Some things really important to stay out of: a)drugs b)materalism (or for some who are, to keep as low as possible) and c) drama. And, as far as darma at ASTI goes, Mercedes sums it up pretty good:

This is some pretty decent advice. Ok, I lied, this is damn good advice. Seriously fellow ASTIans, we need to cut ourselves off the drug that is drama. All it does is screw us all up mentally. I know how tempting it is to say horrible things about someone because they were cruel to you (as I always say, your peers are more cruel to you than anyone else), but it would be advisable to not take the bait. What is that thing they always said to us when we were little? It was something like... don’t react? 

 I think that drama is something that comes naturally to teenagers....or does it? Maybe it something embedied in our society that drives teens. Whatever it may be, it should be something we both embrace and shun. I agree with Mercedes and how she says that is side tracks us A LOT. In fact, sometimes whole entire days are cast into a bloom when some one disses others hair style. So when that happens, I must admit, it gets a little out of hand. However, it is important to see the positive side of drama (if there is any). So.......ah, it helps us defuse our ticking emotional bomb inside us all. Well....I guess thats why we have blogs. Well......how bout..... with out drama our lives would be boring? But, I fail to see the postiveness in that.
     So, I guess my "studies" show that drama is bad. You were right, Mercedes, like always. Happy holidays to you and to every one. I say holidays because not every one is catholic. Yeah, I dont think ill be blogging for a while, or maybe i will.... we'll see. good night sleepy world. Happy Holidays.

The curious incident of the dog in the night time final review

     In this last lit circle discussion, our group talked about many different things relating to Christopher's autism. However, in this blog, I am going to write about the actual mechanics of our discussion. We had every one pitch in this time, instead of only one or two members dominating the conversation. It was nice to have others input on this book. Some others brought up good points that would have never come up in my mind.

     I think that group activities such as these are a wonderful way to learn and to calibrate. We use this discussion time to talk about how far we got in the book. Also, we learn from each other like when some one says something that you might think is interesting, you could ponder and question it.

     The other thing i really enjoy about is that we can then write on out blogs about our discussions we had in class. This really helps me organize my thoughts and ideas on and into a "journal" per say. 

     The curious incident of the dog in the night time is a book about an autistic child named Christopher who is 15. The author, Mark haddon, is an amazing author who writes in such away that it makes feel like you are really in the head of Christopher. What i like about is that it shows an every day world through the eyes of an autistic kid. And, with that, i have come to realize that we all have little things we do to keep our selves calm or relaxed. Like the habit of your leg bobbing up and doing really fast or how we sometimes find our self counting steps or twiddling your thumbs. The only differences is that he takes to an extent that is to far sometimes, like he wont talk for weeks just because he saw three yellow cars in arrow. I can sort of understand why he does this but it can crazy sometimes. 

     

The curious incident of the dog in the night time response post 2!!!!!

In our class discussion on the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, some major, key points were brought up about the way Christopher reacts to certain colors, emotions, and to physical contact.

One of the points brought up was how Chris reacts towards the two colors, yellow and brown. One of his reasons for disliking these colors was because bananas turn from yellow to brown. Everyone in the discussion agreed that there must be a connection there, but it was hard to tell. I believe that this banana thing has to do with the fact that it turns different colors, something that seems illogical. And especially from yellow, a bright color, to brown, a darker color. It seems that he also has problems with these colors because maybe his mom was wearing these colors the day she left him and the father.However, he recognizes how it is silly that he hates these colors. So that brought up the question of whether or not kids who have autism know that they do?

Another point that we brought up was how he reacts to emotion. The dad becomes very cross with Christopher because he continues to investigate and study the case of Wellington's murder. Soon after, Chris's dad reviles that he is the killer. We talked about how the dad feels guilty about bring Christopher into the world autistic, and how he wants to repair the damage between him and his wife and between him and Christopher.

The last point we brought up was how Christopher dislikes physical contact between himself and others and between food items. Chris hits the dad on accident when the dad touches his shoulder.  We said that he felt scared and worried about what his father might do to him.The other thing he hates is when food touches each other. Again, we are not sure why he is like this.

The Bi-products of peer pressure.

I found this quote on Bianca's Blog:

Through peer pressure, people get the feeling that if they do not follow the crowd, then they are not as cool as the other people. It seems crazy to just think that for a moment of coolness could actually cost someone their life.

     I agree with all Bianca says in her post and this quote. Today, teens are to much obsessed with being apart of the "in" crowd and not being a loner outsider. It seems like everything we do is because to look cool or find a new click we belong to. Drugs, like in Bianca's post, is just another way we can "fit-in", but, we are not even aware of the possible long term affects that can cause harm to our bodies. Another way we are peer pressured is through the clothes we wear. We are constantly being judged by our appearance instead of being judged by our character.
     Is there anything in our lives that is not run by peer pressure? None of us want to be alone or a "loner", but when we are asked about how feel about peer pressure, we respond by stating that we are non-conformists. But we are not. If we were true non-conformists, then we would not need to by fancy phones, or have to wear bright glittery shirts, or walk a certain way or talk a certain way too.
     One huge factor in peer pressure is materialism. Materialism is when we buy and buy stuff and things that we do not need. People judge and are judged by the things we have instead of the character inside us.Peer Pressure can influence this, making it cool to have expansive things instead of cheap things. Thats when people get so excited about new phones like the i phone or the android stuff. Then clothes come into, with the glitter and the brand name stuff. next shoes, with the vans and converse. Are society is so driven by materialism that we have a day dedicated to this, Black Friday. Black Friday is a day that we go and spend a lot of money on stuff for Christmas. It is a huge commercial day and has become embedded in our society.
     To conclude, Peer pressure is something we must all deal with, and to avoid this, we should just be proud of who we are.

