In the month of December, New York City is such a crazy place! I walked down the street and was awestruck when I saw the most realized natural vision in the middle of New York City. It was a large hardwood plantation covered in these reflective beacons that hovered over an elliptical gathering spot. Here people were taking pictures and gliding across a frozen bond while wearing covers for their feet with small blades attached at the bottom for a more controllable slide. There seemed to be humans, both big and small, all with smiles, observing and enjoying each other's presence. Every time I tried to confront somebody there was always something else preoccupying their time. This seemed like everybody's favorite recreational distraction. It all took place at a gathering called the Rockefeller Center. Happiness was practically in the air that the humans breathe. They had a tunnel vision for their friends and family and that seems like it was all that was necessary. It was hectic, yet in a very weird way peaceful, but surely not based upon the commotion. No, it was based upon everybody’s worries disappearing with the feeling of flight as they glide across this frozen liquid surface and feel the cold wind blow in their faces. It’s a good thing everyone was bundled up wearing multiple layers one after another.
I thought I was lost at first glance of this city until I found myself in front of this grand establishment that could possibly hold the entire city's population. In big florescent beacons, it called itself "Wal-Mart". There was quite the commotion especially around electronics and monitors that looked very familiar to me, but I wondered what need the humans had for it. Are they monitoring other planets too? And who was Nintend...
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...ly thought, but all the more enticing.
From this one night, I felt as if I was here for more than just recon. I felt like I was here to grow a heart; to experience the happiness and Christmas cheer. Being surrounded by all of these people and hearing everything about this tradition, I see now that to be the most technologically advanced is not exactly a focus down here. On this planet, there is a non-physical figment of the mind that powers these people’s smiles and keeps them running all season. It truly is no wonder that they call it a “Merry Christmas.” There has been no other planet that has made me feel smaller and more insignificant and more alive at the same time. Though it is definitely very cold outside, I can’t help but feel warm. Though my motives feel empty, I cannot help but feel whole. And though I am but a lone stranger, I cannot help but smile.
Adolescence is a monster that lurks in the dreams of parents. It’s a strange new world to children and they never see coming. It’s the time of life when a world that never changes is thrown upside down. Yet, it affects more than the adolescent. It can impact families as a whole, such as the owl family shown in Larry Shles’ book, Aliens in My Nest. Squib the little owl, comes home to find his loving brother Andrew gone. Instead, it appears he has changed into a strange new creature with bumps on his beak, and clumpy feathers. His temper is short and he doesn’t appear to love his parents or brother. In response, their parents are at the ends of their ropes, and they even take Andrew to be diagnosed with owlescence, a play on adolescence. The
I live in Brooklyn, New York City. I was born and bred there. I am one of eight million New Yorkers. New York City is sometimes described as a "melting pot," meaning we are like different Kool-Aid powders that dissolve into a uniform color and flavor. My view differs, though. I think we are eight million different insoluble liquids layered one on top of the other, appearing like oil floating on water. When stirred these liquids are rustled from their respective positions, almost coming together, only to revert to their original separated composition a second later. I'm sorry, Dr. King, we haven't all "sat at the same table" yet. This polarization and social indifference, I believe, stems from the ruthless, heart-hardening, cutthroat environment of our city. But underneath this coarseness, I wonder if there isn't a sliver of pillow-soft care and empathy for those wishing to escape the city's coldness.
Christmas has consumed itself. At its conception, it was a fine idea, and I imagine that at one point its execution worked very much as it was intended to. These days, however, its meaning has been perverted; its true purpose ignored and replaced with a purpose imagined by those who merely go through the motions, without actually knowing why they do so.
The arrival to Manhattan was like an entry to a whole new world: from the sea, its breezes, color, and landscapes, to the heart of the city beating louder than ever at the Whitehall Terminal. I could smell New York’s bagels in Battery Park with a mixture of the most relaxing scents: the coffee people were holding while walking down the streets, the old walls of Castle Clinton ...
Charles dickens classic novella “A Christmas Carol” endorses the notion that “Generosity involves more than the giving of money, it’s also about the giving of one's goodwill, compassion, sympathy, empathy and kindness. By taking his seemingly irredeemable protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge on a supernatural journey, Dickens’ intends to convey to all of society the importance of generosity. He proclaims that generosity of the spirit defines Christmas, and goes a large way towards defining true humanity for him as well.
Christmas is a season for all ages young or old, but for this eleven year old east coast boy, from Cape Breton, it is a source of conflict and a coming of age. In the short story “To Every Thing There is a Season”, Alistair MacLeod makes three arguments that captures the main themes and conflicts within the story, ignorance to knowledge, innocence to reality, and idealization to realism. MacLeod short story is a metaphor for growing up and a rite of passage.
