Alameda: my home (reflection)

As I strolled down looking for a blog post to reflect upon, one caught my eye which was about the island that I live on, Alameda. It was a reflection done by david su titled do god bless alameda.

"I am shocked. If anything, Alameda is the coolest place to be and just because you do not like it here, does not make it dumb or stupid or anything like that. I am tired of people calling Alameda bad names. ... Just because people live in Oakland and it’s where all the “cool people” live, does not make everywhere else dumb ... (My dad works in Oakland and he has seen people get shot but he loves it there and he says he would not want to work anywhere in the world but in Oakland but you do not see him talking trash about Alameda.)"

I am not surprised that rokhsor is so shocked on the account of criticizing Alameda. I too have heard several cases of negative insults about alameda that do not make any sense. No one should regret living in alameda for many reasons on is that alameda is one of the United States’s safest cities. I can walk around at night and have little to worry about due to the safety my small city provides me with. It has many parks and has a sandy shoreline beach. Alameda to me has all the ingredients that can provide me with a relaxing life.

However, all of alameda’s goodliness and lack of criminal activity can cause several people to experience extreme boredom. But that kind of fun never lasts forever and sadly many find out the hard way if they manage to make through it. Alameda is the city a few of the Alameda Science and Technology Institute teachers many and students live in, so insulting you hometown sounds a bit weird. But even though there are a few today who might dislike alameda, a large amount of them will probably change their minds. Alameda is an island that holds many memories of the past, something no one would like to through away into the trash.

 

Warriors Dont Cry: Final Post

Warriors Dont Cry: final post
The school year is half way over, and it feels great to finally start winter break! Unfortunately, my final group discussion on Warriors Don’t Cry was a very poor one with very little covered, probably because it was still early in the morning and it was only a couple hours until we started or break. Only a few questions and bam we went off topic.

However, my group and I did manage to at least get some stuff covered. We answered some of the questions I brought up like “do you think that melba did the right thing to go to Central High where she was poorly and racially treated?”. I thought of some reasonable answers for that question. I think she did the right thing in going to Central High even though there was such dirty mistreatment thrown at her. I believe that if she did not go to Central High, the segregationists would have been the winners of that battle. But by continuing her attendance and Central High, Melba was like pointing her middle finger up say you can not stop me, making her a true warrior.

Another topic we spoke about was the usage of the term “nigger”, particularly in today’s society. Gina mentioned that if a black person called another black person a “nigger”, he/she would not really care and take it as a typical joke. However, if a white person called a black person a “nigger”, the reactions most likely would be totally different. We discussed why it is this way, but one of the only answers we were able to think of was culture and society. We concluded that this depends on the society and era you are in. during the times when this story took place, many white  people would fearlessly call a black person a “nigger” and in many cases that was what their race was called, to insult or not. Marther Luther king junior for example would usually call African Americans “negro” and he was not trying to be insulting. Today in our society calling someone a “nigger” would be considered strong foul language.

Worriors Dont Cry post 2

unequality
Passing the second paper clip I placed in Warriors Don’t Cry, the story to me just keeps on adding up. Melba, the main character who is an African American girl attending Central High, becomes victimized and mistreated due to the heavy racism and hatred many white students have for her. Due to her courage to resist such dirty racism, I believe Melba is becoming a very strong warrior. To me, this story gives me an idea of how a society thinks and judges others. During our discussion my group brought up some interesting topics and questions. We even were able to state a few level 3 questions which is not an easy task to accomplish. There was an interesting question in particular that Gina brought up which I now have a response to. We spoke about the racist mistreatment Melba had, and by the end Gina asked if there are still such terrible acts in our present day society. If there was a little more time and the answer came to me at that time, I would name a 21^st century mistreatment that kills over 25% of the United States population and sadly our president is trying to legalize this form of cruelty. Sadly, it can take generations until a society will stop and think what they are up to. It took a while for our society to realize slavery was morally wrong. It took a while until segregation was eliminated. And today’s society, the one we now live in? Well there are many ways people are misjudged which leads to mistreatment. There is mistreatment for gay people and people of certain beliefs. But one rolling in my mind which is far worse than all of the mistreatments combined abortion. I know many would just go mad if I mentioned it, but eventually they will need to find the truth. In the past, if a southerner mentioned about a free African American, the people near by would probably get enough and for some, greatly provoked. If someone tried to help an African American in a Jim crow society, the helper would frequently be called a “nigger-lover” and even beaten (like in the book To Kill a Mocking Bird.). But like in every story, what is right will always win, eventually. On day our society will view gay mistreatment as a “Jim Crow era” for homosexuals and abortion as a “21^st century holocaust” since it is the act of KILLING an innocent child. Sadly change can take a while to occur. We might not live our lives to see these changes, but what is right is right, and whoever is right is always victorious.

an argument about argument:reflection

After reading a response that attempted once again to prove me wrong but failed, i found an interesting blog named the cat with crossed paws that had an interesting topic and start, but i found a few things that i found worth "arguing" about.

Argument is the root of all evil. A force opposing your own. And idea, a feeling, a person, an opinion. No, argument does not always escalate into something big, but it often turns your opponent more against you than they were before you fought.

True there are frequently arguments that are childish which just hold you and your opponent behind like ‘who will get the last cookie’ or ‘this belongs me’, but not all the arguments that occur(ed) are to be considered roots of “evil". Arguments sometimes go out of hand and suddenly you are in chaos and violence. A simple argument can at times add up to a war. However, argument is not always the root of all evil, but rather the seed of all goodness.

The main reason of argument is to prove or point out to someone into agreeing or disagreeing. if you argue that something is not the way it should be, then is arguing still evil? Was it wrong for the northerners of the United States to argue that slavery is wrong? Was it wrong for Rosa Parks to argue and refuse to give up her seat? Was it wrong for America to argue against the Crown? Was it wrong for women to argue for equal rights like voting? Is it wrong to argue for your rights and equality? Well the answers to these questions all share the same conclusion; argument is necessary and that it is not always the wrong thing to do.

If we do not argue, then things usually just remain the same. Staying the same is not always the best thing to do. All societies have issues that they need to deal and end with. Avoiding argument would just keep those problems flowing about.

Argument is like standing up for what you believe is to be the truth, though not all that we believe/agree in is the correct answer.  

Brzmi podobnie, ale są zupełnie różne

Brzmi podobnie, ale są zupełnie różne

Do you ever get misjudged by others for who you are based on your appearance? Well this has happen to me so many times. Frequently whenever I am in public and when I speak Polish to my parents (they ignore me if I do not), someone in the public would assume that my family and I are Russian.  In kasia’s blog which she titled TKR blog post #2: Russia hating gives an example of this race identification error when she spoke about the event in the restaurant for someone’s birthday.

