I looked up the definition.

About Me

Hello my name is Brandon Castillo. I come from a big family that I love. My parents have always been very supportive of the dreams and goals I set. I took art classes, played sports, all the activities that I enjoyed as a child. As of now, I am undeclared, but I plan on pursuing Broadcast Journalism. It would be a dream come true to work for a major television station. In high school I was a member of the journalism class for three years. My experience with this class was not a pleasant one. The class was very laggard, and we had published about three to four papers within the school year. I turned towards the idea of Broadcast journalism because I love the attention, and retrieving information from others. My mom says I can be a bit nosy. I like to think of myself as reporting. In my spare time I like to be active, outside playing sports. I am currently playing on an adult slow pitch softball team at Twin Creeks Sports Complex. A weakness that I can improve on with writing is, the length of my pieces. I've found that writing lengthy essays are challenging for me. I need to work on extending my thoughts into something greater. A strength I believe I have in my writing is that my papers are not the same old boring pieces every other student writes. I like to write refreshing papers that readers would want to read. As far as my career in the near future goes; I want nothing more than to enjoy what I do, because thats what's most important to me in life.