The curious incident of the dog in the night time

     The book The curious incident of the dog in the night time by Mark Haddon is a wonderful book written in the perspective of an autistic child. In our class discussion, one key point that was brought up was the symbol of the dog. We came up with and idea that dogs live and lead simple lives, nothing changes. This is the same pattern we see in Christopher and his simple life. He dose not really try new things that stray away from his normal routine. This can also be represented by his autism. His autistic side over whelms him, thus giving him social awkwardness.
     Another point that came out of this discussion was what were England's point on autism? We discussed how England and their view on autism, could have positively and negatively shaped Christopher's life. He goes to school in an environment that seems okay and stable, but I bet underneath, there is not a lot of money that is going into a project that help kids like him. His dad also seems guilty that he brought into the world an autistic kid, and treats Christopher with privilege. This also shows the community's response to autism.
     Another topic of the discussion was that when Christopher talks about how prime numbers are whats left when you take all the others, i believe that he was talking about himself and everybody else like him. If you take away the rest of the world, then you get the prime numbers. He dose not like people, or actually dose not understand them. When you do not understand something, most of the time, you do not like it either. So, if you were to take away all the people in the world, accept autistic people, then thats the world Christopher would want to live in.    

     Here is a qoute from Sam's Blog:

 One thing that I still don’t under stand in the story is why he uses colors to determine if a day will god or not.  I believe if he wants to be more successful in life he should treat every day the same, making a day that might not have been great if he determined it by looking at cars, into a great day that he determins is a great day by giving it a chance.

     I believe that Christopher uses colors to decide wether or not it is a good has to do with how color is connected to emotion. Like in restaurants, when they have bright colors like red or yellow, this means that want costumers in and out. Color, for Christopher, triggers emotion that he can not understand. I all so think that when his mom went away, she was wearing something  that was yellow, thats why he has problems with that color. He must have some bad memory or bad experience that made him resent the colors yellow and brown. He states some reasons in the book, but they do not really go in depth into why he hates these colors. 
     Christopher uses the ideas of car color to judge a day because he struggles to find a pattern in his confusing world. He also counts and squares numbers to help him become calm and relaxed. He needs these patterns in order for him to stay comfortable on his life. As we can see in Mrak Haddon's book, Christopher has problems with being comfortable. He is constantly stressing about people touching him, or how many people are in one area or things that involve people in general. 

Final book review of Kite Runner

WARNING: CONTENT MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS, BE CAUTIOUS WHEN READING THIS POST. THIS IS A BOOK REVIEW FOR "THE KITE RUNNER."

8. Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth. You can also analze a relationship between two different characters.
The book,written by Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, is a novel that depicts a Afghani man’s life, who lives In Kabul Afghanistan and eventually moves to the United States. This man, Amir, grows up a son of a wealthy and respected Afghani father, Baba, who neglected him. Amir also grows up with the family servant boy, a Hazara named Hassan. These two are best friends, who live the optimal, “picture-perfect” idea of childhood, full of adventure and love. However, the climax is peaked when Hassan gets raped by the childhood bully, Assef, who worships Hitler and believes greatly in “ethnic-cleansing.” As Amir and Hassan grow and develop through their abruptly ending childhood, the differences of class and culture are strengthened and the similarities are left the same, or are even severed.

Hassan and Amir both develop their relationship during their childhood growing in Kabul, Afghanistan. However, their childhood and their relationship is cut short by a life changing event, rape. The rape shook  the boys to their cores and changed everything about their lives. Hassan, being the actual victim of the violent act, fell silent and surrendered to the rape, while Amir, a passive witness to the rape, fell silent and  became emotionally abusive towards Hassan from the guilt. However, before this event, Amir and Hassan were “little” boys with a “childhood” steeped in cultural boundaries and landmines.  It was a childhood spent together, living almost like brothers in the same household, sharing experiences together, but separated by an invisible classicist and racist wall that was so a part of the life in Afghanistan.

The issue of class separates these two boys. Hassan is a poor servant boy who serves his best friend, Amir,  privileged, rich boy who’s father is well-known and respected through out Kabul. 

“But he’s not my friend! I almost blurted. He’s my servant! Had I really thought that? Of course I hadn’t. I treated Hassan well, just like a freind, better even, more like a brother. But if so , then why, when Baba’s freinds came to visit with their kids, didn’t I ever include Hassan in our games? Why did I play with Hassan only when no one else was around?” pg 41.

Here, this quote shows how Amir and Hassan  are separated by a strong and thick class barrier. Amir struggles with the internal conflict of either loving Hassan like a brother or treating him like a servant. His class, his high class, says to treat them like servants, because that is what they are. However, he believes that they are more than servants, they could be friends, or even brothers.

Another way Amir and Hassan are separated is through racism and religious intolerance. In other words, people judge Amir and Baba for taking in Hazaras.

”If idiots like you and your father didn’t take these people in, we’d be rid of them by now” pg 41.

This is a quote from the bully Assef who believes in fascist ideas. I believe that Assef is the way he is is because his parents have most likely told him and neglected him so that the eventual outcome is being a member of the Taliban. However, Assef is not the only ones that make fun the Hazaras. Childhood “friends” also tease Amir and Baba when they walk down the street. They are considered traitors and un-loyal because of their “equality” belief. However, can one be truly equal when one group is serving the other group?    

Amir and Hassan grow up very different but yet very similar childhoods. They both have childhood ambitions that fully show the class issues. For instance, Amir has dreams of becoming a  writer, a fully published author that is successful in what he does. Hassan has dreams of learning how to read and write. Again, the boys are separated, not only through dreams, but the way their parent helps them achieve this dream. Hassan’s dad, Ali, supports Hassan, however there is not a good quote representing this in the book. Amir, on the other hand has no support and is told by Baba that writers do not make a lot of money. Instead of a writer, Baba suggests becoming a lawyer or doctor, something will actually make money to support a family.  Amir has never known love and validation. His only way of obtaining this love would be through is non-existent father figure who is either constantly out of the house or constantly pushing and showing shallow love toward Amir. he shows no validation to Amir, by not asking to read his book or maybe asking him what he really wanted for his birthday. There are countless examples of this theme in the book, thus there are countless chances for him to change things between him and Amir. However, will Baba take this chance up?
The rape of Hassan leds to a new difference to add on the list of differences between Amir and Hassan; the difference of guilt. Or, some can see it as a similarity. Hassan feels guilt for being a Hazara, as if it is his fault (whether it be a “fault” at all is another blog post) he is a Hazara. Amir’s guilt is different because he feels that he should have done something to prevent this from happening to Hassan.

“‘I want you to stop harassing me. I want you to go away,” I snapped. I wished he would give it right back to me, break the door open and tell me off - it would have made things easier, better. But he didn’t do anything like that, and when I opened the door minutes later, he wasn’t there. I fell on my bed, buried my head under the pillow, and cried.” pg 88.

