Blog #8

Emerging Culture of Respect
By an Unknown Author

This Article from the Manila Times in the Philippines explains the view, of the Filipino author, of our culture before and after it was affected by the first commands by our president Barack Obama. The author explains that Obama’s actions of closing down all detention centers and the use or torture were greatly appreciated by human activists across the world. Views in the article make it seem that the fact that our American society had torture and detention centers that we are not to be respected by others countries that do not have these as punishment options. I do agree with that article that we are becoming a more acceptable society in that way. I also think that we were not necessarily a bad society before either. The author comments that our last president George W. Bush made many mistakes and that Barack has said that he will fix all of them. Also the author said that “President Obama should not make the same tragic mistake—for the good of the USA and mankind” (Unknown Author). I agree with this as well. With President Barack Obama I believe that our country is in much better hands.

Author unknown. "Emerging Culture of Respect." Manila Times 24 Jan 2009 25 Feb 2009 .

Blog #7

Accepting Change in Negative Economic Times
By Suzanna de Baca

The author of this article tells us about a book he has read that gave him insight on a new way to see the change of our society and our own personal views that he believes should be positive. The person who writes the book, A Quest to Wholeness, which Baca speaks about, is by Robert Brumet. His ideas are that we should accept the changes we are encountering because it will bring us to a new and better place. Most people believe that change is a bad thing since so many people are losing their jobs and their stocks are not stable as they were told they would be. Brumet wants us to view this as the “glass is half full” vs. the “glass is half empty”. The article says that we should not be pessimistic and resistant to the changes and we should look at them and think that there are many more opportunities for us. I agree with them both, as I grew up whenever I was upset about something my mom would say “Is the glass half full or half empty?” and I would have to tell her something that would make the glass “half full” and so far I think it has helped me get through though things at school and with friends and also I feel like I apply that concept to many things in my everyday life.

Baca , Suzanna de. "Accepting Change in Negative Economic Times." Expert Business Source 05 11 2008 22 Feb 2009 .

Blog #6

When the Bus Driver Cried
By Ed Rowell

At first I wasn’t sure if this article would work for someone seeking hope but once I read the whole thing I finally understood. In his article was about a bus driver who took kinder garden students who didn’t have necessarily the best families to and from school. One afternoon he was pulling into the bus garage and he notice that a little boy, Ryan, was still on the bus because he had fallen asleep and missed him stop. So the bus driver took him home. A few months later, near Halloween, all the kids were dressed up in costumes for the holiday; Ryan was dressed as a vampire. After his last stop the bus driver went home. The next morning was a Saturday and the bus driver was reading the paper, a child had died at the Halloween party that the kids he drove to school had gone to. The child who dies had been trapped under a heavy piece of gymnastic equipment and died. This child who died was Ryan. So the bus driver went to the funeral and shared a moment with Ryan’s mom. He wanted to comfort her in her time of hope that her child was in a better place and that she would be able to live without him. In this period of comforting he mentioned that god also had gone though this experience because he too had lost a son. By Christmas time the bus driver was having a hard time with a stomach ache that wouldn’t go away so he went to the hospital to get it checked out. The doctors believed that he had appendicitis. As the bus driver laid on the gurney he felt a shot of something that took the pain away then saw a woman who looked like Ryan’s mom come in. she ended up being the nurse and she could tell he was in pain. She wanted to thank him for his words of inspiration that helped her though the tough time after Ryan’s death. As she took his blood she said this and he then felt much better about the experience at the funeral, because he had thought he had caused her more pain, but in the end his hope to make her grieving less had worked. Their hope was similar to Rukmani’s because she also lost a son and she turned to god to seek help in her life afterwards.

Rowell, Ed. "When The Bus Driver Cried." Christianity today November/December 1997 18 Feb 2009 .

Blog #5

How India Reconciles Hindu Values and Biotech
By Mishra Pankaj

India’s scientists are looking forward to having a chance to bring together Hindu values and stem cell research. George Bush has restricted any financing from the federal government to help stem cell research since the evangelical Christians from the Republican Party are against it. American scientists are jealous that India’s scientists can have this research since based off their religion, which is what Gandhi was inspired by; they shouldn’t be able to do the research either. If you take a deeper look into the Hindu religion there is 2 stories that wouldn’t support the American scientist’s arguments. One of the stories suggests that a woman took her extra skin and left it with herbs had produced 100 children from it. The other story is about how a pregnant woman fell asleep during a part of a war that her husband was in because she was tired then when the child was older and was fighting during the same part of fighting he was killed because he falters, showing that life begins in the womb. I think that scientists should have the right to research whatever they are comfortable with researching because if they even had the idea to go against their religion they might not be as religious as some. Also not everyone has a religion and if they are scientists they could easily find cures for many things and expand the scientific knowledge if they were not restricted by the government.

