#9 Response to plagiarism article

In the article we read about plagiarism, it becomes clear that the issue of plagiarism, is not exactly set in stone. What is acceptable, is not clear as well as Turnitin.com's readings of plagiarism. The girl did not intentionally pull word for word out of her sources and into her paper. The main issue was that her work was not sited correctly but she plagiarized a 9 page paper over 53%. That's over four pages of quoting directly from the source. They were not her words, they were the sources. Plus she did not cite the sites in both the work cited as well as the citations throughout the paragraph. She only cited the sources in the work cited. Even if she did summarize from a source though, she must still cite that it was someone else's idea.

Blog #8: Thanksgiving Weekend

During the Thanksgiving weekend, I had a nice Thanksgiving dinner at my Aunt's house in western Jersey. We had a wonderful time, with all the food in the world. My favorite was the pumpkin pie however, that my sister baked. Then friday, my mother always feels that she needs to repeat a holiday if it is not hosted at our house, so she cooked a whole new Thanksgiving feast which was delicious, friday night. It was just my mother, father, sister's and their boyfriends, so it was a nice little get together. Saturday was just a fun day and Sunday my baby cousins visited, which was very fun.

Blog #7- News Log: How Cirque du Soleil re-invented the Big-Top Show

Summary- Cirque du Soleil was created in 1984 with a group of street performers in Montreal. Now, Cirque du Soleil is a billion dollar entertainment business with over 5,000 employees from all around the world. These shows have reinvented the circus to a more cultural and acrobatic level. Cirque du Soleil has invented 20 shows all with original ideas. The show ideas are open to all expertise and the production team is willing to work with anything thrown at them. If someone wants to try something new, they will explore that area and see what other various ideas it may lead to. As a result, brilliant products are made. Since the show is composed of various wild acrobats and stunts, many people question the safety of the performers. However, in an interview with Fabrice Lemire, artistic director for Quidam, he assures the interviewer that all the performers are "highly trained. they're highly quialified for what they do, so what we do is that during the training session....there are experts on all levels to supervise the process, and everything is really, really taken under the microscope." All the shows are done live and the music is created to fit each specific act. Professional musicians are able to improvise and change music in a moment, in order to accommodate any glitches or issues that may occur throughout the duration of the performance.

My Opinion? I believe Cirque du Soleil is an incredible, exciting show being as I've seen one of their recent shows, Zarkana. The amount of talent put into each show is unbelievable. Between the acrobatic talent, dancing, singing, music, art and culture portrayed within the shows, the directors do a wonderfully detailed job at incorporating all the aspects of a circus, into a more modern, riveting show. Unlike a typical circus, Cirque du Soleil adds a storyline to their shows, as well as original music and no animals! While watching the shows, you really obtain a sense of French, Russian, Italian, and Asian culture from the costumes/makeup, to the actual acts themselves. In the midst of the heavy acrobatic performances, comedic acts are placed strategically 

throughout the entirety of the show. One interesting, defining aspect of the show is the lack of speaking. There is singing, but lack of speaking. Instead, sounds are created to relay the message across to the audience. By using this technique, the actors/directors have the ability to reach the audience at a new level; a creative artist level, which, to me, puts Cirque du Soleil in a whole new category of entertainment. It is honestly the most enthralling show I have ever seen. After watching the performance, you are left in aw as you wonder about the talent these people posses as well as the cultural experience the show has just put you through. Cirque du Soleil has certainly raised the bar for the title of "circus" and has brought a sensational form of entertainment. 

http://www.npr.org/2011/11/17/142466017/cirque-du-soleil-reinvents-the-big-top-show

Blog #6- Animal

If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?
If I could be any animal, I would probably be a dog because I would be able to comfort a loving family and rest whenever I wanted. I could run and play as well as lay by the families feet while they watch a movie. Dogs are very loyal and family oriented and that's why I would like to be one because you will always be with someone and never be alone.

Blog #5- The best thing about this week was...

When at work, a patient complimented me on how I handle situations and treat him as a patient. He said I was very thorough, attentive, and kind and said "for being a high school student, I respect you very much." That was an extremely pleasant comment and really brightened my day because it almost gives me a sense of hope for my future.

Blog #4- Things that bug me

1.) Those who ask too many questions
2.) Those who smell unpleasant
3.) Those who do not give a thanking gesture after you let them go at an intersection
4.) Excessive amounts of homework
5.) Those who stop walking when you are directly behind them

Blog #3- Courage

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying 'I will try again tomorrow'." -Mary Anne Radmacher

The quote reminds me of when I had to gather the courage before going into surgery unexpectedly. It was a Tuesday afternoon, and I began to feel very ill, my stomach was causing me excruciating pain, but I proceeded through the rest of the school day. After school comes around and I'm doubled over with pain. I had never felt anything like it before. It was so unbearable that I was at the point of tears. Normally, I'd go straight to play rehearsal, but today, I needed to go home right away. I called my mom and she picked me up. She took one look at me and knew I wasn't well. I knew myself, that this was nothing I've experienced before. I had a nasty feeling of what my problem was, appendicitis. It's quite common actually, but it is still frightening. My mom took me straight to the doctor and before I knew it, I was in the Valley Hospital hooked up to IVs. Nurses were ordering an ultra sound already and the attending surgeon was examining my abdomen. He told me it was most likely appendicitis so I hit that diagnosis on the nose. I became extremely frightened at that moment when they told me I needed to have surgery to remove the appendix ASAP. Not even four hours ago I was in school! It all happened so quickly that I had no time to mentally prepare myself for going into surgery. I had forgotten what it felt like to undergo anesthesia, I had forgotten how frightening the whole process was. What if they mess something up? What if I never wake up and never get to see my family again? I was extremely tempted to just decline the surgery even though it was absolutely necessary to receive. I had to muster up a lot of courage to say "Bye, see you when I wake up. I love you guys," to my family. It was a routine surgery but I was still extremely scared. I needed that roar of courage in order to go through with it. And once that courage comes to you, you realize you are able to accomplish things you never thought possible or that seemed too outrageous to experience. But I did it and everything went smoothly. I woke up to see my family standing right at the end of my bed. Sometimes you need that boost of courage to accomplish what is unerring.