Crazy Shoppers

Wal-mart Shoppers Trample Worker

http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2008/12/01/news/doc49340bbf7112a872469812.txt

Black Friday always offers great sales and people start to camp out in front of the stores on Thanksgiving day. In New York, shoppers broke the door down at a 5:00am sale at Wal-mart. The crowd trampled an employee to the ground. The employee was stepped on and over without anyone stopping to help. His coworkers tried to get through the crowds to help him but there were too many people.

When the police finally came and the shoppers were told to leave, many refused claiming that they waited outside for hours for these good deals. Now, I love Black Friday just as much as the next person but that is outrageous. I cannot believe that no one stopped to help him up. Four other people were injured as they were caught in the middle of the raging crowds. People really do take things to the extremes sometimes.

Op-ed Piece

The link to my op-ed piece is:

http://www.thoughts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14551

it's under amanda1052.

Thanksgiving Break

I can't wait for Thanksgiving break; I could really use a few days off. I love all the food and spending time with the family on Thanksgiving day, but I'm most excited about going to Chicago on Friday. My family and I used to go to Chicago the day after Thanksgiving every year, but we haven't gone in a few years because we have all been so busy. This year we decided to go back and I'm so excited about it. We are taking a morning train on Friday and will be staying until Sunday. The city is always so pretty with it's Christmas decorations. Their annual German festival features a huge Christmas trees and a bunch of booths with food and souvenirs. The festival is always a lot of fun. I also can't wait to shop. There are so many stores there, especially along the Magnificent Mile.

Ridiculous Concert

One of my best friends works at the Henry Ford Museum and her boss offered her free tickets to the Madonna concert. A couple of us went to the concert at Ford Field and it was terrible. I'm not a Madonna fan but I figured that it would still be fun, but I was wrong. The show was supposed to start at 7:30pm, but she did not start performing until 9:30. She did not have any opening acts so we sat there while a DJ played a mix of songs. Once she finally came out, she did not seem very thankful and made comments such as "I'll play this song as a you're welcome for coming here." She also made a few remarks against Detroit saying that they moved the barricades in front of the stage back so that the people sitting in the floor seats were far away because we're dangerous.

I did not know many of her songs, so I could not sing along but even if I could I still do not think I would have enjoyed the show. The dancing and her outfits were ridiculous. She was just making a fool of herself. I do not think that it is appropriate for a mother to dance provocatively around a stage in practically a bra and underwear. It was ridiculous.

Being a Critical Reader

While reading the websites provided on the blog about rhetorical analysis and critical reading, I learned not just to read the facts given, but to analyze each statement. In order to be a good critical reader, you need to understand where the author is coming from and recognize any bias he or she may have. The reader needs to understand that the author is providing their take on a subject and may not include other people's opinions. Critical readers do not always accept what the author says as fact, and instead challenge the author's ideas and look for valid evidence.

Historic Event

On Tuesday, November 4, 2008, our country elected a black man as President for the first time in history. There are many citizens who support Barack Obama and expect him to make changes for the better in our country. However, others are not that fond of Obama and do not see his being elected as a good thing for our country.

When Obama was campaigning, he experienced some animosity and racist comments. If you search the internet, you'll find numerous sites with racist cartoons and statements. Obama did not let these people bring him down though.

"You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise."

This stanza from the poem "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou reminds me a lot of Obama and his campaign. Quite a few citizens were not fond of him and were not afraid to express their thoughts. He did not let their opinion stop him from continuing his campaign. No matter how much support he may have had, it must have been extremely tough to brush off all the negative comments and actions.

His being elected as President is quite a turning point in our history. We have never had a President who was not a caucasian male. After the results of the election were announced, the television network showed many African Americans crying with joy. The news reporters interviewed and many responded that their children will now truly feel that they can do anything in the world.

Changing Weather

Autumn is by far my favorite season with the leaves falling and the cool air. The weather is so comforable and the surroundings seem so calm. This fall is flying by though. The weather is changing way too quickly!! They are already calling for snow tonight and tomorrow. I mean, I love skiing and snowboarding but I am not ready for the winter cold just yet.

I can't even imagine what driving is going to be like tomorrow morning. This morning--just in the rain--the road was full of crazy, confused drivers. I had to take the service drive all the way to school. Adding snow into the mix is definitely going to make the commute a lot worse tomorrow.

Michigan weather has always been so crazy, though. I remember a few years ago I was running a tennis tournament and we experienced all four seasons in one day. When I woke up it was pouring rain, but it stopped by the time I finished getting ready. I arrived at the high school around 6:30 to start roll drying the courts and as the morning progressed it seem to be getting colder and colder. The teams arrived and I had some of the players out drying the courts when it started snowing so I had to move everyone to racquet clubs. By the time the first matches were sent out, the snow stopped; the sun was up; and it wasn't all that cold out. After the first round, I sent the teams back outside and by the end of the day it was about 80 degrees!!