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For my final blog post, I wanted to actually contact my representative Dwight Evans. I wanted to see what his plans are to reduce violence in Philly and introduce some of my plans to him. I also wanted to attend one of his events/ try to help him with his attempts to solve the issue. To start this process I wrote and sent an e-mail to him with my ideas:
My ideas included:

•Interventions for teens to educate them about violence and create a way for them to feel safe when they feel in danger of uncomfortable.
•Creating more after school programs for teens rather than just younger children.
•Create another organization similar to Work Ready but make it more accessible so teens can have more job opportunities.

My email was sent but I didn't receive a response. Dwight Evans didn't have any  scheduled events that I was be able to attend before the due date of this assignment.

Here is a photo of the letter that I emailed him: Please Zoom in.

​I just sent a letter to my district representative, Larry Farnese, requesting to meet with him to discuss education policy. I don't think I'm in any position to lobby for my cause just yet, but I hope to learn a lot about city politics and what it's like to be a representative. I plan on asking him what he thinks of Ackerman's Imagine 2014 plan. I also plan on finding out what he does as part of the state senate education committee. How does he influence political decision making? How does he serve my district? I'm also interested in his opinions about education - how does he feel about magnet and charter schools? And, with regard to my lobbying cause, what does he think of the SDP curriculum? I'm hoping he will also be able to direct me to other authorities involved with education who might be willing to speak with me.

For this blog post, I have decided that I will write a letter to the former House of Rep. Nick Lampson. Nick Lampson introduced The Securing Adolescents from Exploitation-Online Act of 2007 (SAFE Act). The states that anyone that offers open Wi-Fi Internet Connection to the public, that obtains actual knowledge of any facts or circumstances in relati9on to illegal visual media such as child pornography transferred over that connection must register a report of their knowledge  to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

 

Child pornography on the internet has been somewhat ignored by the public. Unless one’s child or relative in involved in child pornography then it’s not really a big topic to people. The whole purpose of me doing a series of blog post about this topic was to raise awareness about the situation and plan an action to take against it. Even though the Nick Lampson is a former House of Rep. I’m sure that he still can have a major influence on this situations being as though he introduced the SAFE Act.

 

My previous blog posts have given information about important officials, authors and everyday people who support this issue that I could contact. Me being a lobbyist, I have to put my best foot forward in emailing and phoning this people so we can spread the words about the negative impact child pornography has on our children and our society. The United States needs stricter laws for this type of things. Laws that would make people think twice about anything that deals with child pornography.

 

The SAFE Act is definitely something that as a Nation we can build off of. I take pride in making it that child pornography is no longer a lingering problem that is under the radar. As I come in contact with officials and others, I will make it my business that I can help create if not join organizations that are opposed to child pornography and that has the same mindset as me.

 

I am willing to do whatever to see that child pornography on the internet is no longer an issue that no one pays attention too. If I am not able to come in contact with Nick Lampson, then I will try and reach The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare and the authors of the “Guidelines for Policy Makers on Child Online Protections. Both of these resources have given me information that would come a long way in me becoming a more persuasive lobbyist to stop child pornography on the internet. Letters will be written, phones calls will be made. Lets bring forth change.

 

Future Plans:

• Send letter to Nick Lampson or other resources
• Create groups and organizations
• Join groups and organizations
• Call The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare
• Send letter to the authors of “Guidelines for Policy Makers on Child Online Protection”

 

For this project, Alex and I have been working with food transparency labels. It's annoying when foods change there names to make them sound more appealing, or healthy. We first started with Corn Syrup being changed to Corn Sugar. After doing more research, we discovered that it wasn't just Corn Syrup that's name was being changed, but other foods. We want people to be aware that changing the names of foods does not make it any less fattening or unhealthy. Alex and I are going to design an AD that will inform people of this problem. Not many people pay attention to food labels, but they probably should.

I emailed a representative for this issue to get him involved, but I never received a reply. I didn't expect to, but it was pretty discouraging. Our next step is going to be actually making the AD and post it around the school and maybe even around the city. This will hopefully make people more aware of the issue, which will be doing our job.

Also unfortunately, during this marking period  I got a little side tracked. I found myself getting bored with the piece I had started the first marking period, so I started on a new project. A hobby that I had taken up was polishing my nails. However this was not just polishing my nails with one color. Some how I had taught myself to duplicate the nail art that is done professionally at salons. I had not realized that this in fact was an art until I received comments such as "Your really talented!" and "Wow.You should get a job at the nail salon!".  So as a side project,I paint several girls nails in my art class. I have done intricate designs such as strips and flowers.

Truthfully I was back an forth this marking period. Closer to the end of the quarter I got new ideas on how to complete the Super-Girl replica and also realized new meaning to why I started this project in the first place. This Super-Girl sign, although viewed as childish,in essence represents the strengths and weaknesses women and I have. Strength is represented by the the sign altogether. The candy wrappers represent the weaknesses. It was brought to my attention that in the end you can and will have both strengths and weaknesses. I feel as though this sign does symbolize me in a way, so it is vital that i complete in despite the minor set backs.

