The five blogs I reviewed

While visiting other people blogs of what book they brought back to class I was able to discover numerous topics.  The topics branched out all across the world hitting different ideas and unique features that I have yet to discovered.

                The first blog I ran across dealt with London. This intrigued me very well because within the blog it dealt with a topic that is very popular in today’s generation. The topic that was illustrated in the London blog was clubs. What interested me in this blog is it gave me a better understanding of what the night life was like and how the clubs ran show. Clubs in London are different than they are here in America. In London they are more stick and more exclusive to their own members than some random person. No matter how well dressed or presented the person may be, they will not get in. In America it’s a little less strict. Yes I’m sure there are clubs out there that are exclusive, but most of the time all you need is an I.D. that says you are of age to enter and you’re in the clear. Thanks to this blog I am now better equipped for London if I ever visit there.  

                The second blog that I came across was about a beautiful country, Malaysia. What this person was able to bring to the table was unique features that make Malaysia what it is today. Some of the magnificent features that was brought up about Malaysia was the Petronas Twin Towers, Gombak River, and the Klang River. One features brought up in this blog about Malaysia that interested me the most was Petaling Street. At first I thought it was just a street that meant no cars were allowed and people got around with just bikes. I then decided to do some even more in depth research outside the blog and discover this landmark. Petaling Street is a Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Some of the qualities that make this town unique is it is a site for haggling, prostitutes, and infamous for pirated clothes and certain accessories. Last, but not least, Petaling Street is a great place for one to sit down and enjoy something to eat because of the various types of food offered here. After looking at this blog and the research of Petaling Street, I realized it is important to broad your idea and knowledge about the world and see what it offers. We often think that our country and culture has everything, but little do we know what lies out there and what we are missing out on.  

                The third blog that interested me was about one of the world’s most successful military in history, England. This blog interested me the most because this person had a common interest like I do, and that is historical warfare. History is made and sometimes manipulated by these great battles and should not be taken for granted. The topic of this blog revolved around a book called The Battles of England, written by Lieutenant Colonel Alfred. H. Burne. What this person was able to illustrate in his blog was a little glimpse of what this lieutenant was like and how he handled the pressure in heated battles. After reading the quote remarked by the lieutenant it seemed as if he were puzzled and confused on how his enemies defeated him. It kind of gave off a vibe that the lieutenant was very calm when he was beaten rather than panicking, which is very important during times of stress. With a high ranked position in the military such as the lieutenant, it is important because they are the people that help lead the military to a victory or defeat. Wars throughout history have been fought and lead by men, and it is essential to look at all of them because they are what made it happen.

                The fourth blog I read was about adult sexual activities. This blog was very shocking to read because of the fact it illustrated. The fact that was very shocking to my eyes was most women these days lose their virginities at the mid to low teens, ages 16 through 19. This came to a shock to me because I thought that it would be a lot higher than that and kind of a wakeup call on how far this world has come on sex. Before the 20^th century sex known as a sacred thing between a man and a woman and if anyone were to take part in such activities outside of marriage, social consequences would be dealt with. Many people looked down on those who participated in sex outside of marriage back then and seeing where the world is now it seems like the roles have changed. I’m nervous to see what the world will be like with this and hoping that these numbers stay where they are at and don’t get lower.

                The fifth and final blog was about a place we all know, the museum. The museum is a wonderful place for knowledge and a great place to better understand with how the world works. Unfortunately the museum isn’t the most popular place to go. In the pass with today’s world the museum has been on a downfall and struggling because no one wants to go. What came to my surprise was this blog was able to tell the wonderful news on how the museums are coming up. The way museums are attracting more visitors is because of the new technology. In today’s world technology is vital and without it, the world would be in full panic. The museum has taken advantage of this and get on track with the world by keeping up with the technology we keep bringing in.

This experience was a very entertaining one. I was able to not only understand the world around me better, but my classmates as well. By seeing the books they have chose and why they have chosen them I was able to understand them better as well.

The book I have chose

Step 1

 

1.      Why did you select the book you brought to class?
The reason why I selected the book I brought back to class is because it seemed to have a bit of my ancestor history and where I came from. I am Irish and Scottish, and the book deals with Celts, Scottish, and Irish culture and their strategies with warfare.

