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Reynolds 1 Marissa Reynolds Joe Gallegos English 1a online 5 November 2008 Textus Essay There are many great books that have greatly impacted society over many generations. The book I have chosen to analyze and interpret is To Kill a Mockingbird. I believe that this is a great book to analyze because it showed how racism was such a big problem and how much it affected society. To Kill a Mockingbird is an important book because it showed that in that period of time the color of ones skin determined how you would be treated and where one stood under the law. In the book a black man is convicting of raping a girl, which in that time was where they would hang him because he is black. It was a crime that he did not commit and there was no evidence to show that he did but because he was black society decided that he should be killed. Throughout the generations the view on the color of ones skin has changed drastically. I believe books like To Kill a Mockingbird were very important because it opened societies eyes to how wrong it is to be subjected under the law just because the color of your skin. This books message was even though someone is different does not mean that they will do harm and should have equality in all aspects of society. This means that a certain crime must have the same punishment for a white man as it does for a black man and that everyone under the law is considered innocent until proven guilty. Throughout the generations the view on the color of ones skin has changed drastically. In the 1950s Jackie Robinson was the first African American to be apart of the big leagues, which would never be tolerated in society during the time of the book. Later on blacks and whites were no longer segregated, and then blacks became senators and members of congress. Today we stand with a newly elected black president under which everyone is equal no matter what color their skin is.
I don't know if ths is in the right spot.... but here is my rough draft...
I will always remember the day I went camping at trails campground/beach with my two best friends for the unforgettable times we had and the scary things we experienced. My best friend, Ariana, begged her father to take us camping. Eventually, he gave in and agreed to take Ariana, her little brother Sean, myself and our other best friend Sara camping. Trails state beach is a campground in south San Clemente where surfers go. It is full of professional surfers, beginning surfers, surf camps and of course, tourists. Every trail leads to a different beach with a different break. There is even a nude trail, we happened to stay clear of, thankfully. We had all just started learning to surf, at our bold age of about twelve years old. We were thrilled, imagining the whole day surfing and the whole night making smores. When we arrived, it was the perfect day, the sun was beating down on us but there was a nice breeze to not make it torturous. We carefully set up the tent on the hard sandfilled sites with empty beer cans and burnt marshmallows from the former lying around. We rented two sites, one for us girls and one for Sean and Ariana’s father, Trey. After setting up, we wasted no time getting into the water. The five of us each lugged a huge surfboard each over our heads the whole way down the trail. I believe we were by trail four. So as we struggled to not tumble down the trail after every tricky turn or every random rock we stepped on, we laughed and talked about all the waves we were going to catch. Once on the beach, staring at the massive body of water, I began to worry a little. I had only been surfing about give times in my life at this point but I had been in the ocean since I was three years old. I grew up around surfing, how could I be scared I kept asking myself. I even did swim team, there should have been nothing to worry about. I was right, once in the water, we were having a blast. We spent the day fighting over waves, jumping in the water off our surfboards and swallowing the salt water. We even took a doyle surfboard down with us. A doyle is a “beginners” surfboard. It is a huge piece of foam with epoxy glass on the bottom so it rides smooth but it is super heavy and super unnecessary for anyone who has ever stepped foot in a body of water to use. However, it is also super fun for someone who wants to paddle out, work on their tan, and not flip over on. It is so heavy that it does not move with the current, only when you paddle. We all took turns laying out on it in the middle of the ocean. It doesn’t sound that fun, but laying out in the middle of the ocean with your hands and feet in the water is actually one of the coolest feelings ever. Another fun thing you can do with the doyle, is stand up on it and stay in the same spot. You do not have to be riding a wave to stand on it. Being able to stand, also means being able to dive off of it, talk about a blast. When the sun went down, we made our way back up the trail sunburnt with salt in our eyes and water in our ears. This time was even more difficult than before. First of all, we were walking up hill and secondly, we were drained and exhausted from the day in the sun and surfing. We showered in front of everyone in the only showers at a campground (outdoor ones) and flirted with all the surf camp boys who rode their bikes by. We even chased one of them to the Billabong bus. Walking up and down the sites, we met a bunch of people who were all baking smores just like ourselves. Then as it got later, we made our way to the tent for some girl talk, like always. For girls, even in a tent, it is a full on sleepover. Trey came in and told us that he was going to sleep and to wake him if anyone needed him. He also told us that we were to wake him up before we went to the restrooms or anywhere else and to always go to the restrooms to the left, always. We said ok, thank you and goodnight then he left. Two o clock AM rolls around and Sara and I have to use the restroom. We go wake up Trey and let him know we are going and he says ok and to tell him when we are back. Being the highly intelligent young women we were, we went to the restrooms to the right, not the left, the right. Just so happens that on the way there, there is only one person still awake. This person is an old grey haired grungy looking man lying by a fire by himself. We thought nothing of it, we even thought he was sleeping until he said “Psst! Hey girls, come here!” Sara and I took one look at each other and booked it to the restrooms. He then got up and proceeded to follow us. I don’t know how fast we ran or how fast he was all I knew was that I could hear a lot of footsteps. We ran and and ran and ran until we finally threw ourselves into a stall and locked the door in a panic. Being at a campground, there were no lights in the stalls. Only two lights on each side of the restroom building. We both decided to not say a word and sat on the floor next to the door to listen. We could hear footsteps. He was waiting for us and we knew it. We panicked. We really both thought we were going to die that night. We started telling each other we loved each other and talking about how sad our parents would be. The footsteps would come and go. It seemed like he was almost trying to trick us into thinking he was gone so we would come out. It felt like hours that we had been sitting there, it must have only been about twenty minutes though. Regardless, twenty minutes is a long time to be sitting on a polluted, rock hard, freezing, public bathroom floor. I don’t even think either of us even went to the bathroom because we were so scared. Finally, we heard footsteps one last time, and someone yell “Girls!” They were Trey’s footsteps. “Girls! It’s Trey… I told you guys to go to the left and I have been waiting up for you.” The second we heard him say it was him we bursted out of the bathroom. He is still a family friend of ours and I have never to this day been happier to see him than on that night. He walked us back to the campground as we frantically both spoke at once telling him everything that happened. We were quit walking by the old man’s spot where we showed him who the man was. The man’s fire was out and he was in his tent asleep. We knew he wouldn’t mess with us if we were with a guy. It was hard to fall asleep the rest of the night and the next morning, the man was gone and so were we. Sara’s mom came to pick us up and we told her everything that happened. I told her not to tell my mom because my mom would have had a panic attack. As scary as it was, I am glad it happened because I am not so naïve. I learned that not everyone is a friendly face and not everyone always has good intentions. It made me more aware of the world. This also took place at the time of all the kidnappings around Orange County. Kidnappings were “the crime” at this time, whenever this was in the 90’s. I thought I would for sure be a victim. I have always been overly paranoid and this might have something to do with it. Even though, I was overly paranoid before this event as well. Even to this day, I always think that our house is the one that is getting broken into, my car is the one who is going to have someone hiding in the back. My family and friends mock me because I am overly cautious but things really happen. We will never know what that man wanted from us, but it could not have been good if he was trying to lure us then chased us. No man would chase to young girls just to tell them something at two o clock in the morning. I guess it is safe to say that my unforgettable camping trip made many memories and taught me many lessons.
