Sharing Is Caring
The difference between globalization and American universalism is clear. From what I have been told globalization means that different nations of the world interact and share popular needs and wants with each other. American Universalism means that other nations of the world use America as a role model and follow what America’s people do. Most of us have heard of a Roman Catholic, eaten Spaghetti, watched Pokémon, listened to the blues, and played or watched a sport. The nations definitely share religion, food, media, music, fashion and sports in common. This only matches one definition, and that is globalization.
Religion plays a big role in the world as well as America. According to adherents.com 33 percent of the world’s people claim themselves to be Christian. In America, 81 percent of adults claim to be Christian. Out of the 81 percent 24.5 percent are Roman Catholic (religioustolerance.org). The oldest religion practiced in the world is Catholicism, founded by Jesus and spread by twelve apostles (Wikipedia.com). Before America was even founded other established countries had already been practicing the catholic religion. Therefore, the catholic religion had to be shared with America at some point in time in order to have any knowledge of the religion.
A human being has many needs in order to survive, and food is just one of them. In America, we indulge ourselves with foods other than those that are strictly made in America. If one were to visit New York City he or she could visit Little Italy or China Town to receive their favorite Italian or Chinese foods. At Little Italy, Italian restaurants line the streets, as well as Italian markets that sell Italian ham, several types of olive oil, pastas etcetera. Like little Italy, China town’s streets are lined up with Chinese restaurants, and markets that sell Chinese food (travelwithyourkids.com). Although the environment of little Italy and China town might feel as though one is actually in those countries, they are not the only place you can get Italian or Chinese food. Olive Garden and Johnny Carino’s are popular restaurants that sell Italian food in America. Bamboo Garden and Panda express are just two restaurants that sell Chinese food in America as well. Finding food other than a hamburger, fries, apple pie or chicken strips are not hard to find. Like American’s crave foreign food it is not hard for other nations to find food from America. According to Wikipedia.com, McDonald’s is the fastest growing fast food chain in the world. Chinadaily.com, estimates that, a new Kentucky Fried Chicken opens every other day in China. So if American food is what the foreign people want, all they have to do is stop by and pick up what they are craving. These examples explain that American’s do not only demand American food, foreign food is demanded as well. Likewise in other countries, the food originated in America is demanded there, as well as the food originated in their country.
Television is a form of media that is used all over the world. Clubpokemon states that Pokémon, a game that originated in Japan by Satoshi Tajiri was very popular. Japan was the only country to have any knowledge of it for two years. It was introduced to America in September, 1998. Over one million copies of the game were sold by the end of the month. In 1999 alone, four billion dollars worth of Pokémon merchandise was sold worldwide. Pokémon merchandise is still being sold across the world in many languages today. According to getreadytowiggle.com, The Wiggles’ is popular entertainment to children and adults in America. The Wiggles’ entertain their audience with stories, dances, and education songs. However, the show did not originate in America, it originated in Australia in 1982. On January 28, 2002, the Wiggles’ aired on the Disney Channel and ever since then they have been very popular, not only in Australia but America too. These are just two examples of foreign television shows introduced to America that rapidly became popular across the nation.
Like television, music is another form of media that is very popular throughout the world, and it has been around for years. However, music did not originate from America. According to Wikipedia.com in the seventeenth century immigrants from Britain, Spain, France, migrated to America with new styles of music and instruments. African slaves also brought musical traditions. Most popular music can trace back to the nineteenth century when the Africans introduced the blues and gospel music which became very popular throughout the nation. Africans formed the basis for popular music. Elvis Presley better known as The King is a legend in the music industry. According to fiftiesweb.com, Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records discovered that he found a white guy who had the sound and feel of the black R&B artists he had been recording and that was specifically what he was looking for. Even today The King’s music is still listened to and his CD’s and memorabilia are sold all over the world. Without the Africans introducing blues, Elvis who is now a legend could have possibly been nothing.
Andrea Lumpkin, the author of Physical Education, Exercise Science, and Sport Education, introduces how sports evolved. It All started in Greece, the Greeks examined a child at birth, if they were healthy and strong they were spared if they were weak and sick they would die. By the age of eighteen boys were sent to military service to train. Men age twenty and above were sent to a gymnasium. They practiced athletics to keep their physical shape to be warriors in case they were needed. In time the gymnasium became more like a resort instead of a place to exercise. In the fifth century the warrior-athletes were expected to perfect their skills for warfare, they used religious festivals to demonstrate their athletic skills to the Greek Gods. In 776 B.C. the Olympic Games began. To be eligible for Olympic Games the athlete had to be Greek, and train for ten months. The Olympic Games became national on March 24, 1896. The Olympic Gaming events were held in Athens, Greece. Every four years the Olympics are held in a different city around the world. Still to this day the world’s best amateur athletes match skill and endurance in a national contest, where nations compete against each other to prove who is better at the Olympic Games. We can say thanks to the Greeks for this accomplishment.
