A Piece of the Manhattan Dream

          Many dream about moving to New York to make it in the big city, but never for $332 a month, that is just unheard of. Arnold Warwick’s has a beautiful four-bedroom apartment in New York City's Greenwich Village that happens to be rent controlled and if it wasn't he would have been paying upwards of $5,000 a month. People are fighting for this prime real-estate and also for its glorious rent controlled agreement. The properties are owned by Angelina Fiordellisi, the executive director of the Cherry Lane Theater bought eight of the properties and was not planning to make a large profit from them. Most of the original buyers are still living in those properties holding on to them and passing them down to their children. 

        Elizabeth A. Harris knew her audience very well, dreamers who want to move to the Big Apple. She lures people in with a tempting illusion that they too could own an apartment in a big shot neighborhood for only $332 a month. I must say it was tempting and one day I believe that it would be fun to live in New York City, but for now I am happy in Massachusetts in a quiet town that almost no one knows about. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/nyregion/rent-controlled-paradise-above-a-greenwich-village-theater.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=general

Not All College Majors are Created Equal

           A parent's nightmare is confirmed in this realistic article about a recent graduate's difficulties when entering the work force. Sometimes they can't even enter the work force because their major is holding them back. Some majors are just not practical is this troubled economy. Author Michelle Singletary plays a game with herself when she asks what people have majored in to see if they will have a job saying, "An English major with no internships or any plan of what she might do with the major to earn a living? No job" and "Engineering major with three relevant internships in the engineering field? Ding. Ding. We have a winner. Job.". I hate to say it, but I often do this as well. When I hear people say that they want to major in history my mind automatically jumps to, "Well, you can now either become a historian, a history teacher, or work at a historical museum", I don't do it to be mean, I do it because I am practical. Unemployment is at an all time high so this is something that the other students in my graduating class will have to think about. The thesis states, "They should do their homework before picking a major because, when it comes to employment prospects and compensation, not all college degrees are created equal". This article is a slap of reality for those who chose the wrong major.

           I strongly agree with this article, not all majors are created equal and I'd rather know that going into school than coming out with an almost useless degree. Taking a quote from a movie that many of my classmates hate to admit to viewing, " Major in philosophy, because there's no way to make a career out of that" (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse). Singletary is extremely logical in this article and her primary audience is high school seniors and juniors along with college freshmen. This is an extremely helpful article that teachers should read to their high school students.  

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/not-all-college-majors-are-created-equal/2012/01/12/gIQAfz4XzP_story.html?tid=pm_pop

Texting While Walking

                  Texting is an addiction, you cannot travel more than ten feet in public without seeing someone looking down at their cell phone, either responding or creating a text. According to Ohio State University, "more than 1,000 pedestrians visited emergency rooms in 2008 after they were injured while using a cellphone to talk or text" (Neistat). Really? You can't see where you are going and somehow you end up in the hospital, this is getting ridiculous. Maybe, people should learn when it is appropriate to text in public instead of just anywhere. 

                 Writer, Casey Neistat, was sarcastic and found humor in our blunders saying, "Let’s stop acting like hollowed-out zombies, with BlackBerrys and iPhones replacing eye contact, handshakes and face-to-face conversations.  It’s time to live once again in the present and simply be where we are". I agree, walking down the street to get a coffee should not be dangerous because someone decides to see what his or her friends are up to that evening. Let's be more considerate and think about the people around us, that is tough seeing as everyone around us is always texting too. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/09/opinion/texting-while-walking.html

Paula Deen Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes

           To many this comes as no surprise, but recently it was announced that Paula Deen has type 2 diabetes and has kept it a secret for three years. This butter lovin', southern chef has announced this news, but will continue on to cook all of her grits and gravy recipes. She kept it a secret for so long because she wanted to wait until she could do something publicly about it, "Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical company that makes Victoza, a noninsulin injectable diabetes medication that she began promoting on Tuesday morning" (Moskin). So not only will she continue on to cook recipes that contributed to her getting diabetes, but she is also getting paid to be unhealthy and telling others that diabetes is not that bad. About 25 million American's have type 2 diabetes, all caused by excess weight, high blood sugar, lack of exercise, and a high fat and sugar diet. 

