Ciao...Adios...Au Revoir....Good Bye...Farewelll....

It's always hard to say goodbye. So I know this is going to take me a while to write..........
Well let's start from the beginning. I still remember the first day of class, where we introduced ourselves and discovered that 98.9 percent of the class was Cuban.lol. I had to admit I reconsidered taking Tasha's class, not because of Tasha's intimidating speech because I can take the challenge, but because I didn't think I was going to like the circle time way of teaching. Yet, surprisingly, I grew to love this class. One of the main things I loved was Tasha's way of teaching and her concern for her students. Every lesson was well planned out with visuals and examples and discussions. I came from an ENC 1101 class that would only talk about baseball, or the professor's kid, and I swear I didn't learn a thing but how to make a really good recipe for Thanksgiving. But this class was different, I learned about the different styles of writing, how to persuade your audience, how to work in a group, how to research papers, I can go on and on. But most importantly I learned how to "think outside of the box" and analyzes a scenario from all perceptives. That is something I'm going to use in my future classes.In addition, Tasha's expectations of all of us really made me push myself to write the best I can write and think outside the box. In the end, it turned out for the best, because my papers were pretty good or at least received a good grade.
Well, all i am left to say is THANK YOU TASHA!!! Keep on being a great teacher, keep on inspiring students to want to learn, to want to write, and to want to give it there all. We really need more teacher like you in the world and good luck with your future students.
And to my teen mamas....I'm gonna miss you guys!!!! I H.E.A.R.T.S you!!! lol.
<3 Jackie.

This video made me mad!!!!! Are men that desparate to get laided that they need to bang an 8 year old and take away their innocence. Obvisousily they are pathetic perverts that can't get none if they have to pay to get laided. And to think it is the Americans that are the biggest clientel in Mexico! Once again, it had to be the Americans.(sigh) Human Sex Trafficking disguses me, it's not the acion of sex that makes me quinch, but the sick dirty perverted minds of these trafficers who fantazise about young girls and abuse them. They are children for crying out loud! They have not even gone through puberty! I can not even imagine the humiliation, the terror and the abuse these young girls go through on a daily bases. They have to lay in the dirt with a different guy every 10 minutes, which equal 6 men per hour, for 5 to 6 hours to equal 30-40 men per day!!! It's a sad world out there. I can't even think right now, this blog issue has my mind spinning with so many ideas and emotions . It makes me want to shove the hanger, the trafficer used to beat the girl mentioned in the video, into the place it most hurts him (whoever he is) and that goes for every guy out there taking advantage of these girls.
Once again something needs to be done, but it's not until their children get kidnapped that someone will do anything about it, and by "their children" I mean some rich politcians's daughter. But for now the governement is not doing much andmore and more children being sold for sex.

1st Place- Marshay from Section U1F . She went all out putting a slideshow, a music video, a poem and pictures on her page. She claims she is is independent and outsopken. She also, claims she likes music and supports this claim by posting up a music video.

2nd Place-Elizabeth from Section U1F. Her Wkki Page caght my attention from the start with a bright green and a different red layout. She describes herself with short but strong sentences. Also, she uses all fours claims to describe herself. Her Wikki page was unique and interesting with a music video and pictures.

3rd Place- Men Section U1s. I really likes the way he introduced himself. Uses all four claims, and doesn't only point out the good but also includes some bad. Basically he states what he is and what he is not. When you read his Wikki, it is as if he is having a conversation with you. He has a unique and creative style of writing.

Congrats to all of my three choices!!! You did a good job!

Analysis of Song Analysis

In Giancarlo Aravena's song analysis of "I Wish You Were Here" by Incubus, he creates a strong analysis by using his personal experience with a loved one to interpret the song. The author shows a good understanding of tone, audience, and purpose. He shows a good understanding of tone by explaining how "happy" is important in creating the song's mood. He identifies the audience as people who want to think about their significant other.

He knows the purpose of this song "is to get people to appreciate every moment they have with their special someone and it also reminds you of them if you listen to it when you're on your own."

