Matrix Fate or Free Will

The Oracle

The Matrix makes a better case for fate for a few reasons. For one, the Oracle practically gives each character their fate when they go to see her. She tells them what will happen later on whether it's good or bad news. Specifically, she tells Neo that he isn't the one but is still searching for something. This turns out to be true when Neo realizes what he has to do to be The One and save Morpheus. Similarly, she tells Trinity she will fall in love with the one. This shows a stronger case for fate because Trinity admits to loving Neo as he is dying, yet he comes back to life and fulfills the prophecy. Morpheus was told that he would find the The One and searches his entire life trying to find it. When it looks like Neo isn't it, he can't believe he missed out again. However, Neo morphs into The One and the Oracle was once again correct on her predictions. None of these characters could really do anything to make the predictions come true, the just happened. Therefore, The Matrix relies on fate rather than free will.

Trinity, The One, and Morpheus

   

Lord of the Rings and Nietzsche

1.)
Frodo Baggins- Most definitely the easiest character to choose, Frodo clearly exemplifies someone in the Ubermensch. To start, Frodo accepts the Ring from Bilbo well knowing the dangers it possess. Frodo was not afraid to take a risk and help his friend. Also, later on, after the Elves save him from a stab wound Frodo volunteers to take the Ring to Mt. Doom to destroy it. Not only is he risking his life, but he is basically ensured death on this mission. A person in the Ubermensch has to rise above the ideals of everyone else and create new values. Frodo does this by putting the lives of thousands of others before himself by creating the fellowship. Lastly, Frodo shows he is in this stage by going alone to continue the journey. When he realizes the power will draw everybody around him to evil, he ventures off alone to complete the mission.

Frodo & Aragorn

Aragorn- Not as obvious but undoubtedly a character in the Ubermensch, Aragorn repeatedly puts himself in the line of fire for the well being of the group. The unoffcial leader of the fellowship, Aragorn is the most trained and most physically able to defend others out of everyone. For instance, he saves Frodo and Sam from being killed by the 9 Riders. Additionally, at the conclusion of the movie, he convinces Frodo to leave and continue by himself. This shows he understands that he would be much safer without them and that he is above the common idea of others.

The creature Gollum

2.) This post is much harder but I'd have to say that Saruman and Gollum are two characters that aren't in the Ubermensch. These two characters do not rise above rather they conform to popular belief and are sucked into an unrewarding lifestyle. Saruman betrays Gandalf because he lost hope in everyone else and figures the only way to stay alive is to join the evil ranks. Gollum on the other hand, is addicted to the power of the Ring and follows it around everywhere. He is dependent on the Ring and cannot break free from the hold it has on him. Therefore, he is not in the Ubermensch because he totally relies on the Rings power.

Saruman using the power of the Ring

Nietzsche's Camel, Lion, and Child

     The camel in this case represents the most difficult time in the metamorphosis of the spirit. Like the reading states the spirit, "kneels down like a camel to be well loaded." This basically means the spirit is being refreshed and ready to change, similar to a camel after drinking water. Once this happens the lion is present. The lion is the symbol of action and courageousness to change, "who would conquer his freedom and master his own desert." The lion must fight the dragon in this stage and prove his worthiness to change. The dragon represents all the values that have been created and is unwilling to allow the lion to create his own. The lion must fight the dragon to ensure freedom so that others like him won't be under the dragons rule. Finally, the child is needed because it has innocence and forgetting that can allow for a new beginning. This allows the spirit to have control over his own will and the ability "to conquer the world".

The lion and dragon fighting

Mini-Blog

Pic

Plato's Cave is meant to describe the human journey. We start out as prisoners in our own life as we don't understand the point of our existence. Then people, like parents and teachers, try to show us the correct path to take in our lives. This is represented by the puppet showmen guiding our lives. However, the only way to overcome this endless cycle is to take a difficult path that might not end successfully. This is the only way to reach our true potential and live fulfilling lives. The sunlight in Plato's Cave represents this stage and is the point where people pity everyone else yet to discover themselves.

