Final Quarter 2 Post

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is a great book. I didn't have enough time to finish it over the course of the quarter, however, what with the holidays and basketball and finals. So, I'll tell about what I read. Joe is exhausted and worn out from working on the comics. He is doing the bulk of the work for Empire Comics because of crappy writers (i.e., Jules and his brother and his brother's friends). Joe loves the satisfaction of finishing a comic book, but it has lasted less and less lately, due to his increasingly shrinking hope in getting his family out of Nazi Prague. Every week, he makes an appointment with Herr Milde, and every week, he tells Joe that there is very little possibility that he will get his family exit visas. The week that Joe goes after finishing his latest issue, he arrives at the consulate only to find that his father died. He meets with Sam afterwards, and tells him of his shocking resolution. Joe plans to enlist in the Canadian Royal Air Force. But, halfway there, he decides to turn back and keep trying to win his family free passage into America without stepping into battle. That night, however, Joe found Sam, went to a bar, and got stinking drunk. Like, majorly, totally, uncontrollably drunk. He was crying about how his mother had to live without him and his father, how his brother had to be the man of the family, and how he was without them in their time of need. When they leave the bar, Joe accidentally spits on a man's shoe, and doesn't immediately apologize, and got in a fight with a heavyweight boxer. Big mistake. It certainly made a good story though. It was interesting to see such a pitiful side of Joe in these chapters. He really is made out to be pathetic and hopeless. It's sad.

Quarter 2 Post 10

I've finally had more time to read more of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Joe and Sammy finally finished their first full book with the help of their friends (and their friends). They bring the pages to Sheldon Anapol, Sammy's employer, and Sheldon likes what he sees. He calls down George Deasey, a serious aficionado when it comes to literature, who thinks they are really good pages. However, both bosses have one major problem. On the cover of the comic book, Joe drew The Escapist punching Hitler so hard he broke his jaw! The cover is amazing, but the two think it will be too inflammatory, so they tell Joe to make another one. Sam vehemently refuses, and he has Joe come with him as they walk towards the elevator. Joe can't believe what is happening, but Sam is confident as he pushes the down button. And, just when the elevator arrives, the chapter ends, leaving quite a cliffhanger. I love the negotiation scene, because it shows a vulnerable side to Sam. Sam is described as being nauseous, and like he is about to cry, and like he can't breathe. I appreciated seeing a different side to the usually confident (and sometimes cocky) Samuel Klayman. 

Quarter 2 Post 9

For Christmas, I got two really good books. One was The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling. The other was 100 Things You're Not Supposed to Know. The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a collection of fairy tales, but they're for wizard children. There's also commentary by Albus Dumbledore. He talks about the social impact of these stories on wizarding children. My favorite is called The Fountain of Fair Fortune. It is about three witches who get selected to walk to a magic fountain, but a knight gets dragged along with them. They climb to the top and the first witch is cured of her incurable illness, the second is cured of her poverty, and the third is cured of all her sorrows, so they let the knight bathe in the fountain. The knight falls in love with the third witch, and they live happily ever after. I personally, however, find the commentaries more interesting, because Dumbledore is talking very frankly and humorously about the stories. 100 Things You're Not Supposed to Know is a book about mostly government conspiracies, but there are also some very interesting other stories. One I found especially humorous was the ability to mail letters for free. You see, you simply put your address on the "send to" address and the person's address on the "return to" address, and you don't add postage. So, the letter gets "returned to the sender", which is really the addressee! But it's illegal, so...

Quarter 2 Post 8

Well, I think I'd like to talk about what I think about the book for a change. I thought the beginning was a little weird, what with it being about Clay when he's older. This kinda sets up the book to be one great big flashback, but there are a lot in the book, not just the one big one. I like the format regardless. I think the plot is interesting, especially with the racial undertones. Joe is forced to escape from his country under shady circumstances, only because he is jewish. Sam has never experienced such prejudice, but he still empathizes with Joe. I also appreciate the humor in this book. It's often subtle, but you can tell it's there. For example, when Sam, Joe, and Jules see Jules' older brother's girlfriend naked (one of many, which is another area where humor is implemented), Jules bets Joe that he can't draw her. Joe does, and Jules buys it for a few bucks. However, upon looking at the drawing, Jules realizes that there are no "exposures". When he calls Joe on it, Joe simply replies "Not for 3 bucks." There is not a lot of suspense, but there is a lot of wondering. The book doesn't keep you guessing, rather it kind of hints at what's coming next. But, the unexpected does pop up. For example, when Sam's dad is introduced in the story, one simply assumes that he just leaves and never comes back. The shocking thing is that Sam's dad dies! He leaves without saying goodbye (which was expected, him being described as a deadbeat dad), and a few months later Sam got an article that said his father was crushed by a trailer and died. It is really sad to read, and the worst part is that Sam is completely blindsided. Sam isn't the only one. I totally didn't expect it, and it really shocked me. I can't wait to read the ending of this book, and to see how the boys develop emotionally and fiscally.