One of his strong point is the emotiona he creates behind analyzing this song. He really puts his personal experience and you can tell he can relate to this song. From the start the audience can tell Giancarlo can really connect to the song, when he mentions he listens to this song when thinking of his girlfriend. He puts forth his emotion when he states,"the way Incubus rock their socks off to it got me thinking beyond the words."

In addition he has good organization, and organizes his thoughts by analyzing the song stanza by stanza. Another good point is that he uses quotes from the song to support his analysis. He also elaborates on the meaning of the lyrics, by explaining certain phrase in the song such as "the world's a rollercoaster," "wish you were here," "backlit canopy," and "thousand diamonds."
Giancarlo also, connects his audience with the song when he sates, " I'm sure many people have been to the beach at night and I think they can agree when I say that it is really beautiful to see all the stars in the sky..."

Some weak points I could point out is that the analysis need a stronger conclusion and he didn't really explain the claims of the song. Other than that his creates a good analysis and I would give him an A-.
Good Job! =)

Pull 'em Up!

After doing a little bit of research I got informed of the origin of the "sagging" pants. It came from the prisioners in jail and how they weren't allowed to wear belts because the guards feared that they could use the belts a weapon. This action was also used in jail to make everyone else know how available they are. The lower the pants the more available you are.

So this was my initial opinion of the Sagging issue before I was enlightened:

The whole "sagging" issue is absurd. Personally, the fashion trend seems ridiculous, having to wear your pants below your waist doesn't seem cool to me,it saids poor. What does it cost to buy a belt and pull them up? You thought fashion was bad back in the day when they wore leg warmers, tie-dyed shirts, and mismatched socks, but this fahion trend has gone over-broad. It is disgusting when you go out in public and someone just so happens to bend over right as you walk by. And what do you see? Butt-crack, g-string, dirty boxers! My first thought: Eww!

I still stand with my original opinion: Pull 'em up! Bt now I understand that African American were using this action as a protest against white folks for freedom. However, I am against those who aren't aware of this and wear their pants below their waist as a fashion trend. Knowing the origin of the "sagging" pants only makes my arguement stronger. It's funny how some "white-boys" wear there pants below there waist, believing they are hot sh*t. But I wonder if they know they are protesting against themselves, and that they are calling out to those horny prisioners telling them they are available.

I'm glad the Senate is coming up with the law to get rid of this wardrobe malfunction. People might argue: "But it goes against the first amendment! What about self-expression? What about our civil rights?" I believe in the "ability to express oneself" through art, writing, music, or speech. But what does this trend say? Easy access? I'm showing mine, show me yours? Too lazy to care about how I look? Enough is enough. Actions speak more than words, and this harmless trend can inlfuence young teens and kids by creating this idea of "the more I show the 'cooler' I look". Who I am I to say what you should or shouldn't wear, but there are limits. Once your a**, undergarments, or intimate parts show, it has gone too far. At that point might as well take off all your clothes and go naked. What would you think then? If it's okay to show more than called for then is it okay to walk out naked? Isn't that "self expression?"

As far as taking away your "civil rights" and "identity" that is bogus! Back in the day in most public schools people had to wear a tie and belt, and they didn't have there identity taken away. They were still allowed to chose what color tie and belt they wanted. So, since when can pulling up your pants strip you from your identity? The "Baggy Pants Bill" states :

“It shall be unlawful for any person to appear in public wearing his pants below
his waist and thereby exposing his skin or intimate clothing.”

This isn't telling you exactly WHAT to wear. It's not saying "No you can't wear jeans it's agaisnt the law, only slacks or khakis with a blue-collar down shirt and a tie can be worn". The government is trying to refresh everyone's mind of HOW your clothes are suppose to be worn. Just like the buttons on a shirt serve to keep the shirt from closing, there is a reason for the belt supporters around the waist of jeans. Any guesses? Correct! To wear a belt. I guess the wanna be "saggers" have overlooked that.

