| RADIO |

Let's take a trip to Arizona.

2009-07-07T01:11:00.000-07:00

Did you know that these drinks don't even come from Arizona, they're from frickin' Queens, New York. Talk about gangstaah! These delightful, tall, 99 cent heaven-in-my-mouth drinks brighten up my day, every day. From iced teas to green teas, or just plain fruit-flavored, they blow my mind.

Why am I blogging about iced tea drinks? I am just THAT bored on a random tuesday night. But hey! atleast I'm blogging. High school is over, therefore this blog is not mandatory anymore & most likely, no one is reading this. Still, let me vent. My summer is very relaxing. I have no care in the worrrrld right about now. School starts in 12 weeks. That is a mighty mighty long time. AND, you know how everybody always says, "you're going to miss high school, so enjoy it." Welllll that is not particularly true for me. Atleast, not right now. Yeah, my life has changed and will be changing drastically soon enough, but I can't see myself missing High School. I am proud and relieved to be an alumni of THS. I no longer have to endure those hard and awkward high school days. Now, I will be having stressed out, no-sleep, awkward college days. YAY! Can't wait.

Oh & BTW, check out my favorite arizona drink, Black&White Iced Tea w/ Gingseng & Honey. Tha bombbbbb!

Ok, enough. Goodnight.

Movie reviewer for a day

2009-05-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

Mad Hot Ballroom

May 5, 2009

We've all been there before, as a shy little fifth or sixth grader just anticipating our teen years. "Mad Hot Ballroom" is definitely a blast from the past taking us all back to our "tween" years.

Taking place in New York City elementary schools, the film documents several students taking dance lessons. It's very important to keep art and vocational curriculum alive in schools. Therefore, this film is very important and shows how much these classes can save, and even change, a child's life.

Many of the children in the film come from low income, hispanic families. Most of these children are surrounded by bad influences and don't have many opportunities to succeed in life. The impact that the dance class had on these kids was immense; helping out their self-esteem, dance skills, and even life problems.

The film starts out documenting several classes from several different schools in NYC. There are different rounds of the competition, all leading up to the final dance off. As the competition goes on, it gets harder. Many schools get eliminated from the competition, and the screen. Never to be featured again. The final competition consisted of different couples competing in several dance offs. The ending was very inspirational and also a tearjerker to many people. Definitely a good ending, well only to the winners of the competition.

The movie leaves many of us wanting more, as to what happened in these children's lives after the competition. Some kids were profiled in the film, and a connection was made with the audience. Although it sounds impossible, the film makes the viewer start to care for the children. After the movie was over, I wanted an insight as to where are these kids now and what has happened in their lives. Especially because the movie is a couple years old, the children in the movie are now in high school. We all know that a lot happens during these years and an update would be really nice.

Overall, the film was great! Very educational and touching hearts everywhere. If you are looking for a good, clean, fun film to watch with the whole family, this is the perfect one!

Two thumbs up!

try me try meeeeee

2009-04-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

So as of right now, I have no idea what my documentary is going to be on.
It can go two ways....

Option #1
Race confusion- Interviewing people who constantly get mixed up with another race.

Option #2
THS academies- Interviewing students and teachers of Tennyson High School to get an insight on what academies really are like.

Hmmm, any comments on what should it be on?

I'm still really unmotivated to do anything. So close to giving up, but I'm at the last stretch now, why would I quit?
I CAN'T. I WON'T. I SHALL NOT.
haha, that was corny.

but anyways.
My countdown keeps going down and down.
I'm excited, for so many reasons.

Can you smell the motivation reeking from this post?
I sure can.

________________________________
Happy Birthday Gregory Harris III

To Mr. Hurts

2009-04-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. Hurts,

First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Carlos Joachin and I'm a senior at Tennyson High School in Hayward, CA. Your film Beyond Beats & Rhymes is truly a piece of art. In my journalism class, we are working on a documentary for our final project. Your film was watched in our class for inspiration and to get a sense of what makes a good documentary. The film was well put together, organized, and also very informative in an interesting way. Catching the audience's attention is not an easy thing to do, and your film was quite inspirational in that. In most cases, including yourself as a character in your own story doesn't go through very well, but I believe that including yourself as a character in this documentary was the right thing to do. If the story was told by a different person, it wouldn't have been the same; if the story had been told by a white man, a lot of people wouldn't have connected with it. Also, the topics that you touched on in the film were very important. They all had to do with how people are treated. Especially in a society where everyone is so caught up on being treated with respect, it was very important to talk about the lyrics of hip-hop. Personally, I am not one who pays close attention to lyrics. As long as the beat of a song is good, I will like it, without paying any attention to what the song is talking about. I feel that the public needs to be more aware of what the lyrics are saying. Everybody portrays rap and hip-hop artists as some type of Gods, without even knowing what they are saying. Your film definitely opened up my eyes to be able to have my own opinion about hip-hop music. Also, I feel that this film was very relatable. The reason for that is because the topics you touched on are of every day life and what a lot of people go through. We all have our own opinion on these different topics such as how to treat a woman, masculinity, and the hip-hop lifestyle. I believe that your documentary captured all of these topics from a perfect point of view. You, as a hip-hop fan know everything that goes on in the industry. It was a great idea to finally open up that door and let the world know what is beyond those beats and rhymes.