“What language are you speaking in?”
I told him that we were speaking in Polish.
“Is that where you are from? Poland?” He asked us. We told him yes- that we were one hundred percent Polish.
“Oh, I am so sorry for mistreating you!” He exclaimed. “I thought you were speaking Russian. I thought you were from Russia!”

 We always correct them stating that we are purely POLISH, not RUSSIAN, because to me personally I feel insulted in a sense. Racists or not, Russian leaders have frequently been doing wrong cruel things like torturing Poland throughout history, so having a nationality like that prevents having pride in the leaders of the past.There is a difference between Polish and Russian. True both languages are Slavic and might have a few words that sound alike the other, but Poles use a Latin based alphabet with additional letters of their own (like ą, ę, ź, and ł) while Russia has a total different system of its own. To prove my point I will compare the phrase “how are you?” between the two Slavic languages.

Russian: Как поживаете?

Polish: Jak się masz?

You can easily see a huge difference between the two. The two languages sound and look different from one another. It is like comparing the Japanese language with the Chinese language. Poles and Russians have been hating each other and treating each other as opposite races for centuries so the great difference between the two languages is very easy to understand.

group talk: warriors dont cry

group talk: warriors dont cry
We managed to cover many things during the group discussion we had last Friday.
I have a lot to say about the discussion my group had about our book, Warriors Don't Cry written by Melba Pattillo Beals. Even though I am reading a shorten version of the original, I still got the major events which made it possible for me to participate. Even though I did not answer as many questions as some of the other members in my group, I asked most of the questions. However, due to the limited amount of time we had, I was not able to ask all the questions I had in mind. Some of the questions I would have brought up include

• Does such severe inequality still exist in today's society?
• Do you believe that what Melba is doing is worth the risk?
• How does the title relate to the book?
• What caused the severe racism to last for such a long time?

I got several of my questions like “why is there such strong racism in Little Rock (Melba’s hometown) and none in Ohio?” answered. My group responded with some thoughtful answers. They told me that most of it is caused by history and decisions of the past. Arkansas, where most of the severe racism Melba experienced, was once a state open to slavery while Ohio was against. Due to Arkansas’s support of slavery, racism and mistreatment from white people to African Americans was common and difficult to avoid. Ohio was a free state that was against slavery therefore racism on African Americans was not as strong. But their answers were not at the mark since their thoughts could have been proven wrong.

If we had some additional time, I might have brought up the question that asked about our modern day society and I would have my own answer to it. We still have racism through our jokes (insults to be more accurate), and excluding/judging others based on their race and religion. Jokes are jokes when they are not used to insult others. But when it goes too far, it can become a nasty insult. But today we have our “racism” not based on skin color but by age. Our president wants to legalize murder to whoever is within a certain age, so right now we have not gone so far at all.

how the Garcia girls lost ther accents: final

Many men of the past and today frequently have seen themselves superior to women, though this thought is not as frequently used as it once was. men can be blinded to abuse their “power” and behave as if women have no rights over them, making it easier for many to mistreat women. But the mistreatment is mostly based on the society they live in. women today have far more rights and respect than they have in the past like the right to vote and equal payment for the employed. But true equality has not been reached yet. The reason for Julia Alvarez to write the book “How the Garcia Girls lost their Accents” was to prove that the issue of sexism still exists in her society and the world is not the safest place to live in during the late 1900s.

While living in the Dominican republic (their home country) and the united states, the parents, Carlos and Laura, raised four girls named Carla, Sandra, Yolanda and Sofia. But as you can notice, they had no sons. Whenever someone asked if Carlos and Laura had any children, they would respond “one, two, three, four girls” (page 40) and to that response the person would additionally ask “No sons?”  and the mother would say “No” apologetically”(page 41). Note that this question was not asked only once but frequently throughout the book. The “apologically” part in their response makes it sound as if the mother was ashamed to have only daughters and no sons.

As the girls aged from teenagers into young adults in the American society, they were pure pressured into having sex which they manage to resist. During her early years of college, Yolanda developed a relationship with a classmate who went by Rudolf Brodermann Elmenhurst but Rudy for short. The relationship had a decent start with one respecting each other. But as days went by, things did not become as Yolanda expected to be. Rudy had a kind attitude for Yolanda, but eventually it turned out that was not the true reason for rudy’s kindness. He ask her “ We have been going out for a month… when’s it going to be right?” and as five years went by he came back and told her “I’ve waited 5 years… lets just fuck [sex]” (page103). After Yolanda refused to have sex with him, Rudy simply just left. This indicates that he was just using her. He did not truly have a relationship with her but rather used her. Though he probably knew what he was doing was wrong, he being a man in his society might of blinded him into thinking he had the right to do so.

Some men abused their power as husbands. Fifi (Sofia) married someone who did not give her that much respect. Her sister encouraged Fifi to leave him due to his poor character and respect towards Fifi like when he slammed what Fifi was reading out of her hands. Because of his rude temper and disrespect, the girls made fun of him by make a loud humming noise whenever he was mentioned.

Another possible purpose of Alvarez writing this book was to also point out that the world’s society is not a very safe one. Their homeland was becoming dangerous explaining their escape to the united states. In the Dominican republic the Garcia girls and their parents were getting into deep trouble. Their father was becoming one of their wanted targets. This spiked some men to frequently patrol their home, searching  for Carlos while he holds his breath in the humid closet. No one would like to live this lifestyle. The dangers of the Dominican republic drove the Garcia family out and arrive to the united states which promised them some more safety and a better life.

 Though the united states was not as life threatening as the Dominican republic, it still was not the safest place to be. There were several troubling men strolling around their society making it not  the safest place to be in. Carla witnessed one of theses troubled men and became extremely terrified. She was not able to tell what she witnessed because of the fear she dealed with. Yolanda was frightened in the American society so she frequently would take birth control pills. In the united states during their time (and even today) it was not that difficult to find certain drugs. Sandra got exposure to marijuana and gave some to the rest of her sisters. Luckily their mother found out and drugs were that much of a big issue for the girls. Moving to the United states also was not that easy for the rest of the family. Not only did they need to learn a new language but also adapt to a new society. Carlos changed when they moved to the united states due to the difficulties they had to face. In the Dominican republic Carlos played small games with the girls and had somewhat a happy character. However due to the departure of their home country Carlos became tempered. No longer did he play with Yolanda as he once did, but rather was provoked enough to insult Yolanda’s piece of poetry stating that is not true and rude and he a rip it into peaces, thought later on he confessed that what he did was wrong.

