Blog Post #9

-All I know about this story so far is that apparently the boy, Trayvon, was walking home from school to watch the NBA on TV and all he had on him was skittles and an Arizona Iced tea. He was then shot down by the neighborhood watch man who claimed he "looked shady" or was "doing something shady". To top that off the man who shot Trayvon, admitted to it and was not charged with anything which is apparently why the whole country is outraged. I also heard that Obama said if he had a son it would look like Trayvon, so clearly the president has some sympathy for the situation.

-This whole situation really connects to the essential question from today in class about how we are products of our environment. It is clear that they live in a moderately "rough" neighborhood, (if they have to have a watchman) so it is clear that their is a lot of prejudicial views. It was clear the man thought Treyvon was shady because of the fact that he was black, and that's not because he was born hating black people, but the environment he was raised in taught him to fear young black men that could potentially have a gun or be selling drugs. The shooting of Trayvon is clearly a product of such an environment where people can't trust one another and their are such racial and prejudicial views throughout the diverse community. On the other hand, Trayvon and his shooter could have had a rough past that hasn't been revealed yet, so there was a grudge between them that was sadly brought down to a murder. This is how we are connected to our past, because the actions we make today can really affect our tomorrow.

Blog Post #8

A controversial topic in today's society is the cost of college and universities. It is evident that the soaring costs of tuition are putting thousands of graduates in debt. Besides the fact that they are in an insurmountable debt, it is nearly impossible for first year graduates to find a job whether they have their bachelors or even masters degree. According to the Wall Street Journal, there is a total of about $730 billion dollars currently owed in college debt across the nation. Wall Street Journal Article Personally, i think that is a disgrace. How can students who can't even get a job begin to pay for their college education, that hasn't even gotten them a job yet or made them money. In reality, it would make a lot more sense to not go to college because after 4 years of having an average job with just a GED, you would have no loans to pay off and currently be more well off then any college graduate paying loans.Financial benefits are not what you think. Another smart option that would save a lot of money is going to a community college for 2 years. You still get to graduate at the college of your dreams, and any jobs you apply to only see the one college on your resume, not the community college. I personally feel like a lot of high school students don't take into consideration this current financial situation, and are just looking to go far away from their parents. Financially speaking, closer to home is better no matter how annoying your parents may seem. No need to pay for flights, and can always come home on weekends. Staying Close to Home is Smart. Overall, the rising prices of tuition are knocking out the middle class and making college out of reach for some people, which I think is truly unfair.

Blog post #7

-Around the end of last year, a buddy of mine, Sean, showed me Skrillex and some techno music. I thought it was really weird and obnoxious, but as the summer went on I began to understand the depth and complexity of it. By the beginning of 11th grade I was in love with house music and it was the dominating genre on my iPod.The crazy beats that built up and built up until the big drop drove me wild and brought out my inner party animal. My friends and I spend endless hours playing loud techno music and flashing a strobe light to make the bass drop even more ecstatic. It has truly became a hobby of mine that i really enjoy and recommend it to anyone who likes to jump up and down and feel the bass pound there heart. The fact that this music is made completely by technology and is a compilation of sounds absolutely amazes me. Not to mention the concerts use lazers and an incredulous light show makes me want to go to a concert so bad.  Below are two examples of some sweet techno artists I enjoy.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehecn0bfOhI &  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su1wK7iCQfQ 

- About 5 years ago my dad and uncle first showed me the television series The Office. Immediately I fell in love with the show and was instantly addicted. Nobody could distract me Thursday nights at 9. The Office had a very plain story line with extremely dry humor which I loved. It turned an average work place into a circus and every day I wished I could work for Michael Scott. Ultimately the Pam and Jim relationship was one of a kind that kept you wondering after every single season, but finally today they are happily married with 2 kids which is hat I have been waiting for since I first started following. When Steve Carrell left the show last year i was devastated and unsure how the office would progress. But this season has totally proven me wrong. Don't get me wrong i miss Michael Scott a lot, but without him in the lime light other characters have had much more opportunity to shine and demonstrate their talents. Also the story line twist that moves some workers to Tallahassee has been extremely funny so far and I can't wait for the new episode tonight at 9!! Finally, I'd like to post this video which is a compilation of Creed who is an employee at Dunder Mifflin. He is an undermining character but this video shows how funny the show can be and even the undermining characters can be hilarious. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIoiFrCJEX0