Thank You,

Carlos Joachin

Hip-Hop Movie

2009-04-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

Beyond Beats and Rhymes: A documentary

Write a response to the documentary Beyond Beats and Rhymes, in which you speak to the following questions:

1) Do you think BB&R is an important film for your youth to see? Why/why not?

I think it is a very important and educational film to see. This film doesn't just cover hip-hop, it also covers many different issues that people deal with on a day-to-day basis. These are the things we should be learning in our schools. The media portrays all of these hip-hop artists as some sort of Gods, but yet they don't know the real meaning behind them and their lyrics. Our youth needs to be informed on how hip hop mistreats different groups of people.

2) What ideas in the film did you relate to? Explain.

I related to every topic in one way or another. There were a lot of different ideas from feministic points of views, to battles of African American "manhood", to gay issues. Each one of those ideas I could relate to because I have my own opinion about it. I agree with the documentary that a lot of people are not aware of what is blasting through their radio stations and ipods. Me, being one of them as well; I never really pay attention to the lyrics of a song, as long as it has a good beat I'll enjoy it. I understand that a good beat does not make the song lyrics right, but I feel like that is the purpose of this film, to open up people's minds and to have their own opinion.

3) What was a line in the film that stuck out for you? Why was it an important line?

"I sold water last summer."

That quote stuck in my mind because it showed how much of a struggle many people go through just to survive.
Hustlin' in the streets isn't just selling drugs and other narcotics, a lot of people sell legal things also. Our economic situation is really bad and a lot of people don't have jobs right now. This film is relating to our situation right now. I feel like this is a really strong point of the movie because no matter how old this movie gets, and no matter what is going on, someone will still be able to relate to it.

4) What is something in the film that would challenge with your own understanding of hip-hop culture?

One of the things that was brought up in our class discussion was about the other side to this "story." One of my classmates brought up the fact that the women in these hip-hop songs also have very degrading lyrics and are on the same level as men. Perfect example, in the song Tip Drill by the rapper Nelly, not only the men are seen degrading women, but the women are seen degrading men as well. It is not fair to sit here and just say that male hip-hop artists treat women like a piece of meat, because that is not the whole story. A lot of women also use men for their money. In the end, everybody ends up using each other for something.
Is that what hip-hip is all about?

5) What choices did Hurt make as a filmmaker that you thought were SUCCESSFUL? What choices were less SUCCESSFUL?

I like the fact that Mr. Hurt let us viewers in on what really is going on behind the scenes. He has been a hip-hop fan for years and he knows the most about it. I think the film itself is very successful because it was meant to be informative but it was not boring at all. He knows how to keep the audience's attention which is crucial when the documentary is 60 minutes long. I do not think that any of his choices were unsuccessful. He included a lot of interviews and visual examples that kept the viewer interested at all times. It was a great documentary.

Platonic Crush

2009-04-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

MYdreamgirl.

Ohmy, ohmyyy. :)
She's probably the most beautiful woman on this earth, to me atleast.
AND she got vocals!
Such a sweet sweet mixture of R&B and soul.

Ever since 7th grade, when she first was on AmericanIdol,
She's been the object of my affections,
JK, I don't even know what that really means.

Check her out;
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/camileTV
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/camilevelasco
She definitely deserves more credit than she gets.

Here's her singing Ex-Factor by Lauryn Hill
The way she makes it her own is incredible!

Transportationally Challenged

2009-04-07T01:27:00.000-07:00

I've always been a lil dididi when it comes to directions. But sometimes getting lost gets you to wonderful places, liiiike SANTACRUZBEACHBOARDWALK! perhaps, perhaps. Yes, its spring break, you know its a must to go to the boardwalk and play in the sand. We got sandy all right. Waaay too much fun in the sun, and sand.

Basically, the randomest things happen sometimes. And sometimes, you miss an appointment. Sometimes, its for the best though. Thanks to Ms. Traylor and Truman for our special Oakes Tour! So much better than that laaaame-o tour we would have been on.

Hoo-rah for Vanilta and Networking.

Overall, College life, can't even compare it to HighSchool. Just can't wait for it though. Screw all the jitterbugs, lemme do this thang!

WAAAYTOOOJUIIICED:
UCSC-oakescollege, here I come ;)

I want to go to the moon

2009-04-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

I feel like being up in space.

bouncing around everywhere
the closest thing i have is this chair
i wish you could see it but you cant
its green, and lovely

I still don't have any inspiration to excel in school.

Bad timing.

Its the week before spring break, who really cares?

Google is my bestfriend.

Wanna see something cooooool,
I was amused for the longest time:

http://sos.noaa.gov/videos/Moon.mov

Yeaah I know, Jaw-dropping.

On another note,

This is the cutest thing I've seen this month

WORLD, meet snickers

Wait, sorry, wrong picture.

