daniel

What a great opportunity

2011-01-07T03:32:00.000-08:00

Hi, Like taking surveys? Tired of taking them and not getting anything? Well, It does not matter if you love taking them, or if you don't like taking them.
I am sure that when I tell you that you can win things every time you reach an amount of points. There are a lot of surveys, so in less than a month, you could get your first reward. So, please join me, and lets start earning points together! Cannot wait for my first reward!
http://www.zoompanel.com/cubas.daniel@gmail.com

website

2010-12-20T16:08:00.000-08:00

http://www.nowpublic.com/health/hexavalent-chromium-found-31-us-cities-tap-water-list-2739654.html
This is very interesting. Water is supposed to be OK to drink.

Good website to check out

2010-10-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

http://www.tomorrowsworld.org/cgi-bin/tw/tw-mag.cgi?category=Magazine17&item=1104101703

different lifestile

2010-10-03T06:51:00.000-07:00

Homo sexuality and marriage
What is the first question that someone will probably ask a person who is against homosexual marriages? How does it affect you? Most people say as long as they don’t disrupt there lives it is fine what those people do. It is their life.
Here is my take. We have been witness of how many bad things have happened when man tries to make his own path to walk on. Nothing happens in the first years, but it always finishes bad for someone.
For example, for a long time, slavery was permitted around the world. Perhaps, people were suffering in silence. There came a time where people got tired, and they slowly gained there freedom.
I can tell you about more stories like that but this will suffice.
All of us must learn what are our abilities and disabilities. A lot of people say that gay people did not choose to be that way. None of us chose to be born the way we were.
I know they are in pain but so are other people. As a blind person, I cannot drive. This hurts me. I need to ask around to see if someone is willing to take me where I need to go.
We must learn how to suffer because with out it, we would not know many things. Without it, we would become ungrateful. People have to try to accept who they are.
Marriage is more than a union between two people. Marriage is a bond, a spiritual union; it is becoming one with the other person.
In homosexual marriages, this cannot happen because they are two people of the same gender. How is that union going to take place?
It cannot because of the many challenges. Our creator designed our bodies with a specific purpose. It does not matter if you are an atheist or a person who believes in a higher being, or if you are a religious person. Marriages are something sacred, and we cannot change things around just so we can fit them to please / satisfy our needs and wants.
Later on, it is going to be seen as normal seeing two men or women going places and not be criticized, by anyone because everyone will accept there lifestyle. Children will be taught to respect one another. That I agree with. Just because I do not accept gay people getting married does not mean that I don’t respect them and would be willing to help them if I could do it. If schools are teaching kids about homosexuality and that is OK, then they should begin to teach them about bullying, people with disabilities, finances, and discipline.
We still have a long way to walk, but it is the wrong way. Unfortunately, our priorities are set wrong. He who follows him will have everlasting life. He is the way, the truth, and the life.
We are as blind people in a dark room. He who is watching us is able to see, he sent his son to guide us. A lot of people have rejected him for so long. The Holy Spirit is like a flashlight, guiding us.
Knowing that we have made so many mistakes and that we have tripped over and over, why do we follow this rode?

request

2010-10-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

Hi, I would like to make a request, but first of all, let me say that I am so glad that people are commenting on this blog. I like writing what I feel, and I like sharing it with everyone.
OK, my request. There are some comments here, and the only signature is Anonymous. Could those people please please write their names?Thanks,
Remember you can always email me with any suggestions or questions at: cubas.daniel@gmail.com

The dream act

2010-09-25T16:33:00.000-07:00

How sad that the dream act did not pass. It did not get enough votes. Probably I have said this before. These people that are working for us are acting like children. If for some reason they did not like the dream act, why can't they suggest some changes or come up with another prop? I don't get it. As long as we are divided, we are never going to move forward. Why did we end up like this? how, when, and at what time? This country needs a make over.

Jesus

2010-09-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life. I heard sometime ago that the UN could have a problem with statements such as this one because It would be considered hate speach.
Jesus Loves you

world cup

2010-07-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

Well, the world cup is done. How bad. I woke up every morning just for that. Although I will admit that some games were boring. I am glad that Spain took the cup home. I was a bit disappointed because I wanted more of those teams. The game for the third place was much more exciting than the Final. I am also proud that some teams on this cup gave it their all. Now looking forward to Brazil 2014. I hope I can be there. Another thing I did not like about this cup were the horns. They should have done something for those of us who were listening/watching the games on TV. Those things were really loud.

The US and the World cup.

2010-06-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

How sad. The US lost to Gana today in the world cup. I was really sad. foot ball, as it should be known, should have a replay system for the referees. Talking about referees, How come fifa does not see this? This being a big event for the entire world, I believe we should have the best referees in the world cup. Some of these people, have caused teams to loos.

My first writing in spanish!

2010-05-22T02:39:00.000-07:00

The kids of Widney High o Los chicos de Widney High, es una agrupación que se formó a finales de los años ochentas. Todo comenzó en la Preparatoria Joseph Pomeroy Widney. Widney, es una escuela para (estudiantes) personas discapacitadas. Un día, se le propuso al director de la escuela que se hiciera una clase para escribir música. El Profesor Michael Monagan, quiso escribir canciones para una obra de la escuela ya que el pensó que a la obra le faltaba música. Después de hablar con la maestra encargada de hacer la obra, se pusieron deacuerdo para llevar acabo este nuevo proyecto. Cuando el director les dio el si, El Profesor Monagan con algunos de sus estudiantes empezaron a escribir ideas. El Profesor Monagan, les asía preguntas a los estudiantes, de que iva hablar el tema? Que angulo se iva a tomar en este tema? Y final mente, alguno tiene alguna posible letra para incluir en la canción? Fue de esta forma que se empezaron a escribir las primeras canciones. Después de haber ayudado a los estudiantes a escribir las canciones, El Profesor Monagan grabó las canciones en su computadora. Cada estudiante tuvo la oportunidad de cantar una canción. A todos se les dio una copia de los temas que habían grabado. Una de estas grabaciones fue a parar a manos de un productor. Después de algún tiempo, en 1989 se grabo su primer disco que se tituló Special Music from Special Kids. Para este album, se utilizaron músicos de estudio.

Por algún tiempo, el grupo tocaba en eventos escolares. Poco a poco adquirieron fama. Empezaron a tocar en clubes alrededor de Los Angeles. Con el tiempo, los integrantes fueron cambiando 10 años despues los nuevos chicos hicieron el segundo álbum que llevó por nombre Let’s Get Busy. Fue este álbum que (llevo) saltó a los chicos al estrellato con canciones como, Pretty Girls, Let’s Get Busy, y Respect. Una canción que fue escrita por Otis Redding, pero que los chicos le adaptáron nuevas letras, re grabaron; convirtiéndolas así, en un himno para las personas discapacitadas. Desde entonces, los chicos an logrado conquistar los corazones de muchas personas incluyendo famosos como Smokey Robinson, Marilyn Manson, Howard Stern, entre otros.

Los chicos, ya tenían su propia banda, y hasta comenzaron la filmación de un documental sobre la banda. Otros años tuvieron que pasar para que grabaran su tercer disco. “Act your age”, fue grabado en el 2003. La banda cosecho mas éxitos como, Life Without The Cow, I Make My Teachers Mad, y Act Your Age.

Los chicos lanzaron otro disco con canciones grabadas en vivo. Su mas resiente disco que fue lanzado en el 2008 se titula. "Live at the Key Club." También participaron en la película, “The Ringer.” Que salio en 2007. Además, ellos ya tienen una línea de ropa llamada Better Bacon, un comico llamado Beond the Sky is the Limit. El documental en el cual an trabajado por varios años, se estrenara en varias ciudades de los Estados Unidos.

Aun con discapacidades físicas, estas personas les an venido demostrando a las personas no discapacitadas que cuando se quiere se puede, y no importan las discapacidades que tengan.

rebel

2010-05-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

Now it is Arizona. They have come up with a law that if they see someone who looks illegal, they will arrest him or her. My question is How would they know? People now have to keep their papers with them at all times? then there is that thing of people not coming to Arizona for anything. Good job governer! Now, the only other law that you have to sign is anyone who is blind cannot get out their houses. Just as this last made up law by me is ridiculous, so is the sb 1070. If the link does not work, type sb 1070 on a search box such as google's search, and you will get the link.

update

2009-09-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

Well, there are many things that I have to share. I will be going to a university next month. I need money because as you know, going to a university is expensive. I am an out of state student. The university is in maryland. I also got my diploma about a month ago. I was really happy. I also moved to a much better place. It is quiet, and it is only me. I have a new computer. The kids of widney high have a comic book. The kids of Widney high is the name of the band that I am in. Check the comicbook out!
http://www.kidsofwidneyhigh.com
http://www.youtube.com
Type kids of widney high in the youtube search box. There are also videos, and tracks of our songs on the kids of widney high's website. The comicbook info is also there. Very soon there will be a video on youtube about the comicbook. The comicbook will be on audio format. We will try.
Enjoy!

michael

2009-07-07T08:55:00.001-07:00

Well, the king of pop is gone. As a boy, I used to play his music. It is very sad that this happened. He did a lot for music. There is not much I can say about him. I think he was a bit misunderstood. I feel really bad for him. I don't think he had someone to guide him. It is time to think. Time to help one another. We don't want more cases like michael's.

Places where to find my things.

2009-03-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of websites where you can find things about me. I will be updating it when new things come out.
http://www.agjeans.com/Womens_Daniels_Rule_7__White/pd/c/6/np/-1/p/1442.html

This is a website that has one of my t-shirts.
www.kidsofwidneyhigh.com
Here, you will find my music.
http://www.whohub.com/danielcubas
This is an internet interview.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoCzL95klk8 Here I talk about myself. Really nice video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4DACgy1HbE
This is a video of what I think of the media, America, and being free.
http://carmelinafilms.com/daniel.htm
This is a documentary about me.

Not a nice day

2009-03-09T17:24:00.000-07:00

Today, has not been a nice day. I was supposed to go out, but I did not because I missed my ride. Today, it's like any other day. I do nothing. It is not because I don't want to do nothing, but I don't know what to do. I have tried getting a job, but I am blind, I have cerebral palsy, I cannot stand for long periods of time, I cannot read braille, and I am not someone who types 100 words per minute. My days are waking up at three in the morning, chatting with my friends, I stop at 11, I eat, and sleep. I do not have any money. I am done with college, but I do not have my diploma. It has already been 9 months. What a life. At this point, I don't know what to do.

A day to think

2009-02-25T07:37:00.000-08:00

I wake up every morning. I give thanks to god because he has let me live one more day. I wish people could see what I see, but what I see can only be seen when a person stops and takes time to search within his or herself. You have what it takes to change things around you. For some, life has a new meaning when they are blind. People see things a different way. I believe in god although I am not able to see him, and I believe that the stars are up although I have never seen them. People have not proved to me that they are here. So, should I stop believing? No, because I trust the people that are around me when they tell me that they do and because I know that god has answered my prayers. He has given me people that I can trust. He has made one more beautiful day that people take for granted. My body will get tired, but my spirit will be happy because every day I am getting closer to my goals. Taking time to see the day and talk to god help me to grow stronger every day.
Searching in my mind allows me to be me, and not what the world wants me to be. For all of this, I give thanks to god.
Please think of these words. I am blind, but I can see. You will know what I wanted to say if you take time and help another person, talk to god, search within yourself, and love others as you love yourself.
Blessings

I cannot believe it.

2009-02-17T12:26:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe what is going on. California has passed a budget. This budget has about 1000000 dollars in cuts that affect programs such as the department of vocational rehabilitation, which helps blind people go to school and get a job, Programs for seniors, which maintain them occupied and provide medical services. Children services are also being cut. More class rooms are being filled with students which affect them because they do not get individualized attention that they need to succeed. We have been living in a society where the rich don’t want to lose anything, and they want the vulnerable to pay for things when they go wrong. People with money or power don’t want to help when the situation is going bad. I view California as a big family where each member has problems. Either they have problems with others, or with money. But, we are two stubborn to ask for help. On the other hand, we have people who have been blessed with money, but they become selfish with it. We need help. All we want is a won sent increase, but some people don’t want that. They prefer that other people suffer. They don’t care if the most vulnerable people pay the consequences. Before I get to them, let me just say that on the other hand, we have to pay too many taxes. For example, we will have to pay a 13 sent tax on gasoline. Also, we will have to borrow 1000000 dollars if I am not wrong. OK, what are the consequences? They are very catastrophic. Disabled people will not be able to achieve their goals, children will fall behind in their education, our elderly friends will dye, and people from all three groups will also dye because they did not get cared for the way that they were supposed to. Let me tell you another analogy. Let’s pretend that all California was in the ocean. Then, All of a sudden, those whom our vulnerable, began to sink. Only those that could swim were having fun. They saw that a lot of people were sinking, but they did not do anything. They said, “We don’t know why we need to bring those people with us. They interrupt our fun time.” They don’t do anything to help them. They preferred to let children and others with special needs dye. They preferred to let those that taught them about love, honesty, and respect dye. These were also the people who took care of them when they were sick, hungry, and penniless. These under privileged people gave it all to save them. Also, some of these people went to war for them. They risked their lives, so these wealthy people could stay alive and keep their freedom and fortune. This is how these rich people, and the people in power pay them? They take away services, and meanwhile, they still have a lot of money? These teachers, doctors, and others have spent countless hours with these people and their kids helping them. They lost so much sleep to fine ways to improve themselves, so these ungrateful people could be happy with them. However, they are not. One last thing I have to say is what go's around comes around.