Truman Show Blog

     In the movie The Truman Show, Truman (played by Jim Carey) slowly realizes that his life isn't what it seems. Multiple instances reveal that he is being watched and that his life is practically fake. Everyone he knows is an actor and his playing a specific role in Truman's life. Truman doesn't realize this because it has been happening all his life. One woman in particular, keeps Truman from settling down, as she was a cast member that went against what the script had in store. This motivation fuels Truman to discover the creepy truth about his life.
     As the viewers find out quickly, Truman's life is a television show that is streamed non-stop to the rest of the country. A huge dome is built somewhere and its the fake reality Truman lives in. We learn later on that Christof, the creator of the show, is in charge of everything that goes on in his life. In this case Christof is the deceiver because he is responsible for Truman's false identity. Like Descartes idea, the deceiver is in charge of installing fake things in a persons life. In this case, Truman's entire lifestyle is fake as everything was precisely designed to shape his life.
     Throughout the movie Truman struggles to understand what is real and what isn't. He ends up realizing that everything is fake and that nobody can be trusted. However, similar to what Descartes stated, Truman can trust he is real because he knows he exists. Although it sounds strange, Truman has to trust himself and his instincts because he is the only that is genuine. To figure out the truth Truman must overcome everything he has ever known and do what feels right. This is a challenge because he doesn't know anything else, yet he must take a chance in order to have his questions answered. Truman does in fact do this and ends up saving himself from misery for the rest of his life.   

Buddhism

     When Phil Connors sees he is stuck in time on Groundhog Day, he isn't too happy. He made it clear beforehand that he hated the small town and wanted to get in-and-out as soon as possible. When the day keeps happening and he can't find a way out, Phil becomes extremely depressed, even to the point he tries to kill himself. However, once he understands he can't leave Punxsutawney he decides to end his suffering and be nicer to people.One thing I noticed relates to the Second Noble Truth and Phil's suffering. He wanted desperately to leave just so he could go back to his hometown and be the hot-shot weatherman. His desire, and attachment to leave caused his suffering because he never gave the town a chance, he thought he was too good for those people. He became frustrated when he couldn't leave and couldn't find a way out. Although, this changes when he learns to give back to all the people he once loathed or didn't care about. For instance, Phil buys basically all the insurance there is off of Ned Ryerson, even though he was annoying him numerous times before. Also, Phil saves a man he never met before from choking. This shows that he forgot about his ego and learned to be a help to others in the town. Finally, when Phil learned to accept that he will never leave is the same time he started being nice to people. Like the Third Noble Truth states, "Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases." Phil realizes he'll never go back home so his suffering ceases, and then he turns out to be a great guy that helps many people out. Because of his kind actions, Phil becomes Enlightened and is content with his life.

Stages of Grief

Stage: Denial
Event: Hears same radio announcement, looks out his hotel room window and sees same car turning the corner, is in disbelief.
Explanation: At first Phil thinks the radio station is just playing the wrong audio, however that changes when he looks out his window and sees exactly what he saw yesterday. Doesn't believe it until the day turns out exactly the same as the day before.

Stage: Anger
Event: Punching Ned

Ned greeting Phil

Explanation: During his reliving of Groundhog Day Phil meets up with an "old friend" named Ned. Very quickly we learn Ned is energetic yet annoying and tries to talk to Phil about everything in his life. Phil escapes this encounter by scurrying off but not before stepping into a muck-filled pothole. As the day keeps happening over and over Phil tries different ways to avoid Ned. However, one day before they even get a chance to talk, Phil socks him in the face, not wanting to go through the process again, and clearly showing his anger about his current state.

