Cover the Night: Kony 2012

I did not participate in Cover the Night mostly because I didn't want to buy a box and partly because I didn't want to get in trouble.  The evening of April 20, 2012, I went down to my college for next year just because my mom and I were totes bored.  We drove around the little town and then toured (in our car) some other college campuses fairly near by and some not as near.  We also stopped for some brief shopping on our way back home.  When we finally arrived back in our town, driving down the main road of our neighborhood, I spotted a Kony 2012 sign attached to a mailbox.  I don't know if that's a legal place for it or not, but I was suddenly reminded that it was Cover the Night.  That was the only sign we found on our way home.


The next day, while driving around, we noticed more signs.  Tied around trees, posted on signs, etc.  But, overall, there weren't very many up.  Definitely a fail in my neighborhood, but not a total one.  They are still noticeable, and a few are still up.

Famous Taurus

Tina Fey
Fred Astaire
Cate Blanchett
Cher
George Clooney
Stephen Colbert
Kirsten Dunst
Sofia Coppola
Henry Cavill
Ella Fitzgerald
Sigmund Freud
Joseph Heller
Audrey Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn (Bryn Mawr Graduate!)
Janet Jackson
Dwayne Johnson
Harper Lee
Charlotte Bronte
Jay Leno
Leonardo da Vinci
Karl Marx
Tim McGraw
Willie Nelson
Jack Nicholson
Florence Nightingale
Michelle Pfeiffer
Pope John Paul II
Adolf Hitler
William Shakespeare
Shirley Temple
Uma Thurman
Orson Welles
Mark Zuckerberg


Lots of interesting people!

Health Tips for Taurus

Exercise:
- make sure to exercise moderately for at least an hour a day
- try long walks
- avoid strenuous exercise

Diet:
- never eat a lot in one sitting, especially rich/fatty foods
- eat lots of cleansing foods, like celery
- avoid much carbohydrates
- fish/seafood is essential
- drink water constantly

Suggestions:
- keep neck covered when outdoors in the cold
- never physically overwork yourself

What You Need to Know About Taurus

Taurus people are usually quiet, very stable (almost never changing), practical, stubborn, and lovers of beauty and emotion. They love stuff (material goods) and are very proud of everything they own.


Random Facts:
Taurus is a feminine, Earth, and fixed sign.  As children, they like to remember people by smells and are very physically clingy.

"The Hunger Games" Series in Review

I never thought I could ever be so depressed and affected by a series of books in my entire life.  I am disgusted by the lack of humanity and hideously confused as to why anyone would recommend reading the series.  Book 1 (The Hunger Games) isn't so bad, though all the characters, perhaps only possibly excluding Peeta, lack humanity and morals.  Book 2 (Catching Fire) isn't too bad either until the last chapter, which is full of anguish and misery.  Book 3 (Mockingjay) is horrific and spews misery from page 1 to page 390 (aka the entire novel); don't read it, stop with the first book if you desperately feel the need to read any at all.

Part I
"The Movie"

Going in to see the movie Wednesday, March 28, I knew that if I was even somewhat impressed by it, that I would read the series, though, as usual, I kept this quiet.  I don't like people to think they can influence my decisions by recommendations.  Needless to say, I was beyond impressed with the movie, although it kind of gave a Spy Kids 3D vibe, leading me to begin reading the series.

The movie was entertainingly and beautifully constructed.  I was impressed with the story and the costumes.  Before viewing the film, I remember hearing about someone being upset over racism in casting, but after reading the book, I noticed that the complainers are not justified.  Rue and Thresh are described as having dark brown skin, so people need to get over it or harass the author over racism.

Of course the movie lacked some details in the book, but it was just as moving, and mostly grasped the overall concept.  In the movie, it is easier to sympathize with the characters, I think, because in the book they lack identifiable personality and humanity (except Peeta), which is of course brought on by society.  The movie does not fully portray the importance of tricking the Captiol and how life threatening the act is when Katniss suggests the berries.

Also, I think it's very weird that they chose a twenty-two year old actress to portray Katniss, who, except in the two-page epilogue, is only between the ages 16 and 17.  The actress, though skinny, is also too full-faced, you would expect someone extremely gaunt and thin to be playing a girl who was nearly starving to death.  The actress did portray Katniss well, but I think Dakota Fanning (with dyed dark hair) and her little sister would have been perfect for Katniss and Prim.

Part II
"The Books"

I don't understand why people are so into the series.  It has never been explained to me.  So many people talk about it as if they're talking about Twilight or Harry Potter.  These books are nothing like either of those series.  Twilight is a strange romance and Harry Potter is a fight between good and evil.  The Hunger Games is a sci-fi horror series, portraying what could happen to the world.  It isn't fantastical at all.

After watching Suzanne Collins in interviews, I am skeptical that she wrote the story, or at least that she has any idea what she wrote.  She seems to underplay the atrocious nature of the books, and prefers to look at it as simply a story that she tells.  This is confusing.  Watch one of her interviews, maybe you'll see what I mean.  I'm also surprised that she is happy and excited that her books are becoming movies.

By an "atrocious nature", I mean that the society of Panem either enjoys and exploits the Games or allows them to go on.  I don't even mean that it's worse that children are forced into the Games than adults being forced into them, if that were the case.  The part about it being children just opens up an audience of teenagers and makes the series more marketable.  No one tries to stop the Games in the books, not even Katniss.  When President Coin suggests the idea of hosting another Hunger Games with the Capitol's leader's children, the majority votes for them to continue.  No humanity.

