Blog #4 Reading Minute

As winter begins to set into Minnesota Climatologists already are already saying it is going to be a cool one. As of December 17 the Twin Cities has already received 11 inches of snow, 1 inch more that average for the whole month! I am really excited about this because now I can do donuts in parking lots before school! This also means there is a greater chance for a snow day, but I don't think that is going to happen. Anyways this has also been the coldest December since 2000 and that is not all we have also have had a record number of days that is has snowed. I know a lot of people do not like winter, but I do so I am glade it is cold and snowy. The only thing I don't like about winter is when I have to shovel my driveway so its not so bad.
http://www.kare11.com/includes/tools/print.aspx?storyid=532594#

Out Side Reading #3

I have resently just finished reading transworld snowboardins best trick tips. In this article they show u many different tricks in frame by frame pictures and gives commentary on how to best preform the trick. As looked throught the artile and found a section on Switch back 540's which i have trouble with and i read about that and realized that iI was leaning to far back when i come off the lib of the jump. I think that this is a good book to buy cus it would help any skill level of snowboarder step up to the next level.
Sherowski, Jennifer. "Trick Tips." Transworld Snowboarding. Volume 26, November 2008: 45-56.

Reading #2

I have just finish reading about the all new 2009 BMW 345i. In this review out of Road And track they talk about all the details and features of the car. I read this article about this car because this is the car my dad wants to get when he gets a new car in the spring. As I looked at the specs i noticed that the car had been redone from last year and it looks a lot better than before. It also has more horsepower and a faster 0-60 time than the 08 models. Overall this is a very good car and i hope my dad will get it.
Stoynoff, Natasha and Tauber, Michelle. "2009 BMW 345i."Road And track . 25 November 2008: 34-37

Out Side Reading #1

I have just finish reading a magazine article in Trans World Snowboarding. The title was When In Minnesota. It talked about how Minnesota has some the best snowboarding parks and spots in the US. It also featured a picture of a local snowboarder doing a 50/50 grind on the stands at the Braemer hokey arena. I was very surprised to see this because i dont usally think that of Minnesota of a great street snowboarding city but i guess i thought wrong. This winter im am defenatly going to find so sweet places downtown to film and hopefully send my pictures into transworld and have my pick in there. Overall i am really glade i live in a place where i have a good 5 months of solid snowboarding. To me snowboarding is what I do to relax and have fun with my friends. I would recommened anyone to just go out and try to snowboard it is one of the most fun things you will ever do.



Serpick, Evan. "When In Minnesota." Transworld Snowboarding. Volume 24, November 2008: 52-55.

Hymie's Vintage Records

I just resently read a magazine article about this record shop tha my dad and I used to go to buy records when i was a little kid. The shop is called "Hymie's Vintage Records". It is located in minneapolis buy my house. When i read this articleI rememberd all about the details that made me always want to go down to it. When you enter the store you always smell all of the musty and sthe old paper covers around the records. More than anything though I love the big RCA dog at the back of the store. Also this is like the biggest store ever! IT has like two floors! I think is has more songs than itunes. Overall i just injoy going there for the old feel and even if i dont buy anything i still have fun just looking around.

Stoynoff, Natasha and Tauber, Michelle. "Hymie's Vintage Records." Metro Magazine. 28 October 2008: 53

Wooden Legs For All!

I recently read something about the Minneapolis St. Anthony Falls area that really surprised me. It was from an article I found in the "Twin Cities Metropolitan" magazine that talked about a booming industry that has existed in our capital city for over 120 years. I knew that for many years Minneapolis was known for its flour mills, logging industry and even the heavily used railroad transportation system along the river banks, but I never would have guessed that they would also be known world-wide for their artificial limb production. It turns out that in 1988, the Winkley Artificial Limb Company opened its first shop in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis, near the mills at St. Anthony Falls. Back in those times, there was a very high incidence of work-related accidents caused by logging, milling and working on the railroad. Lumberjacks would frequently lose a leg while hopping across slippery timbers during logjams. The grinding gears and saw blades of the mills were even more dangerous, as many workers lost their arms or legs while they were grinding lumber. The flour mills and the railroads weren't any safer in those days. The demand for artificial limbs began to grow just as fast as these dangerous industries did. Soon the mills began to provide wood to the Winkley Artificial Limb Company and several others in the Warehouse District to create experimental limbs. The industry boomed and the competition was fierce among the various limb-makers, especially during the Civil War and after World War I. By 1918 Minneapolis had become the "artificial-limb capital of the world"! It was only much later, when safety measures in the workplace increased dramatically and World War II was over, that the need for artificial limbs declined. By the 1980's the only artificial limb company that survived in Minneapolis was Winkley (which still has six offices in the metro area today). That's surprising.

