PSA/Propistion/Issue

Our issue was healthcare. We focused on the arguement over switching America's healthcare to universal or private. I personally think we should have either extreme, but instead have something more in the middle. I think the government should provide healthcare to every citizen in America, but we should also keep the option of having privatized healthcare for people who want to buy their own healthcare and have more freedoms.

Liberitarian Party

History: The Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the United States. Libertarians believe the answer to America's political problems is the same commitment to freedom that earned America its greatness: a free-market economy and the abundance and prosperity it brings; a dedication to civil liberties and personal freedom that marks this country above all others; and a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace, and free trade as prescribed by America's founders. The party was founded by a small group of activists in Colorado in 1971.

Ideaology:
Libertarianism is the belief in liberty. Libertarians want a free, peaceful, abundant world where each individual has the maximum opportunity to pursue his or her dreams and to realize his full potential. Libertarians believe that each person owns his own life and property, and has the right to make his own choices as to how he lives his life - as long as he simply respects the same right of others to do the same.Another way of saying this is that libertarians believe you should be free to do as you choose with your own life and property, as long as you don't harm the person and property of others.

Famous Candidates: N/A

Site for national Conventions:Slogans:

"Live and let live. The Golden Rule. The non-initiation of force."

Political Stances:

Abortion: They believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration.

Immigration: People have the right to travel anywhere, and to take any job offered them, so long as they do it at their own expense and without violating the rights of others.
A way to help the poor is to let them go where the work is, regardless of borders. Studies show that immigrants don't take jobs from others, they add to the economy and help create more jobs.

Free Trade:
Free trade provides consumers with better goods at lower prices. Trade restrictions produce the opposite: shoddy goods and higher prices. With free trade, consumers pay lower prices for products and thereby have more money left to spend on other goods, domestic as well as foreign. Free trade also helps the cause of world peace. In the 1920's and 30's, trade barriers went up everywhere, directly contributing to the outbreak of World War II. If goods don't cross borders, armies will.

My Mind Map

http://www.mind42.com/mindmaps;jsessionid=37DB10049BD854E1CC68E13D7DD1EC37

Mind Map

http://www.mind42.com/mindmaps

Journal

Reflect: on the SLCs this Wednesday...With regard to prepping yourself for college or whatever your postgraduate plans are, what are your strengths that you have developed at this point in your life, what are some qualities you are still developing and need to work on to be successful upon graduation. Have this written in your journal - whether or not you are actually coming to SLCs on Wednesday.

I won't be coming to SLC's on Wednesday because i have above C's in all my classes. I think some of my stregnths that i have required so far in my have been my organization skills, and i also feel like i have become less lazy and more motivated to get work done. I think i still need to work on improving on my math skills because it is something i still struggle with. After i graduate i plan to maybe take a gap year to travel but if i dont do that i want to go to junior college at grossmont and then transfer to UCLA and major in education and minor in either film, dance, or spanish.

My Political Opinions

Healthcare- I think healthcare should be universal and we should model our healthcare system on other countries such as Canada. I think healthcare should be a right instead of a privledge and all people should be able to have healthcare.

Enviorment- I think we should definintly work harder on focusing on the enviorment because it is a very important issue which a lot of people ignore. One of the biggest things we can do is switch to full efficient cars, and also using other sources of energy such as solar, wind, etc. Also we should put pressure on other nations who have high pullotion rates such as china and india, to higher their enviormental standards.

War in Iraq- We should end the war in Iraq but still leave troops in Afganistan. I think we should still try to find osama bin laden because it seems like he has been forgoten and it is still important to find him.

Education- We should put more money into public schools, get better teachers and pay them higher salieries and also make college more affordable.

My Perfect Party

If I could register to any party I would register as an independent. I think that overall my political views are mainly more liberal and i ussually like more of the democratic candidates. EVen though I ussually would vote democrate 95% of the time I wouldn't to really belong to any party and i want the choice to look at both sides and ideas with an open mind and then chose which candidate i want to support no matter they are a republican or democrate.

Voting PSA

http://cgalvan.blogspot.com/

This PSA is about the importance of voting in the upcoming election.

Your choice of PSA from the ones we watched in class?

My favorite PSA was the one with christina aguilera singing Amazing Grace and holding her son wrapped up in American flag. I liked it biggest it grabbed your attention from the beginning and it was a really simple and beautiful PSA that got the message across really well. I also though the cinamatography, imagery, and music was really powerful, and it made the PSA stick in my mind.

Journal: if you were 18 nwho would you vote for?

If i were 18 i would definitly vote for Barack Obama. I think he can bring the country together and fix many of the issues we are having such as the economy, ending the war, healthcare, and creating renewable energy. I also think he can represent and restore the image of America to the rest of the world, because one thing the bush administration did was isolate and create bad feelings to other countries. Overall I really like Obama and would vote for him, and believe he would make an amazing president.

What Makes an American?

I think a typical American would be someone who is in the middle class, watches baseball, eats fast food, ect. I think being an American is very different from most cultures in the world. I also think being an American is having rights such as freedom of speech, and equality no matter sex, race, religion. there are a lot of freedoms that americans have, which are sometimes taken for granten because in some countries there is not freedom of speech, and people can not speak against their governments. Also being an American means diversity of different races and cultures.

Trial Reflection

I really enjoyed doing this project because I got to learn and also teach others about a cause I really care about which is improving the treatment of animals. Even though there was a lot of work I feel like I learned a lot from it. During the trial I think my speech was well written but I should have practiced more so that I knew more of what I was saying and then I would have had to read so much off of my note cards. Even though my presentation skills weren’t that good I think that my content and speech was well written. Overall I think that I deserved the grade I got which was a B+.

