I don’t think that it’s too early to start looking back on the situation and learning from other’s mistakes. We had this notion that Joe Paterno and Graham Spanier would always fulfill their morale obligation to Penn State, the State College community, and the victims in this scandal. Even though I do believe that Joe Paterno was correct in whom he spoke to and the chain of command; however, I can see that others would think I’m crazy. I do think that it was wrong to leave the children in this situation without any help. Therefore, I think the most important lesson that I’ve learned is to always try to perform my morale obligation as a citizen. I know that performing my morale obligation may not always be the easiest task but if it benefits society then it has to be done. I think Spanier is more at fault than anyone in this situation. If in fact he knew about everything that was happening on this campus then he is the biggest disgrace this university has seen.

Another important lesson learned is to stick with our Penn State community. This is the most trying time in Penn State’s history and it’s important that we become closer and do our best in order to enhance our stained reputation. Why would someone want to leave such a great community? First of all we are bonded by the fact that we all attend Penn State and that we feel a connection to our school. We did not do any wrongs. We are taking the blame for actions some people did years ago. Yes those who took action in this horrible plot were wrong but they should not define a whole community built upon a great education. We are the students that are entitled with the responsibility to show the world that we still are a great institution and that we have a great program. I hope that everyone can look at Penn State and see that we are dealing with the situation that has happened and we are still strong and united.

I think with these lessons the Penn State community will become stronger and we will know how to deal with any situation that comes our way. I also feel that we, as a student community, will be somewhat of role models for other schools with similar situations. I still love Penn State and I do not regret my decision in attending. We still are Penn State.

When I first read about these events I didn’t believe that it was going to be a big of a deal as it has become within the past week. I first learned of Sandusky when a Facebook friend posted the news article on my wall. I skimmed it over and realized it was something that happened in the past when I did not even know what Penn State was. Then, Monday came along and this small piece of news was all over the front page and within The Collegian. I think the most heartbreaking part of the story is that no one said anything and everyone kept quiet. Next thing I know is that Penn State is on every news channel in the country; but the media didn’t even cover Sandusky or the victims. It was all about the icon of Penn State, Joe Paterno. I honestly don’t even know where to begin on how the world, or people in my home town, will view Penn State. I am Penn State proud and always will be because I believe that this University is an amazing place. I hope that people will still see that we are a school based on academics and not just on sports. We have some of the top athletic graduating rates in the country. Yes, Paterno has made this school great in terms of sports but also look at the millions of dollars he has given back and to the library in his name. I was talking to my boyfriend today about this topic and he said that his mother doesn’t want him wearing any Penn State paraphernalia when he comes home for the holidays. He responded by saying that’s all he has and wears. We should not be ashamed of who we are because of some scandal that has rocked this university but become closer as a community and maybe that’s only something a Penn Stater can know. It’s not like we raped those little boys, a sick man did who worked at our university. We know that nothing was done about it but we should not be taking the blame for what someone else did. We will always be Penn State and I think people will see that with the vigil tonight and how we represent ourselves at the football game tomorrow. Let’s Go State!

Yes, I will be the first one to admit that I have spoken Spanish or Italian so that others do not know what I am saying. It might be something about them or just something that I do not want them to know. So I totally understand if someone is speaking another language that yes they might want to hide something that they don’t want you to know. On the other hand, people speak their native language just because they might feel comfortable speaking it. It all relates to that these people may not want to lose their culture in a country where English is spoken so often.

To answer the original question, “Do you feel uncomfortable when others speak a different language around you?” Well sometimes yes. Most of the time there will be someone speaking Spanish so I can understand when they speak and definitely know when they’re talking about me because they don’t think I can understand. And yes I have found that sometimes they will talk about you right in front of your face without you realizing. Then again there’s always the instance where I don’t know the language someone is speaking. For example, the Koreans in my high school spoke Korean often. After a while I picked up on some of their vocabulary and I sometimes did feel uncomfortable when they spoke Korean and I was kind of “out of the loop”. I knew that most of the time they were making fun of some kid here and there but most of the time they spoke Korean because it was their native language and they did not want to steam away from their culture. I feel like I sound insecure about myself and really shouldn’t care what other people have to say but you always do find yourself becoming curious of others around you especially if they’re speaking a different language.

