Blog #25 - Final Project - Food Market

I went with a couple of classmates to Union Square Park to see what I can find there

I saw alot of thing that caught my eye like this:

 I went in to see what I can get for my special dish that I'm was going to prepare, I saw some green food that would be perfect for my dish

Next I was thinking off geting some organic eggs, the price was a bit much but I know I be eating a good natural egg than a factoty egg:

after that I was a bit hungry so I told my classmates if they wanted to get some cheap apples =)

But Alice wanted to eat an apple pie =/  .... Jajaja

Next I wanted to get some MEAT... but the organic ones that have less chemicals and hormons ...

 The price of the meat was SO high I almost didn't want to get it ...... =(

  
After this I wanted to but some tomates cause I wanted to make a sauge for my meat

 While walking around we saw a cooking show on the park.... That was cool and gave me some new ideas for my organic dish =D

We decided to take a small break and walk around the park.... I was tons ( I'm lying ) well alot of crazy people on the park.... I was worry about the girls's safety lol . The entrance is all nice looking but inside alot of crazy and drunk people be there....   -_- ..

But on the bright side we saw some kids playing Irish music on the park. That was cool =)

 When I got home I was perparing my dish with the things I bought which was pricey ....  I was cutting the chicken in pieces so I can fry it with the tomates that I bought there ... I make a tomates sauge on the pan...

Then I mix the two things so it can cooked... In which I added water and oil at the same thing .....

Finally the final dish is maked ... with the salad that I bough and the chicken ... Hope you like it =D

I really enjoy this project and going with my classmates was FUN ...

Blog # 24

Well the 3 blogs that I consider best critical thinking would be Blog # 22, 12, and 11.  I think those were the ones that make me think a lot in this semester. Blog # 22: The story of Stuff make me think a lot about my way of life, It taught me as I was like a zombie when I was buying stuff that I really don’t need. I really enjoy it the class and the discussing we had about it.  Blog # 12: Summary and Response to “Red Pill or Blue Pill?’  that’s another one that I enjoy writing about and discussing it on the classroom, that article by Christine Cornell and Patrick Malcolmson explain to be how we as human sometimes think that ignores is bliss and we don’t like to know the truth at times. When I was reading that article I was thinking about myself and how at times I feel like that.  And finally Blog # 11 about the Truman Show the question about the perfect world versus the real world. That blog was the toughest for me because I couldn’t think about anything to write about; I had to really brainstorm ideas for it.  But over all I enjoy and learn from all the blog that you make us write.

This kind of writing that we had this semester was different from my past ones, because this was the first time that I wrote on a blog and allows other students to read my work.

I really don’t know if the blogs help me with my writing skills but I sure hope so for this Wednesday’s exam that we have. But you told me that I got better in somewhat of my writing skills.

I’m not too fond about online work that was shared with others, but if that make me a better writer well so be it.

At times I read some of my classmates’ work, for help with my own blogs, at time I was stuck with some blogs and reading some really help in my benefit.

I was kind of shock that some students from other courses like my blogs and give me comments. That was very cool of them to do.

I really enjoy this class Professor X, I think it was one of my best experience in college from a long time…. I learn a lot of things about food and my home planet that I was continue to just and I hope to teach others. I know it suck that our semester got cut of short but I know that’s life…. I hope I get to see you in my future at la Guardia and we can have a good relationship as a student and professor. Damn thinking about it I’m going to miss all of my classmates I hope we can keep in touch with each others. I’m sorry for not doing Blog # 23 but I will do it soon for practice I had a busy week and weekend at work (we are moving) so it was very difficult for me to write well as my over units, so I want to apologies to you.  

Blog # 22: The Story of Stuff

Who/What is responsible for this reality?

      To be honest I believe that all of us (Humans) are responsible for this reality, we buy stuff that we don’t need in a lot of cases. And the Big Companies that produce products are us to buy. All of us are destroying our only planet. And to be honest we are going to pay for it later on or even worst our children.

   

     Who/What benefits from it?

      Well to be fair, I think both the consumers and producers are benefiting from this reality that we are living in. for example the consumers cause we are buying new cool things for our pleasure like a new Iphone with cool Ads on the phone that carries new games, cameras to take pictures when your outside, and music to listen when your walking. So things like that we benefit from it. And the producers cause they are selling it and getting money for it, they build thing for cheap cost and they sell it double or triple the prices are times.

         Who/What suffers because of it?

       They people that we living in the land that the companies took over for their business. And our planet as well cause they are destroying the way of life that our planet is living. And it’s a shame too, cause I don’t mind trying to produces thing for the people, but not by destroying everything is sight and not trying to rebuild those land that are in a waste.

          Is this reality necessary?

       Yes and No, I meant that we need those things to process in life, I kow that back in the days people didn’t have things we have now, but I’m sure if they did they also would be like us. But to be honest this reality scares me cause we are destroying our only planet to live in. and I don’t know if we as a species are going to survive in the future if we take all of the natural resources away from our planet. I remind me of the matrix (The Movie) that we are a virus that we expand and destroys anything in our path like the Agent Mr. Smith told Morphous.  

         Is it right? 

No it’s not right, and I hope people should understand soon before its too late for us to fix our planet.

