Numerical poem 2

2 twins born from a bipolar mother

2 seconds apart

sang a duet while eating biscuits

on bicycles

they fell on their biceps

and crushed their bowels

so that they both had to go to the hospital

riding on an ambulance using ethanol

the twins had to go through a biopsy

in which the general surgeon was bipartisan 

for that reason and to this day

the death of the two twins remains an disgusting case

Blog #6 5/27/09

For this blog post, I would like to make a connection from a quote to a song. Jo thinks, "Boy, you had to kiss another girl's boyfriend to know who your real friends were. In her case, that was absolutely no one" (Brashares, 211). This quote is talking about Jo, and how after she made out with Effies ex Zach under the boardwalk and she witnessed it, everyone that she considered to be her friends turned away from her and melted under Effie's command. I think that this exemplifies a mood of hurt and shock, because really, it shows how people just follow the person with the most power or popularity when it won't get anyone farther in life! A song I think relates and shows the feelings expressed by Jo is What Hurts the Most by Rascal Flatts. I believe that this song is a good connection to Jo's shock and hurt by when she realized all her friends had turned on her because it portrays loss and hurt. If you watch the music video, the song is supposed to portray the hurt and shock of a loved one being dead, and its repercussions on the people who care about that person that when it happens, everyone around them is crushed into depression and grieving. Of course, what Jo experienced is somewhat of a more common occurence than a death of a close friend or relative, but the song does represent again what Jo was feeling when it happened. Hopefully, things like these won't happen as much in the future, but they do and we just have to deal with them one step at a time. 

Blog #5 5/20/09

For this blog post, I wanted to analyze a quotation from a main character Polly, from 3 Willows. Polly said, "She didn't want to be interesting. Maybe it was okay when you were grown up and you were in control of it, but being different in high school was no fun at all"(Brashares, 143). Pollys mom Dia was an artist, so of course Dia felt comfortable being unique and "interesting." But, after Polly went through modeling camp, she was exposed to how the world viewed people, and being "interesting" definitely was not it. First off, after being told that being different was way better than normal, it came as a shock to Polly when she entered high school and modeling. This especially became true when her friends split apart to go into "better" friend groups, feeling ashamed when they talked to her, mostly because they thought they would hurt her feelings, which in a way, they did. This quote shows how even though parents and teachers stress that being yourself is the most important thing, it really is false when you are a student, and it is angering that adults feed their kids with those kinds of things, only setting them up to be dissapointed in the future. Sure, being unique is fine, but many people in high school don't view it as "cool" or "normal." Moreover, this quote shows how hurt Polly was after being abandoned by her friends and being told lies from her mom. 

Number 8 poem

There once was a lady

who had octuplets 

that were born on the 8th day of october

who lived in a state

with only eight cities

in which all eight resided

in a house with 8 rooms

shaped like an octagon

from which all 8 shared a dinning room

where they would eat

8 octopus every 8th day of the month in october

they would go to school riding octacycles

because the gas was far to high 

at eight dollars a gallon 

for the mom of the octuplets to pay

so she put them in eight races

were each got 8th place

and won 800,000 each

so they could pay 

the mother with octuplets

Blog #4 5/13/09

For this blog, I wanted to do a connection from one of the characters, Jo from the book 3 Willows, to the real world. I would like to make a connection from Jo's parents divorce to ones that happen all across the world. Brashares describes, "Jo began to get a feeling, faraway but powerful, of just how unhappy they had been, how much had been sacrificed because of it"(Brashares, 248). This quote describes how Jo had known that after her brother Finn's death, they just weren't happy anymore and that it changed who they were. For example, her mom turned to cleaning and her dad to work, but they both were afraid to talk about it because it brought up to many memories. As in many divorces, they happen because of some sort of tragedy or misfortune, in this case the death of a son. Or, just because they don't love each other anymore. The divorce of Jo's parents affected her in more ways than just one. She lost touch with her dad, and her mom was always trying to be outgoing, being at party's all the time, as a way to avoid loneliness and the acceptance of loss. Also, the divorce affected Jo because she had to find a balance between seeing her mom and her dad on an alternating schedule, while they told her they were just "trying" it out. In effect, many divorced couples face issues of possession over children which can lead the children to be confused, lost, and hurt without anyone to talk to. The worst part about divorcees is that they tend to feed their children false hopes as if they were to mend things up. Moreover, it is not always best to blame the parents, but they should keep an open mind to their children and maybe invest some time into sessions to talk about what is really going on so that no one gets lost in translation. 

Blog #3 5/6/09

For this literary blog post on 3 Willows, I want to make a connection from the book to the Media/world. In the book, Polly aspires to be a model which is due to the pressures from her friends. I would like to make a connection to the pressure of body image and conforming to a certain mold, especially in modeling. For example, in the book, during modeling camp Polly is very much forced to go on extreme dieting and other appearance extremes. This is shown through the online article, "Pressure mounts for ban on size zero models." The article explains that people are beggining to realize how much pressure there is on models to be unhealthily thin but that people still are against making changes to improve the standards and expectations on models. In the article, a 22 year old Ramos from Uruguay died from eating a diet of only lettuce and diet coke for 3 months! Of course, it is also not good because models on the runway are also role-models for kids and teens, such as Polly whom it has gotten to. Fortunately, after the modeling camp, even though Polly went to a runway show, she realized who stupid it was and that she was tired of trying to be someone she was not. As theorized by Polly, "She was never going to be a model. Never, never. Even if she did look like her grandmother. To want it was the same as hating herself. That was the truth"(Brashares, 291).

