Writing is like singing...

For me, writing is like singing because I am good at it, but I am too intimidated by what other people will think to show the public. Both my singing and writing have been criticized in the past, which made me more hesitant to show people. Recently, I received an F on my Business Administration essay and ever since then I have been worried about my writing skills. Thankfully, my essays in English were given really good grades, which makes me feel a lot more confident about my writing. Now, I am planning on writing a blog over summer about the toxicity in make-up because I feel that my writing is developed enough to show others. Similarly, when I was little, my dad criticized my singing once and ever since then I have been scared to sing in front of other people. My boyfriend dared me to sing a few songs at Open Mic Night, so I did it and to my surprise, I got a lot of very positive feedback. Now, I plan on performing at every Open Mic Night because it is something I enjoy doing and I feel much more confident about it now.

Movie Poster

Fairytale Story about Cosmetics

Once Upon a Time, there was a girl named Lucy who grew up in a small town in California. One of Lucy's favorite parts of the day is the morning because she gets cleaned up and pretty before her long day. Her morning routine was to wake up, take a shower, brush her teeth, do her hair, makeup, put lotion on and get dressed. Well, one morning, while Lucy was in her bathroom, the Beauty Fairy came to warn Lucy about the cancer causing ingredients that are used in every single product. At first Lucy laughed because she never thought that the products she supported and loved so much would actually be a cheap concoction of cancerous toxins. After talking to the fairy, Lucy realized that there was a lot to learn about the things she buys. Once she found evidence of this problem, Lucy did everything she could to change the cosmetics industry. With the help of the Beauty Fairy, Lucy made the world a better place by advocating for regulation of makeup and labels. By the time she was done, everyone knew what is put in their products and she saved the lives of millions.


The End !

Research Log #5

Citation:

I created a survey of 15 questions and gave it to 15 girls and 5 boys in Chico.

Summary:

I created a survey that showed how oblivious people are to the corruption in the cosmetology industry. The survey was given to 15 girls and 5 boys. The results showed that the boys knew even less than the girls did about toxicity in cosmetics. A lot of the boys did not realize that cosmetics also referred to deodorant, shampoo, shaving cream, cologne, sunscreen and toothpaste, not just make-up. The girls showed only a little bit of knowledge about fragrances and other chemicals, but they were completely oblivious to how toxic these chemicals are. Both groups did not know that these products cause cancer, birth defects, allergies, and organ toxicity. Most did not even know that the products have no regulation and that most of the ingredients are not listed on the label. 15 people did not know that there were ingredients listed on the label of these products. 

Also, every single person listed that they use at least 10 products daily.

Response:

I was surprised by how unaware most people are to the toxicity in their daily products. Most people recognized the name of the most common chemicals used, but nobody could tell me what they are or what they are used for. Everyone surveyed was surprised by what these chemicals do and the reactions our bodies have to them. Also, only one person knew that these companies were not required to regulate their products and the other people who were surveyed thought that these companies were regulated. This shows that most people are completely in the dark about this issue because it is only common sense that these companies should be controlled. I expected the boys to be more unaware of the problem than the girls because girls use and care a lot more about these products. After speaking to these individuals, all of them showed interest in changing what they use. I believe that if everyone was educated on this issue, that most people would throw away their current toxic products and buy the ones that are safe.

Next Steps:

The next step is to make more people aware of the chemicals to look out for, because then people will start to buy products that are better for their health. I know that most people will be concerned as soon as they hear that these chemicals can be fatal. If more individuals buy from the companies that are not corrupt, then the other companies will see that that is what the consumer wants, and eventually change their ways. Buying a product is basically a vote for the company to continue what they are doing. If more people take away their “votes” then the industry will change. The only thing these companies care about is their business, so they will change in order to be more successful. It all starts with the consumer and things will change once the industry sees what is in demand. How hard would it be to educate people about this? Could the industry change if more people stopped buying harmful products? Would the message get through to the company or is it too hard to change a worldwide industry?

Research Log #4

Citation:

O'Connor, Siobhan, and Alexandra Spunt. No More Dirty Looks. New York: Da Capo 
     Press, 2010. Print.

