Hw Blog #3

Most of what I have heard about the Trayvon Martin shooting has come from the news, social networks, and from other people. I believe the story goes like this: Trayvon was in a gated community and he was walking around the neighborhood with a bag of skittles and a snapple in his hands. The neighborhood watchman thought he looked suspicious and so he takes his gun out and shoots him. The watchman claimed that the purpose of shooting him was for self defense. He will plead guilty for that reason of self defense.

No one really knows what exactly happened or what was going through the mind of the watchman when he shot Trayvon. Everyone thinks that  the watchman shot him because he was racist against black people. I do not know if that is the fact or if people were just assuming it. I believe that there are 3 sides of the story; Trayvon's perspective, the watchman's perspective, and what really happen. No one will actually know what really happened. Even know the watchman shot him for the wrong reasons I still think it is right to hear his side of the story. Regardless he should not have shot him because he looked suspicious, something about the story just does not add up.  The first essential question does apply. If the watchman happens to be racist, he could have gotten that way because of the environment that he grew up in. He could have lived in an environment that did not accept black people. Which could have lead to the shooting that he did. The whole situation is just sad and disappointing. It is sickening to find out someone shot an innocent child.

Blog Hw #2

Julia Alvarez's book, How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents taught me a great deal of positive messages. Mostly it taught me about me about family. Family is the most important thing in life. When Sofia was having troubles with her father she ignored the issues and kept the relationship the way it was so she could live her life. When she came back to America and realized how she treated her father it made her realize that she should have fixed the relationship right away. She tried to make it up to her father in the end, which was good. I guess no matter what happens between family members they are always going to love each other. The family always stuck together no matter what. When the sisters went into the mental institution everyone still stuck together and   contributed to help them be okay again. When they were adjusting to the new country they were all together, mostly because they were the only one who could understand each other. It also taught me to make the best of every new situation. Obviously they faced something that is always hard to do. They had to adjust to a whole new culture, lifestyle, and language. They did the best they could to understand everything around them and make the best out of there situation. It makes me think about small adjustments that I have to make in my life. I can always think about how it could be worse, I could be moving to another country and have to adjust like the Garcia girls had to. Although, I think that overall I did not have to read this book to understand that message in life. I doubt that it will leave a lasting impression on my life.

Blog Hw #1 Is track and field a sport?

A lot of people have the question of if track and field is a sport. It actually really angers me because it is indeed a sport. In my opinion it is one of the hardest sports. It is really hard to push your body and to be as fast as you can be. You always feel like you want to give up at moments but you have to make it to the finish line. I am a sprinter and I have done other sports in the past, but track is definitely the most painful sport. I have told myself in the past that track was a joke and anyone can do it. When I actually tried it I realized how difficult it was. I mean, how do you think other sports are punished? The coaches make them run because it is painful and no one wants to do it. Track runners are tough and they can work through pain. It takes a lot of endurance and speed, which is hard to build up. The field events are very difficult to perform. High jump, long jump, hurdles, triple jump, shot put, javelin, and discus require so much practice, strength, and coordination. I have tried hurdles before, they are one of the hardest things to do in sports because you have to remember your steps, be fast, and actually make it over the hurdle. So much is going through your head right before you get to the hurdle you almost psych yourself out. A lot of track is mental. I usually have a problem with telling myself that I cannot get in front of a girl or I cannot go any faster. It is important to trust yourself. The biggest obstacle is believing in yourself and having the confidence. Running makes you feel great, especially when you improve your time. It is something that anyone can do until they die. It is a healthy way to stay in shape as well. If you look at any track runner you will notice that they have some of the best shaped bodies.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090219190504AAP1lRu

http://http://www.topendsports.com/sport/athletics/events.htmanswers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120129053109AAA3oDj

