For this post I read Tempted by Cecily Von Ziegesar. It is the sixth installment to the It Girl series.
Although this book was only remotely interesting, it did spark a few trains of thought in my head.
The setting of this book is at Waverly Academy, a private boarding school (made out to be only for the "privileged"). The main character is Jenny Humphrey, who has encountered her fair share of drama and mischief at Waverly, along with her roommate Callie; her friend, Brett; the "queen bee" of the school, Tinsley; and of course various boys.
The content of this book did really nothing for me, because it's all about drinking, hooking up, and stabbing friends in the back- with the occasional good deed. What interested me was the fact that in between chapters there were "screenshots", persay, of e-mails, text messages, and instant messages. I thought this portrayed perfectly how connected our world is in this day and age.
Nothing could happen at Waverly without at least one person forwarding out a mass text or e-mail about it. Nothing was private; nothing was considered "too personal". It is much the same in the real world- no one cares much what they gossip about or to whom they are gossiping, but apparently, it is imperative that they do. The newest news is the fastest spread, and if you can't keep up, you're simply considered out of the loop. The book also portrayed how twisted things can become if you don't know the information first-hand. Two girls hanging out suddenly becomes two girls hanging out drunk, which suddenly becomes 2 guys and 2 girls drinking together, which suddenly becomes those 4 people hanging out in a bedroom alone- You get the idea.
One last thing that bothered me is the fact that girls (and boys... I guess...) way younger than me are reading these books and getting the idea that a life like the girls' of Waverly is glamorous. They'll get the idea that all of the actions and ideas of those girls are okay. That bothers me, a lot. Hearing things about younger kids that want to do stuff like that leaves an uneasy feeling in my stomach, especially those that I have faith in to become someone, someday. I hope that they realize there is so much more to life than being the coolest kid in the grade.
Stacey
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Annotated Citations
My question is:
Should smoking bans be put into place when smoking becomes a health hazard to others?
Belluck, Pam. "Maine City Bans Smoking in Cars Carrying Children". New York Times 19 Jan. 2007: A14.
Pam Belluck is a well known author who writes regularly for the New York Times. In this particular article, she notes the reaction to the smoking ban in Bangor, Maine- it is now illegal for anyone to smoke in the car with a child present. The majority of reactions that she reports have a connotation of reluctant acceptance. Belluck also reports many other instances that have led up to this smoking ban, such as a petition made by a ten-year-old to ban smoking while driving. The general public of Bangor agrees that it is not fair to subject children to secondhand smoke- although many do admit it is more of a hassle. Another interesting argument that Belluck reports from her interviews is that smokers could "go through withdrawal symptoms while driving and become more of a danger on the road". Finally, she says that many believed the boycott of Bangor would be minimal- the facts are that it benefits the kids.
Griffith, Martin. "Activists Continue Smoke-Free Push".
Reno Gazette-Journal 20 Jan. 2007: N.P.
Martin Griffith is a writer for the Associated Press. Griffith reports that "more than half of Americans live in a city or state with laws mandating that workplaces, restaurants or bars be smoke-free, according to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights." He reports that non-smoking bans are sweeping the nation, with more bans having been put into place than ever before, after a Surgeon General's report that even a few minutes of inhaling another's smoke can do damage to a non-smoker's health. An opposing side to these bans is that they drive away customers in certain businesses. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company is reported to have said that they will continue to fight these bans as they "adversely affect businesses." Griffith ends with the information that these smoking bans that have already been put into place may swing other states into action- benefiting non-smokers' health everywhere.
Should smoking bans be put into place when smoking becomes a health hazard to others?
Belluck, Pam. "Maine City Bans Smoking in Cars Carrying Children". New York Times 19 Jan. 2007: A14.
Pam Belluck is a well known author who writes regularly for the New York Times. In this particular article, she notes the reaction to the smoking ban in Bangor, Maine- it is now illegal for anyone to smoke in the car with a child present. The majority of reactions that she reports have a connotation of reluctant acceptance. Belluck also reports many other instances that have led up to this smoking ban, such as a petition made by a ten-year-old to ban smoking while driving. The general public of Bangor agrees that it is not fair to subject children to secondhand smoke- although many do admit it is more of a hassle. Another interesting argument that Belluck reports from her interviews is that smokers could "go through withdrawal symptoms while driving and become more of a danger on the road". Finally, she says that many believed the boycott of Bangor would be minimal- the facts are that it benefits the kids.
Griffith, Martin. "Activists Continue Smoke-Free Push".
Reno Gazette-Journal 20 Jan. 2007: N.P.
Martin Griffith is a writer for the Associated Press. Griffith reports that "more than half of Americans live in a city or state with laws mandating that workplaces, restaurants or bars be smoke-free, according to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights." He reports that non-smoking bans are sweeping the nation, with more bans having been put into place than ever before, after a Surgeon General's report that even a few minutes of inhaling another's smoke can do damage to a non-smoker's health. An opposing side to these bans is that they drive away customers in certain businesses. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company is reported to have said that they will continue to fight these bans as they "adversely affect businesses." Griffith ends with the information that these smoking bans that have already been put into place may swing other states into action- benefiting non-smokers' health everywhere.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Q2 Blog Post #4
I still haven't been able to get into Change of Heart- instead I read this interesting article on six teenage girls being charged in a nursing home abuse case.
