My Mother

My mom makes me laugh all the time. I spent a good part of the day with her today, because she missed me enough to want to drive up here for the day with my sister. Even though I will be home next weekend, after the game of course. She said that two weeks was long enough to not see me. The things she says she misses about me are what amuse me most. She insisted on taking my laundry home with her, because she misses doing my laundry and having to figure out what is mine and what is my sister's! Also, my room is apparently not the same now that I don't mess it up and then she has to clean it. Whenever she comes here, she begins to clean my dorm room and even pulls outdated flyers off the walls in the hall! Even though she misses having me around, I love that she is very supportive of me being here, as long as she can talk to me about everyday! My mom even sends me a card about once a week. She must see me every couple of weeks, but she would never want me to miss out on this opportunity and stay home. I ust make sure to spend all the time I can with her when we get the chance!

Time Change

Unfortunately, in choosing to come to Purdue I jumped an hour ahead of almost all my friends from home. It is not a very difficult change to get used to, just slightly annoying when I come back and can't sleep because I'm used to being an hour earlier. The most painful part is that my friends don't remember I'm on a different time frame. Occasionally they'll call or text me at 12:30 or even 1:00 at home, because they are used to me being up that late at home when we don't have school really early in the morning. They fail to realize that it is already 1:30 or 2:00 here. Hopefully, they are starting to adjust, but until then I just answer and tell them they will have to wait until tomorrow unless it is incredibly important. Another side effect of the change, which my roommate finds very amusing, is that I always try to watch shows at the wrong time. It never occurs to me that now all the shows come on at the first time mentioned when they 9:00/8:00 central. I always tell her that we have to remember to watch the show at eight and then she has to remind me that I am no longer on central time!

Pictures of the Past

I prefer Neidich's photographs to those of Curtis. Curtis took the pictures portraying Native Americans in an unrealistic way. All the pictures enforce the stereotypes of Indians at the time. This is probably because of the sponsorship behind his photos. JP Morgan payed for his expedition and most likely expected a certain return on his investment. The fact that all his photos were posed and he dressed the characters makes them unreliable. All his photos show the Indians as warriors and dressed very traditionally (at least what we thought was traditional). Neidich had the purpose of wanting to show what we know to be true of the Indian lifestyle, purposefully contradicting Curtis' work. His work towards an honest representation makes his work appeal more to me. I know their is no attempt to alter the past and I can make observations about what has happened to the Indians from his photos with more security. He shows the Native Americans in more settings, not only as warriors but with family and in village life. Neidich wanted to make a wider social impact. He didn't take his photos for investors, but to portray the real way of life to all people. Without the financial tie, his photos are free of any obligation to show support any old views of Native Americans.

Were we justified?

The end does not always justify the means. Sometimes, the goal we are trying to achieve is not worth the cost of achieving it. In the war, all of those cities should not have been fire-bombed. Damaging 2/3 of the country was over-kill. The atomic bombs were too much as well. We were supposed to fight the armed forces. Through all the damage we did in the major cities, we destroyed and ended so many innocent lives. Some of the effects (from radiation) are still hurting people today. I'm sure the U.S. could have woand n the war without doing as much damage. It took so long Japan to build itself back up. To get Japan to surrender quicker was not worth burning 100,000 people and entirely destroying cities. Sure they launched a major attack on Pearl Harbor, but they still attacked a military base. They didn't target areas where many civilians were known to be. There should be some civility in war. We are supposed to be fighting to stop pain suffering, not cause it ourselves. Like McNamara said, these acts were not considered war crimes since they were used to end the war, but if they hadn't worked would people be more angry? If we had lost they would have probably been seen as cruel acts that were unnecessary. Our point of view on the situation seems to justify the means.

Physical Limit

I am exhausted right now. Not because its late, but because my weekend was so packed that I have barely slept but done more physical activity in one weekend than I ever have before. Finally, I've decided to become a certified diver. I love diving on vacations, but occasionally I am not allowed on certain dives because I wasn't certified. The class usually lasts for about a month and then there are open water and confined dives. Since it is getting colder however, we wanted to get the open water dives in within October. The Purdue Scuba Class then set up the class to be condensed to two days to do all the class work and confined dives. For the past two days I have spent probably 12 hours in a class room and 8 hours in a pool. Everything was great, but I probably would have learned more if I had time to absorb the class work and didn't have to perform so many tasks in a freezing pool for four hours a day. At least its done with, I don't think I could take another 10 hour day! Diving is a lot of fun though and you can see some amazing things, but I would recommend taking a class a little more spread out to anyone interested!

