andrea's american studies

anamericanprogress?

2009-06-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

SEE: A long, hilly road that appears to have no end.
THINK: America is traveling along a road much like this one with hills representing obstacles and conflicts that are present. Once one hill is overcome, there is always another one to conquer, like a cycle. “You always have a green light” (92) said Gatsby, indicating that there is always something to strive for, or always a hill to be climbed. Since there is no end to this road, there is always an obstacle present. For example, when America contains the powers of communism and overcomes that hill, now is presented with the issue of terrorist groups in the middle east. As America is striving to defeat this conflict, there will inevitably be another conflict coming our way. Possibly North Korea? As another example, many say that the War in Iraq is a repeat of the Vietnam War. We continue in the same cycle of events. OUR HISTORY IS OUR FUTURE.
WONDER: Is reaching the American dream or the end of the road ever truly possible?

"History is a vast early warning system" said Norman Cousins and I find this to be very true. If you look to your past, you will see your future. History does repeat itself in a cycle, therefore to find answers, we must look to our past and learn from it. THIS is how we progress, by overcoming obstacles with the knowledge from our past.

YAY!!! GO AMERICAN STUDIES FAMILY! love you guys!

what is your future?

2009-05-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you guys... but I am getting pretty fed up with school right now. I have my own case of senioritis. When I think of the end of the year, I think of slowing things down, wrapping them up, and getting ready for a nice relaxing summer.

Not this year... Tomorrow, I actually have 3 tests:

1. Math Test

2. Pig Practical

3. Spanish Exam.....

I dont know about you guys, but I don't call that wrapping things up. On top of this, my best friend is a senior, who is just lounging around when come friday, she will be done with high school. I mean going to college can be pretty stressful. Having to teach yourself to live on your own, make some money, get yourself food, do your own laundry, and most importantly, be away from your family. But seriously, they have no finals and they are done a full two weeks earlier than the rest of the classes. (Yes, I do consider finals week a week of school because we are doing just as much work, if not more, and we are just as stressed out, if not more).

Ok, enough about me complaining, let's make this a thoughtful blogpost, shall we??

So I was talking to my friends one of which is so excited to go off to college, cannot wait to get out of her house and start her new life on her own, doing what she wants, outside of the "stupid northshore bubble" as she puts it. She's ready to get out of high school and be done with it. She says that she doesn't want to come back and wants to live her life her own way, not following in her parents footsteps. She says that she wants to be adventurous and go where ever the wind blows and do what makes her happy in life.

Then there is my other friend (the one I spoke of earlier) who is incredibly nervous to leave. She is getting really bad anxiety from the thought of being away from her loved ones. She's excited to start a new chapter of her life, but she enjoys where she lives and thinks that she sees the good things that the northshore has to offer. After college, she plans on finding a secure job back here near her family in chicago. She says that she wants everything to be planned out and that may mean doing some things that she really does not want to do.

So this is my question to you, ladies and gentlemen:

In your opinion, what is more important, having a secure future that may not be exactly what you love, or doing whatever makes you happy, even though it may not be stable??

THE AMERICAN FLAG in AN AMERICAN STUDIES 2!!

2009-05-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

Some more pics I took...

THERE'S ONLY ONE implying that America is great and there is only one so GRAND.

Okay, so I know this is a little stalker-ish... but as I was on my walk, I saw this man gardening outside his garage, a few feet away from where this flag is. I went behind a tree to get this shot (that's the stalker-ish part). But I couldn't believe that this flag was just thrown in the corner of his garage where he keeps his rake and broom NEAR THE GARBAGE!! This is what I call flag neglect... I just wanted to go up to the man and ask him why THE american flag was sitting in the corner of his garage. HOW IGNORANT.

THE AMERICAN FLAG in AN AMERICAN STUDIES

2009-05-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

So I took a walk around my neighborhood this morning to see a few different flags that I thought had interesting stories behind them.... I'm going to discuss this one though.

So friday in class, we were talking about class. Haha, no but seriously, we were talking about how to determine different social classes.... by the kind of car they drive? their property value? their income? the prestige of their job title? Then we got to talking about whether or not we thought people living in small houses would be more likely to hang THE american flag outside their home, or if we thought someone with a big house would. As I was walking, I saw exactly that....

This was the flag I saw at the house. It was not just hung by a door, but it was high, on a flagpole as if the flag was above everything, and we look up at it. The flag was ripped in the upper right corner and is very faded, I wouldn't say that that is neglect or mistreatment of the flag, but I would say that it is showing that the flag has been up for a while and has been through a lot, just as America has. More important than the placement of the flag, or it's condition, was what house the flag was at....

This is a picture of the house where the flag was a-wavin'. Smaller house in Glenview, with two cars parked outside. I wouldn't consider these two cars the nicest cars, but cars nonetheless. I thought this was interesting because this is showing exactly what we talked about. I would place the person (s) who live here as middle class based on what they see... what do you think??

And I just want to point out that they were the house that had THE American flag waving... unlike all of the other bigger houses on the street.

JUNIOR THEME: conclusion??? HELPPPPPPP

2009-04-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I am basically done writing my paper, and the editing process has begun...

however, I don't have a conclusion. I have been sitting here staring at my computer for the past 20 minutes trying to figure out what to say in order to wrap up my JT. AHHHH!!! I can't stare at a white screen anymore with a flashing cursor and no words!!!

HELP!!

