Hello my name is Jennifer Landham. For years I had watched and observed my grandmother and father throwing down and cooking in the kitchen. This had always interested me. I had always been that kid to sit in the kitchen when all of the other kids were cooking and playing. Since then my interest has not changed but really expanded. 

My capstone is about this exact interest. I love everything that has to do with cooking, especially baking, which I prefer so much more. This is a basic cooking blog with the directions that are not difficult to follow and  understand. I really loved doing this, I also had made a video channel which s posted on the website. 

Jenny Landham

Favorite Spot: Swan Fountain (Logan Circle) 

Neighborhood: Mt. Airy 

Address: Williams Avenue & Sedgwick Street 

I am: A senior in high school, A writer artist and photographer, A crazy Phillies and Flyers fan, A born and raised Philadelphian

Years in Philly: 18

Current Home: Mt. Airy 

Dear Philadelphia, 

You have been my home since I was born. I can’t see leaving you and not being some sort of homesick. You have housed me for so many years and you have taught me all I know. I have learned so much from you. So many thoughts about what you have started as and what you are becoming. Your beautiful central city lights in the night. People come from all around just to view your amazing memorial sites. 

Why do I love you you might ask. You have so many things to give. Your beautiful parks, how can someone not love it. Your city is a memory maker. What about the parades that happen in you, the events, Christmas village. You have so much to teach. Your history, the railroads, the historical homes. 

Dear Philadelphia, I love you for what you have and what you made. 

For this project I will be talking about myself and the cooking world around me. I will also be sharing a family recipe of a healthy meal.

Me & Our Food Society

I have the tendency to either eat more on the healthy side or more on the unhealthy side sometimes. It really depends. I have a good diet but I am very picky with everything that I eat. When I go to certain stores depending on there I might not or I might feed into the healthy or unhealthy ways. 

The larger food system I guess I am sometimes helping it and other times hurting it. Every now and then( not often) I tend to eat what’s faster rather then what would be easier for me to get. The larger food system is more unhealthy but I feel as if a lot of people are worrying more about what they consume everyday. Also the whole thing with income matters towards what people can afford. 

The biggest problem within our food system is what is available and what is not. Most people do not have a place around them that is surrounded by markets or healthy places to eat. Therefore A lot of people eat really unhealthy foods because it’s available and its cheaper for them and their family. Then on the other side some people chose not to eat unhealthy. Exhibit A are those people who grow their own plants and food. Like people on farms. 

Personally cutting out the junk food completely would be a good change for me. Also worrying about where my food comes from would also help a lot. These changes might make a lot of people perhaps follow my steps. Also it would be helpful towards the Earth. Everything doesn’t have to effect the society that you live in, if it just helped the Earth or personal improvements. I am more then willing to help out, and also more willing to make a change to the things I eat also. 

Spaghetti 

What You Will Need: 

1/4 Cup of Olive Oil, Extra Virgin

8 Cloves of Garlic, Peeled 

28 oz or 35 oz of San Marzano peeled plum tomatoes, Crush them by hand in a bowl, then set aside. 

1 tbs salt 

1 tbs pepper

3 shakes Red Crushed Pepper 

6 Fresh Basil Leaves 

2 strings fresh Parsley 

_____________________

Directions :

Heat Oil in a pot on medium heat for 4 minutes. Take the already peeled garlic and with the flat side of a knife whack the garlic so that it becomes flat. Cook garlic until it is a light brown color.  The add in the tomatoes. Bring everything to a boil and season lightly with salt, pepper, and red pepper. Then lower the heat so that the sauce is at a lively simmer. Using a wooden spoon or whisk stir the sauce, which will break down some of the tomatoes, about 25 minutes until the sauce is thick. Stir in basil and parsley for about 4 1/2 minutes. Taste the sauce and season with salt, pepper, and red crushed pepper as needed.  

The World & The Meal 

•Approximately: About 90% of this meal is whole food.

•Health/nutrition:  Believe it or not but there is only 526 calories in the whole batch of sauce, which means when adding noodles and such there won't be that many health problems. Also the healthy whole food will process through your body well because it is fresh. Also it is really good for your insides, especially since it is fresh! I feel as if someone ate this meal every day, They won't really have much protein in their diet but everything else, except what type of pasta they use should keep them pretty good feeling. 

•Environmental:  Tomatoes- Italy   The tomatoes traveled the farthest, everything else was produced in America. Nope commercially grown. 