Technical Difficulties

I have never been very good with technology. I know enough to work what I use and usually, if its not to complicated, I can figure out how to work something new. This doesn't seem to help me anymore though. Everything electronic seems to be backfiring on me here at Purdue however. The day before I came my computer charger broke. Then, my phone charger stopped working and my service has been less than reliable. Also, I can not get wireless on my computer, use MATLAB remote, or get my DVD player to work on my TV. Needless to say, this has been very frustrating. It makes me wonder, am I just unlucky or am I completely clueless on how to handle my electronics? All I can say is that I miss my brother being able to fix any of these problems and having the security that I could rely on short wait time. Now, I have to find someone form iTap to take a look at my computer and at least get that problem out of the way. After that, I will make a commitment to not changing a thing unless I am absolutely positive it will not affect the setup of my system!

The Tales of Kate Bernheimer

This presentation was about an hour long. During this time, the author was introduced as well as her literature. Kate Bernheimer is a fiction writer who mixes fairy tales and folklore with reality in her books. She is currently working on the third installment of her trilogy. She read excerpts from the first two books The Complete Tales of Ketzia Gold and The Complete Tales of Merry Gold. The Complete Tales of Lucy Gold will be the third book, as she is the third sister. Kate Bernheimer has other fictional works and is the founder of The Fairy Tale Review, a journal.
To be honest, this presentation was a little weird to me. The samples of her books showed stories of a young girl suffering at the hand of her sister. The older one, Merry, seems cruel and slightly twisted in her thinking. Some of the stories seemed random in the sense that without knowing the fairytale they came from, I didn't understand why certain things were said or done. For example, I don't understand the meaning of the story where all the girls were flowers but only one was allowed inside. Without any references to reality, I don't know what purpose this story was meant to have. Maybe it is just one of the books that is difficult to understand without having the entire story.

Britney's Comeback??

I never thought it would happen- but I feel bad for Britney Spears after her VMA performance. With everything that has happened to her in the past year, someone close to her should have stopped her from performing. She was not ready to be back on stage and to live up to what she used to be. While I have some doubt on her singing ability, she always put on a great act dancing and entertaining. At the VMAs her lip singing was, at times, very off and her dancing was not as sharp or skilled as it used to be. When the camera viewed the audience I could see in their face the discomfort they were feeling at the unexpected show. The sad thing is that the VMAs probably knew making her a performer would get them a lot of publicity, but they didn't care if it would be an embarrassment for her. I'm sure there were plenty of rehearsals at which they could have prepared her show to make sure she looked like she was prepared for spot light and the music business once again. At this point, I think people need to leave her alone to try and improve her state of life for her and her children. For all those who missed the show I have found a video- hope it woks!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkzhVHTXgS4

Life is changing so go with the flow!

Change can be good. I was really worried when I left home that I would lose my friends and miss out on so much. I moved and had to change high schools between my sophomore and junior years. I ended up losing touch with people that I had been very close to as we changed and got involved in different things. I have realized that I still find the time to talk to my friends. I still know all the things that they are doing and help them solve their day to day troubles. Granted I have to wait until its night to call so I don't use way too many minutes, but we make the time. When I do go home, seeing my family and friends is a little bit better since I know I have to make the most of it. My whole family is willing to get together to give me that time. Next summer I know we'll all be back together again anyways and then I'll be missing my friends from here. With my parents came the news of a new dog that has been added to the family. Apparently she is a little crazy but sweet. My family is all coming up for a football game too! One game for each side so they can see where I am living. Its strange for them to have to plan a weekend to see me, but it is good. I will get some amazing experiences here and then when I go home there is always some type of surprise waiting for me!

The Road Back. . .