Summary:

This book was definitely a great tool for my research paper. It basically went through all the secrets of toxicology and why/how the make-up companies do what they do. This book gave me countless facts on what the chemicals are, how the FDA works, and much more. I learned that Europe has banned more than one thousand ingredients for use in personal care products but the United States has only banned nine! This shows that the United States is not doing their job to regulate the products that are being put on the market. This is an obvious problem but the laws do not include cosmetic companies in their regulations. Also, Fragrances are the worst carcinogenic products because fragrance companies are not required to list their ingredients at all! This is an obvious problem because the fragrance companies can put almost anything in their products and get away with it! Another thing I like about this book is that it gives a list of “Dirty Ingredients” which are a list of chemicals to look out for, as well as descriptions about the chemical and it does. One troubling thing I learned was that companies that claim their products are “organic” do not always mean it. Since there is no government agency overseeing these cosmetics, it makes it easier for them to get away with the label even though it is not even close to true.

Response:

This book made the research assignment so much more exciting for me! I now have a very reliable resource to take information from. This book got me so much more interested in the subject that I want to do more research on my own! I can’t believe how corrupt this industry is. I am amazed by it every time I learn something new about it. I always thought that there was some corruption behind the Organic companies, but I never thought that they would completely lie about their ingredients. It is so obvious that there needs to be stricter regulation on these products because they are becoming inhumane. It is unfortunate that people have to take advantage of the system, because it shows that without regulation or inspection, people cannot be trusted to do the right thing by themselves.  Fragrances were always a little bit suspicious to me. I always wondered why they smelled the way they did and what was used to create them. Now I know that all fragrances are a concoction of carcinogenic chemicals that may smell good, but will probably create problems in the long run. It is sad to know that they are so bad for you, because most of my friends are obsessed with perfume and other products that have heavy doses of fragrance in them. I used to be too, until I found out about how bad they are. I still have a little bit of reading to do in this book, but I look forward to learning more.


Next Steps: 
 Now that I have learned so much about this problem I can start to make a change on my own. In order to make a change, there needs to be a regulation on these companies to make sure they are not just saying what their customers want to hear. There is no way that these companies should get away with lying to the people who support them. How is this legal? Why don't we hear about these kinds of lies more often? How do the companies keep this information concealed? 

Research Log #3

Citation:

Maddan, Heather. "Five Questions for Mark Schapiro." San Francisco Chronical 7 
     Oct. 2007, Final ed.: G1. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. 
     <http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic/>.

Summary:

This article answered a couple of questions that I had about toxins in cosmetics. It was an interview of Mark Schapiro, editorial director of the Center for Investigative Reporting in San Francisco and author of the book, "Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power". There were very important questions answered that helped me better understand what goes on that us consumers do not know. Apparently, the European Union’s seventh amendment was forced and updated the 1976 Cosmetics Directive, as well as bans the use of any chemicals determined to be carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxins, otherwise known as CMRs. The difference between Europe and America is that European Union countries enforce the codes on their cosmetic companies, while America does not have a law that requires companies to put their ingredients on the label. Schapiro states that, “without cosmetic regulations, the United States has become a dumping ground for toxic waste in attractive packaging. The very lipsticks, eyeliners and blushers banned from European shelves are widely available in the United States.” Thankfully, the information on these toxic chemicals that the EU knows is made public, so that people around the world can see. With this research, they have found that the phthalates and carcinogenic have been used in American nail polish for years, but is now regulated in Europe. This article was definitely an eye opener. I am looking forward to finding out more information on this corruption.

Response:

I am SO happy I found this article! It answered numerous questions I had and also brought up some new information that really caught my attention. It was nice to know that the author is a male because it shows that he does not have as much of a connection to the problem. He is obviously doing this for research purposes. It surprised me that the European Union has been regulating cosmetics for some time. I think it shows a lot that it is so strictly enforced because no country would spend that much time and money on something that is not important. The United States needs to learn a few things from their neighbors. Notice what is banned in other countries that isn’t banned in the US. It is obvious that there is a reason why these chemicals are not sold on the shelves in the European Union.


