Bless Me, Ultima (chapters 15-16)

Okay, first off, I'd like to say I'm only doing these two chapters because my last post consisted of chapters right through fourteen. Also, a Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you are all enjoying your vacation. I think it's funny that we read the part of the book that takes place at Christmas on Christmas day. And I knew Ultima was going to have some sort of trouble. I knew it. I applaud her though, because she doesn't make it seem like it having any negative effect on her. Especially after saving Antonio's uncle's life and dealing with Tenorio and his daughters. I also think Antonio is looking forward to his First Communion because it will bring him closer to God and to the path he must choose with having to pick his career and all. Also, it may bring up another aspect to believing in the magic gold carp. Which I still think is strange. But it is what it is. I just really hope everything goes okay with Ultima and Tenorio. Though I have a hunch there will be a big battle between them because of all this build up of anticipation occuring between them.

Fear Factor is Back!

Yes, that's right, the beloved Fear Factor is back. It first aired in 2001, then started dwindling in 2006 once new reality shows such as "Jersey Shore" and "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" started showing up. I'm personally pretty excited to see it back. I remember when I used to watch the show with my family. As gross as it was, we loved it. But I just recently watched one of the new episodes and it definitely bring me back. With the same host, Joe Rogan, and same format as before, it will attract many of the old fans. Also, with Joe Rogan commentating on Ultimate Fighter, he may attract a few of his fighting fans as well. This show has definitely always freaked me out. Bugs and creepy crawly things scare me. And I can't even imagine how awful it would be to eat a live scorpion.
The purpose of this article is to promote, as well as entertain. It's promoting the show and more importantly, the resurrection of the show. The new Fear Factor is bigger and better than it was before. As Rogan says, "'Our limit to pull someone through the air used to be 100 feet and to drop them was like 10 feet, but yesterday we pulled someone 600 feet through the air and dropped them 150 feet. There was no way that we could've done that six years ago. It basically means we're just always trying to top ourselves now.'" (Lang, quoting Rogan). The article also informs viewers of what exactly happened to Fear Factor, how it had trouble competing with other reality shows so it slowly dwindled. After leaving, the producers went to work on Wipe Out. Then, they decided to retry Fear Factor. And because of all the new technology, they were able to make things bigger and badder and scarier.






Article: 'Fear Factor" crawls back to TV by Derrik J. Lang

Bless Me, Ultima (8-14)

The book is definitely getting more interesting as I continue reading it. I think there's something about this type of foreign witchcraft that interests me. It's not the typical type that is found in stories like, "The Crucible" that I've heard of many times. It's quite different. It's more on the "earthy" side, I guess you could say. It's more of remedies involving herbs and other such things. That was one of my favorite parts in this section of reading. I liked how Ultima asked Antonio to come with to help heal his uncle. I secretly think that Ultima, who is kind if the only one to really know his destiny, chose for him to take her place when she's gone. He certainly can handle it, especially since he proved himself worthy after helping Ultima heal his uncle. Antonio is a spiritual person, who has important dreams, making it very possible to help Ultima as his future instead of being a priest.
Which brings me to the next topic of the magical golden carp. He starts to question his own god for the belief that this fish is god. I think that's pretty weird. I also think he is doubting himself because instead of believing in a god he must trust to exist, this carp is actually there. There's no imagining of a god when he sees this carp with his own eyes. I think it's weird to worship a fish and all, but hey, whatever floats your boat, Antonio.

Bless Me, Ultima (1-7)

First off, I'd like to say that I wish I knew Spanish. That would help me so much while reading this book, as there are many Spanish phrases and lines throughout. However, I do manage to understand what the kind of mean just by using context clues and whatnot.
In the beginning chapters, I've had difficulty getting through pages at a time. But I feel as though the book is getting better and better as I continue. I cannot believe that Antonio is only six years old right now. Why would a six year old chase his father and another man into the night when they are going after a killer? I feel as though the younger you are, the more fearless you are. You aren't afraid to make mistakes.
I really like how Antonio's dreams are so involved with the story. Just by knowing the first dream lets you know that his dreams will play a significant part in this story.
So far, I really like Ultima. She is very kind yet mysterious and I like that the audience is left trying to figure her out. I feel like something will happen to her later in the story that will turn people against her eventually.
I also don't know how I feel about Antonio having to choose his destiny t such a young age. I know it seems to be a big deal with family history and everything, but a mother telling her six year old son that he is to be a priest when he grows up leaves no decision for him. It's like telling your child to be an accountant. Childhood is when you explore your options and see what you're good at and discover passions.
These are my thoughts on the beginning impression of the story. More rambling to come next time!

