My Favorite Piece Of Literature

My favorite piece of literature that has been discussed this semester would have to be The Scarlett Letter. The piece of literature would have to be one of my favorites because it is based on real life situations, and it also shows a old fashioned and old way of thinking. Back in the day, they believed that adultery was a sin, and therefore someone who commits adultery should be punished. However, nowadays people cheat on their significant others, and it is not considered a sin, and people do not get punished except for maybe the occasional heartbreak from a breakup. The story showed me how much society, culture, and people's mentality has changed from back in the day, and how all of those factors being changed could impact the whole story. The Scarlett Letter was a very interesting piece of literature, it had many ups and downs, and made me sit at the edge of my bed while reading, seeing if the truth would be revealed. The book made me realize that one mistake or an action can change one's life forever. Having Pearl changed Hester's life, even if it was for better or for worse, but it most definitely did change it. I loved the fact that there was a secret that the people did not know about and for a while in the story neither did we the readers. Not knowing who the father was, who Hester's husband was, and what the whole picture was, made even more excited to read the story and find out. The suspense of what will happen next made the book even more amazing, and after finding out the secrets, it was not over there was always more, and there was always something that made one not be able to put the book down. The book, and the mentality of the people in it may be different than the people if this generation, but there may be some similarities than one might think. The book is one of my favorites and I will never forget it, and the emotion and thoughts I had while reading it.

"Californians Anxiously Await Word From High Court on Gay Marriage" by David G. Savage and Jessica Garrison

In the Los Angeles Times there is an article about whether the Supreme Court will follow the states on banning gay marriage. The high court has not taken action yet, but is waiting till next week to make adecision for the pening appeals of gay marriage. At the San Francisco City Hall, officials are preparing for same sex couples seeking marraige liscenses, and that are making contingency plans for demonstrations. "We will have people coming to celebrate, and people coming to get married, and it wouldn't be unusual that we would have protesters," San Francisco City Atty. spokesman Matt Dorsey said.(latimes) The justices met, to discuss Proposition eight, and cases involving the Defense of Marriage Ac, the court said that it agreed to hear the bussiness cases. The court is going to hear at least one gay marriage case. The U.S. Appeals Courts in both Boston and New York have said no to the Defense of Marriage Act, that denies federal benefits for people that are married to the same sex. This means that the federal law is constitutional in some nations, and not inothers, and so the high court must step in to resolve this issue. The government should not be allowed to tell people whom they should fall in love with and marry. That is the persons descision, and their sidnificant others, not the governemts. However, if the federal law is deciding it should be the same for all nations, not different for some and different for others.

My Memory

Everyone has memories, however some may be bad ones and others may be good. It all depends on the person and how they interpret that memory. Memories can change a person's life, for better or for worse, and they can also change the person. A memory that has changed me and my life, is the one of my parents getting a divorce when I was about seven years old. I was a child who did not really understand what was going on accept the fact that my dad was not going to be living in the same house as my mother and I. Even though I was not at an age where I could fully comprehend the severity of the situation, I was still affected by it. I remember it like it was yesterday, coming home and seeing all of my dad's belongings gone, and feeling like a part of me was taken away. At that moment I was confused and in shock, and had no idea of what was taking place. When I finally new and understood what was happening, I was devastated, sad, and felt a sense of fear. For many years I slept with a shirt, that my dad had accidentally left behind, I would hold it in my arms, and from the smell of the shirt I would slowly cry myself to sleep. Even though this may seem a bit on the sad side, there is a happy ending to all of it. My mom and dad, are at speaking terms, they are civil with one another, and they both care for me more than anyone else in the world. Unlike many divorced couples with a child they did not let their differences, and divorce get in the way of their love and care for me. They both remarried and have children of their own, which are now my brother and sisters, whom I love very much. This experience/memory has changed my life for the better, my parents had many differences and their divorce has made me and them more happy. Obviously, I would have loved to have my parents together, but this has been better for everyone, and it has given me siblings which I did not have before. It has also made me a stronger person, more mature, I had to grow up faster than usual because it was only my mother and I, and it has given me thicker skin for my own protection. Memories do change a person and their life but it does not always have to be a type of memory that you wish to forget, it can be one that you look back on and remember and thank god that he gave you that experience.

