Ashley Z

The Iranian Revolution && Culture

2010-01-25T14:23:00.000-08:00

In my perspective, I see the Iranian culture as being very odd. I think it's weird how the men don't have to cover themselves up but the women do. I think that if someone's going to cover themselves up then they should all do it. Also, I think it's kind of cool that they cover themselves up because here in America, men look at women for their body's but it seems as though in Iran they're looking at the woman's personality since they can't see their bodies. I think that's unique and important to a relationship because I would want someone to like me for who I am on the inside than how I look on the outside. Second, I find it crazy how one person gets to tell everybody what to do and what they say goes. I think it's better if the people get to vote and come to a conclusion. I wonder why Iran only has one person in charge? Also, if it's only one person in charge then why can't the whole community over throw that rule and change it? Another thing I find odd is how people can't dance to music in a concert. If you are going to go to a concert then of course you want to stand up and dance. I don't see what is so wrong with dancing and having fun. I say that they should be able to have freedom to express how they feel as long as it's not going as far as killing someone or something. I find it interesting that their people have a limit to the things they do but some things are just taking that limit a little too far.

The Dust Bowl

2010-01-11T19:50:00.000-08:00

Has there ever been a time where you felt like you're in a horror movie? Well, I have and it was THE worst time that I've ever experienced in my lifetime. It's called, "The Dust Bowl." I bet you have heard of dust storms but this was the worst, and I'm talking horrible. All the dust just rolled in on one day. I was sitting in my house on a hot August day watching my little brothers and sisters. I got off the couch and went outside to go check on my clothes that I had drying on the clothes line. Before I could even take a step out the door, the dust came thrusting in and filled my mouth and went down to my lungs. I didn't know what took over me and I just started choking crazily. My mom had to come and grab me and hurry to shut the door so no more dust would enter the house. My eyes were stinging, my throat was burning, and I couldn't take a break from coughing. My little sister came and brought me a wet towel to set on my eyes to ooze the pain. I felt a little better but I kept coughing for approximately ten minutes. I recall seeing my mom putting sheets under the door because dust particles were trying to enter from the crack. After this first encounter, I was so scared to leave the house. All of us kids dropped out of school and just stayed home and tried to help keep the dirt out the house. One day, my little brother was in his room and he opened his window because he thought that the storm was all over and the dust attacked him. He was screaming and hollering but when we ran in to see what happened, we were too late. The dust took over his lungs so bad, that his organs started panicking and couldn't take it, and he died. I couldn't stop crying because how would the Lord just let something like that happen to my brother? I was depressed for a couple days after that and very cautious. From then on, I knew this dust storm was no joke and I had to step in and keep all eyes on my family. I couldn't afford to loose anybody else and just writing this is bringing tears to my eyes. I think I am going to end it here because I can't deal with writing what I experienced.

OWNERSHIP && INNOVATION

2010-01-09T12:20:00.000-08:00

School:

Ownership:
I believe that ownership is a key point in school because you should take pride in all the work that you do. By the time you finish a project, you should have put so much effort into it and completed it so well that you would want to sign your name to it. Also, ownership means that you take responsibility for your part. So, if you are in a project with three other people, you should want to do your part very well and let it be known that you did that part. Another reason is if you did a project with another person and you did most of the work and did it perfectly but you say that your partner did it, then you're not getting the credit you should have got for it.

Innovation:
Innovation is important in school for a couple of different reasons. One reason is because everyone should have a say so in what they're doing. So, if you're doing a project, every person in the group should put their idea in, that way your final product can be more creative. The second reason is because if you innovating with the things you do and the projects then you're having new ideas, new projects, and new ways to do things. I wouldn't want to be stuck doing the same project in all my classes with the same partners and the same ideas.

