This honestly scares me.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2505663/sarah_palin_santa_claus_or_comrade_pg2.html?cat=60
I checked this out on Snopes.com to see if it was true and couldn't find any info against it. It honestly scares me that A) Sarah Palin would assume that Jewish people don't know the difference between Santa Claus and Jesus and B) that Sarah Palin would say that Santa giving children presents is a bad thing.
Whatever happened to the giving holiday? Whatever happened to the spirit of Christmas? Geez...
Showing posts with label the review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the review. Show all posts
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Twidiots, Part 2
Ok, I just found this article and, if you were interested in my first reporting of poor Military_Mom's story, here's the conclusion to it: http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20091217/BREAKINGNEWS/91217033/1086/rss07
Please read and sympathize for this poor woman.
Please read and sympathize for this poor woman.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Twidiots?
I have this kind of love/hate relationship with Twitter.
I've been off and on it for a while. Sure, it's fun to update my status every hour and make my life seem interesting but, honestly, who cares what I’m doing every second of my day? After a while, when you have absolutely nothing to update your account with except for “bored as hell” or “watching the rain,” you realize how dull your life has become.
However, I decided to give it a shot one more time, just to see what the fuss was all about. And, for about two days, I thought Twitter was cool. Then I heard about Military_Mom.
You’ve heard of those people whose life is completely surrounded with Twitter? This is Military_Mom. If you just go and look at her page, almost every minute of every day is taken up by updates and notes to her readers. She was one social mama. So, you can imagine how shocked her readers were when, about an hour after her last Twitter, she mentioned to her readers, “Please pray, my 2-year-old son fell in our pool,” which has since been removed from her page.
It has since become a controversy. Was Military_Mom Twittering when her son fell in her pool? Or was this just an instance where a rambunctious 2-year-old just fell in a pool while his mother had turned his head for a second? Readers have been leaning both ways.
I’m not sure which is it, but the woman made the call to the police about her son falling in her pool around 5:38pm on Monday, according to Florida Today. If you check on Twitter, this was only 15 minutes after her last “tweet.” It completely shakes me up. The facts are unclear but a little brutal.
Military_Mom has responded viciously to four different Tweeters, telling them “you are an ass, I was outside w/him and it took 2 sec for him to slip away, I hope U never feel this pain u ass” and “where us your heart bitch.” However, as someone who wants to agree with Military_Mom, I have to look at the hard facts that this woman has not come back with a reply against the statement that the might have been checking her Twitter or Twittering while her child was wandering around.
Losing someone, especially a child, is hard. I cannot imagine what this woman is going through, whether it is the fault of her Twittering or not. I’m trying to stay on the side of those who are praying for this woman and giving her their condolences. If I were her, I would have deleted my Twitter account by this time instead of taking the controversial Tweets off of her page. My heart goes out to this woman, whatever state she is in. Especially because I believe, unlike others on Twitter, that she would not Tweet her son was at the bottom of the pool while he was there. Maybe she really wanted prayer. I know I would.
Even so, I’m thinking harder about getting off of Twitter. If not just because the readers are so brutal about something they don’t have all the facts for.
Who would want a Web site like this to be the blame for your child’s death? I know I wouldn’t.
References:
Florida Today: http://www.floridatoday.co
Military_Mom: http://twitter.com/Militar
The undeleted Tweets: http://girlarsonist.blogsp
I've been off and on it for a while. Sure, it's fun to update my status every hour and make my life seem interesting but, honestly, who cares what I’m doing every second of my day? After a while, when you have absolutely nothing to update your account with except for “bored as hell” or “watching the rain,” you realize how dull your life has become.
However, I decided to give it a shot one more time, just to see what the fuss was all about. And, for about two days, I thought Twitter was cool. Then I heard about Military_Mom.
You’ve heard of those people whose life is completely surrounded with Twitter? This is Military_Mom. If you just go and look at her page, almost every minute of every day is taken up by updates and notes to her readers. She was one social mama. So, you can imagine how shocked her readers were when, about an hour after her last Twitter, she mentioned to her readers, “Please pray, my 2-year-old son fell in our pool,” which has since been removed from her page.
It has since become a controversy. Was Military_Mom Twittering when her son fell in her pool? Or was this just an instance where a rambunctious 2-year-old just fell in a pool while his mother had turned his head for a second? Readers have been leaning both ways.
I’m not sure which is it, but the woman made the call to the police about her son falling in her pool around 5:38pm on Monday, according to Florida Today. If you check on Twitter, this was only 15 minutes after her last “tweet.” It completely shakes me up. The facts are unclear but a little brutal.
Military_Mom has responded viciously to four different Tweeters, telling them “you are an ass, I was outside w/him and it took 2 sec for him to slip away, I hope U never feel this pain u ass” and “where us your heart bitch.” However, as someone who wants to agree with Military_Mom, I have to look at the hard facts that this woman has not come back with a reply against the statement that the might have been checking her Twitter or Twittering while her child was wandering around.