Any suggestions as to what i should put in my conclusion?????

just to remind you, my thesis is:

Standards of beauty are set by advertisement agencies, stereotypical gender roles and the cosmetic industry's constant push for one to be "more beautiful", therefore women obsess over their own appearance, sometimes to a harmful extent, in order to meet societal standards.

JUNIOR THEME: ugh, and another introduction. If the annotated bibliography doesn't kill me, I don't know what will.

2009-04-17T07:39:00.001-07:00

After talking to Bolos and Doc OC, I think I might finally have a junior theme worthy introduction. The grabber is the same, just my thesis is different...
for, hopefully, the last time, what do you think about this introduction?

After being told by a theatre company that at 5'5" and 96 lbs she was overweight, Heidi Guenther developed an eating disorder. She died at age 22 as a result of anorexia and bulimia (Boston Globe). Women go to such great extents to achieve “beauty”. Many women, such as Heidi Guenther have lost their lives striving to attain this attractiveness. But, why are Americans so obsessed with the physical appearance of females? Standards of beauty are set by advertisement agencies, stereotypical gender roles and the cosmetic industry's constant push for one to be "more beautiful", therefore women obsess over their own appearance, sometimes to a harmful extent, in order to meet societal standards. This fixated need for women to be physically attractive has brought forth a fascination with different ways to reach ideal beauty.

JUNIOR THEME: edited thesis/introduction!!

2009-04-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

I saw Bolos today during class and he really helped me focus my "why question" to formulate a thesis!!!

here it is ladies and gentlemen..... CRITICIZE AWAY!!

After being told by a theatre company that at 5'5" and 96 lbs she was overweight, Heidi Guenther developed an eating disorder. She died at age 22 as a result of anorexia and bulimia (Boston Globe). Women go to such great extents to achieve “beauty”. Many women, such as Heidi Guenther have lost their lives striving to be picturesque in pursuit of impossible standards. But, why are American women so obsessed with their own physical appearance? Americans have a fascination with the looks of women and they set the standards of beauty, therefore women obsess over their own appearance in order to meet these societal standards. The obsession with physical appearance has been created through advertisements showing women how they should look. Advertising has changed the role women play in society and how they are viewed. Through stereotypical gender roles, women are obliged to be physically beautiful. This fixated need for women to be attractive has brought forth a fascination with different ways to reach ideal beauty.

What do you guys think of the thesis???? Does it make sense? Is it good? "fluffy"?

JUNIOR THEME: interview questions...

2009-04-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

So I have an interview with a woman named Annemarie Jutel who lives in NEW ZEALAND!! She wrote an article in the Encyclopedia of Recreation and Leisure in America entitled Beauty Culture. She had a lot of interesting things to say about how beauty is associated with goodness, how women have a "duty to beauty", and how we create personality through beauty as well as allow attractiveness to be tyrannical. Fascinating stuff huh??
Okay, so here are some interview questions I have been formulating....

1. What factors do you think have contributed to the obsession over the physical appearance of women and the constant fixated need to be beautiful?

2. Why do you think women strive to be beautiful?
-to be considered "good"? or to be accepted?

3. Naomi Wolf suggests in her book The Beauty Myth that images of female beauty are used as a political weapon against women's advancement. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think this so called "Beauty Myth" exists?

4. How do you think fashion and trends have contributed to the culture of beauty in America?

5. You suggested that women have a "duty to beauty," do you think this relates to the idea that women are objectified? How?

6. Many believe that as women get older they are less desirable because they have become more successful and have developed minds of their own. What do you think this has to do with the beauty culutre?

7. How is the American obsession with the physical appearance of females viewed in places outside of the country such as New Zealand?

8. How do you think advertisements have changed the way women are viewed from a societal standpoint/ the roles they have?

9. How do you think stereotypical gender roles have contributed to the obsession?

10. Why do you think women turn to bulimia, anorexia, and the cosmetic industry in order to obtain beauty even though they know it is very dangerous?

11. In your perspective, what do you think the future will look like? Will women continue to set impossibly high standards for beauty and continue trying new ways to reach ideal beauty such as the cosmetic industry and plastic surgery?

more to come... what do you think?

DOVE CAMPAIGN FOR REAL BEAUTY MISSION

2009-04-12T20:25:00.001-07:00

hey guys... well this is more for the ladies.
CHECK IT OUT!!! Powerful stuff here.
<-- campaign for real beauty

JUNIOR THEME: INTRO!!!

2009-04-12T20:19:00.000-07:00

After being told by a theatre company that at 5'5" and 96 lbs she was overweight, Heidi Guenther developed an eating disorder. She died at age 22 as a result of anorexia and bulimia (Boston Globe). Women go to such great extents to achieve beauty. Many women, such as Heidi Guenther have lost their lives striving to be picturesque. But, why are Americans so obsessed with the physical appearance of females? The obsession with physical appearance has consumed most of America through advertisements showing women how they should look. It has changed the role women play in society and how they are viewed. This fixated need for women to be physically attractive has brought forth a fascination with different ways to reach ideal beauty.

what do you guys think???

map:

1: focus on advertisements and their effect on the obesession

2: focus on Naomi Wolf and Annemarie Jutel's arguments talking about the changing societal views of women based off of their objectification

3: focus on ways women have tried to achieve what is considered "beauty" through

a. cosmetic surgery

b. make-up/ cosmetic industry

c. fashion and trends

JUNIOR THEME: obsession with physical appearance

2009-04-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

This picture is the front cover of Shape Magazine in March 2009... seriously?? women do not look like this...

