no red pill blue pill response

I think that this poem by Ana Cristina Pratas made no sense to me. She said many different random things which shouldn't have gone together. There were parts of her poem that I understood and enjoyed but then I read the next line and it completely ruins it and throws me off. But all together I get what she's trying to talk about.

Power

Power can be defined from different outlooks and in different ways. In some countries being born into certain families of royalty and wealth gives you power. That’s power not given by choice. In this country individuals can be driven to power through determination and will. There is an equal opportunity to obtain it.
In my opinion power can be defined by wealth, knowledge, and ones voice.
Money can commonly determine a persons status in the world. It can bring in estate, big business, and a “successful” life in general. All of these things can be seen as power. The more money you have, the more access you have to the things of the world being big or small. The wealthy are the privileged and so they contain more power than those who don’t.
Somebody once said power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, even though I don't know who said that or if it's even close to the way that it was said, I know that it's true. The reason that it is true is that people are essentially just smart animals, we always are going to do what is best for us personally. We care about what is best for us because we are the ones that can feel what is happening to us, it only makes sense that we would want the best feeling and enjoyment possible for us.
Most people take the power they get to a further level. They start abusing it to the point where they lose everything they've ever strived for.
It is the power over ones life, which is the greatest power of all. Everybody has it, it’s just a matter of embracing it and using it correctly.

Loyalty

Loyalty is a feeling or attitude of devoted attachment and affection. Loyalty is a noble quality that is found not only in human beings, but also in animals, such as dogs, horses or elephants. Loyalty involves obedience, sacrifice and compassion of the heart.
Loyalty is a very broad term which may be applicable in case of one's family, locality or the country. A loyal per­son is ready to sacrifice even his own life for the sake of his master, friend, relative or the country. A loyal person bears a moral character, honest outlook, and disciplined manners.

Loyalty is like a shadow it’s something that’s with you all of the time, but sometimes it’s hidden. Most people don’t show their loyalty hidden, but loyalty is something that’s not supposed to be hidden. To me loyalty is when someone is there for someone else. Loyalty is a characteristic many people should strive to have. It earns the trust and respect of many. A loyal person would never be able to fail someone because they are trustable. Loyalty is everywhere and there are many different kinds of loyalty.
Loyalty to strangers is one of the many different kinds of loyalty. We have all showed loyalty to strangers at least once. When people follow rules somewhere either at school, work etc. This shows loyalty. Loyalty doesn’t only earn the respect of someone, but being loyal to a stranger show that you respect them even if you don’t know them. When we follow rules at some place it shows we are staying honest to the rules and the rule makers. Our honesty shows loyalty.

Another type of loyalty is to friends. We all have friends, but there are many components to being loyal to your friends. When your friends tells you something and they expect you to keep it a secret, keeping this a secret shows loyalty. Not keeping the matter a secret will show disloyalty. Disloyalty will lose a friend’s trust and it will be really hard to regain a friend’s trust when it’s been lost. When a secret, which is supposed to be kept, gets out the friendship itself is in danger of breaking. Helping a friend is also another component to loyalty. Helping a friend when they don’t think they need it shows much more loyalty than when they ask you for help. Sensing that a friend needs a helping hand is a great ability to have.
As I said earlier, loyalty can be found in animals, your pets, for example a dog. Even though your dog doesn't have the ability to speak it shows its loyalty through actions. Your dog stays by your side through thick and thin. They see when you come home with a frown they go lay on your lap and keep you comfort. When you might be in any danger, could be minor or extreme, your dog protects you and stays loyal to you.
Being loyal builds trust, and those are one of the main characteristics one should have and need in any kind of relationship, being loyal will get you far in life.

Elections Essay #2 - Should Voting in Canada be Mandatory by Law?

Election Days are held to express the views and opinions of the entire country and over the past few years, they have failed to do so. Some consider voting a right that they have and they can choose not to exercise that privilege. Others may not vote due to their insecurities about all of the parties involved. A significant amount of citizens do not vote because they believe that their vote has no impact on the outcome of the election. It is our duty to as citizens of Canada to express our opinions and have a say in how our country operates. The number of non-voters that think they are insignificant to the total outcome of an election add up to around 40%, therefore creating a media circus after every Election Day doubting the legitimacy of the election. Voting should be mandatory in Canada to make all of its citizens influence the way that the country is run.
A major responsibility as a Canadian citizen is to let your voice be heard and your opinion accounted for during an election. We pledge our allegiance to Her Majesty, the Queen, and promise to fulfill our duties as Canadian citizens when taking the Oath of Citizenship. Non-voters consider it a freedom of choice when they choose not to participate in an election but they have to remember that they received the citizenship card to have a say in how the country operates.
Passing a bill through the government and making voting mandatory would be good for the citizens even if the government has to take the initiative. The number of Canadians that neglect elections requires the government to take action and make voting mandatory.

Media's Effects on Political Elections

Mao ZeDong once said that power comes out of the barrel of a gun. While that is still true, power also comes out of the manipulated images created to change ones thinking process and behaviour. Through the world of third person communication, technologies have generated various types of media.
Practically, in every attitude of the election campaign will engage the media. In fact, media is the ultimate platform where all political parties will be fighting on. Whether by budging through television and news reports or by purchasing time and space on mass media, parties must always use media to hype voters for support.
Media organizations have their own agenda. They tend to sell themselves to the audiences with their star reporters, journalists, and as much as they can cover over the course of election. Inevitably, news will be discriminately selected, stories will be twisted, and they will be promoted with personal views and reactions. Mass media, therefore, will have powerful influences on voters.
now that the election is over, I have to wonder: did any of the tweets, Facebook groups, or YouTube videos actually make a measurable difference?
Certainly, many of the candidates had active social media accounts, and the a lot of the Twitter hashtags were on fire during the election. But online activity is very difficult to link with the offline behavior of marking a ballot with a golf pencil. Ultimately, once you're behind that cardboard partition, voting is a private action. A secret ballot is, after all, secret.
In many ways, this stands in stark contrast to how things work on the web. Social media marketing and advertising is very measurable. Hyperlinks can easily be tracked to generate a myriad of stats and reports on our collective online behaviour.