The Super Bowl

2009-02-01T19:28:00.000-08:00

The Super Bowl is always a great event to here every time it comes on. Year after year, it is the event that most people watch. For me, the only thing that is frustrating is that I cannot enjoy the game as I would like to. Today, I am glad that the Stealers one. It was the teem I chose before the big game started. I still want someone to explain to me two or three plays from this game, and a few commercials. All in all, this was a game to remember. The final result was 23 to 27. I wish I could say more about the game, but I am not able. However, The nachos that I had with the nice cold sangria were very good. Bruce Springsteen was great.

the internet's communication world

2009-01-11T18:29:00.000-08:00

I was always interested on how social networking websites worked ever since they started to spring up. The first site I heard of was Myspace. One day, after months of hearing all the good things about this website, I decided to create an account. It was easy. The only thing I did not like was the captia. From what I know, this is an image with letters and or numbers. One of my brothers had to help me out. It would have been nice of this site if they could be like blogspot, which is a website where you can create your blog. For example, when you want to post a comment on someone’s blog, you have to type the characters that appear in the image. However, for blind users, there is a link that says listen to the characters. I think that Myspace was not created for all of us. To me, this is another form of segregation. I know that the captia is a way to prevent automated accounts to be created and therefore, preventing people from getting unwanted things. In other words, by using this system, harm could be avoided. Anyway, I gave Myspace a try. When my account was created, the first thing I did was to email everyone I knew to tell them I had a Myspace account. I thought that creating this account would enable me to reach out to people and help them. I had four friends. I met two of them in college, and another friend was my band’s page. You see, I am a singer. The other friend was someone by the name of Tom. I did not know who this guy was. I posted something that I thought was interesting. Nothing happened. I commented on two of my friend's page, but I did not get a reply. I tried emailing these people, but I had no luck. One of my friends set her page to private, so the next time that I wanted to take a look at it I was not able to do it. I started to get frustrated. Not only because people did not want to speak to me, but because every time I would go into a page, I would hear music. I tried to find a way for it not to do this, but it did not work. I was done with Myspace after I heard that it would cause computers to malfunction. I asked one of my friends if there was a way that she could close my account, and she said yes.
Then, I tried blogging. It was much better. I am able to reach more people who are in different stages in their lives. I am able to comment on other people’s blogs, and I know when someone has left me a comment on mine.
Skype, Facebook, and Youtube, have also been of great help. I could post videos on my blog, send my blog address to the new people I meet in Skype, and I use Facebook to make all these come together. In other words, Facebook is the place where people could find me. However, I am about to take my Facebook page down because I am developing my website.
This will be a space where every person will have an opportunity to know me. This will be a place where everyone will be able to come together. After hearing politicians only talk about the rich and middle class people, after seeing websites inaccessible to the disabled, and after hearing so much about why the disabled community can’t do this or that, I have become tired. My dream has always been to live in a world where everyone helps one another. A world where the internet is accessible to all. What is this called? Am I too idealistic? Do I strive for perfection? The answer is yes.
This world is not going to be a perfect world. I know that. What I want to do is to teach people how to see life from a different prospective. Thru my writings, I want to see what people would do if they were poor, and disabled.
My website will be like the world I dream about. It will have things in brail, described videos, a blog, resources to help those who are in need, a radio show, Pictures with text, and so much more. I strongly believe that this could be done, and it will be done.
If I want to make a change, I need to start by making the changes in my work. Hopefully, others will learn, and they will change things for the benefit of all. At first, the change will happen in the internet world. Soon after, that change will be happening all around us

2008-12-26T10:31:00.000-08:00

There is a song by John Lennon that is titled “Happy Christmas War is over.” The song starts by asking: So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
What have we done this Christmas? Have we done good or bad things this year? Christmas is a time when families get together, eat, have a nice conversation, and exchange gifts. That is all very good. Unfortunately, little by little we have been adapting the holiday so it can fit our meaning. For example, if you ask the majority of people what is Christmas? They are going to tell you that is a time for shopping, giving material things, Santa Claws, getting together with the family, using some kind of drug, partying, and Jesus Christ. I believe a lot of people will say Santa before saying Jesus Christ. It is very unfortunate that the true spirit of Christmas is dying. I think we could start restoring it by taking time to see the things and people that are around us. We must give thanks that we have people who love us, that we have health, and we have things that are special to us. We must forgive the person whom we have been fighting with. I have a suggestion. Write a note to a person that you do not like. Before I continue, I have to say that you must take this very serious, and you must mean every word that you are going to say. In this note, write something good about the person. Then, you must say that you begin to forgive them or at least try to do it if you haven’t forgiven them already. Your gift to them will be spending time with them. So, you must make some time every week and set it aside. That time will be so you could spend it with the person you are writing this note to. You choose the length of time. If you wish, you could write other things in the note as well. Put this note, a Christmas card, and some money into an envelope. It is time to mail it. Why should you do this? You do not have to, but if you do, it will make you feel better. Think of it as cleansing your heart.
Mary Christmas and a happy new year

My Feature Story

2008-12-18T15:03:00.000-08:00

To graduate, and to get an AA degree, are supposed to be two exciting moments in a person’s life. A person has just turned another page from his or her book. After hard work and perseverance, a dream has become reality. I am one of those students. I graduated June 10th, of 2008, and I received an outstanding academic achievement award.

However, I am not just any student. I have Cerebral palsy, I have been blind since birth, and I cannot read brail. However, that has not stopped me. I have to complete one more class before obtaining my AA degree.

Unfortunately, the class, which is journalism1, is a substitution for broadcasting 4a which teaches students about news writing. These two classes are structured for people that can see. This is a problem for me because I believe that people like me should not be taking these classes do to their visual content. Also, I have no knowledge of the things that are being taught or how they are going to be taught. In my journalism 1 class, I have to work with pictures and websites which are not accessible to blind users.

It was almost the exact thing in my broadcasting 4a class; I had to hear what was on a video. At the same time, I had to hear my note taker describe to me what was going on the video. Then, I had to transcribe all of this information as if I was on the seen that the video was showing.
Many days I ask myself, “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?”
Another example is when I was in class, as an in-class activity, along with other students; I had to find stories in the newspaper to compile for a mock newscast. As all the students were looking in the newspaper, and talking to each other, I was sitting alone in front of a computer screen. I was frustrated because I was not doing my best to reach my potential. Tears were rolling down my eyes, and I wanted to get out of there not only because I was not doing anything, but because I did not want people to see me.

Miguel Lugo, an advocate for people with disabilities, said that there are always challenges that people with disabilities have to go through, and that there is always someone who is willing to “help you out.” According to a 2004 report titled, “Blind Adults in America: Their Lives and Challenges,” 16 percent of blind people have had some college education.

This report was conducted by the National Center for Policy Research for Women & Families; an independent research and educational organization, and was written by Diana M. Zuckerman whom has a PhD, and whom is an expert on national health policy.
As we have seen, some of them have reached their goals. However, things are not really that good when we compare this statistic and others, with those of the general population. The report also states that While 12 percent of blind people have a college degree, 18 percent of sighted people have achieved the same goal. Also, 40 percent of blind people do not have a high school diploma; compared to 25 percent of the general population that does not have a high school education. This report also found out that Blind people are less educated than people who can see. Blind people only have in average of 11.4 years of education. In the work force, 70 percent of disabled people are unemployed, According to an article, titled, "Blind Applicants Confront a Harsh Job Market," which was published on November 22 2007 in the Boston Globe. This is higher than the statistics that the bureau of labor reported for the sighted population. According to the bureau of labor statistics, 5.5 percent of sighted people are unemployed. These statistics are startling.
At SMC, a student is required to take 5 classes and an elective in able to get an AA degree in broadcasting. Out of the 8 broadcasting classes that I have taken, 6 have had some visual content that I have not been able to understand. For classes that have visual content, students with disabilities are provided with a scribe. After class, the notes are scanned, so the blind person could read them.
For some teachers at SMC, the transition from teaching sighted students to teaching blind students has not been hard. Nick Pernisco, whom is professor of broadcasting at SMC, said, “ I think that what’s happened is that I’ve become more conscious of the fact that I am not only trying to appeal to students who are able to see, but also to students who aren’t able to see.” He also says that this experience has made him conscious in terms of how he puts together his lesson plans.

Most professors seemed to be OK with having someone else helping a student by taking notes. “It seemed to work well for me,” Frank Dawson said, another broadcasting professor at Santa Monica College. He also stated that “Working with the students with disabilities department” was helpful. They told him what services they had available.
In some cases, when students with disabilities cannot do the assignment that the professor has assigned, professors give students an alternative assignment which try’s to be an equivalent to the assignment that the other students have to do.

Students are also not bothered by having blind students as classmates. “They were shocked,” Jason Tillitte, a student at SMC, said after seeing a blind student in the class. “It is a new experience for some of them,” Ron Brewington, whom is a teacher and former professional broadcaster, said.

This is not the only class that I have taken. In September of 2007, I had to take a basic math class. Because the class was not targeted towards me, I ended up dropping the class. I think that it would have been a different story if I would have been able to read brail. However, only 10 percent of blind people read Braille, according to the National Federation of the Blind. Also most college teachers have not worked with visually impaired people. This poses a big threat because as we have seen, more blind students could end up being part of that 16 percent of students who have only had some college education.
One solution to prevent this is to train the professors on how to work with blind people.

In the math class, the visual information was described. However, it was useless since there was nothing that I could relate this information to. I also ended up substituting this class for speech 11 which is an argument and debate class. “It would be nice if people could substitute these types of classes ahead of time,” Bianca Carneiro, whom was a student at SMC, said. Most of the interviewees agreed that the college curriculum needed to be changed.
How can we say that SMC or any other college is being friendly to everyone, if they are still leaving out those who need the education most. “It is our job as professors to help students,” Brewington said. Further more, We cannot expect students to willingly take a class such as journalism 1, which is not targeted towards them, and then have them go to their work place which is probably as inaccessible as these classes and which also expect a college degree which would not be obtained by the student. By adapting classes to visually impaired people, we will insure that blind people will be successful in the future. And more people will have a college degree.

abortion

2008-11-29T12:40:00.000-08:00

People have now gotten pregnant as early as 14 to 25 because they did not know how to control them selves. Remember in the early 80's when aids was something that nobody knew about? People started getting this by going to bath houses which are places that allows people to fornicate with whomever they want. The same thing is happening with young people. They have sexual relations with multiple partners, and they get STD'S. However, they don't know how they got it. Many girls, who are going to high school or college, drop out because they need a job to support their kid. Others do it because of financial problems or because they did not wanted such a responsibility. They decided to have an abortion. The common side effects of abortion are Infertility, Cervical Laceration, Uncontrollable blood clotting, severe hemorrhage, Seizures, Coma, Cancer, and Death. Unfortunately, women do not know this because some if not most doctors, don't have to tell them these things. Other women have abortions because they were abused but even that is not an excuse to do that. The government should give money to the women so they could get more help. Also, they could get treatment to overcome this traumatic experience. I never understood why abortion was between the woman and her doctor. Further more, people say that the dad has no Wright to force women to keep the baby. Even though the man is involved with making the baby, he cannot have the baby, even if he wanted it to be that way because the baby is in her body, and she could do whatever she pleases with the baby. The government should give the dad the opportunity to decide if he agrees or disagrees with thee abortion. On the other hand, if the man is paying child support, and his income is let's say 90000 dollars, some if not most of the time, the court tells the man that he should give half of his assets to the woman. What is even more sad, is that the money that they receive does not go for the kid, she spends it on her, wile the kids have no food and no clothing. Why do dads have to give the money to women? Couldn’t there be itemized reseats?
theshepherdsvoice.org

Thanks giving

2008-11-27T20:48:00.000-08:00

My thanks giving
Thanks giving is for giving thanks for everything you have, everything you have accomplished, and to give thanks to all the people that love you and care about you. I give thanks to my friends because they have given me their, love, trust, and support. I would like to thank god because he has given me all the great things that people say I have. I would also like to give him thanks because without him I would be nothing. All my gifts have been given to me, so I can help people out. I am glad that those around me have recognized my gifts, but I would like for them to realize that god gave them to me. He is the one whom thanks should be given to. I would like to share my gifts with everyone. So, in the future, we could have a better life.