If you watch the ads referring to weight loss it is mainly towards women. If it is a man it is usually Bowflex get buffed but as women we are considered overweight unattractive undesirable IF we do not look like the females in the television ads or the glossy magazines. Alot of the "models" are 18 or early 20's and they have been chosen well. Also airbrush is a big thing makes curves disappear or add pounds to "those unsightly areas".

My aunt is a personal trainer and this is what she said, "I had clients whom I would see twice a week mainly after work they would rush in change and do whatever we planned for that hour and then go home and the usual humdrum. They would not come to the gym or jog or do anything else because they were so tired from working and coming home and shopping and cleaning and cooking (as expected!!!)

The women work not eight hours but sometimes 10hr shifts exhausted BUT the husband still desires dinner on the table at a certain time it is all pressure and then after 6 months my clients husband would say "why don't you look like those girls on the TV ads". "you are wasting your money" and she would be so demoralized and figure whats the point. I would tell her these ads pick the girls also they might have the models workout 2hrs a day if not twice a day! and make sure they eat ONLY what they give them so the Ads can say I got this body in 6wks thanks to this pill this program this diet this food. Or the other alternative women just go hurl after they eat/bulima or go totally anorexic which in the ends destroys their throat and teeth from vomiting or they have kidney and/or liver failure due to lack of nutrition also extremely poor bone health."
Seems like she wrapped up the lives of many women in a couple paragraphs. People are so obsessed with physical appearance because they see the women on magazines or hear criticism from men making them think that they have to look a certain way. What a twisted web..
Many women would do anything to look skinny and "beautiful" but what is beauty? how is it defined? and most importantly, Why are Americans obsessed with women's physical appearance??

DO YOU WANT A MILLION DOLLARS?!?!?

2009-03-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay, so you're not going to get a million dollars, but you can read my blog post!!!

This is along the lines of an earlier post by max, entitled I am the Father of Sarah Palin's Baby...

Have you ever wondered how things grab your attention? Well, it's an art....

while on spring break, I was resting in the hotel room by watching a bit of TV. A commercial came on and a man yelled, "do YOU want a million dollars!?!?!!?!?!?!?" I was alarmed, so I looked at the television and started watching this ridiculous commercial! It wasn't advertising at all how to get a million dollars. In fact, it was a commercial for a nearby clothing store called Sufta. I rolled my eyes at the commercial that I thought was stupid, and then started thinking, well it did get my attention, and I remembered the name of the store, so I guess the commercial was successful in advertising their name... the whole point of a commercial is to make a product known, and even though it may have been ridiculous to try and catch attention by screaming, "do YOU want a million dollars?!?

Advertising is an interesting field... they use many concepts to get your attention and at least get you to remember the name...

this one we talked about: 7 7 3 - 2 0 2 - beep beep beep beep LUNA

or along those lines...

five eight eight, two three hundred EMPIRE

WALTER E. SMITH you dream it we build it....

if you heard one of these jingles walking down the street, even if there were no words, you would know what it is for.... Because of that, I believe that advertising agency deserves a high five.

Another concept for a commercial would be the "heartstrings" approach...

bring out the sensitive side in your audience such as this one:

honestly, you have to be heartless to say that you don't want to help these dogs... so what would you do??? BUY PEDIGREE.

It pulled at your heartstrings.

Advertisement agencies are clever in their work. Like I said, it is an art.

don't judge a book by it's cover

2009-03-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was shopping at Old Orchard with my mom and my sister. As we were shopping, I saw a couple of younger girls I used to babysit sitting on a bench nearby in the store. I walked up to them, asked them how they were and what they were up to. One responded by saying "Just people watching, waiting for my mom to come pick us up." These girls sat there holding their coach purses, wearing uggs, and designer jeans (they are in sixth grade). As I was talking to one of the girls about where she was going for spring break, another one of the girls whispered, "Look at that girl, that's totally a fake chanel purse and those are fake uggs!" Then the girls shot her a dirty look, rolled their eyes and continued talking. My jaw dropped open! I disgusted by the way the girls that used to be so cute an innocent, were so rude! I asked if they knew the girl that they had just made fun of, and they said they didn't. I was shocked at how incredibly judgmental they were. They had no idea who she was, and never had a conversation with her in their lives, yet they were passing judgments already based on what she was wearing. I said goodbye and told the girls to have a nice spring break although I wanted to wash their mouths out with soap...

This really made me think about how people are perceived in the world. Even though we like to think not, are people truly judged based off of what they look like and what they wear?

Then I started thinking about when my friend got the initials of his father (who passed away) tattooed on his arm. His mother threw a fit and said that he would never get a job with that on his body. I wondered, can people look past physical appearance to who the person really is? If two men interviewed for a job and one was better qualified than the other, but had a tattoo on his arm or didn't dress as nice as the other one, who would get the job?

Is judging people by their appearance inevitable?

what I found in the halls of NT...

2009-03-05T22:33:00.000-08:00

So as I was walking through the halls, I looked up and noticed that there was a flat screen television attached to the wall in the front rotunda, then as I walked to the athletic locker rooms, I saw another near the gyms. Finally, I walked up to my class on the second floor, and noticed one there too...