Saman Karbalaei English 1A Professor Gallegos 5 November 2008 Textus There exist literary works in this world that truly change people’s lives. They completely alter their perception of reality. If the author is trusted their texts can free peoples’ minds with their knowledge. This was the case for me after reading a book assigned in my American Government class during my freshman year in college. It is not a standard textbook; with its rebellious voice it even discredits standard textbooks received throughout high school and most college courses. This book is A People’s History of the United States written by Howard Zinn, an unbiased recounting of our nation‘s past. The title of this text implies that this is the side of history that was not taught to us in our social studies classes throughout grade school. Standard history textbooks mainly focus on governments, geography, and very basic cultural aspects. A People’s History of the United States, on the other hand, discusses what all of the different peoples went through as the country was established and developed throughout time. Our high school textbooks, Zinn explains, avoided this side of the story because “history is written by the winners”, and to reveal what people actually had to endure throughout the nation’s birth and development would not create such a formidable image in our children’s minds. There are many events in the establishment of the United States which would make its citizens question the moral standards of its founders and leaders throughout the decades. One of these major events was the “discovery” of America by Christopher Columbus. Obviously he did not discover anything, as numerous indigenous tribes populated the north American islands and mainland; all this “discovery” marked was the date Europeans discovered that there was a continent between western Europe and eastern Asia, and it was up for grabs. As the text describes, Columbus wrote in his logs that the Arawaks of the Bahamas (the first American land he encountered) were extremely wholesome and gentle people, contrary to the popular belief that Indians were savage and backwards; Columbus wrote that they were very hospitable people who were open to sharing and trading with the European sailors. “They would make fine servants…with fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.” The Indians were ordered to gather gold for the Europeans, and incompliance would be punishable by death. Gold wasn’t as abundant as Columbus thought, so when it became scarce thousands of Indians (men, women, and children) were slaughtered. Hundreds of babies were fed to hunting dogs. The natives that remained were enslaved on plantations and haciendas, many dying because of their mistreatment and poor living conditions. As more and more settlers arrived throughout time, the majority of the 10 million indigenous Americans were wiped out to make way for the new world. Andrew Jackson, best known as the face on our 20 dollar bill, was one of the most brutal and heartless men in history. After being elected president in 1828, he forced 70,000 Iroquois, Choctaws, Creeks and Cherokees westward, those who resisted had their villages burned down. Millions of acres of Indian territory was taken by force. Once the tribes would settle in an area promised to them by treaties, the treaties were quickly broken and they were again forced to migrate. The decades passed and with the booming establishment of the farming industry came the need for mass labor, thus came African slavery. Hundreds of thousands of African men were taken from their villages and forced across the Atlantic to America, more than half of them dying along the way because of the extremely poor conditions of the slave ships. With all of the men gone, countless African tribes were completely destroyed, the reason for the crippled state of Africa today. In the 1860s, Congress was trying to pass bills to help the “freed” black slaves, attempting to outlaw exclusion of blacks in restaurants, hotels, etc. Andrew Johnson, Lincoln’s vice president, vetoed all of these bills. The blacks endured decades of injustice, looked down upon and regarded as less than human. The Declaration of Independence claimed that the people had a god-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; the “people” did not include blacks, Indians, or women. The struggle was not exclusive to these groups however, as much of the lower class was made up of poor white families. These groups were always divided racially through to prevent a mass socialist uprising. The real problem has always been class struggle. As America’s power grew, the era of modern imperialism began, to continue the global domination what western Europe had started long ago. As a result of World War I, ten million died in battle, and another twenty million from hunger and disease related to war. What was gained from this? What were they fighting for? The reason told to us in grade school was that the Germans torpedoed an unarmed civilian British merchant vessel, the Lusitania. This was named an atrocity as the ship carried 124 Americans, along with thousands of cases of ammunition. Thus the United States entered the war, which was simply a fight over boundaries and territories in the Balkans, Africa, the Middle East; land and resources are very valuable assets to a growing capitalistic empire. “American capitalism needed international rivalry -and periodic war- to create an artificial community of interest between rich and poor…a national consensus for war was needed, and the government quickly moved to create such a consensus. If I were to list all of the countries that the United States has intervened in with the purpose of “regime change”, whether it be through overt force, covert operations, or subverted elections, this list would take up a very long paragraph. There is American military presence in over 100 countries. This empire remains unseen by the public because of the controlled mass media’s disinformation. Throughout it’s later history the U.S. has expanded its sphere of influence globally to setup puppet governments and control the world’s economic market through their international banking system and the military-industrial complex. Give one control of a nation's banks and it makes no difference who's in office. It doesn’t take chains to control people anymore. Zinn describes and recounts specific human events throughout the entire history of the United States, painting a vivid picture of all of the cruel acts committed by the leaders of this nation. This has major significance because our society today is blindly ethnocentric. “We are the most powerful country in the world!