Lee McKinnis (57)
Kristina Marynczak (37)
Killian Noonan (36)
Melissa Castillo (32)
NikoVelazquez (27)
Shannon Ratzel (23)
Michelle Reyes (22)
Kyle Barczak (21)
Maura Bilek (21)
Susan Bayaa (21)
For my final journal post, I would like to write about the Act Out fair we were all part of. It was nice to finally be able to put together all we worked hard for. All of the presentation poster boards looked great and appeared to be very informational. I got to go around to see a few of them. They all had pictures that said a lot about the organizations they represented. Along with the poster boards, representatives from the organizations were next to them. I thought we were going to do a lot of talking and explaining to people what the organizations we volunteered for were all about. But to my surprise a good portion of the time we were there was used to show a video and to let representatives form organizations speak. I thought this was a good thing because it really explained what their organizations were all about. We had a few people come up to our poster board to ask questions about the organization we volunteered for. We volunteered for Elsie’s food pantry. People asked us what our organization was all about and who it benefited. Me and my group were able to answer all of the questions asked. I was happy to see that some of the staff members from Elsie’s food pantry were able to show up to this event. I am sure they were happy with the information we collected and put out on display. I would have liked to have had more time to stick around the event. Unfortunately I had classes to go to and could not stay at the event.
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Javier Calderon
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Javier Calderon
For this week’s journal I decided to write about Troy Swanson’s “Models,Games,And Phoniness:A Response To Mike” from the book Why White Rice? Thinking Through Writing. In this short reading he mentions that the reason we take classes is not to learn ways of thoughts to use in the classroom. He says the goal is to build skills to use in the rest of our lives. I can see what he is talking about us building academic skills that we will use in the future. Sometimes I sit in class and ask myself how is the material and work habits I am learning in class going to possibly help me in my desired career. But then I end up making sense of it and piece some of it together. He also mentions that in this class we will write several papers that will help us model and explore our writing process and that we will be able to use it again. And this is true because in my previous writing classes I have learned about the writing process. Through writing different types of papers I have learned how to organize my thoughts in a more efficient manner. Sometimes I get assigned papers that I don’t know how to start on or just simply don’t want to do because I feel like I will not be able to meet all of the requirements. But when I run into these situations I just start writing and think back to all of the papers in the past that gave me the same problem in the beginning but in the end I was able to finish and do well in.
Troy. Swanson. “Models,Games,And Phoniness:A Response To Mike.”Why White Rice?: Thinking Through Writing. Dubuque,IA:Kendall Hunt Pub.,2010.152-153.Print -
Javier Calderon
Volunteer Work
When we first got this group project, we as a group were not sure as to what issue we would focus on to complete our service/activism project. We started out with four people in our group and now have three people. Even though we only have three members in our group we know that we can still complete this project. We ended being in the same group because we felt like we all had good qualities that would ultimately benefit us with our service/activism project. We decided as a group to do our service/ activism project on starvation. We chose this issue because we felt like starvation is an extremely important issue that needs to be addressed. We also felt like our efforts and volunteer work with a food pantry organization can definitely make a difference. We felt like this is one of those important world issues we can directly have a positive impact on. Earlier on in the semester I attended Feed My Starving Children in Aurora Illinois. And after I attended and did volunteer work I had a better understanding of how big of an issue and how sad starvation is. Not being able to eat is really bad. Often times we all complain about us missing lunch and how hungry we are. And in most cases it has only been hours since our last meal. There are people all around the world that go around for days without eating and hundreds are at the near death point due to extreme malnourishment. It is really sad to have to hear about this or even having to see videos and pictures of these hundreds of starving people. It really gets you thinking of all the food we have all seen thrown away. It is unfortunate to have to go around thinking or asking yourself when is the next time you will be able to eat again or if you will be able to survive long enough to see that day. Most people don’t even think of things like that. I think that if people thought of the issue a little more in depth there would be less people starving in this world.
At first I thought that being able to get involved with an organization that helps fight starvation would be easy. I always hear on TV or in the radio that organizations of all types are always looking for volunteers and that any kind of contributions would really help. To my surprise finding and organization we can volunteer for is proving to be difficult to this day. I have contacted several food pantries around the Moraine Valley campus but none of them need volunteers at the moment. I could not believe it! The lady told me that after I basically gave her a kind of mission statement on behalf of my group. I told her who I was and what my group’s purpose was and that we were moraine valley students. And before she said anything else I thought to myself “who does that! Who turns down free work! Really!” I mean I am offering a good solid team willing to do good hard work. But after that she explained that their organization was waiting on a food shipment and that they had already packed up all the other food shipment s they had. She told me she would contact me if there was a new shipment and if they needed more volunteers. After a while I found it to be kind of funny because I almost felt like I was a sales man that was trying to sell some kind of service but ended up being shut down due to lack of funds. It’s almost like she said sorry we are really interested in your services but we do not have the funds to pay you when the whole time I was offering FREE service. After that all of the other organizations I contacted gave me the response. And that is when I realized that this was going to be more difficult than I thought it would be. The closest I came to being able to reserve a date to volunteer was with one of the most recent organizations I came in contact with. Unfortunately the dates they gave me are far too long down the line for our group. It seems like a good amount of people from our class have been having the same issues with the organizations they have been trying to contact. I never thought people trying to volunteer would have issues like these. I always thought well organized organizations always took in all the help they could get. At least that’s what it seemed like to me.
And due to all of the issues of having to find an organization that will accept our volunteer work I have come to learn that these organizations do not always need volunteers. And that in its self has made me question why is that these organizations do not need our help. I understand the obvious reasons why they don’t need our help but I am very interested in knowing further details. I never really expected to be turned down by multiple organizations especially when it comes to offering volunteer work. Even though we have been having a hard time in finding an organization that will accept our volunteer work, we as a group are still keeping up a good attitude about the project and know that we will find an organization in which we will be able to actively participate in. We have had our group meetings and have also discussed multiple project issues. We have discussed what we need to do as a whole to accomplish the end goal of the project. We have discussed what it is we expect from the volunteer experience and what it is that we are going to do while we are there. We are all looking forward to being involved with an organization that helps fight against starvation. Our expectations are high and we expect to really be able to be involved with the organizations purpose and mission statement. Our expectations are high because we have been trying to find and organization to work with for some time already and we are all just ready to finish of the last part of the group project. We have discussed questions we will be asking about the organization and where it is exactly that the food is going or if they have any other partners that help them with their cause. We have done some research on the issue we are working on and have found it to be very useful in our project because we have a better sense of direction when it comes to what to expect and what to do for the organization. There is a lot of people out there that would say it’s all about just calling and packing food in boxes and just shipping them off to the people who need it. But from my experience so far it’s more than just calling and trying to make a reservation it’s about really trying to find an organization that really need help with this cause and is willing to accept volunteer work. We have all come to accept that currently not every organization out there needs our help. And in a way that is good because at least we know that most of these organizations are being taken care of one way or another. We are willing to put in hard work and make our own donations to these organizations we look forward to working with. -
Javier Calderon
For this week’s reading journal I decided to write about “The Machine That Is Replacing Me Is Getting Cheaper Every Day” by Troy Swanson from “Why White Rice? Thinking Through Writing.” In this passage Mr. Swanson begins to talk about how the fact that we are reading this book and this passage shows that we care about our classes and are willing to invest serious time into learning and thinking. He also states that many people will not read his passage because they are overloaded with school work, family, and work related matters. And in a way it is true because many students have multiple jobs that they have to maintain to keep up with school tuition and other personal expenses. I find myself to be running around and sometimes going crazy trying to meet class deadlines. Sometimes it is impossible to keep up with school work because some teachers act like they are the only teacher their students have and think they have no other class assignments. They seem to forget that we also have a life outside of school and that they are just overdoing it with the class work load. It also seems like maybe they just forgot what it was to be a college student. Unfortunately that is how it is sometimes and we as students just try our very best and hardest to meet class work deadlines.I try hard to see past the hidden agendas and sometimes look back to a teacher in my past that was able to motivate me to go forth with tough workloads.