Here, Amir says that his guilt over comes him to the point where he wants to take revenage, on himself.

Amir and Hassan grow and develop through racial and classicist barriers set up by Afghani Culture. They grow and develop, and they try to break and tear down this wall. They are separated but yet they are so close because they are best friends to each other. They both trust and love one another. Hassan said “For you, a thousand times over.” This shows the trust and strong bond they have in each other.

Kite runner; the final look

This last section of the book was hard to read because their was so much emotion and intense scenes. I felt many times that i could not continue reading, especially during the parts where Amir and Assef had a confrontation, or when Sohrab try's to commit suicide. Those scenes are hard to read because you feel very uncomfortable reading those parts.
          I think it is very interesting how easy it was for Amir to amit his feelings so easily to Sohrab, a boy who he had only just met. However, my class mate brought up a good point about how Sohrab had a right to know the truth about his dad's relationship with Amir. His dad was Hassan, who actually ends up being related to Amir. This makes Sohrab Amirs half nephew. Also, i think Amir so easily confessed to Sohrab about his problems because he was a stranger, more or less, and will not immediately judge. I believe that this has something to do with it.
          Another thing i noticed was that Amir looks up to Soraya. I dont remember if there is a direct qoute from the book about this, so if there is, then I am sorry that I took this idea. Amir wants to be as rebelious and "free" as Soraya, his wife. There are many examples of her expressing her freedom, like when she runs away with the other Afghani man. However, she is blocked to express her freedom fully because she is a women. Thus, she shuned and spat upon by others. For example, people wont stop talking about her running off and she gets really annoyed by this. We see how badly women are treated when the women and man are stoned to death because she and him where having an affair. Amir can express his freedom fully because he is a male and is thus given privileges not given to females. However, he is held back by the memory of Hassan, as a friend and as a constant victim. Amir is constantly being reminded of Hassan all the way to the end of the novel, the last page even, when he sees Hassan in Sohrab and in himself as the Kite runner.
 

Bikes

I love bikes. All different types of bikes. I especially love road and fixie bikes. I always used to go on bike rides with my mom. we would travel along the rocky beach that surrounds our town. Even before I was born, i was exposed to the magical freedom biking gave me. My mom used to bike every morning and night. I believe that this is were i get my drive for biking.
     I used to follow my mom always first, me second. I used to love to think that i was going as fast as mom, keeping up with her right behind her, or even ahead. However, in reality, she was going as slow as me. I remember slowly coming to a stop at wooden bench, my awesome fire breathing dragon as the icon on the handle bars lights up as the breaks squeak. I look around and all i see is the beautiful Bay area that i was born in become even more beautiful as time progresses.
     My mom and me always await eagerly every month to see who is on the cover of pro cycling magazine. We are most excited when the Tour de france is in progress and all the new bikes and helmets and biography come out from all the players.
     Those memory's will be forever apart me. And, i still am making those wonderful memories.

A response to meriam's blog!!

In the Kite Runner, Amir is constantly expressing how he needs to live up to Baba's legacy. He shows this through all the cases in which Baba shows more love to Hassan. Amir believes that he needs to live up a certain goal during this specific event because he thinks that the only way to win the love of Baba is to be at his level. Here is a quote that represents this theme from Meriam's blog.

 The downfall for Amir was just that because his father was widely known within Afghanistan it was up to him to live up to that legacy.

Here, Meriam explains that Amir sets up his own down fall by believing in this "fore told" story. I believe this because Amir believes this and sets him self up for failure from the beginning, Throughout the story, there arise more and more examples of this theme, like after discovery of how good a dad his father actually was, then he strives to become as good a father, a Baba, as Amir's real dad was. Again and again, Amir tests him self to become like Baba.

Kite runner; the second look

wow. All i can say is wow. There is a lot of crazy things that happen to Amir, and his wife, and Hassan. I truly believe that the main theme of this book has something to deal within the realm of love. There are so much things that represent love. Validation and love have a border that is either very blurry or very defined. In this book The Kite Runner, Amir tells a story of his life and the encounters of love he has. 

          the first in the second part was Baba's love for America. this exemplified throughout chapter 11. (<it starts on page 125>). Baba shows that the idea of America was a strong one filled with optimism and dreams. 

          I also noticed that this 2nd section of the book deals with new beginnings. This is a new begging, moving to a new country. There is a new beginning with Amir's graduation of high school and when he moves to college. There is one when they begin to go to yard sales and to flea markets. They experience a new one when Amir and Soraya get married and when their culture puts a veil of shame on them when they cant have kids. its a new beginning when Amir finds out about Hassan. Loneliness is also another new beginning. For the first time Amir was not in the shadow of Baba, other Afghans, and even Hassan. Now he was by himself, naked to the world. This is love. letting someone find self discovery, whether it be from passing away or deliberately knowing, will always be a moment of love. All of these incidents listed above are all examples of a new beginnings and new found love. Love in these examples are either superficial or deep love.

          throughout the book, Amir feels supported, validated and loved at different moments in his life. He experiences loss of these things and has been shaped by them. All of these events lead to define Amir's character. all of these events somehow have an impact on his future, whether it be a positive or negative effect. 

All around the ride is stuffy and sinky with old corn dogs, stail nachos, and sticky cotton candy. the railing is sticky and greasey from little children and their cotton covered hands. impatient parents swiftly gave their bratty children a nasty look. However, the children just simply disregard the look and continue to be pests. eager customers wait with impatience as the line moves an inch every two to three minutes. the person on the oud speaker (hardly loud at all because it was deeply muffled by the crowd) said something a loong the lines of "PLEASE DO NOT STAND, SIT, WALK ON THE RAILING. PLEASE STAY CALM ON THE RIDE. KEEP YOUR HANDS AND FEET IN THE RIDE AT ALL TIMES. THANK YOU AND ENJOY YOUR RIDE." you could probally only catch about forth of that by the way.
     as the line crept up the broken cement walkway, you couyld hear the screams of people fly by as their adrenaline raises in their bodies over coming them, making them overcome anything. The shawdow of the ride was a blur, like how some halloween stores want you to feel when you see their products.
I'll finish this story later.
so. actually there has been a change of plans:

So my best friend ever, Kathryn, she loves this guy named Edward Elric. So for all you anime love in anime club sorry but Edward is taken. You all should remember Kathryn because she shadowed me last Monday. So for all you people that don't know about Fullmetal Alchemist here is the jist of it. So there is this kid named Edward who has a younger bro named Al and so their mom dies when they are like 9 and their dad left when they were tiny so they don't know him. So they want to bring their mom back to life, by using alchemy. The number one rule in alchemy is that you must have inequivalent exchange. So they use their DNA to try to bring her back but it doesn't work, because the Truth takes Al's body and Edward's leg. When Edward realizes what happened he goes back to save his brother but the price he paid was he had to give up his right arm. So Al ends up in a suite of armor that was lying around in there basement. Edward ends up getting automail from this really annoying girl name Winry. She is such a mean person and she beats up Edward all the time. I personally think she should die because she is just that horrid.

