I found that Nickle and Dimed was very intriguing. The whole concept of being disguised into having no money even though you are pretty well off, and working minimal wage jobs though you are a well written writer to prove that it is hard for the working class to keep a float. That though these people have jobs, multiple jobs are needed to keep in fairly poor conditons. It was a good experiment and truly open eyes including mine. I never knew how hard some people have it to keep up. I think the book was done very tastefully, not degrading those who work so hard to have so little. It also opened the eyes, hopefully, of the legislative to how the hard working, blue collar people of this great nation are living and can hopefully do something to make it better.

Last month, on the David Letterman show, Jerry Seinfield came on the show on behalf of Micheal Richards to apologize for his earlier out burst. Richards came, via satellite, to personally apologize. Throughout the whole segement, I found it very fake and unsincere and scared. He constantly kept saying that he was frightened not only for him self but for the whole race issue in the US. Then he tried to change the subject by placing racial ignorant blame on the situation after the Hurrican Katrina disaster. He was stuttering, and inconsistent in tone. I found it a poor attempt to gain sympathy from the public. Even the audience was laughing!! How you like that heckling, Kramer!

All over entertainment new is how Senfield’s Kramer, Micheal Richards, went off the handle at one of his comedy shows. At a the Laugh Factory, in NYC, Kramer was being heckled at by some African American viewers about his act. Kramer, taking the heckling to seriously, began calling the viewers the N word, repeatedly, even after the hecklers stop and said it was uncalled for. Richards has publicly apologized and said it was just the stress built up but I dont understand how that could come out of your mouth because of stress. There is no excuse for racial slurs to come out of anyones mouth but to be mean and disrespectful. Can Kramer come back? YOU BE THE JUDGE.

In class, we had a discussion of the childern story, “The Growing Tree” about a tree that gave and gave to a little boy until the tree was a stump and the boy was and elderly man. The story was getting critisim of being a model to young boys and girls that woman are placemats for men, and give to the point of not having nothing at all. I found the argument utterly hilarious and ridiculous. As a child, I found the story to be about a tree that is a good friend and gave to a friend in need. It taught me to share to friends! I find it really sad that people would scrutinize a simple children story to complicate their life. Thats the thing about kids, they still see everything in black and white. It is not until we become adults that we notice the spots of gray.  

 Reportedly, Britney Spears and her husband of two years, Kevin Federline, are filing for divorce, claiming irreconsible differences. Britney Spears is asking for fully custody of they two infant sons and that the prenup aggrement signed before they got married be upheld. Honestly, it was just a matter of time before the marriage was over, if you ask me. The divorce percentage is super high with people of Spears and Federline ages. Add in the Hollywood affect, and it goes up! What I find amusing is that Britney is asking for full custody of her kids when tabloids caught her driving with her son in her lap! I do hope the judge takes into the consideration of all things in making his decision. For the sake of the 1-year old Sean Preston and 2-month old Jayden James atleast.

I found this reading very interesting. I like how Lindquist made a sort of experiment and observed middle class  people in the bar where she worked. It was interesting to see how people of the same class interact with eachother in a low key setting. No one had to be proper or felt inferior because everyone was of the same social class and it was a nuetral setting. I know everyone can see someone like Jack either in their community or in their family. He was just  able to speak freely and express his political thought among his equals. As in equals it didnt have to mean equals as in job. it merely meant those who were in the same economical rank. It was also interesting to see how they interacted towards her to even though she was their waitress, she also was very sophistacated. It inspired me to leave tape records around saint rose and tape conversation of its students. LOL. so dont be surprised if u see them!!!!!!!!

On Friday, October 27, I attend Orgullo Latino, an event sponsored by the multicultural group on campus, Spectrum. It was a semi-casual event celebrating Latin culture with the adjoining Albany Latin and non- Latin community.  As a member of Spectrum, I have been, helping to plan this event for like 4 weeks. As a group, Spectrum decided on the color theme, the center pieces and the parting gifts. It was a beautiful night. Some of the night’s entertainment was a number of dances from different Latin countries by a professional dance couple, a traditional Puerto Rican dance by some young girls in traditional Puerto Rican dress, and last, but not least, but my favorite, a step/ dance show from the first Hispanic sorority and fraternity. In this performance, they mixed tradition Greek step with Latin music and jazzed it with hip hop and reggae music. IT WAS BRILLANT. All in all, it was a night to remember. It gave me a reason to use so salsa steps I had learned earlier in the week from a salsa class I took with in Saint Rose. It just goes to show how diverse Saint Rose really is.  

In viewing the AIDS quilt, my whole perception of the disease changed. In the media, people with AIDS are perceived as weak, sick foreigners or promiscuous gay guys. In viewing the quilt, it gave AIDS more of an identity. On the quilt, you saw the faces behind the disease. You saw fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, uncles, friends, business men and women, from all different countries and races. On each patch, you were able to get to know the deceased through things that were sewn to the quilt like a shirt or a handkerchief, and through the things people wrote about that person. It wasn’t even family or friends who wrote solely on the quilt. Co-workers, neighbors, even, on one, a waitress who served a guy probably everyday for like 10 years wrote on his quilt. It just goes to show how in some way everyone is impacted in the world by the disease. So it’s not only an individual problem but a global one.

As you, in the Albany area, have heard that three SUNY Albany football players were charged with raping a freshman SUNY Albany student.

With sufch a wholesome, American sport as football, it is ridculous to hear sucdhslander cfoncerning it. From the sodomy of the freshman football players by upperclass men at a high school football camp to this. This struck homw because in attending St Rose, SUNY Albany is right around the corner. Not only that I am a freshman female. It strikes home that you can be too safe. It was said that the girl was walking home ALONE from a party in the wee hours of the night. This is a big no no. If you are going out at night, and you are a female, you MUST at leadt have a buddy or walk with a group of friends. There is definite strenth in numbers. This is in no way the female’s fault, but if you know more, the safer you are 

In reading the passage, I learned many things about slavery that I didnt know. It was surprising that the slaveholders did give the slaves freedom because in history it was like the slaveholders withheld the slaves and left them very deprived. On the contrary, the slave holders gave the slaves freedom but without limitations. They would give them the freedom to drink and eat but they made them overdo it to the point where they were sorry they even took said freedom. It was a type of brainwashing where the slaveholders made the slaves think that they didnt have the mental capacity to be free because they would over do it and send themselves into a stupper. To me, I think that this first year is like I am a slave and my parents are the slave holders. My freshman year is like Christmas to the slave or molasses to the slave. My parents are seeing how much freedom am I going to take to the point where I am in a stupper and dont want uncontrolled freedom any more. To the point where i wont know when to come inside and do some homework and when it is enough to eat and i get so low in my grades and so fat, that i am going to want to go to a local college and still live under my parents roof and i am going to want to have them dictate rules to me. Even though i may have put on a couple pounds( but who can really fight the freshman 15) , i have kept my head above my books, so i figure that i can live another free day.