Thanksgiving Minus the Thanksgiving Hye Jee Kim

My entire family eats at our Thanksgiving. Well, the ones that live on this continent. All three of us. So I don't have the awkward racist uncle or the heated political debates. Instead, Thanksgiving is just like the rest of our nights, just with more food. 

Here's what I did this Thanksgiving:

Woke up. Went back to sleep. Woke up at noon. Worked on GSP. Took a nap. Woke up at 3. Helped cook. Ate. Watched Iron Chef America. Went to sleep.

To be fair, I was sick (I didn't personally touch any of the food, I was moral support). But my regular Thanksgivings flow this mold. I don't resent it at all; I'm not jealous of the tension or the fighting or the crowds. I love it with just me and my parents. One of my favorite memories was one of my parents and I watching The Ring after dinner. I was about 11 years old, and granted I still can't stop seeing that crawling girl in the corner of my room, but I also find it hilarious that my typically stoic dad was more terrified then my mom. 

So my Thanksgivings don't look like the typical stuffing turkey wishbone cranberry holiday that everyone loves to complain about. But I'd take it over anything else any day.

Sorry. 

Assignment 15: Covergirl

Actually this one is all about make-up (do you see what I did there)?
If you have completed all the blogs for the semester, then take this week off.  If you are missing a blog post then use this opportunity to make-up a grade.

Your Prompt:

Choose one of the other two prompts from Assignment 6: Create your own adventure and write about it.

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, December 6th at 11:59 pm

Assignment 7 round 2 Hannah Freibert

While I did, in fact, do this blog on time *cue applause*, technology and I have a long set rivalry. On multiple occasions, my assignments have been known to vanish into thin, cyber space air. Technology hates me. Or the world hates me and this is just a ripple. Or whatever. Regardless, the standings are: blogger.com- 1, Hannah- 0 (which can also been translated into infinite campus language as a humble 0%).

I will now in the most non-fluid and unsmooth way transition to the original prompt... yeah that. September 16th. This dismal day in 1982 marks the beginning of a two day massacre in Palestinian refugee camps in West Beirut. The Israeli military allowed the a right-wing Christian militiamen group, linked to the Phalange Party, to enter the two camps. In the wake of the Lebanese civil war the Phalangists stormed Sabra and Shatila and began shooting hundreds of Palestinians, including elderly men, women and children. At least 800 civilians were affected by the massacre, raping, killing, and dismembering as the pillage took place. 

Investigations launched in the years following revealed misleading communications between Israeli officers the the United States. As a result, when the U.S. was in a position to possibly prevent these tragedies, it failed to do so. Transitively, Phalange militiamen were able to murder hundreds of innocent Palestinians, whom the U.S. had pledged to protect just weeks earlier. The grueling details of this massacre resurfaced in the light of its 30th anniversary, when the NYT called it "The Preventable Massacre".

The death of a s(succulent)alesman Hannah Freibert (assignment 12)

The title was my half hearted attempt to morph the passing of my dearest succulent, Theodore, with the very popular play The Death of a Salesman, which I have neither seen nor read nor frankly, know anything about at all. The following is styled in what I believe to be an accurate representation of the suicide note of my favorite inanimate object. 

Snug in mug, perched on the window

Along with my friends, lined up in a row

I watch the days turn into nights and nights into tomorrow

As they go I stretch my leaves to follow

I see the leaves change and I see the leaves fall

And I can't help but wonder, what is the point of it all

I am not the biggest nor the leafiest of the bunch

I can't combat the voice in my stem telling me to take the lunge

It can get lonely in the crisp fall blackness

I have a bad case of succulent sadness

A floor of wooden planks and my window two story high

Are all the stand between me and the big meadow in the sky

I can save myself from this never-ending slump

I've worked up the nerve to make the jump

Like pink floyd i say goodbye blue sky

This is a succulent's last goodbye

*Based on a true story. On November 6th, Theodore Freibert took his life after more than two years in my care. I arrived home to his shattered remains on my back deck. Tears were shed. Farewell, brethren, farewell.

Assignment 14- Meriwether Carling

Family and food. A pretty typical Thanksgiving description that also portrays my Thanksgiving this year. Every other year my mom's side of the family comes up to Lexington from Georgia to celebrate with us Kentuckians. This year just so happened to be the year that I got to see them.

 My grandmother slaved for 24 hours in the kitchen, planning every event of the day down to the second. She cooked the food in "intervals" as she called it, in order to keep everything as warm as possible. None of the grandchildren were allowed to touch anything. Landis, my cousin, and I begged Nomi, my grandmother, to let us help her but she claimed she didn't need our assistance. Later that night I was actually allowed to cook the gravy and was deemed "Official Gravy Stirrer' (pretty big deal, I know) of the family.

Once all the food was cooked, the whole family gathered around the dinner table for a candlelit dinner. Kids went first to go get their food, followed by the adults. My grandfather then said the prayer before we all sat down. Once all of this was done, the best part of Thanksgiving took place. Eating. I mean, who doesn't LOVE eating their body weight in turkey, stuffing, corn, mashed potatoes, rolls, etc. My personal favorite food of the holiday is stuffing. I only get to eat it on Thanksgiving so it's something I look forward to every year.

