McCain or Obama?

There is no doubt that there are major issues in this world that the next president will have to deal with, if it is possible to deal with at all. America’s debt is mind-boggling, the economy is in the worst place it has been in decades, and the number one movie in the box-office was of a talking chihuaha. Seems like the apocolypse, doesn’t it? Who will be able to save us from this impending doom?

The Obama vs. McCain presidential race is among the most discussed topic. This debate holds the truth in the nation’s great query, but who is really the right choice and who will lead our country to further damage?

Neither.

Neither McCain nor Obama seems to have what it takes to lead America out of trouble. McCain seems not trustworthy. He also agrees far too much with the man who got us in this trouble in the first place, Bush. Voting for him runs the risk of another four years of the same problems, with mounting factors. Palin, McCain’s vice-president choice, has no clue what she is doing. She has no expirience in national politics. She was clueless wen asked about the Bush Doctorine when interviewed by Charlie Gibson, and her only expirience in foreign affairs is that Russia can be seen by her home state. Doesn’t seem like a very good match-up.

Obama, on the other hand, suggests solutions that would not work and could possibly put the American people in a worst place. Biden, Obama’s running mate, has a tendency to say whatever comes to mind, oftenly shooting himself in the foot. Their polocies aren’t much better than Palin’s. Obama, however, does seem like the better choice, but only because he isn’t as incompitant as his advisaries.

In conclusion, America is screwed either way. No matter who is voted into the office, they will soon see that not much can be done, and there really may not be a great solution. They will be made the fool and America will soon be pointing fingers at who voted for them.

Selfish Weasel

 For my english class, we recently had to read many Native American trickster tales. A trickster tale is a story that has a meaning or message that is infered by a character’s mistakes or achievments. We then had to mimic the set-up and write our own. This is the story of Weasel:

            At the start of the world there was a creature called Weasel.  Weasel was friends with everyone, including Buffalo and Fox, and got along with everyone fine, except for one small problem.  Weasel was very petulant and when he was not pleased, he would make sure everyone knew.

            One day Weasel was woken up from his peaceful sleep by a loud and strange sniffing noise. Curious and angry, Weasel stormed out of his home and found Fox sniffing the ground.

            “What, may I ask, are you doing above my home?!” yelled Weasel.

            “Why looking for food of course,” replied Fox in a calm manner. He then abruptly went back to work pressing his nose to the ground and smelling for little scraps of food.

            “Did it ever occur to you that you were disrupting me?” yelled Weasel. “How dare you come on my property and disrupt me for your own needs. Now get off my land!”

Fox got mad and was about to reply but stopped himself and obeyed and slowly walked off. Soon after Weasel went back into his home, however, he was jarred and shaken by loud rumbling and earth-moving vibrations. Again, in a flurry, Weasel stormed out of his home. This time he found Buffalo and his family walking across the field to get to the lake beyond the hills.

            “Why must everyone bother me today? Buffalo, why are you walking across my land? Can’t you see that I am trying to live here, but cannot do so with you constantly shaking my house? Now get off my land!” screamed Weasel. Buffalo, too, obeyed, but not without a large obnoxious snort in Weasel’s face and kicking dust into his eyes.

            This had pushed Weasel too far. He climbed into his hole, but soon returned with fencing materials. He made a great fence around his home, stretching for miles in either direction. He also made signs warning others of what he might do if they were caught on his land.

            “From now on,” hollered Weasel to anyone who may hear. “No one is allowed on my land. No one is able to cross it without my permission!”

            Pleased with his work, Weasel went back into his home and enjoyed a long and uninterrupted slumber. When he awoke, he felt the need to eat and converse with friends. Weasel got up out of his hole in the ground to the land above. He was shocked to see when he came up, that there was nothing in sight. It was the middle of the day and there were no plants, no bugs, and none of his friends. All that remained was dry sand and dust.

            “At least they learned their lesson,” Weasel thought as he went back into his home to enjoy the quiet and loneliness.

            Day went on, however, and Weasel had seen none of his friends. Again, he came up to see that nothing but dry sand was visible in any direction. Sad, he went back into his hole. He then tried to decide what was more valuable, friends or land.