929283

2009-04-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

This weekend, the four of us went to Tre's fashion shows/singing competition.
I never really knew what to expect, but it was definitely one of the greatest experiences of my life. Seeing these 3 people up there finally happy and all doing what they love, made me smile inside and outside, as corny as that sounds. For the first time, everybody was on the same page and knew what they wanted to do after high school. We all have BIG dreams, and with our motivation, I know we can be successful in the end. After the fashion show, we needed to celebrate. So, we decided to go out to karaoke. Another new experience for all of us. It was craaazy fun. I was loving it every minute of it. After all the things that have been going on, it felt great to just take a breath of fresh air and enjoy life. This type of fun and excitement is only gunna get better, cus summers almost here. Thanks to Sammy, Diane and Maria for coming to support hahaha.

Keeps gettin' better.

Congratulations to all of you!
You were all winners of the night, because there's so much more in store.

Tre
First place in the singing competition

Nice photography skills tre.

Saturday's Mansion

Lucero the makeup artist

Korean Karaoke, hahaha.
It was Diane's idea.
But it was heeeella fun.

you're welcome

2009-04-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

So yesterday, I had a conversation with a friend of mine.
Someone who was always mysterious to me.
This person was going through hard times.
I felt compelled to spill some knowledge, just cus I've been in that position before.
So much this person reminded me of myself, and my friends.
Funny how a lot of us go through the same exact problem. Maybe it's just a part of life. Growing up.

Talking to this person brought back so many memories
that had been forgotten, as if they never meant anything.
But something like this, is put in your long-term memory, not your short-term.
It sticks with you for life, you just gotta search for it.

Lessons in life.
There's never enough of those.
My experience was honestly humbling.
Because the tables had turned, and I was on the other side.

It showed me how things were before.
& how things are now.

No one ever really knows why
but everything happens for a reason.
Don't question it!

So there it is,
you're welcome.
& thank you,
for showing me what i lost, and what i've gained.

I never really took the time to realize how things have changed.
but its senior year. I'm almost legal.
Things are bound to change.
& things are definitely better off this way.

HOW

2009-04-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

do you know what you're capable of doing,

when you've never done it before.

Everybody says this and that.
but its never seen before.
it might as well not exist.

There's many things in life
but there's even more people in it.

way too many complications.
is it even worth it?

maybe this is coming from my senioritis/lazyness/no-inspiration-whatsoever
who ever really knows.

just give me spring break.
thats all im asking for.

& let the countdown begin.

I discovered a whole new side to life this weekend.
It was a mixture of what I always imagined.
& things you could never picture.
Overall, I loved the feeling.
Much better than anywhere I've ever been.

I'm hoping for much much more.

Seems like i've become addicted to

.| SUCCESS |.

OK, I need a nap now.

I love...

2009-03-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

...random messages.

...random aim conversations.

...my robot and my rocketship.

Since freshmen year:
I'll keep this short&simple.
You guys were two of the randomest, craziest, weirdest people I had ever met until that point. & I loved every minute of it. Its crazy how much we've been through, but I'm glad that you guys are still by my side. Ever since you guys took care of me that one time in Mr. Moore's class, haha, I knew that this was forreal. The only ones who have stuck around SINCE freshmen year. Now, we're down to our last 3 months together. We've had a good run, but its NOT the end. THIS is just the beggining. Icecreamcone.

MY ROCKETSHIP & MY ROBOT.

"Let's take a ride on my rocketship, search for that robot, while we listen to the radio."

MichelleDisaster

2009-03-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

Get a taste of my slideshow making skilllllls
Enjoy!

This is my first audio slideshow coming to you by my video-journalism class. It was made by me and my good friend Lucero. Check out her blog here

Blog Assignment:
1) What did you learn about the audio slideshow form (compared to video)?

I learned to appreciate them. I thought that the audio slideshow form was very unnecessary. I would always ask myself, "Why have pictures when you can just have video?" At first, I really did not understand; but after actually making an audio slideshow, I have come to appreciate it. I honestly feel really accomplished because it was a lightweight tedious process.

2) In what ways does your audio slideshow succeed?

Well, in my opinion, our slideshow really got the point across. The whole point of the video was to show people an inside look on Michelle's life, and what she has to go through. She really is a "One in a Million" type of person, and our job was to portray that through an audio slideshow.

3) What would you do differently if you could do it again?

If I could do it again, I would definitely try to add more pictures that fit in with the slideshow. I feel that we had enough pictures but they could have been clearer. In the amount of time we had to gather pictures and audio, we had to work with what we had. I feel that the pictures still made sense though.

4) How did you work as a group?

Me and my partner worked great together. We have worked together before, and it is a good combination. We both know what we like and don't like. I feel that we had just the right mixture of differences and same ideas to create this slideshow. Great minds definitely think alike!

5) Did you learn anything about storytelling through this experience?

I learned that storytelling is much much harder in a slideshow form. Putting the pictures and audio together to make sense was difficult. Sometimes, the pictures did not really make sense to what was going on in the audio.