Swanson,Troy.”The Machine That Is Replacing Me Is Getting Cheaper Every Day.”Why White Rice? Thinking Through Writing. Dubuque,IA:Kendall Hunt Pub., 2010.27-29. Print -
Javier Calderon
For this week’s reading journal I decided to write about Eric De Villez “Feelings of Inadequacy and The College Experience” From Why White Rice? Thinking Through Writing. In these few paragraphs Mr. De Villez talks about how there were some points in time when we somehow felt out of place in a class room environment. He says almost everybody experiences some kind of self-doubt at some point. He states that the person that makes us feel inadequate and out of place is ourselves and it is really up to us to change that kind of situation and that we should ask ourselves questions that can help us target the problem so we can fix it. I agree with asking yourself these kinds of questions because once you are able to figure out what the problem is and once you have clarification then you will be able to fix the problem and be able to continue the way should. I have had this issue before were I have felt out of place in one or two of my classes. And I guess I was just never really into the class because I could not see how I could incorporate the material into the career field I wanted to go into to. But after a while I just went with the classes and just kept in mind that it’s all part of getting my degree and that these classes needed to get done. I just took the interesting parts of the classes and used them to my advantage. It’s all good.
De Villez, Eric R.”Feelings of Inadequacy and the College Experince.”Why White Rice?Thinking Through Writing.Dubuque,IA:Kendall Hunt Pub.,2010. 62.Print. -
Javier Calderon
I decided to do my weekly post on Eric Devillez “So-Is it Okay to Use Wikipedia, Then? This tittle caught my attention because I have had many teachers in the past advise me not to use Wikipedia as source. They all say it is best not to because the information in it is not always one hundred percent accurate. I find it kind of funny how teachers have given me different reasons on why not to use Wikipedia. A few of my teachers have shown in class the short video of Michael Scott from the show The Office talking about how great Wikipedia is. I find that short clip to be hilarious and point effective because the character Michael Scott isn’t exactly the brightest character of the show. Eric Devillez says Wikipedia is a means of putting ideas into your head that you can verify or explore elsewhere. I use Wikipedia but when I do use it it is to look up simple things I need refreshing on or others matters that are not really important. And sometimes it so convenient to use because when you Google something Wikipedia is one of the first sources that pops up on the list. To this day the few things I have used Wikipedia for have checked out to be reliable. I think Wikipedia is great to refresh your memory on things you already know. But since anyone can go in there and change information around it is best to listen to the teachers and use a different source of inforamtion for school related matters.
Devillez,Eric R.”SO-IS it Okay to Use Wikipedia, Then?”Why White Rice?: Thinking Through Writing.Dubuque,IA:Kendall Hunt Pub.,2010.122.Print -
Javier Calderon
For this week’s reading journal I decided to write about Eric Devillez “Quit Complaining-Go Back And Read The Damn Poem” passage from our class text book Why White Rice. As soon as I read the tittle I began to laugh because I have had a few teachers in the past tell me the exact same thing. I started disliking poems ever since my advanced placement English class in high school. The teacher always made us go over poems several times. He would always tell us that there is so many things to the poems he would make us read and that each and every one of us could come up with a different personal meaning to the poem. Me and my peers would just sit there and think of how crazy and madly in love our teacher was with English and poetry. I knew that the teacher was trying his hardest to get us to see what the poems he gave us really meant and how they could relate to us. But to me they just seemed so boring and confusing. I remember understanding some of the poems I read but like always the teacher would tell me that there is more and more to the poem and that I should sit and read it more. Now that I am older I know better and actually try my best to analyze poems when I am asked to. It’s almost like looking at an interesting painting that you were asked to analyze and figure out the reasons for its creation.
Devillez,Eric R. “Quit Complaining-Go Back And Read The Damn Poem.”Why White Rice?:Thinking Through Writing. Dubuque,IA:Kendall Hunt Pub.,2010. 56.Print -
Javier Calderon
Priceless Service
When I found out that I had to do community service for this class I was surprised. It took me back to the time I had to do community service in high school. When I did community service in high school I found it to be interesting and gratifying. I did a variety of different community services for all kinds of different events and organizations. To this day I don’t remember the hours I accumulated but I do know that is was well over the service hour requirement for graduation. And from all of the community service I did I was able to learn that it is really important to give and contribute to the community through service. At the end of the day after doing hours of community service I felt good about myself and also felt this great sense of accomplishment. I have always like the idea of being able to contribute and help out whenever I can. It feels even better to help if you are helping out or contributing to a cause you are really interested in. I have always thought that it is important to help out the community or others who are in need of help. I feel like when people help out others it sends a good positive message to others watching. And often times these actions inspire others to want to become involved in contributing and performing community service. I try to get involved in community service and charitable events when I have the chance. Sometimes they can be combined with fun events.
The service learning opportunity I was able to participate in for this class was Feed My Starving Children in Aurora Illinois. I was glad to be able to participate in this service learning opportunity because I had been looking for a chance to participate in to begin with. And when the teacher gave us the details about what the organization is about and who ends up benefiting of the organization I knew it was a good opportunity to participate in. Feed My Starving Children is a four star Christian non-profit organization that helps feed really malnourished children throughout the world. I was not too sure what to expect of the place I was going to help out and package food for . I figured we would just go in and get instructions right away on how to prepare the food and actually start making the food and also start packing it into boxes for shipping. But when I got there we were directed to sign in and then go into a room were we would wait for the rest of the volunteers to show up and receive a presentation from the organization. I thought the room setting was really neat. It kind of had a small church setting with wooden benches. After a short while of waiting for the rest of the people to show up the presentation started. Once the presentation started we were very well informed about what the organization was about and who benefited from them. The presentation was very informative because they gave us many facts and stories about their organization and what they had accomplished over the years. I thought it was really interesting how the food they make is scientifically made to where it has the right amount of specific kinds of foods that can target diarrhea and help malnourished kids. I also came to find out that their food is culturally accepted throughout the world. I thought that was really neat of the organization to come up with. A bag of food that can provide six meals and also has just the right amount of different types of food that will stop diarrhea and effectively feed a malnourished child. And its culturally accepted worldwide, that just great. I also came to find out that a lot of these kids suffer from severe diarrhea and end up dying from it. During the presentation they showed us a video on how to properly produce a bag of food that holds six servings. We were told that we would be split up in groups and that we would all have a responsibility within the assembly line we would be in. After the presentation was done we were directed to a hand washing station to wash our hands and then directed to the room were the food was bagged and put in boxes to be ready for shipping. The experience of bagging and packing this food was fast paced and fun. Within our groups we had different people assigned to different parts of the assembly line. Some people scooped the right amount of food into the bags another person measured and weighed and another person sealed the bag and then packed it into a box that when is completely full will hold 216 meals. The time we spent in the room packing food went by really fast. To me it felt like it was thirty minutes or less. Everything was just so fast paced and we also had really good team work. I feel like knowing the whole time that everything we were doing at the moment was going to go along way and was going to feed severely malnourished border line dying kids really helped in making every effort in making and packing all the food. Especially since the organization counts on volunteers to help fund and package the food. So it was like the more you are able to produce the more food there will be available to ship. Once our time in the assembly line was up we were instructed to clean up and wash the items we used and clean up the area we were in. once we were done with the cleaning part we stepped over to warehouse area were there was a pallet loaded with all the boxes of food we were able to produce within a short period of time. We all gathered around it and gave a short prayer for the food to arrive safely to its destination. After that we were directed back to the presentation room where we were told how much food we had packaged and also given another brief presentation about donations and were the food we packaged could potentially be going. I enjoyed sitting through the presentation and realizing what we had all accomplished as a group. But one thing I really enjoyed about this part was that they gave us a sample of the food we had packaged. I was happy to get to sample of the food because throughout the assembly line I was wondering what the food would taste like. And after sampling it I thought it was good for it being a vegetarian blend and mostly consisting of rice. After that the presentation was over and we were told that if we wanted to make donations we could go up to the front desk. I made a donation to cover a box of 216 meals and with that donation I was given a cool green shirt with F.M.S.C and kids on it. Overall I thought my experience with Feed My Starving Children was great. I don’t think there is a thing I would change about the organization. I feel like everything ran smoothly and efficiently. The organizations presentation did a good job in making clear what it is that they do and what they stand for. In regards of what can be done to change or help the issue of malnourished kids I think a more effective approach of awareness would help out this organizations cause.I feel like the time I put into this organization was priceless because I know my help made some kind of difference in a starving kids life.-
Jaclyn Epstein
“And from all of the community service I did I was able to learn that it is really important to give and contribute to the community through service. At the end of the day after doing hours of community service I felt good about myself and also felt this great sense of accomplishment.” I agree with you completely! Alot of people do not really understand that community service can change someone’s life. I walked away from my community service project feeling really great too! I also did my project on Feed My Starving Children. It is seriously such a cool organization. The way they had the volunteering set up was really organized and actually fun! The presentation they showed before we volunteered was so sad. But it was great that they showed it because we actually got to see the kids we were helping. “The experience of bagging and packing this food was fast paced and fun.” I agree, it was cool how they made volunteering fun. It was almost like a game to see which group can pack the most boxes of food! “After that we were directed back to the presentation room where we were told how much food we had packaged and also given another brief presentation about donations and were the food we packaged could potentially be going. I enjoyed sitting through the presentation and realizing what we had all accomplished as a group” I liked how they sat us down afterwards and actually told us about our project. I loved hearing about how many kids we helped. I really did walk away from the expirience feeling like I changed little kids lives. “I feel like the time I put into this organization was priceless because I know my help made some kind of difference in a starving kids life.” From this statement, you obvioulsy feel the same way! I really liked how your paper was writtten. It gave alot of details and specifics to describe for those who did not voluteer here. I think that for people who read your paper, they will gain alot of information on this great organization. It is so awesome to walk away from this expirience and know that you helped feed starving children who desperatley needed food. I am sure everyone who participated in some sort of community service for this project really gained an appreciation for what they have in their own life. I know I have, and I am sure you did as well. Really good job on the paper!