Stage: Bargaining
Event: Phil stealing the money
Explanation: According to psychcentral.com bargaining is " the reaction to helplessness and vulnerability is a need to regain control." At this point, Phil understands the day is repeating itself and knows every little detail that happens in the town and uses this to his advantage. He sees a money delivery being interrupted by a waitress from the local diner. Phil times it just right where nobody is paying attention, and he avoids getting struck by a car to walk over and take the money. We later see he used this money to rent a limo, and buy a cowboy outfit to go see a movie. Phil wanted to take back some control in his life when he stole the money, so he could feel happy again and forget about the helpless state he's in.

Stage: Depression
Event: Attempting to commit suicide

One of the many ways Phil tries to kill himself.

Explanation: Sick of reliving the same day and finding no other way to escape this nightmare, Phil tries to kill himself. The only problem is he wakes up the next day just like every other day before that. He tries multiple different ways ranging from driving off a cliff to jumping off a building, but none of these work as he still wakes up exactly the same. Phil is so depressed because he sees no end to this cycle and wants to move on, but there just isn't a possible way.




Stage: Acceptance
Event: Being nice to Larry, and Rita
Explanation: After his failed attempts to end his life, Phil realizes that he might as well change his ways if he's going to be stuck here forever. Before this whole thing, Phil was a jerk to almost everybody and he only cared about himself. However, after an emotional talk with Rita he comes to the conclusion that he isn't a nice guy. As a result he starts treating others around town with more respect. For instance, he brings Larry and Rita coffee and donuts before the shoot, he builds an ice sculpture, changes an old lady's tire and even plays the piano at a community party. Phil realizes that even though he may never leave this day in time, he is making others feel appreciated and enjoying the effort he puts in. This causes Rita to change her feelings towards Phil and they end up spending the night together. Much to Phil's enjoyment, when the clock strikes 6:00 am, she is right there beside him.

The curse is over

Hobbes and Hunger Games

Philosopher Hobbes

     According to Hobbes chaos or a "state of nature" is present when "there is a lack of authority and there exists a perpetual state of war". In the Hunger Games movie, it could be argued both ways that a state of nature exists.Hobbes even says "To this war of every man against every man this also is consequent, that nothing can be unjust". There are many factors that can support each claim so in my opinion, I don't think there is a right or wrong viewpoint.

Cornucopia Bloodbath

     To start, the Hunger Games show this idea when all the tributes enter the arena. In it there are no laws, and no justice system. Each person is free to do whatever it takes to stay alive and win the Games, including killing others. Hobbes stated, "Where there is no common power, there is no law; where no law, no injustice".  This applies directly to the Games because there is no central power, rather everyone is on their own trying to stay alive. Therefore, nobody is breaking any laws if there are none to begin with. Also, Hobbes talks about a state of war, which is pretty self explanatory, that is evident in the movie. The best example is at the beginning when half of the tributes are killed near the Cornucopia. The scene is similar to a war battle because people are being brutally murdered and bodies lying all over the ground. 

Gamesmaker lounge

     On the opposite side of the argument, the Games are controlled by the Capitol and are designed to kill the tributes. In fact, there is a person in charge of monitoring the entire Games called the Gamesmaker, and Seneca Crane had this job. They had this huge screen that showed where every tribute was and what they were doing at that time. They could also create scenarios to influence the decisions of the tributes. For instance, they created a large fire to move Katniss towards the other group. This aspect isn't a state of nature because the Capitol is controlling what happens inside the arena. Additionally, before the Games actually begin, each of the tributes get treated like they are celebrities and are given luxurious things. Katniss and Peeta are brought to the Capitol on a train with what looks like a buffet of food, and once they get there they stay in a penthouse suite. Quite the opposite treatment of what one would originally think before fighting it out to the death. The Capitol just wants to put on a good show as well as send a message to each of the districts.

Machiavelli and President Snow

President Snow

     If Machiavelli was around to see The Hunger Games, I think he would agree with some of the actions President Snow took in the movie. Machiavelli argued that if the choice came down to being feared or loved, it is better to be feared. His reasoning was "fear preserves you by a dread of punishment, which never fails". He basically is saying that the fear of punishment keeps people from doing anything to upset the person they fear.

