granting sitizenship

I am for not granting the citizenship to those people who are born in the United States. I believe that a citizenship should be earned. Just like anything else in this country. People don't take care of things when it is given to them, however, when they have worked for something, they appreciated more. I believe that with the proper education, we could give the children as well as the adults. The certainty that they will be able to know the information that at this moment, they are not able to understand. I have heard other people say that the educational system within the United States is one of the worse ones in the entire world. This is because the education system has not been changed very much in the United States since the beginning. By improving our education system and adding the questions that are required to grant the citizenship into the education of the children, kids will be able to know most all there is to know about the US plus more. This will make them competent and able to participate in debates and to go to other countries, which will allow them to be exposed to all the people who could help them in the career that they will be pursuing in the future. Right now, because most kids do not know most of the history of the United States, or anything else about the United States, except for the basic things, we have been leading the kids to do things that they shouldn't be doing. Most of them, in part because of the education system, drop out. By dropping out of school, they are not able to become the person whom they would have liked to become. Add to this that some of them don’t get the support from their parents. According to an article titled: Poor Marks for U.S. Education System, published in GENEVA, Nov. 26, 2002, by Alexander G. Higgins, a United Nations study said that South Korea has the most effective education system in the world's richest countries, with Japan in second place and the United States and Germany near the bottom. I believe Students would have to take the citizenship test multiple times to keep this from happening again. However, this will be a practice test. So, when they get to the real one, they will be able to master all of the questions, and they would know the answers. In able to get there citizenship, children would have to volunteer two hours a day. This would start when they are 10 years old. They will be able to do the work on the weekends. By the time they reach high school, they will not have to worry about the hours of community service because they would already be doing them. Also, they would have to have a C or better throughout school. To check every student's progress, a teacher or councilor will pass this on along with two letters and any other info about the students. The schools and the volunteer programs will take care of all documents. The parents would have to pay the necessary fees. Disabled people would be exempt from this process. Some may argue that there will be people that are not going to be able to pay the fees, and this will create a caste system. So, why do we still have fees for everything else? We have fees for airport security, returning something late, and ticket fees. People are still able to pay for these things. Also remember that Children from illegal immigrants are being born in this country. Each person would have to pay 5000 dollars per each child that wants to become a citizen. If some crossed illegally, the government from their country of origin will have to pay the fee. Hopefully, this will reduce illegal emigration because the governments will talk to their citizen about the situation. If multiple offences are committed, unfortunately, the person will lose the right to enter the U.S. in a legal way for his or her entire life. There could be exceptions to the rule. If you are not a citizen, you will get the basic things such as health care, protection if you or your kid are being abused, free advice in any matter, among other things. How ever, if you want to send your kids to school, and if you want to vote, you will have to be a citizen. The people who will make all this possible would be the ICJ (International Court of Justice), Immigration authorities. Funding and Staffing: Normal Means. For the education part of this plan, a new agency will be created. They will evaluate all the paperwork. It will be funded by tax payers. They will determine if a student qualifies for citizenship.

Covenants with god

There are different covenants in the bible. I will tell you about a few of them. God said that men should not eat flesh that still has blood. He also said that if men killed other men by shedding his blood, the murderer should be killed the same way. Everyone would be accountable for his actions. God established a covenant with Noah. He set a rainbow up above and everyone would be able to see it. He would remember his covenant every time he saw the rainbow. No longer would the earth be destroyed nor the lives of people be terminated by water or floods because of humans. He commanded every living creature as well as Noah, and those who were with him, to be fruitful and multiply.
I think the covenant with Noah was more than a rainbow because god would always be watching them. The rainbow was there to remind the people that were living then as well as the people who were going to follow, of this.
God made A covenant With Abram. He was going to give land to Abram. Abram wanted to know how he would know when he would have it. So, god told him to bring him several animals. These were A heifer, a goat, a ram, A dove, and a young pigeon. The first three had to be three years old. Abram cut the first three animals in half. This was a sacrifice that Abram had to do. Also, his people would be strangers in another country. They would be mistreated and enslaved for 400 years but then, they would be set free. They would be having great things with them, and there captors would be judged for what they did. Meanwhile, Abram would be safe, and he would be buried at a good old age.
God also said to Abram that his name should no longer be Abram, but He should be called Abraham for he will be father of many nations because of god. Kings will come from him, and he will have the son that he and his wife always wanted.
The change of Abram’s name to Abraham changed the whole future of history because A new group of people was born. These are who have influence today. Because of his name change, his people were able to do great things. It definitely shaped history.
God made a covenant with Abraham. He told him that all of the mails in his family and those who were not, but were in his house, should be circumcised. Every newborn there after, should be circumcised as well when he is eight years old. Everyone who does follow this will be cut off from his people. I don’t think circumcision is a sacrifice. Another sacrifice that Abraham had to make was to take his only son and take him to a land which god had told him, and offer him there for a burnt offering. Abraham prepared everything just as god had commanded him to. When he was ready to cut his son, an angel from heaven called out to him saying to not do anything to his son because now he knew that he feared god. I guess the angel knew this. The purpose of sacrificing Isaac was to test Abraham and how far he would go for god. I believe that Abraham had a very tuff decision. Abraham proved that his love for Jehovah was so deep by doing what god had commanded him to do.
The blood on Mount Sinai represented the blood of the covenant that god had made with the people. I think The blood of the animals was a sacrifice commanded by god. I have heard that there are movies about these events, but I have not seen one. I also don’t know if there were any cartoons made about this.