•Political/economic: Not that much both of the cans were 8 dollars the olive oil was 7 dollars for a bottle and the garlic was like a dollar so everything was pretty cheap. Fast food is cheaper, but fast food is a quick filling meal, but the sauce will have you eating for more then a day. Cento

•Social:  Nothing really, someone can't really complain except for the fact that the tomatoes garlic ad such weren't organic. 

Tomatoes- Grown in Italy, picked fresh, canned 

Garlic- California from out of a plant which also makes potatoes. In the Garlic capitol. 

Since the beginning of time we as humans have been looking for things to give us less work to do. Also it is always easier and more available 

​This blog post will basically touch the simple facts, the history of genetics, etc.

1886: Gregor Mendel discovered that traits of offspring depend on the parents traits, which may be dominant or recessive. ( but this was somehow lost)

1902: Theodore Boveri & Walter Sutton used color to observe chromosomes 

1905: Nettle Stevens found out that all homologous chromosomes are the same except the ones that determines sex (X,Y)

1909: Thomas H Morgan made many important researches in fly genetics and linked analysis that apply to all diploid organisms

1941: Beadle and Tatum discovered that each gene encodes one protein

1944: Oswald Avery identified DNA as genetic material

1953: Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins showed that the DNA is a double helix, Thomas Watson and Frances Crick figured out that the base of the double helix enabled replication 

1970: Tamin and Baltimore found a enzyme used to clone genes 

1981: First transgenic mammals are made

1996: Iam Wilmut cloned the lamb Dolly from adult mammary gland tissue  

 Your genetics decipher what you will look like, and your features.

There are many things you can learn about your genetics like your DNA and what factors are inside of it to make it important, also your genotype/phenotype, and what a recessive gene and dominant gene is.

Lets start simple:

DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic acid. Your DNA is a molecule that carries all of your genetic information

Genotype describes what certain alleles are on a certain chromosome

Alleles are a form of a gene that play part on a specific chromosome, which controls a certain trait.

There are dominant and recessive alleles

Dominant alleles are upper case and usually the trait that comes out the most

Recessive is usually shown with an lower case letter, and in this allele it is usually the trait that does not show unless the organism is homozygous.

Homozygous just means that both of the alleles are either dominant or recessive

Heterozygous means that one of the alleles are dominant and one is recessive  

Phenotype is the physical characteristics of the gene

There are many ways that you can determine what exactly an offspring’s traits will be by using genotype. One way is to look at the alleles of the two organisms. Also if you really wanted to be accurate you will put them in a punnet square.

Punnet squares is just a fancy word to describe the separation of alleles to figure out what an offspring may look like, also to fish out the chances of having a certain child.

For example a mother and father are about to have a child they want a child with blue eyes. The mother has two alleles bb, which are homozygous. The father also has two alleles Gb, which are heterozygous. Knowing that the father has green eyes, because greens allele is dominant and blue is recessive you can figure out what is the chance of the child having blue eyes.  

By looking at this you can see that the child has a 50% chance of having green eyes or having blue eyes. But what if the father was also homozygous?

In the PSSA I do not know exactly what kind of questions will be asked, but make sure you do the study island and also look up a few things to make sure you understand such as:

Where your DNA gets its information from and what it is made up of and how its held together

How many chromosomes a human has (46)

Different types of gene disorders and also different types oh names for each type of gene

What kind of diseases are gene orientated

In the beginning when we first had started this I already knew that personally my strong factor was to get all of the statistics. I work best with numbers so when my group and I decided that that I could do the statistics I was actually really ecstatic.

Personally when I did my research I was looking for the wow factor, I needed like information about how many kids were really getting abused. Also I took out information about like what types of children were being abused. I also found one of those statistics that is like every minute a child is being reported for child abuse.

I feel as if my strengths in this project had to be like getting my statistics to Toni, who was our collector in our group, fast. Like I had already gotten most of my information within the third class period and I had sent her all of it.

In my group we’re making a iWeb, personally I saw it being put together but probably not going to be ale to see the finished product. Last class we talked about adding some more things to it, just to make it like more flashy like a counter that says how many people have been on the website.

I feel as if I liked my group, we all had different strengths but altogether we worked pretty well at getting this benchmark done.

