Reflection 2

In the video, Eric Idle mentions the difficulties he had working with other members of the Monty Python Comedy team.  What difficulties have you experienced working with other people?  How did you resolve those difficulties?

I usually get along with people because I am a laid-back person.  I don’t think it is difficult for people to work with me.  I think most of the time people that have strong personalities cannot work with others with the same type of personalities. Many times people have disagreements because everyone wants to be a leader.  It is hard to have two and three leaders in the group because everyone wants to boss each other around.  I will usually go with the program until a situation arrives that goes against what I think is right.  To give an example if someone wanted to do something that was going to seem dishonest or get us in trouble than I am not going to work with that person.  Therefore, the resolution to working with people that I deem dishonest or not trustworthy is to not work with them at all.  I would remove myself out of that situation.  Other than that, I have never really had an issue, even at work, in which I found it difficult to work with someone.  One good thing about working with people is that you don’t live with them, so when the day is up so is your day with them.

Reflection 3

Some writers write in their bedroom. Some write in bars and cafes. Some writers write in the morning. Some write only at night. Some writers write on computers. Some write with paper and pen. Some writers have to play music. Some need absolute quiet. So, ask yourself, “Where, when, and how do I write?” When you hear yourself answering, write down whatever comes.

My writing process has changed over the years.  Now when I write I usually look on line and try to get familiar with the topic.  If I am free writing, I also use the same process.  I start looking online for subjects that interest me.  I prefer to write when the children have all gone to sleep but sometimes that is impossible.  I usually have the television on because I do like to hear noise in the background.  I should not say process because I don’t really have a process when I start to write.  There are times when I will start an outline before writing to organize my ideas.  Sometimes I will start writing my rough draft first, come back in a couple of days, and read my rough draft and try to add or change it.

While we have been in this class I continue to repeat the same thing, which is I don’t feel creative anymore.  It is very hard for me to sit down and write without taking forever just to start the introduction.  Sometimes I wonder if I am suffering from some sort of attention deficit disorder because I lose interest so quickly.  I think if I continue my long journey of writing maybe than I gain some creativeness.  I do believe that in order to become a successful writer you must be a reader.  That maybe the problem, which is, I don’t read like I used too.  I want to be able to have an extensive vocabulary and sometimes I can’t even find the right word to use much less look it up and find its synonym.

After this class, I want to change many of my bad habits that I have acquired.  One habit is not being able to focus.  I am going to change the way I write by trying different methods of writing like turning the television off while writing.  I also want to start reading again.  I know I will not be able to read ten books a month but at least one book per month.  Going to the library has been a goal since school has started.  I must change and I will change, and that means I have to set aside sometime for myself.  I think maybe getting out of the house and writing might help my creativeness.  I know that in order to make a change I have to put forth and effort.

Weblog 4

There have always been concerns amongst scholars about the advancement of technology. It is almost a taboo not to think of technology as the beast waiting to destroy mankind. Authors Nicholas Carr and Clay Shirky have obviously tackled this issue in their writings. Both authors have very poignant views on the issue of Web searching and how it has affected people’s way of thinking and processing information.

Carr seems convinced that surfing the web and goggling has replaced his love for reading. According to Carr, “Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do”, he claims, “deep reading” has not only become and issue for him but also his peers.  He even admits that he would rather surf the web than look through pages of articles and books for research. His argument that people may lose their ability to process and exercise their brain is supported throughout his article. He does not imply or suggest that we stop the advancement of technology but rather think of its repercussions.

Shirky agrees with Carr that the advancement of technology has changed the way people process information. He believes it has also changed the way people view reading. But he believes that people have evolved and no longer require reading long literary novels such as “War and Peace”. He believes that it is insignificant literature and people are not “genuflecting to the idea of reading War and Peace”. He does bring up a good point that Carr and his peers have not come up with a solution but would rather “whine”. He even calls Carr and his peers Luddist because it is his belief that they would rather “turn the clock back” instead of conforming to change. He suggests that we find ways to perfect web searching and the advancement of technology. He believes it would be a “waste of people’s energy” to whine and complain about what has already happened.