2.      How many authors does it have?
The book that I chose has one author and his name is James Michael Hill.

3.      What is the title of the book?
The title of the book is Celtic Warfare 1595-1763

4.      Who printed the book?
The publisher of the book is John Donald Publisher L.t.d.

5.      Which city was it printed in, and when?
This book was printed in 1986, by John Donald Publisher L.t.d., on 138 St Stephen Street, Edinburgh, EH3 5AA.

Step 2
      History is essential for today’s world in more ways than one. It tells us today who we are and where we come from. More importantly it also gives us an idea of the mistakes we have made in the pass and how to avoid to make it again. A perfect example of history that helps mold the world into what it is today is warfare. In the book, Celctic Warfare 1595-1763, James Michael Hill was able to point out Celts tactics in warfare that helped lead them to victory. One of the tactics the Celts used that James Michael Hill was able to pick out was, “Traditionally, the Celts were not aggressors, but defenders, and their military strength was based on irregular tactics and a simple defense strategy” ( Hill 22). What Hill was trying to explain here is the Celts relied more on defensive side of strategy and less on the attack. The Celts were able to use uncommon tactics that the enemies were unfamiliar with, giving them an advantage. Celtic warfare is only a mere example of variety of  strategies used to lead nations to victory. Regardless of what the strategy was it was still significant because battles have led to or destroyed a nation that is part of today’s world.

Work Cited
Hill, James M. Celtic Warfare: 1595-1763. Aldershot: Gregg Revivals, 1993. Print

500 Word Essay of how our group put our paper together

Jonathon Gerry

English 191

                                                            

            There were multiple procedures taken before our group was able to present our topic to the class. The topic our group members found most significant compared to all the others was “How to get a job.” I was lucky enough to be sitting next to somebody else in class with the same interest, Thanh Tran. Before Thanh Tran and I started typing up the presentation we first of all found out why we found this topic the most important. Donald Akroman didn’t really partake in the group until later on in class and was able to bring his interests and reasoning of why he chose this topic as well. After Thanh and I explained to each other of why we chose this topic, we took the following steps in putting this presentation together: The first step was why we wanted to present this to the class or what the goal was as well as the key points; second was choosing the key points we thought we could present well to the class; next was researching the topics we have chosen; and last was how we were going to put it together.  Each step had a crucial role in this paper and without one or the other, it would not have been a success.
            After coming together, Thanh and I asked ourselves what the goal was for our topic and what were key points that would help accomplish this goal. Our group all had a relative similar goal of why we wanted to present this to the class. Each one of our goals fell along the lines of “Getting a job is one of the most crucial points a human comes across in their life. By enabling the class with tips of how to get ahead of the game we will be able to help benefit their future.” The second part of this was picking out key points we thought were most significant of how to get a job. After several minutes of discussion we thought the following were the key to get a job: understanding you and researching the company, a cover letter, resume, and a thank you letter. Each one of these has a role in getting a job and should not be taken likely.

            After figuring out how our presentation would benefit the class and the steps to accomplishing it, we decided to split the topics up among the members of the group. The way we divided the topics out among the group was who we thought had the strongest idea or the best way to present it in the class. I covered the “understanding yourself and researching the company,” because it was I have had the most trouble with this in the pass with my previous experiences and wanted to emphasize the importance of why this step is crucial and how it can be easily skipped. Thanh covered the “resume” and “cover letter” because she had the most experience in writing both of these and was able to give a better guidance on how to type them up. Donald came in the end and wanted to discuss about the “thank you letter” because he was amazed of the meaning behind and wanted to explain to the class of its importance.

            The group didn’t really go far in depth concerning with cross referencing. I tried looking pass LEO to see why it was important to research the company and understanding yourself, but not a whole lost came out. I was able to find a couple internet sites that gave me a better understanding of why I wanted to research the company and how it could help me in more ways than one. The cross reference was able to tell me that researching the company was valuable in both finding a good fit for you, as well as preparing you for a further step in how to get a job, the interview. Thanh was able to use LEO for the most part, but wanted to show an example and a guideline of what a cover letter looks like instead of trying to explain it. Thanh was able to pull up a cover letter guideline she found online that had similarity to what hers were like in the pass. Donald came in at the last second and didn’t really have enough time to go too far into research, so he only used the LEO cite and was able to pull up major pointers of how to do it, when to do it, and why.