Althought I'd like to stop seeing people's underwear and butt-cracks I still think the law is a little ridiculous too. The name itself sounds questionable, the "Baggy Pants Bill." Who comes up a name like that? It's hard for me to take that bill seriously. This bills call for the "fashion police," literally! And that's when you know something is wrong in our government. It goes to show how the government doesn't know what else to come up with. Come folks there are more important issues than fashion trends! If we would all dress decent, then the goverment would focus on issues worth arguing about like the economy, health care, etc.

As far as the goverment implementing a law telling us how to wear our pants in order for us to "respect" ourselves, I'm against it. I'm not against the law itself ,but against the fact that the goverment is creating this law to make sure we "respect" ourselves. I don't think it's up to the government to decide if we are or are not respecting ourselves. Living in such a diverse country, who is to say what respect is now a days?

I do agree with uniforms for Pre-K through High School. I believe if a child is taught how to dress and present him/herself at a young age it will help them out in the future. For instance, knowing how to dress can be useful in a business meeting, presentations, social gathering, or family events. One quote I always use is "You never know who you might run into" and that is why it is always good to be well put together whenever you go out. First impressions are imporntant, and sagging pants is not a the best first impression a person can give.

The "Baggy Pants Bill" sounds ridiculous, but I agree with its content. In order to prevent future wardrobe malfunctions, I completely agree with uniforms.

To all those "saggers" out there, ignorant of the origin of the sagging pants: Pull 'em up! You are not making a point, you are just making a distrubing first impression. No one wants to look at your stinky butt. It'll make the world a nicer place to look at. :)

No Child Left Behind

"Welcome back to the darkside." This starting quote, said by the women in the beginning of the video, immediately sets the mood for what is to come. The setting is dark and it provides a serious tone to the women's speech. The viewer can tell she strongly supports her opinion by the emotion behind her facial expressions and through her tone of voice. The women is clearly against the "No Child Left Behind" act, and that makes two of us. The idea of having an eduactional program, like "No Child Left Behind", seems wonderful at first, but once the women broke it down in sections, I realized the damage it can do the educational system and students.

Problem numbero uno : It's comparing "apples and oraanges" like the women said. It is clearly seen that there is a problem here, because immigrants or lower level students are being to compared to the previous score of other students that may or may ot be in the same level. I believe the test should focus on the student as an individual, as oposed to a whole. This way you can see the exact change of improvement each student has achieved from one year to the next.

Another flaw was that the students from 3rd to 8th grade were tested once a year every year in March. My plan: Have the teachers give the test in late May or 1-2 weeks before the school year ends. That way the students have enough time to learn what they need to learn, and the teachers don't have to stress about teaching rushing their lesson plans and setting time apart to prepare them for the test. If the students are tested at the end of he school year, they would have alreadylearned all the material ,and the test should be a summary of everything they learned that year. (Like a final).

In addition, the worst part of this act is the reward on punishment section. Rewarding schools for yearly progress is not bad. However, punishing schools for not improving is horrible. If a school is suffering, it needs all the help it could get, and taking away money to help out the staff and students isn't going to help. The ones who get more affected by this, is not the teachers whos salaries have declined, but the students. If the teachers do not have that willngness to teach, then the students won't have the willingness to learn, and vice-versa if teachers show eagerness to teach, then students will want to learn.

As far as private and home-schooled kids, I don't care. Their parents have enough money to hire a tutor if their child is suffering academicaly in the future. I just don't believe kids in Title 1 pubic schools have to be punished if there school doesn't meet the act's standards, because it's not their fault. What does child know about administrative funds? They are just there to learn and we should provide them the education they need.

