COWABUNGA

1) Sea Turtles

Environmental Encyclopedia

Ed. Marci Bortman, Peter Brimblecombe, and Mary Ann Cunningham. Vol. 2. 3rded. Detroit: Gale, 2003. p1263-1264. COPYRIGHT 2003, 2006 Gale

Sea turtle populations have dramatically declined in numbers over the past half century. Green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas), hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricata), Kemp's Ridleys (Lepidochelys kempii), loggerheads (Caretta caretta), and leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea) have all had their numbers decimated by human activity. The decline has been caused by several factors, including the development of a highly industrialized fishery to meet the demand for seafood on a worldwide basis. The most economical fishing method involves pulling multiple nets underwater for extended periods of time, and any air-breathing animals, such as sea turtles, which get caught in the net are usually drowned before they are hoisted on board.

2) Conservation of Pacific Sea Turtles

by Dutton, Peter, Squires, Dale, Ahmed, Mahfuzuddin

University of Hawaii Press

July 2011

"Recovery of Pacific sea turtle populations requires a holistic approach that addresses all sources of morality.In the Pacific, populations of some species of sea turtles face extinction unless the recent dramatic declines are revered. This issue has become so pressing that fisheries management must now address incidental takes of sea turtles, and in some fisheries this issue is driving fishery management.  " (pg.1 chapter 1) 

3) Tampa Bay Times

June 15, 2012 Friday 

4 State / Suncoast Edition

PROTECT THE BEACHES WE SHARE WITH TURTLES
BYLINE: GARY APPELSON
SECTION: NATIONAL; Pg. 15A
LENGTH: 680 words

Protecting sea turtles in Florida takes vigilance, cooperation and balance. After all, our sea turtles have to share the beach with millions of residents and tens of millions of annual tourists. Florida has strong sea turtle protection laws in place and Floridians take sea turtle protection seriously. Many hundreds of volunteers also play a vital role by walking our beaches at night to collect data and monitor sea turtlenesting.

Sea turtles to me are the most peaceful, carefree, fascinating creatures that have ever lived on this earth. They live for many years and have been on this earth for a long time. All three of my resources relate to the decline of sea turtle's population. I feel very strongly about preventing these animals to go extinct because of human negligence. Each resource explains how if we do not do something about this problem the sea turtles will no longer exist. If my theme were a symbol for something it would stand for (inhumanity) people are not caring enough to save these animals. The world needs to show more compassion because we all share this planet and we are wiping out an entire species that has lived on it longer than us. 

When life gives you lemons, Squirt someone in the eye.

 The Yellow Wall-Paper Draft 1

“The repairs are not done at home, and I cannot possibly leave town just now. Of course if you were in any danger, I could and would, but you really are better, dear, whether you can see it or not. I am a doctor, dear, and I know. You are gaining flesh and color, your appetite is better. I feel really much easier about you.” (652)


    In this passage from “ The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Stetson, the narrator is a mentally disturbed woman who describes her thoughts, emotions and her obsession about this enchanting wall throughout the story to the reader. Her husband is thought to be the scoundrel of this story causing her to become more sick. What if the story was told by her husbands point of view? We certainly understand that not every marriage is perfect but it does seem to me that he does what a husband is suppose to do which is be the provider for the family, be there for your family through sickness and in health, and thought the good times and in bad.
    They are currently living in a summer home waiting for their new home to be finished where they can raise there child and live happily. John says to his wife “The repairs are not done at home” so this is the reason they cannot leave just yet. The lease will end in three weeks and then they can leave but she urges him to leave now. He is a man with a plan doing what must be done so they can live stress free later on in life. He has good intentions when he denies her to leave town at this moment  a very confident person as the provider of the family there is a lot of pressure on a man to do the right thing.
    When he says “If you were in any danger, I could and would” I really trust him at this point because a husbands job is to protect his wife if he really loved her which I am certain from this statement he does. I believe this  is  a sad love story about  a woman struggling with a illness and a man who would do anything in his power to make her better so they can raise their child together. In the story she is  only a danger to herself creating illusions in her mind causing her to lose her sanity.
    This is not an easy situation for anyone having a spouse who is sick, some people would feel like they have become to much a burden to handle but not for John when he says  “I am a doctor, dear, and I know” who better to trust when it comes to an illness than a doctor who is your own husband. Because of his position in society, being a physician it can be very stressful  on someone’s life for example dealing with patients and having unfortunate outcomes such as death and very time consuming not having enough time to spend with friends or family. He may sometimes seem to be some what arrogant or high and mighty but who wouldn’t after receiving your medical degree after all those years of school. I believe he only means well trying to make her realize that is all in her mind and to trust him.
    I  believe her treatments are working and she was getting better  he even says “ I feel much easier about you” he truly cares for her constantly reassuring her. A man is suppose to be very tough and  not show weakness never to cry or complain because we are men everyone is different just because someone does not show you tears doesn’t mean they don’t care  I believe John is a good husband and will never leave her side.

