Friday, December 7, 2007
It is a Great Idea!
Writing blogs or journals help relieve my stress and helps me to express my opinon and stand on any issues, whether it is globally or locally. It is just like writing a diary, except that everyone else gets to read it and know what I think and how I feel about certain issues. Sometimes, people may disagree about what I say, but I am confident with what I believe in, and want to stick with my beliefs. I am going to stand up for what I believe in regardless of what other people may think, because I am who I am and this is me. There is no such thing as right or wrong when it comes to opinions, because everyone has a point and most of the time, they know what they are talking about. Free writing helps clear my mind and it seems as though blog is my talking buddy:)
My Poster Board: Sex Trafficking
I decided to do my poster board on sex trafficking, since I wanted to know more information about it. I did not even know what it was until I started the research. Surprisingly, I found out that it was a very sad and serious issue that people were trying to keep it on the low, so that they will not get caught with their immortality.
I learned that the vctims have no choice and are voluntary to do such act because they are in poverty and they need to provide food and shelter for their family.
I am so thankful that I am not in their shoes because I would be living my life with misery; not getting an education and not being able to be a kid, instead, you have to be a young adult of some sort. The target is on young children because they are innocent and tend to be naive about things, which makes them believe everythng someone older tells them. That is why they believe those bad people's lies, promising them a decent job, when it was actually prostitution.
How can there be such people like that in the world? I know that money is important for our survival, but they are doing too much, I mean, too much! This needs to stop at this instant! We need to take action to try to help whatever we can to save those victims and find justice for them.
I learned that the vctims have no choice and are voluntary to do such act because they are in poverty and they need to provide food and shelter for their family.
I am so thankful that I am not in their shoes because I would be living my life with misery; not getting an education and not being able to be a kid, instead, you have to be a young adult of some sort. The target is on young children because they are innocent and tend to be naive about things, which makes them believe everythng someone older tells them. That is why they believe those bad people's lies, promising them a decent job, when it was actually prostitution.
How can there be such people like that in the world? I know that money is important for our survival, but they are doing too much, I mean, too much! This needs to stop at this instant! We need to take action to try to help whatever we can to save those victims and find justice for them.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Little Knowledge gained from College Experience
I was very nervous to start my freshman year at Mount St. Mary's College, but now I am almost done with my first semester already. I realized that times flies very quickly, before I know it, I will be a sophomore in college...
I have enjoyed Ms. Sturgeon's English class very much because she did not only emphasized on English grammar and essays, but also, about global issues, which is affecting everyone of us at this very moment. I honestly had no idea about trafficking, child labor, comfort women, and many other important topics that were important to be aware of. I am so glad that I have enrolled in this class because it taught me so much about what is going on around me.
I have decided to gain more knowledge about these painful and surprising issues that is affecting the Third World countries and many other countries as well. I am planning to read articles and documentaries about it on the web sites. I am also planning to watch movies regarding these issues because they are worth knowing about.
I have enjoyed Ms. Sturgeon's English class very much because she did not only emphasized on English grammar and essays, but also, about global issues, which is affecting everyone of us at this very moment. I honestly had no idea about trafficking, child labor, comfort women, and many other important topics that were important to be aware of. I am so glad that I have enrolled in this class because it taught me so much about what is going on around me.
I have decided to gain more knowledge about these painful and surprising issues that is affecting the Third World countries and many other countries as well. I am planning to read articles and documentaries about it on the web sites. I am also planning to watch movies regarding these issues because they are worth knowing about.
Immigration article: A Good Immigration Bill
Some say, “I disagree with immigration because immigrants take away our jobs.” This is definitely not true, and the article that I read from the Los Angeles Times, A Good Immigration Bill, also disagrees with the claim. Some people oppose, while some people support it. It has been a controversial issue for many, many years. As an immigrant myself, I have a strong belief and stand on this issue.
Mortimer Zuckerman, the author of A Good Immigration Bill, starts off his article with a thesis that we should take this opportunity to come up with an immigration policy, which will “address our interest.” He points out that immigrants are actually very helpful to our society. They take jobs, which we, do not want to work, so they are not technically, “taking away our jobs.” They are helping us to improve the economy.
