Reading Log for Magazine Article #2

Name and Date of Magazine: Newsweek , November 27/2000.

Name of Article: Shootout in the Sun

Author of Article: Evan Thomas, Michael Isikoff

Summary of Article: The article describes the year 2000 presidential election in the U.S.A. The article displays how the two candidates are dealing with this interminable election,and how the democrats are finding ways to manipulate the law on their favor. It also describes  Al Gore and George W. Bush's attitude and behavior as they are waiting for Florida's precious votes. This article describes what the Americans think about all this chaos. One main point in this article is that the broadcasting stations in the U.S.A. are making this issue larger than it is, and that  they are turning it into a soap opera.

Photographs/Illustrations/Maps: The phtographs of this article didn't compliment the article a lot, because they only showed a few photographs, and they were useless regarding a better understanding of the article. They complimented the article a bit by showing us a map that shows how many votes each candidate has. Altogether, the photographs didn't explain the article well enough. The photographs weren't very necessary, because as I said they didn't explain the article well enough, and the author was very descriptive in his writing. More photographs would have been helpful for a better understanding of the article, because there weren't enough pictures and the author was talking about politics, which needed to be explained thoroughly in words as well as pictures.

Comment: I didn't enjoy the article a lot, because it wasn't very interesting and I felt the article was interminable. I didn't enjoy reading this article as much as I enjoyed reading the last one. The article provided me with some new information, but not a lot, because I saw most of it on television. Some of that information I learned was that the democrats were trying to manipulate the law on their favour, and that Al Gore is trying to forget about the election on the weekend by having a social life. It was a good article that provides someone who doesn't have a clue about the election with a lot of new and interesting information. It was a good article that most people would read, because they used very sophisticated words such as republican, senate, etc. What I would like to learn more about this article is, why it is taking the U.S.A. such a long time to decide such an easy decision? The parts of the article, which could've been omitted, were the parts when they talked about what Florida was doing to decide this decision. I liked the parts about the candidates' personal lives the most, because I realized that the candidates actually have a life like you and me, and that they don't obsess over the election like others do. I think the parts, which the authors were talking about Florida's decision, should've been omitted, because I felt the author didn't explain himself thoroughly and he didn't say what they were doing to decide their decision. I think that the authors should've added that A l Gore is a sore loser, and that he is the one that made this problem and the one making it bigger than it actually is. The article was fine, but it wasn't excellent.

By: Samar Al Ansari

7C

Reading Log for Magazine Article #1

Name and Date of Magazine: National Geographic, December 1998.

Title of Article: Petra, Ancient City of Stone.

Author of Article: Don Belt

Summary of Article: The author described Petra in several aspects such as : historical, geographical, the thoughts of all the people of Petra, and Petra today. The author tells us about the history of Petra across the years. Some of what he talked about is that Petra was built in the year 2000 B.C., and the first people to live there were called the Nabteans. He also talked about the geography of Petra, Petra's location was a very important trade center in the past. The people of Petra who are the Bedouins, who are Nabatean originated, feel that tourism is very important, because they are vendors and work as tourist guides in Petra. Without the tourists, the Bedouins couldn't earn livings and provide their families. The article also talks about how pretty Petra is, and how today the Jordanian government has taken a loan from the World Bank to preserve it's beauty by fixing it's ruined landmarks. Petra, also became more organized, because of the demand on tourism. The government took major interest in Petra, because it bought a lot of income.

Photographs/Illustrations/Maps: The phtographs complimented the article very much, by showing us Petra's everlasting beauty. They also gave me  a better understanding of the article. The amount of photographs was just right, because too many phtographs distract the reader from the writing. The  phtographs were also just right, because the pictures were what the author was writing about.

