Anything But Ordinary

Twilight Post 5

2009-01-11T13:20:00.000-08:00

When I think about why Twilight is so addicting, I think the way it is written is the answer. Reading from Bella's perspective gives me a raw look at how she thinks. Bella's weaknesses are obvious to her, but her undiscovered strengths are what are obvious to me. Sure, Bella is a fragile human, but she is so determined and selfless. Bella risks her life to prevent Edward and his family from getting hurt. She has no fear for what will happen to her. Some may call this stupidity, but I think it's an amazing quality.

Twilight Post 4

2008-12-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

Bella is safe and wakes up in the hospital. It's pretty funny when Edward kisses her and her heart literally stops for a second. Bella's mom, Renee, tells Bella she thinks Edward is in love with her. It's funny to Bella how other people think Edward is just an average highschooler. Bella pleads with Edward to not leave her side, but she's really pleading for him to stay with her forever. It is really sweet that Edward takes Bella to the prom. Edward wants to make sure she can enjoy being human, perhaps because he expects she won't stay human long.

Twilight Post 3

2008-12-29T16:03:00.000-08:00

Right now in Twilight, Bella is being watched by Alice and Jasper. It's really scary when Bella sees Alice drawing where she sees James is heading to, and the place is Bella's mom's house. Bella is very selfless. She worries only about the Cullens, not thinking once about her safety. When James calls her, saying he has her mother, Bella immediately goes along with his instructions. Bella leaves a note for Edward asking for him to not go after James. Bella doesn't want there to be a chance for him to get hurt. It's interesting in a way, that Bell and Edward see each other as in need of protection. I mean, Edward is practically indestructible. It must be Bella's caring for Edward and the Cullens that makes her think somewhat irrationally.

Twilight Post 2

2008-12-26T19:29:00.000-08:00

When the nomadic vampires (Victoria, James, and Laurent) arrive, Bella notices obvious differences between the them and the Cullens. They walk cat-like, have red eyes, and, of course, hunt humans. The scene is very tense as soon as James realizes Bella is human. Once they are able to drive away, Edward loses control of his emotions for the first time in the book. Edward usually acts cool-headed, but he now acts as though the only option is to run away from James for as long as possible. When Bella shares her plan to tell Charlie she's going to Phoenix, Edward lets up a little. Alice convinces Edward to leave Bella with her and Jasper. Edward's initial reaction really shows how much Bella means to him. Edward can't bear to risk Bella getting hurt.

Twilight Post 1

2008-12-16T18:06:00.000-08:00

Twilight is going well, right now Edward is telling Bella about Carlisle's history. When Carlisle was turned into a vampire he had a powerful urge to drink human blood. He fought against it, though, and eventually grew immune to the urge. It must have taken incredible amounts of self-control to not kill anyone. Carlisle became a doctor and eventually saved Edward and Esme while they were dying.

One of the most creative ideas from the book is the Cullen's playing baseball. They wait till a thunderstorm, then play in a large clearing. The vampires hit the ball so hard that it sounds like thunder. Whenever there is a thunderstorm I might wonder who's playing baseball. :)

Howl's Moving Castle Part 5

2008-12-09T16:21:00.000-08:00

This is my last post for Howl's Moving Castle. I'm reading Twilight next.

Howl's Moving Castle ended like a fairytale. After Howl defeats the Witch of the Waste, Sophie is able to free Calcifer, who was once a shooting star. Lettie likes the rescued Wizard Suliman, and Martha and Michael stay together. The scarecrow was really Prince Justin under a spell. Though free, Calcifer returns to the fireplace. Sophie and Howl fall in love, her spell breaks, and Sophie is young again. The end.

Twilight:

Bella reactions in the book are rather amusing. She is calm when Edward tells her about reading minds and she isn't afraid of his family. When she sees a cross in the Cullen house, though, she is shocked.

It was very interesting when Bella had the nightmare with Edward, Jacob, and Mike. She didn't fear for her own life when she saw Edward, she was afraid of him being hurt when Jacob turned into a werewolf and was going to attack him.

torure links and notes

2008-12-08T11:34:00.000-08:00

against torture:

http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2008/07/15/2569/on_us_and_torture_a_look_back_and_a_route_forward

http://www.refugemediaproject.org/projects.other.php#video

http://www.campaigntobantorture.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=150&Itemid=89

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0627/p02s01-uspo.html

http://www.cvt.org/main.php/Newsroom

http://www.cvt.org/main.php/Advocacy/TheCampaigntoStopTorture/WhatCVTknowsaboutTorture

for torture:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-smerconish/in-support-of-torture_b_10783.html

http://ncronline.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2006a/032406/032406h.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/6063386.stm

http://bbsnews.net/article.php/20071103022922321

Torture Notes

2008-12-07T16:27:00.000-08:00

Is torture effective and ethical?
more specifically: Should waterboarding be used by the U.S.?