      President Snow shows it's better to be feared by creating the Hunger Games. These games take a man and women (Tributes) from each of the twelve districts and have them fight it out to the death. These games are highly publicized as famous people serve as sponsors to help each of the tributes survive. They are also recorded for the public to see as the action is happening, like a T.V show! He explains at the Reaping video that there was a rebellion a long time ago and that was the reason for the creation of the Games. Now people are afraid of rebelling because they might get chosen for the Games.

"Too much hope is dangerous"

     Another aspect of The Hunger Games is the fact that the victors of each games get treated so well. According to The Hunger Games Wiki, victors get paid for life from the Capitol, receive special status in their own District, and living arraignments in the Victors Village. These prizes  give each tribute a sense of hope, and President Snow says hope is very important in the purpose of the Games. "Why don't we just line up 24 people and execute them all at once, it'd be easier...hope is the only thing stronger than fear, but too much hope is dangerous". The conversation pictured is about how each tribute gives their District hope and that is another reason they don't rebel. In this case though, Katniss might be giving them too much hope.
     Finally, Machiavelli stated hatred should be avoided because "he can endure very well being feared whilst not hated". In other words, people can still put up with you if you're feared. However, in this case being hated will only fuel a rebellion. An example is the riot in District 11 after Rue died. Those people hated the Capitol for forcing a little girl with practically no chance of winning to compete in the Games. So as a result, they started a riot that the Capitol ended shortly after.

District 11 riot

Bergson's Blog

Cameron defending Meryl Streep

Henri Bergson's theory on comedy states that people laugh at certain things because of the anti-social behavior being displayed. In other words, when we see others doing things that we normally wouldn't see, we laugh because of the different behavior. Also, another aspect is the fact that we would never do some of these things and are surprised when another person does it. This applies to some things people say as well because most people wouldn't think of saying these things, so therefore we find it funny. An example of this is Cameron Tucker from Modern Family. This instance applies to the theory because we normally would not expect a middle aged man to defend Meryl Streep, so when he does we find it odd and laugh at the unusual comment. The way he says in the episode also adds to the comedy of the moment.

Thanksgiving Friendship

A friendship that I can connect to Aristotles concepts is with my friend Larry Carney. I've known Larry since freshman year and I've gotten to know a lot about him. We first met at cross country practice while we were still considering staying on the team as freshman. One day he came up to me and just started talking about running and since then we've been great friends. So we decided to stick with running and it turned out to be a great decision for both of us. We became captains this year and lead our team to a state championship. Also, he became one of the best runners ever at Lowell High by finishing 4th at the All-State meet, the second best finish ever by a Lowell High runner. I would put this friendship in the pleasantness category because we both enjoy hanging out together and have common interests that we can debate about. I'm thankful I met Larry because we made memories that I'll never forget.

Holding the championship trophy

Aristotles Friendship

The dynamic duo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Utility- The first example is when two people benefit from having one another around. One example is Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. They both need each other in order to do their jobs successfully. Brady needs Gronk to catch his passes and score, while Gronk needs Brady to pass it to him and move the team down field. When they are both on their game, it's a scary combination.







 Pleasantness- The next example is when two people are attracted to each others good looks or other pleasant qualities. An example of this is Penny and Leonard from The Big Bang Theory. Penny is attracted to him because of his intelligence and his chivalrous personality towards her. Leonard is attracted to her because of her amazing looks and her outgoing personality. At first look, you wouldn't think these two would make a good couple but they actually do, and are engaged for marriage.

