Bless Me, Ultima (Ch. 15-22)

So, I finished Bless Me, Ultima tonight. Personally, I thought the middle part of the book was best. There were several parts of the last eight chapters that stood out to me while I was reading. Florence's death, and the events leading up to it interested me. At this point I still wasn't sure what Tony's believes were. He had already gotten his first communion, but hadn't recieved the overpowering understanding he had hoped for. He was excited to show Florence the golden carp because he wanted his friend to have something to believe in. And obviously, the power of Ultima was still a looming presence in his life. It isn't until later when he says, "Would they smile when they learned I doubted the God of my forefathers, the God of the Lunas, and knew I praised the beauty of the golden carp?" that the reader realizes the extent of his love for the carp, and his suspicion for God.

Also notable from that event is the fact that Florence's was the third death Tony's had to witness thusfar. A possible explaination for why the book revolves around the number three so much could be because of the Holy Trinity in the Catholic church. Just a thought.

Another interesting happening is the conversation where Tony asks his father's opinion on evil. He's looking for an answer besides the one found at church, shown when he tells his father "But I would like to know your answer." This is when he begins thinking about how generations change over time, and maybe he isn't getting the answers he's looking for through religion because it's become too old to answer him.

In Santa Monica, a Matter of Mangers

Santa Monica had a Christmas Chrisis on their hands not so long ago. The park that anually holds the Nativity scene around Christmas time has now been auctioned off to various religious (and non-religious) groups as a way to keep the peace. Atheists decided that this year, they couldn't stand the scene in the park, intruding on their peaceful wintertime walks through the snow, so they decided to do something about it. They argued that because Catholics got a religious display in the public park they should, and any other religious groups that want to throw their name in, for that matter. Out of the 21 spots auctioned off, atheist groups ended up with 18 of them, a Jewish group got one, and Catholics were squeezed into just two of the spots they normally got. One of the atheist groups isn't even planning on doing anything, they just didn't want Catholics to get the spot for their scene.

The author used mostly pathos throughout this article. He portrays the atheists as the bad guys, and I have to agree with him on this one. The Nativity scene is a classic one, and I hardly think seeing it in a park is going to ruin your day. Despite being an atheist, the scene definately puts me in the holiday spirit and brings back childhood memories. I think it's ridiculous that people could get so  worked up about it, especially to the point where you would be rude enough to buy a spot of land for decoration, not to decorate but to prevent others for decorating it. Behavior like that is childish, and I don't see how people expect the world to be a more tolerant place if people can't even let something as insignificant as this go.

"Santa Monica gets wrapped up in Christmas flap"
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-ed-nativity-20111216,0,1493408.story

Doubts on the Death Penalty

This article caught my attention because I enjoy reading people's opinions on controversial subjects. The death penalty is obviously a big one, and I was curious as to what the author had to say about it. As it turns out, both people sentenced to it, and the number of people who support it, are in a decline. The article mentions Rick Perry and his involvement with the death sentence, and how he has overseen the most executions of any govener in modern times. It also mentions a case of possible innocence, which the Texas governer still signed off on.

This author relied mostly on logos. He gave many facts and statistics about both the decline of executions and people favoring them. He also gave facts about the case in Texas involving Rick Perry and the possible innocent man he executed. Despite all this, he didn't really seem to argue the point he was making. Yes, anyone with a sense of numbers can see that they are getting smaller. Everyone can understand that less and less people agree with the death sentence. It doesn't take a genius to see the statistics and understand what they're saying; there isn't anything to argue there, numbers are facts. His real arguement was that the death penalty is wrong, and I suppose he supported that somewhat with his explanation of the possibly innocent man, but he failed to link that to the death penalty in particular; he just made Rick Perry seem like an idiot. If he had tried to show more than one case where this had happened, and show that the death penalty is endangering lots of innocent lives that would otherwise be doing good in the world, maybe his arguement would be more persuasive. All he managed to do was show a singular case where the man in question might have been innocent. In the end, he didn't really persuade me at all, although he did make me start to really question politicians. . .

"Doubts on the death penalty"
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-death-20111216,0,5961286.story

Bless Me, Ultima (Ch. 8-14)

While reading chapters 8 through 14, I decided I actually like this book quite a bit. The story has come to evolve around several main themes through which Antonio tells the story of himself growing up and his beginning of understanding life.

