Mi Estilo Personal Reflexión

I'm really proud on how my project turned out especially with my sound acting crazy. I'm also proud of how much description I had.

The hardest part of completing this project was the outfits I was going to use and how to put it together since my sound wasn't working at the time.

If I could do this over again I would change the outfits I had and how many I had. I would also change the way my projected looked.

Rosemary Flite

What are you especially proud of with your finished project?
What was the hardest part of completing this project?
What would you do over again if you had the chance? 
 


I am proud that I managed to create my video to about 5 minutes and I did 4 outfits instead of 4.
The hardest part was that I had trouble pronouncing some words.
I would try to make my voiceovers a little more clear if I could redo it all.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12879973/Rflite.flv

Blog Post 3

The ruling on the curfew law is rather sensitive at the moment Because of the flash mob attack on south street and other heinous acts during the summer, teens are being viewed as violent and sometimes criminal. The nature of the media and news reports of the event caused a form of dehumanization of Young adults. However there was only a small fraction of the teens in the city there partaking in the actions on south street; and although there were extremely awful actions taking place, for the amount of people there there was not a strong percentage of young adults present at the event doing horrible things. It would seem that in their act of highlighting certain portions of the event that teens would be put further down just for having the capability to do such things.
In retrospect I can see why the curfew was in acted. What is more troubling is the fact that if you are caught at all you can be arrested and what;s more is the fact that police are given the power to question any one who appears to be under age. This treatment can only be combated by the teens if they carry some form of identification with them when they are going to be out. This is similar in fashion to the treatment of people in Arizona durning their time under the law that allowed police to arrest people who couldn't prove their citizenship.
The public has been put in fear of the situation and because of that fear most will see the curfew as a good thing. Most adults if asked will say that there is nothing wrong with the curfew at all. They see it as a way to keep children in order. However there are some more conservative families that believe the government as no right to make laws about how to raise their children.

M Saunders Language Autobiography

Introduction:


What we did was wright a paper on the way people talk and ways our selfs talk.  At first I had a hard time thinking of a topic.  One way to communicate is by writing so I decided to wright about that.  I have seen the different ways people speak and how big of an impact it has on society.

Language Autobiography:

Language Autobiography
Merrik Saunders

I am about the worst speller you will ever meet.  I can mess up the simplest words or the hardest words.  Any way I try, I can’t get it.  If I ask you how to spell something they’ll just say back sound it out.  Ok I’ll sound it out.  Now I spell the word wrong and the teacher would get angry with me.  When I was younger nobody would tell me how to spell a word.  They would tell me to look it up or sound it out.  Seeing that I can’t spell, none of that will help me out.

Well first thing’s first, this is a sentence from my fifth grade paper and what happens when people see it.  “My faverit tipe of wepons are sords and dagers.  I lik the older wons becas they put mor mening and art into it.”  Dang it I did it again.  The teacher told me to sound the words out and I got this.  Now proof time, kids pass around your stories.  Of course the teacher picks me to go first.  I pass it to some one and they try to read it.  “I can’t read this,” the kid said.  Then he passed it up to the teacher.  She began to read over it.  “Merrik this is terrible!  This spelling is just atrocious,” the teacher said.  Instead of yelling at me why didn’t the teacher try and help me out.  The English language has a lot of tricks and imperfections.  Some people might pronounce other things differently.  Sounding out a word could actually change some of the sounds.  There are still disputes about the sound of a word.  Words like water, tomato, potato, and bagel.  Even just stressing one letter could mess up the whole word. Another thing is that limited spelling could not always get the point across.  What I mean by that is having to switch a word you don’t know for another.  I was sending a email and this is what it said “Alright thanks for your help with the stuff (what was supposed to be hear instead of stuff is the word supplies but since I was younger I didn’t know how to spell it).  One of the minor examples of this scenario.  This was before spell check was good.  But people will not understand the full existent of what a person is trying to say if they have to keep on switching words around.  Angry is a good word but it doesn’t mean the same as furious.

One of the things that I really don’t get is the silent letters.  One of the reasons I believe I spell bad is that there are a lot of unpronounced words.  Things like sword and island.  No body says sword they say sord.  The only thing wrong with sord is it’s missing the w.  There are so many words that have random letters that don’t really need to be there.  How is any one going to spell right with all these hidden letters.  Back when I had real trouble with this I decided to try and say everything how it’s spelled.  In 6th grade is when I tried it.  When a teacher and I were just talking about how life was.  “How are you Merrik,” the teacher said.

“I’m good.  Just a bit tired”
“Not much sleep?”
“Yeah I couldn’t sleep last night”(at this moment I said night pronouncing the gh)
“What? You didn’t say it right”
Then I explained what I was trying to do.  That was the first person I tried it out on.  I knew that most people wouldn’t get what I was saying.  Only like one or two people got it right away.
        Now it gets to more why this matters to me.  One of the ways to communicate is to write.  You won’t see the person or see their expressions for what they write on the paper.  If there are a bunch of spelling mistakes what would they think of the person who wrote it?  It couldn’t be a good assumption especially for something important like a job or school.  I used to get made fun of because I couldn’t spell.  It wasn’t the craziest thing but still didn’t mean I like it.  I could be the best at what I do but if on the application has a bunch of spelling and grammar mistakes on it my chances of getting it could be lowered.  This paper alone I’ve spelled a lot of the words wrong.  This to most people is just a small thing but in the back of ones mind it could tip the scales just enough to change the outcome.
        The spelling has gotten much better but it still is a struggle some of the time.  I’ll just have to work harder than most people.  I am really thankful for spell check.  I don’t think this paper would have been even close to correct spelling without it.  Hopefully I just get better with practice.  Well that’s the story of the bad speller.

LangAutoSaraNesbitt2011

Introduction:

            During our language unit in Mr. Block’s class, we were asked to write a language autobiography about ourselves. I really enjoyed this assignment because it was personal, and I knew that everyone’s would be different. My process was very simple, edit, revise, and edit again. I might have written 3-4 rough drafts before my final product. I wanted my paper to incorporate outside sources, but still connect to myself.  I am very happy with my final product, and I enjoyed writing this autobiography and this unit.

Strengths: I think that I did really well with editing and revising my paper. I worked really hard to get it to where it is. I was also good at managing my time, and knowing that to work to my full potential, I needed that extra day to work.

Weaknesses: I had a hard time starting with my paper, and having it make sense. I had many ideas that I wanted to write about, but I had a hard time making them all connect.

 This assignment didn’t necessarily teach me, but made me realize how important language is, and having your own unique language/voice. It made me realize that individualism and identity are extremely important, especially in growing up. Learning who you are, and making a difference with your language is key to changing the world. If you get people to listen, it’s all yours. 



Essay: 

I am, many unique languages. Do I speak more than one? No. Do I speak with a different dialect? Yes. I speak, think, and execute my language differently than anyone else. My language is who I am, and I am my language. I speak differently all the time, depending on whom I’m talking to. It’s called code switching. I speak differently to an adult, than I do to my little cousin. But I also have my own dialect that no one else has, and my own accent. Everyone has their own language, which makes them have a unique identity.

