Something New

This many prompts were read and many pictures were analyzed. However, one book stood out more than the rest. Into the Wild was my favorite literary piece that was discussed during this year. The actual writing of the book did not intrigue me, but the idea and the main character of the book excited me. It was astonishing g to talk about a person who has managed to go so far, and become a true nomad. The ideas that this book was based on compelled me and showed me some people really do have the ability to forget and move on. Some people are capable of living a life without the demands and unnecessary commentary of the rest of the world and society. 

 The book itself was not exciting; I did not like reading it. However, I did like discussing it. I liked how after we discussed a new chapter of the book I would come home and research about his travels and try to watch the movie. This book did not open my eyes to a new world, but it helped me see into the depths of one that had always intrigued me. The main characters ideas and words were compelling, they were different. Into the Wild was not a coming of age story or a fictional novel, it was real and raw. Real and raw is not something I see a lot in today’s society. It was refreshing to learn about a young boy who was once reprimanded to the rules and to conformity and managed to escape from it in the most permanent way possible.

escape

mimi, mwenyewe, na i

(me, myself, and I)

Money’s no object, school is out of the picture, my life is finally in my own hands. Now what. Now I make my way to Africa, now I venture out to see the world with my own eyes, I walk along the African plains, now I attempt to surf the African oceans. My once in a life time trip will always and forever be Africa. I would set out to see a land where man has not yet tampered with. I would visit the villages where man walks bear foot. Some of my journey will bring me to tears from its beauty and other aspects of my journey will make me fall to my knees from sorrow. Regardless of why I may fall or why I may cry this trip will my escape from the world. This would be my escape from discussions about the stability of the United States government, or the pointless argument that take places in classes. My once in a life time trip will be what i want it to be. I will walk side by side with the African wild, I will hold hands with a child who is not the least bit concerned with my social standing at school. I will learn new and incredible things from the people who will surround me and the nature that will capture my attention within seconds. My escape will give me peace, it will give me happiness, and I will give hope to those who I meat during my journey.

Now I get to chose.

GENOCIDE

“Turkey Objects to Pope Francis Use of the Word ‘Genocide’ to Describe Armenian Killing”

By: Desmond Butler, Ayse Wieting, Suzan Fraser

Source: HuggingtonPost

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/12/pope-francis-armenian-genocide_n_7049802.html

Pope Francis, a man with immense power, decided it was time to use the word ‘genocide’ while addressing the events that took place in the year 1915. He said, “Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it.” (1) In response foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted, “The pope’s statement which is far from historic and legal truths is unacceptable, Religious positions are not places where unfounded claims are made and hatred is stirred.” (1)

The Turkish government and some of its people are stirred and do not know what to make of this situation. Seeing that the pope has an unimaginable power in some realms they fear the picture they have painted for the world is slowly losing its colors. Italy and the United States have both accepted that the event of 1915, the genocide, has occurred, however they refuse to use the word genocide, because they fear they will have to sever their ties with their supposed ally, Turkey.  

The head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Aram I, acknowledges and thanks Pope Francis for publicizing the centennial of the Armenian Genocide and for introducing this event on a world wide scale.   

This article not only establishes the legitimacy of the Armenian Genocide, but also helps other world leaders understand it is time to take a stand and do what is morally right.  The Armenian people respect and thank the pope for being able to come forth and use the only word that can actually define the occurrences of April 24, 1915.

Miracles Can Happen

  Pope Francis Credited with Performing 'Miracle' As St. Gennaro's Blood Liquefies 

By: Ed Mazza

Source: HuffingtonPost

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6920624

     Pope Francis is now being praised for possibly being a miracle worker. It is being said that he is responsible for liquifying the blood of St. Gennro. It is said that his blood liquefies three times a year. However, it has never done so completely the last time his blood liquefied in front of a pope was 1848.   "Saturday marked the first time the blood has liquified in the papal presence since 1848, when it did so in front of Pope Pius IX, according to the Catholic Herald. The blood didn't liquify in front of Pope John Paul II when he visited in 1979, nor did it do so when Benedict XVI visited in 2007, according to the website." (Mazza,1) 

          However, people are speculating the validity of this miracle they believe that the St.'s blood liquefies due to differing weather conditions or the conditions the body is being kept in. "Skeptics believe there is another explanation for the phenomenon. One possibility is that the blood liquifies when there are certain changes in conditions, such as when the relic is moved from storage to display." ( Mazza, 1) It is clear that many people are dumbfounded by this event. 