One theme that has come up repeatedly in different forms is religion. There are several different gods and saints mentioned in the story. One aspect of the book revolves around Antonio trying to figure out his views on religion. Being raised Catholic, he obviously believes in one all-powerul God. However, at several points throughout the story he mentions how he isn't sure he likes this unforgiving God because of his eagerness to punish sinners, and how he likes the forgiving Virgin much better. He also encounters the Golden Carp, the pagen God of a boy named Cico. This is the first encounter that makes Antonio question his God's power. Ultima's power against the evil curse of the Trementina sisters is another such case. After fighting his uncle's sickness for three days with her, Antonio wonders were his God was during this time and the times before when the priest had tried to help.

Another theme I noticed, which is backed up by Antonio himself, is the book's interest in exploring the hidden lives and magic of the people Antonio knows. When he feels he knows someone, like Ultima or Narciso, other aspects of their lives come out and show him surprising things about them. While visiting Narciso's garden, he thinks "It seemed that the more I know about the people the more I know about the strange magic hidden in their hearts." This seems to extend also to his town and the myths surrounding it as well. The Hidden Lakes become much more ominous and mysterious when he learns about the supposed mermaid living there, and the death of the shepard who claimed to have seen her.

I've begun to really enjoy reading this book. It's overflowing with the childhood magic that everyone can remember from when they were children on Christmas morning. I love that about it, and the characters have really begun to take shape and interest me. While there is somewhat of a plot slowly forming, that is, the Tenorio v. Ultima situation, the story is more based around the short anecdotes that sprout off of this conflict, and the revellations they cause for Antonio. One last thing I would like to point out is the story's center around the number three. I've noticed that most noteable events and people in this story are in threes. There are three Trementina brujas, Antonio has three brothers, it took three days to cure his uncle Lucas, and he was moved into the third grade! I'm sure there are more occurances that I'm not thinking of, but you get the idea. Might be nothing, but it seemed worth-while enough to point out.

An Injustice for Women in Uniform

This article is about how a recent amendement was shot down by Congress; an amendement that would give the nearly 200,000 women in the army coverage for abortion in the event of rape. The amendement, posed by Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, would've given women in uniform the same amount of coverage government employees get. Even victims of rape in federal prison get this amount of coverage, but not our troops. They protect us, why should they not have the same rights as the civilian employees?

This author used pathos to persuade the reader. Mentioning that federal prisoners get more coverage than soldiers in the army do would infuriate anyone. This article definitely persuaded me, I'm surprised and appalled the people serving our country don't get the coverage they clearly deserve. Hopefully this will all change in the near future.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/12/opinion/an-injustice-for-women-in-uniform.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

L.A. County brings some dignity to death

Everyone's seen an episode of Law and Order, or CSI, or NCIS where a homeless body is found and an investigation begins. Who's body is it? Where is this person's family? These are some of the questions first asked about the deceased. By the end of the episode some sobbing sister or father is sitting beside the lead detective talking about a big arguement that disconnected the person from their family.

While this all seems like great detective work on TV, police all over America face this very real scenario every day. In L.A., the city holds a yearly burial for the approximately 1,600 unclaimed remains that are cremated every year. None of these people are buried unidentified, however. Every person who dies are identified and if possible, their family members are notified. Despite this, many are still buried in the mass grave because the families can't afford to take possesion of the ashes.

This author didn't have a clear goal to the article. Within his writing he does several things:
-He tries to persuade the reader that there should be some way created to decrease the amount of dead buried in anonymous graves in L.A. For this he uses logos, giving the large number of 1,639 as the amount of people buried in a mass grave this year. He uses pathos, telling about how chaplains are usually the last people to hear the dead telling " stories of family members who hurt them or family they hurt." Both of these methods paint a sad picture for the reader as to the last days of these individuals.
-He tries to convince readers to mend any family problems they might have. He says, "...think about mending relationships with people we consider our family, whether by birth or by friendship."
-He tries to persuade readers to do more charity work. "...through volunteer work in a neighborhood, in a charity or other nonprofit, individuals can reach out to people in need."
All in all, I agree with him on his points but I think he could've stated them in a more organized way, or over more than one article so he could put more into every one of his statements.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-burial-20111210,0,5874207.story

Bless Me, Ultima (Ch. 1-7)