The charges that are these girls are facing include "fifth-degree assault, abuse of a vulnerable adult by a caregiver, abuse of a vulnerable adult with sexual contact, disorderly conduct and failing to report suspected maltreatment." Each charge could have a penalty of up to $3,000. 2 of these girls face up to 10 or 11 charges.
What these girls did is absolutely horrendous. They have been reported to have "laughed together early this year as they spat in residents' mouths, poked and groped their breasts and genitals and at times taunted them until they screamed -- or witnessed those events." All of this was to "make work fun".
Reading this article literally made me feel sick. Those elderly people were someone's grandmother, mother, father, grandfather, brother, sister, aunt, or uncle. These people were taken advantage of , and in no way could they have helped themselves. The article also states that these teenage aides thought that they would not get caught-
"The Health Department's Office of Health Facilities Complaints investigated the allegations in May. It said all 15 of the abused residents had Alzheimer's disease or a similar dementia, and some were combative, easily agitated or blind."
They figured the elderly people could not tell on them because they WOULDN'T REALIZE what was going on. The girls all had a good laugh on breaks or at school about these "pranks", and not one of them stopped it until her job was on the line for swearing in front of a patient. She ratted the others out with these actions to save her own butt.
I cannot find a strong enough word to describe how angry these actions make me. Anyone insensitive enough to treat anyone, much less defenseless elderly patients they should be caring for, in this manner deserves to sit in jail, and deserves any press and criticism they may get for it!
How angry would you be if you heard that one of your grandmothers, whom you may have grown up with loving and caring for, who now has Alzheimer's, has been sexually assaulted and tortured until she screamed?! I am legitimately fuming. When I see elderly people in society, I think they are the cutest things ever and I want to help them in any way I can- especially if they cannot help themselves. It completely escapes me how ANYONE would feel differently than that.
Seriously, without a past there can be no future- cheesy, but so, so true.
If I could give these girls a piece of my mind...
Stacey
The charges that are these girls are facing include "fifth-degree assault, abuse of a vulnerable adult by a caregiver, abuse of a vulnerable adult with sexual contact, disorderly conduct and failing to report suspected maltreatment." Each charge could have a penalty of up to $3,000. 2 of these girls face up to 10 or 11 charges.
What these girls did is absolutely horrendous. They have been reported to have "laughed together early this year as they spat in residents' mouths, poked and groped their breasts and genitals and at times taunted them until they screamed -- or witnessed those events." All of this was to "make work fun".
Reading this article literally made me feel sick. Those elderly people were someone's grandmother, mother, father, grandfather, brother, sister, aunt, or uncle. These people were taken advantage of , and in no way could they have helped themselves. The article also states that these teenage aides thought that they would not get caught-
"The Health Department's Office of Health Facilities Complaints investigated the allegations in May. It said all 15 of the abused residents had Alzheimer's disease or a similar dementia, and some were combative, easily agitated or blind."
They figured the elderly people could not tell on them because they WOULDN'T REALIZE what was going on. The girls all had a good laugh on breaks or at school about these "pranks", and not one of them stopped it until her job was on the line for swearing in front of a patient. She ratted the others out with these actions to save her own butt.
I cannot find a strong enough word to describe how angry these actions make me. Anyone insensitive enough to treat anyone, much less defenseless elderly patients they should be caring for, in this manner deserves to sit in jail, and deserves any press and criticism they may get for it!
How angry would you be if you heard that one of your grandmothers, whom you may have grown up with loving and caring for, who now has Alzheimer's, has been sexually assaulted and tortured until she screamed?! I am legitimately fuming. When I see elderly people in society, I think they are the cutest things ever and I want to help them in any way I can- especially if they cannot help themselves. It completely escapes me how ANYONE would feel differently than that.
Seriously, without a past there can be no future- cheesy, but so, so true.
If I could give these girls a piece of my mind...
Stacey
Friday, November 28, 2008
Q2 Blog Post #3
So yesterday I finished the seventh Harry Potter book, and I am simply amazed at the writing ability of J.K. Rowling yet again. She must have had every single important detail of the plotline planned out from day one, because without key elements from the previous six books, the seventh book could not have been written as amazingly as it is. It cleans up any loose ends, and still holds an element of surprise when the reader begins to think that all hope is lost.
The Deathly Hallows begins with Voldemort and his followers, showing the beginning of his regime as the most powerful wizard, yet again. The consensus on Snape is still that he betrayed Dumbledore and anyone against the Dark Lord. He joins in the chase after Harry when Harry is being moved from his home on #4 Privet Drive to the Burrow, and one of the Twins' ears is blown off. Hedwig is killed, as well. These are just the beginning of the killings that are yet to come in the fight every wizard faces to be free from Voldemort.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off to find the remaining Horcruxes and destroy them, encountering a great many obstacles along the way. They have no idea how to destroy the Horcruxes they have got, until one night they find the sword of Godric Gryffindor in the lake. They destroy the locket from the descendants of Slytherin. Tonks and Lupin get married, and have a baby named Teddy, after Tonks' father. Harry is named Godfather. The three teenagers proceed to break into Gringotts and escape very narrowly on the back of a dragon, getting the cup of Helga Hufflepuff which is the fourth horcrux in the process.
In between all of this Harry discovers the existence of the Deathly Hallows, three separate objects which together would allow the owner to master death. He has the Invisibility Cloak, and the Resurrection Stone, (which happened to be one of the Horcruxes) but does not beat Voldemort to the Elder Wand. The Elder Wand is the most powerful wand of all wands, and it would be almost impossible to beat anyone that had it.
