Reflection

I think I am more outgoing this year than I was in middle school. I used to be really shy and I did not like to do nothing. I used to totally dislike going around a lot of people that I did not know. I was so shy that I did not try out for the volleyball team and I really wanted to play. I was worried about what people would think about me while I was trying out. I cared more about their thoughts than my happiness. Volleyball looked fun. Later down the line, I ended up coming out of my shell and stopped being so shy. In high school, I got onto the volleyball team and ended up really liking it like I thought I would.
When I came to Parkway I thought I would be getting picked on just like in middle school, so I wasn't too fond of it. I got here and things are different.... way different than what I thought they would be. I guess because I changed and grew out of this shell I had. The people who talk to me know my personality but those who don't, know nothing of who I really am.
I started talking more to people so my time at my high school would not be so boring like at my middle school. In 8th grade, that is when people got to know who I was and I became known as the weirdo to people who were not in my class. They got to know me, the real me. When I got to Hamilton in the 6th grade, I was quiet but I did know people there so they were the only people I talked to. As the year progressed, I did what I usually did. I began to talk to more people in my class. It was never a big thing for me to know people who were not in my class... 7th grade I remained the same. Then 8th came and I was a totally different person. Over the summer, I did the coolest thing.... I got a tattoo. The tattoo didn't change me; I just thought I was overall a boring person. So, I gave others a chance to know me and slowly but surely crawled out of my shy shell.

Toddler put into washer machine Review

Today I read an article on cbs3.com called Family of Toddler Put In Washing Machine Speaks. The article is about how a man in a laundromat puts a child in the washer machine. It was meant to be playful but the door on the washer machine locked and the cycle started. The lady flipped the circuit breakers and the machine stopped.
The video was uploaded and went viral on the internet. The prosecutor is calling the man an acquaintance of the woman who was watching one-year-old Samier Bush. His mother was not informed about the incident at the laundry mat. She had to find out while watching the evening news. She called the baby-sitter about the incident. The baby-sitter denied that, that was her on the video tape. Then, the police contacted the little boy mom, Sakia David, and she found out that the baby-sitter had lied to her about not being on the video tape. Sakia told the police she did not know anything about the incident until she watched TV.
I think this is just crazy. Who puts a baby in a washer machine in the first place? That is the most craziest thing ever. It's a good thing that lady will not be watching her son anymore. He was in danger being babysat by her.
"Camden County prosecutors do not expect to file any charges." That sentence right there is so not right. Why? This takes us back to what I stated before, who puts a baby into the washer machine. That is just crazy in the first place. That man and that women need to go to some kind of counseling on how to take care of a child. Or something similar that is very similar to that.

Getting Angry Can Be a Good

I read an article called Getting Angry Can Be a Good Thing. The article is about a lady who finds a job in the immigrant rights movement. Her motivation behind it all is anger. Her friend told her that if the United States has a war with Latin America that he believes her parents should be placed in an interment camp just like the Japanese-Americans during World War II. This got her very angry, she feels as though her family is as American as anyone else who was born in the United States.
She says that her anger carves in her soul. But it hasn't eaten away at her completely. She has other things that has kept the anger from completely taking over. Those things are stuff like compassion, faith, family, music, the goodness of people around that are around. She says these things fill her up and temper her outrage with a deep sense of gratitude that she has the privilege of doing her small part to make things better.
I don't think my anger would do something as good as hers did. Mines would most likely cause a lot of problems and end up in a lot violence. She can control hers and also do something good with her anger. I think what she is doing is very good, she is using something that usually creates bad situations and she is using that to be her motivation to do something good. If more people were like her, the world might just be a better place.

