The final reflection "is college necessary?"

Through out my research project when I first began the topic on education, I wasn't really interested about it but at this point in my life I wondered about, whether if I should go to college or not and if I don't end up going what happens, can I still make it with out it? because in this society today every things going up, grocery prises and gas prices, now a days I hear and read things saying that its defiantly a requirement to go to college to have a good career but what if you don't want to take that "road" to success is there any other options left in order to be successful with out going to college?
When I first started the research project first thing I looked up was "is college necessary?" this gave a good variety of sites but the one that caught my eye was what people had to say on yahoo answers because it was ordinary people writing down there thoughts most said the same old answer, "yes, to get a good job" but that wasn't necessarily what I was looking for I wanted to go deeper, so I kept on looking I found that you don't have to really go to college unless your thinking of becoming something professional and for that you'll defiantly need the training to be successful in that field but I wanted to find out like what kind of jobs can give you good pay with out having to attend college, people said modeling but I wasn't looking for super stardom, I wanted to find jobs that you can make a good comfortable living out of, so I actually founds jobs such as carpentry electrician, heating and gas. things like so therefor I was unsuccessful at first till I looked more to find the right answer that suited my question.
But right away I found the answer to my essential question, but at certain points I kept coming to a point were I was having a hard time thinking about some foundations questions to flow with my topic because I didn't want to talk about one thing that lead on to a whole different subject but I over came that and I continued on writing about successful people and their stories it wasn't that easy but it wasn't that difficult either, because I wanted to find a successful person that every one knew and till I found that it was simple.
After a few details I came to a end, I thought it was an interesting topic once I got into it I also learned a lot from this because now I know you don't have to be Einstein in order to become successful all you have to do is be creative and passionate about the things you love and you'll find something out of it that will take you very far in life.

Comparing the Past and Present Gang Violence.

By introducing you to this argument and comparing the past gang violence to the present gang violence, I have noticed by what I found in my research that the gang violence in the present is more violent than in the past. By knowing this and knowing that more people keep joining gangs that I believe that the gang violence is going to get worse as life moves on. Here are 2 examples of gang violence that explains that the present is even more violent than the past violence.

Past gang violence:

The Purple gang: They were a mob of bootleggers and hijackers in the 1920s. They were the most ruthless bootleggers of their time, they may have killed over 500 members of rival bootlegging gangs during Detroit's bootleg wars. They consisted of young impoverished Detroit immigrants who engaged in theft and armed robbery. ("The Purple gang")

Present gang violence:

The Bloods: They are one of Los Angeles, California's street gangs. (1972-present) They are identified by the red color worn by their members and their gang symbol. The Bloods are made up of various sub-groups known as "sets" between which significant differences exist such as colors, clothing, and operations. Since their formation the Blood gangs have branched out throughout the United States, and have even influenced youth groups using the same name in Europe. They are known for Drug trafficking, robbery, extortion and murder. ("The bloods")


As you can see by looking at these examples, Ms13 is even more violent than all of the other gangs in the world. They do more things than they did in the past and more people are being involved into this kind of action, everybody who is doing this kind of violence is putting their own lives in danger. Why cant everybody just be peaceful and nice to everybody than all dangerous and horrible? Only because they think they re cool by causing trouble. They just feel like nobody could be as big and bad as them. They just want to feel tough so no one can hurt them but nobody ever gets things their way do they? That's why 3 of te gang members are arrested and in jail right now. That's right keep all the bully's off the streets.

Present Gang Violence

I have first started searching for present gangs and what kind of violence they did and i found MS13. I have went to google.com and typed in ms13 and found some information about them and then i searched for "members of ms13" and i came up with this information about them. MS13 comes from Mara Salvatrucha which refers to large gangs in central america, united states and europe. The gang members in MS13 are hispanics. This has been active since 1980 and is still present.

MS13 is an example of the present gang violence. They are very dangerous in this world. Most people in the world has heard of them, they say that they are the most dangerous in the world. I have researched them and i have found out that they bump random cars and try to hurt the people so violently. That is one thing that newcomers have to do to get into the gang. All MS13 gang members must be able to bump the cars and hurt the innocent people out there in the world. Also, they must be able to handle getting jumped by their gang members so they know how it feels like to make sure they still want to be in the gang.

Some things they do are Drug trafficking, robbery, extortion, gun trafficking, murder, contract killing, kidnapping, etc.

Rafael Parada-Mendoza, Perez-Amaya and Jorge Parada are 3 of the members of the MS13 gang.

Castaneda, Ruben, Allison Klein. "19 Suspected Members of MS-13 Gang Are Indicted." The Washington Post 26 august 2005 A-01. 20 May 2008 .

Success stories

As for my last post I wrote about can you be successful with out having to go to college? and I thought, writing about a success story would be a great idea to start off on another post on a person who is actually successful in todays world. Right off the bat i thought of Richard Branson, I did'nt know a lot about him so I google in his name and clicked on the information about him, which was the site (forbes.com) and for many people who dont know, hes the founder of the brand Virgin, he established Virgin mobile, Virgin Airlines etc. It was written that he was a high school drop and that he left school to start his own business. through out my research and i aslo posted in my last post, I notice a lot of people on the website (yahooanswers) suggested that opening a business of your own is another way to become successful as well. But it isnt easy, and as for Richard Branson he has over 360 companies and he has an estimated net worth of approximately $7.9 billion (wikipedia)and he had to work hard to get to were he is at now, anything's possible if your passionate about it.


