Reflection of the Past

    At the beginning of the quarter, I did not see myself as that strong of a writer or a reader. I have always had troubles in school when it comes to comprehending an article and writing about it later. I haven't got any better at writing about an article or an essay, but I do feel I have an easier time with expressing in words what my mind is saying. Having my peers critique my writing made things a "gabillion" times easier for me. It is really nice to receive help form others in the class, as well as give out my own advice. My father has always said, "You don't know something until you can teach it to someone else." Until now, I thought he was full of it, but after editing my peer's papers, I started to see the same mistakes in my own writing. Now I feel more confident in my writing abilities, as well as my comprehension skills.

Thesis

There are those that view downloading music with peer-to-peer networks, or by any other means, as listening to the radio, while others, like the Recording Institute Association of America (RIAA), view it as theft. This brings up the question, why? Why do so many people choose to illegally download music instead of using legal music sites, such as iTunes? Why is this such a big deal? The common mistake is simply that the only people effected by the stealing of songs is the big record labels and the bands, but many are overlooked. People like the guy who made the beat to Kong Fu Fighting, or the guy who wrote the Hey There Delilah, and even the common consumer through trickle back are left short changed. So I find myself wondering, can I take a bite of the apple knowing that it bares a worm even if it is sweet, or do I go organic and gorge myself on the abundance that is iTunes and the other legal sites and methods?

Topic Proposal

With all these Starbucks opening left and right, I wonder to myself, what is all this coffee doing to our bodies? I would like to do research on the pros or cons of caffeine, and if the coffee (caffeine aside) itself benefits our bodies. This topic would be for anyone who drinks coffee, or even caffeine drinks, and is wondering the effect of drinking them. Since there is a Starbucks, or any other coffee shop, on every block, our society seems to be addicted to caffeine and it may be really hurting us.
I only know 2 things about coffee, I like it and World Market has some very good coffee. I would like to look further into it. I know there are differences in aroma/flavor depending on where the beans are grown. I also know there are different roasts, medium/french. The thing I would like to know if there are certain coffees that help with more than just clearing the cobwebs. I would also like to know the differences in caffeine with the roast, and find out why there are different roasting levels. I have no idea about how caffeine effects the body, so I would research and talk about that.
If I found coffee was unhealthy for the body, then I would look into what the laws are to do with caffeine and see what is trying to be passed in legislation.

Second Assignment - The Men We Carry in Our Minds

In the essay "The Men We Carry in Our Minds" the author, Scott Russell Sanders, talks about the perspective men and women have on each other, and the debate on who's life is easier. I like how the author doesn't choose one side more than the other. An example of this is when Sanders talks about houses. He, as a man, saw the house as "brighter, handsomer places than any factory," but instead of leaving it at that, he mentioned how much of a prison the house could be. It’s nice to read something that comfortably plays both sides.
Sanders paints a picture on what life was like for a typical male where he grew up. I could not even begin to imagine how different my life would be if my father was a laborer. I would probably be helping him on the farm instead of writing this essay response. The only way out of the back breaking work, would be to enlist in the military, but even that was no walk in the park. I do not know how I would be able to make that decision. Back breaking work or going to war and have the risk of being killed.
My job at UPS is one of those more physically demanding jobs, but it is nothing like Sanders version of a physically demanding job. This essay really showed how easy my life really is compared to some, and how I should not take anything for granted because I can guarantee any one of those coal miners in Ohio would love to trade jobs.

First Assignment

I would have to agree with W. Norton Grubb in his essay, “The New Vocationalism: What It Is, What It Could Be.” All during high school, especially in math, I would sit there and ask the teachers, “How would I use this in real life?” They made an attempt to explain, but it never usually made sense.
At first, I enrolled at SFCC because it was so much cheaper then any other college in the area. My goals are mostly for outside of school. I’m just focusing on graduating. After SFCC, my goals would be to possibly start designing t-shirt, flyers, myspace layouts, or more stencils. It doesn’t sound like it would be a very big goal, but its something that I love to do. Plus, if I get enough shirt designs, I might be able to start my own clothing line. My goal, as weird as this sounds, but just proves Grubb’s point. By having a school that teaches based on the “new basics,” I still don’t know what I would want to really do in life. I think if I had a school that showed more practical purposed on what I was learning, then maybe I would have a career goal in mind.