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)
Now for this weeks reading journal, which is for week 14, I am going to be talking about the Kony 2012 Cover the night movement. This event was talked about nation wide and almost everyone knew about it. The event was supposed to occur on April 20, 2012 at midnight. I participated with my friend and her mom to help out with covering the night in our neighborhood. She had a bunch of posters that came with the kit that she bought. When I attended the event at Moraine Valley it was a huge eye opener. I learned so much about the horrific events that was happening in Uganda. I asked my mother if she knew about it and she said no. My impression of her not knowing was that there should be more awareness. My mother watches the news every day. So she is well up to date with what is going on in the world. Anyways, going back to cover the night. We stayed out till around 1:30 a.m. we applied the posters to light posts, fences, mail boxes, street signs, and pretty much every where we could stick them on. I felt like I was doing something to help the poor, innocent children that are suffering over there. Kony is a monster and he needs to be captured. It really irks me to know that he has been getting away with kidnapping children, making them kill their parents, and turning them into killers. He trains them to kill each other. This man needs to be captured and punished
http://www.kony2012.com/
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Selina Littlefield
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Selina Littlefield
For this weeks reading journal entry I decided to voice my group’s charity event. Melissa, Jonte, and I visited the Sertoma Centre, Incorporation. The branch we visited was on 123rd & Pulaski of Alsip, IL. This branch provided service to disabled people in such that would help them become employed. There were over a dozen disabled people in the class whose ages ranged from twenty to forty. Even though all of the people were older than me I could tell there brains were not maturing at the same level of their age. Many of them were very playful while in class and were just trying to enjoy themselves. When the disabled people become employed the staff members of the Sertoma Centre, Incorporation are paid $30 an hour to go out and make sure the individuals are being mature people and performing their job duties in a very considerate manner. This experience was very interesting and it also made me very sympathetic to here once the disabled people go 18 months without finding a job they would have to leave the Sertoma Centre, Incorporation. I was able to observe the setting of the company and believe they are supporting a very valuable social issue. I also had a chance to see how isolated the disabled people are because while I was interviewing one of the people named Tom, I could tell how persistent he was at becoming friends. He wanted to become Facebook friends and I also found out he was adopted so I was more than happy to befriend him. To know there are people in the world like Tom devastates me and has inspired me to provide a service to the Sertoma Centre, Incorporation.
http://sertomacentre.org/?page_id=526 -
Selina Littlefield
Helping People With Disabilites
It was really tough picking out exactly what charity we wanted to pursue for our project. There was so many choices that we could choose from but we all had to agree on something and fast! At first we started out with this animal clinic that is near by our school, Moraine Valley. It is called The Animal Welfare League which is located in Chicago Ridge. We tried to get a hold with coordinator at that facility and all of our attempts failed many times. So when that idea was not looking to good we went on to a nursing home named Oak Lawn Manor Care, a health service for medical and physical rehab that helps elderly people. I called and smoked with their Human Resource manager and she let me know that they do accept volunteers and we were more than welcome to fill out an application. We had to put all of our information down, including our birth dates so they can run a background check. One of our group members went up to the health facility, since it was right down the street from where he lives, he got the applications and he brought them to class with him the next day. He grabbed a packet for each group member and we were all very excited to fill it out. We were stoked because we thought we were ahead of the game. The location was also very convenient for all of the other group members. So we all thought it was going to work out wonderfully. Just to get the approval from our professor to make sure that our decision was okay with him, he said it was not. He told us that it was not really a cause and it was not appropriate for our subject. Which added more stress to our plate. In such a short period of time it was hard to quickly find something we wanted to do. So we came across this facility that helps disabled adults achieve the best success in their life that they possibly can. They care about the developmental of people that have special needs. They help with successes of starting a new job in their community and learning to do things on their own. They also contribute with aiding them in finding an apartment. Simple task that we take for granted every single day is a challenge for other people.
It is a non-profit organization that is located in Alsip, Illinois. So we set up an appointment with the head volunteer coordinator, Laura Gardner. She is a very kind women and she was more than happy to take us in at such short notice. We are scheduled to appear there at 2:00 p.m. this Tuesday, April 17, 2012. She told us that we will be working at their Community Employment Division as classroom aides. We will be meeting with individuals with disabilities who are looking for work in their community. She also set it up with the teacher to have us speak with some of the students after class ends. I am very excited to see what happens with this because I have never done anything like this before. I think it will be a very memorable experience and I am excited to start helping these people with extra needs. They all have the same right as us to work and be active in our community. There isn’t much awareness about helping people that need help. A lot of people are selfish and don’t think about other people. It is amazing to see how much we take for granted. We should love life and embrace it whole we are perfectly healthy. They throw many special event occasionally. The last event was called International Housewares Show at McCormick Place on March 13 2012. This year there were 130 volunteers from the community A lot of people chipped in to donate as much as they could and they made it a huge success. They also have a thrift store entitled, “The Good as New Thrift StoreYou can go and shop there for the latest merchandise from the 2012 Housewares Show.
There are many ways you can get involved at Sertoma Centre. You can volunteer at the their thrift store that is located in Matteson, IL. You can be their temporarily or permanently on a rotation basis. You can contact their manager for more info. You can volunteer to prepare for their Houseware’s Show by packing donated items. They give you a box dinner and they supply comfortable transportation on a coach bus that takes you to McCormik Place. You can help organize and unpack different items. Mailings occur six times per year. Helping to stuff envelopes and assemble the direct mail items for various events. On candy days you can collect donations in front of grocery stores you can work with several supporting organizations such as Sertoma Clubs, United Way, Knights of Columbus, and many more. You can also participate in helping the seniors with their daily projects, activities, crafts, and outside trip on the weekdays. Also on the weekdays you can help tutor high school students that are enrolled in the program. You can help the mental health staff organize recreational activities with their clients, about once a week or once a month depending on their schedule. They also have open job listings such as becoming Custodial Worker, Home Based ServicesCoordinar, Residential Services Regular Full Time Janitorial Crew Leader, Service Facilitator, Special Events and Grants Manager, Thrift Store Lead Clerk and a Van Driver. This company all around tries to help everyone have a better future. If you do not have time to volunteer there are many ways you can donate. You can donate to their thrift store. They accept all men, women, and children clothing and shoes at any size. You can donate housewares such as small appliances, kitchenware, and bedding. Furniture such as coaches and dining room tables are accepted. Donate picture frames, clocks, lamps, games, jewelry, exercise equipment, books, DVD’s and other things that you do not have much a use for. There is not much sense in just hoarding things you do not use anymore. You can give it away to someone that needs it more that you do. The thrift store is a great strategy that they use to gain money. They with be celebrating the 5th year of service with Good as New Thrift Store on the week of April 16 thru 21. If you pop a balloon and you may receive a 25, 40 or 50% off coupon. The revenue funds programs for individuals with disabilities. They also provide people with retail sales opportunities for people with or without disabilities. Training to individuals with goals of gaining community employment. All the donations are tax deductible. Your donations are being put to very good use rather than becoming garbage. Volunteers are always welcome.
Sertona Centre have many clubs in Northern Illinois and Wisconsin District. Their motto is, “Dedicated to Service to Mankind”. Just to name a few they are called, American Heritage Sertoma Club, Burbank Sertoma Club, Chicago Lawn Sertoma Club, Decatur Breakfast Sertoma Club, Helping Hands Sertoma Club, POW-R Sertoma Club, Southwest Chicago Sertoma Club, Taylorville Sertoma Club, Tinley Park Sertoma Club, and many more. They seem like really nice and welcoming people and I can not wait to see what is in store for me. I know that everyone will be very friendly and it will be an all around great experience. It is going to be a great feeling knowing that I helped someone that is in need do something positive for their life. I know that this experience is going to very touching. There should be more people coming out to volunteer because it is for a good cause. It will bring joy to my heart getting to take time out of my everyday life and make a change. I really liked going to the Share Yours Soles event. It was better than I expected and time flew by. It didn’t really feel like a chore or something I was dragged into doing. I felt great knowing that I was going to be apart of something that was world changing. The founder Mona Purty sends shoes all over their world to places that are in extreme need of feet attire. The shoes go to people that are going through tough tragedies and that are in dire need. The staff was extremely friendly and an honor to work with. They were very helpful and they genuinely love what they do. We need more people like them in the world because people nowadays do not care about anyone but their selves. Some are no so selfish per say but are to wrapped up in their own lives to look outside of the box and start thinking about other people that are less fortunate. All around this seems like the perfect event to attend too and I can not wait to see what the outcome is!