Blog #2 4/29/08

For this blog post, I would like to write a letter to Polly in Jo's point of view. This is after Polly came to visit Jo at her beach house but Jo was talking to another friend and Polly heard Jo say that she isn't really her friend. Polly left and was extremely hurt. 

 Dear Polly,

I am sorry for what happened when you visited. I know you must have overheard the things I said, and I feel miserable every time I think of it- which I do a lot. I know I should have told you the truth before I came but now when I come to think of it, it was better I didn't because then I didn't realize what a real friend you were when at the end everyone left me but you were the only one left. The truth is I really didn't want you to visit. I know that's mean and I'm ashamed of it. I was so caught up with the scene at the restaurant and these older girls. I just thought that was the most important thing and that you would get in the way of it. Its' kinda scary to be so wrong. Those people weren't important. They weren't real friends at all, but you are. I understand that better now and no matter what happens I will always know what a real friend is because of you and Ama. I don't expect you to forgive me. I don't really think you should. But I just want to tell you the truth, because what I said to her was a lie. You are my friend. Even if we never talk to each other again, you have been a better friend than I have ever deserved. And that is the truth. 

From, 

Jo (aka me)

Spontaneous Word Poem 4/26/09

With gloss rebounding off its rugged surface

the stone on the ground

is something to cross

across to the side with grass

grass, used for the fields

on which we jump, run, pant, and shout

on which rain descends

and in puddles do we splash

with laughter ringing out in the open

almost like singing

the trees adjacent to the school

sing with the sound of spring

a floral and sweet combination

that we hope will last forever

at the end of the day, we abandon our books

the reading we do is lost 

as we leave through door 2

and walk with our ankles, wishing we

could fly in the sky, abandoning our flip-flops.

Blog #1 04/22/09

For the first blog about my choice book, 3 Willows the sisterhood grows by Ann Brashares, I chose to pick a quote and analyze it. My quote is, "No matter how far back you cut a willow tree, it will never really die" (page 319). First off, you have to know that the author relates the three girls who planted willow trees when they were younger to sayings about Willow Trees. The three girls are Ama, Polly, and Jo. This quote was on the very last page of the book and it shows how since Polly, Jo, and Ama planted the trees a long time ago and split apart, they were able to come back together. They were able to come together because as relating them to Willow trees, even though they got cut back, they never really did loose their friendship because a Willow Tree will "never really die." I particularly chose this quote because it struck me as being so straightforward and how friendships really are concrete if they were based off of something genuine. Also, I think that this quote shows how the author, Ann Brashares, can relate two different things, one animate and one inanimate, and fuse them together to create a basic theme in the scheme of friendships and moreover, relationships of all kinds and sorts. 

So much depends, 2

So much of spring depends 

upon growth

the rebirth of the trees, leaves, and grass

how much perseverance they have

an eruption of flowers from the earth

the symphony's of a birds raucous calls

reverberating through the clean, crisp air

the majestic beauty of a clear azure sky

the feel of the wind blow gently by

with a whisper that seems to breathe

life back into spring

So much depends, 1

So much depends 

upon a round little egg

gleaming in all its glory

waiting for its unwrapping

the crinkle kunkle krish screams in the air

as a brilliant waft of cocoa and peanut butter

makes its way to the brain

signaling a fusion that gives ecstasy 

the massive crunch, loud yet delicate

as it crumbles to its destruction

shows its vulnerability 

pleasure resulting 

Awarness

So, this blog post is pretty much just for its own. This spring break, I went to San Francisco and Scottsdale, AZ. When I went to San Francisco it really amazed me how many different ethnic groups lived there and that many people would help you with directions or were friendly. I'll admit that I had some preconcived notions about a big city like San Francisco, like that everyone was mean and no one wanted to help you, but when I gave it some time it showed that you really shouldn't have ideas of what people will be like. Another thing that made me realize what a big world it is, is that there were so many homeless people in the streets and in the parks because the weather is much more temperate than it is here in minnesota. What really made me mad was that people just walked by and mothers or fathers with their kids would tell them not to look at them. I didn't bring money around with me, but I always smiled at them because they seem so lonely. I wish that their helplessness would be brought into the media more often so that things would be better for everyone and that stereotypical barriers would be broken down.  

British Imperialism in Africa paragraph

To group: This is my paragraph!

Firstly, a main cause of British imperialism in Africa was the scramble for Africa, or in other words, the race for new colonies in Africa and the things brought with it. Due to extreme nationalism, the countries of Europe considered their civilization and way of life to be superior to all others. Britain was currently the greatest power in Europe so they claimed vast territorial expansions such as South Africa, Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria, and Rhodesia, just to name a few. The emergence of new political thoughts in the late 19th century, particularly Social Darwinism, increased the feelings that the European nations had a duty to bring civilization and religion to the "savages" of Africa. This made imperialism acceptable for the whole of Europe. Of course, Britain as being the most advanced country from having the first industrial revolution, took this to heart and supported the Christian missionaries politically and even militarily because the missionaries usually went too far. To add to the effects was Rudyard Kipling's peom, "The White Man's Burden" in which the British writer explains the responsibility of white people to govern non-white people, so that apparently it served as justification of British imperialism in Africa. Overall, the desire for new colonies in Africa and the deployment of Christian missionaries resulted in more harm done than the so-called good intentions of the British.

MLA: I have posted MLA on the other 2 blog posts summarizing my sources. 

