TFiOS

           

One very highly anticipated movie this year is "The Fault in Our Stars" based on the novel written by award winning author, John Green. Although there's always the people who will prefer the book over the movie, I am very excited to see on of my favorite stories come to life. If you've read the book and are worried he movie won't be true to it, you have no need to fear! John Green was on set ever day they filmed and is extremely please with the outcome. This book is a bestseller, so people won't settle for anything lower than amazing. I love this book and would recommend it to anyone and everyone. It's just a love story, as some people may think, but a story about two people, who happen to be in love and about how their life evolves because of that. If you still want more information about what the movie is about, check out this trailer!

General Relativity: Part 1

"Although your theory may be scientifically applied to the universe and can be properly tested, we have neither the time nor money to fund a new experiment. I'm sorry Dr. Dimeson, now is just not the time to be exploring this sort of thing; it would waste company resources and frankly, I don't think the board would ever agree to something like this. And as I recall, Dr. Dimeson, you're theories have been ridiculed and slandered called things like 'crackpot' and 'far fetched'. Maybe it's about time you reevaluate your studies and move onto something that you can actually progress working on."

"Yes I know Dr. Pollard, this has certainly been a trying year for me, but this is my life's work we're talking about here. I can't just give up and that and go back to running brain wave tests on rats again, those would be remedial for someone of my caliber. I'm not asking for a pay raise or anything, hell, I'd take a deduction if if it meant I would get to work on my project finally. You know I've been after this for five years, so could you please just give me a shot, a meeting to pitch my idea is all I need. Seriously, this could be the big break I'm looking for please."

This is it  she thought after completing her plea this is the moment that makes or breaks my career.

"Dr. Dimeson, Gen, please, you know my hands are tied. There is nothing I can do anymore, why don't you go speak to one of your siblings and see if they can help you out."

No. Her mind raced with millions of reasons that would not be okay, but instead of yelling back at Dr.Pollard, she responded calmly, "But Dr. Pollard, you know for a fact they can't. It's against company policy to use a different sectors funds and resources for an experiment. Also, you know as well as I do none of them ever helped each other, we don't support nepotism. Jack, you know me. You know I'm the sort of black sheep in the family, I was never supposed to happen but that's not going to stop me from making the best of my life. Being the fifth Dimeson is hard, okay? My whole family expects me to live up to their accomplishments and become a world renowned scientist but we both know I can't do that in any other field. Jack, please, you know how much of my success is riding on this. You know how much it takes for me to beg, and I'm at that point, please give me this opportunity." As she finished her rant she could see Jack's expression morphing into that of resignment.   

Finally.

“You don’t think I realize all of this? I’m just trying to protect you, you’ve always been my favorite student and now colleague. I just don’t want to see you get ridiculed more than you already have, but because it means so much to you I’ll talk to the board again. Now go finish your break talking to some of your peers instead of bothering me.”

“That’s why you’re the best Jack! I’ll see you back in the lab.” Gen exclaimed as Jack walked off with a huff of his breath.

Gen grabbed her phone out of her pocket and began revising the presentation she’s been working on for the past 5 years since she started thinking up this project. She quickly ran through the 23 slides she had carefully crafted and decided upon. After being as satisfied as she could be at the moment she decided to text her parents.

The Dimeson children grew up in a very scientific household, learning how to form a hypothesis from a very young age. All of Gen’s siblings went on to pursue science in different fields, each coming into their own. Not that they hadn’t stayed close to home, all of them stayed in the town they were born in and worked at the university where their parents had met. Tim, the eldest, had gone into medical science, Even, the second in line, had gone into genetic testing, and the twins Ward and Paige, who were always somewhat of a dynamic duo, had gone into biomechanics. At a young age it became apparent what science the children gravitated towards so they helped their children pursue their passions. What their parents hadn’t expected was that 4 years after Ward and Paige were born, that they would be having another child, but they embraced it all the same. Gena Raleigh Tiffany was the fifth child Dimeson family. After careful evaluation of the sciences at a young age, she was always attracted to physics and specifically the concept of time.  

