Thank you for sharing...

i felt so touched in class tonight by everyone's stories.  i really commend the few that shared deep personal stories, it was very brave of you to share it with perfect strangers.  to be honest, hearing your stories made me put things in my life into perspective.  i cannot tell you enough how much i needed a "reality check" personally because i know i have been losing sight of what is important to me and what really matters.  at the same time it makes me feel good to know that there are genuine good selfless people such as yourselves out there.  to take care of your sisters babies while still going to school is unbelievable.  good luck to you guys..

Should He Be Forced to Have a Vasectomy?

I came across this story while driving home, listening to one of my favorite radio shows-93.5 with Michael Baisden. There is a 29 year old man that has 21 kids-by several "baby momma's" who is complaining about paying child support. His check is garnished monthly and it leaves him with no money to survive on. All of his kids are under 12 years old and because there are so many, some mothers only receive $2 a month. He says, "he didn't mean to set a record, it just happened."

A listener called in an purposed that this man be forced to have a vasectomy. I thought this would be an interesting topic to blog about. So, what do you think?

I have very mixed feeling about this. Part of me says, "oh for sure....cut it off "(sorry fellas), but the other part of me feels that he is not the only one to blame and the punishment should be shared. The women, who gave birth for this sorry excuse for a man, are at fault also. Unless they did not know of the other 20 kids (which I think is not possible being that they live in the same city), then they should not expect to receive any type of support from him, so don't ask. Take care of your baby yourself and have play dates with the rest of the clan.

Texing a Texer

Texing seems to be the best way to communicate now a days. But why are we changing the English language when we do it? As a mother and frequent texer, I receive full pages of texes that only contain acronyms. I get three letters such as IDK, OMG, LOL, WTF, that would all display complete sentences. Yeah, we may say it's quicker and easier to get through a tex if we shorten the words, but on the flip side of that are we dumbing ourselves up? I noticed once while writing a paper I used every acronym I knew or could think of. This only caused me to lose time because I had to write, rewrite and write again.
I prefer my children to tex me full, because when I get things like this" Ma wr u @?, Hw lng is da mtg?, is ur daughter hm, or wt it do?" Simply urkes the he double hockey sticks out of me. It takes longer to sometimes figure out what the message says than it does to tex. So lets help our future and demand they use full words even if it's a tex.

A Sad Day for California

Although I am gay, I have never been an advocate for "Gay Rights". It definitely isn't because I don't believe that we deserve the same rights as any other human being--rather I simply don't have the time to dedicate to the cause. After today's Supreme Court ruling--I really wish I would have given some of my time to fight the biogtry and discrimination that still exists.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that everyone has a right to an opinion--but this is more than just an opinion--this is about human rights. I am much more than a tax-payer, student, parent, and homeowner--I am a human being and deserved to be treated as such.

Although I am disappointed in today's ruling--I hold on to the faith that someday ALL HUMANS WILL BE TREATED EQUALLY--and I truly believe that we will get to that day!

A man in need

Today as I was waiting for the bus, I saw a homeless man on a wheelchair trying to cross the street. As he was pushing his chair with one leg, many people walk passed him not giving him a second glance. The man was struggling to get across but his wheelchair was not cooperating. The light turn red and the cars were getting impatient to drive on that they went around him. At one point, a metro bus when right passed him that I taught he had hit him. I was shocked and frozen still unable to see the man. Finally the bus went by and I saw the man still struggling to get across. As he was approaching the sidewalk, a young man stopped the cars from moving, grabbed the chair and pushed the man to safety. What had prevented all those folks from helping this poor man?
I started to thing about times when I could have been helpful to a stranger, and many times I would thing twice before acting upon those feelings. For the most part, that “should I or shouldn’t I” thought would play in my head with the maybe not prevailing. . In all this I could only thing: Where is our compassion for humanity?

Opinionated

I learned not so long ago that just because I hear something in the media or from my social network, doesn't necessarily mean it's true. In the past, I made quick judgments without even investigating the issue. I relied solely on feelings, but never facts. The problem with working in this manner is that I was generally unable to support my stance--I had no supporting information to back up what I was saying. Really all I could offer was useless rhetoric to try to make sense of serious issues. As we can all agree (or not)--this tends to lead to bad decisions.

Recently in class, there was a discussion about waterboarding. Many of my classmates honed in--presenting their negative views and feelings behind this deliberate form of torture. Many of my classmates were ready to be both the judge and jury and convict governmental officials for their participation in this practice. My natural inclination was to jump on their bandwagon--Yeah! Convict them all! But based on what? Like everyone else, the only information we had on waterboarding was that which was being blasted in the media. Like Professor Tabor said, no one had seen the governmental reports that showed if the program successfully broke up a "plot" or "attack" that could have affected thousands of American citizens. It seemed that we were all very quick to just pass an opinion without having all the facts. Now this is not to say that I agree with waterboarding--what I am saying is that I don't know enough about it to make an educated stance.