Harry needed to find the fifth Horcrux quickly, because Voldemort discovered that Harry had found out about them. Harry escaped into Hogwarts, and immediately the entire castle began armoring themselves for a huge battle. Everyone wanted to help while Harry tried to find the lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, which he soon realized he had already seen in the Room of Requirement. He raced there, only to be confronted by Malfoy and his two best friends. A cursed fire spread rapidly through the room from Crabbe's doing, which incidentally destroyed the diadem in the process. Harry saved Malfoy, twice that night in fact, from death as well.
Harry needed to kill the snake Nagini, which he knew had to be the sixth horcrux. He saw in Voldmort's mind that he was in the Shrieking Shack, and rushed there. He listened at the door and realized that he was about to kill Snape. He left immediately after doing so, and Harry rushed in to see Snape beckoning him to catch his memories. Harry went back to the castle and watched them in the Pensieve, realizing that Dumbledore had a much bigger plan all along, and that Snape had not, in fact, killed Dumbledore. Snape had been in love with Harry's mother, and therefore decided he would do all he could to protect Harry's life. Harry also realized he himself was the seventh horcrux... And that for Voldemort to die, he too would have to die along with him.
He began to go find Voldemort and accept his death- after all, Fred had already been killed in the battle, along with Tonks and Lupin, and he did not want anyone else to die for him. Along the way, he told Neville to kill the snake the next chance he got, in case he couldn't himself.
Harry faced Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest when the time was almost out for the rest of his friends, and Voldemort used the killing curse on him- Harry did not protest. As it turns out, this actually saves Harry and kills the part of Voldemort's soul inside of him instead. He pretends to stay dead, as Voldemort brings him through the crowd to show them that their hero is dead. Neville kills Nagini, and Harry proceeds to slip off to fight Voldemort on his own. He kills Voldemort, and he wins the war he fought for so long.
There are so many details that make the story so amazing and mind boggling, and it is impossible to recreate the suspense and inability to quit reading it in just a blog. Truly an amazing work, and a stroke of genius to have a chapter titled "Nineteen Years Later", which shows Harry and Ginny married, Ron and Hermione married, and their children being sent off to Hogwarts.
I loved this book, and series itself!
Stacey
The Deathly Hallows begins with Voldemort and his followers, showing the beginning of his regime as the most powerful wizard, yet again. The consensus on Snape is still that he betrayed Dumbledore and anyone against the Dark Lord. He joins in the chase after Harry when Harry is being moved from his home on #4 Privet Drive to the Burrow, and one of the Twins' ears is blown off. Hedwig is killed, as well. These are just the beginning of the killings that are yet to come in the fight every wizard faces to be free from Voldemort.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off to find the remaining Horcruxes and destroy them, encountering a great many obstacles along the way. They have no idea how to destroy the Horcruxes they have got, until one night they find the sword of Godric Gryffindor in the lake. They destroy the locket from the descendants of Slytherin. Tonks and Lupin get married, and have a baby named Teddy, after Tonks' father. Harry is named Godfather. The three teenagers proceed to break into Gringotts and escape very narrowly on the back of a dragon, getting the cup of Helga Hufflepuff which is the fourth horcrux in the process.
In between all of this Harry discovers the existence of the Deathly Hallows, three separate objects which together would allow the owner to master death. He has the Invisibility Cloak, and the Resurrection Stone, (which happened to be one of the Horcruxes) but does not beat Voldemort to the Elder Wand. The Elder Wand is the most powerful wand of all wands, and it would be almost impossible to beat anyone that had it.
Harry needed to find the fifth Horcrux quickly, because Voldemort discovered that Harry had found out about them. Harry escaped into Hogwarts, and immediately the entire castle began armoring themselves for a huge battle. Everyone wanted to help while Harry tried to find the lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, which he soon realized he had already seen in the Room of Requirement. He raced there, only to be confronted by Malfoy and his two best friends. A cursed fire spread rapidly through the room from Crabbe's doing, which incidentally destroyed the diadem in the process. Harry saved Malfoy, twice that night in fact, from death as well.
Harry needed to kill the snake Nagini, which he knew had to be the sixth horcrux. He saw in Voldmort's mind that he was in the Shrieking Shack, and rushed there. He listened at the door and realized that he was about to kill Snape. He left immediately after doing so, and Harry rushed in to see Snape beckoning him to catch his memories. Harry went back to the castle and watched them in the Pensieve, realizing that Dumbledore had a much bigger plan all along, and that Snape had not, in fact, killed Dumbledore. Snape had been in love with Harry's mother, and therefore decided he would do all he could to protect Harry's life. Harry also realized he himself was the seventh horcrux... And that for Voldemort to die, he too would have to die along with him.
He began to go find Voldemort and accept his death- after all, Fred had already been killed in the battle, along with Tonks and Lupin, and he did not want anyone else to die for him. Along the way, he told Neville to kill the snake the next chance he got, in case he couldn't himself.
Harry faced Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest when the time was almost out for the rest of his friends, and Voldemort used the killing curse on him- Harry did not protest. As it turns out, this actually saves Harry and kills the part of Voldemort's soul inside of him instead. He pretends to stay dead, as Voldemort brings him through the crowd to show them that their hero is dead. Neville kills Nagini, and Harry proceeds to slip off to fight Voldemort on his own. He kills Voldemort, and he wins the war he fought for so long.
