Pirates in Africa

Somali Pirates are asking for ransom of 35 million dollars to release a Ukrainian vessel and its crew. Who knew that pirates were still out there. When I heard about pirates being off the coast of Somalia I was really surprised I thought that there were no more pirates in the world. The pirates were discovered by a US naval ship called the USS Howard. In the article on BBC News it states that Pirate "mother ships" travel far out to sea and launch smaller boats to attack passing vessels, sometimes using rocket-propelled grenades. I thought that it was cool that there were pirates still in the world, but apparently I am the only one to think that. If I were to see a pirate ship now I don't think that I would be afraid I think that I would want to see if it is like the ones in all the movies.

what would the world be with out computers

In my opinion computers are good, but have many flaws. They are good, because it is a way to research and find information in an easy way. They are good to write essays and stories. They make school a lot more easier. Some flaws are the internet doesn't always work. In resent times (today in class), I tried to upload some pictures to a website called voice thread and it didn't work. I was very upset. It turns out that i inserted the pictures wrong into the power point. Stupid computers. It shouldn't matter the size of the file it should just know what you want and should upload. I think that people are expecting too much of computers these days. Personally i think that our world relies too much on technology and computers. My sister who is in fourth grade has a whole class on just how to use a computer. When i was in fourth grade barely anyone had a computer. She already has an Email set up and Emails her friends. I think that there is no point to have your whole life based off of a computer. I feel like everytime i go on to a computer something always goes wrong.

NL Central Division Champs!!!!!!!!!

The Cubs clinch their division yesterday. While sitting at the game in anticipation i did not know what to expect. I knew that if they won then they would be the champs. The crowd was wild. It was ridiculous. I had never seen anything like it in my life. In a sense i think that i am good luck. The last game that i went to was the no hitter pitched by Zambrano and now this wow. Kerry wood was the closer and he is not that good, so we were all worried that he was going to blow it for the Cubs. It was a really intense game. At the end no one left. We left about an hour and a half after the game ended and we were one of the first people to leave. It was crazy. All the excitement. The players came back on to the field with their NL Division Champion t0shirts and hats. They had champagne and were spraying each other and the fans. It was so exciting to be there live and watch it happen. It was exciting no matter what but to be there and witness it first hand was awesome. I will remember thus day for the rest of my life.
Below is a video of pictures from the game!!!
GO CUBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank You Ike

As you know there is a hurricane named Ike in the Houston area. I feel bad for the people who are having to deal with the problems of the hurricane. I am also very happy. Because of hurricane Ike the Houston Astros who were supposed to play the cubs in Houston, had to play their game at a neutral field. The MLB association decided that Milwaukee Brewers stadium Miller Park, would be a good place to play, since there is a dome and you could play in the rain. When they announced the game in the Tribune that the Cubs would be playing in Milwaukee, almost jokingly i asked my dad to buy tickets. Then I decided that i really wanted to go. We bought really good seats, the whole game was amazing. Zambrano had a no hitter and the Cubs won 5-0. It was so cool. To be able to watch a no hitter live. The experience was unbelievable. With one day notice there were 23,000 fans and 23,000 Cubs fans. I don't think that i saw one Astros fan, which is sad because it is supposed to be their home game and they are supposed to have all the fans. So with that i thank hurricane Ike for being in Houston and letting me see Zambrano pitch his first no hitter and the first no hitter for the Cubs in 36 years. GO CUBS!!!

Remember 9/11

The morning of September 11th, 2001, I woke up and I remember my Mom getting a phone call before my brothers and I left for school, the person on the phone said turn on the TV. My Mom did without knowing what she was going to experience. We all were sitting on our couch watching the TV and we all thought that they were replaying what had happened. Then we found out that it was live feed and we watched as the second twin tower was hit by an airplane. It was very emotional. My family had been in New York 3 weeks before the 11th. I remember standing in front of the World Trade Center buildings getting my picture taken. It was spooky watching the TV and know that they were gone. It reminds me of my trip to Israel a few years later. I was traveling around with my family, and one day we were in this small village by the border and the next day we heard on the radio that the village we were just in was bombed and gone. I was in shock how this could happen and it reminded me of when the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked by the planes. I don't think that at the time I really understood that it was a terrorist attack, but I knew that it was bad and that it couldn't have been an accident. The date of September 11th is more significant to me than just the attacks on our Country, on September 11th, 2004 was my Bat Miztvah. It was a big deal, especially because we had the date before the event of the twin towers and we kept the date to signify the remembrance. During the service we had a moment of silence to remember those who had died. It made the ceremony more meaningful than it already was. I think that to everyone in the United States of America, September 11th means something to everyone. Everyone might view it differently or that date might have more meaning or less meaning to people, but I think that Septmeber 11th is a meaningful date that will be remembered.

What does it take to win 8 gold medals?

As most people know Michael Phelps won 8 gold medals during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, setting the record for most golds in an Olympic games. Before he won those medals, people thought that it was inconceivable. How could one person swim that much and that fast in a period of a week. Some of his heats would only be 40 minutes apart. That is ridiculous, it is unheard of. Michael Phelps had the help of his ridiculous diet containing 10,000 calories daily. An average person is only supposed to have 2,000 calories in one day. For breakfast, he eats three fried egg sandwiches; cheese; tomatoes; lettuce; fried onions; mayonnaise; three chocolate-chip pancakes; five-egg omelet; three sugar-coated slices of french toast; bowl of grits; two cups of coffee. For lunch Phelps eats half-kilogram (one pound) of enriched pasta; two large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise on white bread; energy drinks, and for dinner he has half-kilogram of pasta, with carbona sauce; large pizza; energy drinks. (Diet courtesy of BBC News). With all that food, it explains many reasons why he has so much energy. Everyday, he spends at least five hours just burning off most of those calories. Between training and swimming, he needs that many calories, so he can burn them all off. Michael Phelps is an extraordinary man, not only does he win medals, but he does something with the fame gained. He helps children exercise and does what he can to promote a healthy life. Nobody else could do what Phelps did, and no one would be able to handle the consumption of that many calories in one day everyday. That's what it takes to get that much energy to be crazy like Michael Phelps.