Blog # 21: Summary and Response to " The New Industrial Migrants"

The new Industrial Migrants (part I)

In this passage from the book “Fast Food Nation” by Eric Schlosser states that the food industries are hiring a lot of migrants from over countries in the 1980’s. Mr. Schlosser gives an example of this by telling how the meatpacking industries are using illegal aliens to do the dangerous work in that field. Explain how the companies hire the workers for few months and then they are let go. Mr. Schlosser states the reason for that is that they don’t want to pay health insurance for the workers; they know that insurance for that type of work it’s costly for the big company to insure its workers. He later explains some reason that the workers are fine by it, he states that most of them don’t have a background education from their native land. So they don’t know their right as human beings. Another is because they are illegal in this country they can’t complain to anyone because they are afraid they would get deported back to their native home land. And another reason that companies are getting their ways with the workers is because the workers don’t have an union to help them out, so it’s easier for companies to control their business

The new industrial migrants (Part II)

In this passage from “Fast Food Nation” by Eric Schlosser states how the meatpacking industry are recruiting migrant workers from town to town in the USA. They are targeting low income neighborhoods or poor communities, the companies are recruiting in homeless shelters in some pretty big states like New York, New Jersey, California, North Carolina, and Rhode Island. Meaning they are targeting blacks and Hispanics communities that lives in those states. They even are trying to market the companies about hiring in neighboring countries like Mexico.  The Immigration and Naturalization Service estimates about one quarter of all meatpacking workers are illegal immigrants in 2 of factories in the states of Iowa and Nebraska. They are hiring anyone with a pulse to do that kind of dangerous work, so companies are focus in getting people with no background education.  Mr. Schlosser later states that some company in Minnesota name GFI America were paying shelters to hold their workers cause they promise those workers home to live in, in which they lie and forces them to live next to homeless people. Soon after the local news heard about this and make it public to the community about this outrage.

Blog 20: Reflection on the food unit

The food unit of this class was very fun to do; I really enjoy doing it and having a discussing on it with my fellow classmates. I learned new things about the food industry, which I haven’t learned or know before. About how all the processed food start back in the 1940’s during the war. How companies don’t really care about our health, they just care about the profits that they are gaining for our stupidity or ignorant that we know about where our food comes from. The food industry is like the matrix, I just know that is there and we don’t ask question about it. Like the essay I read on the last unit named “Red pill or blue pills” that ignorant is bliss, I can say that we are like that as well, because we don’t have where our food source come from. It’s all a big lie that the food industry is feeding us and marketing us as well. That our food comes from the farm, but in reality it comes from factories and the food is created with chemical to last longer and make us addict as well. To be honest I’m kind of piss that the US government is not doing anything about it. The facts are there and they just close their eyes and don’t do shit about it. Like the subtitle of professor X states “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad“at first I was wondering why you had that as your subtitle….. And now I know =)

I really enjoy the YouTube videos that we watched in class, they were funny but most of all it was very informing. Especially the one with the bottle of waters, I change my though on tap water and now I don’t buy bottle water anymore and I just stick with the old fashion way of tap water. I was so ignorant about that, now that I know the truth I will not help make companies rich any more by buying water. To be honest it feels good to know the truth, at first I didn’t see the meaning of it. But now I know that knowledge is power and I hope my fellow classmates have learned as well ….. at least some.

They comments I receive from the ESL students were helping in my blog # 15. I really appreciated their opinions on what I wrote. Some of them were funny and some were helpful, I think it a great way to make new friends as well. Now on the CAT-W#3 I was able to write more ideas and express my feeling better by having more in details what I was writing about, which it help a lot cause I pass the Cat #3. I hope I can do that on the real CAT. I see I’m improving a little bit on my writing, I hope you can help me more and give me more helpful tips in passing the real CAT.  I hope you continue on your teaching on the work unit, I will make an effort to still continue my learning from you. I really appreciate your knowledge and I will continue to be in class and learn from you. Thank you Professor X …. De verdad gracias.  

Blog 19: In Defense of Food

What items in Pollan's advice make sense to you?

All of them, I think it’s common sense to buy organic food and processed food. Or at least buy food that the land grows naturally

Which could you implement right away?

Eat slowly…. I eat my food so fast that at times I don’t eat but I swallow my food… that’s not a good way to input my food…..

Which seem hard to do or farfetched?

Pay more, eat less. I’m a man and I need to have a decent amount of food on my plate. If not I’m will not function well =)

Which you wish you could do, but your present lifestyle does not make possible?

Pay more eat less. I live in a pricey neighborhood in queens (Rego Park with My girlfriend) and I have a budget. Plus I like to eat good as well

Blog # 18: Summarizing and Responding to "Where the Whale Be at? The place of Race and Racism in the Discussion of Environmentalism

