Final Project

4/30/06

RicoSuaveFinalProject

Proposal Paper

4/3/06

RicoSuaveProposal

Proposal Proposal???

College football at the division 1 level is one of the most popular sports in the country. Good teams get a packed stadium almost every Saturday. The BCS bowl games usually receive top notch ratings every year. Even though the college football is very successful, it could easily go up to another level. The only missing factor is as playoff system at the end of the season. Throughout history, successful college football teams have always relied on a single bowl to end their season. I can imagine that most of those teams were left with an empty feeling in their stomachs. Every year, more than two teams deserve to have a chance to win the national championship. Many teams have fallen victim to having an undefeated season, yet not getting a chance to play for the national championship. Our own Penn State football team has fallen victim to that circumstance. In 1994, the Lions finished the season 12-0, yet they didn’t get a to play for the national championship. It is a shame that a team football season has to be decided by a computer and a couple of writers. Not only would the teams want a playoff system, but also the millions of fans. I understand one reason the NCAA would just want one bowl game. The reason would be to not stretch out the season too long. The players are students before they should be considered athletes. The plan I propose would be to just make a 4-team playoff. The top four teams would have a chance at winning the championship. Not only that, but the season would only be extended for one extra game. After that, everyone should be happy, from the fans to the players.

Bibliography

Barnhart, Tony. “Football: BCS Draws Ire in Congress Representatives Ask: Why No Playoffs to Crown Champion?” __The Atlanta Journal- Constitution__. 8 Dec. 2005: D3.

Blauldschum, Mark and Reid Laymance. “Changes in BCS Are Underway.” __Boston Globe__. 6 Jan. 2006: D7.

Ford, Bob. “Lucky BCS is Still a Big College Sham.” __Philadelphia Inquirer__. 2 Jan. 2006: 1.

Kellar, Jerry. “Paterno, Bowden Completely Disagree on Playoff Issue.” __Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Times Leader__. 1 Jan. 2006: 1.

Lopez, John P. “Coming Up Soon: The Apathy Bowl.” __Houston Chronicle__. 1 Jan. 2006: 4.

Vega, Michael. “Defippo Endorses a Playoff.” __Boston Globe__. 8 Dec. 2005: C8.

Causal Paper

RicoSuaveCausal

Causal Proposal

3/3/06

In the society in which we live in today, unprotected sex is a common thing for teens. {How common?} Teens seem to forget the huge consequences that engaging in unprotected sex has. Unprotected sex can lead to several different negative things. Sex without contraceptives such as condoms is very risky and it is not worth the consequences that may arise. Unprotected sex can lead to unexpected pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. No one should want any of the two, so why would people engage in such risky and dangerous behavior. {How risky?} Unprotected sex should be practiced only by married couples. {Why married persons? Why not just monogamous couples?} Unexpected pregnancy is bad, especially when it happens with unmarried people. When a female gets unexpectedly pregnant, it can lead to several other negative things. {Negative things: to the woman or the child? Be specific.} If a child is born without a father figure in its life, the possiblity of the baby succeeding in life greatly diminishes. No baby deserves to be in that predicament. It is not the baby's fault that the parents made the bad mistake. Not only does unprotected sex lead to pregnancy, but it also leads to sexually transmitted diseases. Sexually transmitted diseases tremendously affect a person's lifestyle. Not only do STD's affect people physically, but also mentally. A person cannot live the same lifestyle as he or she did before the STD. A person with an STD would not be seen the same way as a person without one. One of the worse things about STD's is that most are not immediately apparent, thus easily infecting other people through unprotected sex. Any way you see it, unprotected sex will almost always eventually lead to something negative, with very few exceptions. {Not all unprotected sex, surely. And, again, you'll want to make it clear what the negatives are, why they're negative and how often they actually occur. TheKemBlog}

Bibliography

Shelton, Debra L. "Keeping HIV Secret Admitting to a Partner that One is HIV Postive is an Emotional Step that Many Avoid, experts say." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 2 Feb. 2006: A1.

Weich, Susan. "Partners for Woman with HIV: up to 100?" St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 15 Feb. 2006: B5.

"Children's Hospital Westmead; Sex Depictions in Popular Movies of the Past Two Decades Lack Safe Sex Messages." Aids Weekly & Law. 22 Dec. 2005: 14.

Phillips, Angela. "Comment and Analysis: It is Time We Adults Grow Up: We Now Know that Comprehensive Sex Education Cuts Pregnancy Rates. It Should Be Compulsory." The Guardian. 1 Jul. 2005: 26.

