Presentations

Well today was interesting. I wasn't too prepared for the presentation but hopefully the info I came with was useful. I thought the handouts were very helpful and I learned some new things I can definitely add in my writing.

Not Exactly Sure

I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to be blogging about so I'll just wing it. This week has been a little stressful because I'm still getting used to having this workload on top of my family life. But at the same time I try to pay no mind to this stress because it's good to finally have some structure back in my life. I love that my day is a set schedule now and I'm always busy. I'm not a lazy person but my mind was elsewhere and focused on all the wrong things before coming down here to South Dakota. I can say now that I am a changed man and I have a very positive attitude towards school and life in general. I can't wait to see where I end up after graduating.

Thesis

My proposal essay topic is gang violence. This paper is inspired by the death of a friend who unfortunately was taken from us by this violence. Rest In Paradise Justin Cunningham A.K.A Juice, you will never be forgotten. My thesis for my proposal essay is " Gang violence comes from protection of that gang's territory, but the root of it is the money that comes with the lifestyle and is influenced heavily by alcohol and drugs. Therefore the focus needs to be on the drug problem and keeping the youth busy and making them feel like they have a belonging in society."

100 People Who Are Screwing Up America

I agree with the author Bernard Goldberg to a point. These so called "America bashers" are only one sided and opinionated but in a way so is the author. But for the most part I agree with Bernard Goldberg, I have some of the same opinions as he does about America bashers and the war in Iraq especially about Abu Ghraib. The My Lai massacre is nothing compared to the treatment and interrogation tactics we used at Abu Ghraib. People don't understand that these prisoners were prisoners of war and were not held in American prisons, so of course there not going to be treated like American prisoners. We did what we had to do to obtain information to save lives, yes we took it a little overboard at times but were not the people chopping heads off over the internet! I personally think the American public is too sensitive at times and ignorant. When 9/11 happened the whole country was ready to go to war but after some time, the same people who wanted to fight are demanding us to leave and saying we should've left a long time ago, some say we shouldn't have been there to begin with. I'm just saying, I agree with the author when he says, "The problem is that too many America bashers only criticize America." This subject could be blogged about for hours but I'll wrap it up, I enjoyed reading this and I think the author is a great writer and makes valid points. I wouldn't mind reading this book on my spare time. One more thing these Punitive Liberals are ridiculous how can you be a so called "expert" on this topic? Yes, are country has made mistakes in the past, we can't change that, but we have also evolved and we try to better ourselves. Stop living in the past and look to the future and have pride in our country that is all.

Peer Review

I liked how the peer review went today. I got some more ideas on expanding my paper and I really enjoyed reading Casey Clausen's paper. I'm keeping this short and sweet, I hope you enjoyed another blog by Cameron Holland.

If I Died Tomorrow

If I died tomorrow the world would not be different at all. Life will go on for everybody else with the exception of family. It's the same scenario as when I was incarcerated, I would be nothing but a statistic and soon forgotten if even noticed by the world. My family would be affected because they know who I am, they know I'm a good person and I wouldn't be judged.

English 101

I used to feel that I didn't need to take english, I felt forced and I wasn't going to get anything out of it. But now since I'm in college and actually wanting to be here, after doing a few assignments I realize theres alot of useful information also I realized my grammar and english speaking skills were horrible.

The Notebook

To me this guy is very deep. I liked his view on himself, for example when he said, "But do not be misled. I am nothing special; of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough." I can relate to this because I'm also a simple man, I don't want or need much in my life and I'm thankful for everything that I do have.

Language Literacy

I chose to blog about this in class discussion because these short stories just didnt interest me that much, sorry. In Seattle you have to be very patient with all the different cultures. For example, if u decide you want to go to china town and grab a bite to eat but you can't find a specific restraunt, you ask somebody. If your not patient with that person that's struggling to get his or her words out in a foriegn language, even though it's english, your not going to be happy. Being half Korean I grew up in a Korean dominant neighborhood and area. Everybody around either spoke Korean or was from Korea so they had a tough time speaking english, so for everybody else patience was tested. I remember watching shows with my mom that were only in Korean but had english subtitles. It was interesting to me because I was basically teaching myself the language since my mom never bothered. To this day I still never learned the language but I understand how difficult it is for the person that can't fully understand the english language. I don't tolerate people that make rude comments about people that can't speak english well. I personally had the experience and it's really hard on both parties, so the lesson today is be patient and before you decide to be rude put ur self in that persons shoes.  

Autobiography

My name is Cameron Holland I'm 20 years old and I'm from Seattle, Washington. I never finished highschool due to troubles in and out of school but I didn't give up and I went ahead and got my GED. I have a fiance' and a 2 year old son that mean the world to me and they motivated me to change the life I was living and become a better man for both of them and myself. I've been on my own for awhile now and I was tired of struggling and tired of the stress that came with that. My father lives in South Dakota and offered me some help and a opportunity so I took it. I came out here to South Dakota to find a job and ended up enrolling at USD and before I even knew what was going on I was accepted. I never would've thought I would be in South Dakota looking for work and enrolling in USD, but I know now that was probably the best decision I've made in years.