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[th4rapy]

I have been finding it harder and harder to find things to talk about on here the more freedom we get. I am finding it so hard to balance school work and a social life. Trying to afford all my bills is slowing draining me more and more everyday. How does everyone else do it? I am exhausted and washed. I keep making bad decisions and choosing going out over class and I hate myself for it every time, but still continue to do it? It is this stupid reoccuring internal issue as I am sitting here at 11:49 trying to write this as fast as possible just to make it on time. As always. I need to learn to prioritize apparently. I live so far from my parents and its hard trying to adjust to this newly found independence I have. I know my grades are slipping but I find it hard to even care. I have lost interest for so many things as of lately. I am in this weird funk and all I care about is trying to forget the problems of my life by having as much “fun” as possible. I visited my friend at Fischer last night instead of doing this blog, my math homework and an essay. I am obviously ashamed of myself but will I keep making these bad choices? Probably. I dont even really know where I am trying to go with this. I just always see myself slipping up when I have the time to do what needs to be done. Maybe its the newly found independence I have from moving away from my parents only one year ago? But the worst part is that I am most definately too old to need my parents telling me to do what I need to do. I decided to go to my friends college last night instead of doing my blog, my math homework and an essay. For what? To have a good time. I am aware  of the bad decisions I am making but it is like I am numb to caring for anything these days. I put in half the effort I could and still dont really care. I try to find any certain kind of satisfaction to avoid the responsibilities and goals I set for myself. Like I said, I dont really know where Im going with this. Today, when I got home from St. John Fisher, all I could think about was the huge amount of crap I could have gotten done for myself rather than go out and party. But even then, Im still here rushing to get this done. I erased half of my blog on accident about 7 minutes ago and its like this bad karma for always putting my shit off till the last minute. I hate myself for it but things never change and old habits die hard I guess. 

[acknowledgedinquirer-blog]

I can understand your plight; going from a structured family home to a distant college with no rules is a very difficult transition. Despite this, if you really want to be here and I don’t mean just Buff State, but college in general you need to keep your head up. I know it’s hard and there are a ton of more fun things to do than do a blog or math homework, but you need to look to see what really matters in the end. I’m not judging you at all, and I don’t to make it seem like I am. The only reason I’m saying these things is to try to get you to not slip through the cracks. I’ve seen it happen to too many people, and I don’t want it to happen to you.  To be honest, I sometimes even find myself slipping, and when I do I listen to a song. I don’t know if you like rap but it’s called “’03 Adolescence” by J. Cole. Try it, it might give you a different perspective. Best of luck to you and God bless. 

[buffstate84-blog]

Society

Now a days it’s so hard to find someone that puts someone else before themselves. I can honestly say I’ve met 2 people that are still in my life today that would go out of their way to help me even if it put them in a poor position. And I consider myself blessed to have 1 let alone 2 of these people here for me. The reason so many people are unsatisfied with their own lives today is because everyone is so focused on themselves. When I go out of my way for these 2 people it gives me a sense of happiness that I can’t get any other way even doing something twice as good for myself. If you could go out of your way once in a while and then possibly make a habit of it to help others that you don’t necessarily have to the world as we know it would be a better place. It all starts with you though, each individual must play his or her part to fix the society we live in today to make for a better tomorrow. You could start with small things like just working with individuals if u see they could use your help and work up to helping you’re community and maybe even larger on after that but with people doing things like this it helps in other aspects of society as well. People are more willing to trust someone if they go out of their way in ways like this their also more likely to join if they see their not the first one. People are always looking to follow the right thing but no one is willing to leap out and do the right thing first and lead. If you hold any type of leadership role over anyone these are the things that need to be shared to lead by example. To many officials say one thing then do the other and that also needs to come to a stop but again it all starts with you. All ages races and gender can lead in fact we need that if we don’t have everyone contributed to the cause it can never fully be a success and in that case we will never reach our full potential as a society. And even if you don’t care maybe your kids will and do you want them growing up in a hard unforgiving place or a place rather where they can be welcomed and helped rather than out on their own. It’s all up to you.

[acknowledgedinquirer-blog]

I completely agree with you. This wide spread self-centeredness that has swept across American society is very disturbing. The primary cause of it is most likely the age-old American ideal of individualism, which is a very good as it is crucial for people to have a strong sense of who they are. However, this can backfire as it causes some people to become so self-absorbed that they develop an apathetic attitude towards others, especially those in need. The solution is, as you have said, people realizing that in order for society to function properly, we the people must help those who cannot help themselves. If we do not, what will become of us. Great post. 

