Extra Credit

I couldn't really find a fan site dedicated to my author, Margaret Atwood, but I found a site about how she was a Canada's Walk of Fame inductee. Atwood explained that she was first encouraged to become a writer because of the praise she got from her English teacher when she was younger. Her English teacher told her that she couldn't understand her poem, so it must be good! Contrary to this comment, one of the main reasons Atwood's work is so much enjoyed is because of its clarity. This article is obviously very biased towards Atwood because it is trying to convince people to vote for her for Canada's Walk of Fame. It praises her work and says that she is one of the finest storytellers in this country. Something that I didn't know that I probably should have is that my book, The Edible Woman, was the first book that Margaret Atwood wrote. It was published in 1969 and was immediately embraced by the public. This website also gives interesting facts about Atwood so that someone will be more likely to vote for her. One of the facts that they give is that her books have been printed in more than 30 languages, including Farsi, Japanese, Turkish, Korrean, Finnish, Korean, Icelandic, and Estonian. By stating this, the group writing the website is trying to show how people from all over the world enjoy her novels. Someone once asked Atwood how she keeps a level head about all her success. Her responce was that it is because she is Canadian. She went on to explain how Canadians have no tolerence for people who let success get to their heads, so she never let that happen to her.

http://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/inductee/margaret-atwood

Church Protesting

A few weeks ago in government, we were required to read an article that someone in my class had written as an extra credit assignment. After reading it, I was shocked to see what it was about. Since it interested me so much, I found another article to read more into what was happening. In 2006, Westboro Baptist Church protested at a soldier's funeral claiming that he was dead because of the tolerance America has for gay people. They held signs that said things like "God hates you", "You are going to Hell", and "Thank God for fallen soldiers." First of all, them claiming to be Christians amazes me. They either read the wrong book or are just plain ignorant in the way they interpreted the Bible. The one thing that makes me the angriest is when people like them claim to be Christians. All that it does is make other people think that all Christians are like them, which is entirely not true. The article also discusses how the Supreme Court is going rule this case. The father of the fallen soldier took the matter to court, but charges were dropped against the church in an appellate court. Technically these protesters rights are protected by the first amendment, but the Supreme Court is still deliberating. I agree that according to the Constitution, there should be no case. But I feel like there should be some way around this. I understand that the Supreme Court can't just make exceptions for this one case, because then no one would know where to draw the line for other cases. I just think that in the future, protesters should not be allowed at anyones funeral. It's an emotional time for everyone there, and it is completely unnecessary for anyone to be protesting something so ridiculous. If they really feel the need to share their thoughts with the public, then they can do it somewhere else. It's not even like they targeted a gay soldier, they literally just went to a random soldier's funeral. And now there is talk that they are going to protest at Elizabeth Edwards funeral? Someone needs to stop this, whether it be the Supreme Court or just the general public.

 http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/washington-99850-funerals-military.html

Music

The absolute worst question I could ever be asked is, "what types of music do you like?" Whenever that comes out of someone's mouth, I automatically freeze and search desperately within my brain for an answer. The reason for my panicking has exactly to do with what this article talks about. In the article, it discusses how the music someone listens to can very accurately predict what type of personality they have. It makes me nervous that someone could so easily judge me just by hearing my answer to such a simple question. Two years ago, I would actually really have no idea what to say to that question. According to the article, that means I was "simple minded" or an "easy listener." These types of people tend to enjoy anything on the Top 40 that is consistently playing on the radio. Most likely, they're afraid to dive deeper into the music scene and just stick with what everyone else likes. I think it's easy for people to let themselves fall into this category because then there can't be much judgment. No one can see deeper into your personality if you simply like what is supposed to be liked. If you like what songs and artists are popular at the moment, then you must be normal, right? At this point in my life, I've moved on from the cliche answer to the dreaded question, "what types of music do you like?" I've discovered new artists and songs that although most people have never heard of, they seem to fit my taste perfectly. I think that when the article states that music says a lot about someone's personality, it is completely true. Another part that I find interesting is that fans of jazz and classical music have higher than average IQ scores. I've heard that listening to Mozart before taking a test can raise your test scores, so that definitely fits in to what the research from this article has found.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200906/your-music-your-personality