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Selina Littlefield
For my reading journal entry I chose to write about this week was the Invisible Children group that created the KONY 2012 movement. We had a class last week where we had a chance to see a video the group created about Joseph Kony. I have already seen the video about KONY 2012 last year because I attended the same type of session for extra credit when the Invisible Children group came to our school last year. Having prior knowledge about Joseph Kony was devastating to see again and find out no one has found him and served our country justice. When I first heard of the Invisible Children organization I did not know what they did productively as a group. The plans the group sets are very determined and they try to let everyone know through the media. Facebook was one of the group’s first choices of getting the word out about Kony because it was and still is a very popular site. The group first created a page for the Invisible Children in 2007 and from then on they have been accumulating members. Having many people to try and fight for the same cause is the strategy the group uses to promote the cause. I could not believe what this man, Joseph Kony, was committing such devastating crimes and felt he had to be stopped so I too got a poster that said KONY 2012 and hung it up. I felt I should do this because all the families that are suffering need to be freed of that and in order to do that I agree the rest of the world has to find out. The Invisible Children group is doing everything in their power to stop the Joseph Kony and I plan to do my part as a human-being to try my best to put an end to him and his crimes.
http://www.facebook.com/invisiblechildren -
Selina Littlefield
This week I decided to do my weekly journal entry on a writing that my very own Professor did, Michael Mcguire. I am going to talk about the chapter entitled, “Googling is not the Same as Thinking.” I really liked this chapter because a lot of things were very true. This day and age we do rely on Google and other search engines to do the work for us. This generation we really do not have to think about a lot of things. We can simply type in any question we have and most likely there is something online that will answer my question. It is amazing how far technology has come. Mr. McGuire stated that in class when he would ask what the definition of something was and all of the students in the class brought out their phones. Having such advanced technology could be a good and bad thing. We do not really have to think about things. Why think when you can pop it into the computer, right? We do not have to strain ourselves anymore trying to find the answers out for ourselves. If we want to be brighter and smarter in our future, we can not be lazy all the time. I will admit I am an abuser of that, but who isn’t anymore. People back in the day had to do the work for themselves. They did not have the perks that we have today. I really liked this reading and it was very interesting.
McGuire, Michael. Why White Rice? “Googling is not the Same as Thinking.” Kendall Hunt. 119-120. Print. -
Selina Littlefield
This weeks journal entry I wanted to talk about a chapter that is written in our text book, “Why White Rice?”. It is called “Writing Is Limitless.” written by an author named Basima Ismail. She talks about how the writings that we do in school can be limitless. You can always use your imagination and write more. Like critical thinking, there is always something more to be said. In high school we were taught the general introduction paragraph, followed by the three body paragraphs explaining the 3 reasons of your paper and then finally your conclusion. Coming to college the papers are not really formatted like that anymore. We do not really have to structure our paper like we are accustomed to doing throughout the many years. She explains that when u format your paper in that way, you are limiting yourself to other things you can add to your paper. It was very hard transitioning from what I was use to doing. When I found out we did not have to structure our paper in that fashion kind of through me off. I was so use to doing the same thing over and over that I started to think nothing of it. Automatically, when a teacher assigns a paper I immediately start thinking of my 3 reasons to support a topic and choose transitioning words to make the paper flow. Coming into college completely through that out the window. It was a very interesting read and I think she gave great advice.
Ismail, Basima. “Writing Is Limitless.” Kendall Hunt Publishing Company. WWR? Chapter 6. pgs 138-139. splatter.writing101.net 2012 -
Selina Littlefield
For my journal entry this week I wanted to talk about my experience helping out with the charity entitled, “Share Your Soles”. At first when I signed up for this event I was kind of skeptical. I had never participated in community service, not even for high school. It was never required of me to help out with anything. Therefore, when we had to pick a charity event we absolutely had to do I was not too happy about it per say. Not because I am a selfish person and didn’t like to help out, but because I thought it was going to be too much. Balancing school, work, family, and friends is very hard. Most times is feels overwhelming, but after participating it was better than I thought. It was actually fun to help participate in something that can change the lives of many. I really enjoyed helping out and I would not mind doing it again because it so close to wear I live. If I ever want to give away my shoes to an organization they will be the first one that I come to. The workers were really friendly and the founder, Mona, is one of the most nicest and most energetic type of person you will ever meet. During our time in the warehouse we sorted out all the shoes that were donated in their proper sections. We also had to put shoe strings on the shoes that did not have them and sanitize them properly. I really liked participating and the time went by really fast.
Share Your Soles. Green Apple Sales, Inc., 2010. Web. 7 Mar. 2012-
Prof McGuire
What source exactly are you citing? It’s a bit confusing here.
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Selina Littlefield
A Critical Reflection of Service
I went to the charity event entitled “Share Your Soles” in Alsip Illinois. It was a very different experience for me because I have never got involved in something that could help millions of people all over the planet. The founder Mona is a beautiful person inside and out and I admire her so much because of that. She was brave enough to try to help these people that suffer from getting feet infections due to not having the proper shoe attire. Kids in Uganda would put black tar under their feet just to have a little something protecting them. She discovered this while she was running a marathon over there. On her way back to her hometown she sat next to a doctor that takes trips there regularly to amputate feet. Walking around in debris all day will cause their feet to get infected and people often have to have them removed. When I found that out I felt really bad. Most of us in America don’t even pay attention things like the privilege of having shoes on our feet. We take small things like that for granted all the time. I have over 25 pairs of shoes in my closet. Before going to this charity event I defiantly took it for granted. Learning about things like this going on in the world made me want to donate anything possible that I had no use for. They need it more than I do and giving whatever you have is all it takes to help somebody. This organization does not just help poor people but people that have gone through major tragedies such as tornadoes when they have lost everything. She tries her best to help the people that are in need and she does not ask for money. She just wants your shoes only and that just shows you they are a legit charity. When I arrived to the warehouse I was introduced to one of the charity workers. She showed us a few videos about their organization just to get a feel of what they are all about. Another interesting thing I learned from the video is that Mona does not stay in 5 star hotels when she travels the world. She stays with the people she is helping and live like them while the time she is there. After all the videos and introductions we went to the part of the warehouse where they had all the shoes. There was thousands of shoes everywhere split up into categories according to shoe type like gym shoes for men and women, heels, sandals, working shoes, and toddlers. Us as the workers had to open up bags that were in the storage bends and sort them out and put them in their proper sections. That took about an hour and after we were finished we had to put shoe laces on the shoes that didn’t have any. We had to spray the shoes with Lysol and make sure that all of the shoes were in proper condition to wear. Shortly after awhile, Mona came in and introduced herself and thanked all of us for coming. She is one of the most nicest people I have ever met. She is a single mom and a hair dresser. She has a daughter that goes to Moraine just like us. During this time Mona is training for marathon that is in downtown Chicago. It is amazing how she does so much like she is super human. She is full of energy and has positive vibe. While we were hard at work sorting out all the shoes. Mona wanted to video tape us having an interview with Mr. McGuire and he questioned us about our experience so far. I could really say I enjoyed it a lot and it was not as hard has I thought it was going to be. Time went by really fast and helping out was not bad at all. Just to know your doing something to help other people is a great feeling. I am motivated to help others more out now. If I was in need of help I would want others to help me as much as they possibly can. If we can do it then why not have empathy for others. It makes me feel wonderful being involved and I would defiantly try to help out more then I did before. Like I said I never volunteered with anything and I think this experience was great for my first time. I have learned that if you do not need it, do not get it. I have always hated to waste things through out my life because people that are less fortunate could use it. People these days take so much things for granted its ridiculous. We all need to stop worrying about ourselves and think about others around us. I would not really change anything about the experience. One thing that I did not really like was when I seen a brand new pair of clog slippers and the workers said they needed to be thrown away. I did not practically like that because they still had the tag on it and I felt that someone could have used those, but I guess that is just one of their policies. Overall, the people that work for this organization is very welcoming. You can always come to help out or donate. I do feel like I made some sort of impact even if it is a small dent. There is a lot more to be done and I feel like we all did a great job working together to get things done. I felt this experience correlated greatly with what we are learning in class. Since we are learning about getting involved and more info about things that are going on all around the world. I felt like going to this even really put what we are talking about into action. I have learned that I do like being involved and I feel like I’m actually doing something positive to help people I will never meet. I knew things were bad in other countries but I did not know it was so bad that people have to put hot tar under their feet to get some sort of protection. That really touched me because I did not know it was that severe. I love that Mona took things into her own hands to get things done. In life I value my family and friends, but now I see I need to go beyond that. I need to take other people into consideration. It makes you feel better as a person knowing you helped someone less fortunate. I wish I was more educated like this during high school so I could have helped a long time ago. For the future I plan on volunteering more and just to help out to benefit other people, not just myself. I believe this agency will get even bigger than it already is and I wish them luck with everything they do. Everyone that helps out are beautiful people and it shows great character in a person. From here on out I’m going to try to be a more giving person and start thinking about others a lot more. The world does not revolve around one person. We are all here for a purpose and we should all stick together to help each other out. I feel like if you give, you shall receive in return. I am a firm believer in that. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience and would love to get involved again.