Fires in California

2008-11-16T10:54:00.000-08:00

Wow, it has happened again as it has for years. There are four fires in southern California. Several freeways were shut down. One of them was closed because of a demonstration against prop 8 which eliminated marriage between people of the same gender.
One of these fires, started Friday night at 10 30. Another one, started about 9 AM.
My question is why have these people decided to continue with their demonstration? Now, there are more important things that need immediate attention. For example stopping the first fire before it spreads some more and damages more properties and people. As I have said before, at this moment, there are four fires going on. Unfortunately, the winds have not been helping us at all. They have been ranging from 45 to 70 miles an hour. Thousands of people have lost their homes, at least two fire fighters died, several people have been injured, and properties have been damaged. At this point, fire fighters are giving priority to those areas which have been affected most. People are angry because of this. They are seeing their houses go down in flames, and the fire fighters are not doing anything about it. My suggestion is that they fight the fire themselves. There have been stories about people fighting the fire not only to protect their house, but also to protect someone else's house. These people most than likely, have never met. I am glad that we still have heroes. I hope more people would help out instead of standing or sitting there asking why something is not being done.

Exciting day - or so I thought.

2008-10-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went to pick up a friend at another friend’s house. After walking for a block or two, and getting something to eat,my helper and I finally got to the bus stop. I was already tired. This is because it too hot. To my right, there was a woman with a child, and to my left there was a radio playing RNB. A few minutes later, I heard this man saying, “Leave me alone.” He also said that he did not want to be bothered. As he kept on talking, his words started getting to me because he was cursing. I also heard that he was the one with the radio. The woman kept asking the child to not look at something. Well, it got too much when the man started looking at us. At this point, my helper called the police. My helper described the man as African American. He had a back pack and a small radio. He was dressed in black. When the bus came, the police had not arrived. If they ever did, I don’t know. When the doors of the bus opened, there was a discussion going on between the bus driver and another woman. I thought we were not going to be able to get on the bus because this woman was almost screaming. I am glad that we got in. The first thing I heard when I got on the bus was, “you need a man.” This is what the woman told the bus driver. We sat all the way back. The men were talking about it, and they wanted her out. When we thought that some peace had finally come, the woman started again, but she lowered her voice. I have experienced several cases like these two. Sometimes I wonder if these people are mentally ill. I just hope that they increase the money for psych wards. I hope they are not closing any because we need them.

the bailout.

2008-10-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

I feel so sorry for us. Since when do we help out those who have made bad mistakes? I think a better term should be errors in judgment. Another question that I am asking myself is how did the US get 7000000000 dollars? I thought that there was no money! Didn’t President Bush say that social security was going to be out of money? One more question. Was this a lie? So, let me get this strait. We don’t have money for health care, we don’t have enough money for social security, and we don’t have enough money for our veterans. Also, helping the blind will cost too much, and let’s not talk about people with out jobs, homeless people, building more prisons, plus so much more. However, we have more than enough to bailout Wall Street. I believe that when somebody owes to the government, the creditors call the people that are in debt and harass them in a weekly bases. The people who are getting bailed out are going to want more money. Then, other industries are going to probably follow their example, and they will ask for some money as well. I wonder if the people who are being helped out, have helped the government in some way. Probably they have, and we don’t know about it. It angers me that some of these people will walk out with very fat checks, and everything is going to be just fine because that is what they had put on their contracts. Let’s speak the truth here. The people that will pay the 7000000000 dollars are the US citizens. I also heard John McCain say, “The fundamentals of our economy are strong.” Because I am an ignorant, I never knew what the meaning was , and He never explained what he just said. It was until recently when I heard that he was talking about the people. Maybe it will take many years until we could pay the government back. I don’t know if we will ever see the government giving us that reward for helping Wall Street. I also feel bad for Mister Bush. So much has happened under his administration. I have heard almost all his speeches, and for the first time I think he said that we were in a recession. I have heard that it takes a long time to build something, and it takes very little time to destroy it.

good job at the Dnc today

2008-08-26T21:39:00.000-07:00

I believe this speech was really good and really important. It was time that someone spoke for the disabled. It is sad that the US is not doing enough to
help us out. Very often we are left behind along with the poor. It is sad that so many voices are not heard, yet the democrats say that they are for all people.
so why do we get left behind? why do homeless people get left behind? why do people who are starving get left behind? why do victims of natural disasters
get left behind? There are so many other things that I could say, but I think you get my point. These things should be talked about in these conventions.
I am glad that this man is speaking out. We need change. Obama and all americans could make that change happen if they are willing to. When are we going to talk about this? I hope very soon.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/us/politics/27paterson.html?
http://election411.org/article/id/352683/david-patterson-speaks

The family

2008-08-24T22:24:00.000-07:00

I would like to talk about something important and that is the family. A lot of people work 1 or 2 jobs just to pay the rent, the mortgage, food, clothing and other basic things. We all know that the minimum wage is not enough to cover all the expenses that a family might have. Knowing this problem, the government decides to waste money on other things, and they also keep raising taxes. Even though parents do a lot to survive these hard times, they are leaving their kids husbands or wives unattended. Some kids get dropped off in daycare and others go to school. Some kids go strait home after school. However, other kids stay a long time outside because they know that their parents will probably not come back until 9 PM or later. Those parents that come early from work pick up their kids from daycare if they have any in such a program, and they go strait home to sleep. In the meantime, the older kids are on the computer or in front of a television and most of the time; it is not for educational purposes. Others are getting introduced to things like sex, drugs, and being in gangs. Some if not most parents, do not play with their kids because they are too tired and if the kids want to talk to them, or simply give them a hug or kiss, they tell them to go away. There are some moms who don't like or want to kook or clean, and the dad has to do both things. It is very sad to say but this was caused by the feminist movement who told men they were not going to do whatever they wanted. I remember one morning when I was in an elevator on my way to one of my classes, and I heard a woman telling a man that she did not like to kook. The man also said that his wife did not like to kook and as I herd this, I thought to my self, “I hope I don't get a woman like that.” I was uncomfortable hearing this. But I am even more uncomfortable when I hear kids talking about another problem that is corrupting our country and that is sex. These kids are doing this in school when they don't even know what this is. Most people have sex with out love, and they think that if they don't do this, they are not going to be compatible on other things. In the first or second week that people meat, they begin to have sex or they start using drugs because of pier pressure. When a month goes by, they start living together not after they have a big argument with their parents because they think they are better than their parents. I know that it is very common to live together with a person without marrying that person. They see it as test driving a car and if they don't like the person, they could leave. In able for a relationship to work out, you have to spend more time asking questions about the other person and see if that person agrees or disagrees on the things that you believe. Watch how that person behaves with other people, and don't take him or her to expensive places. Some parents think that teachers should have the job to educate their kids about sex and drugs. However, teachers don't tell kids about the deeper issues of these two problems. Unfortunately, Because of these things, kids learn to be violent and they also learn about sexual education and drugs the wrong way. Think about it. What would you do if you don’t get what you want? It is likely that you will become violent. Some internet sites, radio shows, songs, TV shows, and video games have things relating to sexual activity or drugs. Unfortunately, these things do not tell kids the bad side effects. Parents don't put too much attention on what their kids are watching or hearing and that is another reason why kids tern out to be violent. If parents took time to talk or play with their kids, and watch TV with them, they wouldn't be the way they are now. Parents don't talk to their kids about the consequences of their actions and what could happen if they abuse things. Parents should start educating their kids about sex, drugs and violence when they are young. Also, they should tell them what is good or bad so when they get older, they will know what and what not to do. Because of the misinformation that kids get from their friends about sex ed, they start having it at a young age.
People have now gotten pregnant as early as 14 to 25 because they did not know how to control them selves. Remember in the early 80's when aids was something that nobody knew about? People started getting this by going to bath houses witch are places that allows people to fornicate with whomever they want. The same thing is happening with young people. They have sexual relations with multiple partners, and they get STD'S. However, they don't know how they got it. Many girls, who are going to high school or college, drop out because they need a job to support their kid. Others do it because of financial problems or because they did not wanted such a responsibility. They decided to have an abortion. The common side effects of abortion are Infertility, Cervical Laceration, and Uncontrollable blood clotting, severe hemorrhage, Seizures, Coma, Cancer, and Death. Unfortunately, women do not know this because doctors don't have to tell them these things. I believe that some doctors may say that to themselves. Other women have abortions because they were abused but even that is not an excuse to do that. The government should give money to the women so they could get more help.
I believe another thing that Leeds to a bad family is domestic violence. This includes physical, verbal, and sexual abuse. When children see this type of behavior, they grow to be even more violent than the parent that was doing this. This is how a cycle starts, and women who have kids, stay in the relationships because they think that if the man leaves nobody will be there for her or for her kids. This can also lead to a person using drugs because there is so much drama in their lives that they use the drugs to escape from reality. What these people don't know, is that when they try to stop, it is going to be too late because they are going to be addicted to the drug.

2008-08-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

Ads are an interesting way to get people’s attention. Here is an example of one that I made about two months ago. Ads are moving away from advertising products. Instead, they want to promote a life stile. This is really bad. I believe it is turning people into characters. If people do not want to do something, such as preparing a meal, they could go to a place and order whatever they want. This next ad that I made will be for those people. My goal is to see if there is a difference between my ad and the fast-food ads, and also to let you see how easy it is to entice people into buying products. Sorry, how easy it is to entice people into changing a productive life stile into an unproductive one. We know you have things to do, and places where you need to go. The last thing you want to do is cook. X, Y, and Z has just the right thing for you. Why wait when you can have it now?
X, Y, and Z, , we have you covered.

Budget crisis

2008-08-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

We go through the same thing in California every year. It always takes a long time to pass a budget. We are in at least three weeks behind. It is scary to think that people will be going back to school, and there is no money. I heard on the news that kids will be spending not as much for there school supplies. This means that they will have to use their old school books, they will wear the same clothes, and they will have to use the same writing materials in this upcoming school year. However, California should not be the only won at fault, but The US as a whole. So now, we have two problems. I believe that we should not be hearing the same thing over and over from the politicians. Republicans don’t want to raze taxes, but the democrats do. Someone must give up. If we don’t raze taxes, what can we do to reduce the deficit? On the other hand, people cannot start cutting programs which are beneficial to the poor, the disabled, the sick, and the elderly. I believe that now it is time for the people who are in power, to think about others and not so much about themselves or people who have the same economic status as they do. We must realize that things are not for free, and that we must pay for what we need. If that means razing taxes, then we should do it. Again, unless the republicans have a better plan, I do not see another solution.

Judaism divided into three parts

2008-08-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

Orthodox Judaism says that the torah, is very important no madder if it’s the written or the oral form. It states that practices such as circumcision, are very important. A person could give up is or her believe in god as long as he or she follows the practices. Reform Judaism says that the practices are no longer required. It tries to blend with today’s society. It modifies some things to fit modern times. I was confused when I read that it was coming back to the traditional ways. Conservative Judaism is in a way, the blending of orthodox and Reform Judaism. It states that the practices are very important As well as the laws of the Talmud and the torah. It tries to adapt modern things when it is necessary. It talks about an evolutionary process and that, “halachic authority can continue the halachic evolution today.” God is real and therefore, really important.

