The Biggest Patriot Fan

After reading this heartfelt story about Sam Berns, a 16 year old boy with Progeria, a rare disease that ages him eight times the normal rate, I couldn't help but reevaluate my thoughts. I know that there are many things one can take from reading this, but I couldn't stop thinking about how selfish I am. The fact that Sam Berns is such a confident young man even though his disease is clearly apparent on the outside, is really incredible. Being a girl is never an easy job. Personally, I have low confidence and am never satisfied with the fact that I am a healthy, young lady who has a lot of potential. I'm always wanting to change my self image and wishing that I would look like specific celebrities. While I'm busy worrying about wanting bigger lips and prettier hair, Sam Berns is satisfied with the way he is. It's stories such as these that impact readers lives. This story really makes me appreciate all that I have and to be happy with what god gave me, because some people don't have it as easy.

Polling? There's An App for That

I found this article to be extremely interesting. I always find myself google-ing the newest apps and reading articles about things that well, appeal to my interests. This definitely did. Not to say that "polling" is necessarily my thing, but the story behind the app is what intrigued me. When I first started reading it I didn't realize that it was an FGCU article. As soon as I realized that these two young entrepreneurs were fellow FGCU students, I was amazed. Although the writer depicted what Seniors, Nick Moore and Anton Nicolla, went through in the creation of the app as fairly simple, it's obvious that there's a lot more to it. I also found it very interesting that both students aren't Business majors, that's very inspirational to me considering that I want to manage a business eventually but am not a Management major. It's a prime example of what my father has always told me, that you don't necessarily need to major in business to be a successful Businessman. Which is why I chose to study Forensic Psychology, something that to me is more intriguing. Even if I chose to not pursue in Forensic Psychology, I feel that after college, I will have the proper social skills needed to manage a business. As for the managing part, well... it is a family business, so I'll leave that part for my father to teach me! This article really makes for even more appreciation towards the rising success of Florida Gulf Coast University. I could not be happier to attend this school.

Malala Yousafzai on The DailyShow

When I first saw the title, I knew the name had seemed familiar. A few days ago, One of my sorority sisters had shared the link to this on our Facebook group. I had heard about this story and a few other stories that are similar to it but had never seen this particular video. It's always interesting to me to hear about the chaos that goes on in terrorist- ran societies. Malala Yousafzai is a sixteen year old girl that was growing up while the Taliban took control in her Pakistani hometown. She wrote a "tell all" book about the Taliban, and later became a personal target to them. In this video, she describes her experiences and the effect that being a personal target had on her. I found that she didn't really talk about what had happened, but she expressed how she feels about society as a whole. I found this to be very interesting, all though, I do think that it wasn't enough information from that one clip shown to be able to write a fair amount of information about.

Homeless for 68 Minutes

Kalhan Rosenblatt's story of being "Homeless for 68 Minutes" really intrigued me. I found this to be one of the most interesting stories we've read. Homeless for 68 Minutes talks about how Rosenblatt decided she was going to portray a panhandler on a median begging for money. She told herself that she would spend however long she could out there, but knew that in order to get the full experience, it had to be over an hour. This story really caught my eye. I really admire the fact that Rosenblatt took the liberty of posing as a homeless person in hot South Florida. Being that I am from South Florida, I know the exact area of where this took place and I can only imagine posing as a panhandler for that long of time, it's definitely not easy. Reading this story has really opened my eyes. I'm not going to lie, when I pass by a homeless person, I try to avoid making eye contact with them and avoid giving them money just because I'm scared. I always assumed it didn't make me a bad person because I would volunteer my time and give money to charities, but after reading this, I know that when I see a panhandler, I'll be sure to give them whatever change I do have. Rosenblatt really gave us the "inside scoop" on the life of a panhandler, I think this story is extremely inspirational and eye-opening.

Living Like Weasels

In the story Living Like Weasels, the author, Anne, expresses her desire to live a more "fulfilling" life. She compares her desire to that of a weasel; talking about how they will do anything to survive and take each moment as their last. I found the passage to be quite repetitive in the sense that the author kept talking about the weasels way of life. Some of the information given was unnecessary but overall, the story did teach it's readers an important lesson. Although the story was hard to read, solely because of the fact that weasels, to me are uninteresting, it served it's purpose. Anne, describes that after watching the weasel she wants to learn how to "live" the way it does. She describes how she hasn't taken all that life has to offer. I found this story to really change my perspective on life itself. I never thought a comparison between the desire to "live in the moment" and weasels would make sense, but the author made extremely valid points and contrasting thoughts. I really did enjoy what this story has to offer because it has taught me that like the weasel, I should value each moment as if it's my last and do whatever I can to make my life the best it can be.