It reminds us that 2008 was called the “social media election”, with 1.8 million tweets sent on election day… and that now, in 2012, there are 1.8 million tweets sent every six minutes.
Barack Obama’s appearance at the Democratic National Convention caused over 52,000 tweets to be sent, on average, every minute, resulting in about 4 million tweets total during his 39 minute speech.
And other representatives are jumping on social media too: 9 out of 10 Senators and Representatives have their own Twitter accounts.
The infographic also points out that 4 out of 10 people will use social media to help them make a decision come election day, so the candidates had better do all they can to present themselves in the best light, in 140-characters or less.
People slowly drift away from how things were the way they were, media is growing, the numbers on the social media accounts are growing each minute. In the end not everything on media is going to be good, you can never believe everything you see/hear with the media.

poetry that moves - when we two parted by Lord Byron

WHEN we two parted
          In silence and tears,
      Half broken-hearted
          To sever for years,
      Pale grew thy cheek and cold,
          Colder thy kiss;
      Truly that hour foretold
          Sorrow to this.
                                   The dew of the morning
          Sunk chill on my brow
          It felt like the warning
          Of what I feel now.
      Thy vows are all broken,
          And light is thy fame:
      I hear thy name spoken,
          And share in its shame.                                      They name thee before me,
          A knell to mine ear;
      A shudder comes o'er me
        Why wert thou so dear?
      They know not I knew thee,
          Who knew thee too well:
        Long, long shall I rue thee,
          Too deeply to tell.                                    In secret we met 
                 In silence I grieve,
      That thy heart could forget,
          Thy spirit deceive.
      If I should meet thee
          After long years,
      How should I greet thee?
         With silence and tears.

Summer 100WC

...the light was so bright...
http://100wc.net/

One step, two steps... the cottony sand beneath my feet danced with the silky fabric of sea water as they floozies forward and back… ancient soft melody of the nine sisters dribbles my eardrums… notably peaceful and amiable. But is the great deep sea really as calming and companionable as it seems on this cloudless twinkly night? NO! Its mood changes as exceedingly as we breath in and breath out, and as extreme as a suppose ‘love’ turn on one another. Look at the tower of light, the light was so bright it guides the ships to safety. But one push of the button, it will be the cause of the ships’ annihilation…of my extinction.

Genius Hour Docs: Cakes 101

The link to our Prezi:
http://prezi.com/vj0-ykpfz2mv/present/?auth_key=cmheahg&follow=054jkd1fnbzf&kw=present-vj0-ykpfz2mv&rc=ref-27733217

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B554LwLelZArck1Id1dmNDRRVFk/edit (Process Log)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B554LwLelZArWmF4blBNbFVKUlU/edit (Proposal)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B554LwLelZArQzdRdzZ0SWpWNUk/edit (Rubric)

Motivation By Tony Gurr

Tony Gurr's blog post was somewhat confusing, even after reading it several times. After the first few pictures, I was lost. I had to re-read the post again, at least 2 or 3 times. The style of his blog captured my attention even though some of the text seemed a bit off topic, but the pictures had strong meaning behind them.

I'm scrolling through the blog reading the post from the very beginning to the end, but i stopped at this picture...

I was laughing at this picture for quite a while. I mean look at each of the students in the class, and it totally relates to our classrooms today. You have students eating lunch, talking so much during class, daydreaming, sleeping, fooling around, and the list goes on. Every class room is unique and different, but it seems like there is a lack of  motivation and management in the classroom, but it should be about classroom leadership. I agree with Tony that classroom leadership is better than classroom management. Anyone can manage a class, but very few can take leadership in a class. By watching other students take action in classrooms this could make other students motivated to try as well. We need leadership in our classrooms, not for our teachers to motivate us, but our peers and our friends. Depending on certain teachers, there's minimal motivation given to students. For example, someone is failing math class and gives up on studying for the provincial; this shows that the teacher lacks motivations for their students and it seems like teachers just want to teach the course and move on. Isn't the main point of motivation to make sure students are engaging the in course.

We need great teachers to be like this...

Students need to try new things and experience real-world examples and opportunities not just worksheets and tests, otherwise, how are students going to be motivated and how are they going to learn? If our society lacks motivation than how can we encourage the next generations to do the same if our teachers aren't pushing students and little harder and faster to success. With more choices and voices our classrooms can be a bit more welcoming. Learning should be about doing things that bring joy to yourself and others around you. 

I agree with Tony's post on motivation, sometimes we need to change the way things are being taught. Just by giving students a bit more freedom for choices when it comes to work in class, such as assignments and tests students will be a lot more content. Students have to be the first to motivate themselves, and teachers need to allow these changes of students taking over their learning, and to make learning engaging for both students and teachers.

Motivation - By Tony Gurr

Initially as I scrolled through Tony Gurr's post on motivation  I was super confused. I quickly scrolled down and all I really saw were pictures with a few sentences in between each. This style of portraying a message was new to me, I've never really seen it done before. I had some doubts of course, how could Tony portray a strong message through a series of pictures? This definitely intrigued me, and I scrolled back up to truly read through the entire post. 

 

  As I was reading through the post I found myself entertained and mentally agreeing with pretty much everything he mentioned. One picture that really hit home was:

I believe everything within this picture is true. Think about it, if you didn't like someone why would you take the time to listen to their voice or thoughts or opinions. It may seem harsh to put it that way, but hey we're a bunch of temperamental teenagers here. The fact that we go through so many troubles already with friends, family and school already takes a toll on us. Now add in a teacher we dislike and you have the final missing piece to your puzzle of why we just give up on learning. No matter how good of  a person you are it is highly impossible for you to sit there for 2 hours for 10 months trying to absorb information from somebody when you truly dislike them.  

  The second point I believe is 100% true. Majority of tests are about memorizing facts. We study and study and study and try to drill these facts in to our little brains. We finish the test, and then toss away all that information aside, to be forgotten. Personally, I think testing does motivate students to learn but learn in a "bad" way. It's true we do learn facts when we memorize but tests encourage us to memorize all these facts to get a good grade, but never actually utilize this information and learn from it. I believe when you mark somebody on a test, it's like you're marking someone on how well they can memorize facts and information. We don't learn from memorization. We learn from expanding, using the knowledge, applying the knowledge on things etc...  Therefore the more you test, the more we try to memorize, and in the end less information has been absorbed. 

How would you feel if you had no voice to speak your mind? Everyday, us kids unwillingly go to school. We sit there for 6 hours while teachers pile on a bunch of homework and tests. We sit there, listening obediently to the teacher who most of the times do not give us many choices or allow us to use our voice to speak up. Through all 16 years of my life in school, it is rare to hear a teacher ask, " What would you guys like to learn in this course?" or "What do you guys want to do?" I believe we should be treated as equals in the classroom instead of the teacher having all the power. It's OUR education, so why can't we have a say in how learn things, or what we should learn? By giving us more choices and voices, it creates a more open and welcoming environment in the classroom. This is the ideal environment for kids and I can guarantee you that kids will thrive. 

