Self Evaluation.

I liked writing this essay because it was a group project, I also had the opportunity to talk about a topic that i am very passionate about. Even though the topic we wrote about was not school related or about the FCAT, I feel that pornography is also something that affects us. Since we are starting to experience a new world, that of college/university, we have to be aware of the issues surrounding us. Our essay was on how pornography affects society, and i hoped that we were clear in our message, and provided enough evidence to convince an audience to take our point of view. I dont believe pornography shou;d be banned, but we do need restrictions in order to prevent child abuse, teen pregnancies and divorce. I had a lot of fun doing research, i learned many facts, things i imagined but didnt know for sure, i had to opportunity to investigate and find prove to back up my claim. I feel that some of the weaknesses of the paper are the fact that many people might try to disagree and say that pornography its not such a big issue to be worry about but hopefully after reading the entire essay they can change their point of view or at least try to accept ours. The strengths would be the facts, anecdotes, reasons we provide in the essay and the appeal to pathos we provide.
Having this class for my first semester was awesome. I enjoyed going to class. Everyday was something different. we had a lot of fun together while learning at the same time. I learned so many things about writing i had no idea about, I can truly say i dont feel so intimidated about writing a paper and thinking it will suck. After having the class, i feel more confident, I dont think im the best, i still know there is a lot of room for improvement but i do think i definitively write better than what i used to write like in high school. I liked my classmates, they were very fun and we enjoyed learning together. I loved class discussions because even though i dont like to talk a lot, through the discussions i got to hear everyone's point of view on certain issues and relate them to mine. Overall i think the class was great that's why im taking ENC 1102 with Tasha again!!!!

Pornography and Society

Pornography is a very common issue faced by society today. Every day millions of people are exposed to pornography either through emails, friends, advertisements, or the web. What was once a forbidden topic is now a common subject of discussion. I believe that even though pornography can be blame for 1% of the crimes that are committed, its positive effect on society outnumbers the negatives. Sex is a freedom that should be expressed and enjoyed, I consider pornography as a form of art that is essential to the well being of society. One of the many positive effects of pornography is the theraphy that offers to marriage couples. There are married couples that actually improve their marriage through the help of these films. These movies provide other alternative ways of demonstrating affection towards the other partner in bed, therefore providing more satisfaction by showing the couple different ways to break out of their traditional routine. The movies also encourage equal participation from both partners, demonstrating that there isn’t a superior or inferior sex. After therapy, happiness returns to the couple’s lives.
Secondly, pornography teaches teenagers how to have safer sex and they have the opportunity to learn from a young age what their sex life would be in the future. We all know that sex is a part of life and that sooner or later these children will be exposed to sex. So I see little harm in having teens watching movies that deals with sexual activity. It’s the parents’ job to teach a child right from wrong and so it’s the parents’ obligation to explain to their child about sexual activity and the possible consequences about their choices. The purpose of this is to demonstrate to the youth that sex is a part of life and that it should be done responsibly when they are ready. The constant viewing of pornography decreases teen pregnancies and other risky behaviors. I believe that if teens watch pornography then they won’t have the need to engage in any sexual activity, not to mention it’s a much safer alternative than birth control pills, or unprotected sex. By watching pornography the youth won’t have the need to actually sleep with another individual out of frustration and won’t be at a high risk of acquiring an undesirable STD.
Banning pornography would be like banning art all together, for nudity is a big part of art. What we have to do is educate the public about the beauty of pornography, the same beauty that an artist or writer see in nudity, love, and violence, the rest of society should learn to appreciate it too. Just like Adam and Eve are looked up as idols in many religious communities or how the statue of David maybe one of the many master pieces from the Renaissance pornography should be equally accepted or at least tolerated by the public. Pornography shouldn’t be suppressed by any form of censorship or banning of any kind. After all pornography does help out our society's economy by circulating a lot of money, it also provides entertainment and relief for those who often can’t find affection from other people in their community, sometimes helps fix marriages and teaches/prepares teenagers for their sex life.

We are the Coolest Generation!!!

