Book progress #2

As promised, here is the Power of Context and its attributes to social epidemics. Malcolm Gladwell states that the Power of Context is the idea that epidemics are sensitive to the context, or the time and place in which they occur. In other words, if the context of something is not right it is very likely that the "tipping point" will not occur. An example Gladwell uses to further the significance of the third rule of epidemics is crime in New York City. He introduces the Broken Windows theory and explains that maintaining and monitoring urban environments in a well-ordered condition may stop further vandalism and the increase into more serious crime. In an effort to decrease crime rates and practice the Broken Windows theory, the New York Transit Authority hired George Kelling who then proceeded to establish the theory. The company obliged and hired David Gunn, a subway director who would oversee the subway system. As he "investigated" throughout the city, advocates told Gunn to not worry about the graffiti. In other words, focus more on the larger questions of crime. Perplexed, Gunn insisted he do the opposite. "The graffiti was symbolic of the collapse of the system. When you look at the process of rebuilding the organization and morale, you had to win the battle against graffiti" (142). The city began removing graffiti from subway trains and nabbing fare-beaters one by one. By changing the context of subways, the crime rate declined in New York City.

Senior Project #3

As time progresses I keep pushing Senior Project to the back of my mind, seriously. I haven't met with my mentor other than the day I interviewed him or really put much thought into getting in shape/training for my run. I did start running once again but not as long distances as I ran before my injury. I should call Greg and go on a run with him one of these days. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow? No, I will call him tomorrow. I need to pick it up. These past three weeks have been dedicated to college and scholarship applications ergo no time to work on my project. As soon as I complete applications my entire focus will be on my project. Research paper? Who has time for that? I know, I'm a slacker. I plan to check out books regarding the epidemic of obesity and healthy living. My paper will focus on how the importance of fitness has increased with the rise of obesity. I plan to read books and newspaper articles on how obesity in America has increased over the past decade. As I keep running I can feel myself getting stronger, striving to accomplish my goal of finishing a half marathon. Another problem I have come across is picking an event. I would like to run here in Napa but I would need to pick half marathons before May. I also have to take into consideration the weather; do I really want to be running 13.1 miles in the rain? Seeing as how the forecast is very unpredictable in Napa I hope to run in either late March or early April.

Sentence Fixes

Here are the sentences I fixed from my Fast Food essay.

Book progress #1

   "The Tipping Point is that magical moment when an idea, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire." The nonfiction book I chose is The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcom Gladwell. I wanted a book based on research while also discussing human behavior. Gladwell does just this and shows the readers how the smallest things can trigger an epidemic of change. The Tipping Point illustrates three rules for making an object or idea well known to the world; the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. Gladwell starts the first chapter by informing readers how the epidemic of syphilis arose in Baltimore in the mid-1990's. Many would argue "people came into contact with others and infected them with syphilis"; yes, this is true but Gladwell goes into detail as to what caused Baltimore's syphilis problem to tip. Almost immediately he changes the subject and talks about crack. What? He was talking about syphilis and now I'm being informed about crack? Little did I know crack influenced syphilis in the 1990's. Gladwell states, "epidemics tip because of the extraordinary efforts of a few select carriers" (22). He goes on to introduce different situations where the "little things" had a dramatic impact in the next decade; such as AIDS, Hush Puppies, the stabbing of Kitty Genovese, and the commencement of the American Revolution.
   Within the Law of the Few, Gladwell groups people in different categories; Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen. For example, Galdwell characterizes Paul Revere as a "Connector" since he knew just about everyone in the town, specifically the revolutionary leaders and a "Maven" because he gathered information about the British. Revere knew the problem that was arising and who to tell. "The phenomenon continues to this day--think of how often you've received information in an e-mail message that had been forwarded at least half a dozen times before reaching you" (33).
   The Stickiness Factor is supported by children shows such as Sesame Street and Blue's Clues. Gladwell goes into gathering empirical data about ideals and interviews researchers about what it takes for an idea to stick. He gives examples of how these assumptions have been supported by data, "Kids don't watch when they are stimulated and look away when they are bored. They watch when they understand and look away when they are confused" (102).
   The Power of Context. Well I haven't read that far so I can't say much. Hopefully by my next blog post I will explain how the Power of Context comes into play with the other two rules. I have learned many events such as the stabbing of Kitty Genovese and how it relates to the rest of the world and the rules. I am looking forward to finishing my book which is rare since I don't enjoy reading in general; but anyways I now have a different outlook on society and how we interact with others based on the "little things" which eventually turn into "big" ones.

