"...No matter what it did to her dignity, she would."

In the final pages of Rumors there is the tragic death of Will Keller, the discovery that Elizabeth is in fact alive and the forced marriage of Henry Schoonmaker and Penelope Hayes. All of these things have helped Diana Holland see the error of her ways. She knows that she is in love with Henry and that he is not meant to be with Penelope. "This longing was the first emotion she had been able to feel since she had heard about the awful thing that happened to Will. She knew if she could satisfy that feeling in any way, no matter her dignity she would" (423). Her constant longing for Henry is nothing she can change and seeing her sister fall into a shocked depression after losing her true love Diana knows that she must get Henry back. Before she held herself back and protected herself because of her meaningless pride but now she does not care what she has to do to get him back. The tragic and drastic turn of events in the final chapters gave Diana an entirely new perspective on the importance of certain people and certain things in her life. When things get crazy and out of the ordinary you check your priorities and sometimes you find that they are not in the proper order.

Analysis of Penelope Hayes

Penelope Hayes,the "best friend" Elizabeth Holland before she died (ran of to California). Before her friend's "death" Penelope was known for her outgoing personality and as a fixture at all of the greatest parties of upper class New York. Know that her friend is out of the way Penelope is after Elizabeth's fiance, Henry. On her mission for Henry's heart she has become an entirely new person on the outside but still her scheming self on the inside. Her new, quiet and polite facade she is putting on for the press and Henry's parents is working on them but she is making no progress with the one she really cares about, Henry. Penelope's desperation for Henry's love shows a new side of Penelope. She does not have a heart of stone as many people believe, she truly has feelings and they have been hurt by the cold shoulder Henry is giving her. The soft side of Penelope rarely comes out but when it does it is only in her head and she never lets anyone see her hurt or embarrassed. The Penelope that the public of New York knows is a cold hearted party girl who get whatever she wants. But she is the only one who knows there is one thing that will not fall in to the palm of her hand, Henry Schoonmaker's attention and love.

"It occurred to her, standing at the edge of that little room..."

With all of the exclusive parties, private get together's and complicated relationships in the inner circle of the upper class New York the outsiders will do anything for glimpse of the inside. You would think everyone on the inside has no reason to give insight on the goings on of the young and rich but one person does. Diana Holland, her newly and secretly poor family is financially struggling and it forces Diana to sell the stories of her peer and herself. She finds it exciting but she realizes she is no longer as innocent as she was at one time. "It occurred to her, standing at the edge of that little room and looking down, selling observations that were supposed to evaporate in the air so that they would be laid down in print instead, that she was no longer an innocent"(185). Diana's current financial situation has pushed her into situations that if she was still a lady of extreme wealth would be viewed and undeniably inappropriate. As her family continues to spend money they do not have Diana will have to become more and more independent and reliable. I think her current way of making money is foreshadowing for drama when the true life of ladies of high society is spilled on the front page and that Diana will be joining the working class sometime soon.

"She could not help but feel a little quiet..."

As Carolina Broude, the Holland family's former maid, is climbing her way up in the social rankings she receives and invitation from a much older and much wealthier man to go to the opening night of the opera. She accepts but not because of a desire for the company of the man extending her the invitation to the elegant event. Her true desire for attending is to be among the wealthy and to prepare herself to impress the man she really loves. "She could not help but feel a little quiet surrounded by people who ordered girls like her around from their first waking moments..."(108) When Carolina arrives at the mans box she finds that they will not be spending the evening alone, the box was full of some of the wealthiest men in New York and in the world. It seemed that they all had interest in Carolina, but being unaccustomed to such situations she did not know how to react. As a maid she was invisible but now she does not have her uniform to hide behind. Her reaction to the attention she gets at the opera, insecure, shows that although she may look it she is not yet a true lady of high society New York. Also she may be among the elite but inside she is still the girl she was raised as,not the daughter of a wealthy iron smelter in California. She is really a modest maid who does not wear fancy gowns or goes to the opera. I think that her lies will soon be found out and her time in the upper class will soon be a memory.

"It was not for the mineral wealth...it was for Will as he would be."