I happened to like the video because it did a great job at showing different views and sides of the story. I agreed with many of the things the reporter said, for example, the fact that we can text, multi-task, figure out things in the computer. etc. Its not our fault that we are smart when it comes to using new technology. Another thing he pointed out is that we like to get compliments when we do a good job, or excell at work, its natural that everyone likes their hard work to be recognized. I do believe, that in fact we are changing the work place and making it better for the future generations. No longer are adults wearing ties and suits everyday even if its super hot outside, in some work places you are permitted to wear jeans and a nice shirt, especially fridays. I think we care about ourselves just enough and we DO care for other people. I specially like to help my classmates or friends suceed either at work, in school or in their relationships. I dont agree with the fact that they describe us, as arrogant, self centered and selfish. First of all i think the video did a good job at describing our personality but also exagerated and generalized a little bit. Not all of the Millenium Teens are self centered and only care about themselves. Not all of them are careless about their jobs or think they deserve everything. There are some that dont even know how to handle a cellphone. In addition, not all of us depend on our mothers to get "the job done." Personally, i like to depend on myself, i dont need to call my mom, so she can call my teachers, nevertheless my boss. I believe in this part of the video they exaggerated because they made us look as inmature, dependent, worthless teenagers that cant handle their own life. I surely know that i wont be moving back with my parents after i graduate and i can be sure almost none of my peers will. This generation likes to suceed, become independent, achieve their goals. It is true that we might be computer savey, we can multi-task and always want to be number one, however, that is the way we have been raised by our parents. Parents are the foundation for our future life. If my parents told me when i was a little girl i could be anything i wanted, i would probably have growned up to believe and achieve that idea. Therefore, I believe, our behavior/personality is molded by our parents and they are the ones that have taught us to be this way. Moreover, new inventions (sidekick, iphone, PSP) are created everyday, making us their number one target. I believe we are the product of our parents and our surroundings.

At first when you watch this videos your first reaction is to be shock. I wouldnt be surprise, there is people that cannot accept other cultures because they think its just wrong or to different to be understood. Personally, when i watched them i saw a different culture, a different tradition, different customes that are as normal to them as drinking cafe con leche in the morning to me. Our traditions, our heritage is what shapes us as human beings and we cannot escape from our ancestors. The people represented in these videos are not different from us, they do the same things, they have families and work just the same. The only difference is that they belive in what they are doing, in the rituals they perform. In the first video for example the older wanted to punish the young and for that reason they performed the rituals and the cutting. To them its normal, its a form of punishment, of embarresment, the same way our parents think that taking our cellphones or computer can help us learn from our mistakes. In my opinion they are other ways to make a teenager rethink about their actions but again that is because i was raised in a different culture with different beliefs and a different way of dealing with punishment. I can say that every person that might see this video and doesn't know the culture or the place they are in would probably feel disgusted or shocked by their actions. Its safe to say that we are very easy to judge other people when we are not on their shoes but everything changes if we were to be in them. What would happen if you were raced believing in this? What if you were part of this punishing system, if you taught it to your kids? Would you be shock to see the video, probably not. Because you might see it as normal, as part of your life.
The second video, also teaches us about other culture and their beliefs. The women go through a lot of pain wearing the rings around their necks but they don't do it for punishment, the do it for honor and grace. To them wearing the rings is a pleasure and an honor. The rings represent fidelity and credibility. They are so used to wearing them, they dont even feel it anymore and they see it obviously as something common in their lives. But what happens if you see a woman wearing rings on her neck in FIU? Do you think about her culture, do you think about her traditions? or you just simply, say "weird" and laugh at her. Unfortunately there is people that cannot understand the importance of respecting other people's cultures and beliefs. There is people that make fun of you because you are just different and stand out from the rest. This videos help us realize how versatile people can be, how different our cultures are, and how we should take advantage of our differences.

Well, since this weekend we have no specific topic to write about, thanks to my class, wujuu!! I am just going to write about my feelings today.

First of all, i am kind of stressed because i have an exam on thrusday for my psychology class. I have to learn approximately 30 words and definitions, then study some concepts throughout chapters 4, 6 and 7. I dont think is super hard to do because last exam i studied all night before and did really good but it is a lot of work and a lot of reading. I happened to like psychology a lot from this class, the teacher is kind of crazy, she starts talking about her grandaughters and her family but she is funny and entertaining. I had never studied psychology before so it was a new subject to me and thank god i liked it and i am doing good in that class.

The other thing that has me stressed out is chemistry class. I liked chemistry in high school and because i was one of the best ones at it in the class i decided to major in chemistry hopefully to become a pharmacist later on. However, i hate my chemistry class this semester, i try to listen and understand but the teacher is not helpfull at all. She is very confusing and teaches the stuff really fast, she thinks people actually understand and most of us dont. I am hoping to do better in this next exam but its already around the corner and its going to be impossible to learn everything in a weekend. Anyways i am going to try my hardest and see if i do better than the last time at least to get like a B.

Another class that is bothering me a little bit is SLS. I have an SLS exam on thursday, the same day i have my psychology exam, therefore that day i have one exam after the other. I'm a little bit worried because i dont know what concepts or material is going to come out in the exam. The teacher said to read chapters 1 through 8, its a lot of reading and i am not sure if i am going to remember everything i read.

Finally i have an official lab due on Friday, this one is typed and has to be in more detail and better than the ones we usually turn in on fridays. But that's not all we also have to do the pre lab for the experiment we are going to do on friday so i have two papers to do for that class. Oh i just remember i also have to do webCT quizzes for chemistry and for psychology. I guess i am going to spend the week studying and doing things for school, thank god we don't have english tomorrow because its going to give me a little bit of time to study and finish everything i have to do. Also i have to check with the club to go to their activity on wednesday.
I love my life, lol!!!!