Safety and sexism are two major issues that Julia Alvarez was trying to address in her book. She described how life and the society was like in both the Dominican republic and the united states. She pointed out that both societies had several weaknesses that made large negative impacts on the lives of many, particularly the lives of women. Alvarez stated the dangers many were in risk of facing like the agents just taking a family member (or the entire family) away to prison which the Garcia family was in risk of facing. Though these issues are not as dreadful as they once were, they still impact the lives of many

final post for the Garcia girls

The sophomore class has finally completed the book "How the Garcia girls lost their accents" and due to reading the entire story to the very end, it has become less difficult to summarize and understand what happen. I believe that the story in general was not that terrible as many of my classmates did. On the scale of 1-10, I would give it at max a 5.

 The author, Julia Alvarez, was creative to write her story in reversed chronological order. To me, it felt as if I was reading a mystery book, trying to get to the bottom of things and how did it come to be. The main problem was that it was not exactly like a mystery book. The author stated several things about the main character at the beginning of the story and yet she lacked explanation and reasoning for why and how things happened. I did not find the story that confusing. All it took was some additional thinking since we are more familiar in reading books at are in chronological order and the order of events are more easy to be noticed. This is one type of reading I do not usually read (if I read at all).

Earlier in the book it was more difficult to deeply understand what was going on. We, the readers, did not get that much information on the main characters’ personality.  So like detectives, we had to assume and guess based on the “evidence” we read from the book to determine who did what and why. We did not really understand why the father behaved angrily and stubbornly at the start of the book until later on in the book where it spoke about the moving to America

But each stage in the reversed chronological order shared a similarity. Throughout each part, the character’s environment made a strong impact on their personality. When the girls lived in the United States, their attitude became ruder than it once was. They tried to blend in and did so by trying marijuana and they were pressured into having sex which they managed to resist.

theories are not always facts

theories are not always facts

After pionting out Stan needed some revision due to many false statements, Elizabeth O.  commented which attempted to prove me wrong with theories (with a very rude voice), but yet she proved herself wrong.

there's such things as prokaryotic cells that don't have nuclei. Scientist have made amino acids from scratch in a lab before, with the organic materials they are made from plus a little electricity. Then theres also a theory about asteroids carrying cells and bacteria from somewhere else. (that would also bring up the question of why there is life on other planets.)
and then there is the big bang. there doesn't need to be a 'creator' for that. seriously. what if it came from a parallel universe?

Prokaryotic cells. Even they are complex. Do YOU know biology because I do. True they lack a nucleolus (I did not deny that) but instead they have a nucleoid. Your statement does not make prokaryotic cells are extremely simple. They too have some of the parts of the cell include cytoplasm, cell membrane and  ribosome just to name a few FEW. to remind you, i got this image from wikipedia




Plus the scientists you spoke about did not create an amino acid. They replicated it. You say that cells possibly traveled on asteroids from somewhere else. Well just like I said about water, where is this somewhere? And tell me, how did the bacteria become so before going on that asteroid? Tell me, how did those bacteria on the asteroid came to be in the first place. The theories you stated all sound as if there IS a creator like “what if it came from a parallel universe?”. Tell me, how did the big bang possibly start from nothing? Stating that the big bang does not need a creator is like saying a jigsaw puzzle does not need someone to put it together to become its picture.

Next time you deny someone’s statements, be sure your “scientists” theory matches up with logic, because to get something from nothing is logically impossible unless there is someone/something behind it.

And also, never respond to a blog in your rude style again Elizibeth. Stating things like "eh, eh?" and "complete phooey" will make the reader want to just throw your work away without finishing it. You might disagree, but that does not give you the right to speak in such a rude way.

Don't prove it: theories that are real as a plat planet

Today I decided to read something different which was the blogs from the freshman instead of the sophomores. I found a blog typed by Stan titled dont prove and this piece contains many incorrect statements with everything based on thoughts which logically can be proven wrong.

Personally i believe that religion is a waste of time. People spend their whole life doing things they are "supposed" to do based on their religion, then they spend the end of their life regretting what they didn't do. And then they are buried and they decay into the ground.

Sorry Stan, but believing in your statement is no different from the statement "the world is flat". Religion is a crucial part of countless lives. Our modern day laws are based on them and they are the founders of determining what is right and what is wrong.

Well let us get one thing straight; there is no doubt a creator of our universe. The big bang is a theory and yet that too NEEDS a creator. Explain to me how the hell can nothing make something naturally? Whenever you watch a documentary about the creation of the planet and it comes to the part about water which is required for life, they always say "from somewhere". Where is this somewhere? certainly it was not from nowhere.

 If I ask how “did life come to be?”, like many, you would say "evolution" which once again is a theory, not a fact. But the answer "evolution"  greatly lacks and does not explain a major part; the very beginning. Answer me the question “how did life in general start on earth? One of the laws in biology is "life starts from life”. The simplest cell that ever existed on our planet is not simple at all. it has a series of parts such as the nucleolus, Ribosome, Smooth ER, Rough ER, the Golgi Apparatus, Endoplasmic Reticulum just to name a few. And that is just the very beginning. Cells are able to many things like copy DNA and use the information to do many things like replication (you are learning about cells in biology, right?) with several complex steps. Cells in our body manage to do many jobs from sending an impulse to killing a germ. tell me, how can all this complex development come to be?

poems

Christmas Break

It was cold, colder than a snow cone, beyond that, as I walked across the snow. Every step I took was like a sharp knife slicing threw a thin piece of butter.

As I look around me from every even or crocked angle, I see noting but snow. It looked like a bright white piece of blank paper with a light blue coat overhead.

Every step got deeper as if the tide is coming in.

I was quiet as if no one has ever been here, until my mom loudly called me. Shouting echoed as if she called me continuously from every direction around me, slowly fading away. 

I went back home and took of my itchy scarf, my heavy but warm sweater and so on. My toes felt as if they just got out of jail and my neck was itchy as if there were lice bouncing around.

Beep! Beep!, the microwave’s loud call. I got up and got my hot chocolate. Christmas Break is here.

Memories

I remember the and delicious scent the huge pizza gave off in the small and yet fully crowded pizza place in New York

I remember the striking speed the west point graduates threw their hats into the air.

I remember the continuous humming noise we heard on the flight to our far destination with the loud snoring of the old people near right across from our soft and pleasant seats.

I remember running faster than a cheetah to fetch a graduate’s hat that was thrown into the air which was full of cheering and tears of joy.

But I do remember the cold tears sliding down my small cheeks and dropping off my chin, I was lost in New York.

I remember someone grabbing my small chubby hands and leading me through the loaded packed crowd of graduated soldiers and proud parents to the stage.

I remember the great view and amazement I had while watching me parachuting from the clear blue sky.

I remember how cozy and soft my bed was with a fresh scent after not touching it for months.

love: an a more accurate definition [reflection]

love: an a more accurate definition

We frequently use the term “love” in expressing our opinions. We use this term to describe what we enjoy like hobbies which we love doing, parts of a movie which we would love to see again, and or our country which many of us would be willing to die for if necessary. But “love” is different when it comes to relationships and mirage. Love between a relationship is at a higher level if not a different category which stands alone. To love someone is the strongest ability we have since true love can never be demolished.