Elizabeth Holland former New York socialite maybe has truly turned a corner in her life. When she first ran off to California she was unsure of her ability to live the simple life but she seems to be figuring out it may not be that hard if she has the right person by her side. Will Keller is that person for her, she knows it when she sees him the wealthy lifestyle she left behind is well worth the love she has found in her new home. "Elizabeth's cheeks had risen into one of those radiant smiles... She was surprised to find it was not for the mineral wealth..it was for Will as he would be" (73). Although Will's discovery of oil means wealth for Elizabeth, as her new lower class self she doesn't care. She is shocked by her own reaction, she is not happy for the wealth in the near future she is happy because Will is happy. This out of character reaction shows a development for Elizabeth. She is no longer second guessing her choices and is not struggling with the thought of a life with out luxury. Her love for Will is far larger than her lover for the finer things and that is what will keep her in California. I think this is foreshadowing, showing a big turn around in Elizabeth's attitude and perspective. Day by day she is distancing herself from the drama and emptiness of life in the city and pulling closer to her new and fulfilling life in the country.

"If that last thing she'd said, about not needing money, could really be true."

Elizabeth a young women of high society New York has run away from a forced marriage, she followed her families coachmen, will Keller, the man she truly loves. When she makes it all the way to California she is finally aloud to be with Will with no secrecy, she opted out of her wedding by staging her own death and running away. She is leaving a luxurious life behind her for a working life in California, but because her whole life has been fancy dresses and parties she is not sure how she will adapt to the life style of a coachmen. After assuring Will that she doesn't need money she has to convince herself,"The contented feeling was so overpowering that for a moment she even stopped wondering if that last thing she'd said, about not needing money, could really be true."(41)Although she seems pretty sure of herself i see her doubts as foreshadowing. Indicating that her transition to lower class may be bumpy and not as easy as she thinks it will be. Her preference for the high life may cause some waves in her relationship with Will. Bach in New York they only had good times together because they had to make the most of the secret late hours of night and early hours of morning they had together. Now that they will always be together and in a state of transition the relationship may not be as easy as their secret meetings back in far off New York.

Rumors: Outside Reading Reflection

For outside reading i chose Rumors by Anna Godbersen. It is the second book in the Luxe series. The series follows upper class young adults through problems of love, death and money. I chose this book for the most part because of the first book, The Luxe, it leaves you wondering. It ends with a funeral for Elizabeth Holland who we find out really isn't dead and it leaves you with Diana, Elizabeth's sister, and Penelope, Elizabeth's best friend both in love with Henry, Elizabeth's fiance before she died. Because the first book ends in such a mess i wanted to find out if any of the problems can be fixed in the second book.

Overcoming Odds(#15)

Sometimes the challenges in you life are based on where you were born. Dominic Carter Political Anchor for New York 1 new may seem like a pretty well off guy with a great job and a pretty good life. But seeing him now you would never suspect his dark past. As a child he lived with his mother and only met his father twice. At the age of 7 his mother sexually abused him as he said "stealing his innocence". He did not tell anyone about it for twenty five years. Growing up in the projects of New York there were no expectations of him. When he asked the head of his school what he should to about applying to college the man replied "don't waste your time cause you'll be dead or in Jail". Those harsh words were used as a positive for Dominic, he realized that if he wanted to do something he had to overcome the odds. Although being discouraged as a child he still is full of hope for the kids who are in the same situation as he was. "If you Believe in yourself and you're willing to work hard for any goal that you might have you can achieve that goal." I learned all of this from a video at cnn.com entitled overcoming abuse.
link to video: cnn.com
MLA:Grace, Nancy. "overcoming abuse." 22 June 2007. 22 March 2009. cnn.com. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2007/0/22/grace.dominic.carter.web.cnn?iref=videosearch

Love(#14)

When spring come around everyone is ready to start anew, especially with love. In the spring the air is clear and everything is coming alive giving everyone hope to find a special someone. In an article from cnn.com by Bob Greene called "Peggy Sue and a love so rare and true" it spoke about an interview with the real Peggy Sue. She is the Peggy Sue of Buddy Holly's hit song about love and heartbreak. Although she was actually the girlfriend of his drummer Peggy Sue said she sensed "a certain yearning on his part".In the article it discusses true icons of love like Romeo and Juliet, but those two are not around to give love advice so in the article they turn to Peggy sue. Her idea of love is "I think, I really believe, that on a rare occasion, two people in life run across each other in a path like two comets. And when it happens, I think that feeling lasts forever." Her ideas about the song written in her honor have developed over the years as well as her ideas of love. At first she only heard the catchy lyrics and beat but as she grows older it is more of a love song about never giving up.
Link to Article:cnn.com
MLA:
Greene, Bob. "Commentary: Peggy Sue and a love so rare and true".cnn.com. 22 March 2009. 22 March 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/22/greene.peggy.sue/index.html?iref=newssearch

