blog #20 Farewell

December, the end of my first semester at college. WOOHOO! Time to celebrate this accomplishment! Throughout the semester this blog has been dedicated to my Rhetoric and Composition class. Since September I have written about topics discussed in class. I feel that I have met the standards that my blog will be graded on. Each topic was throughly thought out and addressed. 

This is the last blog that I will post on this site. Maybe in the future I will blog more, but this is the end of this blog. I hope anyone who has read my posts enjoyed them, including my professor. They were planned out for readers to enjoy. So this is my official farewell. SO LONG STOCKTON COLLEGE!

Blog #19 Presentations

Throughout the week, in class we have seen presentations. My presentation, given on Monday, I feel went well. After this I do not feel differently about public speaking because of my public speaking class. The presentation I enjoyed the most was Natalie’s. He powerpoint was well thought out and had a background that related to her topic of Little Black Dress V. Flapper Dress. It is also a topic that I can relate to, seeing as I am a girl and own a couple Little Black Dresses. Her Youtube video was also a great way to see how the dress is versatile. All the presentations were well thought out and executed well. 

blog #18 Public Speaking

Public speaking is a major fear in the United States. I do not have any apprehensions about presenting. This is because I am taking a public speaking class which helps. In the class we give speeches and have to do presentations almost every week. Two ways to get over the fear are to be relaxed and talk to the audience like they are friends. These make the speech more relaxing for a speaker and then it flows better. 

Blog #17 Cartoon

Who has never been confused when they walk into a bookstore? I know I have been lost and end up wandering around the aisles looking for someone to point me in the right direction. It is so confusing! It’s like walking in New York City and being utterly lost. Bookstores should be broken down into better groupings. The picture on page 374 of Successful College Writing shows a man looking at a book case that says Attention Span on top and is broken down into short, medium, and long books. I find this funny, yet surprisingly accurate for today’s society. I think it is a good way for today’s reader to use a bookstore. Most people don’t want a long book; therefore breaking it down to short, medium and long is helpful. So the perfect bookstore would be walking in a guide (similar to the mall directories) right in the front then each genre of books would be separated by length and then in alphabetical order. I feel this would be the best way to have a bookstore organized. Now people won’t wander around aimlessly trying to find the right book.

blog #16 Tipping Point

The Tipping Point explains the phenomenon of epidemics. The author delves into the research and different aspects of epidemics. Although the book was researched very well and explained in detail, it concerned me that the author kept using example after example and jumped around a lot. It was very confusing and annoying as a reader to jump from illnesses to children’s shows to crime to fashion. It lost me with so many examples. Also there was too much research for my liking. It was similar to reading a research paper, not very entertaining. I was impressed with the authors enthusiasm for the subject. Obviously he had to be interested with epidemics and what he was writing about. I could almost sense his excitement when reading about his findings. I wish in my writing I could have the reader feel my excitement. The Tipping Point was a confusing book with to much information, but was written with an excitement and passion of its’ subject. 

Blog #15 Two Goals

Writing papers is not an easy task. Now that I am starting my second, I have set some goals to work on so I can improve my writing skills and get a better grade. My two goals are to write a paper with concrete evidence that backs up my main idea and with descriptive details that really entice the reader to keep reading. To achieve my first goal, I will make sure my evidence backs up my thesis and makes sense with the rest of my paper. By proofreading my paper and reading my sources more than a couple times, I will be able to have the best evidence possible. To achieve my second goal, I will use the saying “show me, don’t tell me.” By having different people proofread my essay, I should be able to make it as descriptive as possible. This is how I plan to do better on my second multi-draft paper and make it better with these two goals I set for myself.

blog #14 "Sticky" Ad

http://web.me.com/njaniec/Site/Welcome_2.html
this is a link to an ad I created for Cape May, NJ a town at New Jersey's southern most tip that is decorated in history and beautiful sandy beaches. ENJOY!

blog #13 News cast

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4390446/arizona-governor-blasts-election-law-reversal/?playlist_id=87937

