According to Angeline Close's expository article, "Gender roles escalating for women on Valentine's Day", Angeline Close, UT Assistant Profesor of advertising, points out "motives behind women's gift giving rituals." She then goes on to explain the difference between men viewing this holiday and women viewing this holiday. And me, well I am shocked at what women really think of this holiday and how they go about their Valentine's Day.
A study done shows that more women than men feel "that they aren't doing enough..." Women want to make sure they go out and try to buy the best things to impress others. Even though Valentine's Day is traditonally for women, they still want to buy things for their peers; whether they be male or female. "Women establish these behaviors during childhood..." They are often gender-neutral. Both men and women as children buy other people gifts. Then when they grow older they change for men and stay the same for women. Which brings me to my next point, Anti-Valentine's Day. "Their primary motives for resisting Valentine's Day were not financial." Women and men who did not celebrate Valentine's Day were not because money was an issue. They just do not feel obligated to celebrate. Which I understand, more women are depressed on that day because they are single and every woman's dream is finding someone who can make them happy.
For seventeen years I regretted Valentine's Day because I was alone and had nobody. Other women just like me felt heart-broken and down because they have nobody to buy a gift for. This article makes a connection to myself, because unlike many women who want lavish things to be bought for them, I on the other hand hate people spending money on me and so Valentine's Day for myself is a depressing day every year.
All in all, gender roles for men and women on this holiday are celebrated differently for each person, but what is never changing are the expections set for men to buy women a little something and when they are with someone they tend to spend more on them. Women will always expect to get something on that day and go out and buy everybody something so they do not feel excluded like so many single women on Valentine's Day.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Book Review #1 Hunted by P.C. and Kristen Cast
After Zoey's Mother was killed by the evil Neferet, she is doing everything to cause caos at The House of Night and around the city. In the last installment to the series trust is put to the test when the people whom were evil turn nice and the nice turn evil. P.C. and Kristen Cast's Hidden shocked me with its altering flip of the story.
The way this book was written has every chapter set on a differnt character and she changes the view of the person talking, from first person to second depending on the character used. The author's style is very different from the way I am used to reading. Different views make the book that much more enjoyable. The way her style is used makes me feel as though I am really there when this takes place. Her use of vocabulary, vivid and action verbs, description of places and things really makes this book likable by all readers. Yes, I know that this book is about Vampyers, but Cast really sets these different than the average steriotypical vampire used in today's language.
In her past books most of the characters are already introduced and I have come to know them and how they react in terms of their friends, enemies, other students, and in all the characters introduced two of them have changed significally since the start of this series. Aphrodite has had one of the major changes in the book so far. She was always presented as the mean popular girl who only had friends who could be in her social clic, well in the last book she and Zoey, one of the main charcters, became really close friends and she has proven several times that the old saying "keep your friends close and your enemies closer," really runs true. Ever since she lost her social status by losing her posititon of the Dark Daughters she became still just as mean, but having no friends for the first time. Zoey took her in and made her the Prophestss. Ever since Zoey took her in she became a little nicer and has helped in a lot of things. The other character who has changed was Shawnee. In this book she holds the place for the Fire Element and she actually changed for the worse. Her and her ex best friend Erin were inseperable. They were always called "The Twins", never by there individual names. Well Shawnee started turning against her friends and being just as mean as Aphrodite was in the beginning of the series. I was shocked when Cast introduced Shawnee turing against her friends. Zoey, Erin, and Aphrodite all were a little shocked to see her go against their beloved Goddess Nyx. In this book Aphrodite and Shawnee both had secrets that broke them down and actually showed there true colors.
