NPR

Metal Band in Bagdad.
The interviewer gave a brief background on the band Acrassicauda and why they had to be relocated. The were not allowed to make music under the Saddam regime but since the American invasion they have received more death threats and forced to move. Started off with trying to find the background on Heavy Metal in Baghdad. lead into the movement to Syria and that is where they made their first record and how their lives were put into their first album. Asked good questions that lead to the bands explanations of why they wrote their music. The band was very straight forward and did not try to avoid any questions from my point of view. The interviewer was very educated about the band and their history. The connection between the interviewer and interviewee is one of wanting the band to open up and share their story. She ws trying to guide the band to inform and share their stories. The interviewer was good about quoting the band and making them comfortable by having previous knowledge. The interviewer had good excerpts from the band's songs and used them to explain their views and past experiences while connecting it with the music. The interviewer was trying to make the band out to be victims of the social norms in Baghdad and that is why they now live in the United States. The interviewer was very good at cutting down dead time. I think there was only a few moments that had any sort of dead time. I learned that being prepared and doing homework on your interviewee is very important and promotion is also a key part. Every couple minutes they would reintroduce all the people being interviewed and also the cause of them being there.

IMHO

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-arms-race15-2009mar15,0,229992.story

This story really upsets me because people have been going nuts about Mexico for a while now but not everywhere is so bad. This place is Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo which is a beautiful place and also the destination of my spring break trip. I have been there twice already and the place is amazing and it is easy to stay out of trouble. The ones who get in trouble and end up having problems are the ones whom provoke them not the ones who stay out of trouble. All people have been reporting about Mexico is bad things because of the Drug War but America should be backing Mexico if there stance is anti-drug which almost every political stance is. The news should be focusing more on how beautiful Mexico is but blood is what makes news so it does not surprise me that this is the only thing being reported. The times I have been down there I have been able to stay out of trouble but also never heard any gun fire or bombs or rockets so I am going down with an open mind and other people should too. The only place that is really bad is the border towns which SHOULD be avoided, not the entire country.
The other reasons why this article bugs me is because they seem so nonchalant about the smuggling of Miltary weapons into the country and that they cannot find the cause of it. If the military is missing weapons or has a rouge person sellling these weapons to the drug lords it should be stopped. They should put a stronger enforcement on keeping tack of weapons because grenades and guns and missles are large items to be missing.

Mystery Character

I'm a kid around the age of 9 years old and I live in a very small town. I wear a read coat with brown pants and a light blue beanie. I tend to waddle around town because I am to wide to walk normally. I can do pretty much whatever I want because my mom is a huge push over and I come up with some pretty crazy ideas. I have 3 other friends with whom I hangout with all the time and go on these crazy adventures with. They say they don't like me all the time but I know they do. I have a foul mouth and do not like my teacher at school.

word of the week #6

Word: Sabbatical
Part of Speech: Noun
Definition: any extended period of leave from one's customary work, esp. for rest, to acquire new skills or training, etc.
Where I heard it: surfline.com
Sentence: Andy Irons announces his sabbatical from the World Championship Tour.
My sentence: I have always wanted to take a sabbatical from school but I know I would probably never go back.

Word of Week 5

Word: disavow
Part of Speech: Verb
Definition: To disclaim responsibility for
Where I heard it: my friend told me to use it
" You should use the word disavow."
My Sentence: The little boy disavowed that he ever broke the window.