Over the past few months, I've really started to pay attention to how I respond to things I hear. I try to listen more and react less. I try to spend more time investigating the issue before I pick a side. I think being less opinionated and more educated on issues has helped me mature into a better student, a better parent, and a better person.

Need to Relax!!!

What happen to the forty work week? We American are working longer hours. And it doesn't seem that the salary is going anywhere, only the taxes are going sky high.
As for myself I work sixty hours a week. I am on the computer all day. And still I don't have time take a breather. What Happen!!! I hope everyone takes time and relax over this Memorial Weekend. Please give thanks to the men & women who volunteer their service to protect this country.

Right to Vote

I am on a roll! We voted on 5/19/09; I was glad that people went out to vote, however I was somewhat disappointed that only 19% of Californian excercise their right. We had to send a clear messages to our beloved Governor that propositions were a joke.

"Pile of Nerve"

Ok! lets see if I got it this time; I am on the computer all day long but never have I "Blog" . I Can't get it!

FTF's (Full Time Fathers)

I seem to have a theme going on here with my blogs (mothers now fathers) but, I wanted to salute the men who take on the role of what is called "womens work" and stay home to raise the kids.

Ladies, there are good men out there. These men go unnoticed. They have set their pride and masculinity issues down to take on the hardest job in the world (raising their kids-sometimes another mans kid). They are changing diapers, making lunches, answering all of the "but why" questions and reading bedtime stories, (women have done it for years).

As Fathers Day approach, let us not think of all the negative stereotypes we hear about the "no good man" with babies by different "baby momma's", paying no child support. Let's celebrate those men who don't just phone in their fatherhood or send it in a monthly check. Let's salute the FTF's.

If you know any of these men, (your father, brother, husband) give them a shot out on this post.

Great Book!

A Long Way Gone:Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. I read this a long time ago, but was reminded of it when MT was talking about the child soldiers in Uganda. I believe it is set in Sierra Leone.

Here is a blurb about it:

"A gripping story of a child’s journey through hell and back.
There may be as many as 300,000 child soldiers, hopped-up on drugs and wielding AK-47s, in more than fifty conflicts around the world. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them. He is one of the first to tell his story in his own words.
In A LONG WAY GONE, Beah, now twenty-six years old, tells a riveting story. At the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he’d been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts. Eventually released by the army and sent to a UNICEF rehabilitation center, he struggled to regain his humanity and to reenter the world of civilians, who viewed him with fear and suspicion. This is, at last, a story of redemption and hope."

Missed Mondays Class

Hi everyone, i was unable to attend Mondays class and i was just wondering if anyone can fill me in to what happened.  did the professor say anything new about the essay due Wednesday or anything of that sort?  i would greatly appreciate it THANX....  : )

It's never too late . . .

"It's never too late to become the person you might have been." - George ElliotWhat an inspiriting quote. It is never late to do anything.

inspiration to graduate

better version of Clinton commencement speech in Yankee stadium.
President Obama commencement speech at Arizona State University

Student Achievement

Commencement ...is much more about inspiration and achievement than it is about pomp and circumstance. ...help identify outstanding graduates whose achievements are newsworthy .... If possible, the student should plan to attend Commencement. We want graduating seniors or master's candidates who:
... achieved extraordinary academic distinction
... provided outstanding community service
... earned a degree despite hardships or disabilities
... and/or majored in an unusual or non-traditional field. We encourage you to share human-interest stories about students you've witnessed make tremendous positive transformations at CSULA. News coverage that highlights our students and the University's beneficial impact on individuals and the region can foster campus pride, strengthen community awareness, and encourage others to pursue academic achievements. Provide ...about students with story:
... name
... brief description (major, city, student's outstanding story, etc.)
... contact info (email and phone number, if possible)
... name and phone number of nominating faculty
SEE ME if you have a candidate ... or comment here

Gangs - ways to approach

Causation: social structure, family, individual
Solutions: (hope), (blame), (someone else's fault), racism
Ethnography: argot, dress, guns, organization of the business enterprise
History: parallel with US history
Comparison: Latin gangs, Asian gangs, white gangs, Armenian gangs

Belonging - this week's work

Name: ____________
Title: Old - New
Grade: ___ to ___ or just ____ or "None"
If none, "Bin" for Thursday 4PM or not?
Category: ___________, _____________, ___________ (at least two)
Agreement: Stop (keep grade), revise (comment), oversight (which section)
Comments: ________________________
Publish or no: Yes or No
Anonymous or Authored: ____________

Observation Paper.