"Inmate Shot and Killed at High Desert State Prison" by Hailey Branson-Potts

In the Los Angeles Times, Hailey Branson-Potts wrote an article about an inmate who was shot and killed at High Desert State Prison. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, guards shot and killed the twenty three year old inmate during his attack on another inmate. The fight occurred between three men, two inmates including the one who was killed, attacked another inmate in the maximum-security yard. The two knocked the other to the ground and began kicking his head and stabbing him with a weapon they had made themselves. As the attacking was going on, an officer shot one of the attackers with a state issued Mini -14 rifle, and the attacker was pronounced dead, at 11:17 a.m. Friday. The attacker that died had been serving a 82 years-to life sentence, for first degree murder. The victim that as being attacked was twenty nine years old, and is being treated for stab and slash wounds and injuries to the head. The other inmate, twenty nine, that was helping with the attack was not injured, and is serving a life sentence without parole for first degree murder. Authorities are holding the names of the inmates, and are doing further investigation. "The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and other authorities are investigating the use of deadly force."(LA Times) Last month, another incident like this happened, a man was shot and wounded for an attack on another inmate. On October 31, a 36 year old man was shot in the right hip. He and two others were beating up another inmate, and the guard ordered them to stop, but as they continued the guard fired two shots. Many incidents liked his happen in jail, maybe there needs to be more supervision for the inmates, especially in the yard, where many arguments can start.

Blog #19

     In many ways perfecting yourself is a hard task, however Benjamin Franklin attempted to do so. Even though he failed, he succeeded in the fact that he tried and applied these thirteen ways to perfect one's self in trying to perfect himself. Moral perfection takes strength, will power, and determination. I believe no one is perfect and it is difficult to try to be perfect and in many ways impossible. However, it does not hurt to try, it is only harmful to one's self if you do not try and be the best that you can be. I tried to morally perfect myself, and from the thirteen I chose these three, Temperance, Order, and Cleanliness.

     Temperance is a hard virtue to master, in the fact that sometimes in the everyday life you may not be able to control yourself in eating or drinking. On Thursday I went to Panda Inn with my family, and it was very difficult for me to not eat excessively, considering Chinese is my favorite food. However I tried my best not to over eat, and I succeeded. When I felt that it was going to be excessive I stopped myself and I accomplished that moral perfection for the day.

     For some order may be very difficult, because some are just very messy, disorganized, and simply do not have order in their everyday lives. I, on the other hand, am very organized, and some even say I have OCD. Everything in my life has its place and purpose, and if one thing is moved I will be able to tell and it does bug me, it is my pet peeve. Because it is so easy for me to be organized and have order, this moral perfection was a piece of cake, and I succeeded.

     Cleanliness and order go together, because of their similarities, nut I used them in two different ways. Cleanliness can be considered being clean hygiene wise, or having a clean room. For Saturday I used cleanliness, for the clean room aspect. My room is usually not messy because of the moral perfection order I have mastered. However I felt it did need some touching up, so I made my bed in the morning, dusted my room, and put everything in its place. This moral perfection like order was a piece of cake, not difficult for me at all.

     All three moral perfections in and of itself are difficult to perfect in one's self. I tried my best to succeed which I think I did. I'm very proud of myself and feel as though one trying to perfect one's self is a very honorable thing. Benjamin Franklin trying to attempt perfecting all thirteen virtues is a wonderful and honorable thing.

