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We know America as “the melting pot,” where people from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds come together as one. I was born here, so I naturally relate to American culture in ways that other people who moved here from other countries probably don’t.
I was born in Georgia and grew up in a small Florida town consisting of predominately white people. It wasn’t a racist area, but definitely a place with very little diversity. Upon moving to a larger city while in high school, I was amazed by the diversity of the people that surrounded me. I was even more amazed by people’s pride in their respective cultures.
One piece of culture that I became especially engrossed in was the Asian tea culture. Having been a fan of Southern sweet tea for years, the tea culture was not only delicious, but also engrossing. The fact that many countries in Asia have festivals surrounding tea (because it’s a part of their daily lives) is so fascinatingly foreign to me.
What would the American equivalent of tea be? Coffee? I think it’s safe to say that America doesn’t have anything like this, something so deeply rooted in our culture, and I think it’s sad. Here, we don’t have many traditions to unify us all other than a lack of tradition. But is that enough?
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When one thinks of pregame rituals for football, many people would consider the prayer part of it. It has been seen in movies like “Varsity Blues,” “The Replacements” and “Remember the Titans.” No one can dispute that it has taken place, and many embrace the practice, but the question has come up in recent years about legality.
The Constitution specifically states that we are to be a country forged not under a single religion, but that we are to embrace those that come from many. Even with Christianity in all of its forms being the majority religious belief, according to a study done in March 2009 reported by the Christian Post, the number of non-religious Americans has doubled in every state from 1990. On top of the decline in Christian believers, the total non-believer population has gone form 8 to 15 percent in the time frame. This includes atheists (no God) and agnostics (not sure), as well as deistics (belief in a higher power, but not necessarily God).
The study also shows that mainline Christianity and Catholicism are on contraction, shedding numbers overall (some minor sects showing small gains, however) while a generic brand of Christianity has begun to consume a good portion of the non-denominational believers.
With prayer still being commonplace in sport, there are even some that wish to have public prayer before games for the crowd to take part in as well. Given the data on the contraction in religious Americans over the last two decades, for us to uphold the rights granted to the populace by our government, this would be an offense against those who are of a non-Christian faith.
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In these rough economic times, people have reorganized their values. If you walk into a restaurant, you see fewer waiters and waitresses. The crowds in the malls have diminished and every few days you hear about a new bank going under, or another car manufacturer turning over control to the court in bankruptcy. Fewer people have made home improvement purchases, gone splurging for new wardrobes and have even had to downsize on housing.
Yet, with all that said, it’s nice to know that Europeans still tickle the American fancy, and they do it better than the Americans could ever.
A great modern philosopher turned lunatic once said, “I feel the need, the need for speed.” Speed is something Americans have loved since we climbed on a horse’s back and told it to run for the sunset. We’ve turned those horses into mechanical horsepower, shelled it in aluminum, carbon fiber and fiberglass. Then we advanced upon that and utilized aerodynamic science from aviation development and created the race car. NASCAR, Formula-1, Indycar and even the urban street racing culture are stem from this tree.
Speed once was the pride of American Muscle, and loud engines that went fast and got 36 feet to the gallon were our adrenaline fixation. The Japanese then created fuel injection, and made cars just as fast, and the Europeans had style; both leaving Ford, Dodge and GM in the dust.
But if there’s one thing America itself hasn’t lost, its our insatiable quest for the better, faster, and most expensive status symbol.
Welcome, the Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur Apollo.
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Whether it’s a trip to the Golden State or the Golden Kingdom, airline prices have been slashed as a result of the current (slumping, to use a euphemistic term) economic situation. Even more than this, many theme parks, hotels and other various travel destinations are now offering deals on admission, stays, meals and just about everything else in an effort to keep tourism afloat in a time when we all have little bucks to buy with.