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Jami Busse
First of all, I think that the title, Priceless Service, of your piece is great. I liked how you jumped right into your subject and started off with saying that you were surprised that we would have to do community service and I too was surprised by this. I like how you connected community service to your high school days and I to can relate as I’m sure other people about doing community serve in order to graduate. I think you described your feelings toward helping your community out very well. I also like how you said that they can be linked with fun events because sometimes when people think of doing community service they think it boring. I think you described the Feed my Starving Children organization very well and I to think it is a great organization with a great cause. I like how you went into fine detail by explaining the presentation and your take on it and how you were very descriptive on your surroundings. I found that your explanation was great especially for someone like me who has never been to that organization to help. You did a great job explain everything while still keeping it interesting for the reader. I think it was really unique that you guys all prayed for the boxes to arrive safely that is a very interesting fact that really shows how much the organization cares for these kids. I think it was great that you made a donation because not only are you helping the organization by donating your time but you are also helping by giving them a donation and that really shows how much your car. I think that it shows a lot about the organization in you saying that you would not change a thing about it. I think that the words you used and the structure that you maintained in this essay are very good. I liked how you really gave each thing a thought and how you felt about it. I think that you started it off great and ended it great as well. I found it very entertaining and enjoyable to read. I liked how you connected your title to your conclusion in the essay by saying, “.I feel like the time I put into this organization was priceless because I know my help made some kind of difference in a starving kid’s life.” This leaves the reader with the lasting thought of how you feel about the organization and the cause. I don’t think anything needs to be changed with this essay I think you did a very good job.
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Javier Calderon
This week I decided to write my reading journal on “Googling Is Not the Same as Thinking” by Professor McGuire from the book Why White Rice. It is definitely true that googling is not the same as thinking. The tittle of this passage immediately brought a feeling of guilt to me because I find myself using Google for thinking more than I should from time to time. Even though I know I should think for myself I find it that Google saves me a lot of time. It’s just so convenient! Google is always there 24/7. And while it is a great tool for a great variety of resources, it can have a negative effect on our thinking skills. And I’m not surprised that no one likes to check out the reserved books that sit in library. It’s just that sometimes it seems a lot easier to google assignments rather than reading a book on it. I can admit that I usually do google assignments first but if I feel like I have not found information that is sufficient enough or reliable for my assignments I always go and look for books for additional information. I realize that being dependent on search engines can have a negative effect on my thinking skills but sometimes I find myself being very pressed on time that I just end up using them. I can agree with what Professor McGuire says about having to sometimes just crack a book open and read it. After all reading a book can’t be that bad. Its finding the time for it that can sometimes be the tricky part.
McGuire, Michael. “Googling is Not the Same as Thinking.” Why White Rice?: Thinking through Writing. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Pub, 2010. 119-120. Print.
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Javier Calderon
Letter To Editor
Dear Editor,
It is very important for people to become more involved with recycling. In today’s society everyone appears to be very pre-occupied and for the most part always on the rush. One of the biggest reasons people do not recycle is because they find it to be very inconvenient and time consuming. They also say recycling can be very confusing because of the different kinds of bins and number of different kinds of plastic that exist. Even though there is plenty of recycling ads and information out there, it seems like it is not affectively getting through people. Sometimes I think a lot of people go around thinking its ok to slack off on recycling because they think someone else is already doing it. The world’s population keeps increasing in numbers and so does the waste it produces and the energy and natural resources it consumes. With that taken into consideration people should really put some thought into recycling because it will help us conserve our natural resources and cut back on unnecessary landfills and pollution. Recycling already existing materials uses less energy and helps conserve natural resources. Also recycling would help cut down on the production of non-biodegradable products that take longer to decompose and that in the long run end up hurting our environment. Producing new materials take up a lot of energy and consume natural resources. Deforestation leads to natural habitat destruction and global warming. Recycling paper products would help cut back on cutting down trees and putting animals out of their environments. I believe that educating our society further of the importance of recycling would really help make a difference when it comes to recycling. After all it is our duty to conserve and protect the world we live in.
Sincerely,
Javier Calderon-
Jaclyn Epstein
I really like your letter to the editor and how you based your letter to the editor off of your research paper. I remember reading your research paper and really liking it. My family and I recycle and I think it is so important. I think families should always trying to encourgae recycling and encouraging their children to recycle. That way, when they are older, they will know that recycling should be done, and it is the right thing to do. “I believe that educating our society further of the importance of recycling would really help make a difference when it comes to recycling. After all it is our duty to conserve and protect the world we live in.” First off, I really like how you think we should educate our society. I firmly believe that everyone should be educated on big important issues. I think if people were educated on most things, it would cause alot less conflict. I also like the fact that you said it is out duty to conserve and protect the world. I totally agree. We are the ones living here, we should take care of it so that there is a world for future generations to live in a clean and safe enviornment. I think that people don’t recycle because like you said, they are in a rush. No body realizes that recylcing literally takes like maybe one minute of your day. They can’t just drop their garbage into a recycling bin instead of a trash can. People are just lazy, it is not THAT inconvienient. I agree that recycling should not be confuising. It’s just throwing garbage away into a different box. COnfusing should not be an excuse as to why people do not recycle. You are right, the population is increasing and that means garbage is increasing, we should educate the younger generation on how important it is to recycle so that when the population does grow, hopefully polution will shrink. I think it is so sad that deforestation is an issue. We are not only poluting our world but also poor animals homes’ who had nothing to do with it. It is almost kind of selfish for people not to recycle, it is our job as residents on this planet to take care of it. We really do need to save our natural resources because they are the only ones that we are going to get. I really love this topic because it is something that effects everyone. Hopefully one day more people start to recycle and become aware of how important it is. I really enjoyed your letter to the editior! Good Job!
