Wednesday, October 28, 2009

To The Young Slave Woman


From her early adulthood, Charlotte Perkins Gilman had suffered from periodic illness of melancholy, and after the birth of their daughter Katharine, she fell into depression. Gilman began treatment with Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell in 1886. His recommendations were "live as domestic a life as possible" and "never touch a pen, brush or pencil as long as you live" (http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi). However, it was quite the opposite with men. When they were depressed they were told that they should take a vacation away from home. The irony here is that woman would feel more depressed when they are stuck at home doing chores. According to Gilman, male aggressiveness and maternal roles of women are artificial and not necessary for survival any more. "There is no female mind. The brain is not an organ of sex. As well speak of a female liver." (from Woman and Economics, 1898). So how can the doctor recommend that she “live as domestic as possible?” Why should the woman be forced to stay home? Would this kind of domestic life make her happy? These are the sorts of questions Gilman acknowledges in her poem “To the Young Wife.” She uses imagery, symbolism, and rhetorical questions to demonstrate how the young woman is condemned to be a housewife.

The young wife is symbolized as a doll because she is controlled by her husband. For example, “the pretty three years’ wife” is living on what her loving husband loves to give and she must give him her life” ( lines 1-4). Since she is not independent, he holds all the power in the relationship. And that is really why she cannot support herself. It is like ken supporting Barbie. By giving her life to her husband she must do what he wants her to do. She is expected “ to toil alone… to clean things dirty and to soil things clean; To be a kitchen-maid” (lines 1-3). She is a female so it means that her job is to stay at home and take care of the house while her husband is gone. She is faced with isolation because she has no voice at all. She is “trapped in selfish, slavish service hour by hour -- A life with no beyond!” ( lines 39-40). Without any knowledge or education she doesn’t have much choice, she must work like a slave, without anything further beyond. The poor woman doesn’t know what she is capable of thus, her brain is just a waste. She’s not a real person; she is nothing but a doll. Looking pretty and acting a certain way is more important than her personality.

Furthermore, the author also uses negative imagery by depicting the woman’s house as a doll house. The young female lives in “a wooden palace and a yard-fenced land -- With other queens abundant on each hand… each fastened in her place” (lines10-12). The wooden palace and yard-fenced land resembles a doll house. She lives in a rich mansion like any “Barbie” because of “ken’s” money. The fact that she is fastened into place makes us realize how much of a doll she really is. Against her will, she is chained to her “throne”, held back by her “antique labours and paltry queenship in that narrow place. It is her restricted space” (lines 33-35). The doll house represents her home in which she spends most of her life. Her throne is her kitchen because most of her time is spent there. The kitchen is the place where she belongs; it is restricted for her and no one else. She has nothing to look forward to but the same routine over and over. As a person she will never grow. As a doll she stays the same. The author is trying to make the girl realize something.

Thus said, The author uses rhetorical questions to establish that a house wife life is not the life to lead. For instance, The young wife “loses no love, but finds as she grew that she entered upon a nobler life and became a richer, sweeter wife… is she a wiser mother too?” (lines 29-32). she doesn’t need any knowledge because her husband will always love and support her since she does what is expected of her. The point is
when he stops loving her, he may leave her and she’ll have nothing left of herself and her life because she has the skills of a nurturing mother, but not a self-supporting woman.
As a result, how can she “rear her children if she is untaught herself, untrained, perplexed, and distressed?” ( lines 13-14). She isn’t smart so she cannot educate her children for the real world. Consequently, children are influenced on how to act by what they see at home. To educate the children’s means that the father would have to actually stay at home and he would never do that. His place is not in the home. As one can see living at home is not a desirable dream. To realize this the girl must ask herself how she will stay content when she has “has no dream of life in fuller store…of growing to be more than that she is…doing the things she knows better far, yet doing others more” (lines 25-28). She Is confined to be a housewife her whole life and is a slave to her husband forever. Without any knowledge she will never be free. If she was knowledgeable she would be capable of so much more; she can help herself and then spread her knowledge to help others even more. Unfortunately, culture and not heredity has forced women to be dependent on men. In addition, woman should be independent because in reality they are alone. One enters this world alone and one also dies alone. One’s life is their own.


Overall, symbolism, imagery, and a series of rhetorical questions establish that the young wife is condemned to be a housewife because she is a doll living in a doll house. she symbolizes a doll because she is trapped in conformity. She has no freedom to do what ever she wants; like a doll she is controlled by her husband. And as a doll she must live in her “doll” house because she is not capable of supporting herself, since her husband is the one that works outside of the home. In the end she is too dependent on her husband, and so she leads no life of her own. She must ask herself is she really happy since “she has no life beyond!” This woman, without a man she is nothing.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Child Protection Services Role on Child Care

It seems when parents are taking care of their kids some of them know they arn't doing a good job and receive calls from the social worker. Now, I think it is fair for the social worker to take the kids away from their home because the parents have a chance to fix their problems before intervention. Even though the parents receive these calls, they don't take these calls seriously because they forget about it and think that they have a lot of time and don't realize that someone can take their kids the next day. They think that just because the social worker says that they won't take the child away it means they will NEVER take their child away. The social workers have the authority to take the child away any time they want. Once, the kid is gone then they say they want the child back and that they can be a better parent. These parents don't know what they have until their children are gone. One thing that the program could have done is visit the children to accurately value weather things are running smoothly or not. sometimes I think people need to realize parenting isn't a right anymore it's a privilege. They should be thankful that they have kids some people can't even have kids because they are infertile! If parents really care about their kids they should get their act together so at least their kid can return home.

One emotional response that I did notice is that the parents always react in an angry/distressed manor, they seem to be in denial that the living situation for the child is unhealthy. Yet, the caseworkers must always maintain composure, professional attitude and persistence that their side is what is best for the child, and I completely agree with that. Their position entirely is to help the child, even though it may be heart breaking for the child and parent(s), but ultimately, after the appropriate progress has been made upon, the children may be returned back to the parents. Parents must go through any obstacle in order to attain their children back, if they can show that they are fully capable and responsible, they feel empathy for their children, and also identify the safety needs and personal self improvements. Therapy is quite interesting because the parents feel threatened in a sense, yet the caseworkers are understanding and make every attempt to counsel them in hopes of helping the situation. Placement caseworkers have a difficult time finding homes for older children, as opposed to younger children. However, as long as they are in route to finding a good suitable home, that’s what is most important and vital.

Even though kids have been abused by their parents they still miss them and want to be with them when they are taken away by the social workers. Take for instance, Kevin. He went to the hospital with his mother and his mother told dr.'s that he fell off his scooter. But, the Doctor wasn't convinced and so the mother admitted that Kevin was getting beat with a belt by his mother's boyfriend. His mother's boyfriend, Sam, often beat Kyle with a belt because he was misbehaving he stole, tortured animals, and more. One time Kyle wanted to see if the duck could go under water so he forced duck's head under water, suffocating the duck. Sam got mad and grabbed Kyle’s head and forced his head into the water, suffocating Kevin. Once social services took Kevin away from his family, his behavior did get better and he blamed himself for his bad behavior and said he missed both his mom AND SAM; even after Sam beat him.