            Days later, Weasel climbed out of his hole and walked miles to the edge of his great fence. He peaked over the fence and saw grass growing high, flowers bathing in the sunlight, and all his friends playing and laughing amongst the growth. It was then that Weasel made his decision on what he would rather have. He spent a long time going around all his property and taking the fence and signs down.

            After, Weasel apologized to all his friends and all the flowers and all the grass and welcomed them all back into the land that they should all share. Days went by and nothing changed.  Then one day, Weasel was woken up by Buffalo’s loud thunderous walking and Fox’s sniffing and bugs chirping. He laid there, smiled to himself, and went back to sleep.

Reality Rush

Learning of ones fragility and mortality can be a harsh and traumatic experience. It happens to everyone eventually, and sometimes more than once. It can be horrible to go through, but is a necessary lesson for life. My latest experience of the fragility of life was quick and dramatic.

            It was a cool afternoon in October of 2008. A strong, cool wind was blowing to my back as Jimmy and I were biking down Route 109 in Medway. The trees were swaying violently in the wind and dark clouds loomed in the distance. Cars of all types zipped past on their return trip from a long day’s work. I was on the left side of the street, about twenty feet behind Jimmy, who was on the right side.

            We had just gone to Burger King for a quick snack and were on our way back home. Jimmy was carrying a bottle of Coke he had just bought while I remained empty handed. I looked up to see where Jimmy was just in time to see him completely wipe-out on his bike.

            It all happened too fast for me to do anything, but at the same time, in slow motion. His front tire went one way as his body went the other. He landed on his chest and hands, rolling out into the street and his bike continued even farther into the street.

            “Bobby!” I heard him yell for me as he lay crumpled under his bike.

            I immediately jumped off my bike and let it run into the curb as I ran to help him. I looked up the street and saw a large SUV coming right towards him. I ran into the middle of the street, flailing my hands, signaling the driver to stop. As soon as he had stopped, I ran to Jimmy and helped him into the parking lot of Hang Tai, a local Chinese restaurant.

            “Are you okay? Are you okay?” I repeated trying to assess the situation.

            “My elbow! Oh God, my elbow!” he cried more in shock than pain. It was then that I saw his elbow was bleeding profusely. His knees were scraped up and bloody, as were his hands, but the biggest issue was his elbow. A small circular hole let out all the blood it could, coating his arm and pants in the red solution.

            A woman neither of us knew pulled over and rushed to his aid. She came over yelling the same question I had asked, but got no answer. She immediately pulled out her cell phone and called 9-1-1. Together, we helped Jimmy to a stone wall about ten feet away to get him safely out of rush hour traffic.

            Luckily, a police car on a regular patrol drove by and the woman waved him down. The cruiser pulled around and got out to see what was going on. He saw the amount of blood and got on his radio to call more police men and an ambulance.

            I was still in shock, not knowing completely what happened and knowing even less about what to do. The cop ran over with a first-aid kit and started bandaging up the cuts.

            “Buddy, reach into the bag and pull out a roll of tape and rip off a piece for me,” the cop said to me without even looking up. I grabbed the roll of tape, but my hands were shaking so much that ripping off the tape seemed to be a difficult task. I handed him the tape and he went on bandaging the wounds.

            More police cruisers pulled up, along with an ambulance. The police rushed out to see what they could do. The man from the ambulance took over the medical care for Jimmy, while assessing what needed to be done.

            The police asked Jimmy for his name and phone number to which he replied in a very shaky voice. I could not tell if he was in more pain or shock. The blood had now covered both his knees, his hands, his lower forearm, and his pants and shirt. The cops seemed to have a good handle on the situation so I got out of their way. I decided I would get the possessions Jimmy left by the road.

            I picked up his watch, smashed beyond the point of repair, his Xaverian hat, and his back pack out of the messy mix of Coke and blood. Taking deep breaths I brought all this over to Jimmy’s bike and went back to the crowd of cops and pedestrians to see what was happening.

            I heard one cop on the phone with Jimmy’s mother and another saying he needed to be brought to the hospital. I answered some of the questions one cop asked me about Jimmy and myself and watched as they strapped Jimmy into a neck brace and a wheeling table.