As she grew older, Gen’s parents, Cassidy and James, did their best to help her pursue what she wanted, but there was definitely a difference between her and her siblings. Where her siblings liked the physical side of science with experiments and practical classes, Gen was more interested in the theoretical side of science. Her parents, not exactly sure how to approach this, decided it was best to get her a private tutor in the field. So while her siblings were off studying with her parents, Gen went to the university a couple blocks away to meet with her tutor.

Gen’s parents had always been supportive of her, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t have their doubts about what she was doing. When Gen announced that she wanted to present her paradoxical theory to the board, her parents had been a little less than happy. Her mom sat her down to chat, expressing that she was worried Gen would face trouble for trying to present. Gen had taken her mother’s words to heart but she still continued to work on her theory.

Now Gen was texting her mom that after five years of trying, she finally had the chance to present her findings. I know she’ll be happy for me. I hope she’ll be happy for me.  Although it has been five years since her big announcement and Cassidy had settled into the fact that her daughter may not succeed, Gen still had doubt about her mother’s faith in her.

As she was completing the text to her mother and rounding the corner at the end of the hall, she ran into a solid mass that shouldn’t have been there. She tried for a quick “pardon me” but was quickly interrupted when the man grabbed her arm and began babbling on, “Oh thank God it’s Gen. Hype and I really need your help because our communicuff is broken and so is the transporter relay. Oh man we really messed up so could you please just come with me and help we’ll be out of your way in no time,”

“What are you going on about?” Gen yelped as she tore her arm away from the strange man who acted like he knew her. When she got a good look at him, he looked familiar.

Maybe I’ve seen him around campus she thought. He was wearing a university hoodie and a beat up pair of jeans but what really caught her eye was the hint of silver beneath his sleeve.

“Gen seriously,” he began, grabbing her wrist this time and interrupting her evaluation of him, “did you skip breakfast again, pick up the pace Hype needs us to fix this before we can continue with our search!”

Gen yanked her arm away yet again and with all the authority she could muster said, “Sir, I have no idea who you are and if you continue to assault me I will call security.”

The man looked at her with a strange contemplative look before his slight frown turned into a full on grin. He then stuck out his had for her to shake and said, “I am so sorry to bother you Dr. Dimeson, my name is Newt Challenger, and I need your help.”

Gen cautiously took his hand and began, “Nice to meet you Mr. Challenger, what can I do for you?”

“Well, I have a note right here that will explain everything, and if you still have questions after reading it I would be happy to answer.” He took out an envelope and handed it over with delicate hands. Gen took it and began to study the envelope. There were no markings on the outside to indicate that it was for her, but she opened it anyway.

Dear Gen,

I believe congratulations are in order, seeing as you finally have gotten word that you can present in front of the board. Now listen I know you, you’re probably thinking that it’s impossible for me to  know this, because you just ran into Newt and haven’t even finished constructing the text to your parents. And now, my guess is that you’re realizing that this is some sort of trick because your machine hasn’t been built yet, but pause and use your massive intellect to your advantage. Gen, you’re amazing and your presentation in front of the board is going to go over amazingly. So please, try not to stress over it too much. Also, be nice to Newt and Hype, you’ll come to know them pretty well. As for fixing their equipment, you just have to reprogram the jump code, which I assure you is exactly how you designed it. Don’t worry if you start feeling crazy just know that you don’t have to worry for long, by this time next year, your invention will be a success and you can finally prove your parents right. I know you won’t do anything crazy, but I know you have low confidence in yourself after being at it so long, but please believe me  when I say it’s worth the wait.

Hope all goes well,

Gena Raleigh Tiffany  Dimeson

Gen’s mind raced as she read the letter. Does this mean my invention is a success? Did I actually create this thing? Has my hard work paid off? Out of all the things she thought, what came out of her mouth was, “Newt, how have you gone through testing and not known when you just need to reprogram the jump code. Knowing future me,” wow it’s weird to think that, “you went through extensive training, have a background in physics, and know the equipment as well as I do.”

“Oh we do, but if you must know you also insisted that we never be the ones to do it ourselves. In emergency cases of course we’re allowed to, but you said if you’re there, to have you do it. Normally future you would come with us, but crossing time streams and all that jazz. So, you don’t have to come and fix it for us, but if you want to see, we’d be glad to show you.”

Gen thought on this a moment and made a compromise, “Seeing as how this will be the only time you get to actually see one, I’ll reprogram yours, but you and Hype can do the other one.”