6) What is your favorite part of your slideshow? Why?

I feel that the beginning of the slideshow was really strong. The first part is really important because we need to catch people's attention. Our beginning is definitely entertaining and "ear-catching," at least I think so.

7) What do you hope your viewer walks away with after watching your slideshow?

A full stomach, just kidding. Basically just an understanding of our topic. There was really no moral to this story; we were just trying to show you a window looking inside the life of one of our Tennyson students. That is all.

Call it a movement.

2009-03-09T23:34:00.000-07:00

Yeah yeah yeah, you might think i'm just another Weezy follower. But you gotta give the man props. He's one of the most talented artists out there. I haven't followed his career for very long, but from what I've heard, his lyrics catch people's attention. That's what everybody likes. Controversy, the whole world thrives on it. You see all of these people on the edge of their seat, just waiting to see what Lil Wayne will do and say next. I am damn sure not the biggest Weezy fan, but his songs are contagious. I mean, he even has people of different tastes in music, HOOKED. That right there, says a lot about an artist. Kudos man, kudos. Whatever those are.

The purpose of this blog is not to glorify Lil Wayne. I was just browsing online like everyone with a computer does, when I landed upon one of his interviews. Now, this is not one of his typical interviews, talking about overused words like "swagg" (uggh), beats, and overall how much of a great artist he is. It's obvious, Lil Wayne thinks highly of himself. Some may call it cocky, but hey, the public loves it. In this world, you gotta give em what they want, right?

Moving on, the biggest thing that caught my attention was his pet peeve. Unintelligent people, haaaa. I gotta say, that is one of my pet peeves too, so I feel him 100% on that.

"School would not be optional. It would be mandatory. Because I do not like unintelligent people; it’s a pet peeve. If you dumb, you not around me, so that says a lot about the people you see around me, because I hate dumb people."
-Lil Wayne

I'm not talking about "the smartest people in the world" type of people, the "nerd" type of people; I'm talking about the "most likely to succeed" people. Yeaaah, cus at the end of the day, the most successful people are the smartest people. They key to success is education, believe it or not folks. You have a millioniare/rapper such as Lil Wayne who went to school for some time to study psychology. He ended up dropping out, but he was still motivated for his education. That's what a lot of people nowadays don't see, education is the key to success.

All I'm really trynna say is. Education is important. We are all still in High School for a reason, whether we like it or not. For all my seniors, we made it this far, so why should we give up now? Only 13 weeks left.

P.S.
This goes out to everyone;
Stop hating on the kid with the good grades.
We all are ample enough to get them A's. If Straight A's don't motivate you;
then think about this:

| $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ |

Remember what weezy said, aha!
Moooovement.

For the full interview go to:
http://men.style.com/gq/blogs/gqeditors/2009/01/lil-wayne-the-u.html

| Successful |

2009-03-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

SUC-CESS:
Pronounciation: \sək-ˈses\
1. favorable or desired outcome
2. the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence
3. one that succeeds

Everybody wants it.

I'm actually doing something to achieve it.
Are you?

I have goals.
I have dreams.
I have aspirations.

Next up: College.
I don't know where or when.
But I'll be there next year.

Ambition to succeed.
Whatever comes my way, cus after all:

"Take life's experiences, & build strength from them; not weakness."

PS.

Happy 18th Shannon!
I'll be up there with you soon.

the real world

2009-03-06T23:32:00.000-08:00

Ok, so MTV's The Real World is now in its 21st season? I believe. Let me start off by saying that The Real World seems soooo fake and soooo scripted to me, but I just cant get enough of it. I have watched most of the seasons, and each season is interesting to me. On Brooklyn's season, I thought it would be one of the most interesting ones because it is the first time ever that they've had a transgendered woman on the show. Not gunna lie, it has disappointed me some. They also have a gay guy this season, and you never know what to expect with them. Quite frankly, both of these people fall right into the stereotype that most people have built for them. For example, J.D., the gay guy, is hella rude and disrespectful to the women in the house. Katelynn, the trans woman, is shown as a slut and much much more. I hate how other LGBTQ people try so hard to break the stereotype and then other people just demolish that dream. Yeah yeah, I know everybody is different. That's life! But it just bothers me. I know I can easily STOP watching it, buuuuut like I said, I can't. I can even say this is one of the worst seasons I've ever seen, right next to the Paris and Australia one.

All of this nonsense just makes me want to audition to be on the show myself. Just to have the opportunity to show the world the "real" me. HAHAHA. Funny, reaaal funny. But really, ever since I was a little kid, I've wondered what it would be like to be on the show. I wonder under what category of characters I would fit into. Especially because the show seems scripted at times, you never know what might happen with all of these melodramatic people. All I know is, you must be 18 to audition and maaan, I'm 18 in 48 days. Yaaay me! Other than that, the season is not yet over so I will just wait and see what else it has to offer. Hmmm, I don't like waiting.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What about just a reality show on our lives?
What if the producers of laguna beach wanted to do a show on Tennyson High School? How would it turn out? In my opinion, most of the people at school deal with drama. People get talked about, constantly. That's actually part of LIFE, not just high school. I think Tennyson would get the show cancelled for all of the violence, cussing, drugs, alcohol, and horrible people. Just kidding. What makes YOUR life so interesting that someone would want to watch it? I mean, these little white kids in laguna beach had their own reality show. They were the same age as we are now, I don't understand the difference here. Is it because we're not rich and just plain ghetto? Seems like we gettin screwed over here.
Come on man, we from the bay, you're telling me our lives aren't interesting?
SHOCKING.

