Assignment #5

I think that TV can be a good way to connect with the world around you, it can be a conversation starter as well as entertainment. However, when the usage of TV for entertainment takes over too much time in your life it can be extremely detrimental to  your health, quality of life and ability to communicate and interact effectively with other people. While enjoying free time is not inherently a bad thing, constantly seeking entertainment drains the excitement and novelty of life.

I personally watch TV, using Netflix, for entertainment. I enjoy watching shows like Sherlock, Criminal Minds, documentaries and Downton Abbey. I enjoy watching crime shows because of the actual psychology and reality behind the plots and characters. That being said, I also watch some of the totally cliche high school girl shows such as Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries, which I think are kind of ridiculous but in a mostly entertaining way. However, I hate shows like Riverdale (which is slightly hypocritical now that I’m looking at some of the shows I watch) and some of the newer “teen shows” and reality TV shows such as The Bachelor and Keeping Up with the Kardashians because I find them ridiculous in a completely non-entertaining way. The over-dramaticized plots and characters, while easy to “sell” for the producers, way simply that: too much. Additionally they continue to emphasize societal standards of what beauty looks like and what life goals people should have like how much money they should spend on pretentious and artificial things.

Assignment #3

In the summer of 2018 I had the opportunity to travel to Croatia on a mission trip with my church. I worked at a camp for children. Before this trip, I received the task of researching the country’s history. From this I was able to learn about the internal wars of Yugoslavia in the late 1900s which eventually lead to the division of Yugoslavia into separate areas such as Croatia. Additionally we were debriefed about how tensions in these countries are still relatively high even after the end of the war. However, when I was there the local people I encountered were filled with a sense of joy and a welcoming disposition that made it hard to believe the holes I saw scattered across the sides of buildings were truly from bullets fired just a few decades ago. I got to build friendships with several Croat teens, who I found out weren’t all that different from myself. We bonded over things such as our love for music, specifically Shawn Mendes, as well as life experiences we had in common.This showed me the strength and importance of community on a global and national scale, as well as an individual’s impact on those outside of their usual conscious viewpoint.

Assignment #2

Sadly, the only books I’ve read recently are school assigned books. However, I found The Teenage Brain to be very interesting because I have an interest in psychology and thoroughly enjoyed AP Psychology last school year. The Teenage Brain challenged my previous ideas of how many factors alter teenagers’ brains and behaviors and how they do so. The discussion with my parents changed my opinion of the parental perspective. Additionally, I read The Great Gatsby which challenged my perception of the attainability and benefits of “The American Dream.”

Assignment #1

My name is Kelly Landry. I enjoy sports like running and lacrosse. I run for fun because it helps me regulate stress and I find it fun to go out into nature for a run. I play midfield in lacrosse which means I play both offense and defense and I get to play on both sides of the field.

The most meaningful moment of my summer was when I traveled to Niagara Falls in New York with a big group of my friends (my youth group). Not only was the landscape and city inexplicably beautiful but I really enjoyed hanging out with my friends.

If I could have any superpower I would choose mind reading because I spend a lot, way too much actually, of my time trying to figure out what other people are thinking. This ability would make life much easier.

Something that geeks me out is crime tv shows such as Sherlock and Criminal Minds. This is probably because I am extremely interested in psychology and the way the human mind works and how it, as well as social and genetic factors, affects behavior and cognition.

Assignment 4 - Tahsen Hossain - Weed

My family is altogether leaning toward the left side of the political spectrum. However, we are just far away from each other to get into arguments about politics. Our most recent skirmish occurred over the legalisation of recreational marijuana and decriminalisation of minor drug use.

Having done my own personal research on the subject because it is a popular debate topic in KYA, I was for legalisation because it would likely help decrease the stigma around addiction and let those people who want and need help dealing with addiction to approach their options without feeling threatened by the police. I also thought it would help if the levels of THC (the addictive chemical component) and CBD (the therapeutic component) could be put under government regulations that addiction could be reduced and marijuana would no longer have to be the gate-way drug that it is often claimed to be.

For some context, my mother is a nurse and my father, a pharmacist, so this would directly affect them.

However, this makes it very hard to argue anything with them on the subject because, as you are likely to have realised, I am an unemployed highschooler, which discounts any credibility I could have in the argument (at least for them).

My mother is avidly against legalisation and my father took my side of the argument. And midway through the discussion, I was no longer a participant. My father made a few points, then got sleepy and went to bed. And for the remainder of the time, we entered a war of attrition. The winner determined by who could last the longest listening to the other talk. I was not allowed to speak as my mother was lecturing me about not doing drugs. By the time dinner was finished, I had determined that I did not have the ability to convince my mother at the time so I withdrew my troops from the field and retreated to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

I briefly entertained the notion that I might be wrong, but after examining my mother's argument I still thought that mine made more sense. My mother's argument consisted mostly of her own experiences with addiction which were limited to treating severely addicted patients. Thus, it made perfect sense that she would extrapolate those experiences to form a negative opinion on drugs as a whole and be swayed to ignore the nuances of my argument and simplify it down to taking illegal drugs is bad and not doing so is good. And while nurses play a pivotal role in treating addiction they aren't the only opinions that matter. 

The only outcome of this argument was my own feeling of annoyance. What makes the outcome so annoying you ask? I was the only one in my house that had actually surveyed several sources from both sides and researched it and yet what I had to say was entirely overruled because I'm simply not old enough. 

Assignment 3 - Tahsen Hossain - Oh! The Places I've Already Been.

Bangladesh

I wasn't born in this country so technically my first trip abroad was coming to the United States. Since we've moved here I've gone back to Bangladesh several times to visit my grandparents and cousins. Often my visits there remind me just how fluid the world is. Every time I visit it feels like an entirely different country. Sure somethings don't change: the air is still laced in dust and smog, the traffic laws remain nonexistent, and there are still a lot of rip-off goods in the markets due to subpar copyright laws. However, with every visit, you can tell see ripples of other cultures permeate the relatively small pond of Bangladesh. People wear ripped jeans to mimic their counterparts in America and Europe, anime has become popular among many of the teens, and the Bengali film industry is slowly changing to include many of the filmmaking tropes of American films as well as Bollywood movies creating some interesting (but really weird) results.

The United States

My family's first home in the U.S was in Texas in a small apartment shared with my older cousin and his parents. I was 4 years old when we moved and, to be honest, I don't remember much of living there. Of the memories that I have managed to keep, most of them are happy.

After 4 years in Texas, we moved to Florida so that my parents could pursue a college education. All I really remember of Florida was that my 2nd-grade teacher was really mean and that the beach is the most peaceful place in the world if you can manage to be there alone.

Then we moved to Ohio which was less than ideal. I don't have anything against the city and my time there wasn't actually that bad. However, one small group of people managed to ruin it for me. There's nothing worse in the world, nothing so terrible or calamitous, as a third-grade child. Actually, nevermind there is: multiple third-grade children intent on bullying your equally annoying third-grade self. It wasn't honestly that bad but its the most prominent memory I have of being in Ohio.

Finally, we arrived in Lexington by my fifth-grade year and everything came screeching to a halt. both my parents became fully employed, we bought a house, and now I'm here. 