            “Everything’s gonna be okay, Jimmy,” I said trying to comfort him as much as myself. I don’t know why, but the entire situation had shaken me up. Seeing my best friend in the road bleeding profusely filled me with fear, regret, and the thought of reality.

            “Are you okay to ride home?” one cop asked me.

            “Uh, yeah,” I said, nodding my head, not fully understanding what he said.

            “Come on, I’ll stop traffic so you can get your bike.” He replied as he stepped out into the street with his hands in the air.

            “Thanks,” I told him. “Oh, where are they taking him?”

            “Lenard Morse Hospital in Natick. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.” He comforted me.

            I walked, stunned, to where my bike lay. I picked it up and instinctively got on and rode off. All I could think about is what had happened and how suddenly everything went wrong. One moment it was a pleasant bike ride with my best friend, and the next I was watching him tumble to the ground in a violent and bloody accident. I also thought about how much worse it could have been.

            The ride back was cold and dark. The dark clouds had rolled over us in the fifteen minutes we stood by the road. A cold, rain started to fall foreshadowing the day to come. Through the cold rain I peddled, not even thinking about what I was doing, only watching the ambulance lights fade into the distance after it had passed me.

            We’re weak, us humans, I thought. It doesn’t take much for something, even a most pleasant situation, to go horribly wrong and risk someone’s life. It could have been me. It could have been much worse. The harsh reality of mortality had come over me. No longer was my biggest fear or worry the test tomorrow or whether some girl liked me. All I could think about was danger and how dangerous everything really is. I hoped the cop was right in saying that Jimmy would be okay. He seemed okay when he left, but the fear still throbbed in my head.

Canobie Lake Park vs. Six Flags

Recently, I had the great opportunity to visit both Six Flags New England and Canobie Lake Park in two days. Although the two are know to be great amusement parks, there are several differences between them making each an interesting and unique experience.

Six Flags New England is located in Agawam, Massachusetts, about a two hour drive from Boston. It is the definition of an amusement park. With roller coasters such as Superman, Batman, The Mind Eraser, and Cyclone, Six Flags is heaven for those who love heart stopping speed and mind numbing drops. An entire day there is certainly worth the admission fee and will no doubt please the visitor. There are rides and games for everyone to enjoy and the lines for the rides are short enough that the day will not be wasted waiting. However, despite the greatness of the rides, the cost of food, drinks and other forms of nourishment is unbelievably expensive. It is infuriating how a twenty ounce bottle of water costs $3.50 and a half-descent hamburger costs $7. Excluding the admission fee, it is easy to spend at least $50 in no time at all if one is not careful and selective about purchases.

Canobie Lake Park, located in Salem, New Hampshire, is what I like to call a carnival park. Despite Cork Screw and Canon Ball, Canobie Lake Park has no rides that would really make it associated with other amusement parks. Many of the rides such as Wipe Out, No Gravity, Psycho, and Pirata are commonly found in standard carnivals. However, these rides are definitely worth the drive and admission fee. This park is also far less cheaper than Six Flags as far as food and drinks go. It still costs a pretty penny but as far as quality and size goes, it beats out Six Flags. Canobie Lake Park is also great for one of my favorite hobbies: people watching. I don’t mean to offend anyone who goes to Canobie Lake Park, but the strangest and funniest people go there. Go with a funny friend and expect laughs every second of your visit, even while waiting in the nearly non-existent lines.

Both parks are fun and full of adventure but each one has its advantages over the other. I would recommend both of these parks to anyone on any day.

By The Waters of Babylon

Everyone has experienced a rite of passage in some way or another. A rite of passage is an experience that helps people grow and mature. The short story “By the Waters of Babylon” is all about John’s rite of passage.  John’s journey to The Place of the Gods is his rite of passage in many ways. This adventure makes him worthy of being a chief priest, mature, and more faithful.