That's High School folks.
I'm just glad that next year, I will be starting off fresh.

Ok ok, enough 12 o' clock ranting for me.

Here's to you...

2009-03-03T23:21:00.000-08:00

Get the picture?
Thanks.

Assassin

2009-03-03T12:42:00.000-08:00

ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION!
Hey, read this blog.

I swear, im not lying.
Now, Im not trynna sound cocky
But its the realest blog you've ever met.
I dont wanna leave anyone behind, please forgive me G-d.

But I'll stop here,
because I really don't care anymore.
this blog never meant s*** to me.
OH WELL.

& uhh, one more thing.
I just found out that I,
am allergic to the smell of my binder.

It's not you, it's me.

Typical.

2009-03-02T21:08:00.000-08:00

What in the world is this?!?
I sweaaaaar, some girls just like to be beaten.
Man oh maaan, so many ways to look at this situation.
This completely baffles me, buuut ima get back to watchn tv.
HEROES is on, leavemealone.

For the full story, visit:

http://www.tmz.com/2009/03/02/chris-brown-rihanna-photos-together/

Late night Session

2009-03-02T13:09:00.000-08:00

Currently Listening To:

The Sweetest Thing - Lauryn Hill/Refugee Camp Allstars

I'm not a poet, or writer, in any way. But this is just a lil something I came up with last night.
We all have inspiration once in a while.
Like someone just turned on a lightbulb in my head
Or its just one of them days....

Imagine waking up one day
& realizing,
that NOTHING will ever be the same.
The people you came to love
will not always be there for you.
The memories will fade,
& be lost in eternity.
You are forced to grow up so quickly,
& even though it hurts,
you pull through;
Because thats what society expects of you
Don't worry,
"everything happens for a reason"
& you will move on
to bigger and better things.

But has anyone given you time to stop&think;
To reminisce about the past;
To hear what you have to say?

Yeaah, that's about it.
Interpret it how you want to.
But only I, & a few of my friends, know the real meaning.

Or like my friend put it:

"Life comes at you fast, and sometimes thows curve-balls. Sometimes you'll make that home-run; but sometimes you strike out. Or better yet, you're benched...helpless. But your time will come to shine."

-Zairin H.

I miss you...
& even though things will never be the same. I have memories, that last a lifetime.
All these years, I never really took the time to realize how much things have changed. I never took the time to see how much you guys meant to me. Most of the time was spent fighting because that's how I thought things were supposed to be. Then one day, you're all gone. It's all a part of growing up. Whether we're ready or not, it happens. No emotions were showed, no tears were shed, but the feeling is still as strong. You'll always be a part of my life because destiny put it in our paths. We will meet again, until then, I LOVE ALL THREE OF YOU.

Just an "FYI"

2009-03-02T12:33:00.000-08:00

Well, this blog has been used before in Ms. Okolie's Multimedia II Class, and also Ms. Navarro's Government Class. Now, I will be using this as a blog for my Journalism Class. Blogging is the thang to do nowadays, haven't you heard? Many journalists, and just people in general are blogging to give people an inside look on news and entertainment, or just their personal life. Blogging from Tennyson High School is not very easy when most of these websites are blocked! So hopefully I will keep this updated from my own computer. For more information you can add me on:

Myspace.com/carlos14

Otherwise, I'm Carlos, I'm 17 and I'm a CMMA senior at THS. I got dreaaams, & that's pretty much all you gotta know, for now.

Activism Log #5

2008-10-24T00:26:00.000-07:00

For Activism Log #5, I decided to read and collect 4 articles about proposition 8.
One article was No on Prop. 8 and three were Yes on Prop. 8.

Article #1

Article #2

Article #3

Article #4

I feel that these articles help an undeclared person get an idea about which side to choose or to stand on. In Article #1, A California State Senator outrageously insults gay people by saying, "If you call a tail a leg, how many legs has a dog? The answer is four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it one, and calling a homosexual partnership a marriage doesn't make it one." He basically compared gay people to dogs. That is disrespectful and clearly shows that gay people are not treated equally. Now, in article #3, the author states, "They are good and decent people. I respect their rights to choose. I accept them as what they are. I don't impose my values on them and they don't impose their values on me. But if Prop. 8 does not pass, the law will demand their values be imposed on me." The author is saying that gay people's values should not be tolerated and their voice should not be heard. This country is so based on freedom and equality, but yet gays are not receiving any of that.