I had to stop and see what these televisions are displaying. I thought it must be something important because there must be a significant thing New Trier has to advertise in order to buy TVs to do so. I walked up and looked at the screen, and it had posted the weather. I was dumbfounded... Weather? Our school spends however much money to buy flat screen televisions in the hallways to advertise things like weather. Then I saw one on the third floor that was displaying a video of a bunch of New Trier students walking around. Honestly?? This is where the money goes? We could use it for such better purposes, such as finding ways to commit our minds to inquiry, our hearts to compassion, and our lives to the service of humanity...

child to adult

2009-02-25T19:02:00.000-08:00

So, the book we are studying at the moment, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, has a lot to do with the theme "coming of age". Huck is becoming an adult and through our contrasts, we can see how Huck is changing into more of a mature person than he was in the beginning of the book. My question is, what has occurred to mark his transition into manhood, if anything? Was it the death of his friend Buck? Or has he found maturity through his relationship with Jim? Is there a clear place in the book where it is visible that Huck has begun his transition into being a man? I think that when he first went out in the canoe and was on his own, that marked the beginning of his transition into adulthood. What do you think?

In real life, when does a child lose their innocence? I know i wrote a blogpost earlier in the year about children believing in Santa Clause. Is it when they stop believing in the tooth fairy? Or when they realize that magic isn't real? Is there a specific ritual they have to experience, such as a bar/bat mitzvah or confirmation? Is it when you finally decide that you don't need your blanket or stuffed animal or the night light?

For me, a death in the family was the first time I saw my mom and dad cry. That was a pivotal point in my life when I first noticed that people pass on and can not be with us forever. I saw my parents (who I thought were the toughest two people in the whole wide world) become vulnerable and scared, and that is when I began to look at things differently, my world was changed forever.

What marks the transition into adulthood in a child's life? Is it the loss of their innocence? What has happened in your lives that you think made you begin your transition into adulthood?

HE'S A RACIST!!

2009-02-17T20:26:00.001-08:00

I was telling my grandpa about how we were talking about race the other day. When i asked him what he thought defines race, he said that he sees it as physical features that you can see when you pass a person on the street. He said he grew up like Mr. Bolos where there was a different color for every person that looked a certain way. Race was important when he was growing up. He said that some of his friends' parents wouldn't let them have black people in their homes. Much less talk with them.
Immediately I said, "That's horrible! They don't even know the person! What racists."
And he replied by saying, "No, this wasn't horrible at all. To many of the people, this was normal. Blacks were inferior to whites, it wasn't as much a belief to them as it was a fact."
What do you guys think about this? What would you do if you went into a household in this day and age and the parents said that you could not bring and African American into their home? It is unheard of. This was about seven decades ago. What do you think will change in our society in six or seven decades? Do you think that racism will be abolished for good or do you think our world will be segregated as it was back then?

How are conversations started??

2009-02-11T16:25:00.000-08:00

When Mr. O'Connor told us to listen to our lunchtime conversations and find out what was talked about and how topics were brought up, it reminded me of a game I used to play with my friends... It really has no name, but i guess I'll call it the "Chain Game" (compliments of Cpatt).

So here's how it goes, someone starts with a topic, and then they have to make a chain of subjects through connections. Whoever does it the fastest and with the best (usually funniest) connections wins...

Here's an example:

Doc OC - Teacher - Mr. Bolos - American Studies - Funny - Gutty - Blogs - Mitchel -South Africa - Warm - Summer - Sun - Little Miss Sunshine - Movie - Oscars - Celebrities - Rihanna - Chris Brown - Assault - The Assault On Reason - Al Gore - Politician - Obama - McCain - Sarah Palin - Alaska - Russia - Country - Ireland - Doc OC!

Well look at that, starting with Doc OC, I made 28 connections until I made a connection back to Mr. OC! There could be 28 different conversations started on different subjects through that chain... Thought it might be fun/ interesting!

You guys try to make one like Cpatt's in her comment on this blog!!!

GOOD ONE CP!

The West In Our Society

2009-02-11T15:50:00.000-08:00

So as I was looking at the blogs of my fellow american studies students, i came across the blog of Cpatt (check it out!!). She had a video on her blog of a chevy commercial which i watched and found to be very interesting. Then, I was watching TV, and found a ford commercial that was very similar...

In the words of Mr. Bolos, "coincidence? I THINK NOT!"

here's the chevy commercial...

along with another chevy commercial...

and here's the ford commercial...

So, what do these pick up truck commercials all have in common?? There's a reference to the WEST! A "cowboy" is in each of them. As we discussed in class, the cowboy myth is that they are very rugged, tough, and masculine. In the last one for Ford, Toby Keith literally said, "I ain't got no boundries, I don't compromise," which in my eyes is displays a cowboy according to the myth.

Now, look at the people who drive trucks like these, wouldn't you say a good percent of them are men? If you ask me, I'd say that men are the market for these trucks and what man doesn't want to be masculine, have no boundries, and not compromise? What do you guys think??

what would you do??

2009-02-01T13:12:00.000-08:00

Allright so I was watching the movie X-MEN a few minutes ago and a scene came up where there was a hearing in the United States, where they were having a discussion about mutants that have supernatural powers and whether or not they are dangerous and if they should live among normal people. A woman was arguing that the mutants should not be given less rights than normal people. She argued that mutants should not have to register themselves and reveal their gift, if you will, in order to live. She also brought up that mutants whose identities were revealed "were met with fear, hostility and violence". A man that was arguing that they are too dangerous to live with normal people and he brought up the fact that one woman could "walk through walls" and he asked, what is to stop her from walking into a bank volt or the white house, or innocent people's homes. He said there is one who is so powerful that they can control minds which is taking away free will. The man argued that they should be exposed to show humans who they are and what they can do.

I thought this was a very controversial issue (if it were true) like the issues we talked about with civil liberties.

If this were a real issue today, if this happened in real life, what would you think? Should these mutated people be allowed to live among humans even though they could possibly be dangerous? Or should their freedoms be taken away from them and live a life filled with fear, hostility and violence?