The Date Rape Backlash: Media and the Denial of Rape


I feel that the term "rape hype" counter movement started because of fear. Men saw all the new attention to rape and how prevalent it actually was and feared that some vindictive woman acquaintance might accuse them. This fear is valid though it probably happens very seldom. Out of this fear, rape hype was created and blew things out of proportion. It seems like men felt like they were being attacked and put up a defense and called it rape hype. The general population needs to not feel uncomfortable about the topic of rape. Everyone needs to come together to solve the problem of rape but without playing the blame game.

I think it’s funny that people complained about the fact that rape was being recognized as a problem. At the very least, as with any threat to health, the problem or issue should be identified. Maybe the term “epidemic” was an exaggeration, but isn’t it better to recognize a problem or potential problem and stop it before it gets out of control? It’s a little disturbing that such an important issue, epidemic or not, was reduced to a joke.

why would people complain about people complaining. It needs to come to our attention or else how are we suppose to control it? I was reading that “early British Rape laws stated that when a women was raped reinstitution should be paid to her husband" ( Sigler 1989). Instead of seeing that rape was a problem this law only encourages women to hide that they have gotten raped because they are scolded for it and the blame is taken on them even though they are helpless! Even if they tried to get away they couldn't men are physically stronger. The media is contributing to the problem by saying that people shouldn't complain. I hope that people are smart enough not to listen to the media because the media only focuses on what sells and it try's to make money instead of actually doing what it needs to do: inform the public that rape needs to stop!! It's such a stupid joke...rape is not funny...no one is laughing...

When males get raped it is underreported. About 2.78 million men have been raped. 71 % of those men have gotten raped before their 18th birthday. Sexual assault and rape is a serious problem and I think it's cruel for the media to make fun of rape by calling it hyper rape. The feminists are not overreacting at all. Calling a crime to the attention of officials is by all means necessary because it can lead to negative effects like change in sleep patterns, loss of appetite, headache, nausea, loss of memory, and not to mention SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED diseases. Shame on the media for taking a serious crime such as rape as a joke! It's a serious crime and I don't think it will stop with the media's type of attitude. Their lack of seriousness makes me sick! Rape will never stop happening because the media is taking such a serious crime so lightly.

why do people drink?



Alcohol can be a complicated topic. Completely getting rid of alcohol may seem like a simple solution, but in reality that's not the case, as we can see from history. In the 1920s prohibition didn't do the trick. It only made alcohol drinking go underground. Outlawing alcohol obviously didn't stop people from drinking or solve all the problems. It seems the only realistic option that I can think of is to educate the public on the consequences of drinking alcohol and teach specific ways of how to drink responsibly. Then you just have trust and hope everything works out, just like a parent with a child. You can't completely control; just teach and hope it turns out for the best.




Some people may say that the drinking age should be reduced to eighteen or nineteen, but I disagree that the drinking age should be changed to a younger age. Even though it really doesn't matter because everyone knows that everyone in high school drinks. They will always drink no matter what age it is because there is nothing else to do. I agree that there should be education programs out there targeting the negative effects of alcohol. I'm sorry but the DARE thing we learned in elementary school doesn't help. If alcohol is portrayed the way it should be then people will want to drink responsibly, if not completely stop. people drink because alcohol is portrayed positively and unrealistically. People look disgusting when they drink. Their eyes are rolled over and blood-shot, they smell, they can't walk, they look stupid, they act stupid, and they become violent and emotional and even afterwards when they get a hangover they STILL look ugly. And the video was right people drink so there is an excuse for them to behave a certain way like sexually. This is especially true for girls! :( and then they get taken advantage of.


Everyone says the same thing when it comes to alcohol. Rarely anyone ever drinks for the taste of it or to run away from their problems. The number one reason why people drink is to socialize. It's sad that they need alcohol to feel more confident and to reduce stress that they may have in a social setting. It's not that hard to talk to people. Especially drunk people because they act so dumb, you can say anything you want to them and they won't even remember! So why are people shy when they are surrounded by people who are drunk. If they just act how they normally would it would actually be better; they should be more confident because everyone around them looks ridiculous and unattractive. people fall everywhere and laugh for no reason and then puke out of no where...it's funny how that can be "intimidating" and because of people like that one has to drink to fit in. The booze doesn't make you do anything that it’s not already inside you. No one lacks confidence because it's already within them. They just use booze to bring it out and they shouldn't have to rely on a drink to do that. It's better to say that you are naturally confident.

Monday, October 26, 2009

My Style of Writng in 6th Grade: Ditching

The day I woke up I had severe stomach pains. I slept in an hour late before going to school. It was on sync to when my sister would go to school so we decided that we would go together. I liked the idea and I needed to get some supplies for school. So I went off with my sister to fry’s or Walgreens one of them. We got our supplies it was one of those mornings where you don't really want to do anything. So I got back in the car and we were driving up Lambert and we had a choice, take a right to go to the school or take a left and ditch. We took the left route and decided to ditch, my sister brought it up jokingly and then a joke turned into reality when we gave it some serious thought. I had some sort of project that I wasn't ready for that day. I was in the 6th grade at the time and it wasn't that great of a year. So we cruise along down and go to the foothills mall. We go inside and we are looking at movies to watch, the whole time through I am severely panicked by the fact we could get caught. I looked around everywhere paranoid. We look at the movies that are playing and Ella Enchanted was the only one playing at the closest time and we decided for some reason on not seeing it. We then went to Wal-Mart for some reason, I saw cops all over the road and I was paranoid they were going to pull us over or something like that. Then as we entered Wal-Mart I kept looking around the store for someone to catch us. It finally happened I saw my parents at the end of an aisle and they yelled our names. I was about to die in fear and then they took us back to school that day, We didn't even get to ditch a whole day. Then it was over. I went to school got yelled at by all my teachers and I felt pretty bad. I didn't really care about the whole thing and I just wanted to go to sleep and forget about everything but people kept bringing it up. As punishment I wasn’t allowed to see my friends. Fine, I thought, I could always go play video games in my room. Little did I know my parents were way ahead of me. They actually took the television out of my room and hid my game counsels. To top it all off, they took my phone away too. I didn’t have to do any chores or anything, so it wasn’t that bad. This lasted only two days and then my parents felt bad for me. I did finish all my homework and for all it’s worth I am never ditching again. Even If I didn’t get caught I could have easily messed up my grades in school. Not only that, but I wasn’t even able to have a good time cause I was paranoid. If I only waited I could have done my homework, see my friends after school, and then go to Wal-Mart.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Negative Aspects of RAP!


I thought it was interesting how it was pointed out that the rappers are acting like some of the white slave holders because of they way they disregard women and human life." ----> That is very interesting thought/ piece of insight. When African American's first thought of rap in the 70's they used it as an "artistic commitment to seize freedom from oppressive social conditions" (www.wikapedia.com). These days it seems the rapper's are moving away from the thought of seizing freedom from oppression because they are oppressing women. Instead of moving forward they are moving backwards. Rap music is getting worse and is a big influence on the youth. I am not a fan of it. Beside's oppressing women they are oppressing themselves. They portrayed themselves as gangsters, hustler's and pimps and that's not good because words like uncivilized, criminal, thug, hoodlum, hoe, hooch, come into play.



