Blog Post on Gaddafi’s Death.
Josh Blake
I was very happy to hear that the Libyan dictator, General Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed. Gaddafi was a dictator and ruled his country without mercy. If anyone tried to oppose him they would be arrested, tried, tortured, and eventually killed. I am happy that the Libyan people decided to rise up and take back their country. The International community was in the right to aid the rebels in their fight to regain Libya back from Gaddafi and his supporters. I do not dislike or think badly of Gaddafi’s supporters because I believe that fear is a very powerful motivator. It was not surprising, to me, that Surt, Gaddafi’s home town, was his last strong hold with the most supporters.
When the rebels captured Gaddafi it is not clear, at this point, if he was killed as a fugitive or a prisoner. This matters due to NATO’s involvement within Libya. NATO is responsible for the correct sentencing for Gaddafi’s supporters; they must make sure that these supporters are treated within their basic human rights. Even though NATO did not put any troops on the ground in Libya they supported the rebels from the air with supply drops, ammunition, food, and aerial counter strikes against Gaddafi strong holds. After all this is what ended up leading to the capture and death of Gaddafi. Gaddafi was fleeing his hometown of Surt within a convoy when a French air strike halted the convoy long enough for the Libyan rebel fighters to get there.
How will this event change Libya? This is the next major question in the international community. What will the free Libyans do next? How will they rebuild after decades of suffering under Gaddafi. The answer is democracy, with help from the international community. I think that it is fairly obvious, to anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock for the past couple of months, that the Libyan people want freedom and democracy without corruption and fear. If NATO and the Libyan people can rebuild from this uprising then it will be an even greater success for the people of Libya.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
After the Falls Blog
Cathy’s relationships with her Mom and Dad
Cathy has a very weird relationship with her parents throughout the novel. When Cathy is young, she and her father have a very close relationship. But as she gets older they start to drift apart a little bit. When Cathy’s father’s health starts to deteriorate she starts to reconnect and visit her parents more, knowing that they will not be around forever. Cathy and her mother have an affectionate relationship; however, she always avoids difficult situations. When Cathy and her parents are moving away from Lewiston her mother is very submissive and believes that everything that Jim decides should be supported fully by her.
Cathy’s mother knew what would make her father upset and therefore did not mention everything to him. This is evident when two policemen show up at Cathy’s house to tell her about a boy named Tom Drescher and how her is connected to some recent vandalism in Amherst. Cathy’s mother just smiles and offers coffee while Cathy is left to defend her self, alone in her living room. When the police left Cathy went to her room and stayed there until it was time to go out for dinner at the Four Seasons Restaurant. At dinner; “Neither of us mentioned any police visit.” Pg 81 to her father. Which shows how Cathy’s mother avoids confrontation and difficult situations.
Cathy loves her father very much, especially toward the end of his life when his brain tumor was slowly killing him. Cathy was surprised that when they went out to the Four Seasons Restaurant he could remember that Thursday was “chicken cordon blue night but he could forget that he had a brain tumor.” Pg 157. This shows Cathy’s fathers early memory loss due to his brain tumor. That night, when they got back from the restaurant Cathy took her fathers keys stating that he had a brain tumor and could not be driving because he would be a danger to himself, other drivers, and her mother.
The influence of popular culture (e.g. fashion, music, entertainment, the arts, advertising, political events, athletics)
The influence of popular culture on Cathy during her life is very prevalent. Throughout the book she is bombarded with popular culture such as music, fashion, political events/movements, and the arts; which all contribute to the person that she becomes later in the book and life. The influence of popular music at the time when she is growing up and discovering the opposite gender is very crucial to her trust in males and relationships. Even when she does find a boy that she likes, Laurie, it does not end well.
When Cathy and Fran are hiding in the closet during the sexual abuse of Veronica Nebozenko, Cathy realizes that boys are not as nice as some people might think. This event gives more insight to why Cathy never really had any major relationships with boys, except for Laurie. When Veronica leaves and the coast is clear, Cathy and Fran go upstairs to bed. While in bed they listen to the WKBW radio station and a new song comes on by Shirelles called ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?’ “Late that night, when we were lying silently in the dark in Fran’s twin beds, listening to WKBW radio, the deejay said he was going to play a new song from the Shirelles called ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?’” Pg 62. This makes Cathy think about Veronica and how none of those boys will love her tomorrow.