British Imperialism in Africa 2

For the second post on my paper, I read an online article detailing social darwinism and its connection with imperialism and racism. Social Darwinism is the based off of Darwin's theory of evolution involving natural selection or survival of the fittest. The difference between Social Darwinism and Darwinism is that Social Darwinism is applied to humans or a race. This is what caused the idea that races are superior to other ones which eventually brought about the sense of extreme nationalism and desire for your own country to be the best. This aided the justification of Imperialism so that the British could do what they wanted to without having to be questioned about the morals or ethics of what they, or any other European nation, was doing. 

MLA:

"Social Darwinism." MSN Encarta. 2008. Microsoft Corporation. 22 Mar 2009 .

British Imperialism in Africa Causes

Due to the fact that I cannot upload my thinking maps, I will just summarize what I read. I recently read about British imperialism in Africa in my AP European History book. The section describes how Britain was the most advanced country in the whole of Europe at the time and that they had many things at their disposal. Also, it talked about how Britain participated in the "Scramble for Africa" which was the race for African Colonies. Britain desired a cape-to-cairo expansion of territory but it was blocked by Germany having some colonies between the south and the North. In addition, Nationalism was a cause of British Imperialism in Africa because it fueled the thought that your country was superior to all else and moreover all other races. This in turn increased racism and other thoughts of the late 19th century. Furthermore, the section explained Rudyard Kiplings, "The White Man's Burden" which is one of his most well known poems because it deploys a sense of responsibility to govern the non-white people of Africa.

MLA:

Kagan, Donald, and Steven Ozment. The Western Heritage. 9the ed. Upper Sadle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2007. (note The Western Heritage is supposed to be underlined not in bold, this does not let me underline).

Blog #15 03/22/09

For this blog, it is about someone overcoming odds. The online article I read, Overcoming Odds: Brothers Graduate from Dartmouth, Build Clinic in Native Kenyan Village, talks about two brothers Milton and Fred Ochieng, from the rural Lwala village of Kenya, and how they overcame huge odds. They were able to both graduate from the presitgious Dartmouth College and build a health clinic in their rural villiage through persistance, hope, and effort. Orginially, it seemed impossible for them to raise the sufficient amount of funds, but with awarness from across the U.S. it became possible. Today Fred and Milton still hope to expand health care, providing it to other areas. Also, they have funded 23 Kenyan teens to attend high school! I was very inspired when I read this story because they came from literally no where and have made such an impact on the world today. The hope they had was massive because they lost both of their parents, but, somehow managed to move on in their lives which I could not have done easily. I think that if they could expand their aims to helping other rural villages, that would hugely benefit everyone in rural Kenya villages. People like Fred and Milton are hard to come by which is why if there were more of them, image how great the world would be.

MLA:

Delos, Robin. "Overcoming Odds: Brothers Graduate from Dartmouth, Build Clinic in Native Kenyan Village." Diverse. 10 Mar 2009 <http://www.diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_12332.shtml>.

Blog #14 03/18/09

For the text about love, I wanted to blog about the love between animals and their owners or companions. I think that there is a type of special bond that makes there be love between them. In the Article The Bond Between The Animals and Humans, it discuses how animal and human emotions are different because their frontal lobes are not fully developed and never will be which makes not not able to be hateful, but loyal just as a young child is. This is why animals will love you with all their hearts no matter who you are. But, on the other hand adults and teenagers frontal lobes are pretty much fully developed which make them remember their mixed emotions. Also, Animals do not connect love and hate relationships which is why they can get over things so quickly. In my opinion, I think that it would be great if humans frontal lobes were not overly developed because then there would not be as much crime or heartbreak in the world today. But, it is good to have developed frontal lobes because if someone abuses a person, they will remember and learn to seek help or not let it happen again. Since animals have basic emotions, people can treat them as a sibling or child and this is where a bond develops. Also, I think that since animals are loyal and curious, they make great companions even though they make mistakes. 

Blog #13 03/15/09

For the text about war, I chose to blog about the Nigerian Civil War between 1967-1970 because the book Things Fall Apart is in Nigeria. The conflict was cause mainly because the south part of Nigeria tried to become independent of Nigeria and become the Republic of Biafra. By around the 1900's Britain formed an area out of West Africa that had many diverse groups and called it Nigeria. Of course, they did not think of how these groups were to become one! The three main groups were the Igbo, the Hausa-Fulani, and the Yoruba. The Yoruba and Hausa-Fulani had similar political systems and were more of Mulim/Islamic descent. Their main goal was to keep Islamic conservative values, which in turn, caused them to think of economic and social change as a bad thing. I believe that this shows how people have to change and not be stubborn otherwise they will suffer. On the other hand, the Igbo were more democratic with mostly everyone participating in decisions of the clan. When the Christian missionaries arrived, they focused on the Igbo people because they were the ones who wanted to advance more in society. Due to oil reserves being found in the Niger River delta in the southeastern part of Nigera, this caused the northeners to fear of being cut off from revenue. The south feared that the north would tear their oil strips from them. The southeastern Igbo dominated part resulted in the secession of it to be the Republic of Biafra. Unfortunately, it was not really recognized as a Republic. I think that if all had went well, there would not have been as big of a civil war. That would have saved many lives. The Nigerian government then tried to retake the "Republic of Biafra" which caused the start of the war in 1967. They got some cities but the Biafrrans took the Mid-Western region. Eventually, the Nigerian govt retook the midwest but when they tried to cross the Nigerian river, they lost three times. I think that the government should have just recognized the rights of the Republic to have their own county, but of course that didn't happen.  Later, the Nigerian Government blockaded the Republic. The blockade caused widespread hunger, starvation, and a hopeless world filled with terror and violence. Widespread media gave help to the Biafrans. In due time, the Nigerian government took over the last city and the war was over. The aftermath caused a bad image of nigeria, death, and money. Furthermore, I feel bad because the Igbo's were not allowed many spots in the new governments which has lead to their decline contrary to what people said at the time. I am going to see if a civil war is going to come into play in the book we are currently reading. That would make things very interesting. But, even though the Nigerian Government should not have been so harsh, I don't think that it was right for the southeastern part just to decide to become independent when they had the best natural resources. So, it was essentially a two way deal with both sides being equally responsible. Reading this article has made me open up my mind to other parts of the world that you never really think to care of, but now I am interested in what types of conflict is going on in other parts of africa and the like. 