The fact that we moved so much meant I never really got used to one specific places "customs". I never really got a southern accent or developed the kind of biases you form when you've lived in one single place for a while. For instance, I stayed at the University of West Virginia's campus for a camp over the summer and when I was off-campus and a beggar approached us. I gave her my change because that's what I had always been taught to do and one of my new friends who lived in West Virginia told me off, claiming that I may have been fueling someone's opioid addiction. West Virginia is the state worst hit by the opioid epidemic. Regardless of who was right or wrong, I didn't make that assumption but if I had prolonged experiences in West Virginia, perhaps I would have by some point. Had I stayed any of the places I've been, that version of me wouldn't be at all recognisable to me now.

Assignment #5, Juliann Hyatt, I don't watch TV unless I'm concussed

Recently, due to Time Warner Cable raising their prices for no reason, my family got rid of cable. We don’t miss it. The last time I was invested in a TV show that wasn’t already released on Hulu or Netflix was with Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, but after a few seasons the show aired later and later at night and became more of a time traveling space soap opera than a behind-the-scenes look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now I listen to the occasional Law and Order: Special Victims Unit episode while cleaning and rewatch the first few seasons of Pokemon when I have a concussion. I guess television fell out of favor with me when I started being able to predict the ending of shows and seeing the actors as actors. I started feeling bad about what certain actors had to do to each other to do their job, and how some actors were objectified. So now I just don’t watch. Unless I have a concussion, and can’t do anything other than watch TV without getting a splitting headache. 

Assignment 5 - Television habits fostered from a young age - Cat Lucier

In Utah, the school that I attended for second through fifth grades was incredible. In their code of conduct that each student was supposed to read and sign each year. Now, I doubt anyone besides my family actually read the entire book, much less followed all the rules, but my parents agreed with practically every word in that book, and followed it religiously. I accredit a good amount of my academic success to that. 

One of the strongly suggested recommendations in the book was to not watch television on school nights. Even before that, my family barely watched any TV. We had an old tube TV that my parents got from my great-grandma after she died. It would be good for you to also know that we have never owned any sort of gaming console.

What did we do instead of watching TV? My sister and I read books. Before we moved to Kentucky and had to get rid of a ton of our books, we probably had nearly a thousand books. Granted, most were picture books, but we read those over and over until I began to outgrow them, when my mum started buying me chapter books. Alas, she couldn't buy them fast enough, so she gave up. I spent hours at the city public library and in my school library, and when I had exhausted those, my dad would check out books for me from the University of Utah library. 

One exception to the rule of no TV on school nights occurred in early 2014 when Cosmos: A Spacetime Odessey, narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, came out. We brought the TV up from the basement into the living room so we could watch it. Cosmos aired Sunday nights on Fox, and we would move the couches around for the best angle and eat my dad's pizza for dinner. If you haven't watched the series, I highly recommend; I believe it is available on Netflix.

So my sister and I formed this habit of very limited television, and it carries into now. Of course we enjoy it, but we rarely watch more than 2 or three episodes of something at one time. 

I'll preface my next point with a bit more history of my reading habits: I've always loved mystery books; I've read almost if not all of both the Nancy Drew series and the Hardy Boys, as well as Encyclopedia Brown. As I've matured a bit, I've gotten very much into Stephen King - evolving from mystery into the horror genre. In relation to my television-watching customs, a few years ago I started getting bored with the standard Marvel/DC superhero shows because they were so predictable, and I got hooked on crime shows. I watched Forensic Files for quite a while, but then my friend Taylor got me hooked on Criminal Minds. Some episodes are so incredibly twisted, I can't hold down my overactive imagination at night and I sleep with the light on. I've always relished that feeling of sitting on the edge of panic. It's wild.

Assignment 4-- Daniel Mendoza Vasquez--Not about religion

My father is Cuban. He was born in Havana barely a decade after Fidel Castro's ascent to power in the revolution. Because of that, he got to see the remnants of a pre-communist Cuba— very unequal, but also picturesque and the gleaming example of a Caribbean paradise — as well as its descent into a situation where everyone was equally poor and where the iconic pastel colonial buildings became decrepit and haunting. So, understandably, someone who was forced to survive on single food items for months at a time holds a substantial amount of disdain for anything remotely resembling Castro-esque policies. I've always generally agreed with that, but as I've grown and become more politically aware, I also find myself agreeing with solidly socialist ideas like universal healthcare and free college tuition. The line between socialism and communism is thin and sometimes arbitrary, and my beliefs began to converge into conflict within myself, but more importantly with my dad.

As the Democratic party debates in search of the presidential nomination, we often find ourselves at odds over my dad's refusal, for example, to accept Bernie Sanders' ideas as valid. At the core of that is fear of finding himself back where he started, and I frequently argue along that fine line between the concepts with evidence from Scandinavian countries. He counters by noting the cultural differences of this country and cites his own experience. "After you do [insert socialist idea], where does it stop?" he says. My conflict is, therefore, not so much that I don't believe what I've learned over most of my life, but that I also believe something that almost contradicts it. Almost, not totally. It's a small margin to argue within, but so far I've been able to stay within it, and I stand by what I think. 

Assignment 6: Create Your Own Adventure (College)

What interests you? What is your point of exigence? What's on your mind?  What do you want to chat about? Rant about? Learn about? What intellectual experience (course, project, book, discussion, paper, poetry, or research topic in engineering, mathematics, science, or other modes of inquiry) that has meant the most to you: 

'Cause really, isn't it all about you? <wink wink nudge nudge>

This response allows you to discuss something that is important to you and to demonstrate how you think about intellectual problems. This is an exercise in creative and critical thinking. It also provides a platform for you to convey your enthusiasm for learning. What excites you about this intellectual experience? How did the experience challenge your preconceptions? How did it impact your way of thinking? What was your reaction? How did it change your perspective?

Ready...

Go!

Due Sunday, October, 6 at 11:59 pm

October 29 is last day to make up Blogs 1-8

Assignment 6- Elizabeth Moore - The Bible as an Epic with Historical Allusions

My father has treated me like an adult since day one. We debate politics (although I’ve given up keeping track of the news because it makes me feel, for lack of a better word, icky), talk about how various life experiences define character, watch Battlestar Galactica and Firefly, – frequently lamenting that the latter was cancelled – and my personal favorite, debate Biblical theory and historical allusions in the Bible. i know that Christianity is one of those things that a lot of people just aren’t sure about, which isn’t to say that I’m sure either, but the Bible is unrefutably a fascinating literary collection. It’s a window into life before time started. And there are countless allusions to historical events that shook the old world and appear in dozens of other religious doctrines and cultures. Much of Biblical history is echoed in Herodotus’ account of history, for instance. A great flood that washed away civilization, not unlike the flood in Genesis, is apparent in not only other cultures, but also the fossil record.

Check this out for reference: https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/evidence-suggests-biblical-great-flood-noahs-time-happened/story?id=17884533

The fertile crescent near present day Iraq - the original garden of Eden? Were Abram and Sarai originally from Mesopotamia? How much of the Old Testament is written as a story meant to teach a lesson or as figurative language rather than a collection of biographies? Is the creation story in the first chapter of Genesis actually a classic Hebrew poem merely intended to refute the religious beliefs of other cultures and point to the idea that God is omnipotent? The Old Testament is rife with intriguing possibilities!

