The Last Breath song lyrics by: Ahmad Bukhatir

November 12, 2008 

From those around,

I hear a cry,

an awful sound,

a hopeless sigh

I hear their footsteps leaving slow.. and then I know my soul must fly

A chilley wind

Begins to blow within my soul from head to toe

And then the last breath escapes my lips,

Its time to leave…

So it is true, but its to late

They said each soul has its given date

When it must leave its body’s core

And meet with its eternal fate

Oh Mark The Words That I Do Say

Who knows tomorrow could be YOUR day

At last its come

To Heaven or Hell

Decide which now

Do NOT delay

Come on my brothers, let us pray

Decide which now do NOT delay

“Oh God! Oh God!”

I cannot see

My eyes are blind,

Am I still me?

Or has my sould been lead astray and forced to pay a priceless fee?

Alas to dust! We all return

If only I knew that before

The line grew short and came my turn.

And now as beneath the soul

They cry not knowing I cried worse

For they go home… I face my God

Oh Mark the Words That I Do Say

Who knows tomorrow could be your day

At last it has come to heaven or to hell

Decide which now… Do NOT delay…

Culture Awareness Class

January 28, 2009 

Research Outline

Title: Culture Awareness Class

1. Introduction

Today, the advances in technology and transportation made it easier to mix people from different cultures and backgrounds together. Not many students are aware of the different cultures out there. Most students do not even know a lot about their own culture. It is important for students to understand the cultures of the people they meet, because that was they will become more open-minded

2. Mexico
   1. Location and people
      1. Mexico is located in North America, under the US borders, south of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Mexico is located between two the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.
      2. Many people enjoy visiting Mexico because of the hospitality and kindness of its people. Most Mexican people are descendants of the Aztecs and Mayas and are proud of their culture which they represent through great artistic skills.
         1. In Mexico there are 60% mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish), 30% Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian, 9% white, 1% other
         2. The religions in Mexico are 89% Roman Catholic, 6% Protestant, 5% other
         3. The main language in Mexico is Spanish, but many people still speak the indigenous languages as well as Nahuatl language.
   2. General Facts
      1. Immediate and extended families a very important part of Mexican culture.
         1. The father is the head of the family, he is the decision maker.
         2. Even though the mothers’ role is secondary the husband, it is still greatly valued.
         3. Most Mexican people are very traditional and value their culture and religion greatly.
      2. Mexicans treat people above them in rank with more respect. Men shake hands, if they are a friend, then they hug. Women pat each other on the right forearm or shoulder. If meeting a new person in Mexico, they have to be invited because they can use another person’s first name. When men make remarks to women it not harassment.
      3. When visiting someone in Mexico, it is a good idea to take white flowers, but not marigolds or red flowers. It is also a good idea to arrive to dinner or parties 30 minutes late. During dinner hands should always be visible when eating. The hostess eats first, and it is polite to leave food left after a meal.
   3. Celebrations and Festivals
      1. Mexican people have a lot of celebrations and festivals.
      2. “The Day of the Dead” is a Mexican celebration similar to Halloween.
      3. Christmas is celebrated on the 24^th of December. On Christmas the family spends time eating, talking and having a good time, and wrapping gifts at midnight.
      4. Mexicans celebrate their independence day on September 16.
      5. Cinco de Mayo is also another big Mexican celebration, in which the Mexicans celebrate the day peasants defeated the French Army. This celebration is actually celebrated more frequently in the United States, rather than in Mexico.
3. China
   1. Location and People
      1. China is located in Asia under Russia and on top of India.
      2. Many people enjoy visiting China because of its history and its diversity. Many people consider china the cutting edge of change. China is full of calm and wisdom.
         1. In china there are 93% Han, 7% Other(including Zhuang, Hui, Uygur, Yi, Miao, Manchu, Tibetan, Mongol, Tujia, Bouyei, Korean, Dong, Yao, Bai, Hani, Kazakh, Dai, and Li minorities)
         2. China has a wide range of different religions and faiths, some of those are : Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, China’s indigenous Taoism, along with Shamanism, Eastern Orthodox Christianity and the Naxi people’s Dongba religion

1. Facts about China
   1. The most widely spoken language in the world is Mandarin Chinese. There are 885,000,000 people in China that speak it.
   2. The Chinese language does not require punctuation.
   3. China has close to 25% of the world's population.
   4. China was the first country to use paper money.
   5. China has only about 200 different family names.

4. Conclusion

Our world today has overcome many racial differences and people today seem to understand the different cultures and worlds that we live in. Schools today are more diverse than they were in the past and students are able to communicate effectively with one another. Yet, there is still racism in our world today. Students still do not understand most of the different cultures around them. Many students probably did not know that it is okay for men to make remarks to women without meaning it as harassment or that Cinco de Mayo is actually celebrated in America more than it is celebrated in Mexico. Also, many students do not know that the most spoken language in the world is Mandarin, which is spoken by people in China.

All About Nona

All About Me

 I have previously volunteered to work at an Arabic school. I have taught eight to ten year old students how to read and write Arabic. I worked at the school for two years, one year as a teacher, and the other year as a substitute. I had a lot of fun working there and teaching the students. I also did babysitting twice.