Next Steps:
Now it is time to learn from the European Union and start to regulate the chemicals used by this industry. They already have a list of tested ingredients to avoid, now it is time to take this research and ban the chemicals from our products. The questions I have now are:
How hard would it be to change an industry and get rid of the corruption? 
How do you get this process started?
Who is involved in this change? 
How would this change effect prices or sales for this industry? 

Research Log #2

Works Cited:

Sutton, Rebecca. "Teen Girls' Body Burden of Hormone-Altering Cosmetic 
     Chemicals." Cosmetics Database. Environmental Working Group, 2007-2011. 
     Web. 24 Mar. 2011. <http://www.ewg.org/reports/teens>.

Summary:

This article was very helpful because it targeted a group that I can relate to- teenagers. Laboratory tests were done and the results were extremely surprising. Sutton states that they, “detected 16 chemicals from 4 chemical families - phthalates, triclosan, parabens, and musks - in blood and urine samples from 20 teen girls aged 14-19. Studies link these chemicals to potential health effects including cancer and hormone disruption. These tests feature first-ever exposure data for parabens in teens, and indicate that young women are widely exposed to this common class of cosmetic preservatives, with 2 parabens, methylparaben and propylparaben, detected in every single girl tested.” Every single person tested for this was contaminated! Averages of 13 hormone-altering cosmetic chemicals were detected as well. I learned that most teens use an average of 17 toxic products per day, as opposed to the average adult woman who uses 12. The problem is that these girls are still developing and growing, so these harmful chemicals are risking their transformation from childhood to adulthood. All of this is a result of the Federal Health statutes that don’t require inspection of these products.

Response:

It scares me that my friends, family, and I are exposed to so many chemicals without even realizing it! I used to be one of those girls who constantly bought new products to smell good, feel good, or look good. Now, I am finding out that these products could kill us or ruin our reproductive systems! These test results were very revealing to me because they show that everyone is easily susceptible to toxins. I know so many people who use 20 or more products per day because they have no idea what the repercussions are. Who would be worried about a tiny bottle of lotion? It makes sense that these chemicals have the ability to seep into our skin and mess with our hormones, but why do these businesses allow it? I could not imagine giving the people who support my business a bottle of cancer. This behavior is immoral and inhumane because they are secretly tearing apart our bodies!

Next Steps:

The next steps are to change the regulation of these products to be more strict and to inform everyone about this horrible epidemic so that they can make better choices at the store. Every person should know the real results after using these products because not only will you get soft skin, but you will also get cancer, allergies, and reproductive and organ damage. 

Research Log #1

MLA Citation:

Hill, Amelia. "Make-Up Kit Holds Hidden Danger of Cancer." The Observer. 7 Apr. 
     2002: The Observer. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://www.guardian.co.uk>.

Summary:

            This article was about toxins in our cosmetics products that are now found to cause allergic reactions, reproductive damage, cancer, and many other unknown problems. I liked that this article gave different stories about people who had reactions to cosmetics, like the story of Denise Santamarina, who suffered from 10 years of chemically induced lupus because of her cosmetics. She states that, “I started getting sick when I began taking cosmetology classes… Over the next 10 years I suffered from a string of digestive problems, sinus infections and excruciating pain in my back, ribcage and arms. There were days when I would crawl across the floor in pain.” Also, there was very interesting information that I learned from this article, like, “Unlike food or drugs, cosmetics and their raw ingredients are not subject to review or independent pre-market approval”, and “Compared to the toxins found in our air, soil and waterways, cosmetics seem a trivial pursuit to many environmental health and consumer advocacy groups, but many of the same poisons that pollute our environment, from dioxins to petrochemicals, can be found in the jars and bottles that line our bathroom shelves.” Some companies are changing their ways by riding their products of toxic chemicals, but unfortunately, it is hard to know if these companies are being honest.