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Jackie Xiques
I really liked that you picked the topic of recycling. It is something that is stressed but not taken into consideration by enough people. As a community we all have the option to recycle but it is the matter if we choose not to. Sometimes people are not thinking or are just too lazy to recycle something that can later create a bigger problem. I liked how you showed the lifestyle of not choosing to recycle and the affects it has on the environment. There are statistics to show that if we all recycled there would less pollution and it would make our world a better place to live in. We sometimes fail to realize that we need to keep our world a beautiful place because it is necessary for our survival and for generations to come. If we are smart and preserve our environment, we can keep the world going just that much longer and not have to worry about hurting our earth. Maybe next time you could include some statistics which shows that if people recycle then there will be such positive outcomes. People tend to react more to fact than just opinion. Recycling all in all seems like such an easy thing to do but there are few times when people think if they should recycle what they are about to throw in their trash can. We take our world for granted and even though we know we are a result of our own air pollution and things that are harming our environment we still continue to be careless. Our earth is taken for granted and not only the view of the world but the animals that also live in it. There are people who throw their trash into the oceans and lakes and do not think to realize that there are living things where they just threw their empty bottle. I really liked how you included that it not only affects us as humans but we should also consider the animals that in one way or another may benefit us. There are millions of little ecosystems living that are not visible not are still there are because of our actions some have died. We should always think to recycle first and use critical thinking to know that we are in the long run helping ourselves and our society grow stronger. If we all come together as a community we could make a change but this is a task that can not only be done by one person rather the inspiration of another. There are so many of us living in our world today and it take each and every one of us to help preserve what we hold dear. Your letter was very informative and to the point which is something that the editor should notice. It made an impact when I read it because it gives facts and you explained it in a way in which we should all be concerned of how we choose to live a recycling lifestyle.
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Jami Busse
First of all I really like your topic and can relate to it because I recently did a paper on it in one of my other classes. I think that you started it off very well and you really sound like you know what you’re talking about. I like how you make the easy assumptions about people saying that they think it takes too much time and that someone else out there is recycling so why should they . I think you provided great facts and statements to help get what you wanted to say out there. I like how you started it off by jumping right into the issue. I also think that you ended it very well by making the reader really think about recycling. I recycle at my house and I think it is a great thing to do because it really helps the environment and doesn’t create more problems for us then we already have. Like you said in you piece recycling already existing materials uses up less energy and helps conserve natural resources. This can help us a lot. I do think that recycling has come a long way in the past couple of years and not just talking about recycling material things. Wind turbines are popping up everywhere and they are greatly improving our energy source also solar panel are also a great help. I think that uses things that we have and will always have for a long time such as wind and sunlight can really do our country and planet a lot of good. Overall I thought it was a great piece.
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Javier Calderon
For this week’s post I decided to write about some of the issues I read in the research papers I had to do peer reviews for. I was not surprised people picked these issues because they truly are issues to be concerned of. However I did become aware of facts I did not know of these issues before. I did not know that cyber bullying had become just as big as bullying in school. I always thought all of the major bullying took place at school. I knew people committed suicide all over the world but I never imagined that the number of suicide were extremely high. According to the research paper I read there is roughly one suicide taking place every 40 seconds all over the world. That is just flat out very disturbing and also very alarming. It just really gets you thinking of all the pain a suffering families have to go through because of all of these suicides. The last issue I read about was about abortions and how it needs to be stopped. Abortion seems to overall cause severe damage in the long run and is not a very wise thing to do. The idea of removing an unborn fetus from the mother’s womb with clamps and suction machines is very heart breaking. These are all very serious issues that have to be addressed with more effective manners. I think educating people further on all of these issues would definitely help cut down on abortions, suicides, and bullying.
Xiques,Jackie.”Suicide.”Splatter101.Mike McGuire,2011.Web.23 Mar.2012.
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Javier Calderon
Speech Outline
Issue: Recycling
Concern: Lack of Recycling
- not enough people are recycling
- negative outcome of not recycling
- reasons people don’t recycle
- reasons why people should recycle
Solution: Becoming well informed and obtaining higher commitment
-more eye opening information regarding benefits of recycling
-possibilities and ideas of recycling incentives by government
-identify problems or reasons why people don’t recycle
-becoming more involved with recycling and ecofriendly organization
-what companies can do and what they are doing to help
-recycling creates jobsConclusion: Recycling is important and benefits everyone overall and our future depend on it.
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Javier Calderon
For this week’s post I decided to write about some of the information I came across while doing my research on recycling. The need for recycling is an important issue everyone needs to be concerned with. The world’s population keeps increasing in numbers and so does the waste it produces and the energy and natural resources it consumes. It seems that there is a lot of information that has not effectively gotten across to a large number of people throughout the whole world. And I say this because research shows that there are a lot of people that are not recycling or simply don’t care. If we stopped recycling there would be hundreds and hundreds of additional landfills all over the world. Landfills that obviously take up valuable space and have been proven to negatively affect our environment through pollution. Recycling already existing materials helps save energy and helps conserve natural resources. Also recycling would help cut down on the production of non-biodegradable products that take longer to decompose and that in the long run end up hurting our environment. Producing new materials take up a lot of energy and consume natural resources. Deforestation leads to natural habitat destruction and global warming. Recycling paper products would help cut down on cutting down trees and putting animals out of their environments. I also came to learn that one of the top reasons why people don’t recycle is because it is too inconvenient for them. People are usually on the go and pressed on time.
United States.Eviormental Protection Agency. Recycling. Environmental Protection Agency, Mar 2012.Web.23 Mar.2012. -
Javier Calderon
Taking Recycling Seriously
Often times all we hear about recycling is that it is good for our environment and that it is the right thing to do for our future. Or from time to time we run into the people who preach about why recycling is good and how we are failing to do our part and how we should feel bad about ourselves. And naturally we can’t help ourselves but to drown their voices out or just simply avoid them. Or when we are watching T.V. we see ecofriendly commercials promoting recycling. After while all these recycling ads and preaching’s just end up being ignored by people because they have been overdone or people just choose not to recycle because it can be too confusing and inconvenient. But the truth is that we all need to be involved and do our part when it comes to recycling. Recycling has many benefits and is good for the environment, community, reducing pollution, and our planets future. So with that being said taking recycling seriously isn’t much of a bad idea.
The idea and concern of recycling has been around for a very long time. And as years pass and the population in the world increases, the waste it produces and the energy it consumes cannot be ignored. If we don’t recycle then we end up consuming a lot more of our natural resources and the more natural resources we consume the more energy we waste. If we stopped recycling there would be more landfills, harmful byproducts, pollution and other implications that would directly harm us. With this being taken into consideration it is important recycling should be taken more seriously and extra efforts for recycling should be made. It takes more energy and raw materials to produce new products. And it takes less energy to recycle already existing materials. The more we recycle the more we can reuse already existing materials. And the more we would be able to conserve our natural resources also we would be saving energy by not having to use it on mills or other kind of machinery to acquire new materials. Not Recycling is an issue that affects everyone in the world. For example non-biodegradable products take time to decompose and end up hurting our environment in the long run. Recycling would cut down on production of non-biodegradable products and help cut down on the effect these products have on our environment. Deforestation leads to natural habitat destruction and global warming. Recycling paper products would help cut down on cutting down trees and putting animals out of their environments.