Here is the trailer for X-MEN 4:

is it really that scary??

2009-01-27T18:50:00.001-08:00

As we studied the film American Visions: The Wilderness & the West, i have paid specific attention to the music that is playing in each scene. Certain light music can make the tone of the narrator's words very encouraging and glorious whereas heavy, slow, lower music can make the tone of the words very dark and upsetting. As I thought about this during class I realized that in films, a lot of emotions are portrayed by the characters, however a great deal of emotions are portrayed through music. The music of the film seems to make the viewers feel the way the author intended them to feel.

Look at this clip for example from the movie When A Stranger Calls, turn on the sound on your computer.

With the suspenseful music, the scene is suspenseful and scary.

Now mute the sound on your computer, and watch the clip without sound, it is much less scary without the suspenseful climactic music.

When i first watched it, I didnt even realize that the music was there because I was so wrapped up in the suspense. What about you guys?

fact vs. belief

2009-01-25T13:32:00.000-08:00

Today, i was watching a doctor show on TV and in it, a "medical miracle" occurred. A man who was supposed to die in a few hours ended up living for a year. This made me wonder what kind of things like these happen in real life and if things like this could even exist. I looked online and found a story about a woman whose heart stopped and the tubes that were keeping her alive were pulled, and she miraculously woke up seventeen hours later. Doctors had no way to explain what happened. An article stated that she opened her eyes and started talking. "'Her skin had already started to harden and her fingers curled,' Thomas' son, Jim, told NewsNet5.com. 'Death had set in'" (Medical Miracle? Woman Wakes After Heart Stops, Tubes Pulled by Karlie Pouliot).

To me, it is fascinating to think that some things in life cannot be explained. Facts cannot explain how this woman came back to life. This is where fact stops and belief starts. Science cannot explain everything, so is there an explanation for this? How did this happen? What do you think? Where does fact stop and belief start?

Thinking about this, makes me wonder about the creation of earth. Many say that it was an above power, and others say it was purely scientific. These types of miracles show that science has holes and may not be the answer to everything. Science may be the more reasonable answer to things because it is made of defined facts, but how far can hard facts take you? What are your thoughts on this?

goodbye 2008, hello 2009

2009-01-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

As you all know, we are now in 2009! I was on the phone with my aunt this morning, and as we were talking, she asked me what I accomplished in 2008 and what I want to accomplish in 2009. Now, i thought that's a pretty intense question to ask. She had already made a list of things she wanted to do in the new year. Such as, learn to cook, plant a garden, get a dog, and a bunch of others. I thought about it a little and I couldn't think of anything I really wanted to do in 2009... According to my aunt, if you go by each year just from one day to the next, and you can't say you are working towards anything, you won't have any accomplishments when the new year comes.

Is it that important? Is it imperative that we set goals so that our years are worthwhile and focus our days towards reaching them?

What do you think of new years resolutions?

"i cant even remember my life without a cell phone..."

2009-01-04T14:26:00.000-08:00

For a few days over break, my cell phone was broken. I was complaining about for 2 straight days until i finally fixed it. My friend and her little sister came over and I was talking to her little sister about how I haven't talked to anyone because of my broken phone. I was saying how I felt like I wasn't connected to society anymore. My friends little sister is in 5th grade and she said "I don't have a cell phone and I live without it." I thought to myself, I can't even remember my life without a cell phone. How did I get a hold of my friends when they were out? What did I do when I was out and needed a ride home? I started talking to a few of my friends who said that they couldn't live without their phones for even a day. I was shocked. I had never really thought about how much we rely on things like our cell phones. When our parents were kids, they didn't even think of having cell phones, and obviously they compensated.

Finally when I fixed my phone a few of my friends that I hadn't talked to since it was broken asked me what happened or where I went. One of them said, "It was almost like you died." So without my cell phone it was like i wasn't alive? That is crazy!

Is it sad that we are so reliant on things such as our cell phones to keep us connected?

Here Comes Santa Claus!

2008-12-14T16:27:00.000-08:00

Everyone at this point in their lives have figured out that there is no big man that lives in the North Pole, travels around the world with his sleigh led by flying reindeer, goes down people's chimneys, leaves presents under the tree and eats the cookies and milk left out for him. When does this stop being reality for little kids?

I was talking with my 6 year old cousin who still believes in Santa Clause and he was making a list to send to him of all the toys he wanted. Drake couldn't be more excited and I wondered when all this excitement would end for him. When would he realize that the thing that used to get him most excited when he was little was just a fabrication? When does a child lose their innocence? Some people say its good to grow up and experience life, but what is better, being older and knowing the truth about things, or being little and believing what makes you happy, even if it isn't real?

is there such thing as supernatural?

2008-12-03T16:18:00.001-08:00

I'm sure by now you all have heard of the movie Twilight or the Series of Book including Twlight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer. When describing what the books are about most people look at me like its stupid. They are about a girl named Bella who falls in love with a boy named Edward Cullen, a vampire. His condition limits their ability to be together and also brings many obstacles and hardships their way. The books are all about Edward and Bella's life together and apart. After reading the first book in two days, I was ready for more. I finished the second and am currently reading the third. The book presents so many ideas about how humans do not know about the immortals of the world and they will never know because it is the job of the immortals to keep it from them. This really makes me wonder about supernatural in the world... does it exist? Is everything purely based on science? Does everything have an explanation? I'm not saying that I believe there are really people out there whose skin is ice cold, undamageable, turns to diamonds in the sun, and run at impossibly fast speeds. But I can't help but wonder, what truely is out there that is beyond our imagination?