Leonard and Penny

 Perfect friendship- The last example is when two people admire each others goodness and strive to help one another to reach that goodness. A great example of that is Woody and Buzz from Toy Story. At first Woody gets jealous of Buzz for stealing Andy's attention away from him. However, after a scuffle underneath a pizza delivery truck they come to terms and end up being best of friends. In fact, later in the movie they are strapped to the back of a lit firework in order to save the other members of their gang. Slowly these two create a bond that lasts to infinity and beyond!

A classic combination

Harry Potter House Assignment

Hufflepuff Crest

Beginning my first year at Hogwarts would without a doubt be pretty cool. However, I would be worried, like Harry, about what house I would be assigned into. After doing some research and identifying my character traits I believe I would be a great fit in the Hufflepuff house.

The post on Wikispaces described a Hufflepuff as "Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil." I think this a dead-on description of who I am, and what I try to be. To be specific, I believe the traits of loyalty and courage (unafraid of toil) are the two that match my personality the best.

I am a part of the Cross Country team at the high school (ALL-STATE CHAMPS by the way) and we have a little saying that everyone on the team knows. The coaches say that to be apart of the team you have to be "consistent, reliable, and loyal". This saying has many interpretations, but I always thought loyal was the most important word in it. A loyal person keeps his promises to others, doesn't leave people hanging when they are in need, and they certainly do not forget where they came from. I try to be loyal to my teammates and friends at all times because I know that how important it is to be a good friend or teammate. Another aspect I just thought of was doing things that you might not want to do, but you know is the right thing. An example I have is going along with Deprofio to the school visits around Lowell. Its not the most fun thing but I know how much the kids look up to us high-schoolers so I go along anyway. It's one thing to say you'll do something, it's quite another to actually do it.

The second trait of courage is one that I value very highly. Being a senior and one of the older kids on my teams, I'm looked upon by younger kids trying to find their way in high school. A responsibility that goes along with this is talking to my teammates and encouraging/motivating them to stay positive and try their best. The only problem with this is that I'm not the most outgoing person so my style has to be adjusted a little in order to be a good leader. This is the best example I have of being courageous because I had to break out of my shell and be a more vocal leader. This also relates to what I said earlier about doing things you don't want to do. At first, I was very nervous I wouldn't be a good leader, but as the year went by it got easier, and I got more comfortable with it. Finally, another less serious example of being courageous is when I got my mohawk. I never had a haircut like that before, and I was wary it would come out bad. As it turns out though, I liked it and other people said it looked cool too. Maybe I should try different things more often.

My XC mohawk

  
 To summarize, based on the character traits given and the examples I provided, I would be a great fit in the Hufflepuff house at Hogwarts.

Kierkegaards Blog

Josh is Done

One of the best shows of my generation, Drake and Josh, has numerous examples of two opposing characters in Kierkegaards stages. The ethical character in this show would be Josh, and the aesthetic character would be Drake. These two brothers would constantly go back and forth at each-other for various reasons. Most of the time Drake would do something and Josh would have to freak out and then fix whatever he did. One example would be when Drake and Josh were temporarily, no longer brothers. In this episode Drake forgets to wait for Josh going to school, and as a result Josh misses his final test. When Drake gets home Josh angrily announces that he's "Done" with Drake. They end up avoiding each-other until Drake makes it up to him. The point is however that Drake thought he could do whatever he wants. The reason he left Josh was to get to school early and have a make-out session. Josh pointed it out to him that he made a conscious choice and knew he forgot Josh. Josh was done with Drake doing this to him so he made a choice to no longer have a close relationship with Drake.