The rise for concern over recycling has come from the growing population of the world and all of the resources it consumes and all of the waste it produces. Along with the fact that recycling is not being done to the extent that it needs to. There is many organization, companies, and people that are currently involved in recycling and making recycling a habit. Many states have passed laws that state recycling must be done. And certain companies have put out incentives for the amount of items and volume people recycle through a system that involves reward points that can be redeemable for items of value and everyday use. While other companies have made it their top priority to be more environmentally friendly because of the fact that it saves them a significant amount of money and it also brings them millions in revenue. Even though companies and organizations have had some success with recycling they still have their setbacks. These organizations and companies can only do so much and only go so far in terms of getting people to cooperate with their recycling efforts. In some states people have to pay a certain dollar amount per electronic item they want to dispose of responsibly. This makes people think twice about having to recycle these items because they have to pay for it. And in cases like that it seems like the easier thing to do is throw it away in the regular thrash or just dump it off anywhere so long as they don’t have to pay for something they are throwing away in the first place. If the government implemented strict recycling laws the lack of recycling would go down and our environment and future would look a little better in terms of cutting down on pollution and waste build up. Even though companies and organizations have had a certain amount of success it is not enough to cover for the world. And perhaps it never will but at least a significant certain percentage will. And hopefully with that certain future percentage, sustainability of earth’s natural resources can be accomplished to a better degree.Companies around the world are currently working on making products that are more eco-friendly. For example some automobile makers are adapting to the idea of making cars that can be easily disassembled for easier recycling once they are gotten rid of by their owner. Water bottle companies are re-engineering their bottles and making them slimmer and using some or completely recycled plastic to make new bottles. More and more organizations and professional institutions are currently being influenced or are undergoing major eco-friendly changes in an effort to cut back on natural resource use and promoting recycling within their premises. Even though these positive changes are circulating in places that are heavily occupied every day, there are some factors that play against recycling. And one of those factors is inconvenience. People are usually on the go and often times are very pressed on time. Seeing how some people barely have time for themselves it seems like they would not have the time to throw their waste into the designated trash can. And this is very true because sometimes it can be very inconvenient especially were they have the cans that have been designated for several different types of plastics. It’s hard enough to get most people to recycle by having to differentiate between two cans. Another conflicting factor is lack of space. In some cases there is not enough room in households to put three or more trash cans for recycling. And in cases were space is very limited recycling just seems to be a big hassle and the big picture of recycling can instantly be diminished or cluttered by the hassle and inconveniences.
Even though recycling can be a hassle, it doesn’t have to be looked at that way. It can be looked at as a positive action that goes a long way and that only needs a fraction of our time and effort. It would really help if people took some time and looked into the numerous benefits of recycling and the overall long term positive effects one can have on the environment. And this could simply be done by visiting recycling websites and other ecofriendly sites. People can simply begin helping by cutting back on consuming products that produce waste. For example instead of buying bottles of water one might consider using a large water bottle container to drink water from and refill as needed. This would cut back on the empty water bottles that would have to be thrown out.Overall recycling is something we should all take more seriously. It is definitely something that we should all take part of because it affects us now and it will affect us in the future. We might not be able to see it now but maybe that’s because we haven’t been to the landfills and seen how quickly they are filling up with harmful waste. Or because we don’t fully realize how harmful these waste piles really are to us. Not recycling really comes down to us hurting ourselves. So with all of this being taken into consideration taking recycling seriously isn’t much of a bad idea. It just really makes sense to do it. It is a win win situation for everyone.
http:/agreenliving.net
http:/world.edu/http:/www.grownnyc.org/
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Jaclyn Epstein
I really like your essay! I feel like some people think recyling is overrated, or that it won’t help. My family is big on recycling plastic and aluminum cans. Since my family is big on reycling, I know how important it is to do so. I feel like not man people recycle because they aren’t educated on how imporant it is. If people just take simple steps to become “green”, we can save our enviornment and make this planet a healthier, happier place to live.
Recycling has many different benefits for everyone. Most people just over look how important and helpful it can be. Recycling doesn’t take that much effort at all. I just think we live in a soceity today that’s pretty lazy.
Maybe people don’t recycle because they can’t see a change in the enviornment right away so they feel like it doesn’t even help. They just need to realize that the change is gradual. I think another reason why people don’t recycle is because it’s “inconvienient”. Like you said in your essay, it’s hard for people to recylce when they’re on the go.
I like how you included how big companies and organizations have taken steps to “go green”. I think a common way that most people probably see is water bottles, which you mentioned in your essay. They have came out with the “eco-friendly” bottles which use less plastic. Also how you mentioned about car factories and how they are making it easier to recycle parts. I think its great how big companies are taking steps to help the enviornment. Hopefully it inspires people to do the same thing. Educating people on how effective recycling can be, can really help.
“Even though recycling can be a hassle, it doesn’t have to be looked at that way. It can be looked at as a positive action that goes a long way and that only needs a fraction of our time and effort.” I really like this quote because it really can be a hassle sometimes, but it’s a really good cause.
Our essays were supposed to be a minimum of 2,500 words, so maybe on your final draft you should work on that. Also you have to “in-text” cite. If you have a works cited, and no in-text citations, teachers can consider this plagerism. Your citing also may need some work. We are supposed to cite in “MLA” form. You can go to the library for help with your citings. Or you can use http://www.easybib.com even, it makes it pretty easy, but you have to check to make sure it’s correct because sometimes it can get screwed up.
Other than that, you have a really powerful and informative essay. I’m sure everyone who reads this may be a little more inspired to actually recycle, at least in their own homes. -
Jami Busse
First of all I want to say that your essay topic was a very good issue to write about because it really is important today. I think that you started off your essay great and did a great job transitioning into the next paragraphs. I liked how you connected to the reader by adding in situations that someone might have experienced about recycling. I think that your first paragraph started out really good and you really brought the audience in and keep them interested. I thought that the paragraph when you talked about the history was very informative and you explained it very well. I think you gave great facts and did a lot of research to find these things out. I think it’s great that you added things about what the companies were doing now to change and make eco-friendly products. I think that you added this, “If we stopped recycling there would be more landfills, harmful byproducts, pollution and other implications that would directly harm us.” Because this can really made me think about what it would be like if we didn’t recycle and I personally think that if we never started recycling we wouldn’t have gone onto better environmentally safe things like wind turbines and solar panels to get energy. I think it helped me when you threw in some examples of what you were talking about it help me better understand it and really get what you were trying to explain. One thing you mentioned is that many states have passed laws saying that state recycling must be done and I think it would help if you wrote the states that have. This way the reader can see if there state has them and might spark them to get involved and see if there is anything to do to get laws passed in their states to have recycling mandated. I liked how you ended how you ended your essay with this, “So with all of this being taken into consideration taking recycling seriously isn’t much of a bad idea. It just really makes sense to do it. It is a win win situation for everyone.” I think that this really lets people know your opinion on the subject and that was the whole point of this essay. Overall I thought your essay was great. I think you used great sentence structure and great word choice for your work. I thought that your beginning and ending paragraphs were great.
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Jackie Xiques
Recycling is a topic that is very controversial in our society today. I felt your paper was very structured and I was able to differentiate from the different paragraphs and I could tell the points you were trying to get across. The one thing I did not know was that governments in some state were charging people to throw away trash. If that is decided to be done the people who have started to recycle would quit altogether because no one is willing to throw their money away on trash. I was very interested to find that there is a reward system that some companies are using. I wish you could have elaborated on that more because it really caught my attention and I was intrigued to see just how far the rewards can go. I also agreed with the paper in its entirety about recycling in general. Many people feel that they alone will not make a difference in our environment but if everyone maintains that mentality nothing will get accomplished. I did not think of the reasons why having the different cans were a problem. You made good points when saying it could be for lack of space or people just don’t want to have to have different recycling cans. I could really see your passion in your paper which also made it entertaining to read. I liked how you gave examples of what was being done to help our environment such as the water bottles and the easier recyclable cars they are now making. I saw that you gave examples for us a community to help such as carry a bigger water bottle and that would save the waste of all the other little water bottles. I just wish I was able to get introduced to some better known organizations which could help me know where I could start to really make a change. I know we can not do this as one person and the more people recycle the better. It is sad to see just how much people have to stress about recycling to get any reaction out of anyone. It is us who is ruining the world that we live in and we are being careless of our beautiful surroundings. It is very true how many people tune out environmentalists that say that we should recycle for reasons such as the waste would turn into harmful chemicals for our environment and takes more time to break down than it would be if we just recycled the product. That should be enough information to make us really care anout the issues that are going on around us and people are taking the time to make ideas to make a change and all their efforts are going unrecognized. I am proud to say that my family recycles the most we can and I feel better giving back to the environment. After reading this paper I will try to be more self-aware of my actions when it comes to recycling and keeping our world healthy.