War(#13)

When thinking of war you think of far away places but there is a developing war south of the U.S. The war between the Mexican Drug cartel and the government. Especially in Juarez Mexico the violent drug cartels have been murdering and corrupting the police force. The police chief was forced to resign because of the threat of the dangerous cartel to kill one officer every day he remained in the position.This organized crime of money laundering, kidnapping and killing is turning into a war. The Mexican government is coming up with systems to prevent the drug cartel's power from growing and corrupting the military stationed in Juarez as well. They only have soldiers stationed in one place for a maximum of 2 months and then move them to a new location to prevent corruption. Another plan that is being put into action is cleaning up the police force. They are investigating the force to make sure it is working appropriately and everyone working on it is working against the drug cartel and not for them. Also you may think that they brought this on themselves and it has nothing to do with the united states but that is far from the truth. From recent raids the police have found military rifles purchased off the internet from the U.S. so we are not as remove from this problem as we think we are. I found this article on cnn.com it is called "Nine bodies found in common grave near Ciudad Juarez, Mexico" by Mayra Cuevas.
Link to article: cnn.com
MLA:
Cuevas, Mayra. "Nine bodies found in common grave near Ciudad Juarez, Mexico". cnn.com. 15 March 2009. 15 March 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/03/14/mexico.bodies.found/index.html?iref=newssearch.

Imperialism and Colonization(#12)

Before and during world war two Japan had invaded China and was killing their people and colonizing. Although many previous leaders have apologized for their aggression before and during the war the Military chief denied their actions during the war. His denial of the events got his job taken away. It seems that everyone except for him has realized that they wronged china during the war and have apologized. Their aggression against china included killing, raping and colonization. They would also take their women as sex slaves but they called them "comfort women" for the men of the imperial army. On many anniversaries of the wars end multiple prime ministers have apologized for their participation and they have vowed that Japan will never again take "the path to war". The violent colonization of this time was a terrible reflection on Japan but their many apologies have shown their remorse and how badly they fell for the victims and their families. I found this article at cnn.com it is called "Japan fires military chief over WWII denial".
link to article:cnn.com
MLA: "Japan fires military chief over WWII denial". cnn.com. 3 November 2008. 15 March 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/03/japan.war.role/index.html?iref=newssearch

Global Issue(#11)

The earthquake last May in China was tragic causing a high death toll. The thing most discussed was the collapse of numerous schools, killing large numbers of children. The death of so many students caused questions to fly about the construction. Questioning the quality of the school buildings also initiated the question of how many children dead? When Wei Hong, a vice Governor of the province hit the hardest, was asked this question he claimed like many other officials asked, that there was no official tally yet. This would be thought to be an honest answer if it was only a few months after the fact but 10 months later, all communities know their final death toll. As well as the questionable claims parents of children who were killed are being bribed and threatened not to speak with anyone about the topic of school construction. The building process and the remaining structure of the schools is being investigated. The schools were either poorly built or just fell with all of the other surrounding them. Either way the earthquake was a tragedy and i hope the coming buildings will have enough strength for the natural disasters to come.
Link to Article: nytimes.com
Bradsher, Keith. "Chinese Official Blames Quake, Not Construction, for Schools’ Collapse". March 8 2009. March 8 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/world/asia/09sichuan.html?ref=world

Holidays(#10)

When you think of holidays most people think of good times with family and friends, everyone getting along (most of the time), and sometimes gifts. But on one holiday everything changes, April fools day. A day dedicated to playing pranks, humiliating others and maybe even getting a little embarrassed yourself. Do you ever ask yourself, where did this day of trickery and jokes originate from? In the article "The History of April Fools Day" that question is answered. It originated because of the switch of the European new year celebration in 1582 from March twenty-fifth until April first to January first. During this time word could not spread quickly due to lack of long distance communication, the word of the change did not spread for a while so people went on celebrating in March and April. After word had spread all around France still some people refused the changed and continued on in the old way. All those sticking to the old ways were mocked on the first of April because of their obsolete ways. The jesting of the people who were behind the times, the joking became more wide spread. Anyone is a target on the one day of the year when playing a prank is expected.
Link to Article: history of April fools
"history of april fools". March 4 2009. http://www.christianet.com/holidays/historyofaprilfoolsday.htm.