News in California.

This morning I was on my computer. For a few minutes, I kept hearing a dog. I was wondering what was wrong, so I stopped what I was doing to listen carefully. I did not hear anything. The sound that I had heard was interesting. It sounded as if the dog was moving back and forth. When I went back to what I was doing, I felt OK. A few minutes had passed when I heard this rattling sound above me. I stopped again, and I sat to listen. When the sound got a little bit louder, I wanted to get up, but I did not because I thought it was something not important. As I sat there, I felt the floor shaking under me. For a few seconds, I was still trying to process what was going on. When I understood what it was, I attempted to shut down my computer. By the time that I was going to get covered, it had stopped shaking. I went to the living room to see if someone had some info, and they confirmed what I had already suspected. Then, I turned on the radio, and they were talking about what had occurred. They did not have anymore info than I did. I kept listening, and I found out that the earthquake was felt all across California and in Las Vegas. Its epicenter was in chino Hills which is 20 miles or so away from Los Angeles. Neither damages’ nor injuries were reported. I went to one of the other rooms to hear what the people on TV were saying. I heard different numbers for the magnitude of this earthquake. It was not until hours later that I found out that the earthquake was a 5.4. I think the last one that I experienced was in 2005 or 2006. I cannot remember the details of that one. I do remember the one that we had in 1994. I had to sleep in a car. Things were broken, and I think there were cracks on the walls of the apartments in the building that I was living in. When we got down stairs, there were two people. Hours later, my grandma told my family and me that a fight broke out between them. I am glad that I was not inside. That earthquake had a magnitude of 6.7. So, here are some things to have when the next one comes. Water, food for three days, a flashlight, an emergency kit, a radio, extra batteries, another bag pack with games, reading,, writing, and listening materials , an address book, and extra clothes. I am not sure if it was in that earthquake that one of my teachers told me that I had predicted that it was going to happen. She told me this when I got back to school. Apparently, I had made a prediction a few days earlier. I cannot remember saying that there was going to be one. However, a few weeks before today’s earthquake happened, I had to write 12 short phrases to tell a story. The other students had to do the same thing, but they had to use pictures. Here is what I wrote.
House with light on
House up down
Scared kid up room
House is dark
Kid screams
Man under table
Man is up
Man walks up
Man and kid run down
They fall
Wall falls on top
Man and Kid closed eyes.
That was supposed to be an earthquake. OK, I am not sure why I got the two events right. I will be looking out in the future after I write something like this again.