Dregni, Eric. "Wooden Legs For All! - How Minneapolis's mills created an unexpected splinter industry." Metro, Twin Cities Metropolitan." June 2008: 96.

Heroes in a Box

Range Rovers

The Range Rover is the heroes of all suv's because of its great looks, wounderful interior, and its off road skills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I3jCU_FoO8&feature=related

This video is a perfect example why the Range Rover is the sickest off roading vehicle ever made.

Overall i think that this car is so cool that it deserves to be a hero. The look of it is so classey yet you can go muddin' on the weekends!

American Idol, Paul Newman 1925-2008

I read an article in the most recent issue of People Magazine about the life and death of the famous actor Paul Newman. I knew he was a race car driver and an actor, and I had seen his picture on our salad dressing bottles. After reading the article, I learned a lot more about him as an actor, a family man, and a philanthropist. Paul Newman was born in 1925 and he lived to the age of 83. He died from cancer this past September 26, 2008. He was married to Joanne Woodward, another famous actress, for over 50 years and they had three daughters. Newman worked as an actor from about age 25 up to age 81, receiving nine Oscar nominations and winning for the lead male actor role in the film "The Color of Money" in 1986. Along side his acting career, he developed his skills as a professional race car driver for more than 30 years, thus becoming the oldest driver to ever win a major professional car race at age 70 in Daytona in 1995. In 1982 he co-founded "Newman's Own", a food empire dedicated to raising money for charities to help children all over the world. Starting with his famous salad dressings, he has managed to donate over $250 million to charities over the years. Even though Paul Newman is well known for his good looks, his steel blue eyes and his rugged and tough guy roles in films, he always remained a humble and down-to-earth person. He was born in the midwest, in Ohio and he chose to settle down in Westport, Connecticut where he raised his family and lived with Joanne for over 40 years. He preferred to stay away from the glamour of Hollywood and to live a quiet life in the countryside of Connecticut. It surprised me to learn that at age 25, Paul Newman first married a woman named Jacqueline Witte, with whom he had one son and two daughters. They were married for about 8 years before he met Joanne. Sadly, his only son from his first marriage, died at age 28 of an alcohol and drug overdose. Newman explained that he would never be able to escape the guilt and the devastating loss. He felt that he "wasn't there much" when his children were growing up. He later founded the "Scott Newman Foundation," which is a charity dedicated to educating young people about drug and alcohol abuse. I enjoyed learning more about Paul Newman as a person and seeing all the photographs taken of him over the years in this article. He is someone I admire and I think he truly is an "American Idol."

Stoynoff, Natasha and Tauber, Michelle. "American Idol, Paul Newman 1925-2008." People Magazine. 13 October 2008: 56-67

Remembering Newman

I just read an article in the October issue of People magazine that was written by the actor, Tom Cruise. The article was all about Paul Newman and the lasting impression he had made on Tom Cruise. Cruise stated that his first oppotunity to work with Paul Newman was in the film "The Color of Money," acting in the lead role opposite the "bigger than life" actor. Cruise was surprised to learn that Newman, despite his fame and iconic stature, was "incredibly down-to-earth and real." He also said that Newman had an amazing sense of humor that he seemed to use in his approach towards life and even towards himself. Cruise remarked that after filming "The Color of Money", Newman and he became lifelong friends. Newman gave Tom the nickname "Cruiser" and he also liked to call him "Kid". He tells a story about going to dinner at the Newman's home and that Paul, himself, cooked for the entire crowd. Once on New Year's Eve they all gathered around the piano to sing with the entire family. Cruise says that it was Newman who got him involved in car racing and he even gave Cruise the chance to race on Newman's team. The hugely successful actor, Tom Cruise, remembers Paul Newman as a "great movie star, a great actor and a great family man...And then on top of it all, he became a great philanthropist." But above all, Tom says that the greatest gift that Paul gave him was his friendship. Speaking very candidly after the news of Paul Newman's passing on September 26, 2008, Tom Cruise said that he felt he had lost a personal idol of his.

Cruise, Tom. "Remembering Newman." People Magazine. 13 October 2008: 66.