They also bring in different ethnic cultures and religious beliefs, which make our country, America, so diversely unique and strong. In addition, people from different backgrounds have qualities that other people might not have. This is how the country progresses, as people bring in different talents, skills, and knowledge, they are helping the country to be more productive. Amongst them are hard-working and determined people who came to America with hopes and dreams to start a new life.
His evidence is pretty strong because he tends to convince the reader to agree with his ideas. For example, he mentions that the immigrants are “family oriented, value education, and their children learning English.” In addition, he describes them as “people of faith,” which shows respect to the immigrants all over the world. He approaches the issue with kind and caring words, which draws the reader’s attention to continue reading what he has to say about the topic. In a way, he is utilizing argumentum ad misericordiam, where he pities the immigrants because they are hopeless and desperate to do whatever it take to have a better life.
He makes a statement about what people are arguing about these days, regarding immigrants “taking away” our jobs. He said, “In fact. They often take jobs many Americans simply no longer wish to do.” He also make his statement stronger by saying that “if these immigrants weren’t here, this kind of work would have been done by more skilled Americans, and they would only do it for much more money-which could be seen as a cause of inflation and a misuse of skills.” He concludes his reasoning, “So for the most part, the new immigrant and the settled American are not competing for the same jobs.” He supports his claim by stating that, “Millions and millions of new jobs requiring no more than a high school education will have to be filled over the next decade.”
The weakness of this article is that Zuckerman did not incorporate real-life situations or examples supporting his argument, which would have a greater impact on his article. Such examples, as these, may be included:
The film that I watched in my English 1A class, A Day without a Mexican, shows the importance of Mexican immigrants’ existence in Los Angeles. Not only the Mexican immigrants, but also, other ethnic groups, as well. They all play a big part in our society today. The message this film is trying to deliver to the audience is that we are human beings no matter what color, ethnicity, and gender we all are. We are the same, and without each and every one of us, everything will change, not for the better; but, for the worse. We are in this together, and we need to help each other out, like brothers and sisters. God brought us all here, to Earth, so that we can create peace and live together before we are sent to Heaven. We each have a role to play, while we are on this Earth. Just like the puzzle pieces forming together to make a picture, we have to do the same. We have to form as a team by cooperating with each other to make this world a better place to live in. This kind of argument is similar to what Zuckerman is conveying to the readers in his article.
In the news, couple of weeks ago, there was a story about elementary kids being taken away by the officers from the school because they were illegal immigrants. What do these little kids know about having documented papers? They are innocent, who came to United States with their parents. They know nothing about being legal or illegal. It is very devastating to hear such things happening to them. The question is: “Are they ameliorating the problem, or are they making the problem worse by making such practices?” Immigration issue is somewhat involved with racism. They would have done such act to kids who were assumed to be a foreigner, not to those who look American.
He agrees with the immigrants coming to America, but not everyone, only the selected few. He mentions that “America needs those who are skilled and has had a higher education.” Many, who cannot speak English and had little schooling experience, come to America for job opportunities and to get a second chance of obtaining an education. He affirms that, “In an increasingly globalized economy, we need skill!” According to the study, “Last year, 63 percent of visas went to relatives of U.S. citizens or legal residents; only 13 percent went to individuals because of their skills…” He is contradicting himself because he said earlier in his article that non skilled workers are needed to “take jobs that Americans often refuse.” However, now, he is saying that we need skilled workers. It is very confusing to follow the direction he is trying to lead in this argument.
Nonetheless, the evidence logically support the thesis because he comes up with ideas that we can all agree and disagree on, regarding the change in the immigration policy. He comes up with an initiative that “the only practical solution is to identify these unauthorized workers, and their families, as genuine immigrants and give them a way to end up on the right side of the law.” He ends his argument with these statements that touches the reader’s heart, “Immigration is both the history and destiny of America. Let’s get it right.”
The claims, assumptions, and statements that he made are similar to what I had in mind about the immigration issue. They seem accurate to my observation. The overall persuasiveness of the argument, given the strengths and weaknesses is pretty good. I was convinced to agree with his opinion because of the way Zuckerman approaches the problem gently and the presentation of the evidence supporting his claims.
Mortimer Zuckerman, the author of A Good Immigration Bill, starts off his article with a thesis that we should take this opportunity to come up with an immigration policy, which will “address our interest.” He points out that immigrants are actually very helpful to our society. They take jobs, which we, do not want to work, so they are not technically, “taking away our jobs.” They are helping us to improve the economy.