Language is such a key tool in life. Society has a certain speech called “standard language” that is the only “proper” and “acceptable” way to speak and write. That’s what society thinks anyways. My idea of language is whatever you speak. If you’re from Arkansas Philadelphia, New York, anywhere! Be who you are. There was a video Mr. Block let us watch. It was all about different tongues and how people speak. I thought it was so interesting seeing how people talk around the country. But it made me sad that some people were made fun of, or discriminated against because of their accent. We all have accents. Some of us speak slower, some faster. But were all humans and we’re all irreplaceable. I strongly believe that language makes the person you are.

We read 4 essays in Mr. Block’s class and they were all about peoples’ stories about their language background. There was one that really stood out to me. It was about a girl who spoke Standard English in front of others, but at home spoke a different kind of English with her mother. Her mother didn’t quite speak English in full sentences, but spoke broken English. Her mother was very rich though, and was involved with big companies, and big business men. Her mother had to talk on the phone with them a lot, but she made adjustments because of her broken English. Her mother would say what she wanted to say, and then she would rearrange the words in a more proper dialect to the businessman on the phone. This goes back to code switching that I mentioned previously. She was a speaker, and a daughter in her home. She had two different dialects worth comprehending, and she was still herself when speaking two different ways.

If you would ask someone about me, you would get completely different answers with different people. My parents find me with an “attitude”, like all parents do. People who don’t know me well think I am quiet and don’t talk much, and my friends think I’m loud and crazy. This is because I have different dialect with everyone, and sometimes I don’t even notice it.

I have few distinct words that I say all the time, like “yeah buddy” and “kudos”. These are just random words I say to mean “good job”, and it puts a smile on everyone’s face. For example, last week I went to a play. The curtains closed, and the lights slowly got brighter. The crowd was all standing, clapping, and cheering. The play was once in a lifetime, spectacular. I saw “RENT” with my friends Maura and Caitlin in New York on Sunday. After the play was over, we rushed out of the theatre, pushing each other up the steps, while having our markers and papers out. The doors barge open, it was bitter and cold outside, but our warm hearts and bright energy lit up the night skies. We waited in line for about 10 minutes, until the stars from the play came outside. There was a burst of happiness when they walked outside, and you could see it with the massive smiles on all of our faces. “AHHHH” said Maura. We were all screaming and jumping around. “What’s up” said Matt Shingledecker from the play. I stuttered to ask him for his autograph, but he understood. We also took a picture with him. In that blissful moment, we all looked at each other, huddled around, and screamed “YEAHBUDDY”. On the car ride home, it was dead silent. Every one just looked out there window, replaying the breathtaking moments in our heads.

Something I have struggled with overtime though is speaking my mind and standing up for myself/others. Like I stated before, your specific language expresses your identity. If someone says something that I don’t agree with I don’t say anything, because I don’t have the confidence. In previous years like middle school, it was extremely small. It was easier to be yourself because there weren’t many people and everyone knew each other. I loved the younger children, and every recess I spent time with them. I remember coming into school and saying hey to my friends, but then a little girl Lily would run up to me every morning. “SARA! Will you play house with me?”  “Sure Lily, I’d love to.” I would reply laughing. Every morning I would play with her and the other kindergarteners. It was something different everyday like hopscotch, house, garden, and monkey in the middle. I loved brightening up their days just because a “big kid” cared about them. On the playground, I would also see some bullying occurring. That’s when I would stand up for whomever was getting picked on. I found out who I was through that, and quickly was rewarded for it when I received the William Penn award at my graduation.

 I believe that your language comes from the confidence you have in yourself. For example, if you have a strong bold personality, you don’t care what anyone thinks, and you say what you believe at all times you have confidence in yourself. That’s something I have worked on over the years, and I hope when I get older, I’ll have the confidence to express my true identity. Language is through finding your voice. Throughout high school, and the rest of my life I will continue to express myself and find my voice. I will be Sara Nesbitt. Who is that? It’s a girl with a Philly accent, code switches all the time, and believes in herself. Language is me, and I am my language.






Video link! :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou2QUnKsBGs  

E2. U3.miniproyecto aeddy

Design: 15

Knowledge: 20

Application:15

Presentation:15

Process: 15

 

Over all: 80

 

My strengths were having baby pictures because that was me before and I know what I liked back then (plus I thought they were cute pictures!). Since I know myself back then I can explain my pink princess style better than ever.

 

My weakness is definitely not having pictures from now and day and my vocabulary I had trouble with pearls and ruffles and sleek N shiny. If I actually had pictures that were recent I would of used them. Also I’m not too familiar with ALL of the fashion terms to use. Also it’s difficult to expand the Spanish style vocabulary but I’m going to try harder next time.

 

If I could do this project all over again I would probably try to take good pictures of myself to have a more recent feel to it. Also I would talk more about if I liked the outfits I was wearing and why or why not. I would probably have some quiet calm song in the back round but when I change to modern day I would put rock music on.

Language Autobiography


Introduction/Reflection:

I enjoyed this project because I was able to use personal experiences to write it as apposed to having to research to find evidence of my point of view. This essay was much easier to write then those I've done in the past. I think I was able to put together a very solid idea in my language autobiography. I talked about how each person has a specific view of the world, and this view is influenced by the language(s) that they speak. The area's that I struggled in this essay were the descriptive scenes. Both were memories from a long time ago, so it was hard to remember the specific details. Despite this, I was able to remember the details well enough to get the point across. I enjoyed this project because it is a more personal essay, I feel directly connected to the subject so this essay has a lot of meaning for me.


Language Autobiography

The human race is a way for the universe to examine and understand itself. We are all made from small things put together in the center of stars, so the previous statement is a fact. Through this perspective, language becomes much more important and exciting than the trivial everyday occurrence that we usually perceive it to be. Language is a way for us to describe our existence and reality; it is our way of expressing our analysis of the universe and ourselves. However, the human race – like the rest of the universe – is a very complicated and diverse thing. From this we get many languages and dialects within each language, the way we speak is as unique as each individual’s view of the world.

The profound nature of different dialects and points of view is most easily seen when examining two ways of speaking that sound the same to a foreigner, but totally different on the ears of two native speakers. For example, Southern American English (Florida) as opposed Northern American English (Philadelphia).

A few years ago, my sister, my mom, my grandfather and I all went to Florida to visit and learn about my grandfather’s past. While there we went through the daily life of the average person from Florida, we ate their food and drank their sweet tea, we visited their neighborhoods, and we learned about their lives. Their speech was slow and intentional. In the beginning when we left the airport, conversation would have my sister and I exchanging silent looks of amusement. But towards the end, when we had been dipped fully into the culture, we understood everyone perfectly. When we finally left, we practiced our “cowboy” accent saying “Let’s git sum sweet tea” and “Hurrey up, the plane’s ‘bout to leave”. We’d adapted to a viewpoint and lifestyle that we mocked before finally accepting.