"#245 Richard Branson." 03 may 2008 .

Lorenz, Kate. "Success without a college degree." 03 11 2006

Wikipedia. "Richard Branson."Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

can you be successful without going to college?

When I started the research i wondered how can you make it on your own with out having to attend some kind of college?
well i started to begin researching up on the question on yahoo answers "can you be successful without college?" and the reason why i choose to go on to (yahooanswers.com) was because I wanted to know what people actually posted on that topic, so I clicked on the article that some one posted that asked "How do i become successful without going to college?"
many blogger's posted that you cant make it anywhere with out having a four year college education, on the other hand there's is jobs that can make you have a comfortable living with out having to live on pay check to pay check, jobs such as air conditioning and heating, electrician, carpenter and elevator technician and many of these jobs don't necessarily need a college degree. Also starting your own business could make you successful but it would help to further your education in that sort of field to sharpen your understanding and knowing what your doing financially.


jo. ""How do i become successful without going to college?." 14 may 2008 .

My thoughts and my findings about depression

Looking back at the beginning of this project I realize that depression is more then a disease. Although depression isn't thought about as a major problem, we still can't ignore it. Just like any other illness or disease you have to treat it before it gets worst. While doing my research I've learn that people can have many different side effects when they have depression. These side effects can include weight gain, loss of weight, sadness, insomnia or excessive sleep, slow ,movements, restlessness, fatigue, feeling guilty, and fear. Though their are many other symptoms for this illness these are some of the most visible ones.

In my research I have realized that depression can make a person want to commit suicide or make a person have suicidal thoughts. Although people don't always have thoughts of suicide this should also make us be more aware of depression and the problems that depression can cause. With this fact found from an article by Vincent Iannelli that 2.5 percent of children and up to 8.3 percent of adolescents in the United States suffer from depression, we should learn to be more aware of our surroundings(Iannelli).

Thinking about my essential question I've learned that many people use different techniques to get rid of depression. Some people like my mother use medication such as antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). Other people use different tactics like psychotherapy, and Electro convulsive therapy. Even though many people have depression doesn't mean that they all can take the same treatment. Some people might not be effected by the antidepressants that they were prescribed, so maybe medication isn't the best thing to do to get rid of depression. Others might not want to spill theirs feelings out to someone they don't know because then it makes them seem defenseless.

So what does that mean when I can't find one solution to a problem. Well I think the best way to get rid of depression is by letting the person that has depression first off decide on the way that their comfortable with to get rid of it. We can't automatically assume that they want to take medication or talk to a therapist. If we force those people to do what we think is right wouldn't we just cause them more pain because they aren't doing what they feel is right. That might make them feel as if their thoughts and options don't count, but they do. So we can't allow ourselves to ignore their feelings.

On another note depression is a major disease and it is spreading throughout the country. Although depression is not contagious, with the amount of people that are depression it seems like it is. So we as people need to stop making ourselves feel better by making others feel worst. We should judge ourselves before judging others. Teasing others isn't as funny you think it is. You may be effecting that person on a deeper level then they make it seem. Think about all the people you have teased or made fun of, did they seem to care? On the outside maybe not, but how do you know what they were feeling on the inside. So don't be the cause of someone else's sadness or tears.

As I finish with my findings I admit defeat. I thought I could find a good way for everyone to get rid of depression, but I guess there is no right way for everyone. I now know that everyone has to get rid of this illness the way their comfortable with and not the way others believe is right because that may cause their depression to increase. So we have to make sure to cure their illness we must keep their thoughts about how to cure it in mind.




Iannelli, Vincent. "Teen Depression Research Study." About.com 08 05 2008 .

Understanding the violence in the past

In order to better understand the present, I decided to look for instances of violence in the past. I know that there was alot of gangster activity in the early 1900's. So I was researching the past to find out what the violence was like back then. I have found some information on it that explains on how it was way back then.

For example, Bonnie and Clyde: They were an public enemy era between 1931 and 1935. They have been known for bank robberies and shootings. Clyde preferred to rob small stores or gas stations ("Bonnie and Clyde").

Also, Alphonse Gabriel Capone: He was nicknamed Scarface. He was an Italian American gangster who led a crime dedicated to the smuggling and bootlegging of liquor and other illegal activities during the Prohibition Era of the 1920s and 1930s ("Al Capone").

Bonnie and Clyde and Al Capone were the gangsters, mobsters and outlaws whose crimes made news during the times of the 1920s and 1930s. The consumption of alcohol continued, and bootlegging, or the illegal manufacture of alcohol, became more common in the world when the world went on.

("Bootleggers, Mobsters and Outlaws: Crime of the 1920s and 1930s ").

Web 2.0.....Has a Little Bad

So I was down in the guidance office at my school, talking about the upcoming college year and how my grades were helping my chances of getting accepted. I brought up this assignment for Mr. Malley's class and told her that I didn't relly know where to look for this information. She told me about a parenting site that might have some good content that would be helpful to my research. She said the name of the site was so I went there to find some solid information.