Not only is Thanksgiving about all the food, but it's also about the time spent with family and being grateful for everything you have. Cliche, I know, but it really is true. I only get to see my other side of the family twice a year (if I'm lucky) because we don't live near each other. Landis and I are the same age so I love spending time with her. Thanksgiving allows me to see her and catch up on each others lives. Not only do I love spending time with Landis, but I also love seeing my aunts, uncles, grandparents, and other cousins. It reminds me of how fortunate I am to have such an amazing family. No matter how crazy they are I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Assignment 13- Meriwether Carling

The next best thing in diet history has hit the shelves at your local drugstore. May I present to you the new and improved Fatbegone! This little tablet melts right in your mouth when taken with water. It's fast, effective powers help you lose up to 40 pounds in just 7 days. No other dieting method has been proven to be this effective. Local nutritionist Patty Green says "Fatbegone is a miracle worker. The active enzyme called Zylophil literally dissolves the fat from the stomach. Who has ever heard of such a wonderful thing!"

A trial with 50 participants launched in June to test Fatbegone. Andy Brook, one of these participants says, "Fatbegone is pretty effective. I lost about half my goal weight, but that doesn't meant I don't appreciate what it has done for me. Many of my friends heard about it on TV and told me to try it out so I did."

The myth that dieting is ineffective and the weight one loses will only be added back on is only true for about half of our users. With these odds, how could you say no to Fatbegone?! 4/7 doctors have recommended it to their patients (consult with doctor about the risks of Fatbegone before using). 

For ONLY $250 a month you could be one of many to see the amazing results of Fatbegone in a mere 7 days! Don't wait, if you are one of the first 20 buyers to purchase this product at your local drug store you have a chance of getting your first trial of it for half off. Don't be one of the only ones to not try Fatbegone. You won't be sorry for your purchase!

Assignment #14 - Daniel Kolpek

My Thanksgiving is pretty ordinary. About two years ago, my sister got married so for the past few years our Thanksgiving tradition has been a bit different. Now for Thanksgiving we drive up to Evansville, Indiana where my sister and brother-in-law live. My grandma rides with my mom, my dad, and me. We bring the food since my sister Jeslyn and brother-in-law Josh don't have a lot of time to prepare Thanksgiving. Josh's family also comes and brings some food. When we get to their apartment, my mom and grandma immediately start to prepare the big dinner. It usually consists of turkey, country ham, dinner rolls, stuffing, homemade green beans, corn pudding, and both pumpkin and derby pie for desert. After we finish eating we socialize for about an hour and then we start solving a thousand piece puzzle, which has been a Thanksgiving tradition in Josh's family. We usually get the border done and start the middle before we can't take it anymore. To finish up the day we watch movies or play games until it gets late. After that I stay at the apartment while my family goes back to the hotel. Jeslyn, Josh, and I always stay up all night and go Black Friday shopping. Thanksgiving is always a great holiday and an awesome time with my family.

will shapiro Assignment 14

MY thanksgiving is not really that out of the ordinary like a lot of the others I have been seeing over here. My family all gets together at one of my aunts houses or my own (we rotate every year) and everyone in the family on my moms side will come together for a nice meal. We do it kind of like a potluck where everyone brings their own dish because over the years different family members have pretty much mastered the art of making certain dishes. for example my aunt Sally makes some corn pudding that I would literally kill someone for, and my other Aunt Kathy makes the best bread I have ever tasted in my entire life! All from scratch too. After we all get together and lay the dishes out everyone gets their plate and fills it with all the delicious foods and sits down at the table and we all just chat and hang out. This year wasn't different from any other year except I got to drive there now that I have a license. Not to say that's a bad thing though, I love my thanksgivings just the way they are and I don't ever want them to change.

Assignment 14 Lauryn McNair

Thanksgiving at my house is pretty standard. There's always been my mom, my three (used to be two) sisters, my brother, and myself. Generally, someone's friend accompanies them, or my mom's mom might pop in, but there's always us. This year, it was my siblings, my mom, Alexis, my three nephews, my sister-in-law, and my nephews dad. Unlike most years, it was pretty relaxed. After we got done eating, we sat in the living room, watching the babies and reminding my mom why she was so happy most of them had moved out. I really enjoy Thanksgiving. It's always been my favorite, just recently replaced by Christmas. Thanksgiving to me, was a time for my family to all be together, no matter how much they got on my nerves. I had my most favorite Thanksgiving when I was 7. Besides all of my standard family, my grandfather came which I thought was the best thing ever. Being 41 years older than my mom, I had only known him when he was old. He lived in Sharpsburg, an extremely small town  30 minutes from here and rarely left it. I remember my mom made pineapple casserole for the first time, which he really loved and I found it hilarious that he kept getting up to get more of it. He died that December or the next December so I hold that Thanksgiving even more close to me.

Assignment 14- Cameron Combs

What does Thanksgiving look like for the Combs family? It looks a whole lot different than the usual family gathering for dinner that comes to the minds of most people when thinking of Thanksgiving. First of all, the one thing that this family lacks is a cook. Every year, instead of enjoying a nice, home cooked meal with the family, we go dine at Cracker Barrel and have someone else make the food for us. Then, once we have eaten enough food to fatten us back up for the winter, we return home to watch football. Not just any football, football in which Tony Romo embarrasses himself even more than he already has in the past. With most of our family members involving in fantasy football, Tony Romo’s poor performances turn into ongoing jokes directed towards whoever played him. Finally, after a long day of stuffing our faces and laughing at Tony Romo, we all stuff our faces even more with pumpkin pie. This is not a homemade pumpkin pie as you would think, but is instead one that we bought from Cracker Barrel and took to go. Despite the lack of cooking ability in our family, we still manage to get our healthy servings of food to be satisfied with the holiday. 

Assignment #12- Noah Tapp

greetings! i am a blue and black babolat pure drive. As a tennis racquet I have had many experiences with my master Noah. I am dormant during the day when he is in "school" but I whip smoothly out of the the silver nike bag around 4. Noah likes to bang my strings to warm them up and then for about two hours I am attached to his hand.