Assignment 5 - Elizabeth Moore - No, I Don't Watch the Bachelor

As a child my parents limited my electronic consumption to 5 hours a week. I was encouraged to play outside and be independently imaginative. Children whose parents don’t enact such restrictions are at a serious developmental disadvantage. Since its inception our country has realized the necessity of an educated populous and that education must start at a very young age. And some television shows educate. But as in all things, TV channels are in the business of making money. And they can only keep a lucrative business if people watch their shows, so television becomes less educational and gains addictive qualities. Parents find that their children are invested in the imagined reality of TV characters rather than in their own reality. These same children fill the time that they might have spent exercising their imaginations with addictive TV shows with no educational value or aspect of imagination.

And it’s not just children. Shows like The Bachelor, Keeping up with the Kardashians, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and other reality TV shows have wormed their way into the backs of fans’ minds. These shows promote immorality, disloyalty, materialism, and shallowness, despite their entertaining nature. Ultimately, it’s not just children whose television consumption needs to be limited.

Assignment 5- Sarah Clark- TV

I have always thought that I watch TV because it relaxes me. When I return home after playing tennis or going to school,  I usually watch about 20 minutes on Netflix. I do this because it relaxes me, but in reality, watching TV probably stresses me out even more. Because I put aside my homework and other responsibilities to watch TV, I end up not enjoying the show as much as I would if I had already taken care of my work. Needless to say, the task of abstaining from watching TV is daunting. Despite all the advantages of a life without TV, some shows seem to make these advantages worthless. For example, I would rather watch my favorite show, Breaking Bad, even if I’m stressed when I’m watching it, than do something actually productive. I would even rather watch a show I don’t enjoy than be working on homework. Last spring, when my brother and I returned home from school, we spent about a month going through and watching every free movie On Demand. Yes, it was a complete waste of time, but I wouldn’t go back and have it any other way.

Assignment 4 - Elizabeth Moore - Life in a Devout Christian Household

I was raised in a devout Christian household. I sat through long services and banal Sunday school lessons – albeit with no shortage of complaining – routinely and doodled to block out the incessant drone of impertinent sermons and prayers that made time stand still. The summer before 4^th grade I went to Aldersgate Camp and Retreat Center for the first time and had what youth ministers like to call a “mountaintop experience”, the proverbial peak of devotion to God. But as is always the case, I returned home to the same monotony and the church that I attended only out of necessity. These mountaintop experiences became a semi-annual occurrence as I entered youth group, but I was a wishy-washy Christian at best. I finally reached high school and a new host of challenges presented themselves – this is when I began to question my faith in earnest. As I learned about syncretism and world religions in AP World, questions I labeled as traitorous entered my mind: What makes Christians right over the billions of non-Christians? How can I profess to believe in something I can’t see? What if my perceived interactions with God are merely placebo? I pushed all my doubts to the outskirts of my mind and tried to evade them, of course to no avail. After weeks of agonizing solitude, I opened up during my High School Girls’ small group. In talking to my friends and councilors, I realized there just aren’t answers to some questions, but faith doesn’t require us to have all the answers. Everything in my life has pointed me towards a Christian lifestyle. Maybe that isn’t the case for others. But I’ve made a conscious decision to have faith in God and attempt to live my life according to the moral doctrines of Christianity. Church isn’t so banal anymore. I joined a class studying the Old Testament and I’m thoroughly enjoying discovering nuances of the language and historical allusions. Church has become one of my favorite parts of the week not in spite of my doubts but because of them. Because I get the chance to explore something challenging and figurative and undefined.

Assignment 4 - Lia Jacobs - Kentuckians Love Religion

My parents never forced their beliefs on me when I was younger. They never told me which politicians were corrupt, if god was real, or anything of the sort. I now find myself agreeing with them on most fronts, though occasional disagreements are inevitable. So, my 'intellectual independence' is not so much from my parents, but from Kentucky.

Practically nobody in my family is religious, the closest resemblance being that my mom went to a private Catholic school. She told me that even when she was there she questioned the existence of god. Never being formally taught a religion led me to believe that god did not exist. When we moved to Kentucky, however, my seven-year old opinions on religion were challenged. Nearly everybody I met believed in god and would ask me if I did, to which I would always reply no and get weird glances. Maybe it was just elementary school ignorance, but people were inexplicably rude about what I viewed as a trivial matter. To me, it was like whether or not you believed in ghosts. Apparently I got lucky, though, as this was the extent of the reaction. My brother, a 6th grader at the time, was bullied and ridiculed by other kids simply for his views on religion. At that age, it was challenging for me to uphold a belief when everybody was telling me I was wrong and would probably end up in hell. 

Though I still firmly believe that god does not exist, this experience caused me to mostly refrain from talking about religion. If it weren't for the lack of other challenges to my beliefs, I wouldn't even be writing about this topic. Even today, when I know plenty of people who accept my views on religion, I still avoid the matter as it always seems to spark conflict.

Assignment #4 - Bethany Welch

I've never really been religious. I've always had a very factual way of thinking about things, and I have a hard time believing something if I'm not shown hard evidence. Growing up with religious friends was never a problem because I'm not bothered by other people's beliefs, but it becomes an issue with me when their beliefs get pushed on me. For example, I grew up with a friend who was very religious, and so was her family. I stayed at her house often, and I never really had an issue with  going to church with her family or saying grace, despite my beliefs. However, her mom was discussing religion one day, and asked about my beliefs. I still think this was a rather weird thing to ask. I told her that I didn't really share the same beliefs as her family, and despite her asking for my input, she really didn't like my answer. She went on a huge rant about how I'm going to go to hell, how I should believe in God and that it isn't "right," and some other disrespectful things. Honestly, that conversation just made me begin to believe more strongly in my own set of beliefs, and challenge hers more. 

Assignment 4- Hannah Whaley -" Listen, Lady. You're Wrong."

The first time I remember having a contradictory thought to what I've been taught was about two years ago, at the age of fourteen. I am a good daughter and I am not up to any funky business. However, this woman (to whom I am related) is wrong. She believes that class matters. She doesn't want me to be friends with anybody who isn't middle class or higher. Class doesn't determine worth! I can be friends with who I want, and if this person can't afford fancy clothes doesn't mean they are lesser than. She also believes that I shouldn't be allowed to do as much as my twin brother because I am a female. My weakness and inherent ability to attract creeps come naturally because I am a girl. And so I cannot go too many places alone. I will be attacked! Kidnapped! Raped! Killed! I also disagree with my lack of freedoms. At the age I'm at, I am approaching adulthood and expect more respect for my decisions. Lastly, the rest of my argument cannot be shared or you all will surely know who I am speaking of. I love this lady and respect her. I just don't always agree with her.

Assignment 4 - Cat Lucier - Another post about church, but not about the belief

I was baptized Catholic. I don't and never have gone to Catholic church except for occasional Christmasses when my grandma asks me to go with her. 

When my family lived in Indiana, we attended the Unitarian Universalist church pretty regularly.