If the weather is nice I like to play sports in my free time. I like running, playing tennis, volleyball, and swimming. When the weather is not good outside, I like to read. I read many different books. Sometimes I read non-fiction books about other countries and different cultures. I read fiction books as well; I am currently reading Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. I also like computer graphics; I use programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

 I also watch a lot of movies. Some of the recent movies I have watched were The Dark Night, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, Game Plan and Princess Bride. My favorite actor is Will Smith; in Hancock. I also watch Egyptian and French movies. I like to spend Friday night with a friend and watch movies or play games.

I also enjoy listening to music. I listen to all kinds of music; I haven’t heard a song that I didn’t like. Some songs might take me a while to get used to and enjoy. I like classical music like Claire De Lune by Debussy. I like some Pop music such as See You Again by Hannah Montana. I like Simple Plan, My Chemical Romance, and some songs by Avril Lavigne. I also listen to a lot of Egyptian and French music. 

The Wolf

I had to write a story for English class about an experience that I had that was really scary. I decided to write this story.
March 27, 2008

I opened my eyes and was instantly blinded by bright sunshine. I wondered why my alarm clock didn’t go on, I looked at the time and it was 8 am. I am two hours late for school? I wondered, but then I realized it was Friday and I am at my grandparent’s house for this holiday. I was thrilled; I jumped off the bed and ran straight to the window. I looked out side at the sun shinning down on the Nile. This is my favorite window. I used to sit here for hours looking at the beautiful water. It took me a few minutes to remember, that I was supposed to go to the fields with my cousins.

I have lots of cousins, and they all live in different parts of Egypt and some of them live in Europe, India, and two went to China for a while. But today was a holiday we were all here at my grandparent’s house. I quickly took a shower and got dressed. I ran all the way to the flower garden. I went past the corn fields, and then there it was. A huge flower garden; It had so many different flowers, they all looked so beautiful. We always came here to play.

We helped my grandfather’s farmers plant some of the flowers and we even ate dinner out there. We stayed there all day long, until dawn. The farmers left, and I was there alone with my brother and three cousins. I was the oldest, and as they believed the smartest. I pretended like I know what I was doing, and they trusted me, because they thought I know everything. I was only seven years old. We were never allowed to stay out in the fields after dawn, because it gets very dark and dangerous, but I wanted to see what the flowers would look like at night. I told my little group that we should stay for a while. They agreed and we started playing tag.

I was about to tag my brother when I heard the sound. It was far away at first, I looked around me, but I didn’t see anything. I was terrified. I heard it again, this time it was closer. I looked around and my brother and my cousins were all staring past me and they all had the same terrified look on their faces, I looked at the direction of their stares, and froze. There it was walking around. I didn’t know what to do, but then I realized that he couldn’t see us.

“What is it?” my brother asked.

“A dog” My cousin answered.

“Oh maybe he wants to play with us” my cousin said.

“No, let’s hide this is not a dog. It is a wolf.” I went down on my knees and they did the same, we tried crawling through the flowers. I was scared and it was getting dark, the wolf was dangerously close.

The hairs on my back stood straight up, my heart was beating fast, and as I tried to think of what would happen if the wolf saw us, my head spun. I heard many stories about wolves before, and I didn’t think much of them at first, but there it was a wolf. My brother screamed because my cousin accidentally stepped on his foot. I looked up at the wolf and his golden eyes were staring straight into mine. I shuddered and froze; my brother and my cousins froze too. I thought about running, but I knew I couldn’t run fast enough to beat the wolf, and I can’t leave my brother or my cousins.

The wolf walked slowly toward us. I waited. I hoped that he wouldn’t hurt my brother or my cousins, maybe if he ate me that would be enough for him. I hoped that he wasn’t hungry. I knew it was only few seconds before I died. It was a strange feeling. I never thought I would die so soon. I thought about my family and how sad they would be. I didn’t want them to be sad. I was scared when he started walking toward my brother. But I decided I won’t let him harm my brother or my cousins.  The wolf was about to jump on top of my brother, but I ran and stood between my brother and the wolf. The wolf jumped on top of me and opened his mouth. I closed my eyes and waited for him to eat me. But then I heard the wolf howl. I looked up and there was my grandfather and my uncles. I felt ecstatic, I am not going to die, and no one else will.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

2/9/09

         In the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain many people object to the way Jim is portrayed. Jim, one of the main characters of the novel, is probably portrayed fairly because there were people during the same time period who were like Jim. Jim seems to be a very smart person in the story, even though he is illiterate and did not go to school, Jim knows a lot about everyday life. He could probably survive out in the wilderness alone and live healthy for longer than most people. Jim also takes care of Huck and protects him when they both runaway. Jim has strong opinions about many things and he is not afraid of saying them, but he is still cautious because he is an escaped slave and he could at any moment be turned in by Huck.