Response:

            This article was very informative for me because these were the first real cases that I have heard where women have had reactions to these products. I never thought that something as simple as nail polish or shampoo could affect someone’s bone marrow or cause lupus for years! This article makes this problem more of a reality because it shows that these chemicals are nothing to mess around with. If food is tested for these chemicals then why aren’t the products tested? I hate that these companies actually get PAID for this immoral behavior. It makes me sick. I was amazed by this because it seems like so much time and money goes into the regulation of food, but absolutely no attention is given to the products we use multiple times a day, such as lipstick, toothpaste, and make-up. It worries me that people do not know about this problem, because that means there is not going to be any change until people are informed.

Next Steps:

            I found this article because one of the books I am reading for this project used it as a source. I am very happy with this article because it gave me real situations where women have been affected by these toxins. This source raised many questions for me, such as: Why aren’t these chemicals regulated? Why are companies allowed to hide certain chemicals on the ingredients label? Now that I read this article, I will start to go into deeper research and find the loopholes that these businesses made for this corruption to be possible. 

Blog due March 1, 2011

I think it is important for others to know about what ingredients are in all of the products they use. I recently found out that most cosmetics, fragrances, and most bathing products have harmful toxins in them that are not displayed on the bottles. The chemicals found in these products are known carcinogens but the companies are not required to say anything on the labels! Most products used today have been proven to cause cancer, birth defects, organ damage, and many other long term problems.

A question I would like answered is, “What happens after death and is there a god?” This is such a huge debate in the world. I would like to know the real answer to it because so many of my other questions would be answered. I have been struggling with my beliefs my whole life because Christianity has always been pushed on me, but I have had a hard time completely understanding it. There are things about Christianity that I don’t believe or things that do not make sense to me. Also, I’m not scared of death, but I am definitely curious about what happens after. Is there a heaven and hell? I

I have always used singing as a creative outlet. I didn’t sing in public until recently, but I would always sing my heart out in my room or whenever I am driving in my car. Singing always makes me feel better. I am just starting to sing more because I have always been really nervous to sing in public. This will be my creative outlet once again because I lost my main outlet when I stopped taking art classes.  

Can there ever be world citizenship?

This article was very impactful because the author brought up a few very interesting points. I realized from this article that our process of the United Nations does not work very well right now because everyone is so selfish. There will never be world citizenship if people continue to go after one another. We need to come together and accept that we are all, “a family that shares the earth with all living things.” I think Boulder makes a good point when he states, “If children in every country grew up learning about the United Nations and how it works, and how their country works in the United Nations…  Getting to know their United Nations citizenship would be part of the great learning adventure of growing up on a planet earth and becoming familiar with all its diversity of people, states, sociocultures and bio cultures.” I completely agree with this because then children would learn that there are more people in the world than them and that what their country does can affect the whole world.

This article relates to a few of the readings we have had in class already. The ones that stick out to me are “Make Our Ugly Discourse Better” and “Why I like vicious, anonymous online comments”. The ideas in Make Our Ugly Discourse Better were very similar to the ideas of Boulder because they both believe that there are more peaceful ways to change the world. Fighting and butting heads does not change peoples’ minds. If you calmly explain what you want and feel then people respond better.

Why I like vicious, anonymous online comments is relevant to Boulder’s article because it shows what the world is becoming, cruel, vicious, and detrimental. Until people learn to be more civil toward one another, the world will not get better. It’s time to change by being more positive and connecting to our worldwide family!

So the answer to this question is, Yes, there can be world citizenship, but not until everyone is willing to give and become civil with one another. 

Generation Y

These articles were difficult for me to read because I disagree with a lot of what these writers are saying. Our generation has potential to be the smartest and most innovative group of people this world has ever seen. Yes, there is a significant chunk of us who would rather paint their nails or watch football than get a job, but sooner or later they will learn that life is not that easy. Also, we were brought up this way because of all the influences we have in our life. If athletes and celebrities weren't praised so much for their performances, and if YouTube didn't get so much attention from the generation BEFORE us, then we would not have any desire to be like these people. Raina Kelley states in her article that, "The famously egocentric

wide receiver Terrell Owens declares at a press conference that being labeled selfish is fine with him. Donald Trump names everything he owns after himself and calls his detractors "losers."' These are the people we are growing up and idolizing. Are they in Generation-Y? I don't think so.