Meltz, Barbara F. "College Can Present New Dilemnas About Sex." Boston Globe. 19 Aug 2004: H4.

"Contraception; Pregnancy More Likely From One Act of Unprotected Sex than Previously Believed." Women's Health Weekly. 1 Jul. 2004: 40.

Evaluation Paper

RicoSuaveEvaluation

Response to My America

2/21/06

"My America" is an evaluation of why America is such a great country. The writer is from England, and he loves the manners and respect that Americans have here in this country. I agree with the writer's assessment when he says that America is a country about the future, not the past. It's not where you come from, it's where you're going. Even though I agree with his opinion that America is a great country, I don't really think that America is all about manners and respect. I understand that the writer never had an encounter in England with a respectful child like he did here, but that doesn't really make England's culture different. I think that most children are friendly and would do the same thing in any country, major proof of a great country would be if an adult would do the same generous act. Children are mostly friendly by nature, adults are not.

Proposal of Philly Fans

2/16/06

Philadelphia has the best sports fans in the entire nation. I know that this is strong claim, but I believe the it is true whole-heartedly. Philadelphia fans show their passion and emotions at games, whether the team is good or bad. The Philadelphia Eagles, during the 1990’s, were almost always in last place in their division. Even though the Eagles were in last place, Veteran’s Stadium was packed to capacity nearly every single Sunday. Very few other cities have passionate sports fans that stick with their teams through good and bad, yet Philly fans are the most criticized and scrutinized fans in the nation. Philadelphia sports fans have the reputations of being mean, harsh bullies that bad-mouth opposing teams and their fans. The passion that Philly fans have for their team is constantly being portrayed in a negative way. Philly fans are known for booing their team when they are struggling. The fans have booed everyone from Donavan McNabb, to even Santa Claus. Opposing teams’ fans call us everything from groupies, to traitors. All I have to say about their remarks is that Philly fans always let their teams know how they’re playing. If the team is struggling, the fans won’t hesitate to let them know about it. If the team is playing great, the fans will cheer endlessly. Even though at times Philly fans might act in a negative manner, that in no way means that they’re traitors. The Philly fans just want to let their teams know that they must improve their play. The Philly fans are not like fans in other cities that just stop showing up and caring about the teams when they’re losing. Fans from Philly keep on going to games no matter if they’re winning or losing, the only “but” is that if the team is not playing up to par, the team will definitely get booed. For all those reasons stated above, I am sure that Philadelphia sports fans are the best in the nation.

Bibliography

Associated Press. “They Were Naughty to Santa.” Chicago Tribune 30 Jan 2005: 20.

Davis, John. “Keep It Real: Thinking Out Loud.” Michigan Chronicle 20 May 2002: C11

Plaschke, Bill. “NBA FINALS; This is No Time to Speak Softly.” Los Angeles Times 10 Jun 2001: D9.

Shaughnessy, Dan. “Sox Comparison to Hardly Off Base.” 4 Feb 2005: F4.

Wilbon, Michael. “McNabb Makes the Boo Birds Fly Away.” 24 Jan 2005: D1.

Yollin, Patricia. “Super Bowl XXXIX/ Dare to Hope: Stressed Philly Fans Say This Time it’s Different.” 5 Feb 2005: B1.

Definitional Paper

RicoSuaveDefinition

Response to Declaration of Independence

2/14/06

The Declaration of Independence has been followed by Americans for over 200 years. That is very impressive because few documents maintain credibility for such a long time. The "Declaration" has given Americans a mission to follow since it was written. It has showed Americans the rights that they should expect to receive from everyone. It also displayed the government's mission, which was to be the complete opposite of the King of England. It told Americans about the many immoral flaws in King Harry's reign. Americans then and now, should get motivated and encouraged to believe in our government.

2/7/06 Posted by OpiateOfTheMasses

I agree with your argument as to why in the world we live in today with so many financial aspects being involved in a marriage that it is unconstitutional to say that marriages can only occur between two specific types of people. It is discriminatory and the fact that the government thinks they can tell people what they can and cannot do with their sexual/social lives is ridiculous. The main issue here is that the conservative members of congress are trying to incorporate ideals of the bible into law. What happened to separation of church and state?

2/7/06

I responded on LaurasBlog...