During our  warmup my strings cleanly brush the ball. However during some days when Noah is just not feeling it I often shank the ball. He glares at me like it was my fault! when his play deteriorates even more I get destroyed against the concrete court. I am worth $199.99 with shipping and handling, and he treats me like a damn Wilson or Prince.

I hate it when he exchanges me for another one of my species. he keeps three others in his bag for "security." Sometimes my tension gets to low( i don't know what that means) and I get summoned to the bag.

We have had some life changing experiences together too. I travel to all the tournaments with him and have got restrung by some of the best stringers in the world. I love when they put the all black RPM in me. I surely can tell a difference in my ability to put spin and power on the fuzzy ball.

All racquets have about 18 months of life in them so I will retire soon. I don't know what my routine will be then, but for now I am hitting the nylon the best I can.

Clara 14

Thanksgiving: a holiday dedicated to eating more than your total daily calorie limit in one sitting sometimes even more than just once, and personally, I would have to call anyone who doesn't love this fattening day either crazy, insane, out of their right mind or all of the above. Forever and always, Thanksgiving for me has consisted of lots of rolls, turkey, mashed potatoes, any other food being offered falling in the tan to yellow color group and in the more recent years, a small amount of green salad and red cranberry sauce all followed by a few more rolls. Along with the thousands of calories and carbs, Thanksgiving for me is an excuse to fill a single home with anywhere from 6-20 family members doing everything from watching the parade to playing football to being out in the snow followed by spending the ever so wonderful Black Friday, not shopping, but instead at home making gingerbread houses. This has forever been my tradition and when tradition is broken, like this year, everything feels a bit off. Although I was surrounded by a group of 18 family members, one always present member, Gibbs, was MIA. As we ate lots of food and watched the parade, she was sitting in Scotland, 6 hours ahead of us, spending the 4th Thursday of November going to class, eating 3 regular meals and wishing she was here. So with that, I grew and even greater enjoyment for the fattening holiday of Thanksgiving and became more thankful this day of being thankful exist. 

Assignment 14 Brian Sato

My Thanksgiving is very traditional. The food is usually the same every year. A massive turkey is in the center of the table with stuffing and foods such as green beans, mashed potatoes, rolls, and pies that surround it. It is always really good and the meal after it is just as good. This is the time when my brother and sister come back from college so the whole family is here enjoying the meal. But I don't find Thanksgiving interesting at all. It's always the same thing over and over and since my whole family lives in Japan, they never come to the U.S. just for Thanksgiving break. That would be odd and weird. But I always like to see my siblings since they are usually gone most of the year. I do enjoy the 3 day break from school as well but mostly Thanksgiving is just another break for me where I am fattened up before winter.

Assignment 13 Brian Sato

There are many people that make this country great. There are others who don't contribute to society as much. With that being said, I propose that everyone should contribute to society. Like the great president John F. Kennedy said, " Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." That is why we must eliminate all the people who do not pull their weight in society. People will be judged like a criminal case whether they are guilty of not being a contributing in society. If they are seen as guilty by the jury, they will then be pushed out of the country. If they want to come back into this country they will have to show their worth to this country. This will make this country efficient and make this country greater. By eliminating all the people who don't do anything for this country, our country will prosper to an even greater nation than before.

Assignment 12 Brian Sato

Like any soccer player, a ball is the best inanimate object. The life of a soccer ball can be exciting. I can be used in a professional game kicked around by the best of the best cheered by thousands of fans or I could be used by more developing soccer players that have just learned how to play. I can also be used by inexperienced people who are just playing to have fun. Either way my life brings joy to people. I can be used any time of the season. My adventure begins by being shipped out to some place new. As I am being opened by a person I realize that I am an important ball since there are flashing lights as I am opened like I am being photographed. I realize that I am the World Cup finals ball. This is the best moment of my life. As I am being placed on a stand, I am picked up by a man wearing yellow as other players follow him. The ref blows the whistle and I am immediately kicked as the game is started. My adventure has just started.

Assignment 14 Tommy Gardner

For my family, Thanksgiving is pretty close to what one would expect from a normal Thanksgiving. A giant turkey that took all day to make, mashed potatoes, and all sorts of other food. We eat what we can, and what is left, we put in the fridge to be saved for lunches. As for enjoying the holiday, I don't really enjoy Thanksgiving, but at the same time, I don't really have anything against it. Not much happens on Thanksgiving, other than most people make too much food. During school on Tuesday before break, I heard a lot of people expressing the same opinion. "Thanksgiving is a pointless holiday. It is just an excuse to get out of school." For most people, that is all that Thanksgiving is to them. A way to get out of work or school. And as for the most memorable Thanksgiving, I'm going to have to go with Thanksgiving 2004. My parents had a bunch of friends at our house for dinner. My brothers and I, being little kids, were payed little attention and were pretty much left to do as we wanted. The reason I remember this Thanksgiving is because my older brother who at the time was allergic to milk, vomited under the table, because he had eaten some cheese cubes.

turchickbacporklardfecesducken- Henry Walther

Turkey is awful. Seriously, why the infatuation with turkey?! It's the driest meat with little flavor and only morsels of any food tasting taste can be salvaged if covering in stuffing. If I dumped a load of sugar on dead ferret it would still taste better than turkey. Whenever I eat turkey I feel like I'm embarrassing our forefathers. They fought for me to have the right and privilege to stuff my face with all the high cholesterol food I can scavenge but not a food drier than Egypt and tastier than sand. Actually, sand is a pretty good comparison. Both are tasteless and get pardoned by the president every year (sand=Saudi Arabia). I read an interesting article on NPR about the history of Turkey presidential pardons and the author mentioned on a podcast that the reason for Turkey being a mainstay on Thanksgiving is lobbyists in the 50s who convinced the president to eat turkey and have photo shoots with it. Fun fact, there are turkey lobbyists who spend millions per year protecting
Ever heard the phrase "he could sell sand to an arab"? Well, I'd rather eat sand than Turkey any day of the week and thrice on Thursday because apparently it's logical to have multiple Thanksgiving dinners?

