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[30 May 2009|01:40am] |
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so many things change, so many things stay the same. I thought what I did was right, but now all I do is try to figure it out how to replace the spot where once was you.
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[20 Oct 2008|07:34am] |
Sally Cunningham
10/20/08
Barreuther
Animal Intelligence Outline
1st Paragraph: Introduction and Thesis statement.
2nd Paragraph: Topic Support
*Analysis of the brain in high functioning animals
-Primates (Chimpanzees, Orangutans, Gorillas)
-Elephants
-Domesticated animals (from pets to cattle)
*Comparison to the human brain
3rd Paragraph: Experiments or observations showing intellectual and altruistic capabilities in above animals
*Emotion
-Mourning and grief
-Empathy
-Pain and stress
*Tool Usage
-How chimps find food
-Elephants with paint brushes?!
-Pets manipulating cages
4th Paragraph: Conclusion/Why animals deserve respect too
Paragraphs are not verbatim, just guidelines.
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[22 Apr 2008|09:57pm] |
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In my household, my mother is the only person working full time. My brother Brendan has Aspergers Syndrome, a condition on the autistic spectrum, and does not contribute financially to our household. My father suffers from prostate cancer and a progressive neurological disorder which has left him unable to work since 2004. He receives social security disability and long term disability payments which covers 2/3 of our mortgage. My parents needed to use their savings to support the family during the time when my mom went to school for nuclear medicine, from 9/2002-5/2005, because my mom could only work part time and my dad wasn't approved for Social Security for 18 months.
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[30 Jan 2008|06:50am] |
Sally Cunningham
period 5/6
January 30, 2008
Left Hemisphere Brain Terms
1. Frontal lobe- portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead that is involved in planning and judgments; it includes the motor cortex.
2. Occipital lobe- the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; it includes the primary visual processing areas of the brain.
3. Primary motor cortex- strip of brain tissue area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements.
4. Somatosensory cortex- a brain area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body sensations.
5. Brocha's- a brain area of the left frontal lobe that directs the muscles movements involved in speech.
6. Wernicke's- A brain area of the left temporal lobe involved in language comprehension and expression.
7. Corpus Callosum- the large band of neural tissue that connects the two brain hemispheres and allow them to communicate with each other.
8. Medulla- located at the base of the brainstem; it controls basic, basic life-support functions like heartbeat and breathing.
9. Thalamus- The brains sensory switchboard, located on the top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex.
10. Hypothalamus- a neural structure lying below the thalamus; it helps regulate many of the body's maintenance activities, such a eating, drinking, and body temperature, and is linked to emotion.
11. Pituitary- the endocrine system's "master gland" that, in conjunction with the brain, controls the other endocrine glands.
12. Amygdala- an almond shaped neural cluster in the limbic system that controls emotional response, such as fear and anger.
13. Hippocampus- a neural center located in the limbic system that wraps around the back of the thalamus; it helps process new memories for permanent storage.
14. Cerebellum- the "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; it helps coordinate voluntary movements and balance.
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[27 Jan 2008|08:38pm] |
I. Characters:
a. Christopher: A fifteen year old boy with autism who loves math, space and animals, but hates the colors yellow and brown and dislikes being touched or in crowds.
b. Mrs. Shears: Christopher's next door neighbor who comforts Christopher and his father after the disappearance of Mrs. Boone, but who later blames Christopher for the death of her beloved dog, Wellington.
c. Mr. Shears: Mrs. Shears husband who has left her to pursue a relationship with Christopher's mother.
d. Wellington: Mrs. Shears' black poodle who she seems to care more about than anyone else in the world. Wellington is murdered by Christopher's father.
e. Siobhan: Christopher's psychiatrist for the past eight years. She is a person with whom Christopher feels comfortable talking to and she teaches him about human emotions and how he can better understand them.
f. Father: A man extremely hurt and angry by his wife's decision to leave him and Christopher for Mr. Shears. He is very understanding of Christopher at the start of the book, but becomes more and more infuriated and impatient as Christopher continues his investigation of Wellington's death. He has killed Wellington and has lied to Christopher about what really happened to mother, which causes Christopher to be afraid of him.
g. Mother: She is presumed, by Christopher to be dead, but she really left her husband for Mr. Shears. Christopher describes her as always being fed up with him.
