The Perfect Storm

The Perfect Storm is a real-life thriller that will leave readers with the taste of salt air on their tongues and a sense of what it feels like to be caught, helpless, in the grip of a savage force of nature (wwnorton).It is a story of six men aboard a sword fishing boat, the Andrea Gail, who get caught in a gargantuan storm in October 1991, off the coast of Nova Scotia. Junger begins to reveal the story by getting us acquainted with the characters and giving us background on their lives. These are men who risk their lives everyday to go out to sea and fish in order to maintain a household. They are not much different than us and therefore this type of character development allows the reader to become in touch with the characters. Also Juger takes the side of a limited third-view point. His approach is to retell the story only by what is known rather than going into the minds of the dead characters. This quote is an example of the descriptive language that is used to pull us into the scene: "Drifting down on swimmers is standard rescue procedure, but the seas are so violent that Buschor keeps getting flung out of reach. There are times when he's thirty feet higher than the men trying to rescue him. . . . If the boat's not going to Buschor, Buschor's going to have to go to it. SWIM! they scream over the rail. SWIM! Buschor rips off his gloves and hood and starts swimming for his life” (Junger). This incorporation of style and use of third-view point allows the reader to experience the spine-chilling terror that the sailors themselves would have gone through. The Perfect Storm is a nonstop page turner which will leave you guessing for what happens next.

Event Narrative with Map

Trips

My knuckles turned white as my left hand gripped the edge of the table. My right hand slowly turned up the edges of the two cards. I shifted my eyes away from my opponent and glanced at the cards. Two Queens. Upon viewing the cards I strained to keep a straight face and not illustrate my excitement. It was the first good hand I had gotten all night. Clock chimed 11:30 as I checked my opponent's bid. Placing in twenty chips, I resumed my game face. I was certain that he could not beat my pair of queens. The dealer flipped the flop. A seven of clubs, a two of spades, and there the third card: a queen of hearts. Even though I was the small stack, I was now situated to dominate this game. It was heads up for a two hundred dollar pot and I had just gotten trip queens. I placed in the minimum fifteen chips and my opponent checked. I was positive that he was bluffing since he undoubtedly could not have anything. The dealer flipped the next card. A five of clubs. Aggravated at the show of cards, I placed in twenty chips, trying to bully around the other kid. Surprisingly he checked my bet and raised my fifteen. I now stared long into his eyes. I had once read on a website that when a person gets excited his pupils dilate. Yet I did not notice any movement as I stared into those deep, mysterious eyes. Weighing all the possibilities I checked his raise. The dealer now began to flip the river. I knew that this card could either make or break me. A king of hearts. Excited I went all in, pushing sixty seven chips into the pot. The kid didn't move for a long time. He was thinking. Deciding that it was too late to go back now, he checked my bet and placed the game on the line. Whoever got this pot would win the game and go home two hundred dollars richer. I flipped my cards showing my trip queens. He stared long and hard at my cards. Adrenaline rushed through my body; a cold chill swept down my spine as my challenger began to flip his cards. Trip kings. Reaching across the table he took the spoils, like a pirate does his treasure. I had failed. Shaking the hand of the dealer, I gave my opponent a respectable nod and left from the game. As I somberly turned away from the table that night, a valuable lesson became instilled in my mind: never be too overconfident.

Strongsville Lore

This picture represents the communities of Strongsville. This house is an average house that you may find anywhere in Strongsville. It represents the families and the goals of upper middle class people. These houses are what embody the spirit of Strongsville. Families that include a mother, a father, two children, and a pet populate the community. These families are what have become the foundation for the town. The parents choose to move to Strongsville in order to provide for a healthy and stimulate environment for their children. They look at the great schools and also at the wonderful neighborhoods when making this decision. These homes are not only bricks and carpet but also a reservoir for memories. These walls witness the firsts steps of the elder son and the first torments of the younger sister. They witness the candles on the birthday cakes and also the twinkle in the eyes of the children at Christmas. These houses are what represent Strongsville.