  I fully agree on what Tony had to say. In order for kids to gain motivation to learn, we need to change the ways we're being taught. It's the little things such as more choices, less tests, new ways of gaining knowledge. It's not only the teachers responsibility, the students must also motivate themselves. If both can be achieved then I believe that is when kids will truly be learning. 

Motivation By Tony Gurr

      Tony Gurr's blog post was some what baffling. I wasn't use to the way of presenting as Tony Gurr has presented his blog. His style of displacement caught my observation and interest. Therefore I refreshed the page and read the post again until I understood what Tony Gurr's post meant. The words seemed to be off topic at the beginning but reading it the second time while relating to the images made me laugh often from the easy jokes that lures the readers in. For example in the beginning when Tony Gurr explained that long lasting passion burns from the inside, he also dared the readers to contradict him. Here I believe he both created a strong hook and also taught the second lesson of teaching: a voice. Tony Gurr posted this blog post to educate others, he made an example of asking for the learner's voice by asking them to contradict him. I may be reading into it too much but here I think that this is a great lesson in teaching others of how to teach.

      In the end I made a conclusion: I will not become a professional teacher.

      Why? I do not trust myself in holding the decision of a child's future. Just as Tony Gurr's post says: (If the student does not like me or does not have an inner passion for the subject which may require tests or other events, he or she will not learn well.)

      I agree with this image, teachers should give the students a reasonable amount of voice and choices so they don't feel as if they are prisoners.

      I also understand that a teacher can only create an environment and provide encouragements to the student to be motivated to learn, not to create motivation and try to stuff it down the student's throat. Motivation is ignited by passion, and passion can only be lit by the owner, not a by stander. Emotions can only be obtained by the individual, not by others because it is the individual's emotions, not others. Again teachers must be open, suggestive, encouraging...

      Tony Gurr's one of the last images made me laugh too. Ms.Pushover considers if she has choose the right career when all the students are goofing off. Here it is very sad because she did not realize that all children has those times of fooling around. She is not only wasting her own time, she is also throwing away the precious few years that the students have which will determine the rest of their life.

      

 Learning and teaching is everywhere.
Students and teachers are everyone.

Genius Hour #2 Peer Review

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1wNkitnFYvZInZwPdzLa9tdZlw7XmIAbCVAdyKgps914/viewform

Wings by Macklemore (poetry in motion)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8Yj1S3mJZ4&feature=youtube_gdata
I chose this song because of it's message. It talks about conformism and consumerism and how it has taken over our lives (so to speak). I find the message of the lyrics to be clear, strong, and inspiring.
Lyrics: Wings
Artist: Macklemore
Pictures: Google Images
Song: The Piano

Poetry that Moves!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-SYeuenWwo&feature=youtu.be

Poetry that Moves !

This is my poetry that moves creation! I hope you enjoy !

Song: Radioactive (Instrumental) by Imagine Dragons
Author of Poem: L.T. ( off tumblr )

Poetry That Moves — She Walks in Beauty

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah1_7oha6yI&feature=youtu.be

Voting in Canada should be required by law (meaning punishable by fines)

Voting for the right leader to help make our economy, education, and people satisfied is actually not that easy these days. The reason being is that not many people want to vote or vote in general. People always complain about the premier raising taxes, making driving laws harsh, making marijuana legal, and the list goes on.  People that don't vote don't have the right to complain, so why don't they just vote?

Voting helps get the voice of the people out there to make communities, towns, cities, and provinces much more efficient; it should be required to vote in Canada as a law, especially when it comes to choosing the right premier for the province. For example, people in Syria are suffering because of the government, the leader of many, has chosen to be a dictator, and killed the lives of many people the past several months. We should be lucky that we get to vote for a leader that is strong and that is willing to make our futures livable and safe, so we shouldn't just take voting for granted; we should use it as an advantage. People in third world countries don't have a say in their lifestyles; they barely get a chance to speak, especially women. People should stop complaining about government and take the time to vote; by making it a law with punishable fines, who wouldn't vote? This can help increase the chance of a successful premier, and likely, a happier province.

In conclusion, voting should be required by law, and the ones that don't vote get punishable fines; voting will help improve our democracy and the importance of elections; to be taken seriously. I agree to make this a new law, it can increase the chances of the new generations to become more active and involved in the Canadian democracy. As Canadian citizens, we should make voting a privilege and an advantage to continue to help strive our province to the very best, and if it means enforcing a law, let it be.

Media's Effects on Political Elections (Election Essay)

          When one talk about voting for the ‘best’ candidate, he or she is talking about voting for the candidate that will be the best person to manage a whole country or region. How are the citizens going to know who will be the best candidate? Just let the citizens find out who is the best candidate themselves? No, humans are generally lazy. If there is an easy path and a difficult path towards the same destination, one will generally choose the easier path. The parties use media to spread information about their leader. But is it really that simple? No. The media is more than a radio; it is also a powerful weapon.

                During political election, only stating one’s own party’s pros is not enough to compete with other parties out in the market. In order to win, a party does not only try to raise their own impressions, they also try to abase their competitors’ image. They do this by putting the cons of the opposition out into the media where everyone can obtain.

           The medium of the media cannot be trusted at all times. One may hear of the phrase ‘do not trust all you hear, do not believe all you read.’ This is right. There are facts and there are lies, we have to know how to differentiate and decide based on how we individuals truly believe.

Voting in Canada should be required by law (meaning punishable by fines).

Democracy is highly desired system of government. In Canada, we have the privilege of voting for our own representatives and we have a say in how country should be governed. The privilege should be utilized by Canadian citizens, yet in past elections such as the one held on May 2, 2011 only 61.1 % of Canada’s population showed up. I believe this is ridiculous; we are not taking advantage of our ability to vote. If the Canadian government implemented a fine for not voting, I believe we could change the 61.1 % to 100% allowing a real democracy government to run.

      Many citizens from different countries yearn to be able to have a democracy, places like the Middle East. Yet here we are with the privilege to vote and the whole population is not running to vote and have a say in how they will be governed. As Canadians, we are lucky to have such a great democracy but what point is there to have it if we are not utilizing it to our advantage. In the 1800’s Upper and Lower Canada rebelled and fought for a democratic government. In fact, they went through various violent rebellions and a long, grievous process to achieve any form of democratic government system. This long and arduous fight for democracy shows how important it was to the Canadian citizens back then. Why should the present day citizens not utilize this privilege when our ancestors fought so hard to gain this democracy. I believe this shows great disrespect.  By enforcing a law to make sure everyone votes will allow citizens to realize how important these elections really are.