When my family lived in Utah, we didn't go to church. It was LDS churches galore, and the nearest UU church was in Salt Lake City, over 45 minutes away.

Now we live here. And we go to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington (UUCL) every few weeks. It is not my favorite thing to do. Usually, my sister and I beg off with homework. My parents have never liked that. They believe it is very important to go there for the community and for the "beneficial life lessons" and such. Some of the sermons are okay. Our minister is excellent, but there is only so much of the weird hippie people I can take. This morning, my parents handed down the verdict that my sister and I each get 1 Get-Out-Of-Church-Free pass each year. For every additional time we miss, we don't get to go to some other activity during the week. They deem church to be a higher priority than dance classes (which they pay hundreds of dollars each month for, and if we miss more than 3 classes, we get kicked out of the show), piano/viola lessons (of which we are very high level, and I have tens of thousands of dollars of scholarship money for college because of my ability, and in a few years, Viv will surely have more than that because she is dextrous at both piano and viola); there would be more activities, such as academic team or Model UN, but the Galavotti girls go to the other ones too, and my parents can't just not pick them up. 

This turned into more of a rant than I intended. In short, I have questioned the idea that going to church is a higher priority than my academic and extracurricular success. It may be good for the community and such, but I simply do not believe that it is more important than the things that are going to get me into a good college with good scholarships. With this new policy of my parents' emerging just this morning, we shall see the outcomes in the coming weeks. Hopefully, they forget about it and I can focus on my studies on Sunday mornings.

Assignment 4: Juliann Hyatt: Suprise! You're argument is invalid.

I don’t act like it, but I’ve been raised in the Southern Baptist church. Not many people know this as I’ve tried to keep it quiet due to the assumptions about the church and their views on homosexuality, and also most of my friends are atheist. Up until around the 6th grade, I didn’t agree with homosexuality, simply because that was how I was taught to view the world. Then, around this time, I developed a crush on a guy with lesbian mothers. I honestly didn’t care, but I was terrified of mentioning it to my family. So I asked one of my friends where exactly in the Bible it said that it was not okay to be gay. The most often quoted verse on the subject is Leviticus 18:22, which reads “ Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination..” Even if you believe the Bible was translated correctly and without bias (it wasn’t), and even if your under the impression that you still have to follow these rules(you don’t; that was the whole thing with Jesus dying for our sins), a few verses before that, it condemns having sex with your neighbors wife or an animal, and in the next chapter, it condemns breeding two different animals, planting two different crops in the same field, eating seafood, and wearing clothes with two different fabrics. So even if you insist on following the letter of the Bible, as long as bestiality is still legal, my family keeps eating shrimp, three-sister-farming exists, and mules are born, people don’t really disagree with being gay as part of the Bible, its just bigotry. (Especially as God doesn’t condone hate against anyone; that’s another one of His whole big things)

Assignment 4- Mary Huffman- I'm not the Catholic girl you think I am

Catholicism has always been a part of my identity, though more a representative element for my peers than myself. Every Sunday morning, I go to church, but I stopped fully participating in mass around the time I quit Youth Group. Since then, I've felt quite disconnected from the church and I haven't felt the motivation to "strengthen my relationship with God," as the Catholic church loves to preach. If I'm not convicted to the religion I've belonged to my entire life, why am I writing this post an hour before I leave for Sunday mass? The answer to that question: because I don't have the answers. I don't know if there really is a god, but the chance that there could be warrants a visit to church every once in a while. Another reason- my mother. She's dedicated to the faith as far as I know- she went to Catholic school in the south and still attends mass all these years later. I don't want to upset her with my religious dissonance. 

The congregation prays for the end of abortion every week, at which point I sit silently while the rest of the church says "Lord, hear our prayer." My beliefs concerning abortion aren't explicitly defined, but I know I don't believe what the Catholic church would like me to, or even what my parents might want me to believe. I think I'm an analytical, factual person, which is why I'm hesitant to devote myself to a belief system such as Catholicism. All religion, of course, is theory. You believe what you're told because you'll find yourself burning in hell if you stray from the righteous path. I'd much prefer to decide myself what may be true, what principles should guide my morals, and what I know cannot be, all despite what the Church teaches. I have no ill will towards Catholicism or religion of any kind, I respect all the amazing people I've connected with through the church. But I'm not a good Catholic, and I'm sure if a member of the Holy Trinity is really out there, I've made it onto the waiting list for Hell. Oh well.

Assignment 5: For the Love and Hate of Television

The Emmy Awards (aired recently) are kind of a big deal. Not a big deal in that life-altering-kind-of-way, but a big deal in the sense that a lot of celebrities dress up, that a lot of companies pay more money in advertisements, and a lot of people stop watching reruns.

The Emmys are not the only award extravaganza of the season though. During the first week of October, without the advertising, paparazzi, or celebrities, the Nobel Prizes are announced. But how many people are listening? With the Emmys comes television's fall lineup, but what does the common person get after the announcement of the Nobel Prize in physics?

So, what are your thoughts? Choose one or two or all of the following prompts:

Why do you watch TV? Why do you not? What shows do you love or hate?

Does TV provide a good form of entertainment? Is it just a convenient delivery system for advertisers to send their messages to the masses? Is it an inane use of time? Can it be all three?

What does it say about our society that the Emmy's have so much glitz and attention and the Nobel Prizes are quietly announced in the news? Is this bad? Good? Appropriate?

Check out these sites for more information:

Turn off your TV

Television and Health

Positive Benefits of TV on Toddlers and Children

Due Sunday September 29 at 11:59 pm

October 29 is last day to make up Blogs 1-8

Assignment 4-Sarah Clark-How Jesus Became Christian

Late in the spring of my freshmen year, I read the book How Jesus Became Christian by Barrie Wilson. Although my family had never gone to church all that much, we still, for the most part, considered ourselves Christian. However, this book made me question the basics of Christianity. The book offers up the “cover-up hypothesis,” a claim that Christianity differs from what Jesus actually taught. Wilson claims that Paul’s theology covered up Jesus’s real teachings, and how this theology deviated from the early Jesus Movement in origin and practice. Wilson focuses on the Book of Acts, where a new model of Christianity is introduced as Paul proposes a non-Torah-observant movement. This new religion becomes attached to the one that originally came from Jesus: and a Jewish religion focusing on the Kingdom of God changes to a Gentile one focusing on a savior God-human. The outcome of reading this book is not yet set in stone, as I am still questioning my beliefs. However, I am reluctant to follow a religion where the majority of the followers have misconceived notions about the actual origins of the religion. People believe to be following Jesus’s teachings, when really they are following Paul’s.

