What has Happened to Dear St. Nick?

Sources:
http://www.umedia.net/Diane_Arbus_Gallery/pages/06.html
http://aesop.pangyre.org/morals.html/
http://www.aesopfables.com/aesopsel.html


Twis the night before Christmas and at the North Pole, Santa was just finishing a bottle of cold beer. Even though his wife, Mrs. Claus, did not know he liked a drink or two before before went out into the world. Santa had been under a lot of stress the past few years because of all the wishes children had each holiday season.

Santa was getting ready for the Big Sleigh Ride to deliver toys to all the children of the world. Children were asking for Pillow Pets, E-Readers, and all sorts of other things that Santa did not understand why children would want these things?

Santa did not need to have elves make things anymore. All the elves would have to go out and buy things at all the busy retail stores. Like Best Buy, Toys 'R' Us, and many other stores with funny names. In the process, some of the elves would be run over by a grandma trying to get the simplest thing.

So Santa had been drinking a lot of alcohol during the Christmas Season because of the demands from children, elves getting hurt, and as always people not believing in St. Nick!

Now Santa lots people may not know this, but Santa had three younger brothers! You see Santa's real name is Kris Kringle. Santa or Kris is the eldest of 4 Kringle's. There is also Kane, who is the tallest of them all. Kerry, who acts like a politician, but is average height and weight. And finally there was Kenny, who was the shortest Kringle by far.

Now Santa's brothers have be helping Santa during each Holiday Season because all of the Kringle brothers dress up just like Santa. You see each Kringle takes turns going down the chimney in case Santa was or is too hung over from the ride. This helps Santa keeps his jolly reputation, so no one will learn why he drinks.

Now this is what the other Kringle Brothers have said about why Santa Claus drinks. ''Do not be in a hurry to change one evil for another.''(The Oxen and the Butchers) The world has changed so much that Santa has a hard time keeping up with all the wants for Christmas. Santa wants his old life back when he was in charege and not a retail store. Santa needs to learn that there is ''No gratitude from the wicked.''(The Woodman and the Serpent)

So let Santa have a good holiday. Be good to one another.

Do We Really Live in a Violent Society because of Television?

My answer to this question is no and I have a good reason why. According to a resource its says, ''Over the years, there have been literally hundreds of studies examining the connection between media violence and violence in real-life, the results of which were summarized in a joint statement signed by representatives from six of the nation's top public health organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, and the American Medical Association:  "Well over 1000 studies… point overwhelmingly to a causal connection between media violence and aggressive behavior in some children.  The conclusion of the public health community, based on over 30 years of research, is that viewing entertainment violence can lead to increases in aggressive attitudes, values and behavior, particularly in children."

The only reason people are violent is because of watching a lot of violence as a child. Television is not the soul reason causing violence. There is also violence in video games, books, and in some one's household. Children today are seeing more and more graphic and detailed images. We are living in a new digital era of computers, video games, and TV.

''Children’s Saturday morning TV shows that feature “sinister combat violence” raised the most serious concerns for these researchers. These are fantasy live-action shows and animated cartoons in which violence is central to the storyline, the villains and superheroes use violence as an acceptable and effective way to get what they want, and the perpetrators are valued for their combat ability. Among the most popular shows for children, the number of troubling shows in this genre decreased from seven to four over the three years of the

study. The number of prime time series that raised frequent concerns about violence steadily declined over the three years, from nine such series in 1994–95 to just two in 1996–97. TV specials was the only category that raised new concerns at the end of the three years. In the second year fi ve live-action reality shows featured real or re-created graphic images of animals attacking and sometimes killing people. By the third year, the number of such shows had increased again.''

The graphics from computers are being broadcast into movies, television, and in video games. The more detailed things are, the more people will watch violence. There has been a large increase in movies and TV shows with other real or fantasy violence. Parents should be more careful of what they let there children watch because images are getting more and more graphic.

Sources:
http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/reports/stateindustryviolence/main.asp
http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/cwl/lowres/cwln1145l.jpg
http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/Key-Facts-TV-Violence.pdf

How to Make a Lemon Shake Up

I don't know about the rest of the world, but one of the reasons I go to the Illinois State Fair or to any Fair for that matter is to get a Lemon Shake Up. In this blog I am going give people instructions on how to make a Lemon Shake for any time of the year. There are all kinds of instructions and ingredients on the Internet to make a Lemon Shake Up, so I found a way to make it simpler for anyone loves a good Lemon Shake Up.