Picky Eaters

This article interested me because I always find myself annoyed with picky eaters. With kids, I can understand when all they want to eat is grilled cheese or something. It's understandable for them to be nervous to try new things, such as eating different foods than they are used to. But whenever I come across someone around my age or older who is a picky eater, I am automatically annoyed with them. Is it really that hard to just try something new? And is it really reasonable for them to make an adult go out of their way to make something else for them just because they're deciding to be picky? After reading this article, it made more sense to me why some people are picky eaters. It's weird to think that there could actually be such thing as a selective eating disorder. What makes me believe that this could actually exist is that the article specifically showed a sixty-three year old man who believes he suffers from this. He doesn't just simply not want to try things, but he finds himself frustrated with the fact that most foods look completely un-appetizing to his taste. It displayed how there are many other people out there who feel the same way as this man. I think that the difference between a picky eater and someone with a selective eating disorder is the desire to want to be eating a variety of foods. With a picky eater, I'm guessing that they are completely fine with their lack of variety. This kind of person usually refuses to eat certain foods, but won't even try them in the first place. Someone with a selective eating disorder wishes that they could branch out of their simplistic diet, but literally all other foods look disgusting and un-edible to them. One thing that did stand out to me in the article was when the sixty-three year old man said that his picky eating lead to the downfall of two of his marriages. That doesn't really sound right to me. If it is true, those must have been some extremely unstable marriages. Overall, I guess I'll now be slower to judge someone when I pick up on the fact that they are a "picky eater."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40357712/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/?gt1=43001

Gosselin Kids Expelled

After reading this article, I kind of questioned how much of it could really be true. I believe that Alexis and Collin Gosselin were actually expelled, because Kate confirmed that fact. But I don't think that they were as rude and horrible as the press has made them out to be. It say that these two children were expelled for fighting with their classmates and making fun of them. Jon Gosselin is blaming the fact that they have been on camera their entire lives. I understand that this might be one of the factors as to why the kids are having behavioral problems, but I think there is a much more realistic reason. Are Jon and Kate forgetting that they went through a very messy and public divorce? Divorce isn't easy on any kids, but especially not easy when they are seeing their dad all over magazine covers with other women. Jon repeatedly said that he had children too young, and he never got to live the life a twenty year old should be able to live. I think that the way he ripped his family apart just to be able to live like a crazy twenty year old was completely immature and selfish. He blames cameras for creating behavioral problems in his children, but he should be blaming himself. Maybe I feel this way just because I've been a Jon and Kate Plus 8 fan since the show began. But regardless of my bias, I am positive that this must have something to do with Alexis and Collin's problems at school.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/12/two-gosselin-kids-expelle_n_782795.html

Child Prostitutes Rescued

As I was searching for an article to read, the first one that showed up on my homepage had something to do with Michelle Obama shaking an Indonesian minister's hand. Apparently this conservative Muslim is not supposed to make any physical contact with women who are not related to him. That's really interesting and all..but does it really deserve to be the main focus of the news? I went back to my homepage, scrolled down, and found what I believe to be a way more important article. Near the same time that Michelle Obama was shaking someone's hand, 69 child prostitutes were rescued. Is it just me, or is the importance of current events in the United States a little backwards? These children ranged in ages from 12-17 and were found in 40 cities across 30 different states. When most people hear about children being kidnapped and forced into child prostitution, they assume that it must be going on in a different country. It is shocking to me that this horrible act could actually be happening all over the United States, right this moment. People working for the organization that rescued these children say that most of the kids were runaways who were simply looking for an adult to help them. I find it extremely sad that the only person they had to turn to was a man promising them hope in selling their bodies. In my opinion, this article should have been the main focus on my homepage. People need to be aware that this is happening rather than reading about an accidental handshake.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40084045/from/RSS/?gt1=43001

Disney World

I love Disney World. So much so that when my mom told me I get to pick where we go for spring break this year, Disney World was the first destination that came to my mind. I went to Disney Land when I was really young, and then Disney World when I was a freshman. To say it's amazing is an understatement. There's just something fabulous about driving along the highway and literally taking the exit "Disney World". I know that I sound like a little kid, but I actually wish I could be there at all times. Work there, live there, get married there (yes, you can do that). So when I saw the title of this article, of course I had to click on it. Most of the tips seem pretty helpful, but some are kind of cheesy. For example, the first tip: Prepare Physically. It's true that you walk around alot, but is it really neccesary to physically prepare yourself for an amusement park? You can sit down and take a break whenever you want, it's not like you're forced to keep a certain pace walking all day long. Obviously it is hard with young children, but isn't that what strollers are for? I think the most important advice the author gives is bringing your own snacks. The food at Disney is crazy expensive, and there's no way anyone can afford to eat out every single meal while they're at the parks. Although, like the article says, Disney World is all around a very expensive trip; I think it's important for everyone to go at least once in their life. Or maybe at least ten times.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/11/05/five.to.go.disney/index.html?hpt=Sbin