Blog Homework 3

    The whole Trayvon Martin situation has really taken the nation by storm.  Everybody has an opinion and wants to weigh in.  I like to look at all of the facts though, then make my opinion.  Here is what I know:  Trayvon was a high school kid that was walking home one night with his hoodie up when a man who claimed to be neighborhood watch followed Trayvon until eventually shooting him after a possible struggle.  From what is reported Trayvon was not causing trouble, but the shooter claimed he only shot Trayvon in self-defense. The issue is causing debate over race and a fine line each day.

MY opinion on the shooting is incomplete.  As of now it seems that an innocent life was taken from Trayvon's Martin and his family.  This was a horrible tragedy that could have been avoided because Trayvon was harmless and unarmed.  The shooter seemed to discriminate and pick out Trayvon to maybe make a statement.  Now, in his defense it has not all come out, caught up in a tragic story about how a kid was brutally murdered, some other facts have  yet to really scratch the surface.  Trayvon was in no way the complete model child as he had been suspended from school three times this year. That in no way justifies a murder, but it does raise valuable character questions about Trayvon.  It is wrong just to let the emotions get the best of me and automatically want to execute the shooter, I believe he deserves his due process and a fair trial. It will be fascinating to see how the case plays out over the next couple of weeks.

Blog 9 (HW 2)

    

     Wow, first off I cannot believe that I finished the Garcia Girls, it seemed like it took so long.  Now, as far as a message that I got out of How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents I learned the importance of being a tight-knit family.  There was clearly tension within the family because of the split cultures in the household in regards to the dad, Carlos, and the daughters.  From reading about Sophia's rift with her father I learned a thing or two about how to approach a son or daughter.  It is obvious that Sophia was being a bit radical but Carlos decided to chastise her and that caused a major strain in their relationship for many years.  From that I picked up that in no circumstance should I try and cut off my child because it simple does not do any good for either party.  Also to add to some poor parenting the Garcia Girl's parents checked the girls into a mental hospitals.  They did this on a bit of a whim and the decisions were rushed.  This showed a clear disconnect between parents and children. That theme was common in the book.  The decisions made by the parents have taught me to be more rational and to think things through a little more.  I cannot as a parent later on just make rash decisions in the heat of the moment or my family may come unglued.  The shortcomings of the whole Garcia family was a moment of clarity for my future self.  I realize that there will be difficulty in my adult life and within my family, but I know for certain there are mistakes that I will not make because of reading about the decisions by parents that brought a bit of a doom on the Garcia family in the book.

Blog 8

     

     In March normally it is college basketball taking center stage, followed by the NBA, and then baseball.  Well, I want to bring up a sport that does not get much run in America any time of the year and that is soccer.  I'm not going to talk MLS, but rather English Premier League.  The EPL is winding down with only a hand full of fixtures left to be played and a couple great races are playing out.  The championship race between Man City and Man United has all the makings of a classic.  It is the cross town rivalry between the richest club and the proven elite power.  I believe that it is City who in the end will cap off their first EPL championship in the modern era.  City is too talented to possibly let this year slip away.  They are currently one point under United, but still with a favorable schedule I believe City gets it done.  The next race I am really most looking forward to is the relegation scrap. It  appears that  this season that there are four teams in danger of headed down to the championship division (Blackburn seems to be safe after a huge win at Sunderland).  Last year the final day of the season was pure drama, five different teams were in the relegation zone in the span of just two hours.  My favorite club Wigan Athletic beat the drop last year and stayed in the premiership with a thrilling 3-2 win, followed by a 1-0 win at Stoke City to ensure safety.  This year it looks bleak for the Wigan squad, but I still have hope.  The EPL brings me a large deal of excitement every Saturday morning and should really be recognized by most Americans.  These guys are good and they make soccer fun to watch. 

