Another law that doesn't make sense

In New York, it is illegal to put your feet on a seat in a subway. Yes, you heard me. It's illegal. I find that law to be pretty dumb. I mean, it makes sense if it's rush hour or the subway is crowded. I get that. But if it is 3:10 am, and you happen to put your feet up, getting arrested for it seems pretty extreme. At the very most, give a ticket or something. In the article, it was said that a man with diabetes got arrested for briefly putting his feet on a subway seat after injecting his leg with insulin while riding a Manhattan subway to work. That's a bit too much. I feel that these people are getting arrested for the sake of getting arrested instead of actually displaying the goals of the enforcement.
I think the authors' goal was to communicate to their audience about how putting your feet up on a subway is illegal, and quite frankly, how ridiculous it is. They give specific instances on why the law is dumb, but also give examples on how it can be helpful. They define it as helpful when police officers arrest someone who just so happens to be wanted. But I kind of feel like it's just a coincidence.

Article: Relax, if You Want, but Don't Put Your Feet Up by Joseph Goldstein and Christine Haughney

America may be the most religious nation, but does that really have to do with anything?

Okay, so America is very religious. More than 90% of our population says they believe in God and pray regularly. But saying that you pray doesn't really mean anything. In the New Testament, "faith without works is dead". I actually found this fascinating that they bring this up because of our writing prompt about actions speaking louder than words. But anyways, this article was mainly about how we may be religious, but that doesn't mean anything. Poverty has risen to a record of 49.9 million people, or 16% of the U.S. population. 3.5 million Americans are homeless each year, and hinger in the United States has reached a 14-year high. After reading all of these statistics compiled into one article, I'll admit, it scared me. I couldn't help but think, if poverty and homelessness is this bad when I'm still a child, how bad will it be when I'm living on my own with a family to support? The article also states that "American restaurants toss out more than 6,000 tons of food every day," (Starr). I found this interesting. I know that restaurants should donate food they throw away. But I have learned that Dunkin' Donuts used to do that. They would give away any food they didn't sell in a day to the homeless. But they had to stop, after one person claimed that they got sick from eating the food Dunkin' Donuts so kindly donated. And he sued. So because of things like that, they aren't allowed to donate their food and are forced to throw it away.
Obviously, Bernard Starr's purpose is to inform. I didn't know more of half of these statistics. To inform more people about this would benefit others. I kind of think it's the author's goal to overwhelm the readers with how bad of a state our country is in. Because I was quite overwhelmed with the amount of statistics in the article. And pretty much, all I got out of it was: America is in bad, bad shape.

Article: So what if America is the most religious nation? by Bernard Starr

From Glee to Broadway

As some of the Gleeks out there may know, Darren Criss is now on Broadway, filling in the shoes of Danielle Radcliffe on, "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying". He'll be performing for three weeks before he returns to Glee. After that, Nick Jonas, yes Nick Jonas, is going to take the role. I think it's amazing how Darren is finally stepping up his game. It says in the article how he has been doing musical theatre his whole life, and I think making it to Broadway is huge.  But since being on Glee, Darren has gained oh so many fans, and I believe that's part of the reason why the shows sold out so quickly. Now imagine what it'll be like when Nick Jonas will take over. A Jonas brother. I'm sorry, but I think it'll be difficult for a Jonas brother, this one in particular, to act on this level of skill. Especially pull off the amount of dancing that will be needed. And I'm not so sure he'll be able to pull it off. Anyway, I just think this job for Darren Criss will definitely open many more doors for him.
The author's purpose was to inform the audience what is going on with Darren's career. Where he came from, where he's going. The beginning of the article seems to tell a story, and get a sneak peek into one of Darren's rehearsals. It made it seem like he was too good for the role at first because as a performer, Darren knows exactly how to dance. The choreographers told him he was a little "too good" for the character he was playing and had to make his dancing a little less perfect. Darren has also been called a "triple threat", someone who can sing, dance, and act. It described where he started, how he became famous overnight from Glee, and where he hopes to head.

Article: 'Glee' Star Gets His Broadway Turn by Patrick Healy

Bless Me, Ultima (chapters 17-22)

As the book ends, I must admit, I liked it more so than some other books we have read this year. What I really liked about it was some of the things that made me think differently. There was a lot of insight. For example, on page 195, the conversation between Tony and Florence is very advanced for a couple of second graders. How Florence says, "I never asked to be born. But he gives me birth, a soul, and puts me here to punish me. Why? What did I ever to do deserve this, huh?" (Anaya, 196). And Tony replies, "...maybe God puts obstacles in front of us so that we will have to overcome them. And if we overcome all the hard and bad things, then we will be good Catholics, and earn the right to be with Him in heaven" (Anaya, 196). First of all, I wasn't even on that level of thinking in second grade. When it came time for my First Communion, I thought it just meant I was growing up in the church.
I must admit, I was sad to see Ultima die, but I had a hunch she was going to die in the book somehow. What I didn't like was that we never find out what Tony does with his career. In the beginning, we think he's going to be a priest or a farmer. That's what Ultima an his whole dream was about. It develops throughout the book, describing Tony's struggles with his faith in God or the Golden Carp. There was plenty of build up, then we end up never finding out. But maybe that's what the author wants. Maybe their purpose is to leave it to their audience's imagination.

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.