Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Illinois allows Civil Unions

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-01-31/news/ct-met-quinn-civil-union-signing-20110131_1_civil-unions-lesbian-couples-gay-marriage

This article is about how illinois allows civil unions for same sex marrige. This is a good source because now the state that i am from is supportive of gay rights. At the same time, same sex marriage doesn't get the same benifits, and rights then a marriage.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

My Boi Shimon

http://www.youtube.com/user/shimonhiphop 

sick music

source 1

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2062458,00.html

This was my first source. It is an editorial by Joel Stein. This editorial was inside Time Magazine. This article caught my eye by the name of the title, "Is It Possible To Become A Gay Icon?" The basis is behind the death of Elizabeth Taylor, a firm believer in gay rights. There are a lot of bold statements in this article and i am glad i chose to read it.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Race in America

I think race in America definantly goes under the radar. I think it goes both ways though. People always assume that white people are biast towards black people, which I agree with, but I do think that black people can be biast towards white people. Visa Versa. But I think that race is huge. It determines a lot. Lately we been talking about how race can help you get into college, those are the type of things. I also think that Race has impacted our country in the way that people come together as 1 rather than numerous groups. I loved Martin Luther King because he stood for all races not just 1. Race is becoming a bigger deal and I think that laws have become stricter forbidding bad things to happen to certain races. I love other equalities and i believe our country is full of opportunity and there is no reason to fight, and i think that idea has become stronger, so the haters in the building are being destroyed and unity is becoming true.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

mock trial

1. The date rape trial I was a member of the Jury. I thought it was and wasn't date rape. I thought that there was doubt that he did do it, but at the same point the girl said no and he kept going. I voted that it was rape but it was a land slide. There was a lot of reasonable doubt, but I still think that when a gril says NO you stop. I was an attorney in the other case for sexual harassment. I did the opening statement and was 1 of the witnesses. From what I read i believed my case won by a long shot. It was about a man who clearly harrassed the plantiff who I was defending. It wasn't about proving the man was guilty it was proving the company was guilty. I think our team could've done better but we still I believe had a better case to win. I disagreed with the verdict in our case just because it was so blatent of sexual harassment. The head boss ,who warned the man who was sexually harassing the woman, made no difference. The company policy was corrupt and didn't help the victim.
2. I don't think date rape is that big of an issue at deerfield high school at the moment, but in general it has grown. I think date rape is in different terms though now. If we are talking about girls hooking up with dudes because both parties are drunk, i don't know if that should be considered date rape. But it happens I think guys hook up with drunk girls, and girls hook up wit drunk guys and people just laugh about it later. As for sexual harrassment, I think it's a big thing. People say a lot of things they shouldn't say to girls, even I do, but i think girls don't take it that personally. Also I feel sometimes 1 person isn't offended but somebody else is. I think both need to get payed attention more but if the victims don't come forward it won't do any good.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Whats goin on in the world?

Real talk right now, the State of Wisconsin is really screwed up. I read the article, "Teachers Wonder, Why the Scorn?" This is really screwed up and shows how societies priorities are so messed up. Sometimes I really dislike teachers, but the thing is at the end of the day they are training our youth. One 30 year old young teacher only makes $36,000 a year. Now I don't mean to compare societies morals, but if you think about it, a minimum sports contract is 5-10 times more than that. That's just wrong. Chris Christine the governor of New Jersey said that the teachers need to stop being so greedy. Excuse me govenor are you doped out right now. $36,000 thats like nothing. I believe morally the world is coming to a low. Wars are more important than poverty in America, Teachers make as much as a minimum wage football player/per game.
I also read about the idaho rancher. I think it is a tricky case. I think he was part of sketchy situations but they don't have any real evidence. Also this guy started a new life and became a good citizen. Spending time in jail won't benifit others. They need to use jail beds for people who are a danger to society. Mr. Ponzo if guilty should have life probation. And have to talk to a probation officer of what he is doing. Just 3 required phone calls a week if they pick up they talk if not leave a message. And 1 a month meet and go over whats been accomplished that month and make a  plan for the next month.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Final Review: The Rose that Grew From Concrete

The Rose that Grew From Concrete, was one of the best books I ever read. It helped that one of my favorite music artists, Tupac, was the author. It was cool looking at issues in Modern America, that we see on a daily basis. For instance one of the biggest issues in America today is Abortion. Tears of a Teenage Mother is a prime example of why some people approve of abortion. But Tupac puts in real discriptive how life is in poverty. Living in the North Shore I don't really ever see that kind of living. I never thought about having heros letting us down, and how they act , therefore our way of responding. And  that is an issue. If all rappers want to do drugs what do you think the want to be rappers, or kids who look up to them are going to do. Or a baseball player, wants to be like Barry Bonds, they might take steroroids. So that is an issue in daily life that i never payed much attention to. Finally, my favorite poem the last on gave me hope to be 1 with people rather than hate, and that's why I think Tupac's writing is so personal and passionate. I'm gald i read this book, and it taught me a lot about myself, and brought me to see some issues that I need to express to people.