I can’t think of a single reason not to take advantage, and here’s a little help:
Top budget travel destinations for 2009 (according to Budget Travel):
If you’re really looking to save – and maybe even help stimulate that slumping economy we were just talking about – stick to the U.S. for all your travel desires. Here are those top three spots:
Austin, Texas. This city is chalk full of free and affordable events this year, such as the Austin City Music Festival (Oct. 2-4). Austin is also known for its good weather, pop culture, diversified private and public sectors and art.
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Rearing its ugly head only occasionally in the headlines throughout recent years only makes this social issue more serious and difficult to confront.
Sexism is one of the most covert social problems of today, yet it can be found in just about every aspect of life; from television to books and films, and from clothes to toys and even cereal boxes, this matter invades the lives of American people day in and day out, whether we’re aware of it or not. This is precisely why it is such a big deal. This issue attacks us from all angles, something like buck shot, almost impossible to avoid.
From the moment we come into this world we’re given a set gender role, or behaviors considered appropriate for whatever particular sex we are. For example, it is common for a girl to be given a very feminine name and to be dressed in a commonly accepted color for newborn girls – pink. The same thing goes for boys, who are commonly given masculine names and dressed in blue outfits, a stark contrast from the girl’s pink. Even celebratory items such as balloons and decorations make it definitively clear what the infant child’s sex is, like banners that read, “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!” It’s plain to see that society is very interested in making sure that these gender roles are set into motion from the very start.
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He had been asked to walk to the blackboard and solve one of the math problems she had just finished writing out. They came from the homework assignment of the previous night. He looked at her with furrowed brows and unblinking eyes and his hands began to shake…
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She’s attractive. She’s fun. She’s flirty. She’s…dumb?
The concept of the dumb blonde, a common stereotype placed on fair-haired women, continues to pervade society through today. Its origin, however, like many popular-cultural stereotypes, is clouded.
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About mid-year the feeling comes to me… I need to redecorate. About a split-second later, I realize that feeding an IKEA obsession isn’t exactly in my price range, so improvisation is necessary. Here are a few really easy ways to spruce up any room.
One easy, cheap trick to spice up boring walls is to create fabric wall panels. The best thing about this is that you can switch out the fabric whenever you want a change of scenery. What you’ll need is a staple gun, a 1.5 x 5’ wooden-framed painter’s canvas, two yards of fabric (feel free to have fun here with your choice), an iron, an ironing board and pushpins or thumbtacks.
What you’ll want to do is iron out your chosen fabric and center it on the canvas. When you have it centered the way you want, tack it down on the wood on the back of the board. After that, staple it to the wood and make sure that it’s centered properly. It’s as simple as that, and the good thing is that if you mess up, you can just keep trying again and again.
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Pick-up lines have the tendency to be creepy for the most part but are always funny. So the next time you find someone you’re considering to pursue, remember two things. First, try not to be creepy. Second, definitely don’t use the following.
Feel free to add your own!
1. If you think I’m looking at you like a piece of meat it’s because I am.
2. You know, when you and I get old and our son or daughter comes up to me and says “Daddy, how did you meet mommy?” I’m gonna have to tell him or her how quiet you were, or how difficult you were being.”
3. Attacker:Hey baby, what’s your sign? Victim: (appropriate answer) Attacker: Wow! We are the most compatible love signs. (more…)
People will always hate other people. No matter what you want to think, it’s always going to be a truth in life. It’s been this way since the beginning of time. In some countries people are outright with their hatred and carry it out through genocide or other hate crime atrocities.
Here, in America, we choose to be a bit more secretive and manipulative with our hatred… for the most part at least. We all know of the groups throughout the country that continue with past ideas of hatred that are passed down from generation to generation.
For example, many Southerners continue to fly their Confederate flags high and proud. Now, I can’t say that all people who put their rebel flags up are necessarily racist, but if they aren’t, then I can certainly say that they haven’t thought it through. There are certain symbols that stand for hatred of certain people that cannot be reclaimed for good.
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