    I believe there are many benefits to implementing a law to ensure 100% voter turnout. Firstly, if all citizens have a say into who will be governing us then it is a REAL democracy. Secondly, if everyone must vote, many will look into politics more and learn about the different parties. By learning and looking into politics the citizens will now be able to give an informed vote rather than a vote to whomever sounds like a cool guy. This will ensure that the best party due to everyone’s informed votes will govern us. Thirdly, by enforcing a law punishable by fines it will show the citizens of Canada how important these elections really are. The law will help the citizens realize that they are brushing off such an important and desirable privilege envied by many other countries. Many more people will become aware of elections and how to give an informed vote.

      I believe that implementing a law, punishable by fines for non-voters will significantly benefit Canada’s government system. It will not only improve our democracy but also give awareness to the importance of elections. In my opinion I strongly agree to create this new law, it will teach the younger generations (people like me) to show interest in our government system and ultimately be ready to give an informed vote when we are of legal age to vote. As Canadians, with this incredible privilege I believe it should be utilized to our advantage and if enforcing a law is what it takes then so be it. 

Genius Hour Peer Review- Languages

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1VhjSBMQ1QZt2VrTciKq9da5-K9DLY6ZGZbAN2NYydOk/viewform

Genius Hour #1 Peer Review

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How to Write a Literary Essay (Eva & Izabelle)

These links show... How to Write a Literary Essay...

1.

We chose this video because it was very easy to follow and the process of making a well written literary essay.

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoBMvxgjWvE

Like the first video, this video showed a much simpler way of writing a literary essay, once again, with easy steps.

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pgWD-PxYXc

This video showed the process of writing a literary essay much more in depth. It showed techniques of breaking down a question and how to answer a question for a literary response.

Persuasive Essay Samples

#1: Bringing Babies Back to Japan

 http://www.cambridge.org/other_files/downloads/esl/waw/089-110_WritersAtWork_CH04.pdf

Japanese society is facing its most serious threat in recent years. Japan’s birthrate keeps falling  steadily. If this continues, the population will get smaller and smaller. While the number of babies is decreasing, the average Japanese life span is increasing. It is one of the longest in the world. This is a national catastrophe because there are fewer working-age people who pay into the social security system, and there will eventually be too few workers. The Japanese can no longer delay addressing the issue of its shrinking population. The only way to grow the population is by bringing babies back to Japan. Japan’s entire social structure, including families, businesses, and the government, must work together to encourage families to have babies.

In the past, many people thought raising children to be the only goal and responsibility of women. Now, Japanese women no longer seem interested solely in raising children and society needs to accept this. Japanese women want to work, either for money or for their own interests. In fact, like many women in the world today, they would like to both work and raise children. But Japanese society is against this. Some companies, for example, even tell women to quit working when they get married or have children. As a result, Japanese women are having fewer children or no children at all. Society should help set up ways for them both to work and to have children.

One major force in society that has the power to enable women both to work and to raise children is Japanese companies. Usually, people don’t think of a company as a force in shaping families, but this attitude should be reconsidered. Japanese companies need to recognize their role in shaping families and think more about supporting them. First, they should offer affordable child care, and the government should help them. This would allow women to have children and still have a good career. According to my pen pal in Norway, for example, Norway has a good system of child care, where working mothers can even visit their children at lunchtime. Furthermore, in Norway, you can see a high rate of working women and a stable birthrate. The Norwegian child-care system is an appropriate example for Japan to follow.

Even though the raising of children is not an easy job or a traditional job for Japanese men, we must accept that it is partly men’s work, too. It is essential that Japanese fathers help more in the home. After all, the children are theirs, too. Also, the Japanese government and companies should set up a better system of parental leave so that both parents can care for their families. My brother-in-law, for example, didn’t take his parental leave because he thought it would hurt his career. I have heard many similar stories. It is important that fathers be able to take parental leave without threatening their jobs. In Norway, for instance, men can and do take paternity leave without concern for their careers. Perhaps Japanese companies should consider making paternity leave a requirement so that there could be no question about its impact on one’s career. Paternity leave is important because it helps families to understand the father’s role sooner, when babies are young.

Some Japanese couples think that parenting is too expensive. It is a pity that couples have to  abandon having children for economic reasons. It is the government’s job to help make child raising more affordable. Many countries’ governments are using different ways to help parents financially. These may include tax breaks or one-time payments to new parents. While it is true that many people don’t want to pay higher taxes to support other people’s children, producing the next generation of Japan is a question of our nation’s existence. Everyone, therefore, must help pay.

Increasing the birthrate is a key defense against the shrinking of Japanese society. There needs to be a balance between raising children and working. In order to find this balance, all members of Japanese society should participate in raising and paying for the cost of children. We had better take matters seriously for a bright Japanese future. Imagine your own old age, without any children. What would happen?

#2: The Failure of Abstinence-Only Programs

 http://www2.ivcc.edu/rambo/eng1001/sample_persuasive_essay.htm

        Sex education is important, but many students finish sex education classes with a distorted view of sexuality and without a good understanding of contraception and safe-sex practices. Instead, children only learn that they should not have sex until they are married. Abstinence-only programs in public schools have become popular because of a law giving millions of dollars to schools that teach the programs. These programs have the good intention of persuading young people to wait until marriage before having sex, but abstinence-only programs are not achieving this goal and are flawed by the distorted and biased perspective that they promote.

        In 1996, the United States government passed a law giving funding to states that offered abstinence-only programs in public schools. Since this time, over half of a billion dollars has been given to states to promote abstinence-only programs (Brody). To receive the money, schools must agree to follow a set of rules. The rules indicate that a school’s abstinence-only program must have "as its exclusive purpose teaching the social, psychological, and health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity" ("Impacts"). Students must be taught that they are likely to suffer harmful effects if they have sex before marriage. They also must be taught that the "expected standard" is for school-age children not to engage in sexual activity and for adults to engage in sexual relations only within marriage ("Impacts"). Schools receiving the funds must teach students that they should "just say no" to sex until they are married. The schools are not allowed to teach students about safe sex and "may not mention contraception except to point out the failure rates of various methods" (Brody). Some states have refused the federal funds so that their schools can determine their own ways to teach sex education, but 43 states participate in the program. With millions of dollars from the government every year, many schools now promote abstinence. They offer abstinence-only programs with encouraging titles such as "ReCapturing the Vision," "Teens in Control," and "My Choice, My Future!" ("Impacts"). They encourage students to sign virginity pledges vowing not to have sex until marriage, to proudly wear their "purity rings," and to carry their ATM ("abstinence till marriage") cards (Kelly). These programs encourage students to develop a strong sense of self and to avoid the negative consequences that might result from sexual activity, but there is a problem: abstinence-only programs do not work.

