Journal 10

"War on Drugs" by Mary H Cooper

In this article the writer talks about the crusade there has been on drugs in the United States since the 80's in the Regan presidency. In here, the author clearly states her viewpoint arguing that this war is useless only making the situation worst. all her points are very well backup with lots of statistics in drug consumption and showing how the united states government has invaded different countries all over the world, like Colombia with this as justification. I chose this article because it helps me backing up my point of view which is the same as the author. also, she sometimes admits the things that are positive about all this, although this ones are very few that do not pass the negative ones.

Journal 1

i have love writing, both in English and in Spanish. I have always write mostly in Spanish due to the reason that Spanish is my national language, but at the same time I have written in English too, but being my second language I sometimes make awful mistakes. One of my common mistakes is that I translate form Spanish to English while writing, instead of write directly in English. Another common mistake I have is that I always have grammar mistakes, not because I don't now the word but that I accidentally don't write a letter or confuse it with another one. Those 2 things are the only things I would like to improve as a writer using the English language. The two strengths I think I have are that I have the ability to write about anything, doesn't matter if I don't know the subject. I always investigate, and argue about it. In the trans-curse of this course i think i have improved a lot in those two things, and I amd very grateful for that. In the beginning I thought I was going to bee screwed and have a bad grade but with my constant writing and study I have achieved very good grades.

Journal Twelve

*Legalization and Taxation of Drugs
http://library.cqpress.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre1990022300&type=hitlist&num=1

*Reduction on alcohol consumption age limit
http://library.cqpress.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre1981051500&type=hitlist&num=2

Journal Eleven

The United States has been in a war with the drugs since the Reagan presidency in the late 80's calling it "a national crusade against drugs."This superficial war is trying to reduce the amount of drugs consumed by Americans by stopping drug productions coming from place like Colombia, and by interdicting drug supplies before they enter the country. Although they have made a lot of effort to control this, the situation has gotten worst increasing the consumption to higher levels and not lowering them at all.

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The United States has been in a war with the drugs since the Reagan presidency announcing a national crusade against drugs in the late 80’s. This discursive war is trying to reduce the amount of drugs consumed by Americans by stopping drug production in countries like Colombia, and by blocking the importation. Ironically the Federal government’s efforts to stern drug abuse have only made the nations consumption level worse. According to the National Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse in 1988 22.2% of the American population consumed drugs, and in 2001 this percentage raised to 28.4%.

Journal Nine:

Politico Calls Sarah Palin a Flake in Dishy New Takedown

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2010/10/politico-calls-sarah-palin-a-flake-in-dishy-new-takedown-1.html

Politico talks about how Sarah Palin is really, deep inside, a fraud and a very unprofessional person who does things for here convenience and not for the "benefit" of the country.


The Terror

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2010/10/drug-wars-in-mexico-201010

This article talks about how the drug atmosphere in Mexico has made all people living there concern, and some have even died. For the past few years the situation has gotten worst. There are even drug wars between people in the "sub world".


New DNA Tests Aimed at Reducing Colon Cancer

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/29/health/29cancer.html?_r=1&ref=science

A discovery was announced in Philadelphia last Thursday, has appointed that there is a possibility to reduce Colon cancer and even avoid colonoscopies. The DNA tests were made by a company named "Exact Sciences" in Wisconsin. This tests will be less expensive than colonoscopy.

Guggenheim Bilbao vs Guggenheim New York

Guggenheim Bilbao: This is one of the most astonishing architectural designs in the history made by revolutionary architect Frank Gery. In this building you see the creation of walls completely abstract made all out of metal. Non traditional at all, this building gives the feeling of being inside a flower, due to the reason that this architect is fully inspired by floral designs.

Guggenheim New York: Although is relatively an old building, the Guggenheim museum of New York,made by Frank Lloyd Wright was a revolutionary design back when it was made. its design is spiral creating inside galleries in circular forms going from down to top. From the outside it gives the feeling that it this museum is only made by a white tape in cylindrical form making the top part wider than the lower part. It took 10 years to complete this design.

Journal 7

The subject, which I decided to write about, is the recent acclaimed movie, “The Social Network” directed by visionary filmmaker David Fincher. Deciding this movie was not simply because it was a mass blockbuster in just the recent weeks, but because it is a film coming from a very respected director and because it talks about how our society has been functioning this past decade.