Comment: I enjoyed the article a lot, because it was very interesting, and it persuaded me to go to Petra one time. The author wrote every minor point, and that made me happy, because it gives me a better understanding of the article. It provided me with a lot of new information such as, Petra is a very important city to the Jordanians, and that the Bedouins depend on Petra tourists to earn livings. This article was a good article because it provided me with a lot of useful information  and it was very interesting; it was a joy to read. The language of this article was more for adults, but it wasn't so hard that I didn't understand a word. The author was using very sophisticated  words that most of my age group wouldn't understand. I would like to learn what would happen to the Bedouins in Petra, if Petra didn't exist anymore, and what would the Jordanian government do about it? The best parts of the article are when the author talked about the Bedouin and Arabic people; saying how nice they were. Another good part is when the author describes Petra. I liked those parts, because I thought  they were interesting and enjoyable. Parts of the article that could've been omitted  are the parts when the author talked about Arabs. He talked about them in a mocking sort of way, and I didn't like it. He mentioned that a small Bedouin boy urinated infront of him. Also in the dialogue between the Bedouins and himself, he wrote bad English when the  Bedouins were talking. If these things were true, he shouldn't mention them, because that is degrading to Arabs. So, I think he should've taken these parts of the article out. So, I think he should've taken these parts of the article out. When I read the article I couln't help but feel a little hatred towards the author. Despite that, I really enjoyed the article and thought it was very useful and interesting.

By: Samar Al Ansari

7C

Reading Log #3 For Novel

Title: Little Women

Author: Louisa M. Alcott

Date Started: 29/10/2000, Date Finished : 14/11/2000

Category of Novel: Children's Classic

Characters:

Jo: Jo is a very tall, thin, and brown fifteen-year-old. She has a decided mouth, a comicla nose, and sharp gray eyes. Her beautiful long hair is her only beauty, and she is very proud of it. She also has the uncomfortable appearance of a girl who was shooting up into a woman and didn't like it. Jo's real name was Josephine, but they call her Jo because she is a tomboy and she doesn't like her name. Jo is the sister of Meg (the eldest) , Beth (the second youngest), and Amy (the youngest).  Jo is a very nice girl who everybody likes, but her surroundings think she has a dreadful temper and she should work on it. Jo responds to the conflicts like a quick thinker. When her father was sick and needed money, she got her hair cut so she could sell it. Jo is very fond of everyone; she got her hair cut so she could sell it. Jo is very fond of everyone; she is not a fussy girl. She loves her Aunt March, because she is a relative, but thinks she is quite mean.

Meg: Meg is a very pretty girl. She has very sofy hair, large eyes, and she looks very mature for a sixteen-year-old. Her real name is Margaret, and Meg is just her nickname. Most people like Meg, because she is pretty and nice. Sometimes they think she is a bit silly, because she tries to be rich too much and she acts older than she is. Meg responds to the conflicts of this novel like a mature and responsible adult; she takes charge quickly. When her mother left to help Meg's father, Meg took care of the house and took care of her sisters like she was their mother. Meg likes her family more than life itself, but she always criticizes the way her sister Jo acts. She does it out of love for her sister, and that clearly shows that she always thinks about them and loves them.

Setting: The setting is in the U.S.A., at the time of the Civil War. It wa in the ninteen hundreds in the past time.

Plot Summary:  The four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy live in a house with their mother. They don't live with their father, because he is defending the country in the war. The girls struggle with their lives, because it is a big change from being rich to becoming poor. They met their neighbor for the first time, he is a boy called Laurie, and they all become inseperable friends. One day, Jo, Meg, and Laurie wanted to go to a concert, and Amy wanted to go as well. Jo didn't allow her to come, so Amy got very mad. When Jo came back home she saw her book, which was filled with stories Jo wrote burning in the fire.  Jo felt her soul was on fire, and started ignoring Amy. After a few days, Jo and Laurie went ice skating on a pond, which froze from the cold weather, and Amy followed them. Laurie said that the ice in the middle was thin and it was dangerous to skate there. Amy didn't hear him, so she skated there, and fell in the freezing water. Jo and Laurie saved Amy, and that is when Jo and Amy started talking to each other. Months passed by and everything was going fine, until they found out that their father was very sick. Their mother had to leave. Jo wanted help more than anything in the world, so she got her beautiful hair cut and sold it for twenty-five dolars, and sent it with her mother. She had lost her only beauty. Shortly after their mother's departure, Beth got very sick with the scarlet fever; the girls didn't know what to do. How can they put their once perfect life back together.