One Fry Short of a Happy Meal

"The Yellow Wall-Paper" by Charlotte Perkins Stetson

1) Is this a ghost story?

I believe that this is not a ghost story because the narrator is suffering from a "nervous depression" which refers to a psychological depression of the central nervous system that can cause exhaustion, insomnia, loss of appetite, and seeing everything as horrible and hopeless.I believe this illness has made her very sick and her husband who is also her physician does not seem to help her with his treatments causing her to further loose a grip on reality. So I can not say that this is a ghostly story because there was no supernatural discovery just a case of a woman being a woman (Crazy).In this passage her husband John says " There is nothing so dangerous, so fascinating, to a temperament like yours.  It is a false and foolish fancy. Can you not trust me as a physician when I tell you so? " she should not worry about being in danger or creating a lot of anxiety for herself because she is in good hands with a doctor who will keep her safe.He is trying to make her see that it is all in her mind and that she is getting better with his help. 

Poe's Spooky Story Haunted Exercise

 Giovanni Lorusso

Edgar Allan Poe's gloomy tale "The Fall of the House of Usher" 

1.      Choose a few lines from the above passage as the material for your quotations.

‘with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit’

                                                        (unbearable) (partial or total darkness) (spread through

2.      Write a sentence or a few sentences integrating a phrase from Poe into a sentence of your own. The easiest way to do this is to make a comment about Poe's story. For example, if I were writing about "The Raven," I could say: At the beginning of Edgar Allan Poe's long poem "The Raven," the narrator tells us that he has stayed up late reading "a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore." It must be a pretty boring old book, because reading it leaves him "weak and weary" and "nearly napping."

I have read a interesting passage of Edgar Allan Poe's gloomy tale "The Fall of the House of Usher" where the author describes a vivid image of a scary looking home that had ‘a few white trunks of decayed trees’ he said which gave me goose bumps while reading. He also sounded uncertain about this building which he says gave him  “an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart” feeling which I enjoyed because I like scary stories.

3.      Introduce a quotation and then explain what the quotation means. For example: In "The Raven," Edgar Allan Poe's narrator tells us that the events of the poem happened "in the bleak December / And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor." The second line refers to the fact that he's sitting by a lit fireplace, and it's just a fancy, spooky way of describing the effect of the firelight as it shines off the floor.

In a passage of Edgar Allan Poe’s gloomy tale “The Fall of the House of Usher” the narrator says this line which I found spooky  “with an utter depression of soul which I can compare to no earthly sensation more properly than to the after-dream of the reveler upon opium” which I think he means he didn’t have a good feeling about this place comparing it to something so bad it could not be found on earth. He makes you paint of this scary place using great words such as “ no eathly” and “dream”.

4.      Paraphrase a short passage from Poe. For example: In "The Raven," Poe's narrator tells us that the events of the poem take place in the winter. At the beginning of the poem, he's sitting cozily by the fire, falling asleep over an old book

In Edgar Allan Poe’s gloomy tale ‘The Fall of the House of Usher” the narrator talks about this story happening in autumn. In the beginning of the passage he stated that it’s a soundless day with clouds appearing very low and dullish dark skies I can visually see the leaves falling to the ground, trees are looking dead setting up the stage for a great spooky tale.

5.      Now here's a tough one: try to paraphrase then entire passage from "The Fall of the House of Usher" in five short sentences.

In the passage of Edgar Allan Poe’s gloomy tale “The Fall of the House of Ushers” the narrator tells a story of him traveling through the autumn cold street on a horse through the country dirt roads to this House of Usher. When he first saw the house he felt very shaken and unsure about it because of the old walls, creepy empty windows , dead looking plants and dying tree trunks painting a horror movie home giving a ghostly vibe. Something about this place made him feel uncomfortable approaching with caution. It gave him a heart attack to be at this place questioning himself about what was it that made him feel this way about this home he stood there thinking in the shadows.