Senior Project #2

Alright so Senior Project. Wow what to say. I haven't changed my project whatsoever so I'm still planning on running a half-marathon in late spring. I haven't done anything for my project except run on a daily basis. Problem, I screwed up my knee. Here's the story; I was running about 2 weeks ago and my knee began to hurt on my way home. I thought to myself well you probably overdid it so I went on with my day. A few days later as I was going up the stairs I felt my knee popping. I stretched it out before and after my workout but it still felt the same. Oh and at the time I still didn't have a mentor. Fast forward to a week later, I made an appointment to get my knee checked out and found a mentor. I went to my appointment and found out I had fluid in my kneecap but I was alright to run. I am currently wearing a knee brace and should wear it until it heals hopefully soon. Just yesterday I tried to go for a run with it on but my knee decided to not cooperate with me so I ended up walking/limping home. I am going to take it easy and run about a half mile everyday as soon as my mentor has a training plan for me.
     My mentor is Greg Stueland. Greg is one of the founders of Vine Runners, a local running group that runs Thursday evenings as well as Saturday mornings. I met with Greg last week and told him about my knee situation. Having participated in over 40 marathons, he suggested I take it easy seeing as how I will not be competing until mid spring. Hearing this and my doctor tell me I have fluid in my kneecap really upset me because I feel like I'm lagging on my project but I know it's for the best in order to prevent a more serious injury keeping me from running in the future. Hopefully I will be back up and running by the end of this week in order to train for the half-marathon.

"A Change of Heart About Animals" response

Dear Jeremy Rifkin,
                
               Your stance in your article, "A Change of Heart About Animals" has a profound effect on the general public reading the Los Angeles Times. I greatly believe that animals should have the same rights as humans do. Your statement, "They feel pain, suffer and experience stress, affection, excitement, and even love-and these findings are changing how we view animals", changed my view on animals completely. I am completely aware we are manufacturing meat the wrong way as well as infecting animals with unnecessary pesticides; so yes we need to change the way we treat animals around us. The condition in which factory workers are handling meat products is unappealing to many, resulting in people adapting to the vegetarian lifestyle. This being said, I strongly agree with Rifkin's point that animals "are more like us than we had ever imagined" whether it's from treatment or knowledge.
                As normal humans, when we look at something/someone we make an assumption. Face it, it can be good or bad but we do it. How about animals? Many simply look at them and wonder what they are beneficial for. Elephants? Their ivory. Do we really need that much ivory? No. Why the hell would you even need so much of it? People are unaware of the feelings animals posses towards their dead kin. We shoot elephants for their ivory, an elephant comes along and notices the carcass. Unaware how it happened, the elephant touches the carcass with its trunk. The elephant experiences grief and often stands next to the dead body for days. Humans are oblivious to the fact that animals have emotions too and they deserve respect. In reality, are you constantly buying elephant products? I didn't think so. Although not mentioned in "A Change of Heart about Animals", the same goes for cows; many are consuming meat without having the knowledge of what it contains. It can pose a health risk to humans by such unheard-of antibiotics.
                 After reading Lois Frazier's letter to the editor, I agreed with her and Rifkin in more ways than possible. "When will more people begin to realize that we share this world with many creatures deserving of our care and respect?" This is the question we need to ask  on a daily basis and remind ourselves if killing a large amount of animals to produce something we benefit from although not healthy and fresh. We are unfamiliar of animals' emotions and how it affects them; we as humans need to respect their presence on this planet and become aware of why we do or do not 'need' them.
               
