Obsession with Beauty

by: Lia

I know there are a lot of places in the world that emphasize beauty. It doesn’t seem like any of them are as obsessed with it as we are, unless the country as been influenced by the U.S. and now looks at beauty under the same lens.

Oh, to be back in the day when curvy and solid women were revered. I think that women with some meat on their bones are absolutely gorgeous; heck, I’d like a bit more myself.
I wish the rest of society, especially the media, saw it that way.

It’s sad to see so many models and actors starve themselves to death just to meet society's belief on what is beautiful. Take Lindsey Lohan for example: she was absolutely beautiful. I thought she was a terrific size; she had curves, and she looked great. Then she started to see the pressures of being skinny, and now she looks horrible. It’s really sad.

So many impressionable young girls have eating disorders because of the media. “1 out of every 100 young women between 10-20 years old is starving herself, sometimes to death.” Girls try to be something they will never be. Most of us weren’t made to look like the models that are projected on the T.V. screen, billboards, and magazine ads.

Dove's got it figured out; real women are beautiful and should be celebrated.

We need to appreciate who we are, celebrate our uniqueness, and embrace what we see as flaws. I’m talking to myself here too. It’s easy to get caught up in what we think we lack and compare ourselves to others. It’s about time we stop and start loving ourselves. The media needs to start getting with it too!

A Hard Knock Life for the Undocumented

I have interviewed about 4 undocumented immigrants now, as well as several other people who have connections with them. They all have pretty similar stories. They all came to America in search of a better life, they all attempted to cross the border several times before actually succeeding, and they all agree that life actually is better here, even though it contains racism, fear of the immigration police, and trouble finding work (you can find excerpts of these interviews on my journalism class's website, which I will post soon).

Our immigration policies, instead of welcoming immigrants into our country with open arms, make it nearly impossible for most people to become naturalized citizens. In order to become a citizen of the US, you have to either be a genius, or very very lucky. So, naturally, many people come illegally. Instead of having fear of those who we label as "illegal," I propose that we build relationships with them and welcome them as guests. They are real people, created in God's image, with feelings, hopes and dreams. We must petition our government to make it easier for people to become naturalized, and simultaneously we must help build up other countries so that their citizens won't have as much motivation to leave. Let us be a part of the solution to illegal immigration, not part of the problem.

"We are an American family."

by: Natalie

I sit in my living room with "You've Got Mail" blaring through the TV. Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) and Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) are sensational. Joe brings in his two young family members, Annabelle and Matt, to Kathleen's store. Well, they get to talking and naturally Kathleen asks if the kids are Joe's. He says no, she is confused, and he explains, "Annabelle is my aunt. Matt is my father's son. Annabelle is my grandfather's daughter. We are an American family."

I love this quote because it is true. American families are not always traditional. And nontraditional families are not outcasts. This is what I love about America. I love that a 5 yr. old girl could potentially be a 40 yr. old's aunt. Strange, but kind of cool. 

Another thing is that family does not always mean your biological relatives. Your "family" can include your best friend and your neighbors. Those people may be closer to you than your blood relatives anyways. Family can mean whatever you want it to. The freedom to essentially choose family (to an extent of course) is rare and unique. Our country is not as family focused as some others, but it seems that we are certainly focused on our self-imposed families.

Maybe we're cold and impersonal, but perhaps we are closer than we are made out to be. 

So Way Back...

by: Mason

So way back in the 1700s, old King George was being a big jerk to his American colonies, taxing them to pay for his fancy imported wine and his collection of high tech gadgets. The colonists got wise to his sick scheme and wanted some good old-fashioned representation with their taxation. That’s why people say stuff about “taxation without representation.” The colonists weren’t fond of it.

Instead, they wanted their shillings and stuff to go to good use, so they threw a tea partay, because the tea was one of the absurdly-taxed items. They also threw stamp paloozas and sugar shindigs. This riled up the old tyrant so he sent over some troops to calm the raging colonists.

Fortunately, the colonists were wise to his sick scheme, and prepared a minute man militia. The Iroquois Indians taught them this technique, which involved the extensive use of barns and locks. With this newly gained ability to fox into the very ranks of the red coats without even being detected, the colonists whooped their butts and took America as their prize.

But the reason the colonists took America goes far deeper than hating taxes. On the contrary, they loved paying taxes, and were happy to pay them once the states were united. These Americans hated how their tax shillings were being spent. They wanted to see their tax shillings spent on their turf, where they could see the benefits and reap the rewards, not on some fat old king’s fancy parties.

