Blog 7

Historically, abortion has been a very debatable topic.  The restrictions that come along with it are plentiful, but the restrictions are morally and medically a good idea.  Without those restrictions abortion really would be a terrible thing, but it is a needed thing.  If abortion were to be outlawed there would be more unwanted children that end up neglected or in adoption agencies and foster homes.  Along with that, there would be several impoverished children not receiving proper care.  Also, there would be numerous deaths caused by childbirth if an abortion wasn’t performed.  

Abortion is definitely one of the new “hot” topics to debate.  As far as sides go there is Pro-Life, the belief that abortion should be outlawed, and Pro-Choice, the belief that abortion should still be legal and a thing.  It seems as though Conservative people side with Pro-Life, and that Liberals side with Pro-Choice.  One majorly known Right-Wing Conservative, Bill O’Reilly, is famous for his radical views.  In one interview O’Reilly states that the government should take the topic more seriously, and that abortion is a human rights issue.  O’Reilly believes abortion should not be a thing at all, and eliminated but knows even if it becomes illegal it will not be fully terminated; thus proving that abortion is really a needed thing.

One reason abortion is a needed procedure is for medical reasoning.  Many times women will not be healthy enough to have children, but become impregnated anyway.  When that happens it is not safe for the mother to have the baby, or for the baby to be birthed, so a special type of medical abortion is performed to potentially save the mother’s life.  Another reason abortion is needed medically is because young girls, still not physically built enough to properly have a child.  If that happens it's a high risk to the young girl’s health and the child’s.

Another big point abortion should stay Pro-Choice and legal is due to the children who were negatively affected, passed away, or even kids who had no guidance and ended up a criminal.  As a mother, you have part responsibility to ensure your child is going to grow up as great person and succeed in life.  It is on you to present them with morals and the tools to flourish in life.  Several mothers who didn’t plan on getting pregnant and even may not want the child they’re bearing will not come through on those requirements of being a mother.  Some will disregard their child and leave them without the love and care needed for proper survival.  Some others will simply put up their child in some overflowing adoption agency, not caring what happens to the child.  

Due to these numerous complications I believe that abortion should not be illegal, but restricted higher.  Yes, it is the woman’s choice and right, and I would not want that taken away from her, but it may have to go on a case-by-case scenario.  Yes, it should completely be legal medically, no doubt.  But, stricter procedures may please the two parties on the subject.  A compromise of mainly 1st trimester abortion only law may be one to consider.  Either way if the two parties vote on something humane, unlike cruelly and unusually torturing the women by making them go through loops to abort, the outcome should be nothing but swell.  

Blog 6

My writing over this trimester has evolved, but I think it also has to do with the age and learning more as well.  I mean we prepped so much for the ACT and learned to write essays like that, but I never really got it.  I can guarentee you that my 8 on the writing portion was not the writing I have evolved to.  Mind you, I can bet a lot of the mistakes were spelling, maybe some grammar, and I didn't try to make my piece very descriptive.  It was just plain, but it was plain and finished in the 30 minutes I was given.  I'd like to think that the creative writing class with Mr. Cruz that I have had a lot to do with the evelution of my writing.  It kind allowed me to let out all of the writing I had inside of me, and come to peace with it.  I've always liked writing, but have always thought it was weird to do so.  I love telling written stories over spoken stories.  I know that in written stories I can add the detail that may not cross my mind if I was speaking.  I like writing long texts and describing everything just perfectly.  I'm not really sure how much of a better blogger I've become, but I know that for your class I know what type  of responses you're looking for now.

Blog 5

For my E20 time I decided it'd be beneficial to work on my research paper.  And I'm happy I did.  This gave me a way to obtain more time to work on it and to share the knowledge I obtained with more people than just my teacher and immediate classmates.  Through this process I learned a lot about my topic, and I learned a lot about the research paper process.  I also learned more about my procrastination, but that's beside the fact.