Assignment 3 - Elizabeth Moore - Model UN

Model UN (MUN) is a life-defining experience. MUN cultivates relationships between students from drastically different cultures through international invitational conferences that assemble students from many nations, including China, Indonesia, Greece, Britain, and the United States. Students from diverse delegations are placed in committees, where they make connections with other students from unique backgrounds. Throughout MUN conferences, delegates work with the same diverse group of students to create solutions to the relevant problems that face nations. These people-to-people interactions promote cooperation and collaboration, fostering empathy and understanding among teenagers worldwide. MUN also promotes understanding of foreign culture. Students adopt surrogate nations or personas that they represent at conferences and conduct extensive research to accurately represent the point of view of their assigned role. Delegates are frequently assigned positions with which they disagree, but the perspective students gain from promoting and defending positions that run counter to their own promotes skills that will enable them to achieve peaceful conflict-resolution and that enhance their depth of world view. Not only does MUN encourage collaboration between delegates of different backgrounds and promote understanding of other ideologies, it also prepares youth worldwide to become the next generation of global leaders.

Assignment 3 Conor Kelley

I've never really done much travelling. In fact, I've never been outside of the country. I go on vacation at least once a year, but it's often to Florida or South Carolina for about a week. If I go to Florida, it's almost always on the Gulf Coast, Fort Myers or Saint Petersburg, sometimes Captiva, as was the case last summer, or Sanibel. I only ever go to Charleston if I vacation in South Carolina. It is my mom's favorite city after all. I have learned a lot of the culture of that area from my numerous trips there, as well as its rich history. I have also travelled to Texas, for a gymnastics competition for my oldest sister, as well as Virginia, for a vacation two years ago. While I can't say that I've learned much from the often redundant trips I've taken to Florida, my trips to Charleston have always been enriching. I would love to travel more, and hope to once I'm grown and out of the house. I would enjoy more cultural experiences, learning firsthand about society in other countries. As for now, travelling is not something I do much.

Assignment 3 - Lia Jacobs - Outsiders

Only ever having lived in Missouri and Kentucky, I've never encountered anything that could be called culturally extravagant on a day-to-day basis. Furthermore, I've never ventured outside of the continental United States. Over the summers, however, we typically take a lengthy vacation to an intriguing part of the United States. My family's 'intriguing' consists of innumerable hours spent in a car, accompanied by plenty of hiking. One of the more memorable and influential of these trips was two weeks in Nevada, Arizona, and Utah.

It began in Las Vegas, a city unlike any I had seen before. My father attended a conference there, which paid for all of its attendees to stay in Caesars Palace. It was full of exactly what one would expect to see in Vegas, from bachelorette parties to old men drinking in smoke-filled casinos. For a twelve-year-old, this was quite an experience. Aside from people-watching, we enjoyed the stereotypical tourist experiences like wax museums and enormous buffets. This part of the trip only constituted two or three days, leaving the remainder for my family's preferred form of vacation. Our next destination was Zion national park where we hiked The Narrows, a river at the bottom of a large canyon. After this, we continued visiting several natural phenomena, like Canyon de Chelley with its ancient Pueblo villages.

All of our destinations had been spots that the typical nature enthusiast would have visited, but our final destination was the most impactful. My father spent several years as a child living on the Navajo reservation. His parents had both gotten jobs in a small town called Rough Rock and moved there to become the only white people in the town. This was the last stop on our western adventure. For me, it was rather uncomfortable, everybody seemed to be watching us. As we drove around the town, we saw people staring at us through their windows. It was the first time in my life I had felt like a complete outsider. All of our prior vacations had been to places full of people who spoke, looked, and acted just like us. This feeling of unwelcomeness frightened me. In retrospect, these people were probably very friendly, just simply perplexed at our presence. Twelve-year-old me thought otherwise. It showed me that I certainly do not like being an outsider, whether it be a good or bad thing. I hope to visit a place like this again, just to see if this was simply a childish fear.

Assignment 3 - The Long One - Bethany Welch

As a child, I traveled probably way too much, if that's possible. My dad was a pilot and my mom is a flight attendant, so traveling has always been a family thing. I traveled to Hawaii a lot when I was younger, and I always loved the beaches and the koi pond at a hotel we stayed at. Hawaii was always a trip where my whole family would go, so it's always a very happy memory. Since the summer in between 7th and 8th grade, I've attended a camp called Duke TiP, held on multiple different college campuses. My first two years I stayed at Appalachian State University, in Boone, NC. I met lots of friends from across the United States there, and I've always regarded this camp as one of the happiest moments in my life. I stayed in a college dorm for 3 weeks, which definitely a new experience, but it has definitely shown me what staying in a dorm would be like for college. My last 2 years, I stayed at University of Georgia. I loved this campus, however the campus is spread out and I walked a lot. The food there was absolutely amazing though, 10/10 would recommend. Summer of 2017, I stayed at Yale for a camp through the Renzulli program. We worked with current world issues, and used two weeks to make a presentation on our ways to work towards solving it. It was a really educational experience, and I met kids from all across the globe. My three best friends at that camp were from China, St. Thomas, and Dubai, U.A.E.

 My spring break of freshman year, I did a community service trip in Peru through the program Rustic Pathways. For the trip, we stayed in a rural village and built a water line down into the village, since the people living there had to walk miles for their water. In turn, the people there cooked for us and told us about the surrounding mountains. One night, they also shared with us legends and creepy stories about the land, and showed us a cleansing ritual they often performed. It was an amazing experience to learn about and experience another culture, and I had an opportunity to learn more Spanish and teach some English to the kids in the village. In return, the kids made us friendship bracelets and sang to us. It was possibly one of the most heartwarming experiences of my life. 

The summer before sophomore year, my mom and I traveled to Rome, Italy; Naples, Italy; and Ischia, an island off of the coast of Italy. I got to see many amazing landmarks, like the Colosseum and the Trevi fountain. It was a beautiful trip and my mom and I thoroughly enjoyed our time together. Also, this past spring break, I traveled to Aruba with my mom and grandmother. This ended up being a rather sad trip, but before that we all had a great time and had several great experiences. I've traveled a lot over my 16 years of living, but these were some of my favorite experiences.

Assignment 2 - Bethany Welch

As time passes, I find myself reading less and less. I've probably forgotten a book here or there, but I've read 4 books that I can recall. The first book was A Clockwork Orange, because I had heard good things about the book and the movie. However, the book was quite weird to me and the dialect was rather difficult to follow, so I didn't entirely finish the book. I also read two books for school, the Teenage Brain and Sea of Poppies. Sea of Poppies was for AP World History, but was still a very interesting book as it introduced to me new perspectives on indentured servitude and the history of the opium trade. The Teenage Brain provided me with knowledge over the brain, and specific ways it works, as well as describing the changes a teenager's brain goes through. The most recent book I've read was Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: Why It Disappeared, and Why It's Only a Matter of Time Before This Happens Again. I'm still currently reading this book, but it caught my eye in the library and I was interested as to what it was. I tend to prefer nonfiction over fictional books, because I enjoy the learning experience.

