On Dumpster Diving

The 2014-2015 school year was challenging, exhilarating, and tiresome. I had the honor to be placed into an AP Language class, where I can be more intact and familiar with the language, that I use most frequently, because I live in the United States. Throughout the year, from reading many pieces of literature and enhancing my vocabulary, "On Dumpster Diving" had to be my favorite. The reason it was my favorite was because it was unique, unexpected, yet thought provoking and taught a valuable lesson. "On Dumpster Diving" taught me not to always think I will have food on the table and to cherish the fact that I do and be thankful I am not the less fortunate that do not have food on their tables everyday. "On Dumpster Diving" was also an interactive piece with the audience. The author gave instructions to the reader on how to be a dumpster diver, if one has the ambition to pursue it. This particular piece of literature also taught my fellow classmates and I, that being materialistic is completely unnecessary. The author states how he feels bad for the materialistic individuals society has created and also tells us which foods are consumable, which ones he specifically looks for when dumpster diving. The piece of literature was definitely intriguing, and it was different; different than all the other piece of literatures we came across and conquered. All the others had some type of similarity but this did not, it stuck with me and surprisingly taught me more than it probably should have.

Water Slide on the Niagara Falls

If money were no object, what would you do for your "once in a lifetime" aspect. Why? It needs to be nature related.

On the account of money not being an object, basically unlimited, their would be a lot of nature related aspects I would like to participate in and experience, but only one pops into my head as a "once in a lifetime" aspect. I would make a custom water slide that would fit on the Niagara Falls. For adrenaline junkies, this sounds like the most anticipated and thrill seeking experience. Water sliding on the Niagara Falls would be great for those transcendentalist nature seekers. The Niagara Falls, located in between the international border of the United States and Canada, is actually a collective group of three waterfalls. The reason I would make a water slide on the Niagara Falls is for the memories and the pleasure that people would witness... if they come out alive. The people who would want to do such a dangerous activity, would be subject to sign a waiver if they do indeed die on the way to the bottom of the waterfall. Although it would be fun and a once in a lifetime experience it is by all means at the individuals own risk. Making a water slide that would be equivalent to the size of the Niagara Falls is costly, but I would only complete this process if and only if money would not be of my concern. I do wonder how much it would cost, roughly above a billion because it would be something that has never been made before, it would be an overly complicated custom job.

I Guess Everything Is Possible

"Barack Obama And Cuba President Raul Castro Make History With First Sit-Down Meeting"
By: Igor Bobic
Source: Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/11/barack-obama-raul-castro-meeting_n_7047116.html

Barack Obama and Raul Castro made history. America and Cuba had not met for over 50 years and these two presidents broke the streak, trying to come to an amends. ""This is obviously an historic meeting," Obama said. After 50 years of U.S. embargo toward Cuba, "it was time for us to try something new, that it was important for us to engage more directly with the Cuban government and the Cuban people. And as a consequence, I think we are now in a position to move on a path towards the future, and leave behind some of the circumstances of the past that have made it so difficult, I think, for our countries to communicate"" (Source 1). Both presidents met in the Panama City, "in a small room in the convention center, and were seated next to each other in "the same set up as when world leaders are hosted in the Oval Office‎"" (Source 1). Cuba is on the United States' list for terrorism and after this meeting Obama mentioned how he is considering removing Cuba from this particular list, which would not make them a terrorist country in the eyes of the U.S. Individuals may have thought that it would be just a one time thing but, "On Friday, the two leaders greeted each other and shook hands for the second time ever. A White House official described the encounter as an "informal interaction, with no substantive conversation between the two"". (Source 1)

Barack Obama meeting with Raul Castro is definitely historic. It is an extremely astonishing change if carried out to be neutral or possibly ally Cuba. The feud has been going on for too long and if during these conclaves, they reach an understanding, it would be one less enemy to worry about. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.

Gender Roles

What is the impact of the gender roles that society creates and enforces?

Society has an extremely drastic impact on gender roles. Not only is the impact grave but it is also enforced throughout everyday life. Men are subject to being the protector, having the more masculine build, being a handyman, and providing for the family such as expenses and so fort. Women are perceived as the caretakers, making sure there is food on the table, and also providing for the family, but less than men. Everyone’s perception of men and women are different. Some might say women are more dominant and others might say men are more dominant, but in reality, both are equally important. A man needs a woman and a woman needs a man. One will not simply be the same without the other.