[theappealingbanana-blog]

Butterfly Effect

Most of us know about the Butterfly Effect. The fact that if we went back in time and killed a Butterfly, that the future could’ve been changed forever. Before this year I really hadn’t thought about this too much until I realized that I made one very small decision that has impacted my life deeply. It’s one you wouldn’t even take more than five seconds to think about but, it has changed my life, for the better. For the sake of this story I will be using fake names to help keep their lives private.

Where should I start? Well I guess it starts off originally where I chose to go to school and what my major would be. I decided to be a math major at Buff State which would mean I would be taking Calculus II as an incoming freshman. On the first day of class and I choose to sit at the middle table of the nine in the room. This is where I would meet my friends ‘Emily’ and ‘Amber’. Emily and Amber were coworkers and knew each other already. Emily was a freshman like me, but Amber was a sophomore who transferred from SUNY Oswego. Since I was taking Calculus II as a freshman I was put into a special lab for freshmen and transfer students who were taking Calculus II. This means that Amber and I are put into the same lab. Emily chose to take the normal one at her own risk. After the first day we were given assigned seats which would’ve meant that I wouldn’t talk to Amber or Emily ever again if it weren’t for that lab. Amber and I try to get through lab together because it was a rough time for us and Emily would often wait with us in the computer lab before it started. Emily is in the Honor’s program with me so we would talk about that a lot. She and I started to become friends and we are still friends to this day.

In our honor’s class Emily would sit and talk with her friend ‘Heather’. One day near the end of the semester Emily introduced me to Heather. We all end up taking the same honor’s courses next year with one of Heather’s friends, ‘Julia’. The four of us hang out between classes all semester and become a really close group of friends.

Then one day in early April, I started to notice how funny, smart, cute, and charming I found Heather. I couldn’t stop thinking about her and I finally found the nerve to ask her out. Trust me when I say, it took me multiple times to gain the courage to ask her as well and when I finally did I made sure to make a fool out of myself. So long story short for this part, Heather is now my girlfriend and we’ve been officially dating for almost six months at this point and I couldn’t be happier.

This whole story started out with me picking where I sat on the first day of Calculus II. I sit somewhere else, I don’t meet Emily or Amber. I don’t meet Emily and I don’t meet my girlfriend.  It’s crazy to see how each decision we make can completely alter our lives in the future even if it’s a small as choosing where we sit in class.

[acknowledgedinquirer-blog]

I have heard about the Butterfly effect through that mediocre Ashton Kutcher movie that came out several years, but I had never put much thought into it. Honestly, I thought it was something the writers coined for the film, but after reading your blog, I can see that it is an actual phenomenon. The basic principle of the Butterfly effect is, from what I can tell, that humans are capable of making their own decisions, but the outcomes of those decisions are completely unpredictable. Fortunately, although unexpected, they can be extremely positive, such as meeting a girlfriend you met through a mutual friend you happened to sit next to in math class. Very good story and post. 

[me-n-missus-jones]

Blog 9

My life of a stage manager in training has been exhausting and exhilarating. First lesson has been to be extraordinarily attentive and listen to multiple conversations at once, while writing copious notes that are later transferred into a daily report that is sent to the design and production team. Time must be kept and appropriate breaks given and kept track of. Taking a three credit course to learn about stage management last year was without a doubt a necessity, as not having any idea of my daily and weekly responsibilities would have been most overwhelming. My first four weeks of rehearsal found me without an assistant stage manager and actually gave me more opportunities to learn. I fed actors their lines and gave line notes after each rehearsal indicating dropped words and paraphrasing, to help the actors to memorize their lines better. I wrote an entrance and exit plot that tracked the props and costume changes within each scene. I developed a props transition form that helped the actors keep track of setting and striking props on and off the set for each scene. I spiked the set pieces (taped on the floor/deck their position). We have five rehearsal a week for 4 ½ hours each. As a stage manager I arrive before everyone and am the last to leave. The floors are swept and damp mopped before the stage is set. I put the set pieces and props each night and strike them into a locked room after each rehearsal is over. I wear a headset in the booth and call the light and sound cues for the dress rehearsals and performances. I am the communication conduit between the actors and the directors as well as the design team and the production team. I am constantly writing and replying to emails, texts, and taking a rare phone call as well. The choreographed movement on the stage is called the blocking and I take the set designers plans and reduce them down and place them two a page. I insert them next to each page in the script and record the blocking movements using universal symbols for each character. I compile a confidential contact list and design and update a production calendar that I continually update. I attend weekly design and production meetings. The biggest lesson learned has been to be calm and to communicate, communicate, communicate. Respect, humor and patience, along with organizational skills have helped me to hone my first stage management gig to the point that I am no longer terrified; instead I am just excited to be an integral part of the team.