         I do not think that Mrs. Deen should be allowed to keep promoting her unhealthy cooking, while promoting a diabetes drug because she is basically saying that her recipes could cause medical condition, but its fine because they have a drug to fix it. Celebrity endorsements have gone too far. Author, Julia Moskin, agrees with my point of view, saying that she does not think Paula Deen should continue on cooking with mounds of cream cheese, butter, and mayonnaise. Diabetes, either type, should be taken more seriously. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/18/dining/paula-deen-says-she-has-type-2-diabetes.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=general&src=me

Memoir #1: The Women Warrior

The Women Warrior, by Maxine Hong Kingston, is the first memoir that I am going to be reading. It is about a young women growing up in California as a Chinese-American. The first couple of pages are rather disturbing, starting out with a story about how a young women got pregnant while her husband was away and then killed herself and her newborn baby after the town had ransacked her house. This was the main character's aunt and now her mother is telling her this story, but she can not tell anyone as the father does not want to hear or speak about any of these events. Within the first pages of the chapter it is evident that she is living in a male dominant society that is set it its morals. When choosing this book I was a bit hesitant due to the fact that I did not know much about Chinese culture and society, but now I believe that it will focus mainly on the young girl trying to find her place in society.

Cruise Ships Owners Blame Human Error

           This is a cruise ship passengers worst nightmare coming to life. Just picture a lovely sunset and you are on the deck enjoying a delectable dinner with your friends and then the boats shakes and soon you realize that the boat hit ground. Now, it has been said that this was due to human error. The $450 million cruise ship ran aground of an Italian islands due to, "an unapproved, unauthorized maneuver to divert from its programmed course", (Pianigiani). A crew member took the 4,200 passengers to close to the shoreline. This incidents is not taken lightly, "The Italian police detained Captain Schettino for questioning on charges of manslaughter, failure to offer assistance and abandonment of the ship", (Pianigiani). I am glad that someone will be held responsible for this horrible tragedy. 
           Events like this should not happen in the 21st century seeing how advanced G.P.S. and underwater cameras are today. The captain should not have gotten that close to shore, it was a careless more and writer Gaia Pianigiani agrees with me. Someone needs to be held responsible and I am happy that it is the captain, he is in charge and should have prevented this. So far, the death toll is at six, but rising everyday as more people are reported missing. 


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/world/europe/death-toll-rises-to-6-in-italian-cruise-ship-accident.html?_r=1&hp

U.S. to Force Drug Firms to Report Money Paid to Doctors

You always see those commercials on television advertising for a new toothpaste or medicine and at the end there is a doctor endorsing it, well now those companies are being asked to share how much money they spend on those doctors endorsements. Not only for endorsements, but also for research, consulting, speaking, and traveling. The reason for this is because the government wants the patient to benefit from the medicine and not the doctors. According to this article, "about a quarter of doctors take cash payments from drug or device makers and that nearly two-thirds accept routine gifts of food, including lunch for staff members and dinner for themselves" (Pear). NOw, if one company has a product covered by Medicare or Medicaid they are legally obligated to share this information.
Writer, Robert Pear, is a concerned consumer and wrote this article for the people who buy prescriptions. I think that it will be extremely beneficial for this to happen because now we can see what doctor is actually approving medicine for the right reasons. I am surprised that this did not happen sooner because now more than ever the economy is very competitive and everybody wants to be better than the next guy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/health/policy/us-to-tell-drug-makers-to-disclose-payments-to-doctors.html?src=mv&ref=general

The FAA Gets It Right...Almost

         A passengers worst nightmare, your on a plane and the intercom comes on and its a flight attendant saying that the pilot is passed out. Now I know that this situation is highly unlikely, but sleepless pilots are a danger to all. Last month the FAA released its new rules and policies that all pilots must follow and one of the new additions it a longer rest time in between flights. It took a while to achieve this, but a slew of fatal incidents pushed the committees to pass it. Each pilot must now get a ten hour rests period that they can have eight hours of uninterrupted sleep before taking off. 

        Writer, Patrick Smith, is very thrilled with the new additions to the flight policies and truly believes that they will work properly. Smith used the audiences fears of flying to his advantage so they can read this and calm their nerves. I think this is a step in the right directions for the FAA, because recently they have had many fumbles with their ridiculous policies. No one wants a tired pilot even if it is just a domestic flight so this is beneficial to everyone. 

http://life.salon.com/2012/01/05/the_faa_gets_it_right_almost/

Are Teachers Overpaid?

            The everlasting debate over teachers pay is up for discussion again in this debate from the New York Times and I side with the teachers. The main statement that stood out to me in this article was, "The extra money is already there, but teacher quality has not risen to match it. This implies a fundamental problem with how teachers are hired", because we have a major issue with teacher hirings at Hanover High School. Another point brought up was how merit money should be set aside for the top teachers so that the ones that go above and beyond for their students will receive a bonus and that extra money could inspire others to work harder. I believe that students should be much more involved in the teacher hiring and evaluations that go on in the school district because we are the people that spend six hours a day with them. This debate will most likely go on as long as we have public schools, so take the time to think about how you stand on this issue. 