Rap music not only oppresses women but promotes violence. Take for example, the lyrics of “Crack a Bottle," by Eminem. " Got my riding shot gun, girls** (not the word used in the song..but replaced with profanity) hoping in my Tahoe and no none of them got clothes on." It doesn't matter if Eminem is serious or not children may take these lyrics seriously because they are developmentally immature. They are still developing. These images of girls as hoes and the idea that it's cool to hop in the car and run around with a gun promotes gang violence. so much violence is being portrayed that "Music Videos average 1 or more violent scenes a minute. That is more than cinema and TV" (Children's Defense, 1).

Generally, rappers argue they portray women like this because, as Snoop said "that it is just for the women who are like that and if you're a real woman, you're classy and elegant. Those lyrics wouldn't necessarily affect you. You'd just groove to the music." Richard Shaw, a.k.a. Bushwick Bill, says "I call women b***hes and hoes because all the women I've met since I've been out here are b***hes and hoes." When Bill was asked at the National Association of Black Journalist's convention what he calls his mother, his reply? "I call her a woman, but I am not f*ing my mother. If I was f*ing you, you'd be a b**ch." (http://www.uga.edu/womanist/rhym2.1.htm).
These lyrics are stupid and make it seem okay for people to use the words hoe, slut, ect. to describe women and this particularly comes from culture. Women are portrayed as objects and are meaningless with no intellect in their blood what so ever and that it simply not true. These rappers don't take responsibility for their actions and disregard the fact that they are promoting sexism, violence, and even racism by using racial terms such as the n word all the time!

Why do they portray men with guns? According to "Hip Hop beats," the symbol of the gun has become power and is linked to masculinity. So to be masculine is to be powerful, and to be powerful is to have a gun. Notice how women don't have guns! This is because women are not in power, a women with a gun would show that she has control and it is seen as not femmine. A Caucasian women said " it appeal to our sense of learning about other cultures and wanting to know about something we will never experience" ---> Why would you want to experience it!? Why would you want lyrics like this to describe your culture? I would be offended... wouldn't you?? Another Caucasian man said, " It's my style, I mean if you guys...uhh colored people can say it's their music, I can get down to it just as they can." The Interviewer, whom was black, replies " Did you just say colored people!?" It's interesting how he is worried about the term "colored people"when it's coming from a Caucasian man, but it's okay when the N* word is used.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Make-Up


Make-up has become increasingly popular in the 20th century, mainly in theUnited States since our economy is based off of the market and consumers.Make-up seems to be the easiest product to sale, since there is so many women,and now a days little girls, concerned about make-up. What I wanted to know iswhere did make-up come from? How did it become so big? And What is it made of?All I know is that make-up is toxic and contains a billion chemicals that we don't even know how to pronounce!
Many consumer's don't know what they areputting on their skin.According to Mary Belis, from the New York Times Company, make-up has been "usedin Egypt dating back as far as the fourth millennium BC, including artifacts of eye makeup and objects used for the application of scented ointments"(http://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventions/a/beauty.htm). My guess wasactually the Native Americans because they seem to wear a lot of paint. Or else perhaps china, because of the traditional face painting of concubines. I wasright to some extant. There is evidence suggesting that china had used nailpolish. " Nail polish can be traced back to at least 3000 BC. The Chinese foundways to use gum arabic, egg whites, gelatin, and bees wax to create varnishes and lacquers for the nails. The Egyptians used henna to stain their fingernails" (http://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventions/a/beauty.htm).


The Chinese took beauty very seriously. So, seriously that "nail color often represented social class. During the Chou Dynasty, (circa 600BC) gold and silver were the royal colors. Later, royalty starting wearingblack or red nail color. Lower ranking women were only permitted to wear paletones. Wearing royal colors without the rank was punished by death"(http://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventions/a/beauty.htm). That is really extreme. What if you were really poor but wanted to look nice? I wonder if there were certain colors that only poor peasants could wear.Long ago in the 1800's make-up was not acceptable in some cultures. Cosmetics use was frowned upon at some points in Western history. For example, "in the 1800s,make-up was used primarily by prostitutes, and Queen Victoria publicly declared makeup improper, vulgar, and acceptable only for use by actors.[3] Adolf Hitler told women that face painting was for clowns and not for the women of the Master Race" (wikapedia.com) SO, I was right about that whole concubine thing;queen Elizabeth did say that it was only to be used by prostitutes! I'm notsure if it's true, but I heard that in America, the signature look for aprostitute was red lipstick and blue eye shadow.

Make up- contains very dangerous chemicals that are not even approved by the FDA. "In fact, nearly 90 percent of the 10,500 personal-care-product ingredients known to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have not been evaluated for safety by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review" ( http://planetgreen.discovery.com/fashion-beauty/toxic-cosmetics-ingredients.html). The less make-up you wear the better!!

Senator Kennedy continues with a "dishonor role of just a few of the complaints made to the FDA in the last few months." From the Report:


"Eye problems such as rash, redness, swelling, and inflammation from Alberto Culver's "European Instant Hot Oil Treatment for Color Treated and Permed Hair."
Clairol's Helene Curtis "Nice and Easy Natural Lite" causing problems such as pain and tissue damage.

Proctor & Gamble "Cover Girl Make Up Master Sponge Puffs" causing such problems as rash, redness, swelling, sores.
Maybe line "Great Lash Mascara" : pain and rash.
Proctor and Gamble "Pantene" shampoo: neck tissue damage
Personal Care Products "Personal Care Anti-Wrinkle Cream": eye infection
Neutrogena Corporation "Neutrogena Glow Sunless Tanning Spray," hand pain and tissue damage.
The list goes on and on.

(http://milkywaypublishing.com/harmfulingredients.htm)

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Go Green



People need to start becoming aware of global warming problems and issues with wasting resources. I think as humans we are naturally destructive. We use the jungle for our own benefit and then trash it by burning tons of felids for beauty products and medicine. We also waste water all the time. People occasionally leave the faucet leaking and don't care to tightly turn the knob. We also are endangering the natural resource of water and oil by drilling into the ground. The more we drill, the worse our water quality is and the more expensive oil becomes.I am sure that everyone is aware of the damages we are doing to our planet.

The issue now is; how do we conserve energy!?
To conserve natural resources one should do the following things in their house hold:

The Kitchen:

*Turn off the lights when no one is in the kitchen*install a faucet aerator so that you don't waste water
* make sure the refrigerator door is sealed tight to save electric. If it isn’t then wipe off dried food from the gasket and adjust the door
* There may be coals under and behind your refrigerator. Unplug and vacuum the fridge 2 times a year.
The living room/Bedroom:
* Replace your incandelescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs. This will emit less heat because fluorescent bulbs use less energy and stay cooler than incandelescent bulbs.
*Turn your lights, stereo, TV, and air conditioner off, or fan to save electricity.

Shower:

*replace your shower head with an energy efficient shower-head that uses 10 liters or 2.5 gallons per minute.
* replace your faucet head with a faucet aerator
* Turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth!
* replace bulbs with fluorescent bulbs
* Turn off the lights when you don't use them
* seal your window from drafts.