[acknowledgedinquirer-blog]

Based on what you have said, it’s not hard to imagine that being a stage manager is a very demanding job. It seems as though you need to have a thousand pairs of eyes to watch what everyone is doing and making sure everything works like it’s supposed to. This is especially important so no one gets hurt as technology can malfunction, props can break and a host of other hazards can occur at random. I think being in charge of a set for a play is more difficult than being in charge of a movie set because with a movie, errors can happen but scenes can still be reshot. However, in a play it’s performed live which leaves little wiggle room for mistakes. It’s certainly not something for everyone, which is why I am glad you find it to be very rewarding. 

[acknowledgedinquirer-blog]

Multimedia in Project #2

When I was first brainstorming ideas for Project 1, I wanted to make sure it would drive the message I was trying to make home. After a few days of serious thought, I decided I wasn’t going to create the conventional Web Map. Instead, I wanted to make a miniature model of an actual prison. I felt that by doing this, I would be able to play on people’s often negative perceptions of prisons, which would make them sympathize for the prisoners as they now realize what they go through. This proved to be effective because I received a predominantly positive response from my classmates.

As a result of my first project being so well received, I came to a  conclusion: humans are very visual creatures, which means most of the information that they get from their environment is deciphered by the brain is derived from what they see. This means, the bigger, brighter, more detailed and colorful a stimulus is, the more attention it will receive. Which led me to the idea of my second project, which is broken into two parts. 

The first part, which I have already completed, is an argumentative research paper. Since reading or listening to an eight page paper being read aloud is not very desirable to most people, this is not what I will do for my oral presentation. The main purpose of writing this essay was to organize my ideas and establish where I stood with my argument. When I had first finished it, I read it over, and I as I did that,  started to map out what I would do for my oral presentation. I decided that I would create a PowerPoint and with each slide, I would bring up one topic I discussed in my research paper. I will also only put up pictures and a title for each slide. I will explain each slide verbally because I feel that simply reading texts on a slide causes the audience to lose their focus. 

I believe that a combination of pictures the represent each topic and having each topic thoroughly explained to them will justify my argument and hopefully give my audience a different point of view on child life sentences. 

[acknowledgedinquirer-blog]

Hotdogs, Bacon...and other Carcinogens???

If you haven’t heard already, last week the World Health Organization announced that hot dogs, bacon and other processed meats are officially listed as carcinogens. When I first saw this plastered across Yahoo’s website as I went to check my emails, three thoughts came to my head. The first made me laugh out loud because it seems as though everything is a carcinogen now: the sun, the air, acne products and now food. It seems as though our world has become so toxic that even the most crucial parts of our existence can give us cancer. This is more of a morbid joke than anything, but what if it were to become entirely true?

Next I thought, would this news make an impact at all? This information was posted by an international medical organization, not an irrelevant a radical vegan blog that tried to start an uproar. I also understand that hot dogs and bacon have been a favorite for Americans for generations, but would something this alarming cause people to really reconsider what they’re eating? Personally, I wasn’t at all surprised by this news. I don’t eat any pork at all, and I always thought that hot dogs were especially nasty because I know how they’re made: ground up chicken, pork, and beef parts, stuffed into a tube, and sprayed with chemicals. I think something like that could give you cancer quicker than the sun ever could.

Finally, I wondered how many people actually died from eating processed meats? I understand that this may sound strange, even stupid, for anyone to ask such a question. I also know that eating one hot dog won’t kill anyone, but like I said before, if an international health organization took notice of this, it must have done some serious damage. After reading the article, I found that processed meats are linked to pancreatic and colon cancer. I heard that pancreatic cancer has a high mortality rate. Who would have ever taught something from a grocery store could cause cancer?

I would really like to keep an eye on this and see where it goes. Lawsuits may erupt because of this, and people may even stop buying hot dogs altogether. However, the most likely outcome is that this will eventually fade away and everyone will forget it happened, which is often the result when most groundbreaking things surface, since Americans so unwilling to change their ways. 

[acknowledgedinquirer-blog]

Trump, I’ll let you finish but...

The 2016 presidential campaign is in full swing with all its of candidates vying for media attention and the top place in the polls. There seems to be a fair amount of competition with some very very well-known politicians running, such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former governor of Florida and younger brother of George W. Bush, Jeb Bush. However, the candidate who has caught the most of America’s attention is renowned businessman and real estate tycoon, Donald Trump. 

I do not want Donald Trump to become the President. I will get there out there right now. I think he is highly underqualified for the job. This is certainly not against his financial status; it is apparent to everyone that Trump has more money than most people could possibly dream of having , and he knows how to make it too. However, money can only get someone so far; it’s needed for campaigning, but anywhere beyond that a politician needs to rely on other skills once he is elected to be a great president, and I think Trump is lacking in some of these crucial credentials. 

