"I'm Glad it's a Girl"

“I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (20, Fitzgerald).

The audience was introduced to this quote towards the beginning of the novel. Daisy and Nick met for the first time in the novel, and they were discussing about Daisy’s daughter, Pam or Pammy. It was also during this time when Tom had to leave his guests and take a “work call”, which turned out to be Myrtle, Tom’s mistress. Daisy and Jordan knew about this, and eventually Nick found out too. Daisy is angry at herself, sad for ending up this way. She cannot believe that she made the mistake of marrying someone like Tom, whom she does not love. Although living a luxurious life, she is home all day long, full of boredom and loneliness. Daisy expresses to Nick about the gender of her child, saying that she is happy it is a girl. Eventually she will turn out to be a fool, because that is what every girl turns out to be. Daisy has formed this opinion due to social values of the current time they are living in (1920s), plus through the life she lived with. Daisy is sure that her offspring will turn out to be someone like her, a woman of this era, living with boredom and no action. Although she states what the current generation’s mistakes are, she does not propose ways to change them, yet follows what others do.

4.4 Million People Saved

“Obama Moves to Protect Millions From Deportation”

By: Elise Foley

Source: Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/20/obama-immigration-plan_n_6178774.html

                The whole country was waiting for President Barack Obama to announce what will happen to this beautiful country. On Thursday night, Obama stated in his address new policies and goals for the United States. He put an extra emphasis on the immigration policy, stating that the deportation relief will dramatically increase for illegal people in the United States, for about 4.4 million undocumented immigrants. This policy protects parents, people who have come to the United States from when they were a child, and people who have been living here for a long time, having long-standing ties to the country. Obama is protecting the undocumented people that are currently in the United States, plus at the same time making it harder for people to as they say “jump the border.” The President stated that it is impossible and at the same time unfair to do mass deportation, therefore a middle ground must be found. The people currently staying here will continue living here, besides those who are criminals and offenders of the law. Entering the United States illegally will be harder, and the chances of getting caught and deported would be higher. Obama made this policy for the 4.4 million undocumented immigrants. This policy would allow them to get work permits and start working legitimate jobs, unlike being stuck cutting grass and washing cars. Along with this, they will get other government support that normal citizens or permanent residents receive. The President wants to show that the United States is a forgiving and a fair country.

Allianz Arena

If I were to throw an extravagant Gatsby style party where money is no object, it would take place nowhere else, besides at the Allianz Arena, located in Munich, Germany. Having a party at a house or at a restaurant is something, but at a football stadium? It would be an unforgettable day, an ever-lasting experience which one would be honored to attend. The stadium has 71,137 seats, EXCLUDING the soccer field. The Allianz Arena is home to the best football, the original not the “American”, club in the world, Bayern Munchen. Bayern stars players from all around the world, such as Poland, France, Netherlands, Spain, Brazil, Italy and many more. Think about the crowd this party would attract! Hosting a party at the Allianz Arena without some Bayern players, is not a party. Along with my class members plus fans of Bayern being invited, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Manuel Neuer, Mario Gotze, Robert Lewandowski, Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Phillip Lahm, Xabi Alonso and Jerome Boateng would also be invited. Every party comer would receive a complimentary jersey, a foam finger and a whistle which bring life to the stadium. The Bayern players would entertain the audience with their one of a kind skills that no other club in the world has. After all that partying, the party members would be hungry. What is a German party without beer and wienersnitzels? The party would also include a small friendly soccer match between the Bayern players and the Pilibos Class of 2016. The day would end with beautiful fireworks coloring the sky, filing it with red and white (Bayern colors).

Tax the Rich!

“Obama To Propose Tax Hikes On Wealthy, Breaks For Middle Class”

By: Dave Jamieson

Source: Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/17/obama-sotu-taxes_n_6493144.html

This is what every person thinks will be the best for the country, and President Barrack Obama is the one that is proposing it. Taxing the rich will save the country, will open doors for middle class and lower class people. Obama believes that this tax will not affect the wealthy people at all, yet he wants to raise the taxes from 23.8 % to 28 %. If one makes about 500,000 dollars per year that is about 140,000 gone to taxes. How would one feel when their hard worked money is taken away from them? Although this money would be put to an excellent use. Officials say that the revenue from taxes would be used to finance credits aimed at the middle class, especially extending the income tax to families without children. The top 1 percent would face these taxes, giving a break to the large middle and lower class. Some of the money would be used to improve the retirement programs people receive. President Obama has created an IRA plan, which is basically a different version of the 401(k). “This proposal is probably the most impactful way we can address the manifest unfairness in our tax system” said an administration official (1). Obama should receive a lot of credit for this, because the middle class has been demanding this for over six years. Other presidents have tried proposing this, yet no progress has been made. Officials are sure that this action would improve the economy for the middle class.

Mafia in the 1920s

The 1920s was famous for many things, one of which was the rise of power in the mafia. The mafia, or the mob, had the biggest rise in these couple of years due to factors such as prohibition and changes in leadership. Johnny Torrin, a crime boss, handed his seat to Al Capone, who became the people’s number one enemy. It is estimated that Al Capone spent approximately 75 million dollars only on bribes per year. At this time, the government had banned alcohol. It was illegal to drink, sell or buy drinks. When people have the opportunity to drink and buy alcohol, they do not value it as much. Although, when the ability to buy or sell is taken away from them, they realize the value and will do almost anything to get what they want. The mafia took advantage of this, and started importing alcohol from other countries, mostly Europe, and selling it for high prices. No matter how high the price was, people still bought it, making the mafia rich and wealthy. Al Capone received approximately 60 million dollars by selling alcohol. Here are some facts that show the people’s desire for alcohol after it was prohibited. Arrests for drunkenness and disorderly conduct increased 41% and arrests of drunken drivers increased 81%, and this is right after it was prohibited. The 5 main mafia families were the Lucchese, the Bonanno, the Gambino, the Colombo and the Genovese. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre was caused due to mob rivalries. Seven members of the Moran mob were machine-gunned against a garage wall by rivals who wore police attire. It is said that this was Capone’s job, but Capone himself was in Florida.

Sources:

https://lifeinthetwenties.wikispaces.com/Mafia+in+the+1920s

https://prezi.com/z0nyw-flcw4x/the-rise-of-the-mafia-in-the-1920s/

Yet Another Accident

“AirAsia Black Boxes Found”

By: Alana Horowitz

Source: Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/11/airasia-black-boxes-found_n_6451374.html

                

     There have been many missing planes and ones that malfunction lately. First it was Malaysian Airlines and now AirAsia. People are beginning to question the safety of flying. The causes of these accidents are unknown at the moment. An Indonesian Transport Ministry announced that divers had found boxes, boxes that might reveal important information. These black boxes might be the only way people find out the causes of these accidents and find ways to stop more from happening. Both AirAsia and Malaysian Airlines have lost business due to these events, and there might never be a way to regain it. This AirAsia flight was on its way to Singapore from Indonesia. It went missing on the 28^th of December, 2014, approximately forty minutes after its takeoff from the airport. All 162 people on board died, leaving their families devastated and sad. A couple days later, some debris and human remains were found in the Java Sea. Monday, January 9, the plane’s tail was found and recovered. “The black boxes contain the plane’s cockpit-voice recorder and flight data recorder” (1). The divers have not yet physically recovered the black box, because it is covered under debris. Finding this black box may answer the questions everyone is asking. Was it a hijacking? Are the current planes not able to fly in these weather conditions? These companies need this black box to know whether to increase their security or to improve and upgrade their planes. An Indonesian official said that a rescue crew will try to recover the box on Monday.