Newt handed over the bulky bracelet that was on his wrist, and Gen stared at in in awe. She took a moment to admire the handy work and how compact it was. She jumped when Newt coughed and took it as a signal to start programing. She pressed the small button on the side which she knew to open up to the microchip the small hard drive, and flipped the switch that reset the jump code.

“There, you should be good now.”

“Thanks Gen, this is really weird.”

“Yeah Newt, I’ll see you around?” She asked forcing a question into her tone. If she was being honest with herself, Gen wishes she could just progress a year into the future right that second. She didn’t want to have to wait around until she could finally have her project done, she wanted the access now. She also wondered what Newt and Hype’s story was, and how they came to be her companions.

“Maybe not too soon,” Newt said, breaking Gen out of her mental tangent, “but we will meet someday, don’t worry.” He turned around and strode out of the hall the way he came, leaving Gen to be a mess of emotions and unanswered questions.

Was that even real?  she thought as she headed back to the lab How can it possibly be?  As she was having her own mental breakdown she remembered the piece of paper she was clutching in her hands. She looked at the note again and it gave her the confidence she needed to finish the text to her mom and run through her presentation once more.  

Balloon

This short film is heartbreaking story wrapped up into 7 minutes. It portrays the trials of a man trying to save his daughter during a zombie outbreak, gets bitten, and continues to save his daughter. Enjoy!

I found this short film to be very emotional for just a 7 minute film. I think it was made amazingly and every time I watch it is better than the last. I love noticing all the little detail they put into it. Also the fact that the father is such an amazing character, to use his last dying moments to construct a plan to save his daughter. This film is all around amazing and brilliant.

ZooBorns

If your looking for yet another website to wast your time on, then look no further! The website zooborns.com catalogs and posts pictures of newborn animals from zoos all around. They range from mammals to reptiles but each one gets its own photo montage and blurb. You can search the archives or just scroll down the posts, but either way it's a very enjoyable experience. So if you're not busy check out ZooBorns!

I can honestly say I've spent way more time than I would have liked to on this website. It pulls you in and makes you happy to see all the cute baby animals. Although I may spend a lot of time on social media, this is the perfect website if you want to take a little break. 

Sex

So just in case anyone wanted to see my doc from last semester here it is!

Disclaimer:

I know this topic is rather controversial, but that’s the whole point of my piece. Also, I did get my topic cleared with Mr. Wall. I’m just apologizing now for the vulgar language used and the “racey” topic.

Sexually Reactive                     By: Emma Hanzelin

I find it funny that in the society we live in today we base half of our judgements of other people, based on things related to sex. We base our judgement on things like who they like to have sex with, if they've had sex, if they've had sex multiple times, if they appear to want sex, if they watch porn, etc. Society has cast a stigma on anything and anything sexual; specifically women who have had sex a lot. What I want to concentrate on is the slander that people face when they've had sex, enjoy having sex and have sex with a lot of people, and I want to get to the core question, why is it bad that they have sex?

I pooled information from the internet and from some friends and classmates to get a better understanding of how people felt on the subject of the sexual taboo. In person, it’s a much harder subject to approach without seeming “racy”, which just reinforces the idea of the sexual taboo. To conduct my research to find information, I started with the broadest subject of sexual taboo, someone who’s had a lot of sex.  

One thing I want to quickly bring up is the sexual taboo of swear words. I can think of 5 swear words that come from sexual situations. I just think it’s an interesting concept.

When thinking of the most commonly used slander against anyone who has sex a lot, you most commonly think of two words, slut or whore. When looking up the definition of slut you get a wide variety of views on its meaning. Here are some examples I’ve come across on the internet:

“a woman with the morals of a man”

“Someone who provides a very needed service for the community and sleeps with everyone, even the guy that has no shot at getting laid and everyone knows it. She will give him a sympathy fuck either because someone asked her to or she just has to fuck everyone she knows. These are great people, and without them sex crimes would definitely increase. Thank you slut, where ever you are.”

“A derogatory term. Refers to a sexually promiscuous person, usually female. One who engages in sexual activity with a large number of persons, occasionally simultaneously. Also refers to one who engages in sexual activity outside of a long-term relationship within the duration of said relationship. These sexual activities include but are not limited to: passionate kissing, manual stimulation of genitalia and/or breasts in the case of a female; oral stimulation of these parts; sexual intercourse. In some cases, used to refer to a woman who is wearing "skimpy" or tasteless clothing. Less commonly, used as a derogatory term by one female for another during periods of conflict.