Content:

When I heard that " Little Women" was a classic, I thought they just said that because it has been around for a very long time. When I read it I fell in love with it, and found out that it TRULY was a classic! It captured me, it kept me on the tips of my toes and it was amazing! That is how much I enjoyed the story. One of the major themes of this novel are, it doesn't matter if you are rich or poor as you are rich with family and friends. It presented when the girls' father goes to war and they become poor. They think that it is the end of the world, but at the end, they realized that they are rich with family and friends. They realize this after Beth's recovery. Another major theme of this novel is never give up hope. It is presented when Beth gets very sick and they were starting to lose hope as she got sicker and sicker. At the end, they gain hope and then Beth recovers. The characters are very real and entertaining, they show us everyday struggles, and how we can overcome them. The setting is very real and appropriate to the story, the conflicts, and the themes. It is very appropriate to them, because the setting takes place at the time of the civil war, their father went to defend their country, and then they started facing their struggles. The language was very appropriate to the setting, because they used terms that were used in the past. I would say that the language of the story is more for a more mature audience, since it is a bit hard. This novel doesn't remind me of any novels because it was very unique and I didn't read any stories that had the same excitment and orgininality. I would recommend this book to ALL my friends, because I want them to know what to do if they ever pass over these struggles, and I want them to enjoy it. I would read more novels by this author, because I love the way the author expressed the themes of the story in such an appropraite way. I would like to read "Jo's Boys" which is the continuation of "Little Women". The novel was just right because I felt the story was downright. It was perfect! Bravo, Ms. Louisa M. Alcott. It was truly a pleasure to read!

By: Samar Al Ansari

7C

Reading Log #2 For Novel

Title: That Was Then,This is Now

Author: S.E. Hinton

Date Started: 29/10/2000, Date Finished : 29/11/2000

Category of Novel: Teenage Problem  (Fiction)

Characters:

Bryon: Bryon is a tall sixteen-year old who has black hair, and he's a bit tanned. The characters in the novel like Bryon a lot, because he is nice and caring. The people who are especially fond of him are his girlfriend Cathy, his bestfriend Mark, and M&M, Cathy's brother. At the end of the novel, Mark shows some hostility towards Bryon, because of some problems they are having. Bryon responds to conflicts of the story well. He understands them and tries to fix them, but he makes them even larger while doing that. Bryon likes the people around him, especially Cathy, Mark, and M&M. Bryon though, feels a gulf between himself and Mark because things are no longer the same between them.

Mark: Mark  is a thin handsome sixteen-year-old with blond hair, white skin, and a special grin always on his face. People like Mark because he is a good kid, but some dislike him, because he is a troublemaker. Bryon ofcourse likes him a lot, so does

M&M. Cathy though dislikes Mark, because he is a troublemaker and she wants Bryon all to herself. Mark reponds to the conflicts of this novel not very well. He approaches them, but then ignores them. He tries to hint them to  Bryon, but he is not being very straightford. Mark likes most people and treats them well, but he dislikes Cathy as much as she dislikes him. He dislikes her because he feels that she is taking Bryon away from him. Mark also feels a gulf between Bryon and himself, but they are both not confronting each other.

Setting: The  setting of this story is in a poor neighborhood in a city in the U.S.A. in the present time.

Plot Summary: Mark and Bryon are bestfriends who always stay with a boy called M&M, Bryon starts going out with M&M's sister and he likes her a lot. They go to a dance one time and Bryon's ex-girlfriend paid a man to beat up a boy she liked, because he didn't like her back. Instead, he beat up Mark. Mark was hurt very badly, but he survived. Not a long time after Mark was beat up; M&M ran away from home, since then things have never been the same. Mark and Bryon go to a bar that their friend Charlie owns all the time. One day they were at the bar playing pool with some Texans and Mark and Bryon won all the games; they practically bankrupt the Texans. The Texans wanted to kill them by shooting them, but Charlie came in the perfect time and saved them. Although Charlie saved them, he didn't save himself; Charlie died! Bryon was beaten up by his ex-girlfriend's brothers, because Mark got her drunk and cut her long beautiful hair off. It was unfair for them to do that, but they thought Bryon did it. Bryon was hurt very badly, but he too survived. When Bryon was well again they searched for M&M and they found him. The problem was M&M lost his mind. To make things even worse for Bryon; Bryon found a jar of drugs under Mark's bed. Will Bryon put his life back together, or will he leave it as it is?

