Youtube Videos

It's great to see that all of you are still posting. For those of you who were in the first week of our class, the youtube videos of your speeches (in glorious full HD) are now up!
Blair's Speeches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5FBfLIT-3s
Eugene's Speeches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G44xtZS_pTw
Daphne's Speeches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39p3K8WnFMM
Jason's Speeches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWbB1anp9N0
Jonathan's Speeches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj0LRVAgaqM
Joy's Speeches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcliJ0Pu32U
Peter's Speeches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BaJ5dH5x-A
Jeffrey's Speeches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SLHjtSlZk8
William's Speeches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvT38HHStEs

Summer Homework

Hey everyone, hope you guys are all still having a blast. Just as a reminder, we would love it if everyone continued to write in their blogs as this will really shone in your skills.

Remember, practice makes perfect!

Get ready for tomorrow's day of fun!

Get ready for tomorrow's day of fun! :D

Homework

Be sure to continue writing 3 paragraphs when you blog about your day.

Edit your final draft. Proofread it, and read your final draft out loud to edit it. You will be able to notice more errors when you read it out loud.

Make sure you know your final draft very well for tomorrow ;)

Class Summary Powerpoints

Here are powerpoints that summarized certain classes (your parents may want this):

How to Take Notes: http://www.mediafire.com/?uomwtnzm5rd
6/16 Class: http://www.mediafire.com/?zydtiimmnyj
6/17 Class: http://www.mediafire.com/?fjwnzt3tgfj
6/22 Class: http://www.mediafire.com/?oiyjjtz1mzr

Notes on Rhetorical Devices

As promised, here are a list of rhetorical devices: http://www.flvs.net/areas/studentservices/Documents/AP%20Language%20Reading%20List/expanded_devices.htm

Excerpt from a piece of writing by Peter

This is taken from something I wrote a few months ago.

DISCLAIMER: This is a theory that I thought would be interesting and could provide an explanation for US/Taiwan relations. The validity of this is highly disputable, and the claims I make below may not represent my true feelings on the conflict between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. This was not written with the intention of offending anyone.

America has been supporting Taiwan and its democratic government for several decades. America originally took this stance when many nations were overturning their old systems of government and moving to newer forms. At the time, America wanted to spread democracy as much as possible and prevent nations from adopting the evil of communism. The democratic system that was first set up in China had the backing of the US, and was given support against the Communist Party that ended up controlling China. World War II and the Cold War could be considered wars against ideologies: first against the Nazis and the militarist Japanese, then against their Soviet allies from World War II (the USSR was also threatened by the Nazis during WWII, so the alliance was primarily due to having a common enemy). America threw its weight behind Taiwan, South Vietnam, and South Korea during the Cold War, and had its democratic NATO allies join the US in its efforts.


Now, the fight for democracy in those regions is all but gone. China has emerged as a world superpower, the communist North Vietnam won the Vietnam War, and North and South Korea are at a stalemate. The purpose of supporting South Korea is clear, because North Korea still poses a threat to South Korea. Why, then, is Taiwan still of interest to the US of A?


The feud between the ownership of Taiwan has largely settled down. China is no longer shelling the island nation, and has no clear plans that it seeks to invade or attack. It is unlikely that using Taiwan is a viable means of changing the form of government in China, because of China's international standing and position. Taiwan has other uses, though. It's a check on the powers of China. Taiwan, because it is not officially recognized as a separate country in the UN or by some other nations, can freely criticize China without any serious repercussions. China also rivals the US's economy and military, and is gaining more and more power in the world constantly. Taiwan is form of check that the US can use without China condemning the US for its actions. If China suddenly falls out of power someday, it is unlikely that the US will have as much a use for Taiwan as it does now.