Love & Stracciatella

    That's it. I'm going to Italy one day. 

-- was what I thought as I finally closed the back cover of the book. 

Love & Gelato left me in a sweet dream... until school started again.

    In the beginning of spring break, I was at the library in search of a few books to read during the week. The two cute gelato cones on the cover of Jenna Welch's Love & Gelato immediately caught my eye. I had been wanting to read the novel ever since my friend had recommended it to me a long while ago, but every time I had searched for it, it had been checked out. And so I eagerly pulled the book from the shelf thinking Perfect! and happily took it home.

    I was expecting a light read. And so I wasn't prepared when the main character's mother passed away from cancer in the first 4 1/3 pages of the book. The main character, Lina, is a 17-year-old girl who has lived alone with her mother her whole life. After her mother passes away, she gets sent to Italy to live with her mother's past lover, Howard, who Lina had no idea even existed and feels completely fine continuing to be unaware of. Lina starts her life in Italy with Howard, her "father" who somehow looks nothing like her, in a house in the middle of a cemetery (Howard works at a World War II memorial). She has no access to internet, which means that she can't FaceTime her best friend back in the U.S., so she relies on her mother's journal written during her time in Italy and a random half-American boy named Lorenzo whom she meets to guide her through her new (hopefully temporary) home. Lina is determined to go back to the U.S. and live with her best friend after summer ends. But as she begins reading through her mother's journal and exploring Italy, she starts to get tangled up--in her mother's past, her present, the dream-like landscape of Italy, and, of course, the absolutely delicious food. Welch's descriptions of Italy in Love & Gelato urges readers to visit Italy.

    As she attempts to understand her mother's past, Lina walks through her mother's footsteps by following her journal entries. Lina visits the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, and several other landmarks. The author provides vivid descriptions of the places through Lina's eyes, further romanticizing the view by the scene's mood and Lina's emotions. "'Young man. You want nice Prada handbag for girlfriend? Five hundred euro in store, but ten euro for you. Make her fall in true love.'

    "'No thanks,' [Lorenzo] said.

    "I nudged him. 'I don't know, Ren. That sounds like a pretty good deal. Ten bucks for true love?'

    "He smiled, stopping in the center of the bridge. "You didn't see it, did you?' 

    "'See wha--oh.' 

    "I ran over to the railing. Stretched across the river, about a quarter mile ahead of us, was a bridge that looked like it had been built by fairies. Three stone arches rose gracefully out of the water, and the whole length of it was lined with a floating row of colorful buildings, their edges hanging over the water... the whole thing was lit golden in the darkness, its reflection sparkling back up at itself" (159). The author's development of Lina's relationship with Lorenzo impacts Lina's view of the moment and furthermore affects the reader's perception by adding a coat of a romantic, magical quality to the scene through delicate use of descriptions like "built by fairies" and "lit golden in the darkness."

    The author's intricate word choice with describing food also plays a role in sprouting a desire into the reader to visit Italy. Throughout the novel, Lina not only witnesses beautiful scenery with her eyes, but also tastes some delicious foods with her tastebuds, including spaghetti, pizza, and, of course, stracciatella gelato (creamy milk gelato with hints of chocolate chip), which I can not leave out as an ice cream lover. "So... Italian gelato. Take the deliciousness of a regular ice-cream cone, times it by a million, then sprinkle it with crushed-up unicorn horns. [Lorenzo] stopped me after my fourth scoop. I probably would have kept going forever" (167). The author's intentionally ambiguous description of flavor leaves the reader imagining for themselves.

    After reading Love & Gelato, I couldn't help but add "visit Italy" to my life bucket list. Welch's delicate descriptions of the scenery and food planted in me a love for Italy, leaving me dreaming about the possibility of experiencing the country myself.

Are children's lives supervised too much?