I browsed the site and couldn't find much on the homepage about teens and tecnology so I just used the websites search engine. I searched the words "teens communication".....no luck. Then I searched the words "impact of computers" This returned four search results. I clicked the one titled "Effects on Cognitive Skills and Academic Performance" I read through and was interested in the first section of the article titled "Effects on Social Development and Relationships". The website brought up some good points that while it may influence a child's cognative and acedemic skills, it can also shape children's social interactions and development. The artical stated that the computer becomes the parent figure in a child's life. ("The Impact of Home") This is an almost scarey thought that children would actually cling more to thier computer than their mother or father. That would be a problem because when a parent tries to show some authority or affection the child will most likely reject any response a normal child would give. I guess now the only thing to do is see first hand how this generation communicates.

Kaveri Subrahmanyam, Robert E. Kraut, Patricia M. Greenfield, and Elisheva F. Gross. "The Impact of Home Computer Use on Children's Activities and Development." The Future of Children 6. 14 May 2008 .

Teens and depression, can it really be that bad?

Teens have to overcome many problems throughout their teenage years that can cause depression. Large-scale research studies have reported that up to 2.5 percent of children and up to 8.3 percent of adolescents in the United States suffer from depression (Iannelli). Dr. Iannelli believes that depression may be a big part of the reason most teens do not live up to their full potential. As I read more i9n the article i find out that they think that depression increases the thoughts of suicide behavior in young adults and children. They fear that because they don't know if all depression medication is not yet fully safe and efficacy for youth (Iannelli).

After finishing reading through the article by Dr. Iannelli, I researched more about depression. I came across a site from Harvard University. About one in 10 Americans suffers some form of depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (What is Depression? ). They say that they believe that women, more then men experience depression more. Depression seems to be a problem among many people and everyone seems to have their own definition of depression. Depression has many meanings among doctors, mental-health professionals and people on the street. Why are there so many definitions? One reason for this is that there are many varieties of depression(What is Depression? ). So since there is no real definition for this disease, does that mean there is no real cure? I don't understand how depression can be so complex, but I guess depression is a complex disease.

Iannelli, Vincent. "Teen Depression Research Study." About.com 08 05 2008 .

"What is Depression?." Harvard Medicine

Web 2.0.....Has a Little Good

I started my research last time and found out the basics about Web 2.0 and said that this time I would talk about how it effects us. That's exactly what I am going to do. I really don't know any websites in which to start my research, so I think a little Google magic is needed.

I went to the Google search engine and used keywords such as "Web 2.0 and teens"- that delivered no usable results. So i searched "Teen communication" A few sites that gave parenting tips came up. I browsed the first few and they had nothing to do with communication being effected by technology. I had a feeling that the internet just wasn't going to work.

I know how Web 2.0 technology can effect a teens communication. It happens everyday at my house, with my family and friends, in my life. So maybe it may be easier for me and everyone reading this if I do a little research about my own life.

A teens communication can be increased in a tremendous way via Web 2.0. I communicate with people I don't know or just met almost everyday. I play online games and interact with strangers so many times on a daily basis that I don't think about being nervous or hesitant in any way. It has really increased my confidence in a big way. My communication with my friends have also increased and I feel like I'm part of the loop now. I keep up with what's going on in school if I miss a day which help a lot. I use Myspace everyday to keep up on all my friends lives. From Myspace I can see what songs my Friends like, I get to see pictures of what they've been doing or where they've been. It just makes you feel included and hat is a good feeling.

Does depression effect the heart?

As I sit in class searching the Internet for more information about depression I came across a website that had some interesting facts about some symptoms of depression. Reading through this article I see that people are not just sad but overwhelmed by sadness. Depression can have different effects depending on the person. Although I knew about depression this website has made me understand more symptoms of depressions. People with depression have different effects like weight gain or loss is an indicator as is a change in sleep patterns to either extreme - insomnia or excessive sleep. Restlessness, slowed movements, and mental or physical fatigue may also indicate depression ("Seven Symptoms That You Are Getting Into A Depression" ). Feelings such as guilt, fear, hopelessness, and more are also symptoms of depression.

Now I started to wounder does depression have an effect on a person's heart? To find my answer I started to search the Gale database. Looking trough a couple of articles before I finally found one that answered my question. This article stated that heart rate variability (HRV) continues to decline in patients whose depression does not respond to sertraline (Zoloft), while it ceases to decline in those who do respond to sertraline (Psychosomatic Medicine). They stated that they were unsure weather the medication causes this or if it was the difference in the type of depression. Taking depression to heart: research shows a link between mood disorders and heart disease. Getting treatment for depression can help reduce your risk (Langlois, Christine). Searching for more about the effects depression had on the heart i found an article from the Internal Medicine News. This article said that patients with depression probably were also significantly more likely to have a baseline history of stroke, TIA, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Cardiovascular Medicine)



"Seven Symptoms That You Are Getting Into A Depression." iampanicked.com (2008) 28 04 2008 .


Moon, Mary Ann. "Depression affects heart rate variability.(Psychosomatic Medicine)." Clinical Psychiatry News 35.10 (Oct 2007): 35(1). Health Reference Center Academic. Gale. McKinley High School. 1 May 2008 .


Langlois, Christine. "Taking depression to heart: research shows a link between mood disorders and heart disease. Getting treatment for depression can help reduce your risk." CARP for the Fifty Plus 24.1 (Feb 2008): 31(3). Health Reference Center Academ. Gale. McKinley High School. 1 May 2008 .