Anyways... When Edward is 12 he becomes a state alchemist and meets Roy Mustang. He is pretty cool but stuck on himself. Hawkeye though is the coolest. She is amazing with guns. Well if you want to know more you should read it or watch the OLD anime because in the new one Edward's hair looks funny. But it is an awesome manga, but not as good as Naruto.

so this is a quote from vic's blog:

Every child does have one childhood and should be able to enjoy it. They shouldn't suffer as a child because of school nor should they suffer as an adult, working all day trying to support theirselves. School takes up a third of the day and sleep as well. That leaves about eight hours left for everything else we must do. Homework also takes up three to five hours so that leaves around four hours left in the day. Everyday, students have four hours of free time.

i agree with this. every child has only one childhood. una ninez. ok. so we shouldnt waste it. its a precious time of development people!! did you know that there actuall statistics that show that kids (especially teens) need more sleep than most adults! so that should be a big indicator that maybe we should get less homework to sleep and hangout. and maybe we can get the optimal childhood EVERYONE wants. so give us less homework.
also, besides being a developmental stage in a child’s life, it also helps with social problems that we might development. we cant escape this fact that every child needs a real childhood. i’m not trying to say though that we should be totally free, i mean that we should also learn all that proper stuff llike respect and responsibility. I need four more words... so yeah. in conclusion, i feel that children need to feel liberated and imaginative in there daily lives. (that was dorky)

First book thoughts: kite runner

     When this book came out in 2003, I thought it was one of those adult biography's were every other word was a big fancy "hard to pronounce" word, at least to a 2nd grader. i wasnt totally sure i wanted read it even after my 7 th grade core teacher had highly reconmended it. My 8 th grade teacher, as well, had great thoughts about the book and had given it "2 thumbs up". Now, in 9 th grade, my reading teacher has assigned it for our class read, and i finally understand all the hub-ub about this book. This book, so far, is not only a thrilling narative, but it tackles some of the major themes in life like validation, trust, and love. so far, i am only on chapter 11 and the book has had many major climaxes that leave you wondering and questioning. 
     So, with out any spoilers, i will start by saying that this book is, as far as to chapter 11, about a boy who lives a rich, "happy" life and the trial and tribulations of having a best friend whose dad is the servant to the rich boy's dad, and therefore is a servant himself. There are many events that lead to the eventual conclusion that I can not say with out spoiling. All i can say is that something very bad happens to the servant boy and the rich boy knows about it and feels guilty over all. (<rich boy= Amir    servant boy = Hassan>). There are many other examples of how selfish and inconsiderate Amir can be. countless examples. 
     i believe that this is, because Amir has never known love and validation. His only way of obtaining this love would be through is non-existent father figure who is either constantly out of the house or constantly pushing and showing swallow love toward Amir. he shows no validation to Amir, by not asking to read his book or maybe asking him what he really wanted for his birthday. there are countless examples of this theme in the book, thus there are countless chances for him to change things between him and Amir. 
    lastly, it is very hard to give something like love or validation when you don't know what it is. this is the case with with Amir. i am not here to try and reason  or back up his view of life, but it does definite; yield another perspective on life.   

Response to Myself

Blogging has been an experience where I not only have fun through writing, but is a journey of self expression. This was a new experience for me since I had never kept a blog before. I was not sure how I was going to like it. Turns out I really enjoy it. Both writing my own blog and reading what my classmates write is really fun. Also, it is true what they say “practice makes perfect” because I have developed in my writing. I can see some growth in some posts of mine. However, there are some spots where my writing could be better because I was to tired when I posted. I continue to have trouble managing my time. I find myself always rushing in the last minute to write a blog post. Or, I have writer's block and am unable to think of anything else to write. As I continue publishing blog posts, it becomes necessary to develop new habits to replace the old ones. I should make sure that all my posts have more of my true inner thoughts about the topic, a deeper understanding of my peers’ writing through response posts, and more of how my natural, daily life affects my publishing topics.

I always look for articles from others that look either interesting or are a possible “debate starter” because I have the most fun in these two areas. This is also what I look for in the posts by my classmates. Here, we have an example of what I wrote in response to Mercedes’s post about evolution in organisms.  

“ “Evolution is an interesting subject, one that affects us all. Take a look at fossils you can find in almost every museum, and compare them to the knowledge we have of their current descendants.” AHHHHHHH! Yes! And the question that comes up is why was the Brown Beetle naturally selected? What was it about that Brown Beetle that made it more attractive to the opposite gender that allowed it to multiply?! Evolution is one of the most amazing processes on Earth. To think that Darwin was able to piece it all together without the benefit of modern day scientific tools/techniques. I consider him a genius.”

Here I express my amazement about the system of evolution and how Darwin’s genius uncovered it. I was mainly referring to her writing and through that growing in my own perspective. I gave my own thoughts and opinions on the matter and how this can relate to modern day society. My response to this blog was motivated by the fact that surrounding my desk/area, I have bookshelves filled with many many books about anthropology and history. All of these books are on the bookcases today because of my mom, who highly influenced my love of anthropology and history. She and I always have conversations about modern day anthropology and of new discoveries in both anthropology and in archeology. So, while I was looking for a very engaging post by a peer to write my response to, I came across Mercedes’ post about Evolution. I began to read it and started to develop ideas about evolution.