Carr’s points were dually noted but I must say that Shirky was right on point when expressing his belief that we must conform to change. Advancement in technology is going to happen. Mankind would prefer the better and easier route. I can remember when we used to listen to records than tapes and now compact disc. I have not heard anyone complain and say lets go back to records. One reason is because records scratch up much easier and compact discs are much easier to replay. I agree with both Carr and Shirky on some of their views. Carr is correct in that we would rather surf the web rather than “deep reading” because of its benefits. This has also changed the way people read and process information. Shirky is correct in his views because we can’t just stop the clock and we must embrace what we have become and find ways correct the flaws

Weblog 3

Poverty

I have read two viewpoints dealing with the issue of world poverty. Author Peter Singer, a utilitarian philosopher, shares his opinions on this issue in a very unconventional way while author Greg Schaefer focuses his viewpoints on the genius and absurdity of Singer’s solution to world poverty.

Many people would probably agree that the issues surrounding world poverty is both alarming and dismal. Singer is very clever in dealing with this issue. He uses children to represent the poverty stricken population.  He knows that people are more inapt to feel sorry for children than adults.  Singer’s portrayal of the boy who was sold for his organs is very heartfelt. The story is sad enough to get a reaction out of the reader because of its severe implication.  He also implies that if middle to wealthy class people would donate at least $200 this would solve a lot of the issues associated with sick and malnutrition children. At the same time he contradicts himself because he then suggests that $200 is not enough. He reasons that people that give should take up the slack for those who refuse to give. The only way that they can do that is to give most of their money to the impoverished. I think that his reasoning is illogical. It is not practical to have the burden of solving world poverty by giving the torch the givers. It is not realistic to think that everyone will give but why not educate those who don’t give. One way to educate the non givers would be suggesting the benefits of giving.

The story about the man who bought a Bugatti and refused to sacrifice his car for a child’s life is a good example of self gratification. Most people don’t have a problem spending money when they see it as an investment. Bob, the car owner, saw value in his car and not in the strange boy. Although, this sounds harsh it would be much more logical to think people are going to make sacrifices for those things that give them the most self gratification.

In the beginning Schaefer agreed with Singer in his views on world poverty. He also agreed with his solution to the problem. Schaefer himself writes, “I felt very compelled at this point in the article to donate $200 because I realized what little sacrifice I would have to make…”  Later on Schaefer disagrees with Singer when he makes the statement that people should donate most of their money to the needy. According to Schaefer, “Earlier I could not see how anyone could object to giving $200 but I can see here how some people would object to giving all their extra wealth”.  Even Schaefer realizes how absurd it would be for people to give up most of their money and risk not having “financial stability” for themselves.  Although, Schaefer does not provide a solution to poverty he does seem much more reasonable in his views about this issue.

In the end I agree with Schaefer’s viewpoint on world poverty. My solution to the problem would be to educate non givers on the benefits of giving such as tax write offs. I think that if people were more aware of the benefits of giving they would probably give more.

Writing Reflection 1

Adora names a handful of writers she admires, and talks about what she likes about their stories and their style. Name one writer you admire and who has influenced your writing style. What do you like about this writer’s work? What have you noticed about this writer’s style of writing? How has this writer influenced your writing style?

I really feel that my style of writing has worsened since I don’t read as much as I used too. I can remember as early as third grade reading books like Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Montgomery or North and South by John Jakes. I used to love reading especially historical fiction books. I really can’t say which author has influenced my style of writing because I have read so many books and also because I feel don’t have much of a style.  There are certain authors that have impressed me with their styles of writing. I really enjoyed reading Alex Haley’s books because his writings were very detailed and descriptive. He was the type of writer that brought the character to life. I was also impressed with the book he wrote on Malcolm X.  Another book that impressed me was I, Claudius and Claudius the God by Robert Graves. These two books were magnificent.  The way he composed his book were amazing and almost surreal.  Robert Graves’ depiction of his characters made you feel as if he were there during the Claudian dynasty. There used to be a time in which I would write and words seemed to flow onto the paper. Now it takes forever for me to write anything. My writing has changed drastically and I have lost my creativeness. I have had issues with constructing my sentences and it takes forever for me to come up with ideas. This particular assignment has taken me at least two hours to complete because I have to go back and reconstruct sentences. I used to be very creative. I loved writing when I was younger. I guess my writing style used to be similar to the books I loved to read. My writings were very descriptive and I wanted the reader to have a vivid visual of who and what I was writing. I definitely need to make a change because it is affecting  my assignments in all of my classes.