Losing someone, especially a child, is hard. I cannot imagine what this woman is going through, whether it is the fault of her Twittering or not. I’m trying to stay on the side of those who are praying for this woman and giving her their condolences. If I were her, I would have deleted my Twitter account by this time instead of taking the controversial Tweets off of her page. My heart goes out to this woman, whatever state she is in. Especially because I believe, unlike others on Twitter, that she would not Tweet her son was at the bottom of the pool while he was there. Maybe she really wanted prayer. I know I would.
Even so, I’m thinking harder about getting off of Twitter. If not just because the readers are so brutal about something they don’t have all the facts for.
Who would want a Web site like this to be the blame for your child’s death? I know I wouldn’t.
References:
Florida Today: http://www.floridatoday.co
Military_Mom: http://twitter.com/Militar
The undeleted Tweets: http://girlarsonist.blogsp
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Harry vs. Bella: Why Twilight Fails to Impress a Lover of Lit
If Harry Potter and Bella Swan were to get into a duel, who do you think would win?
If we took into account that the spineless high schooler would inevitably call upon her handsome werewolf or animal-sucking vampire for protection, where-as the Boy-Who-Lived would simply raise his wand to the challenge, I think we would have our answer without discussion.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’ve been a die-hard fan of both Twilight and Harry Potter. I have read all the books and seen all the movies. I’ve heard all the opinions there really are possibly to be heard. Yet, still, I come back to the same conclusion over and over again — without fail, the Harry Potter series kicks the Twilight series out of literary consideration. After carefully considering all aspects of what makes a book appeal to an audience, and remembering that the next movie in both series comes out November 2010, I have come up with a list of reasons why fans should put down Eclipse and pick up Deathly Hallows.
1. Character development — When we meet Bella and Harry, they are two very under confident teens. Harry’s sort of a trouble-maker. Bella is so depressed after moving away from Arizona that the readers are afraid she might kill herself. As the stories progress, Bella’s attitude develops into “If I don’t have Edward, my life is over,” where-as Harry steps up to the plate, wand in hand, ready to figure his life out. Not convinced yet? By the end of book four, Bella’s selfish idea is that she will protect the vampire baby in her stomach even if it’s going to kill her, where-as Harry unselfishly goes to his inevitable death to protect the world from a very evil being.
2. Climax — Stephanie Meyer murders the idea of climax in her plotlines. At the end of Book 3, there is an epic battle with the werewolves and Cullens on one side and baby vampires on the other side. Does it feel epic? No. Mainly because Bella is too stubborn to stay home and has to be out in a tent, in the middle of the woods, freezing her fanny off with a worried Jacob and Edward, who should be fighting to protect her. On the other side, we see Harry fighting Professor Quirrell in book 1, a massive spider in 2, dementors in 3, Voldemort in 4, Death Eaters in 5, Death Eaters in 6, and a ton of people including Death Eaters and Voldemort in 7. There is always a climax. The audience never yearns for a fight scene, which is what I yearned for at the end of Meyer’s Breaking Dawn, where the Volturi show up, there’s a set up for a massive battle, and then… then… nothing.
3. Sequels — Sure, everyone publishes a book they’re not proud of, but I think I’ll take Harry’s angst, Ron’s struggle with his love for Hermione and a little drama over a finale book that made readers’ eyes widen as they say, “HUH?” Come on, Stephanie Meyer. You tiptoe around every little subject, keep your characters innocent and then your fourth book contains pedophilia, brutal sex, and a C-Section with Edward’s teeth? At least J.K. Rowling is consistent.
4. Morals — This is pretty plain and simple to me. When the Harry Potter series first came out, parents freaked out over their children reading books about witchcraft. However, I could always shut parents up with arguing that the series is an epic about the struggles of good triumphing over evil. It doesn’t tell you how to get the hair of a unicorn and mix it with toads’ eyes to make a love potion. On the other hand, I haven’t heard many complaints from mothers worrying about their children reading Twilight. This bothers me because the book teaches selfishness. She wants Edward. No, she wants Jacob. Now she wants both at once. “I don’t care about my soul as long as I can be with you.” What is this? Shouldn’t mothers be worried about their daughters running off with the first boy they meet because, “Mooooom, we’re in looooove.”
So there you have it. Megan’s perspective on these two infamous book series. Keep in mind that I did read both series, I was a die-hard fan, I saw the movies and I’m taking this all from a literary perspective.
And don’t dis on Harry Potter. That book has come a long way and I feel satisfied when I read it, unlike the disgusted, emo feeling I get from Twilight.