America is indeed the role model of the world, however if other nations had not shared customs and cultures with us we would be clueless to the nations around us. It is easy to see that we have developed our nation by what we learned from foreigners who were willing to share, and we have helped them by what we have shared with them as well. Sharing is caring and the view among the nations of the world would be meaningless without it.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
paper4
Christians or Secularists?
America today is populated with 87 percent of the population that claim to be Christian. The remaining 13 percent claim to be anything other than Christian. Religion and Secularism are the two main objectives that shape sex education in public schools. According to advocatesforyouth.org, teenage pregnancy has decreased by 30 percent in the years between 1991 and 2002 among all ages of teenage girls. Aegis.com estimates that almost half of the eighteen point nine million cases of sexually transmitted diseases occur in young adults from the ages of fifteen to twenty four. Although the percentage of Christians in our nation is so high, does not mean the remaining percentage is nonexistent.
Sexual abstinence is a choice to refrain from sexual intercourse in order to prevent pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted diseases. Abstinence is most practiced by those who are religious because, according to the Bible, one should remain a virgin until marriage. Since 87 percent of the nation claim to be Christians one can conclude that abstinence is the dominant solution to the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. According to adherents.com, 79.60 percent of the people in the state of Utah are Christians. Because there are so many Christians in Utah, abstinence is stressed in most public schools and prohibits the support for the use of contraceptive methods or devices to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Desertnews.com discusses, Nebo, a school district in Utah and its law on sex education. The school district prohibits any discussion over the topics of homosexuality, contraception, or perversion. Abortion may be discussed with students, but only if negative elements are the only elements provided to the students. Findarticles.com stresses that Utah’s teen pregnancy rate has decreased since the year 2005, the rate is thirty eight births per every one thousand females. Although the article states a positive outlook on teen pregnancy rate, the rate of spreading sexually transmitted diseases is increasing instead of decreasing. Utah’s plan to keep teenage pregnancy down, and invert the rate of sexually transmitted diseases is to keep stressing abstinence. Therefore, if a teen does not practice sexual intercourse she cannot get pregnant, and both the boys and girls will be safe from any worries of getting a sexually transmitted disease.
Safe sex means to take precaution during sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. This definition is most practiced by those who are secularist. To be secularist is to separate practicality from religion. A secularist decision is based upon fact rather than by a religious influence. Apatheticvoter.com discusses the policy of the Los Angeles city seal. The seal was made to focus on the separation of church and state in California. Abstinence is practiced because of religious influences, while safe sex is practiced by those who separate the effects of sexual intercourse from religion. According to the information provided by aclunc.org, California is the only state that has never accepted abstinence only money. Nonewmoney.com provides information about abstinence only money. The history of abstinence only money is tax payer money that has been used for decades to pay for abstinent programs for public schools. California only educates public schools with safe sex education. Aclunc.org provides that the schools safe sex programs cover every method of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Teenhealth.com states, “California had one of the biggest changes in teen pregnancy rates. There was a 21 percent decrease in teen pregnancies from the years 1992 to 1996.” Dhs.cd.gov reports that sexually transmitted diseases are by far the most common diseases in California. Although safe sex allows sexual intercourse before marriage, it educates one to be more aware of the risks of being sexually active.
Regardless of the year the statistics were estimated at, both abstinence and safe sex education have a decreasing amount of teenage pregnancy rates and an increasing amount of sexually transmitted diseases. In general both abstinence and safe sex educations are sexually active. Therefore, even though birth rates are going down with the teaching of only abstinence, it is easy for one to conclude that the abstinent teens are taking some kind of precaution to prevent pregnancy, but not well enough to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. Even more so, our Christian nation that dominantly practices abstinence can be seemingly wrong. If the rate of teenage pregnancy is decreasing and the rate sexually transmitted diseases are increasing, maybe safe sex does apply to most people who are “abstinent” because of God’s word, if so, is the nation as Christian as it claims to be?