Hitchens, Christopher. "Believe Me, It's Torture." SIRS. 2008. 7 Dec 2008 http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMN0307H-0-6805&artno=0000283287&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=Believe%20Me%2C%20It%27s%20Torture&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=N.

Christopher Hitchens experienced waterboarding firsthand to judge whether or not it is really torture. This is the definition of the torture from the contract he signed:

' "Water boarding" is a potentially dangerous activity in which the participant can receive serious and permanent (physical, emotional and psychological) injuries and even death, including injuries and death due to the respiratory and neurological systems of the body. '

Hitchens admits that this form of torture is not nearly as bad as others, so it is not like the U.S. is as bad as Al-Quaeda or anything. Hitchens believes that waterboarding is torture and we should not use it, as it can easily lead to enemies using torture against our troops. Though torture is used to get information, it doesn't get all true information. A CIA report of a terror suspect stated that the information they recieved from torture was "not all of it reliable." Last, Hitchens believes that waterboarding is opening a gateway for harsher techniques.

Miller, Greg. "Waterboarding Is Still an Option." SIRS. 2008. 7 Dec 2008 .

Greg Miller reports how waterboarding was confirmed to be legal by the White House. He states that the tactic was only used on 9/11 suspects. He defines waterboarding and its origin:

"Waterboarding refers to a practice that involves strapping down a prisoner, placing a cloth over his face and dousing him with water to simulate the sensation of drowning. The technique has been traced to the Spanish Inquisition and has been the subject of war-crimes trials dating back a century."

Miller says Republicans are divided on the issue. McCain has been trying to outlaw it, though, saying it violates the Geneva Convention. CIA Director Michael Hayden says not letting the CIA used such techniques will endanger Americans. An anonymous official thinks waterboarding should not be considered torture. In order to train American troops in case of capture, waterboarding methods are used on them. The officer says waterboarding doesn't affect people intellectualy like other forms of torture. If that was not the case they wouldn't have used the method.

Howl's Moving Castle Part 4

2008-12-02T20:43:00.000-08:00

Hey!

It seems that Howl is getting along with Sophie, as he didn't get mad at her for following him.

About the spell Michael was trying to decipher: Howl says he mixed some papers up and the spell was just a poem that belonged to his nephew. Howl takes Sophie and Michael through the one unknown door. Through the door is another world, which appears to be in modern times. This is quite an interesting twist, as Howl is actually from here. Howl returns the poem to his nephew, visits the nephew's teacher to get the spell that the poem had been switched with. The teacher, named Ms. Angorian, gives the spell back. While there, Howl suddenly puts his hand on his heart. When back inside the castle, Calcifer says he felt it, too. Howl explains that the Witch of the Waste put a curse on him that he would have to return to her after 10,000 days. The day is closing in when Howl will have to face her.

Pretending to be Howl's mother, Sophie talks to Mrs. Pentstemmon, Howl's former teacher who works for the king. She hopes that she will discourage the teacher from making Howl find the King's brother. Howl has enough to deal with now that he has to face the Witch.

Sophie has changed so much since the story began! She used to be a shy, unsure girl who wanted to blend in. Since the spell was put on her, she has been outspoken and fearless. She seems to be gaining respect as the story progresses. I wonder what will break the spell, though. She can't stay an old lady forever, after all. Maybe Howl will help her, if he can stop being narcissistic for one second...

Next week is part 5! :)

Howl's Moving Castle Part 3

2008-11-25T20:48:00.000-08:00

Where last week's post left off, the creepy scarecrow was trying to get inside the castle. Scary!

The castle moves fast enough to escape the scarecrow.

There is some confusion with Howl liking Lettie, Sophie's sister. Howl likes the real Lettie, while Michael likes Martha who is disguised as Lettie. By the way, Michael is 15 years old, so it works for him to like Martha since she is his age. Sophie and Michael sneak out to visit the witch the Lettie is apprentice to. Sophie sees Lettie not disguised as Martha, and she is with Howl. Michael just figures it's a coincidence that there are two Letties, who look alike...

Michael has trouble with a spell, which looks more like riddle. One line says catch a falling star, so he and Sophie go outside to try and catch one. They eventually see one nearby as it falls to the ground. Michael is about to catch it, saying that he can save it. The star looks at him and says it would rather sputter out. The falling star kind of resembles Calcifer...probably because both are balls of fire that somehow can talk...

Howl comes back to the castle after Sophie and Michael return. He says he knows that the two were at the witch's house...

Come back next week for part 4!