            After every one has done their fair share in the researching their own topics, it came down to the last question, and that was how we were going to present it in class. We tried dividing it out evenly and tried explaining to each other what each topic covered, but it wasn’t going so well. Each person knew more about their topics than the other, and there was little moment to spare till time was up. With little moments to spare we decided to cover the topics we researched because we had the best idea and background with the following areas. We finally got up to present and pulled it all together and hopefully got a pretty good grade on the presentation, considering we didn’t practice a speech, nor had time to revise the presentation.

How to Get a Job

The topic that our group will be presenting to the class is how to enhance your chances in getting a job. The reason why we chose this topic is because we saw it as one of the most essential tools we need in order to succeed in life after college. Getting a job is a significant goal in a person’s life because it is the base foundation that will support somebody from struggling in this economic world. The four topics we will be discussing about are the stepping stones to get into your job. The four stepping stones are the following: understanding yourself and researching the company, cover letters, the resume, and a thank you letter. Each of these four processes is crucial in help setting you apart from the rest of your competition and coming out on top as the victorious new employee.
Before typing up papers and getting ready for an interview the first step in getting a job is the understanding yourself and researching the company you are applying for. By understanding yourself you know your own strengths and weaknesses and how you can apply them into the position you are competing for in the company. Researching the company you are able to find out what the company is looking for in a person and how you are qualified for the job. When researching a company you are able to discover everything there is about it, “what their foundation is built on, what the goal of their company is, who are the higher ranked people, etc” (Literacy Education Online, August 17, 2012). This is important because it gives you an upper edge on your competition when you go into the interview. When a person has a great understanding of the corporation it shows something most people like, dedication. These two steps work hand in hand on what you are looking for because when you look for or research a job, you are able to find an environment that best suites you.

A resume is probably going to be one the most important pieces of document you are going to have to compose of in your lifetime so having a poorly written resume may lead to harsh consequences and cost you of a great opportunity. Even though you are an educated being, having a resume riddled with little grammar and spelling mistakes may leave a bad impression with the employer and they may judge you based on a piece of paper. Poorly written resumes could speak more about you than any employment history. When an employer has already developed a bad impression on you based on your resume, it is going to be extremely difficult to talk yourself up to land that job position. First impressions can make the difference between obtaining an interview and having your application discarded. Having a long and wordy resume can also hurt a person’s chances just as much as poor spelling and grammar can. After reviewing dozens of resumes all day, an employer would not want to read paragraphs that aren’t carefully organized into bullet points.

First impressions mean a lot when it comes to the job seeking world and one of the first things employers look at is your resume. Well written resumes can help push you further along into the hiring process. Even though you may not be as qualified as the other applicants, having a well written resume may help you obtain an interview with the employer and create new opportunities in the future. On average, an employer would only spend 10 – 15 seconds reviewing your resume so bullet points and summaries work best! Condensing all the information to one organized page also makes it easier for the employer to go over your application. If you want the best results for your resume, have a peer critic the resume before sending it in. This would be the most useful thing you can do because your eyes may have missed something that was grammatically incorrect.

Cover letters are also an important piece to landing a job. They help explain to the employer why you should be hired and it elaborates on your skills. The job seeker should be able to compose a cover letter talks about how they are qualified for the specific position that they applied for and all of this information should be able to flow together smoothly with an overall professional tone. Since you do not want to overwhelm the employer with a cover letter, one page is more than enough.

Being successful in getting hired for a position in a tough economy these days are not is not as difficult as people think. If these steps are considered during the hiring process, it would give you a bigger advantage in the hiring world.

A thank you letter is supposed to be sent to give good and positive impression about the person who is applying and showing his determination. This letter shows the determination and the motivation of the applicant. A thank-you note is seen as good taste and polite, and sometimes it can make an influence to the hiring decision. It can be also relevant when the choice of the applicant is difficult and tough between two candidacies.