Judith Warner states that, "with their seemingly inexhaustible well of positive self-regard, their refusal to have their horizons be defined by the limitations of our era, they just may bear witness to the precise sort of resilience that all parents, educators and pop psychologists now say they view as proof of a successful upbringing." This shows that we were brought up this way because people think it is "the right way". Why are we being blamed for something that PAST generations have created?

Out of the two articles, The Why-Worry Generation by Judith Warner was the most irritating. The question I ask to the author is, what is wrong with aspiring for "a job that’s not just a job but an expression of their identity, a form of self-fulfillment"? Is it really so terrible that we want to work for a company we love and believe in? The people in Generation-Y are already proving to be more intelligent and capable in the work place than past generations. The difference is that we are adapting to the change in technology and our environment. There are entrepreneurs out there who are younger than 16 years old. I haven't heard of many of those in the past. We understand that it is a competitive world out there, and the people who decide to be lazy will most likely end up homeless. These articles make students seem like they don't have to work hard to get what they want. What about the massive decrease in college acceptance letters or the limited number of scholarships given out to students in need? There is plenty of competition, just different than what past generations are used to.

I do agree with one statement from Genertion Me by Raina Kelley, though. She states that Generation-Y is, "without the resiliency skills they need when Mommy and Daddy can't fix something." This is definitely true because we grew up believing that two people can fix all of our problems by a short email or phone call. I think we rely on our parents too much these days, because of the way we are brought up. In the past, it seemed like parents were a lot less intrusive on their childrens' daily lives. Now, our parents need to know where we are or what we are doing at all times. When there is a problem, they fix it, because they want what is best for their children. Children need to experience the consequences of their actions or else they will never learn. Hopefully this is one thing that will change in the future.

In conclusion, I find these articles altogether ridiculous. They are hypocrites in my opinion, because they do not see how their generation has impacted us. They are critiquing Generaton-Y for their passiveness on the current recession, when they are the reason we are in this recession in the first place. Obviously something needs to change. Maybe this new narcissistic attitude will prevent things like poor presidency, or an economic crash from happening in the future.

The Ways We Lie

The White Lie
A white lie is one of the most common lies that people do. They are common because it's so easy and often undestructive. An example of a white lie would be if a friend asked you if they had anything in their teeth and you answered No to protect their feelings or to make them not feel embarrassed.

Facade
An example of a facade lie would be if a person went on a first date and talked themselves up in order to impress the other. Like if a man were to dress up nicely to look wealthy or if he told his date that he had a mansion and nice car.

Ignoring the Plain Facts
I've been involved in a situation where my coach would ignore the plain facts on our soccer team. An upper classman used to mess around with the freshmen (often times it was me) on a regular basis. I informed my coach of the problem but he chose not to do anything because the girl was one of the best players on the team. Losing her, even though she was a horrible teammate, would most likely cost our season. She never got any consequences for her actions.

Deflecting
I think deflecting is used in situations such as anorexic people in order to fool everyone into thinking they are eating. If they are asked, they usually change the subject of the conversation so that people forget about what they were talking about before.

Omission
An omission lie would be used when a person is telling her boyfriend about her night but leaves out the little parts that would make him upset. Like, not saying that there were any boys at the get together they went to or that she didn't drink any alcohol.

Stereotyping and Cliches
A common stereotype is that women should always be "in the kitchen". I hate this stereotype because I usually hear stupid comments like, "Make me a sandwich, woman!".

Groupthink
A groupthink lie would be if a group of people, for example a soccer team, underestimates the team they are playing in their upcoming game. Since the other team had a poor season they think they could beat them without trying. Unfortunately when gametime comes around, they lose because they didn't try hard enough to win.

Out-and-Out Lies
This type of lying reminds me of when a student forgets to do their homework and their excuse to the teacher is, "My dog ate my homework." or something bizarre like that.

Dismissal
A dismissal lie could be told when a boyfriend cheats on his girlfriend and he still continues to say that he is faithful. He would be dismissising the fact that he was not faithful in the past and ultimately lying to his girlfriend.