How to go green:
-Recycle
- Bike/walk to school / get a HYBRID!!
- skip bottled water and use a water purifer that attaches to your faucet or is a water jug
-Don't pour chemicals down drains, or flush drugs down toilets; it could come back in diluted form in your water.- Unplug things that glow, ( TV, computer, stereo, VCR) because even if they are turned off it continues to draw power that you payyy for!! ( you will save $200-a year!)
- Recycle your electronics because if 1 million people recycled that would keep 4 million pounds of lead of the ground
- fix your faucet if it drips it can save 74 gallons a day!
- Let your grass grow; it can make the grass healthier because it absorbs more sunlight that way and requires less watering
- Use ENERGY STAR!! A household with Energy Star products uses about 30 percent less energy than the average household -- an annual savings of about $570.
- Do full loads of laundry and dishes- Saves water, money and power

SO please save the planet. We need to appreciate what we have and take care of it because it is our home! We can’t do it alone we need to all contribute. PLEASE READ THIS BLOG! It’s very beneficial! IF you care about your home then SAVE IT; it is a crime!!! Do NOT NEGLECT your home.

Media's Ideal Image of Beauty

(isn't she lovely?..pic of child beauty pagent)

The clip we watched in class yesterday featuring a little girl and images of women getting plastic surgery, make up, dieting, and gaining weight, than wearing skipping clothes was very interesting. The media does have an effect on little girls not just women. It seems girls are growing up really fast because they are concerned with the same issues as full grown women are and that is attractiveness. In fact, girl's as young as seven are concerned about how they look.

I understandable why girl's as young as seven are getting sucked into the media's portrayal of beautiful. Just look at the things they play with: barbie, brats, and Polly pocket. All of these toys have something to do with images about beauty. Barbie is the most famous image that attracts little girls. Barbie is associated with makeup, nails, jewelry and shoes. Brats look like they've got too much make up on and botox on their lips! Polly pocket is a fashion freak. Her advertises are always about clothing and shoes.


It is not just their toys that are promoting beauty, but also the things they watch on tv. In fact, "Rumble, Cash, and Nashville (2000; cited in Klein & Shiffman, 2006) found that the schematic association of attractiveness and thinness with goodness was present in over 100 female characters appearing in 23 Walt Disney animated films (cel cartoons) produced over a 60-year period" ( http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts_mediaeffect.shtml). That's not surprising, character's like Tinkerbell, Jasmine, Ariel, Pocahontas, and Bell are all petite and skinny and also show a lot of skin. Tinker bell does not have anything to cover her except a skimpy little dress that comes up really high. The way she bends over is sex appeal. it is obvious that if we wear to draw an image of her from the back view when she bends her buttocks would show because that's reasonably what happens when someone bends like that. Jasmine is dangerously thin and very attractive because she shoes off her stomach and flaunts her figure. Her clothes are very revealing and the way her blouse's sleeve's fall on her arm is also a type of sex appeal. Ariel is the most revealing. She has a basically a bra on and a fish tail. Her cleavage is shown almost all the time. Her waist is really narrow and her hips are also curvy. She also has long flowing hair, that many girl's admire and want because it is very girly. Pocahontas also achieves the same affect as Ariel: long flowing hair and cleavage. She wears a lot of makeup too. Her lips are outrageously red and her yes are thickly lined in black. Bell is the most modest of them all, but she still is fairly thin.

According to Dr. Nancy Signorielli, Professor of Communications at the University of Delaware, "50% of the commercials aimed at girls spoke about physical attractiveness, while none of the commercials aimed at boys referenced appearance" (http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts_mediaeffect.shtml#). Even though, the commericials are aimed at girl's boys do think of their appearance. Sometimes men feel the need to be muscular and toned to achieve that more macho look. So it is equally important to talk to young boys and not just girls. In a study on fifth graders, 10 year old girls and boys told researchers they were dissatisfied with their own bodies after watching a music video by Britney Spears or a clip from the TV show "Friends" (Mundell, 2002)" (http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts_mediaeffect.shtml#). This illustrates that even when boys see women who are thin and beautified by the media, they too feel bad about their bodies. They may feel that in order to be attractive they need to be muscular and manly so they can get girls who look like Britney Spears. This is really sad because in fifth grade worrying about one's looks is the last thing kids should be concerned about. If they are worried about their looks at such an early age, how will they become when they are adolescents? The media is crazy and is always deemed responsible because we are informed by the media everyday. Their advertisements and tv programs can easily influence children because they are vulnerable. They are still developing and the media's messages can influence them to do wrong things. Children are developmentally immature.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

" Under the Influence"


Sander’s “Under the Influence is a type of social witness essay about his experiences growing up with an alcoholic dad. A social witness essay is an essay that is written about and event that one bear’s witness to and is told in the form of a story. “Under the influence,” describes many obstacles that the author grows through mostly during his childhood, which complies back into his adult life every time he saw his father. For example, Sandler describes times when he would worry about taking care of his dad when he was drunk, keeping an eye on his dad and hoping he would stay away from alcohol, dealing with his dad’s lose of control and anger when his dad was drunk, and the fights his parents would get into as a consequence of his dad’s drinking. The author lived in a time where people were hard Christians and drink wasn’t as easily tolerated, so drinking was looked heavily down upon. The one’s who drank were not normal.

Sander’s obstacle of taking care of his dad when he was drunk was not an easy task. The author uses many strategies to describe what it was like. For example, he talks about his dad’s behavior when he was drunk; “ my father, when drunk, was neither funny nor honest; he was pathetic, frightening, and deceitful” (Sandler, 5). Sander’s use of a metaphor is also apparent in many times in the story. For instance, he speaks of the time his father kissed him; “he smelled the cloying sweetness of Clorets, the mints he chewed to camouflage his dragon’s breath” ( Sander, 6). To describe what his kiss was like the author includes a poem in his essay by Theodore Roethke, entitled my “papa’s waltz.” “ The whiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy; but I hung on like death: such waltzing was not easy” Sander, 6). The author’s use of this poem paints a clear picture for the audience. Sandler states, “ such waltzing was terribly hard, for with a boy’s scrawny arms I was trying to hold my tipsy father upright” (Sander 6).

It is easy to conclude that his father wasn’t going to stop drinking on his own, so Sander and his family felt the need to keep their eyes on their father. For example, the more Sander’s father drank the more his “mother become obsessed with stopping him” (Sander 6). Sander’s mother did everything, “she hunted for bottles, counted the cash in his wallet, and sniffed at his breath. Even the kids become worried. Sandler mentions the time when he and his siblings are at a gas station and they know that his dad is going to by beer. They were “ Dutiful and panicky and cried, “ let us go with you,” but his father would roar back, saying, “ don’t budge or I’ll jerk a knot in you’re tails” ( Sander, 7).