Bollywood(#9)

To Americans Bollywood movies can seem too dramatic and unrealistic but if they meant the same thing to them as they did to Indians they would have different feelings entirely. For natives of India and their children Bollywood movies are about love, religion and respect. The article compares asking an Indian why they like Bollywood is like asking why do you love your mother? Its an easy answer, they were born with it, in some Indian homes around the world there are always Bollywood movies being played or songs being sung. It is not only the plotline that has people hooked, it’s the musical numbers. Some Bollywood movies have many song and dance numbers; they are believed to send messages better than dialogue. The tempo of the song, the way they dance and the setting help express feelings better than just speaking. I read the article “Bollywood Confidential” by Suketu Mehta online to learn all of this on Bollywood and their huge following.
Link to article: Bollywood
Mehta, Suketu. "Bollywood Confidential". November 14 2004. March 1 2009. http://www.suketumehta.com/nytm.html

Culture(#8)

There are different cultures everywhere you look even if you don't notice, for example a Junior High School on the Bronx. Junior High 22 in the Bronx is a mainly black and hispanic school, they had gone through six principlas in about 2 years. When they brought in their seventh they thought it was just the same thing and that as the students they would remain in control of the school. But this was a different case. In 2004 Shimon Waronker, a part of the Chabad-Lubavitch sect of Hasidic Judaism, was named the seventh principal of the school. He did not hide his religion going into this culturally different school, he had his beard and wore a black hat and a velvet yarmulke. When the school met him the talk of the students and faculty was ‘You’re not going to believe who’s running the show’. With their new principal everything changed grades and attendance went up 93 percent. He created a student congress so they could learn about leadership, he got leadership books for every student. Although he did have his obsticles like getting gang culture out of the school and keeping the school from closing, with his leadership the school showed vast improvements. People though that Shimon Waronker religion and the students culture was too different and this would be a disaster but all those who doubted were wrong. I read the article "In Bronx School, Culture Shock, Then Revival" by Elissa Goodman at nytimes.com.
Goodman, Elissa. "In Bronx School, Culture Shock, The Revival". February 8 2008. February 25 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/nyregion/08principal.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&sq=culture&st=cse&scp=10.

Change(#7)

On cnn.com i recently watched a video called "cell phones on planes" it was obviously about cellphone usage on airplanes. Recently on some non U.S. airplanes changed to allow cellphone usage to be permitted. Although only certain phone plans can connect while in the air you may place calls, text message, e-mail, and connect to the Internet. This is all for a small fee of course. The main motivation for the airlines to do this is because the increase in customers because of the convenience phones being permitted combined with the fee over time the small fees of many customers adds up to a lot. Also it you think it would be annoying to have the passenger next to you making a call and talking the whole flight then you can request that they turn off the calling feature and only allow Internet and texting. I think this is a big change and will affect the way we travel a lot.
Link to clip:cnn.com
"cell phones on planes". cnn.com. February 21 2009. February 22 2009. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2009/02/19/finighan.spain.sonim.plaschke.cnn

Hope(#6)

I recently read an article on cnn.com called "Missing Florida girl's relatives plead for her return". The article talks about a young girl in florida who was abducted about a week ago. She lived in a trailer park with her father, brother and her father's girlfriend. The father's girlfriend was watching the children, she put them to sleep around 8 pm and when the girlfirend realized the trailor was open and the young girl was missing she did not call the police. She waited until the father was home them reported her missing. The police are in serious investigation they have taken a sexual predator who lives a mile from their trailor into custody for a procaution, but he wears a global positioning device and that night it did not read anywhere near their trailor. The father, brother and grandparents are holding out hope for the finding of the young girl. They have some leads and they will not give up hope that she will be returned to her family safely.
Link to article: CNN.com
MLA: "Missing Florida girl's relatives plead for her return".cnn.com. February 20 2009. February 18 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/02/19/haleigh.cummings/index.html?iref=newssearch.