Share the Love
Arthur

The Rose That Grew From Concrete 5

"Can You See the Pride in the Panther"

Can You See the Pride in the Panther was my favorite poem of all. It showed me the strength and gave me motivation to be the better person, and come together with the people I have iffy feelings about instead of pulling apart. He says, "Can You See the Pride In the Panthers, as they unify as one. The flower blooms with brilliance, and outshines the rays of the sun." This is like if the world comes together we are literally unstoppable. At least everyone in the world doesn't like someone. Only hate can bring everyone down. That's what I see in this. You know it was cool that one day how the guy from Rwanda said, "the one thing that they do, that we have trouble doing, is they look at what they have, not what they don't have." Those people came as one sometimes and made the best of there situation. When we watched the Katrina Documentary, it looked at what they didn't have, and they were so unhappy. And the country didn't give them as much aid as they needed at the time, and so when they weren't 1 everything got bad. Another thing he said that was controversial that got my attention was, "Toppling obstacles placed in the way, of the progression of his race." And this is the hidden truth of segregation still affected in the world today. It's not only just the black race it's every race. And overcoming those obstacles are coming together and overcoming. That's why I loved this poem the most because it was a really positive influence on me to be positive and not hater rather than just love.

The Rose That Grew From Concrete 4

"And 2Morrow"

And 2Morrow is about society as a hole and how people try to fit in and kids not having role models at the house. There is a passage, "children bred with ruthlessness, because no one at home cares." This for me is like the issue of if a child is raised with no guidance the people around him will be his guidance. So for me this is like gangs. Most children who's parents were affiliated with gangs someday join them. So from this I get the issue of parents not beating kids but verbally and socially treating there kids horrible. Therefore they don't do the next right thing because they are used to that environment. Another idea was, "Today is filled with anger, fueled with hidden hate, scared of being outcast, afraid of common fate." I think this is the idea of fitting in. I know for me at least sometimes doing the wrong thing makes you feel good because you fit in. Another thing i see in that passage is being fearful of yourself. I get that a lot, because I know what someone else wants me to do, but what do I want to do? So that is being afraid of what is to come, and being the outcast, but what he brings out is sometimes we don't understand what we are doing, and the anger and hidden hate behind what we do which we don't realize comes out and could affect another human being.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

The rose that grew from the concrete 3

"Liberty Needs Glasses"

Liberty Needs Glasses, is about how he thinks the justice system is racist and corrupt. He gets angry with this line, "slavery was a learning phase forgotten with out a verdict" I take from this he's saying why now if someone got beat to do that kind of work, even if they were getting paid that would be a major crime. But slavery nothing was ever done. And I never look at the issue of fair trial. It's hard to take the past, and bring it to the present for like crimes like these. But the biast part, I kind of agree, how do you know  your judge is going to be fair, how do you know the prosecuter and the judge arn't having drinks after courts in session? These are a little stretchy, but in a way it is true. And I think that sometimes we need to be careful how we treat every trial, and we need to understand in the 6th ammendment everyone deserves a fair trial, but how is it confirmed? That's what I appreciated from Liberty Needs Glasses.

The Rose that grew from the concrete 2

"When Ure Hero Falls"

When Ure Hero Falls, is about the feeling of when your hero goes down. I think this is an issue that nobody ever really looks at, how figures in society look up to act. It says, "without my hero there is only
me alone 2 deal with my sorrow" And i think that means is when we want to be successful and its not going well we look at the people who are the role models in society and somewhat see the way they act and we follow. So are the role models doing the right thing? Lil Wayne one of hip hop's biggest artists I consider to be a role model for people, got arrested with a gun pocession charge, so is that what a kid will do go buy an illegal gun instead of doing school work? When rappers talk about smoking weed every second and doing illegal activity, do you want to do be like them? A lot of the time yes. It seems like a great life, but for the average human being they don't get the body guards and the safe vehicles to be fully safe. I think that our common role model has let young people around the world down for the lifestyle they live now. A kid instead of playing basketball seeks gangs because he knows thats what lil wayne or any rapper is going to do. So what do we do when the hero falls, or is the hero always falling?

Monday, January 10, 2011

The rose that grew from Concrete 1

"Tears of a Teenage Mother"

This chapter stuck with me hard. When I read this poem all that came to my mind was abortion. The mom has a miserable life, and those things that a mom goes through are real in this poem, and where should people have to suffer. It made me even more pro-choice. The last phrase is "u ask for money for the baby" "the daddy just ran out the door" This stood out to me the most because if a dad didn't pay for the kid then the baby would suffer tremendously. So if that life isn't what the mom needs and fersure what the baby needs, why should they suffer. But I mean the thing is if we had pro-choice it could be either way, they don't always kill the baby. I think what tupac is saying, is he's pointing out realities in our country of poverty with teenage mothers. Its something that needs to be pointed out because some girls, don't have the strength to get welfare, and thats sad they have to suffer. I feel like this is a subject the government should look into because its sad about poverty levels and those things. I'm glad that i read that because I always overlook that and maybe sometime I will write a congressman or woman for them to do something.