Distracted: The Erosion of Attention...

Nov 12, 2010

Bunny!


Hi, I just want to try out posting a picture, so here's a bunny.

Nov 11, 2010

Homework

Hello guys,



~French-Good copy of Le Coffre due next Thursday
~English-Maestro questions
~Explanition of the heart
~Health-Food record sheet

Tomorrow is a PD day so there's NO SCHOOL tomorrow. Have a great long weekend! 

Lest We Forget

Nov 10, 2010

Finally!

My winning picture for photography club is finally on the home page for GMS! I know it's a little random for all of you but it's important to me! Go check it out, you know, if you want to...

Homework

Hi,

~English-Maestro, comments and etc, try to finish them! And respond to the text Mr.O posted
~Science-Explanation of how the heart works
~Health-Food record sheet

Band members, tomorrow is the concert so wear black and white and bring a poppy! And also for guys who want to carry the wreath wear white tomorrow, whoever looks the nicest will walk it down.

That's about it!!!

The Sniper (Remembrance Day Feedback)

The Sniper


The long June twilight faded into night. Dublin lay enveloped in darkness but for the dim light of the moon that shone through fleecy clouds, casting a pale light as of approaching dawn over the streets and the dark waters of the Liffey. Around the beleaguered Four Courts the heavy guns roared. Here and there through the city, machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically, like dogs barking on lone farms. Republicans and Free Staters were waging civil war.

On a rooftop near O'Connell Bridge, a Republican sniper lay watching. Beside him lay his rifle and over his shoulders was slung a pair of field glasses. His face was the face of a student, thin and ascetic, but his eyes had the cold gleam of the fanatic. They were deep and thoughtful, the eyes of a man who is used to looking at death.

He was eating a sandwich hungrily. He had eaten nothing since morning. He had been too excited to eat. He finished the sandwich, and, taking a flask of whiskey from his pocket, he took a short drought. Then he returned the flask to his pocket. He paused for a moment, considering whether he should risk a smoke. It was dangerous. The flash might be seen in the darkness, and there were enemies watching. He decided to take the risk.

Placing a cigarette between his lips, he struck a match, inhaled the smoke hurriedly and put out the light. Almost immediately, a bullet flattened itself against the parapet of the roof. The sniper took another whiff and put out the cigarette. Then he swore softly and crawled away to the left.

Cautiously he raised himself and peered over the parapet. There was a flash and a bullet whizzed over his head. He dropped immediately. He had seen the flash. It came from the opposite side of the street.

He rolled over the roof to a chimney stack in the rear, and slowly drew himself up behind it, until his eyes were level with the top of the parapet. There was nothing to be seen--just the dim outline of the opposite housetop against the blue sky. His enemy was under cover.

Just then an armored car came across the bridge and advanced slowly up the street. It stopped on the opposite side of the street, fifty yards ahead. The sniper could hear the dull panting of the motor. His heart beat faster. It was an enemy car. He wanted to fire, but he knew it was useless. His bullets would never pierce the steel that covered the gray monster.

Then round the corner of a side street came an old woman, her head covered by a tattered shawl. She began to talk to the man in the turret of the car. She was pointing to the roof where the sniper lay. An informer.

The turret opened. A man's head and shoulders appeared, looking toward the sniper. The sniper raised his rifle and fired. The head fell heavily on the turret wall. The woman darted toward the side street. The sniper fired again. The woman whirled round and fell with a shriek into the gutter.

Suddenly from the opposite roof a shot rang out and the sniper dropped his rifle with a curse. The rifle clattered to the roof. The sniper thought the noise would wake the dead. He stooped to pick the rifle up. He couldn't lift it. His forearm was dead. "I'm hit," he muttered.

Dropping flat onto the roof, he crawled back to the parapet. With his left hand he felt the injured right forearm. The blood was oozing through the sleeve of his coat. There was no pain--just a deadened sensation, as if the arm had been cut off.

Quickly he drew his knife from his pocket, opened it on the breastwork of the parapet, and ripped open the sleeve. There was a small hole where the bullet had entered. On the other side there was no hole. The bullet had lodged in the bone. It must have fractured it. He bent the arm below the wound. the arm bent back easily. He ground his teeth to overcome the pain.






Then taking out his field dressing, he ripped open the packet with his knife. He broke the neck of the iodine bottle and let the bitter fluid drip into the wound. A paroxysm of pain swept through him. He placed the cotton wadding over the wound and wrapped the dressing over it. He tied the ends with his teeth.

Then he lay still against the parapet, and, closing his eyes, he made an effort of will to overcome the pain.

In the street beneath all was still. The armored car had retired speedily over the bridge, with the machine gunner's head hanging lifeless over the turret. The woman's corpse lay still in the gutter.

The sniper lay still for a long time nursing his wounded arm and planning escape. Morning must not find him wounded on the roof. The enemy on the opposite roof coverd his escape. He must kill that enemy and he could not use his rifle. He had only a revolver to do it. Then he thought of a plan.

Taking off his cap, he placed it over the muzzle of his rifle. Then he pushed the rifle slowly upward over the parapet, until the cap was visible from the opposite side of the street. Almost immediately there was a report, and a bullet pierced the center of the cap. The sniper slanted the rifle forward. The cap clipped down into the street. Then catching the rifle in the middle, the sniper dropped his left hand over the roof and let it hang, lifelessly. After a few moments he let the rifle drop to the street. Then he sank to the roof, dragging his hand with him.