http://www.topendsports.com/sport/athletics/events.htm

Blog #7

Billy Elliot was the one of or if not the most amazing musical that I have ever seen. I have chosen that piece of art to feature on this blog. I had the pleasure of going to New York City last March with a friend for her birthday to see this show, and it was a great experience. The whole atmosphere of the the theater is just picked up after watching this inspirational musical. The basic plot for the musical takes place in a poor town in the UK. The workers in the mine are going on strike because they are sick of the harsh working conditions. Billy is a young boy who is forced to take boxing lessons but is no good at it. He accidentally joins a ballet class, and it soon becomes his passion in life. Throughout the whole story a worker's revolution is going on and at the same time Billy is trying to pursue his passion of becoming a dancer. I thought this show was really exquisite and very well done. The dancing and the singing is something that I have never seen before. You could feel the emotion flowing into the audience and you believed everything that was taking place on the stage. The actors seemed like they put a lot of time and effort to the musical. Something that really surprised me about the performance was that the main character who played Billy was a little kid. He was about 10 years old and he did everything so professionally. I was amazed at how well he could dance and sing. One scene that I enjoyed is when young Billy and his future self danced side by side to Swan Lake. It was something that really opened my eyes and almost put me in tears, that is how good it was. The music that was being sung was also really good. My favorite song from the musical is called "Electricity" and it was it sounded exactly how it sounds. It made the audience feel that spark inside of them. I took a lot away from the performance and it was something that really made me think. I think all works of art should have that aspect. I would recommend this show to anyone who enjoys musicals and who is into dance, particularly ballet. A couple of years after the musical was debuted they came out with the movie, and it was definitely not as good as the play. So for anyone who is interested in seeing this, should see it live.

Blog #6

1. Hey, you guys out there, take some advice from a girl...There are some things you need to know about women. When you are older you will appreciate me telling you this. For one, speak to us with respect. Watch what you say, and always be polite. It is okay to be funny and to crack a dirty joke every once in a while, but every second is not okay. Keep that between you and your guy friends. There is nothing that bothers us more than when guys act like they are better in every which way than girls. We are human, we are people to. I don't know if you are aware, but everything you can do, we are capable of doing as well. Me, and pretty much every girl out there don't appreciate when you go on and on about how we are supposed to stay home and cook and clean. You know when I am older and married, I am going to be coming home late from work, and guess who is going to have food ready for me on the table? My husband. I'm not saying that women are always right or we rule over men,  I am saying a man and women should be able to share the responsibilities when they are married. I could go on and on, but I think you've got the idea.

2. The Biggest Problem in America today...is the obesity rate. Growing up in this era there is a lot of technology that raises us up to be pretty lazy. I myself must say that I am lazy. We don't have to get up and visit people in person anymore, we can text them or IM them on Facebook or tweet them on Twitter. Also the portions that are given to us at restaurants are outrageous. Then people wonder why they are getting fat. They pay money on these pills and exercise equipment that they think will magically make them thinner and have them lose a ton of weight. There is no secret to this, there is no magical pill, or surgery that you need to undergo in order to lose weight. It is really simple really. All you have to do is simply diet and exercise. That's it. It has been the way to do it forever. The only thing that you have to have is self control. You can exercise all you want, but if you don't diet then you won't lose the weight. Exercising will help you maintain the weight, but the dieting will have you lose it. All you need is the motivation.

3.  The thing that annoys me the most is when your friends talk behind your back. Honestly if you are good friends you should be able to tell your friend anything to each others faces. The fact that they keep it a secret from you just shows that they are not a good friend. If you have a problem with your friend then tell it to their faces. That way you won't have to deal with the bigger problem later. I especially get annoyed when I found out when my friend is talking about me. It makes them look like a coward. I want to be able to talk it out with them and put the problem to a rest. It just hurts more to find out that one of your good friends is talking about you then having them come up to me and telling me the truth. They are just hurting themselves in the end. It is really immature and pathetic and just makes everything awkward between you and your friends. I guess I can say that I have done it before, but at least I have owned up to it and tried to make it right.

Blog #5

1. One character that has developed throughout the story is Sofia. The way that she developed was when she became independent from her father and went off on her own. She felt like she was being held down by her father. Once they moved to America her life was shaped. She liked the freedom that America had given her. She was already the "ugly duck" of the family. The relationship between her and her father suffered when they moved there because she started living a loose lifestyle in America. Sofia had her fair share of men in her life until she finally met the right one. He lived in Germany, so she fled to Germany to get married. Her father was disappointed in her actions and his view of his daughter changed. He thought of her as a "whore" more or less. Even so, it had a positive impact on her life. She disappointed her father but it was for the better in her life. When she came back to America she had children and made her father happier. She felt she owed it to her father to come back and make things right again. Coming to America shaped the life of Sofia.