Blog Post #6

1.There are 3.5 months left of my Junior Year of high school (we hope). During this fleeting period of adolescence, before I leave for the summer, I plan to end on a good note. I made a big mistake that has cost be a lot such as not being able to play baseball this season. I plan to finish the year strong and face this obstacle head on by creating a new work ethic and maybe changing a few of my views on life as a whole. I plan to get in great shape by working out a lot and running, clearly I have to look good for summer since I'll be shirtless a lot due to my job at a pool! I also plan to be completely done with my SAT's and have a score I'm happy with. To build on that I plan to visit a few potential colleges that I would like to attend to get a feel for which I feel most at home at. I also plan to get my first car by the end of the year. Hopefully i can find a sweet ride for a good price that i will be able to cruise around in all summer. This will take a lot of research but I know it will be worth it. Finally since I can't play ball for school I am looking to make a legion team for the summer so i have to start practicing now.


2.The thing i would recommend to everyone would definitely be the iPhone. I've had my iPhone since September and I absolutely love it. There are so many benefits to having it. For one you can face time which is a fun way to connect with you friends face to face and it is right in the palm of your hand. Also you can browse the internet and send emails from wherever which is extremely beneficial if your not around a computer. The iPhone is also an excellent way to kill time, because their are so many apps to play such as Temple Run and Angry Birds which are extremely addicting games that you are always looking to beat your personal score and your friends scores. This phone is also an iPod, so you dont have to worry about carrying your phone and iPod around, since its all in one. You can also express yourself through your iPhone because their are infinite amounts of backgrounds you can have and cases that describe who you are what what you stand for without being criticized. Finally, the iPhone can play movies and TV shows which is great for me because I can find any movie or show and stream it right to my phone so I always have my favorites. Its truly a must have because its a handheld computer.


3.A famous person whom I can't stand is Justin Beiber. Seriously, I can go on and on about this, but I'll try to keep it to 10 lines. For one Justin Beiber and I share the same birthday, which is oddly enough TODAY! Happy Birthday self, Justin find a new day. Whenever I tell someone my birthday they always tell me that's Justin Beiber's birthday, like sweet I'm way cooler tho. Secondly he tries to come off as a loveable bad boy, yet his mom still grounds him. If your gonna be bad, be bad, otherwise be a mommy's boy Justin. Also, his songs are awful and are polluting the radio and iTunes. Nobody wants to hear a 17 year old talk about love and partying with his friends. His music videos depict him as having too many friends to count, but in reality he pays them. He also tries to start his own fashion trends, which actually are started by real celebrities and in the end he can't pull them off. Overall Justin Beiber gets sponsored by brands that i used to lie, the ruins it, he plays music that is embarrassing for a 17 year old to sing, and girls idolize him for reasons i will never understand.

Blog Post 5

1.Throughout the novel, Sofia has her life and identity shaped by events occurring in the story. Due to the fact that she is the youngest daughter, her memories of the Dominican are vague, creating a small barrier between herself and her families culture. Being the youngest daughter she often experiments due to the freedom she has. Going through so many boyfriends developed a rocky relationship between Sofia and her father. Her father wanted her to marry a man from the Dominican, but she ends up running away with a German man. She develops new attitudes toward sexual relationships, which is more of an Americanized view compared to her fathers traditional values. Finally when she has children her relationship with her father eases up, but she always had the sexual side which is evident at her fathers birthday when she embarrass him by kissing his ear. It is easy to see Sofia finds sport in upsetting her father because she knows what his views are but consistently goes against them even in front of his face. I  believe these events have actually set Sofia back because she is not learning from these experiences. Instead of understanding her father, she always ends up upsetting him so it is evident she hasn't learned from thee experiences.

2. The Garcia family experiences a variety of conflicts when coming to the United States. They have trouble blending into society and as they grow apart from their culture they began to loose sight of whats really important in life. A true back bone of the Garcia family would have to the the mother, Laura. As her daughters go through tough times blending into this new society between, developing relationships and starting a new life, Laura is always there for support and never shuns them away. She is extremely considerate of her daughters which is exactly what they need as they attempt to manage their life. Though the book has a lot of "negativity" due to everything the girls go through, Laura represents the "positivity". Her actions can be both considered Person to Person due to the direct affect her actions have with he daughters. Her support can also be considered Person v. Society because she doesn't care about what society has done to her daughters, she still looks to better their lives through the love and support she offers them.