Review of Black Elk Speaks

Review of Black Elk Speaks
The book Black Elk speaks is about A Lakota Native American man from the Oglala banned whose name is Black Elk. This name has been passed around from his great grand father, to his grand father, to his father, and finally to him. This story takes place in different places. There are two things that this book discusses. One of them is a Part of His life as a child, and a story of a great vision. The book tells a lot about Native American traditions. It also talks about the numerous problems and obstacles that they have to overcome.
The book is written in the first person, and he also introduces some people that give more details about a particular story. These people also speak in the first person. It is as if each one of the people who is telling a story, was writing it in a journal.
The book starts with Black Elk telling a story of a woman who wanted the people to build her a tepee. . He describes an offering that they did with a pipe. Then, he describes what a pipe means to them. It seemed as if John Neihardt is putting the reader in a place where he or she could experience what the people in the story were doing. An example is when everyone is passing around a pipe that was supposed to symbolize peace. This act reminded me of other ceremonies that I have heard about that are very similar to this one.
Black elk introduces himself within the first pages. He says that he was born on the little pouter river on a wintery December of 1963.
The book includes stories of battles that he as well as his friends and other neighbors had to fight with the Wasichus which is an enemy tribe that are trying to take away there lands. In this book, the Lakota are fighting with everything they have to keep the things that are sacred to them. The goal is to always keep on fighting and never give up. In one of the battles, for example, iron hawk who is introduced by Black Elk, had to move fast with the group that he was in because there were crows behind them that were trying to attack them. There were only a few people in Iron hawks group. According to him, there were about 40 of them, but the crows had more people with them. They were the Soldiers and because of them, the crows fought harder.
There are several visions in this book, but the major one is the one that Black Elk had. He says that when he was five years old, before he had his great vision, he had heard voices, but he did not give much attention. Then, when he was nine years old, he saw two men with him. When he first saw them, he was very stunned and he could not stop looking at them. Before he saw the two men, he was scared of the two voices. When he had his great vision, A cloud took him up. He goes on to say that he felt bad for mom and dad because he felt sorry for them. The Two men, who were with him, and who had appeared to him before, told him that his grandfathers were having a meeting. He saw 6 old men which were not his grandfathers, but the six powers one of them was the power of the earth, the others were the powers of the west, east, south, and of the sky respectively. He saw his people rejoice and also sick, but he was told that he had the power to restore them to the way they were. The six men gave him different things to prove this. As he went throughout the world, he was doing things for the people. Soon, he was on the ground and he saw his mom and dad as well as A doctor trying to make him feel better because he was not really healthy. For 12 days, he was comatose and his parents were trying everything they could to bring him back to health. Soon enough, he was feeling much better. It seemed as if Black Elk was given a great responsibility which he was determined to carry out. Sometimes, he felt as if nothing was going the way things were supposed to go. Because he was trying to find an answer, he wanted time alone. He did not get the relief that he wanted until the village that he was in reenacted his vision after he told part of it to a doctor. By now, He was able to take his people out of danger. The people, who did not talk to him before, now, came to him.
Black Elk does a really good job at describing his vision. For a moment, I felt as if I was up there with him watching what everyone was doing down here. I could feel myself flying and taking in the joy as well as the sadness that everyone went through.
Black Elk talks about how he had to move around and camp in different places. the roads that led to them, as well as Some of those places were very well described, and I could also see myself in one of those places. For example he talked about when he along with some other people had to camp at the head of a place called, “Spring Creek.
There were several things that I did not like about the story. For example, Black Elk talks about a man who was trying to steel a horse from another man. The man, who had the horse, was guarding the place that he was staying at. He was too sleepy to stay up, so, he woke his wife up so she could keep guard. She told him that she thought there was somebody out there. When he went to see what was going on, he saw that there was someone trying to steel the best horse. After he instructed her on what to do, the thief got up on the horse. This is when the man shot the thief from a little whole that was in the tepee. When the other people heard the shot, they all went to where the body was and some of the people cut him up. Then, they started a fire around the thief. Then, they danced around him and sang songs about the man who had killed the thief.
I found this to be very disturbing and moving. For a minute, I was asking my self if these people cared about any children that this man might have had.
Another example of a story I did not like is that the kids would hurt women and children. Although they were only having fun, and it seemed as if the adults did not care, I found it to be very bad. In one of the descriptions, Black Elk talked about how he with some other kids used to gather sharp spear grass and when they found a man without a shirt, they would stick those things into the man to see if he would cry. According to Black Elk, they were supposed to endure everything.
There are several obstacles that Black Elk along with his people had to face. One of them is the Wasichus, and the bad weather conditions, the US government.
This book will take you on a journey in which the reader will sea starvation, bad weather, battles, dancing, poverty, and sadness. Be prepared to clime the mountains as well as camp with them and see where they take you.
I would recommend this book because of the stories and because one of these will touch a persons hart in one way or another.

What is a disability?

Somebody who is disabled is someone who does not know how to do something like walk, see or talk. This is according to the majority of people. When we think of disabilities, these are the ones that come to mind. not only am I disabled, so are the,”normal” people. To give you some examples, some won who is not tall cannot reach for something up high. Some won who only speaks one language should also be put into this category because he or she cannot communicate with others. The bottom line is do not use the word disabled when referring to another person because then you would have to include all of the other people as well. Just call someone by there name. It is wrong to say, “I have this disabled friend.” You know that hate, envy, selfishness, cursing, addictions, and any other destructive feeling, thought or action can be considered disabilities. What is a disability? According to Dictionary .com, it is lack of adequate power, strength, or physical or mental ability; incapacity. For this reason, I ask you to not make fun of others that have a visible disability because as I have said before, you have one to. You may not know it, but next time that you go to work, or go out to have fun, listen to what people say to you. You will be surprised

Changing names.

Have you ever asked your self where does your name come from, or what does it mean? Probably only some of us have heard a weird name. For example, when I was in middle school, one of my teachers said that a girl was named latrine. In New Zealand, A girl whose name was, Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii," is being put on the spotlight. Apparently, her parents are divorcing, and the court has guardianship of the girl, so it can determine a new name. It was embarrassing for the nine year old girl to tell her friends what her name was. Therefore, she preferred to be called K. "It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap," Judge Rob Murfitt wrote. He also released information of other names that parents have given their children. Names like: Hedges, Violence, and Midnight Chardonnay. Some names have been put off limits for parents such as: Satan, Stallion, Sex Fruit, Fat Boy, and 4Real. In Britten, A woman who’s name is Maria Brown, named her baby , now six weeks old, Autumn Sullivan Corbett Fitzsimmons Jeffries Hart Burns Johnson Willard Dempsey Tunney Schmeling Sharkey Carnera Baer Braddock Louis Charles Walcott Marciano Patterson Johansson Liston Clay Frazier Foreman Brown. The mother says that she was following a family tradition which was to give each baby, names of boxing champions. Between Maria and her sister, they have 103 names. In Italy, a one year old baby’s name was changed from Venerdi which means Friday in Italian, to Gregory because the name was considered shameful. His mother says that the boy will still be referred to as Venerdi until he is old enough to sign his name.
Thanks to Mike Carney at,
(http://blogs.usatoday.c)
Poor kids, they will probably grow up being laughed at. A parent should think of the consequence that this will have in their child’s life. Also, when the child becomes an adult, that child may not like the name that was given to him or her. Why do parents have to choos these names; when we have a lot of beautiful names!

about me.