June Book Report

Author: Simmons, Rachel
Title: Odd Girl Out
Place of Publication: United States
Company: Gold Medal Books
Date: 2002
Reason, Type and Setting: I selected this book because a friend recommended it to me. This book’s genre is a drama and it takes place in modern day at a middle school.
Plot: The major conflict in this book is how the main character Vanessa Snyder is bullied by a group of girls at her school. The important characters are Stacy, Nikki, Tiffany, Emily, and Vanessa’s mom Barbara. In the beginning of the book Vanessa is a very happy, nice and smart girl who is part of the popular group at school. Her best friend Stacy is the leader of the group and her friend Nikki is also in the group but is secretly jealous of Stacy and Vanessa’s close friendship. One day Nikki see’s Vanessa talking to a cute boy named Tony who is the star athlete of the school’s basketball team. Tony really likes Vanessa and asks her out but Vanessa denies him because she knows that Stacy has a crush on him, even though she likes him. Nikki then manipulates Vanessa and spreads rumors saying that Vanessa stabbed Stacy in the back by flirting with Tony. Stacy’s group ignores and isolates Vanessa at school and soon the whole school dislikes her. Things start to escalate and Vanessa becomes very depressed because of the bullying. Then she ends up having a nervous break down and almost dying after accidently overdosing on sleeping pills.
Character: Vanessa Snyder is a very sweet, smart, and pretty girl. Even though se is in the popular clique in the beginning of the book she is not stuck up or mean like Nikki and Stacy. She has been best friends with Stacy since she was very young and feels like she can trust her with anything. Vanessa plays a very big role in the plot because the book focuses on how she is the victim of bullying on a mental and emotional level, instead of physical. I selected this character because I could empathize with her the most, and I liked her as a person the most because the rest of the girls in the book are very mean and fake. The plot changes her in many ways. She is very innocent and naive in the beginning of the book, but even though she goes through a lot of emotional pain and stress it makes her into a stronger person because she learns to stand up for herself, and also who her true friends are.
Evaluation: Overall I really enjoyed this book and thought it was very exciting and suspenseful. I thought it was very entertaining and interesting because it did a really good job of depicting what many girls go through in today’s society’s schools. This novel did inform me because it showed me that bullying in a psychological way can be just as or even more damaging as physical. I also learned how important it is to not let negative people (like the characters Nikki and Stacy) bring you down in life and make you feel bad about yourself. Because those people will always exist even out of high school. I would definitely recommend this book to people, especially young people because it can teach you a lot.
This book was very realistic because it explains how girls psychologically bully each other in school. It also describes how it is a growing problem in our society and how this kind of bullying is very hard for teachers and parents to notice and to punish students for. This book can educate different kind of people such as teachers, parents, and teenagers about bullying which I think is very important.
If I were in the plot I would have made different decisions than Vanessa. For example if my friends were being mean and treating me with no respect I would talk and confront them about it but after that move on, because I wouldn’t want to have negative and fake people around me who I can’t trust. I would have not taken the bullying as seriously as Vanessa and would not let it hurt me as much as it did to Vanessa. I would not change the ending because I really liked the way it ended because Vanessa finally confronts Stacy and finds her true friends.
Author, Context and Trivia: Rachel Simmons is an American author who is most famous for writing novel Odd Girl Out. She grew up in Maryland and graduated from Lincoln College in Oxford. Odd Girl Out has been her only novel, and she works as an attorney and is a member of the Maryland General Assembly. I have read a book similar to this which was called Speak and it was about a girl who was also bullied and isolated at school. I liked both of the books about the same, because the plots were both very interesting and suspenseful. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend that middle school and high school students because they could learn how to deal with bullies and also why they should never bully other students.

Music Project: Indie Rock

Indie rock means any artist that is or were usigned or that signed to an idependent label instead of with a major label. Indie rock became popular during the 1970's in the U.K. Indie Rock gained popularity mainly by independent music magazines, even though they were rarely played on the radio or on television. Indie bands have a lot of freedom to write music because there main motivation is not ro make a lot of money or sell CD's but instead to genuinly express themselves through music. Indie rock became more known in the U.S. during the 80's after big bands such as the Pixies and Sonic Youth came out. Today Indie rock is still very popular exspecially the English Indie rock band The Kooks. We chose to do their song "By the Seaside" for our cover song. This song was written by Luke Pritchard who is the lead sing and guitarist of the band. He grew up in Yorkshire seaside town of Saltburn in England. He met the rest of his bandmates in college and they started the band in 2004 but became really famous in 2007.

Lyrics:
Do you want to go to the seaside?I'm not trying to say that everybody wants to goI fell in love at the seasideI handled my charm with time and slight of hand
Do you want to go to the seaside?I'm not trying to say that everybody wants to goI fell in love at the seasideShe handled her charm with time and slight of hand, and oh
But I'm just trying to love youIn any kind of wayBut I find it hard to love you girlWhen you're far awayAway
Do you want to go to the seaside?I'm not trying to say that everybody wants to goBut I fell in love on the seasideOn the seasideIn the seaside

Current Event

The ex-white house press secretary Scott McClellan, is speaking out about the Bush administration in his new memoir. He claims that the white house shaded the truth about the war and used political propaganda to sell the war to Americans. He said he realized it was time for him to step down after he was suppose to talk about the Valerie Plame case. He said he refused to share false information with the public, even though that is what the bush administration wanted him to do. Even though McClellan was a close friend of bush and had worked for him since Bush was the Governor of Texas, he said that the CIA leak case was the tipping point. He said that in the beginning he believed the president was telling the truth like most Americans did. But after the war progressed he said he realized bush had become dillusional and in denial about the war.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hMGWbl8L60Y1Xq9MmT41qWXXDYRQD90VEAH00

My Architect Response

In class we saw about half of the documentary “My Architect”. I learned a lot about who Louis Kahn was and how he lived his life. He was born in Estonia and came to America on a boat with his family, and then settled in Pennsylvania. When he was growing up he worked by playing the piano during silent movies. He was very good at music and drawing. I found his life story very interesting and I liked seeing all of his drawings and the buildings he designed over his lifetime. I thought that it was also really interesting how even though he was very intelligent and an amazing architect, he also lived a very controversial life, especially for the 1950's society. Even though Louis was extremely intelligent when it came to architecture, he did not make good decisions with his marriages. Comparing this movie to our journal, I realized how even though he was very successful in his professional life he made some bad decisions in his personal life. Louis Kahn had three different families with three different women. He left two of the women to be single mothers, which was very scandalous for that time. During his lifetime he designed many building but he said that he was only truly happy with a bath house that he created. He worked as an architecture from 1935 to 1972. I thought that his designs were good, but I was expecting them to really amazing because he is known for being one of the best architects of all time. I think my favorite design he made was the Salk institute in La Jolla, California. I liked this because i thought it looked very simple, but it was also very beautiful. I liked how there was a long fountain, and also how at night green lights lit up the building. This was one of the most unique building designs I have ever seen. He also got a lot of his inspiration from the Egyptian pyramids and roman architecture. I liked how this documentary was told from the perspective of Louis Kahn’s son, and how there were many mysterious about Louis Kahn that his son was trying to find answers to. That made the documentary more suspenseful and it kept me interested. I also was amazed how even though he was very successful when he died he was in a lot of debt. He was seventy three years old when he died. When he died he had just come home from a trip in India and was in the bathroom when he collapsed on the floor. He died in the Pennsylvania station in New York from a heart attack. I found his life to be very interesting and I could also connect his life a lot with our journal prompt. Even though he was very intelligent architecturally wise he was not the most perfect person morally, especially for his time. But overall I really liked the documentary. The only thing I didn’t like about this film was that it was very long. I think the part I liked the most was the begging of the film when Louis Kahn was talking about his father. I thought it was sad because he was so young when his father died, and he also remembers the last time he saw his father alive which I also thought was sad. Overall I learned a lot about architecture and the life of one of the most famous architects Louis Kahn.