Content: I enjoyed this novel very much, because I felt the way Bryon felt and that really touched me. This novel was straight forward, and never boring. It was exciting right from the start. Before I read this magnificient novel, I thought all boys were tough, but the author explained to us that boys feel and cry like girls. A major theme of this novel was that was then, this is now. It is presented when Bryon changes and starts dating Cathy, and Mark wants it to be like the old days when Bryon and himself spent every second of every day together. Another major theme is friendship is golden, and no one should ever let go of it. It is presented when Mark and  Bryon feel a guilt between one another and none of themare doing much about it; though Mark wsa hinting that they were risking their friendship. The setting is very real and appropriate for this novel, because there are many gangs in that neighborhood they're in and that is the main part of the story. The charcters are real. I know this sounds strange, but when I read the novel, I felt a connection with all of the characters. They were very convincing , because I could tell what they were thinking by their actions. The language is appropriate for this novel, because they are teenagers, but for adults it wouldn't be appropriate. They speak a lot of slang, and that suits teenagers more. This novel doesn't remind me of any novels, because it is unique and one of a kind. It is the type of book that you just can't put down, and youcan't find these books anymore. I would definitely recommend this book to other people, because I will be doing them a favor by letting them read this magnificient book. I would like to read more books by this author, because she talks about teenage problems with such experience. I also want to read more books by this author, because I want to know what to do if I ever stumble over these problems. The novel was too short because it left me in suspense thinking about Bryon, but that's better because I can imagine and think about things that coul've happened to them.

By: Samar Al Ansari

7C

Trusting the WTO-Have We Gone Bananas?

International Baccalureate: May 2006

Subject: English A2           Level: HL

Candidate Name: Samar Al-Ansari

Cultural Option: Global Issues-International Finance and Trade/Role of International Financial Institutions

Title: Trusting the WTO-Have We Gone Bananas?

Area of communication and type of text: Mass-Opinion Column

Subject: Criticism of the World Trade Organization, specifically how they are handling the Banana War.

Purpose: To show the weakness of the WTO as an organization and to appeal to the British public to purchase Honduran bananas.

Audience: Brritish adults of a relatively high class who are well informed and who both understand and are interested in Economics. Terms like " banana war" are not footnoted in the actual column and are expected to be familiar to the reader.

Context: This opinion would be in a local English newspaper due to its simple language, but in the Economics Section of the newspaper.

Having learned about the Banana War, I decided to write an opinion column on it. The Banana War is a ten year long dispute between the EU and the US as well as Latin America over trade barriers put by the EU on the banana market. The EU has placed trade barriers on Latin American bananas,making the EU's former colonies bananas cheaper in comparison to Latin Ameican ones. Thus Latin American exports suffered significantly which consequently lead to drastic effects on Latin American economies.

My objective was to write a piece that would persuade the British reader to take action and purchase Honduran bananas. This was done through a variety of techniques.

Firstly, I tried to make this column very personal by including personal experience and direct quotations in an effort to make the issue real to the reader.Personal pronouns such as "I" and quotations sich as "Bananas are all we Hondurans have" or "Why would your country do such a thing to my father's bananas" were used to make the reader feel that he was being talked to and not talked at.

In addition, humor is used throughout the piece in an effort to create a light,conical tone that would not overwhelm the reader.I tried to entertain the reader by using such comments as "Did I die and go to some sort of monkey heaven?" I referred to Western economies as "banana Mcmuffin economies"also is acomical tone in an effort to entertain and keep the reader interested. Furthermore,relatively short sentences and short paragraphs were used in order to keep  the reader interested.

The use of the word 'banana' usually in rather humorous ways such as "said the poor man, such as he handed me a banana candy" was to show how dependant the Honduran economy is on bananas and the extent of damage the economy was facing because of the Banana War. I did not want to bore the reader with statistics and figures. Furthermore, 'banana'was used in other humorous ways in an effort to entertain and grab the reader's attention. Ending the column with the wity metaphor of the WTO as a banana peel, will enable the reader to understand the weakness of the WTO.

Showing the failures of the WTO was another technique to persuade the Honduras to take action. The WTO's failures were mainly shown through the rhetorical questions which are very persuasive in nature. Examples of that are "but has the WTO done anything to stop us?" and "Now come on,when has the WTO ever remained true to the ideas ofit preaches?" In addition,bias is used as a persuasive technique through sentences such as "I lost faith in the WTO long ago".