This book is mostly taken place in Tulsa's House of Night and all around the Tulsa area, but when Neferet is banned from being a High Pristess from every High Council she has to live in an apartment building. She has the whole top floor only to herself. Towards the end of the book, this is where the final battle is taken place and it is the most significant one. In the apartment Neferet has held Zoey's Grandma hostage because she thinks if she kills Grandma Redbird that Zoey will have no point in living and she will die too. Zoey's death is what Neferet wants the most. Well in the final battle against Zoey and Neferet all her friends have to be strong and use the elements Nyx has blessed them with to come together and destroy Neferet before she can do more harm. This is something seventeen year olds do not want to be part of, but they soon realize that this might be the only way to live freely and have Vampire and Human interactions possible. After they battle for a while and Grandma is safe from Neferets evil clutches, Zoey uses a "spell" given to her by a friend and chants some magic words that cause Neferet to fumble and fall out the top floor of her apartment. And as soon as she hits the ground her body turns into millions of spiders that crawl away. Is she really gone though?
This book is for mature audiences because there are some sexuality parts and profanity thrown through out the book, however; if you can look past all those words I would love to see everyone get a chance to read the series. I recommend though reading the first book to the series, Marked, before getting started on this book in particular. All in all, this series has turned out great read and if I got a chance to re-read the series again I would.
The way this book was written has every chapter set on a differnt character and she changes the view of the person talking, from first person to second depending on the character used. The author's style is very different from the way I am used to reading. Different views make the book that much more enjoyable. The way her style is used makes me feel as though I am really there when this takes place. Her use of vocabulary, vivid and action verbs, description of places and things really makes this book likable by all readers. Yes, I know that this book is about Vampyers, but Cast really sets these different than the average steriotypical vampire used in today's language.
In her past books most of the characters are already introduced and I have come to know them and how they react in terms of their friends, enemies, other students, and in all the characters introduced two of them have changed significally since the start of this series. Aphrodite has had one of the major changes in the book so far. She was always presented as the mean popular girl who only had friends who could be in her social clic, well in the last book she and Zoey, one of the main charcters, became really close friends and she has proven several times that the old saying "keep your friends close and your enemies closer," really runs true. Ever since she lost her social status by losing her posititon of the Dark Daughters she became still just as mean, but having no friends for the first time. Zoey took her in and made her the Prophestss. Ever since Zoey took her in she became a little nicer and has helped in a lot of things. The other character who has changed was Shawnee. In this book she holds the place for the Fire Element and she actually changed for the worse. Her and her ex best friend Erin were inseperable. They were always called "The Twins", never by there individual names. Well Shawnee started turning against her friends and being just as mean as Aphrodite was in the beginning of the series. I was shocked when Cast introduced Shawnee turing against her friends. Zoey, Erin, and Aphrodite all were a little shocked to see her go against their beloved Goddess Nyx. In this book Aphrodite and Shawnee both had secrets that broke them down and actually showed there true colors.
This book is mostly taken place in Tulsa's House of Night and all around the Tulsa area, but when Neferet is banned from being a High Pristess from every High Council she has to live in an apartment building. She has the whole top floor only to herself. Towards the end of the book, this is where the final battle is taken place and it is the most significant one. In the apartment Neferet has held Zoey's Grandma hostage because she thinks if she kills Grandma Redbird that Zoey will have no point in living and she will die too. Zoey's death is what Neferet wants the most. Well in the final battle against Zoey and Neferet all her friends have to be strong and use the elements Nyx has blessed them with to come together and destroy Neferet before she can do more harm. This is something seventeen year olds do not want to be part of, but they soon realize that this might be the only way to live freely and have Vampire and Human interactions possible. After they battle for a while and Grandma is safe from Neferets evil clutches, Zoey uses a "spell" given to her by a friend and chants some magic words that cause Neferet to fumble and fall out the top floor of her apartment. And as soon as she hits the ground her body turns into millions of spiders that crawl away. Is she really gone though?