http://architect.architecture.sk/louis-isadore-kahn-architect/louis-isadore-kahn-architect.php

Journal: Should ethics be taught in school?

I think that even though this may seem like a strange idea to teach ethics in school, I think it is important and it will help people. I liked how this article brought up how many respected and powerful people such as pro athletes and politicians are making unethical decisions. This is interesting because it shows that some people who are admired can actually be really fake. It also shows how as a society we respect people for being honest and not being greedy and selfish. There have been many scandals like these that happen each year, and even though it may make these people look “human” because they give into pressure or make mistakes; it also causes people to lose respect for them. Even though teaching ethics in school would not help all people, at least it would put the idea in their mind, and I also think this class would be worth it if it could help a few people in life.
I also like the idea of teaching people how there are “hard rights and easy wrongs” and how in the long run making ethical decisions will help you, and others. I think an example of a hard right would be decided not to cheat and even though it would cause you to put in more effort in the end you would feel better about yourself for making the right decision. This could be used vise versa because if you take the easy wrong in the end you will feel guilty and not as good about yourself.
I thought this was a very interesting article. Even thought teaching ethics may be a strange and controversial issue, I think that it would help our society. This would help today especially with all of the negative ethics shown by the media of people we are suppose to trust such as presidents, and other powerful leaders, giving into bribes, lying, etc. Overall I liked the ideas in this article and I agree with them.

Book Report

Author: Anderson, Laurie
Title: Speak
Place of Publication: New York
Company: Farrar Straus Giroux
Date: October 1999
Reason, Type and Setting: I selected this book because a lot of my friends have read it and they recommended it to me. This book would be categorized in the genre of realistic fiction. The novel takes place in modern day, in Syracuse New York.
Plot: The major conflict in this book is how Melinda Sordino feels isolated and alone after a traumatic event that happens to her at a party, Melinda and her best friends got o an end of the summer party a few weeks before they start high school. During the party Melinda get drunk, and then is raped by a popular senior named Andy Evans. After this happens Melinda calls the police and then runs home instead of reporting the rape. Everyone at the party believes she called the police to break up the party. When Melinda enters high school she is friendless and holding a terrible secret. Her grades begin to slip and all of her best friends refuse to speak to her so she is an outcast at school. Melinda doesn’t tell anyone about her secret and she turns into a different person who is very negative and depressed. Though out the book Melinda struggles through many issues but finds an escape in her art.
Character: Melinda Sordino is a fourteen year old girl who is very quick witted and good at art. She is the main character in this book and plays the role of the victim. I selected her because I know and understand her the most out of all the other characters in the book. The plot changes Melinda drastically. In the beginning of the book she is very naive and innocent, but by the end she stops playing the role of the victim and becomes very strong and smart.
Evaluation: I really liked this novel. I think the author did a very good job of depicting some of the struggles teenagers go through in high school. I was always very interested and entertained through out the whole book. I thought it was very suspenseful and I liked how the storyline had many twists and mysteries in it. This book also taught me many things. I learned that it is very important to always be honest. When it comes to keeping secrets and concealing things it is usually better to tell the truth because if you don’t it will only end up hurting you. The main values this book taught were friendship and honesty. I learned a lot about how important it is to have people who will always be there for you, and that you can trust. I would recommend this book to others because I thought it was a very good book, and it can also teach you a lot about life.
This book can be closely connected to real life because many people are raped each year and that it is a danger of everyday life. It also describes the effects a victim of rape can have such as guilt and depression. This important for people to know and understand because it is something that happens everyday in America.
I think if I were in Melinda’s shoes I would have acted very differently. I would have told the police from the start and would not have kept it a secret. But I also do not blame Melinda she was very young and naive in the beginning of the book. I really loved the ending of the book and wouldn’t want to change the ending. I liked the ending because it was very exciting and it also had a happy ending.
Author, Context and Trivia: Laurie Anderson has written many other novels such as Fever 1793 and Twisted. Laurie Anderson is an American writer who lives in New York. She writes her books for children and teenagers. I have never read I book like this before but I plan to read more of this type and other books from Laurie Anderson. Over all I really enjoyed the book Speak and It has become one of my favorite books I have ever read.

Vocabulary Pictures

She took a vacation to the beach in order to find peace and tranquility.

The little boy shroud while he was playing hide and seek.
The woman was senescent as she grew older.

He held back what he wanted to say, and was afraid to speak his opinions.
The proximity of France and Spain is very close.

They worked laboriously in the fields.
She had an intuit feeling about the situation.
The queen was very imitable and intimidating.

Vocabulary.Week.17.

Interminable: without an end.
Intuit: to know by intuition.
Laboriously: to work hard.
Proximity: close around a person or thing.
Reticence: not willing.
Senescent: growing old: aging.
Shroud: to cover or hide from view.
Situation: a place or locality.
Synchronously: occuring at the same time.
Tortuous: not directly or straitforward.
Tranquility: calm or peacefullness.