“ Are we, the American people, truly powerful? I say we are simply the apparatus which runs the machine, allowing it to devour the rest of the world while our masters reap the spoils. Those who lead us have kept their family bloodlines in power for centuries, yet we are meant to believe that we live in a democratic society where we choose our leaders. The unfolding of our history is important to remember because they speak very clearly about the nature of the leadership in this country, both in our past and present. Instead our children are painted a fairytale-like picture of Columbus, the Indians and the settlers, slavery is paid very little attention to, and in the countless wars the U.S. has gone to, we are always regarded as the heroes. In both World Wars American companies funded both sides, profiting greatly from the bloodshed of millions. Our general education system, the media, and our ethically void culture as a whole has conditioned us to forget the past and to believe that we are making progress. We are living in a hidden empire which goes beyond America, established and expanded throughout the centuries through war, but the people are blinded from its true purpose: to enslave the masses through perpetual debt, and to expand and protect the power of the “elite“. We are blinded to the nature of the men who have led us since the dawn of society, but Howard Zinn’s work sheds some much needed light in our world.
Tania Torres Gender Essay Smooth Draft There is no better representation of masculinity than Angelina Jolie, and of femininity, Marilyn Monroe.Monroe is considered the greatest sexual icon of her time and continues to hold this title today. Jolie is known for her fierce roles on screen and her individualistic take on life. While both women are beautiful, these ladies exude beauty in different ways. Monroe was voluptuous, alluring, and had a soft voice, while Jolie is equally sexy but strong-willed and not afraid to voice her opinions. Monroe is considered female for being the ideal woman other woman wanted to be and men wanted to have around. She was smart, but depended on men as seen through her various failed marriages and eventual death. Monroe was weaker than her masculine counterpart and was not able to survive the glamorous life she worked so hard to achieve. She was able to be manipulated into changing her appearance to appeal to an audience that wanted someone different and daring. Jolie is considered masculine for being strong and not pulled down by what critics say, traits normally associated with being a man. Jolie has also been divorced a few times, but she left each marriage without shame. One movies, Monroe played the stereotypical blonde every time and doing so, reiterated that she was of the fairer sex. Monroe never chose a role that defied what women had achieved up until then. She, however, did use her seductive, feminine charm to get close to powerful men. Jolie used her wits to join the ranks of the powerful as well, but with the hope of changing the lives of the poor in distant countries. Monroe is most remembered for her womanly curves and the face of an angel that seemed to be straight out of most men’s dreams. Monroe was born a brunette with a pretty, but imperfect face but was willing to become a blonde and have minor surgery on her facial features. Jolie does not comply with Hollywood’s standards of being a feminine woman. Born a blonde, Jolie is rarely seen wearing anything other than her now dark brown locks. Jolie does not have the extreme curves that Monroe had, but she is not completely rail thin either. The majority of these differences are based on gender, not sex, being that these are both women. Society has taught us that the feminine are more motherly and submissive, while the masculine are individualistic and controlling. Jolie, however, seems to fit all of these descriptions to a certain extent. Jolie is a mother, but unlike many she has adopted children from various corners of the earth and is now raising six children. She also refuses to marry her partner believing that living together is enough of a bond for them. Most people would agree that Jolie is one of the most attractive celebrities of today, if not the most beautiful. Jolie seems like the perfect example of femininity from the surface, but once Jolie speaks or portrays a role on a movie, this truth holds no longer. She continually chooses roles in movies that no other actress in Hollywood could portray and plays them perfectly. Her two latest movies, Wanted and Changeling, both have reviews raving for Jolie and with much hope for awards. Her previous roles in movies have caused discomfort, but at the same time, awe for the viewers, such as her roles in Gia and Girl, Interrupted. As previously mentioned, Monroe generally chose roles that reflected what she wanted people to think she was in reality: a sexy, blonde that was willing to let men think they controlled her to advance in status. These differences in femininity and masculinity are necessary in our society. It allows women to not be confined to portraying certain roles in movies, but rather to choose as they want. Women have more choices and can break the barrier between gender.