I would be lying if I said that popular culture has had no influence on me because in this day and age it is so hard to get away from it. We are constantly surrounded with distractions that come in the form of cell phones and computers that feed us our daily dose of music, movies and other entertainment to get away from our boring mundane lives. The main popular culture phenomenon that I have been most connected to is entertainment and music. This is mainly because they are the most accessible and publicized forms of popular culture. A person can access and download movies and music in the blink of an eye. Popular culture for me is just distractions from the greater things in life like living and nature.
Cathy’s work life (McClure’s Drugs, Mary Kay Cosmetics, The Dunk, Howard Johnsons, New York State Welfare, Hengerer’s Department Store)
Cathy has had many experiences with work in her life. She started at four years old stocking shelves and helping deliver medicine with Roy at her fathers Pharmacy in Lewiston. Then went on to start work at a doughnut shop called The Dunk, where she had to lie about her age to the owner to get the job.
When Cathy was four years old she used to stock shelves at her fathers pharmacy in Lewiston. She did this due to an abundant amount of energy she had. She would stock shelves with candy and aspirins as a way to burn off extra energy. When Cathy was a little bit older and more experienced at working in the shop she would go on deliveries with Roy, the delivery truck diver. Roy couldn’t read and even at a young age Cathy could read and give out the right drug to the right person. “I thought of all the times Roy and I had risked out lives delivering medication on roads with blowing snow and black ice, or worked after midnight to get someone insulin” pg 8. Even as a child Cathy is working past midnight to get medication to the right person.
When I was thirteen years old I decided that I wanted a job. I was looking around but all the jobs in my area were for people who were at least sixteen years old. I was playing a lot of hockey then and I found out through an older friend that hockey referees only need to be fourteen to get the job. So I went along to the local hockey rink and asked about becoming a referee for the younger kids house league teams. They asked me to take a course, which I completed, and then I got to work the next week. They conveniently never asked how old I was so I didn’t see the point in telling them. I am happy that this worked out because it has given me an opportunity to experience a working environment and also get a few dollars in my pocket.
Cathy’s friendships (Roy, her Father, Fran “hit the dirt” Stephens, Kip Rogers, Leora Sterne)
Cathy’s friendship throughout the novel differs with each stage of her life. When Cathy is really young and living in the small town of Lewiston her friends included her Father, Mother, and Roy. Then after moving from Lewiston to Buffalo she is alone and needs to find friends, which she does and moves from the “nobody lunch table to ‘the girls’ lunch table” Pg 51 which in turn boosts her self confidence.
It takes a lot of courage for Cathy to deliver the news that she is having a slumber party to all the popular kids. I can understand why she didn’t send out formal invitations due to fear of rejection by her classmates. “That afternoon I made out invitations and then tore them up. Way too thought-out … The following Monday after homeroom, I said to the girls in the clique, ‘Oh yeah, I’m having a slumber pizza thing on Friday. Come if you want – but it’ll be crowded.’” Pg 45. After hosting the slumber party she is accepted into the popular girls group and had a friend base, which makes her life at school bearable.
Cathy started working at the young age of four due to her abundant energy level. One of her best friends at the time was Roy but also her father. When her father dies at the end of the book she remembers how content her father was when they were working together at McClure’s Drugs when she was young. “I thought he looked as contented as he had behind the prescription counter at McClure’s Drugs back in the 1950s, when I would load the candy counter and he would glance up from mixing some unguent, grin and say, Great work. Peaches.” Pg 340. This shows how much of a connection, friendship, and adoration that Cathy has for her father.
- Josh Blake
Cathy has a very weird relationship with her parents throughout the novel. When Cathy is young, she and her father have a very close relationship. But as she gets older they start to drift apart a little bit. When Cathy’s father’s health starts to deteriorate she starts to reconnect and visit her parents more, knowing that they will not be around forever. Cathy and her mother have an affectionate relationship; however, she always avoids difficult situations. When Cathy and her parents are moving away from Lewiston her mother is very submissive and believes that everything that Jim decides should be supported fully by her.
Cathy’s mother knew what would make her father upset and therefore did not mention everything to him. This is evident when two policemen show up at Cathy’s house to tell her about a boy named Tom Drescher and how her is connected to some recent vandalism in Amherst. Cathy’s mother just smiles and offers coffee while Cathy is left to defend her self, alone in her living room. When the police left Cathy went to her room and stayed there until it was time to go out for dinner at the Four Seasons Restaurant. At dinner; “Neither of us mentioned any police visit.” Pg 81 to her father. Which shows how Cathy’s mother avoids confrontation and difficult situations.