MLA:

Atofarati, Abubakar. "The Nigerian Civil War, Causes, Strategies, And Lessons Learnt." 1992. 14 Mar 2009 . 

Blog #12 3/11/09

For this blog, I chose to blog about new imperialism in the 19th and 20th centuries because that was the time where imperialism was more of a nation-wide phenomena, prompted by racism and nationalism all due to the 2nd industrial revolution and the modernization of the world. Also, this will focus on the imperialism brought by European country's. Imperialism is defined in the textbook as, "the policy of extending a nation's authority by territorial acquisition or by establishing economic and political hegemony over other nations." Of course, New Imperialism, can be defined as European expansion that moved forward with great speed, and participation in it came to be regarded as necessary for a great power, which, most country's in Europe desired to have. Of course, before you understand the new imperialism, you have to understand the causes of its coming about. The innovative and explosive developments in the late 19th centuries (2nd industrial revolution) science, technology, industry, agriculture, communication, transportation, and weapons provided the main sources of power. Due to the fact that European nations had the support of their country and media, this gave them the motivation and ability to do it. Another main cause of this newfound imperialism, was the founding of social-darwinism and jingoism. Social Darwinism is "survival of the fittest" applied to humans and was the idea that helping out the weak is bad, so dominate the inferior which gave justification to new imperialism. Jingoism is closely related with that idea, but it is more a kind of nationalism that says your country is the best, which also gave justification to new imperialism. As a result of these new ideas, some argued that the "advanced" European country's had a duty to bring higher civilization to the people in need of saving for both religion and personal desires. An example of a ruler who defines this is Leopold II of Belgium. He supported imperialism for economic wealth and exploitation in the Congo of Africa. Although african's were treated as inferior people, nation's across the world were disgusted by the cruelty in which Leopold ruled and exploited just for personal gains. He was in the Congo for rubber products. Getting rubber is a strenous activity which requires mass laborers to sap thin vines and carefully pour it onto bodies until it hardens. Then, someone rips off the dried by-product off the person, which is very painful. Leopold had no idea how long it took, so he executed people for not making enough in time. I personally think that this is some of the worst treatment of humans, even worse than the holocaust. How can someone be so selfish and greedy as to not care about the harm they do to others? Of course, Britain was equally bad. They were the leaders in New Imperialism gains as the controlled all of India, South Africa, and holdings in China. They had sorts of enclosure camps, similar to concentration camps, were they kept Afrikaners in they compound until they finished labor. This was very horrific to the people in South Africa because many of them were descendents of Dutch nationality! I am outraged with what nations at the time could get away with, especially with the mass amounts of media at their disposal! Eventually, nations were returned to former rule, but only at the realization that Human Rights were being violated. I wish that people would have realized how much corruption had been going on so that the people being mistreated could not have had to endure so much in such a long amount of time. This just goes to show that human nature is greedy, selfish, and unconcerning to some, but fortunately not all. Hopefully, in our future the governments will seek to stop all corruption and disregard to human rights. 

MLA: 

Kagan, Donald. AP Edition, The Western Heritage. 7th. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc, 2007. 

AP European History class notes. (Edina High School). 

blog #11 3/8/09

For the global issues blog, I chose to blog about the global issue called Biodiversity. Biodiversity goes hand in hand with climate change and global warming, two new imminent threats to our society caused by humans and inefficient use of products, and less social conscience. Due to global warming, habitats are destroyed which causes the extinction of many species as can be shown with the polar bears and other animals that live in the Arctic. I believe that if global warming could be curved, biodiversity could be saved even if a little bit because every day scientists are discovering new types of species. In general, Biodiversity refers to the variety of life forms in our planet: the different plants, animals and microorganims, and the ecosystems they form.  You might ask, why is biodiversity in our life important? Its not like anyone would mind if those pesky mosquitoes went away, would it? But in all reality it does matter because every living organism in the planet contributes something special or important for the existence of a healthy planet and our own well being. . You may not be aware of the benefits biodiversity provides. Biodiversity provides us with so many benefits such as; food, medicinal product, wood, protection of water sources, and much more! As an example, honeybees provide many benefits to us. As said in the article, "One third of all our food- fruits and vegetables- would not exist without pollinators visiting flowers." Another problem facing biodiversity is extinction of species. The cause of this is that when there are not enough variety of genes for production, there is in-breeding which increase the chance of extinction. Because we destroy habitats for these species, they have a slim chance of being able to "interact with species with a large gene pool." I think that people and the government could do a better job in getting funding for the protection of biodiversity, but it is apparently a hard thing to try to make people want to "save worms and other species that many people do not know of." Also, since the . In addition, biodiversity increases ecosystem productivity because every type of species is just as important as the next. The contributions of Biodiversity and the importance of preserving the species that make it up can be described by, "At least 40 percent of the world's economy and 80 percent of the needs of the poor are derived from biological resources. In addition, the richer the diversity of life, the greater the opportunity for medical discoveries, economic development, and adaptive responses to such new challenges as climate change." As illustrated above, biodiversity clearly helps the world in ways many people do not appreciate. I for one, think that people should educate the world on this subject and show that, it's not only about the cute animals in danger of extinction that need saving, its the ones that do the work behind-the-scenes. Furthermore, I think that if the ecosystems deteriorate to a small amount, then the problems resulting can be very costly to reverse or undue. From this, I believe that the cost of the effects of endangering biodiversity is much more costly than the maintenance and sustainable development practices that could be used instead. So, next time choose paper instead of plastic, its the little things in life that add up, that can determine the fate of our world. 