"Boy, 13, 'Played Dead' After Gunman Shot 5 in His Family" by Richard Winton, Ruben Vives, and Wesley Lowrey

In the Los Angeles Times there was an article about a thirteen year old boy who played dead after a gunman shot him and four members of his family. The boy is now recovering from the shooting, and a family friend told officers that the boy played dead, and so the gunman thought he shot everyone. According to the Downey Police Department, they arrested Jade Douglas Harris, 30, for manslaughter and murder, he is being held in Men's Central Jail and the bail is one million dollars. Harris was booked Friday after being taken into custody and questioned the day before. The police say he matches the gunman's description. Even with Harris being booked, Police do not know the motive for the shootings, relatives of the family stated that it was like a violent car robbery. A family friend stated that Harris responded to an ad for a Camaro, when he arrived at the family business, the United States Fire Protection Services, he was allowed in through the front door which is usually locked. When he entered, he took out a handgun and demanded the car, he forced a male worker to tie up two women. One of the women was the mother of the firm's owners, Robert and Antonio Salinas. The gunman was told by an employee that the car was not at the business but at the family home down the street. Then Susana Perez, another family member walked into the store with her thirteen year old son, whom she had picked up early from school for a dental appointment. Harris shot and killed two employees, Josimar Rojas, 26, of Downey and Irene Cardenas, 35, of Cudahy. A member of the Salinas family, Maria Fuentes, 52, was shot in the face and hand and is in serious medical condition, and hospitalized. Perez and her son, were demanded to take the gunman to the family home where the car was said to be. At the home Harris put a gun to the boy's head, and when the mother tried helping her son, she was shot and killed. Before leaving with the Camaro the gunman shot the boy, who pretended to be dead. An attorney for the family, Mr. Bartoumian, at a press conference on Friday said that the family has not been able to fully recover, grieve, and they are in shock. The little boy was smart to pretend to be dead which made the gunman leave him alone, that decision saved his life. It is truly sad what happened to those five people, may their souls rest in peace.

The Scarlet Letter #3

The Scarlet Letter gives one a full range of emotions, from sadness, anger, to happiness. It includes characters who surprise and intrigue you, like Hester a women who committed adultery with a man who was not her husband, and had a child named Pearl. She was the only one punished for her sin, by being forced to wear the scarlet letter "A" on her chest for the rest of her life. Her partner in crime Reverend Arthur Dimesdale, whom she committed adultery with was the father of her daughter Pearl, is also to blame but was not punished because Hester kept the truth a secret. Hester's husband, Roger Chillingworth had just come into town and was looking forward to seeing his wife who he had not seen for two years, found out about her sin and that she had a daughter from another man. He wanted Hester to keep his identity a secret, because he did not want anyone to know he was her husband. Roger Chillingworth felt that Hester was being punished, but the other man was getting away with sin. Therefore he took matters into his own hands and tried to uncover the secret, find out who Pearl's father is and get revenge. Dimesdale was slowly getting sick because of his guilty conscience, and Chillingworth being the town doctor, offered to move in with Dimesdale and take care of him. Chillingworth had a suspicion that Dimesdale was the father, and so he took advantage of the opportunity to get closer to him. Now if I were to ask myself, "Who do I feel more sympathetic for?" I would have to say Chillingworth, for the simple fact that he was cheated on. Roger Chillingworth, coming back from a trip, missed his wife and wanted to see her, finds out that she committed adultery and has a child with someone else. I do not blame him for wanting revenge and trying to make the other man's life miserable. I do not however, agree with the fact that he went too far, once he found out who the father was, and noticed how guilty Dimesdale felt and was getting ill he should have backed down and realized that he was too being punished emotionally. The novel came to a tragic end when Dimesdale died, Hester was left without someone she loved, and Pearl was left without a father. Both characters, Chillingworth and Dimesdale were hurt emotionally, because of two different reasons, and handled them in different ways. Chillingworth and Dimesdale made mistakes, one took matters into his own hands and tried getting revenge, and the other, committed adultery and kept it a secret causing him to have a guilty conscience, but one had a greater consequence then the other which resulted in a tragic death.

