Quarter 3 - Blog #7

According to, "The Top Nine "Changes" Barack Obama Would Make as President", by John Hawkins, Barack Obama had some very serious changes that would seriously change the United States for the better. Obviously this article was written way back when before Obama was elected for president, but its a great way to overview what he has in store for our nation. First off, I won't go through the top nine changes Obama has in store for us, so I'll choose my favorite from the lot. From the article, "#2) Losing the War in Iraq: Obama is promising to throw away the hard earned gains our troops have made in Iraq by immediately removing combat brigades each month, regardless of the situation on the ground, and by having all of our 'combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months'" (Top Nine Changes). I'd like to comment on the fact that this is probably the best thing Obama has in store for us other than the fact that he will better our economy. The war itself was none of our business until President Bush made it our business. Anyways, it's a big change and will affect our nation greatly. With our troops out of Iraq, we wouldn't have to continually send money and resources over there, and be able to help ourselves than a nation that doesn't want our help. This idea of change relates to the novel, The Giver, by Lois Lowry. The main character, Jonas, undergoes a physical change that sets him apart from the rest of the society. In the novel, the change that occurs in Jonas helps him throughout the novel to find out about his society's twisted traditions that are kept incognito. Change overall sets the stage for better, more stable life in these scenarios.

Works Cited for Quarter 3 Blog 7 :
"The Top Nine "Changes" Barack Obama Would Make as President". Friday, March 07, 2008. Copyright © 2009 Salem Web Network. All Rights Reserved. 2/22/09. http://townhall.com/columnists/JohnHawkins/2008/03/07/the_top_nine_changes_barack_obama_would_make_as_president

Quarter 3 - Blog #6

The current crisis in the Middle East involves two countries, Israel and Palestine; the crisis began when Palestine continued to fire rockets into Israel because they believed that the political state of Israel was not legitimate. They are trying to push the Jewish people out because they believe that that area is a Muslim area. Currently, from msnbc.msn.com, Israel is getting close to a decision on cease-fire with Hamas. The situation currently is that Israel demands for the safe return of a captive soldier by the name is Gilad Schalit; on the other hand, Hamas' top priority is to lift the blockade on Gaza and reopen the border that limits the Hamas government. From the article, "The blockade has caused widespread hardship in Gaza, particularly after the Israeli military offensive. Dire shortages of cement, glass and other building supplies make reconstruction virtually impossible until the borders reopen" (msnbc.msn.com Israel). This crisis in the Middle East reflects back to the element of hope for both sides, they hope for the betterment of their countries, even when times are tough and dangerous. This concept of hope relates to the novel, The Giver, by Lowis Lowry. Near the resolution of the novel, Jonas and Gabe are on the outskirts of the civilization they left behind, hoping to find a way out and find a new life; although the odds are against them as they travel, they don't give up hope, and by the end of the novel, they find their true home.

Works Cited for Quarter 3 - Blog #6 :
"Israel nears decision on cease-fire with Hamas". 3:38 a.m. PT, Wed., Feb. 18, 2009.© 2009 Microsoft. 2/18/09. msnbc.msn.com, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29253668/

Quarter 3 - Blog #5

Buddhism began in India around the early 400 B.C.E. It began with a man named Siddhartha Guatama who lived in the Indian sub continent. From the article, Buddhism, from Wikipedia, "Buddhists recognize him as an awakened teacher who shared his insights to help sentient beings end their suffering by understanding the true nature of phenomena, thereby escaping the cycle of suffering and rebirth (saṃsāra), that is, achieving Nirvana" (Wikipedia Buddhism). Simply the belief in Buddhism relates to the author of Snow Falling on Cedars because he himself has struggled with his beliefs in religion. From another article, 'Intensely, Miserably Spiritual', by Anne A. Simpkinson, "David Guterson, author of the 1994 bestseller, "Snow Falling on Cedars," declares himself an agnostic, but a spiritual amalgam seems closer to the truth. Raised more culturally than religiously Jewish, the 47-year old former English teacher has studied Buddhism, and, while researching his just published third novel, "Our Lady of the Forest"--about a runaway teen who has a vision of the Virgin Mary--stumbled upon Gnostic ideas of the Divine Feminine." The interview goes on asking the author why so spiritually lost and such. Both the belief in a religion and the understanding of religions are two different things, I guess for Guterson, he'll just have to find one that's right for him.