After we got this book in class I did something any reader would naturally do when they recieve a new book: I skimmed the first page. Now I gotta tell you, by the time I finished the second paragraph I already had a bad feeling about the book. Being a french student didn't help my comprehension of the spanish words and phrases tossed into the story. Once I began getting used to the characters and their dispostions, the story became a little more interesting and the character's actions and reactions became more predictable. The short arguements between Maria and Gabriel (Antonio's mother and father) could be predicted and the topic they normally fought about, Antonio's future as either a priest or a vaquero, came to be expected. Ultima became the strong, but elderly grandmother-like presence in the book. She quickly became my favorite character, there was just something about the respect she had in the village, and the calmness that she always had even the most chaotic situations that I liked about her. As I continued on further and further into the story, I found myself liking it more and more. Although no particularly big events have happened yet, the story still seems like it could get very interesting in the future based on the characters. After proving my first opinions of the book wrong, hopefully the characters will continue to grow and the story will become even more interesting.    

Ringling Bros., They're Elephants, not Clowns

This article caught my attention because I was interested in what the circus was doing to hurt elephants, and what people were doing to stop them. The article explained how Ringling Bros. recently reached a settlement with the U.S. Departement of Agriculture over more than a dozen inspections due to reports of "noncompliance with regulations." Some of these regulations include too tight cages, and loosing control of a zebra at one time. Feld Entertainment Inc. hasn't yet admitted to any wrongdoings, and states that it'll have all handlers of animals take "mandatory welfare training." While this is a step in the right direction, for the past decade animal rights activists have been complaining about the handling of the circus's exotic animals, particularly elephants.

The author of this article was against the circus keeping animals, saying "Feld should do more." and that if the company really cared about it's animals, they would stop using them in performances. The author uses some logos in this article, showing the outrageous amount elephants have cost Ringling Bros. in lawsuits, and making some readers wonder why they don't just retire the animals. The author uses pathos when describing the so-called conditions the elephants are forced to endure, backed up by the fact the description he uses is from animal rights groups, people who know what they're talking about. If the facts in this article are true, he definately persuaded me. Making such gentle creatures go through the pains of arthritis and walking long distances is a crime, and should the claims turn out to be true action should be taken immediately to help these animals.

"Ringling Bros. Should Retire Their Elephants."
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-ringling-20111202,0,1517748.story

Save Money-- Hire Police

This article is about how hiring police can help save a community's money. Hiring police helps bring down crime rates, obvioiusly. Crimes like homocide and theft can cost taxpayers millions a year to investigate and persecute. By hiring police, the author theorizes, the drop in violent crimes will save the citizens just as much.
The author of this article uses mostly logos in his writing. He uses many facts and statistics to prove more police means more money, in most cases. He is very precise with his facts and they would be hard to argue with. He also uses L.A. as a real-life example; since expanding their police force 8%, the number of homocides has dropped from 480 in 2006 to 293. This has saved the city millions, leaving readers to hope that their towns and cities follow L.A.'s example.  

"Save Money-- Hire Police
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-ridgewayheaton-police-20111122,0,5810908.story

Bring Back the Draft-- But with a Twist

This article interested me for obvious reasons. Upon reading the title, I was immediately curious as to what stance the author would take on such a controversial subject. After U.S. History last year, and reading The Things They Carried this year, I had some prior knowledge about the draft and I knew the negative connotation it had, especially for those drafted. This article is talking about how in the wake of demands for cuts in the Defense Departement's budget, most Congress members desire to keep the Departement's budget where it is. The main reason: if the budget is cut and there is a need for soldiers in the field in the future, Congress will have to bring the draft back. It's a chilling idea, young men and women forced into uniform and shipped off to unfamiliar lands to fight and die for America. It's easy to see why Congress would be hesitant to sign off on this, and I was too at first. But the author of this article was talking about a draft not only for the army but for jobs closer to home too, like working in schools and with hospice patients. He thinks that a draft for work around the United States would be just as beneficial to our American pride as an army draft would be.
The Author clearly thinks that things aren't running smoothly in the U.S. right now. With the economy failing and protests like Occupy Wall Street going on, I can't say I disagree. But is turning to a draft really the best way to fix America's problems? This author convinced me. He used logos to make it seem very sensible to pose a draft that helps young people experiance all fields they otherwise wouldn't, it could lead to people being happier in their work and help get at-risk youth off the streets and into making positive contributions to society. At the beginning he made it seem like he was using pathos to make his readers feel anger towards the thought of a draft and having an army made of "the unwilling." This was and still is how I feel towards a militaristic draft. But after he poses the idea of other types of drafts, the reader realizes the extensive possibilities a draft could have.         