        Studies show that abstinence-only programs do not reduce sexual activity by young people. In 2007, the United States Department of Health and Human Services released a study of abstinence programs. This government-funded study involved more than 2000 students. The authors discovered that "findings from this study provide no evidence that abstinence programs implemented in upper elementary and middle schools are effective in reducing the rate of teen sexual activity" ("Impacts"). The authors concluded that "findings indicate that youth in the [abstinence-only] programs were no more likely" than students not in the programs "to have abstained from sex" ("Impacts"). In addition, "among those who reported having had sex, they had similar numbers of sexual partners and had initiated sex at the same mean age" ("Impacts"). Apparently, students did not benefit from all of the effort and the millions of dollars that have gone into these programs. Another study by Peter Bearman of Columbia University shows that "88 percent of middle and high schoolers who pledge to stay virgins until marriage end up having premarital sex anyway" (Kelly). He adds that "the bad news is that they are less likely to use contraception the first time they have intercourse" (Kelly). Dr. S. Paige Hertweck, a doctor who contributed to an American Academy of Pediatrics report on teen sexual activity, states that "teaching abstinence but not birth control makes it more likely that once teenagers initiate sexual activity they will have unsafe sex and contract sexually transmitted diseases" ("Doctors Slam Abstinence"). In abstinence-only programs, students are taught to "just say no" to sex. They are not taught the information that they need to know about safe sex and contraception if they later choose to say "yes," as many of them are doing.

        Abstinence-only programs also promote a distorted and biased view of sexuality. To receive funding, schools must follow the rules in the law for teaching abstinence-only programs. One of the rules is that students must be taught that the "expected standard of sexual activity" is a "monogamous relationship in the context of marriage" ("Impacts"). An estimated 88 to 99 percent of Americans have sex outside of marriage ("Many Who Pledge"), yet students must be taught that having sex only within marriage is "the expected standard." The rules also require that students be taught that having sex outside of marriage "is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects" ("Impacts"). Approximately nine out of ten Americans have sexual relations outside of marriage. Do most of them suffer "harmful psychological and physical effects," as the government has determined that students must be taught? The law presents a distorted view of sexuality, along with a biased view. In 2006, the government updated the funding guidelines to state that, in abstinence-only programs, "the term 'marriage' must be defined as 'only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife'" (Waxman 4). Promoting the government’s definition of marriage should not be a requirement for schools to receive funding for sex education programs. Senator Henry A. Waxman rightfully argues that "the benefits of abstinence from teenage sex should be taught in a way that does not further alienate gay and lesbian youth" (4). All students should benefit from sex education programs. Student Hunter Kincaid suggests how abstinence-only programs discriminate against gays and lesbians: "'As a gay student, I thought [the abstinence-only class] was ridiculous,' he says. 'Abstinence until marriage for people who can’t even get married'" (Kelly). A sex-education program should help all students make good decisions about sexual activity. It should not promote an unrealistic standard of behavior, should not promote a particular definition of marriage, and should not discriminate against some students.

        Sexual activity by young people is an important concern. In an ideal world, maybe everyone would wait until marriage before having sex and would then remain in a single, monogamous relationship. But this is not the reality. It might be a good goal to try to convince young people to wait until marriage before having sex, but taking this approach alone to sex education is not working. After ten years and a half of a billion dollars in federal funding, abstinence-only programs have not had a positive impact on the sexual behavior of teenagers. The programs may even cause harm because of the distorted and biased views that they promote and because of the information about safe sex and contraception that they do not teach. It is time to put an end to abstinence-only programs and to give students more comprehensive sex-education programs that better prepare them for the future.

#3: Why People Shouldn't Watch Too Much Television

 http://eslbee.com/why_people_should_not_watch_too_much_television.htm

        Watching television is an experience shared by most adults and children. It is cheap, appealing, and within the reach of the general public. In this way, TV has become an important mass media around the world. Sadly, this resource isn’t used in a way that people could get the best possible benefits from it. The purpose of this essay is to persuade the reader that people shouldn’t watch too much television because the content of many TV programs is not educational; it makes people waste time that could be used in more beneficial activities; and it negatively affects people’s mental development.

        The first reason why people shouldn’t watch too much television is because the content of many TV programs is not educational. Nowadays, we can see movies, series, and shows that present scenes of violence, sex, and drugs. This has established wrong concepts among the audience that influence them into having a negative behavior. Moreover, the impact this tendency has on children is worse because they grow up with the idea of a world where women must be slender and blonde to stand out, where problems can only be solved with money and violence, and where wars are inevitable.

        The second reason why people shouldn’t watch too much television is because it makes people waste time that could be used in more beneficial activities. The time we spend watching TV could be applied to useful activities like exercise, reading, interacting with friends and family, activities that are a crucial for a healthy lifestyle.

        The third reason why people shouldn’t watch too much television is because it negatively affects people’s mental development. According to several scientific studies, watching TV for prolonged periods of time has a negative effect over the intellectual development of children and leads to deterioration of the mental capacity in older people by causing both attention and memory problems in the long term.

        In conclusion, people shouldn’t watch too much television because the content of many TV programs is not educational; it makes people waste time that could be used in more beneficial activities; and it affects people’s mental development. However, this doesn’t mean that we should ban TV, but if we are going to watch it, we should do it with moderation. Television is a resource that we should learn to use through the right selection of programs by taking an active and critical attitude towards it.

Why are these essays good?

CATCHY HOOKS

ORGANIZED ARGUMENTS

NOT BIASE ( shows counter arguments)

PERSONAL EXAMPLES

FORMAL EXAMPLES AND SUGGESTIONS

FINAL CONCLUSION

Essay #1 revised

Temptation is what grabs someone’s attention. It may lead most people to bad things, and someone may not realize that they end up hurting others along the way. Other times, it could be for the right reasons that people are being tempted, but no one may seem to agree. So, 'it's sometimes necessary to do things you know are wrong in order to achieve an important goal.'

  Reaching a goal to be proud of an achievement could bring people down and mistakes will be made in the process, but not what was intentionally wanted. Even though chasing a goal for all the right reasons is difficult, but by having someone to give support, anything is possible. It doesn't mean it is a selfish act; everyone has the same reasons that anyone else that would want to achieve an important goal, would do, in order to be satisfied. Sometimes it is necessary to do the wrong things in order to achieve an important goal because it could be the best or worst decision that was ever made. Even though mistakes will be made, everyone will learn from them because no one is perfect and mistakes shape personalities and strengthen people’s wisdom. Most people learn differently from their mistakes. For instance, being in trouble for the same thing countless times, but it teaches people to try again and never give up no matter how hurtful it may be.