Jancin, Bruce. "Depression tied to worse heart failure outcomes.(Cardiovascular Medicine)." Internal Medicine News 40.11 (June 1, 2007): 35(1). Health Reference Center Academic. Gale. McKinley High School. 1 May 2008 .

continuing of research

how ever, education is part of being successful when you know what your doing with your life, but besides all that it is important for the future and for others because we would need the knowledge to become doctors and teachers, professionals etc. in today's world In order to teach the people the skills for our future generations and to take care of our needs. I also think that we cant live with out education because of those purposes, we need it for our own good and to become better in what we already know as humans and to fulfill our goals and dreams.

Robinson , Diana. "How Dreams Become Goals ." 22 May 2008 .

Depression .... How can we solve this growing problem?

I started to think why do people choose medication over counseling. While I looked into more information about depression I found an interesting paragraph found on the Drug Digest online page. While reading this article I found out that many people go on antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) (Depression ). The antidepresents are taken for about four to nine months, and after their treatment is finished the doctors usually suggest their patient to see a therapist for a while. Doctors don't take depression as a joke, because depression is dramatically increasing within our age group we should be worried. What we need to do is ask ourselves why are people becoming depressed?

I think that depression may be the cause of people letting others getting to them. I also believe depression may start at a early age and just sticks worth you throughout your life. This illness spreads through the younger generation more because as teens we want to fit in. We change who we really are so people would like us. If teens weren't so worried about their image and worried about what there people think they wouldn't let themselves get down. I know your probably saying that "I don't care what people think of me", well your lieing because I know that within every teens mind there is that little voice that echos in your mind. A teens we tend to take that voice seriously and you get worried. I think depression can be prevented, we as the younger generation has to make the difference. Look around you I bet you don't talk to half the kids in your classroom. I bet you make fun of someone everyday. You don't know how much your laughter can make them hurt. Depression among teens in my options is because of home problems and normal teenage problems.



"Depression." Express Scripts 01 03 2008 25 04 2008 .

1st research post!!

I found my information at this one place called InfoTrac that was introduced to my class. It works better than google, If you try to search for a subject on google and it is blocked for example my topic is "violence" With infotrac, it does not block anything because that site gives you articles about violence and what you are searching for, it does not give you pictures of things that involve violence. The site has articles that explains what violence is and what happened where just like the newspaper and it talks about how it should stop. It has alot of information that i need to answer my question "What makes everybody on the streets so violent and how could it affect people in everyday life?" This site is so easy to use we just have to type the subject of what we want in to the search bar and it will come up with tons of articles that you could choose from. In an article I found called "HUSBAND ARRESTED AFTER WOMAN IS SLAIN" It talks about how this woman was killed by her husband when he allegedly stabbed her on a late friday night. He was arrested for attempted murder and illegal entry. This kind of violence needs to stop in the world, this is very dangerous. This kind of stuff happens all the time, even other kinds of violence one other example is rapes.

Citation:
Wong, Brad . "Husband arrested after woman is slain." gale cengage learning 21 04 2008 24 04 2008

Beginning of research. The Importance of education

Throughout my research on education I found out that more people say college is necessarily not a requirement unless you want to be something professional.(yahooanswers)
when it comes to education, you have to know what you want to do with your life and what career you want to per sue, and that will determine whether you need a college education.(questionsaboutcollege)
It is certainly a requirement to get a college education if you want to major in something such as becoming a doctor or dentist, veterinarian etc. or any of those fields, it is something you can't just teach yourself how to do because you wouldn't want any self taught doctor to be taking care of your needs you would have to go to school and learn the proper training of that type of career.
Also having some kind of degree can help having a higher paying job.
Stats have shown that on average, a person with a Master's degree earns $31,900 more per year than a high school graduate (earnmydegree)
but all in all it depends on really what you want to be, you can make it on your own and be successful its just all up to you and putting yourself out there and making the most of what you can be it doesn't matter on how much education you have there's many people out there who didn't finish high school and their millionaires, I believe there is success in each one of us you just have to be creative.

Donavan. "Why is College Necessary?." 20 May 2008 .

"Question's about College." 20 May 2008 .

"Value of Education." 20 May 2008 .

The Research Has Begun!!!

I started searching Wikipedia just do get an idea of what I was researching. I know not all the info that is posted on Wikipedia is factual and can easily be edited by anybody with an account, but I promise if I give a bit of false info from this site, it will be corrected later on in my research. So like I said, I was doing my research and found one definition of Web 2.0. They described Web 2.0 as a trend in the use of world wide web technology and web design that aims to facilitate creativity, information sharing, and, most notably, collaboration among users. (Wikipedia "Web 2.0"). Next, I decided to use a web 2.0 site. I went to the very popular, user generated site, YouTube. While on YouTube i used keywords like Internet, technology, and web 2.0. I came across a video called Tim O'Reilly on What is Web 2.0? It was just a short 50 sec interview with O'Reilly. He explained his rule of Web 2.0 is that "Users add value" This basically means that the more users that use the website the stronger the website becomes. The user, for the most part, creates the website.("Tim O'Reilly on What is Web 2.0?")
So i think that's all the info I was looking for from that website and I turned my attention to a new source, the television. I was flipping through the stations and luckily caught the middle half of a program that was talking about web 2.0. I didn't get a specific name but i think it was called "The Machine is Us/ing Us" and it was definitely related to my topic. It gave me a better understanding because you could see visually what he was talking about instead of reading a bunch of jumbled words from a wiki that may not be true. So as I watched I took notes. The program brought to my attention that Web 2.0 involves programs that almost all teens with Internet access are using. This includes blogs, message boards, E-mails, instant messaging, video sharing, audio sharing and a ton more. A lot of the big name companies involved in Web 2.0 are Myspace, YouTube, Blogger, Facebook, Digg, Wikipedia, and AIM. There are a whole list of others but those are the big name sites that most teens use on an everyday basis. ("The Machine Is Us/ing Us"). OK, So how does this effect teens communication?