 The most obvious seems to be Trump’s love of controversy, and his innate tendency to say whatever he wants about whoever he wants. The most infamous example of this is when he gave his opinion on immigration from Mexico into the United States, and referred to Mexicans as “rapists” and declared that a wall should be built along the southern U.S. border that the Mexican government should pay for. If he is saying stuff like this while he’s campaigning, imagine the stuff he’ll say once he’s president. I can picture him saying something reckless to Putin or the President of Iran, which would then thrown America into the midst of nuclear warfare. 

The other most prominent reason why I do not think Trump is qualified to be president is because he thinks too single-mindedly, and does not understand the concept of checks and balances. I discovered this when I watched an interview with him stating that in order to stimulate the American economy, he was going to change free trade laws. Trump needs to realize that not only can he not snap his fingers and manipulate laws to his liking, but changing free trade laws would create animosity towards us from other countries which is not needed right now. Trump has been in total control of his business for so long he does not understand that although the President is the leader of the United States, his power is not absolute. Instead, everything he does goes through Congress or the Senate to prevent it from becoming a monocracy. The Founding Fathers would be scared shitless of men like Trump because they are unpredictable and they believe their power is unlimited.  

[crazycandypepsi-blog]

Blog#5

  I slept almost until 11 o'clock and I still thought I didn’t have enough sleep. Every day, there is a lot of work to do and I feel I don’t sleep enough every day. I believe everyone has the feeling. Always keep awake until two or three in the morning. I have a friend, he is very busy, almost go to bed every day at three A.M, and in a week, he needs to get up at 5 because he needs to work at 6 in the morning.Why we are not getting enough sleep? Do we really have so many things to do every day? What are we doing every day? Why do we sleep less and less? With these questions, I began to ask my friends. (I only ask them about the weekends, because everyone has different schedules on week days.)   First I asked my boyfriend. He said, he usually get up at 9 in the morning on weekends, and then he spend 30 mins to take a shower, later 9:30 to 10 he needs to  eat the breakfast. And then start playing games from 10 to 11, and then to prepare lunch.  After lunch is his study time. From 12 to 3, he usually writes his homework, and then starts watching movies or TV shows to relax, or if he needs to buy food for the week, about 2 hours. So from 3pm to 5pm is his relaxing time. Starting at 5pm, he needs to perpare the dinner, then eat dinner, probably need to use the last 2 hours. (most of the Chinese food needs to be prepared for at least 1 hours, so every day he needs to spend a lot of time to cook. At the 7pm, he will continue to study and do his homework, he will choose to play games when he needs a rest. He usually go to bed around 12 am, but he used to lie on the bed, watching his phone, so he’s not going to sleep until 1 o'clock somtimes until 2. So I about the statistics, on average (weekends), his daily sleep time is 7 hours, the cooking time is 3.5 hours, the stud time is 6 hours, rest time is 5 hours. Shopping time is 2 hours. Because he doesn’t need to work, so he has plenty of time to relax and rest on the weekend. But from his schedule, it shows that he spend a lot of time on video game and smartphones. This shows that modern technology and the network has become a part of our life, especially in our generation, if the daily life is without a computer, network, smartphones, we will feel that we lost something in our lives, I believe that 99% of people will not not use to live without the network.   And then I asked me another good friend, she and my boyfriend is not the same, she needs to go to work. Every day she sleep 6 hours, 1 hour for a meal, study for 4 hours, 1 hour to take a bath, work 8 hours, the remaining four hours she used to watch movies on the Internet to relax, or play games. Thus, the network has become an inseparable part of the modern people. She is so busy and tired every weekend but she still choose to spend few hours for the internet. So I believe that the Internet is one of the most important reasons that causes us to sleep less and less. Of course I need to do more research to get an answer. My friends around me have given me a lot of help. I will continue to study until I get a more perfect answer.

[acknowledgedinquirer-blog]

Sleep deprivation is certainly a problem for college students. There are so many things to do and not enough time to do them. At times I feel burnt out myself, and even when I sleep for a full eight hours I wake up exhausted. Back to your topic though, I thought it was interesting that you brought up smart phones and how that affect how much people sleep. I’ve heard about that myself and I think that in addition to it being a distraction when people should be trying to sleep. I think using a smart phone right before you go to bed alters the brain waves in your brain or something like that. I don’t know what it is exactly but I think you should look into it. Great post and good luck. 