There are so many details that make the story so amazing and mind boggling, and it is impossible to recreate the suspense and inability to quit reading it in just a blog. Truly an amazing work, and a stroke of genius to have a chapter titled "Nineteen Years Later", which shows Harry and Ginny married, Ron and Hermione married, and their children being sent off to Hogwarts.
I loved this book, and series itself!
Stacey
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Q2 Blog Post #2 (Late Coupon)
I never actually got started on A Change Of Heart, I simply couldn't get into it. I did, however, read the sixth Harry Potter book yesterday on my way to my cabin, The Half Blood Prince. I got through almost 3/4 of it in the 4 1/2 hour drive, and finished it after dinner once we got up here. I love the woods in the winter. It's so beautiful and relaxing.
**If you have not read the sixth Harry Potter, and want to, do not read ahead!
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling is amazing. I became engrossed in the book immediately after picking it up and turning the first page. The Half Blood Prince starts off with Harry stuck in his room, awaiting the arrival of his headmaster, Dumbledore. He does end up coming to get Harry, warning the Dursleys that Harry must return once more before he comes of age in the wizarding world to remain protected for another year. They proceed to The Burrow, where Harry's best friend Ron and his family live. We find out that Fleur Delacour (from the fourth book in the Triwizard Cup) is marrying Ron's older brother Bill, and none of the women in the household are too pleased about that. Everyone in the wizarding world is becoming more and more afraid of the return of Voldemort, taking precautions that wouldn't actually help them if the Death Eaters were to attack.
Everyone is now eating their words that they had previously scoffed at Harry with. He was right- the Dark Lord has returned and there will be a huge fight ahead of them if they are ever to be rid of him. The times are increasingly less safe, and pandemonium is beginning to break out where the Dark Mark appears.
Hogwarts seems to be the safest place to be- after all, Dumbledore is the headmaster. Harry finds out more than he's ever known about Voldemort's past as Tom Riddle, including his lineage and ambitions as a schoolboy at Hogwarts himself. Dumbledore shows him various memories that hold all this information, and Harry attains one from Professor Slughorn. This professor is a returning one, who is extremely interested in collecting "prize students" and attaining connections with various esteemed members of society. This memory that Harry attains gives both him and Dumbledore confirmation that Voldemort indeed, even as a 16 year old, was planning his ascent to the throne of Dark Lord. In the memory, he had asked Professor Slughorn how "horcruxes" had worked. It was evident he was planning on splitting his soul, and storing it in different objects so he would never fully die. He also said, however, something about splitting it 7 times. This would be unimaginable for any normal wizard, powerful as they might be.
Dumbledore promises Harry he can accompany him to destroy a Horcrux he has located. 2 of them had already been destroyed. Throughout this entire time, Harry has suspected that Draco Malfoy has taken his fathers' place as a Death Eater, and alerts his friends to keep an eye out when he leaves with Dumbledore to destroy the horcrux.
Dumbledore and Harry leave to a cave far away, encountering many different obstacles before they finally get to the middle of a lake in a cave that is filled with dead bodies with the Horcrux in the middle. Dumbledore is severely weakened while trying to get at the horcrux, and when they escape and return, the Dark Mark had been placed over Hogwarts. Harry and Dumbledore sped back to the school. As they were rushing in, Harry threw on his invisibility cloak and Dumbledore froze him with a spell, just as Malfoy came in and blasted Dumbledore with his own spell. It was his job to kill Dumbledore, but was not able, and Snape came in and used the "Avada Kedavra" spell on Dumbledore himself. Harry, unnoticed under his cloak and frozen, watched this all happen. There was a fight going on underneath them, the Order of the Phoenix had come to try and help.
The Death Eaters escaped- everyone was in shock over Dumbledore's death and Snape's betrayal. The funeral was held and many people from all over came. Harry made the decision that he would not rest until either he or Voldemort is dead- no matter how long it took. He had also been dating Ron's sister Ginny, whom he told he could not be with while he was seeking out the Dark Lord.
I really enjoyed reading this book, as I stated before, I could not put it down. The first time I read it (when it first came out) I literally cried when Dumbledore died. It seemed impossible that so much could go wrong, but then again, when has anything ever been easy for Harry and his friends? The journey ahead of them seems ominously long at the end of this book, especially without Dumbledore guiding them. There is also a lot of foreshadowing throughout this book, which is hard to catch the first time around. Harry hid his Potions book in the very Vanishing Cabinet that the Death Eaters got into the castle with. There are many other examples, such as when Hermione suggests that the person who had owned his potions book was in fact someone whose mother or father had had the last name of Prince, as the back read "Property of the Half-Blood Prince". (Snape's mother was Eileen Prince, and the book had belonged to him.)
I plan to read the last book in the Harry Potter series next.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Stacey
**If you have not read the sixth Harry Potter, and want to, do not read ahead!
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling is amazing. I became engrossed in the book immediately after picking it up and turning the first page. The Half Blood Prince starts off with Harry stuck in his room, awaiting the arrival of his headmaster, Dumbledore. He does end up coming to get Harry, warning the Dursleys that Harry must return once more before he comes of age in the wizarding world to remain protected for another year. They proceed to The Burrow, where Harry's best friend Ron and his family live. We find out that Fleur Delacour (from the fourth book in the Triwizard Cup) is marrying Ron's older brother Bill, and none of the women in the household are too pleased about that. Everyone in the wizarding world is becoming more and more afraid of the return of Voldemort, taking precautions that wouldn't actually help them if the Death Eaters were to attack.