Then you have the people on the other side of the argument who believe that everyone should be speaking English because we live in the United States. This is a country full of immigrants and you’re not going to allow them to speak their native language because you are afraid of the language barrier. I think everyone has to learn a little bit of compromise. Those who have immigrants working on their farm should learn their language and vice versa. Sometimes we all have to learn to just live together and accept one another’s cultures.

Spanglish was a part of my daily life all throughout high school. I had a couple of Hispanic friends that spoke Spanish as well as English and when we didn’t know how to say a word in English, we would use the Spanish word and vice versa.
Spanish was my first language and I didn’t know any English before attending Pre-K. My parents were afraid that since I didn’t know any English I wouldn’t know how to say, “Can I go to the bathroom?” etc. Apparently, as a young child, I caught onto the English language quickly and was fairly fluent in a short amount of time. However, as soon as my grandparents picked me up from school, Spanish was the language of choice. My grandparents did not speak English and nor did they care to learn more than necessary. My parents, of course, had jobs that required them to speak English but usually not in front of me since they did not want me to lose my Cuban heritage. When my brother was born, he learned some Spanish but English was his language of choice. Yes my grandparents still spoke to both of us in Spanish but I was more fluent. 8 years ago my sister was born and since both my brother and I spoke English, my sister did not learn as much Spanish. My grandmother lives with us now and my grandfather passed away way before she was born. She speaks to my sister in Spanish but my sister doesn’t know how to communicate very well. I wish that my sister and brother spoke just as much Spanish as I do. It’s such an important part of the Cuban culture as well as American culture that the country is moving into today. I can’t say that my Spanish has always been perfect or that Cubans that speak the best Spanish but I do know how to speak it and can communicate well with others.
Now in college, my whole world of speaking Spanish has pretty much diminished. Since there aren’t many students, that I know of anyway, that speak Spanish, I don’t use Spanish in my everyday conversation. I do try to teach my boyfriend some Spanish so that when he talks to my grandmother, he’ll know what she’s trying to say. I only speak Spanish to my relatives and rarely my parents. Sometimes I do want to join the Spanish club on campus so that I have a means to communicate with other Hispanic people but I feel that my friends won’t understand why I’m joining. Also, I want to reconnect with my culture especially with the food, language and music. I think Spanglish will always be used as more and more generations are learning less Spanish as well as native English speakers learning more Spanish as well.

The word poser is someone who pretends to be a part of a group of people; do I think that every white person that hangs out with black or Hispanic people are posers? Definitely not. Do I think that there are no posers in the world? No. Yeah some people might act like they want to be part of a certain race if they associate with people from that race. Basically, they want to be accepted just like Step 5 for white people. I think that white people want to find acceptance because they feel like they have been the “majority” for most of history and feel that they should learn the other side of the story. But then again I cannot say anything since I’m not a white person; however I can speak from my experiences. So I’m Cuban and I come from a historically Italian neighborhood in New Jersey. Over the years my town has become predominantly Asian, more specifically, Korean. I associated with everyone in my school. Most of the people I hung out with were either Korean or white and occasionally some Hispanics. I didn’t feel like I was a poser in any group since we all got along and were in the same classes. If I would have just hung out with Hispanic people then my friendship circle would have been extremely small and narrow minded. Honestly I learned more about Korean culture and language then I ever thought I would know just because I was friends with them. I even helped them with Spanish classes in school. I don’t feel uncomfortable talking to people of different races because the most important thing is to form a relationship with someone. There were also the Korean people that I didn’t associate with, also known as FOBS. This means fresh off the boat; they only spoke Korean and only hung out with Korean kids. Even some of the Korean kids didn’t like them because they weren’t trying to become part of the American culture. So as you can see, I don’t think if you hang out with just one group of people that you’re a poser. Maybe you’ve just grown up in a situation where the population of your school was predominantly one race. Or maybe you’re lucky, like me, to have diverse classes with all sorts of people and experiences. I feel bad for the people who have never had the chance to take the time to talk to others and learn something new about the people of the world. I’m glad people can take a class like this and open their eyes to different cultures and experiences.

Not only do they have to worry about a financial future but a social one. They, like they discussed in the video, want to get married and have children. Would that even be possible and how would it work? I mean they would probably have to adopt. Also, they would have to find husbands that would be willing to live together or maybe even twin brothers. They are obviously shaped by their circumstance but of course they are free to choose how they will live their life. Yes it is difficult and there won’t be a lot of easy decisions but they are both determined to achieve their fullest potential.