Works Cited for Quarter 3 - Blog #5 :
"Buddhism" (2003). Wikipedia®. 2/16/09. wikipedia.org.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism
"'Intensely, Miserably Spiritual'" 1/23/2004 4:48:27 PM. belief.net 2/16/09 http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Books/2004/01/Intensely-Miserably-Spiritual.aspx?p=3

Quarter 3 - Blog #4

The struggle between which gender is superior has been done again and again for centuries, ending up with no side satisfied with the results. The article, "Clear gender roles, equal respect," by Caitlin Allender, explains how we all have equal roles, despite what we believe our roles to be. Well to start, we each have different roles in society, whether its working in a law firm, or cooking dinner for a family of 4. Certain general roles like women stay at home and men go make the money have faded away; many women work professionally while some men tend to work at the home. Back then when roles were so gender based, it didn't imply superiority on a certain gender, it was just how it was suppose to be. For example, from the article, "When a man opens the door for a woman, holds her umbrella over her head or walks on the street side of the sidewalk to protect her from anything that may splash up onto her, he is not implying that he sees her as inferior.Rather, it shows that he esteems and respects her. And women, the recipients of these gestures, will come to esteem and respect the men in her life who treat her so kindly" (Allender, Gender roles).This ties in with the novel, Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson, because one of the motifs that are implicated in the novel are gender roles. Men are the providers of the families, but women are responsible for maintaining the family structure and society based relations. The article was not to bad and the book is a pretty nice reading, I suggest anyone to try reading the book.

Works Cited for Quarter 3 - Blog #4 :
"Clear gender roles, equal respect" 1/31/06. © 2006 Loyola Greyhound. 2/16/09. www.loyolagreyhound.com. http://media.www.loyolagreyhound.com/media/storage/paper665/news/2006/01/31/Opinion/Clear.Gender.Roles.Equal.Respect.Vital.To.Good.Manners-1544685.shtml

Quarter 3 - Blog #3

India is a very diverse and fascinating country to observe; even more appealing is it's festive and traditional culture. Based on the information provided by indianchild.com, "Festivals in India are characterized by color, gaiety, enthusiasm, prayers and rituals. Foreign travelers are struck by the scale and multiplicity of Indian festivals that have evolved in the society." Basically, festivals in India are so diverse and based on several aspects of life that they really stand out to people outside of the culture. This idea of being diverse applies to the novel, The Giver, by Lowis Lowry, in the sense that diversity is the key element that moves the plot. The comparison is very broad, but the fact that diversity is a key element in both scenarios, why not compare the two ? Anyways, in the novel, Jonas, the main protagonist, uses his diverse ability to eventually figure out the society's secret and escape the horrible future he doesn't wish to become a part of. I don't want to kill the book for anyone, so that's all I'll say about the novel; it's really good by the way, read it !

Works Cited for Quarter 3 - Blog #3 :
"Festivals in India", August 2, 2004. Copyright©2000.Indianchild.com. February 8, 2009. http://www.indianchild.com/festivals_in_india.htm

Quarter 3 - Blog #2

The reading that I did for this blog post was slightly different than my usual blog posts. Tonight I read a poem instead; it was a very touching poem called, "The Mourning is Over!", by Kevin Pace. I found this poem enlightening and inspiring because it really takes negative and makes positive, so to speak. From the poem,
"But the mourning is over! I now am confessing,
this burden I bear is more of a blessing.
I don’t fly through life like I did once before.
Enjoying the journey, you see so much more."
The author, Kevin Pace, is describing his Parkinson’s disease, a disease that causes neurologic movement disorders; basically is a disease that hinders your ability to move certain parts of your body, if not all parts. I really could understand how Kevin took what he had, and turned it around for himself. This relates to the novel, Nectar in a Sieve because of when all was going downhill for Rukmani and her family after the monsoon, when all of their crops were gone, food was in short supply, and they had to sell most of their belongings, they pulled through; whether it was because of hope or good faith, they made negative a positive.

Works Cited for Quarter 3 - Blog #2 :
"The Mourning is Over!" Feb 1 10:07 PM. allpoetry.com © Kevin Pace. February 4, 2009. http://allpoetry.com/poem/5013417

Quarter 3 - Blog #1

For my reading, I read an interesting article on a flood in Australia and how it was so bad and devastating that it had snakes and crocodiles in peoples homes! The article was, "Aussie floods bring snakes and crocs", by msnbc.com news services. The title of the article is pretty self explanatory, so I won't really need to summarize what happened; basically, a flood destroys lots of homes, people in danger as usual, and snakes and crocodiles invade. From the text, "'That's why I keep the broom here (at the front door) to chase the snakes away,' he told reporters. Some 2,900 homes have been damaged in Ingham and hundreds of people evacuated to a temporary shelter"(Aussie floods msnbc.com). I found this to be quite interesting and decided that it would fit perfectly with the novel, Nectar in a Sieve; not only because of the scene where Rukmani encounters a snake, but because of the scene where the monsoon storms destroy her village and marketplace. Both events, fictional and true to life, had major impacts on the societies that the disasters affected.

Works Cited for Quarter 3 - Blog #1 :
"Aussie floods bring snakes and crocs" msnbc.com news services. 7:31 a.m. PT, Wed., Feb. 4, 2009. February 4, 2009. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29013547/