So this project is mainly about modernization. The issue with people these days is that we believe if a place doesn't have wifi or the latest iPhone that we need to fix them and make them like us. A place that modernization hit hard is Ladakh. Ladakh was once this peaceful place that kept quiet and away from the outside world in Tibet, but then we moved ourselves in. Except for making it better we made their little place worse and worse… So thats practically my project.                                                           

Ablae Angmo- Is a man around the age of 32, he is against the westernization, km he is a very confused man and loves to allow his points to get through to everyone that he believes matter and why he thinks everyone should follow his lead. He is about 5’4” and he wears only hand made clothes, which his wife Reni has made. He lives far from the Ladakh now culture. He walks miles away form his home to go get some clean water. He is frustrated, very angry, and finding a lot of things funny

Francis Angmo- His Wife- A quiet woman, very soft spoken. Doesn’t agree with her husband at all. She believes he is just going through a mid life crisis and just hates change. The move is driving her family apart.

Taylor Angmo- His Daughter- Frustrated at her parents that she had to lose all of her friends and move away. She is a loud mouth back talking teenager. Westernization started changing her as well as Ladakh. She is 17 and when she turns 18(soon) she plans to run away from her father’s rules. She argues with her father constantly and completely ignores her mother

Damian Angmo- His Son- Quiet seven-year-old child. Very respectable but very curious. He is not as spoiled as his older sister, he’s confused about the move but doesn’t say much to the family. He keeps to himself in a little room in their current home.

Jacob Angmo- His Brother- Ablaes older brother; Very strict and is not accepting westernization. He is not a stubborn as his little brother he’d rather

Sunset Angmo- His wifes sister-

___________________________________________________________________________________

Act I Scene I

Ablae Angmo

(Ablae is pacing outside and he seems ticked off about something. He’s acting like he is doing something productive but really he is not. He secretly is watching his wife making sure that she is fine and keeping watch outside for no outsiders. Then a camera crew comes up, asking him questions.)

(Beginning)

Yeah, I believe I can talk to someone... How personal is this going to get... Well I'm not willing get personal... my opinion.. Yeah of course I can share that... I don’t understand why every time something happens they believe we need the fixing.. Fixing what, what’s wrong with the way we chose to live our lives.. We were pure and educated the way we were... Explain?... See when we first started out Ladakh was the most beautiful place ever. No one and I mean no one threw trash anywhere. The water was purified and clean. The land oh was it so clean... The dirt we could eat our food off of it... When i lived there I was your regular Ladakh farmer... A wife, children, beautiful home, nothing would've been better then this... When people in other country thought of our Ladakh as a undeveloped place which all children lived in rags and such is when westernization started taking place... In my eyes westernization is the change of my world and my cultures world into something so horrid the gods probably turned their heads and no longer look down upon us.  First, came the people, lined one by one like we were a circus. Then came the workers the builders, then after they started coming is when we started… well I started packing.. Stay? Why would I stay there… they meant to make us better?… if ruining the way people do everything and polluting our land is called making us better then yes they made us very better… I'm not stubborn… I don't understand what they're doing… no I don’t really know any background from what there doing.. I know they came out of nowhere...but... know what you just don't understand me!… I think this interview is over.. Good-bye to you

            Act I Scene II

Francis Angmo

(Wife is sitting in a chair with a handful of laundry. She is humming a beautiful song while folding clothes.)

He’s such a reactive person.. I loved Ladakh, a place of fun and family... Yeah I agree with that we were different before they came... Transportation and people too... No not all are bad things, well not all of the things... Of course I still want to go back, it’s so quiet out here at night and I dearly miss my family... Well the move really wasn’t my choice.. He’s the man.. Well in my culture we follow what the males orders are.. Yeah, there the leaders of the pack, when he dies Damian will be the leader... I just wish things would go back to where they were I want to go home...it effects me because no one has been the same since after the move.. All the kids changed.. They don't even talk to us anymore... Forgiveness?... They don’t want to forgive us.. No I don’t think it was I... Yeah.... My husband... He’s real stubborn.. He never lets our family have fun anymore... He’s so different now... He thinks were going to turn on him and leave... I don’t understand... Yeah well … I don’t think... No why would you... well good he needs to know what was said.. I personally think westernization isn’t that bad.. I talk to my sister... through mail.. We talk about all the changes.. They’re waiting for us to come on back home

Act I Scene III

                                                Damian Angmo

(Sitting in his room alone, little Damian no older then seven. He’s playing with some kind of doll singing quietly to himself sitting on the floor. He notices the door creak open he drops his stuff and slowly turns around, almost frightened)

..He..Hello... my name’s Damian.. Ye..yeah .. Nice to meet you... may I ask why your here... oh int....