Ishmael Beah's memoir and speech mentions many issues. He addresses child soldiering, war, lack of resources, lack of aid, use of illegal weapons, etc... What I found most inspiring were the rehabilitation centers. As he mentioned in the speech, it is not easy to help a child find themselves again once they have become a soldier. There is no quick fix. In the book, the volunteers had so much perseverance. They didn't even know these boys, but they would not leave them behind. Even when they were attacked and threatened, they would not give up. The people would just come back and try to give the kids all the attention and help they required. They made such a difference in the lives of these kids. Many probably owe their life to these establishments and the people who were willing to foster these boys. As Ishmael said, sometimes even after they were rehabilitated, they weren't welcomed back into towns and homes. People were still afraid and angry at what had happened to them. It was unfortunate that they didn't have places for young girls to receive help as well. Ishmael mentioned in his speech that many girls still won't come for aid. I'm sure there are many who could have used the help that Ishmael and the other young men received while they were still young enough to be saved.

The One Hour Break

I have heard plenty of people complain that about only having an hour between classes. There isn't really enough time to walk back to most of the dorms or time to sit at a dining hall very long by the time you get through lines and meet a friend. If you don't have a lunch break besides that hour I can see where that might be annoying. Personally however, I love these breaks. I get more work done during this hour when I have no distraction than in my dorm where my computer, TV, and roommate are all available. It doesn't even bother me to get a to-go meal and eat outside in the shade. Theres always those extra sides that I get to put in my dorm for breakfast or when I just need a snack. In the winter they might get worse since it probably won't be pleasant at all to sit outside, but right now I enjoy the time out in the sun instead of the classroom or my little dorm room since once I get there I usually find too many things to do and don't get to leave again. The only unfortunate thing is that the more one hour breaks I have, the longer my days are. The upside to this is that when I have too many classes in a row, I'm never paying attention by the end of the day. This break enable me to restart and will probably help me to learn better in class so I don't have to spend as much time out of class.

The Child of Today

Is the youth spoiled today? I hate to say but I think we they really are. Kids are obvious, especially when I see them walking down the street with a latte, cell phone, and Coach purse leaving the middle school! It just made me laugh the other day hearing about how my cousin gets her nails done once a month and shes 13 and my friends niece just got a cell phone for her 7th birthday. Its ridiculous the kinds of things kids get and even more so what they expect to get. Young teens only want designer clothes and accessories nowadays. The saddest part is that those who can't have that or don't care if they get designer because they are more realistic-its just clothes- are the ones who are made to feel bad about it. The ones who can't seem to live without such materialistic things are the ones who need to take a better look at reality. Part of it is shows like "Super Sweet Sixteen" and "Laguna Beach." Their lives are not the norm. Parents aren't really helping either. They give the kids everything without a second thought. I knew a girl who had an iPod and when the battery wasn't working well her dad bought her another instead of sending it in to be repaired since she didn't want to wait three weeks to get it back! When people have money they seem to show it. Adults can buy things for their children, but they need to communicate the value of money and the work that went into buying that item. Much of the youth will get a huge shock when they eventually have to start paying for their own things and realize spending $35 on a shirt could mean four hours of work. It makes me wonder, will this trend continue and eventually we'll be giving kids coffee to wake them up for elementary school or at some point will people realize how pointless it is to get a designer purse for a 7th grader?

Living in a Material World

All the commercials on TV make diamonds look beautiful and meaningful. Women are always happily receiving one. When I was younger and saw these and saw my mom's rings and what they meant from her it made me want one some day. I didn't know there could be any bad that came from them or that people were hurt and killed to get them. As I learned that girls get a diamond engagement ring, that became the situation in which I would get a diamond like my mother's and it was supposed to make me as happy as the girls who get them on sitcoms and movies. With more attention being pushed on the diamond industry and conflict diamonds my outlook has changed, as I hope many others did as well. We are now aware of conflict diamonds and it makes me very happy to know that most diamonds (we strongly believe) are conflict free. If I so choose to get a diamond one day I can be sure to find one that no one has been killed, tortured, or lost their family for. If this almost guarantee was not there, I don't think I would ever want a diamond. Knowing the methods of mining used for conflict diamonds, I could never wear a stone and think that it was worth the all it cost someone else. There are many other stones that are just as pretty, they just don't fit the story-book wedding or the other traditional romantic gestures (Valentine's Day or anniversary gifts). The songs about diamonds and the movie Blood Diamond are only somewhat good at informing of the facts about the industry. They mostly create an emotional bond to the issue of conflict diamonds. In the movie, we can see the pain and suffering of those people for a shiny rock and the song demonstrates the conflict of denying diamonds that we already have and have become symbolic to us as love, fortune, or power. However, this motivates people to look further into the issue and learn the facts. They get people to become interested enough to find out about conflict diamonds and they probably learn much more this way than they would have been able to from the actors or rap artists. I still might enjoy receiving or giving some form of diamonds eventually, but I would have to be sure of the origin of the diamond. For peace of mind and knowing that I did not lend any support, however small, to the practices of collecting conflict diamonds. From the readings, it does not seem difficult to find a conflict-free diamond and all it takes is a few questions to be sure the diamond is clean. At this point, I think I could be just as happy with another stone anyway. There are lots of beautiful colors out there that are less expensive in more ways than just cost, but the same meaning behind them.

