Mrs. Halls English class

I have enjoyed this class very much. I think if there is one thing that needs to be changed about the class, it should be more clarity into writing papers and citing sources. That just might be my opinion because it was hard for me to look at the book and answer some of those questions in the quizzes. I seemed to have a hard time with the citing of sources. The most enjoyable part of this class was the blogging. At first I was thinking this was crazy, but once I started doing it and got into it I really looked forward to seeing the new topic and creating my blog. I never thought I would be a blog person, but now I am. I would definitely recommend this class to other people because it was fun and not too stressful.

Free write

Today I want to write about the tragedy's that keep happening in our country. It deeply saddens me to see all the death and destruction that is going on in our country today. It is a sad thing when people can not even congregate together with out the worry of a terrorist bombing or some person out for revenge shooting every one on site. My 7 year old is scared to go to school because they keep having "shooter drills" to prepare them just in case some one enters the school and starts shooting it up. While I applaud the school system for the preparation and caring about the safety of my child, it is scaring the crap out of her! Why must our children today have to worry about these things? How did our society get so out of control that we have to watch our backs every time we walk out the door? I think the bigger question is what can we do to change our country and take back our right to feel safe? I can't even let my child play outside with out us because in the blink of an eye she could be gone. I know that this will never be the country that I grew up in, one in which you did not have to lock your doors when you left your house or watch your kids like a hawk, I just wish my children had the freedom to go play with their friends down the road like I did. Is that too much to ask?

Annotated Bibliography

After researching a few topics for my annotated bibliography, I think I have settled on a subject that will be a bit controversial but is a good argument. I chose to make the production and distribution of cigarettes illegal. I think this is very important because of the obvious health issues to not only those who smoke, but anyone that is around the cigarette smoke. Some of the issues I would argue is the health issues, second hand smoke and how dangerous it is, the diseases it can cause, how much money a person could save by not purchasing cigarettes, and cost of health care. The only positive thing that I can think of about the sale of cigarettes is the money generated by taxes and what they could put that money to use. A lot of people think it should be their right to smoke but it is worse for a person to smoke cigarettes than it is to smoke marijuana, yet marijuana is illegal and cigarettes should be too. I know marijuana is a banned topic but was just using it as a comparison that cigarettes are loaded with chemicals and God knows what, where as marijuana is smoked in its natural state with no added chemicals but yet still illegal. I used to smoke cigarettes and it was the best decision of my life to quit, not only for me but for my wife and kids. I quit because my 7 year old has asthma and all kinds of respiratory problems and I loved her enough to quit. My mother smoked 3 packs a day for as long as I can remember and she had asthma, COPD, and emphysema and eventually died of respiratory failure. I suppose because of this I feel very passionate about this subject because it is just a horrible way to go and could save so many lives.

Banned topics

If you look at the assignment description for the final essay, you will see that there is a list of banned topics.  Do you think I should be able to ban certain topics, or should you be able to write about anything you would like?  Why do you think I ban topics?

I think that all the topics that are listed are good topics but are very controversial. Abortion is just a touchy subject and every one has an opinion over when life begins. Another thing that would make this subject touchy is if a person had been raped, they are already facing the pain and anguish over that and then to have to find out you were pregnant, what would you do? I would not want to carry a baby that came from such a hateful situation but if you don't believe in abortion it would just be a hard situation. Gay marriage is very controversial right now. I believe in what the Bible says, but then again I have friends that are gay and they should be happy too. That don't mean I have to do it or like it, I stick to the bible on this one. Gun control is in the constitution, right to bear arms, and now they want to take that away! I don't think so. As I have went through a few of these subjects, I think the reason you have banned these topics is because they all have legal consequences that come with them. You will either feel strongly one way or another and not see both sides of the picture. I have done a paper over the legalization of marijuana before and really did not see a problem with this one. It is your right as our teacher to ban certain topics if you would like to for your own reasons or to spare the feelings of others if they were going to be reading it.