3. I have been following the Jeremy Lin story since he got big and truthfully I would say it connects to the book in a variety of ways, but at the same time it differs in a few aspects. For one, Jeremy Lin and the Garcia girls are often looked at and judged based on their ethnicity. Both Jeremy Lin and Sofia want to break free from being identified based on their religion. Jeremy Lin said he just wants to be a basketball player, not an Asian basketball player, just like Sofia wanted to rid of her culture's views on marriage and sex so she could do her own thing. Nobody wants to be identified as their particular race, they want to be unique and have their race not affect their career and popularity. A major difference i think between Jeremy Lin and the Garcia girls is definitely the fact that the girls had to blend into society. They experienced many more hardships understanding this new culture, while Jeremy Lin went to school at Harvard and is truly an American. The only hardships he faced was getting his career to take off which he finally has done as the point guard of the Knicks.

Blog 4

Jeremy Lin:
Throughout this article there are a lot of facts stated, but there is also a lot of bias due to the fat that the author, like Jeremy Lin, is also Asian-American. What interested me mos about this article was the fact that I have caught "Linsanity" and have been following Jeremy Lin as often as possible. Also, the over all story of Jeremy Lin really interests me because he truly came out of no where and is playing such a big role for the Knicks organization. I agree with the author when he talks about the positive affect Lin has had and ow inspiring his story is. I also agree with the author when he says it doesn't matter where a foreign player plays, they just want to focus on the sport. I think the author overall did a great job of covering the story because it is inspiring so the whole world should be informed. This article made me think about the affects  one's race has on their role in society especially in professional sports. I recommend this article to anyone who needs o be inspired whether they enjoy sports or not.

M.I.A:
This article contains a lot of facts, but the questions that the author poses to the reader can be considered bias because they are leading the reader to think of M.I.A as a sell out. What interests me about this article is the fact that just performing in front of a huge audience which is what a lot of artists dream of can be so hurtful to one's career. I would have to agree with the author here because M.I.A can't be a poser. She can't come off one way, then in order to make money sell out her views and overall appearance. The author did a good job of not directly coming at M.I.A, but asking good questions to the reader to really expose her. This article makes me think about how money can change people so much, because M.I.A used to be urban and alternative, but in order to get more fame she sold out her image.  I would recommend this article whose interested in music or pop culture because it really demonstrates how the music industry isn't everything it seems.

Elie Wiesel:
Throughout the article about Elie Wiesel the author shows no bias and manages to stick to the facts. Last year in language arts we read "Night" by Elie Wiesel and this year in APUSH we discussed Mormonism so i was able to relate to both topics present in this article and understand the conflict. I was impressed with the authors take on this story, because it was clear the reader would side with Wiesel, therefore he didn't favor one side or the other he let the story tell itself. I agree that Holocaust names can't just me submitted to the Mormons proxy baptisms. This article makes me think back to the story night and how Elie Wiesel clearly doesn't want his friends and families name baptized by the Mormons. I would recommend this to anyone who read night who has a background of the Mormons culture.

Blog Post 3

1.The roles of men and women have substantially changed over the past hundred years. In today society, men are expected to be the bread winner. In other words it is their job to work hard and make money to feed and support the family. Women are supposed to have kids and nurture them, but they do have the opportunity to make a career for themselves, which became a lot easier for them as the years went on and progress has been made for their rights and less stereotypes have been made. Men are much more prejudicial towards women due to the fact that they are intimidated by them, but don't want to show it. They expect the women to always be scared and to make them food.Women are much more calm towards men because they are intimidated by men, because they don't realize that men in fact are the ones intimidated. So they are often quick to give in to the mans wants in fear of him. The difficulties of being a man in 2012 is having to live up to the expectations of being strong and fierce. Every one believes the man has to me muscular, rich, and smart so there is a out of pressure on the man. Especially it is a lot harder for gay men to come out because they are scared of how that will make them look as a man. The disadvantages of being a woman is constantly being considered weak and a minority. They also have to worry about becoming pregnant because it affects them most in the long run. Stereotypes of being a man is strong and fearless. Stereotypes of being a woman is being dependent on the man, being smart, and always being second to males.

2. One of the scenario questions that could really relate back to Yolanda was the question about taking the pill to be with your lover. Yolanda falls in love with a German man which is forbidden by her parents and culture. She was willing to "get hit in the collar bone by a wrench" to be with her true love. The pain isn't necessarily a wrench, but the disgust of her family and peers for going against their culture just t be with her love. I believe the pain is worth it in the end because true love is hard to find.