However, I can recall, one dismal, gray morning in early November I started off to a city council meeting, as most journalists should do, and I was quite glum. It’s the type of day where a grimace seems etched into your face and you can barely drag your feet to get to where you are obligated to go. Sulking, everything seems to be purposeless. The sidewalks were ru...
The crisp New Hampshire air chilled the private school students with its sickly cold fingers as it would rage by with a fury that would disappear as soon as it came. The grey skies which hovered above stole away the sun so that the warring world around them seemed all the more dismal and depressing. Despite the hanging feeling of dread the weather and World War seemed to influence, the boys themselves were almost giddy with the merry thoughts that plagued their juvenile minds. It was almost the end of the day which would give way to a freezing night where most people would prefer to sleep or stay indoors; however, that was not the case with these merry men of the winter session as they hastily prepared the scenery around them with the promise of prizes, the guarantee of games, and the silhouettes of snow statues.
In 1945, Sam Walton opened his first variety store and in 1962, he opened his first Wal-Mart Discount City in Rogers, Arkansas. Now, Wal-Mart is expected to exceed “$200 billion a year in sales by 2002 (with current figures of) more than 100 million shoppers a week…(and as of 1999) it became the first (private-sector) company in the world to have more than one million employees.” Why? One reason is that Wal-Mart has continued “to lead the way in adopting cutting-edge technology to track how people shop, and to buy and deliver goods more efficiently and cheaply than any other rival.” Many examples exist throughout Wal-Mart’s history including its use of networks, satellite communication, UPC/barcode adoption and more. Much of the technology that was utilized helped Sam Walton more efficiently track what he originally noted on yellow legal pads. From the very beginning, he wanted to know what the customers purchased, what inventory was selling and what stock was not selling. Wal-Mart now “tracks on an almost instantaneous basis the ordering, shipment, and delivery of literally every item it sells, and that it requires its suppliers to hook into the system, enabling it to track most goods every step of the way from the time they’re made and packaged in the factories to when they’re carried out store doors by shoppers.” “Wal-Mart operates the world’s most powerful corporate computing system, with a capacity (as of late 1999) of more than 100 terabytes of data (A terabyte is 1,000 gigabytes, or roughly the equivalent of 250 million pages of text.).
evidence can really affirm that aliens are sucking up people out of are atmosphere. In the article “Where’s the Physical Evidence” The Hopkins story, claims to have more
When you associate anything with New York City it is usually the extraordinary buildings that pierce the sky or the congested sidewalks with people desperate to shop in the famous stores in which celebrities dwell. Even with my short visit there I found myself lost within the Big Apple. The voices of the never-ending attractions call out and envelop you in their awe. The streets are filled with an atmosphere that is like a young child on a shopping spree in a candy store. Although your feet swelter from the continuous walking, you find yourself pressing on with the yearning to discover the 'New York Experience'.
Without a doubt, Times Square in New York City is a unique experience, but the image created by TV and movies does not show the gloominess that accompanies the euphoria of being in the Big Apple. The atmosphere is so exhilarating and exciting, you don’t even know what to do for a few minutes, but it is tinged with the bitter reality that sadness and melancholy also trail closely behind the positive. With most, if not all, of your senses being stimulated – sometimes all at once – Times Square creates a memory that will surely be cherished, and haunt you for the rest of your life.
The snow that was predicted to be several inches by the end of the weekend quickly piled up to around eight inches by that evening. At times, the snow was falling so heavily you could hardly see the streetlights that glistened like beacons in a sea of snow. With the landscape draped in white, the trees hangi...
It’s the most wonderful time of the year—or so we thought. Between all the joy and magic associated with Christmas, it seems almost impossible to be in a bad mood. However, the countdown until Christmas has turned into an annoyance for many. Over the past several decades, the Christmas season has evolved into one of commercialization and debate among various groups and organizations. The creation of fictional characters such as Santa Claus has taken away from the spiritual meaning of the holiday. Corporations have made this time of year another excuse to shop and satisfy one’s family and friends with gifts. Community leaders and officials have changed many Christmas celebrations
Standing here with a whimsical look on my face, life feels magnificent, and it feels good to be alive watching the children playing in the snow with glowing red tipped noses and rosy cheeks there smiles telling a story of happiness and freedom to just be children unrestricted by the rules of the world below. Adults free of the troubles of everyday life with huge smiles enjoying the local culinary specialities like large bowls of hot delicious soup with great chunks of fresh bread.