Religion(#5)

I read an article from the New york times called "How India Reconciles Hindu Values and Biotech" by Pankaj Mishra. The article is about the benefit on India that the end of stem cell research in the U.S. has caused. The catholic religion just like Hindu both believe that life starts in the womb and doing anything to the cell after it begins to form no matter how early is killing a person. This belief is shown in the Hindu religion by a story about a baby in his mothers stomach heard his father describing a military plan and after the boy was born and grown up he used the military strategy himself. Eventhough it is frowned upon in the U.S. without them as competition this allows India to step ahead in that area of science. They are cloning endangered animals native to India, this would be considered a good thing except by the time they have animals coming out of the lad the Indian countryside may not be fit for animals anymore and they will have no place to put them. This was an interesting article because i always though hinduism was so different from my religion but they showed some big similarities with a life being formed even at the earliest state.
Link to article: nytimes.com
Mishra,Pankaj. "How India Reconciles Hindu Values and Biotech."cnn.com. Agust 21 2005. February 15 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/21/weekinreview/21mishra.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Gender Roles/Issues(#4)

In the present things are changing before the man of the house always had a full time job and earned most or all of the money, he supports the family. But currently there are many families where the woman has a full time job and earns most or all of the money. Even though women want equality with their husband and their husband says they think of women equally, statistics show that not many people are honestly comfortable with a women earning all of the money and the husband staying home and doing "women's work". The reason is that men get pride and a sens of providing when they set up their family financially but when you see a man providing domestically for their family they are seen as not helping equally if there is not a dollar amount. I learned all of this from an article from the new york times by M.P. Dunleavey called A Breadwinner "Rethinks Gender Roles". I thought that this was an interesting article because everyone now assumes that everyone thinks of men and women equal and have no problem with the women working and the man staying home but realistically no one is truly comfortable with that situation.
Link to the article: NYTIMES.com
Dunleavey, M.P. "A Breadwinner Rethinks Gender Roles." nytimes.com. january 27 2007. February 11 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/27/business/27instincts.html?scp=1&sq=gender%20roles&st=cse.

Different Cultures(#3)

Recently i read an article from the new york times called "Different Rules for Different Cultures: Be Prepared" by Doree Lewak. The article is about weddings from different religions and cultures, it talks about complicated rituals and duties of some weddings and also the appropriate behavior at different types of weddings.The stories in this article were good and bad. One story involved a woman getting drunk at a wedding where there was no drinking and making their cultural dance inappropriate. Although that experience was a disaster there were some that turned out very well when the friends of the bride and groom have a new appreciation for their friends culture. Some couples don't appropriately prepare their guests for the traditions and there ends up being some embarrassment involved, but some couples like a Jewish couple discussed in the article who put on their invitations "modest attire requested" to indicate to their guests that they should be well covered to avoid an awkward situation. I thought this article was very interesting because i think that a lot of people get into this situation and the advice of doing your research before is a good idea.
link:newyorktimes.com
Lewak, Doree. "Different Rules for Different Cultures: Be Prepared". nytimes.com. December 12 2008. February 8 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/fashion/weddings/14field.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Overcoming Struggles(#2)

I read an article from cnn.com called "Life-threatening illness helps couple get money smart" by Stephanie Chen. The story is about a young couple just out of college, Elliot and Lindsay. At the age of 23 Elliot was diagnosed with leukemia. All of his hospital bills and treatments cost so much. He was so lucky to be able to recover. But in this economy it took a lot for their money situation to recover. Luckily when Elliot had to leave work his company saved his position until he recovered and Lindsay worked at a college and took free night classes, knowing that with a higher education she could get a better job. They lived in a small run down apartement, they had a small wedding with an inexpensive honeymoon to florida. Theyy also cut costs by only eating out once or twice a month and taking public transportation to work daily. When they did all of this they could afford their first house and were well off financially. I thought it was great how they overcame health and economic issues together.
link to article: cnn.com
MLA:
Chen, Stepahnie. "life threatening illness helps couple get money smart."CNN.com. 29 January 2009. 1 February 2009.http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/01/29/survival.wk2.devores/index.html