Love is fake....All love basically is you give someone all the love you have until they decided to hurt you or end it.

I strongly disagree with Karen’s thought that love is “fake” and “does not exist” which was mentioned in her blog ilove you is an 8 letter word so is bullsh*t. Love with no doubt does exist and is real. Love is what brings and keeps a relationship existing between a man and a woman. If a couple divorces (and unfortunately ½ of all the relationships in America have been divorced), that obviously means that the relationship was not truly a relationship based on love but rather a based other characteristics such as appearance and attractiveness. True love lasts forever till death. It can never be broken or destroyed among a couple unless one of the two looses their character or self control (many times caused by drugs, addiction, illnesses) which he/she had for the other. True love is not fueled by appearance nor physical characteristics, but by personality and moral character.

Perhaps Karen got confused between love and attraction. Attraction only brings a male with a female based on their appearance or attractive characteristic. Naturally, this kind of relationship happens so an offspring can occur. This kind of “relationship/love” is frequently shown in our society through pornography. When one sees images of porn, usually they do not fall in love with that person in the picture but rather have an appetite for sex with that person. Another example where love is actually just attraction is prostitution. Throughout human history, the “love” in prostitution was only expressed for benefits such as money and pleasure for the man.

how the garcia girls lost thier accents:part II

how the garcia girls lost thier accents:part II

As we carry on with our book, we learn more about the Garcia girls and their parents and how they lost their accents. We learned what kind of environment they lived in and how it impacted/changed the girls’ character.

So far we saw how the Dominican Republic and the United States differed and shared so similarities. Both countries showed some mistreatment on women. Several men in the United States had a huge appetite for sex. One day when Carla was coming back from the bus stop, a teenager followed her. Carla thought he was asking for directions but instead he was stocking her. If Carla did not react correctly, she could have been raped. Back at the Dominican Republic, Fifi got married and her husband mistreated her, in a sense abusing his rights. The rest of the Garcia girls made the sound of a humming car whenever he was mentioned due to his grumpy attitude. At the beginning of the book, it was mentioned that the Dominican Republic was not a safe place to stroll around for a lady. The United States had a larger supply of drugs which made it possible for the girls to try some. Luckily the mother was able to find the girls smoking and that pretty much helped end their addiction.

Religion made a huge impact on the girls lives, particularly Yolanda’s during her younger years at college. When Yolanda was in college she started a relationship with Rudolf Brodermann Elmenhurst the third (for short he was called Rudy) who at first seemed to be a kind man. However, it did not take that much time for Yolanda to realize Rudy’s true intention behind this relationship. He only wanted to have sex with her. Luckily, having a religion (Roman Catholic) Yolanda was able to resist Rudy’s demand for sex. She also was able to resist the marijuana and alcohol Rudy offered during his parties. True she did take a puff or two, but she strictly limited it.

One’s environment can easily change his/her character. Because of the American society, the girls Americanized and developed different attitudes.   

Teen Beans reflection: might need a Little and seasoning

Teen Beans reflection: might need a Little and seasoning

We frequently hear adults say “kids these days”. When teens hear them say this statement, we usually assume that they are rudely misjudging us like how Nawara described in her blog Teen Beans. We assume that adults find us having an rude character which we teens know is just a myth. But I thought again about how adults judge teens and now I strongly disagree with Nawara’s blog. She stated that being a teen is what ticks an adult off when she stated:

The attitudes elders assume about the teenagers today are ruthless and invaluable.  The assumptions adults put on use are only what they here on the news and rumors.

Nawara here states something really heavy and would require some revision if it is to become more accurate. If I am correct, Nawara states that adults judge teens based on the "news and rumors". I disagree. Though rumors and the media do darken the shadow of teens a bit today, it only plays a fraction in their judgments. An elder’s judgment on teens is also based on their interactions between each other and what they have witnessed; meaning that the way an adults views a teen varies. When an elder judges someone's teenage life, usually he/she would be comparing it to their own life like our parents do.  Nawara’s parents seem pretty serious about our modern society, and they have the right to do so. Many parents view our society as one that is falling apart economically and socially, especially those who just emigrated from other foreign country.  

Adults do not find teens ruthless and invaluable. It is the environment and lifestyles teens are pressured into that they find ruthless and invaluable. When Nawara describes Vanessa’s line “What has happened to the kids nowadays” she is mostly focusing on the “kids” part of the statement. She is missing out on two crucial parts which are “to” and  “Nowadays". The “to” part indicates that the problem is pressured onto the kids. The kids them selves are not the problem. “Nowadays” is the problem that is pressured “to” the kids. “Nowadays”, our society is not the one many wish to be in. Teens and kids are more frequently pure pressured into doing stupid things they personally would not do like smoking, drinking, drugs and rape more than ever before.

Speech: posible ways for peace

We all have many indentations but with no doubt we all have one in common; peace. Think of all the benefits and rewards the world would have if only we had absolute peace. All the money that is being wasted in the Middle East for combat which is not really getting us anywhere could be put to better and wiser uses such as education and aid to our troubled economy. But it would be a bit difficult for us to deal with actual war. However we can help by writing letters to the government giving them reasons to end the war and doing protests. But some of the very most effective ways on bring peace starts in your own little neighborhood.

Big things start with small things. Even the smallest action can cause an exploding impact on a society. By doing small and simple things such as opening the door for someone or by picking a piece of trash off the sidewalk, you are showing an example of good to others around you, enlightening them to do so as well. This is why parents and adults should behave properly while being at least in the presence of children; after all, they are the future.

The quote “an eye for an eye blinds the world” by Mahout Gandhi refers to an obstacle that ignites many of the wars and violence throughout history; revenge. It brings up hatred and violence between relationships. How can we deal with it? Forgiveness. Putting it to a nation level, there would be no wars, no violence and perhaps even no hatred. Putting it to a small city size such as Alameda, crimes though known to be not so severe nor common, would most likely never have happen. Sometimes it can be difficult to forgive someone, but you should only hate the crime not the person. Otherwise you could call yourself a hypocrite because no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes, including yourself.

Another way to prevent violence is by showing respect to everyone. This also means that you should not assume everyone is to give you respect as if you were top authority. Because you are popular, strong etc. does not give you the right to assume you are the most important. This is one factor that brings up bullying and fights in schools. In reality, knowledge is what gives you power. All of the most powerful and successful military and government leaders had great knowledge and knew what to do at a given situation and were not necessarily strong or popular until they achieved their goals. Imagine what would happen if we actually knew what great rewarding benefits knowledge provides instead of popularity. Everyone, especially children and teens, would be more focused in their studies and less if not no time at all doing trouble. After all, smarter future is a safer one

Respect and forgiveness are only a few of the things to help bring peace to the world. Doing more communitywide activities like festivals would bring the community closer together. But like what Mother Teresa said, “Do not wait for your leaders. Do it yourself; person to person”. We should not wait for others to do what is right or tell us to do what is right. That is another thing that prevents peace; the lack of initiative. We all should also stand up to make peace peacefully; otherwise we would be doing the exact opposite. But it is everyone who is to participate. Everyone plays part in our ‘small’ world so everyone is included.  Thanks for your time and for listening to my speech!

