Thursday was by far the best class of the semester in my mind. Sam was on top of things when he was talking in class. He was so in the zone that he kept my attention better than any other topic thus far. I think that the topic of seeing our involvement in the war is for many different reasons. But i completely agree that the reason we are still involved has become for natural resources. At first there was a legitimate reason for the war but that original reason which was about terrorism and radical extremists has become less of a reality for why we are overseas.
And i do not think i have ever really thought about the war from the point of view that we did in class. I know that if someone was occupying where i lived, i would definitely fight back. I would not just sit back and watch as people ravage the land that i live on. I would go down fighting against aggressors. The video clip of the tank soldiers who ran over someones car because they were looting is ridiculous. That car could be the most precious thing that those people own and some guys in a tank thought it was okay for them to demolish it. That was really messed up.
I left class feeling a bit ashamed that i never thought of the war from that perspective before. I always said to myself that if someone was invading our land that i would fight back until i am killed but i never thought of it from the point of view that we were the invaders of some other persons land. I totally support the men and women who are dying to protect our freedom but after really thinking about our actions i have to say that i really wish we were not in this war anymore. I feel that we really are invading for the purpose of attaining some benefit and not because we are protecting our freedoms.

I like the idea of teaching Chinese in high schools. It is nice to see that even though some schools are removing their secondary language opportunities; there are still some schools that are offering language courses. In my mind China is being really smart in offering to help teach Chinese in America. I think that our government should work with countries and make this learning process available for other languages too. I think that had i had an actual foreign teacher, teach me their native language; i probably would have learned my high school language much better.
I do not know how it was for students in their high schools, but i know that my secondary language classes in high school were pathetic. I took four years of Spanish in high school and those classes did not prepare me for anything. Yes I did learn some very basic skills like vocabulary, conjugations, and translation. But i was not pushed to speak the language, we were taught the language to pass tests. I feel that by literally bringing a native in to teach the class might lean towards the instructor trying to help students really understand the language and not just teach them to pass a test.
Chinese was not even an option for me to learn when i was in high school. I only had to option of learning German or Spanish. Personally i would have loved to learn Polish because that is part of my heritage. Maybe this technique they are adopting for Chinese might have good effects towards other languages. Since America does do business with all different languages maybe some other countries will send people to teach other languages so that people can learn languages like Polish. I did not have the opportunity to learn a language i wanted to, but maybe this Chinese initiative might work in other areas too.
I think secondary languages need to be taught differently and maybe having actual Chinese people come to teach the language might help. I hope it does, because i had four years of a language in high school, and two semesters of a language in college and i have forgotten nearly all of it. The other day i was one of six people trying to remember the pronouns in Spanish for a crossword answer. I feel that had i been taught the language differently maybe more of it would have stuck, or maybe i would have continued to speak it in daily life had i learned how to speak it and not taught how to memorize words for a test. I like where this program is going and hopefully this works out.

I think that video games like the ones in this CNN video have no place even being created. I think that the Japanese government has to be the ones who put a stop to the creation of the games. Here in our country this game is seen as being wrong because it is. We have learned over our rather short history that degrading women like this is morally wrong, the Japanese have a much longer history in which they have no physical evidence to back up that these games are not wrong. The connection can be made saying that our shoot-em-up video games are wrong too. But that is what video games are at heart, they remove the player from the world that they live in.
These games are so bad that CNN could not even show us what you can do in the video games. Apparently you must be able to do some really messed up things to the women you come across. These games are literally telling people that if someone screws you over, than it is okay for you to hunt them down and sexually harass them for your pain. If that does not sound morally messed up than who knows what you can get away with in the creation of a video game.
If our society did not want to play these games than there would not be as many versions of violent video games being created. But it is in our human nature to want violence and sex. There are criminal cases out in our country today where crimes have been committed at the expense of the criminal learning how to commit the crime from video games. I would expect that these Japanese rape video games lead to problems of people being sexually harassed in public as a result.
I do not know how the creators can look at the game that they have made, and live with themselves. The only way that a person can not have a conscience about what they have done is if they are seriously disturbed individuals. Maybe they were not loved enough by their mothers when they were growing up. Maybe they just have no feelings towards anyone but their own greedy, selfish, disturbed interests. But the people who make these games can only be looking to make money and not be worried about the message they are sending in their games.

I have to start this blog off by saying that this video really left me at a loss for words. I will say that i was shocked by the kids responses. I think that the kids chose to want to play with the white dolls because it could have come from a combination of social reasons, maybe it could have been that the kids are influenced by seeing more white dolls than black dolls, or it could have been that the white dolls were brighter and more noticeable to the kids. But i was totally thrown for a loop when the kids responded that the black dolls were bad, and that the white dolls were portrayed as good. I can only imagine what was going on in the minds of these kids after they realized what they just said. They may not know what it is that they are feeling at that young of an age but i feel that these kids are being taught that they are not equal to people of different colors when in reality we are all born the same.
personally i felt really bad leaving class on Thursday after having seen that video. The fact that the biggest room on campus was dead silent after that child said that the black doll was bad and then said that the black doll best represented herself; that was a lot for anyone to take in. that child looked so sad after she basically said she was bad even though there is no way of saying who is bad and who is good by what color they are.
The good and bad aspect could be looked at as the child referring to extenuate circumstances. In most cases it can be seen that what is light is good and what is black is supposed to be bad. That can be one reason behind the child's rationality. Another reason could be maybe that they are more options of different types of white dolls and not as many black dolls which could make a child think that maybe it is better to have a white doll than a black doll. But these possible circumstances are created by other people who think that they are portraying a good message. And if that is the case than i think more people need to see this video and then ponder on its' message for awhile and reflect on their own actions.