So dear, turkeys and lobbyists, go stuff yourself.

Matta Saunders Brian Sato

Since I just moved seats again I'll just talk about my notorious tablemate Mason. I met him freshman year in my homeroom class and became friends. We also had the same debate class and got to know him better. Back in the day we would always talk about the annoyances of middle school and how terrible of an experience it was as well as how incompetent some teachers were. Mason is a pretty funny guy, smart but does stupid things which he usually gets caught. His stupid actions are caused by Will Shapiro's shenanigans especially in English where Will will start arguments and Mason would yell at him. That is when he will yell an obscene thing which Mr. Logsdon would hear. That's one of the reasons why English is such a great class. Mason plays lacrosse and fishes. I would characterize Mason as blue because he's chill. In 5 years I see Mason in college pursuing his biology major and the animal Mason would be is hyena.

How to make America great again; the middle eas(t)y solution- Henry Walther

Paris.

What is the first thing to come to mind? Is it the Eiffel tower's majestic beauty or the rich cultural history of France? No. If you are reading this in the month of November, 2015, the first thing to come to mind is not a pleasant thought. We think of terrorism, we think of loss, we think of destruction. The rise of ISIS and similar extremist groups have devastated millions in the middle east but who cares about that? They attacked Paris. Paris! The 129 lives lost in Paris are by far the worst attack ever carried out by a terrorist group ever since 9/11. 

Now, what is the reason for this? The countries in Europe have taken on by FAR the most muslims and what was the result? Terrorism and death. I hold no prejudges against muslims, I even have a brown friend who sometimes wears hats that wrap around his head. But these herds of arabs invading Europe (illegally!) cannot be welcomed with open arms. 

I propose a solution.

In order to save American ideals and cultures and freedom, we must teaches these poor souls the way of civilization. Ellis Island will be reopened for hundreds, neigh, thousands of refugees. Upon arrival to America all aliens will be put in cargo trains and shipped to North Dakota. There, they will arrive at the most modernized, up to date, savvy, and impressive camps in the whole world. We will first need to ensure all refugees are presentable so obviously all beards must go along with all head coverings on women. This is America women should be forced to be free! After repeated hosing and the introduction of soap to the refugees, we will show them how to be civilized. The first thing they must do is have an American feast (fit for a sultan!) fully outfitted with apple pie, bacon, sausage, McDonalds, and sweet tea. After finishing, we will provide education. Complete history of America's rich melting pot tradition (all taught in English of course!) and rigorous concentration in these camps on the backwards lifestyle in the Middle East. 

Once the refugees finish the curriculum, they will have to pass a speech, smell, and patriotism test in order to be released into democracy. They will then be able to live out the American dream of working 40 hour work weeks at low paying jobs just to watch all the profits rise to the stock holders and managers at the top! But don't worry it will all trickle down someday so keep working, keep eating bacon, and keep voicing your opinion (as long as it isn't in muslim), because you're in America now! Home of the free!

USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA- Henry Walther

I'm not going to choose my favorite inanimate item because all it does is sit in my room all day looking at the wall so no I'm not going to write 150 words on endless monotony. Instead I will go full blown patriot and choose the America flag that hangs above my front porch. This flag sees many interesting things on a day to day basis. It sees me and my family leave and return, it sees an unimaginably high number of games of neighborhood tag, and maybe even a drunk guy wandering around occasionally. It sees the weather changing and the leaves falling, it sees...well, everything. I would love to observe squirrels all day. I rarely look above my head and watch my furry neighbors scramble around on phone wires but their lives have to be jam packed, I mean they only live for a few years might as well make it worth it. #wwsd (what would squirrels do?)

Assignment #14- Liz Graves

I come from a really big family; my dad is the youngest of nine children and my mom is the youngest of five. Our Thanksgivings are usually so big I'm surprised we don't need a permit to host it. Needless to say, they are extremely chaotic, but in a fun, endearing, family-time kind of way. The first part of Thanksgiving day is always my favorite part, I suppose because it's the quietest and most relaxed. Dad, Ann my younger sister, and I get up early in the morning and drive out to Keeneland to run the Turkey Trot, an annual Thanksgiving 5K. My dad has been doing it since he and my mom first got married, but my sister and I only started it about 5 years ago. Afterwards, we usually go to North Lime Coffee and Donuts, because why even try to be healthy on Thanksgiving? Then we go home and take a nap until we have to get ready for family dinner. 

Because most people from both sides of my family live in Lexington, we usually have dinner with one side (Mom’s side) and dessert with the other (Dad’s side). If we don’t host dinner at our house, my mom’s dad has us all over to his house. Mom almost always makes pumpkin roll and/or my grandmother’s stuffing. And, instead of water, the kids all drink Cranberry Ginger Ale. 

After we’ve properly stuffed ourselves there, we go to my dad’s parents’ farm. There’s always a bigger crowd there, so my mom usually brings an extra dessert, and we proceed to eat about as much pie as we did dinner. We stay and talk till about 6:30 or 7 before we head home.

By that time we’re all tired, so we watch a movie and fall asleep one-by-one on the couch. 

Thanksgiving always feels like three different days to me, just because there are so many different, unrelated activities we do. Still, despite how tired I am by the end of the day, I always feel very content. 

