Free: Not so good weekend

          On Thursday all I could think about was the weekend, and how amazing it would be. I was so happy that I was going to have a three day weekend thanks to the furlough day. As the bell rang fifth period, I ran out of school because I was headed to the mall with my friend. I got to the mall and enjoyed myself. I went home knowing that this would be the start to an amazing three day weekend. Friday passed and I went to Sacramento to visit my sister and brother. Saturday and Sunday however, I was all alone and bored. Everyone was out the house doing something and I was stuck doing homework. My sister got to go to my cousins’ house and I couldn’t go because I was stuck with boring old homework. I felt horrible; I wanted to have fun too. I was in the house all day Saturday and most of Sunday. This was not how I planned my weekend to go; in fact it was far from it. I was upset and sad the whole time.

       Now that I think about it though, not everything goes as planned. Sometimes things happen and you just have to go with it. I learned that you can’t sit there feeling sorry for yourself because that won’t make a difference. You will still be in that same position; in fact the only thing it will do is make things worse. Sometimes you have to prioritize before you can have fun. You just got to go with what you’re given and make the best of it. 

[RE] to Terrace: Marijuana

        After reading Terrace’s blog I decided to do a response about the legalization of Marijuana since it sounded pretty interesting and prevalent. A lot of people believe Marijuana is bad just because it is labeled as a drug. Marijuana is one of the safest illegal drugs out in the world today. The fact is that Marijuana is a lot safer then legal products out in society today. Marijuana is a lot safer and less deadly then cigarettes and alcohol. Cigarettes affect millions of people worldwide, causing cancer, first and even second hand smoke. Marijuana has fewer carcinogens, cancer causing agents, then cigarettes. Most people smoke cigarettes daily, while marijuana is only used casually for recreational and medicinal use. Alcohol is said to be a hundred times more toxic to the body then marijuana. Many people are hurt and killed from using these substances irresponsibly and yet there are no reported deaths caused by marijuana. Terrace adds,

“I have not once heard of someone dying due to a marijuana overdose”.

      Marijuana can instill more positive contributions on society then it can negatively. In fact, it can help many people in society. Marijuana is used medically to treat many sick people. It helps people living with HIV, cancer and even glaucoma. It alleviates physical pain and also provides a relief for the patient. It also helps these patients to live a life away from their disease. Medical marijuana helps patients to live happy and normal lives. If marijuana is so harmful and destructive, why do doctors choose to use it for patients?

        I think that Marijuana should be legalized because prohibiting Marijuana is causing more havoc then its intention of creating peace and tranquility. Legalizing Marijuana would create safer conditions in communities. The distribution of drugs would be in the hands of the government and not drug dealers on the streets. People could feel safer knowing that their product is coming from a safer place. Prohibiting Marijuana allows drug dealers to stay on the streets and is one factor of the violence on the streets. The profits of selling marijuana could go to help boost our declining economy and can even be beneficial towards our education system. If legalization is working for other places like Canada, Holland and Netherlands, what’s to say it won’t work for us?

[RE] Sulaiman Hameed: Don't ask don't tell

       This post is in response to Sulaiman. The “Don’t ask don’t tell” was the law where if you were revealed to be homosexual, you would be stripped of your badges and kicked out of the army. The "Don't ask don’t tell" was a complete and utter embarrassment if I say so myself. This law was so immoral and unfair. I thought we lived in a country where one had a right to express freedom of religion, press, assembly and speech. Wasn’t “Don’t ask don’t tell” a violation of peoples’ rights? Not only this, but,

“these brave, young men and women are out there serving our country on fierce and intense battlegrounds everyday and they have the nerve to say that if you have a different sexual preference then you can’t fight and defend the country you love”.

       How can you take away a person’s rights to help serve the country based on their sexuality? Having a different sexual preference does not make them a bad person. They are people just like us and should not be treated indifferently. They risk their lives just as much as the other soldiers do in the war, so why shouldn’t they have the same rights of freedom? How are we going to judge people just because they are different? Many people say that homosexuality is a choice and that it is a sin. In my opinion, homosexuality is not a choice; people do not wake up and choose to be gay. They do not just choose to be judged and hated by society or family. 

CE: Spain bullfighting

   This video describes how bullfighting has been banned in Catalina Barcelona and describes people’s differentiating views on the ban. For many years, bullfighting has brought about passionate debate around the world. In Spain, bullfighting is viewed by many as an art. By others it is viewed as "barbarism". Many people are infuriated by this because to them, bullfighting is a long held tradition of Spain. To some Spaniards bullfighting is a ritual, “an ancient ceremony where man and beast engage in a fight to the death”. In my opinion, I think that the ban of bullfighting was a positive reinforcement in Spain.

      Bullfighting is cruel and consists of killing an animal, an innocent animal. The bulls are beaten, battered, and stabbed before they even enter the arena.  I don’t see the reason why a harmless animal has to be tortured and slaughtered because of tradition. This is animal cruelty. I am also completely against a person risking his or her life to fulfill a ritual, a ritual that was created many years ago as a form of art. Although bullfighting may be tradition to many Spaniards, times have changed. There are many other traditions that don’t exist today because they have been outdated. For example, look at the Gladiators. People had to fight to the death for entertainment purposes. To the Romans, this was a form of tradition. Should the “art” of the Romans be brought back to present day? I know it’s hard to let go of something you have known for so long, but sometimes it’s for the best.