"Web 2.0." Wikipedia. 20 Apr 2008 .

"Tim O'Reilly on What is Web 2.0?." YouTube. 21 May 2007. 20 Apr 2008.

"The Machine Is Us/ing Us". Dicovery Channel.

The beginning of my research........

As I sit here thinking about how depression has many effects on someones everyday life I found a website that had alot of good information about depression. While reading through the information I found out that there are many reasons for depression. These include traumatic life experiences such as the death of a loved one, certain diseases or medicines, substance abuse, hormonal changes, or a family history of depression (Causes of Depression). I was shock to find that there are so many reasons for depression. As I looked into another site it stated that "Like any serious medical condition, depression needs to be treated" ,which I believe is a true statement(Understanding Depression).

Although sometimes depression cannot be stopped I found out some ways that doctors try to help their patients with depression. The three most conventional treatments for depression include medication, psychotherapy, and Electroconvulsive therapy, however new treatments and less conventional options are also available, including self help, life style changes, and vagus nerve stimulation("Clinical Depression"). I know that depression can have major life influences and I hope that people with depression don't let it take over their life. Receiving help in any way is better then leaving this problem untreated. Although I know that most people take medicine to take away depression and sometimes it works but how about the other methods? Do they work just as well? Well I got lucky because just the other day I ran into an old friend on Seneca Street. She was always a close friend of mine but she was always depressed. She told me that she is now going to counseling which is helping her. She spoke to me about all the issues her and her counselor speak about. Before saying our goodbyes she told me that with counseling she hasn't been as depressed anymore because she talks about her issues more often. So why do people take pills if counseling can help just as well. I guess I'll have to research and find out more.

"Causes of Depression." Lexapro escitalopram oxalate 26 04 2007 18 04 2008 .


"Understanding Depression." 18 04 2008 .

"Clinical depression." Wikipedia. 18 Apr 2008 .

MLA Citation

Julia & Megan

Shmueli, Sandra. "'Flash mob' craze spreads." CNN.com/technology 08 08 2003 15 04 2008 .

"Global Warming." From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 17 04 2008 .

MLA Citations

Shaun M, Justine M

(Shmueli ) Shmueli, Sandra. "'Flash mob' craze spreads." CNN 08 08 2003 15 04 2008 .

("Global warming") "Global warming." Wikipedia. 15 Apr 2008 .

Web 2.0 =]

I am very interested in Web 2.0. I am constantly surfing sites and sending messages over the web. I use Myspace, Blogger, Youtube and a bunch of other user run websites. I became interested in Web 2.0 after i seen a special program about it on The Discovery Channel. It caught my attention because i thought to myself "I use these programs and i never knew how much i could possibly contribute to the voice of the world"

I don't know much about Web 2.0. I only know what I've picked up from my personal experiences using the internet and from what i seen on the show. I know that Web 2.0 involves everything you use to communicate over the internet. This includes Videos, Songs, Chat Channels, Instant Messages, E Mails, Blogs and more. Web 2.0 has more to be discovered in the future. It could change the way we communicate with each other. I know that there are feuds within the web industry, but I think that requires little more research before I start a fight.

I really want to find out as much as I can about Web 2.0. It is a modern, interesting, and exciting wave of technology that has brought the four corners of the world into our reach without us even knowing. I want to find out How can we use Web 2.0 to become more effective communicators? To figure this out i will have to answer these foundation questions: What is Web 2.0? What are the programs we use to communicate? How did we communicate before Web 2.0? How do we communicate now? How did Web 2.0 make communication better? How did it make it worse? What does the future hold for this new age of the internet?

Is College Necessary...?

I choose my topic on education because I think it is something important to everyone especially to me because I'm at that point where graduation is just right around the corner and don't have any plans after high school and I have to make a decision whether to go to college or just begin work. This is were my question comes into action. Do people necessarily have to go to college in order to be successful in their career or can they just become just as wealthy or as good as some one who went to college?

From experience, I know people who went to college for four years and are making just as or a little much as one hundred bucks higher as some one who has a high school education and also people who went to college it didn't do any better for them.

Essential Question: Is College Necessary?;
Does education determine whether your successful in life?
Should you go to college to better your self?
do jobs require a high education or a skill trade?
do women prefer men with a high education or do other factors play a role?

Depression........

Depression has always been a part of my life weather it was a friend or family member. Most of the females on my mother's side of the family have depression. So since I have been surrounded by it for so long I want to know more about it. I see what depression can do to people and it makes me feel bad because it feels like there is nothing I could do to help them. Watching my mom taking medicine and seeing the scars on my friends arm makes me feel useless. I want to know how these things can make them better. I want to know more about their issue.

Since I've been around this almost my whole life I can't tell you much since I got use to seeing things happen. I know that when my mother gets depressed she usually hides in her room or lays down somewhere to sleep. I use to know a friend that would cut herself and when I asked why she said it relieved her of stress. I don't understand the reason of depression and I hope to find out more so I can relate to people with depression more.