6.      Now here's a really tough one: shorten your paraphrase to two short sentences!

In the passage of Edgar Allan Poe’s gloomy tale “The Fall of the House of Ushers” the narrator is traveling to a home that gave him the goose bumps when he arrived because it had creepy windows, dead looking plants, and dying tree trunks. He had a spooky  ghostly feeling about this place it made him uncomfortable and wonder what was making him feel this way about the House of Usher.

7. Share your work in groups of three or four, discussing each person's work and the differences between them. Try to help your classmates by giving constructive criticism about their work!

Descriptive writing :Bryant Park

Descriptive writing
by Giovanni Lorusso

There he was in the shadowy center of this football field of grass in Bryant park. All alone with these green metal chairs surrounding him like the great wall of china impossible to infiltrate. A deep
moat has formed from the rain surrounding him in a castle. He had fluffy white hair that transformed into gold every time the sun emerged along with a manly white bushy mustache that seemed rougher than the bristles on a sanitation street sweeper truck. He has his bottom in one chair with his arms crossed hugging himself wearing a black wall street suit, white button down, black tie, black long pants and black shiny shoes. While his legs are crossed placed on another chair causing his pants to rise up and reveal his long green socks. The mans head was deeply tucked into his chest so still and undisturbed with all the commotion of New York City around. He did not move I thought for sure he was dead,  until this beam of light from the sky shined strong enough through his concrete eye lids he had awaken! Stands up immediate to look at the time, takes one step and looses his balance unwrinkled his pants and limps of into the crowed.

A special area for a casual date maybe, multiple tables and chairs arranged in a circle. Only she was alone sitting down with this iron board posture, legs crossed, very elegant . She had long braided thick brown hair, green olive eyes and red rose painted lips. She kept warm from the random cold breeze with this green grandma sweater with chestnut size buttons, black leggings that made her curves pop, blue socks to match her Cinderella blue shoes. In the background you could hear a piano playing a smooth melody, she is tapping her foot to the music. On her table there was a blue plastic food container, purple gym water bottle and bright shinny silver fork. With her right hand she grips the fork attacking her dish, spinning and spinning the fork until it is concealed. She slurps the spaghetti string into her mouth and immediately closes her eyes, fingers curl , cheeks are bursting, her pony tail begins to swing around. Lifting the plate in the air licking all the leftover juices, wipes the folk clean with her tongue nodding her head to the music.

Long legs don’t fit under the table, arms long enough to touch the ground sitting on a chair, black frizzy hair, long black sideburns, bushy brown eyebrows. He had a strong chiseled chin, long pointy nose, big dark brown eyes, The type of shirt all business men have light blue button down tucked into black pants and shiny black shoes. Slouching in the chair as if he was melting from the heat taking multiple selfies smiling so much there was a glare from his white teeth bouncing off and making kissing faces puckering up like a duck. Sitting under shade given from a tree, breezy air moving the leaves are dropping some left over rain drops on his head. A chipotle bag with garbage inside sitting on the table, he wipes his mouth and crumbles it up to throw it in. He has two hands on his iPhone, eyes glued to the screen, digging his shoes into the ground moving the gravel rocks around. Takes off his iPhone headphones rolling them up putting them in his pocket, next step he takes he scratches his rocket. Picks up and leaves without a trace two girls come take his place.

The ground was shaking from the stampede of people in Bryant park. A gust of wind that brushed up against his long chubby neck. The smell of crummy hot dogs, poisonous car exhaust, and fresh cut grass was in the air. He had a buff fluffy gray chest with a dangerous thug walk hobbling around like a pirate along with these two long spaghetti red legs. The most threatening was its long sharp black beak pecking away at the concrete for  crumbs only the characters in the movie “Honey, I shrunk the kids” could see.   Popeye thick wings like he ate lots of spinach, feather on top of feather to keep him snug The face was blue, black, green and purple, eyes were mandarin orange, long black feathery tail dragging on the ground. Eyes beaming seeking sustenance making sounds such as “C-oo-OO-oo-oh”. The pigeon rapidly charges the open road spreading  his wings and takes off into the heavens.