Everyone is now eating their words that they had previously scoffed at Harry with. He was right- the Dark Lord has returned and there will be a huge fight ahead of them if they are ever to be rid of him. The times are increasingly less safe, and pandemonium is beginning to break out where the Dark Mark appears.
Hogwarts seems to be the safest place to be- after all, Dumbledore is the headmaster. Harry finds out more than he's ever known about Voldemort's past as Tom Riddle, including his lineage and ambitions as a schoolboy at Hogwarts himself. Dumbledore shows him various memories that hold all this information, and Harry attains one from Professor Slughorn. This professor is a returning one, who is extremely interested in collecting "prize students" and attaining connections with various esteemed members of society. This memory that Harry attains gives both him and Dumbledore confirmation that Voldemort indeed, even as a 16 year old, was planning his ascent to the throne of Dark Lord. In the memory, he had asked Professor Slughorn how "horcruxes" had worked. It was evident he was planning on splitting his soul, and storing it in different objects so he would never fully die. He also said, however, something about splitting it 7 times. This would be unimaginable for any normal wizard, powerful as they might be.
Dumbledore promises Harry he can accompany him to destroy a Horcrux he has located. 2 of them had already been destroyed. Throughout this entire time, Harry has suspected that Draco Malfoy has taken his fathers' place as a Death Eater, and alerts his friends to keep an eye out when he leaves with Dumbledore to destroy the horcrux.
Dumbledore and Harry leave to a cave far away, encountering many different obstacles before they finally get to the middle of a lake in a cave that is filled with dead bodies with the Horcrux in the middle. Dumbledore is severely weakened while trying to get at the horcrux, and when they escape and return, the Dark Mark had been placed over Hogwarts. Harry and Dumbledore sped back to the school. As they were rushing in, Harry threw on his invisibility cloak and Dumbledore froze him with a spell, just as Malfoy came in and blasted Dumbledore with his own spell. It was his job to kill Dumbledore, but was not able, and Snape came in and used the "Avada Kedavra" spell on Dumbledore himself. Harry, unnoticed under his cloak and frozen, watched this all happen. There was a fight going on underneath them, the Order of the Phoenix had come to try and help.
The Death Eaters escaped- everyone was in shock over Dumbledore's death and Snape's betrayal. The funeral was held and many people from all over came. Harry made the decision that he would not rest until either he or Voldemort is dead- no matter how long it took. He had also been dating Ron's sister Ginny, whom he told he could not be with while he was seeking out the Dark Lord.
I really enjoyed reading this book, as I stated before, I could not put it down. The first time I read it (when it first came out) I literally cried when Dumbledore died. It seemed impossible that so much could go wrong, but then again, when has anything ever been easy for Harry and his friends? The journey ahead of them seems ominously long at the end of this book, especially without Dumbledore guiding them. There is also a lot of foreshadowing throughout this book, which is hard to catch the first time around. Harry hid his Potions book in the very Vanishing Cabinet that the Death Eaters got into the castle with. There are many other examples, such as when Hermione suggests that the person who had owned his potions book was in fact someone whose mother or father had had the last name of Prince, as the back read "Property of the Half-Blood Prince". (Snape's mother was Eileen Prince, and the book had belonged to him.)
I plan to read the last book in the Harry Potter series next.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Stacey
Monday, November 10, 2008
Q2 blog post.
The book I have decided I am going to read for quarter 2 is most likely going to be A Change Of Heart by Jodi Picoult. I have enjoyed reading her other books in the past, including My Sister's Keeper, Nineteen Minutes, and The Tenth Circle. I am hoping that with this new book she may stray a little from the plotlines of her previous books, or structure I should say, because I feel that she really doesn't go far from the same path with different subjects.
I have received many recommendations to read this book, including the fact that it was on the list on Mrs. B's blogs as a "recommended read." I am excited to get started with this book, although it will be hard to not read it all at once- once I get into something I can't put it down.
I have received many recommendations to read this book, including the fact that it was on the list on Mrs. B's blogs as a "recommended read." I am excited to get started with this book, although it will be hard to not read it all at once- once I get into something I can't put it down.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
7th Post
For my seventh post, I decided to read about an article I found in the Star Tribune, about a macabre/Halloween store that recently opened in Anoka.
The store is called Redrum, which is "Murder" spelled backwards. The owners, Flo Rutledge and Mike VanSyke, have stated that they find it curious that Anoka, the "halloween capital of the world", has concerns about their store. Various other members of the city, including an owner of a boutique a few doors down, are not so happy with Redrum. Beth Lennartson has voiced that "the kind of people it brings" around that area are "people they don't need."
Anoka recently was working on a project to attract more shoppers to their businesses through a marketing campaign, but in some opinions, that is the kind of attraction they do not need. Also, there are worries flitting through the community about illegal activity, although the police made an official report that there are, in fact, no illegal items or illegal activity going on.
One last worrying factor of this store is that the second floor of the building houses overflow classes for Sandburg Middle School. The owners have stated that they do not let underage kids into the store, but they have middle school children exposed to it everyday. Of course the children will be curious about what's inside if they aren't allowed in (in my opinion). The image the store sends out doesn't seem to be a good one, even if it is a Halloween store.