Cash for grades

Cash for grades is a concept I wish they had when I was in school. This program could have positive effects and negative ones depending on how it is used. Some positive effects would be that children would work harder to learn so they could get the reward. In turn, the school system could use this to see if a child may need extra help to learn certain things or maybe have a learning disability. Giving a child cash for good grades can also give them a sense of accomplishment. Cash is also a good gift to give because they can get what they want with the money or maybe they should encourage them to save the money for something bigger and let them know how important it is to save money.
Some negative things that can come from cash for grades is it may cause some children to cheat because they want that prize and will do anything to get it. Another negative is that you don't know what your child may be spending the money on. They could spend it on something that may not be good for them, especially during the teenage years, these young teens could be buying things such as drugs, alcohol, or tobacco products and no parent wants that to happen.
I think overall that the cash for grades could be a positive experience for children but it could also make some children feel like failures if they don't receive a reward for a good grade. Children learn different than others and at different levels so I think it would have to be monitored so it will be fair for all.

Medical Marijuana

Medical marijuana is an all natural substance that could help so many people if only given the chance. Marijuana is considered to be a "street drug" and is illegal but I think it should be considered to be legalized for medicinal purposes. My father had Parkinson's Disease and his doctor told him it would be helpful for his excessive muscle pain because his body was moving non-stop and he could not stop it. It can also be helpful for cancer patients that are in excessive pain or need to gain weight. I believe there are just so many positive uses for marijuana and people are suffering because of it. It should be considered an herbal remedy just like any other root or plant that is used for alternative medicine. I have done a paper on this before and medical marijuana is good for all kinds of disorders such as HIV, asthma, all kinds of cancers, post traumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder and there are so many more. How could a plant with so many positive qualities and very few side effects be kept from the people who could benefit from it? If you look at the side effects or listen to those commercials about prescription drugs on the television that have such side effects it is alarming. Lets take Abilify for example, you take it with your antidepressant. This drug has such side effects as dizziness, weight gain, suicidal thoughts, high blood pressure, and low blood sugar. Marijuana has side effects like dry mouth, increased food consumption, euphoric feeling, feelings of laughter, and at the worst some paranoia. I don't know about you but I would much rather have euphoric feelings and fits of laughter than suicidal thoughts and high blood pressure. I think in the future it will become legal, but it is going to take time and why does it even matter if it is only legal on a state basis if the federal government can just arrest you for it anyway? Just don't seem fair.

Evaluating sources

I actually got three names but i'm going to pick two of them. My two picks were Alfred Hitchcock and Martin Van Buren. Alfred Hitchcock is know as the "master of suspense." He was born August 13,1899 in England and died April 29, 1980 in Los Angeles, California from renal failure. In around 1920, Hitchcock started dabbling in the film industry. In the beginning, he worked on the set doing such things as drawing. He got his lucky break when one of the directors fell ill and they chose him to complete the film. His first film that he was hired to direct start to finish was Number 13, but due to the studio closing, the film was never completed. So that is just a little bit on Alfred Hitchcock.
Martin Van Buren was born on December 5, 1782 in New York and died on July 24, 1862. Van Buren had a nickname, Old Kinderhook and was the eighth President of the United States. He was the third of five children and was the son of a farmer and popular tavern owner. Van Buren went to school at Kinderhook Academy and started his legal career at the young age of 14. At the age of 17, Van Buren married a distant relative, Hannah Hoes, and had five children. Martin Van Buren passed away after being sick with pneumonia for more than half a year with complications from bronchial asthma and heart failure. He was buried in the Kinderhook cemetary.
I initially thought I was going to do my biography on Martin Van Buren because I didn't think I could find enough information about Alfred Hitchcock, but Hitchcock had a very interesting life. It is a tough decision because both of them are very interesting, but I think I may do it over Alfred Hitchcock, because I think I would enjoy him more.