Assignment 3- Mary Huffman- The Westward Voyage (Again)

My topic for this blog post is one I've already written about, but one that is notable in other ways. I'm not the kind of person who likes to stay in a condo on a beach, surrounded by jellyfish and sunburned fat people who never wear enough clothes. The only way to escape boredom, and more threatening, the heat, is to wade into strong currents of salty fish pee. I'd hardly consider that a vacation. So, instead of driving to the nearest seacoast, my family decided to drive for 3 weeks straight on an incredible tour of the western United States. Our destination was really the Grand Canyon, where we spent one cold, rainy day and another two sweltering ones. This stop was by no means the only breathtaking one, since we made good use of a National Parks pass. Each park we visited was blooming with foreign languages and peoples, but they were all there for the same reason, basking in the beauty of the same natural and man-made structures, despite the incredible differences between them. My state of awe didn't change, as each time I witnessed an indescribable view, people from all around the world experienced it with me. I felt a sense of unity with these complete strangers who didn't even speak my language. All it took was an 18-mile wide hole in some orange rock. Even amidst the camaraderie I felt, I felt like I was on an alien planet. Every time I heard a strange accent, I tried to decipher what language it might belong to; I eventually gave up on trying to translate the French I heard on every shuttle bus. The landmarks in each park were so different from anything I'd seen before. Even when it seemed like I was in a different country, or looking at the landscape of another world, I was still somehow comforted by the chaotic beauty around me. This trip made me truly appreciate my surroundings, no matter how mundane. As I drove through Kansas on the way home, I was surprised at how beautiful the endless interstate-cut plains of corn could be, even to a Kentuckian who knew nothing but rolling green hills.

Assignment 3- Daniel Mendoza Vasquez

Travel is 'my thing', even though the only skill it takes is having an open mind and good budgeting skills. The first time I stepped (or rather, was carried) onto an airplane was a month after being born. I've been to nineteen countries since then, including these United States in that count given how much it can vary culturally. The experience of trying new foods and hearing other languages is something that I love, and something that I value more than most material things. Though I would say without hesitation that all of my trips have been memorable, China would be most deserving of being called an 'adventure'. The fact that visiting China was jarring for a Westerner is not really unique; but the seemingly opposite language, the distinctive food, and chaotic environment certainly challenged us. Of course, none of these things are bad, they are merely different. I've also lived in six different places, which is only enjoyable in retrospect. That first flight at one month of age took me from my birthplace of New Orleans to Bogota, where my mom's family resided, and where I would live for seven months. I subsequently bounced around between Colombia, Mexico, and North Carolina for a few years until we settled in Raleigh for my elementary schooling, and then here to Lexington. It's not a reach, then, to conclude that I have seen a lot of the world, and I'm proud of that. Of course, I'm also very lucky to have the opportunity to travel as frequently as I do, as I'm sure that there are many people that would, but can't. I hope to be able to maintain my pattern of travelling often, and though I don't really want to visit every country in the world, I do have plenty more to explore. 

Assignment 2 - Cat Lucier

I have always been an avid reader. As a child, I had perhaps a thousand books. We had to sort through and get rid of a majority of them before the move from Utah to Kentucky, but we kept the best ones and have built up a not unimpressive collection again. I also love any library and was delighted when my mum introduced me to Powell's City of Books, a 7-level bookstore in Portland, Oregon, with easily over a million books.
And now for a list of book and reflection upon them.
The Teenage Brain by Frances E. Jensen - required, but really not painful to read.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan - quite enjoyable. The tone and everything...all the awards it received make sense.
Four Past Midnight by Stephen King - a set of four short stories: "The Langoliers"; "The Library Policeman"; "Secret Window, Secret Garden"; and "The Sun Dog". I technically did not finish the entire book: I didn't read The Sun Dog because I got the book from the library and there was a request for it and therefore I could not renew it to extend the deadline. Regardless, I think of "The Langoliers" on probably a weekly basis, as well as "The Library Policeman". I don't remember "Secret Window, Secret Garden" very well, but I just read the synopsis and I do know that I enjoyed it - it was the sort of story that leaves you unsettled because of the lack of finality in the ending.
The Stand by Stephen King - I have been reading it for at least six months, and am about 3/4 of the way through, but simply have not had enough chances to really sit down and read for a few hours.
The entirety of the Game of Thrones series by George R. R. Martin - I got hooked on this series near the beginning of my sophomore year by Mr. Wise, and it consumed my reading time for pretty much the entirety of that year. I am halfway through A Dance with Dragons, which is the fifth or sixth book (I can't remember). I got kind of bored because it became thick with battle strategy and got a little boring. It was also right around that time that I had a birthday and got The Stand and a gift card to my favorite tiny second-hand bookstore in chevy chase, where I bought The Running Man by Richard Bachman (Stephen King), Firestarter by Stephen King, and The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. Those are still sitting on my "to be read" shelf.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is a bit of a cliche, I know, but reading it creates this sense of peace in me. It is a collection of letters from Charlie about his freshman year of high school. His tone is so precise, unjudgemental, and mellow. The thing that gets me, though, is that I find that I can identify with him. It may not seem like it now, because I am thoroughly medicated, but I am in reality a significant wallflower. I watch, and I listen, and I keep secrets, and I know so many things. This is one of two books that if I have a particularly bad day, I sit down and read it in one sitting.
The other book that I do that with is Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. She appears, works magic, and then is gone. I think about that book all the time.

Assignment 3 - Catherine Lucier - Diversity of Perspective

My dad works for a subcontractor of the government, and thus, my family has moved around more than some. I was born in Fairfax, Virginia, then when I was a year and a half old, we moved to Terre Haute, Indiana, where my sister was born. We moved away from there when I was four, but I have many clear memories of the house and my preschool. I even remember a few things from before my sister was born, when I wasn't even 2 years old. Then we lived in Tooele, Utah, just outside of Salt Lake City for 7 years. I still think of that as my home, and I miss it so much. I maintain that the school I went to from 2nd through 5th grades is the best education I have received. Of course, everyone was Mormon, and the population of non-white people was incredibly low. Everybody had a bunch of kids and was kind of poor and if you were surprised all you could say was "Oh my gosh!" or "My goodness!' because they were scandalized at anything else. You couldn't wear tops that showed your shoulder, and your shorts had to come down to your knees. I would like to clarify that these weren't rules that were enforced by any law officers of any sort, but they were enforced by the social stigma and the looks people gave you and the obvious discomfort they were in if you were in public like that. 

So you can imagine what a change it was to move to Kentucky. I remember the thing I was most astonished by on the first day of 6th grade being black people. I knew they existed, and I had learned about them in school, and I had been around them occasionally when I would visit my family in Los Angeles, but I had never seen them in this population. Another thing was the ability to wear anything you liked and not be given disapproving looks, and the same with cursing. It was such a strange thing learn about the culture of the real world after being so sheltered for so long (by no fault of my parents; they took us traveling to places all over the country because they knew how small and protected Tooele was). 

Additionally, that school that I went to provided an incredible basis for the rest of my education. Every student in the school, Kindergarten-8th grade was evaluated and placed in a math class and a reading class with others of a similar level to them, regardless of grade level. In addition to that, there were three core subjects that each of the 3 teachers in each grade specialized in. In 5th grade, I was in an 8th-grade math class, and a reading class where we just read and wrote papers on novels; Ms. Phelps taught history, Mr. Olsen taught science, and Mrs. Toale taught core math. Believe it or not, in my AP classes today, I am finding things that others have never learned, but I learned in elementary school. This may also be attributed to the fact that every student in my school had science and history classes. I was shocked to learn from my younger sister that Fayette County had taught science and history in a strangely limited capacity until middle school. 