Howl's Moving Castle Part 2

2008-11-18T15:11:00.000-08:00

In the last post, I described the beginning of Howl's Moving Castle. So now, here is part 2. Enjoy. :)

Sophie wakes up by daylight, and sees how incredibly dirty the room is. The view outside the window is of a street with an unpaved road and poor-looking houses. Michael offers her a cold breakfast, saying Howl is the only one Calcifer allows to cook food over the fire. Sophie threatens Cacifer that she'l break their bargain, and Calcifer yields. Howl arrives, and he turns out to be th blond young man in the blue and silver outfit that Sophie had run into, though Howl doesn't recognize her since she is old now. Howl remarks "Not many people can do that," when he sees Sophie cooking over the fire. This seems to hint of the hidden potential that Sophie has inside her. Howl isn't wicked as the myths about him say. Sophie tells Howl that she is the new cleaning lady and that she will be staying at the castle for about a month. Sophie learns that the front door's knob can be adjusted to go to four different places: two cities, Porthaven and Kingsbury, wherever the castle is llocated, and an unknown place. In the two cities, from the outside the castle is a magician's house.

Sophie starts cleaning, and isn't fearful of Howl getting annoyed at her. Sophie realizes that her attitude has changed a lot since the spell was cast on her. "It was odd. As a girl, Sophie would have shriveled with embarassment at the way she was behaving. As an old woman, she did not mind what she did or said. she found that a great relief." (p. 83) Sophie is taking advantage of becoming pretty much a different person bybecoming the person she is naturally.

Howl ignores Sophie, Michael says this is because he is busy trying to make a girl fall in love with him. Howl has a foolish habit of making girls fall in love with him, then ditching them. Howl is after Lettie Hatter, though it's actually Martha in disguise, and Sophie is quite annoyed with him. She hopes to be able to tell Martha about Howl. Later, when Howl and Michael have left, Sophie hears a knock on the door. It's coming from outside the moving castle. Opening the door, Sophie sees the turnip-faced scarecrow. It's running after the castle, trying to get inside!

To be continued next week. :)

Howl's Moving Castle Part 1

2008-11-11T16:26:00.001-08:00

Hi Readers!

About a month ago, I saw the movie Howl's Moving Castle. It was beautifully animated and the story was incredible. I decided to start the novel that the movie was based on. So, if you've seen the movie, I hope you will enjoy my posts on the book that started it all. If you haven't seen the movie yet, I hope this inspires you to see it! :)

Chapters 1-3

Sophie is the eldest of three girls. She lives in Market Chipping, in a far off land called Ingary. In the land there is talk of a very powerful and mysterious witch and wizard. Sophie spends her time making hats at the hat shop her family owns, expecting that making hats will be her fate for the rest of her life. In Ingary, it is a commonly accepted fact that the youngest daughter will be the luckiest, having a fairytale life. The eldest will forever be the one making mistakes her sisters will learn from. Sophie has two sisters, Lettie and Martha, her step-sister Martha is the youngest. Her step-mother Fanny seems a little young to be Sophie's mother, but she is kind.

Remember the witch and wizard mentioned earlier? There is gossip about the Witch of the Waste, as a tall black moving castle has been seen in the distance and some think it is hers. It turns out the castle belongs to the wizard Howl, who supposedly sucks out young girls' souls.

One day, Mr. Hatter, Sophie's father, dies suddenly. Sophie and her sisters are forced by Fanny to become apprentices at different shops to support the family. Sophie isn't surprised to find herself staying at the hat shop to be an apprentice. Despite Sophie's quiet acceptance that her life as the eldest daughter will be boring, "she wanted to do something - she was not sure what - that had a bit more interest to it than simply trimming hats." (pg. 15) This is one of Sophie's characteristic that is admirable. She doesn't get completely settled into her set life, she still hopes and wishes. Sophie makes the most out of her situation by making the best hats in the town.

Another piece of gossip is heard by Sophie- the King's brother, Prince Justin, has disappeared into exile. Then, while searching for his brother, the King fell in love with a local girl. "Sophie listened and felt sad. Interesting things did seem to happen, but always to somebody else." (17) Sophie does feel disheartened at times like this, but she pushes her negative thoughts away and continues her work.

Out walking in the streets, Sophie sees Howl's castle scarily close, almost blending in with the houses. "What made me think I wanted life to be interesting?'' Sophie asks herself. She bumps into a blond young man wearing a dazzling silver and blue costume. Not used to boys looking at her slightly mousy face, Sophie keeps walking.

She arrives at the bakery where her sister Lettie works. Surprisingly, Martha is there instead, as Lettie and Martha switched places. They used a spell. from the witch Lettie is now working for, to make them look like the other. This is an example of people changing their fates.

Later, while Sophie is alone in the hat shop, a beautiful, wealthy woman arrives with a strange reddish-haired man behind her. The mysterious woman acts rude, and Sophie asks why she came if she doesn't like the hats. The woman reveals herself to be the Witch of the Waste, saying she doesn't like competition, and transforms Sophie into an old woman! As the Witch leaves, she mentions that Sophie will not be able to tell anyone about the spell she is under.