If we took into account that the spineless high schooler would inevitably call upon her handsome werewolf or animal-sucking vampire for protection, where-as the Boy-Who-Lived would simply raise his wand to the challenge, I think we would have our answer without discussion.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’ve been a die-hard fan of both Twilight and Harry Potter. I have read all the books and seen all the movies. I’ve heard all the opinions there really are possibly to be heard. Yet, still, I come back to the same conclusion over and over again — without fail, the Harry Potter series kicks the Twilight series out of literary consideration. After carefully considering all aspects of what makes a book appeal to an audience, and remembering that the next movie in both series comes out November 2010, I have come up with a list of reasons why fans should put down Eclipse and pick up Deathly Hallows.
1. Character development — When we meet Bella and Harry, they are two very under confident teens. Harry’s sort of a trouble-maker. Bella is so depressed after moving away from Arizona that the readers are afraid she might kill herself. As the stories progress, Bella’s attitude develops into “If I don’t have Edward, my life is over,” where-as Harry steps up to the plate, wand in hand, ready to figure his life out. Not convinced yet? By the end of book four, Bella’s selfish idea is that she will protect the vampire baby in her stomach even if it’s going to kill her, where-as Harry unselfishly goes to his inevitable death to protect the world from a very evil being.
2. Climax — Stephanie Meyer murders the idea of climax in her plotlines. At the end of Book 3, there is an epic battle with the werewolves and Cullens on one side and baby vampires on the other side. Does it feel epic? No. Mainly because Bella is too stubborn to stay home and has to be out in a tent, in the middle of the woods, freezing her fanny off with a worried Jacob and Edward, who should be fighting to protect her. On the other side, we see Harry fighting Professor Quirrell in book 1, a massive spider in 2, dementors in 3, Voldemort in 4, Death Eaters in 5, Death Eaters in 6, and a ton of people including Death Eaters and Voldemort in 7. There is always a climax. The audience never yearns for a fight scene, which is what I yearned for at the end of Meyer’s Breaking Dawn, where the Volturi show up, there’s a set up for a massive battle, and then… then… nothing.
3. Sequels — Sure, everyone publishes a book they’re not proud of, but I think I’ll take Harry’s angst, Ron’s struggle with his love for Hermione and a little drama over a finale book that made readers’ eyes widen as they say, “HUH?” Come on, Stephanie Meyer. You tiptoe around every little subject, keep your characters innocent and then your fourth book contains pedophilia, brutal sex, and a C-Section with Edward’s teeth? At least J.K. Rowling is consistent.
4. Morals — This is pretty plain and simple to me. When the Harry Potter series first came out, parents freaked out over their children reading books about witchcraft. However, I could always shut parents up with arguing that the series is an epic about the struggles of good triumphing over evil. It doesn’t tell you how to get the hair of a unicorn and mix it with toads’ eyes to make a love potion. On the other hand, I haven’t heard many complaints from mothers worrying about their children reading Twilight. This bothers me because the book teaches selfishness. She wants Edward. No, she wants Jacob. Now she wants both at once. “I don’t care about my soul as long as I can be with you.” What is this? Shouldn’t mothers be worried about their daughters running off with the first boy they meet because, “Mooooom, we’re in looooove.”
So there you have it. Megan’s perspective on these two infamous book series. Keep in mind that I did read both series, I was a die-hard fan, I saw the movies and I’m taking this all from a literary perspective.
And don’t dis on Harry Potter. That book has come a long way and I feel satisfied when I read it, unlike the disgusted, emo feeling I get from Twilight.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Happiness = Glee
I know it might be weird but I actually can attribute much of my current happiness in life with the new television show: Glee. I look forward to it every week, to see what songs they pick to sing. If I'm having a bad day, I listen to "Dont Stop Believin'" or "Somebody to Love" and I can't help but smile. I mean, seriously, when you have people my age singing their hearts out and you can feel it, you can feel that they actually enjoy doing this, life is awesome. Especially now, since the first volume of Glee music just came out today. I know I sound a little silly but I listened to the CD twice before my first class of the day, and that's more than 15 songs.
I'm not really sure what the writers of the show are going to do with the second season, if/when they get produced for season 2. I'm not sure what age most of the Glee kids are in but I get the feeling that they're all seniors in high school. There are a few ticking clocks running around in the show right now and, by the time the alarms have all gone off, their year of high school will practically be over and then... what? New Glee kids? I'll just have to wait and see. For now, I'm reccommending Glee to anyone having a bad day and listening to the songs has been sending to me bed with a smile on my face.
Chapter excerpt of the day:
The little woodcutters cabin in the clearing had been deserted for a while.