[theappealingbanana-blog]

My Project

I am really concerned about Common Core in New York State. As someone who just graduated from a NYS public school I have seen some of the changes that we’ve gone through and it’s getting ridiculous especially in the math category. I have decided to research the specific topic of math in common core in NYS further and this is what I have so far. First off I looked at the elementary school level of math. It turns out that it takes a lot of time out of the day to learn the new ways of math. I would like to show this on my map as 2 clocks, one showing a short amount of time (this one being crossed out) and the other a longer amount of time and this one being fine. I’m not sure what creative ideas I have for the map as a whole though. I was thinking of maybe drawing a giant clock and going clockwise with the pictures starting at the top and ending back there. One interesting fact that I found is that even adults can have trouble learning the new way they teach math now. I have even looked at some of the problems and I don’t quite understand them even though I’m a math education major. One way that I wish to illustrate that is to show an adult and a child together looking at a problem in confusion. One other thing I would like to show is that kids are taught a different way until these past few years and are starting to be told what they’ve learned as wrong. I feel like this might have a negative impact on children wanting to learn new things. They not be as motivated as much. I really don’t know how to show this without it being a picture that would take up my whole poster. 

I could really use help on ideas of what could make the map look interesting if anyone had any ideas. I think the clock idea is nice, but it won’t immediately express what I’ve learned. So far in brief detail this is what I’ve learned with (pictures). 1. Good Idea (Light Bulb) 2. Could Be Done Better (Don’t have a picture Yet ) 3.Takes up Time (Clocks) 3.Really Complicated and Hard to Learn (Complicated Math Problem) 4. Can’t Learn Other Subjects (Beaker and Globe Crossed Out) 5. Teachers are Blamed (Still need a Picture) 6. Too many tests (Still need a picture). This is all I have for now and I still need to do more research. If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate them and if you do look at mine I will take the time to look at your sand give my feedback. I won’t be back on until Monday though if you write back.

�.�

[acknowledgedinquirer-blog]

The topic you chose is something I would have never thought of, and I think that too many people overlook how important it is. As for your web map, I think for the Could be Done Better picture you should include a test with a grade F on it, because it shows more effort should have been given while also tying into the the topic. For the other picture you could have a picture of one adult scolding another while the other one is sitting down (parents/ government blaming the teacher). The third picture, too many tests, could include literally a huge stack of papers because that’s how it feels to these kids getting swamped by tests and state exams. Hope this helped and good luck. 

[-jvst]

Blog 5

[acknowledgedinquirer-blog]

Your topic is a good one, but very broad. I see you have a lot of good suggestions, but you should focus on one or two instead of all of them or you’ll throw yourself off. Think about these questions: Do you want to talk about all of the drugs you listed, or focus on one of them? If you do focus on one, like LSD, do you want to talk about how college students use it recreationally or how it is dangerous to someone’s health, or both? Also, you should take alcohol into consideration; not a lot of people think of it as a drug because it’s legal, but it’s just as potent as anything else you listed. Good post. 

[27stella-blog]

     For my project I am focusing on the issue of overeating, specifically in the American culture and emotion overeating. Some questions I am looking to have answered are: what triggers people to overeat, is it connected to traumatic events people experience in their lives? I also want to know if it is more common among women or men. How do people feel during and after they eat? How temporary is this feeling? Another interesting thing to look into is if it is more common in men or women. Throughout my research some things I want to do may change.

     Certain things that can trigger overeating on a normal base include, but are not limited to: a life crisis or death, relationship breakdown, family changes, moving to a new place, a change in a job, school problems, and personal failure. Once an individual begins to overeat, there are many things that help to further the issue.  One source I found lists some reasons that induce overeating that I had not thought of, but can also relate to and see everyday. Some of the reasons include: convenience, visibility, mindless eating, and social influence. Other sources of overeating that I saw to be obvious were family and personal dynamics. People that tend to overeat or have a serious problem often say they find food as a source of comfort and nurture. When people feel pressured, sad, stressed out, or upset they go to food a source of comfort. When people are done eating, they often found themselves feeling guilty or sad. There typically is not much or any satisfaction a person feels after they overeat. When comparing men and women as to who tends to overeat more, men had surprisingly higher rates. Although women do tend to binge eat more, men overeat more on a common everyday lifestyle. Women tend to be more focused on their bodies then men, which affects the amount of women versus men that overeat. There are many steps an individual can take in order to stop overeating. These include: eating slowly, being aware of your problem, using smaller plates, putting junk food farther back in your cupboard so it is less visible, choose foods that fill you up faster instead of things like chips so you will not eat as much, poor things like chips into bowls so you do not eat the whole bag, and think about what you want to eat before going out with a friend so you aren’t influenced by what they order. I will use this information to help lay out my mind web on overeating.  

