Bless Me, Ultima Chapters 13-16

Bless Me, Ultima is starting to become very boring and tedious to read. I feel like its going no where, nothing all that new is happening and its very hard to predict what will happen in the future. Throught out these chapters nothing has changed dramaticlly, besides the death of Narciso. That was the only action in all four of these chapters. I loved this book at the begining, but she needs to go somewhere if she wants it to continue to be interesting. The only subject she ever discusses is Tony's future, and im sure im not the only reader getting sick of this topic. He's not going to choose his mothers dream nor his fathers, he is going to be a male form of Ultima. At this point in the book its hard to read on cause its annoying reading the parents continue to bicker back and forth knowing that their sons future lays in his hands not theirs. Since the only thing that happened in these chapter was Narciso's death I fell it had a deeper meaning. Narciso was very fond of Ultima and looked up to her. Nariciso protected her from the rioters and basiclly saved her life. when he died i saw it as maybe foreshadowing that danger may come to Ultima now that Narciso is not here to protect her.

Messages from beyond?

Do you believe in an energy out their in the world that allows the dead to communicate with the living? Kathy Chang had always been a sceptic about an outside force that allows things such a communication between the dead and living to happen. Her husband Lee believed in synchronicity, the "coming together of inner and outer events in a way that cannot be explained by cause and effect and that is meaningful to the observer." Kathy didn't know if she believed in what her husband did, she thought of it as more of a coincidence. Lee was open to the outside world and did all he could to connect with it including meditation. It is proven the more activity is bound to occur while in an open-minded and calm state, meditation. Kathy picked up on her husbands habits and also started mediation, not for the same reasons as him but to release stress. Once Kathy started meditation she experienced more and more unexplainable occurrences. Once Lee passed away from his struggle with cancer, weird things were happening to her friends and family all the time. She believes that this is her husbands sign to let her and his loved ones know that he is doing okay. Although she still is not a true believer, her husbands beliefs are rubbing off on her each and every day. 


Articles like this makes me think about if i really do believe in an outside force. I think i do but i am still sceptical in many areas of the concept. 


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-changlipsenthal/life-after-death-synchronicity_b_1160653.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl3%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D121806

Bless Me, Ultima Chapters 8-12

Through the first seven chapters of Bless Me, Ultima the author had my complete attention and i was submerged in the plot of the text. From chapters 8 to 12 i slowly lost interest as the plot remained the same and the essential question 'Who will Tony grow up to be?' started getting really old. By chapter 12 i have my mind set on the fact that Tony is going to grow up to become a male form of Ultima. It is very clear that Ultima already knows this, hence the fact why she brought him along with her to cure his uncle. One thing that i found very interesting within these chapters, was the situation where Tony's brothers came home, and then Leon and Gene left shortly after in order to start their new lives without their family. Andrew stayed home no one really knows why he did, but his family is extremely grateful that he did. I believe that this shows the difference between Tony's mother and fathers backgrounds. Leon and Gene take after their father and have adventure in their blood where as Andrew is scared of leaving the family, taking after his mother. Some of the questions i have after reading these chapters are what spiritual connection do Tony and Cico have that they can both witness the Golden Carp and be trusted? Also i wonder how Cico knows all that he knows, how did he know that the entire town was surrounded by water and how did he know the fate of the city? What is the difference between a bruja and a curandera? i know that Ultima isnt a witch but part of me believe that her powers are not always good. One scene that lead me to believe this is when all the men outside the house were waiting for Ultima to walk through the doorway with the holy needle cross on it to prove whether or not she was a witch. When Ultima was about to walk through her owl attacked Tenorio, blinding him. This caused a huge scene, they went to help Tenorio and the next thing they know Ultima was outside she had crossed through the door and was fine. This proved that she was not a witch, but once the men left Tony finds the needles on the floor.I believe that Ultima knocked down the needles when the owl caused a scene outside so that she could pass through the doorway. I believe that Ultima does have some evil powers but she does not want anyone to find out and she is really good at hiding it.

Bless Me, Ultima Chapters1-7

I feel like every single book we read has to do with a witch! Bless Me,Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya is a lot different than any other book i have ever read, and up to page 64 i am enjoying the book and find it very interesting. Reading about Antonio's life at home with his mother father and two sisters Deborah and Theresa was enlightening because i don't know much about the Spanish culture. The rival between Antonio's mothers family and his fathers family is starting to have a huge impact on Antonio's life, and the decisions he has to start to make as he gets older and starts school. Antonio is the youngest of six, his three oldest brothers being away at war leaves him the only son in the house, because of this his mother has big expectations and so does his father. Ultima is also beginning to have an impact on Antonio's life. He is very amused by her ways in which she can cure anything with the simplest of ingredients. I believe that in the future of this book Antonio is neither going to become a priest like his mother dreams of nor become a man of his father like his father has always hope of. I think that Antonio is going to follow in Ultimas footprints and become a wise man. So for i really like Bless Me, Ultima.