Mishra, Pankaj. "How India Reconciles Hindu Values and Biotech." The New York Time 21 Aug 2005 2. 16 Feb 2009 .

Blog #4

Men With Traditional Views on Sex Roles Earn More Money

By Jeanna Bryner

Men in higher roles in companies gain more money if they have gender bias views. Studies show that these men that are bias do have higher income then men who believe that women are equal. Also the bias men have more of a chance to gain a higher position in their company. The stereotypical gender roles come into play in this study. Women still are trying to fulfill the homemaker, wife stereotype and men still are trying to fulfill the stereotype of bringing the money to the family. Unlike what most people think should be happening in this generation, women having more power in large companies and men doing more things at home with the families. I think that women do have the right to be the heads of major companies and men should be at home spending more time at home with their kids. I think our society is getting closer to this but with the recession there is not enough jobs for this to be a highly liked option.

Bryner, Jeanna . "Men With Traditional Views on Sex Roles Earn More Money." U.S. News 22 Sept 2008 1. 10 Feb 2009 .

Blog #3

West African Villagers Stake Their Fortunes on the Future Price of Rice
By Lydia Polgreen

In Senegal the prices of rice and other crops are rising. Local farmers are worried that their crop that they doubled the production of in the last year will not have the great outcome that they had expected. Global farming has not had a good outcome which is what started the worries. Senegal in the previous year had to stop their exports of crops because they didn’t have enough for their own country. This caused riots over the poor nations across the world. There is a good outcome to this though; the farmers in Africa could now make their crops competitive as well. In the end the price of the farming materials was too high and farmers were not able to make their dreams of being rich come true. This culture is very different from ours. We do not depend on our crops to supply the needs for our country. I think it is interesting that we have different cultures still with how close we have gotten with people around the world though something that seems so simple, the internet.

Polgreen, Lydia. "West African Villagers Stake Their Fortunes on the Future Price of Rice." New York Times 25 Jan 2009 1-2. 8 Feb 2009 .

Blog #2

Remote and Struggling, but Still a Bit of America
By Dan Barry

The Eskimo village of Akiachak, in Alaska, has town elders that have written a federal lawsuit demanding that election ballots and referendum questions are in their language of Yup’ik. Many families would like to know who they are voting for and not have to have a translator there. They are worried that they with the high prices of gasoline and heating oil prices they will many more of the peoples will have to move away from their village. In the town store a 12-ounce bag of Lay’s potato chips is $7.39, a 19-ounce can of Progresso beef barley soup is $4.29 and is 20-ounce box of Cheerios is $8.29. The elders of the town are trying to keep their original traditions with the next generation but many of them are more interested in getting iPods then learning about their own history and culture. I think that they should be able to get the voting ballads in Yup’ik since they are so concerned that they have a lawsuit demanding for it. Especially after the scandals that I have heard about where there was possible bias in the translators.

Barry, Dan. "Remote and Struggling but Still a Bit of America." New York Times. 5 October2008. 2 February 2009. <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/us/06land.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1>

Blog #1 3rd Quarter

Snow gamble that ended in tragedy for climbers

By Paul Kelbie and David Smith

In the mountains of the Scottish Highlands a group of men risked their lives by staying their journey climbing the mountain even with the risk of an avalanche. 3 of the men lost their life’s in the avalanche, one man managed to get off the mountain and call for help and then was brought into the hospital with major shoulder injuries. A mountaineer who was familiar to the mountain said, "As the first climber neared the top, a slab of snow, around 300 meters wide, slipped and gave way." 9 climbers total were rescued. The Avalanche Information Service website said that the chance of an avalanche was considerable. In my opinion I don't see how if you know that there is a large possibility that there is an avalanche that you shouldn't be taking the risk to climb the mountain in the first place.

Kelbie, Paul. Smith, David. "Snow gamble that ended in tragedy for climbers." The Observer 25 Jan 2009 1. 2 Feb 2009 .