II. Journal
1. Christopher:
"I don't like it when people grab me. And I don't like being surprised either. So I hit him, like I hit the policeman when he took hold of my arms and lifted me onto my feet. But father didn't let go, and he was yelling." (pgs. 82-83)
This passage shows the severity of Christopher's reactions to being confronted with his dislikes. He hates being touched and he reacts through violence because of the inflexibility of his mind. Most people would not lash out like this, but this is the only way that Christopher can react to being touched. Christopher cannot completely understand, process or control emotions so he reacts by hitting his father instead of pulling away or trying to speak to his father. This shows that Christopher's mind understands and reacts in extremes instead of through shades of gray and understanding.
It is also clear that Christopher is surprised by his father's grabbing him because his father has usually been calm and has never touched him in that manner before. This same surprise and insecurity about his father will eventually lead to Christopher running away.
2. Mrs. Shears:
"' Come on, Ed. We're going to get you through this.' And then she made us spaghetti and tomato sauce." (pg. 28)
Mrs. Shears relationship with the Boone's is that of a replacement mother. The fact that she goes to their house and cooks for them is very touching. Perhaps this is why when she sees Christopher holding her dead dog, she is beside herself and absolutely shocked. Does she react this way because she feels like Christopher has betrayed her? Or does she just not like Christopher? In the quote she does not address Christopher, but his father instead. This could be bitterness because she could be blaming Christopher for his mother leaving his family and taking Mr. Shears with her.
3. Mr. Shears:
"'That's why your father thinks that Mr. Shears is an evil man. And that will be why he doesn't want you going around talking to people about Mr. Shears. Because that will bring back bad memories'". (pg. 60)
From this passage, it is gathered that there was a conflict between Christopher's parents and Mr. Shears. Mr. Shears is seen as the breaking point between Mr. and Mrs. Boone's marriage. Perhaps this is why Mr. Boone chooses to lie to Christopher, because he is ashamed at the failure of his marriage. Mr. Shears and Mrs. Boone's affair also explains why Mrs. Shears came to the Boone's house when Christopher's mother died. She was lonely and she felt as though she and Mr. Boone were in the same boat.
4.Wellington:
"I stroked Wellington and wondered who had killed him, and why". (pg. 2)
Wellington, Mrs. Shears dog, along with Christopher's rat Toby, are the only living beings that Christopher touches or "strokes". It is clear that Christopher understands dogs better than humans because immediately after discovering Wellington's dead body he describes himself as being "sad". This is remarkable for Christopher because he has a very hard time understanding any sort of emotion. Wellington is a creature with which Christopher feels normal and understood.
5. Siobhan:
"Siobhan understands. When she tells me not to do something she tells me exactly what it is that I am not allowed to do. And I like this."
Siobhan is the person who Christopher admires most in the world, though he doesn't realize it. Throughout the book, Siobhan is the person who Christopher speaks of most. She has known Christopher for eight years and guides him through his life. Because of Christopher's disabilty, he has a hard time understanding what people are really saying, and Siobhan has helped him to learn more about the real meanings of people's words. Siobhan is also very literal and always tells Christopher the truth. Because Christopher never tells lies, and likes animals because they can't tell lies, this is very important.
6. Father:
"I asked, "Are you upset about Wellington?" He looked at me for a long time and sucked air in through his nose. Then he said, "Yes, Christopher, you could say that. You could very well say that."
This quote is very important because Mr. Boone is beginning to see the effects his lies are having on his son. He realizes how attached Christopher was to Wellington, and also knows how upset Christopher would be if he ever found out. Mr. Boone sees himself as the person who cares about the Christopher the most, more so than Mrs. Boone, and sees his lies as being beneficial to Christopher until he kills Wellington and discovers hot hurt Christopher really is.