Beginning Sketch

Collection of Wrappers

Back Side Covered

Side Project Photos

I left a message at the SEPTA Community Affairs Unit phone line. In the message I stated my name, the school I attend and that I wanted to speak with someone who could aid in my lobbying process. SEPTA Officer Macklin returned my phone call informing me to e-mail him about the details of my plan. I e-mailed the officer and will hopefully speak with him soon about my take on the issue and how he and SEPTA can help. In short, I stated that I was lobbying for public transportation safety as an American Government class assignment. I also mentioned that I wanted to discuss concerns about the issue and prevention methods. Any additional information that is necessary will be given as requested. I will continue this assignment until I have spoken with someone who can directly impact this issue and help make awareness. However, I am still awaiting a response from Officer Macklin and will not take further action until he responds to my e-mail.

My Communication Tactics remain the same:

• Letters to the editor, editorials, and commentary
• Phone calls to the targeted decision maker
• Faxes to the targeted decision maker
• Emails to the targeted decision maker
• Personalized letters and postcards to the targeted decision maker
• Personal visits with the targeted decision maker

Eran las diez. Había sol. Vi a un oso. Era grande y muy feo. Tenía 20 años. Llevaba una vestida y los zapatos bonita.  El oso entro en el bodega. Saco un hacha. Se llevó el helado y papas fritas. El oso salío del bodega. Se quitó su vestido y los zapatos. ¡Era un hombre en un traje! Supio al bicicleta. La bicicleta se fue de prisa. 

For the second quarter of our advanced art class, students were given more freedom and were told that they could create just about anything desired. At first I wasn't sure what I wanted to create. I knew I wanted it to be something interesting and intriguing, but I didn't have any ideas on what I wanted to create, the materials I wanted to use, or anything that would help with my selections. After some researching and serious consideration, I had a small idea. 

After completing numerous projects for other classes and studying for vocabulary quizzes, I knew I wanted a break from school and work. I started to think about where I wanted to go to relax and unwind. I began to picture a nice, quiet, and deserted beach. In my imagination the beach had nice white sand, cool blue water, and full green trees off at a distance. I knew this was the scenery I wanted to create for my second quarter art project. 

The next step in my creation, after finally thinking of what to do, was finding the appropriate materials. I chose to use a small white canvas and my friend and fellow classmate, Uyen Nguyen convinced me to use a simple bucket of chalk because it had the biggest variety of colors. I knew I didn't want to use just a few colors, but to mix up several colors to show somewhat of a contrast, so I knew chalk would make this easier than crayons, paint, or markers. 

When I finally started to create my getaway, I began with the ocean. I used three different shades of blue to make the water. Two were a lighter color and a darker one to show the waves. I also added a white color to try and show reflection in the water. Next I started to make the sand on the beach. In total, I used four different colors for the sand: dark brown, light brown, gold, and tan. I would say there is more sand than anything else in the picture so I didn't want all of it to be the same shade because it would get boring. 

My next step was creating the trees. I simply drew a small brown line across the top of the sand to show some of the bark. Above the bark I didn't want to put too much detail into the leaves themselves, I just wanted it to be obvious that they were trees. So I added a few different shades of green and made curves and waves to show movement in the trees due to wind. The final step was creating a clear blue sky above the trees. To create the sky, I used a dark blue, a lighter blue, and the color white to help contrast them. Then my getaway was completed with a beach, trees, and a clear blue sky.

I enjoyed creating this art project. I was able to make something simple but still insert plenty of details into it. 

​What began as an incentive to stop the product known as Corn Syrup to be renamed as "Corn Sugar" has evolved into a full-on battle to force the food industry to become more honest. 

When the Corn Grower's Association began petitioning the FDA to have the name of the sweetener changed into something more "pleasant" and "natural sounding", it raised alarm among many people. My family were advocates of cutting the sweetener out of diets, so this led me to research the issue. What I soon realized was that this was not just limited to corn syrup itself, but to all edible products used in food production that needed a clear label.  

So, basically my lobbying issue became something more along the lines of "make labels in food more honest and clear", also known as label transparency. There were a couple things I did to garner more interest in my issue. The first step was email my representative, which I did and received no reply. After waiting and continuing to do the other portions of the lobbying project, I realized I needed to be more vocal about my issue. 


So, my next step will be to create an awareness campaign. My partner and are creating physical and plan on posting them in public places, (once the snow lets up a little, that is) possibly encouraging use of companies like NeutriSleuth, if only to garner awareness to the issue and attempt to cause the general public to realize there even is a problem, because it is something that can be very easily overlooked. 

“Hey! I heard your Filipino! Kamusta ka? My name is Clarice,” said Clarice, the girl in the party.

I said, “Yes I am, I’m good. Hi Clarice my name is Pauline.”

“Oh geez lets not speak in English, I think my nose will bleed soon. Phew! At last! Someone to talk to without thinking if I said the right verb or noun! I have been looking for a Filipino friend in ages!! That’s why when someone said there’s another Filipino in here I went hunting.” She said in Tagalog.