To read more on the EPL and its races go to:

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/league/_/id/eng.1/english-premier-league?cc=5901 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1103973-english-premier-league-relegation-battle-the-plot-thickens 

http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/news.html

 

Blog 7

In the last six months I have been won over by country music.  Just about two years I was dead set against this type of music, but then it began to grow on me.  I understand there are two very distinct groups when it comes to this type of music, there are the people who love country and then there are the people that absolutely cannot stand it.  Well, I am showing the love for country music.  There are a plethora of artist and sounds within the broad genre of country.  There is more of a "new school" country that has taken over the radio with artist and groups like Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley,  Rodney Adkins, Zac Brown Band,  and Lady Antebellum. This is much more engaging music than old fashioned banjo-stringing music that comes to some people's minds when they think of country.  I really love country music because it is real.  All of the songs and artist can actually sing, as opposed to some of these popular hip hop and R&B artists.  Another feature that makes country music appealing to me is there is great variety among songs.  There are serious, deep, emotional songs that inspire and engage me.  Then, there are the fun-loving, good time, happy, up tempo songs that are great for the summer time or to brighten my day.   92.5 XTU is the Philadelphia country music station, and I believe they do a great job playing the right combination of songs all day long.  It is very rare for anyone to hear a song repeat within an hour of the first time it is played.   I believe that all people can really get behind country music and enjoy it as much as I do.  This kind of music is much more down to earth, and so our its artists.  They will never sing about there bank accounts and how many chicks they did, nor will they walk around like that. It seems today, a lot of the top artists dress in shiny expensive clothing with plenty of bling on the side.  Country artists are so cool and unique in that they are seen in jeans and white tee shirts more often than not.  They provide an image of a common person and that should attach people to their art as well.  I like many different types of music and do not mean to dis hip hop, because that has some good songs and singers, but if a person really wants to change up their music they should heavily consider country music.  It is very engaging and any person can relate to it.    

Blog 6

1)  America is far from a utopia, it has a plethora of issues that plagues it today.  The issue I find the most concerning has to be the over cuddling of our youth.  This is a trend that I have realized over the past couple of years that I now believe has become a full blown problem.  Schools and even Recreational sports leagues are declaring everybody a winner.  Well, I have news for the people making these official decisions, the real world does not call everything a tie.  There has to be competition as well as winners and losers for our youth to truly  understand what it is like when they get out of there little bubble of elementary school.  Yes, I concede it may hurt a kid's feelings if he or she loses, but this is where I believe it can be a lesson.  Kids need to learn to dust themselves off when they are knocked down.  This makes them tougher, and then in a generation our society becomes less wimpy.  I talked to my mom who is an elementary school teacher the other day and she said she is under strict orders to give everyone prizes for trying. Sometimes, merely trying is not enough.  Competition brings out the best out of people, giving them prizes for losing is just wrong and is a root of greater problems in America today! 

2) I have many pet peeves within the bounds of my life.  One, more than any other, has to be slow and horrible drivers.  I mean really, some people need to retake their license test.  It amazes me how some people drive, I must get cut off at least twice a day when I am driving.   I have had a couple close calls on the road and I promise every time it has been the other persons fault.  There are people out there who turn out of streets when I am barreling down the road.  Then, even worse than the idiots on the road, there are the  people who drive like they are the tortoise in the race.  Honestly, the hare will win that race every time in real life, and that is what people on the road do not get.  I understand it is not safe to drive 70 in a 35 zone, but come on people, 35 does not mean you have to go 30.  I have to get where I have to get, and I enjoy doing it quickly.  But, there are always road blocks, and I cannot stand a person who drives like a "grandma." I have only had my license for about 5 months now, but I can guarantee that my driving I.Q. is highers than half the people I encounter on the roads.  So, in conclusion, if one thing really is to grind my gears, it is the clueless drivers on the road today!