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Javier Calderon
When I read “You Can’t Dodge All the Bullets” from the book “Why White Rice” I was able to understand what Kate Kinsella was writing about. In her passage she talks about how no matter what you do in life or how you go about it you will eventually run into obstacles along the road. And instead of taking a detour one should use all alternatives and resources to overcome the obstacles and not give up. I can agree with having to take a few minutes to breathe and assess the situation or doing whatever works best when it comes to having to deal with the initial impact of a problem or obstacle. It is important to approach an obstacle or a problem with a clear mind. Because if you don’t you are more than likely not going to be able to approach the situation the best way possible or you are more prone to just put it to the side or just give up completely. But most importantly one must take on the problem with full force and confidence. Being able to get around these obstacles help boost confidence and helps gain experience. There was a part in this passage that made me think of the people that go crazy over the smallest and most meaningless problems there could possibly be. She makes and excellent point when she says that “no circumstance is the end-all-be-all of a situation.” I think that for the most part that statement is true because there are always alternatives one can take to resolving issues.
Kate Kinsella,”You Cant Dodge All the Bullets.”Why White Rice?: Thinking Through Writing.Dubuque,IA:Kendall Hunt Pub.,2010. 80print.
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Javier Calderon
I never stopped to think about what activism and service meant. Evrytime time I would hear the word activism it was usually in the news linked to people being arrested for standing up and acting out for something they strongly believed in. And because of this I think people tend to associate the word activism with negative thoughts. And I guess now that I have a better understanding of what they mean I can see how people would prefer to perform a service instead of becoming an activist. It just seems like performing a service involves less responsibility and also seems to yield a faster sense of accomplishment. With activism it seems like you would have to be in it for the long haul or die trying.
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Javier Calderon
I had heard of the Peace Corps in the past from time to time. But I never put much thought into what they did or the kind of people that were involved. It’s inspiring to read how dedicated Rajeev Goyal was about the Peace Corps. Even though more than a few of his attempts to carry out events that would benefit the Peace Corps did not go about happening, it did not discourage him and instead kept going and thought of other ideas to go about accomplishing. This man was clearly devoted to the Peace Corps. He made an amazing difference by starting up the water lines in Nepal. Once the lines were set up the people did not have to spend six hours hauling water .Rajeev kept helping the village in Nepal even after his time in the Peace Corps was up. It really comes to show how one person can really make a difference with nothing but a lot of persistency and relentless effort. I can only imagine what the world would be like if there were a lot more people like Rajeev Goyal. Or even if the majority of the people in the world start contributing even a little. If it wasn’t for me having to read this article I would have never known that John F. Kennedy founded the Peace Corps. Or even how it went growing over the years and the kind of people that were volunteering. Knowing that people can accomplish things like these should easily be able to influence others to want to help out.
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Javier Calderon
The “Who Should Survive” critical thinking exercise was one of the most interesting exercises I have had to do so far. It definitely was not one of my favorites but it was interesting to me because it really had me thinking about who should be spared, who should be killed, and why. At first I thought I knew who to definitely get rid of but then started questioning if I was doing the right choice. And as I started to think more and more I could not help but feel like I was kind of in one of those Saw movies were that Jig Saw guy was making me pick whose life to spare and who to kill. I mean obviously the exercise did not mention the people we decided to kill would have to go thru a torturous gruesome death but I still felt uneasy about choosing who to kill. The choices we had to make as group were not easy ones and I am sure I speak for the whole group when I say none of us were excited with the choices we made. In the end we had to come up with a response so we ended up getting rid of the people with the most liabilities. The only character we chose to kill that did not have any kind of liabilities was Father Philip and that was because we all felt that it was something he would have chosen himself because of his strong devout religious affiliation. Overall i felt like it was a good thinking exercise.
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Javier Calderon
The short documentary “No One Bothered” left me thinking a lot about how the real homeless have to live and what they have to go through every day. I couldn’t believe all the unnecessary abuse the two homeless couple had to go through. It’s bad enough that they are homeless and hungry and on top of that they get beat up by teenagers, drunks, and also get urinated on and spat at. That’s just messed up. It’s sad because it almost seems like being homeless makes you less of a human being. It never really crossed my mind that all that could happen to homeless people. And I guess it’s because every time I see homeless people they are usually just asking for food or money and for the most part appear to be harmless. I have no problem helping out the homeless whenever I can but pan handlers have made it hard to distinguish the homeless from them. It’s gotten so bad that people of all ages are panhandling now and make people think twice about giving out money. Some people say it is best not think about them and just look away. But sometimes it’s hard to do that because you just can’t stop but to think that maybe that homeless person is someone’s father, mother, brother, or daughter. I usually find myself asking how is it that they got to that point. Or how long has it been since the last time they ate or when was the last time they experienced love and care. But I guess when you are forced to live under those conditions you just have to improvise, adapt, overcome, and hope for the best.
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Javier Calderon
What I Live For
Throughout life I have been through experiences and changes that have shaped my life. I live and learn and take the good from the bad and use it to my advantage. Eventually there was a time where I started asking myself what it is that I stand for and what is it that I feel strong about. Once I started figuring out what these things were I was able to start caring more and became more orientated toward developing a strong foundation for my beliefs and goals. In the past I have asked myself what it is that I would kill for, die for, and what it is exactly I want to live for. It took me a lot of growing up to figure out the answer to these questions. Since I already know what I feel strong about when it comes to my beliefs, goals, and what drives me to be who I want to be it is easy to answer what it is that I live for what I would die for and what I would kill for.
I live to live life to the fullest and stop at nothing to accomplish my goals, to get out there and get things done. I want to be successful in life so I can be a more functional member of society and also to make my loved ones proud. Making my friends and family proud is very important for me because they have been there for me through all kinds of situations in my life. I owe a lot to them and feel like becoming successful would really show them my appreciation. Living life to the fullest is most definitely a must because there is so much to do so much to learn and appreciate that it would be a shame if we didn’t get out there. And if people don’t want to do it for themselves they should do it for the people that wish they could walk or run but can’t because of their physical conditions. Along with living life to the fullest I would like to contribute to this world by helping out in many different ways. Whether it is helping a little kid to read or building a shelter for the less fortunate I would like to help. It is important to me to be able to give back because I believe we all have a lot to offer but just don’t realize or simply just think someone else is already helping out so it’s cool. I hate to see people being extremely careless or just assuming that someone else is going to do it. They should really start trying to help out so that way they can experience how rewarding it feels to perform a good deed that is not rewarded with money or incentives that only directly benefit them.
The older I get the more it hits me that I should not waste time. So whatever I can get actively involved in I do so as long as it is something productive. Especially if it’s for a good cause. I have ran half marathons and participated in many different running events and obstacle courses and each and every one of them have made me feel alive and more driven to accomplish any goal I set for myself. Those are some of the moments I love to live for. The more I live life to the fullest the more I appreciate what life has to offer and the more it makes me want to get involved in giving back my part to society so someone else can have the chance to enjoy the things I enjoyed. The only thing that seems to get in the way is time. There never seems to be enough time. So if there was something I would change about the way I live my life it would acquiring time and managing it more efficiently.
In life there are personal beliefs and loved ones one would kill and die for. Everyone is different and have different views of what they would be willing to commit such acts for. For me both of these kind of intertwine. They are both very strong and serious acts. I feel like I would commit both acts for the same beliefs. But seeing how I have to answer this specific question I guess I would kill for a loved one’s life. I don’t think anyone would like to be put in a position where they would have to face having to kill someone in order to save their loved ones life. But I’m sure if the situation were to ever come were they have to kill someone that is trying to kill their loved one I am sure the reaction would be a no brainer. This is really the only thing that comes to mind when having to think about what I would kill for. And I think it is because I don’t really go around thinking about reasons to kill and mostly feel like there are many different options other than having to kill.
