Being Strong in Your Own Way.

 When  I compare myself to my sister I find that even though we have grown up with the same parents we are two extremely different people. We have always been told we are complete opposites, but sometimes people think that being different from one another means one is weaker than the other. When in reality two people can be strong in different ways.


 I've always been told I'm a person who speaks her mind, never lets people get the best of me, strong and independent. I've taken the rough, tough, and crazy experiences and turned them into a positive outlook instead of dwelling on past. To me dwelling on the past only keeps you in the past, you can never move forward until you deal with your demons and let go of them. I try to be strong on the exterior at all times, when in reality when no ones around I can break down when I'm hurt.

 Meggs, my sister, has always been a person to wear her heart on her sleeve. She doesn't try to show she can be vulnerable, but it is usually an obvious thing with her. She has always been the first to have to deal with what our parents had to throw at her. She got the bulk of the what she calls "abusive" treatment. Not in the aspect of physical even though we did get spanked with wooden spoons, but in the aspect of emotional and pyschological.

 Being sisters, and obviously dealing with problems or confrontation in a different matter than one another means we have had our differences. I have always pushed her to get over it and stand her ground. She can be an easy victim of being bullied by friends, family and even co-workers. It's hard to listen to her stories and look at it from her perspective. BUT I have seen over the past couple years my sister has grown to be strong in her own way, and not letting people who have for so long affect her to not have that control on her any longer.

 Even though we are totally different, my sister is a strong and independent woman in her own way. She has made me so proud for her finally taking a stand in what she believes in and not letting tell her otherwise. I've seen her grow from caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. She ensures that no one can take the happiness she wants in her life from her. Even the hard times we have with each other I'm glad she's my sister.






 I believe being strong means knowing your weaknesses and trying to grow from them. Working on building yourself into being a positive person, and never losing sight of what your goals are in life. Also taking the bad that is thrown in your path and finding the good that comes out of it. When you have morals and your faced with someone attacking your morals being able to take a stand. Everyone has an idea of who they are and who they want to be, not letting anyone come in and change you makes you strong. CHOOSE to be STRONG! 

Pornography.....

What Limits Should Campus Networks Place on Pornography?

By: Robert O’Neil

                In O’Neil’s article, he does a great job supporting his major point with minor points. He brings a great argument to the table by expressing both sides of the argument of allowing or restricting the ability to search pornography on the internet at a campus.

                O’Neil uses the college of Cal Poly as his example of a college trying to restrict the use of pornographic websites on their campus. He brings insight to how the faculty have abused this right, and how it brings risk of virus infections. O’Neil writes, “one professor left the institution last year after being convicted on misdemeanor charges….for the purpose of downloading in his office thousands of sexually explicit images.”

                He chooses to be clear and concise with his word choice, which makes his topic stronger.  He doesn’t use the long words that no one understands, in which you need a dictionary to decipher what is behind the long word, but uses strong and intense words as in ethical, salacious, explicit and more. He keeps his audience aware of the different point of views from both sides of the argument. And he does a great job addressing both sides of the argument, in which they both use the First Amendment as a point to make the in the argument. O’Neil proves that he has a lot of knowledge on the subject by presenting material as to how the school system have to work around the First Amendment if they want to restrict the use of pornography.

                Overall, O’Neil brings light in a long article with a direct focus on the importance of how to address the issue of pornography. I feel that with every word he uses he depicts the affects the results from either side could have.

Cheating...

There comes a point in every relationship besides for the rare and lucky ones that cheating is addressed to some degree. Each person in the relationship has their own ideas as to what they think cheating means and if its okay. Well I think that cheating is not okay but only hurts a relationship and creates a sense of distrust.

A couple months ago, I found a text that was sent to my boyfriend from a girl saying something inappropriate, and found that he had responded. I was shell shock with the idea that he would even say anything back to this girl and that I had no idea who she was. So what happened, I went on a deep investigation to find out who she was and all the details about her I could. I went to work, but couldn't even get my mind in the right setting. I talked in confidence to my co-worker, and eventually went home.

To my surpise my boyfriend was home. I had one simple question that came out of my mouth to start off the topic in which I knew could lead to a hard realization. "Are you happy with me?" With him being caught off guard having pondering where this came from responded  "Yes, if I wasn't I would tell you." Which led into my next question, "So who's this girl and why is she sending inappropriate stuff to you?"

Overall, the conversation went into what I figured. We'd work it out everything would be fine. But it's always that question that lingers "is he still talking to her?" After a couple weeks it just ate at me. So I found a way to answer my question and to my surprise another big blow to the heart. I moved out of the house that following weekend and into the next week.

Since then I have learned that cheating does nothing but make a person go insane. Since the incident, we have reconciled our relationship but it wasn't easy at first. It took a lot of talking and mind games. Since, I have found myself to be more observant, watchful for all the small things to show if I'm being mislead. I'm a lot more reserved in the relationship, and there is only little trust right now because I don't want to be hurt again.

I've seen too many times, what cheating has done to other relationships. And watched some of my love ones play the game and disappoint me cuz they have no guts to just get out of the relationship and to stop hurting the ones who are actually in the relationship. I believe that if you are with someone that is it. You see or want something else you get out of whats already in place.

I'm a strong, confident woman but I'm not to be underestimated. He might think things are okay, but there is never a time when I wonder is this going to happen again. I give second chances, but I never give a third. So in all, what I'm trying to say is no good comes out of cheating. It only creates more havoc within the person who was cheated on and a burning, continuous question that seems always be unanswered. I makes a person change and not always for the better.