The children were helpless when the father was drunk. His anger would take control of him and he would turn into someone he wasn’t. For example, “He became a stranger as fearful to us as any graveyard lunatic, not quite frothing at the mouth, but fierce enough, quick tempered, explosive; or else he grew maudlin and weepy, which frightened us nearly as much” ( Sander, 8). Sander felt that his dad’s behavior was because of Sander’s actions. He says things like if only I’d get good grades, do all my homework, and behave; Sandler feels if he improved on these things his father wouldn’t need beer to alleviate his pain. His father would never beat them, but would only threaten to by pulling out his belt and swear to give them a whipping” ( Sander, 10).

As you could imagine, not just the kids, but the mother would suffer too. She often had marital conflicts and would “ sling her accusations at him, he snarls back, she yells, he growls, their voices clashing” ( Sandler, 3). Sander also mentions the time when he was sleeping at night he would hear his mother “ retreat to her bedroom, sobbing, - not from the blows of fists, for he never strikes her, but from the force of words” ( Sander, 3). Verbal abuse is just as bad as physical abuse because the same outcome results and that is anger, frustration, which ends in tears.

“ Under the Influence,” was very interesting to read. I often feel the same way as Sander does because I always worry about my dad getting cancer from chewing tobacco. I use to be so worried, that I spilled his tobacco, and filled his can up with bird food, or empty half of his tobacco so he would have less of it. No matter what I do, my father won’t stop eating it and I can’t do anything because he will do what he pleases because he is an adult who acts like a kid. He won’t leave anywhere without his stupid tobacco! ;(

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Happiness



Happiness is different than sadness because happiness doesn’t necessarily have to come from multiple things it can come from one thing. This is because people want to be happy and that is why it takes a lot more things to make it us hurt…because we avoid it as much as we can and let it pass over until, we can’t handle it anymore. Happiness can mean happiness from many things but, it only takes one of the things to bring about the happiness. Things that make me happy are good health, other people being happy, and people getting along, and being successful academically.


Good health is very important to me because without I can’t perform as well in school and I don’t want to even be around people I start to feel gross and self conscious about my looks. There are times when I don’t want to go outside because of my sick appearance. When I am sick it is boring. I hate sleeping all day I like to stay active and accomplish things and go places. If I’m sick I also hate worrying others and I can’t help them when they need help. I like feeling clean and fresh and when I’m sick I can never feel as clean and refreshed no matter how many showers I take.


Other people’s happiness is the best happiness. When they are happy I get really happy because it brings about a lot of positive energy. When people are happy a lot of good can come out it. There mood is good for one thing, so it’s nice to be around them. People are usually generous when they are happy and are likely to treat others nicely. Except for those people who get happy for making others sad. They are just abnormal. I like the feeling of being liked. It’s nice to be responsible for other people’s happiness. It does give that good feeling because for once, you aren’t only thinking about yourself.


When people get along it makes life a lot easier because there is no drama. People are more accepting and fights do not start. It’s a lot healthier too. When people get a long, all my stress goes away and I tend to smile a lot more. It’s nice to be around a group of people who all get along. It is very comforting because it makes me feel as if we can all bring each other happiness by being good to one another. When you’re with people who get a long you begin to form some sort of team.


A lot of happiness comes from academic success for a lot us at U of A. When you’re academically successful you can do anything you want to. Not only will you be able to live a good life and go out and have fun, but you can help others with everything you’ve learned in school. It is really life changing and your academic success can’t be erased, you will always have your education. People respect you a lot more too. I personally thing it bring self accomplishment and fulfillment in one’s life because one can do anything they want to when they are knowledgeable.

What Bothers Me


I think that sometimes people just can’t explain what is bothering them. Often it is multiple things because everything builds up it doesn’t just take one thing to make us upset. Sometimes we may let it go until “the last straw.” What really bothers me is when people are unhappy with me, they are unhappy with themselves, things that I am afraid of bother me, and finally when people are mean for no reason; weather it’s directed at me or someone else.


Let’s talk about the first issue. When people are unhappy with me it becomes very stressful because sometimes when I try to find the things I did wrong I try to apologize and fix the problem, but it’s not that easy to break your habit. On law and order they found that when you repeat an action your brain begins to change and start to repeat that action and that’s why we say we are “use” to thinking a certain way and it takes a lot of will power to change, since it is deeply imbedded in the brain. That’s why I think it takes a long time for bad people to act good again. It’s like that term when good girls go bad they never come back. It’s easy to pick up things but, it’s not so easy to change your way of thinking. The point is, that because it is so hard to change I find some there are some things I do that I just can’t help. I do a lot of unintentional things to people. I feel really bad when people are hurt because of me it is the worst feeling to be responsible for someone’s sadness and anger.


Second thing that bothers me is when people are unhappy with themselves. I hate when people are sad over things like that because you really can’t help them. You can say nice things, but they are the ones in control not you. I can advice them, but it’s really up to them. It makes me sad to see other people sad and then I end up worrying about them and putting on a lot of stress because I can’t do anything I can suggest it, and that’s it! I always had a problem with the idea of people being unhappy and suffering or unhappy. I hate to see people hurt. That’s why I hate gory movies because they cry and scream and they make those poor faces.


That is one of the things I am afraid of. I am afraid of people getting hurt and harmed. I always feel scared for people when they go out and do dangerous things. When I was younger, my mom use to come home really late and I would think weird thoughts. What if she got into an accident? What if someone robbed her on the way to the store? What If she gets hit by a drunk driver? I can’t handle that feeling. But I can’t keep her from going outside so I trust that she is okay and knows how to keep away from trouble. Now, that I am older I realize, yes those things can happen, but if you know how to avoid it, it won’t happen. Mother’s worry about their kids going out late at night because they are not thinking about how to avoid bad situations they just want to go and have fun. They are unaware of some of the dangerous things they do such as texting while driving or walking around in crazy areas. When you are young, you really don’t fear for your own safety as much. You don’t think. I’m scared of losing people or people dying and I think I will act just like my mom acts with me. She is always worried about my safety and calls me after I have come home from driving at night to make sure I made it home safe.


The thing that really pisses me off is when people are unjust. They should never be mean to people for no good reason. I hate that. Some people just love to be mean for fun and I could never get along with someone like that. I think it’s sad to find joy out of people sadness that’s just plain evil. That’s why I don’t get along with my sister. She said its fun to be mean. I disagree it is unjust and immoral. We have a duty to be kind to one another and be as just as we can be. If people were like my sister, things would run amuck. The easiest thing to do is be mean it’s often harder to do the right thing. That’s why I am into law. I like having morality and rationalization in my life and I always get involved when I see an injustice act.

Garba


I went to Garba and it was okay. "Garba is an Indian form of dance that originated in the Gujarat region" (http://www.wikapedia.com/) "People dance around the center, bending sideways at every step, their arms making sweeping gestures, each movement ending in a clap.Modern garba is also heavily influenced by raas (Gujarātī: ડાંડીયા Ḍānḍīyā), a dance traditionally performed by men. The merger of these two dances has formed the high-energy dance that is seen today."When attending this festival women wear very colorful dresses which have mirrors, shells, jewels, glitter lining, and shells. The traditional attire is very colorful. Even for men, they have colors that are not as bright, but can range from red, grey, black, orange, dark purple, and so on. The outfits are long and go above the knees. they also come with pants at the bottom. For girls, their outfit may be a skirt and blose and then a thick layer of cloth goes over the blouse, and foled a certain way, and tucked into the skirt. Another outfit, for girls can be just the blouse (choli) and a skirt (ghara), along with a covering almost like a scarf (dupata). Jewlery is a also common. I see a lot of Americans wearing Indian jewlery such as bangles or (chudia/bangri) and (chanlo) or a bindi on their forehead.