Topic for Research Paper

         The topic that I will be contributing to the class will be how to enhance your chances in getting a job. The reason why I chose this topic is because I saw it as one of the most valuable tools we need in order to succeed in life after college. Getting a job is a significant goal in a person’s life because it is the thing that will support them from struggling in this world. Before getting a job there are multiple steps and or requirements that one must undergo to get a position in the company. The three things I will be discussing about are the stepping stones into your career.          The first is researching yourself and the company you are applying for. This helps give you an idea of not only what your strengths and weaknesses are, but how you are able to apply those into the company. Researching the company will also help give you a better idea of what they are looking for and how you can help out in this area.
          The second thing is the cover letter. The cover letter is a significant process in getting a job because you are “selling” yourself to the company by making a good first impression.
          Last, but not least, a resume is the final piece of the puzzle for getting a job. A resume is information that contains information about yourself that shows as a reason why or how you fit the position they are looking for. Mastering these three skills is a vital need for getting the position you are applying for in the company. They are what set you apart from all the other competitors and get you into the position you are dream to have.

The 13 Item in the Box Tale

This story takes place in a forest on the outskirts of a country called Roland’s Land. In the forest was a small cottage, and in lived a gentle giant, Kanoki. Kanoki is a dark giant who had quite the reputation for his divine art skill, pottery.  Kanoki could make just about anything from a small plate, a size fit enough for a mouse, to a giant vase, big enough to be a house. Kanoki fascinates with nature, it is what fuels his passion and channel his love through the expression of pottery.  
                It was a beautiful morning and everything started to come to life, from the birds singing in their nests, to the flowers awakening from their slumber. Kanoki still asleep was suddenly awoken by a thud. At first he thought it was a squirrel breaking an acorn, or a woodpecker starting early.  So Kanoki decides to ignore it and go back to sleep. The noise came back again, and it got louder and louder. Soon Kanoki got frustrated after an hour and decided to go and investigate.
                Kanoki walks outside to only discover that the noise wasn’t coming from anywhere near his cottage. The thud was creeping threw the woods like a snake in the grass. Wide awake and irritated, Kanoki marched through and was on the prowl. After a while Kanoki has yet found the culprit behind the noisemaking. All of the sudden he saw an opening at the end of the forest and ran for it. Blasting through the thick brushes Kanoki discovered another obstacle to overcome, Gaspus River.
                Gaspus River is the largest body of water that ran through the lands and is merciless. The river is a mile width apart, and the current is vicious. Looking at the other side of the river Kanoki spotted out a figure. The figure seemed to be moving and dancing about with an object. That was it, the root of the thud came from that figure, and the only thing standing between Kanoki and the other person was the river. Walking down the banks of the river to find his way across, Kanoki spotted a canoe anchored offshore in the distance. Kanoki quickly bolted towards the canoe and found that no one was nearby. Without hesitation Kanoki jumped in and started to paddle.
                After minutes of paddling and not one inch budged forward Kanoki realized he forgot to untie the canoe from shore. Looking back at the chain leading on shore he could not find the end of it. So he decided to pull the chain in, but it was stuck on something. Kanoki got out of the canoe and found the end of the chain, and came to a shocking end. The end of the chain led to what appeared to be a human head. This was no ordinary human head. Kanoki still frozen by the unpleasant site, he decided to pick the head up and bring it on board. Some reason though Kanoki could not even budge it, it was heavier than anything he has ever lifted before. All of the sudden a noise busted out, “No one shall ever cross, no one ever will, not until you cease my chill!”
                Startled, Kanoki jumped back and yelped. Confused and frighten there was no one in site and no one to be found. “Where are you? Show yourself!” he yells. Looking and on his guard, there seemed to be nothing. All of a sudden a voice from right below screamed “Down here!” Cautiously looking down finally saw the head, both eyes gazing upon Kanoki and mouth wide open. “Who are you and what do you want?” demands the head. “I am Kanoki and I am here to cross the river, may I take the canoe?” stuttered Kanoki.  Irritated the Head responds, “Did you not hear me the first time? Not until you cease my chill will you ever pass.” Puzzled Kanoki asks, “What are you talking about?”