And the winner for Losing their Campaign in 30 Seconds or Less Goes To....

Rick Perry. Total jerk. He seriously does not know his audience at all. For those of you who didn't see his new ad, here it is:
You'll agree with my above statement after seeing this.

What this idiot is talking about is fighting for religion in America, and comparing it to gays serving in the military. I am disgusted by this man. He says, "I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a Christian, but you don’t need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school." Then, to dig the hole deeper, he continues, "As president, I’ll end Obama’s war on religion. And I’ll fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage." I can't even describe the stupidity of this man. Clearly, the author agrees with me. 
First off, you can tell the article is supposed to provide some humor with its title, "Rick Perry: More disliked than Rebecca Black". I thought it was funny. She starts it talking about how other candidates should send him thank you cards and balloons. Because this pretty much means that Rick Perry will not make it far in this campaign. The author's purpose is to persuade (although I hardly think anyone agrees with Perry) and definitely to entertain. I agree with Mary when she says, "OK, you gays openly serving in the military! President Perry is going to mind-wipe everyone you’ve come out to! And then he’s going to put a Nativity scene in every classroom! Because that’s what the Founding Fathers would have wanted." (Williams). She even goes on to say, "Excuse me, I have to go wipe these copious tears of derisive laughter off my cheeks." (Williams). She also compares Perry's viral video to that of another hated video from Rebecca Black. This ties in the title of the article to the article.


Article: "Rick Perry: More dislikes than Rebecca Black" by Mary Elizabeth Williams

City Rankings Are Always Wrong

     Have you ever been watching the news and hear talk of "the friendliest cities" or "the safest cities" and try to see where your city landed on the list? I remember watching those pop up on the news every now and then. And I remember thinking, "how do they pinpoint these statistics, exactly?" Well, the thing is, they aren't accurate. In fact, the statistics they use to make these lists don't make much sense either. According to this article, the "saddest U.S. cities" are based on suicidal rates, amount of antidepressants used, rate of unemployment, and other similar statistics. But the thing is, everybody is different. There is no one way to make these lists based on stats that are different from person to person. If someone wanted to go somewhere based on these lists, they really shouldn't believe them. Use individual statistics that are important to you, not "best places to raise a family". Because it is most likely not what you think it is.
     I really like how the author starts off his article with a conversational approach. "Hey, Memphis: Are you happy? Are you sure? Because Men’s Health magazine isn’t so certain." (Doig) catches the readers' attention. The conversational tone makes the article seem like it doesn't require much repertoire to read. He makes several good points while writing this article, and uses facts and examples to back up his argument. Clearly, he was against these lists of top U.S. cities, because he definitely swayed my opinion. Now, I can tell my mom she shouldn't be too sure when she tells me as well as many other people what the "top partying colleges in the U.S." are.


Article: "Why city rankings always get it wrong" by Will Doig

Science Behind Taste: How the Brain Creates Flavor

So, pretty much what this article said was how the brain works while eating food, along with your other senses. I found it to be very interesting. Did you know that the sense of smell has a huge impact on the sense of taste? I didn't, until I read this article. Smell is for sensing the flavor of food. People don't know that because majority of people think your taste of food comes entirely from your mouth. That's wrong. Actually, "the sense of smell was the dominant sense in flavor." (Tepper, quoting Gordon M. Shepherd). Now I know that when someone asks me which sense I'd give up out of all of them, to not say smell. Because without smell you don't have taste. Also, there are really two different ways of smelling. Orthonasal (sniffing in) and retronasal (the way we smell with food in our mouths). Texture and color also have a big impact on what you eat as well. You can really be fooled by what you're eating based on the color it is. It gives us the expectation of the flavor of what we're about to eat. Also mentioned in the article is how you can fool experienced wine tasters by dying white wine red.
The article, actually it was more of an interview with Gordon M. Shepherd about his new book, Neurogastronomy: How the Brain Creates Flavor and Why It Matters. The author, Hannah Tepper, set up the article as more of a question and answer session, with the question in bold and Shepherd's answer following. I found that it made the article easier to read and you knew exactly what you were going to read about based on the question. The article was filled with lots of unknown fun facts. At least that's why I found it interesting. I feel like the author didn't really have a thesis; she was mainly writing this article to inform readers about things they may not have known about smell and taste and how the brain works with all of this.






Article: The Science of Taste by Hannah Tepper

Breaking Dawn. No Thank You.