By being immersed in the culture, we understood the local dialect. We understood the concerns and lives of the people, so we could speak English from their perspective. We saw the universe from their perspective.

There are more obvious ways to see the diversity of language. For examples,  just look around the world. There are roughly 6,500 individually named languages in the world. Many of these have subgroups, such as the Northern and Southern American English examples above. Each of these languages describes a viewpoint and a need of a particular group of people, learning these languages exposes you to the culture of the region. Being multilingual turns people into bridges that cultures can cross and mix together.

Two years ago I went on a trip to Kenya with my Family. We went to expose ourselves to the culture, and while we were there our bridge into their culture was my mother’s cousin and her family. Stepping off of the plane into Kenya was our first of many unforgettable experiences; tired and aching we got off the plane to see an angry looking guard in a green beret waving around a large shinny gun and telling us to “Kindly proceed towards the doorway”.

Many of the Native Kenyans spoke English like they were sucking on a lemon. Their lips pursed and eyes squinting. As if the sound in their mouth tasted funny to them.

This awkwardness comes from being forced into another language to accommodate newcomers. Each person belongs to a specific tribe within the country. To speak to each other, they learn Swahili. To speak to outsiders, they learn British English. The result is a unique accent from almost everybody.
          My little cousin Liam is a perfect example. When he first walked up to me and talked, all I could respond with at first was a blank look. As time went on, our conversations went like this. “James luk at these shells I got” Looking over, I would see the shell he’d brought over proudly from the beach to show me. “That’s really cool” I would say, “show me where you found it”. We would then run down to the beach to see his latest discovery.
          Liam’s particular accent came from learning British English in school, learning Swahili from his friends, and learning American English at home. His way if seeing the world was unique in some way from everyone else around him because he spoke in such a completely different way.
          Language is a very personal thing. People may have similarities. The things they say may have the same name. But your language makes you who you are, it shapes you in the same way that your experiences in life do. Your perspective on life and the universe is unique, so your language has to be too. Your Language can be given any name; some people might give it a name like “English” or “Swahili” but these names can only partially describe the way you speak. Your language is the lens through which you see the world, and no lens can be exactly the same.

Language Autobiography = Beyond Translating

Introduction and Reflection:

What are you looking at? This is my mindset, my thoughts, my whole life. Evere since I went to school, I became a teacher, translator, and interpreter to my family. This autobiography shows it perfectly because it shows bits of what I grew up into. It shows how I didn't care about translating for my family but I grew into it and now I love every time they call me over to translate. 

I have to say that this was the best work I've done this year because it was not only about my life but I got this adrenaline to show people what I am capable of, that I have another life outside of school, and that I know more then you think. I would think that my strong areas are my scenes and how I started my language autobiography. I had fun writing my scenes because I love talking about how I help my family because I am proud of myself and my family. The beginning was easy due to the first benchmark project we did: descriptive essay. I learned to not start of my paper with a cheesy introduction. I started off with a scene and then added it to the introduction below it. I struggled with my reflection because I had so much to say but there are so few words to describe it with. This is a feeling hat I can never describe. That's how amazing it is. I've learned that what I do is not necessarily a common thing and that putting it on paper makes me feel proud and happy of what I can do. Writing this autobiography was a blast.


Language Autobiography:

“Is that all Mrs. Hong Tran?”

“Yes. That’s all. Is the card set up and everything?”

“Yes, all you have to do is remove the sticker, sign the back, and… well have a nice day, Mrs. To.”

“Thank you, you too! Bye bye!”

Turns over to mommy. “Everything is done. Just sign the back and you can use it.

“Okay, thank you noi noi [daughter].

 

            You heard right, the lady on the phone called me, “Hong Tran”, my mom’s name, but that’s no big deal because I am also: Duc To, the Parents/Guardian of Cynthia To, Kevin To, and Tina To, Care takers of my grandparents and my aunt, and lastly the translator for mostly everyone in my family. But like I said, it’s no big deal. I teach pronunciations, new words, translated words, formal words in Cantonese, Di-jew, English, Vietnamese, Hak-ka, and a little bit of Mandarin.

         Have you ever seen a fifteen-year-old Chinese/Vietnamese/ Cantonese/Di-jew/Hak-ka to English translator? You probably haven’t. There are a lot of people like me out there but they probably haven’t realized the things I realized. They probably take advantage of how much they actually can help them. I used to hate translating for my family but there’s one thing, the most important thing, I’ve realized. Besides giving my family all of the love I possibly can, I can use my knowledge and languages to help them translate.

Ever since I could talk, I was assigned the role of translator in my family. Every time I go over to my grandparent’s house, I am a Di-jew to Cantonese translator for my grandma and grandpa. I always thought this was a tedious job because of all of the exercise and out-of-breath moments I got. And…well, I was watching TV whenever they needed me and I didn’t want to miss anything; but it’s my grandparents and what they say rules out anything you need and have to do.

“WAYE MAYE! Lai LA! [Ellen come here!]” Screams my little old grandma hoping that her scream will reach the second floor bedroom.

“San ma, buh see me? [Respectfully: Grandma, what is it that you need?]” I say as I approach her on the kitchen floor chopping herbs.

“ Gere ah gong kuh boy chai [Go tell grandpa to go buy some cabbage]”

“Awh [Okay]” As I run to the basement to where my grandpa is.

“Ah gong gong, a ma yew gong gong huh mai sang choy [Grandpa, grandma wants you to go buy some cabbage]”

“Awh [Okay]” he says as he puts away his tailoring items.

          I swiftly make my way back upstairs to the second floor to my TV.


         A few years later I was given the honor of another TV interruption and an excuse to be yelled at! I became my family’s credit card/letter/phone call translator. The first couple of times, I was the most formal 8 years old you could talk too. Now, as seen in the beginning I’ve lost some of my formal touch because of the aging and because I’ve heard the same thing over and over again. Its starts with the last four digits of the social security number, then back of the credit card, then an annoying questionnaire from a person in another state a bazillion miles away, then the end of the phone call, hopefully. If not, then there are more advertisements from protecting your card to the wondrous terms and conditions.


        As I got older, my parents thought of me as their Vietnamese/Cantonese/Di-jew dictionary. They would give me one word and then spell it of told them what it meant. I thought this was the reason for why I thought I knew almost everything. But it’s not because I’m still learning every day. Nevertheless if my parents can’t say the easiest words right, they go to me or I’ll just correct them. One word…well letter is “H”. That darned letter has made people have giggly faces as my parents tried to spell words with the cursed letter. It’s not only the letter “H”, it’s words that they’ve only heard and never used without running it through to me. My dad brought up a good point. A point so good that it kept me thinking for a while where all of the other weird words my family says like: hay-ch for the letter h, im-pol-lie for impolite, gar-rahe for garage and so much more. I’ve grown into these words thinking they were real and usable but they weren’t. They were only to the “fresh off the boat” people because that’s the slang they spoke. I remember then one time in the car when I was singing to my sister while we were getting gas and this is what happen…our belly busting laughs as a family…

Yellow diamonds in the light, now we’re standing side by sideeeeeee, as your shadow crosses mines, what it takes to come a aliveeee-uhh-iveeeeee-ee” And right when I was trying to start the second verse, my dad says to the gas station guy as he handing us the receipt and credit card: “Thank you, I a-per-shit-tated it.”
      