MLA:

Shah, Anup. "Why is Biodiversity important? Who cares?" Global Issues. 14 June 2008. 8 Mar 2009. <http://www.globalissues.org/article/170/why-is-biodiversity-important-who-cares>.

picture website MLA:

"Global panel to tackle biodiversity crises." ABC News. 8 Mar 2009. .

Blog # 10 3/4/09

For the text about Holidays, I wanted to use the fourth of July as my holiday. The Fourth Of July is a federal holiday that celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776. The United States declared independence from Great Britain on this day, which was a huge deal because it let the U.S. be their own "person" and having to worry about complying with rules/regulations of the mother country. A fun fact is that the Declaration of Independence was actually passed on July 2, but was not made socially aware until the celebration day on the 4th. The Fourth of July is usually celebrated with the use of fireworks, parades, picnics, sporting events, politics, parties, and some types of concerts/fairs. My favorite part of the Fourth of July would have to be gathering with the family up at the lakehouse because we get to spend a whole weekend with relatives, make smores, and have fun. The night of the Fourth, we go out onto the dock and light off the small fireworks before the big lake firework show. Later, the fireworks display begins as the silk-like sky lights up with vibrant colors and obnoxiously loud bangs. All the kids ohh, ahh, and shout because of the overwhelming effect of the majestic fireworks. Soon after, we all go back to the house and light up the last of the sparklers in an attempt to relive the fun of that exact moment. An odd fact is that even though most Americans celebrate the fourth of july, they usually do not understand the real meaning for it, just like Christmas or Easter. I find this very appalling because why should almost every American celebrate the founding of this nation, when, in reality they don't even know what the Declaration is about! It is true that I am also a victim of my own criticism because I celebrate Easter when in fact I do not even know why it is a holiday. This goes to show that Holidays in general are used more than to celebrate a religious or cultural event, but as an excuse to celebrate and have fun.   

MLA:

"Independence Day July 4th." USA CITYLINK. 4 Mar 2009 .

                                                       (should be underlined but is not an option)

Thinking map vocab- effeminate

This is my bubble map for the vocab word effeminate which can be defined as acting as a girl or woman would, do the things men don't do. In other words, to act like a women or girl. 

Blog #9 3/1/09

For the Bollywood text, I wanted to find something about the style of the movies that they/ that "area" makes, and the opinions of the movies from others. First off, we need to understand what Bollywood really means. The definition off of Wikipedia says, "Bollywood is only a part of the Indian film industry. It is the largest film producer in India and one of the largest in the world. However, unlike Hollywood, Bollywood does not exist as a physical place." I read an online article called "Bollywood/Hollywood" rarely succeeds at mingling styles. In this article, author Jolie Williamson, bashes the Bollywood film industry and how the movies are very predictable, and very disappointing. Also, it talks about how Bollywood films are not very good at mixing styles with American film, but that is what happens most of the time. The author seems to have a very biased view of Bollywood/Hollywood movies where the plots are predictable, with a clash of Westernized Indians and their traditional parents, as can be seen in many movies. Although the vast majority of Americans probably do find these movies not to their liking, I think the author is not true when she says, "American audiences don't appreciate what they view as the old-fashioned notion of musicals- that whole breaking into song thing." I personally disagree with her statement because many Americans actually do enjoy musicals and the, "whole breaking into song thing" since there happen to be many musicals across the Nation, for example, in Broadway. But, one thing I do have to agree on, is the fact that the plot of Bollywood movies are very predictable because they mainly have the same plot line! Just because Bollywood happens to be the largest film industry does not, in my opinion, give it an excuse for the bad acting it has. Even though the movie's are pure fun, the movies really don't require much skill for acting. This might be the point that the Author is trying to say, but, also that she does not like these movies in particular. Moreover, I enjoy Bollwood movies mixed with Hollywood aspects, but to a certain point, as does the Author. 

MLA:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x.com

Blog #8 2/25/09

For my text about culture, I would like to use the Indian culture since we have just written a paper about it. I will use the book Nectar In A Sieve by Kamala, Markandaya. One major thing about Indian Culture is their different array of foods, which includes; rice, spices, fruit, dhal, chilies, fish, nuts, coconut milk, and herbs. This shows that there is also generally a lack of meat from the Indian Culture due to many being Hindu's. Food in Indian Culture generally plays more of a social role than in the U.S. culture. I think that American Culture really doesn't have a certain "type" of food because of all the different ethnicities and races that live in our Country. But, I am glad that we have all this diversity in our Nation because I enjoy being able to eat different types of foods from different cultures that I might not be able to eat in other country's. Another part of Indian culture is their different clothing style, which is very unique from other's. For example, the traditional Indian clothing that women wear includes a sari, jewlery, and a dhoti, (red dot on forehead). In more modern times such as today, Indian women do not always wear the traditional clothing as much as they did earlier on in civilization. In our culture, people do not generally wear types of traditional clothing of any type and wear and kind of clothing for that matter. Moreover, I believe that due to the preservation of traditional values, the Indian culture has been able to stay true to its roots unlike country's with mass immigration, such as America. 