The Scarlet Letter #2

"Hast thou not tortured him enough?" said Hester, noticing the old man's look. "Has he not paid thee all?"(118) This quote was said by Hester Prynne on the beach to Roger Chillingworth. Pearl playing by the water not minding Hester and Roger's conversation about Mr. Dimmesdale. Roger Chillingworth felt in his heart that Mr. Dimmesdale being the father of Pearl also needed to be punished the same way Hester was being punished for adultery. Hester not wanting the community knowing who the father of Pearl was and Roger not wanting the community knowing he was Hester's husband took revenge and punishment into his own hands and felt he had to punish Dimmesdale himself. Dimmesdale, because of guilt was becoming very ill and Roger being a doctor lives with him. Roger wants to get revenge on Dimmesdale for committing adultery with his wife and begins slowly torturing Dimmesdale which Hester does not approve of. This quote shows Hester's disapproval and her plea for Roger to stop the torture. She asks him the question of his the torture you have begun not enough, have you not hurt him, punished him enough. She does not want the whole community knowing it was Dimmesdale, that he is the father, that he committed adultery, she wants to protect him, and the motive Roger has is revenge and punishment. Hester believes that since Dimmesdale feels guilty and is becoming ill from that guilt and remorse he has paid the price, and that should be punishment in and of itself. Therefore she makes it clear to Chillingworth that she wants the torture to stop and she is aware of it. This quote is an important one because it is the first time that Hester has confronted Roger about the torture and that she knows his motive and was he is slowly beginning to do. It is the first time she has showed Roger she is trying to protect Dimmesdale from pain and punishment from not just Chillingworth but from the entire community. Chillingworth may feel the need to take punishment into his own hands because he feels it takes two to make a baby and Hester should not be the only one being punished, so should Dimmesdale, Pearls father.

"Worker Cooked To Death In Oven 'Tragic Loss,' Bumble Bee Says" by Ann M. Simmons

In the Los Angeles Times there is an article about a Bumble Bee seafood plant worker who was cooked to death in an oven. The victim was a 62 year old man named Jose Melena who worked at the Bumble Bee seafood plant for six years. The Whittier Police Department said they received a call at 7:00 am Thursday regarding an industrial accident involving a worker at Bumble Bee Seafood's at 13100 Arctic Circle in Santa Fe Springs. The Police and local fire department responded and found the 62 year old man dead at the scene. They did not describe the nature of the accident, but the  California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the issue. Officials at the state agency could not be reached, and neither could Bumble Bee Foods officials, but they identified to the Whittier News the employee as Jose Melena. A spokeswomen Erika Monterroza told the paper that an initial investigation indicated that Melena was fatally injured when he was cooked in the oven, but it was unclear how he ended up in the oven. "The entire Bumble Bee Foods family is saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Melena family," Bumble Bee Foods spokesman Pat Menke said in a statement to KTLA News. This is a very interesting and mysterious article, in the fact that it does not all add up to me. The man was fatally injured prior to being cooked in an oven and I do not fully understand how he ended up in there. I have a gut feeling this was not a freak accident it was murder, a 62 year old man does not just accidentally fall in an oven someone must have hurt him and put him in there. But however it happened it is still tragic and may he Rest In Peace.

"The Scarlett Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne

"The Scarlett Letter" can have many endings but I believe the ending will be a sad one. Hester Prynne has a big secret she does not want anyone to know, and by the end i feel that secret will be uncovered and she and Pearls father will have serious consequences to face. As for Pearl, she has some unusual qualaties and characteristics that point her in the direction of witchcraft and by the end everyone is going to figure out what she is which will cause the people of Salem to make accusations of Pearl and her family. Roger Chillingworth who is Hester's husband does not know who the father is but in the end he may find out and not like who the fahter is. he may want to take punishment into his own hands and control the fate of the mystery man. This may cause tension between him and Hester who did not want to tell her husband who the mystery man is. There may even be death, heartache, consequences, and decisions to be made on some of the characters parts. Overall the story will have a sad ending which some of us might not have seen coming. This is my hypothesis of the ending of "The Scarlet Letter".