In fact, Garba is not very new in the United States. More than 20 university have garba held. This Garba I went to was held at the gettings gym at University of Arizona by india club. It is very common for the youth to enjoy it more than adults. The dances are very fast paced, and the music is really loud. Parents and the elderly cannot move as fast and get very tired. They usually do rass because it is not as much movement as garba. It is vey tiring to go to Garba because you move very part of your body and your always running. Since there is so many people dancing, there is a lot heat and the whole time people are drenched in sweat! It is really good exercise. That is why a lot of young people, rather than older people enjoy doing garba.The food was good. It was only a dolor for some rice and seasoned chic pea entre. I can't really explain what it tastes like but it was tasty. India is known for it's spices. There wasn't a traditional Indian drink though. Food is usually served with water or soda. Sometimes there is a also Indian sweets offered as a traditional snack for the festival. It’s supposed to be something holy.

There were a lot of Caucasian people at this events since it was held at University of Arizona. I think that’s really nice of them to look into another culture and to bravely try to perform the dance. It’s nice they had fun and took interest. I also saw a couple Asians. It seems other races besides people from India are really into knew things. They were smiling the whole time and laughing. They began inventing their own moves too. Even some American girls borrowed Indian clothing from their friends and dressed in the traditional attire. Hopefully, I can try something knew just as they did, and go to a traditional ceremony they do in Japan, or learn a new dance from Greece.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Closing My Eyes and Listening


A) A Women:

When I closed my eyes, I heard a women walking down the hall. She must have been wearing really pencil -point heels because the clicking of her heels gave off a very bold sound. It’s one of those things that a girl can tell. It almost sounds as a golf ball was bouncing on tile. She was walking very quickly; in a fast paced manner, but not to the point where it sounded like she was hurrying.

B) Student:

Someone to my right is shifting for their backpack and making a lot of noise. I assume he/she is leaving and gathering his belongings to pack up and put inside his backpack. I heard his/her zipper loudly and swing over their back with a slippery, backpack material-like noise. They must have been wearing tennis shoes because they walked off with small thumping noises.

C) Outside:

I heard the wind blowing hard because of the noise from cars and airplanes in the sky. There was some weird buzzing-like, drilling noise that was probably due to construction maybe. I also heard a scratchy noise by the window, accompanied by the sound of a bird. I think maybe it was his feathers that was responsible for the scratching. Usually birds mistake a window to be open and sometimes fly toward the window, which is very sad! Other times birds just like to rest on the window seal to take a break from their flight, which is what I think this bird I described was doing. I also heard the ring of University’s clock go off.

D) Person Next To Me:

He was texting and sighing. I think he was not enjoying studying for this math test that he has to take tomorrow. There was a lot of clicking of keys and I could hear him swallow hard on his spit, almost like a gulp from nervousness. I heard a loud clack; I am assuming he shut his phone. I also heard his arm slide against the wooden desk a lot.

E) Voices:

I heard a couple voices of males. I couldn’t make out what they are saying, but they sound very enthusiastic and happy. The voices were getting louder and I heard a very happy and loud “well!” A couple minutes later I heard a female voice. Her voice was very soft and feminine; I could barely hear her. She coughed, but I don’t know if that was her or not, but I know it was a cough of a woman because it wasn’t as aggressive as a man’s cough was. Her cough didn’t sound too bad either, she sounded healthy, not sick. It was a very light cough, suggesting that she must have had a little tickle in her throat.

F) Weird Noises:

I can’t explain how this noise sounds like. It sounded like a refrigerator. Some sort of energy being produced and maybe heating/ cooling something. It could have been the sound the cooler makes to cool drinks at a vending machine. Or maybe it was a air cooling system because I felt goose bumps on my arm. Thinking a logically, I think I know what that sound was! It is the sound of the water fountain that students drink out of. The water fountain must be cooling the water and making that noise. Another weird noise was the sound of something dropping. It sounded like a cup dropping onto the tile. This cup must have been plastic not Styrofoam because it make a loud clacking sound. Sometimes, when it was really quiet, I heard the walls creek.

After an hour had gone by, I decided to open my eyes and write my findings. When I opened my eyes it kind of hurt because of the luminous lights in the library. It’s weird, when I opened my eyes things seemed to get louder and livelier. There are a lot more people by me now and I hear a lot of voices outside. It is 5:27 right now, so I guess people are getting ready to go home. I think I should get ready to go and catch the shuttle too. I have a review for a test. Midterms suck! ;(

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Daily Routine


My daily routine is very simple. It starts off just like any other normal day that everyone else would follow...


Monday-Friday


1) First I wake up, run to the bathroom. I usually have to use the bathroom after a long night's sleep then I wash my hands with soap, splash my face with water to wake up, and squeeze some toothpaste on my brush and begin to brush my teeth for 2 minutes. After, thoroughly brushing my teeth, I spit into the skin and gargle some scope to freshen my breath. After that I begin to floss my teeth. Finally, I am done with my daily oral care routine.


2) Second, I check the temperature on my computer and then pick out my wardrobe. I usually where jeans and a t-shirt, but I have gained some weight and can't fit into my jeans :( lol. Since it's fall, but then again, we are in Tucson I usually where thin layers such as a pant and maybe a sweater. Once I pick out my clothes, I grabbed a towel and hit the showers. I wash my hair first and then wash my body/shave if I need to. I usually take 15-30 minutes in the shower. I dry off, put some deodorant on and then wear my clothes. I start the blow dryer and dry my hair and finally comb/style it. I finish off by spraying perfume and sometimes wear make up.


3) Third, I gather up my belongings for school. I pack my cell phone, wallet, books, notebook, and laptop and then grab the keys. Then I put on some socks and shoes. I head to the kitchen and pack some water and a granola bar and I'm off to school.


4) on Monday at 9:00 I go to Dramach and then I'm done for the day and head home


5) on Tuesdays class starts at 11:00, but I carpool and end up on campus by 10:45. I am done at 12:15 and then usually eat after class and then do some homework in between my break until English at 6:00. After English, I usually get tired of staying at school and go home for a bit and then come back, depending on if I have a lot of homework or not.


6) I always seem to come home at around 11:00 after a long day at the library. While I watch TV, I warm something up, or cook a small, easy meal on the stove. There are good shows during this time. I usually watch king of queens, king of the hill and then South Park. After South Park is done it's usually 1:00 o'clock and I decide to go sleep.


7) Sometimes I don’t get a good night’s sleep and end up waking up in the middle of the night because I live with two roommate’s who love to smoke hookah at night and play loud music. Usually I tell them I have class in the morning and then ask them to turn it down, but nothing happens…It’s still loud. I don’t know why I even bother… :(

Saturday, October 10, 2009

What Are the Benefits Of a Nap?



