Soundtrack to my life

"Keep your head up" by Andy Grammer. This song sums up my 18 years of life right now. Every time something in my life takes a wrong turn, or I am stressed, or I am just freaking out for no reason, I think to this song. It talks about how life as a whole is a journey and we should all "drop your worries because it will turn out fine". Hearing a singer share the same issues as myself is always reassuring. This song is also an up beat song and gives me confidence and boosts my self-esteem always. Also, whenever I am in a really bad mood in car rides with my mom, she puts it on to mess with me. It really just always makes me happy and actually lifts my head up. I know in the end everything will always be okay and that it is life.

"This is why I'm hot" by MIMS. Wow this song is really my childhood. This goes way back from 6th grade and I really hate this song when I hear it. My first boyfriend and current one to this day, played this song after he broke up with me on a camp social! Great time. But this social took place in Maine during summer camp on a boat, how fun. We were very immature and barely spoke. Then he decided we should "be friends" the infamous line. Immediately after, he and his friends requested this song and I ran away. I then requested the song "Single Ladies" by Beyonce to get even. I was actually very upset but looking back at it and still right now, I cringe when I hear that song. It brings back a million memories so I thought I would share how much I hate it.

"Down By the River" by Milky Chance. This song really always gets to me. I traveled on a community service tour in Costa Rica for a summer. I really changed during that whole summer. Every single stress before summer went away and I started to appreciate everything in life. Living in new conditions, no phones, minimal electricity, and helping people everyday made me appreciate every single thing I have. I built houses, made cement, built sidewalks, taught English to Spanish kids, and just played happily with kids and adults. I met people on the same trip that I still talk to today. This song was played a lot during the trip and my sense of music changed there. I listened to reggae and folktronica every day. This song just reminds me of the memorable and meaningful summer that I had and still think about. "Down By the River" just reminds me of every experience in Costa Rica and how much of an eye-opener it was for me.

"A Milli" by Lil Wayne. I honestly do not want to go through the lyrics and meaning behind this song. I just have the best time rapping the whole song in the car and I memorize all the lyrics. They are very odd but I love rap and love Lil Wayne as he is a very interesting, talented, and perverted rapper.

"Fix You" by Coldplay. This song is very inspirational always. The meaning behind it is about death, grief, and coming into terms with a loss of a loved one. Cancer is very prevalent in my entire family. Thankfully, I have not had to deal with a death right now. This song reminds me and reassures me to be thankful and happy all the time and make efforts to my relatives as much as possible. I am really close to all of my grandparents, aunt, uncle, cousins, siblings, and parents. Even though I am in Madison, Wisconsin, I still try so hard and make it a priority to reach out always. As my grandpa currently having chemotherapy every Monday, I try my best before the weekend ends to wish luck and check in. This song just reminds me that time is precious and to always make efforts because the little things mean the most.

"We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey. I secretly have an obsession with Mariah Carey even though she is basically irrelevant right now. I am obsessed with all of her songs and she really is so talented. I have a playlist of her entire albums and this playlist is always on repeat during long car rides, during a nice shower or bath, or when I try to go to bed. Her voice is very soothing and it makes me just very happy always.

Trip to Memorial

Gauthier, Victor A. Benefits to the United States from American Technical Assistance Activities Abroad; Some Case Studies. Washington: Agency for International Development, 1972. Print
HC60 U44 1972, Memorial Library

Before I went to Memorial Library, I reserved several books on the library on the website. On Monday after studying, I went to visit the librarians. They explained to me how all the books are organized and provided me with a helpful orange sheet. I matched the calling number on the sheet and proceeded to floor 2M. I headed towards the north stacks and was slightly overwhelmed with the amount of books. I went back and forth all around the floor trying to find column LC32 H35. There was all books with LC but they were all over 200 and nothing under. It was just not there. I really searched and even asked random people studying in those tiny cage rooms for assistance. Then, angry, I went downstairs to receive more assistance from the librarian, but he really didn't have much else to say.

I pulled up the other calling number on my e-mail to try and track down the other book I reserved. I then went up, once again, to floor 4M North. Roaming through the stacks, I finally got the hang of it. I searched up and down and around until I found numbers that were closer to my book's calling card. I spotted my book and the exact number and never felt more relieved. To the left and right there were books related to foreign aid and programs. Also down below there were books about development issues. The book that I stalked down was "Benefits to the United States from American Technical Assistance Activities Abroad." After I was so relieved, I went straight down the to checkout and was finally able to go get my dinner. When I walked, there was LOUD instant beeps. It was like I robbed books or clothes or something valuable to the library. This was a process. I went in, back out, in, and back out. They could not figure out the problem. The lady then says, it must be your phone sound volume. As puzzled and confused as I was, I just wanted to leave and eat! She put my phone and wallet through a different way and then I went on with my life!

Nye and Devor

 A). Nye directed his argument to potential people who are considering on following through with a terrorist attack. She stresses the alternative routes people should be taking to solve their issues. She is targeting all people to try and make a change. She speaks to her relatives, friends, neighbors of all races or ethnicities. She believes that killing endless people does not solve any of their own issues and will not ever lead to peace. People should be learning from their mistakes and remembering the fact that we are all humans and we can make changes.
B). There is definitely a point to writing this piece. Although terrorism will not immediately stop because of this persuasive essay, if one muslim is effected the slightest bit by it, it is a chain effect. This essay may contribute to second guess their actions or even think into what they are doing and ask why. Also, it is a very important concept that not all muslims are terrorists. They are portrayed over social media with a negative connotation. The idea that she really wanted to get across was that there are alternative routes besides terrorism and you can change this.