Noaheighbor- Henry Walther

Noah William Tapp the first sits to the right of me in class. I've known Noah since 2nd grade and we've been best friends ever since. It all started when he would give me his Reeses cups at lunch because he was afraid eating them would make him fat and out of shape for tennis. Speaking of tennis, Noah is a superb player. At one point he was the #1 player in Kentucky. If I had to describe Noah as a color it would be blue. The main reason for this is because he is a huge UK basketball fan. He was the first person to introduce me to basketball recruiting as I still remember looking up our 2009 recruiting class on rivals and him gushing over how good John Wall was going to be. I think Noah will end up at a prestigious college in a big city. He currently thinks he wants to go into finance but I think he will end up being a lawyer.

Assignment 12-Meriwether Carling

Greetings everyone! My name is Macbook but most people call me Mac. I have many friends like iPhone, Speaker, and Charger. My daily life is pretty consistent and doesn't really deviate from my usual routine. Let me explain more. Monday through Friday I sleep all day while my owner is away participating in this thing she calls "school". Then when she arrives home she starts homework (which is where I come in). Allowing her to access the inter web is what I'm best at. I'm also helpful when it comes to typing. Day in and day out she sits in front of me typing on my keys at maximum speed without even saying thank you to me. Can't a computer get a little respect around here!

As a matter of fact, my owner is using me to type right at this very second. Sometimes I am forgotten about and she forgets to plug me up to Charger at night. Whenever this happens I always feel so energy drained in the morning. 

The weekends are the days that I'm used the most. From Netflix to online shopping I do it all. My personal favorite is watching movies from my screen. It keeps my owner and me entertained for hours. Sadly she doesn't enjoy movies as much as I do so whenever we watch one it's usually for a special occasion. 

Now you are familiar with a day in the life of me, Mac.

Thanksgiving (Assign. 14) Viviana Ortiz

     As far as the holiday goes, my family and I are pretty cookie cutter. We do the whole turkey thing, the stuffing thing, the beans thing, and the thing thing. It's all really just about the food. Besides the eating, there's really no traditions.
     The only semi-interesting fact is that we invite about twenty people over. And none of them are American. We have about 10 Colombians, 1 Argentinian, 1 Spaniard, and some that I'm not exactly sure where they are from. But anyway, thanksgiving starts really when the people start climbing in the door. This year, that was at around 3. We sit around the table and we pray. Sometimes we will go around saying what we are thankful for, but this becomes a little more complicated with the years as the number of people gathered around that table increases. Now comes time for the eating. After we are all full, everyone just hangs out at the house for a couple of hours. This is my favorite part personally. This mix of people from different cultures have become part of my family in the United States. I don't see them all the time, but when I do I'm reminded of how lucky I am to have them. Now, just a little appreciation for my little sister Laura. See, I never got to have a little sibling by blood, but I've known this girl since she was 3 and now it's been 10 years and I love her to death.

So yeah, thanksgiving is a yes for me and my adopted family.

The Right Way to Approach Culture (Assign. 13) Viviana Ortiz

First and foremost, we must understand that throughout the world there are different cultures. Many people fail to understand this which leads to racism and the most idiotic comments one could make. When you are not sure what someone's background is, the best thing to do, is point and ask. The question for the most effect should be phrased as "You have tan skin, you are Mexican right?" Your observation of their skin tone will make them feel more understood. But anyway, back to background.
There are many cultures, but 3 dominant groupings of people. It will be much easier this way and then it is harder to offend people when there is less to know.
1. Americans
2. Chinese (to the right of us)
3. Mexicans (below us)
Make sure you can identify each group with their characteristics.  Anyone who has a closed eye shape, will be put in the Chinese group. Anyone with tan skin, will be placed in the Mexican group. If you hear someone speaking in a foreign language, guess which culture they are from! It's a fun game!
As our world become becomes divided by the stereotypes placed about groups of people, these are the facts to break the cultural barrier. Push through.

Rick Marino 13

Cell Phone Predicament-

We have all heard it: "All you young ins ever do is have your face buried in that phone gadget of yours! I miss the good ol' days when you could get an ice-cream for 5 cents. Bah Humbug!!!" The words crackle out of the dry esophaguses  of raisin-faced, pruny-fingered, grumpy old buzzard-looking people at retirement homes and oatmeal festivals. The elders' gripes are charged back by bellowing war cries from a rebellious youth. My generation worships the technology gods, while the senior citizens detest their existence. Why can't we all just get along? We can, I declare!!!

A Simple Solution-

I have a clean-cut proposal to appease both viewpoints. Cracked Cocaine!! With a myriad of overt positive possibilities, I am frankly astonished that I am the first vocal proponent of such a blatant concept. We merely supply doses of crack to every public school kid in America. Unlocking the same cascading waterfalls of neurotransmitters as cell phones, children will finally be able to carry on throughout the day without completely immersing themselves in their individual gizmos. Crack will deliver so much enjoyment and euphoria, the youth may forget about their phones all together! School attendance will soar as the coke spreads. To receive a dose of drugs, you will have to show up to class. And don't fret about the cost of the whole ordeal! Because the children must behave to earn their crack, all school police enforcement will be laid off. The money saved will be employed to purchase the cocaine.

Allocating crack to kids will solve innumerable problems in this nation!!

The Roberts v.s. The DeMoss Thanksgiving- Rachel Roberts

The Roberts Thanksgiving:
At this three o'clock dinner (?) we go to my Dad's parents house in Estill County. My Mamaw doesn't let anyone else bring food, so she fixes turkey, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, orange jello, broccoli casserole, sweet potato casserole, rolls, and pumpkin pie. Every year the people around this table seem to change. My Mamaw and Papaw are always there, my family is always there, but my Aunt Paula and Uncle Don with my cousin Kelly have flown out to Seattle few last years to see my cousin Kyle and his wife and son. My cousins Kevin and Keith either go to Seattle, come here, or go to Huston. My Great Aunts Bobbie Sue and Argene sometimes end up my grandparents house after we eat. My Great Aunt Suzie and Great Uncle Wayne sometimes show up for the dinner. This year we had Paula, Don, Kelly, Suzie, and Wayne. I always enjoy getting to hear all the Estill County gossip from my aunts and Mamaw. My favorite memory from this side's thanksgiving has to be the last time all my cousins were together. It was before Kyle got married and before Keith and Kevin had graduated. It was really the last time it was just us all together.