Although there is no end to the stereotype; lets face it, society always judges a book by its cover, whether it is the sex or color. There are many solutions to overcome this, but the foundation of all of these solutions is to not judge and not doubt. Society might create the stereotype, but that does not necessarily mean the individual is supposed to follow it no matter how tempting or “beneficial” it can be. Gender roles do not mean anything. Every culture solidifies roles for each gender, but that does not mean much, because no matter where an individual comes from, what they have been taught, it is nearly idealistic for men and women to set these stereotypes aside, come to an amends in this conflict between who is more superior and work together to have a firm and stable relationship between each other. If one thinks they are more superior to the other, that will not work nine of ten times. Men have certain characteristics women do not have and women have many characteristics men do not have and that is a simple fact no science can prove, it is just common sense. At the end of day, blaming society will not justify anything, because the people are society. No matter how much people preach about change, it is significant to change oneself before mending others.

50th Anniversary of 'Bloody Sunday' In Selma Featuring President Barack Obama

"Barack Obama Marks 50th Anniversary Of 'Bloody Sunday' With Powerful Speech In Selma"
By: Igor Bobic
Source: Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/07/barack-obama-selma-anniversary_n_6823060.html?ir=Politics

For those who do not know what 'Bloody Sunday' is: the three Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965 were part of the Selma Voting Rights Movement and led to the passage that year of the Voting Rights Act, a landmark federal achievement of the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement. Activists publicized the three protest marches to walk the 54-mile highway from Selma to the Alabama state capital of Montgomery as showing the desire of black American citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote, in defiance of segregationist repression. The first march took place on March 7, 1965. Bevel, Amelia Boynton, and others helped organize it. The march recently gained the nickname Bloody Sunday after its 600 marchers were attacked at the Edmund Pettus Bridge after leaving Selma; state troopers and county posse attacked the unarmed marchers with billy clubs and tear gas. Law enforcement beat Boynton unconscious; media publicized a picture of her lying wounded on the bridge worldwide. Barack Obama marked the 50th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday in Selma. ""We gather here to honor the courage of ordinary Americans willing to endure billy clubs and the chastening rod, tear gas and the trampling hoof; men and women who despite the gush of blood and splintered bone would stay true to their North Star and keep marching toward justice," Obama said in a soaring speech that addressed race and civil rights" (Source 1). Bernice King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter was in attendance passing on the legacy and living free and unsegregated because of her father's ambition to desegregate African Americans and whites.

Obama's speech was touching and heartfelt. He reminded the people that everyone is equal, regardless of color. He acknowledged the late Dr. King's actions towards segregation and saluted him. He also told people how important of a city Selma is to the history of the United States. Obama ended his speech by saying, "You are America. Unconstrained by habits and convention. Unencumbered by what is, and ready to seize what ought to be," he said. "For everywhere in this country, there are first steps to be taken, and new ground to cover, and bridges to be crossed. And it is you, the young and fearless at heart, the most diverse and educated generation in our history, who the nation is waiting to follow" (Source 1).

Fight The Cancer

http://southpark.cc.com/clips/188249/fight-the-cancer

In this episode of South Park called Fight The Cancer, the clip starts off in Principal Victoria's room where her and Wendy have a conversation about a supposed fight between Wendy and Eric Cartman. Eric Cartman is a one of the main characters in this show, and is known for making fun of his friends, his sarcasm, his loving hate for Kyle because he is Jewish, and also his weight. The principal asks Wendy if she actually is going to be in a brawl with Cartman, and Wendy tells her that she is not. Principal Victoria goes out to the window and mentions the amount of work Wendy has put in for breast cancer, and tells Wendy that she was in fact a breast cancer survivor. She then makes a correlation between the cancer, calling it, "Evil. A fat little lump that needs to be destroyed" (Fight The Cancer), to Eric Cartman. Principal Victoria goes on making a motivational speech and rattles up Wendy to go and destroy the cancer which is Eric Cartman. The creators of South Park use incongruity by creating a metaphor between the fat evil little lump and Eric Cartman. If the person who watches South Park has seen Eric Cartman at a constant show-to-show basis, the viewer and understand that he is in fact an evil little lump, so by using satirical methods or in a jokingly fashion, the relation makes sense and is actually humorous if understood. Satire brings a whole different aspect of hilarious to the table. If enough background information is known, the viewer might get a significant laugh out of it.