7. Mother:
"Jesus , Christopher, I am seriously considering putting you in a home," or Mother would say,"You are going to drive me into an early grave."
Christopher's mother is an impatient person who has grown tired and frustrated by Christopher. By saying she wants to put him in a home, she is admitting the hard time she has had raising him and that he consumes her whole life. And it is ironic that Christopher remembers her talking about an "early grave" because to his knowledge she is dead. But in reality, her "early grave" was her leaving her family to live with Mr. Shears. It is clear that Christopher's disability not only inhibits him, but also puts a strain on his family life, especially his mother.
III. Plot Overview/Analysis
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" is the story of a 15 year old autistic boy named Christopher Boone, who discovers his neighbor's dog, Wellington, dead. Christopher is instantly inspired to find out who killed Wellington because he sees Wellington's death as a cold blooded murder, and actually reacts more strongly to the death of Wellington than he does to the supposed death of his mother two years earlier. Christopher holds the dead Wellington in his arms and is discovered by Wellington's owner, Mrs. Shears who instantly pins Christopher as the murderer and calls the police. The police officer attempts to pry Christopher from the ground, but Christopher, who hates being touched, slaps the officer and is taken to jail. Christopher lives with his father who is instantly upset when he finds out about Christopher's arrival at the police station and his investigation into Wellington's death.
As Christopher continues to investigate Wellington's death, he meets new people, or "strangers" and eventually finds out that his mother had an affair with Mr. Shears; which explains Mr. Shears' disappearance two years earlier. Meanwhile, Christopher informs his psychiatrist, Sibohan of all his doings because he feels most comfortable with her, though he never openly admits this. Trough Siobhan, Christopher learns everything about emotion and people, two things Christopher's disability prohibits him from understanding.
At the climax of Christopher's investigation, he gets into a fight with his father. This is emotionally exhausting and traumatic for Christopher because his father grabs him, and his father had never touched him before. His father then confiscates Christopher's book which chronicles the investigation. As Christopher is searching for his book in his father's room, he finds 43 letters addressed to him. He discovers that the letters are from his mother and are very recent. Christopher becomes sick and sleeps for a few hours until his father discovers him and the letters. Mr. Boone cleans Christopher up and apologizes and then reveals that he also killed Wellington. Christopher then decides to run away in order to get away from his father, whom he no longer trusts and to find his mother.
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[20 Jan 2008|09:59pm] |
I learned last week that someone I used to be good friends with, Jamie Flannery (Geraldine, WhotheWHATnow) passed away. It's very weird. He was a good person. I want to go the services, even if there will be some people I hate there. Jamie was probably the nicest of Shew's friends. He was honest, caring and crazy. I regret most of the people and experiences of Shew's house, but Jamie was never one of them. I wish he could have lived longer so he could experience a better life than the one he did trapped in his mom's house up in VT.
RIP
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[13 Dec 2007|05:17pm] |
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Is there anyone interested in redoing my journal? I had the other layout for awhile and figured I'd like a change. Thanks to Coco woolymammoth for doing such a great job on the Dan layout.
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[10 Sep 2007|03:57pm] |
http://www.courant.com/hc-parenthood0901.artsep01,0,5863711.story
The introduction of RU-486, or "the abortion pill", which first started marketing in 2000, now makes up for about 10% of abortions done in the United States each year. A tablet of mifespristone (RU-486) is ingested by a pregnant woman, and works its way to the uterus where it detaches the embryo from the endometrium. The embryo then is pushed out of the uterus. Extremely simple, the pill is praised for offering women private, easy abortions as opposed to the usual vacuum terminations. What's more comforting is that the pill shows no signs in the increase of tubal pregnancies, which is a fatal condition in which the fertilized egg implants itself in the fallopian tubes. RU-486, unlike regular abortions, can leave placenta residue inside the uterus which concerns doctors as they do not know whether or not this can be detremental to future pregnancies or to the woman herself. --82 words
I believe the RU-486 is a great accomplishment for the medical world because women now have two options when it comes to terminating pregnancy. Surgical abortions, in my opinion seem to be uncomfortable and frightening. Also, the prospect of actually going to a Planned Parenthood is scary in and of itself because of relentless pro lifers protesting outside it's walls. RU-486 now allows women to terminate the pregnancy herself in the comfort of her own home and with much desired privacy. However, I think for the woman's own good, she should talk thoroughly with her doctor through the whole process. It is imperative that she has proper knowledge about what an abortion is and that she has proper support from her doctor or a psychologist. The only thing discomforting about the pill, and with abortions in general, is the risk for future pregnancy failure and tubal pregnancy. Obviously more medical research has to be done to test the pill's safety, but I think that overall, the pill is a comfortable option for women everywhere who are faced with unwanted pregnancy. --98 words
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[01 Jul 2007|11:34pm] |
I used to live off of Livejournal. It reminds me of the summer before freshman year, when I was beginning high school and before I went into hibernation. Sneaking over to Carly's house feeling like a real "big" kid. Well it's the summer before senior year.