This book is for mature audiences because there are some sexuality parts and profanity thrown through out the book, however; if you can look past all those words I would love to see everyone get a chance to read the series. I recommend though reading the first book to the series, Marked, before getting started on this book in particular. All in all, this series has turned out great read and if I got a chance to re-read the series again I would.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Current Connection #2
Jill Vejnoska has written an article on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution depicting a shoplifter who dies just outside a Lithonia Walmart. During the Black Friday shopping week when a man, whose names has not been released, stole two DVD players and tried to walk out the front door. Two of the store employees who tried to help catch the theif before the police arrived are on leave and are no longer working for Walmart. When the police arrived, they found the two employees on top of the suspect and when the police told them too they got off and let them handcuff the suspect.
The two employee's did the right thing by trying to stop the shoplifter. They did no wrong in what they did. However, they should have aprehended him a different way. A choke hold was not nesessary unless the shoplifter was struggling, one of the workers probably snapped this man's neck or twisted it out of place in the struggle. This mistake took a poor man's life.
"Police found the man to be unresposive and bleeding from his nose and mouth. Emergency units took him to DMC-Hillandale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead." According to Walmart Spokesperson, Dianna Gee, "the two Walmart associates involved in the incident have been suspended with pay pending the outcome of the investigation..the security officer involved will no longer be providing services to us."
Suspending the employee was a choice that had to be made, they could have just kept right on working however, they could possibly have murder on their hands. Any walmart would know that a problem like that could not be good for buisness so the right thing to do was to suspend them, but because they really did no wrong instead of trying to save two DVD players from walking out of the store they are still being payed. Now for how long is the question....The Security Officer, or the one who had the suspect in the allieged "choke hold" was fired or put off because he was the main reason that this poor middle aged man died. He was the one who did the wrong here not the employee's. I bet it was a tough decision for the manager to make he had to let three diferent people, but he made the right decision.
The two employee's did the right thing by trying to stop the shoplifter. They did no wrong in what they did. However, they should have aprehended him a different way. A choke hold was not nesessary unless the shoplifter was struggling, one of the workers probably snapped this man's neck or twisted it out of place in the struggle. This mistake took a poor man's life.
"Police found the man to be unresposive and bleeding from his nose and mouth. Emergency units took him to DMC-Hillandale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead." According to Walmart Spokesperson, Dianna Gee, "the two Walmart associates involved in the incident have been suspended with pay pending the outcome of the investigation..the security officer involved will no longer be providing services to us."
Suspending the employee was a choice that had to be made, they could have just kept right on working however, they could possibly have murder on their hands. Any walmart would know that a problem like that could not be good for buisness so the right thing to do was to suspend them, but because they really did no wrong instead of trying to save two DVD players from walking out of the store they are still being payed. Now for how long is the question....The Security Officer, or the one who had the suspect in the allieged "choke hold" was fired or put off because he was the main reason that this poor middle aged man died. He was the one who did the wrong here not the employee's. I bet it was a tough decision for the manager to make he had to let three diferent people, but he made the right decision.
Current Connection #1
According to an article by Mary Murray, producer of NBC News, a boy named Camilo, a 7 year old in Cuba, has always asked his Grandmother when she took a trip to Havana, a big shopping mall 90 miles away, for candy, litle gags second grade boys would enjoy; things like that. So when he asked for some soap she was a little worried because as anybody would know a little boy asking for anything that would resemble clean is like asking for the impossible.
I have babysitted a 2 year old before and having him try and take a bath or stay clean is really hard. This outbreak must be really bad if this boy can look someone straight in the face and ask for soap and be completely honest about it. He is well informed to know that this diesase can seriously hurt him and he needed to take precautions to keep himself from gettintg hurt. There about "5 million cases and more than 10,000 deaths from cholera worldwide."
Apparently, there has been a cholera outbreak where 51 new cases have been diagnosed in Cuba. What is cholera? Cholera is, "a bacterial infection in the intestine that can range from mild to severe. In latter cases, an infected person will experience 'dehydration and shock' that, if left untreated, can lead to death 'within hours.' There are up to 5 million cases and more than 100,000 deaths from the diesease worldwide."