"Border Agents In Likely 'Friendly Fire' Were About 20 Yards Apart"by Cindy Carcamo and Richard Marosi

In the Los Angeles Times there is an article about a Border Patrol Agent that was killed because of a shooting in Southeastern Arizona. In a rugged canyon three agents including the victim Nicholas J. Ivie were involved in a shooting that included on the three agents, whom were responding to a tripped sensor. Officials say that the three agents responded to the tripped sensor from different directions in a dark canyon and misinterpreted their colleagues actions on approach. FBI officials say that the shooting was most likely a 'friendly fire' that killed one agent, injured another, and one was not harmed. Ivie was a six year agent, who was patrolling the area with two other agents when he was shot. The area they were patrolling was a few miles north of the US Mexico border, where drugs and human smuggling occurs. Ivie had communicated with the two other agents, and they were all in the same area, but Ivie was twenty yards away from the two agents and interpreted their defensive postures for aggressive ones. George McCubbin, union president of the National Border Patrol Council, elaborated. He said, "Agents converged from opposite directions, descending down hills into a relatively level area thick with brush." “They were dropping down into this saddle area, coming in from two different sides,” “This happened between 1 and 2 in the morning, and then with all the brush they may have never even seen each other…maybe they tried to reach each other but couldn’t. They have lots of dead spots in the desert.” A high-powered rifle and a handgun were found at the scene but investigators are not sure if it is connected to this incident. A .223 Bushmaster rifle was discovered on Wednesday in the area where the agent was murdered, and it says that the weapon was purchased in the United States. A .38-caliber Titan Tiger revolver was recovered on Tuesday and included this alert, “Urgent High Profile Border Agent Shot.”(La Times). That weapon was purchased February of 2009 in Tucson.

"O.C. Man Convicted of Killing Ex-Wife, Her Father After Custody Dispute" by Rick Rojas

In the Los Angeles Times Rick Rojas wrote an article about a man that gunned down his ex-wife and her father, while they were picking up the former couples seven year old daughter. On May of 2011 a judge had ruled in favor of Emily Ford to gain custody of their daughter who had special needs. That evening Emily Ford who was 32, had made an arrangement with her father Russell Ford 62, to pick up her daughter from her ex-husbands Robert Allan Lehmann's home. He had sent his daughter to eat ice cream with his current wife, he then loaded a firearm and waited for his ex-wife to arrive. When Emily and Russell arrived, Emily left her youngest child in the car seat and they approached the house, as they came by the door, Lehmann opened the door and began shooting. They tried to flee the scene but Lehmann pursued them, during the shooting he shot two cars but no one was hurt. He managed to shoot the Fords several times in the back and when they fell to the ground he shot them many times in the back of the head. Robert Allan Lehmann was found guilty by a jury for two felony counts of murder, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office. He could face maximum two life sentence terms without the possibility of parole. His sentencing is scheduled for November 2. This article proves that one can commit crazy and reckless actions when upset or when feeling a sense of loss. Robert probably felt he lost his daughter to his ex-wife, but that is no excuse for brutally murdering her and her father. That poor innocent girl lost a  mother and grandfather that day, I am truly sorry for her loss.

"Former Miramonte Student Allegedly Beaten At New School" by Howard Blume

In the Los Angeles Times, Howard Blume wrote an article about a former Miramonte student who was beaten at her new school. At Miramonte Elementary School, a student who is among a group who is suing for sexual misconduct between student and teacher, transferred to another school in order to be safer. After transferring she was beat up by other students, which was unrelated to the incidents that occurred at Miramonte. An attorney representing the family, alleges that the principle and staff at Drew Middle School were slow to respond to the bullying against the student. The mother, on the first day of school told the administration about a text-message threat that her daughter received, a week later she was beaten by three girls, and lastly she received a threat on Facebook, said Luis A. Carrillo. The girl is among twenty four alleged victims, and the teacher Mark Berndt is arrested for twenty three counts of lewd conduct. Berndt has pleaded not guilty. Parents feel that the district did not respond properly to the allegations presented by the parents before Berndts arrest. A district attorney says that a transfer was made, but they did not know whether the allegations were proved or that the students were disciplined. Carrillo says he found out about the transfer approval on Thursday. Greg Mcnair, an attorney for the Los Angeles Unified School District says that if a parent feels that their child is not safe or is threatened can file for a transfer. He also mentioned that alleged victims are not automatically transferred, because that could be punishing the victim, and that it could be hard for the district to verify and evaluate text-messages. If a student feels unsafe or threatened they should not be afraid to speak up and tell their parents or an adult, because as long as one is quiet about the situation it will continue and get much worse.