The article also quotes the Mayor to have said "...At the end of the day, people can rent their [buildings] to whoever they please." What can you do? If a business is making legitimate profit running a legal business, then one could argue what is the problem?
In my opinion, I believe it would be in the store's best interest to relocate, simply because of the complaints called in about it. I can see where the community is coming from, not wanting a store that sends out a bad image to the youth of the neighborhood. Stores like that make me feel, for lack of a better word, icky. Even though they monitor the age of people shopping in their store, I would be worried about various chains of events that could happen.. Including the purchase of things such as pipes going to underage kids. It's a tough situation.
Happy Halloween!
Stacey
The store is called Redrum, which is "Murder" spelled backwards. The owners, Flo Rutledge and Mike VanSyke, have stated that they find it curious that Anoka, the "halloween capital of the world", has concerns about their store. Various other members of the city, including an owner of a boutique a few doors down, are not so happy with Redrum. Beth Lennartson has voiced that "the kind of people it brings" around that area are "people they don't need."
Anoka recently was working on a project to attract more shoppers to their businesses through a marketing campaign, but in some opinions, that is the kind of attraction they do not need. Also, there are worries flitting through the community about illegal activity, although the police made an official report that there are, in fact, no illegal items or illegal activity going on.
One last worrying factor of this store is that the second floor of the building houses overflow classes for Sandburg Middle School. The owners have stated that they do not let underage kids into the store, but they have middle school children exposed to it everyday. Of course the children will be curious about what's inside if they aren't allowed in (in my opinion). The image the store sends out doesn't seem to be a good one, even if it is a Halloween store.
The article also quotes the Mayor to have said "...At the end of the day, people can rent their [buildings] to whoever they please." What can you do? If a business is making legitimate profit running a legal business, then one could argue what is the problem?
In my opinion, I believe it would be in the store's best interest to relocate, simply because of the complaints called in about it. I can see where the community is coming from, not wanting a store that sends out a bad image to the youth of the neighborhood. Stores like that make me feel, for lack of a better word, icky. Even though they monitor the age of people shopping in their store, I would be worried about various chains of events that could happen.. Including the purchase of things such as pipes going to underage kids. It's a tough situation.
Happy Halloween!
Stacey
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
post #6
For my sixth post I decided to write about an article I found on the Ham Lake fire in 2007 by Larry Oakes. It's been a long, difficult struggle to try and find the individual who carelessly left a fire unattended in the BWCA. A 64-year-old man was indicted with the charges that he started the Ham Lake fire which burned down more than 75,000 acres of Minnesota forest. This man, Stephen Posniak, could face up to 5 years in prison and also various other 6 month sentences for other charges.
This article was really important for me to read because I feel a special connection to the BWCA. My church goes to a camp there every year, Wilderness Canoe Base. The last two summers that I went, we spent some time rebuilding and cleaning up a lot. Over 40 of the buildings on Fishhook and Dominion island (where the camp is located, attached by a suspension bridge) were burned to the ground from the Ham Lake fire. Everyone there was devastated, including us campers. My friend and I, Rachel, had made plans last summer to stay for longer as volunteers up there. Mine happened to fall through, but she felt so changed by her experience there she said that it was indescribable. Hearing her talk about everything up there (even after the huge fire) makes me feel even closer to the tragedy that happened.. It also makes me wonder how anyone could possibly be so careless as to leave a fire unattended. To burn down the beauty of the wilderness there is a horrible crime!
I don't know this for a fact, but I feel like there is a HUGE fine for the amount of damage done, and I am amazed that Stephen Posniak's sentence was only about 5 years. Although the foliage is slowing starting to regrow and bloom, many of the islands are barren and black. (Especially near base, which is right off the Gunflint Trail.) Berry bushes are abundant, though, which happened to be DELICIOUS when we were eating our food on Trail (out camping).
More and more buildings are being rebuilt at base, but the fact that the fire could have been easily prevented amazes me. It's a custom for us to douse the fire with water when we are on Trail, and leave a sprig of a spruce tree on the grate as a sign of welcome and assurance that the campsite was taken better care of than before we had come. It shocks me to think that someone would not take that good of care of God's creation in it's most pure form- It's a protected area for a reason.
Stacey
This article was really important for me to read because I feel a special connection to the BWCA. My church goes to a camp there every year, Wilderness Canoe Base. The last two summers that I went, we spent some time rebuilding and cleaning up a lot. Over 40 of the buildings on Fishhook and Dominion island (where the camp is located, attached by a suspension bridge) were burned to the ground from the Ham Lake fire. Everyone there was devastated, including us campers. My friend and I, Rachel, had made plans last summer to stay for longer as volunteers up there. Mine happened to fall through, but she felt so changed by her experience there she said that it was indescribable. Hearing her talk about everything up there (even after the huge fire) makes me feel even closer to the tragedy that happened.. It also makes me wonder how anyone could possibly be so careless as to leave a fire unattended. To burn down the beauty of the wilderness there is a horrible crime!
I don't know this for a fact, but I feel like there is a HUGE fine for the amount of damage done, and I am amazed that Stephen Posniak's sentence was only about 5 years. Although the foliage is slowing starting to regrow and bloom, many of the islands are barren and black. (Especially near base, which is right off the Gunflint Trail.) Berry bushes are abundant, though, which happened to be DELICIOUS when we were eating our food on Trail (out camping).