***Tips & Warnings***
You may need to transfer drink into an easier container to shake such as a thermos or cleaned out SOBE bottle..If you try to avoid sugar, try splenda substitution..For a different taste, you may want to boil sugar, lemon combo to make a syrup which can be frozen and used when desired..There is always the possibility that your county fair uses a different formula, experiment with the sugar/lemon ratio to get the lemon shake up you are used to. If you want use a jar or a pitcher, take a really good lemon concentrate and make lemonade. Fill your jars with lemonade, put a slice or two of lemons in the jar, add ice and shake.

Ingredients you will need
2 Lemons
Ice (About 4 to 6 Ice Cubes)
Water (1 Cup)
1/2 cup of Sugar
2 16oz Cups of any choice

Step 1
Pour 1/2 cup of Sugar into one 16oz Cup
Step 2
Make sure you cut the 2 Lemons in half before you squeeze them into the 16oz Cup.
Step 3
Then hand squeeze the half Lemon into the one 16oz Cup. After you are done squeezing the Lemons, put/drop the Lemons halves into the 16oz Cup.
Step 4
Then pour the amount desired (about 1 cup) of Ice and Water into the 16oz Cup.
Step 5
Finally, put the empty the other 16oz Cup on top the 16oz with the Water, Ice, and Lemons. Then start to shake the cups vigorously until the sugar dissolves.

Note: You can also use two jars or two pitchers to make a Lemon Shake Up for multiple people. You can add 4 to 6 Lemons, a bucket of Ice, and maybe about 4 cups of Sugar.

Resources
http://www.ehow.com/how_5026781_make-lemon-shake-up.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_6198220_make-lemon-shake_up.html
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWO1nE-b44OsHIvwVR-HY_oUa7aXLwrBUIQMxe2vbv5D9sXKZfPbsfqc1cb5vBuQAu4hHN0PSEfWe3jUS1M8hSGsqxXsSEdq1ghFD2lJrVCBTHf6FmooW7v7cSiftJYGMpPYn6yZwqxU/s1600/Canfield+Fair+Ohio+Lemon+shake+up.jpg

What to do?

Benedictine University in Springfield needs to have better computers. If we can get the Sr. Beata Scholarship Ball to help Fund-A-Project, like some updated computers, maybe this year they could help the Communications Department. We could always get an independent fundraiser going like an annual fundraising event to help the school or the Communications Department. There are so many ideas that BEN-U in Springfield, IL has, but there really has been no work done. These blogs are all ideas, so comment please.

***The Sr. Beata Scholarship Ball is held each spring. This year its on April 16, 2011.***

I have recently been doing some research on the Mac computers and how technology has evolved. Computers these days are not as big as the early Windows computers or Dell computers. The newer models of computers are smaller and now computers do not even have an mouse or a keyboard. The latest trend in computers are the iPad, its like carrying around a notebook or a book.
Mac computers have ''the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors — up to 2.66GHz. That’s a lot of power from such a small computer. It means that applications fly, and you can run more of them at the same time.'' Computers are made to be smaller and are a lot faster because people cannot stand waiting 15 minutes to download a certain type of program. ''Every Mac mini comes with Mac OS X Snow Leopard, an operating system custom-designed for the advanced technology inside. Built on a rock-solid UNIX foundation and designed to be simple and intuitive, it’s what makes the Mac innovative, highly secure, compatible, and easy to use.''
I don't think Benedictine University in Springfield needs to give students new iPads, but we need better computer technology. The school should consider getting newer computers because the Dell computers across the campus are outdated, and don't have the necessary programs available that students are required to know in the work force. Better computers could lead to better education at BEN-U in Springfield, IL.


http://www.apple.com/macmini/why-mac.html#technology
http://www.sci.edu/alumni/adv-beata.html