I believe that responding to others blogs is a great way to get to know someone in a more intimate way. You know what they say, “you should write what you know, instead of what you don’t”. What I mean to say is if people take this message to heart, then they will make an impression of themselves expressed through their writing. I take this message to heart because when I publish a post, I want to make my opinion heard loud and clear. Many many people read these blogs, and I don't want anybody to get the wrong impression of my character. Also, another reason why responding to other blogs’ is great is because we could formulate other ideas from other blogs. For instance, my response to Mercedes blog was a topic starter for me. I haven't written any posts about evolution or anthropology since then, however I plan to write some in the future. As well, I also hope that one of my posts will start a chain reaction of ideas and themes. My day will come.

My inspiration mainly comes from what happened in my day or from some random thought about some random thing (i.e. my post about grocery store agricultural system) or an actual topic of importance (i.e. my response to Guns, Germs and Steel). It comes from articles I have read or discussions during dinner or from a school topic. There are endless places that I get inspiration from. My art is another thing that gives me inspiration. I use some of my work as motivators. When I write a response post, I usually am motivated by the article/post I read. I found that it is easier to write a response to an article that seems interesting to you. That's what I do in looking for a post to respond to.

“Wow! this is an amazing short story. Here, its on Constance's blog. Her use of words and description to create an awesome impression in your mind is baffling. She uses words spelled like it was written back then. The words she uses such as "neighbours’" and "colours" gives the piece a sort of special aspect about it. The way she describes the characters in her story is with so much detail and vigor that it leaves you begging for more. I have to say that I was very eager to to see what was going to happen to Tad and whether or not Darasci was going to support his search of the heavenly Eggstone. I highly recommend this to become a book and after that, a full on Motion Picture.” 

(<side note> I was going to cut things out of this but all of it really needs to there. So, I am only going to count half the words in this quote to make it fair, since it is a long quote. Also, this little side note doesn't count for words either. Thanks Mr. Sutherland! As it stands now I have 1000 words not including what I said I was going to take out.>) Here is a long but much needed quote explaining how I get inspiration to write. After reading her blog and writing a response, I quickly ran to my mom asking her to read this story that Constance had made up. It was so good!!!!! Anyway, I was really inspired to write like her; with so much emotion and dignity!!!

  So, again, I need to make sure that all my posts describe my true inner thoughts about the topic, my best understanding of my peers posts, and how I am influenced by others to write. These should be included in my writing goals for the next semester. Some, besides these, include making my themes clearer and understanding and why it is important not procrastinate. I believe that these goals will help succeed in becoming not only a better writer but a better scholar overall.

Of Mice And Men

Of Mice and Men

     John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, depicts a sad reality of the great depression and the toll it had on people. This novella explains a story about two men, one being a careless optimistic child-at-heart-man who is controlled and ruled by, second, a man that has no other interest in life than too make money. The first man is named Lennie Small and the second is George Milton; both of whom are migrant workers. Because of this, they are outcasts of society and are unable to fit in. However, the conflict remains within them selves, which is highly influenced by society. Society makes them self conscious and aware of what people say about you.  Throughout the book, the central theme is the relationship between society and self dignity and how that affects two main migrant workers.  

     Society vs. self and how that can affect two workers is shown in mostly all of pg 11. However, here, we have George fantasizing about a life without Lennie, and Lennie feeling bad about making George’s life miserable. “You can’t keep a job…” (11). This quote shows how society thinks of, specifically, Lennie. As I said before, Lennie is a tender giant, optimistic and unable to see the “evil” in people/things. This can play both a positive and a negative outcome of society’s toll on people. The story goes on to tell that Lennie begins to feel bad and decides to run away off into the hills and live by himself and leave George alone. He is full of unsettled conflicts in him like what is he doing wrong in the first place and what should he do about George? He is much undecided and very not-cautious about his own moves in the game of life.

     Perhaps one of the better examples of the central theme lies in a quote made by Lennie to himself. Here, Lennie runs away back to their (George and him) secret hiding spot. George told him to run there when they might be in trouble. Now, Lennie congratulates himself on remembering to come. “I’d di’n’t forget, you bet, God damn. Hide in the brush an’ wait for George.”(100) Here, You can get a sense that he is scared of how George will react towards Lennie’s killing of Curley’s wife, but reassures him self by saying that he did a good job of remembering to come back here in case of an emergency. He is full of uncertainty because he has always been taken care of by others, like George. Now that he does something right, he needs reassurance of “everything is going to be ok”. The main reason for this unsure state of Lennie is because society has been a motivating and convincing factor that people like Lennie (maybe a low grade form of autism) are incapable of taking care of themselves mentally and physically. This is what I see Lennie has inside him, an urge/dream unable to be answered because society has built a fence around this concept…freedom.    

     One final quote is an overall representative of the main theme. Here, Lennie is still in the hiding spot but is hallucinating Aunt Clara and rabbits coming out of the brush. They speak in his voice too! “Aunt Clara was gone, and from out of Lennie’s head there came a gigantic rabbit. It sat on it’s haunches in front of him, and waggled its ears and crinkled its nose at him. And it spoke in Lennie’s voice too.”(101-102) Lennie begins this hallucinating by feeling guilty about messing up with George. He worries that George will be so angry with him, that he will not want Lennie tending the rabbits. The rabbits represent a dream, a dream that will never come true because of reality and because of him, Lennie.

     In conclusion, I believe that the main theme of this story would be the idea of society affecting your integrity and how that affects the person (in this case Lennie or George) them selves. Dreams unaccomplished would play a big role in supporting this theme. Both Lennie and George have dreams that will never be answered due to society making them lower their dignity and integrity. Society plays a big role because it makes you believe all the crap of ways people should be or act and how differences make you “different” instead unique. So, in conclusion, we are mice among men; living as different, separated people among the “norm”, society’s definition of an individual. 

this is a quote from Meriam's blog:

Furthermore, humans are animals, were not Gods, were not magicians we are hairy beasts that need water and food to live on with enormous brains. So, this leaves me to wonder if  love is an illusion, or an accident. Animals have mates to live on and pass their genes, love has nothing to do with it, so because our brains are able to hold so much information it also came to the conclusion that we can fall in love? Off topic but homophobia isn't natural though it happens to some individuals. I know I'm not making any sense. Let me put it simple?Have humans wired our brains to love or desire the feeling to be loved over time and if so how or why?