I have seen the documentary about Abby and Brittany before and their story continues to amaze me. The fact that they have basically perfected working together is extraordinary; from clapping to driving and even their morning routine. The argument between freedom and determinism is a great topic to discuss in this situation. Obviously, they are affected by their circumstance; being conjoined twins but I would assume have two different personalities. However, with these difficulties they have to find common interests in order to pursue a major in college. They would not be able to major in different subjects since they cannot attend other classes. This, in turn, leads to other numerous questions such as finding jobs, salaries, etc. They have the freedom to pick their own jobs but they have to deal with the reality that it cannot just be any job. There has to be two open positions at the company that are willing to hire conjoined twins. What if Abby likes the company but Brittany doesn’t? Should they look for another job or interview for what they can get? Again, are they truly free to choose their own destiny or are they confined by their circumstance? I guess it’s a question that will be answered in the near future.

Women are influenced by others when it comes to how they dress and how they want to be viewed, not only by themselves but by other women and men. I can’t say that I have never worn a skirt or short dress out in the snow or rain but I do find it completely unnecessary now that I look back on it. I do have a boyfriend and he loves it when I dress up for him but gets jealous when other guys think I look hot too. Personally, I love wearing sweatpants all day everyday but apparently society says I should care about what I look like. My parents and my boyfriend have complained about me wearing sweatpants all the time that it finally sank in and finally started dressing in jeans and nice shirts. My point is that others have a big influence on sacrifices that women make. Usually if other girls are wearing short skirts and tight dresses then everyone should be doing the same thing. Women are always asking their friends what they’re wearing so they don’t feel left out in the crowd. Also, guys pick girls that are visually appealing to them because they are attracted to the physical appearance of a woman. If you’re looking for a hot date, you will not be wearing something that does not flatter you’re physique. And usually women feel the only way to grab the attention of a guy is to dress in high heels, way too much make-up, a low cut shirt, and short skirt. Although painful and cold, these are the lengths women will go to show they are attractive. It takes a strong person to be out there slipping on ice in high heels with barely any clothes on. Trust me, I’ve been there and it is not fun. Some women, on the other hand, don’t like the negative attention they get from men; however, when you dress in a way that shows your body then you have to be prepared for vulgar comments.
The attire of men can’t be sacrificed. What is there to sacrifice?! Guys don’t wear high heels or tight clothes unless they want to. They’ll wear what they think is nice enough to attract the female sex. That usually includes jeans, a polo or button down shirt and sneakers. No make-up is required; just a nice smile and gelled hair. I think men should appreciate the sacrifices women are making to attract the opposite sex. It’s sad to say, but guys will go for the hottie in the short, tight dress than the appropriately, warmly dressed, cute girl next door.

I have always thought that America has helped foreign countries way too much. Even throughout history one can see that the U.S. has been involved in almost every war and has helped in liberating global citizens from poverty and unhappiness. Well liberating is a questionable term and that is another discussion for a different day. However, Americans have always felt the need to “butt” into other’s business because of our imperialist nature. This was true in the Philippines, Mexico, Panama, and Cuba just to name a few. Mostly I think that we wanted to set up military bases so that our army could be based globally. Even though we may not send as much financial aid to that in need as other countries, we do provide the most military support. Because of our bases around the world, we can assist countries with rebellions, government uproars, etc. I feel that the United States should spend their money in their own country instead of military supplies. I don’t think that the military will suffer if we restrict payments and use it to stimulate the economy and pay back our debts. I do think that most of these issues are decisions made by the government and citizens cannot do anything to help. However, the citizens of the United States do send a lot of relief to those abroad more than might be realized. There are a lot of organizations that might not have been mentioned in the numbers that were listed too. I think there is a huge comparison between the U.S. and Greece. We borrowed a lot of money from the Chinese, and we were basically bailed out by them. The European Union is doing the same thing with Greece. I think it does make sense that we would not be sending out aid since we owe so much. Even though I think the U.S. has always sent out so much aid to others, in reality we don’t realize how much the rest of the world helps out.

Second, it takes long to dry and doesn’t even stay on that long. I think that micro financing textiles from the United States to Haiti would benefit her company. In addition, she can build a name for herself and finally put a logo on her clothes so she can stand out and show her unique brand. Clorene seems like a hard worker and she has a passion and talent in the fashion business but she needs help expanding and I think that’s where the United States can potentially help her.