Blog Post # 8

Discuss the reason(s) you chose the book that will become the topic of your third essay. Did you choose it for the story? the illustrations? the controversial topic it covers? Is it a book that you can relate to on a personal level or one that you think would be helpful to someone that you know?

I choose the book by Hans Wilhelm called, I'll Always Love You. This book covers the controversial topic of death. I feel that even though it is sad and a touchy subject, it is important to introduce the ideas of death at an early age. The reasoning being that every person will experience the death of a loved one some time throughout their lifetime. This book does a great job focusing on the celebration of love rather than the sad topic of death. I definitely think this book would be helpful to anyone and people can relate to it on a personal level. Anyone that has lost a pet, friend, family member, etc. can get comfort from reading this book.

Blog # 6

Write about your first impression of what you've read so far in What Johnny Shouldn't Read. Are you surprised, shocked, horrified, intrigued, disgusted, or some other adjective, by it?
So far I have found this book to be very interesting and beneficial as a future teacher. It is shocking to see and read about all the books that have been pulled out of the classroom. The main reason these textbooks and other reading books have been pulled out of the classroom is because of parents. Another main reason for the constant battle in pulling books out of the classroom is school and religion and how they intertwine or how they do not. It is important to remember that everyone has their own beliefs and come from different back grounds. Things that offend some people do not bother other people at all. Therefore everyone has a different opinion on what should be read in the classroom and what should be taken out. One point in the book that I thought to be very interesting was that they were "dumbing down" the textbooks in elementary schools by using shorter sentences and simple words. The problem I see with this is expectations, if you have low expectations for a child, you are short changing that individual. I look forward to reading more.

Blog # 5

Milton argues that society needs a free marketplace of ideas, a streaming fountain of knowledge as he calls it, in order to grow and progress. Does our media have a responsibility to contribute only objective information into that marketplace? Why?
I believe the media should give information whether it is objective or not. Society needs to hear the whole truth in information. I agree with Milton that ideas and knowledge should be free and uncensored. People can only grow and learn more and shape themselves by knowing it all, the whole truth. When the media tries to shield the public from information they think is "inappropriate", they are hiding the complete truth, which I do not think is fair.

Blog # 4- 3 Things...

3 Things. . .

Three Things that Scare Me:
1. Being all alone at night
2. Scary movies- I'm a baby :)
3. Heights

Three People Who Make Me Laugh:
1. My brother
2. Loyd and Harry in Dumb and Dumber (the movie)
3. My boyfriend

Three Things I Love:
1. My cats
2. Walking by the beach
3. Spending time with my Grandma

Three Things I Hate:
1. People that think they are better than everyone else
2. Close-mindedness
3. Bad tippers

Three Things I Don't Understand:
1. Math
2. How a cell phone works
3. How a TV works

Three Things on My Desk:
1. Picture of my Boyfriend and I
2. Computer/ Printer
3. Bills

Three Things I'm Doing Right Now:
1. Blogging
2. Petting the dog
3. Texting

Three Things I Want to Do Before I Die:
1. Grow my own garden with fruits and other foods you can eat
2. Go to Paris
3. Learn Spanish

Three Things I Can Do:
1. Scuba Dive
2. Ride a horse
3. Ride a dirt bike

Three Things I Can't Do:
1. Cook-- although I try
2. Sky dive-- I have no desire
3. Recite the alphabet back words

Three Things or People I Think You Should Listen To:
1. Your mother
2. Your Grandmother
3. A good teacher

Three Things or People You Should Never Listen To:
1. Media/ TV
2. A drunk person
3. Can't think of another one...

Three Things I'd Like to Learn:
1. How to cook good food
2. The meaning of life
3. How to be a good parent-- when I get to that stage in my life

Three Shows I Watched as a Kid:
1. Full House
2. Angelina Ballerina
3. Mr. Rogers

Three Things I Regret:
1. Doing some bad things as a teen and being really mean to my Mom
2. Not being there for my brother when he had a personal problem
3. Not spending more time with my grandparents in England before they passed

Blog Post # 3- Mill

Do you agree or disagree with Mill that governments have no right to interfere with an individual's liberty unless that individual's behavior will cause harm to someone else? Why?

I agree with Mill that the government has no right to interfere with an individual's liberty unless they are harming them self or the people around them. First off, who is the government that is so high and mighty that they can tell a person what they should or should not be doing. Secondly, a person has a right to make these decisions for themselves... this is supposedly the land of the free. The only reason someone should be stopped or told what to do is if they are harming them self or those around them. This is because sometimes when people are angry, upset, on drugs, or just plain insane they do not realize the pain and destruction they are causing. On certain circumstances I believe these people should be stopped in order to stop the suffering around them.

Post # 2- Milton

According to Milton, how or why does truth become a here say if a person believes things only because his pastor or government tells him so? Why does Milton find his practice dangerous?

According to Milton, if a person only listens to things the government and his pastor is telling him that person is shorting them self. I say they short them self because they are not making their own opinions about something, instead they are only being told what to believe. The government and pastor's views may not be the same as the next person, therefore the information is very one- sided.
Being sheltered from the the actual truth and true reality is dangerous because people are not figuring things out for themselves. A person should be able to read a primary document and decide for themselves what they take from the source and make their own perspectives on the information. If everyone followed the crowd and no one made decisions for themselves this world would be a very boring place. Every person is different with different perspectives and ideas, we need everyone to think for them self to make the world go round.

Blog Post #1 Answers

1. If you were an animal, which one would you be? Why?

I would be a dolphin because I love to swim free in the water.

1. List five non-living things that you can't be without.

Mascara, sandals, Bath & Body lotion, cell phone, candy

1. Are you a reader, writer, speaker, thinker, or listener?

I am a writer

1. What is the one book you'd want to have with you on a deserted island? Why?

The Guardian By, Nicholas Sparks. I love this book, it makes me cry, makes me laugh, makes me want to fall in love

1. In a group setting, do you lead or follow?

It depends on the situation. I usually am a follower but if no one steps up to lead the group I always try to get the ball rolling.

1. Turn on your iPod or MP3 player and set it to SHUFFLE. What are the first five songs that play?

Redemption Song- Bob Marley and the Wailers, You know how we do it- Ice Cube, It Must be Love- Alan Jackson, Don't forget about us- Mariah Carey, Never too late- Three Days Grace

1. What is your best personality trait? Your worst?

I can talk to anyone and am very down to earth. My worst trait would probably have to be that I am all over the place and thinking about everything.

1. An anonymous donor has given you $1000. What do you do with it?

I would go on a trip to England with my boyfriend. I have family in Durham and Warrick and I would love to visit (My Mom's sister; my cousins, aunt and uncle)

1. Name a movie that you have seen more than twice. What do you like about it?

Batman Begins! The new Batman movie is the greatest movie ever!! Action packed with great special effects and story. Heath Ledger made that movie what it is.

1. What is the best advice you've ever gotten, and who gave it to you?

Take each day at a time, stop worrying about what might happen/ what could happen. Everything always works out some way or another so take it one day at a time. My boyfriend gave me this great advice that helped me stop stressing about things I had no control over.