I fully agree. like all emotions, love is a complex feeling. It derives from feeling safe or wanted. however, i disagree with hr statement about how animals don't love but just mate because they have too. there are many animals that actually "love" their mate or spouse. many seagulls wont mate with a another after their mate has died. There are many animals that follow this trait. Many elephants do the same and also some chimps, i think as well. So, yes, trying to keep their species alive may be a contributing factor, but the overall motive must lay with love. this is a subconscious motive of course.


Another thing is, how do we define love? Or, more importantly, who are we to define love? Can it even be described? Is it even really there? Well, i know i see love between animals when my dog comes and sees how my mom is doing. She is sick with the flu, we are pretty sure, and everyday, i see our dog come and wag his tall or scrape the air with his paw, tell her in his own way "you'll get better eventually, I just know it" or " how are you feeling?" What is this? LOVE? i cant really say based on i don't have hardly evidence backing me up, but that's love. Also, besides this, each person gives off a chemical that some one else in the world likes. i just the way we do things. We are chemistry sets, each and every one of us. 


So, i conclude by saying that love isn't what some dictionary tells us it is, or how strongly attracted we are to some weird chemical, but really, it is what you think it is. if you think it is a chemical reaction between two people, great, or  some definition created by a congregation of people coming together to write some dictionary, then that's fine. As long as you believe it and make it your own. Love is just one of those things that will always remain a mystery in life, that doesn't really need to be known. Let's leave it a mystery.

Reflections on “Face of a Spider” by David Quammen

     One lesson we can learn from Quammen’s reflections is to respect others’ cultures and unique differences between people. This is an important lesson, for without respect, we can not learn to see the similarities that bind us all together, and we would only see what can divide us. And this brings us to the next lesson, equality. There is no hierarchy between beings, the only hierarchy that is there is one created by us. No one is better or above others. When you have this basic foundation, you can become diverse in culture and more connected through ideas. A truly deep connection between all living things is expands and develops.

     On a more personal level, another lesson we can learn from Mr. Quammen’s reflections is always ask yourself “what are my biases or ideas that I already have in my head about the person or thing in front of me? How did those biases or ideas get in my head?” This leads us to another lesson, which is to be honest with yourself about your own biases, face them and deal with them. Only by acknowledging them can we overcome them. Lastly, Mr. Quammen’s reflections can teach us to learn to walk-our-talk, to be self-critical of what we think and how we behave based on those thoughts.

     Fear is a strong, vibrant, emotion caused by something we are afraid of; the unknown. The less we know about something, the more afraid and scared we become of it. The best way to respond to fear of someone or something different is to face it head on, to be eye-to-eye with it. Only then can we really “see” it. We can learn to respond to people or things in a more empathetic way, by putting ourselves in their shoes and truly trying to see where they’re coming from.

     My family tries to live by a motto that we’ve been adding words to since I was a baby. When someone in the family wants to add a word to the motto, we vote on it. Here is our life motto: To live a live based on Love, Compassion, Empathy, Respect, Reciprocity, Tolerance, Thankfulness, Joy and Validation! Our rule of thumb is that if something is not life-affirming then we don’t do it or say it! I believe that living these words is a great way to respond to people or things that are different, foreign, strange or even scary.

     

Evolution with the Amazing Traits it give us. Response

While rummaging through my Google reader, I came upon this quote from Mercede's Blog:

Evolution is an interesting subject, one that affects us all. Take a look at fossils you can find in almost every museum, and compare them to the knowledge we have of their current descendants. 

AHHHHHHH! Yes! And the question that comes up is why was the Brown Beetle naturally selected? What was it about that Brown Beetle that made it more attractive to the opposite gender that allowed it to multiply?! Evolution is one of the most amazing processes on Earth. To think that Darwin was able to piece it all together without the benefit of modern day scientific tools/techniques. I consider him a genius. 


The way you gave visual examples of evolution really helped make your point. Comparative Anatomy is fascinating and those scientists that can look at a set of bones in two different animals and tell how they are related really have my admiration. Developmental Biology is also a fascinating field that is providing us with tons of evolutionary knowledge. Comparing developmental stages in wombs is like watching a video on evolution. All of the stages are there in one form or another, like gill slits and tails. Amazing! 

You are right, the whole notion of evolution brings up so many more questions about species relationships and about how organisms are still evolving. How are humans evolving? There is an interesting television show called “Stan Lee’s Superhumans”. Yes, THAT Stan Lee, Mr. Comic Book writer himself. The show really makes you think about how humanity is evolving, about how our DNA might be mutating and about how some of those mutations might be naturally selected for. For instance, there is man here in the Bay Area that can run literally forever (it seems). He ran the equivalent of 10 marathons in one run back in 2008, as an experiment. When two scientists examined him they found that his body has the ability to get rid of lactic acid and in fact, it seems to use the lactic acid for energy somehow. He has some kind of mutation that allows him that Superhuman ability. Fascinating!
In the end, it is amazing to see the roads evolution is taking us down!

Reflection on “Yali’s Question” from Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond By Cristian Nicolas Cortez

     “History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among peoples environment, not because of biological differences among peoples themselves.” Jared Diamond. Prejudice towards people based on what they look like but should be based on their environmental surroundings and what they make of it. This is what Jared Diamond meant by his quote. Many of the people that would agree with this quote would be people living in modern day “stone age”, living off the land. The people living in suburban areas like the United States or Europe would disagree with this quote and say that people should be based on there “biological differences.” I, living in a suburban little town, have truly seen what people do to other people based on their “biological differences.”

     For our own community, this might mean that people are based on their skin color or hair or other things that the media says is “important.” I have seen it happen at school, especially in 7^th and 8^th  grade. People start to care more about what they look like instead of there personality or their schoolwork. Racism is one of the major things people make and poke fun of. In 7^th grade, some 8^th grade bullies used to go and purposely make fun of me for being Mexican, calling me bad racist names and staying away from me because I had “swine flu.”  I know first hand what Diamond means by “biological differences.” In fact, everyone in my family has experienced some sort of racist jesters, whether it be from outside groups or in side the family.

     Racism, for me, is the most opportunity giving and depriving I have ever seen. Now, as much as some one says there are not racist or biased to a specific group or race, but they are truly. It can be as simple as a cashier or as complex as teachers. My mom always says that she is a double-minority, being a women and Mexican. So the question remains as why? Why do different groups of people in the bay area have different resources and opportunities? I think the answer lies in being either basis or prejudice towards a group of people. When this happens, the unfairness of people comes out. So, even in our very own community, people tend to become prejudice toward groups of people, so some people get special treatment while others don’t. In non-suburban areas, people tend to not be as racist as others, but it still happens to some degree.