                 Sighing his eyes the head spoke again, “Listen, my name is Guano, I am the keeper of this canoe, and in order for you to use it, you must do what I ask. All I want is a blanket to keep me warm at nights” Even more confused than before Kanoki asks “Where do I even go to get such a thing this far out? I am way out from society and I am nowhere near my home, where shall I ever find something like that?”  Gauno turning his head up the banks says, “There’s a small town up the river bank, and when I mean small, I mean you can crush this place with one step. So please be careful of where you step.” 
                After making a deal with the bizarre creature Kanoki stomps on off down the river bank. After hours of searching there was no village to be found. Kanoki was beat and exhausted and decided to rest for a while. After a good sleep he opened his eyes to find the answer to his hunt, a little guy the size of his big toe sitting on a log right in front of him observing Kanoki in his deep slumber. Yelling with excitement the little guy yells, “Well howdy!! My name is Jeremiah!! How may I be of service to you big guy?!” Kanoki replies “I’m looking for your village, can you bring me there?” Jeremiah stands up with a mischievous look in his face and snares,” Sure I’ll take ya, but it’ll cost ya, you got big money big boy?” Hastily running through his pockets Kanoki was only able to find his wallet filled with nothing but worthless coins and a small vase he has been working on. “Yeppers!!!! Why don’t you look at that?! Say there mighty kind fellow, you give me them giant coins the size of my wife and you got yourself a deal!” Without hesitation Kanoki handed him the coins, and the two went off.
                “So what brings you to our town giant?” asks Jeremiah. Kanoki finally comfortable again replies “Well I was told I am able to find a blanket here.” Jeremiah replying enthusiastically ,” Well giant, you came to the right place, we are just the best sewers in these neck of the woods, but there’s one problem, you got chestnuts?” Confused and troubled again Kanoki doesn’t even know what a chestnut is. A little silent was there for a couple a moments to only answer the question of the little guy. Jeremiah making sure he doesn’t lose his new friend comfortably says,” It’s all right we’ll get you some, we don’t have use for money up here, we live off the land. I only wanted your coins cause I collect coins from all across the globe and your selection looks mighty pretty might I add!!”
                As they were walking down the bank Jeremiah ghasps with astonishment “Why won’t you look at that?! There they are!!! There are them chestnuts.” Surprised and eager, Kanoki looks to find brown looking balls as far as he could see.  “How much do I need for a blanket?” asks Kanoki. “Well how big of a blanket we talking about?”askss Jeremiah. With a little hesitation Kanoki replies,” well about up to my knees?..” Realizing how big this is even for a little guy like Jeremiah, Kanoki just grabbed as much chestnuts as he could to fill up his pockets, that way there’s no way they can refuse him.
                Once Kanoki gathered all the nuts, he and Jeremiah walked into town, and by that just Jeremiah. Kanoki towered over the entire city like a skyscraper. All of the sudden people started gathering out with amazement stopped to look at the giant.  Kanoki standing there like he was on top of the world said“I need a blanket and I need it now,” and emptied out his pockets and flooded the city with chestnuts. The village stood there in awe and couldn’t believe what they saw, the giant or the fact that they have a lifetime supply of chestnuts. All of a sudden a crackled voice screamed over the city and said, “It ain’t worth nothing!! Now that our storage is broken and nowhere to hide the nuts! You pretty much fed the animals.” The town looked down in despair and came to realization that it is true, their nuts aren’t worth nothing it they keep getting taken the minute it enters their land.
                “Let me see your storage area, I think I can help, “ says Kanoki. So the town goes to show him their broken storage. The  storage was nothing other than a small bowl big enough to fit maybe one, or even two chestnuts on. Kanoki saw that the bowl was cracked in half and they have nowhere else to store the nuts. “I have an idea,” gasps Kanoki. He quickly reaches into his pocket and pulls out his vase that he has been carrying around. “Take this, you can store your nuts in here, nothing can ever get in or get out as long as you have this. You guys are the only ones small enough that can get through the entry, so why not be the only ones that can get to your chestnuts?”