Taking a nap...is it good or bad?My opinion is that taking a nap is bad because it waste time. You only need 8 hours of sleep no more... that's just my opinion though; I wanted to find out what science has to say about it... “Short naps have been found to be very beneficial for us. It seems natural to want to get a nap in after we have had lunch. If you feel like you need a short nap it may help you feel better if you can take that nap" (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/234046/taking_a_nap_is_good_for_you.html?cat=25).


That's great and all but, I wanted to know what specific health benefits happen from taking a nap. It is true though, I do feel more alert after taking a nap. There are times when I was so stressed out that I couldn't think anymore and couldn't even watch TV because I had a head ache. The only thing I could do was sleep. So I took a nap because I couldn't sleep for the night and I found that my head ache was gone and I could think clearly again. Also my heart beat seemed to be slower. In fact, taking a nap is so beneficial that " A six-year Greek study found that those who took a 30-minute siesta at least three times a week had a 37% lower risk of heart-related death" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6354855.stm). That is very interesting, but my question is why is that mentioned for men? Couldn't women be affected as well because don't both sexes have a heart! Lol. Anyways, I guess taking a nap is not such a waste of time because it can improve your performance.


It seems I wasn't the only one wondering this question. Tami from yahoo answers stated “I really like napping. When I'm really happy I don't want to have one though, so it's really a tough call. North Americans don't do it but Mediterranean do every day. I think Mediterraneans are much healthier people" (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Auhs0oCIoDpqRI8S_2nx.YojzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20070524194907AApGO5c). I guess sleep is a universal thing. It is true a lot of people take naps just right after they eat. Mickey says “It all depends. If you are getting proper sleep and still can't function in the morning and have to have a nap to make it through until the end of the day...go see your doctor. If you need 20-30 min to perk up in the afternoon, it’s find. Some companies in Japan have sleep rooms set up for their staff to have a 20 minutes rest everyday" (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Auhs0oCIoDpqRI8S_2nx.YojzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20070524194907AApGO5c ). That's pretty cool! I would love to take a nap while at work.
It reminds me of preschool when we use to take naps at school. Taking a nap is important for people in college especially, as well as those who are trying to get their PHD. I always studying at the Medical Research Building and I see people who are trying to get their PHD up during horrible times such as 2-6am. I always wondered when they caught up on sleep and when they actually did sleep. Now that I think of it, they probably took a lot of naps. All this talk about naps, actually make me want to take a nap...lol. I change my mind I think naps are good! I think I'll take one now! ZzZzZz

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Manning's Essay




Manning’s essay “Arm Wrestling With Father”, illustrates his physical contact with his father over the years, and how it begins to change. The relationship between father and son is more physical then mental. The father would never simply say “ I love you” or express emotions through cards, but through hugs or physical contact instead. So the father use to ask if the son wanted to arm wrestle and naturally he knew he would win, but they did it anyways. Manning would always try to beat his father, or overcome his strength, but it was no use. As he grew older, he learned to accept his dad’s strength and it didn’t really matter if he could beat him. So when the day he beat his father came, he was rather upset then proud. From his trip home he realized that he would rather let his father win, then loose the idea of his father being the protector, the strong guardian of the family. It scares him to think of his father growing old and week, and him having to carry his father as he once did for him. In reality there comes a time when the son posses the father’s trait of being the protector of the family, because it’s something the son will have to do for his own. His father also realizes this. Since the arm wrestling defeat, he knows now that his son has become stronger as he himself becomes older. His son will take care of him, just as he has taken care of his son.

To demonstrate his change successfully, it was important for Manning to begin with a match that leaves him “too bitter to smile” and then move backward to earlier bouts of arm wrestling. This strategy affects the way the reader specifically identifies the process of how age plays a factor in the way he thinks. His maturity brings him to think more about the dept of what has happened when he finally beats his father. if he happened to beat his father when he was younger, he would of boasted over the idea, not knowing what the outcome represents.

Overall, the main purpose of the essay was to inform the reader of just how special the relationship with parents can be. Parents teach their kids the same lessons they were taught because, when it is time, the kids will soon become parents as well. It’s a never ending cycle. One does not live simply for their self, but for those who come after, and before them. In other words, instead of your parents taking care of you, you will be taking care of them. It’s actually scary we see our parents as our protectors, our providers, and our care givers, but ultimately it is our responsibility to return that favor. Nothing is for free; if you take you must give back in return. Hopefully, If you take care of your parents, your children will see what a good role model you are and take care of you too. The good thing about this system is that you always have someone taking care of you.

Fish cheeks: You Should Read It


“Fish Cheeks”, by Amy Tan, features a young girl who faces difficulties accepting her family’s ancient Chinese traditions and culture. It’s hard to grow accustom to two different cultures when the majority of the people practice one. So when this girl’s parents invite her crush’s family over for Christmas Eve dinner, she is embarrassed of what these people might think of her family. She feels that since these people are not familiar with her culture they might think otherwise. By this issue Tan demonstrates that even though being different is discomforting, it’s actually beneficial. Perhaps the main reason the girl lacks realization of this knowledge is because she is too young, and she is enwrapped with what her crush likes. This also can resemble that, people don’t realize how lucky they are until later. For example the girl states “ It wasn’t until many years later-long after I had gotten over my crush on Robert-that I was able to FULLY appreciate her lesson and the true purpose behind our particular menu” (lines 9-11 p.95).


Furthermore, Tan’s use of description creates a dominant impression of how the girl was ashamed of her family’s customs. It’s obvious to conclude why Amy focuses on food, after all the main reason the family is over is for dinner. Also, food is the essence of culture. Every culture has their own type of food, that no other shares. Which is why the girl is anxious over the thought of her family serving Chinese food in place of sweet potatoes and Turkey. Not only that but, also of how these two cultures will feast under one table together. For instance, she mentions of how her family is seen “licking the ends of their chopsticks and reaching across the table and dipping them into a dozen or so plates of food” (lines 5-6 p.95). The point is that family is embarrassing no matter what, regardless of what their nationality may be. It’s seems she was afraid that racial stereotyping may clog the judgment of these people. She might feel as if Chinese people are depicted in a bad way, based upon their practices. For example, her dad “leaned back and belched loudly, thanking her mother for her fine cooking” (lines 6-7 p.95). It would be odd for someone who has no knowledge of the particular custom. However, being open minded makes it easier to learn, and overall makes people a better person.


In addition to that statement, how can one be willing to accept someone who can’t even accept their self? This thought is the main reason why the mother went out of her way to prepare a traditional Chinese dinner. Eventually , the daughter comes to realize how ridiculous her attitude was. She states that for Christmas Eve that year her mother “ has chosen all her favorite foods” (line 12 p.95). She has learned to accept her family for what it is, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. I can say from experience that growing up around two different cultures is very fortunate. Living two lifestyles can give a broader image of life, one can experience certain events from both cultures that a person of one culture can’t.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

BOOhoo ;(


I am quite disappointed in my grade for Essay one.. :( I worked really hard on it, but it seems I didn't follow directions. I have never received lower than a B before on a writing assignment. I thnk I have learned my lesson never do write an assignment when your not sure how to write it.Make SURE that YOU understand it. Anwyays, getting a bad grade on this paper has quite the opposite effect on me, I don't want to study anymore :(. I have 2 midterms next week and probably a paper due too.. I can't wait to be done with school and do something fun. All I do usually is go to class, eat, study, watch tv, go to sleep and repeat. I havent done anything fun these past months except go to a couple movies : Obssessed, Up, Lay To Rest, Labor Pains, Proposal, Halloween 2, Orphan, The Perfect Getaway, Drag me to Hell, Terminatior Salvation, and The Rise of the Fallen: Transformers. That is pretty much it. :>(.