SOAPST "Speech in the Virginia Convention" by Patrick Henry

In the "Speech in the Virginia Convention" the speaker is Patrick Henry who is a patriot and one who will fight for freedom at all costs. He is a motivational speaker, who believes in freedom, independence, and fighting for ones rights. The occasion of the speech is during the Revolution, at the Virginia Convention where he is trying to convince the colonists to not be afraid and fight for freedom which they deserve. Patrick Henry's purpose was to inspire the colonists to stand up for themselves and their country and not be afraid of the British. He also wanted to persuade them to fight for independence because that is what he believed in and wanted for his country and his people. His tone changed many times during the speech it was at first scholarly and diplomatic, speaking to the President and congressmen telling them what Britain has done but not going into too much detail. Then his tone becomes demanding trying to tell the audience what they need to do if they want freedom, and at the end becomes enthusiastic because he is excited to finally be fighting for freedom. Patrick Henry was strong, courageous, smart, and not selfish he thought of his country and his people, and told the colonists that he would fight on his own if they did not want to. He will forever be known as one of the most important and influential founding fathers who fought for his country courageously.

"Suspect Arrested In Pasadena Carport Fire" by Ann M. Simmons

In the Los Angeles Times there is an article about a Pasadena apartment building carport being set on fire and causing serious damage. Lisa Derderian a spokeswoman for the Pasadena Fire Department, said that an arson detective arrested thirty year old Artist Knox on Friday. Artist Knox is suspected of setting fire to the apartment carport on September 8, at 2:00 A.M. The fire in the 600 block of South Marengo Avenue destroyed two vehicles, damaged three others, and an building next door. Approximately twenty residents were evacuated while firefighters tried putting out the fire for fifteen minutes. The arson investigators looked through the surveillance footage that was in the vicinity, and worked really hard to try to find Knox. The people in the apartment wanted the police to find Knox as soon as possible so their minds would be at ease. The damages overall cost about $200,000 and Knox is being held on $250,000 bail. Further information about his status is unavailable.

"3 dead after BMW hits Studio City pizzeria, bursts into flames" by Frank Shyong

   In the Los Angeles Times, Frank Shyong wrote an article about a BMW that crashed into a Studio City pizzeria and killed three people including the driver. When the car hit Reno's pizzeria the gas line severed and the car burst into flames. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, about fifty firefighters rushed to the scene and in about twenty minutes put out the fire. In the car along with the driver were two passengers, who were pronounced dead at the scene. Although authorities do not know the exact cause of the crash and investigation is pending, according to friends of the driver, the victims were returning from a birthday party and that alcohol was involved. "When the car immolates like that, identification and stuff like that are iffy," said Sgt. Kurt Smith of the Valley Traffic Division of the Los Angeles Police Department. There was two identification cards found at the scene that indicate two victims were male, but the third card is still being looked for. Stories like this are very important and have a lesson behind them, the first is that one should not be driving recklessly especially when there are lives at risk besides the drivers, and two one should not drive under the influence of alcohol.

Cookies 'n Cream

My favorite ice cream of all time is Cookies 'n Cream. It is creamy, delicious, scrumptious, heaven in one spoonful. It is made with Vanilla ice cream and Oreo cookies. Cookies 'n Cream is often called "King Kong of Ice Cream" because it skyrocketed to the top of the World's Favorite Ice Cream Flavor list. This ice cream rocks my world because in just one bite one experiences so much flavor. The Oreo cookie pieces, the many pieces of Oreo create a yummy sweat flavor that makes your tongue dance. The Oreo cookies, have a sweat cream filling, which make the ice cream so divine. Cookies 'n Cream tied for second place with Mint chocolate chip for the second most popular ice cream flavor in America, with 3.7% votes in a survey conducted by the International Ice Cream Association. Cookies 'n Cream has the ability to turn a frown upside down, make one feel like they are in heaven, and change ones mood from sad to happy . Not having this ice cream would mean, that your mouth would miss out on the most creamy and delicious ice cream in the world. Do you want to keep this ice cream away from your mouth?