 In that moment, the whole car sent out laughs of every one but my dad. He didn’t get it. He just sat there with a confused face looking the passenger seat and myself to explain to him what he did wrong. He quickly asked in Cantonese:
       “What’s the matter with you guys? All I said was I a-per-shit-tated it!”

“No daddy, its not what you said, its how you said it. You can’t say it like that. Here, say it with me: Uh-pre-she-ate-it, got it?”

          “Ohhh, ohhh I a-per-shit-tated it”
          “NO NO NO! UH”
           “UH”
          “Pre”

“Pee” (This is where that little crease between his eye brows starts to form and he starts to      yell…well talk loudly.)

          ten minutes later
          “…You’re hopeless daddy!”


      Usually when teaching my parents a new word, they get excited and verse each other in the amount of English words they know but this time my mom seemed to be winning this fight. My dad, unhappy with this loss started saying how he tells people at his job all the time that he “a-per-shit-tates” them and they understand it. What’s so hard with hearing it a little differently?


     There was this one time that didn’t happen too long ago or is it that my memory is getting better? It was the day that I realized my dad and mom work so hard for the money they earn and I just use it like it’s nothing.


      It was a cold winter morning when I woke up before the sun with my dad. We left the house while it was still pitch black out. We talked about how he always had to wake up so early and go to work every Sunday. I went with him on this Sunday because I was volunteering at the marathon but that’s not important. What was important happened after the marathon when I walked to the Wholes Food: Sushi Department. When I got there, I greeted every one of my co-workers and stood at the entrance watching my dad work and shred through the salmon, seaweed, and rice with his hands and a sushi blade. While he is doing that a customer walks up to the counter and starts asking my dad questions. PANIC MODE.

“Excuse me? What’s the difference in these two rolls?” She says as she gestures to the Dragon roll and the Spider roll.

“Daddy, kueh yew gee gaw long gah roll yow meh yeah yup been ah…[Daddy, she wants to know what it in each roll.] I say quickly and quietly as he walks towards her.

“I know, noi noi.” He said all confidently.

“Oh…okay daddy” That’s when I realized that my parents are in their everyday job and they don’t need me to defend them here.

“The dragon roll inside eel, cucumber. Outside is avocado. On top avocado. And spider roll outside have masago. Inside has soft-shell crab, snow crab, and avocado.” He says with an accent.

Then my dad walks back with a satisfied face and says: “Gnaw sick gnaw jogan meh yeah! A yah noi noi.[I know what I am doing and saying, daughter. Oh gosh daughter.”



     Nevertheless, that’s one memory that I will most likely have me questioning the fact that my parents don’t need me as a translator as much as I thought they do as the years pass by. It’s a saddening thought that keeps getting bigger and bigger but I guess I’ll get easier as I write it on paper? I hope so. Just the thought of losing the one thing that I have done to help them so much is heart breaking because they’ve done so much for me and for me to lose that role is like losing a lifetime job.

         It’s a relationship I’ve built with arguments, laughs, disappointments, happiness, and father-mother-daughter-little sister moments. Something I don’t want to lose. That is the biggest role and thing I can give back to my family. They raised me to who I am today and I wouldn’t want it any different. I just wish I could go back to the several months and take the disrespect I gave them back. This role in my life gives me the power to show my parents that they raised some one who they can depend on for anything. I want my parents to be proud of me and tell people that I do so much for them as I do for them. I brag about my parents all of the time because they are the best people you could ever ave in your life. The people, memories, and family in my life are irreplaceable. These memories will forever stay in my mind and will keep growing as long as I know who I am. I am the translator, dictionary, and Ellen Vi To of the family.

Digital Story:



Language Autobiography

I: Introduction & Reflection:

The task was to explore the complexity of language in one's own life. For myself, I discussed the two languages I am most familiar with and my dislike for the English language, my primary language. I took out of this that language causes barriers and more differences for people to be judged. I realized America may not be able to make two to three mandatory language classes because it's a melting pot of cultures and languages itself. But, I know America has limited it's horizons by having English as it's primary language. By having one language, that forcers people conform to that one language and being able to get around and get the necessity one needs.

II: The Autobiography

English is usually the first language of all citizens in the United States if their parents’ only language is English. The language is the primary spoken in the U.S. and it’s taken a lot of it’s content from the West Germanic Language. Although the States is a melting pot of cultures, it’s still key to know English.

With that said, it’s widely taught in schools around the world. But this isn’t the same for schools in the U.S. boundaries. Excluding bilingual oriented schools, which there aren’t many of and have private school tuition, English is a mandatory class through out any person’s schooling career. It’s been scientifically proven that the language that’s introduced to kids from ages one to three, is going to be their first language. It’s intriguing that the U.S. hasn’t taken that into consideration being that other countries teach one or two other languages in their schools. It is because the States don’t have a unified culture? Maybe, maybe not.

         For myself, the English is a boring, bland language. I’ve been speaking it my whole life and I’ve just realized my dislike for my native language. Around the middle of my sophomore year. There is no specific reason I can pinpoint, but it’s a different aspect of the language I’ve gotten in upon my entry of high school. With my aversion to English, I’ve looked into two different languages along with their cultures, German and a general perspective on Spanish.

         Through my experiences in Spanish, it didn’t entice me until I learned about it in high school. But, in the times of my previous Spanish exploration, learning about the language didn’t help with remiss teachers. Once I came to enjoy German, my distaste for my first language started to take root.

         Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, ocho, nueve, deiz. That’s all I learned in kindergarten. Then in a different school, first through second, I learned French. Till this day I only thing I can remember are the numbers. Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix. That was it from that language. After that, from third to sixth grade it was a dormant stage in my life of not learning any type of language. The school I had attended didn’t have an adequate foreign language program, so at my expense, I didn’t learn anything.

         Going to another school, for sixth grade, I picked up Spanish again. I was taught out of purple books that had supposed Hispanic aliens, with no parents traveling with them on earth. Befuddled at the sight, I had to maneuver my way of trying to understand the lesson in such a strange book. My first, of the four main teachers I had, was the most influential. She made the class memorize verses to try to retain the new language. I never successfully memorized it, but my peers did. My excuse was that I was new.

She lasted three to five months. After that, my class had different substitutes teaching us the same material over and over again. Then a Peruvian native replaced the original teacher. Upon her joining our class, she taught us the same things again, then started correcting the purple book I had became so familiar with. My peers and I suffered from her lack of knowledge how to teach her native language. By the end of the year, she was in danger of being deported. After that, Spanish became a rant session for her. About all her problems. My sixth grade year of Spanish: FAIL.