Time to make a difference

Left Behind, Way Behind

                In the article Left Behind, Way Behind by Bob Herbert he discusses the topic of the education level that the generation now and to come are achieving. Herbert brings a very heartfelt message by continually bringing up that something needs to be done to ensure that all children of today are receiving the best education for it is needed in the future. He proves his point by using statistics in the beginning, which overall brings the reader to the level of “is this really how bad America is today?”

                Herbert’s message is trying to reach the audience of all parents and adults who care about the future generations. He uses strong and clear words to drive his purpose for the article into the heads of the readers, and is saying “we need to take action NOW.”  He also brings in examples of what role models but uses them as a negative connotation by calling them cartoonish. He creates a view of what we look up to is in the wrong direction and we need to get back on track.

                The word choice in the article is very sophisticated but yet is brought to a level where it is an easy read. He completely stays focused, and brings out the importance of why he wrote his article. Herbert did a wonderful job bringing the reader in and by showing the importance of education. He compares Americans to other countries and then compares the classes within America.

                Overall, I believe that Bob Herbert has the passion and the desire to see change. He does a great job personifying the importance of education within his article, and proving why we need make a change.

My Daughters Have No Mother

In the article My Daughters Have No Mother by Max Mutchnick, he addresses the statement he once made and further explains as to what he meant by that comment. In the statement that Mutchnick is addressing he referred his daughters’ surrogate as an oven. He explains his personal reasons, in which Mutchnick and his partner cannot conceive children which is clearly obvious.  

                Throughout his article, he clear depicts as to why he referred the surrogate as an oven. He used humor to depreciate the disrespect his audience had once thought, and also to provide a story as to why he used the term oven. He brings out a side of understanding as to the difficulty for a gay couple to go through the process of having children.

                Even though he is taking a rebuttal to the side that caused the controversy, he does it in a manner that shows he still has respect for his audience and also the woman who carried his children to full term. He is considerate to the female audience ensuring he understands the meaning and part a mother brings to a child. But he also shows that with his children being chosen from an unknown donor greets to the name he used to for the surrogate.

                Mutchnick not only captures his audience with the comedic style of writing, but with the sensitivity within the comedic side. He proves his point very clearly and stays focused within his article, and to indefinite reasons as to why he can be a parent without having a partner who is of opposite sex. He definitely brings to light a different perspective that can reach a wide range of readers.

Woodworking is for the select few.

 As a person who likes to do woodworking, I know that it takes a certain amount of patience, time, dedication, creativity, and passion to be able to put in the effort towards taking pieces of wood and making it into a piece of art.

From all the people I have meet who have practice in this field, they all have patience. When you are working on a project you need to remember that everything takes time. Patience comes into play when you are waiting on the stain, sealer, and finisher to dry and it can also come into place when you are trying to cut or put pieces together for the overall project. Everything progressively comes together. Remembering that its not going to be an easy task, and there's bound to be something that creeps up and bites you. You have to be willing to calm down and push the restart button.

Time is key to making a project. When a set time frame is put in place mistakes are made. Time cannot be pushed, when it's not pushed you are allowed those mistakes and the time to correct them. You can take a small end table and think it will only take a couple days when in reality it could take up to a week or more depending on the details in that end table. There are things that might not have been originally thought of that end up coming up later in the project.

Woodworking needs a side of creativity. Creativity brings out the essence of your project. There are so many elements to creativity with woodworking. What type of wood you will use, how big will your project be, what type of design do you want? There are so many questions to ask and figure out when you work on a project that itself takes enough time to picture everything together, and drawing a layout of almost each piece of wood you will cut.

The last final part to woodworking is dedication and passion. They are what drive your project to become complete. I believe and have seen from all the men who are carpenters or close too have the love to build. Dedicating your time to put effort into a project proves you have passion. Granted we can't always be doing what we love but when you can its a thrill. When a project is complete you are full of excitement and want the praise of what you have done. It's a great experience, and sometimes it's great for relieving stress.

If you possess all these qualities you might just make a great woodworker. Just make sure you aren't scared to get a little dust in your hair, eyes and mouth, and be able to cope with the stinging pain of a splinter (because you do get plenty of thoses!) Overall, it's a talent to possess and worth possessing.

On Facebook, Biggest Threat to Your Private Data May Be You.

On Facebook, Biggest Threat to Your Private Data May Be You
Ch. 15, page 285

By reading the article by Jacquilynn Floyd, you get a sense of how she feels towards social websites but in particular Facebook. Her main issue she addresses is the sense of people not understanding how to keep their personal lives separate from their public lives. She clearly states that every detail a person states about themselves is out for the whole world to see, and why would a person want someone they barely know to know so much detail about themselves.  She also addresses that we as a society believe that the companies will guarantee our privacy for information (para 7). We believe that when you sign up for any social network and you click the agree to “terms of policy” that your privacy is safe. WRONG! The privacy goes as far as you let it go by not posting your personal life all over your facebook.

 I completely agree with Jacquilynn, social media we use today are a hazard to us because we make it that way. We let too many people know our every move and thought. People may not realize they are a risk to themselves, and if they want the privacy share it with friends when you are actually with them in person. There is nothing wrong in discussing your personal life over Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, or any other social network, but it’s to the specific details you let out for the world to see. If people only understood the risks and the possible events that could occur from being so social we wouldn’t be as open on the internet.

Jacquilynn uses a tone of sarcasm and negativity in her article, in which, relays how she feels about the topic at hand. She is very direct with stating how she feels towards Facebook. And she makes it quite clear in her word choice that it is soley on the individual to as how much you care about privacy.  She gets her point across very clearly with very specific details to the potential reality we face when posting online and not being consciously aware of our actions. Overall, you take away from her article that if you like your privacy you will be aware of the decisions you make.