[acknowledgedinquirer-blog]

This is a very interesting topic you chose. It is an important one too because America stands almost unrivaled as the most obese country in the world. I’ve spent some time reading up on it myself and found that a lot of the factors that contribute to the problem you’ve already grasped in your blog. Also, I see you discovered that a lot of overeating is triggered by some kind of strong emotion, but sometimes people may be overeating and completely oblivious to it. The cause of this could be the abundance of junk food so readily available that people could just eat and eat and never feel full. Great idea and blog.

[acknowledgedinquirer-blog]

Project #1

I’ve always been fascinated with Criminal Justice, but the aspect of it that attracted me the most is the prison system. The reason for this is because I have come to understand that American prisons have this profound ability to take a person in and over time morph them into a completely different human being. Of course, this is the purpose of prison: taking in a criminal and releasing them as a new, rehabilitated, law-abiding citizen. However, this is an idealistic outcome that often doesn’t happen, and that is because the methods American prisons have for “correcting” inmates are far from effective. The result of this is, ex-convicts are released from prison only to reoffend and get sent back. This is a common phenomenon called recidivism. It doesn’t happen with everyone that gets out of prison, but it happens often enough.

This is a topic I feel really passionate about which is why I want to do my first project on it; specifically on the psychological effects that occur while a person is in prison. To do this, I will have to understand how the prison system itself has the ability to have such a dramatic change on a person’s behavior. What I would need to look for is what kind of punishments inmates have to endure once they are incarcerated, how do the correctional officers treat them, what kind of environment do they live in, and what are they allowed to do in their leisure time. I know that these topics are very general, and all of these factors vary from prison to prison, but I believe if I could get an idea of what typically prison life consists of, I can have something to work with. Also, if I can find interviews of studies that involve former inmates, I would receive valuable information about life in prison.

As for the physical project itself, I was thinking of creating a model of a mini-prison using a box, a slinky, some pens, and hopefully if I can find some,  laser pointers. I want to do this because I think I can create an accurate representation of a prison. By doing this, I want to show how dehumanizing the prison environment is and how it is not benefitting anyone that goes through that system. Also, I want to show how former inmates become so psychologically damaged from being in prison that they cannot function normally in society and as a result, they go back to prison. 

I really hope that by doing this project, I can shed some light on the hardships inmates endure while they are in prison, and long after they are out of prison. Awareness needs to be raised so that prison reform can become a reality.  

[set-sail26-blog]

My new wheels

I can remember it like it was yesterday, hearing all the incoming freshman, so excited about school. I couldn’t blame them my freshman year of high school was the absolute best. Those moments, during that year would be always remember able. And it was not remember able because of the great processed food that brought unsatisfied every time to my bows. Or how crowded the hallways got after second lunch period. No I lied that was the best part, the people, the diversity. I loved school back then, and I loved it even more once I became a senior. You see, when I was a junior I doubled up in high school. Due to this my Uncle noticed my hard work and got me my first car. Let’s just say my senior year I was glad not be feeling like Antarctic on the bus stop every morning. I cherished my car for that. But one thing I didn’t cherish was gas. I always wondered why no one told me gas was so expensive. I learned the hard way about just riding around with friends all day. But minus the gas, having a car at a young age was beneficial. It showed me that I was growing up, becoming the young woman I always imaged I would one day be.  For example having a car came with expenses especially if you’re clumsy and your “hand, eye” let’s say in my case “hand, foot” coordination is terrible. I would hit so many bumps and curbs I had to spend so much money on tires for the car itself. But people cut me a break, I was a beginner driver. Just like you’re thinking of me being a bad driver my Uncle agreed and was furious. But his frustration, only lead to me working hard and getting a job, so he wouldn’t have to come out his pocket again. I would later get two jobs and become more independent. After all it was my car and I was getting older. And after that day I took pride in my car, and did not just use it as a toy to just ride around all day with friends etc. Having a car taught me that you have to cherish the things you are blessed with. Also that getting tickets and then handling them as soon as they happen is the best thing to do.

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[acknowledgedinquirer-blog]

It’s great that you learned so much about responsibility from having a car. I can’t wait to get a car myself. I just got my permit over the summer and hopefully I can start with some driving lessons, so I got a long way to go. Whenever I’m on the bus for an extended period of time, like going to the Galleria mall, I often zone out and fantasize about what it would be like to have a car. I see myself cruising down Elmwood Avenue, blasting A$AP Ferg with a pair of fuzzy dice hanging off of my rear-view mirror. I could go anywhere I want, even to Syracuse to see my mom and brother for a weekend. I really hope that day comes sooner than later. Great post. 