           Regardless of what the reason may be for this miraculous event people from all around the world have come together because of this event. Pope Francis has from the beginning known to be one of the most honest and humble Popes, this event in time does not surprise those who are religiously involved. 

         This event does not only interest the people of the church but of people around the world. This can be a possible miracle that the world was able to witness first hand.    

keep. safe.

Brown Students Don't Trust The School To Fix Sexual Assault Policies
Tyler Kingkade

HuffingtonPost

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/12/brown-sexual-assault-protest_n_6859486.html?utm_hp_ref=breakingthesilence

             Brown University students are protesting against the school administration and the way the school is handling the sexual harassment issues. There is an issue with the date rape drug that has surfaced in Brown University. Students believe the school and the administration are not taking appropriate or serious enough actions to protect the students from this treachery. As a sign of protest students have taped dollar bills to their lips in order to symbolize what they believe the university and its leaders are prioritizing. Students believe that Brown University is more concerned with how this may affect their reputation and its financial standings over the safety and integrity of the students attending this institution. “The students wore dollar bills taped across their mouths to symbolize what they contend was a conflict of interest in a recent investigation into an alleged date rape drugging.” (1) Another protest also took place during the Brown University Community Council meeting. This one however, was a silent protest. The students are outraged and afraid and are convinced the administration and the committee are doing nothing to protect, and shield them from this life threatening situation.

              “Frustrated with repeated stories like these, one group of students took action where they could. Starting next year, anyone in a fraternity or sorority at Brown will have to cut all ties with Greek life if he or she is found responsible for sexual misconduct. The policy was drafted by the student-led Greek Sexual Misconduct Committee.” (1) Seeing that the Brown administration is lacking where they should be more than relevant the students have decided to take certain actions in ensuring that incidents involving any sort of sexual harassment are minimal to none.

Universities must understand that the safety of their students is vital and under no circumstances should their security be under compromise.

self deciding

From the beginning of time women and men have had different roles in society. Why? It is not because they choose to have those but because they up set upon them, they were given expectations. If one wanted to be given those responsibilities they had no choice but to comply with them.

Today is just the same. As medieval and ignorant as it may sound some men still expect women to stay home, clean, cook, and take of the kids. It might come as a surprise to people but women have brains, and brains that function just the same as a man’s would too. Society has labeled the woman as the nurturer and the man as the bread maker. Society not only discriminates against women in this way but also against men. There are women who choose to do a “man’s job” like become an engineer, or a construction worker, or a car body shop owner. However, people seem to forget there are men who may want to occupy a “woman’s job”, like becoming a nurse, a kindergarten teacher, or a florist. If a person in today’s society were top witness these role reversals they would automatically question the person’s sexuality. Today’s society not only labels and stamps women and men, but it has also decided what a heterosexual should be like and what a homosexual should be like.

Society has brain washed every person regardless of what they believe into the same mindset. Now, people are starting to stray from and question these characteristics that society has bestowed upon itself. Gender, sexuality, job occupation, clothing/ attire etc. are all self deciding factors that society should have zero control over.

What Response?

The Daily Show - Majority Retort

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKvZg2WZTDQ

Everyone knows of the infamous Jon Stewart and his Television broadcast, The Daily Show, where he presents the news and deliberately makes fun of almost every aspect of it. In the  short clip that was  watched he introduced the topic of the responses to the Presidents State of the Union speech. He used parody a few times in his video, first when he said “Is that you Siri?” (The Daily Show- Majority Retort) when making fun of the way Joni Ernst spoke in her reposes. Later he showed the audience a video of a female anchor saying how Ernst job was to humanize her party he managed to introduce another technique, incongruity. What the anchor was declaring and what Stewart compared her to were complete opposites. He later used parody, a kind of satirical technique, when making fun of the way Rep. Curt Clawson spoke. In a sense he also uses exaggeration, another satirical technique, when mentioning that having a response to the Presidents Sate of the Union speech has become an annual thing, and when explaining to the audience the number of responses were presented each year. He not only mocked the number of responses this year but also the people involved in the responses and there speeches as a whole. He was able to express his feelings and his take of the subject simply by demolishing any ones opposition to what he thought should be considered right. Jon Stewart not only muses and entertains, and at times offends, he also manages to clearly and completely introduce and present each nights news. 

How Long?