Margaret could tell just from looking at it. The windows were tainted with dust and misuse over the years; the door hung open lazily, one hinge broken and falling off; the staircase leading up to the door was rotted and disintegrating. From her spot behind a tree where the clearing began, a quarter mile away from the cabin, she knew that it was the perfect spot to hide. No one had used it in months, maybe years. No one would even notice it as they wandered by. It wasn’t sheltered from the rain, the wind would rattle the windows something fierce, and it probably reeked with rot. The perfect place to hide.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Deadening Experience
I recently got a new Ipod, a beautiful burnt orange Nano that I think is just the cutest thing in the world.
I do miss my large, 30 gb, video playing Ipod, even after getting the new one. Poor 30gb... after 5 long years, it has been put to rest and recycled for parts just so I could get a discount on a new one. A moment of silence for the old Ipod...
Anyway, as I was driving home from the Writer's Conference the Sunday before last, I had my first encounter with an audio book. I've always been hesitant to try these, mainly because I'm a writer and I truly believe that books are meant to be read, not listened to. One good example is Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. That book is ridiculously long but I sure as heck read the entire thing. (They're also making a television series out of it but more on books and their television shows in another post.) But, I decided to brave it because the drive home is 7 hours long (on a bad day, 6 on a good one) and it's hard for a person to stay awake and alert for that long of a trip. So what do you think I read?
That's right.
I actually own this in paper. I bought it a while ago, but I never seem to get to it. So, enter the audio book and a 6 hour drive, and half of the book read now (or listen to). Here is my assessment:
It's a funny idea. I mean, all who think of Elizabeth Bennett know that she is a tough cookie (as is Mr. Darcy) and it's humorous to think that she could be the main defender of the Bennett family. For the first few chapters, I was hooked and laughing in my car as the poor Bennett girls had to fight off zombies as they wandered into town or discovered that the cook of the Bingley household had been attacked by a zombie during a very large party. However, after a while, it got old. It got old fast. As someone who has read Pride and Prejudice and appreciates the beauty of Jane Austin's work, I found myself wanting to hear more of the story and less of the zombies. I missed many of the interactions between the characters that left me charmed and coming back for more. Also, when the author decided to turn Charlotte (Elizabeth's best friend) into a zombie and described the slow process that it took for her to get into that state, I was done with the book. I didn't care that Elizabeth could stand on one finger or defeat three ninjas at once. The author had thought Charlotte to be such a disposable character that it would be fine to turn her into a zombie! I didn't finish the audio book and, I can already tell you, I'm not going to finish my hard copy either. What I want to do is give that book away. I don't ever want to see it again.
Those of you who have read Pride and Prejudice or other works by Jane Austin... do you agree with me? Beauty shouldn't be toyed with. Apparently, they're making Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters or that might just be a youtube video that they have advertising what it would be like but I really think the author has ruined something beautiful. Shame on Seth Grahame-Smith. You don't get a single star in my book. Nor does Ben H. Winters for doing this:
Disgusting.
Anyway, as I was driving home from the Writer's Conference the Sunday before last, I had my first encounter with an audio book. I've always been hesitant to try these, mainly because I'm a writer and I truly believe that books are meant to be read, not listened to. One good example is Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. That book is ridiculously long but I sure as heck read the entire thing. (They're also making a television series out of it but more on books and their television shows in another post.) But, I decided to brave it because the drive home is 7 hours long (on a bad day, 6 on a good one) and it's hard for a person to stay awake and alert for that long of a trip. So what do you think I read?
That's right.
I actually own this in paper. I bought it a while ago, but I never seem to get to it. So, enter the audio book and a 6 hour drive, and half of the book read now (or listen to). Here is my assessment:
It's a funny idea. I mean, all who think of Elizabeth Bennett know that she is a tough cookie (as is Mr. Darcy) and it's humorous to think that she could be the main defender of the Bennett family. For the first few chapters, I was hooked and laughing in my car as the poor Bennett girls had to fight off zombies as they wandered into town or discovered that the cook of the Bingley household had been attacked by a zombie during a very large party. However, after a while, it got old. It got old fast. As someone who has read Pride and Prejudice and appreciates the beauty of Jane Austin's work, I found myself wanting to hear more of the story and less of the zombies. I missed many of the interactions between the characters that left me charmed and coming back for more. Also, when the author decided to turn Charlotte (Elizabeth's best friend) into a zombie and described the slow process that it took for her to get into that state, I was done with the book. I didn't care that Elizabeth could stand on one finger or defeat three ninjas at once. The author had thought Charlotte to be such a disposable character that it would be fine to turn her into a zombie! I didn't finish the audio book and, I can already tell you, I'm not going to finish my hard copy either. What I want to do is give that book away. I don't ever want to see it again.
Those of you who have read Pride and Prejudice or other works by Jane Austin... do you agree with me? Beauty shouldn't be toyed with. Apparently, they're making Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters or that might just be a youtube video that they have advertising what it would be like but I really think the author has ruined something beautiful. Shame on Seth Grahame-Smith. You don't get a single star in my book. Nor does Ben H. Winters for doing this:
Disgusting.
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