This is all a very roundabout way of describing why I bring a different perspective to the table. Admittedly, it is not as unusual as some people's perspectives, but a diversity of perspective includes every level of uncommonness. 

Juliann Hyatt Assignment 3; Bermuda is small

In 2017, my family went to Bermuda for a week. The entire country was an island only about a mile wide, 22 miles long, roughly 750 miles east off the coast of North Carolina. A tour guide explained that there were no international franchises in the country, as having things shipped 1,000 miles into the middle of the ocean would not be cost efficient. Along similar lines, gas was regularly over $8 a gallon. The country was still under the British crown, but only really answered to a governor appointed by Queen Elizabeth. Standing on one side of the island, even I could see across the entire country with my mole-esque vision. The country had one jail that held 208 people and had never been full. Residents didn’t lock their car or house doors due to such low crime rates. Even my grandparents felt safe in the country. When we came back home to a country full of theft, mass shootings, and murders, it leaves one to wonder about how a country with only 87 people per square mile on average could be so much more dangerous than an isolated island with 3,200 people per square mile.

Assignment 3 - Hannah Whaley - Where I’ve Come and Gone

My most recent cultural experiences were in Stuttgart, Germany and London, England. German culture was a rude awakening. Now, Germans are not necessarily mean people. However, they do not seem to appreciate Americans as much as Londoners do.They weren’t tolerant of those who couldn’t speak German and it wasn’t a welcoming country, despite the beautiful green countryside. London, on the other hand, was extremely friendly. On a raggedy bus heading to the heart of the city, we had so many great conversations with wonderful and kind people. Some of my best experiences there were by the recommendation of friendly locals- like Piccadilly Street. Through these trips I learned about how other cultures can be either much more reserved or much more friendly. I learned to not be spiteful towards Germans for their behavior that is only customary there. When I’m this trip, I also met a Dutch woman who married into the Kurdish family. Her reserved and friendly culture is vastly different from the rowdy, dramatic setting found in my aunts’ homes. She said that her family would never confront each other about something to make them upset. My family cries and screams in an argument over what to get on the pizza. I thought all these cultures being introduced at once where great for me to compare and become more open-minded about other people’s behavior.

Assignment 4: On Second thought. (College)

As you enter this age of intellectual independence some of you might be dealing with thoughts that question or even contradict some deeply held beliefs that have been passed on to you via your family and extended community.  As a parent I am beginning to see this in my 14 year old and I am conflicted.  I am at once thrilled to see her think for herself and wince at some of her conclusions. 

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Due Sunday, September 22 at 11:59 pm.

October 29 is last day to make up Blogs 1-8

Assignment 3- Sarah Clark- France

This summer, I spent 3 weeks living with a family in Deauville, France. My correspondent then came to America to live with me for the next 3 weeks. From this trip, my French greatly improved, and I gained the experience of traveling outside the United States for the first time. However, after 6 weeks of being with the same person practically all day, I grew tired of my correspondent. I was getting annoyed with having to come up with activities for the 2 of us to do in the U.S. every day. This revealed to me that I need alone time and space. Nonetheless, I am extremely grateful that I got to take part in the exchange, because I learned how to quickly adapt to new cultures and environments. For example, my family didn’t eat dinner until 9:30 every night, and walked almost everywhere. Although I grew to enjoy these customs, for the first few days, I had trouble adapting. However, now that I have this experience under my belt, I believe I can carry over what I learned in France to my educational environment. In my French class, I explain to our teacher what the experience of living with a family in France is like, and how this compares to America. Although my teacher has, of course, been to France on several occasions, she has never stayed with a family. Thus, she is intrigued in the exchange, and hopes to enrich the cultural section of our curriculum with the customs I discuss with her. 

Assignment 1 - Bethany Welch - About Me

I'm Bethany, and I consider myself a quiet but rather hardworking person. In terms of school related goals, I want to make straight A's and hopefully qualify for the National Merit Scholar award. I'd also like to bring my ACT score up 3-4 points, and pass all of my AP exams with a 4 or higher. For my personal goals, I'd like to become a better caretaker and devote more time to my pets, become an overall nicer and more outgoing person, and go out of my comfort zone in terms of public speaking and making new friends. This year I've also been approved to begin an Animal Rights Club, so I'd like for that to be successful as that is something I'm quite passionate about.

As for my summer vacation, the most meaningful moment was definitely the end of Duke TiP camp. Duke TiP is a summer studies program that I've attended 4 times now, and this summer was my last year. I had many friends in the program, many that I'd known for years, but they lived in other states and it'd be incredibly difficult to see them outside the camp. The last day of the camp was incredibly sad but also quite sweet, as we were able to say our goodbyes to each other.

If I could pick one superpower, it'd most likely be the power to turn invisible. I know, it sounds like a pretty basic response, but I find it quite interesting.

To tell a bit about me, I'd have to include my extracurriculars and hobbies. Outside of school, I've been doing horseback riding since I was 3 years old, I've been figure skating for about a year and a half, and I paint and play piano in my free time. This year I joined the Cross Country team, and I've participated on the girls Lacrosse team for 3 years now. I've been part of the Future Medical Pros club for three years now, as a career in the medical field is what I'm interested in pursuing in my future. I also joined JROTC my sophomore year, and it's definitely been one of my best decisions. I joined their Raider team, mostly to just get in shape but also to hang out with my friends. I actually ended up being pretty good and participated in the JROTC Raider Nationals in Molena, GA.

For my picture, I'll just put a picture of my rabbit Zeus since I don't have many other pictures.

I'd say my favorite website is probably https://www.brandymelvilleusa.com because I have a pretty bad online shopping obsession.

Assignment 2 - Elizabeth Moore - I'm Spoiled by Sarah J. Maas' Excellent Writing

As a young child I stayed up late into the night, oblivious to the time, reading. I now find myself with an ever-apparent lack of time on my hands. I only willingly sacrifice a few hours for two book series, both written by Sarah J. Maas. The Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses series tell gripping stories about life in a mythical land not dissimilar to Tolkien’s Middle Earth. The inspiring female roles in both series appeal to female readers like myself and the girls in my friend group. While the impeccable writing and carefully woven twists contribute to my love of these series, the books also facilitate connections with my friends. After the release date of each new installation, we pass around a single copy until everyone in our little group receives it. We debate the plot devices in the weeks following and our pronunciation arguments oftentimes get a little heated.

Besides The Great Gatsby in Mr. Behler’s class and of course The Teenage Brain, I only recall reading Enemy at the Gates: The Battle at Stalingrad in the last year. While this was an assigned reading for AP World, I found myself invested in the fates of the characters and I now consider Enemy at the Gates one of my favorite books – right alongside The Lord of the Flies, Harry Potter, and Sarah J. Maas’s series. The author Craig Williams traveled around the world for years compiling first-hand accounts of the World War II siege from soldiers and their diaries. His efforts paid off and he produced a stellar biographical narrative!

Assignment 2 - Lia Jacobs - I Should Read More

When attempting to recall the books I've read over this past year, only four come to mind. With the exception of a few books, I've never found much pleasure in reading in my free time. However, I found this past year's school-assigned readings to be unexpectedly entertaining. The four books I read this year were The Joy Luck Club, The Great Gatsby, The Fault in Our Stars, and of course The Teenage Brain.