I said, “AAAH! Same here! Oh gosh at first I thought you don’t know how to speak Tagalog, I was disappointed but here we are! Speaking in Tagalog. I only speak tagalog to my relatives because I rarely meet people who can speak Tagalog in here!” After that we were inseparable. People in the party were staring at us because they don’t know what we were talking about. We even started to gossip about the people in the party and we make fun of other people. It feels natural and it is like we know each other since we were kids. Speaking our native language made us have a connection.

Being bilingual is a good thing. Language is not really my major problem because I learned how to speak English in my early years. Filipinos were taught English in school and at home. However, we mostly speak our native language all the time. I know my basic English but I can’t say that I am an expert. I remember the days where I used to struggle to have a proper conversation with my classmates. Yes, I understand them but I have to think of proper English words to say. Up until now I still struggle pronouncing and finding words to express what I want to say and my words sometimes get so complicated and messed up.           

When I was reading "Hunger for Memory" by Richard Rodriquez, I had the same feeling that he has back then, the feeling of safety and being "home", the familiar sounds and words that wrap around me when I speak my native language. Rodriguez said, “I was a bilingual child, a certain kind socially disadvantage.” Rodriquez was saying that being a bilingual kid is also hard because you will have a hard time to socialize with people because you are not fluent when you speak their language. I had this feeling before; I wanted to play with my classmates but then I couldn’t because I didn’t know what to say to them so I could join.

I am not the only person who struggles being bilingual. My parents are also bilingual. My parents struggle to speak English more than I do back in the days and sometimes even now, because they were more exposed in our own culture and native language. That is the reason why they can’t pronounce and find the right words that they wan to say. Rodriguez also pointed that out in the story, “It was unsettling to hear my parents struggle with English. Hearing them, I’d grow nervous, my clutching trusts in their protection and power weakened.” In this quote he was saying that when he hear his parents speak in English, he doesn’t feel as protected as he does when his parents speak in their natural language. I also felt the way he did back then and sometimes there are some occasions where I still feel like that. It is not that I feel embarrassed when they can’t speak properly; it is just that I feel vulnerable because they cannot explain things and express themselves right. I feel like I am the one who should be the parent and talk to the people.

In Rodriquez’s words, he said, “I shared with my family a language that was startlingly different from the used in the great city around us.” In this quote, Rodriquez is stating that he is bilingual. I feel the same way he did. Whenever I’m in the house or when my parents and I are outside shopping, I always speak Tagalog. I speak Tagalog when I’m with my family because I feel closer to my culture and I also feel home and protected. I feel natural when I speak my native language. No other people in the city can share the same feeling that I have with my family. However, whenever I speak Tagalog in public, I still feel distant. In Rodriquez’s words, he said, “Nervously, I’d arrive at the grocery store to hear the sounds of the gringo -foreign to me- reminding me that in this world so big, I was a foreigner.” Rodriquez is stating that I can say that I can speak in English but I can’t erase the fact that I am a foreigner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For this recipe I made cake balls. The process of making them was pretty time consuming but also fun. They turned out really good! In this recipe I had a lot of trouble melting the chocolate. I initially tried to use a double broiler but ended up ruining most of the white chocolate. I then put the rest of the white chocolate I had in the microwave, it melted really well but I only had enough to cover two cake balls. So I then used the microwave to melt the milk chocolate. I hope you enjoy this blog post. 

Recipe Provided by: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/tips-techniques/how-to-make-cake-pops-078637

Ingredients:
- Chocolate Cake
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese
- 2 cups Confectioners Sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon milk
- Chocolate/White Chocolate Chips
- Sprinkles (for decorating)

Step One: Bake Cake








Step 2: Let cool completely
Step 3: In a bowl, crumble the cake with a fork and your fingers until it is in fine crumbs



Step 4: In a separate bowl whip the cream cheese, butter, confectioners sugar, and milk together





Step 5: Pour the cake crumbs into the cream cheese mixture and mix it together with your fingers until the cake and mixture are completely combined



Step 6: Once combined cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge until it is firm

Step 7: Cover baking sheets with parchment paper

Step 8: Roll the cake mixture into balls and place on the covered baking sheets





Step 9: Cover the balls with plastic wrap and put in the freezer until the balls harden

Step 10: Melt chocolate (I melted mine in the microwave) and dip cake balls in, then dip in sprinkles or other decorations and place back on the baking sheet to harden







Step 11: Enjoy!

What happens in the Sandbox, Stays in the Sandbox?

Winston W. Wright

Science Leadership Academy

January 4^th, 2011

 

As a child, adults constantly told me

" A hard head makes a soft ass."

“ Stay in a child’s place.”

“ Don’t you have some sandbox to get dirty in? “

“ The only thing bigger than your forehead … is your mouth. “

 I never understood these common phrases until; in the 4th grade I received a 75% on a project about my original origins. We were studying the cultural differences in the different regions of America. I, being from the Pacific Northwest did a paper on Seattle, Washington. According to my teacher, there was no such thing as the Pacific Northwest, and I was very confused because everyone I knew recognized it as that. I told her it was common sense to any intelligent person, and under any circumstances I should have received an A on the project. The next day she singled me out in class, saying I imagined a place in America and lowered the class average. I was baffled, and when I told my parents they were furious.