I-How the Garcia Girls Lost Thier Accents write up

Recently I have been in the speed of catching up, but recently in the story “How the Garcia Girls Lost their accents” by Julia Alvarez has become more and more confusing for me. The most difficult part of the story is the fact that it is told in reversed chronological order. If I am correct, the story begins as a family reunion where Yolanda, the main character of the story, is at a family reunion. Later on, or correctly earlier on, Yolanda was lost and asked for help to her destination. I believe the title comes to play here because it states “lost their accents” and it applies to the girls. When Yolanda asked for directions to her families place, her Spanish was very weak. During the family reunion, Yolanda had some difficulties with understanding what her family was telling her. Her family also was worried that she was slowly loosing her heritage. Spanish no longer was her first language and she did not know what the word antojo meant. She also probably forgot what her mother country, Dominican Republic, was like. She wanted to take the bus but she either did not know or she forgot the bus is no longer as safe to take.

Based on what I have read, I now have some predictions on what is going to happen. I believe when Yolanda was out of her home country, she became someone else. She was called differently and had lived in a different environment. Her new environment might be a factor of how she lost her accent. Besides becoming someone new, other character might have been someone else earlier on in their lives. During the 70^th birthday party of the father Carlos, Carlos seemed to act weak and quiet. He behaved as if he was loosing the right to order his family around. I believe that the father is silent during his party because maybe he no longer has the power he once had. Maybe the girls now have something to say against him from the past if he misbehaves or abuses his power. Right now the girls are adults, but the way they became so is to be found out latter on in the book.

first quarter reflection

first quarter reflection

The first quarter has made many large impacts on my educational life. I have learned a lot and I have discovered several annoying habits that will keep my grades down if I do not do anything about them. This year English, taught by Mr. Sutherland, has been a unique one. His lessons are not strongly based on the facts/rules/reality, but rather on the art, creativity, and use of imagination in English. I already had a year with most of my work based on reality from Ms. Valdez, so why repeat? One thing that Sutherland has taught us that I find extremely useful not only in English but in writing in general are the “quick writes” we did in class. They have made the speed of my writing increase greatly and they decreased the amount of time it takes to brainstorm plans and ideas for writing. Mr. Sutherland also introduced goolge blogs, making ASTI a more technical high school. The creativity in English makes English one of the most fun classes at ASTI. Instead of doing essays that are to be done in the exact rules and style of the teacher’s choice, we the students now have the right to freely choose what to write. The blogs are an excellent example of freedom. With the blogs, I am able to write about anything I wish (as long as it not offensive of course), an assignment I always desired in doing for English class. Probably the best blog I typed was  Are we human or are we animals?, especially since Mr. Sutherland responded with some interesting comments (which were positive of course) . The “weekly blogs” also made my typing become more quick, something extremely helpful for finishing work in short periods of time. As an ASTI sophomore, I get large amounts of homework daily and most of it is completed through typing. Due to the increase in speed thanks to Mr. Sutherland’s assignments, I am now able to finish more work and spare a few seconds editing my work.

Though I learned some useful things in Mr. Sutherland’s class, I also discovered and unfortunately developed some nasty habits. It is crucial for me to overcome and solve these issues if I am to go to the college of my choice, and time is running out quickly. One of my main troubling habits which I had been dealing with for many years is saving schoolwork for the very last moment. The rush causes the quality of my work to darken and made it more difficult to get the grade I aimed for. This is proven in the recent blogs and essays I typed for English. My most recent blog about Night, a book written by a holocaust survivor Elie, is am example when I typed and published just minutes before the due time. Another nasty habit that distracts me is how I rush. I frequently speed through my work while typing self control if possible and I do not show the amount of effort that is required to get into college. the conclusion was short and could of been better.

The holocaust blinded many into becoming totally different. Many of the survivors were pushed to the limits and decided to quit trying to win control over them. They were living like wild animals with only the fittest to survive. Though we are not in such a dreadful environment like the holocaust, we today still experience difficult with self control like through pure-pressure, stress and anger.

A possible explanation of my rush through English work is not only because of the “saving of work for the last moment”, but also a lack of effort I have given to my assignments. My mind frequently tells me that “Mr. Sutherland mostly if not only focuses on the quantity not quality, so why spend so much time on his assignments?. All it takes to get an excellent grade is to have the assignment completed and organized”. Even if Mr. Sutherland did base his grading on these two rules, this gives me no reason for me to become a slacker. Unfortunately this has blinded me into thinking English class as a club instead of a class. I have become lazier in this area of English than I ever have.

I am to change a few things if I want to be eligible to enroll into college and this change is to happen at once. Being a sophomore, colleges already are examining my grades and records. There is no more turning backs. To overcome my issues I thought of some goals that I an to attempt to succeed in this new quarter. One of my main goals this quarter is to become the best student in every class which includes English. I want my work to be used as examples by the teachers. This will be an extremely difficult goal to achieve and will require me to dedicate loads of time to my studies especially since I have a long way to go. Though this will be in no doubt tiresome, the great labor and stress will pay off. Colleges all over the United States and beyond will admire to enroll me, even MIT, all the UCs, and military colleges even though I have a poor health condition. To achieve this difficult mission so I arranged some changes that I am to follow this quarter. I decided to avoid hanging out with my friends after school. Instead, I will go to tutoring and/or the library to do my work. Even if I clearly understand and I am in no need of help, I could at least complete a large chunk of my homework there. This will lower the need for rush in completing my work and it will provide some extra time to edit my work. I can go to the computer lab after school and start on my blogs instead of spending time with my friends and playing chess. Until I get the grades I aim for, I will not do anything unproductive and focus on my work. Due to the extra time that I will gain from tutoring, I will be able to jump ahead and be more prepared for the next day. One habit that will make it easier for me to achieve this goal is to start planning and making a productive schedule and follow it. In the past I have tried to make a schedual that I can follow but I eventually become distracted and go out of order. Though I have gone a far way, I still have a long way until I reach the goals I set out for.

Self Control if possible

Self Control if possible

Torture is dreadful which can impact one’s character. It can blind one’s judgment. An example is the survivors of the holocaust. Though at their early days of torture they did whatever it took to stay with their loved ones, it became more difficult to stick with this challenge. This horrible event made many loose controls over themselves will to only do what was right for them. In the book Night, a survivor known as Elie Wiesel tells his experience through the holocaust and explains some challenges he fought. As Elie struggles to survive in the holocaust it become more challenging for him to control his thoughts, proposing that the main issue was self conflict.