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Shannon Ratzel
I wish I had time to go to Share Your Soles because I really needed to do some community service, but I had to work. “It was a very different experience for me because I have never got involved in something that could help millions of people all over the planet.” That’s something really cool to think about. You helped a bunch of people. You should be really proud of yourself. “She discovered this while she was running a marathon over there. On her way back to her hometown she sat next to a doctor that takes trips there regularly to amputate feet. Walking around in debris all day will cause their feet to get infected and people often have to have them removed.” I was wondering how someone could get inspired to start an organization like this. Can you imagine that, being a doctor just for amputating feet? I couldn’t even begin to imagine losing my feet just because I couldn’t have shoes. That’s a depressing thought.
“Most of us in America don’t even pay attention things like the privilege of having shoes on our feet. We take small things like that for granted all the time. I have over 25 pairs of shoes in my closet. Before going to this charity event I defiantly took it for granted.” I agree with you. I know some of my friends don’t ever want to step outside if they don’t have shoes on. I know it doesn’t compare but I love running around outside with no shoes on but I wouldn’t want to walk around Jewel or the mall without them on. Wow, 25 pairs of shoes? That’s a lot .
I like that your experience made you think about yourself and how Share Your Soles has affected you. “Learning about things like this going on in the world made me want to donate anything possible that I had no use for. They need it more than I do and giving whatever you have is all it takes to help somebody… Just to know you’re doing something to help other people is a great feeling. I am motivated to help others more out now. If I was in need of help I would want others to help me as much as they possibly can. If we can do it then why not have empathy for others. It makes me feel wonderful being involved and I would defiantly try to help out more than I did before. ” I like donating my things to Good Will rather than go to Plato’s Closet or something similar because Good Will does so much more for people in need rather than a resale shop.
“This organization does not just help poor people but people that have gone through major tragedies such as tornadoes when they have lost everything.” I didn’t know that. I just kind of assumed that this organization helps those from other countries.
“Another interesting thing I learned from the video is that Mona does not stay in 5 star hotels when she travels the world. She stays with the people she is helping and live like them while the time she is there.” That is extremely admirable. It takes a special person to do this.
Watch your spelling, punctuation, and paragraph spacing. You have a great paper otherwise.
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Taylor Blattner
First of all i would like to say that i like your paper. My third person in my group did not write this paper, so since you wrote a peer review for mine, you get one in return! I was able to relate very well to it, because i also attended the share your soles community service opportunity. I like how you did not go into great detail of what you did through out the day, and how you focused mainly on your thought about community service. You showed very strong beliefs on why and how you support community service so much. Just that right there shows that you are a good role model for younger kids, that you can set good examples for them. Now and in the future. I like how you were honest throughout the paper about your opinions on the share your soles community service opportunity. I like how you went into detail about why you liked the community service opportunity. I also like how you were honest through out your paper. For example, when you said that at first you took the community service for granted, in my opinion makes for a better paper, it also makes it an easier paper for people to read because they can relate to that as well. I like how you added in some information about the videos that they showed us in the beginning. This is my third paper reading about the share your soles community service opportunity, and you where the first one to mention the videos. Which i am surprised because i thought that they were well like by the class, just based off of their reactions and what they had to say about them in class the next day. I know that the videos were one of my favorite parts of the opportunity.It was cool how you went into some detail about Mona. A little bit about her personal life, and a little bit about your thoughts about her. It seems like see really inspired you in some way or another. But i think she has that affect on a lot of people on a daily basis. I really like the direction that chose to go with on your paper. You did not follow the basic “diary format” as some people would call it, but you basically talked about your experience and feelings that you had towards this wonderful opportunity that we were faced with. If you want to experience more community service, I live in Oak Lawn, and i hear about service opportunities everywhere, posted on street polls on the radio, absolutely everywhere. So just take the time and find the right one that you are willing to participate in. And make sure that you get some people to help you to make it more fun and interesting, and i am sure that it will make the time go by faster. But overall, i really loved you paper. I was able to tell that you are passionate and loved the opportunity that you were involved in.
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Rami Ali
Mona seems like a great person to meet,she is really energetic to have accomplished so much in her life. I did not go share your soles but the professor told us very interstice information about them. The story that i think got everyones attention was the one about how the kids had to put tar on there feet in order for them to do everyday activities. That opened up everybody’s eyes to this organization and in order for a person to take somebody else’s needs into consideration in simply amazing. Its a great feeling knowing that one person can change millions of lives and influence so many. You did a great job on showing how your feeling were change dramatically from this one event. You made the reader want to jump out and go participate in the share your soles event. I went to the feed my starving children charity event,now i wish i went to your instead. You did a great job on this paper and would think Mona would be proud to read this paper.
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Susan Bayaa
This is another situation I haven’t really thought about. Giving my shoes away means that I can help someone keep their feet. That is kind of sad knowing that we throw away shoes when people are getting their feet cut off because they do not have shoes. Walking around with no shoes causes those people to get infections and soon get there foot taken off. That is really sad. I never knew that there are some people going through that. They also put tar to try to protect their feet a little. I do agree that a lot of people do take things for granted. I am one of them. I also have many pairs of shoes that I do not even use at times and that could be going to them. I do admire Mona for finding this problem and actually doing something about it. It is not easy to try to bring this to people’s attention but yet she did. This I believe should be put in places to raise awareness. It is something that easily can be fixed if people help out. I also admire her for actually staying with them and not in fancy hotels. That might mean a lot to them. She is showing them that she will go through it with them and try to help them as much as she can. I do not believe you need to be a millionaire to help these people out. As I understood her organization does not ask for money it only really asks for shoes. The people there really need shoes. There are not a lot of people that recognize a problem and try to fix it. I remember reading that she was next to a doctor that travels there often to cut off some of the people’s feet that have gotten infected badly. That mad her think about the people which does make her a good hearted person. Some people might have just thought they would not be able to do anything about it so they probably would not have done anything about it. But I can tell that it really did bother her and so she tried making a difference and so far I think she has. I bet those people are so happy to have anything else on their feet but tar that can really protect their feet. I can’t stress enough on how much we take shoes for granted. I think the more people that know about this the more people that would want to help. The shoe drive was a great idea but we need to make it clearer to people about it. There are a lot of students that would love to donate their shoes if they really knew about it. If we can make another shoe drive and maybe have more people involved knowing about it maybe even teachers mentioning it in each of their classes I think would get more people aware of this situation. Then we would be able to help Mona out too.
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Selina Littlefield
I decided to do my reading journal this week on “Mash it up…gracefully using sources” by Troy Swanson. Plagiarism has been a major issue when it comes to school. It is very tough not to plagiarize because when you get information you have to some how make it your own. Copying your work is not worth the risk of getting kicked out of school. It is critical that you always make your work your own so you can prosper and become a better writer. It is simple just to copy and paste but its not wise to look like a cheater and fail your class. I have known many people that have been caught plagiarizing and it does not end well for them. All throughout high school my friends would cheat and copy each others work. I made the mistake of letting one of my class mates copy my assignment because they worked late the night before and had school and cheerleading practice the day before. While she was transferring my answers to her paper, a fellow teacher caught her and confiscated both of our homework. I did not end up getting credit for my assignment even though I was not the one cheating. Therefore, I had to suffer the consequences of letting another student use my hard earned work. Stealing other people’s work is not okay and I had to learn that the hard way. This was a very informative article and I enjoyed reading.
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Selina Littlefield
Gas price spike pumping up fears
Potential increase to record highs could slow economy, analysts say
By: Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune reporterDear Editor,
After learning that gas could eventually raise up to $5 per gallon is a little scary. Gas should not be this high and if I were told this was going to happen a few years ago I would have never believed it. As far as I can remember I can imagine seeing the signs for gas as low as $1.50 per gallon. People have lives that they need to tend too and places to go. Production is still going to go on no matter how hard its going to be for people to get there. It is ridiculous having to pay so much just to get from one place to an other. More people are just going to stop driving as much and start riding bikes, car pool, or take the public bus. We all try to avoid these means of transportation because we want to be comfortable and safe in our own vehicle. The government should try their best to resolve this top issue because we cant keep going this way. I believe the best way to resolve this major problem is for the government to purchase more oil land and really nip this in the bud. If prices were available like that in the past it shouldn’t be a problem getting things back to the way they use too.