Sarah Bolton

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/learning/is-childhood-today-over-supervised.html

 

(Image from nytimes.com)

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/learning/is-childhood-today-over-supervised.html

        Kids these days have no freedom. According to Derbyshire, “When George Thomas was eight, he walked everywhere. It was 1926 … he regularly walked six miles to his favorite fishing haunt without adult supervision”. 100 years ago children had so much freedom. They could almost do whatever and their parents wouldn’t really care. However, “Fast forward to 2007 and Mr Thomas’s eight-year-old great-grandson Edward enjoys none of that freedom”(Derbyshire). Kids today are trapped within their own homes under their parent’s supervision.

Part of this trend has to do with the car culture. 100 years ago, there were 6.5 million cars in the US (St. Onge). Today, there are over 103 million cars (Nealon). The more cars there are, the much higher risk of a small kid being run over. This fear causes parents to keep an eye on their children. If we were to lower the amount of cars, maybe kids could gain more freedom. Another, more plausible solution is to teach kids more about road safety, so that they know what best to do so they don’t get run over.

One resulting consequence of the eternal grounding of kids may be electronic use. Parents trap their kids in the house. Because they can’t explore outside, they explore somewhere else: the internet. They use the internet as an escape, to replace something that is their nature. Another parallel between the two is how the term ‘grounding’ most likely meant a punishment that would keep the punished in the house. Because kids are already always in the house, it has moved to mean taking away the modern way of escape and exploration: electronics.

IF (and big if) I ever had kids of my own, I would let them roam. I would learn the area around my house and teach them the basic survival skills (how to avoid cars, how to identify poison ivy if near a forest, etc.). Then I would let them roam. I would be nervous, sure, but I wouldn’t want them feeling cheated from their childhood because they were always stuck inside the house. I might also explore myself, not as a way to breathe down their necks, but just because it’s fun, and to make up for what I didn’t have as a kid.

Derbyshire, David. “How Children Lost the Right to Roam in Four Generations.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 15 June 2007, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-462091/How-children-lost-right-roam-generations.html.  

St. Onge, Tim. “Paving the way: Traffic flow maps from the 1920s: Worlds revealed.” The Library of Congress, 18 August 2022, https://blogs.loc.gov/maps/2022/08/paving-the-way-traffic-flow-maps-from-the-1920s/#:~:text=Automobiles%20began%20gradually%20appearing%20on,quickly%20overwhelming%20local%20road%20infrastructure.

          Nealon, Lizzie. “How many vehicles are there in the US.” Bankrate, 1 March 2023,     

          https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/car-ownership-statistics/

No, you don't know how Joan of Arc felt- Brianna Gibson

 No, you don't know how Joan of Arc felt.

   Joan of Arc was born on a farm from a peasant farmer, in Domremy France. At the age of 13, she had a revelation. She believed that she needed to lead France to victory over the English. Today, she is called St. Joan of Arc, due to her command by god to save France. Joan of Arc was an extreme catholic, so during this revelation, she claimed to have had a vision of saint Michael surrounded by angels. Many of you may have heard various stories about Joan of Arc. Ranging from 'she's a feminist" to "this woman was straight crazy". I would like to clear everything up in this blog. 

   During her time, Joan was seen as crazy and psychologically disfigured. Joan was burned at the stake in 1431 for heresy, along with her and the whole hearing voices part. Scholars say today, Joan of Arc would have been diagnosed with schizophrenia as well as partial epilepsy. Scholars today would have diagnosed with her with some sort of mental illness, and find that her death by burning due to hearing voices was not justified. 

   Now to explain the title, some may know the classic lyric from The Smiths song "Bigmouth Strikes Again". The lyric reads:

And now I know how Joan of Arc felt
Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
As the flames rose to her Roman nose
And her walkman started to melt

Now, I personally love The Smiths, though this lyric strikes curiosity in me. The meaning behind this song was to express a members frustration with the music industry. This lyric represented how the member felt misunderstood and connected to Joan of Arc's unspoken nature. He feels that he will never be able to change, or stop being a bigmouth. 