Things happen

I'm getting a little tired with all the people who sue for stupid reasons and demanding more compensation than is due for any accident that occurs. For example, people should not be allowed to sue fast food chains because they are obese. No one makes them eat fattening foods; they choose their own diet and are therefore responsible for the consequences. Also, the lawsuits for things like the coffee was hot so it burnt a woman's tongue. She won this lawsuit and now McDonald's has to inform people that their hot coffee is in fact hot! There should be some type of common sense law that protects companies. My favorite story I found was about a guy who left the seat of his Winnebago while driving to make coffee. When the car crashed he sued the maker saying they never told him he couldn't leave the seat while driving and won! People like this don't deserve anything! Companies aren't the only ones being hurt however. A bus driver is being sent to jail on the charges of neglect and is being sued by a family for their little girl being left on the bus for 5-6 hours. Apparently the little girl fell asleep on the bus and the driver didn't notice that she was still on. Now, this driver's life is changed forever. Her criminal record will keep her from getting a job as a bus driver again and probably from a few other professions as well. It was an accident! She did not intentionally leave the child nor did anything bad happen to the her. The woman was already going to lose her job, but now she has a ton of trouble. I can understand that the family is upset but maybe they should see what they are really doing to this woman. I'm sure she is regretful but that doesn't change the fact that she won't be forgiven. Things happen but thats not an acceptable excuse for her mistake.

A few faults . . .

1) Use of mind tactics in military
2) No communication, just the physical approach to conflict
3) Military not united/organized
4) Use of children soldiers
5) Use of drugs by fighters to enhance their ability to kill
6) Loss of potential future for children (family, career, happiness)
7) Forced labor to get valuable resources
8) Permanent damage done to fighters of both sides
9) No safe place for people to go
10) Weapons are available to anyone
11) No moral code taught to either sides soldiers in training
12) Loss of self-identity when given identity of soldier (for either side)
13) Families torn apart
14) Innocent people brutally murdered/tortured
15) No aid from the outside to bring peace
16) Country stuck in poverty
17) Country living with constant threat of death and pain
18) Ignorance of the situation by others (UNICEF)
19) Lack of trust between citizens
20) Disease


In my opinion, the use of mind tactics in the war is the number one problem. In a way, it is what causes the war to continue. Ishmael is brought to the UNICEF camp, when he runs into the rebel children they begin to attack and kill each other. It did not matter that they were not on the battlefield nor did they have any reason besides some boys were rebels and some were military. It was forced into the minds of these children that anyone calling them self a member of the opposite side is responsible for their suffering and must be killed. The idea is reinforced many times over and I doubt it can ever fully be removed from these children's minds. The need to shed blood may become more under control, but they can never forget the feelings of hatred and anger that they once solely focused on. Soldiers also seem to follow a blind loyalty to their superiors. After the lieutenant pulled Ishmael through his first fight, Ishmael seemed willing to walk into any fight behind him. He never again questioned an order or fight and was actually hurt when the lieutenant wanted to save him from more fighting. It hasn't crossed his mind that he is being protected, only that he can no longer fight with his unit and carry his gun. Ishmael has lost his sense of self as to what he wants and needs. He only thinks of himself in terms of his place in his unit and even when he gets to the UNICEF camp he tries to create a new unit. He can't think outside of the war anymore.