Something that has continuously bothered me over the past few weeks is people's lack of consideration for people in cross walks. I live on the main street in my town and there is a park across the street from my house. I like to take my dog, Bailey over there so she can get some exrecise. But, when I try to get from one side of the street to the other, i either have to fear for my life and bravely sprint across the road in the crosswalk or wait several minutes until there are no cars on either side. Why? Becaus people completely ignore the crosswalk and what its purpose it. I thought it was illegal to not stop for someone in a cross walk? I'm almost sure it is but that doesn't prevent anyone from speeding up when they see me and my little pup doing the right thing and standing in the crosswalk waiting to go. Yes, that's right, people dont hesitate or slow down and then keep going, people actually speed up just so they don't have to let me cross. It has become not only an aggrivation but somewhat despicable. I even experienced a police officer in my town ignoring this law and not allowing me to cross. Instead he just kept on going and pretended not to see me.
And I know these people see me. I am not hidden and the crosswalk was just repainted so I know it is visible to drivers. Peopl are so self involved and have such a lack of regard for te rules of the road they will stop it nothing to get where they are going. I don't knwo what I am going to have to resort to in order to be able to walk across the street, in the crosswalk, legally. Ignore the oncoming traffic and hope they don't hit me? whose fault would it be? Would the oncoming traffic stop if I got hit by a car that wouldn't stop for me to cross? What is I were lying in the crosswalk? I doubt it, they'd probably just keep driving and continue living there life without regard for anyone else.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
the infamous boston accent
My sister is traveling to Barcelona, Spain in just one week so our household has been filled with talk of traveling the world and all that it entails. One thing that has come up a lot is the accent in Barcelona. The people of Barcelona carry an accent with what we would call a lisp (rather than saying Barcelona, it would sounds like Barthelona). And that got me thinking. How did the Boston accent develop? If any Boston native travels to any other part of the country they are instantly singled out for there lack of using their r's and other quirky details we hardly even notice. But why? From where did it originate? And how are we so distinct from other parts of the country?
I mean people from Minnesotta get singled out for their accents and the southern drawl is unmistakable. But, it seems that the Boston accent is infamous no matter where one travels in the country. People find it fascinating and also a bit hilarious. If you have traveled anywhere outside New England surely someone has asked you to say, "park the car in harvard yard," and without hesitation I am sure you humor them. How is it that the Boston accent gained such fame?
I mean people from Minnesotta get singled out for their accents and the southern drawl is unmistakable. But, it seems that the Boston accent is infamous no matter where one travels in the country. People find it fascinating and also a bit hilarious. If you have traveled anywhere outside New England surely someone has asked you to say, "park the car in harvard yard," and without hesitation I am sure you humor them. How is it that the Boston accent gained such fame?
Single and ready for children
I recently read an article in a magazine talking about the increasing popularity of single parenting. The article discussed how more and more women are deciding to have children on their own. They get to be in their thirties and have not yet married but feel they are ready for children. With technological advancements this has become a real possibility that is quite popular and a profitable market. Women can go down to a local sperm bank, pick out a donor, and for a certain price can elect to try and have children on their own. It is not an easy proccess but if one is monetarily able there are many opportunities to conceive and raise a child on one's own.
After reading this article, though, I was a little offset that they did not mention men's desire to have children on their own.Is it simply a female thing? I hardly believe it is. Why then have we not heard of men wanting to adopt on their own or to have a surrogate carry their child? If women are doing it is quite likely men are doing it too. I only wonder why it has not gotten media attention. It can't only be a female thing... can it?
After reading this article, though, I was a little offset that they did not mention men's desire to have children on their own.Is it simply a female thing? I hardly believe it is. Why then have we not heard of men wanting to adopt on their own or to have a surrogate carry their child? If women are doing it is quite likely men are doing it too. I only wonder why it has not gotten media attention. It can't only be a female thing... can it?
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The Wonderful Weather
Don't you notice that the weather is always a topic of conversation no matter who you are talking to. It is neutral territory. No one can get offended or upset by talks of the weather. If you feel as if an awkward moment in a conversation is about to arise the weather is your savior.
So to mention the weather I would like to take notice of the difference between last summer and this summer. Last summer was horrendous. I think we might have gotten two solid weeks of sun with all the days combined. People were walking around pasty and ghostly looking by no fault of their own. It seemed that all of New England was slightly depressed and far more enraged. Vacation weeks that were supposed to be spent on the beach where used up doing crossword puzzles and playing Monopoly. There was a spike in aggression and depression; people's moods are truly affected by the weather.
That is why so many people are happier this summer. We have had spectacular weather! The temperature has been bearable, not too oppressive and it is constantly sunny. New Englander's defiently enjoyed their beach week vacations this year. So thanks mother nature for making us optimistic and allowing the weather to be a marked improvement from last year. I don't know what would have happened if we got eight weeks of rain again...all I know is I am truly grateful and have not taken this summer for granted!