First, before I start any true ranting, I know Kaylee Locke is going to not like this post, as she is one of my blogging partners as well as a huge fan of Twilight. So I should get ready for her comments.
But, yes, Twilight is not good. The books weren't good, and the movies aren't good. Sure, I did read the Twilight books in the seventh grade and was somehow brainwashed with all of the other girls that Twilight was fantastic. I quickly snapped out of that, thank god. I am now fully devoted to Harry Potter. For some reason, my sister was watching the second Twilight film today, and because I was painting something for school in the kitchen, I had no choice but to watch it. And I must say, it made me very angry. The characters, the story, the actors, all of it. It made me mad how shallow of a series this is.
But back to the article. This particular article bashes the new Twilight movie, Breaking Dawn. Part 1 of an unfortunate 2. I have yet to see the film, not that I even wanted to, but this guy's opinion and review of it doesn't make me want to see it even more. I guess the movie just drags on. There's the wedding and honeymoon of Bella and her lovely vampire, and then they find out that they're expecting some sort of creature as a result of that honeymoon. And then I guess it just ends. That's it.
The author obviously wants to stir up some drama, knowing that there are some die-hard twilight fans out there. He said the movie is just slow and boring. And it tries to be funny, but only generates one true laugh. That's it. And I agree with him while he talks about how pointless the whole series is in general. There was also a video review with these two guys talking about the film and how they didn't like it at all. The author uses tactics like clever little sayings  that just downgrade the movie. He says things like, "But, really, when you’ve spent your entire relationship trying to have sex with a nonhuman who won’t because the sex might kill you, it seems that pregnancy is perhaps the evening’s least shocking outcome." and "Otherwise, “Breaking Dawn’’ is just talking computer-generated werewolves, deplorable special effects, late-hour horror schlock, and a character cursed to be named “Renesmee.’’". Yep, no thank you, Breaking Dawn.

Article: "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1" by Wesley Morris

Adam Sandler: Tradegy

I love Adam Sandler. Well, at least, his earlier hilariously funny movies like "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore". I must say that his more recent movies like "Grown Ups" have been disappointing and they just seem forced. Like he's trying too hard to be funny now. I doesn't work. In this article, it's talking about how Adam Sandler is slowly declining, especially from his new movie, "Jack and Jill" where he plays both a man and a woman. I have not seen the movie, but I think the movie looks stupid just from the trailer. The article then compares Adam Sandler to Bill Murray; they both had their famous heyday where they were both well-known and funny. Then, Murray had a decline where he made several mistakes taking part in different movies. After, he had a very good roles in a few movies, then was well-respected again. He made a good choice and transitioned from really funny movies to more serious ones. And because Sandler is similar to Murray, everyone is hoping Sandler will make the same transition. I, too, am hoping he makes this transition because I am such a huge fan of Sandler.
The author of the article makes it clear what he (I'm pretty sure it's a he, his name is Toph so I'm just going to refer to him as a he) wants his audience to know: Adam Sandler is falling down this ladder he climbed so high in the late 80s and early 90s with his filmmaking career. I think it is very well done with his tactic of comparing Adam Sandler to Bill Murray while convincing his audience that Sandler needs to make a change with the films he is acting in. The way he starts out his article with bringing up Sandler's new film, "Jack and Jill", and the general reaction to it really helps draw his audience in. He brings up a very good point when comparing Sandler to Eddie Murphy and comedians similar to himself. He says, "Don’t go down the same path as Eddie Murphy or Martin Lawrence. Don’t spend another 25 years in fat suits, female wigs and baby costumes. Sandler still has a choice. I hope that before he selects his path, he remembers that it takes the makeup department five hours every morning to turn an actor into a Klump or a Big Momma." I find this to be very true. And, prior to reading this article, these thoughts have never really come up in my head this way. But because of Toph, I have now joined his side in thinking Adam Sandler needs to change things up.


Article: "The tragedy of Adam Sandler" by Toph Eggers

The Tomorrow Code (Outside Reading)