So I wounder about the ways I can relate more to depressed people such as my mother. I want to know what is the real reason for depression? Is their a way to prevent depression? What are signs of depression? Is depression increasing with the younger generation? Why are so many teens becoming depressed? What are some effects of depression?

Why cant the world be violence free?

I became interested in this topic because of all of the interesting facts that run through my mind. I first got involved in this topic last summer when there was a shooting going on down the street from me. It all started when i was sitting on my couch and i have heard gun shots outside, all of a sudden all these sirens started speeding down my street past my house. Me and my family went out on the porch to see what all the noise was about and then there was this one kid (dont remember his name) came out starting trouble and shot this boy down the street from me because he didn't like him, he got sot in the leg and couldn't get up, he was rushed to ECMC but he is still alive. He is fine now his wound is all healed now. Also that same night, after that boy got shot in the leg, the shooter ran around the corner and shot another boy that hangs out with the kid that got shot. This was a terrible night. Since i went in the house after that night i was in the house for the night, i dont trust that kid. I would hate to be shot and harmed, i will do anything to save myself from getting shot or harmed.

Another thing that got me interested was that new gang (MS13). They are the ones that would bump cars then either shoot them or kill them or do more things to harm them in anyway they can to stay in the gang. When more people join that gang, the other gang members will beat up the new ones horribly so they know how it feels to see if they are brave enough to be in that gang. They say that is the most harmful gang in the world.

About this topic, i know that violence is everywhere in the world and it is very harmful. This could be like child abuse and animal abuse and killing and even more like shooting someone or beating them in any way they can to hurt them. Violence is everywhere in the world and it should stop now.

Essential Question: What makes everybody on the streets so violent and how could it affect people in everyday life? Before i answer this question i was wondering where does violence come from? What are the bad things about violence? How is violence part of everyday life? What kind of objects are involved in violence and what can they do to hurt you? Is rape part of violence? why or why not? What could be done to make people less harmful? and also Why do people use violence to make money? Why cant they just make money the hard way and work for it instead of harming people for it?

Horror

Drunk marriages could affect young children....

Star by V.C Andrews
Pages 12-21

Star's mother always went to a bar to drink and drink and do nothing but drink and star would go to the bar to get her mother to come homr to make dinner for the family but instead she would come home and throw things around the house and plates smashed all over the floor. All this drinking gave star nightmares and monsters in her bedroom. One night when stars mother and fatherhad a fight, her father put a pillow case over her head and tied it around stars mothers neck so she fell and she knocked things overa chair and kicked a living animal.

Do you think all this would teach everybody a lesson about drinking too much or do you think they wont care and keep with their actions as it is now?

This Book Has Style

Creature by John Saul
pgs 52-284

Im not too familiar with scary books other than Goosebumps and a Stephan King book or two. This book is from the horror genre but it really isn't anything that will have you hiding under the covers. It does on the other hand, have a type of style that i have never read in a horror book, and i myself sort of like. It gives you a comfort level that is...well...comfortable. Not really at any point in the story does the author make you fell like your life is in jeopardy, or something of yours is at stake. It takes place in a jolly town, the the sun is allways shining, and the people are constantly smiling. It doesnt go for such a scary setting, but i think the author makes up for it by letting the reader use his/her imagination to picture the way it looks. the idea of the story is scary but the way it is presented is not. Have you read a book that does the opposite of what is intended? Have you been actually scared by a book?

Messed up marriages could be painful.........

Star by V.C Andrews (the wildflowers)
Pages 9-12

One reason why Star's parents broke up is because of money problems but that is not the whole entire reason, there are others to add on to that problem. Star's dad is a painter and also a carpenter. Star's parents get into arguments of how her mother does not have to think about what she needs to get done, she just does it. Not all relationships or marriages have money problems, some have money problems, others have their own jobs for there own money, more have a good relationship or marriage that they share well with all of their belongings. If people have things to get done when i know everybody does try get it done and out of the way of everything else and then they done have to find time to get it done later when you are not busy with something else.

Do you think money problems would break up a relationship or a marriage or if it is just something they use to get what they want about everything?

Finally Discovering What's actually in the woods...

Only reading 3 chapters..after Lonnie and Benjay's gruesome discovery. The book goes back to the girls from the beginning of the book and it goes on from there.
This part of the story relates to me of how camping in the woods and telling scarey stories to each other can actually be scarey because after hearing all the fake and made up stories you start to think to ur self [can that really happen?].
Well these girls sat around telling them, after wards they began to scare them selves with their own untrue stories when all of a sudden they hear some one or something creeping outside their cabin, and when they finally realized that nothing was there, they kind of freaked their selfs out so bad that they were a little too scared to sleep cause they felt that some one was watching them... After all fear is only a feeling, it can never kill you.

Have you ever had a dream, that your only fear came true how would u feel or react to it?.

A Fresh Start...Or So They Think.

Creature by John Saul
(Pages 23-52)

In my last post the Tanner family had just moved to Silverdale. In the next couple of chapters the town is described. It is a small town with allmost nobody in sight. It seems very unexpested that a bad thing will happenin a small town where the only thing keeping it on the map is the recent arivall of TarrenTech and the high school football team that is unusually good.Mark catches up with a cousin he hasnt seen in a while. Once scrawny and weak, his cousin is now towering with a muscular build. Back when they were younger they had a close friendship but now that the two have nothing left in common, Mark feels uncomfortable around him. The book stats to reveal the school that is a mysterious place but is too perfect for the Tanners to relize. Mark is suprised that the jocks have pretty much any privalge needed. They can leave early to train for the football team, and dont get it counted against them in their grades. It all just seems too perfect and i dont feel it can last long.