Definitional Proposal: "Marriage"

2/5/06

The word “marriage” throughout history basically has had a universal definition in the world, which is a formal union between a man and woman in which they become husband and wife. Most people in the world associate marriage with that definition. I personally agree with that definition, but I also think that there are other aspects of marriage that should be understood. In the society in which we live in now, marriage does not have to technically involve a relationship between a man and woman. One of the most controversial issues around the world today is gay marriage. People have to realize that gay wedding ceremonies have taken place, whether people agree with them or not. The gay ceremonies have directly contradicted the definition that is in the Oxford English Dictionary. The definition of marriage should also include other aspects. Marriage today is not all about relationships between two people who have eternal love for each other. Married couples now have to deal with legal issues regarding taxes and other financial obligations. When a couple decides to marry, they are attaching themselves to their significant other in almost every way. The huge percentage of marriages ending in divorce today are forcing couples to take preventive measures such as pre-nuptials prior to getting married. In my opinion, a successful marriage today is a union between two people which is equally comprised of a couple’s emotional and legal commitment to each other. A successful marriage cannot survive without one or the other. A marriage that lacks emotional commitment is destined for failure because two unattached people will not want share a significant part of themselves with the other. A marriage that lacks legal commitment will not be successful because the couple would be overwhelmed with the legal ramifications laid upon them.

Bibliography

Carroll, Matt. “The Gay Divorcees First Came Gay Marriage. Now Comes the Inevitable-And a Slew of Unprecedented Legal Questions.” Boston Globe 29 Jan. 2006: E4

Clark, Charles S. “Marriage and Divorce.” CQ Research 5 Feb. 2006 http://library2.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre19960510008type=hitlist&num=2&

Coontz, Stephanie. Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage. New York: Viking, 2005.

Jost, Kenneth. “Gay Rights Update.” CQ Research 5 Feb. 2006 http://library2.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2000041400&type=hitlist&num=4&.

Klein, Alyson. “Marriage Commitment Again in the Works.” National Journal 12 Nov. 2005: 35.

“Marriage.” Oxford English Dictionary. 1996.

Response to "Angels' name prompts devil of a lawsuit" from USA TODAY

1/31/06

Right before the 2005 major league baseball season, the owners of the Angels franchise decided to change the team's name from the Ananheim Angels to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The change has prompted a 100 million dollar lawsuit from the city of Anaheim against the team's owners. The residents of Anaheim are angry because they paid 30 million dollars in taxes to renovate the baseball stadium. If the residents were willing to pay such a large amount, they deserve to have the team be completey named after them. The team owners just wanted to add Los Angeles in the name as a marketing scheme to add in 17 million more residents. I totally agree with the residents of Anaheim. They are tired of being placed in Los Angeles' shadow. They consider themselves a legitimate city, not a suburb. Not only that, but the name, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, is also ridiculous. How can a team represent two different cities? I think that the residents of Anaheim should get what is rightfully theirs, and that is a major league baseball team. This lawsuit just adds to the rivalry between the two cities.

Response to "Definition of Terrorism."

1/30/06

Terrorism is a word that is defined slightly differently depending on the source. Some sources define terrorism where it seems that it was defined before 9/11. For example, Webster's New International Dictionary defines the term "terrorism" as being any policy of intimidation. I disagree with that definition, I think that the word "terrorism" is more complicated than that. Since 9/11, I think that the word "terrorism" has been interpreted differently than it was before. The definition that I prefer is the United Nations' "academic consensus definition." This definition explains that the attacks are anxiety-inspired violent acts committed by clandestine individuals or groups for idiosyncratic or political reasons. The definition also claims that the immediate victims are not the main targets, they are meant send a message to the government. My reasoning for agreeing with this definition is because I don't believe that the main mission for the terrorist groups is to kill, I think that main mission is to send a strong message. The victims are probably just seen as a bonus to make their message louder. The United States Department of Defense also has a similar definition of terrorism.

Response to "President George W. Bush's Address to Congress."