In the beginning, the word 'temptation' was used, it is true; temptation can bring the best or worse out of people, but what influences the decision of people to do so? Usually by following temptation could be for various reasons. For example, trying to fight for something with a passion; such as love for someone or something.
Also, being around the wrong influences could lead others past the main goal to something worse and unexpected. Even though these may influence decisions of many, it is also important to think about the goal and the people that may get hurt along the way, or if the goal is worth fighting for.
Remember that the heart only gives out emotions, but does not think like the mind; the mind depends on knowledge, not feelings. Such as thinking of the consequences first before going into action because trust and respect maybe lost. These are all things to consider when fighting for an important goal. 

Therefore, never give up on goals or dreams, and let no one tell you what to do with your life because life is not always about following other people’s opinions; it could cause people to feel regretful and weak. Discovering a path could lead many possibilities that would have never been thought of; learning from mistakes, even after many trails will help in the present and future. 

Making decisions will help now and later on, and even though the process of following a goal may hurt people; sometimes it is necessary to do things that are wrong to achieve an important goal.

Power Always Corrupts The One Who Holds It - REVISED

            John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton once said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."

                 Beyond all else, the world yearns for power. Throughout the history of man, rulers, peasants, philosophers, and leaders have all committed countless murders, genocides, and masterminded a number of duplicities. All committed in the attainment of power. These men start off kind-hearted but with time and exposure to power they become corrupt. Power is a mighty force; it affects the way people behave and dominates one’s mind. It is in a way a powerful drug that can lead one’s life downhill. Power always corrupts the one who holds it.

               It is human nature to always want more. Power boosts this selfish nature to such a high extent that many become corrupted. This has been going on since the beginning of time. Back in the day leaders of different countries fought for land. They believed the more land they owned, the more power they obtained. For example an unclaimed land with an abundance of resources meant cheap supplies to build things that could be sold for profit. Whilst countries may already have an abundance of resources, leaders see this unclaimed land as an opportunity to gain power over more people and power in economics. The leaders desire more control and power then they already have, and are willing to fight one another to prove that they are the best. They no longer care about the safety of the people, they desire more land and will do anything to obtain it. This situation has caused countless wars being fought which resulted in many deaths and poverty within citizens.

              There are two types of power, socialized power and personalized power. There is a simple distinction between these two types of power. Socialized power is power used to benefit others while personalized power is power used for personal gain. Leaders often use both powers equally to govern a society, group, or business. The corruption begins when the personalized power starts to dominate. The leaders gain but often from the follower’s expense. For example, Marie Antoinette was a French queen that was despised by the people of France. In the beginning the people of France had no complaints towards the way she and King Louis XV governed, but Marie Antoinette was soon dominated by her personalized power; she bought a diamond necklace worth more than the income of France in a year. The necklace had cost many lives because France was already in debt, and had no money to help feed starving citizens. The personal desire for something extravagant combined with the domineering effect of personalized power was the cause of corruption for Marie Antoinette.

                Power has a drug-like effect on humans. Some may describe it as intoxicating, and feel a rush of excitement from even the tiniest tastes of power. Once power has been embedded into the human system it creates the need to gain more. Scientists have discovered the feeling of power is similar to the effects of cocaine. The rush of power increases testosterone and in turn leads to raised dopamine levels, also known as the brain’s reward system and is very addictive. This effect is also obtained when humans consume cocaine. Too much dopamine leads to arrogance and impatience as well as many other negative effects. This excess amount of dopamine is why people with power act impulsively and outlandishly. The addictive side effect of power evokes negative behaviour much like a drug addict with no drugs to consume. The negative behaviour and the addictiveness of power is what cause corruption to power holders.

                Power may arguably be a human’s most vicious enemy. It can boost the negative side of human nature; the desire to want more, and can have similar effects as a dangerous drug. While there are two types of power, personalized power is the more domineering type and humans are easily susceptible by it. Many leaders start off with good intentions but due to the extreme power on their hands they are lured to the dark side. It is indisputable that power always corrupts the one who holds it. 

Violence Can Bring Positive Change- REVISED

                                  Violence Can Bring Positive Change                    Melissa Lin

George Orwell once said, “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”

When the word “violence” is uttered the first things that many think of are negative. It is common to picture fighting, blood, and death. Is that all violence is? The word violence has been misconstrued for it is only ever used to describe horrid fights or rebellions but there are always two sides to a story. Despite the common misconception of violence and its negative effects it actually has the ability to bring about positive changes.

   Violence is not just inflicting pain; it is also a sign that shows you when things need to be changed. Only when you get hurt do you realize that something is wrong, for example the Egyptian Rebellion in 2011. The Egyptians had many reasons to rebel, but one of the major factors was the safety of the people.  They had brutal police forces that beat the peaceful protestors unconscious. When the string of attacks became continuous the people of Egypt realized something was wrong. People who were supposed to protect them from dangers were the ones inflicting violence to innocent citizens. The violent attacks on the people were a sign to the citizens that they needed a change, and through a rebellion the positive change came. The President resigned and the brutal police force attacks have come to an end.

   Violence is the most effective way of getting the public’s message across. The French Revolution is a perfect example. Due to the corrupt government, French citizens were starving, in debt, and had no say in the wellbeing of the country. When Marie Antoinette was informed about her citizens asking for food, she did nothing to help them. The French citizens were furious, and decided it was time for a serious change. Several years later, when the revolution began Marie Antoinette’s head was severed. This act of violence displayed the hatred and disapproval of Marie, and heeded a warning to the next person in ruling. The public used the violent act of beheading their ruler to demonstrate the anger in the country.

  Another example of violence bringing positive change is the Lower and Upper Canadian rebellions. For many years, the colonists had no say in government and were ruled by oligarchies who only wanted to benefit themselves. They asked for change by writing a list of grievances, and the British denied them. The answer displeased the colonists, and rebellions broke out. They used violence to display their message of wanting a democratic government system. Although, the colonists did not win the rebellions, their voices were heard. Today, in present day society a democratic system of government is currently running. This freedom  to vote and have a say in government would not have been present if the colonists did not use violence to get their voices heard and message across.

     Violence should not always be looked at as the criminal; it does more than just inflicting pain on others. History is full of violence, but without those violent battles we could not be living as comfortable as we are today. The acts of violence can heed us a warning that things need to change, it is an effective method to get the public's message heard. Misconstrued and shamed, violence has always been looked at from a negative angle. Think about what this "awful"  violence  has brought us, a democracy, safer living environments, and freedom. Step back and view this violence from another angle and it is evident that violence can bring positive change. 