(sounds it out)

in-ter- view.. Okay.. I’m fine with it... old?. I.. I’m not old... oh my age seven in two eighths.. Yeah I’ll be eight soon.. How “ool..ld” are you.. That’s pretty old Mr... I don’t think... oh why am I here?.... I don’t feel comfortable...around...them..They...aren’t the same... my dads always grumpy.. Tayy doesn’t play any games anymore.. We use to play everything... tag, duck duck goose, hide and go seek... We use to play at this park type of thing..Well mines were really nice..We lived around a lot of family friends and stuff... I do miss my old home..i didn’t have that many friends... they all thought i was weird.. i’m not that talkative... i just..get nervous around big crowds... i’m afraid they might hurt me.. or judge me... no i’m not self con-sc-i-ence... my mom said it meant confident... confidence is like liking yourself a lot... it’s not.. oh, that’s cool i guess... mothers been stressed... she’s worried about my father..westernization just changed the whole town...we were independent but then the people came and yeah..

(mother calls him to dinner)

 I’m sorrry.. I have to go eat, but we’ll finish talking some other time

            Act I Scene IIII

Taylor Angmo

(Taylor is dancing in her room to this new song that her friend had told her about, she seems like an outgoing nice person until she hears a knock on her door. Her whole demeanor changes and she goes to looking annoyed and starts to turn a light red color. She answers her door and notices it is not anyone from her family then her mood changes back to that nice, outgoing way.)

Hello

(She says with a smile)

I’m Taylor and you guys are?.. Nice to meet you.. Interview? Sure, I wouldn’t mind that at all... I’m Seventeen.. Weeellllll I love Ladakh... Yup, born and raised

(she grins with pride)

My mother tells me westernization is to help our beautiful Ladakh, my father thinks other wise.. He thinks that westernization is something to ruin Ladakh. He thinks the people are messing up our pride lands and angering our gods. I think other wise, i think westernization is adding more fun to our plan old boring Ladakh. Yeah i loved it there but i always wanted more. I had always wanted that extra push, something to keep us in contact with the outside world... Well we were “isolated” but come on you hear things people travel sometimes people write to other people... We were modern but not as “modern” that everyone else in the world was..  I love when i see Ladakh now, they have eevveerryytthhiinngg!... No, Where’s America?.. Wow that’s pretty far... Nope i never seen or heard anything about them.. Wow really?.. All day shopping and no curfew?? i would love that so much!

(At  part since Taylor only has a few months to count as a child in America the interviewers are trying to persuade her to go back with them after they leave their voyage through the culture of Ladakh).

 I don’t think my parents would let me go that far... In Ladakh we all stay close to our families... Yeah even through marriage, I know that is a lot... well I dont mind my culture its just I need more to make me feel complete...my family is annoying now..its like she agrees with his choice...she would say that...damian? Hes fine I guess...i dont really find time for him anymore...I've just been really pissed...at night... yeah, sometimes I sneak out go back to Ladakh...all my friends are there... i just wanted to see them.. When i go there they catch me up on the news.. Yeah like whats new, what’s in style and things like that..  if my parents found out they would probably be really angry... yeah, i bet my dad would be on ground duty more, he probably would watch everything i do at every time of the day... My dads getting old, he wont be able to walk soon. He’s already having problems walking now... I figure that after a while he’ll just give up and let us do what ever we want... I think my family should be out of the eating area by now.. yeah, i’m really hungry.. would you guys like something to eat i’ll bring you something... no? okay well i’m going to sneak some food, are you guys staying?.. okay i’ll show you guys out i guess

(walks towards the front of the home and lets the visitors out)

 Bye you guys

(she smiles then walks away)

(After Visitors Leave)

            Hopefully no one finds out what i told them. I think i said too much. That was so stupid, what if they go and tell my father what i said. I would really be in big trouble. When they asked me to go with them to this America place i was the most terrified. Isn’t against some law that they cant offer to take people from their homes. That whole conversation got me really lost. ;

Act II Scene I

Ablae Angmo

(Ablae is ranting because he has just found that Taylor has eaten again after the family has been off to bed. In Ablae’s house he had clearly stated that they eat as a family or they do not eat at all, and Taylor broken this rule. This is not the first time, but it is the first time Ablae is going to settle this problem.)

She’s been here, i know she had to been. Nothing seems to be in place now; she snuck our food again too didn’t she. I’m getting sick and tired of her and her restraint against the house rules. I need to protect my family and she is going against everything that will help her grow and prosper to a great and intelligent young woman. I need to set a limit and it stops here. Going to her and telling her what’s going to happen is the biggest way and thing that is going to effect the way this relationship is going.