Despite the terrible situation Sophie is in, she remains calm and clearminded. Sophie decides that she can't stay at home and sets off, though she might not know where. This is the chance that Sophie has longed for- to be free to explore the world, even if her joints are achier than she expected them to be.

Sophie begins to work her way uphill once out of the city. In need of a walking stick, Sophie pulls at a stick in some hedges. It is really a scarecrow that had tipped over, so Sophie sets the turnip-faced scarecrow upright and looks elsewhere. Sophie soon finds a helpless dog that is stuck from its leash being wrapped around a stick in the ground. Sophie frees the dog and taked the stick. As the cold wind blows harder, Sophie looks for shelter. Howl's castle in moving nearby, and with new-found courage, Sophie decides she will stay in the castle.

The castle comes to a stop, and Sophie enters through the back door that is held open by a young boy. Sophie ignores him, sitting down in front of the fireplace. The boy says Howl isn't there and won't be back for awhile, and he says he's Howl's apprentice. The boy's name is Michael. Sophie falls asleep, not fearing the wizard Howl. After all, he was rumored to prey on young girls, not a wrinkly old lady that had become.

Sophie wakes in the middle of the night, and realizes the fire in front of her looks like it has a face. The fire speaks, saying he notices Sophie is under a spell and that he is a fire demon and is bound to the castle. Sophie asks if the fire, who's name is Calcifer, can remove the spell. Calcifer says he needs to study it for awhile. He tells Sophie he will break her spell if she breaks the spell he's under. Though suspicious of the demon, Sophie identifies with his longing to be free from maintaining the castle all the time. Sophie agrees to the deal, and Calcifer tells her she'll have to stay for about a month so she can figure out how to break the spell. Neither Howl nor Calcifer can reveal what the spell is. Sophie tells him to find an excuse for Sophie so Howl won't be suspicious. Sophie falls asleep, pleased she will be free of the spell soon...

Come back next week for part 2!

Murder on the Orient Express Part 7

2008-10-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

Hey Readers!

This is the final post, concluding the Murder on the Orient Express. So far, the mystery has been a baffling jumble of clues that don't seem to add up. When the last part left off, Poirot said there were two possible solutions. This should be interesting...

Everyone gathers in the restaurant car, Greta Ohlsson is crying, and Mrs. Hubbard is comforting her as Poirot stands up. Poirot states that there are two possible solutions to the crime, and M. Bouc and Dr. Constantine will judge which solution is correct.

Poirot states the facts about the case: Ratchett was alive at 12:37 when he talked to the conductor, and he was found stabbed in the morning.A watch in his pocket read 1:15. Dr. Constantine believes the death was between 12 and 2 a.m. At 12:30 a.m. the train ran into a snowdrift, after that time no one could possible leave the train. The evidence of Mr. Hardman, whom Poirot reveals to be a New York detective, was that no one could have passed his compartment on the end without his notice. This means that the possible murderers are all present.

"That, I will say, was our theory." Poirot says, startling M. Bouc. Poirot continues, saying Ratchett gave Hardman a description of a man that would attempt to kill him. The enemy slipped in at one of the train stops, disguised himself as a conductor, used the pass key, murdered Ratchett, left through the communicating door into Mrs. Hubbard's room, put the weapon in her bag, unintentionally lost a button, put the uniform in a suitcase in an empty compartment, and left before the train started moving. M. Bouc thinks this explanation absurd, asking about details such as the watch and the voices heard inside the compartment. The suspects ask a few questions, too, but seem appeased with the theory. Dr. Constantine refuses to believe the story. Poirot reminds everyone there is a second explanation, but to M. Bouc and Dr. Constantine he reminds to keep the first solution in mind.

Poirot says the second solution was thought up by M. Bouc wondering why such a diverse group would be in the same train car. Poirot thought it was odd, the group could only be found in America. Each of the suspects had a role in the Armstrong family and household. Poirot was able to "cast each person for a certain part in the Armstrong drama."