Sincerely,
Selina Littlefield
selinalitte5@live.com-
Shannon Ratzel
I agree with you 100% that rising gas prices are scary. I don’t want to put more than $60 in my car which I’m already doing. It sucks. I remember when gas was $1.50. I remember thinking that when gas hit $3.00 that it was too expensive. Now I get excited when I see its only $3.90 somewhere. It sucks that people can’t afford it. When people can’t afford gas, they can’t afford to get to their job. If they can’t get to their job then they lose that job and still can’t afford gas. It’s a vicious cycle that needs to come to an end.
I know the government is trying to lower the prices by wanting to drill in Alaska and invading other countries. Yea, I’m sure you’ve heard about Kony 2012. To me it sounds like a manipulative course of action to get the newly found oil in Uganda. You may remember back to last October, when it was in the news that the United States had deployed a small force to Northern Uganda, to battle one of Africa’s most brutal forces, the Lord’s Resistance Army, led by Joseph Kony. It was said that more troops would be ultimately be dispatched to the South Sudan, Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo as “advisers”. At the same time, Bill Clinton was in Uganda with his Clinton Global Initiative. He had been there for quite a while, and had had a lot of involvement with Uganda in the 1990′s. You may recall, just before all this had happened, there was a huge oil strike in Uganda.
From the Kony 2012 video, “..Because now, we know what to do. Here it is. In order for Kony to be arrested this year, the Ugandan Military has to find him. In order to find him, they need the technology and training to track him in the vast jungle. That’s where the American advisers come in. But in order for the American advisers to be there, the US military has to deploy them. They’ve done that, but if the government doesn’t believe the people care about arresting Kony, the mission will be cancelled. In order for the people to care, they have to know. And they will only know if Kony’s name is everywhere….’ Basically, if the Americans are on board to sending troops to Uganda to help track Joseph Kony what happens when they “accidentally” stumble upon oil. We’re already friends with Uganda so maybe they’ll start an oil trade. The Kony 2012 video took people’s blind passion and completely twisted reality to make it seem like we needed to help out there. In reality, they’re just looking for a nice scapegoat to invade Uganda to get oil.
I love our country but that is a horrible thing to do. So to answer your question, the government is doing something about changing the price of oil but they’re being extremely manipulative and secretive about it. Hopefully things will change and we can just have green energy and not a need for oil anymore.
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Susan Bayaa
I do agree that gas prices are way too high. They should not be that high and they should not definitely be higher than 5 dollars a gallon. I also remember when the gas price was only 1.50. I already think it is too high right now. I can’t believe that it is getting higher every time. I think I might actually start walking everywhere or do something else. It really is going to be hard to try to pay for a gallon of gas that is 5 dollars. That is just not right. They should not be raising it that high. It really does need to get lower. We should not have to start worrying about gas too. We already have a lot that we have to try to deal with we don’t need gas too. I also do agree that people are probably hoping to be taking the bus, riding their bike, or probably walking because it is getting too high. But they might also be doing that purposely. They might need to build cars that go off the sunlight. They might need to build solar power cars. That would help a lot and people would not have to worry about their gas being too high to try to pay. Or they need to really bring down the price because this really is unbelievable. There is no way they should be able to bring the gas price up to 5 dollars a gallon that is just way too much to bring up. I can’t see how people will be able to afford it anymore. Everything is being raised up, taxes already went up even more and everything became harder to pay. We really don’t need the gas prices to be higher too. That would be something else we have to worry about and we really don’t need that. I am truly for trying to get the gas prices lower and for it not to become higher. I don’t want it to be that high I can’t believe that it is going to be that high. It should not become higher than 4 dollars but it should decrease. I do not know how they expect people to be able to keep up with all the payments plus tax plus these higher gas prices. This has become unbelievable and something should truly be done about it. I am not going to lie I have put it aside every time I have seen the gas price go up I did not really put much thought into it. I know I should be but I have too much to think about already. But now this is going to be a huge deal. The gas prices are way too high and really should be brought down and they really should not increase it. I don’t know how we can try to keep it down but if there is a way I would really like to know. I don’t want the gas prices to go up and we should be able to make a difference in the price by saying something.
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Rami Ali
Gas prices are high but its not due to the cost of oil or gas we get. It has to do with the government wanting more money to provide for the people of the united states without us even knowing. We get our gas from a country in the middle east called saudi arabia. And we get it very very cheap. Saudi arabia actually give the united states millions of tons of cas for free a year! So why is gas so expensive when we actually get it dirt cheep? And were is the money going were we pay the government taxes so they could take care of use? Those are questions above our limits but hopefully with this new election coming up gas goes down.
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Selina Littlefield
This week I decided to do my core reading journal on “So-Is It Okay to Use Wikipedia, Then?” by Eric DeVillez. This article is listed in chapter 6 and I must say it was a very interesting read about Wikipedia and I liked it a lot. First I must state that I loved the way Eric DeVillez produced this story. I tied in humor and it made it very relatable. Adding humor to the reading made it a very easy read and I would have read it on my own time because it very interesting. Wikipedia is an informational network that students use every day for information. Although Wikipedia is a good place to find out an idea, it is not very reliable. This search engine tells you a lot of basic information but some of it is not completely right. He shares that him and his family were trying to find out the name of an actor and they all could not remember. He searched it on Wikipedia and found his answer. He shared personal experiences which me connect to the story even more because I do sometimes go on Wikipedia to get information. Wikipedia should be used with caution because you do not want to do a major assignment and use Wikipedia as your resource because some of the information might be wrong. Wikipedia is a great place to find resources that you can use to get more information because pretty much what is on there is a bunch of key information put together.
— DeVillez, Eric. “So-Is It Okay to Use Wikipedia, Then?” Why White Rice? 121-22. Print. -
Selina Littlefield
Speech Outline
Topic: Equality/Gay Rights
Intro-
- Famous Quote
- Having the equal rights of Heterosexuals/Straight communities
- Negative Judgments
- Discrimination
Concerns-
- Slandering of innocent people
- Fight for equal rights
- Freedom of Choice
Information
- Statistics
- Laws
- History
Associations
- National Center for Lesbian Rights
Ending conclusion
- Everything should be equal
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Selina Littlefield
I did this week’s reading on Kate Kinsella’s, “You Can’t Dodge All the Bullets” in Why White Rice?. I chose to do this reading because it was very interesting. She brought up excellent points about life and great advice. She reminds us that life has its hard bumpy roads but we just need to take a step back sometimes and just think take the time to think about what is going on around us. She brought up stories about her passed history and experiences with her father. She shares things about her life and which made the reading even more relatable. I love the tips she shared with the readers about the hardships in life. She lets us know that you really can’t dodge all the bullets. You can’t change your future and what is coming for you. It is just up to you to get through it all. Life is very spontaneous and we can’t predict on what’s coming after us. We just have to deal with it and move on. Life can be very over-whelming, but if you take a few steps back and think about it, life truly goes on. She also explains that we need to strive for the best and not what is simple for us. In reality, life is NEVER simple. We will go through challenges till the day we die because life is not a fairytale. Everyone has to go through something sometime in their life. It’s just up to you to know how to handle things under pressure.
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Selina Littlefield
Equal Rights
A wise man once said, “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.” Some of the wise men that used such words are Benjamin Franklin, William Shakespeare, and many other authors and wise men out in this world. These two authors particularly write their works based off of that belief and many people live there life in that such way. We have heard this famous quote over a million times. This saying can also stand for what we find attractive when it comes to gender, race, height, eye or hair color, etc. The way America looks at homosexuality is very unacceptable. Everyone is a human being and they deserve the right to be interested in or marry whomever they want, male or female regardless of their sex. This issue has caused many problems throughout many years and decades of our history. When an individual realizes they are gay at a very young age they feel like they are trapped and can’t handle the pressure that society puts on them. They feel like they are abnormal and often an outcast. Society’s negative impact on them can cause them to want to give up on their own life and possibly consider suicide. No one should judge a book by its cover because it is so hard to determine the many downfalls in the book and the many ups that can shape, an individual, American’s decisions in considering the book to be a great, fair, or bad book. Everyone should accept and love the way they are no matter what the circumstances are and they need to know that they can’t help it. Gay rights should be accepted everywhere because we shouldn’t be judged on our personal preferences, we can’t control who we like and it can produce self-hatred.