Cholera hasn't made it's way here to the United States yet, however; I am looking forward to seeing the disease show up here. If one country can get such a diesease then Cholera can easily spread to here really easlily, especially when their are illegals coming from all over the place just to get a job and be free no one can tell what just might show up here in the United States.
So Cholera in Cuba...such a shame because knowing how much of a hassel this must be to know that everyone has to boil water just to drink and having to sterilize shoes and clothes before they can be worn must be exhasting. Hopefully this is only a small outbreak and does not hit a world wide outbreak. If Cuba can control Cholera, tthen I know we are afe for another day.
I have babysitted a 2 year old before and having him try and take a bath or stay clean is really hard. This outbreak must be really bad if this boy can look someone straight in the face and ask for soap and be completely honest about it. He is well informed to know that this diesase can seriously hurt him and he needed to take precautions to keep himself from gettintg hurt. There about "5 million cases and more than 10,000 deaths from cholera worldwide."
Apparently, there has been a cholera outbreak where 51 new cases have been diagnosed in Cuba. What is cholera? Cholera is, "a bacterial infection in the intestine that can range from mild to severe. In latter cases, an infected person will experience 'dehydration and shock' that, if left untreated, can lead to death 'within hours.' There are up to 5 million cases and more than 100,000 deaths from the diesease worldwide."
Cholera hasn't made it's way here to the United States yet, however; I am looking forward to seeing the disease show up here. If one country can get such a diesease then Cholera can easily spread to here really easlily, especially when their are illegals coming from all over the place just to get a job and be free no one can tell what just might show up here in the United States.
So Cholera in Cuba...such a shame because knowing how much of a hassel this must be to know that everyone has to boil water just to drink and having to sterilize shoes and clothes before they can be worn must be exhasting. Hopefully this is only a small outbreak and does not hit a world wide outbreak. If Cuba can control Cholera, tthen I know we are afe for another day.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Book Review
Imagine a Japenese-American family back in the 1920's where segregation has not happened yet, blacks and whites are separate and the only job for a family like yours is a hatchery only making half a penny for every chicken. That's what it was like for Katie's family in Cynthia Kadhota's Kira-Kira mezmorizing tale of unexpecting turn of events that will leave you flipping page to page.
One of the characters, Lynn, made an impact on the way I saw her because she is just like me in some ways. She was the older sister by a few years just like I am. The way she looked at the world was different. The phrase Kira-Kira actually means glittering or shining in Japenense. I loved the way she looked at the world, she could "take something as simple as a blade of grass and make something wonderful out of it," as Katie, her little sister would say. Her love for the ocean is another reason why I connected with Lynn so well. She wanted to go to Califonia and see the ocean in real life; however, in a change of events she develops anemia and is hospitalized. In a few short months her disease acts up or it stays constant. Sadly though she does not recover and dies before she has a chance to visit her one true place, the ocean in California.
This book takes place in different locations, first we are taken to a small town in Iowa then to an even smaller town in Georgia where Katie and Lynn's family have to live in a town where whites overwhelm the Japenese. Lynn's family have to work two jobs each to pay for there little apartment and they basically live at the factory where they work. They rarely ever come home anymore and that is forcing Katie to grow up faster than a little kid should. I think the move caused Lynn to become sick because she is not happy and doctors do say that the more upset you are the more likely you are to become sick and develop a cold.
I connected to this book when I read it in 7th grade. I picked the book up as just something to grab in my English class and I never realized how much I would love this book and even go as far as buying it for my own personal reads. I loved connecting with this book because the characters and the way the author wrote this book made me feel like I was there in the 20's and I was the one suffering. The suffering of these characters made me feel a lot actually. In one part of the book when Lynn's death was portrated I cried when she passed and the author described the death. How no one was with her when she died and she died in her sleep as the author put it. I cried because that is one sorrow I have. I am afraid to die alone and I would love to die in my sleep if I had to choose which way I wanted to die. So that is why I connected with Lynn that much more when she passed even though she was scarcely mentioned the rest of the book.