The ambiance of the movie develops in one of the most prestigious colleges, not only of the United Stated, but the world, known as Harvard. Having the story here helps a lot to see how a snob groups of students like the idea to be part of something so elite and isolated thing as facebook; because originally this website was only made for the students of this university and then developing slowly in other ones an then the entire world reaching today to 500,000,000 user.

The score of the film is very well made because it mixes instrumental music with a little bit of electronic. I find this mixture perfect because it gives the film a juvenile felling and at the same time, being a computer theme film, has sounds that you can listen in computers.

Since the first scene I see this movie definitely as a Oscar worthy for a “screenwriters” prize. The dialogue in here is excellent, giving each character its personality by the way they talk and creating conversations so natural that you feel the intensity of the arguments presented in the film.

In the aspect of costume design there is not much to talk about, there in no revolutionary aspect of it, but the creation of this in each of the student’s presents very notoriously how different each character is and what is the background of each one. When I speak of background I mean economic stability.

Finally, the photography is natural and simple, but at certain points you feel like there is pressure between each character when the director presents shots that are face to face creating the feeling of being part of the disscusion.

Detailed Outline

Title: "College: extra pressure, extra pounds"

1. Anecdote of me when I arrive to my commons for the first time. Illustration of my impression.

2. "I have been skinny my whole life; I am going to stay that way in here?"

3. "This issue of the freshman 15 is something real or a myth? this can be explore from different points of views of nutritionists, students and even common cookers".

4. This started when I first heard about this subject in a meeting of friends I had made here and I saw it irrational and felt the urge to investigate it very deeply.

5. Interview with nutritionist (or person related to that) and exposing its point of view about it.

6. Interview with senior student (or person related to that) and exposing its point of view about it. Experience as he/she as freshman. where there changes?

7. Interview with cooker of commons (or person related to that) and exposing its point of view about it. Data about what is mostly eaten in the commons, what food is cooked and questions related to that.

8. Conclusion: An exposition of the contrast of the different points of views. Not taking sides just showing the information and letting the readers decide if its a problem or not.

Journal # 5

The place were I can say that my subject develops is the commons, the place were most freshman's eat. This place is a very wide environment that has tables where people can eat while they can either chat with friends or watch tv -which usually plays football games-.When you enter this place you have a very diverse variety of different kinds of foods. You an either choose form pizza, burgers, cheese with fries, or pasta or even Mexican cuisine. When you are done eating you have to leave your plate, glass and silver in a machine that takes it someplace inside so it can be washed. Sometimes this place can be very crowed and sometimes it can be almost empty, depends in the hours you go and the panorama can be different.

Quotes:

"I don't know if I am going to be able to eat this kind of food for 4 years".

"We have to eat healthier in order to stay in shape".

"I am done eating Pizza. For the rest of my life, or at least right now".

All quotes by my roommate Eduardo Viteri.

Facts

*Mostly the causes of this issue is because there is a lack of exercise, eating very late at night not so healthy food and mainly the very high amount of alcohol that is consumed.

*Its not really 15 pounds that are gain by freshman's, is really 5 pounds, according to recent studies.

*The drastic change of lifestyle is another big contributor to this issue.

*Eating fast due to pressure of going to study or going to make homework is something that affects the eating style of the students.

"Shitty drafts"

In the text, the writer refers as “the fantasy of uninimated” to all those persons that believe that all the writers start with a perfect draft. She clearly says that all the writers, even the good ones, start writing a “shitty first draft”. I find myself identify with the reading when Anne says that the first draft is a complete mess and this is when you want to put in paper everything that crosses your mind in that moment. When I start writing something I begin making notes of everything I want to put in my work, the order or connection doesn’t matter at this point. So reading this article was in some kind a relief. It made me realize that all the projects, no matter who you are, start with a draft that is a complete mess and it will continue getting better as soon as you continue writing your work.

I liked the observation the writer makes when it comes to start writing something. I find it very hard to sit down and start writing anything, even a grocery list. The process in which I get involve in this is long but as soon as I start it keeps going and going until I’m completely satisfy with my work. Of course, a lot of corrections and revisions are part of this process in order to fulfill myself and the person to who I am writing, if that’s the case.