Recently Arizona passed a law to make voters when they register prove that they are citizens. After the law was passed, and almost in act, the 9th circuit denied the action. This is the second time a court has overruled something the state voted on and almost passed. In the Fox News broadcast, Republican Governor Brewer talks with the host about the issue. Within the six minute segment, any viewer can see a bias from the host and Brewer, but also from the 9th circuit. The governor talks about how the law would not harm anyone; It would just ensure that all people voting are legal citizens and nothing more. Arizona is a hot topic in politics ever since the passing of a law that would deport any illegal immigrants that had been detained. With the 9th circuit overruling the state, it shows a bias towards the Republican run state. It is to be hoped that by the next election this will be sorted out. There is also a bias between the host and Brewer. Both show a bias towards the court, which can be assumed by how they are talking, that the court is Democratically run. Fox is known to be a Republican based news station, although news is not supposed to be politically biased. The tone the host and the governor when discussing the issue, a viewer could tell the bias in there voice and by listening to the host’s reaction to the issue. In Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point, he discusses a similar event on pages 74-77. The book dives into the 1984 presidential election were different news stations promoted different candidates. Each newscaster would change their moods when they talked about the candidate they backed. They would also smile. This is similar to how the host of the Fox News show would get excited when he opposed the court ruling.

blog #12 Fashion Trends

Fashion. It is forever changing. One minute there is a new trend, then its gone and a few years later it comes back again. I feel that I fit into trends. My style is a comfortable style. I would rather wear comfortable clothes rather than look decent and be uncomfortable all day. I don’t necessarily follow a pack. Yet I do wear popular trends that fit into my style, such as: cardigans skinny jeans, flannel shirts, scarves. I will not change my style or beliefs to follow others. For example the trend of wearing leggings as pants. This is a trend I do not follow. I’m sorry leggings are not pants, they are tights that are meant to have something over them. So let’s say a girl is wearing a short shit and leggings, I do not think that looks right. Now let’s say a girl is wearing a skirt or shorts over the leggings or a long shirt or short dress, that is acceptable to me. That is a style that I have done in the past. I have my beliefs and I know that not everyone has the same, so if someone doesn’t agree with me that is fine by me, I just won’t wear it. Brand names aren’t a big deal to me. I would rather wear Kmart or Target than an expensive brand that is the same. A cheaper shirt sometimes lasts longer than the more expensive shirts that are sold at stores like Hollister or Abercrombie. Therefore I do not abandon brands that become to popular because brands are not my “thing.” I don’t believe I am a trend setter, I just wear what I want and if you want to follow me that’s ok, if not that’s fine to. People say they like my style so I must be doing something right. If a person wants to follow me that’s there prerogative. 

Blog #11 School Activities

New school. This means new things, a time to reinvent yourself. A place where no one knows who you are and who you were before then. In Stockton I have not officially joined any clubs or activities. Yet my friend is trying to start her own and I have been helping her get it together. It is a musical group, a group were musicians get together and play together. Other than helping her organize this I have submitted an application to run for a Class Council position. It is to be hoped that this works out and I will have another activity to do in my spare time. I want to get involved in this to help make Stockton better and to also help me get out there and meet more people. 

Blog #10 Conference

Writing paper. This always scares me to death. Every time a paper is assigned, I panic because I never know what teachers expect exactly. I never feel my work is good enough. In today’s class my essay got reviewed by a peer and my professor. This was very helpful for me. It helped me to realize where I need to improve and what is expected in the essay. I felt like my conference went well. I liked how by having others read my work helped me focus on weak points in the essay. My professor was very helpful and offered a good source that I will add into my essay. I don’t believe there was anything wrong with what was said to my throughout the conference. Overall, this was a great experience and helped me a lot into fine tuning my essay. 

Blog #9 immigration blog comment

http://immigrationmexicanamerican.blogspot.com/

In Latina Lista’s blog on September 27,2010 she talks about a poll in four Texas newspapers. This is al due to Arizona’s new immigration law and how people feel. I agree with the polls and it does not surprise me to much. Texas is so close to the Mexican border that it is not surprising. Most of the people in Texas were from Mexico before the Spanish-American War in the late 1800s. I mean if I lived in Texas and had ancestors in Mexico, I would feel the same. Now I am not a supporter of illegal immigration to this country. Back in the days of Ellis Island, our ancestors came across the Atlantic and were properly listed in the United States. For any person who does immigrate legally, I support them. I am a believer in the American dream and support anyone going after it, but please do it the legal way. That’s all I ask. As for the comment in the blog from the three comments in the newspaper article, I believe that if a person watches a liberal news station they should watch Fox or another conservative station. Most of the news is slanted one way or the other, there is no real balance. Therefore to gain the whole perspective mix the news and then form an opinion. I have been in a disagreement between Fox conservatives and ABC liberals and the conclusion is that both sides don’t have the whole picture and need to mix both views to gain the real issues and information. With this maybe some people won’t say such ignorant thing such as in the blog where the comment states that illegal immigrants are “eating better and driving better car than us on our dollar.” This blog did not surprise me. This is America. This is a land of diversity and every person and state is different. I think we all need to mix up our lives and throw political opinions to the side and make desicions for ourselves. 