Post Race Feelings

milesplitma.com

 

     Yesterday my team participated in the Amherst Invitational at Hampshire College. It was a cross country race with over 25 teams from 4 different states. Our team had two teams (13 runners) in the varsity race, and various runners in the JV and Freshman race. Scoring for cross country is similar to golf, the lowest score wins, and your overall place in the race determines the point value. The top five runners for each team are scored and compared with other teams. Unfortunately, our varsity A team and JV team came in second, while the Frosh finished first. After the race was when I had a conflict Kant would categorize into desire and duty.
     I finished about 30th in the race and was the sixth man for the A team. I ran a personal record 5k time of 16:42 which I was glad about, but there was one thing that bothered me. Right in front of me there was two kids from the same that edged me out. Those kids were from Danbury, CT and were favored to win, so I was afraid that those kids in front of me would win their team the race. Two points in cross country could be the difference between a win and a loss.
     Therefore, I was quite upset that I couldn't muster the energy to pass them. So as a result, I walked away pretty upset and didn't talk to anyone from my team. When I got back to my teams spot, I threw a lollipop I was given into the wall and kind of hid myself from the team. I think this would be my desire for the conflict aspect, I was upset and didn't want to talk to anyone. At that moment though, my moral duty took over and I started to calm down. I'm a senior captain and I knew that making a scene and pouting wouldn't be the best example. So after that, I started to relax and talk to my coaches and teammates, and I found out we did lose to Danbury, but I would not have made a difference passing those kids. It still was disappointing but not the end of the world.
     The categorical imperative of that whole situation was being a good leader to my teammates even though I wasn't 100% satisfied. I think Kant would agree because being a baby when your supposed to be looked upon for advice isn't the correct way to act. I know I probably shouldn't have ignored my teammates at first but I still fired up from the race. At least I did change my attitude before It was too late.

Aristotle Character Types

Aristotle Character Types

Virtuous: A person who displays Virtuous character traits in my world is Sue Heck from The Middle. Sue is the middle child out of three and is the only girl. Because of this she is constantly overlooked and ignored by her parents and other siblings. Regardless of that, Sue has an incredible personality and tries her hardest in everything she does. Although her athletic ability is practically nonexistent, she has tried-out for every team at her high school. She even creates her own club called the "Wrestlerettes" which are cheerleaders for the wrestling team. A specific example of her showing Virtuous character is when Sue creates a huge hole in her room wall and tells her parents right away because they just got it fixed. Her siblings were strongly suggesting she hide it but she told the truth.

Continent: A person that displays the Continent character is Phil Dunphy from Modern Family. Phil is a father of three and a real-estate agent that shows his unique personality throughout the show. He is constantly trying to be a fun-loving dad while at the same time the good husband to his wife Claire. Sometimes his outgoing nature blinds him of the facts that are right in front of him. An example of Phil being Continent is when his ex-girlfriend visits the house and starts seducing him. She tries to convince him to meet at a motel but he declines even though it is evident he was thinking of going.

Incontinent: A character that displays Incontinent character is Officer Ramirez from The Dark Knight. Although she was a minor character in the movie she had a major role in the plot. In short, she is bribed by the Joker to get Harvey Dent captured and tied up, which ultimately turns him into Two-Face. Earlier in the movie, the Joker made a threat to blow up a hospital if Batman didn't reveal himself. When he didn't Joker did in fact blow it up however, Ramirez's grandmother was in the hospital and was removed because of the threat. As a result, her bills piled up and she couldn't afford to have her grandmother moved. The Joker knew this and bribed her with money to help with his master plan. We find out this whole plan later on from Ramirez when Two-Face threatens to kill her.

Vicious: A Vicious character I found was Loki from Thor. Loki is Thors half-brother that turns out to be the villian in the movie. At first he was Thor's ally, but once he found out he was born a Frost-Giant (Thor's enemy species) and was turned into a God like Thor he lost it. He was extremely upset at their father King Odin and turned on his family. He shows he is truly vicious when he gives the Frost Giants a way to get into a secret chamber that has the power casket, which gives endless power to whomever has it. The only reason this plan fails is because The Destroyer kills the two thieves before they can get away.

The Summer of 2014

The past summer was quite memorable. It certainly wasn't how I thought it would go, but it still ended up being pretty fun. I wanted this summer to be a good one seeing it would be my last public school summer vacation. Just typing that makes me feel old. Anyway, the two most memorable things I did this summer was play in the Bay State Games for hockey, and go to a friends lake house in Lake George, New York. I'll get into the major news stories after my stories.