As for the research process I learned so much.  I learned I hate structered writing, like a lot.  I started out being super OCD and saving everything online and in a hard copy.  I figured out that instead of finding a lot of sources and sifting thru after the fact for the goods ones like we were told to do, to find great ones to begin with.  I learned that doing that would help with finding quotes.  Finding quotes wasn't very hard, but having them done on time was what set me back.  I figured out that in the future I won't really need to write them all out, and maybe just copy and paste them into a master doc for that specific reason.  Also, to keep all of my sources on a seperate doc.  Then put those all in a folder, I did that but the folder really helped and was useful.  If my prof gives me specific margins, I know to do them as soon as I find out about them and hope he tells me in the begining and not after I wrote everything, because those mess you up big time.  And overall I guess I just learned what I liked and didn't like for the future.  I guess I also learned college will be hard and I'm not so sure how prepared I am for that.

As for the topic research, I stated basically everything I learned in previous blogs.  I'm very happy I learned more about that beacuse it could be useful in the future, especially since I'm going into business.

Blog 4

In highschool I have learned several lessons via my teachers, but I'm not sure how many I could honestly tell you I remember, and remember well.  Maybe half?  Definetely none of the science lessons, just some that may look familiar.  Thank god I'm done with that subject, am I right?  Anyway, the lessons I have learned are definetely personal ones, and they're some memorable ones.  Along with that, I can't lie, I have learned a LOT about myself, good and basd.  Honestly, I'm happy I have.  I'm happy with the things I've been told, and the things I've learned and retained.

I can't even think of a lessons I've learned to start with...  Most of the time it takes me being put into a situation to think about it and come to peace with what is happening at the time.  I guess that one big lesson is to not take anything for granted, ever.  It's super easy to do that though.  As a junior with Seniors surrounding me nearing the end of the year, yet again, I've realized all of the normalities I've taken for granted.  Easily, I haven't ever given a second thought about the people I associate with.  Why woulod I?  Yeah I'll talk to the older kids, that's awesome.  But, what I never realize is that they won't be there as the years pass.  They'll be at college, and out of my immediate reach.  I hate to say that I don't appreciate the friendships I made enough, and that I wish I could show each one of them, and each one of my other friends, how much I've appreciated their company and friendship before it's too late, and they become a distant memory, or a face I only see every once and a while.  I mean, obviously that statement touches everything in life.  It pertains to health, living conditions, and everything inbetween.  Until I'm reminded, I take those things for granted everyday, just because they're part of the norm.  I wish I would remind myself of that more though, because I know it's very reality-based and brings you back down to earth.  I honestly believe it makes you a better person remembering those types of things.  And I'd have to say that all of the lessons I've especially taken to heart are one's that I think are self-bettering ones.

Personally, I know that I am a big bundle of paradox.  And, I'm okay with that.  I think people like that are actually pretty cool, it gives character.  I've noticed that the things I say and do don't even make sense to me half of the time, and I want to hit myself for that.  But I always somehow use that as some type learning experience, and fix that for the better in the future.  At some periods, I've noticed I will be very quiet and observant, and others I'll be very enthusiastic, and that those emotions could go back and forth all day.  That's something that I'd like to improve.  Like I mentioned above, I forget.  I forget a lot of things, and sometimes I forget to stay positive.  It's hard to.  It's hard to with surroundings that may not always be fun or exciting.  It's hard to when you're dealing with stress, anxiety, and even depression.  Being legitamitely happy, and positive is hard when you're focusing on several other things, and trying to put on a show.  But experiencing all of that I've learned that as a person, I'm strong.  Not really in a physical sense, though.  I've learned that everyday I learn, and I grow, all to become a better person.  I'm not quite there yet, but I can tell that I like what I've grown to be, and who I am, even if I don't remember that quite everyday.

Blog 3

So far I have done most of my research and have collected 3 main points to support my statement.  The question, Can Money Buy Happiness?, is a super controversial one, and it's one that caught my eye when asked to research something.  I have concluded, yes, money can buy happiness.  How can money possibly buy happiness you ask?  Well I'll tell you.

One way that money buys happiness is it gives you the freedom of choice.  Money let's you buy anything and everything you want, as long as you have enough of it.  Money gives you the absolute choice to buy anything you'd like.  Now they're times that you have to use money to buy something undesirable, and yes that is a choice, but it's a choice that has to be made.  If you have more money to spend after you waste some on an undesirable object, there is absolutely no reason to be unhappy about it.