blog #8 immigration

Immigration is a hot topic in this country. For years there has been an issues with illegal immigrants crossing the border from Mexico to the United States. Our country has been attempting to control the problem, yet they never fully succeed. One attempt to control it is to place specific police within a certain area of the border to detain illegal immigrants. But with this, many innocent people have been accused and detained. An example of this is in Leslie Silko’s article where she discusses how the Border Patrol stopped her and a friend thinking they were illegal. My reaction to this article was anger. The Border Patrol harassed the two citizens even after showing Arizona driver’s licenses. It just shows how the immigration problem has now caused the police to be suspicious of everyone. This article brought the emotions to the surface about the border. I felt sympathy for Silko and her friend. I also felt sympathetic for the dog that was forced to find something wrong with the car, Silko and her friend. The poor dog was forced into the van to find contraband and then forced to sniff for any contraband on the people. When she did not find anything, the police seemed angry and were jerking the dog around, since she did not find anything illegal. I love dogs and I think this is cruel to treat a dog like this. This section of the article really got me angry and upset. The article was an upsetting article that any citizen could be treated like this, but the sad truth is that this happens everyday. The country needs to find a better way to control the immigration problem and stop hurting the free citizens of this country. In the Constitution we are all granted freedom and every citizen is entitled to their freedom. This is the sad truth of what happens everyday and something needs to be done to change this. 

Blog #7 Parent's Jobs

Parents. The people who brought us into this world. But who were they before we came along? Who are they now and how have they changed? Recently I have talked to my mom about her career and how it has become apart of her. Over twenty years ago she became a telephone operator for Verizon. She is the person that will say,“What city and listing please” when you call 411 for a phone listing. Yeah, that’s my mom. I believe that a career can become a part of a person’s identity. I see this through my mom and her career. This is because she has been shaped by the people at her job. Most of the people who work with my mother are Hispanic or African American. Over the years, I have seen how working at Verizon has shaped my mom. She now talks like an African American and thinks she is “black,” most of her friends at work think she is to. It is quite funny to hear her talk and interact with them. When she gets together with them, it is like a light switch is flicked on and she is a different person. She has the whole talk and walk down to hang out with them; I get a really good laugh out of this. I also see how her job affects her mood at home. Lately her job has been very stressful and she is constantly watched, due to her company wanting to down size. When she comes home, she is still very stressed and will sometimes make simple things at home stressful. Such examples of this is cleaning the house, making dinner, and others. Therefore I believe that a persons career can affect their personality and how they act at home. I love my mom and how she is now. I guess I’m glad that she got a job at Verizon twenty years ago because I don’t know who she would be if she did not work there; I don’t know who I would be if she didn’t work there. 

Blog #6 Television and Immigrants

Today’s television revolves around different things. Some shows take place in the work place. One example is Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. One the show the officers of the New York Police Department try to solve crimes that happen in the city.  There is no immigrant workers on the squad, but in certain episodes there are immigrants. This is because immigrants cannot be police officers. It is not that the show is prejudice against immigrants, but they are not any of the main characters. In a few episodes the cops help immigrants into getting justice from their attackers and even help them get asylum in the United States; which shows that it tries to depict real scenarios that would happen on the streets of New York City.

Blog #6 Television and Immigrants

Today’s television revolves around different things. Some shows take place in the work place. One example is Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. One the show the officers of the New York Police Department try to solve crimes that happen in the city.  There is no immigrant workers on the squad, but in certain episodes there are immigrants. This is because immigrants cannot be police officers. It is not that the show is prejudice against immigrants, but they are not any of the main characters. In a few episodes the cops help immigrants into getting justice from their attackers and even help them get asylum in the United States; which shows that it tries to depict real scenarios that would happen on the streets of New York City.

