Assignment Eight

 If there is one thing that I have an absolutely strong opinion on, it's about the legalization of same-sex mariages. I honestly don't understand why it's an issue when it should be a right. There are so many important things for the United States to work on and discuss, but they chose this topic--a topic that shouldn't even be an issue. I'm appalled by the reaction of people because of Ellen Degeneres's appearance on commercials for JC Penney. People are in an uproar and claim that because she's featured on TV, that children are being given a negative message. I don't understand that one bit. If a child see's her on TV, what are they going to be influenced to do? She's not on TV advocating same sex marriage, she's simply on a commercial for a department store. Children won't even know about her sexual preference, and if they did, it wouldn't harm them because it's not a bad thing. A group of one million moms is claiming the department sore is "jumping on the pro-gay bandwagon." I think it's amusing that parents accept violent tv shows and video games for their children, but are fearing that a woman on a commercial, which probably wont' even be paid attention to by kids, is going to harm them. The CEO of jc penney says the reaction "proves we have more work to do as a country to become more tolerant." I agree completely, because those who aren't in support of same-sex marriage aren't even satisfied that it's not legal for them to marry, instead they're angered by an appearance on TV. I think that non supporters believe if they rid this "problem" of the public and media, they can make it disappear completely. 


http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57373794/jcpenney-ceo-on-ellen-degeneres-controversy/


http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/ellen-degeneres-only-choice-jc-penney-ceo-says-221440378.html

Assignment Seven

  A few months ago I heard a song by Lana Del Rey. The title of the song is Video Games, though it has nothing to do with video games at all, really. I enjoy the sound of Lana Del Rey's voice because it's unique in my opinion. She doesn't sound like most of the songs you'd hear on the radio. Her voice has different tones. She has strengths as a singer and she should receive more credit from the public than she does. Because of a performance she had on SNL, people were more or less shocked by what they heard. There were many opinions on her performance. Some said she did a terrible job while others praised her for her unique voice. Personally, I think she did okay. From the comments people are making, one would predict something much worse than her actual performance. It was a decent job, even though at some points in her song her pitch wasn't exactly on point. Maybe she was trying to do something different with the song, or maybe it was just nerves. Her performances other than SNL are perfect. She is a talented artist. Listeners who haven't heard of Lana Del Rey make their judgment of her off of one live performance and don't give her a chance to prove her talent, which she definitely has. If people were to listen to her songs, they could gain an appreciation of her music. She has a variety of songs and her voice ranges from high to low. Maybe people don't know what to think of her music, and because of that, just have a negative opinion on her. If I were to compare her to other artists, I would have to say that she has a level of talent that not many have. She's different and her music isn't all upbeat and fast like most famous artists today. People should open up their ears and minds to her music and realize that not all music has to be the same; it can be different, and should be different, but still be good.

Assignment Six

The thing that annoys me most are closed minded people. They right away ignore the other persons point of view and opinion, not taking it into consideration at all, and just stick to their own way. They feel it is the only answer that is right and won't listen to any reasoning. They are quick to judge and already have their thoughts about the given topic without opening up their mind to other solutions. It frustrates me more than I can even describe when I'm trying to give my opinion about something, but they won't listen. I listen to other people's opinions without judging and I expect the same. I don't think it's too much to be treated the way I treat others--I listen to their opinions, they should do the same for me. It's okay not to have the same opinion, but you should be open to other possible ideas. When one is close minded, it almost in a way makes them oblivious for only thinking one way without any exception.

The best food in the are can seriously be found at my house. I think I've earned bragging rights about this just because of how amazing my mom is at cooking. She was born and Italy along with the rest of my family, and let's be honest, Italian food is the best. My nonna, aka grandmother in italian, taught her and my aunts how to cook food from scratch. I never go a night without a home cooked meal and I ask myself constantly what I'd do if I weren't Italian-- I can't imagine missing out on this amazing food. It drives me nuts when people talk about olive garden and say that it's real Italian food, because that's the farthest you couldn't possibly get from italian. I actually feel bad for people who think it's Italian food....no offense. Whenever company is at my house, they leave about five pounds heavier just because my mom keeps giving them food, even if they're full..it's juts the Italian way. So, the best food in the area is definitely at my house.

A famous person today that I can't stand is Renee Zellweger. Honestly, I'm the most accepting person ever, but I can't get over the look she always has on her face. For all I know she could be the nicest person on the planet, but I can't get past the fact that it constantly looks like she just ate a lemon. It's so distracting that even if she were talking, I wouldn't be able to listen just because I'd be struck by her sour pus face. Plus, I never really enjoyed her acting, so that doesn't help. To be honest, I don't even understand why she's famous. I watched her in Bridget Jone's Diary and it may have been a good movie, but with her in it, the movie just automatically failed.

Assignment Five

  I think that Sofia unfortunately has developed a negative identity based off of one even in her life---when she went to Colombia to meet her boyfriend and her relationship failed, and having sexual relations with a random male that she met among the premisses. Once her father, Carlos, found out, his temper, which is known for being short, couldn't contain itself any longer. He bellowed in anguish considering he lived his life to raise these children to be respectful, young women, both to themselves and others. This one event in Sofia's life paved the way for a tremendously stressful relationship between the father and daughter. Carlos allowed this one mistake, as he saw it, to determine Sofia's identity, as well as their relationship. And though, she ended up marrying the man she met after her failed relationship, her father still let it define her.