"Bring Back the Draft-- but with a twist"
http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2011/11/the-draft-with-a-twist.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OpinionLa+%28L.A.+Times+-+Opinion+Blog%29

Atheists as Army Champlains is not Illogical

This article is about how recently, when atheist soldiers in the military apply to be chaplains or lay leaders for their troops, they've been turned down because the army doesn't recognize atheism as a religion. Depending on the definition, however, atheism can in fact be considered a religion. Despite this, and despite the 10,000 soldiers that identify as "atheist" or "agnostic," the military has been steadfast in their resolve that these men and women can't become chaplains for their men.

The author clearly thinks this mindset the army has is ridiculous. He uses pathos when describing the torment other religions, notably Christianity, subject atheists to; they constantly pester atheists with the thought of religion. Some even go far enough to say things like, "that if they don't believe in Jesus, why are they in uniform, because this is God's army." He also appeals to logos by using facts like the number of atheists in the army, and the definition of atheism as decided by the Supreme Court, to make his point.

As an atheist, this author definately persuaded me. I think it's ridiculous that people could look down on other people for something as trivial as religion. If God really is as all-loving as people say, he will excuse and understand my skepticism. Just because someone doesn't believe in God doesn't mean that others won't be moved by their words, making them just as effective as a chaplain as a devote Christian. All in all, I think the army is being silly about this.

"There are atheists in foxholes"
  http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-atheist-20111117,0,1064733.story

The Cult of Penn State

I noticed the title of this article right off the bat. Since this scandal has been so public lately, I was interested to see what the author meant by cult. I wondered whether this had to do with the Sandusky incident, or if this was another unrelated article about different problems Penn State was facing. As it turns out, it was related to the Sandusky incident, though only loosly. It was more like the author was using this event to back up the main point of her article.
The author was a graduate of Penn State who had grown up watching the Nittony Lions and cheering for them simply because that was what Pennsylvanians did, and that was how she had grown up.  People looked up to Joe Paterno because he seemed to be what every person dreams to be: honest virtuous and humble.The players were revered, and were noticeably favored over other students, getting to take easier classes and being shown unwavering respect by other Pennsylvanians, whether they were other students or regular citizens who didn't even attend the university. When the author realized this and asked her parents not to get her season tickets, she felt like she was betraying everyone she had grown up around. She began realizing the team had less of a fan base, and more of a cult following. This observation was emphasized when the scandal came out and people pitied not only the children, but Joe Paterno the coach.
The author's main point was to try never to get so invested in something that you loose sight of what is right and wrong. The author used ethos by showing her close involvement in the Penn State "cult" and her view of fans and how they were effected by the team. Ultimately, her argument was very persuasive and although I don't personally agree with her believes about football, I can see how something so innocent looking can easily be twisted to look like a cult, especially in the case with Penn State.       
   
"The Cult of Penn State"
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-1113-hubler-pennstate-20111113,0,4148222.story