[27stella-blog]

Buffalo

     Besides the one semester that I dormed at SUNY Fredonia, I have never lived outside of Buffalo.  Although I have not really lived anywhere else, I must say that Buffalo is one of the best places to live. Those couple months I didn’t live here definitely made me appreciate it more. First of all, we have great places to shop. I know it is nothing like New York City, but the Galleria is pretty great compared to other city’s shopping places. Fredonia only has a TJ Max and a Walmart close by, it was awful. The location is also nice because we are so close to Canada. It is always fun to go over and see the Canadian side of the falls or to go shopping at the outlets if you want something different than the Galleria. During the summer time there are great concerts at the outer harbor, free ones every Thursday night.  You also can rent out kayaks, water bikes, and paddleboards on the waterfront, which is really fun! Water works is a new restaurant and bar that just opened that is cool place to go to.  During there summer there is always really fun festivals to go to such as the Allentown art festival. Food truck Tuesday is another really fun thing to experience. The Erie County Fair is always a great way to end the summer. When the weather is nice I enjoy going out and go hiking at one the many state parks such as Devils Hole. When summer is over, fall begins and so does football season. Even though they do not always do that great, the people of Buffalo are huge bills fans. The tailgates and games are so fun to go to. You can really see everyone coming together in support of the Bills. Besides football, you can also go pumpkin or apple picking, go through corn mazes, and visit the haunted houses such as Fright World. When fall ends, winter usually huts us really hard. The best way to get through the rough winters is to find things you like to do in the snow. I personally love to ski so that is what I do all winter. I also like to go sledding and tubing, who doesn’t. Sabers games are fun to go to if you like hockey. You also can go ice skate with your friends at the new rink located at the inner harbor! One thing you can do every season of the year in Buffalo is eat. We have AMAZING restaurants all throughout buffalo. Some of my favorites are Sea Bar, The Mulberry, The Black Iron Bistro, and Curly’s. I am definitely a die-hard Buffalo fan and I don’t plan on leaving!

[acknowledgedinquirer-blog]

There really is something about Buffalo. Growing up in a small, rural town with only a cemetery and a community college near by, it was quite a shock to move to a city where everything I needed was only a walk or a bus ride away. Speaking of the bus, here in Buffalo was the first time I had ever been on one, and it was cool to experience it. I think it really is a blessing to go to a college that is in the heart of such a colorful environment with lots of stuff to do. I can understand why you would want to live here permanently, and to be honest I’m considering it myself. Good post.   

[our-jay-boogie-things-blog]

Blog #4

Why do some females think it’s ok to get an abortion and go on with life? Abortion is the ending of pregnancy it is also known as a miscarriage. Abortion is something you see everyday from young females or females who have no jobs and can’t  handle a baby at the moment. It’s unfair to have an abortion because that female is killing a baby who could of been the next Michael Jordan or the next Tom Brady. It is not a good thing to have an abortion but sometimes it is what’s best for that person and it happens. So I can understand having one abortion because you made a mistake and you learn from it, not to say a female should do it but it does happen and its life. Now what gets me up set is  a female would get an abortion more than once and be ok with that. That is not cool at all because you are hurting you self by doing that , the reason why is because when a female decide to actually have a baby and is ready for the big stage she might not be able to have one because of the abortions she had already. You really see abortion from the ages of 18-29 the most and this is because some are young and just not ready or are ready but then have to think about their future and will they be able to provide for the baby. I believe that abortion is wrong and females shouldn’t do those type of things if you not you cannot handle the consequences , if there are consequences. Abortion can be so horrible because a female is murdering a child who haven’t got a chance to meet the family , see day light or walk and laugh and it sucks because now that child will never have a chance to see what life is about. Females if you are not ready to have a child and you are sexually active just be on the safe side and get the shot or take plan b so that way you won’t kill any child life please. I think every child deserves life and a female shouldn’t take that chance away from them just because they got in a situation they couldn’t handle and wasn’t ready.So my advice to all the females out there is use protection at all time or just don’t do it at all. Abortion is nothing to play with either because it cost a lot of money so if something like that does happen for any female out there, get ready to become a women and take care of what is yours and provide for your child .

[acknowledgedinquirer-blog]

Abortion is perhaps the most controversial topic in America, and the debate is just as heated today as it was in 1973. Which is why I really appreciate you writing about it, because it’s not easy having such a strong opinion in a country that is as liberal and pretentious as America. Also, I agree with you for the most part. First of all, I find that it is wrong for women to use abortions as a form of birth control when there are so many forms of contraception that are readily available. However, during all debates of abortion, it is inevitable for rape to rear its ugly head. With that in mind, I believe that abortions should be legal because no woman deserves to endure that kind of trauma and pay such a price for it. As for your opinion, stick to it, no matter what. Good post and great point.  