While interviewing Hector MacQueen for a second time, Poirot described a note mentioning the Armstrong case. Hector replied saying "But surely-" and pasued awkwardly, finishing "I mean- that was rather careless of the old man." Poirot suspects that Hector was about to say "But surely that was burnt!" This would mean MacQueen knew about the burned note, thus he would be the murderer or an accomplice. Poirot doesn't think Ratchett would intentionally take his usual sleeping draught, as he expected a murder attempt. and he had a gun under his pilow. MacQueen or the valet could have given him it. Poirot believes that Hardman is a detective, but thinks that Hardman didn't do much to protect Ratchett. He only proved that no one came from another car to murder him. Poirot noticed that the Colonel and Ms. Debenham didn't act like strangers to each other, though they said they were. Mrs. Hubbard's bag was supposedly covering her view of the bolt on the communicating door, but it didn't. Poirot believes that the story was made up. The watch was placed in Ratchett's shirt pocket, an unlikely place for him to put it. So, the crime was not committed at 1:15. Ratchett supposedly cried out in the night, and answered the conductor in french. Ratchett was drugged at the time and didn't speak any language. Poirot's opinion is that Ratchett was killed around 2:00. Poirot thought it was an interesting coincidence that suspects that would probably not know each other from before the train provided alibis for each other. One example is the English valet and the Italian.

Then, Poirot says, he saw the light. It was impossible for so many people connected to the Armstrong case to be in the same train car by coincidence. The Colonel had made a remark about a trial by jury. That is what the murder was. There are twelve people in a jury, twelve passengers in the train car, and twelve stab wounds on the body. The threatening letters MacQueen showed were fake, Hardman wasn't asked to be a bodyguard, and the small, dark man never existed. The twelve people had carefully planned the whole thing, which included false clues. The conductor Pierre was one of the murderers, as the Count took his wife's place so he would be telling the truth when saying she never left her compartment.

Pierre was related to the French maid who killed herself. Hildegarde was a cook for the Armstrong family. Hardman was in love with the maid. Mrs. Hubbard is really Linda Arden, and actress, and Sonia Armstrong's mother. The Colonel was best friends with Colonel Armstrong. She explains how everyone got together and planned the murder. After planning how to murder Ratchett, MacQueen influenced Ratchett to ride the Orient Express at a time when Pierre michel was on duty.

Mrs. Hubbard asks for the blame to be put only on her. She says the murder was to prevent further kidnappings and to avenge all the deaths Cassetti caused. Poirot asks M. Bouc and Dr. Constantine what they think. They both agree that the solution was the first one.

"Then" Poirot says, "having placed my solution before you , I have honor to retire from the case..."

THE END.

Murder on the Orient Express Part 6

2008-10-21T17:20:00.000-07:00

Hey Readers!

Poirot, Dr. Constantine, and M. Bouc ponder the information and clues they have...

They three are puzzled by the information they have received. The only fact known for sure are the twelve stab wounds. The time of the murder was based off of the broken watch, so it could either be right or wrong. It's hard to prove whether Hardman is really a detective or not, because the train is still stuck in snow. The small, dark man with a womanish voice suspect was based on four direct or indirect testimonies. The three discuss whether he is real and if so, where is he or who is wearing a disguise? Perhaps the woman with the red kimono and the small man in the conductor's uniform were accomplices. Poirot says the kimono will probably be found in a man's luggage, and. if Hildegarde Schmidt is innocent, the uniform will be found in her luggage. While the Doctor and M.Bouc think about this odd prophecy, Mrs. Hubbard comes in. She yells that she found a bloody knife in her purse, and faints!

The knife is inspected and Mrs. H gets some liquor. M. Bouc comes up with a theory: the murderer left Ratchett's room, came through the connecting door to Mrs.H's room, drops the knife in her purse, and ran out her door. Poirot nods, but gives one of his puzzled looks. Mrs. H moves into another room. Her luggage is inspected, but nothing is found.

Poirot searches the other passengers' luggage. The Colonel has a pack of pipe cleaners. Poirot talks to the Princess, who wanted a brutal murder for Cassetti, but wouldn't have the strength to commit one. Miss Debenham is talked with, and she starts to lose her temper. The uniform is in Hildegarde's luggage. Poirot calms her, saying she is innocent and "you are a good cook, are you not?" She replies: "Yes, indeed, all my ladies have said so. I-", she looks scared again. A key is found in the uniform's pocket, one that could unlock all doors. Poirot finds the kimono in his luggage.

After meeting up with M.Bouc and the doctor, Poirot says he found some valuable information. MacQueen mentioned that Ratchett didn't know any languages. On the night of the murder, the conductor knocked on his door. Someone in his compartment said it was an accident, in French. The phrase was not an easy one to say, either. They go back to the watch, and how if the time was changed the only good time to go in Ratchett's compartment would have been when the train was at a stop. The handkerchief could belong to Mrs. H, Hildegarde, or Hermione Debenham. The doctor thinks it belongs to Mrs. H, M. Bouc thinks Ms. Debenham. The doctor thinks the pipe cleaner was dropped on purpose to incriminate the Colonel. No one could be disguised as the small dark man, because they are too tall, too broad, or didn't leave their rooms the whole night. As they talk about how two people could have committed the crime, Poirot wants to know who did it.