After reading “Where the whale be at?: The place of race & racism in the discussion of environmentalism”  by Terry J. Cole I honestly agree with his thoughts and opinions. First he states white Americans don’t care about the lands that they took away from the Native Americans or Indians, I totally agree with it. As history told us that the white people almost kill off the Native for their land cause the white wanted to have more power in this new world. And by having power meant was to have more land back in the early days when USA was being form. Then Terry touch on a topic that I agree on as well, about a large number of African American living is communities not white American wouldn’t live on (only if they are poor meaning the whites) He states that cause of the environment that Blacks live on that they are linked with delinquency, lower IQ, and lower graduation rates. To be honest its true, they have many problems in their communities. But to be honest if they work hard and not be selfish with each other I think they would have an answer for this. Sorry but that’s the way I think, I too was raise in those conditions when coming to USA when I was in my teen. I just to live on a black and Hispanic section in queens, call Richmond Hill near Jamaica Avenue. It was rough to have your teen years in those conditions that my parents and I have. But it wasn’t the worst either cause I was born in a 3^rd world country Ecuador, and to be honest with you that’s much worst. Over there people are really living hard times..... Not like in USA in black neighborhood that I see people in welfare and having nice cars with rims but their houses is a waste. I think they have to cut the shit and focus on how they live in these places and not care about the new Jordans (sneakers) or if their car is hooked up. Shit (sorry) but in my country I remember that my parents were focus on bringing in a good education and not if the car was hook up (my family didn’t have a car until we came to USA) I remember that I was poor like really poor that I didn’t have at times food to eat. In USA the government helps those in conditions like that, not the way that blacks want to be help but it a F***ing help. In my country we don’t have that, they only helps was if a family member was luckly to come to the USA, or work hard to get the money for a living in which in the USA they have laws that help people of all races to get jobs, (I know that I’m going off topic but to me it’s funny how blacks are so sensitive. That they want the white man to have respect for them and help them. ) Well going back to the text it’s true that in black neighborhood have no supermarkets only bodegas and they can’t supposedly can’t eat right. But to this … can you go in your cars and go and buy food from the white neighborhood? Come on now… If they really wanted to eat right and health they should work hard for it.  I’m not a racism but it gets me mad that some people get offended by the truth, My family work very hard to be where they are at…. But they have a huge disadvantage in the English language that blacks don’t have…..  Sorry I want to write more but I think I will get in trouble for it ….

Blog 17: Summarizing and Responding to "The End of Overeating."

  

In the article from XXXXL by Elizabeth Kolbert talks about a writing that David A. Kessler, a former commissioner of the food and drug administration wrote called “The End of Overeating” in which David Kessler argues that the processed food is being created to be addicted for consumers. Companies in the food industry using 3 elements that will cause our mouth and brains to get addicted which are Fat, sugar, and salt. Mr. Kessler states that companies are creating new products for consumers to crave on their products. At the same time they are hurting us by getting us sick with food that our body doesn’t know how to break down or digest.

Mr. Kessler is right on his claim, Every day I see new kinds of processed food on shelf on the supermarket suck as new kind of chips with weird combination like BBQ Sauce in chips, garlic and cheese in nachos, water with flavor, Foods that in the past we didn’t though it was possible to make. Now companies are paying top dollar to scientist to create that, in process making us the consumers eat things that our body doesn’t recognize or don’t know how to digest . My girlfriend is a perfect example how the food industry is making people addicted with their new products. She recent has moved from my country Ecuador to America, and she just started to eat those processed food like it was a new drug. I tell her to be easy, but she’s not even listening to me. (I see that she’s getting chubby :-(   ….) She told that the food is so good that it’s like a party in her mouth. I’m trying to break that habit or addiction that she’s having by making her see films that explore the secret and truth about the food industry. She also once told me that in her country she just to eat the same way as in the USA, and that she don’t know why she gaining weight so fast. I explain to her that the food in the USA is way different than in our country and the some so much chemicals that our bodies is not use to digest easily than non processed food.

In that affect processed food are making us sick as well physically and mentally, people are having health issues more now than before. Especially young people, I see that younger people are having sickness that old people commonly have. Like high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, all of this in happens to consumers because companies are creating new processed food without thinking about the health of the people buying their product. They only see the profit of it and not the health of the people. As well mentally this new kind of products are making us depress and by doing this it’s making of eat more, just like an illegal drug does to a person. The chemicals on these products are making us crave food like it’s cocaine like Mr. Kessler states on his writing. It’s a shame that the government is not doing anything about it and it’s letting the food industry do whatever it take to make us addicted to their food, and in the process making us suffer.

Blog # 16 - Revising the CAT-W # 2 Movie and smoking

In this article “Imitation of Film: Here’s smoking at you, Kid”, Nicholas Balakar claims that movie that contain scenes of actors smoking a cigarette are the reason that children are likely to start smoking. I don’t agree with his claim at all, Children start smoking for different reasons I believe. A perfect example is peer-pressure at school; another reason is seeing or living with family members that smoke in the household.  I can relate with the examples that I’m going to give in my essay.

Dr. James D. Sargent from Darthmouth Medical School performs a study on 6,522 children nationwide about their movie-viewing habits. In this study it show children who had the greatest exposure to smoking in movies were more than two and a half times as likely to start smoking as those who had the lowest exposure. Well when I was a kid (around the same age as the study) in school, some friends of mine were smoking because they wanted to see for themselves what the buzz about cigarettes was. Not cause of a movie, they wanted to know why it was bad for kids to smoke and not bad for adults in our life at that moment in our childhood. I tried a cigarette when I was in the 6^th grade, as much of my friends did as well. It was a rumor that if you smoke, girls would be attractive to you and would hang out with you more than if you didn’t smoke. At first I didn’t want to try it, but as more peer-pressure from friends or so called friends I had the more I was willing to try it. But the main reason I started to smoke was when I saw some of my friends with more girls around them. Those girls though a guy that smokes is cool and bad. (Girls like bad boys) So that the main reason I started to smoke cause of girls, and it worked. I was chilling with them more and I was in heaven.  Until it was costing me money to buy cigarettes so I stop. So going to that study that Dr. James D. Sargent, I think his research needs more input on other things that can cause a kid to smoke as he acknowledged on the article

Another reason that the research is not accurate is that as a kid you see your family members as hero or someone that you looked up to, and if you see them smoking as a kid you wouldn’t know if that is wrong what they are doing to their bodies. I remember on time a friend of mine explains why he started to smoke at an early age. He told me that all of his families smokes pack of cigarettes every day, to him it seem normal doing that as well. So living in that environment can cause a child to pick up that habit, if you see your parents doing it, why can’t you? …..  (He was the first in my group of friends that started to smoke and introduce us to that habit as well) Finally I don’t believe that seeing a movie with smoking scene will make you start smoking, to me it takes a lot of things to start that habit.  For me it was girls and the popularity to hang out with them not a movie.