Slang Dictionary

Here are some commonly used words in a poker that u may not know:

1. Trips = three of a kind
"Mark got trip kings."

2. Ante = A small portion of a bet contributed by each player to seed the pot at the beginning of a poker hand. Also known as blinds in a hold'em game.
"The blinds were at two and four"

3. Flop = the first three community cards
"the flop came seven, two, queen"

4. River = the final and fifth community card
"Tony caught a king on the river"

5. Hand = the two cards that you are dealt initially
"My hand was a three and a jack"

6. Pair = two of a kind
"Sue got a pair of eights"

7. Full House = when one gets a pair and trips
"AJ had a full house, trip fours and a pair of sixes

8. Flush = five cards of the same suite
"the flush was of clubs"

9. Straight = five cards in consecuative order
"Larry got a straight from four to eight"

10. Straight flush = a straight of the same suite
"George won a straight flush, four to eight of hearts"

11. Royal Flush = flush consisting of ten through ace

12. Button = position that the dealer has
"Steve had the button"

For more poker terms visit : http://conjelco.com/pokglossary.html

Weather Folklore

• If the geese on St. Martin's Day (November 11) stand on ice, they will walk in mud at Christmas.
  
  
• If the first snow sticks to the trees, it foretells a bountiful harvest.
  
  
• If sheep feed facing downhill, watch for a snowstorm.
  
  
• If on All Saints Day the beech acorn is dry we will stick behind the stove in winter, but if it is wet and not light the winter will not be dry, but wet.
  
  
• Thunder in November indicates a fertile year to come.
  
  
• If there be ice in November that will bear a duck, there will be nothing thereafter but sleet and muck.
  
  
• As November 21st, so the winter.
  
  
• When the winter is early, it will not be late.
  
  
• Lengthened winter and tardy spring are both good for hay and grain, but bad for corn and garden.
  
  
• December changeable and mild, the whole winter will remain a child.
  
  Visit http://www.almanac.com/holidays/winter/ for more holiday tips.
  

2004 Eclipses

There will be four eclipses in 2004, two of the Sun and two of the Moon. Solar eclipses are visible only in certain areas and require eye protection to be viewed safely. Lunar eclipses are technically visible from the entire night side of Earth, but during a penumbral eclipse, the dimming of the Moon's illumination is slight.

1. Partial eclipse of the Sun, April 19. This eclipse will not be visible in the United States or Canada.

2. Total eclipse of the Moon, May 4. This eclipse will not be visible from most of the United States or Canada.

3. Partial eclipse of the Sun, October 13. Visible from Alaska and Hawaii. In both Alaska and Hawaii, the eclipse will begin about 6:00 p.m. local time and end about sunset.

4. Total eclipse of the Moon, October 27-28. The beginning of the umbral phase will be visible in North America except in the extreme Northwest. The end of the eclipse will be visible throughout North America. The Moon enters penumbra at 8:06 p.m. EDT (5:06 p.m. PDT) and enters umbra at 9:14 p.m. EDT (6:14 p.m. PDT). The Moon enters totality at 10:23 p.m. EDT (7:23 p.m. PDT) and leaves totality at 11:45 p.m. EDT (8:45 p.m. PDT). Finally, the Moon leaves umbra at 12:54 a.m. EDT (9:54 p.m. PDT) and leaves penumbra at 2:03 a.m. EDT (11:03 p.m. PDT).

For full eclipse information visit: http://www.almanac.com/astronomy/eclipses.php

I Live in Poker
By: Aspinder Singh
Thanks To: Ntozake Shange

I live in poker
Is this where you live?
I live here in poker
I live on straight flush street
My friend lives on full-house avenue
Do you live here in poker?
Chips Tumble round me like sunlight basks the trees
Aces lighten my face
Warm as summer in New Delhi
Cold like ice I put in my lemonade
Thinkin they waz lemon juice
I got pair of kings where other guys got twos
& a upright flop for both palms of my hands to hold
I push round the other players like somebody
Else be pushin a stubborn mule
I live in poker
Live in it
Wash in it
I cd even taste it
Wear chips on my fingers
Chips falls so fulla risk
Ya cd make a mountain where yr chip stack is &
Hold yrself
Hold yrself in poker.

Aspinder Singh’s Epitaph

The Body of Aspinder Singh
Gambler,
Like the Deck of Used Cards,
Their Edges Torn
And
Bent Out of their Crisp Shape,
Lies Here
Coasters for Tall Glasses of Lemonade,
But the Bumblebee shall not be Lost,
For They will be Dealt as Sought
Shuffled Once More
In a Fresh and Plastic Coating
Repackaged and Resealed
By the Gambler