''I Feel the Need, the Need for Speed!'' for Faster Computers

The computers at Benedictine University in Springfield are slow. What I mean is the technology does not measure up to the new technology of the rest of the world. Benedictine University still uses the basic Dell computers, and the school cannot put new programs on the Dell computers. Benedictine cannot afford to buy or receive new computers like a Mac or a PC. Benedictine cannot even mange getting updated software for the computers. The school has Microsoft Word, etc. and Quarke Express. Students want learn new programs on a better quality computer system. A lot of the new technology at Benedictine University has been donated to the school through an annual auction that the school does. The Sister Beata Ball has given the school Smart Board for the Education Department and overhead projectors for each classroom on campus. Unfortunately, students want more than that.
I think the school should raise a fundraiser for new and better technology. Each Department should tell the school what they need to help students learn what technology is out there in the world. Some businesses require future employees to know today's technology. I don't think this school teaches students a lot about new technology. I don't know how to make a video or build a website. I can design a website, but I want learn more than that. The School Board should really look at our computer labs and then compare our labs to other schools. Other schools might have more technology that we need to teach students.
I think students need to rally together and help build a fundraiser for better technology. With time and patience current and future students will learn more.

A Red Saxophone?!

Can you change a musical instruments color?

Would it sound differently or just the same?

What would you do if you saw a Red Saxophone?

Would you want to play it?

Would you be inspired to make another instrument Green?

How about Blue?

How about creating a Colorful orchestra?

Are all these things possible?

Would you play a Red Saxophone?

I would.
http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00GBmtFCiMfPcD/Red-Saxophone.jpg

Why Do People Vote in US Elections?

I wonder why some people vote? Some people don't even know who is on the ballot whether it be for state or a national election. Do people really care or are they just voting just to say that they voted. That is only one's opinion. People probably don't feel like that there vote does not make a difference. Especially after the 2000 US Presidential Election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. Al Gore won the popular vote, but George W. Bush won the election thanks to the Electoral College. The Electoral College however usually gets the finally say in any US Presidental Election. I think that election put a lot of doubt in people's minds in the political system. Lots of people probably did not even vote again after the year 2000.
On www.psychologytoday.com in a November 8, 2009 post online tries to answer this question. ''Why Do People Vote? by Satoshi Kanazawa'' One of the reasons that people vote its because its an irrational act. The probability of your vote making a difference in a national election for President of the United States would make a small or no difference. The closest election in US Presidental history was back in the 1960. When John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon were on the ballot for US President. The probability for one voter to make a difference was 1 out of 118,574. That is not even 200,000 people. ''One person's vote is never going to make any difference in a large national election. Why do people vote? There is no definitive answer that everybody agrees on.''
I have to agree with this article because people just vote without any reason. One vote will never determined who will win the US Presidental Election. You personally cannot be the one person who will decided who is the next President of the United States of America. The United States actually has political system, but its really unique and hard to understand. That why its called politics.

Passions

There are many things I love to do, to watch, and to listen too. First, I was a born and raised Lutheran Christian woman. Church and family have always been a big part of my life despite what my older sister thinks. I love listening to music because it is my life. I listen to hard rock, soft rock, soundtracks, heavy metal, punk rock, and rock n roll. I always have the radio on in my car. There is not a day that goes by where I am not listening to music.
As much as I hate to admit this, but I also love working. I have been working at Kohl's for almost 4 years now, but I cannot stand working retail so I am earning my degree in Communications to hopefully get a great job someday. I also love watching sports and attending them if I can. I am a loyal follower of World Wrestling Entertainment(WWE), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling(TNA), Football, Hockey, Baseball, and some Volleyball. Every now and then I can be a movie buff and rent all kinds of movies if I have any money.
On the rare occasion I do like to read. I have always had a learning disability in reading, I had a hard time comprehending reading and understanding vocabulary. I hated reading as a child, but now I enjoy some reading besides school work. I have read and seen all of the movies to the Harry Potter books, the Twilight series, and the Lord of the Rings books. I have also read some musicians and bands autobiographies. I would recommend reading Motley Crue's autobiography, The Dirt, some parts are gross but a really good read.
I would describe myself as a unique person because I don't know what I am going to do everyday. Some days I feel like a teenage kid or a genius, etc. That is why like to say ''Take things One Day at a Time'' because who knows what is going to happen each day of life.