   I actually never thought I would actually pick up The Tomorrow Code in a book store and purchase it just based on how it looked. As you can see, the book looks like a very science-fiction type of book, which it is. I've never been one to read science-fiction. However, my aunt, who teaches high school Honors English and AP English, bought me this book and said her students recommended it. I started reading it. It was interesting. Then, as the story developed, I found that I could not put the book down because the tenseness of the situations and the anticipation was great. Sure it is science fiction, but it kind of feels like it could be possible. Maybe the slightest bit, but it could be possible.
     Behind all of the science fiction-ness, there is something with a relationship between two 14-year-olds who happen to be the best of friends, Tane and Rebecca. They're both quite smart and are the masterminds behind the apocalypse that could be destroying all of man kind. I enjoyed how Brian Falkner told the story. He made it seem like everything seemed normal, but underneath it all it actually wasn't. In reality, this dynamic duo was sending code messages through gamma ray bursts using NASA technology telling the present version of themselves winning numbers to a random lottery, and also that a mist consisting of giant antibodies were out to rid the world of humans altogether. Seems legit. Not really. But it's the way he tells the story that makes it seem like a possibility. How they both have nothing to lose and they should just trust their gut and go for it.
    I thought the ending was really well done. During the epic battle of humans vs. mist, the author switches point of view several times in a chapter, to show the thoughts of different people going through different stages of severity of the mist. The way he wrote allowed the audience to sense the tension of the moment and the suspense of the situation at hand. Then, when everything was over, he had one very last chapter. It was identical to the first, but instead of starting it off as "the end of the world", he started it off as, "the saving of the world". It showed how they were going to go through the same thing yet again, but now they had the ability to do it differently and perhaps come up with a different outcome.
    I really enjoyed this book. Even though I'm not really a science-fiction type of person, I liked this book. It offered action, drama, and just a hint of romance. It showed me that you can never really judge a book by it's cover, as extremely cliche that is.

The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner

1/6

Growing up in a family of six definitely has an impact on who I am today. I am the middle child. Well, technically a middle child; I have an older sister and a younger sister, and my older brother is just kinda there. I was always the good little child, or at least I tried to be. I try to be the least of a hassle when I can. My parents always had their attention on the oldest child who was incredibly smart and writing her own stories at the age of 7, or on the youngest who always needed the attention. My parents always had their hands full so I just tried to be easy for them. According to them, I never cried. When I woke up in the morning I would just lay in my crib and wait for one of them to get me instead of crying.
Being in a family of six, everyone has their own personality. We grow up with so many personalities, so we each have our own style. My brother has always been the hilarious one, my younger sister has always been the dramatic one, and my older sister has always been the role model. Me, I just kind of blended into the background. But because I grew up with so many people, I learned how to have fun. Slowly but surely, I have been coming out of my shell, and have been learning to take charge. Today, I am quite enthusiastic and happy, but I still know when I need to be quiet. I still take things I used to do from my childhood, like try an make my parents' lives easier, and continue to do them today.

Finally... A Flute!

If you know me, you know that I just adore the flute. And that is why this article caught my attention! It's basically about this 103 year old composer, Elliot Carter, who out of all 14 of his works, never wrote one for the flute. He said that he felt "that the flute could not produce the sharp attacks [he] use[s] so frequently". Now, as a flute player, I must say that the flute definitely can produce sharp attacks. Especially when double tonguing. I listened to some of this piece on youtube and found it to be very interesting. And you must be a beast flute player to pull this off. I wish I could play with someone of that ability. I really like this concerto. And personally,  I can't believe that a man over 100 years old has still got it.

Anthony Tommasini must be some sort of music critic or expert because the way he describes this concerto is fantastic. I like how he first started off with a little about Elliot Carter and how old he was, then went back to the actual performance in New York. I am in love with his description. Lines like, "It opens with startling, crisp orchestral chords that prod the flute into scurrying figures, quickly taken up by other instruments" and "takes off and builds to a final flourish of every-which-way spiraling figures" are definitely well thought out. It lets the audience know exactly what was going on without having them hear it. I feel like this article was geared toward, but definitely not limited to, an audience with more of a musical background because they might better understand the description and terminology used.

Article: Very Late in His Career, a Composer Tries a Flute by Anthony Tommasini

DERELICTE

For all of those Zoolander fans out there. This is the movie my family constantly quotes.

Picking a fight with the Cheeseheads on what they know best.