Natural Disaster(#1)

On cnn.com i read an article called 'Kentucky National Guard goes door to door to deliver aid.' The article was about the recent ice storm in Kentucky and how it is being called the worst natural disaster in the modern history of the state. When the storm hit trees, power lines and almost everything outside was frozen. Branches fell causing severe danger and damage to buildings and homes. In some areas there is no power and it is said that it will probably be off for maybe 7 more days. Without power in most homes schools and other large public buildings are open as shelters. There have been 21 deaths but not all of them have been directly liked to the ice storm. Some of the deaths were caused by people bringing their charcoal grills and improperly vented generators into their house for heat. I think that this sounds like a terrible situation because you would have no power and heat so you couldn't stay in your own home and it also sounds like it could be a while before the power will go back on. I hope the power is back on soon and that people find a safe and effective way to heat their homes in the meantime.
link to article:cnn.com
MLA:
Rose, Andy. "Troups mark homes;Kentucky is warned of strong winds." CNN.com. 1 February 2009. 1 February 2009.http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/weather/02/01/winter.weather/index.html

Men Stoned to Death in Iran(#15)

Recently i read an article on cnn.com called 'Men Stoned to Death For Adultery, Murder in Iran'. In this article it talked about how before it was banned, in Iran they would stone people to death. They would bury the person in a hole up to their neck so they couldn't get out then they would allow stones that are "large enough to cause pain, but not so large as to kill the victim immediately" to be thrown until they die which increases the suffering and time of the death. This was used as a punishment for many crimes, in this article it talked about it being used after the ban was set two men were stoned to death and a third one escaped his hole and is waiting for his punishment. In the past it was more common for women to be stoned because of their level of illiteracy they would sign confessions to crimes they did not commit because they could not read it. I thought this punishment sounded extremely painful and dragged out i hope that no more people have to face the same fate. I this article was also very informative.
link to article: cnn.com

Eclipse By Stephanie Meyer(#14)

Recently i started reading a book called eclipse by Stephanie Meyer. It is the third of four books in the twilight series. The series is about a teenager Bella Swan who just moved to Forks Washington to live with her dad, when she goes to her new school she meets Edward Cullen. Edward is a part of the very mysterious Cullen family who no one knows much about. In the first book Bella discovers their secret, they are a family of vampires. They are not your ordinary vampires they don't drink human blood they only feed off of animal blood. Throughout the first two books they eventually fall in love during the second book they go through some tough times but in the end they end up together. In the second book Bella makes friends with Jacob who turn out to be a werewolf. Werewolves and vampires are sworn enemies and that caused some issues when Bella and Edward get back together. So far in the third book nothing much has happened besides Bella trying to convince Edward to turn her into a vampire so she can live forever with him and never age. I like this series its pretty good it just takes me a while to get into the books but i am excited to see whats going to happen.

If smoking is so bad for you, who still does it?(#13)

It is pretty commonly known knowledge that smoking greatly increases you risk of getting lung cancer, emphysema,chronic bronchitis, and a lot of other health issues. But if you think about how much we hear about how bad smoking is and what it does to you you still see people on the street corners smoking, i recently read an article called 'If smoking is so bad for you, who still does it?' by Andrea M. Kane on cnn.com. It talked about how all we hear about smoking is how bad it is but there are still people smoking, it explains the main demographic of those people and why6 they do it. They talked about how as level of education increases there are less and less people smoke, a lot of smokers who are older started when it was the norm to smoke and no one knew how bad it was. They talked about people recalling how there were ash trays in church pews and you could smoke in the delivery room after giving birth to a baby. The article also talked about although it is viewed as something severely challenged people do even former presidents and our future president all smoke. I thought this was a great article because it made sense to me that why are people still smoking if it costs so much and you know how bad it is for you.
link to article: cnn.com

How to Add Years to Your Life(#12)