November 04,2008. President Elect Barack Obama has swept the electoral votes, he is now The President Elect, twenty one months ago Barack Obama launched his campaign for presidency on the steps of.. In Chicago, Illinois. A young United States Senator whom had only began his first term in the Senate, he had set out to capture the hearts of the American people and change the game of politics that are being played out in Washington D.C. His heart filled with pride and great love for this nation, he is now ready to embark and conquer the stereo types and prejudges of America’s History. He has a plan and a message to lead us to better times. “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Barack Obama. Barack’s message is not complicated he simply wants a better nation and world for generations to come it is how we, as the people of the United States and of the world, respond to this great man’s leadership. Barack plans to tackle the problems he inherited from the Bush Administration and that he now faces as president head on. His message of change includes the economy crisis, better health care, the end of the Iraq War, Veterans Antilla 2 Affairs, and to change the world’s perception of The United States, as it now stands tarnished. He also has other areas in which he offers change and leadership, I choose to discuss what I personally feel will have the greatest impact of change to our country. The hit of the economy has been a great blow for the American people, we all know some one or worst off a family that have been hit hard by the crisis of the economy. I personally have known families and friends that have lost their piece of the American dream of simply owning a home and having a reliable income to support their children come to an end. Many lost their home because they where told two years ago at the signing of their home closing to go with an arm loan and refinance in six months to a fixed interest rate, they where lied to because six months later they could not refinance, the banks knew that the housing bubble was to burst. Others have lost their jobs due to the many cut backs companies are having to do to the slow down then lost their home, unable to afford it. Barack understands these peoples hardship, he knows they need to work in order to reestablish their dreams, that is why as President he is going to create jobs that put people back to work by building America’s Info structure to be competitive with that of Chinas. He also has proposed that the American Auto Industries become again the leader in world of automotive endeavors and create better vehicles that are bio friendly. He also will provide a tax cut for working families, provide tax relief for small businesses, and fight for fair trade. Barack’s fight for health care for all Americans is personal. His mother died of cancer and her last months of life where spent fighting her health care provider to cover her medical Antilla 3 cost, they (the insurance company)insisted that her condition was prior existing and did not cover her medical expenses. Barack plans to insure all American’s by making health care affordable to everyone. This is done by reforming the health care system, using technology to record medical histories thus preventing man hours of the keeping, logging and distributing of medical records; preventing poor quality of care, it was reported that millions was spent last year on curing infections that where caused by poor conditions in hospitals while being treated for another condition. Regulating of prescription drug companies, it is said that they tend to charge twice as much to American’s for the same drug that is distributed to other countries like Europe. And finally by stopping the lobbing in D.C. that allows politicians to be bought by the insurance industries. Barack has also vowed to end the War in Iraq that is costing the tax payers in the U.S. ten billion dollars a month, while the Iraq Government sits on a surplus of eighty billion dollars. He, along with other American’s believe that this was the wrong war to embark on and it is time to end it and go after the Taliban terrorist whom are hiding in the borders of Afghanistan, the ones responsible for the September 11th attacks on America. America is restless with this war that has innocent men their lives, but not in vein. Which leads me to the next subject of Veterans Affairs, Barack intends to treat our great American heroes whom have fought for our freedoms in this country with honor and respect by taking care of them, and not allowing them to be homeless and untreated medically. How we are perceived as a nation to other countries is tarnished. We have become a bullish nation, starting wars, bombing countries at will. Pocking our nose in other Antilla 4 countries problems when we are unfit to run our own country efficiently. America is also looked down upon because of Guantanamo Prison and the torture of prisoners, Barrack is willing to meet with countries allies or not to talk out problem areas that are for the best interest of our country and he has promised to shut down the prison. President Elect Barrack Obama is a leader in which we the voters have chosen to lead our country, we have in trusted in him to direct us out of the mess in which this administration has gotten us into. It is now our responsibility to take part if this great movement and give to our country what it has given to us… A better tomorrow.
Laura Bush Professor Gallegos English 1A 5 November 2008 Range Rovers
When driving down a freeway in Southern California it is not rare to see the giant, gas-guzzling SUVs known as Range Rovers. These huge trucks are completely unnecessary to own in Southern California. Range Rovers are clearly bought as a sign of wealth, not for the use that they were intentionally designed. Land Rover prides itself on the incredible off-roading capabilities that their vehicles have. Their commercials demonstrate the trucks gliding through rough terrain. Giant boulders and 2 feet of mud and sand are just a few of the obstacles that Range Rovers face with ease. Last time I checked giant boulders, and a few feet of mud and sand were nowhere to be seen on Southern California roadways. So why do people spend at least seventy-five thousand dollars on these beasts that get horrible mileage? Range Rovers are seen as a sign of prosperity in our society. Paparazzi never seem to have a hard time snapping a picture of a celebrity driving their decked out Rover. They are looked upon as premium luxury vehicles. What once started out as a vehicle invented purely for operations in the field, equipped with a canvas top and optional doors, is now a car with exotic, white leather interior, and remarkable amenities (landroverusa.com). While most people buy cars to get from place A to place B, people buy these types Land Rovers to get places in style. They place little to no interest in the reliability of the vehicle itself. According to J.D. Power, Range Rovers have horrible reliability ratings, and considering how much they cost, why would you not invest in a BMW or Mercedes. Both are luxury brands that offer SUVs. It seems that the target audience for these cars has changed with the times as well. Once made for the most adventurous people, Land Rover now targets its “soccer mom” audience. Options like cherry or burled walnut wood finishes are just some of the choices offered to those “hard core off roaders”. Many of the drivers I have seen are nicely dressed women with large, designer sunglasses. This is not surprising seeing how the wealth of people in Orange County depends on your material possessions. Most Range Rover drivers are driving alone, so I am not sure about why they need such a large vehicle with such outstanding off- roading capabilities. Obviously they are not driving their SUV because they want to use its permanent four-wheel drive (landroverusa.com), so there must be something else that intrigues them. Range Rovers are clearly seen as a sign of riches. Many people buy into these vehicles because of the symbol it projects. They are seen as cars for the wealthy. While their reliability ratings are poor at best, their gas mileage averages fourteen miles per gallon (according to fueleconomy.gov) people are still drawn to these stylish cars.