Liquor in India Kills 156

In India 156 people have died because of bootleg liquor tainted with lethal chemicals. About 135 people are in the hospital recovering from the poison. This happened because all liquor shops in India have been shutdown because of an upcoming election. Many times politicians will bribe people to vote for them by giving them free alcohol. Since all the liquor stores were shut people began making bootleg alcohol. Police are trying to determine what chemicals were put into the alcohol to make it so deadly. Incidents like this are actually frequent in India especially in villages and towns. Many bootleggers spike the alcohol with pesticides and methyl alcohol to make it stronger, but too much of this can be lethal.

Classrooms have become unnecessarily high tech

I've gone to a school where we use computers each day and they are ussually involved in our projects as well. I think that what i learned is importatnt because it will make me more prepared for my future. I believe that in high school we should be learning computer skills such as typing and using different software's. This will prepare us for our future because we need to know how to use computers in college and in jobs. But I think that Elementary schools should not have a lot of technology and that the teacher should do most of the teaching. I really don't think its necessary for elementary school kids to learn to much technology when they will not be using it for about ten years. I think that middle school students should have some technology in their schools but not as much as high school students. I think that middle school students should learn basic computer skills like typing, and researching but there isn't really a need for them to be fully educated about computers until high school. Overall I did agree with the article and found it very interesting. I think that technology will always be improving and growing and that it is important that technology is taught in high schools and middle schools, but not in elementary school.

Historical Research Paper

Animal Manufacturing & Animal Rights

Humans first began to domesticate animals for consumption about 10,000 years ago in the Neolithic era. They did this to feed a larger population and have a more reliable source of food. Today the population has grown tremendously and the manufacturing of animals for not only food but luxury has increased dramatically. This has caused many negative effects to the environment, human health, and to animals. Animal manufacturing has caused animals to only be seen as profit, and because of this they have no rights.
Farming was a very popular job in the early 1800’s in America. There were over 6 million farmers in America in 1833. When new technologies were invented such as the railroads food production increased because it could be transported faster to large cities all across America. Intensive animal production began in the 1930’s after the first pig slaughter houses were created. These slaughter houses could buy inexpensive grain for the pigs to eat, and because the cost of raising the pigs was so small compared to the profit, these slaughter houses became very successful. America is where animal manufacturing first began.
By the 1960’s milk production doubled, meat production tripled, and egg production quadrupled. This is also when genetic selection and formulated feed to increase animal size began. These industries began to be more and more efficient at raising and slaughtering animals faster, especially in chickens. In the 1950’s it took an average of 84 days to produce a five pound chicken and today it only takes 45 days. In the last 20 years animal manufacturing has changed significantly. Farms use to be family owned but are now run by large companies. Also much of the labor has been replaced with technology. Many animal farmers are run by controlled by companies. The companies control what the animals eat, where they live, and the farmers do not even legally own the animals. Animal manufacturing companies profits have increased dramatically since the 1950’s. Animal production has changed a lot over seventy years, but ethical standards have not been raised.
The first animal rights movement began in the late 1700’s. This movement wanted to abolish animal cruelty in America and in England. An English man named Richard Martin went in front of the English parliament spoke about animal rights, and later on a bill was passed to improve the treatment of cattle. This bill caused America to also start making changes to our animal rights laws. In 1828 similar laws were passed in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Wisconsin to improve the treatment of animals. The first animal rights association in America was created in 1868 and was called The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Since then there have been many new organizations that try and improve animal rights. In America the largest and most known organization is PETA which stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Throughout history animals have undergone suffering for the wants instead of needs of humans. Animals have dealt with cruelty for hundreds of years and today they are still treated inhumanely in fur factories, meat production, and scientific testing.
The Fur industry is a billion dollar industry which farms and traps animals in order to sell their fur. Fur Factories began in 19th century and still exists all over the world. Each year in America about 31 million animals are killed for the purpose of fur. Animals are usually caught by leg hold traps. Even though these traps are illegal in Europe they are still legal in most of America. Leg hold traps have been banned in eight states because it is non selective and cruel. The most commonly trapped animals are foxes, minks, raccoons and coyotes, but dogs and cats can also be trapped accidentally. These traps are extremely painful for the animals, and they are left to suffer until taken to a fur farm where they are kept in confined cages. Since these are wild animals, being in a confined space such as a cage causes them to feel distressed. The animals will usually pace back and forth; self mutilate themselves, and even cannibalize other animals. Most animals are raised in these farms and about %15 percent are caught in the wild. Some of the main animals that are raised in fur farms are chinchillas, silver fox, blue fox, and raccoon. And some of the main animals caught by traps are beavers, coyotes, gray wolves, red foxes, and many others. In America there are over 1,000 different fur farms. There are also 330 mink farms which produce around 2.6 millions pelts each year. These farms make $86 million dollars in profit annually and America creates %13 of the world’s mink fur. Fur farms also employ 255,000 thousand workers. Even though the fur industry is very unethical it has become a part of our economy.
America should not only be held responsible for exporting animal furs but for also importing. In Australia the wool industry is a growing issue. These industries have very low standards when it comes to treating sheep ethically. Because of this the sheep are very unhealthy and are always in pain. While sheep are being raised in Australia sheep farmers have to cut out large piece of flesh from the sheep because this is the easiest and cheapest way for their wool to not become infested with flies. This practice is called mulesing and it is extremely painful for the sheep. Each year around 64 million sheep are shipped from Australia to the Middle East to be slaughtered. The sheep are packed together on open decked boats and are exposed to all weather extremes. During the trip many sheep become sick, injured, or die. When the sheep are sick or injured they are thrown off the boats and into the ocean where they drowned or are eaten by sharks. Sheep are also thrown into shipboard grinders while they are still alive. The animals that do survive the month long trip are sent strait to the slaughter house, and since it is in the Middle East, animal cruelty laws are nonexistent. The sheep have no pain killers and killed by having their throats slit. America should hold itself to higher standards and not by wool that has been produces in an immoral way. By buying wool from Australia we are giving money and supporting Australia wool industry. We should not import there wool and instead put pressure on Australian government by boycotting the Australian wool industry.
Leather is the most common manufactured item that people buy and produced. The main import of leather is India. America is their largest consumer and each year we buy leather from India. Even though in India cows are well respected the people who work in the leather trade do not care. Many poor families who live in rural areas are manipulated and sell their cows after they are assured that the cows will live out their lives on a farm and be well taken care of. The cows are then taken to auctions where they are separated from their children. In India the slaughter of cows is illegal in most of the country. The cows then are taken to one of the few places in India where cows can be slaughtered legally. The cows have to walk all the way there and have metal shoes nailed to their feet and a rope is threaded through their noses to keep all of the cows together. This is very painful and if the cows pull to hard it can cause their noses to rip. The cows are forced to walk for days and become very exhausted because they do not receive food or water. If the animals collapse from exhaustion workers rub chili peppers in their eyes or repeatedly break bones in their tails to try and get them to keep walking. Even though there are standards when it comes to cattle slaughter in India they are almost never enforced. Workers often ignore many of these laws. For example there is a law which states that only six cows should be allowed in a truck at one time, but workers usually put two or three times that many cows in at once. This crowding causes cows to sometimes accidentally gauge each other’s eyes with their horns. Small or weak animals in these trucks are sometimes smothered and trampled by other cows. Workers pull cows by their nose ropes to get them up because by the time they are either to sick and weak to stand, or are dead. The cows are killed by having their throats slit but this is usually a very long process and the cows are fully awake the whole time. The cow skins are then treated with chemicals such as chromium to stop decomposition. This water is the same water many poor Indians who live near the leather factories drink, cook, and bath from. There have been many health problems linked to this water such as cancer and leukemia. There is a lot of corruption in India because of America’s demand for cheap leather. If America did not buy leather from India this industry would run out of business and the abuse against cows would end.
In America there are many changes that need to be made in animal manufacturing. We should not produce or buy animal products from companies which abuse animals. Animals should be treated fairly and ethically. America uses the some of the same standards as third world countries to produce meat and fur, and we are taken advantages of many people, as well as leaving Americans ignorant about the health and moral issues of animal manufacturing. Even though we have the power to change our system, we have not because of all of the profit we make each year from selling our products to other countries. Overall America should change our laws, raise our stands, stop supporting countries which treat animals inhumanly, and stop abusing animals in our own country.