Crawling quickly to his feet, he peered up at the corner of the roof. His ruse had succeeded. The other sniper, seeing the cap and rifle fall, thought that he had killed his man. He was now standing before a row of chimney pots, looking across, with his head clearly silhouetted against the western sky.

The Republican sniper smiled and lifted his revolver above the edge of the parapet. The distance was about fifty yards--a hard shot in the dim light, and his right arm was paining him like a thousand devils. He took a steady aim. His hand trembled with eagerness. Pressing his lips together, he took a deep breath through his nostrils and fired. He was almost deafened with the report and his arm shook with the recoil.

Then when the smoke cleared, he peered across and uttered a cry of joy. His enemy had been hit. He was reeling over the parapet in his death agony. He struggled to keep his feet, but he was slowly falling forward as if in a dream. The rifle fell from his grasp, hit the parapet, fell over, bounded off the pole of a barber's shop beneath and then clattered on the pavement.

Then the dying man on the roof crumpled up and fell forward. The body turned over and over in space and hit the ground with a dull thud. Then it lay still.

The sniper looked at his enemy falling and he shuddered. The lust of battle died in him. He became bitten by remorse. The sweat stood out in beads on his forehead. Weakened by his wound and the long summer day of fasting and watching on the roof, he revolted from the sight of the shattered mass of his dead enemy. His teeth chattered, he began to gibber to himself, cursing the war, cursing himself, cursing everybody.

He looked at the smoking revolver in his hand, and with an oath he hurled it to the roof at his feet. The revolver went off with a concussion and the bullet whizzed past the sniper's head. He was frightened back to his senses by the shock. His nerves steadied. The cloud of fear scattered from his mind and he laughed.


Taking the whiskey flask from his pocket, he emptied it a drought. He felt reckless under the influence of the spirit. He decided to leave the roof now and look for his company commander, to report. Everywhere around was quiet. There was not much danger in going through the streets. He picked up his revolver and put it in his pocket. Then he crawled down through the skylight to the house underneath.

When the sniper reached the laneway on the street level, he felt a sudden curiosity as to the identity of the enemy sniper whom he had killed. He decided that he was a good shot, whoever he was. He wondered did he know him. Perhaps he had been in his own company before the split in the army. He decided to risk going over to have a look at him. He peered around the corner into O'Connell Street. In the upper part of the street there was heavy firing, but around here all was quiet.

The sniper darted across the street. A machine gun tore up the ground around him with a hail of bullets, but he escaped. He threw himself face downward beside the corpse. The machine gun stopped.

Then the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother's face. 

The purpose of our reading is to get your minds into Remembrance Day mode.  After reading The Sniper and listening to the song and lyrics of "The Soldier" video, compose a response which highlights what, if anything, you would say to a War Veteran.  Are there questions you would ask, statements you would make or would you just be silent?  Think about the freedoms and lifestyle we enjoy every day.  Would this be possible without those who fought for us long before we were born?  Please prepare your response and submit it as a comment (after proofreading it).

Nov 9, 2010

Hey 8H, I'm really confused about the wordle for october..

Do we put in EVERYTHING we learned ? Like, all subjects ?

Homework

Hello here is the homework:

Science-In your own words describe how the heart works
Health-Food record sheet
Geography-Map is due Wednesday
English-Maestro connections+comments

I think that`s it!

Wordle!!

Hello I just discovered something on wordle!! You can actually do sentences!! but its in the advanced wordle tab. So for example instead of doing something like Whatwelearnedthismonth it would be like: What we learned this month But you have 2 do it in a special format like this:
October: 2
November: 7
etc. so you have 2 write the word and then the # of times you want to put it in!! There's an example on the create page!!
Hopefully this will help some people out!!

Nov 8, 2010

Homework

Hello guys here is the homework of the day:

Health-Do you eating record sheet for this week or next week. I`m not sure if we have health tomorrow, since it`s DPA but bring your health folder if you haven`t already done so.
Geography-The Africa map is due Wednesday
English-The wordle for October, and finish The Maestro book+connections, questions and comments, etc.
Math-Prepare a binder for the math package that should include: your booklet, loose paper, and a math notebook dedicated to the booklet.

Keep bringing in your report card slips, some of them are still not handed in yet. Band members, tomorrow is the last practice `till the concert, so don`t forget your instrument!!!

Enjoy your night!!! And see you tomorrow!

Good Job!

Well it was an interesting end of the day and I hope you all have some frame of reference or purpose to read on with The Maestro. A reminder of the objectives identified when we started the novel; making connections to each chapter, questioning and challenging some aspect of each chapter, identifying with the character and his situation.  In short, apply yourself and your abilities to the novel and see what you uncover.

No work on the essential skills book at home for the first while. Remember it's a class assignment to be completed at your own pace.

Parag and Jon: Good job on the presentation. Now that we have completed all presentations, you will be receiving your rubrics this week. : ) 

Have a great evening!

Queens Seeds In Residence Info

Very Cool Writing Site

Stop Death by Powerpoint