blog numero ocho: Culture

In Connecticut, St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church pastored by Stephen DiGiovanni brought back the idea of confession booths. When DiGiovanni first entered the church, confessions were told in reconcilation rooms. These rooms were face to face confrontations between a member of the church and a priest. Many people thought that this was awkward and embarrassing and many either rarely did them or refused to do them in general. With the reintroduction of confession booths, about 450 people a week confess their sins to priests using this new way to confess sins. Sin confessing is available in 5 different languages: English, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and French. St. John's church is trying to promote other churches to do the same so that people can more openly confess their wrongs they have committed. Some ways in which they are spreading the word is highway billboards, radio commercials and tons of paper handouts. 

Freedman, Samuel."In One Church, Confession Makes a Comeback." NY Times. 20 February 2009. 24 February 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/us/21religion.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=religion&st=cse

blog numero siete: Change

90210 is one of the wealthiest area codes in the entire United States. Although with the current economic slump occurring, even the top of the top finds itself in money troubles. In Beverly Hills, tax revenues will drop about 24 million dollars just in the next year of sales. This means huge budget costs will occur around the city. This is the largest cut that has occurred in Beverly Hills in all of its 93 years of being a city. One loan company was quoted saying they've never given out bigger loans ever before in its three generations of being a company. Another business owner said she had to cut prices as much as 85% to try to draw people into her store. For example shoes she had originally been selling for $1800 she is now selling for $280 even though she purchased them for $800. One economist explained how recessions crumble consumer spending which drops profits of companies. This shows how much change the screwed up economy is producing throughout the USA.

Conder, Chuck and Kara Finnstrom. "9021-Ouch: Recession trickling up to Beverly Hills." 21 Feb 2009 21 Feb 2009

blog numbero seis: Hope

Los Angeles, California sets the scene for 90% of the entertainment industry found in the U.S. Throughout time, people have moved here from their homelands to pursue acting or film careers. Carsten Kurpanek recently moved to LA with his girlfriend in order to start up a film directing career. He found getting jobs was nearly impossible and he had to take an internship that paid him no money. He did however manage to find an apartment that could be paid for by his girlfriends warehouse store job. At the University of Indiana, Joe Misiewicz from the department of communications warns his students of the struggles they may go through to find jobs in the tough entertainment industry. He said about 10-12 make the trek to LA in hopes of finding a good paying job and maybe even being lucky enough to becoming famous. With the huge competition factor, the entertaining business is one of the riskiest businesses out there but if you have hope you can someday achieve your dreams of becoming famous and recognized. 

Wilson, Jacque "Struggling filmmakers do what they have to do." CNN News. 18 February 2009. 18 February 2009. http://cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/02/18/struggling.in.hollywood/index.html?iref=newssearch

blog numero cinco: Religion/Spirituality

I read an article on New York Times.com called How India Reconciles Hindu values and biotech. In the U.S., stem cell research was banned in 2001 because of George Bush and the Republican Party's evangelical Christian religious beliefs. This gave pure joy to Indian researchers who excelled in stem cell research because they would have no one to compete with in their researching. In the Hindu religion, stem-cell research is allowed which could readily help everyone in the world by finding cures to some of the most common world diseases and cancers. In South Korea, one scientist used the Buddhist belief of reincarnation by cloning saying it recycled human life. Though Ghandi's religious beliefs would not allow such a thing, the new modernized version of Hinduism allows the development of nuclear weapons and biotechnology to increase its power throughout the world.

2 pages
Mishra, Pankaj " How India Reconciles with Hindu Values and Biotech". New York Times. 21 August 2005. February 15 2009.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/21/weekinreview/21mishra.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

blog numero cuatro: Gender Roles

Throughout the U.S., thousands of women immigrants are being held in Immigration centers. Around 300 were found to have no health care and were found to be mistreated while they lived in these conditions. Katrina Kane, the director of the detention and removal operations for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, argued that these reports were biased and untrue. She claims they only interviewed a small group of people and didn't get the full effect of what is actually occurring in these areas. On the other hand Nina Rabin, an immigration attorney, explains how they interviewed all sides of the argument and couldn't believe the situations these women had to suffer through. The Immigration centers have said they will improve the living conditions of its inhabitants by 2010. One severe case of mistreatment was the instance where one women complained of abdominal pain and 6 months later was found to have a cyst the size of a 5 month old fetus. I think that all over the world the treatment of women still remains an issue even though women are supposed to be treated equally to male species. 

blog numero tres: a culture different than your own

In Africa, one of the main sources of living is rice production. Rice is one of the main crops found in African regions where the environment and land make the perfect combination to produce rice. Last year, a global food crisis occurred when food prices skyrocketed and gave the crop growers little to no profit. In Africa, instead of living on a set salary as most people do in the U.S., people have to rely on what their crops produce and the prices of food throughout the world. One crop owner Mrs. Diop said, “I can double my money. Or I can lose everything.” With the huge risk factor comes scare in the rice market of Africa. If the crops do not succeed this year then the production of rice could dramatically decrease. Workers would become poor with no land because of the debts they are in to fund their crops and the production of rice could become very limited. This would greatly impact the world as we know it now.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-04-17-refashioning-burqa_x.htm
Guttenfelder, David "Breaking Taliban mold, women go into business in Afghanistan." USA Today. 17 April 2005. 11 February 2009.

blog numero dos: overcoming difficulties

Running water vs. rainwater, steak vs. bear meat. These are only some of the differences found in the small town of Akiachak, Alaska with a population of a mere 700 people. In this small town, the language of Yup'ik is spoken which a very unpopular language in the world. For a few years, the chiefs of the town have had a lawsuit to make voting ballots in the language of Yup'ik so the citizens of this town can vote. Being in Alaska, prices for things are already high enough, but in this town prices are almost twice that they are in Anchorage. Since prices are so high many people that live their are forced to move to Anchorage and leave their ancestral town. I think it's pretty sad that this little town lives off the bare minerals of life yet they still are forced to give up things or even move. This town shows how people don't need much to survive as long as they are happy with the little they have and are surrounded by the people they love. 

Berry, Dan "Remote and Struggling, but Still a Bit of America." New York Times. 5 October 2008. 4 February 2009 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/us/06land.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1 

blog numero uno: natural disasters

All over the United States, horrible ice storms have been occurring leaving cities covered in sheets of ice from the ground up. These ice storms took places in cities all over from Texas all the way to the tip of Maine. As a result of this, 17 people died and millions of people were left powerless in the cold winter with ice keeping them stuck inside. Not only did this storm bring a ton of ice, but alot of snow as well with 10-17 inches in some places of the U.S. With being able to drive being put at a standstill, cities everywhere became deserted with the inability to drive because of the icy roads. Weather is a huge factor of life and can make or break many situations. Storms can be deadly and or destructive leaving people sad and in trouble. 

"Winter Blast Blamed for damage, Deaths." CNN News. 29 January 2009. 1 February 2009.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/weather/01/29/winter.weather/index.html#cnnSTCText