3) Ok well I have an under-the-radar underdog food for the best in the area.  Little Caesars Pizza has Hot-N-Ready cheese or pepperoni Pizza for only 5 dollars!  This is a whole large pizza for five bucks, it already has a leg up on the competition.  Its price is unbeatable, but its quality is also top notch.  It is hard to expect such good pizza so cheap, but it is.  It is always smoking hot when you take the first bite. The sauce is unbelievable!  It is so rich and complements the cheese very nicely.  It is located just outside of Blue Bell, so for all the people that live in Ambler of Lower Gwynedd take the trip down to Little Caesars. To go along with awesome pizza at a low price, the name of the place is epic.  It is named after the great Julius Caesar, yet it has a logo of a funny guy with a shaft and pizza.  This pizza needs to be marketed better.  A lot of people in my area will argue for Palermo's or Carmine's pizza, and both are great options but they still are not as good as the cheese pizza at Little Caesars.  This pizza is life changing.  I would eat that blend of amazing melted cheese on top of sweet sauce with a classic thin crust all day!

Blog 5

1)When Yolanda was in college she learned a valuable lesson going forward about America and its culture.  Rudy Elmenhurst taught her about the nature of guys, especially college aged ones, in America.  She experienced that these men might seem nice at first but in the end the are not all true in their intentions. Rudy was acting very nice to her, and would do everything she wanted until they got more serious and Rudy expected sex.  Yolanda would not comply and thus they ended their relationship.  This taught her to be more careful around American men and a harsh reality about the nature of the American Culture.  This shaped her strong personality and want to be more independent. At first the situation with Rudy set Yolanda back.  She was startled and scared of the potential of sex.  She did not understand Rudy's motives.  But, as the old saying goes sometimes you have to take a step back to take steps forward. Eventually once Yolanda did have sex she began to understand a little more.  She progressed in grasping the American lifestyle and understood the roles of men and women a little more in the society.  Her identity as a strong and independent sister is encapsulated by the event with Rudy Elmenhurst back in her college days.

2) A positive event in How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents would have to be in the chapter Snow when Yolanda learns English.  Yolanda experienced a very positive environment in her school and with her teacher.  Sister Zoe was a positive influence on Yolanda and she helped bridge her into American society.  Zoe told Yolanda that her name was beautiful and she busted Yolanda's morale.  Since Yolanda was the only foreigner in the class Sister Zoe made it her mission to go the extra mile with Yolanda to teach her English.  In the early years of Yolanda's experience in America Sister Zoe was a guiding light.  This positive even for Yolanda helped shape who she would be in the future.  It molded her into a culturally tolerant, levelheaded, and independent woman.  This positivity could be categorized as person to person, but also person to society.  It was Sister Zoe as the person giving Yolanda knowledge and guidance, and those elements being taught were all about the new society Yolanda was entering.

3) (Linsert an opinion here) Jeremy Lin, a true Asian American hero is in the NBA to stay! He has taken an unconventional path to the NBA considering his roots.  He comes from a culture of very little successful American sports stories.  But now that he is thriving the impact on the world is amazing.  Many people are obsessed with his story just because  he is an Asian succeeding in the world's best basketball league.  Because of this he is subject to great national debate and conversation. In my opinion, if he was a white or African American player, he would not have been that big of a story.  Nevertheless, the story has cultivated many around the world and myself as well.  I love the story of the underdog Lin rising up from nowhere to become a global icon.  The only thing I am not fond on is the Knicks winning games and making up ground on my 76ers, but that is besides the point.  Lin is a source of inspiration for a whole culture and one would be a fool not to appreciate that. 

Elie Wiesel: Mitt Romney Should Tell Mormon Church To Stop Performing Posthumous Proxy Baptisms On Jews

This article is more of an opinionated piece about Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor's, beliefs on the Mormon church. In the Article Wiesel advocates for the stop of posthumous proxy baptism by the Mormon church.  It is intriguing that he looks toward Mitt Romney to take action about this.  Romney is the leading Republican candidate for the 2012 presidential election.  He is not the leader of the Mormon church, but Wiesel wants Romney to address the issue. I do not believe the controversial practices of the church should be pinned on Mitt Romney just because he has political power.  He did not found the religion, nor is he a high standing official in the Mormon church.  I do believe the proxy baptism should be addressed, and maybe Romney should step up because it his is religion, but he should not be affected politically or socially because of this. This article raises questions about the Jewish religion.  Dating back to the Holocaust the Jewish religion has been oppressed, and they have apparently now have an ongoing feud with the Mormons.  I would recommend this article to a person with strong religious beliefs because they would want to weigh in on the issues between the Mormons and Jewish. 