Life:

Ownership:
I feel that ownership means a lot in life. In life, we're going to be given a job where we are working with someone else and we should prove that we're the better person to complete this work. Once your boss sees that you are more capable of doing something then more job opportunities are open to you, which means more money, and that's all because you took pride in your work. Ownership is also important because it gives you a feeling of achievement. Let's say you bought a new car, you feel good that you can wax it, clean it off, and get it tightened up. Plus, you're going to be cautious about other people driving it or getting in a wreck and people will know it's you when you're driving down the street.

Innovation:
I think that innovation is important in life because it introduces you to new things. If you're working at a company but you're company is doing bad compared to another company that sales the same thing, that's when innovating should kick in. You should start being creative and thinking of ways that your company can get back on it's feet. Another way that innovating is important is because you could be on a diet and it's not working to make you slimmer. So, in order for it to work you start thinking of new approaches to go about it.

WONDER && EVIDENCE

2010-01-08T19:04:00.000-08:00

School:

Wonder:

Wondering is important in school because then you can explore new ideas. If you are exploring new ideas then it might lead you to an experiment that you want to do that could turn into a project. Another reason why wondering is good is because when you wonder it makes you very curious of things. Once you get curious you'll probably want to do something and try it out. For example if you wonder what would happen to your grade if you stayed after school and studied and then you actually go to do it. Wondering helps us to explore new opportunities and new things.

Evidence:

Evidence is important in school because if you don't do your homework and your teacher wants to know what happen to your homework, then evidence will prove to he/she why you didn't do it. Another reason why evidence is good at school is if you want to start a club at school, you should make a survey of how many students would want that club in their school, so it can help you back up your reasons. Also because it teaches you how to always back something up with proof because that works better than just stating something.

Life:

Wonder:
Wondering is important in life because it can open up new opportunities. Sometimes, if you don't wonder you would never think to explore new opportunities. You might wonder about what it would be like to be a teacher or an attorney and then you go to try it out and might end up liking it. Also, wondering could help you get out of trouble. Let's say you're doing something bad but then you start wondering what would happen if the police found out. Also, if you're stuck in a tight situation and you start wondering how to get out, you will probably end up getting out.

Evidence:
Evidence is important in life for a few different reasons. One reason is because if someone hurt you or did something to you and you want to sue them or put them in jail, you're going to need evidence that the person did that. Second, if you are a lawyer and you're trying to back up your client, you should have evidence that your client wasn't at that certain place at the certain time that the other person is suing about. Also, if you lock someone up you need evidence that they committed the crime or else they would be getting locked up for no reason.

Mindfulness && Perspectiveness

2010-01-08T14:44:00.000-08:00

School:

Mindfulness:
Mindfulness is important in school because a whole bunch of people go here and we need to be courteous to every one's feelings. Also, we really wouldn't like it if someone was being rude and disrespectful to us. Another thing we should do is be open to other people's thoughts and opinions because every one's thoughts matter. Another reason why being open is good is because the person could be bringing in new thoughts that you never had in mind which could help you out. We should be mindful in school because this is everybody's second home just as well as ours, so this should be a place where people feel respected, safe, and loved.

Perspective:
A reason why we should look at things in other people's perspective is so we can view the way different people think. To me, I think it's really cool to just look at how someone would do in my situation or how they look at things period. Looking at other people's perspective is important because then you can keep in mind how people might react or think of what you might do. Let's say you wanted to be the loud obnoxious person of the school, you should look at how other people are going to view you as. Are they going to think that's cool and want to hang out with you or are they going to try to avoid you and think your weird? Perspective is important because you keep in mind other people's feelings because you should never want to do anything that would hurt another student or teachers feelings.

Life:

Mindfulness:
Mindfulness is important in life because you don't know what type of people your going to come across. For one, the person that you come across can be a singer but you don't know that and they might end up thanking you with something once they get big. Also because mindfulness consist of being respectful and caring and we should always be like that to one another. Another reason is because if your open to somebody and their telling you their opinions and you have your opinions, then their opinions could be the ones who helped you start your business or run a company.

