Chinese Religion

I read an article on chinese religion at this website, http://asia.msu.edu/eastasia/China/religion.html and it said how many chinese people are Daoists. The text also said, "One is the Imperial Cult, in which the Emperor, who was called the Son of Heaven, not in a biological sense but in the sense of being chosen by Heaven to rule China, worshipped Heaven and various gods on behalf of the entire country," and I thought this was interesting because I wondered how they chose these certain people to represent their country. I thought this article was interesting because the chinese seem to be living simple lives and they seem like they think healthy and they think more of the good of the people. I also can relate this to myself too because on my dad's side of the family, it's customary to take care of your parents when the kids get older. Like right now my grandpa and grandma are still living with my uncle and aunt and before that, their parents probably lived with them too. They are very big on respecting the elders especially your parents.

"Chinese Religion." Windows on Asia. 15 Feb 2009 .

gender roles in the early times

I read an article about the difference in women roles in the past compared to todays. This article said what women mostly did in the 1900s was cook, clean, take care of the many children and you couldn't vote. They had no say in any politics, debate, discussions, or readings. And before then women belonged to their father and then they became property of their husband. It's funny reading an article like this because I never realized how different the lives have changed. Like now you could divorce your parents and you can vote and you don't have to stay at home, you can actually have a job. You can go to school, be anything you want to be, and actually be involved with decisions. In some ways I think that the present is better but I do think that the earlier times had more respect and responsibility than today.

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976727868

"Gender Roles and Feminism." Gather. February 03, 2006. 10 Feb 2009 .

African Culture

I read an article online at this website http://www.africaguide.com/culture/artcraft.htm and it described the arts and crafts of the culture in Africa. This article was interesting to me because it said that the arts and crafts usually show a couple, a woman and a child, a male with an animal or weapon, or an outsider. I also read the significance of women and men. It reads, "As women achieve significance through their children, men will often be honored in warfare. The one who goes into battle must have physical, emotional and spiritual energy to survive and to conquer. Thus the emphasis on weapons and the spoils of war in many African works" I thought this was interesting and now when I see African work I can relate better to it. I was also confused when this article said that some of the art were drawings of outsiders or "strangers". I read more about it and they said that they would draw people from different tribes and they would usually not be welcomed. In this article it says, "In Africa, a stranger is someone from a different country or tribe. They would usually not be welcomed; and the more distorted the portrayal of the stranger, the greater the gap that is normally symbolized. Sometimes strangers; especially white foreigners; are given a form of respect based on their relatively great weaponry and other powers". This quote reminded me of the book we are reading in class "Nectar in a Sieve" because in the book it shows when the tannery people come, Rukmani could tell they were more superior than the rest of them. This article is really interesting and I like how I can relate it to the book we are reading in class too.

"African People & Culture." Africa Guide. 8 Feb 2009 .

Envy

In the book Envy by Anna Godbersen, the character Henry Schoonmaker is facing a difficult problem because he was forced to marry Penelope by blackmail and he loves another girl named Diana. He says to Penelope, "And then, when we get back to New York, I am going to find a way to leave you. I'm not sure how yet, but I can't stay in this absurd joke of a marriage any longer" Henry is facing a difficult decission but he overcomes this by getting dirt on Penelope so then she can't blackmail him anymore. Another character that is facing a difficult problem in the book is Elizabeth (Diana's older sister), she realized that she is pregnant with her dead husbands baby and she can't tell the society about it because then her and her families life is over. She was grown up in a very high class family and so now she has to make the decision of getting an abortion or marry another man. In this book, there are many twists and problems that each character faces and it's fun to read to see what happens next!

WILD FIRES IN SOUTHERN C.A

I recently read online on http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,303799,00.html that there were many wild fires in Malibu, C.A. making thousands of people evacuate their homes and one person was killed. It also said these fires burned more than 40,000 acres of land and churches, homes, and a castle was burned down. This article surprised me when it said, "Though firefighters had been on high alert because forecasters predicted the winds, they admitted Sunday night that they were overwhelmed" This really shocked me because once I read that it proved to me that there were so many fires that even the firefighters couldn't handle all of them.

"Deadly Firesstorm Ravages Southern California, Forcing Thousands to Flee." Monday, October 22, 2007. 1 Feb 2009 .

Identity

I kept my last piece of paper, "chinese and vietnamese" because I thought that it was the most important description that I had. I also think it's important because that is what sets me apart from everyone else because if I had kept one of my others like "female" or "likes to swim", I wouldn't set myself apart from others because it would be like a million other peoples descriptions. So I kept the "chinese and vietnamese" because it was more unique and special to me than my others.

reading minute

I choose to read a few poems from Falling Up by Shel Silverstein for my reading minute because it is one of my favorite poem books that I read when I was younger. I like how not only do the poems rhyme but the writer makes them funny and illustrates it well with pictures. Shel Silverstein also wrote A Light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk ends which is just like Falling Up.