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
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