As confusing as the mystery keeps getting, Poirot has a few theories. He says: "a remark made by M. Bouc...we were surrounded by people of all classes, of all nationalities...somewhat rare at this time of year...the position of Mrs. Hubbard's sponge-bag, the name of Mrs. Armstrong's mother, the detective methods of M. Hardman, the suggestion of M. McQueen that Ratchett himself destroyed the charred note we found, Princess Dragomiroff's Christian name, and a grease spot on a Hungarian passport." Poirotthinks the Countess' real name is Helena Goldenberg, sister of Mrs. Armstrong. Countess Andrenyi spilled grease on her passport to not show her Christian name and possible suspicion and Princess Dragomiroff lied about knowing where Daisy's aunt is.

The Countess confesses she is Helena Goldberg. She didn't want to be blamed for the murder. She stills says the handekerchief isn't hers. Poirot asks about the nurse who killed herself. Her name was Suzanne and she was French, but Helena doesn't now her last name. Helena says the name of the governess was Stengleberg.

Poirot thinks Helena is innocent. Princess Dragomiroff walks in, saying: "I believe, Monsieur...that you have a handkerchief of mine." The Princess explains that the "H" on the handkerchief is the Russian character "N." She doesn't know how the handkerchief got in Ratchett's room.

The Colonel is interviewed again. He says he didn't kill Ratchett, and didn't even talk to him. Poirot about what Ms. Debenham said to the Colonel: "Not now. When it's all over. When it's behind us," but Arbuthnot refuses to tell him.

Ms. Debenham is talked to, and Poirot gets her to admit being the governess. She was afraid that if people found out she had any connection to the Armstrongs they might not hire her. Mary tells Poirot she did not recognize Countess Andrenyi, since she hadn't seen her for three years. Mary breaks down in tears and Colonel Arbuthnot, still in the room, threatens Poirot. M. Bouc is, again, astonished at Poirot's abilities, he cannot figure how he knew the Mary worked at the Armstrong house. Poirot tells M. Bouc he knew it was Mary because the Countess tried so hard to protect her. The Countess described her governess as a big, red-haired woman—the exact opposite of Mary. The countess, thinking of Debenham, told Poirot the name of her governess was Freebody. In London there is a store Debenham and Freebody—it was the first name she thought of.

M. Bouc says he wouldn't be surprised if everyone on the coach had something to do with the Armstrong family. Poirot tells him that his remark is profound. The Italian is called once again to the dining car. Antonio admits he was the Armstrong's chauffer, but that he didn't murder Ratchett. Greta Ohlsson is called in. She admits she was Daisy Armstrong's nurse and regrets not telling Poirot earlier. Masterman is called next. Masterman immediately approaches Poirot and immediately tells Poirot he was Colonel Armstrong's batman ( I'm not sure what that is) in the War and was his valet afterwards. Masterman pleads Antonio's innocence, saying Antonio is harmless.

Hardman comes in. Hardman says he had no connection, and thinks he is the only one without a connection. Hardman asks if Poirot has any idea about the identities of the American and her maid. Poirot, smiling, suggests they might be the cook and the housekeeper. Hardman asks if Poirot knows who murdered Ratchett. Poirot replies: "I have known for some time." He tells Hardman to call all of the passengers into the room.

Come back next week for the conclusion!

Murder on the Orient Express Part 5

2008-10-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

Hey Readers!

This post will sum up the last of the interviews. This case gets more and more complicated!

Colonel Arbuthnot is up. He speaks coldly, almost rude. Poirot wants his opinion on Ms. Debenham, who is also English and who talks with Colonel a lot. He doesn't think shehad anything to do with the murder or that she knew about Ratchett. At 1:15, he was talking to MacQueen in his room. At 1:45 he left Hector's compartment, and saw the conductor enter the room. He also noticed a woman with strong perfume in the hallway while talking with Hector. He smokes a pipe. The Colonel knew of Col. Armstrong, Daisy's father. Poirot suspects he knew him personally. When thinking about the murder, Arbuthnot says the mafia-like murder should have been a trial by a jury. Poirot looks at him, in thought. The Col. saw someone in Cyrus Hardman's room looking out suspiciously. Poirot thinks the phsychology of the murder doesn't quite fit the Colonel, even though he is the only one who smokes a pipe.

The American travelling salesman Cyrus Hardman is next. He dresses flashy and acts kind of cheap. He reveals that he is really a detective, and his personality becomes more normal. Ratchett hired him as a bodyguard. Ratchett told him to look out for a dark, small man with a womanish voice. He didn't know Ratchett was Cassettu, but he didn't know much about the case to begin with. He accepts a cigarette from Poirot, who finds it interesting that Ratchett's description doesn't fit anyone on the train.

The Italian is after Cyrus. He talks a lot. He stayed in his compartment all night. M. Bouc thinks he is guilty, but Poirot points out that there is no evidence against him. The phsychology of the crime is more Anglo-Saxon, Poirot thinks.