Thanksgiving or Food and Football?

2008-11-30T20:21:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving has been a traditional holiday that has been celebrated in the United States for decades. The meaning of Thanksgiving is for families to get together and give thanks for eachother and all that they have. I dont know about everyone else, but I feel like the meaning of Thanksgiving is getting lost. My extended family got together at my house on Thanksgiving. Turkey, gravvy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie were served like many other American families, but I dont think i heard one person say what they are thankful for. My cousins and uncles went to the basement and ate there with the television so they could watch football, and I was upstairs with my sister eating and catching up about school and friends while the women sat in the living room talking about recipies for Thanksgiving food. I realized as the night came to an end that I had got to see my family, but it wasn't really different than any other family reunion. I wonder if other families, like mine, seemed to be forgetting the whole jist of THANKSgiving. I can't help but wonder, what will happen in the future, like with the changes of Halloween over the years, will the values of Thanksgiving change as years pass? Will it just be another day of the year where families eat a big dinner? What will this day be like twenty years from now? Today, not many people talk about the pilgrims and indians, and they were the ones who originated this holiday. What else will change about our society as time goes on?

CAN THIS SERIOUSLY WORK??

2008-11-23T14:49:00.000-08:00

Today I was having a conversation with my parents and my sister. My sister is in college and having a hard time deciding what she wants her major to be. My mom suggested that she take a personality test called the Myers- Briggs test and another one that she knew of that informed the test-taker what career they would be best in. Personally, I have taken a few personality tests to tell me what kind of a person I am (introvert or extrovert, what kind of a learner, etc.) and I thought they were kind of interesting. Then I started thinking about the fact that there was supposedly a test you could take that would tell you what your career should be. Can a test of only a hundred questions truely be able to grasp one's strengths and weaknesses well enough in order to tell them what they should be doing for the rest of their life? I dont think something like this would honestly be able to decide what career a person would be best and most satisfied with for their entire life. What do you think? Do you know someone who has based life decisions from results of something like these kinds of tests?

Take a personality test and see if it is right about you.

is it partriotic?

2008-11-16T16:30:00.000-08:00

I had a conversation with my friends dad the other day and I thought what he had to say was very interesting. We got into a discussion about the election. We were speaking about how some people are not happy that Obama was elected and how they think he will not be capable of leading this country. My friend's dad told me openly that he voted for McCain and thought he would have been a better leader. I asked him if he was upset about the outcome. He responded by saying "So what. So I wanted McCain to win and he didn't, but now I've got to be a patriotic American. I have to support our president even if it isnt the man i voted for. He is our leader." I thought this was very interesting considering the fact that many people who don't support certain politicians campaign against them. Sure, many people out there who voted for McCain may be upset that he was not ellected, but does that give people the right to not support Obama? Is it unpatriotic to express negative thoughts towards our new president? Should the people who did not vote him into office silence their negative voices and support him even if they dont believe in some of the things he does?

What ever happened to the old-fashion newspaper?

2008-11-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

In class today, we went on a small tangent talking about the Chicago Sun Times, and then we started talking about newspapers in general. The newspaper industry is quickly declining as a result of the advances in technology. When I looked for information pertaining to the election, I'd open up a browser window on my computer and look at articles posted on Google or Yahoo or Comcast. I may have glanced at the articles on the front page of the paper, however I never opened it up and sat down to read the content. My grandpa always came over and would read our newspaper front to back because in past decades, the radio and newspaper were the only source of news they had. Today, we have the internet, cell phones, and television channels with news on at just about every hour of the day. The demand for papers have gone down an incredible amount and this just really got me thinking about what will happen in the next few decades with technology. In the past few years, Apple came out with new technology that is sensitive to touch and can hold tons of music as well as act as a cell phone and a camera. Today we have Bluetooth technology, where not only is there no cord to your phone, but you dont even need to hold your phone to your ear in order to talk to someone. Cars can now be electrically powered, televisions and desktop computers can be as thin as a stack of a few papers. Our world is technologically advancing before our eyes. What next? What will they come up with from here? Will the things people thought were absurdly impossible years ago be accessible in the next few decades?

what America EXPECTS from Obama

2008-11-09T18:06:00.001-08:00

"Change has come to America" Barack Obama stated in his victory speech. Obama represents change in the white house. He is young, past presidents are usually older. He has reform plans the change the country. The most obvious one, he is African American. All over the news is the word EXPECTATIONS. Obama has made the nation believe that his new ideas are right for the country, even though they may be somewhat "out there", his confidence has made us believe that they will bring a bright future to our country and we have trusted him to do so. Obama made many promises in his campaign speeches to bring the country out of the economic crisis, pull out of the war in Iraq, better health care programs, tax cuts and we are EXPECTING him to deliver. Obama says he is prepared to provide our country with the changes and reforms necessary. However, we do need to understand that we are still in perilous times and just because Obama is a new face in the white house doesn't mean the country's future will be bright. I am very curious to see what Obama does in the white house and the effects his actions on the country.

What do you think Obama will be able to accomplish as our president?
Do you he will fulfill the EXPECTATIONS or fall short?

Halloween or All Hallows Eve????