Blog 15: The Meatrix

Blog 15, Part I: Summarizing the Meatrix

Video 1:  The Meatrix

The Meatrix starts with a pig name Leo on a farm about to eat when a mysteries cow dress in a black trench coat name moopheus talk to him and ask him if Leo want to know what’s the Meatrix is.  The cow give him a choice to swallow a blue pill and the pig will stay in the farm or a red pill and it will let him see what really the meatrix is.  Moopheus explain to Leo how the meatrix started in the mid 20 century when big greedy agriculture corporations were buying small family run farm and changing them to a factory farm,  Where the animal are packed as closely together as possible, so they have more meat to produce( animal cruelty). Causing then to get sick but those big corporations are giving them dosage of antibiotics to animals so they can keep them alive. By doing that the virus that around the animals are developing strains of resistant disease-causing germs that can cause an epidemic that can’t be stopped in the future. Plus the cow explains that the factory farms by having tons of animals are causing massive pollution on the area they are in, sickening the people on that community.

Video 2

The Meatrix revolting:

It’s start with both Leo and Moopheous talking about how the both free 10 million minds (People) from the meatrix, in which Chickity is so proud of Leo that they looked at each other with a face that they want to make up. After that Moopheous tells Leo they have to go back to the meatrix, since there Leo see a beautiful farm with cows eating grass and looking happy. In which Moropheous tell Leo that what he is seeing is the illusion from the meatrix.  The truth is that where the cows are is on a factory farm, is a dirty and sicking condition. The factory gives s antibiotic to those cows to prevent from sicking, in which that’s bad for the cow too much of that can affect the outcome from the food they are making. Moopheous explains to Leo that those factories use artificial hormones so that the cows can produces more milk, Those Hormones are ban in other parts of the world but not in the USA.  Leo also sees how the young cows are drinking blood from the die cows in which can cause mad cow disease.

 

Video # 3: The Meatrix 2 ½

Chikity and Leo are riding on a motorcycle to a slaughter factor called Happy Farms, where they package the cow’s meat also where Moopheous is held captive by the agent from Agri-Corp. The Agent tells Moopheous about the factory, how they don’t care about the safety of the meat only the fast production of it to be sold at supermarkets. (a scene from Fast Food Nation) Leo and Chikity get inside the factory and sees that the factory is dirty and the meats are making mix the crap.  Plus they see a worker cut his finger while working fast cutting the meats. They go and rescue moopheous from the agent and they are able to escape the factory.

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Blog 15, Part II: Responding to a Factory Farming Issue

During the early 20^th century the United States started the industrial revolution. At the same time The U.S. was involved in World War II.  As a result the food industry wanted to supply food to our troops, in a fast way and wanted to keep the food to last longer and usual. They threw out the basic ways of farming, in which farming became corporation factories in production of food in a rapid time. Until today companies used those ways to make food for the consumers. Luckily some family farms still use the old basic farms ways, this way of farming soon came to be known as “organic”.

The principle of organic is to make food as natural as possible, without any involving of any type of chemical or hormones. The USDA definition of “Organic Production” is “a production system that is managed in accordance with organicfoods production act and regulations in this part to respond to site-specific conditions by integratin cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity”. This is a great way for people to eat and have their food process. Our bodies weren’t meant to break down chemicals that people created to grow faster and reserve longer.  In the long run those chemicals are making our body vulnerable to sickness, for example now in days younger people are having sickness that supposable an older person should have, like diabetics, high cholesterol, etc.  In the past we never saw cases like that because our food was process the organic way.

Blog # 14: Reflexion of Media Unit

In the beginning of the Media unit I thought it would be easy for me because I saw those two movies the Truman Show and The Matrix (which I really enjoy) but I really didn’t see that both of them had a true meaning hiding inside them. Which make it a little bit difficult for me to analyze and put it in writing, for example the blog # 13 that was the most difficult for me. I thought it would be easy to explain it and write about it but it became hard for me to express my opinion, because the way I saw things on Truman it was not correct for the class; I kind of got lose on it. Now the matrix was not that bad but I had some problems with it too, about the meaning of it. The blue pill or red pills and how it relate to Alice in wonderland and Plato’s The Republic; the allegory of the cave, in the article of Christine Cornell and Patrick Malcolmson was very tricky to analyze and respond.

On Google Doc I felt more at ease with it. It helped me a lot on the blogs that we had to do. But for some reason some of them didn’t get save in Dr. X sheet which I was worry that she would of thinks that I didn’t do my work.  But they main idea of the Google doc help me a lot. Now on the group work I still find it difficult to work with others, but I have to learn to cope with it and listen to other opinion on things. The forms help a lot on this unit as well, it give me inside on things we have to write about. Like that cartoon name Calvin and Hobbes, it was very funny how they saw the world around them.