Weblog2

Part I

1. Parents having issues with President Obama addressing their kids on education
2. The city of Virginia Beach has ten year plan to end homelessness.
3. More troops have been sent to Afghanistan to protect civilians from militia
4. Certain Virginia Beach Public school bus routes are overcrowded.
5. Dominion Power has increased their rates to cover costs for the construction of new coal plant
6. Gas prices continue to fluctuate and sending mixed messages to Americans
7. Unemployment benefits have been extended but for how long?
8. President Carter makes statements about racism directed towards President Obama.
9. Many Virginia Beach schools have been recognized as Title I. How does this affect education?
10. Even through hard times food cost are steadily increasing.

Part II

Certain Virginia Beach Public school bus routes are overcrowded. Many of the city’s buses are becoming overcrowded because of the decline in the number of bus drivers. I did not realize that this was an issue until my children’s bus was affected. At least four of the school buses in my children school have lost bus drivers. This meant many of the other buses have had to take up these routes. The buses were arriving to the stops ten to thirty minutes later. This also meant the children were not arriving to school on time. Another issue was with the children having problems finding seats and having a chaotic ride to and from school. I have started to drive my children to school. This has become an issue with me because of my schedule. This has also affected my children because they have enjoyed riding the school bus.  I have a friend that works for the city’s transportation system. She advised me that this probably is not just with my children’s school but many other Virginia Beach Public schools. I have complained to the school and the  school’s transportation and have not had any responses. I am hoping that this issue can be addressed at the next city council meeting.

Part III

Many parents that have children riding Virginia Beach School buses may disagree with me. They may say that they have not had any issues with their buses arriving late or seating problems.These parents may not see a need to complain to the school or school’s transportation. The complaints are  coming from the parents that are having this issue. The parents that are not complaining outweigh the ones that are complaining. The city does not see the issue as a whole but on individual school basis.  This means that it is up to the school’s transportation whether or not they will respond. I see this becoming an issue if not enough parents are complaining.

Weblog 1

Part I
I believe that people close their eyes to what is civilly right and humane. It is easier to go along with the masses.

I believe that society has so many flaws. Society is governed by money versus morality.

I believe that the  government’s main purpose is to keep the rich richer and the poor poorer.

I believe that justice is determined by the person or people maintaining the law.

I believe that knowledge can only be brought about through education and life experience.

I believe that science can be a blessing and also destructive.

I believe that reality is abstract.  Most people like to live in excuses and facades.

I believe that life is one of God’s many blessings.

I believe that happiness is measured by individual expectations.

I believe that goodness is defined by who is receiving it, how they receive, and why they receive it.

I believe that death is our final destination. Death is not as important as living life.

I believe that God is kind and merciful. God’s reign is in the spiritual world and cannot be understood by non believers.

Part II
I believe that reality is abstract.
It took years before I was able to deal with reality. My mother died when I was twelve years old. I remember not feeling much of anything. I had suppressed the thought of her death and could not really remember what she looked like. When I had my first child that is when reality set in that I really needed her and that I missed my mother. I remember looking at my newborn son and crying because I felt so alone and scared. I have noticed that I have lived my life suppressing reality. It has been times in which depression has set in and I felt hopeless. I did not realize why I continued to be depressed until I started dealing with my reality. One way that has help me cope with reality is through my faith in God. Through prayer and meditation I have been able to deal with my reality. I have been able to let issues go and move on  peacefully instead  of  keeping those issues buried within. I can remember when my oldest son was diagnosed with epilepsy and it was hard to deal with this reality. My faith along with prayer help me to stay sane. When I floated into depression I was able to pray myself out. I know that faith is hard to believe on paper but I have seen the change in my behavior. The change has been brought about through my faith in God.

Part III

I know that psychiatrist and doctors in the medical field may disagree with me. Psychiatrist believe in treating mental disorders such as depression through medication and therapy. It would be hard to explain how I have been able to deal with my reality whether good or bad because it does not seem concrete. Faith cannot be scientifically explained. This goes against psychiatry and its doctrine. My evidence is the slide show that is my life. I have never had any formal therapy nor have I ever been on medication. Yet, I have been able to cope with my reality and I have been conditioned not to suppress my issues. Again this has been through my faith in God. Prayer and mediation has played a big role in my life and the changes that I have experienced.

Hello world!

Hello everyone. I am excited about blogging because I have never done this before. I hope this will be a great learning experience for me. I can’t wait to start blogging people.