            YOU OUTSIDE NOW!... I’m done with your resistance.. I am your father.. i am the leader of the pack and you you are not... you are last one the list.. It’s me, Damian, Your mother, Then you all the way at the end.. This means we rule over you.. I’m not going to take no more of you.. You will follow my rules or there will be dire consequences.. Remember that story of Chumur gonpa.... okay... Let’s start over.. sit.. lets meditate..

(They both sit on the ground in front of each other cross their legs then start)

hmmmmmmm....uhmmmmmm...hmmmmmmm...uhmmmmm......you know me and your mother love you, if not we do. The rules i made were we all eat together pray together and sleep at the same time. I do not mean to push it, because i know you are upset with me, but i want you guys to be raised as i had been. Pure, i wanted you guys to be complete Ladakh born and raised children.. I wanted your brother to get married off, i wanted you to get married off... Yes, i know you could have had a chance to but your whole perspective of Ladakh would've changed too.. I did not want that to happen. Your my child and as my child you were a gift to me from Leh, you are here for me to protect you until you blossom to protect your self.. Ladakh is a dangerous place for you in my eyes now, i do not think that it would be a safe choice to allow you to do that... If you promise to stay safe and my pure little girl then yes you may, but you must ask your mother, you was her gift also.. Night. 

            Act II Scene II

                                                             Damian Angmo

(Damian starts off, he is kind of having a little panic attack. His father isn’t aware of it but damian hears everything he says to his sister. He’s terrified and believes that it couldn’t get any worse then how its going.)

Ahh.. I don’t like this.. I don’t like this at all… Why is daddy yelling… I don’t like when my family is so angry, anger is scary and it makes the gods angry and upset because we are not being positive... Daddy hasn’t been the perfect Ladakhen, he has been really controlling over the whole family and his positivity and gracefulness had lowered down to close to nothing.. Well damian i guess all you have is you. Just like the loners I always hear about. Maybe if you can get the family together one by one you could make happy with everyone.i should start easy like Taylor, then mommy, last daddy..

(Damian breaks out into tears)

 I don’t know how i’m going to do this...

                                    Ablae Angmo

(Change of character. Ablae has finally made up his mind. His family would be better and cooperate together more. He calls everyone into the prayer room)

Everyone come in here. We’ve been discussing this for awhile and i believe well we believe, maybe we should go back to Ladakh just for awhile. This may confuse you but the move had effected everyone. I think maybe it would be good for our family if we had left and moved back to Ladakh. As a whole we are separate, since i made the choice to leave Ladakh. So now we’ll take that same path we walked to get away form the real world and walked right back into it.

(The family stops and stares)

Yes i am serious... Yes back to our old home. Everyone get all the stuff packed and get ready to leave..Yes Taylor Seriously

                        Act III Scene I

                        Sunset Angmo

(The Angmo Family is moving back to Ladakh. While on their way there, the other half had already heard the good news(due to the interview crew and Taylor keeping in touch with them) This is Sunset.)

            Oh dear i gotta get everything clean. I can not wait until they come home. I miss them dearly. When they come here i’m going to tell them everything that has been going on from the point they left till they got here.

Yes.. of course i’m getting their home ready for them to come on back home.. Its pretty bad, its been inhabited for a while.... Well it seems like some of the animals have gotten into here too..it is... Not real bad but bad enough.. get the kids we may need extra hands..

(The other side of the family take exactly 3 days to clean the whole home, and get the Angmo family ready for take off with a full  fill of food and clean water to drink. On the way home the Angmo family is full of smiles hugs and happiness. Even though the family has been okay out of Ladakh they are determined that now moving back to Ladakh will bring on a new life with a good change. After this point it will just be kind of like a summary of what happens in the family’s life when and after they return to Ladakh.- When the family arrives, all the people in Ladakh come to visit them. Everyone is happy and the family is pretty much sure that Ladakh didn’t change as much. No one in the community tells them about the water problem, they just think the water trucks are because they found more pure water, which they can drink from. After a few months, the family has gotten well acquainted.)

Act III Scene II

                                                Damian Angmo

(It’s around sunrise Damians’ a little late from waking up, he washes his face with some water then heads to get something to eat. After eating Damian goes straight outside with all of his friends.)

Mom, im leaving now. I know sunsets and im late.....I’ll be on time this time... pprroommissee..

