Ablene Cooper, a 60-year-old woman who has long worked as a maid in Mississippi has filed a lawsuit against Kathryn Stockett, the author of the best-selling novel “The Help,” In the complaint, Ms. Cooper argues that one of the book’s principal characters Aibileen Clark, is an unpermitted appropriation of her name and image, which she finds emotionally distressing. It is more complicated than that. For the past dozen years, Ms. Cooper has worked for Ms. Stockett’s older brother and sister in law, and still does. She has also said that “The Help” was coolly received by some in her hometown. “Not everybody in Jackson, Mississippi is thrilled,” acknowledging that a few “close family members” were so unhappy that they were not talking to her. Ms. Cooper and her lawyers point out that the character Aibileen’s grown son died five months before her white employers’ first child was born, a sequence that closely mirrors the death of one of Ms. Cooper’s grown sons from cancer, several months before the birth of the Stocketts’ first child. Also, despite the spellings, the two names are pronounced similarly. However, Ms. Stockett is certain that she made up the characters on her own.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2011/02/help-author-kathryn-stockett-fights-lawsuit/1
denimandflowers
Apr 20, 2011
Apr 14, 2011
Indifference is not a beginning, it is an end.
In "The Perils of Indifference", Elie Weisal argues statements explaining the nature of indifference and followed it up with the damages that can be caused by indifference. He spoke of the people and countries that knew about the events but did nothing. The events were not directly related to their well being and to be indifferent meant to have no response or emotion to a situation like the men who wore blankets in the camps. They were left dead to the world feeling nothing inside, not even hunger.
After reading "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson it reminded me of a story I had heard called "The Salem Which Trials". The first connection that I made was that both stories are based on a woman, or women who are in jeopardy. I also found that both of these stories started out in the same type of environment, small villages. "The Salem Witch Trials" is based on a story of the daughter and niece of a Reverend who was very strict. The girls were not allowed to play or have toys, they were only supposed to do their chores and read prayers. However, they would go behind the reverends back spending late evenings with a woman slave who would entertain them with stories, magic, fortune telling, and other forbidden activities. Later on, the two girls started to experience strange feelings or actions like twitching, and rolling on the floors throwing fits while screaming. Then, came the first public display as one girl started a fit barking like a dog. Another girl then began to flap her arms like a bird, and another girl showing signs of being choked. After this display the towns people believed the girls to be victims of witchcraft. Everybody became deeply scared and started asking the girls to identify their tormentors. The girls then named three of the towns people who were social out casts and deeply distrusted, including the slave who had been spending time with the girls. The slave confessed of other witches in the town, which began to terrify everyone even more. The girls would say that spirits would secretly visit them, causing the towns people to accuse anyone and everyone. This began the Salem Witch Trials where they would hang any person that was named to be a witch, with or without proof of the accused being innocent. They would even be killed if they denied or tried to fight it. These events continued until the girls began to name the most respected people. Everyone then began to doubt the girls accusations. The rest of the accused were pardoned in the end, and everyone went back to their daily lives.
Therefore, some connections that I made from these stories are this; It was from the fear of the villagers that enforced these rituals. "The Lottery" is a sacrifice to the Gods to insure that the crops grow, and "The Salem Witch Trials" was based on the belief of Witchcraft. Neither crop Gods nor Witches are real, they are both superstitions resulting in the death of many innocent people.
After reading "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson it reminded me of a story I had heard called "The Salem Which Trials". The first connection that I made was that both stories are based on a woman, or women who are in jeopardy. I also found that both of these stories started out in the same type of environment, small villages. "The Salem Witch Trials" is based on a story of the daughter and niece of a Reverend who was very strict. The girls were not allowed to play or have toys, they were only supposed to do their chores and read prayers. However, they would go behind the reverends back spending late evenings with a woman slave who would entertain them with stories, magic, fortune telling, and other forbidden activities. Later on, the two girls started to experience strange feelings or actions like twitching, and rolling on the floors throwing fits while screaming. Then, came the first public display as one girl started a fit barking like a dog. Another girl then began to flap her arms like a bird, and another girl showing signs of being choked. After this display the towns people believed the girls to be victims of witchcraft. Everybody became deeply scared and started asking the girls to identify their tormentors. The girls then named three of the towns people who were social out casts and deeply distrusted, including the slave who had been spending time with the girls. The slave confessed of other witches in the town, which began to terrify everyone even more. The girls would say that spirits would secretly visit them, causing the towns people to accuse anyone and everyone. This began the Salem Witch Trials where they would hang any person that was named to be a witch, with or without proof of the accused being innocent. They would even be killed if they denied or tried to fight it. These events continued until the girls began to name the most respected people. Everyone then began to doubt the girls accusations. The rest of the accused were pardoned in the end, and everyone went back to their daily lives.
Therefore, some connections that I made from these stories are this; It was from the fear of the villagers that enforced these rituals. "The Lottery" is a sacrifice to the Gods to insure that the crops grow, and "The Salem Witch Trials" was based on the belief of Witchcraft. Neither crop Gods nor Witches are real, they are both superstitions resulting in the death of many innocent people.
Apr 12, 2011
A good thing gone bad

Apr 11, 2011
21st Century Education
To me the most important skills are obvious, don't be late, dress appropriately, finish your assignments on time. We learn to make it on schedule, we learn manners, and deadlines. Though over half of us ignore these things they're still there and we should take them seriously because after high school, we aren't going to be given an extra day or two from Mrs. Searcy to hand in our assignments. In high school I've been learning, what to me are the basic skills we need to make it anywhere higher than here.
The perfect school... What does that even mean? My perfect school would certainly have a carnival every year on the last day before summer, but in reality for future generations I would create a school that lets the students decide what they want to learn. One that would provide classes where they share what they already know to teach other. A school where the student can take a basic class of their interest. They would be allowed to sit on the floor if thats what made them comfortable and take a brake when their heads got sore from taking in all the information. When my head gets loaded in a matter of hours, I can't think straight until I sit down and take a break..
Next year I want to go to Texas and travel, though that's not what I'm doing. I'm taking a 22 week course here in Penticton so that I can get a decent job sooner. After that I will travel and decide from there where I'm going to go.
The perfect school... What does that even mean? My perfect school would certainly have a carnival every year on the last day before summer, but in reality for future generations I would create a school that lets the students decide what they want to learn. One that would provide classes where they share what they already know to teach other. A school where the student can take a basic class of their interest. They would be allowed to sit on the floor if thats what made them comfortable and take a brake when their heads got sore from taking in all the information. When my head gets loaded in a matter of hours, I can't think straight until I sit down and take a break..
Next year I want to go to Texas and travel, though that's not what I'm doing. I'm taking a 22 week course here in Penticton so that I can get a decent job sooner. After that I will travel and decide from there where I'm going to go.
Feb 28, 2011
Door to Anywhere
If I could have any super power in the world it would be the ability to turn any door into a portal that connects to any door of my choice anywhere in the world. The main reason I would use this ability would be to visit my friends and family in Texas. I wouldn't have to pay money to sit on a plane for hours to get where I'm going and if I wanted to spend a night at my dads I could still go to school the next day in Canada. I would never be bored because I could travel to any place, Italy for example, for the afternoon. That would be immensely amazing..
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