            John’s adventure to The Place of the Gods makes him more mature because he took his life into his own hands and knew exactly what the outcome could be. John made a trip to The Place of the Gods, expecting that he would die.  He was able to make executive decisions that risked his own life for the sake of his mind and spirit. This shows great maturity because he is responsible for his own life and blames no one other than himself for the outcome. This is different than at the start of the story because he showed he did not take everything in stride. “When I boasted or wept without reason…” John says when he is describing his life before the trip. This shows he used to cry and freak out about nothing, but now he does not even flinch when he believes he is about to die. This is a characteristic that can only be found in a mature individual. John learns that there are more important matters other than his life, which is knowledge that he gains from the maturity he gets from his adventure.

            John also puts his life in his faith and follows it blindly. When John is trying to find the way for his trip, he sits on a rock and waits for a sign. He sees an eagle fly east and, eventually, a white faun going east. He takes this as a sign and goes east despite his fears of what may happen to him. He takes the animals as signs from the gods and follows their way no matter what. He sees the gods’ signs as better and over-ruling judgment, therefore he blindly follows them with the idea that the gods will protect him and that if he dies; it was meant to be so. This shows a complete and utter trust in his faith, a trust that can only be founded by a mission of faith. He also ignores the danger of the Forest People, wild animals, and raging rivers on this journey because he believes the gods will protect him. He has complete faith in the gods looking over him that he will go against common sense. He raffs down the dangerous river, shoots at a wild panther, and miraculously doesn’t get caught by the Forest People. This shows his faith grows even stronger throughout the journey, so much so that he no longer fears death. By journeying to and surviving the Place of the Gods by pure faith alone is John’s rite of passage of faith and spirituality.

            The Place of the Gods also made John worthy of being a chief priest because of his knowledge, which was his main goal and therefore his main rite of passage. When John was a little kid, his dad told him “A priest must know many secrets…” and one of these secrets was the truth about the gods. The reader learns this is the main secret a priest has to know because it is their job to prevent the people from destroying themselves again. With the knowledge that the gods were not gods but men, John can lead a tribe and prevent them from advancing too far with technology. The knowledge of the past of the Old People is a vital rite of passage that John gets from his journey. The knowledge he gains and his secrecy about it also shows his responsibility. Originally, John wanted to tell everyone about his discovery, but was told by his father to keep it unknown. Not only does the knowledge make him worthy of being a priest, but his devotion to keeping the people safe, even from themselves, is needed as well. The journey brings out his devotion for the people and proves that he is, indeed, worthy of being a priest.

            “By the Waters of Babylon” takes the reader through John’s rite of passage in many ways. It is not only John proving something to himself, but also proving to everyone that he is worthy of leading a tribe. His responsibility, maturity, and devotion to the people’s safety become apparent through his adventure and prove he is a responsible man. The journey is John’s rite of passage because it proves he is an adult worthy of respect and power.

Grave of the Fireflies

Many people claim that the most devastating losses of a war are the soldiers that fight and die in it. However, the civilian casualties represent a much higher and disastrous death toll. The Japanese anime film “Grave of the Fireflies” is a perfect example of how wars affect the innocent citizens of a country.  Seita is a fourteen year old Japanese boy who lost his parents and home in the bombing by the Americans. He must take care of his four year old sister, Setsuko, but even taking care of himself proves to be a great task. Seita has many forces, internal and external, that are working against him.  His guilt, lack of necessities, such as food and medical care, and his selflessness are very prominent forces acting against him in his struggle for survival but the biggest antagonist is his diminishing hope.

            Seita’s guilt is a major antagonist in the film “Grave of the Fireflies.” His guilt keeps him sad and dejected; therefore he is unable to fully provide for himself and his sister. Seita is guilty because he feels he could have done more to help his parents. His mother was severely injured in an air-raid, and eventually died. He feels that he could have done more to protect her or somehow help her in her time of need. Instead, he let his mother die and let his family fall apart.  His guilt is also fueled by the fact that his father is fighting in the war and he is not helping. The feeling that he is not helping the war, merely surviving it, haunts his conscience and constantly makes him feel ashamed and sad. With all his shamefulness and sadness, he constantly double-guesses himself and makes careless mistakes like getting caught stealing. Once he makes a few small mistakes, his guilt and shame grows exponentially and pushes him into a downward spiral of mistakes and heartbreak which he cannot get out of. His aunt also fuels his guilt and shame by constantly criticizing him and his sister. She continuously says that Seita should be doing more for the war effort and that he is a lazy moocher that does nothing but fool around. This fortifies Seita’s pre-existing guilt and pushes him to the point where he needs to move away from her, despite his need for survival. With the realization that his mother is dead and his father is gone to fight, he feels guilty doing nothing to avenge their sacrifices. His guilt drives him dislike his own existence, which makes it even harder for him to get food to survive.  Seita’s guilt is one of the most powerful forces working against him, making survival even more difficult.