Delusion
A delusion lie is commonly used among students when they think that they are "bad" at a subject or that they just dont get it. The reason why they don't get a subject would only be because they haven't put all the effort needed into understanding it. The reason they are "bad" at it is because they need to try harder to learn.

Rant about teachers who give homework over the weekend

I don't understand why teachers in middle school and high school always feel the need to give homework over the weekends. IT'S THE WEEKEND. That is why we have Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, AND Friday to do our work. Do they not realize that we are KIDS that have other things to do other than read a chapter of a stupid boring book or practice ridiculous math problems? I would much rather go outside and enjoy a nice day instead of spending all day in my room, doing work on MY time off. They always complain when we take up their time during class by talking or goofing off, but what do they expect when OUR time is taken up by their stupid assignments? We only get two freaking days out of the week to enjoy ourselves but usually they are occupied by essays, math, or reports that are due that Monday! Why can’t they be due on Tuesday? Do they not remember what it was like when they were kids and wanted to go out and have fun? Maybe children would start liking school if the teachers respected their free time more. Just because we are kids does not mean we don’t have rights. Would you want to work overtime on the weekends? I don’t think so. Most of us have sports, jobs, hobbies, or other things that we need to focus on instead of another assignment that should have been given on one of the WEEKDAYS. We only get two out of seven days anyway! Don’t punish us because you feel like grading more papers or because you can’t organize your coursework better. 

Online Guidelines

1. Have comments forwarded to your Facebook page so that others can see what you post.
2. Don't let comments be anonymous anymore. Require mandatory log in in order to post comments.
3. Encourage users to flag or report vicious comments.
4. "Bleep" out profanity.
5. Suspend account from website if comments are a problem.
6. The people who post articles can choose whether or not they want anonymous comments on their post.

Response to "Make Our Ugly Discourse Better: Join the Civilogue"

Jeffrey Weiss, the correspondent of this article was very inspiring because he suggested ways to fix the problem that is occurring today. He is completely correct that the constant criticism has gotten out of hand. It’s time to put people in their place by doing it in an effective way. The only method that will work with most people is to, “call them on it. Do it politely, with kindness and consideration. But do it clearly and cleanly, with a humble explanation of what they did wrong.” This statement was the “hotspot” of this article because it states a clear way to fix the issue at hand. We could yell or criticize back to these people but all that will do is give them more fuel for their next complaint. The only way to get it into their heads is to give them straight facts.

It is sad that individuals feel the desire to disagree with everything they hear about. The truth is, what people hear isn’t always right. Information is always twisted around by the media and gossip, so what you hear is not always what is real. Weiss says, “If I write about cancer treatments, I do not feel obliged to quote someone who is in favor of illness. And when it comes to the hateful, divisive, inaccurate, dishonest, hypocritical language that sets itself up as so much political discourse these days, I need not tweeze out some specious justification in the name of illusory "balance." The more people focus or “tweeze” out unpleasant information, the more they are going to get. You attract what you put your attention on, so they are ultimately making that choice. 

"Why I like vicious, anonymous online comments" Response

This reading was very interesting and relevant to me because I have seen a lot of cruel anonymous comments posted online in my life. I have actually had comments posted about me in high school that ended up hurting my feelings pretty bad. When I was a freshman, there was a popular application on Myspace called the “Truth Box”. The Truth Box was a tool that people added to find out what their friends “really” thought about them, and all the comments were anonymous. I added one and ended up receiving all kinds of comments like, “You’re ugly”, “You’re fat”, “You suck at soccer” or even, “nobody likes you”. These comments were so hurtful to me because I had never done anything to these people to make them say these things to me. After a while I realized that these people obviously felt the desire to hurt others because they are really insecure about themselves.

In this reading, Matt Zollier Seitz stated that, “More likely they're people who in daily life get argued with, shut out, stepped on or otherwise treated with less than the reverence they believe they deserve. So they wade into comments sections to act out power fantasies -- the righteous truth-telling antihero, the schoolyard bully, the class clown -- with some assurance that their wife or mom or kids won't find out and ask, "What on earth is wrong with you?” I definitely agree with this statement because a lot of the people I know who post these harsh comments are usually very insecure or mistreated people themselves. It is normal for people to try to tear others down to make themselves feel better, but unfortunately the internet makes it so easy to do without undergoing any consequences.

