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- My HOMETOWN-
Elliott Blatt/youthjournalism.org
I'll take you to Wixom...
By Monica Blaze in
WIXOM, Michigan, U.S.A. –
A small city, often missed in the blink of an eye – or
at least misinterpreted – is where I live.
Everyone knows everyone here. As the year progresses, everyone
figures out they know more people than even they thought they
did.
I’ll take you through a year of my city, and by the end, you
will know everyone who lives in Wixom.
In the winter, it’s not hard to find children and even young
adults sledding down the hill. They fly down on their plastic
presents from Saint Nick, behind the middle school, which
happens to be, basically, my backyard.
There are holiday parties and everyone, young or old, is eager
for Santa Claus to come on December 25.
Generally, a good six-some inches of snow blankets the ground.
The fountain in front of the Wixom Public Library freezes over
and is available for a blade from a pair of ice skates to sketch
it beautifully.
Read whole story |
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-- NEWS --
Higdon displays 'magic as a composer'
By Kiernan Majerus-Collins in HARTFORD, Connecticut, U.S.A.
-- Jennifer Higdon, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer from
Philadelphia, had her piece Road
Stories for
concert band premiered by The Hartt Symphony Band Friday.
She also
received an honorary doctorate of music from The University of
Hartford, which includes The Hartt School of music, dance and
theater.
Robert Carl,
a professor of composition at the university, said Higdon is
“one of the most performed” composers in America.
“She’s
always hit the home run when she had to with her pieces,” said
Carl.
Read whole story |
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Read Samantha Perez's
stunning
journal of hope and survival
during America's worst natural
disaster. |
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An Oregon city finds itself a terror target
By Talon Bronson in PORTLAND, Oregon, U.S.A.
–
The idea that
someone sought to set off a bomb during the city’s recent Christmas tree
lighting ceremony in Pioneer Park has unsettled the Portland community.
“It’s something that feels weird, knowing it could happen here.
I mean, it didn’t happen, but just that it almost did,” said
Josiah Miller, 22.
Since the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s arrest of Mohamed
Osman Mohamud, 19, for allegedly seeking to bomb the ceremony –
officials said he didn’t know the bomb was fake when he tried to
set it off – residents have a shared feeling of disillusionment.
“I think almost everyone is going to feel like that, like it’s
something that isn’t real, Brandon M. Sanders, 19, said.
After all, people said, Portland isn’t New York City or Los
Angeles. It’s not a place where anyone expects to become the
target of terrorism.
“My entire family was there,” Sanders said, shaking his head.
“It’s scary, and weird, to think that they could maybe not be
here anymore,” he said.
Read whole story
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Bomb scare hits home for Portland
teen
By Talon Bronson in PORTLAND, Oregon, U.S.A. –
I’m not much of a holiday spirit kind of guy, but I love
the Christmas tree lighting celebration in Portland. I
understand why the carols and the cocoa draw thousands
of people to the ceremony each year.
What I can’t understand is why a young man my age would
want to blow it all up.
I was there with my family in Pioneer Courthouse Square
last Friday for the holiday festivities, but it wasn’t
until I got home that I learned federal agents had
arrested 19-year-old Mohamed Osman Mohamud, accusing him
of plotting to set off a bomb there.
The day of the tree lighting was a crisp fall day,
though it felt like winter. I was simply glad that the
bipolar weather that had recently decided to nest upon
the valley’s surface was giving the rain a break.
In Portland, we are definitely used to feeling soggy,
since rain is prevalent most of the year. But my family
had come to the city for the day to see the tree
lighting, and I wasn’t looking forward to standing in
the open public square without an umbrella as the drops
poured down.
We got to the square at about 5:45 p.m. My nose was
numb, and I could see the red tinge of chill on my
sister’s cheeks. But hey, like I said, no rain.
The tree lighting in Portland is a beautiful thing, and
even for me – someone who has never professed to be
much of a ‘holiday spirit’ kind of guy – it really is
fantastic.
Everyone is smiling, everyone is singing (well, almost
everyone . . . you can’t have a crowd of well over a
couple thousand, and not expect a few grinches, I
suppose) and cups of cocoa and coffee are in nearly
every hand.
Cocoa says Christmas for me, and a deep whiff of
peppermint-flavored chocolate makes the scene of the
tree, the band on stage, and the people, just perfect.
So I will always wonder why someone would want to
destroy such a thing.
Read whole story |
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- REVIEWS-
Harry Potter remains magical in
Deathly Hallows, Part 1
By Nancy Hsu in BRISBANE, Australia
–
With all the caliber and heart-wrenching warmness of the
previous Harry Potter movies, the latest installment, Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows Part 1, does not disappoint. To describe the movie without
giving anything away, I have to say that I laughed, cowered in fear, cheered in
fights, cried for loss and welled up with joy for victory.
Read whole story
New Harry Potter will touch fans'
hearts
By Roohani Deshpande in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
-- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One, which opens in
a world which is dark and dangerous, resulting from the rise of
Lord Voldemort, lives up to the high expectations of its fans.
The film is gripping and surprisingly emotional.
Read whole story |
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