I agree with this quote from Gov. Bill Richardson ,"I would scrap it, it doesn't work."
I'll start over and start a new plan. Tip for those is government: Analyze the method of teaching in other countries with a higher education level, apply it to this education system, and maybe just maybe it can work in this country too. (Tip of countries: Germany, Finland, or Canada)

Here is a quote that I taught was clever, sad but true.
"It has been said that we have not had the three R's in America, we had the six R's; remedial readin', remedial 'ritin' and remedial 'rithmetic."-Robert M. Hutchins

Media Madness

"Paris Hilton makes another video, Lindsay Lohan celebrates getting out of rehab by drinking, Britney Spears is considered a good mother beacuse she can breast feed while driving!" These are the headlines that hit the news on a daily basis. No wonder the American people are getting dumber by the minute. We burn millions of brain cells just listening to this junk. After seeing the clip from the video Zeitgeist, I was not surprised to hear the man say that the American education system is declining and that stupidity is our downfall. Each day the media is controlling more of our lives by influencing what we wear to how we think. Now in days, it is "okay" to do whatever is seen on T.V. As a result, the media has taken control over our lives and has blinded us from issues such as the North American Union and the decline of our education system.

At first, I was dumbfounded to hear about the North American Union. I didn't know what it was and what was the big deal. After hearing that the U.S, Mexixo, and Canada were uniting and opening borders, I thought of all the negative effects it will have on this country, such as higher crime rates, cultural & language differences, economic issues, corruption, etc. It scared me to know that elite leaders have been planing a treaty to emerge forces without our consent. My first thought was: What are these leaders planning and for what purpose? I don't believe the U.S. should unite with any other country. We have our own national problems and uniting with another country would just bring about more problems, which some how always leads to more taxes, crime or corruption. I agree with the quote, "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Uniting with other countries leads to more power, but leaders take advantage of this power and use it for the worst. In addition, I was a bit upset on the fact that I wasn't aware of this. I tend to turn on the news everyday, but I had no knowledge of the North American Union.

As far as the education system, it is sad to hear that students are limited to learning. I believe some teachers are limited to the art of teaching, because they have to create lesson plans that obey the government's policy of teaching. As a result, our eduacation hasn't reached its full potential. Compared to other countries in the world, we are far behind when it comes to the knowledge of contemporary history in school. For instance, in high school, we did not get educated on current events and didn't discuss world issues. Don't get me wrong there are smart Americans, but as a whole we are not well informed about what is going on around us. On the contary, we get informed of celebrity affairs and who is having sex with who in Hollywood. As a result, we get screwed over and do not get informed of important issues, such as the North American Union.

This video really opened my eyes to how much I don't know about what is going on in this world. The media has really influenced our lives and someone should do something about this. I know I'm willing to do more research and try to get more informed on issues that matter, as oppose to what the media wants you to know.

I finally learned how to use this thing. =)

At first, the idea of having a blog seemed childish. Let’s face it a blog is an online journal, a journal is a cover up name for a dairy, and a dairy is where a 10 year old doodles the name of their crush next to little hearts. The idea of writing in a "dairy" made me say "Oh hell no!" I’ll admit it I had a dairy, but that was a long time ago. I also remember having LiveJournal when I was in 7th grade, back in the day when MySpace and FaceBook wasn't around. But I haven’t written on an online journal since, so I have to get use to the idea of writing in a journal again. However, after analyzing the good points of having a blog, I’m willing to give it one more shot. Plus, writing down your thoughts, opinions, and feelings on a journal can be distressing, and you can discover more to yourself than you already know. I guess it’s the typing scenario that lets your fingers do the thinking for you, and before you know it, you type whatever you were thinking subconsciously.
In addition, writing in a blog lets you have more freedom as writer. It enables you to write down your ideas liberally, as opposed to concentrating on a certain style, structure, or format. This blog is less informal, since the audience, in this case, are my peers.
Also, the fact that this online journal can be viewed by others gives me the opportunity to voice my opinion on things and let them know my point of view. When you write in a real journal, you write your ideas down; then, you put it away, forget about it until you have something else to jot down, and don’t except anyone else to read it. As opposed to keeping my ideas locked up in a drawer somewhere, writing in this blog can really get my point across to others. Therefore, as far as the security settings, I'm going let my blog be viewed to everyone.
I know that this blog is going to help me become a better writer and help me express my ideas more proficiently. Therefore, I'm going to give this blog a shot and have an opened mind about it.