Synonyms: whore, tramp. Derivations: slutty (adj.), sluttier/sluttiest (superlatives). Related Adjectives: easy; immoral; loose; cheap.”

“ girl thats fucked so many guys she cant close her legs anymore”

“there can be 2 definitions: one negative, the other positive...

1. a girl who has sex but does not enjoy it, who is used by guys and lets them do it. She does not have the self respect to make them stop.

2. a girl who likes sex, so she does it. She probably is not in a relationship, and she equalizes herself to guys by treating sex the same way they do.

The difference between the two examples of what society labels as "sluts" is that one has self respect, the other does not. No one should be called a slut anyway, especially when the name "slut" is a purely judgemental and stereotypical one, and no one really knows the real story behind it all, which is pretty much always the case.

"She has sex...therefore she must be a slut."

I completely disagree with that, but thats how society sees it.”

“10 Examples of Sluts:

1. The cheap whores you pick up off the streets in Las Vegas, and L.A.

2. Christina Aguilera, is the epitome of a bona fide slut, due to her ghastly appearance, freakishly grotesque display of makeup, and the provocative outfits she dons before each show. See skank

3. Anna Nicole Smith. Need I say more?

4. Porn Stars.

5. Strippers.

6. Gold-digging bitches.

7. Dumb blondes.

8. Manipulative, cheating girlfriends.

9. Women with a pretentious attitude.

10. Women with fake boobs.”

Of course on the internet with fake names to hide behind you can see people's true opinion, which differ very much from each other. The fact that most of these examples imply that it’s only women that carry the sexual stigma is something I want to discuss later.

When I asked a couple of my classmates to please define a slut they give me answers all revolving around the same general concept:

“According to society, a slut someone who has a lot of unprotected sex.”

“People think of sluts as white girls who get around. Like do a lot of stuff with boys sexually.

“I would say a slut is someone who makes themselves super available, and acts on it. Except some people actually call people sluts even when they just make themselves look like one. like ‘oh she dresses like a slut’.”

“One who gets around in a sexually promiscuous fashion, usually perceived negatively by society. Also usually considered to be a woman, stereotypes and double standards, you know.”

Comparing the views of my classmates to that of strangers on the internet, my classmates seem to have a more open interpretation of their ideas. There is also the fact that sex, and anything remotely sexual is a taboo to talk about in normal conversation, so some of them were a little uncomfortable with discussing sexual stereotypes so openly, but once I got the conversation started they all seemed to be more comfortable with discussing the topic.

Going further into the stereotype of the slut, I wanted to see if I could get a general consensus as to how this type of person would dress. I got a wide variety of answers that could describe any type of person like:

“Booty shorts with their cleavage hanging out and showing, their makeup done.”

“Or even just tight pants.“

“Or when you’re wearing leggings and you have a butt. You have the shape of a round thing on your back and people will call you a slut because you have a butt.”

“Or if people just don’t like you they’ll call you a slut.”

“Heavy eye make up”

“People who are jealous of you will call you a slut”

“If you take someone else’s man then you are a slut”

“Just having big boobs in general. Like a lot of people don’t know how to dress with that like they try but it doesn't always work out and it’s just the fact that if someone with smaller boobs wore that shirt she wouldn't be called a slut, but some people would.”

Obviously, there isn’t one personification of a slut, but the general connotation of a slut is a bad one. When I asked them to describe the actions of someone who was labeled as slut, there wasn’t a lot mention of gender, but when I asked them to describe their appearance, the resounding stereotype was that a slut is a female.

One of the stereotypes you’ll most often encounter with society is the double standard of when guys have a lot of sex, and when girls have a lot of sex. The stereotype is that if guys have a lot of sex, they’re looked up to like they’ve achieved something good. On the other side of the coin, if a girl has a lot of sex, she’s looked down upon and labeled negatively by society.