I must say, Wisconsin in one of my favorite places in the world. I go there to visit family every few years, and I always look forward to the cheese curds. They are so good. Even when my grandparents come to visit from Wisconsin, they always bring cheese curds which happen to disappear in a matter of days, maybe hours. I found it interesting that a group of doctors is picking a fight with the dairy state about how bad cheese is for you. Yes, it is bad for you. But it doesn't mean they should just hop on a plane to Wisconsin and start blaming them for everything. It's just not done. I really liked how the first retort came not from the citizens of Wisconsin, but the makers of the cheesehead hats, Foamation Inc. Wisconsin is the dairy state. Of course they are going to produce cheese. There are cheese factories everywhere. (I even went on an extremely boring tour of one a few years ago.) Just because they produce cheese doesn't mean they are controlling the amount of cheese people eat.
This author seems to be on the cheesehead's side for this article. Mary Elizabeth Williams does present facts against cheese, but then argues them with even stronger points for cheese. She uses good sources, quoting them throughout the article. I really liked how she used the analogy of, "Cheese, of course, is to Wisconsin what suicide-inducing rain is to Seattle: a way of life." She also does a good job defending Wisconsin, pointing out that the French are known for their cheese as well, but aren't getting reprimanded or punished for it. Wisconsin knows that a lot of cheese isn't good for you. Mary also points out, " Taking aim at "cheese" is like dissing "bread." It doesn't recognize the distinctions of varieties; it doesn't allow for the different ways in which it can be created and consumed." She also thinks fried cheese curds sound quite amazing. And they are. I'm sorry, it's almost lunch and I'm quite hungry, which may have influenced my selection of this article. I really like the punniness of Williams' last memorable sentence, "And maybe next time the PCRM [The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine] wants to get people to cut the cheese, they can start with a campaign that doesn't stink."

I'm just gonna leave this here for your enjoyment. These are fried cheese curds, kinda like mozzarella sticks, but waaaaay better.

Article: Is the Grim Reaper Gunning for Wisconsin's cheeseheads? by Mary Elizabeth Williams

Protesting Nudists in California

First off, after reading the article title my immediate thought was, "What the heck are these guys thinking?" These nudists were protesting by being naked this past Saturday in a district in California known for its nudists. I think that public nudity is just plain offensive. Sure, I agree with their message of how everyone should accept their body no matter what they look like. But really? There are ways of doing this without putting citizens at risk of seeing things they don't want to see. The organizer says that the people there believe "there is nothing indecent or offensive about the human body," yet towards the end of the article, a mother and her daughter passing by to see a children's movie did not like what they saw. I agree with the mother when she says that, "when you're at the corner of a kids' event...you should cover up a little." The nudists were questioning why they should have to go to a special resort. I think it's not so much about making them feel bad, but more along the lines of giving the people the option to be around naked people.
The authors of this article (by authors I mean more than one person wrote this article because it says that it's "by Associated Press") seemed to be neutral to the article; it didn't seem as if they had much of an argument. At the start of the article, their diction made it seem as though nudists in California was a common thing, though they might know it isn't common in other places. I think that because it was written by more than one person, there might have been different opinions involved, making this article serve more for the purpose of informing rather than persuading. The first half defended the nudists, using persuasion method of interviewing them. That way, his audience can get to know individuals as opposed to just the nudists as a whole. They obviously think it is not a big deal to be naked in public. It seems as though the audience will understand the point of view of the nudists, and perhaps agree with them. Then, towards the end of the article, the authors change the angle a bit and make their audience think about its effect on families and children when they interview a mother and child. A 27-year-old mother was bringing her 7-year-old daughter to the movies and they happened to pass the protesting nudists. The authors then leave the audience with the child's negative opinion of the nudists as she says that they should put clothes on.


Article: San Francisco protesters: No nudes is bad news by Associated Press
Click here for the article

Spongebob vs. Caillou

Personally, after reading this article, I definitely agree with the author's point of view. If I was a little kid, I'd definitely choose Spongebob over Caillou any day. Caillou is, simply put, boring. But that's not the point. The point is, Spongebob is allegedly damaging the brains of little children. I think any type of television will hinder one's brain. Like mom always said, "TV turns your brain into mush." However, I don't think Spongebob is more likely to "have immediate impact on a child's neurological function" then say, MTV. This article claims that there have been studies at the University of Virginia that came to the conclusion that Caillou was better for children than Spongebob when it comes to "impairment in their executive function" because it was slow-paced. I think Spongebob will teach children that it is okay to be weird and to encourage them to be themselves.

The author of this article understands her audience very well. Knowing her subject, Spongebob and Caillou, helped her form the structured yet casual use of words. She realized that people most likely to read her article were ones that have seen or at least heard of Spongebob, and therefore influenced her to speak more freely. Kind of like talking to a friend. After reading the title, "Go ahead, Spongebob, rot my kids' brains" it immediately tells the reader that Spongebob is not good for children, yet it won't stop her and her family from watching the show. That alone may attract readers to reading the article; she takes a familiar and quite popular character and puts him in a negative and positive light. She convinces her audience of her point of view using facts, like the study from the University of Virginia, and using her personal experience. She also uses a rhetorical question, "...but have these researchers considered that [Caillou will] also drive an otherwise rational parent to throw her television out the window?" Overall, the author's argument is very believable and well-supported.

Article: "Go ahead Spongebob, rot my kids' brains" by Mary Elizabeth Williams
Click here for the link