The Olympics

2008-08-18T07:22:00.000-07:00

The Olympics is a big event. When I was younger, I used to participate in a similar event in Los Angeles that was called the Braille Olympics. We used to do a few events such as run, long-jump, and others. Every time I went, I always got the bronze meddle. It is because of this experience that I understand what every athlete is going thru. I am proud of each of them for doing a good thing. Now that we have a lot of things going on in the world, we need some unity which is what the Olympics have been doing.

reparation money

2008-08-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

I believe that The U.S. government should not give reparation money to the children from slaves because it would be a waste of time and it would cost a lot of money.
First of all, we would have to do DNA tests to determined if the people, had ancestors that were slaves. This could take up to 8 weeks. Then, we would have to do a psychological evaluation which would take more time, and people would have to weight some more depending on how much time is given. Also, we would be wasting time by arguing how much money they would be entitled to.
This will also cost a lot of money. According to africanDNA.com, a complete test will cost 1000 77 dollars. Now, multiply this by lets say, 10000 children of slaves. Then, we would have to pay 10770000 dollars. We would have to find in which way did the slave era affected the child which would require a psychological evaluation. Because every state is different, it is hard to put a price on how much this service would cost. Also, since slavery ended 143 years ago, it would be hard to prove that someone was affected.
If we were to give 10000 people 10000 dollars, we would be paying 100000000 dollars. I would also imagine that we would have to pay the people that will take care of the paperwork. Just on the reparation money and DNA tests the government will spend about 110000000 dollars. This amount would rise if we add the people who will do the printing, sorting, distribution, etcetera along with the people who would do the other things that I have mentioned. There are a few questions that need to be considered. What about those people, who are not black, but there ancestors were? Should they get paid reparation money, despite there skin color? What is the government going to do if someone commits fraud? I think we should also pay other ethnic groups because they have been mistreated. For example, the Japanese, the Hispanic, and the Native Americans. As an example, I could say that since my mom and dad were taken away from me because they were illegally in this country, and since I was born with a disability, I had to struggle to survive. If things were changed a little bit, and I went with them, I could say that as a result of being taken out my country, I did not have the services that I was supposed to have which caused me to be in a worse condition than in the one I was before I was taken away.
I believe that if this plan is accepted, our country will finally hit rock bottom.
1 April, 2008
http://www.africanDNA.com

movies

2008-08-16T23:22:00.000-07:00

The author of an article that is in the LA times says that probably we are not going to see movies being shone in the movie theaters. This is going to happen because movies are coming out on DVD. Consequently, people are waiting until they come out in this way because they would avoid many things. for example, they would avoid having to make long lines at the movie theater. Furthermore, the author says that the movie studios need to put out better films, so the public would be eager to go to a movie. He also says that some of these movies were not made to be seen in an Ipod. one thing that I got from this article is that most young people do not appreciate old films. an example that the author gives is that there are few opera houses because of the lack of interest for these things. Even though this does not have anything to do with movies, it illustrates a good point. Technology has been guilty of more people spending their time watching movies on a portable device instead of joining their family to eat, to go and see a play, or to go to the movies. I agree with the author. If things keep going the way they are, movie theaters will be history. I was not wrong when I said that technology was bad for us. on a personal experience, I used to like movies but now that they have too many sound effects and a lot of visual scenes, I rarely see them. Films that were made in the 1960's and 1970's were much better. For a scary film, they would use a piano. For other ones, they would have an orchestra playing in the background. The actors talked more than they do now. that is why; I enjoy movies that were made back then. even though there is still dialog, I cannot understand movies because I would have to see what they were doing in able to understand what the conversation was about. For example, let’s say that someone would be cooking and he got burnt. He would curse and everyone in the theater would do something. Because I would not understand what everyone was laughing or crying about, I would have to ask a person what happened. the person would tell me that they were laughing because the person got burnt. I hope we realize that cell phones, ipods, and computers are not for watching movies. Computers are for typing and retrieving important files. in other words, they are useful to view or print info and to sample media. Cell phones are for making important calls. Ipods are for storing and for listening to music. However, technology is not entirely guilty. The people who make these movies do not have anything good to put out. As soon as movie makers use a little bit of creativity, that is when people will start to go back and see them.

lowering the drinking age

2008-08-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

I have heard some people say that we should lower the drinking age. I believe that We should not reduce the drinking age from 21 to 18 because some young adults would be irresponsible and there for, they would cause an increase in automobile accidence. Do to the immaturity of some people under the age of 21, we will see as we have seen before, some of them do things that are not right. For example, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had a study that found that one out of 14 girls in between the ages of 14 and 19 has an STD. What do STDs have to do with lowering the drinking age if the statistic starts with age 14? First of all, it is important to ask why and how these girls contracted an STD? What would be the first answer? Could they had stopped this from happening? Why they did not do it? If at 18 they were able to consume alcohol, would they do something bad? The answer is yes. From 14 to 18 some kids have not matured enough. Also, at 18 they are getting out of that childhood stage, and some if not most adults, will be struggling to mature which would lead them to still keep on doing the same mistakes that they have been doing. Also, now that they have access to new things such as the internet, they would be doing more mistakes. Why is this? Using the net, they would be able to plan a party where some kids would be able to take alcahol. Meanwhile, their parents would not have a clue of what was going to take place. When kids got out of school, to protest in favor of illegal imigrants rights, on may first of 2006, I heard that some of those kids, had already planned how this thing was going to happen. Another example is that some, if not most kids, start driving at the age of 16, and we no the potential problems that this has caused. There have been 3,490 drivers under the age of 21 that died in 2006 and thousands more were injured. According to the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, it was estimated that there were 11000000 underage drinkers in the US. Now, imagine those 11000000 young adults and those that will be turning adults in the next few years being able to legally consume alcohol by the age of 18. How many more accidence would have to be added to already the long list? I believe it would be A lot. Giving them a second tool could lead to bad consequences. Since the first tool was driving, If we start providing alcohol, it would be the second tool which will kill more people than when they had only the first one. If we start to legalise drinking at the age of 18, It is going to be a two year difference which is not going to change anything. What I mean by that is these kids who were driving recklessly at the age of 16, now that they would be 18, and now that they would be able to purchous alcahol, who knows what could happen.I should also add that since driving starts at 16, probably drinking should be legalized at 16 as well. The accidence that are caused by 16 year olds is going to rise as soon as these people turn 18. The reason they have not risen now is because children are not able to purchase as much alcohol as they would if they were 18. As I have said before, This could have a lot of bad consequences if it were to happen. One of the consequences, would be that there parents will be devastated. This will happen because their child just killed a person and or got killed because of a teenager driving drunk. Another consequence is that a lot of money maybe thousands of dollars, would have to be paid to the family by the tax payers for the damage that some teenagers will cause. Also, we should not forget that the family of the drunk teenager, Probably will not have enough money to pay the other family or families.
So far, we have been able to reduce the fatal and injury crashes by 38% and 40% respectively, among 16 year old drivers. However, if lowering the drinking age were to happen, the statistics would go up again. At 18 a person has not yet grown sufficiently, but they still want to experience many things.The problem with that in this case, is that according to www.cdc.gov, at all levels of blood alcohol concentration, Young people have a greater risk of getting into an accident.

Facts about juice

2008-08-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

In an article that I read about a year ago, Five juices were tested. Two were from frozen concentrate stored in screw top containers. Two were from ready-to-drink, not from concentrate pasteurized orange juice, packaged in either non-re-sealable, gable-top waxed cartons or plastic, re-sealable, screw-top containers, and 1 brand was of ready to drink from concentrate non-pasteurized orange juice packaged in re-sealable, screw-top waxed cartons. the ready-to-drink orange juices had higher concentrations of oxidized AA. Orange juice reconstituted from frozen concentrates had the lowest content of oxidized AA. I read that Ready-to-drink orange juices should be purchased 3 to 4 weeks from expiration date, and they should be consumed within 1 week of opening. some of the Vitamin C in the orange juice would be destroyed because of the time of production, and the time that it becomes available in different outlets. According to the article, 16% of people are deficient in Vitamin C. This could be because some people do not consume foods that are rich in vitamin C. If they do consume these foods, there is a possibility that those foods have lower quantities of vitamin C because of the way they were prepared or because of another reason. ** "reduced" Vitamin C/Ascorbic Acid does not mean less. It refers to the chemical charge on the molecule. "Oxidized" does mean less because it has been destroyed oxygen. I remember when I purchased juice, and I did not open it. It had been outside the fridge for more than a day. Well, the Juice went bad. I was very sad. This also reminds me of the advice that is always being said. We should not buy more than we need. It seems as if I need to find another way of buying things.

Is John McCain a maverick?

2008-08-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

In a story titled, “Between a maverick and a hard place,” publish to day in the LA times, I found some things that were very interesting. For example, John McCain considers himself to be a maverick. So, what is a maverick? According to thefreedictionary.com, it is, “One that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter.” Yes, he is still one, but I also think that he is stuck in between roads. He wants to be seen as someone who is different than other politicians. But at the same time, he wants to win these elections. I used to like him a little bit more a few years ago when he co-authored an emigration bill that was fair to undocumented workers. Now it seems as if he has joined those people whom he has criticized. I believe that a person could be with a group and still not be in agreement with them. However, in this case, I think that there is very little difference between President Bush and McCain. In another note, I think that he should not use ads like the one with Paris Hilton to get his point across. He should not criticize Barak Obama for saying what he said about tires and energy.
To read the article, go to
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-maverick11-2008aug11,0,299016.story

Nice tests

2008-08-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, I took a class that was about choosing a career. My goals in this class were to explore career possibilities within a field of interest, and to discover more about myself. I had to list the work values that were most important to me at that time. The work values that were and still are important to me are to: help society, to work with others, to influence others, to have knowledge, to have a job that will lead me to personal growth, to be able to use creativity, to have stability and security, to have excitement, to be able to make good money, to be able to work near my home, to be able to have fun, to have a career that allows me to advance, to be able to be productive, to have achievement, and to work in a clean environment. I also had to list the skills that were important. The work skills that are still most important to me are: to analyze, to compile, to compare, to mentor, to negotiate, and to convince. I think I speak well, I give good advice, and I am a good problem solver. The specific skills that I have are that I know how to use the computer, I am patient, I am detail oriented, and I am bilingual. The special accommodations that I need to consider are: a computer that has a screen reader program, and a scanner with an OCR program. The things that I like to do are: Reading, listening to music, watching shows that have to do with history, crime investigation, political debate, and religious shows. I also like to listen to radio shows that talk about the same subjects described above. The classes that have interested me more are: broadcasting one and three and geology 1. The classes in which I have made my best grades are: English 23, speech three, and in a music class. The thing that I have liked about a job experience that I have had is that I have been able to make a bit of money, and that I have been able to interact with people. If you have taken a personality test, you already know about the following. If you have never taken one, there are 16 personality types. There are different codes witch, come close to describing who you are. This is mine. My personality code is INFJ. It implies that I am caring, and that I could be a teacher among other things. There is a test which is called the strong test, and it measures your personality based on the answers that a person gave when taking the test. Also, it will give you career suggestions based on other factors. The strong said that my Theme Code is S. My strongest career interest is helping others. It also said that I am outgoing, I am Concerned for others, I am humanistic, I am Verbal, and I am Generous. My Results Show I Have High Interest In: Public Speaking, Persuading, or influencing people. The careers that I might like are: Bacteriologist, Biomedical researcher, Ecologist, Zoologist, and Elementary School Teacher. Out of the careers that they listed, I only like three. They are: foreign language teacher, interpreter, and Linguist. According to bridges.com, this is how I am and the careers that I chose among the 100 career choices. Historian
Interpreter/Translator, Archivist, radio/TV Announcer. The following is an Interest Profile. Your Top Interest Areas. Does this sound like you? Artistic: Artistic: You are a "Creator". You enjoy art of all types, including drama, music, literature, poetry. You like using your imagination and creativity. You prefer working in unstructured environments. You have a need to express yourself. You may describe yourself as sensitive or emotional. Investigative: You are a "Thinker". You enjoy observing, learning, evaluating. You like the challenge of thinking through problems. You prefer working on your own. You often use science and math in problem solving. You may describe yourself as inventive and original. So, there you have it, this is who I am. Try these things out. Go to a college, and please take a class like this one. I am interested to know what you think.

Sex being sold!

2008-08-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

I have heard that sex sells. I have to say that this is the truth. A few weeks ago, I was listening to a commercial on the radio. It started out with a woman moaning. After a minute, I found out that it was a commercial for hair restoration. After that, the announcer said something like, “If you want to be like our friend here”, you must do this. This was a radio advertisement for as I said before, a hair restoration PROCEDUREMENT. The place where they do this thing is supposed to be different than the other hair restoration places. Why does sex have to dominate the media? How is this impacting or how will it impact the future generations? Wow! To think that we see this when watching a commercial on cars, food, and clothing, scare’s me a lot. It is then that we are left saying, “Why?” Let’s get back to selling products and not sex. This will make a person into another person that he or she may not be. We should be setting the example for other countries to follow

new video

2008-08-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

I have a youtube channel. I only have two videos, but I will keep on adding more. Interesting things are ahead.
Go to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4DACgy1HbE
to see the viddeo. As I said, the video is also on my youtube page.
My youtube channel is,
www.youtube.com/danielcubas1

airlines

2008-08-05T11:28:00.000-07:00

It is sad that the airlines are nickel and diming their customers. Now, Jet blue is going to sell you a blanket and a pillow for seven dollars. Add to this that some other airlines are charging you for extra leg room, snacks and drinks, and extra bags. Why do they have to do this? If they would add all of this to your fare, everything would be much better. Customers will be very unhappy with this decision. I was hearing on the radio that people are bringing their own blankets and pillows. I am glad that I have never have had to use this. I do not think that it feels very good to sleep on used things. Hundreds of people have used these things. I wonder how often they are washed. I believe that in able to fix this problem the airlines have to do what I suggested.