7 comments:
Reynolds 1
Marissa Reynolds
Joe Gallegos
English 1a online
5 November 2008
Textus Essay
There are many great books that have greatly impacted society over many generations. The book I have chosen to analyze and interpret is To Kill a Mockingbird. I believe that this is a great book to analyze because it showed how racism was such a big problem and how much it affected society.
To Kill a Mockingbird is an important book because it showed that in that period of time the color of ones skin determined how you would be treated and where one stood under the law. In the book a black man is convicting of raping a girl, which in that time was where they would hang him because he is black. It was a crime that he did not commit and there was no evidence to show that he did but because he was black society decided that he should be killed. Throughout the generations the view on the color of ones skin has changed drastically. I believe books like To Kill a Mockingbird were very important because it opened societies eyes to how wrong it is to be subjected under the law just because the color of your skin.
This books message was even though someone is different does not mean that they will do harm and should have equality in all aspects of society. This means that a certain crime must have the same punishment for a white man as it does for a black man and that everyone under the law is considered innocent until proven guilty. Throughout the generations the view on the color of ones skin has changed drastically. In the 1950s Jackie Robinson was the first African American to be apart of the big leagues, which would never be tolerated in society during the time of the book. Later on blacks and whites were no longer segregated, and then blacks became senators and members of congress. Today we stand with a newly elected black president under which everyone is equal no matter what color their skin is.
Roxanne Amadi
Rough draft
I don't know if ths is in the right spot.... but here is my rough draft...
I will always remember the day I went camping at trails campground/beach with my two best friends for the unforgettable times we had and the scary things we experienced. My best friend, Ariana, begged her father to take us camping. Eventually, he gave in and agreed to take Ariana, her little brother Sean, myself and our other best friend Sara camping. Trails state beach is a campground in south San Clemente where surfers go. It is full of professional surfers, beginning surfers, surf camps and of course, tourists. Every trail leads to a different beach with a different break. There is even a nude trail, we happened to stay clear of, thankfully. We had all just started learning to surf, at our bold age of about twelve years old. We were thrilled, imagining the whole day surfing and the whole night making smores.
When we arrived, it was the perfect day, the sun was beating down on us but there was a nice breeze to not make it torturous. We carefully set up the tent on the hard sandfilled sites with empty beer cans and burnt marshmallows from the former lying around. We rented two sites, one for us girls and one for Sean and Ariana’s father, Trey. After setting up, we wasted no time getting into the water. The five of us each lugged a huge surfboard each over our heads the whole way down the trail. I believe we were by trail four. So as we struggled to not tumble down the trail after every tricky turn or every random rock we stepped on, we laughed and talked about all the waves we were going to catch.
Once on the beach, staring at the massive body of water, I began to worry a little. I had only been surfing about give times in my life at this point but I had been in the ocean since I was three years old. I grew up around surfing, how could I be scared I kept asking myself. I even did swim team, there should have been nothing to worry about. I was right, once in the water, we were having a blast. We spent the day fighting over waves, jumping in the water off our surfboards and swallowing the salt water. We even took a doyle surfboard down with us. A doyle is a “beginners” surfboard. It is a huge piece of foam with epoxy glass on the bottom so it rides smooth but it is super heavy and super unnecessary for anyone who has ever stepped foot in a body of water to use. However, it is also super fun for someone who wants to paddle out, work on their tan, and not flip over on. It is so heavy that it does not move with the current, only when you paddle. We all took turns laying out on it in the middle of the ocean. It doesn’t sound that fun, but laying out in the middle of the ocean with your hands and feet in the water is actually one of the coolest feelings ever. Another fun thing you can do with the doyle, is stand up on it and stay in the same spot. You do not have to be riding a wave to stand on it. Being able to stand, also means being able to dive off of it, talk about a blast.
When the sun went down, we made our way back up the trail sunburnt with salt in our eyes and water in our ears. This time was even more difficult than before. First of all, we were walking up hill and secondly, we were drained and exhausted from the day in the sun and surfing. We showered in front of everyone in the only showers at a campground (outdoor ones) and flirted with all the surf camp boys who rode their bikes by. We even chased one of them to the Billabong bus. Walking up and down the sites, we met a bunch of people who were all baking smores just like ourselves. Then as it got later, we made our way to the tent for some girl talk, like always. For girls, even in a tent, it is a full on sleepover. Trey came in and told us that he was going to sleep and to wake him if anyone needed him. He also told us that we were to wake him up before we went to the restrooms or anywhere else and to always go to the restrooms to the left, always. We said ok, thank you and goodnight then he left.
Two o clock AM rolls around and Sara and I have to use the restroom. We go wake up Trey and let him know we are going and he says ok and to tell him when we are back. Being the highly intelligent young women we were, we went to the restrooms to the right, not the left, the right. Just so happens that on the way there, there is only one person still awake. This person is an old grey haired grungy looking man lying by a fire by himself. We thought nothing of it, we even thought he was sleeping until he said “Psst! Hey girls, come here!” Sara and I took one look at each other and booked it to the restrooms. He then got up and proceeded to follow us. I don’t know how fast we ran or how fast he was all I knew was that I could hear a lot of footsteps. We ran and and ran and ran until we finally threw ourselves into a stall and locked the door in a panic. Being at a campground, there were no lights in the stalls. Only two lights on each side of the restroom building. We both decided to not say a word and sat on the floor next to the door to listen. We could hear footsteps. He was waiting for us and we knew it. We panicked. We really both thought we were going to die that night. We started telling each other we loved each other and talking about how sad our parents would be. The footsteps would come and go. It seemed like he was almost trying to trick us into thinking he was gone so we would come out.