The CAT-W exams were really helpful in the way that I now see how it looks like and with the writing assessment analytic rubric score that make me aware that I need to work on. On the first CAT#1 I fail bad but at the same token I saw what was my strength and weakness on my writing style. I hope I did a good job on the blog# 13 that was to revise the CAT#1. I believe I need more time to write a good essay to pass the final CAT, but I know it’s only 1hour and 30 minutes and I need to focus to use my time well and not repeat myself as I did on the CAT #1 and CAT #2 was a bit hard as well cause I didn’t have enough time to finish it and write more ideas. I hope in the future I can manage my time well and have a passing grade on the final CAT.

In general this media unit was a big piece of work, hope I did well on it so I can move on to the next unit. If not please let me know what I should do to better understand this unit. Like I told you I thought it would be a walk in the park but I got fool.

Blog # 13: Revision of CAT #1

In the article "The Dangers of Realty TV" writing by Timothy Sexton, states the negative effect that “Reality Shows” have on viewers now in days. He gives three points of view that are damaging the young viewers. The obsolescence of education, values of image over ability and Importance of competition. All of them are good arguments on his article but I think I have a few more I can give out from personal experience.

Reality TV have taking over the way of life now in days, everyone know who is Snookie from the Jersey Shore is. But no one knows who won the novel peace award this year. (Including me)
I believe that shows like that are making us see the world as a big funny joke. They are making us stupid, and making us think that acting dumb on TV is a normal thing now is days. Like Timothy Sexton states and I quote “ One need only to possess the ability to humiliate oneself on national television, or have absolutely no shame whatsoever and make more money than many college graduates”  that’s so true cause recently the cast of the Jersey Shore will get 100 thousand dollars per episode for the following season. That’s a joke! They don’t even have a college degree (well only one cast member) and they are making “professional money”. Going back on snookie I bring her up cause a few weeks ago I read on the newspaper that Rutgers University pay her 30 thousand dollar to be give an speech but refuse to pay that same money to a Novel peace winner, I’m telling you we are becoming stupid and they don’t even care about it, like the characters on that show.

We as a society are very shallow because television makes us that way. If you really analyze not everyone in the world are models, but all we see are beautiful people on TV. Why is that?   Are looks better than once ability? That what timothy Sexton states that people would tune-in week to watch a pretty face than a normal face that have a better ability in any show. That’s a shame that young viewers think that “looks’’ will get you anywhere in life. But in reality that’s a fact and a shame one that is. I personally seen actions like this where I work at. ( Insurance world ) that they are hiring good looking people that don’t have any experience in the field, they are hiring them cause they feel like costumers will be attractive to them than someone that is less pretty.  And yes it works but it’s a shame that we are living in a shallow world. But that’s life.

Now in days we are a selfish society, meaning we care for our self and we have to thank that to TV because they show us things like that on their programming schedule like show of competition. Only the stronger survive, and the weak will not mentality.  Shows like fear factors are sending us messages that to win money or the contest we have to beat or defeat our opponent.  Like Timothy Sexton states and quote “Reality TV shows reinforce the idea that life is nothing but a competition that we continually engage in which each other”. And more show I see that shows that idea the more I think that people are becoming selfish. In conclusion I agree with the author’s article because I see it for myself that we as a society are becoming a dumb, shallow and selfish.

Blog 12: Summary and Response to "Red Pill or Blue Pill?"

Summary of Red Pill or Blue Pills


In the Article Red Pill or Blue Pill: Is Ignorance Bliss? The authors Christine Cornell and Patrick Malcolmson states on the first paragraph how the two protagonists from the story "Alice in Worderland" and "The Matrix" have the same thing in common. Is that both of them are confuse in the beggining of the story and they are seeking answers. Both of them are giving tools to take if they want to continue seeking that answer in Alice is the magic drink and the cake and Neo is the Red or Blue Pill offered by Morpheus. The authors continue by explaining that Neo like Alice undergoes a series of experience which leave them wondering who they really are. Is it a dream or reality? They make a connection with Plato’s book The Republic “ The Allegory of the Cave” the famous account given by Socrates to his study Glaucon. For explain “ The Allegory of the Cave” is about liberation as the movie the Matrix meaning Neo is trying to escape that fake reality in the matrix world and wants to see the real truth that he sense in the beginning of the movie. The authors explain how the film and Plato/Socrates’ allegory are different in the way they portrayed the truth, in the film the truth is dark, ugly, and grim as Morpheus puts it “Welcome to the desert of real” and in Socrates the truth is beautiful. So the authors concludes with a character in the Matrix movie name Cypher stating that he wants to go back to the matrix and betraying the crew because he can’t live in the real world and he prefers a benign ignorance than knowing the truth.    


Response to Red Pill or Blue Pill?