Good Lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean, needs not the painted flourish of your praise: Beauty is bought by judgment of the eye, not uttered by base sale of chapmen’s tongues (Shakespeare). Shakespeare has so many different ways he shows that not a soul on this earth should judge a book by its cover. When this is done so it is called stereotyping and not many people agree to be acceptable in all ways to someone that stereotypes. Everyone has freedom of choice and with that ability we all are classified as individuals. That being said, it is none of anyone’s business what goes on in others’ lives. Therefore, no one should be judged on their personal preferences. We shouldn’t be scared and living in denial for the rest of our lives just because others feel that this lifestyle is wrong. I can’t see how anyone could live their entire life happily feeling like there is no way out just because of what others have to say about them. It is your life so you should be able to live it to the fullest. Not being able to feel like you can be yourself and living your life as a lie is not right. I feel bad for anyone that thinks they can’t be free to be who they are just because of what others think. Just like we have the right to vote and speak our minds, we should be able to marry whomever we want. Having individual minds of our mind should allow everyone to block out any peer pressure situations and that alone defines the maturity level of a person. Being mature calls for lots of options to resolving many different situations that are hard to determine but once an individual reaches that point in their life they should be able to do so. Doing so not only allows whatever the situation might be to be resolving the situation to the best of its ability but allows for the scene of the situation to be safe and clear of any immaturity.
Since we can’t control who we like, that may cause many problems with our self, family, friends and society. In November of 2010, California voters approved Proposition 8, which is a constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage, thus overturning the state Supreme Court decision that gave gay couples the right to get married (California’s Proposition 8 Same-Sex Marriage). When San Francisco legalized gay marriage, 4,037 marriage licenses were issued and 3,995 gay couples were married in the great number of months before the state stepped in and voided the marriages. 57 % of the couples were lesbian was found from reading the names on this list. More precise information also showed most of the couples were number in aged as well kept adults and better educated than average newlywed couples, with more than 74% over 35 years old and 69 % holding a college degree (Gay Marriage Facts & Statistics Tips). While 19 states and the District of Columbia have laws bar discrimination against sexual orientation, and many cities offer comparable protections, federal law didn’t offer protection until November of 2007, though it did take away discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, sex, age, disability and pregnancy. The bill called the Employment Nondiscrimination Act is the latest version of legislation that Democrats have pursued since 1974. To ensure passage of the bill, Democrats were forced to remove language that would have granted protections to transsexual and transgender individuals by excluding discrimination based on sexual identity, which enraged many gay-rights groups (Gay Marriage Wave Shows Major Shift). In the 2000 census it was found that there were 601,209 committed gay couples in America, the marriage rate dropped from 232,900 in 2000 to 217,800 in 2004 (Gay Marriage Facts & Statistics Tips).
In the United States, more than half of students have no type of state laws to protect them from harassment and discrimination because of their sexual orientation while in school. In public high schools, majority of students say that they hear homophobic remarks from their peers regularly. This is a grave issue to stress because students today are the future of our world. If this occurrence is not taken into more consideration the world we know now will be much more negative. Having a negative attitude about something disliked is practiced by most high school. Some teenagers just don’t know how to hold their tongue and look at the positives and not point out the negatives. Many high school students seem to have fun talking about others and don’t see any negativity in doing so. A teen who acts this way is very immature and should have better home training from their parents. Some teens do it in a form of joking around with friends, family, and loved ones so this way is not always negative. When a teen decides to talk about a person, topic, issue, or idea they dislike they refer to derogatory terms and don’t have respect and maturity in making those types of decisions. These types of actions are looked as very childish and out of the ordinary. No one wants to be around an individual that talks about them negatively so bad that they feel bad inside. Lots of teens don’t like to express themselves when this type of behavior is going on to prevent a fight being progressed through the opposing teen who decides to be negative. While others go back and forth with information that can escalade to worst outcomes than just keeping quiet and ignoring the negativity. There are some teenagers who are able to deal with negative situations such as these and don’t suffer a negative outcome but may change the negative person’s chain of thoughts to be negative towards a person. Regardless of the situation each and every person in this world should be mature about any and every topic, thought, idea regarding any negativity and not take the childish way out, because taking the childish way out will do nothing but bring negative outcomes.
There is an organization out there that does benefit same sex individuals greatly and it is the national center for lesbian rights (Charity Navigator). The National Center for Lesbian Rights applauds the appeals court decision in the federal challenge to proposition 8. The destination of the national organization headquarters is 870 Market Street Suite 370 94102 San Francisco, CA (NCLR: The Audacity to Fight for Justice). The NCLR wants to fight for justice and justice to them is equality. The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a non-profit organization that stands for also gay, bisexual, and transgender. The company’s national headquarters has 27 staff members and regional offices in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. Their boards of directors are thirteen Bay Area-based women of diverse backgrounds and professional expertise, committed to advancing the direction and leadership of NCLR in the broader social justice and legal arenas (NCLR: The Audacity to Fight for Justice). The NCLR has eight women in important cities throughout the U.S. bring a national perspective to NCLR’s leadership as their national advisory board. For the organizations national advisory council there are twelve women in cities throughout the United States that extend NCLR’s network and represent NCLR in national conversations about LGBT legal and social justice issues. The NCLR is a public interest law firm which litigates precedent-setting cases at the trial and appellate court levels (NCLR: The Audacity to Fight for Justice). They are advocates for equal public policies affecting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community, also known as LGBT. NCLR provides free legal assistance to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community people and their legal advocates. The National Center for Lesbian Rights conducts community education on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender legal issues. Being equal can be looked at in many different ways but the way they look at it is that everyone should be able to have the same rights no matter what the like and or dislike. This is a very individual organization that pays no affiliates and has great activism in standing up for the rights of lesbians. The company brings in about $3,463,193 in total revenue as of December of 2010. The National Center for Lesbian Rights also doesn’t receive any government funds. Their executive director is Kate Kendell and is compensated $189,917 also as of December 2010. The National Center for Lesbian Rights motto, “Founded in 1977, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. NCLR is a public interest law firm which litigates precedent-setting cases at the trial and appellate court levels; advocates for equitable public policies affecting the LGBT community; provides free legal assistance to LGBT people and their legal advocates; and conducts community education on LGBT legal issues. We serve more than 5,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families in all fifty states each year, including LGBT seniors, immigrants, athletes, and youth. Our impact litigation serves all LGBT people in the United States” (NCLR: The Audacity to Fight for Justice). Advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education is the mission of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
On the other side, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender can be a negative way of life. In the bible, it is written that individuals should not be practicing same sex relations. It is considered a sin and frowned upon by many. There are lots and lots of people in this world that do not agree with same sex relations in any way shape or form. Many people believe same sex relations can bring more sexual transmitted diseases and for bisexuals with any type of sexually transmitted disease it can be spread more greatly. Having these types of negative factors in a society is what most presidents beg to differ about. There are only a few states in America that allow same sex marriages and for those that don’t many people love that fact. Americans that do believe in practicing the will of God know that it is not right in God’s eyes to commit or engage in same sex relations. God also does not want individuals passing judgment on others and that too is a sin. People that are religion based in Christianity do have prior knowledge to these things and understand no one is perfect and should repent everyday of their lives. Being a person of such characteristics is not healthy either because how can we expand as humans if these types of act are being committed. Committing homosexual activity is negative to the eyesight of God and can be proven in The Holy Bible. The Holy Bible has no one author and is believed to have come from the mouth of God to write the chapters. The Christian belief is to follow the word of God which is considered the Holy Bible. Those who conduct themselves in gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender ways are sinning in the name of God and are considered blaspheme in the Holy Bible. For a person to be able to go against the will of God they have to be able to accept the consequences for their actions. Life is too short to conduct in such activities and risk the kingdom of heaven by doing so. This is the motto most Christians follow because they have been taught what is right and wrong in God’s sight. Being a negative person in God’s sight is not the way He wants us to live and will come in the way of the glory of heaven. Most people that consider themselves Christians plan their lives the best way they have been taught how to follow the word of God and not defy Him. Defying God can be done in many ways and for those that practice same sex relations in any way, shape, or forms are doing so. Furthermore, practicing same sex relations is a choice the many people in our population may choose practice but not mandatory so not only America has to accept things for what they are and not what they want them to be. In conclusion, life has its ups and its downs so we as humans have to make the right decisions so gay rights should be accepted everywhere because we shouldn’t be judged on our personal preferences, we can’t control who we like and it can produce self-hatred.“California’s Proposition 8 (Same-Sex Marriage).” – The New York Times. 20 Feb. 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.
“Gay Marriage Facts & Statistics Tips.” Gay Marriage Facts & Statistics. 7 Jan. 2000. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. .
Kendell, Kate. NCLR: The Audacity to Fight for Justice. The Perseverance to Win. The National Center for Lesbian Rights. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. .
“New Ratings.” Charity Navigator. 12 Dec. 2010. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. .
