Blog 5

1)When Yolanda was in college she learned a valuable lesson going forward about America and its culture.  Rudy Elmenhurst taught her about the nature of guys, especially college aged ones, in America.  She experienced that these men might seem nice at first but in the end the are not all true in their intentions. Rudy was acting very nice to her, and would do everything she wanted until they got more serious and Rudy expected sex.  Yolanda would not comply and thus they ended their relationship.  This taught her to be more careful around American men and a harsh reality about the nature of the American Culture.  This shaped her strong personality and want to be more independent. At first the situation with Rudy set Yolanda back.  She was startled and scared of the potential of sex.  She did not understand Rudy's motives.  But, as the old saying goes sometimes you have to take a step back to take steps forward. Eventually once Yolanda did have sex she began to understand a little more.  She progressed in grasping the American lifestyle and understood the roles of men and women a little more in the society.  Her identity as a strong and independent sister is encapsulated by the event with Rudy Elmenhurst back in her college days.

2) A positive event in How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents would have to be in the chapter Snow when Yolanda learns English.  Yolanda experienced a very positive environment in her school and with her teacher.  Sister Zoe was a positive influence on Yolanda and she helped bridge her into American society.  Zoe told Yolanda that her name was beautiful and she busted Yolanda's morale.  Since Yolanda was the only foreigner in the class Sister Zoe made it her mission to go the extra mile with Yolanda to teach her English.  In the early years of Yolanda's experience in America Sister Zoe was a guiding light.  This positive even for Yolanda helped shape who she would be in the future.  It molded her into a culturally tolerant, levelheaded, and independent woman.  This positivity could be categorized as person to person, but also person to society.  It was Sister Zoe as the person giving Yolanda knowledge and guidance, and those elements being taught were all about the new society Yolanda was entering.

3) (Linsert an opinion here) Jeremy Lin, a true Asian American hero is in the NBA to stay! He has taken an unconventional path to the NBA considering his roots.  He comes from a culture of very little successful American sports stories.  But now that he is thriving the impact on the world is amazing.  Many people are obsessed with his story just because  he is an Asian succeeding in the world's best basketball league.  Because of this he is subject to great national debate and conversation. In my opinion, if he was a white or African American player, he would not have been that big of a story.  Nevertheless, the story has cultivated many around the world and myself as well.  I love the story of the underdog Lin rising up from nowhere to become a global icon.  The only thing I am not fond on is the Knicks winning games and making up ground on my 76ers, but that is besides the point.  Lin is a source of inspiration for a whole culture and one would be a fool not to appreciate that. 

Elie Wiesel: Mitt Romney Should Tell Mormon Church To Stop Performing Posthumous Proxy Baptisms On Jews

This article is more of an opinionated piece about Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor's, beliefs on the Mormon church. In the Article Wiesel advocates for the stop of posthumous proxy baptism by the Mormon church.  It is intriguing that he looks toward Mitt Romney to take action about this.  Romney is the leading Republican candidate for the 2012 presidential election.  He is not the leader of the Mormon church, but Wiesel wants Romney to address the issue. I do not believe the controversial practices of the church should be pinned on Mitt Romney just because he has political power.  He did not found the religion, nor is he a high standing official in the Mormon church.  I do believe the proxy baptism should be addressed, and maybe Romney should step up because it his is religion, but he should not be affected politically or socially because of this. This article raises questions about the Jewish religion.  Dating back to the Holocaust the Jewish religion has been oppressed, and they have apparently now have an ongoing feud with the Mormons.  I would recommend this article to a person with strong religious beliefs because they would want to weigh in on the issues between the Mormons and Jewish. 

Person of Interest: Jeremy Lin

The article is not all about fact, it mixes opinion with some fact.  The author is an Asian American, and he writes about the recent Asian sensation in the NBA Jeremy Lin. But Lin is a fascinating story because he is not in the majority of NBA players.  Lin is Asian and went to school at Harvard, and now he is taking New York by storm.  This story is so interesting to me because I do follow basketball and I was curious about Lin's impact on and off the court.  This article verifies that Lin is bigger than the game, he is representing a whole race.  Every time he is at a shoot-around there is media there, every thing he does now gains national attention.  I agree with everything the author says.  He hits the nail on the head about why Lin worked out in New York, he is an unselfish player and can drive to the basket.  Also, Lin has the attitude it takes to thrive in a huge market like New York.  I also agree that it gives great pride for somebody if one of their own is succeeding in a forbidden field.  The article makes me think about dreams and goals.  It shows never to give up on a dream.  It also shows the media impact of having a foreign player thriving in the league.  I would recommend this article to any sports fanatic or any person who is in the minority race wise in America.