Markandaya, Kamala. Nectar In A Sieve. New York: Signet Classic, 2002. 

Blog #7 2/22/09

For the blog about change I would like to talk about President Obama and how he is the first Black President in the History of the United States. I read about some of the changes he has made in the online article President Barack Obama. Firstly, Barack Obama is the first Black President ever in the United States. With his election, many people believe that things will be better for the future. No doubt, this is a huge change for America. Many people have had mixed feelings about his becoming president mainly over issues as in "is he really ready?." Moreover, some people opposed him to  being racial. I personally do not think it is acceptable to judge someone based on the color of their skin, but some people apparently still do. Another thing Obama's coming brought is a sense of pride for all the black persons in America, as if he has brought a stronger sense of nationalism to the United States. In addition, his win brought the end of the "Bush" reign and also the end of Republican presidents since the last couple of Elections. Since I am a democrat, I felt very relieved when he won because I just felt so angry that Republicans have been in the office for the last couple of elections. Furthermore, I believe that Barack Obama's wining the presidency has brought about a change of stronger belief in our nation, and more importantly, our leader. As Barack said, "If there is anyone out there who doubts that America is a place where anything is possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."

Blog #6 2/18/09

For the hope blog I wanted to write about a 25 year old women by the name of Emily Hoskins. I read about her inspiring story of dealing with spinal cancer and paralysis from the hips down in this online article titled, Neuroblastoma Survivor a Champion with a Heart of Gold. From the early age of 3 days, she was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a cancer of the spinal cord. Luckily, since she started chemo at the age of 3 days, by the age of 2 she was able to walk with walking braces. In her high school years, she fell in love with basketball even though she was not very good. Eventually, with determination and practice, she made the U of Illinois team and, from there, she went to the 2004 Athens olympics. Her team won the gold. In addition, her team won the gold in the recent Beijing Olympics. In my opinion, her story is one of complete dedication and hope for the future. She never did give up hope on her dreams of becoming an olympic athlete even though she was half-paralyzed. This, and all of her hard work paid off, which is how she accomplished all she has in her lifetime. Furthermore, her hope and determination gave her an outstanding positive attitude that gave the people around her inspiration that they could do anything they wanted to do. This especially made her parents proud of her. If I were in her place I don't know if I could have been as brave or determined as she was. Also, I don't know if I could have kept my hope up all the way through to the present like Emily did because it just seems as if there would be nothing to look forward to. But, she made the most of her situation which is why her story truly inspires me, and, gives inspiration to everyone else in the world. After all, as Emily says, "You can do anything- if you have the drive and desire. Never give up hope. Whether it's sports or music or school, just keep working hard, and you can never tell what doors are going to open for you." 

Blog #5 2/15/09

Religion is a huge subject! So, I chose to write about the Lutheran Religion and the Lutheran history. The Lutheran article I read was about the three things I mentioned above. I am half Lutheran, a quarter Orthodox, and another quarter Jewish due to the fact that my dad is Lutheran while my mom is half Orthodox, half Jewish. I am more into the Lutheran religion than the other two and I mostly do go to Lutheran churches. However, I do have many criticisms of the Lutheran religion. In the article it says that "Lutheranism simplifies Catholic practices," but it is much more reformed and much different than Catholicism. For example, Lutheranism believers completely look down upon any type of ornamental decoration or worshiping of saints while the opposite is true in Catholicism. Also, another criticism I have is that Martin Luther himself believed that everything is based off of scripture (sola scriptura) in the Bible and that people are saved only through their faith (sola fide), not by works they do. Because of this, he discouraged pagan philosophers to experiment in the sciences or any type of new knowledge for that matter. If people would have listened to this even more, there would be a much less developed world than there is today. Copernicus had  gone against Luther when he found out that the sun did not revolve around the earth. Luther told him that it could not be so because in the bible it said "Joshua bade the Sun not stand still." If Copernicus had not gone against Luther, who knows what our solar system beliefs would be to this day! Mainly, Lutheranism was founded by Martin Luther. Surprisingly, he was a Catholic before he split off of the Church to find his more pure form of religion, free of the waste of the ornamental and sinful Catholic church. In European History, we learned that Luther was so enraged by the Catholic religion that he posted his 95-Theses on the wall of a church in Germany, his home country in hopes that the Church would reform its practice and preaching to be more accurate with the sayings in the Bible. I personally agree with Lutheran's rejection of 5 sacraments and in only keeping Baptism and Holy Communion because during the time purgatory (waiting to go to heaven- very long) was deemed to be able to be shortened for loved ones who had died by purchasing indulgences. Indulgences were originally just a way for the Catholic church to get money from people, and Luther exposed this in his 95-Thesis. I think that that was a wrong thing to do and that is why I believe that indulgences should not be a sacrament. I support his decision in keeping Baptism because it can be seen as God giving his blessings so that the person came become a member of Christ's Body on earth. Also, I support his decision in keeping Holy Communion (aka the Eucharist- was the belief that giving bread and wine are in the form of the Christ's body and blood) because it is the real presence of God's forgiveness. 