By reading this article I felt much secure than when I started. I can see now that my first part of this essay is going to have mistakes that are part of a whole process and that I’m going to correct them by myself eventually when I continue revising my new drafts. Another option that I find very useful in this kind of situations is to show the work as it is in the moment to other people to have their opinion. Sometimes when we spend a lot of time writing and revising we are not able to see our mistakes, maybe because we find our work precious and unmistakable or sometimes simply because we blocked our head unconsciously due to the constant reading of the same thing. I find very useful sending my work to different persons not only to find my mistakes, but also to see my work from a different perspective.

Nuovo Coliseo Tarantino

In the age of the Roman Empire, there was nothing more enjoyable than to head to the coliseum in order to watch the gladiators fight wild beasts as well as each other. People at that time cherished the adrenaline rush and visceral excitement which that sort of entertainment afforded them; nowadays men killing one another for sport is considered totally inhuman. Ironically, as people look down on such forms of entertainment as archaically animalistic, they are, in some sense, enjoying forms of entertainment just as violent and disconcerting.

Take, for instance, the infamous Corrida de Toros – or “bull fights” – which are still incredibly popular amongst even the aristocracy of Spain. There, with an excited “Ole,” spectators prod the bullfighter to end the life of the bull, which is forced to surrender because of fatigue and deep pain it has endured simply attempting to preserve its life. Many people dismiss these notorious bull fights as barbaric – just as cruel and disturbing as the gladiator battles of ancient Rome.

But it isn’t just in Spain where this sort of aberrant form of entertainment exists. In fact, it is incredibly pervasive – displayed on movie screens around the world: the films of Quentin Tarantino. In his films, Tarantino mixes drama with comedy while we watch assassins and mercenaries do unimaginably horrific things. These modern day “gladiators” use all type of weapons like knives, firearms, samurai swords, lethal venoms and even their own hands. Blood flows like water in the fountains of the Versailles Palace, and the most ironic part is that the characters survive all these “accidents.” The Tarantinian cinema has created a new venue for an ultimately ancient concept: ultra-violence as ultra-entertaining.

Journal 2: "What she gave me" by Anne Lamott

Usually a memoir is full of happy memories of somebody’s life, but in the case of “What she gave me” by Anne Lamott the story is completely different. She starts by telling the audience all the bad memories she has of her cold pretending to be English mother and how she was with her during all her life. At the beginning of the story she talks about all the things her mother missed in her life and how she wouldn’t be like that with her son. But at the end she realizes that besides having many bad qualities her mother had little details that are the ones that make her miss her, no matter how many bad things she did to her.

This subject of this article is notoriously about a very bay relationship between a mother, who gives a lot of importance to appearances, and a girl, who is the writer, that is the completely the opposite to her mother and that has a very liberal life in contrast of how her mother taught her to be, that were a few things. The story is relevant to this time because back in time women had to follow a unique way of conduct in society all her life, no matter if they were happy or not, but in this case the girl rebels against her mother and becomes a person who does things to be happy and not to please the society in which she lives. The audience is the readers of the magazine and every person who identifies with this situation, and anyone who had a similar story like this. The point in this story is that no matter how bad a mother can be with her child, no matter how she behaves with her children, no matter how many bad memories the person has with her mother, because very deep inside every person, not only the writer, has fond memories, little and sometimes irrelevant, with mothers and fathers that are the ones that keep us attached to them.

In this article I liked a lot that the writer used very explicit and graphic images of the memories she had of her mother, like when she laid in the bed that was a mess and didn’t care at all, “Her bed was littered with wrappers and crumbs, because she did not know how to separate her pain from the great amount of food she ate, and I had to fight like mad to heal from eating disorders.” I liked to use that method in order that my audience has very graphic image of what I want to transmit to them and it is easier to make them understand what I would mean.

My life according to "The Strokes"

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to people you like and include me. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "my life according to (band name)."

Pick your Artist:
The Strokes

Are you a male or female:
Reptilia

Describe yourself:
Hard to Explain

How do you feel:
On the other side

Describe where you currently live:
Alone, Together

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Ize of the world

Your favorite form of transportation:
Automatic Stop

Your best friend is:
Barely Legal

You and your best friends are:
Between Love & Hate

What's the weather like?
Under Control

Favorite time of day:
Evening Sun

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
What Ever Happened

What is life to you:
You only live once

Your relationship:
The way it is

Your fear:
Fear of Sleep

What is the best advice you have to give:
Trying your luck

Thought for the Day:
Take it or Leave it

How I would like to die:
12:51

My soul's present condition:
killing Lies

My motto:
Is this it