Cathy loves her father very much, especially toward the end of his life when his brain tumor was slowly killing him. Cathy was surprised that when they went out to the Four Seasons Restaurant he could remember that Thursday was “chicken cordon blue night but he could forget that he had a brain tumor.” Pg 157. This shows Cathy’s fathers early memory loss due to his brain tumor. That night, when they got back from the restaurant Cathy took her fathers keys stating that he had a brain tumor and could not be driving because he would be a danger to himself, other drivers, and her mother.
The influence of popular culture (e.g. fashion, music, entertainment, the arts, advertising, political events, athletics)
The influence of popular culture on Cathy during her life is very prevalent. Throughout the book she is bombarded with popular culture such as music, fashion, political events/movements, and the arts; which all contribute to the person that she becomes later in the book and life. The influence of popular music at the time when she is growing up and discovering the opposite gender is very crucial to her trust in males and relationships. Even when she does find a boy that she likes, Laurie, it does not end well.
When Cathy and Fran are hiding in the closet during the sexual abuse of Veronica Nebozenko, Cathy realizes that boys are not as nice as some people might think. This event gives more insight to why Cathy never really had any major relationships with boys, except for Laurie. When Veronica leaves and the coast is clear, Cathy and Fran go upstairs to bed. While in bed they listen to the WKBW radio station and a new song comes on by Shirelles called ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?’ “Late that night, when we were lying silently in the dark in Fran’s twin beds, listening to WKBW radio, the deejay said he was going to play a new song from the Shirelles called ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?’” Pg 62. This makes Cathy think about Veronica and how none of those boys will love her tomorrow.
I would be lying if I said that popular culture has had no influence on me because in this day and age it is so hard to get away from it. We are constantly surrounded with distractions that come in the form of cell phones and computers that feed us our daily dose of music, movies and other entertainment to get away from our boring mundane lives. The main popular culture phenomenon that I have been most connected to is entertainment and music. This is mainly because they are the most accessible and publicized forms of popular culture. A person can access and download movies and music in the blink of an eye. Popular culture for me is just distractions from the greater things in life like living and nature.
Cathy’s work life (McClure’s Drugs, Mary Kay Cosmetics, The Dunk, Howard Johnsons, New York State Welfare, Hengerer’s Department Store)
Cathy has had many experiences with work in her life. She started at four years old stocking shelves and helping deliver medicine with Roy at her fathers Pharmacy in Lewiston. Then went on to start work at a doughnut shop called The Dunk, where she had to lie about her age to the owner to get the job.
When Cathy was four years old she used to stock shelves at her fathers pharmacy in Lewiston. She did this due to an abundant amount of energy she had. She would stock shelves with candy and aspirins as a way to burn off extra energy. When Cathy was a little bit older and more experienced at working in the shop she would go on deliveries with Roy, the delivery truck diver. Roy couldn’t read and even at a young age Cathy could read and give out the right drug to the right person. “I thought of all the times Roy and I had risked out lives delivering medication on roads with blowing snow and black ice, or worked after midnight to get someone insulin” pg 8. Even as a child Cathy is working past midnight to get medication to the right person.
When I was thirteen years old I decided that I wanted a job. I was looking around but all the jobs in my area were for people who were at least sixteen years old. I was playing a lot of hockey then and I found out through an older friend that hockey referees only need to be fourteen to get the job. So I went along to the local hockey rink and asked about becoming a referee for the younger kids house league teams. They asked me to take a course, which I completed, and then I got to work the next week. They conveniently never asked how old I was so I didn’t see the point in telling them. I am happy that this worked out because it has given me an opportunity to experience a working environment and also get a few dollars in my pocket.
Cathy’s friendships (Roy, her Father, Fran “hit the dirt” Stephens, Kip Rogers, Leora Sterne)
Cathy’s friendship throughout the novel differs with each stage of her life. When Cathy is really young and living in the small town of Lewiston her friends included her Father, Mother, and Roy. Then after moving from Lewiston to Buffalo she is alone and needs to find friends, which she does and moves from the “nobody lunch table to ‘the girls’ lunch table” Pg 51 which in turn boosts her self confidence.
It takes a lot of courage for Cathy to deliver the news that she is having a slumber party to all the popular kids. I can understand why she didn’t send out formal invitations due to fear of rejection by her classmates. “That afternoon I made out invitations and then tore them up. Way too thought-out … The following Monday after homeroom, I said to the girls in the clique, ‘Oh yeah, I’m having a slumber pizza thing on Friday. Come if you want – but it’ll be crowded.’” Pg 45. After hosting the slumber party she is accepted into the popular girls group and had a friend base, which makes her life at school bearable.