The DeMoss Thanksgiving:
On another day we go to my Mom's parents house in town. At this meal, everyone brings something. There is turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes, corn, applesauce, pineapple, dumplings, broccoli casserole, rolls, pretzel salad, and pecan pie. This meal also has a pretty set group of people that come. My Mamaw, Papaw, and Great Uncle Billy all live there. My whole family comes. My Uncle Jeff brings his daughter Courtney and his wife Daphne. My Uncle Kevin brings his kids Chad and Allison. My Uncle Steve and Aunt Christie come with my Cousin Justin. This list has only been altered when my cousin Courtney had her heart transplant, when my Uncle Jeff divorced Sarah and started bringing Daphne, and when my Uncle Kevin stopped bringing his wife because she hates us all with a passion (probably best she isn't bringing food anymore). My favorite memory from this side probably wasn't funny for Sarah or Daphne or Jeff, but my Mamaw, Mom and I thought it was hilarious. Jeff and Daphne had brought Courtney and Sarah was going to pick her up from my grandparent's house. Well she didn't realize Jeff and Daphne were still there in the room over when she bust through the door yelling "OH Mary I smell your dumplings, how 'bout fixin' me up a big plate for here and to go!" it took all of my strength not to laugh because Daphne was right next to the door when she threw it open. I promise it was a lot more funny in person.




But over all both are usually tame as redneck gatherings go. Pretty vanilla. Christmas is when the claws come out and things get tense.

14) Alec Dupont

My thanksgiving stands out about as much as a chameleon. The food is typical, a massive turkey, brined and slow cooked in the oven all day, ham, green beans, casseroles, and to finish it off, all kinds of pies. We sometimes go to a friend's house, sometimes they come to us. In my opinion, thanksgiving is about as interesting as the bland mashed potatoes served with the traditional meal. Perhaps its because all of my family lives in the Netherlands, but thanksgiving has never really resonated with me. I spend so much time with my regular family, and my extended family is never here for thanksgiving anyways.Maybe when I have kids of my own, when the whole extended family can get together to glutton enough food to feed a horse for a month, maybe then I'll understand the sentimentality behind the holiday. Until then, I'll will enjoy the food and the three days off school. Thats something I will always appreciate.

Assignment 14 Hannah Freibert

As far as our thanksgiving meal goes, it stands pretty traditional. Relatives make the four to twelve hour plight to a not so little cabin in the Smoky Mountains. White table cloth, stiff clothes that make you shift in your seat, enough turkey to feed an African village, the whole shabang. Now, do not take my lack of depth on the meal as lack of appreciation, because to be clear, I really appreciate it. But I will assume that it is more than somewhat resemblant of your thanksgiving meal, so I'll cut the list short.

The variation, for my family, lies in what comes the morning of thanksgiving- before the post meal butterballness sets in. Around 9 AM, a slew consisting of all the males on my dads side of the family and myself trek down the mountain into Pigeon Forge. That is where the games begin. Go-karting. Not the typical child friendly, jogging-speed karts that an amateur may think of *pretentious scoff*. No no, shit goes down. Our annual destination is a two track go-kart area paired with about eight or nine shady looking amusement park style rides. The first track, the "fast track", harbors karts that tip at 45 mph. The second, the "slick track", is periodically sprayed with water to ensure that a spin out free ride is not in the agenda. Getting t-boned at Tate's Creek road speeds isn't the most enticing thing, but isn't that why they have the "NO BUMPING" signs plastered everywhere? The golden rule that is followed to a T? A crucial rule as such is enforced by only the most elite supervisors, which waft an enticing aroma of beer and cigarette smoke while dealing out stern looks and minute bound lectures. We Freibert people are competitive, blood thirsty folk. I, for one, am certainly not above putting my father into the rail to ensure a victory. I have a suspicion that my uncle's hip replacement may be directly correlated to the Freibert go-kart phenomenon. As I type this, actually, he sits next to me icing his wrist from a Hannah-inflicted wipe out. Do I regret this, no. A hard fought and well earned victory has its consequences.

This blog has been all over the place so I apologize; I'm now post-thanksgiving meal and feeling more butterball-like than ever, slipping into a food coma by the moment. So to conclude, here's a great thanksgiving video. 10/10 recommend the watch.
https://youtu.be/TUCUsNx1HTs

donald trump and mac and cheese, rachael gilbert

i’m not a fan of the majority of holidays. at least in my family, events like these always lend to loud debate over whatever “hot button” issue is popular that year (last year it was trans bathrooms, this year donald trump). they don’t really argue, so much as agree with one another very loudly as all of my family is pretty conservative.

as a liberal and a part of the LGBTQ community it’s more than a little awkward.

on most holidays i spend most of my time in my room or else reading quietly in the living room (it’s amazing how many books one can get through over a holiday. my youth pastor got me the shinning as a halloween present and i’ve been reading that…it’s pretty great and more than slightly terrifying). anyway, holidays aren’t fun.

i expected this year to be very similar to past years. and in some ways it was, i heard the phrase “make america great again” way too many times (sorry by the way if any of you guys reading this blog post are trump supporters but

1. i really doubt you are (hopefully)
2. literally no one reads one another’s blog posts anymore
3. i’m pretty convinced the majority of his support comes from my immediate family

i also don’t really know how to end the parenthesis after a list so…i’m just not going to.

anyway, this year my aforementioned youth minister, sara, came to our house for thanksgiving. her family lives pretty far away (either canada or california….i can’t really remember…either way it’s a hella long plane ride just to eat some turkey) so she spent the day with us. her being there was actually the best, i mean first of all, she brought mac and cheese.

let me just repeat that in case you got lost in that catastrophe of a paragraph.