The teacher I had for seventh grade only taught the children she favored in the class. Which was one girl, who could already understand Spanish, so again the whole class suffered. My seventh grade year of “Hispanic lingo”: FAIL.

With yet another different teacher in eighth grade, she taught us the same material that we had been learning our whole middle school careers. My eighth grade year of Spanish: FAIL. After all of those experience, it’s surprised to say, this all happened in a private school.

         Upon entering highschool, I was placed in Spanish 2. I thought I had been put into the wrong class, but I was in the right place. I thought I would’ve had been able to handle the course, but the fruits of my efforts caused me to get “A’s” all quarters. Even with those “A’s”, I didn’t retain any of the information I was taught. My Hispanic friends became my “teachers” and that’s how I know the Spanish I know now, other than learning on the Internet.

In the beginning of Sophomore year, my friend began to teach me German. I wasn’t interested in it at the time, but it began to grow on me. Once I realized I liked German, I began to learn and started yet another online course. Ein, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sech, siebe, acht, nuen, zehn…  My friend would test me on the days of the weeks, “Donnerstag,” she’d say. “It’s Thursday,” I’d respond correctly. And so… “Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch,” she’d test me. “Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.”

When I began to engage myself in German language, I began to dislike English. I felt English was dull. I had dove into the German and Spanish cultures, and to me, it seemed so much more interesting than the absent culture that English and America, as a whole has, since it’s a melting pot of many different people from all over the world.

Language Autobiography

Introduction . 
​I when i was working on this Autobiography the part i struggled with was when i need to make a plan for it i didn't really remember much about when i code switched to fit the time but then as i thought of it more and tried to remember times that i would switch to blend into the environment. the easy part was when i first started the Autobiography and then i knew were i wanted to go with it.

Autobiography
    The way that we are required to code switch from one dialect/language to another from standard English to an informal way of speaking like when I'm playing games Online with people I talk in Texttalk like “wtf”, and “lol”. But if I were sending an email I would type in full sentences. If I’m in an interview, then I would talk formally or if I'm with an adult that I know get angry if I don’t use Standard English when they’re talking to me in a formal manner. But with people I consider friends then I joke around with them when I talk with them. Most of the time when I just meet some one, I will speak with them formally until I get to know them and their personality.

Then I will code switch to see what type of tone I can talk with them in so they don’t get offended. Some times I find that it is easier to all ways talk formal new people I meet but I don't want them to think I'm not enthusiastic when their talking informal. When I go to a new place I don’t talk much but when I’m where I usually stay I talk a lot. The way that I speak changes with the setting that I find myself in. but now that I'm getting more comfortable about talking in public.  Now I still don’t talk much but I still don’t talk much. I think it is because I don’t want sound stupid that is why I don’t talk unless I’m asked a question then I talk to them but at first I just stay and lesson to the way they act then I know if I can just say any thing around them.

    I would never talk to people if it weren’t for my brother Ed. When he first introduced me to his friends I was shy and didn’t want to talk. But when I meet his friend Lonnie he made it clear that I was not just going to sit there. He in colluded me in all of the activities like playing “super smash bros brawl”. When I first met him I was really quite and Lonnie's mom nicknamed me shadow because I never talked and I just stayed behind my brother.
    Another time I code switched was when I was shadowing at SLA. I shadowed my brother so all his friends were trying to make me come out of my shell and talk more. But I was to shy because I was in a new zone. Also it was too unfamiliar to me event though I was with someone I know I just couldn’t bring my self to talk. Event when I would just tell people my name I would sturdier and mess up.

A time I need to code switch to be accepted was at my SLA interview. I was very respect full to the people that were interviewing me event though I was scared and shy. I code switched to make it sound as if I was not scared.   And I answer all the questions to the best of my power. Also made it clear on what I was saying to them.

When I’m talking at home I use informal words but if my mom or dad would talk to me I would auto atuomatly switch to not show any disrespect.

Now that I am growing up I am learning that you need to code switch so you can get a job or get accepted to a school. Although it may be hard for some people to code switch. Now that I have been through so many different times that I have needed to change the way I talk to be accepted by the people around with out being scorn. With that sad looks like the different code for each accession.

That is how I use code switching to one dialect/language to another just so you can have an easier time getting a job. That is why I have tried to master code switching so that I can change it at any time to fit any time or setting. That is why I will talk formally with them until I get to know them and their personality


Language Autobiography

Introduction/Reflection~ Starting off with this I was totally clueless as to what i wanted to write about. i felt this was pointless but at the end of the day it had to be done. I never really took language into depth. I just made it out as oh you talk this way, but language really can and does impact your life. I wrote on how i was a very shy person and didn't like to talk much. it was more of in certain areas i could speak out when i felt necessary and some places i would remain quiet. 

Final

As a young boy I grew up in a home where we had our own type of dialect as with which we communicated amongst each other. In my family we would tend to make smart remarks or comments to one another, but in a harmless, just messing with you type of way. For example I would say “Is today Tuesday?” and my mother would reply with “No Brent its Thursday in a sarcastic voice, that was a casual occurrence in my household, where we could make fun of each other without hurting someones feelings or coming off disrespectful, but in school, it was a totally different story. I was a quiet mouse in a big room of people just waiting for the class to end. I was very shy when I was younger and didn’t like to talk much. Around 3rd grade I felt things were difficult.

Whenever the teacher would ask a question I’d never put my hand up because I was afraid. I would think to myself, what if I know it but the words come out wrong, what if I just have no clue as to what I’d be talking about? I remember were taking a class in math when she handed me the quiz I felt like I didn’t know any of the answers. I wasn’t confident with my work and I felt intimidated that if I got the answers wrong the teacher would be upset with me or would think of me as dumb. After the quiz she would have us go over it in class. she read out the first question “ If john has 18 gumballs and he splits all of them with his 3 friends how many will each friend receive?” she looked across the room as everyone was dead silent.

I tried to not make eye contact thinking that she would possibly not notice me. She said “How about you Brent?” All my classmates simultaneously turned their heads around to look at me. I looked down in despair. “Come on Brent just try it out” I would always get nervous when she asked a question and began to stutter or mumble my words. “Si-si-six I said in a low toned voice. “What was that Brent?” I thought i had the wrong answer because she asked to repeat myself”  My voice got even lower “Si-si-six” she still couldn’t hear me but picked on a classmate. “Six” one of my classmates said. I thought in my head i was right, but i stayed quiet. after she finished going over the test it was time to leave.