blog #5 Time management in the first two weeks of school

The first two weeks of school. These are always the hardest weeks in the entire school year. This is when schedules are set and classes being to delve into the subject. Over the past two weeks, I have balanced my time in between classes, homework, and friends. But this year is completely different from any other year in school, because I am on my own for the first time. Now I have to manage my time on my own. Mommy and daddy are not around to nag me to do homework or be on time or even go to school. Over the years my parents have helped me manage my time and have set me up with a good system that I now use in college. Doing homework is the most important thing in keeping up with my classes. Every day I come home and start homework, even if it is not due for a while. I have learned that getting ahead is better than being behind, which has been a strength in my eyes. Other strengths of mine are being aware of deadlines and keeping organized. Some areas I would like to improve on are not getting too far ahead and making sure I understand all the assignments given to me fully. As of right now, I do not always understand assignments fully and need help from peers to make sure I am on the right track. In the future, I would like to be more self sufficient in that area. These are just some of the things I have seen as strengths and weaknesses in the first two weeks of school. I am sure there will be more as the semester moves on and hopefully I will be able to adapt to them.

Blog #4 The learning style test

Everyone learns in different ways. No two people take in information the same way. People have introduced ten learning styles that people fall into. They are as following: independent, social, pragmatic, creative, verbal, spatial, rational, emotional, concrete, and abstract. The learning style test helped myself understand how and why I take in certain information. I am an independent, pragmatic, spatial, rational, and concrete learner. The test showed me why I am the way I am. It did not help me learn anything new, but it did help to see which learning styles will work better for myself. For example, after taking the test I realized that I work better with a system in place, with pictures and visuals and tangible objects, and with no one but myself. The learning style test did not show me anything new, but helped me understand the reason behind my thinking. 

Blog #3 Differences from High School to College

College, the beginning of the rest of our lives. This is the time where we are supposed to figure out what it is we want to do with our lives. High school was just a time to prepare for the real world and college. That was when we had to go to class, do homework, and even get detentions if needed. High school was full of cramp hallways, noisy people and trying not to get in trouble for dress code ( I previously attended a Catholic high school). College is a form of culture shock from that environment. In high school, the teachers handed out syllabi and then read through it with the class to make sure everyone was on the same page and understood the demands of the course. College also handed out syllabi, yet some of the professors did not go over the syllabi. My high school gave about the same amount of work that I have received in college so far. The teachers there wanted to prepare their students for the work load they would experience with their further education. The biggest difference, to myself at least, is not having bells going off when it is time for class. Now, the professors expect you to be on time with no reminders. All together college hasn’t been that different from high school, but I enjoy the freedom and change from high school.

blog #2 How do I read?

Reading is more than just a hobby or chore to some people. To those people who enjoy reading and can fully delve into and have it become almost an alternate reality. For those people they become a character in the book and  submerge their minds into the book. These people feel the way the characters feel and relate to the different emotions that arise over the course of the book. I am one of these people. When I find a book, novel, series, or poem that I truly enjoy I put my mind and heart into the book. For example over the past year I read Nicholas Sparks’ The Last Song and the book took me to North Carolina where the plot was set. I felt exactly how Ronnie, the main character, felt throughout the book. 

Most of the time I enjoy reading by myself whenever there is time, such as at night. If i am reading at night, I love to curl up with my book in my room and just read all night. But my favorite place to read is on my porch where i can listen to the leaves rustle  through the wind and enjoy nature along with the book. When I am in that environment I can truly enjoy myself and fully grasp what is going on the book. 

Reading for school, or anytime I am not choosing to read, is not the same as if I choose to read. That type of reading is a lot more difficult and challenging. In this type of reading, one must try to see what is important and what is not, what is a metaphor and what is its meaning. To try to analyze these books, I sit down in a quiet spot and just let my mind do all the work. With a pencil in my hand, I read through the work and outline what is important or summarize each paragraph and chapter. This helps organize thoughts for paper or tests, even discussions. I feel that this is one of the best methods for reading when doing it for a purpose, such as school.

Reading is an amazing way to escape from reality. When movies, television and music fail there is always a book to help inspire someone and even let them use their imagination to take them to a new place. 

blog #1 What do I expect from Stockton College?

Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, my present and future. It is the place that will launch me into the next chapter of my book. It is the place that will lead me to my future, a better future. I expect that I will grow as a person and after my four years here I will be ready to enter the adult world of working hard and responsibilities. I expect myself to fail in some parts, but learn from my mistakes and in the long run succeed. Mistakes are necessary for learning and for succeeding in the future. Some of the wisest people in the world are people who have made mistakes or failed, yet learned from it and now have a new perspective on things from their mistakes and failures.  No one is perfect and I know that I will not go all four years without any problems, but I know that with my past, and Stockton as my present, I know I will succeed and ultimately make a better tomorrow for myself and the students I teach when I graduate.