Broadcasting Whiteness

I read an article called Broadcasting a World of Whiteness. The article is about a TV show that is not diverse enough and how that is just one piece of the bigger puzzle.
They did not judge "Two and a Half Men" or "How I Met Your Mother" like they judged girls. The article says it is because they did not watch the shows. I think it is because they enjoyed the shows more than they enjoyed "Girls". Maybe they were more entertained and not worrying about race privileges, and with "Girls" they were just sooo bored they thought about race privileges.
I think television is diverse enough. You have television stations where they are devoted to blacks and there are a lot of black people throughout that whole station. There are also mixed stations too. There could be more white actors than black and I do not think they are going to go out on the street and pick a random black person to come act. The black people could be the people behind the scenes, the ones that come up with the ideas for the shows. Maybe they are the minds behind it all. Maybe they aren't. But unless someone watches all TV stations and I mean every show and go around and count all the people that work behind the scenes. Then they can't say whether it is diverse enough until they are sure about everything that is happening on television. It could be even, there are bigger problems in the world than this. People just always have to have something to write about.

New Gun Fashion is BAD

I read an article called New Fashion Wrinkle: Stylishy Hiding the Gun. The article is about how clothing companies are now making clothes with compartments to put your gun at. The article also talks about the rise in people who now own guns and how companies make more clothes because of the rise in poeple who own guns. A clothing company called Woolrich has added a second pocket behind the regular front pocket for people to carry a weapon. They even have a stretchable waist band for people who want to carry their gun in a holster and put it inside. The back pockets help hide accessories like a knife or a flashlight.
State laws about guns have been the cause of more people owning guns. It has gone up from five million to seven million people owning guns within the last year. Gun experts say that the number of people with concealed-carry permits have risen because of a changing political and economic climate. 
I think gun laws are too loose. I think guns should only be for police officers and security guards. If people make clothing that lets you have guns then that is just making it seem like it is okay to own a gun. I know guns are suppose to be used for protection but really they haven't been used for that. This new fashion trend is not a good one. It is just a huge statement saying "Look, I have a pocket for a gun. Go get a gun to fit in the pocket".

Health Fair

Parkway West had a Health Fair on April 12, 2012. The health fair was to bring awareness to the students about STD's, eating healthy, obesity, abortions, safe sex, over-protective parents, and adoption. 

To show a way to have safe sex, they gave out condoms to the students. The table also displayed a paper which showed the correct way to put on and use a condom. They also gave options about how to get condoms by getting them sent to their houses or by going to the free clinic to get condoms. They table also had a lubricant that you can use before having sex.

The abortion table talks about how abortion is wrong. Abortion is basically taking a life. They give you other options to take instead of having to get an abortion. 

The adoption table had papers that talks about finding the right family for your new born child and how to get your life back on track after giving birth to your child and going through the whole pregnancy. In the long run, they say that it is a good thing. It is a good thing for both you and your child.

 At the STD table, they tell you about the difference between a STD & a STI. An STI is a sexually transmitted infection and an STD is an sexually transmitted disease. They also give out information to let you know how to protect yourself from both a STD and a STI. 

I think the health fair was a great way to get messages out about the topics. The papers they handed out were full of information and very helpful to answer questions that students may have had.

Summary/Response to After 2 firemen die, city, neighbors point fingers

I read an article called After 2 firemen die, city, neighbors point fingers. The article is about an abandoned building caught on fire and two firefighters lost their lives. They mention very little about the firefighters. They talk about the Lichensteins, the people who owned the building. The Lichensteins owed back taxes on that property and other properties. They tracked them down to get them into court, but the Lichensteins got lawyers to support them. The building had several violations.

A similar situation happened in 2008, an abandoned building caught on fire. The only difference s that this time lives were lost, someone’s family member is gone forever and never coming back.

I think when they noticed the building was vacant, the city should of came in and sealed it up. The fire would have most likely not have started in the first place. One man was worried about junkies coming into the building and staying there. He was also worried about them starting fires to keep warm then, shooting themselves up with heroin and not being aware of the surroundings.

They need to get this stuff under control. People shouldn’t have to die for a problem like this to be brought to their attention. When inspectors go to the buildings and then see they are vacant and in bad condition, they should either be taken down or closed up where no one can get inside them. Vacant buildings are bad to have around. They are just signs of danger waiting to happen and this should be brought to a stop.