            One of the worst forces pushing Seita down is the need for food and medical care for his sister and him.  While staying with his aunt, food and care did not seem like a major issue, but since he and his sister lived on their own, food was hard to come by. Even with Seita selling everything he could for food and stealing food from locals, the two of them became extremely emaciated. After a while, food became so valuable, people stopped selling it and started keeping it for themselves. This made surviving extremely difficult because food is one of the things humans must have to live. Their hunger worked against them even more. The hungrier Setsuko and Seita got, the more desperate they got, as well. This led them to make foolish mistakes and almost get separated. They were literally starving to death, and they couldn’t do anything about it. Medical care is another human necessity for survival. With malnutrition, Setsuko got very weak and very sick. The doctor said that simply food was enough to bring her back her health, but they couldn’t even get food to put in their mouths, let alone heal an ailing little girl. Seita tried everything he could to get food and save his little sister, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough. Food and physical health are the most important external forces that Seita and Setsuko faced, and with everything else, they could not overcome it.

            One of Seita’s main issues in this time of need is his own selflessness. When food is scarce and hope is almost lost, he tries to provide for his sister more than himself, which hurts him in the end. In the film, Setsuko got very ill and needed more care and food than usual. When he finally gets food, he gives it all to his sister and takes none of it for himself, even though he is starving to death. His sister was nearly a lost cause because she was so sick, but he still tried to save her. If he had eaten even half the food he got, he may have been able to survive, but he wanted desperately his sister to be okay. His own selflessness became his own undoing. When he was with his aunt, Seita gave her some of the food he found at his old home. Even though she was being mean and cruel to Seita, he still gave her food so she could survive. Again, if he had not been so selfless, he could have taken that food and kept it for himself and his sister and they’d be very well off. Seita wanted desperately to save and help everyone he could, while he could’ve saved himself without as much effort. His selflessness was a major reason why he could not save everyone he wanted to, but also the reason why he was unable to save himself.

            There were many forces, internal and external, Seita had to fight against, but the biggest was his rapid loss of hope. Hope of reuniting with family and hope that everything will soon be okay kept Seito going, but with these outcomes becoming less and less likely, survival became a major struggle. Seito kept writing to his father who was fighting in the war, and waiting for the day that he and his sister get to see their father again. Then Seito learned that the war was loss and every soldier was dead. This drastically damaged his hope because it was almost certain his father was dead and that things were not going to get better for him. This loss of hope made Seita less willing to fight as hard to survive because he did not want to survive for nothing. Who wants to fight tooth and nail for survival knowing that there will never be a point in time where they won’t have to struggle? The guarantee that their situation will not improve destroyed Seita’s ability to survive. The death of his sister also proved to him that he will die soon. He cared and protected for his sister with all his might but even that couldn’t save her. He realized at her death that he has the same inevitable end and stopped trying. He knew that no matter what he did, his situation would not get any better and he would die. With the death of the rest of his family and discovering that Japan lost the war, Seita lost all hope of survival and simply gave up at the end. This force was the strongest of them all, because without hope, no one can go on. Seita’s loss of hope was the final straw, and pushed him to death.

            Seita was a kid pushed into an unfortunately horrible situation, as were many Japanese during World War Two. He had many forces that were acting against him in his fight for survival. The need for food and medical care, guilt, and his selflessness were powerful forces acting against him, but the most powerful was his rapid loss of hope. With all these forces acting against him, it made it impossible to survive. Seita’s failure to succeed was caused by forces that were physically impossible to over-come. Instead, Seita loses everything he has, including his own life. “Grave of the Fireflies” was an extraordinary film that represented the harsh reality of war, and made the viewer understand that the civilian casualties could be so much worse than the casualties of soldiers.