When asked what I would die for the answer comes easy to me. I would die for my country. This country has given me the chance to live my life to the fullest. There is no doubt in my mind that I would hesitate to do this for my country because this is where I grew up this is where I go fishing, partying, swimming, barbecuing, traveling, and so on. This is where I live and this is where I have made the best memories this is home. I cannot picture not having the rights and privilege’s I have now. Sure there are many things to complain about this country but the truth is every country has its own set of problems we just don’t live in those countries to complain about it. I wish people’s attitudes would change more and instead of just complaining about the government they should really start doing something about it. Sure the change may not be instant but it is a lot better than just sitting around complaining and letting matters get more out of control. I feel like a lot of people take for granted what this country has to offer. But I guess that’s what happens when people get so used to the same things. I would also die for my family, religion, and freedom. I would die for all of these things because without them I feel like I would not be able to live a happy life.
We all feel strong and for the most part different about what we personally choose to live for die for and kill for. I am content with what I have chosen to stand for and want to live my life this way. For me it’s all about “time now” and not wasting time. I feel very strong about what I live for. And the things I would do to continue to live the life I want to live and the life I would like others to experience. Even though the answers to this paper came to me without much difficulty it made me take into consideration other matters that tie in with where I stand now and were I want to go with my life. There is always the possibility that I could for some reason change my mind about where I am going with my life and what I believe. However in my experience the changes I have made to my life are usually good changes and not major overhauls. To this day this is what I live for.
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Jackie Xiques
First I would like to start with saying this paper was very interesting to read. I was happy I could relate to the fact that you feel time is something that should not be wasted. There is so much room for opportunities and making a day as productive as possible and feel amazing for completing so much. Instead of wasting a day away there are many things that can be done even as hobbies. I agree we should always be kept busy. I was glad to notice that you are passionate about helping the environment. That shows you are a thoughtful person and gives you a kind sense of character. I agree with the fact that there is still so much that can be done in a community that would be easier with the help of more people. And it’s the truth when you said people only think to help when there is money involved or a benefit for them. You seem to realize how society can become so selfish that they end up being careless. The excuse of not having enough time to give a hand has grown tired. I was also interested to find out that you ran marathons. It shows you are healthy and concienscious of your body and a strong sense of self discipline. Not many people can say they have participated in marathons and for that you should be very proud. I was proud to read that you said you would die for your country. My response was identical when I answered this question as difficult as it was. It shows you have morals and care enough about you country to give your life and that takes bravery. You seem to appreciate what this county has to offer and I agree that this country is looked at so negatively without any actions being done. You said more than once that you are a very driven person and you live to accomplish your goals. It shows you are a go getter and you live to better yourself. I was impressed when reading you live to accomplish your goals to see your family proud. You seem to be very family oriented and that is another thing I can relate to. When your family is proud of your actions it makes you feel so much better inside probably the way you would feel after running a marathon. Exercise like that not only keeps your body healthy but also your mind. You seem to have a good heart with ambitious intentions which is a great quality to possess. I believe you will go far in life after reading about what your values are. They are strong and if you keep your discipline you will succeed in life and not only make your family proud but importantly yourself. In summary all of your questions were answered nicely and I was able to get a sense of who you are. You also seem to be firm in your beliefs and will not change them for anyone. That is something to admire and I wish you luck on your journey.
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Jaclyn Epstein
Reading your paper was honestly really enjoyable! Of all the answers you have given you can clearly tell that you are a really passionate person in just about all aspects of your life. From reading this, I really have gotten a sense of who you are as a person. The fact that you live to make your family proud and to give back to them, I could really relate to this. We wouldn’t be anything without help from people, and I like when I hear people realize that. You also edited my essay by saying the fact that I’m doing everything like work, and school is making my family proud already. I agree, the fact that you’re going to school and have ran marathons and WANT to give back, I’m sure that it’s making people proud already. I also really agree about hating to see careless people. Obviously if nobody cared, nothing in this world would get done. I believe everyone should actually want to help and give back. Even if they could only do so by small measures. I like how you would kill to save a loved ones life. I have the same belief, only if it came down to it. Your paragraph on what you would die for was really really good! I love how you seem so pasionate about your country. I like how you included that everything you do is here, like traveling, partying, and so on. It shows that you clearly care about this country. I also really agree on the fact that you wish people’s attitudes about this country would change. Yeah, it may have some problems, but its not nearly as bad as some other countries in this world. People should just appreciate the fact that their so lucky to live in a free country, and if they don’t like it, they should leave. Your conclusion paragragh was really good, and I liked how you tied everything together in there. Your essay was really well organized. I couldn’t wait to keep on reading it. I pretty much agreed and felt stronlgy about your answers. Your answers were obviuosly really thought out and passionate. You seem to really care about your loved ones and that showed throughout your entire essay. Your answers to the the questions, live, die, and kill were really detailed. I also liked your reasoning for behind answering the way you did. You clearly spent alot of time planing and writing this essay, and it really showed! I really have nothing that I didn’t like about this essay. I got exactly what I wanted to hear from this essay, it didn’t leave me wondering at all. I’m sure you will accomplish your goals that you are trying really hard for, and trying to make your loved ones proud!
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Jami Busse
First of all, I will say that i really enjoyed reading this piece. I found it relaxing and very smoothly written. I think that the way you started it off really had to do with me getting mesmerized by it. Your introductory paragraph was great. I liked how you began with saying, “Throughout life I have been through experiences and changes that have shaped my life.” this shows that your reflecting on your life so far and that’s what helps you get to your ideas for what you would live, kill and die for. I liked how you ended your first paragraph. I also found the answers easy to answer in the same way you did by figuring out what my beliefs and goals are. I could really relate to what you had to say about what you live for. I love what you said about time and how there never seems to be enough. I definitely understand what you’re saying and your feelings about it. I also liked how you talked about giving back and helping others and I also want to do that in my life to. I can relate to your writing when you talked about what you would kill and die for and you said your family. I also feel the same way about this as I’m sure everyone does. But like you said in your piece, I would also look for other options to avoid killing someone but if there was nothing I could do then I would. I found it touching to read that you would die for your country. I feel that all our troops overseas are doing an unselfish thing by risking their lives for us and everyone else in our country and I truly admire them. I want to touch on one thing that you said and that was how there are people that take their freedom for granted. I also believe this and feel strongly about it. I to think that people do complain a lot and don’t understand how good we have it hear. I enjoyed your closing paragraph I felt that you wrapped it all up very nicely. The end wasn’t abrupt or to overdone. Your last sentence was a great way to end the whole piece, it was simple but yet still effective when getting your final point across.
With all that said, I think that overall your essay was very well put together. I liked how you started and ended it. I think that you got your point across very well and made it easy to understand. Your word choices were great. I liked how you really but your thought behind it and gave great reasoning for every answer. Your sentences fit so perfectly with one another that help make it so nice to read. I also think that your generalization fit great with what you are trying to convey in the answers that you gave. Again I really enjoyed this piece and look forward to reading more of your work.
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Javier Calderon
I guess to me ecological literacy means being able to understand how ecosystems work in our world. We can become ecologically literate by educating our selves further and becoming more involved with ecological matters. However I think most people already know how to become ecologically literate they just don’t put much thought into it. They remain oblivious to the fact that the chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Ecological literacy means being able to understand ecosystems and what they consist of. I would like to say that I am somewhat ecologically literate because I understand how ecosystems work and what could happen to them if something harmful and overwhelming were to be introduced to it. With that being said I am fully aware of what could happen to our world if we do not start taking the appropriate steps in managing our actions. I may not be the biggest volunteer or have a compost pile in my back yard but I do understand that everything we do has an impact on one another in the long run and that we all depend on each other and therefore I try my best to be conscientious of my actions. I usually try my best to go with ecofriendly options. After reading this article a few times it really put a lot of things into perspective and made me think of possibilities I never thought of before. It has given me a more in depth understanding about ecological literacy and our world.