    “History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among peoples environment, not because of biological differences among peoples themselves.” Jared Diamond. This is a strong powerful quote describing how people come to be basis and mean to others, and how the environment around us can change the way work, mentally and physically.   

Q's Identification

In the story of the "thing" named Qfwfq, or "Q" for short, it describes stories of which the main character is Q. Q's personality changes many times. However, in the stories The Aquatic Uncle and The Dinosaur, Q experiences Jealousy, Arrogance, Embarrassment, and un-empathetical. He experiences these three emotions in these two stories. Q takes on many personalities, each describing his character further from the physical appearances.

The most important character trait which Q expresses is Jealousy. We experience this theme when Lll leaves Q for the comforts of the old, uncle, fish N’ba N’ga.

“And what do you think you'll do, all alone with an old fish?” “Marry him. Be a fish again with him. And bring still more fish into the world. Good-by.” pg 81

 This quote expresses Q’s jealousy because he goes on to describe the way Lll re surfaced with the uncle. He writes:

“She surfaced, but she wasn't alone; the sturdy, curved tail of great uncle N’ba N’ga rose near hers and, together they cleft the waters.” pg 81

 He wrote with so much jealousy. The way he described the uncle’s tail in this passage is full of resentment and disgust. This is an example of the theme of Q’s jealousy. 




Q often goes back and forth between arrogance and embarrassment.

“Never before had my great-uncle seemed so different from the rest of us: a real monster.” pg 76

 In This passage, Q explores embarrassment through the relationship of the uncle and Lll. Here's another quote from The Dinosaur:

“And if you don't dance with me, I’ll dance with another!” pg 110 

 Here, Q went over to go and talk to Fern-Flower, pleading with her to have fun with him. After this quote, Q goes and dances with the Half-breed. here, it shows how Q seemed to want to hurt Fern-flower, and make her feel guilty of all her wrong doings toward Q. This quote also explores how, since he is the last of species he somehow deserves special treatment.




Throughout the story, Q shows a low level of being empathic. Here, Q asks Fern-Flower to dance with him after she just told him that she was feeling bad about her dream.

“you can never talk about anything that isn't sad!” I said, frivolously. “Stop it. Come and dance!” pg 110

Here, Q is being un-empathetic and rude to Fern-Flower’s feelings. It shows the level of curtisy he has for her and the amount of emotional intelligence to understanding these type of ques.

While searching through google reader, I came upon this quote from Jesse's Blog.

I think the worst is Linguini’s. It’s down by the Alameda Theater, so if you see it, don’t go there. Don’t say “Ooh let’s go to that pizza place, I’ve never been there before!”, because you’ll only be disappointed. The only thing that I ever will like is the arcade the they have [but last time I checked half of the games were out of order (big surprise)], because I won a something in the claw machine. A bunch of other times I got tricked in a way from the machine because I kept putting coins inside it, but the game wouldn’t start. It was always after I put the coins in that I asked someone and they said it was out of order, but they never got around to putting an out of order sign on it (yeah, they just never had the time).

 I think that this quote can go for many arcades. I have always witnessed the poor little innocent kids fling away all their quarters to the claw machine, unsuccessfully obtain a prize. It is always sad to see people try their luck on the racing games and always try to win. But they never as so much leave the starting line. The only decent arcade game is the shoot-em'-up games, but what values do the show you? I believe that arcade games have down graded since the times of video games began. 

For Instance, Tron is an excellent example of this. The normal, average day arcade game has long synced evolve from the normal basic game (which it is) to full-length new Wii Video game. it has been created to motion pictures and has received nothing but positive reviews of the movie and the Game.

Another example would be Galaxia, or Space Invaders, or Dig-Dug. All of these great examples have touched the live of millions and has always been a part of out American culture. I am proud to say that i grew up with these games myself, as my mom and dad have played these games ever since they were created.
So, try to find a good antique Arcade game place and look for these instant classics! I assure, you will be hooked to them as I.

The Pleasure of A Grocery Store

You, know world, I really fantasy the Simulated rain and storm at the produce section of every Grocery store. I think it is really awesome. All of a sudden, the flashing LED lights of the produce section flash like a police siren lights, it never ends. Then the simulated sounds of thunder ring through out the grocery store, singing a joyful tune that a "storms a brewin'". All the shoppers drop their un-purchased stuff and run to the produce section, trying to beat the rain.     Then, the exciting part happens...the rain. the rain drops down from the heavens (the sprinklers in the veggies ceiling). Then all the vegetables get up and start to sing, just like a corrupt version of everyone's favorite Veggie Tales. they all get up from their resting place and start to dance around and sing and have little communities made of one specific type of veggie. the wonderful sounds of veggies laughing and dancing fill the customers hearts with joy.

I really like this. I think it is a good way for the customers to become entertained with shopping. i have always wanted to know how they do this however. What was the concept that led to this? I guess it would start with the fact that you need to water your produce in a store, so they don't get moldy. Then i guess, the water made them get reminded of a storm? and then finally, after some serious stereo systems and LED lights, the whole thing is set and ready. I really like the fact of having a fake storm in the produce section of a Safeway, etc.

The way people react to it is all so fun to see. little kids, and even some adults (don't be shy) all put there hand in the water for what ever reason. It is something that you should experience any time during your life.

So the next time your strolling the down the produce section of a grocery store, and you here the magic sounds of a storm and the flashing LED light that represents lightning, stop and take a look, you'll be surprised to see how fun and cool it is... and maybe even stick your hand in the water!

"I know what it means, I just cant explain it!"

Here are 10 words from a word list found on this website under Your Assignment "Academic word list" that "I know what it means, I just can't explain it!".

1. Compensation
2. Consent
3. Constraint
4. Philosophy
5. Reliance
6. Consultation
7. Discretion
8. Entity
9. Subsequent
10. Revenue

“All’s Well That Ends Well”

     I was enjoying my life as any other 14 year old boy would. Doing homework, hanging out with friends, doing chores, activities like these filled my day. I was walking home from school one day when it happened. The path home from school is right in font of the old the circus amusement park, abandoned in 1945, and it was a Friday. They say that only on “Friday nights the ghost of the monstro would linger around looking for the sacred…” and that’s the entire story the village elder ever said. The village would always have an unsaid rule on Friday nights to not enter the circus park. But this night was different. Well different for my friends and I.