[stevemac716-blog]

Blog 4

I don’t know about you but everyday I wonder what heaven is like and what it takes to get there. My family are christian people who try and follow god’s word on the daily basis including myself. Are you aware or hoping there’s a higher power? Do you believe that there’s a God or a spirit? I would at least hope so because how did you get here to begin with? I personally feel that the earth is hell and God gives/wants us individuals to follow the bible the best we can or at least know the ten commandments. Life is filled with blessings and lessons that I (100)feel are often given by God himself. For example, a couple months ago I prayed to god one night for about two hours. That night I had a dream that scared me and would be a dream i’ll never forget. The dream was actually my funeral but I was in heaven standing next to jesus as I looked down at myself  in the casket. Then I noticed, in the dream that my family was the only thing I had left. I felt young, had beautiful memories on earth and right before the dream ended jesus gave me a hug but(200) I couldn’t see his face clearly. That next morning, I truly realized that god is never dead and he lives within us. Sometimes all it takes is prayer and actually taping into the spirit with the lord and savior. One day when god calls me home, I still wonder what heaven is like. Usually, we are given an image that heaven is being on clouds and walking through the big white gates but no one truly knows. They also say that in heaven the people around you are all young and happy again as well. I know the journey will (300)be interesting because everyday we are sinners due to adam and eve’s disobedience towards god when they first arrived on earth. I advise people who aren’t so religious to open your heart and to have a open mind because you can’t live only thinking about you. Life is bigger than you but you have to see it. We all have a purpose on this earth and that’s to serve the higher power first. Im not asking people to be christian but at least having a understanding. I want to make the world a better place and sometimes all it takes is one person to get started. We all serve a higher power and do whats right the world itseld would be  better place.

[acknowledgedinquirer-blog]

I was an Atheist for twelve years until I recently found God over the summer, and I have to say it was the best decision I ever made. That’s because up until then I was filled with fear and anxiety that caused me to constantly doubt myself and question every decision I made. Worse than that, I always felt alone, but all of that subsided once I accepted Christ into my life. To answer your question, and I hope I can even though I haven’t been walking with the Lord for very long, I believe that once you accept God into your life, you will be admitted into Heaven. Of course, it’s also important to follow the word, but everyone slips sometimes. It’s human nature, and it’s nothing new; we’ve all been sinners ever since Eve picked that fruit of the tree. Great post and God bless.

[acknowledgedinquirer-blog]

Oh no! Not the Areola!

America has this bizarre double-standard when it comes to censoring different forms of media, such as music and television. What I mean by this is, America has a tendency to pick and choose what they deem as “inappropriate” for younger audiences, instead of completely censoring all of the questionable content.

Let’s start with music. In case you couldn’t tell from my previous blogs, I love rap, and to me there’s nothing worse than hearing censored rap on the radio. That’s because half of the song is bleeped out, but what always threw me off about that was that only the obvious “swear words” were censored. However, phrases that included violent acts, such as robbing or shooting someone were left in. That tells me that in our culture, it is necessary for children to be shielded from those filthy, despicable words that they’ve already learned on the school bus, but it’s perfectly fine for them to hear about killing someone? That just doesn’t sit right with me. 

Another aspect that is frequently censored in music is sexual content. However, the only songs that are censored are the ones with lyrics that are directly linked to sex, but if a song were to simply hint at sex or use alternative phrases to describe sex, it is allowed on the radio. Such a song is this little gem that came out in 2012 called “Whistle” by Flo Rida. This song makes a not so subtle reference to oral sex, and yet it was played on most radio stations without challenge. If the lyrics had been “can you suck my dick baby?” it would received no airplay, but still it doesn’t take a neurosurgeon to understand the true meaning of this song.

True story, when I was in high school, one of my teachers told me about how her daughter in Kindergarten got in trouble in school for singing “Whistle.” Now this is hilarious, because how does someone explain why this song is inappropriate to a five year old? You can’t, unless you’re up to a very awkward conversation with a ton of questions you’ll have to fumble through.

 The methods of censorship in television are the same as with music. This is especially true with violence. When I was ten, I was flipping through channels and I stumbled upon Kill Bill, and it was right at the scene when Beatrix snatches Elle Driver’s eye out of her skull. I had nightmares about that for a week. It’s so ironic that graphic violence is allowed on T.V. for children to see, but a breast that suddenly pops on the screen must be censored to keep the American youth’s moral fiber intact.

The bottom line is, if American media should be censored, everything that is inappropriate needs to be taken out. If not, then everything should be left as it was it when it was released.