Bibliography
"Peta." Non-Profit Organization. 17 May 2008 .
"Industrial Farm." The Pew. 17 May 2008 .
"Fur Farming & Fur Trapping." 17 May 2008 .

Current Event

In China a woman who is 8 months pregnant was pulled out of a collapsed building, where she had been trapped for 50 hours. The earthquake hit on Monday and was a 7.9 magnitude quake. It is said to have killed around 15,000 people, and the death toll is expected to rise. There are 30,000 people missing, 25,000 people buried under rubble, and around 100,000 people injured. Currently disaster workers are trying to reach people who are trapped under rubble in the city of Wenchuan. Many refugee's from the quake are heading to mianyang which is a large gym, which is being converted into a rescue center.

Book Report: Love in the Time of Cholera

Author: Marquez, Gabriel
Title: Love in the Time of Cholera
Place of Publication: Colombia
Company: Time Books
Date: 1985

Reason, Type and Setting: I selected this book because I heard it was really good, and I also like romance books. The genre of this book would be romance. The book takes place in Colombia in from 1880 to 1930.

Plot: The major conflict in this book is unrequited love. Florentino Ariza is madly in love with Fermina Daza which he meets when he delivers a letter to her house. They secretly start exchanging letters to each other and then Florentino proposes to Fermina. She says yes, but once her father finds out about the engagement he sends her away to live with her cousin, so that she will not be able to see Florentino. After a few years Fermina finally moves on, and then she marries a successful doctor. Florentino is still in love with her, and stays celibate because he only wants to be with Fermina. When Florentino meets Fermina again she rejects him because she believes the love they use to have was naive and not real. Florentino is heart broken and then decides never to marry. He then has numerous affairs with hundreds of women in order to ease the pain of being separated with Fermina. Many years pass and later on Fermina discovers her husband Urbino is having an affair with another woman. She goes to live with her cousin for a few months because she is so angry and hurt. Urbino finds her and convinces her he is sorry, and she decides to stay with him. Fermina and Urbino stay married for fifty years until one day while Urbino is trying to retrieve a household parrot from a mango tree, he falls and dies. After the funeral Fermina is in her home mourning. Then Florentino arrives and tells her he still loves her and wants to be with her. She is very angry because her husband has just died so she yells at him and tells him to get out. Later on they start writing letters to each other and they begin to have a relationship. The books ends with Fermina and Florentino falling in love, and staying together forever.

Character: Fermina Daza is really beautiful, and has long black hair and black eyes. She is smart, independent, and thinks for herself. She also loves animals and shopping. Fermina plays a large role in the plot because she is always in power of Florentino’s happiness and sadness. The decisions she makes change many people lives. I found Fermina interesting because she always does what she believes in, and she is smart and independent. The plot changes Fermina in many ways. In the beginning of the book she is very naive and innocent. She does not understand many things in life such as love. By the end her experiences make her into a wiser and stronger person.

Evaluation: Yes, I really liked this novel. I loved the authors writing style, and how he made flashbacks and switched time periods. This kept me interested through the whole book. The only thing I didn’t like about the story was how it took Fermina and Florentino so long to finally be together. I also didn’t like how Fermina decided to stay with Urbino after he had an affair because if he really loved her he wouldn’t have cheated on her. I think this book did inform me a lot because I learned more about the history of Colombia, and about the Cholera Epidemic which affected Colombia in the 1800’s. A connection I can make with this book and real life is that there are still epidemics that go one around the world, such as the Avian Flu. If I were to put myself in the plot I would have made different decisions than the main character. I don’t think I would wait 50 years for someone to fall back in love with me. I think I would have moved on after being rejected the first time. I liked the ending of the book, and I think it fits really well in the book, so I wouldn’t change it. But overall I think it was a really good novel.

Author, Context, Trivia: Gabriel Marquez also wrote One Hundred Years of Solitude and An Evil Hour. He was born in 1928 in a small town called Aracataca in Northern Colombia. He went to Jesuit College to study law, but then changed his mind and became a journalist. When he was 26 he was sent to Rome for an assignment for his newspaper. Throughout his life he lived in Barcelona, New York, Paris, and Mexico. He wrote many other books and screenplays, and also continued to work as a journalist. I plan to read more of his books in the future because I think he is a really good writer.