   To clarify, no one today or really ever will know how Joan of Arc felt. Joan of Arc is seen as a bold and outspoken figure, and to some a feminist. Though, she never argued in favor of women's suffrage, she was most likely facing mental challenges, and she was a 13 year old girl who was burned to death due to her rejection to church authority. I feel that it is odd to compare yourself to someone due to the fact that all one knows is that the person was 'misunderstood". 

Other songs containing the mention of Joan of Arc:

Joan of Arc: Arcade Fire

Joan of Arc: Little Mix

Joan of Arc: Leonard Cohen

Sources:

-https://www.worldhistory.org#organization. (n.d.). World history encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia RSS. https://www.worldhistory.org/ 

-University of Oregon. (n.d). Blogs.uoregon.edu. https://blogs.uoregon.edu/

-The Smiths – Bigmouth Strikes Again. (n.d.). Genius.com. https://genius.com/The-smiths-bigmouth-strikes-again-lyrics

Should Fraternities Be Abolished? By Ana

    Should Fraternities Be Abolished? By Ana

    Joining a fraternity can be a fun yet stressful process. First you go to the admissions office to see what frat house would interest you, gathering information. Afterwards you go to two "rushes" (where possible members can get a real feel for the fraternity) that a fraternity hosts, hoping to receive a bid (invite to attend the exclusive third rush for a possible spot). When a student receives a bid, they are able to "accept, deny or defer the bid to join that fraternity"(Duke). The fraternity then meets together and discusses which students to extend initiations to officially join. This process is a stressful one, but the problem most often lies in the initiation.

    Once you get an official invite to join you enter the "new member education" or "pledging." phase. Many sources often say that many think of this phase as "Hazing" which is illegal. Hazing often degrades, humiliates, or makes people engage in dangerous tasks and behaviors (Britannica). Despite being illegal, hazing happens more often than not during pledging. Some stories include students being sleep deprived, degrading sexual acts, and being forced into extensive periods of physical activity. Even though hazing can occur in other setting the majority of victims are male fraternity members.

    The power imbalance between older and younger members is highlighted here, sending messages to younger students that when they get older than they too can continue this cycle of abuse for the next batch of newcomers. This toxic environment does not allow the students to grow at all. Hazing in these rituals have resulted in at least two deaths each year since 1959, which doesn't sound like a lot, but these deaths could easily be avoided (Britannica). Alcohol is in some way involved in the majority of hazing-related tragedies.

    When interviewed, many students were romanticizing the idea of hazing within these fraternities. A few even going as far to disagree with the limitation of hazing and promoting it in other settings. Overall, simply getting in to these fraternities and sororities is a dangerous and hazardous process. Despite the sense of community and satisfaction some may feel from fraternities, it is not worth it for the risk of abuse involved to have them.

(A picture of a few frat bros) https://totalfratmove.com/tfm/the-best-articles-of-clothing-from-every-generation-of-fraternity-male/ (since the picture wont upload)

Works Cited:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/20/learning/should-fraternities-be-abolished.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Flearning-student-opinion

https://admissionsight.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-pledging-for-a-frat/

https://thewoostervoice.spaces.wooster.edu/2012/10/05/greek-life-101-rushes-bids-and-pledging/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/hazing

The right answer for the Patriot's love triangle

 spoilers for Legend and Prodigy by Marie Lu

(scroll down)

Sarah Bolton

(image from Amazon.com)

https://www.amazon.com/Prodigy-Marie-Lu/dp/0142427551

Day and Tess had been together for a long time. Almost ever since Day got forced to live on the streets and hide from the Republic. They’re so close, Day even calls Tess “cousin”. Because of the events in book one, they got separated. Now, they’ve finally reunited in book two, when Day joins the patriots. However, Tess had developed a crush on Day, and was trying to steer him away from June and claim him for her own.

Day and June’s relationship spawned more recently, during the events of book one. Their relationship quickly went from acquaintances to romance. However, one being the Republic’s star, and the other being the Republic’s most wanted criminal, It wasn’t simple. Their relationship hit quite a few bumps in the road, including June leading the Republic to Day’s house, which ended up with his mom getting killed.