As I rapidly packed up my things and put 1 foot out the door. She squalled my name “BRENT” the echoes traveled all throughout the room which made it even louder. I turned around and she said “Come here for a moment please” “Brent you should really start speaking more clearly, your a very smart boy but your so quiet that you make it out as if you don’t know anything” I looked down at my shoes and said “I’m sorry Ms. Nachman” she said “ There’s nothing to be sorry about Brent. You’re very smart you just need to show it” “I want you to take this note home to your mother”. “ I said okay” and went onto lunch. Progressing I arrive home and my mom is already there. She greets me with a warm “Hi Brent” Then gives me this look that pierced right through me. “what’s that on your shirt” “It’s a note about how I’m such an amazing student mom…” “Don’t joke with me Brent… give it here” She snags the note from off my shirt and began to read. “Brent you’re the loudest one in this house so what’s up with this quietness in class?” “I just get nervous in class”. She bursted out laughing and said in a tiny southern accent that an average person would most likely not notice she said “ What duh helll !? You’re pulling my leg right?. “Does it look like I’m pulling your leg?” “Shush brent.. whatever the case may be you need to fix this.” I told her “fine” and went onto my room.

After talking with my mom and going to school the next day I still remained quiet.. I was still nervous to answer. I did happen to become more talkative outside of class with my friends at lunch on the playground etc.. In class I still felt the need to be that quiet little mouse. You could relate my story to tongue-tied in a way. It may not have been that my first language was something totally different than what I was being taught in school but the fact that I was unable to really voice myself due to my insecurities and emotions. I felt I would be judged, criticized, laughed at for being myself. I praised the phrase “Be seen not heard” as if it was a religion all my own. Just being there was good enough, My voice didn’t need to be heard I just needed to take the characteristics of a chameleon and blend in. In a way I had two sides of me that switches depending on where I am and who I’m with. I tend to be shy when I feel intimidated and when I’m comfortable with someone I can act naturally. In a way it’s like my own defense mechanism that I think every human being comes with.

Quarter 1 Not Q2 BM

Rick Kinard

English 12: Sexuality & Society in Literature

Quarter 1 BM-Research Design

Plan of Action How-To



Thesis: The environment that one grows up in has an affect on one’s sexual orientation.


What thesis-related questions to study? 

  • What is sexual orientation?
  • How is sexual orientation determined?
  • Can one change their sexual orientation? Why/why not?
  • Is homosexuality a mental disorder ?
  • Is homosexuality passed down through genetics 
  • What causes homosexuality?





What data might be relevant to collect? (link to sources in your AB in this section, if applicable)

  • Statistic/survey linking child abuse and sexuality
  • Statistic/survey linking sexuality of parents and children
  • Statistic/survey linking homosexuality sexuality of identical twins
  • Research done on brain function of homosexuals
  • Research done on genetic of homosexuals compared to heterosexual 
  • Research done on the causes of sexual orientation



How would I analyze the results?


I believe the environment and lifestyle one lives has a impact on their sexual orientation. If the from the data about brain functions show that homosexuals and a health heterosexual are similar, it will rule of the possibility of homosexuality being considered mental illness. If the research on genetics and the statistic/survey linking sexuality of parents and children show it now genetic, I can rule out the argument of it being a disorder passed down for parent to child. If the statistic/survey of homosexuality sexuality and identical twins don’t seem to show any trends it cans also rule out the genetics argument because identical twins has very similar biological make ups.


Boeree, George. "General Psychology Sexual Orientation." Sexual Orientation. N/A, N/A. Web. 1 Nov 2011. <http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/sexualorientation.html>.

 

This article is about biology and genetic and how a people behaviors are based off of them. It states that men with less testosterone tend to look and act somewhat more like women, and women with more testosterone than other women tend to look and act somewhat more like men. It also go on to say there is no direct link from testosterone to homosexuality. The helps support my topic because even though the genetic the genetic structure of a person my have some effect on a person’s sexual behavior it isn’t the cause of homosexuality.

 

Goldstein, Dora. "Biological basis of sexual orientation." stanford.edu. Stanford University, 03/10/95. Web. 1 Nov 2011. <http://news.stanford.edu/pr/95/950310Arc5328.html>.

 

This article’s information is mainly on puberty. Is stated a week before and after birth, testosterone has an irreversible organizing effect on the body and brain of males. If the hormone is absent during this period, the individuals’ anatomy and behavior never can become wholly male. Also, that during puberty males gets a surge of testosterone, which activates their male sexual development and behavior. This gives some hints that testosterone levels affect sexual behavior. This source and be use to support both nature and nurture arguments.

Hidalgo, Hilda. "Sexual Orientation." healthy minds. american psychological association, N/A. Web. 1 Nov 2011. <http://www.healthyminds.org/More-Info-For/GayLesbianBisexuals.asp&xgt;.

 

This document give some basic information of what sexual orientation is. It also lists some cause that is believed to effect ones sexuality. It states homosexuality was believed to be the result of troubled experiences or environment, and it is not a form of mental illness .The information I receive for this document I can use to introduce my topic and give general information on sexual orientation and how ones environment is believe to effect it.

 

Johnson, Ryan. "Homosexuality: Nature or Nurture." AllPsych Online. N/A, 4/30/03. Web. 1 Nov 2011. <http://allpsych.com/journal/homosexuality.html>.

There are statics identical twins in this document. I can use this because identical twins have very similar biological structures. If the both of them are the same sexual orientation there is a chance that the biological build has a part to play in their sexual orientation. If the studies show that identical twins have the same sexual orientation this could prove my idea wrong

 

Jones, Michael. "Nature vs. Nurture Debates Over Sexuality." Change.org. N/A, 10/05/08. Web. 1 Nov 2011. <http://news.change.org/stories/nature-vs-nurture-debates-over-sexuality>.

This article suggests that both the nature and the nurture have valid evidence on what can affect a child’s sexual orientation. It says proven Research suggests that the homosexual orientation is in place very early in the life cycle, possibly even before birth. Its also that suggest that nurture could be a cause homosexuality. Some causes are estranged relationships between gay children and their parents, allowing male children to play with dolls, not forming healthy same-sex bonds with peers as a toddler, and sexual abuse at a young age. 

 

Swidey, Niel. "What Makes People Gay?." Boston.com. Boston Global, 08/14/05. Web. 1 Nov 2011. <http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2005/08/14/what_makes_people_gay/>.

 

In this document there is information on childhood gender nonconformity. It is a child not being comfortable in his or her own body. In this one of a pair of twins is showing signs of childhood gender nonconformity. In this situation the mother is open minded and what’s her children to have freedom of expression and allow the behavior.  

 

Van Buskirk, James E. "Nature And Causes Of Homosexuality (Book)." Library Journal 106.21 (1981): 2321. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts. Web. 1 Nov. 2011.

 

These articles talk about one environment and sexuality. It says that a family of homosexuals it is more likely for a child to come out homosexual. It also states that some events and/or relationship with parents can influence a child's sexuality. This directly contributes to my idea that one environment influence ones sexuality.  


"sexual orientation and homosexuality." psychology.org. Australian psychological society, N/A. Web. 1 Nov 2011. <http://www.psychology.org.au/publications/tip_sheets/orientation/>.