Before being tortured at the holocaust, Elie Wiesel was strong in faith and even thought about becoming a rabbi. However, his strong faith did not last for long. He was trying to believe that God was still with him, but the horror made him question if that was truly so. After Elie witnessed many innocent being hung, he wondered in a thought “Where is He [God]? Here He is-He is hanging here on this gallows…” p62, believing that it was God who was hung on the rope. This is possibly why there is an image of three being hung. He said that God was “hung because he thought that He left Elie and the rest of the victims. It was from this point Elie did not say anything about his religion.

During Elie early days at the concentration camps, Elie did whatever it took to keep his father alive and satisfied. He brought him food and water and did everything for his health. But in an environment of the holocaust, it is not so easy to help someone else while trying to survive you. Due to all the effort it took to keep his father alive, Elie began loosing control over his thoughts. After hearing the SS doctor’s advice, Elie thought “he was right… it’s too late to save your old father”pg 103. Here Elie is loosing control and going in the wrong direction. Though eventually he thought twice and changed his mind, it became more and more difficult to stick with what was right. His body was beginning to rule himself since it was becoming more difficult for Elie to survive and guide his father.

But the conflict he had with controlling himself became too great. He now had to care for himself more than he had to help his father. While being greatly ill with a fever, his father also had a lack of attention. When the officer approached Elie’s father, he gave him a blow, “I [Elie] did not move. I was afraid. My body was afraid of also receiving a blow”p 106. This shows that Elie no longer desired to save his father. He did not truly care that his father was murdered. The conflict with self and others was too great so he decided to defend himself instead of his father.

The holocaust blinded many into becoming totally different. Many of the survivors were pushed to the limits and decided to quit trying to win control over them. They were living like wild animals with only the fittest to survive. Though we are not in such a dreadful environment like the holocaust, we today still experience difficult with self control like through pure-pressure, stress and anger.

attitude is Key to Success.

Your chances for success are not based on what we can do but rather what we are willing to do. Anyone can succeed in anything if they are willing to put some time and effort to their goals. After reading Eric's piece Outlier reflection, I found a line that I strongly agree to.

 I think that attitude is more important than ability. When doing something easy or simple, a lot of people can complete it.

Our study skills are not determined on our abilities but rather on our attitude. We all at ASTI, for example, have all the resources we need to succeed in school. We have a tough and some feet, giving us the ability to ask questions, ask for help, and go to tutoring. We have the ability to do so, but we do not always have the willingness of standing up for help. A successful student is willing to do what ever it takes to achieve some successful grades, even if it requires some time to be sacrificed.
But this does not only refer to our studies. It also refers to our daily life and activities. One attitude that has prevented us from succeeding and giving our best effort is laziness. It distracts us from focusing on our work and blinds us into searching for the shortcut to all our problems. Because of a lazy attitude, it becomes extremely difficult to get the most out of our jobs. If we, or more accurately, when we, are lazy, we obviously do a lousy job (not what you want to do while doing a task that determines your future). We all share similar abilities such as the ability to see/read, to speaks, and to focus. True we sometimes lack in them, but if we have the attitude to add some additional effort and time, the impossible suddenly becomes possible. This is what the world’s greatest dare devils did and managed to victoriously win. Some examples are battles like the battle of Battle of Kircholm where Poland had only 3,600 men while the swedes had 11,000. yet even with the huge ratio disadvantage, poland managed to win in only twenty minites.this victory shows that the great ratio ablity was not what

Why Waking Up Early Is Best

Why Waking Up Early Is Best

Time is precious and we should try to never waste it. Unfortunately many of us do waste it and large amounts of it. Whenever we have days off school or work, we usually want to sleep in and stay in bed for a few more hours. Some of us even remain in bed until noon time and even beyond. Though this might be a relaxing activity and sleeping is important for our health, I do not think it is best for us remain in bed for more than what is required. All you get from sleeping is rest, and all you get with oversleeping is a waste of time. What use does oversleeping do to our lives? Staying in bed makes it more difficult to catch up with our day, making us stay behind.

Waking up early is far better than staying in bed. True waking up early can cause some cramps, but by oversleeping you waste precious time that can be used for more productive things. Waking up early can give you a head start on your schedule, making it possible to accomplish more. By waking up at seven or eight, you get a few additional hours in your day. True it would be difficult to do so during the first attempts, but eventually it will become a habit and a very useful one. We frequently think in our minds “a few more minutes. That would not interfere with our schedules” once the alarm clock wakes us up. Well following that though that is not the best thing to do. There is a lot you can do in just “a few minutes” like dressing up or fixing the bed. Waking up early is the first step in creating a productive schedule. And having good reliable schedule is one crucial step to having a successful career and job. Waking up early makes it possible to dedicate more time and effort to your studies. No boss would like to employ someone who is late and never completes his/her assignments on time. True this might mean you will need to go to bed earlier, but what is your choice? Have a successful productive life with waking up early, or would you rather have an easy one but one that keeps you behind.

A Dinosaurs identity

Thesis: Throughout the story of “The Dinosaur” by Italo Calvino, Q the last dinosaur finds out his true identity.

Q was not truly a dinosaur at the beginning of the story. After surviving the most treacherous environments, Q came to meet the New Ones. They did not see Q as a monster but rather as a normal creature. This caused Q to think “nobody suspected who I [Q] might be.” (pg 99). This shows that Q no longer looked as dangerous as he once did. The New Ones had great fear of dinosaurs but no fear of Q. Besides a lack dinosaurian appearance, Q also lost a lot of this strength. Zahn, one of the New Ones, saw Q and offered a match with him. Q’s luck in the fight was not good at the start. He even expericed  “I [Q] felt I was about to give up” (pg 102). Q not only was losing his appearance as a dinosaur but he also was becoming weak. A New One was thought to be weaker than a dinosaur, and yet he was able to defeat Q. If it was not for the tail weapon, he would have lost the match with Zahn.

As the story went on, Q became a different creature. Originally, a dinosaur is not become friends with a New One since the New Ones are usually a dinosaurs side dish. The New Ones treated Q differently and Q accepted it. After Q’s victorious fight with Zahn, Q “became the most respected of all” (pg 103).That kind of relationship Q had with the New Ones is like a relationship between predator and prey. This shows that Q was becoming more harmless, the opposite of what a dinosaur is to be.