 The effectiveness of the WTO as an organization and the double standards it seems to implement are a serious issue as our international economies become more integretated. Less developed countries pay the price and are being driven into high debt levels because of the policies,  or the lack  of policies, the WTO implements.This specific event, the Banana War, just goes to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the WTO as this conflict enters its tenth year. Countries such as Honduras need assistance, assistance that is unfortunately not  being provided by the WTO.

Trusting the WTO-Have We Gone Bananas?

"NO MORE BANANAS" was the only thought on my mind as I was dining in one of Hondura's busy restaurants last month. I was served nothing but babnanas for the entirety of my meal. Upon my entrance, I was served a banana daiquiri, followed by some banana bread, fish wrapped in banana leaves,banana icecream,and finally some banana tea. I couldn't help but think to myself: Did I die and go to some sort of monkey heaven?

On that note,I went to satisfy my curiosity by asking the owner of the restaurant,who was none other than the son of one of the founders of the famous Honduran banana company Las Isletas, why the chef insisted on putting bananas in everything. "Well, ever since the banana war[1] began, I have tried my best to keep my father's bananas from going to wate. If they aren't being sold on the international market,we Hondurans have to deal with our bananas. Face it, bananas are all we have," said the poor man,as he handed me a banana candy.

My face turned as red as my banana flavored tea when the young man asked me,"Now why would your country do such a thing to my father's bananas? The World Trade Organization (WTO) assured my father that free trade would be good for us, so why can't your government just leave my father's bananas alone?" I remained speechless,only thinking about the poor,naive man in front of me. Now come on, when has the WTO ever remained true to the ideas it preaches?

Everyone, including myself at some point in time. Has idealized the WTO as a larger than life organization that can transform small banana economics such as the Hoduran economy into a Western banana Mcmuffin economy such as that of the US and the UK. The WTO can't do miracles; no one should expect it to transform an economy over night. But it is its goal to assist the less developed countries and their banana. However, it is incapable of doing that either.

The WTO 's job is simple really. All it has to do is make sure that trade runs as freely as possible between countries. Is that hard? It seems to think so as it remains powerless in front of giant economies such as ours. The EU has clearly violated free trade agreements, but has the WTO done anything to stop us?

Even though it is quite obvious that the WTO will never even think about taking a firm stand with the EU and forcing them to lift their banana barriers. Honduras, among other small nations, continues to run to them. The only way I see the WTO actually forcing the EU to do something is if one day a giant banana  falls onto the head of one of its board members leaving him with severe brain damage. The only way the WTO will force the EU to lift its barriers is if they literally go "bananas".

What really puzzles me is the fact that people continue to appeal to the WTO in their time of need, as though they actually have the power to do something. As you know, the banana war has entered its tenth year. For ten years, the WTO has been politely asking the EU to lift the trade barriers it places on Latin American banana imports. Ten years!! Well, at least no one can accuse the Latin American of being disloyal.

If the WTO isn't going to do anything, and everyone knows that the EU is going to remain stubborn, what will happen to those poor rejected bananas? Who has the power to save them? A major part of acheiving development in less developed countries is through foreign assistance. So, would it be such a sin if we got off our leather couches and drove our Jaguars to the store to pay the few extra pounds the Honduran bananas deserve? Even though I got sick of all the bananas I had during my trip to Honduras, I must say they were quite tasty.

The WTO has been unfair to Honduras, its people, and most importantly, its bananas. Their bananas deserve more than this. I lost faith in the WTO long ago, but I still have faith in our purchasing power. The WTO has been nothing but banana peel that the Honduran economy has been slipping on for ten years,but maybe one day, we can all help throw the peel into the bin ehere it belongs.

Samar Al -Ansari

IB no 0554007

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[1] A 10 yearlong dispute between the EU and the US as well as Latin America over trade barriers put the EU on the banana market. The EU has placed trade barriers on Latin American bananas, making the EU’s former colonies’ bananas cheaper in comparison to Latin American ones. Thus leading to a decline in the level of Honduran exports and consequently effects on its economy.