 

This article rules out a popular belief that homosexuality is a choice. It states that ones sexual orientation is determined at a young age before there is any kind of sexual act. It shows how some were not comfortable with their homosexuality and tried to change it. In the end their homosexuality didn’t go away. I can use this to kill the argument that sexual orientation is choice when in the end leaves the arguments that it is either nurture or nature.



 




















Mi Estilo Personal: Español 2 Mini-Proyecto

​Estudiantes,

Favor de entregar el .flv video / URL público de Dropbox aquí en el blog.  

También, es necesario que escriban una reflexión acerca del proyecto en tu blog: 

What are you especially proud of with your finished project?
What was the hardest part of completing this project?
What would you do over again if you had the chance?
 


TAGS: estilo, español2, gierke, <tu username>, mini-proyecto, Q2

Q2 mini proyecto mamar-olkus

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/44589199/Q2%20mini%20proyecto.flv

1.What are you especially proud of with your finished project?
2.What was the hardest part of completing this project?
3.What would you do over again if you had the chance? 
 


1. I am proud of my descriptions and pronunciation.
2. The hardest part was making the descriptions have all the required vocab.
3. I would add more outfits.

Isaac Adlowitz Español Video

Yo llevé la sudadera rojo Aeropostale, los vaqueros Levi’s, y los zapatos de rayas Adidas. La ropa es muy cómoda y templada.



Yo llevé el suéter de rayas , la camisa de cuello azul y blanco, los vaqueros Levi’s , los zapatos Nike. Es la ropa profesional.

Yo llevé la  camiseta roja de los Phillies, la camisa de cuello de cuadros, los pantalones de ejercicio Adidas, y los zapatos azul Reebok ZigTechs. Es la ropa deportiva.

The Joy of Quiet By PICO IYER from the New York Times December 29, 2011

from the New York Times

December 29, 2011


The Joy of Quiet

By PICO IYER

ABOUT a year ago, I flew to Singapore to join the writer Malcolm Gladwell, the fashion designer Marc Ecko and the graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister in addressing a group of advertising people on “Marketing to the Child of Tomorrow.” Soon after I arrived, the chief executive of the agency that had invited us took me aside. What he was most interested in, he began — I braced myself for mention of some next-generation stealth campaign — was stillness.

A few months later, I read an interview with the perennially cutting-edge designer Philippe Starck. What allowed him to remain so consistently ahead of the curve? “I never read any magazines or watch TV,” he said, perhaps a little hyperbolically. “Nor do I go to cocktail parties, dinners or anything like that.” He lived outside conventional ideas, he implied, because “I live alone mostly, in the middle of nowhere.”

Around the same time, I noticed that those who part with $2,285 a night to stay in a cliff-top room at the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur pay partly for the privilege of not having a TV in their rooms; the future of travel, I’m reliably told, lies in “black-hole resorts,” which charge high prices precisely because you can’t get online in their rooms.

Has it really come to this?

In barely one generation we’ve moved from exulting in the time-saving devices that have so expanded our lives to trying to get away from them — often in order to make more time. The more ways we have to connect, the more many of us seem desperate to unplug. Like teenagers, we appear to have gone from knowing nothing about the world to knowing too much all but overnight.

Internet rescue camps in South Korea and China try to save kids addicted to the screen.

Writer friends of mine pay good money to get the Freedom software that enables them to disable (for up to eight hours) the very Internet connections that seemed so emancipating not long ago. Even Intel (of all companies) experimented in 2007 with conferring four uninterrupted hours of quiet time every Tuesday morning on 300 engineers and managers. (The average office worker today, researchers have found, enjoys no more than three minutes at a time at his or her desk without interruption.) During this period the workers were not allowed to use the phone or send e-mail, but simply had the chance to clear their heads and to hear themselves think. A majority of Intel’s trial group recommended that the policy be extended to others.

THE average American spends at least eight and a half hours a day in front of a screen, Nicholas Carr notes in his eye-opening book “The Shallows,” in part because the number of hours American adults spent online doubled between 2005 and 2009 (and the number of hours spent in front of a TV screen, often simultaneously, is also steadily increasing).

The average American teenager sends or receives 75 text messages a day, though one girl in Sacramento managed to handle an average of 10,000 every 24 hours for a month. Since luxury, as any economist will tell you, is a function of scarcity, the children of tomorrow, I heard myself tell the marketers in Singapore, will crave nothing more than freedom, if only for a short while, from all the blinking machines, streaming videos and scrolling headlines that leave them feeling empty and too full all at once.

The urgency of slowing down — to find the time and space to think — is nothing new, of course, and wiser souls have always reminded us that the more attention we pay to the moment, the less time and energy we have to place it in some larger context. “Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries,” the French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in the 17th century, “and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries.” He also famously remarked that all of man’s problems come from his inability to sit quietly in a room alone.

When telegraphs and trains brought in the idea that convenience was more important than content — and speedier means could make up for unimproved ends — Henry David Thoreau reminded us that “the man whose horse trots a mile in a minute does not carry the most important messages.” Even half a century ago, Marshall McLuhan, who came closer than most to seeing what was coming, warned, “When things come at you very fast, naturally you lose touch with yourself.” Thomas Merton struck a chord with millions, by not just noting that “Man was made for the highest activity, which is, in fact, his rest,” but by also acting on it, and stepping out of the rat race and into a Cistercian cloister.

Yet few of those voices can be heard these days, precisely because “breaking news” is coming through (perpetually) on CNN and Debbie is just posting images of her summer vacation and the phone is ringing. We barely have enough time to see how little time we have (most Web pages, researchers find, are visited for 10 seconds or less). And the more that floods in on us (the Kardashians, Obamacare, “Dancing with the Stars”), the less of ourselves we have to give to every snippet. All we notice is that the distinctions that used to guide and steady us — between Sunday and Monday, public and private, here and there — are gone.

We have more and more ways to communicate, as Thoreau noted, but less and less to say. Partly because we’re so busy communicating. And — as he might also have said — we’re rushing to meet so many deadlines that we hardly register that what we need most are lifelines.

So what to do? The central paradox of the machines that have made our lives so much brighter, quicker, longer and healthier is that they cannot teach us how to make the best use of them; the information revolution came without an instruction manual. All the data in the world cannot teach us how to sift through data; images don’t show us how to process images. The only way to do justice to our onscreen lives is by summoning exactly the emotional and moral clarity that can’t be found on any screen.

MAYBE that’s why more and more people I know, even if they have no religious commitment, seem to be turning to yoga, or meditation, or tai chi; these aren’t New Age fads so much as ways to connect with what could be called the wisdom of old age. Two journalist friends of mine observe an “Internet sabbath” every week, turning off their online connections from Friday night to Monday morning, so as to try to revive those ancient customs known as family meals and conversation. Finding myself at breakfast with a group of lawyers in Oxford four months ago, I noticed that all their talk was of sailing — or riding or bridge: anything that would allow them to get out of radio contact for a few hours.