BC: Talents

         Through my adolescence I looked around and remember becoming confused but most of all astounded by the diversity of everything and everyone. I was amazed on how a person could speak a different language, be of a different culture or religion in the area that I lived in. How was it possible to have that much diversity in just a portion of an area? This question was something that stuck with me for awhile. This was the question that fueled my passion for linguistics.

          Most people in the United States are monolingual and can only speak one language, English. Most people do not even consider trying to learn to speak another language because they are happily satisfied with just being able to speak English. Being confined to one language is a barrier for our attempt to understand the rest of the world. Being able to speak several languages opens up a person’s mind, and allows them to experience different cultures and people’s way of being. In doing this, people will be able to interact much easier with each other. I think that having the ability to speak several languages is a quality that more people should try to possess.

        A polyglot is someone who uses or speaks in many languages. A personal accomplishment I have is my ability to speak and write in multiple languages. The first language I learned was Spanish. I was taught how to speak English by my stepfather at the age of two. I have studied French in school for about four years. I can speak, read and write in Spanish and French. I am learning Russian from a family member and trying to learn some Arabic phrases from a friend I just met at school. I can say several things in Russian, but I still have to try and learn my alphabet. I was even taught how to count to ten in German by a foreign exchange student my junior year.

         I am proud of this accomplishment because it’s something that many people cannot do. Being able to understand multiple languages is not something that comes easy or without effort. It takes dedication and most of all hard work. I have made several hundred flashcards for French and have learned much through repetition. 

This talent exhibits my consideration and curiosity. I have always been a person who has been considerate or thoughtful of other people’s feelings. I have always been curious about different religion, languages, culture and anything else that falls in this category. Being able to speak various languages allows me to explore and understand people’s differences. My ability to speak several languages gives me the opportunity to expand my knowledge of others.

       I am proud to call myself bilingual. The reason I do not consider myself trilingual is because four years of French education does not make me fluent in French. I hope to continue my French education, so that one day I can call myself trilingual one day. I also hope to continue to learn as many other languages I can to be able to further my knowledge. 

Free: Taken for granted?

    I sat quiet for about five minutes trying to figure out what to write about. Then I thought about my day and I remembered about some post I saw on Facebook. One of my friends on Facebook posted something about a friend dying. He said that the day before his friend’s death, he had come across him at the store and that he had completely avoided and ignored him. He felt horrible not being able to apologize now that he was gone. This made me come to the realization that many people take things and loved ones for granted. It made me realize that there are people in my life that I take for granted.

            For example, there has been several times where I have tried to avoid conversations with members of my family. I hate talking on the phone, so when someone calls me I try and rush the conversation to get off the phone as fast as I can. Now that I look back at all the times my grandma has called me, I am completely appalled by the way I reacted, or the way I tried to rush to get off the phone. Was it really that hard for me to take 10 minutes of my time to speak to my grandma? What if one day she wasn’t here? How will I tell her I love her then? A lot of people do not realize what they have until they lose it. I don’t want to be one of those people that looks back and realizes it’s too late to change what has been done. I’m glad I was able to experience this realization before it was too late. Well, I’m off to go call my grandma, but before I go, is there something you take for granted?

CE: Dozen of bodies found in E. Mexico

    A large number of dead bodies were found in Veracruz, Mexico. Thirty five bodies were dumped on the street in broad daylight in Veracruz. It is said that 2 of the 35 bodies were children and about 12 of them were women. The bodies were piled, bruised, and handcuffed. The report said that the killings were said to have come from the work of the Zetas. The dead bodies were marked with "Z's". These events are far from the usual. People are being killed in Mexico because of drug trafficking every day. The cartel resorts to violence to help protect their industry. They brutally kill innocent people and affect the lives of many. The actions of the cartel are affecting the lives of many citizens both in Mexico and the United States. Both citizens from the U.S. and Mexico live in fear from the violence caused by the cartels. The cartel has been smuggling drugs in the United States for years and continues to do so as long as the demand for the product continues. I believe that the legalization of drugs may be a major solution to the violence occurring both in Mexico and the United States. If drugs are legalized, the cartel will be out of business and violence will reduce significantly.

        As a Hispanic, I hear a lot of talk about Mexico from my family members. Even on the news, I am always hearing about the ongoing violence that occurs on the streets of Mexico. The violence in Mexico has affected the lives and my family too. My family is from Guadalajara, Jalisco. My grandma and grandpa, along with a few uncles and aunts live back in Mexico. Every summer since I was little I went to Guadalajara to go visit my grandma, but due to the rise in violence, I have not been able to visit since seventh grade. The violence in Mexico prevents me from being able to visit my family. Not only is this a main issue, but I also live in fear wondering if my relatives are at risk of being victims of the cartel's work