2008-11-02T12:06:00.000-08:00

After seeing everyone at school dressed up in their costumes and then watching little kids running around my neighborhood trick or treating, I wondered, what is Halloween? I mean i understand that it is a day for people to dress up in scary costumes and go trick or treating for candy, but why do we do this? I went online and read a little bit about the history of Halloween and how this somewhat absurd holiday came to be. October 31st is the last day of the Celtic calendar and it honors the dead. Halloween was called All Hallows Eve years back and has been celebrated for over 2000 years! the Celtic culture had a feast on October 31st called the feast of Samhain which honors the dead. This feast ended the past year and began a new one. Back in this time, it was believed that the dead souls would roam the streets of the village at night. Those souls that were thought to be evil were offered treats that were left out on doorsteps so they would pass and guarentee that the next seasonal harvest would be abundant. The custom of leaving the treats on doorsteps eventually turned into what we now call trick or treating! After reading more about this I realized that there were many myths and legends about the celebration of All Hallows Eve and at one point this was a very serious holiday whereas today it just seems to be one for the joy of little children.

The evolution of All Hallows Eve into what we celebrate today as Halloween reminded me of the discussions we have been having in class about the Puritans and their religion. Today, as we read about the Puritans and their beliefs in witchcraft and the way they found a person guilty for participation in the "works of the devil", we are amazed at their absurd beliefs and trials. This is very similar to our views of All Hallows Eve. We no longer believe in the existence of dead souls walking the streets at night and warding them off with gifts and treats. The views of these two common occurences in the past are thought of in such different ways today.

This makes me question what people will think of us in a few hundred years? Will they call some of the things we do absurd?

taxes, taxes, more taxes, taxes...

2008-10-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, we had a discussion about taxes. We talked about our opinions on the taxing of high income and low income. Some said that the taxes should be equal for both and others said that people should be taxed based on the amount of their income. I think there are two ways of looking at it:

1. The taxes should be the same for both incomes. The people who have a higher income have worked their way there and earn their money and it should not be taken away from them because they are successful.

2. People who are at the high income level may have inherited their money. Also, the low income people are trying to better themselves and by making money and having it taken away from they, they cannot do that.

These two different views have caused a lot of controversy over they years because neither is right or wrong.

What are your views on this topic and why?

How do you think this issue affects ones political stance?

CROP WALK

2008-10-19T14:52:00.001-07:00

Everyone has had an experience that made you think about how fortunate you are. Whether it be walking through the city and seeing a homeless person begging you for money, or maybe just looking outside your window and seeing nice cars in a happy neighborhood with kids playing with all their toys out in the front yards. Well, anyways, today I had one of those experiences. Through my church, I found out about a fundraiser that was going on in my community. I decided to try it out and see what it was all about and figured it would be for a good cause. I recieved an envelope that instructed me how to recieve and record donations. After talking to some people in the church, I learned that CROP stood for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty. Wow, what a great cause. This morning, I arrived at the gathering place, turned in the donations I recieved, and walked around to collect more information about the organization. I heard someone speak about how he saw first-hand how beneficial the organization is to people all around the world, and his story really touched me. He spoke of the malnourishment he witnessed which got me thinking how much we waste and how little others have. The people who were involved with the organization expressed so genuinely how thankful they were that we were walking with them. It just seemed to me how incredibly simple my action was, but how greatly it affected others.

http://www.cropwalk.org/ see for yourself!!!

Here's a story on the website that i thought was INCREDIBLE:

Walking for water
"Recently, long-time CROP Walker Henry Jones left his home in Fullerton, California, on a trip to Kenya. Jones recalls his visit to a drought-stricken Maasai community in the Narok District where he “visited a new deep well bringing clean water to a village. Before, some women carried water for over 10 miles, and the water was making them and their families sick.”
As is the common practice throughout the region, the women use 20-liter plastic jugs, which they strap onto their head for the trek to and from the water source. This so impressed Jones that he decided to bring one of these jugs home to show his fellow CROP Walkers, so they too could imagine the time, effort, and physical toll so many people must endure in their pursuit of water. On Walk day, he filled the jug with water and had everyone guess the weight. People gathered around and tugged and grunted as they tried to lift the heavy jug off the ground. There were a wide variety of guesses, but only one winner, who guessed 50.1 pounds (actual weight was 50.3 pounds). This year, the Fullerton CROP Hunger Walk raised more than $60,000, surpassing all prior efforts in its 26-year history."

HOOSIERS

2008-10-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

This weekend i went a visited my sister at college. She's a freshman at Indiana University. I stayed with her in her dorm for four days. After living with her, I really got a feel for what her life was like. I also met her roommate who is from Minnesota. Kim was one person at home when she was living with the family, and I noticed she was a completely different person away at college. Going out and buying groceries for her and Sara, alotting time each day to study at the Union, doing her laundry, she was out on her own. The dorm was insanely messy, because neither of them had time to set aside to clean it. They stayed up all night, either going out with friends or studying for classes. The food in their room was minimal and incredibly healthy (both of them are health freaks and only eat weird organic stuff). I basically lived their lifestyle for the four days, which is incredibly exhausting. When i got home, I slept the entire day and feasted on normal food. I love being home and appreciated a mother to do laundry once in a while and cook dinner every night, however I LOVED having days and nights to do with what I please. College is the transition into adulthood and I was exited to experience that. It scared me because I realized I would have to be all on my own doing things for myself without anyone else pushing or helping me, but it was also exciting realizing there's life beyond high school.

Has it gone too far?