Other friends try to go on long walks every Sunday, or to “forget” their cellphones at home. A series of tests in recent years has shown, Mr. Carr points out, that after spending time in quiet rural settings, subjects “exhibit greater attentiveness, stronger memory and generally improved cognition. Their brains become both calmer and sharper.” More than that, empathy, as well as deep thought, depends (as neuroscientists like Antonio Damasio have found) on neural processes that are “inherently slow.” The very ones our high-speed lives have little time for.

In my own case, I turn to eccentric and often extreme measures to try to keep my sanity and ensure that I have time to do nothing at all (which is the only time when I can see what I should be doing the rest of the time). I’ve yet to use a cellphone and I’ve never Tweeted or entered Facebook. I try not to go online till my day’s writing is finished, and I moved from Manhattan to rural Japan in part so I could more easily survive for long stretches entirely on foot, and every trip to the movies would be an event.

None of this is a matter of principle or asceticism; it’s just pure selfishness. Nothing makes me feel better — calmer, clearer and happier — than being in one place, absorbed in a book, a conversation, a piece of music. It’s actually something deeper than mere happiness: it’s joy, which the monk David Steindl-Rast describes as “that kind of happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens.”

It’s vital, of course, to stay in touch with the world, and to know what’s going on; I took pains this past year to make separate trips to Jerusalem and Hyderabad and Oman and St. Petersburg, to rural Arkansas and Thailand and the stricken nuclear plant in Fukushima and Dubai. But it’s only by having some distance from the world that you can see it whole, and understand what you should be doing with it.

For more than 20 years, therefore, I’ve been going several times a year — often for no longer than three days — to a Benedictine hermitage, 40 minutes down the road, as it happens, from the Post Ranch Inn. I don’t attend services when I’m there, and I’ve never meditated, there or anywhere; I just take walks and read and lose myself in the stillness, recalling that it’s only by stepping briefly away from my wife and bosses and friends that I’ll have anything useful to bring to them. The last time I was in the hermitage, three months ago, I happened to pass, on the monastery road, a youngish-looking man with a 3-year-old around his shoulders.

“You’re Pico, aren’t you?” the man said, and introduced himself as Larry; we’d met, I gathered, 19 years before, when he’d been living in the cloister as an assistant to one of the monks.

“What are you doing now?” I asked.

“I work for MTV. Down in L.A.”

We smiled. No words were necessary.

“I try to bring my kids here as often as I can,” he went on, as he looked out at the great blue expanse of the Pacific on one side of us, the high, brown hills of the Central Coast on the other. “My oldest son” — he pointed at a 7-year-old running along the deserted, radiant mountain road in front of his mother — “this is his third time.”

The child of tomorrow, I realized, may actually be ahead of us, in terms of sensing not what’s new, but what’s essential.



Fracking: Lobbying Blog Post #4

2009-12-01-ap-fracking-pa
2009-12-01-ap-fracking-pa


​​In order to communicate my issue and the message I want to spread, I specifically have to aim my efforts at my senator, my house representative, and my mayor in order for them to support my cause. Most of my effort and actions have come from EarthJustice, and their movement against fracking. Their goal is to find out a different route and their belief is that there is always a different approach other than fracking. They say that they are basically "Earth's good lawyer" and aim toward a better future for the Earth. They also have many other campaigns, not just fracking. The site has a whole page dedicated to giving you some ways and steps that you can take if you want to play a role. I've subrscibed to their site ever since the lobbying project started, and I get any new information and news on fracking. EarthJustice gave me many options in joining the movement against fracking. I've done the many things that EarthJustice has advocated for me to do. On their website, they even provide a citizen a tip guide and the appropriate steps you as a citizen can take.

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 As for me, I have done extensive research and attempted a few of the possible options provided to me.

-  EarthJustice urged citizens to build up alliances and demonstrate public support; get people power. On their website, EarthJustice asked members and non-members to sign a petition against fracking. The first thing I did was sign the public petition that would be aimed specifically at Tom Corbett and I even proceeded to share it on Facebook and Email. A great step is to spread the word, and I have shared it several times. Basically since many people are on Facebook a lot, a great way to spread the word would be through there. I also prepare to send out an email to all SLA students to sign the petition and join the movement in this easy, quick, simple way that may have a large impact. 


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 - I wasn't going to stop there. Instead of doing only what was provided to me on the website, I also made a petition of my own directed against fracking, and when the break is over, I prepare to get friends, family, and SLA to sign it. The more petitions, and the more people that sign it, the merrier. I even went on to go online and find many other petitions that I could sign such as Food&WaterWatch and many others.


- Also, I plan to call my senators about the movement and leave a message. I plan on covering the main points I want to convey, and many people have suggested using a script so that there are not many ums and uhs, so I have started writing the script. On top of that, you can use email, and that would be a good way to use the script to my advantage and ask people to send an email with the script pasted in. Also contacting my senator Christine Tartaglione would be a great idea on my part, so I found a website that I could contact her, put in my words/concerns, and hopefully get an answer I want to hear.


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In conclusion, my aim is to use petitions, emails, phone calls, and much more to convey the message. I may not have that much power, but in groups that power multiplies, and hopefully I can get many to join the cause and hopefully play a part. There are also many other ways that can get involved, and hopefully in time I can pursue those other actions.

Kurns v. RFP

Constitutional question:  Did the Supreme Court intend the Locomotive Inspection Act to preempt all state-law tort claims?

Facts of the case:

George Corson worked for almost 30 years for Railroad Friction Products as a mechanic repairing locomotives in a railroad maintenance facility.  During this time, he was routinely exposed to asbestos dust, which has long been known to be carcinogenic.  In 2005, he was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer, the only known cause of which is asbestos.  He filed a lawsuit against Railroad Friction Products in a Pennsylvania court, raising several state-law tort claims against the manufacturers and distributors of the asbestos-containing locomotive products.  Corson claimed that the products were defective and he had never been properly warned about the asbestos.  He died two years after his diagnosis.

In 1911, Congress passed the Boiler Inspection Act, which over time has involved into the Locomotive Inspection Act in place currently.  The Locomotive Inspection Act addresses matters of safety and liability concerning trains and railroads.

In 1926, the Supreme Court ruled on Napier v. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad that the Boiler Inspection Act did preempt state laws.


Arguments before the court:

            Railroad Friction Products argues that the Locomotive Inspection Act was supposed to preempt state laws, and Pennsylvania’s laws are intruding on a field that Congress has reserved for federal regulation.  Kurns contends that Congress did not clearly intend to preempt state laws, and that in any case, the LIA only addresses locomotives “in use” on railroad lines, not locomotives at maintenance facilities.  Furthermore, she argues, if the LIA did preempt state laws, workers like Corson would have no way to seek justice.


Prediction:

            I predict that the court will rule that the LIA does preempt state laws.  They have ruled this way in the past, and from the transcripts I read, it seems that most of the people involved seem to think agree that the LIA preempts state laws.  In fact, it might not be possible for RFP to comply with both state and federal laws, and when there is such a conflict, it seems natural for federal laws to “beat” state laws.