Kira-Kira was an inspiring book that made me actually feel something. I enjoyed reading this book because I have never cried or felt anything when reading any other book. So I would love to read this book over and over again, and everytime I do I will tear up just because I loved the way Lynn's death was portrayed.
One of the characters, Lynn, made an impact on the way I saw her because she is just like me in some ways. She was the older sister by a few years just like I am. The way she looked at the world was different. The phrase Kira-Kira actually means glittering or shining in Japenense. I loved the way she looked at the world, she could "take something as simple as a blade of grass and make something wonderful out of it," as Katie, her little sister would say. Her love for the ocean is another reason why I connected with Lynn so well. She wanted to go to Califonia and see the ocean in real life; however, in a change of events she develops anemia and is hospitalized. In a few short months her disease acts up or it stays constant. Sadly though she does not recover and dies before she has a chance to visit her one true place, the ocean in California.
This book takes place in different locations, first we are taken to a small town in Iowa then to an even smaller town in Georgia where Katie and Lynn's family have to live in a town where whites overwhelm the Japenese. Lynn's family have to work two jobs each to pay for there little apartment and they basically live at the factory where they work. They rarely ever come home anymore and that is forcing Katie to grow up faster than a little kid should. I think the move caused Lynn to become sick because she is not happy and doctors do say that the more upset you are the more likely you are to become sick and develop a cold.
I connected to this book when I read it in 7th grade. I picked the book up as just something to grab in my English class and I never realized how much I would love this book and even go as far as buying it for my own personal reads. I loved connecting with this book because the characters and the way the author wrote this book made me feel like I was there in the 20's and I was the one suffering. The suffering of these characters made me feel a lot actually. In one part of the book when Lynn's death was portrated I cried when she passed and the author described the death. How no one was with her when she died and she died in her sleep as the author put it. I cried because that is one sorrow I have. I am afraid to die alone and I would love to die in my sleep if I had to choose which way I wanted to die. So that is why I connected with Lynn that much more when she passed even though she was scarcely mentioned the rest of the book.
Kira-Kira was an inspiring book that made me actually feel something. I enjoyed reading this book because I have never cried or felt anything when reading any other book. So I would love to read this book over and over again, and everytime I do I will tear up just because I loved the way Lynn's death was portrayed.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Current Connection #6
In the article by the Odd News, Toy Gun Falls Apart During Robbery,, Pov Pidor a policeman from Cambodia, arrests a Cambodian-American, Khem Ra, who used a toy gun during an attempted robbery of a currency exchange and money transfer buiness. His supposed "gun" fell apart when he "striked the female clerk." Running to a nearby house, Ra hid inside and would only come out in exchanged for" not being charged. The chief lied and told Ra that he would not charge him for the attempted robbery, but instead when Ra did leave the house Pidor was there to make the arrest.
I disagree with the way Pidor lied to Ra, he got Ra's hopes up only to knock him down when he was then arrested. Of course, this happened in Cambodia not the U.S. so things are very much different. I understand how a toy gun can look realistic, for I have had a few in my past and at a quick glance they can look just as real as a pistol. Thankfully the female clerk was only up against a toy gun and her worst injury was a hit to the head, if it was a real gun the injury would have been a gun shot.
This article demonstrates how far a person would go to get money or whatever they need. According to this article, Ra did not sound like he really wanted to hurt anybody because of his use of a toy gun. If his intensions where fatal a real gun would have sufficed, but he did not so I don't believe this man wanted to truely harm another person.
I disagree with the way Pidor lied to Ra, he got Ra's hopes up only to knock him down when he was then arrested. Of course, this happened in Cambodia not the U.S. so things are very much different. I understand how a toy gun can look realistic, for I have had a few in my past and at a quick glance they can look just as real as a pistol. Thankfully the female clerk was only up against a toy gun and her worst injury was a hit to the head, if it was a real gun the injury would have been a gun shot.