Perspective:
Perspective is important in life because it can help you out in the end. Let's say you're running a company but it's not going too swell. You can put yourself in your customers shoes to see how you can better the company. Also, we don't know what type of people we're going to encounter in life, so we should think about what this person might think if we do something. Depending on the person, it could hurt there feelings or it could make them ecstatic. Plus, we would want someone to take in to consideration how we would act if they did something, so then they don't do anything that could destroy our friendship or make us mad.

COLLEGE BOUND

2010-01-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

While I was listening to Edgar talk yesterday I learned so many things about college and what I plan to do. I plan to take an ROTC class in high school for nursing and then go to a nursing school when I graduate high school. I want to get my bachelors and master degree as a registered nurse. I want to build up my skills and extra curricular activities while I can. I plan to go to an elementary school and try to see if i could tutor the little kids or help out with a little league sports team. Plus, I want to join a honors class at a community college as soon as I can and get a job at my first opportunity so that I can have skills doing different things. My goal for this semester is to not be late to any classes and also try to get a 4.0 and maintain it. I want to stay after school and get a better knowledge on what I'm learning and I also want to learn the Spanish language by the time I graduate.

Goals:I want to come to school on time everyday because it's really not cool to be late and I don't want to miss out on anything. Plus, I was late all last semester, so I can't afford to be late anymore.I want to keep my backpack organized because last semester I was slipping and letting my binders get kind of out of order. Also, it's just nice to keep my stuff organized because it's easy to get to.I plan to come to office hours more often so that I can get help on my homework and get a better understanding of what I'm working on.

Maya Angelou

2009-10-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

1. I learned more about how you should get into depth with your questions. Like the first question you ask should be more of a broader question so that you can have deeper and more specific questions following up.

2. Maya means that when you have "Deep Talk" you think about things in more specific ways. You don't only see the picture of how it is but you also take it and see it for the smaller things that are in it. It relates to her writing because when she writes, she writes about stuff in depth as apposed to just the big picture.

3. As a writer she makes sure that what she writes it interests and includes everybody. She wants it to only reach a certain group of people but she knows it will be better for her book if she has a more broad span. So in order for her to balance the two she starts off where it will approach one group and then get more broader to reach everyone.

Connection to Lily: The Secret Life of Bees

2009-09-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

Lily has been through much more things than I think I will ever have to go through. There are times in life when a person is just fed-up and I think that lily feels like this a lot of the time. I can relate to feeling this because sometimes I find myself in the exact same position. Sometimes I just feel myself ready to argue and get mad about things but I have to calm myself down. Lily is willing to do anything for the people she cares about, and I'm the exact same way. I will have my closest family and friends by my side all the time like a key chain.

Lily has a bundle of courage, she's not afraid to say or do anything. I feel a strong connection with her whenever she resembles courage in a chapter, because it encourages me to be more courageous when and if I'm ever placed in a situation similar to hers. Also, she shows me to never give up on anything because there is always a better option to go about things. For example, when she ran away she found a good place to stay. I know there are sometimes where I'm going to try to run away from my troubles and the ending will be good but sometimes it won't end too well.

Touch

2009-09-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

I felt so scared to know that I would be sticking my hand in a jar of "something" because I didn't know what the "something" was. My mind raced about all the different possible things it could be. I reached my hand in thinking that it would be something soft and furry but to my shock it wasn't at all that. The first thing I noticed was that it was freezing cold because it sent chill bumps all through my body. After that, I felt my hand slip right through the substance as though it was extremely rubbery. I moved my hands around in the jar and I could feel the gooey sensation like "goo." When I tried to grab it, it did not stay together as one piece, it broke up into a whole bunch of different sized particles. While my hand was in the jar it did not feel sticky at any point. As I pulled my hand out I could feel pieces of the gooey substance stuck to my hand, which I found very odd. From that point forward, I could just feel that I knew exactly what it was.