                

Senior Project

   For my Senior project I have chosen to run a half-marathon (13.1 miles). Anyone who knows me can tell you I'm a really indecisive person so picking a topic was the hardest part...so far. I am choosing to run a half-marathon because, well in quite honesty I enjoy running. Back in early May I was stressed out (not as much as right now), because I learned I had to pick a topic...soon. Well there went my plan of coming up with one over summer. I felt like I needed to get away from everything so I went on a run, a difficult one. 6.4 miles, and it felt awesome. Yes I was extremely sore the next day but I didn't mind at all. That's when it hit me, I should run for my project! I feel like running is immensely relaxing even if you're sweating like a pig.
   I chose healthy living but more specifically fitness because we as humans engage in some form of exercise in our daily lives whether it's walking to our cars or running on the treadmill. As for my research paper I will talk about the many benefits of exercising and how obesity has increased over the past years. My end product will not only be running the half-marathon but also devising a training plan for others to follow in order to live a healthy lifestyle. I haven't done much for my project. No mentor, ergo no mentor interview. But in order for me to not sound incredibly lazy, over the summer I got up everyday at 6:30 a.m. and ran 3 miles. So in a way I kinda started my project but without mentor "assistance". I should probably get on that soon. For those of you reading this, don't be surprised if I change my research paper topic...it's still in the "works".
  

Into the Wild-final discussion

                Do you feel that McCandless was either mentally ill or suicidal? What a biased question I must say. After reading Jon Krakauer's  Into the Wild, I for one, didn't (still don't) believe there is any factual evidence in his narrative let alone McCandless's journal entries for one to label him as mentally ill or simply a suicidal human being. Chris came from a family with secrets and double lives; as one becomes older they’re very much influenced by their family and the habits/mistakes they go through. Having said this, Chris could have been exposed to much worse than his father’s infidelity but why is it he decided to go into the wild? McCandless enjoyed a life full of adventure and love, but in no way was he mentally unstable or suicidal.

                Chris embarked on his Alaskan journey so he could live in solitude from the rest of society and more importantly leave his family and all the problems that came along with them. If McCandless was feeling suicidal why did he not talk with Carine, his beloved sister who he had the closest relationship with in his entire family? This raises a very important question of who he truly cared about before going on his journey. As stated before if Chris was truly suicidal I believe he would have talked with Carine before heading into the woods and not run off and starve to death over the course of two months. Coming from a family with high expectations and great wealth, when he graduated from Emory University Chris became aware that it was all about the money. His parents wanted to buy him a new car but McCandless refused replying with "the Datsun works just fine”. Being in college can be very stressful, I for one shouldn’t be speaking, but even in high school it is crucial to get good enough grades to please your parents. Grades weren’t a problem for McCandless but if he had felt so overwhelmed with everything wouldn’t it have crossed his mind to kill himself, if he was suicidal, in college? Think about it; one is so caught up with everything and learning about say your father’s infidelity for two years at this point in one’s life can really push someone to take risks. This being said I highly doubt Chris was suicidal because he would have done it sooner than wait around for two months while starving to death facing harsh conditions.

                In The San Francisco Examiner, Patricia Ryan explains how different programs have helped to catch mental illnesses earlier than ever. In a research study Ryan states how “children with unaddressed mental health problems are much more likely to drop out of school, go to jail as adults and suffer other negative outcomes”. As many would argue Chris McCandless was indeed mentally unstable, I disagree. If Chris had a condition it would have most likely have been brought up in Krakauer’s narrative. After all, he did talk to Carine and Billie McCandless regarding Chris’ life; so why wouldn’t a mother give away this information to set the facts straight? Much to Ryan’s statement, if Chris was mentally ill he would have dropped out of school before even attending Emory. One might conclude that many of his decisions were caused by a mental instability, but Chris was above all a man living by his beliefs and morals in order to experience the nomadic lifestyle without parental intrusion. McCandless’s death was tragic and ultimately much unexpected, but in my opinion was due to a lack of knowledge and preparation rather than a mental illness or suicidal thoughts.

