Holidays (#10)

I read an article about how many people see valentine's gifts as how much you can spend or what you can get your loved one, not about what it really means to a person. The article was in perspective of a former jeweler who always hated the valentines day sales. Many people would come in and buy something just ordinary for their loved one, and really had no meaning to the person they were giving it too. Some would buy gold earings or even a small pearl necklace, which is an expensive gift nonetheless but nothing that they could have gotten from anyone else. Most people take the thought away from valentines day when they just buy something ordinary, the gifts that really count are the ones that the person has to think about and it may not be the most expensive thing in the store but it what the person puts into it that coutns the most. As a former jeweler, he says that the best gifts he ever sold were the ones that had a reason behind them, like something htat they have been talking baout or something that thier mother had. Valentine's Day is about being with your loved one and showing them how much you care, not how much you can spend on them.
Martin, Clancy. "The New York Times Log In." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 14 Feb. 2009. The new york times. 22 Feb. 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/14/opinion/14martin.html">http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/14/opinion/14martin.html.

Bollywood (#9)

I read about a very famous bollywood producer and what a tru bollywood film is like. Many of their films are very wholesome and down-to-earth, what it would really be like in India. Yash Chopra, who is a veteran in the film industry in India is currently working on another one of his amazing films. He has won many awards for his films in his country and has set many of the staples in Bollywood films to what they are today. Some things which most of their films have in them are romantic plots, lavish costumes and sets, and catchy songs sung in exotic locales. Yash has produced many of his films as wholesome films with the two main characters falling in love and never kissing eachother until their wedding day and having to win over the approval of their parents for their marriage so that his films can be true to the culture in India. Bollywood films are always over the top and are very fun and entertaining to watch with all of the fun and over-the-top costumes and designs that the producers put into their films.
Mehta, Suketu. "Welcome to Bollywood." National Geographic Magazine. 2005. National Geographic. 21 Feb. 2009 .

Culture (#8)

I read an article about American culture and how people's hectic lives have become revolved around fast food and how fast you can get things done. Many mornings for working class people consist of maybe dropping the kids off at school, then paying bills online and calling in Starbucks orders, and many other tasks electronically all before they are even into their work. Our culture has turned us away from the home-cooked meals from the fifties and the means of appreciating a good meal. The slow drift away from the home meals that the mom would make from have been going ever since the TV was invented and TV dinners came when families would sit and watch TV instead of having a conversation amongst themselves. With eating out all the time people are not getting the nutrients they need and are loosing the cooking skills that were present years ago. As cooking shows lean towards cooking healthy and making home-made meals again, it could start to slowly shift our culture back to more healthy eating habits.
"Fast Food and American Culture - Associated Content." Associated Content - associatedcontent.com. 1 Feb. 2007. Health and Wellness. 21 Feb. 2009 .

Change (#7)

I read an article about the climate change and global warming. The cause of global warming has changed from humans only "likely" being the cause of the cause to humans being "very likely" the reason for global warming. The simple word, very, has changed everything in the world of science from bringing them to think that their could be other factors to the main factor now is very likely to be humans. The green house effect is the main reason that scientist are pin-pointing to the rise in temperatures over the years. The green house effect was necesary for the world to work out like it has because in the begining it brought up the temperature to be one that we could survive in and not freeze. Now that the temperature has risen almost three times the average from the 20th century, the green house effect is not doing us as much good as it used too. The effect lets the sun reach us without all of the heat coming to us. The slight change in the scientific world on research of global warming has changed many people outlooks on what is actually causing global warming in our world.
"Global Warming- Science - The New York Times." Times Topics. 3 Feb. 2007. The New York Times. 21 Feb. 2009 .

Hope (#6)

I read an article about how the Grammy's were hoping for the best with all their performances, nominations, and the risks that are always involved in their shows. One of the big things that they were hoping would work out well was M.I.A who was on stage 9 months pregnant. They had a golf cart ready to take her off stage and out of the huge building if she started going into labor up on stage. Another thing that they were hoping to go well was the nominations. They were very surprised with how many people agreed with their nominations compared to other years when many people don't agree with who they nominate for their awards. One person who was a standout in their award was Lil' Wayne who was up for eight awards with Coldplay right behind them with seven nominations. With all award shows they must hope for the best to happen even in the worst of situations. The Grammy's have to take many risks with what to do in emergency situations. The risks involved with these shows many times play out with the luck of what happens during the show. The Grammy's had to have a lot of hope for their show to go as well as it did.
Sisario, Ben. "The New York Times Log In." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 5 Feb. 2009. The New York Times. 16 Feb. 2009 .