Miss Debenham is next. She is quick to answer, and isn't very stressed about the murder. Poiort says that is very Anglo-Saxon of her. She saw a figure in a kimono at 5 a.m.

Poirot thinks the murder is too complicated for people to make up alibis, as M.Bouc thinks. Hildegarde Schmidt is last. She is the Princess' maid. She read to her for 30 minutes that night, but Hildegarde can't remember at what time. She saw a conductor like the person Ratchett described. She doesn't own a kimono. She's stoic and hardly talks. When shown the handkerchief, her face reddens, but she says it isn't hers. She tears up at the mention of the Armstrong case. All three conductors are brought in, and none of them are the one she saw.

Come back for Part 6!

Murder on the Orient Express Part 4

2008-10-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

Hi Readers,

Last post left off whe nPoirot is interviewing suspects. As you know, there are still more people to go...

The Swedish lady is questioned next. Her name is Greta Ohlsson. She opened Ratchett's door by accident, since Mrs. Hubbard's door is right next to it. She was probably the last one to see him alive. After Greta got some aspirin from Mrs. Hubbard, she told her to check that the door connecting the room to Ratchett's was bolted. She went to sleep close to midnight. Greta is in the same compartment as Mary Debenham, and she reports that Mary didn't leave, because she is a light sleeper and would have heard her. Greta doesn't own the kimono Poirot say on the night of the murder. She didn't know about the Armstrong case, but started crying when Poirot told her about it.

The button from a conductor uniform is shown to Pierre Michel. M.Bouc says he thinks the assassin dropped the button. Pierre freaks out and yells that he isn't guilty. He had been talking with other conductors at the time of the murder, and they vouch for him. Poirot thinks it makes sense that Pierre didn't run into the man who was in Mrs. Hubbard's room, as she didn't ring her room bell for a few minutes, and the person easily would have left during that time. M. Bouc still believes the Italian murdered Ratchett, but Masterman shares Foscarelli's compartment. It seems that all the compartments were full at the time of the murder...

The next person interviewed is Princess Dragomiroff. After giving basic info, like that her first name is Natalia, she describes her routine that night. She went to bed right away but couldn't sleep well because of rheumatism pains. She rang for her assistant that's she has had for 15 years, Hildegarde Schmidt, who gave her a massage till she fell asleep again.

The Princess tells Poirot that the night before she retired to bed immediately after dinner and read until 11 p.m. At about 12:45 she rang for her maid, Hildegarde Schmidt, who massaged her and read to her until she felt sleepy. That was from about 12:45 to about 30 minutes later, but the Princess wasn't sure. She reveals that the mother of Daisy Armstrong was her goddaughter. She says that Sonia Armstrong (the mother) had a sister, but the Princess hadn't contacted her in a long time. The Princess says she doesn't own the red kimono. When Poirot tells her his name she says, "Yes. I remember now. This is Destiny."

Count Andrenyi and Countess Andrenyi are called next to be interviewed, but only the Count appears. All he says is tha he and his wife heard nothing all night and they have nothing else to say. Poirot keeps saying he saw the Countess, but the Count doesn't listen. The Count gives Poirot their passports and there is a spot of grease on Elena's. The name on the Countess's passport is Elena Maria Goldenberg, she is age 20. The Count eventually leaves to get the Countess. She claims she never went to America with her husband. The Count smokes cigars, and she claims to not have a red kimono.

That's it for now, come back next week for part 5!

Murder on the Orient Express Part 3

2008-09-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

It's my third post, and after reading earlier about the baffling murder, I hope your excited to learn more.

Soon after the murder, Poirot talks to Hector MacQueen, and learns that Ratchett received threatening letters.

After pondering the clue that was a burned note saying "member Daisy Armstrong", he realizes who Ratchett really is. The note had said "Remember Daisy Armstrong". Ratchett's real name is Cassetti, and he murdered a little girl named Daisy Armstrong. M. Bouc and him recall the Armstrong case- the girl was held for ransom, but was killed anyway. Daisy's pregnant mother gave premature birth, and she and the baby died. The father shot himself, and the accused nursemaid through herself out a window.

Poirot begins to interview the suspects, which is pretty much everyone who stays in that sleeping car.

First to be interviewed is Pierre Michel, the Wagon Lit Conductor. He describes what had happened that night, which was mainly what Poirot had heard or seen himself. He doesn't think anyone from outside the train committed the murder, since he was in that corridor for almost the whole night.

Next is Hector MacQueen. He is very surprised to hear Ratchett's real name. Apparently, his father is a lawyer and worked on the Armstrong case. On the night of the murder, Hector says he talked with the Colonel till after 2 o'clock.

