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.