Religion/Spirituality/Belief/Non-Belief (#5)

The article i read is about how religous beliefs and ethical issues come together when countries are trying to research new medical breakthroughs. In India they are researching a stem cell project and it is very much against their religious beliefs and what their country believes in. In south Korea they are trying to make this research sound like it is okay and that it goes along with their beliefs. One scientist has said that by doing cem cell research he is recycling the life just like the belief that reincarnation does. These medical advances in these countries are things that many people believe in their own countries but many times go agains their religous and ethical beliefs. The trading and donating of organs in India remains a big contraversy in their country because this is going against what they believe even though it will help them in many ways with things that the people in this country need. The contraversy in India comes down to more than just what they want to do with medical advances but also with what they think is more important to them; medical advances or ethical and religious beliefs.
Mishira, Pankaj. "The New York Times Log In." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 21 Aug. 2005. The New York Times. 14 Feb. 2009 .

Gender Roles in soceity (#4)

This week I read an article about the treatment of women in immigration centers. The women staying in these centers are treated horribly and many result in sickness or bad health and the officials deny medical help. These women do not deserve to be treated so terribly and the government is trying to step in to help the women in these centers. This kind of treatment is not right and is not fair to people who should be treated just as any other person would. A law has been passed to improve the conditions but will not be put into affect until 2010 which will be too long for many women. In one specific case a women had been in the center for months with horrible stomach pain was told to escercise and watch her diet from theh staff at the center she was at. When she got out after alsmost six months, she was taken to a hospital where they found a cyst the size of a five-month-old fetus and the center did not do anything to help her with this treatment. Another case that they studied was a women who was six months pregnant. They put her on a top bunk and denied help or a sonogram for five weeks that she was there. These detention centers for women are not treating the women they get with any respect or fairness and the new rules in 2010 will hopefully start to change the ways that they are treated.
Frosch, Dan. "The New York Times Log In." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 21 Jan. 2009. The New York Times. 10 Feb. 2009 .

Different Cultures (#3)

I read an article about a West African culture and how they rely on the price and productivity of rice to earn their living. Already this year they are not planting over 500,000 acres of land and people do not have the money to put into producing the rice on that land. The price of rice has already dropped eight dollars this year and nobody knows what will happen next year with how unpredictable the market is. If people don't sell enough rice this year than there is a likely chance that they will not plant next year and then their market could get even worse. The people in this village don't know what will happen with their money they can either make a lot of money or lose their whole fortune over how much rice they sell. This culture is very different from our culture because of what they rely on to make a living where as we rely on office jobs and modern technology to make our money they rely on farming and stuff that not many people have practiced for year.
Polgreen, Lydia. "The New York Times Log In." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 25 Jan. 2009. The New York Times. 8 Feb. 2009 .

Overcoming Obstacles (#2)

In the city of Akiachak, Alaska they have many struggles withing their city and have to deal with the amazingly high prices and the thought of paying for things on the same tight budget as the rest of the wolrd. They pay eight dolars for a box of cereal while we can sometimes get it for close to two dollars. These people have to live with some of them not even being connected to water and havng to deal with that and not having a sewage system. because of the extremely high cost of livng many have had to abandon their homes becuase they can no longer afford to live there. The people j this community live by three simple ways of living: respect for elders, keep the languange and culture, and do not waste food. One important food to them is salmon wilhich they as careful not to waste. Even with all of these struggles the ones still livng here find a way to manage and make do with what tuey have. Even wih all that is happening in their community they still manage to go to school and amid it throug with their everyday lives. This community is one with very strong people left and ones who will fight for what they believe in and what they want done wig their community. These are people who will always try to see the best and show us what it really means to vercome struggles up matter how hard you have to try or what you have to do.
Barry, Dan. "Remote and Struggling but Still a Bit of America." New York Times. 5 October 2008. 2 February 2009.

Natural Disasters (Blog #1)

This week i am reading The Problem with Pardsise. In this book they have to overcome a huge hurricane as their natural disaster. They are on vacation with their dad on an island where they are the only house on it for the whole summer while their mom gets to stay at home all summer. While they are on the island a hurricane comes in unexpectdadly and their dad and neighbors are on the neighboring island while they are stuck home alone in their house. They have to wait in the basement emergency room while they wait for the storm to pass over. The storm lasts for days and their houses are ripped up and the whole island is torn apart. They have to clean up the island and find out if everyone is okay before they can go to the main island to get their brothers broken arm fixed. Their boat got blown away and their neighbors roof was blown off their house and there was so much damage that had to be fixed before they could go back to having a normal day on the island again.
Dahl, Lesley. The Problem with Paradise. New York: Yearling, 2008.