So to mention the weather I would like to take notice of the difference between last summer and this summer. Last summer was horrendous. I think we might have gotten two solid weeks of sun with all the days combined. People were walking around pasty and ghostly looking by no fault of their own. It seemed that all of New England was slightly depressed and far more enraged. Vacation weeks that were supposed to be spent on the beach where used up doing crossword puzzles and playing Monopoly. There was a spike in aggression and depression; people's moods are truly affected by the weather.
That is why so many people are happier this summer. We have had spectacular weather! The temperature has been bearable, not too oppressive and it is constantly sunny. New Englander's defiently enjoyed their beach week vacations this year. So thanks mother nature for making us optimistic and allowing the weather to be a marked improvement from last year. I don't know what would have happened if we got eight weeks of rain again...all I know is I am truly grateful and have not taken this summer for granted!
Left Lane Losers
I have been traveling all over Boston and Cape Cod in the past few weeks and there is something that has been a constant aggrivation...Left Lane Losers. If you are a Boston driver then surely you know what I am talking about. Those cars that drive in the left hand lane and go fifty to sixty miles an hour. Don't they know that the left hand lane is the fast lane? I can handle when someone in the left lane is going the speed limit (even though in Massachusetts the left lane is realy for the masshole who want to drive eighty or ninety the whole way) but if you want to drive like a grandpa, get over to the right lane!
The worst is when there is only a two lane highway. Take 24 south for example. It merges from three lanes to two. So not only do you have to mere with all the knuckle heads and eighteen wheelers in the far right lanes, you also got to deal with the idiots who think they can handle the left lane at 55 mph. So you have to merge from three lanes to two only to get jammed behind the left lane loser and the eighteen wheeler next to you. Talk about aggrivating! And I am not trying to say that we should all be maniacs and drive ninety miles and hour, but the left lane should be for those going at least sixty five if not seventy.
So to all the left lane losers that want to drive fifty five in the fast lane, do us all a favor, and get over!
The worst is when there is only a two lane highway. Take 24 south for example. It merges from three lanes to two. So not only do you have to mere with all the knuckle heads and eighteen wheelers in the far right lanes, you also got to deal with the idiots who think they can handle the left lane at 55 mph. So you have to merge from three lanes to two only to get jammed behind the left lane loser and the eighteen wheeler next to you. Talk about aggrivating! And I am not trying to say that we should all be maniacs and drive ninety miles and hour, but the left lane should be for those going at least sixty five if not seventy.
So to all the left lane losers that want to drive fifty five in the fast lane, do us all a favor, and get over!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Shark Week
Last week was shark week on the discovery channel. Every night they feature a program dedicated to unveiling mysteries surrounded by the oceans greatest predator.
One episode in particular featured the great white sharks and their ability to jump completly out of the water to attack their prey. This act is called breaching, an amazing capability developed by great whites that has only been discovered and recorded in recent years. Not only do these predators jump completely out of the water, but they do it with amazing speed. It is said they can reach twenty to thirty miles an hour.
It doesn't matter if you are entirely interested in sharks or not, the sight of these massive animals jumping out of the water is truly amazing. If I knew how to post a youtube video I would. But it seems my skills with the blogging is not up to par quit yet. So to view the shark breaching simply search "great white shark breach" on youtube and many options will appear. The other option, if you have on demand, is to go to tv entertainment and look under the discovery channel. there you will find a whole section on shark week.
let me know what you think!
One episode in particular featured the great white sharks and their ability to jump completly out of the water to attack their prey. This act is called breaching, an amazing capability developed by great whites that has only been discovered and recorded in recent years. Not only do these predators jump completely out of the water, but they do it with amazing speed. It is said they can reach twenty to thirty miles an hour.
It doesn't matter if you are entirely interested in sharks or not, the sight of these massive animals jumping out of the water is truly amazing. If I knew how to post a youtube video I would. But it seems my skills with the blogging is not up to par quit yet. So to view the shark breaching simply search "great white shark breach" on youtube and many options will appear. The other option, if you have on demand, is to go to tv entertainment and look under the discovery channel. there you will find a whole section on shark week.
let me know what you think!
The Car Key or the Fork?
Environmental Studies is a huge part of my interest both as a student and a concerned citizen of humanity. So when it was time to decide on a major I figured I had to do something involving the study of the environment. They did not offer an environmental studies major where I went to school (Umass Dartmouth), but after a little research I discovered a loop hole, a way of creating my own major that would let me design my course of study. This loop hole was called Multidisciplinary Studies. It allowed me to choose a liberal arts or liberal science major and then pick a focus from there. I chose the liberal arts track with a writing route and my focus became environmental issues.