They also bring in different ethnic cultures and religious beliefs, which make our country, America, so diversely unique and strong. In addition, people from different backgrounds have qualities that other people might not have. This is how the country progresses, as people bring in different talents, skills, and knowledge, they are helping the country to be more productive. Amongst them are hard-working and determined people who came to America with hopes and dreams to start a new life.
His evidence is pretty strong because he tends to convince the reader to agree with his ideas. For example, he mentions that the immigrants are “family oriented, value education, and their children learning English.” In addition, he describes them as “people of faith,” which shows respect to the immigrants all over the world. He approaches the issue with kind and caring words, which draws the reader’s attention to continue reading what he has to say about the topic. In a way, he is utilizing argumentum ad misericordiam, where he pities the immigrants because they are hopeless and desperate to do whatever it take to have a better life.
He makes a statement about what people are arguing about these days, regarding immigrants “taking away” our jobs. He said, “In fact. They often take jobs many Americans simply no longer wish to do.” He also make his statement stronger by saying that “if these immigrants weren’t here, this kind of work would have been done by more skilled Americans, and they would only do it for much more money-which could be seen as a cause of inflation and a misuse of skills.” He concludes his reasoning, “So for the most part, the new immigrant and the settled American are not competing for the same jobs.” He supports his claim by stating that, “Millions and millions of new jobs requiring no more than a high school education will have to be filled over the next decade.”
The weakness of this article is that Zuckerman did not incorporate real-life situations or examples supporting his argument, which would have a greater impact on his article. Such examples, as these, may be included:
The film that I watched in my English 1A class, A Day without a Mexican, shows the importance of Mexican immigrants’ existence in Los Angeles. Not only the Mexican immigrants, but also, other ethnic groups, as well. They all play a big part in our society today. The message this film is trying to deliver to the audience is that we are human beings no matter what color, ethnicity, and gender we all are. We are the same, and without each and every one of us, everything will change, not for the better; but, for the worse. We are in this together, and we need to help each other out, like brothers and sisters. God brought us all here, to Earth, so that we can create peace and live together before we are sent to Heaven. We each have a role to play, while we are on this Earth. Just like the puzzle pieces forming together to make a picture, we have to do the same. We have to form as a team by cooperating with each other to make this world a better place to live in. This kind of argument is similar to what Zuckerman is conveying to the readers in his article.
In the news, couple of weeks ago, there was a story about elementary kids being taken away by the officers from the school because they were illegal immigrants. What do these little kids know about having documented papers? They are innocent, who came to United States with their parents. They know nothing about being legal or illegal. It is very devastating to hear such things happening to them. The question is: “Are they ameliorating the problem, or are they making the problem worse by making such practices?” Immigration issue is somewhat involved with racism. They would have done such act to kids who were assumed to be a foreigner, not to those who look American.
He agrees with the immigrants coming to America, but not everyone, only the selected few. He mentions that “America needs those who are skilled and has had a higher education.” Many, who cannot speak English and had little schooling experience, come to America for job opportunities and to get a second chance of obtaining an education. He affirms that, “In an increasingly globalized economy, we need skill!” According to the study, “Last year, 63 percent of visas went to relatives of U.S. citizens or legal residents; only 13 percent went to individuals because of their skills…” He is contradicting himself because he said earlier in his article that non skilled workers are needed to “take jobs that Americans often refuse.” However, now, he is saying that we need skilled workers. It is very confusing to follow the direction he is trying to lead in this argument.
Nonetheless, the evidence logically support the thesis because he comes up with ideas that we can all agree and disagree on, regarding the change in the immigration policy. He comes up with an initiative that “the only practical solution is to identify these unauthorized workers, and their families, as genuine immigrants and give them a way to end up on the right side of the law.” He ends his argument with these statements that touches the reader’s heart, “Immigration is both the history and destiny of America. Let’s get it right.”
The claims, assumptions, and statements that he made are similar to what I had in mind about the immigration issue. They seem accurate to my observation. The overall persuasiveness of the argument, given the strengths and weaknesses is pretty good. I was convinced to agree with his opinion because of the way Zuckerman approaches the problem gently and the presentation of the evidence supporting his claims.
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