Essay #2

It's raining outside, you're home alone and you have nothing to do. Why not play soccer in the house? Even if your mother has advised you not to do so? Suddenly, you hit a table, knocking over your mother's one-of-a-kind and extremely expensive vase. Your reaction is to slow to stop the vase from falling

Crash

Shards of shattered glass are at your feet. Your jaw drops to the ground and your face is in shock. What do you do now? Cleaning up the mess, stressed, worried, and guilty, you try putting the pieces together, but it's no use. This situation can go two ways, a choice between lying or telling the truth. Lying seems much more convenient, so you tell your mother a robber broke into the house and stole the vase. She calls the police and you need to answer some questions. You're telling the police what happened. The police men are searching the house for evidence. Little did you know, police men can detect a liar when they see one. A bag full of shards that was carelessly placed in the garage was found. Your mother is angry and can no longer trust you again.

It's not necessary to take decisive, pre-emptive action against someone because you fear what he/she might do.

There are reasons why someone would take action and lie, it could be from various situations. Such as a mistake that was made; jealousy, and cheating. Just like in Julius Caesar, Act I, Brutus doesn't tell Portia about the plot of Caesar's assassination because he was afraid how she might react; cheating by copying off the answers from someone close by on an exam. Even jealousy or being envious, by stealing something from someone else.

For reasons why someone would lie and take action, there is logic why lying has negative effects. Firstly, getting into lots of trouble as mentioned earlier. Also, hurting someone emotionally because of words or actions that possibly have been said or done. This can lead to no trust and feeling guilty, such as using a friend to make a goal achievable. Not thinking of the situation carefully before going into action. For example, when cheating on a test with a phone and not knowing if anyone close by is watching. This could result in being caught by a teacher or student, and it will result a zero and possibly a phone call home.

To prevent any of these problems from happening in the future is by telling the truth! Honesty is the best policy as most people say, and by lying it could result in karma; most of us know karma... Isn't such a good thing when it comes back. Also, don't let feelings make judgments on the reaction of the situation because this could lead to worse decisions when being under pressure. Lastly, thinking of actions and words before making an attempt. Just stop for a minute and think, 'is this worth it? Will taking action possibly hurt someone else including myself?'

To conclude, remember that even though getting into trouble because of reckless and careless mistakes, to apologize and tell the truth. This is how people learn from their mistakes.

So remember, even though lying is an option, it's not going to do any good for anyone. It's best to be honest because karma is not the best thing to get in return.   

Julius Caesar Essay #2

Without doubt, it's necessary and reasonable to take precaution decisions against the potential dangerous people around a person. One makes this decision based on past events and the characteristics of the opposite. One takes precautions to prevent future events that may bring clouds and unfavorable events to him or her. One should be extremely cautious in making choices around their possible enemies. Even if it may just be a false alarm, it is always sagacious for one to take decisive and preemptive actions to protect themselves.

The history has provided sufficient examples to prove this. At the end of World War II, China’s party leader of the Republic of China Mao ZeDong had the highest power of any power in China at the time. Mao knew that period of time will be very short, he knew he wanted to be an emperor, thus he took actions to hold onto his power by carrying out events that would let the time ‘pause’ at the age of time. Another country took immediate movements. USA learn from the 9.11 twin tower attack, so they held many plans and movements to prevent another National tragedy from stepping under into the American roof.

Preventing tragedies and danger from occurring does not only exist in the real world. In the Greek creation epic, Cronus was poisoned by his son Zeus and wife Rhea for Zeus and Rhea imagined what Cronus would do to his ‘children’ when he finds out that his children hated him and were getting stronger and stronger than what Cronus originally meant for them to be. Zeus and Rhea knew what Cronus did to Cronus’ brothers and their babies: Cronus killed them and trapped them for the fear of losing his throne. Here we can see not only one but two generations of gods taking precautionary actions to ensure their own safety and power. Another example would be the famous Harry Potter Series character: Lord Valdemort. After hearing the prediction from the witch who foreseen a boy born in June into one of the powerful families of wizards will be the cause of the downfall and end of Valdemort, he went and took actions in seeing that no boys born in June will live that long to kill He Who Must Not Be Named.

The society has always been dangerous and cunning from various subjects, it is just different as different ages pass and come. Even now our society is insecure place with traps and liars lurking around, also filled with worse things that one does not want to even think about. In the end, and always, there is no way of determining absolute safety. The only way is to be on guard to enemies, and have an open heart to friends. Better be safe than sorry don’t you think?

            

Power always corrupts the one who holds it- Response

Imagine being given the power to obtain or do anything you want, to rule nations or sail the world. What would you do? Would you use this opportunity to make good or would the extremity of what you have get to you? It is said that power can corrupt the week and the strong, but is this really true?

In Paris France power and corruption have been known to come together often throughout their history. One of the most common examples of this would be in the year 1774. This was the year Marie-Antoinette became queen of France. She and Louis Augustus sent the country into overwhelming debt due to their money use, parties, and lavish outings. Psychologically these actions were brought on by unhappiness, a need to give them a look of extreme power, and to intimidate their people.

Psychology is a major factor in this theory. The kindest person could be too turned violent and venomous with large amounts of control. Literature, media, and history all show this happening. The possibility of exaggeration is always possible but patterns have been known to appear. When given the ability to control in small doses humans can undertake this responsibility with success, but there are consequences to large amounts.

If you were given a million dollars what would you do? The majority of people asked would say they would travel the world, go on an enormous shopping spree, and buy a jet. These are all fun things to do but are they truly necessary? In a sense the lavishness of your changed life would almost be a way of showing of and demonstrating your wealth and power.

I have found that power can corrupt. It can take over the mind and reset your goals, and morals. This may not be done consciously but the gradual change would happen. Eventually it is found that most can’t handle the pressure and crack. The answer is power can corrupt, but can this corruption be reversed?

Power Always Corrupts the One Who Holds It

              John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton once said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."

               Beyond all else, the world yearns for power. Throughout the history of man, rulers, peasants, philosophers, and leaders have all committed countless murders, genocides, and masterminded a number of duplicities. All committed in the attainment of power. These men start off kind-hearted but with time and exposure to power they become corrupt. Power is a mighty force; it affects the way people behave and dominates one’s mind. It is in a way a powerful drug that can lead one’s life downhill. Power always corrupts the one who holds it.