Blog Post #4 2/11/09

For the blog about gender and gender specific roles, I opted to do a piece about women roles in anesthesiology, one of my favorite medical fields. In the online article I read, it talked about why there is such a lower amount of women enrolled in the field of anesthesiology and the factors that contribute to it. Sure, it is fairly obvious that women participation has been low in the mid-late 1900's but now in the 21st century there is an increasing boom and in many other aspects, women enrollment is higher than male in some medical fields. On the other hand, the article hits home when it shows that the field of anesthesiology is frighteningly male, which means that women might feel nervous with not so many women in the field. Another thing I agree with is when it talks about the tedious work hours of an anesthetist. Few people understand how many years of school it takes just to get to be an anesthetist, not alone how many hours and years they have to work without pay in residency. Typically anesthetists work an upwards of a 5o hour week and, they get crazy hours of the day too which means that you don't really get to choose when you want to work. Women have families and or children to look after so the work hours might also be another negative factor. I think that the American Board of Anesthesiology should implement part-time training during residency because it could attract more potential anesthetists of all genders and, moreover, it proved to work in other fields. Furthermore, I agree when the anesthetists of the article write, "some of the factors that may influence women on the choice of anesthesiology as a career can be addressed  by considering flexible scheduling options, educating students about the Physician-Patient Relationship in Anesthesiology,  provide more women role  models/instructors, and to anticipate issues important to women in selecting anesthesiology."  One last point that I think is important is sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace. Since there are more males, it is probable that they would harass women more often than not. If I were in the place of a women anesthesiologist, I would not tolerate the discrimination and would advocate for awareness of the problems facing women today not only in anesthetics, but in the general medical world. 

Blog post #3 2/8/09

This blog is about a culture different from our own. I chose to research Spanish culture, ie Spain because I might go there this summer. The aspect of culture I focused on is the different types of languages spoken in Spain. In the online article I read,  it talked about how there are a total of 7 different main dialects of the Spanish language and they are; Castilian, Galician, Catalan, Euskera, Aragon, Asturias, and Valenciana. But, there are many more sub-types! Imagine how different that would be if in the U.S. there were that many different types of english. I think that it would be difficult to live in Spain because you have to learn the type of dialect of Spanish language for the area you live in, plus you also have to learn the main Castilian dialect also. I also think that since there are that many dialects, trade is hindered because of the language barrier. It wouldn't be a big factor but throughout the different dialects words are not the same as others and the pronunciation is very different too. Overall, different dialects in Spain are very different from our culture in the U.S. Sometimes it can be a barrier to achieve things, and sometimes it can be a good thing in that people can share their different ways of communication to make the world a more interesting place. 

Blog #2 2/4/09

The book that I am currently reading is The Pretties by Scott Westerfeld. In this book, the main character Tally Youngblood, tries to overcome a struggle in her life. In her world, everyone is "pretty" as in they have surgery to make them perfect and their brains are altered so that they will want to be pretty. Pretty means that you do not think hard about anything, but everyone starts out ugly. Before Tally became pretty she joined the Smokies, a runaway group of uglies, and they made a cure to being pretty-minded. After getting the surgery, Tally took the pills with her boyfriend Zane so that they would be cured. The pill works, and Tally tries to get everyone to be "bubbly" which means making yourself ugly minded through high adrenaline activities(you can think clearly). The Specials, a group that keeps the pretties pretty-minded so that they do not leave the city and roam the earth, finds out what Tally is doing and tries to stop her. Tally has to run away from the city, not an easy feat, and find the Smokies to tell them that the cure has worked. After she does that, Tally and the Smokies lure people to the outer edges of the city and giving all the pretties pills. Soon enough, everyone is ugly-minded and they combat the Specials. Tally overcomes the struggle of trying to make all the pretties ugly-minded so that they can think for themselves by running away to the smoke, outsmarting the Specials, and by the help of loyal friends. I think that Tally was very brave and courageous to go against the Specials just to save other people while putting her life at risk. What makes this a struggle is that Tally had to endure the cold, starvation, and wilderness while trying to outrun the Specials to find the Smokies. On the other hand, Tally put some of her closest friend's at risk when she asked for Zane and Shay to help her get the pills, find the Smokies, set up decoy's for the Specials, and distribute pills to other pretties. If the Specials would have found out about them helping Tally, they would have had major brain surgery or sent to a type of solitary jail for life, either of which is not very appealing. 

MLA for The Pretties: 

Westerfeld, Scott. The Pretties. Simon Pulse, 2004. (note The Pretties should be underlined but blogger does not let me do that)

 

Reading blog 1 natural disasters- 2/1/09

For the natural disasters blog, I researched Monsoons. An article that I found called Indian Monsoons Intensifying, Hazard Risks Increasing, Study Says, is about how the Monsoons in India are getting worse since 50 years ago. I think that all of this increasing of Monsoons is causing more devastation to the people of India and their way of life. In comparison, for the book we are reading Nectar In A Sieve, the Monsoons affect Kamalas' and everyone else's lives who have to endure them because through all the flooding, crops are ruined, homes are wiped out, possessions are gone, money is lost, and family is killed. In contrast to Nectar In A Sieve, as mentioned earlier, the Monsoons are getting much worse so the proportions of destruction are becoming bigger which means that life today in India has much more of a chance of Monsoons and destruction as opposed to Kamalas India. In addition, the article said that regular rains needed to help with crops and such is decreasing while heavier rains are increasing which will definitely be a big problem in the future and now. 