The Bay State Games is a huge organization that basically holds their own version of the Olympic Games in Massachusetts. There are many different sports that are available to play ranging from basketball, to archery. I participated in the ice hockey games for team Northeast. There were five different regions: Northeast, Central, Metro, West, and Coastal. Anyone from these regions could try-out to be on these teams, the only rule was you couldn't be a senior the past school year. The year before I made the team so I didn't have to try-out again. Once the team was picked we had a few practices at the Burlington Ice Palace, the home rink to the coach, and then it was off to the Foxboro Sports Center. This tournament went from Thursday to Sunday and consisted of at least 5 games, so there was a lot of hockey to be played. The top team got a bye into the Gold Medal game and everyone else fought to either play in that game or the Bronze Medal game. After a 2-2 preliminary round record my team was the 3rd seed and had to play Metro to see what medal we were playing for. It ended with us losing and playing for Bronze which actually wasn't bad because the 1 seed, Central beat us 10-1 earlier in the tournament so that definietly would have been a loss. The Bronze Medal game was Northeast v. Coastal, a team we beat before. After a tight game in regulation, and a late goal to tie up the score, it required over-time. Again, over-time was back and forth with many chances on both ends. However, two penalties against Coastal proved to be deadly. With a 5 on 3 power-play, I was sent on to complete a special play off the face-off. Then just as planned, my center-man won the draw and I came in dragged it around him, and closed my eyes and shot. It went in! I scored the winning goal to clinch the Bronze Medal game for my team. I was so excited that we won it after a long and exhausting weekend of hockey. I certainly will remember that moment for as long I live.

My other exciting thing I did this summer was stay at a friends lake house in Lake George, New York. Lake George is a major attraction center in New york state, and it's only 25 minutes from Saratoga. For 4 days and nights my entire family stayed at a quiet lake house and bonded, if you want to call it that. After the whole experience, I would say the worst part was probably the car ride. Everything else was fun and relaxing, so I would go back again. To summarize the trip, the first day we climbed Prospect Mtn, the second day we played mini-golf, the next day we walked around town and played mini-golf, and the last day we packed up and left. It was a nice trip to get away from the confines of Lowell and experience other parts of the country. I have to say though that it was weird seeing all the Yankee and Mets apparell in the stores. We didn't do everything we wanted due to time and money, but it was still better than staying home. My favorite part was climbing the mountain. I've always liked hiking, and that was the first time with the whole family. In fact, that was my first hike in three years so I was glad to get back out there. Overall, it was a fun trip that was a memorable experience for the whole family.

This summer was filled with interesting local, and national news stories that won't soon be forgotten. The first and probably most publicized story was the Market Basket saga. Longtime CEO Arthur T. Demoulas was voted off the Board of Directors in late June, and that lead to some nastyness. About a month later, customers and employees started a boycott that ranged throughout most if not all stores. This boycott left stores empty for about 6 weeks, and forced people to find new stores to shop at. All the while, the Board still wouldn't reinstate "Artie T" as he was called, and the company was losing millions everyday the boycott continued. However, just 2 weeks ago, the Board decided to sell the majority of the company back to Artie T and end the boycott. The rallying support of the customers and employees ulimately saved the company from being bought out.                     

CNN.com

 

 

 Another national news story that effected millions of people was the death of beloved actor, Robin Williams. On August 11, Williams took his own life and died of asphyxiation in his home in California. Williams was a versatile actor that appeared in many famous films including, Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, Jumanji, and Mrs. Doubtfire. Williams was loved for his energetic and boisterous personality and his uncanny ability to make people laugh. After his death it was revealed that he was experiencing the early symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, but wasn't ready to share publicly. To conclude, Robin Williams death not only effected those close to him, but also the numerous fans that loved his work.

Time.com