Fritjof Capra, “From The Web of Life”-
Mike Shrader
I really like what you said about the chain only being as strong as its weakest link. Some people don’t seem to understand that concept. It makes me think of a Futurama episode in which a character remarks, “Oh, I suppose Earth can take one more for the team.” It ignores that the fragility of the entire system is dependent upon the strength of each individual component. Thanks for putting that into such a strong metaphor!
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Javier Calderon
The Grading Contract seems fair to me. With good effort I should be able to do good.
Jackie Xiques, 
Kyle Barczak, 
Jami Busse and one other person are discussing. 
Jaclyn Epstein are discussing. 
Mike Shrader is discussing. 
Jaclyn Epstein 1:22 pm on April 23, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
First off, your essay was really good, and really relatable. You might want to go back and re-read your paper though, you may need to fix some grammar and punctuation mistakes, other than that i is really good! My group focused on trying to help the enviornment and we had some big struggles, just like you trying to find a place to volunteer with. I agree with you that it is sort of crazy that some organizations turn people down to volunteer…Like you said, we would be offering FREE service. But I guess it is somewhat understandable if they do not have the means to supply the volunteers with. I really admire the fact that you and your group wanted to work with towards helping starving people. It is such a huge issue that affects way more people than it should. “Often times we all complain about us missing lunch and how hungry we are. And in most cases it has only been hours since our last meal. There are people all around the world that go around for days without eating and hundreds are at the near death point due to extreme malnourishment.” I really like that you added this. I know I am definitley guilty of complaining about being hungy once I miss a meal or something. It is truly sad that some people do not even get one meal a day, let alone three meals, and some snacks in between. I really connected with that statement, and I am sure many, many others would too. “After a while I found it to be kind of funny because I almost felt like I was a sales man that was trying to sell some kind of service but ended up being shut down due to lack of funds. It’s almost like she said sorry we are really interested in your services but we do not have the funds to pay you when the whole time I was offering FREE service.” I totally can understand what you are saying here, ha. My group had called so many different groups and it was kind of like hey, you should let us volunteer with you because we are great! Sort of like we were selling our group. “Even though we have been having a hard time in finding an organization that will accept our volunteer work, we as a group are still keeping up a good attitude about the project and know that we will find an organization in which we will be able to actively participate in.” It is good that you guys are keeping a good attitude! I am sure something will come up for your group and that you guys will have a great time helping out. I cannot wait to read you your paper about the actual vounteer work!
Jami Busse 8:42 pm on April 23, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
First of all I want to say that I really enjoyed reading this and think that your group and many others are having the same problem. I really liked how you talked about your previous experience at Feed my Starving Children; this helps your piece and gives it some extra back story about why you choose your topic. I think you really want to help and you express you’re feeling about the topic and cause very well. I really liked when you said this, “At first I thought that being able to get involved with an organization that helps fight starvation would be easy. I always hear on TV or in the radio that organizations of all types are always looking for volunteers and that any kind of contributions would really help. To my surprise finding and organization we can volunteer for is proving to be difficult to this day.” Because I felt like everyone had the same feeling when starting this project and then that all changed. I think you could improve by adding little details like the names of group members and maybe go into finer detail to give it more of the story telling aspect even though you did a great job with it already. I think that you did great with not turning explaining something into babbling about it so that is good. I also like how you expressed your understanding about the issues that you faced. This shows that you are bombarding these organizations just because they don’t have any work available for you to do. I really liked how you ended your essay by concluding with, “We have all come to accept that currently not every organization out there needs our help. And in a way that is good because at least we know that most of these organizations are being taken care of one way or another. We are willing to put in hard work and make our own donations to these organizations we look forward to working with.” I think that this shows that you aren’t going to let the setbacks that you and your group face, that you’re not going to let that bring you down and you’re going to keep looking for things. I think that this piece is great and I really enjoyed it. Great job.
Kyle Barczak 11:45 pm on April 23, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Javier, I’m kind of surprised that you and your group got together simply because you all had similar traits. I figure that would make things a little difficult with people possibly butting heads with how they think something should be done. Also, I think difference in a group would be able to open many more windows when it comes to creativity or how to go about the project as a whole. As for your topic choice, I easily agree with everything you have had to say about it. For our elevator speeches I had chosen to talk about poverty in the US and across the world, and I learned a whole lot from just that little bit of research. I had no idea what the effects of a lack of food can do to a growing family, children, or a woman who is pregnant. It’s almost jaw dropping.
Your second part of your paper I also found to be extremely true, and disappointing. While my group was looking for a charity to volunteer at, we had been denied the ability to do so from one that was, what I thought, a very well known one in at least the Chicago-land area. When we had called they had turned us down because we had to have court orders for volunteer work, which is appalling. Why would anyone have to have someone tell him or her to do volunteer work, and why wouldn’t any organization allow someone who is willing to do it without force, volunteer? It’s ridiculous. As for you described the feeling of being a salesman, I honestly laughed a little bit; partly because it’s actually quiet funny and also because that’s what I do at my job. Being in sales is definitely frustrating, but when someone hears the word free, they normally stop listening to everything else you have to say and accept it, only to later deny most of it because they chose to tune out the important details. With that said, I don’t see why anyone would turn down anyone who is willing to a few hours of honest, hard work… for free.
For your last part of your paper, I really like how you seemed to wrap up all the issues that you, and what seems like everyone else, has been having. It definitely made it relatable for anyone who is in Professor McGuire’s class; I don’t think there has been a single group that had been able to carry out their plans flawlessly, without any sort of speed bump along the way. It is pretty sad though, how organizations that seem to be very desperate for helping change the world can turn down volunteers so quickly and effortlessly. That makes me really wonder why some of these groups seem to be having so much trouble establishing what they’re after. It almost seems like they’re doing fairly well with what they have. That is, until it gets to them needing some assistance with finances… The sad truth.
Jackie Xiques 11:24 am on April 24, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
When I finished this paper I was happy to read that you were going a different approach and looking to help the food pantry. My group has also thought of that as well and we also had the struggle of finding organizations that were willing to work with us. When reading your paper I could understand your effort and frustration in trying to find places and the fact that you are volunteering free work and you are being turned down. It is very discouraging and you feel that you will never find an organization that will accept your group and their mission. When we contacted the Moraine Food Pantry we were quickly accepted but I found an organization that would be closer for me and also do the same as the other organization. I could not help but get angered when we had to change our topic from helping children to the food pantry because organizations were not open for free help. I liked how in your paper you explained that there are people who complain about not eating for a couple hours and there are people who have not seen a meal in days. It is such an important idea that we all take a stand and help those who are less fortunate. I could not believe what I heard about the starvation rate. I liked how you talked about your passion for helping others that do not have food. I also liked how you incorporated your other service project experience, so the other members of your group could also participate. I was happy to see you and your group members were excited to make a change and for a cause you feel strongly about. I could not believe that food pantries would deny help because of all the people who are in need of food. I feel that there are other things that can be done such as more food being volunteered so that there is work to be done for people who want to help. If there is no room for more help then there is not enough food being donated. I feel that in order to also fulfill the needs of this project it should go beyond just the service act but also carry on after this semester. I like your idea not only because my group is also doing it but because it is an issue that is large but unfortunately overlooked. I felt your paper truly expressed your mission and how you went about pursuing it. I do not think that three member s is a small group because I feel it is just enough people to work together organized and effectively. Overall I felt you had a strong draft and I want to know which organization you decided to choose. I hope that everything works out with you and your organization and you could maybe incorporate the other experience with the one you will experience for your final portfolio piece. I wish you luck and I support your idea completely.