This was one of the best decisions I could have ever made. Once I was approved to enter this unique major I seemed to get the best of both worlds. I had a foundation in intensive writing classes but also had the freedom to take a number of different types of environmental courses. This is where I feel I truly got my money's worth. The different fields I got to study as well as the insight of so many different types of professors truly changed my view of my environment and human's place in that environment.
So this is where the car key or the fork title comes into the story. I had one particular professor in one life changing class that truly opened my eyes to many of the things I was completely unaware about in regards to the environmental degredation occuring on this planet. On the first day of class this professor came in and began discussing what we thought we knew about the environment. He asked us about current issues, issues of the past, seemingly small talk, that was until he took two things out of his bag.
The two items were, obviously, a fork and a set of car keys. So he took these two items out and posed a question. He said to the class, which do you think has more of a negative impact on the environment, the fork or the car keys? Most of the class, including myself, agreed that the car keys definetly had more of a negative impact than the fork.
So after we answered our profesor smerked to himself and then went on to say that no, we were quite wrong. In fact, the fork has a much greater impact on the evironment for many reasons.
These reasons went from the extraction of chemicals from the earth, to the runoff and pollution excreted into the atmosphere and land of the by-products of the food, to the energy consumed to transport all the ingredients to a common location, to then being shipped off in its final packaging which will inevitably end up in a landfill. Overwhelming is the word that returns to my mind when I remember this explanantion.
But he was absolutely right. Food takes far more energy to make and produces much more waste than we care to think about, and that is just one part of the problem. We go to the grocery store and see everything organized in shelves and aisles. We dont see everything that goes into the production of these products and how much it takes to get them into our grocery store. We dont have to think about this complicated process because it does not directly affect us. And if it doesn't directly affect us we are less likely to care.
And that was his point. We don't see it and that means we dont have to care or think about it. That is how so many people view environmental issues: if it doesnt directly affect me, why should I care? And this is why problems continue to arise and will continue to arise in the environment. No one cares and it has not affected enough people that they are willing to make changes.
I'm not trying to be negative Nancy or anything, I just think it is important to care about the environment and be more aware of what is going on. If people took the time to realize how much we consume and waste and how it is negatively impacting our home and realize that sooner or later it is going to start impacting our lives, a lot more would be done to change the way we live and change the way we view our relationship with the planet.
So the key and fork story is just a little piece of what I learned and what eye opening information I discovered in my course of studies. I want to share my knowledge and hopefully continue to learn from everyone around me.
This was one of the best decisions I could have ever made. Once I was approved to enter this unique major I seemed to get the best of both worlds. I had a foundation in intensive writing classes but also had the freedom to take a number of different types of environmental courses. This is where I feel I truly got my money's worth. The different fields I got to study as well as the insight of so many different types of professors truly changed my view of my environment and human's place in that environment.
So this is where the car key or the fork title comes into the story. I had one particular professor in one life changing class that truly opened my eyes to many of the things I was completely unaware about in regards to the environmental degredation occuring on this planet. On the first day of class this professor came in and began discussing what we thought we knew about the environment. He asked us about current issues, issues of the past, seemingly small talk, that was until he took two things out of his bag.
The two items were, obviously, a fork and a set of car keys. So he took these two items out and posed a question. He said to the class, which do you think has more of a negative impact on the environment, the fork or the car keys? Most of the class, including myself, agreed that the car keys definetly had more of a negative impact than the fork.
So after we answered our profesor smerked to himself and then went on to say that no, we were quite wrong. In fact, the fork has a much greater impact on the evironment for many reasons.
These reasons went from the extraction of chemicals from the earth, to the runoff and pollution excreted into the atmosphere and land of the by-products of the food, to the energy consumed to transport all the ingredients to a common location, to then being shipped off in its final packaging which will inevitably end up in a landfill. Overwhelming is the word that returns to my mind when I remember this explanantion.
But he was absolutely right. Food takes far more energy to make and produces much more waste than we care to think about, and that is just one part of the problem. We go to the grocery store and see everything organized in shelves and aisles. We dont see everything that goes into the production of these products and how much it takes to get them into our grocery store. We dont have to think about this complicated process because it does not directly affect us. And if it doesn't directly affect us we are less likely to care.
And that was his point. We don't see it and that means we dont have to care or think about it. That is how so many people view environmental issues: if it doesnt directly affect me, why should I care? And this is why problems continue to arise and will continue to arise in the environment. No one cares and it has not affected enough people that they are willing to make changes.
I'm not trying to be negative Nancy or anything, I just think it is important to care about the environment and be more aware of what is going on. If people took the time to realize how much we consume and waste and how it is negatively impacting our home and realize that sooner or later it is going to start impacting our lives, a lot more would be done to change the way we live and change the way we view our relationship with the planet.
So the key and fork story is just a little piece of what I learned and what eye opening information I discovered in my course of studies. I want to share my knowledge and hopefully continue to learn from everyone around me.
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