The brotherhood

2008-08-04T23:49:00.000-07:00

"Islam" as peace, People are not thinking of that when they hear info about this religion. The brotherhood is an Islamic organization that helps provide a different religious view of Islam that the media, politicians, and others don’t seem to have. It seems as if the brotherhood is trying to reestablish Islam by educating people. An example is that people should pray. They also teach other religious values. It seems as if their goal is unity. This is what the profit would have wanted. So far, this organization is following Islam. Surah 90 talks about the Ascent, “It is the freeing of a slave, or the feeding, in a day of hunger, of an orphaned near of kin, or a needy man in misery.” This is what the brotherhood is doing in over 20 countries. According to surah90, those who free the slaves, and those who counsel one another, for example, shall be on the right hand. I believe that because of the political things that are going on, soon, the brotherhood will be unable to give out anymore. I fear that the world will be dominated by the people who are in power and who don’t care about the poor. I think that over time, this organization will disintegrate little by little. They will be seen as an organization that helped.
I was really bothered by a headline that was mentioned in an article. "Let the Workers Eat Cake," blared a headline on the front page of the April 30 edition of Al Akhbar, a Lebanese daily newspaper allied with the Shiite. Although some groups are “winning”, in the end, everyone is going to suffer the consequences of their actions. We should follow closely what is happening in the Middle East. By now, it should be clear that bible prophesies are becoming reality. From the first one up to now, people did not believe that the bible was truth although all the prophesies have become true so far. There is more to come, and we should be prepared. Always keep searching for the truth.

a taste of an article

2008-08-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

These are some things that I will probably include in a future article. I wrote in the Third person. I hope that this article will get published in newspapers. I will also be publishing it on here. Enjoy
Blind student will publish an article on school unfairness
A blind student, whom recently graduated from SMC College, will publish an article in a few months that will tell people how SMC College expects him to pass a class in able to obtain his AA degree. He will also talk about how future students could be affected by these requirements. According to the student, these requirements are unfair.
For example, the class that he has to take in able to get his AA degree, is not targeted towards him. For example, this person has to take a journalism class. Half if not more of the material in the class, is for people who can see. Also, since he took a math class, he knows that because the concepts that are going to be used there will be to guide people who can see, some blind people would not be able to understand them. He knows that they would probably not understand things such as: decimal points if there is not someone who knows how to explain to the blind student, in a proper way, what that is.
He would like to write this article because it is not fair for students to take a class about something that they know nothing or very little about. In this case, it would be the things, descriptions, format, or visuals that the teacher is using to teach the class. Because of these methods, the person who will write this article would talk about how the student will lose more instead of gaining something. For example, instead of earning an A or b, the student could get an F as a grade. Also, he or she will probably never use or understand the things that are being taught. He thinks there would be interest because it would show how The California educational system focuses on the majority. Also, because more blind people are going to school, it would be necessary to change the educational system. By people reading this, they would be more conscious that there has to be a change. Further more, since a lot of veterans are going back to college, there would be some people with disabilities that are going to school or will go to school. “Since we owe our freedom to these people, people should care about this problem,” The future author of this article said.
The author would include four pictures in this story. A picture of a blind man or woman sitting in a news writing class with arms crossed as all of the other students hold a newspaper, would be included. In the picture the students are divided into groups. The blind person is sitting nowhere near. In another picture, the professor is walking towards the student. In another one, they are talking. In the last picture, the student is alone and upset. The student still has nothing to do. The teacher is walking to the front of the room.
The student would interview professors, students who are blind, and those who are not, the president of the college, and department chairs.

about religion

2008-08-02T22:46:00.000-07:00

I will try to answer a few questions about Religion in general. Also, there are some terms that I will try to explain because they are not in English.
Religion is a term that refers to an organized system which attempts to explain things, answer questions, or come to a conclusion about a myth or idea. Further more, it tries to put that which cannot be seen together with the things that people could perceive with the five senses, and it is based on tradition.

For example, Buddhism and Hinduism for they provide a path for people to follow. In Hinduism, MOKSHA is the liberation from Samsara Which means flowing together. Samsara is a wheel. Better yet, it is the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. MOKSHA is a way to be one with god.

In Buddhism, the 4 Noble Truths provide a way for the Buddhists to be at peace. Dukkha, which could be translated to unsatisfactory, tells us that nothing remains forever. The second one is tanha which means a thirst or craving for something. nirvana Is the third one. It means to extinguish. Learning not to crave or be thirsty for material things is the object. Getting rid of unsatisfactory things is a goal. What I got from the text is that we must extinguish these things. The last one is the Eightfold Path Which has to do with being in a good moral behavior, don’t harm others, understand others, understand the teachings known as darma, and being in the right state of mind. In other words, The Eightfold Path consists of Sila, Prajna, and Samadhi.

Religion’s role in human life is to lead people to some kind of spiritual awareness, and it also tries to guide people on how to live. An example of this would be Christianity for it gives guidelines to become a better person. These are known as the 10 commandments which were given to Moses by Jehovah. Judaism is another example which has certain things that they need to do to be closer to god. This is known as Halakha, Which could mean “the path" or "the way of walking." Halakha encompasses religious and non religious laws. Something similar is in Islam, and it is known as the shariah law which means the way or path to the water source.

Places, Things, or practices can be considered religious. People can recognize this if a place has been widely known to hold some type of meeting to discuss or preach spiritual things. In some cases, but not necessarily, people are able to know if a place is religious by the title that has been given to it. Titles include: mosques for Muslims, temples for Buddhists and Hindus, churches for Christians, or some other sacred place or space.

A thing can be recognized as something religious if people are wearing it or have it in their possession , if it is an accepted item by a group of people or by an organization, and if it has some historical significance.

An example is the cross for Catholics. It is important because that was where Jesus was put to death. It represents the pain that Jesus had to go through. Another example is the Koran because it is the complete message of god, according to Islam. Islam also says that other holy books such as the bible have been corrupted or altered making them the incomplete word of god. The Koran was dictated to Muhammad over 23 years. According to him, the angel Gabriel came to him and told him to write down what he was going to be told.
According to Islam, Muhammad is the profit of Allah

A practice can be considered religious if it is done frequently. Also, it must have to do with something that a person can connect or be in touch with. For example, people could be connected with a higher being or with a person’s own spirit. A practice could be done alone ore with a group of people.

An example of a practice is prayer which is a way of communicating with a higher being. It could be done alone or with other people. Other examples include sacrifice. This involves killing an animal so people could be right with god. Chanting is a way to invoke a spirit. People could have a contact with one if they are concentrated.

granting sitizenship

2008-07-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-30T18:56:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-07-29T22:50:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-28T23:20:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-07-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-07-26T06:35:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-07-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-07-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-07-23T23:32:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-07-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-11T16:51:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-07-09T18:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-04T16:34:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-07-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

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

How to come up with story ideas.

2008-06-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

In able to come up with a good story idea, people have to see, listen, and research stories. Then, you must come up with questions about that story which could lead to an idea. Listen to other people talk and get in the conversation. Out of the many topics that you will be discussing, one if not more, ideas will be developing before you know it. Always ask what if questions. For example, What if school uniforms were required from now on? Also, seeing a TV show or movie can give a person a lot of ideas. I think that it is best to start with movies that are based on a true story. When I want to write something, I get my ideas from personal experiences. It is not hard to do. There are questions that should be asked before writing. What, where, when, why, who, and how. Here is an example. First of all, I will ask each question followed by an explanation. Then, I will make a story based on the info that I provided. What is happening? Someone is typing on the computer. Where is it happening? He is In front of a computer and in a room. When is this taking place? This is taking place Today at 1 21 P.m. Why is he typing? He is writing this to post this on a blog. Who is typing? Daniel is Typing. He is typing by using two hands.
So, let me give you the little story. Someone, by the name of Daniel, is inside his room typing on his computer. This began today at 1 21 P.m. He is typing by using two hands. As soon as he is done, He will post his writing on a blog.
In between this info, you must add details.
I hope this helps people who are struggling to come up with an idea of what to write about. Remember, these questions can be used for anything you want to do.

Review of the book of Mark.

2008-06-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

This review was written on April ninth, 2008.
Review of the Gosple of Mark
The gospel of mark is about Jesus and his three year ministry. Jesus is the son of a carpenter whose name is Joseph and a virgin by the name of Mary. He was born in a stable in the city of Jerusalem in Bethlehem. He is the main character in this book. His 12 disciples are also important. One of them, does something that later comes to haunt him. I feel that Jesus as well as the 12 disciples want to save the world. There objective is that everyone could have eternal life and declare that Jesus is the son of god. However, they will find themselves tempted.
The book of mark starts by talking about Jesus and how the lord sent him to earth as a messenger. The gospel also says that Jesus will prepare the way. It moves on to talk about John the Baptist being in the wilderness eating locusts. He was also baptizing people in the Jordan river. When Jesus came to john, John baptized him. Then Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights, and he was tempted by Satan.
After this had happened, he began to select the men who were to become his disciples. Some of these men were Simon, Andrew, James, and John. Simon and Andrew were brothers, they were also fishermen. Jesus told them to follow him, and he would make them fishers of men. James and John were also brothers, and they were helping their father when Jesus found them. Later, Jesus began to cure people and to cast out demons. Jesus had enemies in a very short time. They were the Pharisees and the scribes. At one point, they said that he was doing the works of Ba‘al Zebûb which is another name for Satan. They did not like him because he did not follow there laws. They also tempt him. For examples, Jesus went to parts of Dalmanutha on a ship. The Pharisees wanted a sign from heaven. Jesus understood what they were trying to do and sighed deeply in his spirit. Then, he said, “Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this
generation. Jesus always spoke in parables to the ones who did not believe in him. However, he made the parables known to his disciples. As Jesus and his disciples were going to the towns of Caesarea and Philippi, the master asked his disciples What did men thought of him. Who did they think he was. The disciples answered by saying that some of them thought that he was John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and Others say that Jesus was a profit. Then, he asked them who was he. Peter said that he was the Christ. After some time, Jesus wanted to know what were the disciples talking about, but they were silent. Because Jesus already knew, he told them that he who considers himself the first should be the last and should be a servant to the others.
The last hours of Jesus in this world were very sad. After staying in the garden of Gethsemane which was in the Mount of Olives, he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot one of his apostles. After this, he was arrested and tried for sedition. Then, he was sentenced to be crucified as Barabbas who was a criminal, was freed. It was a custom for them to do that every year during the Passover feast. After Jesus had received a crown of thorns, they took him to Golgotha where he was insulted, mocked, and where they also offered him vinegar to drink when he said that he was thirsty. Within a few hours, Jesus died. Judas Iscariot had killed himself after he knew that what he did was wrong.
This book clearly demonstrated that Jesus was not liked. It still amazes me that people cannot see. Furthermore, Because of this book and others, I learned that spiritual or mental blindness is worse than physical blindness because people are not able to understand simple concepts.

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones.

2008-06-28T06:08:00.000-07:00

I will review four stories from the book “Zen Flesh, Zen Bones.” by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki.
This is a collection of 101 zen stories
These stories have to do with Buddhism. There are different characters in each story. These stories have a thing in common and that is to teach. In these stories, the characters want to achieve or have achieved enlightenment. They want this because they want to end their problems. Some are in the process of succeeding. Others, it seems have felled to achieve this enlightenment. I have numbered these stories, so you could find them later. I will provide the web address at the of the review.
67. What Are You Doing! What Are You Saying!
There was a master whose name was Mu-nan. He had only one successor, and his name was Shoju. As they were talking before a brazier, Mu-nan wanted his successor to take over and also to take a book with him. This book was important because in it were all the writings of other masters. Also, it was handed over from master to master. As Shoju took it, he through it into the flames. The teacher asked, “What are you doing!” Shoju asked his master, “What are you saying!” It seems that after so many years of being a teacher, the older man did not learn one of the most important things. This is that In Buddhism, material things should not be important. I agree with that. The Things that someone says should not always come from a book, but they should come from someone’s hart. Furthermore, it is possible that people will get much more from a person’s hart than from a book.
82. Nothing Exists
Yamaoka Tesshu was a young student of Zen. He believed that nothing existed. After studying with different people he called Dokuon of Shokoku. As he told Dokuon of Shokoku what he had learned, MR. Shokoku was smoking when suddenly he hit the young student and asked him where did that anger come from.
First of all, I wonder where did the student learn that nothing existed? Also, why would he think that he had reached enlightenment? This is taking something to the extreme. If I am not wrong, the first Buddha did this and it did not work. This story makes me think of the middle way. I also think that this story could expand a person’s mind. for example, Lets take the young man of this story. From now on, he will be more careful, and he will ask questions if he did not used to do it.
83. true friends
This story is about two friends. one who would play the harp and sing, and the other would listen. This happened until the listener got sick and died. The harp player cut the strings from his harp and never played again. Talk about selflessness! What I got out of this story was that this harp player was devastated. It seems as if he wanted to honor his friend by doing something big. That something was not playing again. Today, many people are not willing to go to that extreme if they were to experience something like that. I believe that a little is too much these days.
87. Three Kinds of Disciples
A Zen master named Gettan, used to say: "There are three kinds of disciples: those who impart Zen to others, those who maintain the temples and shrines, and then there are the rice bags and the clothes-hangers." Another person whose name was Gasan thought the same thing. In this story he says that his teacher used to beat him. Because this teacher was so severe, some students would quit. Gasan then said, “A poor disciple utilizes a teacher's influence. A fair disciple admires a teacher's kindness. A good disciple grows strong under a teacher's discipline.” I used to have a teacher in high school. Although she never hit me, she was really bad when it came to helping out students. I had to stay in the class until she left. This experience made me stronger as a person. I have learned that people could learn from bad experiences. I don't know how this is a Buddhist text but this story reminds me of the first Buddha. He experienced bad weather, and he did not quit. He went through so much, and he learned a lot. I would have to say that these stories make a person think. They could change a person, and he or she could start to be more loving, caring, and many other things. This could lead to people helping one another. I would say that if people started to do this, more people would make their dreams become a reality. I was just reminded of what a person told me a few years ago." read whatever you find even if it is something not interesting. This person has changed his mind since then, and I never took his advice. I always check the title of things, and I read the first few pages. If I don't like what I am reading, I stop doing it.
These stories could have been better if they could have been expanded a bit. I did not like the fact that they were very short. If this would not have happened, I would not be asking myself questions. Also, My comments would had been much better. I would definitely recommend this book to others because it is inspiring.
Go to,
www.101zenstories.com

texting, technology, and school.