Person of Interest: Jeremy Lin

The article is not all about fact, it mixes opinion with some fact.  The author is an Asian American, and he writes about the recent Asian sensation in the NBA Jeremy Lin. But Lin is a fascinating story because he is not in the majority of NBA players.  Lin is Asian and went to school at Harvard, and now he is taking New York by storm.  This story is so interesting to me because I do follow basketball and I was curious about Lin's impact on and off the court.  This article verifies that Lin is bigger than the game, he is representing a whole race.  Every time he is at a shoot-around there is media there, every thing he does now gains national attention.  I agree with everything the author says.  He hits the nail on the head about why Lin worked out in New York, he is an unselfish player and can drive to the basket.  Also, Lin has the attitude it takes to thrive in a huge market like New York.  I also agree that it gives great pride for somebody if one of their own is succeeding in a forbidden field.  The article makes me think about dreams and goals.  It shows never to give up on a dream.  It also shows the media impact of having a foreign player thriving in the league.  I would recommend this article to any sports fanatic or any person who is in the minority race wise in America.

Monica Yant Kinney: Pa. bill preventing local gun crackdowns would be travesty

This article is all an opinionated piece. The author Monica Yant Kinney is attempting to get her views on gun laws through to the public. I was interested by the article because I know there has always been a divide between political parties about the gun issue.  It is a question on how the right to bear arms should be viewed. Some say guns do not kill people but rather people kill people, while others argue having guns available to virtually everyone is just egging on a high murder rate.  I have a loose  agreement with Kinney on the gun law. I do Pennsylvania's current gun laws are not working.  I would not go as far as calling them a joke as she does because the guns are being purchased legally.  The availability of guns needs to change though.  I believe that having guns open to anybody with a license to carry a firearm should be modified.  The process to purchase a gun has to become more difficult, and there needs to be a reason the gun is purchased. As a hunter myself I do believe in the right to bear arms, but with the inflated murder rates with guns it is becoming harder to believe that we should not take action against this. Kinney is also correct that it is absurd there have been so many lost guns in PA that resurface through off-the-book sales. The article makes the reader think about the bill of rights and specifically the right to bear arms. I would suggest anybody with a strong political interest should read this.  Also, I believe kids should read this so they are aware of the crime going around and they realize this is getting out of hand.

 

Blog Response 3: Gender

 An age old controversial topic in America is the roles of men and women.  Roles have changed since the 17 and 18 hundreds, especially now in as I reflect on it in 2012.  Women now are prominent in the work force as opposed to the past where they were generally non factors.  Now there are different expectations for men and women.  Women are generally expected cook, nag, and also work less physically demanding jobs.  Men are known for working the dangerous jobs and doing the "dirty" work. Women are perceived in America as the child bearers and are know for being a little more mature,  but also emotionally unstable.  Men can be perceived by people as the gender that makes stupid and rash decisions.  They can also be known for their love of sports especially football. The advantages of being a women today would probably be the education aspect.  More and more women are getting accepted into colleges and starting/owning businesses.  There are now a greater percentage of women in colleges than men.  Advantages of being a man include having a more important sports world.  All men's games trump women's sports, in attendance and excitement.  Stereotypes for women are that they cannot drive, they all clean, and they all cook for the family.  Men stereotypes include: they are hot heads, they only want to watch sports,  and all they do is drink beer to have a good time.  Now, I am sure I have used stereotypes in my life in relation to gender, but that is truly because that these are the real perceptions of America and its people. 