         Writers, Andrew Biggs and Jason Richwine, have brought up a very important issue in todays economy. If anybody deserves a  raise, it is most likely public school teachers, they care so much about their work and work hard to lead their students to success. I agree with this article though, not every teacher is worthy of a raise. I believe that many people are very passionate about this issue and that was used to fuel this ever growing debate. 

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/01/02/are-teachers-overpaid/teachers-earn-more-than-they-would-in-the-private-sector

Bless Me, Ultima (Chapters 17-22)

All good things must come to an end. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya, was one of those things and unfortunately this relaxing read has reached its conclusion. Unlike the rest of the book, the ending is disappointing. I liked the idea that Anaya wanted each individual reader to create their own ending, but I would have liked it better if she told us the life path that Antonio was going to take. I thought that he would follow in Ultima's footsteps, but now I am left wondering. Using the clues in the conclusion I do not think that he followed his brothers or Ultima and good for him. By the end he became an individual who could decide things for himself, he grew up in this novel and became a man. Antonio's First Communion was a big event in his life and unfortunately his questions to God were left unanswered. I feel bad for this boy, who has lost a lot, and now all of his questions that he believed would be answered were just left to be wondered. I believe that by God not answering all of Antonio's questions, it made his decision not to be a priest a lot easier.


Another event that changed Antonio's thinking was all of the deaths that he had to see. The deaths of Lupito, Floorence, Narciso, Tenerio, Tenerio's two daughters, and Ultima all made Antonio think and question his faith and who he is as a person. I don't blame Antonio for wanting answers to all of his questions because as humans we all have questions that will never be answered and that is a shame. The fact that Antonio survived all of these deaths emotionally shows that he is truly a strong individual that can take on anything. The deaths transformed an innocent boy into a man stuck with reality. My prediction that Ultima would eventually die did come true. Anaya used foreshadowing to guild the readers into predicting what would come next. I do wish that I could find out the true ending, but in the end all of the evil was washed out of Antonio's life and he learned many life lessons that made him stronger.

Should the World of Toys Be Gender-Free?

Girls play with Barbies and boys play with toy cars, right? Well, this gender discrimination has toy makers and stores believing that they can market toys better in gender-neutral situations. Hamleys is a toy giant in England and they recently changed over from pink and blue sections into sections, organized by types (soft toys) or by interests (nature). On the contrary, Lego will soon be releasing a new toy aimed towards girls. They are curvy Legos that go along with hair salons and coffee shop set-ups. Back in the 1960's Lego was believed to be for both girls and boys, but now they are trying to market their products better during the tough economic times and I for one don't blame them. Girls want to play with things that look more like their other toys and what their mothers look like, instead of awkward block men that go in blocked shaped cars. Writer, Peggy Orenstein, makes the point that, "Hamleys is on to something, though it will doubtless meet with resistance — even rejection" (Orenstein).
I agree with many of the points made in this article. Orenstein knows her audience, parents that already want to know what to buy their kids for Christmas 2012 and for retailers debating whether or not to reorganize their stores as well. To me, it makes sense to keep dolls and fake beauty salons in one section because the buyers will most likely be young girls. Keeping it gender specific makes the trip into the toy store easier and quicker when you know where to find a toy because a truck might be in the outdoors section, but could also fit in the automotive section. There are too many possibilities, when most likely a boy will want it. I do not mean to be sexist in any way, but to convey reality, I do not know many young girls who enjoy playing with fake guns. This article could spark controversy in the toy world.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/30/opinion/does-stripping-gender-from-toys-really-make-sense.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Not Too Close to the Critters, Little Lady

Whatever you can do I can do better! Let's hand it to the ladies who are still breaking down gender barriers. In three new reality television shows, "Gator Boys", "Hook, Line,and Sisters", and "American Stuffers", girls are thought of as the weaker links in the chains. In all of these series men believe that they are stronger, faster, and more capable of doing the tougher jobs than women are. These odd jobs consist of being alligator trainers, a taxidermist, and a deep sea fisherman. Each one of these jobs has its difficult aspects and life-threatening conditions and I am happy that the men care about the women's safety, but they should also let them try it. The women chose that profession and are willing to step back and learn, but at a point they need to take action.
Writer, Neil Genzlinger, compares these television hits to old fashion movies, where a women would be stuck on a train track and wait helplessly until a man came to her rescue. Not all stories are like that and Genzlinger tries to make that point by saying, "These setups may seem to promote female empowerment, especially since the women are likely to prove themselves eventually" (Genzlinger), and I agree with his hypothesis. He makes his ideas clear and informative, while criticizing the shows that make women seem useless in the work force. Women can do anything that men can do, possibly more and I feel that women just need to work harder than men to prove themselves to their co-workers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/02/arts/television/new-tv-gator-boys-and-american-stuffers.html?_r=1&hp