Another way to obtain happiness from money is to give away.  From the years of being younger, we as a society, have been told to give money away to charity.  Give it away and you'll feel better about yourself, right?  Actually, right.  In your brain there are chemicals that are released when you give money away.  Now you don't just have to give to charities, you can give to close friends, family, or even aquantences.  Giving to someone you're close to has to be the biggest happiness boost though.  Sure giving to charities could make you warm and fuzzy inside, but giving to someone you have a close relationship to makes you feel excstatic.

The third way I found is that money buys good health, and naturally, healthy people are the happiest.  I can speak from experience when I tell you that being sick sucks.  Personally, my immune system is horrid, and when I'm sick I'm not necessarily never happy, but I am much happier when I'm at mostly full health.  It just makes sense, and something you can relate with yourself.  The part that money comes in is buying your better health.  Now, putting it that way makes it seem very prosthetic and fake.  But, it's not.  It's not a secret healthier things are more expensive.  You can buy herbal remidies, or organic foods, as long as you have the extra money for it.

Now, money is a huge factor in all of our lives.  You can get by with just enough of it, and you can be happy that way, no doubt.  But, research proves you'd be a happier person with more.  This doesn't mean everyone with money is happy, but they're happier than they would be without it.

Potpourri

Feminism [fem-uh-niz-uh m] - noun 1. the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men. In the modern world the word feminism is misused and misunderstood. The misconception of the definition is not only by men but woman too. A majority of the time, woman will misuse the word to argue a belief or a male will swear on the word being synonymous with the word evil. These common beliefs are untrue. Feminism is meant to empower women and create an equal culture of the sexes. True feminism helps not only women but men as well, which is seen as a good enough reason to state that everyone should be behind feminism.

Time to time one may think or hear, men don’t need feminism or that feminism doesn’t affect men, which in fact is wrong. As Jackson Katz, from the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Project, has stated in an article titled Why Feminism is Good for Men, “Guys, if you don't understand feminism, it's not because it's not true. It's because you haven't allowed yourself to think about it yet.” Recently, men everywhere have been positively impacted by the new wave of feminism that has risen. For example modern feminists have broken down barriers on diminishing gender roles, making it increasingly socially acceptable for the man in a relationship to stay at home or for males to participate in more “feminine” activities. Feminism has also helped any married man in his relationship with his spouse, allowing the relationship to be more open. Adopting feminism as a male would open the mind to a new way of thinking.

On the other hand, as stated in the definition, feminism greatly impacts and betters women’s lives. All over the world, women have slowly come to adopt feminism to help empower themselves. Unfortunately, today the movement has failed to make many new improvements due to the lack of support behind it. Bette Davis, American actress of film, television and theater productions, could not have stated society’s views on feminism any better, “‘When a man gives his opinion, he's a man. When a woman gives her opinion, she's a bitch.’” Because of the awful way feminism is portrayed by the media, many have shied away from the movement in fear of being associated with extreme feminists. This image ceases several movements such as the fight on equal pay, violence against women, social inequality, and the division of domestic labor. Without support on the subject, women continue to be discriminated against and suffer.

Correspondingly, feminism has helped out the economy. Around the 1960s feminism broke through society. Beforehand the traditional role for a woman was marriage, childbirth, and homemaking. With pushes from feminists, women started to take authority and question their traditional role. As stated by Betty Friedan, American writer, activist, and feminist, “‘A girl should not expect special privileges because of her sex, but neither should she 'adjust' to prejudice and discrimination.’” In 1963 Friedan published The Feminine Mystique prompting a wave of feminism that created the National Organization For Women (NOW). NOW helped women in the workplace by demanding equal pay, and pressured enforcement on gender discrimination in the workplace. NOW’s work motivated more women to join the workforce, and forged a pathway for women to reach above the glass ceiling and set higher goals for themselves in society.

All things considered, feminism is a pragmatic concept. Without feminism, a lot of the equality women have to men wouldn’t be here today. Also as one can now see feminism is not only for women, but men as well. Plus feminism contributes greatly to the modern economy. With the newly found facts above, maybe feminism isn’t a bad thing after all.

- I did my interview with this paper as well