Monica Yant Kinney: Pa. bill preventing local gun crackdowns would be travesty

This article is all an opinionated piece. The author Monica Yant Kinney is attempting to get her views on gun laws through to the public. I was interested by the article because I know there has always been a divide between political parties about the gun issue.  It is a question on how the right to bear arms should be viewed. Some say guns do not kill people but rather people kill people, while others argue having guns available to virtually everyone is just egging on a high murder rate.  I have a loose  agreement with Kinney on the gun law. I do Pennsylvania's current gun laws are not working.  I would not go as far as calling them a joke as she does because the guns are being purchased legally.  The availability of guns needs to change though.  I believe that having guns open to anybody with a license to carry a firearm should be modified.  The process to purchase a gun has to become more difficult, and there needs to be a reason the gun is purchased. As a hunter myself I do believe in the right to bear arms, but with the inflated murder rates with guns it is becoming harder to believe that we should not take action against this. Kinney is also correct that it is absurd there have been so many lost guns in PA that resurface through off-the-book sales. The article makes the reader think about the bill of rights and specifically the right to bear arms. I would suggest anybody with a strong political interest should read this.  Also, I believe kids should read this so they are aware of the crime going around and they realize this is getting out of hand.

 

Blog Response 3: Gender

 An age old controversial topic in America is the roles of men and women.  Roles have changed since the 17 and 18 hundreds, especially now in as I reflect on it in 2012.  Women now are prominent in the work force as opposed to the past where they were generally non factors.  Now there are different expectations for men and women.  Women are generally expected cook, nag, and also work less physically demanding jobs.  Men are known for working the dangerous jobs and doing the "dirty" work. Women are perceived in America as the child bearers and are know for being a little more mature,  but also emotionally unstable.  Men can be perceived by people as the gender that makes stupid and rash decisions.  They can also be known for their love of sports especially football. The advantages of being a women today would probably be the education aspect.  More and more women are getting accepted into colleges and starting/owning businesses.  There are now a greater percentage of women in colleges than men.  Advantages of being a man include having a more important sports world.  All men's games trump women's sports, in attendance and excitement.  Stereotypes for women are that they cannot drive, they all clean, and they all cook for the family.  Men stereotypes include: they are hot heads, they only want to watch sports,  and all they do is drink beer to have a good time.  Now, I am sure I have used stereotypes in my life in relation to gender, but that is truly because that these are the real perceptions of America and its people. 

In regards to the question about watching the Canadian Football League if you knew you were going to be the biggest fanatic about it in your future, I believe Sofia from How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents would not watch the game. Sofia is unlikely to be a football fan.  She is one, from the Dominican Republic where football is not prominent, and two, she is too interested in guys right now.  She would rather go off to Germany or wherever to be with a guy and live her life in rebellion of her father. It is an easy no for Sophia regarding the CFL.

Question Responses 

1.  I believe that this magician is more impressive than Albert Einstein.  Despite his limited package of tricks compared to Einstein's broad scope of ability in the scientific field, the magician is using real magic.  That is just too impressive in my opinion.  I think if he could pull of five tricks that are pure magic and do them well to the point it is effortless, than yes, the feat is much more impressive than doing things that are physically possible. 

5. No, I would not swallow the pill.  The pain of Alice in Chains ringing in my ear every day would be too much for me to handle.  That pain would be worse than the immediate pain of a broken collarbone.  Broken bones heal, but this sound would never go away.  I have broken a bone before, and although it is not a fun experience, breaking the collarbone every couple of years would be better than having to hear death metal just to save my soul mate from breaking a bone.  

7. I would have to put the president on the front cover without hesitation.  Although Bigfoot and the  Loch Ness Monster would be big news, it hails in comparison to the face of the nation coming down with cancer.  The president is the most powerful man in America and if he is staring potential death in the face, the people have to see that on the front page.  It is more important in the end than capturing mythical creatures. 

12. I would give the wizard the rest of my one dollar bills in my wallet.  I know this would not be much money, so why not?  It is an opportunity to get more "attractive," yet it would not change me drastically. So, it is an opportunity I would utilize because it would make myself even better than what I am now, and I believe I'm pretty special now.  

16. Of course I would grab some pizza and tune into the game.  I know I am eventually going to become obsessed with it so I might as well check it out now.  I should get a feeling about how the games are and if they are entertaining.  Plus, I believe the Roughriders have really cool uniforms, so I might as well watch to compare their uniforms to the Oregon Duck's.

19. I would have to tell my friend that I had mistaken him in his slumber for my annoying little brother.  I would say I was bothered by my brother that day and when I saw the body, I got over excited and jumped the gun and kicked it.  I would apologize to my friend but  make a convincing argument that it was well deserved for my brother, so I gained more credibility with my story. It is a tough situation, but it has to be blamed on the sibling!

20. I would take the real documentary of my life that uses real clips of me.  I feel this would give me more esteem knowing people are actually seeing me and it cannot get any more real than the film. I would want the credit for my accomplishments and not some Hollywood actor being associated with them.  Hollywood has the glamor, but I prefer the truth and want it to be just me as the star of the film.