2008-06-26T14:38:00.000-07:00

Technology has been in a way bad for us. The machines that were made a long time ago used to help a lot but now some want the machines to do everything for them. Those machines were invented so they could help. Men as well as women, used to be really tired from doing a lot of work. Machines, such as the typewriters, made things much easier. Although these things were made, People still had to put 100 percent into their job. Back then, there was no such thing as an email address or blog. Whatever you wanted, you would have had to write it and mail it.
It is surprising how things have changed. It is all about here and now. Now, we have texting by computer. What is it called? Internet lingo? This is a problem because it is ruining are English language as well as other languages. It is doing this by cutting words or phrases, so young students don’t have to write the entire word or phrase. I always have to ask myself Why are they doing this.
According to www.pewinternet.org, 60 percent of teens do not think of their emails, instant and text messages as writing. What is it then? A secret code so no one else can understand them? Or are they just saving time. If it is the second one, all I have to say is that everything in life takes time. This is if you want everything to come out the way you expected.
Have you ever tried cooking something fast, and it did not taste good because you took little time in preparing it? This is how writing is. In able for people to understand what someone is writing, they have to take their time to write. Kids also have to remember that not everyone who is young will understand their lingo.
The pew internet also says that 85 percent of people from ages 12 to 17 utilize some form of written communication. I think this is good because they are learning how to use a specific technological component. In our changing world, kids as well as adults, have to be ahead of technological advances. We always need to think how we can help this person.
Like in everything else, we need to be very careful because there could be a big problem. The problem arises when students bring informal writing to schools. 64 percent of students bring some type of variation of this stile and apply it to their school work.
Although I don’t know this internet lingo very well, I wanted to take shortcuts when I had an exam in college. Sometimes, I did not know the full answer, or I did not know what words to use. At that point, I just tried to connect every bit of information that I had about what the teacher was asking me. It would take me a long time to come up with something that made sense, but when I did, I kept on writing until I had written everything down. Because I took my time, I had a high grade.
I forgot some of the things that I was supposed to know because I was not really interested in the subject. In able for me to get answers right in an exam, I have to be interested in the subject. I have to be motivated. As I said before, not being able to recall the answer to a question, I was tempted to say whatever came to my mind. This study also found that other students have to be motivated in able to write. They have to like the subject that they are writing about.
This leads me to my next question. Why teachers don’t let their students choose the type of exam that they are going to take? As we all know, one method may not be good for all students. By doing this, everyone wins. Students will be encouraged to write lengthy essays, and teachers could give better grades. I wonder what would happen if this was put into practice.
Students feel that more instruction and more focus on writing will improve their writing even more. This tells me that these students want to learn, but the education system needs to listen to them. And the parents need to do their job. They need to read and write with their child, so when that child is old enough, he or she will love to read and write. It also means that parents have to go to the meetings that schools have. This will let the parent know the progress of his or her child. In other words, they need to work with the school. Also, by doing these things, the mom and dad are showing an interest for their child’s school and education. If before children did not feel loved by mom and dad, now this has changed just because of what one or both parents did. I hope that parents learn that it is up to them to learn about what their child is doing. Learn to decipher those codes that they have. Then teach them that the computer should not be used to make a language bad. A mom or dad should teach their children that just because that child is not writing for a teacher, he or she should not destroy the language. Always reinforce what the child learned in school. Finally, parents must tell their child that as a parent, it is necessary to do all of these things because of love, and because they want the child to succeed.

opening up doors

2008-06-25T14:03:00.000-07:00

Opening up doors
When I was small, I had two dreams that I wanted to come a reality. One of them was to become a soccer player. However, that did not happen because I was told that I was never going to see. I also wanted to become a lawyer, but I decided that it was going to be a tedious career. Finally, one dream that I never expected to become true was going to change my life for ever. A lot of doors opened up when I became a singer. I thought that this was something that was going to last for a little while, but I never thought that writing songs, doing interviews, and being in a movie would drastically change my life. When I asked the music teacher if I could join the band, he said yes. I did not know if I was capable of writing songs, but when I started to Wright my first song all of a sudden, the words and the melody came to me. The second one that I wrote, I was able to put the words to it with the help of my classmates. When it came time for me to sing, I had to sing it several times until I had it dun. When I started to write songs, I wondered if people were going to like it. I soon discovered that people immediately liked them and wanted to hear the songs. A few months after composing one of my songs, I started to perform it in clubs. The song is called two faces on Fidel. I was afraid because I did not know how the people were going to react. The people clapped when I introduced the song, but the applause was much bigger when I finished it. After singing the song several times, people started coming to me and saying” I enjoyed the song very much." I had lengthy conversations of how that song was maid. Also, because the song was very political, I got asked many questions. The ones that I enjoyed the most were what were my thoughts on politics . I was even asked if I wanted to do a video on that song but that never happened. Because of that song, people bought more CDS. Some even asked me if I could make them a copy.
People say that I am a serious person, and that is why people wanted to interview me. Even though I knew this, I was asking myself" what is so special about that? The first time that I did an interview, I felt nervous, and I used to stutter a lot. in the beginning, people used to ask me questions such as" what do you think of your music." however the questions became too personal, and I was starting to feel uneasy. I felt this way one day that I was doing an interview in Big Bare. This interview was done for a documentary. The question that a lady asked was" what do you think love is? I answered the best way as I could. Out of respect, I used to answer them, but now, I try to avoid answering those questions. People have told me that they learned a lot after we got dun with thee interview. On one occasion, a person asked me" how old are you? When I told him, he said “you sound much older than that. People have also told me that they thought that I was angry. However, after they got a chance to talk to me, they discovered I was a different person. I started to get respect from many people and the more I did interviews the more I was able to express my ideas.
Finally, doing a movie has given me an immense satisfaction. we went to Austin Texas to do a movie called The Ringer. I felt good because it was the first time since I have been to Texas after 16 years. I have to say that sitting for a long time to shoot the scene was becoming boring. ONE day, we had to weight for 8 hours. We were told that we were supposed to shoot are scene but after a few hours, The director of the band who is also one of the guitar players in the band, told the rest of us that we had to come back the next day. Once on the set, the director of the movie said that we had to dance. I wanted to get out because we had to do the same routine over and over. It took a year for the movie to come out but when it did, I felt that I had achieved something that I never imagined I could do. I am thankful to the director and to the producers of this movie because this will lead me to bigger things.
Selling CDS has generated some income for me and the documentary which I am working on is going to educate people. When the movie goes out on DVD, It is going to leave me with some money. Because of this career, I have been earning money that has helped me to get thru college and I have also been very successful. I am glad that this career has given me the opportunity to grow. Because of what I have dun, I am a happy person

A Hunger crisis

2008-06-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

I wrote this more than two years ago, and it is sad that things have not changed.
A Hunger Crisis,
What is a crisis? According to dictionary.com, a crisis is: A. A crucial or decisive point or situation. It is also a turning point.
B. An unstable condition, as in political, social, or economic affairs, involving an impending abrupt or decisive change.
Something that is affecting the children today is hunger. Many people suffer from hunger in the US. This happens because of lack of money, expensive things, and because services are denied.
I remember one time when I did not eat for several days because I did not have enough money. I receive SSI which is: supplemental security income. Unfortunately, I only get 800 Dollars a month and that is below the poverty level. Out of that money, I took some money to pay for rent and utilities. Also, some of that money went for transportation. When I counted how much money I had, I only had enough for a drink. During those few days, I only drank juice.
I felt angry not being able to get money to eat, but I was also sad because I used to sleep most of the day, so I could not think of my misfortune. When I awoke, I would only listen to music and do the usual necessities that a human must do.
Their have been other occasions, where I have had money, but the food was expensive. When my mom told me about this I said, “how can it be possible that food is expensive?" One time I wanted to bye eggs, tortillas, chicken, and milk, but I only had money for the tortillas and the milk. This ruined my plan because I wanted to have a nice meal. As I entered the store, my mom began to read the tags on the things that we were going to bye. As we went to pay for the stuff that we bought, I was thinking" Why does this have to happen again." When I Got home, my mom went to the refrigerator and saw that there was a bit of food left over, and I had to eat an egg, a slice of cheese, and two tortillas.
Finally, I have been denied services. Because their was not a way that I could get food, I went to apply for food stamps. However, the person who helped me said that I could not do that because I was receiving SSI. When I got home, I started telling my mom that other people get money and food stamps but nothing has happened to them. I also told her that the poor have to struggle more to get the things that they need and want.
We cannot let hunger affect children any more. One solution to this problem would be to help anyone who is on the streets by taking them to a shelter. If rich people got rid of their selfishness, ego, and of the ambition to have more things, life could be much better for them and for the kids. Because they would give the money they do not need to these people, the poor would have money for food. It is hard to believe that the US has money to build things and for wars, but they don't have money to get these kids food, or a place to live. There have been food drives in different cities in the US to help hungry people. For example, nonprofit organizations do annual food drives, but this should not be dun once a year. I think, it could and should be dun every day.
Many kids suffer because of hunger. Even though this has been affecting children, know one stops to give them a hand. I am slowly getting out of that situation. I have been able to do it by doing things that will get me some money. Because of the reasons already mentioned. My wish is that other people could follow my footsteps, so they could be able to do what they love as I am doing it now. I hope that everyone could finally get a job or career where they would be able to make a lot of money and get out of this situation. I pray for this to happen.

being blind

2008-06-21T20:37:00.000-07:00

Being blind
What is being blind? A lot of people do not know. It is not only the fact that a person cannot see, but it also means not being able to see the bad things that you or someone else is doing., Physical blindness is having vision of 20/200 6/60 or less. In the other case, it means having anger for a long time, being envious, selfish, resentful, holding a grudge, making fun of others, and a lot of other things. Some people think that being blind is easy. That is to say, being physically blind, but the truth is that it is hard. when I have told people that I am blind and that I go to school, they say, " I would not be able to make it." in my situation, it has been a struggle because I cannot read Braille, a lot of people don't talk to me, and I do not get the help that I need. People ask me why am I blind. I tell them that I was born with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a condition caused by brain damage before, during or after a lady has given birth. Cerebral palsy affects the muscles in the body and as a result it makes it difficult for a person to keep his or her balance among other things. Because of this condition, I have not been able to learn Braille. People have been asking over and over, “when are you going to learn Braille? You know that Braille is important for you because it will help in life and in your education! This has been frustrating because there have been occasions when I would have liked to yell at them and say, “Stop bothering me! You don't know how it feels to be blind and not know Braille." I have been able to access information by using the computer which has a screen reader. A screen reader is a computer program that blind people use to read what is on the screen. Using this technology, I am able to access the internet, read books, and more. As I am typing, the program is reading each key that I am pressing. In elementary I received an award for using the computer well. Most of the time I do not need anybody to read me anything because I know the package in which things come in. I do not go to big restaurants. Finally, I have a scanner that I can use to read my documents.
Another thing that I have to deal with is people not talking to me. Most people will just stare and or not say anything. I have three examples. For instance, one afternoon the bus stopped. When I got on the driver was staring at me. I knew this because after we got off, my mom told me about what had happened. Another example is when I went to a restaurant. Everyone got asked what they wanted to eat except for me. I remember that one of my family members had to ask me the question. An example that I vividly remember, is when I was having my mobility class. I was walking around the block when suddenly, my cane hit a thing. My mobility teacher told me that there was a person sitting down. My mobility teacher asked the person to say something the next time.
Finally, I do not receive help when I ask for it. One day, when I was in high school, I needed help with math. The teacher as well as the person who was helping me was absent. There was a substitute, but there was know one to help me. I asked for help to some students, but they ignored me. One of the students told another one, "I am not going to help him, you do it! I was very disappointed because not even the teacher helped me. In thee end, a guy that I knew helped me with my work. I was thinking of telling the teacher what had happened, but I decided that it would be good to leave the situation as it was.
When I am in college, there are people who keep walking by after I had asked them for help. Nevertheless, there have been a few people who have helped me.
Sometimes, I do not understand why people do these things. I am just blind, and people should not be afraid of a visually impaired person. It is too bad that people who are sited cannot become blind for one day. If that were to happen, people would think twice before treating blind people as if they were invisible. What would you do if you were blind and got treated wrong?