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

This novel is about the story of one family's stay in Africa during the independence movement of Congo from Belgium. Reverend Nathan Price and his family are Free Will Baptists on a mission given to him by God to spread Christianity through a small town called Kilanga. He packs up his wife and their four daughters in June of 1959 for what they believe to be a one year stay, until they find out that due to the Congolese fight for independence, their replacements have cancelled and no one will be taking over the ministering position. Nathan can't stand for that and, to the dismay of his run-down family, decides that they're staying in Kilanga until suitable replacements are found. During this period terrible things occur, and while his family is nearly torn apart by each event, the overly calm reverend becomes irritated with them, reminding them that what happens is God's will.
The begining of the end of the Price family comes when both Ruth May, Nathan's youngest daughter, and his wife, Orleanna, fall gravely ill. Orleanna recovers after a month in bed, but five year-old Ruth May doesn't overcome her illness so quickly. The family discovers she hasn't been taking her malaria pills, and that this is the disease that is ailing her. Eventually she recovers, but she is a mere shadow of her former self. At the same time, the village's chief, Tata Ndu, decides he wants to marry the eldest daughter, Rachel.  He chose Rachel because of her nearly white hair and skin, which he says will help cheer up his six or seven other wives. Meanwhile, the family is broke; the organization they began the mission with stopped providing money and supplies when the Congolese were granted independence. They have no way to get any real sustenance apart from the fruit they can collect.
While Orleanna and Ruth May are sick, the three other girls have to care for the house and the food. This poses a problem because in addition to having no appliances to help with any of the cooking or housework, all water, which is carried up from the river, needs to be boiled to kill any infections before use. None of the girls are strong or balanced enough to carry all the water in one trip, so filling the pot to boil is a time comsuming task. In addition, all this has to be done to their father's liking, who in addition to being difficult to please, spends his days writing his sermons rather than helping around the hut. Luckily for the family, a young Congolese boy named Nelson is sent to help the family in exchange for food and lodging in their chicken coop. Nelson is very intelligant and is an asset for the family when it comes to understanding the ways of the villagers.
Several months later, the first elected ruler of the Congo, Patrice Lumumba, is assassinated and the town is thrown in a panic when the army comes barging through, destroying anything in it's path.
After this a drought hits Kilanga, the village decides to hold a massive hunt. There is much controversy over whether or not Leah is allowed to join, seeing as women in the Congo aren't even allowed to wear pants let alone contribute to "manly" activities like hunting. Ultimately a vote is taken by throwing stones in a bowl, and Leah is allowed to partake in the hunt. The chief, Tata Ndu, and the resident witch-doctor, Tata Kuvundu, are very opposed to this happening, and aren't afraid to say so.
The next night, a man named Anatole, who is the school teacher in Kilanga and a close friend of Leah's, finds an evil symbol infront of his hut. Later that night, he wakes up to find a poisonous mamba snake next to his bed. Nelson also finds the same symbol by the chicken coop he sleeps in, and out of fear pleads to be allowed to sleep in the house that night. When Nathan says no, the girls decide to sleep with him in the coop. They sprinkle ashes around the hut to get the footprints of the person responsible. the next day they find a print with six toes, leading them to Tata Kuvundu, who was well known for his additional appandage. While trying to pass the snake to get out of the coop, Ruth May is bitten and immediately dies.
This causes Orleanna to take action. She takes her remaining girls and leaves. They walk all the way to a village called Bulungu before Leah falls ill to malaria. They continue on after leaving her in the care of Anatole, who later marries her. They have four children together, each named after significant men in their lives. Rachel is flown out of Bulungu by Eeben Axelroot, a man who had taken a fancy to her since they had faked an engagement to get Rachel out of having to marry Tata Ndu. Rachel ends up marrying three men throughout her life, one an ambassador, and the last of which leaves her a hotel in the French Congo to run. Adah and Orleanna make there way back to Georgia, where Adah goes on to become an epidemiologist.
Orleanna, on the other hand, lives the rest of her life in guilt over Ruth May's death. The last chapter, however, is from Ruth May's point of view after death, where she tells her mother to move on and that death isn't worse than life, but that "you could say the view is larger."

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Although it took me some time to get into it, once the story becomes more in depth and the characters begin to grow on you, you can't help but to root for them. The way Barbara Kingsolver writes really gives you insight into the way the character thinks and shows you their personalities in a more telling way than writing from a single point of view ever could. Part of the reason for this is that each character is so different, with such different idiosycracies and believes, that getting each event from the point of view of several different characters be beneficial to the reader's comprehension of the story's events and the overall enjoyment of the book.    
  

Stop pretending it's not climate change

This article is about how the rising climates due to greenhouse gases are creating wildly unpredictable, and extreme weather conditions. The climate change crisis will cause drastic changes in weather patterns if there isn't a change with the amount of fossil fuels we use within the next 50 years. Despite this, climate change is still a phenomenon that is taboo in the media world. Research shows Americans turn to the weather channel more than any other type of media for weather coverage.
This author was very openly against the media's avoidance of the topic of climate change. She said things like "Americans deserve a fair warning about how climate change will affect them in their own backyard." She also addresses climate change as a "slowly unfolding disaster." Her negative tone throughout the article, backed up by scientific proof, was enough to sway any reader.