Weiner, Rachel. “Gay Marriage Wave Shows Major Shift.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. .-
Shannon Ratzel
Oh yes, finally someone’s topic that I actually care about…and finally, someone who did the assignment right…
I too wrote about same sex rights and why they should have the right to marry. It’s interesting to see how someone else went about the topic. It is interesting to see that we have similar facts and different ways to go about helping the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community. Have you ever been to the pride parade downtown? It’s fantastic.
I love your opening line. It’s very true and it speaks too many.
“Everyone is a human being and they deserve the right to be interested in or marry whomever they want, male or female regardless of their sex.” You are so right. You think back at when black and white people could not marry because the color of their skin and look now, people who believe in different religions and have different cultures are getting married. Why not same sex couples? It just does not make sense. All in all I really like your first paragraph. It draws me in and makes me want to continue reading your essay.
Congratulations on doing your in text citations correctly because you’re the first I’ve seen to do it right. Haha.
I would give room to have a conclusion. You have a huge paragraph about same sex couples and religion and then the conclusion squeezed in at the end. I would at least differentiate between the two. I’m also confused on the placement of the religion paragraph and how it ties in. You make good points but it’s in an odd spot. Are you trying to state the opposing side of why same sex couples shouldn’t get married? I am just a little confused. Maybe a little more clarity and different placement would help.
“Everyone has freedom of choice and with that ability we all are classified as individuals. That being said, it is none of anyone’s business what goes on in others’ lives. Therefore, no one should be judged on their personal preferences. We shouldn’t be scared and living in denial for the rest of our lives just because others feel that this lifestyle is wrong.” I could not agree with you more. Since when does anyone care about what is going on inside the house of their neighbors? And if you do, you have some seriously problems and need to get a life. No one should be judged on what they like to do or even who they want to love. I have heard a bisexual woman state that she didn’t fall in love with a gender she fell in love with a person and their personality.
The only flaw I see in your essay is that it had to be “brochure like”. It had to be clearly separated into sections explaining how you can help, what that actual problem is, so on and so forth. I think you have a very great start and I think you have improved since your last piece you have submitted. Great job!
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Susan Bayaa
A lot of people do suffer sometimes the guilt of being gay or lesbian. At the same time thought if they are surrounded by good friends and family they don’t suffer as much. They need support from people they care about. To me I do believe that whoever you love is up to you, and frankly you can’t help it anyway. It’s not like you plan to like or love who you love. Even though a lot of religons go against it, I still don’t get why. Just because a person like the same sex does not mean they are less of a human and have less rights. If you really think about it that is what is mostly happening. I just believe everyone should have the same rights. Well everyone should be free to like, love, marry whomever they choose to. People are still so disgustingly discriminate against a lot of different people. We might think people have changed but honestly they just try to hide it. I can relate in a way. I do not like the same sex but the person I am with I am “not suppose to” be with. It is really hard to try to ignore a lot of things that people say or even the stares. I cannot believe people sometimes it just dissapoints me. Imagine not being able to be with the person you love just because people are not confortable with it. Are you kidding me. That is such a sad thing. People don’t look at it in a different way, like if they put there shoes in that persons life. Imagine the person your are with right now you were not aloud to be with. There would be no way you can be with them. I know they can be dating and not be married but at the same time they probably feel like they are not able to be together because of peoples reactions. I agree with you 100% people should be able to love whoever they love, marry whoever they want to marry. We are in a free country and we are human beings. I also agree with the part you said that there shouldnt be a judgement passed on people. I thought it was good that you put reasons why people disagree with it and what people may argue. The reason for that is because you have both agruments and you can argue with an advantage. Anything anyone would say you are already prepared for it. That also gives people a way to think about it differently. You gave good background information and explained alot. You did also include that presidents are also involved. You did also give percentages and that is what some poeple really look for. They want the proof. The only thing is at times I felt like maybe you were against it but I believe you aren’t. Having a friend that is gay can really help you understand what they are going through. They are lucky to have an understanding friend.
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Rami Ali
This is by far one of the hardest topics to write about. Many students wrote about the same topic thats because it is both sentimental and has a very deep emotional feeling for many people. Gay marriages has been debated for many years and has lots of civil movements in the united states. But even till now many states do not allow gay mirages, esp in chicago. You seem to have a strong opinion regarding your topic, which is very good. It provides the writer with a stronger view of what there writing about. And makes the reader well aware of what their reading. Everyone has the right to have their own opinion,thats why we have something in the constitution referring to freedom of speech. But this is more the the law and rules, this is something very religious to many people thats why many are against it. I like how you referred to the bible in your writing. Your right not only the christian religion forbids of gay interaction,but all the religions. Im muslim and we have a strong feeling about this topic,it is forbidden no matter what. Gods words say the truth and we must obey our creator no matter what. You mentioned that many gay people know this is wrong in everyones religion and they will accept their punishment. Well I think one of the seen punishment so far in our world is that there not accepted and given many problems to face in our society. Imagine what they face when they stand judgment in front of god in the end. Im not against this topic or have anything against gay people i wish everybody the best of luck. But when it comes down to something more powerful then rules which is religion,I have to go with the side that is all powerful with is god. All in all this was a great assay,I would not change anything in it,and hope that everybody in the world is satisfied with the decisions they choose in there life.
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Selina Littlefield
This week for my reading/research journal I chose to write about the short story “Write That Down” by Tom Dow. Tom Dow, math genius and teacher by the way, wrote the story in response to his friends posing the question, “Would you let Mike Tyson punch you in the face for a million bucks?” He and his friend posed this question because Mike Tyson is known for hitting so hard he could mess up their heads for life. They then calculated how far the million dollars would go in allowing them to live a good life after taking the punch. Tom was very enthused about this offer his friends gave him. This was a very informative story about how much we value the ideas we have as humans. We as humans are entitled to letting our language be simple and our ideas complex. In the story a very important quote was made “…when a person has something important to say, they should remember that the more complex their ideas become, the more crucial it is to keep your language as simple as possible.” Practicing these great acts of encouragement will help any one trying to hear some one out better their ability to do so and easily understand that person. Not everything we as individuals understand is understood by the rest of the world so we have to make the things we say or words we choose to arrange in a sentence more versatile to the rest of human race rather than to us.
Dow, Thomas. “Write That Down.” Why White Rice? Thinking Through Writing. Kendall Hunt Pub, 2010. 97-98. Print. -
Selina Littlefield
what are the requirements for the 4 paper peer review we got last class? which is due next class
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Mike Gotsch
For the Essays you have to read from other students, you have to come up with comments and questions for discussion in class. I would suggest writing them down, but im not sure if we have to turn it in or not. I hope that helps.
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Selina Littlefield
Thank you! yes it did
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Selina Littlefield
We are currently learning about different things that involve our community. I believe that activism is much more extreme than a service. I would portray service as doing a quick deed and activism is more of trying to create a movement. Activist firmly believe wholeheartedly what they are fighting for. They strive for change and want to see a difference in the world. They usually take things into their own hands and don’t wait to see others to try to do things first. More independent than others. Chomsky is an American professor of linguistics, human rights activist, anarchist, and political analyst. He has done so many things to help the world. Wanting to destroy resistance to oppression. A service someone can do for another person is doing a good deed for them. Such as mowing the lawn for them, shoveling the snow, cleaning garbage off the ground. Pretty much anything that’s positive that’s going to help in the long run. We are pretty much learning about different things that will help in our environment and being active on helping others that are in need. I see the importance in not just caring about yourself but helping others that are not as well off.
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Selina Littlefield
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Selina Littlefield
Reading Peter Hessler article. “The Village Voice” gave me a lot of information about the Peace Corps. It was very nice to hear about Jay-Z and Beyonce were apart of the charity for the Peace Corps. Its always good to hear that people that make hundreds of millions a dollars each year actually give back to their community. I am fans if both of them and I admire the fact that they are sharing. I love that Rajeev Goyal is willing to try anything, determination, and dedication. It is amazing to know that just one person can make a huge difference if we all put are minds to it. Rajeev is truly an inspiration to everyone because he has done so much to help other people. He has a huge heart and he tried his best to make a change. He is not like others. Many people would give up after all the things he has been through, but he has stayed devoted and standing up for what he wants to be done. He has accomplished so much at the young age that he is at. He is someone to look up too if you are trying to change the world positively. He has dedicated his life to help those that are in need. We need more people on this planet like him, that could really make a difference. Learning about the different things that he has done to help people makes me want to help out more. This was a very informative article and I enjoyed reading.