In regards to the question about watching the Canadian Football League if you knew you were going to be the biggest fanatic about it in your future, I believe Sofia from How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents would not watch the game. Sofia is unlikely to be a football fan.  She is one, from the Dominican Republic where football is not prominent, and two, she is too interested in guys right now.  She would rather go off to Germany or wherever to be with a guy and live her life in rebellion of her father. It is an easy no for Sophia regarding the CFL.

Question Responses 

1.  I believe that this magician is more impressive than Albert Einstein.  Despite his limited package of tricks compared to Einstein's broad scope of ability in the scientific field, the magician is using real magic.  That is just too impressive in my opinion.  I think if he could pull of five tricks that are pure magic and do them well to the point it is effortless, than yes, the feat is much more impressive than doing things that are physically possible. 

5. No, I would not swallow the pill.  The pain of Alice in Chains ringing in my ear every day would be too much for me to handle.  That pain would be worse than the immediate pain of a broken collarbone.  Broken bones heal, but this sound would never go away.  I have broken a bone before, and although it is not a fun experience, breaking the collarbone every couple of years would be better than having to hear death metal just to save my soul mate from breaking a bone.  

7. I would have to put the president on the front cover without hesitation.  Although Bigfoot and the  Loch Ness Monster would be big news, it hails in comparison to the face of the nation coming down with cancer.  The president is the most powerful man in America and if he is staring potential death in the face, the people have to see that on the front page.  It is more important in the end than capturing mythical creatures. 

12. I would give the wizard the rest of my one dollar bills in my wallet.  I know this would not be much money, so why not?  It is an opportunity to get more "attractive," yet it would not change me drastically. So, it is an opportunity I would utilize because it would make myself even better than what I am now, and I believe I'm pretty special now.  

16. Of course I would grab some pizza and tune into the game.  I know I am eventually going to become obsessed with it so I might as well check it out now.  I should get a feeling about how the games are and if they are entertaining.  Plus, I believe the Roughriders have really cool uniforms, so I might as well watch to compare their uniforms to the Oregon Duck's.

19. I would have to tell my friend that I had mistaken him in his slumber for my annoying little brother.  I would say I was bothered by my brother that day and when I saw the body, I got over excited and jumped the gun and kicked it.  I would apologize to my friend but  make a convincing argument that it was well deserved for my brother, so I gained more credibility with my story. It is a tough situation, but it has to be blamed on the sibling!

20. I would take the real documentary of my life that uses real clips of me.  I feel this would give me more esteem knowing people are actually seeing me and it cannot get any more real than the film. I would want the credit for my accomplishments and not some Hollywood actor being associated with them.  Hollywood has the glamor, but I prefer the truth and want it to be just me as the star of the film.

 Blog Post 1

When I reviewed the cover of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents I was left with a couple of different thoughts.  The bright yellow cover caught my eye, and I wondered if the book would be a bright and inspiring one. I figured that it has something to do with Hispanic culture because Garcia is a common Spanish name. I have never heard of the author, Julia Alvarez, but I am willing to be tolerant of the novel. I read the short insert on the back cover as well, and found the book to be well received by many of its readers. The New York Times Book Review praised Alvarez and her ambitious writing style.  Other major market reviews called her stuff "stirring," "striking," and "masterful." Apparently it is an inspirational book about a journey by four girls from the Dominican Republic to America.  It sounds like the girls are perusing the American dream.   When I opened the book and saw a large and completing family tree, I was interested.  I see that the girls are descendants of old Spanish Conquistadors.  They have a large and rich family of Hispanic decent. I began to read the first couple pages, and they were mediocre, to say the least.  It has potential to be a good book, but its starts a little slow with the girls at Tia Flor's house.  I cannot say for sure that I will enjoy the book, because Spanish culture is not something I get too excited about, But nevertheless I can see the book picking up when the girls arrive in America.  I am willing to see how the rest of the book plays out, with the girls encountering a new atmosphere, and of course, how they lose their accents!