 

           

Scottish wedding

Scotland, United Kingdom. Superstitions, rituals and even the eminent feet washing are all important aspects of a Scottish wedding. Lets start with pre-wedding traditions such as The Open House, or more commonly known as the "Show of Presents." Before the bride is married, her mother holds an open house, similar to a bridal shower, where invitations are sent to women who give wedding gifts to the couple. Why does this happen? In order for the bride to show respect for her guests, she must know who will be attending the wedding. After the "Show of the Presents", she is given a baby doll, and a plastic potty with salt at the bottom. Accompanied with her guests and friends, she walks through the town as the others bang pots and pans announcing the bride's upcoming nuptials. This tradition is said to bring luck, prosperity and fertility to the bride on her wedding day as she exchanges kisses for money, which is then dropped into the potty. Not only does the soon-to-be bride receive money but also has the opportunity for her feet to be washed. She sits on a stool while an older, married woman washes and dries her feet. This ritual is said to bring good fortune for the marriage. So what about the soon to be groom? Similar to the bride's Open House, the groom is taken out by his friends for a Stag Night. Having a few drinks leads to the groom becoming partially or fully stripped from his clothes by his friends covered in soot, flour and feathers and left overnight tied to a tree; this ritual is called blackening.
The morning of the ceremony is extremely important as one must take caution. Why you must ask? If the bridal party encounters a funeral or a pig on the way to the church, they must return home and set out again as it is considered bad luck. Who knew a harmless pig could do such damage. As a token of good luck, the bride is given a Silver Sixpence to place in her shoe that morning. When leaving her house for the last time, the bride must step out the door with her right foot as it symbolizes good luck in her marriage. For a traditional Scottish wedding the bride will wear a white or cream colored dress along with "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in her shoe". Something old is a gift given from the mother to the bride to start off her married life symbolizing her mother's wisdom. Something new is a gift that represents the new start of a married life. Something borrowed will be from a married couple in hope that a little of their "marital bliss will rub off on the newlyweds"; and something blue is usually a blue garter, a sign of love and modesty. For the groom, his outfit consists of the following: a Bonnie Prince Charlie jacket and waistcoat, kilt, tartan flashes to match the kilt, white hose, gillie brogues, kilt pin, sgian dubh, black belt with buckle, formal sporran with chain strap, wing collar shirt, black or colored bow tie, and a piece of lucky heather on the lapel...and he ends up looking like this! As the bride enters the church, pipers start to play the bagpipes; many play outside as to protect the guests' ears. As part of their Celtic heritage a couple engages in hand fasting during the ceremony; the couples hands are bound together in a tartan cloth or with a cord during their vows. This shows everyone that from that point on, they are no longer two but one. Many celebrations also include the "Presentation of the Sword", where the groom presents a family sword to his bride which will then be given to their first born son or the bride's family presents the groom with their sword as acceptance into their family and the obligation he now has in protecting his new wife. A famous tradition in Scotland is for a toddler to hand the bride a horseshoe as she walks out the church with her husband. A horseshoe carried by the bride is a symbol for fertility and luck towards their marriage. Another gesture for luck and fortune involves the bride and groom scattering coins for the children to collect at the end of the ceremony.
Now it isn't a wedding without a cake right? A traditional Scottish cake consists of two tiers of brandy-flavored fruit cake. As much as this sounds appetizing, only one tier is eaten at the wedding celebration as the other is saved to celebrate the birth of the couple's first born. As superstitious a Scottish wedding might sound, all the elements lead up to a beautiful wedding filled with laughter and dancing and most importantly lucky newlyweds.

Essay: Fast Food

Here is a link to my essay on fast food.