"Sex offender sentenced in assault of 17-year-old girl in O.C." By: Stephen Ceasar

In the Los Angeles Times Stephen Ceasar wrote an article about a sex offender who was sentenced because of assaulting a 17 year old girl in O.C. Rasaan Raymon Patton 31 years of age was a registered sex offender. In June of 2008, Rasaan Raymon Patton crashed into the victims minivan, which then the 17 year old had to pull over. After the girl got out of the car Patton attacked her on the side of a road in Huntington Beach, but she managed to escape because Patton got startled by the oncoming traffic. In April of 2009, Patton was arrested in his Riverside County home, because investigators matched Patton's fingerprints to those found on the minivan. Stephen Ceaser mentioned in the article that, "In June, he was convicted of one felony count each of kidnapping to commit a sex offense, attempted forcible rape, sexual penetration by foreign object by force and sexual battery by restraint." On Friday Patton was sentenced 14 years to life in prison, and was ordered  to register as a sex offender for life. According to the district attorney's office, Patton faces sentencing for a rape in 1999 in Riverside County.

SOAPST "Declaration of Independence"

The "Declaration of Independence" written by Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers, is a true portrayal of fighting for independence. The audience for "Declaration of Independence" is mainly King George III, and also the colonists. The colonies were under the rule of England which King George III was controlling at the time. The colonists did not have freedom, were being taxed, were not independent, and had no control over their own colonies. Thomas Jefferson and the other founding fathers wrote the "Declaration of Independence" to King George III, telling him what he has done, that the colonists deserve rights, and want to be independent. They are also speaking to the colonists telling them the same exact thing how they are fighting or speaking for their independence. The purpose of the "Declaration of Independence" was to inform King George III about all the horrible laws that he was putting on the colonies, and that they were fighting for independence. The second purpose was to persuade the colonists to fight and strive for freedom. The document was meant to persuade the King to give the colonies independence and freedom. The occasion is July 4, 1776 the day the document was signed and the colonies finally received independence from England. They had fought for so long, because England had controlled them for so many years, and they finally were independent.

"Man fatally shot during robbery near Leimert Park"

In the Los Angeles Times,  Hector Becerra wrote an article about a man that was shot in Leimert Park. The victim who was in his 20's, was with a couple of friends, when was confronted by the suspects. There was a robbery and argument at Leimert Park, when the victim and his friends happened to be walking by. The suspects confronted the victim whose name was not released, and before pulling out his handgun began an argument with the victim demanding his property. “One suspect shot the victim in the upper torso.” said  Norma Eisenman. The victim was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead."Eisenmen said she did not know if the argument was gang related, but law enforcement source said that the argument involved gang allegiances." "The victim had made insulting remarks about a gang when confronted by the suspects, including the man who shot him." said the source. The man who shot him had done a "pocket check" on him before actually pulling the trigger. This article shows that one may be at the wrong place at the wrong time, but it can also show that saying insulting things about one can cause deadly consequences.

"Salvation" by Langston Hughes(SOAPST)