K-12 Standardized Test

"New Education Initiative Replaces K-12 Curriculum With Single Standardized Test"

By: The Onion

Source: The Onion

http://www.theonion.com/articles/new-education-initiative-replaces-k12-curriculum-w,38048/

Education Secretary Arne Duncan has decided to switch up the school's curriculum. He has made the decision to replace the K-12 curriculum to one whole standardized test for any student, age, gender, or race; to take the same exact test and then that test would determine what grade you would be. "According to government officials, the four-hour-long Universal Education Assessment will be used in every public school across the country, will contain identical questions for every student based on material appropriate for kindergarten through 12th grade, and will permanently take the place of more traditional methods such as classroom instruction and homework assignments" (The Onion 1). “By administering one uniform test to our nation’s 50 million students, we can ensure that every child is evaluated by the exact same standard, regardless of background, age, or grade level,” said Education Secretary Arne Duncan, explaining that students will be able to take the test at any time between age 5 and 18. “It’s absolutely crucial for us to know where our kids stand, and eliminating the teaching model will provide us with the most affordable and efficient means of measuring student proficiency.” (The Onion 1) “There is no better way to ensure consistency in America’s schools, Duncan added"(The Onion 1). The teachers would also be accountable to how this test plays out. According to what the score the child gets is, that is how the teacher will get paid. The test will cover anything from the K-12 range and thats how your grade will be determined.

The Onion seems to be using incongruity because of seniors being in the same class as kindergarteners, taking the same exact test! The Onion also was using parody, because they were imitating a certain type of technique, in this case the public school curriculum, and made fun of it and ridiculed it. 

Daisy's Quote

"I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool"

Daisy speaks these words in Chapter 1 as she describes to Nick and Jordan her hopes for her daughter. Even though it is not directly relevant to the novel’s main ideas, this quote offers a revealing glimpse into Daisy’s character and who she is and what she has become. Daisy is not a fool but is the product of a social environment that, to a great extent, does not value intelligence in women, which makes her seem as a fool. The older generation values obedience and cooperative in females, and the younger generation values thoughtlessness and only seeking pleasure. Daisy’s remark is somewhat cynical. While she refers to the social values of her era, she does not seem to challenge them. She does not stand a chance against her environment so she decides to go with the flow, although in reality, she is no where near a fool. Instead, she describes her own boredom with life and seems to imply that a girl can have more fun if she is beautiful and simplistic through the birth of her daughter, in a way telling her that being a beautiful fool will help her enjoy her life more cause of how men thought of females in that era. Daisy herself often tries to act such a part. She has completely given into the social standard of the ideology of American females in the 1920s in order to avoid issues filled with tension and drama as she continues to love Gatsby like no other.

ISIS Strikes Again

"Alleged ISIS Video Claims Japanese Hostages Haruna Yukawa Was Executed, Issues New Demand"
By: Eline Gordts and Charlotte Alfred
Source: Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/24/isis-executed-haruna-yukawa_n_6511536.html?ir=WorldPost

ISIS executes another person. ISIS executed a Japanese hostage by the name of Haruna Yukawa. A video was released of a different hostage holding the man's body. "A still image of the second Japanese man held by the group, Kenji Goto Jogo, appears in the video holding a picture purportedly of Yukawa's body. In audio, a man purporting to be Goto pleads for his life and says the militant group is now demanding a prisoner exchange for a suspected female militant imprisoned in Jordan, Sajida al-Rishawi. The Japanese government is trying to verify the video, Japanese state TV said, and convened an emergency cabinet meeting. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the release of the new message "an outrageous and unforgivable act," and demanded the hostages' release. "We will not give in to terrorism," he vowed" (Source 1). The United States have been investigating on this too, trying to authenticate the video before going through drastic measures. "The Islamic State has killed several hostages from Western countries in recent months, and has announced their deaths in online videos. The militant group has claimed responsibility for the killings of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, American aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig and Britons Alan Henning and David Haines. U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday strongly condemned the apparent killing of Yukawa" (Source 1).

ISIS's doings need to come to a fortunate disclosure. They have been terrorizing almost every country, executing citizens of those countries, and then demanding for these countries to change their ways. It is unacceptable and needs to end.

Think Like Gatsby

 Throwing a party with the Gatsby theme where money is not even close to being a problem is just another dream that will be intangible for most of the human population, but since I have the power to let my imagination roam freely, I would have a fair understanding of where my party would take place, what I would include at the party, and who I would invite.