More and more buildings are being rebuilt at base, but the fact that the fire could have been easily prevented amazes me. It's a custom for us to douse the fire with water when we are on Trail, and leave a sprig of a spruce tree on the grate as a sign of welcome and assurance that the campsite was taken better care of than before we had come. It shocks me to think that someone would not take that good of care of God's creation in it's most pure form- It's a protected area for a reason.
Stacey
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Post Number 5
Beloved pup's fate becomes international cause- Mary Jane Smetanka
Startribune.comFor my fifth post I read an article on a military dog and its hopeful human companion. Gwen Beberg, an army sergeant who is stationed in
Another element to Beberg’s situation is that she only signed-up for a 3- year long place in the Army. Due to the Stop-Loss program, she was sent to
I’m a big animal lover myself, and I know I’d be extremely upset if my dogs were taken away from me or killed. They do provide comfort in a world where it’s hard to find in tough times. Dogs don’t expect much from you, just love and a few belly-rubs. Having a companion like that taken away on a whim cannot be easy for anyone, much less a sergeant in the army because post-traumatic stress disorder is so prevalent in veterans.
Overall, a very saddening article to read- I’m hoping for the best for Gwen and her dog!
Stacey
Post #4
Post Number 4
**This was originally posted on the due date, not even kidding, but it must have not gone through or I didn’t click the button correctly before I got off Blogger. I just noticed as I was about to do my fifth post. Please let me know if there’s a problem.
I finished My Sister’s Keeper a few days ago, and as I had predicted, the ending was not as suspenseful because I already knew what was going to happen. What surprised me though, was the fact that I was still really sad and almost tearful for Anna’s death and Kate’s life. It’s an interesting switch of events, because it’s almost implied that Kate will die without Anna. Well, when Anna dies, her kidney allows Kate’s life. They were always connected, and I don’t mean just because Anna was genetically engineered to help Kate. They were close sisters, and understood just how much they meant to each other. Growing up with anyone forms a strong bond between the two, and when that bond is broken its harder than anything.
It’s also a hard path for her parents to have taken, having a child to support another. The criticisms must have been never-ending, saying that they cared for Kate more than Anna and that Anna was just an experiment meant to save her sister’s life. There was no way that the entire family could have won in this situation, because without Anna’s birth, Kate was doomed, but they ended up losing a daughter anyway. It’s unfathomable to imagine the hurt a family would go through in those series of events. Even harder to imagine is Kate’s feelings, using her deceased sister’s kidney to live, when she made her go through the court appeal and everything so that she could die.
This book was so interesting and definitely worth reading a second time.
Stacey
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Post #3
For my third post, I read about a murder investigation. My article comes from the Star Tribune website, linked at the bottom of this page.
A woman named Brenda Pikala was stabbed under a bridge that went across Minnehaha Creek 19 years ago. She had been going to a movie with her 9-year old son, but then he decided he didn't want to go. It was reported that she had approached a car bleeding heavily after the attack- but was pronounced dead once a doctor tried to help her. The case had been cold for so long because although the police had evidence (scrapings from under her fingernail), DNA testing had not been as effective or accurate as it is now. The lead suspect of the case, with the matching DNA, was found already in jail on a drunk-driving charge. Albert Moen was convicted Monday for second-degree murder. The article also touches on how difficult it is to solve cold-cases, with Sgt. Barb Moe saying "Oh, my God, it's such a good feeling [to solve a case]."
My thoughts on this article are mixed. I think that our law enforcement does try to solve as many cases as they can, but I also believe that more effort could be put into trying to solve cold cases. Pikala's family was devastated after her death, and her sister is quoted to have said, "I want people to just remember Brenda's smile." This shows that a situation like Pikala's family was thrown into has to be incredibly difficult. Things can change so fast- almost in an instant. The shock of hearing that someone was convicted for their family member's murder had to have been incredible- after all it was 19 years after it had happened. Every case is important, not just the easy-to-solve ones. There are so many other cases that haven't been solved, leaving innocent families with no answer. It makes me sad to think about them and the pain they must experience each day. It also makes me interested in other stories where cold cases were solved. What types of things other than DNA would be more helpful now as opposed to in the past? It's an intriguing thing to think about.
Stacey
<http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print_This_Story?sid=29920524>
A woman named Brenda Pikala was stabbed under a bridge that went across Minnehaha Creek 19 years ago. She had been going to a movie with her 9-year old son, but then he decided he didn't want to go. It was reported that she had approached a car bleeding heavily after the attack- but was pronounced dead once a doctor tried to help her. The case had been cold for so long because although the police had evidence (scrapings from under her fingernail), DNA testing had not been as effective or accurate as it is now. The lead suspect of the case, with the matching DNA, was found already in jail on a drunk-driving charge. Albert Moen was convicted Monday for second-degree murder. The article also touches on how difficult it is to solve cold-cases, with Sgt. Barb Moe saying "Oh, my God, it's such a good feeling [to solve a case]."
My thoughts on this article are mixed. I think that our law enforcement does try to solve as many cases as they can, but I also believe that more effort could be put into trying to solve cold cases. Pikala's family was devastated after her death, and her sister is quoted to have said, "I want people to just remember Brenda's smile." This shows that a situation like Pikala's family was thrown into has to be incredibly difficult. Things can change so fast- almost in an instant. The shock of hearing that someone was convicted for their family member's murder had to have been incredible- after all it was 19 years after it had happened. Every case is important, not just the easy-to-solve ones. There are so many other cases that haven't been solved, leaving innocent families with no answer. It makes me sad to think about them and the pain they must experience each day. It also makes me interested in other stories where cold cases were solved. What types of things other than DNA would be more helpful now as opposed to in the past? It's an intriguing thing to think about.