If you have seen my profile, you know a little about me. In every post, I try to show who I am. Now, I would like to take the time to tell you who I am and why I do what I do. My name is Daniel Cubas. I was born in Houston Texas. I was born blind and with cerebral palsy, which is a condition that is caused by brain damage before, during, or after birth. It is accompanied by defective muscle control. Other things could be linked to CP as well. I am going to school, and will soon become a broadcaster. I am also a singer, a writer, and will soon become a designer. I do gigs across LA and sometimes, in other places. Everything I have done has been hard because of the challenges that I face, but that has not stopped me from getting to the place where I am now. I like to read, I like hearing music, I like listening to the radio, as well as movies, I like to have long talks, and I like learning every day. Besides speaking English, I speak Spanish, a bit of Italian, and A bit of Portuguese. I also like talking to people and helping them out with personal problems. It has been a blessing to have so many gifts. However, what I have said so far is only a sample of the things that I could do, and the things that I know. I would like to learn more about myself and other people, but I would also like to share my knowledge. I hope to open the eyes of those who have always, had them close. I also want to tell the truth about the myths that are out there. I believe that if we All work together, we could bring down the wall that has been dividing us for a very long time. Also, my dream is to write a book which would tell my life story

Bush doing the wrong thing again.

President Bush again has done something really bad. While real-estate is having a bad time, George Bush, who was in a fundraising dinner to support congressional candidate Pete Olsen, was saying that his wife Laura was in Dallas “trying to buy a house today.” Was this a joke? It seems to some that it was. Well, it was not funny, a lot of people are losing their houses because of this crisis, and here we have mister Bush saying things which can hurt some people. Scott Stanzel, a White House spokesman, said that he never heard the president compare things in that way before. This was after Bush said that Wall Street had a hangover after being drunk. What a comparison. We are living in a time of political turmoil; we have gas prices going up, and people struggling to buy food. This is neither the time nor the place to make jokes like this one. Is it me or Bush is doing things wrong over and over again. I read a comment that said, the fellow who continued to read a children's book while New York and Washington
were attacked by Saudi terrorists?” Yes, he was. I feel bad for people. People should not have to hear these type of comments from a president. I have had too much when Jesse Jackson said what thing he wanted to do to Barack Obama. When are we going to learn? Here is the Lesson for today. Always assume that the microphone or camera is on.
You can watch the video of president bush saying these things at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1oG5oVpdgg

Thanks to
www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5901860.html
And to:
guardian.co.uk

New game idea!

I have searched for video games for blind people. I am glad that now they are getting much better. Before, because the technology was not that great, in my opinion, games consisted of bad sound quality and bad game concepts. For example, a person hitting a ship and a speech synthesizer telling you what was happening. I have come up with a computer game idea, and I think it can also work with video game systems. Enjoy!
Here is a new computer soccer game. This game will be for sighted people as well as for non-sighted people. In this game, People would get to choose the country, state or department, city, and stadium that they would like to play in. Also, People would be able to upload their picture that will be included in the game. Blind players would be able to here everything that happens in the game because the game would be fully narrated, and there would be a play-by-play person and a color commentator. There will be descriptions of where the ball is, so the blind person would be able to hit it. If blind people would like to select another teem to play with or change anything else, Every time they use their four arrows, it will say each menu and what that menu has. Also, a person would be able to play in each soccer tournament that there currently is. They would also get to play the games leading up to a tournament, such as the world cup. There will be a space where a person would be able to type their name and just like on a real game; their real name will be mentioned. Also, a person could be their favorite player. For example, a person could be Pelé. This game would be for men 18 to 34.
I love soccer, and I would like to see something like this already out.

Ipods

A few years ago, I was not hearing anything about iPods. It seemed to me that people Were concerned with their disk players. I was not hearing anything about storing up to 1000 songs in a unit. However, now, that has changed. I read that more than 1000000 of these things have been sold. What happens next? When something new comes out, will people give away their iPods to buy the new device? Why do we try to look like others? This tells me that we are in that child stage where the child says to his or her parents, “I want that.” After some minutes in which the child has a tantrum, the parents agree to buy that thing for the child. However, in this case, the grown person does not have rules that he or she has to follow. I ask my self, “how far will humans go to get what they want?” If in their early years, they had tantrums, now that they have grown, will they steal to get what they want? Or will they be in debt to pay for that device that they don’t need. Hopefully, we will see that most important thing is not who has the latest gadget, but who is able to be satisfied with what they have.

same sex marriage?

