Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Family Traditions



My family has lots of traditions but I think the best traditions are around Christmas time. I would like to talk about what we do to prepare for the Christmas season, how we sell abrade it, and what’s the best part of Christmas.
We first start preparing for Christmas at the last week of November we put up the Christmas tree, and put up the Christmas lights. When we are in the first week of December we pick names for Christmas. When we pick names we put all the names that are in are family then every one picks in a hat what person they are getting a present for. The last thing we do is around the last week of Christmas we go see the eliminating lights on temple square so we can feel the Christmas spirit.
On the day of Christmas everyone has either bought gifts for someone or like me forgets so the have to run to the store. After we come back from the store we mess around have fun play games. Then after we done messing around we go to a stake center to have a Christmas party with my extended family. their is so much good food their like all the pies you can think of, lots of different types of cookies, ice cream potatoes, pork, chips and dip and a whole lot of other great stuff. The smell when watching my mom cooking some of that stuff is hard not to eat it because is smells so good. Then we do a family talent show and anyone that wants to can sing dance and do any other talent relating to Christmas. After we get other presents and put them into a pile and we roll dice for the presents. The persons with doubles get to pick a gift. Don’t work everyone can only take one gift and their are enough gifts for everyone.
The best part of Christmas is not the presents even though it nice to get some. The best part of Christmas is spending time with your family in singing and games and just having a good time. Now that’s the real spirit of Christmas.
Prepare for the Christmas season before so its not such a hassle to do it, Remember when preparing for Christmas get your gifts early so you don’t have to worry about it, and remember the best part of Christmas.

The Batman


Batman
Batman Lee.png
Everyone knows the hero The Batman, Caped Crusader, The Dark Knight, and The Worlds Greatest Detective. I want to tell all the people that don’t already know the origins of batman, skills and abilities that make him a great hero, and the cultural impact.
As a little boy Bruce Wayne was coming out of a theater with his parents, Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha as they were walking to their car both of Bruce Wayne parents gets murdered by a mugger in front of his very eyes. This horrible tragedy in his life drives him to fight crime in Gotham City. He knows that robbers and muggers wouldn’t be afraid of him because he’s a man, so he thinks of a symbol that he was afraid of all his life (a bat) and then he becomes Batman.
Every super hero has some sort of skills that help him. Batman is a superhero that has a plethora of skills first he has a "his own scientific knowledge, detective skills, and athletic prowess." The batman is one of the world’s greatest detective. He is a master of disguise; he is able to gather a lot of information under the identity of a notorious gangster named Matches Malone. His most defining skill that he has is strong commitment to justice and unwillingness to kill any life regardless with any situation he has to deal with.
Batman has been recognized all around the world. The Guardian wrote, "Batman is a figure blurred by the endless reinvention that is modern mass culture. He is at once an icon and a commodity: the perfect cultural artifact for the 21st century." I think the reason that everyone likes Batman because he doesn’t need to have super powers to be a superhero.
 Now that you know the origins of batman, the skills that he has that makes him a hero, and cultural impact now just remember you don’t have to have superpowers to be a hero. I think its great to have a superhero to look up to because in a way it gives you strength when you most need it. I also think that it’s not really what the super looks like or have to be a superhero but what he does in tough situations that make him a superhero.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Gallagher Family Coat of Arms


There are a lot of different types of cultural symbols, the symbol I chose was my family crest because I thought it would be cool to learn about my family crest. In my research I have found out what Gallagher means and the variations of that name and its origins, what the family crest/Gallagher coat of arms mean, and lastly what is the Gallagher motto and what it means to me.
The name Gallagher originated from Ireland. Gallagher was originally derived from the Gaelic O’Gallchobhair. I remember when I was little when my dad told me that O’Gallchobhair means foreign helper or valorous victor. There are at least 30 varations of Gallagher including Gallacher, Gallager, Gallaher, Galliher, Gallaugher, Galagher, Galegher, and Goligher. The Gallagher name was one of the most common Irish surnames in the mid 20thcentury.
The Gallagher family crest has a lot of meanings because the crest itself consists of symbols. Our family crest is also known as the Gallagher coat of arms. The Gallagher coat of arms displays a black lion and it represents fierce courage, and a great warrior or chief. This lion is on a silver shield and the silver on this shield represents sincerity and peace. Underneath the lion is a green snake and the green snake represents wisdom. In Ireland the snake was also a symbol of renewal, and because of its forked tongue it is associated with the sun and lightning. Surrounding the snake are eight green trefoils these trefoils or also known as shamrocks was the symbol of perpetuity and longevity which means eternity and long life. The crest surrounds the helmet and the helmet symbolizes a wise defense. On the top of the helmet is a red crescent surrounding a green snake and this represents hope of glory, one who has been enlightened.  
Every symbol usually has a motto or a pledge with it. For an example the United States flag has the pledge of elegance. The Gallagher’s motto for the coat of arms is in Latin: Mea Gloria Fides and that means “The Faith is My Glory”. I think this motto is religious because it has the word faith in it. This motto means to me that my faith whatever it may be in is my glory.
In my research I have found amazing stuff about my family crest. The first thing I found out was what the name Gallagher meant and the different variations of that name and its origins, second I found out what the family crest/Gallagher coat of arms meant, and lastly I found out what  the Gallagher motto was and what it means to me. I think it’s so important to learn about your family history so you can know the cool things about it.

4G Ipod Touch







            Our technology in this decade has really advanced and the iPod touch 4G is proof of these advancements. I want to tell you why this product is so amazing. The iPod 4G is basically one of the smallest computers in existence today. Before I bought my iPod I researched to find out if it had a good battery life, good Wi-Fi connection, and good notes taking. As I had my iPod I have found the flaws in it too.
            Batteries are very important for any technological device, and the best batteries are the ones that last the longest. Before I bought my iPod I had asked friends that I knew, how long the battery life was. They told me at least 10 hours a day depending if I was using Wi-Fi or not. So knowing my friends are credible sources I bought one, and saw for myself that it did last 10 hours.
            Like all computers everyone wants to have a good connection to the internet or Wi-Fi. So as I bought my iPod I found out that my Wi-Fi has a strong connection. This Wi-Fi connection is great when you need to get on the internet to look up stuff. Like all computers or cell phones you don’t have a perfect connection.
            One of the most important things I thought was important about the iPod touch was that I could take notes. I know from experience that it is a lot easier to remember to do things when I have it all down on my iPod. The notes that I write down are also easier to read than my handwriting.
            With a lot of tech devices there are always a few flaws. There were flaws that I found but not a lot luckily. One of the flaws is that sometime it exits you out of the app that you are using. Another flaw is it can be very addicting and you want to us it all the time, so I try not to use it all the time so I don’t get addicted to it.
            So overall the battery life is really good because it lasts about 10 hours a day. The Wi-Fi connection is also strong and that’s really nice to have when you need to get on the internet. I like how I can take notes that I can easily look back and check what I need to do. Even with the flaws like exiting apps and the addiction to it I still think the iPod touch is still a great tool.