Hessler, Peter. “A Reporter at Large: Village Voice, The Peace Corp’s Brightest Hope.” New York: The New Yorker.2010. 101-109. Splatter.writing101.net: The messy art of writing. Web. 8 feb. 2012 -
Selina Littlefield
The “Who Should Survive?” project was sort of difficult to me because it should not be up to me or my peers to choose who shall live or die. I believe everyone has a right to live no matter what their life circumstances are. People cannot help what they have become to be and everyone has their right to be different and make decision on their own. Everyone is unique in their own way and just because someone may be more accomplished than the other does not mean they do not reserve the right to live. We were all brought on this planet for a reason. When it came down to it my group chose to sacrifice Mrs. Hernandaz because she does not have the appropriate lifestyle to raise her daughter. We figured that if Jean had better parents she won’t grow up to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Our second choice to sacrifice was Mr. Newton. We chose him because he seemed like he was a very bitter person and had a negative personality. Our third choice was Father Philip. We chose to sacrifice him because he is a man of God, so he should be mentally stable to die when it comes down to it. Last but not least it came down to Dr. Garcia. We didn’t only choose him because of his age but because he has had frequent heart attacks and is suffering from major health issues. This was not easy but if we had to choose somebody it would be those 4 people.
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Selina Littlefield
Reading about Dave Eggers, “What It Means When A Crowd In A Faraway Nation Takes A Soldier Representing Your Own Nation, Shoots Him, Drags Him From His Vehicle And Then Mutilates Him In The Dust” made me really think about a lot of things. Obviously this man was suffering from some sort of post traumatic stress disorder and he had the need to constantly be doing something. He felt like he needed to find things to do that will keep him occupied. Being at home relaxing and watching television is something that he found very difficult to do because of everything that is going on in his mind. He had all kinds of different emotions going through his brain and body after he read about the soldier being killed. I am pretty sure he had some sort of connection or relation with the soldier because maybe he was in the war also. He did not find any other tragedies that he read about very sad because he had no connection with it. This short story was full of emotion and imagery. Dave Eggers did a fantastic job of showing us how this man felt and I could imagine the entire story in my head. This man seems like he is trapped in his own world and does not know how to get out of it or how to keep his mind at peace. He seems quite depressed and lonely and just reading about the story took a toll on him.
Eggers, Dave. “How We Are Hungry”, What It Means When A Crowd In A Faraway Nation Takes A Soldier Representing Your Own Nation, Shoots Him, Drags Him From His Vehicle And Then Mutilates Him In The Dust. McSweeney’s, 2004. pgs 17-18. Splatter.writing101.net 2012 -
Selina Littlefield
Live, Die, Kill
Now, I am going to talk about many things that I would live, die and kill for. I love my family and friends to death and I would really do anything for them for their well being. No matter what it takes. I will always be there for my loved ones and they play a huge part in my life. I can depend on them for anything and as well as myself, they know they can depend on me. Whatever they need I will try my best to be there for them no matter what it is. My success in life and being accomplished in everything I do is also something that is very important to me. Nowadays you can not do anything or get any type of job besides minimum wage with out a college diploma. That is why I will try my hardest to be the most successful individual that I can possibly be. Not only for myself but to make my mother and father proud of me. All through out my life I always did my work and never missed an assignment on anything. I understand what my duties are as a student, daughter, sister, girlfriend, aunt, cousin, and an all around young developing women. I try to be independent and not rely on others around me to help me all the time. Doing things on your own makes the accomplishment much more sweeter knowing that you and only you achieved to get to that goal achieved. My way of thinking about life is to just live it to the fullest because you do not know what is going to be thrown at you. Life comes with roller coasters and its just up to you to be strong and roll with the punches. Life is spontaneous and your world can come crashing down in an instant. We all just have one life to live so wasting time being sad or worried about something is not what life is all about. Just because you might have a negative emotion at that point in time, there is always sunshine on the other side and things will ALWAYS get better no matter what you may think at the moment. Sadness is just a temporary emotion that we all get over sooner or later.
If I could change anything about myself it would be helping others more. The only things I do now is give away my clothes that I do not wear anymore to charity. I could start being more active in my community and help others that are not in such a blessed point in their life like I am. People need to stop just worrying about them selves and start helping others that are in need. Sometimes people are so rapped up in their own lives that they don’t take the time to think about other people. There are billions of people in the world and we need to realize we are just one of many. Just because we think things are going bad right now, there are others out there that are much more worst off then we are. Some things that bother me are teenage bullying. My nephew is in middle school rite now and kids these days have the worst potty mouths. These kids these days have worst mouths then most adults do. I just wish the world was rid of negative energy and we could all love each other. A world with no war, no hatred, and no trouble. But that’s just a fantasy world and life can never be perfect. I do not like it when others are treated unfairly because we are all human beings and we all make mistakes. Being mistreated is the number one thing I do not stand for. It bothers me when I get asked a lot of questions by my parents and boyfriend, but they are just being there for me and looking out for the best. I also get bothered by the tidiest things, but then later on I realize that little things do not matter. Being happy is the what I strive for the most. So letting little things bother me like my nephew eating all my food or someone cutting me off driving down the street does not matter. Not letting little things bother me is what I am working on. I have the Spanish words, “Una Bella Vida” translated in English as, “One Beautiful Life” tattooed on my side. This tattoo is one of my favorites because it just shows me whenever I am sad about something and thinking my world is crashing down , I just look at it and it makes me feel a lot better. I got this tattoo because we all only have one life to live and we all have to believe that its a beautiful. Through all the heartaches and headaches its all worth it in the end. Life is not easy by any means and its not suppose to be.
I stand for respect, love and happiness. I love to laugh and have a good time with everything I do. I value respect for myself and others. We all deserve that from everyone we come in counter with. Love is the key to life and happiness. If you feel like you are not loved by anyone chances are you may have a very depressing life. I could never imagine my life not being loved by my loved ones. They help me through life’s difficult challenges and tribulations. The main emotion I strive for is happiness. Being happy is the best feeling in the world. If you are happy with yourself that is all that matters. I am willing to do anything and give up anything to make this happen. By any means necessary I will maintain these important values in my life. Because really, what is a world without respect, love, or happiness? Nothing to me, that is why I am willing to do anything humanly possible to have these attributes correlate in my life. I really do not know where I would be in my life if I did not have all of those things. Everyone deserves the absolute best and the most happiness that is possible. Humans do not live forever so its up to our selves to live this one life we have to the fullest. Being lazy, a couch potato, not being a go getter and not doing things that you need to do to succeed will not get you anywhere in life. You have to be proactive and try to make a change for the better of yourself and make others around you proud. Sitting there, having life pass you by does not do anything. Trying to make a change and doing positive things to help each other for the better is the best thing anyone can do. No one will hire someone that is lazy and do not put forth an effort to help them self. You will never be anything in life if you do not try. Life is a precious thing and should not be wasted or taken for granted. I appreciate everything that I have in my life. Some may call me spoiled but I say it is just being blessed. I am very lucky and I am at a very happy point in my life. In conclusion, I am truly thankful for everything I have. I will live, die, and kill to maintain my family, friends, success, love, and happiness.
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Shannon Ratzel
I like that you take responsibility in your actions. You take care of school and your family. That’s very admirable. Maybe you could add in there something that happened that made you this way, maybe your parents distilled this in you or maybe you had to take charge at one time. That’s really cool that you noticed you aren’t doing as much to help your community. It’s good that you already give away your clothes because people do need those. What made you decide that you want to start helping people more? I agree with children being horrid these days. I hate hearing that the bullying is starting even in kindergarten! What happened to children being so innocent. I worry that one day that these kids will get the idea in their head to bring a gun to school and solve their problems. I hope things get better for your nephew and I hope he knows how to stand up for himself. “If you feel like you are not loved by anyone chances are you may have a very depressing life.” I agree. I hope, like you, everyone has someone to love them. It’s true when you say that happiness is all the matters. If you’re happy with yourself then why should what others think matter?
“Some may call me spoiled but I say it is just being blessed.” I feel the same way. People have always called me the “rich kid.” It’s not rich, it’s not spoiled, it’s a blessing from working hard for what you have.
Don’t ever start off a paper as “I am going to tell you about…” it doesn’t grab my attention. Start off your paper as maybe a story or an explanation. Your paper lacks a lot of direction and you’re missing out on what are you killing for and dying for. You have to include all three. So far you have a nice start. Just evolve off of what you have. Maybe go a little more in depth on certain topics and take out ones that seem like filler. Include the other two topics in your paper. Don’t end it with “in conclusion..” either. Your paper should open and end with something a little more dramatic.
“I am willing to do anything and give up anything to make this happen. By any means necessary I will maintain these important values in my life I am willing to do anything and give up anything to make this happen. By any means necessary I will maintain these important values in my life. Because really, what is a world without respect, love, or happiness? Nothing to me, that is why I am willing to do anything humanly possible to have these attributes correlate in my life. I really do not know where I would be in my life if I did not have all of those things.. Because really, what is a world without respect, love, or happiness? Nothing to me, that is why I am willing to do anything humanly possible to have these attributes correlate in my life. I really do not know where I would be in my life if I did not have all of those things.” This is the point in your paper where you can talk about what you would kill and die for. Quite clearly your family means a lot to you. Tell and show why they do and what you would really do for them when it came down to the wire.