I got the following story from KNX 1070 news radio in LA. This story is about a homosexual couple that got married today. This is a news story because it is controversial. Since the beginning of marriage ceremonies, it was believed that this ceremony should be done between a man and a woman. Because this has been the tradition, changing it to include marriages between homosexuals breaks the tradition. This is also a controversial story because of religious views. According to the bible, for example, god created a man and a woman, and he condemned homosexuality. Marriage, to people who are religious, and even to those who are not, is supposed to be a sacred act. The story is about a couple that got married today after they had tried for four years. They were successful after their attorney filed a lawsuit and the Supreme Court declared that it was unconstitutional to prohibit gay marriages. They exchanged vows on the steps of the court house. After the ceremony, one of the partner’s said, “I can believe. I can believe now we’re married people.” There were protesters at the wedding, but they only said something after the ceremony was over. Since there is an amendment to banned gay marriage, and some are trying to put it on the November ballot, the couple’s honeymoon is going to be spent fighting this amendment. It is known as proposition 8. According to a Field Poll, 51 percent of people oppose same sex marriage, and 49 percent are for it. It will be very interesting to see on Election Day what happens.

the creation story

In the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth. Because it was dark, he said, ” let there be light,” and there was light. Then, he separated the light and the darkness and that is how the first day became to be. On the second day, he created the sky. On the third day, He gathered the water that was under the sky to one place and then dry ground appeared. He called the gathered waters seas and the dry ground land. He also made plants and the trees. On the fourth day, he created the stars. On the fith day, god created the sea creatures and the birds. On the sixth day, god created cralling creatures , wild animals, livestock, and every other living thing. He also created man from the dust in the ground, in his image by breathing the breath of life into his nostrils. Then, he created the woman from one of the man’s ribs.
God told them that every living thing on earth as well as the sea was theirs. God wanted for every one to be fruitful. Also, he said to everyone to multiply.He created humans to oversee everything and to care for the land as well as the sea. He wanted there to be a place so, men would do good

Mister Bush

I have had enough of what the president has said. First of all, he is justifying his actions. For example, if the president wanted to save Iraq, why didn't he do it as soon as he got in office? Why didn't he saved the Saudi's? The 19 that were on the airplanes were from Saudi Arabia. Don’t we have terrorists living in the USA. Why are we not doing anything about that? Getting back to Iraq, When the WMd's were not found, he did not back off from his plan. How do we know that our system is going to work? Just because it is successful in the US, It does not mean that it will be the same for other countries. Mister Bush has been asked if he has made any errors, and he has been evasive. Why can’t he say, “I made mistakes, and I am going to fix them.” It seems that the president is not being truthful. Here are a few examples, 1. He is helping only those who have a lot of money. He says that he is helping the other people, but those people are still in the same situation.
2. He is trying to make us believe that not enough money is being put to the social security. Really? How interesting!
There are a lot of people that are making a lot of money. So, where is the money?
3. Jobs are being lost. I believe this is half the truth. I believe that we could fix this problem by employing more people. There is money which has to go to making more cars that do not need gas.
4. He is not considering ideas from other people. He still believes that we should drill for oil. As other people have already said, this will not be good fore us because it will do damage our home.
Kids are making bombs, and they are putting them in schools. Kids are bringing things such as guns and knives to school. This is a problem, but nothing is being done to protect the schools. I guarantee that if everyone who visits this blog let the government know that this is happening, and that the suggestions to fix most of our problems is being said, he would do something. Send the president, the vice president, senators, congressmen, and governors this concern. It is very bad that we have a president that does not care about us. It is time to let our voice be heard. Please save the US now that we know that this administration is not going to do it.

changing our money system

as people get old, they start to lose their eye sight. It will be hard for them to know the money that they have. Some of them must resort to glasses as their only window to the world. Not having these, and not being able to know how much money they have, is like a sighted person when he or she is in the dark trying to go somewhere. At that point, they are sad and angry because they cannot enjoy the things that others are doing.
Because of this, I believe that it is necessary to change our antiquated money system. Furthermore, I think that this would be a good solution to prevent job outsourcing from the US. According to cfr.org, by the year 2015, 473,000 jobs in the information technology industry will be off-shored. As we all know, getting a steady job is difficult enough. Now, imagine being blind and trying to get a job.
I believe that blind people would be able to benefit from inclusion in the work field because it would allow them to live more independently. On the same token, they would be able to manage their money more efficiently, and it would prevent people stealing or cheating from them. Also, people suffering from lack of sight would be working towards becoming productive citizens. According to an article, titled, "Blind Applicants Confront A Harsh Job Market," which was published on November 22 2007 in the Boston Globe, 70 percent of blind people are unemployed. If we compare this number to the 40 percent of sighted people who are unemploied, this would and should be able to tell us something. Changing the money would create more jobs and boost our sluggish economy.
According to a story titled,”Treasury Ordered to Make U.S. Bills Blind Friendly,” which was on NPR on November 29 2006, Judge James Robertson said, “only the United States prints bills that are identical in size and color in all their denominations. Every other issuer includes at least some features that help the visually impaired." Lets not forget that some of these countries such as Argentina, are not economically developed as the US. Despite this, The US government does not want to do this because it will cost at the most, an estimated 178 million Dollars for new printing presses and as much as 50 million Dollars for new plates; according to an article By EDMUND L. ANDREWS, published November 29 in the New York Times. If the one dollar bill was left as it is now, the government would not have to spend more than they have to. Also, blind people will have a better opportunity to spend money, which is just what our President is asking for as a way to contribute to economic growth.
If we could accommodate the blind, many jobs would not have to go to other countries and services wouldn't have to be cut as much as they are being cut now.
One way to update our currently outdated paper money system would be to put A tactile symbol. Another way would be to put a symbol that could not be removed such as a strip of metal shaped into the dollar amount. For example, if it was a twenty dollar bill, there would be the number 20 engraved into the bill.
If you want the economy to continue it's slow descent into one of the lowest in the industrialized world, don't change anything. However, if you want our parents and grandparents to have a nice life after they retire, and if we want our economy to shake out of this recession, so we, as well as our children, could have a better tomorrow, we should make changes to our monetary system.