I brought The Fault in Our Stars with me on vacation to reread since I had forgotten nearly the entire plot. It wasn't very impactful, but simply a slightly cheesy, easy read to pass the time. The other three books I read were all assigned readings, but I found them all interesting to some extent. I enjoyed the message and story of The Great Gatsby, but if it weren't for us reading it in class, I don't think I would have finished it. Out of the four, The Joy Luck Club was probably my favorite. I particularly enjoyed the format of the novel, though it was difficult to follow at times. Even though I remember appreciating the book as a whole, I read it rather quickly so I might try to reread it soon. Lastly, the book that shocked me the most was The Teenage Brain. I started reading it mid-July, so I had already been warned by several classmates that it was somewhat painful to read. Despite starting with this frame of mind and my usual dislike of nonfiction, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole book. I found Jensen's argument to be exceedingly captivating and enjoyed learning the more scientific aspects of why teenagers do what they do. Overall, my two favorite reads over this past year were The Teenage Brain and The Joy Luck Club. I hope to find more books I enjoy reading over this next year since this assignment has drawn my attention to my general lack of reading.

Assignment 2- Mary Huffman- My Limited Literacy

If I'm honest, I don't read books as often as I should, and now that I have to write this blog post, I'm a little embarrassed about the number of books I've read in the past year. The first book that comes to mind is titled The Optimist's Daughter, written by Eudora Welty. This book is likely not one I would have picked up myself, but there aren't many that fall into that category, apparently. The synopsis on the back cover explains that the main character Laurel returns to New Orleans to be with her father as he dies; Laurel then goes home to Mississippi, where she "finally comes to an understanding of the past, herself, and her parents" while staying in her childhood home. The Optimist's Daughter was a gift from one of my mom's cousins or somebody, so I naturally felt obligated to read it. I felt somewhat familiar with southern culture because my parents are from North Carolina and Louisiana, both of which we visit fairly often. This novel was relatable because of my experience with more southern customs, which engaged me especially when the story became dull. One thing I took away from The Optimist’s Daughter was that sometimes it’s better to forget something than to keep holding on to bitter memories; remembering without having learned anything is more burdensome than simply forgetting. 

Another notable book I’ve (more or less) read in recent memory is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I tend to grab this book off my shelf when I know school will be completely uneventful. I have never gotten more than a few chapters into this 300-page science-fiction novel, but I keep trying nonetheless. Each time I pick up the book, I get to about the same point in the story when the main character is setting off on a voyage to find a giant squid who’s been sinking ships. The reading isn’t too challenging, though I often look up the definitions of some particularly long words; I’ve just never been able to get past the long exposition because it’s so verbose and uneventful. Perhaps I should consider this fact in my own writing.

Assignment 2 - Daniel Mendoza Vasquez

Though I used to be an avid reader, I have fallen off significantly since starting high school. In the past year, I have read: 

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah - A very interesting window into life in South Africa at the end of Apartheid from the perspective of a 'colored' man who eventually became the host of The Daily Show.

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes - I did not finish this one, but not because I did not want to; it's hard enough to read 17th century English, imagine 17th century Spanish. I speak the language but have never been formally educated in it.

Drinking the Sea at Gaza by Amira Hass - This was for a school assignment, but the author's stories about life in the Gaza Strip during Israeli occupation and the intifadas were compelling nonetheless.

Legend by Marie Lu - I read this one primarily for nostalgic purposes, as I read it first in middle school and really enjoyed it.

Animal Farm by George Orwell - Not as good as 1984 in my opinion, but still a unique allegorical novel that undoubtedly deserves to be called a classic. 

Assignment 2- Hannah Whaley- Some recent favorites (books)

I tend to read a lot of books- so these are from the past three weeks. My recollection of all the books I read is limited to a short time period unless I find that book particularly memorable.

1. The Walking Land by Callie Bates. This is a decent and quick fantasy read- good to finish in one sitting.
2. Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa. I loved the Japanese mythology incorporated into this one, something I am always interested in is mythology.
3. The Black Company by Glen Cook. I read this because it is one of my Dad's favorites. Even though I can't relate to grown-men mercenaries it was action packed and good for a long car ride.
4. Eragon by Christopher Paolini is a great dragon fantasy that I first read in 6th grade. I reread it every so often when travelling because it is one of the few books I own and I don't get bored of it.
5. Forest of a Thousand Lanters by Julie C. Dao is Chinese historical fantasy and has a Cinderella vibe to it- very good.
6. Caraval by Stephanie Garber is a good thriller mystery that is still in the fantasy realm. 

Assignment 2- Juliann Hyatt- the two books I read

Surprisingly, in the last twelve months the only “books” I recall reading are Turtles All the Way Down by John Green and The Great Gatsby. Other than those, the only books I’ve read are various criminal justice textbooks I pick up at Half-Price Books. 

I acquired Turtles All the Way Down the day it was released, was extremely excited to read it, set it down, and did not read it until this summer. Frankly I had not had the time nor the motivation to read. During the school year, I was forced to read The Great Gatsby in my AP Seminar class. Although I was irritated by the concept of having to learn a concept which A- did not have to do with the class I was in, and B- was after the AP test, the book became very enjoyable after the exposition was cleared. I believe that I would have finished the book due to the sarcasm and underlying romantic subtexts alone even if i had not been forced to do so.

It's a shame that they didn’t cast Ryan Reynolds to be Jay Gatsby in the movie, seeing as he was already Green Lantern and Deadpool.

Assignment 3: Oh! The Places You’ll Go! (College)

Travel or living experiences in other countries or other parts of this country:  Here again, is an opportunity to provide further context for your life-experience. Discuss interesting extracurricular, cultural or intellectual experiences and how they impact your perspectives about the world. What did you learn from these experiences and what do they reveal about you? Think about how you engage with new environments, cultures, and activities. How will your experiences enrich your educational environment? This may relate to topics of social responsibility.

Due Sunday September 15 11:59 pm

October 29 is last day to make up Blogs 1-8

Assignment 2- Sarah Clark- books

During the past twelve months I have read the following:

What Are People For? By Wendell Berry

Turtles All The Way Down By John Green

The Catcher in the Rye By J.D. Salinger

The Hate U Give By Angie Thomas

Milk and Honey By Rupi Kaur

A History of Western Society By John P. McKay

The Communist Manifesto By Karl Marx

In the Garden of Beasts By Erik Larson

The Great Gatsby By Scott Fitzgerald

I finished all of these books listed, even A History of Western Society, which was 912 pages. Although not all of these books particularly interested me, if I start a book I usually finish it (I feel unsatisfied if I don’t). The most enjoyable book to read was Turtles All The Way Down, because I felt most compelled to finish it, and it told a story. The other books, such as What Are People For? and The Communist Manifesto were very insightful, but the language was hard to understand at times, making them less enjoyable. We read The Great Gatsby in Mr. Behler’s class at the end of the year, and I liked the story (and enjoying not having to do actual “work”). Overall, I am satisfied with the books I have read this year and hope to read more books by Wendell Berry, because I admire his life’s work. I am also open to any book suggestions.