1/26/06

President Bush's address to Congress was on the days following September 11. It was a very hectic and crazy time in which Americans had to adjust to new changes in the world. Bush told the Americans to stay calm and have faith in the American government because they were going to make the right decisions. Bush explained that the U.S. was going to do everything in its power to stop terrorism all over the world. He also stated that any country that supported terrorism was against the United States. At the time, I would have been encouraged and very supportive of the U.S. I believed that the armed forces would go into the Middle East and accomplish their mission and we would end up victorious. Now looking back on it five years later, I am not satisfied with Bush's claims nor his performance overall. Since then, we have lost about 2,000 lives in the war in Iraq, and yet we still haven't found Bin Laden. The "War on Terrorism in Afghanistan" did not result in anything positive. The war in Iraq has not been any better. Overall, I think Bush did a good job in motivating and uplifting people with this speech back in 2001. But looking back on it now, it did not seem honest at all

Response to "Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

1/25/06

"Universal Declaration of Human Rights" is a list of rules and morals which the countries in the United Nations should follow. I agree with basically all of the rules and regulations on this list. In my opinion, some of the rules are not followed and certain times. For example, Article 7 states that all people are equal before the law and are entitled to equal protection. Article 11 is similar, it states that everyone presumed innocent until proven guilty. I think that the United States has violated these two regulations in the past. The U.S. seems to benefit people who are rich and wealthy because of the large amount of celebrities that are acquitted from their trials even though there's a huge amount of evidence against them. A regular person in the street would be easily convicted of the same crimes. The "Declaration" also has other regulations that are constantly being broken. Article 19 states that people have freedom of opinion and expression, even through media. I think that that rule has been broken when controversial radio host Howard Stern has gotten fined for stating his opinion. Overall, however, I think that the rules in the "Declaration" are followed.

Response to FDR's "Four Freedoms."

1/22/06

"The Four Freedoms" is a very motivational and patiotic speech. FDR wrote it at a very difficult and scary time in the history of the United States in which World War II threatened the safety of all Americans. In my personal opinion, the speech was written to uplift Americans and make them feel safe. FDR reminded Americans of the lucky freedoms they had and most other countries envied. Most of the countries involved in WWII were at risk of invasion from troops of other countries. FDR explained to the American population that an invasion of that type was nearly impossible due to the large oceans surrounding America. Had I lived at that time, I think "The Four Freedoms" would have uplifted and encouraged me believe in my government. FDR also explained the four freedoms he hoped the whole world would acquire. In my opinion, the most important freeodom was the *Freedom from Fear*. FDR's definition of the freedom from fear was when the inhabitants of a country are not in fear for their lives due to conflict with other countries. Of all of the "freedoms", the one that is in most jeopardy today is the "freedom from fear" because of the possibility of terrorist attacks here in the United States.

Response to #2 on pg. 117

1/19/06

Along with Notre Dame, two Big Ten schools are among college sport fans' favorite college football teams. Penn State (3.7%) and Southern California (2.9%) round out the top five. The information in this survey shows that the most popular college football among is Notre Dame. The survey also shows that 3 of the top 5 most popular college football teams are in the Big Ten conference. Another piece of information this survey gives is that 96.3% of college football fans are not particularly fans of the Penn State football team. The information in this survey can give a variety of arguements, not just the obvious ones.

Rewrite of TheDrizzle's Personal Narrative

1/18/06

Hi, my name is Alexander Robles and I am from North Philadelphia. I am majoring in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management, but may end up switching to another major in the College of Health and Human Development. Being from Philly, I am a huge fan of the Eagles, Sixers, and Phillies, but don't really follow the Flyers. I enjoy listening to mostly rap and r&b music.

RESPONSE to "Letter From A Birmingham Jail"

1/16/06

"Letter from a Birmingham Jail" was Martin Luther King's response to criticism coming from white clergymen. Personally, I think that King did a great job in explaining his position thoroughly. Instead of chastising and ridiculing the clergymen, King decided to completely explain his position. King treated the clergymen with total respect and understanding. Most people would just counter-attack the clergymen, instead of explaining the mission. King probably changed the opinion of some of the clergymen. Even if I was totally against King, my opinion of him would have somewhat changed. I think that most of the criticism pointed toward King was from people who did not really understand him, nor his mission. "Letter From A Birmingham Jail" proved that King's mission wasn't always popular and supported, but it was always for the moral right.

Personal Statement

1/12/06

Hi my name is Alexander Robles. I was born in Puerto Rico but my parents are from the Dominican Republic. People always ask me what do I consider myself and I always say dominican because most of my family is dominican. My family moved to Philadelphia when I was about 3 years old and I've lived there ever since. I grew up in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Philly and I'm proud that I was one of the few lucky teens to be able to get out. Many of my friends aren't as lucky as me to be getting an education in a great school like Penn State. So far I like it a lot up here on campus. My major is hospitality management and my goal is to manage a luxurious hotel in Miami.