My post is not in relation to the above question about Asians. Instead this is my weekly response to an LGBT issue that i previously commented on. In the USA today there was an article about a federal courts decision about the McMillan girl who was denied being able to take her lesbian girlfriend to her high school prom. The federal court decided that the school violated her first amendment rights when they denied her request to wear a tuxedo and accompany her girlfriend to the prom. The court agreed that she could not be denied access to the prom with her girlfriend but the court did not reinstate the high school prom because a group of parents took it upon themselves to finance and run the prom for the junior and senior high school students.

I am glad that the courts upheld that the school was wrong in denying the girls the chance to attend the prom together as each others dates. I think that LGBT issues will begin to be less of an issue with our generation just like racial issues are not as present. I think that once these officials who think that it was ok to restrict homosexuals from social events are no longer in offices than LGBT individuals will be gaining the acceptance that they are fighting for. The courts have shown today that by ruling in favor of McMillan that from the justice perspective LGBT is not a right or wrong feeling that LGBT individuals have the same rights, and deserve the same rights, as heterosexual individuals.

I see the potential for this to be a short lived victory for McMillan. Because the school is not sponsoring the the prom and that it is individual parents running the prom this year: I hope these parents do not respond to the girls like the school did. I hope that the girls are welcomed at the prom this year and that they do not receive immature ridicule from their fellow students. High school is a very narrow minded environment and I have a feeling that if the girls choose to attend this prom than i feel that it might end up being a bad experience. It is a small town area that i would hope would not be as narrow minded as most small towns are. I guess i will just have to wait and see how the prom goes for the girls but i am glad that the courts ruled in favor of their LGBT issue.

Listening to the interview i believe that she is up to the challenge of being a female football coach. But the challenge in my mind is the fact about being a football coach because it is not easy whether you are male or female. She has the background and the mentality of an athlete which i believe is what anyone needs to be a successful coach in any sport.
In the interview she mentioned that she had wanted to play football when she was in high school but she did not play at her fathers wishes. Instead she settled on a different sport and then later found a female football league to play in. I think that if she has had the determination to want to play the game than she obviously must know enough about the game and understand it well enough to coach at the high school level. The gender of the coach should not act as a determining factor if the person can do the job, what should matter is exactly what she has which is an interest in the sport, and determination to participate in the sport. I think that she will be a great coach as long as she does not let the remarks, that are sure to come, bother her.
There will be tons of criticism in her first season and probably a few seasons after if she sticks with coaching. But that comes with the job. I remember my high school football coach was always being criticized for his choices, it just comes with the territory of being the coach. I believe that this will also lead to more females pursuing football coaching jobs because there is no reason why there should not be more of them in the first place. I can anticipate that coaches in her conference are going to be gunning to beat her team because she is a female coach, but i remember when that was the case during the integration of black and white schools. That issue is from a different context but i think about the movie "remember the titans" how the schools wanted to beat the titans because they were different. I think that she will face similar situations of schools wanting to beat her school because she is the coach but i believe she will be able to get over these pesky details. And like sam said, i am pretty sure that she can stand her ground both on and off the field because she looked jacked in her interview.

This issue just goes to show that our generation is shaking things up a bit. My major here at Penn State is in criminal justice and at least i know that this issue will not be brushed under the carpet. As long as Ms McMillen does not give up because the school board cannot be so judgmental on the girls sexuality. I swear to me it seems like once our society over one hurdle they seem to find a new one to discriminate against. I find it upsurd that one response she recieved was to remember where she lives, in Mississippi. It was southern states that gave a fit over black rights, than women rights, and now LGBT rights are the next hurdle that we need to overcome.

At least she was nice enough to ask permission first about the prom. She could have just as easily shown up at the prom wearing a tuxedo with her girlfriend. But no she was acting more like an adult than the school board that canceled the prom because of the two of them wanting to go together. The school is acting completely out of line and is violating the fundamental rights of the two girls. Regardless of a persons' sexuality, no governing individuals/committees can impose any laws that violate a persons' fundamental rights.

I hope that these girls continue their fight against this injustice. The issue does not violate the educational atmosphere of the prom in the sense that the board is worried about. It is just a way that the board, of older adults, do not want to have their kids exposed to LGBT people. That is completely absurd that the board could even think that they would not get in trouble for their actions because it is clearly biased and focuses on excluding individuals from a memorable event. There was a court case that dealt with the the first amendments establishment of religion clause in which case the courts upheld that religious sentiments could not be said at high school graduations because it violates other individuals religious feelings. The school could not tell students to not go to their graduation because it was one of these memorable events in your high school, the prom should fall under this same scope when dealing with LGBT issues.