America today is populated with 87 percent of the population that claim to be Christian. The remaining 13 percent claim to be anything other than Christian. Religion and Secularism are the two main objectives that shape sex education in public schools. According to advocatesforyouth.org, teenage pregnancy has decreased by 30 percent in the years between 1991 and 2002 among all ages of teenage girls. Aegis.com estimates that almost half of the eighteen point nine million cases of sexually transmitted diseases occur in young adults from the ages of fifteen to twenty four. Although the percentage of Christians in our nation is so high, does not mean the remaining percentage is nonexistent.
Sexual abstinence is a choice to refrain from sexual intercourse in order to prevent pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted diseases. Abstinence is most practiced by those who are religious because, according to the Bible, one should remain a virgin until marriage. Since 87 percent of the nation claim to be Christians one can conclude that abstinence is the dominant solution to the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. According to adherents.com, 79.60 percent of the people in the state of Utah are Christians. Because there are so many Christians in Utah, abstinence is stressed in most public schools and prohibits the support for the use of contraceptive methods or devices to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Desertnews.com discusses, Nebo, a school district in Utah and its law on sex education. The school district prohibits any discussion over the topics of homosexuality, contraception, or perversion. Abortion may be discussed with students, but only if negative elements are the only elements provided to the students. Findarticles.com stresses that Utah’s teen pregnancy rate has decreased since the year 2005, the rate is thirty eight births per every one thousand females. Although the article states a positive outlook on teen pregnancy rate, the rate of spreading sexually transmitted diseases is increasing instead of decreasing. Utah’s plan to keep teenage pregnancy down, and invert the rate of sexually transmitted diseases is to keep stressing abstinence. Therefore, if a teen does not practice sexual intercourse she cannot get pregnant, and both the boys and girls will be safe from any worries of getting a sexually transmitted disease.
Safe sex means to take precaution during sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. This definition is most practiced by those who are secularist. To be secularist is to separate practicality from religion. A secularist decision is based upon fact rather than by a religious influence. Apatheticvoter.com discusses the policy of the Los Angeles city seal. The seal was made to focus on the separation of church and state in California. Abstinence is practiced because of religious influences, while safe sex is practiced by those who separate the effects of sexual intercourse from religion. According to the information provided by aclunc.org, California is the only state that has never accepted abstinence only money. Nonewmoney.com provides information about abstinence only money. The history of abstinence only money is tax payer money that has been used for decades to pay for abstinent programs for public schools. California only educates public schools with safe sex education. Aclunc.org provides that the schools safe sex programs cover every method of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Teenhealth.com states, “California had one of the biggest changes in teen pregnancy rates. There was a 21 percent decrease in teen pregnancies from the years 1992 to 1996.” Dhs.cd.gov reports that sexually transmitted diseases are by far the most common diseases in California. Although safe sex allows sexual intercourse before marriage, it educates one to be more aware of the risks of being sexually active.
Regardless of the year the statistics were estimated at, both abstinence and safe sex education have a decreasing amount of teenage pregnancy rates and an increasing amount of sexually transmitted diseases. In general both abstinence and safe sex educations are sexually active. Therefore, even though birth rates are going down with the teaching of only abstinence, it is easy for one to conclude that the abstinent teens are taking some kind of precaution to prevent pregnancy, but not well enough to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. Even more so, our Christian nation that dominantly practices abstinence can be seemingly wrong. If the rate of teenage pregnancy is decreasing and the rate sexually transmitted diseases are increasing, maybe safe sex does apply to most people who are “abstinent” because of God’s word, if so, is the nation as Christian as it claims to be?
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
A Difference Can be Made
Jaimee Duran
Mr. Micah Robbins
English 1310
13 September 2007
807 Words
A Difference Can be Made
Compulsory education was enforced so that all children must go to school for a certain amount of years at a certain age. Although the activist put hard work into resolving the problem of racial differences, it seems now that all their hard work has disintegrated. Compulsory education can empower and disempower the American population. Both ways of empowering and disempowering American population is clearly represented in the movie, Stand and Deliver.
In the beginning of Stand and Deliver, it is evident that the school disempowers the students in a number of ways. Since the school is classified as a lower standard school in the area, it is obvious for one to assume the students are from poor neighborhoods. Because the students are from poor neighborhoods they are automatically looked at as students who go to school because they have to. Kimo, a new teacher, assumes he is going to teach a computer class, but instead he is assigned to teach a math class where a teacher is most needed. This is an example of a low number of teachers and a deficiency of money in the system. The behavior of the students is out of control. Their attitude toward math class and school in general is lackadaisical. Their intentions are to finish school and get a job. When a fight breaks out on campus, it looks as if the teachers see it as just another fight. This is another example of the lack of discipline, no one really tries to stop the fight because it is normal. The only relationship the faculty has with the students is based on the student’s bad reputation. In one point of the movie there is a faculty meeting about the attempt to make the school a better place, and which teachers are willing to make it better. None of the teachers want to make it better because they think it is impossible, so impossible that some teachers are looking for a better job.