"Stop pretending it's not climate change"
http://news.salon.com/2011/11/09/stop_pretending_its_not_climate_change/

The Boyfriend Defense

I'm sure many of you, the avid readers of my blog, have heard about the recent accusation by Sharon Bialek that presidential candidate Herman Cain sexually harrassed and assualted her. Her recent, seven minute long statement about the alleged attack was sprinkled with references to her boyfriend of the time, a doctor who encouraged her meeting with Cain before she was attacked. Since then, a controversial question has been getting addressed more and more: are single women less credible when charging someone with a sex crime? In our society today, a single woman is more likely to be written off when accusing someone of sexual assualt, and will face more scrutiny if her case is investigated. People are just generally less likely believe that a single woman is attcked or assualted unprovoked than a middle aged woman, or one in a relationship.
The author of this article, being a woman, is obviously sympathetic to the difficulties women face when accusing attackers. She also seems to take the side of Sharon Bialek, showing more quotes of people who defend her boyfriend references than people who don't.

"The Boyfriend Defense"
http://news.salon.com/2011/11/09/the_boyfriend_defense/

Giving the F.B.I. What It Wants

In 2002, Hasan M. Elahi was stopped in at an airport in Detroit on the way into our country. After scanning his passport, the immigration agent led him back to the I.N.S. office to be interrogated. He was suspected of participating in bomb-making and being involved in the 9/11 attacks that year prior. For the next six months, he was frequently brought into the F.B.I. headquaters for followup interrogations and polygraph, or lie detector, tests. Six months later, he was finally told that he was clear of any suspicions, and he was free to go about his life as he had before. Shortly there after, he was set to leave the country on a trip. Nervous about returning and running into the same problems as before, he informed the officer of his plans. The officer told him to send him the numbers of the flights he had scheduled, and that he would take care of everything. Well, Hasan did just that.

He began sending the F.B.I. everything he had. Any information he had about trips he was taking, planning, or even already had taken were sent to the bureau via a website he set up purely for that purpose. He poured information on the hotels he stayed at, the food he ate, and even the toilets he used onto his website. He uploaded pictures of everything he did onto it, the entire time thinking, "You want to watch me? Fine. But I can watch myself better than you can, and I can get a level of detail that you will never have.”

Many people have critisized him for it; why would you pour yourself and your life onto the internet, for all the world to see? What could you possibly gain from that? Well, by uploading so much, he actually gained a level of privacy few people have. With everything out in the open, the F.B.I. and other agencies have nothing on him. He's left alone because of how public he is; the only information the government is interested in is that information that people try to hide. By hiding nothing, Hasan blends in more than most. And now, with Facebook and other social networking sites, the people who once critisized him are most likely hypocritically posting pointless statuses and uploading stupid pictures now. Nothing really is private anymore.

You Want to Track Me? Here You Go, F.B.I.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/opinion/sunday/giving-the-fbi-what-it-wants.html?pagewanted=2&ref=opinion

What Tax Dollars Can’t Buy

One common misconception many Americans have is that the rich in our society, a whole 1 percent of the population, is the reason for the economic downfall and recession we're currently in. A solution many people toss around is taxing the rich more than the middle and lower classes.
While this in theory would make America more socially equal, it wouldn't really solve the differences in monetary distribution because there is no guarantee that the money collected would be given to the more deserving middle class. More likely it would be used to fund things like Medicare and our failing school systems.
The author of this article clearly thinks that the government is incompetent, and that it should learn to do more with less, rather than "less with more" as he believes we Americans have become accustomed to do things. I agree with this author on many levels. There are many things I think our government could be doing to help with rises costs and taxes, which it isn't. If they keep this up, there isn't going to be much of a country to govern soon.  

What Tax Dollars Can't Buy
  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/opinion/sunday/douthat-what-tax-dollars-cant-buy.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

Outside Reading Book

The book I'm reading is called The Poisonwood Bible.

