New York man says he set woman on fire over debt

  A surveillance video caught a 47 year old man named Jerome Isaac setting a woman on fire who was identified as being  a 73 year old woman named Deloris Guillepsie. As Guillepsie was exiting the elevator in her new york apartment with her groceries, Isaac sprayed her down with flammable liquid and set the elevator on fire. Neighbors saw the elevator fire and reported it, but they had no idea that there was someone in there.
  Isaac, who turned himself in to the police department that same night claimed he did it because Deloris Guillepsie owed him $2,000 for some work he had done for her. Reports say that Isaac also set his own apartment on fire and hid in the roof before turning himself in. He was arrested for arson and murder charges.
  This news was really sad to read and I wish I had never read it, and written about it, and I'm sorry you have to read it too now Miss Kirkman. I feel so bad for that old lady, all she wanted to do was take her groceries home. Moral of the story is, never owe anyone anything!

"The Fall of the House of Usher"

  The story, "The Fall of the House of Usher", written by Edgar Allan Poe, is an example of gothic literature. The story begins with a vivid description of the Usher home. Poe describes the house as being decayed, dull, and isolated. Throughout the story we learn that the house is a clear reflection of its two owners, Roderick and Madeline Usher, who are siblings that come from a long line of incestuous marriages. Roderick Usher writes the narrator a letter asking him to visit because he is ill and knows he does not have much time left to live. When the narrator arrives at the house, he feels the dark and gloomy environment that the Ushers live in which gives the hint that something is not right.

  Just like their house, Roderick and Madeline are close to collapsing. Both suffer from illnesses due to their families long line of intermarriages. Thinking she was dead, Roderick and the narrator buried Madeline alive. While the narrator was reading Roderick a story, he begins to hear suspicious noises and wonders where they're coming from. He hears Roderick mumbling that he has been hearing those sounds for days and thinks they have buried Madeline alive. A door opens and Madeline attacks Roderick, and Roderick dies in fear. The narrator then escapes the house as it collapses to the ground completely.

Details emerge about Hollywood shooting rampage

On Friday, December 09, at approximately 10:19 a.m., a man named Tyler Brehm began firing his handgun on passing cars and pedestrians on Sunset Boulevard and Vine street, which is located here in Los Angeles. New information has emerged that he had just broken up with his girlfriend, Alicia Alligood, of four years and that lately he had been taking heavy prescription drugs to ease his stress. Police believe that he had shot about 20 rounds before he was finally shot dead by the LAPD. He left many people with minor injuries and left one man, a Hollywood music executive named John Atterberry, in critical condition, shooting him in the neck and face. I can only imagine how shocking and painful it must be for his family and friends, and I hope he recovers completely from this horrible shooting. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his loved ones.

The Raven

The Raven, written by Edgar Allan Poe, is an example of American gothic literature due to its mysterious, dark, and frightening tone. The story is set in a huge isolated house during a cold December night. The narrator gets a visit from a raven, who he believes is a ghost. The narrator seems to have psychological issues caused by a painful loss that has had a negative impact on his mentality. The raven signifies the narrators lost love, Lenore, who evidently dwells in his mind and has an actual sprit which lives through the bird. From the depiction of the text, the reader can tell that the loss of Lenore was a dark and unhappy one, which has left an unescapable darkness and unhappiness in his soul. Lenore is forever haunting him in his head, and his imagination seems to be turning into his reality. I personally enjoyed reading this story because of the supernatural setting and events that Poe has provided in his work.

"Carjackers jump in car, see stick shift, and run away"

On Friday, December 2nd, a 45 year old man and his 23 year old girlfriend were approached by two Florida carjackers. One of the men pulled out a handgun and threatened the couple to hand over their cash, their cell phones, and to step out of their vehicle. Then, the two carjackers jumped in the vehicle and just as they were about to drive off, they realized the vehicle was a stick shift, which none of them knew how to drive, so they fled the car and ran away. I personally found this article to be very amusing, those two men are a disgrace to carjackers everywhere!

Favortie part of "The Scarlet Letter"

We have recently finished reading the novel, "The Scarlet Letter", written by Nathaniel Hawethorne, in Ms. Kirkman's AP English class. My favorite part of the novel was the ending when Dimmesdale confessed to being Hester's lover and Pearl's father. After Dimmesdale finishes his sermon, he invites Hester and Pearl on to the scaffold, and there in front of the entire town he reveals the "A" on his chest and admits to being an adulterer. After years of carrying around all of his guilt and being tortured every single day by it, his revelation takes all the burden off of his shoulders in a very electrifying manner. Because of the relief and consolation, Dimmesdale dies peacefully then and there, in front of the entire town. I really enjoyed reading this part because it connected the entire story together and gave me a satisfying outcome. I especially enjoyed Dimmesdales dramatic and relieving death