I give her so much credit for her hard work and determination that she shows in an underdeveloped country like that of Haiti. I believe that she has that determination because she lives in a place like Haiti. It would be interesting to see if she would be as resourceful if she lived in our country.

She understands concepts that I will honestly say that i do not fully understand and yet she is able to figure it all out with only up to a fifth grade education. She seriously is her own business and she somehow does every part of the job. It is really remarkable to hear that she does all of these parts of the job and now because of the earthquake she is in a tough spot. She is more responsible than the corporate CEO's in our country. She is an example of someone who deserves a bailout.

I wonder if she would be as determinative in our country as she is in her own. Had she grown up in the US instead of Haiti, she would have had to endure more education in order to survive in our capitalistic society. I feel that she is the lucky one for having grown up in Haiti because she understands what it takes for someone to make it in the world. Granted the process of learning how to make it would be much easier had she grew up in the US but I wonder if the way our society works if she would grow up without that strong determination to make it on her own.

Another bit that bothers me about this interview is the fact that the bank was not affected by the earthquake as badly as did the rest of the country. Were there different building codes for banks than peoples homes? And even if there were not any differences how can a bank be so heartless as to say that hey you just lost everything you ever had and now you still need to pay us back our money right now. I think that the bank should be somewhat helpful towards her because obviously she is not going to blow off this loan payment if she has always been good for payments. Maybe i just do not know enough about the situation but i think the bank should be a bit more lenient on the loan after such a disaster like the earthquake.

But i co mend her on so many levels because she is so smart to understand the concepts of business like she does. And i commend her because she has the determination to do it all herself. She has the heart to make it in life and i believe she will find a way to get over the obstacles she is facing right now.

Technology has been advancing so quick, it was only a matter of time before someone created Roxxxy. I have heard about sex dolls before, none quite as sophisticated as Roxxxy. I have a problem with these dolls from a criminal justice view point. I can see where these types of dolls in the wrong hands can be bad for our society.

My career choice is in crime, law, and justice. I see these dolls becoming a problem if they are purchased by sex offenders (rapists and sex predators). These types of people have psychological and sociological problems to begin with and usually do not fit in with normal society views. I cannot imagine them having a doll like the Roxxxy that is so easily manipulative. I see dolls like the Roxxxy advancing the violent sex drives of these disturbed people, because the person using the doll (male or female) could become used to having complete control over their partner / victim. The doll creates an environment that allows the person using the doll to eventually feel comfortable saying and doing things to it that are inappropriate. The creator says that the doll is for lonely people who have trouble meeting women and that the doll offers them the ability to release sexual pleasures. But it can also be used by people who are not of a sound mind. The doll, which is an amazing use of technology, can slowly breed people to sexual crimes that they may not have developed if they did not have the doll to practice with.

Men and women are not different at all when it comes to sexual pleasures. Women have many more sexual toys available to them than men may have. The creator also mentioned that he has had women put in orders for a male version of the Roxxxy, which is prevalent in the idea of the Rocky doll. I think that our society wants us to think that men and women are different when it comes to pleasuring ourselves but in reality women enjoy it just as much as men do. It is just a social norm that is forced upon every generation.

I do think that it is cool that they could make a life size doll that is capable to hold a conversation. I also believe that the only difference between men and women on this issue is that men are probably more likely to openly talk about it. And i also believe that this type of sex doll will lead to problems from a criminological stand point.

Losing a language is a sad occurrence, but while i was watching the video i could not help but wonder whether the other people in it know how to speak her language. She seemed to be surrounded by many people, i would imagine that they would know how to speak some of the language. Maybe not all of it but they should have an idea about what she was saying half the time. At least someone was able to record some audio of her speaking the language before it was lost forever.

Today's world has lost many languages in our long history. thinking about all the different native American tribes that existed here before Americans settled here just begs to wonder how many languages once existed before they were silenced forever. Then thinking about all the ancient civilizations that existed in places like Africa and the middle east. Sadly this event happens where we lose language by its' people dying off. It's not like it has not happened before, it is just saddening to see it happen. Especially in today's world where we have the ability to pass that language along to future generations had she taught it to younger people.

Now i sit here and wonder if she knew any other languages. She would have had to i imagine. I am trying to think of how she communicated with the people around her. Either she had to know another language to talk to them with, or they must have known her language in order to understand what she was trying to tell them. I think the language had an opportunity to survive but i do not think anyone took enough initiative to preserve it. I do not think that this woman would have lived such a lonely life of not being able to communicate with the people around her. I think that the loss of the language is a sad loss for all of us, but it happens. maybe someone will find a way to learn and understand it from a historical point of view like the have done with the Mayan, Aztec, and Olmec languages but most likely it will probably fade away from existence. there might be a reference to it somewhere saying that these people spoke this dead language.

Languages are going to come and go, that is how it has always been. For the longest time Latin was a huge language but how often do you actually hear people speaking it? Sure some words and phrases are reiterated but it is practically dead too. I do not think we can save all languages but just accept the fact that they had a lot of meaning to people for as long as they did.