 “ How dare this woman, tell our son that where he is from is not real? “

“ Ben, it is sad that adults feel inferior to a 4^th grader.”

 “ Indeed, honey, indeed.”

 

            At the time I was not conscious of what was going on, and that is when the first observation of society entered my mind. Language was something that I never paid much attention to, and never changed the way I talked in front of anyone. Now my mother used to tell me to watch the way I talk to people, because I talk so smart. Myself being a little kid, I used to think,

“ If I talk smart, what is the problem here people ? “

 It had seemed my 4^th grade world history teacher, was offended and rightfully so. Only she had accused me of being a rude child, and exaggerated on how I contradict the history lessons we learn, and claiming I made it hard for other children to progress, due to my immature language and nature. This put me in an awkward position because I felt, conscious of what I was doing. You can put your own connotation on a word, without even describing it. It is easy to let the way you speak, leave impressions on other people. Whether it is adults, people from different ethnic groups, or even the Social Economic chain. They rhythm, tone, pitch, articulation, and resonance, can change the outcomes of many situations in ones life.  Now seeing this, I realized that language would be the bridge that I can walk on to the road of success. It is not the extended vocabulary that one has, or the dictation, but it is the power of words, and how they are used to make a life lasting impression. Thus, one word can express over 1 million different emotions, and can affect people in any type of way.  Here are some interesting quotes from Winston Churchill, which can easily be related to language.

Eating words has never given me indigestion. 
Winston Churchill 

Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put. 
Winston Churchill 

 

​Alexander DeLia

Silver English

January 12, 2011

 

Language can be a very conflicting component of everyday life.  Language, both verbal and nonverbal can easily be misinterpreted.  It is often the case that the receiver of the message perceives the language completely different than the sender of the message intends.  Thus, a conflict ensues, as the receiver and sender battle as to who is interpretation is correct.

As I sit here today as a 10^th grader my language is pretty good I would say.  But it wasn’t always like that.  H-h-h-h-h-h I m-m-m-m-m-m- m y n-n-n-n-name i-i-i-i-s  A-a-a-a-a-Alexander. All I hear is laughter from all the other kids in my fifth grade class on the first day of school.  I paused, sat their confused wondering what they were laughing about.  The teacher told the class to stop and for and for me to continue.  I-I-I-I-I-I live i-i-i-i-In C-c-c-c-c-center city and I-I-I-I-I love s-s-s-s-s-s-sports.  I didn’t know what was happening. These kids who most of them looked like strangers were laughing at me.  I didn’t know who they were. I thought I talked fine.  The teacher said settle down kids, and the next person went and talked fluently. Then the next couple people talked fluently also. I still didn’t know what was so funny. Even the kids I have known all my life were laughing.   

This was one of the hardest times of my life, never before was I afraid to speak until now.  I wouldn’t raise my hand in class, wouldn’t read out loud.   My parents were concerned.  They asked me what was wrong.  I didn’t want to answer them.  Then I started to talk to my mom and she heard it. I always had a lisp but the stuttering was new. She didn’t know how it happened or why it happened.  All I knew was that I hated speaking!

“A telephone call makes my throat bleed and takes up that day’s courage.  It spoils my day with self-disgust when I hear my broken voice come spitting out into the open” (The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston).  She has the same problem that I do.  I hate talking on the phone, reading out loud, or even asking people questions.  I am always afraid that I am going to stutter.   It usually happens when I know the people because they expect it to happen. If its people that I don’t know I don’t to stutter. 

 

Now Im still scared to talk on the phone but not so much the other things. Im getting over that. When people talk to me they wouldn’t know that  I stutter cause I work so hard to resolve that Issue.

My Dream is to be a Broadcaster for ESPN. Its possibly to do and it will be hard but Im willing to do it to so how hard I work if I put my mind to it.

 

 

Jordan McLaughlin

Silver Stream           

 

I’m fifteen now, I recall when I was twelve when my friend and I were playing basketball. I’m from chestnut hill a place that is looked at by others as a place for the rich. My friend grew up in Elkins Park, a suburban but tough neighborhood, now he lives in Mount Airy with his dad. He is Mexican-American adopted in Texas, and I am White. We were both raised with the same goal in mind. Respecting people and to not insult others, and be mannerly. His dad is very good at basketball coaching and teaches others how to play the game for real, not street ball, proper basketball. When my friend was in 8^th grade and I was in 7^th we used to play basketball together. I never play basketball except with my friend.

 

“You got nutin,” My friend told me.

“Bring it, I will beat if it kills me,” I replied.

“You suck yo.”

“Can you not call me yo.”

“I only say yo to my brotha’s.”

“So I’m one of your brothaaa’s”

“Why do you speak like your black? I know that you’re not a thug,” I questioned my friend.