The “hotspot” of this reading was at the end when Seitz related these comments to a global problem, discrimination. He indicated that, “It's impossible for anyone who reads un-moderated comments threads on large websites to argue that racism, sexism or anti-Semitism are no longer problems in America, or that the educational system is not as bad as people say or that deep down most people are good at heart.” This was a very bold statement because it is 100% true. This is still an obvious problem in the world, today, and it isn’t going to change until these actions stop. 

Quickwrite - What is freedom?

In my opinion, freedom is the ability to do whatever you want, whenever you want with no restrictions from the government or other people. When a person has freedom that means they don’t have to follow any rules or constraints when they do a particular thing. I feel like we are free to a certain extent in the United States, because although we are given the opportunity to protect our life, liberty and property, we still are confined by laws and rules from the government.

Most people have conflicts with their freedom at some point in their life, whether it is with the law, parents, school, or work. In my experience, I felt that my freedom was limited by my father. Until recently, my father always thought that he could make the ultimate decisions in MY life, and when I wanted to do something I had to make sure it was okay with him. I was never allowed to go out or do anything unless it was okay with him. I felt like my freedom was very limited because even though I was technically an adult at 18, I was still following the rules that my father made for me when I was 15 years old. Finally, over winter break we agreed that I am grown up now and I should be allowed to make decisions for myself. I am now allowed to do what I want and as a result it has brought my father and I much closer to each other. Now that I am given my freedom, I choose to spend more of that time with my dad instead of trying to resist him.

Giving people their freedom is very important today because there are always individuals who rebel against authority. Taking away freedom does not settle well with most, so the most effective way to keep people happy and safe is to give them what they want most... their freedom. 

"Two Wars" Response

I really enjoyed watching this video in class because I got to see two different perspectives from Iraqis. I haven't invested too much thought or time into the war because it is something I have always been confused about. This video gave me a better understanding of the war and how it is effecting others. I had no idea how horrible it is for the Iraqi people.

Haider Hamza, the first person shown in the video, really took my attention because of his background and the booth he set up in New York. His story was very inspiring because he moved from Iraq to New York for college. He talked to many people that all reacted differently. The people that stood out the most to me were the Marine and Soldier, the young girl, and the older man who thought he knew what it was like to live under Saddam Hussein's rule.  

The Marine and the soldier surprised me because they were very insensitive to Hamza. They told him that they did not like him at all, and that they were looking forward to going to Iraq. One of them even stated that he "has taken over Hamza's country". 

I really enjoyed the part when the eleven year old girl went up to the booth to apologize to Hamza. She was the only person who was sympathetic to Hamza even though her father was fighting in the war! She was more mature and understanding than any of the adults in the movie. 

Lastly, the man who thought he knew everything about the war was very irritating to me. I cant believe HE was telling Hamza what it was like under Saddam Husseins rule when he has no idea! It also surprised me that he was convinced the Iraqis were free now, even though they can't even step outside without risking their lives. 

The second person in the video was not very interesting at all. His whole life revolved around being lazy! He even stated that he doesn't mind being called lazy because that is the type of person he is. He also said that he wanted to live in America because he likes the way it works, especially the way they take out your trash for you and provide other helpful services. I thought it was rude that he never mowed the lawn even though his wife cared about it so much. 

10 Things About Me

1. I am afraid of spiders and have to check my sheets every night before bed to make sure they aren't there.
2. I am a HUGE Steelers fan. SUPER BOWL 2011!!!
3. I have a big scar on my forehead from when i head-butted a girl in a soccer game during my freshman year of high school.
4. I hit a parked prius the first day I drove my car.
5. I played soccer for 13 years.
6. My dad paid me $100 to get my wisdom teeth pulled out without being put to sleep.
7. I have been chased by a goose before.
8. My little sister is in LA right now, aspiring to be an actress on Disney Channel!
9. I dyed my hair black when I was in 5th grade... it looked horrible.
10. My favorite movie is the notebook. I've seen it hundreds of times and still tear up at the end.