2008-10-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

So far, i have noticed that everywhere i turn there is something related to politics. I have to say, I'm finding it somewhat interesting how consumed people are with the election. Whether it is making fun of Sarah Palin or commenting on the color tie John McCain or Barak Obama is wearing, everyone has voiced their opinions. I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to commentary in american studies or outside of class because i have followed this election. However, I have started to find myself feeling sympathetic for the candidates. With all of the things being said about them on the radio, tv, websites, etc. I find it sad how exploited their lives are now. I found myself thinking the other day, what if my mom or dad brought our family into the spotlight as other political figures have. What would my life be like? I don't think i would be able to handle all the trash that would come my way. I wonder, since they are running for president, is every aspect of their lives our business because we have the right to know everything about the people who are representing us, or is this exploitation unnecessary?

democrat, republican, or both??

2008-09-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

Earlier this weekend, I was at one of my friends houses watching the debate with her mom. I'm really great friends with her, and i asked her if she was a democrat or republican and I recieved a very interesting response. She replied, "I don't believe in that stuff... whatever candidate is best equipped for the job. We have a great deal of economic issues along with other issues right now, and whoever i think is best for the job gets my vote." This election has gotten very interesting considering the fact that McCain and Obama are such opposites. old, young. black, white. And the most obvious democrat, rebublican. I was at another friends house where they are very single minded. "The democrat always gets my vote," the mom of my other friend says. What happens if the democrat is unfit for the job? Do you still vote for him?

This brings me to my question, how important is the party of the candidate?

dirrrrty politics

2008-09-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

My sister came home and visited from college this weekend, so we sat down and had dinner as a family. She began talking about the presidential election and the buzz around campus about voting. My family got into this intense discussion about the right to vote. The right to vote is also in some way an obligation. As a citizen of the United States of America, why wouldn't you want a say in your leader? Many choose not to vote because they don't have time to register. Some register but can't find the time to go to the polls to actually vote. And some just don't take the time to pay attention to politics at all. Statistics show that only 22% of 18-25 year olds say they actually vote. Is this a disgrace to the country, the fact that people died for us to have this right and it is taken for granted?

american factbook?

2008-09-15T21:28:00.000-07:00

In class, we were talking about different history textbooks that were supposedly based off of fact. After pointing out the amount of words dedicated to certain historical events, we were allowed to see how the historians weighed out the importance of the events. It is significant to realize that not telling all the facts may not be telling the truth about history.
We also mentioned in class about how Christopher Colombus is told to be a great explorer through textbooks. The man was a great explorer, however what was failed to mention was that his actions were violent and cruel. Without telling the whole story about him, is the truth really spoken? If a textbook is picking and choosing facts to put in the book, is the story of American history ever truely told?

9/11 anniversary

2008-09-14T23:06:00.000-07:00

I thought i would pose a question that seemed to cause some contraversy following the terrorist act that tramatized our nation. After the September eleven attacks occurred, a few years later some movies came out telling stories of the horrifying day. One in particular was United 93. The movie was said to be based on a true story of one of the hijacked planes on 9/11. The movie was very powerful, as it showed the hijack of united 93. Many viewers who were personally effected by the attacks said the facts were incorrect and it was offensive to attempt to mimic what occurred on that flight and profit from it. Some people I know refused to see the movie saying that they will not contribute to the false exploitation of the heroes of our country. Do you think the making of this movie was a bad idea? Do you find it offensive?

did he get what he deserved??

2008-09-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

Timothy Treadwell was a man of great courage, however too much courage can be a bad thing. The man used every bit of strength he had to contribute to a matter that he thought was important, which I think is very strong of him. After watching the documentary, seeing Treadwell laugh into the camera, cry into the camera, and yell into the camera, the point came across to me that the man was passionate about his work.
One thing i thought was interesting was during class when i believe it was Mr. Bolos that said, some people say that we frown upon a life that is spent taking no risks and "playing it safe" even if the man lives till he is 100, yet is unhappy with his life. Whereas you have someone like Treadwell on the other hand where he could have possibly taken too many risks, and ended up in a bad situation. I believe that Timothy did what made him happy and repeated numerous times in the documentary that the only way he would die is out there with the bears. I believe that Timothy got what he wanted in the end, and his death brought attention to the cause, which is what he wanted to do in the first place.

consumed with the bad rather than good?

2008-09-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

The media is all around us. We are consumed with the latest gossip about Hollywood stars in tabloit magazines. By watching television and reading the newspaper we are able to better educate ourselves on important matters around the world.

Many people in the United States tune in their favorite news channels for the ten o'clock news and think they are learning what is going on around the nation, however, i must ask, would everyone watch the news if it did not have compelling stories about contraversies or horrible tragedies? How often do you hear reports on the news that make you have a warm feeling inside? How many hard-hitting stories talk about something that is positive instead of negative? Is it because we thrive off of knowing what is going wrong in the world and pay more attention to the bad than the good?
I just watched a news story the other night informing me that by going outside into my own front yard, I am exposing myself to viruses in the air which could later on put me at a higher risk for lung cancer. The reporter recommended I purchase an air purifier for my house to rid it of the "bad air". Does that mean that I should live in a bubble for the rest of my life with an air purifier inside so I don't develop cancer? Is that really necessary? I was just astounded that instead of talking about something good in the world, the news reporters had to cook up this insane story about something such as cancer being developed from breathing the air outside. If a person walked past the television and heard "breaking new story about the dangers outside your own home" i bet they'd sit down and listen out of curiosity. So, do the television companies really want to boost their ratings by catching peoples attention with that kind of news? Is this what our world has come to?

testbloggg

2008-09-03T07:23:00.000-07:00

i ask questions about everything, and i look at the world in different ways, and on this blog, i hope to get you looking at the world in a different way as well.