 

At the time I was smaller and I found myself saying things that weren’t necessarily true, I would often listen to stereotypes, and I wasn’t around a lot of black people in junior high because I went to a mostly white private school. He always used to use slang on the court, he wanted a to be black because he thought he was cool.  That’s when I realized that the way a person talks identifies them with a culture my friend obviously wanted to be identified as black although he was not. I decided to let my friend think what he wanted, since he had these phases that he went through.

 

Today he has gone to greater extents, not being a phase but a part of himself, when we talk he talks black English because he wants to sound tough, he wants to impress the girls at his school.

 

“I was talkin this girl at my school yo, and she was like I can’t go out wit you if you have a girl friend, and I was like naw its high school im not a pimp that’s just what we do these days you know what im saying,” my friend told me.

“Why would you say that to a girl?” I questioned his stupidity.

“Cause I like her dawg.”

“You can’t go out with another girl if you have a girlfriend.”

“Sikee naw, yeah you can.”

“Not where we are from.”

“Dey just backup’s dawg. You be drawlin”

“I’m not drawlin dude I just don’t want you to turn out bad is all. You’re my best friend I don’t want you to not get into college. The way you talk its like you are bringing yourself down. You know if you speak proper English you will get a job and get into a good college. When you interview at college are you gonna talk the way you are now?”

“Your crazy dawg, when I go to interview at college I won’t talk like dis you know.”

“So what are you trying to impress me?”

“No this is just we talk dees days.”

“Who’s we?”

“Me and my homies.”

“My homies and I.”

“What eve yo, get off my back.”

“Your right, you should be able to do what ever you want.”

 

The way a person speaks can alter the way a person is viewed by others. Many times people that use urban slang are often looked down upon. Although people speak different variations of the English language, English is English. People that speak Black English are defining their culture by using their voice as powerful tool that ultimately defines their person. According to James Baldwin, “What joins all languages, and all men, is the necessity to confront life, in order, not inconceivably, to outwit death: The price for this is the acceptance, and achievement of one’s temporal identity.”  The usage of language is a necessity and without it man can’t function. People that speak variations of English use it because it is a cultural standard, but also because it is the way to communicate with other people within their same community. People like my friend have used Black English, and urban slang in modern times, for ease of communicating with their peers. My friend has embraced the African-American culture and since he’s always around black people he has chosen to use Black English.

 

“Mugga.” said Tecarria.

“What?” I replied.

“Ya know, mugga.” she answered.

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“You is too white.”

            I never really thought about that, being “too white” that is. I had been going to Levering middle School for two years now. The school was located in Roxorough, which is why I went there, because it was my neighborhood school. However the majority of the kids were not my neighborhood kids. They always talked about places I had never even seen, like Diamond Block. I felt so left out. The kids that lived on “Diamond Block” were the poorer kids; the kids in my neighborhood were the richer.  In my middle school you could pick out whose parents made more than 50 thousand a year and whose didn’t just by their voice. There was a distinct language barrier between their neighborhood and mine, and it was that barrier that made my 7^th grade experience hard.

            I have always been a social person. I always had a lot of friends because I always made friends with people inside of my comfort zone, meaning the people from my area. When I began talking to the kids in my class I knew what kind of people they were. I knew what their parents did and what they would grow up like. It was more necessity then curiosity that I learn their “language,” or “Black English” as James Baldwin calls it. Being stuck in a room with twenty other kids five days a week means we need to talk, a least a little. According to James Baldwin after you speak “You have confessed your parents, your youth, your school, your salary, your self-esteem, and, alas, your future.” I couldn’t agree more. Before Levering, before those kids, I knew very little slang. I came from a family that spoke with very little slang. I grew up with kids that used very little slang. So, it was only natural that I used Standard English. When I talked I confessed my parents and my youth. So did they.

            I picked up a lot of slang during middle school. I learned a new language in a way. That was me confessing my school.

“It’s because she’s a trick.”

“What are you talking about? What is a trick?” said my neighborhood friend.

“Oh it means like a hoe.” I replied.

“Where did you learn that?” my friend asked.

“People at school, I guess.” I answered.

“You shouldn’t talk like that, it’s not you, it’s too ghetto.” said my friend.

            By the end of middle school I had changed my language. My neighborhood friends, speaking Standard English, heard my language and saw me as one of “those ghetto kids.” I never really knew how I felt about this. I mean on one hand I fit in at school, I had friends to talk to, and I could understand what they were saying, on the other hand my home friends didn’t understand me and even my parents had begun to notice, they would tell me not to talk like “those ghetto kids,” that their language was bad. I don’t feel like it was ever ‘bad’ just not the most professional. For instance when I had to go to my high school interviews, I spoke in Standard English because that is what showed the better side of my background. I feel like that was what James Baldwin was talking about your language, it shows who you are but different parts, standard being the better parts and informal being the not so good parts, or the ghetto. The only problem is Standard English is “too white” and slang is “too ghetto.” Now, in high school I feel like I have found a happy medium. Nobody tells me that I talk “too white” or “too ghetto” anymore. I feel like it’s partly because I have separated myself from all of my middle school friends and my high school friends do not use as much slang.