Insulting is bad

2008-06-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

Cursing is bad because it hurts other people. People talking back, or people crying, are two signs. I do not believe in that phrase of sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Words hurt. Even if you are not insulting the person directly, just saying a word could mean that you have something against people. For example, when someone uses the word retard, to refer to one of his or her friends, they are still insulting the group that may be that way. Furthermore, calling people these names does not accomplish anything good. The person who was insulted may feel unwanted. Insulting other people is not nice because it could mean that the person, who was insulted, is worse than the person that insulted him or her. Some time ago, I believed that the words that come out of someone’s mouth could let someone know a lot about that person. I still believe this. If you use filthy language, probably, this is the way your hart and your soul are. We have so many beautiful words in the English language and in other languages, that we should not have to use those words. I hear people speak about love, peace, and how they want this, but they still use profanity. What is loving or peaceful about the bad words that start with: s, f, t, n, b, and so many others? Absolutely nothing! I believe that there is no excuse to use this language.

Review of "The Chosen", a novel.

2008-06-19T06:13:00.000-07:00

The Chosen is a book written by Chaim Potok. It takes place in Williamsburg Brooklyn New York in the year of 1945.
The book is written in the first person. It starts by a person talking about a boy named Danny, And describing his community which according to him, it is largely Hasidic. He also talks about the school he goes to, which he calls a yeshiva and how it is different from other schools. He attends a parochial school, and here is Where he is exposed to courses in Hebrew and English. I was becoming aware that the person who was telling the story, was Jewish by some language that he was using. I found out that he was an orthodox Jew.
Then, the book moves on to where the unknown character and other people are talking about a game that they are going to have with another team. The character plays for a Softball teem. A boy by the name of Davey Cantor warns the narrator that the members of the other team are murderers. The character Does not believe this, and he thinks that this game is going to be easy as he is seeing how the other team is practicing.
As the game starts to progress, there seems to be some kind of hatred between the two teams. It was not the typical hatred that teams have towards each other. They hated each other because the two teams believe in two ways of Judaism. For example, The narrator’s team is referred as the apikorsim which are the “secular Jews.” and the other team is referred to as the Hasidim. The differences are that the Hasidim believe that Hebrew is a holy language and should not be used to teach classes.
This hatred between the teams reminds me of the different groups that are there in Judaism. They disagree with one another. I believe that some of these things are very small. For example, the traditions. Some jews, will follow traditions, but they do not believe in god.
the Hasidim seem to follow their customs. They are dressed in a specific kind of uniform. The apikorsim are a group that are dressed casually and speak English instead of Yiddish which is a mixture of German and Hebrew.
At this point, I was introduced to some of the characters. The person who was telling the story is a 15 year old boy named Reuven Malter. Also, there was Danny Saunders whom also is 15 years old, and who is a boy from the Hasidic team. Furthermore, he was the boy whom Danny had introduced earlier. Davey Cantor, is Reuven’s team mate as well as his classmate. When he finds out that Danny and Reuven are friends, he does not approve.
During the game, Danny hit Reuven with a ball breaking his glasses and bringing Reuven to the ground. Reuven had to be taken immediately to the hospital. It is mister Galanter his softball coach, that is with him when he is admitted into the hospital. Already in a hospital room after two doctors check his eyes, Reuven finds out that he has a glass in his left eye.
In the eye ward, Reuven meets Tony Savo, and he is referred to as mister Savo whom also has one bad eye. He also meets a boy by the name of Billy. He later discovers that Billy is blind. These two people, help Reuven feel a bit at ease. It seems as if when one of the two people is speaking about their lives, Reuven’s problems are small in comparison.
I felt as if Reuven as well as mister Savo, were a bit scared to interact with the boy. This could be because they were afraid to say something wrong that could hurt him. I think that because of this, Reuven starts getting worried about his own condition. He wonders how it would be to be blind. At times, he seems to be depressed.
One day, Danny goes to visit him, but he throws him out. After Reuven tells the story to his father, whose name is David Malter, and whom he calls aba, he says that it was not nice what he did, and he should listen to what the boy has to say. When Danny goes for the second time, Reuven apologizes. After a few minutes of talking, Danny explains to Reuven that he wanted to kill him, and he was very sorry for trying to do that. During the next few visits, they are already calling each other by there first names. Also, it seems that a friendship is starting to blossom.
During his stay at the hospital, I learned that Reuven’s father is a teacher. I also learned that Reuven likes math and although his dad wants him to become a mathematician, he wants to become a rabbi. Danny on the other hand, is a Hasidic Jew, and he does not seem too happy with the way his life is going. One of the sad things about this story, is when Danny reveals to Reuven that he does not speak to his dad except for when they are studying the Talmud. Danny is someone who wants to do something else, but he cannot because of the rules that he has to follow. He has to become a Rabbi although he wants to be a psychologist. Because He gets board of reading the Talmud, He spends his time in the library. This is where he meets a man and he recommends different books to the boy. Because Danny has a photographic memory, he is able to read many books, and he is also able to understand them very well. Later, I find that the man whom Danny had been talking to is Reuven’s father. As Reuven begins to recuperate, the hatred that the two boys had for each other starts to fade away.
A few days later, after Reuven is out the hospital, Danny’s father is introduced. He is a leader in the Hasidic community. Some Jews followed him after he made possible a trip to the US which took them out the country they were living in. He is pleased that Danny and Reuven are friends, but disapproves of the work that mister Malter is doing.
There were a few things that I liked about this book. One of them is that the descriptions were very good. Also, the book gives background information about almost all the characters which allows the reader to understand each character very well. This background information also answers some of the questions that the readers might have about the actions of a character.
I am able to identify my self with two characters. The first one is Billy because he is blind. As a blind person, I believe that the character known as Billy was portrayed very well. He asked a lot of questions which I believe was a good thing. Although this is a fictional story, which took place over 60 years ago, It still reflects how people feel today about blind people. I felt bad for him because he did not know what people thought of him or how people were looking at him. Another character that I identified myself with was Danny. I felt as if he was forced to do something he did not want to. A lot of people, who work with people with disabilities, want them to do a specific task. The person has no say on the choice because by the time he or she has reached the point that he or she could make decisions, they already have been brainwashed and have been given too much medication to stop the person from moving forward. Another thing that I have in common with Danny is that like him, I am also interested in psychology. I felt as if danny needed his dad to talk. This would have been good for him. I also feel the same way that Danny felt when he did not talk to his dad, very alone. Almost at the end of the story, Reuven’s father asks Danny If and when he has children, is he going to treat them the same way that his father treated him. Danny tells him that probably he will.
Unfortunately, we have a cicle. I was able to tell that although danny will finally become what he always wanted, He did not learn the most important thing.
This book was made into a movie which I have not seen. I hope it is as good as the book is.
I would have liked it if Reuven would had kept in contact with billy. It is sad that he only made one attempt after he got out of the hospital. I believe that this friendship would have benefited both of them. Reuven would had learned that there are more important things than seeing. He would have been able to understand things much better. For billy, Reuven could have been his best friend. It was very important for Reuven to be there for Billy. He could have given him strength, and He would had become Billy’s eyes.
I would definitely recommend this book. By the end of this book, the reader will have a greater appreciation for the small things in life and he or she will have a better understanding of the Jewish religion

pain

2008-06-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Pain, I experience it almost every day. I do not only have physical pain, but I also have emotional pain.
What is causing it? There are a lot of things. First of all, it is the fact that I know that I will not be able to go out on my own to restaurants, parks, or museums as I want to. Further more, six months ago, the doctors found a cyst on my brain. A month after that, I found out that I had migraines as well. Life has put another block in front of me that I cannot seem to overcome. There were two blocks that were preventing me from being the person that I wanted to be before I found out that I had the cyst and the migraine. They were my blindness, and my cerebral palsy. I have headaches that come and go, but I also have leg, arm, and knee pain. Sometimes, it is hard to get out of bed because of the different body parts that hurt. I have stopped going to church and to other places because I am not able to withstand loud noises.
For most people, getting out of school is fun but not for me. Even when I am at school, it is very hard to concentrate. I stay in my room sometimes, more than 12 hours. I try to sleep most of the time just because I want to escape the pain that I feel. I am not able to do some things such as cooking because of my CP and fear. What do I fear? About 19 years ago, I was burned. That memory has been haunting me ever since. I am not able to go near a fire because of this. Sometimes, I do not eat for a day or more because there is nobody around when I need them. When they get back, my hunger is gone. Sometimes, it is because of the pain, or because after waiting for a few minutes, nobody knows what to give me. Most of the food that I have eaten; unfortunately, I have found it to be spicy. Probably it is not, but I think it is. I am not sure what to attribute this to. My pain has been so strong, that I sometimes wish I was in a wheelchair.
The other kind of pain which is mental is more threatening. A couple of weeks ago, one doctor told me that I may have to live with pain for the rest of my life. The only way to control it is by taking medications. I cannot see myself having to take meds for my entire life. Especially, because I know that they will not work. I am taking them now, and the pain always comes back.
I wish to have a family of my own, but when I think about it more each time, I tell myself that I cannot be that selfish. I do not want to have kids and a wife who have to deal with a dad and a husband who’s body is hurting all the time. I want to be able to hug and play with them. I want to give them a better life. A life I never had. How will I be able to answer my kid’s questions. Dad, Why are you blind? Why do you walk like that? Why don’t you take us out? There are So many questions with out an answer. How will I be able to explain to them that I am different than a person who is not disabled.
When I was a child, kids used to make fun of me. I never trusted anyone. Even now that I have some friends, I don’t know if they are being honest with me. I always ask myself, Do they really me for who I am? Even now, when I try to make more friends, it is very hard because I think that they have to put or will put my disabilities first instead of my abilities. I think that they will not like me because of the way I am.
For many years, Instead of finding people that I could talk to, I sat alone. I looked for silence for that was my way to get away from all the things that I did not like. Also, this was my way to avoid a bad situation. I still like being alone, but I try to socialize more. Today, by using this tool, I am able to find myself, and I am able to talk to god. Silence allows me to create and develop ideas. Finally, it helps me to grow.
Still talking about relationships, It seems that all around people are interested in how the person looks physically. I feel that people are ashamed to say what they really feel. So, if I am not able to find five people that care for a true friendship with me, it is going to be even harder to find a woman who really cares.
Being a Christian, I think makes things much harder. We are in a society that believes in fornication, drinking, smoking, drugs, cursing, and partying. To me, that is not the way to go. I do not want a friend nor a girlfriend who is not willing to change there way of life for a healthy one. I am proud of being a Christian! When I am down, I remember what the bible tells me about this path. Matthew 7:13, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.”
My mental suffering increases more when I think that I may not have the career that I want. I am able to pay most of my bills. My singing career does not help me much, and I am sad because I need the money. I will be graduating this year, and I ask myself, “What am I going to do after this is over? I don’t know.” A lot of people tell me that I am strong, but I wonder for how long. I have been rejected for most of my life. Also, I have heard adults tell me what I am supposed to do. This has hurt me. Who are they to impose things that I do not want to do?
I have found out that some, if not most of the people, who help people with disabilities, in reality, only harm them more. Parents are among this group. Some of them are too over protective which is bad for a person who is disabled.
I am still searching for a better future; I believe that I will not take long before I achieve all my dreams.

what is love?