To be honest I prefer to take the blue pill so yes Ignorance is bliss. I really don’t want to live in a world that is dark and scary as portrayed in the movie the Matrix so called “the Real World”. To fight to survive, it’s a horrible reality that they have to face. Yes they know the truth but the cost it’s too great for me it is. I prefer living in the matrix a regular life, I know that’s a fake life but I will go insane if a minute I was living a normal life and then in a heartbeat be trying to save the world from machines. I understand Cypher and what he did to the crew of Morpheus.  Yes Morpheus told him that he had a choice in wanting to stay or learning the truth (meaning leaving the Matrix) but how Morpheus spoke to them (all the people that escape the matrix) sounded like the truth is the light and the Matrix is dark and ugly. But in reality it’s the other way around. That’s not cool of him, he should of have told them or explain a little but how is the real world outside of the matrix. He just gave them a choice blue or red. So answering the question is Ignorance bliss? Well finding out that the real world is like an apocalyptic world  I prefer being ignorance.

Blog 11 Topic # 1: The perfect world versus the real world

In the movie The Truman Show, the main character is living a so called “perfect world” created by a show producer named Cristoff. To be honest with you I wouldn’t choose to live in Cristoff’s Perfect World, because it’s fill with lies. I really don’t want people or in the case of Truman’s world his so called families members or friends play by actors to act like they care for him or better telling him what’s good for him and letting him think or act on his own. I really don’t like to be control or manipulated by people. What Cristoff is doing to Truman it’s inhuman; Truman is basically Cristoff’s puppet or slaves. I think that Truman is a prisoner in that world that is lived in. I would feel the same way as Truman wanting to get out of that place.

In Cristoff’s world it’s like the 1950’s everyone is nice to you, you have an OK life, you get an education so that you can get a recent job.  You live in a white fence house, with a lovely wife in it. To me what Cristoff is telling us that our world that we are living in is not as good as his world, because the real world have problems, everyone is not as nice to you ( especially in New York ), if you are very smart you can get an scholarship and go to school, if not your screw. You always don’t get a recent job and most of us don’t live in a white fence house with a lovely wife. So to Cristoff that’s a problem, to me it’s not because I don’t like to have everything handed to me. I would like to work hard and get things on my own. The world is tough, but if you fight for what you want or believe I think you can have a happy life. 

The only thing that Cristoff leave as a problem in Truman’s world is if Truman wants to have a baby with his wife. Which to be honest it’s not easy raising a child. Especially with a woman that don’t love him cause she’s an actor. I would like to love any women what I choose to. Heck I like to be a Casanova and get all the ladies =), but in a serious note I wouldn’t appreciate that someone is controlling me to marry and have a kid with a person that I don’t even love. In conclusion I wouldn’t want to live in Cristoff’s world. It’s so white and boring. I like my Spanish life with some favor on it =)

Blog # 10

What do you think you have learned in terms of writing skills?                                                        

In this past 3 weeks I think I learned a few new things that I never seen before.  The first thing that pops in my mind was the “annotation” that we learned last week, to me that was an important writing skill that  would help me a lot in future essays that I have to do for this class. I hope that that skill would help me past the CAT exam, of course with other writing skills that you (Doc X) had taught us in the past 3 weeks.  Another writing skill that I first saw in a writing class is the Thesis-based writing, that’s a skill that I do want to practice some more and get hopefully good at it so I can pass the CAT exam.  And hopefully use it on my college career in writing.

What proves that you have learned what you say you have learned?                                                                                                                                                    

Well we have to wait and see; I really do want to know if my take on the writing skills that I had learned works for me, If not I’m screw, and I have to talk to you one on one. But with more practice I believe I can get better at it. Keep in mind I haven’t wrote anything since high school last 12 years ago. And back then I was not a well writer. Hopefully I get what I have learned and become a better writer or at least pass the CAT exam.

What of the material we have covered is still unclear or confuses you?

I think is the summarizing, to get that main idea is kind of hard for me. And to put it in writing is a killer!  And paragraphing that is another material that I find it unclear. That’s why if you have time we can have a one on one to explain those skills to me. If not I try to get better myself or go to the writing center.

Would you say that overall you feel more confident about your understanding of basic writing skills, less confident, or about the same as when we started class?

I think I’m a little bit confident on my understanding on the basic writing skills. Hopefully with the blogs that I wrote, you can find ways that I need to improve. I’m a bit scared about this class because writing is not my best skill. Plus the English language is not my first language so at times I feel am writing in Spanish than in English. I do want to improve on all the writing skills but with practice and time I know that I become an alright writer.

Anything else I should know about?

Well I pretty much told you on the questions you ask, I use had to be careful on writing with grammar errors that I know I’m having. I hope there is some way I can get help on that. And I hope you can help me as well. I do want to pass your class and pass the exam,  but most important I want to move on in my college career and become a better writer.  

Blog # 9: Reflecting on Paragraphing

1. What have you learned from the paragraphing class?
Well I learned to have a successful paragraph i have to have a topic sentence and develop it.




2. How do you know that you have learned it?
I don't know, I have to wait and see when Professor X will read my paper. but I hope I got it.


3. Can you describe how you learned it?
Not really because I don't know if am using it right for my essay. but the professor did give some good samples of it in class.



4. What helped your learning? What made it difficult?
Well I think developing the topic that's the difficult thing for this paragraphing. I have to read and memorize the lesson from class.


5. How do you feel after today's class?
uuummmmmmmm I don't know ..... I'm a very negative person =/ but I kind of feel OK with today lesson, and I hope I do an excellent essay for Blog # 8 .......

Blog # 8 "I Know the Truth..."