First and foremost, the party would be at Victoria Karabetian's house. In this fantasy Victoria's house is owned by me! The reason I would pick this place is because of how huge the house is and it fits the classy and elegant Gatsby theme. Being the important man I am, since money is not going to be an option, I would not be in charge of decorations, but I fancy it would be something opulent. Aside from my classmates, I would be obligated to send an invitation to any hot shot or big name in the area, just to make the party more popular, important, and exciting. I would be inviting all the actors like Bradley Cooper, Kate Upton, George Clooney, etc. I would invite singers like Beyonce, Jermaine Cole, etc. I would also invite athletes such as Kobe Bryant. Since I would be inviting singers, they would do a short performance of their most famous songs. The beverages would be strictly alcohol and water, because what is a party without alcohol? Food fingers would be placed on tables and waiters would come and provide appetizers to the guest and around time for dinner, a massive steak and chicken would arrive. Then after, everyone would leave and I would enter my royal bed and sleep.

Boko Haram Strikes Again

"Kidnaps Scores In Cameroon, Minsiter Says"
By: Bashir Adigun and Robbie Corey-Boulet
Source: Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/18/boko-haram-cameroon_n_6497288.html?utm_hp_ref=world

Boko Haram is a terrorist, militant and Islamist movement based in northeast Nigeria with additional activities in Chad, Niger and Cameroon. The group is led by Abubakar Shekau, and the number of fighters is usually estimated at around 9,000. The group is designated as a terrorist organization by New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and the United Nations Security Council, which declared it an al-Qaeda affiliate and imposed the al-Qaeda sanctions regime on the group. Since 2009 Boko Haram have abducted more than 500 men, women and children, including the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in April 2014. 650,000 people had fled the conflict zone by August 2014, an increase of 200,000 since May; by the end of the year 1.5 million had fled. Boko Haram hit a village in Cameroon abducting the most people ever in that country. "The Cameroon attack occurred in Mabass village, in the Far North region, Issa Tchiroma Bakary said. He said 80 houses were destroyed and "between 30 and 50" people were believed to have been abducted" (Source 1). Boko Haram has been ruthlessly recruiting in the countries of Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

Boko Haram is just another terrorist group that is rebellious, ruthless, and without pity. They need to stopped and justice needs to be served. Boko Haram has been doing these kind of abductions and even mass killings for a long time and it is time for the killings and kidnappings to stop and for the terrorist group to seize power.

The Mafia In The 1920s

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

The Mafia revolutionized America and first become powerful in the 1920s when they were apart of an illegal alcohol trade. After Prohibition, the Mafia became criminally active in other activities such as, drug trafficking and illegal gambling. The Mafia some hierarchies and rituals. It was not easy being and integrating the Mafia life into an everyday thing. It took the upmost loyalty and commitment. "Typically, each American Mafia crime family was organized around a hierarchy headed by a boss, who ruled with unquestioned authority and received a cut of every money-making operation taken on by any member of his family. Second-in-command was the underboss and below him were the capos, or captains, who each controlled a crew of 10 or so soldiers (men who had been “made,” or inducted into the family). Each family also had a consigliere, who acted as an advisor and ombudsman. At the bottom of the chain were associates, people who worked for or did business with the family but weren’t full-fledged members" (Source 1). The Mafia held a ceremony for those who met the qualifications to be apart the crew. They would be, "pricking his finger to draw blood and holding a burning picture of a patron saint while taking an oath of loyalty" (Source 1). Being apart of the Mafia had its perks and also its responsibilities, but also the individual had to be extremely careful because danger always looms in the Mafia. Famous mafia leaders were Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Machine Gun Kelly, and John Gotti.

Hey, That Was Not Funny!

"French Prime Minister Manuel Valls: We Are At War Against And Radical Islam"
By: Braden Goyette
Source: Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/10/manuel-valls-radical-islam_n_6449414.html?ir=WorldPost

The past couple of days Paris had witnessed an extremely tragic day. A terrorist attack to be exact by upset Muslims. The reason they were upset was not the hardest thing to find out since the shooting took place, where the newspapers are made. A newspaper artist decided to make a comic strip about the Muslims prophet, Muhammed, and as funny as it may have been for the publisher and the people of Paris, the Muslims did not find it funny, instead they found it offensive. The Muslims decided to answer back to that comic strip and so they did; killing 17 people in Paris. The United States of America also confirmed it as a terrorist attack. The French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls had something to say about what had occurred and it was not anything towards putting this behind us or peace, instead he said,"We're at war, but not at war against a religion, not against a civilization, but at war to defend our values, which are universal," he said in the wake of the terrorist attacks that rocked Paris this week, leaving 17 people dead. "It is a war against terrorism and radical Islam, against everything aimed at breaking solidarity, liberty and fraternity" (Source 1).

What Manuel Valls said was honorable, bold, and awfully brave. He stood up for what he believes in and protected his country and people. He did not cave, even though 17 people passed away, and said what was on his mind. I do not have a problem with this and I strongly agree with what Manuel Valls exclaimed.