Response to a peer's article

We are all aware of the issue of childhood obesity and how it has increased throughout the years. Madi's article from The New York Times captures how the environment children have been in affects their eating habits as they grow up. Catherine Musemeche explians how "as a doctor who treats children, many of whom are overweight or obese, I don’t think there can be much doubt that child-directed advertising is fueling the obesity epidemic". Later in the article researchers found a ban lasting 32 years on fast-food advertising to kids through electronic and print media in Quebec, Canada, reduced the childhood obesity rate drastically.
After reading the article, I was surprised how difficult it is for parents to respond to their children when being asked to buy sugary cereals, and fast-food generally advertised on television. This is a big issue for parents especially when having children who don't understand the effects of junk-food in the future. I never imagined how big of an issue it is with parents; rejecting something from your own child. Initially, my view towards whose to blame for the increase in childhood obesity was the parents. It still is. Children are mainly around their parents for the first few years of their lives, ergo they are the ones who feed them and such. "It doesn’t matter that children aren’t necessarily the ones checking out at the grocery store and driving up to the fast-food outlet", but they are still exposed to fast-food through the media no matter what. As Musemeche states, "Parents need to be aware of the pervasive advertising their children are being exposed to, take steps to manage their child’s media exposure, provide healthy alternatives to cereals and fast food and support legislation to curtail advertising to kids".

Fast food/obesity article

Here is an article from CBS News regarding how fast food is affecting children.

Zulu wedding

           Lately I have been thinking about the future and what it might hold in store. Who wouldn't? We are seniors in high school, it comes up. Skipping past the college I would like to attend and career parts I started contemplating about marriage. Do I want to get married? Truthfully, I have not taken this question into deep consideration as others have. (You would be surprised). As I watched TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress I began to think more and more about weddings especially the different traditions around the world.

           Zululand, South Africa. Once I started reading about the traditions and customs I was amazed by how much effort the Zulu people give into making a wedding enjoyable for everyone. It all starts off with the bride. The bride may change her clothes up to three times a day in order to show off how beautiful she looks in a variety of colors to her in-laws. Bags of assorted pebbles are tied to her ankles, primarily to help with the rhythm as she dances later throughout her wedding.  A major aspect of a Zulu wedding consists of beaded jewelry. The bride-to-be makes two sets of bead necklaces in matching colors; one for the groom-to-be and one for her. These color-coded necklaces let everyone in the village know they are an item. The wedding typically takes place at night when the moon is bright since a “faint mole” is a symbol of bad luck as well as making the celebration less festive. Traditionally the bride’s parents do not attend the wedding as it is too sad to see her go. The ceremony may last up to two days and ends once the bride picks up her sleeping mat and heads for her husband’s house. For the wedding ceremony, she will change into a traditional outfit including a headdress made from her mother’s hair. The wedding ceremony ends with ukwaba, which is the process where the bride gives gifts in the form of blankets to her new family. The long-deceased family members receive gifts as well and are represented by the living ones. The bride accompanied by her bridesmaids end by performing a dance. Now it wouldn't be a wedding if the in-laws didn't welcome the bride, would it? After the ceremony is over, the bride is traditionally introduced to her new family with the slaughter of a cow. The cow is slaughtered by the groom's family to show their acceptance of the new bride in their home. The bride then puts money inside the cow's stomach while her guests look on; she is now officially part of the family.

 

 

 

"Going for the Look" essay

Here is a link to my nonfinished essay.

Going for the Look, but Risking Discrimination output

          As someone who has been actively looking for a job these past couple of months, the search has been difficult. Applying to everything from cafes to cupcake shops and restaurants started to make me question my personality as well as my strengths. No emails, no phone calls, nothing.

          Reading Going for the Look, but Risking Discrimination not only reminded me of how competitive it is to be hired, but also made me realize that there are more factors in being hired for a job than just being the most qualified. "If someone came in with a pretty face, we were told to approach them and ask them if they wanted a job". (Greenhouse) Abercrombie and Fitch portray their style as "Classic American" with workers associated with collegiate fraternities and sororities. I was shocked to learn how Mr. Serrano and other employers were trained to hire salespeople.