                Once again the crowd was pleased with the giant and started to go to work. All the folks started gathering around and grabbed all their sewing material. They worked together like one machine and within minutes the blanket was all coming together. Only after a couple of hours the strings that the town had flying around came together as one comfortable bed sheet. The village was so grateful for the giant that they didn’t just send him off with just a blanket. The village came together and made one more gift for the road. The gift appeared to be some stick with lines written all over. Shouting out of the crowd was the upbeat voice of Jeremiah,” This is the secret to our success, the ruler! It can help you out how ever you want it too! It can tell you how big or small something is! How do you think we get all them blankets the size of our town done?!”
                Kanoki gathered both his gifts and started back off on his journey, forgetting even why he was all the way out there to begin with. Walking down the banks smiling as happy as can be it finally hit him again, the thud. Coming back like a haunting nightmare, the thud came back with an ever so vengeance. After a walk back of grunting and grinding of the teeth Kanoki finally reached Guano again. “Here’s your blanket to cease your chill!!” yelled the frustrated man. “All right excellent, here you go, let me first of all mark you before you get on the canoe,” says the pleased head. “What do you mean?” says the confused giant. “I mean, put your hand down here so I can put a mark on you, you want to cross don’t you?!” says Guano. Irritated as can be Kanoki rests his hands next to Guano. Suddenly the head leaped off the ground and underneath a green rock carved out in beautiful designs. Guano made a leap onto the hand and back to its original spot before Kanoki could even flinch.
                Withdrawing his hand quickly thinking it was crushed Kanoki discovered a red mark was on his hand. Kanoki couldn’t understand the mark but only knew it was his ticket across the river. Suddenly the chain that was once attached to Guano and the canoe started to disappear, link by link. Looking down to thank the head for his help it too had disappeared. Kanoki quickly rushed and jumped in right before it started taking off. All of the sudden a giant feather sprouted out of the bottom of the canoe as if a sail on a sailboat. The canoe started ripping through the river like scissors going through paper. Kanoki gripping to the sides of the canoe held on for dear life and saw his own flash right before him.
                As soon as the canoe touched land again Kanoki jumped out of there as swift as a kid running out of his last day of school. All of the sudden a comfortable voice out of nowhere shouted,” Not bad rookie!! Get ready for round two when we have to go back. Oh like I said, I go where ever this stupid pile of wood goes, so don’t worry about me.”
                All of sudden, THUD! THUD! THUD!  This was it, this is what Kanoki has been waiting for the entire day, to silent the man that ruined his. Before he goes out bursting Kanoki wants to see the mystery man so he isn’t completely blindsided. Enraged and ready to go he peeks through the bush to what appeared to be not a man, but a boy. There the kid was, dressed up in jeans, what appeared to be sandals, long sleeve, scarf and a hat. The kid was happy and prancing around the field with the instrument he loved more than anything, the drum.  Instead of see the kid Kanoki saw somebody else, himself. He thought to himself that everybody starts somewhere and everybody is going to make mistakes in the beginning. He sees this kid having a passion and a love for something, just as he did with pottery when he was young. To destroy this kid’s dream would only mean destroying himself too, so he sustained himself and went back home.
                Kanoki could have ended those terrible beats; he could’ve made his life a whole lot easier if he would have stopped that kid from playing. Soon enough the terrible beats soon turned to rhythm as the years went on and Kanoki was happier than ever.

13 item lists that are in the story:
1. Kanoki= The African statue
2.Guano/ the head= The head
3.Chestnuts gathered for the village= The chestnuts
4.Coins Kanoki gave to Jermiah=The foreign coins
5.Blanket Kanoki got= The Blanket
6.Wallet Kanoki has= The Wallet
7.The green carved rock on the bottom of guano that makes the “mark”= The Chinese stamp
8.The small village= The small village
9.The canoo with the feather that came out like a sail= The canoe with the feather in it
10.The ruler that the small village gave the Kanoki= The ruler
11.The bowl that the small village used to store chestnuts= The small African bowl
12.The vase that Kanoki gives to the small village= The vase
13.The young boy playing the drums= The statue of the person wearing clothing, such as a scarf, a hat, long sleeve, shirt, and was beating on the drum.