Superman and Me

In the story Superman and Me, by Sherman Alexie, Alexie talks about his childhood and the many differences he was exposed to as an American Indian living on a reservation. He constantly shares how he is different from his fellow Indians, specifically because he didn't follow the "traditional" Indian path. Alexie expresses his love for not only just reading, but learning, at a young age. Being that his father took "the road less traveled," by attending Catholic school, in a way, Alexie follows in the footsteps of his father on being "different" from the traditional Indian individual. What I personally took from this story is that the author, by following his father's footsteps, set himself aside from what was considered acceptable in his society. The author decided to follow his heart instead of what was considered the typical path of an Indian boy living on the reservation.

Shooting Dad

I personally found this story to be quite unappealing, in the sense that there was a lot of talk about politics and gun-man ship, which I find no interest in. Although, as the story progressed, the deeper meaning behind it all is what caught my attention. Sarah Vowell, the author of the story, talks about her many complications with her father and how they had little to nothing in common. At the end of the story, Sarah's dad buys a cannon and Sarah decides that regardless to how she feels about shooting, she would partake in shooting it off, solely because of the fact that it was something her father enjoyed. After, she realizes that her and her father do have similarities. I really felt a strong connection to this, although my experiences are obviously a lot different. My father was born in Morocco and moved to America when he was twenty- one. Being young and foreign, he had to work his way up to where he is today. The hardships that he faced throughout his journey, give him a greater appreciation of the life that we live in America. Besides the fact that there is a bit of a language barrier between us, I've always felt that our relationship is different from most. I was brought up in the traditional American way, and his customs are completely different from mine, this sometimes makes it hard for us to see eye to eye. But regardless of it all, my father is the biggest role model in my life and differences aside, there is no other way i'd have it.

The Price We Pay

Every time I read a story about the tragedy that was September 11, I'm always left with unexplainable emotions. September 11, 2001, was a day that will mark history forever. Adam Mayblum tries to paint a clear picture of this day through his eyes and the events that he witnesses. As a first grader, I had little understanding of what exactly had happened that day. The fact that I could go home safely and see my family, was something that was expected. These people, just like us all, were going about their daily lives and never thought whether or not they'd see their loved ones again. Mayblum's story really hits home, for all Americans. He was just one of the few, who survived and got to document what he saw. It's amazing to hear the acts of kindness and heroic things people encountered and took place in. In Mayblum's story, he talks about his trader, Harry Ramos, and how he put his life at stake to save someone else. Although they both ended up dying, it goes to show, that just like Mayblum states towards the end of his story, the terrorist didn't succeed. They tried to bring us down as a nation, but in return only made us more united.

Life After Death

Through three different stories about individuals being tied to another's death, It's extremely apparent that guilt is a major theme. Regardless of what other's think, or what has been proven factual, these people hold this guilt that consumes their lives. The first story talks about six children being struck by lightning and of those six, two dying. The narrator informed us that just before hand, he had attempted to call upon the Devil. Because of this, he felt that he was at fault. The next story told was an excerpt from the ever so famous memoir, Half a Life. Darin Strauss tells his story about the tragedy that involved him, his car, and a girl he had briefly seen around school. In these two stories told, both narrators talk about how these tragic events effected them for the rest of their lives. The third and final story was about John, a war veteran, with Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder. John's story was a little different from the others, in the sense that he purposely did harmful things, just had no recollection of it.  PTSD (Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a mental disorder that is triggered by experiencing or witnessing extremely traumatic events. As John is telling his story, he talks about all the trauma that he experienced throughout his life and being a war veteran was just an addition to it all. Though I personally cannot relate to any of these stories, I can understand why the guilt would leave a lasting impression on each of them. Guilt is something that is in a way, uncontrollable. We constantly contemplate "what if" and "why me" when guilt strikes us and that's just talking about the guilt an average person experiences. These stories teach us extremely valuable lessons. These people were normal people going on about their lives and never did they think that incidents such as the ones they experienced, would happen to them.

Once More to the Lake

The in the short story, Once more to the Lake, E.B White reminisces on his childhood memories with his father as he returns to the lake as an adult with his own son. Through his return, he expresses how nature, and the lake itself, remain to be the same, but life in general has changed. White also mentions how the lake has changed with society and that at the surface level, things seemed to remain the same, but little details from his childhood have been adapted.  As he reminisces, he takes note of every little detail from his past and relates it to the present, highlighting the key points of similarity and differences in the two. Through the text, it's obvious that White has this desire to live on but knows that just like his father, his time to pass will eventually come. White discusses his fear of mortality, which helps individuals relate to the text. Mortality is a major component of life itself and through this short story, we notice how short life really is. While reading this passage, it seems as if it's just a man talking about his past in relation to his present, but towards the end we realize the authors fear of not only death, but change in general. The story is quite depressing but helps teach us that although death is inevitable, our memories will forever hold us close to our past.