Last Line Of Obama’s Military Force Request Briefly Mentions Possibility Of 25-Year     Quagmire
theONION 
http://www.theonion.com/articles/last-line-of-obamas-military-force-request-briefly,37990/

President Obama addressed the issue of ISIS and the way America was reacting to the situation. He mentioned how we will be dealing with the situation and what the duties of the U.S. army will be in the matter. In this articles we read about the cost of Americas involvement, this would be referring to money and lives. This blog also mentions the fact that there will be a possibility this matter will effect not only this generation, but generations to come. It is yet another article telling the people of the U.S. about America’s involvement in world wide issues.  
This article uses mostly exaggeration which it one of the four satirical techniques that is used in literature. The following sentence is an example of exaggeration used in this article.“Legal scholars noted that the proposal’s language intentionally leaves the door open for a future president to extend the authorization by one or more generations as necessary.” (1) Obviously political scholars do not want this issue to carry onto the next generations, however based on the rate it has been going this matter has a large possibility of caring onto the next generation. However, this article exaggerates the duration of this issue. 

Regardless of the exaggeration, sarcasm and satire used in this article it still states the issues taking place in this country. It may make fun of the situation the matter has found its self and the way the President is addressing the matter, but it is still managing to get a message across.  

hope for the hopeless

“Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope." (7, Fitzgerald)

This single line represents what Nick lived by. This was the one thing he was purely good at: not judging people no matter what the situation may be. This quote means one thing and one only thing, it means that one should not judge another, because people can change. It says not judging someone is a matter of hope, this means that one can hope forever that another is capable of change. To judge someone means that one has made up their mind about a person and believes that the other has no hope or opportunity to change and become a better person. To never judge someone means that one is giving the opportunity and the benefit of the doubt to another in hopes that they can change or they can justify their wrong.   

                In the story The Great Gatsby Nick portrayed a character who was in no way judgmental. This does not mean he did not have opinions about people, it simply means he did not judge or criticize people for the decisions they made. Nick was a man who was trusted with many secrets but at no point did he think that one was at fault for having those secrets. He was a man of few words and even fewer critics. This quote perfectly describes the kind of man Nick was. He was a man who hoped for the best from everyone and refused to give up on any one despite the fact that they have cheated, lied, stole, or anything along those lines. This single line can be the only eight words used to describe Nick and his feelings towards people and judgment.

 

works for the working

Obama State Of The Union Address Highlights Battle For The Middle Class

By: Michael McAuliff, Sabrina Siddiqui

Source: Huffing Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/21/obama-state-of-the-union-address-_n_6471266.html

        President Obama has always been vocal about his interest in improving the lives of the middle class, however during his State of the Union speech he mentioned the middle class more than the Republicans would have liked to have heard. Many republican faces mentioned how President Obama over did “caring about the middle class”. it was said that, “Obama mentioned the middle class at least seven times and touted "working" people at least nine as he rolled out proposals to offer new child tax credits, raise the minimum wage, extend paid family leave and make college more affordable. He mentioned "families" 16 times.” (1) Republicans continuously try to bash any efforts our Democratic President makes in an effort to ease the lives of the working class. In the GPO response to the address President Obama had prepared, freshman Sen. Joni Ernst mentioned that President Obama has only harmed the “working” people of America. The Republicans believe that the bills they are trying to pass will be much more effective than the ones President Obama has been pushing for. Republicans continue to mention the down sides of what President Obama has managed to accomplish, while the Democrats choose to take a more positive approach to the situation, by mentioning; decreasing unemployment rates and increasing hiring opportunities.  Republican representatives were asked how they felt about his address and weather they were in agreement about the propositions he had made and they responded with a simple “Why is this night different from all other night?” (1), meaning that they were still on opposing sides.

        This was only one of many things President Obama choose to talk about during his address, however it is a very important part of his speech that everyone especially the middle or working class should read about and thoroughly understand.

ashes of an angel

Witnesses horrified at death of N.J. baby girl burned alive

By: Alyn Ackermann, Caitlin Nolan

Source: Daily News

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/witnesses-horrified-death-n-baby-girl-burned-alive-article-1.2083365

It is said that there is nothing like a mother’s love for her child, it is said to be stronger than any force imaginable. If this is the case why did a New Jersey woman set her child on fire and leave her on the side of a street and call it “poop”.

A man found the woman near a ball of fire and tried to understand what it was that she was burning. When he seemed interested she said it is just poop, she said her dog had pooped in her car and she wanted to burn it. However, Joseph, the man who was at the scene tried to restrain her until the police came. By the time they came it was too late. “It was just horrible” (1), “We saw the fire and we thought someone was over there burning trash,” (1) said Joseph. The child died that night because her mother burned her on a public roadway. Dorvilier, the woman who decided to burn her new born is being held on $500,000 bail.