            Not only is Abercrombie turning away qualified people without a "pretty face", but they are also discriminating against race, gender and even age. I find it surprising to learn retail stores are going to such a dramatic extent just to make money. I am aware that in today’s economy it is tough for stores, especially retail, to sell merchandise. But do they honestly have to reject people to find those thin, blonde, blue-eyed people? Our generation is easily influenced by what we hear in our "circle" of friends, as well as by the media. It scares me how by this we won't be unique. We are all pressured to look a certain way, some might disagree and I completely respect their opinions but do we really want to dress the same way? Briefly going back to last week’s question; do you believe that corporations especially retail stores should be able to only hire people who only fit their own image? I’m a very indecisive person for anyone who knows me very well, that being said I came to the conclusion that if companies require a certain wardrobe for their employees, I don’t see a problem whatsoever. Companies who don’t want to hire people because they don’t fit the look? I see their view on the situation and quite frankly I would have to agree with them…to some extent. I wouldn’t want to buy something that didn’t look nice on a model. I know what you’re all thinking, how judgmental is this girl. But it’s the truth, if a model couldn’t pull off a shirt my initial reaction would be “Do I really want to buy or even try it on?” I despise the way advertisements and the media has influenced the way I look at things. I really do. Don’t get me wrong I was shocked when I read Greenhouse’s article and in no way am I supportive of what Abercrombie has done.

About Me

           Hello everyone! My name is Andrea, it’s just Andrea. No middle name (darn you parents) or nicknames. I’m sixteen years old and I’m probably one of the loudest yet curious human beings on Earth. Funny since I come across as the shy one who only speaks to her friends. No you have it all wrong. Once people get to know the real me, they’re surprised. I’m a loud, sarcastic and outgoing person who isn’t afraid of putting herself “out there.” I love to laugh, to me it is the remedy to anything.

          My family consists of my mother, father, my older sister Elissa (pronounced just like Alyssa) and myself. My parents are very different than most. My mother collects candles. Yes, candles. She has around 500 and isn’t stopping anytime soon. I have never actually asked her why she likes to collect them other than the obvious. I’m very much supportive of her collecting them because quite frankly my house smells amazing, heck she even buys candles for my room, what a wonderful woman she is. Her cooking now let me tell you, it is amazing but that’s another story. My dad, hmm, where to start. Ask any of my friends, their initial reaction is: “that’s your dad?” When people first meet him they think he’s a strict man by the way he looks, you’re all wrong. He is a teddy bear, really though. He is a nice and easy going person who loves the outdoors. Every summer we go hiking in Calistoga and wow it is beautiful. My dad looks forward to this day probably more than his birthday, seriously. He isn’t one to sit on the couch watching television; he has to be up and about. My sister and I have an interesting relationship, we can go from being best friends one minute to complete enemies the next. We are the exact opposite, yet everyone says we look alike and act the same. In the end, I really do love her and appreciate everything she has done for me.

        In my spare time I like to run. This past summer I woke up at seven in the morning, sometimes earlier, to go running. Most (normal) people would go running in the afternoon, but I can’t stand it. When I wake up I have a sudden amount of energy and sleeping in for an hour more won’t help it, so I decided to run. Not only was exercising a great start to my day, seeing the sunrise was exceptionally beautiful. Now that’s crossed off my bucket list. Would I want to run competitively? Absolutely not, in my opinion it would take the fun away from it. As for after high school I plan on attending college, I am not sure of which one at the moment though. Kinesiology, anthropology, and sociology all fascinate me, but I am certain I will change my mind as time goes on. I’m not too sure as to what else to talk about so here are some small details about myself:

        I would love to travel Europe one day. I like the color purple. I’m not a fan of reading. I have a pet rabbit. I am scared of needles; I get the willies just thinking of them. I have a job, but I haven’t started working. I listen to the Black Keyes. I love Nutella. Wind mills freak me out. I have watched the movie The Birds and ended up crying from laughter at the end. I enjoying shopping at Urban Outfitters. I am a neat freak.