(5 minutes later)

Hey you guys.. Where are we off to today... oh that’s cool, cause I haven’t been there since when I was younger

(A few minutes after walking. All the kids around him had these water drinking canisters, Damian always figured it was just because it was a new trend or something. Where they were playing was the same place Damian and his sister use to go as a child. )

 Lets play tag..

(A few hours pass)

Thirtsyyy

 (Damian goes to the stream which he drunk out of as a child.)

(takes a sip.)

 ahhhh water,

(takes another and starts to feel ill)

 I need more water I think I'm still thirsty.

(takes another sip)

(Moans)

Maybe I'm hung

 (Throws up)

I think I want to go home now

(Him and his friends exit stage, for him to come in through a door)

 Mommy I don’t feel so

(Throws up again)

Act II Scene I

                                               Francis Angmo

When we first arrived here I thought everything was going to be just fine. Then this happens. Maybe Ablae was right after all. Maybe my family should’ve just stayed where we had stayed for these past months. When push comes to shove family comes first. But when shove came in front of push my little Damian could’ve had a better future then what’s happening to him now. I wish I could just go back in time and find out just what happen between the time I let him go out with his friends and now. I just feel so careless and stupid for letting my child go out there alone with just his friends. I feel as if I should’ve sent Taylor to go look after her younger brother maybe just maybe I should’ve thought twice about my choices. Its just all my fault he’s lie this now.. Just my fault

(After two weeks he gets worse and worse. His family takes him to the place of prayer, which they all pray for his health. The next day Damian had died.. ):  The family is really sad and regrets coming back to Ladakh. The whole story behind this is Westernization may be good for you but Ladakh is surviving off of everything that you leave them with, and their living with exactly what you leave them with your trash and pollution. Westernization is ruining places like this so that people can have what they have, which they aren’t they’re changing what they had. Stop Westernization and save children like Damian. )

Everyday in the United States animals are being beat, set on fire, and killed because of something someone needs such as food, shelter or someone to take their anger off. Most animals do not live to see the day of light before someone is taking them away from their mothers, habitats, etc.  When you think about animal abuse where do you see it happening? The basement of some unknown man, children, people who abuse their families. Animal abuse comes in different forms from everywhere, any zoo that took the animal out of its habitat to put it in a cage and watch it, the circus, practically if there is a animal in a show or anything such as these things, and their not being used for what they should be used for it is animal abuse.  

Most people do not understand that animal abuse is like someone abusing a child. Animals are living beings just like you and I, and they have feelings too, and they also can do things that would help us if we were ever in any type of horrid situation.

People who abuse animals are not taken through the consequences of people who abuse other people. In Belmont County there is this man named Jeffery Nally who tortured a lot of animals. When he was sentenced he had only gotten trialed for signs of a serial killer., not only is this event more then signs of a serial killer he should’ve been given 30-life in jail. He killed all of those animals like it was nothing, then he saved their skin, teeth, and bones for souvenirs. Nally was booked into the Northern Regional Jail on 29 counts of animal cruelty, one count of domestic battery and one count of kidnapping. Bail in his case has been set at $450,000, with a bail like that most people say he won’t be bailed out, but what if he breaks out, he shouldn’t have bail; murders don’t have bail nether should he.

            Some people who look at animal abuse are also just blinded by the good things. Circuses, everyone loves a circus. All the animals are happy a joyful and love their jobs right, WRONG. Most circuses put their animals through tortured to get them to do that famous stand up trick you guys like. What about jumping through that flaming hoop you love that. In an investigation of a Ringling’s Circus you saw things that most people would say, oh that was an act or something like that to save their points that circuses are filled with good people, but most are not. Circuses train animals as if they are not living, they take things like whips, belts, sticks and repeat hit them with it. When you think of this what would you label it as, simple horseplay, some animals need more force to learn then others. This is not labeled as a simple case of animal abuse.

            Animal Abuse is labeled by two things, what is and what isn’t animal abuse. Any torture or harmful acts towards animals is, and always will be animal abuse. When people treat their animals like it’s their child that is not animal abuse.

Being a girl can become a difficult life style. Between our stages in life, staggering attitudes and emotions… I don’t know how we would get through it.

I myself am a girl, born and raised as one; so I know first hand that I can be very frail and take many chances. I’m also the target for a lot of people, for emotional support and other things. My parents depend a lot on me to take care of things when they can’t, especially because I'm the only girl.