How can a school with a standard so low encourage kids to go out into the world and actually do something for themselves? There is no kind of motivation, or urge from the faculty or their peers to want to do more than is expected. If the students are encouraged to believe they can do their work and actually succeed in life to become more than what others are around them, they will succeed. To make the school better, some kind of relationship and bond with the students should come first. These characteristics are what the system lacks.
With that said the new teacher, Kimo, did just that in his algebra and calculus class. Although Kimo did not receive the computer job, he was happy to take the math class he was assigned to. As soon as he went to his class and saw what he was up against he immediately took charge of what was to be done. Discipline was number one, he had all the students sit in their seats, shut up and listen to him. No one took him serious at first but as time progressed he was well respected. He built a relationship with each and every one of his students. Not only did he build a relationship with the studesnts he motivated them and let them know his homework could be done with practice and want. Kimo, as one can see, truly loved his job. After teaching algebra he was not satisfied and started teaching calculus with the same group of kids. He wanted them to go beyond actually finishing high school, he wanted them to take on college and actually do something for themselves and their family. With his hard work and strong willed mind he was able to get the students right where he wanted them to be, and right where he wanted them to be was to pass the AP exam.
If these lower standard schools a faculty like this man we could truly empower the world. I’m not saying there are not teachers like him elsewhere, but if the teachers unlike him went beyond their abilities and wanted to help these kids instead of just watching and letting bad things happen they could make a difference as well. He had nothing but his strong will and kind heart to get his students to understand there is more in the world than just a job that pays minimum wage.
If the activist who are now historians could not ban this situation for good who can? Those who are working hard to make a difference and show the government what is really going on in some schools are well respected by me. Taking on this situation cannot be easy but with hard work and dedication like Kimo I believe a difference can and will be made.
Work Cited
Ramon Menendez, dir. Stand and Deliver perf. Edward James Olmos,
Estelle Harris, Lou Diamond Phillips, Andy Garcia.
Warner Bros. 1988
Mr. Micah Robbins
English 1310
13 September 2007
807 Words
A Difference Can be Made
Compulsory education was enforced so that all children must go to school for a certain amount of years at a certain age. Although the activist put hard work into resolving the problem of racial differences, it seems now that all their hard work has disintegrated. Compulsory education can empower and disempower the American population. Both ways of empowering and disempowering American population is clearly represented in the movie, Stand and Deliver.
In the beginning of Stand and Deliver, it is evident that the school disempowers the students in a number of ways. Since the school is classified as a lower standard school in the area, it is obvious for one to assume the students are from poor neighborhoods. Because the students are from poor neighborhoods they are automatically looked at as students who go to school because they have to. Kimo, a new teacher, assumes he is going to teach a computer class, but instead he is assigned to teach a math class where a teacher is most needed. This is an example of a low number of teachers and a deficiency of money in the system. The behavior of the students is out of control. Their attitude toward math class and school in general is lackadaisical. Their intentions are to finish school and get a job. When a fight breaks out on campus, it looks as if the teachers see it as just another fight. This is another example of the lack of discipline, no one really tries to stop the fight because it is normal. The only relationship the faculty has with the students is based on the student’s bad reputation. In one point of the movie there is a faculty meeting about the attempt to make the school a better place, and which teachers are willing to make it better. None of the teachers want to make it better because they think it is impossible, so impossible that some teachers are looking for a better job.
How can a school with a standard so low encourage kids to go out into the world and actually do something for themselves? There is no kind of motivation, or urge from the faculty or their peers to want to do more than is expected. If the students are encouraged to believe they can do their work and actually succeed in life to become more than what others are around them, they will succeed. To make the school better, some kind of relationship and bond with the students should come first. These characteristics are what the system lacks.
