happiness is ...

Chocolate and vanilla ice cream cones
Melting into the fingers of sand castle children,
A thermos of hot chocolate laced with marshmallows,
Hitting snooze on the alarm clock,
Not once,
Not twice,
But three times.
Sunday morning sunrises,
Snow days in March
And spring break in April.
Abandoning flip-flops in favor of bare feet,
Catching a butterfly
And then letting it fly away.
The one you love.
A handwritten note reading,
“I love you.”
Unexpected rainbows in an orange sky,
A black sheet of paper and a sharpened pencil,
And the ocean dancing with the horizon,
Inviting anyone to join.

1984

based on the reading up through book 2, right after winston was told to put his hands in the air because he got caught, i dont think that winston is going to be killed. after reading that mr charrington was a member of the thought police, i think that they might make winston one of these members also. they dont just make proles thought police. they have to be part of the party first. i think that mr charrington wanted to rebel but didnt because he got caught. i think that they might make winston someone who can catch defiers of the party because he is smart and knows how to read people and figure them out. i dont think winston will be killed. i also think that julia is going to betray him because she doesnt want to die. she was just rebelling because she liked the idea of it; she didnt want to die for it.

genetic engineering

Have you ever looked at your child and wondered what he/she would be like if you had the chance to decide their height and their eye shape? Would you jump at this opportunity? If you sit there and say yes, make sure you think about the reverberations this will have on everyone, including your child. Science is getting close to allowing parents to hand pick their children. And now it is time for American to step up and come to their senses. No one is stopping to think about the event of a defect or a mistake. No one is thinking about society and the impact on it. Although genetic engineering would eliminate disease, it would also eliminate individuality.

Society is a place where uniqueness is celebrated and encouraged. So what happens when we turn around and see 100 blond-haired blue-eyes beauties staring back at us? We encourage our children to do their best, try their hardest, and strive to get one step ahead. If we make out babies child prodigies, there is nothing life to strive for. If we start making the ‘perfect’ babies, that is just another rift in society that will keep growing. And eventually, when this gets out of hand, who is going to take the cashier jobs no one wants because they are too ‘good’ for them? We will not be able to reverse this fiasco but we can stop it before it gets out of control.

There is one aspect of genetic engineering that could be considered ‘positive’ and this is eliminating disease. But there is also downside to this. God creates people a certain way for a certain reason. Although these reasons may be almost impossible to figure out, they are still there. Messing with God’s will is not something humans should be doing. Also, in a more logical sense, what is going to happen to the doctors who research cures for cancer, doctors who treat cancer, chemists who spend months trying to find the perfect chemical, and all the other people who are in some way working with disease and cancer? Genetically engineering babies is something that would have a ripple effect on the entirety of society at some point. No one would be safe. Disease and cancer is not something any human should have to suffer through, but God does everything for a reason. We need to respect that.

What if you picked your baby to have brown hair and be 5’5’’ and she turned out to have red hair and be 5’8’’? Would you love you baby any less? Chances are no, but there are people out there who want the perfect baby and won’t settle for anything less. There would be a ridiculous number of lawsuits if parent’s babies didn’t turn out just the way they were supposed to. Genetic engineering calls into question the whole idea of parenting: loving your child unconditionally. Also, did anyone ever stop to think about what happens to the extra embryos? Studies have shown that embryos are indeed little tiny human beings. Would we just dispose of these babies, throw them out like trash? Where is the line going to be drawn? 10 embryos per couple or will it be 500? It is impossible to say, but killing all of these embryos that are not being used would be an unspeakable tragedy.

Genetic engineering is something that needs to be stopped before it gets out of hand. Whatever happened to murder being illegal? Are Americans simply abandoning their morals and values just because they have the preposterous opportunity to create ‘perfect’ children? America prides itself on equal opportunity for everyone, but what happens to the babies who are never born because they aren’t ‘perfect’ enough?