            I feel like my language today gives a decent representation of who I am currently, who I use to be, and who I will be, just as James Baldwin said it did.  I feel like this is true for most people. For instance, when I hear a person for the south speak, I instantly know that they are from the south or when I hear someone from parts of Philly or New York their accents are very distinct to what part they are from and the language they choose is very distinct to the type of person they are. Your language, in turn, is you more than your person is. Your voice is more of an impacting tool, than your body will ever be because you can see a person but until you hear them you will not know them.

My cousins and I are sitting by the lake on the hot July day. We’ve been talking for a while when Johnny gets up and asks:

“Anything to drink?”

“Wooders fine,” I said.

“WATER?”

“Whatever!”

This is one of the many times my cousins from Jersey have teased me about my Philly accent. This happens to me wherever I go. Friends are always teasing my family and me about the way we talk. Its not annoying and I don’t get mad, its just one of those things that your reminded of a lot. Whenever you are outside your hometown, you tend to pick up on outside towns sayings. I think this leads to you creating your own language. Customizing your own English can either make you or break you.

 

There are stereotypes about the way that you “should” talk if you are from one place. But when it comes down to it you talk however you want. According James Baldwin “It (language) is the most vivid and crucial key to identity: it reveals the private identity.” This just goes along with the fact that you can make your language your own. There is so much slang in the world that you can make your language however you would like. Slang is one of something that people use. But when you use it a lot you can potential change your whole sound.

 

The way you customize your language can also be the way that you gain power. The less slang you use the more educated you tend to sound. It’s the way people think. When you use slang and other shortened words you can sound like you have less knowledge. “It goes without saying, then, that language is also a political instrument, means, and proof of power.” This is another quote by James Baldwin. I think that he means that when you say things people could get the wrong impression from you. This is important at things like interview, internships or even jobs. If you talk to your boss with a lot of slang they could think that you’re either being disrespectful or even looking down upon. There are many ways that you can give the wrong impression with the way that you talk. Even though no one deemed these words bad or rude for some reason everyone thinks that they are. It’s the same reason that we have negative and positive connotations. No one said that these words were bad. So why does everyone agree that they are?

 

             Another situation that I clearly remember is when my eighth grade class got a new math teacher. Mr. Minturn was from Ohio.

“A couple things you should know about me is” he would say, “My mum and pa live in Ohio.”

Our entire class would laugh when he would slip up with a word we were unfamiliar with.

“Why are you laughing?” he would say

“Your accent!” we would reply.

He always told us that we were the ones with the accents but we always thought he was crazy. By the time I graduated we had him saying “wooder” and “begal” like a pro. He told us that we could talk however we wanted in his class and that he would say “mum” and “ceulors” but we would laugh at each other just for the mere fact that we weren’t introduced to the words he said. It makes me think. If there was a child that never lived permanently anywhere for a long period of time, how would they talk? Whatever pleased them, I presume.

 

Because of the way different people talk, it gives you the freedom to make your own language. You can said “wooder” if you live in Brooklyn and you can say “tawkin” if you live in Ohio. Because we live in a Nation with so many different “English-es” we can modify the way that you would like to talk.

“Ayo! Wassup Des?”

“Yo Sash!”

That’s a typical conversation starter between my best friend Des and I. She had banged on my front door as usual, demanding that I sit outside in 20-degree weather and listen to how well her day went. I complied of course; she always had something interesting to talk about.

            “So we hit up downtown, job huntin’ and what not, and I saw these banging heels!” she stated excitingly.

            “Forreal? I bet they were like 4 inches high or something!” I replied mostly playfully, but seriously as well. Des was awesome at walking and running in heels.

            “Of course they were! Why would I go any lower?”

            “Des, you are insane! Like, I would totally fall after like, 1 step!” After I said that she burst into laughter even more. I cocked my head sideways in confusion. Surely what I just said wasn’t that funny. She glanced at the expression my face held and laughed even harder.

            “Des! What is so funny?!” She finally settled down, and gave me a reply.

            “Wow, even though you do it all the time, I just had to laugh this time. You just be switching from soundin’ real black, to soundin’ real white!” I gave a light laugh and replied,

            “I guess so.” Though in my head, I thought of all the times that I had received a similar comment, “Why do you sound so white?”

            I am a normal girl who grew up in West Philly. The confusing part about it, I look Asian, live in a black neighborhood, but mostly sound white. This often throws people off as soon as they look at me, but then hear me open my mouth. For as long as I can remember, my childhood friends had always made comments like, “You stay sounding white”, but people I meet for the first time are surprised when I tell them that I grew up in West Philly and have lived there for almost of all my life. They often ask me “How you grow up in West Philly, but talk so proper?” I couldn’t give them a good answer, and would reply,

“It’s just the way I speak”.

            One day, I was on Facebook, and my friend Quaron had sent me a message about one of his “Dumb Squirrel” moments in school.

             “Jeez Quaron, you’re SO STUPID!” I wrote to my friend. He replied 5 minutes later with something I had not expected at all.