Well...anyways I am excited for this weekend because I am going to Sedona For my birthday!
Alteast, that should be fun. I am really afraid to come back from the trip though, because I have midterms. Latley, I feel stressed and it I have to really motivate myself to really study. I feel like life is too short and before you know it it's time to go to grad school. I still have study for LSAT which reminds me...Ughhh ;(. I am still working on finding a job. How are you suppose to get a job if they don't want you unless you have experience; and how am I suppose to get experience If Ican't get a job...it's so hypocritical. If you guys know how I can snag a job, PLEASE, please.. let me know!!!

Today, seemed to go by really fast, I want to have a lot of fun right now before it's too late. I feel like it's going to get a lot harder and a lot bussier later (in Law school). I went to my psychology law class, did some homework, went to class again...got a bad grade...now I don't want to study and am really sad :(. Well, I can't just be sad, I guess I'll go to office hours. On the good note, she said you can still get an A in English...so I have a fighting chance! yay! :)

She was being fair, and I got what I put into it.. it's a good paper ( I think), but it's not what the writting assignment was about. I really messed up :(. Stupid me :(:(:(.
Anyways, I should go eat some cookies or cake to cheer myself up. It's just one bad grade it's okay I'll get it right next time...(hopefully). Well, I should do a lot better in my other classes too so I should suck it up and work my butt off. Then I can have fun on thanksgiving/winter break. It kind of reminds me of the good old days in middle school. Grades were quarterly, so if you did bad you can start fresh the next quarter. Although, nevermind middle school was hell! Those kids were mean. Girl were obsessed with their looks and carried a bunch of make up in their backpack. Catch you later... :). I hope everyone else had a better day then I did.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Clown Fish


I am going to buy a clown fish, so I decided to do some research on how to sucessfully keep a clown fish as a pet.


The reason why the clown fish is called "clown fish" is because they are extremely aggressive and though to be "clowning around." Orange to bright yellow is the popular color for clown fish but they can also range from yellow to blue. Clown fish can only grow 2 to 5 inches long. Since they are so aggressive they can't live harmoniously with other fish. Their life span in the wild however, is 6-10 inches. This is probably because of better living conditions the clownfish has in the wild. Clown fish live in saltwater so, it's harder to maintain. (http://tolweb.org/treehouses/?treehouse_id=3390).


Diet:

Clown fish eat kelp and algea. As pets it's okay to feed them flakes, tablet, frozen, or live animal and plants. Its important to avoid excessive feeding for any fish! It can be very harmful to the fish. I also heard that it's okay to starve the fish because that clears the fish's digestive system.


Feeding:

your suppose to feed the fish 3 to to times daily; no more than what the fish can eat in three to five minutes. It's very important to read the instructions on the fish food container.


Hosuing:

Housing is really compicated. You must have atleast 2 gallons to keep one fish. With a minimum size of 30 gallons with a filtration system to maintain a stable enviroment. Salt water fish need more space and better water quality than fresh water fish. You need to provide: plants, rock, and décor for hiding places and plenty of room for movement. Clown Fish also need a specific water temperature in order to live: 75F-82 F. Also PH levels: 1.020 to 1.026.
Stable water quality, water temperature, and pH levels are critical to the health of fish.


Misalaneous:

Clownfish are born as males, but when there are two clown fish the lager clownfish will change their gender into female.


Habit maintain:

In order to maintain a good habitate for your fish you must:

-check your filter and other equitment daily.

-check water quality and air temperature at least once a week.

-check sanity levels at least one a week.

-change 10-25% of total volume of water every two-four weeks

-Introduce new fish to the aquarium gradually


Compatiablity:

If possible keep with a commpanion anemone because clownfish are most healthiest with this companion. They naturally function with this companion in the wild, so to make the tank more closer to home, it's better for the animal.


Signs of a healthy fish:

I always wondered how you know when your fish is healthy or when it's sick. Here are some healthy signs:
• Clear eyes • Eats vigorously
• Active swimming • Clean in appearance


Common health issues:


This is really important if you want to keep this expensive fish alive!!


Fin Rot= Frayed or disintergrating fins; the base of the fins usually reddens :(

Suggested Action= improve water quality, comercial antibiotics may be effective.


Marine ich= Cysts on fins, gills, and skin; fasting; cloudy eyes; labored breathing; excess skin mucus; or pale skin.

Suggested action: Treat entire aquarium with a copper-based parasite remedy and improve water quality; freshwater dips can dislodge the parasites.


Signs of illness:
• Loss of appetite • Spots or fungus on body or mouth
• Listlessness • Labored breathing


If you notice any of these signs, test water quality and improve as necessary, or contact your veterinarian.


Preventing Common Health Issues:
Avoid crowded conditions; they are a major cause of stress and disease
Maintain good water quality with regular water changes and adequate filtration


Sources:

Clownfishes by Joyce D. Wilkerson
The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta
The Tropical Marine Fish Survival Manual by Gordon Kay

Sunday, October 4, 2009

My Moment of Being


Something that shaped my moment of being Today was the time when my mother scolded me for lying. It was the day when I decided to take the twenty dollars I saw on top of the bathroom sink. I was taking a shower and was super excited about going to school because there was a craft fair going on for our 8th grade class. I wanted to ask my mom for money, but was too afraid to ask because she had already me knew shoes from payless the previous weekend. So I decided to ask my friend if I can borrow money.


But there it was...Twenty dollars just sitting on the bathroom sink. I decided to just take it and spend that money at the craft fair. While I was at the craft fair, I didn't buy anything for myself because there wasn’t anything that I liked. I wanted to spend the money, If not on myself, than on my family. I decided that the best gift for me is to see their happy faces!


That day when I came home from the craft fair, I surprised my brother with a new coloring book and some candles for my eldest sister. For the second sister, I decided to buy nail polish. Everyone seemed so happy and grateful for the gifts. It made me really happy to see them happy and also because they kept complimenting me. My mother had been in the kitchen at the time watching me unwrap these crayons and coloring books from the bag. She stood over me and said, "That's very kind of you; where did you get the money to buy these gifts?" my heart pounded, my hands shook, and I was stuck. I had to think of something clever to say; I thought of my original plan I had in the morning and blurted out, " I borrowed money from my friend...uh...you know Connie?" At this my mother looked very angry and said "Never lie!" She took my arm and twisted it and said, "You found that money on the bathroom sink." She released my hand from her grip and just me alone…sitting there...I was appalled at what just happened. The worst part was not the part where she twisted my hand, but I wished she never looked at me like that...