With that said the new teacher, Kimo, did just that in his algebra and calculus class. Although Kimo did not receive the computer job, he was happy to take the math class he was assigned to. As soon as he went to his class and saw what he was up against he immediately took charge of what was to be done. Discipline was number one, he had all the students sit in their seats, shut up and listen to him. No one took him serious at first but as time progressed he was well respected. He built a relationship with each and every one of his students. Not only did he build a relationship with the studesnts he motivated them and let them know his homework could be done with practice and want. Kimo, as one can see, truly loved his job. After teaching algebra he was not satisfied and started teaching calculus with the same group of kids. He wanted them to go beyond actually finishing high school, he wanted them to take on college and actually do something for themselves and their family. With his hard work and strong willed mind he was able to get the students right where he wanted them to be, and right where he wanted them to be was to pass the AP exam.
If these lower standard schools a faculty like this man we could truly empower the world. I’m not saying there are not teachers like him elsewhere, but if the teachers unlike him went beyond their abilities and wanted to help these kids instead of just watching and letting bad things happen they could make a difference as well. He had nothing but his strong will and kind heart to get his students to understand there is more in the world than just a job that pays minimum wage.
If the activist who are now historians could not ban this situation for good who can? Those who are working hard to make a difference and show the government what is really going on in some schools are well respected by me. Taking on this situation cannot be easy but with hard work and dedication like Kimo I believe a difference can and will be made.
Work Cited
Ramon Menendez, dir. Stand and Deliver perf. Edward James Olmos,
Estelle Harris, Lou Diamond Phillips, Andy Garcia.
Warner Bros. 1988
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The Importance of Being Earnest
I attended the play, The Importance of Being Earnest on Sunday October 7th. The play was held at the Texas State Theater center. At first I was not so sure of how I was going to sit through the entire play, it started out a little slow and I was kind of confused. I never really laughed like the man sitting next to me did. The play came down to two women, Gwendolen and Cecily becoming engaged to two men, Jack and Algernon. However, the two men pretended to be named Earnest, because that is the only way the two women would marry the men. The women were completely clueless to the fact that they were being lied to the whole time. The women said they could never love a man with anything other than the name of Earnest. I think it is strange how they will marry a man named Earnest without even knowing them. Cecily didn’t even know “Earnest” and she wrote all these fake letters from him to her. She made up a fake engagement, and bought an engagement ring without even knowing him. Although the story was a little silly I really did enjoy it. The humor started making sense to me towards the middle and ending of the play. One thing that bothered me was that jack’s pant leg got caught to the top of his boot the entire play, and it really distracted the crud out of me, but other than that I think the actors and actresses did a wonderful job.
Erin Brockovich
I attended Erin Brockovich’s speech at the LBJ student center mall, on October 2nd at 8:00 pm. I went about 30 minutes early because I just knew that it would probably be really crowded, I was right. However, I didn’t think it would be as bad as it was 30 minutes before! I stood behind the reserved chairs, so I got a good view of her. Erin’s speech had a lot to do with her movie, she compared the movie to the real events in her life. She said that after the wreck she went to therapy where she told the therapist about her life. The therapists went home and told her husband, ( Danny Davido’s good friend) all about Erin’s interesting life, a few calls were made and the making of her movie was in process. I have not yet seen this movie but after this speech I definitely intend to watch it soon. Her complete message of the speech was to fight for what you believe in. One thing she said that has stuck in my head is stick-to-itiveness. You have got to stick to what you believe is right and go out and fight for it. To this day Erin Brockovich is still fighting environmental issues. Her current issue she said was one that deals with an elementary school. The school is located on top of and beside a power plant. I really enjoyed her speech, and her as well she is very down to earth. She is just an average person who happened to have a movie made about her life.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Feather
The photo I chose from the Lonesome Dove gallery is called Feather. The photo is of an older Indian man looking out into the distance. The background is a clear sky. I can tell that the wind is blowing because his hair is blowing back and his eyes are squinted. His hair is long with two braids to keep it out of his face. The braids have some kind of thick cloth woven into them. One braid is blown behind his right shoulder, and the other is blown across his chest. Behind his right ear is a very big feather. It is the first thing I noticed when I saw the photo. Most of the feather is dark and a little portion of the feather is white. I can tell from his shoulders that he is wearing some kind of solid colored cloth over him.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
I was always pretty sure that the shows dealing with wealth and fame were watched way more than the shows dealing with average and middle class families. Our class discussion made me realize that they are both equally watched but they have different effects on society. The shows that involve rich celebrities can cause a lot of people to idolize and want to be just like them and the other shows dealing with the average family are shows that we can relate to and laugh about. What is crazy is that celebrities always get the upper hand news is always bigger when something goes wrong with a celebrity rather than something going wrong with an average person. I never really stopped to look at it that way until class.
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