In the article "I Know the Truth, So Don’t Bother Me with facts" writing by Jeffrey Kluger, explains why people are easy to manipulate with rumors. I agree with the writer when it comes to this topic. To this I have some reason why I think people are easy to trick. First I believe that we as human beings don’t like to change our opinion when we believe in something. Second people are influence by their emotions, values and culture. And last I believe it’s the genetics of human which affects and govern the individual’s tendencies toward certain directions.

My first opinion about people not liking when they have to change their first thoughts about a topic, reflects on the people behaviors of self insurance. Meaning that human have this ego, that thinks we are always right all the time. Especially men ( I know you like this ) that’s we don’t like to do research or even ask questions on any topic. For example I don’t like to ask for directions when I’m lost, even when gets me into trouble. Cause of his ego that I have being that I know where things are. I can get trick easy and even manipulate by my own thoughts. A lot of people think this way as well. Going back on Jeffrey Kluger’s article in which he states that two professor from Ohio State University took 750 people to do a study about how people are easy trick by rumors. The study shows that 1/3 of the 750 change their opinion about what they heard at first. The professors R. Kelly Garret and Erik Nisbet find that most troubling, how people were not willing to reverse their position on a topic.

Second I believe that people are influence by their emotion, values and even culture, meaning that we are don’t really have an opinion on life. We let our emotions get the best of us. And the values that we carry from our family suggest that we are easy control by the way other people think or act. People are close minded and they usually like to follow the leader on life. They can think or express themselves. Going back about the emotion that its stopping them to realize that they can change their opinion when they like. For example I’m like that when I have a feeling about a topic and I see that other people are wrong about it, I usually don’t say anything and I go alone with the other people believe or I get away from it and keep my opinion to myself. Culture can be the same thing. It rules the way we think about things. And people let that interfere on their way of thinking or even opening their mind and changing their opinion about a topic.

Last I think it’s the human genetics that cause us to think the way we do. We get tendencies of thinking without really thinking about it. Like a saying “think before you do something” that’s a good way of putting it. We as human don’t do that at all most of the time. And that’s how we as a society are easy manipulate. In conclusion I do agree with Jeffrey Kluger”s opinion on his article, I think we as a human being should take our time and don’t jump into things before really thinking about it.

Blog 7: Reflecting on Thesis-based Writing.

1. What have you learned from the thesis-based writing class?
I learned that thesis is hard to develop into a full essay. but with some pointer from Professor X I think I'm getting it.

2 .How do you know that you have learned it?
Well I don't, I'm hoping for profesor X to see what I wrote today and let me know my mistakes.

3. Can you describe how you learned it?
Well I try to learned this by doing some writing that the professor is giving us.

4.What helped your learning? What made it difficult?
Its' difficult for me as of now. but I will try to learned it and use it on my future essay.

5.  How do you feel after today's class?
A little bit scare about this way of writting, I hope on wednesday we can to more execises and practice more of this claims and thesis.

Blog # 6

Make a list of ideas and facts you thought were true at some point in the past but you no longer do


1. El cuco ( the boogie man ) - When I was a lil kid I always was afraid of el cuco. My parents always told me that he will get me if i'm not a good boy. But Now I'm know its a lie. cause he never got me. and its an old story that parents tell her kids to be afraid.

2. Gismo  ( from the gremlins ) - I saw the movie when I was a kid, and I though he was a real pet from china. But now I know he's puppet for that movie =(

3. Superman - I really though he did exsist in this world. but he's a comic book character.

4. Batman - Well I do think its possible that a rich man can be Batman and buy all those gagets and weapons. but haven't happen yet.

5. Star Wars !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - I know I'm a nerd!..... but it's a movie ... actually a great movie!

6. Dragons - Well I know that Human and Dinosaours didn't live together, but how knows if those dino can split fire from their mouth. but its science prove it that its a fantacy.

7. RoboCop - I really though he was for real. that the USA have that technology and and create a man and machine put together. but it was a movie. BUT! in the medical field human have machine body parts as their own. so I don't know about this one =)

Blog # 5 The Allegory of the Cave

In Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave,” Socrates tells a story to his student Glaucon to explain how human are living in a cage and not the real world. Socrates gives an example about a group of prisoners that were living on underground den,  they were chain from their necks down only looking at one direction to a wall that show shadows that were cause by a fire that was behind them from a distance. Anything that passes thru that fire the prisoners saw them on the wall. Meaning that is the only thing they every see in the cave. To me Socrates is telling his student that when we as human are born, we only know what is around us at that time and we try to get adjust to the things we have. Socrates then continues that one day a prisoner was let go and was throw out of the cave, at first he’s vision was blurry and painful to see and get adjust to the light of the sun.  In saying that I believe that Socrates is telling his student that we as human when we try to see new things or learned new knowledge at first it’s very hard to understand and its difficult to process new things.  Learning for human at first it’s painful, like the example that Socrates gives when he prisoner’s eyes hurt when he was glaring to the sun.  The sun to me symbolizes the wisdom or knowledge of the world.

Socrates continues by saying that the prisoner got used to the light of the outside world and soon after he was thrown back to the cave. At first he couldn’t see inside of the cave because his eyes got adjust to the light from outside the cave. Now that darkness is in his life again he felted lost.  In that part of the story I think Socrates is telling Glaucon that once you have a taste or experience the outside world meaning new ideas or knowledge it’s hard to go back to your old ways. Socrates continues by saying that the prisoner that was outside was telling his old friends from the cave the things he saw (meaning the new ideas he learned) and how the cave people didn’t pay too much attention to him and they laugh at him with his new ways of thinking. In this I think that people are afraid to let go of our past or common knowledge and are afraid of learning new wisdom from the real world. We as human are stuck in our ways that we were raise since birth. And that we don’t really want to experience new wisdom because it’s going to hurt in the process. As in life everything is not easy, and we have to let go of our cave and look into the sun to find the real world that is out there.  