SHE

BROUGHT

MAC

AND

CHEESE

(yes, for someone who does not like capitalization that was a hell of a lot of it but c’mon, mac. and. cheese.)

if not evidenced by the above, i love mac and cheese with a passion. i am a connoisseur of kraft. my family is a big believer in the “authentic thanksgiving experience” so we eat a lot of beans and kale and cranberries and twigs and shit.

mac and cheese is not typically on the menu.

but i love it.

and all i ate at thanksgiving this year was mac and cheese.

also, sara’s presence (kinda) toned down the political debate at the dinner table (which allowed me to further stuff my face with mac and cheese).

 after dinner sara and i watches les miserables together, which is one of my all-time favorite books, movies, and musicals. she had never watched it (before serving here she lived in like, montana, in a town where the nearest movie theatre was 117.6 miles away (sara likes to emphasize the .6) and netflix is fucking expensive.

so we cried together at the deaths of (spoiler alert) everyone. everyone dies in that movie. it is terrible and wonderful thing.

after that we went over to one of our close family friend’s house where i spent most of my time with my friend sydney and her cat watching the worst cooks in america, a terrible, yet addictive show that celebrates in the hilarity of other people’s failures.

            so, yeah, holidays aren’t the best. they’re messy and sad and frustrating and full of people i don’t always agree with. but those people are my family, i love ‘em. this year, thanksgiving got a little bit better with good friends, a really sad movie, and way too much mac and cheese.

            and, at least, in my cynical and sometimes overbearing way, i am thankful for that.

Thanksgiving 2015 (14) Mason Saunders

In the past, Thanksgiving has been a time that I've sat back and my older relatives would make me and my cousins feel comfortable. Not this year. Several days ago my grandmother was involved in an accident while she was walking the family dog. It darted forward and pulled her off balance and her head hit the ground. An ambulance came for good measure and she was given an MRI at the hospital. They found bad hemorrhaging on her brain stem so she was rushed into brain surgery. Because of her excellent physical condition, I did not even think of this brain surgery as being a serious event. It was. We got a call at 9 PM on Monday night that she was precariously hovering between life in death; there was no balance. My family elected that this was too significant an event to wait until next morning so me and my mom drove through the night. When we arrived at 7 AM the next day, she was brain dead. This left a series of extremely difficult decisions up to the adults. As they comforted her and stayed at the hospital, I took role as the head of 3 siblings, 2 cousins, and an obnoxious dog. After a lot of Xbox and too much laying around, we finally got fed up with not doing anything productive. This year, we would make thanksgiving dinner. Fortunately, my mom had purchased all of the ingredients for the dinner so it was a matter of preparations. 8 hours of preparations. But between my sisters and older cousin, the work was finished. This year, we eat on Thanksgiving in remembrance of Judy Saunders.

FRESHMEN Mason Saunders

Henry Clay's building is designed to support a population of 1500 students and faculty combined. Altogether, in 2015, there are +2500 students crammed into this building. Of these students, a large percentage of them are freshmen who do not care about their grades, the environment, or worst of all, their odor. Now seeing as these creatures do not serve a purpose in our current system except as larvae for sophomores, I propose that we repurpose all of these wasted resources. I conclude that if the administration were to convert the portables outside into a sweatshop for building small trinkets, our school could bring in a calcified income and possibly pay for new textbooks. There are very few benefits to this plan. The school is rid of the vermin that make out under stairwells, and still can't manage to use the correct end of the deodorant stick while, concurrently, our financial potentials skyrocket. With this I urge the Fayette County Public Schools system to start a new era: and era of finally using our resources correctly and achieving prosperity.

13) Alec Dupont

The Vatican has had problems with corruption over the last few years. This in addition to their priest pedophilia scandal has recently tarnished the name of the catholic faith. The new pope seeks to improve the problems internally, and he looks on track to do so. Pope Francis was quoted saying, "We must rip these problems out at the roots, we will launch an inquisition to find the source of the scandals." And Pope Francis is a man of his word. He has already created a new oversight committee to monitor and control the institution's finances. Heading this new committee is the famous Sepp Blatter, previous president of FIFA during its wonderful time in the recent decade. At the press conference, Blatter said "I believe that we will profit greatly by this appointment." His time at FIFA has been an EXCELLENT time to be an executive at FIFA. so great things are expected of him at the Vatican.

Post 13 Clara

Each day we spend less time talking and more time committed to our phones. And when we are on our phones we abbreviate our sentences and words to the shortest form possible. We have gone from "Love you" to "Luv u" and all the way down to "ily." What is the purpose of even attempting to think or spell anymore? Speed is all that matters. The faster we can accomplish a task, the better, even if the content in our task is lost along the way.
Instead of walking down the hallway at night to say goodnight to our family, why not shoot them that good old "gn" text. The single calorie and full 90 seconds of time saved in the process fully over powers the lack of relationship built through the absence of physical contact and actual conversation. Why would we ever choose to spend our free time in class going further into discussion with our teachers when we can engage in tweets of "lol @ my life" along with "wat even is the point of skool" which inform us of the feelings and conditions of others. Better yet, why first hand discuss some of the biggest issues at hand in our world today when we can learn online how "bush really did 9/11" or be first of our friends to find out "trump's going to make america great once again."
In reality, the largest question at hand is the question of why large corporate businesses take the time to hold meetings and why congress still meets to speak in person?  Would it be easy for our representatives to start a group me and type as quickly as they can to share how "dis bill is dumb" and to tell your fellow congressman "u need 2 get ur facts straight." With this we could save so much time, energy and effort and still get just as much done because the shortened, written words on electronics are equivalent to our intellectual speeches and conversations.
Our society today is finally realizing how much more effective it is to get through everything with the quickest methods.