For example, when celebrities have naked photos leaked. Here is one reaction to the recent “scandal” of when old Disney Channel star Dylan Sprouse’s naked pictures got leaked:

“Anyone else notice how when Dylan Sprouse nude pictures are leaked people are like this is awesome look how well they are handling it, but when Miley or any other girl’s nudes get leaked people are like ‘what a whore, she’s on Disney Channel think of the kids, have some respect for yourself.’”

This stigma explains itself. There is a huge difference between a girl who does something sexualy, and a guy who does something sexualy.

The whole concept of judging anyone based on past/present sexual encounters brings up two questions:

1) What does a person having sex and your respect for them have in common?

2) What is so bad about having sex with a lot of people?

When posing the second question I got a resounding answer from my classmates:

“Nothing.”

“You know, I think it’s been given a negative connotation because of diseases or something, but really, if that’s something you enjoy. Like, if I enjoy painting,. I’m going to paint a lot. If I have sexual relations with a lot of men and that just really makes me happy at the end of the day, then I’m going to do it a lot.”

“Well, it comes out of two things. One, I think that some people think that people who have sex a lot are stupid, because there can be so many bad consequences. Like you automatically think of them as stupid, like why would you make such a dumb mistake? The second thing is that I think it comes out of, at least in high school, girls who are jealous.”

“There’s nothing wrong with having safe sex a lot. If you want to do it go for it. Even with several different people, if that’s what you want.”

”I think it’s only bad when you’re doing it for unhealthy reasons, or cheating on someone.”

The answer was pretty agreed upon, that having a lot of sex, if that gives you emotional fulfillment, is not a bad thing. Most of them talked about how they have been conditioned to judge people based on the fact that they’ve had sex, and that that is a bad thing. When I got down to it and asked that hard question, they all thought about it and came to realize nothing is wrong with that.

Part of the problem with snap judgments and the negative stigma that goes with being someone who has a lot of sex (mostly women are judged), is that no one stops to think about where these morals come from. Why is it okay to shame a woman or man for having a lot of sex? Why is it such a bad thing to have a lot of sex? The 1985 movie The Breakfast Club had a really appropriate quote for this topic.  

This shows that not only is there a stigma for having had sex, there’s also a stigma for not having had sex. There’s no really way to get around the slander thrown at people about sex. Which brings me back to my first question, what does a person having sex and your respect for them have in common? I have some quotes that I found that I appreciate and agree with on the topic of having sex and respect:

“I don’t understand why so many people associate sex with self respect... a girl likes sex, so can’t respect herself in the process? People have different values and different morals. What you see as an intimate act of love, another can see it as a spontaneous recreational activity. Suppose people put painting and art on that level, some people are extremely passionate about what they do, while others do it just because it’s fun and something to do, are you going to shun the ones who do it for fun because they were not passionate enough? Just because it’s something like they like to do? A girl can have sex without being looked as a sad story of a girl with little respect for herself.”

“i just really don’t get people who insist that women who dress “slutty” or “revealing” don’t deserve respect. how did we arrive at this concept? who thought this rule up?

"how much of your skin is showing? oops, that’s a little bit too much, you don’t deserve basic human treatment.”

The questions really bring up the main point, having sex doesn’t define you. Everyone has their different viewpoints and different thoughts on when it’s appropriate to have sex, but if you’re comfortable with what you’re doing, then go for it. Sex is made out to be such a huge deal by society when it really isn’t. I think that once everyone realizes that sex doesn’t define you, it will take away a huge portion of the conflict that goes on between humans.

Another part of the problem is that people just can’t accept the fact that other people have different opinions. Some people want to be in a fully committed monogamous relationship before they have sex, but other people are fine having sex with someone they don’t know. The conflict comes into play when one person thinks they’re better than the other, or that they have more fun or better morals. The truth is, everyone’s the same. If you find enjoyment in sex anywhere, then you go have sex with anyone. If you don’t feel comfortable with that, then that is not a problem and you don’t have to do that. The most important things are that you're comfortable, it’s consensual on both ends, and that you practice safe sex. I’m not going to tell you what to do, you need to find that out for yourself, but I’m not going to judge you for your decision.

The main problem we find, is that society is just very sexually reactive. It’s a giant taboo and it has no reason to be, but society reacts to anything to do with sex. It’s a completely natural way of life, and don’t let anyone tell you what is right or wrong for you because of some moral that society has created.

My last note is for anything in life: If you don’t enjoy doing it, then why are you?