2. Reading this book, it is hard to find any postive aspects. Julia Alvarez mostly focuses on the negative aspects of the Garcia girl's lives. It probably makes it more interesting to read that way. If it was all positve it would not be an interesting read. One chapter of the book that I found pretty positive is the "Snow" chapter. It talked about how Yolanda was adjusting in her new school in America. This time era is around the Cold War Era. During the cold war their was the Cuban Missile Crisis, and a lot of the schools in America would practice bombing drills. One afternoon Yolanda saw snow come out of the sky. She thought that it was a warning of a bomb, but when she found out it was snow, she was pleasantly surprised. Back in the Dominican Republic she never witnessed snow. It was a positive moment because she thought it was beautiful. Her teacher explained to her that each snow flake was unique and beautiful just like everyone else. It made her feel good about herself even know negative change was going on around her.

3. The story about Jeremy Lin is a national conversation that has been going on in sports for a while now. If I had to take a view on this debate I would have to say that it's an exciting story. He has become somewhat of a cinderella story. I think that people hype him up because he is a minority in the NBA. People enjoy the idea that he is Asian, and only a couple of Asians have came through the NBA and started and uproar. People do not expect Asians to be good at basketball because they are known for being unbelieveable smart. No one was expecting him to be a huge deal. There is still racism that exists today but it is not nearly as bad as it was back in the days. 30 years ago it was unheard of for an Asian to play basketball, but today it is more acceptable in society. And yet, Jeremy Lin has become a penomonon and the huge story in basketball. I think the surprise was more of his skill.

Blog #4

1. The first article that caught my eye was the Valentine's article. It stuck out to me because Valentine's Day recently passed and I was curious to see what it was about. This article was mostly stating facts and statistics about Valentine's Day and how much money is usually spent. The article to me, was interesting when it was talking about how people who make more income usually have longer lasting marriages. It goes to show that people care about the superficial things like candies, jewelry, flowers, chocolates, etc. It was surprising to see that a normal relationship cannot last without all of that stuff. I agree with the article when it says that Valentine's  Day is pretty much a worldwide scam, it even shows statistics about how much money is spent just to please your significant other. This article makes me wonder about love, and what it is based on now. Is it based on money? Is it based on pleasing someone with items? What does it take to show someone you really love them? I mean, yeah, it's nice to give someone you love flowers every once in a while. What happened to just showing your love through words, through trust, through support, and care?

2. The next article that I read was about M.I.A. and her persona. The question that came up was if her personality was too much for maybe the public eye. The author of this article is wondering if she may be too risky. Sometimes, some of the things that M.I.A. brings to the public eye are too controversial and may cause some people to be offended. At the same time, she is her own person and she knows what she stands for. I give her respect because she knows exactly what she is doing but she stands up for what she believes in. She is unique and her music tells a story. She takes it to the next bar. At the Superbowl she was performing in front of millions of viewers while looking like a radical from the Middle East. She knew that it would be an uproar but she did it anyway, with attitude. Although it was a very risky performance, it made a statement and it actually gave her more publicity. She has brought a lot of people into her new song "Bad Girls".

3.  This last article that I read was about Jeremy Lin. I am not a huge NBA fan myself. I personally like college basketball. But the hype on this new player from the Knicks is incredible. No matter who you are a fan of, or what team is your favorite, you can't help but to route for Jeremy Lin. The author of this article was actually Asian and could relate to Jeremy Lin. He was explaining that this young main made a huge impact for Asians. He made a name for himself in a city where that is hard to make a name for yourself. I'm talking New York City. Not only has he made a name for himself in NYC but across the country. He had 89 points in his first 3 games in the NBA. That is a pretty big deal. I guess the even bigger deal is that he is a minority. The author was proud to be of Asian background because of his success and the fact that Asians are starting to be noticed in professional sports. The next question for Jeremy Lin is if he will continue his hot streak, or will his talent fade away? It could be luck or a shot of adrenaline. He may die down in time.