People like my brother, Brentil Soup should remind me to update this more.
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| yup |
[18 Feb 2007|08:58pm] |
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Let me just say that I hate Friendly's, automatic toilets and hunting.
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[04 Feb 2007|07:59pm] |
I am a mass of matter
formedby particles of dust
floating in an atmosphere
like ripples on an ocean
I am a name
in the back of your head
rusting like an pin
needle in a hay stack
quiet I am
dreaming a revolution
just a whisper on the water
consumed but then forgotten
I am the clay
that tried but didn't fit
all the molds and footprints
that all the others did
I am a shape the yields no sound
STILL PENDING
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| eeeeeeeee |
[02 Jan 2007|02:03pm] |
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abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ah ah ah
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[20 Nov 2006|09:26am] |
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I had this dream a couple days ago about Final Fantasy X, where Maester Symour summons Anima at the Blitzball tournament. It made me want a PS2. I remember seeing that scene in Final Fantasy and marveling at how amazing the graphics were..the details on the Anima were so scary.
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[13 Nov 2006|12:51pm] |
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I wish to speak a word for music. Music is the basis of human existence. For millions and millions of years cultures have expressed their life and stories through drum beats and song. People relate music to bliss, sadness, death, life, and to the things unexplainable. Not only humans create music, however, if one listens very intently, they can hear music from nature. Waves crashing on the shore and even the slightest flutter of a leaf are nature’s form of expression. Sometimes I enjoy drifting into nothing listening to silence, waves or whatever else nature sings. I wish to speak a word for guitar playing. A certain group of teens my age consider guitar a “cool thing to do”. Kids that slam on their guitar in front all their friends and rock out clearly do not understand the whole guitar playing concept. A guitar is not my best friend. I do not worship it. In fact, I sometimes ignore it because it is an annoyance to conquer. Other times when I am sad, bored and hopeless, I will sit with my guitar and pick at it hoping that my inefficient skill will not sadden me more. Guitar acts as a preacher of music. It sends its message across through unique skill and unpredictable melody. I love the way that guitar stays loyal to the essence of music; it is not a computer-generated child of modern human technology, rather it is a curved piece of wood crafted for creation. Everything these days seems to be scientifically enhanced to fit a human’s desire, but music should be left alone. Music need not be tweaked to fit a human’s wish; rather, humans should take music for what it is and embrace its natural complexity. I remember being a young girl and listening to my eldest brother, Colin, play his guitar for hours on end. Sometimes he would come out from the porch, in which he always played guitar, and watch television with my family and I while nonchalantly picking at the strings. Colin would come into the TV room and start playing whatever music was on the TV on his guitar, and through trial and error, he would master it. This sparked inspiration in me. When Colin left to travel with his band and such, he left his guitar with me. Enlightened by Colin’s prodigal talent, I began playing the guitar too. Though I am entirely unskilled in guitar playing, I know that I, like Colin, will someday play this instrument efficiently through practice and emotion. Colin never had a professional guitar lesson like countless others, he played what he felt and interpreted what he heard. Through that practice, Colin has become the best guitar player I know.