   An amazing example of a positive happening in How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents would be when the Garcia family moved to the suburbs from their old apartment. During the time in which they lived in their old apartment, there was an evil old lady that seemed to be extremely prejudiced and racist towards Dominican Republicans in particularly. They didn't feel comfortable in the environment. Once they moved, however, they fit in well with the environment and didn't receive harsh judgment by others, at least not as harsh as the old lady's words. Also, because of the move, the kids entered a new school. It was especially positive for Yolanda, who received special treatment from her teacher. Her teacher taught everyone to pronounce her name correctly with the accent, and showed Yolanda that she shouldn't be ashamed of her Dominican Republic culture.

 I think that the hype about Jeremy Lin may come from the fact that he is indeed Asian, and it's unusual in the NBA for there to be Asian players. It shows that sports aren't all about race, at all. Jeremy Lin and his growing popularity can change the mindset of some people who have stereotypes. Jeremy Lin has become so famous, mainly because he's an Asian in the NBA, that a spin off of his last name was created--Linsanity. I'm happy for Lin that he's getting credit for his basketball, but I do ask myself if he's getting more credit because he's a great player or because he's Asian. I do feel that maybe some players aren't getting attention from the media, even if they're great, because they're "the norm" race of basketball.

Assignment Four

   I don't necesarily agree with all points the article "This Valentine's Day, Occupy the Romantic-Industrial Complex" made. I do agree that Valentine's Day is a commercial holiday and people buy into in and spend their money, however I don't think it's the only holiday that does so. Christmas is a great example of a holiday in which people go out and pour their money into buying gifts. Neither of these holidays are about giving gifts, though. But, because Valentine's Day isn't necessarily about buying gifts, that doesn't mean the people that do are blinded by the point of it. Is there a point to it, really? The article argues that the tradition of buying gifts for this holiday takes away from old tradition about true love. I disagree. People can receive gifts without forgetting that love doesn't have much to do with gifts at all, and those who don't receive gifts aren't guaranteed to be upset because of that reason--what does love have to do with giving gifts? Not much.

     I agree with Elie Wiesel that Romney "should speak to his own church and say they should stop" performing posthumous proxy baptisms on Jews. I think it's horrible that people who have passed away are more or less than being taken advantage of. It isn't fair that people are making their decisions for them when they don't have the ability to voice their thoughts. I think Romney should take action and recognize the bad that is happening. It's horrible to see that these people who have die one religion, are being taken and baptized a new religion. If they were alive I highly doubt they would accept that, so them being dead and having these decisions made for them is unfair completely. There is no other way of looking at it. The Mormons are just taking advantage of passed people and forcing their religion on them.

   Personally, I think that what MIA did at the Superbowl is being taken way overboard and people are making it more dramatic than it really is. Sure, showing the middle finger to an audience of all ages isn't the most respectable thing to do, but the song is called "Bad Girls". It's not too outrageous and honestly if people are offended by it because minors are watching TV, they shouldn't have let them watch Halftime. Knowing Madonna was preforming should have alerted parents, anyway, considering she's always been risky. And also, the performance with Justin Timberlake was much worse--actual body parts were shown to the audience. Why is giving the middle finger worse than exposing your body? I think people are taking it too far and they should understand the point MIA is trying to make. Though she could've done it differently she showed her middle finger as a form of expression rebelling against what is expected of her culture. She's showing freedom, rebellion, independence, etc.

Assignment Three

Years ago, women's lives were much different than they are today. The expectations have drastically changed. In the past the general idea of women was that they were used for cooking and cleaning. They weren't seen as independent and we're as respected. They were looked upon as helpless. Today, however, women are in the work force, have equal rights, and are independent. Still, though, many males today haven't changed their mindset about women. They still continue to see themselves as better and stronger. It isn't always fair because even the people who's mindsets haven't changed, expect the same amount of work from women that they give, which is a disadvantage. An advantage of being a woman would be chivalry. Men who are "old fashion" treat women with a higher respect than they would a man. Some stereotypes of women are that they aren't as hardworking, can't handle the same situations as males, and can't get things done on their own.


If I saw a wizard that offered to change the way I look, I wouldn't give him the money. I think my appearance is perfect just the way it is and I wouldn't want anything to appear differently. I think that my wife and children are completely happy with the way I look and the way I act, so why would I change a thing about me? Also, looking better, if possible, wouldn't change how much I care for my children. ---Carlos.

Assignment Two

1) He may be more impressive than Albert Einstein because it's possible to be as smart as Einstein was, and discover theories, but it's seen as impossible to be magical. If somebody was actually magical, and not just creating an illusion, I think people would be memorized by it.

2) I would swallow the pill because if the person was truly my soul mate, then I shouldn't have a problem doing that. As much as I love music, I would love my soul mate more. I could stop singing, that way I wouldn't have to hear the way it sounds. I could also easily stop listening to music if it would always sound the same.

3) The biggest story that I'd chose to play is the one about the President. The other two stories would cause a variety of reactions, but the most important thing for the public to hear would be about the President. Knowing about the President's health and whereabouts would keep the public calm, rather than them not knowing and wondering what's happening.

4) I wouldn't give him the money to do that to me because I wouldn't want to change and I also wouldn't trust a wizard. I think that if I allowed the wizard to change me, something bad or unexpected would happen. Also, if I did it once then chances may be that I wouldn't be satisfied and would want something done again, which isn't allowed.

5) I would watch the football game so that I could see if it sparked interest. Since the future is apparently inevitable, I'd want to become interested in it. If I didn't find it appealing then I would try to, since I would later live my life watching the game constantly.

6) I would tell them that the there was a deadly snake on them so I stomped as hard as possible on the snake to kill it. I would explain to him that the snake did indeed die, and was disposed. I'd tell my friend that if I wouldn't have killed the snake, it would've bit him and kill him right away.

7) I'd want to see the movie critiquing me because it was all by people I know personally. I'd be interested in hearing what they have to say about me when I'm not around. I figure that it'd be easier for them to say how they really feel about me to a camera, rather than my face