Blaze

“Blaze” by Stephen King is a truly deep and interesting novel. It also has a very interesting and ironic past. The novel was originally written by Richard Bachman but was never published while he was alive. Stephen King stumbled upon it and did not care for it that much, so he put it away. A number of years later, while King was in a writing slump, he remembered “Blaze” and went to find it. He read it again and decided he would keep with the main points, but re-wrote it with his own twist. “Blaze” is the combination of efforts from two literary masters, and it shows.

            Clayton “Blaze” Blaisdell is a small-time crook looking to make it big. He plans to go from robbing convenience stores to kidnapping a member of the richest family around. However, there are some forces acting against him. As a child, he was beaten badly, so badly that he is considered by some to be retarded. To make matters worse, the ghost of his recently deceased partner is haunting Blaze. Or is he? During the length of the novel, his former partner, George, constantly appears as a ghost to Blaze, making suggestions and criticism. However, it is questionable whether it is the ghost or just the memory haunting Blaze. This novel is an interesting tale, following the criminal instead of the cops.

            One thing that makes the novel “Blaze” so interesting is that it follows the criminal instead of the cops. This provides an in-depth look into the mind of the criminal. The justifications for the horrible crimes that are deemed inhumane by society are surprisingly reasonable. The criminals often pick upon the type of people that got them in a bad place to begin with. This is different than most other novels because they follow the cops chasing the criminals.

            During the entire story, Blaze is followed by George, his former partner. The big problem, though, is that George is dead. The reader then has to ask “What is following and helping Blaze?” Some will agree that the actual ghost of George is following and talking to Blaze. Others will say that Blaze is crazy or too mentally disturbed, and believes George is still around. However, I believe Blaze is talking to his own conscience which takes form of his partner. To Blaze, George was practically his savior. George always knew what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Without him, Blaze would never have succeeded. With George’s death, Blaze had to take care of himself, which seemed nearly impossible. Blaze must have learned the criminal ways from George and tells himself that knowledge in the form of George. On many occasions this has helped him, such as when he knew to leave his old home and what to get at the baby store.

            One of Stephen King’s brilliant methods is really getting in the mind of the character, which allows this book to be so great. The novel would not be nearly as good as it is, if this had not been done. The view into the characters’ minds allows the reader to understand and pity the main character even more so.

            Blaze is an amazing novel that any type of person would enjoy. It is suspenseful, heart-warming, chilling, and action-packed, all in one.

Summer Reading

Is summer reading really doing the students any good? For most schools, students are assigned a book or two to read followed by some sort of assignment relating to the material. However, these sorts of projects may not be doing as much good as expected. Summer reading should be continued but the assignments should be replaced by more in-depth tests when school begins again.

            Many will agree that in order to do well in school and in life, reading is imperative. Summer reading is supposed to make the student read, therefore improving them as students. However, any person is able to go online and get the summary of any novel or the answers to any questions. This allows the student to bypass the entire point of the assignment and still manage to get a decent grade. Even without help from the internet, students are able to find someone else who has already done the assignment, such as an older sibling or friend, and copy their ideas in their journal. This is, of course, cheating, but that somehow does not bother many students. This defeats the entire purpose of summer reading, therefore making it a useless assignment. All summer reading assignments are good for is giving work to the students who already read on their own.

            Now don’t get me wrong. I’m all for summer reading because I believe it is helpful in every aspect of life and does nothing but good. I am against the way summer reading is handled, though. Instead of having the student read the book and complete an easily cheated on assignment, the student should, instead, complete a more in-depth test in school about the novel. This eliminates many ways the student can cheat, therefore making it more credible. In-school testing will also allow the teachers to see if the student truly understood the book. This is extremely beneficial to the student and will help him greatly in the long run.

            I also believe that with a specific summer reading book assigned, reading becomes more of a chore than anything else. The entire point is to have the student want to pick up a book on their own and read, but if it is like a chore, they will not do this. A possible solution for this is to have a choice of books. Instead of having one book the student must read, give them an option of five. This way, the student is able to choose a book that appeals to him and sees reading as entertaining as well as educational. If a student is able to choose among many novels, they are more likely to find an interesting one and then seek out more like it. This gives them an assignment for school that can introduce them into a whole range of new possibilities.