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[02 Nov 2006|11:52am] |
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Dissenting Opinion The case was appealed by Alvin Moore who thought that Miranda was not given a fair chance. Also, that his rights were not read him and that his statement was not made voluntarily. Moore explained that Miranda was a Mexican who did not fully understand the U.S Constitution and was taken advantage of. However, police contradicted Moore by explaining that a person with a criminal record such as Miranda’s, should fully understand his rights in the U.S justice system. McFarland agreed with Moore and added that “the right to counsel was one of the most important rights an accused person had”. Also stated that Miranda “had not requested a lawyer at the time of his detention and therefore was not entitled to the protections offered by Escobedo” (a case that ruled that police must offer suspects the right to an attorney because of the Sixth Amendment). Bill of Rights Connection Two criminal defense attorneys from the ACLU, John Flynn and John Frank got involved with the case. Both saw that Miranda’s right to the Fifth and Sixth Amendment were both in question. Either Miranda’s right to “avoid being compelled to incriminate himself” or his right to “the assistance of counsel”. They came to the decision that Miranda’s right to request counsel was the most violated.
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[31 Oct 2006|11:32am] |
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Let me just say, that I hate working on class projects. I always get stuck with people who consider their opinions and the ideas the ultimate. I always get stuck with weird, smelly people like this Dana girl in my Forensics class who I think is a mentally challenged lesbian. She’s just one of those kids that you don’t want to share the same air with. And I know I’m not going to have anything to do with that project because people are control freaks and always have to get their way. Then in civics (where I am now), this stupid short, boob faced bitch decides that we are making a poster for our presentation. I told her so many times that a powerpoint would be much easier, by no she said that “power points are boring, I wanna make a poster…it’ll be pretty, I swear..” I don’t give a fuck how pretty it is. I don’t want some person doing all the work on a poster. It’s not fair. I hope she gets drunk again so that they suspend her for ten days again. Seriously, the kids in this town are so fucking spoiled. And then I have Jared always criticizing how I do things, and it’s pissing me off. I love him, but he can be real critical and serious sometimes. So tonight’s Halloween. Trick or treating is always fun. I hope I don’t see Shew or any of those people. I hate seeing their lives go on. I hate seeing them happy. All those kids. They represent what I used to be. I don’t know what they are all doing, I think they are trying desperately to find themselves.
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| another school paper to be printed tomorrow morning |
[12 Oct 2006|09:53pm] |
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As any other human being, I not only have rights, but I have undeniable needs. One of the most prominent being bathroom usage. On my own time, this need and others are fulfilled with no problem. However, in the school environment, where rights of students are said to be held in such high regard, these vital needs are often denied. How ironic is it, that in a place where my safety and well being is so protected, is the same place that will deny me access to the bathroom. Because I am a living, breathing person, my body never rests. Unfortunately for the wishes and demands of my teachers, I cannot hold my bladder until the bell rings in forty minutes. One incident that stands out clear in my mind is excusing myself from health class, and the teacher telling me that she wasn’t going to let me go to the lav during her class again. Ordinarily, one would think that a health teacher, above all others, would understand the process of digestion, but apparently understanding the need to use the toilet wasn’t a part of her lesson plan. I’ve had doubts about the school rules, but discipline for taking too long in the bathroom is ridiculous. Another memorable incident occurred about two years ago. I asked the teacher if I could use the bathroom, but when I got back he started yelling at me. Because I took too long using the bathroom, I had now lost my “Bathroom Privileges.” Understandably, I was perplexed. I thought the inhumane phrase of “Bathroom Privilege” was used in prison or said to slaves, but there I was in the sanctuary of school and I had lost the right to the toilet. I completely understand the need for school rules in an environment comprised of diverse individuals, but rules regarding bathroom usage are completely out of the question. Teachers are given too much power, and this is evident when they deny students access to the bathroom. This is not like talking in class or cheating on a test, using the bathroom is a necessity that, if denied, can put a person’s health in danger. Teachers and administration must stop putting limits on a student’s right to use the bathroom because we are more than just annoying blocks to put into place. We are people who will someday grow to inherit this world.
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