I Believe

I believe in heroes. And not the comic book, super hero, overrated kind. I don’t believe in heroes names Superman or Spiderman. I believe in the heroes who slip quietly behind the shadows doing the right thing because that’s what’s in their hearts. The kind of heroes who don’t do it for their face on the front of the New York Times. I believe in the heroes who believe in random acts of kindness. I believe in everyday people who never expected to be called a hero.
I was eleven years old on September 11, 2001. I was an eleven year old who couldn’t tell you what a hero truly was. I didn’t believe in heroes then; I had no need to. But as I saw watching TV that night, along with almost every American in the country, I remember seeing endless videos of fearless firefighters, cops, civilians, running into burning building to save people they didn’t know and never would. I knew then what a hero really was. These people weren’t thinking about getting their name in the paper or about their five minutes of fame. They were thinking about finding the courage to carry the next nameless victim to safety. I believe in the heroes who perished in the World Trade Centers, giving their lives trying to save others. In the heroes who will forever be remembered and honored. These men and women were and always will be heroes.
Perhaps the most controversial belief in heroes is the belief in the ones overseas. Whether or not I support the war and President Bush is not the issue. That doesn’t change the fact that there are men and women overseas fighting and dying for freedom. I believe in the heroes who have left behind newborn babies, sick mothers, and new spouses. I remember hearing about a 19-year-old who got killed by a roadside bomb. He was 19, barely old enough to vote. I believe in the heroes who sometimes come home from war a shadow of the person they were when they left, but somehow they always carry on. I believe in the heroes who too often go unnamed, overshadowed by Britney Spear’s latest breakdown. I believe in the heroes who are somebody’s brother, sister, mother, father, son, daughter. I believe in the heroes who rarely get the respectful tribute they deserve.
I believe in the heroes who drive their kids to school in minivans. The kind of heroes who are just another face on a crowded street. I remember one time a few years ago my mom and I were come home from grocery shopping. We were coming up to a stoplight when we saw a grungy looking man standing there with a sign written in sloppy handwriting that read, “homeless: any money will help”. My mom silently reached for her wallet, pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, and placed it in the coffee can clanging with coins. The man quietly, humbly mumbled, “thank you, ma’am,” and my mom drove off. I’m sure to that man my mom was a hero, as was every person who anonymously dropped even a quarter into that can.
None of these people: civilians, cope, firefighters, were looking for recognition when they did the things that did. They were simply people who believed in random acts of kindness. And I believe in those heroes.

how to meet societies expectations

who makes these rules?
you have to be a size 2.
size 4!
cut down to 100 calories a day.
eat only salad.
chocolate?
'looking at it makes you gain weight'
'but i like it'
'water tastes better anyway'

buy 80 dollar jeans
and 50 dollar t-shirts
don't wear sweats in public-
you'll never live it down.
don't forget to put on your mask
of mascara and foundation:
hide your true self.

go to the local salon.
ask to look like everyone else
they'll understand.
blond hair will soon be the new you.
if you want to go all the way,
color contacts
will complete the look.

give us your heart,
your soul.
we'll take it.
twist it.
remodel it.
and give it back.
nothing like what it was.
you'll become just another mechanical heart,
operating on automatic.

don't stand up for your beliefs
blend in with the crowd.
they're right:
you're wrong.
remember that.

become one of millions
not one in millions.

Analysis

while i read this article, i found myself agreeing with much of what it said. i think that salinger's 'a catcher in the rye' depicted a troubled teenage boy who resembles, at least in part, all of teenager's today. holden often talks about 'phoniness' in the world. a lot of teenagers at holden's age are beginning to struggle with who they want to become. they are trying to figure out if they should give into the pressure of society or if they are still able to by true to themselves. holden is deperately trying not to give in, but throughout the book, he lies straight to people's faces. many people dont agree with the language and themes throughout 'a catcher in the rye', but these are things that teenagers deal with and think about sometimes. everyone has had to deal with them to some extent in their life. i think adults are too protective of children and teenagers. as said in the article, 'salinger's nivel in the ... most rounded ... portrait of a 16-year-old american boy we shall ever have.'

Rainbows

Rainbows.
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple.
Which one are you?
Which one am I?
I think I am …

Red.
I am love. Hugs.
Passion for everything.
Anger and a temper,
To match my hair.
I am the color of sunsets,
And Christmas joy.

Orange.
I am happiness.
Smiles and laughter,
The balance of boyfriends, friends, and family.
Energy for life,
Infecting everyone around me,
With my bliss.

Yellow.
I am optimism.
The glass is half full,
And I believe in karma,
Second chances.
The stars shining down,
Lighting a once dark world.

Green.
I am youth.
Living my life.
Making mistakes: learning.
Mother Nature,
Loving bare feet and grass: together.
Natural beauty and good luck.

Blue.
I am peace.
Praying for an end to all wars.
Loyal to honesty and true love.
Water: calm and serene – perfect.
Crashing at shore – unpredictable.
The sky: endless and everlasting.

Purple.
I am feminine.
Shoes and shopping nail polish.
With wisdom
To learn from my mistakes.
Demanding respect,
While giving it out in return.