On cnn.com there was a blog posted by doctor Gupta called 'How to Add Years to Your Life'. It talked about the small and easy things you can do daily to add years onto your life and keep you healthy longer. One way he listed was to floss daily, gum disease has a direct connection to heart disease so flossing can help prevent two things, and it was proven to add an extra year onto your life. Another suggestion was to limit yourself to two cups of coffee a day, that would add one more year. Daily small doses of aspirin could add two years onto your life. Checking blood pressure regularly, cutting down work hours to 45 to 50 hours a week and excersizing three times a week adds a couple more years onto your life. If you do all of those things you could add up to a decade onto your life. I thought that this article was cool because of all of the easy things you can do to keep yourself around longer and healthier longer.
link to article: cnn.com

Jobless 'transformed' with right clothes(#11)

I read an article from cnn.com called 'Jobless 'transformed' with right clothes'. The article was about an organization called dress for success. Dress for success is an organization for the unemployed who are looking for a job or have an interview. If they can not afford proper business attire dress for success offers free donated business suites. The organization has been feeling the drop in the economy, this year the unemployed people coming for suites has doubled in most of the locations. Because of the layoff more people are in search of jobs and because of the economy most of the jobless don't have enough money to get suites. I think that this organization sound really unique. There are a lot of charities getting food which is important and houses which are also important but for those people in need to get out of poverty they have to get a job and this is an inventive way to help for the getting a job process. i think this article is a good thing also because it is getting the word out to people in need and people who well off financially and could donate the business attire that they don't use anymore. Over all this sounds like a great organization.
link to article: cnn.com

Charting the psychology of evil, decades after 'shock' experiment(#10)

i read an article called 'Charting the psychology of evil, decades after 'shock' experiment' from cnn.com by Elizabeth Landau. The article talks about an experiment con ducted by Stanley Milgram in the 1960's. He would take one person and put them in a room and told them they were to teach a student in the next room a pair of words and if they got them wrong the teacher was to turn on a shock machine which delivers innocent person in the next room a 450 voltage shock. Of course this shock was fake and there was no person in the other room there was a recording of painful reactions. But the teacher in the other room didn't know that but some people continued to deliver the shock until the person stoped making noises and some refused to continue. this experiment revealed that if someone seems to have some authority over a person the person will obey their orders no matter what.Recently the experiment has been recreated but they used people who were not familiar with the earlier experiment. In this case though they told the subject that they could stop shocking the student whenever they wanted to but there was really no large change in the results less that fifty percent of the subjects continued the shocking. This experiment displayed that good people can do evil things just based on orders given by a superior. i thought that this was very interesting article.
link to the article:cnn.com

Necessity vs. luxury: What makes resolutions stick?(#9)

I read an article called 'Necessity vs. luxury: What makes resolutions stick?' on cnn.com by Madison Park. This article talks about the most popular new years resolutions and how people justify cheating in their goals and how to keep on track. The article says that for example if someone it trying to lose weight and they skip a workout and have a dessert after dinner and they feel guilty about it so they make excuses for themselves like it was a long day and i don't feel good. But as they do that they makes themselves fell like that is okay to do then they end up putting it of and maybe never even reaching their goal. The top three new years resolutions this year are to loose weight, quit smoking and save money. All of those resolutions can not be achieved without determining what is necessity and luxury. In a study the subjects called bottled water, umbrella, laptop, lamps, suits, Internet service and mouthwash necessities and gym membership, soft drink, beer, coffee, cable and bicycle as luxuries. When i read this i was surprised i think that everything on the necessity list that belong on the luxury.The researchers recommended that when you set a goal you should make it specific with a plan of action so you can not justify all of you slip ups and achieve your goal faster.
Link to the article: cnn.com

Confessions of a gas station owner(#8)

Recently i read an article called confessions of a gas station owner by J.D. Both on CNN.com. The article talked about how the higher gas prices makes the gas station loose money. Gas accounts for 70 percent of the sales but accounts for only 30 percent or the profits. The rest of the profits come from food, drink and tabacco sales. When the gas prices get higher customers are less willing to go into the actual store and buy something that makes the gas station more money instead of the gas which they get the same amount from that no matter the price. Gas stations have put in ATM machines and sell lottery tickets to drive people into the store so once they are inside they will want to buy food a drink or a tabacco product which keeps up the profits of the gas stations. i thought this was a very interesting because you would think that the higher the prices the more profit but in this case it is the opposite the higher the price the lower the profit.
link to the article: cnn.com