I recall my 5^th grade classroom, the desks were set up in rows of six, and I sat in the middle row, of a large room filled with an average sized class. And that’s where he sat, right there in front of me; now being a female in a male bias world I found that most guys don’t expect you to know how to fight. And that’s where he made his mistake. His name was Tommy and he tried to take my pencil, this might not seem like a big deal now but ever since I was younger, I had an “obsessive compulsive disorder” type of thing; I absolutely positively could not stand to have people touching my things, or things that I had previously touched. So I asked him kindly to please not touch my things…he didn’t quite listen. He continued to grab for my book bag when I told him again “DO NOT TOUCH MY THINGS” I was getting madder and he didn’t seem to comprehend the level of seriousness displayed in my threatening tone. “Shut up” he snapped back at me “don’t be a tattle tale”. “I wont,” I said through my teeth “but stop touching my things” with an angry shove, he pushed me. In rebuttal, I shoved him back.

Ever since my early days of childhood, I had always been a fighter. I had to fight to get where I was going, and I learned that a lot of people are really big bullies and if you don’t do what they tell you, they tend to get really pissed. Following his shove, he attempted to hit me; When I noticed what he was about to do I ducked and hit him where my mom told me to hit any guy who tried to put their hands on me. I threw my leg back and in one full-fledged kick, my foot met him in a not so pleasant place and he instantly hit the ground. He didn’t seem so tough now as he lay curled up on the floor sobbing. That was the earliest experience I can recall where someone made me feel puny because of my gender.

Ever since I was younger, this problem frustrated me, the problem of male bias that seemed so prominent in the world and especially in my life. Just because I’m a dress wearing, pony tailed, doll playing human doesn’t mean I’m not as tough as anyone else in this world. I believe that since girls have a different in sight look of things, people think we’re weak, and powerless.

Fathers always expect their sons to be the tough ones, while the girls are supposed to be the sensitive ones, the ones who cry when they fall not the boys. Mothers always teach their daughters to clean and cook before they grow older. Girls are taught to be mothers of animals-09 and baby dolls while boys are being taught to be Harley riders and wrestlers. Girls are taught that in a dress you’re a princess and no one could change that. Boys are taught that the more muscles you have the more people like you.

Girls walking around in short skirts, short shorts and tight clothes just to get the attention of another person. To me people aren’t important id much rather go outside feeling comfortable then to go out wondering “does this shirt look right?” or “is this the right fit?”. I clearly don’t care what people think of me, people have their own opinions and thoughts of what a girl is supposedly supposed to say, wear and look.

My older cousin thinks that every girl is suppose to be mega skinny, always dress nice, and have long hair. Every time I go around him he makes the choice to piss me off, and say stuff like why don’t you ever have your hair done and what happen to your nice clothes and you really go outside like that. This would piss me off a lot if I cared what he really thought. I don’t I think if I accept the way I am, headstrong and beautiful, then I should not listen to how someone else thoughts about me is. Yeah I know a lot of people worry that this wont happen that wont happen. I am still a girl, but I rather go by it the way I think everything should fall into place. Easily and comfortably, just like I have been. I like playing football, I like running around, I like wrestling, and doing my make-up. Everything is even out for me. Just because I like doing things like a boy doesn’t mean I’m not a girl. Just because I dress and look a certain way doesn’t mean people wont like me because I have a boyfriend, and he loves me the way I am.

My mom expects me to be that girly girl she had always wanted, but I’m not. I love being the hard worker I am. I work to succeed in life not to impress others. I want to go to culinary school, not because I’m expected to cook but because I love making people surprised and happy in what I make for them.

By being a girl I am setting a line. Yes I will do my hair, yes I like dressing nicely, and yes I do wear make-up. I will not be criticized by what I want to do and what I like to do. I may be girly but I can still roughhouse, fight, and play rough. Yes I am a girl and I will still cook, not because you want me to but because I love to cook for others and myself. Yes I am a girl so I will settle down one day, but with someone who see’s me as a person not as a play toy. Someone who understands, that I am as much as a person as they are. Someone who believes love doesn’t come from the outside of your body but from the inside of your soul, someone who understands me, cares for me, and respects me.

Deciphering fact from fiction is one thing that kids don't or maybe won't fully understand; then trying to figure out the reasoning behind the moral that your parents teach you is another. Growing up, your parents or guardians instilled certain lessons of language or morals in your mind, but what happens when their plans seem to back fire and you follow another instinct; rebellion. What happens when you defy the morals and language that you were taught to think was correct? Well, I'll tell you because I can describe it to you first hand from the eyes of my own to the minds and thought of my parents in shock. 