"Salvation" is written by Langston Hughes who was part of the Harlem Revolution. The occasion of this essay is Langston's first connection with Jesus(an emotional connection). The children all go to church at the ages of 12 and 13 to be connected to Jesus. Langston is 12 years old and at church with his aunt, he is surrounded by other kids his age to have that same connection with Jesus. He is very religious and believes in Jesus and God. When the preacher began preaching one by one the children stood up and went to the altar because they were saved. Langston did not feel the connection to Jesus right away like the other kids, which made him confused and sad. All the children had gone to the altar and the only two kids that were left was Langston and another boy named Westley. Westley being tired of waiting for Jesus to make a connection with him, decided to lie to everyone in the church  and say that he was saved. Langston being the only one left, decided to also lie to everyone in the church, the preacher, and his aunt. That night Langston in his bed, under the quilts was crying, he felt guilty for lying to everyone in the church, felt sad that he did not make a connection with Jesus, and that he did not believe in Jesus any more. The subject of the essay is Langston's loss of faith, because he did not feel that connection to Jesus that he hoped for in his heart he felt that Jesus did not want to save him, therefore he began to lose faith in Jesus. He no longer believed in Jesus nor God. The tone of the speaker often changes in the essay depending on what he feels and is thinking. In the beginning of the essay Langston's tone is a bit confused and expected, because he does not understand why Jesus is not making a connection with him. The tone of confusion is shown in this sentence "Still I kept waiting to see Jesus."(180) he is emphasizing the fact that he is patiently waiting to have that connection but at the same time he is confused as to why it has not happened yet. The tone suddenly changes to sadness, because soon he realizes that his so called connection to Jesus is not going to happen. For the third and final time the tone changes yet again, but this time it goes from sadness to hopeless and guilty. He feels hopeless because he was such a religious person and believed in Jesus and God, but because the connection did not happen he lost total hope. He also felt guilty because he lied to everyone in the church including his aunt, and said he had connected to Jesus when he had not. This essay shows us how soon one can completely lose faith in what they truly believed in.  

Sexual Assault in O.C.

In the Los Angeles Times, Rong-Gong Lin II wrote about the sentencing of a 46 year old man in Orange County. Alfredo Fernandez Gonzalez, a certified nursing instructor sexually assaulted three teenage girls during a training program in Santa Ana. The training program, also known as a nursing technical education course, provides career training to high school students and adults at the Park West Care and Rehabilitation Center. The district attorney's office gave a statement saying that Gonzalez touched the girls bodies, kissed their necks, and pulled them towards him. He also touched their butts during the time he was showing them nursing procedures. These girls were in high school at the ages of 17 and 18  and Gonzalez took complete advantage of them and assaulted them. Gonzalez told the teenage girls that they had nice bodies and that he would like to date them. The girls being so frightened and assaulted told their mothers about the touching and inappropriate conduct. The mothers of the three teenage girls then told the Santa Ana police department about Gonzalez. According to prosecutors the inappropriate touching and assault occurred over a 2 month period in the Spring of 2011. Gonzalez was sentenced to 4 months in jail after pleading guilty to three misdemeanor charges for inappropriate conduct, and receives three years of probation.This article and story is very important, because it teaches us teens and most importantly us girls that there are horrible people in the world, and that it is a dangerous place out there. This article displays the exact reason why one should always be protected, be aware of others and what they can do, and not always completely trust others.   

My Favorite Book

I read The Kite Runner in the tenth grade, and it has become one of my favorite books. It has a sense of envy, betrayal, regret, and at the end trying to make a mends, but realizing it is too late. What makes the story unique and my favorite is the fact that it has real life experiences, and ways in which it touches me emotionally. Another reason it is my favorite is because it taught me that life does not always have a fairytale ending, people go through hardships in life, and can lose all they have in a blink of an eye. A part of the story that touched my heart, was when Amir watched his best friend Hassan experience a traumatizing moment at a young age, when being raped by bullies. Hassan was always looking out for Amir, but Amir did not want to help Hassan when he truly needed him. Amir was always envious of Hassan, and the secret bond that Hassan and Baba shared, therefore he did not do anything to help him. That moment of betrayal caused Amir to feel guilt and remorse, and when he had the chance to save his nephew for Hassan, he did without thinking twice. There is a scene where I truly felt sorry for Sohrab(Hassan's son), when he left the hotel room in the middle of the night and went by the monument they had passed by with the car. He was fascinated by the monument and was sitting under it when Amir found him. Sohrab  had witnessed his fathers death and had not fully coped with it yet; he felt sad, lonely, and a sense of dirtiness. Amir wanted to comfort Sohrab, so he gave a picture of Hassan and Sohrab which he had received in the mail by Hassan before his death. Amir told Sohrab to keep to keep the picture close to his heart, and that he will never forget his father. In the end Amir was able to substitute his guilty feelings with a sense of satisfaction of knowing that he was able to rescue his nephew for his brother. These reasons make this book my favorite.