Have you ever had everything go your way one day and felt like it wasn't going to stay that way? Do you get jelouse of people that seem to have the perfect life?

Don't trust strngers

The Hitchhiker by R.L.Stine
Pg 21-ending

James hitchhiking to get away from something, a voice that continues to haunt him. Christina and Terri begin to worry when there trip turns for the worst. Continuing to hear that a hitchhiker killed a man on the radio, Terri begins to worry. James of course gets upset and angered that she would think he would do such a thing. But when the three leave James' cousin's house and continue to drive back to Cleveland find out their being followed. But by who? An unknown man who come to find out his name is Art is mad and wants revenge. To whom is he getting revenge on? Can you imagine the turns in he story when now James finds out that he isn't the only one that was hitchhiking. He fears for his life when Terri disappears then Christina and him become kidnapped. What could possibly make Art so mad to want to hurt Christina and James and even maybe Terri. Finally the truth comes out and everyone is fighting for their life. But who's going to live and what twisted story will be revealed as Christina begs for her life and James helplessly watching. Reading this book made me realize that innocent has no certain look innocent is what everyone wants to be seen as.

Do you trust just anyone? And if they look innocent does that mean they are?

Creeping in the woods..

(pgs.20-78) from chapters 5-14

Through out the book, new characters were introduced (Lonnie & BenJay). Lonnie is the son of a [police officer], hes the kind of kid who jokes around and is very curious of things.. Till he see's the girl he likes with her boyfriend then he decides to follow them..untill he loses them in the woods so he figures that they went inside a cabin, then all of a sudden he discovers an unknown bloody gruesome scene inside. He has his father that doesnt believe him and his friend (BenJay) that thinks something is up with lonnie but hes willing to find out what really happened inside that cabin. If you were in this kind of situation would you take things into your own hands and find out who or what could have done such a thing?

Picking up strangers can be dangerous

The HitchHiker by R.L.Stine
Page 1-20

Although I am just starting this book I have read some interesting facts about the hitchhiker (James). So far within the few pages I have read I know that there is something that James is running from. A voice that seems to follow him saying "Please don't, James. Please-don't hurt me.". Although it is unclear why James is running and why he hears these cries it seems as if he is running from something bad, something he did. James Hitchhiked his way from Key West to Lauderdale with an old man and now James has been picked up by Christina and Terri. Christina and Terri spot James hitchhiking on Highway 84 and pull over to pick him up. Although he looks like a nice guy Terri still believes that picking up a stranger is not a good idea. With James' attitude towards questions that the girls ask Terri begins to worry. As for James he think he has told the girls a little to much about himself. So for now he keeps quiet.

If you were on your way home and seen a "hot" guy or girl hitchhiking would you pick him/her up?

Star's life with her wonderful grandmother (blog 1)

Star by V.C Andrews (horror)
Pages 1-12

Star went to go see Dr. Marlowe for therapy sessions, wishes she could go home so she dont have to tell other people her problems. Stars mother lastly worried about whether or not her clothes and etc. were in style. Star thought if she told Misty or Cathy her problems, they would not be able to handle listening to it. (stars problems were not available yet) Star's grandmother was a very helpful 68 year old woman. She had alot of good friends, some had alot of money and other ones did not. Some of her friends were also wealthy people and she would help them out as much as she was able to. She loved to help her friends and loved ones. She was trying to explain to Star that people dont have to have alot of money to have friends. All because Star thought you did and she didnt understand that until her grandmother explained the whole situation to her. Star's parents were not dead and buried but they were to star though there were no funerals. Instead there was a parade of lies and crippled promises from the days she was born until now. Her parents were always fighting and arguing about something so Star felt like her parents were not there for her at all.

How would you feel if your life was just like Star's? Would you feel like you have no one but your grandmother and friends, or would you be able to handle being without your parents for the rest of your life? Think about it!!

Friends aren't always perfect

Fall Into Darkness By Christopher Pike
pg. 132-end of book

Life isn't what it appears to be when you look around. As for Sharon she learns to realize that people she trusted the most have secrets that could kill. While the book is going back and fourth from the present time of Sharon's experiences to the night Ann died you realize how twisted people could be. Secrets spilled and friends turning on friends, even turning on the ones they love. The horror of knowing what a friend can to do their friends. The darkness of them slowly revealing for everyone to see. You thought being in the dark alone was scary. Read this book and find out what else can be terrifying.

Keeping in mind that horror can come in many ways like experiences and sounds this book keeps you wondering even if you know what had happen. Being able to learn from mistakes is one of our best qualities as human beings. So why make the mistake twice even three times. Though this book may seem a bit boring at first the ending has a surprise and it is worth reading. Keep in mind that not everything around you is what it seems and that life isn't something you should waste away.

Why do you think some friends turn on other friends or even the people they love?