Popcorn

2009-09-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

When I was blind folded and the smell came in through my nose, I just knew what it was. It's that buttery, sweet smell that flows through your lungs and lights you up. The butter is the strongest part of the smell and it takes over your lungs the most. It's a smell that's so sweet but there's a bitter, salty fragrance mixed in. A smell and taste that's known to the human race all across the U.S.A. When you smell it, you get a hint of it's taste. It's like the popcorn's aroma goes through your nose into your mouth. It taste like it's pure butter until you bite into it. To me, the the taste of popcorn is nasty because of all the butter that is on it. The taste is like a silky, sweet, buttery taste. It is silky like the taste of old, spoiled milk. Once you bite into it, you taste a plain kind of salty ball. The kernels taste glossy like hair grease. If you bite it, there's not much of a taste but a faint, dull, tart taste. The popcorn has a taste like cotton candy that gently melts in your mouth when your saliva hits it.

Smell

2009-09-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

While I sit here i smell a hot, spicy taste from the hot sauce on my taquitos. It smells really strong and it's the first thing that draws my attention. The next thing I smell is a sour fragrance which is from the sour cream. The smell of the sour cream has like a lighter tone to it than the hot sauce. After that, I smell a cheesy smell from the melted cheese. I can smell a kind of spicy smell with the cheese because of the hot sauce that's on it. There's also a some what strong, deep smell coming from the beef. The tortilla adds a floury smell to it all, like flour. My drink smells like a sweet substance. Also, it has a fruity, orangy taste to it.

Photos That Changed The World

2009-09-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

http://photosthatchangedtheworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/biafra.jpg

When I first seen this picture, a sad feeling arose over me. It's one thing to hear about people who starve and have poor lifestyles but it's a whole different thing to see a picture of it. In the picture there are four little boys that look like they haven't eaten since forever. One hardly has clothes on his back and the others aren't wearing anything at all.

Have you ever heard when people say that someone looks like a toothpick, referring to how small they are? Well in this picture, these kids are almost literally that little. You can see about every rib in their chest, the different curves and arches of the ribs are visible. The biggest thing on these little African kids bodies are their stomachs. I would think that their stomach would be sucked in, as well, but they have a disease called, "Kwashiorkor" where their muscles dissolve away and their stomachs get large.

Their arms are so sunk in that their about the size of a leg on a table. Just seeing them lets me think of what a good lifestyle I live because I could be in a way worse situation. I can tell that they're not living that good of a lifestyle because of where the children are in the picture. The ground looks dirty, stained, and cracked and the children are walking around on bare feet. It's a wonder to know what lays on the bottom of their feet. The building that they're standing against looks of an old nature, like it was built back in the 1940's. It is one horrible sight to see children in this poor manner.

Sensory Writing: Hearing

2009-09-03T14:02:00.000-07:00

http://margaretnoble.net/blog/phonurgia-nova-awards-2009/

I was sitting here listening to the different sounds on the website our teacher told us to go on. I listened to about eight different sounds but none seem to interest me except for the very last one. It had so many different sounds that consisted of so many contrastive things. The first sound i got wind of was a irgghhh irgghhh like a cricket chirping. The next thing I picked up from the noises was a "Buhh Boom," as if something was transforming into something evil. It was a blast like a meteor had just landed hard on the Earth. Then i heard a twisted kind of sound like aliens were taking over the world. A sound that contained "Wrr Wrr" noises going from being loud then to where you couldn't hear it. There was somewhat high pitched singing like "Haa Haa," in the background as if people were singing opera. Also, I heard dials that you would hear on a machine or phone like "dina nuna nun," but it wasn't normal sounding it was a bit off tune like some sort of cartoon. After that I gathered a soft song that played like a violen mixed in with a thump that had a rhythm to it like "tun na nun na nun." Another thing I heard was soft hums like "Hmmm Hmm," coming from a lady with a low voice. When that was finished playing there was a tute from a train that sounded something like "Urrhhhh!" In between the different sounds were spaces where nothing played at all. The sounds I heard were so unique because I had never heard those specific sounds put together as one.