Stacey
<http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print_This_Story?sid=29920524>
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Post #2
*Do not read this if you want to read My Sister's Keeper in the future.
For my second entry, I decided to write about My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I read this book last year, but I am currently rereading it. It is interesting to read the book and know what will happen, because everything is thrown into a different light. At times it is easier to understand, like in the beginning when it switches from character to character, because you already know the way that the separate characters talk and how they feel. I'm not at the end yet, but I am predicting that it will be less interesting and suspenseful because I know that Kate is the one to ask Anna not to donate the kidney and that Anna will die in the car crash. This book makes me genuinely sad when I read it, because there are so many decisions (moral and logical) to make and all of them are extremely difficult.
I can relate somewhat to the book, because when I was three my mom was hospitalized for 6 months and it changed all of my families' lives. I don't think any member of my family has ever had to donate anything, so in that aspect I can't imagine how difficult Anna's life must have been. I hate hospitals, personally, and I would never want to spend the amount of time she had to in them. I do know about having to make sacrifices though, helping out with my mom having to be in a wheelchair. Not a day goes by where I don't pray for her to get better so that she can walk on her own, because I want the best for her. (Just like Kate's family wants the best for her.)
Overall, I love this book!
Stacey
For my second entry, I decided to write about My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I read this book last year, but I am currently rereading it. It is interesting to read the book and know what will happen, because everything is thrown into a different light. At times it is easier to understand, like in the beginning when it switches from character to character, because you already know the way that the separate characters talk and how they feel. I'm not at the end yet, but I am predicting that it will be less interesting and suspenseful because I know that Kate is the one to ask Anna not to donate the kidney and that Anna will die in the car crash. This book makes me genuinely sad when I read it, because there are so many decisions (moral and logical) to make and all of them are extremely difficult.
I can relate somewhat to the book, because when I was three my mom was hospitalized for 6 months and it changed all of my families' lives. I don't think any member of my family has ever had to donate anything, so in that aspect I can't imagine how difficult Anna's life must have been. I hate hospitals, personally, and I would never want to spend the amount of time she had to in them. I do know about having to make sacrifices though, helping out with my mom having to be in a wheelchair. Not a day goes by where I don't pray for her to get better so that she can walk on her own, because I want the best for her. (Just like Kate's family wants the best for her.)
Overall, I love this book!
Stacey
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Post Numero Uno.
For my first post, I read an article on the Forbes 400 and the top 40 richest Americans.
The article was about who made the cut as "richest" and who didn't, but what I found interesting was that some of the people who were on it are off it now because of the rising and falling stock market. Such numbers as $6.8 BILLION dollars were lost in cases like Kirk Kerorkian's, and (not surprisingly) Oprah's net worth rose from $200 million to $2.7 billion.
It's absolutely ridiculous how much money some people make. The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, made it on the list as well at a net worth $1.5 billion. Other popular companies heads such as Urban Outfitters' chief Richard Haynes were also on the list. I think this shows how much popularity effects the amount of profit you can make on something. It isn't surprising at all, rather very demonstrative of the mentality most of America has- the "cooler" it may be, the more you want it. Almost everyone I know has a Facebook, and I know I've shopped at Urban Outfitters before. Oprah is a swelling phenomenon that I don't quite understand myself, but with such a huge fan base I can see why she would become so rich.
This has nothing to do with the article itself, but now I am thinking about how all of that money could go to something better, not necessarily entirely pocketed like much of it must be. So many people could benefit from it, and while the people who earned it entirely have the right to do whatever they want with it (it's their profit, after all), I think that some of the time when it is donated it's for the press time. I don't mean to insinuate that it is strictly for press coverage all of the time, because I know it's not, but when you have so much it's hard to open your eyes to the people that have nothing.
Just a thought.
-Stacey
The article was about who made the cut as "richest" and who didn't, but what I found interesting was that some of the people who were on it are off it now because of the rising and falling stock market. Such numbers as $6.8 BILLION dollars were lost in cases like Kirk Kerorkian's, and (not surprisingly) Oprah's net worth rose from $200 million to $2.7 billion.
It's absolutely ridiculous how much money some people make. The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, made it on the list as well at a net worth $1.5 billion. Other popular companies heads such as Urban Outfitters' chief Richard Haynes were also on the list. I think this shows how much popularity effects the amount of profit you can make on something. It isn't surprising at all, rather very demonstrative of the mentality most of America has- the "cooler" it may be, the more you want it. Almost everyone I know has a Facebook, and I know I've shopped at Urban Outfitters before. Oprah is a swelling phenomenon that I don't quite understand myself, but with such a huge fan base I can see why she would become so rich.
This has nothing to do with the article itself, but now I am thinking about how all of that money could go to something better, not necessarily entirely pocketed like much of it must be. So many people could benefit from it, and while the people who earned it entirely have the right to do whatever they want with it (it's their profit, after all), I think that some of the time when it is donated it's for the press time. I don't mean to insinuate that it is strictly for press coverage all of the time, because I know it's not, but when you have so much it's hard to open your eyes to the people that have nothing.
Just a thought.
-Stacey
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