The Lingering Injustice of Attica

Forty years ago, 1,000 inmates in the New York prison Attica started a reform protest that would last for five days. This was arguably the rebellion with the biggest impact on American history.
The inmates were fighting for their rights; most of the incarcerated at this time were African American or Puerto Rican. All the prison's gaurds were white. This led to predicatable discrimination against the inmates. Men with serious medical conditions like polio weren't provided with the proper care. Men who had commited more mild crimes like driving without a license wouldn't recieve the same treatment as men who commited more serious crimes.
After writing to state officials and hearing nothing back, they decided to rebel. They took several hostages, and overall behaved in a civil manner towards anyone they came in contact with; they elected officials from each cell block to negotiate their rights with law officers.
Instead, Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller refused to comply with the inmates demands. On the fifth day he ordered S.W.A.T. to drop tear gas on the prison from helicopters, while the rest of the team stormed the walls. 39 people died that day, 29 prisoners and 10 hostages. Forty years later, the state of New York still hasn't taken responsibility for the deaths.
The author was very clear that she was disgusted with the treatment of the inmates that went on during those five days. However, it seems like after reading the article, New York state and the particulars about this incident weren't the main focus of her article. Her main point seemed to be to prove that lots of things are lost to people on an individual level when the state and the government overreacts to a situation; many of the families of the victims of the massacre were never properly reimbersed.  

Equal Opportunity Crime, Shoplifting: Men Do It Too

Despite the stereotype that women are the primary criminals when it comes to shoplifting, research is beginning to show that men do it too, maybe even more often then women. A 2008 study showed that men are actually the more likely gender to shoplift. While women shoplift because of an enchantment with the product they're taking, men shoplift to feel like superheros in their favorite videogames. They feel like they're outwitting the store's staff and security personel.
Kleptomania, or compulsive shoplifting, was deemed a mental illness in the 19th century. The first known cases date back to the 17th century, however, and are most likely the reason we have the sexist stereotype we have today towards kleptomaniacs. Women were viewed as the lesser sex, and therefore only presumed capeable of lesser crimes, whereas men were more likely to be assumed guilty in more voilent crime like murder.
This author knows alot about the subject she's talking about. Throughout the article she talks about the extensive research she did to come to her conclusion, which was that no one really knows what compels some people to shoplift. This knowledge of the subject tells that reader that the author knows what she's talking about, and that most of her information is true. The authority the research gives her makes her very persuasive as a writer.

"Sticky Fingers, Male and Female"
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/opinion/sunday/equal-opportunity-crime-shoplifting-men-do-it-too.html?ref=opinion

Targeting Schoolchildren

Despite the prohibition outlawing scams to get illegal immigrants to register made twenty years ago by the Supreme Court, last week a new immigration law posed by Alabama that lets the state harass anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant, or even anyone hispanic, was upheld by a judge. A federal judge. The law, though applicable to anyone believed to be in the country illegally, is mainly centered around bullying children of illegals out of school. From now on, all schools will be required to take careful records of the immigration status of all it's students, kindergarden through grade twelve.
The law doesn't set any requirements to becoming a registered citizen, in fact it seems to have no other motive then to push illegal children and their parents out of the country.
The children aren't only under scrutiny for their immigration status, but also the status' of their parents. If their parents aren't registered U.S. citizens, the children are assumed to be illegal as well; a record that will stay with the child.  
This law is outrageous in the sense that children have no control over their parent's actions. Every child has the right to an education; all this law will succeed in doing is cause the illiteracy rate to rise, and possibly leave the local farmers and business men shorthanded. Most illegals will likely only continue further north to more hospitable environments.

While reading this article, it's clear the author has similar believes to me. He calls the new law "viciously xenophobic" and "pernicious" and says that Alabama is "vilifying and victimizing schoolchildren and their families." He predicts the law will just cause minorities to become bitter and fearful.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/targeting-schoolchildren/2011/09/30/gIQAunJBBL_story.html

Shooting an Elephant Journal

I think Orwell reacted to the best of his ability under the circumstances, whether or not he's a coward, many other people would react the same way in a similar situation. The reader might think they wouldn't, but peer pressure is a powerful thing and the pressure to be the leader that you made yourself out to be is a stronger influence than you would think. This is the predicament Orwell faced while standing at that marsh.   Does he do what is he sees as right by not killing the elephant? If he did that all the people that followed him would laugh at him and say that Europeans aren't as powerful as they think. he would have wasted everybody's time and looked like a fool in front of an entire town.
Or does he kill the elephant and knowingly cause the suffering of the large mammal?

I don't think Orwell was being racist at all. He was relieved that the man died not because of his race but because it takes the pressure of legality off his shoulders. Even if he had wanted the man to die because of his race, I think he had more than enough reasons to hate the man. Unlike most racists, Orwell had a legitimate reason to hate this race of people. He had been tormented for the entire span of his career as their police officer. He had been tripped and laughed at. this would make anyone resentful of the people doing these things to you. Whether or not race was a factor in his relief at the death, it was all very appropriate.