I was involved in democracy because I researched information about a law that is trying to be passed. I informed myself about what was going on in my government. Many people do not know both sides to Prop. 8 because they only hear what they want to hear. Most people are caught up in their own beliefs, and getting the facts should be a first priority. I contributed because I am showing people that I have power. Along with every other young adult, we all have the power to influence and persuade people to vote. Even though we are not old enough, we are going to have to deal with the proposition next year. Whichever way the proposition goes, I will feel proud of myself because I actually made a difference to myself. I actually took the time to listen to the other side of the story and gain some knowledge about real life issues. The biggest thing I learned from this is that most people who are for Prop. 8 are republicans. The republican party is so afraid of change and gay marriages would be a drastic change to them. Another thing I learned is that supporters of Proposition 8 tell so many lies to parents to persuade them about child education in schools, and even tax payers, saying gay marriages will affect that. At the end of the day, Proposition 8 is unfair and we must take action against that, as a democracy.

Activism Log #4

2008-10-23T23:51:00.000-07:00

Proposition 8

To prepare for the socratic seminar that we had in class, I did research about both views on proposition 8. For the yes on 8 side I visited http://www.protectmarriage.com. It showed me the political and religious views about proposition 8. It prepared me to whatever an opposing member might have to say about No on Prop. 8. I also visited http://www.NoOnProp8.com to help me gain real facts about proposition 8. Everything that I had based my opinion on was my beliefs and not facts. I felt like I had to educate myself more on both sides in order to have a full understanding and maybe a change of mind. My contribution to democracy was that I educated myself and was open to both sides of the story. A lot of times in democracy, people don't give the other side a chance to speak on what they believe in. A person's beliefs is not always based on facts and I think that should be changed. From all the research that I did I gained a lot of new insight into both sides of the views. I ended up agreeing with No on Prop. 8 even more than before. The fact that a lot of Yes on Prop. 8 supporters were telling lies, changed my point of view on them and our country should not stand for that. That is why if I had the chance to vote, it would be No on Prop. 8.

image source: http://www.ProtectMarriage.com

Proposition 8 states the same as Proposition 22 did in 2000, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California." The proposition was overturned in early 2008 by four San Francisco judges and gay marriages were allowed in California. All that proposition 8 is trying to do is overturn the judges' decision, restore marriages, and protect children from learning about gay people.

image source: http://www.NoOnProp8.com

No on Proposition 8 is the opposing side. The people against Prop. 8 all say that it is unfair, unnecessary, and just plain wrong. First of all, Proposition 8 has nothing to do with schools and their children being taught about gay lifestyles. Secondly, if our country was based on freedom and equality, then why are they trying to ban gay marriages? Supporters of Prop. 8 say that they are not discriminating against gay people, but in reality that is exactly what is going on. Their rights are being taken away because they cannot be legally married. A domestic partnership is allowed but that is not the same as a marriage. Lastly, why are people trying to overturn the judges' decision. I understand that people are unhappy because they basically went against everyone's word, but that was from way back in 2000. It's been 8 years and a lot has changed since then. It is time to vote once more on that issue and I feel that gay marriages should be more accepted now. In this time of age, EVERYONE should have the freedom to marry who they want to. Everyone wants equality! therefore, vote

NO ON PROPOSITION 8.

Activism Log #3

2008-10-23T23:42:00.000-07:00

Image source: http://www.flickr.com

On November 4th, I will be working at the voting polls. I decided to stand up and help out my community by working at the voting polls. Also, there is a $95 pay that comes along with it. In my opinion that is very thoughtful of them because we are helping out our community and it should be used as a form of community service. I have not completed that task yet but it still is a contribution to my society and democracy. By being at the voting centers I am influencing more people to vote. If eligible voters see that a young person, that is not yet able to vote, is so dedicated, then that will show them the importance of voting. I've learned from registering to work at the polls, that young people have a big influence. We have such an influence because we are the new generation that deals with all the propositions that are passed or denied. I feel like more and more people should pay attention to young people because we DO have a voice and we should not be taken for granted. Most of us are educated about the world around us and not clueless like they think.

Activism Log #2

2008-10-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

Political Cartoon #1

image source: http://www.unionleader.com

In political cartoon #1 they are trying to make fun of Barack Obama's slogan. The guy walking away from him is saying that because he said, "It's time for change.", that people should change who they vote for. Everybody knows and understands Obama's slogan because it is not complicated. Obama wants what most democrats want, change. On the other hand, republicans are against change because they like to stick to how things have always been. I feel like this political cartoon is really sarcastic and satirical towards Obama's whole campaign. I know that if John McCain's campaign was being made fun of by democrats, he and his followers would be really hurt by it. The fact of the matter is, that Barack Obama wants change; and change is good!

Political Cartoon #2

image source: http://www.cagle.com

In political cartoon #2, it talks about change, once more. It also talks about the presidential election. The banner identifies insanity as George W. Bush and John McCain. This political cartoon is clearly against the republican party. The three pictures shows us how our past has been and what our future might look like. President Bush served two terms and he has been doing the same thing over and over again, nothing. The cartoon shows us that if McCain wins presidency, that things will still be the same. We would have a different president, but nothing would be getting done. We expect a different result from a new president but with McCain in office, that won't be happening. Just like Barack Obama's slogan says, "It's time for a change," who would you rather have in office to bring that change? A replica of George W. Bush? or someone new that will be sure to bring change?