Otterman, Sharon. “TRADE: Outsourcing Jobs.” 20 February. 2004. Council on Foreign Relations. 9 March 2006 .
Coombs, Christie. “Blind Applicants Confront A Harsh Job Market.” 22, November 2007.The Boston Globe. 9, March 2006. < Http:www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/11/22/blind_applicants_confront_a_harsh_job_market>
Kramer, Joy Melody. “Treasury Ordered to Make U.S. Bills Blind-Friendly.” All Things Considered. NPR. KCRW, Santamonica. 29 November. 2006

becoming a broadcaster

We all have things that we want to do. However, sometimes, they are not possible. For most people, it is hard to make the wishes that they have become reality because they think that they will not be able to. Some people say that they will not be able to do it because of their disability, Others say that they are too old, and a few say that they simply have given up. A lot of people wanted to become doctors, however, in a few weeks, or months, all of their hopes had gone away because they had an incident that left them without a chance to be a doctor.
In my case,, I have had many dreams, and they have become a reality. other dreams like being on the radio, getting people to understand the message that I am trying to give, and helping myself to become stronger, are dreams that I am trying to work at. I have always wanted to be a radio broadcaster.however, I thaut that I would not be able to do this because of my blindness. One day, I was searching on the internet for people who were blind and in the radio industry. I found on a web site that they had mentors for different professions. To access the information, I had to register with the cervice that they offered. After I registered, I went to the box where I had to tipe the word. When I tiped the word “radio”, I found one person who was a radio broadcaster in the US. As I was reading the information, I could not believed that he was a host of a gospel show. With that information, I was convinced that my dream could become a reality if I took the initiative.

a Story that was not reported in the media.

On Friday, July fourth, five minutes before 12 P.M., Three men were standing in front of the LA convention center, and they were getting ready to cross the street. There was a sign that said that an animation show was taking place at the convention center. The convention center had been already opened for a few minutes. It was easy to see this because the sign gave the information of how many days was the convention was going to last, what days was the convention going to be opened, as well as at what time it was going to be opening and closing. Out of the Thousands of people that were still waiting in line to get in, there was a man with curly hare. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Also, he was wearing vans shoes. The other two men could not be identified. The sun was scorching hot. Because there was almost no wind, it felt as if it was hotter than it really was. Both eyes were hard to keep open because of the heat. Sweat started to trickle down foreheads. For a minute, it felt as if everything was spinning. The Cars were going in every direction. Someone was saying something that could not be understood. Even when he said it the second time, it was still very hard to understand him. The person whom was talking was a police officer, and He was using a megaphone. From a distance, Three sheriffs on motorcycles came flying north up Figueroa avenue. They Stopped at Pico Boulevard preparing to block the street off. The next moment, a car was honking at one of the police cars. After a few seconds, others joined in. They were honking because the sheriffs were already blocking the intersection. One of the men said to another, “They are honking at one of the police officer.” All of a sudden, one police siren was heard. As it got closer, it became hard to know what to do. The man with the curly hare covered his ears. As that sound blended in with the honking sound, it became clear that unlike a symphony, this was painful to hear. When the siren was heard very close, every other sound was drowned by the deafening sound of the siren. Not a minute had passed, when one siren after another started to be heard. At that point, one man, who seemed to be in his 40’s, took out his camera and took a picture of the seen in front of him. Three LAPD vehicles and four CHp sheriff units came down. Two of the sheriff vehicles stopped. One stopped beside the blew line tracks, and One stopped at the California hospital. They were driving Over 60 miles an hour. Moments later, an ambulance with two sheriff vehicles behind and another to in front of it, came rushing to the seen as well. The four vehicles were escorting the ambulance. The last thing that was seen was some of the sheriffs moving all traffic away from the area. I am sorry I am not able to include a picture. It came out blurry. I wanted to know what had happened, but nothing was reported in the media. To think I could have been a stringer!