The society of Panem also seems extremely confused by the idea of humanity.  Katniss considers her reasoning for using the berries to save herself and Peeta during Book 2 on page 118, "If I held them out to save Peeta because I knew I would be shunned if I came back without him, then I am despicable.  If I held them out because I loved him, I am still self-centered, although forgivable.  But if I held them out to defy the Capitol, I am someone of worth."  Katniss doesn't even consider the idea that she may have held them out because she couldn't fathom taking another human's life without it being in absolute defense.  It shows how backwards and inconsiderate her society is.

Another interesting observation I made while reading is that there is no mention of a God.  Katniss never considers her reason for living and doesn't even respect her own life.  The books are flowing with her determination to commit suicide.  They never really explain why she doesn't actually do it.  Katniss never discusses the "why am I here" idea that most people would do at some point in their life.  No one really tells her that she is a special individual either.

When Prim dies, I am surprised that Katniss didn't immediately think, "why did I do all of this".  The whole reason the uprisings began was because of her act of taking her sister's place.  Katniss never intended to cause the rebellion, though she never really defines anything particular that she wants from life except to be left alone.  When her sister dies, you would think that Katniss' world would have just ended, but instead she takes her revenge on Coin, which brings me to my analysis of Coin and Snow, the two major "Presidents" of Katniss' society.

Coin is the President of the infamous District 13, while Snow is the President of Panem.  Coin represents efficiency, greed and plainness; while Snow represents perfection, purity, and the sugar-coated.  District 13 is the opposite of the Capitol, where Snow presides, in that everything is rationed strictly and frivolity is absent.  Snow presides over the sugar-coated Capitol, as if a layer of pure, white snow covered a disturbing creature, vile inside.  Think of all the evil witches in Disney Princess stories that transform themselves into something beautiful, like in The Little Mermaid.  Snow's mouth is full of sores and blood, while his outside is inviting and beautiful.  By this, Snow maintains his power.  Coin represents herself plainly.  Coin, like money, symbolizes greed; she is greedy for power.  She is willing to wipe out anything in her way in the swiftest and most efficient manner.  Coin determines that her loss in healers and Capitol children is a necessary cut to make a quick end, whereas Snow realizes that it would be a waste and would prefer to find a different way.  Snow, at least, is worthy of some sympathy in the end, but Coin is almost worse.  Coin hides behind the rebellion to gain her power, it was her investment, but Snow works for his power sneakily.  Perhaps this is a little too obvious.

I will probably at some point think of more to say (I know I have more to say, but now's not the time).

Part III
"Astrology"

I don't have much to say about Astrology in this book.  Technically Katniss (birthday May 8th) is a Taurus and Prim (birthday late May) is a Gemini.  I don't know that either of them necessarily fit these classifications.  Gale is probably an Aries because he supports an aggressive attempt at destroying the Capitol and Peeta is probably a Capricorn because he is so deeply in love with Katniss and for so long.  I don't think that any of the characters can be accurately classified by an astrological sign because none of them have enough personality.  I suppose this is because of the society they live in; their personalities are seriously dulled.


Reading complete at 5:07am on Friday, April 6, 2012.

Questions to Ask College Tour Guides - No April Fooling

Although I am no longer on the college search, I participated today in helping my friend visit Penn State Schreyer Honors College as she tries to choose her college for next year.  Often, on many college tours, the tour guides become very bleak or just start preaching about the school.  Other times, parents ask really stupid or obvious questions.  The tour guides most likely become bored with the usual tedium of answering questions, and I also like to keep them on their feet (especially since they're walking backwards, haha), so I often ask seemingly weird, but relevant questions.  Below is a list of questions you should demand answers to when on a college tour:

• Are we allowed to have pets on campus, if so, what kind?
• Have you ever been attacked by a squirrel, if not, do you know someone who has been?
• How does laundry work?
• Where is the nearest non-campus convenient store?
• What is your favorite college meal?
• How much time do you actually spend studying?
• Do you sleep?
• Has an animal, such as a bird, ever come in through an open window in your dorm?
• Is there AC in the dorms?
• Do you get along with your roommate?
• How are the advisers?
• How many classes are you currently taking?
• What clubs/organizations would you suggest getting involved in?
• Are the bathrooms tolerable?
• Do you feel safe on campus?
• What advise would you give freshmen?
• Are other students nice/polite?
• Are you actually able to obtain help from your professors?
• How is public transportation?
• Do you ever have free time, if so, what do you do with that time?
• Is there sufficient medical care on campus?
• What kinds of clothing do most people wear?

Yes, some of these questions are obviously normal, but others you perhaps wouldn't think of regularly.  Asking the tour guides lots of questions is a good test of their attitudes.  Their attitudes can usually give a good understanding of how they feel about their college.

Be respectful on campus tours and don't talk loudly to others while the guides are speaking.  Don't hesitate to finagle yourself to the front of a group, you really want to hear what they're saying about the campus and their experiences.  Be bold, polite, and take a lot of pictures; you want to be remembered and you want to remember it.

My final piece of advise to those on the college search:  Don't attend a college that you don't think you can happily stand living in for at least four years (dorms are especially important).