Abortion, a Right or a Crime?

By definition, abortion is the removal or expulsion of a fetus from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death. In the U.S., abortion was common among Native Americans, and it was legal from colonial times to the middle of the 19th century. However unclean, primitive medical practices made it very dangerous to perform, woman could even die from an abortion, that is why it was illegal. To protect women’s lives, laws against abortion began to be passed during the mid-1800s. Eventually by the middle of the 20th century, cleaner, more advanced medical procedures made safe abortion possible. However controversies started to arouse from the now "safe" procedure. Some people specially the religious type believed abortion was murder and should nevr be allowed. To this day people around the world debate on whether abortion should be legal or illegal. Some people believe abortion is a synonym for murder, because a person's life starts the day of conception. Others think it is the woman's right over her body and she can decide whether she wants the fetus or not. This is a social issue that always gets my attention everytime it appears on the news or in newspapers. I believe there are certain limits and regulations that should be made and apply to abortion but i also believe it is in every single woman to make such an important decision that is going to affect them for the rest of their lives.

Pro-lifers feel that abortion access should be restricted to special cases, or prohibited completely. Many are motivated by a belief that human personhood begins at conception. Thus, an abortion murders a baby. Pro-choicers believe that each woman should be relatively free to follow their own ethical beliefs concerning the termination or continuation of a pregnancy.

This two groups have different views on the same issue, but one similarity, they would like abortion rates to decrease.It has been estimated that approximately 46 million abortions are performed worldwide every year. Of these, 26 million are said to occur in places where abortion is legal; the other 20 million happen where the procedure is illegal."

In my opinion, abortion is not an easy decision and every woman has a reason for doing it. I dont think its murder because in my opinion life starts the day you are born, not the day you are conceived. I dont easily agree with abortion but i dont completely disagree because i have seen many cases where the woman has been raped and gotten pregnant, she has two choices, keeping the baby or having an abortion. If she keeps the baby, it could happen that the baby reminds her of the horrible experience she had to go through and the baby wouldnt have a father. If she has an abortion, she has a better chance of recovering and forgetting. In this kind of cases i approve abortion.

Here is an article by Mark K. Sprengel on the issue of abortion.

Carlos Mencia, Blog #4

This video was really interesting to watch because it opened my point of view. Carlos as a comedian uses every resource he thinks can be made fun of, even if it means hurting or insulting other people. He is very direct and in my opinion doesn't really care about others as long as it makes him look funny and people want to see him. However in his jokes there is a lot of truth, for example, stereotypes, how we perceive other cultures or races because of our judgment and what we think is right. Also the topic of racism how we judge others and how they judge us. One of the things I personally agree with him is the education system, how low the standards have gone making it eaiser for students to do poorly in school. The grading system changes every year. Also the learning dissabilities, i think he should have had a better approach, not so rude because it is a very personal and touching topic. Many parents that have to deal with kids that have learning dissabilites know how difficult the situation can be but it is true that the more opportunities or advantages they receive the less effort they put in their learning. Overall I found him funny, anyways he is expressing his points of views therefore no one can tell him what to do or what to think. It is his right to say what he wants to say even if it hurts other people.

WOW, MISS TEEN USA!!

I feel bad for the girl because she is very young just like us and imagine standing in front of hundreds of people and having to answer questions as well as modeling, trying to look good for the cameras, not falling or making a of fool of yourself. In this case, she didn't have a good answer and she went completely off topic but we have to understand the pressure and when you don't know what you are going to say you just say whatever comes to your mind in that moment. She is a normal person like you or me and if we would be in her position we would probably say something out of place or akward just like she did, maybe there are other girls that don't get so nervous that can perform better in this competitions, but she is pretty and she did good in going back to national television and defending herself. We all have moments were we don't know what we are going to say for example in class presentations or interviews, it's something very natural and common.

I am Confused!!!!

well...I am very confused because i have tried a million times to get in to Natasha's blog but it doens't let me, it tells me that i dont have permission to view her blog, therefore i can't see the topic for me to write about...I dont know what to do, i am going to send another request or invitation to see if i can make it on time...

What I think of my first blog!!!

This is a new experience for me, even though i have myspace so it's kind of the same thing but i think this is very good way to get to know other people, establish communication with my classmates that maybe in class I am shy to talk to. Also to get help for different assigments and stay informed about the class. It' a way to start getting to know the people that I am going to be seeing for the next 4 months, and hopefully creating strong friendships that would last a lifetime. I think creating this blog will help me a lot because it gives me the opportunity to read other people's thoughts and opinions and they can read mine. We can help each other with essays and share different points of views. It's an opportunity for growth and improvement!!