               It is human nature to always want more. Power boosts this selfish nature to such a high extent that many become corrupted. Humans strive to be the best of the best. This has been going on since the beginning of time. Back in the day leaders of different countries fought for land. They believed the more land they owned, the more power they obtained. For example an unclaimed land with an abundance of resources meant cheap supplies to build things that could be sold for profit. Whilst countries may already have an abundance of resources, leaders see this unclaimed land as an opportunity to gain power over more people and power in economics. The leaders desire more control and power then they already have, and are willing to fight one another to prove that they are the best. They no longer care about the safety of the people, they desire more land and will do anything to obtain it. This situation has caused countless wars being fought which resulted in many deaths and poverty within citizens.

              There are two types of power, socialized power and personalized power. There is a simple distinction between these two types of power. Socialized power is power used to benefit others while personalized power is power used for personal gain. Leaders often use both powers equally to govern a society, group, or business; history books never mention a poor king or queen. The corruption begins when the personalized power starts to dominate. The leaders gain but often from the follower’s expense. For example, Marie Antoinette was a French queen that was hated by the people of France. In the beginning the people of France had no complaints towards the way she and King Louis XV governed. Marie Antoinette was soon dominated by her personalized power; she bought a diamond necklace worth more than the income of France in a year. The necklace had cost many lives due to the fact that France was already in debt. The personal desire for something extravagant and the domineering effect of personalized power were the cause of corruption for Marie Antoinette.

                Power has a drug-like effect on humans. Some may describe it as intoxicating, and feel a rush of excitement from even the tiniest tastes of power. Once power has been embedded in the human system it creates the need to gain more. Scientists have discovered the feeling of power is similar to the effects of cocaine. The rush of power increases testosterone and in turn leads to raised dopamine levels, also known as the brain’s reward system and is very addictive. This effect is also obtained when humans consume cocaine. Too much dopamine leads to arrogance and impatience as well as many other negative effects. This excess amount of dopamine is why people with power act impulsively and outlandishly. This addictive side effect of power evokes negative behaviour much like a drug addict with no drugs to consume. The negative behaviour is what causes corruption to power holders.

                Power may arguably be a human’s most vicious enemy. Power can boost the negative side of human nature; the desire to want more, and can have similar effects as a dangerous drug. While there are two types of power, personalized power is the more domineering type and humans are easily susceptible by it. Many leaders start off with good intentions but due to the extreme power on their hands they are lured to the dark side. It is indisputable that power always corrupts the one who holds it. 

No Red Pill, No Blue Pill - Response

“You take the blue pill, the story ends; you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” The Matrix

Starting of this post on learning and internet communication with this quote was a gripping idea. It intrigues the reader and gets them to continue reading. To some the writing style that continued after the quote could be considered beautiful, I on the other hand have a different view on the subject and style.

In this entry she stresses how well blogging and the internet can enhance learning. She describes how bland a class without some form of internet communication or work can be. My opinion on this matter is very different. Personally I find the action of writing on paper or reading a book to be relaxing. Not only for my eyes but also for my mind. Yes I do agree with the author on how important communication is during the learning process but I don’t believe you need blogs and the internet to do so. Pen pals, teachers, and pear review are all ways to do this. The irony of posting this on a blog does not escape me. I do see the positive side of using social media in learning, but my view on the matter is remains different.

The blog itself though was genius. Ana Cristina Pratas is a wonderful writer. The words she uses paint an image in your head and her style is unique. It is evident by her grammar that she is a teacher! When reading some other entries, her writing almost felt elegant. One thing that I did find was that her style of writing could be jumpy at times. To me it didn’t seem to flow. This was apparent to me in the first paragraph (I didn’t notice it much anywhere else).

Aside from her article the rest of the blog was very interesting. She writes about a wide variety of topics. When writing her entries I noticed that she likes to use visuals. I like the idea of having them there to enhance the message of her writing. At times I felt like this cluttered the blog. The idea of adding pictures and videos was excellent but in some areas there seemed to be a lot.  

Though there where some areas of the blog and article that I did not particularly agree with I do have to appreciate her style and thoughts. Ana Cristina Pratas has a talent for writing that has to be appreciated by the reader. If asked the question “would I continue reading her work?” I would say yes. Her work can be critiqued but her work is art. She expresses her thoughts and opinions freely with unique descriptions. For this reason I would have to state that Ana Cristina Pratas is a phenomenal writer.

Sometimes it is necessary to do things that are wrong in order to achieve an important goal...

“Don’t be afraid to give up the good for the great”- Steve Prefontaine.

Back in 1972 a legend was born to the media. Steve Prefontaine was an Olympic 3000m runner who ran for the U.S.A team and before that for the University of Oregon. He was incredible to watch. He would push himself harder and during certain races gamble with whatever race he was in. Calculate speed to win just at the correct moment every time. Steve proved to many that “sometimes it is necessary to do things you know are wrong in order to achieve an important goal”.  

When setting a goal I believe that you don’t see the bad. All that you picture in your mind is the wonderful outcome at the end. But for many this is not the case. To get to your goal it requires work and dedication. Sometimes this can lead to disappointments along the way. Putting down others or yourself is very common in these types of situations. They always have been. Sometimes choosing to hurt other’s happens involuntarily, but regardless sometimes it is necessary to achieve the impossible.  

Throughout history there are records of this happening. Back in 63 B.C.E during Julius Caesars reign on the Roman Empire he achieved many things. Introduced the sewer system, expanded the territory and tried to bring back the room he loved. But with these great accomplishments came a price. Rome started building a steady debt, and many were lost in the wars fought. This is not the only time though. During world war two Canada fought alongside Britain and the United states to help bring peace and end the atrocities that were taking place in Germany. Many died for this cause or developed various diseases. A more current example is the fight to stop child labour. Many invade these jail like factories to rescue the children and bring them to safety. On these raids though it is very common for people to get lost, hurt, or even arrested.  

In all of these instances passion has been the driving force behind these actions. Passion to make the world a better place or even passion for a goal or something you want to obtain physically. Since this is such a common emotion these acts are common amongst all age groups. The damage made on the course to these victories doesn’t always have to be physical. It can also be done verbally or psychologically.

When taking the gamble to hurt or do something wrong to achieve something great there is always the possibility that it might not turn out the way you thought it would. Rome over through Caesar because of his conquests. Jealousy and pride can come in the way and make matters worse.  When taking these risks (whether of being conscious about it or not) you are opening up to millions of possibilities, good and bad. This means that knowing possible outcomes and weighing options out first is always a good way to start to determine if people would profit from the occurrence in the end.

Some are willing to take the risk and be non-conformists willingly, while for others it happens by accident. Regardless of the situation there are only to outcomes, good and bad. With this being a fifty, fifty chance would you be willing to take the risk?