     As we entered the abandoned circus, all we could see is the beams of light our flashlights would make and the things un-hidden by them. It was a cold, dark, and scary night to choose to go, but it was like us to do irrational things. I could tell that we all had the same gut feeling when we saw the gruesome clown face staring down at us from atop the fun house. That’s when we decided to go back.

     We turned around, ready to leave, but only to find that we were somehow in a middle of a dense forest. We turned again to see if the fun house was still there, but all we saw was the shape of a figure moving very fast in the distance. When we looked again in the direction of the fun house, all we saw this time, was an antique fortune teller booth. We approached the fortune teller cautiously as we could start to feel the sense of fear, and coldness of the woods starting to settle in our bodies. Finally, after reading the sign that said, “Deposit Twenty-five cents to return”, we all started searching for the cold, silver coin that would grant us our freedom from this nightmare.

     One by one we inserted the quarter into the cobweb filled insert slot and one by one we left. I was last in line. I put one of the two quarters I had with me in the slot and was about to walk into the light when I heard a noise from the back of the machine. I thought “oh no, the monstro”, as I could see my breath in the coldness of the night. “AHHHHH!” as I ran into the deep, dark woods. I suddenly realized that I had dropped my quarter and there was no time to run back for it now. I was stuck. I was alone, afraid, worried, and cold. All of these things swept through my body like a tidal wave during a hurricane, it over whelms you…

     I remember running and running until my legs gave up and surrendered to the opposing tiredness. I fell on the twigs and pine needles on the cold ground below me. I remember seeing a glitter in the ground. Finally realizing it was my quarter, I picked it up and tried to run. It was too late. Again the forest switched on me and I was now somewhere deeper in. The sound of the monstro got fainter and fainter until I knew I was in the clear. I began to look, seek, and call for the fortuneteller. But when I called it didn’t appear. Instead the monstro found me and ran towards me. I soon realized that I got what I sought, the fortune teller was on the back of the monstro and was morphed in, controlling it. It grabbed me and tossed me in the air. I fell hard to the ground with a loud thud. I remember then opening my eyes and seeing my stuffed animal, a sheep I’ve had since I was five, right next to me. I looked around, and all I saw was my dust covered shelves, and the unread books on them. I saw the closet door fully closed and in it,  the reflection of the rest of my room. I looked around and saw no monstro. I sighed, closed my eyes, and was soon fast asleep. 

Something Special Amist The Dust

Wow! this is an amazing short story. Here, its on Constance's blog. Her use of words and description to create an awesome impression in your mind is baffling. She uses words spelled like it was written back then. The words she uses such as "neighbours’" and "colours" gives the piece a sort of special aspect about it. The way she describes the characters in her story is with so much detail and vigor that it leaves you begging for more. I have to say that I was very eager to to see what was going to happen to Tad and whether or not Darasci was going to support his search of the heavenly Eggstone. I highly recommend this to become a book and after that, a full on Motion Picture.
     The excitement of the writer is dominantly presented in this piece. I can fully see the whole aspect of Draigfest. I really like how she gave a full description of the way the dragons mistreat each other and how the separation and segregation of the Dragons cultures are so dominate in their overall culture. She gave an awesome entry of how this "lone dragon", as if she were a professional writer. Her diction in this story is outstanding and "right on", it goes well with the overall story line.
     While I was reading this, I was full of eagerness to see what was going to happen and amazement to see she could right this good for a teenager. I have known Constance for about 3 years now, we went to the same school for Jr. High. I have graded some of her work in core class and what not, and I was already amazed by her diction and grammar. But this is a work of art! A true masterpiece! Constance, If your reading this, I highly recommend that you continue this story, and go as far with it as making a book. It holds a true tale of adventure and will be as big as Harry Potter. I really enjoyed this sneak peak of the Future Book.
     The detail oh each of the clans is awesome. I really got an image of hundreds of Dragons in a deep part of some abandoned forest in some make believe fantasy world. I love the description of the disagreement of each of the clans, and how each clan has a unique talent. I said it once and I'll say it again, this is a "Next best seller" in the making.
     I await eagerly to see how this whole thing will turn out.

Sorry

Sorry people. Here's the link to the opponents blog.

This is a quote from my Opposing Teams first paragraph in their opening statement:

In California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, there is very little control over who enters the country, and who leaves the country. We need to step up the security right away to ensure that all Americans have a fair shot at getting jobs, and the population does not overwhelm the availability of them. We already have enough homeless and unemployed people in America without more people coming here.

Let me just say this, the Governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, had the exact same idea and now, she has made it OK to stop any Mexican and ask them for their "papers".  Is that a right thing to do? In what way is it? I do believe that there may be some truth in letting people on and out of this country, that are illegal, to do things that legal citizens would do. But then we start to racially profile people, and stop to ask them for their papers. That's not right. Also, how do we decide whether or not people are illegal or not? That's where we start to discriminate against other people. "...all Americans..." How do we define American? As someone who is born here or has gone through the appropriate "training" to becoming American? So lets take this and make a situation. Lets say that two illegal immigrants come and have a child here in the United States. When their child is old enough, they try to apply him/her to school in the local school district. The district finds out that they are illegal and they sign a deportation paper. What happens to the child? We cant separate the family. What happens there?

Also, my opponent mentions only the states of the Mexican-American Border. Illegal immigrants are not just from Mexico, I would like to remind my opponent of this. That is racial Profiling.

Here's another from this blog:

If nothing happens, and we allow illegal immigrants to come, then the population of the United States will overflow, and probably half of America would be full of homeless people. If that happens, then there would be a lot more murdering and stealing over food and money.

How does letting illegal immigrants coming into the country induce murdering and stealing? Murdering can be done by anyone, even children. Race does not prohibit anyone from committing crimes. It seems ludicrous that half of America would become homeless if illegal immigrants were to enter the US. That happens when the economy collapses like during the recession that started in 2001. When the economy falls, jobs are lost and then homelessness is increased. Not because of illegal immigrants. I understand that you mean that the country would be strapped for recourse's. But the way you word this phrase makes you sound like illegals are the problems. Be careful when wording your phrases.