However, Q’s new personality did not last forever. As time went by, Q found out that he was truly a dinosaur. As the days with the New Ones added up, eventually some dinosaurs came back. The New Ones asked Q to lead the campaign against the dinosaurs, but this placed Q into a very difficult situation. He had to decide whether to help his friends fight off the dinosaurs, or rejoin his fellow race. This brought stress upon Q making him to have “nothing to do on either side” (pg 106). Joining either side would bring negative and positive effects for Q. if he helped his New One friends, he would be betraying his own dinosaur race. If he joined the dinosaurs, he would betray his friends that caused a great impact on his life. Because of the difficult situation, Q told the New Ones something he should have at least tried to of told. He “allowed the truth about me [dinosaur identity] out” (107). His statement of truth shows the identity Q decided to go by; dinosaur. No longer did he wish to stay around the New Ones as the “ugly one” (a name they gave him) but rather the dinosaur. So Q left the New Ones (maybe to prevent them from being his meal) and lived on his own. But this time of loneliness was not like the previous one. Now he did not fear being who he really was because now he knew that he was truly a dinosaur and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

are we human or are we animals?

After reading and writing a reflection on Vincent’s blog about right and wrong, I thought again about how these two words have for us. What is the true meaning, or even better, purpose and reason? Are we not "evolved" animals that share a common ancestry with the chimps which to this day are not as advanced as we are? Is survival for humans only meant for the fittest? There are not those who are not in good conditions such as disabilities and yet they manage to survive? And if all life on earth is truly just a great coincidence, what is the point of having right and wrong. What is the purpose of forgiveness and kindness?

There is no doubt that we have changed over time. We have adapted to our given environments over time to places such as desert hot regions and the freezing cold regions of the tundra. If we did not do so, we would be in great trouble and vanish in no time. Even though evolution can explain changes in our “species” , it does not fully answer the question how we came to be. If all our characteristics only came by chance and evolution, we are one extraordinary creature. We are the most advanced machines of the planet with countless abilities such as the ability to verbally communicate to one another, the ability to read and write, and to invent. But there is one characteristic that no other creature on this planet masters in but us; free will. We have the ability to choose what to eat (whether toxic or not), to freely love and hate, and to decide what to do at any given situation. Saying that these abilities came to us through evolution and coincidence is hard to believe. Why are we the only creature on earth that has these extraordinary abilities? Why do we have the ability to control one another and to follow or not. If we are animals, then what is wrong with murder? What is wrong with rape? What is wrong with slavery? Doesn’t slavery make someone’s life easier?

Well my answer to all these questions is because we are human, not an ‘animal’. Perhaps there is a reason why we have free will while other creatures greatly lack it. Maybe there is a creator. Maybe it is God. Maybe it is Allah. Maybe it is Buddha. Or maybe it is some kind of alien. There is ‘right’ and there is ‘wrong’ because our life has a purpose and is precious to keep.

Reflection:the truth of right and wrong

There is a huge difference between right and wrong. A person, place or thing can only fall into one or the other. However, it is not that easy to determine if something is wrong. Many times our opinions and thoughts blind us from determining the true answer.

Vincent Liu had a very interesting question in his essay  "Right and Wrong" 
"Does growing up in a certain way determine a person's judgment on the difference between what is right and wrong?"
And the answer to his question is obviously yes. It all depends on the person's character, personality, and the society. We are all human and have the same abilities and similar characteristics. A person will judge what is right and wrong based on his/her experiences, particularly during their childhood since that is when their character forms. An example is the Jim Crow era. Many in the south thought it was right to segregate people based on their skin color. They thought that it would be best for the society if dark skinned people were excluded from the community. Of course, today we know that this was wrong and second off, pointless. We know that everyone deserves equal rights and respect. Another example is totalitarianism. Before world war two, many people were blinded by their leaders into believing into something that is not necessarily true. Many Germans were blinded to become a member of the Nazis by the leaders, making them think that they are the rulers of the world, superior over all man kind and making them think that all others are to be killed such as their bordering countries and theses from different religions. Obviously what they were fooled to believe was not true and wrong, and yet they still followed it believing what was tight to them to be true. Veterans from the Nazi party still agree with what Hitler told them. And why did all these people believe in nonsense like segregation and the holocaust? Because they where blind by their society into believing what was wrong to being true.

jokes: quick write

There are is a lot that comes to my mind whenever I hear the word jokes. There are many kinds of jokes like you mama jokes, knock jokes, and riddles. But the ones that are the most funny of all jokes are usually racist and at times strongly offensive.
I know many racist jokes, but that does not mean that I am recites. I do not agree nor believe these jokes are true. Racisms jokes are made for several reasons. One for example is that the natives/those who lived in that given area are annoyed or dislike the immigrants. There are May racist joke on Mexicans because several Americans (not everyone) get annoyed or don’t want them to come into their country. They fear that they can take up all their jobs and opportunities. I know many jokes on Mexicans but I do not agree tat they are all true. Of course, there are these jokes that just want to insult their race or religion. This is why there are several jokes on Jews and African Americans. Racist jokes are made also because someone might think their race or religion is superior to another. I know many racist jokes from many places. I have traveled it Europe where many think they are superior to others therefore they make up many racist jokes. In Spain for example, a friend of mine told me that it is common to hear jokes about Muslims and Africans because many manage to pass the border as illegal immigrants, similarly what is happening with Mexicans passing the border to the u.s.a.

ways to lie

   Prapaganda: the govenments style to lie

Propaganda is the most famous of all strategies to convince the general public into believing something true or false. All you need to do to make others believe you is to express fearful images and statements which do not need to be true. Fear is the most important ingredient to propaganda. Presidents, good or not, try to make themselves look like heroes and frequently make blank promises. The government used striking images to convince men into desiring to fight wars. Even today the government is using propaganda to fear Americans into believing the war in the Middle East is necessary. Luckily, fewer and fewer people are supporting the war in Iraq. So called "scientists" frequently speak about the danger we are in because we are causing global warming, basing their data on junk science. The media feared the public that H1N1 is the next virus to cause a pandemic. All of these events were done for specific reason; money and power. The war in Iraq is not fought for terrorists but rather for the oil which can provide billions of billions dollars. The man-made global warming theory was made to scare people and make them pay additional taxes and control the economy, nothing to do with the environment. H1N1 did become a problem but not to the level that the media stated it was. They wanted citizens to rush and get a flu shot which really only contained eggs and other ingredients that poorly helped if it did at all. This shot caused many to not recover but rather worsen their situation such as the cheerleading girl who became paralyzed due to the shot.
Luckily, it usually comes to an end when the fooled citizens come to realize the truth. At times it can take longer periods of time, especially when the ones who start propaganda are usually "scientists", the favored/famous and those of authority. Propaganda is always eventually proven wrong. Our world is always changing and never remains the same. Our climate is rather cooling and fewer and fewer believe in the hoax of man-made global warming. A leader that makes blank promises and goes off in the wrong direction (done in secrete or not) is never able to keep its people believing in their false identity and eventually become hate/disliked.

is fashion who we are?