Cuba, A new person ahead

Fidel Castro, One name that will be in the history books forever. Love him or hate him, He has done things that probably very few other people have done. For example, he said that he was not going to be doing what the US wanted. He did this not only by words, but also with actions. A few years ago, I co wrote a song titled, “Two faces on Fidel.” The song is about how Cuba was before Fidel became a dictator and how it had changed during his years in office. It also talks about some of the things that Fidel had to go through to keep his country the way it is now. Also, the song asks a question. “What will happen to Cuba after Castro?” Now, this question is probably in everyone’s mind since he retired. Another question was, “will they be our foe or friend?” Do they think that we are all bad because of what the US did to them years ago? It will be interesting to sea if Cuba will be a bit free. Will Raul be like his brother? Only time will tell. It will be really sad if the country remains the way it is now. I think that the US has to be blamed for part of the situation that Cuba as well as other countries, are in. I will talk about it on another post. I believe that Cuba needs to be free. It is interesting to sea that here we have two countries that are different. Cuba is a country that has little or no freedom. Just recently, they were able to purchase Cell phone contracts, and they were really expensive. This did not include the Phone. This demonstrates that the government thinks that it knows what is right for the country. On the other hand, we have the US trying to make believe that the system that they use is the right one. If we want respect, we need to urn it. Let the US government stop forcing our ways on other people’s throats.

communication

It is not easy to explain to people that sometimes it is hard to communicate with them because one has a disability. Furthermore, this does not need to happened because we have the power to stop it. For example, I was at a restaurant, and I was going to order a burger. When the waitress asked the person that was with me what she wanted, their was not a problem. However, the problem started when instead of asking what I wanted, she asked my helper. I did not say anything, but I was upset. Another thing that occurred to me, was that one day, I was walking with a person. I remember that the person who was helping me, stopped, and I was wondering why. I heard clearly when a teenager asked my helper,” is he blind.” The person did not say anything and neither did I because we did not want to make the problem much bigger. This last example is very upsetting. One day, one of my friends, invited me to eat. I was supposed to meet him on a Sunday at 1P.M. I had arrived about 30 minutes early. When I opened the door, a lady greeted me by saying, “table for two?” at least, that is as much as I can remember at this moment. I did not answer her because I did not know if she was talking to me. I had my cane on my hand but that did not help. When she asked me the second time, I still did not answer. She did not give me no sign that she was speaking to me. Finally, a man came up to me and asked me the same question it was then, that I understood that the woman was talking to me. While I was waiting, that same guy asked me a few more questions, such as if I was waiting for somebody. I said yes. After my friend came over, the afternoon was good. These are three situations where I could have said to the people that I was blind. However, I had my cane out! How do I explain to someone who I am. The least thing that I want to do is to cause a seen. After a few years, I have learned my lesson. I will try to talk more and ask questions. If I do this, it could be possible that people will learn from me.

fixing a problem

I found a letter in the LA times that proposed two solutions so our government could fix the economic problems. I will discuss the first one which is to raise taxes. According to the writer, “if we want good schools, a decent infrastructure, healthcare,
Libraries, law enforcement, youth programs and other services that make for a livable, thriving society, we have to pay for them.” He also states that this is going to require some sacrifices, but the challenges that are ahead of us are big and, “will not be solved on the cheap.”
I agree with the author. I think this argument has strength because some if not most of the things that we buy, are unnecessary. For Example, big TV’s, alcohol, and cigarettes. Some could say that this is not going to help or if it does, it is not going to be enough. I think that something is better than nothing.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-tuesday19feb19,0,5409963,full.story