It felt like hours that we had been sitting there, it must have only been about twenty minutes though. Regardless, twenty minutes is a long time to be sitting on a polluted, rock hard, freezing, public bathroom floor. I don’t even think either of us even went to the bathroom because we were so scared. Finally, we heard footsteps one last time, and someone yell “Girls!” They were Trey’s footsteps. “Girls! It’s Trey… I told you guys to go to the left and I have been waiting up for you.” The second we heard him say it was him we bursted out of the bathroom. He is still a family friend of ours and I have never to this day been happier to see him than on that night. He walked us back to the campground as we frantically both spoke at once telling him everything that happened. We were quit walking by the old man’s spot where we showed him who the man was. The man’s fire was out and he was in his tent asleep. We knew he wouldn’t mess with us if we were with a guy.
It was hard to fall asleep the rest of the night and the next morning, the man was gone and so were we. Sara’s mom came to pick us up and we told her everything that happened. I told her not to tell my mom because my mom would have had a panic attack.
As scary as it was, I am glad it happened because I am not so naïve. I learned that not everyone is a friendly face and not everyone always has good intentions. It made me more aware of the world. This also took place at the time of all the kidnappings around Orange County. Kidnappings were “the crime” at this time, whenever this was in the 90’s. I thought I would for sure be a victim. I have always been overly paranoid and this might have something to do with it. Even though, I was overly paranoid before this event as well. Even to this day, I always think that our house is the one that is getting broken into, my car is the one who is going to have someone hiding in the back. My family and friends mock me because I am overly cautious but things really happen. We will never know what that man wanted from us, but it could not have been good if he was trying to lure us then chased us. No man would chase to young girls just to tell them something at two o clock in the morning. I guess it is safe to say that my unforgettable camping trip made many memories and taught me many lessons.
Saman Karbalaei
English 1A
Professor Gallegos
5 November 2008
Textus
There exist literary works in this world that truly change people’s lives. They completely alter their perception of reality. If the author is trusted their texts can free peoples’ minds with their knowledge. This was the case for me after reading a book assigned in my American Government class during my freshman year in college. It is not a standard textbook; with its rebellious voice it even discredits standard textbooks received throughout high school and most college courses. This book is A People’s History of the United States written by Howard Zinn, an unbiased recounting of our nation‘s past.
The title of this text implies that this is the side of history that was not taught to us in our social studies classes throughout grade school. Standard history textbooks mainly focus on governments, geography, and very basic cultural aspects. A People’s History of the United States, on the other hand, discusses what all of the different peoples went through as the country was established and developed throughout time. Our high school textbooks, Zinn explains, avoided this side of the story because “history is written by the winners”, and to reveal what people actually had to endure throughout the nation’s birth and development would not create such a formidable image in our children’s minds.
There are many events in the establishment of the United States which would make its citizens question the moral standards of its founders and leaders throughout the decades. One of these major events was the “discovery” of America by Christopher Columbus. Obviously he did not discover anything, as numerous indigenous tribes populated the north American islands and mainland; all this “discovery” marked was the date Europeans discovered that there was a continent between western Europe and eastern Asia, and it was up for grabs. As the text describes, Columbus wrote in his logs that the Arawaks of the Bahamas (the first American land he encountered) were extremely wholesome and gentle people, contrary to the popular belief that Indians were savage and backwards; Columbus wrote that they were very hospitable people who were open to sharing and trading with the European sailors. “They would make fine servants…with fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.”
The Indians were ordered to gather gold for the Europeans, and incompliance would be punishable by death. Gold wasn’t as abundant as Columbus thought, so when it became scarce thousands of Indians (men, women, and children) were slaughtered. Hundreds of babies were fed to hunting dogs. The natives that remained were enslaved on plantations and haciendas, many dying because of their mistreatment and poor living conditions. As more and more settlers arrived throughout time, the majority of the 10 million indigenous Americans were wiped out to make way for the new world.
Andrew Jackson, best known as the face on our 20 dollar bill, was one of the most brutal and heartless men in history. After being elected president in 1828, he forced 70,000 Iroquois, Choctaws, Creeks and Cherokees westward, those who resisted had their villages burned down. Millions of acres of Indian territory was taken by force. Once the tribes would settle in an area promised to them by treaties, the treaties were quickly broken and they were again forced to migrate.
The decades passed and with the booming establishment of the farming industry came the need for mass labor, thus came African slavery. Hundreds of thousands of African men were taken from their villages and forced across the Atlantic to America, more than half of them dying along the way because of the extremely poor conditions of the slave ships. With all of the men gone, countless African tribes were completely destroyed, the reason for the crippled state of Africa today. In the 1860s, Congress was trying to pass bills to help the “freed” black slaves, attempting to outlaw exclusion of blacks in restaurants, hotels, etc. Andrew Johnson, Lincoln’s vice president, vetoed all of these bills. The blacks endured decades of injustice, looked down upon and regarded as less than human. The Declaration of Independence claimed that the people had a god-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; the “people” did not include blacks, Indians, or women. The struggle was not exclusive to these groups however, as much of the lower class was made up of poor white families. These groups were always divided racially through to prevent a mass socialist uprising. The real problem has always been class struggle.
As America’s power grew, the era of modern imperialism began, to continue the global domination what western Europe had started long ago. As a result of World War I, ten million died in battle, and another twenty million from hunger and disease related to war. What was gained from this? What were they fighting for? The reason told to us in grade school was that the Germans torpedoed an unarmed civilian British merchant vessel, the Lusitania. This was named an atrocity as the ship carried 124 Americans, along with thousands of cases of ammunition. Thus the United States entered the war, which was simply a fight over boundaries and territories in the Balkans, Africa, the Middle East; land and resources are very valuable assets to a growing capitalistic empire. “American capitalism needed international rivalry -and periodic war- to create an artificial community of interest between rich and poor…a national consensus for war was needed, and the government quickly moved to create such a consensus.