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Susan Bayaa
First of all let me say that you are amazing at writing. You use words well. Im not sure how to explain it but you are great at it. In the beginning I didnt really know what to expect. I can honestly say the “Now” in the beginning did get my attention. I wanted to know what you were refering too. I do agree with you when you said, “Doing things on your own makes the accomplishment much more sweeter knowing that you and only you achieved to get to that goal achieved.” Honestly if people rely on other people to get places they are not going to get anywhere in life. Why are you not able to do it on your own or at least try to learn to do things on your own. I do agree with you on being independent. You seem like you care about the people that are close to you and I can relate to that. I think having that quality to having people relate is good in writing. The reason is because it gives them something to think about which means they are interested in the writing. After they have figured out that they can relate they would start reading more to try to get an answer from your writing or at least a little clue. I thought you writing that you are a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a girlfriend were all great ways in relaing to other people. I also strongly agree with you on wishing the world had no negativity. If it had no hatred, no wars, no conflicts nothing like that it would be better. People helping each other out. If there was no such thing as greed, but in reality there is. All of the above, but we can always try to make a positive out of it so it wont effect us as much. When negativity is surrounding us it leaves us with a negative feeling that leads to depression. We start to lack on things we need to accomplish and that is where we begin to mess up, that is when we really need to snap out of it before it is too late. I also like what you said about everyone deserves to be happy. I am somewhat an observational person. When you say that I can see that you do really mean what you said about wanting to help people. You think everyone deserves to be happy and you can help alot of people become happy just by showing them you care. It doesnt sound like much but opening the door or saying good morning to someone could really help them out through the day. I have done it before and really seen a difference on soemones face. Just two words can change a persons day. I really think its because you showed them that you noticed them and you are wishing them a great day. You can always start off small like that and then soon you might bump into something that you think could help alot of people out. Great essay though.
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Rami Ali
Your very right at one thing and that is to live life to the fullest,never let anybody tell you other wise. If everybody is lazy or like you said a couch potato then we as people in this world would not have achived what we have done on this planet by now. We have the metallaty to keep moving forward in life,this is who we are. Even the people that are lazy and are not doing anything in there lifes just need a little push to get them started. And if people call u spoiled then there just jelouse of the person you are, I dont think they undersatad the meaning of the word blessed. All in all i really liked the essay your a good writter, keep it up!
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Selina Littlefield
I think that the meaning of ecological literacy is knowing and understanding the natural systems that makes our lives on earth possible. We should all be knowledgeable of what is going on around us in our own world. To become ecologically literate you can be more active and volunteer places to make our community a better place. It is absolutely vital to be more involved and to help others when it is needed. There are many ways a person could become more ecologically literate. Simply participating in a better cause can make a huge difference because every little bit counts. Although many young people my age are not really interested in helping the environment or perhaps don’t have the time due to educational/occupational purposes. I think we should all be educated about what’s going on in the world around us and what we can do to make major crisis better for everyone. Just by going green, helping someone some one in need, cut the grass, taking out the garbage, recycling, using less paper, and just simply take the time out of our day to make a positive impact. Us as people need to take in consideration and not take for granted the major things that our going on around us. Wasting our money on things like fancy cars, overly gigantic homes, expensive clothing, going out to restaurants everyday, these are all things we need to cut back on. If we can control all over spending and put our money forth to things are important, things will change. And I do all of these things.
Capra, Fritjof. “From The Web of Life.” -
Selina Littlefield
I believe that the grading project seems great and fair!
Shaun Smith, 
Susan Bayaa, and 
Shannon Ratzel are discussing. 
Rami Ali, 
Taylor Blattner and one other person are discussing. 
Selina Littlefield, and 
Mike Gotsch are discussing. 
Shannon Ratzel 1:42 pm on April 23, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I can relate to your paper when you say you had a hard time finding something to do with your group. We had the same troubles and settled on something we can all do.
“I called and smoked with their Human Resource manager and she let me know that they do accept volunteers and we were more than welcome to fill out an application.” …You what?
I would be so angry if my project got denied. That is good that you did not get discouraged and continued to pursue a new project. It is nice when your volunteer coordinators are nice. We were not so lucky and ended up with people who were mean. I was really surprised because you would think that it is almost required for them to be nice. They were hard to work with.
“They all have the same right as us to work and be active in our community. There isn’t much awareness about helping people that need help. A lot of people are selfish and don’t think about other people. It is amazing to see how much we take for granted. We should love life and embrace it whole we are perfectly healthy. They throw many special events occasionally.” I agree with you one hundred percent. People do not really think about those with special needs too often. I know I did not think to volunteer with those with special needs. It just did not come to my mind.
“The last event was called International Housewares Show at McCormick Place on March 13 2012. This year there were 130 volunteers from the community A lot of people chipped in to donate as much as they could and they made it a huge success. They also have a thrift store entitled, “The Good as New Thrift Store you can go and shop there for the latest merchandise from the 2012 Housewares Show.” What did the show do? Did you work that show? Will you be working another show like this? What are they showing?
I like that you put in a section on how you can help your cause. Just a little reminder, even though I did not do it either, our essay is supposed to be broken up into sections with titles and headers. Also, where are you getting your information from? You have no works cited.
I really hope you have a good time. You are donating your time to what seems like a great cause. Are you nervous to work with those with special needs? I would be a little nervous because I would not know what they needed or wanted. Do you have any connection with the cause?
I really like that you compared the event you’re about to do with the event you have done in the past. Share Your Soles is such a good cause and you have donated a lot of your time to really help those in need. Your writing is getting stronger and you do not have any noticeable grammatical errors.
Susan Bayaa 1:47 am on April 24, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
First off let me say that I am sorry to hear the trouble you guys went through trying to get involved with something. I would have also been very disappointed if the professor said no for something that I was excited to volunteer in. You guys had everything ready and had the forms and everything. I honestly think if you are excited into volunteering for something you should go do it even if you do not need it for class, but that would have been a little frustrating. I am glad to hear that you found something else that I thought kind of was similar and even better. The funny thing is a lot of people want to help the elderly when they really do not need that much help. I did a project with an elderly once and I can honestly say she was doing pretty good. I do think that helping the elderly with disabilities was something better. I am one of those believers that believe everything happens for a reason and I personally think that you guys were meant to go help out the elderly that are disabled. For one I did not know they had something for the elderly that are disabled and I am not sure if I am the only one who did not know or if their is other people that have read your article that did not know as well. Maybe if you tell more people about it they might want to help out too and you would have done something really good. I do like how you have made it easy on a person to know how to help out. Either by volunteering and you have a list for what they need volunteers for and you also mentioned job opportunities. You mentioned what jobs they are looking for to fill and what they need. You also had a plan b. What I mean is their are those people which do not have time to actually go and volunteer and what you did was tell them they can donate and what they can donate and how they can donate. You also gave ideas on what to donate. You also named the different companies that are with what you are working or volunteering in. I thought this essay was really good. I did enjoy reading it and I thought it really did inform me a lot about how to get involved. I really hope everything did workout when you did go. I was hoping to read about how it went and your experience on it but under the circumstances I know you were not able to go before this was do but I think it was a pretty good volunteer work activity. I can also understand about not being able to go before this essay was due because I was also not able to get done with my visit before this essay was due and we really were not able to find a time for the volunteer work time that was able to fit in our schedule.
Shaun Smith 11:36 pm on April 24, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
First off I was shocked that our professor had disagreed with you on working with people on disabilities. I understand where he is coming from but I never would have suspected he would have turned the idea down. Its nice to see that you had a back up plan and sprang right into action to get it done as soon as possible. For my group the challenge was just meeting our availability to go there. Also, finding a place to begin with is a difficult task, because not very many people are overwhelmed about doing community service, and even when you narrow that down people are still going to disagree on what to do. Your paper is very detailed, and it really comes along nicely considering you have every different situation you had went through. It really lets your reader know how you felt about it all, and takes you step by step through your process on getting your volunteer work done. At least in the end all I can say is you managed to not be turned away from your first idea being shot down, and you kept pursuing the goal of finishing the assignment. Your story about how you managed to come to the ending is impressive, and with all the detail its hard to find any issues. The only suggestion I have for you is to maybe conclude the ending a little bit more, and show some more detail as to what you did in the work because that’s the strong point of your paper. Overall though you have a great paper, and it has come together nicley.