Assignment 14 :Flying Turkeys

The stock image of Thanksgiving involves a lot of people around a nicely decorated table with a large turkey and a ridiculous amount of extra food. This image doesn't always depict the reality of the holiday though.

What does your Thanksgiving look like? Do you enjoy the holiday? What is your strangest or most wonderful memory of the holiday?

OR

What are some of your family traditions?

Minimum of 150 words - due Sunday, November 29th at 11:59 pm

Sanitation is the catalyst of illness (assignment 13) Hannah Freibert

A scientific breakthrough is sweeping the globe. Any common man would think that some limited exposure to modern pathogens is healthy. But I, the kid who sits behind you in physics and never covers his sneeze, am here to enlighten you, free of charge. Essentially, I will help you understand why proper sanitation is the pitfall of your health.

As I mentioned, you are likely under the impression that standard hand washings are proper and healthy habits. Oh, how naive. A recent study ascertained from a twitter conspiracy page, renown for its credibility, supports that all of these "precautions" against illness are actually not that, precautions, but rather the source itself. Ah, alas, it is safe to revert back to your kindergarden hygiene habits. Don't bother coughing into the pit of your arm, where all the pathogens being expelled from your body will go to waste. Instead, do not attempt to cover you cough, let your revolting body waste meander about your seat neighbor's breathing area. Or better yet, cough directly into your hand, and then touch everything. Your pencil, your neighbor's pencil, the door handle... the more the merrier. If you're in luck, you can insert your germ ridden paws into that bag of pretzels everyone is sharing. And remember, any form of sanitizer or washing after a sneeze or cough could prove fatal. Studies have shown that 90% of Purell hand sanitizer users get ebola within 7 minutes of use. 

In effort to combat the void of colds and illnesses that accompany the coming winter months, schools will be removing all wall sanitation stations, bathroom sinks, and hand held sanitizer bottles- you know, the Purell ones. In addition, water bottles previously available to buy will be replaced with one, refillable gallon jug that will serve as the community hydration station. Once you drink after the sniffling and sneezing red head in the front of the line, your health is ensured. As courtesy of the faculty, samples of highly contagious diseases will be for display and use at stations in which students can infect their school supplies with an array of illness of their choice. Bathe your pencil in a luxurious combination of streptococcal pharyngitis and the bubonic plague. 

Assignment 13 Lauryn McNair

There's suddenly been an increase in laziness in our country. We are no longer a nation of hardworking, headstrong American citizens. No! We are increasingly becoming a country who is content to sit on their butts and accept handouts. So I purpose a plan to curb this plague of laziness. Cut out welfare. Every single type of it. Foodstamps. Medicaid. Medicare. Social Security. Every. Last. Bit. Because how are we supposed to produce hardworking individuals when we're giving them everything for free. I mean why would you work when you know the government is going to give you free food and a nice comfortable one bedroom apartment, in a crowded complex in an area full of crime? Our citizens have gotten to comfortable and expect things like food! And affordable healthcare! Like these things are basic rights or something?? I say we all get off our butts, pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and make a decent human being out of ourselves. Who cares if you're 8 years old with no food at home? That's not an excuse for not going to school and performing at an even better level than the kids with full bellies and a myriad of resources, so you're able to pull yourself out of poverty. We need to cut out all of these liberal handouts and make America great again!

Assignment #13- Liz Graves

Since its discovery by Charles Darwin more than a century ago, the scientific community has been able to attribute evolution to the cause of every bodily function, instinctive impulse, and anatomic abnormality experienced by people. In books like Why We Get Sick scientists are even able to explain the hidden benefits of certain human ailments, such a runny nose, a fever, a cough. However, few have been able to explain more obscure human behaviors. 

In a recent Meta study performed by the United States Institution of Pet Peeves, Dr. Roger Conrad, the head analyst of the project, theorizes about the possible causes of Chronic Chewing-With-Your-Mouth-Open Disorder, colloquially known as Rude. “In ancient civilizations, as you know, food was scarce. We of the scientific community believe chewing with one’s mouth open was originally a male mating ritual,” explains Conrad. “The male would open his mouth in an upper-case ‘O’ shape,” **Conrad demonstrated** “thus showcasing the amount of food they were eating. The abundance of food proved the male’s ability to provide for offspring.”

I then asked Conrad how he would explain females chewing with their mouths open, because the unfortunate disorder is not just limited to the men of the world. “Ah, that’s an excellent observation, and we too were baffled by this for a couple of years. Dr. Harper Smith, the leading researcher on the team, actually discovered the answer. Females chewing with their mouths open was an early manifestation of feminism.” Conrad went on to explain that females would open their mouths in the same manner as males when consuming their food to show they too were capable of providing for offspring. It is the earliest known form of women proudly proclaiming they don’t need no man. 

Although this study seems to prove evolution is to blame, it should be noted that Dr. Conrad, Dr. Smith and their colleagues in no way condone the behavior caused by this condition. If you or a loved one suffer from this unfortunate disease, you are encouraged to contact a counselor and attend etiquette classes as soon as possible. There is no need to contact your physician first--this is a fast moving disease, and you could easily infect others if you do not receive immediate care.