Blog # 4 revision of "Hype"

On the essay from "signs of life in the USA" by Kalle Lasn talks about the toxic of advertisements that is affecting the American people today. Explains how the business company spends tons and tons on money and hours to get the people (consumers) to see and hear the products on ads all around the media. To be honest I totally agree with Kalle and her passage, every day when I wake up and turn on the TV all I see is a little bit of news or a favorite show and tons of commercials during the half an hour of to an hour. I take the MTA (living in NYC) and I see ads on the top of the trains or next to the seats, sometimes catching my eyes to those ads.  I laughed when reading the passage the second paragraph when she wrote (Kalle) and I quote “You fill your car with gas and there's an ad on the nozzle". And that’s so true now in days before when I was younger I never saw that, now it’s a common thing to see that. An other funny advertisement that I saw once which to be quite honest tops all the ads I seen in my life was during the FIFA World Cup last year, when I went to a local bar in the city and I saw on the urinal a mini soccer ball with a goal net. At first I was like "you got to be kidding me" and it was an ad for a beer company. I think company are going way extreme on the ads now in days, they want to catch the consumer's eyes to see if they but their product.

Kalle Lasn goes by saying that before she used to hear Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on her head and now she’s she hears that kid singing the Oscar Meyer wiener song. I think her point of view on this is so true. People got used to or accepted music from advertisements with a caught melody. It’s polluting our head with stupid ads every day, I don't mind companies trying to sell the products, but to inject us with tons of it every day of every hour of our life’s, I believe it’s over doing it. Just keep it on a normal level and I believe that people will get the point, that's my opinion. Like the passage say “There is nowhere to run “meaning ads are everywhere and they are here to stay. And the sad part is that we are not doing anything to stop it, we use let our minds get pollute with meaningless ads

Blog # 3: Reflecting on Summary

1. What have you learned from the Summarizing Class?

I learned the strategies how to write a well out though summary.

2. How do you know that you have learned it?

Well time will tell, I just have to apply the strategies on my future assignments.

3. Can you describe how you learned it?

Well I hope I learned it on the summary I did for homework this week. I try to use all the steps of the strategies that professor X show us. For example introduce the author and title I did that. And all the steps as well…….. I hope ……

4. What helped your learning? What made it difficult?

Well the 2 summaries that we did in class helped a lot and how the professor explains to us in detail.  Well the way how I want to express my thoughts from the writer’s text to my own summarize, I find that very difficult to do.

5. How do you feel after today’s class?

A little bit scare of how am I going to write my summary of “I know the truth, so don’t bother me with facts”, because I haven’t done an assignment like this since high school (12 years ago)

Blog 2

Today in class we discuss about annotations. At first I really didn't see the point on it, but now with the activities we did in class, I see it as a helping tool to become a better writer. What I got from annotation is that now I can break down the paragraph and analys it better. not just reading it and getting nothing out of it. For example Jorge ( my partner of the day ) and I read an essay named: " Is Google Making Us Stupid " and we annotated this essay. We concluded that google is making us not use our brain to our potecion that we have as human beings.





"I know the truth, so don't bother me with facts"

I was partner with Linda on this one, She did an OK Job on this annotation.
she needed some extra details about the research that he professor from the article make.
their names would been nice to add on her annotation. We agree on the vocabolary that its needed to define or explain better.

Blog #1 Hype

On the essay from "signs of life in the USA" by Kalle Lasn talks about the evolucion of adverstisements that is affecting the american people today. Explains how the business company spend tons and tons on money and hours to get the people ( consumers ) to see and hear the products on ads all around the media. To be honest I totally agree with Kalle and her passage, Everyday when I wake up and turn on the TV all I see is a little bit of news or a favorite show and tons of commercials during the half and hour of to a hour. I take the MTA ( living in NYC ) and I see ads on the top of the trains or net to the seats.  I laughed when reading the passage the second paragraph when she wrote ( Kalle ) and I quote " You fill your car with gas and there's an ad on the nozzle". And thats so true now in days before when I was younger I never saw that, now its a common thing to see that. An other funny advertisement that I saw once which to be quite honest tops all the ads I seen in my life was during the FIFA World Cup last year, when I went to a local bar in the city and I saw on the urinal a mini soccer ball with a goal net. At first I was like "you got to be kidding me jajaja" and it was an ad for a beer company. I think company are going way extreme on the ads now in days, they want to catched the consumer's eyes to see if they but their product.

I don't mind companies trying to sell the products, but to inject us with tons of it every day of every hours of our lifes, I believe its over doing it. Just keep it on a normal level and I believe that people will get the point, that's my opinium . Like the passage say " There is nowhere to run " meaning ads are everywhere and they are here to stay.

 Is Google Making Us Stupid?

                In “ Is Google making stupid?”,  Nicholas Carr begins his article by stating that google can be a good source fro delivering fast information on certain topics. However  he also feels that intelligent is not a form of being able to find knowledge fast, but it’s focus of being able to think profoundly about a certain topic. He states that if we take our time and analaze that we can looking for we can in rich our thoughs.