            Summer reading is important to the student, whether they like it or not, but the way summer reading is handled now, it is not effective. Giving the students a choice of various novels to read, instead of one will be beneficial. Also, replacing over-the-summer assignments with in school testing will help them even more. Reading could be so much more important to the student if they were given more options and better testing.

I’m A Stranger Here Myself

“I’m a Stranger Here Myself” by Bill Bryson is a hilarious change of pace from the usual seriousness of American affairs.

Bill Bryson grew up in Iowa, America but moved to Britain. There he met and married his wife, raised children, and absorbed the British way of life and culture for twenty years. After his two decade long stay in Britain, Bryson moves back to the United States. America has changed drastically, however, since the last time Bryson went. “I’m a Stranger Here Myself” is a wonderful three-way compare and contrast book between his American youth, British adulthood, and American adulthood. The book is filled with funny anecdotes, lessons learned, and funny observations that only an adult that’s been away so long could make. The book contains everything from haircuts to food to America’s ridiculous hypocrisy. It is a laugh-out-loud book that will keep the reader thinking about and criticizing American culture long after the book is done.

            The funniest chapter in “I’m a Stranger Here Myself” is “Well Doctor, I Was Just Trying To Lie Down…” The chapter is based entirely on how people are accidently injured by seemingly harmless items more than anything else, and that Americans are paying attention to the wrong dangers. Bryson makes the observation that, per year, more Americans are accidently hurt by pillows and beds than chainsaws, razors, axes, and trampolines combined. This is among the many shocking revelations Bryson discovers that makes the reader uncertain whether to laugh or to be worried.

            One of the most interesting parts of “I’m A Stranger Here Myself” is Bill Bryson’s three-way comparison. He often compares what it’s like to be an adult in America and Britain, but he also compares both of those to his American Youth. Such an example of this, is his passage on going to beaches. Bryson says, as a kid in Iowa, he hated the ocean because he was terrified of it, and liked going to a less chaotic lake. As he lived in Britain, he never really cared for the beach because there was really nothing to like about it. Then he goes on to explain his experience going to a beach in New England. This three way comparison provides an insight that is even farther in depth than the typical two way comparison. The three way comparison also provides more chances for funnier observations and anecdotes, making the book even funnier.

            One main problem with the book is that it seems to have little to no plot and gets a little long-winded at times. The book is based entirely on him and his family getting used to the American culture, but there is nothing else holding the two to three page articles together. The articles seem random and have little point to them other than how America is different than Britain. After 70 chapters, this point is proven a little too hard and the book starts to get stale. Had the book been cut to 30 or 40 chapters, this would not have been such a factor.

            All-in-all “I’m A Stranger Here Myself” by Bill Bryson is a great and hysterical book, and any American should read it.

Nu Metal- The Best of Both Worlds

A few years ago, at a camp I go to every summer, some of buddies and I were hanging out in our cabin. As is my habit, I put some music on, DragonForce (speed metal) to be specific. Immediately one of my friends got up and changed it to hip-hop. As we started to argue about what type of music to put on, all of our got involved. Soon we realized one of our major dilemmas. Half of us were metal heads and the other half were into hip-hop. This was problematic because music is extremely important to all of us, and we want to be able to listen to our favorite type. That’s when someone suggested nu metal. Nu metal is a mix of hip-hop and metal, which makes it the best of both worlds.

            Nu metal really started in the 1990’s and combined every popular type of music around at that time. The guitar sound is inspired mostly by heavy metal and grunge. This creates a truly hardcore sound that any metal enthusiast will enjoy. The vocals are a combination of many types, however. Most nu metal songs combine screaming vocals, often found in hardcore music, and rapping. Some really good bands incorporate pop-like singing as well. This creates a sound that nearly any music listener can enjoy. Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory and KoRn’s Follow the Leader were the first main nu metal albums. Nu metal is a great combination of metal, hip-hop, punk, grunge, and pop. It is, indeed, the best of both worlds, and will forever be the common ground between the rivaling hip-hopsters and the metalheads.