Writing

Hi, today's Wednesday January 21st. We just got done discussing our first drafts for our research paper. So far I think I am heading in the right direction, at least I hope I am. With all of the talk about the writing portfolio makes me a little nervous because I really want to pass it. Talking about plagiarism and the readers of my paper and their different opinions makes me wonder if it is luck with who actually reads your paper, but I guess we will see in a month or two.

We also talked about the United States. Why didn't we go into the third world war? Also we talked about 9/11 and how it affected us in the way we lived. Some said it did not bother them at all and got on a plane no problem. Another said that when she was out of the country, she did not want anyone to know that she was an American, not knowing what others would think of her or even do to her. Personally, after 9/11 I was a little nervous getting on a plane but still did it. We can't let things stop us from the everyday things that Americans do. I feel that we were given the right to live the way we do. Of course we have to be responsible to an extent with the economy and such but people are going to live the lives they want. You can't ask someone to drop everything and change the way of living right away. Everything takes time.

"God Bless America"

Well, i just finished my outline. I actually feel pretty good about it. It was kind of long but as i finished it I realized that i pretty much finished my paper because i have all my ideas, i just have to put it all together to create a paper. I also found it kind of ironic that i was doing my outline on racism in sports and it is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, just a little observation.

Looking back on our class discussion last class i did find it real interesting that some observed that it would have been a lot different if we had started on the first floor, but all in all i enjoyed the museum. It was different than the Military museum maybe because of some of the things such as the shoes that were shown in the Holocaust museum from the people that were in the concentration camps. I didnt realize how many young kids were killed, it was awful. Another thing that jumped out was they set of baby shoes that were on display. The father actually went back to his house and got these shoes for the memory of his young children that had died in such a horrible tragedy. It made me realize how lucky I really am not having to go through such a horrible event and made me realize how really proud I am to be an American!


Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!!

Fallen Heroes

Well, tomorrow we are going to the Holocaust museum and Im looking forward to it because I heard it was a great experience. Today in class we talked about a whole bunch of stuff. When we started to talk about monuments that were built and the reasons why, I strongly believe they are there in memory of that tragedy. Several years back there was a terrible warehouse fire and six firefighters were killed in the city I live in. There was a lot of controversy on what to put in the location of where it occured because they did not want to get the families upset bringing back the terrible memory of this awful day. Instead of making a specific monument they did something even better. They built a brand new firehouse in memory of them. I guess you can call this a monument, but it certainly is a different kind of monument. The families were happy and proud what their husbands, fathers, or uncles, did in order to try and save someones life in this burning warehouse. I felt that I needed to talk about this because I kept thinking about it in class. I feel that if something horrible occurs close to you, whether it pertains to a family member, friend, or even someone in your own city it definately effects you a lot more. These six men are heroes in my eyes and should be in everyone elses. My hearts go out to the 6 fallen firefighters and their families and friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3W7WsCEwt4

Well I am back again, and its kind of funny because I am laying in my bed right now about to go to sleep but I am not real tired. It reminded me of the readings we had because when he couldnt fall asleep he thought about trout fishing and other things. I keep thinking about baseball and school work so I guess its a little different. Today we started talking about movies and about Titanic. I honestly have never seen the whole movie, too long for me. I guess because I knew the outcome and some people i talked to said it was just ok i never ended up watching it. Im sure ill eventually get to watching it. To tell you the truth i have been thinking about the Holocaust museum lately. One of my friends was talking about it the other day and it sounded like it was a great experience. Hopefully I feel the same way about it, im sure i will. I have a lot of jewish friends and it will be interesting and at the same time, sad, to see what their families may have gone through. We also talked about learning from your mistakes. Ever since i was a kid my parents stressed this. You may do something wrong the first time, but the next time yu can do it right. This followed me all the way to college whether it is with baseball, school, or even work. If you do not accept that you have made a mistake and try to fix it, life is going to be a struggle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk1kRG-pw_M

The past few days have been pretty interesting in class. We talked about how marketing plays a hige a huge role on how people live along with the media and have people may live thorugh a past memory. I feel that today, when people hear something from somebody else or in the newspaper, they always assume its right. This could be a good or bad thing. I also feel that no one can accuse marketers on how they market through ads on tv, magazines, or the newspaper. They have to put food on the table for their family just like anyone else. It is up to us if we want to believe it or not.

Watching the movie the other day in class made me realize that lying is not always a bad thing. Guido had to tell his son that the concentration camps were a game just so he would not be scared. This made me think of when my grandfather died as i talked about in my last reflection. My little brother was younger and didnt not know what was really going on. If someone told him that my grandfather died he would have prolly went crazy and cried like any one else would. Like a lot of people tell younger children, we told him he had gone to a better place so I guess we did it to make it easier on my little brother.

Going to to the museum today made me really proud of my country, the United States of America. Knowing these soldiers risked their lives for their country is one of the bravest things you could possibly do. My thanks and prayers go out to all of those families who have lost love ones and for the soldiers that are fighting for our country today. Sometimes people may take this for granted, but think about if you or a loved one was doing this. Well, its almost time for the second half of the national championship. Go Sooners and God Bless America!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBgNbSA4WdM - Kenny Chesney: Better as a Memory

Well this is my first blog so we'll see how it goes. The class has been pretty good so far but some of the reading gets a little confusing and long but i manage to get it done as best i can. The class discussion today was pretty good. We were able to get so many different opinions on Lot and his wife. The first readings we had to do made me realize that with anything and everything, you will always have questions. If you think about it, it is true. If someone says something to you could go on and on. Its like when we were discussing if Lot should have been punished for sleeping with his daughters, or did his daughters rape him? Finally i just wanted to add that the craziest thing i learned in class so far was how Jean-Dominque Bauby wrote his autobiography by twitching his eyelid for the letters in the alphabet. Thats unbelievable! Thats all i have right now but ill see ya next time!!