To say it is important to read this is not necessarily the right thing to say. It would make more sense to say reading this will give people an idea of how good they may have it, or how loving, nurturing and wonderful their mothers are. But it also raises awareness that even if someone is the biological parent of a child, does not mean that they are the best parent for that child.

23 and 6 months

To create the most marvelous and extravagant party, just like a Gatsby party, the venue is by far one of the most important parts of throwing the party of the year. The party that I would host would be in the most secretive and exclusive underground club in the world. This club is found in New York and since we are talking about Gatsby it would have to be 1920’s themed. Everyone would show up in beaded dressed with purls flowing off their chests, and the men would have to wear suits so polished they would look like each suit was custom tailored. By this time I would have reached the age of twenty three and six months and this party would be my Half Birthday Party.

Music would be live, of course, and the performers would be no other then Lana del Ray and Hozier. Obviously Beyoncé would perform one song and for the rest of the night she would lounge about and enjoy the party like every other guest. As for the guest list, there would be none, it would be based on pure luck. The invitations would be scattered across the world. There would be exactly 236 tickets and if they choose they can tell friends. Food and drinks will be served all night. There would be alcohol pouring out of fountains, and sodas and juices served by waiters. Food would not be limited in any way there would be absolutely everything, from pizza to caviar to steak and fries.

If you would like to come this party you will have to find a ticket or have a friend who does. I suggest you start looking.

 

 

the take over

After reading about the mafia and how organized it was, one can say that it functioned more properly than the United Government its self; which is actually a very scary thought. In the 1920’s the mafia began to rise and new mobster families began to surface. At that point the mafia controlled almost all the illicit liquor trade, along with drug trafficking, illegal gambling, while it had power in the garment industry and construction. Towards the end of the 1920’s government passed anit-racketeering laws to convict high-racketeering mafia leaders; that is if they could find them. Seeing that the mafia began to grow and new mobster families began to surface Lucky Luciano a major mobster at the time decided to create something called the Commission. “Luciano then masterminded the formation of a central organization called the Commission to serve as a sort of national board of directors for the American Mafia, which by then consisted of at least 20 crime families across the country.” (1)  This “board of directors” controlled all mobster family activities and set policies that the mafia had to follow.

     Each mobster family was led by a boss who operated every “mission” and received or took a cut of any money making job. Like the army or the U.S. government there were people under the boss who organized different parts of “jobs”. During the 20^th century the mafia not only took over criminal activity above the covers but also under. They become leaders of all underground businesses like illegal gambling, loan-sharking and prostitution rings. They soon began to establish legitimate companies too like construction, garbage collection, trucking, restaurants and much more.

     The 1920’s was the era of the Mafia. It was the time of power for the criminals and the masterminds.  

http://www.history.com/topics/mafia-in-the-united-states 

it is not the people it is a person

#JeSuisAhmed Reminds Us That A French Muslim Died To Protect Free Speech

The Huffington Post

By: Carol Kuruvilla

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/08/jesuisahmed-twitter-hashtag_n_6438132.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

            Basically the whole world has heard about the terrorism that took place in France. Sadly but truly it is not over yet. People are still being attacked because of a magazine releasing an article ridiculing Muhammad, an Islam profit. Seeing that the profit who was mocked[h1] , or pointed out was Islam everyone assumed that all Islamic people took part in terrorizing France. However, in the second attack among the twelve innocent people who were murdered and lost their lives to a masked guns man was a French MUSLIM police. This man died protecting people who had ridiculed his profit, he died protecting the rights of people who scorned one of the most important people in his religion. To say that all Muslims are involved and to blame all Islamic people for the doing of only a few radical people is not only naïve but also ill-advised.

            Julien Casters, a man who once lived in Paris and now lives in Morocco decided to protect the honor of Ahmed Merabet, the policeman who was killed, by tweeting #JesuisAhmed. This hashtag began to quickly trend across all of twitter. Arab European League leader Dyab Abou Jahjah later tweed also using this hashtag. “I am not Charlie, I am Ahmed the dead cop. Charlie ridiculed my faith and culture and I died defending his right to do so. #JesuisAhmed” (1) This tweet puts into simplest words how terrible and wrong the doing of the Islamic radicalists truly is.

            This article must be read for one reason. It must be read for people to understand that a whole culture is not at fault and a whole culture and its people cannot be blamed.

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