The early Americans wanted not only to have their tax dollars spent on their turf. They wanted to decide for themselves what their taxes should be spent on. The representation they demanded was the representation of their desires in the spending of their tax money. Perhaps many people wanted a road paved connecting Boston to Philadelphia. In the days of old King George, the road would not get paved. It would just be a series of muddy wagon ruts connecting the series of cotton plantations between the two.

With complete control of taxes (they even changed their currency), the Americans could decide whether or not a road should be built, where it should be built (just pave the mud trail or make a direct route), and how to build it. They would spend some portion of their tax dollars on the supplies (they used slave labor) and get the job done.

With the road completed, commerce would increase (with imports of cream pie and cheese-steaks, higher gas sales, and the advent of motels), the states would grow closer, and millions of happy Americans would travel between Boston and Philadelphia, making a more perfect union.

I guess what I’m saying is: our founding fathers fought so that we could choose if we should be taxed, on what we should be taxed, and how we should spend our tax revenue – with the assumption that the choice the nation makes will be beneficial to itself. But just in case the nation chooses poorly, they made the nation a republic (representative) so that smart people (who we choose – that’s democracy!) can make a better choice.

The next time you come around criticizing our government for everything it’s doing wrong, think about how and why our nation was set up. It was designed to be controlled by the people. Don’t complain loudly like a belligerent fool! Go do some research and write an informed letter to your congressperson, and talk to your neighbors about doing the same. But you don’t have to take my word for it!

That old fat smelly tyrant jerk monarch King George would not give Americans the health care they so desperately needed. Fortunately for us, our founding fathers knew that one day, a president powerful enough to present the entire nation with effective health care would rise, and that day has come. Congratulations to America, and thanks to Barack Obama, for finally realizing the founding fathers’ dream! By 2018, our nation will be full, ripe, complete, and in all other ways telios!

Portland Opera

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

by: Jenny

Last night I spent the evening with my fiancé and my future brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and soon-to-be-niece.

As the four of us (my niece being in bed a this point) unwound from a busy and hectic spring break, we decided to turn on a new show, called Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.

It was horrifying.

Not because it was a bad show, but because of what I saw while watching Oliver's show.

Oliver, a British man determined to make a positive difference in the eating habits of Americans, went to a small town in West Virginia to tackle on the severe overweight issue the town exhibits. Being allowed into the school system, Oliver was given one week to change elementary school children's eating habits from the normally-served processed foods, to his healthy (yet more expensive menu). It was a week long battle, but after many arguments between Oliver and the school's lunch ladies, he was able to serve the kids healthy food and see them improving their eating habits.

So what was so horrifying?

This. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_tymsg256g

And this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGYs4KS_djg

I would highly encourage you to watch the entire show. It was horrifying seeing how uneducated these children were about the harmful foods they were putting into their bodies. Not to mention, their inability to name certain fruits and vegetables.

Is THIS a fair representation of America as a whole? I would hope not. Unfortunately, I could see this being a reality.

I hope, with every bit of me, that people, parents especially, will watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and feel inspired to eat better, be more active, and be well-educated on what foods are good for our bodies and what aren't.

The 12-year-old boy from the family in the first clip was taken to the hospital and found out that he was EXTREMELY likely to develop diabetes, which would ultimately cut his life down by 30-40 years.

30-40 years.

The doctor determined he would probably die in his 30s.

It's sad. It's terrifying. It's time for America and its eating habits to change.

A love for art

by: Robert

Each of us like art in one form or another. My guess is that most of us find that love at first sight. It's not like wine or sushi, where it takes a slow introduction. My mind is still buzzing, I feel like I have just walked out of my first KISS concert. Except this time my chest didn't get thumped on by all the bass and my ears aren't still ringing. This was a real treat.

I have always liked theatre. I never pursued it, because I can't remember enough lines to save my life. And I'm too shy to stand up in front of a crowd and share a story. I did however manage to recite a piece about a boy who "had a little momento". A homerun ball hit by Lou Gehrig. Another scene from "Love in the Afternoon," "...eyes are thighs and lips are hips...". That was embarrassing in high school. Despite my own limits, I love theatre, and after tonight, I have found another love- the opera.

It impressed upon me so much that the Director actually came out to our group and explained the collective process of pulling three stories into one. Nicholas Muni shared his vision and explained each step in the unfolding story of Cupid, Love and even a piece of Christianity.

I should have gone to the cast party. Fear gets the better of me sometimes.

To each of you that had a hand in my evening, thank you.

Robert