A). "Children start to understand themselves as individuals separate from others during the years that they first acquire gender identities and gender roles"(Devor 65).
B). Devor states that gender roles are enforced at such an early time in your life that it is hard to ever think otherwise. The gender role of being a male or female is taught at birth and it is the natural way of going about things. You adapt and fill the stereotypical actions of that role. If anyone steers away from their given role in society, it is portrayed as unnatural and not the norm. You are looked at differently and known for this action within society.
C). I find that Devor's opinion on this topic is convincing and I agree with it. Gender roles are enforced at such a young age before a child can realize that you do not need to abide by them all. It is a difficult process to go from one gender to the next and that cannot be chosen at an early age, but you have to accept how you are at birth. It is convincing because he stresses the idea that yes you cannot just choose to be male and female immediately at birth, but you can choose the behavior that fills that gender. Whatever this may be, approval from parents goes the longest way. For example, I have a gay best friend. He always was ashamed of this growing up and never expressed himself to the public and more importantly to his family. He did not know how they would react and if they would accept this. At birth he did not know better and his desires and wants were not clear until he grew up. I felt very strongly that he should be able to behave in a certain manner even though he is a male. He then expressed his feelings and choices to his parents and they were nothing but accepting. He was not even asking to change to female or change his entire appearance. He was stating that his behaviors differ from the typical male in society and there is nothing he can do to change that.

Bibliography

"Career Benefits of Study Abroad." Career Benefits of Study Abroad. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.

This article that I found online has to do with the overall reasons why studying abroad can put you on a successful path to your future. There are multiple statistics of the average percentage that secured a job after graduation with an extremely high salary. Also, the majority of students get into their desired graduate school. Studying abroad helped students' language proficiency and communication for the work force. This article was an easy way to start my research because I got the general idea of the benefits of studying abroad. Going further, I will need more in depth examples and situations and maybe even interviewing students' to get a quantitative research to enhance my argument on this topic. 

"Studying Abroad Could Give You an Edge in the Job Market - CNN.com."CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
I wanted to find an article based off of a student's experience and not just statistical data with the benefits. This article I found discussed a student named Ashley Blackmon and her experience studying in Barcelona. She stressed that during her interview for a difficult marketing position, she did not even discuss the business classes she took in college or even high school or throughout her life. The first thing she spoke about, the only thing, was strictly her studying abroad experience for 5 months. What set her apart from other candidates from this job was her critical thinking skills and her cultural background that she took upon in Barcelona. Since there are such positive outcomes to studying abroad, all important figures in the world are trying to promote international travel for all students. This article was another basic one to gather information from a personal experience. I will have to make a trip to memorial library to find more in depth information towards this topic. I may have to broaden this topic to gather more information but right now there are a lot of hits on studying abroad as it becomes more popular. 

End of Ronson

After completing So You've Been Publicly Shamed, I realized that Ronson's main point was how public shaming affects all its victims differently and the punishments are infinite. There is a constant fear of thinking, "These people didn't do such bad things, did they really deserve that?" No one would ever think that they would get fired from a tweet that someone else wrote about you. A certain piece in the book that reflects my statement was the case of Justine Sacco Ronson. She tweeted a heavy amount and someone disapproved of her actions and found them offensive. Although people believed that ganging up on someone on twitter is an effective way of learning a lesson, it destroyed her life. Publicly shaming can stem from a harmless situation leading to the most harmful life destroying punishment. For every conflict, there is a different justification. 

I think that the single most important thing that people should take away with from this book is that public shaming is human and we all do it, but it's about crossing the line. All people make mistakes and there are rational consequences to learn from our actions. Other crimes that are required for court, should be a fair decision amongst a certain amount of people. There are different problems and conflicts that should be under certain standards to determine the outcome.There should not be a mistake that will shadow you your whole life just because of social media. Public shaming is a phase that is humiliating but the point is driven in our heads. If, however, an incident is so terrible, there are always appropiate requirements met. Shaming is not meant for someone to then hibernate their entire life. It should be only for teaching lessons. Any other conflicts with unjustifiable consequences should be taken to higher authority census'. 

10-12

I believe that people do not deserve the right to erase their past memories. It is in their own hands what they produce and share with the virtual world. By no means should one person be able to erase a certain part of their past or memories that was once a mistake. Mistakes would never be learned from if people could take back what they did or ever said. If people could be picked and chose what memories disappear, the internet would a display a false persona of themselves. I am not saying that everyone should not have a right to their own privacy, because that is not true. Everyone needs privacy, but when it's under your control then its public. I am sure most people have posted something, uploaded a picture, even said something that was somewhat a mistake. Anything that you put on the internet is now public knowledge and deeply embedded somewhere else. It is crucial that people have to be more aware of their actions and then once said and shown, it's known. People should be held accountable for anything that was under their own control.

I feel that the court rooms actions and way of executing their cases is extremely unethical. The lawyer has no right to publicly shame the client no matter how wrong they are in their defense. Public shaming stems off of people judging each other for their actions. In the court room their should never be bias and every decision made should be from your true gut. Lawyers should always be fair and equal and publicly shaming one side is taking a stance. The only purpose to publicly shaming individuals is to reiterate their shame.

Ayn Rand

One aspect that I find confusing and questionable in Ayn Rand's excerpt of Racism is when she goes on to insult white Southerners and African Americans who expected quotas. She confidently preaches about racism and then she claims that "Needless to say, if that "'civil rights"' bill is passed, it will be the worst breach of property rights in the sorry record of American history in respect to that subject”(134). If a fight against racism is going to be continued, it should then be through social ostracism, boycotts, or exclusion. Nothing should be biased and it should be in the hands of the people. 

Research Questions
1. How can parents act differently to minimize the effects of divorce?
2. How can the University of Wisconsin encourage healthy food options?
3. What is the impact that studying abroad has on students?