Throughout history we have always had fashion with style. They are two major factors that come to mind when we judge others. In Europe during the renaissance for example, men who had a sword with them on their side would be considered upperclassmen. Women who wore rich Jewry obviously made others assume that she is wealth. What you wear (fashion) is a strong characteristic that makes others determine who you are. If you see a person in old, dirty and sometimes smelly clothing you can assume that person is homeless or extremely poor. If you see a man in a tux, you can assume he is participating in some kind of celebration and possibly has some money in reach. If you see a person who is wearing clothing that has an odd style, you can assume that he is not up-to-date.
 In the easy we read in class which was about style, she categorized fashion into two major areas; black style and white. When I first heard the part of black style, what came to my mind was the comedy movie of Borat. When borat was going through the US, he met with some black men or possibly gangsters in a sense. He asked them to teach him how to be cool. So they taught him to speak in street talk and made him wear his clothing in a different way, or more accurately, in a different style. When he went back to a hotel he behaved in that style and the next thing he faced were the security men. This part of the movie is extremely alike to the topic of style.
And who determines the fashion of the century? It is every person, including you. Even though you might not be the one who designs it, you still support it by actual dressing or behaving in that style. Of course there are those who might not be fans of modern style. These people are usually adults such as our parents and elders. I wanted to have a specific hair cut but my entire dad wanted was my hair to be short and simple.

my 10 word list

financial
definition
computer
data
institute
legislation
derive
sought
emphasis
policy

Global Warming Rebuttal: reasons why CO2 cannot be causing climate change

The pro side on the debate for man-made global warming made several errors and failed to rebuttal a few things that the con side stated.


The pro side failed to explain the reason for the temperature drop during and after World War 2 when CO2 levels were going up because of mass production and economic boosts. Articles stated that the earth was heading for another ice age but in 1980s the temperature started to increase and articles spoke about global warming.

Droughts in Africa are natural. The pro side spoke about Lake Chad “drying up” but this is nothing new. They failed to mention that this has happen several times before such as in 8500BC, 5500BC, 1000BC and 100BC (one of the 35 errors in the 'Inconvenient truth').

Pro failed to explain what caused the little ice age to happen. The average temperature dramatically lowered and it was not caused by CO2 drop. (ice core record

One of their major errors was the failed to explain how our tiny fraction of CO2 admissions can cause a dramatic change to the climate. We produce only about 5% of the CO2 that is in the atmosphere. Co2 is also a minor greenhouse gas that produces less than 5% of the greenhouse gas effect. They were treating CO2 as a major greenhouse gas which is false.

The pro side stated that CO2 levels increased by 75%, but they failed to mention that the 75% is the increase of our fraction.

The pro side stated that the sun spots are decreasing but yet temperatures are still rising. True the temperature has been increasing and the sun spots were decreasing, but they failed to mention that the temperature increase in the late 1990s was caused by a severe el nino and that after 2002 the average temperature has been decreasing.

The pro side stated that the atmosphere has been experiencing some drastic temperature changes. This is false. There has not been any temperature change in the atmosphere for the past decade.  (evidence of no temperature increase atmosphere )

The pro side's point that CO2 is what causes the temperature to change is very, very, very difficult to believe. They failed to rebuttal that”Ice Core Studies Prove CO2 Is Not the Powerful Climate Driver Climate Alarmists make it out to be" (Co2science.org). They failed to explain why CO2 can control the climate today and yet it never has in the past. They failed to rebuttal my smiley of "smoking (temperature) causes lung cancer (CO2 increase); lung cancer does not cause smoking". (CO2 lags tempreture)








 

Odd Girl Out by Rachael Pollan-(Jasiu Metkowski)

In our modern day society our schools are now facing many difficulties. Some of the difficulties schools frequently face include problems like poor performance, low payment and the most popular and the most difficult to control; bulling. Sometimes bullies call it a "joke", and sometimes it goes beyond limits. There are many cases where bully victims get harmed so deeply, causing them to face the temptation of committing suicide. And yet, I wonder why bulling has become such a great problem. But after reading some blogs, I ran into one by Vincent Liu where he stated some believable theories that can answer my question.

There are many reasons why I think people bully others. One reason is that they feel the need to bully others to feel good about them. People that bully others might feel that they become a superior force compared to others which make them feel good. Another reason why I think people bully others is that they want attention. By bullying, they get a lot of attention by the people around them which may cause the bully to feel good to be the center of attention. The last reason that I can think of why people bully others is that there is something wrong with their mental state.

I believe that one of Vincent’s strongest points was when he spoke about bullies trying to become the center of attention. Many times bullies use a joke on their victims, usually making the class laugh high, but making the victim sink low with shame and sadness. If the bully's joke is good enough, it frequently can cause people to view the bully as a class comedian, instead of a cruel bully. Tying to another point Vincent made about bully pride, a "classical" bully joke can provide the bully with pride and a superior felling since his/her classmate find him/her "cool". Unfortunately, many students base their lives on being "cool" and "having a life" instead of focusing on their studies. . So if we are to have safer schools in our country, we should focus on changing what determines a school's character; its students. We should encourage students to try to remain positive to one another and avoid the "why" bulling happens. If we can mange to do so, many of our bully problems can drop and even be earased.

Odd Girl Out by Rachel Simmons

bulling and ganging up on a person are both done frequently on our modern day society. i is a great problem many schools are facing daily. students insult each other and commonly gang up and pick on a few victims. many of the insults bully victims experience are based on thier race, religion, apperince, character and advances in education (where "nerd" came from). the insults and harm the victim experiences (joke or not) can cause some negitive effects such as depresion, anger, and if worst comes to worse, the victim could experience the temptation of commiting suicide. i confess i have bullied others in the past.i wanted to join the laughter so i would tag along, though when it went beond limits i would try to chill it down. i once bullied a student because of the way the teacher adored him and ignored us, but eventually i changed and became friends with him. however, when i started going to private schools i became the victim instead of being the bully. i supose i was just not thier style. they insulted me because i was "not up to date", what a rediculos reason. i spoke about a clip on YouTube which was established a few mounths age and there they laughted at me. my first private middle school closed so i had to go to a new one where the students were no better if not worse. i was excluded from thier games because i was not the best and my familiy's race. they thought of me as a caword because i refused to inapropriatly touch the girls. i never bothered to inform the teachers about what was going on because i was in risk of being in thier classes for the next five years and it would worsen the situation. they thought of me as a wierd person because i am against abortion which today is the 21st century houlocaust. but today at ASTI it is totaly different. here everyone treats everyone with respect and equality. we are like one big family.i can be the person who i am and not have to worry about what others think of me. unfortunatly, not every school is like ASTI. many need to be reformed and improved. there are schools these days that have students bringing guns to class and will to rape others. we need to end the caos and start improving. we need to spread the characterists of ASTI to other schools so that they may too get out of the bully black hole.