Tess’s attempts at winning Day over are manipulative. She gets angry when June is even brought up, and lashes out when Day even seems to like June better than her, saying that she’s responsible for Day’s mother’s death, that she’s done nothing but hurt him, and that she thinks he will betray the Patriots for June. She doesn’t listen when he says that part of the reason he doesn’t want to be in a relationship with her is because she’s more like family to him. 

I think this should be enough of a reason to leave Tess. If this is left unaccounted for, it could very easily turn into an abusive relationship. June, however, is actually kind, albeit unaware of some of the practices of the poor. She doesn’t try to hold anything over his head. She wants what’s best for Day, unlike Tess, who wants what’s best for herself. June and Day are way better for each other than Tess and Day.

What is Feminism? Brianna Gibson

 What is Feminism? 

   Feminism is defined as "the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes". It is the act of wanting the rights of men and women to be set equal, not one over the other. It is wanting women to be at the same level as men, not better than, but equal to. Over the years, feminism has grown through political movements, and putting an end to sexism. Though this is the official definition, many women around the world do not understand the exact meaning. 

   Many people around the world choose to believe that feminism is to break the wall of sexism by putting down men as an equivalent to putting down women. They believe that feminism is to help bring up women, and put down all men. Instead of fighting against sexism, they fight against the men who in the past created these ways. Now, why do people do this? Women have been oppressed for decades, and still deal with this today. I feel that women believe that the "wrong way of feminism" is okay, due to the years of oppression that men put women through.  

   Women may implement these acts for reasons such as the counteractive term "Masculist".  I originally thought that this term meant the same as feminism, to fight for equality of genders. This is where I was incorrect. The term Masculist refers to the superiority of men over women, and how men believe that women should stay oppressed, and that women had more power than men in the past. I believe that Masculist and "the wrong way of feminism' are both incorrect, though I do see why women feel this way when reacting with "the wrong way of feminism". 

   To conclude, the 4 principles of feminism are; working to increase equality, expanding human choice, eliminating gender stratification, and promoting sexual freedom. To be a feminist is not to uplift women and put down men. You shouldn't call yourself a feminist and continue to hate on the male gender. I am aware the things that men have done and implemented, but to be a feminist is to help eradicated those ideas, and create a world without sexism with equality among genders. 

When is animal testing justifiable?

When is animal testing justifiable?  (Ana Artz)

    Animal testing is a global issue, but there are specific cases which can be considered "ok". Usually, these cases consist of developing new technologies that will benefit humankind. Such as testing new drugs, treatments, and vaccines. These tests provide crucial insights into their safety before humans are used in trials. Preventing potential harm to humans that ensures only promising and safe inventions are able to further develop.

    Certain scientific advancements other than medicine could also be a kind of special situation when it comes to animal testing. Such as testing levels of pollution and our environmental impact. An example could be if a new (manmade) oil was introduced, which we will call "Bloxorz". You could test the effect of it on animals before spreading its use worldwide. This may, and quite possibly will, hurt the animals but it would be better to test a small group vs. letting it effect bigger wild groups.

    Many believe that even in these tough scenarios alternatives to animal testing should be prioritized. While this is a valid point, some practices need a real life subject to be tested on. Humans cannot fill this role. However, I do agree that strict ethical guidelines and regulations should be put in place. Testing should also prioritize the wellbeing of the animal and to ONLY be used when completely necessary.

    Creating a balance between the need for research and the ethical treatment of animals is crucial for any type of this research to continue. As technology improves, it's important to focus on finding and using alternative methods. However, until these alternatives are widespread, ethical and strictly conducted animal testing can contribute to advancing knowledge and benefiting both humans and animals.

Work Cited: 

https://archive.nytimes.com/learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/11/20/when-is-animal-testing-justified/?rref=collection%252Fcolumn%252Flearning-student-opinion

https://animal-testing.procon.org/

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/health_law/publications/aba_health_esource/2022-2023/december-2022/reevaluating-the-practice-of-animal-testing-in-biomedical-research/