MLA for Nectar In A Sieve:

Markandaya, Kamala. Nectar In A Sieve. Signet Classic, 2002. (N.I.A.S should be underlined not bold but blogger does not have the underlining capability)

Reading blog 1/18/09

On BBC News online, I was reading an article about the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) called Not The End Of The World by BBC News online editor Dr David Whitehouse. Many scientists are having fears of the effects of what the RHIC can do, one major concern is it causing something not seen since the Big-Bang. The effect most are worried about is the RHIC causing a black hole that could devour the earth in less than 72 hours. Dr David explains the process as "the RHIC takes atoms of gold and swings them around two 3.8 kilometre (2.4 mile) circular tubes where powerful magnets accelerate them to almost the speed of light. When they collide, they do so in minute collisions that are 10,000 times hotter than the Sun." Even though the fears seem to be real, many say that they are too far-fetched. Physicist experts have been asked to produce a single comprehensive report on the safety of each of the speculative disaster scenarios, or things that could possibly go wrong. That list will be posted on BBC's website within the next couple of months before they fire of the RHIC to decide what they will do with it. Hopefully, everything will work out fine.

Reading blog 1/13/09

Recently, I read an article in the last Zephrus newspaper It's the end of the world as we know it by Anna Waldo. In this article she explains how the world is supposed to end on December 21, 2012! You must be thinking is that really possible? And it may be so according to the Mayans and their calendar systems of the solar systems that is supposed to predict new things suck as a new age. That new age happens every 26,000 years and that one is december 21! 

Reading blog 1/11/09

Recently I read a poem on the New Yorker online called Summer at Blue Creek by Jack Gilbert. It describes his summer as a young child in North Carolina where he grew up and how he did. In a way I think it to be a poem of how things in his life have changed so much since his summers in Blue Creek that only now when he has time to stop and reflect upon his life does he realize what a different person he truly is. Here the poem is: 

There was no water at my grandfather's 

when I was a kid and would go for it

with two zinc buckets. Down the path,

past the cow by the foundation where

the fine people's house was before

they arranged to have it burned down.

To the neighbor's cool well. Would

come back with pails too heavy,

so y mouth pulled out of shape.

I see myself, but from the outside.

I keep trying to feel who I was,

and cannot. Hear clearly the sound

the bucket made hitting the sides

of the stone well going down,

but never the sounds of me. 

Reading blog 1/7/09

Here are some random facts I found will looking around on the internet, I borrowed Kelly Langevin's idea of posting random facts, but I promise just this one time there are so many good one's!

1. It is impossible to lick your elbow.

2. The state with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska.

3. The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...) The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

4. The cost of raising a medium size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400

5. The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sayer

6. On average, a child uses up to 730 crayons by their 10th birthday

7. You consume 1/10th of a calorie every time you lick a postage stamp

8. A sneeze can exceed the speed of 100mph!

9. Coca-Cola would be green if colouring wasn't added to it

10. Hummingbird's are the only animal that can fly backwards.

I got these from the following websites: 

http://www.purpleslinky.com/Trivia/Random/30-Random-Facts.81201

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~bingbin/

Reading blog 1/4/09

An article I recently read NY Driver's Test Ends With Bystander in Hospital, is about a 23 year old lady who lives in New Rochelle NY. On a snowy day the lady (no name was given in the article) taking the drivers test ended up pinning a bystander after losing control of the car on a very snowy road in Westchester County. The police said that as the lady was rounding a corner she lost control/traction of the car and trapped a man clearing snow off his car. Also, the tester George Marshall claims to have tried to use the cars other set of brakes but they didn't work. The 33 year old bystander (again no name was given in article) has been taken to a hospital with leg and shoulder pain, but nothing more than that and some breaks. 

Reading blog 12/31/08

I am currently reading the book River Secrets by Shannon Hale, she is another of my favorite authors because her writing style is so captivating. A couple of things you have to know about the book is that it is in medieval times, Bayern and Tira are the two major cities, the queen and king of Bayern are Geric and Isi, Enna is Isi's best friend, Finn is dating Enna, and Razo is friends with Isi, Talone is captain of Bayern. Anyways, about the book. In River Secrets, a boy named Razo is picked by Talone to be in Bayern's Own army. This is a huge honor because it is made up of the best soldiers in Bayern. After the long war between Bayern and Tira, both sides are willing to make peace so they send embassadors to each City and an army to follow and to stay. Razo accompanies his army to the Port city of Tira on the sea. Customs are very different then they are at home. For example, there is no rich colors in clothes, everything is sweet, and the town is white. The two armies are in each other's city's to prevent another war from happening and to convince the Tiran council not to do anything rash in the meantime. Razo is not what you would call and soldier and everyone else knows that. He is short, slim, quick, sly, but not strong and a good sword fighter like many of the others. Soon Razo realizes that he was chosen by Talone to be a spy of sorts, which at the time is exactly what they needed. Talone sends Razo to try and find out the people who want to start the war again. Another thing about Enna is that she possesses the power of fire, as in she has it in her body and can burn things or set things on fire. This was especially helpful in the war because she set large groups of soldiers on fire, but very dangerous to control. She had to learn to control it so Isi who possesses the power of wind, showed her how to learn wind and Enna did the same to Isi. The Tiran people still believe there is a fire witch with the Bayern and their worries come true when Razo finds three burnt bodies in the city. He suspects Enna but it couldn't be her because Isi sleeps in the same room every night. Who is the mysterious body burner and who wants another war?