Follow George!

As we've been discussing the Con-Con in class, the idea of following George Washington's actions came up a lot. Many people looked up to him as the most powerful man in America and approved whatever he approved. People worshiped him! And apparently, we should all still follow his example! I was walking through the New Trier library the other day and posted on a bulletin board was this poster. We've all seen the "cover your cough, stop the spread of germs" poster, but I've never seen the George Washington inspired one. It's a remake of his famous portrait by Gilbert Stuart. I thought it was interesting to see our founding father on a national CDC campaign. I wondered why the CDC decided to make this poster with George Washington instead, maybe, Barack Obama. But on the other hand I said to myself, 'hey, if George covers his cough, I'll cover mine', which is the main goal of the CDC. What do you think about the poster? (Sorry for the picture quality. I took it on my phone.)

"Sorting People"

I just took the "Racial Sorter" that was posted on the side of anamericanstudies.com.  I have to admit, I thought I was going to get them all correct. But actually I got maybe half of them wrong. I also found it quite interesting that there was a game like this, I would think some people may find it offensive because some people don't like to be categorized. I then searched that website for more information about race and 'sorting'. I found the US Government's correct definitions for different types of race. It listed all the different types of race and gave an in depth definition. For example, the definition for American Indian was, "a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community recognition". I couldn't help but ask if people actually use any of these definitions when using self-identification. Why does the government even have these definitions if laws passed in 1970 said that citizens could choose their own classification? Do these definitions come in handy when people are 'sorting' themselves or are they there to actually categorize people?

Help or Hurt?

Last Friday, President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. Usually this award is given to individuals who have accomplished something extraordinary. Though I understand that he was given this award based on  "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" (Nobelprize.org), I can't help but wonder what he actually has accomplished. Searching the web, I found many articles saying the same thing. They all pretty much ask if this is a good or bad thing. What do you think about Obama winning the prize? Is it too soon in his presidency or will he be even more respected as a president now? President Obama said he was very surprised and humbled by his Nobel Peace Prize. I think Americans can all agree that we now expect Obama to achieve something great!
(Image via Win McNamee/Getty)

Friendly Service

My mom sent me a video link this morning from the Today show. It was a short segment featuring our local grocery store, the Grand! Every time I go to pick up grocery's there, I always get a, "Hello there! How are ya today?". Somehow, the Today show got a hold of it! This clip really put me in a good mood and it got me wondering, how does a simple hello put a smile on my face? If people would take just a second to give a smile and a wave, just think how brighter your day could be. Flashing a smile or saying have a nice day only takes a second, but the effects last so much longer. I think that this would create a better reputation for Americans as well. We, as Americans, should look up to the Grand Foods Center and learn from their friendly example! Take a look at the video below.

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Hey, Matt Lauer even says he wants to travel here just to shop at the friendly Grand!