angry

Angry, this is what some people think I am when they see me or when they talk to me. Am I angry? Yes, I am angry because I am not able to help out.
For example, When I was living with my family, I seldom helped. This was because when I started to help out, somebody always told me, “you don’t need to do that.” Sometimes, A person would say, “You cannot do that because you are going to hurt yourself.” I did not like this. I could not say anything because I thought that was bad. After they saw my sadness, they started to give me small things to take from one place to another.
When I was in a class, I used to be frustrated because I was not able to help out people. I got to sit on the corner just listening to people talk and tables, chares, and carts moving. I felt likeI was not part of the class.
It angers me that being the country with the most money, the US is not helping those who are living here and are less fortunate than most of us. Yes, some if not most of them could work, but we should remember that there are children out there who need our help. I think that they should be going to school. I think that instead of spending money on things that we do not need, we could spend it on these kids until there parents could have enough money to get a small apartment. Things would be much better if more organizations could help these people out. If we did these things, there would be less homeless people on the streets.
Yes, I am angry because of the attitudes that most people have when they see or talk to a person who has a disability. Some people think because a person is disabled he or she cannot have something interesting to say. Furthermore, the people who treat people like this think that these people cannot have an opinion. Therefore, they should be silent and accept whatever people give them because only the” normal” people know what is best for them. This is absurd. I still don’t know where this kind of thinking originated from.
People keep saying that this is a good country where you could make your dreams come true. O! Really? This gets me angry, for it is not always trew.
I want to become a broadcaster, but that dream is slipping away because I have to take a class which is not suitable for a blind person. This is a class that I have to take instead of a class that I took last year. That class was broadcasting 4a which required students to write down what they saw on a video. They had to describe what was on the video as if they were in front of the seen. I could understand if a person who is blind but was able to see a few years ago, could take this class. He or she would probably be able to remember things, so this class would not be as hard. I was born blind, and I am not able to picture almost anything. I rely on my hearing skills, but the problem was that in this class the video had no sound that would let me know what was happening. Also, I had to write the story using a specific kind of format. I was not aloud to do the writing my way. I got an F in that class.
Now, I am taking journalism 1, which basically, at least for me, it is the same thing as broadcasting 4a. I have to analyze a story using not only the story, but also any pictures, videos, or any other thing that is included with the story. I have to write what these things say about a story. Do they help the story? Then, I have to see where in the newspaper this story is located. What does this say about the story. How am I supposed to know this? How am I supposed to know how everything is arranged and what does it mean, if I cannot see the screen? If I don’t pass this class, I will not get my AA degree.
There were a lot of things that I wanted to do, but because of my cerebral palsy, I am not able to do them. A few examples are: swimming, playing the piano, playing soccer, among others. To think that I will be able to do the same things that a sighted person does or that I will be able to do them the same way, is beyond me. People should stop and change these classes. Mabey, People with disabilities were not able to do the jobs 50 years ago because of the technology. However, all of this has changed. Now people like me can become a broadcaster. So, Why do people want to make surten classes requirements?
This is a country where your dreams can become true! Tell that to the person who is getting 900 dollars a month From SSI. IF he or she works on top of that, they will cut part of the SSI check. I think the most that a person could make if he or she is working and getting SSI is 1300 dollars. Do the people who are ahead of this program know that the price of things have increased? Also, they should know that it is hard for people with disabilities to get a job. Usually, they have to fight hard to get one. 70 percent of people with disabilities are unemployed. This is also why I am angry. No one should be discriminated.
I cannot believe that knowing that there are jobs, the people who could see, don’t take advantage of them. I could say that if I was offered the Job, I would take it in an instant. We should not be ashamed of the work we do as long as it's decent.
I ask you to please open your eyes and your harts. Listen to us, and the things that we have to say. You may find a purpose for your life. I think that the words that Jesus said in the book of Matthew chapter 25 verses 41 to 43 are much better than my own words.
41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
KJV
What does Jesus want? He wants us to do all of the things that the ones on his left will not do. What is happening now? People don’t want to take the time to do these things.
In an article that I read, the author had a vision. There was a part of his vision that almost made me cry. This is an article that I love and every time I read it, I am left without words.
This article is titled, “the greatest gift.” In part of the vision that the author had, he saw Jesus sitting alone by a rode as busy people were running up and down. Some people were stopping to talk to him, but it was only for a few minutes and only to let him know what they were going to do for him or what they wanted from him. Jesus wanted a lot of things for these people. For example, He wanted them to find fulfillment in serving Him. However, what he really wanted was for people to sit with him and talk to him. He wanted to give his love to them.
Go to,
www.bibleanswers.com, for more articles.
This vision reminds me of a story of the bible about two sisters. There are two versions. I will use the one that is found in Luke 10 verses 38 to 42. 38Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 40But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore
that she help me. 41And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
I believe that the US is like Martha. Most people in this country do not stop to help out anyone. Instead, they go on doing things which are not going to last. If you keep on going this way, you may miss the greatest gift of your life
Although it angers me that people are more like Martha than Mary, I know that this will change very soon. Hope is the last thing that I will lose. I will keep on talking about this great problem until it is no longer a problem.

California Goes hands-free.

California goes hands free.
It seems as if things are turning around for the people of California because after years of using the cell phone by holding it, now they will have to use a hands-free device.
18 months after a new law was passed in California, prohibiting drivers from using a handheld wireless phone while operating a vehicle, people are lining up at their local wireless cell phone store to get a hands free device. This law, which goes in to effect today, was passed because of the many accidents that have been caused by drivers who were holding their cell phone with one hand, while steering with the other. According to Joshua Cohen, who is a researcher for the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, it is calculated that around 2,600 people die each year as a result of the use of the technology. Harvard researchers estimate about one in 20 U.S. traffic accidents involve a driver talking on a cell phone, and Another 330,000 people are believed injured. The study also says that laws banning cellular phone use while driving would cost society about $700,000 for each quality-adjusted life year saved. They also state that it is unclear whether hands-free phones are safer than handheld phones. Another law that was passed is the one that prohibits people under the age of 18 from using cell phones while driving. Any adult, who is found with a cell phone on his or her ear, and is convicted for it, will be fined 20 dollars. If they keep on getting convicted, they will be fined 50 dollars. You will not receive a point on your license if you get convicted for this violation. However, it will appear on your record. There will be no second opportunities to rectify your mistake. Once you get caught, you will have to pay. There is one exception to the rule. Only commercial drivers will be able to use their phones the regular way. The people that will be in charge of enforcing this law will be the highway patrol. I think that the law has to change a bit. For example, you will be able to dial, but it is discouraged. So, if people are still going to be doing this, in my opinion, we are still going to be at the same spot. Texting is still aloud. Again, what is going to be the big difference? Also, what is going to happen on those times when and if an officer is not around? I do not understand! One of the laws prohibits teens from using cell phones while driving because of what studies have showed. Is there really a difference between someone who is 16 and someone who is 18 or 19? I think the difference is Very little. Why can’t they make these laws fair by applying the same punishment for all?
Sources: http://www.knx1070.com/New-Cell-Phone-Laws-in-California/2350610
www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/02/tech/main531320.shtml

www.hsph.harvard.edu/press/releases/press07242000.html