This article demonstrates how far a person would go to get money or whatever they need. According to this article, Ra did not sound like he really wanted to hurt anybody because of his use of a toy gun. If his intensions where fatal a real gun would have sufficed, but he did not so I don't believe this man wanted to truely harm another person.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Current Connection #5
According to Associated Press, Congress is looking to "do away" with the dollar bill and swtich to dollar coins. In the article Congress looks at doing away with the $1 bill , there is a heated discussion in whether the dollar bill should stay circulated or be taken out and replaced with a dollar coin. The article states, "the Government Accountability Office on the potential savings from switching to dollar coins entirely comes as lawmakers begin exploring new ways for the government to save money by changing the money itself." I disagree with this statement because I do not believe we, the people, can save money by switching to coins. The coin has to be made with nickle, or copper, or even zinc and obtaining these minereals take time and money to get where they are in our pockets, but then again I can see the coin saving us money because instead of replacing the bill every 5 years this coin can stay in curculation for up to 30 years. This saves the money makers to have to produce more money every few years.
"Rep. Lacy Clay, D-Mo., said men don't like carrying a bunch of coins around in their pocket or in their suits. And Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said the $1 coins have proved too hard to distinguish from quarters." All that change that we are going to have to carry around would weigh down our clothes by a lot. I would not want to carry around $5 worth of coins in my pocket when I can easily open my wallet and pull out flimsy 5 ones. So I can see where so many coins can be a hassel. Also, I have seen a dollar coin and at a glance this coin is much like the regular quarter so if a product was a dollar and you hand the cashier a quarter u just paid 25 cents for a dollar product. If the coin goes in currculation, Congress needs to find a way to clearly distinguish the difference between a quarter and a dollar coin.
This article reminds me a little about the book I am currently reading, Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata. In this book the main character's parents hate banks so they keep all their money in a bag hidden in their closet. The setting is set in the 1920's where money was hard to get especially because the characters protrayed are Japenese and are shown no respect. So all the money they make takes another meaning to "hard earned". The way money back then was used was a simple dollar went a long way as compared to now where a dollar can't even buy a bottle of soda.
This aritcle makes consumers who use dollar bills think whats going to happen if there are no more dollar bills in currculation and coin collectors might have to save a few of those old one bills so if and when the simple one goes out that little one dollar would be worth about 20 dollars. You know what, venders. I didn't even think of them. Dollar bills jam machines and a coin would save money to have the machine fixed. So many coins coming and going I wonder where we are going to go next in our lifetime.
"Rep. Lacy Clay, D-Mo., said men don't like carrying a bunch of coins around in their pocket or in their suits. And Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said the $1 coins have proved too hard to distinguish from quarters." All that change that we are going to have to carry around would weigh down our clothes by a lot. I would not want to carry around $5 worth of coins in my pocket when I can easily open my wallet and pull out flimsy 5 ones. So I can see where so many coins can be a hassel. Also, I have seen a dollar coin and at a glance this coin is much like the regular quarter so if a product was a dollar and you hand the cashier a quarter u just paid 25 cents for a dollar product. If the coin goes in currculation, Congress needs to find a way to clearly distinguish the difference between a quarter and a dollar coin.
This article reminds me a little about the book I am currently reading, Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata. In this book the main character's parents hate banks so they keep all their money in a bag hidden in their closet. The setting is set in the 1920's where money was hard to get especially because the characters protrayed are Japenese and are shown no respect. So all the money they make takes another meaning to "hard earned". The way money back then was used was a simple dollar went a long way as compared to now where a dollar can't even buy a bottle of soda.
This aritcle makes consumers who use dollar bills think whats going to happen if there are no more dollar bills in currculation and coin collectors might have to save a few of those old one bills so if and when the simple one goes out that little one dollar would be worth about 20 dollars. You know what, venders. I didn't even think of them. Dollar bills jam machines and a coin would save money to have the machine fixed. So many coins coming and going I wonder where we are going to go next in our lifetime.
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