The first Salvadoran Student Conference was held this Saturday at UCLA. It was my first time participating in a conference; the first conference that explored Salvadoran issues, from past to present. From the women's role in the Cilvil war, music and art, current problems affecting Salvadoran students in El Salvador and the US. I was amazed how many Salvadoran students from different universities participated. The workshops were given by Salvadoran professors from El Salvador and the US. I must admitt that this was a great experienced because it made me realized the new generation of Salvadoran students are the hope for El Salvador. I want to write my observation based on this experience. Tabor, can you let me know if this is a good topic for my paper.

Happy Mothers Day Madonna and Angelina. But What About The Kids In The US?

A friend of mine recently adopted a 5 year old boy-who had been in the system since he was 4 months; she celebrated her 1st Mothers Day yesterday. The story she tells of how many kids were in the system waiting to be adopted almost brought me to tears.

I realized that I'm so tired of this new celebrity trend of going to proverty stricken countries and coming back with a child like they're a souvenior and wondered if I was the only one who felt this way. So I'm blogging to find out if I'm alone.

Celebrities like Angelina and Madonna parade around like they're compaigning for Mother of the Year. I wonder if these celebrities gave flowers to their nannies yesterday because those are the ones who are the real mothers-the ones who take care of all of those multi-cultural children.

While opening up your home to those less fortunate is honorable; it would be nice to see these celebrities put their money back into the country who's given them their financial means. Our kids need a home also.

Mexican language (Portrait)

Hi everyone. For my portrait paper I want to write about Mexican language. I always thought only Mexican speak Spanish but by doing research and speaking with people of Spanish decent my perception to this type of group (Mexicans) changed. I just want to know if this an legitimate topic for the assignment.

Family and Sociology and Time

y Poverty leads either to very weak family ties—when the burdens of living outweigh the joys and joylessness, hopelessness, and fear is passed on to the kids—or very strong ties—when immense gratitude builds up for the countless times one family member sacrifices for another in need. Such repeated sarifice and display of love builds trust. This is why, if we were poor, generalizations about povety ring hollow. There is much variation.

y There are many kinds of poverty, too. Poverty of the wallet, of the support system, of the spirit, of physical development, of beauty, of creativity, of the psychological openness, of the family, of love, of adventure, of reading, of thinking, of playing. Each person is his or her own exact "intersection" of all these things, moving through time, and, while it's true one's disposition can be traced to genes and social circumstance, one's quest is sui generis from a core awareness that is within.

y If you turn around and see you came from a weak or non-existent family structure, you had better create one from the assembled. A person needs a group. Paradox is that a group needs a person with interests both inside and outside the group, so family and other structures are always adjusting, strengthening, weakening as strangers come in and out of groups and alliances break and are formed. Many different group-based interests pull and shape a person and groups are strengthened by balancing balanced persons.

Mexican American

i am a 4th generation mexican american and i do not know spanish but want to learn.  i grew up in a very Americanized household with my very Mexican grandma.  its difficult for me at times being 4th generation Mexican because i find that i am judged a lot by especially "Mexican Mexican" people.  While at ELAC i took several chicano studies classes because i wanted to know more about the culture and its history and found all of it very interesting.  while taking these classes i was extremely frustrated because everyone would either say that i wasnt really "Mexican" because i dont know spanish and should be ashamed.  honestly i hear this all the time, even till recently.  i find it very odd because from my understanding..your culture is you and what you yourself makes of it.  its just so frustrating that a lot Mexican Mexicans are against Mexican Americans trying to learn about the culture. 

I would never uderstand christains who act like this

FINDLAY, Ohio – A student at a fundamentalist Baptist school that forbids dancing, rock music, hand-holding and kissing will be suspended if he takes his girlfriend to her public high school prom, his principal said.

Despite the warning, 17-year-old Tyler Frost, who has never been to a dance before, said he plans to attend Findlay High School's prom Saturday.

Frost, a senior at Heritage Christian School in northwest Ohio, agreed to the school's rules when he signed a statement of cooperation at the beginning of the year, principal Tim England said.

The teen, who is scheduled to receive his diploma May 24, would be suspended from classes and receive an "incomplete" on remaining assignments, England said. Frost also would not be permitted to attend graduation but would get a diploma once he completes final exams. If Frost is involved with alcohol or sex at the prom, he will be expelled, England said.

The Harlem Miracle

Click to New York Times: an intervention program that works. Proof.

My thought on religion

Religion is not really an important aspect in my life. I am not a religious person, nor do I affiliate with any religion. I believe in god, but I don’t feel the need to congregate in a church. I, personally, believe that I don’t need to affiliate with a religion in order to seek peace in my soul. As long as I treat others with dignity, respect, and don’t hurt anyone (human or living thing) in any way, I can thank god for everything I have from the privacy of my home.

Livin in the Ghetto.

Watching CRIPS & BLOODS i had this song playing in my head the entire time. It's SO fitting for the lifestyle that comes with living in the area and the gang life. Akon Ghetto watch & listen. (w lyrics)