Quarter 2 Post 7

Well, this book is getting pretty interesting. Joe and Sam are working to complete their first comic book, The Escapist. They've hired Sam's friend Jules and his roommates to work on the content, but it's up to Joe and Sam to create the cover. The Escapist is a huge man, wearing a tight midnight blue top (long-sleeved) and long midnight blue tights. Emblazoned on his top is a golden skeleton key. He is fighting against the forces of the Iron Chain, who imprison people for evil. Sam made this up after walking by his father's broken dream, a stage where he never perfomed.

Quarter 2 Post 4

Let's see... where did I leave off... oh yeah, Joe and Sam were trying to come up with characters. They go to Jules and his brother's apartment (called Palazzo Studios) to brainstorm. Joe scales a fire escape to try to enter the building (it's locked) and in the process sees a woman in her bed. Jules, the perv that he is, pays Joe 3 dollars to draw it for him. Joe, clever devil that he is, draws it, but leaves out all the "inappropriate" parts. When Jules protests, Joe says "That's all I can remember for 3 dollars." I like that there is some comic humor to this tale. Once the three are in the building, Sam gets an idea. The Escapist is born. Joe draws a quick sketch, and then Sam starts a backstory. The Escapist is Tom Mayflower, an engineer on the set of The Mystical Mysterioso. When The Mysterioso is shot during an act, Tom has to replace him for the last trick. After the performance, Tom goes to Max (The Mystical Mysterioso)'s bedside in his apartment underneath the theater. Max tells a story of how he was kidnapped as a boy, but he was saved by a man from the League of the Golden Key. Max gets a key and is told to liberate others. He then proceeds over the years to find Alois Berg, Omar, and Miss Blossom, all chained in their own way to bondage at the hands of the League of the Iron Chain. This gives Tom (The Escapist) a "why". The "why" is so important to Sam because otherwise a superhero is nothing. I think there is some truth to that statement. If someone is just doing random acts without a reason, wouldn't it seem strange? I think so.

Annotated Bibliographies!

Ford, Peter. "Behind Bad Baby Milk, An Ethical Gap in China's Business." The Christian Science Monitor 17 Sep 2008

The author, dedicated writer for The Christian Science Monitor, comments on the dramatic happening in China. Milk buyers were boosting the milk with melamine, a hazardous chemical, to increase the amount of protein. The buyers would purchase milk from Chinese farmers and add the melamine before selling it to the large corporations. One major company that unknowingly bought the tainted milk, Sanlu was greatly affected my this incident. It appears that these men tainted the milk to get more buyers, because higher protein content means healthier milk, and that would increase demand. This is a serous ethical problem because these men were dangerously injuring many just to make some more money.

Unknown, "Business Ethics." Wikipedia. 2008. Wikimedia. 7 Dec 2008 .

The contributors of this article discuss and define business ethics and it's components. There are examples of issues, different categories, and further links on business ethics. This illuminates my topic because it further defines it. My paper is about business ethics, but more specifically ethics and production. This is defined as defective/dangerous products, ethical relations between the company and the environment, ethical problems out of new technologies, and product testing ethics.

Multiple Authors, "SIRS Leading Issues: Business Ethics." 2008: 1-7. SIRS. SIRS Researcher. Business Ethics. 08 Dec 2008 .

This is a comprehensive compilation of written documents pertaining to business ethics. The multiple authors discuss what business ethics is, examples of it, and different sides of the issue. This is different from my other sources because it is a compilation of documents, not just one document. This is a research guide intended for students writing a research paper.

TodaysMarketer, "Business Ethics." [Weblog HubPages] HubPages. 8 Dec 2008 http://hubpages.com/hub/businessethics.

This is a blog about business ethics. It defines it and even gives other sources to find info on business ethics. It appears that this blog is geared more towards working adults. It discusses resources for business ethics which points towards business managers teaching about ethics.