Book Report: Rutka's Notebook

Author: Laskier, Rutka
Title: Rutka’s Notebook
Place of Publication: Poland
Company: Time Book
Date: 2006

Reason, Type and Setting: I selected this book because I thought it sounded very interesting because it is a real diary. The genre of this book would be historical. The book takes place in 1943 in Bedzin, Poland during the Holocaust.
Plot: In the book Rutka describes issues in her daily teenage life such as with her friends and boys that she likes. She also describes the Holocaust and many of the war atrocities she witnesses. Some teenage conflicts she faces are with a boy named Janek who she has mixed emotions about. One week she hates him and the other she hates him. Some conflicts Rutka faces with the war are she witnesses the Nazi’s do many horrible things to the people in her town, and also a boy she likes named Jumek is sent to Auschwitz. Rutka also escapes from going to a labor camp by jumping out of a window and running home. After a while she feels like a lot of her innocence and happiness is gone because of all of the things she had to see and experience from the war.
Character: Rutka Laskier is a smart and confident fourteen year old girl. She describes herself in her diary as very beautiful with big black eyes and short black hair, and as also being thin and tall. In the begging of the book she seems more optimistic and positive, but by the end because she says many horrible things go on she loses hope and accepts her fate of being sent to Auschwitz.
Evaluation: Yes I liked this book a lot. I thought it was very interesting but also very hard to read because some parts are so sad. I think this book did inform me a lot and I now know more about the Holocaust, and what daily life was like for Jewish people. The main life values it taught me are to love life and the people you have in your life. And it also makes me feel really lucky that I don’t live in a country where there is war or genocide. I would recommend this book to others because I think many people would find this book interesting and it is important for Rutka’s story to be told.
Author, Context and Trivia: I have never read a book like this before but now that I have, I also want to read Anne Frank’s diary. Over all I really liked this book and thought that the story was really amazing. I think that Rutka was a very strong person and this book inspires me to work harder in life, and be grateful for how easy I have life.

Vocabulary Images

The perfume gave off an aroma that smelled like flowers.

Napoleon Dynamite is very gawky and awkward.


The newly wedded couple were very amorous.

The woman was very happy and ecstatic after she won the lottery.

The girls were infatuated with the handsome life guard.

The octopus was enamored with the squid.

The man was crazy and delirious.

It was inevitable that the old car would fall apart.

Non-Profit Organization

AMA- Advocates against the Mistreatment of Animals.

Mission Statement: To spread awareness, educate, and take action in order to make sure that every animal on this earth is treated humanely and that the voice of every animal is heard.

Vocabulary.Week.16.

acquiesce: to agree or express agreement.
amorous: to display love.
aroma: an odor arising from spices, plants, cooking.
awkward: to be clumsy or lacking skills.
consummate: to bring to a state of perfection; fulfill.
conversely: opposite or contrary in direction, action, sequence, etc.; turned around.
deleterious: injurious to health.
delirium: a state of violent excitement or emotion.
ecstasy: an overpowering emotion or exaltation; a state of sudden, intense feeling.
enamored: to be captivated or inspired by love.
futile: incapable of producing any result; ineffective; useless; not successful.
incantation: the chanting or uttering of words purporting to have magical power.
inevitability: unable to be avoided, evaded, or escaped; certain; necessary.
infatuation: foolish or all-absorbing passion or an instance of this.

Vocabulary Week 7

The younge girl tried to emulate her favorite model in the magazine.

The mimes mimiced being trapped inside a box.

The sailors drank wine from the scuttlebutt on the ship.

The aboriginal man decended from Australia.

Current Event 7

scuttlebutt -A barrel with a hole in used to hold water that sailors would drink from.
bulwark -A railing around the deck of a boat to keep things from going overboard and the seas from coming aboard.
hubris - Excessive pride displayed by a character, at times taking the form of a boastful challenge to the gods or other higher powers--often resulting in harsh punishment.
dearth - an acute insufficiency.
deference -a courteous expression of esteem or regard.
emulate -strive to equal or match, especially by imitating.
imitate -reproduce someone's behavior or looks.
mimic -to imitate a person or manner, especially for satirical effect.
endemic - a disease constantly present to greater or lesser extent in a particular locality.
aborigine - characteristic of or relating to people inhabiting a region from the beginning
inchoate - Newly begun, incomplete, not organized.
precursor -a substance from which another substance is formed.
volatile - evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures.

Book Report: A New Earth

Leila Shirey
April 23, 2008

Author: Tolle, Eckhart
Title of Book: A New Earth
Place of Publication: London, England
Company: Namaste
Date: September 2006

I selected this book because I heard it was really good. The genre is philosophy which I find very interesting. The main theory in this book is that humans are evolving into a new state of consciousness. This consciousness is the key to not only happiness and peace of mind, but also to ending conflicts and suffering in the world. This book talks about many different subjects such as religion, history, and human behavior. There are many analogies, stories, and quotes from religious figures Buddha and Jesus. It talks about how Jesus did not come to start Christianity, but to teach people about a new consciousness, It also talks about how religion has been misinterpreted and because of this instead of spreading love and peace has caused violence and suffering such as in the crusades. The causes of racism and sexism are also discussed. This book also talks about how people are controlled by their ego’s which leads to dysfunction and negative emotions such as anger, jealousy, and unhappiness. Overall I really liked this book. I found it both entertaining and educational. I think that it open my eyes to different theories on life. The most important things I got from this book were the physiological theories about consciousness and enlightenment. I think this book taught me to look at life differently. I would definitely recommend this book to others. Another book Eckhart Tolle has written was the book The Power of Now. He is from London, England. I have never read a book like this, but I plan to read other books of this genre.

Current Event

Nagele water bottles are said to be causing health problems and because of this they will be taken out of stores in a few months. These water bottles are made with bisphenol A. This chemical has been linked to many different health issues. On friday a company spokesman said that they will be substuting polycarbonate plastic containers with BPA-free alternatives. The chemical bisphenol A has been used in dental sealants, baby bottles, the liners of food cans, CDs and DVDs, eyeglasses and hundreds of household goods. This has also been linked to neurlogical and behavioral issues in infants, and also cancer, obesity, and diabetes in adults.