“ I AM NOT DUMB! I’m so tired of you always calling somebody dumb, like you’re not all that! You think you better than everybody else just cuz you go to a better school and talk all proper! Well you not, and your’re conceited as hell! I mean, we grew up in the same place, and yet here you go thinkin’ you better than somebody! Why? What makes you better than us?!!”

When I read that, my breath was lodged in my throat, and air was desperately trying to enter my lungs; but I wouldn’t let it. I was too busy sitting there, eyes wide, and mouth agape, trying to fathom what I had just read. One of my best friends felt that I had the audacity to believe that was better than the rest of my friends. All because of the way that I spoke! Apparently, that language that you speak, or maybe just the way you speak that language, affects how you are viewed by society! It even affects how your friends view you!. I was trying to think of a good replied, though I was still baffled by this statement? Did I really make him feel like a dumb squirrel?! I had to explain to him that I- in no way- thought that I was better than any them. I told him that I have no reason to think that I’m better than anybody really. I also apologized. But what was I apologizing for? I was definitely not apologizing for the way I speak, but the fact that I made him feel that way. That day, I realized that the language that I spoke determined where I belonged.

 From experiences like these, I was able to analyze how much my language affects those around me. The fact that simple things like the words you use, and how you pronounce them can affect how people categorize you, makes me wonder why I try to fit in anyway. Regardless, if I carry the words I say and how I say them everywhere I go, someone will categorize me. My closest friends have shown that to me already. But they have also shown me that my voice is powerful, and my words have an effect on people, even if that affect is negative. That gives me the strength to continue to speak as I do, without the worry of judgment from others.

 According to James Baldwin, “…It reveals the private identity, and connects one with, or divorces one from the larger, public, or communal identity. ” Baldwin is saying that language can embrace one into a community, or push one away from a community if it’s not accepted. If a certain group wants to be seen a certain way that has to do with their language, you will be separated from that group if you don’t fit into their mold. I agree very much with the quote because I felt that I was being pushed away from the “community” better known as my friends when I was being singled out because of the way I speak our language. They could’ve completely “divorced” me from our circle of friends because I didn’t fit the mold of a teenager living in our neighborhood. Then again, I think that Baldwin is saying that language can be the “mold” for living in a place and looking a certain way. Because how you sound is one of the most immediate ways that a person can judge you, it makes sense that it could be a frame to judge someone by. If this is how Baldwin feels about language, I agree with him very much.

Language is a determinant of a person and their background, as well as a connector or separator of a person from a certain group. My friends prove this to be true. If they had let my language be the factor that divorces me from our clique that would have show how they want to be viewed as a community. But as it turns, out they don’t push me away. Instead, my friends more than accept me. If anything, my ways of speaking are starting to rub off on them! I realize the value of my voice even more, and I plan to continue to use it, no matter who categorizes me. This also shows me the role of language in the world. It can bring people together, or tear them apart.

 

I started an online petition for healthy school meals. The petition includes various acts I researched. I already made fliers and emailed officials but I still needed to raise more awareness and get people to participate in getting to have healthy school lunches. I contacted many of my friends and told them to contact their friends and get them to sign the petition as well. So far, I have gotten 39 signatures and each the day the number grows. Below is a picture of my petition and the number of people who signed my petition. The petition says, "This petition is advocating for healthier school lunches. Currently, school lunches don't deliver nutritional food to students. Instead of offering healthy quality meals school lunches serve food that are high-fat meat products such as pepperoni pizza, hot dogs, meatloaf, and cheeseburgers. Many school meals contain more than half a days worth of sodium and saturated fat. Studies show 39 percent of the children who eat school-provided lunches are overweight, compared with 24 percent of those who bring lunches from home. By signing this petition you are supporting various acts like the Child Nutrition Act and Healthy Food for Healthy Schools act that strive for healthy meals for students." 

My lobbying assignment was on the No Child Left behind Act. I am in the process of finishing sending out a letter too public officials in Pennsylvania. With the hope of a response, we will lead to talking in person with the official(s) about the chance of revising or implementing some type of new act that could take NCLB acts spot since it is decreasing in all aspects and is not working at the face value they hoped when it was created 9 years ago. The idea also is to get word out to republican officials in Philadelphia because all voted yes back in 2001 for the act.

Possible revisions or new type of act:
Representative of Philadelphia’s 1st district.
Caseys statement on No Child Left Behind Act, a General Statement:

He has proposed The Pathways to College Act, with bipartisan sponsorship, is a bill designed to aid low-income and first generation students in their transition to secondary education by focusing attention on the importance of school counseling in the college and career planning process. This bill will provide funds to high school districts to invest in school counseling services to establish a college-going culture.

 

I just entered my Algebra 2 class as my teacher played whatever random song he had in his iTunes. My classmates and I were doing our daily routine of checking to see if any assignments were given back to us and taking our materials out of our bags.  As I was pulling my binder and pencil out of my bag my friend came to bother me.

“Go away!” I tell him pushing him away.

He laughed and started to tickle me while trying to discreetly steal my binder. I laughed and snatched my binder and screech, “Oh my god! Stop it leave me alone!”
“Oh my god leave me alone,” he mocks still reaching for my binder.
“Stop you're so mean to me.”
Still in that mocking tone he imitates me, “Stoppp.”
“Dude really?”
“Why do you talk like that?” he asks.