If I were to list all of the countries that the United States has intervened in with the purpose of “regime change”, whether it be through overt force, covert operations, or subverted elections, this list would take up a very long paragraph. There is American military presence in over 100 countries. This empire remains unseen by the public because of the controlled mass media’s disinformation. Throughout it’s later history the U.S. has expanded its sphere of influence globally to setup puppet governments and control the world’s economic market through their international banking system and the military-industrial complex. Give one control of a nation's banks and it makes no difference who's in office. It doesn’t take chains to control people anymore.
Zinn describes and recounts specific human events throughout the entire history of the United States, painting a vivid picture of all of the cruel acts committed by the leaders of this nation. This has major significance because our society today is blindly ethnocentric. “We are the most powerful country in the world!“ Are we, the American people, truly powerful? I say we are simply the apparatus which runs the machine, allowing it to devour the rest of the world while our masters reap the spoils. Those who lead us have kept their family bloodlines in power for centuries, yet we are meant to believe that we live in a democratic society where we choose our leaders.
The unfolding of our history is important to remember because they speak very clearly about the nature of the leadership in this country, both in our past and present. Instead our children are painted a fairytale-like picture of Columbus, the Indians and the settlers, slavery is paid very little attention to, and in the countless wars the U.S. has gone to, we are always regarded as the heroes. In both World Wars American companies funded both sides, profiting greatly from the bloodshed of millions. Our general education system, the media, and our ethically void culture as a whole has conditioned us to forget the past and to believe that we are making progress. We are living in a hidden empire which goes beyond America, established and expanded throughout the centuries through war, but the people are blinded from its true purpose: to enslave the masses through perpetual debt, and to expand and protect the power of the “elite“. We are blinded to the nature of the men who have led us since the dawn of society, but Howard Zinn’s work sheds some much needed light in our world.
Tania Torres
Gender Essay Smooth Draft
There is no better representation of masculinity than Angelina Jolie, and of femininity, Marilyn Monroe.Monroe is considered the greatest sexual icon of her time and continues to hold this title today. Jolie is known for her fierce roles on screen and her individualistic take on life. While both women are beautiful, these ladies exude beauty in different ways. Monroe was voluptuous, alluring, and had a soft voice, while Jolie is equally sexy but strong-willed and not afraid to voice her opinions. Monroe is considered female for being the ideal woman other woman wanted to be and men wanted to have around. She was smart, but depended on men as seen through her various failed marriages and eventual death. Monroe was weaker than her masculine counterpart and was not able to survive the glamorous life she worked so hard to achieve. She was able to be manipulated into changing her appearance to appeal to an audience that wanted someone different and daring. Jolie is considered masculine for being strong and not pulled down by what critics say, traits normally associated with being a man. Jolie has also been divorced a few times, but she left each marriage without shame. One movies, Monroe played the stereotypical blonde every time and doing so, reiterated that she was of the fairer sex. Monroe never chose a role that defied what women had achieved up until then. She, however, did use her seductive, feminine charm to get close to powerful men. Jolie used her wits to join the ranks of the powerful as well, but with the hope of changing the lives of the poor in distant countries. Monroe is most remembered for her womanly curves and the face of an angel that seemed to be straight out of most men’s dreams. Monroe was born a brunette with a pretty, but imperfect face but was willing to become a blonde and have minor surgery on her facial features. Jolie does not comply with Hollywood’s standards of being a feminine woman. Born a blonde, Jolie is rarely seen wearing anything other than her now dark brown locks. Jolie does not have the extreme curves that Monroe had, but she is not completely rail thin either. The majority of these differences are based on gender, not sex, being that these are both women. Society has taught us that the feminine are more motherly and submissive, while the masculine are individualistic and controlling. Jolie, however, seems to fit all of these descriptions to a certain extent. Jolie is a mother, but unlike many she has adopted children from various corners of the earth and is now raising six children. She also refuses to marry her partner believing that living together is enough of a bond for them. Most people would agree that Jolie is one of the most attractive celebrities of today, if not the most beautiful. Jolie seems like the perfect example of femininity from the surface, but once Jolie speaks or portrays a role on a movie, this truth holds no longer. She continually chooses roles in movies that no other actress in Hollywood could portray and plays them perfectly. Her two latest movies, Wanted and Changeling, both have reviews raving for Jolie and with much hope for awards. Her previous roles in movies have caused discomfort, but at the same time, awe for the viewers, such as her roles in Gia and Girl, Interrupted. As previously mentioned, Monroe generally chose roles that reflected what she wanted people to think she was in reality: a sexy, blonde that was willing to let men think they controlled her to advance in status. These differences in femininity and masculinity are necessary in our society. It allows women to not be confined to portraying certain roles in movies, but rather to choose as they want. Women have more choices and can break the barrier between gender.
Monnick Antilla
English 1A
Textus Essay
Barack Obama Change We can Believe in.
November 04,2008. President Elect Barack Obama has swept the electoral votes, he is now The President Elect, twenty one months ago Barack Obama launched his campaign for presidency on the steps of.. In Chicago, Illinois. A young United States Senator whom had only began his first term in the Senate, he had set out to capture the hearts of the American people and change the game of politics that are being played out in Washington D.C. His heart filled with pride and great love for this nation, he is now ready to embark and conquer the stereo types and prejudges of America’s History. He has a plan and a message to lead us to better times. “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Barack Obama.