Creature, John Saul (pg. 1-22)

So far john Saul's book creature has been a little slow.but from what i read on the back of the book the intesity should pick up a bit.The story starts with Mr. Tanner stuck in his all-star highschool quarterback days. He wants to re-live those glory days through his son. Ever since his son was born he dreamed that he woud place the Tanner name on the map once again. His father puts way too much pressure on his son Mark in my opinion. Mark is a sweet boy that loves taking care of animals and is considering being a vet. He seems to have no ambition to follow in his fathers footsteps.Mrs Tanner is on Marks side of the situation. I agree with both of them.If I wasnt cut out for football bcause of my size i woldn't let my all-american father push football onto me.Mr tanner gets a call from TarrenTech where he works.At first I thought he was going to get fired and so did he,but he got a promotion.This may not play out the way it sounds.This is acctually not good for mark.He has to start all over and meet new friend. I dont think its jus gonna be a happy go lucky neighborhood.This is where it will get intersting.

Night Wood By Patricia Windsor (1-20 ch.5)

Characters:
(casey, gena, and maryann) they are not all the same, they each got a personality of their own. Casey is the Free Spirit, the one who likes to have fun at anytime and doesn't care if she gets in trouble or not, and gena shes the quiet one who keeps her thoughts to herself and does what shes told, and then there's maryann, shes almost like casey but she has her own personal problems at home, where her father dont care about anthing but to yell and hurt her and to get drunk.

In the book "Night wood" the characters seem real and believable because they go through realistic events that many people experience. Three girls ditch a school trip to spend a week at a remote cabin in the woods. Instead of the party time they hope to share with their friends, they are stalked by something strange and horrifying. There's no place to hide and no one will hear their cries for help. These characters remind me a little bit of myself and a few friends of my own that i hang around with. The girls in the story relates to an event in my life, where I missed to hang out with my friends and went camping for the weekend.

Fall Into Darkness By Christopher Pike (pgs1-131)

Fall Into Darkness contains many horrifying thoughts then horrifying experiences so far. This book also contains a mystery theme to it as well. My impressions of this book so far are good. Though this book goes back and fourth from the experiences to the courtroom it keeps the story alive and keeps you ahead of the game. Though you know what Ann Rice is up too, you still want to finish reading to find out the outcome. I think this book has the perfect theme to it. It keeps you on the edge of your seats. As the story begins to unfold the truth behind the "death" of Ann Rice is unfolded as the scheme was told. Ann wanted to get back at her friend Sharon McKay because she blamed her for her brother's suicide death. Ann got her finance (Paul Lear) to help her in her scheme to get back at Sharon. As the story unfolds the truths, it unfolds secrets kept and the truth behind the relationships between friends.


I'm happy that I choose this book because I like horror but I like mystery more and this book contains both. The outcome of this story is unimaginable and I can't wait to see what is going to happen. I admit I don't like to read books, but if a book can catch my eye I read it. This book is full of unexpected events and yet you know there coming. Understanding the fact that friends can turn their back on you at any moment is hard to understand or even believe. Many people don't expect their true friends to do something bad to them until it happens even then it's still a shocker.

Characters revealed so far:

Ann Rice (deceased/fake death plan)
Sharon McKay (Ann's best friend/suspect)
Paul Lear (Ann's finance/suspect)
Fred Banda (Sharon's date)
Chad Lear (Paul's brother)
John/Johnny Richmond (Sharon's attorney)
Margaret Hanover (Prosecutor)
Judge Warner

Our Group Blog Response

Our group choose horror as our genre because horror gives us a sense of excitement and usually has to do with the supernatural which is beyond this world, which makes things interesting and scary. We believe that people read horror books because they give excitement and sometimes can actually give people a reason to be afraid. Just like watching a movie about a serial killer, reading it in a book can be just as horrifying. Horror you can say is when you get goosebumps and you feel like someone is watching you. Horror has always been a way to entertain people and its way of entertaining is still increasing to this day.

Character

Do the characters react the way you think you would in a similar situation? Do you find their actions troubling? Are their actions consistent with their characters? If not, perhaps ask yourself if it is reasonable for anyone to be expected to act consistently in character!
"The Lovely Bones"
After Suzies death, her younger sister Lindsay was going through a phase that people go through when they lose a loved one.
She wasnt the same, she bagan keeping to her self and not doing her regular activities and she was becomming more depressed as the days went on. The character Suzie shes looking down from heaven and watching her sister and family of how they react to her death.

Assessment - Indy Reading Project - December

Megan - 5/5 Responses

Megan, your responses tend to be a bit short, but they're getting there.  Sounds like Anya has a pretty two faced peer group.  BTW, a lot of people keep their illnesses to themselves because they don't want to burden others.  Does this play into Anya's decision, or is it simply embarassment?

Justine - 3/5 Responses

Justine, we really need to work on development of these responses.  You're going to need to elaborate.  This is where the thinking comes in.  For example, where are there people of the type you describe in your last response?  What is the setting like?  Does it create a mood?  Represent anything larger than itself?

Julia - 5/5 Responses

Nice work this quarter.  Your responses are developed and well thought out.  And three books?  You go.  I wish I could bottle what you have and distribute it!

Shawn - 1/5 Responses

Shawn, this is the second ball you've dropped.  You've got a lot going on upstairs, and this effort is unacceptable.  d

meeting the characters... no would not like to

No i would not like to meet any of the characters in this book. I think that they have some type of strange habits including not being nice, then being nice for two examples and the way they act with eachother. They all talk about anya behind her back about her hair cancer and one tried to be nice and make her a get well card and was going to give it to her. On the other hand she told another girl in the book about her making a card for anya and the one girl that got told about the card told her not to give it to her. She said that because she does not like her and that anya might not of wanted them to know about her hair cancer. I would not really like to meet some people like them.