So it was about a few months ago, six months ago. One of my best friends is a vegetarian. See at first I found this to be a real stupid, I always judged him because he was a vegetarian, I even forgot a lot of times. I was not a real considerate person towards his beliefs and how he felt about his choice to not eat meat. Till one day he when he came to me and asked me about something we’ve talked about before. 

 “Me, A vegetarian?” I had said with a astonished gasp 

“Yeah you, I bet you wouldn’t even last one day or even one hour in my shoes.” He said in his provocation voice

So once I got off the phone I took a few minutes to think to myself. ‘Since I’m a vegetarian mines well tell my family’ I said to myself. That night I went to the dinner table with more on my plate then an actual plate would be able to hold. My family dinner starts off like it usually does everybody gathers at the table and then they say their grace and we all eat. When I had got to the eating part my family had noticed that I did not take any of the roast beef that my dad had made, this made them curious. 

“You forgot something”, my dad said 

“No I didn’t, I need to talk to you guys.” I said as if the whole world was looking straight at me in a shirt that said I’m different

“Go ahead, we’re listening” My mom says in an accepting and considerate way

“So I’ve done some long and hard thinking, and I believe I’m ready to say that I want to be a vegetarian. Yeah I know it’s a big change, but I’m ready for the challenge.” I said this with power, pride, and confidence. 

My family stopped, not any type of stop but one of those what just happened stop. The moment of silence was so essential that the whole world had gotten silent. Vegetarian what? Every ones faces replied in their silence. Everyone just stared then they continued to eat. They were silent as a library. After a few minutes I had got the idea, so I put my utensils down on my plate and I stepped away from the table. I’m your typical teenager, something bad happens I leave and totally flip out to someone who understood me but doesn’t like or can’t talk. So I went upstairs and told my dog what just happened and went through everything that was bothering me at the time and moment. Pacing back and forth in my room burning holes into my ‘emotions and feelings’ so that I could calm down. After about twenty to thirty minutes my dad called me from upstairs. This made me more nervous then how I felt before I told them. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach and a little man did this hopping thing in there too. I felt as sick as a dog who just ate chocolate. As I walked down the steps I felt like I was falling into a deep dark hole, at one point I felt like I was walking into the deepest darkest depths of hell. So my whole family was downstairs in the living. They all sat next to each other, I felt like an intervention was about to take place. 

“What made you want to be a vegetarian?” My dad asked so quickly

“I actually been thinking about it for awhile and it seems like a smart choice to me. “ I replied

“Hmm,” He says with a eerie look “ are you sure your ready for such a change in diet like this?”

“Yes, as ready as ill ever be. I’m prepared to take the challenge that will change my life style.” I replied

“Well we all support you with whatever choice you made.” My mom had said to make me feel better.

So then I exited the living room to return to my comfy bed. That night was the first night of me being a vegetarian. 

Vegetarian was a foreign word in my family. It was things we saw on television, things we heard other people talk about and be, but never we. I was alienated from my family the moment I uttered the word vegetarian from my mouth. Alienated but accepted I continue to live my life and as I will continue as a vegetarian. 

Through many years intellectually you’ll notice your parents becoming more and more intact that you are not trying to disappoint them, but every structure they taught you would be more stretched out to help them understand and comprehend life as it is and the children.  I didn’t disappoint my parents but I gave them a little mental shock by telling them that I was a vegetarian.  Another example oh parents raising their children to comprehend that some things are not acceptable for times and or places. Steve Lundeberg Lundy: Acceptable language?

Some years back, I was driving with my niece from Australia, her husband Simon and another niece when I had to stop abruptly when the car in front of us did the same.

“S—,” I exclaimed, then, remembering the young women in the car, quickly said, “I mean shoot.”

“S—’s acceptable,” Simon said matter-of-factly.

In this scene the guy is talking and someone halts on his or her breaks really fast.  When this happens the man goes to curse, but he doesn’t. He did not do this because his parents had taught him not to. In many cases people would not care but he did. He was raised to learn that you are suppose to be your full blown gentleman when your around a lady. If he was around all of his friends I wonder if that would be the same. I don’t think so I think he would’ve talked around them however he felt like. 

When a parent had taught you to speak and learn a way that child tries and tries to fulfill their parents orders, but when its time to grow up and make your own choices then it’s time to defy the morals and language that you were taught to think was correct.