Barack’s message is not complicated he simply wants a better nation and world for generations to come it is how we, as the people of the United States and of the world, respond to this great man’s leadership. Barack plans to tackle the problems he inherited from the Bush Administration and that he now faces as president head on. His message of change includes the economy crisis, better health care, the end of the Iraq War, Veterans
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Affairs, and to change the world’s perception of The United States, as it now stands tarnished. He also has other areas in which he offers change and leadership, I choose to discuss what I personally feel will have the greatest impact of change to our country.
The hit of the economy has been a great blow for the American people, we all know some one or worst off a family that have been hit hard by the crisis of the economy. I personally have known families and friends that have lost their piece of the American dream of simply owning a home and having a reliable income to support their children come to an end. Many lost their home because they where told two years ago at the signing of their home closing to go with an arm loan and refinance in six months to a fixed interest rate, they where lied to because six months later they could not refinance, the banks knew that the housing bubble was to burst. Others have lost their jobs due to the many cut backs companies are having to do to the slow down then lost their home, unable to afford it. Barack understands these peoples hardship, he knows they need to work in order to reestablish their dreams, that is why as President he is going to create jobs that put people back to work by building America’s Info structure to be competitive with that of Chinas. He also has proposed that the American Auto Industries become again the leader in world of automotive endeavors and create better vehicles that are bio friendly. He also will provide a tax cut for working families, provide tax relief for small businesses, and fight for fair trade.
Barack’s fight for health care for all Americans is personal. His mother died of cancer and her last months of life where spent fighting her health care provider to cover her medical
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cost, they (the insurance company)insisted that her condition was prior existing and did not cover her medical expenses. Barack plans to insure all American’s by making health care affordable to everyone. This is done by reforming the health care system, using technology to record medical histories thus preventing man hours of the keeping, logging and distributing of medical records; preventing poor quality of care, it was reported that millions was spent last year on curing infections that where caused by poor conditions in hospitals while being treated for another condition. Regulating of prescription drug companies, it is said that they tend to charge twice as much to American’s for the same drug that is distributed to other countries like Europe. And finally by stopping the lobbing in D.C. that allows politicians to be bought by the insurance industries.
Barack has also vowed to end the War in Iraq that is costing the tax payers in the U.S. ten billion dollars a month, while the Iraq Government sits on a surplus of eighty billion dollars. He, along with other American’s believe that this was the wrong war to embark on and it is time to end it and go after the Taliban terrorist whom are hiding in the borders of Afghanistan, the ones responsible for the September 11th attacks on America. America is restless with this war that has innocent men their lives, but not in vein. Which leads me to the next subject of Veterans Affairs, Barack intends to treat our great American heroes whom have fought for our freedoms in this country with honor and respect by taking care of them, and not allowing them to be homeless and untreated medically.
How we are perceived as a nation to other countries is tarnished. We have become a bullish nation, starting wars, bombing countries at will. Pocking our nose in other
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countries problems when we are unfit to run our own country efficiently. America is also looked down upon because of Guantanamo Prison and the torture of prisoners, Barrack is willing to meet with countries allies or not to talk out problem areas that are for the best interest of our country and he has promised to shut down the prison.
President Elect Barrack Obama is a leader in which we the voters have chosen to lead our country, we have in trusted in him to direct us out of the mess in which this administration has gotten us into. It is now our responsibility to take part if this great movement and give to our country what it has given to us… A better tomorrow.
Laura Bush
Professor Gallegos
English 1A
5 November 2008
Range Rovers
When driving down a freeway in Southern California it is not rare to see the giant, gas-guzzling SUVs known as Range Rovers. These huge trucks are completely unnecessary to own in Southern California. Range Rovers are clearly bought as a sign of wealth, not for the use that they were intentionally designed.
Land Rover prides itself on the incredible off-roading capabilities that their vehicles have. Their commercials demonstrate the trucks gliding through rough terrain. Giant boulders and 2 feet of mud and sand are just a few of the obstacles that Range Rovers face with ease. Last time I checked giant boulders, and a few feet of mud and sand were nowhere to be seen on Southern California roadways. So why do people spend at least seventy-five thousand dollars on these beasts that get horrible mileage?
Range Rovers are seen as a sign of prosperity in our society. Paparazzi never seem to have a hard time snapping a picture of a celebrity driving their decked out Rover. They are looked upon as premium luxury vehicles. What once started out as a vehicle invented purely for operations in the field, equipped with a canvas top and optional doors, is now a car with exotic, white leather interior, and remarkable amenities (landroverusa.com). While most people buy cars to get from place A to place B, people buy these types Land Rovers to get places in style. They place little to no interest in the reliability of the vehicle itself. According to J.D. Power, Range Rovers have horrible reliability ratings, and considering how much they cost, why would you not invest in a BMW or Mercedes. Both are luxury brands that offer SUVs.
It seems that the target audience for these cars has changed with the times as well. Once made for the most adventurous people, Land Rover now targets its “soccer mom” audience. Options like cherry or burled walnut wood finishes are just some of the choices offered to those “hard core off roaders”. Many of the drivers I have seen are nicely dressed women with large, designer sunglasses. This is not surprising seeing how the wealth of people in Orange County depends on your material possessions. Most Range Rover drivers are driving alone, so I am not sure about why they need such a large vehicle with such outstanding off- roading capabilities. Obviously they are not driving their SUV because they want to use its permanent four-wheel drive (landroverusa.com), so there must be something else that intrigues them.
Range Rovers are clearly seen as a sign of riches. Many people buy into these vehicles because of the symbol it projects. They are seen as cars for the wealthy. While their reliability ratings are poor at best, their gas mileage averages fourteen miles per gallon (according to fueleconomy.gov) people are still drawn to these stylish cars.
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