Vocabulary

vertigo -a dizzying sensation of tilting within stable surroundings or of being in tilting or spinning surroundings.

punitive -serving for, concerned with, or inflicting punishment

slander -serving for, concerned with, or inflicting punishment

squander -to spend or use (money, time, etc.) extravagantly or wastefully (often fol. by away).

panache -a grand or flamboyant manner; verve; style; flair:

forlorn -marked by or showing hopelessness

quell -to suppress; put an end to; extinguish

concision -concise quality; brevity; terseness

libel -defamation by written or printed words, pictures, or in any form other than by spoken words or gestures.

defamation -the act of defaming; false or unjustified injury of the good reputation of another, as by slander or libel; calumny

misdirection -a wrong or incorrect direction, guidance, or instruction

Revere- to regard with respect and awe.

Vocabulary Week 6

scuttlebutt -a cask on a ship used to hold the day's supply of drinking water
bulwark -a wall built for defense
hubris -excessive pride or self-confidence
dearth -famine; an inadequate supply
deference -respectful submission or yielding to the judgment, opinion, will, etc.
emulate -to tr and equal or excell
imitate -to mim or impersonate
mimic -to be an imitation of
endemic -prevalent in or peculiar to a particular locality, region, or people
aborigine -one of the original or earliest known inhabitants of a country or region.
inchoate -not yet completed or fully developed
precursor -one that precedes another
volatile -tending or threatening to break out into open violence

Vocabulary Week 5

Embezzle (verb)- To take money or property

Emaciate (verb) - To make abnormally lean and thin

Obsolete (adjective)- Discarded or outmoded Obviate (verb) - To prevent or eliminate
Penchant (noun) - A strong liking, or inclination
Paucity (noun) - A small quantity; scarce
Sycophant (noun) - A person who tries to please someone for their own advantage
Taut (adjective) - To be emotionally strained and stressed
Tenuous (adjective)- Someone who has a slender form
Tenacity (noun)- Someone who is stubborn or persistent

Spaceship to Smash into Moon

Nasa is going to smash a spaceship into the moon in order to see if there is hidden ice in the craters. Two spaceships are going to hit the moons south pole and scientists believe this will reveal ice inside the craters of the moons. Many people have been critical of this because it seems violent or crude but scientists are saying it is economical. The last time NASA had a lunar prospector mission it found large amounts of hydrogen in the moon's poles. NASA plans to hit the moon on a flat surface away from large rocks. This will allow the plum to rise up and be seen by telescopes. In all this mission will cost $79 million dollares.

Vocabulary Week 5 Pictures

fidelity- To be loyal

The dog was loyal and smart.

emancipation- Freeing some from the control of another

The girl was emancipated from her parents at the age of fifteen.

complicit-To do an illegal activity

To do illegal activity's such as selling drugs is complicit.

bolster- To stregnthen and support

Friends and family can give you support and bolster you.

Vocabulary Week 5

1. lucidity- Easily understood and comprehensive
2. conciliatory- To reconcile and be compadable
3. counterman- To cancel or revoke
4. acumen- Quick and accurate
5. insurrection- Rising in revolt
6. fidelity- To be loyal
7. complicit-To do an illegal activity
8. steadfast- Resolution or faith
9. emancipation- Freeing some from the control of another
10. bolster- To stregnthen and support

Current Event

Democratic Race

Yesterday was the primaries and Barrak Obama won both hawaii and Wisconsin. Obama has been on a winning streak and this is his 10th strait win. Right now Obama is in the lead and many people believe he will win the presidential nomination. Either way if Clinton or Obama wins they will both make history by being on the first woman and african american to get the nomination. Many people have also been voting for Obama because the believe if Clinton was to run against MCcain it would be harder for her to win. Also this week Obama's wife, Michelle Obama was critized for making controversial commentrs during a speech. She said that for the first time in her life she was proud of her country. Many people were offended by this and saying it was unpatriotic but it does npot seems to be hurting Obama's campain. The next two states to vote are Ohio and Texas. They vote in two weeks and these states will basically decide who gets the presidential nomination.

Current Event

Some voters say sexism less offensive than racism

This article was about how both Barrack Obama, and Hillary Clinton are facing both sexism and racism during their campains. But overall Hillary has gotten it worse and more often, but many voter feel that sexism is something that is not as offensive as racism. An example of some of the sexism she has dealth with has been hecklers and people holding up signs saing things such as iron my shirt. Also a radio host named Rush Limbaugh told his listeners "Will this country want to actually watch a woman get older before their eyes on a daily basis?" So far there has been a lot of overt sexism and subtle racism.

Adversity Essay

Everyday, no matter if I want to or not, my mind always tends to wander back into the past. I’m sixteen and I already feel like I’ve grown up a lot, and now have a better understanding of life. When I think back to all the things I’ve done, it makes me feel both good and bad. There are times where I wish I could have done or said something differently, but there are also times that make me proud of my choices. In life, each day, we are all faced with difficulties and decisions. We all struggle, but in the end it only makes us stronger.
Since the sixth grade I have had trouble with completely trusting people. This year was really hard for me because I entered middle school being overconfident and naïve. Suddenly all the people I thought I knew began to change. Even someone I had been best friends with since kindergarten, and had been a big part of my life, became a stranger to me. I found out who my true friends really were, and I started to see myself in a new way. This year changed me in many ways, but in the end I have no regrets or bad feelings towards any of the people who did anything mean or shady to me. This year taught me to be independent and strong, even when things are going bad.
Another time when I overcame an issue in my life was in the seventh grade. My parents found out about a new school opening in Point Loma called High Tech Middle. They enrolled my brothers and I into the school with out telling me, and then in May of my sixth grade year my parents told me I would be going to a new school. At first I was very upset because I didn’t want to leave my school and friends. All summer I complained about not wanting to go to High Tech Middle, but then I decided I would make the best of the situation. Over time I began to learn more about the school and got more excited about going. I was still kind of nervous about going to a brand new school because I didn’t know anyone and I also didn’t like change. This experience taught me to find the positives in life, and to never be afraid of trying something new. In the end I’m glad I got accepted to High Tech Middle because I meet a lot of really great people, and had many fun times. I feel like it really opened my eyes to many new things, and helped me become who I am today.
In eighth grade I felt like I had pushed myself a little too hard. I was trying to be perfect at school, dance, and many other things going on in my life. This made me feel like I was always under pressure and overwhelmed. Also this year two of my really going friends who I had grown up with, both moved away to the east coast. This year was really hard for me because it just felt like everything bad was hitting me all at once. I wasn’t use to dealing with this much stress because the previous year seemed so much easier. The first semester of eighth grade was very hard for me, so I decided to start doing things differently. The first things I did were I asked my parents if I could get a tutor so I could get help with all my school work. This helped me a lot because my grades improved from C’s to A’s and B’s and it took away all of the stress from school. I also stayed in touch with my friends that had moved away by talking them on the phone and over the computer. By doing these things I felt like I gained a lot more control in my life and I felt a lot happier each day. This year taught me how to handle stress, how to take control of my life, and to change whatever is making you unhappy in your life.
Each year, and everyday, I am always learning and changing. I have had many experiences and issues in my life. By overcoming these conflicts I have become smarter, stronger, and overall a better person. I know that I still have a lot to learn, but I know that my past has taught me a lot, and has made me the person I am today.