Justice, though delayed, for beaten student

A year and a half ago, John L. Mckenna, a student at the University of Maryland, was brutally beaten by several riot control officers after a win of the school's basketball team. It was not until a full eighteen months later that this poor victim was finally given justice.
McKenna was in a cheerful, carefree mood when he was assautled by three Prince George's police officers on his way home from the university's win against Duke. The policemen attacked him unjustly and without probable cause; he was carrying no weapons at the time and didn't act aggresively towards the officers at all. Despite this, the men attacked him and continued to beat McKenna around the head even after he was lying on the ground unconscious.
This author, who correctly believes that this is a gross malpractice of justice, clearly lets his views known by using phrases like "sickening incident" and "deeply disturbing" to describe the police department's response to the event. He also thinks that the Chief of Police, Mark A. Magaw, reacted well to his officer's crime. He infers that under such management, the police force that produced such controversial offense can be recreated to be a fair, just department like the general population expects it to be.
The author, being from the Washington Post, assumes his readers are mainly Washington residents. He calls the basketball team the Terrapins without bothering to elaborate where they are from.
Overall, I think this article was well written. The author clearly cares about this cause enough to keep up with the Chief-of-Police's actions and reponses to this event. The article puts some interesting questions in the reader's mind, and the author ends with the positive speculation that with such leadership the police force will overcome some of the corruption that is clearly entangled in it today.   


http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/justice-though-delayed-for-beaten-student/2011/09/21/gIQAWohVnK_story.html

Humane Housing for the Mentally Ill

Scrolling down the list of editorials on the New York Times website, an article about the conditions in which mentally ill people live caught my eye. Remembering that our school has several superb classes that help integrate the Special Ed students in with the general population, I was curious about the conditions of the mentally ill in other states and in different situations. What I read appalled me. The mentally ill were forced into nursing homes, whether or not the could care for themselves. They rarely ever went out, and were barred from the outside world in nearly every other aspect. The fact that people are treated like this, under any circumstances, surprises and saddens me.

The author's opinion about such treatment of human beings was clear from the first sentence. He called the conditions "shameful," "unneccesary," and "mistreatment." He goes on to say "It is long past time to move these people into more humane, intergrated settings." He uses negative diction, comparing the homes to prison, and detailing boring, lonely lives for the inhabitants. I think this author did a good job. He got his point of view across early, gave evidence (ethos) as to why he felt that way, and finished by revealing how the state of New York is planning on changing the situation. I agree with this author, and think the way he chose to write this article had the persuasion to make his readers see his perspective.

Humane Housing for the Mentally Ill
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/16/opinion/humane-housing-for-the-mentally-ill.html?scp=1&sq=humane%20&st=Search

Stay of Execution

This article caught my attention for several reasons. Firstly, it is addressing a topic that is very controversial at this moment, and because of this will be a topic whose discussion will be understandable and passionately fought for on both sides. Secondly, this article was interesting to me because the story it tells is proof that discrimination still exists, and that the justice system in America is not neccessarily a thing of perfection.

While reading this article I, as well as the author, was shocked at the injustice that went on during Mr. Buck's trial in 1997. The witness who testfied about the influence of the defendent's skin color on the likeliness that he would kill again was very far out of line and has no factual proof to back up his or her claims.

The author's point of view on the subject of Mr. Buck's sentence is let known after the first paragraph, when he states that " [Supreme Court] ...cannot allow a terrible injustice to stand."
The author's point of view on capital punishment, however, isn't as clear until the last paragraph, when he calls the death penalty "cruel...discriminitory... and barbaric..." and says that it "must be abolished." Throughout the article, the author uses derogatory terms like "refused" and "improperly" to put the government, namely the district attorney and the attorney general, in a bad light. His article is written in a way that almost makes Mr. Buck, the convicted murderer, seem like the victim. I think that this article would be able to sway some peoples opinions on capital punishment. It was written well, and it leaves the reader wondering how many others there are like Mr. Buck, and how many have been wrongly executed under such circumstances.


"Stay of Execution"
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/17/opinion/stay-of-execution.html?scp=1&sq=stay%20of%20execution&st=Search