For this activism log, I collected two political cartoons and analyzed them. The cartoons both dealt with change and the presidential election. The two candidates John McCain and Barack Obama are targeted in the cartoons. I feel that this log shows how much a young person is able to know about government and politics. Government is taught in High School and it does get into our heads. This contributes to democracy because ideas are shaped and formed in our head about our future. This might help me to decide to become a senator, a representative, maybe even the next president of the United States, & that to me, is really important. We are learning the fundamentals of life that we will keep with us for the rest of our lives. I learned that most political cartoons are targeted towards something or someone in specific. I also learned that they are not that hard to interpret. Political cartoons also are a big help in understanding a topic. Since they are very specific, the cartoons don't have to include so much detail and therefore people are able to understand a topic more.

Activism Log #1

2008-10-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

Recently, I made my mom register to vote in this election. She has never been registered to vote but she has had the ability to vote. My mom became a citizen in 1999, but never got around to voting. She never really understood the importance of voting and what that does to our future. I took the time to explain to her and she felt like she had to do whatever it took for the good of her people. My mom actually wanted to make a difference in our democracy and help out the immigrants because she had been there before. As an immigrant, she thinks everyone deserves a chance to be a citizen of this country. I learned that not just my parents have to vote in order to make a difference. We need OUR people as American citizens in order to choose our future.

Recycling Awareness

2008-05-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

This recycling unit has really taught me a lot and made me more aware of recycling. It really is all around us and should not be ignored. I have learned the importance of recycling and it's effect on the world. I learned how Landfills help the environment to be more pleasant and be able to live in. The Waste Survey helped me to be more aware of the trash that is left behind by my own schoolmates. It opened up my eyes to realize that we need to throw away our trash and recycle. It would make our school a more pleasant environment.

The 4R's are a big part of recycling and has also taught me a lot. There are different ways to recycle than just recycling. You can reuse, reduce and rot items at home. Many people who like farming can create their own fertilizer for their soil. Composting of Rot, and can help people out. Also, by reusing many plastic bottles you can not only help the environment but also save a lot more money. People at home need to learn how to reuse and reduce because in the end, it helps everyone. At home, I honestly try my best to do the 4R's. I have always done my part to recycle any items that can be reused. Recently, I learned about reducing and that is one thing that I have been doing.

Recycling at Tennyson is not a big deal for students. Some teachers have recycle bins in their classroom, but that is only a part of the school. We need to have clear and noticeable recycle bins in every classroom. Right now, the leadership class at Tennyson is going around the school doing presentations about recycling. The leadership students want to make the rest of us aware about recycling and the importance of it. Tennyson students need to learn about recycling because it is easy, effortless and very important towards making the world a better place.

Here are pictures about recycling at Tennyson High School:

Recycling makes the world a better place, so make a difference and for more information go to this website: http://www.stopwaste.org

The Davis Street Transfer Center

2008-05-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

On April 14, the CMMA juniors took a field trip to the Davis Street Transfer Center. The transfer center first began as a landfill in the year 1942. Then, in 1979, it turned into a transfer center for solid waste. It wasn't until 1990 that recycling was added to the center. The Transfer Center now serves as a place to recycle any type of material. It is ran by Waste Management and it serves about 20 different Bay Area cities. 75% of the trash is dumped and recycled at the transfer center. A few of the recyclable items are plastic, electronics, and wood. Any other trash that cannot be recycled is sent to a landfill.

Here is a picture of a plastic bottles and cans being recycled:

This is a picture of wood being recycled:

& this is a bunch of electronics such as T.V.'s and computer screens being recycled:

As you can see in the pictures, the transfer center recycles all different types of materials. The biggest thing that I learned was that any material can be recycled. It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, "One man's trash is another man's treasure," because anyone can make money by recycling cans and plastic bottles. Even recycling old T.V. sets and computer screens can make money. I also learned the importance of recycling because it makes the world a better place by not contaminating it with so much trash. So many different things can be reused and recycled and it is easy to. I learned how easy and effortless it is to recycle; people are just too lazy to do it.

The trash that is dumped at the Davis Street Transfer Center is taken to the Altamont landfill in Livermore, CA. The landfill is when trash is buried underground to reduce odor and prevent waste from mixing with groundwater. The Davis Street Transfer Center helps recycle items so we can reuse them, and the Altamont landfill helps us by making our world a cleaner place.

Composting: For Dummies

2008-05-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

Composting is the act of recycling any yard trimmings and succulent plant matter and mixing it with water and old compost to make fertilizer. Compost piles turn into fertilizer that you can then use to fertilize soil for farming. One of the benefits of composting is that you can recycle yard trimmings. By recycling, you can help out the environment and make the world a cleaner place. Another benefit is that you can make life easier for farmers. You can create your own fertilizer at home and that means less money.