Edward Masterman is interviewed after MacQueen. He saw Ratchett around 9 o'clock, when he gave Ratchett a sleeping draught. Ratchett seemed very disturbed and paranoid. The rest of the night he read a book in his compartment shared with the Italian.

Mrs. Hubbard is next. She thinks the murderer was in her room that night. Her room is connected to Ratchett's. She also found a button from a conductor's uniform. She is happy when she learns that Cassetti was Ratchett's real name, and she denies any connection to the case. Poirot shows her the handkerchief and describes the kimono to her. She says neither are hers.

Come back next week for part 4 to learn more. :)

Murder on the Orient Express Part 2

2008-09-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Readers!
Last time, I gave you a list of characters for future reference. Now, I'll tell you what has happened in the first hundred pages and which clues point to certain characters.
First, though, here are the last few characters that may be mentioned in this post:

Pierre Michel- French conductor
Dr. Constantine- the doctor who examines the victim's body

Now that you have learned of all the characters, the next step is discovering what the crime is. The murder happens in the night, as Poirot hears people moving around outside his room.

He has already met the others on the train. During meals, he observed everyone with his friend M.Bouc. When he saw Mr. Ratchett, he had the impression "as though a wild animal...had passed me by" (p.19). Later, Ratchett asked Poirot to protection, offering him big money. Poirot refused though, saying "I do not like your face." (p.32) All this had happened earlier that day.

This is what happened during the night:

Poirot hears a cry out.
Poirot rings for the conductor, who is speaking with Mrs. Hubbard. She is saying that there was a man who entered her room. The conductor says that is impossible, because her door was still bolted from the inside.
There is a knock on Ratchett's door, and he says in French that he accidentally rang the bell.
Poirot hears a noise, looks outside, and sees a woman with a kimono down the hallway with her back turned to him.
Poirot rings to get water, and is told the train is stuck in the snow.
Poirot hears a thump.

Mr. Ratchett's body is found in the morning. There are multiple and varying stab wounds. His room is next to Poirot's.

The following are clues found and deductions from the scene of the crime:

Dr. Constantine says the victim was drugged or already dead when stabbed.
There were 12 stab wounds. Some were lethal and some were practically scratches.
There is a false clue- an open window, but no tracks outside.
There are two unalike matches that were used sometime that night.
A piece of handkerchief with the initial "H"
A pipe cleaner.
Ratchett's broken watch with the time saying 1:15.
Burned piece of paper that says "Armstrong"

Here were the theories of different characters:

Pierre thinks a woman did it, because there are some weak stabs and really deep ones that could have occurred when she was really angry.
M. Bouc think a gunman, maybe the "big American" did it. The accused was reported by Michel to have never left his room in the night.
They think maybe an man and woman did it.

M. Bouc concludes: "The murderer is with us- on the train now..." (p.51)

Come back next Wednesday for Part 3.

Murder on the Orient Express Part 1

2008-09-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

First of all, I chose to read Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. I chose the book because I've seen the movie numerous times and think the author is a genius. For this post, I am going to give character info. That way, you will be able to understand in the future which character is which..

The mystery begins with Monsieur Poirot, a very talented sleuth, getting on his train to Istanbul.

Character list: This is what I know as of page 50 in the book

The Sleuth- Hercule Poirot: former Belgian police officer, now sleuth, genius, very observant.
Appearance- Black curly moustache, short, looks comical
M. Bouc- gets his friend involved with the mystery, is an old friend from Poirot's days on police force.
Mary Debenham- English governess from Baghdad, intelligent
Appearance- tall, slim, 28 yrs old
Colonel Arbuthnot- colonel from india, very "English", polite
Appearance- tall, 40-50 yrs old, tan skin
Hector MacQueen- American, likeable, Ratchett's assistant
M. Ratchett- shady character, Poirot calls him an "animal" when he first sees him
Appearance- big false teeth, going bald, American, 60-70 yrs old
Antonio Foscarelli's Appearance- big. Italian, "swarthy"
Edward Henry Masterman- valet
Cyrus Hardman- commercial traveller
Princess Dragomiroff- Russian grand dame
Appearance- really ugly and gaudy
Greta Ohlsson- Swedish nurse
Apperance- tall, middle-aged, faded yellow hair, sheep-like face
Mrs. Hubbard- American matron
Appearance- stout, pleasant-faced
Hildegard Schmidt- maid to Princess
Appearance- broad, expressionless face
Count Andrenyi- part of Hungarian Embassy
Appearance- 30-ish with big moustache
Countess Andrenyi- wife of Count
Appearance- young, pretty, brown eyes, black hair, pale, fashionable

I will update this list every few posts. Come back next week to read about the first part of the book.

Welcome :)

2008-09-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

Hey! This is Elizabeth C's blog. I hope you find it interesting enough to visit again. :)