2008-06-18T05:02:00.000-07:00

What is love and what it is not
Love is like a plant. You need to water it every day. When you love someone, it is really important to let them know at least every day how much they mean to you. You could do this by giving them a note expressing your feelings, making a call, spending time with them, or just telling them that you love them. Just as the sun has to hit that plant, so, it can grow, so do you need to do all these things for love to come your way. If you don't do this, love just as a plant, is going to die.
Love is being able to walk in silence with someone and see that person not with the physical eyes, but with the eyes of the soul. It is talking with the Voice of the hart. It is being able to share. It is understanding one another, it is being caring, it is giving advice if someone needs it, it is helping others whom you don’t know, and those that are less fortunate than you.
Love is like a cold drink of water. Not only it quenches the physical thirst, but it also quenches that emotional and spiritual thirst.
Love is this and much more.
It is being able to forgive and forget.
This good feeling requires people to suffer, and sometimes, a person has to give his or her life for another person or country.
To love is to be able to overcome any obstacle. You need to make many sacrifices. Love is not controlling, envious, selfish, boring, or tiring.
No word in the dictionary can truly express or describe what this word is.
However, in able to experience it, all a person has to do is find Jesus and, he has to be with in you. If people do not have Jesus in them, the love that They are going to feel will be only like a leaf that will get blown away by the wind.

we could change

2008-02-14T18:28:00.000-08:00

I remember when I was a boy I used to go to music class. There were about 50 students in that room. For an hour, we used to sing songs. We use to sing America the beautiful. There are some words in the song that I was thinking about that inspired me to write this. Those words are, “god shed his grace on thee.” I wonder if the song was saying that god would shed his grace on America as a country, or was the song saying that god shed his grace with each American individual. I think this would make sense because god has a personal relationship with us individually. On our money, on our flag, and some Patriotic songs have the word God. Why can’t he be everywhere else as well? If in god we trust, and we say god bless America, why can’t we make our laws like he wants them to be and not like we want them. I think if we do what he says, he will bless us more. We would not be worrying about how we are going to do this and do that. The bible teaches us that we can’t be with Satan and with god. Here are the two verses. Matthew 6 24 and 25: 24No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve
God and mammon.

25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not
The life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Taken from the KJV
http://www.biblegateway.com
As Christians, we should stop doing what god does not like. I know that it has been very hard for me; however, I know that I will overcome the obstacles that are keeping me from Jehovah! Yes, I do believe that people are going to hate us if the country starts moving this way, but is it more important to please the people or please god? If we are with god, nothing will bring us down. He will protect us all, and he will get us back up. Taking small steps is the key to find hope for today and for the future.
We also used to say in school, “we are the children of America. We are the future of this great country.” My question is: are we living up to that? Or, is it only a dream. A hope that is still far away. Could it be an illusion? I think it is not. I think we could go back to those days where the US was strong. I think that we could still teach our kids that fornication, steeling, violets, drug use, envy, and selfishness are evil. I think that it is not too late to teach adults that they all have a child inside. I think that it is not too late to teach each person that they do not need the bad things that are on TV, the radio, billboards, magazines, the internet, and in other places. If others were able to survive before these commodities were made, so can us. just like a person missed drinking after entering rehab, We will miss some if not all, of the things that are harming us today.. Also, just like he or she was able to stop, so will we.
All of the bad things that we do today, only bring us joy and satisfaction temporarily. Then, we want more and more. Unlike food, we cannot satiate are carnal desires. If we have trust in Jesus, we will have peace. Those desires and evil thoughts just like the gas in a soda, will dissipate. All of the things that seem opaque will soon be bright. If we want peace, love, and harmony, we need to change. If we want: hate, discrimination, racism, poverty, injustice, and war to end, we need to stop creating it. Brothers and sisters, united we stand.
It is one thing to here the good things that the future holds for us, but if we don’t act, words are only that.

troubled kids

2008-01-24T17:59:00.000-08:00

Troubled kids
What happens when parents don't spend time with their children because of their work? Sometimes, everything goes well. For example, as a child, I used to be very close to my parents even though they worked 10 hours a day. I know several people that have also enjoyed the moments that they shared with their parents. However, not everyone has these moments. Children become sad, become involved in gangs, and become thieves as a result of their parents not spending time with them.
John for example, was a depressed boy because he did not do well in school. He needed his parents to help him with his homework, but his parents were always working. They also do not have time to play with him. Parents like John’s, do not play with their kids because they are too tired. If the kids want to talk to them or simply want to give them a hug and a kiss, they tell them to go away. I have seen many cases where one of the parents for example the dad, will go in the house and one of their children would come and try to give him a hug. The dad would say,” I just came from work and here you are bothering me! Go away and play somewhere else." The kid wants to run to another adult but he cannot because know one is around. After hearing this, the child says to himself "why does he treat me that way?" after the kid has tried to give him a hug a couple of times, the dad gets tired and starts hitting his child. The little boy walks out with tears streaming down his face.
Another thing that happens is that the boy, who has been rejected many times, goes outside to find friends, which can be very difficult. some people have a hard time expressing how they feel to other people but after they open up, they feel in a better disposition to talk about their problems. The kid's friends begin to tell him to do a few things, such as killing people, yelling back at his parents, and escaping from school. After he has completed this, he is officially part of the gang. He thinks that the group of friends that he has made always listen to him and don't yell whenever he does something wrong. However, he also becomes angry and starts bullying some of his classmates.
Finally, some kids do not have money to buy the things that they want. as a result of children not having money, they begin to steal. I knew a few kids who would walk in to a store and steal a piece of gum or another small item. I remember one day when I was in a store and I took a pack of rechargeable batteries. My parents found out after we were outside. Eventually, they maid me return the batteries. I was lucky because the store alarm did not go off. Because of this experience, I never did this again. Somehow, some kids get away with stealing. In the case of these kids, I knew that they were doing this a few times every month but, they Started to do it every week because they were enjoying it so much. Consequently, the police came and had a talk with them. After they had learned their lesson, they never stole anything. Some kids will not go into a store and take something that does not belong to them. I know people who would open their mom's Purse and steal one dollar and then they would go to the store and buy whatever they wanted. These people also got caught. I have heard cases where after a lot of practice, these people become masters in doing this and begin to steal TVS, cars, and computers but As soon as they get caught, they are put into jail. For instance, a man named Rick had been stealing these items for four years. Now, he has to spend 10 years in prison. If Rick’s parents had put some hours aside to teach him that stealing was wrong, instead of being inundated with their work, Rick would have been a better person.
Parents are sometimes responsible for the things that their children have done. These adults are gone for hours and when they come back home, they do not talk to their children. It is not the quantity of time that parents spend with their children that counts! The important thing is the quality of time that they give their children. Parents have to remember that once they are home,
They have to forget their problems and talk to their children. If people start to dedicate themselves to their kids, sadness, dealing with gangs, and stealing will be things that will be left behind.

illegal imigration

2008-01-24T15:38:00.000-08:00

I know that there is a problem with illegal immigration, but It seems as if the attacks are only to the Hispanic community. Many people have come up with ideas to stop illegal immigration, but these ideas will not work. So far, I like Ted Kennedy and John Mccain’s idea.
There is a plan that could work if everyone got together. If someone decides to come to the US illegally, the following steps could and should be taken. When they are arrested, they would have to go with an immigration official to an immigration office. They would have to take a picture, and the INS will have to put a mark that tells other people that the ID is valid. This ID will have a number that the person will have to know. Because most of them will start working, the person will have to show the employer the ID. The employers would have to see this to give someone a job. The employer will contact the IRS to tell them that these people will start working for them. A person will go to the workplace, or they will send a letter. This will have the steps so someone could be legal in this country. A form will be Attached to this letter, and these two things will be in English and if it is possible, in other languages. In this form, the 2 people will have to include: the name of the employee, the employer, the work address, the phone number, home address, the home phone number, ID number, the country of origin, male, or female, age, and the wage that the person will be making. This will have to be signed. After that, an investigation will be launched to see if that person has any legal problems in their country. If nothing bad comes up, the first thing that they will do is get enrolled in an English class. By mailing sheets, they will have to confirm they started the class and that they finished it. They will not be able to copy or to lie because each thing that they do will be investigated. If they would like to purchase something, like a car, or any type of insurance, they will have to submit a proof of the purchase. If they purchase any type of insurance, a car, or a credit card, money will be deducted from their checks. They will have to take a verbal and a written test to prove that they could Wright and speak in English. They will have to wait for some years before they could start the process of legalization. Like everybody else, they will have to pay the necessary fees to get started. They will have to get a second job to cover all of their expenses. Furthermore, organizations that are for the wrights of immigrants could help them out with food and anything else that they need. Most Hispanic people will speak for the writes of immigrants. If they donate some of their: money, time, food, or other services, I think it will help a lot. For the reasons mentioned above, these people will probably have to stop sending money to their families but that is a risk that they will have to take. If they break the law, their case will be closed, and they will get deported back to their country. I think that these people should get paid the minimum wage. A lot of people say that the illegal’s are not insured. However, with my proposition, this would not be a problem. Besides the things that I said, the US government should have a talk with the other governments to create jobs in those countries. Why people hire undocumented workers? Why jobs are going to Asia and Latin America? I believe Those are easy questions, but it also Depends on the job. Latin American workers are better than most workers that were born in the US. Latinos as well as other groups don't expect to receive a lot of money for their work. They only need money to cover their expenses. The corporations are going to those countries because they know that. I also believe that some companies hire many of them because they know that those workers do not have an education. This makes it easier for the companies because they do not have to pay the men and women what they deserve. On the other hand, some americans are ashamed to work in places such as fast food restaurants because of the looks and comments that they are going to get from other people especially, from their friends. Don't blame the illegal workers for taking jobs away! ask the government why are they doing it. If someone that speaks another language took somebody's job, it is time for that person to start learning another language. It does not matter if a person has been working in A field for years. If someone does the job better, faster, and with a much lower salary, then they deserve it. Yes, there are some people that come hear and do things that are bad, but there are always bad apples in a basket. they should be throne away. Machines are making things worse, and they are making people lazy. In Latin America, the people have to work from 5 AM to 9, or 10 PM. For these people, sweat blood and tears is what they have to go through every day. There machines are not as sophisticated as ours. They are being exploited compared to us. My grandma used to work in a factory where she had to stand every day for 12 long hours ironing clothes and getting paid by each peace that she did. there are many more people that are going through the same thing. They do not say anything because they are afraid that they will get fired. It is not good that someone who is working should get paid very little. They are also humans, and they deserve respect. People in Latin America, have to work much harder than thee American workers because the working conditions in those countries are not good. A lot of workers get abused because nobody told them their wrights. A lot of people are preoccupied because they think that the terrorists could go through Mexico to get to the US. I do not know how they came up with this, but this is just another way to say that they don't like Hispanics. Their assumption could be true. My question for them would be why they don't say the same thing about other people? I want the reader to remember that the terrorists came with visa and not a lot of Hispanics come with that thing. People say that crossing illegally to the US is a crime. therefor,they are outrage. They organize Protests, and they speak out against that. They even send letters to different members of the government to ask for tougher laws for these criminals. However, When it comes to somebody hitting one of their family members, killing someone, or doing anything else that is much worse than someone crossing the border, they don't do anything. These same people say that the immigrants are guilty for every bad thing that has happened to the United States. They try to blame other people for their mediocrity. We need to secure are borders, but we should not go to the extreme. People proposing to put a wall or a fence to stop the immigrants from getting into the US, have ran out of ideas. I think that the people who are opposed to giving an opportunity to illegal Immigrants, probably approve of sending more money so more troops could get killed in a war that has not been justified.
There are more problems in their states, but they do not care about that. Supposedly, some of these people are working for us. However, when we send them something, they do not put much attention to the message. Lets put these liars out of office who only perpetrate violence and inyquolity.I think that all of these people, government offitials and those who are not, should be reminded of how the US became a nation

who I am part 1

2008-01-24T14:03:00.000-08:00

I have always liked to read. One of the first books that I read was on Abraham Lincoln. After I read this and the stories of other people, I felt that I had at least one thing in commun with people I read about. Although I knew that not all the people that I read about were real, I understood them. Some of the stories that I read, broke my hart. When I started to listen to real life stories on the radio and TV, I started to ask myself a lot of questions. I wanted answers. so, I read more books, and I talked to Jesus to see what he told me. I started to get the answers to the many questions I had. I started to take the good from these books and reject all the bad. I did not know that in a few years I was going to help a lot of people by just talking to them. After they were done, I was able to say words that helped them. I did not know when or how it happend. All I did was read and pray. I always missed two or three days out of the school week. Sometimes, I did not go at all. As I look back at those days when I started to read, I think that reading about other people helped me to be more kind and loving to others. It was the story of Jesus that changed my life for ever. because of him, I started to forgive people. I found out that the more damage they did to me, the more I wanted them to change and find christ as I did. Yes, it is hard to still love A person after he or she has treated another human being so bad. I learned to do it by reading books and putting my self in the situations that the carachters were in and by talking to god. I was able to follow the footsteps of some of these people.
Finding who I really am was not easy and I am still not done. every day I learn something new. I have to fall , so, every time I get up, I could become stronger. I think That is the key to know who you really are.