Jeff Grell, Inventor of the Highback

I recently read an article in the September 2008 issue of Transworld Snowboarding about the inventor of the support bindings found on snowboards today. His name is Jeff Grell and he lives in Aspen, Colorado. Back in 1983 he was one of the first snowboarders around that started to look for ways to build better support for your ankles while riding a snowboard in backcountry of the Aspen Highlands. At the time, snowboards basically just had a baseplate that you would bind your Sorels boots to with straps. At first snowboarders would use the liners from their ski boots and stuff them into their Sorels for better highback support. Jeff was the first one to design a prototype highback binding that actually fit onto the back of your boots with straps, like a cuff. When you leaned back, the original "Hi-Bak" supported your boots, your board and your edges, making it a lot easier to traverse the mountain on your snowboard. He Later collaborated with a friend and they came up with a better model for a convertible highback which was attached to the baseplate, forming one unit or support binding for snowboards. Unfortunately, Jeff Grell didn't get rich off of his invention (nor did he become famous) because he didn't have the money to patent his idea or mass produce it. As soon as the large skiing companies, like Burton, caught on to his invention they started making the new bindings and sales took off like crazy. Even though Jeff finally got a patent on his highback binding in 1998, he says he's not interested in getting a lawyer or suing the snowboard industry for money. He says he has a lot more fun just being a snowboarder and being known by his friends in Aspen as the inventor of the original highback binding for snowboards. I enjoyed this article and really like the attitude that Jeff Grell has towards snowboarding and inventing.

Sherowski, Jennifer. "Jeff Grell, Inventor of the Highback." Transworld Snowboarding. Volume 22, September 2008: 74-75.

Lil Wayne

I recently read a magazine article about how Lil Wayne became a superstar in the music business. The articles states that he just recently recorded the hit single "Lollipop" which was the number one song on Billboards Top 100 and has broken the "fastest-selling ring tong in history" record. Lil Wayne got to where he is today because he never stopped recording new songs even when he had enough money that he wouldn't need to continue working. His manager said that the three years that Lil Wayne could have afforded not to work at all, he spent most of his time in the studio recording more songs. Also, his new CD, "Tha Carter III", is anticipated to be the largest label release of the year. Overall, I enjoy listening to Lil Wayne's music because he has a kind of futuristic sound and a good beat.

Serpick, Evan. "Lil Wayne." Rolling Stone Magazine, 26 June 2008: 15-16 .

Character Comparison from "Animal Dreams"

In Animal Dreams, Hallie and Codi are the two children of Doc Homero. Although they are sisters, Hallie and Codie differ in many ways but they are also alike in some respects. First of all, they are similar because they are both very tall [p. 8 "...because I'm tall like my father and Hallie."] and they both despise wearing orthopedic shoes (which their father forces them to wear due to the possibility of developing fallen arches). Both of them are smart and they do well in school. Hallie is a very selfless person, [p. 88 "She might as well not have had skin, where emotions were concerned. Other people's hurt ran right over into her flesh."] unlike Codi, who cares more about herself than others. Hallie has an adventurous spirit and is well liked by others. [p.49 "...somehow Hallie thrived anyway - the blossom of our family..."] On the other hand, Codi is socially unstable at school, but she does manage to get good grades. After college she ends up going to medical school to become a doctor, but she never graduates because she realizes quite late, that she never truly wanted to be a doctor. This was really her dad's desire, not hers. Hallie is a very accomplished student as well. She decides to study agriculture in college and eventually uses her skills in Nicaragua to help poor families grow crops more efficiently. Her work is effective in helping the Nicaraguan people produce more food for their villages. Hallie is a happy person, content with herself and comfortable in her own skin. She enjoys being surrounded by people and being invloved with the community. On the other hand, Codi has a low self-esteem. She views herself as unattractive [p.15 "What would these kids make of me? My shoes were pointed and my, as magazines would say, personal style leaned toward apologetic punk"] and unworthy of anyone. She lacks confidence and often feels lost and afraid. [p.16 "I felt disoriented and disgraced, a trespasser..."] She doesn't really know what she wants to do with her life. [p.13 "I must have sensed the lack of cosmic order in my future, early on."]

Travis Rice: Producer/Star by Melissa Larsen

In this article the author describes the unique talents of snowboarding champion Travis Rice, including his recent endeavor to produce and star in his third movie "That's It. That's All." The author relates that Travis is such a powerful snowboarder that in all of his movies he makes it seem as if other amazing riders are just beginners. She says that after filming Travis, she doesn't find that filming anyone else in the industry is even interesting. He overpowers every other professional snowboarder in the films. The amazing thing about Travis is he can ride just about anything you throw at him without even flinching. If he truly wanted to, he could take backcountry snowboarding to a whole new level. Overall I agree with this author's viewpoint because I have seen Travis Rice's movies and they far surpass any other snowboarding movies to date.

High School

My name is Swen. This is my first year at the high school. As a person, I like to think of myself as being humble. For example, I usually try not to interrupt others while they are talking and I also try not to brag or fight with others. In general I do not like to be the center of attention. Overall I think I'm going to have a great first year in the new school.