This is a video that I created to show everyone how to compost, plain and simple, easy as 1, 2, 3:

Waste Audit Survey

2008-04-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

One activity that my class did not participate in, but is still very important, is the waste audit. The other CMMA class was in charge of this waste audit. The task was to sort through a trash bag, weigh it, then sort through it to make different piles of trash. Then they had to weigh the new piles of trash to see how much trash of one sort there was. This picture shows the bag that was sorted through:

The second step was to weigh the bag to see how big the bag of trash was. The purpose was to see how much trash is produced at school. Many people at school throw away several things that may not necessarily be considered trash and can be re-used. The bag of trash came out to be approximately 5-8 pounds. This is a picture of the bag being weighed:

The third step was to dump the trash onto the tarp. The purpose of this was to be able to sort through the trash. There was many different types of trash and the students had sort through it. Here is a picture of the trash dumped onto the tarp:

The fourth step was to sort through the trash and create different piles of trash. There was so much different trash and several piles were created. For example, there were piles of bottles, paper, food, and other things. Here is the picture of the class sorting through the trash:

The fifth and final step was to weigh the different piles of trash that the class had created. They had piles of plastic bottles, food, and paper. The bag of paper made up approximately 70% of the trash. The plastic bottle pile made up about 20% of the trash. Finally, the food pile made up about 10% of the trash. Here is a picture of the plastic bottles being weighed:

A big part of recycling is being able to reduce and reuse products. A lot of paper and plastic bottles could be reused. In classrooms, students can reduce the use of paper by using both sides of the paper and not wasting blank paper. At home, a person can reuse a plastic bottle without the need of throwing it away. If we had different recycle bins at school, then more recyclable items would actually end up recycled. Paper at school can be recycled, reduced and reused. Plastic bottles can also be recycled and reused. Any type of food that is thrown away at school could be composted and used for farming. Having compost bins at school would help to rot food at school. In my opinion, the classroom should be focused more on reducing the use of paper and reusing any paper that is left over. That would help the problem of recycling in the world.

Litter Survey

2008-04-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

On April 24, 2008, we took pictures of all the litter that was left after lunch. During second block, the other students took pictures of certain areas around Tennyson before lunch. The purpose was to survey how much litter was left after lunch. The areas where the pictures were taken were the THS Quad, grassy areas between hallways, administration wing, and E-hall. Before lunch there was really no litter on the ground. The only litter visible was posters that had fallen off of the wall.

After lunch ended and everybody was inside their classrooms, the school was left a mess. The quad was the place where most of the litter had been left. Most people hang out in the quad during lunch, therefore most of the litter was left there. In B-Hall, there was litter everywhere. B-Hall is right next to the quad so it was left trashed. In between hallways there is a small amount of people that are there so there was not that much trash. Before lunch there had been no trash visible. In E-Hall, there were several mashed potato bowls left right outside of this classroom. Funny thing is, there was a trash can RIGHT next to where the people were sitting. It's amazing how people these days have become so lazy that they can't even take two steps to do everyone a favor and throw away their trash.

The 4R's are everywhere

2008-04-24T12:54:00.000-07:00

Even though you may not notice it, recycling is EVERYWHERE. It is so easy and free that it should be natural to us. In my home, recycling is not really a big deal. The thing is, that it does not even have to be a big deal. Just by going to the supermarket and filling up a 5-gallon bottle of water, you are reducing and that is helping out our environment. Another thing that we practice at my house is reusing. My mom likes to shop at used stores to look for house items such as decorations, appliances, or even clothes. You are reusing an old item and it is also cheap. In our neighborhood we have a green bin for yard trimmings. Whenever we cut the grass, the clippings go into the bin. Every night after dinner, if they are food scraps left we dump it into the green bin as well. Food scraps and yard trimmings can be used as compost and that is considered rotting. My family also recycles plastic, paper, and glass. All of that goes into the recycling bin that is provided for us in our home. The picture on the left is of my recycle bin at home. My mom usually puts in glass, paper or any recyclable material inside of this green bin. Every Monday morning the Hayward Recycling come to pick up any trash, yard trimmings or recyclables that we have.

"SLWRP"ing

2008-04-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this blog is to help teach the Tennyson community about recycling and the importance of the 4R's. In our CMMA class we are learning about the effects of recycling and how easy it is to help out our community by recycling. SLWRP stands for Service Learning through Waste Reduction Projects. All our projects have to deal with recycling and the 4R's. The 4R's are Reuse, Reduce, Recycle and Rot. They all represent recycling and each one deals with the situation in their own way. Reuse means reusing something like going to a Goodwill and buying new clothes. Reducing means reducing what you use like buying less packaged good when you are at the store. Recycling is self-explanatory which basically means to throw any recyclables away in their appropriate can. Rot means composting yard trimmings and/or old food scraps. Compost can be used to fertilize the soil while farming. Recycling is a very important issue because it not only makes 0ur world look better, it makes it a safer environment. The Tennyson High School student body should be involved because it is an important matter. Nobody wants to be living in a dirty world, swimming in nothing but trash. Therefore, we all need to do something about this situation.