Cathy started working at the young age of four due to her abundant energy level. One of her best friends at the time was Roy but also her father. When her father dies at the end of the book she remembers how content her father was when they were working together at McClure’s Drugs when she was young. “I thought he looked as contented as he had behind the prescription counter at McClure’s Drugs back in the 1950s, when I would load the candy counter and he would glance up from mixing some unguent, grin and say, Great work. Peaches.” Pg 340. This shows how much of a connection, friendship, and adoration that Cathy has for her father.
- Josh Blake
Monday, September 26, 2011
Blog Post #2 Moving the reader
Blog post # 2 : Moving the Reader
By: Josh Blake
Due: Monday 25, 2011
Ass Burger:
1) “Oh, and I went to a psychologist, and she said I have Asperger’s syndrome.” I think I don’t hear him. “What?” “She said I’ve had it my whole life, and it explains why people think I’m weird.”
This particular short passage from the piece ‘Ass Burger’ moves me emotionally because of the nonchalant way John breaks the news to his brother. Its like nothing has changed for John. But for Augusten it is a major shock to the system. All this time he has been thinking that maybe he was the weird one. But now finally someone has come along and said, “No, no your not weird your brother is.”
2) Dennis was nervous… My brother climbed from the car and walked over to us. I introduced them. And my brother moved in, and he hugged Dennis. I’d never seen anything like it. I was stunned. I could do nothing but stand there on the sidewalk next to the car and stare.
This short passage at the end of the ‘Ass Burger’ chapter moves me emotionally because it shows that John cares about his brother. When John gives Dennis a hug it symbolizes that he cares about the person who is looking after his brother. I think that is a great sign of brotherly love. Having a brother myself I can relate to that feeling.
After the Falls by Catherine Gildiner:
1) Finally he said in a voice of pure disgust, “Girls that chase boys come to a bad end. You looked like the kind of girl I don’t want for my daughter.”
This short passage moves me emotionally because it shows what her father expects from her. When she chases Donny Burns she thinks it is what one should do to get the attention of a boy. When he father scolds her about chasing Donny I feel sorry for Catherine for not being able to initiate a conversation with her love.
2) Late that night, when we were lying silently in the dark in Fran’s twin beds, listening to WKBW radio, the deejay said he was going to play a new song from the Shirelles called “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”
This passage moved me emotionally because it was just after she had come back from the gang rape of Veronica. She was lying in her bed thinking about what had just occurred and then this song came on the radio. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow is symbolic because she knows that none of those boys will love Veronica tomorrow. This made me feel sorry for both Veronica and Catherine because they had to go through the rape physically and emotionally for Veronica and more emotionally for Catherine.
By: Josh Blake
Due: Monday 25, 2011
Ass Burger:
1) “Oh, and I went to a psychologist, and she said I have Asperger’s syndrome.” I think I don’t hear him. “What?” “She said I’ve had it my whole life, and it explains why people think I’m weird.”
This particular short passage from the piece ‘Ass Burger’ moves me emotionally because of the nonchalant way John breaks the news to his brother. Its like nothing has changed for John. But for Augusten it is a major shock to the system. All this time he has been thinking that maybe he was the weird one. But now finally someone has come along and said, “No, no your not weird your brother is.”
2) Dennis was nervous… My brother climbed from the car and walked over to us. I introduced them. And my brother moved in, and he hugged Dennis. I’d never seen anything like it. I was stunned. I could do nothing but stand there on the sidewalk next to the car and stare.
This short passage at the end of the ‘Ass Burger’ chapter moves me emotionally because it shows that John cares about his brother. When John gives Dennis a hug it symbolizes that he cares about the person who is looking after his brother. I think that is a great sign of brotherly love. Having a brother myself I can relate to that feeling.
After the Falls by Catherine Gildiner:
1) Finally he said in a voice of pure disgust, “Girls that chase boys come to a bad end. You looked like the kind of girl I don’t want for my daughter.”
This short passage moves me emotionally because it shows what her father expects from her. When she chases Donny Burns she thinks it is what one should do to get the attention of a boy. When he father scolds her about chasing Donny I feel sorry for Catherine for not being able to initiate a conversation with her love.
2) Late that night, when we were lying silently in the dark in Fran’s twin beds, listening to WKBW radio, the deejay said he was going to play a new song from the Shirelles called “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”
This passage moved me emotionally because it was just after she had come back from the gang rape of Veronica. She was lying in her bed thinking about what had just occurred and then this song came on the radio. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow is symbolic because she knows that none of those boys will love Veronica tomorrow. This made me feel sorry for both Veronica and Catherine because they had to go through the rape physically and emotionally for Veronica and more emotionally for Catherine.
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