Current Events

Iraqi Women Death Toll Rises

In Iraq many women have been killed by extremists for not following Islamic Teachings. There is a sign up that says "We warn against not wearing a headscarf and wearing makeup. Those who do not abide by this will be punished. God is our witness, we have notified you." Many women now live in fear. There have been many horrible stories about women being killed, and tortured. There have also been many incidents of women being killed infront of their children by extremeists. This is a growing problem in Iraq which has not been easy to solve. It has been very hard to catch the murder's who commit these crimes. After the fall of Sadamm Hussiens regimes women were starting to have more rights and freedoms in iraq. But now many are saying this is now the worst times for women in iraq ever.

Vocabulary: Week 3

Renovate- The old house was renovated.

Bigot- The main was stubborn and did not listen to other peoples ideas; he was a bigot.



Relapse- The man relapsed and went back to his old habit of smoking.

Sanguine-She was always happy and sanguine. Disseminate- The bee helps disseminate pollen to flowers.

Vocabulary: Week 3

Disseminate (v)- Scatter or distribute over a large area or range.
Eloquence (n)- powerful and effective language.
Austere (adj)- Severly simple.
Baleful (adj)- Hurtful, sorrowful, miserable.
Bigot (n)- A prejudiced person who is intolerant of opinions, lifestyles, or identities differing from his or her own.
Relapse (n)- A failure to maintain a higher state.
Repudiate (v)- To deny that an event has taken place.
Resilience (n)- The capacity of a system, community or society potentially exposed to hazards to adapt, by resisting or change.
Sanguine (adj)- Confidently optimistic and cheerful.
Renovate (v)- To restore to a structure to a former state by cleaning, repairing or rebuilding.

Making Sense of American History

The definition of a song is a musical composition. Songs can have vocal parts where lyrics are sung, and it can also have instrumental parts where instruments are played. Most songs usually incorporate both vocals and instruments. The song I chose is called /The Voice Within/ and it is by Christina Aguilera. Her influences are Etta James, Aretha Franklin, and Whitney Houston. The type of music she is categorized under is pop, but she says she is influenced by a lot of jazz, gospel, blues, and soul. The song was written by Christina Aguilera. She wrote it about her life growing up with an abusive father. This song came out in December of 2003. This song is about how when Christina Aguilera was growing up she had an abusive father. The song talks about being strong through tough times in your life. It also is saying that when you have no one to help you, you need to trust yourself and then find the strength from with in to overcome any issues in your life. There are three stanzas in the song. There is also strophic form in this song that is repeated five times during the song. There isn’t really much of a hook in this song because it is more of a slow song/ballad and not really meant to be a catchy song. This song was written about how she was emotionally and physically abused by her father when she was around seven years old. I think that this song can tell society that even though it may not seem like a big issue, domestic abuse is something that happens in America everyday.

Song Lyrics:
Young girl, don't cry I'll be right here when your world starts to fall

Young girl, it's all right Your tears will dry, you'll soon be free to fly

When you're safe inside your room you tend to dream

Of a place where nothing's harder than it seems

No one ever wants or bothers to explain

Of the heartache life can bring and what it means

When there's no one else

Look inside yourself

Like your oldest friend

Just trust the voice within

Then you'll find the strength

That will guide your way

If you will learn to begin

To trust the voice within

Young girl, don't hide

You'll never change if you just run away

Young girl, just hold tight

And soon you're gonna see your brighter day

Now in a world where innocence is quickly claimed

It's so hard to stand your ground when you're so afraid

No one reaches out a hand for you to hold

When you're lost outside look inside to your soul

When there's no one else

Look inside yourself

Like your oldest friend

Just trust the voice within

Then you'll find the strength

will guide your way

If you will learn to begin

To trust the voice within

Life is a journey It can take you anywhere you choose to go

As long as you're learning You'll find all you'll ever need to know

You'll make it You'll make it

Just don't go forsaking yourself

No one can stop you You know that I'm talking to you

When there's no one else

Look inside yourself

Like your oldest friend

Just trust the voice within

Then you'll find the strength

That will guide your way

If you will learn to begin

To trust the voice within

Young girl don't cry

I'll be right here when your world starts to fall

Book Report: The Secret

The Secret, written by Rhonda Byrne is a book about the secret to life. It talks about a philosophy called the law of attraction. The law of attraction is a law that basically says you are what you think. It says that human thoughts have a strong frequency and our thoughts will attract things into our lives. The Secret is suppose to teach people how to understand their mind, and to help them stop focusing on all of the negative things in their life, but instead focus on the positive things, so that they can achieve positive things in their life. The Secret talks about quantum physics and says that nothing is possible, because as humans we limit ourselves with our thoughts. Throughout the book there are many stories that have lived out their dreams by using The Secret to get whatever they wanted in life. Whether it is love, wealth, or health The Secret says that it is possible to achieve anything by using the law of attraction. The author of the book Rhonda Byrne said she discovered The Secret after reading a one hundred year old book called the Science of Being Rich. She then read through many other books and discovered that many famous, influential people through out history have known The Secret, and that is why they were so successful. Some of these people were Einstein, Plato, Shakespeare, Edison, Benjamin Franklin, and many others. Overall I found this book very interesting and exciting.

Vocab Week: 2

Eradicate: The boy got bug spray to eradicate the mosquito

Erode: The cliff began to erode after fifty years

Euphoria: The girl was extemly happy and was in a state of euphoria

Espouse: She espoused with all of the presidents beliefs