Quarter 2 post 4

Joe Kavalier has arrived in New York, and is staying with Samuel Klayman. Soon after his arrival, Sam sees some drawings Joe has done and thinks they're impressive. Sam gets an idea. He takes Joe to his boss, Sheldon Anapol, to offer him a business proposition. While Sam propagates, Joe quickly tries to complete a portfolio, considering he left his real one in Prague. Sam is a great talker, so Shelly (that's Sam's nickname for his boss) decides to call down the publisher. The publisher, Sheldon's brother-in-law, comes down and, upon seeing Joe's impromptu portfolio, gives the two a week to come up with a character and a storyline, compiled into a rough comic book. Sam and Joe are elated, and they immediately get to thinking up ideas. They also decide to take aliases, that of Kavalier and Clay. Sam realizes that they need more people to help fill out the comic book. He takes Joe on a little walk, and after a few blocks, they run into a friend of Sam's, Julius. Julius, or Jules, also has an older brother who enjoys drawing as well. Jules, after a little persuasion and an offer to get a cut of the pay, agrees to help Sam out with his comic book. He also tells Sam that he will get his brother in on the production. I personally think it is so cool that they are creating comic books. I would love to have "comic book creator" as my profession.

Quarter 2 Post 3

For now, the story decides to follow Joe as he continues his escape from Prague. He and Kornblum intend to sneak Joe out in the coffin of the Golem, a Jewish relic made out of clay. They plan to disguise the Golem as a dead giant that needs to be shipped to his home in Lithuania. However, in order to smuggle the Golem out of the country, Kavalier and Kornblum need to find the Golem. Rumor has it that it is hidden in an undisclosed apartment in the city. The two disguise themselves as census collectors and go around the building seeing who is and isn't answering the door. They figure out that there's a window where nobody sees any faces during the day. So, they break in through the window that night and find the Golem in it's simple pine coffin. They get it out the window and manage to get the coffin back to Kornblum's apartment. Now there's a problem. The Golem is a clay sculpture. Joe and Kornblum need him to be a dead giant. They need clothes. Joe is forced to confront his shame and go to his house to retrieve some of his father's patients' clothes. In the dark of night, he goes to his apartment building, sneaks in, and goes to his door. He is surprised to find his little brother sleeping at the door! He eventually wakes up, and swears him to secrecy. He gets the clothes and leaves. Joe has a really hard time with talking to his brother, because he was stiff and cold when he left on the train. Having to run into his brother and face his feelings was difficult, but Joe feels better after leaving his house because he feels redeemed for being so mean to his family. Joe and Kornblum manage to smuggle the Golem out, and Joe makes it to Lithuania. He then succeeds in somehow getting to Japan where he boards a ship for San Francisco, wires Mrs. Klayman for money, and arrives at Sam Klayman's Brooklyn apartment.

Quarter 2-Post 2

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is a good book. So far, I've learned that Sammy Clay is just another Brooklyn teenager, but he doesn't go to school, so I think it's summer. He lives in a very small apartment. Joe Kavalier has a more interesting history. He grew up in Prague, and when Hitler and the Nazis invaded, his family used up every penny to get him out, and the only reason they could was because he was born out of Czechloslovakia and his aunt is a foreigner. But, ten km from the border, Joe is stopped and thrown off his train because, after the immigration laws were changed that morning, he was one stamp short of having a complete exit visa. When he gets back to his hometown, he's so ashamed of himself that he goes to his magic teacher's house to ask for help. Then, there's a flashback to Kavalier learning the art of Houdini-style escape. His teacher, Bernard Kornblum, is the most famous escape artist since the great Houdini. Josef would go to magic lessons twice a week where he learned how to escape from chains, pick locks, and learn how to control his breath. Meanwhile, Sammy Clay is collecting comic books and hiding his cigarettes from his mom. When Joe arrives at Sam's house, (the book skips around a lot as far as time goes) he uses Sam's old cigarettes to create a cigarette for them to share. It's a very ingenius, and it actually works. I think it's interesting how Kavalier and Clay smoke like chimneys, but Joe is only 19 and Sam is only 16. Sam works for a company that sells everything, from seeds and candy bars to combs and shoelaces.  I wonder why the boy isn't in school. Also, Joe is very connected to his family, which, considering the circumstances of his life. He probably wasn't allowed to go to college, so he lives at home and helps support his family. Imagine how hard it would be to have to live at home with your whole family and have no creative outlet.

2nd Quarter Book

The book I chose to read for my quarter 2 outside reading book is The Amazing Adventres of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. I chose to read it because I heard it was a good book from a lot of people, like my older sister. It's about a Jewish artist/escape artist who escapes Nazi-invaded Prague and ends up in New York City. He and his cousin (from Brooklyn) Sammy Clay create stories, characters, and art for comic books that they plan to introduce to America. Some of the characters they create are the Escapist, the Monitor, and Luna Moth. It's supposed to be funny, so I think I'll enjoy it.