Virginia Tech Shooting: Shots Fired At Virginia Tech, At Least 2 Dead

Another shooting at Virgina Tech occurred yesterday, at least two people were killed in the shooting. Virginia Tech is considered one of the deadliest campuses in the United States after their first shooting in 2007. Even though this shooting was not as tragic as their previous shooting, the loss of a police officer and a student is still a tragic event that will hurt Virginia Tech and their hokie pride once again. The shooting occurred around noon yesterday when the police officer made a traffic stop in one of the parking lots. The shooter was supposedly involved in the traffic stop, but approached the officer and shot him in the head. Many witnessed and once the word got out the school went into lock down, warning texts and emails were sent out to all students and many officers patrolled the campus to keep any shootings to happen again. Many students agree that this shooting was handled a lot better than the massacre in 2007. Students and staff will be holding many ceremonies in memory of the lives lost yesterday, and they all claim that they will still love their school no matter what, because "they are Virginia tech".

This article and news really affected me because my cousin in a graduate from Virginia Tech. She was extremely upset when she heard the news yesterday. My cousin was there the day of the shooting in 2007, visiting the school. The following year she still attended even after knowing its violent past. She loved the way the school stuck together after the tragic incident and decided it would be a great place to be. She loved every day of her education and experience while at Virginia Tech. She is truly obsessed with her former school now and is extremely proud that she went to college there. She regularly returns the the school for football games etc. She just cant get enough.

Nation pauses to remember Pearl Harbor

70 years ago, 2,400 people lost their lives during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The Pearl Harbor visitor center in Hawaii is opening at 7:40 a.m. to the public so that people can show their respects to our soldiers that gave theirs lives for us. The ceremony to honor those who died includes, "a rifle salute, wreath presentations and recognition of those who died." The National Park Service claims that their will be about 3,000 people that attend the ceremony. Exactly at 7:55 a.m. there will be a moment of silence. Why 7:55 a.m. exactly? This is the exact time the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. Many people will gather to honor this men that died that day during the attack. People take this ceremony very seriously because of the history behind this day. This Wednesday we should all participate in a moment of silence to honor those who died for us.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/07/us/pearl-harbor-70th-anniversary/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Whats going on..

Bullying has been a problem for years and years now, but until the past couple years most of it has gone unnoticed. Victims of bulling have been coming out with their stories in hope of change. There have been kids that have appeared on talk shows, wrote about their experiences in magazines, and even posted videos on YouTube. The kid that appears in this video shows his emotions and story to his audience by flashcards. Each flashcard tells a part of the story, he started being bullied in first grade. When he posted the video, he was going into eighth grade. At this point in his life he had already cut himself multiple times and suicide was always an option to him. Videos like this can really hit home for some people, i know i did for me. hearing peoples stories like this really has an impact on me along with many others I'm sure. Bullying is an issue that we all as a whole need to work together to eliminate. Bullying has gone too far, it has a lot  peoples lives, and ended too many.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRXjqpfOnS0

Did the Grammys actually get it right?

Around this time every year, there are people complaining about the Grammys, the nominees, the winners, even the awards. Just because your favorite artist didn't win, or an artist you hate did doesn't mean you have to get all mad about it and cause a huge scene! If the artist was good they would have won, face the facts. For one of the first years in a while, people seem to not be complaining as much as they usually do. So, did the Grammys finally get it right? I'd say so, with nominees including Kanye, Adele, Rhianna, Mumford & Sons, and Lady Gaga. The Grammys seemed to have finally got it after all these years. People seem to be pleased and excited with the outcome of nominees etc. One question on my mind when reading this article, is how did the Grammys mess it up all these years? Wouldn't it be easy to just check the stats and tell who is the most popular out there in America right now? It doesn't seem very hard to me.

http://www.salon.com/2011/12/01/did_the_grammys_actually_get_it_right/

Living Well: Handy tips to keep the germs from spreading

Everyone knows that at this time of year, germs are spreading like crazy, in school, the office and at home. Some about the winter season just seems to get everyone sick at some point or another. The first week of December is officially "National Hand washing Awareness Week". People everywhere are making a big deal at the week dedicated to teaching people awareness of washing their hands, some people do not think its necessary to make a big deal out of it. Everyone should know that washing your hands is extremely important to not only your health but the health of every person you come in contact with. The thing is not all Americans know how serious not washing your hands is, and most Americans will go to the bathroom and then return to their activities without washing their hands. Because of this signs and even instructions on how to wash your hands are hung up in public bathrooms to remind people. Washing your hands is one of the best and easiest ways to prevent germs, so why wouldn't you wanna take the thirty seconds out of your life and prevent an oncoming cold. Not only washing our hands will help us in the fight against germs but cleaning any surfaces, especially ones touched by someone who you know are sick. Another way to prevent sickness from spreading is by coughing and sneezing into your elbow, and then wash your hands. It is also key not to touch your face because that is how germs enter your body through your mouth, nose, and eyes. ALL SOAPS ARE THE SAME. People have this idea that some soaps will kill more germs than another but really they all do the same thing and kill about the same amount of germs. Doctors suggest to use regular soap and water when you can and alcohol-based hand sanitizers when you do not have access to those. When washing with soap you want to wash your hands while reciting the alphabet or singing happy birthday twice, make sure to get all areas of your hand! Stay healthy!

http://www.wickedlocal.com/hanover/newsnow/x1622880470/Living-Well-Handy-tips-to-prevent-spreading-germs#axzz1fKKCa7bS