            “You said it was the worst bad luck in the world to touch a snakeskin with my hands. Well, here’s your bad luck! We’ve raked in all this truck and eight dollars besides. I wish we could have some bad luck like this every day, Jim.” Jim is very superstitious, sometimes it seems like he has superstitions about almost everything. Sometimes those superstitious become true, other times like the one about touching a snakeskin do not bring bad luck like he said, but it might be dangerous to do it. I do not think Jim is a racial stereotype, because for an escaped slave he is portrayed fairly in the novel.

            One of the funniest parts in this story was when Tom Sawyer decided to make a gang which was inspired by reading books. Tom Sawyer decided to do everything according to what the books said. Apparently he read books about robbers and books like Don Quixote. Tom tells the other members of his gang that they must steal from people and then kill them because that’s what happens in the books. I also thought it was funny when they didn’t know what the word ransom meant and Tom said he think that it meant to capture the people and leave them until they die. I also liked when they thought that if the capture women, they have to keep them locked up in a cave until they fall in love with them. I think Mark Twain’s sense of humor translates into the modern era fairly well. Today young boys probably do the same things, but instead of reading books they get their ideas from watching movies.

            “I had been to school most all the time and could spell and read and write just a little, and could say the multiplication table up to six times seven is thirty-five, and I don’t reckon I could ever get any further than that if I was to live forever. I don’t take no stock in mathematics, anyway.” I thought that this was a very funny part because Huck, like most other kids at his age feel that they have learned enough in school and that they have no need to continue going to school after this. I also thought it was funny when he couldn’t see the point in praying. Another funny part was when Huck decided he would like to go to hell and not heaven, because heaven sounded boring to him. I could understand why Huck would think heaven is boring and that he would rather go to hell, the way the widow described heaven did make it sound unappealing. Even today not many people would like to go to the heaven the widow was describing.

            In this book, Mark Twain created two different characters both with personalities. Huckleberry Finn could be described as a realist and Tom Sawyer could be described as a romantic. Tom Sawyer likes to read books and act out the things he read in the books. Tom is very imaginative unlike Huck, who is a realist. Both characters in this story are different because they were born in different families. Tom was born and raised in a good family, while Huck was raised by a drunken father. Tom had a nice life, but Huck lived with an uncaring father who beat him whenever he wanted. Tom learned from the adults around him and from his reading of adventure books and stories. Tom follows blindly with the things he learns from others unlike Huck who questions everything around him.

The 13th Element by John Emsley

Here is a summary of the first two chapters of the book:

Introduction 11/14

• Know: I already knew that Phosphorus originated from the ancient Greek words phos “light” and phorus “bringing”. I already knew that the chemical symbol for Phosphate is P.
• Want to know: I want to know more about the shocking history of Phosphorus.
• Learned: I learned that Organophosphate is the name given to a phosphate molecule that has organic groups attached.

Chapter 1: Out of Alchemy 11/15

• Know: Many people believed they can turn lead into Gold with the philosopher’s stone. I also want to know more about luminescent materials.
• Want: I want to know more about what phosphorus is used in today.
• Learned: I learned that Phosphorus was made from urine. I also learned that Knuckel investigated with luminescent materials. I learned that phosphorus is found in many different things.

Chapter 2: The Alchemist and His Apprentice 11/ 17

• Know: I already know that Phosphorus was first discovered in London.
• Want: I want to know about other discoveries that were going on during this time period.
• Learned: I learned that Kraft was able to make phosphorus and do research on its properties. Phosphorus could be used as light on ships, and to make glow in the dark objects.
  
  

United States History by Nona

Here is a short Essay I wrote about the beginning of the United States' history:

August 30, 2008

United States History

          The mid-to-late 15th century was known as the Age of Exploration and Discovery. It was an age in which European sailors and ships set sail to discover new lands and trade routes. It began in Portuguese when Christopher Columbus set sail with three ships and 90 men to find a new trade route to Asia. Instead of finding Asia, Christopher Columbus found the Bahamas, which led other explorers to the discovery of North America.

               The Renaissance, beginning in Italy in the late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe, was an era of classical art, architecture, literature, learning and new ideas. The Renaissance opened people’s minds, and the Age of Discovery and Exploration began. By sailing, the Portuguese explorers hoped to find new trade routs to Asia and Africa. When North America was discovered, Europeans began to arrive in North America and create a new civilization.

                 The history of the United States of America probably began on September 16, 1620, when the Mayflower set sail from England to North America. Some of the passengers were Puritans, who wanted to establish a colony of their own. On November 11, 1520 the passengers on the Mayflower signed an agreement to establish a government. That was when the United States of America was created.

After North America became known as the United States of America, the people who lived there became known as “Americans”.

Quote from Into the Wild

 “Dark spruce forest frowned on either side the frozen waterway. The trees had been stripped by a recent wind of their white covering of frost, and they seemed to lean toward each other, black and ominous in the fading light. A vast silence reigned over the land. The land itself was a desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness. There was a hint in it of laughter that was mirthless as the smile of sphinx, a laughter cold as the frost and partaking of the grimness of infallibility. It was the masterful and incommunicable wisdom of eternity laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life. It was the wild, the savage, frozen hearted Northland wild”.