Ever since I came back from over seas I’ve been asked this same question over and over again, “Why do you talk like that?” I never have a real response for this question except that it’s just the way I talk. As my friend stares at me while he waits for an answer I just ask him, “Talk like what?” I already know his answer before the words even pass his mouth.

“Like a white girl.”

I don’t take his response as an insult knowing that he didn’t mean it as an insult but just his only way to describe my speech. I thought back to 7^th grade when I first came back from over seas and felt like an outsider among my friends because of how they talked. They talked in higher voices and talked with using words such as “like”, “oh my god”, or “dude” constantly. Speaking like them meant that you were cool and I was in need to make new friends so I decided to speak like them.  Their language was pretty cool and I got a kick out of speaking the “new” generation’s language. My change in language was a permanent change and became a part of who I am.

            Apparently to people I was viewed as white although my skin is brown and my race is African- American. Although what people say, I always thought of myself as African-American. For a while I was confused with why people called me white, but then as I grew I realized what they meant. I didn’t act like how a stereotypical African- American acts: being annoyingly loud, speaks improperly, etc.  I went against my race’s stereotype. Intentionally. It wasn’t because I wanted to become someone I wasn’t but because I wanted to prove those stereotypes wrong. To show that I’m a young educated African- American girl and not a loud, rude, uneducated African-American girl. That I deserved to be respected. I realized that many African- Americans are disrespected because of their language.  My language was created to prove that I’m not what people assumed me to be and to be cool.

As high school came along I was called the “whitest black girl” or when people listened to me talk they or looked through my iTunes they would say I only have white music. My friends not only would say this about me but also my parents.

            In the words of James Baldwin, ”Language incontestably, reveals the speaker,” your language greatly defines who you are. This is how most people think and how many racial stereotypes were created. Even so, what happens to those who do not fit under those stereotypes? Where their likes and dislikes aren’t like everybody else in their race, or where they don’t act like others in their race? I’m one of those people who don’t fit under a racial stereotype so many people try to place me under another stereotype.  The most common one I get placed under is “white.”

            I realize that not many people are not used to not being able to determine your identity by just observing how you talk. Even I am guilty of judging someone and getting confused because they talked differently than their race’s stereotype. Even though many people talk about how I talk and call me something that I’m not, I will continue to talk the way I talk because people need to understand that language isn’t always the key to someone’s identity.

When you look at me

What do you see?

A copper colored girl

Soft and smooth like Barbie

The girl has hazel eyes

And long soft hair

Full bare lips

Boys can’t help but stare

A nice wide smile

And small chucky eyes

When wind is blown through her hair

It looks like it flies

She seems almost perfect

Always happy and smiling

But she’s hurting inside

So her true feelings stay hiding

When you look at me

What do you see

You can' always judge

People by how they loook

Get to know them

And read the pages of their storybook

They might surprise you

The Passion.

The topic I decided to lobby is the government funding of abortions. When brainstorming a topic to lobby, I thought about the things I've fought against in previous classes while completing previous assignments. SLA really gives its students a chance to venture out into the real world to help fight for a particular cause or issue we feel should be changed. My passions lead me to this very topic of the incompetent acts on the government’s behalf. One incompetent act in particular acted as ammunition in my endeavor to help prevent the useless funding of abortions.

 

The Past.

            In previous blog posts, I’ve listed public officials, direct contacts and  some organizations working towards the same things I, a lobbyist, is working toward. I plan to physically stop government funding to financially remunerate abortion clinics for the destruction of fetuses. The Hyde Amendment, (passed into law by congress in 1976) became the backbone of my topic. This law acts as the foundation upon which I built my argument. Sometimes there are some things we all want to see changed, but laws act as restrictors. To move forward with this fight against abortion funding, I first had to identify what factors would hold me back.  I previously listed all states that abided by the Hyde Amendment, and the states that do not. The states that abide by the law only fund abortions in the case of rape, incest, or if the pregnancy is causing harm to the mother.  The 17 states that do not exercise the Hyde Amendment are the ones I will try my best to reach out to.  The officials of those 17 states will be contacted about the issue. South Dakota is an exception. South Dakota will only allow the government to fund an abortion in cases of life endangerment. District of Columbia is not considered a state in the United State, but its policy is that the government funds abortions along with the 17 states listed below.

 

The Proclamation.

            I, Taniera N. Reid, promise to do any and everything in my power to see the obliteration of the irresponsible government funding of abortions in the following states:

1.     Alaska

2.      Arizona

3.     California

4.     Connecticut

5.     Hawaii

6.     Illinois

7.     Maryland

8.     Massachusetts

9.     Minnesota

10. Montana

11. New Jersey

12. New Mexico

13. New York

14. Oregon

15. Vermont

16. Washington

17. West Virginia

 

I, Taniera N. Reid, will also contact any and every person needed to see that Medicaid no longer funds abortions. I will join forces with any and all groups/organizations fighting for the same or a similar cause as the one I am lobbying against today.